Farsighted Fly Girl

Barbuda The reports of Hurricane Irma's destruction across the Caribbean region   has left me worried and with my stomach in knots. After watching how Hurricane Harvey pounded Texas, and how Irma continues to menace Florida, it's doubly concerning because the Caribbean doesn't get the visibility or response that the U.S. commands. The islands of the Caribbean are more than just vacation spots, they shelter a people and a culture that I know and love. After hearing from friends and researching reports, it's clear that donations are needed more than anything else to start a rebuilding process that will probably take years. The most extreme devastation happened on Barbuda,  the tiny sister island to Antigua whose proud citizens and pink sand stole my heart years ago. The island has been almost completely wiped out, leaving Barbudans homeless and evacuated to Antigua. St. Thomas, Anguilla, St. Martin and parts of Cuba are also challenged with trying to recover fr...

The best part of travel is meeting people who share experiences and stories that reflect how diverse and exciting the world truly is. On the flawless beach of Anguilla's Sandy Island , I met DJ Kristelle Morin, who performed as part of the Livin In The Sun EDM Festival. I'm not a huge fan of EDM (electronic dance music) unless it's the house music that I grew up with in Chicago. I need an element of emotion to enjoy music and most techno and electro music lacks that element. But I learned a few things when I met international DJs in Anguilla, especially a sunny-faced DJ named Kristelle Morin from Australia. Lounging on Sandy Island, Kristelle explained how she started out as a DJ in Sydney and travels between London where she works with   Tribe Records , and the rest of the world, spinning her music.  It's not easy for women DJs to establish themselves in the EDM industry and Kristelle explained the challenges of pushing past the sexism and misogyny. What really ...

I've never seen a place that embodied its tag line more perfectly than Anguilla.  This little island is literally wrapped in impossibly blue water that melts into an equally blue sky. Just looking at these photos will decompress stress levels by 100 percent. I was lucky enough to spend three days straight on Sandy Island,  which is a little slip of sand off the coast of Anguilla. This pretty islet was the day time location for the Livin in The Sun music fest, where I soaked up the blue and listened to live DJs mix music all day. Yes, it was a very difficult situation. The tranquility and beauty just overtakes you in Anguilla. The island has a quiet allure that doesn't need hype or giant resorts. It's an under-the-radar refuge that I miss already.

It's been a rough week so I'm especially excited to head to the gorgeous British Caribbean island of Anguilla.  It would be enough just to experience the laid back culture and famous beaches of Anguilla but I'm going to be covering the inaugural Livin In The Sun Music Festival.  The three day event kicks off this weekend and focuses on DJ's from around the world playing on Anguilla's pristine beaches. The multi-sensory experience combines music, art and since Anguilla is considered the Caribbean's culinary capital, food. I can't even wrap my head around all of the highlights but I'm looking forward to exploring a few of the island's 33 beaches, sampling local dishes and hearing DJ's from Italy, France, South African and Anguilla. The head-liner is Walshy Fire of Major Lazer so I don't expect to be off my feet very much. Please stay tuned for posts and videos!