| Farewell Bermuda, Hello Caribbean Well, my time in Bermuda is over. Going there for two months was about the perfect amount of time, as I'm starting to run out of things to do and places to explore. But my time here was fun. Before I get to a recap of Bermuda, however, here's what's been happening on our 12-day reposition cruise: Oct 31st Sunday - Norfolk - Welcome Aboard Show Monday - Sea - "Lights Camera" Tuesday - Nassau, Bahamas (my old port from last year) - Juggler, Dixieland Wednesday - Sea - Big Band Sets Thursday - San Juan, Puerto Rico - Big Band Set Friday - St Thomas - Tap Dancer Saturday - Sea - "Jump Jive" Sunday - Aruba - Comedian Monday - Sea - Comedian play-on Tuesday - Montego Bay - Day Off! Wednesday - Sea - Broadway, Captain, Baked Alaska Thursday - Sea - Comedians Friday - Tampa Bermuda is probably one of the nicest places to visit in the world. The most obvious things are its amazing beaches, picturesque scenery, and historic sites. The sand at the beaches (especially at Horseshoe Bay, the most popular) is extremely soft, and you sink in an inch or two with every step. The cities there are pictureque with their vibrant colors and matching white roofs. While the cities look somewhat timeless at first, the island was first settled in 1609 when a supply ship going to Jamestown ran aground. One of the attractions of Bermuda that isn't visable are the reefs that surround the island. Hundreds of ships have wrecked on the reefs that surround the island within a five mile radius. I went on a snorkeling excursion with the guys in the band a month or so ago and we visited a reef and two shipwrecks. It was pretty cool. Something that doesn't really exist in Bermuda is unemployment, and the crime that comes along with it. All jobs must be advertised to Bermudians for 10 days before being opened to foreigners. Also, businesses must pay $600 a year or more to the government for each foreign worker employed. This system (along with lucrative off-shore businesses from the states and tourism) keeps the island free of crime and agressive panhandlers, unlike most caribbean islands. This makes Bermuda much less annoying than other vacation spots. Other interesting facts: Bermuda's only natural source of water is rain, so every building is required to collect rainwater from its roof. Bermuda has no tax of any kind besides an import duty, which can range from 20%-150%. For cars the duty is the max, which means a $20k car costs $50k! There are no pawn shops in Bermuda. Although the summer weather is tropical, because it's farther north (across from South Carolina) it gets fairly chilly in the winter, which is why cruise ships stop sailing there. Bermuda is part of the UK (like Canada and the Bahamas), and has the queen on all of its money. But the Bermuda $ is equal to a US $. The headquarters of Bacardi is in Bermuda. Business wear in Bermuda is a jacket and tie with shorts and knee-high socks. The whole island is only about 20 miles long and about a mile wide. There are five cruise ship docks in Bermuda: two in Hamilton, two in St. George, and one at the Royal Dockyards. Anyway, that's all I can think of about Bermuda at the moment. I would definitely recommend it for a vacation. The only real downside is that everything is pretty expensive. Also, I have a TON of new pictures. Check them out on my updated web site (now with frames!) at www.geocities.com/lassiterbrian Brian Einstein Lassiter |