1000 Islands Museums

Paradise island mystery and Anton Chekhov

Paradise island mystery and Anton Chekhov

 

By Wendell W. Solomons 

Literary scholars from Russia arrived in Sri Lanka for a symposium on writers Chekov and Bunin.

After a July 1890 visit, Chekhov, in letters to friends described the Russian island of Sakhalin as â??hellâ?? and called Ceylon â??paradise.â??

During the March 2006 visit the Russian scholars were wondering why Anton Chekhov wrote a detailed book to describe Sakhalin, a prison colony island, whereas he did not publish as much a short essay about the island he had called â??paradiseâ??. The larger world has named a place of historical pilgrimage in the island – Adamâ??s Peak.

Chekhovâ??s compatriot Sergei Bunin had visited and written about Ceylon. Bunin had become the first Russian to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

The scholars had arrived for the March symposium from frosty Moscow attired in suit and tie. You could sense what the tropical sun did to them in Colombo. The local side, Sri Lankan scholars arriving at the Russian Cultural Centre for the symposium, wore light cotton-mix clothing.

Yet, it was not the tropical sunlight alone that the Russian team had to overcome. A mystery of Anton Chekhov pursued them to the symposium.

They asked – Why had Chekhov not shared impressions of Ceylon with his large readership?

Although Chekhov’s fame today rests primarily on his plays, he had written hundreds of short stories even if you were to set apart those of his teenage years. It was pointed out at the symposium that Chekhov had travelled to Kandy in the central highlands where he met a Russian-speaking Buddhist monk from Russiaâ??s Buryatia. This monk sought out details about a native lady healer and travelled subsequently with Chekhov to seek a remedy for an ailment of Chekovâ??s.

We know Chekhov was impressed with the lady and presented her with a necklace. When leaving the island, among finds that Chekhov took with him were a pair of little mongooses and a palm civetâ?¦ Yet, why did he not share with his large audience, a story of his findings in Ceylon?

At the symposium, a member of the Sri Lankan group tried to place the Russian guests at ease.

He suggested: Perhaps Chekhovâ??s major interest was to get acquainted with Buddhism?

At that you almost sensed an â??Ah!â?? going through the thinking of the participants; here was relief at last!

Buddhism wafted me into thoughts of Helen P. Blavatsky. Her visit with Henry Steele Olcott had preceded Chekhov to Ceylon. It had prompted Olcott to lead a major drive for founding more schools in the island. Seated next to me was a woman journalist from Moscow, and I reminded her of Yelena Blavatskayaâ?¦

She remarked, “There seems more to Blavatskaya than we presently realise.”

Then she commented on the now vivid faces at the symposium, “Look at the natural smiles. They arenâ??t the ones staged by American advertising industry.”

The home scholars were happy that the guests were at ease. I read the smiles also as of two groups who had broken the ice and received affirmation of shared interests.

A cocktail evening was scheduled to follow. Yet, after dipping into some snacks. I was deep in concern: “Was the mystery solved? Had Buddhism interested Chekhov?”

To Research Now

The Russian scholars had reminded us that after Shakespeare, Chekhov has become the worldâ??s next most popular dramatist. They also told the audience that the only memorial to Chekhov they knew outside the former Soviet Union is located in the Grand Oriental Hotel – or GOH – in Colombo.

I could go to the Grand Oriental Hotel to search for clues. The location of hotel, which had been bought by a state bank in the 1950s, was quite familiar. At the bank, my father was picked to supervise reconstruction of the hotel and as a child I had visited him at work. A hotel isnâ??t a museum but my fatherâ??s generation, like the preceding one, had preserved a memorial in the â??Chekhov suite.â??

In the alcove that leads into the room are framed Chekhov pictures. Inside the room are more pictures; Chekov seated with Tolstoy and then with Gorky.

The illustrations and the room took me out in time. They reminded me of the sentiments involved and again of the nature of the people who had preserved the memorial to the writer.

Speaking of sentiments involved â?? was Chekhov studying Buddhism as a consequence of the debate on the origins of biological life prompted by the 19th Century publication of Darwinâ??s Theory of Evolution? Was Chekhov in search of an earlier or stronger ethical anchor for society as in the case of Blavatskaya and Olcott?

 

 

Speaking historically, the ethic of philosophies such as Buddhism appeared at 600 BC, that is, before Christianity. Preceding philosophies do gain illustration in the Bible and this quote briefly describes an issue that absorbs page after page of Ecclesiastes:

The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realise that the same fate overtakes them both.
Then I thought in my heart, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said in my heart, “This too is meaningless.” (Eccl 2:13/14)

Do Buddhism and Christianity deal with the issue of â??meaninglessâ?? in human life?

Chekhov was raised in a religiously focussed family that sang Old Slavonic liturgies at home and read the Bible. Foundational philosophies did not escape him. Take one response to the issue in his story â??Ward No: 6â??. A Chekhov hero exclaims on the Greek Stoics whose ethic of detachment reached its zenith not long after the arrival of Buddhism â??

“What was I saying? Oh, yes! This is what I mean: one of the Stoics sold himself into slavery to redeem his neighbour, so, you see, even a Stoic did react to stimulusâ?¦”
We know that among forms of stimulus, â??compassionâ?? takes priority in Gautama Buddhaâ??s teachings. In the Four Noble Abodes of Existence the first place is reserved for â??Karunaâ?? (Pali language â??compassionâ??.) Last but not least we witness that Gautama Buddhaâ??s personal life provides us with the example of his practicing a caring for people and all life.

Audience and Chekhovâ??s Message
Regarding â??compassionâ?? in Chekhov, he outlined his choice of form and substance for his own work in a letter to his brother Alexander:

1

Absence of lengthy verbiage of a political-social-economic nature;
2
Total objectivity;
3
Truthful descriptions of persons and objects;
4
Extreme brevity;
5
Audacity and originality; flee the stereotype;
6
Compassion.

Chekhov did not intend that his work be restricted to a solitary sectarian subculture. From what he writes at point 1 above you might estimate that he had chosen to write for large audiences. To do that his work fends off mutant â??fads and ideologies of the day.â??
That original phrase is one of 1998 and comes from Western banker named James Wolfensohn.

Gaining spport – like Kurt Waldheim – James Wolfensohn had climbed to head the Washington-based World Bank in the 1990s. As to Waldheim in the UN Secretary-Generalâ??s post, his bio-data later exposed him as a Nazi officer.

Wolfensohn was shifted to the Washington DC development bank from the lead position of the J Schröder Bank in New York and from the same canny and queer commercial bank’s board of directors Allan Dulles had been elevated to head the CIA. The J Schröder Bank represented Gremanyâ??s I H Stein Bank that was in turn headed by a Schröder relation. To complete the circle, Adolph Hitler and Heinrich Himmler belonged among old faithfuls of the I H Stein Bank clan and issued cheques drawn on their personal accounts in Cologne.

 

The Wolfensohn words were spoken to World Bank directors after the 1998 final collapse of the Russian rouble at the hands of reformers who under the â??Monetaristâ?? label had been sent to Moscow in 1993.

 

According to testimony placed before US Congress by Professor Janine Wedel and according to the research of Anne Williamson (both available on the WWW,) the fad Monetarist group was put together by Wolfensonâ??s direct deputy, who also holds the bankâ??s second forceful position of Chief Economist.

After the Wolfensohn comment the Monetarist leader Milton Friedman started closing his book but the viral mutant, a negative nihilism, runs wild creating community antipathy and social dissolution.

Chekhov in answer to Nihilism
In Chekhovâ??s time, a strain of Russian nihilism had become a professionalâ??s shelter from myriad social and political movements such as those of Anarchists, Decembrists and Narodniks who preached a removal of the monarchy.

Alexander II was the Tsar who answered US President Abraham Lincolnâ??s call when he faced violent separation by slave-holding southern US states. Alexander II sent a flotilla of Russian warships to New York and California at Lincolnâ??s request. At home, the reform-oriented Alexander II abolished serfdom in 1861 and corporal punishment. He established local self-government, initiated judicial reform, revised the educational system and improved administration of the police.

 

 

Dissolution of Social Ethic
If the social good is deconstructed or hidden by a myth or fad, then a finger may seem to exist without the body of humanity. In that blissful ideology, “I” survive though society freezes to death.

Monetarists such as Milton Friedman associated closely with Alice Rosenbaum. Born in Petrograd in 1906, Rosenbaum later settled in the USA to begin expositions on social philosophy in the 1930â??s under the name â??Ayn Rand.â?? She borrowed nihilism and then took it over the brink to Thomas Hobbes of the 1650â??s.

 

 

Looking at a rash of marauding frauds that hit US companies, illustrious New York financier George Soros called the situation “self-defeating.” Two can play the same game.

 

 

Rizal admired Colomboâ??s beautiful buildings, barracks, temples, tree-lined streets, botanical garden, and museum. After visiting a hospital the physician wrote: â??No odour of sickness, no dirt, nothing that reminds one of illness…â??

 

 

 

 

 

The Chekhov legacy includes more than 400 short stories. So much awaits evolution into scripts for video and TV. The Chekhov legacy also includes scores of dramas that can still more rapidly be transferred to TVâ?¦Chekhov cannot be judged within the framework of advertising-driven consumerism. He needs study as a mobiliser for compassion and for the social good.A Return to Incorporating the Social GoodBy then it appeared so dangerous to me that on July 28th, 1992 I sent a 3,000-word explanatory protest (visible on the WWW) to the World Bank and copied it to the â??Moscow News.â?? I suggested there too that a tricked Russia could turn towards the East, as it now has, where China, for instance, had begun a careful reform policy.The 1977 label for the islandâ??s social deconstruction was “Open Economy”. After one and a half decades of tests, the social virus was repackaged as â??economic reformâ?? and used by the Monetarists in Russia in 1993.Impressed by what he saw, Rizal remarked: â??Colombo is more beautiful, smart and elegant than Singapore, Point Galle and Manila…â??His observations are not alone. We might take up the a second plaque at the Grand Oriental Hotel that states that Jose Rizal, physician, man-of-letters, patriot, martyr, and national hero of the Philippines lodged at the hotel in 1882, during one of his four visits to Colombo.In Sri Lanka the self-defeating savagery was imposed since 1977 when the World Bank and affiliates began social surgery. As a result, Chekhovâ??s paradise island can no longer be easily evoked.They were blind to the civic traditions that developed from the year 1215 Magna Carta, an agreement that limited the power of the King of England. In the hands of Rosenbaum and Milton Friedman who had leaped onto the platform of US Presidential Economics Advisor, nihilism began to shift whole societies to a pre-civic, savage and heady opportunism.Hobbes, a plagiarist of Italyâ??s Machiavelli, had pamphleteered that â??a war of each against the otherâ?? would help British elites dominate over common folk. This fad was discarded because it would create social dissolution in Britain. Yet, Rosenbaum and Friedman belonged within recent, migrant groups that were alien in the 20th Century to Western civilisation.The rise of a nihilist ethic (â??treat everything external to your work table as nothingâ??) allowed a doctor, for example, to tend a sick patient irrespective of whether the patient broke into anarchist, liberal, monarchist or other politics in the hospital ward.
We must distinguish that some part of this coincided with Anton Chekhov. Taking the oath of Hypcrites during his training as a doctor, he perceived a need to help a general population, irrespective of political fraction and labelled himself a free artist.
Yet, more. Starting in the land he knew at first hand, Russia, Chekhov was to become worldwide, a mobiliser of audiences towards the social good without his being sidelined by man-made viruses such as sectarian exclusivism or philosophic deconstruction.Yet, Alexander II was assassinated by a bomb thrown into his carriage. The name of a local revolutionary group, the Narodnaya Volya (â??Peopleâ??s Willâ??) was invoked but what could not always be assessed was the flow of money into political groups including monies that arrived from foreign sources for subversion in Russia.Using prime-time state TV channels, the faddists promised a stable, convertible rouble. They then went on to wreak havoc. With currency devalued more than a hundred times, family incomes dwindled to nothing. Mothers and fathers sold their apartments to seek food. Without a roof, they and their children were lost in the dark. Frozen bodies had to be picked up in icy streets in the morning.Scapegoating Jews was used to rally Germans to Hitler. So we might decide that Wolfensohn was speaking from authority on â??fads and ideologies of the day.â?? Media can be used to spread a myth to impoverish a population.However, witnessing the difference between (a) the Buddhist temple where stanzas are chanted in ancient Pali and (b) the Christian church today where hymns are sung in a local language, can you expect any similarity of values?Something to pursue propped up. Not in ritualistic but in deeper sense, can the anchor of Buddhism be considered to belong in Chekhovâ??s work? That may have contributed to Chekhov ascent to his now traditional popularity among Sri Lankaâ??s Buddhists – or said in another way, Chekhovâ??s sentiments had long found sympathy NOT ONLY in the Christian heart.

First Web publication:

http://news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=351&Itemid=52

Friday, 30 June 2006

Patmos Island and St John the Apostle

David Mutlow travels to Patmos and revels in its descovery.

In 95 AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian the Apostle John (the last living disciple of Christ) was exiled on this Island of Patmos. It was here that St John wrote the book of Revelation.

The Book of Revelations’ depicts St John’s vision of historical events yet to take place. His banishment to the Island was far from comfortable, believed to have been in his late 70’s at least.

He lived in a cave above the Islands capital of Skala as a hermit. Today this cave is one of the most revered locations for all Christians. Not only is it revered as a place where one of the Disciples lived in exile.  It’s also a place where God revealed himself to a human being. In theological terms it is an extremely blessed spot. According to our guide and Archaeologist ‘Heinrich Hall’

Just below the Monastery of St John founded by St Christodoulos in 1095 Ad is the Katholikon of the Monastery of the Apocalypse and the location of the Cave of St John. It’s here that the holy evangelist dictated to his disciple ‘Prochoros’ the Book of Revelations.

Listening to our guide a profound reverence is given in the description of the cave itself. “When entering” says our guide Heinrich Hall. “You’ll be struck on how small this cave is. According to belief there is a little niche in the wall where St John laid his head during the night. There’s also a little recess in the wall that was used as a handle when he got up in the morning after all he was a very old man and another hollow that looks like a pulpit where his disciple Prochoros sat taking St John’s dictation.”

The cave is extremely small, no bigger than an average size living room. The granite-like volcanic formation wraps from below our feet into the Cave and flows back above our head within reach of my fingers. Soot from candles long ago can still be seen in the crags in the walls and ceiling. Today a building’s wall doubles the size of the original cave. This is the ‘Katholikon Chapel’. Only a very faint smell of incense is in the air but the atmosphere, the reverence it inspires, is quite humbling. St John’s exile only lasted 2 years on the Island, in 96 AD after the assassination of the Emperor Domitian St John returned to Ephesus to life out the rest of his days.

Above the ‘Katholikon Chapel’ is: The Monastery of St John the Theologian, giving its full title. It  is a fortified Monastery founded by St Christodoulos in 1095 Ad at the beginning of the Crusades (1095 -1291). This is when the Byzantine Empire was under attack from the east and the west hence its fortifications. Over time a town developed outside the Monastery walls. Now called Chora mostly for protection its 16th & 17th century style buildings has a striking resemblance to hill towns in Tuscany. Narrow alleyways with the occasional parked scooter outside it’s owners door can be seen yet the similarity ends there, where in Italy the walls are clay brown in Chora brilliant whitewashed walls dazzle us in the sunlight. Cobbled squares in every shade of white with accents of green (vines) and red (bougainvillea) attract the eye.

Inside the Monastery the fresco paintings outside the Chapel of Panayia are a must see. Wall paintings in vivid colours portrays various miracles of St John can be seen with rare depictions of images of the anti-Christ on the walls outside. Inside the Chapel of Panayia (The Virgin) built in the 12th century and the oldest in the Monastery, ornate frescos undiminished over time are everywhere. Rich purples and gold depict the Madonna and child with the Archangels Michael & Gabriel wingless and dressed in military-imperial uniforms either side.

Listening to Heinrich’s revered enthusiasm is infectious “The Monastery has the best medieval library in Europe with 10s of thousands of documents showing the running of the Monastery and its property. Its archives are used to study the Mediterranean economy from the Middle Ages to the present.” says Heinrich Hall. Sadly access to the archive is by written permission however the Monastery Museum displays the most choice pieces in its collection.”

In a courtyard outside the Monastery we sit drinking frappes (cold Instant coffee) our glass-bottled water advertises ‘Water from Central Greece’ with a marine scene by Alison Reid. We are high amongst the gardens of Chora, our platform shaded by bamboo. To my right silver/green olive branches and eucalyptus trees drape over our balcony Carob trees planted century ago its fruits used for cattle hang within reach of my hands. Fig trees with fleshy leaves and cactus plants with their prickly pears are all around our garden in the trees.

Returning to our boat whilst walking through the port of Skala we are stopped by Heinrich. “This spot marks the location where St John baptised his followers” a small brass plaque purched on a ring of ornate iron fence protects the remains of the original quayside.

Getting there…
David Mutlow travelled with ‘Peter Sommer Travels’ on their North Dodecanese Archaeological tour for seven days visiting Samos, Patmos, Leros, Kos and Halicarnassus (Bodrum) the site of the Mausoleum. One of the seven wonders of the ancient world. http://www.petersommer.com

A treasure trove of artifacts – The Overseas Chinese Museum

Located in the Fujian province of China, Xiamen is an exiting place to visit if you’re a travel fanatic. A unique mix of native and overseas Chinese culture enriches the already thriving cultural diversity of this oriental city. This coastal city is one of the more quiet places in China that tourists have the pleasure of visiting. Home to a number of famous attractions, Xiamen is most renowned for Gulangyu Island and the Overseas Chinese Museum. With major international presences haunting the past of Xiamen, this remarkable city has also been honored by being nominated as one of the most suitable places to live in China. Despite keeping a low profile, Xiamen is a major contributor to the fast growing Chinese economy and is a favorite destination for a large number of foreign investors.

Covering an area of 50,000 square meters, the Xiamen Overseas Chinese Museum is a venue that highlights the proud heritage of overseas Chinese. This magnificent palace like structure is divided into three main exhibition halls: the Hall of Relics of Motherland’s History, the Hall of Nature and the Hall of History of Overseas Chinese.

The Hall of Relics of Motherlands History houses a fascinating collection of extremely valuable relics and artwork form ancient times. Thousands of pottery, bronze ware, sculptures and paintings from past dynasties are also found within these walls. The Hall of Nature exhibits a number of animal species ranging from mammals to birds and even showcases a variety of plants as well. The Hall of History of Overseas Chinese exhibits a number of artifacts that examine the history of overseas Chinese prior to and after the liberation.

Xiamen is also home to Gulangyu Island where gorgeous colonial buildings are plentiful and automotive environmental pollution is non existent purely because the use of vehicles is not allowed. This is a perfect getaway destination for those of us who just want to escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Guests can find a Xiamen hotel practically anywhere in the city but Millennium Harbourview Hotel Xiamen offers unparallel services and a full range of amenities for a memorable stay.

A Whale of a Trip – Kayak the San Juan Islands

Deep within the Puget Sound, between Seattle and Vancouver, right next to Victoria, lays a rural archipelago known as the San Juan Islands. Technically associated with Washington State, these islands actually straddle the Washington-British Columbia border, and include several hundred islands, reefs, and rocks. Due to the massive amount of rainfall dumped onto the area by the â??rainshadowâ? of the Olympia Mountains, the San Juan Islands enjoy one of the most interesting ecosystems on the planet. In an area where you can see a wide variety of animals, you can also enjoy plants that are normally only seen in the rainforest, and plants that are native to the desert growing side by side.

Every summer, in addition to tourists looking the islands, you will also find another visitor. From May through October, three pods of Orca whales, also known as killer whales, roam about the Haro Strait, feasting on the migrating salmon. It is in this area that visitors have the opportunity to experience seeing these amazing creatures close up. Kayaking tours offered by a number of companies are a great way to enjoy the serenity of nature, without disrupting it. Sitting low to the water in a kayak, you tend to feel at one with the water, and realize just how small you really are in comparison to these astounding mammals. Orca whales are extremely intelligent; never has a human been attacked by an unprovoked whale in the wild. Two of the most intense kayaking experiences are the pre-dawn paddle to watch the sunrise, and the special night paddle to view the bioluminescence. In addition to the whales there are thousands of tide pools filled with interesting creatures, tons of bald eagle nests, and thousands of harbor seals.

On land, San Juan Island has plenty that you can explore. For those who wish to see the whales, but arenâ??t too sure about the kayaking, San Juan is home to the only National Park dedicated to whale watching. From shore you can see Orca and Minke whales, Dallâ??s porpoise, harbor seals, and bald eagles. This is a great place for the whole family to explore and enjoy a picnic lunch; just make sure to bring a pair of binoculars! The Whale Museum in downtown Friday Harbor helps visitors to appreciate these magnificent creatures. The island is best explored on bicycles, which can be rented at a number of locations. Whether you do it on foot, on bike, or in a kayak, the San Juan Islands are a thing of beauty to be enjoyed to the full.

Cayman Islands Holidays – An Introduction To The Cayman Islands

Found just to the south of Cuba and to the north west of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands rank as the 5th largest offshore banking centre in the World. 

Since the 1960s these islands have grown to one of the most popular scuba-diving destinations in the World. They boast spectacular underwater walls, caverns and reefs.

Despite being a British Overseas Territory, the majority of the tourists are Americans. It is only around 90 minutes flying time from Florida. With its short flying time and English as the official language, along with a low crime rate, it is no wonder that thousands of Americans have a Cayman Islands holiday each year. 

After getting blown off course while sailing between Panama and Hispaniola (the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in 1503 Christopher Columbus accidentally discovered the smaller two of the three island that now make up the Cayman Islands. As there was a high concentration of turtles on these islands, Columbus called them ‘Las Tortugas’, which is Spanish for turtle. These two islands are now known as Cayman Brac and Little Cayman. 

The name didn’t last as when Sir Francis Drake sailed through, he renamed them after another animal, the now extinct caimans (related to crocodiles). 

The Islands became part of the British Empire in 1670 under the Treaty of Madrid. The Cayman Islands where then governed as a Jamaican dependency until 1962 when Jamaica became an independent country. The Cayman Islands chose to remain as a British Colony.

The old sea based industries such as fishing and working about merchant ships have been replaced by finance and tourism as the major providers for the Cayman economy, with most locals and expats working in one or the other. 

Grand Cayman at 78 square miles is the largest of the three islands that make up the Cayman Islands. It is also the most the most populated and developed. 

George Town is the capital of Grand Cayman and is fairly quiet, apart on cruise ship days, when it seems that every square inch of pavement is taken. Cruise ships arrive two to three times a week, and up to four ships can arrive at any one time. If you are booking a trip to Stingray City or Rum Point, it is best to avoid these peak times. 

Like it’s sister islands, Grand Cayman has a museum, the Cayman National Museum. This building has had a varied past, before it became home to the museum it was a court house and jail, as well as a place of worship. In fact the former jail is now the gift shop. 

Seven Mile Beach is the main place to be as far as most of the tourists are concerned. It is a wide stretch of powder soft white sand that follows the contours of the west side of the Island between George Town and West Bay. This beach is paired with generally calm and clear water. There is a barrier reef which protects the beach from strong waves and currents, making Seven Mile Beach the ideal place to learn how to swim, as there is also a gentle slope heading out into the sea. 

Most of the resort hotels can be found on seven Mile Beach, and although its popular, it never seems overcrowded. But if you do want a little more peace and quiet, walk along the beach until you get away from the hotels and condos. This beach is public, so any property that is built on it must allow people to access it. This is usually done by building alley ways between hotels and other buildings. Although if you want a sun lounger, you’d better be a guest at a hotel or a customer at one of the beach bars! 

The other major attraction is Stingray City, which is in the North Sound. In around 12 feet of warm crystal clear water you can get up close to Atlantic southern stingrays. These fish were attracted to the area as fishermen used the area to clean their catch. This was aided by local divers offering snacks to them. Now they know that a boat means food. If 12 feet seems to daunting, they can also be seen at the nearby sandbar, where you can stand waist deep in the water. 

Grand Cayman can be reached by direct flights from Heathrow Airport, flying with British Airways. Although the flight is ‘direct’, there is a touchdown in the Bahamas. 

Cayman Brac is one of the best places to visit if you are after an active Caribbean holiday. It is much more rugged than Little Cayman, with only a few beaches. The draw to the Brac, as it is known locally, is the diving and hiking available.

It is around 80 miles north east of Grand Cayman, and is reached by air. Cayman Airways flies a loop from Grand Cayman to Little Cayman to Cayman Brac, but not always in that order. 

In common with its sister islands, the Brac has a museum, which displays local history. There is also the chance to see a Cayman Brac parrot in its natural habitat at the Brac Parrot Reserve. This parrot is now found only on Cayman Brac, although it used to inhabit Little Cayman. It is believed that the last remaining parrots were wiped out from there in the great storm of 1932. The Cayman Brac Parrot has the smallest range of any Amazon parrot and so is one of the rarest. 

It is possible to shore dive, especially on the calmer north side of the island, but you will need a boat for the better sites, which are around 10 – 20 minutes away. Here you will find walls, ells, large schools of fish and sponges.

The beaches on the Brac are nothing like those found on its sister islands. What sandy beaches there are have plenty of sea grass. Although there is one ‘good’ beach (which is public) on the south side of the island. Most of the hotels can be found close by. 

There are more hiking trails here than at Little Cayman, which are well sign posted by white Heritage Site signs. This is the best way to explore the island. The longest one takes around three hours, but most require either a car or a bicycle as they are away from the hotels. Free guides are available from the Brac department of Tourism and most hotels offer free maps. Proper hiking boots should be worn as the ground can be made up of sharp ironshore. If you are feeling brave there are many caves which you can walk into, just don’t disturb the bats. Also try to finish before sunset as this is peak mosquito time. 

When you land at Little Cayman you may notice the road signs that state ‘Iguanas have right of way’! Of the three islands that make up the Cayman Islands, Little Cayman is the least developed. Tourists who visit are from one of three groups; scuba-divers, nature lovers or people who want to get away from it all.

For the nature lovers there are the abundant Iguanas that roam the Island, along with a National Trust bird sanctuary which is home to red-footed boobies. The mangroves are also home to many other birds, such as West Indian whistling ducks, herons, frigates and egrets.

For the scuba-divers there is Bloody Bay Wall, which is one of the World’s best diving sites. A wall is a sudden, sheer drop-off plunging down into the depths.

With Bloody Bay Wall the sea floor ends abruptly at a depth of only 18 – 25 feet, dropping off into a 6,000 foot vertical cliff. This wall is covered in coral and sponge life, and is home to numerous fish and crabs.

For the people who want to get away from it all, there really isn’t much else to do. They could cycle around the island, which won’t take long. There is a small museum to visit. Or they might like to hire a car for the day if cycling is too much effort. Other than that its lie on the beach, eat at the hotel, or at the only stand alone restaurant – the Hungry Iguana Restaurant and Bar. If they are feeling really energetic, then deep sea fishing is an option, or bonefish fishing on the flats. 

To get to Cayman Brac or Little Cayman you fly in as part of the Grand Cayman – Cayman Brac – Little Cayman loop flown by Cayman Airways. 

For help in planning your Cayman Islands holiday, contact John Guinn at Holiday Hut. As a trained Cayman Specialist he will ensure that you get the most from your time there.

Wish To See Malaysia? Then Visit Melaka

Wish To See Malaysia? Then Visit Melaka
MELAKA, Feb 22 (Bernama) — As visitors are about to cross into Melaka, they will be greeted by the slogan ‘Visiting Historical Melaka Means Visiting Malaysia’ inscribed on the welcoming arch at the Ayer Keroh Highway-Jalan Tun Razak junction.

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Car Club News for the week of Feb. 20

Car Club News for the week of Feb. 20
EventsThe Third Saturday Free Car Show will be held behind the Cottage Cafe in Ventura from 9 a.m. to noon on the third Saturday of each month. The show is free to entries and spectators.Free drawings will be held every half hour and first- and second-place trophies will be awarded at noon.Cottage Cafe is at 2611 E. Thompson Blvd. in Ventura.Information: Show coordinator, C. Darryl Struth, 644 …

Read more on Ventura County Star