Just wandering through some saved links this morning and found myself drifting back to the Caribbean. I was happy to re-visit a blog site for a photog friend who lives and shoots there full time. Josh is dialed into the local scene and has an eye for beauty on an island that is provides it at every turn. If you want to take a virtual trip to Grenada and see some fantastic photography, take a look at Josh’s site “Modern Day Gilligan“. It is an explosion of color and scenic beauty from a jem of an island.

I’m back from the Spice Island and had a wonderful trip. While the fishing was much slower than I was hoping (that is a familiar theme with me), the rest of the trip went so well that I can’t stop thinking about how to get back there. Beautiful clean island, very green with lots of rain and abundant fresh water, and every person I met had the same warm and welcoming attitude towards tourist. It also didn’t hurt that the pampering at Mount Cinnamon Resort and personal touring from Port Louis Marina staff seemed to have no limit. I managed to get a bunch of scenic photos on the extensive land and sea tours too. I even went out on a boat that was powered by a piece of cloth, I think they called it a sail. Very strange craft, but oddly relaxing. The local Caribe beer might have had something to do with that euphoric illusion. An exchange rate of 2.7 EC to 1 US dollar worked out to be not that overly expensive for our day to day stuff. I would go back to Grenada on vacation in a heart beat. To see a slideshow of my photos, click the arrow in the bottom right corner of the image above to start the show. Or mouse over the above image and left/right arrows will appear.

After a wonderful week of holiday fun with our families in FLL, Maria and I thought we would take break on our way home. This year we picked the familiar comforts of Isla Mujeres Mexico to spend a few days before heading back to the fast pace of LA. We are so fortunate to have friends like Anthony and Kin Mendillo who between the two of them have everything land and sea covered. Anthony’s charter fishing operation is world class and Kin’s boutique hotel is a quiet paradise. Hard to resist that combination of talent from these friends of 20 years. I didn’t get out on the water this visit, although Anthony was booked every day by anglers who are realizing that late December is not to early to catch the Sailfish up on the bank. The day after we arrived he was conventional fishing and found the sails on the birds and bait close to the island. He ended up releasing 15 for 20 something bites. Incredible billfish action considering his Lilly M was only one of a couple of boats out. The next few days his charter was throwing the fly and was catching a couple a day for double digit bites. All this in the breezy conditions that come with the winters cold fronts.

Did I mention I have a thing for pork. I tend to seek it out everywhere I travel. I could live on the stuff. And one of the earliest pork dishes that I can remember craving and pining for is a signature dish of the Yucatan called Cochinita Pibil. A slow roasted and seasoned pulled pork taco is a Sunday breakfast ritual.