The Best of the Caribbean

Voice Over Script

KEY WEST

Key West is known as the southernmost city in the Continental United States and sits famously at

the end of highway US1 on mile marker zero, and is just 90 miles from the coast of Cuba.

The famous Key West monument is a concrete replica of a sea buoy proclaiming the City’s

geographical status, and is one of the most visited and photographed attractions on the island.

Playing host to almost a half million cruise ship passengers per year, the best way to tour Key

West’s many landmarks is by the famous conch trains. Most visitors simply choose to take a

stroll down the famous Duval Street, which contains many bars, restaurants and souvenir stores

along its length.

Key West also plays host to many annual events, festivals and parades every year which attract

even more visitors, and Duval Street becomes a parade route during several of the summer’s

events.

Architecturally, Key West has the largest collection of wood frame structures – nearly 3,000 – in

a National Register of Historic Districts, among the many traditional houses and structures to be

seen, visitors can tour the former home of Pulitzer Prize winning author Ernest Hemingway.

Hemingway lived here in Key West from 1931 to 1940, as many as sixty, six or seven toed

polydactyl cats descended from Hemingway’s original pet Snowball are in residence at the

house, which, due to its historical significance, is exempt from the local law prohibiting more

than four domestic pets per household. During his nine year residence, Hemingway wrote

around seventy percent of his total works from his studio, including For Whom The Bell Tolls

and Death In The Afternoon.

Hemingway’s regular routine was to write from six AM until noon, and spend the rest of the day

deep sea fishing, or at his favorite place, the famous Sloppy Joe’s Bar on Duval Street, now

named Captain Tony’s Saloon.

Key West is a favorite among visitors for its fishing, relaxed atmosphere and unique local flavor,

with its beaches and reefs, variety of water sports, local artists and varied live entertainment, Key

West is a popular destination throughout the year.

NASSAU

Located on New Providence Island, Nassau is the largest city and capital of the Commonwealth

of the Bahamas. Originally known as Charles Town, it was burned to the ground by the Spanish

in 1684 but rebuilt by the British in 1695 and given its current name in honor of King William

the Third of England who was from the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau.

By 1700 until around 1718 Nassau was ruled by pirates, the most notorious of which was

Edward ‘Blackbeard’ Teach who took up residence in Fort Nassau. From this base Blackbeard

looted cargo ships and held hostages for ransom from passenger ships, he was a fearsome sight,

often decorating his hat, and braiding his beard with lit fuses which surrounded his head with

smoke for even more menacing appearance. His reign of terror came to an end at the hands of

the British Royal Navy’s Lieutenant Robert Maynard during a fierce hand to hand battle off the

coast of North Carolina, in which Blackbeard and his crew boarded what appeared to be a

deserted ship, only to be ambushed by a much larger force of British sailors hiding below decks.

After sustaining twenty deep lacerations and five gunshot wounds, one to the chest at point blank

range, Blackbeard was decapitated and his head hung from the bowsprit of Maynard’s ship for

the trip to his home port of Hampton, Virginia. Legend has it that Blackbeard’s headless body

was flung over the side of the ship and swam several times around the vessel before sinking to

the bottom.

Finally, Blackbeard’s head was placed on a stake at the mouth of the Hampton River to serve as a

warning to other pirates.

Pirates have given way to tourism in modern Nassau, and a popular site for visitors is the

Junkanoo Expo which showcases the unique and colorful creations designed from recent

Junkanoo Parades. This annual festival takes place every year the day after Christmas, and on

New Year’s Day, and is reminiscent of Rio De Janiero’s Carnival and New Orleans’ Mardis Gras.

However the festival is uniquely Bahamian, existing nowhere else in the world. Thousands

dance through Nassau’s streets in carefully constructed, outlandish costumes, accompanied by

whistles, drums and cowbells, groups of up to 1,000 compete for three main awards for best

music, best costume, and overall group presentation. Junkanoo is said by many to derive its

name from John Canoe, an African chief who demanded the right to celebrate with his people

after he was brought to the West Indies as a slave.

It began around the 16th or 17

th century, when Bahamian slaves were allowed a few days off to

leave their plantations and celebrate Christmas with their families, with music, dance and

costumes. When slavery was abolished a few islanders kept the Junkanoo tradition alive and

today exists as a celebration of freedom, and an important part of the Bahamian Christmas

season.

The world famous Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island accounts for more tourist visitors than any

other hotel in the city, and is the second largest employer in the Bahamas, with a staff of over

6,000 Bahamians, Atlantis is the largest employer outside of government.

Known for its water parks and attractions, ‘The Dig’ is a series of aquariums forming the world’s

largest open air marine habitat. Designed simulate the legendary sunken city of Atlantis, the

floors in the numerous aquariums feature wreckage and debris representing the lost city.

The Predator Lagoon houses sharks, stingrays and barracuda and features a hundred foot

underwater tunnel from which visitors can view the marine environment up close.

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

Christopher Columbus discovered the island of Puerto Rico in 1492 and named it San Juan

Bautista in Honor of Saint John the Baptist, later the island took the name of Puerto Rico, and the

capital city retained name of San Juan.

Puerto Rico became an important stronghold and port for the Spanish Empire, a network of forts

and walls were built around the island, such as El Castillo San Felipe Del Morro and El Castillo

de San Cristobal, to defend and protect the port from European enemies. An attack by Sir

Francis Drake and his fleet of 25 British warships in 1595 was repelled by the Spanish forces,

and over the following two hundred years, San Juan was attacked by the French, the Dutch, and

on a further two occasions by the English.

In 1898 the first shot marking Puerto Rico’s entry into the Spanish-American war was fired from

Castillo San Cristobal, against the USS Yale beginning a day long bombardment between the

cannon batteries and US Navy warships. The United States launched a successful invasion of

San Juan by landing on the Southern coast. Six months later, Puerto Rico became a US territory

under the terms of the Treaty Of Paris, along with Cuba, the Philippines and Guam.

In 1917 Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship, this resulted in many Puerto Ricans being

drafted into world war one, and all subsequent wars with US involvement, though resident

citizens cannot vote in US Presidential elections, they can vote in primaries, only Puerto Ricans

residing in a US state may vote in Presidential elections.

Today Puerto Rico is described as a Commonwealth of the United States and plays host to

around five million tourists per year, nearly a third of which are cruise ship passengers who come

to experience the beach resorts, history and the local architecture of Old San Juan.

Duty Free shopping is an important part of the Puerto Rican economy, with many name brand

outlets and stores lining the narrow streets and city squares.

One of the most popular attractions in Puerto Rico is the Bacardi Rum Plant, the largest rum

distillery in the world. Casa Bacardi offers a free 45 minute tour of its facility which produces

over 100,000 gallons of rum per day, visitors can learn about the history of the brand, the

distillation process and how to mix the perfect mojito.

The world famous bat symbol originates from a colony of fruit bats living in the barn in which

the family first began distilling rum. In Spain the bat is a symbol of good health, fortune and

family unity, and the discovery of bats in the distillery by founder Don Falcundo and his wife

Amalia, was seen as a good omen. It has remained as the Bacardi symbol ever since.

The family owned company was first established in Cuba in 1862 but the Castro regime

confiscated the factory in the 1960s and so the family moved the operation to Cataňo across San

Juan Bay from the city.

Puerto Rico’s El Yunque National Forest is the only rainforest that belongs to the U.S Forest

Service. Located on the Eastern side of the Luquillo Mountains, this 28,000 acre preserve

contains 240 native tree species, 88 rare tree species, 50 native orchids and 150 types of fern, and

is home to a vast array of reptiles, birds and amphibians, including the endangered Puerto Rican

Parrot, and 13 types of singing Puerto Rican Tree frogs – coquis.

The Arecibo Observatory operated by Cornell University is the largest single-aperture telescope

ever constructed. With a dish measuring 1,001 feet across, it conducts many areas of research

including observations of the solar system, radio astronomy, asteroid impact prediction, and data

collection for SETI, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence.

Many scientific discoveries have been made using the observatory, in 1989 an asteroid was

directly imaged for the first time in history, and the following year Polish astronomer Aleksander

Wolszczan was the first to discover planets outside our own solar system.

Attracting over 100,000 visitors per year, the facility has been featured in popular movies and TV

shows including Contact, Species, The X-Files, and the James Bond film Goldeneye.

SAINT THOMAS, US VIRGIN ISLANDS.

Christopher Columbus visited these Islands 1493 on his second voyage to the New World, and

named them ‘The Virgins’, and since he was searching for a route to India, Columbus named the

indigenous Ciboney, Carib and Arawak peoples ‘Indians’. While subsequent explorers sighted

Indians as late as 1587, by 1625 settlers reported finding no native inhabitants at all, it is

believed that Spanish settlers from Puerto Rico regularly raided the islands, forcing some Indians

to work while others fled. With no immunity to European disease and toiling under such harsh

labor, the Indian population became all but non-existent within just several decades.

In 1657 the Dutch West India Company established a post on Saint Thomas, the Danish

conquered the island in 1666, which remained under Dutch rule – along with neighboring islands

St. John and St. Croix – until 1917, known collectively as the Danish West Indies.

The United States purchased Saint Thomas and the neighboring islands of Saint John and Saint

Croix, for 25 million dollars in 1917 as part of its defense strategy, and to maintain control over

the Caribbean and the Panama Canal during the First World War. St. Croix, St. John and St.

Thomas then became the US Virgin Islands.

Tourism and Duty Free shopping are the mainstay of the island with its many stores offering

electronics, exclusive jewelry and duty free liquor, as well as locally produced souvenirs. Saint

Thomas is the only place under US jurisdiction where the rule of the road is to drive on the left,

in spite of the majority of American imported left hand drive cars.

The Saint Peter Great House and Botanical Gardens sits on a volcanic peak one thousand feet

above Hull Bay. The botanical gardens contain waterfalls, tropical bird aviaries, and more than

twenty varieties of orchids and one hundred and fifty species of plants and fruits.

The view from the top of this eleven acre former plantation is spectacular, with over twenty

Virgin Islands and cays to admire. Nearby is Drake’s Seat, used by English sailor Sir Francis

Drake as a lookout, it overlooks one of Saint Thomas’s most frequented spots, Megan’s Bay.

Named by National Geographic as one of the ten most beautiful beaches in the world, Magen’s

Bay, this heart shaped beach consists of one mile of gently sloping soft sand, and with the

exception of a few weeks in the year when the winds shift, there are no waves or currents.

Coki Point Beach is a popular spot for both locals and tourists alike. The small rocky outcrop is

home to coral formations which, along with the crystal clear water, provide some of the island’s

best snorkeling opportunities.

Coki Beach is also home to the Coral World Ocean Park, where visitors wishing to remain dry

can observe the underwater world from the undersea observatory fifteen feet from the surface.

Blackbeard’s Castle stands as one of four National Historic sites in the US Virgin Islands. Built

by the Danes in 1679, the Skytsborg Tower was used as a watchtower for the harbor at Charlotte

Amalie, and to protect Fort Christian from attack.

It’s not known when the tower was renamed Blackbeard’s castle, however the notorious pirate

Edward Teach did sail the Caribbean during his short but legendary career as Blackbeard, and so

it has become part of local lore that he himself used the tower as a vantage point.

Today the tower is joined by botanical gardens, waterfalls, museums, bars, shops and

archeological sites, and is sometimes regarded as ‘The Williamsburg of the Caribbean’, and a

popular destination for visitors to Saint Thomas.

Completed by the Danes in 1680 and named after King Christian V, Fort Christian stands

overlooking the Charlotte Amalie harbor, the oldest standing structure in the US Virgin Islands.

Built to defend Danish settlements and the harbor, it was also used as the governor’s residence,

church, community center, police station, court and jail. It ceased operations as the local jail as

late as 1983 and is now a National Historic Landmark, and serves as the Virgin Islands History

Museum.

SAINT MARTIN

Sighted on his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus anchored at a small

island on November 11 1493, the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours. Columbus named the island

Saint Martin in his honor, but never landed there, and Spain made settlement of the island a low

priority.

Around two hundred miles East of Puerto Rico, Saint Martin is the smallest inhabited sea island

divided between two nations. The Southern Dutch half is part of the Netherlands Antilles and

Philipsburg is one of the most popular ports of call for today’s cruise ships.

The best access from the cruise ship pier to town is via water taxi, which brings visitors into the

heart of Philipsburg and it’s beaches featuring water sports, and many bars, restaurants and

tourist shops.

The unique Maho Beach sits at the end of the runway of the Princess Juliana International

airport. Locals and tourists alike gather to watch airplanes approach the short runway, often to

within thirty to sixty feet above the sand.

Legend has it that the division of the island between the Dutch and French was decided by a

contest, it began with a Dutchman drinking gin and a Frenchman drinking wine, when they had

drunk their fill they began walking around the island. Starting at Oysterpond on the east coast,

the Frenchman headed north while the Dutchman headed south, and where the two met again

was where the dividing line was drawn from Oysterpond. The Dutchman stopped to sleep off the

effects of the gin however, which is why the Frenchman was able to cover more ground and

claim more of the island.

Though a popular story, it is, in fact, not historically accurate.

In 1648 the French navy was anchored off shore during the negotiation of the Treaty of

Concordia, which they used to bargain for more land for themselves. After the treaty was signed

however, further conflicts saw the border change sixteen times over the following 170 years, and

the Dutch finally lost out with sixteen square miles compared to the twenty one square miles on

the French side.

The town of Marigot on the French side was originally a fishing village and was made the capital

during the reign of King Louis the sixteenth who built Fort Saint Louis overlooking Marigot Bay.

Known for its nudist beaches and French and Caribbean cuisine, the French side is also popular

for its excellent duty free shopping, designer clothing stores and it’s outdoor markets.

GRAND CAYMAN

Columbus first sighted the Cayman Islands in 1503 and remarked on the large numbers of sea

turtles – tortoises he called them – spread across the low islands and the surrounding sea.

Because of this, the Islands were named Las Tortugas, however by 1530 the name Caymanas was

being used, which came from the Carib Indian name for the marine crocodile, which was known

to have lived on the islands.

Formerly a territory within the Federation of the West Indies, the Cayman Islands chose to

remain a British dependency when the Federation dissolved in 1962.

Grand Cayman is the largest of the three islands, which have become a thriving offshore

financial center with almost five hundred banks, eight hundred insurance companies and five

thousand mutual funds.

A popular cruise ship destination, ships calling at the capital of George Town bring over two

million visitors per year, the tourist industry is geared toward the luxury market with many high

end boutiques and stores.

The Cayman Turtle Farm is the only operational turtle farm in the Caribbean. Most of the Green

Sea Turtles are raised for their meat which reduces the consumption of wild animals, and some

of the turtles are released into the wild with very good survival rates.

Hell is a formation of short, black limestone rocks in the northwest town of West Bay, quite how

the area came by its name is not entirely clear, but it’s easy to see why it came to be so called.

Visitors can buy souvenirs from the local store, and even send ‘Postcards from Hell’ from the

official Hell post office.

Seven Mile Beach received the title of the Caribbean’s Best Beach from the magazine

‘Caribbean Travel and Life’, Grand Cayman’s most popular beach, it is in fact only five and a

half miles long and is home to most of the islands luxury hotels.

Grand Cayman is perhaps best known as a destination for its spectacular diving and snorkeling,

some of the island’s many reefs can be accessed by swimming from shore, and because Grand

Cayman has no rivers, the surrounding waters are renowned for their exceptional clarity.

COZUMEL

The island of Cozumel lies off the east coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and is Mexico’s

third largest island, and one with a rich and varied history.

The Maya a seafaring people, first settled the island in around 300AD, they regarded the island

as a commercial trading stop and sacred shrine, and much of the Mayan culture remains in the

form of four historical districts.

The most important Mayan site to survive is San Gervasio, a sanctuary of the fertility goddess Ix

Chel. In addition to being a sacred site at which it was obligatory to visit at least once in a

Mayas lifetime, it was also a strategic area for politics and commerce.

San Gervasio became the biggest and most important site in the island from about 1200, and in

the central square the centuries old structures were used as altars and shrines and also as a

gathering place for government officials.

Spanish Conquistador Juan de Grijalva first discovered Cozumel in 1518, after having been

blown off course during a journey to Cuba, he became so enamored of the island and its people,

that he left a gold statue as a gift, which can still be seen today in San Miguel Cathedral.

With the arrival of Spanish conqueror Hernán Cortéz came the destruction of many temples and

the spread of smallpox, the island’s population fell from 40,000 to just 30 people by 1570. With

the ancient Mayan civilization in ruins, by 1600 the island was uninhabited.

Pirates often used the island as a safe harbor including the legendary Henry Morgan who

frequently used Cozumel as a stopover during his raids in Caribbean waters, however the island

remained uninhabited until 1847 when a few families settled on Cozumel after fleeing from the

great Mexican civil war known as the War of the Castes.

Just two years later, on November 21, 1849, the village of San Miguel was established on

Cozumel Island.

Until 1961 Cozumel existed as a quiet fishing community with a population of less than 10,000

people. When world-renowned oceanographer Jacques Cousteau declared its waters one of the

most spectacular diving sites in the world, the tourist industry took off and the island of Cozumel

now boasts over 90,000 inhabitants , with over 2 million visitors per year.

With its income derived entirely from the tourist industry, Cozumel is renowned for its scuba

diving and snorkeling, the barrier reef that begins in Cozumel extends to Roatan, Honduras, and

is the second longest barrier reef in the world.

LABADEE

Royal Caribbean’s private paradise of Labadee is situated on the Northern coast of Hispaniola

contains everything you could ever want from an exclusive getaway. With its pristine beaches,

incredible scenery and a host of activities in and out of the water, Labadee is the perfect place to

just relax on the beach or take part in an adventure.

At half a mile long the Dragon’s Breath zip line is the longest in the Caribbean, traveling at 40 to

50 miles per hour, you begin at 500 feet and fly over land and water before coming to rest on the

beach below – it’s one of the most exhilarating ways to see the beauty of Labadee.

Another way to see the beautiful peninsula from above is the parasail – at a height of 400 feet it

offers a spectacular bird’s eye view of not only the beaches and surrounding area, but a flyby of

the ship will give you a view that few guests experience.

And there’s so much more to enjoy at sea level, a kayaking tour takes you around the Bay of

Labadee, and at a faster pace, the waverunner ride takes you further afield along the beautiful

coastline of the Haitian peninsula.

The Aqua Park has inflatables, slides and trampolines, Labadee Luc’s Splash Bash gives kids the

opportunity to be a pirate for the day, and there are local crafts and artwork available so you can

pick up that one-of-a-kind souvenir.

If it all sounds a little too energetic, you can always stake your claim on a stretch of beach, or

relax in a secluded hammock with your favorite frozen drink.

COSTA MAYA

Costa Maya, Mexico was home to the Mayan tribe from around 200BC to 900AD, during which

time they traded goods along the Mexican coast, two openings in the barrier reef allowed the

village of Xcalak (meaning ‘Two Passes’), to be used as a landing point for trade ships.

Today Xcalak is home to the largest existing Mayan population in Mexico, most of whom derive

their living from fishing. The village is protected from large scale tourism due to strict

environmental laws since it is situated within the Xcalak National Reef Park, the park also

protects the Meso American Reef which runs the length of the Costa Maya coast.

The nearby village of Mahahual is a popular spot for visitors, once a simple fishing village, there

are now souvenir stands, and restaurants and bars serving local and international favorites. The

beautiful white sand beaches also host dive shops with access to the region’s excellent dive spots,

including the Banco Chinchorro, the largest atoll in the Northern hemisphere. Declared an

Archaeological Marine Sanctuary by the Mexican government, this continuous reef covers

around 800 square kilometers at an inside depth of up to five meters, and offers some of the most

spectacular diving in the Caribbean.

Much evidence remains of the ancient Mayan culture in Costa Maya today, the ruins at

Kohunlich and Chacchoben feature structures dating back to 500AD and offer guests the

opportunity to see first-hand the remnants of an ancient civilization – the region has the highest

concentration of Mayan archeological sites.

(Suggest local information be gained from guides and publications about particular aspects

captured during filming to round this piece out.)

FALMOUTH, JAMAICA

The arrival of Columbus in 1494 began the Spanish occupation, disappointed by the absence of

gold on the island, the Spanish used Jamaica as a base for the conquest of the Americas, in

particular Mexico, with her wealth of gold and silver. The British captured Jamaica in 1655, and

since the Spanish population was at that time very small, and as the Spanish crown had largely

lost interest, very little effort was made to defend the island.

Sugar plantations worked by African slaves were the main source of industry for many years,

POINTS OF INTEREST FOR SHOOTING BY PORT

St. Kitts

Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park (World heritage site). The fortress is an 18th

century military community. Good views across the island from the fortress itself. Main

point of interest; the Citadel.

Beaches, coastal villages & towns.

Barbados

The Emancipation Statue – by Barbados’ best known sculptor Karl broodhagen.

Harrison’s Cave.

Mount Gay Rum Tour.

Arlington House Museum – interactive exhibits of the island’s first settlers, plantation

memories and a talking pirate.

George Washington House – the only time he ever spent outside colonial America, spent

2 months in this house.

St. Nicholas Abbey – one of only three genuine Jacobean mansions in the Western

Hemisphere (Barbados has two of them)

Statue of Lord Nelson, National Heroes Square – predates the more famous Nelson’s

Column in London by 27 years.

Large Duty Free presence.

Beaches – East side of the island beaches are wide and windy – good surfing. South and

West coasts have miles of unbroken white sand beaches, many coral formations.

Dominica

The island posses the most pristine wilderness in the Caribbean, and discourages high-impact

tourism. Therefore the largest opportunity for video comes in the form of tropical forests,

streams, coastlines, beaches and coral reefs.

Morne trios Piton National Park (UNESCO World Heritage Site)– home of the second

largest hot spring boiling lake in the world.

Valley of Desolation – on the trail to the boiling lake, contains many steam vents,

fumaroles, hot springs and boiling mud – very alien landscape in extreme contrast to the

surrounding rainforest.

Trafalgar Falls – two waterfalls also in the National Park. Visitors can climb around and

have the falls’ combined rainbow encircle them. Very easy hike

Beaches – mostly black volcanic – a few white sand beaches are in the North-East.

Fort Shirley – Dominica’s most important historic site. Headquarters and main defense

post of the British Army Garrison – fully restored.