One Road- Ariann Mieka

The wide trail to the beach was sandwiched between a dense mix of vegetation that included what looked like mangrove and an array of beautiful local flowers. The thick foliage captured my attention and my eyes darted from side to side marveling at the plants. Nearing the end of the trail, I looked in front of me and caught a glimpse of the Marianne beach. I smiled and the wind blew as if to greet me. “Welcome to paradise,” it whispered.  L: Marianne Beach, Blanchichesse, R: A lone coconut on the sand The waves rolling in at Marianne Beach Our country possesses some of most beautiful places in the world and Blanchisseuse is certainly on the list. Exploring this small scenic village, in the north coast of Trinidad, you find that adventure and breathtaking views are always right around the corner. Spreading a mat down on the sand I was filled with a joy that can only come from being within an oasis!  Beautiful Scenery at the bea...

On your birthday you expect to get spoiled and made to feel extremely special. Whether your loved ones take the time to do something big or small or you treat yourself to a well needed day of pampering, during your special day you can’t help but feel like a goddess.  What better beach to visit on my special day then but one of the places where the goddess Aphrodite emerged from the sea in all her glory. Aphrodite’s Rock and Beach is listed as a must visit in Cyprus’ guidebooks and as soon as we arrived it was easy to see why. Large smooth pebbles cover the ground and the various colours of the pebbles shimmer through the light blue crystal clear water making it look more like a resort pool than the ocean. Huge rocks jut out of the sea adding drama to the landscape. The beach is also known as Petra Tou Romiou (Rock of the Roman) due to the legend of the Greek hero, Digenis Akritas who used to throw large rocks to destroy his enemies. People swim out to these la...

Our second day in Cyprus happened to be a very special day and the very reason for our trip. It was my 30th birthday and I woke up feeling very excited and blessed! The night before, Verse took me out to dinner to bring in the special occasion. The waiter (even after serving me the wine I ordered) guessed that I was 15. I’m sure you’re thinking the same thing I was...“What’s the legal drinking age in Cyprus if he’s happily serving a 15 year old wine?” Following the suggestion of the friendly front desk staff about where to go after dinner, we drove past the tourist strip and made a beeline for the ‘old town’ where the locals hung out. Walking into the town felt like we stepped back in time. The buildings were old and full of charm and the streets were a narrow maze. We walked about enjoying the atmosphere and after checking out a few places we settled on a very lively bar and lounge.  I love to dance and even though they were playing a very different musical selection...

On our first morning in Cyprus , we wanted to visit a nearby beach and the front desk staff at our hotel in Limassol highly recommended we check out one called Governor’s Beach. My LonelyPlanet guidebook on Cyprus also wrote favorable things about this beach so we jumped into the car and started out on our first day’s adventure. Along the way we stopped in a neighborhood to double check we were headed in the correct direction. Choosing a nearby police station to do this, Verse created quite the commotion as he entered. While I sat in the car wondering what was taking so long he was old talking and laughing with the friendly officers who wanted to know what brought him all the way to Cyprus, about his life and his music. One officer even took out his cell phone to take a picture of him to show his son who loves reggae music and Bob Marley . Reassured we were heading the right way we got back on the highway and soon arrived at the beach. Verse saw the beach firs...