Caribbean - the perfect climate?

On Tue, 11 May 2004 23:17:53 GMT, strawberry icecream
wrote:

Now midgets attacking?


LOL at the imagary


Nah, over in northern UK...Scotland and Ireland, we have these wee
things called 'midges'

I think they also have another name...but I can't recall it at present.

Pygmies? Yee little ones? Short People? Stunts? Vertically Challenged?
Kneeknockers?

They come out around sunset in the summer time, for an hour or two.
They are tiny...invisible....you can feel them bite your neck and scalp.

Yeah, midget ghosts...

They are pretty unbearable. Many people complain that they are far
worse than mosquitos. But I have no way of comparing, since I have yet
to bump into a mosquito.

Far worse. Midgets are mean, nasty and know circus tricks.

On Wed, 12 May 2004 00:14:24 GMT, Rosalie B.
wrote:

Maybe you mean no-see-ums or gnats. In the Bahamas they have the
sunset/evening no-see-ums and they also have ones that are out in the
daytime too. No-see-ums can go through regular screening.

Midgets can do that too?

Damn, where have I been?

Mosquitos (just the females which are the only ones that bite) make a
whining noise. Very high frequency noise-if you have a noise induced
hearing loss, you might not be able to hear them. They are also
mostly out at night.

Like vampire midgets.

The best you can do is decide what is an acceptable risk for you and
go for it. IMHO the cost of living and the medical care are at least
equally important when deciding where to live.

Yeah but who wants to live where midgets attack and ooze thru door
screens?

If I were going to spend extended time there, I might consider Belize
- the highlands do not have bug problems - don't have screens just
like London. And they speak English..

They also speak that secret, scary circus lingo....and they know
CLOWNS!!!!!!!!

On Wed, 12 May 2004 02:33:31 GMT, strawberry icecream
wrote:

Yeah but who wants to live where midgets attack and ooze thru door
screens?

If I were going to spend extended time there, I might consider Belize
- the highlands do not have bug problems - don't have screens just
like London. And they speak English..

They also speak that secret, scary circus lingo....and they know
CLOWNS!!!!!!!!


are you on drugs?

the word used was 'midges'........'midges' are a tiny insect that the
Scots and Irish have to put up with in the summer time, for a couple of
hours around sunset.

oops

I don't believe that this insect is to be found elsewhere in the world.

thankthelord

On Wed, 12 May 2004 02:33:39 GMT, strawberry icecream
wrote:

Pygmies? Yee little ones? Short People? Stunts? Vertically Challenged?
Kneeknockers?

They come out around sunset in the summer time, for an hour or two.
They are tiny...invisible....you can feel them bite your neck and scalp.

Yeah, midget ghosts...

They are pretty unbearable. Many people complain that they are far
worse than mosquitos. But I have no way of comparing, since I have yet
to bump into a mosquito.

Far worse. Midgets are mean, nasty and know circus tricks.


yawn

Yawn? Wait till you have one of those little suckers eat the toe nail
paint off you.

On Wed, 12 May 2004 03:07:14 GMT, strawberry icecream
wrote:

enough...enough.

I surrender....I come in peace...please, no more midget jokes!


warm friendly smile

ok

cold, painted face, cirsusfake smile with teeth too big for mouth

http://makeashorterlink.com/?W2DC13648

On 12/05/04 0:46, in article ,
"strawberry icecream" wrote:

thanks for the response.

Yes...you have nailed the main issues.

I am in the UK...so much of the caribbean is accessible...many old and
existing british colonies etc.

I do love the images of the British Virgin Islands and the DR.
Monserrat is by all accounts awesome...but again, it is volcanic and
prone to hurricanes.

But for me, one has to go further south, to avoid the main hurricanes.

The BVI has been in the pathway quite a few times in recent years.
Having never been through one of these storms I can not pooh pooh
them. Obviously having a place near the shore which can be reached
by the tidal surge is a big problem. The islands also get "burnt"
with a passage of a storm, the depositing of a lot of salt spray
damages the vegetation until rain fall washes some of the salt away.
The natural vegetation is "use" to this kind abuse but is does occur.

Yet in our many visits to the BVI over the years (we were there last
year) I have never noted unusual damage to the island. The island
group has relatively high mountains, and Virgin Gorda bay looks
inordinately well protected. Others will have to comment on whether
that is true. On Saint Martin, one hotel complex on the south
end is still in ruins from a storm 10 years ago.


Most of the islands "lack" airports capable of receiving flights
from North America or Europe. BVI is one but St Lucia now has
air service with North America and Britain. Cruise boats
also bring in a number of visitors which can be disconcerting
on some days.

I was in St Lucia a few months ago, and it looks really nice.

Ideally, to avoid hurricanes, one needs to move a few hundred miles
below St Lucia....the Grenadines, Tobago etc.

I am particarly sold on Tobago. But it is fairly remote and not much to
do on the island.

The ABC islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao (spelling?), look really
nice. But Aruba looks too hot and desert like for my taste. Curacao
looks beautiful...but water supply seems to be an issue.

By the way, does anyone know if all the caribben islands essentially
close down for those months of the hurricane season..or do tourists
still come and rent villas?

Thanks again to all who responded to this thread. It is great to get s
much guidance and advice.


Judging from what you said you prefer St. Lucia. I personally would opt for
as large an island as possible which has a minimum number of tourists.
We sail boated out of Union and the reef problem is fierce, the boat
radio was reporting non-stop on people hanging up on them and requesting
to be dragged off. The smaller islands are really dry, a severe water
problem sometimes of the year.

Earl

strawberry icecream wrote:

the word used was 'midges'........'midges' are a tiny insect that the
Scots and Irish have to put up with in the summer time, for a couple of
hours around sunset.

I don't believe that this insect is to be found elsewhere in the world.

http://www.scotweb.co.uk/environment...tisamidge.html

The biting midge, genus Culicoides, is also called 'sand fly' in
some parts of the world [caribbean relevance!] and "no-see-um" in
N.America. There wouldn't be a bug so hard to see and so annoying
in its bite, which didn't live in the Canadian backwoods too.

--
Ken Tough

You seem to know about bugs, so here's my question.
When we go to Tobago, I often get bitten from feet to knees by some creature
with a mild sting -- I feel a mild sensation, but much less than that with a
mosquito bite. I get largish, itching, red welts that last for several days.
These bites don't occur on the beach, but generally in the evening. Last time,
I think I traced the onslaught to a restaurant under a thatched roof but not on
the beach (but it's happened at other outdoor places). My husband, however, did
not get one bite. I usually remember to apply bug spray to my legs before I go
out in the evening, but occasionally I forget.
Anyone know what's biting me?


Subject: Caribbean - the perfect climate?
From: Ken Tough


The biting midge, genus Culicoides, is also called 'sand fly' in
some parts of the world [caribbean relevance!] and "no-see-um" in
N.America. There wouldn't be a bug so hard to see and so annoying
in its bite, which didn't live in the Canadian backwoods too.

--
Ken Tough

DDupin wrote:

You seem to know about bugs, so here's my question.
When we go to Tobago, I often get bitten from feet to knees by some creature
with a mild sting -- I feel a mild sensation, but much less than that with a
mosquito bite. I get largish, itching, red welts that last for several days.
These bites don't occur on the beach, but generally in the evening. Last time,
I think I traced the onslaught to a restaurant under a thatched roof but not on
the beach (but it's happened at other outdoor places). My husband, however, did
not get one bite. I usually remember to apply bug spray to my legs before I go
out in the evening, but occasionally I forget.
Anyone know what's biting me?

No doubt that's sand fleas. They don't necessarily only live
on the beach, but will be around damp patches, and dawn is an
excellent time to come away looking like a pizza. They are only
ever a problem at dawn and dusk, so avoid dank areas then and
you will be okay.

--
Ken Tough

Rhythmwize wrote:

There have been problems with earthquakes. A massive earthquake hit Port Royal
Jamaica in 1692 killing 2000 people and there have been others. Any volcanic
island, read lush green islands with mountains, represents a region with a
potential for earthquakes.

There are tectonic earthquakes associated with any fault, like the
caribbean plate, but they are not specifically related to active
volcanoes. You wouldn't even notice the tremors that come from
the volcano itself. The only earthquake I noticed on Montserrat
was one originating somewhere off Kick'em Jenny (down by Grenada),
a (regional) tectonic one.

--
Ken Tough