<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024</id><updated>2011-09-10T20:18:15.049-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Jungle Bay Dominica:Blog</title><subtitle type='html'>This is the true story of a city girl, picked to work in Marketing at Jungle Bay Resort and Spa, and write what happens when she stops living in the city, and starts living in her treehouse. DOMINICA  www.junglebaydominica.com</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>12</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-116907674812671274</id><published>2007-01-17T15:31:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-01-17T16:19:05.523-08:00</updated><title type='text'>On Destination Weddings</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/1600/865245/Ian%20and%20Jeannete%27s%20Wedding%20055.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/320/741100/Ian%20and%20Jeannete%27s%20Wedding%20055.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Six months ago (prior to my arrival at Jungle Bay) if you had asked me where I wanted to get married, my rote answer would have been a church.  Preferably a Greek Orthodox one, as my surname is Papadopoulos afterall, but that's a different subject for an entirely different blog.  If you had asked me five months ago (one month into Jungle Bay) where I wanted to get married I would still have answered a church.  If you had asked me four months ago (and so forth until January 2nd, 2007)my answer wouldn't have changed.  But ask me today where I want to get married, and I have to admit that Ian and Jeannete (the couple pictured above)and Claire and Fritz (the couple pictured below) have a great thing going on.  As I watched (photographed) Ian and Jeannette officially avowing to spend the rest of their lives together while barefoot on a beautiful island beach, with only the Magistrate performing the ceromony, the wedding photographer (me who also served as Witness #1) and the wedding planner (Glenda Raphael aka Witness #2) I was deeply touched.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/1600/980954/Claire%27s%20Wedding%20036.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/320/76057/Claire%27s%20Wedding%20036.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;Now I admit that it's very important that before reaching any final conclusions about locations, venues, florals, and etc. of my wedding, it is imperative that I first find the right person to spend the rest of my life with.  But for now, I will concede that the idea of wearing flip flops down my prospective aisle, has a lot of appeal.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-116907674812671274?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/116907674812671274/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=116907674812671274' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116907674812671274'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116907674812671274'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2007/01/on-destination-weddings.html' title='On Destination Weddings'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-116752527278201047</id><published>2006-12-30T16:32:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-01-16T05:37:52.036-08:00</updated><title type='text'>On Being Lost In The Woods</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/1600/530915/Zom%20Zom%20022.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/320/129906/Zom%20Zom%20022.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you have yet to have the wonderful opportunity of being lost in the woods, I highly recommend it.  Wait, let me rephrase: I highly recommend getting lost in the woods and then finding your way out.   &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While waiting to move into my 5th cottage at Jungle Bay on a recent day off, I decided to get some exercise in and hike the Zom Zom Trail at Jungle Bay.  Two points about Zom Zom trail.&lt;br /&gt;1. Zom Zom is the trail on our own Jungle Bay propery that historically and is currently used by locals as a fishing point.&lt;br /&gt;2. I had been on the trail once in my second month here, after the new intern on his sixth day at Jungle Bay asked a fellow staff  member to guide us there (he was a tad more into the nature thing than I was)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Anyway, the first time on the trail I think I was too focused on keeping up with the pace that I neglected to take notice of the trail, or in some more positive words, I was just putting my complete faith in the guide and enjoying the scenery,.  So perhaps my decision to go on the trail my second time by myself and without telling anyone that I was gonig was not my brightest.  What is that they say about hindsight being 20/20?  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I got lost twice: Once &lt;/strong&gt;on the way to Zom Zom, and once on the way back to Jungle Bay. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There I was skipping along the trail filled with the euphoria of being surrounded by the beauty of nature, when I suddenly realized I wasn’t  really following a trail, but was kind of blindly just walking in the forest.  Hmmm, now when did that happen and where was that brook I remembered crossing last time? Fortunately, through the quiet of my pondering I heard the sound of the brook and instinctively (cause I’m "Nature Girl") started walking towards it.  My newfound “Nature Girl” pride was short lived when upon reaching the brook I realized I still hadn't found the trail to Zom Zom.   Standing at the bank of the river and noticing that going right meant bouldering uphill, and following the brook to the left meant following the bank down hill:  I went left.  Fortunately, my laziness (brilliance) paid off as I quickly reconnected with the trail and was once again skipping along the path to get the reward at Zom Zom point: An Amazing Panoramic view of the Atlantic atop some massive volcanic boulders.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/1600/866873/Zom%20Zom%20001.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/320/517409/Zom%20Zom%20001.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After thoroughly enjoying my sunbathe on the rocks and congratulating my new found “Nature Girl” instincts, I headed back to Jungle Bay practically singing “La La La” as I headed towards Jungle Bay…over the brook and through the woods back to Jungle Bay I go… "La..." My singing came to a stop when shortly after crossing the brook I found myself not really following any trail (again) and lost in a clearing of identical looking trees. But this time, I couldn’t use the sounds of the river as a guide and blindly starting walking towards what I thought (hoped) was the direction of the trail and Jungle Bay. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There I was zig zagging back and forth through the steep rainforest and even crawling up  some steep parts, when my frustration at the situation I had put myself in started to hit.  Why had I thought going on this alone was a good idea?  Why hadn’t I told anyone that I was coming out here?  I had no cell phone to call for help, no hope for help on the way, no helicopters to signal smoke to, no voice to shout for help with (for once my loud voice had met someone louder: the Atlantic Ocean).  Looking around me and taking in the colors of the blue green water of the ocean filtering through the green leaves of the jungle, it dawned on me that the only way I could make it out was by myself.   &lt;em&gt;In no way is relying on others a bad thing, and I’ve recently learned how fortunate I’ve been in my life to know that help is always a phone call away, literally and figuratively speaking, but as intimidating as knowing that it was just me out there it was also inspiring. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Looking at the blue gree water it also dawned on me that I had seen a similar beautiful ocean view from the path on my walk out here.  Another “nature girl” instinct kicked when I figured that as long as I maintained this view it would eventually lead me back to the path and Jungle Bay. Sure enough I was reunited with the path for the second time that afternoon, and euphorically trekked back to my new (5th) cottage. "La La La:     &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I happened to pass one of the housekeepers on my way back to my cottage who was curiously taking in my Dirt smeared clothes, sweat soaked tank top, scraped up legs, and blinding smile.  When I recounted my adventure back to her complete with all my “nature girl” instincts, she looked at me with a genuine smile and pride in her eyes and said “Good for you, Voula.” To which I couldn’t agree more.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So go “Get Lost” until our next adventure.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take care and thanks for reading,&lt;br /&gt;Voula&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;DISCLAIMER: I accept no responsibility if you get lost in the woods.&lt;br /&gt;DISCLAIMER 2: Since my experience in the woods, Jungle Bay has put down wonderful white posts that guide you along the path making getting lost a lot less likely&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-116752527278201047?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/116752527278201047/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=116752527278201047' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116752527278201047'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116752527278201047'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/on-being-lost-in-woods.html' title='On Being Lost In The Woods'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-116629400001904296</id><published>2006-12-16T10:20:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-12-16T10:55:36.926-08:00</updated><title type='text'>Outside Magazine</title><content type='html'>&lt;a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://a1608.g.akamai.net/7/1608/1365/879417336fc8af/away.com/images/outside/covers/cover_jan2007_toc.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://a1608.g.akamai.net/7/1608/1365/879417336fc8af/away.com/images/outside/covers/cover_jan2007_toc.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hi All,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Just got word that the January issue of Outside Magazine, with the kayaking article about Dominica, is now available.  I posted some additional pictures from the Outside Magazine expedition on our Flickr account&lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/junglebay/"&gt;Click Here to have a look &lt;/a&gt;, and you can also view some pics from Outside Magazine by &lt;a href="&lt;br /&gt;http://outside.away.com/travel_photo_gallery/outside/dominica/index.html"&gt;by clicking here&lt;/a&gt; .  Enjoy!!!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-116629400001904296?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/116629400001904296/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=116629400001904296' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116629400001904296'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116629400001904296'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/outside-magazine.html' title='Outside Magazine'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-116604468439884701</id><published>2006-12-13T13:16:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2007-01-04T16:59:46.050-08:00</updated><title type='text'>On Some Numbers</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Do-map.gif/280px-Do-map.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Do-map.gif/280px-Do-map.gif" border="0" alt=""/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="&lt;a href="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mapimages/north_america/new_york_city/new_york_city.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mapimages/north_america/new_york_city/new_york_city.gif" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;A thought struck me the other day as I was reading an article about New York city’s recent decision to ban trans fat in its 24,000 eateries. Health and political issues aside, what  really struck me about this article was that the number of eateries in New York City (24,000), was approximately 1/3 the entire population of Dominica (70,000). What’s even more interesting is that the two don’t really differ all that much in land area, with New York City only being 71km²or 13.3 square miles larger than Dominica. Put another way, for every three people on this island there is one establishment in New York City where they could dine without being interrupted by a neighbor….Just wanted to share &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Some More Numbers of Interest:&lt;br /&gt;New York City &lt;br /&gt;Land Area: 785.5 km²  (303.3 sq mi)&lt;br /&gt;Population: &lt;br /&gt;City – 8,213,839&lt;br /&gt;Dominica&lt;br /&gt;Land Area: 751 km²  290 sq mi &lt;br /&gt;Population&lt;br /&gt;Entire Island: 68,902 &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take care until the next adventure/observation,&lt;br /&gt;Voula&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Dominica_-_market_day.jpg/280px-Dominica_-_market_day.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Dominica_-_market_day.jpg/280px-Dominica_-_market_day.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/28/Union_Square_Farmers_Market.jpg/230px-Union_Square_Farmers_Market.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/28/Union_Square_Farmers_Market.jpg/230px-Union_Square_Farmers_Market.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;center&gt;Pictures of Respective Farmers Markets&lt;/center&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-116604468439884701?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/116604468439884701/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=116604468439884701' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116604468439884701'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116604468439884701'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/on-some-numbers.html' title='On Some Numbers'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-116560675525419826</id><published>2006-12-08T11:32:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-12-08T14:50:04.946-08:00</updated><title type='text'>A Simple Entry On Simple Things…</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/1600/686865/bread%20with%20butter.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/320/932486/bread%20with%20butter.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I know the topic of "enjoying the simple things in life" may seem trite, but as someone who has been living without TV, without her cell phone, without Traffic, without the mass media in general, without flat land, without Starbucks, and many of the other comforts of my old daily life I wanted to share some of the simple things I’ve experienced at Jungle Bay and in Dominica that make me happy:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Enjoying Warm Freshly Baked Bread with Butter…(REAL BUTTER)  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Being absorbed in a great book while listening to the sounds of the rain &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Catching up with a good friend on a phone conversation that I never want to end &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Drinking Freshly Squeezed Juice; Orange, Guava, Tangarine, Mangarine, Sorrel, Passion fruit, Grapefruit&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Going on a Run when I feel at one with Nature&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Playing a Board Game with great company that I never want to end&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Frolicking in a waterfall&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/1600/938621/rainbow.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/8014/3917/320/644184/rainbow.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Appreciating my family &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Admiring, Enjoying, and Being Humbled by nature &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Spotting a shooting star in an abyss of stars&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you’re soon coming to Jungle Bay, I hope you expereince some simple pleasures of your own that demonstrate  how easy it can be.  And if you’ve already come home from Jungle Bay, I hope you found some simple pleasure in your own “jungles” that remind you how easy it can be.   Please feel free to share any simple things you experienced while staying with us at Jungle Bay. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Take Care until the next adventure,&lt;br /&gt;Voula &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;P.S. I swear the Boiling Lake is coming soon&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-116560675525419826?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/116560675525419826/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=116560675525419826' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116560675525419826'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116560675525419826'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/simple-entry-on-simple-things.html' title='A Simple Entry On Simple Things…'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-116309356725409569</id><published>2006-11-09T09:04:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-11-17T19:44:59.850-08:00</updated><title type='text'>On the Power of</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/nytlogo153x23.gif"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/misc/nytlogo153x23.gif" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Dear Jungle Blog Readers,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Please accept my sincerest apologies for not posting any new entries lately, but my life hasn't been the same since Jungle Bay was featured in an article in the Travel Section of the New York Times on October 29th, 2006.  Okay, that may sound a tad on the dramatic side, but I can't even begin to describe how busy we became in sales and marketing as a result of the article.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/travel/29check.html?ref=travel/"&gt;Click here to check out the article in the NY Times&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I may have underestimated the power of the New York Times since I've always been partial to it (growing up in its burbs). But if the amount of enquires we received as a result of the article is any indication of anything, it's definitely a paper with a large reach far beyond its burbs.    We had over a hundred web enquires in the week after it was published, and 10 days later the enquires continue to trickle in. While the majority of the enquires were from the tri-state area, it blew my mind to learn where some of the other enquires originated from. There are too many to list but some of the more notable ones include; Barbados, Ohio, Canada, California, England, Missouri, St. Lucia, and Idaho.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But since the enquires are settling a bit and my life is returning to pre New York Times state, I will be posting more soon....I suspect the boiling lake is coming real soon, as Sam (the General Manager at Jungle Bay Resort and Spa) is seeing through my procrastination strategy.  For those that don't know, the Boiling Lake in the Valley of Desolation (so morbid) in Dominica is the world's second largest boiling lake, but the hike to it (and back) is the LONGEST Hike in Dominica (6 hours).  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks for reading and take care until the next adventure.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Best,&lt;br /&gt;Voula&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-116309356725409569?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/116309356725409569/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=116309356725409569' title='1 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116309356725409569'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116309356725409569'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/on-power-of.html' title='On the Power of'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>1</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-116308901933170729</id><published>2006-11-09T08:09:00.000-08:00</published><updated>2006-12-08T12:31:13.806-08:00</updated><title type='text'>On the Unofficial Mascot of Autumn….the pumpkin</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://static.flickr.com/120/293101497_8269a1ebd3_m.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/120/293101497_8269a1ebd3_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; I knew since my first Ginger Pumpkin Soup experience at Jungle Bay Resort and Spa that I would eventually write a blog about the “pumpkin,” but decided to wait until it got closer to Halloween when the pumpkin was on everyone else’s mind as well. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The more the pumpkin was on my mind as I prepared to write this blog, the more I realized that the pumpkin is sort of like the unofficial mascot of autumn.  Take a moment to mentally make a list of all the things that remind you of Autumn? Can you honestly deny that the pumpkin didn’t make the list with at least one reference to; Pumpkin Pie, Jack-O-Lanterns, Pumpkin etched garbage bags filled with leaves sitting on your front lawn, Pumpkins greeting you on your doorstep, at the office, or on the table, and of course the tragic but occasional pumpkin smashed into the road by some hooligans having fun. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I’m completely aware of my tardiness on the Halloween blog, but you have to understand that had it not been for my friend sending some photos of himself in his costume (very mature) I wouldn’t have had any idea it was Halloween (or even November). And even if Halloween were celebrated in the Caribbean (it’s not) I doubt it would be celebrated in Dominica as Dominicans are too busy hosting (partying at) the World Creole Music Festival and preparing for their Independence Holiday.  Independence Day is a relatively new holiday here as Dominica gained its independence from England November 3, 1978, but yet for unknown reasons (to me) kept the driving on the left side of the road.&lt;br /&gt; &lt;a href="http://static.flickr.com/30/58423294_c584f282ec_m.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://static.flickr.com/30/58423294_c584f282ec_m.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;So as I was beginning to say, none of the indications that Fall/Halloween are arriving exist in Dominica, and your subconscious knows what indicators I am referring to; gluttonous amount of sugar floating around the office, ginormous candy displays greeting you at the supermarket, beautiful fall foliage, ornate Halloween lawn decorations (that are now on par with Christmas displays) the inevitable Halloween Party you need to figure out a costume for, excessive ghost decorations, and last but not least the bountiful appearance of today’s blog topic, the Pumpkin.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For lunch in high school my friend (ironically the same one mentioned earlier) and I frequented a local Bagel Store for lunch with a poster of a woman eating a Gyro that claimed ‘Gyros’ were “Delicious and Fun to eat.”  Although, we never really figured out what that meant, it’s in that same spirit I say that in Dominica I have learned the “Pumpkin” is not only fun to say but delicious to eat.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;[Say Pumpkin 3x in a row…Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumpkin…. quite a fun,  isn’t it?]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Dominica, instead of finding the pumpkin decoratively on people’s doorstep (or smashed in the road ☹), you’ll deliciously find it on the table, but note that the pumpkin consumed in Dominica has a green exterior. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/1600/180px-Pumpkin_with_stalk.0.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/200/180px-Pumpkin_with_stalk.0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"&gt; &lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominica_steve/268724536/" title="photo sharing"&gt;&lt;img src="http://static.flickr.com/111/268724536_73b6d32125_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt; &lt;span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"&gt;  &lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dominica_steve/268724536/"&gt;Name that tropical fruit!&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;  Originally uploaded by &lt;a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/dominica_steve/"&gt;Pirate 605&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;You can find the pumpkin in many of the yummy dishes at the Pavilion Restaurant at Jungle Bay and in two of my personal favorites, Ginger Pumpkin Soup and the Rasta Man’s Ital . Botanically the pumpkin is a fruit, referring to a plant part that grows on a flower,  but in culinary terms is widely regarded as a vegetable and tastes very much like a squash...It is, after all, related to the zucchini.  If your pumpkin wasn’t destroyed by a hooligan, be sure to try it in a recipe and the recipe for Jungle Bay's Ginger Pumpkin soup can be found in our  &lt;a href="http://junglebaydominica.com/journal1006.cfm/"&gt;Fall Newsletter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks for reading and take care until the next adventure.  To  check out some fun facts about the Pumpkin, thanks to the wondeful folks of Wikipeida, read below or check it out on &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumpkin/"&gt;Wikipedia.&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;- The pumpkin is the state fruit of New Hampshire.&lt;br /&gt;- Pumpkins are orange because they contain massive amounts of lutein, alpha- and beta-carotene. These nutrients turn to vitamin A in the body.&lt;br /&gt;- "Pumpkin" is sometimes used as an affectionate term for a loved one &lt;br /&gt;- Pumpkin growers compete at festivals dedicated to the pumpkin to see whose pumpkins are the most massive&lt;br /&gt;- The largest pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,469 lb (666 kg) and was raised by Larry Checkon from Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania in 2005&lt;br /&gt;- However, this record is being challenged by Ron Wallace of Rhode Island, who raised an alleged 1,502 pound pumpkin in 2006&lt;br /&gt;- Using pumpkins as lanterns at Halloween is based on an ancient Celtic custom brought to America by Irish immigrants. All Hallows Eve on 31 October marked the end of the old Celtic calendar year, and on that night hollowed-out turnips, beets and rutabagas with a candle inside were placed on windowsills and porches to welcome home spirits of deceased ancestors and ward off evil spirits and a restless soul called "Stingy Jack," hence the name "Jack-o'-lantern".&lt;br /&gt;- The city of Boston, Massachusetts currently holds the world record for most lit pumpkins in one area: 30,128, set on October 21, 2006, beating out the previous record of 28,952 set in Keene, New Hampshire in 2003.&lt;br /&gt;- Illinois produces more pumpkins than any other state in the United States; Michigan is a distant secon&lt;br clear="all" /&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-116308901933170729?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/116308901933170729/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=116308901933170729' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116308901933170729'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116308901933170729'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/11/on-unofficial-mascot-of-autumnthe.html' title='On the Unofficial Mascot of Autumn….the pumpkin'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-116113217551557605</id><published>2006-10-17T17:30:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-11-17T19:37:09.293-08:00</updated><title type='text'>On Mags, the wonders of an English accent, and the charm of Mother Nature</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/1600/All%20Mags.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/320/All%20Mags.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I’m not really sure what it is about an English accent that makes a person sound more intelligent, but there’s  definitely something about it.  I would have cast it off  as a personal observation, but after performing very scientific research on the matter (asking many of my friends and some guests) the consensus is that English accents make people sound more intelligent and can sometimes make people more attractive….but that’s a completely different subject for an entirely different blog.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I bring this up, because today marks the one month Anniversary of my  birthday whale watching excursion with Margaret (aka Mags).   Margaret was a guest of ours form Kent, England who had traveled to Dominica with her daughter that was working in Barbados at the time.   Margaret possessed everything that one would ever hope for in an English grandmother: She used words like “lovely” and “delightful,” called her bathing suit a “costume” her pants “trousers,” adored animals (especially birds), and had a genuine positive spirit that was an absolute delight to be around.…She was really quite lovely….&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;As I previously mentioned, Margaret is particularly fond of birds and I caught her adoring the birds of Dominica on a few different occasions…which essentially is the reason I began adoring her.  We first met when our paths crossed on the walk to our respective cottages and we struck up a friendly conversation.  A little bird began to hover in a nearby bush and  in mid-sentence Margaret momentarily paused to admire the bird and then said, “Oh,isn’t that just lovely” and picked up the conversation exactly where she had left off…it was at that moment that I thought she was just lovely. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.delphis.dm/images/anchwhale.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.delphis.dm/images/anchwhale.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am very grateful that our paths crossed that day, and we went whale watching to celebrate our September birthdays that were coincidentally a day apart.   Before we left for the birthday excursion Margaret has asked me if I had ever seen whales before: I casually told her that I had seen them once in New England and once in Alaska.  She then proceeded to tell me how fortunate I was, and that her birthday wish was to see one on our excursion (so cute).  Chalk that up to one more thing I had taken for granted, for I had never considered myself lucky to have seen whales.  Today, I feel fortunate for not only the opportunities to go whale watching, but to have also met  Margaret whose youthful love of birds, butterflies, whales, and all things nature was quite contagious and gave me a whole new set of eyes to look at  Mother Nature through.   So for that, I say "Thanks Mags!"&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks for reading, and have a lovely, delightful, and charming day.   &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Until the next adventure,&lt;br /&gt;Voula&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/1600/me%20and%20magas.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/320/me%20and%20magas.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-116113217551557605?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/116113217551557605/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=116113217551557605' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116113217551557605'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116113217551557605'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/on-mags-wonders-of-english-accent-and.html' title='On Mags, the wonders of an English accent, and the charm of Mother Nature'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-116052297491352349</id><published>2006-10-10T19:23:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-11-11T10:08:12.343-08:00</updated><title type='text'>On FEARLESSNESS</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://cityguide.bellinghamherald.com/fe/outdoors/stories/238382-81047.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://cityguide.bellinghamherald.com/fe/outdoors/stories/238382-81047.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do you remember when you stopped being Fearless? We are absolutely fearless when we are younger, as no adventure ever seems too dangerous, no stunt ever seems too stupid, and no decision ever seem like a really bad idea.  I can recall doing all kinds of crazy things that would require a large sum of money for a repeat performance now.  Things like:  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Not wearing a Helmet, Knee pads, wrist guards, life vest, sun block, sweatbands, shin guards, the proper footwear, cell phone, gortex, sunglasses, bug repellent, and water-resistant clothing,  WHEN; riding my bike, roller skating which later became roller blading, playing any kind of sport, skiing octagonal black diamonds*, riding pegs on a friend’s bicycle, sitting on the handlebars of  a friend’s bicycle, walking in New York city, wading in a brook, hiking through the woods** of my Northern Jersey suburb, and all the other adventures you seem to find when you’re younger. &lt;br /&gt;*I’m not really sure if octagonal diamonds even exist, but that’s what I would rank the trails now &lt;br /&gt;**The woods I grew up seem very wimpy in comparison to the rainforests and jungles of Dominica since I could go through the entire woods and get to my friend’s house on the other side in under twenty minutes &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But anyway, I’ve recently been thinking of when I lost my Fearlessness because a group of the world’s best kayakers are staying with us at Jungle Bay as they set out to kayak the rivers of Dominica for an article in the December issue of Outside Magazine.  With 365 rivers in Dominica, or “one for every day of the year” as the locals will proudly tell you, the guys have a lot of terrain to cover. But if the fact that they were studying the “topo” map on their first night here by lantern light like the Goonies trying the find the route to One Eyed Willy’s hidden treasure was any indication of anything, I think it’s safe to say that they are up for the challenge. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/1600/PA010218.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/320/PA010218.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You see this group of modern day Goonies, are not among your typical “let’s go for a leisurely float down the river kind of kayakers,” but rather among the not so typical "let’s go be the first one’s to ever kayak this river” kind of kayakers.  Or make a "first descent" as they say in the kayaking world.  Collectively, they have over a hundred fist descents in rivers all over the world from India, to China, to Africa, to South America, and now to Dominica.    As if being the first to kayak a river in remote locations all over the globe isn’t enough of an adrenaline rush by itself for these guys, another past time they enjoy is running waterfalls. What is a running waterfall you ask?  Well instead of getting out of the river,  or “taking out,” upon reaching a waterfall like most people would probably do,  these guys actually go over “run” the waterfall.   &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.teampyranha.com/paddler-lifestyle-articles/joshbechtel/dominica-paddling/#more-279"&gt;Click here to check out Josh Bechtel's blog on the paddling trip...PS he's the guy in the kayak going over the waterfall&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;When Sam (the owner and GM of Jungle Bay) first told me he had to scope out the waterfalls of Dominica for a potential Outside Magazine story, I thought to myself that these guys must be fearless, hence the intrigue, but absolutely nuts. Who in their right mind kayaks an 80 foot waterfall for “ships and giggles?” THE BAFFLEMENT.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But as I’ve been listening to their stories, and learning more about the sport this week, I’ve definitely come to admire their ability to overcome fear, which brings to mind a favorite part in Zoolander when Hansel (Owen Wilson) is describing his heroes for the awards show montage: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Sting. Sting would be another person who's a hero of mine. The music he's created over the years, I don't really listen to it, but the fact that he's making it, I respect that." &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So in conclusion, I don’t really want to kayak over a waterfall, but the fact that these guys are out there doing it, I respect that.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks for reading, and take care until the next adventure. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Voula&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;P.S. “Topo” is short for topographical for all you non-nature, non waterfall running people out there ☺&lt;br /&gt;P.P.S. I had no idea what it was the first time I heard it either ☺☺&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-116052297491352349?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/116052297491352349/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=116052297491352349' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116052297491352349'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116052297491352349'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/on-fearlessness.html' title='On FEARLESSNESS'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-116044202911057012</id><published>2006-10-09T17:48:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2007-01-17T12:10:49.726-08:00</updated><title type='text'>“Je m'appelle” Voula</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/1600/images.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/320/images.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I realized that up until this weekend I have successfully managed to avoid speaking French. Seriously, “Bonjour” may have been the only word in my French vocabulary: Which I only knew because of the song in the Disney movie “Beauty and Beast” when Belle goes to town and is greeted by the baker with his same old bread and rolls to sell like always. But anyway, I am not quite sure if this is something I've entirely subconsciously either.  For, I have always referred to the food chain Au Bon Pan as “ABP,” and chose to study Spanish in high school unlike my two older sisters who had studied French.   &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This revelation came to my attention this past weekend when we hosted a group of 40+ people from the neighboring (French speaking) islands of Guadalupe and Martinque and I attempted to explain amongst some other things; what time the  “long walk” (hike) was leaving, why the hot water may take a few moments to come on (energy conservation), why their choices of juice were now guava and karambola aka star fruit (because the pineapple had just run out), and that there really wasn’t anywhere on property for them to buy more cigarettes.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; This experience was significant for me because it probably was the first time in my life that I was at a complete loss, and regardless of how bad I wanted to, could do nothing about it.   Allow me to explain…. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am by no means fluent in Greek and Spanish (sometimes I wonder if English too), but I know enough of each language to get by with a valiant effort to speak the language or a fun combination of the language + English.  And when traveling to places where I didn’t speak the language like Italy and Bulgaria, I have always been accompanied by someone who could communicate for me.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Therefore, when the group first got off the bus and invaded Jungle Bay with their stylish clothes and beautifully spoken FOREIGN language, it was the first time in my life I had to use the shoulder shrug + palms in the air combination to express the fact I had no idea what they were saying.  Unlike Renee Zellwelgger in Jerry Maguire, they lost me at “Bonjour”&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But I’m happy to report with what little English they knew, and with my very expressive hand gestures I was indeed able to explain the concept of energy conservation to the guests, and even managed to pick up a few words in the end.  My favorite is the word for water which is spelled l’eau but actually pronounced “OH.”  It was quite fun walking around the Pavilion Restaurant on Saturday night with my water pitcher and just asking “Oh?. Oh? Oh? ”  So although the French language ruined my subconscious (or not so subconscious) attempt to avoid it, in the end I think it was a draw.  To which I say: Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Au revoir until the next adventure, and thanks for reading.  &lt;br /&gt;Voula&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-116044202911057012?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/116044202911057012/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=116044202911057012' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116044202911057012'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/116044202911057012'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/je-mappelle-voula.html' title='“Je m&apos;appelle” Voula'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-115999038905980101</id><published>2006-10-04T12:01:00.001-07:00</published><updated>2006-10-18T07:43:31.093-07:00</updated><title type='text'>On MOUNTAIN BIKING</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/1600/action%20bike%20shot.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/200/action%20bike%20shot.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On Mountain Biking:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So I had an epiphany the other day that I felt was worth blogging about.  Just because you may have ridden a mountain bike, that doesn’t actually mean that you have  been MOUNTAIN BIKING.  Allow me to explain: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While I was living in DC, I had used a mountain bike as a means of transportation to and from campus, work, the Metro stop, etc.  So when Laura asked if I had ever mountain biked before, I naively answered yes and told her how excited I was for our afternoon excursion. Silly Voula.  I am sure you avid riders out there are probably reading this and thinking, “Duh….silly city girl.” &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Anyway, I quickly learned as we rode over the rocks to leave Jungle Bay that real MOUNTAING BIKING is actually quite different when you’re not on pavement. While I was absolutely terrified the whole time thinking that each rock would be the one to send me into orbit, or that the each patch of brush would be the one with the wild animal lurking in it, it was absolutely exhilarating.  The view from the beach [finish line] alone was worth all the fear, not to mention all the calories I had burned. I am happy to report that I only fell upon trying to get off the bike, which in my defense was too high for me.  The fall occurred when I was riding up the big hill, (like that narrows it down in Dominica) the one right after you cross the White River and are climbing up to Jungle Bay, and my quadriceps had said to my brain, “We’re burning and would really like it if you would stop and walk the rest of the way up this hill.  Thank You.” My brain got the message, but apparently my body really wanted to say “Hello” to the ground so down I went.  Laura, who witnessed the whole scene (but not the dialogue) said it all kind of happened in slow motion and that I had been doing so well up to that point.   Oh well, can it really be called MOUNTAIN BIKING if you don’t come back with any dirt or scratches on you? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lessons Learned:&lt;br /&gt;1. Make sure your seat is at the proper height&lt;br /&gt;2. Riding a Mountain Bike over Pavement isn’t mountain biking&lt;br /&gt;3. The reward at the end is sometimes worth the fear &lt;br /&gt;4. Make sure that your body, burning quads, and brain are all in agreement&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks for reading, and take care. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; Until the next adventure,&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Voula&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-115999038905980101?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/115999038905980101/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=115999038905980101' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/115999038905980101'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/115999038905980101'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/on-mountain-biking.html' title='On MOUNTAIN BIKING'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>2</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35246024.post-115963261446761589</id><published>2006-09-30T08:50:00.000-07:00</published><updated>2006-09-30T10:42:54.640-07:00</updated><title type='text'>Welcome-Introduction</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/1600/Blogphoto1.1.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8014/3917/400/Blogphoto1.1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;My name is Voula Papadopoulos, and I am the newest addition to the Sales and Marketing team at Jungle Bay Resort and Spa. Since I grew up in a suburb of New York City, resided in Washington DC, and lived in Orlando, Florida where the closest I came to a jungle was designed by Imagineers at Disney World, we thought it may be interesting to chronicle my adventures here at Jungle Bay. So be sure to check out the blog to stay connected to Jungle Bay throughout the year, and to learn how this urban girl handles all the adventures Jungle Bay has to offer without any Starbucks ☺. To further introduce my blog I wrote a (very original) ballad that I would like to share with you all, so without further ado: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt; A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the jungle, the relaxing jungle, Voula sleeps at night.&lt;br /&gt;In the jungle, the exotic jungle, Voula also works.  &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;At the resort, the Jungle Bay resort, Voula writes a blog&lt;br /&gt;At the resort, the Jungle Bay resort, Voula writes a blog&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hush dear readers, read on dear readers, to see if she survives. &lt;br /&gt;So Post replys and, don’t fear dear readers, for Voula will survive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh A-weema-weh&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;www.junglebaydominica.com&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/35246024-115963261446761589?l=junglebayblog.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/feeds/115963261446761589/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=35246024&amp;postID=115963261446761589' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/115963261446761589'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/35246024/posts/default/115963261446761589'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://junglebayblog.blogspot.com/2006/09/welcome-introduction_30.html' title='Welcome-Introduction'/><author><name>Vpapa</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/09200621945620363496</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='16' height='16' src='http://img2.blogblog.com/img/b16-rounded.gif'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
