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Old January 17th 08, 02:46 PM posted to rec.bicycles.rides
Papa Tom
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Posts: 369
Default caribbean bicycling opportunities?

but some felt that a reasonably cautious, open,resourceful person could
do well in most areas.


That's a valid point. When I find myself in "questionable" areas and I'm by
myself, it's a bit easier to make a decision as to whether to get off the
bike or not. If I'm with my wife, who thinks EVERYBODY is her friend, it's
a little hard to convince her that the guys drinking beer by the dumpsters
might actually be looking to beat the crap out of any American dude that
day.

If you're wife is not a big Caribbean fan, take her to Aruba to soften her
up. It's probably the safest of all the islands - regardless of that
incident with the kidnapped kid. Avoid the downtown area where the ships
come in, though. That's the only real sleezy part of the island, in my
opinion. They've just built a new downtown right outside the hotels and, so
far, it's much nicer.

For riding, there's always a great cool breeze blowing in Aruba. I'm just
not sure where to tell you to ride.

My second suggestion is Grand Cayman, which is where all the world's
wealthiest people have their money hidden. For that reason, it's mostly
pretty upscale, although it has its share of slums, too. I rode through a
town called HELL, which has tons of souvenirs imprinted with the theme "I've
been to Hell, etc." Just be careful. They drive on the left side of the
rode in GC.

St. Thomas and St. Maarten are very scary places for me, but this may be
because my business on those islands always involves investigating crimes.
For this reason, I see lots of bad areas and I deal with all kinds of
corrupt government officials. There's a lot of animosity toward Americans
on these islands, at least once you go outside the tourist areas. St.
Maarten can also be a little hilly. The traffic on St. Thomas is brutal.

'Nuff said. You can make anything work, if you want it to. Best of luck
planning your trip!


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