The "Caribbean Beach 'Bucket List'" Story

It was an ordinary day. I had just finished reading my latest Caribbean Travel Magazine and found the story on "The 25 Quintessential Caribbean Beach Experiences" to be interesting. They listed 25 experiences that are guaranteed to make your life at the beach a whole lot livelier. After going through it I realized that many on their list I have already done over the past 10 years, but a few gave me some ideas for my own list of Caribbean experiences. Here are some of the items, based on their story and titles, that I find interesting and hope to get a chance to do.

1. Sleep on the Sand - Would love to rent a place that was right on the sand and could hop out of bed and go directly into the water. My wife would love to go to the South Seas, but the 20 hours or so flight is making me think about it. There we could rent an over the water bungalow and jump right in the water from our bed.

2. See Critters - Just love to snorkel and I'm sure there are many more places that we have not tried. We are taking a Panama Canal cruise soon and plan to snorkel at a few of the stops along the way.

3. Go Gilligan - Really neat to find a deserted beach and spend your time walking and sunning on it's sand. We have found a few over the years and totally enjoy the peacefulness and solitude that come from being the only couple on the beach, if only for maybe a few hours until someone else may wonder in the same direction.

4. 'Splash Down - Sorry we missed Jimmy Buffett a few years ago when he was at the Dune Preserve on Anguilla. We did make a trip to the Preserve to see where he played and to meet Bankie Banx, who was his host for the event. We keep hoping that we will get another chance to see the event in the future.

5. Make Your Mark - How can you not want to take a photo of your footprints on the sand of one of the world's best beaches. We have been lucky enough to do this several times in the last few years, and hope to get a chance to find more beaches to roam and make our mark on them.

6. Star Search - Neat to find a place in the Caribbean where you can watch the satellites and the meteorites streak by. So very little pollution that the skies look like the roof of a planetarium. Fun to try to pick out the constellations you learned when you were in school. We have been lucky enough to view the skies in many, many spots in the Caribbean.

7. Rock On - We visited the Baths in Virgin Gorda a few years ago and would love to have another chance to explore them again. The huge boulders, which supposedly erupted from the sea thousands of years ago, allow you to wonder through them and explore the sea creatures and fish which make them home. Still remember when my wife made a wrong step and hit her head on one. Made this awful sound and gave her a tremendous headache for a few hours.

8. No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem - Finding the best eats on the beach are always fun to do. Some of our favorites have been Bay Watch and The Sunset Bar and Grill.

9. In The Pink - Lie on your back along the tide line on Crane Beach and examine the ruby-tone veins that run through the white coral sand. Still need to do the same in Bermuda.

10. Altogether Now - Let the walk from your villa, hotel or car through the sea grape trees scour away your inhibitions so that as soon as you reach the sandy beach you can strip away your top, your bottoms and your cares. Makes you feel like a teenager again. Of course I never did that as a teenager.

Some of the items on my list we have had the chance to do while visiting on vacation, but you never tire of thoroughly enjoying yourself while relaxing on a beautiful white, powdery beach along the aqua colored waters with the one you love. I hope everyone will have a chance in their life to do the same. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.