A Sightseer's Tour Of Old San Juan

There are so many things to do in Puerto Rico, that the problem is not finding something of interest; rather, it is prioritizing the list of things to do in Puerto Rico according to how much time one has.  I have lived in Puerto Rico for over 15 years and there are still many places on my Puerto Rico ‘bucket list’!  Here is our great new inforgraphic on some of the top things to do in Puerto Rico.  However, it is only a sampling… there are many more things to do and perhaps in the future we will add to them….

Here are some additional locations that should also be on the list:

Fajardo – Glowing waters of the Bioluminescent Bay; Boating/Marina Capital

Arecibo – Arecibo Observatory – largest radio telescope

Ponce – home of largest Carnaval, vejigante masks, and Art Museum

Coamo- Baths / Thermal Springs

Aibonito – known for its flowers and flower festival

Luquillo – Amazing Beaches and roadside food kioskos

Jayuya – Taino Indian relics

Loiza – traditional coconut vejigante masks

Barceloneta – black sand beaches

Dominican Republic: a 60-second guide

The Dominican Republic is the second largest Caribbean nation after Cuba, with approximately 10 million inhabitants. It occupies the eastern two-thirds of the island of Hispaniola, of which the western third is the country of Haiti. Haiti feels very African and most people speak French and Creole – theDominican Republic is more Latin American, and Dominicans speak Spanish. Not to be confused with the little-developed Caribbean island of Dominica, population 73,000.

Top 10 Happiest Countries Are in the Caribbean and Latin America

In line with the 3rd United Nation’s Annual International Day of Happiness, Gallup researchers have released the Gallup Positive Experience Index 014 survey results, hailing Latin American countries as the top 10 happiest countries in the world, Live Science reported.

There are about 143 countries that were included in the research and about a thousand respondents in each country were interviewed on “how happy they felt the day before.” According to Gallup, more than 70 percent of the respondents answered 5 common reasons of their happiness and those were when they experienced enjoyment, when they smiled or laughed, when felt well rested and when they were treated with respect.

The goal of the annual research is to promote happiness worldwide. Collecting data about happiness is seen to be a huge help in creating programs that can improve people’s way of life by making them happy.

The top 10 countries which bagged the highest number of “positive index scores” are as follows:

1. Paraguay
2. Colombia
3. Ecuador
4. Guatemala
5. Honduras
6. Panama
7. Venezuela
8. Costa Rica
9. El Salvador
10. Nicaragua

With these results, Latin America may and could be the unofficial sponsor of the United Nation’s International Happiness Day which is held annually, Business Administration reported.

Also, another similar survey but from a separate independent research was initiated. Jetpac City Guide is a popular iPhone application that administers Instagram data in helping its users in finding top locations. They’ve listed top venues around the world which had the most number of “smile scores” over the past 12 months, International Business Times reported.

According to the Jetpac survey, Brazil topped the list as the happiest country in the planet, followed by Nicaragua and Colombia. Amazingly, Philippines was included in the list at #9, making it the only country located outside the Americas.
International Day of Happiness takes place every 20th of March. This is to celebrate and acknowledge the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of every human being worldwide. The event is participated by countries that are members of the United Nations, organizations, civil societies, non-governmental organizations and individuals.

The Day of Happiness website encourages everyone to join and connect with other people around the globe and share happiness through various group activities. Individuals can also participate by connecting to loved ones and friends by sharing positive thoughts personally or online.

For the original report go to http://www.latinospost.com/articles/56528/20150321/top-10-happiest-countries-latin-america.htm

Mercy Ship Our Hospital Ship Provides Free Lifesaving Surgeries For People Where Medical Care Is Nearly Non-Existent.

                                                         www.mercyships.org

Mercy Ships is an international charity that was founded in 1978 by Don and Deyon Stephens. Mercy Ships currently operates the largest non-governmental hospital ship in the world, providing free health care, community development projects, community health education, mental health programs, agriculture projects, and palliative care for terminally ill patients.

Mercy Ships has operated in more than 57 developing nations and 18 developed nations around the world, with a current focus on the countries of Africa.

Australian Reef Pilots Under New Ownership

Australian marine pilotage company Australian Reef Pilots (ARP) has been bought by a consortium of its employees.

 

ARP, which services shipping through the Great Barrier Reef, has been sold by the private Brisbane-based company Torres Industries to a group of ARP executives and reef pilots, making for a very ‘hands on’ team.

 

ARP CEO Simon Meyjes has led the buyout and said it would be business as usual during the transition.

 

“We know the business and our customers intimately and want to seize the opportunities we can see to grow and expand our services,” Meyjes said. “We will maintain a strong focus on customer satisfaction and ship safety – it’s what sets us apart in this industry.”

Norwegian Star exits drydock with Five O'Clock Somewhere bar

Norwegian Cruise Line's partnership with Margaritaville is taking shape on the Norwegian Star, which carries the line's first Five O'Clock Somewhere bar following a two-week drydock.

Royal Caribbean International Independence of the Seas Tops Family Cruise Choice

It is no secret that Disney provides some of the best entertainment for families, especially for younger children, although for those cruisers looking for a family cruise to suit all ages then we’d recommend Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas. This Freedom Class cruise ship is much bigger than most and has an extensive list of onboard activities for both adults and children.