How To Be A Better Tourist In The Caribbean

This episode serves as a comprehensive guide for travelers seeking to enhance their Caribbean experience while navigating local customs and etiquette. We discuss key issues such as the importance of research, understanding local culture, proper etiquette, and respecting the diversity that characterizes the Caribbean islands.

• The importance of research before traveling
• Possible harm of assumptions about locals
• The importance of greetings in interactions with the locals
• The correct pronunciation of Caribbean island names
• Appropriate attire in local towns
• Celebrating the diversity of Caribbean cuisine and music
• Common misunderstandings about pricing and local expenses 
• The best times to visit the region based on different factors

Please visit the link in the show notes to leave us a review and share feedback!

Purchase the downloadable Ultimate Local's Guide to Saint Martin here.

Watch the YouTube channel for more travel and transformation tips.

Book a travel consultation for a customized Caribbean experience here. 

Chapters

• 0:10 Becoming a Better Caribbean Tourist
• 11:46 Respectful Travel in the Caribbean
• 20:14 Caribbean Travel Tips and Insights
• 32:57 Personalized Caribbean Vacation Planning

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:10

Welcome to Paradise Perspectives, where we have honest conversations about life, about growth and about finding your way all of that with an island girl's perspective. This is where you'll get real insights and inspiration to help you live your best life. Now let's get into today's hot topic. Hey, hey, welcome back. I am so glad that you clicked on this video or that you decided to listen to this podcast episode. So so happy that you're here, because we have a lot to discuss.

Speaker 1: 0:45

But, in case you are new here, my name is Rizal. I'm also known as the Traveling Island Girl. I'm a travel and transformation coach. Now I hear you. You're probably like what does a travel and transformation coach do, rizal? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let me tell you all about it. Basically, I am here to help you get on stock, to get clarity and to get over your fears that may be holding you back from living your best life. And what is the best life if not with a lot of travel in it? And that's where I come in as well, because I have not only an extensive experience in travel as a travel blogger, travel writer and travel everything, especially when it comes to Caribbean travel but I also believe that you can use travel as a tool to help you with your personal growth. So that's it in a nutshell. So in case I can be of any help to you sometime in the future, don't forget, you can go to the link in the description box or to the show notes if you're listening on Paradise Perspectives podcast, and you can click on the link in the description box or to the show notes if you're listening on Paradise Perspectives podcast, and you can click on the link there to get in touch with me. Now that we've got all of those formalities out of the way. I am so glad you're here because we are about to talk about something super, super interesting, and that is how you can be a better tourist in the Caribbean.

Speaker 1: 2:04

Now, some time ago, I did this video and if you're on YouTube, you're watching this right now. I'm pointing to a video right now and if you're listening to Paradise Perspectives podcast, don't worry, I am linking it in the description box and in the notification or the show notes, so you can just go at the end of this episode or the end of this video and check it out. Click on the link and you can get to watch that video if you want to watch it, but basically that video was over three years ago and it did very, very well with about 86,000 viewers, 86,000 people that have watched it and that have gotten quite some valuable information out of it. It's called the Eight Don'ts of St Martin and, although it was a sensitive subject, because a lot of people don't like to know or to like to be kind of like told what not to do and, yes, there were the occasional hateful little trolls in my comment section but I can say 99% of people really were really happy with the information that was provided there. So this video is kind of similar. So I'm definitely addressing the eight don'ts that I addressed in that particular video, but this one is for the entire Caribbean region, not only about St Martin, and also there's a lot of other stuff that I think is very interesting and important for you to know about before you travel to the Caribbean, and it doesn't matter if this is your first time to a Caribbean island or if you've been several times. I think it is still important. It's an important video, important information, it's an important podcast episode. So thank you for listening, thank you for watching. So sit back and relax because school's in session Before we dive into everything I need to let you know first, especially if you are new to my channel or to my podcast, and you may not know this I live on the island of St Martin and I've been calling this island home for the past 23 years.

Speaker 1: 3:59

I was born and raised on the island of Curacao, so, yes, I am a born and raised Caribbean girl and I have lived pretty much here, with the exception of a couple of years in Europe. I have lived all my life in the Caribbean, so, yeah, you could say I'm a little bit of an expert when it comes to the Caribbean, so consider all of this to be coming from your island friend. Let's dive right into it. So the reason why I'm actually doing this video and this podcast episode is simple.

Speaker 1: 4:30

I have noticed there's a lot of hate in this world right now and there's been a lot of pointing fingers and there's been a lot of like negative things being said all over. I've also seen an increase in videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where visitors to the islands tend to. Then, even though it seems by the footage that they've shot here that they've had a really good time, they seem to have missed the point about most of the Caribbean and they've also done kind of like a spin on their videos and then do it in a very negative way and saying and trash the island pretty much with negative talk, you know, like the food was crap, I had a terrible time when I visited this in this island, etc. Etc. And it gives the island a bad name. But the problem is also that those kind of videos perform very well on the on these platforms, right. So of course they're doing it for engagement and all of that as well. I get it.

Speaker 1: 5:30

But know what you're doing when you are trashing about a particular island. And I'm not saying you can go to the caribbean and it's all sun and nice and you're always having a good time. No, just like anywhere else in the world that you travel to, you can have a good experience, but you can also very few times have a terrible experience too. It can happen. But I want to address especially those people that tend to do those videos because a lot of times what I've noticed, especially when I dive a little deeper in what kind of vacation they were planning to have I can see right through all of it, because I know for a fact that they may not always every day that they were here had a terrible time, and they also came with a preconceived notion. That is not accurate, and this is why it's so important to do research.

Speaker 1: 6:22

Before you go to anywhere not only the Caribbean, but anywhere else in the world it's important to do some research, and I think this is where this particular person went wrong. She did not do her research before she came to the Caribbean, and I was particularly frustrated by this particular video, because it was somebody who came to St Martin and had a lot of bad things to say about the island, and the video, of course, did very well, because we're attracted to negativity. I guess I don't know, but all in all, I know why she had a bad time and a bad experience. It's simply because two things she did not do her research. She did not even Google the island before she got here, because she mispronounced the island's name I don't know how many times. But also, she came with this preconceived notion, thinking that everything was going to be exactly like it was back at home for her, and that's a big mistake that a lot of people tend to make.

Speaker 1: 7:19

When you're visiting anywhere, not only the Caribbean, but anywhere else in the world know that you are no longer at home. So, whatever is convenient and all the conveniences of being at home and all of those things, they tend to not be the case. Where you're traveling to, especially to the Caribbean, it can you know, you're coming for a different experience. You're coming to experience a different culture. So have an open mind when you travel, not only to the Caribbean islands, but anywhere else in the world. Have an open mind. It is important to do your research and it's also important not to come with expectations that it's going to be exactly the same as where you're from and it's going to have the same standards of living, et cetera, et cetera. So I think that's where a lot of people go wrong and that's why you get people complaining about things like the internet or that there's a little bit of traffic when I'm talking about St Martin or Puerto Rico, or you know there are things that are not the same as back home. So have an open mind, do some research and try not to come with high expectations, because this is the thing about expectations right Expectations can sometimes lead to disappointments.

Speaker 1: 8:29

The next thing that I see a lot of people do and I've done an entire video and podcast episode about this in the past. That is to assume a thing or two about the destination where you're heading to, and I was taught at a very early age that to assume something is making an ass out of you and me, and really assumptions are the devil. You need to be really careful with assumptions. I've heard everything in my line of work, when I was giving private tours, for instance. There's been an occasion or two when I was pointing out schools and people were like, oh my God, they have schools here. You have schools here, honey. They have schools. And I'm like how would you possibly think? Where do you think we get our knowledge? And a lot of people also assume that because we live on an island, we live here because we don't have another choice and also we're not well-traveled. They also assume that we don't have the knowledge or intelligence. So don't come in with those assumptions. Assumption is the devil.

Speaker 1: 9:31

There's A lot of people that are business owners, myself included. I'm a Caribbean person that owns a business. There are a lot of other people that own businesses. There is also a lot of us. Listen, we are here. Yes, it's been programmed deep inside of us, especially those Caribbean islands. Who really depends on tourism as their bread and butter. We have been programmed from a very early age to cater to your every need when you come here, and yes, absolutely. But it is also very important to know that we are not here to be your servants. We also decided to share our island with you, so there's a mutual respect that needs to be there as well. Assumptions are the devil. Do not come with these assumptions. Just have an open mind when you're visiting the Caribbean. All right on to.

Speaker 1: 10:25

The next thing here on my list is the power of hello. You know, that is another thing that was addressed in that particular video that I'm talking about, and this girl went on and on about how the island was not friendly and the people, the locals, were not friendly to her. Yeah, maybe to her. There is one thing that you need to know about us, and that is that we consider and I know because I've traveled so many times to Canada and the US in particular it is not normal to say good morning, good afternoon, good evening or a simple hello when you're asking somebody a question, and I know in your life that may be normal, but to us in the Caribbean it is considered very rude. Okay, so it's considered very rude when you do not at least acknowledge that a person exists before you ask them a question. So every time you want to ask a local a question, start with good morning, good afternoon, good evening, or at least a simple hello will do before you ask the question. Because here's the thing If you're friendly to us, we're going to be friendly to you. It's a matter of respect. Respect is earned. If you respect us, we respect you, right. Friendly to you, it's a matter of respect. Respect is earned. If you respect us, we respect you, right. I mean, it's that simple. So don't you agree with me? All right, let's move on.

Speaker 1: 11:46

The correct spelling and pronunciation of the island names. Oh, and this is another personal pet peeve of mine and I think, of a lot of locals in Anguilla, st Martin and St Bride, because the spelling and pronunciation of the island name is so important A lot of times, and taking St Martin as an example, people call it St Martine with two E's. Oh, that is just like. Oh, if you want to drive any local crazy, call it St Martin with two E's. It is terrible.

Speaker 1: 12:18

I don't know what fictional island that is. It does not exist. You can go and look it up. There is no such place as St Martin, and I don't know who came up with that name. It is not St Martin, it is just simply St Martin. And I remember one day I was traveling to the BVI, so I was in Tortola and I went to a restaurant and this lady asked me where I was from, like many tourists tend to do, and I said I'm from St Martin, and she said it's not St Martin, st Martin's, because it's two sides to the island, dutch and French, and I just the only thing I could do was laugh, because really here I am trying to tell somebody that is talking about the island where I have been living for 20 plus years, is trying to tell me how to.

Speaker 1: 13:01

The real pronunciation and spelling of the island name is no, it is St Martin, it's one island, it's just divided by the Dutch and French, but at the end of the day it's one island, it is just St Martin. And if you want to spell it the Dutch way, it is Stint Maarten, with double A, one E, never two E's, but it's the same. With my friend in Anguilla I hear them complain about it a lot too, because a lot of people tend to say Anguilla, and I get it, it's the way that the island name is spelled, but the locals call it Anguilla. So if the locals who live there call it Anguilla, then I think we should all call it Anguilla. Who live there call it Anguilla, then I think we should all call it Anguilla, right, right, okay. The same thing, of course, goes for Curacao, where I'm actually born and raised Curacao, not Curacao.

Speaker 1: 13:45

Saint Barthes, not Saint Barthes. There's no S in it. There's not a plural island. There's not more islands to Saint Barthes, it is just Saint Bartharth. Okay, if you want to say it on the French way, saint-barth, and it's just D-H at the end, because the real name of the island is Saint-Barth-Tel-Ami Saint-Barth-Tel-Ami, right, I even have a problem pronouncing that one, but anyway, let's keep it short.

Speaker 1: 14:07

Saint-barth, before we continue here on this list, I first want to remind you that, in case you are heading to St Martin and the surrounding islands, I have something really special to share with you, and that is that I have a digital guide called the Ultimate Locals Guide to St Martin. It is over a hundred pages long, with everything. All of my 23 years of living on this island, I have just dumped all of that knowledge in this book and it has everything you need to know of, including this list that we're going over right now. So if you're interested in getting your hands on this guide, all you have to do is go to the description in this YouTube video or, in case you are listening to the podcast, obviously give it a pause, go to the show notes and click on the link there so that you can get more information, or wait until the video is done or until this episode is done, and then head on to the show notes and the description. Ok, all, right On to the next. We have talked about assumptions being the devil. We have talked about research. We have talked about the importance in knowing how to spell the island's name. We have talked about the power of hello and about how rude and offensive it can be not to say good morning, good afternoon, good evening.

Speaker 1: 15:24

Another thing that is very according to our traditions and values is to cover yourself up when you're walking along, especially on the streets of the capitals, when you're walking along, especially on the streets of the capitals In the Caribbean, on islands like Curacao, aruba, bonaire I've seen it. I've seen it also here on St Martin, anguilla. I've seen it in so many other islands that tend to have their main towns in or next to the beach. You get tourists then, especially tourists that are coming off of the ships. They tend to walk around half naked or just in their swimsuits and bathing shorts, and I get that. It feels like it's your vacation destination.

Speaker 1: 16:10

But you one thing to remember is that it is a functioning society and most of the even, it is where our financial institutions and our administrative offices and our government offices are located. So for you to then walk around and entering shops and stores in just your bathing suit, it is disrespectful and it is quite offensive. So cover yourself up. It's just. You are not home. This is not your personal beach. This is actually a functioning society. It's the capital of these islands. So have some respect, cover yourself up. Ladies, put on my bottom. Nobody wants to see all of that, all of your business jiggling all over the place. And guys, if you are bare chested, just put on a t-shirt. It's that simple. Just cover up, all right. So have some respect, okay?

Speaker 1: 17:02

So we are going to the next one, and that is something that I want to just kind of like hone in a little in on it and it's that a lot of people just assume it's a. This is another assumption that every single caribbean person is, but you got to remember that and that is what's so beautiful about the Caribbean islands. Every single one of us is different and yet so so similar, and it's a complete melting pot of different cultures that live here as well. So you're going to have Caribbean people that are white, that are black, that are Asian, that are Indian. You're going to get it all Okay. So don't be alarmed when you see a white person that speaks with a Caribbean accent. It's normal, it's our normal.

Speaker 1: 17:49

And while we're on the topic of being different, our accent, remember that the islands remember when I said we're very different, yet very similar. We speak different languages. We speak. When we speak English, it is with an accent. A lot of you can actually tell where a person is from by the English accent that they have or by the accent that they have. We talk, we speak different languages, we speak with different accents and we have different music.

Speaker 1: 18:16

So a lot of people tend to think, just because they know a little thing about Jamaica, that the entire Caribbean is like that and everybody goes around saying, yeah, man, nothing can be further from the truth. And, yeah, don't come to St Martin or any other island going. Yeah, man, don't make fun of our accent, don't make fun of the way we speak. The way to remember is this when you are here in the Caribbean, you are the one with the accent. Okay, that is something that sounds a little different than how we speak. So, don't make fun of our accents, don't make fun of the way we speak. And the way we speak does not mean that we are automatically not intelligent. All right, so just a few things to remember.

Speaker 1: 18:53

Another thing also, again, with Jamaica being portrayed as the example for the rest of the caribbean. It is simply not. We have so many different types of music. We don't go around. I don't sit in my house listening to ragged music and steel pan music all day. No, absolutely not. We have soca. We have so much music that is created here. We have so much musical and other talents here in the caribbean. It is mind-blowing. We we have Zouk Tumba Tambu If you're from the Caribbean, help me out here because there is so many more musical genres that exist here and that are coming from the Caribbean. So that's another thing to remember. It's not just reggae and yamans everywhere.

Speaker 1: 19:35

So since we were talking about this melting pot that is the caribbean, let's talk about the food, because this is another thing that I heard. In one of those negative videos. This person went all out on how the food is terrible. How dare you say something bad about our food? Hey, I am the first one to say, especially if you are from the islands of St Martin or from Anguilla, which both of us consider ourselves to be the gourmet capitals of the Caribbean, you cannot come in here and tell us we have bad food. Oh no, sorry, you didn't. Seriously, you want to piss off a local? Tell them we got bad food? It is unconceivable.

Speaker 1: 20:14

Because here's the thing, especially me coming from the island of St Martin where, again, like I said, the capital of gourmet in the Caribbean we have so many different restaurants and my taste buds are so elevated that when I travel to anywhere else in the world, I sometimes have a hard time finding food that is to my taste or to my level. I know I don't want to sound like I'm boasting or that I'm ignorant or that I'm arrogant Arrogant is the word, not ignorant. I don't want to sound like I'm arrogant, but let's be honest. I am used to a certain level of food, and if I'm not getting it when I'm traveling, then, yeah, I may consider that either I didn't go to the right restaurant or the place that I travel to does not have food to my taste. I will never say that it is bad. It's just not to my taste, and it's such a personal thing too. Some people like hot food, other people like not hot food, some people like it's spiced up, other people doesn't like it spiced. So there's different things for everybody, right? Everybody has their own taste when it comes to food. But to say that a whole country has bad food, I don't agree with that. It is simply maybe perhaps you did not go to the right place In this case.

Speaker 1: 21:27

I went a little bit deep into that video and I noticed that this particular person stayed in an all-inclusive resort, which is number one mistake in my books. First of all, especially when it comes comes to and I know those all-inclusive resorts, I kind of hate my guts for saying this, but let's be honest. When you go to most of these all-inclusive resorts in the caribbean, the money does not stay here, it just goes straight straight to their offshore account or to their account in the us or canada or wherever these resorts may be from, and most of the managerial positions don't go to locals, so most things tend to they tend to keep it very cookie cutter for the type of people that they tend to attract. That means, also, the food is not very. Although they tend to cook a little local or locally based, it's not exactly what you can get outside of the resort. So if you are staying at an all-inclusive resort, there's no, really, I'm not going to say it's a bad choice, absolutely not. It is up to you what type of travel you want to do, and if you want to stay in an all-inclusive resort just because it's easier, know, though, that if you visit an all-inclusive resort, it does not mean that you have. Everything is so much different outside. So dare to venture outside of these all-inclusive resorts and get the experience of the island and what the island has to offer, especially when it comes to the different foods and stuff that you can eat outside of the resort. So now we've talked about the melting pot, we've talked about accents and music and food.

Speaker 1: 22:59

Let's now talk about prices, because that's another thing that a lot of visitors tend to say, and it depends which island you travel to, of course but a lot of times I hear oh my God, the Caribbean is so expensive. Now, first of all, it's not expensive. It depends on your budget. Again, it is totally dependable on what your personal financial situation is. If you are traveling to the Caribbean with $100, then, of course, if you go to a restaurant where most of the items is $30 and up, it's going to seem expensive to you. If you are traveling with a thousand and you go into those same restaurants, it may not be that expensive to you, right? So it depends on your budget, it depends on your financial situation, it depends on a lot of personal stuff, but it also another thing to keep in mind is that most of the things that we get here in the Caribbean that you then get to buy are imported, especially, like you know, I've had. I've gone to Europe and stopped at a little village in Belgium and had myself a little a big box of fresh strawberries and I almost fell to the floor that it was only four euros, because here it's almost $10. And, of course, because it's coming from those little places in Europe, or in Canada, or in the US or wherever else the strawberries grow strawberries is not from here in the Caribbean, so, of course, when you get those things, it is imported, and that means that it comes with all sorts of prices on top of it. So, yes, it is going to be more expensive than what you are used to in the mainland. So just food for thought, no pun intended, since we're talking about food. Anyway, I'm such a dork.

Speaker 1: 24:48

Okay, so let's talk about something else that is so very typical caribbean, and I have oh my god, I got a story for you on this one. It is about dogs, and what do dogs do best? They bark, right, everybody knows this, but my mother-in-law has been living in her house for pretty much as far as for the time that I've been here, which is 23 years and more. My husband was a baby since they moved into that house, so it's been years and years that they've lived there. Somebody from a foreigner bought the villa in front of her, across the street from her, and this person had the audacity to call my mother-in-law and tell her that she needs to do something about the dogs because the dogs are barking.

Speaker 1: 25:35

And this is when it comes to research you need to know about the Caribbean. There are roaming dogs and dogs in people's yards everywhere. So this is especially for those of you who are not opting to stay in the Caribbean. There are roaming dogs and dogs in people's yards everywhere. So this is especially for those of you who are not opting to stay in the resort, but rather in a smaller boutique hotel or in a villa or in a Airbnb. You need to know this, especially when you're in a residential area. Chances are there are going to be dogs barking well into the night. It's the same thing as me going to New York and sleeping and I can't sleep because of the sirens, and I dare say to the people of New York that they need to shut off their sirens when ambulances or whatever are flying by under my window. It's the same thing. You cannot come to the Caribbean and expect not to hear barking dogs. It's just part of the Caribbean. It goes with where we are. If I'm having a conversation on the phone with somebody in the Caribbean and they don't have a barking dog, I'm not sure they are there in the Caribbean. Seriously, it's so normal for us. So don't come and expect or be annoyed by barking dogs. It just comes with it.

Speaker 1: 26:44

So let's now talk about the weather, which is something that a lot of you always have questions. For me, living on St Martin, I get this question a lot, and that is what is the weather going to be in June? What is the weather going to be in September? What is the weather going to be in December? I don't know. Yes, I can tell you that we have our usual weather pattern, but, let's be honest, climate change has affected us as well. So the weather that we were used to five years ago is definitely not the weather that we're getting today.

Speaker 1: 27:14

And how else do you think we can keep this island, in particular, so lush and green? It is because of rain. So don't come here assuming that just because it's in the Caribbean, it's going to be sunshine every day, all day, because you will have the occasional rain, and it can be just a little bit of rain for just five minutes, but sometimes it can be gray for two or three days consecutively. So also, of course, it depends on the time of year. Let's be honest, it really depends on that. So, like for now, right now it's January and I'm filming this in January, and January is normally a dry month or part of the dry season, and our wet season isn't until much more into the summer months. It doesn't mean that it's going to be raining every day. It's going to mean that we're going to have more than average showers, and those showers can be five minutes, or those showers can be all day, all right, and even all day it's not going to be all day. It's very rare when that happens.

Speaker 1: 28:16

So, since we're talking about weather, let's talk about the next frequently asked question, and that is when to visit. This is again something that, in my opinion, is very personal, because I can tell you when the most people travel to the Caribbean, which is, of course, in the winter months, because everybody's trying to escape the winter and they want to be in the Caribbean, they want to be in sunshine during the winter months. I get that. Winter months, I get that. But if you are on a budget, for instance, and you don't want the exact the expensiveness of the Caribbean because I'll give you that it can be quite high up in the prices, right, you can then best visit in the summer months. It is also the hurricane season in some parts of the Caribbean, so you might have to keep that in mind when you're coming down in those months. So make sure again, do your research the islands that you're visiting, is it in the hurricane belt or not? Are they used to getting storms or not? So if you are traveling in the hurricane season, take out some kind of travel insurance so that you don't lose anything when you have to cancel at the last minute or have to leave before your vacation days are done.

Speaker 1: 29:31

So again, it is very, I think, personal, because it depends on whether you're a budget traveler or not. It depends on what kind of reason you want to travel to. If you want to travel for Carnival, make sure that the Carnival is in the month that you're going because, or you're going in the time that it is carnival, rather Because, for instance, in here on St Martin, the French side celebrates it in February, the Dutch side celebrates it in April, curacao does it in February, trinidad does it in February, but Stasia, ceiba and other islands may do it in June or July. Some people do it in August. Some people's Carnival is in August, so Anguilla, for instance, is in August. So keep that in mind. If you're traveling for Carnival, don't think that every day is Carnival here. Do your research and make sure that you're going at a time, when it's Carnival or for whatever occasion it is that you're traveling for all right, so we're almost done here.

Speaker 1: 30:26

Since we are still on the topic of uh weather here, by the way, sargassum and sargassum a lot of you might call it seaweed. It's actually an algae and you will get most of it in the summer months when it starts getting hot. The algae comes from the floor bed or the seabed, it comes up, and then the wind moves it in whatever direction, which then ends up on our shores. Now that does not mean that every beach on the island is going to have sargassum and it doesn't mean that that sargassum is going to come in every day on the same beach. It is so dependent on the direction of the wind and how much wind there is. So there are, of course, certain beaches that might get a lot of it, and then when you go to the opposite side of the island, you may get none. So it doesn't mean that just because it's the summer, you're going to be inundated by sarcasm everywhere and it's going to ruin your vacation. Absolutely not. Do some research again. Find out from the locals, if you can, if or where the sarcasm is, if there is any, and if there's a beach that doesn't have any on that particular day. That changes day to day during the summer month. Now. It usually starts coming in around June, but we've seen it come in as early as April. So another thing to keep in mind.

Speaker 1: 31:45

And while we're on the topic of sarcasm, it is also important to know that sarcasm is icky to swim in. It smells, it's not nice, but it also, while itself is not toxic, it may be harboring things that are not good for you. For instance, jellyfish might have got trapped in the algae or debris that was in the ocean that also got trapped in it. So there's also fish sometimes that get trapped in the algae. So it's not wise to swim when there's sargassum in the water. So don't swim with it or in it, definitely not in it. Do not play in it either. I've seen children play in it. I don't know why, but anyway. So just keep in mind that it may be harboring dangerous things. That's a good way of saying it.

Speaker 1: 32:34

Hey, listen, I am so happy that you were able to watch this video on YouTube or listen to this episode on Paradise Perspectives. I'm so, so grateful for you for being here. Thank you so much for lending me an ear If you're listening. Thank you so much for watching. I hope you got what out of this video, out of this episode, what you wanted, and I hope you come back for more, because there is so, so much more than I can help you with.

Speaker 1: 32:57

Remember that if you're going to the Caribbean and you need an island friend to help guide you to plan a Caribbean vacation that is best suited for you and all you have to do is go to the description or go to the show notes if you're listening on the podcast and click on the link to my services I am more than happy to help guide you through all of that and help you plan the best Caribbean vacation for you or the best Caribbean trip. Whatever your reason for coming to the Caribbean, I'm happy to help you with that. And if you are listening right now on Apple podcast, I want to ask you for a big, big favor Please go ahead and leave me a review. Put in those stars how many stars you think of rating I can get from you and what, how I can improve. Just let me know what it is that you want me to talk about next, what you want me to help you with next. I'm here, your island friend. My name is rizal, the traveling island girl. Until the next time, bye, thank you.