Monumental Houseboating on Lake Powell

Written by Kriss Hammond


Monumental Houseboating on Lake Powell

Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/cruise02/hboats02/powell.html

MILLIONAIRE STRIPERS Our weekend party boat pulled out fromrepparttar Wahweap Marina fully stocked with booze, beer, bait, and soon to be baked boatswains. We were pulling a pair of wave runners and a fishing boat throughrepparttar 133645 Colorado River channel. past buttes, bluffs, banks, spires, cathedrals, and towering monuments,repparttar 133646 kind you see atrepparttar 133647 Bijou during a John Wayne/John Ford film festival.

Before pulling out ofrepparttar 133648 marina we power boated over torepparttar 133649 marina store to buy fishing licenses. There was a million dollar fish tournament going on at Lake, Powell, and we were determined to catch that rascal. We were informed that we had to have a fishing license for both Arizona and Utah, because Lake Powell sharesrepparttar 133650 borders of both states. We realized that we had Utah licenses but were fishing in Arizona waters.

PADRE POINT

It took a couple of hours to motor up and around Padre Point and Padre Bay and into Labyrinth Canyon, and acrossrepparttar 133651 transparent state-line from Utah to Arizona. We were happy to moor in Labyrinth Canyon because a storm was brewing. "Scurvie" and his crew of motley maties buriedrepparttar 133652 four anchor lines inrepparttar 133653 oxide red/orange powder sand, and then it was a round of cocktails asrepparttar 133654 Cheetos and other snacks were busted out.

Afterrepparttar 133655 storm blew over,repparttar 133656 sun came out in a radiant splash, and Janna,repparttar 133657 "Jet Boat Queen," wasrepparttar 133658 first out onrepparttar 133659 water, blasting throughrepparttar 133660 narrow confines of Labyrinth Canyon to its terminus. Water-skiing and jet skiing is best inrepparttar 133661 broad, calm waters ofrepparttar 133662 backwater bays, like Labrinth, but not inrepparttar 133663 Colorado River main channel, Water safety rules of Utah and Arizona apply: 800 RIDE PWC — Utah; 602/774-5045 — Arizona.

Meanwhile, everyone else threw their gear into assigned bunks. That night Chef Boy-ar-dee "Scurvie" whipped together a cordon bleu salmon dinner fit for a five star table asrepparttar 133664 sun set on Tower Butte, a ragged, decayed molar rising like a Pleistocene fossil out ofrepparttar 133665 plateau off our port side.

LET'S HAVE A RUM PUNCH

After a few more rum punches, it was a conversation of past adventure bragadoccio, yarns, and blarney. Everyone seemed to agree in appointing Scurvierepparttar 133666 galley swag forrepparttar 133667 rest ofrepparttar 133668 trip, even though it was mainly hotdogs and sandwiches duringrepparttar 133669 day. Butrepparttar 133670 next night it was marinated steaks grilled onrepparttar 133671 propane foredeck stove, withrepparttar 133672 meat proving to be as tender as sandal soles. I didn't tell Scurvie I used my cut as fish bait. I think everyone else demoted him a Michellin star or two as well, but no one wanted to cook, so we continued to pump up his food finesse.

LAKE POWELL GOLF

The two teenage boys onboard, "Wild Bill" and "Wild Blakely," lost their imaged milion dollar fish prize poker hoards torepparttar 133673 Professor in a continuous game of Five Card Stud, reminiscent ofrepparttar 133674 Barbary Coast, withrepparttar 133675 Professor's made-up rules.

The next morning Danny powerboated Jaime and Scurvie intorepparttar 133676 National Golf Course in Page, Arizona, for a round or two onrepparttar 133677 links. Everyone else just sunbathed onrepparttar 133678 top deck like ruby-throated rainbow trout left too long onrepparttar 133679 grill. Some people should never be allowed intorepparttar 133680 wilderness. The skipper (Danny) returned a few hours later as another terrific storm swelled up, sendingrepparttar 133681 greasy sunbathers below. Golf ball-sized hailstones pummelledrepparttar 133682 alumnium houseboat roof like popcorn, rattling everyone's nerves, and then gleamed inrepparttar 133683 oxide sand and red sandstone rocks, like while alien gemstones. As this spring storm blew outrepparttar 133684 lake returned to a pacific peace.in time to pick uprepparttar 133685 two pickled duffers stranded atrepparttar 133686 19th hole. Read more onrepparttar 133687 Lake Powell National. Click Here.

Noches en El Convento Hotel – San Juan’s Convent Hotel

Written by Edwin Ali


Noches en El Convento Hotel – San Juan’s Convent Hotel Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To read this entire feature FREE with photos cut and paste this link: http://www.jetsettersmagazine.com/archive/jetezine/globe02/Carib02/prico/convent/convent.html

Old San Juan, a bristling city of over 40,000 people, is not only one ofrepparttar most cleanest cities inrepparttar 133644 region, but boasts of accommodation fit forrepparttar 133645 rich and famous as well as those who pay more attention to their pocket-book rather thanrepparttar 133646 luxurious surroundings.

Accommodations range from US$150 a night in quaint and impeccable rooms in 18th-century historical buildings to US$1,500 in suites and villas, which arerepparttar 133647 favorite destination for celebrities andrepparttar 133648 rich and famous.

The warmth and friendliness ofrepparttar 133649 people of Old San Juan is matched only byrepparttar 133650 delicious cuisine and luxurious accommodation to be found in different parts ofrepparttar 133651 city of magnificent 18th-century Spanish architecture and cobblestone streets..

History has it thatrepparttar 133652 island of Puerto Rico, 110 miles by 35 miles, with a population of nearly four million, was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage torepparttar 133653 Antilles in 1493. The Spanish newcomers namedrepparttar 133654 island San Juan Bautista in honor of St. Johnrepparttar 133655 Baptist and found it populated with Taino Indians.

Spanish Conqueror Juan Ponce de Leon wasrepparttar 133656 island's first Governor when Puerto Rico became Spain's most important military outpost inrepparttar 133657 Caribbean andrepparttar 133658 target for several attacks. In 1521, concerned about threats from English and Dutch enemies, Spain began constructing massive defenses and fortifications aroundrepparttar 133659 city of San Juan.

In 1898, afterrepparttar 133660 Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico became a territory ofrepparttar 133661 United States underrepparttar 133662 Treaty of Paris. In 1917repparttar 133663 U.S. Congress granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship. The island has a Governor who is elected every four years. It has a resident Commissioner in Washington who representsrepparttar 133664 island's interest but does not have a vote in Congress.

The island is blessed with magnificent beaches, rain forests, stunning caves, inhabited islands, pristine reefs and more than 500 years of glorious history, which collectively offer a wide range of activities, including hiking, fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, golf or tennis.

The Hotel El Convento, located inrepparttar 133665 heart of historic Old San Juan is setting new standards for comfort and luxurious service for its 58 exquisitely appointed guestrooms and suites, with surroundings reminscent ofrepparttar 133666 former 16th-century convent. It is hailed as a privileged environment of elegance, replete with unparalleled luxury and impeccable personal service.

Establishment ofrepparttar 133667 Convent followedrepparttar 133668 granting of a petition in 1646 to war widow Doņa Ana de Lansos y Menendez de Valdez by King Phillip 1V. She wasrepparttar 133669 granddaughter of Don Diego Menendez de Valdez, a captain general ofrepparttar 133670 Spanish amy and governor of Puerto Rico from 1582 to 1593.

Doņa Ana de Lansos y Menendez de Valdez, widow of Captain Pedro de Villate Escovedo, inherited a vast fortune on her young husband's death in 1625, in an attack byrepparttar 133671 Dutch, who, withrepparttar 133672 French and British, were constant enemies of Spanish pwoer inrepparttar 133673 Americas. Childless, Doņa Ana resided across fromrepparttar 133674 cathedral on a property where two houses she had provided for as a war hospital and a religious school were destroyed inrepparttar 133675 war-torn island.

There was no convent in Puerto Rico at that time. To enter a cloister, a lady had to travel to Havana or Santo Domingo, or allrepparttar 133676 way to Europe. Young ladies' prospects for marriage were reduced with every new battle inrepparttar 133677 wars ofrepparttar 133678 Indies. To pay forrepparttar 133679 convent construction and maintenance, Doņa Ana donated her home and its adjoining land, a rectangular plot, sold all her possessions in a move hailed by many as a great contribution.

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