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Category Archives: Islands

The Crown Jewel Of The British Virgin Islands: The Dream Homes At Oil Nut Bay

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Located on a private peninsula on the Eastern Tip of the sunny British Virgin Islands sits Oil Nut Bay in one of the most secluded and private destinations in the world. I was told you can only access Oil Nut Bay via boat or helicopter and I wouldnt let that small detail stop me. I decided to do both.

I chartered with the most popular helicopter service in the area, Caribbean Buzz Helicopters located in St. Thomas. Maria Rodriguez and her husband Nicholas Van Heurck having been flying for over 20 years and started the company five years ago. Along with their amazing pilot Jerry Becker, they have flown billionaires, celebrities and high end tourists to custom destinations all throughout the islands. Charming and knowledgeable, Maria greeted us in the private waiting room of the St. Thomas airport and flew us in the R44 to Biras Creek in Virgin Gorda. Herstories of the islands and her ability to make us feel instantly at ease while hovering over the crystal clear azure water is one of the highlights of the birds eye experience.

Oil Nut Bay in Virgin Gorda

A quick flight soaring over the crystal clear waters we approached the helipad at Biras Creek Resort on Berchers Bay by the North Sound of Virgin Gorda. Maria gently set us down as we were greeted with staff members from the Resort. We boarded a private ferry to take us on the short trek around the island to the dock of Oil Nut Bay. Standing on the dock, jutting out into the tranquil bay surrounded by a natural coral reef, was a line of Oil Nut Bay staff members. Looking like a group of freshly scrubbed J Crew models, all dedicated to our welcome; one handed us cold towels, another bottles of chilled water. We were whisked away by private cart to our luxury accommodations for the weekend, the spectacular Bella Beach Villa, 6,000 square feet, 6 bedrooms and pure island decadence. Located right on the pristine white sand, the villas two master suites overlook the pool and beachfront.

Caribbean Buzz Helicopters with owner Maria Rodriguez

Oil Nut Bay offers exclusive guests the safety and seclusion of their own private island plus high end resort amenities and services. One of the worlds most secluded, most comfortable and pristine natural settings with only 88 sites spread across 300 acres, each freehold owned home site has been sculpted to fit seamlessly into Oil Nut Bays overall plan providing enduring, spectacular views for generations while maintaining and preserving the privacy of the natural landscape. Property owners at Oil Nut Bay also benefit from access to the Oil Nut Bay marina and availability of a private slip. Caribbean private docks are rare in the region and so enhance the luxury amenities available to owners.

Bella Beach Villa

Bella Beach Villa main room

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The Crown Jewel Of The British Virgin Islands: The Dream Homes At Oil Nut Bay

Sierra Leone's Turtle Islands

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Sierra Leone's Turtle Islands

Seven months after its first Ebola case, the Turtle Islands have now become dependent on food aid.

Gbangbatok,Sierra Leone - The remote Turtle Islands archipelago must be one of the few places in the region where Ebola is not the main topic of conversation.

Scattered among the mangroves and sandbanks off the coast in the south of the country, the islands have so far been spared the onslaught seen on the mainland.

Yet despite the fact that not one of the 16,000 islanders has contracted the disease, Ebola has brought life here to a standstill. The economic impact of the virus has spread far beyond it's physical boundaries, with fear and travel restrictions hampering trade throughout the country.

The fish market in the once-thriving town of Gbangbatok, tucked away in the mangrave swamps behind Bonthe Island, has all but collapsed, depriving the islanders of their dominant source of income.

Anywhere else in the world the islands' stunning beaches and laid back village life would be enough to sustain a thriving tourist industry. But in a country still feared by mainstream travellers after a decade of civil war in the 1990s, the popuation is almost exclusively dependent on the fishing industry. With the proceeds from their fish, the islanders used to buy rice -the staple of the local diet.

Now seven months after Sierra Leone recorded its first cases of the virus, the islands have become dependent on food aid. Last week the World Food Program teamed up with the British military and it's fleet of Merlin helicopters to drop some 220 tons of food.

"For two months now I have not been able to sell my fish," said Mohamed Koroma, a fisherman from Chepo, who was happy to see supplies being delivered.

Mustapha Kong, the local chief of Nyangai Island, said living conditions there were getting worse. "The fishing business is very important to our island. If this does not end soon it will be calamitous," he said.

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Sierra Leone's Turtle Islands

Tranquil and isolated for centuries, until the big waves came

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Port Blair:The December 26 tsunami killed almost a quarter of the indigenous communities of India's remote Nicobar Islands at the southern end of the Bay of Bengal, close to the earthquake's epicentre.

Hit hard by the tsunami: Nancowrie Island, in the Nicobar Islands Photo: Rasheed Yousuf

The eight 20-metre-high waves that smashed the archipelago's 24 islands - only 12 of which are inhabited - not long after dawn wiped out an idyllic way of life forever.

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Tranquil and isolated for centuries, until the big waves came

Editor's Picks: The Best of 2014 in Music

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From pop to indie rock to R&B, the music landscape is dizzyingly vast. So it should come as no surprise that the Zimbio team's taste in tunes is similarly varied. Something we agreed on: Future Islands' soaring synth pop album Singles. Something we disagreed on: Taylor Swift, pop star extraordinaire. Read on to discover the music we loved (and loathed) in 2014.

Lani Conway (Associate Editor)FAVORITE ALBUM Future Islands' Singles SONG YOU COULDN'T STOP LISTENING TO Lana Del Rey's "West Coast" and Metronomy's "Love Letters" SONG YOU COULDN'T TURN OFF FAST ENOUGH Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass". Sorry, I'm not drinking that Kool Aid. MOST WTF TV MUSICAL MOMENT OF 2014 Robin Thicke trying to woo Paula Patton back at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards. Seriously, bro, move on. MOST OVERRATED ALBUM U2's "Songs of Innocence." BAND YOU HOPE BLOWS UP IN 2015 Lolawolf. They're weirdly cool.

Joey Skladany (TV Editor)FAVORITE ALBUM Ed Sheeran's X SONG YOU COULDN'T STOP LISTENING TO"Partition" by Beyonce. If the Queen had released her self-titled album this year, it would definitely be my answer to the question above. I don't dislike one song. SONG YOU COULDN'T TURN OFF FAST ENOUGH#Selfie. I can't believe radio DJs actually played it. Shame on you! MOST WTF TV MUSICAL MOMENT OF 2014Aside from "singers" trying to sing during award shows, I'd have to say Nicki Minaj's dress malfunction. MOST OVERRATED ALBUMMariah Carey's Me. I am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse. I am obsessed with Mariah, but a big LOL to those who said this was her comeback album. BAND YOU HOPE BLOWS UP IN 2015Phillip Phillips. Okay, so he may have won American Idol, but he needs to be known beyond his awesome single "Home." His album Behind the Light is awesome!

Joe Robberson (Associate Editor)FAVORITE ALBUM Singles by Future Islands SONG YOU COULDN'T STOP LISTENING TO"The Ballad of Mr. Steak" by Kishi Bashi SONG YOU COULDN'T TURN OFF FAST ENOUGH"Happy" MOST OVERRATED ALBUMFoo Fighters Sonic Highways BAND YOU HOPE BLOWS UP IN 2015Strand of Oaks

I listen to indie and rap, and this year I loved Spoon, Interpol, War on Drugs, JJ Doom, Lykke Li, Sage Francis, The Drums, Beck, Kishi Bashi, but nothing could eject Future Islands from my CD player. Yes I like CDs still.

JJ Duncan (Senior Editor)FAVORITE ALBUM Swans, To Be Kind" SONG YOU COULDN'T STOP LISTENING TO212 by Azealia Banks SONG YOU COULDN'T TURN OFF FAST ENOUGHShake It Off by Taylor Swift MOST WTF TV MUSICAL MOMENT OF 2014Bette Midler singing The Wind Beneath My Wings at the Oscars BAND YOU HOPE BLOWS UP IN 2015King Tuff

Popular music feels more dominated than ever by a handful of singers, but if you scratch the surface theres a lot of great stuff to be found. As someone who prefers Taylor Swifts singer-songwriter stuff, I was turned off by her new over-the-top pop sensibility. (Im obviously not the target audience.) But I loved the Swans second album since reforming, which constitutes roughly two hours of some very dark soundscapes. Guitar rockers King Tuff were also great this year, as was Frankie Cosmos.

Deena Bustillo (News Editor)FAVORITE ALBUM1989. It took a couple listens to convince me, but now I'm hooked. Radio hit "Shake It Off" is my least favorite song on the album, though. More "Clean," please. SONG YOU COULDN'T STOP LISTENING TOEd Sheeran's cover of Sam Smith's "Stay With Me." It's crazy that the song could get any better, but Sheeran's acoustic version is like the best/saddest lullaby. SONG YOU COULDN'T TURN OFF FAST ENOUGH"All About That Bass." While I fully support the message, I just can't stand the song and I'm usually a sucker for catchy pop. This is maybe just TOO catchy. MOST WTF TV MUSICAL MOMENT OF 2014 Kacey Musgraves' hair at the CMA Awards. You know it's bad when people try to guess what's hiding in your hair. MOST OVERRATED ALBUMAriana Grande's My Everything. She has a killer voice and I can dance along to some of her songs, but the album did nothing for me. I can't get over the feeling that she's just trying too hard. BAND YOU HOPE BLOWS UP IN 2015Harriet. Any band who can make a song called "I Slept With All Your Mothers" something you actually want to listen to deserves more recognition. They've been around a while, so hopefully 2015 is their year.

Hayley Igarashi (Associate Editor)FAVORITE ALBUM First Aid Kits Stay Gold SONG YOU COULDN'T STOP LISTENING TOHoziers Take Me to Church SONG YOU COULDN'T TURN OFF FAST ENOUGH"Bang Bang" MOST WTF TV MUSICAL MOMENT OF 2014Peter Pan Live! BAND YOU HOPE BLOWS UP IN 2015Squalloscope

Lately Ive swapped out music for podcasts on my daily commute (and almost everywhere else), so I feel like I have the least to say here. That being said, Welcome to Nightvale, an awesome podcast, features weird, quirky music in their weather section that I often fall in love with immediately.

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Editor's Picks: The Best of 2014 in Music

Kirby’s Dreamland GB (1080p 60FPS) Part 1 – Green Greens, Castle Lololo, Float Islands – Video

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Kirby #39;s Dreamland GB (1080p 60FPS) Part 1 - Green Greens, Castle Lololo, Float Islands
This is my 1080p 60FPS playthrough of Kirby #39;s Dreamland for the Gameboy! This is part 1 and we go through Green Greens, Castle Lololo and Float Islands.Thanks for watching 😀 LIKE! and...

By: MegaSaya64

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Kirby's Dreamland GB (1080p 60FPS) Part 1 - Green Greens, Castle Lololo, Float Islands - Video


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