The Caribbean evokes the feeling of freedom, the beach and never-ending siesta. Just the thought of spending your vacation in the Caribbean already relaxes you and brings out serene and peaceful emotions.
The Caribbean truly has a distinct carefree lifestyle that infects anyone who happens to step onto its shore. While you are on the islands of the Caribbean, you can do lots of things. The Yucatan Peninsula, where the Playa del Carmen and Costa Maya islands can be found, offers a great use of the white-sand beaches of Mexico.
The first is truly a party-person’s paradise with bars, restaurants and resorts fronting the beautiful beach. You can just dance the night away in this place. On the other hand, Playa del Carmen is a serene place where you and your loved one can just let the time go by, lying around the sand. Across the strait, you can ride a ferryboat, and find the town of Cozumel that has breathtaking Mayan ruins and wonderful panoramas and vistas. This is a photographer’s dream destination with plenty of subject to occupy him for the rest of the trip, if not his life.
Temperature and climate
The Caribbean is located in the tropical zone, which is why it usually experiences humid and warm conditions. This area has northeasterly trade winds, bringing dampness from the Atlantic Ocean.
The Temperature in the Caribbean ranges from 28 degrees-Celsius during the hot months July and August to around 24 degrees-Celsius during the cool months of February and January.
The temperature varies annually but not so much. It’s usually colder before sunrise and hottest during the mid-morning to late afternoon. After 10 o’clock, it becomes cooler until the sun rises again.
During the winter, which corresponds with the winter in North America, there’s a significant decrease in temperature in the Northern Caribbean particularly the Bahamas, Jamaica and Cuba. The temperatures decline expectedly with increasing elevation. It’s so much colder in the areas of Jamaica that are of higher altitude like the Blue Mountains.
Weather
The Caribbean usually experiences hurricanes and these weather patterns are typically formed close to West Africa then moving to the Caribbean. The season of stormy weather or hurricanes falls between the months of June and November. Most hurricanes tend to develop during September however. How many hurricanes occur changes yearly from as few as 2 to as many as 12. Hurricane weather typically varies from super low to heavy rainfall. The wind speeds of the hurricanes are usually severe and this often travels at more than 100 kilometers per hour.
Culture
The Caribbean independent spirit is evident and one can see this through the artistic expressions of song and dance in the area. Even nowadays, the Caribbean music has influenced the musical traditions in the world – music that started during the slavery period.
The modern Caribbean is unique in their culture, which was shaped by the traditions of the influential European settlers, native Indian tribesmen like the peaceful Arawaks and warrior Caribs and African slaves. Such rich culture and a wide range of history is set against the setting of mountains, beaches and rainforests.
