When we travel, one of our favorite things to do is to pop into a local grocery store and check out the food products and candies we'd never find anywhere else. So we're trying out this new feature, Foreign Grocery Friday, where each week we'll feature some of our (and your) favorite overseas treats. Got a recommendation? Let us know!

Your first reaction to banana ketchup may be "eww," but it should really be "ooh!" This atomic yellow substance is just one of the local products that comes out of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, and it's probably the easiest take-home souvenir aside from a stupid hat or T-shirt.

The good news is, if you're not in love with ketchup, then the island makes banana-tinged versions of barbecue and hot sauce as well. Mmm.

The taste: it's okay if you go into trying banana ketchup thinking it'll be too sweet or too banana-y, because the taste will banish those thoughts right away. You know how ketchup is super tomato-tasting? Well, banana ketchup isn't super anything. It's actually quite mild and thin, and tastes more like a light tropical chutney. Note: there are no tomatoes in it; it's only bananas, vinegar, "spices," and fresh garlic.]]> JetSetCD 2010-08-06T15:31:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2010/3/2/137/83732

We have a confession to make. We didn't start watching this 14th season of the reality TV show "The Bachelor" until we heard that they were taking the final few episodes on the road to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. It also helps that the Bachelor himself, Jake Pavelka, is a commercial airlines pilot for Atlantic Southeast Airlines (yea, we've never heard of them either). Jake whisked his last three girls, Tenley, Gia and Vienna, to the island known as a honeymoon paradise, in order to make a decision.

Since we were recently on St. Lucia as well, we've got a bit of a behind-the-scenes with some of the major locations from this "Bachelor" finale.

Check out our "Bachelor" in St. Lucia extras after the jump! SPOILERS ALERT! ]]> JetSetCD 2010-03-02T09:02:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/11/5/17158/4024

Seeing as how it's been a little bit since last we focused on the lovely pastime of plane spotting, we decided to turn our recent Saint Lucia island experience into some useful (not to mention scenic) plane spotting advice for when you too are on the island.

Whether you're heading down on the new Jetblue flight from New York-JFK like we did, or coming all the way from London-Gatwick on the direct Virgin Atlantic flight, you'll want to get a load of the air traffic that sporadically makes its way into St. Lucia's Hewanorra airport at the very southernmost tip of the island, and here's how... ]]> JetSetCD 2009-11-05T17:44:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/28/2259/3273

Now that all the hubbub surround Jetblue's inaugural flight to Saint Lucia is over, we're free to focus on the important things, like getting on the beach and into the warm Caribbean waters, and that's exactly what we did yesterday afternoon during a scuba dive at the northern tip of the island, from the Cariblue Beach at the BodyHoliday LeSPORT resort.

It's weird to think that we've been diving for over 11 years now, and yet we learn new things each time we let out all the air and sink beneath the surface. And so for all you seasoned and wannabe divers, we'll let you in on a few things you've just got to know about diving here in the southern Caribbean, but specifically Saint Lucia because duh—we've got the recent firsthand experience.

Our top tips for free and easy SCUBA in Saint Lucia, after the jump.]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-28T10:29:18-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/26/234336/45

Yesterday morning while the majority of New York still slumbered soundly in their beds, we were already swilling coffee at Jetblue's Terminal 5 at JFK, prepping for the LCC's inaugural flight to the Southern Caribbean island paradise of Saint Lucia.

As we already said (in a story published from the airport at 6:30am), the beginning of Jetblue flights is a huge deal for both the airline and the island. In the past, airlines like American and Delta owned these routes and as a result, could charge through the nose for them. Those planes might also still land at Saint Lucia's Hewanorra Airport (UVF), but their passengers are paying more for the flights and not getting the seatback TVs, unlimited free snacks, and je ne sais quoi that Jetblue brings to the party. Oh, and did we mention that the Jetblue flight arrives before the others? Yea, so we felt a little superior going through passport control yesterday.

Full photo gallery after the jump! ]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-27T09:39:17-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/10/26/63132/311

Good morning! We're coming at you live from Terminal 5 at JFK International Airport, where Jetblue's inaugural direct flight to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia is about to take off...with us on board. And aww—they got us a cake!

You may have already noticed, but we love us some first flights, and so we'll be bringing you all the details from this game-changing flight.

And how is it game-changing, you ask? Well, in two ways: it's a triumph for an LCC like Jetblue to take this route usually owned by legacy carriers like American, but also because it means a huge influx of American (and New Yorker) visitors to the island of St. Lucia, which up until now has been the paradise of mainly British and French travelers.

Oh, and St. Lucia flights one-way will be on sale for $129. Since the pricing is way cheaper than American has been charging to date, can we expect a fare ware on this route? Probably. ]]> JetSetCD 2009-10-26T06:31:32-05:00 40.6444122 -73.782745 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/