NBC will air a serialized television adaptation of the 1719 Daniel Defoe novel Robinson Crusoe this fall, keeping alive the desert island theme that has done so well for the Pirates of the Caribbean and Lost franchises. Crusoe will premiere on October 17, and the 13-part series aims to provide the "pace and energy of network television while remaining faithful to the author's original classic story."
That all sounds dandy, so let's just take quick look at the story and the legend that influenced it to see what islands we need to visit to have our own Crusoe experience.
Puerto Rico is associated with the United States, but it's not a state and not a territory, so who governs this island, what it has to do with Red Sox Nation and--more importantly--how you should get there are all great questions.
Luckily for us, the assignment of answering 'em fell into our laps, and we find ourselves writing this to you from the warm confines of the sunny Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
If you want to look hip in five years, book a trip to Cape Verde now so you can say you visited before anyone else knew about it. The chain of volcanic islands sits off the west coast of Africa, and with its tropical climate, long stretches of beaches and turquoise waters, it's amazing that it hasn't yet met the same fate as the tourist-clogged Canaries.
It will soon, though. Its government says it expects tourism to increase by about 400% over the next decade.
If you can swing a vacation in March, it's a perfect time to visit Cape Verde because it's the start of festival season. Carnival kicked off Sunday in Mindelo with parades featuring kings, queens, ballerinas, witches, punks and other characters, according to the Afrol News. Similar events will continue throughout the month.
For the next couple of days we are doing a quick fly-over of the world's most dangerous airports. Know a stomach dropping, palm sweat inducing airport we should check out? Send it along.
Ever heard of Madeira, an autonomous island (part of the EU) off the coast of Norther Africa? It is a popular year round resort with a near perfect climate, good wine, incredible scenery, and quality surfing. Sounds like paradise, but prepare yourself for a turbulent landing on the island's partially over-the-water runway when landing at Madeira Funchal Airport.
The FNC runway is abutted by water on one side and hills on the other, and in 2000 the runway was extended over the Atlantic Ocean about half a mile in order to accommodate jet liners. The overwater landing strip addition is supported by giant pillars, which you can actually boat around once your stay on Madeira begins.
Want more? Even though British Airways (direct from London-Gatwick), Air France, and other major airlines land here daily, pilots and passengers have to put up with mega-turbulence during landing, so much so that, at times, high winds and storms still close this airport to jet liners during winter months.
The airport itself is extremely modern and well kept, which any entering visitor deserves after putting up with what can be a arm rest clenching landing.
Check out the video of a SAS plane that approached FNC, but pulls off just before landing--this place has one tough approach.
