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Best
Caribbean Handicrafts - Part 3 |
Pottery and hand carved figures are easy to find in Jamaica and Puerto Rico. | |||
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Traditional art in Puerto Rico includes " santos ," small wooden religious figurines depicting saints or religious scenes; "cuatros," five-double-striped guitars hewn from native woods; "quiros," simple gourd musical instruments dating back to Indian times, and masks for the religious ceremonies and carnival in Ponce. Jamaican art can be startling for its surprising variety and individualism. Styles range from primitive carvings and canvasses to Neo-expressionist paintings. The small shops near Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios have an excellent selection of the more primitive items. Both Ocho Rios and Montego Bay have major craft markets, good places for a variety of souvenirs. Negril offers small roadside stands with work by individual craftsmen. Wassi Art in Ocho Rios makes a wide variety of pottery items with a distinctive Jamaican look. The Cayman Islands, a fine duty free port in itself, also produces many specialty items including black coral and Waurie, a locally made board game similar to checkers. However, it is illegal to import any of the beautifully crafted items made of tortoise shell back into the U.S. because marine turtles are a protected species. In Bonaire 's historic Kralendijk district, which houses a variety of shops in a new street mall off the waterfront, one of the more unusual shops is the "Fundashon Arte e Industria Bonaireano," an organization founded by the United Nations that produces hand-made crafts and jewelry from locally found coral, shells and wood. No wonder the favorite on-island of many cruise ship passengers is shopping. There is so much of it, and it comes in an almost endless variety. Best Caribbean Shopping Part 1 Best Caribbean Shopping Part 2
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