One of my favorite destinations for cruising is in the Caribbean - with island nations typically 60 to 100 miles apart, one can visit a different country nearly every day. It is a destination where one can just as easily opt for a short cruise or a longer one and still be exposed to different countries and cultures. And with plenty of beaches and year round warm weather, I've found myself in the Caribbean every November or December the past few … [Read more...]
Top Water Activities to Enjoy and Items to Bring on Your Costa Rica Vacation
Many of us are naturally drawn to the water. After all, there's nothing quite like the sense of exhilaration one feels as their boat sails over the waves, or experiencing the sense of peace, stillness, and tranquility that comes from being alone in the sea. Freshwater adventures can also be fantastic, which is why making landfall once in a while during your sailing trip is a good idea. For example, Costa Rica has numerous inland rivers to … [Read more...]
Climbing the Holy Mountain (Sri Pada), Sri Lanka
The Journey (Kuruwita-Erathna route) The journey begins from a small town called Kuruwita located 82 km from Colombo in Sri Lanka. Kuruwita is on the Colombo – Ratnapura main road and situated 9km before Ratnapura. To reach the trail head you approach a small hamlet called “Adavikanda”. The nearest town to this sleepy village is Erathna; one proceeds left at the clock tower in Kuruwita and travels approximately 11 km. The road has signboards and … [Read more...]
Ireland’s Ancient Guardians
Donegal Sea Stack Climbing Living along the western seaboard of County Donegal live 100 guardians of an ancient and little known world. Sculptured by the pounding heart of the wild Atlantic Ocean over thousands of our lifetimes. These towering rock sentinels stand guard at the outer edge of our distant shores. Mark the boundary between the moving and the static. These gothic leviathans are the last remains of a time long … [Read more...]
Catalina Express Bids Fond Farewell to ‘Birthday Ride’ Promotion
Birthday Celebrants Have Until December 31, 2017 to Take Advantage of the Offer SAN PEDRO, Calif. – On its 30th anniversary in 2012 Catalina Express launched its "Birthday Ride" promotion and its "Birthday Island" partnership. Since then, the ferry company has been proud to continue the promotion for six years, which has resulted in nearly 500,000 registrations and 200,000 round-trip voyages. As with all good things, the popular … [Read more...]
Put Cornwall in the UK on your Bucket List
I have traveled in the UK a number of times - usually short stop overs on my way to other parts of Europe - most often using London as my base for day trips to the surrounding regions. During my last visit, despite being miserably sick - I was able to explore Cardiff and even do some rock climbing in Brecon Beacons and explore an old coal mine. But for all the times I've been to London I have not yet gotten down to Cornall (about a 6 hour … [Read more...]
Conquering the Iron Road of Saguenay
"Abdul! Are you enjoying the views," he asks me in his thick, Quebecois accent. "I'm trying not to!" I bark back at him, just barely managing not to suppress a barrage of foul language. Cedric, my guide, watches on in amusement, a thick smirk covers his unshaven face. I'm balancing on the narrow beams of a hanging bridge, 85 meters long but only 20 cm wide, some 150 meters above Saguenay fjord (280 feet, 8 inches and 500 feet, respectively). The … [Read more...]
Catalina Express Celebrates 35th Anniversary
Starting July 15, 2016, Passengers Can Board-and-Scratch to Win Prizes and Enter to Win Daily Packages Online LONG BEACH, Calif. (July 2016,) – Thirty-five years, more than 28 million passengers and 257,000 sailings later, Catalina Express, the leading boat transportation to and from Catalina Island, celebrates ferrying passengers to and from enchanting Catalina Island, beginning July 15, 2016. Board-Scratch-and-Win: For one day only, … [Read more...]
What it’s like rappelling a Waterfall in Costa Rica
Rappelling a waterfall in Costa Rica is a little like climbing a mountain, you're harnessed in, you're navigating ropes, etc. Except rappelling a waterfall means it's slippery so you will get wet. Oh and you're doing it backwards. At first the idea of doing a waterfall rappel with my two children in tow sounded a bit intimidating. I have never rope climbed, rappelled, zip lined (at this point) in my life so attaching myself and my children to … [Read more...]
A Coal Mine and Rock Climbing, Exploring Wales
Wales is built for outdoor and adventure enthusiasts; the region has participated historically in adventure exploration involving some of the most extreme corners of the planet. One has to look no further then Cardiff Bay where Captain Scott sailed out in the Terra Nova (expedition to Antarctica) or the challenging mountain and glacier terrain of Snowdonia synonymous with well known mountaineering names such as Mallory, Irvine, Hillary and … [Read more...]