Author: Ron McCluskey
Source: isnare.com
One spring morning in 1977, we crawled out of our tent – relieved that the sun brought an end to a night of hiding from sand fleas. We had made the mistake of camping behind a sand dune and not right on the beach. At dusk, the sand fleas came out and started biting. The mosquito netting on the tent was not fine enough to keep them out and we spent a miserable night.
So, we were looking forward to something much better as we headed for the ferry that would take us to Isla Mujeres.
Isla Mujeres (the ‘Island of Women’) is a small island off the northeast coast of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. Isla Mujeres is close to Cancun, but is a complete contrast to that popular resort. Cancun is the perfect place if you want a modern hotel with all the amenities and frenetic day and night activities.
Isla Mujeres on the other hand is a rather tranquil cozy island. The people are friendly and accomodating, but much more relaxed than those at Cancun.
Soon a modern ferry pulled up to the dock and we boarded. We had to leave our car parked in a guarded lot. That always made me a bit nervous since we had it broken into the previous summer in Villahermosa.
Looking down into the water of the Mexican Caribbean from the top of that ferry was a treat. It was a beautiful sunny day and you could see the bottom of the Caribbean all the way out on the forty odd mile trip. There were areas where the bottom was light sandy color punctuated by other spots that were dark – representing the areas where there were coral reefs.
It was a very peaceful relaxing trip.
When we got to Isla Mujeres, we took our backpacks and headed off the ferry. The first sign we saw was one in English – “Glass Bottom Boat Rides.”
As we had been on a glass bottom boat before, we were thrilled with the opportunity to see some tropical reefs through the panoramic view of a glass bottom boat.
It was too late that day to go, so we went and got a motel. There were several decent motels at reasonable prices and we soon had a room overlooking the eastern beach of the island.
The next morning, after eating some of the food that we had brought with us in our packs, we headed for the glass bottom boat rides. I had snorkeling equipment with me in case there was an opportunity to use them.
After paying the fare, we were soon headed to the boat. The boat was not quite what we had expected. In Monterrey, the boat had accommodated about 30 people. This one was only big enough for about 7. It had an outboard motor and looked like it could not handle more than the calmest of waters.
We spent about forty five minutes going south along the western edge of Isla Mujeres to an area where the captain of the boat said that they fed fish frequently and there would be good numbers to see.
We kept expecting him to pull away the paneling on the bottom of the boat so we could see. We were looking forward to seeing what beautiful fish and coral there were.
The captain threw some fish food around the boat and the fish started swarming around. We again thought that the paneling was about to be moved. But, surprise! – he handed a box to the person seated closest to him. It had glass at one end. He explained that you put the box over the side of the boat and looked through the glass. Then you handed it to the next person.
My wife and I had a very hard time not laughing out loud at the captain and his ridiculous little box. Hardly a glass bottom boat!
However, we were able to each have a good turn and did see a lot of very pretty fish.
I took the opportunity, with the captain’s permission, to go over the side and snorkel with the fish. The other people on the boat had as much fun watching me as the fish I think.
The rest of our time on the island was spent touring the other attractions of the island including an incredible aquarium, but the glass bottom boat ride was the highlight of our time on Isla Mujeres.
Author: Alan Kassirerbr
Source: ezinearticles.combr
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Are you looking for a great family vacation destination this summer? Are you looking for a vacation that allows you both exciting adventure and quiet down time? If you are then Sherkston Shores in Sherkston, Ontario, Canada may be just the place for you. My mom and dad have had a summer home there for over 40 years and I always look forward to getting up there for a long weekend or week of recreation and relaxation. There is plenty to do right at the resort and an amazing selection of activities within a 45 minute drive or less.
If swimming is your thing, Sherkstons options are great. First there is the crystal clear water of Lake Erie. Yes, I said crystal clear. This water is so clean that you can see the bottom from a boat in 20 feet of water. Next is the old stone quarry. The guarded quarry beach is perfect for everyone because near the shore the water is shallow and perfect for the kids but beyond the ropes the water gets very deep very quickly for you more adventurous swimmers. My father tells me that this was a working stone quarry that hit water and flooded very quickly.
He goes on to say that there are some very interesting things buried at the bottom of the quarry including a railroad car and construction machinery. I dont know if this is true but there is a scuba diving club that dives at the far end of the quarry every week so there must be something down there worth exploring. Next there are two swimming pools with hot tubs that offer recreational swimming and water aerobics classes and finally there are four water slides that are great for the kids. Yes, Sherkston has everything the swimmer could possibly want except the ocean.
There are many other activities within the resort for the entire family. There is an 18 hole miniature golf course and a recently completed nine hole pitch and putt course for the golfers in your family. There are basketball and tennis courts and, since were in Canada, youll often find groups of kids playing street or roller hockey on the courts. There is also a Main Street area in the resort that has a well stocked camp store, an arcade for the kids, a church and a doughnut shop (donuts are very popular in Canada). Finally, there is a restaurant/bar that has live entertainment and adult beverages for those over the age of 19.
In part two of this series on Sherkston and the surrounding area, Ill focus on my favorite activity in the resort, the unbelievable smallmouth bass fishing. If youre a fisherman, youre going to want to check this out.
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pSherkston is made up mainly of seasonal and rental cottage units. There is also an area where you can pitch your a target=_new href=http://www.campinggearstop.com/page/221996203 rel=nofollowcamping tent/a and stay for a day, a week, or longer. There is also daily use access if all you want to do is pack your a target=_new href=http://www.picnic-basket-set.com/picnic-baskets.html rel=nofollowpicnic basket/a and enjoy a day of recreation. I do want to remind you that if youre coming from the United States, you will need either a passport or one of the new passport cards to return home after your stay./ppThis article was written by Alan Kassirer. By day Im an executive at Youth Advocate Programs, a large not-for-profit that serves youth and families in 17 states. On weekends Im The Pennsylvania Wanderer. I travel around Pennsylvania and the surrounding states visiting interesting places and meeting interesting people. These are the stories of my travels./pbr
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Author: Tim Roseland
Source: ezinearticles.com
India’s railway network connects its greatest cities with its remotest villages, and traveling across India by train will give you a great opportunity to see sites not accessible any other way. Traveling by train during your stay in India can be one of the high points of your journey, but only if you plan carefully and know what to expect.
Booking passage on second-class non–air-conditioned trains will let you view the passing scenery through open windows, free of the film which covers the windows in air-conditioned cars. Purchasing a seat in air-conditioned car, on the other hand, will keep you comfortable even in the peak of India’s hot season. India’s trains, especially those which travel to the smaller villages, have a reputation for being late, so you will have to get used to delays.
If you find yourself waiting to get a connecting train, however, take time to observe your surroundings and immerse yourself in the chaos around you. You will see food vendors offering snacks like deep thought pride whole wheat bread and hard-boiled eggs as borders with massive piles of luggage balanced on their heads guard in and around the crowds. You should always stay close to your own luggage when traveling by train in India, to the point of chaining it to the rack in your sleeping compartment. Chains are available for sale on the platforms at urban railway stations.
While larger railway lines include meals in the cost of a ticket, if you are traveling a smaller line to be much better off by bringing along your own package snacks, bottled water, sandwiches, and juice. You will also be very glad you bring sanitary hand wipes are and your own toilet paper.
India, of course, has some world class luxury train service in addition to its ordinary commuter trains. These luxury trains include some of the most famous names in the world: Palace on Wheels; the Fairy Queen; the Royal Orient; Kalka Shimla; and Deccan Odyssey. Each of these magnificent trains follows a different route, but all of them offer exceptional service, dining, and luxurious accommodations. The most famous of them, Palace on Wheels, has 14 opulent sleeping compartments with baths along with two full-service restaurants and a bar.
The Palace on Wheel’s “Week in Wonderland” trip, starting at $4900 per person double occupancy, makes a round-trip beginning in Delhi and progressing through (among other cities) Jaipur, Udaipur, Bharatpur, and Agra before returning to Delhi. The fare includes meals, accommodations, and all sightseeing. The Fairy Queen, which began operating in 1855, is the world’s oldest steam locomotive.
The most legendary of all Indian train journeys, however, is the the 15 day trip taken by the private train the Viceroy of India, which runs between Mumbai to Calcutta four times each year. Tickets on the Viceroy of India run $9995 for Viceroy Class, or $14,995 for the Maharaja Suite.
The Deccan Odyssey is a 21-power luxury train which follows a seven day route along Maharashtra’s coast in western India, leaving from Mumbai and passing along the beach after unspoiled beach until arriving at the Goa. The trip includes a visit to Pune and the opportunity to explore the Ajanta and Ellore caverns. The Deccan Odyssey travels by night and stops for sightseeing during the day. The price of the journey includes five-star meals, an on-board Ayurvedic spa, a gym, and much, much more.
You can get almost all the information you need regarding train travel in India by visiting the website at http://www.indianrail.gov.in, where you’ll find railway routes, ticket availability, and prices for all the country’s trains. You cannot, however, book your tickets online. For that, you will need to use the services of your hotel or travel agent.
myroadtotravel was created in late 2007 as way for my wife and I to do what we love most…Travel. We love to share our experiences with others and have recently created our first blog http://www.myroadtotravelblog.com to help us do just that. Through this blog, we offer travel tips, our own personal experiences/adventures and photos from our vacations. Please stop by and give us your feedback and remember, for all your travel booking needs please visit us at http://www.myroadtotravel.com
Author: Tim Roseland
Source: ezinearticles.com
If you absolutely charge a acumen to book a guided bout of London, here’s the best one: every minute of your break in London will be precious, and you deserve to ample it with as abounding memories as possible. Greater London covers a absolute of 609 aboveboard miles, and the affairs of award your way to all their well-and-not-so-well-known attractions on your own are absolutely remote. So unless you’re affective to London assuredly or apprehend to be abiding at approved intervals, accommodating in one of the abounding accomplished guided tours is the way to go.
If you’re still not convinced, however, actuality are a few added affidavit why you should yield a guided bout of London.
A Guided Bout Will Advice You Focus
If you did any analysis at all on London attractions while planning your trip, you already apperceive that it ability be absurd to ability all the extensive must-sees in a individual trip. But by allotment guided tours which focus on accurate interest, like museums, art galleries, churches, aristocratic or actual sites, you’ll ensure that you get the top credibility of anniversary of them. If you see something you’d like to appear aback to, accomplish a agenda of it and plan it in during chargeless time or on a after trip.
A Guided Bout Will Remove the Guesswork
When confronted with a city-limits on whose every street, it seems, history has larboard its mark, you may artlessly feel overwhelmed. Taking a guided bout of London will ensure that you don’t absence annihilation essential, and it will aswell advice you ample the gaps in your compassionate of British history and culture. How?
A Guided Bout Will Put You in the Company of a London Bout Guide
This is one of the above affidavit why you charge to acquaint yourself to London with the advice of a guided tour. Your bout adviser will apperceive not alone area to yield you, but how to explain all the black English history abaft such landmarks as the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the Houses of Parliament. You’ll assuredly get the names of Henry VIII’s six wives in order, and apprehend that he was alone amenable for the deaths of alone two!
Guided Tours of London Can be Tailored to Your Interests
If you’re absorbed with the chance of Jack the Ripper, you can align a clandestine guided bout to the sites of his crimes and to the cemeteries area some of his victims were laid to rest. If you don’t accept the account for a clandestine tour, you can acquisition a accumulation bout which manages eight above attractions, including lunch, a River Thames cruise, and a stop to see the Changing of the Guard in a individual day.
Your guided bout may be a walking tour, or a cruise on one of London’s archetypal double- decker buses. If you wish a absolute adventure, assurance up for a avoid bout on an amphibian car which will be appropriately at home on acreage or water!
Guided Tours Provide Safety
Any time you’re in a adopted country, even if it’s just Merry Olde England, you aren’t absolutely as safe as you would be in accustomed surroundings. Your bout adviser will be abreast on which London attractions may be unsafe, and why. And with 609 aboveboard afar of London at your doorstep, you charge to accept anyone who will accumulate you from accepting lost!
myroadtotravel was created in late 2007 as way for my wife and I to do what we love most…Travel. We love to share our experiences with others and have recently created our first blog http://www.myroadtotravelblog.com to help us do just that. Through this blog, we offer travel tips, our own personal experiences/adventures and photos from our vacations. Please stop by and give us your feedback and remember, for all your travel booking needs please visit us at http://www.myroadtotravel.com
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Source: articledashboard.com
Are you interested in taking up the exhilarating and exciting sport of mountain climbing? Some avid climbers liken it to a religious experience. There are dangers you need to be aware of so you can enjoy this sport safely.
Acute Mountain Sickness or AMS is a common ailment for climbers. AMS occurs when you breathe in air at high altitudes with decreased oxygen levels. The mildest symptoms of AMS are headaches and fatigue but more serious cases can result in fluid in the lungs and brain.
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema or HAPE is much more serious than AMS and breathing will become very difficult which can be fatal.
High Altitude Cerebral Edema or HACE is similar to HAPE. Fluid builds up in the brain and as it swells from the fluid and pressure builds your judgement is impaired. This can also be fatal.
All of these altitude related ailments have similar symptoms and signs but with varying degrees depending on the altitude. Dizziness can be dangerous especially in steep and uneven terrain. Insomnia is another dangerous result and slows your reflexes and thinking. Nausea and fever is not as serious but it can lead to dehydration which has other dangers associated with it.
The severity of these altitude related risks can be lessened by climbing slower and keeping hydrated. If you’re climbing above 8,000 feet or your rate of ascent is more than 1,000 feet per day then you should bring an oxygen bottle to supplement the lack of oxygen. Also avoid drinking alcohol since this will cause dehydration.
To relieve mild headaches you can take a pain reliever but for insomnia do not take a sleep aid. It will cause more harm and won’t help you sleep. If your body doesn’t adjust to the altitude and symptoms subside then error on the side of caution and descend.
Frostbite is another common danger when climbing at high altitudes. It occurs when skin tissue is damaged by prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures. An early sign of frostbite is a needle pricking sensation and the pain gets worse as the exposure increases. Severe cases can lead to amputation to it’s important to keep warm. Wear insulated gloves and refrain from taking them off even if it makes climbing difficult. Insulate your feet and waterproof them to keep out moisture. Since a great amount of heat can be lost through your scalp make sure you wear a hat that fully covers your head and ears.
Climbing is an enjoyable and rewarding sport but precautions must be taken to lessen your chances of injury.