To Travel is To Live

Alright, alright!  [Pictures to come...] It's been WAY too long since I traveled and updated this blog but I am BACK! Bryan and I traveled to Aruba with friends, Dave and Lexi, for a 2-week 40th birthday vacation celebration.  We're hitting the three ABC islands, in order, so it's gonna be a blast! Flights were good, considering we had the red eye from Calgary to Toronto Saturday morning.  I actually slept!  We didn't get stuck beside screaming kids!  No obnoxious people were giving me dirty looks for being a 'bad mom' (a little side note on a recent flight to Mesa I took alone...see below). Anyway, we arrived, safe and sound in Aruba on Saturday afternoon.  Customs was super easy here - no mystery button to press to see if you were either A) free to clear or B) subject to a complete smackdown by angry officials.  Phew! In all honestly, customs here was the most efficient I've ever seen it anywhere in the world.  We didn't talk to anyone...

Today we experienced the Caribbean Sea from a diver's perspective. Well, it was my first time diving these waters anyway. A few uncertain moments this morning led us to wonder whether we would make these scheduled dives - Bryan was hit by tummy troubles late last night that also seem to be hitting a few others this week. Luckily he is determined and we made it to our dive. The first dive was to the wreck, a purposely sunk C-56, former US Navy minesweeper retired in 1946. Compared to the battleships and air craft carriers we have toured recently, this ship was quite small. All I kept anticipating was that slow view of a massive ship wreck as we descended....and I totally missed it! I hit the bottom and turned around, and there it was. Not nearly as magnificent as I had hoped. We were, however, able to swim through the ship, checking out the engine rooms and some living quarters. It wasn't completely dark and holes had been cut into it for quick exit, but it would have b...

An hour and a half from our resort there is a collection of caves that the Mayans found many, many years ago. Accessible in only a few locations, these caves are mostly filled with water, providing divers with yet another underwater experience. Known as "cenotes", the entrances are actually a result of sinkholes causing exposure to the underground caves beneath. Mayans used these areas for sacrificial ceremonies, many of which sound quite awful. To dive the cenotes, you need a sense of adventure and no fear of either the dark or confined spaces. We were provided with powerful torches so we could always see around us, but there are times when no natural light can be seen. The spaces and caverns were usually quite large but swimming between some rocks were tight on occasion. We were kept out of the official caves, though, as our group did not have that experience. Yet (this is one of my diving goals). I did well. I didn't panic or get scared, but afterward I though...

Since completing my Advanced Open Water three weeks ago, I have been so excited to go on a dive to the depths of the ocean, having the ability to see wrecks and go inside caverns and tunnels, and to just experience so much more than what I could with my Open Water certification.  I spent the days working up to our trip to Kauai nagging Bryan, "which dives do you want to go on?  what days do you want to go"?  Eventually, I had to just say, "let's go!" We didn't book anything in advance, so on our first, long day in Kauai, we found a little booth at the Po'ipu Shopping Village that had people trying to sell tourists day trips and excursions.  The lady we spoke to was extremely nice, and managed to get us a small discount on a dive trip if we agreed to sign up for a 'free' vacation from Diamond Resorts.  Timeshares abound!  Anyway, as we were talking to this lady, she suggested either a 2-tank or a 3-tank dive.  Well, of course the 3-tank dive see...

So, I did it! I am officially an Advanced Open Water diver! Today, I completed my dives. The deep dive was alright but, goodness, cold! I don't remember much because I was shivering so much. My buoyancy was better but my ears hurt a lot. I saw a zebra eel, or three, huddled in a rock crevasse. I'm sure I would have failed the naturalist dive if it had been a test but I did okay. Sea cucumbers, little slug-like things, moray eels (yuck!), rays, and fish. No sea lions, again, or whales, unfortunately. This dive had massive drift which was interesting. At times I couldn't get anywhere! My night dive was actually pretty cool. I could become quite disoriented during these dives but crustaceans are way more active and there was this disgusting, long eel out on a rock. Nothing exciting happened when we shut our torches off but that's okay - I have seen bioluminescent creatures before. I found out it's about a 15-20 walk from our hotel to the Manta dive shop. This sav...

Ugh, I have actively avoided getting any unnecessary needles since I was 15 years old, but as I was reviewing my Advanced Diving course material, it occurred to me that I should suck it up and get some of the necessary ones.  Wreck diving involves close proximity to old, rusted iron and steel structures, so the possibility of tetanus from accidentally scratching myself on something underwater seems quite high.  Dammit!  And, it will protect me when I go to some more exotic locations in the future, too.   The idea of travel is one of big dreams, beautiful scenery, and endless exploration.  However, there would be a down side to this adventure, as there seems to be one for everything.  Vaccines.  I hate needles, especially after that one terrible blood technician jammed it right into my nerve.  I couldn't move my right arm for over a month after that!   Traveling anywhere outside of Canada poses risk to anyone, so up-to-date vacci...

People always ask me, "Why do you want to move to Belize?" This seems like a reasonable question, especially since I haven't yet visited the country.  How can I decide upon which country I want to pick up and relocate to if I haven't experienced it at all? Back when I was attending Brandon University, I had a professor who spoke very highly of Belize.  He and his wife had visited and loved it so much that they bought a house and spent a couple of months there each year.  He stated how friendly everyone seemed to be, how easy it was for them to purchase property and live for so long there, as well as the reasonable cost of living for two months at a time. What appeals most to me about Belize is it's lack of tourism to date.  I know some people visit, and tourism is increasing within the country, but for the most part, I don't hear of many people choosing to visit it.  Upon researching Belize, the population of the entire country is spread out within vario...

Yes, we dove with the sea lions today!  Our two dives were amazing - the water was so warm that I did not even need a full wetsuit.  I was perfectly comfortable in a shortie, no boots or hood.  Unfortunately, the vest I bought in San Diego hasn't been used yet, but I'm sure somewhere down the road I'll need it.   We took a diving tour with Cabo Adventures , the sister to Vallarta Adventures with whom I was certified 2 years ago.  The dive masters, Roberto and Jenny, took great care of us and made sure our equipment worked properly and that we were geared up safely.  The first dive was called North Wall and we ended up near Sand Falls.  We were able to see some beautiful fish and other creatures, including a pregnant sea horse and a scary looking eel!  (It looked like a mean snake so of course I did not like that.)  The moray eel we saw looked ready to pounce so I got out of there fast, too.  The Sand Falls are awesome - it's literally ...