• South America,  Travel 101

    Prepping for Peru!

    We are heading south of the equator!!!   I am getting to the “can’t sleep I’m too excited” phase of our pre-trip planning. Our group is 7 strong, 3 moms, 3 kids and Sam!  The kids range in age from 13-18 and we adults are of average fitness, who are also desk jockeys by day! We have been training for the physical requirements of the hike, but we are by no means in tip-top form! We are getting more excited and nervous each day! We have our backpacks, our platypus hydration bags, our waist bags and hiking boots ready to go! Packing! Oh the packing!  The days will be about 20…

  • Canada

    Lake Huron – Love this lake

    Lake Huron is my favourite great lake.  It is deep, clean and many times glows that Caribbean blue colour that makes everyone happy! I can’t really say I have a favourite beach, Ipperwash, Pinery and Grand Bend are the ones I visit the most, but Sauble is an amazing beach as well!  I think I love them all so much because the sand is light in colour, soft and the communities do a great job in keeping the beach clean.  Grand Bend and Sauble have a great strip of shops and restaurants.  We pack a picnic when we head to Ipperwash and the Pinery as there are limited options for…

  • Central America

    Playas del Coco, Costa Rica

    When we decided to go to Costa Rica, we didn’t want to be at a resort.  We wanted to eat at local restaurants and venture around on our own.  We booked a hotel room at Toro Blanco in Playas del Coco. We felt very safe and happy there as the hotel was gated and the hotel staff was great at knowing all the vacationers who were staying. The room had a kitchenette which allowed us to prepare our own breakfast and lunches (we did eat out many times to enjoy the local food).  The room also included a great private dining table on our “porch” of our room.  Additionally, the…

  • Central America

    Me… a Mermaid!?!

    Going Diving for the first time was one of the coolest experiences I have had.  I have done lots of snorkelling and I will say, it is NOT the same! Going 35 feet underwater and seeing the abundant life that is below made me like a real mermaid!  I will reference that feeling as I am unsure how else to explain how I felt when I was able to breathe under the water for 53 minutes! My adventure began by talking with a couple of dive shops and choosing one.  Truly, I went with a local shop (www.coconuttreedivers.com ) that I had read about online, and one that my “guts”…