Travel with the Tide

A travel blog written by a guy who has visited all the continents except Antarctica.

March 2009 - Posts

Scenic Guyana

Travel on the Tide Though it is best known as the home of Jim Jones' cult compound in Jamestown, Guyana is one of the smallest countries in the north east section of South America.  Actually not so small when it comes to offering tourists and visitor attractions and enjoyment unheard of elsewhere. Tourists can enjoy the coastlines of the Caribbean or if they prefer they can relax comfortably in one of the countries modern hotels located anywhere along the coastline. Guyana is world known for its grand buildings which feature some very great and interesting architecture. Its boulevards are beautifully lined with many well trimmed tropical trees. These predominant features mark the influence that was brought into this area by the British colonization many years ago.

Guyana’s most prominent tourist attractions and must see locations include the tall, wooden edifices. These structures have promoted the concept that the country actually has one of the tallest wooden buildings within the complete world. This building is none other then the world famous St. George’s Cathedral.

Guyana is proud of their large rivers which serve as passage ways into its rich green rain forest and lush jungle areas. Demerara River, Berbice River and the Essequibo Rivers are but a few of the more prominent rivers found in this small country. You can sit in the local café and enjoy the sight of the Harpy Eagle or the beautifully decorated and colorful Toucans as they are widely noted around the local landscape and countryside. No where else on the earth are you afforded the opportunity to capture an exciting view of the elusive blue colored *** of the Rock birds which are abundant around Kaieteur Falls. In fact, there are approximately 700 different species of birds which reside in the forest areas of Guyana. Finally, Guyana has some of the world’s most famous water falls within its borders such as Mount Roraima Falls which has became an inspiration for the movie The Lost World, the Kaieteur Falls as well as the Orinduik Falls.

Nature scenery and nature adventures present themselves to those who dare to discover all the wonders that await them in the wonderful country of Guyana. For most eco-tourists this country may be considered one of the only places on earth where nature tends to deposit the majority of its natural treasures. Discover its many natural resources at its finest level by traveling to the various back locations in Guyana. It is easy for you to be close to Mother Nature though this rich wilderness area.

Travel Links

Free Travel Articles

Learn More about Akumal Mexico

 

Akumal Beach

The more you know about Akumal, Mexico, the more exciting you will be to vacation in this land of paradise. Therefore, the months or weeks leading up to your trip should be spent doing research so that you can learn more about Akumal.

To learn more about Akumal, Mexico, you can easily turn the Internet. The Internet is a wealth of information, providing historical and accurate information as well as tips and reviews from other travelers who have taken a trip to the area. This site, AkumalVacation.com, has many interesting articles about the Akumal Mexico area. This type of information can provide all you need to know about many parts of your vacation, including the best places to eat, stay, shop, and explore. We will tell you what er have enjoyed and what to watch out for, while the other sites will tell you all about other areas that you plan to visit.

In addition to this type of information, you can also learn more through Akumal hotel, resort, and tourism websites. Each hotel will provide you with pictures of their accommodations, a list of local attractions and activities, and typically, a brief history of the area. They may also provide information about items that they provide, which will not only help you learn more about Akumal, but also help you plan your daily activities while on vacation.

Although their objective is to pull you into the area, the information that they provide about their hotel and the area needs to be accurate or they will begin to lose business. Therefore, you can typically trust the information from a website, including the information that they provide about local attractions and the history of the area.

Another way that you can learn more about Akumal is through a travel agent. It is the job of a travel agent to know a wealth of information about their top destinations or at least be able to provide that information to customers. Even if you do not plan to book your trip through a travel agent, you can still find a lot of information through them.

A trip to Akumal, Mexico can be a learning and bonding experience for the whole family. Discover the history and culture of the land. Learn about the sea and what activities you can enjoy in the water. Plan your days based on the information that interests you most. The more you learn about Akumal, the more fascinating it will be once you finally arrive.

Browse the Travel Links

Akumal Traveler

Scuba Diving in Akumal Mexico

Photo by Craig GroblerWhether you’re an experienced diver or wanting to learn the art, Akumal provides the perfect ecological setting to view many specimens of great beauty underwater.  Akumal is a tourist town located 62 miles south of Cancun, between Playa del Carmen and Tulum, with a small local population of 1,198.

The name “Akumal” means “place of the turtles” in Mayan language.  Turquoise bodies of water and beautiful, white sandy beaches provide the perfect setting for many sea turtles’ laying area.

Akumal was founded in 1958 mainly as a community for scuba divers to experience the many species and types of turtles which call the area “home”.  Akumal Bay and Half Moon Bay provide optimal opportunities to see the land and underwater life via diving trips and expeditions.

For certified divers, local dive shops offer a variety of exciting diving trips to the 30 reef sites which include shipwrecks, cenotes and caverns and a breathtaking amount of marine life that you can view. The dive shop makes all the arrangements and you can lease a scuba tank and regulator, mask, flippers and anything else you want. You can reserve an all day diving excursion or if you are more experienced, you can dive the caves, caverns and cenotes that make Akumal famous. People from all over the globe come to dive the cenotes and caves of Akumal and this special village is truly a diver’s dream.

Dive shops also teach courses so you can get certified to dive in open sea. They instruct all levels from resort course to advanced cave diving.  And what better area to learn to dive than Akumal, one of the best places in the world to go diving? These PADI Certified Instructors will lead you through the process of certification so you can enjoy exploring the wonders of the reef that awaits you in Akumal.

Cavern and cave diving is a popular activity for tourists.  These caves are called “cenote”, which means “sacred well” in Mayan.  Dive packages offer several destinations and various depths of diving, group packages, equipment rental and instruction to satisfy varying diver needs.

One of the easy dive sites which is very popular is Cuevas de Tiburones.  This site features rock overhangs which provide an optimum sleeping area for nurse sharks.  Las Redes offers an array of marine life, schools of fish, barracudas, stingrays, lobsters and sea turtles.  Yal-ku is a unique feeding site chock full of Elkhorn coral structures, tunnels and lobster.

Other popular shallow dives are found at ***’s Reef and Motorcycle Reef.  Motorcycle Reef is named so for the 15-year-old motorcycle which is now covered with living coral and plankton that protects local sea life.

Experienced divers can enjoy an afternoon at Tzimin-Ha, which features ruins from a 20-foot fishing boat wreck.  Dives up to 100’ deep are found at Trigger Fish, which is a favorite deep dive spot for locals.  Here, huge patches of coral contrast with the sandy white bottom with many species of tropical fish providing a colorful array of rare beauty.

Xaar Beach and Gonzalo’s Reef offer various types of feeding areas for several different species of sea turtles for a once-in-a-lifetime diving experience.  Xaar features reef fingers reaching 30’ up from the ocean floor, as well as turtles, nurse sharks and stingrays.  Gonzalo’s Reef is known for its large and vivid reef fingers; visitors are virtually guaranteed a view of Hawksbill, Green, or Loggerhead turtles which use the area for feeding and playtime.

Akumal

Akumal Villa Rental

Scenic New Brunswick Canada

The scenery in New Brunswick is one of the most spectacular in the world featuring wonderful views of the ocean and the nearby Appalachian Mountains. Whether you want to experience the natural beauty of the New Brunswick region on foot or by automobile you will definitely have some memories which will make it into the family photo album.

The Appalachian Trail runs along the coast of the New Brunswick region and is famous for the wonderful hiking trails which it offers. You can find your way through the day hiking trails on your own or you can hire one of the guides in the region to take you through the safer regions of the mountains.

There are over one hundred species of birds thriving in the New Brunswick region making it a perfect place for bird watching. Among the species which live in the region is the giant woodpecker which is always a treat for North American bird watchers to view.

There are several mammals in the region that are worth the time it takes to find and observe them in their natural habitat. These include the lynx and white tailed deer. You should definitely bring your camera on your trip through the Appalachian Range since the lynx is a rare find.

If you would prefer to observe marine life in the area then you will not be disappointed. New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy is one of the few places in the world where you can view the marine wolves along with over a dozen different species of whales. The Bay of Fundy is also the home of the world’s highest tides due to the unique geography of the bay itself.

City life in New Brunswick can be compared to the most cosmopolitan in the world. You will find fine dining experiences, art exhibits and museums tucked in among the wonderful shopping centers and spas of the region.

The city of Saint John is one of the best places to enjoy shopping and the various fun related activities that city life has to offer. You can enjoy a stay in a top notch hotel in town and quickly find that there are many shopping centers within walking distance to your hotel.

Saint John is also the home to the famous Reversing Falls which run backwards as the tides come in. This is a very interesting sight to see and one you will remember for a long time.

My Travel and Vacation Blog Travel on the Tide.

Travel Link Directory

The Catacombs of Paris France

Prior to 1810 the Paris catacombs were known as Paris’ Montrouge stone quarries. As with any large city graveyards began to quickly run out of burial space thus an alternative means of disposing of bodies was necessary. Here you can now walk within a maze of the Paris underground tunnels complete with storage alcoves which go up at least 20 feet and contain millions of bones. The various sides of these bone piles possess designs which have been arranged with the skulls in a sort of pattern.

Existing twenty meters underground one can find over 6 million former residents of Paris on exhibit. Among these bones of the deceased are many illustrated texts which create a macabre atmosphere while describe countless chilling events in the chronicles of Paris. It is here that several Hollywood movies have taken their cue and novels abound concerning the essence of the catacombs.

During the 2nd World War this series of underground caves were exploited as hideaways for members of the French Resistance movement. With its large area of coverage and its secretive entrances these catacombs proved to be an immense benefit.

The catacombs are unlike anything you may have seen previously. In a single word they are simply “Amazing”. Although ones first impression is to be astounded after a while it all appears to be the same. With 6 million bones in plan sight the complete outlook tends to give a spooky type of sight and since they have only a single way to escape you are left with no other alternative other then to keep walking. The entrance is easily reached via the Paris metro.

When you first arrive at the entrance to the catacombs you just may miss it since it is nothing more then a green color metal hut. You will transcend many flights of stairs to reach the visitor layer. These very steps may pose a problem for the elderly people should they be out of shape. The total number of steps is approximately 80 layers when descending into the tunnel and about 200 when coming back up. The exit steps are arranged in a small spiral. You will walk in a long expanse of dark musty tunnel prior to arriving at the bone collections. Most of the passageways are rather narrow and it will seem like they never end.

If you are a photographer you will be quickly cautioned that no sort of flash photography will be allowed in the catacombs.

Given an opportunity to visit this section of Paris, I would highly recommend this fascinating experience as one you should see. It represents an awesome chance to witness the thousands of year old caves while strolling past rows upon rows of human bones. Don’t miss this tour by any means.

Free Travel Articles for your blog.

Vacation and Travel Links