In June in the southern part of the country, has already been hot weather, there is very strong fragrance of flowers even more, it is the fragrance not charming of a kind of mystery, strong. Pour into your breath, ooze your heart spleen completely, is fascinated by your soul.

Pure white and aromatic, gentle and cordial, if is exquisite like carving. The jasmine flower is a city flower of the people in Fuzhou, fragrant all over the ends of the earth in a watchtower on either side of a palace gate of beautiful and beautiful folk song sound.

Taking son to the school in the morning, walk after copying the country path. In the vivid green cropland, still very vigorous. Smelt a burst of fragrance of flowers come far, that familiar perfume suddenly, strong a period of time for a moment, strong vulgar, pure dull, make people to be half-shot, float, want celestial being.

Stroll and go forward, see the corner of the field, has planted several rows of jasmines flower, the branch is dredged shortly, the blade is round and green, every one, one cluster of small flowers is standing longly. The flower is flawless white, some have already burst forth the simple and plain appearance, some return the pipa to still embrace, very shy and pure like young girl. The wind in summer has blown through, that was sent into the nose depths is the delicate fragrance of oozing people.

I am stopping, do not hesitate. The son has found out my worry, say mother likes plucking one to wear. How long ago 's thing? The memory lying dormant is lifted suddenly, before several years in a trance, I who am young was carried away by the fragrance of this flower too, perhaps it is the natural instincts that the woman loves the flower, the field to look at dusk is very quiet, the peasant family that the stars fell has raised the smoke from kitchen chimneys, nobody all around, my getting strong courage, afford to have a guilty conscience, adopting until flower bursting forth to the energetic bud can be pleasing to the eye. Go home and string the bud together into a necklace with the needle and line, hang on the neck pleasedly, feel one's own and become the beautiful spirit, fragrant angel. Those flowers beautiful, put by the pillow, appreciate slowly that enough, and then accompany me to fall asleep carefree and leisurely. Oddly enough though, it is in full bloom that that energetic bud has left the end of the branch all the same. On the next day, though the appearance is a little wan and sallow, it is without cease that Yu Xiang still curls upwards.

The jasmine flower is not magnificent, not far so delicate and charming as that of other flowers. It is just like the simple woman without worldly desires in the South, is also like the tender little ignorant woman, open silently. No matter the field, under the hedge in front of the front yard, or in the flowerpot. So long as prun branches, insert, it can take root, accumulate branch, wind for early summer come, soul that spend ooze bone marrow to enter you, wash away your state of mind.

The youth of the jasmine flower is very transient, but very long in all one's life. The once lifelike flower like the white jade, developed the jasmine tea into with the most penetrating soul, though is a little sentimental, fragrance is still quiet and beautiful. If the jasmine flower in full bloom is a lucid and elegant and agreeable young girl, then, the jasmine tea becomes a gentle and cultivated young married woman ripe and sharp, chant with you together, taste one hundred flavor of life, solve the sorrow had one's mind filled with.

Like the jasmine flower to have nothing to compete for with others, non- showy, does not publicize, but is distributing the pleasant fragrance, spirit devoted quietly. I think, there is a kind of woman in this world, she does not have magnificent beauty, it is so dull perhaps, remain calm. If detailed detailed taste, you can find true feelings that it show in being dull, stand the test of time, the denuding of years. This is a jasmine flower, the pure woman like jasmine flower.

Face flowers and think, the unique fragrance of flowers curls up on the nose, feel immediately all over that so happy and unrestrained. What a pieces of jasmine spend, let world of me getting many one beautiful, one quiet and fragrant.

If not the son urges me to go to school, I also want to linger on. On the way, I have moaned the ballad known animatedly well:

What a jasmine flower,

What a jasmine flower,

Flowers and plants of full garden,

Fragrant and only fragrant too, it,

I adopt one to wear intentionally,

Afraid of seeing the person of the flower wants to scold me again.

What a jasmine flower,

What a jasmine flower,

The jasmine flower is in bloom,

The snow is only white too, it,

I adopt one to wear intentionally,

Afraid of the jokes of other people again.

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to tell of my experience in Cancun last year with my husband. The sweetheart that he is and knowing how much I love dolphins gave me the best gift I could ever imagine :p. On valentine's day he gave me an excursion to Isla Mujeres with Dolphin Discovery. I was so over whelmed & excited with this precious gift that he gave me. The experience was amazing. After being in the water with Eshell for 45 mins. I got out shaking with excitement & tears streaming down my face. I gave my husband the biggest hug & kiss. This was truly a magical experience for me and one I look forward to again. Anyone who wishes to experience something as wonderful as this a truly recommend this one, it was well worth it.

Teri

I'm new to the site and am just checking out all the blogs.:)

My best friends and I decided to celebrate our birthdays by taking a cruise to the Carribean. We decided on Celebrity Cruise Lines and booked through Cruise Holidays here in Calgary. Amazing service by the way for anyone looking to book.
We flew to Dallas and then to Ft Lauderdale. Boarded the beautiful boat. Quite upscale and very large. Set sail for St Thomas and after 2 days at sea, I was glad to see some land. Andrea at Cruise Holidays had set up our tours for us. For a fraction more in cost (I mean 10-15 dollars/person), we had a private tour on all 5 islands we stopped at. Private air conditioned car and we stopped wherever we wanted to. It was amazing. Made the whole trip 1000% better. THANKS ANDREA!!!
Had stops in St Lucia, Barbados, St Kitts and St Maarten as well. Truly enjoyed the islands. Our tour guides were amazing. Very knowledgable and courteous. Would do it again in a heart beat.:)

My husband and I recently travelled to Peru with GAP Adventures.
I can’t say enough good things about GAP. Our guide was fantastic and we had an amazing adventure. It is the best holiday we have been on. The group was 13 in total and we met some fantastic people from all over the world. Travelling with GAP allowed us to do and see things that I don’t think we would have even known about if we tried to do the trip on our own. As well, we felt safe at all times.
Peru is a fantastic country and I definitely recommend it as a place to visit whether on your own or through a tour company.

just saying hi - great - another blog site to keep me dreaming at work!
:p

The National Capital Region (including Gatineau, Québec) has attractions enough for every season!

Most locals will spend at least some part of their day on the Rideau Canal. During the warmer months, people bike, jog and blade along its paths. And in the summer, you can see the locks at work carrying ships from the Rideau River to the lakes. There are tours on the canal, or bus tours that pass along it. During the winter, the water is lowered to allow it to freeze over and become the world's largest skating rink. Don't worry if you didn't bring skates -you can rent them- or if you don't skate at all! Sip hot chocolate and eat Beaver Tails (not literal, they are delicious pastry treats either savoury or sweet) and wash other people glide along!

The winter highlight is Winterlude... a festival of ice (in February) which includes concerts, games, snow slides and an international ice sculpture competition -on display in Confederation Park.

Other popular festivals are Ribfest (April), Tulip Festival (May), Bluesfest (July), and Greekfest (August). Canada Day is always a big event -rain or shine- throughout the National Capital Region.

Though Parliament Hill is generally the most recognised site -with tours possible, and the changing of the guard ceremony in the summer- there are other sights to be seen. There are a few museums to hold your attention: the Musée des civilizations (Gatineau), Museum of Science and Technology, Museum of Science and even a Currency Museum.

Nature enthusiasts might enjoy the Greenbelt around the city (provided by city planning, there is nature encircling the city, with paths throughout) and the Gatineau Hills across the river (stunning sunsets in the summer).

If you like to gamble, then head over to the Casino-du-lac-Leamy! There are shows (Cirque du Soleil has appeared) and a fireworks competition (August).

Sports enthusiasts proudly support the local Senators (Go! Sens! Go!) with playoff games being projected at city hall!

Most hotels are concentrated downtown, within walking distance of Parliament Hill, the Canal, the Rideau Centre (shopping mall and tourist attraction, open 365 days a year) and the Byward Market. The Market really comes alive in the summer with buskers and market stalls (fruits, vegetables and artcrafts). Bars and pubs abound in the Market and along Elgin and Bank Streets.

Getting around town is easy with OCTranspo (local bus service in Ottawa, STO in Québec), by car (watch out for one way streets), by taxi or on foot. The airport, train and bus stations are accesible by bus.

Give Ottawa a try, any time of year!

I don't like to stay cooped up in a hotel when I travel unless it is the middle of winter and there is no choice. I would rather sleep in a tent and stick my head out the door to look at the stars. The best place I have ever done this was in the Queen Charlotte Islands. One camping trip I was with my 4 year old son. We stuck our heads out the tent door and it seemed as if the stars were so close we should be able to touch them. I was telling him the names of some of the planets and constellations (guessing some of the time)...Mars, Venus, The Big Dipper when he interrupted me to ask "well where is Snoopy". Snoopy? I asked. Yes, he said. "Where is Snoopy". I thought about that for a while. Suddenly it hit me. He meant Pluto.

I am a new member and I wanted to just say hello to all of the travel lovers out there.

Eh oui! c'est l'île "petit tabac" qui a servi au film du Pirates des Caraibes. Les grenadines sont très paradisiaques, toutes à l'état naturel puisque c'est un parc. J'avais pris mon billet par Cheap tiickets, car le prix était imbattable et mon voyage avec la compagnie Switch en France directement. Très beau voyage!:D

Perhaps one of our families' highlights on a recent trip to the Mayan Riviera of Mexico was when we spent the day at the tourist attraction of X-Caret. We declined the invitation to purchase a day trip from our resort hotel as we had enough people to fill a mini-van Taxi cab which ended up saving us money on the transportation. Not only that, but it was a direct ride from the hotel to Xcaret without any stops at other resorts to pick up more passengers. The drive only took about 10 to 15 minutes and we told the Taxi driver as we got out that we would like him to pick us up for the return trip (a good thing as it made our trip home nice and quick).


Although Xcaret is being developed into a touristy Mexican Disneyland, it does have some wonderful natural features that are unique. It is a rather large park that is spread out over many acres of trails and river streams so it does involve a moderate fitness level to endure a day of walking around. As we arrived we were quick to rent a stroller for our 4 year old son. He didn't sit in the stroller more than a few minutes the entire day but it was helpful in carrying all the snorkel gear (not necessary), swimsuits and other items we had brought with us.


Our first stop was to grab the life vests provided and head on a 1.5 kilometer swim down one of the two rivers that wind through the park. What was unique about this river was that one is an underground river that winds its ways through a series of caves and tunnels towards the ocean. If caves are not your cup of tea then a more open route is available to explore.


The rest of the park was more like a zoo and cultural potpourri of events. Butterflies, panthers, monkeys, parrots and iguanas are just of the few animals you will find. A Mexican rodeo, old Mayan Village, cemetery and underground caverns were among the cultural activities to amuse us throughout the day.


The second highlight was the two hour cultural evening performance which took us through the history of Mexico from the time of the ancient Mayans to the days of the Spanish conquest and then modern Mexico complete with its traditional dance and Mariachi bands. It was a fun filled cultural experience.

We had another free day to explore with our rental van after spending a few more days in our all inclusive resort. It was great to once again be able to leave our resort for a day out to explore the local Mexican life.

A few weeks prior to taking our trip we had been researching various places where we could help some children in Mexico that had a particular need. In our research we found out about an orphanage on the outskirts of Cancun in the suburb of Bonfil. I went online again to see if I could get any information possible on this orphanage but did not have any luck at all so we decided that we would just head to this little community and ask around until we found it. Once in Bonfil we drove around this rural suburb of humble and for the most part crumbling homes. The streets were were made of dirt and included many potholes that we had to navigate around.

After a short drive in the town we decided that we were going to need a little bit of help finding the orphanage. We rolled down the window and showed the name of the orphanage on a piece of paper to a lady at the side of the road. To our relief, she knew of the place we were asking about. Considering I don't speak Spanish however, it was a little difficult to understand her directions. After about two tries of trying to understand her directions, she started using hand gestures to indicate the way, probably due to the bewildered look on our faces. With that we smiled and went on our way to go left and then right down a long side street. Just as we were beginning to think we needed to find someone else to get directions from, we came up to the entrance of the brightly painted orphanage with its name proudly painted on the front of the building.

We pulled around the corner, parking to the side of the street and walked to the front entrance. The gate was open and so we walked inside and were quickly greeted by one of the caretakers of this orphanage, Ester and some of the smiling children. Although someone had invited a number of the children to go to a movie that afternoon because they had helped do some volunteer work themselves, about half of the children were still there. The children were all quite curious as to why we were there and started to gather around to hear us speak in another language.

It wasn't long before the children invited our five kids to tour their home. They walked around pointing to the various rooms, showing which bed was theirs with minimal commentaries in Spanish in hopes that we would understand. Although our Spanish was very limited to non-existent, we did manage to understand even more with hand gestures and finger pointing. The orphanage was simple yet well kept. There were not lots of things to clutter the home up, but was simple and clean both inside and out. Each of the children had their various responsibilities that were posted on a bulletin board. With 17 children currently in the home, there was a definite need for the organization that we saw there.

Each of the children of the orphanage were gracious and full of smiles. Some brought our younger children into their small courtyard where they shared their one bike with our kids to have a spin. They soon realized with a bit of a tumble that this prized bike did not have breaks. It was only a few tears later that my 7 year old son Orin wiped his eyes and was back among his new friends that were speaking a language he did not understand.

While visiting we discovered that Ester, the mother of the orphanage was sick and recovering from the first round of chemotherapy treatment. Only a month earlier had she been diagnosed with Cancer. It was evident that not only was the cancer a concern for her, but also the thought of what would happen to these young children that depended so much on her patient guiding nature, should something happen to her.

After only about an hour we could tell it was time to go and to leave this loving home so they could have their lunch. We stood outside for a picture together before saying our final goodbyes. After asking if there were any toys the kids would like for Christmas, Ester was quick to say that toys were not necessary but the kids could really use a good pair of shoes. They didn't need toys but they did need some good quality North American shoes that would not fall apart. She said a couple of years ago someone brought some shoes from the United States for the children and even though they have gone through many pairs of shoes since, those shoes have been handed down and are still being worn by the children years later. Toys were not necessary, but good shoes were needed and would be a great Christmas gift.

We left the orphanage with a great appreciation for the simple things that we take for granted in our everyday life. These children did not need lots of toys or bikes or other things to make them happy. Perhaps out of necessity, they were just happy to have people who loved them watching over them, to have a roof over their heads and a good meal to eat. They were happy and vibrant children that depended upon each other and seemed to enjoy one another's company.

We wound our way through the village of Bonfil before finding our way back to the main highway. From there we headed towards Cancun and managed to find a route to the main hotel section with its big resorts and white sand beaches. It was lunchtime and so we were starting to look fore a place where we could get a bite to eat. It was at this point that we saw another RIU hotel with the same brand name of the hotel where we were staying. What caught my interest was that when we booked our hotel, we were told that we could play and eat at 5 other RIU resorts. I quickly pulled up to the hotel to ask them if we were able to have lunch here and was informed to my surprise that yes we could. We parked the car and wound our way around the resort before we found how to get into the buffet area. We ended up taking the long route as we first tried entering the doors from outside that were locked and then were directed in a round-about way through the theater and exercise rooms before finding the entrance to the dining area. Cancun's RIU hotel was almost as beautiful as our Resort but was more like a resort in the big city as opposed to a resort in a small town strip of beach.

We didn't stay long but the kids were distracted for a while by the little turtles in the lobby's pond before we dragged them out to the car to head off for a visit to one of the local marketplaces.

I had been told by a friend that the best markets are Market 28 and Market 23 and so we obtained directions from the hotel concierge and were off to get some souvenirs for the kids to take home. We were fortunate enough to find parking out on the street just outside of the Market area and so we parked our rental van. As soon as we parked and got out of our van, the store owners were quick to invite us and our children inside their stores that were just across the street from the marketplace. The children were easily tempted by the hand made toys that filled the entrance to their stores. It was obvious from the start that today was going to be a long day unless we trained our kids on the practice of bartering for your price.

When we first explained to the children that in Mexico you don't pay the price asked of you, they were a bit confused. At first they could not understand why someone would ask a price that was not what they wanted for a product. But it did not take for them long to figure out that the original $9 asking price for a wooden hand made spinning top dropped as they didn't accept the initial offer and then dropped even further to $2 when we were walking away and across the street. They quickly came to realize that this was going to be a fun way to spend the money that their great-grandmother had given them only two weeks earlier. They knew how much they had to spend and were going to make the most of it at this market.

We turned a lot of eyebrows as we walked from stall to stall in search of the most fun souvenir. The youngest ones were excited to try out the spinning tops, the wooden Mexican Yoyo's and almost got their hands on some little bow and arrows before I stopped them. They were in trinket heaven and must have tried everything out in the first 10 stores before we let them know that we had to move along a bit faster.

The market was filled with Jewelery shops, leather goods, t-shirts and magnetic bracelets. There were plenty of trinkets for kids and adults. The young kids were especially intrigued by the gigantic sombrero's and were sure to stop for a group photo by one of the stands, each wearing a 3 to 4 foot sombrero. Needless to say, the kids had a great time and all came away with a little memento of Mexico.

As we were finishing our shopping my wife was approached by a young lady selling hand-made woven bracelets. She had dozens to choose from and were only selling them for a dollar. With a baby in a sling slung over her back, my wife was not about to barter with this lady. After she purchased one, a few other ladies saw the result and tried the same approach for themselves.

It had been an exciting day where we were able to experience the many facets of Mexico and Mexican life. It was a day filled with memories that the children would always remember. One that they still talk about weeks later.

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We did have a little bit of spare time and so on the way home we took our time as we drove through each little village. As we passed Tulum we kept our eyes out for the Dos Ojos caves that we had read about so that we could go swimming in these amazing caves. The entrance to these caves were just North of the Hidden Worlds caves that are part of the same underground river network.

When we arrived at the entrance of the Dos Ojos caves we were pulled over to check out their "information center". This was simply a chance for them to upsell us on a snorkel tour as opposed to just taking a self guided snorkel in the caves. It was a joke. For 100 pesos ($10) per person we could snorkel in the caves or for 300 pesos ($30) we could have a guided tour of much the same caves. We did not fall for their "tour" which was a really good thing as I cannot imagine how a tour would have been any different.

The Dos Ojos caves were amazing, especially when we put on our snorkel gear and masks. The water in the caves was crisp, turquoise and cool with a nice platform for us to jump into the water from. The first cave was rather small being only 75 feet by 250 feet. It wasn't too interesting until we actually saw what was under the water. As we peered in we could see that the portion of the cave under the water had stalagtites and stalagmites. The cave also opened up much larger under the water than above. A few minutes after getting into the water we even saw a light shining from below. It seemed to be coming from under the water from below the back wall of the cave. Within a minute or two we could see that it was the flashlight of three scuba divers who had come to this cave from the next cave over. They had descended from the cave opposite this one a few hundred feet away to get to this cave.

After a few minutes we quickly moved on to the second larger cave. This cave was slightly deeper than the first cave but much longer. It ran in a horseshoe shape that must have been over 1000 feet from one end to the other. I jumped into the water with my four oldest kids and started to explore the interesting formations on the walls and below the water's surface. On the back wall of the cave as I peered below I could again see where the cave opened up into a larger space and could this time see light in the distance below the far wall. I could see light coming from about 300 feet away in the distance from the first cave we had explored. This was the route that the scuba divers had taken, but much too far a distance to be covered by a snorkeler.

I continued along with my amazed children along the horseshow shaped cenote (sinkhole) under the shelter of the cave. I think that my kids were absolutely thrilled to be swimming in and exploring caves fed by underground rivers. They felt like they were living the dream of an Indiana Jones adventure without the attackers coming after them. There was not more than one or two fish that we saw but the point of these caves was not the fish, but rather the amazing rock formations. It was truely an experience they will never forget and an experience I would recommend taking any adventure bound kid on.

The sun was starting to set and mosquitoes were starting to buzz around 5 pm and so we decided it was time to head back for our resort. We made our way down the bumpy road back to the highway. There were so many small potholes that we found it much more manageable to speed over them as opposed to go slowly down and up the opposite side.

Within an hour we were back in Playa del Carmen and ready for a buffet dinner before a well needed night's sleep. It was an exhausting day filled with history, culture, crocodiles, swimming and caves.

2007 Dos Ojos Caves Cost:
Community Entrance - 100 pesos ($10) per person over 10 years old.
(Hidden Worlds and other commercial entrances cost more to this network of caves)

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The plan for our first day away from our oasis of foreign overeater's resort was Coba. We rented a car from Cheap Tickets Canada.com with Thrifty Car Rental. It was a good thing too because our $59 US per day car rental was over $100 per day if booked at the resort! Needless to say upon discovering this I bought some Internet time at the hotel and reserved a van with Cheap Tickets Canada.com for two more days later on during our stay. The Thrifty Car Rental representative at the hotel was happy to arrange for the vehicle to be ready for us at our hotel and so it was even more convenient than I had expected.

We got up early in the morning but with 5 children, we did not leave the hotel at 8 am as expected. It was more like 9:30 am due to the flexibility required when traveling with a large group of children. Packing snorkeling gear, sunscreen, bug repellent, snacks, water, hats and swimsuits were only some of the things we did not want to forget on our day trip.
Coba is about 1.5 hours from Playa del Carmen on the Mayan Riviera where we were and about 2.5 hours from Cancun. The drive South on the Freeway to Tulum was an hour along the most frustrating stretch of highway. Every 10 to 20 kilometers we would find speed bumps that were half a foot high and three feet long. What was most frustrating was that not always were they well marked by a sign. On at least two occasions I approached the speed bump much too quickly and screeched to a much quicker launch over the speed bump than the rental car company would have wanted me to. It did however make for quite the conversation and excitement among the children in the back row who were jolted in their seat belts. The experience however did make me a bit paranoid about following the actual speed limit and certainly made me pay better attention to the road signs that were ahead. I soon came to realize that the speed bumps usually were grouped into threes with the middle one unmarked. The once yellow painted speed bumps were long worn to their original colour that blended into the road.

The road west from Tulum to Coba was much easier although only one lane in each direction. The half hour drive consisted mostly of jungles on each side with the occasional shack and two quaint little towns along the way. Driving through these little towns (with their dozen or more speed bumps) gave us a glimpse into their modest lifestyle.

About one kilometer from Coba was a large intersection that was rather confusing. After almost going the wrong way around the roundabout we did find the side road to Coba. The town of Coba was small. After passing through the town we drove alongside the lake which had at least two people showing off crocodiles to the tourists (with the expectation of a couple of dollars in exchange). It was mostly a couple of village boys trying to make a few dollars off of the tourists that flocked to the area.

Parking in the muddy entrance to Coba surrounded by little shops was only 15 pesos. Overall the experience to this little treasure was not only affordable but a unique experience. Our guidebook suggested we bypass the overpriced offers for a guide outside the park. As a result we paid for our admission of 450 pesos per adult (free for children), told the kids to use the washrooms (there are none inside the park) just outside the entrance before walking into the park.
Just as we entered it started to pour with rain. The ten minute downpour was the longest of many short periods of rain we experienced. Given how warm it was however we were not going to let the wet weather dampen our spirits. We just started up the trail to the first of 5 sites spread out over many acres. As we walked to the first group of buildings one of the guides who were now huddled under a little thatched roof shelter approached us and offered a 45 minute tour for $20. He didn't seem willing to barter (and was much less than the $35 we were previously told it may be) and so we took him up on his offer.

He proceeded to tell us about the history and significance of Coba and how it was older than and had links to Chichen Itza. The children even gleaned a fair amount of information from the guide who had a number of photos, pictures and diagrams in the waterproof binder he carried.

Our first building was a temple site where ceremonies were performed followed by a visit to the area where the priests resided. Following a walk through a short tunnel (due to the fact that on average Mayan's were shorter than my 5 foot tall wife) we headed over to the old Mayan ball court. This is where the Mayans would use their knees, elbows and hips to hit a 10 pound rubber ball through a stone hoop 30 feet up a stone ramp to either side of the court. The winner was honorably sacrificed to the God's. You can't tell me he would have been trying that hard to win the competition now can you?

Following our tour of this first group our guide dropped us off at a bike stand and asked us if we wanted to tour the rest of Coba by bike or in the front of one of the many locals who had three wheel bikes with portable umbrellas to protect the passengers from the rain. It was at this time that it started to rain again and so we decided to hire two chauffeured bikes (950 pesos) and two self propelled bikes (300 pesos) for our family. My pregnant wife and youngest kids were not up to the two kilometer hike to see the rest of the ruins. This was probably the most fun we had during the day and we were whisked from one group of sites to another.
Our chauffeur's didn't speak much English and so we had to mostly had to rely on our limited Spanish and their limited yet better English as we visited the remaining groups of sites in Coba. At one point we followed their pointer finger down a path that lead to a fairly large building where no other tourists were. It was tucked 50 meters down a trail behind another small structure where a group of people were gathered.

We biked past another ball court and observatory before reaching the tallest building in Coba. The kids were excited to know that they were allowed to climb this ancient structure. As we approached it each of my children made a quick dash to its steep steps before I called them back for a little lesson on safely climbing Mayan structures, something they didn't feel they needed a lecture on. It did make me feel somewhat more comfortable about the climb. . . that is until my careful children started to run up the edifice faster than I could say "slow down". They zipped up bypassing all of the adults three times their age paying no attention to the safety rope that dangled down the centre of the steps. At one point I did ask them to stop so that I could go ahead and at least get a video of them scampering up the ancient temple. They were only too happy to oblige and as I filmed their ascent I was even able to capture the slip of my 9 year old Dailin, who was climbing a bit too fast and got a nice sized gash on his shin. He stopped and sat down in the hot sun that was out and had a bit of a cry at this point before I asked him the all important question, "Do you want to continue to the top or head back down." Well he was hurt but there was no way I was going to stop him from climbing on this cool ancient playground equipment. So with that he hobbled up the second half of the steps to the top of the structure.

From here we could see Coba Lake in the distance along with the Observatory and a canopy of Jungle trees. It was a beautiful site from the top of these ruins and in the five minutes we were at the top, two 30 second rain showers passed by. From this vantage point we could even see the rain as it moved past us and off into the distance. It was quite a unique site to see.

Well it came time for us all to climb down and my kids were just as happy to hop down the steps as some of the adults around us clung to the lifeline rope for dear life. I accompanied my 7 year old while the others did a semi-descent job of following my instructions of leaning back as they went down the stairs. It was at this point that my observant 7 year old Orin said, "So you would rather that we lean back and crack our heads than lean forward and die from falling down?" I couldn't help but chuckle and confirm his remark with a simple, "Yes, that's right."

Our bike ride back to the entrance of this archaeological site followed the same path we came on. We zipped along the path at a leisurely pace to finish off our day. It was a nice relaxing, educational and thrilling day for all of us. We were happy to get away from the resort and to experience the true life and history of the people of Mexico.

2007 Coba Costs:
Parking - 15 pesos
Admission - 450 pesos per adult (free for kids)
Guide - 2000 pesos
Bike - 300 pesos
Chauffeured bike - 950 pesos
Chauffeur tips - 500 pesos (optional)

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We enjoyed a dive last week in sidney, b.c. canada, diving a ship wreck. We saw tons of life including the biggest Nudibranch I've seen todate. Richard Parker and I explored the wreck from the front to the back, taking photos of everything. Then then made the 3000 foot swim at 68 feet down back to where we jumped into the ocean.

Below will be some shots of our dive!

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Getting up at 4:15 am was perhaps the most difficult part of our vacation although the kids were anxious enough to be headed for Mexico that they didn't seem to mind and were on the best of behavior considering how tired they must have been. We were packed and ready to go and so following a very early breakfast, we loaded our luggage into the car and were off to the airport for our 6 am departure. Having checked in online for our Alaska Airlines flight did save us a lot of time at the airport and enabled us to show up only 50 minutes before our flight was to depart. Checking in online enabled us to preenter our passport information and print out our boarding passes.


Within 3 minutes of clearing security we were ready to board the plane. That's one benefit to leaving from a smaller airport.


We were well prepared for our second flight which was 5.5 hours long. We packed plenty of toys and games for the flight which was a lifesaver since Alaska Airlines only rents out $10 portable TV sets. They are a far cry from Air Canada's convenient seat back TV on demand or WestJet's live TV's. Alaska Airlines does not have much at all that caters to entertaining children but they were the most direct flights we could find so the flight convenience was the decision maker.


Another thing we had to prepare for was food. Alaska Airlines has very meager $5 sandwiches. My wife bit into one that still had ice frozen meat inside. She was not impressed. Compared to a delicious hot Terriyaki Chicken TV dinner dish I had on a recent Air Canada flight for the same price, it was less than impressive. Fortunately we were aware that meals were not provided and we brought plenty of snacks for the kids to eat. They passed the morning playing pocket electronic games, creating animals with snap together toys and running to the washroom.


Rather than paying a per person rate to be shuttled to our hotel after numerous stops I booked a private shuttle direct to our Resort with Entertainment Plus. It saved me about 50% off of the individual rates I had found elsewhere and was the most affordable private shuttle service I found. Entertainment Plus had someone holding up a sign with my name on it as I exited the airport. After he called our driver, he was there within 3 minutes to load our baggage and take us to our hotel. It was probably one of the most convenient transfers I have taken and I would highly recommend it (especially if you have 4 or more people traveling together). We went directly to our hotel and arrived in the Playacar area within about 45 to 60 minutes. The driver was friendly and although he introduced himself well, didn't know enough English to answer my more involved questions. Much better than my limited Spanish however.


We arrived at the RIU Palace Mayan Riviera around dinner time. After checking into the hotel we were anxious to get started taking advantage of our All inclusive resort. Being that this was the first time our family has ever stayed all together at an All Inclusive Resort we had to go over the basics of the atmosphere, to enjoy all that is offered without overdoing it. It took a bit of an adjustment for our children to get used to the idea that they could order any drink or food they wanted including room service, but they were only too happy to oblige and get used to being spoiled for a couple of days.

This resort prides itself in being all inclusive 24 hours a day. One can eat 24 hours a day although I sincerely doubt that many people are up at 4am to take advantage of it.


The dining room was not open at 6 pm when we were anxious to eat and so we headed off to the sports bar for some nacho chips and sushi to tide us over until the Buffet dining hall was open. By the time we finally got into the dining room for the buffet dinner we were tired and famished. It had been a long day and we were ready for a quick bite to eat before heading in for the night. The food choices were enormous and tasty. Everything from a large salad bar to 20 or more dinner choices along with an amazing desert bar with cakes, ice cream and fruit. We were on the opposite extreme compared to the meager choices we had earlier in the day on our Alaska Airlines flight.


After a filling meal, Mom and the two youngest children Eli (4) and Orin (7) were ready for some sleep. The older three Dailin (9), Jaeden (11) and Alyssa (12) were too wired to go to sleep and so after waiting for some evening entertainment we headed outside to listen. It was an evening of live entertainment. Following the entertainment the kids were more anxious than hungry to try out the 11am to 11 pm Room Service Menu. It was even more enticing than the stocked and included mini-bar of drinks in the room. Following the late night snack of fruit they were well prepared for a good night sleep. It was a long day and the rest of us were well exhausted and ready for some shut eye.

Toronto is the central airline hub of Canada. It is also the business centre of Canada where much of the country's commerce takes place. Chances are you will not fly over Toronto, but rather will fly via or to Toronto. The city sprawls out quite a distance when looking at the Greater Toronto area.


The airport terminals are spacious with shops and restaurants open well into the evening. After collecting your baggage you exit the terminal buildings where there is a wide variety of transportation options. There are the conveniently located car rentals, taxi cabs, prearranged limo services or the less expensive and less direct Airport Express. The Airport Express shuttle service buses passengers from the airport to major downtown hotels every 20 minutes throughout the day and every 30 minutes in the evening. The shuttles are convenient enough especially if you don't want to brave the traffic into the Downtown city centre.


During the day it can take up to 1.5 hours to make the journey between the city and the Toronto International airport out in Mississauga. If you are fortunate enough to arrive at the airport later on in the evening after the traffic has settled down, the trip only takes about 30 minutes.


Restaurants, shops and other conveniences are available well into the eveing if not throughout the night. The CN tower itself is open past midnight although the second elevator ascent to the top does close earlier than the rest of the facility. Whether visiting during the day or the night, the CN Tower is a must see attraction. It's also a good idea to check out which theatre or sporting events are on as the widest Canadian variety of events takes place in Toronto. Toronto in and of itself may not be a popular repeat destination in my mind, but it is one that people find themselves coming back to due to business meetings and fine arts events. And it doesn't hurt that Niagara Falls is only a day trip away.

Taha'a is a beautiful island, but, more beautiful yet are the coral reefs that
surround it. Our family took a weekend trip to Raiatea (Ray-ah-Tay-ah). While there a guide took us on a day trip to the island called Taha'a. After learning about how pearls are formed, we went to the other side of the island and went snorkeling. I saw coral of blue, brown, orange, yellow, pink, purple, red and green. There were sea anemones, sea urchins and hermit crabs. The sky was blue and the ocean bluer than you could ever imagine without having been there yourself. Not only is the coral colorful but the fish as well. I saw clownfish, moorish idols, emperor angels, coachmans, sadel butterflies, rainbow wrasses, giant labrids, hardwickes, parrotfish, longhorned cowfish, spiny puffers, black groupers, blue striped snappers, big eye squirl fish, tropical sole, needle fish, trumpet fish and eels bigger than I have ever seen. Thanks to a local guidebook I was able to identify the sealife.

Not only did I like the snorkeling, but the people as well. After snorkeling we went on a tour of the island. My Mom and Dad wanted to buy some vanilla beans, so they asked the person driving the Jeep to stop somewhere where they could buy some. He did. When we went into the little shop, we were greeted with flower leis that they had made. Mom bought two packets of vanilla and the old lady in the shop added one more. We then bought a handmade necklace and the lady added two more necklaces. We tried to pay for them but only succeeded in buying them for half price as well as adding four more packets of vanilla. The island, fish, coral reefs, and people realy made Taha'a the beautiful place it was.

After years of questions from friends and Cheap Tickets Canada customers, our family decided to take a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii. Our kids never wanted to leave and my husband and I wondered why we had never taken the kids before. Not only were we greeted with the customary lei greeting but we were instantly engulfed in the balmy plumaria scented air. Despite getting our passports lost (or stolen) the locals were fantastic. Even the police welcomed us to their island when we made had to report our lost documents.

The Big Island of Hawaii has 11 different climates and three different colors of sand beaches (green, black, and white.) We were amazed at all of the free adventures that were ours to experience on this tropical island.

The Thurston Lava Tubes provided hours of fun as we explored giant tunnels left by the volcano. And no visit is complete without a visit to the famous Kilauea Volcano National Park where kids and adults can visit the interactive museum, Discovery Center and circle tour. You can even experience incredible views of the sulfur spewing crater (a bit strong smelling) and enjoy hikes, tours or visit the restaurants and gift stores.

After a day in the mountains we were ready for a local swim-hole secret, Kole Kole beach park. This unique place is both exciting and dangerous if you are not careful. Here the fresh waterfalls from the mountains rush to meet the ocean and create a refreshing freshwater swimming hole. The danger comes from flash floods due to excessive rainfall. The current can then wash you out to sea if you are not careful.

My Dream Adventure

After months of careful research I felt I had packed every possible item I would need to bring to Peru and the Galapagos Islands. We had all our immunizations and special malaria pills. We had altitude medicine for our trek to 13000 ft in the Andes mountains and of course my special hiking shoes that I had dutifully spent a month breaking in. I was very responsible and even bought every organic, biodegradable soap, shampoo, bug spray, sunscreen, and lotion on the market. I was prepared with the latest in light clothes, heavy clothes, day packs, rain gear and swim clothes. I had done my research and I was ready to take on this part of the world.

After leaving the Victoria International Airport via Air Canada I was told I could not take my precious luggage into the cabin with me as it was a bit too large. I reluctantly handed it over to the flight attendant who assured me she would take good care of it. When I arrived in Vancouver without my bag I began to panic. After an hour of searching, I had to get onto my connecting flight or I would miss our tour. I was assured that my bag would be waiting for me in Lima, Peru.

I did my best to relax on the long flight to Lima however my worst fears were realized when the baggage department in Lima had no knowledge of my carefully packed suitcase. We tried all that night to track down my bag and even had family back in Canada try to track it down. The next day when there was still was no sign of my bags I had to make a decision, do I let my frustrations ruin my trip or do I smile and begin my adventure?

I guess I wanted this once-in-a-lifetime experience too much to give up over a petty piece of critical luggage. Still wearing my traveling clothes my husband and I wandered the streets of Lima in search of the bare essentials. Our first stop was a huge garage style shop with dusty clothes piled from floor to ceiling in two huge heaps. All of the clothes were new, defective clothes from factories like Old Navy or American Eagle. There was no order to the piles, just giant heaps of light cotton clothes.

For the first time in our marriage my husband actually enjoyed shopping with me. In fact he was having more fun than I was. He simply had to reach into the pile and grab any style or colour of shirt. If it looked like it might fit me, we would buy it. Each item cost only a dollar, so he did not care if it was out of style five years ago. In this manner we wandered in and out of similar shops trying to replace what I needed. After an exhausting day, we were ready the next morning to join our group of fourteen on the first part of our tour to the Amazon Jungle.

As we floated down the muddy waters of the Amazon river for hours on end in a dug-out canoe I knew we were entering a new world. This world cared neither about my organic biodegradable lotions nor about my new out of style clothing. It was evening when we finally reached the soft muddy shore and all thoughts of lost luggage had long since slipped away.

Although we saw no life on our short hike to our jungle lodge we heard a music I will never forget. The music of insects chirping, animals calling and birds, bats and fireflies flying in the night. I lay awake for hours listening to this music half out of delight and half out of fear. Our beautiful lodge was more like a glorified hut. It had a roof to cover us during those terrential monsoon like showers but only three walls. My bed was facing the open jungle with all its sounds, dangers and mysteries.

Two days later I did not want to leave the jungle but the seven of us that were going to hike the Machu Pichu trail were excited to get started. We again checked for my luggage but there was no sign of it anywhere. After a flight to Cuzco our guide took us in the evening to the Black Market. This turned out to be an underground market where one can buy anything. All the big US name brand items were sold there. Where they came from or whether or not they were even authentic items were things I never considered until later.

I bought a great pair of Adidas hiking shoes very cheap. I managed to grab a bright green track suit that had to double as my light clothes, heavy clothes, sleep clothes and even rain gear. There was only time to find one or two more things and we were off. I definitely had no trouble staying under my maximum weight allowance for baggage on the trail.

Every step of the Inca trail on the first day was wonderful. My husband had generously given me his altitude medicine as he did not think he would be affected. Other than the odd tingling feeling caused by the medicine I was feeling great. After hiking all day we fell down exhausted into the food tent our porters had set up for us. I had made it a rule not to eat anything raw and I became an instant vegetarian. I only drank boiled or bottled liquids and I enjoyed the boiled lupine seeds and quinoa.

The night soon became cold and I was grateful for the fatigue which set in allowing me to sleep soundly on the hard ground. As hours turned into days we enjoyed sweeping vistas, ancient ruins from lost civilizations and even witnessed daily life of the Incas who still roam those high mountain trails.

I had been intrigued about the bathroom situation on the trail for months and no matter how much I researched, I never seemed to get answers to my questions. I soon learned what no one wanted to talk about. Needless to say I was grateful for the altitude medicine and my new veggie diet that kept me from getting the dreaded condition that seemed to affect most on the trail. Most people became grateful to pull over into a bush without any warning to take care of business.

Each day on the trail brought us higher into the mountains and deeper into an ancient world created and hidden by the Incas centuries ago. I felt sacredness within the crumbling walls of their homes and temples. Machu Picchu is a journey not a destination. With or without my luggage I would do it again in a heart beat.

West Edmonton Mall turned out to be a wonderful weekend getaway even in the winter. Although we could not get to Hawaii and back in three days, we did stay in the Fantasyland Hotel's Polynesian room. We were inside the mall and close to all of the action. With over 800 stores to chose from West Edmonton Mall is truly a shoppers dream come true with all of your favorite stores in one place.

After a day of shopping I was ready to rest and relax at the famous indoor water park. My husband and I figured it was cheaper to pay the $29.00 entrance fee to the water park than to let me shop another day. This was a super fun choice. Raging rapids was relaxing and I enjoyed the tube rides. When I attempted Nessie's Revenge I felt sick.:( As I was twisting twirling and splashing down the slides I was laughing and screaming all at the same time. I finally mustered up the courage to ride the Typhoon where the slide is partially enclosed leaving a rider in total darkness part of the time.

I was on a high after I made it down and somehow I managed to let my husband talk me into attempting a ride on the Sky Screamer. I almost lost my nerve as I climbed straight up the 78ft ladder and looked down the Sky Screamer.:eek: I felt like fainting but was too embarrassed to back down so I smiled weakly, waved to my spectators and screamed my head off. I thought I would die but I lived and even laughed when it was over. There is plenty for young and old including a kids section filled with slides, rapids and rides.

Galaxyland, the world's largest indoor amusement park, entertained me as my big kid husband lived out all his childhood memories of thrills and spills on many of the 25 fantastical rides. We never stuck around but in the evening teens can Rock and Ride from eight to midnight.

The mall also has a beautiful indoor skating rink, all kinds of educational marine adventures and even two different mini golf courses. Of course the movie theaters appeal to many and there is always something new going on at West Edmonton Mall.

Introduction

I am travelling with my wife Kirsten and five children Alyssa (12), Jaeden (10), Dailin (8), Orin (6) and Eli (3) for a two and a half month adventure to the South Pacific. The first two weeks will be in the Cook Islands (Rarotonga 11 days and then to Aitutaki where we will stay in the islands' most affordable shack for 3 days).

We will then head off for Tahiti for two months. While in Tahiti we will be staying with two families (of friends). Another friend also has a husband who works on the cargo ships which distributes goods throughout the Society Islands so we will have some real adventurous sea sick stories to tell. The first 2 weeks in Tahiti will probably be on the island of Tahiti, followed by the overnight Cargo ship to Bora Bora where we will stay with another family for 3-4 weeks. From this point we will take some 1 to 3 day trips to nearby islands.

We then plan to venture out to one or more remote Tuamotu Islands (including Rarotonga, a 30 km wide donut shaped island) where we will be cut off from cell phone coverage. Although we are not sure if our budget will allow for it, the Marquesas Islands may be a faint possibility.

Internet access is a bit touch and go on Bora Bora. Not too bad in Tahiti and the Cook Islands so we plan to login once or more per week. We will be updating this online travel blog throughout the trip so people can see what adventures we have experienced or are about to experience. One of our family's goals are to learn and live from the local Tahitians and to learn French in the process.

We will be leaving on February 21st and returning on May 9th... that is if everything goes as planned. There are a lot of gaps in our plans to account for following the adventure to where it wants to take us. Not to worry, we are prepared... we think.

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Part 1: Feb 21, 2007 - Flying with 5 Kids

Flying to the South Pacific

Well February 21st, departure day could not have come soon enough (although I wouldn't have minded another week to get ready for leaving work for two and a half months). In any case I jumped on the plane with my wife and 5 kids anyways. I couldn't let them have all the fun without me. Leaving Victoria around noon we were all refreshed and anxious to get going. Only 30 minutes to Vancouver and quick walk through US customs and we were boarding our just under 3 hour flight to Los Angeles.

It was in LA that we got a little restless waiting for our twelve and a half hour trip to Rarotonga (Cook Islands). The five hour layover was a bit long. There were no play areas for the kids and so we kept them entertained with the carry on items we had kept with us. After 5 hours of cards, Lego and scaring fellow passengers with Chinese yo-yo's we were definitely ready for our late night flight to the South Pacific. The timing was perfect. We kept the kids up late and so by the time our 10pm flight rolled around they were ready for a good night sleep. The two youngest couldn't even wait the 45 minutes before a hot dinner was served. They were sleeping shortly after takeoff.
The flight was extremely comfortable, especially considering it was only about 20% full. That meant there were some three center seat beds for each member of our family. The nine hours to our first stop in Papeete, Tahiti went by quickly as all the kids slept soundly (and so did I after the in-flight movie).

Our Air New Zealand flight was not reconfigured with the personal in-flight entertainment systems. I think they currently do this for the long range flights directly to New Zealand. As we were preparing to land in Papeete we caught a glimpse of a beautiful above-the-clouds sunrise. The gradually lit up as we landed on our first South Pacific island. Each of our kids were excited to land in French Polynesia but knew that they would have to wait another two weeks before having the opportunity to live there for two months.


Flying through Papeete to Rarotonga

Immediately after exiting the plane and proceeding to customs, we were greeted by two Tahitian girls that handed each passenger a beautifully scented flower with a warm smile. Music was also being played by three musicians as we patiently waited to pass through. After an hour long layover in a special holding area at the airport for transit passengers (complete with a nice sized kids play area) we boarded our flight for Rarotonga with more passengers who joined us. This flight was just under two hours in length and so we landed 23 hours after leaving home.

Our greeting through customs in the Cook Islands was a warm one. Similar to our Tahitian greeting, music was playing and we quickly relaxed into the slower paced mood of the Cook Islands. As we waited for our luggage we watched a police dog walk onto the baggage belt and sniffing and walking over all of our luggage to ensure that no contraband materials were being brought into the islands.

Anyone going to the Cook Islands should make sure to bring some New Zealand dollars with them (either that or some cash to exchange at the airport). There are no ATM's at the airport or within walking distance. Fortunately I had some Canadian Dollars to exchange otherwise we would have been hiking the 10 km to our hotel. Perhaps I should have pre-booked our hotel transfers too. In any case, with a little bit of local cash on hand we quickly discovered that it was far less expensive for our family of 7 to crowed into a mini-van taxi than to take the multi-stop shuttle bus.

Part 2: Feb 22 - March 7, 2007 - Two Weeks in the Cook Islands - Rarotonga and Aitutaki

First Day in the Cook Islands

We arrived early at the Edgewater Resort, only about a 10 minute drive from the airport. It is conveniently located on the ocean and we later discovered it is the largest hotel on the island. We were warmly greeted by the hotel staff and Uncle Joe, a former Cook Island police officer took our bags on his large golf cart to our room before coming back to pick our family up. Along the way to our room, he gave us the tour of the resort complete with lots of helpful tips and information. We then checked into villa number 5 which was conveniently located at the newest end of the resort. It is a self contained 3 bedroom house perfect for accommodating our family of 7. We were also advised that we were only the second people to check into this brand new section of the resort. This became obvious as we discovered the installation instructions in the dishwasher and Styrofoam packaging inside the microwave. Nothing like the new-house feel. Because we were early enough, Uncle Joe encouraged us to take advantage of the Buffet Continental Breakfast that is included in the room rates. We had worked up an appetite and so it didn't take much to convince us to have a fresh "Island" breakfast.

Breakfast came complete with toast, papaya juice (called Pawpaw juice), cereals and the greatest fresh island fruit bar. The fruit bar included fresh island fruits such as papaya, banana, coconut, guava, apples and watermelon. A great breakfast deal we discovered after seeing how much fruit costs at the local grocery store. Starting out the hot sunny day with a full stomach was the perfect way to begin our holiday. The rest of the day was spent wading in the lagoon water in front of the hotel and hanging out in the swimming pool which was much cooler than the hot air.

Although we did take a nap as the hottest time of the day came baring down on us we did make the most of our day. Our favorite part of the day was when we had the opportunity to ride the bus into the main town of Avarua to get some much needed groceries. I had gone down the street earlier to the local 6-11 store and paid $4 for a one litre bottle of spring water. When we arrived at one of the three main grocery stores on the island we didn't notice the prices being much better. A block of butter was $5 and 4 litres of water was still $5. We would have bought some fish or chicken but they had all run out. I guess it's the luck of the draw and it looks like our food budget won't stretch as far as we had anticipated.

We stood out a bit in the small grocery store as our 5 children helped fill up our two shopping carts with the supplies we would need for the next few days. We had no choice but to get what we needed, so $250 later we walked out of the store with backpacks and arms loaded. After getting directions to the closest bus stop we headed out, 7 backs and 14 arms loaded with backpacks and bags.

As we sat at the bus-stop we quickly discovered that it may be a long ride home on the bus. The 10 minute bus-ride counter-clockwise around the island does not operate after 4:30 pm. This meant that the 7 pm bus that was to leave in 20 minutes would take the clockwise route around the island and take 50 minutes instead. To our surprise however a skinny 60 year old man driving by popped his head out the window and asked where we were going. When we explained our hotel destination to him he quickly turned his red truck around and offered us ride. He told us he felt for the kids and didn't want them to have to wait or take the long ride to our hotel. As we started to load our belongings in the back of his truck he asked that we quickly get in as he did not want to upset his local friends by taking away fare paying passengers from the local bus company. No matter the result, it was a much appreciated gesture that we will long remember past the memory of a 50 minute bus ride I am sure.

As we spoke to our host we quickly discovered that he knew lots of people on the island. Every local person we passed he honked to and waved, calling many of them by name. He had a wonderful sense of humor and asked us to wait in his truck for a few minutes while he ran into a local corner store that was extremely small but where he said, "most of the locals shop". He said the prices there are better than in the bigger supermarkets. We decided that we would follow the locals' suggestion (this was the second local that had recommended this place to us) and shop there the next time.

After our conversation on the way to our hotel we discovered that this man was a popular island entertainer. He invited us to come and see his weekly performance at his home called the "Piri show". It wasn't until later that we discovered through reading our Lonely Planet guidebook that Piri Puruto III is perhaps the "longest running showman on the island". He explained to us that his show includes starting fires by rubbing sticks together, climbing a coconut tree and husking coconuts (and on Sundays a delicious umukai feast cooked in an underground oven.

When we arrived home we were happy to have a quick meal and head off for a well needed rest. Exhausted from the heat of the day, some of our kids fell asleep before dinner was even ready.


Fun in the Water - Pools and Oceans

I'm sitting poolside at the Edgewater resort's outdoor bar/patio. After searching for a variety of options on how to get online in the Cook Islands I was pleased to find that they had a WiFi hotspot for my laptop here at the hotel. Not a big deal you may think but it is one of only 7 locations on the island provided by Telecom Cook Islands. Otherwise most internet access is the turtle slow dial-up access I have grown accustomed to forget. The hotel does have a location for dial-up access for $7.50 NZD per half hour but I'm told it is slow and does not always work. So I get spoiled with some wirless access for my laptop which isn't as fast as what I am used to but much better than the alternative.

Well you may wonder why I even need to go online if I am on holidays but I am in fact on a working holiday, and blogging about it.

Our family spent our first full day on the Cook Islands just relaxing at the Edgewater resort which is a fabulous hotel located on the ocean. The entire island of Rarotonga is circled by a reef that protects its shores from the open waves of the ocean. Waves come and crash on the reef about 300 feet from the shorline of our hotel. The rythmic sound of the waves is enough to relax anyone.

After a hearty breakfast, the morning was spent snorkeling in the lagoon between the soft white sandy beach and the outer edge of the reef. At 10 AM every day the resort organizes a daily "fish feeding" activity which is no more than bringing a loaf of white bread to feed to the fish. This almost tames the fish into being used to come close to shore to have a mid morning snack. The fish of all shapes and sizes then attach and splash towards the food to get a bite to eat. After feeding the fish we put our snorkelling gear on and went to look at the fish from a different perspective. There were hundreds of fish, yellow, white, bright blue, rainbow coloured and my 10 year old son Jaeden even spotted an eel as it peered out from under a large rock only 20 feet from shore. It kept popping its head out from under the rock, just like we had seen on the IMAX movies. It was an exciting morning of sealife and snorkeling.

After getting a bit exhausted and burned in the water we headed for the coconut palms that line the edge of the beach. My oldest two boys found some brown coconut's in the husk that they thought they would attempt to extract (from the husk). Not an easy feat even if you have seen a professional do it at one of those Polynesian performances. My oldest son who had brought his pen knife along with him was persistent. First he whittled away at the husk and started to pull wedges off of it. Finally after about 2 hours he was successful in his attempt and pulled the hard coconut out. A wack with a rock later he was drinking coconut juice and eating the fresh coconut meat from inside.


The Saturday Island Market

Every Saturday in the Cook Islands there is a morning market on the edge of Avarua. The first bus of the day did not pick us up until 8:40 AM from the hotel. I had forgotten our camera back in our hotel room so while my family boarded the bus I dashed off in the heat to see if I would be fast enough to get it in time. The bus driver seeing my wife alone with our 5 kids was compassionate enough to take her time and drove as slowly as possible so that I was able to catch up to the bus. Needless to say I received quite the applause when I boarded the bus by all of the other tourists who were onboard. The bus driver told me I have a nice family that wanted to make sure I came along. When I jokingly told her my wife probably just wanted my help with the kids she informed me in traditional Cook Island humor, "No, she just wanted your money."

In order to get the freshest fish at the market you have to be early. We were planning on buying some fish to cook but didn't arrive early enough to obtain any. We did however arrive in time to see a variety of tents with adults and children alike selling their wares. Vendors of all ages were selling fresh papaya (paw paw), starfruit, watermelon, mangos, coconuts, giant boiled chestnuts, sweet sop, fresh herbs, taro, breadfruit and a variety of bananas from their gardens. Carvers were also showing their wares including carved shells and wood. Locals were also showing off their beautiful hand made pareus, black pearls and flower headresses & leis. Local island music was also in the air to add to the atmosphere along with live performers dancing on stage and musicians selling their cd's. The island market is a definate must do for anyone visiting Rarotonga.


A Religious Island and the New Zealand Influence

Cook Islanders are well known for being very religious. Most travel books also recommend attending religious services on the islands to get a proper impression of the people and their culture. In many churches ladies come dressed in white and are sure to wear a hat. As I watched churchgoers heading to their worship services I noticed them arriving in cars and on motor scooters. Even after driving up on their scooters, ladies were sure to have a hat tucked away and put it on for the service.

Attending church services is also a great way to get to know the local people. They are warm, welcoming and extremely hospitable. After church we were fortunate enough to have a friendly couple come by our hotel on their scooter to drop off some fresh fruit from their garden. It was refreshing to have some fresh starfruit and passionfruit picked from the garden on a hot summer day. A second person stopped by the next day and dropped off some deliciously sweet green oranges that they had seen growing at the side of the road. Within the next week we were the greatfull recipients of fruit from at least 3 other people we had met. One does not have to go far to notice the friendly nature of the island people. It seems to flow freely from their nature.

New Zealand and the Cook Islands are closely associated with one another. In the past 10 years the population of the Cook Islands have dropped by more than half. Young people tend to move to Australia or New Zealand to search for greener pastures and a stable lifestyle. A large number of the Cook Island residents I have spoken to have lived elsewhere and returned back to the island to live. For many residents, living in the islands is a lifestyle choice as opposed to a way to make some money. Wages can be fairly low while expenses remain quite high. When comparing the cost of food to that of Canada I have found that the prices generally are double to triple in price. Most goods are also imported from New Zealand which freight costs can add substantially to the grocery bill.


Snorkelling, Shells and Hermit Crabs

We have sought out the perfect beaches to explore and snorkel in. It seems like the entire coastline of the Cook Islands is nothing but the perfect white sand beaches that you see in travel books. Very little of the coastline does not have a beach. It stretches for miles and miles and I would not be surprised if you couldn't almost walk the entire coastline. A beautiful spot we stopped at for snorkelling in the afternoon was Muri Beach along the southern coast of Rarotonga. There are four little islands off in the lagoon, isolated with their own palm tree oasis. From shore you can take lagoon cruises or simply rent a windsurfer, sailboat or kayak. We chose to just snorkel out to a large islet in the distance called Koromiri. It was no deeper than waist deep on the entire 1 km walk out to the island. My 6 year old son, Orin even walked all the way out to the island with a little bit of help from me. The water is turquoise blue and the white sand makes it a dreamy, idellic experience.

I walked over to Koromiri with my digital camera in hand. I was sure to keep my shirt on and lots of sunscreen since the early morning sun was already getting hot. As four of my children arrived on the islet the only people we saw were 2 people who had also kayaked to the island and a dog. I don't really know where the dog came from as there was no owner in sight. The islet seemed fairly empty as it was a 9 AM mid week morning. We explored the white sand shoreline along with a rocky outcropping on the West side. It wasn't until we went inland to where it seemed that a company had set up a covered eating area and some outhouses that we had a bit of a surprise.

I walked past a pile shells sitting on the ground that it looked like someone had collected. It was far enough on shore that it seemed that some shell collector had placed them there. I never really thought much about it until my children who were a little bit behind me came up to collect the shells. As they were about to do so they noticed that the shells were moving. The entire cluster of shells were growing legs and walking away in all different directions. Some shells were quite large while others were very small. Spiral shells, round shells and others were all starting to move. Some even started to climb up a nearby tree. Hermit crabs were using the shells as their homes and were moving around to where they wanted to go. When we went back to another beach between Black Rock and the airport later on in the week we noticed that at least 50% of the shells my children were trying to collect were already inhabited. They had to be careful to make sure that the shells were all empty. Even at that, of all the shells they collected we discovered one was occupied and my son, a few hours later upon discovering this, was sure to go back to the beach and place the crab into the water.

The beaches of the Cook Islands are truely breathtaking. No matter where you go you cannot help but see turquoise blue water and white sand beaches. For the best snorkelling we have had to search out lagoons that have rocks in them because it is around the jagged rocks and coral that the fish congregate. I have noticed that on the sandy bottoms of the lagoons very few fish are found as they are exposed to the open elements with no place to hide.

The waters are a rich blue turquoise colour because of how clean and shallow the water is. Apart from a few places I have seen in the Galapagos Islands I have not seen this colour of water in many places. It is such a deep vibrant colour that reflects off of the water whenever it is at least a little bit sunny. On rainy afternoons it is not very noticable but when the sun comes out the colours of the shallow lagoons are obvious. The island of Rarotonga is encompassed entirely by a coral reef that is anywhere from 50 feet to 1000 feet from shore. It makes the shoreline into an almost continuous lagoon of blue water and white sand that wraps around the island. It also makes it so that there are dozens of places safe for children to swim without having waves crash on them. The waves actually crash as they hit the coral reef in the distance and so there are not more than minimal laps of water hitting the shoreline. Adults and children alike will enjoy the shores of the Cook Islands.


Cook Island Travel Tips:

• Visit in the North American Summer Season if possible. The Cook Island Summer (North American Winter) is very hot.
• Bring extra hats, books, sunscreen and sunglasses (especially for kids). Things are expensive in the Cooks and these are essential items for the slow paced holiday you will experience.
• Car or Bus: You can easily get around with either a rental car ($10 Cook Island drivers licence required) or on a bus. Decide how you want to get around but remember, busses operate no more than once every hour so be flexible if you pick this option.
• Cook Island Time is a bit of a different schedule so be prepared for some laid back flexibility. I've been to a local travel company 20 minutes before closing and found it already closed with not a person in sight. Busses have been over 20 minutes late and guests we have invited over have been over 1 hour late.
• Most everything shuts down at 12 noon on Saturday and almost everything including grocery stores are closed on Sunday. Prepare in advance accordingly.
• Check around for good snorkelling spots. Some areas have even more fantastic sealife to be viewed.

Aitutaki and Tom's Cottage

When the people from the main Cook Island of Rarotonga found out that I was going to Aitutaki, they kept telling me that "It is even more beautiful than here". I had a hard time believing them as Rarotonga itself is a jewel of an island. It is like trying to tell someone looking at a priceless gemstone that there is one even more beautiful. Then I took the 50 minute flight to Aitutaki and had the shock of my life.

As our Air Raro flight was landing I caught a glimpse of what kind of treat we were in for over the next three days as we stayed on this remote island lagoon. The dozen or so Islets that dotted the perimeter of the lagoon were covered in green vegetation, palm trees, bright white sand beaches and the clearest turquoise and blue huges of water I have ever seen. Even from the sky it was a breathtaking sight to look down on. I can see why even the Cook Islanders refer to it as the priceless possesion that it is.

As my family got off the airplane in Aitutaki we were anxious to go and explore the island. The only problem was that we arrived around 4 PM and so we did not have enough time to do anything but settle in. Prior to going to Aitutaki we had decided to stay at one of the most affordable places we could find on the island. We booked accommodations in Tom's Cottage which was the first tourist accommodation on the island according to the owner (Papa Tom as they call him). Papa Tom himself came to the airport to pick us up. He greeted us with a warm smile and proceeded to assist us with bringing our luggage to his van that would transport us to the two cottages we had booked on his property. His kindness and simple nature made me, my wife and five children feel like family as soon as we met him.

After collecting our bags we were anxious to move on and settle in. As I sat down and reached for my seatbelt he advised me that "there would be no need for that here". Although I firmly believe in wearing a seatbelt under all circumstances I soon discovered the reason for his comment. Aitutaki is a small island only about 14 km from one end to the other of this fish hook shaped main island. The roads are narrow and speeds rarely top 40 km per hour. The drive was a slow and relaxing one as we made our way to Tom's Cottage.

Tom's cottage consists two main areas. There are two small self contained cottages that include a very simple mini-kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area. One cottage is located about 60 feet from the ocean. In the Canadian winter (Cook Island summer from November to March) the trees between the cottage and ocean are left to grow as this protects the cottages from the monsoon season. During one particular 1 hour long windy rainstorm we discovered the wisdom in allowing the trees to block the winds from blowing throught the house. During the Aitutaki winter these trees are trimmed down to allow for a nice ocean view from the cottage decks.

The second section of this accommodation is the old house of Papa Tom's family. He grew up with about 10 siblings and so his father built the family house that now makes up the oldest part of this property. The family house has about 10 rooms coming off of a main hallway and large livingroom/eating area. This area almost reminds me of a very rustic and basic youth hostel with shared washrooms, a television and eating area. The rooms are extremely clean yet basic in a way that takes you back to the old life on Aitutaki.

I highly reccommend the cottages as a rustic and basic type of accommodation. Although it is not for everyone, it is one of the best values for an oceanfront property that you will likely see anywere on Aitutaki. There may be some plans to modernize and rebuild the main house area which would modernize the property but also inevitably add to the cost of this budget rated accommodation. Just keep in mind that as with anywhere else in the tropics, clean up after eating or you will find that the small tropical ants will do the clean-up for you.

The beach in this location is not as nice as other areas of the coastline. We found the water to have a bit of a seaweed type of slime in it. Although it did not stop the children from playing in the water it did not leave the water too clear. The coral here is also very sharp. It did not take long for two of our youngest children to get a scrape on the knee and foot even though we tried our best to ensure that they kept their rubber water socks on at all times.

After walking across the street to the little "Cash and Carry" convenience store, we purchased a few grocery items that we needed to make our very basic meal. Many of the items were sold out and so we walked three minutes down the street to pick up a few other essentials we had been searching for. Following our meal, we started planning the excursions we were going to take over the next few days and called the local boat tour companies and adventure operator on the island. We were told that as long as people in Aitutaki answered the phone their office was open. Even though we were calling between 5 to 7 pm the local tour operators were obviously in business and ready to take bookings.


Aitutaki Lagoon Cruise - A Must Do Experience

Our first and foremost main objective was to book a Lagoon Cruise. There are many operators to choose from. The main thing to consider when selecting a cruise company is do you want to travel on a small boat (8 people) or a large boat (30 people) lots of open space. Keep in mind that the smaller boats can travel to different more remote islets that involve travelling through extremely shallow water less than 4 feet deep. Although we did not know it at the time we had booked ourselves onto one of the smaller boats. After having my own experience on a lagoon cruise I highly reccommend a smaller boat but not necessarily the one that we were on.

We selected Teking a local lagoon cruise operator but found that the degrading humor and sarchasm was a bit wearing on the patience after the first of only a six hour tour. Perhaps this is why there was space on the tour only one day in advance whereas the other small boat cruise operator Kia Orana Cruises or "Captain Fantastic" was booked many days in advance. Others I spoke to had rave reviews of this alternative and slightly less expensive option.

In any case we were in Aitutaki to see the Lagoons and even though the boat almost didn't operate that day due to the torrential downpour and rain in the morning, we did leave much to our delight. The day was perfect for ourselves and our children. It started our overcast for the first three hours and then cleared up to a bright sunny day near the end of the lagoon tour.

We started our tour by visiting the Australian sponsored marine centre that works at rebuilding the aquatic life of the islands. We were able to see clams being introduced into the local waters to help them regain their numbers as well as seeing sea turtles that were about up to two years old. The local workers even allowed the children to hold the turtles and explained the importance of these animals to the local aquatic environment of the islands.

Following this visit we set off on our boating adventure into the famous Aitutaki Lagoon. We were quickly wisked off to a location where we were able to stop to snorkel in the turquoise coloured lagoon waters. It was within seconds of jumping into the water that we were surrounded by hundreds of tropical fish of all sizes and shapes. This snorkelling location was by far the best for viewing the fish life, a few clams and various types of coral that were growing in the lagoon. It was at this location that we also fed the fish some bread and where my 6 year old son was able to feed them out of his hand (only to have one of the fish think his white finger was fish food - he made a quick exit following that experience... but it did not stop him for long).

Our second stop was to go to a clam sanctuary where Clams have be re-introduced to a protected area of the lagoon. Massive clams the size of two basketballs were not uncommon in this area. Some of the clams were so old that coral formations were growing completely around them. It was amazing to see the efforts in bringing the clam population back up to more healthy numbers in this area where they have died off because of human interaction.

Our first islet stop was that of honeymoon island. This island was a magical walk along a long sandbar of white sand that barely surfaced the blue waters of the lagoon. We were dropped off to walk along a long stretch of remote white sand with no vegetation, crossed two shallow channels of water to where our boat picked us up on the far end of the islet. The sand was dreamy white with hundreds of shells. My children had a hard time understanding that we had not much more time than to walk to the other end of this breathtaking islet back to our boat before being wisked off to another neighbouring islet for lunch. We did however let them take their time before moving them along to the boat.

The next islet was just a minute away by boat and within shallow walking distance. Here we enjoyed a wonderful island lunch with fresh fruits of the island as well as delicious barbequed fish. All of this was served on palm frond woven plates that only added to the charm of the experience. It was hard to get my children focusing on eating their lunch however as there were over a hundred hermit crabs carrying their shell homes of all sizes around the area we were eating at. Some of the crabs were so large that it seemed they could fit no more than a crab-leg inside of their shell. Perhaps it was time for them to upgrade to a larger home.

Our next destination was to push our boat off of the sandbar and into the water for a boat-ride to the other side of the lagoon. During this 20 minute ride we whisked past coral rocks that were barely below the surface of the water. Our captain obviously knew how to navigate the waters well as he zipped within 10 feet of these corals at over 50 kilometres per hour. As we crossed this long stretch of the lagoon we noticed how the water changed from light blue to turquoise to dark blue, all within a matter of minutes. The water at its different depths eminated an amazing variety of rich colours that cannot compare to the bottom of any swimming pool imitation.

Our last stop was at one foot island. This is the famous island that tourists bring their passports to in order to have them stamped at the little post office on the island with its signature "footprint" Aitutaki stamp. The postoffice is on one side of the shaded building while a bar is located on the other half of the counter, separated only by a small rack of postcards.

One foot island is indeed a breathtaking beach with the signature blue waters and white beaches lined with coconut trees. It looks out onto "Survivor Island" where recent reality TV shows have been filmed. The kids once again could hardly be encouraged to get out of the water to have their passport stamped. They were having too much fun splashing in the cool water during the heat of the day.

By 3 PM it was unfortunately time to go home and so we headed off to look at one more island before boating back home for the evening. With what started out as a morning of a torrential downpour, we were glad we stuck to our plans and headed off for the Awe inspiring lagoon of Aitutaki.


Aitutaki Discovery Safari Tours

After taking a 4 Wheel Drive tour on the island of Rarotonga (on which I thouroughly enjoyed myself but would not repeat a second time) I hesitantly embarked on a 4 Wheel Drive, "Aitutaki Discovery Safari Tour" with my family. This was the best decision we made. The Discovery Safari Tour took us through the religion, history, archaeology, native plants and mountain peaks of Aitutaki. It was not only the walk into the historic coral built Cook Island church built over 140 years ago, but also the amazing knowledgeable guide that took us from the coastal uninhabited Southern tip of the island to the three mountain peaks with breathtaking views.

This modified 4x4 touring jeep had bench seats in the back for us to hang on to as we drove on grass roads and through dense jungle where no other person would even know that a road existed. During may parts of the tour we drove directly into what looked like the ridge of a "five-foot tall grass covered mountain" or impassible jungle of branches and trees. But on the other side there was always a road that led us on to the next part of our tour.

Every question regarding the history of the island, the dances of the people, the herbal properties of the plants and the native animals of the island were answered on this tour. Our guide was one of the survival guide/naturalists that assisted the Survivor movie crew as they prepared for and filmed the first Cook Island Aitutaki reality TV series.

My children enjoyed the unreheared parts of the tour where we took a side tour to stop the vehicle beside a Starfruit tree so that each of our children could pluck off some starfruit to snack on in the back of the jeep. They also enjoyed the fresh coconuts, watermelon, papaya and passion fruit that we ate as we took in the sights from the top of Aitutaki's mountain peak. Looking at the lagoon from both sides of the mountain was amazing.

Before we even knew it three hours had passed and we were back at our cabin to enjoy the rest of the day on the beach.

Aitutaki is such an awe inspiring sight and experience that I cannot recommend that anyone visit the Cook Islands without at least experiencing the life on this island for a few days. Aitutaki is a must-see island, no matter the sacrifice involved in getting there.

Part 3: March 8 - 21, 2007 - Two Weeks on the Island of Tahiti

First Week in Tahiti - March 8 - 14, 2007

Well the first week in Tahiti has come and gone in a flash. It has been full of excitement and adventure as expected, sometimes a bit too much. We have slept on cold tile floors, snorkelled, met past friends, swam by an enormous waterfall, visited the Hospital's emergency room and walked around the capital city of Papeete... but first things first.


A Quick Flight

The flight over to Papeete from Rarotonga was less than 2 hours. The difficult part about the flight was not the short duration but rather the late hour of the flight. We left just after 10 PM to arrive in Papeete around midnight. By the time we disembarked from the airplane 4 of our 5 children had already fallen asleep and we had to wake most of them off as it was too much of a challenge to carry them and our carry-on baggage. Although our 3 year old remained asleep while we disembarked, he soon woke up as we waited to pass through customs.

Given that there were 7 of us it seemed to take much longer than usual. The next customs officer over must have processed 15 other people in the time that it took for us to pass on to pick up our baggage. By the time we were finished just before 1 AM, all of our luggage was waiting for us and we quickly exited the airport only to be greeted by what was to be our host family for the next two weeks. They were sure to greet us with a traditional kiss on each cheek and draped a beautiful smelling Ai (same as the Hawaiian Flower Lei) around our necks. Apart from our cranky little 3 year old, each of us were delighted to wear the sweet scented flowers around our necks for the late night drive to our host family. Although we were all very tired by this time, they had prepared a late night meal for us that we were happy to eat before crashing for the night, half of us sleeping in the living room and the other half of us in one of their children's bedrooms.


Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Iti

The main island in French Polynesia is the island of Tahiti with the largest capital city of Papeete. Tahiti is made up of two conjoined round islands. The larger island is called Tahiti Nui which has a road that circles around the entire edge, while the smaller circular island that is conneced by a narrow strip of land is called Tahiti Iti. Tahiti Iti has a road that connects to Tahiti Nui but the road only circles around the top half of the island where the two islands connect.


Trip to Tautira

Our first adventure on Tahiti happened on the day we arrived. We didn't do anything but rest and get ourselves situated in the morning and afternoon. Our host family had to leave at 5 AM after only 3 hours sleep to go to school. Apparently after 6 am the traffic into Papeete is at a standstill until about 9 am due to commuter congestion. They were off to their last day of school before their 3 week Summer Holiday. It is so hot in the month of March that there is a three week school holiday for the children who would otherwise have a hard time concentrating on their studies.

In the afternoon we packed up some day packs for our adventure to Tautira. Our host family does volunteer work with a youth group and they were heading off for a 24 hour getaway to Tautira. Tautira is the furthest Southeastern town in Tahiti Iti, tucked away among farmlands and plantatioins. Although we were supposed to meet our bus at 6:00 PM it never really arrived until just before 7:30 PM. The school busses in Tahiti are all operated by the various municipalities. I was told that island time was not always at the time specified, especially if it was a "municipally provided bus".

The bus was one of the famous "Le Trucs" that have been popular over the years in this part of the world. This particular version was rather long and had 2 wooden bench seats that ran the length of the sides of the bus with a third bench seat that ran from the front to the back of the centre of the bus. The bus driver is conveniently in a separate cab in the front of the bus while individuals board the bus from stairs the mount from the rear passenger side of the bus.

The ride was extremely bumpy and uncomfortable on the wooden seats but this was soon forgotten as we sat in the back during the one and a half hour ride singing song after song and playing game after game. The young people, mostly from a church group, were friendly to each of our anxious five children as they taught them a number of songs to help them learn French and Tahitian words. By the time we arrived at our destination shortly after 9 PM, two of our children were asleep with the others quite desperate to be sleeping as well. The only problem is that we had packed the dinner to eat upon arrival, so they were more hungry than they were tired.

The city hall of Tuatira was the host to our group of 16 to 18 year olds. Although it is not a normal location for a group of young people to stay, it was perhaps an exception during renovations that were going on. Our night was to be spent on a tile floor some of us even had a blanket. We had brought a foamy that was big enough for two while two of our children squeezed onto an inflatable mattress that was loaned to us at the last minute. My two oldest boys and I slept directly on the tile floor with a small sheet underneath us. We had packed light and were not sure what to expect and so we ended up sharing our three towels that we had brought for blankets to cover us. We had conveniently forgotten five small blankets at the door of our host family's house before we left, only to realize it while setting up our beds for the night.

The night-time temperature had dropped a few degrees to about 27 degrees celcius, still hot for us Canadians coming from 5 degree weather. Fortunately we were provided with the only room that had air conditioning. It was about 10 feet by 10 feet and was the perfect size for a family of tired wanderers that had only just arrived at 2 AM that sam