Adventure Travel Photography Blog
The Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway is a 110-mile linear park which spans from the Gulf of Mexico to St John’s River. It’s 70,000 acres features 300 miles of trails for paddling, biking, hiking, horseback riding and multi-use activities.
HAPPY HIKING!
I recently returned from SCUBA diving in Indonesia on the Mermaid II liveaboard. The 7-day itinerary was Bali-Komodo-Bali, and we dove six of those days, with the rest being transit.
The Mermaid II spends most of its time in Bali, Komodo, and Raja Ampat with a few weeks in Lembeh, Alor, and the Banda Sea. The SCUBA diving in these areas is superb! The marine life and biodiversity are like none other. Mantas swoop overhead while rare nudibranchs, frogfish, pipefish, and pygmy seahorses hide in the colorful corals.
DIVE IN!
After three days in Singapore and three days in Bali, we finally boarded our dive boat to explore the waters of Indonesia on the way to Komodo Island and back. I’m embarrassed to admit that on our 7 day dive-centric trip, I was most excited about potentially seeing a Komodo dragon! That statement probably sounds like blasphemy to my fellow SCUBA divers, but I had never seen one of these endangered creatures.
The Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world, may only be found in the wild in Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is comprised of three large islands in Indonesia’s Lesser Sundra Archipelago: Komodo, Padar, and Rinca, as well as many smaller ones.
GO KOMODO!
If you are picturing relaxing, sandy beaches for your next island vacation, Ubud is not it! Instead, Ubud is the cultural center of Bali with mopeds zipping in every direction. If you are interested in arts, markets, cafes, temples, and a few scattered rice fields and waterfalls, then you have come to the right place while visiting Bali.
EXPLORE!
Singapore is an island and city state in Maritime Southeast Asia. Ruled by England, Japan, and Malaysia before becoming an independent country in 1965, Singapore features a diverse culture. It boasts a population of nearly 6,000,000, with 43% being foreign born.
EXPLORE!
Maryland has a bunch of fantastic towns and cities to visit, but one thing that’s not always celebrated about this state is its nature! Even the fully paid-up members of the city slicker club will struggle to resist the charms of Maryland’s natural beauty. There’s birdwatching, hiking, boating, exploring, and a little bit of eating thrown in for good measure. So, if you’re in the mood to get some of that fresh air in your lungs then look no further.
EXPLORE!
Cusco, a UNSECO World Heritage Site, is situated at 11,152 feet high in the Andes Mountains of Peru. Once the capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Western Hemisphere.
The bustling, mountain city of 500,000, features remarkable Inca stonework dating back to the 13th century as well as beautiful colonial architecture from the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.
Being the gateway to Machu Picchu, one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, Cusco attracts millions of tourists a year. It’s history and culture, gastronomic delights, and tremendous natural landscape afford tourists many things to do in Cusco.
Plan at least three days to acclimate to the high altitude and explore the city and Sacred Valley. Add more time for visiting Machu Picchu and hiking through the spectacular terrain.
EXPLORE!
During my stay in Cusco, I toured Rainbow Mountain, the Sacred Valley, and Moray and the Salt Mines of Maras. All of them were very special places to visit, and I’m glad I made time to see each place, that I did not do during my visit 15 years ago to hike Machu Picchu.
As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts there are several different companies offering the same tours, typically with a small twist. Despite almost identical visits, the prices vary. One of the most budget friendly tour companies, popular with a younger crowd, is Machu Picchu Reservations.
The prices were so low that I was hesitant to reserve any tours online with this company in advance of my arrival. But once I landed in Cusco and all my plans were derailed due to illness, I was glad to be able to make some last-minute bookings with them, especially when I realized the tours didn’t differ much.
EXPLORE!
Rainbow Mountain…WOW! It has been on my bucket list ever since I saw a picture of it on Instagram. I couldn’t believe it was so close to Cusco, and I didn’t know about it when I hiked to Machu Picchu.
Well, when I hiked to Machu Picchu fifteen years ago, the Rainbow Mountain was capped in snow, so no one knew of the magnificent colors that lay below. Now, however, the mountain with 14 different color minerals attracts thousands of tourists.
Thousands of tourists in an awe-inspiring place was not my idea of fun, so I did some research and found a four day backpacking trip to Rainbow Mountain with Salkantay Trekking that allows you to see the sunrise and sunset on the mountain without the masses.
Unfortunately for me, I ended up with Salmonella poisoning in high altitude. With a bad pancreas to boot, I spent a night in the clinic getting fluids and had to cancel my trek. Fortunately for me, I at least got to see Rainbow Mountain by joining a dreaded day tour with the masses. It is amazing how much my perspective changed due to my intense desire to see Rainbow Mountain, as I really enjoyed it, people and all!
HAPPY HIKING!
The last time I visited Peru was in 2009 to hike to Machu Picchu. In typical American fashion, I had limited vacation. As a result, I only had time to do the amazing Salkantay trek with Mountain Lodges of Peru, but had to skip the Sacred Valley as well as many other attractions near Cusco.
While I don’t generally return to the same places because there is too much to discover in the world, I returned to Cusco to see Rainbow Mountain (which was covered in ice in 2009) and tacked on a few other tours in the area. The first being, the Sacred Valley.
I was worried about tours filling up in the summer, so I prebooked everything with Salktantay Trekking. This was unnecessary. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 100 different tour companies lining Cusco’s Plaza Mayor and surrounding cobblestone streets. As long as you have a few days of flexibility, it is easy to book day tours on arrival. Cusco has really exploded with tourism over the last 15 years!
EXPLORE!