Archives for February 2012

The World’s Only Drive-In Volcano

February 17, 2012 By Danny

In my life I’ve been close to a surprisingly large number of active volcanoes. The first was in Guatemala followed by Volcanoes National Park in Hawai’i. Went and saw the one in Guatemala again and then a few others in Central America before continuing onto Volcanoes all through South America and then a handful more in Africa. All those Volcanoes and one thing I’ve never done is drive into a volcano, but that’s exactly what you can do if you visit the Sulfur Springs of St. Lucia.

It is expected that this volcano will erupt sometime within the next 100 years which in terms of volcanoes is literally any second now. In the meantime you’re welcome to drive on in and once you’re finished there are some hot-springs to rinse your body in and then some mud pits as well. Clearly there is a lot more to holidays in St Lucia than just the beach. I have to laugh at this picture though, as if smoking will somehow ruin the wonderful ‘rotten egg’ smell of all that sulfur.

IF YOU GO: Don’t be afraid to take your time and enjoy this island as well as others. You’ll mostly like find flights to the islands from South Florida (FLL and MIA) but don’t be afraid to head to the docks and find a windjammer to island hop with.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user Mary-Lynn via a creative commons license.

Racing in Florida’s Wilderness

February 16, 2012 By Jillian

Florida is best known for amusement attractions and beaches, but a little known fact is that Florida has an incredible abundance of wildlife. That’s a fact I’m becoming well aware of as we do more adventure racing in Florida’s wilderness.

A few weeks ago, at my second adventure race in Florida, I learned a universal truth about Florida. Holidays in Florida involve the beach or Mickey Mouse and usually a lot of sun but in the wilderness of Florida…there will always be alligators. We heard of its position in the river not long after we capsized in the mangrove swamp. Thankfully I didn’t know about the gator until after we spent ten minutes thrashing about in the ankle deep water and waste deep mud.

Needless to say, we’re slowly getting used to adventure racing in Florida’s wilderness. Florida’s terrain makes for a different kind of adventure race where the topography isn’t the challenge. Dickinson State Park, the home of this race, is known for manatee sightings, alligators, birds, and any number of other animal and plant species. While Florida beaches may be white sand fit for a postcard, the interior of the state is a bit like a beautiful bayou. Flat, grassy and filled with water during the rainy season. More than the topography, the vegetation becomes the main challenge. Sawgrass is indeed sharp!

This race we added a member to our adventure racing team and for the first race ever we were a trio. It turns out being a trio is significantly different than being a duo. Where two were a well-oiled machine, three just couldn’t get the mojo flowing. Perhaps we should have clued our new compadre into adventure racing 101 BEFORE we loaded him and his equipment into the car on the morning of the race.

Oh well.

We never quite reached our sweet spot on this race, even the orienteering, which is usually our strongest point felt inadequate and more than once we looked at the map several times before realizing a “cut through”/ “trail” or creek didn’t go through. So much for bushwhacking it to save time.

The real bummer on this race was bike checkpoint 17. There’s always one that gets you, but checkpoint 17 really threw us for a loop. Instead of cutting our losses and getting out of there, we spent more than an hour looking for it, convinced it was just behind the next bramble bush. We weren’t the only ones, we saw several other teams bumbling around the woods for checkpoint 17, many of whom we assume gave up rather than press on. I guess there should be some honor in pressing on, but there wasn’t. Add to that a critical map reading error and well… it wasn’t our best finish.

Fortunately we were able to take a step back from our lack of mojo and appreciate the race for what it was- a day in the wilderness. (And our worst ever Adventure Race finish…)

IF YOU GO: John Dickinson State Park is located just north of Jupiter, Florida. It’s a great day trip from South Florida – located a bit inland there’s plenty of biking, hiking and canoeing available. Expect to have a day in the quiet and plenty of animal spotting. The park also has a number of horse trails and rentals are available on site. Alligator spotting is free!

Photo Credit: Photo 1 courtesy of flickr user allspice1 via a creative commons license, Photo 2 courtesy of Pangea Adventure Racing

Lindos, Rhodes

February 15, 2012 By Danny

The isle of Rhodes is one of those special places that just captures history and keeps it there. First the Greeks and then the Romans, Byzantines, a few knights, the Ottomans and now it’s back in the hands of the Greeks. Because of all this back and forth through history it is nearly impossible to figure out the full archaeological record but in the meantime there are plenty of archaeologists out there trying.

The site of Lindos is one of the top places to visit when you visit Rhodes and this picture makes it clear why. A beautiful Mediterranean Sea filled with historic artifacts that make me want to leap through that door to another world. Really though, this site was special as the meeting place between the Greeks and the Phoenicians and became a major trading center. The Acropolis was dominated by the Temple of Athena until a combination of earthquakes and medieval fortifications did it in but that doesn’t mean you can’t check out some flights to Rhodes and see the ruins for yourself.

IF YOU GO: There is plenty to do on Rhodes from checking out ruins, scavenging for the remains of the Colossus of Rhodes, and just eating the phenomenal Mediterranean fare. Aside from Lindos there is also Kalithea Springs and Ancient Rhodes itself.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user Gisi.M via a creative commons license.

Where Did Our Love Go? The Five Hour Rule

February 14, 2012 By Lauren

Traveling with someone you love is an experience like no other. It can bring you closer, but if you’re not careful, it can push you apart. This Valentine’s Day, traveling couples can keep the romance alive by taking a temporary break from each other.

Don’t panic – sometimes five minutes apart is all it takes.

Coming Undone

The crowd was growing at the roadside bakery, and I could sense the salesman getting impatient. People pushed and jostled to make eye contact with him, but he was looking at me. It was my turn.

My boyfriend, Jared, was getting impatient, too.

“Just pick some,” he said, nudging me forward. “It’s not that hard!”

Rage flared up in my chest. It was that hard. I was tired, hungry, and overwhelmed by Luxor. For some reason, the task of choosing pastries pushed me over the edge.

“I don’t know,” I shouted at him. “I don’t know which ones I want! Stop rushing me.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. The men around us chuckled and nudged each other knowingly.

I wanted to punch them. I wanted to punch the salesman. I wanted to punch Jared.

Sensing danger, Jared quickly pulled me aside.
“It’s okay,” he said in his most soothing voice. “It’s just pastry.”

Of course it was just pastry. So why was I so upset?

The Rule

My mother operates under a theory she calls The Five-Hour Rule. She claims that she read about it in an ‘online study,’ but I can’t find evidence of it anywhere.

The foundation of the theory is this: after five consecutive hours with someone, you need to take a break from them.
Read a book. Go for a walk by yourself. Take a nap. Whatever it is, block out time to do something alone. When you feel recharged, feel free to lay eyes on each other again.

Although its origins are dubious, I have to admit that my mom is on to something.
I love my boyfriend. For the last 3 1/2 years, I’ve loved traveling with him, living with him, and even – occasionally – working with him here in Korea, where we were placed at the same school. (How’s that for being in each other’s pockets?)
But sometimes when we’re traveling, I want him to step off.

It doesn’t happen often, but it happens.

Suddenly, everything is annoying: butterflies, laughing children, ice cream cones, and especially, my poor travel partner, Jared. I’m thinking only of my personal comfort and have lost the ability to consider anyone’s feelings but mine.
He calls it the ‘Hunger Rage.’ Admittedly, he has a point. Things get ugly when I haven’t eaten. But to my amazement, it usually happens at the five hour mark.

Worse, the same thing is happening on his end. He’s tired, the money belt is too tight, and he can’t work out why his girlfriend has morphed into a wailing banshee who can’t choose a bloody pastry.

The five hour rule doesn’t just apply to your partner. It applies to everybody you spend time with: your best friend, your kid, complete strangers, the Dalai Lama – everybody.

We all need a little ‘me’ time when we’re on the road, even when we’re with the ones we love.

Emotional deterioration starts subtly, but progresses rapidly.
Hour one: What the – ? Oh, he just stepped on my shoe.

Hour two: Why does he insist on walking so fast behind me?

Hour three: Get off my shoe.

Hour four: Step on me again and I’ll claw you in the face.

Hour five: One more time and this relationship is over.

Accidents become unforgiveable. Your loved one becomes your whipping boy. It’s not their fault. It’s not your fault.

It’s the five-hour rule. You’ve been side-by-side for too many hours, navigating foreign territory in a language you might not speak.

Sometimes you’re not in a position to separate from your travel buddy when the five-hour mark looms. It’s dark, crowded, unfamiliar, and you’re too far from your hostel to feel comfortable going solo.
That’s okay. Just ignore each other for a while.

Don’t talk unless you have to. Sit at separate tables of a coffee shop. Pretend you’ve never even seen that person before. Eat something and don’t share it with anyone.

Eventually, you’ll simmer down. Your energy and coping mechanisms will return, leaving you capable of travel and human companionship again.

At that point, go ahead and scoot your chairs closer together. Make any necessary apologies and have a good laugh.

If you feel up to it, you could even share a pastry.

A Motorbike in Rome

February 13, 2012 By Danny

Rome is famously known as the ‘Eternal City’ and is the capital of Italy and has more history than most people can even begin to understand. When we think of it we think of The Colosseum, The Pantheon and its beautiful Piazza. What you don’t think about, especially if your image of Rome is defined by movies like Gladiator, is how to get around.

All over the world we were amazed at how history meets modernity and despite all those ancient marble sites people still live in the 21st century. In Rome though, those ancient streets weren’t made for cars and so an armada of motorbikes leads the way. I usually think of Asia when I see a motorbike but a Vespa is Italian and at the heart of Rome is its motorbike.

These bikes or scooters are available for pretty fair prices and are the best way to make way in between the heavy and chaotic traffic of Rome. Sometimes the traffic can be too heavy and a bit intimidating but still it will always be an experience worth remembering.

IF YOU GO: If you do get a chance to visit Rome, then should definitely try and visit the most famous Churches of Rome. There are more than 900 churches in Rome and you can find about the most famous ones among them from a good travel guide. There are plenty of Apartments in Rome to rent and once you’ve done that you should’t let the traffic scare you out of your motorbike tour of the city!

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Flickr user Leo-setä via a creative commons license.

The World’s Only Drive-In Volcano

Racing in Florida’s Wilderness

Lindos, Rhodes

Where Did Our Love Go? The Five Hour Rule

A Motorbike in Rome

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