Does your country have a sport that is unique to the nation?  Are you wild about a certain sport that other countries may not know much about.  Canadians love hockey, but Americans love Baseball.  What about Rugby, Football, Lacrosse or Cricket.  If you have any ideas send them in to us.

Australia is famous for many things. Kangaroo’s, BBQ’s, the culture, the people, the Opera House… but not the sport.

The Famous Sydney Opera House

Photo by Linh_rom

The general perception of sport in Australia consists mainly of cricket, both of the rugby codes and the occasional football team. With it’s chilled out, laid back stereotype, it seems like a country that approaches sport with a ‘take it or leave it’ kind of attitude.

But Aussie Rules is Different

As the name suggests, it’s Australian Rules football. And I use the term football very loosely; as it’s often described as a compound of football, rugby, basketball and vests. If you find yourself taking advantage of some of the cheap flights to Australia, then we would definitely recommend checking out a game of Aussie Rules; read on to find out more about this game.

Photo by Michael Spencer

Created in 1858 by the founder of Australian Football, Tom Wills, who came back to Oz from England where he’d been teaching cricket and football at Rugby School.

The first recorded game was between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School in the winter of 1858. The game was an instant hit, and now the Australian Football League includes 16 clubs from all over Australia.

Many of the 16 teams are the foundation teams that were the first to sign up to the then Victorian Football League in 1896, such as Carlton, Collingwood and Fitzroy.

Photo by Torbreck

The game consists of two teams of 18 players, both with 4 substitutes. The aim of the game is to kick the ball between any of the four rugby-type posts, with the highest points being awarded to the ones that go through the middle two.

Players must not throw the ball, and the must bounce the ball every few steps if they run with it. With it being played with a ball similar to a rugby ball, this is not an easy feat.

Renowned for it’s high contact rate, technicality and fierce tackling, it’s one of the major participation sports in Australia. There is high competition between the teams, as most of them have a very rich history of playing each other at the sport.

The only official governing body for the sport is the Australian Football League, which is the equivalent to the FA in English football, and moderates the rules and regulations and disciplinary procedures for the game.

Aussie Rules is still growing at an exponential rate outside of Australia, and it is participated in at amateur level in several countries, although the AFL is still the only professional organization.

It’s also popular as a training exercise for both football and rugby teams, as it helps provide kicking accuracy and control of the ball. As well as helping improve special awareness.  Even the renowned English Oxbridge institution has taken to playing the game.

It’s a definite must for anyone who wants to travel to Australia or wants to delve into the sporting aspect of Oz.

We all say oot and oboot – We say out and about and not at the same time. This one always hits a nerve with me. I don’t know why, but I pretty much always fly off the handle when people mention it.  And they always do. Canadians do not say oot and aboot.  I would love to know where this saying came from.  We do say “out” with a different accent than Americans.  They pronounce it more like “owt” while we pronounce it more like “oat”. They open their mouths a little more and pronounce it with more of an ouch sound.  We are more closed it our pronounciation and lean a little more towards the word oat.  While neither one is right or wrong, it is simply our accents. Like all countries of the world, different regions have different accents and some people are more pronounced that others, but for the most part we Canadians simply say out.

We hate Americans – Not True At All. Somebody asked us this the other day.  They said “Don’t all Canadians Hate Americans?” That is too bad that some Americans think this because most of the Canadians I know like Americans quite a bit.   We love vacationing in their country, we love watching their television programs and we all have good friends that are American. Many of us love to go on a shopping trip over the border and we love vacationing in Florida or California or really anywhere in the States. There is a misconception that Canadians hate Americans, but trust me, we don’t.  Whenever we travel, we always feel a kindred spirit to Americans.  We all can relate to one another and we all really like each other.

Free health care is bad- Sorry, but free health care is good.  When we are not feeling well we go to the doctors.  When we have an accident we go to emergency.  If we need open heart surgery, we get it.  If we need radiation treatment for cancer, we get that too.  No bills, no worries.  Sure, if I go to emergency for a cut or a minor injury, the staff will treat the heart attack or car accident victim first. But they aren’t going to let anyone die.  People are treated in the order of the severity of their injury, not the amount in their bank account.

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It is always cold - Believe it or not, Canada has a summer.  We were above 30º Celcius almost every day this summer.  We have heat alerts and we crank our air conditioners just like the warmer tropical countries.  When we went to St. Kitts in the Caribbean last month, we were surprised to find that it was more comfratable and less humid than Toronto at the time.

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We are on the imperial system – Canadians are on the metric system.(sort of) I don’t know how long a mile is, I couldn’t tell you.  We think and drive in kilometres. We measure our drinks in litres and our food in grams and our temperature in Celcius. However, the majority of us weigh ourselves in pounds and measure ourselves in inches.  We are weird, but we like it that way. It makes us unique.

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We sew our flag on our backpack because we don’t want people to think we are American – Canadian’s sew our flags on our backpack because we are very patriotic. When Dave and I travel, we love to represent Canada. We love our country and let’s face it, not a lot of people even give Canada a second thought on the world stage. But when travelling, we certainly make the world stand up and take notice. Our flag is everywhere and whenever we see one, we stop to say hello.

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We all speak French – I wish we did.  We learn French all through school, but frankly my school French curriculum was terrible. I wanted to speak French desperately growing up. I worked hard in school and memorized my verbs every day. The problem was we just kept learning the same French verbs right up until my final year of high school. I never became even close to fluent. And now I am an embarrassment to my last name – Corbeil (Very French and pronounced Corbay)  The province of Quebec is our French speaking province.  Sure there are many Canadians that are bilingual, but most of us are not I am afraid.

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We all love hockey and we all know how to skate…Okay that one is true.

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For more help understanding Canadians check out these posts

• The Great Canadian Word – Unique Words and Phrases of Canada
• Canadian Food Our Lack of Identity
• Strange and Funny Names of Places in Canada

And now to end with a monologue that was huge in Canada in the 90′s.  It is from a Beer ad, Molson Canadian.  Their slogan for years has been…” I am Canadian”

From a Moslon Canadian Ad – More on  I am Canadian

Average Joe, I am Canadian

Hey, I’m not a lumberjack, or a fur trader….
I don’t live in an igloo or eat blubber, or own a dogsled….
and I don’t know Jimmy, Sally or Suzy from Canada,
although I’m certain they’re really really nice.

I have a Prime Minister, not a president.
I speak English and French, not American.
And I pronounce it ‘about’, not ‘a boot’.

I can proudly sew my country’s flag on my backpack.
I believe in peace keeping, not policing,
diversity, not assimilation,

and that the beaver is a truly proud and noble animal.
A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch,
and it is pronounced ‘zed’ not ‘zee’, ‘zed’ !!!!

Canada is the second largest landmass!
The first nation of hockey!
and the best part of North America

My name is Joe!!
And I am Canadian!!!

It is the long weekend here in Canada and we thought what better time to take a few days off from the website.

We were inspired earlier this summer by Keith at Velvet Escape. He disappeared for a few days.  He didn’t tweet, facebook or blog.  It is a difficult thing to do as a travel blogger, but sometimes it needs to be done. And we thought, if an excellent successful guy like Keith can take a few days off, we can too!

Well, Not Quite…

Dave and I are NOT going to the cottage or on a canoe trip to Algonquin Park. Unfortunately we won’t be camping in the wilderness or taking a weekend getaway. No we will be sequestered inside working on the upcoming events that are happening over the next few weeks.

Busy as Canadian Beavers!

Things have been really hairy this past month.  We arrived back from St. Kitts and Dave went directly to work on a month long television pilot.  One and a half weeks are finally over, but we have fallen gravely behind on many important tasks.  I went out to work for him for two days and while it was a ton of fun! I didn’t get a lot of work done online.

Events

We are taking part in three speaking engagements starting this Wednesday.  Two are multimedia slideshow presentations at Mountain Equipment Co-Op and Intrepid Travel that we need to edit, write and rehearse and one is the very popular Meet Plan Go an event taking place in 13 countries across Canada and the United States.

We have two photography tours to lead that we have to scout out, plan and market and we have some products to review and test drive. We have lunch meetings, dinner meetings, breakfast meeting and skype meetings to do.

Where will we find the time?

We think that if we take 3 whole days away from social marketing, writing blog posts and virtually unplugging from the Internet, we just may be able to come back from the long weekend refreshed, caught up and ready to take on the autumn months with renewed energy and enthusiasm.

So, to everyone, have an awesome Labour Day Weekend and we will see you next week!

Each religion believes it to be the footprint of their different deities.

• Muslims and Christians  believe it is the footprint of Adam
• Buddhist believe it is the place where Buddha took his last step from earth towards Nirvana.
• The Hindus believe that Lord Shiva stepped here.

We just think it is wonderful that all religions can come together harmoniously during the pilgrimage season of December to May to pay tribute to the mountain. It is a festive and lighthearted time, but believe me, the climb is difficult.

Legend has it that Sri Lanka was the original garden of Eden. I can believe it, we enjoyed our time in the country more than anywhere we have been on earth.  If I were to be a believer, I could believe in this.

With 5200 steps reaching 2243 metres into the sky, Adam’s Peak will make your heart pump and your body sweat.  Be sure to bring warm clothes with you as you wait for sunrise though. It can be quite cold at the stupa at the top of the mountain.

To read more about our climb up Adam’s Peak check out our post Adam’s Peak Pilgrimage

We wanted to share our upcoming events on one page with everyone in the Toronto area. If you live here or are just passing through, the events listed below give details on where we will be speaking and what we will be doing. If you can make it out any of the following nights, we would love to meet you in person, say hello to old friends or enjoy a pint afterwards with the usual suspects. So get out your calendars and mark down these dates, We would love to see all of you there!

Sept 8, 2010

Mountain Equipment Co-op Multi-Media Show on Climbing to Mount Everest Base Camp – Free! We are putting together the video and slides now and will be spending our long weekend practicing to give you the best multimedia show we can possible do.  No overly long stories that bore the audience to tears. We keep our shows peppy, lighthearted and fun.  Don’t take our word for it, check out these testimonials from previous multimedia events. For more information on location and times see our post MEC Slide Show September 8th, Be There!

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Sept 14, 2010

Meet Plan Go – Free! It is the event of the year in the travel Community.  Toronto is the only venue for the 13 city North American Event happening simultaneously. Who should attend this event? Anyone who has ever dreamed of extended travel & looking for the inspiration and resources to actually make it happen.  It is so popular that we outgrew our previous venue and have moved. -

• Location: The Duke of Westminster Pub on Adelaide, 77 Adelaide Street West. First Canadian Place, Street Entrance West
• Time 6:30 pm

To sign up, get directions and find out more got to Meet Plan Go

Sept 25, 2010

Photo Tour of ChinaTown/Kensington Market – FREE!!! Coming to you from the great people of Intrepid Travel, Dave will be leading a special one off tour through Toronto’s most colourful area. Learn his tips and tricks of photography as he shows you how to find the interesting shots and angles. Jason from Urban Adventures and Tour Guys will be along to teach you all about this fascinating neighbourhood and its rich history.  To sign up for this FREE tour, go to the EventBrite page to guarantee your spot! Focus on Toronto, Urban Adventure Photography Tour

• Location: Pick up Art Gallery of Ontario (SW corner of McCaul St. and Dundas St. West) Toronto On
• Time: TBA approx. 10:00 am

October 6, 2010

Intrepid Travel – Multimedia and Slide Show Presentation on Cycling Africa. In 2008 we cycled from Cairo to Cape Town in the world’s longest bicycle race.  What were we thinking? How did we survive? Will we do another?  We answer these questions and more during our 1hr 15 minute long presentation.  Expect a fun night of videos, photos, jokes and honesty regarding tackling such a difficult adventure. You will get to see the funfilled show that we got all those great testimonials from!

• Location: 523 Bloor Street West, Toronto On
• Time: 6:30 pm

For more information on their tours around the world check out Intrepid Travel

November 7

While friends and family won’t be able to come to this event, we are excited to be taking part in the Wild China Press Trip from November 7 to the 18th  We have planned on going to China after Nepal this spring, but circumstances changed and we ended up going to France and Alaska.  We were super happy to have the opportunity to do those trips, but now we are even more excited that we get to continue our travels in Asia right where we left off.  We will be starting an epic year of travelling in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces.

December on…

There are some exciting opportunities in the works with photo tours and other destinations before we participate in the Mongol Rally with Ottsworld and Midlife Roadtrip next summer. But for now we will tell you that the winter is going to jam packed with fun.

The sun shone brightly, the sky was blue and the air was comfortably warm.

Enjoy following along as we reach Mount Everest Base Camp today!

For the article that goes along with this video check out our Everest Base Camp Adventure Part 7 - Dave’s photos capture the stunning sites even better than video.

For more photos on Everest check out our Nepal Gallery at Picture the Planet

For More on Everest, see our entire collection of Mount Everest Base Camp articles and Videos

Malaysia’s intrinsic colourful contrasts climax in spectacular Kuala Lumpur. The vast capital city is a zenith of culture and a dynamic urban metropolis. KL pulsates with shiny skyscrapers, feverish wet markets, lively pedestrian malls, venerable mosques and a wonderful, chaotic array of restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

With so much on tap, astute potential visitors should keep several key landmarks in mind before they consider accommodation options and hotels in Kuala Lumpur.

Central Market

The historic, Art Deco Central Market of Kuala Lumpur is far from a secret gem. The city is famously rife with furtive enclaves that proffer a multitude of markets, both wet and night, and untold, miscellaneous vendors. Nonetheless, Central Market is a must. Built by the British colonial authority in 1888, the heritage landmark is a one-stop shop for food, culture and civic life and opens daily from 10:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Be sure to visit the adjacent Annexe Gallery, the veritable “Art & Soul of Kuala Lumpur”.

Photo credit

National Art Gallery

The cultural landscape of a capital city is sadly incomplete without a premier fine arts museum. Thankfully, Malaysia has one in Kuala Lumpur’s magnificent National Art Gallery. While the modern facility is not quite the Guggenheim Bilbao, the museum certainly stands out amid KL’s wildly eclectic architectural cityscape. The permanent collection at the NAG is impressive and spans a wide range of disciplines.

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Bazaar Baru

A surplus of nonpareil sensory stimuli is on hand in Chow Kit’s frenetic and extraordinary Bazaar Baru. The hyperactive KL hub has all the hallmarks of a classic Malaysian marketplace: loud vendors, pushy, purposeful shoppers, feral cats, potent smells, gory animal flesh, exotic produce and just a trace of sweet, hospitable claustrophobia.

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Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve

Kuala Lumpur’s proclivity for vivid contrasts comes to life in Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve. The urban oasis thrives under the conspicuous loom of the colossal KL Tower and as a result, is curiously close to a bevy of predictable tourist traps, from theme restaurants to theme shops. Alas however, KL is not alone in this department and indeed, the rainforest is well worth a tour. Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve, the implicit, precious lungs of KL, is the last bastion of primary woodland left in the metropolis. For a more immersive jungle wilderness escape however, head 20 minutes north of the city to Templer’s Park in the Klang Valley.

Photo credit

Suria KLCC and KLCC Park

On the other end of the tourist attraction spectrum is a massive retail and leisure complex at the base of the Petronas Towers. One of the best malls in Southeast Asia, Suria Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) proves how utterly futile it is to visit KL and fight off urges to indulge in rampant consumerism. Decidedly upmarket and sleek, Suria KLCC is a posh polar opposite of dingy (but fun) night markets. The fashionable mall, close to several fine KLCC hotels, has a variety of designer brand shops from Europe and Japan, a concert hall, art gallery, cineplex, science museum and a small but high-quality food court. For remarkable skyline photo ops, head outdoors to the lush confines of gorgeous KLCC Park to snap blog-worthy pics of the Petronas Towers.

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Aquaria

The Aquaria is another vital KLCC landmark that deserves a whirl. The vast underwater marine park is home to more than 20,000 aquatic creatures, from hawksbill turtles to piranhas, sand tiger sharks to mammoth freshwater fish. A popular family destination in KL, the Aquaria won “Best Attraction in Malaysia” in 2009.

Photo credit

If you are in Toronto at the time, check out more details here, Our EBC Multimedia Slide Show – It’s Free!!

We had forgotten just how stunning the scenery is in the Khumbu Region.  Every day felt as if we could reach out and touch heaven.

This photo captures that magic of what we saw every day for almost two weeks while trekking to Everest Base Camp.

The Himalayas of Nepal make a great backdrop!

For the entire Base Camp Adventure, check out our Everest Collection.

At 84 pages in length, divided into 14 chapters, this ebook packs in a lot of information.

We all want to do our best to take better care of the world. While travellers tend to be some of the leaders in raising awareness and practicing environmentally friendly habits, we can all learn a thing or two more to minimize our carbon footprint.

How to Take a Green Vacation offers practical advice on how you can do your part to save the planet. If we all make little changes together we can make a huge difference in the long run

The Book begins with talking about hotels. We all have to stay in them so we might as well learn which hotels are the Greenest. I was happy to hear that one of our favourite chains is at the top of the list. The Marriott was voted number one of Newsweeks 500 most green companies. However, Steve is quick to stress that some hotels are better than others, even in the same chain. It takes a long time to overhaul hundreds if not thousands of properties so do your homework.

How do you do your homework you ask? Well, Mr. Stillwater devotes an entire section to offering suggestions as to what questions you should ask tour companies and hotel chains to ensure that you are choosing the greenest option.

He then goes on to describe the different types of vacations for the Green Traveller and what are the best adventures, destinations and where to stay for each category.

The Vacation types that he covers

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1. Nothing but rest- You can be pampered and still go Green
2. Do-it-yourselfer - The do it yourselfer has the easiest time finding green alternatives, but we can all use a little help
3. Explore in Luxury - Just because your rich doesn’t mean that you can forget about the environment. Some of the most luxury resorts are leaders when it comes to being eco-friendly. They are doing their part to help the local economy, preserve the environment, encourage eco tourism and to raise funds for health care and education
4. Not your Ordinary Family Vacation – And what better way to show your family that you care about them than by showing them to take care of the Earth as well? (quote-Steve Stillwater)
5. Special Needs Not Limited Opportunity - I was happy to see this section in the ebook. Not a lot of people touch on special needs travel, but there is a growing amount of people with disabilities traveling today.  As Steve said…”Everyone deserves to travel. Just because you or a loved one has developmental or physical disabilities does not mean that your needs cannot be accommodated
6. Nifty Past Fifty Crowd - I loved this quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes.  ”Men do not quit playing because they grow old. They grow old because they quit playing.”
7. Toe Curling Adventure – Our personal favourite. He even gave us some ideas for future adventures in our travels.
8. Green Vacations for Volunteers – Probably the most green and eco-friendly vacation that a person can take and Steve offers up ideas for your volunteer trip and his top green vacations to volunteer.

The Wrap Up

I enjoyed the easy to read format.  Each section begins with an explanation of what it is all about, How you can go about planning and ends with his top suggestions of where to go and where to stay. You don’t have to follow his suggestions however, because the chapter at the end that focuses on what questions you should ask your tour operator and travel agent gives you the tools to explore and plan your own green vacation.

While a lot of the book was common sense, there were things that I learned and needed to be reminded about. By having the book divided into easy to read chapters and headings, How To Take a Green Vacation makes for a useful reference when planning your next vacation.

Even though How to Take a Green Vacation focuses on green travel, it also has a lot of information about travel destinations in general.

Before we leave on our next travels I will check back with Stillwaters book to remind myself what I need to do to be green on the plane, at the resort or hotel, when I am travelling and what I can do at home before leaving.

For only $17.97 it is a great value with the added bonus of receiving a free incentive. A bonus offer of 10 Ways to Save Gas on your Vacation.

Steve Stillwater wants to help you live a greener lifestyle. The goal at Green Travel Tips is to provide information on taking green vacations and maintaining a green lifestyle when you are away from home, whether for business or pleasure.

To get your copy of How to Take a Green Vacation visit Green Travel Tips

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More Book Reviews by theplanetd

• Write Right online
• Make Money with your Travel Blog
• Surviving Paradise – One Year on a Disappearing Island
• Lunatic Express, Discovering the Worlds Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains and Planes

We truly enjoyed our time in Nepal and we still have a couple of more videos to post, so I am not through yet!

As I watched these videos, I realized that Nepal is one of those places that you forget how much you loved once you come home.  The exact opposite of other places we have been.  Most of the time when we travel, we start to forget the annoying little things about a destination and only remember the good things.  We start to fantasize that a certain country was a Utopia even if it wasn’t.

Nepal really was utopia and I had forgotten that!

I know that I loved it and I speak fondly of it when it comes up in conversation, but I forgot that it was truly wonderful being in the Himalayas.  Every day was a dream. Sure at times it was tiring and we didn’t feel well at others, but as I wrote in a previous blog post about our EBC Trek, You feel as if you can touch heaven here in the Khumbu Region.

The Views compare to nothing I have ever seen on earth and re-living the experience simply makes me want to return to tackle the Annapurna Circuit!

For now, enjoy these views of our trek one day before reaching Everest Base Camp. This day was one of our favourite days of the entire Everest Experience.

For the article that goes with this video check out Everest Base Camp Adventure, Day 6. Dave has some stunning photos that I couldn’t capture with my shaky hand on film.

Ever since hearing of our friends doing it in Costa Rica over a decade ago, it has been on our bucket list.  While we have gone ziplining a couple of times in our lives one being in Africa over Victoria Falls’ great Gorge, we have yet to zip over that beautifully lush rainforest.

Until Now

Front Row View of Ziplining in St. Kitts

When Marriott Resorts invited us to St. Kitts to take part in adventures on the island, we were thrilled to hear that we would be ziplining.

Waking up to a beautiful sunny day, we met our host Laverne who escorted us to Sky Safaris.  It was Sunday morning and the Sky Safari staff was on “island time” so we waited around for over an hour.

Your on Island Time Now

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That is what it is like in the islands. St. Kitts is young when it comes to tourism so you must learn to relax like the locals and go with the flow.

Laverne did her best to keep us occupied by taking us for a walk in the rainforest and telling stories of her childhood.   They used to spend their entire days playing in the rain forest and getting into trouble.  We all marvelled at the fearlessness of children and wonder how any of us made it through those years without serious injury.

In the Lush Rainforest

When some of the staff started trickling in, a guide named Superman took us on a tour of the old Sugar Plantation that the company sits on to pass the time.

We learned how sugar was made, the process that it went through to be turned from sugar cane to sugar crystals and we learned how difficult the conditions were for the slaves.  It was hot and dangerous work.

The stacks was constantly heated with fire

Sugar was boiled 4 times until it crystalized

We also learned that the monkeys of St. Kitts are not native to the island. They were brought here by scientists for AIDS research and now they out number the human population five to one, wreaking havoc and causing problems.  But they are cute aren’t they?

The cute monkey is not native to St. Kitts

Sandbox Tree, used to punish slaves by tying them face first to its spikes

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History Lesson Over, Time to Zipline!

It was late in the morning when we finally got started and the sun was hot. Luckily we were under the jungle canopy and didn’t feel the suns beating heat too much. However the humidity was out in full force.

We joined in with a later group that didn’t seem too thrilled to  have us along, but we made the best of it and smiled our way through the instructions from our guide Dr. Dre

There isn’t a lot of technique involved in ziplining here in St. Kitts.  The harness is a full body harness and all you have to do is sit down and enjoy the ride. You don’t even have to hold on if you don’t want to.  The only piece of advice that you need to remember is to bend your legs, stick your feet up and lean way back when you come in to the end of the line.

There aren’t any breaks for this ziplining adventure.  Your stopping device is a spring at the end of the line that you barrel into at full force, but that is part of the fun!

The practice run is the most jarring of them all as the line is fast and the landing is hard. But once you go up to the longer and higher lines, the landing is far more graceful.

sweeping over the jungle canopy with sky safaris

After everyone’s practice run, we were loaded into the back of the jeep with our own trolleys in hand.  We took a bumpy drive up to the top of the mountain where we started with the De Boss.  The longest and highest zip line at 1000 feet above sea level and 1350 feet long.  It has a great little drop at the beginning of the line that takes your breath away, but you relax quickly and the thrilling ride begins as you swoop over the lush green forest.

Just enough to Satisfy.

There are five zip lines in all at Sky Safaris and you definitely feel satisfied with the experience.

We whizzed over zip lines called the Mango Tango and Brimstone Blast, the latter named after the old fort on the island. One of the most well preserved forts in all the Caribbean and you are treated to a clear view of it at the start of the Brimstone Blast run.

Clear View of Brimstone Fort

Each gets a little shorter in length, but they are no less thrilling.

The final zip line is a quick 500-foot double line called River Rocket.  Here is where you can race your friends or take each other’s pictures or video in mid-air.

We didn’t think of this and didn’t end up riding the final line with each other. It would have been a blast to shoot video of Dave zipping along beside me, but I did catch an fun shot of him coming in.

Dave at the end of his final zip

So before we knew it, our zip lining adventure was over, but we were filled with delight for having finally accomplished a zipline over the canopy.

Sky Safaris can be booked at the tour desk of the Marriott St. Kitts

The Crater of Mount Liamuiga

We expected a walk in the park. After all, who would have thought that there was an amazing adventure awaiting us on the tiny island nation of St. Kitts? When we think of the Caribbean, we picture vacationers sitting at the pool bar, drinking margaritas and never leaving the beach.  This was not the case when we went to the Marriott Resort as part of their Blog from Paradise promotion.

St. Kitts is a destination for people that want to experience the true flavour of the islands. People that want to get off the resort and sample life in the Caribbean while not venturing too far out of their comfort zone. St. Kitts has it all. Beaches, rainforests, parties and beauty.

But what surprised us most of all was Mount Liamuiga.

Standing 1166 metres (3792 feet) high, this dormant volcano is an excellent hike through the jungle.

Our transportation to Mount Liamuiga

We awoke to a clear and sunny day at the St. kitts Marriott where we met our guide Dion from Greg’s Safaris.  The hour long drive to the other side of the island was delightful as we bounced along in the back of the truck dodging other cars, goats and families walking along the side of the road.  This beautiful drive treated us to gorgeous views of the St. Kitts coastline with a mandatory stop at Black Rocks. A stunning cluster of jagged black rocks on the Caribbean Sea created by the lava flow of Mount Liamuiga’s last eruption 1600 years ago.

Black Lava Rocks from Liamuiga Eruption

We didn’t have long to linger though because this sleeping giant was waiting for us to conquer her.

Mount Liamuiga gets its name from the original name of the island of St. Kitts. It means “fertile island.” A very appropriate name indeed, as the area surrounding the mountain is a thick and lush rainforest filled with exotic trees, plants, dripping water and plenty of spiders.

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It wasn’t always so serene on this island however. Back in the 1600′s thousands of Carib Indians were massacred by the French and English who combined their efforts to defeat an uprising from native islanders.  Devestating the entire tribe. The few survivors either fled the island for safer grounds or ran to higher ground and committed suicide by jumping into the volcano’s deep crater.

It was for this reason the English renamed it Mount Misery.

Centuries later, peace and stability have returned to St. Kitts and the mountain now bears it’s original name. Mount Liaguima.

Our Climbing Group at the Crater of the Volcano

Loaded with our packed lunch courtesy of the Marriott, we started the climb following our trusty guide Dion.  He filled our heads with facts and information about the mountains history and environment while entertaining us with his fun sense of humour and hearty laugh.

Education on Vacation

Every plant and tree has a purpose and use.  From lighting the sap from a tree to use as a torch to trapping fresh water in the Viper tree to drink. You really can find everything that you need in the rainforest.  There are trees that make canoes, trees that are used for foundations of houses, trees that won’t burn because their sap continuously flows putting out the fire and trees that supply valuable leaves to be used as medicine.  Dion had extensive knowledge of the use of every plant.

As far as guides go that we have used, Dion was among the best!

This tree won't burn down, It pumps sap to the burning area to keep the fire from spreading

Viper Tree, stores water and is used to communicate by the echo it makes when hit

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The Climb

It wasn’t only an educational hike, it was a rigorous climb.

Mount Liaguima is a steep trail through the jungle where we climb over roots, fallen logs, giant boulders and slippery trails.  It is a true and authentic rainforest hike.  The trails are narrow and unkept and the jungle surrounds you every step of the way.

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We were surprised just how tough this climb was.  Nearer to the top, you need to scramble over large rocks making sure to hold on to solid roots or at places even attached ropes.  It is a fun climb for experienced hikers, but it could be too much for people that have never ventured out into the jungle before. Dion said that many people decide to turn back at the half way point.

Remember, this is a tropical island, people don’t come here normally to hike volcanos and if they are not used to the outdoors, they may find it to be a bit much. But for the regular hiker, this is not a scary or demanding climb. It is simply a lot of fun taking part in an amazing 5 hour hike.

We made it to the top in time for the clouds to part and show us a clear view of Devils Tooth. The tallest point on the crater.  You need to snap your pictures quickly as the clouds continuously roll in and out engulfing the peak in a white haze.

Devil's Tooth

After spending some time taking in the glorious view, we set off for another scramble up some rocks to enjoy our snacks and take a much needed rest before the climb down.

Perched on the side of Devil’s Tooth, we sat on rocks and took in the jungle views.  It was a perfect day. The humidity was low, the weather was warm and the sun was shining. We couldn’t have been more lucky during our hike up to the crater of Mount Liamuiga.  If you ever find yourself in The West Indies at the Eastern end of the Caribbean, make sure to take a trip over to St. Kitts and Nevis and give this wonderful hike a try. You won’t be disappointed.

When Marriott Resorts invited us to join nine other Bloggers to Blog from nine different Caribbean destinations, they couldn’t have sent us to an island more suited to our travel style.

St. Kitts is one of those Islands that still has that Caribbean flavour and laid back feel.

Tourists mingle with the locals and the government is doing everything in its power to keep the culture and island vibe alive.

Even the Marriott, St. Kitts’ only branded organization makes sure to encourage its patrons to get off the resort and check out the local hangouts.

That is why we spent a Sunday afternoon at Cockleshell beach.  Also known as Reggae Beach, it is the islands most beautiful and popular local hangout spot.

Cockleshell Beach is a favourite for families and friends to come out on Sunday afternoons to picnic, have fun in the sun and enjoy the crystal clear and calm water in the bay.

Reggae Beach in St. Kitts is Beautiful

With perfect views of neighbouring island Nevis, Reggae Beach houses small locally run eateries and bars, most notably Reggae Bar.  Home to the resident giant pig Wilbur was born in 2002 and has been living in pig heaven for eight years. Wilbur is a local celebrity yet all he does is eats, sleeps and baths in the Caribbean Sea.

He be Limin’ all day long.

Yes, when a person comes to St. Kitts they learn the art of “limin’ quickly.  Limin’ is a Kittitian (pronounced Kishian) term for chilling out on Island time.  When you plan to meet friends for a night out in St. Kitts, you say, “we’re goin’ limin tonight”

The Reggae bar is a rustic shack serving fresh grilled Mahi Mahi and Ting with a Sting while Jimmy Buffet blares from the speakers.  It isn’t long till you be limin’ like the locals, as that sting in the Ting is quite potent.

One drink is all it takes to make you feel very happy.

The Reggae Beach bar is a great place to relax

Farther down the beach is the more upscale Spice Mill.  It was here that we enjoyed a Sting Ray while a twenty minute downpour blew in from nearby Nevis.  The stingray is another local favourite with white rum, coconut rum, melon liqueur and various spices and juices.

Needless to say, we were feeling fine by the time we returned to the Marriott.

North and South Fire Beach, St. Kitts

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped to enjoy a stunning view of North and South Fire Beaches.  It is here that the island narrows and you can see both the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean just meters apart.

St. Kitts is a small treasure on the far side of the Caribbean

Known as Sugar City, it was once a large sugar producer and exporter.  The sugar industry eventually ran its course and the last Sugar Mill was shut down in 2005.   Tourism has taken over as the main economy of the island and it won’t be long until the world embraces this tiny island nation.

Already signs of development are popping up.  A large marina that will hold yachts up to 70 metres in length is being dredged in the harbour, The Park Hyatt is building a 5-star resort near Cockleshell beach and several private villas are springing up along the coast line.

Wil Reggae Beach look like this soon?

I can’t help but wonder what St. Kitts will be like in a few short years.  With Resorts and spas lining Cockleshell Beach, will there still be room for the family run huts and quiet beach beds that are scattered on the beach? Will locals be able to drive their cars to Cockleshell beach and enjoy an afternoon get together?

I think there just may be hope.

The saving grace for St. Kitts is that there is a law that all beaches are public.  Nobody, no matter how big of a corporation they may be is entitled to own a beach.  The people of St. Kitts have seen the problems that have occurred in other Caribbean nations and they are working hard to not repeat them.

With a little care and foresight, it just may be the success that every developing nation will be able to model themselves after.

There is a very cool restaurant in Toronto, Canada that we had no idea about until we went on a little getaway to Montreal!
Are you looking for a different dining experience? Are you wanting to add a little adventure to your eating?

O Noir is just the place for you.

Located in the heart of Toronto on the Corner of Church Street and Charles, O Noir is a restaurant that is completely in the dark.
When we say in the dark, we mean in the dark.

All servers at O Noir are visually impaired and take great care of their patrons.

Upon our arrival, we entered a dimly lit hallway leading to the bar area. This is where you have a look at the menu and pre-order all your food and drinks before entering the pitch black dining area.

The prices are reasonable. A set three-course meal with your choice of chicken, pasta or fillet mignon goes for $39 Canadian dollars. You will receive your choice of appetizers and a dessert as well.

Once you have ordered and are ready to go, you are taken down the hall to the room where you meet your server and enter your dining room.

This is where the adventure begins.

Holding onto our servers shoulder, we all form a train and follow him into the darkness.
I was taken aback at just how dark the place was. It was impossible to see anything and the sooner you give up trying, the better the experience.

This is what you see

He talks us through our route telling us that there is a door to the right and a wall to the left as we make our way to our table where he very carefully puts us into our seats and explains what is right in front of our eyes.
The usual stuff is on the table but it is an entirely different experience to try to find your knife and fork when you can’t see.

Everything is brought to the table with care and he puts our drinks and food directly into our hand. We have a rule to keep our glasses on the left hand side of our plate (for my side of the table anyway) and he tells us where we will find our butter.

We all end up dropping more butter on the table than what makes it to our bread, but we don’t realize it until different points in the evening when we put our hands into a greasy mess.

When the food arrives, I have a difficult time with cutting my chicken. Using my fingers to find the meat, I then put my nose to my plate to start carving.

It is tricky business eating at O Noir.

I manage to cut the meat, but I don’t always cut right through. When I lift my fork to my mouth, more often than not, I don’t have anything on it. At one point I simply put my fork into the centre of the breast and lift the entire thing to my mouth and take a bite.
It wasn’t until I was half way through my chicken and my entire vegetables that I found the potatoes on my plate.

What a pleasant surprise!

We kept the conversation going through the entire meal as the darkness doesn’t allow for a lot of silence. It was interesting to speak to each other and not see each others faces.  It makes you  really listen to one another with no distractions.

I have a slight case of claustrophobia and at times felt the slight pangs of panic set in, but as long as I kept my eyes closed I did O.K.
For some reason, every time I opened them it freaked my out to not be able to see. The rest of our party didn’t feel this way, so as usual, I was the odd ball.

Walking in the shoes of the Visually Impaired

Eating at O Noir gives a person a sense of understanding and appreciation for what the visually impaired face every day. We are so lucky to have our eye sight and to experience life in their shoes for only a few short hours makes you realize just how brave and strong these people are.
It is wonderful that O Noir employs people that are visually impaired and doesn’t hire waiters with sight that wear night vision glasses. It is an authentic experience where everyone is on the same level.

Overall I enjoyed my experience at O Noir. It was unique, entertaining and the food was quite tasty. I especially loved my chocolate mousse dessert and Dave thoroughly enjoyed his filet mignon which came from the kitchen pre-cut making his dining experience much easier than mine.

Lately we have had the good fortune to dine at some of the most elegant and delicious restaurants out there during our recent travels.

It all started in France in June where we spent a month eating our way through Spain and Italy as well.  We were then off to Alaska to enjoy the finest dining that Princess Cruises had to offer.

But I have to say, that nothing has compared to our dinner cooked to perfection last night at the Royal Grille Steakhouse at St. Kitts Marriott.

We were greeted with a relaxed smile and the dim lighting and quiet setting made for an inviting atmoshpere. We knew we were in for a special evening of eating when we saw the open kitchen jutting out into the dining room busy at work with preparations.  The aroma of fresh garlic and grilled seafood filled the air.

Carefully choosing our appetizers, I went for the perfectly grilled scallops served over fresh pears topped with a hint of caviar.  They simply melted in my mouth and  I thought that there couldn’t be anything more delicious on the menu.  That is until I tasted Dave’s Tuna Tartar.  Served with slivers of meat stacked atop a small mound of seaweed, this dish was minty fresh. We couldn’t decide which we liked better so we shared our plates until they were lickably clean.

fresh tuna tartar

melt in your mouth sea scallops

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It was on to round two with the steak house’s signature dish, table side caesar salad.

Our friendly server prepared the finest caesar salad with the perfect blend of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, egg, a pinch of salt and anchovies all topped with fresh parmesan cheese.  Yes, we are in heaven.

The dinner was timed to perfection and we had just the right amount of time to chat and relax as we did to eat and enjoy.  We had to take our time, because the main dish was about to arrive.

Our filet mignons were precisely cooked to medium rare and stacked beautifully atop mashed potatoes and crisp vegetables.  Dave had one more layer to his main dish with fresh Caribbean lobster tail dipped in heavenly butter.

Who would have thought that chocolate and beef would go so well together?

But that was exactly the case with my chocolate gravy on the side of my filet mignon.  The rich sauce had the right hint of chocolate flavouring without overpowering the taste and I dipped each forkful giddy with happiness.

Dave stated that it takes a bold chef to pair broccoli with asparagus as the two take different times to prepare, but the talent of the kitchen shone through as each vegetable had just the right amount of crisp, freshness.

stacked and cooked to perfection, filet mignon and lobster tail

my filet mignon, medium rare heaven

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We were far too full to eat another bite and couldn’t take advantage of the succulent deserts. Besides, we had to make our way to bed because we had an early morning of Zip Lining and Kayaking.

With our bellies full, we went flopped to our king size bed and dreamt of the islands, lulled to rest by the sound of calypso music somewhere in the distance.

Today we walked to higher altitudes and saw our first trains of wooly yaks.  These guys can’t live at low altitudes because it is too warm for them to survive below 3000 metres. They are beautiful.

Signs of actual expeditions going up to summit mighty Everest go by as large groups of yaks and people carry giant loads of gear.  It is exciting to think that we are walking the same trail as so many great mountain climbers like Sir Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa.

Here is a quick video of day 5 en route to Mount Everest’s Base Camp.

For other videos to EBC check out the links below. For links to our full Everest adventure you can click on “The Entire Collection”

• Everest Base Camp – Namche Bazaar to Tengboche, Video
• Everest Base Camp – Day 2 in Two Minute, videos
• EBC In about a minute, video
• Everest Flight to Lukla – On Adventurous Ride! video
• The Entire Adventure Collection

We thought that we would check out the media package that the Marriott St. Kitts supplied to us during a delicious lunch at Toronto’s Canoe restaurant before leaving for our adventure to St. Kitts.

Home to a mere 30,000 people, St. Kitts is located in the Eastern Caribbean. Discovered in 1493 by you guessed it, Christopher Columbus, English settlers finally started arriving over a century later in 1623.  After 130 years of conflict between the French and the English, it was finally handed over to the English in 1783.  In 1983 St. Kitts gained its independence and remains so as part of the British Commonwealth.

St. Kitts, Small but Diverse

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It may be a small island, it’s only 176 square km (68 square miles) in area, but it makes up for it in diversity.  From volcanic mountains and rainforests to sugar cane plantations and beaches, St. Kitts is an adventure travellers dream.   Because it is situated on both the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, it’s beaches are as diverse as its landscape.   The Atlantic coast boasts a heavy surf as opposed to the calm waters on the Caribbean side.  Even the sands change from coast to coast.  From the usual honey brown beaches to black volcanic sands you will find great diversity in everything at  St. Kitts.

We are excited to be spending our time at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and The Royal Beach Casino.  It’s championship golf course, Vegas style rules casino and luxury spa will satisfy the most decadent of traveller.

While Dave and I won’t be spending any time on the greens or at the slots, we will be enjoying fun filled excursions of zip lining over the jungle canopy, kayaking, volcano and jungle trekking with a day at the spa to soothe our tired muscles.

Brimstone Hill Fortress

Photo Credit: United One World

There are enough activities to keep visitors busy for days.  ST. Kitts boasts one of the best preserved forts in the Americas with Brimstone Hill Fortress, it has a Scenic Railway taking you through Sugar Cane Plantations, beach bars and Catamaran tours.

I have a feeling four days will not be enough!

As you are reading this we are on a flight from Toronto via Miami to St. Kitts, watch for our tweets and facebook updates at the hashtag #BlogParadise @marriottresorts

See you in St. Kitts I know I am probably having a Pina Colada in the very near future! (it’s my island drink of choice, I can’t help it, I always have to have one)

We have visited the Louvre, but sadly, we knew that it caused a lot of controversy when it was designed and we knew that we enjoyed the opposing periods of architectural design on the grounds, but we never looked into the man that actually constructed the glass pyramid that we have all come to know so well.

He apparently has designed buildings all over the world and here are his top 5.

Top 5 Architectural Wonders of I.M. Pei

A round the world holiday trip to experience the architectural genius of I.M. Pei.

The architectural work of leoh Ming Pei is truly phenomenal to behold. Since graduating from MIT in 1940 with a degree in Architecture, I.M. Pei has been creating amazing structures which are simply breathtaking.

Pei’s work can be seen all over the world, and experiencing his staggering and sometimes controversial works first-hand is a must. You may only get to see one or two of his inspirational designs, but for architectural enthusiasts, all inclusive holidays such as a Pei-themed round the world trip could provide the travel experience of a lifetime.

Here are five of the best picks of Pei’s buildings from around the world.

L’Enfant Plaza Hotel, Washington DC

Starting in America, L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington DC is one of the first major projects that Pei worked on. Situated in the heart of DC near the National Mall, Smithsonian Museums and Benjamin Park, the hotel is elegantly decorated and a great place to stay to experience Pei’s architecture and Washington’s attractions.

Miho Museum, Japan

Travelling west from America to Japan, architecture fans will be able to marvel at the Miho Museum. Situated in Kyoto, the museum houses the extensive private collection of Mihoko Koyama, with over 2,000 antiques from Asian and Western cultures. Carved into the mountain the building is an astonishing visual achievement from Pei.

Bank of China Tower, Hong Kong

Working further west from Japan to Hong Kong is the fantastic building built for the Bank of China in Asia’s city that never sleeps. The asymmetrical tower provides over 130,000 square metres of office space for the Bank of China, in a stunning building which is both practical and beautiful. Working to a tight budget of just $130 million Pei used all his architectural guile to produce this wonder.

Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar

Continuing the global tour of Pei’s architecture is the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Qatar’s educational project brings together pieces of Islamic art including manuscripts, ceramics and textiles ranging from the 7^th to the 19^th century. Pei’s design was inspired by Mosque of Ahmad Ibn Tulun in Egypt.

The Louvre, Paris

Paris’ most famous museum attracted no small amount of criticism when Pei’s design for a glass pyramid for the entrance was initially approved. The final construction is not only an impressive structure but also acts as a huge skylight for the museum’s central location, which leads to three separate wings. The perfect end to a Pei world tour of architecture in the city of love.

Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I._M._Pei
• http://www.pcf-p.com/a/f/fme/imp/p/p.html
• http://www.plaza-hotel-washington-dc.com/?gclid=CI7zv_zmhqICFdGX2AodeS3MVA
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miho_Museum

Pic Sources:

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If you happen to find yourself in Toronto in September, there are some exciting things going on with us. Not only will we be speaking at the Meet Plan Go Toronto Event on the 14th but we will also be speaking at Mountain Equipment Co-op on September 8th!

It is going to be a fun slide show presentation mixed with video, graphics, humour and information that you will need to know about trekking in Nepal and beyond.

What you can expect!

Not only will we be talking about our trek to EBC, we will also be discussing how we keep in touch on the road, what we pack and the electronics that we haul along with us, how we have managed to travel for extended periods and how we have fulfilled our dreams of becoming full time adventurers.

Our last show at Mountain Equipment Co-op about our cycling adventure in Africa was a huge success and we are hoping to top that one with even more fun, more people and more slides!

So come on out and enjoy this FREE event in Toronto at 7:30 PM. Come early to shop as Mountain Equipment Co-op is the leading outdoor and adventure travel store in Canada.  Everything you need for your camping, travelling and adventuring dreams can be found under this roof! It is an excellent way to spend a Wednesday evening with like-minded people and a little inspiration for your next getaway.

Where – Mountain Equipment Co-op 400 King Street West Toronto

Date September 8th, 2010

When – 7:30 pm sharp to 9:30 pm

Cost – FREE!!!!

multi media slide show event at MEC

For More information and for updates go to our Facebook Fanpage to respond to the invitation.  We will send out a reminder leading up to the event.

It is that time again. Every so often we like to give our readers an update on what we have been up to behind the scenes of theplanetd.

This summer has been light on travel but very heavy on travel blogging and business.

It was a little over a month ago that we started our changes with the blog and wrote about what we did in the post The Business of Travel Blogging, Week 1 Change we definitely made a lot of tweaks to change the look of the blog by widening it, changing the colours and cleaning up our side bar.

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So have the changes made any difference?

We have certainly noticed a lot of things happening over this past month.

Since changing our RSS Subscriber feed to full feed, we have noticed our subscribers increasing steadily.  We are going to be adding a Subscribe to updates by email under our RSS Subscribe icon because many people don’t know what RSS is, but everyone understands subscribe to email updates.

We have been working on retagging photos thanks to Gary Arndt’s talk at The Travel Blog Exchange. He explained the importance of tagging, and after working diligently for the past month we have noticed a large increase in daily views. We haven’t even scratched the surface of cleaning up our SEO (search engine optimization) But what work we have done so far is making a difference, so we are going to continue.

We were inspired by Globetrooper and the success that they have had on facebook.  After chatting with them in Montreal, we decided to work on building our facebook fanpage.  We held a travel song contest and gave away a $25 iTunes gift certificate.  To enter the contest, we had everyone give our facebook fanpage a like and leave a comment stating what their favourite travel song was.  It worked very well in a little over a week, we gained over 100 fans.  We now have some interaction and discussion on our fan page and we are enjoying the commaraderie and support on the social networking site.

Dave's Photography Website

Dave has been working on his Photography Site Picture the Planet. It has been a gigantic task moving his photos over to SmugMug, (Another piece of advice by Gary) but he is slowly getting all his travel photos into their galleries.  Once he has everything organized, he is going to start posting photography tips and advice pieces.  For now he has been posting a photo of the day just to get some content going and it has gone over very well.

We have started editing our vides and will be posting travel videos more often in the coming weeks.  We found that we have been neglecting the video aspect of the blog and we feel that our readers will get more of a feel of our personalities if they can see us on camera every so often.  This has been a challenge as there is so much to do on the technical side of blogging that we don’t really have the time for editing, but we are making the sacrifice to add another layer to theplanetd.   Besides, we have months of footage to capitalize on and it is time to have some fun and play around with our footage.

We have created a new logo and will be putting that up soon replacing our avatar in the top left corner of the page.

Headings and Links

We have been working on keeping people on our site for longer and creating more page views as well.  The best piece of advice that we got from Globetrooper was that our links were the same colour as our headings.  Now we have changed our text links to related blog posts to the colour green and we have underlined them. Our Headings are red  We are also making sure to do more internal linking to our own site.  We have neglected this in the past, but we are slowly working on building those links. It is working…we are seeing our bounce rate go down and people are spending more time on the site.

We took off most of our award badges to speed up the site a bit.  We love to have the “brag badges” but we prefer to have a fast website instead.

We also took off all the the blog ranking widgets.  These things….

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We aren’t sure if this is a good thing or not.  We aren’t even sure why we joined all of these things in the first place.  I know that we submitted our blog about a year ago, downloaded the badge widget to put on the site and then watched the rankings change daily at the bottom.  Since taking them off the home page we have dropped like a stone on all of them. Does anyone know if this is useful to blogs?  Does it matter if we are indexed with them or not? We ended up moving them to the bottom of our travel blogs page. That way we are still linking to them and hopefully they are still indexing our site. But we are not sure.

And we areen’t even sure if the link from them is useful or not. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

So there you have it, we are plugging away for hours every day at the moment while we are at home. We want our site to be in tip top shape before we set out on the road again. There is still a lot to do. We have tagging and optimizing, editing hours of video, retooling the look of the blog, and a thousand other little things to fix in the next 2 months, but we are slowly making progress and seeing results.  We will keep you posted on how it goes.