Saturday, February 26, 2011

Seychelles

Seychelles is comprised of 115 islands that are off the coast of Africa. A very interesting fact is that 41 of the 115 island make up the oldest mid-oceanic granite islands on the earth! The islands are divided into two groups, with the first being the above mentioned and the second group is made up of Inner Islands that are mainly located within relatively shallow plateaus. Seychelles offers breath taking views and I would LOVE to visit a few of the islands one day.

There are several attractions that one may invest their time into while visiting Seychelles such as:
  • Island hopping
  • Walks & trails
  • Dining out
  • Visit Art galleries 
  • Beaches


As being a prominent follower of my blog you probably already know where I would invest my time at, that’s right the BEACH!!! I would not be able to wait to sink my feet into the sand and take a deep breath of fresh air as I relax and thoroughly enjoy myself in the paradise that’s so delicately placed off the coast of Africa.  Hope you enjoy the pictures that I selected to share with the world! 


Seychelles beaches


Seychelles's white sand beaches

Seychelles's beautiful beaches

Aruba


When I think of Aruba automatically I think of beaches and Pina coladas. I have been to Aruba once before, but I was a very young teen at the time.  I have family that lives in Aruba and during the vacation one day my cousin took us for a tour all around Aruba. The tour took about 2 hours, unfortunately I fell asleep and missed more than half of the tour. However, from what I saw and remember it was stunning.

There is so much to do when visiting Aruba other than the obviously R&R. One may be interested in visiting the “Natural Pool”, which is pool of water nested among huge rocks near the northeast coast of Aruba. This is a very popular attraction for many tourists and even the locals.

Aruba's Natural Pool


Other attractions are:
  • Butterfly farm
  • Donkey Sanctuary (one may feed and pet the donkeys)
  • Archaeological Museum of Aruba
  • De Palm Island
  • Diving, Swimming, & Snorkeling

Of the attractions that I mentioned, De Palm Island would be my favorite. It’s an island right off of Aruba that has several attractions of its own to enjoy. You would take a ferry over to the island and spend the day doing whatever suits you best.  The ferry fee is all inclusive of food and drinks, so this is also an economic friendly venture. I see it as a vacation away from a vacation. Enjoy my pictures plus an added bonus of a videoJ!

Aruba's beaches

Aruba's white sand



Saturday, February 19, 2011

Norman Island, British Virgin Islands

I heard about Norman Island from my sister Vanessa, like me she is also a nature lover and we frequently share thoughts of places we’d love to visit. I’ve never heard of Norman Island before but I thought I would blog about it this week not only because it’s extremely gorgeous but the mere fact that the island is just 610 acres and is approximately 2 ½ miles long. Norman Island is located close to the international boundary line that separates the British Virgin Islands and US Virgin Islands. The most interesting fact about Norman Island is that it’s currently uninhabited!!

As one may imagine there isn’t much to do here. Norman Island is ideal for boaters who are cruising by and are interesting in mocking Christopher Columbus adventurous ways. Diving and snorkeling are popular activities at Norman Island. It’s even possible to snorkel into the caves of the island. Other than diving and snorkeling, visitors can stop in at Willy T’s bar and restaurant, which is a boat that is permanently anchored. It is even rumored that girls who dive off of the boat naked receive a free T-shirt!!

Hope you enjoy the pictures of this hidden paradise!






Koh Lao Liang, Thailand

Koh Lao Liang is a secret hideaway located off the west coast of southern Thailand, in the Andaman Sea.  Koh Lao Liang was once the local’s secret spot but now this beautiful treasure is getting well deserved attention.  In Koh Lao Liang eco friendly practices are well implemented, in hopes of preserving the natural beauty of the island.

There is only one place of accommodation on the island, Laoliang Island Resort. To create the resort very little concrete was used, now you may wonder what does a resort with little concrete look like. Being eco-friendly the resort uses tents! You are provided with a thick mattress that’s wrapped in white sheets and electricity that fuels 2 fans and 2 lamps, and a bathroom is shared by all guests. The tents are located right on the beach, so you can fall asleep to the sound of crashing waves and also rise and shine with to such beautiful sounds.



There is one beach on the island that has crystal clear waters and beautiful white sand. You won’t have to be concerned about an overcrowded beach, as the beach is isolated perfect for the ultimate relaxation getaway.

Things to do while in paradise:
  • Kayaking
  • Deep Sea Diving
  • Fishing
  • Rock Climbing
  • Snorkeling





Koh Lao Liang is extremely fascinating and I would be thrilled to explore Thailand’s hidden treasure one day. Hope you enjoy the pictures I posted J

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Africa

Africa has always been a place of interest for me and my family, especially my father’s side of the family.  My great great grandmother came from Africa (specifically the Congo region) as a slave. I would love to visit one day to trace my family’s history while visiting in Africa. I can only imagine that the experience of exploring the areas of which my ancestors once resided would be so surreal. I am hoping to one day visit Africa with my entire family for a family reunion as we “relive” our history.

Despite being a developing country Africa is rich in beauty. In my opinion the media portrays the country to be poor and not worthy of the world’s attention. I couldn’t disagree anymore, quite frankly it upsets me.  I hope one day the media will change its tainted view of Africa and see it for what it really is.

In my research of Africa I found beautiful pictures that I wish to share with the world. I really enjoyed these pictures and hope you do too!







The Amazing beauty of Switzerland

I’ve always heard about Switzerland but never did any research until speaking to one of my good friends. He visited Switzerland on several occasions and loves it. I would definitely visit Switzerland if I was blessed with such an opportunity, mainly for the scenery. I was floored by the beauty of this country. I would love to visit during the winter season to experience a brand new environment than what I am used to, as all my life I lived in warm climates. I would love to see snow capped mountains and trees and of course make a snowman!

As you’ve probably guessed by now from my prior posts I adore nature and all the beautiful non-artifacts that’s offered to us. The cliché “the best things in life are free’ is undoubtedly factual. Imagine yourself in Switzerland enjoying pure bliss as seen in my photos below. I don’t know about you guys but I sure would love to make it a reality one day! I hope you thoroughly enjoy J

P.s These pictures really make me want to book my ticket RIGHT NOW… Absolutely breath taking!






Saturday, February 5, 2011

Down Under Mate!

A few days ago I signed into my email and saw the following picture and I was taken aback by the beauty of Shark Bay, Australia.


 Australia has always been a place that I found to be very interesting, because it’s so far away from many of the continents. Tourists travel from far to explore the beauty of Australia with a focal point being Shark Bay.  Shark Bay is a very popular tourist destination because of what it has to offer.


With research I’ve found that a popular tourist attraction is flying over Shark Bay to enjoy a breath taking scenery. I’ve included a video that I found on Youtube that offers a free view for those of us who haven’t had the chance to visit and take advantage of doing such. Click here to enjoy. 

Another, and perhaps the most popular attraction, is to take a stroll on remote beaches. I would definitely LOVE this! As I mentioned before I am a total beach lover. Many tourists visit Shark Bay in hopes of seeing and/or even petting dolphins’, sharks, and many other forms of wildlife. Other events available and highly enjoyable while visiting in Australia includes but not limited to; camping, water activities, fishing and boating, visiting their discovery centre, and bushwalking are just a few.

I would love to visit Australia one day but I really don’t see that happening in the near future. So I’ll have to enjoy the pictures that I have posted and hope you do too! 





HUP HUP Holland!


Holland is located in Western Europe and borders the North Sea. I’ve included a map of where Holland is located exactly for a better understanding. The language spoken there is Dutch however, it is not uncommon to come across individuals who speak English especially in the city of Amsterdam, as the city is a popular tourist destination. 

It always been on my “places to visit” list. My favorite family members currently live in Holland and have been there for quite some time. They usually visit me here in Florida and always remind me that my vacation to visit them is long overdue. I have plans in the making to visit them at the end of this semester as a graduation gift to myself. I am so grateful that I have their knowledge of Holland and therefore I won’t have to do extensive research for my vacation. Nevertheless, I still did some research on places of interest to visit while in Holland such as:
  • The Anne Frank house
  • Canal boat tours
  • Flower Market
  • Erotic Museum (Not recommended for kids!!!)
  • Heineken Brewery


These are just a few of the many interesting things to do that are offered in Holland. An interesting fact is that the main forms of transportation are trains & trams, a totally different experience than here in America.  I’ve been told that you MUST be on time when relying on the train or tram as your form of transportation, as they have record timing and strictly stick to the schedule.
I am extremely excited to finally be getting the chance to plan my vacation with the added help of my lovely cousins. As usually I’m closing off with pictures and I hope you all enjoy! J