Nassau SUB Bahamas Adventure

One of American’s greatest past times isn’t baseball…..it’s family adventure holidays. Family holidays are a great way to bond and spend time together. Families love to share adventure together and there is no shortage of great family adventure holidays to insure something every family will enjoy.

Xplor Adventure Park in Cancun, Mexico is one of the newest adventure parks to the area and is a great option for a Cheap Family Holiday. There is something for everyone in the family to do. Xplor park offers zip lines that travel through the tree tops and then dip down into the caves. Rafting through the underground caves is always an adventure as families admire the grottoes up close.

If your family loves the beach they will love the Full Day Power Adventure in Key West, Florida. There are personal watercraft to enjoy, snorkeling and kayaking. A scrumptious buffet luncheon is served as well. If you aren’t afraid of heights dare to parasail. It’s an experience you will never forget.

Exploring the Yukon by horseback in Skagway Alaska is an unforgettable adventure. It is a chance to be up close with wildlife and enjoy the spectacular views of the Yukon’s winding trails and open ridges. The ride’s tour guide will be informative and friendly. There are plenty of photograph opportunities so your family will have a great souvenir of their adventuresome ride.

The Nassau SUB Bahamas Adventure is something you have probably never experienced. SUB stands for scenic underwater bubble. It’s your own little personal submarine water craft. You don’t need to be a swimmer to enjoy an SUB. They are perfectly safe for non swimmers as well. First your family will have an orientation period to learn how to operate their own personal SUB. They will learn basic operating skills and communication procedures. Then it’s off to explore Nassau’s famous reefs. There are supervision and escort services provided by professional SUB guides. It’s truly a one of a kind family adventure.

If ATVs are your family’s joy then discover the ATV Off-Road Desert Adventure in famous Las Vegas, Nevada. The days can be spent zipping along the sand dunes in the red desert near the Valley of Fire State Park. A professional guide will lead your family through a private trail system. Also included in the trip is a trek around the Off Road Razr Track. It’s a great way to test driving skills as you navigate through the twists and turns. The family will enjoy a picnic style lunch together and during the break you can take great photographs at one of Nevada’s oldest state parks.

Family adventure holidays are great for family bonding. Whatever adventures your family chooses they are sure to have great fun and a great time!

It’s scary to think about what might not have happened.  If my friend’s Beatles cover band hadn’t had a gig at the Michelada bar, I might never have tried them, and never have fallen in love.  Micheladas are by far my favorite drink (though I do recommend mescal with sangrito too), and would probably make the list of my top ten favorite things about life in Mexico.

A traditional Michelada is sort of like a Bloody Mary, using beer rather than vodka.  Order one and the waiter will bring a frosty, salt-rimmed glass with ice cubes and a mysterious concoction filling about a third of the glass.  Then he will pour your favorite beer (I like Indio or Negra Modelo) into it and presto- the most delicious drink you’ve ever tasted.

So, what’s in them? I’ve spent a lot of time discussing this with bartenders in an effort to create my own.  It’s an art, not a science.  Each restaurant’s Michelada is a little different, but they’re all good so it’s a good idea to try as many as you can.  The basic ingredients are lime juice, Maggi sauce, Worcestershire sauce and some type of salsa (Tabasco, Bufalo and Valentino are all candidates).  This all adds to a bodacious brew.  The extra flavor gives the illusion of food, not just beer.  And through some mysterious magic of the limes and tomato, I’ve found that I can drink more of them and remain sober enough to continue drinking longer than I might with just plain beer.

Some variations need to be considered.  Menus also offer Cheladas which are beer with lime juice, ice and a salted glass.  Once upon ordering in Guadalajara, the waiter asked if I wanted it “Mexicana” or “Cubana”.  It turned out that the Mexican style was the Chelada (lime and salt, but no salsa) and the Cuban style was Michelada.  Some Micheladas have Clamato in them.  This is usually optional, often found at seafood restaurants.  If you come to Guanajuato, you should be sure to check out the bar (near the hotel Real de Minas) called Michelada.  They offer an entire menu of variations, including ones with tequila.

My favorite? The oh-so-filling, priced to sell, Michelitro. Yep- that’s a liter of my favorite drink for only 30 pesos.  Salud!

I was home from the ceremony by midnight, but could still here the blaring ranchero music when I drifted off to sleep around two.  I had expected it to be a loud night and didn’t really mind.  It’s not every day you turn two-hundred.  This was the culmination for me, having traveled through North America and been in each country for its Independence Day.  But I should start at the beginning…

July 1^st, Victoria, BC

Canada

“How independent is Canada really?” I teased my friend. It’s true, she confessed.  The Queen was visiting that Canada Day and an editorial in the newspaper seemed to capture the national sentiment – supporting a European Monarchy is ridiculous, but the Queen herself is so perfect no one has the heart to change things.

July 1^st was also the first day of a new tax, the “harmonized sales tax”.  I found this name hilarious.  I assured my friends that in the U.S. we would never refer to a tax as harmonious.  We would never use those two words in the same sentence.

The streets were filled with festivities.  Everyone was dressed in red and white and seemed to be in an alcohol-assisted state of happiness.  This all fit with what I’ve heard about Canadians, extremely polite, and rather fond of beer.  According to my friend, a good deal of Canada’s current national identity can be linked back to a Molson’s commercial.

July 4^th Gig Harbor, WA

USA

On July 4^th, we sailed from Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington.  A sign at the ferry terminal said, “Happy Independence, neighbor.”  We were eventually on our way to Portland which has a fabulous Blues Festival fourth of July weekend.  However, we spent the night in the small town of Gig Harbor on Puget Sound.  Things were fairly subdued. We sat at Tides Tavern and watched boat sail up to the dock to order to-go food.  It was early evening.  There was no municipal fireworks display and restaurants were closing.  “Everyone wants to go home and BBQ and let off fireworks with their family,” I explained to the Canadians, feeling a little embarrassed.

The lack of hoopla was fine with me.  I’m a bit uncomfortable with patriotism.  It’s not that I don’t appreciate what I have.  A representative, secular democracy is a great thing.  But I didn’t do anything to earn the privileges I enjoy.  I don’t feel proud to be American- I feel lucky.

September 16 -  Guanajuato, Gto

Mexico

And now I am in Mexico for what is not just any Independence Day, but the Bicentennial.  And, I’m not just anywhere, but in Guanajuato where the first battle in the struggle for independence was fought and won.  Victory did not come swiftly.  The leaders of the fight for independence did not live to see the success of their efforts the way Washington and Jefferson did.  They were martyrs to the cause. For ten years, the Spanish displayed the cut-off heads of “the conspirators” hung in cages on the corners of the Alhondiga, a building which is now a museum.

Mexicans are night owls, so the big party was on the eve of Independence Day. People with flags, horns and confetti flooded down to the plaza in front of the Alhondiga.  Musicians performed, a slide show depicted images of Mexico’s history and people, a giant digital clock counted down the minutes until the “grito”. The “grito” is an annual reenactment of the cry for independence which was first given by the priest Miguel Hidalgo 200 years ago.  Now politicians repeat it to cheering crowds and one did so now.  We all yelled ¡Vive!, sang and watched fireworks.

Independence isn’t all its cracked up to be.   It’s hard to say if the world is really making progress.  Sometimes it seems that given the chance at self-determination, what people are determined to do is make war with their neighbors.  Fair and democratic elections have brought some really bad people to power.  One wonders if we have simply shifted from political to economic imperialism.  And of course, Mexico is having a hard time right now.  In the end though, it beats the alternative.  ¡Vive la Independencia!

The Spanish typically built their cities in orderly grids with “avenidas” running north-south, and “calles” running east-west.  It must have been frustrating for them that the geography of Guanajuato wouldn’t conform to this logic.  But what could they do- this is where the silver was.

Guanajuato’s verticality has its advantages.  Once you know your way home from downtown, you really can’t get lost. If you’re going up, you’re going away from town and if you’re going down you’re going towards it.  And you’re always going up or down.  A well-traveled friend I met at language school commented that Guanajuato was the only place he’d ever been where by some strange vortex of both geography and geometry when you walk somewhere and back, it’s uphill both ways.  It’s good for the muscles, heart and lungs.  Rough on the knees.  Bring good shoes.

People visiting Mexico are often overly concerned about keeping their digestive systems healthy.  Fair enough, but the greater health risk here is from falling.  Guanajuato has beautiful architecture that begs to be stared at. Don’t walk and gawk.  Stop moving your feet when you admire the scenery.  Locals have mastered getting around these uneven, step-filled streets.  I once saw a woman walking up a callejon in four-inch heels while carrying a cake and talking on a cell phone.  Don’t try this yourself.

While pedestrians enjoy ground level, or various ground levels, most of the vehicle traffic is underground.  Ancient river beds serve as “subterranean” streets and the city is crawling with tunnels.  This means that even if you know your way around the pedestrian passages in your sleep, you may have no idea how to get around by car. When I first came here I was suspicious when taxis would take a tunnel leading out of town, only to do a u-turn and head back in.  Now I understand.  That is often the only way to get from one point to another by car.  Guanajuato is a great place not to have a vehicle.

The axis of Guanajuato descends below where the eye can see.  The hills all around are spotted with silver mines, many of them hundreds of years old, some of them still producing.  The ruins of the mines are incongruently scenic.  Beautiful centuries-old stone structures, they are also the sites of unimaginable suffering and exploitation- and of course, the source of the wealth which created this city.  They say that at one time 70% of the world’s silver was coming out of Guanajuato’s mines.  Today, near the ornate Templo Valenciana, one can enter “boca mina” to get a brief tour.

Guanajuato will strain your feet, harden your tush and reward you with incredible vistas.  It deserves a stop on any tour of central Mexico.

I had taken two years of Spanish in high school, and two more years in college. I had made some progress, but there was so much to learn.  But now I was living in Mexico and attending language school three hours per day. This ought to drive the Spanish into my thick skull even if I seem to lack the knack for language acquisition.

Frustrating as it can be, Spanish immersion school is also a lot of fun.  Where else can you sit around with people of all ages, from all parts of the globe, discussing who is worse, Bush or Berlusconi, in a language none of you really know?

At the beginning it’s kind of Zen.  Every cell in your brain has to concentrate one-hundred percent of the time.  Fully immersed, you do begin to think in Spanish.  However, your limited knowledge doesn’t allow you to have very complex thoughts.  “I am walking in the street. It is hot.” This does wonders for the mental health.

Then things get murkier. Ninety-odd possible conjugations for any given verb?!  Even then, one could possibly conquer them if only all the verbs would follow the rules.  Damn those irregulars!  And just when you start to think there’s hope- they introduce the subjunctive.

The subjunctive is a common mode in Spanish for talking about things that may or may not exist, things that didn’t or haven’t yet happened, things that are subjective (and in Spanish just about everything is subjective).  After learning the formula for conjugating the verbs, the first homework we were given was to make a list of phrases describing our ideal mate- perfect example of something that probably doesn’t exist.  For me, this was the homework that kept on giving.  My original list had 28 items, but everyday, I would think, “algo mas” and add to it.  Looking at my list now, I can understand why I’ll never find my Subjunctive Man.  I flirted with the idea of writing to Antonio Banderas since he meets the criteria for at least three things on my list (rich, handsome, fluent in Spanish).  Perhaps if I sent him a letter in Spanish, he would be kind enough to correct my grammar.  I made that original list three and a half years ago.  It now has forty-some items and I am still struggling with the subjunctive.

The fact is, my capacity for self-criticism will probably always outshine my language ability and I will never consider myself fluent.  But there are signs of hope.  I’ve graduated from watching action flicks (little dialogue), to sit coms (simplistic dialogue followed by laugh-track which allows processing time), to occasionally being able to follow an episode of “Ley y Orden” – Law And Order (which I think can be found at any given moment on a some TV station in every corner of the world).  Talking on the phone in Spanish still strikes terror into my heart, but I do it on a regular basis. The woman at my local hardware store must have thought I was crazy when I pointed to a light bulb and asked for a balloon, but it gave us both a good laugh.  I will continue the struggle. Ojala, tenga exito algun dia!

The Song Bird Hiking Trail is a 1.1 mile trail loop that sits between Harlow Lake and Lake Superior.  As the name implies its a great place to spot songbirds including sparrows, hairy woodpeckers, warblers, and merlins just to name a few.  As you go you will come across signs that interpret the different song birds common to the area.   I’ve heard May is the best time for such a Bird watching experience but you can enjoy the hike anytime.  I went in July and it was still a very enjoyable hike filled with wildlife and just beautiful scenery.

Now I said the hike was 1.1 miles but we actually started somewhere near little Presque Isle Point so it was a little longer.  It’s really a fabulous area with a mix of  beach, lake, rock outcroppings, and green forest.  During our hike we hugged lake superior and then into the wooden canopy and then back out again.  Refer to the map which I didn’t have at the time.

Overall, this is not a difficult hike, easy to moderate I guess and depending on your schedule for the day shouldn’t take you to long.  There are plenty of adjoining trails however like the 4 mile north country trail segment between the wetmore landing parking area and heading north past Little Presque Isle Point area and beyond.  Plenty of opportunities to make a day out of it.  I have a hard time estimating a time as I’m a big fan of stopping and I enjoy taking pictures.  I also like to look around at things and observe because really, whats the big hurry?  Here are some pictures from the hike.

Hiking Little Presque Isle, Song Bird Trail

Now for me this hike is really close, I didn’t have to travel far and wide, catch a plane or anything crazy.  I mean I’m from Michigan and I lived up in the U.P for some time.  Still, its amazing what you can find in your own backyard and that’s what I want to emphasize.  When writing for GUAP don’t think every adventure has to be miles away.  Sometimes its minutes away and you can quickly capture the experience to share with others who are far away but might be heading your way.

I encourage anyone to go out and find a simple location that’s close to home.  Create a GUAP profile if you haven’t already and lets here about it!

Now, I know sometimes its just nice to have a few days of relaxation.  This is the second type of vacation.  The one where you don’t have much planned and tend to lay around the pool and beach as much as possible.  On this vacation the biggest chore of the day is deciding what restraunt to eat at for dinner.

When it comes to Hawaii you might be thinking vacation number 2, afterall its “fun in the sun” right.  OK fine, we will keep it light but we demand you atleast keep it unique.  Here are a few suggestions to make your trip to Hawaii special.