Today I had to go to Heritage Park in Calgary for some research related to a volunteer position of mine. I've lived in Alberta all of my life, and I can't remember if I've been to Heritage Park before. If I have, it was about twenty years ago. Not that I haven't seen my share of 'living history' museums across the Canadian Prairies--if I have been to Heritage Park, I can't remember it because the memories are mixed in with memories of visiting other historic places, like Fort Walsh, Lower Fort Garry, Fort Whoop-Up and others. When I was growing up, [View Full Entry]

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Disembarking Yesterday, we did our cleaning and packing as we sailed back to Placencia from Lagoon Cay. We were greeted at the dock by a couple of brothers who were selling the souvenirs they 'made.' They were smart guys to be there, as it was simpler to buy from them as run around to any stores. After about an hour in the sweltering humidity, all the dive gear was returned, our stuff was off the boat, and we were waiting to be picked up by a driver from the resort where we were staying. The guys and I went over to [View Full Entry]

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This is the last caye that we'll visit on this trip. We've anchored at the entrance to a peaceful lagoon where manatees are known to live. After dropping the anchors, one of the guys went out in the dinghy for a tour of the lagoon, and he saw something brown in the water, and then it turned all cloudy and muddy. He rushed back to the boat for a camera, and a couple of us went back with him. When manatees feed on the bottom, they stir up a lot of silt and mud, which is what we saw. But we [View Full Entry]

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The wind was in the wrong direction to sail here from North Long Cocoa Cay, so we motored here yesterday. The breeze was nice, and for the first time in several days, we're not uncomfortably hot and sticky. We saw dolphins on the way, and got here mid to late afternoon. South Water Cay is inhabited--it has three or four resorts separated by fences. Five of us went to the island to explore a bit, arrange for dinner, and have some cold beverages at the bar. Our first stop was the dive shop, so the divers could make arrangements to dive [View Full Entry]

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There wasn't enough wind to sail from Ranguana Cay, so we motored here to North Little Cocoa Cay. When we arrived here, a couple of us went out in the dinghy to drop the second anchor, and have a quick tour around the Cay. When we got back, I hopped out of the dinghy and tied it quickly to the boat while we all figured out how we would spend the afternoon. I meant to check it, and make sure it was tied securely. Later that evening, I saw the dinghy drifting away. I couldn't jump in after it, because I [View Full Entry]

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This has definitely been a very different vacation for me. Not only am I traveling with other people, but the style of travel is very different. Instead of the everyday adventure of figuring out where to go, what to do, and carrying all my belongings on my back, I'm sleeping in the same bed every night, and I don't have to carry my valuables on my body 24 hours a day! We haven't been on the boat long enough to go stir crazy, but we were still really looking forward to getting off the boat and onto a beach. We sailed [View Full Entry]

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In spite of the fact that my feet are swollen and uncomfortable from the heat, it's been a relaxing day. We got here in time to get some snorkeling in--the corals were amazing! The moon made a brief appearance after another great sunset, and once it was dark and many of the boat lights were off, we saw some phosphorescent fish and plankton behind the boat. [View Full Entry]

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Morning in Placencia Yesterday at the Moorings Base in Placencia, I woke up in time to catch the sunrise--it was so peaceful, and for the first hour of the day, the temperature was just right. I sat at the front of the boat with my camera, watching the sunrise and listening to Placencia waking up. As soon as the sun was up there was activity, and heat. By 6:30am, my poor white skin needed sunscreen. When I went to get a shower at the Moorings Base, there was a spotted eagle ray swimming around the docks, feeding. It was graceful and [View Full Entry]

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I woke up to snow this morning, and I laughed. I laughed because it was 4am, and I was getting ready to go to the airport to fly to Belize. The friends I'm traveling with picked me up at 4:45am. I had to navigate past a drunk homeless guy in a wheelchair who was taking shelter in the front entry of my apartment, and through the snow (in my sandals, because I was determined not to take socks and shoes to Belize). We made it to the airport in plenty of time after picking up two more friends, but the security [View Full Entry]

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It's been a dry winter here. My skin and my hair and my eyes have been struggling with the lack of humidity since I got back from Europe in November. I got so fed up with it, that three days before Christmas, I booked a flight to Vancouver to spend Christmas with my sister, her partner, his family, and my mom and stepfather. I was even lucky enough to find flights at a reasonable price that close to the holiday. I flew in Christmas Eve (just in time for dinner), and it was very festive to fly over the houses with [View Full Entry]

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