While in Mexico, like many people, we wanted to visit one of the Mayan Ruins. The first choice for most is the famous Chichen Itza Ruin that is about 3 hours away from where we were staying at the Sandos Caracol Eco-Resort and Spa. Unfortunately, due to deterioration and preservation of the ruin, people can no longer climb it and see the view from the top like the Mayans did. It is said that the great ruin and city was a major port and trading centre for the surrounding area. We opted for visiting Coba not only because it was closer to us but also because you can climb the major ruin there and it was in the jungle away from the blistering heat. Not many people would choose Coba so it's nice to see something that isn't as famous as the others so you can see a bit more of it without the crazy numbers of tourists that would flock daily to it.

Instead of choosing the tours that were offered by our resort where the cost would amount to about $100 USD each and having side trips to places we were not interested in, we opted to take the ADO bus. As mentioned in my previous article about going to Playa del Carmen the day before, we visited the ADO bus station on 5th Avenue to see what the prices are as they may have changed from what was quoted by other people in forums. The cost was excellent at $120 pesos on way so costing each person $240 pesos. The person was fairly fluent in English if you had any questions and there seemed to be only one time going there and back. The bus leaves the next day at 9:00 am and will pick you up at Coba at 3:00 pm. She didn't quote me any other times so I assume that is the only time available. The cost for us to get to and from our resort to the bus station will cost us $160 pesos each way. So the total cost for 2 people just on transportation alone would only cost about $56 CAD and that's a steal considering the sad currency exchange between the CAD and USD lately.

We arrived early at the bus station the next day around 8:30 am just in case. Look for a bus that says "Coba" at the front. Unfortunately, you cannot get on to the bus early. We pretty much had to wait in line as we were directed after confirming with the driver about the bus until exactly 9:00 am in which we were able to hop on. There is a stop to Tulum beach as well as the bus station so if you do decide to head to the Tulum Ruins instead, you would be taking the same bus although, my guess, the price of the bus ticket would be much lower. The ride to Tulum is about an hour and then another hour to Coba. It does stop at the Tulum bus station for about 15 minutes where you can stretch your legs or head to the bathroom although there is a bathroom in the bus. The bus driver does say (though in Spanish) that the bathroom on the bus is for #1 only and not #2 :)

Once the bus arrived at Coba, it will drop you off just in front of the gates before the parking lot and the entrance admission gate. I know from research that others said that the bus stopped about 7-10 minutes away from the entrance and you had to walk it (we did see a group of people do that on the way back) but it was nice it dropped us off at the gates just next to the small cafe ADO bus station that is there in front of the gates. It was a quick walk to the admission office where each person pays $60 pesos to get in. I recommend to leave the shopping and restaurant last as they surround the perimeter of the lot.

Once you pass the entrance into Coba, there will be guides waiting in case you do want to hire one. We didn't. If you did, you will be walking with the guide as we have seen with those that do hire them. There is also an option to rent a bike and a bike taxi. We decided to go on our own by foot. Big mistake on our part. It started off well with us going around but what we didn't know (as we didn't have a map nor a booklet like others), it was about at least 1 km between each ruin and there were about 6 I believe. We envied the people who were smart to rent bikes but envied those with the taxis more! There are bike parking lots so to say in every area and you will have to approach most of the ruins by foot walking about 100 - 400 meters depending on which ruin.

Without a guide or a book, we were hoping to make it somehow to Nohoch Mul Pyramid so we can climb it especially after our first ruin visit and our legs getting tired and being fatigue from the heat despite being in the jungle. We did guess correctly and approaching it was such a wonder in particular seeing all the people climbing up and down. There are about 130 steps and is about 42 meters in height. We took off our hats as there was a bit of wind and we didn't want to lose our balance. The steps were steep and you have to be careful. The climb up was easier than the climb down. We did rest at the top to enjoy the view, catch our breaths and see the vast amount of jungle that surrounded this area. On the way down, I chose to go on my rear. Even though I had good hikers on, the edge of the steps were rounded and some deteriorating that it was easy to slip even with good shoes and no rain. I saw one gal with just fashion sandals climbing up using a selfie stick to video tape her climb as I went down. That was dangerous and not worth the video unless you have a hero camera strapped to you, which is a safer option. After our climb down, I was drained. We decided to get a bike taxi to take us to the rest of the ruins as time was short and there was no way we can finish in time to catch the 3:00 pm bus, shop and get a bite to eat. We were charged less as we started later at $150 pesos. Our driver worked hard to take us to each ruin and we made an effort to stop and take our time at each so he can have a breather too. We tipped him well in the end as you can hear him huffing and puffing taking the 2 of us in one cart. Together we probably weighed 235 lbs. We gave him the tip at the end and paid for the taxi at the little rental shop at the beginning of the site.

We were famished and headed towards the first restaurant we saw. In hindsight, we would have chosen to try the Mayan restaurant right by the bus station outside the parking area but we wanted to shop for souvenirs after eating so we just chose the restaurant near us. We ordered something small such as salsa and tortillas (that I have been eating religiously every day) and chicken enchiladas. They were both pretty tasty but the black bean and rice were delicious. Such a simple dish that really is flavorful at the same time.

After eating, we went from one shop to another comparing prices and such. We were given so many chances to haggle. Some didn't budge while others were willing to do some bargaining. We ended up buying our stuff at the first shop (of course that always seem to happen) with only minutes to spare to catch the bus (we wanted to head to the bus stop at 2:50 pm in case). The bus arrived on time and stayed waiting for about 15 minutes before heading back to Playa del Carmen. It was a nice ride back as our legs were getting heavy (we did lots of walking over the past couple of days plus climbing). We even did one last shopping through a bit of shopping back in Playa del Carmen again and glad we did as some artists that were not there previously had shown up and we bought small artworks for a couple of people who would appreciate it. Although we didn't take a tour, we recommend using the ADO and finding cheaper ways of getting to the ruins as it's quite an experience.

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We were staying at the Sandos Caracol Eco-Resort and Spa while in Mexico. Before heading down there, I researched how much it would be to take the taxi to the city and if there were any other options available as it was located pretty close to the resort. I toyed with the idea of perhaps biking but the bike rentals at the resort were solely for resort use only. The other option that crossed my mind was walking but walking along the highway can be pretty dangerous if there weren't any sidewalks. Then I stumbled upon others who have posted on trip adviser saying that walking along the beach was possible and it would take about 90 minutes. That wasn't such a bad idea and to be table to explore the other areas of the beach side, walking towards a destination while getting a tan seems like a win-win situation to me! Now, trying to convince my other half was something I was going to work on once we landed and stayed at the resort.

Craig was not sure about walking along the beach and unsure about the safety not knowing what we may come across which makes sense but I think it would be pretty safe. We even told one of our trusty waiters at the Italian Restaurant, Jesus, about our plan that day to walk to Playa Del Carmen and taking the cab back. His face lit up in shock and jokingly said that it would take a very long time to get there (he said a day in exaggeration) and that he even finds the trek hard just from the entrance of the gate to the entrance of the resort itself. But it was something for us to try.

We left early that day and headed down south of the beach (past the elite section) at around 10 am so we do not get the blazing sun later on assuming it would take us 90 minutes as most people quoted. It was a very nice walk with the sounds of soothing beach waves and feeling the sand and water between your toes. We walked closer to the water as the sand was more firm there. The trek on softer sand makes it hard on the shines and calves and it was only day 2 of our stay so far in Mexico and we would like to ensure we weren't going to be limping from pain anytime soon.

There were quite a few seaweeds on the beach and we passed by a few other resorts along the way comparing them to ours. We notice most of the maintenance workers raking the dead and decomposed seaweeds to deter sand flies from making their homes on the beach so near to the resorts. We also passed by a few deserted buildings that we guessed and hypothesized on what happened to them to pass the time while walking. There were many locals that we passed along the way, some fishermen preparing their nets for a big catch or two. After passing by resorts, we saw what looked like a city but based on the time, it was not going to be Playa del Carmen. It was Punta Esmeralda and it was a cute little place that many locals including school children on field trips learning to scuba dive. There was this little lagoon area with clear light blue water that was ankle deep that you had to cross in order to continue down the beach towards Playa del Carmen. If you were a bit peckish, there were a couple of local stands selling chips and pop that you could stop by. We just took it in and kept on trekking.

We could see some sort of port as there were about a dozen or so boats docked there. Just behind them, we could see what seemed like the ferry that would take people to the Island of Cozumel. I didn't think we were that close to Playa del Carmen but the ferry was a give-away. We kept on walking until we saw some kind of sign. Again, we passed some abandoned unfinished buildings. They looked like a resort that never came into fruition but the one nearby could easily incorporate it to their existing place. We came upon the dock with the boats and and Craig noticed one of the signs on the side of a building store saying "Playa del Carmen." I was unsure about that. In addition, as you passed the dock, the beach abruptly ended. The only thing we did was to keep going and see if there was anything around the corner to the right.

Once we turned the corner, we saw the big city and had arrived at our destination! We quickly checked the time and we made it in about 1 hour to the edge of the city. It took another 10 minutes to get into the city via the many entrance ways. We ended up taking the first and second (we walked there a couple of days later but entered the first entrance instead of the second).The first entrance you see with the concrete wall that leads into Quinta Avenida (the famous 5th Avenue) from 40th Calle. The second entrance would take you to 38th Calle.

Quinta Avenida is full of shops and restaurants. And you will be "invited" to come see the shops and eat at their restaurants. Be warned that many will take note of which resort you are from based on the colour of your bracelet and say that they work at your resort in the buffet and that it is their day off to get you to go into their store. In talking with one taxi driver, many earn a living based on commissions so selling you something is better than selling you nothing. So haggle away as many will haggle.

In the Avenue, you will see many of the same familiar shops and restaurant chains like Aldo (for Gelato) every 2-3 blocks as well as a mall with American Eagle and Forever XII. We ate gelato every chance we got as it's a nice cold delicious treat when it's so hot and especially good after a long walk! We noticed that the further you are away from the main strips from Calle 1 to about Avenida Constituyentes, the cheaper things become. We got a great deal for 20 pesos less at a small gelato place on 38th Calle called "Come Gelato". You will shop like there's no tomorrow so taking a taxi home is a great idea unless you prefer using the Collectivo (cheaper and faster). I recommend a visit to one of the Ah Cacao cafes there to take in some awesome chocolate drinks. We sat at the one on 30th Calle which was less crowded. I had the Chocolate Mayan drink (soooooo good and satisfying with no dairy) and a piece of chocolate cake and carrot cake. I recommend the drinks. I also bought some souvenirs from their store. If you do buy, leave it as the last stop before leaving the city as the hot weather will surly melt the goods.

We planned to go to the bus station on Calle 1 and Av. Juarez, which was basically near the other end of the city to check out the schedule, price and get tickets for our bus to Coba the next day. We didn't take as much pesos out so we wanted to see how much things we be first and the best thing was ... there was a Scotia Bank right across the bus station. It was perfect for us! There are many Scotia Banks here and you will also see HSBC as well. It will cost an extra 9 pesos as the service charge but it isn't that bad really. The machine across the bus station only dispensed pesos too.

We did venture off to 10th Avenue to get away from the hustle and bustle of the 5th and found some great little gems along the way. One was a juice shop that had a sign that said MariaBonita - Mexican Breakfast and Seafood Cocina. In all honesty, I wasn't sure if it was that as the sign didn't fit with the products they were selling which was fresh juices that included detox juices and alkakine juices for those who are more health conscious. The owner spoke English well and is all about juice therapy. The juice shop was located between 7th ad 8th Calle on 10th Avenue. I highly recommend this place. We also had a beef empanada at the cafe next to it which was very good too! There is so much to eat and shop around this area that you will not get bored of it and there are street vendors and artists too if you are lucky to go at the same time they happened to be there. We bought many small art for people and to help out local artists. Happy eating and shopping!

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We wanted to have a bit of a relaxed and short vacation without any worries. Many friends have suggested going the all-inclusive route. I have never been to an all-inclusive resort as I am used to travelling about and exploring the countries as much as I can to learn more about the culture and people. And I have to admit that I had a pre-conceived notion it was more for those who just want to drink and party all day and every day. I am not much for that.

But with a bit of push and research, I did end up going the all-inclusive route via Westjet Vacations and booking through their website. I think I researched each resort that was in the 4-5 star and read reviews after reviews until my gut says to go with a particular one called Sando Caracol Ecco-Resort and Spa. What won us over? Despite being more of a family focused resort, we liked that it had some free activities such as biking around the resort, yoga and kayaking, the location was near the city of Playa del Carmen (10 minutes) as well as a short drive to and from the Cancun airport (45 minutes) and being near all the ruins (as much as possible anyways). On top of that, guests are able to eat at any a la carte restaurants every evening as some resorts limit you to a few days during your stay (e.g. 3 of the 7 days). And the bonus is that this resort does it's best to be eco-friendly as possible and has animals in and around calling the resort home. So that is a great experience for not only adults but children as well. Many of the reviews for this resort has been positive and many people do end u coming back to stay at the resort. Since we were going in the middle of April, the price was also great and included a shuttle to and from the airport. The only catch was that the times of the flights were not the greatest and it wasn't direct (I always try to get direct if possible).

Our flight out was unfortunately a red-eye flight departing at 11:30 pm on a Saturday. The pro about this is that we were able to do what we needed to do during the day before leaving and it was a direct flight; the con about it was it was so hard to wait for the trip to get started and that we arrived at around 6:00 am (about 7 am at the resort). Once you arrive, by pass ALL the timeshares and other resort staff who will try to lure you in with goodies and deals. Once you pass the sliding glass doors, go and find the stand that says "WestJet Vacations" and check in with the Best Day staff that runs the buses and tours as they are affiliated with the Westjet vacations. They will have a list of all the guests and will bring you to the shuttle bus that will take you to the resort. They will wait for ALL guests to arrive and sign in with them before leaving. We ended up staying for another 20 minutes as they searched for one more couple that may have ended up taking their own transportation out. If you do, just let them know so they don't wait for you. Our rep, Carlos, was very helpful providing tips such as not drinking the tap water EVER except for brushing your teeth and showering as it is not safe (the resort has water dispensers in each room so bring a bottle with you) and to avoid people trying to offer timsehare presentations even WITHIN the resort (the give away is when they ask for 90 minutes of your time). another thing you MUST do is that you have to meet your Best Day rep to not only set a time for the shuttle to take you to the airport but explain any tours.

We were lucky that Sandos was the first stop of the shuttle. There were 3 other hotels that were listed. The check-in for this resort was 3 pm. Although the room was not ready when we arrived (they told us to check back at around 11:30 am), they provided us with a bracelet and full access to the resort and all it's facilities while we waited for our room. we left our bags with the bellmen and explored the resort including taking in the buffet breakfast as we were famished! You can change and shower but in all honesty, I just wanted to unpack and shower at my own suite instead of packing and unpacking what we had.

There are 3 restaurants that offer a breakfast buffet - Mexican, International and Italian. They all had the same kinds of foods available such as fresh baked breads, fruits, oatmeal, tortillas and salsa, cereals etc. with each being slightly different (e.g The International had more variety and choices). We ended up eating at the Italian and Mexican (we had to wait again until 12:30 pm to see if the room was ready so we ended up eating again). We liked the quaintness of the Italian and visited there every breakfast and much of the lunches while we stayed. One staff, Jesus, was very helpful and friendly and was great with English. Our room was finally available at around 1:30 pm and I was happy as my patience was wearing thin with me wearing my long sleeves and not wanting to change in the blistering heat. But that was my choice. Also, be aware that you must wear your bracelet at all times even when exploring outside the resort.

I would recommend based on our experience to go to Guest Services after you arrive. This will help in terms of them giving you a map (although there is a map all over the resort) and to provide you with any tips in and around the resort. It probably will take about 30 minutes depending on what questions you have and who you end up with. A word of caution that they will try to get you to a 90 minute presentation to view the Elite portion of the resort and offer you a free beach bag and such. If this is something you are interested, I say go for it and if not, please don't waste your time nor theirs and just say no. We passed on it and did end up seeing some people with some nice beach bags the second last day of our stay but we're ok with that.

The second recommendation to pass the time while you wait for your room to be ready is to visit the hospitality area where the Best Day reps are. You will receive a book with info and tours when you get on the bus shuttle. On the front page, is a sticker with the time booked to visit your rep. (usually the next day at 10:30 am). We decided to do it earlier as per Carlos' suggestion. It took about 40 - 45 minutes and was informative. They also booked your shuttle when you check-out and was nice to know the time needed at the beginning of your stay. They will provide a printed ticket and the time to meet out at the front. Our departure flight was 7:35 am so the shuttle was leaving at 4:10 am. It was good to know when we were planning what we would like to do especially on the last day. In addition, by visiting the rep the day you arrive, you are able to do what you want the next day without having to re-arrange your day around the appointment. It's a win-win situation.

The third recommendation is to go to the concierge and book a time to eat dinner at the El Templo for a Teppanyaji dinner. This is highly recommended as it is booked solid daily and you may not get in at all during your stay there. It is rare that people would cancel out. A printed ticket will be given to you for your booking. Ensure that you arrive 10 minutes early. You will NOT regret booking this. The show was spectacular. We have something similar in Edmonton called Japanese Village but after seeing this show, I think they should send their cooks this way to get them trained! In terms of the other a la carte restaurants in the resort, we found that the best food (for us) was Los Lirios - Steak and Fish Club. There desserts were fantastic if you get in early. Once busy, we found that it was a bit lacking on the details which is understandable with the amount of people and staff. The best dessert was hands down La Riviera - Mediterranean Cuisine. They had THE BEST Creme Brulee and the brownie was a close second. We did not go to the Fogo de Brazil nor Salvia (Vegetarian Restaurant) based on what we felt like each day but we heard some great things from other people we have met along the way. In the end, it will be subjective as we each have our own taste buds to satisfy. But one thing is for sure, go early. Most of these restaurants open between 5:30 - 6 pm and if you come after 7 for any of them, be prepared to wait from 30 min to an hour.

Last thing I would like to mention is tipping. We brought pesos instead of USD. We didn't go on any tours but we did do our own things and when eating within the resort, each staff really go out of their way to do a great job from getting your drinks on the beach to making your drinks at the bar so tipping is highly encouraged. I did research and came across a very informative tipping shared by one of the guests that frequently goes to Mexico (I don't have the link I found on Trip Advisor as it was removed) and this is what we used from him:

• Housekeeping: 50 pesos/day
• Minibar refiller: 10-20 pesos/day 
• Porter: 10 pesos/bag
• Buffet: 10-20 pesos
• A La Carte: 50 pesos
• Bartender: 20 pesos/round

We also tipped the taxi or drivers about 20 pesos. Using the above, this can help in terms of how much to bring before heading to an all-inclusive. The only thing you can't anticipate is what tours you may go on unless you are a solid planner and know before hand. I do recommend that you credit card the tours as most of them are in USD. Some are in CAD but ensure you ask the Best Day rep or any rep you choose to deal with. 

There are many things to do when you do want to just stay in the resort. As mentioned before, there are water activities, pools, one pool with slides, the beach, Kids Club, 24 hour snack bar, shop and weekly vendors they bring in and also the theatre at night. The shows are kid friendly and usually start at around 8 - 8:30 pm depending on what it is. We watched the Heros Parody which was excellent and the Freddy Jackson Show (Michael Jackson tribute). Be warned to spray some bug spray as we were eaten alive inside the theatre by tiny mosquitoes (they originally seemed harmless). We itched all day and the rest of the week and the welts were defined and huge in comparison to what I usually get. Craig usually does not react as he is not allergic like I am but he, too, was welting like crazy. They also turned purple and looked like bruises. We had about 23 bites altogether for each of us on both of our legs. So please, make sure you have bug spray!

Otherwise, just enjoy your days in Mexico whatever your plans may be.

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It's been a very long time since I came to Victoria, almost 20 years! And back then, my friend and I were on very tight budgets that we didn't really enjoy as much as we could and would have liked. We lived on granola bars and walked everywhere! My parent's were shocked how thin were were after a week and fed us immediately after picking us up from the airport.

But that was then, and this is now. More mature and more importantly, am not a poor student anymore so I can actually enjoy this wonderful Canadian city. Mind you, my stay was taken care of so that alone saved me lots of money as I was staying at my boyfriend's parent's place that is located very, very close to the ferry terminal and only about a 5 minute drive from the town of Sidney and about a 30 minute drive into the heart of Victoria.

The town of Sidney is small with a population of about 11,000 people. It's located right by the ocean so if you get a chance to just stop by, you can walk on the ocean walkway that also has a few docks here and there. With the beautiful weather we were having (hovering about 5C every day and only one day of rain when we were there for 2 weeks), you can see everyone out and about including those who are by the docks daily catching crab. There is a bylaw that those who catch the crabs can only keep those of a certain size and we were lucky to observe a father and son catching crabs using their own home built traps on a Monday holiday (statutory boxing day). Unfortunately, because it was a holiday, most of the main places like the Fresh Fish Market didn't have the usual hustle and bustle we would have been able to see. We did see a seal hanging around the fish market though. Sadly, one of his eyes was damaged; what from, we don't know. But he hung around for quite a long time. There are lots of little cute shops around and sadly, I really wanted to check out the Sidney Bakery as I love bakeries and reviews were very positive about it but they were off on vacation until we left so we would not be able to taste the yumminess they may have for us. We were lucky enough to try the "Taste of Toyko" as we were all craving Japanese. While here on the west coast, it's a sin not to with all the fresh seafood here they get compared to land-locked Edmonton. I've heard such great things about this restaurant from my boyfriend, Craig, that I was happy to finally try it and we were lucky that it was a Monday as they had a special where you get to pick 3 types of rolls with miso and a drink for just $15! Now that was a deal and we were stuffed!

As for Victoria, there are many things to see and do. We drove to the Butchart Gardens early evening for during the Christmas season, they annual have "The Magic of Christmas" where they displayed festive decorations and lights all over the gardens. We decided to get there early to beat the crowds and we had kids with us. Even at that time, the car line to the entrance was very long. When we left around 2 hours later, the line was worse. It was nice to see the transition from dusk until night where the lights and display shone brightest. They had the 12 Days of Christmas all over the gardens and it was a treat for the kids finding them like "Where is Waldo." There was a stage with carolers singing, an ice skating rink where you can rent skates to skate in, a carousel kids can ride on and a coffee shop with all the goodies to warm you up. The lights were amazing. My favourite hands down was the one we left for last, the quary (Sunken Garden) was just magical. You would enter a forest like area and above you were green lights above that made you feel like you were in an enchanted forest full of stars, fireflies or fairies. I wanted to just sit and stay there forever. I tried to take a photo of it but in the end, the image in my mind will be my photograph. There are some things you can't capture with the camera.

In Victoria itself, there are so many things you can do including having high tea at the Empress Hotel which the family just loved especially the girls as they went with a princess theme. While they were having high tea, Craig and I would walk about the harbour, shop and take in some of the bakeries I wanted to check out like the Dutch Bakery and Crust Bakery which were both delicious in their own ways. I loved the former for the desserts and the latter for their savory goods as well as their sourdough bread. We had bubble tea by the bubble tea shop La Tea Ah and I had the nice hot bubble tea. We went to the Foo Ramen Bar for a bowl of delicious hot ramen. It's a small little place and it got full pretty quick so sharing a table with complete strangers will be normal. We also had a cupcake for dessert at Oh La La Cupcakes. It was sweet but not that sweet. I bought the vegan chocolate cupcake and it was good!

Chinatown is another place to go check out. Craig kept talking about the honey buns were to die for in Victoria. I can see why. They are similar to the cocktail coconut buns in Edmonton but the honey inside adds that extra sweet kick. You can only get them at the Wah Lai Yuen Restaurant. And also go for dim sum if you get the chance. It was slightly different in terms of items on the cart compared to Edmonton which was nice. We ended up going to the Don Mee Restaurant. Try to get there before 11AM to beat the crowd. It fills up extremely quick especially on holidays or weekends. I did a lot of shopping and was glad. I bought icewine cream cookies at one of the souvenir shops to give to my parents and once we were back and had some, my family and I wish we bought more! Those cookies don't exist in Edmonton and they were sweet but a nice sweet, almost berry like sweetness. I will have to return and get more the next time but highly recommend that one as gifts. All in all, Victoria is more than a retiree city as I've seen more young families on the plane saying they are going home and not we are visiting family.

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We were very lucky to be in Phoenix around the time we did to check out the Chihuly in the Garden Exhibition at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Dale Chihuly is a glass sculptor and making them in large scale. The closest I have come to experiencing making glass is when I took a one-day glass blowing class here in Edmonton many years ago. It is such a hard substance to control to the way you want it and you really have to work with it than controlling it. Since that day, I have a great appreciation for the glass making in general and Dale's works of art is no exception - his large scale sculptures were really amazing incorporating them into the garden itself.

As you enter the Botanical Garden, you will see this beautiful burst of blue and transparent ball of glass that he also uses as his main sculpture on the banner posted just outside the garden. The amount of work and detail that go into this is just amazing. I couldn't even fathom how they can transport all these delicate items piece by piece from one exhibition to another - taking them apart and putting them back together again.

While going through each area, you feel like you are playing a game of "Where is Waldo" as he also camouflages some of his sculptures into the garden itself.

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While in Phoenix, we thought we would go visit the Biosphere 2 about a 2 hour drive south. Along the way, we saw many different types of terrain that was not just dessert like and saw many luscious plants.

As you approached the facility, you cannot notice how huge it is (about 40 acres altogether). The main facility is glass-enclosed and is about 3 acres, We went for a guided tour where the guide had many information to present to us as we went along each area. The tour itself was probably about 2 hours long if I can recall (depending on your group as well).

The facility was constructed in the late 1980s in hopes to explore life systems in particular ways to colonize in other planets in the future. The research facility houses different areas of the life system so it can be controlled such as the rainforest, ocean, desert, and water and life experiments. Living quarters were also built to house the scientists specialized in their own fields to create living areas where they will depend their basic survival needs from. For example, using their agricultural system, they were able to produce about 83% of the total diet like bananas, beets, rice, wheat and even peanuts.

As you tour the facility one-by-one and learn what they managed to do while living in Biosphere 2, you will be impressed on what they were able to achieve despite the problems they ran into that ultimately cancelled and aborted the mission that Biosphere 2 intended to do. The engineering that went into this building is amazing especially when you get to see the machinery to maintain the facility dealing with water transfers. It's definitely a recommended stop if you happen to be near there.

They even offer summer programs for students interested in working with the sciences!

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The thought of going back home hasn't hit me yet despite being reminded how many days we had left and such. I've had such a great time on this trip that I don't even want to go back home though I miss my family and friends. It's been quite the journey and I loved every minute of it ... even the times that I thought I would not get through.

Anyways, we headed out early to try to avoid the long line ups esp with the departure fee that you have to pay before you check in. We had lots of time to spare before our flight on American Airlines to Dallas. When it was time for boarding, we got the announcement that we could not take any liquids over the required amount.... like WTF! We just went through screening! And Eva and Helen just bought a bottle of water while waiting to board an hour before. On top of that.... they did another check manually in your carry on bags! I was the lucky one who got picked to do the whole shabang again (taking of sweater, shoes, belt, etc and getting my shoes and self screen with the portable detector) and also getting my bag checked. How nice! No wonder boarding was an hour early lol

After that ordeal the plane was delayed by an hour because they didn't finish loading cargo I believe (I dozed off as we were waiting and only glimpsed when we were actually in the air already so I didn't know how much of a delay til later). This delay will come to haunt us as we only had 30 minutes to connect to San Fran from Dallas. AND ... we had to take our bags out through customs and recheck them back in! Amazingly, it went smoothly and it helped that we already had our boarding passes. Unfortunately, our checked bags did not make it with us :( We found that out when we got to San Fran and waited for our bags to come out. When the luggage belt stopped ... we were like crap ... our bags didn't get through! We did a delay luggage claim via American Airlines and they were actually helpful. They made the claim and said they will send the bags to Edmonton on the next day's flight. This was for me and Eva as Helen was able to get her checked bag to go all the way to Edmonton (though in the end it didn't and ended up with our bags).

Once we got back to Edmonton we made another claim but with United this time as it was United that we flew from San Fran to Edmonton. We did what we needed to do and hopefully the bags will be delivered to us tomorrow or the next day.

The bag situation was such a gong show. I got the call the next day saying that the bags were on Alaska Air from San Fran to Edm and would be delivered once it goes through customs in Edm. The day after as we were all at work, we expected to have the bags delivered but only Helen was called to set up a time for delivery. My bag as well as Eva's was MIA. I had to call Alaska then United ... apparently United was waiting for our bags but didn't know where it was - which was locked in the customs lockup room at Alaska Air -so calling them up was a good thing cause at least she knew where the bags were. I had to call a couple of times to ensure that our bags were to be delivered on Tuesday and united said they would be on the delivery run Tues nite but from 9pm - 1am. So here we thought we would see them the next morning ...ya that didn't happen.....no bags ... it's like getting a lump of coal on Christmas morning and you weren't such a nasty kid lol ... anyways ... called again this morn (wed now) and united admitted she didn't do the paperwork in time....nice! Patience is wearing thin here ... what can you do ... deal with it eh ... so to our ..well Eva's surprise ... united got her bag on the morning run and all is well in Eva's world. I, on the other hand, am stilling waiting for mine. I live on the north side so I should be on the tail end of the run ...hopefully I will get it sometime soon :) Gotta love travelling! Oh the stories to tell!

P.S. Just got word that my bag was delivered! Whoot whoot!!!!!

More photos on Costa Rica:

Album 1
Album 2

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Today's entry will be short and sweet as all we did was go to the beach early in the morning at around 9:30 am, had breakfast at one of the restaurants, then relaxed on the lounge chairs under umbrellas on the beach. Note that you have to pay for planting your butts on the chairs and using the umbrellas for the whole day or even hourly. Helen was able to haggle us to 8000 Colones (or about $17 US) for the rental. Crazy. But hey, we wanted to relax and do nothing once during our trip and this was the day. We bought a couple of magazines, a Suduko book, cards, and our mp3 players for the day (as we plan to be there til sunset).

During the whole day, we were approached by people who offered menus for drinks and food, sold vases and trinkets, etc. We saw the same people over and over again the whole day. It must be so hot and hard for them to do this as they go back and forth down the coast selling things. Some were nice to talk to ... while Helen seemed to snag a stalker ... I mean admirer... that kept coming back to talk to her LOL We headed here and there to the ocean to cool off, tried to remember how to play some card games we haven't played in years (that's not poker!); but mostly just sat and suntanned away. By the end of the day, we were all burnt here and there though Eva had the most. Poor girl didn't even tan much but sat under the umbrella! The sun is definately strong here as it's by the equator.

It was nice to do nothing the whole day and see the sunset. But we had to eat and head back as we were going out for drinks and dancing and needed to shower and put aloe vera badly :) We talked to a local named David on the bus back to the hotel where he said that Bambo Jam (I think that's what the restaurant was called) had ladies night and a lot of people were heading out there tonight. Flyers were passed out on the beach right before sunset to advertise it. Our GAP leader, Fabiola, said she would take us there as it was only a short walk from our hotel.

We met up at about 10:30 pm to go to Bambo Jam or whatever. There was 7 of us who went. It was a nice place and was definately crowded. We found a table by the stage where there was a live 3 piece band playing salsa music. No one knows how to dance salsa in our group except for, of course, Fabby ... Eva took some lessons but "says" she's not good and that's about it. But we got up and danced for a bit then sat down. I was surprised to be asked to dance by a guy named Benjamin from Iowa and admitted I don't know how to salsa dance but he lead well though the combination of alcohol and salsa dancing ... hmmm... let's just say can make guys a bit too touchy... and I wasn't the only one experiencing this as the other girls had their share of touchiness ... heck Eva had a stalker who kept coming back for her email and number...loco!!!! But there were some great guys that were willing to teach how to salsa dance ... Helen had a couple of good teachers that taught her steps and stuff so that was good!

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Today we took about a 5 hour bus ride to Quepos which is on the coast of CR ... which also means beaches! It's been a long time since we came across nice and hot sunny weather since Lima and Lima wasn't even that hot. We stopped in a few places to snack and go to the potty but that was about it. It's pretty much put on your earphones, turn on the music kind of travelling deal. We took some pics along the way and got excited when we saw the ocean! It means that we are close. As we drove down, you can feel the weather change; it was nice!

When we arrived at Quepos, we stopped DT so we had a chance to get money or exchange money etc. before heading to the hotel. Our hotel is about 10 minutes away from DT and is called Blue Monkey in English. It's a cute little place with a couple of pools that you can relaz by. Apparently there is a stationary bike on one of the balconies but it's hidden a bit. From our hotel, you can take the public transport or taxi. The former is your best bet as it is not only cheaper but pretty clean as well. It costs about 210 Colones each way. For taxi, it will cost about 1500 Colones. The buses take you to DT Quepos or to Manuel Antonio Beach.

When we arrived, we decided to check out DT Quepos. It's small and walkable. You will find many shops and restaurants there catered to foreigners and travellers. We snacked on Mexican Food which was so good for a change as we were feeling a bit deprived in terms of food selection - even the tacos on the menu got us excited! Who would have thought tacos would bring so much joy?!!!

It didn't take too long to go around DT Quepos before heading back to have a pizza dinner with the gang. We went across the street to the Mimos Hotel and Restaurant and ordered a couple of pizzas as we were very hungry. It wasn't too shabby yet it wasn't great. I was disappointed with the Creme Brulee (my fave dessert) as we paid almost $7US for it and it wasn't up to par so to say. San Fran is still the best so far for me and my Creme Brulee ...

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What a rush! It´s our first full day here in Monteverde and we booked a zipline tour yesterday when we got here in the early afternoon. 

The morning was spend on a hike about the Forest Cloud Reserve. It was pretty cool today so I had to put some layers on. I miss the sun. Haven´t seen much of it since Lima really. Our guide David was sooo knowledgeable. He knew the diff bird calls and even knew how to do the bird calls, knew the diff kinds of plants and their medicinal properties, little facts and figures here and there ... I wish I can retain stuff like that! The hike took from about 8 am to 12 pm. We saw quails, monkeys, hummingbirds, millipedes, birds, ants, etc. Seeing the spider monkeys was a treat through his telescope as we saw the baby monkey up on the trees playing and David said it was pretty rare to see them on the hikes so I felt privileged to take a peek in their world there. The hike took so long that at the end, us girls ended up sprinting the stairs - incline - cause we had to pee so bad. It was like the Inca Trail all over again but the goal was to pee.

After visiting the reserve, we walked down the road 5 minutes to the restaurant to have a speedy lunch and got our gear on for the zip lining . They had lockers for your things and I would totally recommend using it as you don't want to carry anything while zipping around the 11 diff zip lines there. They won't allow you to go a head with a little backpack etc anyways. You can carry around your camera but make sure it can be stored in a zipped pocket or somewhere safe.

We took a quick 1-2 min bus ride to the starting point where we met Elvis and his team that will be helping us go through the zip lines. They went through the safety tips and how to instructions. It's pretty simple ... pull to break, you should have one hand behind the pully to balance, make a circle with your index and thumb, etc. Still it doesn't help when you are nervous! I was so nervous about this (which was weird that I didn't feel the same with rappelling ). I went on the first run and wasn't too bad but I didn't get a chance to catch my breath before being hooked to the second one. It was just so nerve racking for me as I continued from one zip line to another ... but when I saw the 5th one ... I swear I wanted to hurl! I mean visually ... it's stunning ... you're going through the clouds ... but the thought of going through and not knowing where the end ended ... like omg! I was told after that it was about 600m in zipping and it was high above the jungle. Eva was infront of me ... and I saw her only for a few seconds and then she disappeared into the clouds ... in my head I was like sh*t! I should get a taxi (a taxi is one of the professionals to go zip with you in tandum). But I got all this way here on my own with my nerves so just do it! That's what I kept saying to myself anyways. So he hooked me up and gave me a push and all I can tell myself is don't look down (or else you'll break and they have to save your ass in the middle of this long zip line) ...just look ahead ... but all you see is the zipline on a cloud background ... and no end in sight! I had to keep it together. You don't know how happy I was when I saw the landing! LOL

The funny thing I was still nervous through all the zip lines until we reached the 3rd last one ... which was the Tarzan Swing ... they pretty much hook your legs together and you hold on and swing through the trees etc. You had to climb the stairs to a platform first. Everyone had gone except for 4 people. I wasn't going to go but it's really just a big swing so I convinced myself to do it. While Elvis and his buddy hooked me up, I was asking questions and talking hoping to delay them lol but it didn't phase them at all. I kept asking if I needed to jump off and they were like no just bend your knees. In my head I was like it doesn't make sense cause you need to leave the platform somehow. So when the time came, Elvis said, "Bend You Knees" so I did and they nudged me over the edge and I swung down then forward and up. It was crazy! I had a delayed scream cause I didn't except the nudge lol ...but it was sooo fun! I needed the Tarzan Swing as I was more relaxed for the last 2 zip lines. I still like rappelling more than zip lining :)

Sorry. Didn't take any photos. We didn't bring a camera in case we would lose it.

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So wow! I had a blast today! We started off the day a bit late ...around 10 am and slept in for once. The Lost Canyon tour that included 4 rappels off waterfalls was sooooooooooooooooooooooo awesome! I love love love it! We met up with the other GAP tour going on the same time as ours and the day was mostly rainy and cold. I wasn´t sure if the water from the waterfall was going to be ice cold or not. Believe it or not ... I wasn´t afraid of the height or doing the rapel but afraid that the water was sooo cold that we had to trek and rappel during the 3 hours in cold frigid waters!

But the water was pretty surprisingly warm! And the first rappel at 20 m was a good start. Our 2nd rapel was 150 m and it was so fun going straight down. It was really safe and the guides knew what they were doing. There was 2 guides for about 12 of us on this tour. The 3rd rappel was about 50 m and the 4th one ... 210m! The last one was a bit tricky for me because my weight didn´t allow me to go down as fast I would like to and I had to work my ass off to go down the 210m waterfall. I got tired halfway and probably build some good right arm muscles there lol.

I´ll put some pics up once we get the CD from the guy. There was one guy who came along that took photos of us doing our thing the whole time which was good because we got so wet that you cannot take a regular camera ... or anything else for that matter. At one point, we had to jump and dive into this deep hole trekking to the next rapel site. I was hoping I would be dry but there was no way to stay dry. No accidents on this one except for what I did to poor Helen there at the end when we were on the trek back to the site after the rappels. I slipped on a rock and my hands went up only to hit Helen on the right side of the face as she was right behind me. All you heard was WHOMP.... I was like...I hope I didn´t hit Helen and that was like a rock or something ... but when I turned around I saw Helen holding her face in shock. Man I feel sooooo bad. After a few minutes her nose was bleeding! Ugh... Sorry Helen!!!!!!

After we got back from the tour we went straight to another tour ... not until after we got our clothes from the laundry service at the hotel we were at. It cost $3US per Kg which was pretty darn good and we needed to do laundry bad. Anyways, the tour we had next was the continuation of the one we started with yesterday at the hot springs ... the Volcano hike. We drove and then stopped to hike around the area for about an hour with our tour guide Elmer - he is one funny dude! And man alive ... what´s with the men pulling their shorts/boarders here ... they pull it til it hits like half way down the ass ... and you can see the crack! The photo guy at the rapel had done the same thing as Elmer ... and yes... we saw the ass crack... not a pretty sight ... anyways... continuing on with the story... Elmer was very knowledgeable about the volcano, the area, the animals around there including their calls and stuff so it was nice to learn as much as we can. We even tasted their Begonias (spelling bad) and it was soo good. Tasted like lemon. We weren´t able to see the volcano based on the weather and time so Elmer had made us Lava Drinks in the dark in an open area by the forest there. And as we drank and talked ... I finally saw fireflies and they were so majestic! I was in awe! It was like christmas lights twinkling in the forest. So pretty!

The night ended with us catching a bite to eat... going to the grocery store to fulfil our sugar buds ... we bought loads of wafers and chocolates ... we are on a wafer kick since Peru and this time we each bought a pack so we can eat it all by ourselves! Such oinkers we are! But oh so good! Then here we are at the internet cafe. But what a day. It was such a great learning experience today... I do dread the cold shower I have to take after ... ugh...Do I long for a hot shower!

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So here we are in La Fortuna. It took a couple of hours drive on the tour bus but we are here and it is rainy! Will I ever get rid of my stinky poncho that I've had since the Inca Trail?! I didn´t really use it as I am using my jacket for now. We didn´t do much but visit the activities centre today to book some of our activities that we will be doing tomorrow. 

Helen, Eva and I chose to do the hike to the volcano with a dip in the hot springs as well as the repelling from 4 different waterfalls. The latter will be so cool and will make up for the paragliding we never got to do in Lima because of low winds. Maybe the next time around .... Because it was raining, we all decided to do the hot springs part tonight at 530pm. It was great to just relax there in the springs. There were about more than 10 different springs you can try and the ladies found the one with the slides last minute. We were wondering where they were as we had to leave since this group seems to be so prompt! We never saw the slides but that was ok. It was just nice to relax and sit under the stars as the rains came down lol

We ate supper together at the Lava Lounge by the hotel we were staying in. The food was good and I think ... finally and thank god ... I think I got my appetite back! I have´t been feeling well and as you will read later when I add the previous blogs ... I got the runs in the Amazon and really didn't do much by go from bed to bathroom. It´s all good... at least I got it over and done with in terms of getting it in my travels! But boy oh boy is it nice to eat!

Oh and we tried one of the famous dishes here in Costa Rica called "Gallo Pinto" which is a beans and rice dish. At first we were like ... uh ok...just beans and rice ... they must loooove their beans and rice combo here. The receptionist was almost drooling thinking about it yesterday when we were in San Jose and asked what dishes they ate here. And even said he would eat it breakfast, lunch and dinner! We tried it this morning as part of breakfast and ok ... I admit ... It was soooo good. Very suttle and not what you expect from a black bean and rice dish. I can see myself eating it for a while but like the chicken and rice dish... I will eventually ban it from my choice if I eat enough of it lol ugh ...pollo (chicken)... can´t stand eating it at this moment. 

Anyways, not much stories to tell but you will enjoy the ones that will be added about the Inca Trail. I am happy to say we get to sleep in tomorrow and start the day at 10 AM! Whoot whoot!

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Hey everyone! So I´ve been MIA for a wee bit :) The Inca Trail and Machu Piccu went awesome! Will tell you more as I am typing out the entries on my laptop (starting yesterday) since I still remember it and these blog entries will pretty much be my journals that I will print out for my photo album that I will need to arrange later on. All 4 of us (Helen, Eva, Steve and I) will be getting together after this trip is over (which I don´t want to be over! Just loving travelling!) and compiling everything. There´s going to be shitloads of photos!

Anyways, we landed in San Jose in the afternoon to start our next GAP Adventures trip in Costa Rica. It´s so funny that this place looked a bit like Edmonton ... Calgary ... when we were driving from the airport to our hotel. We would past by an area and say ... hey that looks like the millcreek area...omg... this highway we are on is so like the yellowhead ... you get the drift ... 

We ended up heading to the Plaza de la Cultura to kill some time before our GAP meeting at about 630 pm. It´s so nice to shop! New clothes! I am so sick of the clothes I´ve been wearing forever in...even if we did laundry ... and oh do I miss my jeans! I swear all the photos are of me wearing the same things lol but that´s part of the backpacking travelling we are getting used to here. But it is nice to get some clothes!

Anyways, we didn´t have much time. We were harassed a bit at the plaza ... all really to laugh about ... we had wendy´s and it was oh so good ... sometimes just a bit of home is good for the stomach you know ... went crazy trying on some clothes ... went to the supermarket to get some snacks for later on and for tomorrow´s trip to La Fortuna. The receptionist told us that we should be back by 8 pm as it was the start of the "unsafe" time to be out lol but we had to be back for the briefing anyways ... which went well...our group is mostly Canadians (with one American) which was interesting but we all got along and hey ... at least people knew where Edmonton was :P

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