EPIC ADVENTURES Archives | TRAVELS WITH TAM

Getting to Guayaquil (Ecuador)!

September 2, 2014 By Tam Warner 7 Comments

In the past few weeks I have had serious doubts as to whether I was going to be able to make this trip! I planned to come to Ecuador over a year ago with a scientific team and volunteers from Marine Megafauna Foundation, to help identify and conserve Manta Rays at Isla de la Plata, the Island of Silver. Also known as “the poor man’s Galapagos”. I tried to go to Komodo last January with the group, the Ray of Hope Expeditions, but last September my husband went into a shocking respiratory failure and ended up with a double lung transplant. I know, I still can’t believe it myself, but here we are, a year later, and Randy is doing very, very well! Well enough for me to travel. So why did I think I might not get here?

Well. I went to Cozumel, Mexico in August and came home with Dengue Fever. My advice? Stay away from mosquitos who carry the virus. It is well nicknamed, “breakbone fever”. And yes, one feels like one’s bones are BREAKING. So painful. I ended up missing my daughter’s engagement gathering. I can’t even stand to think about that.

Then, off to Florida to help out with relatives who are having issues. I came home, ready to prepare for my fabulous trip….and ended up in the Emergency Room on August 28 with a kidney stone! Luckily it was not my appendix. THAT would have really sucked. So, I’ve been feeling a bit weak and worried about another stone. However, I feel fine, and I decided to just get on the damned plane. So I did. And here I am. Looking around on the plane I couldn’t help but notice I was a rare commodity…a woman traveling alone. I rode to the hotel with a group of men from Argentina, all of them staring at me. I’ve traveled alone all over the world….and have yet to find other women traveling alone! Does anyone else get out and go on their own??

I haven’t even seen Guayaquil ( the largest city in Ecuador and a World Heritage Site ) yet as I arrived in the dark, at night. So, tomorrow I see the city and drive 4 hours to Puerto Lopez to prepare for diving over the next two weeks. Can’t wait! I will be posting as I go!

Buenos Noches, mi amigas!

Artful Culinary Delights in Cozumel, Mexico!

August 19, 2014 By Tam Warner 5 Comments

La Cocay's Garden Seating — La Cocay’s Garden Seating

Fabulous food should be part of everyone’s vacation. Good food cannot be confused with fantastic food. In Cozumel, the restaurant to go to is La Cocay. La Cocay means “dragonfly” in the Mayan language, but it’s food is distinctly Mediterranean. Here is some good news: they have enlarged their menu!

I confess that La Cocay is my favorite restaurant on the island. I love the location (3 or 4 blocks off the oceanfront, in a non-descript area) because you would never expect to find such a gem there. When my friends walked in, they said, wow, this is beautiful. I was kind of worried about this when you drove by here! No worries, Mexico has all kinds of hidden surprises!

Leslie (my roomie from Mozambique) and I

There is inside seating, which is lovely, but my favorite place is the garden seating. In August it can be a little warm, but the evening we were there wasn’t bad at all. I loved hearing my friends and their “ooooo’s” and “ahhhh’s”. La Cocay has wonderful artistry in their presentation of every dish.

We gobbled the tapas before I could photograph them!

oops. They were really, really good though!

Next up were the Phyllo Rolls…..they melted in your mouth!

Phyllo Rolls with Blackberry Cherry Sauce. Heavenly!

And my favorite salad in the world, La Cocay’s Napa Salad! Loaded with fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts,

it has to be tasted to be believed!

Leslie ordered Mahi-Mahi served with potato augratin….a culinary masterpiece, truly. I’m not a foodie, I have no idea how it was prepared, I only know it was an explosion of flavor! Kamailie and Lana enjoyed a Margharita Pizza from the wood oven. I had a bite of each….muy delicioso.

But I was waiting for the coup de gras! Chocolate Torte! I haven’t had any of their other desserts, though they look delicious. I HAVE to have my torte!

I have so many photos of our family and friends enjoying wonderful evenings at La Cocay. Once all of our kids were old enough to appreciate it, we’ve spent birthdays there (instead of at Carlos and Charlies). I hope our family will continue to enjoy La Cocay for many years to come!

A 2011 birthday celebration at La Cocay.

Coming Up for Air!

August 17, 2014 By Tam Warner 28 Comments

It has been a while since I have blogged! My last post was from beautiful Cozumel, and it was a great trip (for the most part). I was joined by two yoga buddies, and my roomie from my volunteer stint in Mozambique in 2012. How lovely it is to have a girl trip! We did a lot of yoga with Tammy Cervantes (THE yoga guru on the island) who came to our house to teach us a workshop, two classes, and meditation. She is also a wonderful masseuse! It would be quite difficult to find a better teacher…she is excellent. We snorkeled, Leslie and I went diving, we had wonderful meals (another blog on that one!), and talked, talked, talked. It was relaxing as well as fun. Well, until I came down with Dengue Fever!

Okay. I never had the blood test, so I don’t know for sure that I had it, but I don’t know what else it could have been. I had the symptoms, and I now fully understand why they call it “break bone fever”. Your bones and joints hurt like bloody hell! I had fevers over 102 degrees, and was sick, sick, sick. I really don’t know how I made it home last Friday I was in so much pain. The saddest thing about it: my daughter’s boyfriend (now fiance) proposed to her last Saturday and had a little surprise get together for her…I couldn’t be there. And yes, it just killed me. I tried, but I couldn’t stop shaking long enough to even put on make-up. To add insult to injury, my son and his fiance came into town for the event, and I could barely even visit with them. It was awful.

The Proposal, photographed by fabulous Peyronet Photography!

So, I missed my daughter’s proposal party, my son and future daughter-in-law’s visit, and it has only been in the last couple of days that I have truly come up for air. After the pain and fever goes, one is completely exhausted. Oh, by the way, you get Dengue from a mosquito, it cannot be transmitted any other way. It is miserable…wear bug spray!!!!!! The diving was absolutely fantastic on the trip, as these photos will prove! Now I’m getting ready to go to Florida…but that’s a long story, and I don’t know yet how it will turn out. Midlife, it turns out, is full of twists and turns!

A very friendly Hawksbill Turtle who swam right to me!!

Snorkeling in Cozumel…with the wrong lens!

July 30, 2014 By Tam Warner 1 Comment

Ah, I love being in Cozumel. I feel very at home here (except when all the cruise ships are in, then I stay underwater or away from town!). Next to diving, my favorite activity is snorkeling, so I headed out yesterday to check it out, and there wasn’t much happening. When I say that I mean there weren’t a lot of fish around. The current was quite strong, and the freshwater from the cenotes (underground rivers) were pouring into the ocean, creating cold water areas, and hot water areas. Not much to look at, really.

Today, I had a lovely massage and met with the managers of our property, then I decided to go out and play with my wide angle lens. I thought, not much going on out there, so I’ll just practice with the lens. Of course, whenever you aren’t fully prepared, you see awesome marine life.

There’s a small, open coral head that has been here forever, and I always look in it because I’ve found porcupinefish in there, and for a year and half, a small Hawksbill turtle made it his home until he grew too large. Well, it has a new resident: a 2 1/2 ft nurse shark baby! I couldn’t believe it! Exciting! I took photos, but of course, I had no strobe, no light, the wrong lens, so I just took a couple of photos (not that great) and let the baby sleep. So precious!

See the nurse shark's feelers and snout? They look like big catfish. — See the nurse shark’s feelers and snout? They look like big catfish.

The nurse shark's tail doesn't quite fit! — The nurse shark’s tail doesn’t quite fit!

From there I saw a couple of yellow stingrays, always pretty, a lot of fish, a lot of tiny silversides, and an octopus! Again, I certainly didn’t have what I needed to photograph it, but I gave it the old college try. I also saw an anemone crab in an anemone, and a spotted moray eel. Mostly I just practiced with the lens, but it was a surprisingly great snorkel today! You just never know.

My mission this year is to find a seahorse while snorkeling out in front of our house. I didn’t spot any today, but next time I snorkel I’ll have the right lens and strobe!

Diving tomorrow! Can’t wait!

Fab Photos Friday: Appomattox, Virginia!

July 25, 2014 By Tam Warner 16 Comments

A few years ago I went to visit my cousin who was, at that time, a Professor of Cellular Biology at Randolph College in Lynchburg, VA. Close to Lynchburg (a gorgeous town surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains) lies Appomattox Court House, VA, the site of General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to General Ulysses S. Grant. I was there during the fall, and the foilage was incredible. I also went to Monticello, Jefferson’s home, and the fabulous University of Virginia in Charlottesville…but that will have to wait for another fab photo Friday!

When one hears that Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, VA, they assume he surrendered at a courthouse. Appomattox Court House is actually a town, and the surrender took place at the plantation of Wilmer and Virginia McLean within that town. Lee and Grant met for about an hour and a half. The plantation is quite a bit smaller than it was in my imagination!

The Plantation of Wilmer and Virginia McLean in Appomattox Court House, VA

Lee's surrender happened here — Lee’s surrender happened here

A painting of Lee's surrender — A painting of Lee’s surrender

va 11 appo mclean room — Room of surrender

The Dining Room of the McClean Plantation

va 11 appo mcclean house kitchn — Kitchen at the McLean Plantation

The privy. Does not look too appealing, does it?

Room of surrender — The Nursery, Plantation life

We tend to forget the magnitude of the Civil War, or the War Between the States, or as the Confederates called it, the War of Northern Aggression. Over 630,000 died during the conflict (a huge number), and there were over 1,000,000 injuries. It was by far the bloodiest war fought on American soil. Want to learn more about it? It is a National Park! Check it out at http://www.nps.gov/apco/the-surrender.htm.

While in Virginia, I also enjoyed the Blue Ridge Mountains, and walks, creeks, and bike trails through Lynchburg. Just beautiful!

Beautiful, beautiful Virgina. I do plan to go back!

5 Reasons to Adventure Travel!

July 23, 2014 By Tam Warner 16 Comments

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.” Terry Pratchett

Muslim Fishing Village and Mosque — Fishing Village and Mosque In Thailand

I love to travel, I love to meet new people, see new things, experience new cultures. I am curious about everything, and excitable. I have never become jaded…I seek that thrill, that little something extra which waits around the corner. I realize that not everyone is a traveler, but you don’t have to go far to find some adventure or a new outlook!

1. Adventure takes you out of your comfort zone. Your comfort zone is…comforting, but it does not give you the opportunity to stretch yourself, to grow. It is important to challenge yourself, see something new. When you step out you achieve something…instead of stagnating you are moving, you are active. (Your comfort zone really does not exist, you know. It is a comforting illusion.)

2. Adventure can help you conquer your fears. It doesn’t have to be a big adventure. Afraid of water? Learn to swim! Afraid of heights? Climb a hill, or better yet, go to a vista point at the nearest national park. Fear is paralyzing…so get up and move. If not now, when?

3. Adventure introduces you to new people, or at least gets you out of your zone so you can observe active, adventurous, or different people! Head to the nearest lake and watch boaters, paddle boarders, kayakers, picnickers! Have you ever gone on a hike? How about to an art museum? I live in Dallas, and haven’t been to the Perot Museum yet! Shame on me.

4. Adventure introduces you to different cultures and new perspectives. The culture you live in isn’t the only one, you know! Ever thought about doing volunteer travel, especially abroad? These trips are not expensive, and you usually get all of your meals plus a place to stay. Airfare is reasonable to Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and many other places. Volunteer travels can be eye opening and have a major impact on your life by showing you how others live, think, and do things. These volunteer trips are becoming more and more popular, and for good reason. I went on a volunteer holiday to Tofo, Mozambique in 2012, and I can tell you I learned more than I thought I possibly could, not only about Africa, but about myself. In September I’m volunteering in Ecuador, photographing manta rays for identification and study. I am so looking forward to it! There are trips for every taste, be it teaching children or diving or digging wells or teaching people skills for making a living. There are many ways to make a difference!

5. Adventuring can be a little scary, and that’s a good reason to do it! We fear what we don’t understand. Travel can educate you and make you see the world in an entirely different way. It challenges you to learn about yourself, to learn the history of other countries or peoples, and learning to understand, even if you don’t agree, is the path to knowledge, and hopefully, wisdom.

The women — Fellow volunteers in Mozambique

My boys and I! — New connections at the Volunteer House in Mozambique

There are many ways to challenge your mind, body, ideas, and abilities. I have often traveled alone, but traveling alone to Mozambique was a completely empowering experience for me. I blogged about the trip in my blog categories Adventures in Mozambique and Dive Adventures in Tofo, Mozambique. Sometimes one sees things that are terribly upsetting, on my travels, and at home, I have learned how cruel the world can be. Everything is not always rosy, especially in the developing world. But there is beauty too…when you look. It opened my eyes, and also gave me confidence that I could achieve and go and do whatever I wanted to. Maybe a little travel, even if it is just an hour away, can do that for you as well.

Marcel and I, headed off to work, doing fish surveys and looking for whale sharks!

My cousin in Ohio told me once that he had never been west of Indiana. He had no interest, he said, what else is there to see, what’s the point? I stood with my jaw hanging open, because I really was confounded. What else is there to see? An entire world, that’s what! If you are reading this blog, you must enjoy traveling, or want to travel, so I’m sure you can understand my complete astonishment! I think Mark Twain said it best:

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

I have some favorite volunteer travel agents and agencies such as All Out Africa, Kaya Responsible Travel, the Giving Lens (a great volunteer program for photographers)….there are just so many! Get out there on Google and google away! Start by googling this: adult volunteer travel programs. Why not see the world and make a difference at the same time?

EPIC ADVENTURES

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