A Tornado of Fish in Cabo Pulmo, what an amazing trip to on the Sea of Cortez and the Baja! I was excited to put together a small group trip to the Sea of Cortez with Red Travel Mexico for December 3-9, 2017. Red Travel Mexico is an eco friendly tour company operating on the Mexican Baja, and recommended by National Geographic. I wanted to dive Cabo Pulmo, a marine sanctuary that has made a big comeback thanks to the designation of national marine park. Dr Sylvia Earle of Mission Blue has been a big supporter of the project. Dr Sylvia Earle is to fish what Dr Jane Goodall is to chimps! I wanted to see the results of the project to bring back this site to a healthy state, and Red Travel Mexico and I put together a trip to do just that! [Read more…] about Have you ever seen a Tornado of Fish? It is Amazing!
Wouldn’t you Love to enjoy Fantastic French Christmas Traditions?
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Wouldn’t you Love to enjoy Fantastic French Christmas Traditions?
French Christmas Traditions differ from the good ol’ USA. While American children are hanging stockings for Santa to fill, French children are putting their shoes by the fire so Pere Noel (Papa Noel) will fill them with gifts. If children are bad in the US they are told Santa will leave coal in their stockings, but in France, a child on the naughty list might get a visit from Père Fouettard (Father Whipper), who gives spankings! Pere Fouettard accompanies St. Nicholas (Pere Noel) on his rounds, delivering whippings or coal to children who have misbehaved while St Nicholas leaves gifts for the well-behaved. On the Eve of St. Nicholas (December 6) some children in France leave their shoes out in hopes of candy…and again, on December 24. Le Réveillon de Noël is the tradition of Christmas Eve dinner. At around midnight, French families gather for a meal to welcome Christmas Day.
Where did Pere Fouettard come from? Well, the story is pretty grim (kind of like the Grimm’s Fairy Tales!): “The most popular story about the origin of Le Père Fouettard was first told in the year 1150. An innkeeper captures three boys who appear to be wealthy and on their way to enroll in a religious boarding school. Along with his wife, he kills the children in order to rob them. One gruesome version tells that they drug the children, slit their throats, cut them into pieces, and stew them in a barrel. St. Nicholas discovers the crime and resurrects the children. After this, Le Père Fouettard repents and becomes St. Nick’s partner. A slightly altered version of this story claims that St. Nicholas forced Le Père Fouettard to become his assistant as a punishment for his crimes.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A8re_Fouettard) Now, can you imagine telling your children THAT story for Christmas!??? Don’t be too harsh on French Christmas Traditions, go reread Grimm’s….I mean, really, those stories are terrifying!
Another part of French Christmas is the Creche de Noel. In America it is common to have Nativity scenes, even in secular celebrations. In France, the Creche takes on a different aspect. In many parts of France, it is not enough to have a small nativity…hotels and larger homes build villages of people with their creche. Long ago I incorporated one aspect of French Creches, and that is that the baby Jesus figure does not appear until Christmas morning. Living Creches, or Nativities, are also common, as they are here in the USA. A major difference is that the French display the Nativity scene until February 2, a date known as La Chandeleur. This date is forty days after Christmas.
Last, but certainly not least, are the desserts of Christmas in France: the Yule Log is an ancient tradition, predating Christianity and going back to pagan Gaul (the area of France was known as Gaul for thousands of years before Christ). A log-shaped cake is made of chocolate and chestnuts. Rather delicious looking, wouldn’t you say?
And, my favorite French custom happens on the Epiphany, the day of the King, January 6. The custom is La Galette des Rois, a cake baked with a charm inside of it. The cake is cut, everyone has their piece, and voila! Someone has the charm, and is King or Queen for the day. This person can command games and activities throughout the day, and is treated as a royal. A lovely quaint custom! I wouldn’t mind wearing the crown for a day!
As they say in France, Joyeux Noël!!! Perhaps we should adopt a quaint French custom this year? Are you French? Do you have any traditions you follow?
You may enjoy an Italian Christmas as well!
The Gift of Monthly Travel Keeps on Giving! Give a Fun Gift this Year!
Monthly Travel would be a great gift, wouldn’t it? Even if you cannot physically get away, you can enjoy travel by purchasing Explore Local Box! I have written about this awesome local travel box! Instead of flowers, give a box of exploration to someone special for a birthday present, get well gift or just because. Choose a previously visited city that you would like to give and it will be delivered right to the recipient’s door with a custom card. Each month a new city will be added. Or give or get a monthly subscription!
I have sampled Boston and Portland, and I’ve enjoyed them both. Here are the cities currently available, with details on the contents of the boxes. http://www.explorelocalbox.com/shop/all/
For the holidays this year, give the gift of travel!
You will also enjoy How you can Travel to a Different City Every Month!
Random and Amazing Photos from all over the Island of Cozumel!
Just a few Random and Amazing Photos from all over Cozumel! Cozumel has started to reopen after a complete Pandemic Shutdown! They are going slow and doing it right.
[Read more…] about Random and Amazing Photos from all over the Island of Cozumel!
Top Tips To Safely and Smoothly Cross The Canadian Border In Your RV
Cross the Canadian Border in your RV!
If you’re an American planning on embarking on an RV road trip into Canada, you should know that you will embark on a trip that will be equally as fun as it is memorable. If you’re not sure about where to go yet, Outdoorsy is a great resource to help research the best Canadian RV destinations.
But you should also know that since you’re obviously going to have to cross the border to get into Canada, there are some things you should know.
Here are the top tips you need to follow to safely and smoothly cross the Canadian border in your RV:
Plan Extra Travel Time
Once you reach the U.S-Canadian border, the first thing you will notice is that there will be hundreds of assorted vehicles all backed up as they await their turn. While it largely depends on the time of day and year you arrive in regards to how long the line will be, plan on waiting at least thirty minutes to an hour before you talk to the border guard and are allowed entry.
Bring Your Vehicle Registration and Insurance
Just like in America, you must have your vehicle insurance and registration at all times. While you won’t be required to present it to the border guard, it is legally required for you to have in Canada.
Bring Your Passport
As you may have anticipated, crossing the Canadian border will require you to bring your passport. The only exceptions for where you won’t need your passport is if you are traveling internationally and have an enhanced driver’s license, or if you enter and exit Canada repeatedly and have a NEXUS card.
Bring A Rabies Vaccination Certificate (If You Have Pets)
Are bringing dogs and/or cats with you on your RV trip? If so, then you will need to bring a rabies vaccination certificate so long as your pets are older than three months old. Your vaccination certificate can only be provided to you from a certified veterinarian, and they will be valid for anywhere from one to three years.
The only types of pets that are exempt from needing a rabies vaccination certificate to enter Canada is if you have a service dog. Otherwise, you will need the certificate.
Keep Your License Plate Number Handy
The border guard will likely ask you for your license plate number, so you’ll either need to know it off the top of your head or have it written down on a piece of paper that you can show them.
Crossing The Canadian Border
An RV road trip in Canada is one of the best journeys that you can possibly take, especially in the summer. At the same time, there are many rules that you will need to follow to cross the border, but the tips you have learned in this article will help make everything go as smoothly as possible.
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Do you love the Little Creatures in the Sea? You’ll find them in Amazing Cozumel!
Do you love the little creatures in the sea? You can find them in amazing Cozumel! Most divers who have traveled to several oceans are familiar with the term, “muck diving”. Muck diving is exactly what it sounds like, diving in muddy, silty substrate which can include coral skeletons and garbage. In such an environment, divers and particularly photographers, can find amazing little creatures and unusual fish. I am not saying that Cozumel has “muck”, but it certainly has shallow dive sites off the shore filled with amazing little critters!
And the rest of these photographs were taken on amazing Cozumel shore dives!
I have done a few shore dives with Mario, of Scuba with Mario. He has incredible eyes, and can find amazingly small critters! Truthfully, my eyes are so bad I can’t find the tiny, tiny stuff even though I wear a prescription mask. I’ve worn glasses since 3rd grade, but in the last couple of years my sight has really declined. I’m grateful when I dive with people who have great sight! I cannot believe some of the animals I saw with Mario…many for the first time!
The moral of the story is: don’t let anyone tell you you cannot find the little critters in Cozumel! As you can see, they are definitely there.
My first book has been published, and you can imagine how excited I am about that! I’m thrilled with the reviews, and what a great Christmas gift for kids or for someone looking for an introduction to the ocean! Click HERE for a signed copy! Just fill out the form and I’ll have it on its way to you!
What’s it about? Photos and fun facts about tropical reef fish, All Fish Faces is an underwater treasure of tropical reef fish faces, some fierce, some fun, but all a joy for fish fans young and old. Impressive, colorful photos and interesting facts — including names of every fish featured — create a colorful dive log worth experiencing again and again. Getting to know, and love, our ocean friends, and feeling the excitement of discovery, is the way to preserve the ocean for future generations! Includes tips on how to help conserve our ocean resources and save our ocean friends. 10% of profits will go to the Marine Megafauna Foundation so they can continue their scientific research to protect our oceans and ocean giants.
