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!
How YOU can help our amazing oceans
Through all of my travels, especially those involving the ocean and diving, I have become more and more aware of the changing state of our oceans. The changes from 30 years ago to the present are painfully clear. Water temperatures are significantly warmer, coral reefs are bleaching and dying, more animals are endangered, over fishing is manifest, and trash in the ocean is at an all time high. What can we do? There are people out there talking about this. Climate Change is settled science, there is no doubt that it is happening and that it is the result of human activities. The only unclear thing about Climate Change is how to pass effective policies to combat it.
[Read more…] about How You can help save our Amazing Oceans!
No visit to the Texas Hill Country is complete without visiting the LBJ State Park and Historical Site. Lyndon Baines Johnson was the 36th President of the United States, serving from 1963 through 1969. He was the Vice President of John F Kennedy, and took over the presidency upon Kennedy’s death. Many, even most, baby boomers remember his presidency well since it happened during the tumultuous 1960s, and his part in escalating the VietNam War was extremely controversial. Johnson was a Democrat, a United States Congressman who became a Senator and the Senate Majority Leader. He was chosen as JFK’s running mate, and became President in 1963. Johnson’s “Great Society” and War on Poverty was his passion, sadly the war derailed his domestic policy. Johnson’s accomplishments tend to be forgotten now, but this is the President who passed Medicare and Medicaid, and created public television. He signed civil rights bills into law that banned racial discrimination in public facilities, at work and in housing. The Voting Rights Act prohibited certain practices in southern states used since Jim Crow laws to disenfranchise African American voters (now many of those same states have voter ID laws, which also tends to disenfranchise the African American Vote). The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 he signed changed the country’s immigration system by encouraging greater immigration from regions other than Europe, which is so much in the news in the 21st Century. Johnson’s presidency marked the peak of modern liberalism, and had he not been ruined by the war, it is hard to know what other programs and legislation would have been passed for the betterment of the citizenry. His wife, Lady Bird Johnson (also LBJ) is responsible for the Texas wildflower bloom every spring. [Read more…] about What to Do and See in the Texas Hill Country…Don’t forget LBJ!
North American Travel Journalist Association has recognized this article in the Annual Travel Writers Awards!
2018 Bronze Award in the category Eco, Environmental, or Volunteer
Who loves penguins? Everybody! And if someone does not like penguins, I don’t want to know them. Penguins overdose us on cuteness. They are a joy to watch whether they are walking, swimming, nesting, or snoozing. I have been fortunate enough to see 5 Penguin Species eye to eye. They are all completely awesome! [Read more…] about Here are 5 Penguin Species You Won’t Want to Miss When You Travel!
Columbia Deeps and Columbia Shallows! Cozumel is a well known diving destination. Jacques Cousteau put Cozumel on the map in 1960, and he did a documentary about the mesoamerican reef, of which Cozumel’s reefs are a part. There are many beautiful dive sites on Cozumel, but I have to say that I love diving Columbia Reef. Columbia is quite far south off the island, and therefore it is never loaded with divers the way Palancar often is. The coral mountains of Columbia are breathtaking, and the shallow area is full of life. I think these photos will show you why I love it so much!
Isn’t it amazing to contemplate that we know more about the planets in our galaxy than we do about our own oceans? Our oceans are in terrible danger, and we must start doing more. There is a new documentary out that everyone should watch. I was interviewed for it but didn’t make the final cut. Check out Chasing Coral on Netflix. I have been in many of the places depicted, and I have seen the damage that climate change is doing. Yes, climate change is real. We must start paying attention.
Feeling overwhelmed by the daily grind? Hour after hour of demands and deadlines, interrupted only by the buzz of technology notifications…. Sound familiar? How about….the Virgin Islands?
It’s time to schedule a trip – with yourself.
Whether you’re approaching burnout or taking preventive measures to stave it off, it’s time to unplug from the rest of the world and re-learn how to enjoy your own company. And there’s no better place than the Virgin Islands, a treasure trove of sandy beaches and turquoise waters, where you can reap these healthful benefits:
Make some time to figure out who you are and what you’ve become. Discover new interests, acquire new tastes, and log exciting new memories.
Travel Log:
-Explore new things to love: From exciting adventures like zip lining, kiteboarding, and night kayaking, to sampling local delicacies like callaloo, conch, and pates.
-Treat yourself to the ultimate journey of self-discovery – a custom, multi-island tour led by a local boat captain. Here’s your chance to uncover the best snorkeling spots, find the hottest island drink (ahem, Painkillers), and go on a quest to find the most tranquil, unspoiled island.
Time alone gives you the chance to clear your mind, focus, recharge. The benefits? Increased productivity and creativity when you return home. Pulitzer prize–winning writer John Updike observes: “It is often in idle moments that real inspiration comes.”
Travel Log:
–Relax in St. John’s Cinnamon Bay, a pristine island oasis.
-Virgin Gorda, BVI is the ideal spot to get some refresh time.
Maybe you’re at everyone else’s mercy when you’re back home, but on this trip, you can do whatever you want. No schedule, no expectations. The choice is yours.
Travel Log:
-Head over to Maho Bay in St. John for superb snorkeling without the crowds. Turtle spottings are pretty much instantaneous in this locale!
And in your quest for bliss, take the words of Roy M. Goodman to heart: “Remember that happiness is a way of travel—not a destination.”
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