Adventures

The pool foam party is both well attended and an event that is great fun. DJ’s keep the dance music going while the guest frolic in the foam. A must do for everyone staying at the RIU Ocho Rios.

Breakfast at Bacchanal Buffet, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. To say it was a little pricey is an understatement. Food quality was superb and the selection was endless. Vegas Baby!

While at RIU Ocho Rios in Jamaica we went snorkeling. We found the best area to do this while at the resort was at the west beach. We were able to see fish and sea cucumbers on a reef less than 50 meters from the shoreline. If you are going to RIU Ocho Rios be sure to bring your mask and snorkel.

During our trip we went snorkeling near Grand Memories Cayo Santa Maria Cuba 2018. The day trip takes you out on a catamaran to a spot with thousands of fish. After the snorkeling the trip continued to a dolphin aquarium where we saw a show, met Keke the dolphin then enjoyed lunch.

Varadero Sightseeing Bus Tour. These open-top double decker buses are called Varadero Beach Tour and Panoramic BusTour. It’s the most practical and cheapest way to travel along the Varadero’s Peninsula. A one-day ticket costs 5 CUC and you get unlimited access from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm. Its loop itinerary includes 46 stops linking all the hotels, shopping centres, markets, marinas, golf course, delfinario, and downtown Varadero and they pass every half hour or so.

Landing at Sangster Airport Montego Bay Jamaica

We met Keke the Dolphin near the Grand Memories resort in Cayo Santa Maria Cuba. The excursion from various resorts on Caya Santa Maria was a short double decker bus ride away. Well worth the journey, the trip on the catamaran to the dolphin aquarium included a stop to enjoy snorkeling (see our posted video) and your choice of a lobster or chicken lunch.

We recently traveled to Paris and took a day trip to visit the memorial at Vimy Ridge. The trip was about an hour on a very high speed train. From Arras we took a taxi to the Canadian Vimy Ridge memorial. This video is of the tour given by staff at the memorial.

Toronto Zoo 2018 Baby Pandas and Rhinosaurus

Grand River Rafting 2019. In August of 2019 we went Turbo Rafting on the Grand River in Ontario. Starting at Brant Conservation Park we were transported by school bus for a short trip (20 minutes or so) to a launching point on the Nith River in Paris Ontario. From there we traveled the 13 km route of the Grand River back to the Brant Conservation Park.

Soarin’ at Epcot as experienced from two angles (different seats). The seating in the centre made a huge difference in the curvature of the images. This video shows both angles. We had gone early on a rainy day and were able to enjoy this ride twice. Once because it was early and rainy, making the line short and the second time by registering for the line and having a FastPass.

The Kingston Penitentiary is a former maximum security prison located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada that when closed in 2013 eventually became a local tourist attraction.

During a visit to Las Vegas another must see is the Venetian Hotel Las Vegas-Grand Canal Shoppes. A re-creation of St. Marks Square in Venice is the focal point setting to an extensive array of shoppes. One of our favourite spots was the LOVE sculpture at the bottom of the escalators that lead to the St. Marks Square and gondola ride area.

Amazing Sunset as seen from Hotel Los Delfines, Varadero, Cuba.

Our tour of the historic Boldt Castle, located on Heart Island in the Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence River in Alexandria Bay, NY.

Climbing up the famous Dunn’s River Falls near Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

Celestyal Crystal enters Santiago de Cuba – March 2015. Timeline has been increased by 300% and includes a Latin music soundtrack.

A stunning series of 17 illuminated sculpture installations create a kaleidoscope of colour, themed around legends and myths associated with the ancient Silk Road.

While in Las Vegas, whether you a re a shopper or not, a must see is the Forum Shops at Caesars. Attached to the famous Caesars Palace Resort the forum offers a wide variety of high end luxury shops in an exquisite setting. Special decor, lighting, fountains and ceiling are but a few of the beautiful accents this shopping experience offers.

One of the excursions we took was to travel on a catamaran and stop to snorkel (our primary interest). After our swim with the fishes we continued on to have lunch at a centre that features dolphins. Born in captivity these dolphins appeared to be well cared for. Lunch was served after the show and featured a choice of lobster or chicken.

Our recent trip to Mexico included an adventure to a cenote. We were escorted by Rousel of Yucatan Cenote as we discovered cenotes, Mayapan and lunch at a hacienda. Check out our leaps of faith.
A cenote is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. Especially associated with the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, cenotes were sometimes used by the ancient Maya for sacrificial offerings.

Landing at night at Toronto Pearson Airport

A short pictorial shot around the pools and fountains early in the morning.

Sunrise from Caesars Palace Las Vegas Time Lapse

Taking off from Juan Gomez Airport Varadero, Cuba

Time Lapse Sunrise over Sanctuary Memories Venus Rising

In late May 2019 we went on an one hour cruise of the River Seine in Paris. I set up the GoPro to record what we saw.
The Seine is a 777-kilometre-long (483 mi) river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Source-Seine, 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre (and Honfleur on the left bank). It is navigable by ocean-going vessels as far as Rouen, 120 kilometres (75 mi) from the sea. Over 60 percent of its length, as far as Burgundy, is negotiable by commercial riverboats, and nearly its whole length is available for recreational boating; excursion boats offer sightseeing tours of the river banks in Paris, lined with top monuments including Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum and Musée d’Orsay.

While at African Lion Safari in Ontario we witnessed George the elephant painting a work of art. We and the grandkids loved it!

I had the wonderful opportunity to test drive a Ferrari 458. It was a thrilling experience and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in driving an upper tier sports car. GTA exotics (www.gtaexotics.ca) was the host company and by my account runs a professional business. You need to show a valid driver’s licence and sign a waiver (of course after paying the price of admission) and off you go. I followed two other HOT cars which in turn followed a lead vehicle that guided us around the Niagara Regions roads on our 30 minute excursion. Fun, WOW. I will do it again.