During our trip to the American Southwest, my friend and I had made an itinerary, but we hadn't made reservations for our campgrounds as we wanted the liberty to stop for the night if we were tired or to drive as long as we wanted if we were feeling up to it.
One afternoon, we left Arches National park and made our way to Page, Arizona, knowing full well that we wouldn't make it there before the night fell. The villages and small towns in that part of Utah are really tiny and pretty scattered so when the sun started setting, and we saw a sign for a campground in Bluff, Utah, we decided to stop for the night.
In the last few kilometers, we could see the sun setting on our right, the colourful sky turning pinker all around us, and to our left, the full moon. It was so beautiful! I kept trying to take pictures and videos, but none of it made it justice.
When we arrived at the campground, the sunset was almost all the way down behind the mountains and there was only one other family there.
We checked in and barely had time to build a fire before it was completely dark out. We had dinner by the fire and suddenly we heard "Tabarnak". That word doesn't lie, there were other people from Quebec! What were the odds that the only other family in the campground, all the way in tiny Bluff, Utah, would also be French Canadian?!
It was such a simple, quiet camping night, but I don't think I will ever forget the beauty of that sunset, the randomness of making it to Bluff at the only campground for miles around, and the chance of meeting other Quebecois in this far away town.
For more information on our road trip through the American Southwest, click here.
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In September 2022, during our two-week road trip accross Iceland, we had the chance the go on a zodiac tour of Jokulsarlon with Glacier Lagoon. They offer amphicar tours as well and other companies had kayaking tours, but I think we chose right as the zodiac tour was incredible and seemed to cover more of the lagoon as the others who stayed closer to the shore.
The first step of our tour was to put on a pretty heavy one-piece yellow winter suit that floats if you fall overboard and keeps you warm while the zodiac zooms accross the lagoon. Then, we walked about 200m to the shore and stepped aboard our boat. There were about 8-10 people per boat so we had plenty of space to sit or move around to get a better view if needed.
Once all of the passengers were on board, our tour guide explained quickly how to stay safe and we were off to the glacier. It's better to stay seated once the zodiac gets on the way as it goes pretty quickly and you really don't want to fall in the icy water. But once we got to the glacier, our guide stopped the boat and we were able to look around at the huge icebergs and the glacier behind them.
We were pretty lucky during our visit. A huge ice block had fallen off the glacier a few hours before so there were a lot of icebergs and they were a bright blue color. Our guide, Teddy, told us that even the biggest icebergs, once they fall into the lake, will melt in a few days or weeks at most as the lagoon is filled with salt water from the ocean. We also learned that the ice will be a bright blue color when it first falls in the water, but will turn white in about 10-12 hours. They will only get their blue color back if they turn over in the water from loosing chunks of ice.
As we were looking around at the different icebergs and listening to the ice cracking all around us, we had the chance to encounter two little seals. They were so cute and way more curious then they were scared as they let us approach so we could see them up close.
Unfortunately, the glacier is rapidly melting and has retreated as much as 2 km between 1973 and 2004.
I have to say, this tour was one of the highlights of our whole trip. The view was so beautiful and completely different from everything else we had seen before. It was also fun to get some information and some history of the glacier, lagoon and the animals that live there. I would have stayed longer, to be honest. We were comfortably warm in the suits and I was almost hypnotized by the sound of the ice cracking and the icebergs floating all around us. I absolutely recommend this tour if you are visiting the south of Iceland!
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27/12/2022 0 Comments SUNSETS IN RIOMAGGIORE
On the day that I was arriving in Cinque Terre, I had a pretty late train from Florence. I left my hostel pretty early to go explore. I had an appointment at 1 PM to go up to the roof of the Duomo so I went up the 398 steps up the Campanile (the Bell Tower), then up the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo. I then ran all the way back to my hostel to get my backpack, and all the way in the opposite direction to the train station for my train at 3 PM. I took the train to Pisa, then another to La Spezia and then got on the Cinque Terre train to Riomaggiore. I got lost on the way to my AirBnb and ran up and down the steps and streets of Riomaggiore, then up the three sets of stairs to my room. Let's just say I was completely exhausted when I got there, but the sun was about to set and I wasn't about to miss it! So I ran back down to the marina and made it just in time! My first Cinque Terre sunset, but definitely not the last as I made a point to see all of them during my four-day stay.
The next day, I took the train to visit the other villages, but made sure to come back to Riomaggiore in time to get pizza and walk back to the marina and find a nice spot to eat dinner with a view.
The 3rd day I spent at the beach, soaking in the sunshine and didn't go back to town until dark, just to make sure I wouldn't miss the view.
Honestly, I would never tire of those sunsets even if I saw one every night for years! It's just so pretty and peaceful!
If you ever visit Italy, Cinque Terre is a must and be sure to never miss one of these magical sunsets while you are there! For more information on Cinque Terre, click here.
To be fully honest with you, I profoundly dislike winter. I hate being cold, wearing so many layers that you feel like the Michelin man and weight twice as much as you usually do, having to shovel your driveway twice a day, walking on ice or in sludge for 3 months, etc. But, having lived in Quebec City almost all my life, winter is part of the deal and I've had to find somethings to like about it. I have to admit that winter has a way of making some destinations just a little bit more magical!
As most people in Quebec would say, there is no bad weather, the are only bad clothes! Honestly, winter here is pretty harsh and you need to be dressed appropriately, but otherwise, it can. be a lot of fun. I hope you get the chance to explore the region of Quebec City in your travels.
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Iceland was our Covid trip. You know, the one that got canceled and you thought you would just push back for a year and then that got canceled again? So basically, we had a whole three years to plan, look up photos, read way too many blog articles, tag locations on Google Maps after seeing them on Instagram and go completely crazy waiting for the trip to finally happen. Let's just say, when we got there, we were prepared and ready to go EVERYWHERE! So this article is for the places that don't usually figure in the guide book, but that I believe deserve a chance.
Hveragerdi geothermal park
rHveragerdi is a village build in a hot zone, which means that it has geothermal activity. Actually, it is so hot that there are three naturally heated swimming pools and a geyser in the middle of the village! The surrounding mountains are smoking and almost every yard has its own greenhouse, isn't that so cool? So while some of the springs in Hveragerdi Geothermal Park have gone dry since an earthquake in 2008, it was one of the rare places that we saw in Iceland that explained geothermal energy and that had little activities that helped understand how it works and how it helped the inhabitants of Iceland survive in such a harsh climate. You can visit the greenhouse, cook an egg in a hot spring, taste bread baked in steam, take a foot mud bath and put you feet in a warm spring, and understand life in the region. It is a pretty short visit and costs a few dollars, but it reminded me of the Land pavilion in EPCOT in Disney World and I loved it.
Gljufrabui waterfall
I had never seen this waterfall anywhere on internet and we just happened to see it on a sign while in Seljalandfoss and decided to check it out. It was complete luck that we saw it, and it turned out to be one of my favorite spots in Iceland. Gljufrabui is located in the same park as Seljalandfoss, but being completely hidden by the canyon walls and only reachable if you walk in the water, most people don't visit even though it is really pretty and quite easy to reach with hiking boots and a rain jacket. Honestly, it's worth getting splashed!
reykjadalur hot spring thermal river
The Blue Lagoon and Myvatn Baths are absolute musts when visiting Iceland, but one thing I really wanted to do was swim in a natural hot spring. We went to Seljavallalaug swimming pool, but since the water source is broken, the water is quite cold and really murky. So when I found Reykjadalur while looking for things to do on Google Maps, I decided we had to go! I honestly thought it would be close to the road and easy to reach, but the river is actually a 45-minute hike up a mountain away from the parking lot. I recommend hiking boots, at least a full bottle of water and some snacks. Like most things in Iceland, you need to earn the beautiful things you want to see, but they are worth it and these hot springs are no exception. The hike is not technical, the trail is large and well maintained, but it is pretty steep in some places. Once you get to the spring, though, you forget all the effort that it took to get there as you soak in the warm shallow water. It is so relaxing and the view is great!
Even though there were quite a few people while we were there, it never felt crowded as there are so many little basins separated by rocks. There are no changing room or bathrooms, but there are some screens were you can change out of your bathing suit before the walk back. I recommend putting on your bathing suit before you leave and bringing a change of underwear. Water shoes or flip flop/crocs are also a good idea to walk on the rocks. grjotagja
Grjotagja is a grotto filled with bright blue water near Myvatn Nature Baths. Unfortunately, swimming is prohibited, but visiting is free of charge and it is a beautiful, quick stop while in the Myvatn area in Northern Iceland. The sun shines through the entrance of the grotto and allows you to see all the way to the bottom of the clear water. The water is also warm as bath water and steam rises form it.
glymur waterfall
Glymur is one of my favorite waterfalls in Iceland and features in my top ten waterfalls as you can see here. It is the beautiful reward you receive after an hour long hike. Although the hike isn't hard for most people with a normal fitness level, it is pretty technical. You do need to cross a river on a tree trunk and hold onto ropes as you hike up so I would recommend having done some hiking in small mountains before. Otherwise, the view is gorgeous all the way up and there are a few other people hiking along, but it isn't crowded. The descent was fairly easy as you can use the ropes to rappel down the steeper inclines. You do need proper hiking boots, snacks and plenty of water. When we visited in September we found it was warm, but you would need proper clothing according to the weather.
Meleyri Beach
Unfortunately, it was raining pretty heavily the day we visited and the visibility was horrible (so bad that we drew an arrow in the sand pointing to the parking lot so we wouldn't have a hard time finding it on the way back), but Meleyri Beach is a beautiful black sand beach that stretches on for miles. It isn't as popular as other beaches like Reynisfjara so you could have the place completely to yourself!
Honestly, there are so many incredible things to see in Iceland, that you probably don't need to add anything to your already packed itinerary, but these are places that we found by chance and that I am so happy we found! You won't be disappointed!
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In Iceland, there are a few things that you will see consistently: horses and sheep, mountains, and waterfalls. There is a waterfall in every little crevasse of every single mountain on the island and, though they are always beautiful, some are just more spectacular than others. Here are the 10 waterfalls that I found particularly memorable.
1. glymur waterfall
Glymur waterfall was the first one that we visited during our trip. So while it is not the first that we saw, it is the first that I can name. It is also the highest reachable waterfall in Iceland. There is one higher, but it is impossible to visit due to its location.
It took us about 3 hours to hike to Glymur and back to the parking lot, and while it is not the easiest hike, it is also doable for most people. There is a river to cross on a tree trunk and a few places where we had to use ropes to help ourselves up, but it is also very worth it. The waterfall is absolutely gorgeous and completely hidden in a canyon and the hike gave us wonderful view points over the valley and surrounding mountains. 2. skogafoss
Skogafoss is definitely one of the waterfalls you HAVE to visit in Iceland, but to be completely honest, we kind of forgot it existed as soon as we saw the rainbows! Skogafoss is also the highest waterfall on the Skoga river, but if you climb to the top, you can walk along the river and discover many smaller waterfalls and the most beautiful scenery. It is worth it to plan a bit more time and explore past the crowds.
3. seljalandsfoss
Seljalandfoss looks impressive in pictures because you always see it from the back, meaning you can walk behind it. What I wasn't expecting, was the massive size of the waterfall and the grotto behind it. In real life, the fall is so powerful that you need a rain jacket even if you look at it from afar. It is also way higher than it looks in pictures.
4. Gljufrabui waterfall
I think Gljufrabui was my favorite waterfall of all. It is located about 300m from Seljalandfoss, but most people seemed to completely ignore it and prefer it's sister. While Seljalandsfoss is bigger, Gljufrabui is hidden behind a canyon and you can barely see it from the trail. The only way to reach it is to walk through the canyon in the water, but boy is it worth it!
5. gullfoss
Gullfoss is a very powerful waterfall located on the Golden Circle in southwest Iceland. The crevasse where the water flows is so narrow that, from the viewpoint on the left side of the river, it looks like the water is flowing underneath the earth or falling to the center of the earth. I wish I could have seen it in the winter too as the water must form really neat icicles on the sides of the canyon.
6. godafoss
Godafoss is know for its legend. Apparently, in 1000 AD, one of Iceland's lawmakers came back home from the annual meeting at Thingvellir, where they decided to make Christianity the official religion of Iceland, and threw his statues of Norse gods in the waterfall. Although no one knows if the story is true, the waterfall is still one of the most beautiful in Iceland because of its width and the blue color of its water. The shape also reminded me of a small Niagara Falls.
7. Svartifoss
Svartifoss is so different from the other waterfalls in Iceland! With its basalt columns, it looks like the pipes of a giant organ and you would recognize it anywhere. This waterfall is also part of Skaftafell-Vatnajökull National Park where you can observe glaciers, volcanoes and other waterfalls so it was a nice visit. It takes between 30 and 45 minutes to hike to the waterfall and, like most places in Iceland, it is mostly uphill, but the view along the way is gorgeous and it's not a technical hike.
8. Haifoss
The interesting part of this waterfall isn't actually the fall itself, but the kettles carved by the river. Some of them seem to interlace while the water flows through. It's really impressive! There is a small parking lot near the cascades and the view from up there gives you a nice panorama on the whole fjord and Seydisfjordur.
9. dettifoss
Dettifoss may not be pretty with its greyish-white water and moon like surroundings, but it is the most powerful waterfall in Iceland and the second most powerful in Europe. Honestly, after walking along it, I have no doubt of its power. There is so much water falling so abruptly that even from the furthest viewpoint we were still getting splashed.
10. kirkjufell
Kirkjufell waterfall isn't the biggest or the strongest, it doesn't have the prettiest color, it isn't the highest either, but it's location makes it great. Right in front of the conical mountain that gives it its name, with the sun setting in the background, it has the prettiest surroundings.
To be honest, after a few days in Iceland, we barely noticed most of the waterfalls we passed along the road, but these ten were worth the detour or even the hike. Don't forget to tag them on Google maps or write them on your list of places to visit as they are absolute must-sees in Iceland.
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In September 2019, my friend and I went on a road trip through Nevada, Utah, Arizona and California. (For more information about this road trip, click here) While on this road trip, we of course visited the Grand Canyon National Park. How could you go to Arizona and not go to the Grand Canyon?! But, not only did we want to see it from the top like you can see in all the pictures, we kind of wanted to see it from the river too. And the best way to do that was to go rafting! Since we didn't have much time, the 14 days rafting trip through the whole Colorado River wasn't exactly a possibility, but with Hualapai River Runners, we could go rafting for a day at the West end of the Grand Canyon.
We arrived the day before in Peach Springs, Arizona, a small reserve on road 66. We were to leave early in the morning from the Hualapai Lodge, and since there was no campground in Peach Springs, we were allowed to park and spend the night in their parking lot. The lodge is beautiful and there is a restaurant and small shop where you can purchase everything you might need or have forgotten for your day of adventure, like sunscreen, watershoes, dry bags, etc.
Early in the morning, we had breakfast in the van and walked to the front desk to wait for our guide. There were about twenty of us going on this expedition that day so we all climbed on a bus for the 1-hour drive to the Colorado River. The ride wasn't exactly peaceful as it is a dirt road, but the views as we climbed down the canyon was incredible. Soon, we had made it to the end of the road where the rafts were waiting for us to board. We put on our lifejackets, put our personnal items in a barrel for safe keeping and climbed aboard. There were 6 of us in our raft, plus our guide, as we started our journey down the river.
As indicated on the website, the first few miles are rapids, small ones and medium ones, nothing to make you fall overboard, but just enough to be completely drenched and have fun! The water is freezing cold and my hands were white from holding on to the raft as hard as I could, but I don't think I had laughed that much in a long time. The whole time, our guide was telling us about the region, its climate, vegetation and history, about the Hualapai tribe and their legends and traditions, about the history of his ancestors and how they try to preserve their way of life while adapting to the 21st century.
Once we were completely drenched to the bones, it was time for our first stop on the side of the canyon. We hiked a short way through a side canyon to a beautiful waterfall where we could sit in shallow pools and take pictures or relax for a while. Then, it was time to get back on the raft and get through the last rapids before lunch.
For lunch, we stopped at a small beach. Lunch was provided and thankfully dry as we had a sandwich with our choice of juice, water or soda, chips, cookies and fruits. I probably ate way too much and it wasn't the most healthy, but after hanging on in the rapids, hiking and swimming, I was hungry! We had some time to dry off in the sun and get to know our boat mates while we ate and then it was back to the water as it was really hot in the sun. I think I put sunscreen on about four times that day and still got sunburnt.
The rest of the afternoon was spent cruising along the canyon and looking around trying to convince ourselves that we were living this for real. I think the canyon is even more impressive from the bottom. The walls somehow seem taller and the river seems narrower.
Our boat mates had also made the reservation to be helicoptered out and go to the skywalk, so in the middle of the afternoon, we left them on the side of the canyon where the helicopter would pick them up and continued our journey just the two of us and our guide. Since it was just the two of us for the remaining 10 miles, our guide let us drive the raft and decide when we wanted to stop for a swim so we had a great rest of our afternoon and definitely took advantage of the swimming and walking along the shores.
We arrived at the dock at about 7 PM and had an hour of bus ride by ourselves to head back to the lodge. Both of us were exhausted and slept almost the whole way back, but we were also very satisfied of this day on the Colorado River.
So, was this day crazy expensive and definitely not something I could afford at the time? Absolutely! Do I regret it? Absolutely not!
I think it was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so happy we took the opportunity. How many people can say they were in the middle or the bottom of the Grand Canyon? I would definitely recommend it or even the multiple day expedition. I would have kept going for a few more days without tiring. Other articles you might enjoy
One of the popular tourist destinations in Canada is Niagara Falls and summer is the perfect time to visit. Although you can also visit the American side, the Canadian one is definitely better with its popular Horseshoe Falls. Niagara Falls (the town) is also home to casinos, resorts, multiple restaurants and so many activities. Here is a list of everything you won't want to miss on your long weekend getaway.
Go behind the falls
If you're going to visit Niagara Falls, you have to see the falls from the top, the bottom, the side and you can even seem them from the back! At Journey Behind the Falls, you can go down an elevator and walk in the 130 year old tunnels carved in the cliff behind the falls. It is the closest you can get to the impressive and powerful Horseshoe Falls. You will also find signs explaining how they are stopping the erosion of the cliffs, the amount of water going down the falls every year and stories of people going over. For more information, you can visit their website here.
Go Kayaking
One of my favorite activities that we got to do on our weekend in Niagara was to go kayaking on the Niagara river near Fort Erie. It is far enough from to falls to be completely safe and the weather was perfect for a long ride. We rented the kayaks on Airbnb from a local and had a great experience. The water is absolutely gorgeous in that area and it felt good to be away from the crowds for an afternoon.
Take a boat ride to the bottom of the falls
One of the classic activities when visiting Niagara Falls is to ride a boat to the center of Horseshoe Falls. You should know that even with the very sexy red poncho, you will get wet, but it is definitely worth it! There is no view more impressive than to be surrounded by one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world.
go on a hike
Wether you love hiking or not, you will love this one! At Niagara Glen Nature Center, you can walk down the stairs to the bottom of the cliff where you will find about 5 km of trails by the river. The views are beautiful and you can also look at fossils or even climb the boulders.
visit the quaint village of niagara-on-the-lake
You know those villages in Hallmark movies where all the houses are painted different colors and have flowerpots in the windows, where there is an old bookshop next to the patisserie? That's what Niagara-on-the-Lake is like. I loved it! There are plenty of cute restaurants and a park by the water. I could have walked around the few streets of the village over and over again and still been happy because of how pretty everything was.
Go to ripley's believe it or not! museum
On Clifton Hill, in the town of Niagara, you'll find wax museums, go karts, 4D movie theaters, and lots of other activities, but one of my favorites was Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. We spend half a day walking around the museum and looking at all of the different exhibits. From statuettes made of real human hair and teeth to life size pictures of the tallest man on earth and everything in between you definitely won't get bored at Ripley's.
visit the vineyards of niagara-on-the-lake
There are so many vineyards to visit in Niagara-On-the-Lake that we rented bikes and spent a whole day cycling from one to the other. My favorites were Trius with its beautiful different tasting rooms and many kinds of bubbly wine and Jackson Triggs where we had the best service. Let's just say, by the end of the day, both of us were pretty bubbly!
treat yourself to a fancy dinner
I think you could eat at a different restaurant everyday for six months in Niagara Falls. With all of these options, why not treat yourself to a good one? We had dinner at Table Rock with a beautiful view over the Falls and at Weinkeller which was absolutely delicious and totally worth the price! I would recommend both of them.
go see the waterfalls illuminated at night
Every night, the falls are illuminated in multicolored lights and change colors every few minutes. It's beautiful and a good place to admire the view is from the top of the Skylon Tower. You'll have a 360 degree view over Niagara.
One thing's for sure, you'll have plenty to do!
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Every time someone asked where I was going on vacation this summer and I answered excitedly "Delaware", I got weird stares and lots of questions: Why Delaware? What is there to do in Delaware? Isn't that a long drive from Quebec? Why don't you go to Maine instead? Apparently, visiting a state that people don't usually visit confuses a lot of people and our trip actually has a pretty interesting back story, so here it is!
This story begins in March 2017, while my friend Amy and I were getting ready to leave Vancouver Island to visit California on a two-week road trip. Driving to California would take us two days and about 22 hours of driving on pretty boring interstates: we needed to think of games to keep us entertained! So I started researching and found plenty of car games that you can find here. One of those activities was to print a map of the United States and try to find a license plate from every state. Let's just say this little game quickly became an obsession after being stuck in traffic for 5 hours in Seattle and, not only did we play during the whole two weeks in California, but kept the game going on every road trip we went on that year.
After our two weeks in California, we were missing 18 states, but by the end of the year, we were missing only four.
Now, 5 years later, I have played this game way too many times to count, including on a two-week road trip in Utah, Arizona and Nevada in 2018 where we were missing only one : Delaware. So in almost 6 years of playing, the only state that we have never found is Delaware. There are only two conclusions that can come from this: either Delaware is a myth and only exists on paper, but no one actually lives there, or, it is so incredibly beautiful that once people arrive, they never want to visit any other place ever again. Let's just say, we were curious to find out!
So fast forward to the summer of 2022, Covid rules are starting to ease up, the borders are finally open, we have a long weekend in Canada for July 1st and a few extra vacation days, it seems like the right time to finally discover what's up with Delaware. We stopped on the way for a night in New York City where we had the chance to see The Lion King on Broadway, a day in Philadelphia where I had never been before, and then made our way to Delaware.
And wouldn't you know, after two whole days, in New York and Philadelphia, of looking, once again, for a Delaware license plate, we finally found it on a walk near our Airbnb in Philadelphia. Just a few hours before actually visiting the state! I don't know whose car that is, but thanks for visiting Phily!
We arrived in Delaware on July 3rd with no expectations. We knew there would be beaches as we were staying at the Delaware Seashore State Park campground, but we didn't know much else and we were excited to visit during 4th of July weekend as it was Amy's first time in the States for the 4th and my first time outside of Disney World (which I don't think is a fair representation of the holiday).
Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised! The beaches in Delaware stretch for miles, the sand is soft beneath your feet and the coastline is really beautiful. The waves were pretty intense though, and the beach towns are clearly not meant for so many people to visit at the same time as the street lights are set for little to no traffic.
We spent the afternoon at the beach just enjoying the sunshine and warm weather, but in the evening is when it got interesting. Obviously, we knew there would be fireworks for July 4th and I guess it makes sense if people go back to work on the 5th that they would need to leave in the afternoon of the 4th to go back home, but we weren't expecting fireworks on July 3rd too! Starting at about 8 PM, all around Rehoboth Bay and Indian Bay and even in New Jersey, on the other side of the Bay of Delaware, there were fireworks going off until at least 10 PM when we went back to our campground and stopped watching. I had never seen so many firework displays going off at the same time, it was just incredible! Americans clearly have a big fireworks budget for 4th of July!
The next day, we explored Rehoboth Beach, went souvenir shopping and spend the afternoon at the beach near our campground before driving to Dewey Beach where we knew there would be official fireworks for 4th of July. And once again, for the second night in a row, we were treated to a 360 degrees fireworks show. Before and after the official fireworks, people were lighting them on the beach beside us, on the other side of the bay, on boats over the water, literally everywhere! But this time, although we didn't bring our own fireworks, at least we were part of the celebration as we had 4th of July cupcakes and red, white and blue glow stick bracelets. It was fun seeing the excitement and the pride that the American people show for this holiday, even though I think it's a little too political and it's kind of ironic to be so proud of their freedom when they are trying to control half of the population, but that is just my opinion as a Canadian looking at it from the outside. I personally don't even celebrate Canada Day so it was a bit of a shock to see how big a deal Independence Day was in the USA, even if we see it in movies and on TV.
I really hope one day I get to visit Delaware again as these few days barely scratched the surface of what there is to see. Even driving through the state on our way back to Canada, I wish we had time to stop at Cape Henlopen State Park to bird watch or go pick some peaches and cherries in one of the many orchards. I also wish we had time to learn some of the history of this first state that I'll just have to Google. For being the second smallest state and one that nobody seems to visit, I found a lot to love in Delaware.
Although it definitely exists and it is truly beautiful, I don't think people stay there forever without visiting other states so we'll need to look for another reason why we never found this license plate on our travels ;) other articles you might enjoy
In January 2018, I left freezing and snowy Canada for a two-week vacation in the jungles and on the beaches of sunny Costa Rica. It proved to be exactly what I needed and if I could have, I would have stayed an extra month! Costa Rica has so many options of activities that you could easily stay for a whole year without running out of things to do.
Even though Costa Rica is a tiny little country compared to Canada or Mexico, the roads are mountainous and it takes a while to go from one town to another so we tried to spend at least a few days in each town so we wouldn't be spending most of our trip on a bus. San Jose - Arrival day and day 2
On our first day in Costa Rica, we landed in San Jose at about 1PM. By the time we made it to our hostel it was almost 3. We had nothing planned for our first day since we knew we would be tired from traveling and didn't know if our flight would be delayed or if it would take longer than planned to arrive at our destination. We spent the afternoon and part of the evening walking around town. We bought some snacks and lunch for the next day and spotted some nice places we would like to spend some more time at the next day. We went back to the hostel, ate some nachos, talked with our host to plan the rest of our time in San Jose and went to bed early to get an early start the next morning. It took two minutes after our arrival for our host to let us know that there were pineapples and bananas in the backyard and we could take what we needed: I was already in love with Costa Rica!
On day two, we went to Irazu volcano. We took the bus early in the morning so we had time to explore the park for a while and then go back to town for more exploring. We came back to town early, had a shower and then went back to the downtown area to the places we had spotted the day before. We had dinner at a restaurant, had the biggest ice cream cone I have ever seen and took lots of pictures. For more information about San Jose or to know how our visit to Irazu Volcano went, click here. La Fortuna - Days 3-4-5-6
On day 3, we took an Uber from our hostel to the bus station, and took the bus to La Fortuna. It looks really close on the map, but it's actually a 3,5 hour bus ride! We arrived in La Fortuna in the middle of the afternoon and walked to our hostel to drop off our bags. We spent the evening walking around the small town and looking at all the different restaurants, souvenir shops and tour companies. Since there were so many activities we wanted to do in La Fortuna, we compared prices and offerings before choosing Red Lava Tours for our activities. We booked with them for a hike around the Arenal Volcano, a hike in Rio Celeste, the Jeep-Boat-Jeep tour to Monte Verde and the ziplining in Monteverde, but more on that later.
On day 4 was our hike around the volcano. We had to be up early again because they were picking us up at 9:45 AM. We stopped by the Red Lava office to pick up our lunch and then we were on our way. Since we were a pretty big group, they split us into two groups of about 12. Our tour guide Emanuel was great. He explained a lot about the insects and trees and snakes we saw along the way and then gave us some information about the volcano. We stopped for lunch by a river and had time for a quick swim. Since it was very humid, we jumped at the chance to soak in the shallow refreshing water. We continued our hike through the jungle, walked on some hanging bridges and made it to the view point for sunset. We had an amazing view of the Arenal Lake and Volcano. Before they brought us back to our hotel, we had to stop by the hot springs. While relaxing in the warm water, Emanuel brought us a drink and some lava mixture to make a mask and exfoliate our face. What a great day!
On day 5, we went to Rio Celeste. The park is outside of the town and about an hour drive away. During the drive, our guide Mauricio spotted some monkeys and sloths and we got to observe them in their natural habitat for a while before getting back on the bus. When we arrived in Rio Celeste, it was cloudy and very humid. We started hiking, but the trail was very muddy. At first, we were trying to step around it, but at one point we all accepted and embraced the fact that we were going to be covered in mud by the end of the day. We had so much fun running around that it didn't really matter in the end. The hike was worth it anyway because the river and the waterfall are absolutely gorgeous. It reminded me a little bit of the lakes in Banff, but without the snow obviously. The water was a pale, milky shade of bright blue. After the hike, we stopped at a small restaurant on the side of the road and had a delicious Costarican meal. Usually on this tour, you get to go for a swim in the river, but since it started raining during our hike, our guide told us it would be dangerous to swim as the current could unexpectedly get stronger. Instead, we asked if it would be possible to be dropped off at the hot springs and they agreed! So for a second night in a row, we got to soak in the river and relax. We stayed there for hours looking at the stars and the moon and just enjoying the moment.
On day 6, we went to La Fortuna waterfall. I have to say it. It is one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my life and you absolutely have to go if you visit Costa Rica. We walked to the park and it's about a 5 kilometer walk from town on a paved road, but it is a hard walk, You are going up the whole time and it is hot and the sun is beating on you, so if you decide to walk bring a lot of water and lather on sunscreen a few times along the way. It took us about an hour to get there. Entrance to the park is 15 USD and then you get to walk down about 500 steps before getting to the bottom of the fall. It was a rough week of hiking for us, but so worth it. You get beautiful views of the fall on the way down and there are water fountains where you can refill your water bottles and splash some water on your face. Once you reach the bottom, on the left there is a little path that leads to a little beach where you can swim in the river. The water is freezing cold and there are fish so I didn't swim, but I did put my feet in it and it was refreshing enough for me. We stayed there for about an hour, soaking in the sun with our feet in the water and taking pictures. Then we went to the actual waterfall to take pictures and it took my breath away. It is very high and surrounded by lush jungle on every side and the water at the bottom was almost as blue as Rio Celeste. It was incredible! Monteverde - Day 7
On day 7, we were leaving La Fortuna on the Jeep-Boat-Jeep tour and heading to Monte Verde and then we had a reservation for the zipline in Monte Verde. The Jeep-Boat-Jeep tour was convenient for us because otherwise we would have had to take the bus back to San Jose and then another one to Monte Verde, but it was not the best tour we went on in Costa Rica. First, the Jeep is a bus. Second, the bus is not made to climb up a mountain. So, to make the story short, our bus broke down while going up a hill and we got stock on the side of the road for about an hour and a half waiting for another bus to come pick us up. We told them we had reservations for the zipline and they told us we would make it in time, but they were in no hurry. They even stopped at a little corner store on the way to get some lunch and our driver and guide were taking their sweet time. When we understood that we would not be making it on time to our hostel, we asked if they could drop us of directly at the zipline and they said no worries, but still dropped us off at our hostel even when we reminded them. So was it fun? Not really. Was it still convenient even with all this trouble? Definitely! The 4 hour drive to San Jose and then 5 hour drive to Monte Verde would have been infinitely worse. When we arrived at our hostel, we asked our host where the office was for the zipline and went to their office. They were really nice and scheduled us on a later tour. After this not so great start to our day, the bus from the zipline company picked us up on time and the ziplining was amazing! Check out my article about my experience here. That night, we went to the town to get dinner at Sabor Tico. The food was delicious and pretty cheap. We later went to the Tree House for a drink and that was expensive, but the restaurant is really a tree house around/in the tree and there was a live band so it was fun.
MAnuel Antonio - Days 8-9-10-11-12
On day 8, we were once again up very early since we had to walk to the bus station with all of our bags for our 5:30 AM departure. Yes, 5:30 AM... We took a bus to Puntarenas, then another one to Quepos and then the city bus to Manuel Anotnio. It was a long day, but we arrived in mid afternnon at our hostel in Manuel Antonio. We had a nice swim in the pool and then went to El Wagon for dinner for delicious wood oven pizza.
On day 9, we headed to the beach and we were ready for some sunshine and heat after the cold and wind of Monte Verde. We spent the whole day swimming and jumping in the waves and laying on the sand and reading. It was amazing. After a whole day at the beach, we took the bus back to our hotel (we could walk about ten minutes to the beach, but we were exhausted and the bus ride was about 30 cents). That night, we went to the grocery shop and made dinner before going into the town of Quepos where we got chocolate gelato and mango sorbet and walked around the town and marina. Day 10 was spent at Manuel Antonio National Park. We spent the morning hiking in the park and the afternoon on the park's beautiful beaches. We saw about 30 monkeys either in the jungle or on the beach and even though it was pretty hot for a hike, I was proud that we managed to hike at least a few trails. You really have to be careful with your bags in Manuel Antonio, especially if there is food in them. The monkeys are little thieves! That evening was spent at the restaurant El Avion that overlooks the ocean and where we had an amazing view of the sunset.
Day 11 was spent in the pool at our hostel. We were tired from the day before and a little bit sunburnt so we tried staying in the shade at the resort. But for the evening, we had something special planned! At about 4 PM, they came to pick us up for a parasailing ride. They brought us to the beach and harnessed us to the boat and then two seconds later we were flying again! I think, this whole trip, I spent more time either swimming or flying than on the actual ground. We were in the air for about 15 minutes before we started going down and then we were droped in the Pacific Ocean. It was an amazing experience and I hope to do it again someday! We had a beautiful view of the region. We could see our hostel and the park and the cliffs and beaches around Manuel Antonio.
On day 12 we went back to the beach for our last day in Manuel Antonio. We tried surfing, but I am terrible at it and it fell on my head so I decided it was not for me and that swimming was better. I'll take a lesson next time! We took so many pictures it's crazy, but we had a lot of fun swimming and playing in the waves and we were treated to once again a beautiful sunset. San Jose - Day 13
On day 13, we took the city bus from Manuel Antonio to Quepos and then got on the bus to San Jose. It took about four hours to get to San Jose. We then took a taxi to our hostel a little bit outside of the city. We took it easy that night and went to the hostel restaurant for pizza bites, cheese sticks and nachos. Our hostel had a sauna so we tried that and then went to bed early.
Goodbye Costa Rica - Day 14
Day 14 was departure day. I was so not ready to leave and would have rather stayed at the beach, but apparently I had to go back to work. We had an early flight so we had to take an Uber at about 5 AM and when we arrived in Montreal, it was -1000 degrees and we were miserable. I can't wait to go on another adventure!
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