Virgin Islands National Park

Trunk Bay, St. Johns Island

If you are in search of paradise, then the Virgin Islands National Park is where you need to be situated. This park is where travelers will get a chance to venture through its tropical forests, 20 miles of trails, archeological historical sites and mountains. To add to these wonderful features of the park, it is made up of two islands: St. John and St. Thomas.

 Located in St. Johns Island, is Trunk Bay. Since the beach provides washrooms, picnic tables and a food stand - a small fee of $4 is charged. It is a great place for families or couples to enjoy the outdoors with plenty of available amenities close by to make the experience complete. Trunk Bay is also a great place to snorkel since the water is  crystal clear. Here is a brief video that shows how beautiful Trunk Bay really is:

Aside from Trunk Bay, there is also "Cruz Bay" and "Cinnamon Bay". Cruz Bay is known as the city town on located at the Western point of the island. Even though the city takes up a solid portion of the island - in general it is actually not that large. There is also a dock located the bay which brings visitors to and from the island.

Cinnamon Bay is a great location on the island for camping. It offers the visitors cottages or tent-covered platforms to stay over in. In addition, there is a restaurant called the "Tree Lizard" so that the campers can catch a bite to eat in a cozy atmosphere. There is a store located on site which provides campers with any accessories they may need during their visit.

Overall, it is clear that the Virgin Islands National Park would be an amazing traveling experience. I hope this blog post has provided some key information that would be useful to individuals looking to take a trip there. 

Cruz Bay

South Beach, Miami

South Beach, Miami

South Beach is well recognized for its appealing atmosphere during the day and night. From the unique architecture, long sandy beaches, ethnically diverse cultures and nightlife - it is the place beach lovers want to be when taking a vacation. If South Beach is on your list of places of travel - get ready for some fun.

It is quite obvious that the main distinction between South Beach and other popular beaches is the party that comes alive at night. However, it also has other things to offer vacationers such as families and younger age groups if they are seeking enjoyment through the day as well. Some of these activities include:

•  If the parents decide to bring the children then there is the option of bringing them to the Miami Seaquarium. The Seaquarium is within a close distance to the beach. Visitors will get a chance to watch live sea animal performances, see tropical fish and even dangerous sharks.
• Waterfront restaurants - if you are looking for an enjoyable place to sit, relax and enjoy the view then you might want to visit place called "Wet Willies." Wet Willies offers travelers a chance to experience their delicious food and drinks. More information can found on their website: http://wetwillies.com/
• If you have an interest in art and architecture then be sure to check out the art deco buildings. The unique architecture of these buildings which were designed in the early 20's, were almost demolished in the 1970s by developers. 
•  Get in shape at the beach - not the gym. What's more perfect than getting fit while enjoying the outdoors? The South Beach boot camp offers those who join an intense variety of exercises to endure. There is also Yoga classes than can be joined early in the morning for those who want to start off their day with an enjoyable exercise.  

These activities - among many others - provide vacationers with the chance to site see, enjoy the outdoors, and relax. South Beach is certainly a place worth going to - especially for those who enjoy the warm weather, site seeing and partying. 

South Beach, Miami

Dominican Republic

Cayo Levantado

Similar to Thailand, Dominican Republic has some of the best beaches in the world. There is something unique about the beaches such as the river valleys and the high forested mountains that make it a place worth visiting.

For instance, Cayo Levantado, referred to as "Bacardi Rum Island" in the '70s, is an island located on the east coast of Dominican Republic. The island is divided into two sections: the public beach and the private area which is where the hotel is located.The reason this island is beneficial to visitors is because it has strips of beautiful white sand, crystal clear water and there are trails on the island that can be hiked. There is plenty of nature to enjoy on this island. 

Not to mention, the Dominican Republic has many other positive traits to offer vacationers which includes the people, culture, the adventures and activities. In terms of activities, there are numerous exciting ventures to choose from which include going in speed boats, snorkeling, partying on the mountains, hiking, horseback riding and live entertainment (dancing and men juggling fire sticks). I am sure that the pictures I have seen of men throwing up large sticks with fire on them is nothing compared to witnessing it in real life. I've convinced myself that Dominican Republic is a place worth taking a vacation to. I can only hope I have convinced those who come across the blog too.

Khao Yai National Park in Thailand

Khao Yai National Park

There are plenty of places in Thailand that should not missed out on when traveling there.  Khao Yai National Park is one those places. If you are a fan of the outdoors - then this park is for you. Khao Yai National Park is Thailand's first established park. Not only is the scenery of the park beautiful, but the wildlife is incredible.

Some of the wildlife that is present in the park includes: elephants, tigers, geckos, apes, wild pigs, crocodiles, snakes and porcupines. Those are just a  few of the interesting animals that visitors could potentially come across. If you keep quiet, you just may see one of them.

 Also, it is important to add that the best way for a visitor to make their way to the park is in a vehicle if they are not prepared for a long hike.The most appropriate vehicle for this kind of trip is a jeep. There is one road that is accessible for vehicles throughout the park. 

Elephant in Khao Yai National Park

Thailand

Khao Phing Ka, Thailand

Thailand is a common destination that many people would love to have the opportunity to go to. I haven't heard one person that has travelled there say they wouldn't venture back. When I ask those who have travelled there how it was, the typical response is "amazing" or "I want to live there."  Personally, I want to learn as much as I can about it before I travel get the chance to travel there. A few reasons why it is considered one of the top places to travel is: it's affordable, beautiful beaches, the food is delicious, the city of Bangkok and the overall culture.

Those that do not like staying at a hostel are in luck if they carry a reasonable amount of money for their trip. This is because not only are the hotels nice - but most of them are under $20 for a night. Not bad at all compared to hotels in Canada. The dollar is worth a lot more in Thailand.

 Aside from the fact it is affordable, it has the best beaches in the world. Patong Beach on the island of Phuket, attracts a large night life crowd as there are plenty of shops and restaurants close by. The Full Moon party happens once a month in Thailand and Patong Beach is a great place to be when it happens. Everyone likes to make sure they are as bright as possible that night and dress up with uv paint on their body. Buckets of alcohol are served. Who wouldn't want to travel to Thailand and experience a party like this? More details about Thailand will be provided in my next blog post.

Full Moon Party

Dole Plantation

North Shore

In addition to our snorkeling adventure, one of the places we visited which I found interesting was the "Dole plantation" which is Hawaii's complete Pineapple experience. Ever since I went to Hawaii, I have developed a taste for pineapple. It tastes delicious and it's also healthy for you. The tour guides at the plantation offered our team an educational experience about: the history of the pineapple, the cultivation, the sugar industry, the agriculture and how to grow your own pineapple.

A small train took our team around one of the plantation's gardens where the pineapples were being grown. While on the train, the tour guide provided us with information about "North Shore" which is where Hawaii's quality pineapple is grown. Aside from the pineapple, there is also banana, sweetcorn, mango, coffee and cocoa grown on the North Shore.

When our tour was almost done, our team got to shop around in the Dole plantation store. After learning about how the pineapple is grown - we definitely weren't about to pass up an opportunity on purchasing it. Although I would have liked to purchase more items at the store, I ended up buying just one pineapple to share with the team. 

 Overall, my visit to the Dole Plantation was both educational and fun. The tour guides did an amazing job by providing us with interesting facts and maintaining our full attention. For those who are interested in travelling to Hawaii, this would be a worthwhile spot to gain insight on the life of a pineapple.

Pineapple at Dole Plantation

Snorkelling

Waikiki beach

It was finally time to go snorkelling after a few days of hitting the beach and eating at various restaurants. This was by far one of the best highlights of the trip and despite the fact it was a little rainy the day we went - it was well worth it. The bus drove us approximately an hour away from our hotel to Hanauma Bay. Before we could actually participate in snorkelling, we had to sit through a seminar which taught us: how to snorkel, the areas we should avoid and safety precautions that should be taken in case something should happen. I have always had a fear of sharks but always wanted to snorkeling so I decided it wouldn't hold me back.

Hanauma Bay

The video we watched highlighted the areas that sharks were most likely to be around, and that make me a little nervous. I stuck with a couple of my teammates while snorkeling and it took me a short while to get used to breathing through the snorkel under water. At first I found it difficult to swim around and avoid hitting rocks. However, what we go to experience and view under the water was well worth it. Plenty of colorful fish and amazing scenery. If you ever get the chance to go snorkelling - do not pass up the opportunity!

Hawaii

In grade 11, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to visit Hawaii with my basketball team. My Coach thought it would be a great idea to play in a ten day tournament in Waikiki. To be completely honest, I wasn't excited about the basketball and once I arrived that was the last thing on my mind.

Diamond Head - an old Volcano. 

After a 10 hour flight, we arrived safely in Waikiki and went straight to our hotel which was located in a downtown area. The downtown area was quite commercialized and not something I would expect of Hawaii. However, our Coach promised us we would not be spending our ten days in this area and we would be taking a bus to the beach and other locations everyday. As he promised - the bus took us straight to the beach where some of us realized sunscreen is important.

As we made our way to the beach, shops and restaurants were close by. While walking by some, the employees tried to bargain with me which got kind of annoying. I'll admit I did end up purchasing a lot of jewelry on this trip. To my surprise, I did witness people do the shaka sign, also known as "hang loose." As most are aware of, this is a gesture that represents the culture in Hawaii. After our team witnessed this, we didn't stop doing it the rest of our trip. If you would like to hear more about my trip - keep up with this blog!

Hotel view