Robyn's Wanderings

“To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth lie undiscovered before me.” – Isaac Newton

Red Beach on the Greek island of Santorini is worth a visit.

It’s Monday morning and for those who might be sitting at their desks or trying to stay warm against the snow that sit outside, Nicola Arnold is here to make you jealous.

Our Bermudian wanderer is missing home, so this week she takes us around the world to visit beaches! So warm yourself with these images and plan your next holiday:

Has it really taken me almost a year of blogging to write about beaches? I come from Bermuda, for goodness sake, home of the pink sand and turquoise waters. You can illegally snatch some sand in a bottle if you visit a Bermuda beach (or inadvertently take some home in your shoes, swimsuit, suitcase… it gets eeeverywhere!).

What better time to think about beaches than when the weather in Canada takes a drastic turn towards the 0°C (32°F) mark? [Sorry, Bermudian/American friends, as I have converted to Celcius-ism given my years of living in Canada and Europe... there's no going back now!] I was actually happy there will be a high of 12°C on Sunday… until I saw that the current temperatures in Bermuda are around 22°C.

So, beaches. Let’s think warm, breezy thoughts…

In Croatia, reserve your spot on the pebbly beach early.

I’m lucky – I grew up on a 21sq. mile island, surrounded by ocean. It’s not a big mystery as to why we often had visitors in the summer months! I know that proximity to an ocean beach is not the norm. So when we don’t live in the tropics with a beach down the road, and we’re not sitting in a hammock under the palm trees, where do we go?

In Toronto we have The Beaches, bordering Lake Ontario. The islands and coastline in southern Croatia, known as the Dalmatian Coast, lead out to the Adriatic Sea (across from the boot of Italy). You could also find a beach in an enclosed area, like a bay or a harbour. What about when you make a special trip to Scotland to see the Scottish Highlands and the Loch Ness Monster? You may find yourself on a beach on a loch – whether you brave a quick dip or not!

Walks along a beach at Loch Lomond, Scotland - breezy but not warm.

Do beaches automatically bring up images of the Caribbean, Hawaii or Fiji in your mind? Perhaps you start dreaming of that trip you once did along the Great Ocean Road in southeastern Australia? Somewhere warm, tropical and sunny, right? For the most part, we think of bright summer days, cooling off at the beach. Summer holidays, a weekend vacation to the coast, or a much-needed winter getaway. Would you ever think about the beaches along the South African coastline? Probably not… but South Africa offers more than safaris and game reserves!

Welcome to the beach in Durban, South Africa.

And let’s not forget types of beaches. I grew up with sandy beaches, and even with sand there is variety – pink, white, grainy, fine…etc. On beaches elsewhere, the sand is red, white, black, grey, or some other rainbow mix. Further still, some beaches have no sand at all. Think pebbles, rocks, or stone stabs.

Winter vs. summer beach visit - boots just do not cut it!

Story time! Once upon a time…

Okay, okay: In 2005, I met a fellow foreigner while studying abroad at high school in France. We were in the same exchange program, and we became good friends. I was excited that she was a Canadian, from Ontario, as I was headed to university in Ontario in the fall of 2005. During our spring break, we joined 45 other exchange students on a bus trip through Spain, France, Italy and Austria. In the south of France, she and I dipped our feet in the ocean as it was a sunny day in the French Riviera. I joked that I had been landlocked in northern France for 7 months (my longest time away from Bermuda at that point), and she vowed to come and visit me in my sub-tropical island of paradise.

Cheers! From France to Bermuda, we are beach buddies... where next?!

Fast forward 3 years: In May 2008, my friend and I reconnect at the airport in Toronto to fly to Bermuda… she was my first friend from Canada to visit!! My family and I made sure to show her the best of Bermuda summers – the rum cake company (free samples!), the ducking stool (she was chosen as a victim to be dunked), taste testing rum swizzles at Friday happy hour, cross-island ferry rides, swimming in the crystal caves, and, of course, THE BEACH.

**While putting this post together, I realized that there was too much to cover all at once… Bermuda will be Part II of the beach blog**

You can have your wedding cake and eat it too… or wear it!

I couldn’t think of a more appropriate topic for today’s blog post: destination weddings. Why? Well that’s because one of my longest-serving and best friends will be getting married this Friday!

Our wanderer Nicola must have read my mind as she travels through the different destinations and their wedding traditions this week. What do they do in India? Who wears kilts? Tell us Nicola!

Weekends in the summer are wedding primetime.

In July, I attended a wedding where one of the girls at my table said she has been to 8 weddings this summer. And yesterday?  Well my hairdresser said she was attending a wedding this weekend.

Of course, people flock to Bermuda in the summer for weddings – overseas family, destination weddings or honeymoons. As summer in Canada is  “limited edition” (short & sweet), you have to act fast or else more than just the cake will be frosted… unless you want your special day to be extra “white”!

If you get hitched in Scotland, you may need white Wellington boots and umbrellas on your wedding day.

In the southern hemisphere, December/January is wedding season – summertime and Christmas holidays. My South African cousins were both married in December, but sadly the dates fell around my undergraduate exams… twice!

In fact, as a testament to how spread-out my family is, my other cousins live in Australia and 2 out of 3 are now married. While they held their weddings in April/May (autumn time), my exams and commitments STILL kept me from celebrating with them. At this rate, I shall miss my own wedding…

My cousin’s wedding in Sydney, Australia, with the cake baker none other than his younger sister!

And in India? On the first night of our 4-week stay with an Indian host family, my roommate and I were bombarded with our host parents’ wedding albums… all four! Their photos were spectacular, capturing the colours, the traditions and joyful celebrations that were a part of their wedding ceremony – although our lack of Hindi/English communication left an air of mystery as well.

We later learned that the married women in our village wore a red powder along their hair parting. This is Sindoor, a mixture of dried turmeric and lime, which indicates that they are married. Widows will no longer wear the Sindoor, but they may still wear bindis. A bindi, the traditional dot on a woman’s forehead, is worn by married women in India, but may also be worn by unmarried girls and children. The specific meaning of why someone sports a bindi depends on the occasion, the colour and the shape.

One of the women in our village in Northern India, wearing the Sindoor and bindi.

The two weddings I have attended in my university town were for friends that I met while studying, but in both instances we met on exchange in France – one during a semester in Paris, and the other over a year abroad in the French Alps. French is the language of love, after all, and the romantic charm of both the City of Lights and the quaint Alpine towns is incontrovertible. [That is, at least, because neither couple has had the chance to visit Greece… yet!]

An appropriate champagne flute for a bride who studied in Paris, and a couple that got engaged during a visit to the Château de Versailles.

Everyone does their wedding in a unique way, and if there is Scottish lineage in your family, you may find yourself surrounding by kilt-clad men. Who take great pride and joy in swishing their pleats and posing for photos. Chances are that if you are brave enough to sport a kilt… you won’t mind basking in the glory!

So to wrap up wedding weekend, here’s a glimpse of the cheeky side of weddings – no pun intended!

Hmm… what a great segue for next weekend’s topic, the kilt [Hint – that is my father on the far left all kilted up… this was neither his first nor last kilt trip!].

Green Beer will be everywhere!

Tomorrow in Enterprise, Alabama one person of Irish decent will march from the town’s court house to the Boll Weevil museum (don’t ask) and back carrying a pot of gold and reciting limericks.

No, this is not some new form of torture.

Nope, I promise. Apparently in 1993, the people of Enterprise (with Irish heritage, anyway) actually chose to start this.

What’s this? It’s only the smallest, annual St. Patrick’s Day parade – one person of Irish heritage in the town actually compete to be part (the only part) of it.

At least their parade only lasts about 10 minutes! Want to see some pics? Visit here.

Ahhhh St. Patrick’s Day.

Which brings me to Rock Fever this week: where and what is St. Patrick’s Day and why do people celebrate it around the world?

Well let’s start with Ireland. For those who live in Ireland tomorrow is a National Holiday celebrated with everything from parades to people piled high in the pub.

But they’re not alone (that does not include those calling-in sick! That is NOT a National Holiday). Ireland is joined by Montserrat. Yep, outside of Ireland this Caribbean island is the only other place to call St. Patrick’s Day a National Holiday and celebrates with a week of festivities that include a Freedom hike, a kite festival, and church services.

Yes, church services. While many believe St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration for green beer, the day did actually have a saintly birth. Yes, the day recognizes St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, who converted Irish pagans to christianity in the 5th Century a.d.

St. Patrick

Patrick, however, was originally from Britain (his parents, Calpurnius and Conchessa, were Roman citizens living in either Scotland or Wales, depending on his stories). When he was about 16 he was captured by Irish raiders and was imprisoned in Ireland for six years. After six years he claimed to have heard the voice of God telling him to leave Ireland. He escaped, marched 200 miles, jumped on a boat, returned to Britain, entered the Church, trained and returned to Ireland.

To help convert the Irish to Christianity, legend has it that St. Patrick used the native shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity and incorporated other Irish symbols such as the bonfire (the Irish had used these to honour their gods) and the Sun. To celebrate his accomplishments, St. Patrick’s Day was born on the day of his death, March 17th.

While it may have started with religious connotation and still has some, it has also evolved into a general celebration of everything green, shamrock and gold. Oh, yeah and Irish too. And while Alabama might have the smallest St. Patrick’s Day parade to recognize this saint, New York is home to the largest! Of course! Who knows how to celebrate a person or an event like New Yorkers? No one.

The first parade in New York was on March 17th, 1762, 14 years before the Declaration of Independence. It now starts on 44th street and marches up 5th Avenue, past St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 50th Street and the finishes at the Metropolitan Museum at 83rd Street. The celebrations in Boston (one of the “most Irish cities” according to them) are no slouch either with a parade in South Boston (among other events) on Sunday!

Canadians are also not far behind in their celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. No, indeed in Montreal, they started in 1759 with celebratory dinners (far more civilized) and meandered up to an annual parade on March 17th, 1824.

Of course on the other side of Canada, Vancouver will be hosting an entire fest to overlap St. Patrick’s Day this year! Yes, from March 16 to the 20, this city will be the focus of some 60 plus concerts, festivals and workshops based on the Celtic culture. The St. Patrick’s parade, though? Well that won’t be until Sunday! So you’ve got time to jump from Montreal to Vancouver if the Irish spirit grips you!

That still won’t be enough time to get you to Australia, however. In Sydney St. Patrick’s day has been celebrated since March 17, 1810 when the then governor, Lachlan Macquarie, declared the official day of celebration for the Irish and those of Irish heritage. Now, more than 200 years since it started, the city is host to the second largest parade in the world (after New York’s of course).

In Brisbane, however, I’m afraid we’ve already missed their parade which is held on the Saturday BEFORE St. Patrick’s Day (go figure). Instead tomorrow will be celebrated with all-day music and “hearty” irish food at the Celtic Koala Club. Sounds like a plan to me.

So where else is St. Patrick’s Day celebrated? I mean besides every Irish pub around the world? How about Dubai!

Yes, in Dubai there is actually an Irish Village (I mean why wouldn’t there be, really?) and starting from tomorrow the Village will host two days of celebration with food and drink. Who knew? Well maybe the people who were invited to the Dubai Irish Society Ball. Yep. One Irish village is not enough for Dubai….there are two and tomorrow (Friday) there will be Ball at the Dubai Marina.

Unfortunately, other celebrations that usually attract Irish politicians will be muted and may not exist this year thanks to economic woes and concerns over political protests. While 22 Irish representatives traveled around the world last year for fancy Balls hosted in everywhere from Russia to China, only nine will this year, according to Global Post. And parades that normally took place in these two countries will also be muted or cancelled (no marching in Shanghai this year) to ensure they do not become a chance to fight the government.

One Irish Government official, however, will definitely be traveling: the Irish Taoiseach (prime minister). He will be heading to the White House in Washington, D.C. where he will be received in an annual lunch hosted by the speaker of the U.S. House and is attended by the president and senior members of the House and Senate. In fact, the Irish Taoiseach is the only head of Government given an automatic access to the White House on one day of the year – May 17. Maybe they can talk about Ireland’s economy over some green beer?

Which brings us to next week’s column and what could be worse than an economy already struggling? One that has been wiped-out by earthquakes and tsunami waves. Poor Japan has suffered and yet visiting might not be the right move. What’s the best way to help? Find out next week.

Until then, Slán go fóill.

If you could travel anywhere... where would you go?

Welcome one, welcome all! It’s Sunday and time for this week’s addition from Robyn’s Wanderings’ Canadian correspondent.

Bermudian Nicola Arnold could be letting the cold get her down, but this intrepid islander decided to take her musings from the cold to the internet and dream of somewhere warm. Or somewhere to travel? Or someone with a warm accent…..well basically she decided to find out where you like to travel.

So where do she want to go? Let’s hear from Nicola:

Here in Ontario, the snow is melting a bit. We are getting a teaser of springtime, as snow is being replaced by slush and rain (although snow flurries are far from over). The temperatures have crept up from freezing at 0°C to a pleasant +10°C. Yes, I know that in Bermuda that would be one of the coldest days, but around here… you take what you can get!

You know how on grey, drippy days you sometimes just want to hibernate from the outside elements? Stay in, make a hot drink and enjoy a weekend afternoon at home? Well that is how my Friday ended up – escaping the puddles & choosing instead to indulge in some movie-watching. Ahhh… popcorn on one side, hot chocolate on the other…

As I enjoyed a bit of post-Oscar movie watching (The King’s Speech), I thought of an idea for this weekend’s blog. Speech… difficulties understanding someone… British and Australian accents – slowly but surely, an idea was forming.

I remembered that I had thrown out three travel-related questions to friends over the past few weeks (Thanks, Facebook). One of my questions was accent-related, and everyone seemed to have a different point of view. Who is to say the French accent is more exotic than the Australian accent? What spurs your thoughts on landscapes or places you want to travel to?

Here are my Top Three Travel Questions & Answers from February:

1) What’s your favourite foreign accent?

- French, without a doubt

- New Zealand

- South African!

- Some accents of “English” such as Scottish + Irish … some “foreign” accents Spanish, Italian, and Russian!

- Australian is by far the best!

- Italian, cara! They come with charm, charisma and of course Cerruti! No contest!

- Chinese and Indian no doubt

- Irish by far

- Australian for me, or Russian

- English- Bronx, NYC preferably

So… it seems that Australian and Italian are pretty popular. What would you choose?!

A lazy day on the beach in Bermuda?

2) Which would you choose: mountains or beach?

- Beach!!

- Today? Beach. Next week? Mountains.

- Mountains… you are from Bermuda, you always have the beach

- Mountains for sure!

Hmm… seems to be six of one and half a dozen of the other! Could you pick one over the other?

Hiking in the foothills of the Himalayas in India?

3) Fill in the blank: “The country I most dream of visiting is ______”.

- Russia

- Tough one! First time visit or re-visit? Australia comes to mind!

- Open an atlas and point to any random page. Chances are I want to go there.

- Somewhere in South America (probably Peru) or Borneo would be pretty cool.

- I would love to travel to the Maldives! My dad goes there every year and says the beaches are to die for!

- The Emerald Isle

- I’m going to go with the atlas answer!

- Bermuda of course! Or I would say Italy.

There are so many travel-worthy places… but what would be the country you most want to visit?

Fireworks over the Charles' Bridge in Prague!

Kielbasa? Check. Champagne? Check? A bridge that was not destroyed in WWII? Check. Thousands of people from Italy, France, China, and the USA? Check? Fireworks? At midnight.

I was knee-deep in freezing temperatures, but that’s ok. I could work with the frost. It was nothing a couple of glasses of gluwein and a lot of jumping, couldn’t fix.

As I found myself at the beginning of my trip around the world celebrating in Prague the welcoming of 2009, I realized I was glad I chose this spot. With the Christmas Market still doling out the famous sausage dish (kielbasa) and hot wine, coupled with the thousands of tourists in the Czech Capital there was a sense of unity among nations.

Well, unity until we all tried to head for the Charles’ Bridge. This structure survived WWII and just about survives the onslaught of tourists and Czech’s alike every New Years; it’s the best place to watch the fireworks. On the way everyone jumps into the shops on the corner to grab their champagne, absinthe, or the Czech liquor, Fernet.

Then the count-down begins. Five, Cinque, Cinq….Four, Quatro, Quatre…..three, tre, tre, Two, duo, due….One, uno, une!

But not everyone enjoys their New Years on a bridge. Of course I have never been in New York for New Year’s Eve but, as everyone knows, they drop a ball…in Times’ Square of course!

Sure the New Yorkers drop a ball, but that’s nothing compared to our onion in St. George’s, right?

Neither of those, I’m afraid, touch on the interesting New Years tradition in Peru, however. In this South American country, they dress-up a doll (yes I know machismo is gone for a night) in old clothes and then burn it.

Talk about cleaning your closet! To ensure there are replacements, markets spring-up catering to everything you need. New clothes not an option? Then at least new underwear is!

But, of course, yellow underwear is the only colour you want if you need happiness and luck (good thing that’s my favourite colour!) or red if you want love or green for, of course, money.

Red, green and….white? Well those colours will have you wishing: “Buon Capodanno!” That’s what I heard in Florence as I celebrated a New Year before starting my semester of studying in these Renaissance-lined streets. Of course the greeting came with the crescendo of bottles crashing onto these streets (perhaps a hangover from the Southern tradition of throwing your old things out of the window showing that you were ready for the new).

We didn’t dodge the bottles until after a massive fiesta! La Festa di San Silvestro to be exact. For my experience it was based on sea food and fish.

Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy!

Perhaps that was because I was up North and the Italians I was celebrating with were from the coast (sailors actually). In other parts of Italy the feast is based on lentils and pork! Of course once you indulge in these feasts only the Italians know how to work it off. That requires cracking a spumante or prosecco and finding a club to dance and then waiting for the new born sun.

A ray of light is exactly what you might think you see if you celebrate the new year in India. Parties have themes – colour codes or unique dress codes – filled with food and even the lighting of bonfires and the burning of crackers. Of course if you visit the tourist and hippie mecca of Goa (a province on India’s West coast) then raves are all the…rave!

Heading back for Silvester, or the feast of St. Silverster is the name of New Year’s Eve in Germany. Who was Silvester? Well, he was a pope who lived in the fourth century and apparently healed leprosy and baptized the Roman Emporer, Constantine the Great among other things. Fair enough. I guess he should get a celebration. In Berlin, however, the world-famous bash Brandenburger Tor is held and at midnight everyone wishes everyone else “Gutes Nue Jahr”. The next day, there is, of course, the need to know what is coming in the next year so the Germans enjoy Bleigiessen. A tradition, it requires dropping molten lead into cold water. Shaped like a heart or a ring? A wedding is in your future.

While we, in the West, might be celebrating New Years’ Eve in a couple of days, in Cambodia New Year or Chaul Chnam Thmey is not until April 13th or 14th and it is celebrated for three days! Yes, three days. That’s because it represents the end of the harvesting season. Makes sense, no? To celebrate means visiting temples to get blessing from monks and priests while building a sand hill on the temple grounds and decorating it with five religious flags – it represents the Buddha’s five disciples. Each of the three days also have their own significance.

Harvesting is what it’s all about in Korea, China and Vietnam! Only their’s is celebrated at sunset on the day of the second new moon after the winter solstice (that was on December, 21 this year). It’s a three-day celebration too! Heck they know how to party out there. Almost all Koreans, apparently, head back to their hometowns to celebrate. On the eve, or Sut dal kum mum, people clean their homes and light them with colourful halogens. You think our New Years Eve is long? The Koreans don’t sleep! The belief is everyone needs to stay-up to see the new year coming in or….else.

The next day it’s all about eating and spending time with family even including the ancestors. Known as Chesa, a clean room, a table altar is places with food items and on a special paper their names are written. On a special paper called Chi Bang, the names of the ancestors are written. With the rituals done, it’s time to have fun with games and hanging-out.

The only tradition for their friends south, Australia, is a party of course! Beaches, pubs and clubs are all filled with crazy cappers and as soon as church bells ring at midnight loud noises also ring-out! Recovering from this fun, the New Year Day is a public holiday and people spend it with their family and friends. To get an idea of how much fun it is more than 3,00,000 tourists celebrate their New Year in Australia. I suppose that’s a party.

The Matterhorn can provide the background for New Year's Eve!

Of course the best I’ve seen/experienced was in Zermatt, Switzerland! I had the luck of having a friend with a house there. But that’s not where we stayed….well for New Year’s Eve anyway. Instead the party was taken to a five-story restaurant/bar/club in the middle of this traffic-free, mountain ensconced town. The Swiss know how to party.

Of course the next day the party the night before was nothing a little skiing with the backdrop of the Matterhorn mountain couldn’t take care of. Let’s hope I have the same luck this year in Vermont! So wherever you are and whatever you are doing this year, enjoy it! And come back next week for my next Rock Fever column for The Royal Gazette on traveling by book! (those following the blog will have seen it before:)

Nicola Arnold with her host sister Yogita

Yes. Robyn’s Wanderings is growing by one! Nicola Arnold has now been roped into writing every week about her adventures and basically anything travel related!

So you’re sick of me?! Cool. Meet Bermudian and enthusiastic traveler Nicola who will be sharing with you every Saturday. Here’s her first post:

Season’s Greetings! This is Nicola Arnold and it has been 65 days since my last travel adventure… that is, if you don’t count excursions to the local beaches and parks as being an adventure-worthy.

Living in Bermuda has its perks – as a recent graduate from the University of Guelph, Ontario, I have thoroughly enjoyed returning to Bermuda to spend my summer playing beach volleyball, walking past Johnny Barnes at Crow Lane Roundabout as he declares his love for me, and even pretending to be a tourist in Dockyard in order to sample some of the delicious rum cakes over at the Rum Cake Factory!

So who is Nicola?

My story so far is a ‘mixture’ of my family background intertwined with my travel experiences. Therefore it seems like a good idea to share these ‘ingredients’ of my life with you:

¼ cup Croatian grandparents

¼ cup British grandparents

½ cup parents from Zimbabwe

2 T. cousins in South Africa

3 T. cousins in Australia

1 pkg. of Rotary exchange in France

Whisk in some studies in Canada

4 T. summer student in Bermuda

5 oz. semester abroad in Paris

9 oz. study abroad in the French Alps

1 tsp. volunteer trip in India

Dash of travels in Japan, Greece, USA

These ingredients have led me to my path of study, encouraging my development in international education and will be the basis of my career… (yes dad, a JOB!!):

From high school at Mt. St. Agnes Academy in Bermuda to university in Canada, my ever-growing love for

France ultimately pointed me in the direction of completing a B.A. in European Studies, complete with a

Nicola in the Thar Desert in Rajasthan for our overnight camel safari... a thrilling adventure for sure

“highly recommended” study abroad for a year in the foreign language being studied (le français, bien sur).

At university, I became a Peer Helper at the Center for International Programs (CIP), so I had the joy of informing and preparing other students for studying, working & volunteering abroad.

Needless to say, I’ve been able to hone my packing skills for last-minute weekend trips, backpacking in the Indian desert on a camel safari – and learnt to be ready at a moment’s notice to dash for trains in the process.

What’s the plan now?! As I’m enjoying the mild Bermuda weather, I’m actively searching for jobs in Canada in the international education field – working with international and/or exchange students. It has been great networking with contacts both in Bermuda and Canada, while keeping my skills sharp through volunteering and getting involved in different organizations and events.

And surprise, surprise… my family and I will be travelling over the Christmas holidays to visit family and wander around Europe a bit. So far, our plans include stops in London, Rome, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Amsterdam and Paris – all in the space in 3 weeks. Sound interesting? Stay tuned for more!

Winter’s coming. The birds are fleeing so why don’t you? Even better? Friday’s almost here! Why not give yourself something more to look forward to? What? Well why not a beautiful trip outback? Or why not head South? Save yourself like your feathered friends.

How?

Good glad you asked. CTravel has got the perfect one for you with Epic Private Journeys group. This includes a nine nights to try-out a safari in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park outside of Sydney, Aboriginal art and to top it off? Wine in the Barossa and Clare Valley wine regions. But don’t forget you will also be able to visit Kangaroo Island!

For approximately $10,598 per person these nine nights of Australia adventure will also include:

•  Nine nights’ accommodation
•  Private tour of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, including
gourmet lunch
•  Private city tour of Adelaide including Aboriginal collection at
South Australia museum
•  Private tour of Barossa and Clare Valley wine region

Or do you have eight friends you want to take to Australia? Or family? Well why not find an adventure on the infamous reef?

Well why not take them for five nights to paddle through the crystal waters of the Whitsunday Islands in your own PRIVATE YACHT!?

Yes. That sounds good to me. Sign me up. From Hamilton Island, Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef this trip will also include:

•  Five nights’ accommodation aboard fully skippered and serviced
motor yacht
•  Fully customizable activities including kayaking, jet-skiing, snorkeling,
diving and hiking

How much will it cost? Well that is approx. US$3,024 per person for all of this? Yes for all of this.

The Blue Train

Want to head South next year, but maybe not outback? What about South Africa? What about experiencing it on a luxurious train?

Well perfect. CTravel also has the adventure for you. It comes in the form of the Blue Train.

There are two departures in September and December 2011 are available, and these can be combined with a two-night stay at Ivory Tree Game Lodge in Pilanesburg.

The package includes a round-trip Blue Train journey from Pretoria to Sun City, transfers to the lodge, 2 nights at Ivory Tree including 2 game drives per day and meals, plus a R400 spa voucher.

The total? Rates start at only $1,614 per person!

What are you waiting for? Contact CTravel today for more information and to book your trip south.

September Sun!

It’s September in Bermuda and yet the temperatures don’t seem to be dropping. I’m a runner and I’m just waiting to be able to exercise without melting. What could make exercise more enjoyable? How about a cash incentive.

What am I talking about? The New Zealanders have it right with the Orewa Dash for Cash event on January 15th on the Orewa Beach near Auckland. So it costs $10 to enter the event, but EVERY participant is given a cash, voucher or spot prize for just entering!

And don’t forget in January it will be summer in New Zealand so if you’re going to run why not make sure it’s worth it? But who from Bermuda is going to travel to New Zealand for a run? Well…probably no one.

Which is why I say pair it up with a fantastic trip with Tauck tours.

Run for your cash on January 15th, enjoy Auckland and then on January 21st join Tauck Tours for your private charter around both the North and South Islands of New Zealand starting from $2,595 for a nine-day immersion.

What does this include? Make cultural connections, from ancient Maori dance traditions in Rotorua to country life at a working farm; explore your adventurous side on a jet boat cruise; pamper your palate on a green-lipped mussel wine cruise in Marlborough Sounds and at a wine tasting and lunch at Mudbrick Vineyard on Waiheke Island; and view some of the world’s most beautiful natural wonders during a luncheon cruise on Milford Sound and a visit to Walter Peak Country Farm.

Sounds good to me and if it sounds good to you check-in with Carl Paiva, the CEO of CTravel for the deals. The tours start in January and run all year-long!

Fancy visiting New Zealand’s large neighbour? Why not combine a visit to Australia with a chance to see world-class tennis? The Australian Open runs from January 17th until January 30. Or make sure you’re in Australia for their day and enjoy a Jazz & Blues Festival in Melbourne on January 23rd.

It’s the time to head down there because, again, it’s summer and finally Tauck Tours is also offering a private charter. What better way to see this massive island? The 12-day adventure in the begins with two nights in Melbourne at the top hotel in this beautiful city.

Guided sightseeing offers you an insider’s perspective on life here, from visits to landmark sights to dinner aboard a traveling tramcar. Then it’s off to two nights at Ayers Rock with a sunset toast at mystical Uluru and a three-night stay at Peppers Beach Club in Port Douglas with a catamaran cruise to the Great Barrier Reef. Your last four nights will be spent in Sydney where breakfast with the koalas, a private Sydney Harbour luncheon cruise and champagne with the kangaroos of the Blue Mountains ensure an authentic taste of life Down Under!

What about an authentic taste of the Italian culture? What about pretending you’re in the Sopranos? Zegrahm and Eco Expeditions have just the thing for you! This is no ordinary tour. It has taken Z&E years to put this together and now they have an incredible circumnavigation event around Sicily. It’s only one time a year – April 4 – so it will book-up quickly.

Send yourself around Sicily

What does this include? From Malta, you embark on a luxury small ship cruise around the island of Sicily, famed for its archaeological legacy and culinary traditions. The itinerary visits Phoenician settlements near Marsala, and the Greek temples of Agrigento and Selinunte.

Then you tour the Roman theaters and villas of Taormina and Lipari, and discover the ornate architecture of Norman-Arab castles and cathedrals in Cefalu, Palermo, and Monreale.

Of course there are also  wine and olive oil tastings, visits to outdoor markets, and gourmet meals at local restaurants along the way.

So what are you waiting for? Oh Carl Paiva’s number? Well check out CTravel’s website and enjoy the savings they can give you for these incredible vacations!