Matt & Isabel

Crazy Canucks



Constantly looking for new challenges and worldly experiences.

"The World is a Book, and those who do not Travel read only a Page" - St.Augustine.







Travel Blog Posts


The Algarve

Published: February 17th 2013Europe » Portugal » Algarve » Vilamoura
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Crazy Canucks
December 1st 2012

We spent (5) days in Vilamoura on the back end of my trip to West Africa. Our plans to golf the Algarve were unfortunately short lived as a cold snap througout Europe made for very windy and bone chilling temperatures that weren't favorable for golfing. However, we enjoyed our time and managed to drive to the far ends of both the most Easterly and Westerly regions of the Algarve. Stayed in a nice condo in Vilamoura, the Residences at Tivoli, literally steps away from (5) golf courses. The condo was great, with the expection of the typical nuiances that us North Americans can nevery figure out (i) the washing machine was outside on the balcony and there was no dryer (ii) no internet in the condo - only at reception. These inconveniences coupled with a few ... read more



Playing the Golf Dream

Published: November 28th 2012North America » United States » California » Monterey
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Crazy Canucks
June 30th 2012

We spent (5) days in the Monterey Peninsula playing some of golfs most sout after golf courses. We were able to book both Spyglass and Pebble Beach one day in advance, which allowed us to check the weather the day before. Unwillingly to pay the big bucks to stay at the Pebble Resort we knew there was a risk that we may not get on to the famed course, but it all worked out in the end. We had incredible weather for (4) days we played gold, no fog for any of our rounds the temperature remained in the high 60's and low 70the during the afternoon, which meant wearing clothes we hadn't worn for several years! The courses we played were: Poppy Hills, Pebble Beach, Spyglass and Bayonet. We stayed at the Abrego Hotel in ... read more



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Crazy Canucks
May 14th 2012

Wow Amazing! That is all we can say about Casa de Campo Golf Resort. Even after playing Pebble Beach, we both agreed that the Teeth of the Dog course is one of the best ocean courses we have ever played. The views are stunning and the course is in great shape. We went to Casa de Camp to play in the 2012 Caribbean Golf Classic Tournament and the resort did not disappoint. The all-inclusive rate and unlimited golf was an amazing deal. Isabel played fantastic finishing 2nd overall in the Ladies tournament, and myself, I started strong taking the lead after the first day but falling down the leaderboard at tournament end. The weather was great, food, drink and the cigars were fantastic. This is a must golf destination for any golf enthusiast.... read more



Amazing Masi Mara

Published: September 11th 2011Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP
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Crazy Canucks
September 2nd 2011

Accommodation: Kichwa Tembo Game Viewing: Lions, Elephants, Hippos, Buffalo, Cheetah, Black Rhino, Hyenas, Zebra, Wildebeest (very few) & Birds. Game drives: 6:30/7:00am to 10:30am and then 3:30/4:00pm to 6:30pm (park closes at 6:30pm). However we bucked this trend and went from 7:30am to 2:00/2:30pm. The advantage of doing this was we literally had the entire park to ourselves while the rest had gone back to their various lodges for lunch. There were several occasions where we just hung out with the lions with nobody in sight or no sounds of vehicles, it was truly amazing. Guide: Douglas – very good. From the Seregenti we flew from the Kogatende Airstrip to the Tarime Airstrip which was an amazing flight. It was just the two of us and we followed the Mara River at just 1,000 Ft, allowing ... read more



A Magnificent Crossing!

Published: September 9th 2011Africa » Tanzania » North » Serengeti National Park
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Crazy Canucks
August 30th 2011

Accommodation: Sayari Mara Camp Game Viewing: Wildebeest Migration & a Crossing (words cannot describe this) Game Viewing: Wildebeest, Lions, Elephants, Hippos, Buffalo, Cheetah, Black Rhino, Hyenas, Zebra (very few) & Birds Game Drives: 6:30/7:30am to dark with a packed lunch. One not dare risk going back to the lodge early in case a crossing occurred. Some learnt a hard lesson while we were there! Guide: Julius – very good From the Crater via the Manyara Airstrip we fly to the Kogatende Airstrip, a few minutes drive from the Sayari Mara Camp. As mentioned before the flights on the Cessnas were amazing and provided from some spectacular game viewing from the air. The Sayari Mara Camp was quite different from the Crater Lodge as it was no where near as luxurious as the Crater Lodge but it ... read more



Ngorongoro Crater

Published: September 8th 2011Africa » Tanzania » North » Ngorongoro Conservation Area
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Crazy Canucks
August 27th 2011

Accommodation: Ngorongoro Crater Lodge Game Viewing: Lions, Elephants, Hippos, Buffalo, Cheetah, Zebra, Wildebeest, Hyenas, & Birds Game drives: 6:30am to 2:00pm – normally only one game drive a day as the park closed at 6:00pm. However I did manage two (2) drives in a day to try and maximize the game viewing. Guide: Killian – very good The Ngorongoro Crater is located in Northern Tanzania, once a volcano, is the largest intact caldera in the world. It is an extensive highland area with a 600 metre (1,900 ft) deep Crater which is the focal point that shelters one of the most beautiful wildlife havens on earth. The views are spectacular and because the animals (except wildebeest & zebra) are not migratory, it is arguable one of the world’s natural wonders. From Zanzibar we flew to Aru ... read more



Zanzibar

Published: September 6th 2011Africa » Tanzania » Zanzibar
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Crazy Canucks
August 24th 2011

Accommodation: Diamonds Dream of Zanzibar Flew from Cayman via London then via Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar. It was a good place to chill out for a day or two to get our bodies on African time. The island is predominantly muslim as its history was influenced by the Arabs and Indians. Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of the United Republic of Tanzania, in East Africa which comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25–50 kilometres off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones Unguja (the main island, informally referred to as Zanzibar), and Pemba. Zanzibar's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism. In particular, the islands produce cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper. For this reason, the islands, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, are sometimes called the ... read more



Five Decades of Failure

Published: December 22nd 2009Central America Caribbean » Cuba » Oeste » La Habana
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Crazy Canucks
December 20th 2009

It was a short trip, no thanks to Cayman Airlines changing our flight from Thursday to Friday making our already tight timeline even tighter. After sitting on the tarmac for 50mins waiting for the Cuban-Americans to transfer from their Miami - Cayman connection to our Cayman - Havana flight (the “Swamp Loophole”) the fun was just beginning. Capturing what Havana is in a sentence will always be incredibly difficult without experiencing it yourself, even then, Havana is so much too so many. Where else do you find vintage American cars, ration shops, crumbling colonial buildings, great artwork and Che Guevara murals. 50 years of Socialism ("Five decades of Failure"), the fall of Soviet Communism and the decision by Uncle Sam to impose an embargo barring Americans from trading with, investing in, or traveling to Cuba has ... read more



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Crazy Canucks
November 23rd 2009

There is something about the West Coast that distinguishes it from the East Coast - whether it is the ease of which one can eat sushi, pho, thai and fish tacos or the laidback lifestyle, the two coasts are worlds apart. The West Coast is such a beautiful place especially SoCal with its beaches and sunny weather (let’s not mention the traffic issues). The mere fact that English is still the predominant language of choice in this part of the US is also a huge plus - this fact alone is going to make our next trip to Miami very difficult to look forward to! Heading out West, we had no plans other than to chill out and perhaps play some golf. We stayed (2) nights in Santa Monica and (6) nights in San Diego (Shelter ... read more



Grip It & Rip It

Published: June 15th 2009North America » United States » Arizona » Scottsdale
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Crazy Canucks
May 24th 2009

Scottsdale: Having done a few golf trips to Myrtle Beach, we decided to change things up a bit and head West. We thoroughly enjoyed what Scottsdale had to offer, great golf, good food, awesome dry warm weather and a young vibrant university crowd. Why people choose to retire in humid, muggy and wet Florida over warm and dry Arizona we will never begin to understand. What a great place, (9) inches of annual rainfall, hundreds of golf courses, no mosquitoes, no hurricanes and no lawns to mow what else would one want. We enjoyed the food in Scottsdale, in particular Satori Sushi - we frequented it often and it certainly did not hurt that from Saturday through Monday it was 2:1 sushi and they even provided us with our own tv in the back room to ... read more






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