http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Ricki/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Ricki en-us Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:13:36 +0000 Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:13:36 +0000 In the valley below Fort Charlotte there is a traditional cricket field. Last night the full moon illuminated the cricket field and lured Rache and I to the Cricket Club. I felt like we learned about one of the best kept secrets in Nassau. Walk past the gentlemen playing dominoes and go up the creaky staircase to the open air patio upstairs. It was almost magical. The food was rich and succu http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Bahamas/Nassau/Paradise-Island/Atlantis-Resort/blog-434416.html Who dares to start their morning with a bit of dolphin training and end their day with a dive in a SUB down to 20 feet over gorgeous reefs We DOWe started the morning off with a dolphin encounter. Rachelle had her very first experience with dolphin training. After getting her wetsuit and a training orientation Rache headed into the water to meet... Noah It was love just hearing the dolphi http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Bahamas/Nassau/Paradise-Island/Atlantis-Resort/blog-434140.html Summer is almost over but before I let my suitcases rest I headed off to meet my sister Rachelle in Nassau. Since this is her first time appearing in my travel blog I put the pressure on and asked her write today's blog. Without futher ado here's her update on today's adventure... Traveling back to the lost continent was an experience in food water and fun Arriving late last night we we http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Bahamas/Nassau/Paradise-Island/Atlantis-Resort/blog-433962.html Crete is over 60 mountains and there are more than 3000 recorded caves on the island. With that in mind we thought it would be fairly easy to find these caves and explore them. We thought wrong but we were determined so we spent the past two days looking for the perfect cave. We pushed our little rolling box to the limits encouraging it to go up steep inclines to that gap over there in the http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Crete/blog-429689.html Today was our day to visit the northeastern end of Crete situated around the main city in the region Sitia sihteeah. The Rolling Box again encountered rugged mountain terrain and while we were a little bit green from the hairpin turns we made it in short order. Sitia is a busy oceanside city that caters to tourists farmers from the surrounding countryside industrial entrepeneurs vacati http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Crete/blog-429280.html Today's blog actually starts last night with an evening briefing with our hotel owner here in Crete Vassilis. He is a wizened old Greek man who manages the hotel during season and spends the offseason in Ft. Lauderdale so his English is very good. He spread out a map of the island and gave Rickelle and I a twenty minute lecture about the various places we could reach for day trips including http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Crete/Knossos/blog-428714.html We arrived in Crete yesterday afternoon. Our island hopping jet landed right on the shore by Heraklion. It was difficult trying to decide if we should go to the terminal or straight to the shore but logic prevailed and we went to the tiny airport terminal which reminded me a lot of Georgetown. After getting our rental car and a new map with more squiggly unnamed lines we headed off to find th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Crete/blog-428320.html Ask thy question mortal and behold..... THE PROPHECY OF THE ORACLEcue hissing vapors lightning crashes and strong breezeToday Rickelle and I left Athens in our zippy Subaru in the early morning. Our destination was the city of Delphi along the southern edge of the Greek mainland. We traveled along the Greek autobohn E75 the only things of note being 1 it has one lane with a speed http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Central-Greece/Delphi/blog-427973.html After picking up our rental car this morning a compact little red car that resembles a strawberry we headed off to find the Cape of Sounion. Winding roads along the coast of the Saronic Gulf lead you to the cliffs where the Temple of Poseidon overlooks the Aegean Sea. It was quiet except for the sound of the waves crashing on the shore below us. I have been many beautiful places in my life but http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Attica/Cape-Sounion/blog-427740.html Early this morning we boarded the Flying Dolphin to the island of Aegina. The Flying Dolphin is a hydroplaning hovercraft that essentially zips zips is a technical term above the water at a much faster speed than a regular ferry. If Jimmy were writing this blog you'd get fascinating details about how compressed air is released to propel the craft above the water. But since I'm writing this b http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/blog-427361.html Rickelle is napping so you're stuck with James today Sunday in AthensThis morning we rolled out of our hotel for another busy day in the historical areas around the Acropolis. As we exited the Metro in the Thissio district we were greeted by two aural overtones to the natural hum of the city. The tolling of bells from numerous churches slowly gave way to the steady shurrruping of the cicadas a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Attica/Athens/blog-426757.html We had read that to really experience the awe of the Acropolis and the Parthenon you should arrive before 9 am when the hordes of tourists would take over the ruins and the mystery would be lost as just one more tourist attraction. Not one to miss a magical moment I dragged Jimmy out of our hotel and onto the subway so that we would be able to indulge in the ancient aura before the crowds arriv http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Attica/Athens/blog-426434.html Our day has lasted about 36 hours. After lunch in New York City breakfast in London and dinner in Athens Jimmy finally feels like a world traveler. In New York we locked up our luggage at the airport and spent a few hours roaming around Manhattan. We went to the Titanic exhibition just off of 44th between 7th 8th Avenues. It was bittersweet. Upon entering the museum you are given boar http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Greece/Attica/Athens/blog-426252.html We spent the day in San Jose exploring the nooks and side streets of the city. From the ever popular museum of gold to the ecclectic museum of light we meandered our way through the treasures of Costa Rica. We learned that art museums in Costa Rica have braile descriptions of the paintings. We're still pondering that one. Especially the art canvas entitled Red which was literraly a canvas co http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/San-Jose/San-Jose/blog-384262.html Our two hour bus ride took us away from the city of San Jose and into Braulio Carrillo National Preserve. Our guide Victor shared local lore and random facts about the rain forest to keep us engaged during the scenic drive through Braulio Carrillo. The bus ride had its moments like driving through the base of the volcano and watching the clouds embrace the mountains like something from a misty http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/San-Jose/Braulio-Carrillo/blog-383834.html We began our journey into the mountains of Costa Rica in a minivan with 10 other tourists our guide and our driver. The tight quarters made it inevitable for Ina and I to quickly become friends with the other adventurers. Melissa and Tony helped us prove how small the world is since they hail from exotic Ft. Lauderdale about 20 mins north of where we live. As we meandered up the mountainside tow http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/San-Jose/Irazu/blog-383742.html Our morning adventure needed a bit of a jump start but after a bit of rearranging we were on our way to the salt mines of Zipaquir. In the center of the mines they have carved out a cathedral made from the rock and salt. As we walked deeper into the mines you could smell the sulfur in the air and hear the explosions of excavations on the other side of the mountain. Allen had been fairly convi http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Bogota/blog-358349.html Bogota is home to the Museum of Gold. Yesterday morning we explored vault rooms filled with preColombian treasures. Statues body armor rafts shaman tools and more... 4 stories of rooms displaying the craftsmanship of the native people of Colombia. I must admit that there were moments when we all had gold fever. The tiniest objects had perfectly twisted filligrees that gave each piece extra http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Bogota/blog-358214.html Take a journey with us in the Range Rover up the winding mountain paths to the very top. To the place where the clouds wrap around you like a whisper and the valley unfolds below you for as far as you can see where horses graze in the fields and llamas roam between the boundaries of acres and acres of mountainside farmlands. Every turn took us farther from Bogota and closer to serenity.This eve http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Bogota/blog-357748.html Hola desde Bogota We arrived safely into Bogota tonight and into Allen Marces welcome arms. Our tour of the city took us into a celebration of the seasons. The city blocks in Bogota are all decked out for the holidays. Each city square representing winter spring summer and fall. As we neared our hotel we came across a motorcade of lights A parade of cars totally decorated with the c http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Bogota/blog-357485.html