The wind was in the wrong direction to sail here from North Long Cocoa Cay, so we motored here yesterday. The breeze was nice, and for the first time in several days, we're not uncomfortably hot and sticky. We saw dolphins on the way, and got here mid to late afternoon. South Water Cay is inhabited--it has three or four resorts separated by fences. Five of us went to the island to explore a bit, arrange for dinner, and have some cold beverages at the bar. Our first stop was the dive shop, so the divers could make arrangements to dive [View Full Entry]

---

---

There wasn't enough wind to sail from Ranguana Cay, so we motored here to North Little Cocoa Cay. When we arrived here, a couple of us went out in the dinghy to drop the second anchor, and have a quick tour around the Cay. When we got back, I hopped out of the dinghy and tied it quickly to the boat while we all figured out how we would spend the afternoon. I meant to check it, and make sure it was tied securely. Later that evening, I saw the dinghy drifting away. I couldn't jump in after it, because I [View Full Entry]

---

---

This has definitely been a very different vacation for me. Not only am I traveling with other people, but the style of travel is very different. Instead of the everyday adventure of figuring out where to go, what to do, and carrying all my belongings on my back, I'm sleeping in the same bed every night, and I don't have to carry my valuables on my body 24 hours a day! We haven't been on the boat long enough to go stir crazy, but we were still really looking forward to getting off the boat and onto a beach. We sailed [View Full Entry]

---

---

In spite of the fact that my feet are swollen and uncomfortable from the heat, it's been a relaxing day. We got here in time to get some snorkeling in--the corals were amazing! The moon made a brief appearance after another great sunset, and once it was dark and many of the boat lights were off, we saw some phosphorescent fish and plankton behind the boat. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Morning in Placencia Yesterday at the Moorings Base in Placencia, I woke up in time to catch the sunrise--it was so peaceful, and for the first hour of the day, the temperature was just right. I sat at the front of the boat with my camera, watching the sunrise and listening to Placencia waking up. As soon as the sun was up there was activity, and heat. By 6:30am, my poor white skin needed sunscreen. When I went to get a shower at the Moorings Base, there was a spotted eagle ray swimming around the docks, feeding. It was graceful and [View Full Entry]

---

---

I woke up to snow this morning, and I laughed. I laughed because it was 4am, and I was getting ready to go to the airport to fly to Belize. The friends I'm traveling with picked me up at 4:45am. I had to navigate past a drunk homeless guy in a wheelchair who was taking shelter in the front entry of my apartment, and through the snow (in my sandals, because I was determined not to take socks and shoes to Belize). We made it to the airport in plenty of time after picking up two more friends, but the security [View Full Entry]

---

---

It's been a dry winter here. My skin and my hair and my eyes have been struggling with the lack of humidity since I got back from Europe in November. I got so fed up with it, that three days before Christmas, I booked a flight to Vancouver to spend Christmas with my sister, her partner, his family, and my mom and stepfather. I was even lucky enough to find flights at a reasonable price that close to the holiday. I flew in Christmas Eve (just in time for dinner), and it was very festive to fly over the houses with [View Full Entry]

---

---

It was bizarre to check into a hotel early this evening after a long afternoon on the bus from Cesky Krumlov. Bizarre to have a whole room and bathroom all to myself. Bizarre to have left the backpacking world behind, and be preparing for a sort-of early flight tomorrow morning. Bizarre to be back in the city where I started (), because I am so different from the me that began this adventure. This trip has changed me in ways I cannot yet describe. When I started planning this trip, it was going to be for two weeks in the Czech [View Full Entry]

---

---

It was a long trip from Vienna to Cesky Krumlov. First the train to Linz, then another train across the border to Ceske Budjeovice, and finally on to Cesky Krumlov. The conductor on my train from Linz was excited to have a Canadian on his train, both sets of border guards were friendly, and it was the most beautiful train trip I've had yet. I was almost sad to cross the border from Austria into the Czech Republic. I was sad to leave Austria, because I wish I'd had more time in that beautiful country with its wonderful people. And coming [View Full Entry]

---

---

As I mentioned in my last blog, , arriving in Vienna was a shock to me. I've stayed in two hostels here, and both were really different from anywhere else I've stayed too. The bones of the hostels doesn't really change much, but the people here can change everything. Since arriving in Vienna, I've found myself wondering where all the 'real' backpackers have disappeared to. Most of the people here seem to be North Americans on term breaks from studying or teaching in Europe, and their experiences in Europe seem to be solely based on each other. It's a bizarre world, [View Full Entry]

---

---