Archive for the 'Islands' Category
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE !
TotalAdventure and VentureCuba returned to Havana after a 4 year hiatus this past August. When we last departed in May, 2019 , just after the Havana International Tourism Fair, attended by thousands, plans were on to start cultural and adventure tours later that year.
Then two unfortunate situations derailed those plans. First, a certain hot-headed State Department official convinced a vote – hungry (ie.Miami vote) President ,who himself once wanted to build casinos in Cuba, to totally reverse all Obama era openings across the Florida Straits. No one was happier than Vladimir Putin ! While entry by US citizens was never prohibited, cruise ships were cancelled mid -journey , with over 100,000 reservations cancelled, and flights to cities other than Havana were prohibited – totally eviscerating our itineraries which would entail days of driving rather than quick flights from Miami.
At the same time COVID came along . With limited health facilities , Cuba issued draconian decrees, confining people to their homes except to go out to try to find scarce food supplies. Places of employment and private businesses closed. Land and sea borders were closed for two years. Tourism, of course, was non existent.
Havana commerce and tourist crowds were a shadow of the bustling days of 2015 to 2019. Once noisy colonial squares were dark and eerie during the night. Many hotels were shuttered or running at 20% occupancy. Flights to Mexico are packed with passengers bearing one -way tickets -eventually getting to the US – an unwanted side effect of the anti-immigration President’s policies.
But enough of politics ! Many Cubans have opened up new businesses . Pizza parlors and barber shops run out of private homes are bustling. Let’s check out some highlights around Havana.
One of the better kept buildings. Many are in even worse repair than before.
Model Shoot !
El Capitolo.
One of our rides – a ’48 Chevy.
Retro Restaurant.
Kids here actually play outside ! While 78% of the population now has a smartphone, children don’t seem to be as addicted to them.
Enjoying A Cohiba Robusto at the Hotel Nacional. We did not stay there, just stopped in for a Puro.
TotalAdventure Hotel Room At Bahia Lofts. OFAC Compliant. Duplex with balcony for about US 100 per night.
Late Night In A Back Alley.
Time Is Still Standing Still.
After 3 days of meetings with tourism officials in Havana, we spent part of the weekend in Trinidad – a 4 hour drive away. This was the one town we saw more visitors – mostly younger, from Spain or Italy. You can see more pictures in earlier TotalAdventure Magazine posts about Cuba. There are quite a few good restaurants , but less on the menu than a few years ago.
Touring Casas Particulares – OFAC Compliant.
Above Trinidad and it’s nearby Caribbean coastline, are the Montañas Escambray. The terrain goes up to about 1300m and is mostly a dry tropical forest.
Trinidad From Above.
There are a few small farms, privately owned throughout the mountains.
TotalAdventure spent a night in Cienfuegos, noted for it’s iconic architecture.
In the heat of an August Sunday, the city seemed empty.
But at night things livened up.
East German style bar.
Cienfuegos Atmosphere. 1950s.
The next morning TotalAdventure snorkeled in the blue Caribbean about 40km west of Cienfuegos. SEE THE VIDEO ABOVE !
Che had been at nearby Playa Giron. Bay of Pigs.
After week it was time for the 45 minute flight back to Miami. Stay tuned to http://www.venturecuba.com for upcoming trips from Miami !
TotalAdventure arrived in Colombo in the early morning hours of March 2,2023. It had been nearly three years since the first attempt to travel to Sri Lanka had been made, The Pandemic made travel in 2020 impossible, until late in the year when a two week quarantine was imposed – a traveller would have to spend two weeks in a government approved hotel and then be tested. Upon release, travel within the country was still restricted and many temples and other public places remained closed. In mid 2021 the quarantine was dropped and TotalAdventure booked the flights and obtained the visa. Three days before departure the quarantine was reimposed and so TotalAdventure cancelled. In early 2022 TA once again booked – only to be stopped on a false positive of a required covid test. Now – with the world once again open ( more or less) I flew from Miami to Qatar and then on to Colombo.
The Business Class upgrade was very welcome for the 5 hour DOH-CMB leg, after 15 hours in coach from Miami.
Colombo is a mix of Colonial buildings of the British Raj, modern high rises and temples dating back centuries.
The food is amazing. Go to local places like the Curry House. Stay away from tourist locations that have bland imitations and western dishes.
My lunch was very spicy, varied and delicious -everything fresh. Sri Lanka is not as vegetarian as India. The food is eaten by hand . This dish was about $ 3.
Traditional with modern – the bizarre building in the background is reminiscent of Pyongyang.
After a day and a half in Colombo, it was time to head in-country. The 4 hour train ride from Colombo to Kandy cost 350 rupees – about $ 1. On top of a country station lives a monkey family – obviously influenced by 1980s. punk fashion.
Kandy is home to the Temple of the Tooth – Lord Buddha’s Tooth !
Like The Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia, one cannot view the actual Tooth, but just have faith that they are very close to it. It sits in a gold box in a vault behind the altar.
TotalAdventure stayed at the Queen Hotel – a charming relic of the Empire. Inside, little has changed – slowly moving fans, British food like mutton chops, cool gin and tonics at the bar.
Hotel Message – keep balcony doors closed, lest mischievous monkeys come in and steal your belongings – they love cameras and jewelry.
After a long and colorful train ride – standing room only for 7 hours,TotalAdventure arrived in Ella The train goes as high as 8000 feet, 2500m – where we viewed the high, cool misty tea plantations that stretch for hundreds of kilometers. . You can see the journey in the VIDEO at the beginning of this article. The town of Ella , at about 1900m, is warmer than the mountaintops but much cooler than sea level. 75/25 in day and 61/16 at night. The countryside is exotically amazing, while the town caters to tourists and their money.
From Ella TotalAdventure hired a car for the ride to Udawalawe National Park – home to several large elephant herds. Elephants are well protected in Sri Lanka – there is very little poaching. However elephant rides are still permitted in some tourist areas – Do not engage in this cruel practice ! The magnificent creatures suffer greatly – as strong as they are ,their backs are not built for carrying heavy loads. Since they naturally refuse this activity – they are beaten into submission to force them.
At the watering hole. A great place for a swim on a hot day – which is every day of the year in Southern Sri Lanka.
Highly intelligent sentient beings. The Hindu Elephant God Ganesh is the God of Wisdom.
Besides the National Parks – elephants live in the wild in many forests throughout Sri Lanka.
From Udawalawe the driver took me to the tranquil Indian Ocean village of Talalla. Monday,March 6th was a Full Moon – and in Sri Lanka every Full Moon Day is a Holiday ! The surfing here is fairly good ,though onshore winds make for some afternoon chop. The hotel was quite nice as you will see in the VIDEO.
As wave conditions were not optimal, and not much to see while snorkeling, TotalAdventure moved on to Batticaloa on the East Coast the next day. Finally, a town with no Westerners ! Above, Nandi the Bull.
Whereas the South and West are more Buddhist , the East and North is more Hindu. There is also a large Muslim community.
Commerce and Holiness Come Together.
Batticaloa is home to the Laughing Fish, or Singing Fish who reside in Batticaloa Lagoon, seen in the VIDEO. In reality, they probably croak, which can be heard in some tropical bottom feeders.
A delicious place even for carnivores like myself. Food is flavorful and filling ,unlike Western oriented vegan food – more bland and unvaried. The hotel was very comfortable, with a beautiful pool. There were giant ballrooms, hundreds, of rooms and a huge restaurant. I was one of 5 people there.
On the way to Trincomalee there were several beautiful mosques. TotalAdventure did visit one in Batticaloa that you can see in the VIDEO. Sri Lanka is 70% Buddhist, 13 % Hindu, 10% Islamic and 7% Catholic.
TotalAdventure went further up the coast to Trincomalee – where Lord Rama sits high on the cliffs looking out into the Indian Ocean at Thirukoneswaram Kovil .
Ravanna prays from atop the cliffs.
All Powerful Kali – Goddess of War.
TotalAdventure Becomes Holi.
A clifftop treat of healthy refreshing juice. About 75 cents.
Many world times – none of them right. Sri Lanka i in a half hour time zone.
Wise Ganesh.
In A Seaside Temple.
The final destination before returning to Colombo was Sirigiya Rock Fortress. According to TripAdvisor :
There’s a reason UNESCO ranks Sigiriya as the 8th Wonder of the World.. Sigiriya is a stunning ruins of a castle build atop a tall rock mountain. An engineering marvel, water was piped from the pools at the base of the rock mountain, all the way up to the castle.
200 Meters or 625 feet doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s half an Empire State Building at a 60 degree angle.
Ancient City high above the jungled plains.
It’s lunchtime above the pond on the fortress top.
Some similarities with Mexico and Central America.
An ancient swimming pool ?
200 Meters Below. The climb up was great practice for climbing the stairs of the Himalayas in Nepal , right after Sri Lanka. What I thought would take hours only took about 45 minutes.
The dry (relatively ) jungles spread out below.
TotalAdventure had hoped for one last train ride – to Colombo. Alas , the train engineer for the Trincomalee to Colombo run was sick that Sunday, so once again I had to hire a car – $ 80 as opposed to $ 2.
A Final Night In Colombo – And It Was Off To Nepal In The Morning ! Mini – Shanghai Tower.
This February 2023 , TotalAdventure was invited by the Adventure Travel Trade Association to join an ATTA market activation program in collaboration with Alliance de l’Industrie Touristique du Québec and Bonjour Québec and their regional partners.
On February 8th, I arrived back in Montréal for the first time in five years. I had a free. day before the delegation arrived , so I set out to explore the snowy city, which I know fairly well. I walked from our excellent Hotel d’Uville to the beautiful Mont Royal Neighborhood.
‘Notre Dame de Montréal.
A Painting Of Early Quebec settler and First Nations life in Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste. It is a very politically charged subject for good reason.
Afterwards I enjoyed an excellent Moules Frites in the Vieux Cite. That evening the rest of the delegation arrived.
Early morning Friday, February 10th, our bus departed for the Lanaudière Region for the first of several snowshoe adventures. I had not been on snowshoes in 30 years – on the old ones that looked like giant tennis rackets. The new kind are simple and sporty – allowing for fast tracking over very deep snow – usually two meters or more.
We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Auberge Lac-à-l’Eau-Claire, in Saint-Alexis-des-Mont. Afterwards we went ice-fishing – see in the video above , even getting to eat our catch afterwards , flash cooked on the spot.
Ice Fishing.
At days – end , our crew was welcomed at the Sacacomie Hotel overlooking frozen snowy Lac Sacomie- with. maple whiskey in carved ice shot glasses. After downing the shots ,we threw the shot glasses over the side, towards the lake.
Winter Sunset over the lake.
Early Saturday morning, a bright sunny – 14 C ( about 9 F) we were off and running – with the dogs ! They are pure intelligence, enthusiasm and strength – nothing delights them more than pulling a fully loaded sled through the woods ,across the lakes and over the steep hills. The dogs have small houses – but rarely sleep in them – they prefer the warmth of a burrowed hole in the snow. They eat twice daily – a small breakfast before mushing – then later a large pot of hot meat and water – many calories to sustain their strength.
Eager To Run !
Lac Sacomie
The next morning we were off to Quebec City – truly France in North America.
The Winter Carnaval. Quebecois love the outdoors in winter – they enjoy it as much or more than summer.
Quebec A Nuit.
Here the Fleur de Lis takes precedence over the Maple Leaf.
Above the mighty St.Lawrence – linking the Great Lakes to the Atlantic.
After First Nations storytelling at Ekionkiestha’ longhouse in nearby Wendake, we had incredible First Nations cuisine at their restaurant.
On Monday morning, February 13th, we explored Parc national de la Jacques-Cartier. First we biked , then we hiked, then biked again. Uphil in every direction — or so it seemed. The snowy forest was spectacular and silent. It was TotalAdventure’s first time Fat Tire Biking. I found it much like being on a stationary bike at the highest setting – great workout.
That afternoon we were day guests at Hôtel de Glace -rebuilt every winter at Village Vacances Valcartier.
Each guest room has different theme – you can see them all in the video above. One thing in common though – it is cold – the room temperature is about -4 or 25 F. Understandably almost all the clientele are couples.
The season lasts into March . Then a movie shoot will take place before dismantling and forced melting by April. While winter lasts well into April and perhaps May, the warming sun can weaken the structure.
A Cold Way To Fry !
On Valentine’s Day, The Adventurers voyaged to our most remote area of the trip , Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, stretching northward from the St.Lawrence. While some did back country skiing, we did cross country skiing on the Saguenay River.
The water underneath the ice is 100 meters. Fresh water on top and salt down below- allowing a unique opportunity to catch both salt and fresh water fish in the same spot – inside a nice warm hut warmed by a wood stove, where you can cook your catch.
The next two nights were in the igloo village of Imago Village.
Our final day outside was in the Vallée des Fantômes. Named because the forest looks so ghostly in the deep deep snow that covers the five meter trees by more than half.
Cat wheels are the only way mechanized transport can bring people into the park.
On the final day , in Chicitoumi, at La Pulperie de Chicoutimi , TotalAdventure met with
https://www.nibiischii.com/fr/
https://www.attitudenordique.com
https://www.sepaq.com/pq/mva/index.dot?language_id=1
https://saguenayaventures.com Saguenay Adventures already has a trip up on TotalAdventure https://totaladventure.travel/trips/255714
https://aventurerosedesvents.com/index.php/en/
https://www.quebec-cite.com/fr
https://www.equinoxaventure.ca/en/
https://www.laurentides.com/en
TotalAdventure spoke on a panel discussing sustainability requirements . TotalAdventure is highly committed to sustainability with minimal development.
And the next day, we flew from Bagotville to Montréal to our respective destination in the USA or Canada. Only US and Canadian companies were invited to participate. Quebec is ideally situated from fly or drive vacations from the Northeastern USA – it’s only 5 hours from New York, and borders Maine !
Hondius is the first-registered Polar Class 6 vessel in the world, meeting the latest and highest Lloyd’s Register standards for ice-strengthened cruise ships. Surpassing the requirements of the Polar Code adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Hondius represents the most flexible, advanced, innovative touring vessel in the polar regions, thoroughly optimized for exploratory voyages that provide you the utmost first-hand contact with the Arctic and Antarctica. ( Credit : Oceanwide Expeditions ) Length 107.6 Meters . Can Accommodate 170 Passengers In 80 Cabins. Only 4 years old – launched in 2019.
Observing Five Meter Waves From The Bridge,As We Cross The Drake Passage.
Top Of The Line Navigation – Ensures safe and speedy passage through the Drake and into ice filled Antarctic waters. Antarctic season is from November to April and Arctic season from May to September.
Hearty meals 3 times a day keep explorers energetic and alert for landings on the icy continent.
TotalAdventure’s Antarctic office. Satellite Wifi is extremely expensive and slow- even the ship staff suggest just unplugging. Some passengers used satellite phones and text devices to stay in touch with family. TotalAdventure used the MacBook Pro to review the day’s GoPro video and still photos. It was great to leave the rest of the world behind for 10 days – nothing much had changed by our return to Ushuaia.
Our extremely comfortable cabin on Deck 6. Housekeeping service daily, consistent hot water in shower and very quiet. Large screen with movies and constant update on navigation, daily schedule. The Hondius is an exploration ship, not a cruise ship. No casino ,no disco, though there is a bar in the lounge.
On this voyage we went within 100km of the Circle. The Antarctic Peninsula is the only part of the continent where one can embark upon the actual shoreline – the rest of the coast is surrounded by ice shelves extending many kilometers out.
The Midnight Sun From Deck 8.
On the bow after lunch, en route to the afternoon landing.
The Hondius Lounge – for lectures, a drink at the bar, card playing, and watching the icebergs float by.
For the most part we experienced great early summer weather. Temperatures from – 4 to +6 ,most of the time right around Zero . ( C) There were some light snow accumulations on the ship overnight twice.
Landings are by motorized Zodiac. We had a total of 8 landings in 4 days, with only one destination change due to ice conditions.
From the Stern- Return To Ushuaia – Base Port For The Southern Summer.
TotalAdventure Is Currently En Route To Antarctica. We arrived here on Wednesday , November 30th after flying from Miami through Buenos Aries.
It is 600 Miles Across And Will Take 2 Days.
The MV Hondius Is An Icebreaker Class 6 Polar Ship. Built in 2019,It carries 112 Passengers. You can track our voyage HERE
Glaciar Martial. At ehe end of the 12000 mile Rockies and Andes chain that begins in Alaska.
Argentina is 5000 km North To South. A long beautiful drive.
The Malvinas Are An Important Situation Here.
Ushuaia Is Far From Everywhere !
Southernmost Commercial Airport In The World.
Don Bosco Cathedral.
Glacial Stream.
Looking South TO Chile. TotalAdventure will depart tomorrow afternoon throught the Beagle Channel and past Cape Horn.
TotalAdventure returns to Ushuaia Argentina on December 13 . We are extremely unlikely to have any internet or cellular contact while on the expedition, but perhaps a sporadic link. TotalAdventure looks forward to sharing the adventure with everyone !
In late September,TotalAdventure decided to explore a part of the “Miami Neighborhood ” which is basically the entire Caribbean Basin. Just two hours away from Miami is the US Territorial Island of Puerto Rico. At 107 mies long and 40 miles wide, it’s perfect for a long weekend getaway. As a US Territory , it operates fairly independent of Washington.
Just off the plane , I went right to the beach at Playa Piñones. The first and last nights were spent in San Juan..Here is the Villa Herencia, charming and from the colonial era.
Breakers near El Morro. However there is no beach there, only sharp jagged rock.
Just 30 miles from San Juan is El Yunque, a mountainous rainforest going up to about 4000 feet elevation. While not that high, temperatures there are much cooler than 90 degree San Juan, often remaining in the 70s during the day.
TotalAdventure circumnavigated half the Island in one day, arriving in Ponce by nightfall. The Eastern coast has great panoramas ,but very few hotels..
The Colonial city of Ponce is well preserved, despite recent bombardment by Hurricanes and Earthquakes.
In the deadly earthquakes of 2020, an urn weighing several tons fell from the right tower. Luckily no one was under it.
A great bodysurfer,TotalAdventure stopped in at Playa Rincon ,known all over the USA as a top surf spot. The waves were small right breaks onto a rocky shoreline. Waves get up to 20 feet with winter cold fronts. The cold fronts do not bring cold weather however, it stays in the 80s in January.
Saturday night was in Isabela, on the Northwest Coast. A rustic surfer hotel,The Oceanfront was very basic, no internet, for $ 100 per night. However ,it had incredible views as seen above. I spent the entire morning bodysurfing and seeing waves crash on the cliffs as well as following sea turtles. Watch the above video carefully.
The final night was back in San Juan. I took a motor view of the seaside Barrio of La Perla, where cameras are strictly forbidden. The final activity was snorkeling just off El Morro, before dashing to SJU for the flight back to MIA.
It’s not easy being an adventurous spirit but living confined to the city, so today, October 8th, 2021, I am starting my 3 days snorkelling-intensive trip in the Galapagos Islands with a tailored-made itinerary.
I visit the islands as much as I can, but each new occasion makes me feel like I’m a privileged alien who is on a mission to discover an entirely new world, not ruled under the normal laws of biology.
This time, I have coordinated my hotel stays, meals, and snorkelling tours with Andean Travel Company. The rest of the adventure is up to me, so here we go!
Yesterday I arrived and took the afternoon at leisure to explore Santa Cruz island’s amazing white coral beaches where flocks of iguanas defiantly stare at you and block the way. The world’s only marine iguana is endemic to these islands.
I’m staying in a hostel in the middle of the bustling, colourful town of Puerto Ayora, one of the three urban centres of the archipelago. I would very much prefer this whole place to be inhabited, but people have been driven to these islands by the promise of economic success for decades now.
I was picked up by my guide and we walked a couple of blocks towards the dock. We embarked on a speedboat to Seymour Island.
I was provided all the necessary equipment and went directly to business (after listening to the guide’s directions). My very first sight was a group of whitetip reef sharks cruising between the low basaltic cliffs below me. I did not expect that my first animal observation would be this quick and thrilling!.
Colourful fish such as the king angelfish, boxfish, and parrotfish swam around, and I got lost in thought admiring them. A strange sound brought me back to reality. It was as if small missiles were being shot… It was the sound of blue-footed boobies and pelicans plunge-diving at enormous speeds to catch fish!
These daily snorkelling tours provide lunch, and I’m grateful for that, as it is a very energy-intensive activity.
In my second swim of the day, I spotted one of my favourite marine animals, the black-botched ray. It looked so elegant with its perfectly aerodynamic platform and majestic in its cyclic underwater flight. I also hoped to see a scalloped hammerhead shark, but they are difficult to find, so let’s see what happens tomorrow.
Today, October 9th, 2021, I’m heading to one of Galapagos’ most iconic landmarks. Pinnacle Rock on Bartolomé Island. Located northeast of Santa Cruz island, 2 hours away in a boat, this is an immense spearheaded obelisk rising from the ocean. We disembarked on the appropriately named Golden Beach, and from there I started swimming into a shallow cove full of precious coral formations and reef fish.
During my time inside the cove, however, my mind was obsessed with swimming around the massive Pinnacle Rock itself. We got there in due time, along with the rest of the group and the guide. (No matter how good of a swimmer you are, when snorkelling always stay close to your group!)
At the underwater intersection where the sea bottom becomes a cliff, I found spectacular lava formations, where reef and Tiger sharks were accommodated inside natural galleries. Swimming ahead, I found medium-sized sea lions who adventured so close to my face that I actually got a bit scared. I tried to make as much eye contact as possible with them, and it’s a tender sensation that I will never forget.
To finish off this day perfectly, we spotted the endangered Galapagos penguin standing on some rocks above the water. An Antarctic bird in these warm waters is certainly an unexpected sight, but they are one of the best examples of the unique animal adaptations happening on these islands.
Day 3! I cannot believe that today is the last of my snorkelling trip. We navigated northwest to Santa Fé Island. The area destined for snorkelling was well-protected from open sea currents, so my first thought was that this might be a smart choice for beginners. These calm, shallower waters, however, delivered generously.
Fluorescent blue chin parrotfishes, yellowtail surgeonfishes, and pufferfishes swam around the turquoise waters, and sea lions made me close company again. I really felt as if these boys knew that I was on a mission, and decided to escort me to the right place. To the open waters where the scalloped hammerhead sharks finally decided to reveal themselves. What an amazing creature, a perfect example of the ambitious effects of evolution. Its distinctive, enormous head works as a sensor that has yet to be explained by science. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to this trip.
Thank you, Galapagos! May we be able to do enough to preserve your treasures!
On August 3rd I drove 400 miles from Couer d’Alene Idaho to Portland, Oregon, transversing eastern Washington State ,then along the Columbia river as the desert emerges into green forest. Portland is home to my Son, his Fiancée and soon, my Grandson.
I stayed in beautiful downtown Portland in an AirBnb very close to my son’s. The Rose City was on war footing as nightly street battles erupted between extreme left and extreme right factions along with police and federal agents.
The Apple Store destroyed, with the senseless destruction uploaded via Apple devices. However Fox News dogwhistles on “Antifa ” were largely to spread panic and give undercover law enforcement free rein . TotalAdventure does best to stay neutral in these extremist political times. We are about bringing the world together, not ripping it apart.
Burned and Bashed – The Federal Courthouse.
In a three week break from the road ( TotalAdventure and family business) we managed to take beautiful trips within the state.
Crater Lake was created in one day 7000 years ago when the mountain blew its’ top. Thousands of years of precipitation, mainly melted snow, have filled the crater with water almost 2000 feet deep. There is one swimming area, reachable by a path that descends 800 feet from the rim.. . See the video where we jump off a 35 foot cliff.
Portland is two hours from the Pacific Ocean. The X2 had finally made it coast to coast !
In Portland it was 96 degrees, in Tillamook the air was 74 and the ocean ,an icy low 50s. If TotalAdventure is unable to swim, that means the water is only swimmable in a wetsuit.
In Montana the X2 had reached 10000 miles, at the tender age of 3 months on the road. In Portland BMW performed the first free maintenance and took care of a few very minor repairs, as well changing oil.
On August 19th, it was time to explore California !
On July 2 at 7 AM we left our host’s house in Bodrum to board a catamaran ferry to the Greek island of Kos, only 20 km across the channel. We looked back at beautiful vibrant Turkey, hoping to return in the near future – to explore from Istanbul to the eastern provinces.
We arrived in port 20 minutes later. We spent nearly 40 minutes to get passports stamped, as we were re-entering the EU and Shengen. Afterwards a 50 km taxi ride to Kefalos .
In Kefalos , we found a beachside Taverna where we ate excellent grilled squid, stored our stuff and went snorkeling.
The water was as clear as an aquarium.
There were ruins right by the sea !
Soon it was time to leave for the airport. We took a turboprop to Athens, flying over hundreds of Aegean Islands. In Athens – once again passport control , as we were leaving Schengen. 4 hours later – another 1.5 hours in customs entering the UK.
Just before midnight we arrived at our hotel, after a long Tube ride. We were right by the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.
Our final day before returning Stateside was a whirlwind tour of some of the major sights.
Iconic, but we opted for Indian instead.
GMT + 1. The Trans European Adventure comes to an end. 
2014 was an incredible travel year for ArcticTropic. We explored Myanmar ( Burma), European Russia,Siberia,Mongolia,China,Japan,British Colombia,Canada,Singapore,Philippines and Panama. Here’s 184 clips in 11 minutes. This version is natural sound,a musical version will be uploaded soon.