Island hopping in Hawaii - Big Island

The second island we went to was the "inspiring" Big Island of Hawaii.  We flew into Hilo on the windward (east) side of the island.  The leeward (west) side is usually more populated and sunny, but we chose to do that because we are interested in seeing Hawaii Volcanos National Park.  This island has 2 active volcanos on it.  Kilauea erupted in 2018 and is now empty of lava.  Manua Kea is currently inaccessible to the public.

We took a quick drive to Kona, on the west coast.  It's about 2 hours east of Hilo.  It was definitely more sunny on this side!  The town is very small and very touristy.  You can also fly into this airport if you want to stay near the resorts.

This island has 11 micro-climates and we can see it everywhere we go.  It can be sunny in one spot, then rainy in another, then arid, then really lush, which meant seeing desert, then rolling hills, then lush rainforest, then lava.  It's quite interesting!

This island is known for it's Kona coffee.  Kona city is on the leeward side, but there are many coffee plantations.  We opted to see Greenfell Coffee Farm, which is still family owned and operated, and grows fruit as well as coffee.  I didn't know there were 20 varieties of avocados!

In the south eastern part of the island,

Hawaii Volcanos National Park was my favourite place on this island.  It's very busy with lots of tourists, but very well managed and has many knowledgeable staff to make sure you enjoy your visit.

We took a tour and hiked down the caldera.  We saw lush vegetation which was once the inside of the barren volcano.  We saw invasive species and steam coming from the vents.

We drove the Chain of Craters road and saw signs for previous lava flows.  There are 2 kinds of lava, the exploding kind and the flowing kind.  At the end is this arch.  Because the weather was not cooperating, we were lucky to see the caldera of the main volcano when it was sunny, and then after lunch, it completed clouded over and it was raining by the time we got to the bottom of the caldera.



I highly recommend a visit to this park, and stay all day to enjoy all it has to offer.  You can even stay in the volcano, there is 1 hotel!

We went to a local tavern in Hilo to enjoy Hawaiian music.

We went to the Saturday Hilo Farmer's Market to get fresh fruit.  Bring cash!  They have exotic fruit like mangosteen, pink guava, rambutan, apple bananas, butter avocado, breadfruit, longan, etc.  They have the market several days a week, but Saturday has the most vendors.  Having food allergies meant that I was having trouble finding food compatible with my diet, but fruit is also a treat, it's like my dessert.








We went to the Imiloa Astronomy Centre.  Get the word of the day from the website and you can save some money on admission.  If you like space and science, this is a great place to spend a few hours.  We saw Awesome Light, Mirrors in the Sky show in the planetarium, which was about observatories.  Big Island has a lot of observatories from agencies around the world because of this island's great position of clear skies.  Sometimes they have star gazing parties, that would've been fun!  At this time, Mauna Kea observatory was closed to the public.

We made a quick stop at Kaumana Caves.  Bring a flashlight, it is dark!!  It's very cool to step into a red rock cave and into the dark.

This is one of the wettest placest in the world, with 200 - 400 inches of rain per year.  I thought Vancouver was wet, but it only gets 50 inches/yr on average.

Next time, I will have to visit Papakolea beach (green sand beach), one of 4 in the world.  The green sand is produced by olivine crystals in the beach beside the cinder cone that erupted many years ago and the bay traps the crystals there.  and Akaka Falls, the tallest waterfall in Hawaii.

Island hopping in Hawaii - Maui

So many of my friends and family have been to Hawaii, and after becoming a travel agent, I had to go see what all the fuss was about.  So, with a friend, we decided to island hop the 4 major islands in January.  After doing some online travel agent training and going to a Tourism Hawaii event, I felt quite prepared to see the sights.  But I realized quickly that reading and being there are totally different, which is why I believe that travel is an experiential thing.  You can be an armchair traveler, but you can never forget your experiences!  

Our first island is "captivating" Maui, known for it's BEACHES.  We went to Lahaina, on the west coast, the first night for a great sunset.  We didn't know that a storm was quickly approaching.  

We went snorkelling at Ahihi Kinau Natural Reserve in the south, because some other tourists told us it was a good spot.  It was not a great beach as it was all lava rocks, but there were lots of fish in the ocean.  No lifeguards here, but if you're a good swimmer, it's fine.

One of the big natural attractions here is Haleakala National Park, and volcano which looks like the moon.  It's on the east side.  Unfortunately, we were stormed out.  It's 10,000 ft above sea level and we drove through many different micro climates on the way up, only to be stuck in the clouds.  And it was warm and sunny at the bottom, but near freezing at the top.  It's a good thing we dressed in layers!

Onwards to the Road to Hana, known as one of the most scenic drives of the worlds, full of twists and turns, waterfalls and rainbows.  We downloaded the Gypsy driving app.  It was super useful and we researched which stops we wanted to do so we could spend more time at them.  

The most popular spots are Wailua Falls, Waimoku Falls, rainbow eucalyptus trees, bamboo forest and Oheo Gulch.  Haleakala and Oheo Gulch are at different entrances, but your admission fee is good for the entire park.  With this huge storm, which has seen winds and rainfall like never before, the waterfalls were water-FULL and gushing.  It was even bigger than what the tourist signs and diagrams say, as they caution people trying to swim across or near the falls, and that water levels change quickly which may lead to rushing water and ... unfortunately death if you fall in.

Black sand beach and Wai'anapanapa state park was my favourite!  With stark black lava rock and sand in contrast to the lush green foliage, blue water and crashing white sea foam, it was wonderful to look at.

If you can stay in Hana for 1 night, I would recommend it.  It would allow you to spend more time on your journey rather than rush and see everything.  It may cost a bit more, but why rush through an 11 hour day just to drive home to the same place you stayed the night before?

Well, we'll have to come back to see the "Mars" landscape, experience First Fridays in Lahaina and see more sunsets.  We had a lot of rainy days in the 4 days we were there.  But this was a quick island hopping trip to get a feel for the island.  I can see why people love this island.

Alaska short cruise

We're aboard the Radiance of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship, and on our way to Ketchikan.  It's a short 4 day itinerary, just to give us a taste of Alaska.  It's my second cruise.

We have a balcony cabin; so nice to stand outside by the water :)

We departed Vancouver and sailed under the Lions Gate Bridge.  They have a Sail Away party on the top pool deck with entertainment.  Being a smaller ship, the bridge deck was so close and it was a view I'd never had before.  People on the bridge waved as us and we waived back, super fun!

On board, we explored the decks, the pool, the bars, the spa, the gym, the stores, the theatres and the restaurants.  On day 1, there are so many deals, limited time offers for drink and specialty dining packages.

Royal Caribbean publishes a daily Cruise Compass newsletter to let you know what's going on around the ship. This is great for planning which events you want to go to, as well as which parts of the ship to avoid!  Since it's me and a friend traveling, we were staying away from kids's zones.  We attended spa days, destination talks, got port info, and champagne art auctions.

They have My Time eating, which means you don't need a reservation at the dining room to sit and eat.  And Royal Caribbean is family oriented, with a rock climbing wall, mini golf, family pool but also an adults only pool.   There's a casino, dance lessons, a nightclub and this ship is outfitted with almost $8 million dollars of art pieces.  Starquest is a rotating bar in a nightclub.

Being on the cruise ship in September means it's end of the Alaska sailing season.  The retail stores have everything Alaska related on sale, including toques, plush toys, souvenirs and even liquor is really cheap.  But the Royal Caribbean souvenirs are still retail priced as well as the essentials, like gravol.

We lost cell coverage by the end of day 1, which was a blessing, so we could just enjoy the ship and each other's company.

On day 3, we arrived at Ketchikan, our 1 and only port.  It's a very small town.  You can buy tours on the ship or when you disembark.  We decided to do the later, but ended up thinking we could've just explored the city on our own.  We wanted to see wildlife, but didn't see any bears.  We have totem poles in Vancouver, so we skipped that portion of the city.

We saw colourful Creek St., the shops and restaurants.  Some people say that some stores are owned by the cruise lines but I was not able to confirm that.  Some local tour operators say that some business have foreign ownership and 'they' take a piece of the tourism pie during the cruising season and leave after.

We decided to hike Deer Mountain Trail in the Tongass National Forest.  We want to get to the top for the view, but never made it because it was longer than we thought and we started after lunch.  We kept seeing views to the port and thought we'd reached the top, but we weren't.  And we were keeping a close eye on the time to ensure we got back before the ship sailed away.

We had specialty dining at Samba Grill, a Brazilian steakhouse.  The meat was great, and too much to eat even.  But it was a great at the back of the ship and I saw 2 whales.   I heard people were seeing lots as we sailed.

There was a magic show, comedian, musical and Crazy Quest.  This quest is a signature Royal Caribbean game and for adults only!

In summary, this is a great option for a short round trip getaway from Vancouver where you can enjoy being disconnected from technology and being connected to friends and family.

Quiet relaxing vacation to Gabriola Island, BC

What do locals do on a long weekend in the summer?  Take a short vacation!   We took 4 days and 3 nights to relax and discover Gabriola Island.  It was a last minute trip, so really no advance planning.  We booked AirBnBs and were hoping to visit some artist studios and hang out on the beaches and parks.

picture

One thing about not having a tour guide, and not doing any research is that you might miss a huge attraction and not even know it!  We asked Tourist Info where we should go, and the lady said, Malaspina Galleries Community Park and Drumbeg Provincial Park.  We didn't look at photos of these places, so had no idea what to expect.

real life

Although we went to the end of Descano Bay at the west end of the island where Malaspina Galleries (where the surf like sandstone formation) was, we didn't see it.  It was only after talking to the 2nd BnB owner and seeing photos at the museum, did we know that we missed something big!

The island is quite small, but the town center is at the north end of the island and that's where all the restaurants are.  You will not find food at the south end, and restaurants close early, probably because they're family run.  We were on holiday time and strolling into restaurants at 8pm and they close at 9.  We had to be careful or else we'd be starving for the night!

Sandwell

There are weekend markets on Saturday at Agi Hall and Sunday at Silva Bay and focus on local artisans and growers.  With an island full or artists, they have a yellow flag system.  If there is a yellow flag in the front of their property, it means that the studio is open!  We didn't talk to any artists in their own studios, although we did at the markets.  I guess some were away for the long weekend too.  We did however, get to see 2 self serve artist shops on their property where there were prices on the goods, and a cash box for your money.  It's a good system for a small island like this.

We had a lazy beach day at Sandwell Provincial Park at the north end of the island.  It was quite rocky but we lay down to soak in some sun.

Drumbeg

We moved on to the east end of the island to Drumbeg Provincial Park.  I found this to be a much more scenic park and had lots more places to lay down.

We listened to a live blues band at Skol Pub and probably ate at every restaurant on the island, the Kitchen, Woodfire Pizza, Robert's Grill.

We saw Elder Cedar Nature Reserve.  It was so lush and green in there, it was so relaxing. I felt like I breathed in so much more oxygen.






We tried to access the beach on the south end of the island and ended up at Degnen Bay and marina because we couldn't find any access points. They have yellow stones marked 'public access' if there is a small trail.  We found the Gabriola Passage Viewpoint where all the boats go through.




Another place that was recommended to us was the beaches along the north end of the island.  We settled in at Joyce Lockwood Community Park to do some art and soak in some sun.

Our final stop was Ravenskill Orchard to sample some of Gabbie's award winning cider!  We took some ginger for the road.

I feel so relaxed...

Roaming around Vietnam

Oh boy, life has been so busy, that I haven't had the time to write this post till now, 6 months after I came back!

Vietnam had been on my travel list for a year or so before I actually went this February.  I went solo, and joined a 15 day G Adventures tour.  I love supporting this company because they're Canadian, they're very affordable and have great itineraries.  Most people go one way between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city. but after talking to several people who went to Vietnam, I had to add Sapa to my route.

I started in the north and the temperature in Sapa was around 10C and I was hoping that the temperature would still be cool by the time I got to the south, but it wasn't!  It was always 35C or hotter and 80% humidity.  Maybe I should've went the other way!  Definitely something to think about when you travel these hot, humid countries.

From the time I booked my trip till the time I finished it, I had a nagging negative vibe about it that I couldn't explain and it came to a head in Hanoi when we were on the tour.   We were in our tour bus coming back from a visit to the hill tribes when we became stuck in traffic in the 2 lane highway.  We found out that there was a fatal moped accident just ahead of us.  An overwhelming sense of dread had come over just moments before and I feel that I connected with the negative energy that was there.  I did not say anything out loud hoping that my intuition was wrong, but it wasn't.  Only after we found out about it could I talk about it and then the feeling of dread went away.  Interestingly enough, my friend at home had a similar sense of worry for me and it shows me that we are all connected, and you just has to be self-aware and hone in to it, feel it and listen to it.

There were quite a few small things that went wrong on my trip, but I guess this is all part of traveling and it's really just first world problems.  My guiding principle when travelling is safety.  I want to experience the culture, sights and food of the country and get home safe to talk about it.

My flight was delayed out of Vancouver, which meant I missed my connection in Hong Kong to Hanoi.  I was stuck in HK for 9 hours, so I went to see the Buddha in Ngong Ping Village on Lantau Island .  It was big, covered in the misty fog that happens regularly in the mountains.  But as I climbed the steps alongside many other tourists, the skies cleared for a great view.

After arriving in Hanoi, I had the day to wander around before meeting my tour group and group leader.  I went to Hao Lo Prison which had a great exhibit on the Vietnam War (they call it the American war).  The exhibits were quite moving, even creepy like this room that had life size men with their legs were shackled to the pipe; it gave me the heeby jeebies!  I also felt very emotional reading some of the letters from American POWs saying they wanted US to stop the war.




I went to find the restaurant that 
Anthony Bourdain and president Barack Obama ate at, Bun Cha Huong Lien.  It was a simple place, I don't think they changed much since the visit.  The floors were greasy, the menu had the Combo Obama!  They had preserved the table and settings that they had used and put up the certificates of their visit.

I had watched several Anthony Bourdain shows and I found him to be genuine, a curious traveler and people person.  It was so sad to hear about his suicide.  It shows that what you see on the outside is not always what it is on the inside.

On we went to the trekking region of Sapa where all the terraced rice fields are.  The views were stunning and the hike was interesting.  It had rained, but our group opted to hike the rice fields to take in all the views.  We walked along the edges of the rice fields and were told to try to not fall in, or else it would ruin their crop.  Although it was shallow,  I also didn't want to get my shoes muddy and had to rely on the villagers who followed us to help us.  They eventually sell handicrafts to us.  Some of us really were in dire need of their innate ability to walk the terrain in sandals!  Some of us only had 1 pair of sport shoes.  We had a home stay here at a family house and they showed us how to make spring rolls.

Halong Bay was a stop that I was waiting for but the weather didn't cooperate, and we had a very cloudy, rainy day in the Bay.  We stayed overnight on a boat.  The water was very polluted.  Some of our group went out kayaking for 1 hour and saw so much plastic, general garbage and lost shoes; it was sad, yet it angered me at the same time. There were so many tourist boats in the bay spewing diesel.  The county didn't seem to have a good recycling or garbage collection program.  Garbage was tossed on the street by businesses, and was found even along the rice fields.  Burning garbage was one way to get rid of it.

The next stop was Hue, the Imperial City.  We took a cyclo tour, the Brits in the group said, it them of prams, haha.  We saw the Forbidden city, Citadel and Royal Palace.   It's very small and you can do this city in a day.



My favourite part of the tour was Hoi An because it's a super cute, charming little town.  It's a UNESCO heritage site, with tons of lanterns at night, a pedestrian zone with lots of shops, restaurants and bars, and it's along the river.    The Cao Lau dish was the regional specialty. 



This city is known for it's silk, leather and souvenir shops.  If you need a custom suit, dress, shoes or even purse/bag, they can make it here, for great prices.  I brought a tote bag with me that had fake leather handles that were peeling, and I was going to throw it away if I had to ditch some luggage, even though the bag itself was fine.  At home, a leather repair place quoted me $300CDN to replace 2 brown straps but here in Hoi An, they replaced it with matching buffalo leather for ~$15CDN!  I was happy to have my bag back in tip top condition to use for the rest of the trip!

We took a moto tour of the city and it was super fun!  It was super cool to be near the back of the group to see all our motos driving along the country roads in matching red helmets.  It makes me wanna get a motorcycle license again.  We saw the sunset and had great food that day.




The next stop was the ruins of My Son.  Some of us took a tour and left early in the morning to catch the site at sunrise.  It was cooler and had less tourists.  I love visiting ruins when I travel.  It gives me a sense of the ancient civilizations that lived before us.





I also took a tour to Marble Mountains and An Phu Caves in Danang city.  It was amazing how there were carvings in the side of the mountain or animals, religious figures, even with candle and light displays.  Look at this picture and look at the Buddhas all along the left side of the cave.


Finally, we arrived in the south, at Ho Chi Minh City.  It is day 12 of the trip and getting so hot!

Food has been really good, fresh and cheap.  There's so many varieties of spring and salad rolls, noodle bowls, grilled meats and banh mi.  There are street markets where you can go to buy food or shop for clothes, souvenirs or fake goods.

Fruit is abundant and fresh fruit juice can be had every day!  My favourite is mango, but I'm having all the tropical fruits, including passionafruit, guave, melon, dragonfruit, etc.

We went to the Mekong Delta to have our second home stay.  The environment here is completely different than the north.  The families own large plots of land and the whole family helps grow agriculture.  Our home stay was on cots in the outdoors with mosquito nets.  The delta is very fertile and everything grows from the river.  It flows through 4 countries before hitting the ocean.  In some people's minds, it's very polluted, it's murky brown.  We took a lazy boat ride through and stopped at several islands.

The next stop was Cu Chi Tunnels.  This was  an amazing labyrinth of underground tunnels that the Viet Cong built to avoid being captured by the Americans during the Vietnam war.  It even went 3 levels deep and was constructed with modules in mind so that if one portion was compromised, it didn't compromise the entire system.  Families stayed underground to eat and sleep.  They built elaborate traps to maim American soldiers if they found a hidden entrance; they was not meant to kill them.

I love experiencing a whole country in one trip because it gives me a sense of the differences in several regions.  My favourite city is usually a smaller town with charm and isn't overwhelming like the capital or large cosmopolitan areas.

If I go back, I would visit one of the beaches.  There weren't any on the itinerary, and Phu Quoc island, Nha Trang and Mui Ne are supposed to be spectacular.