I looked tentatively at the load of shrimp, blue crabs, gar, sea trout and other nameless denizens of the deep as they were dropped into the boat. I volunteered to hold one even more tentatively — much more tentatively. But then I was making eye contact with a very cute sting ray and I’m pretty sure we had a moment.

My trip upon the Lady Jane Shrimp Boat in Jekyll Island, Georgia, in which naturalist Jeffrey explains the whole process of commercial net trolling and the many water creatures they catch along the way -several of which became fast friends — is but one of the many adventures to be had on the American Cruise Line Historic South and Golden Isles Intra-Coastal Waterway Cruise from Amelia Island, Florida to Charleston, South Carolina.

We learned a lot about the mouths, gills and tails of individual fish which I actually found more interesting than I would have expected. There are some very weird fish tales out there! But take time to look up at the flocks of birds following the boat. They knew what we had on board.

Overheard from a colleague on the way back to the ship: “If they wouldn’t serve us all that shrimp at meals, we wouldn’t have to go out and catch more….”

So we might as well first discuss mealtimes aboard the American Eagle. Maybe mealtime is more applicable because you can literally eat 24/7. There’s an Early Riser breakfast before the dining room breakfast; there’s a pretty much all day cafe in the Sky Lounge bracketing the more formal lunches and dinners; Cookie time at 10 and 3 provides obviously very necessary sustenance in between meals; one would think the cocktail hour and hors d’ouevres prior to dinner might interfere with the more than generous dinner options but of course that doesn’t happen — and an hour later, no one skimps on the open bar, ice cream treats and popcorn that accompany the evening entertainment. Did I mention that snacks and beverages are available 24/7 in the Sky Lounge?

Rest assured there’s a Fitness Room to counter all those calories but seriously, no one goes there. The saving grace? All meals come in half-portions, which themselves are more than sufficient in this close to 5-star restaurant.

The staff — who are not allowed to accept gratuities — are still remarkably agreeable. How often do you request a drink at an establishment that they don’t carry — and by the next night, it’s there? So it was with my Fireball. Need I remind you that we were on a ship at the time? Just as an aside, this ship — accommodating only about 100 passengers — is part of the only line in the world offering small US ships that operate like river cruises along US coasts.

If you can find time in between all the food, multiple daily excursions are offered to St. Simon and Jekyll Islands, Savannah, Hilton Head, Beaufort and Charleston.

On the trolley tour of Savannah, a city I’ve never been to before. I wasn’t expecting much, just another nice southern town. I was admittedly skeptical when the trolley driver started the tour by claiming that Savannah is the most fascinating town in America — but by the time the tour ended 90 minutes later, I was in total agreement.

The constant patter from Miss Pearl brought this historic wonderland to life. The picturesque streets just begging to be strolled upon with singular homes and stores; houses dating back to the 1700 and 1800’s with architectural flourishes of graceful, lace-like iron-work adorning balconies, columns and brackets. Wraparound porches adorned with decorative balustrades and whimsically designed gingerbreading give each structure its personal charm and distinction.

So much history visible right in front of you, peppered everywhere with almost two dozen parks and squares, ennobled by a famous statue. Even chain stores such as Starbucks, Five Guys and CVS blend into the historic ambiance. Surrounding the immersive history are huge oak trees, their gnarled branches dripping with Spanish Moss, forming canopies over the streets. I laughed when I passed a sign declaring “Savannah’s Historic District.” Kind of felt redundant at best.

The next mode of transportation was a golf cart traversing Pat Conroy country. You probably ought to know the author of The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, The Water is Wide and others to appreciate even the idea of such an excursion. I qualified. But even if you’re not familiar with his books, you may be with the many movies made of them, all of which take place in the city where he lived. Beaufort, SC is another historic small town, with houses from the 1700’s, that delights even without the Pat Conroy connection.

Nor are they the only movies for which the town is famous – and whose settings are great fun to visit. Perhaps you’ve heard of Forrest Gump? Maybe even The Big Chill? Forces of Nature with Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock? Glory with Denzel Washington? You pass scenes from the movies, houses the stars rented during filming, and the chocolate shop whose candies filled the famous box of chocolates Forrest Gump ate in the infamous bench scene.

A visit to the Prohibition Museum doesn’t teach you about that era – you instead inhabit it. From one life-size, immersive exhibit to another, you viscerally experience the hows and whys of alcohol’s early 20th century journey from poison to party staple.

And should you wish to stay on board — few people do, no matter their disabilities — ship activities abound. There’s Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader; movie trivia; an Outrageous Laws game – you probably didn’t know that in Alabama, it is illegal to drive while wearing a blindfold — and the ever-popular Boozy Bingo. As silly and/or intimidating as they may sound, they are always fun. And the same can be said of the whole cruise!

For more information, visit americancruiseline.com.

The post Coastal Cruise: Round the Clock Food, Festivities and Fun appeared first on Traveling Archive.

BELIZE CITY, Belize- It was just three words, the Great Blue Hole, that stuck in my head. A giant marine sinkhole in the center of Lighthouse Reef, 40 miles off the coast of Belize, the 407-foot-deep hole was such a mystery that ocean scientist Jacques Cousteau led an exploratory expedition to the site in 1971, and filmed the adventure. Which I’d forgotten. Until last summer, that is, when my wife Val and I decided to celebrate the lull in the Corona-virus lockdown with a brief vacation, one we agreed had to be outdoors, on a mountain trail, or alternatively, in the water.

Since the Colorado mountains where we live don’t offer much in the way of dive sites, the answer was a week in the Caribbean on a live-aboard dive boat. Our first live-aboard experience, it meant a 24-7 vacation with people we’d never met. But on the plus side, it promised non-stop diving, more than we would have done otherwise. It was snowing in Denver when we started to plan, but Weaver Dive & Travel Center, the Boulder travel agent we contacted, weren’t surprised to see us. These trips book up early in the year,said consultant Audrey Tobin, an experienced diver herself. After mulling over a half-dozen options, we settled on a week in Belize on the 110-foot Belize Aggressor III, one of Aggressor Adventures Company’s two Belize City-based dive boats.

Then, while studying the map, I spotted it, the Great Blue Hole, right where we would be. Competitive fishing and sunny beaches are the reason most tourists visit Belize, on the Central American coast. But it’s the 700-mile-long Reef that draws divers like a magnet. Little known elsewhere and second in length only to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the Mesoamerican Reef is a diver’s dream, a vibrant coral forest alive with dozens of varied marine species. You’ll be seeing the Blue Hole, too, along with some of the Reef’s most popular dive sites,said Tobin, explaining that local residents call them atolls. These were Turneffe Atoll and Lighthouse Reef, both declared a Marine Reserve in 2012, and the site of the Great Blue Hole.Depending on the wind,she added. You’re likely to see the best places, Black Beauty, Silver Caves and Chain Wall, and Half Moon Caye, Tarpon Caye and Long Caye Ridge.

To our surprise, getting to Belize and going through customs was a breeze. The morning flight to Belize arrived on time, and thanks to our vaccination cards and Belize’s organized immigration officers – English is the national language – we went through customs without a hitch. Arriving at the dock and boarding the Aggressor III, we found our cabin, one of eight, located topside with windows, ideal for Val who sometimes feels claustrophobic. Traveling light and anticipating warm weather, we unpacked in less than ten minutes, leaving time to explore the dive deck. Organized down to the last square foot, it was divided into 18 separate stations, one per diver, with air and nitrox outlets and space for gearing up, hanging up wet gear and storing it afterwards. Locating our assigned spots, we felt ready for anything.

Before casting off, Captain Jerome introduced himself, his Dive Master Monique and the crew, and we followed suit, introducing ourselves one by one. Most surprising were our fellow divers’ range of ages and experience, from 30-something friends with fewer than 50 dives to a senior couple who counted more than 3500 dives between them. And it wasn’t long before the crew won our confidence. Gearing up for the first dive and waiting to get in the water, Val, a novice with just 19 dives to her name, suddenly clutched her mask as if she couldn’t breathe. In an instant, the dive master was there with a friendly word, helping her up and into the water. Popping up, she grinned at me through her mask. From there on it was smooth sailing.

As for the Aggressor III’s daily dive schedule – and that of many similar boats, I soon learned – it followed a pattern. Each day had two morning dives at one site, and two afternoon and a night dive at a second site, for a total of 26 possible dives over the week, all in the 30 to 80-foot sport-diving range. At each dive the boat anchored to a buoy, then we stepped off into the water one-by-one, looked around to locate the wall, turned right or left, and eventually, after finning along to the turn-around point (for air consumption or time), ascended to the top of the reef. Our second dive was similar, going the opposite way. Some divers kept up the pace, but there was no pressure to dive every time. The weather was so nice that a couple of us skipped a dive for a sunny afternoon on deck.

On Wednesday we dove in Great Blue Hole, our deepest dive , ranging from 125 to 135 feet deep. Descending in the gloom was spooky at first but you soon saw what intrigued Cousteau: Emerging through the light, numberless stalactites hung off the sides geologic features normally found in above-ground caverns. According to geologists, when sea levels rose eons ago, water gradually filled the cavern, eventually collapsing the limestone ceiling and creating the hole. To compensate for the extra-deep dive, we spent Wednesday afternoon on land, exploring the Moon Cave National Monument, a famous bird sanctuary.

The night dives were a fish of a different color. Nocturnal marine animals we hadn’t seen during daylight now swam in front of our torches, from lobsters, crabs and squid to a variety of other reef dwellers. As dusk fell, schools of Tarpons, big silver fish, gathered around the anchor line waiting for the boat’s underwater lights to blink on. In no time the rays attracted schools of smaller fish, the tarpon’s favorite meal. As the dive ended, clusters of Tarpons whizzed past, still on the hunt. Did we see sharks? Not at night. But yes, on almost every other dive, and not just one shark, but two or three. Love them or fear them, if you dive you’re going to see them said one of the crew. They’re more afraid of you than you are of them. Some were faint shapes in the distance; a few cruised close to the boat, but ignored us. One of them, which the crew called Patches, named for the two white markings on his head, was a frequent visitor.

Thursday’s schedule duplicated Monday and Tuesday, but the dive part of the trip ended Friday morning when the no-diving 24 hours before-a-flight rule kicked in. Still living on board, we spent the afternoon touring a Mayan Temple or taking a so-called cave tubing ride. Dinner was on our own, but we slept on board. Saturday morning, we packed to leave, and after many friendly email exchanges, headed to the airport for the flight home.

Like some of our fellow divers, Val and I took our own masks, fins, snorkels and my dive computer. The rest rented high-quality gear, mostly new Aqualung equipment from Aggressor. The only negative for us were the couple of nights that the bar, located next door, stayed open past midnight. My creature-sighting list included more hits than misses, with checks next to turtles, moray eels, eagle rays, stingrays, tarpons, groupers, entire schools of blennies, various angelfish, lobsters and little squid. Once in a while we spotted a small patch of dead coral, but most of the hard and soft corals were deeply colored, and healthy looking. Our fellow divers were companionable and the crew, from Captain Jerome on, were dedicated to showing us what they say is the world’s best diving. Unsung but appreciated were Chef Vanessa and J.R., whose superb meals, cooked in a tiny kitchen, earned high praise from everyone. If you want a closer look at the Great Blue Hole, visit Jacques Cousteau. Or spend a week in Belize, on a dive boat.  

The post One Hundred Feet Down, in Belize: On the Trail of the Great Blue Hole appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Such is one of the many highlights at the Dolphin Academy, one of several up-front-and-personal animal encounters available at the Sea Aquarium on the Caribbean island of Curacao.

Now I don’t usually like watching animals perform tricks that are alien to their DNA for the amusement of tourists, but at the Dolphin Academy, the residents are treated with such loving care, I swam alongside them with minimal guilt. According to trainer Yvette, the dolphins are the first priority. “They are on a very light work schedule and every day, it varies. Like humans, they react better when their life is not all that predictable. And if for any reason they don’t want to perform – perhaps they’re preoccupied with a personal family situation (I didn’t pursue that) – the program is called off.”

As if on cue, a participant related a past experience in which dolphins used to give rides to people holding on to their fins. Nope, not any more – although it doesn’t harm the dolphin (although some disagree), they got a lot of criticism in the past and clearly the dolphins didn’t like, it so it was stopped years ago. I nodded; point well taken… score one for the dolphins.

Prior to the snorkel, Yvette instructed us on how to proceed: be patient; let them come to you; stroke them along their flanks. She taught us how to encourage the dolphin to come alongside and then free dive in unison. Romeo and I shared a number of shallow dives together and in parting he gave me a kiss. Okay, so he did it because he got a fish but still I thought he was actually smiling at me at the time.

Dafne Greeven, a dive instructor from The Hague, Netherlands, said she had seen dolphin in the ocean, but had never interacted with them. “Most animal encounters are much more commercial,” she observed. “Snorkeling with them was a very special, personal experience. It was wonderful to see how well they treat the dolphins here and encourage us to be relaxed so that the dolphins will be.”

And it was only the start of my very personal connection with sea life in Curacao. My next encounter took me even further underwater.  I’ve been snorkeling before – but never in the past did the fish swarm to me rather than my having to swim out to them. But then again I don’t usually carry a supply of squiggly little sardines with me when I go, while at the same time making meaningful eye contact. Well, meaningful to me anyway.

But at the Dolphin Academy experience, getting up close and personal with a variety of denizens of the deep is the whole purpose. So there I was co-mingling with tarpon, common snook, French grunts, permit fish, horse-eyed jack and so many sting rays that I felt covered most of the time by a soft lightweight blanket caressing my body – only this blanket wanted to be fed fish which it ate with its underbelly.

I wasn’t really surprised to find the huge loggerhead turtles and sharks behind a Plexiglas shield and fed through small holes in the glass. Still, the shark didn’t look any less menacing for being behind protective covering. I carefully followed the instructions on when to feed them directly and when to take better care of my fingers. There’s not always a second chance to do that with a shark…

Ah so many fish, so little time – I fed as many as I could in the 35-minute feeding frenzy and came away with a new respect for the difference between just snorkeling – and actually swimming with the fishes…

Back on land, my next animal rendezvous was of a more playful nature. I got to meet and greet Snapper, the sea lion. I learned the difference between sea lions and seals and watched Snapper do a seal imitation as he flopped along on his belly. Sea lions are much more genteel when they move – they walk on all fours. Using flippers, of course, but still…

Snapper had a bit to say during our tete-a-tete  but his vocalization unfortunately resembled  a very loud, deep belch that tended to continue long after it was socially acceptable to do so. But still he was very cute – and, like Romeo, very affectionate. Yup, I got another kiss. Between the two, I got more action that weekend than I remember occurring at the height of my dating career.

And, of course, although all these activities are outside, all COVID protocols are being followed: mask wearing is required (the dolphins are exempt; not sure about Snapper….) and social distancing is maintained.

For more information visit Dolphin Academy.

Get more information about Curaçao Sea Aquarium.

The post Curacao: Under- and Over-Water Animal Encounters appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Chicken Little

Thank you all for your feedback last week. As expected, quite a few of you did not agree with my controversial suggestion to open businesses from the lockdown this early in the game (I posted some feedback on the Traveling Boy website). Actually, I’m not too sure myself. My real purpose was to let us start thinking with a more balanced viewpoint.

The great philosopher, Chicken Little, was walking around the hen house one day when a malicious fox threw an acorn on her head. “My goodness!” she excalimed looking up, “the sky is falling!” She runs to her friends and warns them of their impending doom. One opinionated animal after another hypothesize the logic of the sky falling. The gullible masses parrot opposing world views. Soon the hen house turns into a panic room. They rush out of the hen house and into the fox’s trap.

Ever since the pandemic started, we’ve listened to opposing arguments from fact claiming experts on both sides. There’s a whole lot of blame shifting and conspiracy theories going on. So who’s telling the truth? Only time (if we have enough of it) will tell. Before we rush out of the realm of reason, may I suggest we observe the fox (the source) who threw the acorn in the first place? What’s that guy up to?

Whether the fox spread the disease with intentional malice or not, there is a game plan hidden by the powers that be. If we continue to panic, we would have already lost the battle. Why don’t we stop, turn down the volume and pray? We can maneuver out of the fox’s trap. He will never expect it.

“Be still my soul. Be still and know that He is God.
Rest quietly. Rest in His loving arms for He is watching over you.
Ever faithful, ever true. So be still and know that He is God.”

Is the sky falling or is it just a rumor? Who cares?! With God on our side … (or better still) when we are on God’s side … who can stand against us?

Keep safe and hold on to your faith. TGIF people!

Joke of the Week

Thanks to  Peter Paul of S Pasadena, for sharing this joke.

Video: Gay Dinosaur

Thanks to Janet of Whittier, CA for this short meme.

Video: Manna in Dipolog City

Thanks Enrique for this video. A few days ago thousands of fish washed up on the beaches of Dipolog, a poor small town in the Southern part of the Philippines. Is there any doubt that God provides during this troubled times?

Video: Covid Lesson

Thanks to J.J. of Manila who shared this video. Taiwan has only had 429 cases and 6 deaths, and business never stopped. What’s the secret?

Video: Two Guys Catch a Flight

Thanks to Vanessa of Hacienda Heights, CA for this dangerously entertaining clip of 2 aerial stuntmen. What would you choose? To be locked up but safe or to be free as a bird but living on the edge?

Don’s Puns

Thanks to Don of Kelowna, B.C.who loves puns. This isn’t really a pun but it’s close.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Mario of Manila

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA. Don’t be frightened. It’s just me!

Finally, here’s one from Naomi of N Hollywood, CA. So, you really want to wait till it’s safe to go out?

The post Good and Bad News appeared first on Traveling Archive.

What are some of the “things” or activities that Portuguese people do for fun?

ANSWER: Portuguese love the simple things like enjoying a great meal with friends and family (sometimes it can last 2 or 3 hours), walk on the beach, or to dance in one of the many popular street festivals that go on year-round the country, travel from village to village and discover unique things as well as savor local dishes, wines and sweets. And we love to listen to – and even to sing Fado.
Photo by Jose Manuel

Photo by Jose Manuel

What’s one thing the public probably does NOT know about Portugal?

ANSWER: Portugal has more castles per capita in the world, we are Europe’s highest consumers of fish and shellfish, with annual per capita consumption of close to 60Kg according to Fish Farmer Magazine. Plus we are also the biggest cork producer in the world, that we are the oldest country in Europe (in terms of borders), that we have the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. In fact, we have more than 200 unique Portuguese wine grapes. And, we have one of the mildest climates in Europe.

Photo by Associaca de Turismo dos Acores

Photo by ADXTUR

Share some aspect of Portugal as regards to what it has contributed to the world?

ANSWER: We discovered the maritime route to Brazil and India – creating the first international trade-based economy. We brought horses to Japan; spices, coffee, and tea to Europe; and gave the world the pasteis de nata – plus our vinho de alhos recipes have spread from Africa, to India to Brazil.

Photo by Jose Manuel

For further information about Portugal, click-on: www.visitportugal.com | www.portugalglobal.pt | www.insideportugaltravel.com

The post Three Things We Didn’t Know About Portugal appeared first on Traveling Archive.