Huatulco, Mexico

I had planned to travel again during spring break, but an opportunity arose where both Dave and I could travel together so I quickly booked a trip, found 2 teachers who will willing to take my classes and we were off for a weeklong February break.

Huatulco (pronounced was-TOOL-co) is in the state of Oaxaca on the Pacific coast of Mexico. It's official name is Bahias de Huatulco referring to the fact that this resort area is clustered around nine bays at base of the Sierra Madre mountains. The area spans 20 miles of the Pacific coastline and includes 36 beaches. Visit Mexico
claims that this area is one of Mexico's most relaxed destinations.

We took a six hour direct flight from Vancouver with a plane load of Canadians and arrived to find a part of Mexico that was also full of Canadians.

We stayed at  Las Brisas with 3 private beaches and its own coral reef.

We stayed from Feb 13-20, which included Valentine's Day. The resort had roaming cupids handing out chocolate.

The resort is surrounded by 50 acres of botanical hillside gardens and getting around requires using stairs. There are carts that take you around but consider this; to get from the restaurant/pool/bar level to the lobby level where you will find these carts, you will have to climb these.....

and possibly these, which is just one set of stairs you may need to climb to get to your room....

We were in the lower section

Some of the stairs we needed to climb to get from the beach to our room.

The obligatory view from our room. It was worth the climb.

Our favourite breakfast restaurant was the Mexican restaurant. It was open-air with a great view of the snorkelling beach and the coral reef. 

Loved all of the wood around the resort.

We took a city tour on Sunday, which turned out not to be such a good day as most shops were closed. The charming little town of  La Crucecita was one of the stops. So nice to see that there are no traditional fast food restaurants in the area.

We took a sunset sail tour as we can only see the sunrise from the resort. 

 We also took a tour to see crocodiles and turtles raised to be reintroduced.

Iguana in the mangrove

And lastly we took a snorkelling tour. We love snorkelling and this time we saw a puffer fish, eels, a baby shark and many colourful fish. It was so nice that we could snorkel right at our resort but we wanted more.

One of the many beaches along the way

Face in the rocks

Two whales

Lunch break at a beach only accessible by water

We came home on Friday and Dave had to leave for work in Indonesia on Monday. I was so happy to be able to share a holiday with him and I am now planning how I can whisk him away for another.

Tofino

Surfing on Cox Bay

Beach walking

Starfish

After the rush of Christmas, we took the family to the west coast of Vancouver Island.

To reach the village of Tofino we drove from our home to Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal just outside of Vancouver. We took the ferry to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island and traveled north on Highway 19 for 43km (26 miles), took exit 60 onto Highway 4 West (also known as the Pacific Rim Highway), drove 156km (97 miles) through spectacular ancient forest in Cathedral Grove, historic Port Alberni, and around beautiful Sproat and Kennedy Lake. We traveled over a windy road until we came to the junction between Ucluelet and Tofino. We turned right and traveled north through Pacific Rim National Park to our hotel which was just out of Tofino (28km-17miles).

We booked one cottage and 3 deluxe beachfront rooms at The Long Beach Lodge Resort.

We went on beach walks, short hikes, walked around Tofino, and ate some fabulous food. One restaurant we went to was named Canada's #1 best new restaurant. It was not too expensive and was enjoyed by our group ranging in ages from 3 years - 85 years old. I would recommend Wolf in the Fog.

One member of our group went surfing in the cold Pacific water. I sat in the hot tub.

Family bonding at its best!

View from our room

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Cottage

Path to the cottage

Start of an easy hike

End of the hike

Las Vegas during Christmas break

Being a teacher I have to work my travel plans into school breaks. Two weeks in December was made for traveling. On December 20 my husband Dave, daughter Jen and I drove across the border into Washington to take a flight on Allegiant from Bellingham. Our destination was Las Vegas.

Show girls on Freemont Street

It was our first time on Allegiant and found they charge for everything. It cost us to carry on luggage and would have cost $5 per boarding pass if we had them printed at the airport. In 2 1/2 hours we were in Vegas.

We wanted a place to stay that had 2 bedrooms and found what we wanted at the Desert Rose. It was a block and a half off the strip and had no casino, so was quiet.

We started our trip with a bus ride to Freemont Street and headed to the Golden Gate Casino where the shrimp cocktail was first introduced to Las Vegas.

Jen planned all of our activities and she did a great job. We saw a murder mystery that evening. Marriage can be Murder was a lot of fun. We watched the light show on Freemont Street and took the bus back home. I have been to Vegas 3 times, but not for quite some time and found the Freemont Experience Light Show has become much more commercial and shorter than I remember. Worth going to see though.

Day 2 of 3 was spent on the strip looking at a lot of hotels and some minor gambling. Jen and I had been playing My Vegas on Facebook and earned enough points to eat morning brunch for free. We went to The CSI Experience at the MGM Grand and were researchers at Television City Our evening entertainment was the cirque show Love at the Mirage.

We flew home on December 23 to have Christmas with the family.

This is where I've been...so far

Bonnie has been to: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Luxembourg, Macao, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Peru, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela. Get your own travel map from Matador Network.

Spring Break 2014

While Dave is off working in Indonesia, I decided I needed some sun and took a 5 day trip to the Riviera Maya, Mexico. I stayed at an all-inclusive, Bahia Principe Coba, and took a few daytrips.

A coati stealing my hamburger right off my patio.

Dog and rider in Playa Del Carmen

CENOTE (sēn-OH-tay). From the Mayan dzonot meaning “well,” a Cenote is a surface connection to a subterranean body of water.

Tulum

I went snorkelling at Xel-Ha, an all-inclusive natural aquarium park

Saw a manatee

Xel-ha

Slowing down at Xel-ha

Chichen Itza is one of the largest Maya cities

Took in some ocean time

Art class

Jen took me to an art class yesterday. I didn't hold out much hope because I can't even draw a stick person. I draw a lot on the board to illustrate the vocabulary word or concept I am trying to teach, but I am pretty sure that the students are secretly laughing at my attempts. Here are the results from yesterday. Try not to laugh!

I think it kinda looks like the eagle it is supposed to be. My grandson recognized it.

My interpretation of a crow. My hills became volcanoes in later pictures.

And the volcanoes begin to appear.

This is a pile of squash. I know, hard to figure out.

Our newest backyard critter

Jen and I were moving lumber around in the backyard today. The dogs think that under every piece of wood is something interesting and today they were right. It's not very often we find a salamander anymore and this one is huge.

Critters from around the world

This is what the cleaner found under Dave's desk in Indonesia

and this is what I found in my compost bin in Yarrow, BC

I like my opossum find better than his scorpion. Mine is cute and helpful around the garden and his is "a little bit poisonous" Dave's Indonesian friend told him. The scorpion was released unharmed and the opossum disappeared on his/her own. 

Fall in the valley

Here are a few of the must do things for fall:

Visit a pumpkin patch

Go to a petting zoo (bonus if it is at the pumpkin patch)

Find your way out of a corn maze by answering riddles