Memories of Mom Through Travel

As many close to me know that my Mom "Vista" passed away after a short battle with rectal cancer in 2001.  I am an only child and my Mom and I were close.  Whenever I travel I seem to always be drawn to something with her name on it.  I can't help but to think it is just her way of be my guardian angel as I am traveling.  Here are just a few pictures to describe what I am referring too.

The Spice of Life - Fruits and Spices of Grenada

Many people take for granted where our produce and spices come from.  Its more than just the grocery store. Spices come from an more natural place than just a can or a box labeled McCormick.  On a recent trip to Grenada I was amazed that just about every spice grows on a tree.

A cocoa tree! Can we say chocolate!!

A guava tree!

This is where your loofah back scrubber comes from

Nutmeg drying in racks

A cashew tree

Grapefruit tree. Looks nothing like the manicured trees in Florida

Arabica coffee tree

Papaya tree

Orca's Off the Coast of San Juan Island in the United States

On the return trip back to our final day on a 8 day Alaskan cruise abroad Celebrity Cruise lines.e did an excursion to view orca's off the coast of San Juan island.   Our ship had docked for the day in British Columbia, Canada and we decided for our last excursion to book a trip to view the orca's off the coast of San Juan Island. I had never heard of San Juan Island other than the San Juan that was a United States territory.  We set out on a boat ride that seemed to take forever.  We kept riding along the coast line until the captain reduced the power in the engines and we just hovered 650 feet of erie cold black water.  There was nothing stirring except for the occasional detached strand of kelp.  We all of us waited with our eyes pealed for some semblance a tell-tale sign of an erect black and white dorsal fin.  All of a sudden there was nothing but erie calmness over the water and then that calmness was shattered like glass with a swoosh of water was pushed through the blowhole of a resident orca whale.  That site was the beginning a an amazing afternoon watching this beautiful mammal for the first time.  It was hard to truly understand that this creature could be given such a moniker of a "killer whale."

"There she blows!-there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill!

My husband and I have had the privilege of whale watching in several places in the world.  We live within an hour and a half from the Atlantic Ocean where the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center and the Virginia Marie Science Museum sponsor whale watching tours. The whale watching season runs from December to March.  It is very cold in Virginia during that time and especially on the water.  I would recommend that you dress in layers. The boat the Rudee Flipper has a heated cabin with a full service snack bar.  The boat makes a 90 minute trip up and down the Virginia beach coast.  The shoreline is always within view.  I have been on this tour twice and have seen a few whales each time.  The whales that we saw were mainly hump back juveniles.  These are not as big as whales seen in Alaska or in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with that said it still is exciting to see a whale regardless of the size.    


We have also been on whale watching excursions in Mexico and Alaska. We found that even though the whales are a protected species in Mexico the boat captains do not seem to fear breaking the maritime laws for keeping a safe distance from whales. In Cabo our captain was able to get very close to a pod of whales and a calf.  While in Juneau, Alaska our boat captain took us on a hour ride out to the middle of  the ocean to see a huge pod of adult whales feeding. During that trip the captain would follow a group of whales and then announced after 30 minutes that we could not pursue that particular pod whales any longer as it was against the law.  Both whale watching trips in Cabo and Alaska where the best as to the frequency and size of the whales.  Many of the whales provided quite a show when the made their dive to deeper water and showed us their distinctive tail.  

Whale watching in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on the last day of the season!

Cabo Wabo Baby!!

El Arco in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Early October of 2010, we embarked on yet another adventure.  My husband is a HUGE fan of Sammy Hagar which was a  former frontman for Van Halen.  Now fans will say there are either a Roth or Hagar fan! Personally, I like both contributions to the band as both brought their on style.  Each year around the week of Sammy Hagar's birthday he throws a huge birthday bash at his club the Cabo Wabo in Cabo San Lucas.  Last year was the first year that he allowed tickets for this famed event to been sold online without having to travel to Cabo and sleep on the streets the night before just to get tickets to his show.  Well as luck would have it my husband was able to get two tickets.  So Cabo here we came!!  I was excited about going on a mini vacation.  We left from Reagan National Airport in the District of Columbia.  As our plane started to pull away from the gates we were halted as a tire had blown under the front tires of the nose of the plane.  The pilot came on the advise us of the situation and it advised that this is a rare event and that it was best to have found it before it caused a crash upon landing.  We waited on the tarmac for over two hours.  We were then told that we might not make our connecting flight through the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. We found out that our flight out of DFW was the last flight to Cabo for the day.  We were very anxious that we would not make the last flight to Cabo.  When we disembarked the plane at DFW it was discovered that the plane we were just on was the same one that was flying into Cabo, what a big sigh of relief.  We arrived in Cabo at 9:30 P.M. Pacific time and we were greeted by men that said that they had been waiting for us to arrive and had gotten worried, but had discovered that our plane was late.  After a hour ride we arrived at the hotel Finnisterra in Cabo.  All we could do was check in wash our hands and faces and crash.  We enjoyed our stay at the hotel.  The restaurant on the premises was very good for breakfast.  They offered both American and Mexico breakfast opinions at affordable rates.  The hotel is quite large and sits on the beach.  The beach is great for sunbathing but swimming in NOT allowed as of the very strong currents and steep drop off from the beach.  Many people have gotten killed by being swept into the ocean by walking too close the the ocean's edge.  A short walk down the beach from the hotel is Divorce Beach, swimming there is prohibited as well.  No trip to Cabo would be complete without seeing the El Arco.  

This why you do not want to swim here!

All of the restaurants that we ate lunch and dinners were within walking distance of our hotel.  There are a lot of great restaurants around the marina and at decent prices.  All restaurants have menus that list the costs in  US Dollars as well as Pesos.  Some only list it in Pesos.  Some restaurants will even put the conversion on the bottom of the receipt.  One of the best restaurants we found was Senior Sweets in the Cabo marina.  The menu was extensive and the food was fresh and affordable.  They also have quite an extensive offering of gelato!!  Before we left for this trip we went to our local AAA and purchased several small bundles of Pesos or Mexican currency.  We found that when dealing with businesses they had difficulty calculating the conversion rate and when they found out you had Pesos they treated you better instead of a tourist.  Also you will can find some ATM's that will dispense money in Pesos as well as US Dollars.  I would also suggest saving the credit cards for larger more commercial establishments like chain restaurants.  One example of this was the Cabo Hard Rock Cafe as well purchased several t-shirts and pins.

The thing that annoyed us most on this trip were the amount of beggars and pan handlers.  They were everywhere selling anything and everything.  There were no shortage of cigars, Mexican silver jewelry and Nacho Libre Masks.  These venders are slick, they employee their small toddlers to sell small packets of gum. There children would hide behind the advertising signs on the marina and try to scare you.  I had that happen to me at night and I could see little feet from underneath the sign and I said "I see you" and then laughed and walked on.  When a cruise ship(s) are in port the marina becomes a frenzy of locals vying for attention.  My husband constantly got pestered to take a deep sea fishing trip.  My husband is far from the deep sea sport fishing type. Remember, we were there for Sammy's 63rd Birthday Bash.

While there we were able to book some day excursions through the hotel.  On one trip we took a two hour ride on an air conditioned van to Todos Santos in Baja California, Mexico.  The drive was pleasant and the driver was informative and spoke clear English.  Todos Santos is rumored to be how The Eagles came up with the lyrics to "Hotel California".  The town of Todos Santos is a small arts and crafts town and has a bohemian artsy vibe to it.  The streets were dirty and there was a fair share of venders and tourist type shops. We made a quick pass through the famed "Hotel California" and it's gift shop and as I am walking through I am running through the lyrics of "Hotel California" in my head.  The hotel has a mystic vibe and there is a local mission within earshot of the hotel. There are a lot of parallels with the town and with the the story this song tells.  One would have to visit in order to make an opinion, though I am convinced.

While in Todos Santos we had lunch at Tequila Sunrise and had an award winning margarita made by Mr. Margarita who has won numerous titles for having the best margarita.  I ordered the damiana margarita. Damiana liqueur is a light herb-based liqueur from Mexico.  It is made from the damiana herb or flower that is grows in Baja California, Mexico.  Damiana is said to create a euphoric sensation. My drink came in a huge margarita glass with very little ice.  It was truly the best margarita that I have ever tasted.  Let's just start off by saying that I am not a drinker not even a casual drinker. Soon after taking a couple of sips "my head grew heavy and my site grew dim."  I could not even finish my wonderful quesadilla.  All of our tour group ended up at Tequilla Sunrise and all of the women slumped back in the seats on the van ride back to our respective hotels.  If I went back to Todos Santos I would definitely eat more before having a sip of that powerful margarita.

Another excursion we took as a pre sunset ride on a replica pirate ship called the "Buccaneer Queen."  We set out before sunset as it was a sunset cruise.  There was an open bar with plenty of liqueur flowing.  We sailed along the coast of the Gulf of California.  The weather was great and the trip was enjoyable.  The crew put on a pirate show for which they will draft guests to partake.  At the end of the trip the crew shot off fireworks.

I would say we had a great trip.  I felt totally safe walking the streets after normal hours.  A taxi was always close by.  On this trip we never used a taxi as everything was within walking distance and it was great to get the exercise in.  I would recommend Cabo as my husband plans on returning October 2012 for Sammy Hagar's 65th Birthday Bash.  I will be the one holding the sign in the front row asking Sammy if he filled out his Medicare forms yet!

Up, Up in Away in My Beautiful Balloon!!!

On October 30, 2010, My husband and I took a hot air balloon ride!  I had been wanting to do it for some time.  We drove 65 mile trip to Charlottesville, Virginia before the dawn to arrive at our designated launch site. We arrived at the Pepsi Distribution Center and were the first to arrive.  Soon three heavy duty pickup trucks arrived carry the heavy baskets and a jumbo bags to hold the balloons as well as giant fans to aide in the inflation of the balloon.  It was exciting and scary at the same time.  We were allowed to participate in the setup or inflation of our balloon.  After what seemed to be an eternity our balloon was fully inflated and was beginning to stand tall on the horizon.  One by one we climbed in the balloon, first the pilot and then us and two other riders.  Soon after the ground crew released the mooring ropes and we were off!  We slowly rose several feet off the ground and I was thinking I am still close to the ground if anything happens.  Then we climbed higher and higher.  Our pilot continuously kept the propane tanks firing as well climbed above the town.  We are right a tree top level for most of the trip.  Our pilot allowed the wind to carry us to where ever it would take us.  We drifted over a farm in the crisp mist of an early Fall morning.  It was so peaceful, it's just you and the wind to carry you where every the balloon wanted to take you.  As we drifted over the farm we crossed a river and were awestruck by the tranquillity of the surroundings.  The end of our voyage was coming to and end.  Now our pilot had to look for a safe place to land this balloon.  While looking for a safe place to land, a landing site was found in a subdivision but as we got closer to the site it was determined that there was a tree in the way and drifted on to another well suited site. Towards the back of the subdivision was a large section of trees and on the other side of the trees was an elementary school that was closed for the weekend.  As we made our approach through the trees we actually had to part some off the tops of trees for the balloon to land.  We landed on a thin strip of asphalt between a guard rail and a hill.  This would have been no easy feat for a novice pilot.  We were instructed to squat as we hovered  ground.  Our basket hit the ground with a gentle thud and then the basket skipped along the asphalt to a final stop.  The previous launch crew had been in radio contact with our pilot and were there waiting for us to land.  We all climbed out of the basket and assisted in pushing the air from the balloon and packing it back into the jumbo bag.  We all piled in the king cub of the truck and headed back to the original launch site and toasted with sparkling apple cider.  It truly was a fascinating day! It is an experience that I have to say one should experience at least once in their life.

This picture was taken by slightly leaning over the side of the basket!

Crossing the foggy river bed

The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina

I have always wanted to visit the Biltmore Estate in beautiful foothills of Asheville, North Carolina, but the thoughts of making the five hour drive kept me from doing so.  My husband and I set out early on a predawn morning in June headed to Asheville. Preliminary research for rooms close to the estate where very expensive. We booked a hotel about 15 miles away from the actual estate to save money and eliminate tourist traffic.  This actually saved us around $75. We arrived in Asheville mid afternoon and checked into out hotel.  We woke up early the next morning and decided to make the short drive over to the Biltmore Estate to tour the grounds and the estate.  Our tour was the first one of the morning and everything and everyone was fresh.  During the Summer months I would advise that one take the early morning tours as the Biltmore Estate does not have air conditioning and it can get quite hot and humid.  After walking through this amazing architectural wonder we leisurely strolled through the gardens on a self-guided tour.  The gardens were in full bloom and too me where more spectacular that the mansion.  If I could I would love to go back around the Christmas holiday which I have heard is guaranteed to put anyone in the holiday spirit.

Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia

My husband and I were born and raised in Virginia and neither he nor I had ever been to Luray Caverns.  In 2009, after recovering from a knee surgery and still on leave from work my husband and I decided to visit. The journey to get to the caverns was very beautiful and pastoral. We enjoyed winding through the Shenandoah Mountains and feeling our ears pop as we claimed to higher altitude.  The admission was $23 pp and we thought that was on the pricey side.  We took the self-guided tour without stopping to listen to the prerecorded narration of each landmark throughout the caverns.

On the site of Luray Caverns there are several shops that we visited one of which being the typical junky tourist trinket shop.  The other is the Luray Fudge Company.  My husband is a fudge connoisseur and could not leave to come home until he had gotten a slice or two.  As for how the fudge ranked he was not really impressed as the fudge was not fresh and had started to dry out.  

Over all I am glad that we went as I was getting cabin fever and needed to get out of the house.  It was a great day trip and I would recommend it.