Seeing the Galapagos tortoise is one of the highlights of visiting the islands off the coast of Ecuador. The Galapagos Islands were even named after their massive shells. Sailors talked of these islands filled with giant turtles whose shells resembled a saddle – “galapago” in Spanish. They gave the tortoises their name and eventually the islands became known as the Galapagos.

The Massive Galapagos Tortoise

These gental giants have a life span of 150 years. When fully grown they can weigh up to 500 pounds and reach lengths of 6 feet. It’s hard to believe that they start off so small and vulnerable.

A Baby Galapagos Tortoise and Tortoise Egg

This little guy isn’t much larger than a golf ball and you can imagine how he would struggle in the wild. The Galapagos tortoise faces many challenges once they hatch.

Hatcheries and sanctuaries scatter the islands where tortoises are given a fighting chance. At one time, the tortoise only had one natural predator, the Galapagos Hawk, but with the coming of man, many new non-native predators were introduced to their environment. These animals, who were brought in by colonists make life impossible for the new hatchlings.  Goats and pigs trample their nests, rats eat the eggs and ants swarm the new born tortoise as it climbs its way up through the earth. Man certainly made life difficult for the tortoise in the past.

Many Tortoise Shells Scattered the Islands When they were at the Height of Being Hunted

Hunted for their meat and oil from the 16th to the early 20th century, the Galapagos Tortoise nearly didn’t survive. With numbers reaching a quarter of a million before the arrival of man, the Galapagos Tortoise declined to a mere 3,000 in the 1970′s.  These slow movers were easy prey for pirates, whalers and colonists who captured them for food and money. Since they can survive for months at a time without food or water, sailors took thousands of tortoises aboard their ships as fresh meat. These animals never knew to be afraid of humans and were easy pickings for the hungry pirates. Some tortoise species didn’t survive and today great efforts are being taken to make sure that the Galapagos Tortoise thrives in the 21st century.

The Tortoise Mating, Helping to bring their Numbers Back

Sanctuaries provide a safe haven for tortoises to live out their long lives and hatcheries are bringing their numbers back.  They raise young tortoises in captivity for up to 5 years. Once they have grown to a size that has a better chance for survival in the wild they are set free to roam the islands.

The Galapagos Tortoise is still considered a vulnerable species, however it’s numbers are climbing and today. It is estimates that 20,000 Turtles are living on the islands.

We had several encounters with the Galapagos Tortoise and with all the hard work that conservationists are doing and with the popularity of eco-tourism in the 21st century, the future is looking bright for them.

They are a fascinating species. One wonders what goes on in their minds. Living a long life while moving in slow motion, they seem to be more at peace with the earth than any other animal on the planet. If one could describe something as being Zen, the Galapagos Tortoise is definitely the first thing that comes to my mind.

Our trip to the Galapagos was sponsored by Intrepid Travel, Book your own Intrepid Travel Tour and receive a 10% discount off your trip. Simply by following ThePlanetD, you automatically save! Book Now and quote promo code 6659

Read more Galapagos at Wanna Know What It’s like on an Active Galapagos Tour?  or Marine Iguanas Feeding Underwater

My brother Rob goes to Jamaica every year. Sometimes even twice a year and he and my sis in law Heather rave about it. It was awesome to talk to him on the phone (albeit a short conversation) about our trip as he is an expert. He’s even stayed at the same resort that we stayed at during one of his many visits to the land of Jerk Chicken! The resort by the way is the Iberostar, very chic.

The Suite We stayed in at the Iberostar, Montego Bay

But this article is not about the resort.

While it’s amazing to have a gorgeous suite to lay our heads, we normally spend our days exploring our destination to the fullest, and luckily our hosts understood that about us and made sure that we sampled everything!

Our Group on our Adventure Tour of Jamaica before our hike at Bracco Stables.

Remember the jingle “Come back to Jamaica, What’s Old is what’s new?” Well, Jamaica ain’t stickin’ to its old slogan. There is so much new to do that I think if you haven’t been in 10 years, you will see a huge change. Especially in the off resort excursions. So, maybe it is time to come back to Jamaica, only this time get yourself off the beach and explore the island. There’s so much fun stuff to see and do, you’ll never want to go home. Maybe you’ll just end up wastin’ away in Margaritaville at Jimmy Buffets famous cafe. I know we were tempted to stay!

1. Jamaican Blobsledding 

If there is one thing you have to do when you go to Jamaica it’s hit the bobsled track. You can spend a day at Rainforest Adventures. After you ride the scenic chairlift up to the top of the mountain there are a flurry of activities such as the history museum, pool bar and café, waterslides and zipline and of course the star attraction, The Bobsled. Whiz down the hill as fast or as slow as you want, you have control of the brakes but let me tell you now, fast is fun! A fifteen minute chair ride takes you up to the top of the mountain where you can have a look around before you hop on the bobsled. The ride is fast and over before you know it, but it’s exciting and you feel giddy racing through the rainforest.  Take the day to sign up for the full package and experience and sample every adventure Rainforest Adventures has to offer.

For more information visit Rainforest Adventures. 

2. Jamaican Dogsledding 

Jamaica Dogsled

Yes, you heard me right. But in Jamaica, the dogs are pulling carts and instead of being of the husky mix breed, they are rescue dogs taken off the street and trained to be sled…err…cart dogs. They are trained to run and you can tell that they just love getting chosen to pull a bunch of tourists around the track. When our guide entered the kennel to choose a half a dozen to give us a demonstration of how the whole Jamaican Dogsledding experience works, the dogs went crazy yapping and jumping. It seemed they couldn’t wait for their turn. While I am not comfortable with dogs being chained, we were told that they run often and that they are well taken care of. These dogs would have been put down or been left to run wild in the streets, so this charity spearheaded by Jimmy Buffet seems to be doing great things for the dog population on the island.

To Find out more visit Chukka Caribbean

3. Zip Lining

No Caribbean Adventure could be complete without a zip line excursion. We arrived at a different location of Chukka Caribbean than our dogsledding adventure to take part in our zipline canopy tour. Our guides were absolutely fantastic and although this particular zip line was one of the more mellow canopy tours we’ve been on, it was beautiful and a lot of fun. We recommend it for first time zip liners. It has enough speed to make your heart race and the platforms are high enough to make you realize that yep, your way above the ground. Located on an old plantation, it is very picturesque. The jungle is dense and scenic and the highlight is zipping right through an opening where the branches split in large old growth tree.

To Find out more visit Chukka Caribbean

4. ATV with Chukka Tours 

Chukka Caribbean is everywhere on this island and we visited yet another location of this Jamaican staple. We were running a little late due to our catamaran tour going long so we missed our dune buggy adventure that we had booked, but Chukka was kind enough to move us to an ATV tour. I actually enjoyed this ATV experience better than our trip we took in Alaska. We were hesitant on taking part as we find ATV trips to be a little light on adventure due to the liability risks for the company. They never allow you to let loose. But these guys were great. They kept a steady even pace that gave me enough of a thrill to be content with the speed. It was also cool to climb the steep mountain and take a look over the island once we reached the top. The best part of the trip though was the delicious Jerk Chicken bought from the little stand on the premises. We were told that Scotchies was the best Jamaican Jerk in Jamaica, but I would say that this rivalled theirs. The chicken was tender and juicy.

To Find out more visit Chukka Caribbean

5. Catamaran Tour – Island Routes

I have always wanted to go on one of these picture perfect catamaran tours in the Caribbean. It’s these boats that you always see in the commercials promoting the Caribbean Islands. I’ve never taken one of these famous island excursions until this trip and it didn’t disappoint. As soon as we were on board the staff took great care in making sure we had a super time. The music was blasting and the snacks were laid out. No drinking until after the snorkelling where we followed our guide into the warm water and spotted trumpetfish, puffer fish and star fish. It was back onto the boat for a scenic tour of the Jamaican Coast before popping back in for another swim to explore the caves and check out the famous divers of Rick’s cafe.

For more information visit Island Routes 

6. Hike and Bike: Bracco Tours

Enjoying fresh coconuts after a day of Hiking and Biking

Have you eaten too much on the resort? Get yourself out for an informative hike followed by an all downhill bike to the Caribbean Sea. We stopped to learn about the flora and fauna and tried a tasted of the termites in the large mound. That wasn’t exactly part of the tour but one of our fellow hikers Steve told us all that they taste delicious. Never one to back down from a challenge, I thought I’d give them a try. Our guide gave the mound a good shake to wake up the termites and out they came. They weren’t too bad! We hiked up further enjoying the conversation and were greeted at the top not only to a great view, but cold towels to clean ourselves off. After a quick relaxation, stolled back down to grab our mountain bikes and ride through the fields to the beach where we enjoyed fresh coconuts and a dip in the water if we so desired while listening to that wonderful island music!

For more information visit Bracco Stables. 

There is so much to do off the resort in Jamaica above and beyond the activities we did. We only had 5 days to sample the adventures of the island and there is still so much to do. Try horseback riding through the sea, hop on a dune buggy or try one of at least 3 other zip lining adventures. There’s snorkelling and diving, parasailing and kite surfing. While it is great to relax on the beach with a Mojito in hand, it’s exciting to get yourself off the resort and enjoy everything that Jamaica has to offer.

We always wanted to camp on a private island in Thailand.  With John Gray Sea Canoe, we had the chance.  After a splendid day kayaking through tidal caves and into island lagoons, we were let off in the dark of night to be paddled to our private beach where we would spend the night.

A beautiful morning to sea canoe in Thailand

Our camp was waiting for us as we paddled in with our gear and guide Natt.  Alan, a young apprentice had spent the day preparing camp and setting up our tents.  Towels and cold water were waiting for us by the roaring fire and once we settle in an icy cold beer and campfire snacks were brought out for our enjoyment.  We spent the night trading stories and walked over to the beach to check out some more luminescence plankton glowing in the water of the Andaman Sea.

Our beautiful beach camp.

It was early to bed as it had been a long day and we had even a bigger day ahead.

The islands aren’t quite as secluded as they used to be and we awoke to the engines of longtail boats roaring by out in the bay.  After eating a feast big enough for a group of 10, but only to be consumed by our tiny party of tow, we readied ourselves for our day with John Gray.

As Alan stayed back to finish up at camp, Natt took us out to explore some more sea caves.  Today we had the chance to paddle our own canoes and we followed Natt through the choppy waters to our first cave of the day.  It was a little intimidating to be navigating our own boats.  The cave roof was low and we had to push ourselves through the limestone with our hands as we laid back in our kayaks.

Stunning beauty inside the Hongs in southern Thailand

Once we emerged from the cave, we were treated to yet another spectacular view.  High limestone cliffs reach up to the sky surrounding the entire lagoon.  These hollow openings known as Hongs can be found in the centre of islands all over Thaland. Most of them can only be reached at low tide through sea caves.  Nat told us that we had about an hour before high tide. We explored the Hong quickly to have a look around.  We had seen several Hongs the day before on the John Gray regular day trip, so we were excited to be out paddling on our own today.

John Gray grabbing some photos as we exit a Hong

When we came out to open water, we were greeted by John and an intern studying with him from Holland.  We paddled on to another sea cave and entered an even tinier opening. Following Natt’s every move, we crawled along careful to not cut ourselves on the stalactics hanging close to our heads.  The four of us sat in the lagoon for a while and talked about the environmental issues that Thailand is facing.

Many tour companies allow and even encourage tourists to sit on the fragile mangrove tree routes.  They make loud noises shouting and bringing their engines into some navigable bays scaring off wildlife  and they throw their litter into the water.  John Gray Sea Canoe uses only glass bottles and recycles, they don’t let anyone take anything from the lagoons and they don’t allow people to touch or disrupt the natural environment.

Alan told us privately that he worked for another guide company for a few years, but came to John Gray because he cares about the environment and he wants Thailands future to be clean and protected.

Dave takes it all in from his kayak.

After spending a little too long in the Hong, the tide has risen and both of us are a little freaked out having to paddle through the swelling water in the caves. We tell ourselves that we are paddling with the world’s foremost expert on Tidal Caves and sea canoeing, but that doesn’t put your mind to rest when the water is filling up and you are laying on your back pulling yourself along the roof of the cave to make it out to fresh air.  In my controlled panic, I manage to keep it together, but cut myself up a bit from the sharp rocks.

John and Natt seem unphased by it all, but we are happy to be back out in open water.  The large longtail boat is waiting for us to take us to the next island. Today is a completely different experience as we are heading to all the places that the tour boats don’t stop at. These are some of John’s favourite locations in the area and the only other people we see is a catamaran and some fisherman.

Great view for lunch after a morning of sea kayaking

I love traveling by longtail boat.  The weather is perfect today as the sun is shining, there isn’t a cloud in the sky and the breeze is pleasant.  We spend the entire morning paddling and exploring different caves and then we stop for yet another feast made for 10 people but only to be consumed by our party of 3.

It was like having your own personal paradise

John tells us tales and some of the most extraordinary moments in his life.  He has lived a rich life in his 66 years. Decorated with awards and accolades he could be living the high life in Hawaii, instead he lives a humble existence giving back to the people who work for him. Being and environmentalist and activist doesn’t make for the most lucrative of lives, but he certainly has left a legacy for everyone to follow and he definitely hasn’t thrown his hat into the ring just yet.

Note: This tour was sponsored by Tourism Authority of Thailand and hosted by Smiling Albino

For more information on kayaking Thailand check out John Gray Sea Canoe the original.

Fire dancer on the beach in Thailand

I had first witnessed fire spinning during our first trip to Thailand in 2000. I had never seen anything like it before and over the years I have watched it grow.   I had seen people in Toronto practicing twirling these baton like things on the streets, but I never really knew what they were doing.

Fire Dancing is called Poi

Fire Spinner performs poi in Thailand

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

–

-

-

For years I thought that Fire Spinning  originated in Thailand, but in actual fact, it is from New Zealand. Known as Poi, it comes from the Maori People. It is a rhythmic dance done with weighted balls that are attached to the end of cord and spun around the body.  The traditional Poi is not done with fire but over the years fire has been added melding Hawiian Fire Knife Dancing with Traditional Maori Ball Dancing.

Poi Dancer Spinning Fire in Thailand

A Firespinner performs poi in Thailand

–

The fire spinning takes it one step further attaching metal balls to chains. Or they use an aluminum staff and twirl it like a baton. The balls are filled with Kevlar and dipped in kerosene. When the fire is lit, it creates patterns and shapes in the black night.

It is practiced throughout the world today, but I always associate it with our times in Thailand.

Spinning fire in the dark Thailand night

It is a nightly ritual in Thailand’s Southern Beaches. Professional fire spinners put on shows and wow the backpacker crowds each night. They bravely face the fire, shirts off and no protection from the heat.   They make sure to keep the crowd a safe distance back and as the music plays they spin their magic.

During the day you will see tourists practicing themselves with hopes of becoming experts themselves.  It is harder than it looks and there is an art form in finding the right weight and balance. There are also different gases for different venues and it is evolving each year as it becomes more popular.

Professional Fire Dancer in Ko Lanta, Thailand

It is something that I definitely think that I could get into. Laying on the beach gets a little boring for us after a day or two, but maybe if we have the chance to take a poi lesson, we may just turn our sun and sand time into an adventure.