9 March 2017 Itsukushima Island: land of the gods. This little island, better known as Miyajima Island, is considered sacred in Japan, as it is thought to be home to gods. Historically, no one was allowed on the island apart from religious figures, but today the island is open to the public so now anyone […]
Shark Ray Alley: To go or not to go
11 May 2017 Shark Ray Alley, to visit or not to visit… For those of you unfamiliar with this particular snorkel destination located between Caye Caulker and Ambergris Caye along Belize’s barrier reef, it’s essentially a frenzy of nurse sharks and sting rays in crystal clear Caribbean waters. The part of me that would do […]
Raja Ampat Adventures: Manta Madness, Entering the Crocodile Lair and More
7 February 2017 I was a bundle of energy and excitement as I boarded the little dive boat, our exploration vessel for the day’s journey through the islands of the greater Raja Ampat region. First stop? Manta Sandy, a prominent dive site and known manta cleaning station. It was about a 45 minute boat ride […]
Swimming in a Sea of Trash. Literally.
29 January 2017 Fifty-plus dives and I can safely say that this was the most disappointing dive of my life. Let me backtrack. For over a year I’ve been looking forward to visiting the Gili Islands of Lombok, Indonesia. I’d had several friends and colleagues recommend them as a great dive hub, so when I […]
A Series of Unfortunate Events: Costa Rica Terrors
I thought I’d finally gotten used to the wildlife of the tropics…You know, the lightening fast geckos that cover the walls, the constant hum of insects in the evening, the giant cockroaches scurrying past your feet, even (though barely) the spiders the size of my palm (god help me). I thought that after half a […]
A Marine Biologist’s Paradise: Welcome to Raja Ampat
12 February 2017 Have your expectations ever been so high that the event you’re anxiously awaiting pales in comparison to your over-hyped imagination? I feared I had set myself up for just such a letdown. It wouldn’t have been the first time. I’d been aching to dive Raja Ampat ever since I’d first heard of […]
A welcome turn of events: Trek to Janokuchi-no-Tami Falls
6 March 2017 I was having one of those days. I was standing under a giant palm leaf in the middle of a jungle-like forest, raindrops that had slipped through the breaks in the palm now running down my face. It was dark, and gloomy, and the further I hiked in the denser the foliage […]
Sometimes Solo Travel Sucks: Journey to Yakushima
2 March 2017 Sometimes solo travel sucks. Yes, I said it. I feel that talking about the down sides of solo travel is a bit of a taboo subject amongst travel bloggers. We tend to focus on the positive, the breathtaking, the incredible experiences that traveling the world can elicit. But between all the fantastic […]
Going Traditional in Takayama
22 February 2017 When you’re flung outside of your comfort zone, sometimes the only thing you can do is laugh and role with the punches. That’s how my parents and I got through our first day staying in a ryokan, a traditional Japanese inn, in Takayama. We’d gotten a taste of the fast-paced modern city […]