400 human bodies created a reef? Sounds a little crazy or even spooky. I would think so at first too. Although this is actually an artifical reef that was created from 400 lifelike human sculptures. But what is even more interesting about this reef is that these sculptures have a special material in them that attracts the under water animals. So not only do humans swim and take advantage of exploring these ...

I was lucky enough to start 2010 on Copacabana beach in Rio, surrounded by over 2 million people. I must admit that it was an unforgettable night! One of the best parts of traveling is experiencing the night life in different cities around the world. Let it be for New Year's Eve, during a Carnival or on a simple Saturday night, you need to party it up! Below is a list I put together on the top 10 best party ...

Nicaragua, although politically corrupt and poverty-stricken is also undoubtedly beautiful, and ideal for a backpacking holiday for those wanting to enjoy nature at its best, while spending very little money. Appropriate accommodation, in the form of comfortable hostels and camping sites, is plentiful, restaurants are wide and varied, and, if you want to have a bit of a break from your wanderings, there is ...

Prior to my trip to Brazil last winter, I made a quick stop to the Travel Clinic to get important shots for Yellow Fever, Typhoid and Hepatitis A. The doctor also recommended I take Malaria pills since I was spending 6 days in the Brazilian Amazon. There are several types of Malaria pills: Mefloquine, Malarone, Doxycycline and Fansidar. My doctor recommended the Malarone pills, which I believe are the most ...

[caption id="attachment_6752" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Courtesy of Julie Jordan Scott (Flickr)"][/caption] Anywhere in the world, tipping is different. No matter what you are accustomed to, tipping is never the same in countries around the world. When I was backpacking Europe for the first time, I had no idea that each country in Europe had a different tipping custom. Some are very similar to ...

Marriage today is different from marriage 50 years ago or even 500 years ago. Although countries around the world have preserved their cultural and religious significance of what marriage is, let's go back in time and take a look at what marriage meant for the Mayans, 3,000 years ago.  [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="208" caption="Image from www.mayadiscovery.com"][/caption] The first evidence of ...

Hiking while backpacking can be one of the best ways to see the landscape or villages of a country. I found this out, by exploring Cinque Terre in Italy a few years ago. I have never experienced such fantastic hike from village to village until I finished hiking Cinque Terre. While I was in Europe many backpackers recommended me to do hiking, so I decided to choose Cinque Terre to get me started. Oh and wow ...

Did you ever get lost in another country without having the slightest idea of where you were ? If not, your very lucky but also, you've missed a crazy experience. Back in 2005 when I went to Mexico to meet up with my sister, I had a whole week to myself, alone in Cancun before she would come to join me at the hostel. So there I was in downtown Cancun, no, not on the strip where all the tourists are, but in ...

Most of us refer to fajitas, tacos and guacamole as Mexican food. In every North American city, you’ll find tex-mex restaurants- restaurants claiming they offer Mexican food but let me tell you, it’s far from being authentic. Then you have those higher scale restaurants where you pay $20 for tamales. Yes, the tamales taste ok, but tamales for $20? They are nuts! When spending 5 months in Mexico, I must admi ...

I love sea-dooing in Canada, especially up north. So I assumed I was going to love going in the Atlantic Sea. Yup, I was wrong. Well it’s wasn’t so much that I hated it, it was more how scary it was. It all started with turning the motor on and it wasn’t like your typical jet-ski. It had a 1960 year old looking motor and a huge bus, steering wheel. So turning it on was out of my league and trying to make fu ...