Starling Travel

We had a relaxing time snorkeling at Infinity Bay in Roatan, Honduras. You can see the video here:

We paid the resort fee to Infinity Bay so we would have chairs and umbrellas to sit under. They also had an awesome guard so we could snorkel without worrying about anyone taking our stuff. It was totally worth the money!

They also had a waiter there to bring us food and drinks. There was an additional charge for the food (it wasn’t included in the resort fee), but it was tasty!

Most importantly, the snorkeling was AMAZING! I filmed so many different species of fish that I felt as if I were in an aquarium instead of swimming in the ocean. I wish I could have stayed there a week!

Mike and I were lucky enough to swim with some stingrays in Cozumel earlier this month. We went to Stingray Beach. You can see the video here:

It was such an amazing experience that I would gladly do it again next time we are in Cozumel!

Mike and I went on a cruise on the Mexican Riviera and in Cabo San Lucas, we went whale watching on the Caborey catamaran. They didn’t disappoint, because we saw a lot of whales playing in the water.

It was really hard to get good pictures of the whales breaching, but I got some video. You can see it here:

We went on the Caborey, which is a large catamaran that you can buy tickets to ride. Here is a video about it:

I saw this vintage advertisement and it made me think of Las Vegas.

The best way to win it big in Las Vegas is EASY. Here is the secret:

DO NOT GAMBLE!

If you go to Las Vegas, stay in a nice hotel for a low price, eat at the fancy restaurants for nearly nothing and enjoy the museums, exhibits and attractions without gambling, then you come out a winner every time.

Photo via: vintage_ads: Winning Big In Vegas

The Library of Congress posted these old photos of Asbury Park, New Jersey.

It doesn’t seem that different today:

Asbury Park fell into disrepair during the 1980’s and 1990’s, but recently has been cleaned up. After the renovation of Convention Hall, people started visiting more often.

Where: Asbury Park, New Jersey: Google Map

The Library of Congress uploaded some old prints of Aberystwyth, Wales from over a hundred years ago.

It surprises me how similar things look today:

You can see all the photos from that set in this slideshow:

Where: Aberystwyth, Dyfedunstarred, UK: Google Map

Here is the announcement of the formation of Zion’s National Park in the New York Tribune back in 1907.

It reads:

Wonderful natural bridges and other wild scenery to be included in two new national parks.

It’s nice to see how people viewed our national parks one hundred years ago. Instead of complaining that the government is “stealing” our land, the press was excited to share the beauty of the areas that the parks protected. Because of that foresight, we can see these sites even now.

This weekend, you can hike, camp and enjoy at over 100 National Parks for FREE! They offer fee free weekends a few times a year and there are a couple left. You can find out more here:

• U.S. National Park Service Fee-Free Weekends in Your National Parks

Mark your calendars for fee-free weekends this summer:

• July 18-19, 2009
• August 15-16, 2009

Mike and I enjoy several of the nearby National Parks. The photo shown is from a trip to Lake Mead in southern Nevada (near Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam), which is on the list of free parks this weekend. You can see all the photos of that camping trip here:

• Lake Mead – a set on Flickr

If you are feeling the financial squeeze this year, take advantage of the parks that your tax dollars go toward maintaining and try them out this weekend free of charge.

My friend, Jere, is the author of the most wonderful blog, Blind Prophecy. This Memorial Day, he went to the Cincinnati Zoo.

• Blind Prophecy » Wild and Wet Memorial Day

He was looking for an inventive and enjoyable way to fit exercise into his day.

Since my gym was closed, I decided to get my day’s exercise by visiting the Cincinnati Zoo. It’s about a 3 mile walk each direction, plus I spent the whole day on my feet. Despite a bit of rain and some very humid air (which made the rain forest section seem especially realistic), it was a very pleasant day. As our friend Nick put it tonight, “the zoo is one of the rare things about Cincinnati that doesn’t suck.”

I love to see people enjoying the cities in which they live. Sometimes it seems like we don’t spend enough time being tourists in our our towns. Congratulations to Jere for making this Memorial Day memorable!

You can see all the photos here:

• Cincinnati Zoo – a set on Flickr

Here is a beautiful collage from Whimsy’s Quill:

• Whimsy’s Quill: 5 By 5 in Seattle

In the collage is an afternoon of us walking about the pier, various photos of downtown, and of the Underground Tour.

I love to see photos of people’s trips to various places, but I especially love this 5 By 5. It’s a great snapshot of a weekend in time.