vacation Archives - Page 5 of 6

Aurora Borealis – Searching for the Northern Lights in Iceland

Posted on November 17, 2016January 20, 2017
byLinger Abroad

Like most visitors of Iceland, one of the things we wanted to experience was to see the Aurora Borealis, commonly known as the Northern Lights. We were only visiting for three days, so we were going to just visit different locations and just hope that we would find the lights at night.

On our first night in Reykjavik, we did go set out to see if we could find the Northern Lights. Guided by our Aurora forecast, there was supposed to be decent activity and clear skies outside of the city. We did have clear skies, but there was no light activity…at least, to the naked eye. Fortunately, I brought my Sony A7s, a mirrorless camera with incredible low-light capabilities that can literally help you see in the dark. Using the live viewfinder, we could see that there were faint trails of the Northern Lights in the sky. Excited that the lights were there, we found a spot to wait and see if the activity would intensify. But after two hours, it stayed mostly the same and we needed to get some sleep. While it was cool to know that it was there, it wasn’t quite what we’d hoped for.

Northern Lights, Iceland

The following day, we drove around the Golden Circle to visit some of Iceland’s main attractions. After seeing as much as we could during the daytime, we were heading back to Reykjavik and hoped we’d see the Northern Lights on the way. Our Aurora forecaster didn’t predict any strong activity so we weren’t going to expect too much. Still, I had my camera out with the live viewfinder to help us try and detect any light activity.

Sure enough, the camera was able to see some faint Northern Light activity. We pulled over off the road to a nearby field to see if the light would intensify. After about 30 minutes, the lights did start to become more visible and started dancing around.

Then, all of a sudden, there was a powerful burst of light activity and lit up the sky! For about 4-5 minutes, we watched an incredibly dazzlingly display of the dancing Northern Lights. It was breathtaking watching it constantly change its shape and movements.

Aurora Borealis, Northern Lights, Iceland

After those glorious few minutes, the lights got less intense but they were still visible to watch while I continued to take photos to create the timelapse below. We watched for another hour before heading back. It was a magical night to remember and really capped a memorable trip. And hopefully, it’ll be waiting for us when we go back!

Last year, on our way back to Reykjavik, we were gifted a remarkable Northern Lights show. It was incredible watching the lights dance all over the sky. All its brightest, it was very easy and clear to see the lights, but when it gets faint, the camera can still catch it. One of the coolest things I've ever seen. We're one week away from departing back to Iceland, as well as Scotland, Denmark and France. Be sure to like our Facebook page and subscribe to Lingerabroad.com for new content of our trip and upcoming contests! Hope you'll join us!

A post shared by Linger Abroad (@lingerabroad) on Nov 16, 2016 at 2:25pm PST

MUSA Underwater Museum: A Unique Scuba Diving Experience

Posted on November 14, 2016November 14, 2016
14 comments
byLinger Abroad

If you’re visiting Cancun, Cozumel, Isla Mujeres and other nearby resort cities, you have to check out the MUSA Underwater Museum for a unique diving experience! There are over 500 underwater sculptures placed in various areas near Isla Mujeres/Cancun and the exhibit helps promote ocean and marine life conservation. The permanent sculptures serve as an attraction for divers to lessen the number of tourists to visit the main reefs. They also allow for the coral reef to grow on the sculptures and serve as permanent homes for various aquatic animals.

Diving around these sculptures was really cool and interesting, but at times it felt a little creepy looking at these statues up close. The best way I can describe the dive is like seeing objects being trapped in time, sort of like the underwater version of Pompeii, and slowly nature takes over these objects. At least the aquatic animals don’t mind, as they appear to be thriving around the museum.

Near the museum is also boat wreckage and several coral reef systems where there were huge congregations of fish and various other species!

You can also view this museum by snorkeling and also take boats with glass floors but, in my honest opinion, the best way to see it is to scuba dive so you can get up close and personal with these timeless sculptures! You can take a PADI two-dive course to learn the basics of diving, then get a chance to explore the museum.

Check out the video of my dive at the MUSA Underwater Museum:

Scuba Diving in the Reefs of Roatan Island, Honduras

During our cruise, we stopped by Roatan Island of Honduras for a scuba diving expedition. Roatan is a tiny island located 40 miles off mainland Honduras. It’s so small that you can drive around the whole island in about 45 minutes. The population has grown fairly rapidly and has become a tourist destination for water activities but some parts are still uninhabited and covered in forests. The island is set on the southern part of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second largest reef system after the Great Barrier Reef.

I’m always excited for a scuba dive trip! Scuba diving is always thrilling because I feel like I am exploring an unknown world. I always have that sense of excitement and exhilaration before a dive, but once I’m underwater I feel such a calm and peacefulness exploring a strange new place. I was definitely pumped for this dive, especially since I would see part of the Mesoamerican Reef system!

The PADI team at Anthony’s Key Resort arranged a two-dive trip for us. We were picked up from the port with a group of divers and taken to the resort for dive prep. The team did a normal pre-dive class for safety and reef conservation. The first dive was a practice dive for Mat to get comfortable with diving and obtain her PADI certification. Then second dive was dedicated to exploring the reef. Check out the video of our dive:

Diving in Roatan was amazing as I imagined. The reef was teeming with various species of coral and marine life. We came across many species of fish of vibrant colors and size and we also found a family of spiny lobsters hiding in the coral. They probably didn’t want us getting to close to them! There was also a sea turtle swimming near us, but it kept swimming further away and we could not get close enough. Luckily, our dive guides got the turtle on camera as it was cruising away. There was also colorful squid and cuttlefish in other areas.

One dive in the reef was not enough to explore this vast reef system! We just didn’t have enough time but we’re hoping to go back and explore the reef system further. Check out the rest of the photos and let us know what your favorite dive sites are!

Scuba Diving in Reef off Roatan Spiny Lobsters Hiding in the Reef

Exploring Temples in Angkor – Siem Reap, Cambodia

Posted on September 28, 2016January 16, 2017
21 comments
byLinger Abroad

The main reason we wanted to visit Cambodia was to see the renowned Angkor Wat and many of its other temples. We definitely saw Angkor Wat, so check that off the bucket list, but there are literally thousands of temples to check out in Angkor, Siem Reap. Thankfully, many temples are in close proximity to each other and we had a wonderful and knowledgeable guide that took us around. So even when we were there for only a weekend, we still saw several other amazing structures. Here are the temples and sites we explored during our visit.

Angkor Wat

There’s no doubt that Angkor Wat is the biggest attraction, literally and figuratively, out of all the temples in Cambodia. It’s actually the largest religious monument in the world! The temple is enclosed by a wall measuring 2.2 miles long and surrounded by a moat.

Inside the wall is a long path that goes straight to the temple. Off the path, on each side are lily ponds for the famous picturesque reflection of Angkor Wat. We went early at 5 am to catch the sunrise and it was absolutely breathtaking! There were also loads of tourists also trying to take the same shot (something to expect during your visit), but after an hour the crowds mostly emptied and left us to explore the temple mostly to ourselves.

Bayon Temple

Known simply as “The Bayon,” this temple is well-recognized for having massive carved, smiling faces on top of its towers. There are stairs within the temple that will take you to the top level and let you come face-to-face with these giant stone faces. You can also climb one of the outer towers to really get a great semi-aerial view of the temple and its surroundings.

East Mebon

This temple used to be entirely surrounded by water and could only be accessible by boat. It stands on top of an island in what was once a baray (artificial body of water) that was used for irrigation. You can find many well-preserved, fine-detailed sculptures of elephants, lions, and mythical creatures and figures. The top also provides a great vantage point to see the temple layout and a perfect view to watch the sunset.

Ta Nei

Off the beaten path, Ta Nai is a semi-ruined temple hidden in the tall trees of the jungles. Because of its isolated nature, very few tourists are seen venturing here, so it’s very peaceful and you can explore without being interrupted. The inner part of the temple has largely collapsed with some parts being supported by wood planks. Still, there are still plenty of carvings with intricate details to see and is worth the visit, especially if you want to get away from the crowds.

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm is distinctly recognized for its large trees and roots growing within the temple. You can see the long thick roots slowly morphing and engulfing parts of the temple over hundreds of years of growth. The temple is also famous for being the location for the film “Lana Croft: Tomb Raider,” but despite its Hollywood exposure, it still feels very hidden and secluded with the trees covering the ruins.

Angkor Thom South Gate

There are five gates that gave access to Angkor Thom (which means “The Great City”). The south gate is distinguishable from the others for having stone statues on both sides of the road leading up to the gate.

Angkor Thom East (Death) Gate

You can climb up from the side to get a closer look at the gate and walk along the wall that surrounds the city.

There are also other smaller or lesser known temples and structures all over Angkor. Many of them are in ruins but can still be explored at your own leisure.

If you need some tips for getting around, you can read our article for different methods to see the temples and check out our video below. Let us know what your favorite temples were and where else you would recommend.

Tamu Hotel – Paradise on Otres Beach, Cambodia

We were supposed to visit Koh Rong Island for a few days, but we had some unexpected schedule changes and had to book a stay in Sihanoukville. Mat looked for hotels and found us Tamu Hotel on Otres Beach, and we were very impressed with this stylish beach resort in Cambodia.

Located about 10 km from downtown Sihanoukville, Tamu is a small but beautiful minimalist design resort situated on the south end of Otres Beach. Its location is also a quiet area for those looking for a relaxing stay. The property is painted white with rooms designed around a centrally placed pool. Integrated into the design are lush gardens, trees, wood finishes on the ground and doors, and day beds by the pool.

We stayed in a standard room that was stocked with amenities including air conditioning, a comfortable king-bed, WiFi, TV, refrigerator, coffee maker and more. There was a pretty good number of mosquitos in our room but every room has an electronic racket for killing them and mosquito coils to repel them. The bathroom is separate from the bedroom by a sliding door. Unlike the white exterior, the bathroom was predominantly black, had a grey concrete floor, and a partial opening for sunlight to pass in.

The hotel also has its own restaurant with a terrific view of ocean, a perfect place for enjoying a relaxing breakfast, lunch or dinner. Breakfast is complimentary with fruits, bread, honey/jam, juice and milk, and you can order other items off the menu. Lunch and dinner menus include a few different dining options, including Khmer food and western style food.

While we loved the stylish features of the hotel, we were incredibly impressed with the Tamu staff and service. When our sliding door had an issue, they immediately sent a friendly handyman to fix it. Everyone was very nice, very attentive to detail and were always greeting us and trying to remember our names. They helped answer any questions or would bring drinks to the beach if requested, were always smiling, and full of energy that added a pleasant positive vibe to an already beautiful location. The staff also maintains the beach and the resort, as members are routinely seen combing the sand, picking up any trash and sweeping the grounds.

The hotel welcomed us and took care of us like we were family. It is a great place to stay and we highly recommend Tamu Hotel to anyone visiting Otres Beach in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.