Mexico, Riviera Maya, Ocean Coral & Turquesa

Mexico, Riviera Maya, Ocean Coral & Turquesa - Apr 06 - Apr 14, 2022

Especially during Canadian cold season, we enjoy taking trips to warmer places. Mexico is not our first choice for a Caribbean escape but as we like to explore new places, we decided to come here for an "all inclusive" week. These kind of vacations can be combined with some exploration of the surrounding areas, many organized by the resort with various options and prices. But then, sometimes you feel like being lazy, just relaxing with no schedule.

Ocean Coral & Turquesa was typical for a Caribbean resort, as always with some high and low points, depending on your own personal taste but as long as you are looking to have a good time, you'll focus on positives and enjoy the experience.

We were surprised to see daily armed patrols on the beach, giving us mixed feelings about security

The food was excellent with a lot of options and themes changing every day. A highlight were the delicious sweet treats

Like all resorts, there are always sport facilities for the guests. Here one nice feature was the jogging route which Angela used few times during our stay

For the evening entertainment we always enjoy the shows related to the local culture and traditions and this happened once during our stay.

After a week of relaxation, with the batteries fully charged we were ready for our next adventure

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon, Portugal - Oct 12 - Oct 21, 2022 After a seven hour overnight transatlantic flight, we landed at 8:00 am in Lisbon. It was interesting that we were taken by bus from the airplane to the terminal and actually same happened when we departed at the end of our trip. In less than half an hour we were done with border formalities and already in front of the airport ready to begin our Lisbon adventure. Public transportation in Lisbon is very reliable and affordable. You will need to buy a " Viva Viagem " card from designated serviced kiosks or from automated machines usually found at subway and train terminals. It costs 0.50 Euro and is valid one year. We each picked one at the airport subway entrance, right in front o f Arrivals Exit where there are lots of machines. On this card you will load fares from the same machines or serviced kiosks, good for all Carris network like buses, street cars, ferries and trains. The machines accept major credit cards and some even...

Taiwan

Taiwan, Taipei Sep 26 - Oct 03, 2023 Public Transportation in Taipei Getting from Taouyan International Airport to Taipei downtown To travel from the airport to downtown Taipei by public transportation you can take the train, bus, taxi or metro. We found that the fastest way was by MRT metro. From Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 there is an Express Train and a Commuter Train that go all the way to Taipei Main Station. The ticket price is NT150 (New Taiwan Dollar) regardless which one you choose. The only difference is that the Express Train ride is 39 minutes and has only 4 stops while the Commuter ride is 53 minutes and stops at all 12 stations. The route map in the station will show that the metro ride is from A13 or A12 (Terminal 1 or 2) to A1 Taipei Main Station. Tickets can be purchased in cash at ticket machines or by Easycard or IPass. For this route, Airport to Taipei Main Station, is possible to tap on tap off with a credit card which we preferred, upon our arrival. The a...

Japan

Japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Miyajima, Hiroshima, Nara, Inari - Aug 08 - 22, 2023 Getting from Narita International Airport to Tokyo Station There are many ways to travel to downtown Tokyo, by public transportation, train or bus. Keisei Skyliner Express train is the fastest, the trip is about 40 min and costs Y2,570 one way. The trip ends at Ueno Station. Second fastest is Narita Express train, about 50 min trip to downtown stations like Tokyo, Shibuya or Shinagawa and the cost is Y3,070. We looked for the cheapest option so we travelled by the airport bus TYO-NRT, it took 62 min but only cost us Y1,300 per person to Tokyo Station. The bus leaves from the bus platforms in front of Narita Airport and the final stop is at Tokyo Station Nihonbashi Gate. To get from Tokyo to Narita we took the bus from Tokyo Station Yaesu South Gate , platform 7,8 or 9. The buses run every 10 min and tickets for these buses at Narita can only be purchased at ticket counters which are usually located insi...

Sydney, Australia

Sydney, Australia - Nov 28 - Dec 09, 2022 Getting from Sydney Airport to downtown Getting downtown from the Airport is easy. Other than by car, taxi ride or shuttle you can use public transportation like bus or the AirportLink train. Getting on and off from the Airport station though will increase the cost of the trip (by bus or train) as the ticket price comprises of a Gate Pass of Australian Dollars (AUD) 16 per person (also called station access fee) and the rail component which is only AUD 2.65 (off peak). To avoid the station access AUD 16 fee, we walked to the closest train station in Wolli Creek , which is about 1.9 km away. The airport has a footbridge and cycleway at Terminal 1 that takes you out of the airport area and from there is a short pleasant walk to Wolli Creek station. As soon as the blue footpath ended, we crossed the bridge, took a right through Cahill Park, followed Brodie Spark Dr. and after taking a left on Discovery Point Pl we arrived at the train sta...

Scotland, UK

Glasgow, Edinburgh, The Highlands - Aug 16 - Aug 25, 2022 We always wanted to see Scotland so once here we tried to visit as much as possible during our nine days trip. Our plan was to spend two days in Glasgow, one day in Edinburgh followed by a three Day Isle of Skye and Highlands tour which started from Edinburg and then spend two more days in Edinburg. Getting to Glasgow from Edinburg The easiest and cheapest way to get to Glasgow from Edinburg Airport is by using Citylink AIRGlasgow Service 900 bus . The bus leaves from Stop D just outside the airport, every 30 minutes, 24/7 and the average journey time is about 1 hour. We paid on the bus by credit card but you can also pay by cash if you have the exact amount. The cost of one-way ticket was only 14.80 pounds. We got off to Buchanan Bus Station which is centrally located. Two Days in Glasgow After checking in to our hotel, the first attraction on our list was George Square . It is considered the main public square in Glasgow...

Angela and Gabriel Treks

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