There are various endangered species (both animals and plants) at the Galapagos Islands. Among the endangered animal species that can be found there are the Mangrove Finch, Galapagos petrel, endemic rats, sharks, waved albatross, Pinta Island tortoise, land snails, Galapagos penguin, Land Iguana Island Santa Fe and sea cucumbers. On the other hand, endangered plants found in the area consists of Trees Scalesia, Cactus Opuntia and Calandrina.

Satellite image of the Galapagos Islands with Names of the Visible Islands

There are various Galapagos Cruises that you can avail of to visit and explore Galapagos. Among the well-known of these is the M/V Galapagos Explorer II, a Galapagos Cruise Ship that only offers suites to its passengers – thus, you can stay comfortable during your trip. You can also stay in touch with your family while having a Galapagos Cruise with the following services on-board: international calls, internet and fax the Explorer II.

Activities on-board during the day include cocktail lessons, lectures on the islands, naturalist program, Spanish classes, dubbing towels, whale watching and chocolate tasting. At night time, you can do some karaoke, stargazing and theme parties. They also give preparatory talks for the next day in the evening before dinner.

Nature lovers will surely love this trip. Will you?

A family vacation should be a time relaxation, bonding, and sharing…not a time of worrying. You should leave all of your worries and cares at home. All of the stresses about your job, school, income, or whatever keeps you awake at night, leave all of that at home when you go on vacation. Stress has no business lying on the beach with you.

A way to eliminate some of that worry is by purchasing traveling insurance, especially on a lengthy trip. I have heard a few horror stories of people on cruises or other countries not having their luggage because the airline “lost “ it. Could you imagine? Just the thought is extremely horrifying to me. The thought of being in another country is a little scary to me as well. But, I can’t imagine what those people must be going through when they have nothing with them in a foreign country.

On a less scary note, I do want to visit Puerto Rico. I would actually have to get on a plane. (That makes me a little anxious, too.) If my husband and I were to ever go, I would get travelers insurance in a heartbeat. Trust me, I’ve done my research on traveling and I know the “do’s” and “don’ts”.

I have done a little research on travelers insurance, also, and I found a site that was very interesting and helpful. MoneySupermarket.com has wonderful tips for traveling, whether with your family or alone. You can even compare prices of insurance.

Here are a few suggestions that you should think about for your next vacation:

• plan (and plan well)
• organize
• make sure you have all of the necessary documents (passports, licenses, etc)
• learn the language of the country your visiting
• get maps
• visit the airport, train station, dock, or whatever means of travel you are using
• purchase traveling insurance

And the last “suggestion”…. LEAVE YOUR WORRIES BEHIND!!

We’ve been to Disneyland twice last year. We bought those 3-day park hopper disneyland tickets and we’ve used only two days during our first visit in May. In August, we were back again in California for a week and used the third day of our tickets before we went home here to Las Vegas.

During our visit there in August, we spent much of our time in the It’s a Small World (The Happiest Cruise that Ever Sailed) ride. We took the video of the whole ride as well but I already shared that in YouTube and in my other blog.

Anyway, here’s a picture that I took while we were on our way to the ride:

There are two Disney parks, by the way, in California. The first one is the Disneyland Park while the other one is the Disney California Adventure Park. The former showcases, among others, the very popular Pirates of the Caribbean ride (where the queue is quite long), Haunted Mansions, Indiana Jones Adventure, Space Mountain and the It’s a Small World ride that I mentioned earlier.

In the Disney California Adventure Park, you can find the Soarin’ Over California, The Twilight Zone of Terror, California Screamin, Grizzly River Run and more. During our visit there, we also had the chance to watch the Aladdin play – complete with flying carpets and other effects.

Disneyland is a fun place to go with your family!

Do you know that in 2010, the sixth busiest airport in the United States in terms of total passenger boardings and total passenger traffic is the John F. Kennedy International Airport (it is the busiest in terms of international passenger traffic)? This data along with the complete lists of the busiest airports in the US are mentioned in Wikipedia if you want to learn more about it.

Anyway, the JFK International Airport serves as a hub both for passenger and cargo planes with its over 25 miles of taxiways, seven terminals and two pairs of parallel runways. More than 70 airlines operate there, too! Also, with close to 131,000 passengers daily (average), you can say that it’s indeed a very crowded place.

If you have a car, it would be wise to arrive at the JFK airport parking facility at least 30 minutes before the time that you’d like to be at the terminal because JFK parking lots are located north of the airport (about less than a mile from the terminals). There are free shuttles provided to and from the terminals but the ride takes about five to seven minutes – so be sure to consider the extra time needed.

image from www.chateaugay.com

Have you heard of Camp Chateaugay? It is a summer camp somewhere in the north shore of the Adirondack Lakes in New York, United States. They offer lots of activities that will allow participants to discover (and enhance) their talents and skills along with exceptional support from counselors and instructors.

Among the facilities available in Camp Chateaugay are the Big House and Dining Room, the Big Living Room, Infirmary (“The Pill Box”), Camp Chateaugay Cabins, The Camp Chateaugay Waterfront, The Dark Room (Photography), horseback riding stables and ring, athletic fields (A-Field), gymnasium (The Barn), Ceramics (pottery), woodworking shop, dance studio, the boat house, arts & crafts, swimming pool, the Aurora Borealis Ice Cream Parlor (The ABC), basketball, tennis courts, gymnastics, martial arts and rock climbing.

They also offer fun activities including baseball, tennis, sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, canoeing, rowing, rock climbing, roller hockey, mountain biking, high ropes, lacrosse, horseback riding, water-skiing and wake-boarding, ceramics – pottery, swimming, gymnastics, golf, soccer, basketball, volleyball, archery, animal care, martial arts, nature, woodworking and rocketry.

If you’re interested, you can learn more about Camp Chateaugay by visiting their website. Hurry, though because as of this writing, there are just 69 days before the first day of camp.

According to Wikipedia, the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino has 2,664 rooms and 220 suites (petite, executive, tower, luxury, premier and penthouse suites). It is connected by tram to The Mirage as well as pedestrian bridge to the Fashion Show Mall shopping center.

You can learn more about it by visiting their official website: Treasure Island Las Vegas.

Here’s a shot of the meal I ordered when we visited a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen branch here in Las Vegas recently.

Craving for Popeyes chicken?

Aside from chicken, the meal included two side dishes: cajun rice and french fries. The chicken was a bit oily despite (or because of?)the thick coating. I just ordered some soda but the next time we drop by there, I’m gonna go for the sweet tea.

A glimpse of the San Antonio River

The San Antonio River Walk is a public park composed of network of walkways along the banks of the San Antonio River in Texas. It is line by bars, restaurant, hotels and shops – and has become one of the tourist attractions in this city.

The picture above was taken when I was on one of the bridges under which the River Walk winds and loops. The San Antonio River Walk also connects the major tourist draws from the Alamo to Rivercenter Mall, Arneson River Theatre and La Villita, the San Antonio Museum of Art, and the Pearl Brewery.

The Hassan Tower in Rabat, Morocco

Hassan Tower or Tour Hassan was intended to be the largest minaret in the world along with the mosque but it’s construction was not completed after Sultan Yacoub al-Mansour died in 1199. It was supposed to be 86 meters high but it’s only 44 meters high now.

In front of the Hassan Tower are 200 columns that were also constructed but left unfinished.

Some of the unfinished columns

The Hassan Tower is in the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and is considered as an important tourist and historical site in Rabat, Morocco.

Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona

The Desert Botanical Garden covers an area of 140 acres and is a home to 21,000 plants. Aside from various events and exhibits, the Desert Botanical Garden also offers gardening and education programs.

Here are some of the plants that I got a chance to see in the Desert Botanical Garden.

cacti Galore at the Desert Botanical Garden

People who love horticulture will love this place. To learn more about it, you can visit its website: Desert Botanical Garden.