Quit Horsin' Around!

Things # 316

April is just about here, so get ready for the Peruvian Paso Horse Festival! That's right. "Peruvian." One of my favourite words to say. For all your Equus action, head to Pachacamac about 30 km south of Lima. From there, keep your eyes peeled for Mamacona Stables.

You can get more info at peru.info, but you have to navigate through a couple confusing pages and it likes to switch back to Spanish. Of course, if you know Spanish then all the better.

This Peruvian horse is a special breed, with a high gait to handle travelling in the sandy coastal regions. The traditional costume of the riders is as seen below, and there are plenty of dressage style competitions to go with it.

The Festival is month long, so you have plenty of time to buy your tickets and hustle down to Lima. Listo?

Skeet Surfin' (It's Alright)

Things... #7

I'm a little biased here. I could fill an entire list of things only from Costa Rica. I spent a month there and only saw a small portion of the country, a country that is slightly smaller than West Virginia (yeah, useful comparison, I know).
Residents of the Great White North like to get all excited and patriotic about our wilderness, animals, clean air etc. Well, I don't know how many Costa Ricas you can fit inside British Columbia, but I promise you the forests are as green, the wilderness as rewarding and the animals a lot easier to spot. Plus, as a bonus, you can swim all year round! I should be filling out my visa application as I speak. Sigh.

It's supposed to be the best (or 2nd best, depending on your source) left left hand break in the world. For surfers (unlike myself, but I can learn) this is a pretty big deal. The beach is in an out-of-the- way (though increasiningly popular) southern corner of CR, near the border with Panama. Check out pavones.com/ or the video below. Pura vida!

Swoyambhunath - Pronounced Like it's Spelt...

Things I'm Not Doing (but would to to be) #1139

If you take off to Kathmandu, Nepal and be sure to visit some of the amazing pilgriamge sites. Of particular note and interest to me is Swoyambhunath. A bit of a mouthful, I know, but it looks very impressive from its hilltop perch.

The word means "Self-existent One" and is believed to have been established more than 2,500 years ago. Over time it grew into an important Buddhist learning site; behind the hilltop is a temple devoted to Manjusri of Saraswati - the goddess of learning. The largest image of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Nepel is also in a monestary near the site. And it's not all Buddhist either. There are many Hindu statues and monument there and worshippers share the turf. Sure there's a considerable walk up the hill, but what's a pilgrimage to an anciet temple without a little discomfort?

How Can You have Fun Without Lizards?

Thing I'm Not Doing (but would like to be) #113

Mark March 27 and 28 on your calendars. Then buy a ticket to Tampa 'cause there's no way you can afford to miss the Florida International Reptile Show.

And they're not kidding around, it's more than just a zoo. They have reptile merchants with supplies, feeders, cages and the scaly creatures themselves. Plus speakers, activities and contests.

The reptile filled adventure runs 9 to 5 Saturday and 9 to 4 on Sunday. Plenty of time to get your fill - I promise you. Check out the goods at http://www.repticon.com/ - next weekend, BE THERE!

Blue Lagoon - Warm Solutions for a Cold World

[I'm numbering out of order here so hold onto your hats! Also, I've ammended the title to rule out things like being stranded in the Pacific, incarerated, diseased, 2-dimensional, etc. All things I'm not doing and thank goodness for it. Savvy?]

Things I'm Not Doing (but would like to) #230

Blue Lagoon in Iceland (http://www.bluelagoon.com/). Yes, especially tantalizing considering the effects of winter rage on in my part of the globe. A kind dip in thermal pools sounds tantalizing.

Here's the scoop on this steamy locale:It's actually sewater, originating deep underground. Down there it's very hot i.e 240 C. But as it rises it picks up minerals, cools down through contact with other rock and sits nicely on the surface for all to enjoy. Well, not really. It sounds like they pump it from elsewhere. But it's a step up from just a swimming pool. The water is also used for a research and skin care products. It opened in 1999.

Plus, (a real bonus for the gents) legend says that Iceland could have the highest 'hot' girls per capita. Bjork excluded.

"New Zealand's Underground Playground"

Things I'm Not Doing #1

Happen to be off to the land of kiwis and Maori tribesmen? Please, visit Waitomo Adventures and let me know what's up. I'm an avid spelunker who is simply enthralled by the idea of blackwater rafting - for the layperson that's like regular rafting, but in the dark.
If that's not up your alley, they have plenty of other underground adventures to keep you interested and they don't seem to be the type where you you shuffle along as if in a museum. No, you get properly dirty.

Homepage:
http://www.waitomo.co.nz/Waitomo_Adventures/Welcome_IDL=3_IDT=1212_ID=6858_.html
Vid:
http://www.waitomo.co.nz/Presentation/Presentation1.aspx?ID=7893

PO Box 29
Waitomo Caves Village
New Zealand
0800 WAITOMO (924 666)

I'M BACK BABY!

Ok, so that was a bit of a delay. I know you were all holding your breath. I was a tad disheartened by again didcovering that I have little to say to the world, but I'm back with fresh ideas.

It's the "I'm not doing this" blog. I'll scour the web, find cool stuff that I'm not doing (ok that's a pretty formidable list so I'll stick to the top items) and realte it back here. Sound easy enough.

Stand by for the first entry...