Bermuda! Day 2 - Stalagmites, Stalactites, and Sand

The next morning, we got up bright and early to begin adventuring. Our first stop was the Grotto Bay resort, where we went into our first cave of the day. After ducking beneath a very territorial, and very large, spider, we stepped underground to an area where you're welcome to go swimming. We didn't though - the water was too cold here for my Bermudian friend who had been spoiled all summer! We got to chat with a nice family from Montreal who also said it was too chilly - giving Canada a bad name! We also ventured a little past the sign that warned us to go no further - after all, we go to Dal, we make the rules right? 

After re-emerging into the light of day, we ventured around the resort a little bit more. One group of friends was creating a feeding frenzy of fish, which was fun to watch for a little bit, until we eyed the real winner of the morning: The triangle, blow-up, slightly hazardous thing you see a couple of pictures below? Oh yeah, baby. We were the first ones to venture down that day, so it took a couple of runs down (it's a slide, in case you can't tell) to get it wet, but soon we had more people following our great idea! The only downpoint: at one point the water stole my hairband. Small price to pay for blow-up fun!

Next up: Crystal Cave. There are two caves you are recommended to visit - Crystal and Fantasy - but since we only had time for one, Jordan assured me that we picked the right one. Since I can't imagine anything more mind-blowing than this, I think he was probably correct. In 1905, two boys were playing cricket and lost their ball. In searching for it, they discovered was would later be known as Crystal Cave. If you folks have ever been in a cave without a lamp/flashlight, you know it's probably not ideal to just casually stumble upon one one day. They later lowered themselves down with lanterns, and slowly discovered what the pictures below attempt to capture!

The staircase leading down, down, down

This is one of the many many formations in the cave. If I remember correctly, the white areas are dead areas, that people have touched - hands off!

The stalactites and  stalagmites stop growing when they reach water - these two were getting so close together when the water entered the cave, halting them in their tracks!

So close!

Waaay up there? That's where the cricket ball fell in. They still haven't found the ball!

After leaving our second cave of the day, we headed to Horseshoe Bay, along the south coast of the island. I decided to try my hand at boogie boarding - how hard could it be? Well, José was still being a tease and so the waves made it a little tricky! The second casualty of the day - a hair elastic. I also brought home about half of the beach in my scalp - easy to get out, definitely. Sandy hair and bruised ribs aside, it was such a fun afternoon! Then we climbed "the rock". This giant rock recently cracked! I wasn't able to get a definite answer on whether it was from an earthquake or a storm, but either was I think it was around March of this year.

A rainbow was the perfect backdrop as we barbecued our dinner of fresh tuna. Yumm! Also, note the roof in the shot: the only source of fresh water comes from the water collected from the roof (which is white, to help keep the house cool!). The roofs are made of Bermuda stone and towards the bottom is a level that juts out, which collects the water.

Bermuda! Day 1 - My Journey to the Triangle

I got to finish my summer work term a week early and visit my friend Jordan - who conveniently lives in beautiful Bermuda. His fantastic family welcomed me and taught me everything they could about the island life - and didn't even seem to get annoyed at my many (many) questions!

My flight was scheduled for 6am Sunday morning. At 2pm on Saturday, after a delicious lobster lunch (the perks of being home!) and while getting ready for a wedding that evening, Jordan bbm'ed me in a slight panic - due to the wonderfulness that was Hurricane Irene, my flight (due to a stop in Philly) was cancelled. However, Jordan's father Joe saved the day by booking me into the last seat available to Bermuda - for the same time, even!

So the wedding celebrations went a teeny bit later than expected, leading to my sleepy self pressing "dismiss" instead of "snooze" - why are the buttons so close together?? Jordan's "how did check in go?" text arrived before we even arrived at the airport. Oops!

One very bumpy ride to Toronto later (and hilarious flight attendants - when we landed one said "after that flight, your bags definitely shifted - please be careful!"), and an amazingly smooth flight to Bermy (this time, Mr. X was wondering if his dog was safe below - the attendant came over the loudspeaker to announce that "Mr. X's dog is fine and says woof woof") and I arrived!!

Picture paradise - bright blue waters, vibrant pink and yellow flowers, shockingly white roofs - that's actually what my first glimpse of Bermuda was. It's not photoshopped, people - the island actually is that beautiful.

With hurricane season taunting the country, we decided to jump right in the pool (with our swizzle - the tastiest cocktail of life - of course!)

After a quick swim, we drove to Devonshire Bay, one of Bermuda's national parks. Tropical Storm José was creating some pretty huge waves, so we ventured out and got completely soaked! It was like a warmer, more colourful, less foggy version of Peggy's Cove.

Then we headed to a resort (can't remember which one it was!) and Jordan began his tour guide duties by explaining every plant we passed that he knew - which is a lot, seeing as his family owns a bunch of farms there! Then we walked along my first Bermudian beach. The sand there is such a pretty pink - I guess it's "new" sand - you can still see the pink coral pieces if you look closely!

Then it was home to clean up for dinner - a delicious Portuguese meal complete with lots of wine. I kind of lucked out with my accommodations, no big deal. Below is Jordan's house (every house there has its own name, in addition to the street address!), and some of his family's stunning garden. One flower that I can't find my picture of is this small little white beauty that only releases its fragrance at night. So, that evening we ventured out (dodging giant toads) to smell them - completely worth it. Then you've got the view - no big deal, but it kind of beats the one I've got here in Halifax! Finally, in the back of the house is a ladder that leads to his grandfather's house next door.

Summer is Winding Down!

 
I can't believe it's nearly the end of August already - what an insanely busy and fun past couple of months I've had!

I've been working all summer, finishing up my last co-op of my university career - how scary is that? I'm definitely not mature enough to be so close to entering the real world!

The summer has been largely focused on the Inside Ride. As the primary organizer for the Halifax event (woot!) I've been rounding up folks to put in teams of six. Each team will raise $1000 and then bike together for an hour &  half on stationary bikes that are touring around the country with Coast to Coast Against Cancer. Through generous support form our national sponsors, LG and NY Fries, we are SUPER happy to say that 100% of proceeds from this event are getting donated to Camp Goodtime - that's right, every penny raised is staying right here in Nova Scotia to help send children with cancer to summer camp.

You can check out the blog entry here (I know, such a pro blogger), titled "Going the Distance". And, if you'd like to sponsor me, you can do so here! :)

I was home last weekend for the Halifax County Exhibition - don't let the "Halifax" part of that throw you off! We're talking truck pulls, ox pulls, mud and dirt, 4-H shows, and - my personal favourite - cow barns!! Anyone that knows me can attest for just how much love I have for cattle - they're just amazing!!

I'm lucky enough to go home again this weekend, for my best friend's sister's wedding! She's going to be the most beautiful bride - I'm a sappy person, so I'll have to remember to pack the waterproof mascara!

Here are a few things that have been making me smile lately:

The funniest drawing ever:

Cat Scans: http://thecatscan.tumblr.com/

About the picture at the top of this post: Canadian Ships Start Here. Nova Scotia has built over 80% of Canada's surface combat fleet - we're doing something right. We build the Bluenose - AND Theodore Tugboat! We are definitely the right choice for the shipbuilding project. And that's my NS shoutout :)

The past two months in a nutshell:

July 8 was my beautiful roommate Justine's birthday. Justine's birthday is pretty much a national holiday - and we celebrated it as such!

In between working our butts of at work, on our online courses (hah), and volunteering, we managed to fit in a few fun nights out, including when my old roommate came back to Halifax for a few days :)

Happy Labour Day!!

The Halifax International Busker Festival is probably the best time of the summer. The largest annual busker festival in the world! - on the world's longest harbourfront boardwalk :)

Throw 2 Catch, from Montreal

Throw 2 Catch, from Montreal

PG 13

Nautical Night

Making waves on the wave

Home Sweet Home!!

Tilt-a-Whirl with Miss Mandi at the Exhibition

Peace, Love, Happiness everyone!