Panama City Beach, Florida – Sugar white sand & emerald water
Spring Break or early summer is when we like to pack up the family and take a trip to the beach … before it gets too hot, or too crowded. This April we went to Panama City Beach (PCB), a six hour car ride from Atlanta (or one hour flight). We stayed in Laguna Beach – one of the numerous areas adjacent to PCB and which lays claim to some portion of the beachfront on the Gulf of Mexico. We have driven to several beaches from our home – but this has been our favorite!
My kids on Spring Break at PCB
The 27 miles of pure sugary white sand beach was easily accessible from a number of well posted boardwalks. While the modest emerald green waves could easily lull you to sleep, be watchful of your children who might try to bury you in sand (ours probably would given the chance). The beach has plenty of space to swim, splash and relax, although the riptide can be quite strong at certain times of the year – so please observe the flags and any warning signs prior to entering the water.
Restaurants and shopping options are diverse, as are options for outdoor activity and attractions. We found the Spring Break crowd kept the central shops and restaurants too crowded for our liking, but we were able to find quieter options nearby. Rather than fill our days with too much activity, this trip was about looking for some quiet relaxation … and ‘accidentally’ found some sub-tropical paradise on a gorgeous beach.
This was our Spring Break beach-on-a-budget trip because we were saving up for our big summer trip to New Zealand. We saved money by staying across the street from the beach instead of directly on the beach; and we prepared many of our meals in the comfortable 2 bedroom cabin instead of dining out all the time. We stayed at the family friendly Laguna Beach Christian Retreat, which had multiple swimming pools to provide a great diversion from spending endless days on the sand. We left the PCB area with the distinct feeling that we need to go back and explore some of the many things we discovered – we got a taste, and want some more.
Dad’s Recommendation:
The sunsets can be truly captivating, so take time to walk down to the beach and enjoy the sensation … make sure you take your shoes off. Consider renting a place with a kitchen and with a view of the beach … it makes for lovely mealtimes together as a family.
More information can be found online at: www.VisitPanamaCityBeach.com , www.ChristianCamp.com, plus whatever your search engine comes up with.
Chi Air Digital Luggage Scale Review
Those who have travelled with me over the last three decades will generally know that I like my gadgets. Certainly I’ve been through various phases with certain items, and have a veritable collection of useful things that I seldom take on trips any longer. Having just recently returned from a one month family trip to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia, I am compelled to make my first review about the most recent gadget in my drawer … the Chi Air Digital Luggage Scale.
Digital Luggage Scale
I cannot imagine going on a family trip without taking this valuable gadget. This hand-size unit enables you to measure the weight of your luggage from the comfort of your home, hotel, or hosts accommodation. This means it’s much more convenient to redistribute your rock samples (or souvenir books) from one bag to another, thus avoiding overweight bag fees at the airport check-in counter (they know most people would rather pay the fee than struggle with their dirty laundry on the terminal floor).
The scale provides measurement in either metric or English units, and has a stated capacity of 50kg/110lb, far more than any airline will allow. The unit takes one CR2032 3V battery, and easily lasted through rigorous uses over a one month trip – and is still going strong. I see these units listed online for about US$20, and is well worth it if you’re ever going to travel heavy.
Dad’s Recommendation:
I try to pack relatively light when travelling by myself, irrespective of whether it’s for a few days or for a few weeks. After all, it’s usually not the end of the world to be missing an item – and most travel items can be replaced if essential. However, when travelling with a family it’s a really good idea to be as prepared as possible, meaning it’s a good idea to have a little extra stuff on hand … just-in-case! As such, the weight limits imposed by airlines are much more meaningful when I’m travelling with my family. A small digital scale such as the Chi Air Digital Luggage Scale could easily save the purchase cost in avoided airline fees. Of course, don’t forget to check the airline luggage weight limits prior to travel.
Petra, Jordan – An ancient marvel
Indiana Jones helped make Petra famous in the movie The Last Crusade, although several other Hollywood movies have also brought us glimpses of this incredible archeological site. I’ve visited 2-3 times, and would gladly go back again.
Petra - The Treasury; A view which unfolds from the Siq
While few early adventurers (such as Lawrence of Arabia) were able to investigate the ruins from the Nabataean capital city, present day tourists are cordially welcome to make the trip into this ancient town (~2000 years old). Visitors and local Bedouins can freely wander through the marbled red homes, hewn with artistic flare from this community of rocks surrounding the narrow valley. The Romans came and went, leaving their mark with roads, amphitheatres, temples, a nymphaeum, and other architecture to endure unaided against the millennia. Admired for its ingenious complex of dams and water channels, Petra is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and another of the so-called new 7 Wonders of the World that awes visitors from around the globe
What struck me is the magnitude of the place, with over 800 different ‘monuments’. It’s not just the Al Khazneh (treasury) building carved into the rock face, it’s dozens and dozens of doorways which are clearly visible, each leading to a room which housed generations of families in times long past. While the Treasury is iconic from the first glimpse through the 1 km Siq (shaft) which was cleft through the otherwise impenetrable rock, these lesser famed homes are resolutely keeping their secrets from the adventurous few who venture from the path to explore beyond the beckoning thresholds.
Petra - An expansive marvel from ancient times
Most people make a day trip to Petra from Amman, Jordan – and often do a loop to include the Desert Road one way and the Dead Sea the other. While this allows for the most amount of sightseeing, it can also become a tiring blur by the end of the day. I hope to write more about the Dead Sea in the future.
Dad’s Recommendation:
Take a camel ride along the Roman Road on the valley floor, although wait until you turn around to go back since you’ll likely be hot and tired … and you’ll appreciate the ride much more than backtracking up the hill. I’ve never taken the cart ride back up through the Siq, but have been somewhat envious of those who decided to take the easy way back. Take ample water with you as it can get very hot.
Rather than do a day trip from Amman, consider staying a night or two in Aqaba on the coast of the Red Sea. From this seaside town you can see Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt … and the snorkeling is a great way to cool off after a long hot day. You can also stay at Petra itself, making it possible to visit the rose coloured city in the early morning and late afternoon when the colours reportedly are the most striking.
http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/petra.html is one of the best websites I’ve found with additional information and details.
Remembering the events of 9-11
What were you doing ten years ago when first hearing the news about an airplane hitting the World Trade Center? It’s a question that we ask as adults, and provides anecdotal evidence that adrenaline highlights our senses to remember certain details from those extraordinary moments, which unfolded in something akin to a terrible dream. I was driving down Preston Road (TX-289) in Frisco, TX on my way to work, driving my old Black Saab on a clear and sunny morning. Arriving a few minutes later, I told disbelieving colleagues and our stunned our office watched on TV with unified concern until the first tower fell … nobody spoke as the shock and horror reached like ice into our marrow. None of us could watch any more as we all felt compelled to get home to our families, and I clearly remember driving home on emptied roads under a blue sky devoid of the vapor trails which usually point the way to DFW.
We were living in Denton, Texas with our two boys, and Colette was pregnant with Anna-Kate. I had been traveling a lot and had actually been scheduled to fly to California that week. For some reason my plans changed at the last minute and hence I was on the road to work instead of at an airport – or on a plane as Colette was quick to point out. Colette had the TV on that morning and immediately became alarmed when the first news reports came out about the first plane hitting the twin towers. We were grateful that we were able to watch the grim news reports together as a family, while all humanity struggled to comprehend this tragic milestone in history.
If my comment thread is working correctly, you are welcome to comment with your story from that fateful day.
2011 Rugby World Cup Event, New Zealand
In some parts of the world, the 2011 Rugby World Cup is the most significant sporting event for a span of four years, whereas in other regions the event will pass without notice. My readers in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, England, and France will no doubt be aware that the tournament has just started (listed in likelihood of winning); although I suspect that people from the other 15 countries who qualified will also be watching with hopeful anticipation of a big upset.
To the purist, “rugby” conjures up a complex dance of shifting shadows that dynamically changes form in response to the situational whim of the opponent. Strength, agility, speed, stamina, and strategy are all required by the 15 players who represent each team, with no time-outs or substitutions (other than when you’re done for the day). The modern rugby game is really fast and furious, with pulsing action often sweeping from one end of the paddock to the other.
To those who are unaware, rugby is not a brutal game of fisticuffs and disorderly conduct. “Football (soccer) is a gentleman’s game played by hooligans, while rugby is a hooligans’ game played by gentlemen”, or so the witty quote says. Despite the appearance, there is structure and intent behind each players actions, and where playing together as a “team” is essential for success.
The event runs from 9 Sept – 23 Oct, so you may have a difficult time finding flights and accommodation during that time. However, try to watch a game while the best teams in the world are playing each other. Please note that when rugby is added back to the Olympics, it will be the abbreviated Seven’s version of the game (7 players on each team, for 7 minutes in each half), quite different to the full-blown form of the game on display at the Rugby World Cup.
Dad’s Recommendation:
If you’ve never seen a game before then please watch at least one of the upcoming games – but it’s probably best if you have a look at the rules of the game first: http://www.irblaws.com/EN/downloads (Better still, have somebody over to explain it all.)