Culebra

Since I have been to Vieques, an island not far from Culebra, I would love to visit this island to see the cultural differences.  Culebra is around 7 miles wide and five miles long.  It had much of the same history as Vieques with the Navy.  The island is a municipality of Puerto Rico so there is no need for Americans to have a passport.  The population of this island is around 2,000.  The picture on the left is of an abandoned Navy tank on Flamenco Beach. 


Where to Stay:  There is not as big of a selection to choose from because this is such a small island.  If you plan on going here to vacation, I would make sure to plan ahead and have a place lined out.  Generally, I promote HomeAway.  You can let them filter a place by how much you are willing to pay per week and by how many people are staying with you.  On TripAdvisor, there are a few clubhouses and apartments for rent as well. 



Beaches:  Flamenco Beach is the most popular beach on Culebra and is pictured in the above picture.  It is picturesque and is one of the best beaches as voted by Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine when it was in production.  Malena is on the Reserve and is much quieter than Flamenco, but is still gorgeous (what beach isn't, though?).  Another beach worth mentioning is Melones.  This beach is known for its good snorkeling. 

What to do:  Go to the different beaches.  That's a given!  There is turtle viewing because they nest on the beaches.  There is great snorkeling and businesses that offer tours.  There is shopping, which is something I always look forward to.  On Culebra, there are many artisans making their way by selling their wares.  It would be a good opportunity to bring home something different and authentic. There is the Museum of History that would be neat to check out if that's your thing.  TripAdvisor mentions that one of the top things to do is take a quick day trip to the island of Culebrita to see the lighthouse and snorkel.  It does mention that this is an all day thing, it is quite a long hike to the lighthouse and it can be costly. 

How to get there:  The majority of Americans fly into San Juan and then take a smaller airplane over.  The carriers that fly to Culebra include Air Flamenco, Vieques Air Link, Cape Air (we flew to Vieques with them), and Isla Nena.  There is also a ferry that runs from San Juan to Culebra.  I will give a strong caution about this.  First of all, the schedule is sketchy.  I have seen many sights that have had issues with them cancelling or not going at all on certain days.  Another issue is that the ferry is about an hour or more from the San Juan airport.  So, by the time you pay a taxi and the ferry, you could have just flown for a bit more cash.  Much less stressful, in my opinion.  I will give a tip about Cape Air.  As of now, there is no fee for baggage.  We paid for our luggage on the way there because we flew into San Juan with United; however, on the way home, Cape Air checked our bags through to Indianapolis and it didn't cost us a dime.  Pretty sweet deal if you ask me!


Please comment any tips and hints about this island if you have been there!  I originally planned on St. Martin and Dominica next February or Antigua and Dominica, but this little island is gaining ground on my radar! 

XOXO...Becky

Dauphin Island, Alabama

Dauphin Island, The Sunset Capital of Alabama

I happened to come across this little gem of an island while searching for a family beach vacation in Florida.  We always seem to go somewhere on the panhandle, which is great, but it gets tiresome going to Panama every year.  One thing I love about the HomeAway is that it lets you scroll your mouse on the map and it will bring up condos for rent above where your mouse is. I happened to scroll towards Alabama and saw this diamond.  So far during my research, I found that there are no huge resorts and it is basically a quiet little island with not much to do except go to the beach and enjoy the peace.  We have been looking for a beach house or condo for all 8 of us.  My Grandparents my brother and my Mom are going with us.  There are many options on the HomeAway app, and I found the perfect one!  It cost us $2451 for the week and has four bedrooms and is right on the beach.  That's not a bad price when you are splitting between 4 families (one family per room).  We have a pool and many amenities with our condo :)  The property manager was very fast at getting back to us about booking and very polite.  I hope this will be a fantastic family vacation!  You will hear how it all went after we get back I'm sure!  Now just to continue my research, make a list of things we must do, and count down to July!  The link to our condo is listed below:
https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p3903189


This is what sold me on this property...Can you believe this view?!?


Location:  This island is south of Gulf Shores, Alabama.  You take AL 193 S (18 miles) across an ocean bridge.  The island is around 14 miles long and a little over a mile wide at the widest spot. There is also vehicle ferry that you can take.  The ferry will take vehicles across if that's what you need.  The cost of the ferry is minimal.  The website is listed below.  I would check it out for prices and hours of operation. 
http://mobilebayferry.com

Beaches:  So, I read in one of my sea glass books (Sea Glass Hunter's Handbook by C.S. Lambert) that this island is a great place to find glass.  I'm stoked about this!  It mentioned on the Odyssey website, which is in my helpful links on the side of my blog, that glass is mostly found by the piers.  I hope there is a ton to be found! Basically, as far as beaches are concerned, there is the gulf and the Mobile Bay behind.  On the gulf side, you will have the waves and more choppy waters.  On the bay side, it will be more calm.  There is a public beach that does have a small fee. There is also public access and the beaches directly in front of your condo or beach home. 

Things to do: There is actually quite a bit to do on this tiny island.  Some things to do include visiting Fort Gaines, seeing the bird sanctuary, learning at the Estuarium, beachcombing, and  make sure to visit the Indian Shell Mound Park.  As always, a vacation is only as good as you make it!  You all can guess what I'm mostly excited about! BEACHCOMBING AND A TAN!

Places to shop:  There are many places to shop, which include surf shops, gift shops, and small groceries. This island has all the essentials, just not any huge stores that your bigger places have.  Don't plan on going to the Wal-Mart to stock up on essentials for the week.  What I plan on doing, is getting toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, foods that don't need refrigerated, and any other essentials at home.  Then basically, we will just need any food items that need refrigerated.

Places to eat: There are a few good places to eat, which include Pelican Pub, Skinner Seafood, JT's Sunset Grell, and Barnacle Bill's Marina Grill Inc.  I also found an ice cream place that had some good reviews, called Icecream Haven.  I'm sure we will be visiting this little place numerous times with the kiddos!

XOXO...Becky

Dauphin Island Pier

Topless Beaches

I am a Labor and Delivery Nurse, therefore I see breasts every day.  I am open and I have zero secrets.  I am all about "freeing the nipple."  I have said on numerous occasions, that my nipples are no different than Brad's.  Yes, his may not have any fatty tissue and mine may not have hair, but other than that...SAME.  I enjoy going topless on the beach.  Simple.  I don't run around with them flopping.  I may just lay there.  Or I may take it off in the water where nobody could probably even tell.  You can pass judgment, but I like to be free and comfortable.  I'm not a hippie, I'm not a free spirit, I'm just comfortable being topless.  I never see people  run around on the beach like Pamela Anderson in Bay Watch, like many of you may be picturing right now (If I looked like her I might).  My best naps have been spent snoring quietly under a palm tree in the warm ocean breezes with the sound of waves crashing.  I also love sitting topless on a beach laughing with my friends after downing a bottle of rum (that I generally pay for later).  Breasts are for food.  Breasts should not be oversexualized.  Breasts should only be sexualized in situations, and that should be kept in the bedroom.  Nobody wants to see that shit....Well, maybe some do...My breasts are not where they should be anymore and one is bigger than the other.  Who cares.  If you don't like it, look the other way.  Now, don't get me wrong...I don't walk around the house naked in front of my boys.  I don't want anyone to feel uncomfortable; however, if I am on a topless beach with my guy and no small children around...then why the hell not??!!  Morale of my story...Enjoy yourself, have fun, and be comfortable for God's sake!!   Note that some of these beaches are also nude beaches, so choose wisely!

http://adventureswithben.com/adventure/tips-visiting-nude-beach-time/

Added 3/11/16: I am adding this link because it is relevant to my thoughts...Don't ever think I am a Kardashian fan; however, she has some good insight into what is wrong with our country. Let's stop the body shaming, people! Big is beautiful! Hairy is beautiful! Lean is beautiful! We are all different, and that's what's great!!! Please please please read the story on the link below.

http://www.hotmomsclub.com/g/kim-kardashian-wants-us-to-shut-up-about-that-tape-already/?ipp=3&utm_source=tran&utm_content=hmc

Now, on with my story :)

The few topless beaches that I have researched are: 

Orient Beach, St. Martin- This is one of the beaches that we will possibly be visiting early next year.  This beach does make me a bit nervous because it is a totally nude beach in some areas.  The option is yours :)  This is a very popular and public beach.  There are showers, food, restrooms, etc.  I did notice after some reading that there is not much shade, so beware.

Grand Saline Beach, St. Barth-  This beach is either topless or nude.  The great thing about this beach, is you can get away from people if you need to.  It is a long stretch of a beach, so walking down it a ways will seclude you from others if you feel more comfortable doing that.  There is some good snorkeling on this beach to the south, which would be a neat experience to do topless (or bottomless).

Pointe Tarare, Guadeloupe-  This is a nude beach.  There is nowhere I could find that said anything about public restrooms, and I also saw it mentioned that if you plan on spending the day lounging on the beach, you should bring a cooler with food and water. 

Tower Isle, Ochos Rios, Jamaica- This gorgeous beach is a fully nude beach but you should bring clothes for the resort.  The resort does have a dress code so it is only nude on the beach. 

Hidden Beach Resort, Riviera Maya, Mexico- There is a minimum age of 18 to stay at this resort, photography is prohibited, and inappropriate behavior in public with one another or with staff is not allowed.  Other than that, the resort is very nice and has a gorgeous beach.

Hawksbill Bay, Antigua-  From what I understand about Hawksbill Bay, is that it is a nude beach, it is very private, it is not family friendly (I'm assuming it's because of bare asses), it has beautiful waters and gorgeous white sand, the beach is very clean, and some say there are free beach chairs. 

Seven Mile Beach, Negril, Jamaica-  There are many nude resorts in Jamaica, but this beach is public, so it is considered topless.  If you want to go nude, you can pay a daily fee at many of the resorts to use their facilities, or you can pay to just stay at their resort.  Other than that, this is a beautiful pristine stretch of gorgeous white sand and clear water. 



Gouverneur Beach, St. Barths-  This beach is much like Grand Saline Beach.  There are restrooms, a parking lot, and places to get food.  I read that you have to be careful getting into the water because of the erosion from past hurricanes and that there is a slight undertow and some waves on this beach.

Haulover Beach, USA-  This is the number one nude beach in the US, as stated by many different sites, so maybe I will have to check it out!  It is located in Miami, Florida and as stated above, it is a nude beach.  It is mentioned that there is a fee to park and you aren't looked down upon if you choose to wear clothing.  There are not as many people that frequent this beach as compared to Miami Beach.  There are lifeguards as well as food and drink stands, which is a huge plus. 


There are a ton of beaches to explore!  So if you are feeling the need to be free, whether it be topless or nude, hit up one of these beauties!

XOXO...Becky

P.S.  Don't look for me on one of these beaches, because you might not like what you see ;)




http://adventureswithben.com/adventure/tips-visiting-nude-beach-time/

Travel Bucket List (Always Changing)

Everyone should have a travel bucket list, and should work at knocking their items off the list!  I am going to make it one of my life goals.  I know this is something that EVERYONE does and I have been on the bandwagon for a long time; however, my list has been in my mind.  I'm glad this is finally down where I can visualize it. I will also list some that Brad has mentioned and I will put his name beside them :)  I'm probably going to be continuously adding to this thing, but here is a good start!  If I do the item, I will update this list by crossing it off and not deleting, so you can see what I have accomplished through the years.  I'm sure it will be a slow process :)

• Cliff Palace, Mesa Verde National Park (added 03/29/16)
• Carnival, wearing the outfit and the whole kit and caboodle--You can order an outfit with your measurements, and they will make it, dress you, do your makeup the day of the parade, and have a spot lined out for you...How freaking awesome would this be?!?!
• Mardi Gras, New Orleans
• Times Square, New York to ring in the New Year
• See the Grand Canyon with Brad (I completed in 2019)
• Visit numerous glass beaches and start a collection
• Alaska--OBVIOUSLY BRAD
• Major U.S. National Parks, like Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Slide Rock State Park, etc.--Brad
• Drive down  Alligator Alley
• Drive on the Golden Gate Bridge
• Stay in Bali
• Stay in Tahiti
• Stay in Bora Bora...Do you note a trend?
• Stay in Dominica and snorkel the Champagne Reef
• Stay in an over-water bungalow
• Snorkel with a sea turtle
• Go on a Girl's Vacation somewhere tropical
• Take a train across country, but have a sleeping room
• Maine--Not sure where, but just to visit somewhere along the coast
• I want to sip tea at a tiny little café, shop and explore Paris
• Take pictures of Stonehenge
• Be awed at the Great Wall
• Snorkel with a manatee 
• Go somewhere to dig for gems and shark teeth 
• Check out Torch Lake
• Hang out and swim at Barton Springs, Tx.
• Swim with Whale Sharks
• Swim with the pigs at Big Major Cay
• Hike Garden of the Gods
• Swim with the Rays at the Cayman Islands
• Drive the whole length of the Keys...I especially want to visit the Dry Tortugas Beaches
• Visit the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
• I want a jar of pink sand from the Pink Sand Beach, Bahamas
• Collect sand and shells at every beach we visit
• Travel to Havasu Creek, Arizona (added 3/3/16)
• Take my kids to Disney (added 3/10/16) Completed in 2018! 
• Visit a few places where "Pirates of the Caribbean" was filmed (added 3/10/16)
• Visit a few places where "The Lord of the Rings" was filmed (added 3/10/16)

What do you have on your bucket list???

XOXO...Becky