The spring and autumn equinox (20th – 21st March and 21st – 22nd September) are arguably THE time to visit the great archaeological site of Chichen Itza on the Yukatan peninsula. In both the morning and evening of these four days the angle of the sun casts a shadow on the famous El Castillo pyramid which makes it look like a serpent is winding its way down the structure. The head of the snake being at the bottom of the steps on El Castillo. The only problem with going at this time of the year is that you can guarantee it will be crowded.
I have been fortunate to visit Chichen Itza, although not during an equinox. The site is huge (see Chichen Itza article) – allow the best part of a day to really take it in, and for this reason I would recommend hiring a car and ‘going it alone’ with a good guide book or hiring a private guide rather than going on a day trip from a hotel when you are only likely to get 2-3 hours at the site. Hiring a car is easy – we got ours from Cancun. The drive was about 3 hours on reasonable dual carriage way roads, and we made an overnight stay in nearby Merida so we could visit nearby site of Uxmal the next day. I would definitely recommend a visit to Uxmal too if history is your thing. Making our own way there was definitely the right thing to do – for us.
You don’t have to be a celebrity to go on your own bush tucker trial!
Head to Hokitika on the south island of New Zealand on 13th - 15th March to sample the ‘delights’ on offer! Join the crowds who have been lured here with a curiosity for strange flavours. Fancy swallowing crickets, chewing slugs, gobbling sheep’s eyes and nibbling on sausages made from bulls’ penise, you pay’s your money and you take your choice!
Hokitika is a tiny, beautiful town in the middle of the wild, cold, wet, and did I say wild? West Coast of the southern island of New Zealand. It’s known as the “Greenstone (New Zealand Jade) Capital of the World,” the small seaside town is not much more than a few shops with a beach reputed to wash up jade along the shore. Every spring over 15,000 travelers, tourists, locals, and freaks descend upon the village to put their mouth where their money is and eat all manner of cuisine from the forests, farmland, and ocean waters of New Zealand.
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Posted by Jill Bowen on Mon 23rd February 2009 at 03:55 AM, Filed in Naturism
If the children are happy on holiday – then parents will be too. When looking for a family naturist holiday what you don’t want is one that’s at a resort that caters mainly for adults! The following 10 resorts (in no particular order) range from caravaning/camping, to up market Caribbean venues all suitable for families of varying ages.
1.La Jenny France
Situated 40 miles west of Bordeaux on France’s Côte d’Argent, near the Atlantic coast where the warm Gulf Stream ensures a surprisingly mild climate. The nearest village is Le Porge, six miles away. The resort is set in nearly 300 acres of pine forests; accommodation is self-catering studios and apartments for 2,500 people. This is a perfect family resort with a supervised Kids’ Club (3-11 years) and activities provided for teenagers (12-17 years a). There’s golden sandy beach a lovely 20 minutes walk away, the complex has a huge outdoor swimming pool, 10 tennis courts, archery, golf and aerobics. Other facilities include; restaurant, bar, pizzeria-snack bar, supermarket, washing machines and baby sitting at a nominal charge, WiFi access is payable. Gymnastics, yoga, archery, aerobics and water polo, pony club for children are among the organised activities on offer, as well as concerts, dances and shows. La Jenny is perfect for all the family.
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Posted by Jilly Bowen on Tue 10th February 2009 at 03:00 PM, Filed in February, March
This years Tedfest is being held on February 26, 2009 to March 1, but it’s sold out! However there is a second ‘coming’. Be quick, tickets sell out as fast as they are offered! The second coming is being held on Thursday 5 March to Sunday 8 March; you know you want to go so, go on, go on, go on! Festival numbers are apparently restircted by the size of the island upon which it is held.
For those of you scratching your heads in utter bewilderment as to what this is all about, it’s based on the wonderful cult series Father Ted ‘set on ‘Craggy Island’ with the three batty priests’, and is a few days of totally off-the-wall madness. Anyone that knows the series will understand it means, madness, mayhem and utter chaos. If you have never seen it, oh boy you’ve missed a treat, ‘google’ Father Ted, or better still invest in some DVD’s, I can assure you they will be watched many, many times over!
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Posted by Jill Bowen on Fri 30th January 2009 at 04:00 PM, Filed in Naturism
There are so many wonderful ‘free’ beaches around the world it was difficult to compile a list, but here is my top ten ‘for now’. If you beg to differ add your own favourites as comments at the bottom of this article – who knows we may even conduct a survey soon to see if we can go definitive!
From north to south:
1. Bellevue Beach, Klapenburg, Denmark
This beach can get crowded on sunny days, as it’s only six miles north of Copenhagen. It attracts a young crowd – though of course all are welcome. The beach itself is beautiful, clear water and stone-free sand make it perfect for beach and water sports. There does appear to be a slightly strange rule here – walking in the nude is forbidden, but swimming and sunbathing is legal! There is a wonderful view of Sweden and the amazing Bresund Bridge that links the two countries. The northern part of the beach is a known gay area.
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