By this Author: MurkTravels

overview / intro

We found a good deal for a week long stay at a fancy resort in the middle of one of the atoll of islands in the Maldives. It took 2 days of travel to get there and 2 days on the way back since it's pretty much on the other side of the world, but totally worth it.

It is a super unique location and experience to see all these tiny islands in the middle of a huge ocean. They are somewhat close to each other (a couple miles in any direction) but far enough that you feel isolated on a private island and can barely see the next one in the chain on the horizon.

Most of the islands are private resorts. Ours had a gym, sport courts, several pools, many beaches, bars, restaurants, and about 100 bungalows/rooms. We opted to go all in and enjoy one of the villas that sits above the water in a shallow coral reef pool area. We could dive off the back deck into the water and snorkel or swim around and see the fish, coral, jellyfish, etc..

Each day was a different experience. We did snorkel trips to swim with turtles one day, we saw manta rays another day, and ocean dolphins, went on a sunset boat cruise, visited a tiny sand reef island that you could walk around in about a minute. Other days we worked out, went to the beaches, relaxed in the villa porch, visited all the bars.

Recommend:

• splurge on an above water villa for the unique experience and to swim whenever you want
• go on some guided trips to see fish, sharks, manta rays, turtles, reefs
• you can skip the capital of Male, there's not much to do there and it's just a point of transfer for international flights to the other islands / resorts

Trip Map

Pictures

Video

videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=murktravels+maldives&sp=QgIIAQ%253D%253D

Links

MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempt at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen

overview / intro

nothing really of note, but had an overnight stop in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the way to our vacation in the Maldives. The airport was freezing cold, and we didn't get a very good night's sleep.
Next time maybe we'll get out and do some more site seeing.

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempt at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen

overview / intro

We took a trip to check out National Parks and the Pacific Coast in Oregon and California.

We drove from Oakland up to Lassan Volcanic National Park first and camped there. It was like a very mini Yellowstone with some calderas, lakes, and a quick drive through the park. Next was Crater Lake National Park in Oregon where we camped again. This stop had amazing hikes and views into the crystal clear blue water in the lake in the caldera of an old volcano. Highly recommended.

We took a few days to visit Portland before heading to the coast. We drove south from Seaside (near where they filmed part of the Goonies movie) and stopped in random small towns along the way. We camped in South Beach state park which was very nice. Next up was heading to Northern California (after a bit of delay due to a rock slide closing part of the scenic highway).

We ended the trip with visiting Humboldt and Jedediah State Redwoods and the National Redwoods Forest Parks. The drive along the "Avenue of the Giants" and various hikes we took were crazy to feel so small next to these huge trees. We even drove through the base of one of the trees. Then there was more camping for a few more nights before heading to Sonoma for a nice hotel, wine tour, and local food.

Recommend:

• Redwoods National Parks - and there's also about 5 local state parks that are connected
• Crater Lake National Park
• camping near the Oregon coast

Trip Map

Pictures

Crater Lake

Coast

Redwoods

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempt at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen

overview / intro

I learned to scuba dive and got my certification in Puerto Vallarta Mexico in 2017, but I didn't get to do much else. So I returned in 2021 with Catia and we explored more of the area.

First, we stayed at a AirBnb in the town of Yelapa. You can only get there by an hour long boat ride from Puerto Vallarta marina. There are no roads in or out of the town, so it was quit remote and relaxing. We went on a day boat trip to do some fishing, see Los Arcos National Maritime park, and visit the hidden beach at the Marieta Islands.

We also spent time at the marina in PV at a luxury resort, and did some paddle boarding in the bay. Then we did day trips to San Vincent and Sayulita. We tried several local food joints and the best was Panchos and El Cunado

Recommend:

• visit Yelapa and walk around the little remote town
• find Playa de Los Muertos in Sayulita
• Pacho's Takos in PV

Trip Map

Pictures

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempt at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen

overview / intro

Spent a long weekend checking out New Mexico. We took Catia's parents to the Meow Wolf display and a local farmers market in Santa Fe.
Then we went through Bandolier National Monument and the nearby town of Los Alamos (research site for the atomic bomb). Finally we stayed around Taos and visited the local plaza.

Trip Map

Pictures

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempt at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen

overview / intro

I bought a house in Iowa to fix up and rent out. Went back several times through the summer to fix it up and got it rented by the fall.
The weekend of the closing we also went to a light show at the Des Moines zoo.

Pictures

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempt at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen

overview / intro

We checked out the Ice Castle in Dillon, Colorado for some fun. There were ice slides, carvings, lights, fountains, and mazes to explore.

Then went to the Denver Botanical Gardens for winter light displays.

Pictures

Links

MurkTravels Vimeo - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Youtube - videos of my trips & entertainment
MurkTravels Facebook page - pictures, posts, and regular updates
MurkTravels Facebook photo albums
MurkTravels Instagram - my attempt at artistic travel images
MurkTravels Travel Map - all the places that I've been and the things that I've seen