The GypsyNesters

How to Do Mardi Gras Without Being Asked to Lift Your Shirt!

Don’t get us wrong – we LOVE New Orleans. But the thought of wading into a Big Easy Mardi Gras is something better left to young whippersnappers.

We took the rural route and learned about the wonderful goings-on in Cajun Country – what they call the REAL Mardi Gras!

Courir de Mardi Gras involves costumed men dancing on horseback, begging, and chicken chasing!

La Grande Boucherie des Cajuns A tradition older than Mardi Gras, is a communal hog butcher and meat fest.

Fais do-do See what Cajuns do once the kids go to bed… CONTINUE READING >>

With Fat Tuesday fast approaching, we dug back in our archives for this tale of festivities, revelry, and merriment. We offer it as inspiration for anyone who might be planning an adventure of their own.

Don’t get us wrong – we LOVE New Orleans. But the thought of wading into a Big Easy Mardi Gras is something better left to young whippersnappers.

We took the rural route and learned about the wonderful goings-on in Cajun Country – what they call the REAL Mardi Gras!

Let the good times roll!

THE CRAZIEST THING WE’VE SEEN YET…
AND WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF CRAZY THINGS

We discovered a long-held rural tradition of Cajun Country, Courir de Mardi Gras, in Church Point. It translates to Fat Tuesday Run and traces its origins back to medieval France and the fête de la quémande or feast of begging.

Runners, known as Mardi Gras, ride horses or wagons through the countryside stopping to beg at farms for ingredients for a communal gumbo to be made after the run. The most common offering from the farmers is a chicken which then must be chased and captured by the Mardi Gras.

At 5 AM we were awoken by the beginnings of the revelry. Horses started making their presence known and whoops and hollers filled the early morning air. The staging area was already a sea of mud.

We watched curiously while the participants – who by tradition must be male, over 14 and in costume – registered, drank, saddled up, drank, greeted each other, drank, got geared up, drank, played music, drank, danced, and oh yeah, drank some more. Costumes are imperative to the tradition in that the identity…CONTINUE READING

You’ve gotta watch the video to believe it…it’s, well, just watch.

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more history, crazy goings on and what happened when Veronica became part of the proceedings!)

MARDI GRAS DAY – A TALE OF TWO TOWNS

Asking around, we got conflicting answers to the question, “Where do we spend the actual day of Mardi Gras?”

We had spent almost three weeks in Acadiana, celebrating all things Mardi Gras, but still hadn’t landed on where to spend the big day.

Narrowing our many choices down to two, we focused on Eunice and Mamou, because each boasted chicken chasing, a big street festival and authenticity.

We were told Eunice was both “the best – by far” and “too commercial.” Mamou, on the other hand receive reviews like “the most authentic” and “just a bunch of drunks sitting on ice chests.”

Like the idiots we are, we decided to visit both. And both… CONTINUE READING

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more!)

A CAJUN BOUCHERIE – LET’S PIG OUT!

The Boucherie is not necessarily a part of the Mardi Gras celebration, in fact it most likely predates Mardi Gras activities here in South Louisiana, but in recent years many communities have included the old fashioned hog slaughter in their weekend of Mardi Gras events.

Back in the days before refrigeration families would get together to share a butchered hog because the meat would go bad before one family could eat it all. Before long this became a pretty good excuse to throw a little party.

Interesting and entertaining, not to mention tasty. After watching every part of the pig get cut for a specific purpose, we had the chance to sample… CONTINUE READING

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more!)

GO TO SLEEP LITTLE ONE, MAMA WANTS TO DANCE

“Fais do-do” is Cajun baby talk for “go to sleep” and once the kiddies are all tucked sweetly in bed, Mamma and Daddy (and Maw Maw and Paw Paw) have the chance to “pass a good time.”

We kicked off the Friday before Mardi Gras at a Fais do-do in Church Point.

We were told by a woman earlier in the day that the Fais do-do was essential for us to attend, as it was when the town “come together like family” and that we would be treated as such. And we were.

In a little town like Church Point, we normally stick out like sore thumbs, not because we’re so different as much as that everyone literally knows everyone, and we – well – we don’t know anyone. That changed at the Fais do-do.

The people of Church Point have never met a stranger, we were welcomed with open arms as everyone — from the Queen of The Courir de Mardi Gras, to the ladies handing out beer, to the mayor himself — took the extra time to make sure we had le bon temps!

Big shout out to the band “Straight Whiskey” – the real deal.

HOW MUCH KING CAKE CAN ONE PERSON EAT?

As soon as we crossed over the Louisiana border we began seeing King Cakes.

This tradition started in France in the 1100s to commemorate the Three Kings’ visit to the Christ Child.

In Acadiana the King Cake is in the shape of a ring to symbolize a crown and decorated in Mardi Gras purple, gold and green.

A little plastic baby Jesus is hidden inside the cake and the person who’s slice contains the baby is designated as the host of the next Mardi Gras or King Cake Party.

After asking around, we found out that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to the flavor of the cake. Bakeries generally fill their King Cakes with cream cheese and fruit, and some fancier versions include marzipan or Bavarian cream. The only guiding principle seems to be the colors – purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power.

The King Cake can be found in this area from January 6th until Mardi Gras Day.

THE BEST BETWEEN-THE-WEEKENDS DIVERSION

THE place to be on the Wednesday night before Mardi Gras is “Taster’s Choice” in Eunice. We headed down to the Acadian Center at LSU/Eunice to eat some of the best Cajun food we’ve ever had.

Over twenty chefs sponsored by local businesses bring their best dishes for the benefit of the Community Clinic – and a big time is had by all!

For 20 bucks each, we ate ourselves silly and were mesmerized by Marc Savoy on the French accordion playing traditional Cajun music with his family and friends – AND it was all for a great cause.

Once each guest made the rounds and sampled the food, we were encouraged to vote for our favorite dish. Here were ours:

Best sponsor name – Guidry’s Dirt Service’s Crawfish Chowder
Most clever name – Bayou Alfredeaux
All around favorite – Fruge Lumber Company’s Crawfish Étouffée

YOU CAN GET BOOZE AT THE DRIVE-THRU WINDOW?

As a matter of fact, you can.

And not just during Mardi Gras season. All over Cajun Country all you have to do is drive up and order.

Being the curious types, we tried it on bikes.

It was about one in the afternoon in Marksville when we rolled up to the window at Daiquiri Island and didn’t even get a reaction from our server.

The drink menu was nailed to the wall by the window with concoctions called “Stanky Leg,” “Purple Haze,” and “Whoop Ass,” (among others we’re too embarrassed to type BUT there’s a pic here)!

There was no explanation as to what they might be made of, so we went with something we had heard of – a Mudslide. When asked what size, we opted to split a small – which was 20oz! Delicious and VERY potant. An adult chocolate milkshake, if you will.

Later in the day, we found another interesting establishment, The Watering Hole.

Instead of a drive-up window, we actually drove through the building. The walls were lined with refrigerator cases filled with cold beer, wine and the like. And there were daiquiris, as well. Our favorite name was “Hillbilly Suicide.”

The drink we had split earlier was MORE than enough, so we opted for a pound of crawfish scooped up out of a cooler – the biggest little mudbugs we’d ever seen. Delicious!

CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and more!)

MARDI GRAS IS GOING TO THE DOGS!

Lafayette’s Krewe des Chiens Annual Dog Parade is a must-do.

This parade is geared toward children, but brings out the dog lover in all of us.

Vibrantly costumed fur babies proudly trot down Lafayette’s downtown streets as both participants and spectators.

Everyone has a grin on their snout as beads are thrown, puppies are rescued and donations are accepted for Acadiana’s less fortunate furry friends!

Mardi Gras Dog Parade, Lafayette Louisiana
CLICK TO ENLARGE PICTURES (and to see many more cute guys!)

JEANERETTE’S KREWE OF EZANA MARDI GRAS PARADE

Some parades are focused on floats and bead throws.

Not in Jeanerette. This little town of 6,000 throws a real show. Marching bands, twirlers and dancers of all ages fill out the spaces between the floats.

They don’t call Jeanerette “Sugar City” for nothing – this town doesn’t mess around with the treats they throw – candy, beads, stuffed animals, candy, trickets, oh, and candy. And gum.

CLICK TO ENLARGE THESE PICTURES (and more!)

KREWE OF CARNIVALE EN RIO – all about the beads!

This parade IS all about the beads.

Seriously. It was insane. We had discussed ahead of time our rules of personal bead gathering, as we wanted to get a realisic idea about how many one could expect to gather.

-No picking them off the street.
-No grabbing them away from eager youngsters (think foul balls at a baseball game).
-Unless they are thrown directly to us or hit us when we weren’t paying attention, they did not go around our necks.

Even so, we could barely walk back to our vehicle – madness, sheer madness.

We should have realized something was up when we saw all of the “Throw Me Something Mister” signs and fishing nets. The winner was a kid who was holding a laundry basket affixed to a broomstick, creating a target that no float rider could resist trying to make.

By the halfway point there were nearly as many plastic bags that had held the beads floating on the wind in Lafayette as beads themselves.

CLICK TO ENLARGE THESE PICTURES (and more!)

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Delve deeper:
Visit the crazy Courir de Mardi Gras, in Church Point – chicken chasing!
Check out the authentic celebrations in Eunice and Mamou
Go hog wild at an old-fashioned Boucherie meat fest!
Watch dogs celebrate Mardi Gras at the Krewe des Chiens Dog Parade
Find out how to get booze at a drive-thru window
Join us at the parades in Jeanerette and Lafayette
Learn more about the Acadian, Canadian, and Cajun connection
See our thank you to the mysterious person at the Dog Parade who commited a wonderful act of kindness!

YOUR TURN: Have we convinced you to give rural Mardi Gras a shot? What would be your first stop? Did we miss anything?

Courir de Mardi Gras in Church Point, Louisiana

Chicken chasing, colorful costumes and dancing on horseback? It’s Courir de Mardi Gras in Church Point! You’ve gotta watch the video to believe it…it’s, well, just watch… CONTINUE READING >>

You’ve gotta watch the video to believe it…it’s, well, just watch.

In our search for Mardi Gras celebrations that don’t involve any over exposure, we discovered a long held rural tradition of Cajun Country, Courir de Mardi Gras, in Church Point. It translates to Fat Tuesday Run and traces its origins back to medieval France and the fête de la quémande or feast of begging.

Several people told us that one of the most authentic of these Runs still in existence takes place the Sunday before Fat Tuesday in Church Point Louisiana, so we knew where we were headed.

As luck would have it, the starting point for the festivities, The Saddle Tramp Club, also serves as a campground, so we picked a spot, braved Saturday’s torrential rains, and waited for the madness to ensue.

At 5 AM we were awoken by the beginnings of the revelry. Horses started making their presence known and whoops and hollers filled the early morning air. The staging area was already a sea of mud.

Costumes are imperative to the tradition in that the identity of each Mardi Gras should be kept secret, allowing behavior that would never be acceptable any other day of the year. This also dates back to medieval times when costumes were used to mock the wealthy nobility during the fête.

After a couple hours of carousing, Le Capitaine and his co-capitaines organized the troops and prepared to lead the mounted participants out. In addition to the riders, wagons filled with more costumed Mardi Gras runners fell in line. The roads outside the Saddle Club were lined with hundreds more merry makers on floats but not actually participating in the run. (click here to find out more on Mardi Gras outside of New Orleans)

We weren’t really sure how we were going to observe the proceedings, but during the mustering of the troops we finagled a spot on the beer wagon where we could view the madness from in amongst them all.

This seemed like a great plan until Le Capitaine rode up to inform us that Veronica could not stay since strict tradition dictates that no women are allowed within the actual run.

Somewhat miffed, but not about to buck tradition, her up-to-the knees-in-mud-dy self was escorted to the Queens Float with the pagent winners, which worked out fine since, by the time she had perfected her parade wave, they arrived at the first farm before the runners. She had a perfect view of the sneaking up, begging, and ultimately the chasing of the chickens.

It was absolute insanity, even a bit surreal, as the farmer tossed the bird in the air and costumed, inebriated Mardi Gras chased it all over. Much mud wallowing was involved.

After several stops with more chasing and wallowing, the entire procession made its way through town in the form of a parade. At this point it took on a feel of a typical Mardi Gras celebration as riders on floats threw beads and trinkets to the crowds lining the streets. Meanwhile the Run participants headed back to The Saddle Tramp Club for the gumbo.

Afterwards, the band fired up, Zydeco filled the air, and a good ol’ fais do-do rollicked on into the night. Click here to find out more on Mardi Gras outside of New Orleans or check out this for 60 free spins no deposit.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Delve deeper:
See our entire journey discovering Mardi Gras outside of New Orleans
Check out the authentic celebrations in Eunice and Mamou
Go hog wild at an old-fashioned Boucherie meat fest!
Watch dogs celebrate Mardi Gras at the Krewe des Chiens Dog Parade
Find out how to get booze at a drive-thru window
Join us at the parades in Jeanerette and Lafayette
Learn more about the Acadian, Canadian, and Cajun connection
See our thank you to the mysterious person at the Dog Parade who commited a wonderful act of kindness!

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Do You Know the Way to San José, Costa Rica?

The capital city of Costa Rica is not typically a tourist destination, which made us like it all the more.

We were ready for a taste of the day to day life that the locals describe as Pura Vida…. CONTINUE READING >>

The capital city of Costa Rica is not typically a tourist destination, which made us like it all the more.

After our stint visiting the beaches, jungles, and volcanoes that attract so many visitors to this Central American country, we were ready for a taste of the day to day life that the locals describe as “Pura Vida.”

This catch-all phrase that the native citizens, known as Ticos and Ticas, use liberally literally means pure life, but has taken on the universal character of hello, goodbye, take it easy, hang loose, it’s all good, or just about any other positive response, outlook, or greeting.

It has come to embody the Costa Rican attitude that life is good, so be happy and thankful for it. Not a bad viewpoint.

Aiding our emersion into the local life was the fact that we stayed at an AirB&B in a neighborhood instead of a hotel. Our house was right in the center of town, so everything was within an easy walk.

Pura Vida.

Just a couple of blocks away, we started with a walk in the park, the Parque Nacional. This beautiful urban green space centers around what is considered the most important monument in the country, the Monumento Nacional.

The statue depicts Costa Ricans expelling private military expeditions into Latin America led by William Walker in 1857. His plan, known back then as filibustering, was to establish English-speaking colonies under his personal control by organizing mercenary armies.

The idea of controlling the region because of its strategic position as a location for a canal linking the Atlantic and the Pacific made it irresistible to businessmen, including Cornelius Vanderbilt.

The private militias from the US and Europe intervened in several Central American countries, especially Nicaragua, but a coalition formed against the usurpers from the north, with the normally peaceful Costa Ricans playing a vital role.

Venturing outside of the park, we encountered the first of what would be many street vendors selling fresh mango.

Cut like French fries and served with a squeeze of lime, a dash of salt, or even a splash of hot sauce for the daring, it was a delicious and refreshing snack.

Now that’s Pura Vida.

Moving on through the center of town, we came to the Teatro Nacional de Costa Rica. The national theatre is one of the premier landmarks in the city, and a symbol of the time in the late 1800s, when coffee was king and the economy was booming.

Héroes de la Miseria by Juan Ramon Bonilla

Built to house the National Symphonic Orchestra, the outside of the building is beautiful, but the interior is even more ornate.

The lobby serves as a defacto art museum, displaying works from some of the country’s most celebrated artists.

Edificio de Correos y Telégrafos de Costa Rica

Veering off of the main drag, we turned right from the theater for a look at another of the city’s most famous buildings, the main post office, the Edificio de Correos y Telégrafos de Costa Rica.

For one hundred years this stunning structure has served as the headquarters of the country’s postal service.

It seemed like we were never more than a few steps away from a park as we returned to the center of the city and Parque Central. Scattered among the citizens enjoying the beautiful day, we noticed that one guy wasn’t moving.

The Street Sweeper was stuck in mid-sweep so David tried to give him a hand, but Edgar Zúñiga’s bronze tribute to the workers who clean the city’s parks and streets wasn’t having any of it. He has stayed stoically standing still since 2003 and wasn’t about to change that for us.

Could be he is too deep in his own private Pura Vida.

By this time we had walked enough to work up quite an appetite, so we ducked into an open air café on the busy corner across from the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de La Merced, the Church of Our Lady of La Merced.

Perhaps the most famous church in San José, it dates back to 1894, when it was built and dedicated to the Virgin of Mercedes, patroness of Barcelona.

The other corner is home to yet another park, Braulio Carrillo, usually just called La Merced Park.

We definitely got lucky when we picked La Casona Tipica because, as the name implies (tipica = typical), it turns out to be acclaimed as one of the best spots for authentic Costa Rican cuisine in San José.

When it comes to food, we take the When in Rome… adage as words to live by. We can’t get enough of local delicacies so, with that in mind, it was a must for us to try a casado.

The name means married man, ostensibly originating from customers entering restaurants and proclaiming that they wanted to eat like a married man.

The ingredients can vary, but they will always be hearty, usually including salad, rice, plantains, black beans, picadillo (a dish made of diced chayote), and a serving of meat such as beef, chicken, pork, or fish.

Another typical Tico dish is olla de carne, a stew of meat, potatoes, carrots, cassava, sweet potato, and corn.

It is often served deconstructed, as ours was, with the components removed from the broth and placed on a plate. The broth accompanies them in a bowl on the side.

We were more than happy to linger over our abundant meals while we took in the flavors, not only of the food, but also the quirky décor of memorabilia and odd-ball mannequins scattered about the dining room.

Definitely Pura Vida.

No meal in Costa Rica can be considered complete without coffee brewed right at the table. Costa Rican coffee is considered some of the best in the world, and even though bananas have surpassed it as the main cash crop, it is still an integral part of the economy.

If you look closely behind the chorreador you can see a few of the weird mannequins.

Our server brought us a chorreador, which is an ingeniously simple coffee maker that drip filters the brew through what looks more or less like a sock.

Luckily, the results tasted nothing like it had been filtered through any footwear.

This was high on the list of the best java we had ever encountered.

Which was without a doubt perfectly Pura Vida.

See all of our adventures in Costa Rica.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Spread a Little Sunshine Coast in Australia

In our travels we often wonder “How did this place get its name?”

The Sunshine Coast of Queensland is most certainly not one of those places.

This stretch of Australia’s eastern seaboard is situated in the prime position on the planet to provide perfect conditions year-round… CONTINUE READING > >

In our travels we often wonder “How did this place get its name?”

The Sunshine Coast of Queensland is most certainly not one of those places.

This stretch of Australia’s eastern seaboard is situated in the prime position on the planet to provide positively perfect conditions year-round.

Having had the ultimate aerial view of the area while leaping out of a perfectly good airplane at ten thousand feet and landing on Coolum Beach, we decided on a somewhat more tranquil way to spend the next couple of days.

The Rumba Beach Resort in Caloundra offered the perfect beach setting for kicking back and soaking up some of those namesake rays.

We easily could have hung out for hours on our balcony overlooking Bulcock Beach and the northern tip of Bribie Island National Park, but then we would have missed the distinctive pool.

<– LOVED these rules (especially #5, 11 & 13!), but can’t fiqure out #7, 9, & 10– leave your guesses in the comment section below!

This was a swimming situation unlike any we have ever encountered.

Underwater in the pool at Rumba Resort in Calundra, Queensland Australia — Underwater!

A glass wall forms a window that offers an underwater view of all of the beach activities, while other windows in the floor of the pool look down into the lobby below.

It was so cool that we had to run back up to the room to get our diving masks and water-proof camera.

Sunset over the Glasshouse Mountains from our balcony at Rumba Resort in Caloundra, Queensland, Australia — Sunset from our balcony at Rumba Resort as we were dressing for dinner!

Follow us into our room at Rumba Resort!

Dried off and hungry, we headed a few steps up the beach to Tides Waterfront Dining to finish watching the sun set on the Pumicestone Channel with the Glasshouse Mountains in the distance.

After toasting the day with a local riesling, we ordered some tapas, followed by Mooloolaba prawns, and a filet.

If any Australian had ever said “throw another shrimp on the barbie,” (which they never have because the tasty shellfish are always called prawns Down Under) they would have been talking about these bad boys from just up the coast in Mooloolaba.

These guys bypassed the bar-b-que and were served sautéed with garlic.

The next day, we rented bikes for a leisurely ride along the Caloundra Coastal Walk.

The walkway extends over fifteen miles along the shoreline from Golden Beach, just south of Caloundra, all the way up to Mooloolaba – home of those jammin’ prawns.

We rode the part of the trail that winds its way along the rocks of Moffat Head and through George Watson Park on our way up to Dicky Beach.

As we pedaled up from the sea and back down again, our reward for cresting each hill was a breathtaking view of the Coral Sea.

At the base of one of those hills we took a break at an aptly named seaside café, Saltwater.

Even though we grabbed a table outside, we noticed the cheeky dress code sign “no dick togs allowed.”

Once again we found ourselves confused by Aussie slang, but the sign was simply asking that men not wear their togs, otherwise known as swimmers, sluggos, budgie smugglers, cossies, lolly bags, bathers, or marble bags… all meaning swimsuits, inside.

The upscale beach bar menu offered a new twist on what we had quickly discovered to be an Australian favorite (as well as one of ours), pork belly.

This is basically bacon that was never sliced.

The difference here was that Saltwater served the big hunks of deliciousness with an Asian flare, and on a salad.

In an effort to keep either one of us from a slipping into a cholesterol induced coma, we decided to split it and share an order of traditional fish & chips too.

Usually that would offer little assistance, but luckily the fish was lightly breaded and fried to perfection, so the grease factor remained acceptably low.

We had plenty of time to work off the meal, with a good bit of riding still ahead of us to get to Dicky Beach and back.

The beach’s name has nothing to do with the previously mentioned swimwear, or any other article of clothing for that matter.

It takes the name from an old iron steamboat, the SS Dicky.

The ship ran aground during heavy seas in February of 1893.

After several efforts to refloat the SS Dicky failed, a decision was made to abandon it, which led to this becoming the only public beach in the world to be named after a shipwreck.

Our take was that it was pretty cool to explore the old hull in water that was shallow enough to stand up, which is certainly not the usual situation for a shipwreck.

Veronica lounges at Dicky Beach, Caloundra, Queensland, Australia! GypsyNester.com — Soaking up some well-earned beach time

It was also good timing on our part because plans are in the works to move the Dicky off the beach.
No final decision has been made, but the old wreck has been deemed a hazard after over a century of being battered by the surf.

The idea is to move it to a safe spot and create a memorial with a display telling the story of the steamer’s demise.

Feeling lucky to have seen the Dicky before her move to a final resting place, we climbed aboard our bikes and pedaled back down to Caloundra.

In no time at all our togs, and our throats, were dry as a dead dingo’s donger.

Not to mention we were getting a tad peckish from the ride.

No worries, the restaurant, Drift, was right below our hotel, so all we had to do was change out of our cossies and head down for a schooey of grog and a bit of tucker (better known as grub to us).

With the sea breeze blowing in, the evening’s special, oysters three ways, seemed ideal. The shell fish are found all along Australia’s coasts, so we knew they were fresh.

For a heartier second course, and in keeping with our day of Aussie slang, we opted for heapin’ helping of fancy bangers and mash. Spot on, and the perfect nightcap.

G’day mate.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Delve Deeper into Australia:
See more of our hotel in Coloundra
Bucket list check! We snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef!
Watch us skydive above beautiful Queensland – yikes!
Watch us feed crocs!
Follow us into the Australian Hinterland
Go for the Gold Coast of Queensland
Find out how we saw all of the bizarre Australian animals in one place!
Let Us Introdoos-ya to Noosa

Huge thanks to Tourism and Events Queensland for providing this adventure! As always, all opinions are our own.

Click here to see all of our adventures in Queensland!

Huge thanks to Tourism and Events Queensland and Visit Sunshine Coast for providing this luxurious adventure! As always, all opinions are our own.

Getting Down in the Mud on Saint Lucia

Our adventure of choice for the day on St. Lucia was to go into the caldera of a volcano and wallow in the mud. Yup, we were actually excited at the prospect of getting covered head to toe with fresh, hot, sulfur-laden volcanic mud… CONTINUE READING >>

We woke with the sun the morning the Viking Octantis sailed into the Soufrière Bay on Saint Lucia. But let me say that any lost sleep was more than made up for by the incredible view of the island’s most famous landmark and UNESCO World Heritage Site, The Pitons.

The fact that we docked at the town of Soufrière, instead of the main port of Castries, worked out very well for us because it meant that we would be anchored (even though the ship doesn’t actually have an anchor, it is kept in place by GPS guided thrusters) in the shadow of these prominent peaks.

The two volcanic remnants are the most iconic geographic landmark on the island. The larger, Gros Piton, stands over 2,600 feet high, while its co-star, Petit Piton, comes in a couple hundred feet lower.

They are climbable, but that was not our adventure of choice for the morning, we were completely on board with going into the caldera of a volcano to wallow in the mud. Yup, we were actually excited at the prospect of getting covered head to toe with fresh, hot, sulfur-laden volcanic mud.

To accomplish this feat we needed to enter into a volcano, which was not a problem because unlike the Pitons, Qualibou is still very much on the active list, having last erupted in 1776.

The giant caldera of Qualibou makes up what is called the Soufrière Volcanic Center, which is home to Sulphur Springs, also known as the only drive-in volcano in the world. This is possible because the crater is over two miles across, so drive up the side and in to an active volcano is what we did.

Our bus managed the narrow, winding roads without incident and in a few minutes we were standing amid steaming vents and boiling mud puddles. The scene is not unlike a miniature Yellowstone. There are even some geysers, but none are very faithful so we didn’t get to witness an eruption.

We climbed up some stairs and a short trail to an overlook and got a good view of the hot spot. A stream is formed from the bubbling pools, and once it cools down a bit the mineral rich water is captured in pools for some serious mud bathing.

We began at the bottom pool because it is the coolest. First we got wet, then smeared two types of mud all over ourselves. The white mud for overall coverage, and the black for adding some décor and flair.

Once the mud dried it was back in to the pools, with each one getting warmer as we moved up the hillside until we reached the top bath that can exceed one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. By then all of the mud had washed off… well, almost all. We still managed to find little bits that had escaped for the rest of the day.

The claim is made that these baths will make you look twelve years younger. Don’t know if I buy that. It might have been true for Veronica, but me? Maybe twelve hours younger.

After our baths we took the opportunity to wander around the quaint little village of Soufrière for a bit. The town itself is not much of a tourist attraction, pretty much your basic island fishing hamlet, but still interesting, and for us it was a treat to be back in the Caribbean again. Still feels a little bit like home.

There is one very impressive highlight in the small square in front of the Church of the Assumption, the Freedom Monument. However, unlike most emancipation monuments, this statue by sculptor Ricky George is not an exactly an emancipation memorial, it honors slaves who helped defeat the British in the First Brigand War.

It began in 1791 during the French revolution when Commissaries were sent to some colonies to spread the revolutionary philosophies. On many islands, including Saint Lucia, these ideas were embraced by the poor free people along with the salves. So by February of 1794 slavery was abolished in many places.

But soon after that the British invaded Saint Lucia and several other French islands and retook control of the island. Well, the Saint Lucians were in no mood to give back their freedom, so they formed an army of resistance and drove the Brits out leading to what became known as “l’Année de la Liberté” or the Year of Freedom from Slavery.

However, the British were not inclined to give up, so they returned the next year and by the end of the Second Brigand War in 1797 had retaken the island. It remained under British rule until 1953 or 1979, depending on how one defines independence, and is still a member of the British Commonwealth.

While this is certainly an interesting piece of history, and we were glad to learn about it, we were most impressed by the quality of the artwork. This bronze statue is nothing less than stunning with its amazing detail and emotion.

As the heat of the day set in we set out for the ship, but decided to stop off on the waterfront for a cold beer at MICHAEL’S. The sign on the front welcomed us as a friend in four languages so we knew this must be the palce. It was here that we discovered a new contender for our favorite Caribbean beer, Piton.

Named for the mountains, this is obviously a brew native to St. Lucia. It has a light, crisp appeal much like our other prized island brews, Carib (from Trinidad & Tobago but brewed on several Caribbean islands) and Medalla (from Puerto Rico).

So we hung out in the shade and ordered another, just to make sure that we liked it as much as we thought we did.

By the time we finished, it was time to make a dash for the last tender of the day going back to our expedition ship Octantis.

Good thing we were close to the dock.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Thanks to Viking Cruises for inviting us along and providing this adventure! As always, all opinions are our own.

Capuchin Monkeys in Costa Rica!

Join us for some of the wild monkey antics of the capuchins of Manuel Antonio National Park in CostaRica!…
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The wild monkey antics of the capuchins of Manuel Antonio National Park in CostaRica!

See all the wildlife of the park here

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

See all of our adventures in Costa Rica!

As Empty Nesters We want to Do More than Travel, We want to Explore

Recently it hit us, we have not been just traveling, but on a trek for the past fifteen years. We discovered that we didn’t want to simply visit places, we wanted to explore them…
CONTINUE READING >>

Recently it hit us, we have not been just traveling, but on a trek for the past fifteen years. It wasn’t intentional, it simply happened fairly soon after we set out to travel around in our beat-up old motorhome. We discovered that we didn’t want to simply visit places, we wanted to explore them.

It may seem to be a subtle difference, but not to us. Exploring means really delving in to an area. Getting a feel for the people, the culture, the food, and the history that makes each and every place unique. To us that is more in depth than typical travel as a tourist.

This also fit in well with our creation of the empty nest travel blog GypsyNester.com. We decided to start writing and photographing our adventures to share our research of the destinations and interesting or quirky sights we found.

At first, this was aimed at keeping our family and friends abreast of our adventures, and that was fairly easy because we stayed confined to the United States of America. This meant that we were only going to places that we could drive to.

This also meant that most everything was at least a little bit familiar to us, but we were still very aware of the vast differences from place to place. Eventually we took a few trips up into Canada and one jaunt down into Mexico. So we were learning to celebrate the individual characteristics of our destinations while staying on our home continent.

I mean, Seattle is nothing like Miami, or Maine is not a whole lot like Texas, and Newfoundland is certainly not at all similar to Puerto Peñasco. Yet we found many reasons to love them all.

As we expanded our travels we realized the need to be able to get online to search for information as well as campgrounds, restaurants, and local attractions was very important to our ability to continue our writing and posting to the website. No problem, our phones worked anywhere we had service.

One quick note. Back then (in 2010) there were still a surprising amount of places in the US that didn’t have cell service. It’s happily much better now.

However, much to our surprise a big change happened after a couple of years. It began when a car company was running ads directed toward empty nesters like us. They contacted us with an idea for us to drive their car up the Pacific Coast Highway and write about our adventure.

Our first reaction was that it must be some type of scam or that they were just trying to sell us a car. But it was legitimate, and it opened the door to dozens of other companies sending us all over the world to write stories for them. Wow! That is really the short version of events, but anyway…

We quickly learned that it was vital for our ability to research these exotic, far-flung destinations we were suddenly flying off to, as well as post online about them, to have reliable data service for our phones. No problem, right?

Wrong.

Back then having reliable service meant finding a new sim card for each country and keeping track of the tiny little buggers while we gallivanted across the globe. Then we would have to crack open the phone to replace the card each time we crossed a border, that is, if we hadn’t lost the seemingly microscopic speck somewhere along the way. Not very no problem, right?

Luckily, as with so many things, today’s technology has advanced to eliminate this frustrating problem altogether because no we can now use an Orange Travel eSIM almost anywhere we go.

Here’s how it works, eSIM means embedded SIM, so there are no more physical cards to change. Simply choose the country or countries that you will be visiting and download an eSIM profile for each of them. You can even have multiple eSIMs installed on your mobile device at the same time so that border crossings won’t mean losing service anymore.

And good news, almost all iPhones and Android devices support the eSIM software, just check for your phone on the Orange Travel website, then choose your destination from the over 100 countries available, then scan a QR code and start using your phone with no problems no matter where in the world you, or Carmen Sandiego, may go.

We also love that the service is reliable because an eSIM connects to local providers to ensure the best high speed data and network coverage. So right now we are exploring the jungles, beaches, and volcanoes of Costa Rica, and yup, eSIM works here.

Another huge reason this is important to us is that we no longer carry a bunch of photography equipment around with us. Now we use our phones instead of a camera, and with good data service we can easily upload any photo or video we shoot instantly.

No more downloading the pictures to our laptop, then waiting to upload them to our website or social media once we find decent WiFi. Nope, just hit send and we’re done. This way we never miss a thing. Well, almost never.

And here is something that fits in nicely with the eco-friendly spirit here in Costa Rica, waste is minimized because the SIM is fully digital. No plastic or electronic trash to dispose of and no pollution from the manufacturing process.

Since Costa Rica generates 98% of its electricity from renewable sources, such as wind, solar, and hydro, and recycles 60% of its waste, and has 25% of its land protected as National Parks, we can’t imagine a better place to go with an Orange Travel eSIM as a part of your green travels.

Of course, anywhere and everywhere is a great place to stay connected. But we can almost hear you asking, That all sounds great, but what about the cost?”

Well, how does around two bucks a day sound?

That’s right, for us while we are here in Costa Rica the price is about two Euros a day, and in some countries the rate is even lower.

Which means the time is right for all travelers to get connected and stay connected where ever we go thanks to Orange Travel.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

How Two Little Girls Saved the Rainforest of Costa Rica

While exploring the area around Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio National Park, we noticed a rope strung across the road.

Curious, we started to pay closer attention and found that they were all over the place, tons of them.

We wondered what was up, and the answer was a bit surprising, most of the ropes can be traced back to a couple of nine-year-old girls. What?… CONTINUE READING >>

While exploring the area around Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio National Park, we noticed a rope strung across the road.

Curious, we started to pay closer attention and found that they were all over the place, tons of them.

We wondered what was up, and the answer was a bit surprising, most of the ropes can be traced back to a couple of nine-year-old girls. What? That’s right, two kids with a big idea had a huge impact on the ecosystem of the region.

Let’s go back to the beginning and explain how we learned about this.

A Facebook friend suggested that while we were in Costa Rica we should check out Kids Saving the Rainforest if we had the chance and, chance would have it, we would.

We just happened to be staying near the Hotel Mono Azul, Blue Monkey to us gringos, which is the official meeting spot for tours of the Kids Saving the Rainforest Wildlife Rescue Center and Sanctuary.

A short ride into the forest took us to the Blue Banyan Inn, which provides a home to the sanctuary and lodging for volunteers. As we chatted with a few of the longtime workers, we got the scoop on the remarkable story of how things all came together.

Back in 1999, two friends, Janine Licare and Aislin Livingstone, got the idea to raise money for a project to “save the rainforest,” so they set about selling papier-mâché bottles and painted rock paperweights from a “crazy cute” roadside stand.

They were shocked to discover that the money they raised was not enough to buy and save the entire forest, they were only nine after all, so they started small by making monkey bridges.

A capuchin monkey in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica — A capuchin monkey at Manuel Antonio National Park

So that’s what those ropes across the roads are! They provide a safe way for monkeys to get across the road.

Much better than power lines, which have a nasty tendency to electrocute a crossing primate from time to time.

Hearing their story had us excited to see what became of the project after fifteen years, so we headed into the forest to check it out.

Quite an operation has grown from those humble beginnings, placing bridges (over one hundred and thirty so far) in areas where monkeys often travel is still a big part of it, and those efforts have paid off big time.

Since beginning the program, the population of the once endangered squirrel monkey has more than doubled.

A squirrel monkey baby rides his mother's back on the grounds of Parador Resort and Spa in Costa Rica. — Baby squirrel monkey riding on his mother’s back at Parador.

The bridges were just the beginning; they have worked with Costa Rica’s National Park Service and schools to plant nearly seven thousand rainforest trees, and the Wildlife Rescue Center and Sanctuary is now in full swing.

To date they have saved hundreds of monkeys, also in addition to marmosets, tamarins, kinkajou, sloths, porcupines, parrots, and parakeets.

Our first stop was the hospital, where an orphaned three-toed sloth baby was getting a snack of hibiscus flowers.

If you think that‘s cute, you have to watch her in action:

Injured and orphaned animals are brought in from all around the area, treated, and ideally released back into the wild.

It is very similar to the highly successful system we saw in Australia at the Koala Sanctuary and the Australia Zoo.

As with those facilities, if it is determined that the animals are unlikely to fare well in the wild, or if they are not indigenous to the area, then they are kept on site and looked after for the rest of their lives.

Because of this we got to see a few species that we otherwise never would have encountered in Costa Rica.

One of those was a tiny member of the primate family, the common marmoset.

They are well represented in the sanctuary because they have adapted very successfully to breeding while in captivity.

The attempts to keep them separated by sex have proven to be less than completely effective. From the looks of the little guys, we’d say it would be a good idea to never feed them after midnight, or let them get wet either.

Native to Brazil, these gremlins …oops… marmosets, were rescued from a scientific research facility, or at least the first generation of them was. Most of the other non-indigenous species were pets that either escaped their owners or had been abandoned.

But the bulk of the sanctuary’s residents are native species that will one day get to return to the rainforest.

While the center regularly cares for all of Costa Rica’s types of monkeys — capuchin, howler, squirrel, and Geoffroy’s spider monkeys – only three of the four were being tended to on the day of our visit.

There were no howler monkeys, which was good news in that it meant none were currently sick or injured. We had seen some in the wild so we didn’t feel like we were missing out too much, and there were plenty of other monkeys to see.

Squirrel monkeys overhead in a special enclosure at Kids Saving the Rainforest in Quepos, Costa Rica — Hanging out over our heads!

A few days earlier, on the grounds of The Parador Resort, we had encountered a group of Central American squirrel monkeys.

Now we had a chance to get even closer, and perhaps interact a bit with the rambunctious little rascals.

Their huge enclosure was specially designed so that visitors can pass right through the troop as they scramble alongside and overhead.

Many of the orphaned, rescued squirrel monkeys at Kids Saving the Rainforest suck their thumbs due to early weaning — Many of the orphaned, rescued squirrel monkeys suck their thumbs due to early weaning.

They seemed every bit as curious about us as we were about them, often stopping to examine us through the fence.

On several occasions they reached through the fence, usually in attempts to snatch a hat, button off of a shirt, or camera.

Were they just curious, or out to snap a few monkey selfies?

Note: The photo of the human finger is of a shelter volunteer and visitors are not allowed to touch or handle the animals at any time.

A smaller group of white-faced capuchins began to get a little boisterous when they heard the racket the squirrels were kicking up, so we headed down the path to see what they were up to.

These seem to be the most common primate in Costa Rica, we had seen them almost every day.

In fact, we had been lucky enough to see all of Costa Rica’s indigenous monkeys in the wild, except the rare Geoffroy’s spider monkey, so we were most excited to meet him.

Even in captivity it was a treat for us to see the Geoffroy’s spider monkeys because, not only are there very few, they generally do not live in the area around Manuel Antonio National Park.

They are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Unfortunately the pair here at the sanctuary will not be released back into the wild because the female is too old, and the male was a pet and is not suited for the wild life.

He demonstrated that point when he escaped one time, instead of heading out into the forest, he made a beeline to a nearby home and made himself comfortable in the living room.

These primates are all very intelligent creatures, so the staff has come up with creative activities to keep them entertained.

A favorite for both the volunteers and the monkeys is painting.

Blank pages with fruit and vegetable dyes are placed where the animals can get to them and let their inner Picasso out. The results are quite interesting, very avant-garde.

We got to check out several of the works in the gift area as we were leaving. Yes, even here we exited through the gift shop.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Find out more about Kids Saving the Rainforest – click here to visit their website.

DELVE DEEPER:

See where we stayed: Parador Resort and Spa

Find out more about beautiful Manuel Antonio National Park

Visit the animals of Costa Rica after dark!

See all of our adventures in Costa Rica!

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