Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: tours

In Search of Whale Sharks

As I mentioned in my previous post, the main reason Chris and I ended up on Isla Mujeres this year was to search for and swim with whale sharks. I’m not sure we would have picked Isla Mujeres otherwise (though we ended up really enjoying it), and a bit of anxiety built up as I worried we wouldn’t find the sharks on this trip. But I felt like it was a good omen to see this mural on the way to our villa the first day!

I absolutely love animal encounters. They’re often the highlight of my travels, and I can’t ever get enough of photographing our furry, feathered, and finned friends. That said, I’m very picky about my experiences with animals. I try to learn as much as I can upfront about popular animal-related excursions, and I absolutely refuse to participate in anything where the animals are mistreated. I was happy to learn that many of the whale shark tours in Isla Mujeres respect the marine life and environment. (Sadly, the same cannot be said about swim-with-dolphins type experiences on the island. Please do not patronize these businesses!)

I ended up choosing On Isla Mujeres for those ethical reasons and because they received consistent glowing reviews. As a bonus, their boat, the Anastascia II, offered the convenience of a restroom on board. With a long, choppy trek out to sea that could take a couple of hours round trip, it just seemed like a good idea! I also specifically planned our trip around the week smack in the middle of whale shark season (June – September), and on a week with a full moon since this apparently might increase the chances of a whale shark sighting. (It’s something to do with the science of the full moon and the tide and an abundance of plankton).

So on the Monday of our week on Isla Mujeres we met our group at the marina behind Oscar’s in hopes of seeing these giant fish. I figured if we didn’t have any luck, we still had plenty of time during the rest of the week.

The trip out to sea took almost an hour, and we ended up over twenty-five miles away from shore. Fisherman ships radioed to our captain with a pin-pointed area where we could find the sharks, and they weren’t wrong. When we arrived, we could see a dozen or so boats and several people in the water, but the presence of other people quickly receded to the back of my mind because we were also surrounded by sharks.

Huge, polka-dotted sharks, longer than some of the boats. And so many of them.

While everyone in our group geared up in masks, fins, and life jackets, we all watched and collectively gasped as the giants gracefully maneuvered around with their mouths agape to scoop up thousands and thousands of tiny plankton.

And then it was our turn to jump into the deep blue sea. The first time Chris and I entered the water, we did so without cameras in order to enjoy the experience through our eyes only, and I’ll never forget the sight of a four-foot-wide mouth sneaking up on from my side, just inches away from me. Breathtaking.

Suffice it to say, this was my most challenging photographic subject to-date, and that’s saying something considering my experience with photographing toddlers! The sharks are huge, but they’re faster than I expected. It was actually kind of exhausting (but fun) trying to keep up with them. Thankfully we lucked out on a day where there were just dozens of sharks in the water, so when one disappeared another one showed up over our shoulders.

I’m not sure what they think of us being in the water during their feeding time, but they seemed neutral and unconcerned, as much as I could read a shark’s thoughts and feelings. They swam extremely close to us while collecting plankton, so I wonder if perhaps they’re even a little curious about us humans. But as I mentioned, it’s important to me that the animals aren’t impacted by our presence in any encounter. I’ve read some awful stories about tour companies that allow people to touch the whale sharks and hang onto them, and that makes me cringe.

From what I observed that day, none of the tour operators were feeding the sharks or allowing people to touch them. We were specifically instructed by On Isla Mujeres not to touch the sharks, and to wear marine-safe sunscreen. A maximum of two people were allowed in the water at a time, and only with a guide. So overall, it seemed to be a nice opportunity to simply observe these creatures up close in their natural environment without disturbing them.

After our adventure with the gentle giants, we moved closer to shore and stopped at a reef for snorkeling. I was actually a little underwhelmed with the snorkeling spot as the waves were pretty choppy and it was a little too deep (maybe 20+ feet?) to really see the coral and fish. I spotted a huge sea turtle along the ocean floor, but I didn’t bother with photos since he was so far away. On the plus side, the coral looked pristine and healthy.

For our third and final stop, we anchored at North Beach where our guides prepared fresh ceviche and tortilla chips for us. I had opted not to eat anything before the ride out to the whale sharks in case it was choppy (it was), so I was ravenous and managed not to take photos of our meal! It was especially cute that we used floating lifejackets as makeshift tables in the water. But I assure you it was delicious, and there’s nothing like standing in crystal clear water, enjoying drinks and a great meal after a big swim.

And with that, I am officially crossing this one off the ol’ bucket list, and I feel like I leveled up quite a bit in my ocean bravery skills!

August 12, 2016
Searching for Harry in Edinburgh: The Potter Trail Tour

As any Harry Potter fan would, I had already planned to visit The Elephant House during our time in Edinburgh, but when I came across reviews for the Potter Trail on TripAdvisor I knew we’d simply have to set aside some time to do this free 90-minute tour. We picked the 3pm tour on a Wednesday and we lucked out with a lovely day.

Our cloak-wearing guide, Richard, met the group at the Greyfriars Bobby statue, which I don’t know if I would have noticed if we hadn’t stopped there on purpose (it’s a sweet story). Richard handed out plastic wands to everyone in the group and taught us a spell to make the traffic lights turn green. We walked around the city for about 2.4 km/1.5 miles, and each time our group needed to cross a street, we gave a swish-and-flick of the wands. A little cheesy, but it made me giggle every time.

Richard’s energy and impressive knowledge of the books, movies, and of J. K. Rowling kept the group engaged and enthralled. My non-Potterhead husband didn’t feel bored, but he admits he liked the Harry Potter-inspired bar in Toronto better than the Potter Trail tour. That said, it’s a nice walk through different parts of Edinburgh and to pockets of the city you might not otherwise visit, so it’s fairly suitable for any non-fans.

Our group ranged in age from 20s – 30s. Richard was entertaining, but I don’t know if there’s enough to keep really young children interested for 90 minutes. The website suggests that if they’re old enough to read the books, they’re old enough for the tour.

Okay, so here’s a spoiler alert! If you don’t want the details of what we saw on the tour, please don’t read the rest of this post. I kind of liked being surprised at a few of the spots, but I know some people would want to know what areas are included on the tour, so I’m posting photos of most (not all) of the places where we stopped.

We started out at Greyfriars Kirkyard where we explored the cemetery to find grave markers that may have influenced a few characters’ names in the story. The cemetery itself is also thought to have inspired the graveyard scene in Goblet of Fire.

I don’t recall the exact order of our tour and your mileage may vary anyway depending on your tour guide, but other stops included a through-the-fence peek at a private school that Hogwarts might have been modeled after, potential namesake Potterow, one of the cafes (Spoon) in which Rowling penned parts of the first installment of Harry Potter, and a view of the Balmoral Hotel where she finished the last.

And of course we stopped at the other cafe in which Jo spent time writing: The Elephant House. On the tour we learned that while The Elephant House holds the spotlight and a sign in the window for being the “birthplace of Harry Potter,” that’s not exactly true since the cafe opened after the first manuscript was already well under way. But Rowling did spend time writing here, and it’s a great little cafe to pop in for lunch or tea (if you don’t mind waiting in a long queue of Harry Potter fans).

The tour didn’t stop there for long, so Chris and I returned on our own for a pastry and to take photos of the graffitied restroom. We sat at the table in the back with a view of Edinburgh Castle, and felt the presence of J.K.R.’s magic.

We ended our tour at the top of Victoria Street which may have inspired Diagon Alley.

My final thoughts? I loved this tour! I ate up all of Richard’s silly humor, and I admit I enjoyed waving a plastic magic wand at the traffic lights. It was good fun to hang out with fellow HP fans, I learned quite a few new Rowling fun-facts, and I loved the occasional trivia questions Richard quizzed us with throughout the tour. On the O.W.L. grade scale, I’d give this tour an E for Exceeds Expectations!

Can’t make it out to Edinburgh any time soon? For more inspiration, the book Harry Potter: Magical Places from the Films: Hogwarts, Diagon Alley, and Beyond and the Harry Potter Places book series have a ton of ideas on where to find other Harry Potter-related sites around the world. I’m so excited that there are several other places I still need to visit (the Glenfinnan viaduct in Scotland is hanging out at the top of my wish list). Let me know if you come up with your own tour ideas!

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of my links, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you so much for reading and for your support!

November 16, 2015
The Spirits of Islay: Eight Whisky Distilleries in Three Days

The plans for our entire Ireland & Scotland 2015 trip began with Chris’s idea to visit the Lagavulin distillery on Isle of Islay. That one thought quickly turned into spending a week in Scotland, which then spiraled into adding a second week so we could see Ireland, too, since we’d be nearby. And once we arrived on Islay, we decided we might as well see all eight whisky distilleries. You know, since we were right there.

Eight whisky distillery visits over the course of three days might sound like a tight schedule, but it can be done! With a long weekend on Islay, Chris and I stopped by each distillery, we did a combination of tours and/or tastings, and we still had time leftover for seeing Islay. You probably could do a tour plus tasting at each distillery if you planned your three-day schedule carefully; just be mindful of the differences in opening hours. For instance, opening hours and days change throughout the seasons for most distilleries, and Kilchoman is always closed on Sundays.

And of course you’ll want to be mindful of your own tolerance. From our experience the tastings typically included 3-5 drams measuring about a finger or more, so if you’re hitting three or more distilleries in one day it can add up to several ounces. Please drink responsibly! There are taxis and tours available on Islay if you need a designated driver.

photo courtesy of wikipedia.com

Most visitors combine visits to the three southern shore distilleries together (Lagavulin, Ardbeg, and Laphroaig) for proximity’s sake. You can even walk the distance among these three. We planned the 4.5-hour Water-to-Whisky Experience with Laphroaig for a half day before leaving the island though, so we didn’t end up visiting those three in one day. As for the other five, you could easily group the two northeastern guys together on one day (Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila), and the two western distilleries on another (Bruichladdich and Kilchoman). Add centrally located Bowmore to either of those pairings and voilà – a great three-day schedule in whisky wonderland.

We started off our itinerary with a pre-booked premium tasting tour of Lagavulin who sadly doesn’t allow photography or videography on their tour. Don’t leave your cameras behind though – you can walk out to the dock and get great shots of the exterior. The tour group was permitted to take photos in the tasting room as well. And speaking of tastings, the guided session of five different whiskies was quite thorough with tasting tips and notes for each whisky. Bonus: as the designated driver, Lagavulin allowed me to tour the distillery for free.

Did I confess yet that I’m not a whisky connoisseur or even a whisky drinker? Well, I’m not, so if I had to choose my favorite distillery it would be based on merits other than the whisky itself, and I would choose Ardbeg. I loved the atmosphere of the bar and the adjacent restaurant where we ate a delicious lunch, and I enjoyed the outside experience even more. It helps that we had an unusually beautiful day weather-wise. I sat with Chris at a picnic table and soaked in the picturesque surroundings while he worked his way through a five-dram taster.

I will always remember the drive to Bunnahabhain. I nervously drove up and down the twisty, narrow mountain roads to the distillery wondering how employees do that commute daily! I guess it’s not terribly bad if the roads aren’t busy and/or if you’re an accomplished left-hand side driver. Islay wasn’t my first rodeo when it comes to driving on the left, but it’s still not super comfortable for me and I’m not crazy about it on narrow roads. Thankfully I only had to pass another car once or twice and did so without incident. Well, without major incident anyway – I did skid on some gravel at one point and got my heart pumping a bit!

In the end, I got us safely to Bunnahabhain and back, and Chris enjoyed sampling several whiskies here. We stopped by without any reservations and were able to join a very generous impromptu tasting in the gift shop.

Since we decided at the last minute to visit all eight distilleries, we didn’t have anything booked in advance with the exception of Lagavulin and Laphroaig. While most visitor centers were able to accommodate us without reservations, tastings and tours definitely need to be booked in advance at Caol Ila. We popped in anyway just to check it out, and we were graciously offered a complimentary mini tasting. So for the full Caol Ila experience, check their schedule and be sure to reserve in advance.

In the things-that-probably-don’t-matter-as-much-to-whisky-fans department, Bruichladdich wins my vote for most interesting branding. I noticed right away that Bruichladdich sported an eye-catching modern typeface in bold whereas the other brands leaned towards a more traditional vibe. I asked about it in the Laddie Shop while Chris participated in a tasting, and found out that they rebranded in 2001 as part of a progressive and innovative initiative. Bruichladdich is also your opportunity to try an Islay spirit other than whisky since they distill and bottle their own gin.

We only popped by Kilchoman briefly since their hours didn’t quite jive with our schedule. It’s the newest distillery on the island and getting to their location is a fun drive through the countryside with a bonus of being close to Saligo Bay beach. As I mentioned, Kilchoman is closed on Sundays, but the farm distillery offers plenty of tours and tastings in their regular schedule Monday through Saturday. They also have a cafe, so along with Ardbeg this is one of the distilleries you could easily combine with lunch.

Since we stayed in the cottages at Bowmore (more on this in the next post), we simply moseyed into their visitor centre just steps from our accommodations. We sat at a cozy bar where Chris selected a trio of tasters from the menu and it was there that I discovered something whisky-related that I enjoyed drinking: Drambuie. Blended and bottled by Bowmore in their Glasgow location, sweet and fiery Drambuie reminded me of liquid red hots. And since we only needed to walk back to the cottage, I was able to participate in the drinking and merriment. Chris discovered something, too: Bowmore 25-year, one of the best whiskies he tasted on the entire trip.

Chris and I finished our Islay adventure by participating in the ultimate tour: the 4.5-hour Water-to-Whisky Experience at Laphroaig. If you want to know everything that goes into the Islay whisky distilling process, this tour is for you. It’s an investment in price and time, but you simply won’t find a more in-depth and hands-on experience, and you’ll walk away with an impressive knowledge of whisky making from start to finish.

Our tour started with a walkthrough of the distillery itself where photography is not only allowed, it’s wholeheartedly encouraged! And an indulgent sensory theme continued throughout the 4.5 hours – touching, smelling, and tasting were all part of the tour. We stood inside the kiln, scooped barley from the floor malt, visited the water source, cut peat, and tasted special cask samples that will never be for sale.

After learning about the distillery process, we hiked out to the water source and enjoyed a picnic lunch with several Laphroaig samples. (Note: The brisk hike is maybe a mile roundtrip on easy enough terrain, but do step carefully and I recommend wearing the provided Wellies even if it hasn’t been raining.) Be sure to fuel up at lunch, because next comes the hard work! You’ll have a go at cutting peat out in the field, and the satisfaction of knowing you contributed to the smoky flavor of someone’s future whisky.

At the end of the tour, we sampled several different whiskies straight from the casks and had the opportunity to use a valinch to pour our own bottles. As a designated driver I passed on samples throughout the day, but Laphroaig sent me home with a dram of every single whisky that everyone else tasted!

We didn’t make the trek over to neighboring island Jura, but Chris did have a chance to sample a Jura whisky on the ferry back to mainland Scotland after our Islay weekend came to an end. If you want to include the Jura distillery, I’m guessing you’d want to add a fourth day. As for the three-day eight distilleries Islay itinerary, I recommend booking at least some tours and tastings in advance to avoid any disappointment, depending on what is on your must-taste list.

As for Chris’s final verdict, Lagavulin remains his favorite overall with Laphroaig as a close second, and he also recommends Bowmore 25-year as a must-try. If you really want to be totally immersed in all aspects of the whisky making process, don’t miss Laphroaig’s Water-to-Whisky Experience. Let us know if you visit Islay and what you think of the island’s own whisky trail!

November 2, 2015
Dublin Part II: Drinking Our Way Through Dublin

In pretty much any town or city in Ireland, you’ll see nods to some of the country’s favorite suds and spirits: a Guinness sign here, a whiskey* barrel there. So during our two days in Dublin, we decided to pay homage to two of Dublin’s most traditional industries – distilling and brewing. When in Rome, right?

We started off with a fantastic tour of the Irish Whiskey Museum, which turned out to be the perfect introduction to the process of making whiskey – information that would come in handy a week later when we headed to Scotland. As someone who abashedly craves instant gratification, it was interesting to hear about the labor of love that results in a final product that can take a dozen years to make. The informative and entertaining tour was 15 euros and it lasted about an hour with a tasting at the end. Chris upgraded to the VIP tour at 18 euros and received an extra whiskey to taste plus he received a souvenir glass.

After the tour, Chris and I sampled a few different Irish whiskeys. I should note that my participation in the tasting involved taking tiny bird sips of each taster, and then passing the rest of the whiskey onto Chris. Over the course of our two-week trip to Ireland and Scotland, we visited ten distilleries and I tried to find a whiskey/whisky that I like, I really did, but it’s just not my thing. ‘A’ for effort though? I had fun trying.

So, speaking of distilleries, the Old Jameson Distillery was our first of the ten. Located on Bow Street in Dublin, the Old Jameson Distillery is no longer a production facility, but the re-creation is no less fascinating. We arrived just as it started to rain and this was the perfect option to escape the dreary weather (15 euros each for a one-hour tour with a tasting). It was also here that I found a way I can enjoy whiskey – Irish coffee! Chris and I ate lunch upstairs in the 3rd Still Restaurant while waiting for our tour to begin and we ordered a real Irish coffee. I didn’t expect to like it since I don’t drink whiskey OR coffee, but apparently when you put the two together plus a good amount of sugar and fresh cream it magically becomes something delicious.

Between you and me, I didn’t expect to thoroughly enjoy the tour either since the distillery isn’t operational and I assumed a fake distillery would be a little dull, but the tour is done quite well and our guide did a fantastic job of engaging the participants. Plus the whiskey at the end is entirely real, and booze is always fun, right? Our guide led us through a comparative tasting where we sampled a Scottish whisky, an American blend, and of course good ol’ Jameson. I was surprised to discover that Jameson was the easiest for me to drink (or rather to bird-sip).

Next up is our trek to the Guinness Storehouse since it is often said that no trip to Dublin is complete without a St. James Gate Brewery visit.

Well, I hate to be a party pooper and my opinion might be an unpopular one, but I wouldn’t put the Guinness Storehouse in the number one spot on my Things To Do In Dublin list. At 20 euros each for admission, this isn’t a cheap tour, and because the museum is on so many must-do lists, I think my expectations were perhaps a bit too high.

On the plus side, the expansive museum can handle the volume of guests for the most part. We visited on a Saturday evening along with hundreds and hundreds of other people, but I never felt like anyone was crowding me. That is, at least until we got to the Gravity Bar – more on this below.

There are some beautiful displays and I appreciated the graphic design elements of the museum, but a lot of the information and history is delivered via videos and we had a hard time hearing the audio in a room full of excited tourists.

The best part of the tour is without a doubt the lesson on how to pour the perfect pint. We waited in line for about twenty minutes before our group took a turn at the tap. A Storehouse guide gave us a fun lesson and we learned the exact science that goes into pouring a pint of Guinness. We also took a group photo behind the bar where it looks like I’m chewing on the tap handle. Composition (and lighting) issues aside, it was nice that they offer to send the complimentary image file to your email address – all you have to do is fill out your information at a kiosk.

I was looking forward to drinking that perfect pint upstairs in the Gravity Bar where you can take in a 360-degree view of Dublin, but when we arrived we found standing room only (barely) and nary a wee bit of space to sit or set our glasses. At that point my feet were tired from touring and from standing in line and I just wanted to sit down, so I was pretty frustrated.

We still enjoyed perusing the enormous gift shop downstairs and purchasing a Guinness caramel chocolate bar helped to soothe my woes. I recommend the Storehouse visit to anyone with a love for beer, but I would recommend going during non-peak hours and buy advance tickets online to save a few euros.

Chris and I finished our alcohol-fueled tour of Dublin in the famous Temple Bar district. We didn’t spend much time here though – we were still battling the jet lag and couldn’t hang! Our intention was to grab a drink at Temple Bar as one of the tourist checklist items, and then to check out the scene where the locals drink, but the time difference and a very comfy hotel room got the best of us. Next time!

*Please note the correct use of the spelling of whiskey here vs. whisky when referring to the version from Scotland.

September 21, 2015
Kayaking on a Bioluminescent Bay

This post is going to be a bit of a departure from my typical photo-heavy entries because when I signed up for a bioluminescent bay kayak tour on Vieques, I decided to leave my camera behind for once and enjoy the experience without documenting a single moment. I knew that properly capturing the bioluminescence of the dinoflagellates would require the low-light capabilities of my SLR, and there was no way I was going to attempt balancing on a sit-on-top kayak with the 5DMIII in my hands. My waterproof point-and-shoot doesn’t have manual controls so I opted to be completely present and out from behind a camera for the tour.

This is all to say that I have no photos to show you.

After failing to see a bio bay two times on previous trips, I had my fingers crossed that the third time would be a charm. The first attempt was in 2000 when my friends and I took a Caribbean cruise and signed up for a bio bay kayak tour at the Puerto Rico port of call. Sadly, a storm made the waves too choppy for kayaking and the tour was canceled. The second time was in 2013 when Chris and I stayed in San Juan for a week, but the exact same thing happened: storm, waves, choppy water, canceled tour. I was determined to see the bioluminescence this time, and I even consulted the moon phase chart to ensure we picked the darkest night to see the bay. Astronomy for the win!

On the night of the new moon with no storm in the forecast, Stephanie, Arne, Chris, and I took the 7:30pm Bio Bay Glass Bottom Boat Kayak Tour with Fun Brothers located in Esperanza. We met our guide near the bamboo hut shown below (photo taken during the day) where we boarded a very small school bus for some off-roading on a narrow dirt path through the dark forest.

After the bumpiest ride I’ve ever experienced, we arrived at the sandy entrance to Mosquito Bay. Despite the name, I don’t think any of us felt any bug bites that night, but we might have been lucky with a dry day and a good breeze. Here’s the part I didn’t expect – we were instructed to remove our shoes and leave them on the bus. And here’s the other part I didn’t expect – we walked in the dark through shallow muddy water to enter the kayaks.

Bare feet + darkness + black water with mud and other things in it = me shrieking uncontrollably.

I managed to make it into the kayak right away without capsizing, but it did take me a good five minutes on the water to settle down and feel comfortable. I’ve only been in a kayak one other time (in Alaska) mind you, and that was in the middle of the day. Our guide, Nelson, set out paddling ahead of us and we followed him. Our tour group of ten people met him in the middle of the water for a brief overview of the dinoflagellates before free time to explore. We stayed together for Nelson’s briefing by holding onto his kayak, which meant we were all clustered together quite close. I didn’t get to enjoy his information and jokes because I was concentrating on not tipping over while the other kayaks bumped into mine.

Once he gave us the green light (no pun intended!) to go off on our own, we paddled away from the group, noticing a faint glow as our oars dipped into the water. I’ll be frank: at first I thought, that’s it?! I walked through creepy sludge and paddled my way out into the darkness just to see a bit of light when I paddle?! But as we let our eyes continue to adjust, we started to see other things happening: glowing bubbles under our glass-bottomed kayaks, the luminescent outline of each gentle wave forming and breaking, and shimmering schools of fish darting past. I noticed that the farther we paddled away from the lights of the town nearby and the more I stared at one dark spot in the water, the better I could see the glow. Something pretty big and glowing swam underneath me and gave me a startle, but I managed to stay in the kayak or else this post would have a very different it-was-the-worst-thing-ever tone.

We spent at least thirty minutes on the bay experiencing this natural phenomenon, and in the end I decided that it was definitely worth the unpleasant barefooted moments. If you’re planning a trip to Vieques, this really is a neat experience and you’d do well to book with Fun Brothers. They kept us safe and informed, and we all had a great time. Plus the glass-bottomed kayaks do add to the experience. If you are on the fence about this tour because you’re not crazy about the idea of being on the water in the dark, we’re in the same boat (pun totally intended!) and I had fun so you can absolutely do it, too.

July 1, 2015