The Beautiful Beaches of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic

On February 15, 2022February 15, 2022 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn CaribbeanLeave a comment

The Dominican Republic has some gorgeous beaches, which is definitely the case in Punta Cana. Located on the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic, or “DR” as some people say, Punta Cana has a variety of beautiful resorts. All of them require that you purchase an all-inclusive package, which can make them quite expensive and also discourages you from leaving the resort to visit the surrounding area. We stayed at the Paradisus Palma Real during our trip to Punta Cana a few years ago and were definitely impressed with all of the amenities.

When staying at a large resort, such as the ones in Punta Cana, there are usually many restaurants to choose from, which provides many different options for dining, from casual to fine dining. We took advantage of upgrading to something that the resort called “Royal Service”, which provided us with an ocean view room, access to a concierge to make reservations to restaurants and shows, as well as private pool. It also provided us with a reserved cabana and lounge chairs on the beach without having to get up early and put a towel on it to reserve them.

Obviously, the highlight of going to Punta Cana are the beautiful beaches with plenty of opportunities to partake in water activities. In addition to spending time on the beach or at one of the many pools, there are also shows every evening for anyone that wants with music and dancing. During the day, you can also participate in activities such as yoga on the beach, volleyball, cooking lessons, and more for those that need more than just sun and relaxation. We use trips like this as a vacation and a break from our hectic schedules, so we tend to simply sit back and soak up the scenery as we sip on tropical drinks.

We hope to enjoy other beaches in the Caribbean, but Punta Cana, with beaches that face both the Atlantic and Caribbean, is definitely worth a visit. We would also recommend the royal service to anyone who has the opportunity. It is a bit of a splurge, but truly worth the extra expense, especially if you’re not travelling with children.

La Quebrada Cliff Divers in Acapulco, Mexico

On February 3, 2022February 3, 2022 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Mexico2 Comments

One of the highlights of visiting Acapulco is going to see the famous La Quebrada Cliff Divers. La Quebrada is the name of the cliffs where the divers climb to perform the death-defying dives into the narrow water below. The divers are all professionals of various ages that perform daily for the crowds that come to cheer them on. We chose to watch them from the La Perla restaurant in the El Mirador Resort that made them famous, but there is an observation deck where you can see them even closer without the expense of a meal.

La Quebrada Cliff Lit Up for the Performance

The divers perform one show during the day at 1pm and then they do four performances in the evening at 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, and 10:30. While the afternoon performance might be best from a photographic perspective, seeing them in the evening is quite impressive. We chose to go to the 7:30 show as we were able to watch a beautiful sunset around 6:30 as we enjoyed our meal and waited for the divers to start their performance. Just sitting and enjoying the beautiful views of the La Quebrada cliffs and the water crashing into the “Gulch” is a worthwhile experience.

Prior to the start of the performance, some of the younger divers came out to dive from the smaller cliffs below the observation deck. In addition to practicing the diving skills and warming up, it was also their responsibility to clear away any seaweed that had been brought in by the tide. It was surprising to see how young some of the divers actually were, but they made sure to dive from the lower cliffs. Once the main divers arrived, also working they way down through the crowds on the observation deck, they also dove into the water and swam around in order to loosen up for the performance.

Lobby of the Resort with Famous Tarzan Actor Photograph

Once it was time for the performance to begin, the first of the divers began the climb up the steep cliff wall using only his hands and his bare feet to scale to the top of the cliff. Then other divers started to climb the cliff with several of them going to a perch just below the summit. Each diver then patiently eyed the water below before leaping from the cliff and soaring through the air and into the water below. It is quite a fascinating show and certainly worth seeing when visiting Acapulco.

The Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt

On January 31, 2022January 31, 2022 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Egypt3 Comments

There are few images that are more iconic than the Great Sphinx on the Giza Plateau just outside of Cairo, Egypt. It is obviously one of the most popular tourist locations when visiting Cairo and you should certainly expect there to be crowds when you go to see the sphinx. A sphinx is a mythical creature with a lion’s body and head of a pharaoh. It is believed to have been sculpted out of limestone in the time of pharaoh Khafre between 2558 and 2532 BC, which makes it the oldest sculpture used as a monument in Egypt. It is sometimes hard to gauge the size of the sphinx in pictures, but it stands 66 feet high (20 meters), 240 feet long (73 meters), and is 62 feet wide (19 meters).

Iconic View of the Great Sphinx and Pyramids

The View from Behind the Sphinx with People to Provide Perspective

The Great Sphinx was carved directly into the bedrock that also served as the quarry from which the pyramids were built. The stone from which the body was carved was softer than that of the head, which has caused the body to deteriorate more quickly than the head. The body has been repaired over time and you will likely see work being done to continue to repair during your visit. There are a number of shafts underneath the enormous statue, but they are believed to be the result of treasure hunters and tomb robbers and nothing to do with the ancient Egyptians who created the Great Sphinx.

Full View of the Front of the Great Sphinx

Seeing the statue from the front with the pyramids in the background is certainly the most common image that people associate with the sphinx. With that said, seeing the Great Sphinx from other angles is certainly quite fascinating and does help with getting a perspective of how large it truly is. In addition to the crowds, there are also a long line of stalls with vendors selling items for tourists and you shouldn’t be surprised if you don’t have children and others coming up to you either begging or trying to sell you items as well. There is no doubt that seeing the Great Sphinx in person is something that you will never forget.