Straight outta Tampa

The city of champions as noted in 2020 and 2021 with Super Bowl and Stanley Cup wins. It’s the city of FUN for sure and there is always something fun to do!! Whether its a Lightning game, boat outing, bar crawl or concert, we truly are spoiled with choices.

One of the first places we visited was just north of Tampa and is slice of paradise. Weeki Wachee is known for its crystal clear water, calm stream and abundance of manatees. While the manatee count is not as high as Crystal River or Three Sisters up the road, the abundance of beauty is 100% worth the trip. Weeki Wachee also has one the deepest freshwater caves in the U.S. and you can also find a mermaid show during the summer.

Being new to the area we did not have our own gear and sought an affordable tour over Memorial Day weekend. We found SUP Weeki on Facebook and the owner Pam provides daily posts of the current conditions on the river. Affordable and highly knowledgeable, I cannot recommend Pam at Sup Weeki enough.

Typical tours are 3-4 hours and you can chose a few routes along the river. We always prefer to head up to Hospital Hole and then make our way to the State Park after. Most of the river you can stand and no paddling experience is needed to enjoy a day out along the river. The great thing about Weeki Wachee it’s very rare to see alligators here.

Weekdays provide a slower pace and less paddler traffic, but on the weekends it’s totally enjoyable if you arrive early in warmer months. Manatees love the colder water so Spring, Fall and Winter you do have better chances to catch one cruising along the river or having a snack along the banks.

Days following heavy rain causes the river to have darker green tint. So if you are looking for clearer waters try to avoid days post rain. Make sure to pack sunscreen, bug spray, snacks and a water bottle. The local sheriff patrols on jet ski so I recommend keeping the booze at home.

Enjoy a slice of paradise on the Weeki Wachee river.

Happy Traveling,

Katrina

Central Asia - Part 1 Turkmenistan

Central Asia was just named Best Region to travel in 2020!! I cannot agree more. 

Many years ago I became completely fascinated by the Silk Road. The journeys, spices and textiles make it a cultural paradise. I wanted to maximize my time in the area and many friends raved about Lupine Travels - 5 Stans tour. Its a jam-packed and adventure filled two weeks. The days were long, but you really get a great feel of the region. Another reason I love Lupine Travel is the mix of people they get on their tours. After joining one of their tours a year earlier in Bangladesh and Bhutan. I knew the kind of people they attract on their tours. We had people from ages 24 to 70 and everyone meshed so well. 

The 5 Stans tour starts in Turkmenistan and ends in Kazakstan. If you are not a lover of long days and nights this is not for you. We were up most days before 6am and turning in for the night around 11pm. 

I decided to arrive a day early into Turkmenistan to enjoy a day of leisure before the big group showed up. We landed into Ashgabat in the early morning hours. The city was vibrantly lit up from the sky and looked somewhat to the Las Vegas strip from the air. Not what I had expected when we landed. I met up with my roommate and some of the group that morning. We decided to head out to the cable car and some locations in the city not covered in the tour. The cable car was interesting and it offers a great view of the city. I could spot this amazing looking building from the lookout point and after a bit of convincing the drivers took us. Who would have thought a broken ferris wheel within the Alem Cultural and Entertainment Center would look so cool. Its been broke for a few years, but was really neat to get up close to. 

We headed into the Russian style market for lunch. It was filled with tasty goodies and fresh fruit and veg. Another gem I did not expect was the amount of candy stores we would find. I am talking wall to wall confectionary goodness. I brought back nearly a kilo of chocolate and ate triple that over the two weeks. 

We had a traditional dinner nearby the hotel and copious amounts of vodka, for you know medicinal purposes. That is pretty true for the whole tour, as stomach illness is fairly common for everyone in this region. 

The next morning we met up with the rest of the group to start our real adventure. We took a short city tour visiting Monument of Neutrality, Türkmenbaşy Ruhy Mosque, Independence Monument, Memorial Complex and The State Museum of the State Cultural. 

We then setoff to the desert for our overnight stay at the famous gas crater. We left the large tour bus behind and started our convoy into the desert in 5 SUVs. The roads were less than favorable, but in the end its all an adventure. We arrived at the grater at dusk and awaited the guides to put up our allocated tents. The camping was one of the highlights for me as you are hours from any city. The star filled sky paired with the light from the crater was breathtaking. The guides made a delicious lamb and veg kabob meal and we drank by the campfire until nearly sunrise. 

Early morning departure to Dashoguz for an overnight stay before we headed into Uzbekistan. This day was quite a blur due to being fairly ill. Not sure if it was food or the amount of booze consumed, but I was in a pretty bad place. Lots of meds, water and sleep once we arrived to the hotel. The group enjoyed a tour of a temple and dinner that evening.  

Onward to Khiva we crossed the border in the most humorous way. There is a small bus you must use between the border. You pretty much pack in like sardines and allow the driver to toss you around for around 5 minutes weaving through barriers. 

To be continued in Part 2 - Uzbekistan

Happy Traveling, 

Katrina