The Seven Natural Wonders of the World

If you are planning this year’s family vacation, you may want to find inspiration in the seven natural wonders of the world. It should be on anybody’s bucket list to visit these places, which are beyond beautiful and impressive. If you are indeed planning your next vacation, why not take a look at the offerings through Tauck Tours to see whether the seven wonders of the world can be visited as well?

1 – The Grand Canyon

Right here at home, you have the Grand Canyon. It has been showcased in hundreds of different movies and is impressive beyond belief. You can also choose to take helicopter tours over the Grand Canyon, which is an experience you will never forget. Plus, there is plenty to do in the general area as well, so you won’t spend a minute being bored.

2 – The Great Barrier Reef

For the Great Barrier Reef, you will have to travel slightly further afield and go all the way to Australia. If you are a diver or a surfer, then this place is like heaven on earth. Do be aware that pollution is slowly destroying the Reef, so if you have an interest in conservation, you are also likely to enjoy yourself and engage in some activism.

3 – The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro

Guanabara Bay features in various adventure novels and is still rumored to hide much loot and booty from ancient pirates. The way it has created almost an inland lake, with just the narrowest of openings into the sea is unimaginable.

4 – Mount Everest

Mount Everest is, of course, the highest mountain in the world. Climbing it is treacherous and requires a special permit, pieces of equipment and guides. However, you could visit either Nepal or Tibet and go to the starting point of the climb.

5 – Aurora

The Aurora Borealis can be seen in a variety of different places, although only on the northern hemisphere. Traditionally, it could only be seen in the most northern places, but due to climate change, it has lately been visible far further south as well.

6 – Paricutin Volcano

This volcano is found in Mexico and suddenly appeared from the ground in 1947. It erupted in 1952, destroying the landscape and causing nearby towns and villages to be evacuated. Many of these people relocated permanently. Today, it is mainly a tourist attraction, as the volcano is now dormant. The ruins of the San Juan Parangaricutiro Church, covered in hardened lava, are of particular interest.

7 – Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls border the United States and Canada and the falls have attracted tourists for hundreds of years. It is also the site of many deaths, as people have tried and, in the main, failed to scale the falls in various objects, including barrels. In recent years, the falls have attracted particular attention because they have frozen over several times, another direct result of climate change.

These are just seven of the natural wonders of the world, and there are many more.

The Slide that Made Me Sick to My Stomach

 Here's the full shot of the   slide where I agreed to go with my daughter.  Going up the steps , I was also  hyperventilating because it was high but since they assured me that the  float where we  ride in don't spin around, it  calmed me down a little bit.  As it turned out, it's the opposite.  As we  reached the  half part of it, the  float  spanned and I wasn't facing where we going anymore.  It really made me felt sick to my stomach.

 These type of things are really not for me.  Next time, I will never go hahaha.  Glad I was able to control myself and did not  throw uo in front of so many people but I was close.

 So yeah, as colorful as it is and as  fun as it looks, I'll pass.

 Between our two kids, our son is never afraid of water but he is like me, he can't tolerate speed and height either.

 He is  fearless though when it comes to  exploring underwater.

 Our daughter on the other had is the opposite.  She is so cautious when going on the water but she is never scared of fast rides.  She is like an adrenaline junkie.

We had so much fun during our   vacation in Ocean City Maryland.  Jolly Roger Amusement Park made  a lot of money from us lol.   

We are trying to figure out what we can do  this year.  We  thought of going for a cruise but the price is just way over our budget.  With four of us, it would cost us  about 5k to go which is not feasible.  I'd rather spend that to their education than  spend it in a week's leisure.  What can you suggest for an affordable travel?

Hammock for a Relaxing Siesta

We did not have many things growing up but one thing that we always had at home is a hammock.  My parents raised 9 kids so having a hammock is a life saver for them as they put the baby to sleep in the hammock inside the house.   Hammocks there were made by a local  material called abaca, the dried fiber of the banana extracted from the leaf-stems just like the photo below.  Abaca is something that we used a lot  from the region where I grew up in the Philippines.  I remember all the ropes that my Papa used in his form is made of abaca.

Photo source: Wikipedia

I miss having a  hammock, I wish I could have one but there's no place for me to put one in my house.  I do however  want one  that I could put out once in a while during summer time outdoors just like the one in the photo below.  So here's a great hammock comparison chart at AvidMax that I found online while browsing around for affordable  hammock.  I don't plan on buying so soon but  that would be my future  thing to buy on the  list, for now it will remain in my bucket wish list.  Someday  when we have the right place to set up a hammock, I wouldn't mind buying one.  I think it is one of the many things that you will truly enjoy to have as a form of  relaxation.