Day 6 - Roberts Hawaii, Kauai, HI

Early to rise to meet the Roberts Hawaii tour bus in Kapaa. We're taking a stress-free, let-someone-else-do-the-driving tour of the island, focusing on the sights around Waimea Canyon. 

Spouting Horn is the first of many spectacular sights, an oceanside geyser in all its glory. It's supposed to spray up to 50 feet, but it's more like a sputtering horn this morning; it spurts like someone with a nasty flu.

Next stop: the Hanapepe Valley Lookout. Everything lush and green all around, good practice if you're working on panoramas.

A short drive away, there's a few stairs to a terrace where the views of Waimea Canyon are unreal. Foliage plays off the rich red rocks, with peaks and valleys like varying brushstrokes on a canvas of sky. 

Zoom in to see a majestic waterfall.

A quick stop for snacks is in order - nothing works up an appetite like sitting in a small tour bus. Try the Apple Banana Lumpia, a crispy-to-gooey deep-fried banana-hammock.

They also sell some fresh Rambutan. A pain to peel, but the flesh is juicy, pulpy like a lychee, concentrated sugar like the a longan. 

Real lunch in Waimea town, more on that to follow.

We're past the halfway point of the tour, and I'm thinking Roberts Hawaii has earned their high ratings. The guide is an encyclopedia of island culture and knowledge, and she keep its interesting the whole ride through. 

She's telling us about the smaller islands as we pull into the Opaekaa Falls Lookout. 

It's a gorgeous waterfall, and we have ample time for selfies. 

The last journey on the tour is the Wailua River Boat Cruise. 

It's a booze cruise without the booze, a luxurious float down the river with some singing and some hula. 

Destination: Fern Grotto.

Named for the ferns that hang and grow from the rocks in every direction, they've already started to replenish since the flood. 

There's a gorgeous waterfall on the way there too.

It's all about the nature in Kauai. Who needs a golf course or a manicured resort when nature gives your canyons and hanging ferns? Roberts Hawaii makes for a stress-free tour, but they do a great job preserving the authenticity of the island and educating passengers about the culture. I usually don't enjoy being bused from one place to another and stopping for photos ten minutes at a time, but I really did enjoy this tour and left feeling like I actually learned something.

Kruger National Park, South Africa - Days 4-8

Nhongo Safaris came highly recommended from a friend. We knew they were good, but we're clueless tourists  and figured at a price that affordable, no way were they THAT good. 

They are THAT good. And better. They only hired 4 full time guides, and you don't apply, you get chosen. They have their sh*t together; just trust. Send an email, get a reply within 24 hours. Ask a question, get a full, honest answer that includes all you need to know. And that's 3 months before the safari.

Amanda. Request Amanda. I don't know the other guides, but I don't need to. No one is going to know more than she does - she can tell you about the animals, every behavior, every inclination. She can identify species of flying birds you can barely see at a single glance, and she can literally tell you about every blade of grass on the ground. You don't need a book or a phone when you have Amanda. Plus she's fun.

Here's a sampling of animals from our game drives. There's something new and beautiful every day.

Something I didn't know: Nhongo gets park permits in advance. Queue up for hours of you're anyone else, otherwise cruise past the progressively angering crowds in the comfort of your Nhongo jeep. Half those people are still waiting by the time you finish your morning drive, and you can just smile from under the warm blankets they provide for protection against the morning chill. 

Nhongo gives you a lot of reasons to smile. You may find cheaper tours, you may try to drive yourself. You may save some money, but you'd be robbing yourself.

Agua Clara Diving - Tulum, Mexico

I kind of rolled the dice when I picked Agua Clara. I didn't know anything about any of the diving companies, and Tulum has too many. They seemed genuine in their correspondence; effective, efficient, and on top of their sh*t. Because you need the person packing your oxygen tank to be all these things, no exceptions.

Niko is just that, and he's one of the best dive masters I've had. He knows how to teach, and he knows how to be a teacher. His talent is one that can't be taught; an intuition that allows him to give just the right combination of instruction and room to (literally) breathe. 

It's Justin's second discover dive, and they charge me as an add-on so that we can dive together. Agua Clara is flexible and accommodating, and they're perfect for the indecisive. They offer a combo pack of dives; one cenote and one reef. 

The cenote is a bucket-list item, though I'm not a fresh water fan. I imagine cave diving is different world, though I prefer to pass on the danger. We get thick wet-suits to brave the cold, and the water is as clear as a cloudless sky.

There are no reefs to see, and there are fewer fish, but the rocks and roots cast an air of mangrove mystery.

And there is the laziest crocodile in the world at the end of the dive. They named him Francisco because he never moves from that spot and can always be counted upon to appear.

Next step: the reefs. Glad to cross cenote off my list, but there is nothing more beautiful than a vibrant reef. Niko chooses a spot where the rock and coral converge into mini caves, full of arches and narrower passage to swim under and through. 

It's my first time diving and shooting with a GoPro, and I learn to acclimate to the anxiety of it all. It's an expensive toy to lose, and I'm white-knuckling the waterproof case. But there is a meditative zen to diving, and despite being terrified of water, I love the quiet of the briny depths, where I can only hear myself breathe. 

I only get to dive once a year, and this one was a real treat. Agua Clara is a great company to work with, and if you're trying to dive, Niko is your guy.

Coba Ruins and Punta Laguna Monkey Reserve - Tulum, Mexico

Now THIS is more our style. A tour group that doesn't believe in tour groups, a pricier action-packed, active adventure, just the two of us and a single guide. David is impressive; professional, intelligent, fluent in more languages that he knows what to do with. He picks us up in a comfortable van, and we get out at the gate of Coba. 

William shows us around as the morning sun starts to filter through leafy trees. He is Mayan and speaks impressive English, all of which he can translate to Mayan,  the most authentic guide I can imagine.

We bike along an easy path to Nohoch Mul Pyramid as the cold starts to lift, We're so early that the other tourists haven't arrived. 

The majestic pyramid is calm and quiet, not a soul to be seen. The ascent is no less daunting, though; climb in a zigzag and don't skip leg day.

My aching quads start to heal as we walk the flat path through the Punta Laguna Monkey Reserve. There are a few cute ones in the trees, and they leap, undaunted from branch to branch as we watch.

We get to do some flying of our own soon. A long zipline across a shimmering lake is next on our agenda.

What goes down must canoe back up. 

But we don't stay up for long. A harrowing descent into the mouth of a cavernous cenote, down the ladder into total darkness and meditative silence, just us and the bats. 

There's plenty of time of reflection as every moment of my day flashes through my mind. The depth and breadth of this action-adventure tour stimulates all the senses, and it's only when you get deep into this cave that this whirlwind starts to sink in. I love this tour for its intimacy and excitement. I love the pace at which it flows, and I love never having to stand in line. I contemplate take this tour all over again next time I'm in Tulum, though I'd pay extra to ride the zip line twice.