We scheduled a repositioning cruise on the Vision of the Seas from Los Angeles to Vancouver, BC and I had checked the website and found that NCL was offering a one-night Dinner & Dance cruise from Vancouver, BC to Seattle, WA for an unbelievable rate in a Balcony Cabin. Score!

This trip proved to be an adventure for a one-nighter. I am going to try and keep a light tone to this review but it was nasty, as several thousand cruisers can attest to.

We disembarked from the Vision of the Seas at the Balentine Cruise Terminal and waited 40 minutes for a taxi with several new friends that we made on the Vision and then took 45 minutes for what should have been a 5 minute taxi ride to Canada Place Cruise Terminal. Traffic through the city was horrendous. While we were driving through the Gastown there was a gentleman dragging a suitcase whose rollers had broken down the street, we initially passed him however while we were sitting on the street watching the traffic basically go nowhere he passed us and finally disappeared, if we did not have all the luggage we did it was quite obvious that walking was much faster than driving. We should have realized at this point that we were in deep do-do.

Longmen (Dragon’s Gate) Grottoes, in Luoyang, is one of the three most famous places with extensive stone inscriptions in China. The caves house an overwhelming number of Buddhist inscriptions and images, as well as historical materials concerning art, music, religion and architecture.

In total there are 2345 caves and niches, 2800 inscriptions, and over 100,000 Buddhist statues in Longmen Grottoes. Some 30 percent of the caves date back to the Northern Wei Dynasty, nearly 60 percent to the Tang Dynasty, and the rest from other periods.

The Fengxian Temple, built during the Tang Dynasty, is the largest cave at the site. It’s about 41 metres long and 36 metres wide, and its temple contains nine statues of Buddha, each bearing a different expression. The statue of Vairocana Buddha is the most imposing figure in the temple. This statue of Buddha sitting cross-legged on a lotus throne is 17 meters tall, four of that head. The Vairocana Buddha wears a peaceful smile. Vairocana means ‘illuminating all things in the area’. Statues of two disciples, Kasyapa and Ananda, stand to either side of the Vairocana wearing devout expressions. The temple also houses statues of the Bodhisattvas and Devas.

Camping and fishing go together like ham and eggs. After you clean and gut your catch, try one of these simple camping fish recipes. I have a fish recipe from each category: 1) Easy, 2) Weird, 3) Artery-clogging and finally, 4) Healthy.

Easy: Tin Foil Rainbow Trout

- fresh trout, any kind

- 1 tablespoon butter

- salt and pepper

- 1 small onion, sliced

- Bacon slices (optional)

Leaving the fish whole, stuff the insides with butter, salt and pepper, and as many onions as will fit. Wrap each fish with 1-2 bacon slices if your heart desires. Place stuffed trout on buttered foil and wrap up tightly to trap the moisture. Place over white hot coals for 7-10 minutes.

Weird: Grilled Catfish in Coffee Butter

(I know you’ll be skeptical, but this recipe is from the catfishinstitute.com, it is very good.)

- 1 tablespoon lemon juice

- 1 tablespoon instant coffee powder

- 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine

- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 2 pounds catfish fillets

Situated east of Philippines, the islands of Palau are a rare oasis in the Pacific Ocean. Palau’s waters life is one of the richest and the weather is beneficial so it is a great destination when it comes to scuba diving. The only major problem is that you may go scuba diving in Palau and get to meet more divers than marine life. The Japanese have few locations where they are allowed to practice scuba diving so they are usually crowded; Palau is one of them. This is why you should go for scuba diving in Palau in a period when it is less visited if you want to enjoy the beauty that lies in those waters.

Disney Vacations are the ultimate in family vacation fun and Disney vacation rental homes offer the best of both worlds. Disney Vacation Club membership is based on a “vacation point” system and offers unique flexibility in choosing among a vast array of vacation experiences: Your length of stay is up to you; stay for night, weekend, a week or longer. You can enjoy the premium Disney vacation experience complete with dining, recreation and Walt Disney World Theme Park Tours. Even years later when you are all grown up the thought puts a smile on your face and if you want that same experience for your kids stay a while and see just look at what Disney vacations has to offer.