A Peak into an Eagle's Nest

I recently discovered this amazing website that lets you take a very close look into a bald eagle's nest.  Seconds before I wrote this, I saw the mother eagle feed her two little baby eagles (one and two days old).  It was awesome!  The camera is set up in a neighboring tree.  It is a live, 24 hour feed.  There is one egg left to hatch.  Check it out here: Duke Farms Eagle Cam.  The Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey is working with Duke Farms to make sure the birds do not get disturbed by the camera.  So cool!  Check it out!

Vegan Time Travel...A Flight to Australia

Fly from New York City to Australia and you lose a day.  It disappears.  Twenty or so hours on one flight, and as soon as you cross the international date line...poof!  You've lost Thursday.  You can literally leave Los Angeles on a Wednesday and arrive 22 hours later on Friday.  

 Auckland, New Zealand as seen from a seat on Qantas

The experience of essentially sitting down for that long is pretty much an adventure in itself.  Individual TV screens complete with hundreds of free on demand movies, TV shows, and games help pass the time.  An inflatable neck pillow, eye mask, ear plugs, and a blanket helped with sleep.  Though I flew prepared as usual with a stash of Primal Strips and Luna Bars, the vegan meals on Qantas were actually way better than I thought they would be.  Don't get me wrong, it is airplane food, but I found it quite edible.  The event of clearing your space, ordering a drink, getting the tray delivered, eating, finishing up, and waiting for everything to be collected really broke up the monotony. 

Here's a whole wheat roll, canola margarine, a salad with a side of vinaigrette dressing, roasted potatoes, veggies, and roasted tomatoes and tofu.  

After the epic flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, we had a long layover.  We were pleasantly surprised to find the lone cafe at the Auckland airport offering soy milk.  We had a shockingly delicious soy latte that hinted at the awesomeness of vegan lattes to come.  When we finally arrived in Melbourne, I felt like I walked bleary eyed into a parallel universe.  Yes, I was crazy jet lagged, but I oddly felt instantly at home there.  It all seemed very familiar yet totally new at the same time.

  I think this might have been breakfast...it's kind of a blur when you're on a plane for so long.  Honeydew melon and cantaloupe, beans, greens, and mushrooms, another whole wheat roll with canola margarine, and some orange juice. 

It took me a few days to acclimate to the time difference, and it took me months to mentally organize and process all of my experiences from this trip.  I spent about thirty days traveling through the east coast of Australia.  To say it was awesome would be a laughable, massive understatement.  I swam with a shark, held a koala, almost got tackled by a flying fox, and shared some trails with a cassowary family.  I gazed at glow worms in a pitch black cave and watched christmas tree worms catch some plankton.  I ate ridiculously well and met people that I felt like I knew my whole life.  I'm going to attempt to write about it here, but bear with me.  It was a month's experience that I will vividly remember for a lifetime.

Vegan Key West

Key West, affectionately called The Conch Republic, is a warm and easy place that is quite vegan and eco-friendly. Surrounded by turquoise water and snaky mangroves, the streets of Key West are lined with Victorian architecture, art galleries, quirky shops, rowdy bars, and mellow restaurants. We had a reservation for a sunset kayak tour, and after checking into our hotel in the old part of town we had just enough time to walk down the warm, Victorian-lined streets to The Cafe, a delicious vegetarian restaurant at 509 Southard Street. After traveling for a few hours in the car through slow Keys traffic (there is only one road that connects the Keys), I couldn't wait to relax with a delicious vegan meal. Appetizers included spring rolls with sweet chili sauce and Un-wing Dings, which was fried BBQ tofu with a side of a tahini dressing (it normally comes with un-vegan blue cheese dressing, but our waitress subbed it with the vegan tahini).

The main course consisted of a coconut tofu dish with roasted red peppers and bok choy. It was smoky, creamy, and super filling. Good thing we had a fridge and a microwave in the room we were staying in!

One thing I really wanted to try while in the Keys was vegan Key Lime Pie, and it was here that I got my chance. Tangy, sweet, and creamy, the filling and raspberry sauce contrasted nicely with the crunch of the graham cracker crust. Stuffed and satiated, we soon had to head back to our hotel, where our ride from Blue Planet Kayak Tours was waiting. We headed to a dock on a bay, and hopped into a kayak along with the rest of the tour. We paddled our way through mangroves while the sun set, spotting all sorts of creatures along the way. We saw a GIANT, red hermit crab with eerie green eyes that made it's home in a huge conch shell, southern sting rays, three different kinds of sea stars, a sea hare, sea cucumbers, and whelks.
As the sun fell into the horizon, and the water went from clear to black, we put on headlamps (flashlights that you put on your head!), and continued to paddle through the mangroves, which started to take on a spooky appearance. The grand finale of the kayak tour was on the way back to the dock, when the sky and water were completely black, and our paddles stirred up some bioluminescent plankton that sparkled through the water like twinkling stars. The sound of the paddles through the water was only punctuated by occasional laughter when our kayaks got stuck in the flat, shallow bay and the occasional splash of an unidentified fish jumping out of the water. It was an unforgettable experience.

Vegan Key Largo

Key Largo is the diving capital of the world, or so they say in Key Largo. After flying into Miami, renting a car, and stocking up in Whole Foods, we slightly settled ourselves into our condo/hotel that was set among the mangroves and faced the Atlantic. Most of the meals we ate while in Key Largo were in our condo. However, we did venture out to Cheng Garden, a Chinese place that served a few options with tofu. The Sesame Tofu and Szechuan Vegetable Tofu were pleasant, but not spectacular. It's worth noting that there is a small health food store and a Thai place that also serves tofu in Key Largo. Generally, everything is clustered in a mini mall on the Overseas Highway.

We didn't go to Key Largo for the food, we went for the diving, and the diving was excellent. Not having much experience, I hired a guide that started calling me the turtle whisperer after I spotted two juvenile Hawksbill sea turtles! While I heard mention of a fin popping out of the water from some of the snorkelers near the boat, I didn't see any sharks or dolphins. The scariest thing was a school of about 15 shiny and gigantic barracuda hovering above the reef. Yikes! There were tons of fish including French Angelfish, surgeonfish ganging up on territorial seargant majors, and many different kinds of parrotfish and triggerfish. I saw brain coral, the biggest lobster I've ever seen in my life, and I made a silent vow underwater to never dive without my camera again.

After two nights in Key Largo, we headed to Key West, but before we did, we stopped at the Key Largo Conch House. While not a very vegan sounding name, I couldn't resist checking out this restaurant/cafe set inside a cute peachy/pink house. I had a fried potato breakfast and we got an iced coffee with soy milk and a strawberry banana smoothie to go. Both were delicious, by far the best tasting thing we had in Key Largo.

Fueled by sugar and caffeine, we headed west. The incredible shallow blue water that looked warm surrounded the road practically the whole way. We had a reservation for a sunset kayak tour so we didn't stop for much on the way...

More about Key West next! I had a long absence from this blog due to computer issues that seemed to be somewhat resolved. I also have two trips planned for the near future, one is fulfilling a lifetime travel wish, but more on that next time!

Happy Earth Day

Harbor Seal, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ

Photos and food from the Florida Keys and Miami coming soon...

Akumal, Mexico: The Place of the Turtles

Akumal is a short ride from Playa del Carmen, but it's like a different world. The word "Akumal" means "The Place of the Turtles" in Maya. While Playa del Carmen is a lively city on the beach, Akumal is like a sleepy little village. Both have shops, bars, and restaurants, but Akumal's draw is the laid back beach and not the night life. Home to a sea turtle sanctuary, we saw no less than SIX sea turtles, three adults and three cute little juveniles when we were snorkeling there. When I go back to the Riviera Maya, I'll definitely spend more time at Akumal.

To get there from Playa, we walked to a street with some collectivos. We managed to find one that was going south. The collectivo is basically a mini van that goes up and down the highway, stopping at various destinations, depending on where the passengers want to go. It's sort of like a cab and a bus combined, and it was way cheaper than renting a car or getting a private taxi. The collectivo was packed filled with people before we left Playa, and just when I thought we were dropping people off, more people got on. It was squishy and weird but definitely interesting, sort of fun, and cheap. When we finally got to Akumal, the collectivo dropped us off on the highway, and we had to walk to the beach. At first, it was a little confusing because there was so much construction going on. We had to go over a walking bridge, dodge some construction debris, then find this freshly cemented path:Eventually, the path turned green and shady. We stocked up on water and snacks at a little grocery store that had this wooden mermaid hanging in front of it. I love mermaids!

I had a blast shopping at MexicArte, a folk art shop filled with jewelry, ornaments, and art crafted by local artisans. The beach was calm and relaxing.

We picked a shady spot near a palm tree, rented some snorkel equipment right on the beach at Akumal Dive Shop, then swam with a barracuda, some needlefish, French grunts, a bunch of other fish, and sea turtles. What a lovely end to a great trip!

There were quite a few vegan options at the Akumal restaurants, all within walking distance of the beach. The beach bar had veggie burgers, and two more restaurants had veggie options. We settled on the Turtle Bay Cafe.

I had the lentil burger. It was deliciously smothered with beets, carrots, lettuce, hummus and mustard. Yum! All that and a deliciously refreshing limeade for about six US dollars.

I'll definitely go back to Akumal again! Now, I'm off to the Florida Keys. I'll be diving in Key Largo and taking a sunset kayak tour in Key West. More on that soon!

Upcoming Trip: Scuba in the Florida Keys

I'll be heading off to visit the coral reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in a few short weeks. Before I go, I plan on writing more about my time in Mexico. I have more to tell about vegan options in Playa del Carmen and snorkeling with sea turtles in Akumel. Is it just me or did March fly by? Look for more about Mexico in the next few days!

Scuba Adventures in the Riviera Maya

As I re-read and reviewed my PADI diver's manual on the plane, any nervousness I had about breathing 50 feet under water quickly was replaced with excitement. I couldn't wait to actually start diving! I love the ocean, and I was so happy when the realization finally sunk in that I was going to be able to explore it underwater for an extended period of time.

After arriving at the airport in Cancun, finding transportation to our hotel, and checking in, our first day in Playa del Carmen was primarily spent exploring. We walked to the beach and along Quinta Avenida, a pedestrian only street filled with little shops and restaurants. The next day, my scuba adventures began.

The ocean's currents were just too strong for novices that day, so we drove to a cenote with our dive instructor. The Yucatan is filled with cenotes, most of which are found in caves or completely underground. My first diving experience was in the Cenote El Jardin del Eden, a great place to refresh the skills I learned in a pool back home.

Part of this cenote was completely in a cave, and part of it was open. We had to stay in the open area since you need special training to dive in a cave. We saw a bunch of divers training to do just that as we were getting our equipment ready. After a seated entry off a little dock, we were ready to go under!

The water was cool but comfortable since we were wearing full wetsuits. The visibilty was perfect (though not so much when we beginners started kicking up algae when we lost control of our buoyancy a few times). It was so fun to swim by green, algae covered rocks and tree roots with these cool, silvery fish with iridescent fins. I think the peaceful sounds of inhaling through my tank, then exhaling bubbles has to be one of my new favorites. (The cenote fish photo was borrowed from http://alanformstone.com/pics/ponderosa_jun_04.html).

The next day, thankfully, an ocean dive was in order. The cenote was fun, but I wanted salt and currents and waves! We packed our group and our equipment onto a tiny little boat docked right at the each, and off we went, hurtling over the waves to Sabalos Reef and Barracuda Reef. The sun was hot, the water was warm, and I couldn't wait to go under!

It was quite a challenge donning the necessary equipment on a tiny, cramped boat. After a safety check, we sat on the edge, put a hand over our mask and regulator, and fell backwards into the deep blue. We used a line to control our descent. This helped me a great deal with some equalizing issues I was having in the cenote. You're supposed to equalize the pressure in your ears every few feet, and I found it was easier to do that when holding a rope.

Eventually, we made it to the sandy bottom and let go of the rope. We neutralized our bouyancy, making us essentially weightless and floating, and off we went to explore the gorgeous reef. We drifted by an amazing shelf filled with purple sea fans that waved back and forth in the current. We swam by corals, anemones, and huge sponges. The blue was everywhere, the water temperature was so perfect, and the peaceful bubble sound I loved had me smiling so much that my mask kept filling up with water. I'm glad they had us practice mask clearing so much!

The reef was so colorful: red, orange, yellow, green, and purple everywhere there wasn't blue. It was like floating through an enchanted alien forest. We met a big, dark lobster hiding in the crevices of the reef moving about his antennae. There was a sponge so big I could comfortably fit my whole arm inside it. The sea fans moved so elegentaly and effortlessly back and forth, slowly with the current. I heard a metallic tapping when our dive instructor spotted a beautiful hawksbill turtle, swam over to it and watched it eat. A spotted moray eel curled into a hiding spot nearby.

Eventually, the last dive was over and we followed our bubbles up to the surface. There was a scary moment when we realized we drifted so far from where we initially started, that we couldn't see the boat at all. It was just us bobbing over the waves, no boat in sight. I half thought we might have to swim to the shore, and I thanked my lucky stars that the shore was in site. Thankfully, we were spotted over the waves somehow. The tiny boat picked us out of the strengthening current, and we were returned safely to the beach.

Now that I'm officially certified, I can't wait to go diving again!!!

Eco-Friendly Vegan Shoe Contest and a Sea Turtle

I'm back from Mexico, and I'm officially scuba certified! I meet this handsome sea turtle about 50 feet under the surface of the Caribbean Sea. It was a thrilling, crazy, awesome experience that I will be sure to detail as soon as I get a little more settled back into life in New Jersey. It's weird going from gorgeous warm water and tropical beaches to winter in one day!

In the mean time, I have a fabulous contest to share with you! The people at Onlineshoes.com are offering a $50 gift certificate to one lucky reader of The Vegan Snorkeler. Onlineshoes.com offers free shipping, a 90 day unconditional return policy, and over 200 vegan shoes!

Check out the Onlineshoes.com Earth Page. Earth shoes are eco-friendly (70% recycled content) and use negative heel technology. That's supposed to help you get more toned and burn more calories while you walk while promoting healthier posture. I've worn Earth shoes before, and they really are comfortable.

If you'd like a chance to win, simply leave a comment! The winner will be randomly selected and contacted on Feburary 16th. Unfortunately, this contest is open only to U.S. residents. If you are a winner, I'll need to give Onlineshoes.com your first/last name and valid email address. Good luck!

Favorite Vegan Things of 2008

I've been thinking about all of the wonderful things that I've experienced in 2008. I've traveled to some pretty amazing places and I've eaten some delicious vegan food! Here is a list of my favorite vegan things of the year, in no particular order:

• Vegan blogs. Although I knew of their existence for a while, this is the year I really started reading them (and writing one!). It's so fun to see all of the inspiring food pics and to read about everyone's vegan experiences, whether they're product or restaurant reviews or travel accounts.


• Kauai. This trip inspired me to start my blog. Though I've traveled to many cities and countries around the world, I've only recently started to vacation to tropical places. My worst fear was to get stuck on a boring island with nothing to eat. This was so not the case with Kauai, a vegan paradise!


• Chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon. So easy, so good.

• Mini coconut milk ice cream sandwiches and ice cream bars from Turtle Mountain. YUM!!!

• Vegan Cajun etouffee sauce. A recent discovery, I didn't even know what etouffee was until my trip to New Orleans.

• SCUBA diving. I'm not officially certified yet, but I will be soon. Breathing under water is scary and awesome. I'm hooked!

• Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World took over my kitchen in 2008.

• Humpback whales, sea turtles, and monk seals. It was an unforgettable experience hanging out with them!

I'm sure there's a billion more things I could add to the list, but I'm going to stick with this. Happy New Year's Eve everyone!

Happy Fourth of July!

Celebrate by signing The Declaration of Compassion for the Planet and its Inhabitants, then watch some fireworks and eat some vegan ice cream.

Humpback Whales

This is one of my favorite humpback whale photos, I took it when we were "mobbed" by a few humpback whales on a boat in between the islands of Kauai and Niihau. They swam under the boat and would surface a few feet next to us. They surrounded us and basically forced us to stop moving for about an hour and a half.

They are massive, yet gentle. They were methodical but playful. You could feel their power, as they could have easy overturned our boat if they wanted to. Instead, they simply swam and surfaced and sang. We had an underwater microphone on the boat that picked up their vocalizations. It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced in my life.

Adopt an Endangered Species

One of the coolest things about Kauai was the monk seals. Monk seals are incredibly endangered, with only about 500 in existence today. They beach themselves during the day to rest. It's a crime to harrass or disurb a Hawaiian monk seal, and when we were lucky enough to share a beach with one, we found everyone to be super respectful of this magnificent animal. I found this great "Adopt a Monk Seal" website where you can donate anywhere from $20 to $75 to Defenders of Wildlife, and they'll give you a stuffed animal version of a monk seal, an adoption certificate, a photo, and more information about monk seals. They also have many other animal "adoptions" to choose from, if monk seals aren't your thing.