Courtney – Camera & Carry On

This Little Piggy Went for a Swim in the Caribbean

Courtney — Sun, 31 Jul 2016 18:43:52 +0000

When a friend asks you if you'd like to go on a day trip to the Bahamas in her family's plane, you say yes. You then proceed to have an incredible adventure!! When I saw the six-seater plane her uncle would be flying us in my heart dropped. I knew it was small, but I've ridden in cars bigger than this! I buckled my seatbelt, laughing. If something went wrong I just couldn't see this piece of fabric making much of a difference. Where's the aisle? Where's the woman who's supposed to tell me where the emergency exit is? I guess, in a plane this small they aren't hard to find. I realized I'd committed at this point, so with a quick prayer and an "I love you" text to my family, we were off. In such a small plane, we could easily see the town below us--the people, the cars, the houses, the streets and waterways. Then there was nothing but a vast ocean. I couldn't wait to be exploring it in the Bahamas. A paradise of swimming pigs, "pet" nurse sharks, and snorkeling adventures awaited us only an hour and a half plane ride away. When we arrived at the airport a pickup truck was waiting to take us to the place where we would rent a Boston whaler (a small, fast boat). We used it to travel all over Exuma's different cays. Our first stop was Staniel Cay (aka best place ever!!!). As we approached, giant pigs started to swim — yes, swim — toward us from the beach. Apparently they know to expect food, water, and lots of love when boats arrive. We spent about an hour playing with them, feeding them, and taking pictures. We even got to see three little baby piglets! Isn't that a nursery rhyme or something? From there we moved on to Compass Cay where I did the craziest thing I'd do all day —swim with sharks. I willingly got into shark infested water and swam around, diving below them to try to get a good GoPro shot, as people threw chum into the water. Everyone says nurse sharks won't bite unless you mess with them. It was a little scary, but totally worth it!!! Definitely a once in a lifetime experience. After the sharks, we boated around to a few more cays, checking out beautiful and secluded beaches. We had entire beaches to ourselves to explore and relax on. Nothing I have ever seen can compare to the powdery white sand and shocking blue of the water in Exuma. Next up was a surprise destination! When we got there it didn't look like much — just another big mound of rock. As we dove into the water, though, I could see small openings just big enough for someone to swim through. After diving down deep, we found ourselves in a magical cave. I was informed that "magical cave" isn't actually the technical term, though, so if you go you should probably refer to it as "Thunderball Grotto", which is also located in Staniel Cay. Light poured in from the holes at the top, and there were several underwater entrances. Hundreds of fish swam around us and the top of the cave was breathtaking with the light and rocks and plants that grew there. We then found out something even more breathtaking. You can climb on top of the grotto and jump in! (Warning: the rocks you have to climb are very sharp. I highly recommend water shoes, we didn't have any and got a little banged up.) Once at the top, I realized I had learned my lesson from jumping off the cliffs in Amalfi. Don't linger too long, just do it! 1-2-3... JUMP! What a rush! After that we boated around, stopping here and there to see different small beaches and lots of animals. With the crystal blue water, you can see an incredible array of sea life below the surface. While boating we saw some more nurse sharks, sea turtles, tons of fish, sting rays, coral, and of course the piggies. Exuma, Bahamas is an incredible destination that offers everything from adventure to nature and relaxation. Just over an hour plane ride from the continental U.S., you can easily stay for a day or much longer, but don't say I didn't warn you: when you get there you won't want to leave! If you have the time, stay for at least a long weekend. Heck, if you have the time, plan to stay forever! This day reminded me how grateful I am for beautiful places and good friends!

The post This Little Piggy Went for a Swim in the Caribbean appeared first on Camera & Carry On.

Don’t Rent a Vespa! And 5 Other Mistakes I Made in Rome

Courtney — Sun, 12 Jun 2016 17:55:57 +0000

Rome: the city of delicious food, historic sights, and cute Italians. How could anyone possibly not have the best day ever there?! Hopefully, reading my silly mistakes will keep you from having anything short of an amazing visit!

1. Don't Go In The Middle Of August

What comes to mind when you think August? Snowmen, jackets, and mittens? Of course not. Why? Because it's hot. August in Rome feels like the sweaty armpit of a 500 pound man who has just completed a triathlon. To make things even worse, the city will be crawling with tourists. Even though you are, in fact, one of these tourists, they're still super fun to complain about. But seriously, do yourself a favor and don't go between June and August.

2. Don't Try To Squeeze It All In

This is a good general rule for life: Don't try to squeeze too many groceries into your shopping bag -- it'll break. Don't try to squeeze yourself into last year's too-small-skinnyjeans -- they'll probably rip, and if they don't you'll wish they had when you see the unflattering pictures on Facebook. And most importantly, don't try to squeeze everything there is to see in Rome into one day -- it just can't be done.

3. Don't Eat Bad Food

This kind of goes along with the whole "Don't squeeze it all in" thing, but seriously... you're in Rome, one of the most famous cities in Italy. And you know what Italy is also famous for? Italian food, aka God's gift to the world. Isn't there a part in the bible that says something like, "And on the 5th day he hath made Italian food!"?? Anyways, if you're trying to squeeze a lot in then you're probably wanting to grab a quick bite to eat before running off to the Vatican or Colosseum. If that is the case then 1.) you should have listened to number two and 2.) take the extra 30 minutes to sit down and have a nice meal. Maybe even research restaurants ahead of time so you don't waste time searching for a good place, or worse, end up in a dump like we did.

4. DON'T RENT A VESPA

Don't. Rent. A. Vespa. My travel bud, Johanna, and I had never been to Rome, hence why we made so many rookie mistakes, but this, perhaps, was the worst of them all. If you've never been to Rome, as we hadn't, then let me let you know one of the most important things we discovered: Roman streets were designed by insane people and insane people still drive on them today. There are no clear lanes, no warning that you're about to have to decide between 5 different ways at the fork in the road, no U-turns, and basically no rhyme or reason to anything. You may be under false pretenses that renting a Vespa in Rome is a bucket list item after watching Hillary duff do it with Pablo in the Lizzie McGuire Movie, and I hate to be the one to shatter this dream of yours, but if you value your life, DO NOT RENT A VESPA. Also, look what a jerk Pablo turned out to be... Clearly we should not be trusting Lizzie's judgement on all things Rome.

5. Don't Be Late

Seriously, don't be late. Again, this may have something to do with the aforementioned number two, but when they say the Vatican closes at 4:00, they mean the Vatican closes at 4:00. Johanna and I found this out as we sprinted toward the Vatican clothed in maxi dresses and sweaters in the August heat because our Vespa broke down a mile from our destination as hundreds of Italians, clearly used to the frantic tourists, cheered us on with, "You'll make it, Bellas," and "One more minute, you're so close." Yes, it was as horrible as it sounded and yes, we did make it. We proceeded to then run through the Vatican, briefly glancing at things as we passed, to make it to the Colosseum before it closed at 7:00. Not only did we not make it, but we also should have scratched the Colosseum idea and sprung for a Vatican tour. Rule 5 1/2? Don't run through the Vatican. Take your time! Appreciate it!

6. Don't Forget To Laugh At Yourself

After a sweaty day of Roman traffic, glimpses of the Vatican, missing the colosseum, rude Italians, a malfunctioning Vespa, bad/overpriced food, and a closed-for-construction Trevi fountain, we finally decided to crawl our way back to return the Vespa to the rental store. The owner had told us that it would probably be closed by the time we got back and that we just had to leave it parked outside with the other Vespas, keys locked in the trunk. Simple enough, right? Johanna handed me our two helmets, jackets, purses and miscellaneous other things to hold as she parked our stupid metal deathtrap in the only available spot, at the top of the hill. I watched, seconds later, in complete horror and disbelief as the Vespa pried itself free from her hands and made its way down the hill, knocking over every other Vespa in the line. For miles around people turned to look what had made this terrible crashing noise as mirrors flew from the handles of several of the 30+ Vespas and Johanna and I looked on in helpless disbelief. The one man who came to help us pick them back up later asked us for money. Johanna began to cry and, call it a mental breakdown or exhaustion, but for whatever reason I started to laugh. She eventually joined me in my hysteria and we laughed our way to the hostel before collapsing into bed. On our 6 am flight back to Madrid the next morning we giggled over our failed attempt to see Rome, promising that we would return for a "take two" another day. But until then, I hope by reading our mistakes you're able to make your time in Rome a little less disastrous and a lot more enjoyable. But if I can say one thing for our trip, at least it was memorable!

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Meet Courtney: Traveler, Writer, Student Abroad

Courtney — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 01:46:14 +0000

Hello everyone, this is Michael, and I want to introduce you to a new contributor on Camera & Carry On, Courtney Benjamin. Courtney is a budding writer, traveler, and my little cousin! She spent this past summer studying abroad in Spain, and when she told Shannon and me about it, we saw that spark in her eye. Call it the travel bug, wanderlust, or whatever you like, but we knew she had amazing experiences to share. Follow us (links in the side bar) to stay up to date on her journey! Now, from Courtney...

If your friends jumped off a cliff, should you jump too?

Of course not! Well… Maybe there’s an exception? Like when gorgeous Italian men are jumping off the cliff? Then honey you better get your little American ass off those rocks faster than they can say "bella". This is the first lesson I learned last summer while jumping into the sparkling Mediterranean waters off the Amalfi Coast. The second lesson I learned? Don't jump 50 feet into the water while wearing a strapless two-piece. Wardrobe malfunctions aside, studying abroad last summer was hands-down one of the most memorable, terrifying, thrilling, and liberating experiences I’ve had in my 20 years on this earth.

"I didn’t want to just be a tourist"

As students, we spend hours on end learning about the history and the art and the languages of different countries, but do you know what authentic tapas taste like washed down with sangria? Do you know what the hooves of stampeding bulls sound like in Pamplona? Do you know what it feels like to stand inside the Prado? These are things you can’t read in a book, and I wanted to find them out for myself. Furthermore, I didn’t want to just be a tourist in a foreign country, but to have enough time to create bonds with the people around me and to truly immerse myself in European culture. I decided that living as a student in Madrid was the best way for me to do that.

"I was terrified"

I went to a few informational meetings, booked my ticket, packed my bags, and was ready to go. But as I sat with my knees jammed into the back of seat 7J, sandwiched between a wheezing man whose “lovely” scent engulfed my area and a giant mammoth of a woman who I unwillingly shared half my seat with, I contemplated why on earth I had decided to get on this 10-hour flight to Madrid in the first place. I knew no one. I spoke very little Spanish. I had no idea what the metro was – much less how to navigate it! What the hell was I doing? I was terrified. The first night was hard; I won't sugarcoat it. I was lonely, jet lagged, and scared. But in the following days, I began to explore the city, taste the foods, make friends. I even managed to take the metro! In days I felt more myself in this strange city than I had in years. The music of the street dancers in the Plaza del Sol, the sweetness of the sangria, the laughter of los Españoles... The city had replaced in me the fear of the unknown with a burning passion to explore and discover the world outside of my safe walls. From there I backpacked all over much of Europe and made memories and friendships that I will cherish forever.

Lesson number 3?

Sometimes you have to stop thinking, and just JUMP!

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More About Courtney

Courtney's an avid lover of food, nature, yoga, and puppies. You'll often find her passing her days on the beach in her hometown of Fort Lauderdale, FL. An English major at the University of Florida, she also enjoys spending time hanging out with friends and family. Favorite destinations: Spain, Italy, Switzerland Dreams of: Writing novels while simultaneously eating her way through the most beautiful places in the world. Last supper: Anything Italian, a side of Pad Thai with Tom Kha Kai soup, and something smothered in chocolate! Recommended books + movies: Dead Poets Society, We Bought a Zoo, Game of Thrones, The Museum of Extraordinary Things, and Harry Potter.

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