Big Cypress National Preserve : A Tour of the Wildside

 

Visits to parks like the Big Cypress National Preserve where there's a gator to your left, a gator to your right, an osprey overhead, and a heron right in front of you does a great job to remind me how lucky I am to be able to visit a country with so much biodiversity in addition to parks and preserves that ensure I'm not the last generation that gets to enjoy it.

The preserve is actually more like a swamp that is often called a park. It is a vast area being approximately 720,000 acres in size. The really big virgin cypress trees were cut down several years ago but the preserve maintained its name. The cypress swamp is sort of dry in the dry season and the rest of the year is a swamp.

The preserve also gets rather busy during hunting season. Rifle and bow hunting are allowed at different times of the year so you better check their web page for these seasons.

Marco Island : Sunset Tripping Along the Beach

Just checked in at the Marriott hotel in Marco Island, Florida Resort near Naples. Its a beautiful property with an amazing view of the beach and truly perfect for weekend getaways.This world-class resort is situated on three miles of pristine beachfront property and offers an exhilarating retreat from the ordinary.

Marco Island was originally named San Marco Island by Spanish explorers. It is is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States, located on an island by the same name in the Gulf of Mexico located at Southwest Florida's Gulf coast. It is graced with miles of white-sand beaches, luxurious real estate, beautiful year-round weather, sumptuous restaurants, fine shopping, dining, lively entertainment, attractions and plenty of recreational activities from boating and fishing, to golf and tennis, and more. All set amid the stunning subtropical beauty that is unique to Southwest Florida's Gulf coast.

Wat Buddharangsi : Hanging Around in a Thai Buddhist Temple

For the first weekend of 2013, let me share with you my trip in Homestead, Florida where my friends and I visited the Wat Buddharangsi - a Thai Buddhist Temple.

Wat Buddharangsi is located on five acres of property at the rural town of Homestead, a short drive from Miami, Florida. The Buddhist temple welcomes everyone who is interested or practices Buddhism. It serves not just as a religious function but also as a welcome center.

Entrance is free and the temple is open every day from 5 Am to 7 PM. Everyone is welcome to visit during those hours and talk with the monks.