In April of 2006 I set off on a 16 day trip with a couple of friends to the Mentawai Islands off the west coast of Sumatra. Leading up to the trip I did a lot of research on how to prepare for the unknown. The trip was virtually charter boat based with only a couple days on land at the beginning and end of the trip. Granted, on-board accommodations were plush by local standards. Still, I wanted to be prepared.
Some important things to pack are light cotton long sleeve shirts and pants, a couple wide brim hats (the sun is intense along the equator). Plenty of waterproof sunblock; 50 spf would be recommended. Take along reef booties, the low cut, split toe kind work great. Powdered vitamin packets that dissolve in water, energy bars and sea sick aids would be a good idea if you are prone to motion sickness.
Indonesian Surf Travel - Mentawai Islands Boat Trip
Naxos Island Best Travel Tip For Greek Island Beach Vacations
Naxos island is the largest island in the Cyclades the group of islands in the center of the Aegean. The Naxos island island is eighteen miles in length and 12 miles wide and is oval in shape.
It is also the most fertile, and this makes it one of the most beautiful. But it is the miles of unbroken golden sandy beaches that attracts the majority of the thousands of summer tourists that flock to Naxos island every year.
For the holidaymakers who can drag themselves away from the glorious beaches, Naxos island provides a wealth of ancient Greek remains as well as plenty of Byzantine and Venetian history. The Naxos island's capital, also called Naxos, has a Venetian fortress as well as an ancient Greek temple to Apollo.
Greek Island Holiday in Symi
The Greek island of Symi (also spelt Simi) is a small island in the Dodecanese group, situated twenty four miles, or about an hour's ferry ride, north-west of Rhodes.
Symi is just eight miles long and only five miles at its maximum width. But if the island's size seems small when measured in miles; measuring it by the time it takes to get from one place to the next, presents a very different picture. This is because Symi is extremely steep and mountainous, its highest point towering over two thousand feet above the sea.
The spectacular nature of Symi's steep coastline, combined with one of the most picturesque harbour towns in Greece, has for many decades, attracted artists, photographers and ramblers, many of whom have taken up residence on the island. Several writers have also made Symi their home.
