What should you do in Cancun, Mexico?

Cancun in Mexico has a reputation for being big, bold and brash.

It sure is.

But the beaches are beautiful, and if you visit outside of peak period of time like I did, surprisingly quiet. What”s more, compared to the rocky shores in Europe, the sand is ever so gentle on the feet!

Captions should appear automatically on the video, but if they don’t, click “CC” to get them. Click here if you want the transcript.

If you visit Cancun, it shouldn’t be the only place you visit. If you can, try to visit Playa Del Carmen, Isla Mujeres and Tulum too!

Tikal, Guatemala

It’s been a while folks, but I have an excuse – I’ve been busy. I’ve missed you though.

Anyhow, Central America is the BOMB! There are lots of things you can do here – check out animals, nature, volcanoes. It’s a real adventure paradise.

Here I checked out some old Mayan ruins in Tikal, Guatemala.

Click here for the transcript.

It is definitely worthwhile giving the less-travelled parts of Central America a go.

A journey to Costa Rica? Yes please!

Apparently in Australia, it’s mostly cold. While Summer is just around the corner (or is it?) you could bring a ray of sunshine to your life NOW by booking an awesome tour to Costa Rica for 24 February – 5 March 2011!

Discovering Deaf Worlds is partnering with GoPhilanthropic to introduce you to volcanoes, jungles, and the deaf community in Costa Rica. You’ll learn LESCO (Costa Rican Sign Language), discover more about efforts to create a sign-language dictionary, and meet deaf students in San Jose.

Details available at: http://www.deafworlds.org/programs/journeys

(images from Discovering Deaf Worlds).

Cornfields in the USA

As an ex-pat Australian living in the good ol’ USA, regular correspondent Elissa gives us the inside deets on what makes America a great place to visit for deaf travellers!

Click here for the transcript.

I’m looking forward to visiting Illinois one day, and eating bucketloads of corn!

Hola España!

Our newest correspondent, Catherine Miller, recently visited Spain. Here Catherine shares her tips on having fun in the land of tapas, churros, and wine.

Click here for the transcript.

Catherine’s key hint? Check out the smaller towns! They are easy to get to via bus, and well worth the effort.

Jest’oko TV

A woman at free Bulgarian Sign Language classes

“Jest’oko”.

In the Bulgarian language, this is a combination of two words: “gesture” and “eye”. It is also the name of a new online TV channel that some wonderful Bulgarians are keen to set up for their community.

The channel will provide news and entertainment programs translated into Bulgarian Sign Language, with captions. Basic sign-language lessons will also be provided on site. That’s because as well as providing access to information to deaf and hard of hearing people (a cause after DeafPlanet’s own heart), the team behind the channel are keen to encourage formal recognition of Bulgarian Sign Language in Bulgaria.

They are currently looking for funding and members to help out with research, website and content development, and sign language translation.

If you know of grants the team can apply for,  or think you might have time to help, email me at deafplanet2010@gmail.com with details!

Deaf travel for the win!

There are some nice advantages to being deaf when travelling. The video below shares a couple of those with you.

Click here for the transcript.

There are probably thousands of other benefits to being deaf. Another one is not having to listen to the dodgy music your bus driver chooses play on long journeys, for example. Win!

Can you think of some?

Deaf Hostelling

If you are keen on meeting up with deaf people overseas, you might want to give DeafHostelling a try.

I haven’t used it yet, but it sounds fantastic.

You can sign up, meet for coffee, and even crash out on a spare bed or couch of another DeafHostelling member overseas. Alternatively, if you’re staying home, you can meet people from all over the world in the comfort of your favorite local cafe!

Take a peek at: www.deafhostelling.com

Hot, beautiful Cyprus

The small country of Cyprus is so hot, I had to sit down while making this video.

The weather is deaf-initely not for the faint-hearted, though the humidity is less than in Asia!

Click on this link for the Cyprus video transcript.

If you like lazy days, easy access to the sea, kebabs, figs and grapes, Cyprus is for you.

Bali – a honeymoon destination

Recently married couple Adam and Niamh took time out on their honeymoon to share some details about Bali, Indonesia.

Clearly, Bali is a great place for a honeymoon. It has beautiful resorts, cheap food and shopping, and great waves for surfing.

What more could you want?

P.S. We are now rolling out plain text transcripts of video content for people who are blind or vision impaired. Click here for the Bali video transcript.