From On a Cassowary Mission by Dan & Claire

On a mission at Mission Beach, Queensland, to find the town’s most popular resident, the Cassowary, RealTravelers Dan & Claire searched high and low for the great bird in this tourist town with a small town feel. Flanked by a beautiful rainforest and the resplendent Great Barrier Reef, Mission Beach is a wonderful destination for travelers searching for beauty, relaxation, and cassowaries. According to a Wikipedia article, “like many other small Australian towns, Mission Beach has built a monument to its most famous characteristic. The big cassowary stands 5 meters high at Wongaling Beach as part of the shopping complex and towers above the surrounding buildings.” But were Dan & Claire able to see any of these incredible birds up close?

Here’s a passage from their journal, On a Cassowary Mission:

“Mission Beach is in Tropical North Queensland, and is surrounded by rainforest purportedly housing the world’s largest population of cassowaries - 6ft cousins of the emu with an electric blue neck, a red wattle and a razor sharp claw on each foot that can disembowel a human with one swift kick. Crikey! as the late Steve Irwin would once have said. Once daylight arrived, we set off into the rainforest in search of one of these rare birds. Judging by the number of road signs warning drivers to beware of cassowaries crossing, you’d have thought there were hundreds of them skulking about in the trees…” (more…)

Read Dan & Claire’s journal to find out how their mission turned out, and to learn more about beautiful Mission Beach. Also, check out these great links to help plan a mission of your own:

Mission Beach Guide
Mission Beach Travel Blogs
Mission Beach Tourism Guide

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Day Trip up the North Coast from Renaca by Sanz Travels

If cold weather, lack of sun or an otherwise busy lifestyle is giving you a craving for a relaxing day on the beach, check out Sanz Travels recent trip along the coast of Chile. With a few friends, she explored Maitencillo, Cachagua, Papudo and the small beach resort town of Zapallar:

“We moved on towards Zapallar which my book says is the most exclusive of Chile’s coastal resorts. Quite right in fact. No high rise developments to spoil the beach here. The beach is a smallish cove set down at the bottom of the hills - walking into it from one end and a small winding road down to the other. No commercialism except for one confectionery barrow at one end and a fabulous but laid back seafood restaurant at the other. The beach was simply lovely and was pretty full the day we were there. Kids playing pata tennis all over the beach and people relaxing on the beach or strolling along the small promenade where there was a display of local sculptures. I truly could have stayed here no trouble at all. We set ourselves up on the beach and stayed about an hour and enjoyed the sun and soaked up the relaxed atmosphere.” (more…)

For other ideas on relaxing beaches in Chile, South America and around the world, visit:

Beaches in Chile
Beaches in South America
Beach Travel
Chile Guide

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