http://www.beachtravellers.com//beachtrav/blogs_rss/b/ http://www.beachtravellers.com/blogs/b/trips.2424 Valentine’s day is just around the corner, so we’re gonna do something special this year. We realize not everyone is down with V-day, so this contest is for romantics and v-day haters alike. Some people enjoy sharing life with a partner, and for them, Feb 14th is a day full of roses, chocolates, and bedtime stories. Others prefer to fly solo and enjoy the fruits of freedom, and V-day is a great occasion to sit shirtless on the couch, eat an entire roasted chicken, and make noises that aren’t acceptable in public. Hey, we’re not judging. As most classic Facebook showdowns go, there will be a series of challenges, where “likes” decides who moves on to the finals. On Valentine’s day, 3 winners (1 couple and 1 single) will receive goods including new spring 2012 shades from Spy, undergarments courtesy of MyPakage, and $150 BT travel vouchers. It all starts today on our Facebook page. Get on it... >>     8 CONTEST: Kiss me Stupid - Couples vs Singles http://www.beachtravellers.com/blogs/b/trips.2389 The first step in any addiction is admitting you have a problem. My name is Carter, and I am addicted to temples. The past two days have been nothing but a haze of pagodas, stupas and Buddhas, and I think it’s only getting worse. Take a look at what I put my last travel group through today. It started off as a harmless day trip to Ayutthaya, the old capital of Thailand. Then things started getting weird. Just a couple of wannabe-Buddhas showing off for the camera, right? Then these two ladies decided it would be a good idea to explore the new frontier of human flight in front of a 700-year-old pagoda. I think this is where the contagiousness of my condition became evident. Eventually the entire group started displaying classic signs of wat (temple) obsession. Look at them, they’re delirious! They didn’t stand a chance. I only fueled the fire by dragging them to the top of this ancient pile of brick and mortar called Wat Lokayasutharam. Always the responsible tour guide and setting a good example, sanity was then completely lost and a vertical journey up the side of Wat Phu Khao Thong ensued. There's me, trippin'.... ~Carter Buan, Beach Travellers Thailand adventure travel guide 25 Thailand Adventure Tour - Temple addictions http://www.beachtravellers.com/beachtrav-costa-rica/blogs/b/cr.47.205.2402 Heads up wave-riders.. BT is currently on the lookout for new surfers to join our team of surf coaches and travel guides in beautiful Costa Rica. Our surf camps have been increasing in popularity, so to meet the high demand for these trips.. we're hiring more staff. If you know & love Costa Rica's waves, have surf teaching experience, and are an outgoing person who enjoys hanging out with fun travellers.. You should consider applying. Surfing headstands are a requirement. APPLY HERE 8 Best Jobs in the World - Surf Coaches Wanted http://www.beachtravellers.com/blogs/b/trips.2373 A couple times a year, the BT Edmonton crew escapes the cold, throws on bathing attire, and ventures inside to enjoy a balmy party at the West Edmonton Mall Waterpark.  The party combines DJ's, a wave-pool, surfing, cold drinks, and most importantly, +26 degree heat.  Friends come out from all over the city to catch up, enjoy a few cold ones, and get weird. Here are some pics from last weekend's event: Of course, Gonzo has to show up and crash the party... what a bum. Hey, it's Mr.Ben! We'll be back Edmonton! If you were there (or not) - feel free to post comments below. 8 BT @ Soundwave http://www.beachtravellers.com/blogs/b/trips.2303 Back in late November, a herd of surf & adventure-hungry travellers headed down to Costa Rica to join the BT circus. It consisted of a surf camp group of 18, a private 6-person surf camp for 8-mile snowboard crew, 5 BT staffers, as well as many of our local friends & surf coaches who joined the fun along the way. Great pics from the trip just keep emerging, so we thought we'd share a few more. Here ya go: BT co-founder Graeme, demonstrating his version of a golden shower. Leaving our first destination to head South. Notice the clean car. 4 hours later. Abused. One car had a tail when we arrived. Weird. The BT staff. I really love those beer bottles. BT surf coaches Will & Robbie, about to get their horse fetish on. BT's beach-side accommodations. No big deal. Post-surf hydration station. How's my hair? 8-mile filmer Aaron "Trout" Maksymec, on how to make friends with the locals. This should be an ad for something. Pro snowboarder Johnny Lyall owning the waves. How do you celebrate catching the best wave of your trip? Drink Guaro until you forget it. BT surf coach Will Kane, talking about the best way to pee yourself while surfing. The dude in the water is local surf coach Juan Surfo, enjoying the view. BT surf coach Robbie (white shirt) walks like a zombie but surfs really well. The 2 on the right are BT founders Graeme & TJ, enjoying some manly cocktails. The hotel view. Johnny: "Those waves look fun. You wanna go surf now?". Graeme: "One more piña colada" Trits ice cream sandwiches, which the boys aptly named "Costa Rican crack". On the last day, Robbie busts out the one-legged dance moves. Bromance. That's me looking for a safe place to pee from the boat. ~Mitch Martin, Beach Travellers Costa Rica surf camp guide For trip details, dates & other stuff - CLICK HERE (thanks to our friends Nosarashack & Johnny at Listenentertainment.ca for the sweet pics) 8 Costa Rica Surf Camp - some more gems http://www.beachtravellers.com/blogs/b/trips.2269 Thailand is littered with activities for adrenaline junkies. Admittedly, some of us BT guides fit into that category, and jumping off stuff is something we like to do. Often. So often, in fact, that leaping feet first just doesn’t cut it anymore. So, here are a few other jumping styles that we've come to enjoy. The Pencil Dive Simple: launch yourself like a rocket headfirst and put your arms tight to your sides. With enough practice, you’ll be pencil diving like a seasoned pro. BT guide Graham demostrates below. Oh baby, look at that form! Let’s see the sequence now.. The Gainer For the advanced/reckless jumper: the gainer is a back-flip performed while moving forward. This is gonna take some serious chestnuts, just like our veteran guide Ben demonstrates here on this monster cliff in Railay. It's a small photo but Ben's nards-of-steel are clearly visible. Obviously we don't recommend any nut-ball jumps like this because we want to keep it safe and fun. (Ben is a professional, and also part Rhino. We would not recommend jumping off that beast). Off a boat, dock, small bridge, or elephant - go nuts. Have a look at our Thailand teaser video below. It's a classic, and features some cliff back-flipping, rope-swing launching, and group bridge-jumping. All great ways of getting wet and staying cool in Thailand. ~Carter Buan, BT Thailand adventure travel guide 25 Thailand adventure travel - Jumping off things http://www.beachtravellers.com/blogs/b/trips.2233 That's me in the yellow shirt above. Will Kane. Costa Rica surf coach & travel guide for BT. Our last surf camp ended a month ago, and lately I've been going through photos from the trip and reminiscing. The trip, and everyone on it - was amazing. It's hard to describe it with words, so below is a photo essay that tells the story pretty well. Enjoy. That's Robbie in the middle. A fantastic Aussie dude and the newest addition to our team of Costa Rica surf camp coaches. In this photo he's thinking about how much he loves his new job. We caught enough fish to feed a group of 18 for 3 days. Friends & waves. What more do you need? The crew. Everyone was surfing like a champ after a few days. This beer is from Nicaragua. It's like drinking American beer in Canada. Who cares, it's delicious. Game of quarters before dinner? Sure. Yup. That's the entire group riding home from the bar on a cattle truck. Zip-lining. We did that too. Sunset cocktails in an infinity pool overlooking the coast? Sounds boring. I love my job. That's me. Still loving my job. 80 foot catamaran cruise for the final day with some prizes for the group thanks to Spy Optic. Girl in a cooler. The only way to end the trip. Thanks to everyone who came down - u guys rock! Will Kane, Beach Travellers Costa Rica adventure travel guide 35 Costa Rica surf camp - A Photo Essay. http://www.beachtravellers.com/blogs/b/trips.2160 Buried deep in the jungle in Thailand, there is a place called Khao Sok. It’s a landscape straight out of Jurassic Park: huge limestone mountains shrouded in mist, deep ancient jungles with prehistoric plants, waterfalls, and a pristine lake right smack in the middle. Millions of years ago, southern Thailand was part of a gigantic coral reef deep under the sea. Eventually, two tectonic plates decided to have a little scuffle, and it resulted in the stunning mountains that we appreciate every day during our time in Khao Sok. In 1980, Khao Sok was named Thailand’s 22nd national park, and it is now just as beautiful and appreciated as it was all those years ago. There's Ravi, he just can't believe where he is. The crown jewel of Khao Sok national park is a 165 square kilometre lake that was created  to supply southern Thailand with electricity. This lake is a prime destination to chill out in our floating raft bungalows with stellar panoramic views of limestone cliffs and untouched rainforest. These are only a few of the reasons why we are so in love with Khao Sok, but the only way to truly appreciate this place is to get out here and experience it yourselves. Catch you in the jungle! ~Carter Buan, Beach Travellers Thailand adventure travel guide 25 Thailand adventure travel: Welcome to Khao Sok! http://www.beachtravellers.com/blogs/b/trips.2145 Congratulations to 8-mile crew, a wild pack of riders from Vancouver, and winners of the first ever Snowboard Canada Crew Challenge - a video challenge in which snowboard crews posted videos and battled for most online votes - with the grand prize being a private Beach Travellers Costa Rica surf camp for the entire crew. No big deal. Here's the video that won them the trip: Flights are booked and the trip starts in 3 weeks, so hit the tanning beds and do your stretches dudes, cause it's gonna be a surf-and-mayhem-soaked 13 days in Costa Rica. Just a warning: cruising around Central America for 2 weeks may make you forget that snow exists. Read the full article on the Snowboard Canada blog here 8 Snowboard Canada Crew Challenge - 8 mile heads to CR http://www.beachtravellers.com/blogs/b/trips.2130 Earlier this week, BT founders Graeme & TJ were invited to Vancouver's Urban Rush TV show to tell the BT story..  So they accepted, threw on some proper-looking clothes, trimmed the beards and headed to the studio to talk travel. Check out their interview, and let us know what you think! For more info on the upcoming winter trips mentioned in the show, click HERE for Thailand or HERE for Costa Rica 8 Best Jobs in the World - from the owners of BT