Tag Archives: Karina&April

Antigua, Guatemala – New Year’s 2014

Another extraordinary film by April Beresford for www.karinasextraordinarylife.com

With Canadian winter weather in full swing, Karina and I are thrilled to be heading to the tropics for our 6 month adventure in Central and South America. We are sad to be leaving our friends and family but have high hopes that many of you will feel inspired to travel yourselves and perhaps we can meet up together in some far distant land? Sounds like a great plan doesn’t it?
This week’s film will give you a quick glimpse into just one of the fantastic experiences we have had in Guatemala, exploring Antigua. Perhaps this video will help lure you to join us in the tropics? Take a few minutes out of your day to enjoy our adventures in this brilliant city with its’ beautiful traditions and breathtaking explosive pyrotechnics.

~April~

Travel Tip:

All the featured festivities are completely free and go on throughout the day.

Show your support by sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing 🙂

Yellowstone National Park – A Film

Yellowstone National Park, USA - Karina Noriega

There are few places in the world that consistently score very high on everyone’s ‘must see’ list. This kind of hype can create slippery slopes of disappointment when the site doesn’t live up to the craze. Thankfully, this is in no way applicable to the splendor of Yellowstone National Park. This extraordinary place is beyond the words and photographs you may have seen before. It has easily shot to the top of my list of truthfully shocking and impressive natural wonders.

Proclaimed the very first national park in the world, this enormous geographical phenomenon in the Northwestern area of the United States protects remarkable natural and geothermal features as well as abundant wildlife. It is a fully living ecosystem in full colour resplendence that bubbles and explodes.

It is an experience for all your senses.

Beyond the alien landscape shooting smoke stack and high pressured geysers into the sky, Yellowstone needs to be heard. The powers of the earth working here bubble gently. Others explode like a jetliner. The rumbling resonates in your chest and at your feet. The scents of the forests and the sulfuric emissions continually remind you of the versatility of this planet. Despite the temptations of thick curdling mud pots, crystal clear ponds, and rainbow colored streams, please do resist the urge to test the waters. At more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit, it could the last thing you ever feel.

~ An Extraordinary Story by Karina Noriega ~

Without further ado, our extraordinary film! 🙂

*Travel Tips

Continue reading →

Road Kill

April made me a hilarious road kill compilation to cheer me up. I get way too sad when I see wildlife discarded as highway junk on the side of the road.

The clip is so funny I had to share with everyone 🙂

Want to see some real live wildlife encounters? Check this one out:

https://karinasextraordinarylife.com/2014/09/25/wild-encounters/

Show your support by sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing 🙂

Summary of Our Journey Across The USA – (World Nomads Scholarship Entry)

Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah, USA - Karina Noriega

The contest deadline has come and gone. Our submission is now being reviewed by the travel journalism experts at World Nomads. We are going up against hundreds (if not thousands) aspiring filmmakers from around the whole globe.

The pressure has now shifted to the judges and mentors who can select only a single submission for one of the best prizes out there: A chance to attend, film and share Mexico’s cultural mega-festival, Dia de los Muertos. More than a chance to travel, this is the learning opportunity of a lifetime. April and I are beyond eager to receive mentoring and feedback by seasoned travel journalists. Plus, I have not so secretly always wanted to experience this event.

So let’s make the decision a little easier for the World Nomads panel. Please show us your support by clicking like, leaving your comments and sharing the video (preferably through the blog -> https://karinasextraordinarylife.com/2014/09/22/world-nomads-film-scholarship-entry <- Use This Link)

Don’t forget to read up on why we believe we should win and what it means to us. (On the YouTube comments sections)

~ An Extraordinary Story by Karina Noriega ~

Continue reading →

Manifesting Magic – A Film

Manifesting Magic Stage, Ontario, Canada - Karina Noriega

It has been a crazy week for us. First, if you read the latest blog, we received an invitation to come to New York City to help film a movie! Coolio 😀 So we have a very tight deadline and one of the largest countries in the world to drive across. *Stress* Of course we do not simply want to drive all the time. We are trying to do and see as much as we can because this is a “Road Trip” not a 25,000km “Car Ride”.

Our lives as we now know them, are dependent on opportunity and the willingness to chase our dreams at all costs. So despite the rush, we have buried ourselves into our computers for the last week to create the MOST extraordinary film (about our road trip so far) to enter into the World Nomads Film Scholarship competition. Our week has consisted of 16 hours a day in a diner (and a LOT of coffee) in the little known town of Caldwell, Idaho (home to many of the kindest people on earth).

We don’t want to sabotage our chances by posting the film on the blog. Normally these things require ‘an exclusive look’. The submissions were done through YouTube so if you want the sneak peak, please go to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/KNExtraordinaryLife Please make sure you LIKE it and leave all your COMMENTS of support and encouragement below the video to show World Nomads that we got what it takes!

In the meantime, here’s a bonus film for this week:

Manifesting Magic 2013 was an inaugural music, art and healing festival held near Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I was invited to give a workshop based on my first blog (www.thirteensquared13.blogspot.com). It was a massive personal challenge for me and truthfully an overwhelming success. In appreciation for the opportunity, April helped create a promotional video for future Manifesting Magic projects.

~An Extraordinary Story by Karina Noriega~

Show your support by sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing 🙂

Monumental Moments – Monument Valley USA

Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah, USA - Karina Noriega
Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah, USA - Karina Noriega

Morning yoga at Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah, USA – Karina Noriega

The sun is barely carving slivers of orange and red into the early morning sky when I first peer up from my backseat pedestal. It’s not even 6 in the morning and the thought of crawling out of my stuffy warm sleeping bag into the desert chill is less than appetizing. I move slowly, contemplating how the rising sun would light up the towering spires and famously photographed Mitten Buttes of Monument Valley. Continue reading →

Confessions of a Newbie Traveler: April’s Story

~Intro by Karina Noriega~

For three months April and I have been desperately trying to balance the demands of our journey with our blogging ‘responsibilities’. While it is a labour of love, there is no doubt that creating our articles and films on the road is strenuous and exhausting. Often, finding a way (and a conducive environment) to stop our travels is much harder than continuously moving forward. Thankfully, we are able to share this responsibility as we commit to weekly updates. Thus far, April’s films have gained her numerous new fans and brought thousands more viewers to the site. Let’s face it, not everyone likes to read. 😛

This week, April is revealing a much more personal side of herself and how this journey has made an impact on her life. I am so excited and privileged to introduce her very first article.

I hope this new travelers’ confession shines a light on the truth and hardships of becoming a citizen of the World.

Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, USA

April’s Lookout, Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, USA

 

~April’s Story~

Achieving a sense of balance in this constantly changing environment feels like an impossible feat. Not for a second do I regret the choice I’ve made to pursue this nomadic lifestyle but there is no question, it is taking its toll on me emotionally. Continue reading →

Blanchard Springs Caverns … Where Mother Nature Met Father Time

Blanchard Springs Cavern, Arkansas - Karina Noriega

 

Cathedral Room, Blanchard Springs Cavern, Arkansas - Karina Noriega

Cathedral Room, Blanchard Springs Cavern, Arkansas – Karina Noriega

In the heart of the Ozarks in northern Arkansas, the secrets of the underground reveal themselves. The massive cavern system at Blanchard Springs is a living cave, constantly changing, carving and shaping itself. The delicate and enormous formations, some taking thousands or even millions of years, are created by the minerals deposited by the tiny raindrops and ancient rivers within the cave. Continue reading →

Happy Canada Day – A Film by Jonas Bellmann

 

In celebration of Canada Day, I am proudly sharing this film by our buddy and former couchsurfer, Jonas Bellmann.

Check out this rat-pack of bikers celebrating Canada Day, 2013 at Port Dover in Ontario, Canada.

Thank you for letting us share your video Jonas 🙂

Continue reading →

Exploring Ithaca

Another extraordinary film by April Beresford for http://www.karinasextraordinarylife.com
Now 50 days on the road, couchsurfing throughout our entire journey, here is a short video about our very first adventure in the United States. The footage begins with an account of our initial brush with US customs officer at the Canada-US border, followed by shots of us exploring an abandoned home on our way to Ithaca, New York. After being welcomed by our hosts in Ithaca we are shown around the local community. Relaxing beneath a waterfall we learn of an amazing opportunity our host has arranged; we are invited to observe a local artist in his glassblowing studio. Check out this video to see molten glass form into beautiful artwork!

Music by: Wheatus

~ An Extraordinary Story by April Beresford ~

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Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the “largest, intact, un-fragmented, freshwater and black water wilderness swamp in North America.”1

Native Americans refer to this place as the “The Land of the Trembling Earth”.

Once scheduled to be drained and exploited, the land is now protected to impressive sum of 402,000 acres (that’s nearly 700 square miles!) Within the refuge more than 400 different species reside, including the star attraction of the swamp – the American alligator. Continue reading →

The Blue Ridge Parkway – America’s Favourite Drive

Blue Ridge Parkway Overlook, Virginia, USA - Karina Noriega
Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia, USA - Karina Noriega

Entering the Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia, USA – Karina Noriega

The Blue Ridge Parkway, voted ‘America’s Favourite Drive’, is a 469 mile track through the Appalachian Highlands connecting Shenandoah National Park (also known as the Skyline Drive) in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.

Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia, USA - Karina Noriega

At my absolute favourite outlook point, somewhere on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia, USA – Karina Noriega

Continue reading →

New York City for Free – Weekends and Anytime Edition

Part II of New York City for Free – The Weekend and Anytime Edition

Before I delve into more free things to see and do, let us take a moment to acknowledge that not everything in New York can be free. That being said, if you are looking for a good place to spend your hard earned dollars, the list is endless so choose wisely.

My suggestions:

Continue reading →

New York City SightSeeing – A Film

Hands down, brand-new favourite film by April! Longer than previous videos but absolutely packed with high energy clips from our 2 weeks of adventuring and trouble-making (all for only dollars a day of course) throughout the boroughs of New York City. So many good moments: Top of the Rock, the NY Subway, Times Square, eating cheap Chinatown pork buns at Tiffany’s 😛 and so much more.

~ An Extraordinary Story by Karina Noriega ~

Show your support by sharing, liking, commenting and subscribing 🙂

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AprilandKarina

Tweet me @KarinaXLife

http://instagram.com/karinas_extraordinary_life/

https://www.youtube.com/user/KNExtraordinaryLife/videos

 

Read my guide to seeing it all for next-to-nothing at

Weekdays:

https://karinasextraordinarylife.com/2014/05/24/free-new-york-city-weekdays/

Weekends and Anytime: 

https://karinasextraordinarylife.com/2014/06/09/free-new-york-city-weekends-anytime/

 

New York City for Free – The Weekday Edition

The extravaganza and glamour of New York City for free? They said it couldn’t be done, but we showed them! This handy guide is my gift to you to experience a full week (or more) of completely free tours, landmarks and attractions in New York City, USA.

FYI: Nearly every activity (but not 100%) on this list has been truthfully tested and joyously experienced by myself and April. We receive no rewards or special treatment for advertising any of these as they are already being given away, literally. It is simply my goal to share and inspire you to do and see more without financial limitations.

Part I of New York City for Free – The Weekday Edition

Monday

Start your New York journey at the same place where this great city was born, now known as Lower Manhattan.

Take the free ferry to Staten Island and back for free! Breathtaking views of the Manhattan skyline, the Brooklyn bridge, the Hudson and East Rivers, Staten Island, New Jersey and of course, the closest you can get to Lady Liberty without shelling out a pretty penny. (http://www.siferry.com)

Manhattan skyline from the Staten Island Ferry, NY, USA – Karina Noriega

Continue reading →