Far Flung Costa Rica
October 5, 2008 | Written by Devin Galaudet
It started with a flight out of San Jose, Costa Rica in the morning. The hour long 20-seat puddle jump landed in Drake Bay on a crusty and humid runway before landing in Golfito. Then it was a 20-minute, high-speed boat ride to Puerto Jiminez and another fifteen minutes from the dock to the hotel agent and then an unpaved jeep ride to an eco-lodge in the middle of nowhere, Costa Rica.
In the morning, I was greeted... [Read more]
Living Desert
September 5, 2008 | Written by Sarit Reizin
In a seemingly dead place, barren of any signs of life, only by reading the “Bushman’s newspaper” - tracks in the sand, he found them all and then showed to us on an outstretched hand.
I’ve learned to appreciate a good guide. One who seems more like a magician when he practices his craft - conjuring unearthly views or rare animals only by asking me to close my eyes for twenty seconds, or... [Read more]
Cheetah Chaterbox
September 3, 2008 | Written by Sarit Reizin
If you ever scratched behind a cat’s ear and heard it purr, you know how hypnotizing and sweet this faint tractor-like sound is. Now keeping that in mind, try to imagine what a purring cheetah sounds like.
Namibian farmers’ rights are far better protected then Namibia’s cheetahs. Many are killed when a farmer’s physical and/or financial well-being is claimed to be at stake. On the bright side,... [Read more]
Week 5: The Best Week Ever pt.4
August 14, 2008 | Written by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
Thursday- I find myself in an honest to goodness desert oasis. Huacachina is a tiny village that surrounds an even tinier lagoon in the middle of grand desert dunes. I sit at the edge of the lagoon under a palm tree and watch Peruvian children sled down the sands and bounce around in the mud colored water. The travel books call this destination one of the gringo stops, but it seems Peruvians and foreigners alike come to... [Read more]
Week 5: The Best Week Ever pt.3
August 13, 2008 | Written by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
Wednesday- After a long day of waiting in a dust bowl city and being fed nothing but crap from Nazca´s best salesmen, on an empty stomach, I finally fasten my seat belt in a four man plane. The pilot starts the propellers and informs myself and the other two passengers that we will see the mysterious figures at the tip of his wing. As we roll down the runway I begin to wonder what possessed me to do such a thing, but... [Read more]
Road Trip Travel Enters the Space Age
August 4, 2008 | Written by Steve Smith & Christine Johnson
When I was a child my family relocated cross-country to California via the Mother Road, historic Route 66. Even at that tender age, I enjoyed the trip in a station-wagon piled high with our possessions, ‘Grapes of Wrath’ style. It was on that drive that the road-tripper bug infected me.
Years later the country was facing its first gas crisis and the price had reached 75 cents a gallon. With school behind me... [Read more]
Quick Learners
July 29, 2008 | Written by Sarit Reizin
Anywhere I went in Cuzco, Peru, I got hustled by little children who sell everything from finger puppets to clothing. It’s common, really, they and their families need the money, but here is the crazy thing - all these children speak better English then most grown-ups in travel agencies around town. I would think an office job would be much better for a ten year old than selling trinkets on the street, but maybe they... [Read more]
The Grandness of Valparaiso
July 21, 2008 | Written by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
I was once lured to read Isabel Allende’s novel Daughter of Fortune upon recommendation, but never got more than forty pages in. Though I stopped reading, I still remember the magical description of a bustling port city at the turn of the 20th century. Allende’s heroine runs about a city built along hills and terraces that look out onto the sea, and from her description I knew Valparaiso was a city... [Read more]
A Global Journeys First Steps
July 16, 2008 | Written by Sarit Reizin
Spotless hiking boots, new backpacks, life couldn’t be more exciting and terrifying at the same time, as we stand in Quito’s airport. Just like new parents read too many baby books, all our knowledge of what a journey of global proportions like this should be, is from numerous paperbacks with pictures of hikers on mountain peeks, shot at an upward angle. I will never forget those first steps out of the airport.... [Read more]
World Travel: It’s All His Fault!
July 15, 2008 | Written by Sarit Reizin
Two and a half years on the road passed by like a freight train without brakes. Many times I was asked who and how came up with the idea to drop everything and exchange a stable home and promising careers for a one way ticket into the world - end destination or return date unknown. Anybody who knows me and my husband probably would not even stop to ponder, but to be completely honest, and as much as I hate to admit it,... [Read more]
Drum Circles and Accordions in Buenos Aires
July 14, 2008 | Written by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
The Music of Buenos Aires
The bands of Buenos Aires don’t seem to play in typical venues or in typical numbers. A band in the US may consist of 4-6 members, 6 being on the larger size. But here in BA I have found the bands to be well into the double digits and playing in places I would not suspect.
Thursday night, I was directed by locals to the Uniclub in Abasto. I did not think much of the three tiered... [Read more]
Searching for Che in Argentina
July 12, 2008 | Written by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
On my third day in BA, having seen some of the major districts, I thought it time for an off the beaten track adventure (city style that is). In the guide book map a friend found a marker signifying a Che Guevara Museum out at the end of the green line, but further digging into the book did not produce any more information. Just a small museum symbol and a number on a black and white map and nothing more.
Upon... [Read more]
The LA to BA Evening Difference
July 11, 2008 | Written by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
Friday night in Los Angeles consists of 8PM dinner followed by an hour or two of meandering: self-maintenance like eyebrows or nail polish while watching bad television, getting ready around 10PM, pre-club time by 10:30/11PM, which leads to a 10:30-12 club arrival. By 2AM you are heading home or to late night meal.
Every night in Buenos Aires consists of 10PM dinner, meandering until 1 or 2AM, and then partying... [Read more]
Understanding the Buenos Aires Schedule
July 10, 2008 | Written by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
Before arriving in Buenos Aires, I was warned about the late dinners and long nights of partying that go on in the city, but I am not sure a warning makes for proper preparation. Days before leaving on this trip I had been taking it easy, not drinking or staying out late to conserve energy and money, but I should have been doing the opposite as a training.
The first night I arrived at our accommodations at about... [Read more]
Buenos Aires´Youth Have Something to Say
July 9, 2008 | Written by Xochitl-Julisa Bermejo
Roaming down the narrow European-style streets of Buenos Aires, the only thing my eyes can focus on is the youthful expressive graffiti. Unlike Los Angeles graffiti, which is full of blow ups and burners that dominate the river ways and freeways, Buenos Aires graffiti is in a class all it´s own.
Mostly made of stencils stemming from ALF, the lovable 1980’s alien, or political messages donned by no... [Read more]
The Gray Area of Travel: Pushing the Envelope
July 3, 2008 | Written by Devin Galaudet
I was recently invited on a trip to Mexico to snorkel in the local reef, sail to Isla Mujeres, and to swim with whale sharks (they are totally harmless to humans as they are into plankton for food). Of course there would also be some basking in the sun and some exploring in Mexico. I would be staying in and around Cancun including one night in a fun, small town about an hour outside Cancun, Puerto... [Read more]
Exploring Costa Rica in 12 Days pt12
June 9, 2008 | Written by CindyM
Day 12 – Though only 90 miles from San Jose, the van ride back takes 4 hours, once again on winding, steep, narrow highways. We check back into Hotel Le Bergerac for a final evening in San Jose, for tomorrow we all have early flights home. Our hotel boasts some of the finest French cuisine in town so we enjoy the quiet ambience of their charming restaurant for dinner. We are not disappointed and order... [Read more]
Exploring Costa Rica in 12 Days pt11
June 7, 2008 | Written by CindyM
Day 11 – The $10.00 entrance fee paid, we enter Manuel Antonio Park when it opens at 7:30 am, selecting a trail that leads toward the ocean, winding through dense jungle where we admire white face and squirrel monkeys, lizards, a coati (a raccoon-like mammal), a mother and baby sloth. Tour groups with their guides gather at Playa Manuel Antonio for a break and we watch as two middle aged couples frolic... [Read more]
Exploring Costa Rica in 12 Days pt10
June 6, 2008 | Written by CindyM
Day 10 – We discover that the national park is closed on Mondays so my husband and I decide to hike the private reserve located immediately north of our hotel, paying the $2.00 entrance fee to the desk clerk. The 45 minute climb through the rainforest rewards us with a view overlooking Manuel Antonio Park and the beaches below. At 9:00 am, the air is already warm and humid as we begin the descent, following... [Read more]
Exploring Costa Rica in 12 Days pt9
June 5, 2008 | Written by CindyM
Day 9 – Located further north on the coast near the town of Quepos, Manuel Antonio National Park is our next destination. Boasting golden beaches and many short hiking trails, the park is renowned for its teeming wildlife. Unfortunately the heavily traveled road from Dominical to Quepos is not paved! The ruts, rocks, potholes, and dust stirred up by big trucks for nearly 50 kilometers are a challenge to our driver, who... [Read more]
Exploring Costa Rica in 12 Days pt8
June 4, 2008 | Written by CindyM
Day 8 – Today we board a small bus to join about a dozen others on a snorkel trip to Cano Island We pass through the town of Sierpa and see the biggest “mystery of Costa Rica,” large round stone spheres weighing several thousands of pounds found on Isla de Cano, seven of which have been relocated to the area. The mysterious, ancient stones were removed by the United Fruit Company when it farmed the area with cacao... [Read more]
Exploring Costa Rica in 12 Days pt7
June 3, 2008 | Written by CindyM
Day 7 – Our driver halts the cab in the road to point out one of Costa Rica’s famed giant blue butterflies, sailing gently overhead before it disappears into the rainforest. At Hacienda Baru, our guides Juan and Juan Carlos, harness us into the gear for zipping through the canopy forest and we hike with 6 others to the first platform, passing a sloth and a toucan on the way. Once again we realize we... [Read more]
Morning Buddhism in Khuraburi
June 2, 2008 | Written by Devin Galaudet
I have written a series of blogs recently about getting the authentic experience while traveling. Here is a little practicing what I preach when I was fortunate enough to have a Thai local help me pay alms to the monks of Khuraburi, Thailand.
Mai knocked on my door at 6:15AM to meet the monks and pay alms (sai-baat in Thai). We walked out into the coolest morning I have yet felt in Thailand to find Khuraburi in full... [Read more]
Exploring Costa Rica in 12 Days pt6
June 2, 2008 | Written by CindyM
Day 6
– The best time to spot wildlife is early in the morning so we eagerly set off at 7:00 am, this time on horseback, with our guide, Raul, who speaks no English but knows the steep trail up Cerro de la Muerte, Mountain of Death! The ½... [Read more]
Iran Travel Blog
June 2, 2008 | Written by ITKT Media Partner
Rick Steves Blogs About his Travels in Iran
European travel expert Rick Steves is blogging about a new and unlikely travel destination – Iran . A well-know advocate of “close-to-the-ground” travel broadening perspectives and destroying ethnocentricity, Steves blogs about his experience filming a new public television show entitled “Iran: Its People and Culture, Yesterday and Today”. Although the show will... [Read more]
Recent Comments