Our hotel in La Fortuna was awesome in every way. It had its own hot springs, and 13 mini rock pools of varying temperatures. We also had a perfect view of the famous Arenal volcano. Our first night in Arenal, we went to a fantastic water park. Since it was the evening and also pouring …
Continue reading Costa Rica – Arenal, Monteverde, Manuel Antonio
I had booked a Contiki tour of Costa Rica, since I wanted a stress-free vacation. At this time in my travel life, I am perfectly willing to pay extra to have someone else work out all the logistics and leave me free to simply enjoy myself. My two previous Contiki tours in Greece (September 2011) and Italy …
Continue reading Costa Rica – San Jose, Tortuguero, Sarapiqui
As our flight from Cusco landed in Puerto Maldonado, I peeked out the window. There was nothing but trees for as far as the eye could see. It was time for major adventure #3: the Amazon rainforest! When we stepped off the plane, we were blasted with a powerful wave of heat and humidity. I …
When we arrived back in Cusco, we joined up at a hotel with our group for major adventure #2: the Inca Trail. We had decided to book the trail through Intrepid, since I had enjoyed my tours with the company in Africa and Nepal. Unfortunately, trouble was brewing in town. Starting the next day, there …
After eleven months of carefully hoarding my vacation days, it was finally time to take another big trip. For the first part of the journey, I had a great travelling partner 😉 We flew from Canada to Peru and headed directly to Cusco, where we spent a day acclimatizing in a lovely hostel right near …
After flying in from Lukla, we drove to the Kathmandu Guesthouse, where I took a deliciously long shower and washed away the last of the trekking grime. When I got dressed in city clothes again, I noticed that my normally snug jeans were sagging terribly. I figured that I'd lost some weight, but I was …
We woke up at dark thirty to catch our flight to Lukla, home of the world's scariest airport! If you think the international terminal at the Kathmandu airport is a zoo, wait until you see the domestic terminal. It was a nightmare of delays, shouting, frenzied bag-weighing, repeated friskings, and hurry-up-and-waits. I was so happy that …
After I finished my round-the-world trip, I decided that I would not make blogging a regular habit. It takes an astonishing amount of time and effort, especially if you like to cram in all your thoughts like I do. And, to be honest, although I love my daily life, it isn't really blog-worthy. However, when …
I took an overnight flight from Nairobi to London, and spent the next four days enjoying the city. Like a good tourist, I went to see to the Changing of the Guard. I was a bit lazy that morning, and instead of arriving early, I sauntered over to Buckingham Palace at 11:00 a.m. for a …
The idea of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro had been floating around in my head for a few years, but it really started to take hold when I was in New Zealand talking to other hikers. I learned that you didn't have to be an experienced climber to reach the summit, and that it was a beautiful …
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