When my trip to Mexico was planned, and Puerto Vallarta included on the itinerary, this is the experience I knew for sure I wanted to have. In fact, if I did nothing else but relax on the beach for a week and get to participate in a baby turtle release, it would be a week…
Grayson isn’t the type of friend I normally make when I travel. For one thing, while I enthusiastically count Grayson among my friends, he doesn’t even know I exist. For another, Grayson looks a bit different than most of my friends. Grayson is a harpy eagle, and he is one of the ambassador birds at…
Editor’s note: if you poll people who are well traveled on what their favorite places in the world are, Cape Town is at the top of many lists. Personally, I have never been. But reading this account from San Spector, adding it to the countless other glowing things about it and the country as a…
So you’re going to Costa Rica. That means you’re probably planning on seeing some cool plant and animal life. At least that’s the way it was for me. I spent a bit over two weeks roaming the country - on a tour with a guide - and basically all of my highlights are being in…
To say that my two night, three day, add-on for my Costa Rica tour was off to a rough start would be an understatement. I had just arrived in Tortuguero National Park after a several hour trip by bus and then boat, and the weather, which had cooperated for the entire trip to this point,…
I enter through the gates of Manuel Antonio National Park around 730am. It is already crowded; although the park only admits 1200 visitors per day it is small and doesn’t allow for a large dispersal. It is also already hot here on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, probably 80 degrees Fahrenheit and an equal amount of…
On a beautiful March morning, the Monteverde Cloud Forest would seem to be misnamed. Bright blue skies are visible through the thick rain forest canopy, sunlight illuminating the many layers of foliage, amplifying the vibrant greens. A brisk wind keeps the temperature on the chilly side, especially in the shade of the trees, vines, and…
Let’s be honest: Costa Rica has no shortage of places of incredible beauty. This one, sitting in the north of the country along the border with Nicaragua, slips below most radars. But the Cano Negro Wildlife Reserve - and the Frio River in particular - offers some of the best bird spotting in the country,…
Oftentimes, phrasing an article title as a question is rhetorical, and an author - me, for instance - has an answer already in mind. On this occasion, it is actually a question. Yesterday (as I write this), I spent the day with Exuma Powerboat Adventures on a day trip from Nassau to their private island…
I’ve done this trip twice, once on each of my journeys to Japan. And both times, it has been among the highlights of my entire time in the country. After all, combining one of the coolest temples in a country full of cool temples with a chance to feed the sacred deer is a day…