The flavor of Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio is lush– a refreshing departure from dusty, hot Jaco. Except, to be honest, to me it looks like an Americanized, tropical, outdoor mall. It’s a very well done tropical mall, I’ll admit– a perfect parcel of packaged paradise. Gorgeous, exotic flowers line the curvy roads and clean, cool, air-conditioned buildings with smooth, glass […]
Paving Paradise
I was told by several people that Jaco is the place to go in all of Costa Rica. It’s the closest beach town to the international airport in San Jose. There’s swimming, surfing, tropical flora and fauna, many people visit Jaco and it’s growing quickly. I am excited to see what it’s like. I am […]
Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica
Every morning in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica, a variety of colorful birds come to hang out in the tall, wiry tree in the front yard. The regulars consist of a jet black bird with a scorching flash of fiery orange wings, the tiny green ones, with their surprisingly loud rhythmic whistles, a yellow-tailed one that […]
The Ants go marching on…
In Costa Rica, I already feel more relaxed, a pressure lifted from me. The kind of pressure that, while in New York, brings me to tell my friends that I have to work, and I don’t have time to come to their dinner party. Here, I feel more freedom to think, to reflect, I feel […]
Exploring Costa Rica
Each night here I lay awake with my mind in overdrive. Sometimes it takes me hours to fall asleep. I am on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, in Playa Hermosa. The creatures outside have insomnia too. Birds chortle, whistle and caw, howler monkeys roar like prehistoric dinosaurs, the cicadas rev up their wings like […]
The Riddled Road to Varanasi, Pt 2
(…Continued) Fifteen long hours after leaving Delhi, between the dust clouds and Tata trucks she finally appeared… the oldest active city in the world, Varanasi. I sat up in the back, blinking my heavy, thirsty eyes at the sight of the holy city. There were cows everywhere. Painted and decorated Tata goods carriers lined the […]
A Good, Full Life
I grew up on an island. The day I turned 18, as a message to myself (and my mother) that i was now free, I went to the tattoo parlor and got inked with one of those tacky Chinese character designs. I still have that dreadful tattoo, but I don’t regret it for a moment. […]
Dances with Bubbles on the Big Island of Hawaii
Kona, Hawaii “Wake up! Wake Up!” I pry open my jet lagged eyes. It’s seven AM and my brother is standing over me with a cup of coffee. “It’s time to go fishing!” We hop in the jeep and drive about thirty minutes down windy roads to my brother’s favorite fishing spot. He’s brought his […]
Delight and sadness at the Rio Zoo
Jardim Zoológico, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Oh what wonders are there to behold at the Rio Zoo? My boyfriend Orien and I pay our ten real each (approx $5 US) to enter the impressive arched gates positioned at the end of a long promenade. We step inside the zoo into a 30 acre expanse housing over 2,000 […]
MAGIC CARPET RIDE TO THE ISLAND OF GOOD TRAVEL- Part 2
…Continued In this excursion my phone, despite being sealed in a plastic bag for safety, dies a watery death destroying my photos, so you will have to use your imagination~ We manage to board The Magic Carpet (as we’ve dubbed it) and using Havianas for paddles we steer our craft out to sea. The waves are […]