Whether you’re traveling to London or La Paz, a daypack is a must. While many might lean toward a daypack that’s 20L-30L, that’s too much room in my opinion. I used a 20L daypack for a 4-day trek in Peru and was able to fit...
One of our travel companions (thanks, Rikki!) found out about LiSong hot spring while we were planning where to go in Taiwan. Upon a quick review of other blogs and photos, this was marked as a definite visit on our map. Tell me this doesn’t...
Before we go into details, the most important thing about the tour: Regardless of which city you begin, ask for the route that will put you at the salt flat near the end of the tour. What is this salt flat thing? Salar de Uyuni...
Whether you’re traveling solo or with a group, in the city or countryside, at a restaurant or museum, you are not immune to the inevitable encounter with pick-pocket or petty theft. What’s ironic to me is the lack of awareness when one is distracted by...
Wow, there’s just so much to say about this topic, it’s hard to find a place to start. Most of us prefer the same level of comfort when traveling as we have at home. Packing becomes this grueling process where we go from having everything...
Kenting At the very southern tip of Taiwan is Kenting National Park. Established on January 1, 1984, it is Taiwan’s oldest and southernmost national park, known for its tropical climate with warm to hot weather year-round. Although Kenting National Park is located in Kenting, these...
Hawaii…a word that encompasses many fantasies; gentle waves, warm breezy air, lush greens, coconut trees, soft sand, ocean full of fish, sea turtles jumping dolphins, and a luau in every corner. It’s what the survivors on LOST experienced minus the plane crash and creepy ghosts....
One of our travel companions (thanks, Rikki!) found out about LiSong hot spring while we were planning where to go in Taiwan. Upon a quick review of other blogs and photos, this was marked as a definite visit on our map. Tell me this doesn’t...
Before we go into details, the most important thing about the tour: Regardless of which city you begin, ask for the route that will put you at the salt flat near the end of the tour. What is this salt flat thing? Salar de Uyuni...
Wow, there’s just so much to say about this topic, it’s hard to find a place to start. Most of us prefer the same level of comfort when traveling as we have at home. Packing becomes this grueling process where we go from having everything...
Kenting At the very southern tip of Taiwan is Kenting National Park. Established on January 1, 1984, it is Taiwan’s oldest and southernmost national park, known for its tropical climate with warm to hot weather year-round. Although Kenting National Park is located in Kenting, these...
For my very first backpacking trip, I got the largest backpack to fit everything I wanted to carry, a whopping 72L of goodies. How’d that turnout? Let me sum it up visually… Just like everyone else who carries a 72L bag, I did not use half the...
Before Barcelona, I have not heard of the name Antoni Gaudí. I have seen pictures of wacky buildings but did not think much of it. A stroke of fantasy perhaps? What I knew was that every traveler to Barcelona must visit Sagrada Familia, a basilica in...
Sometimes I forget those days before smartphones were a necessity. Here is a list of my all time favorite apps and web tools to make travel easier even without Wi-Fi. Separated into 3 phases; before, during, and after travel. Before you arrive to your destination…the research phase...
Conclusion as intro After I returned, many friends and family ask about Antarctica and what it feels like to be there. For a while, it was hard to find proper words to describe the experience. Did I feel small? Yes. Was I blown away by its...
Frank S. Todd is the leading world expert on all things penguin, and other birds. I had a question I’ve been wanting to ask during his lectures but since he’s such a penguin lover, I thought I would wait for a better place a time....
Why the Amazon again, after all the mosquitoes, sweat and tears from the last trip to the Amazon, one might ask? There’s only one answer to that. Because I had some of the the best and worst times throughout this trip in the Amazon. Plus...
Woke up at 4 AM to eat breakfast before we head up to the almighty Machu Picchu with our newly joined group,which consisted of Annie, me, the three California girls, one Irish couple and one Australian couple. All of them except for us, decided to...
Some time ago in the 1960’s when there were no wildlife restrictions, a Greek man brought a load of squirrel monkeys to an island he owned. Without predators on the island, the monkeys thrived and La Isla de los Micos (Monkey Island) was born. Today,...
Whether you’re traveling to London or La Paz, a daypack is a must. While many might lean toward a daypack that’s 20L-30L, that’s too much room in my opinion. I used a 20L daypack for a 4-day trek in Peru and was able to fit...
Whether you’re traveling solo or with a group, in the city or countryside, at a restaurant or museum, you are not immune to the inevitable encounter with pick-pocket or petty theft. What’s ironic to me is the lack of awareness when one is distracted by...
Hawaii…a word that encompasses many fantasies; gentle waves, warm breezy air, lush greens, coconut trees, soft sand, ocean full of fish, sea turtles jumping dolphins, and a luau in every corner. It’s what the survivors on LOST experienced minus the plane crash and creepy ghosts....
One amazing side effect of long-term travel is the necessary step for one to reevaluate one’s belongings. Maybe you’re not a casual hoarder like 99% of us are. But if you’ve been on this planet for a few decades, it is more than likely you...
We travelers will often see variations of this common phrase at popular sites — “Take nothing but memories, leave nothing but footprints.” It’s a good reminder not to litter and protect the environment for future visitors to enjoy. After many different encounters throughout my travels, it appears there are...
Season 6 of Game of Thrones is in the making and time is not going by fast enough! While on a walking tour in Valencia, the guide mentioned that no GoT was filmed in Valencia but instead at Peñíscola. We googled to find out that only a...
Ladies, it’s tough on the road. Unlike men who can look polished just by wearing black, we have a much broader spectrum when it comes to fashion. I definitely tried to put a classy spin on my trekking convertible pants, many times, and failed. Maybe...
Location + How to get there Cocora Valley means “star of water” and is located near the city of Salento in Colombia. There are buses to Salento from Bogota and Medillin. From Bogota, you have to take a bus to Armenia (7 to 9 hrs), and...
The best time to visit a city (besides having the stars, weather, flight, and everything aligned to make a trip happen), is when friends live abroad! Or in this case, across on the opposite coast. The plan Hit up the well-known spots but spend quality...
While pin surfing, I saw a crazy photo on Pinterest when I searched for Portugal, where an enormous boulder sits on top of a house like an ostrich egg on top of cake. To be sure it wasn’t photoshopped, I followed the description and found the...
What do you look for when traveling abroad? Not other tourists I hope! Personally, I prefer to run into as little tourists as possible. Sure the amenities will be better in destination cities and tours are readily available in all shapes and sizes, but those conveniences also...
Geisha*, geiko, and maiko are traditional Japanese hostesses who entertain customers through various performing arts. In Gion, Kyoto, they call full-fledged geisha “geiko” and the apprentice in training “maiko.” In the olden days, beautiful girls from poor families were often traded into this profession to...
Hilly like San Francisco, Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, known for their production of fine Port wine, Francesinha and the world’s third most beautiful bookstore. Oh, and J.K. Rowling spent three years here as an English teacher during the darkest and brightest period...
While planning for our next trip to Portugal and Spain, I wondered how everyone else figure out what they want to see? Discover places beyond the usual tourist spots? Of course there’s the popular TripAdvisor or Lonely Planet review sites, but I want places that are off the beaten path, up...
Street food holds a special place in the whole travel experience but is often a gamble for the faint stomached. To my surprise, most of the street food vendors I came across in South America had pretty clean set up and there was rarely anything alarming. In...
The longest ride I had taken in my life was the whooping 17 hours from Salta to Mendoza. It was all a blur, as if I got on a travel conveyor belt and some how got from one end to the other. Some tips to make these...
Salta is a city in the northwestern region of Argentina, known for gaucho, bustling nightlife and the Children of Llullaillaco, the most well-preserved child mummies of South America found frozen at the peak of Mount Llullaillaco. Gaucho If a gaucho and a cowboy come face to face on...
When I say strange, I mean it in the most intriguing and educational ways possible to an American. Having had the chance to experience local living, wander through small towns and be a passenger on the autobahn, here’s what I’ve learned about the Germans… On...
Donsol is a great place to visit for three reasons. One, it is theorized, by the discovery of baby whale sharks, as one of many Whale Shark breeding grounds. Second, the city works with the fishermen to establish a fair and eco-friendly approach to tourism. Visitors should keep a...