A must-see for travelers to Bangkok is The Grand Palace and Wat Pho (sometimes called Wat Po). While we’d toured both sites several times, with new travelers to SE Asia in tow, we headed back to enjoy the stunning opulence of this large temple structure.
If you’ve been wondering about all those bowls of great soup and noodles you saw on our Instagram page, here is a bit about what we ate in Bangkok.
It’s been years since we’ve been to Thailand and we were beyond thrilled to find that the food was as extraordinary as we remembered….and as inexpensive.
Costa Rica’s highlands were magical but after a few days, the Pacific Ocean was Calling.
We headed south from Orosi along the Pan-American Highway. This section of the highway reaches over 10,000′ in elevation before winding its way down to San Isidro de el General as Jim & I dreamed of continuing south to complete our journey started several years ago. Instead, we took a hard right and headed towards the Pacific Ocean.
I’ve always been drawn to natural flora and fauna so it was an easy yes to admiring nature at Lankester Botanical Gardens on our Orosi Loop.
When planning our trip to Costa Rica, I knew one highlight for me would be a couple of days touring the Orosi Valley. This lush valley set only two hours from the capital features a small town surrounded by adventure.
While I adore beach life, during our trip to Costa Rica my favorite spot may have been our quest to keep cool in the Orosi Valley.
When we were researching our trip to Costa Rica we knew we wanted to get deep into the mangrove jungle and see some wildlife while enjoying a few lazy days, and Tortuguero Village fit the bill.
After experiencing the taxi/bus/bus/boat route we eagerly arrived at the village, threw our backpacks on, and followed the host of other travelers into town from the dock. We didn’t have far to go as Tortuguero is a tiny, swampy town in the country’s Northeast. Sitting on a slender peninsula between the Caribbean Sea and the canal we traveled on, we took in the friendly scene while walking to our guesthouse, a host of local dogs trailing along.
Continue readingLooking for a great hotel choice? Here is our choice in San Jose, Costa Rica.
One of the first steps in planning any getaway is deciding on a place to stay. In a large capital city like San Jose, there are literally hundreds of hotels, apartments, hostels, and Airbnb as options.
We could, of course, have gone with one of the big chain hotels that dot the city as regularly as Mcdonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises. However dependable such a choice is for a one-nighter in a strange city, chain hotels have never been our vibe.
So, you’re looking to plan a trip to Costa Rica? Here are some fun facts to help you plan your itinerary.
Costa Rica sits comfortably between Nicaragua and Panama in Central America and is home to a little over 5 million people, with over 50,000 of those being American ex-pats. It has long been touted as one of the most biologically diverse and beautiful countries in the region and is home to an astonishing array of wildlife.
Costa Rica was a country we, quite frankly, hadn’t been that excited to visit. Oh yes, we’d heard all about the lush jungles filled with exotic wildlife, but it seemed too clean, too touristy, too “ex-pat”. Well, having just returned, here is a quick photo Costa Rica preview depicting a snapshot of our two weeks roaming from the capital city to the jungles of the Caribbean coast, an untouristed small town high in the central hills, and finally the ultra-touristy Pacific.
