Category Archives: inspiration

Where to Stay in Bangkok

Posted on by
Reply

As we headed to Thailand for the fourth time, the question was where to stay in Bangkok? You want to start your vacation off on the right foot, right? Since Dave and Anne had never been to SE Asia before, we wanted it to be decent, clean, and mostly centrally located to the things we wanted to see in the city.

I researched a few different options online, a bit overwhelmed by SO many choices.

Bangkok

I read reviews on Travelfish.org, one of my go-to’s for all things Asia.

At the end of the day, we ended up where we’ve stayed before; New Siam II. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it! And Travelfish’s recent report on the property sealed the deal. It didn’t hurt that the price was $27/night, only $3/ more per night than we last stayed in 2008!

Continue reading →

Spotting Wildlife at Manual Antonio National Park

Posted on by

One of our prime reasons for choosing Costa Rica is because it’s one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and spotting wildlife at Manual Antonio National Park was high on our to-do list.

iguana

We’d already hit the Caribbean at Tortuguero, and the highlands of Orosi, but we had high hopes for spotting even more species as we headed to Manual Antonio National Park on the Pacific side, one of the country’s premier parks. Camera in hand, we drove an hour or so south of our AirBnB to reach the park right as it opened in a mostly failed attempt to avoid the crowds.

Continue reading →

The Pacific Ocean Was Calling

Posted on by

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.

Wine glasses at sunset
Continue reading →

Touring the Orosi Valley

Posted on by

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.

Orchid
Continue reading →

Lazy Days in Tortuguero Village

Posted on by

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 reading →

Casa Pelican in Tortuguero, Costa Rica ~ Guesthouse Review

Posted on by

If a stop in Tortuguero is on your Costa Rica itinerary, and it should be, one of the first questions will be where to stay. Our choice was the delightful Casa Pelican.

Although there are dozens of lodging options both in and around town, we think your best bet to truly immerse yourself in the culture is to choose one of the centrally located guest houses available. You can stay in a standard bland hotel anywhere…on a tropical holiday why not venture on the local side?

Continue reading →