Category Archives: photography

Searching for History in Ayutthaya

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We were so excited to go searching for history in Ayutthaya. We had only visited this former capital on our first trip to Thailand way back in 2001, so with Dave & Anne in tow, we made a point to head a couple of hours outside of Bangkok.

Ayutthaya ruins

Although only 81 km from our stay at New Siam II, as with all things involving Bangkok traffic, the 1-hour trip took closer to 2 hours +. Once we got out of the traffic jam of the big city, it was an enjoyable ride heading out into the plains north of town.

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What to do in Bangkok after You’ve seen the Grand Palace

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In the past, all of our trips to Bangkok were for two nights, so with an extra couple of days, the obvious question was: what to do in Bangkok after you’ve seen the Grand Palace?

Wat Arun at night.

With three weeks available, we purposefully added an extra couple of nights in Bangkok. It was a more relaxed entry into the country after a very long flight, and a chance for Dave & Anne to see a bit more of the capital. And, hey, I have long wanted to see Wat Arun lit up across the river after dark, so the extra time was a win-win on all accounts.

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A Chef’s Tour food tour of Bangkok ~ A Must Do!

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It’s well-known that we’re big-time foodies, and the chance to do A Chef’s Tour food tour of Bangkok was a must-do for our latest trip to Thailand.

Fried Fish

After doing food tours in several areas of Mexico, we thoroughly looked forward to embarking on a similar adventure in Bangkok. With Asian newbies in tow, we also wanted to introduce them to Bangkok street food with the help of a local guide. After some research, A Chef’s Tour got the most positive reviews for what we were looking for.

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Spotting Wildlife at Manual Antonio National Park

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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.

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The Pacific Ocean Was Calling

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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
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Touring the Orosi Valley

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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
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Casa Pelican in Tortuguero, Costa Rica ~ Guesthouse Review

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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?

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