Living a life without borders.
Alex Gallo J Tattoo When we arrived back in San Jose, my kids and I wanted to get a tattoo to memorialize our time in Costa Rica. While in the hotel, we all committed to researching the local tattoo scene and finally agreed upon trying to schedule with artist Alex Gallo J. I contacted him …
Continue reading "Costa Rica — Tattoo’s and Money (Part Seven)"Playa Hermosa On our way to Playa Espadilla Norte, we visited Playa Hermosa. It is a small surf town, approximately 15 minutes from Jaco, with several local restaurants and places to have a beer while watching the waves. Playa Hermosa is best known for the long stretches of black sand beaches and large surf break. …
Continue reading "Costa Rica — Exploring the Playa’s (Part Six)"Adventure Tours Costa Rica—ATV’ing Riding ATV’s with my adult children is typically a must do activity when we travel. After researching different companies, I decided to book with Adventure Tours Costa Rica (ATCR). They had solid reviews, the going rate was about $95.00 US each for a three-hour guided tour with the destination point being …
Continue reading "Jaco, Costa Rica — ATV’ing (Part Five)"Costa Rica Waterfall Tours Part of Costa Rica’s allure is this idea of trekking through the jungle to find an exotic waterfall. Our group members were enamored with this thought, so I signed our group up for a guided tour (Costa Rica Waterfall Tours) through TripAdvisor. Our two English speaking guides arrived on time and …
Continue reading "Jaco, Costa Rica — Waterfall Tours (Part Four)"Food Review One unexpected aspect of our Costa Rican experience was trying to sample the local food sources and/or understanding what types of food locals ate because there’s such a wide range of food available (Mediterranean, Mexican, Italian, American, Thai, Asian inspired, sushi, and Greek to name a few) in the town of Jaco. When …
Continue reading "Jaco, Costa Rica — Food Review (Part Three)"El Miro El Miro was a can’t miss tourist attraction that is very accessible for anyone who wants an adventure located right on the doorstep of Jaco. If you have never heard of El Miro, it is an unfinished mansion set back in the hills of Jaco that you can explore at your own pace! …
Continue reading "Jaco, Costa Rica — El Miro (Part Two)"Overview The drive from San Jose to Jaco took approximately 1 1/2 hours. The two-lane narrow roads were surrounded on all sides by jungle flora and were clogged at times with buses, commercial trucks, and big rigs that meandered through the tropical terrain. Because the roads snaked through the steep mountain ranges, there were few …
Continue reading "Jaco, Costa Rica — Pura Vida Lifestyle (Part One)"Overview Turks and Caicos is an assault on every sense. Imagine you open your eyes after a restful nap lying on a comfortable deck lounger under an expansive white umbrella that opens to a broad blue horizon bordered by crystal blue calm waters: a shifting oceanic landscape complete with distant puffy clouds, black headed sea …
Continue reading "Turks & Caicos — Lounging in Paradise"San Ysidro (Crossing from America to Mexico) Parking near the San Ysidro border crossing was convenient and secure (for the most part). I found a parking place in Border Station Parking for $30.00 per day and made the walk across the San Ysidro bridge to the Mexico-USA border. The lights of Tijuana twinkled in the …
Continue reading "Crossing the Border–Rosarito, Mexico"On my way to the airport, I had the opportunity to drive past the the first sights I saw when arriving in Hanoi. I was struck by the initial feelings of nervousness and anxiety I had felt and now I leave this beautiful country confidently knowing I engaged with a culture, community, and city in …
Continue reading "Vietnam in Review"