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)"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"Ken Trang Tiem-Ice Cream Shop Ken Trang Tiem Ice Cream shop is the quintessential hot spot in the Old Quarter to stop and take a break from the heat with family, friends or by yourself for ice cream. Most people would go so far to say Ken Trang Tiem serves the “best” ice cream in …
Continue reading "Hanoi, Vietnam Food Highlights"Banh Mi Sandwich Ask a local in Hanoi, Vietnam and they most likely will advise that no Banh Mi sandwich is created alike. Walking down the street of any neighborhood, and you will see a plethora of local restauranteurs advertising the Banh Mi sandwich for sale. During my walking tour of the neighborhood with our …
Continue reading "Banh Mi (and Sticky Rice) in Paradise"I left on foot from our volunteer house at 7:45AM with a CSDS guide and an 18-year-old female volunteer from Scotland. The CSDS guide, Julian, quickly veered off the main rode I was accustomed to and headed into a side alleyway no wider than a motor scooter. We walked for a half mile through these …
Continue reading "First day teaching in an unknown Vietnamese village"Train Street I took a Grab taxi (the online app common throughout Asia for transportation) to Train Street which is near the Old Quarter in Hanoi. I’ve seen pictures on the internet depicting a vibrant communal area filled with vendors, restaurants, and tourists living and interacting in the midst of an active train track running …
Continue reading "Hitting the pavement in Hanoi (Train Street-Old Quarter…)"June 15, 2022 (Wednesday) To my surprise, I had no issues when I arrived in Hanoi International Airport. It might have been because it was 12:30 AM and/or we were the last plane arriving, but I was grateful for the smooth transition. Moving through the Visa processing line was simple and unobtrusive. I even received …
Continue reading "Hello Hanoi!"Meydan Besiktas is the coolest hippest vibrant fun neighborhood we found while in Istanbul. It is located on the Asian side of the city and magically balances the traditional ancient architecture I came to expect in Istanbul with modern night life. Unlike Taksim Square, the throngs of mostly 20-30 year old hipsters crowded the narrow …
Continue reading "Meydan Beşiktaş–Istanbul’s nightlife mecca"