Quarantine to me always meant science fiction movies where something untoward has happened to the characters and they are forcibly removed by men in hazmat suits to an undisclosed location. I’d never imagined that for my next vacation I’d be actually booking my quarantine. A bit like shopping for your prison cell: Can we get something with a southern exposure and …
Surrounded by angry neighbors, Costa Rica chooses national parks, wildlife preservation, free health and no-cost education through college. Oars up for these rafters on a quiet stretch of the Pacuare River, a classic pool-and-drop stream. ©Steve Haggerty/ColorWorld. TURRIALBA, Costa Rica – It was 6:01 a.m. when we heard them barking, insistent “huh-huh-huh-huhs” rising above the rain forest canopy. After a …
Wandering the hilly, narrow cobblestone streets in our home base of Montalcino, Italy, a Medieval city of interlocking passageways, steps and alleyways curving around and through and behind and beyond the main square, I reminded myself I was walking through history spanning eight hundred years. Stopping for lunch, I ordered a glass of the house wine. A bottle arrived at …
The last 18 miles of the road leading to the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica, full of ruts and potholes by design, takes over an hour and a half to navigate. The locals like it that way. And they choose not to fix it because it would be too easy then for tourists to visit.
I’ve been reveling in the warmth of my recent trip to Costa Rica, and not just because of the heat and humidity. This alluring Central American nation of five million Ticos (citizens), roughly the size of West Virginia, consists of just .03% of the earth’s landmass, but is home to 5% of its biodiversity.
Do you have a dozen or more buddies, besties who’ve been vaccinated for Covid-19 and are itching to get out of the house? Are they the free-wheeling sort, willing to splurge, always up for an adventure? Lastly, are they cheerful and tolerant, relaxed enough to share a house with 21 other people?
What is Filipino food really? This was a question posed by a Filipino-American who grew up in New York as he traveled to his native Philippines with the late Anthony Bourdain in the latter's food and travel show No Reservations. Growing up in America, this guy knew for sure what Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Korean cuisine is. But Filipino?
Just because we can’t travel during the Covid-19 pandemic, doesn’t mean we can’t still explore the culinary traditions of various countries from the comfort of our own kitchens.
Ever since a month-long stint in the United Arab Emirates more than 20 years ago we’ve become enthusiastic devotees of Middle Eastern food. Several subsequent visits further reinforced that trend but we later realized we need not travel that far to enjoy falafels, kebabs and pita bread.
Their bodies were sleek and graceful, the skin soft to the touch, their demeanor welcoming even if a bit skeptical. Still, they were more used to this more than I was. But I spread my arms out as instructed and flapped them in the water.
