Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Mini-America?
In front of me, two heavyset, middle aged men waited at the checkout line. Each wore tank tops that disguised their girth, flip flops, board shorts, sunglasses, and baseball caps. Both were white, with a hint of pink from the sun, and appeared as if they had been teleported from the American south. After their beer, cigarettes, and handles of booze were tallied, one reached into his shorts, handed the cashier a wad of cash and grunted – not a “thank you” or “goodbye” but rather some indecipherable, primal sound.
No, this was not Walmart. This was Tamarindo, Costa Rica.
Where the desert meets the sea: Punta Gallinas.
The Lonely Planet describes Punta Gallinas as
…the kind of mystical place you read about in books or see in movies, but rarely stumble upon in real life. Reaching this stunning wildscape, South America’s northernmost tip, isn’t exactly a skip down to the corner store, either. But those that make the effort will be rewarded with one of the most dazzling landscapes in South America, a sanctuary of solitude that equals travel Nirvana.
Mystical? Possibly. Tough to get to? Definitely. Travel Nirvana?! Might be a slight exaggeration. While Punta Gallinas may not have been quite as amazing as described in the Lonely Planet, it’s still pretty high up there on my list.
Don't let the blue skies fool you...
I stared at the dozen sheep lying in the boat.
Their thick fur matted down by water and their fore and hind legs bound together by ropes, they laid silently (presumably tranquilized) with lifeless eyes as if they had resigned to their fate, whatever it may be.
A group of men showed up with a large dump truck and began hauling them from the boat. As they cleared the sheep, I saw hundreds of little brown and black bean-sized objects floating around in the brine at the bottom of the hull. I put two and two together and came to the gut-wrenching realization that I would soon be sitting 2-3 hours in this boat, with sheep shit and urine sloshing around, all the while wearing flip flops.
Florence, Italy
As the birthplace of the Renaissance, there is more to see and do in Florence than you could ever fit into a week-long (or even year-long!) trip. As the well-prepared traveler you are, you already know where to get the best meal, where to find the best view of the city, and where to see your favorite work of art. But do you know why Florence has such an extensive art collection or when you should (or rather, shouldn’t) plan to visit that ristorante you’ve been dreaming about? Add these less common tips to your travel arsenal and you’ll be ready to make the most of your stay in Florence.
The main platforms of Ciudad Perdida.
Day one would prove to be one the of the more challenging days on our Ciudad Perdida trek. Despite a relatively short 3-4 hour hike, the combination of the torrential downpour and being out of shape made it a lot tougher than what it looked like on paper. And although we were not caught in similar storms the rest of the trip, multiple river crossings and high humidity guaranteed our clothes and shoes remained soaked the rest of the way.
Yet despite the constant wetness and over 100 bug bites, Ciudad Perdida would end up as one of the best adventures I’ve ever been on.
The start of our Ciudad Perdida trek.
Above, the sky was an ominous grey but everywhere else I looked was lush green. We were a couple of hours into our five day hike to the Ciudad Perdida and it had already been raining consistently for an hour. Rain drops the size of small marbles pelted us every step we took and everything we wore, with the exception of our covered backpacks, was soaked through with rain, sweat and water from river crossings.
Orderly traffic? HAH! Saigon, Vietnam.
Travel is awesome but it’s not always rainbows and unicorns.
The majority of us who can afford to travel live in first world countries with many creature comforts that we’ve come to expect. But quality of life on the road can be very different, especially in third world countries.
Here are a few of the things we take for granted at home that don’t always exist on the road:
