After a week of falling into more and more trouble in Bocas del Toro, I needed a detox. Sometimes I retreat to a new city with an intention of just relaxing. I did the first time I went to Chiang Mai after Vang Vieng. I...
1. I am not drinking tonight. I arrived in Bocas del Toro on the Fourth of July. In the morning, in Puerto Viejo, I watched Joey Chestnut break his hot dog eating record with the help of a vpn, a borrowed cable login, and espn.com, and...
I only stayed two nights in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica, and really, don't have much to say about it. It was OK, I suppose, but for some reason I just wasn't feeling it. I had thought I'd stay longer, but most of the people I...
I hadn't planned on going to Jaco, Costa Rica. But in Little Corn I befriended a girl who lived there and invited me to stay with her for a few days when she got back. By day we'd hike up the hill or walk on...
While visiting Costa Rica, in between hiking the cloud forest, I decided to give Monteverde horseback riding a try. Most backpackers come to the town to do the zipline or the bungee jump or possibly both. But as I've tried so very hard to establish here:...
I've established already that "thrill seeking" isn't exactly part of my vocabulary. So, while everyone else seemed to go to Monteverde, Costa Rica, to zipline or bungee jump, I preferred to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground. So, instead of flying through the...
Don't go to Little Corn. Because years ago the locals didn't even need money. Because years ago the men catching lobsters would hand them off for free. Don't go to Little Corn. Because it's the kind of place where you need a flashlight to see your way back...
I stayed in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, for eight nights. That was, maybe, seven nights longer than I needed to but, in that time, I went to some beaches, went to some bars, had a little fun. Really, though, the only reason I stayed...
I've determined two things about my desire to be a surfer: 1. I need to take more lessons. 2. I need a bathing suit that isn't broken. Because I can't stand up on a board. No matter how hard I try. And because the straps broke off...
I didn't mean to stay in San Juan del Sur for eight nights. In fact, I really didn't think I would go at all. But I ended up following some friends there, and we got into town on a Monday, and the only thing I...