SOUTH & CENTRAL AMERICA
Peru 101. Fun facts we learned in Peru.
My family and I always learn so much on a trip, especially if we have a good guide. On our recent Peru trip, Ernesto, our very-well educated, and friendly guide, gave us A crash course in Pre-Columbian History and Andean cultures. Story telling makes history come alive and Disney guides do an exceptional job of (….Read more)
Learning Spanish, living with a family in San Miguel, Mexico
A mother worries about safety living in Mexico with her young daughters. “Are you scared, Mommy?” whispered my seven-year-old daughter in the back seat of the battered Mexican taxi. The driver accelerated, swerving into the left lane to pass a farm truck full of cows. The pale hazy sun slipped behind the mountains. Night was (….Read more)
Panama – One of the world’s most wildlife-rich countries.
Panamá, which is a true land bridge between North and South America, is home to more than 10,000 species of plants, 1,500 species of trees and nearly 1,000 species of birds. When searching for the right land trip or cruise, look for one that differentiates itself by focusing on under explored regions, with visits (….Read more)
Girlfriend Getaways – The Best and The Worst
We find ourselves laughing more than we have laughed in years. We experience a camaraderie that’s sometimes missing from their daily lives. We talk, eat or drink too much and return to our their day-to-day lives with more strength, self-confidence and self-worth. I’ve written two books on this subject and through my own experiences (….Read more)
Best Tropical Islands
Go off the the grid, feast on fresh-caught seafood and sink your toes into soft sand at my picks of the best island escapes, including the Caribbean, Hawaii, Bali, Easter Island, and Fiji. Bali Bali is my idea of heaven. On my fourth trip to Bali I was introduced to the Amanresorts’ award-winning, secluded properties. (….Read more)
Meeting the locals at an Indian Village in Panama
In the far northwestern corner of Panama, tucked up next to the border with Costa Rica, the relatively undiscovered Bocas del Toro islands not only have both beautiful beaches and captivating marine animals, but this archipelago also contains intact indigenous Indian culture. In some locations, respectful visitors can be welcomed in an Ngobe Indian village. (….Read more)
Finding Latin America’s Sea Turtles
I had heard Panama had great bird-watching, eco-lodges and indigenous cultures, but until recently, I had never heard of the country’s Bocas del Toro islands – or that this archipelago excelled in bird-watching, eco-lodges and indigenous peoples’ culture. With nine main islands, several large bays and a national marine park, this area in the northwestern (….Read more)
Machu Picchu’s siren call- to stand at the top of the world
It was a feeling that I yearned for. To stand on top of a mountain in the cool silence of dawn. Cliché? Perhaps. But nevertheless, I was certain that there were few moments in life more satisfying than that stillness. And at last, after years of fantasizing, there I sat in an unassuming patch of (….Read more)
Diving the Reefs of Roatan, Honduras
Do you dream of tropical vacations? I’m talking about imagining yourself on a relaxing island with powder-soft white sand beaches amid coconut palms swaying in the breezy sea air. You sip an icy tropical drink while swinging in a hammock on the porch of your cozy bungalow, stilt-mounted over a lagoon of brilliantly transparent, tinted (….Read more)
Seven Ways to Chart the Perfect Chilean Adventure: Part 2
Our Chilean adventure continues… 5. Gallop across the Patagonia Steppe Billowing, untamed clouds race across the sky as you gallop amid waves of grass in a savannah of hills and verdant vales dotted with yellow wildflowers. No visit to an estancia is complete without saddling-up at the stables and chatting with the wranglers. A lambs-wool (….Read more)
