A Whole World to Travel – Where to go First? The answer to this question will often be dictated by your budget and where in the world you live. It also depends largely on your confidence. My first genuine travel experience was to the US which was an ideal introduction to becoming a backpacker. My destination was a summer camp where I would spend three months adjusting to the American culture and lifestyle. It was the perfect springboard for … [Read more...]
Five places to never miss on a trip to Nicaragua
Before visiting Nicaragua for the first time, I had really low expectations on this country. I didn’t know many people who had been there before, and anyways none of them appeared to be particularly impressed with it. It was not meant to be the highlight of my trip through Central America, but I quickly fell in love with it – so much so that after my first visit I went back two more times. As I quickly learned once there, Nicaragua actually … [Read more...]
Kion Kashefi’s Solo Travel Tips
Kion Kashefi has taken his bicycle through every part of Central America imaginable, and every bike tour he has undertaken following a disastrous first experience with two friends has been done on a solo basis. According to Kashefi, solo travel is almost always a more enlightening and enjoyable experience provided proper preparations are made and that travelers exercise caution when appropriate. For Kion Kashefi, solo bicycle touring allowed … [Read more...]
El Salvador Wedding and Lago De Coatepeque
I am sitting on the edge of Lago De Coatepeque in El Salvador on an early morning - wakened early by the suns first rays hitting my face from my cozy spot on the floor, wedged between two sofas. Last night I vaguely remembered stumbling in around 2am. Lacking in the sleep department and heavy in the alcohol recovery, I feel surprisingly well for just a few hours of sleep. Last night was a blur, it was my cousin's wedding and it was epic. The … [Read more...]
Postcard from Cahuita: Wish You Were Here on the “Rich Coast” (Costa Rica)
John M. Edwards succumbs to the lures and snares of Costa Rica’s Caribbean “ecotourism,” instead of “narcissism,” in a relatively wealthy country translating literally as “Rich Coast.” I stood in a state of stupefaction, eavesdropping on a few randomundocumented locals who looked like they were engaging in a slapping fight—except with warm smiles of nonrecognition on their faces, maybe ganja buzzes. “Hey, mon, wha’appen!” “Wa’appen, … [Read more...]
Honduras: When Conservation Goes Too Far
Honduras is like the monkey who locked up the zookeeper. This little tropical realm has put away the constrained thinking that keeps others stuck in unproductive routines, and allowed its wildness to escape the margins. ~Richard Bangs Because it’s faithful to our childlike imaginations of wilderness, our youthful notions of life authentic and unadulterated, Honduras remains a true, original adventure. Far from the strictures of … [Read more...]
LACOT Meetup, Luxe Hotel, Los Angeles
I made the mistake of trying to go south towards the Sawtelle district (craving Ramen) around 5pm on a weekday. Barrington was backed up as far as I could see in the northbound direction - after turning around at some point, it took me 30 minutes to go 1/3 of a mile on surface streets and then on Sunset before pulling into the Luxe Hotel entance. Traffic is so intense in this part of town (combined with the major 405 construction project … [Read more...]
The Howler Monkeys of Nicaragua
A deafening jungle downpour assaulted the clay roof of my cousin, Rob’s Nicaraguan ranch house. Lying snug in bed, I foresaw the cancellation of our excursion at first light to track the elusive Mantled Howler Monkeys. Every day for the last week, I’d been woken by the guttural roaring of howlers somewhere off in the Mombacho jungle, but I had yet to lay eyes on one. The fierce rain was so loud from inside the house that even if they were calling … [Read more...]
Boston Logan’s Global Reach Takes Off with Turkish Airlines
May 2014 nonstop service to Istanbul brings easy connections to Middle East, India and Africa BOSTON – Boston will be more firmly connected to the global economy next May when Turkish Airlines begins offering the first nonstop service from Boston Logan International Airport to Istanbul, Turkey with convenient connections to 237 global destinations, including cities in Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa, and more countries compared to any … [Read more...]
Viking Voluntourism: Tall Tales of Tallinn
Into the Wild Wild East of “Europe Minor” John M. Edwards becomes a “stringer” and steeps himself in suspense-novel intrigue in the Estonian capital, where a post-communist parable of “The Baltic Dream” seems pegged less to illusory pyrite and more to ubiquitous amber... Of course in Estonia everyone is a spy! Ah yes, so true, and that includes the suspicious-looking mustached man over there, with the Coke-bottle specs and tan Burberry … [Read more...]
