This was enormously difficult for me. First of all, choosing a top five is never easy. Ranking was totally out of the question! And then condensing days and days of vivid and rich experiences into a little summarized blurb was near impossible. I could go on and on but here are 5 of my fondest travel experiences. Montezuma, Costa Rica Body-surfed for breakfast after having watched the spectacular sunrise through my tattered tent door then … [Read more...]
Huaraz, Peru – Day Trips & Activities
As the gateway to this part of the Andes, most travelers will make travel arrangements through a variety of tour operators headquartered in Huaraz. It is helpful to communicate with agencies in advance of your trip - but we have found that trips can often be arranged last minute. Regardless, shop around, services and prices vary between each company. We have been to or participated in the following area activities. Read on! Bike Riding A … [Read more...]
Istanbul, Turkey – Around Istanbul
A drive to the towns of Polonezkoy, Sile and Agva (all mentioned below) makes a fun day trip, including a stop at the Black Sea. The road to these towns and back to Istanbul is a small narrow windy road that passes through rolling hills - mostly natural landscapes. The author visited all of the locations below. Agva is one of the main weekend getaways for citizens of Istanbul. It is located directly on the Black Sea. As with many of the other … [Read more...]
Cuzco, Peru – Other Activities
Ruins - purchasing a Boleto Turistico (ticket) provides one-time only admission to any of 16 different tourist attractions in the region including Incan ruins and historical buildings and museums in Cuzco. One of the most popular ruins outside of Machu Picchu, Sacsayhuaman, is located just above Cuzco. A bloody battle was fought here between the Spanish and the Incas. It is amazing the size of the huge stone walls that surround these ruins. … [Read more...]
Arequipa, Peru – Colca Canyon
For those who are in decent shape, a trek in Colca Canyon is one of the highlights of visiting Arequipa. Choose from a variety of trekking itineraries ranging from 1 to 2 to 3+ days. The actual canyon is about 4-5 hours by bus from Arequipa (depending on which trailhead you use). We do not recommend doing this as a day trip - as the distances are to great, with very limited time at the canyon and extremely early departure and late arrival times. … [Read more...]
Mammoth Lakes, CA
Mammoth Lakes is a year round playground offering world-class high altitude skiing over a diversity of terrain in the winter months and sometimes even into early summer, rugged natural beauty, a variety of lakes and unique geological formations including Devils Postpile, numerous fishing opportunities, hiking and hot springs. Mammoth Lakes has two distinct seasons, summer and winter. Highway 120 (Tioga Pass) is used as a primary highway for … [Read more...]
Mammoth, CA – Hot Springs
Within about a 20-30 minute drive of Mammoth Lakes are a number of hot springs overlooking some of California's most scenic vistas. The hot springs tend to be small - either natural pools or concrete. The roads are often rough to reach these hot springs and an all wheel higher clearance vehicle is recommended - although if the roads are dry and you are careful - you can reach any of the ones listed below with a 2wd vehicle. Often people camp at … [Read more...]
Mt. Lassen, CA
Lassen National Park - the "invisible park" is in the northern part of the "Lost Sierras". The great combination of these two words in the same sentence, invisible and lost, often makes for relaxing free-of-crowds getaway destination, even on popular American holidays such as Memorial Day weekend in May and Labor Day weekend in September. Lassen offers a little bit of everything. You could bag Lassen summit by mid morning, hike to the sulfur … [Read more...]
Mt. Whitney, CA – Big Pine
Big Pine is a fairly small town located directly on Highway 395 (population approximately 1,750). Does not feature much in the way of lodging or food (the one exception to this and worth a stop unless you are vegetarian or vegan, is Copper Top BBQ). Big Pine however is a good launching spot for several attractions within the area including the Bristlecone Pine Forest. The closest tree to the namesake of the town is the tall Sequoia planted … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Napa Valley
The Napa Valley is a fairly small geographical region - with the Napa Valley appellation encompassing much of Napa County (but not all). The valley only produces about 4% of the state's entire wine production. The focus here is on quality over quantity - much of the valley is harvested by hand. There are over 1,100 unique producers in the valley - of which there are around 500 physical wineries (ranging from small garagiste operations to much … [Read more...]