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...]
Exploring the outskirts of Seattle
July and August are great months to visit Seattle. The weather is generally mild to warm and there usually isn't much rain (as one knows, Seattle has a reputation for rain much of the year). We took my friends car which he kindly let us use for a few days and headed out of town. Our goal was the Snoquamish Falls - a massive drop off of water that one can view from several viewpoints. Lovely. Except we were so tired from jet lag we ended up … [Read more...]
The Power of Experiential Travel, Speech in Seattle
When my friend invited me to make a speech to some of his investment clients at a location in downtown Seattle about some of my travel adventures I jumped at the opportunity. With the challenge of creating a speech for his "mixer" I came up with one titled, "The Power of Experiential Travel" - in summary highlighting a number of my interesting adventures from around the world and finishing with some lessons learned from all these … [Read more...]
Saul Bolanos: A Modern Day Alchemist
John M. Edwards finds out that Costa Rican Artist Saul Bolaños’s Medium Is Hot Costa Rica, a coffee democracy in a sea of banana republics, is known more for its number-one export than its art. So perhaps it is only natural that Costa Rican photo-artist Saul Bolaños decided to fuse the two and extract art from the ubiquitous bean. His CAFEGRAFIA®, sepia-color photo images made real by coffee, explore the offbeat flight paths of Central … [Read more...]
January 19, 2011 Wanderlust & Lipstick offers Women only Bhutan Trip
Pure Mountain Air and Gross National Happiness Revitalizes Women on Sacred Sites and Cultural Journey to Bhutan Seattle, WA - A small group of women travelers will find peace and rejuvenation through exploration of the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan while partaking in gentle yoga and light hikes. Wanderlust and Lipstick has specially crafted a 12-day Sacred Sites journey to Bhutan that includes the opportunity to explore the spiritual side of … [Read more...]
Three Days in Apimsu – Ghana, West Africa
The brilliant sunlight stings my eyes as we make our way out of the airport in Accra, Ghana, but it's the view ahead that has me fighting tears. Our son Casey has been waiting at the entrance gate. Since he entered the Peace Corps in West Africa his father and I have been separated from him for many months and 7,000 miles. Now, just fifty feet across the courtyard, I see that his pale northwest skin is shades darker, his brown hair cropped close … [Read more...]
Dimples in the Rain
Its a safe place where I live. It's all vanilla condominiums, white fences, tree lined streets and all the stuff of suburban legends. Every dog here has a license and a leash. It's not like that in Africa. At least not in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, only the donkeys were sure-footed, as I traveled during the rainy season. I slipped down the hilly, rocky streets and hopped over gutters filled with trash and the heads and hooves of the prior night's … [Read more...]
Museum of Flight, Seattle – June 2011
An entire day, or at least most of the day needs to be reserved for a visit to Seattle's Museum of Flight. Do not underestimate the amount of time needed here! This is a huge museum that spans several buildings and when you are displaying large aircraft invariably you have to spill the exhibits outdoors. The museum is located at 9404 E. Marginal Way South, right next to the King County International Airport about 8 miles south of Seattle. The … [Read more...]
Walking the Walk in NYC
On a recent visit to New York City, I followed in the footsteps of immigrants, celebrities, and George Washington by taking a fun, educational and free walking tour provided by NYC by Foot. Their "Historic District" tour began at Spring Street and 6th Avenue, conveniently across from the subway station. The two hour walk covered about 1.2 miles of Soho, Chinatown and Little Italy - an area that includes part of the historic Five Points District. … [Read more...]
Francis Ford Coppola Winery
We recently visited Francis Ford Coppola's winery and estate (Francis Ford Coppola Winery) in northern Sonoma County which with good traffic is about 1 hour and 20 minutes north of San Francisco California. The location is a rather bucolic one, the winery is nestled against the hills surrounded by vineyards. We have visited hundreds of wineries over the years; this one is unique. While wine is the focus of their operations here, the estate offers … [Read more...]