Chilamate, Costa Rica – I am moving quickly on this trip! I spent a few days at one of my favorite places – the Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat. In the past, we have stayed here en famille (although it’s been…
Riddle
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica – Spending the day looking for birds at the world-famous rainforest preserve, La Selva Biological Station, I made up a riddle. How do you find a keel-billed toucan in the rainforest? Answer: Follow your…
La Vida Rural
San Miguel de Sarapiquí, Costa Rica – What a thrill to be back in Costa Rica for a Lonely Planet guidebook update! This whole thing came about rather unexpectedly, so I am traveling solo (for now), during the rainy season,…
Underwater Breathwork in Yoga Journal
Labrelotte Bay, St Lucia – It was my first time scuba diving in nearly two years, and rediscovering the reef was pure bliss–admiring the ubiquitous tube sponges, spying on a peacock flounder hiding in the sand, swimming amid schools of…
Breathe Deep
A St. Lucia resort turns the Caribbean Sea into a yoga studio with its Underwater Breathwork Program. Yoga and scuba diving wouldn’t seem to have much in common, but the two pursuits do share one critical element: controlled breathing. Taking…
How I Became a Reef Rescuer
Dive staff at this St Lucia resort are helping to save the reef–and you can too Labrelotte Bay, St Lucia –Like many divers, Eget Martyr has a longstanding love affair with coral reefs—source of spectacular underwater scenery, rich marine life,…
Bring on the next half-century!
Labrelotte Bay, St Lucia – I am not sure how this happened, but I am turning 50 in a few weeks. (Wasn’t I just 40?) I was so lucky to kick off my birthday month in spectacular St Lucia, courtesy…
Lonely Planet’s Best of Costa Rica
Somerville, Mass – A funny thing happened. This book, which I researched and wrote a year and a half ago, was finally published. Lonely Planet’s Best of Costa Rica is a scaled back version of the bigger country guide, covering…
Snorkeling, Ziplining and More
Bahía Drake, Costa Rica – Our final days in Costa Rica were packed with snorkeling, ziplining, and more. And now, we are ready to go home. Isla del Caño After days of downpour, the weather finally cleared enough for us…
Swinging New Year
Los Planes, Costa Rica – Have a swinging New Year, friends. See you in 2020!