Eating In and Dining Out in Costa Rica
We are spending 3 months this winter in the Central Highlands of Costa Rica. Staying in rented AirBnB casitas allows us to have a tiny home from which to base our slow travel. We don’t like to spend too much time each day getting to and from town to find a restaurant...
Avoiding Jellyfish Stings While Snorkeling
Keep us traveling and blogging! Purchasing our hand picked products through links on this site earn Neil and Laurie a commission at no cost to you. We appreciate your support. We love swimming in the ocean and snorkeling. We have snorkeled in Bali, Costa Rica, Mexico,...
Ceviche Costa Rican Style
How we discovered the secret to Ceviche in Costa Rica. While staying in Atenas, Costa Rica, we enjoy getting our groceries at the local market, the “mercado central”. Most of the stalls in the market sell various kinds of foods although a few sell...
Ten Things to Know Before Traveling to Ubud
1. Ubud has been discovered The world has found Ubud. In the last twenty-five years, Ubud has gone from a quiet mountain town to an international destination. Where once there were only humble shops, local warungs and traditional accommodations, now these exist...
Visiting La Paz Waterfall Gardens, Costa Rica
La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a 70 acre wonderland located in Vara Blanca, Alajuela, Costa Rica. It has over 3.5 kilometers of walking trails and 10 animal exhibit areas to enjoy. We visited on an overcast day in November 2014. La paz waterfall Costa Rica map The...
Eating in Mexico’s Beach Towns in Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit
Which Affordable Mexican Beach Town This Time? As winter travelers, each year we look for a new and interesting location to visit and explore. We like a long stay, where we can live like locals while still enjoying some holiday experiences, all on our meager budget!...
How To Get Free Coconut Water (Pipa) in Costa Rica
If you don’t live in the tropics, you buy coconut water in little bottles or boxes at high prices. There are many real health benefits of coconut water and it is so refreshing on a hot day. Traveling in Bali, we made the happy discovery that sidewalk vendors and...
Is Playa del Carmen, Mexico Good for Budget Travelers?
Choosing the Best Destination Each year when we look for a long term travel destination to avoid the long, cold winters in the Northeast US, we consider a number of factors. First and foremost is whether we can afford to live there for 4 months. But we don’t...
Unique Costa Rican Tour at El Toledo Coffee Farm
The El Toledo Permaculture Coffee Farm tour was one of the highlights of our visit to Atenas, Costa Rica. Gabriel, one of the owners, gave us a great coffee education, showed us their operation, and explained to us about their farming practices. He used a wooden tray...
Exotic Costa Rica Wildlife on Sierpe River Boat Tour
The Sierpe Terraba mangroves wetland area is a protected national wetland reserve of 66,850 acres. It protects the river mouths of the Terraba and Sierpe Rivers, and a vast network of canals, mangrove forests, and estuaries in between. Kayaking, boating, hiking and...
Protecting Costa Rica’s Sea Turtles at Playa Tortuga
December 2014 found us house sitting in Ojochal, on the southern pacific coast of Costa Rica. One of the great things about house sitting is that the homeowners often introduce us to their friends and community. With new friends to chat with we learn about all sorts...
House Sitting on The Other Side of the World
We stepped off into a pitch black night, after a five hour long bus trip, two weary travelers and four suitcases. We were the only two disembarking here on a Sunday night in August. We had been traveling for over 48 hours and had crossed the International Dateline....
Chihuly Glass Spectacle in the Desert Garden
For more than 70 years, the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix Arizona has been teaching and inspiring visitors from the local community and around the world, providing research, exhibits and holding events designed to help us understand, protect and preserve the...
Eating Cheaply While Traveling is a Way of Life
Food is one of the wonderful reasons we love to travel. As you eat your way through the culture, you’ll learn about its history, traditions, customs, social hierarchy and politics. But to do so, you must leave behind the tourist traps and hotel restaurants. and...
Close Encounter with the Elephants at Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai Thailand
What is it about the elephant? These enormous and majestic creatures captivated our imaginations as children with their long, agile trunks and big flapping ears. For us, they continued to be in our thoughts as we traveled to South East Asia. So, of course, one of the...
A Trip to the White Temple in Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle
During our two weeks in Chiang Mai it was suggested that we must not miss the Chiang Rai area. So we hired Mr. Dee, a driver recommended by our host family, and headed out for a full day of touring that he planned for us. Mr Dee was a charming man with pretty good...
Visiting the Umbrella Factory in Borsang, Thailand
The entire village of Borsang, Thailand revolves around the making of umbrellas. We had seen umbrellas like these in import stores in America, but never understood how much time and effort goes into their assembly. The crafting of each umbrella takes many people...
Three Things We Love About Bali Restaurants
We have a month to spend in Ubud, Bali and have found the city to be a culinary delight. There are dozens of warungs (small family cafes), as well as many larger, more commercial restaurants. We have discovered many wonderful eateries, both large and small. We are...
Bali Inspired Art in a Beautiful Setting at the Neka Art Museum
Neka Art Museum, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia We recently spent an afternoon viewing the art and lovely buildings and grounds at the Neka Art Museum. Both of us agreed that it has been a long time since we felt so engaged with so many works of art as we did here. The local...About Us
Laurie and Neil gave away or sold 99% of their possessions for a new life as international travelers. They share the secrets of how they turn limited resources into a life of unlimited fun and adventure. Read more
