Feeling the call of the jungle, the Bashful Adventurer books a stay at the Cotton Tree Lodge in Belize. But it will be too rustic or just right?
Category: Nature Trips
The Things We Do to Coffee Beans
A Visit to a Costa Rican Coffee Farm With limited time for leisure activities on a business trip to Costa Rica, I skip the beach and head, for part of my day, to a coffee farm. Why? Because I like coffee, of course, but more because I am interested in learning how food is grown…
The Mystery of Volcanoes
The Lure of Hot Lava Living in New York State, as I do, I haven’t historically had to worry much about volcanoes and the possibility that they might at some point obstruct my way, or worse. The first time I came across their devastation was on a long-ago trip to Italy where I toured Pompeii,…
Practical Picchu
What You Need to Know before Heading to Peru The weather at Machu Picchu is temperamental: cloudy one minute, sunny the next. How to cope? Layer your clothing. Photo credit: M. Ciavardini Fresh from a long weekend spent ascending Machu Picchu, I offer these suggestions for bashful and other adventurers planning a visit: To prepare,…
Even Non-Birders Can Enjoy Galapagos
I didn’t head to Ecuador to be at one with the birds. I’ve never been especially drawn to the things. I didn’t appreciate the claws on the parrots at Parrot Jungle. My grandmother’s caged parakeets—still singing despite their incarceration—annoyed me. I see sea gulls on the Jersey shore as scavengers for French fries. Walking through…
Why Belize? Why Not?
“How did you choose Belize?” is the question I most commonly hear, especially after I’ve been telling stories about my visit: the howler monkeys, jaguar prints, a jungle survival tour, bats at the window, a scorpion on the door, a snake in the bed, possums in the rafters, an “American crocodile” (A.K.A. alligator) by my…