2013

Las Penitas Nicaragua and 1 day old turtles

Las Penitas Nicaragua. A quaint fishing village. A great budget hotel. And 1-day old turtles sent out to sea! Having had no internet when we left Laguna de Apollo, we were ‘winging it’. We ‘stole’ a flyer off the notice board of what looked like a good place on the coast. The Paradiso Hostel called […]

Laguna de Apoyo and swimming in a volcanic crater

Laguna de Apoyo (Apollo) and swimming in a volcanic crater We arrived late – just as the sun was setting across the Laguna. We were famished as we had no lunch, so as we were at a French-owned hostel, we naturally ordered crepes. They told us to head for the lakeside bar. There I ordered […]

Mombacho Volcano is a great place to take kids Nicaragua

Mombacho Volcano is a great place to take kids  Nicaragua We were up early this a.m. We were trying (again) to hike Mombacho Volcano. Our hotel rang the company that organizes the tours and we were told to be there by 9 a.m. So we took a taxi with so much excitement since we expected […]

Granada Nicaragua Kids learn a lot on the carriage ride

Granada Nicaragua  Kids learn a lot on the carriage ride We traveled by local “chicken buses”, from San Juan del Sur to Granada. We should have paid a lot less for the cab to the hostel, but it was quibbling over $1 and I was not about to be left standing, so we took it. […]

San Juan Del Sur Nicaragua – a gorgeous town

Nicaragua Costa Rica Border Crossing -into San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua – a gorgeous town- We had a great time piling into our friend’s car, along with a way too much luggage. This single parent travel, they drove us from Monteverde Costa Rica to Liberia and dropped us at the bus station. Here, buses depart […]

Monteverde Cloud & Rain Forest of Costa Rica

Monteverde Cloud & Rain Forest of Costa Rica We left Alajuela fairly late – we had been told the night before that there were buses every hour.  Then suddenly, a guy at the hostel told us something completely different the next morning. He was adamant there were no direct buses to Monteverde until mid-afternoon. If […]

Alejuela and San Jose Costa Rica

Alajuela and San Jose Costa Rica With deep regret, we had left Ecuador, and South America behind us. But at the same time, there is an edge of excitement for both of us. We were hitting Central America. At last, we would be warm again. We both love the beach, the sun, and the sand. […]

Farewell Quito Ecuador and 8 months in South America

  Farewell Quito Ecuador and 8 months in South America This is one of the hardest blogs I have written. I am forced to look back. To remember both the good and the not so good — that has shaped the last 8 months in South America.After 14 months of travel, you would think I […]

We visit an orphanage in Quito Ecuador

We visit an orphanage in Quito Ecuador Yesterday was a special day in our hearts. One of those times you get to share something extraordinary – out of the blue. Last time we were in Quito was more than 6 months ago, and we had met Jen. She has been working for 5 years at […]

Chiclayo Monsefu Peru and Victoria Hostal

Chiclayo Monsefu Peru and Victoria Hostal We had booked the Victoria Hostal. It was really close to the main Plaza, and also we could walk to the bus depots and compare prices. Not to mention there were 2 shopping plazas nearby and one had TOTTUS, my son’s favorite store! When we arrived we were shown […]

Chan Chan Peru Largest adobe city Trujillo Plaza de Armas

Chan Chan Peru Largest adobe city Trujillo Plaza de Armas This morning is a learning time. We try to incorporate learning times in our travel, like a field trip I guess. So we take the local bus from Huanchaco Beach toward Trujillo. We stop off on the road and have no idea how far we […]

Trujillo and Huanchaco and staying at Oceano, Peru

Trujillo and Huanchaco, Peru and Oceano We have spent the last night on a bus from Lima. And before that was a morning bus to Lima from Chincha. So it has been a long 24 hours. This is the exhaustion you might want to expect while planning a family travel. Maybe you will need the […]