We tagged along with Brad's friends to Vegas for their annual Poker trip. Thankfully neither one of us are gamblers so we enjoyed the over-the-top casino decor and took a bus trip to the Grand Canyon to break up the four-day trip. Vegas is definitely the land of excess, constant seizure-inducing stimulation and over-consumerism, but I feel like everyone should experience it at some point. The only thing I would suggest as a heat-challenged ginger is don't go in August like we did- I felt like I was walking under a Dyson hand dryer all day, thankfully the casinos are all blasting with AC that your sweat will freeze into little crystals right before your eyes.
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Although this trip was almost 5 years ago, I feel as if I need to document it here before my memory slips away. We traveled to Costa Rica to the Riu Resort in Guanacaste for Brad's cousin's wedding, so we decided not to waste the opportunity and we planned excursions outside the resort to get the most out of our trip. The hotel was open-air outside the rooms so tropical birds flew in and out in a constant whoosh of color and sound. We paid extra for our ocean-view room- which was worth it according to the jungle-facing room people who told us the birds and howler monkeys were so loud at night that they had to keep turning the AC up louder to drown out the noise!
We explored the resort and indulged in the all-inclusive fruity drinks for the first two days, getting caught in beautiful, pounding downpours on the beach that only lasted for no more than 5 minutes. The black volcanic sand was almost unbearably hot on our feet, so it was better to be on the beach later in the day (or wear flip-flops like I did) I purchased a wonderful fedora for 15 colones on the beach from one of the vendors and it has become a beach fashion staple. The first excursion we went on was a half-day boat trip down a river where we had a close encounter with some hungry Capuchin monkeys and alligators which almost breached the edge of the boat! (after our crazy boat guide coaxed them in). One woman on our tour had packed a sandwich in her pack and the monkey climbed from the trees straight to her backpack where he proceeded to unzip the backpack and take out her sandwich as if he just purchased it from a vending machine- so heads-up- if you are around monkeys- don't carry any food! Our second excursion was a waterfall/jungle hike with horseback riding. We drove through the beautiful rolling green hills and plains to reach a mountainous area where we hiked deeper down into the jungle. A couple local dogs followed us on our trail, so unfortunately the wildlife was a little skittish because of all the noise they were making (and a woman who was NOT part of our group who whined the entire time about being out in the woods-she also wore high heels-on a JUNGLE HIKE) We were able to spend some time at a swimming hole that was fed by a gorgeous waterfall- and boy was the water COLD- but totally inviting after hiking in the humidity. We then were all paired up with horses that were trained to walk up the mountain trail back to where we started. It was my first time on a horse (and Brad's) and to be honest- I don't think it's my thing. I was constantly apologizing to my horse who seemed irritated that he had to carry a tourist up a hill in the heat- my horse sighed heavily and grumpily cut everyone so I ended up being the first to the top, Brad on the other hand couldn't get his stubborn horse to move so he remained at the bottom for some time before a guide helped him along. I was tempted to get off the horse and walk next to him because I felt so bad for making him carry me. When we reached the top we entered a "restaurant" which was basically an open barn-like building where we ate delicious steak, black beans and fried plantains. The bus took us back to the resort and we went out dancing at the Discotheque on the resort. Luckily as a pale Irish redhead I did not burn the entire time! (I've got my sunscreen game down pat) Polish-Italian Brad on the other hand crisped up his back pretty good and I spent the last couple nights applying cold washcloths to his lobster-red skin. I would love to go back to Costa Rica- maybe when we retire we can buy a vacation home there! One of the great things about having your significant other work at a place that requires travel is that you get to tag along for a work paid vacation! Back in 2012 Brad was sent for a month to sunny San Diego for work and I was able to take some time off to fly out. The only bad part about this was that three of the days I was there he had to be working- but I wasn't complaining! We went to the world famous San Diego Zoo on his day off and Sea World (which made me a little sad- plus it was geared more towards young kids) We bar hopped in the Gas Lamp District, including a super cool rooftop bar where you could see the whole city at night. We took a ride to Coronado Island and saw La Jolla Beach which had this cool tunnel that opened up to the mouth of a cave. I could have spent way more time out there, especially since the weather was so beautiful and comfortable.
After realizing that we never climbed a mountain together, Brad and I decided to tackle the fairly easy Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire. The weather started out cool, but soon climbed to an unexpected seventy degrees, making the hike very warm and sticky. We stayed in the state park and cooked steak burritos in tin foil over the fire and drank wine like true rednecks from handmade "wine glasses" made from the tops of our water bottles. Unfortunately we didn't bring enough padding to comfortably sleep on the twisted roots and hard ground, so we both only slept for about an hour with our muscles aching from the hike.
Back in 2008 my boyfriend Brad (now husband) was studying abroad in a charming town called Braunschweig in North Central Germany. I came to visit for a week and was able to see this beautiful small city with touches of classic gingerbread architecture and medieval castles. He surprised me with tickets to Paris for the weekend and we grabbed a short flight to the city of light and landed in darkness around 11:30 at night. For an age before smartphones we sure figured out how to get around- we used one of those weird foldable paper things called a map. We saw as many sites as we possibly could in two days including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc De Triomph, Sacre Coeur, and the Moulin Rouge ~ we did see the outside of the Louvre, but unfortunately we were unable to get inside due to the super long lines that wrapped around the building. We will definitely make the trek back to Paris to see the parts we missed. All of the wonderful architecture and lovely shop windows make Paris like an outdoor museum itself!
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AuthorI believe that travel is essential to exist in this world and that it is the perfect medicine for staleness. Archives
August 2022
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