CHICABRAVA CHICABRAVA is an all-girls surf camp in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. The basic idea is to spend a week learning to surf on some of the best waves in the world. But the CHICABRAVA experience goes beyond that. I was invited on a press trip to attend an abbreviated version of the regular […]
I’m a surfer chick!
I never thought I could surf. Before I started my travel sabbatical three years ago, I lived my entire life in the Midwest of the United States. Needless to say, we don’t get much exposure to surfing. In fact, I do not think I had ever seen anyone surf in person until I traveled […]
Photos from Central and South America: the best of the best and a few more that make me smile
Last month I did my first giveaway and recently announced the winner on my Facebook Page. After being home for several months, I still had empty photo frames on my walls. I have so many photos from the last two years of travel that I simply could not narrow it down enough. I asked you […]
Help pick my prints! (part 2 and more chances to win)
If you already voted in the first photography category Landscapes, you’ve already earned at least one entry towards winning an 8″x10″ canvas print from Printcopia. (You can still go back and vote now to earn entries in the giveaway.) Just narrowing down the photos to this number was difficult, so I’m relying on YOU […]
12 Things I Have Learned About Traveling
I have hit the six month mark of my little adventure, so I figured it was a good time to reflect on what I have learned. I am going to break it into a series of posts: What I Learned About Traveling, What I Learned About Living Simpler, and What I Learned About Me. Saving […]
An Ode to the Food of Central America
Before anyone calls me out, I know this is not a lyrical poem. I just like the word ode. As I am about to leave Central America, I would like to take a few moments to reflect on the deliciousness of the food that has helped me become a little more… um… shapely… over the […]
Is Granada the ‘Real’ Antigua?
When I was in Antigua, Guatemala this past December, I was pondering where I would go in Nicaragua. The reason I was planning so far ahead is because: 1) I am a planner and it is just the way I think and 2) I knew there was so much of Nicaragua I wanted to see […]
Hiking Volcanoes – A New Tourism Niche
Although I didn’t come to Central America thinking I would hike volcanoes, I discovered that there are many opportunities, and it’s the perfect way to get my fix on outdoor sports activities. Plus, it’s kind of cool to climb a volcano, especially an active one. When I was in León a couple of weeks ago, […]
Sexual Harassment in Central America
I have chosen to write about this topic now as an outlet for my frustration. It was something I knew I would experience as a “gringa” traveling alone in Latin America. And I knew the appropriate way to handle it was to ignore it. Don’t look. Don’t say anything. Pretend you didn’t hear anything. And […]
A Different Kind of Road Kill in Central America
In Leon I stumbled upon this squashed Iguana while walking down the street. It was 14 inches long! It’s strange to think I actually ate one of these in El Salvador.