[travels] seattle

I had always been warned about the weather in Seattle, especially by the end of summer.  In anticipation for my trip, I checked the weather, packed my raincoat, and prepared for the rain.  Fortunately, the deluge held out long enough for me to experience the beauty of the city without having to jump through puddles.

Pikes Place Market
I have always loved the energy of markets places and the excitement of discovering a new food item or piece of art.  I love the weekly farmers markets, to the seasonal artisans markets, to the more famous, well-established market places like Reading Terminal Market in Philly to the Lexington Market in Baltimore.  Needless to say, Pikes Place Market was numero uno on my list of things to see in Seattle.  I was not disappointed.  I fell in love with the brilliant bouquets of beautifully arranged flowers and jewelry inspired by the local heritage.  Pikes place also offers foods from diverse countries (we ate Russian piroshky and Turkish delight).   And of course, I visited the original Starbucks.

Proof I visited the first Starbucks

View of waterfront from Pikes Place

Gum wall.  Pretty colors, but mostly just gross.

Seattle Center
Many of the major sights in Seattle are packed together at Seattle Center.  Here you'll find the theater, the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, Chihuly Museum, EMP museum, and the Space Needle.  Over the few days that we were in town we visited most of these sights.  Views from the Space Needle were unbelievable.

Beautiful view from the Space Needle with clouds sitting perfectly above the horizon

My favorite Chihuly exhibit

Marymoor Park
One aspect that I love about Seattle is how pet-friendly the city is.  This park has an extensive trail that allows dogs to run around unleashed through different terrain like woody areas, open grassy areas,  and over giant mounds.  Anthony's dog, Buddy, loves his trips to the park and this time, he made many new friends.

Buddy, king of the hill

Other highlights include:
1. Ivar's Seafood- went there with some college friends.  Loved the fish prepared in a local style.
2. Chinatown- had delicious ramen, bubble tea, and peaches.  The park had a pingpong table.
3. Capitol Hill- went to Capitol Cidar for some delicious cidar and fun with shuffleboard.  Accidentally aided the other side with one too many points.
4. Nighttime walk through Gasworks Park and Fremont.  Climbed to the top of the hill for unbeatable nighttime views of the city lights.  Enjoyed looking at the hipster shops of the streets of Fremont.  Stopped outside the huge Oktoberfest.

[travels] Costa Rica- Livin' la Pura Vida

Costa Rica is a beautiful country full of smiling locals and beautiful drives.  We only had one week to explore as much of the country as possible, way too ambitious.

Arenal
The Arenal volcano region is every adventurer's dream.  The local economy is built up around ecotourism, with many different companies offering different canopy, ATV, and rafting tours.  I always find it difficult to justify expensive excursions, so I searched for cheaper alternatives.

First of all, a car is your key to freedom.  All the tours are willing to pick up and drop off at your hotel, however, you can see more, save money, and travel with more flexibility when you have your own car.  However, driving in Costa Rica is not for the faint of heart.  Many areas are unpaved, which can be problematic during the rainy season.  The areas that are paved are pot-hole ridden and two-lane roads will suddenly converge to one lane over a bridge.  Manual transmission and 4-wheel drive are definitely helpful.

Yes roads are rough, and I deserve a reward for braving the terrain, but it was well worth it (I might be singing a different tune if our rental agency had charged us for damage to the car).  Having the car allowed us to see Costa Rica on our own schedule.  My favorite hike in the Arenal area was the Cerro Chato hike up an ancient volcano.  We hiked up through primary forest, which entailed climbing over large root systems and ducking under fallen branches.  I enjoyed the intimacy and truly felt like we were guests in the forest.  It was a fairly steep hike up, after a few false alarms, we finally found ourselves at the rim.  Of course, we had to do the even steeper hike down to the lake.  It took some creativity to get down and back up, but it was well worth the effort and muddy butts.

View from the rim of Cerro Chato, looking down into the crater.

The hike to Cerro Chato, among many, start from the Arenal Observatory Lodge.  From the same starting point, we also did a hike through secondary forest to a seasonal waterfall and a hike down to a stream with volcanic rock.

After a full day of hiking, I wanted to relax in the area's famous hot springs.  Tabacon is a world-renowned resort that shows off the natural springs.  Less well-known, is that right across the street, there is a bubbling brook that feeds from the same hot water source.

The perfect spa.

Papagayo Gulf
The next few days were spent at the Papagayo Gulf.  We stayed at a beautiful resort with a private black sand beach.  There were so many beautiful vistas.

Papagayo Allegro Resort.  I usually don't like to advertise, but this view is gorgeous.

View of nearby docks.  Apparently, where the rich and famous launch their water toys.

Of course, we had to check out the famous local beaches.  Our favorites were Cocoa Beach and Hermosa Beach.

View from Hermosa Beach.  It's beautifully framed in green and is adorned by palms.

Another destination in the area was the Vieja de Rincon Volcano, where we finally saw an active volcano!  Sort of.  It was too active to allow visitors to hike, but we were allowed to take a loop trail at the foot of the volcano that took us to the mud pots, water pots, and fumeroles.

We might be smiling, but that sulfur-smell is sure strong.

Monteverde Cloud Reserve
One of the highlights of this trip was the Monteverde Biological Reserve.  One of the lowlights of the trip was getting there.  I had to drive through miles of unpaved road, up and down the mountains.  I prayed that the wet season had not brought pools too deep for my rental car to traverse (I had, after all, promised my car rental agent to not take the car for a swim).  I prayed that the low frame would be able to handle the deep potholes and the giant boulders.  So maybe you might want to consider a tour group, or maybe even an SUV, but however you get there, it's a worthy destination!  I enjoyed the 2 hour tour that took us through the forest.  Our guide not only taught us about natural history, but also about the different animals that dwelled in the cloud forest.  After the tour, we hiked some of the well-marked trails on our own.  We hiked towards the continental divide, however, we could not see much due to the cloud coverage.

Can you see the continental divide?  I can't!

National Bird.  Selected for it's intelligence, not it's beauty.
It would sing when the rainy season was coming, alerting the farmers.

Our guide telling us about orchids, in all their shapes and sizes.  

San Jose
Of course, we can't forget about the capital city.  We stayed in the nicest Holiday Inn I've ever seen, in the heart of the city.  From there, we were able to take an early morning stroll through the center of city, by the famous National Theater.  As an added bonus, we found China town!

Teatro Nacional
 

For the first time, I don't look so out of place.

Overall, this was a phenomenal trip.  I hope to be back to explore the southern part of the country.  Due to my laziness, I wasn't able to cover all the phenomenal/not so awesome aspects of my trip, but here's a quick list below:
1. Canyoneering- rappelling down waterfalls, jumping into narrow pools, and ziplining through the trees.  Worth the splurge.  And even saw a cute piglet that our guide had rescued from the canyon.
2. La Fortuna Waterfall- somewhat overrated.  But yea, I was there.
3. Kayaking around Papagayo Gulf-
    Me: So is there a limit on how far out we can paddle?
    Guide: Nope!
    Me: Awesome!
    Guide: Just be back in 20 minutes.
4. Shooting a BB Gun- one of the activities at the resort.  Didn't hit a single balloon.
5. Took a photostop enroute to Arenal.  Got the car stuck in the mud.
6. Shopping at Cocoa Beach.  They won't budge when you try to negotiate.  However, we met an awesome expat from Italy who owns a gallery.
7. Compliments.  We were told we looked like a 'smart couple' by a tipsy lady.  I'll take it!
8. Tilapia Dinner- nomm
9. Wanted to take a picture of a cow.  He got angry.  Cow 1: Lucy 0
10. Related to point 9, we did see a lot of happy cows grazing the green fields.
11. Make your own hot chocolate!  So much melty goodness
12. Coffee samples.  The best may be exported, but the stuff is still good.
13. Fried plaintains!  For breakfast EVERY DAY.
14. Fresh watermelon and the best pineapple I've ever had.
15. Comida Tipica is quite delicious!
16. Wind farms and hydroelectric plants!  Can I pass this off as a business trip?

[travels] socal

I don't imagine I'll be a stranger to Southern California, but it's still worthwhile to write about the places that I have seen.

I first visited during the beginning of October.  My purpose was twofold; attend my friend's wedding in Santa Barbara and visit my boyfriend who has just started graduate school in Pasadena.  The trip started with a flight into the famous LAX airport, where I was promptly picked up by Brian and his rental car, but was still held up waiting for my bag that had been checked gate-side. 

After a good night's rest, we took off for Santa Barbara via PCH.  We took a pitstop at the Santa Monica pier, which I discovered was the end of the famous Route 66.  There was a small amusement park on the pier, but to my dismay, it was booked for the day for a private event.

Amusement part on Santa Monica Pier

 

Fishermen's poles on Santa Monica Pier

Santa Barbara is a delightful town with a charming main street and a beautiful pier of it's own.  The wedding took place in a park and the reception was held at a local gallery.  It was a beautiful night of laughter, dancing, and other festivities.  The next day was spent frolicking by the beach.  We tossed frisbees and footballs, sometimes separately, sometimes at the same time.  Some were daring enough to dive into the cold water while others continued to fill up on cheese and crackers.  Afterwards, Brian and I walked along the entire span of the artists fair, starting at the Santa Barbara pier.   There were beautiful paintings, sculptures, pieces of jewelry, and my favorite, kaleidoscopes!  Another highlight of the drive down was the fruit stand that we came across with fresh peaches and avocados. Delicious!

The rest of the weekend was spent exploring Pasadena.  Brian showed me around Caltech.  The small campus is filled with beautiful architecture, with turtle-filled ponds in between.  We also spent a lovely afternoon exploring different flora from different regions of the world, at Huntington Gardens.

Turtle chilling at Caltech

From the rose garden at Huntington Gardens.

[travels] martha's vineyard

The weather was perfect for our long weekend in Martha's Vineyard.  Despite being such a small island, Martha's Vineyard has a lot to offer, from charming main streets, to cool galleries, and beautiful shorelines and lighthouses (and how can I forget, delicious seafood!).

We spent the first day exploring Oaks Bluffs, one of the Steamship Authority Ports.  The 8am ferry got us to the island before it was awake, so we had plenty of time to wander through the delightful gingerbread houses.  The miniature Victorian style houses were all sorts of bright hues and had adorable names.  Walk in deeper, and you get to the tabernacle at the center, where concerts and town meetings take place.  That evening, we headed to Menemsha and the Fisherman's Markets for fresh seafood.  We enjoyed Crabby Patty wraps, clam chowder, and a lobster roll on the beach as we waited for the sunset.  We missed the sunset due to clouds, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

Brian standing in front of a row of Gingerbread Houses

The sun starting to set over Menemsha

The second day was split between Lucy Vincent Beach and Acquinnah.  Lucy Vincent beach is a local favorite.  We were able to secure a pass from our hosts at Summersweet Bed and Breakfast (Don and Gail are so sweet).  

I was most looking forward to seeing the Acquinnah cliffs because I had missed them my first visit.  After enjoying the view from the cliffs, we headed down to the beach, where we stayed awaiting the sunset.  

View from Acquinnah Cliffs

Raining in the distance

Despite looking forward most to Acquinnah, my favorite town in Martha's Vineyard was actually Edgartown.  The beach and lighthouse area feels untainted and has the perfect combination of flora and sand looking out to the water. 

Edgartown beachfront

[travels] Letchworth State Park: The Grand Canyon of the East

With it's 3 waterfalls and long beautiful gorge, Letchworth State park is called the Grand Canyon of the East.  Starting from the bottom falls, it was a leisurely hike to the middle and upper falls.

The best views were from Inspiration point near the middle falls, but the upper falls also looked impressive with the old railroad bridge as the backdrop.

Upper Falls

[Israeli Summer] Hiking my own backyard

The end of my last weekend in Israel is bittersweet.  I am looking forward to going home, but I'm also realizing how much of Haifa I've neglected to see in my hurry to see everything else.  This weekend was spent in town, exploring the beauty of my own backyard.

On Friday, we visited Nahal Me'arot (Caves Stream) Nature Reserve, just south of Haifa (by Ein Hod).    What was an archaeological dig site is now a tourist site, giving the visitor a glimpse into prehistoric life.  It is believed that, here, Neanderthal Man lived side by side with Homo sapiens.  Another neat thing is that the land was completed covered by the sea at one point.  We were able to climb what was once a giant coral reef.

Hiking the fossilized coral

Glimpse into Prehistoric Life

Saturday brought us to the Carmel Mountains.  We started hiking just outside of Haifa University, and were able to wander onto the Little Switzerland Trail. The mountain is known for its greenness because it receives more precipitation due to its proximity to the sea.  We decided to turn around when we got to a neighboring peak, where we were next to the old prison.  It had burned down some years ago, tragically trapping some 40 prison guards within it.  We could see the sparse trees atop the mountain as evidence of the occurrence.

Close to sunset over Mount Carmel

[travels] The Last Crusade

We have just spent the most amazing weekend in Jordan.  With only two days, our weekend was filled with sight-seeing around Wadi Rum with our Bedouin hosts and rediscovering the ancient city of Petra for ourselves.

Highlights from Wadi Rum include:
Visiting Nabataean Ruins

Camel ride through the desert
The camels took us through Rum Village and into the desert.  We trudged through the sand, sometimes speeding up to a trot.  The camels had long, fluffy eyelashes and cute smiles.

My camel friend.

4 Wheel-Driving up and down giant dunes (and around the desert)
Our Toyota pickup was our main form of transportation across the desert.  This study vehicle brought us up and down sandy and rocky hills.  Our guide enjoyed surprising us with quick turns and drops and also impressed us with the skill in which he maneuvered down steep rocky terrain.

Sand surfing down giant dunes
Imagine a snowboard with only 2 straps to insert your sneakers into.  The climb up the dune is grueling because you sink into the flowy, hot sand.  Boarding down, you pick up some speed, but reach terminal velocity relatively quickly.  Others straddled the board and used it like a sled.  Afterwards, we all poured sand out of our sneakers.

I'm the tiny speck that surfing down.

Jumping into sand from rocky ledges
As we walked through the sand, it flowed as if it were liquid.  But jumping into the sand was unlike jumping into water.  We took turns running along the rock ledge and jumping into the sand.  We always landed with a thud, followed by peals of laughter.

Jumping into the sand.

Climbing up different rock formations to amazing desert views. 
Our guide took us to different rock formations, like a mushroom rock, a siq, and rock bridges.  Climbing up these rocks was surprisingly easy because the desert wind had etched notches into the rocks, giving us somewhere to grip.  The view of the desert and mountainous terrain was breathtaking.  Not much green in sight, but the warmer color scheme was beautiful nonetheless.

Watching the sunset (and later the rise of the full moon).
We made it back to camp to enjoy a cup of tea before hiking up a bit to watch the sunset.

Sunset behind Wadi Rum mountains

Traditional home-cooked meal and tea 
Our Bedouin host (or rather his wife) made us a wonderful meal of chicken atop rice, fresh hummus and pita and potato stew.  The delicious food had us going back for seconds and thirds.

Listening to Bedouin music and singing along
After dinner, we rested on the carpet outside, watching as the stars (and Venus) came out.  Our hosts pulled out a rebab (stringed instrument, kind of reminds me of a banjo in shape) and sang worship songs for us.  He taught us some lyrics so that we could sing along.  He then asked us to share a song of our own.  The only song that our tired heads were able to think of was... twinkle twinkle little star.

Camping under shooting stars in the Bedouin tents
Once our hosts had gone to bed, we walked out of camp to a flat rock and star gazed.  The Perseids are peaking next week, so we were hoping to catch some of the shooting stars.  Others saw several, but I missed them.  I guess I don't have a very good attention span.

Missed shooting stars, but saw a beautiful full moon.

Highlights from Petra include:
Driving along King's Highway
King's Highway was an important trade route in ancient Middle East.  It is now a scenic, two-lane highway that connects Aqaba to Petra.  The cool breeze made the car ride enjoyable, and we stopped along the way to take in views of low-hanging clouds over the Jordan/Israel border and later on, of Petra.

Reenacting Indiana Jones's encounter with the treasury
A very famous scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade involves Indiana Jones riding up to the Treasury from the Siq on horseback.  Without horses or a soundtrack, we sang the theme song as we approached the Treasury on our imaginary horses.  Needless to say, we attracted a few stares.
Check out a short video montage of some clips that I took. Skip to 52 seconds for the Treasury.

Watching a sand artist create images with colorful sand
While in Wadi Rum, we were able to appreciate the beautiful burnt red, yellow, and black tones in the sand. In Petra, we also saw beautiful purples, oranges, and blues in the rocks.  These beautifully colored sands are used to make sand art, where images are skillfully set in sand in glass containers.  We walked by the workshop of a sand artist, and he showed us how he formed camels and mountains in the sand.

Climbing up to the royal tombs

Donkey-ride up to the Monastery and seeing colorful rocks along the way
The 900 step trek up to the Monastery was easier atop a donkey.  Well, in my case, it was atop a mule, name Shakira.  I struggled to balance atop my mule, since I had no stirrups.  Going up was scary, especially since the steps were sometimes slippery. But from the top, we had an amazing bird's eye view stretching far into the distance.

Drinking tea atop the mountain with the Bedouins
Our donkey guides invited us to tea atop the mountain.  Here, we were able to experience the view and learn about the lifestyle of those who still dwell in Petra.  We watched as kindle was gathered and set afire.  Tea and sugar (a full cup of it) was poured in a black kettle, and set in the fire.  We drank from makeshift cups cut from water bottles.  And we learned a bit about the lives of our new friends.

Highlights from Eilat
We passed from Israel into Jordan from the South.  Starting in Haifa, we took the midnight bus down to Eilot and crossed the border when it opened at 8am.  Between our 5am arrival in Eilat and our 8am border crossing, we lounged by the beach.  On our trip back, we had more time to explore the tourist town.

Boardwalk
Eilat is a resort town, known for its scuba-diving and beaches.  The pebbly beaches were not as impressive as the ones in other Israeli cities, but there was a cute boardwalk that was hopping by Saturday evening.  There were small shops, as well as higher end shops.  Our favorite was the slushie stands with over 20 flavors that we could mix for only 5 NIS.

Israeli Folk Dancing
At the start of the boardwalk, there was a circle of people dancing.  I had always heard of Israeli folk dancing, but had never seen it in action.  It was lively and everyone looked like they were having a great time.  I half wanted to join in, but I was tired from our weekend adventures.

Summer of Seas
As of this weekend, I've visited