Papagayo Peninsula

After Jamaica, we headed to South Hadley, Massachusetts where we had a brief but wonderful (and cold!) visit with my parents and sister, Janet. It was fun telling them about our adventures, and actually nice to see a little snow and some Christmas lights, as we won't be having much of a winter this year! We arrived the first night of Hanukkah. What a treat it was to hear my dad sing the prayer and watch him light the candles on the menorah!

From there we headed to the Papagayo Peninsula in Costa Rica. In Hawaii and Jamaica we had a few cloudy, rainy days but in Costa Rica the weather was sunny everyday!

Lenny golfed quite a bit, which he loved. I went with him several times and enjoyed seeing all the wildlife on the course. We saw monkeys (howlers and capuchins), iguanas, and coatis (sort of a cross between a raccoon and an anteater). Lenny also saw two wild pigs, a snake and a gigantic spider.

We also took lots of walks on the beach, swam in the pool and ocean, snorkeled, took a sunset sail, and took a boat to Coco Beach, a small town about 20 minutes away. The hotel concierge actually told us we shouldn't go (as there wasn't much to see or do), and if we did go we shouldn't take a water taxi, as the drivers weren't trustworthy. But our research on Tripadvisor told us otherwise. At the hotel, we would have had to pay over $500 for two massages and two pedicures but in Coco Beach we could get them for $130. Plus we could walk around the town and take a walk on the beach. 

Five Star Spa had great reviews and they did not disappoint! In fact, these were some of the best massages and pedicures either of us had ever had. Both the women who worked on us were incredibly meticulous. We felt great when they were done and I must say, our feet looked fabulous!

As far as the water taxi, Cabo of Coco Water Taxi gave us a wonderful ride over and then picked us up in a neighboring town after a great dinner on the beach at Father Roosters. I was a little nervous coming back in the dark, but Cabo assured us he knew these waters well. It was a beautiful, starry night and we had a wonderful ride back.

Another highlight of the trip was a cruise we took down the river. We saw numerous animals on the cruise including monkeys, iguanas, all sorts of birds and 14-foot crocodiles!

On our last night in Costa Rica, Lenny asked me if I was ready to go home. "Absolutely not!" I responded. The question was actually prompted by a conversation we had prior to starting our trip. Despite the fact that I have become somewhat of a seasoned traveler since meeting Lenny seven years ago, I was still reluctant to take a three month, round-the-world trip. I mean, who does this - other than perhaps college students staying in hostels? Wasn't this somewhat decadent? And what if my kids or parents needed me? And would our dog Molly be ok? Maybe we'd get tired living out of a suitcase. Maybe we'd drive each other crazy. Maybe we'd get fat eating out every night. And what about my fear of flying? Could I handle flying nearly once a week for three months?

Needless to say, Lenny didn't share my concerns. "OK," he said, "If you'd rather come back to Denver in December that's fine. Back to the cold and snow and cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping."

"Hmmm...," I replied, "maybe a three-month trip won't be so bad after all!"

For more photos and videos of Costa Rica click here.

Jamaica

On December 4th Lenny and I met my four children, John, Will, Joy and Michelle, my grandson, Drake, Joy's boyfriend, Noah and our friends, Joe and Colleen in Jamaica for an 8-day vacation (my daughter-in law, Rachel and granddaughter, Eva were with us in spirit!). We rented an incredible villa called Greatview, high on a hilltop overlooking Montego Bay. We have stayed in some nice places over the years but this topped them all.

My favorite part of the trip, other than spending time with family and friends, was the pool. They kept it at a balmy 88 degrees, which allowed us to swim from early in the morning until late at night. The men soon discovered that they could jump from the second story balcony into the pool. It was great fun until the staff kindly asked them to stop. We also spent many hours in the beautiful hot tub.

Greatview caters to children so Drake had a treehouse with a hammock, various arts and crafts, a small bed and ropes to climb on. The villa also provided us with a wonderful nanny, Christine, who played with Drake for 3 hours a day. Drake and Christine spent many hours exploring the grounds of the villa and catching (and releasing) lizards. He was in Heaven!

Aside from swimming in the pool and ocean, we also took various excursions. We went to Rick's Cafe where Will, Joy, Noah and even Drake (age 7) jumped from a 25 foot cliff! Michelle jumped from a lower one, John watched and took pictures, and Lenny and I observed it all. I thought about jumping but decided against it!

Another favorite excursion was going to the Luminous Lagoon, a place where the algae glow as you swim through the water (bioluminescence). The day we went, Drake had gotten stung by a jellyfish so he was reluctant to get back in the water. But our captain assured Drake that the jellyfish where we were going weren't the kind that sting (ummm...I have since learned this may not be true). And so in the black of night we boarded a boat and headed out to sea. The Captain played the theme to Titanic as we made our way to where the algae live.

When we arrived, the first thing the captain did was to reach into the water and pull out a jellyfish larger than his hand! He encouraged us to pet it which both Drake and I did. I was so proud of him! Then we all jumped into the water and laughed as it started to glow. A million stars glittered above us. It was a truly magical night!

Other highlights of the trip include golfing (for the men), getting pedicures, facials and massages, dancing to Jamaican music performed by a 3-piece band we hired to play for us one night, and enjoying the incredible food and drinks prepared for us by the staff. We couldn't have asked for a better trip!

To see more photos and videos of this trip click here.

Maui and Lanai

Our first stop was Maui. We were here a few years ago, but wanted to come back, as we both thought it was beautiful, and Lenny was anxious to try out the golf courses. We arrived the night of Nov. 24th (in the rain), after a long day of traveling only to discover that I had made our car reservation in the wrong town. Apparently, there are at least two towns in Maui that start with a K and are followed by a bunch of vowels! The town I made the reservation in was not near the airport. Plus, the rental car agency there was closed. But it turned out all right. We Ubered to the hotel, and the next morning I rented a car near our hotel.

We ended up having a great week! Lenny golfed, I hung out at the pool and beach, and we had several adventures - took a rainy drive on the road to Hana, toured an old plantation, took a submarine ride and went to a luau. We also took a day trip via ferry to Lanai, where we rented a jeep and explored the island. We visited a cat sanctuary, and had a lovely picnic on the beach.

To see more photos and videos of our trip to Maui and Lanai click here.

And so it begins....

When I met my now husband Lenny online seven years ago, one of the first questions he asked me was, “Do you like to travel?”

 "Not really,” I replied, “I’m more of a homebody.”

 “So am I,” he said, “In fact, when I was searching through women’s profiles, I avoided those that said, ‘Likes to travel.’”

But sometimes a new relationship changes you in unexpected ways, and certainly ours did. A few months after meeting, we took our first trip and we’ve been traveling ever since. November 24th we began what will be our longest journey yet - a three month trip around the world. Join us as we discover all, or at least some, of what this wonderful world has to offer.