This trip was somewhat of an afterthought. Where could we go that's warm, outside of the contiguous United States, can fly out in the morning and be on the beach by the afternoon, and somewhat affordable? Puerto Rico it was. I can say with certainty that if you're a fan beautiful clean beaches, a touch of Caribbean culture, eclectic shopping and beautiful architecture, then this is the place. For me though, that word "vacation" still hasn't found a comfortable place in my vocabulary. Why take a vacation when you could be traveling? Well, maybe because I have a husband who doesn't relish the idea of every trip we take involving a perpetual threat to the orphaning of our children. "I insist that the next trip we take will be to some place clean, got it Andrea?" ... read more

We had just returned from the rooftop pool. I threw my robe to the floor and collapsed onto the billowy white bed. I lie there in my shiny green bikini feeling so refreshed and comfortable. Then there was a pounding on the door. Having learned a thing or two about Middle Eastern modesty, I had the fleeting thought that I should probably cover myself before answering the door. Jeremy was too quick though. He swung the door open and was greeted by a 40-something, shy, Muslim hotel employee who announced, “Good evening, sir. I am here for your turn down service.” The man stepped inside, saw me lying scantily clad in bed and panicked. He put his eyes to the floor and said, “Oh sir, I am sorry. I am so sorry. I leave you.” “No! ... read more

Our alarm clock went off at 3:15 in the morning for this. I had bragged to all my friends back home, "I'm taking a hot air balloon ride over Luxor...how cool am I?" They'd say, "Oh, that is amazing. You're so brave. You do the most adventurous things on your trips..." Well, besides seeming like an adventurous once-in-a-lifetime thing to do, I also thought it would help me conquer my fear of heights. They say when you have a fear you should face it head on. I get sweaty palms climbing the ladder to clean my windows in the spring. Surely after floating for an hour high above Egypt I'd finally get over being afraid of heights. So, we signed up for the hot air balloon ride. I should of known that no good can come ... read more

Camping is everything you can do at home only harder, thus, I never saw the appeal. That's putting it mildly. In actuality I found the idea of sleeping in a mosquito infested campground, cooking nitrate filled hot dogs shoved on the ends of twigs surrounded by beer drinking rubes and gas guzzling 4x4's quite repulsive. I vowed I would never camp. Then I met Tara. She was a new workmate that morphed immediately into a bosom buddy. One lunctime, after a fit of juveline giggling I declared, "Tara, I like you so much, I'd even go camping with you." She pauses, turns her head and looks at me. "I hate camping," she says. "No kidding! Me too!" I reply. "Well, I've never actually done it but just the idea of it...I know I would hate it." ... read more

I thought I liked everybody. I sure liked our guide that met us outside Manuel Antonio National Park. He met us wearing the typical khaki safari attire and carrying a long heavy telescope over his shoulder. Eager to tap his sharp mind and begin my trek though the jungle, I slipped a twenty in his hand and said, "You've got poison dart frogs here, right? I mean, that's why I'm here, I've got to see a poison dart frog AND hear a howler monkey. You've got those too. I know you do. I've read it in all the guidebooks." "Of course we have them. Come, look." We scurry down the road and he immediately sets up his telescope and carefully sets it into focus. "See here, come senora" he says and motions for me to follow ... read more