Panamerican

The truth is touring the J.N. ("Ding") Darling National Wildlife Refuge was not our first choice for the last day of our short trip to Sanibel Island. The main reason we decided to tour Wildlife Drive was because the Sanibel Thriller, which is touted as Sanibel and Captiva Islands' most exciting tour boat that circumnavigates both islands while luring acrobatic dolphins in its wake, was closed for the entire month of September. And as much as we wanted to be able to brag about having a Cheeseburger in Paradise on Cabbage Key, we decided to leave that for another day. So after being sold on the eco friendly tram that carts visitors through Sanibel Island's J.N. Darling National Wildlife Drive that we saw advertised in a brochure, Liz and I decided it would be worth shelling ... read more

Well, it was not exactly Vietnam as I had planned but the short road trip from the Tampa Bay area to Sanibel Island was an easy one. It was less than 2.5 hours before we were seated at the Lazy Flamingo and ordering lunch with a cold beer in our hands. My burger was excellent but the fried Grouper bites Liz ordered were ok at best, and not real good when we saw the "market price" was $16.99 for only 4 pieces of fried Grouper and more french fries than the two of us could eat together. Disappointed after not taking action quickly enough to take advantage of the super low rate of $85 per night at the Tween Waters Inn on Captiva Island, I didn't know what to expect at the Sanibel Sunset Beach Resort ... read more

I doubled over, gasping to catch my breath. The humidity of the Panamanian jungle pressed me down, sweat dripping from my face, back and legs. My wife's face contorted with worry as she watched. Barely ten minutes had slipped by since Chavelo Rodriguez, the hotel’s gardener and our hiking guide, said, "This is where the trail really gets steep," and I wasn't sure I could continue. The slippery rock we'd have to climb to continue our ascent of El Cerro la Vieja (the Old Hill) loomed directly above. Then I glanced down at the precipitous trail below me. I wasn't sure I could make it up, but I knew I couldn't go back down. The pristine rainforest I loved so much had suddenly become an adversary. I pulled a bottle of water from my oversized backpack ... read more

As the "Backpacker" train slowly chugged away from the station in Cusco, my lifelong dream of discovering the Lost City of the Incas was under way. The only thing between me and the ruins was the normally 4 hour train trip to Aguas Calientes which is a sleepy little town at the foot of Machu Picchu. We enjoyed the scenic views through the countryside and really began to get excited once we started going along side the Urubamba River. But then the train quickly came to a halt right at the location where the Inca Trail begins. For the first 30 minutes or so we relaxed and enjoyed watching the hikers and their porters begin their journey. But after a couple of hours of not being given any details, we were growing impatient and ready to ... read more