http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Toni-Lynn/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Toni Lynn en-us Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:51:32 +0000 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 09:51:32 +0000 Our last two days on Playa Guiones were spent surfing beautiful big glassy waves It was so refreshing to have soft clean waves to ride and a manageable paddle out to the outside. The sunsets were absolutely stunning. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my travels.I am now back in California where the cool ocean air with all of the wonderful smells reminds me of where home is. Jacki http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/blog-418905.html It's my last week of travel and guess who shows up at my door in Costa Rica Mi HermanaAll of my family did a great job concealing the surprise visit from Jackie. In some ways the shock still hasn't worn off yet. It turned out to be a bittersweet reunion for us. Sadly our dog Abbey passed away on June 20th and Jackie felt it was best to tell me in person. Our time together proved to be a peri http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/San-Juan-Del-Sur/blog-418889.html HolaSorry for the near week delay in contact but im still adjusting to my shift from Nicaragua to Costa Rica. I made my way down South and crossed the border using the chicken bus system which proved to be painless cheap and of course entertainingI met mi amiga Darcie at the Liberia airport and have been staying at an upscale 2bed 2bath condo that she rented. Needless to say i am stil http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Costa-Rica/Guanacaste/Nicoya-Peninsula/blog-414859.html Hi everyoneThank you so much for the sweet comments and positive feedback about my entries. They feel good when Im in need of something familiar.Well i just returned from the isla de Ometepe. For those who arent familiar it is the island of circles and spirals located in Lake Nicaragua. The indigenous ancestors of Nicaragua called the Nahualts referred to this island of two volcanoes as the http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Isla-de-Ometepe/blog-412932.html Hola mi familia y amigos On Sat. I completed my spanish lessons 20 hours with my teacher Juan Jose Garanja. I am beyond pleased with the results. Ill admit i was a bit overwhelmed at first but they paid off. I am now able to speak in all of the tenses and my vocabulary continues to build. As a thank you to mi maestro i promised to show him how to do yoga. He loved it and was determined to http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Playa-Madera/blog-411217.html Buenas Diasi am finally here in san juan del sur at the casa oro hostel. i spent about 2 hours in line at customs the morning i arrived in managua due to the extra details of screening people with a heatsensored camera to detect possible flu symptoms for those of you who know me and my minor anal retentive ways you could imagine how crazy i was thinking my nica driver was going to leave me a http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/Playa-Madera/blog-409296.html Primal Quest Expedition Race 2006 took place in the hot desert of Moab UT. My husband boyfriend at the time was a member of Team Nautilus and completed the 500 mile trek bike kayak ropes course on the eighth day. During the race I flew into Utah and explored the area. Arches National Park was indeed a highlight. An even greater highlight occurred at the finishline. As Team Nautilus was i http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Utah/Moab/blog-401597.html A small group of volunteers and myself travelled to South East Asia as a Tsunami Relief Effort immediately following the 2004 Tsunami Disaster that devastated the Andaman Coast of Thailand. We arrived in Bangkok after a 19 hour flight that stopped in Osaka Japan. After about 3 days of exploring the city we bused it down to Khura Buri on the South West coast. There was a shanty camp set up for th http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Thailand/South-West-Thailand/blog-401582.html This trip was dedicated to my college Art History teacher Dorothy Keller who inspired me to travel the world My visit to Rome and Florence brought me face to face with all of the stunning architecture sculpture and paintings that I had once viewed from a projector in a lecture hall. Here's to you Dotty http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Italy/Lazio/Rome/blog-401565.html My fiance at the time and I completed the 4day Inca Trail trek to Machu Picchu and arrived on a spectacular sunny New Year's Day 2008. The following day we were married by a Quechuan shaman in Aguas Caliente. It was a private traditional Andean ceremony and the only other person there was a Quechuan translator. We also exchanged our own personal vows and rings before departing to the Sacred V http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Inca-Trail/blog-401560.html I finally made it out to visit Jackie on the North Shore of Kauai. She had already been living and working on Hanalei Bay for 3 months. We spent most of our time in Hanalei. The surf was small so we went out on an outrigger canoe for the first time. It was a laughingfit from the start. Eventually flipped it and lost a pair of Electricsdefinitely worth it though She took me up to KeKe beach w http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Hawaii/Kauai/Hanalei/blog-401477.html I finally pulled the trigger and committed I bought my airline ticket to Central America for the summer. I'll be leaving San Francisco the night of June 14th 2009 on an overnight flight to Managua Nicaragua. As of now the plan is to head for San Juan Del Sur on the Southern Pacific Coast. I'll be staying at the Casa Oro Hostel to start while I brush up on my Spanish at the Nica Spanish Languag http://www.travelblog.org/Central-America-Caribbean/Nicaragua/San-Juan-Del-Sur/blog-401462.html