steve_n_neens

The Dalmatian Coast was everything we wanted it to be. We'd been craving the sun and sea since we left Costa Rica and basically just relaxed on the beach for our whole time on the Island of Hvar and in Dubrovnik. There's not a great deal to write about as we spent our days swimming, snorkelling and scooting around the island and the evenings drinking wine and Slivovic (grown and distilled by the couple we stayed with), so we'll let the photos do the talking. Yep, doing it tough...... read more

Having spent a few days in Seattle resting our feet and feasting on the local produce we were once again in the air heading to Costa Rica. We were over the moon to see the familiar faces of Rachael and Jeffrey waiting amongst the throngs of taxi drivers at San Jose International and after a night in the capital we were on our way to the Caribbean coast. It was dark by the time we arrived in Cahuita, a laid back Caribbean Rasta town. Thanks to Rachael and Jeff's excellent Spanish skills we soon found a great little room not far from the beach, where we'd spend the next few nights chilling out, playing cards and drinking the local beer (Imperial). Cahuita is a great little town embodying the Costa Rican motto of 'pura vida'; the ... read more

Sain bainuu! We're back from the countryside and can happily say the Mongolia we came to see is alive and well outside the city, with nomadic life carrying on much as it has for centuries. We spent a magical 10 days in the Arkhangai Aimag (a central province), participating in a nomad-centered project called Ger to Ger (www.gertoger.org), designed to create alternative income for herder families (affected by recent unusually harsh winters which reduced the national livestock population by a third). The project is supported by various aid organisations and most of the profit goes to the herders themselves and to fund environmental restoration and education projects. There are many foreign owned tour companies operating in Mongolia visiting some magnificent scenery, but this project offered the best opportunity for an authentic experience of nomadic life. We ... read more

Well we made it into Mongolia, even with all the dried food Neen had stockpiled (the customs officials were a lot more interested in checking Mongols returning home than foreigners entering). Our hosts were there to meet us at the airport near midnight on Saturday and after a short drive in the rain in a van with no seatbelts and no headlights either for that matter, we arrived at our guesthouse (if ever you visit Ulaanbaatar, stay at Khongor Guesthouse). Our host Degi more than made up for any character the soviet style building lacks. There are some great restaurants in the city and Neen remains a vegetarian, but that will no doubt shortly change! Ulaanbaatar is a relatively modern city, complete with its share of problems associated with high density living, and in common with ... read more