Geo: 43.3259, -1.97542Being back in Spain always brings back memories, recalling my first visit here way back in the early 1100s. During that lifetime, I was a solider of fortune, a mercenary for hire, and my travels brought me down to the Iberian peninsula, where I was recruited by King Fernando himself, to battle the Moors. It was here that I met Pete, better known as Peter Gonzalez Telmo, or San Telmo - still don't know who he is? The Anglicized version is Saint Elmo, as in Saint Elmo's Fire, and Pete is the patron saint of sailors.Anyway, Pete and I used to nurse our wounds after a day of murdering and pillaging, over steaming bowls of hand-pulled ramen that I would often prepare for us, after a particularly exhausting battle. Even in scorching-hot Spain, nothing ... read more

Geo: 44.8833, -0.15I must have fallen through a dimensional portal, as I awakened this morning and found myself surrounded by a bunch of women. I wasn't entirely sure what had happened at first, having been in a deep slumber back at the apartment, lying in a hammock in the sun. "Lil Buddha, wake up, are you ready to go wine tasting?" What??!??! Wine tasting? What kind of men go wine tasting on a stag? Are you sure this isn't a Hen Party?I don't get these guys, as I was dragged off long before I wanted to wake up. First off, they stuffed me with yet another dubious pain au chocolat from Le 48, a place that seemed to be a chain of sorts, though it surprisingly turned out a slightly-better pastry than the one we had ... read more

Geo: 52.3738, 4.89095Europe is a hell of a long way to come for a stag, especially when it was all just a lame excuse for a bunch of middle-aged men to try and recapture their youth, drinking all day long while ogling European hotties. Not that I'm complaining about getting invited along, but come on now - billing it as a joint stag because Tri is possibly setting a wedding date two years from now, and calling it Tri's 40th and Tam's 39th birthday celebrations, too? Whatever it takes to convince the women to allow us to go, I guess!Luckily for me, I've been a lifelong bachelor in my countless previous incarnations, and will forever be one in all my future reincarnations, as well - Lil B answers to no one, muahahaha! So when the prospect ... read more

Geo: 51.0451, -114.063A more adventurous, and slightly more exotic version of Hawaii - after two weeks of traipsing around Costa Rica, I can't think of a more apt descriptor of this country. It's perhaps a bit of a backhanded compliment, but one that isn't intentional - really, it's the truth, since the two places share so many similarities. Beaches, coffee plantations, tropical rainforests, volcanoes ... both are tropical paradises, with all that brings to the table.Even the activities offered by both are nearly the same - diving, horseback riding, snorkeling, surfing, zip lining ... while I'd still give the nod to Costa Rica in terms of the overall quality, value, and variety of these activities, you can really have a nearly identical vacation in either locale. I'd even go so far as to suggest that you ... read more

Geo: 10.4958, -85.355Scientific fact - colourful little paper umbrellas make tropical drinks taste better when in paradise. It's something we've proven over and over the past few days in the laid back areas of Playa Carrillo and Playa Samara, where we are finishing up our last bit of beach time in Costa Rica. There's probably no better place to wind down this trip, since tomorrow night will be spent at a hotel near the Liberia airport, a location that was chosen solely because of the fact that we have an early flight back home.Carrillo ended up being a great choice, with the prettiest beach we've seen so far in Costa Rica, and one that was nearly empty every day that we were there. Even better was the fact that our hotel maintains a small kiosk at ... read more