By this Author: daveliz

Swinging in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica.

Hola from Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. It has been more than a year since we updated you on our travels, and yes, we are still going … just at a slower, more realistic pace, given the fact that we have 'real' American working hours and limited vacation time.

For the last two weeks, Dave and I have escaped the snow for what was supposed to be sunny Costa Rica. For the first ten days we experienced horrific torrential rains, while sleeping in a house with a tin roof that amplified the sound of every drop.

My high school friend Jeff and his wife Carrie kindly lent us their home in Punta Uva, just outside of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, which is just north of the Panama border on the Caribbean side of the country. The house was in the jungle with the ocean in site.

Unlike our trip around the world, we dined out a bit, but we had to go back to our roots with some home made rice and beans, canned peas and toast. Yum!

A local frog joined us in the bathroom one night.

From the porch we watched howler monkeys, and enjoyed the friendliness of a very pregnant cat.

Without a car or phone to call a cab, we stuck to biking around the area, despite the rain.

Puerto Viejo town.

We also managed to do mini hikes at the Cahuita and Manzanillo beach areas.

Cahuita Beach

Cahuita Trail. After a short hike in the mud we ate at Bambada, and owner/chef Walter made us the most fabulous fish and shrimp in a coconut curry sauce.

After another short, muddy hike at Manzanillo beach, we dined at Maxis. Do go!

The best part about the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica was the cuisine. We loved the coconut infused sauces, the jerk chicken, meats, fresh fish, sweet rice and beans and plantains.

We visited Bribri to meet some indigenous Tico's who make chocolate from the local cocao plant.

At a local spa called PURE we treated ourselves to jungle chocolate facials with products smelling so good it was hard to resist licking our faces.

Please note that if you are traveling to this area, DO NOT go from December to the beginning of March if you want sun. No guide book will tell you this, but it is the rainy season in this area, and a slight damper on a vacation. The Pacific side of the country is quite sunny during this time, but more touristy!

We originally planned to visit turtles in Tortuguera National Park on the northern coast of the Caribbean side, but with rain in that area too, and turtles in hiding, we opted out. We went straight to La Fortuna to soak ourselves in hot springs at the base of Arenal Volcano.

The volcano was covered in clouds the entire time we were there, but the hot springs at the Tabacon Resort were worth the 7 hour drive.

We splurged for a night at the Tabacon Resort Hotel to allow us admittance to the hot springs. It was absolutely worth it. (A tip: online there is a two night minimum stay, but if you call the day you want to stay, they will give you a room for one night if they haven't booked up.) We piggy backed our luxury night at the Tabacon Hot Springs Resort with a hostel rightly named, Sleepers Sleep Cheapers Cheap, or something like that. At $9 a person per night, it was a dream destination, plus we had our own room : - )

Iguanna in La Fortuna, Costa Rica.

For the remaining four days of our trip, we went by bus, ferry and then bus again to Santa Teresa on the Pacific Coast. We were in town with Mel Gibson, and down the street from Giselle's home too.

This rustic town is new on the tourist trail, mostly occupied by surfers and yoga enthusiasts from around the world. Oddly, there aren't too many locals in the area, which just received electricity in the late 90's. Israeli and Argentinian ex-pats seemed to own most of the properties.

Dave took surfing lessons, and really took to the waves. The next day we both took a great yoga class (my first) at Casa Zen.

Beautiful beach at Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.

We also walked to another area called Manzanillo, which a local recommended to us for having calm waters. It did, but the walk turned out to be 10K. The only other couple on the beach, with a car, was from New Hampshire, and they were kind enough to drive us back to town.

Monkeys hung out above our room at the Mini-hostel in Santa Teresa.

You can't tell here, but more people come to the beach at night in Santa Teresa than during the day to enjoy the cooler air and sunset.

Both Dave and I have visited Costa Rica before, taking advantage of the wealth of adventure sports the country has to offer (zip lining, kayaking, canyoning, etc.,) but this time we stuck with a needed mellow agenda.

Here's why .....

After ten months of living at our friend Niel's home in Boston, we finally bought a place in the South end, and love it. I work a few blocks away at a non-profit called Room to Grow, dedicated to enriching the lives of babies born into poverty. Dave continues his work at StillSecure.

We spent a week this summer in the San Francisco area, visiting Sonoma and Napa Valleys to continue our around the world wine tour. We both completed the 100 mile Rodman Ride for Kids, a charity bike ride, and we've enjoyed reconnecting with friends and family.

During the year, our new friends from our trip from Amsterdam, Hester and Freck, visited us in Boston, and we've made an effort to stay in touch with many of the other travelers who made our year abroad such an experience.

We've included some photos of our year, and will certainly be in touch again, soon enough!

Until then,
- Elizabeth (and Dave, editor and advice giver for this blog entry)

At the top of mountain in Santa Teresa.

P.S. We are still working on our around the world book. At this rate, by 2013 it should be done ; - )

In May, the college gals got together for a hike at Blue Hills.

In June, we visited Jessica and Dave in Deansboro, and my Dave enjoyed his first Saranac Brewery tour.

Dave enjoying the Adirondack chairs at my favorite Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, New York.

A family Bar Mitzvah brought us to California in August. We enjoyed Sonoma and Napa Valleys, with our favorite destination being Healdsburg. We had a lovely stay at the Haydon Street Inn.

In August my cousin Michael invited Dave and I behind the scenes of an REO Speedwagon concert.

We watched the concert from on stage. Pretty cool!

After a two hour wait, we finally made it to the front of the line at Red's Eats in Wiscassett, Maine. The lobster roll was worth the wait!

It doesn't get better than this.

Inspired by an 11-year-old boy I met at a Jimmy Fund event, I grew my hair for two years to share with a child or adult undergoing medical treatment that would prevent hair growth. In November 2010, I cut my hair for Locks of Love.

Thanksgiving 2010 with Lisa, Joanne and Cheryl. We also celebrated all of our birthdays from the year.

New Year's Eve 2011 with Sara and Diana. Adam and Dave stayed behind the scenes.

Enjoying espresso on our last day in Santiago, Chile.

Our around the world adventure came full circle. We ended in Santiago at our friend Valeria's house, where we started the trip. Once again, her family welcomed us and treated us with warmth.

Rosalia, Valeria's cousin and neighbor, is making her award winning empanadas (pastry triangles filled with beef, egg, onions and mushrooms!)

Rosalia also makes the most delicious chocolate and dulce de leche alfajores.

Our last tourist stop at the famous Virgin Mary on Cerro San Cristobal.

Leaving from the Santiago, Chile, airport. We had a crappy flight to Miami, but the customs agents were surprisingly kind. Four hours later we were in chilly Boston. The following day it snowed a foot, not the warm welcome we wanted after more than a year in the sun!

I can’t believe the end has come. Fourteen months sped by with only memories, thousands of photos and stories, and a few souvenirs left behind to remind us what we accomplished.

Our trip around the world became our job, as well as our pleasure. Every day we had a new mission, new responsibilities, new tasks, bus and train schedules to follow, hostels to find and reservations to make. We enjoyed the journey, but admittedly (even though it causes anxiety) are ready for a break, ready to find a home and job, and ready to spend time with our friends and family.

This trip was something I dreamed about for a long time. I don’t think it drastically changed me, rather made me more insightful and passionate about the world’s joys and flaws. I hope I will be able to carry that over into a future job, helping to make the world a happier place for people to live.

- Elizabeth

I just read an eerie article in Marie Claire (it was the only magazine in the bathroom!) titled "My Marriage Fell Apart...on Our Honeymoon!" It's by a woman named Liz who traveled with her husband Dave in South America. In summary, their marriage is still in tack but they had so much trouble adjusting to life 24x7 together that they traveled separately during their honeymoon and now she now only travels with her sister.

We experienced so much during this journey but the one thing we'll definitely take away from it is how it strengthened our relationship. No matter how difficult a situation, we always managed to eventually find our sense of humor and make light of ourselves. The article made me appreciate how fortunate we are to have found a travel companion in each other, let alone a life partner.

So, we're on to life's next set of adventures whatever they may be. I'm looking forward to it as much as I was our year abroad.

- Dave

It is hard to complete a list of superlatives for this trip, but overall it was the people we met along the way and the interactions we had with them that have created the lasting memories. Thank you to all who housed us. We loved every home stay!

If you’re curious:

MUSIC:
When we hear Jack Johnson or Eric Hutchinson we will think about this adventure. Their music was on in almost every hostel when we entered, or we bounced around to it in the cars we rented!

FAVORITE MOMENTS:
Eliz: Painting classes in Australia, being immersed into a Khosa village at Bulungula in South Africa, hiking and kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand, living in a minivan for two months in New Zealand and Australia.
Dave: Viewing Torres Del Paine, waking up in campervan to sounds of the ocean, drinking wine with a view at Cable Bay Winery on Waiheke Island, NZ, dolphins giving us an acrobatic show in Bay of Islands, New Zealand, biking through Bangkok, relaxing on beaches of Ko Phangan, Thailand, kayaking in Parati, Brazil, reaching summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the many good times we had with friends.

COUNTRIES WE COULD LIVE IN:
England, Netherlands, Australia and Japan.

WANT TO GO BACK, BUT COULDN’T LIVE THERE:
Everywhere in South America, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.

GLAD WE WENT, BUT WILL LIKELY NEVER RETURN:
China and Cambodia.

BEST BEACHES:
Thailand, Brazil, and Australia.

MOST PLEASANTLY SURPRISED:
Laos, Brazil and Japan.

COUNTRIES THAT HAD THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON US:
South Africa, Malawi, and Cambodia.

FAVORITE CITIES:
Melbourne, Kyoto, London, Amsterdam, Noosa, Salvador and Tokyo.

BEST TOUR:
Biking through Bangkok, Thailand (Grasshopper Adventures), Bay of Islands sailing, New Zealand (Captain Mike from Canada), and Litchfield and Kakadu Parks, Australia (Territory Expeditions - check out http://www.territoryexpeditions.com.au we are the models in many of the photos.)

WORST TOUR
Oboke Gorge boat ride in Japan, Atuel Canyan in Argentina, and the Ecological Expeditions Pantanal tour in Brazil

WILD MOMENTS:
Monkeys serving us drinks in a Japan bar, a baboon in our car in South Africa, Cambodia border crossing by foot from Thailand and white water rafting in the Zambezi River in Zambia

MOST FUN
Thailand dancing with our friend Lucy, and listening to music in the streets of Salvador, Brazil.

FIRST SURREAL MOMENT:
Eliz: Sydney Opera House.
Dave: Torres Del Paine.

WORST MOMENTS:
Eliz: Constant stomach problems in New Zealand (but I know where every free toilet is), any hike more than three days, China (poor sanitation habits got the best of me), South Africa tick bite fever, sleeping within earshot of snorers (thin wall hostels and campsites) … I’ve been known to shake stranger’s tents to wake them out of a deep snore!
Dave: 8 hour bus trip in Africa with diarrhea, Zanzibar boat trip with sea sickness and diarrhea, dealing with Elizabeth’s meltdowns on the mountains.

SADEST MOMENTS:
Eliz: Having someone in South Africa tell me tick bite fever was fatal and I would die soon.
Dave: Elizabeth telling me that we were spending too much money while eating white rice and canned peas for the fifth night in a row in New Zealand.

BIGGEST PET PEEVE:
Queue etiquette in most parts of the world! Why do people rush to the door, push and shove, and cause massive stress to all passengers to get onto a plane or bus with assigned seating? The worst culprits are people in China where the concept of a line is nonexistent and the use of elbows is common. Second are the French, who form lines, but quickly enter a game of rugby at the first sign of the line moving. Most other countries form lines, but once there is a hint of boarding the line falls apart into mass chaos. People in the US tend to crowd around the entrance to airplanes blocking everyone called before them from boarding. Come on people! Japan and England win for best line etiquette.

FAVORITE FOODS:
Empanadas, alfajores, kobe beef, churrascaria in Brazil, pre-packaged peanut butter and fluff sandwiches and rice balls in Japan.

FAVORITE DESSERT:
Chocolate mint slice cookies from New Zealand and Australia, alfajores from Rosalia's in Chile, and the iced mocha drink from the Atomic Café in Melbourne.

WORST PURCHASE:
$3 Singapore made sunglasses bought in Laos that lasted less than a week. The paint melted off leaving the image of glasses on our faces.

WON'T MISS:
Squat toilets, although we do appreciate the cleanliness factor of not sitting on a filthy toilet seat, and on the plus side, the incredible thigh muscles that we built up from squatting. We also won't miss collecting our dirty toilet paper and having to toss it in the basket next to the toilet because the septic system couldn't handle the paper.

BEST LUGGAGE ITEM:
Swiss Army knife, spork (Light my Fire) and tiny ASUS netbook.

Thank you for going along for the ride with us. We appreciated all of your comments, suggestions and well wishes. We are sure there will be more travel adventures ahead, but for now, we must try to be productive citizens here in the US.

Our first five minutes in Boston! A blizzard came the next morning, a sign our 14 mo. summer was officially over.

All the best and safe travels!
- Elizabeth and Dave

MENDOZA

Mendoza, Argentina, was an area we looked forward to the entire year. We were supposed to start off our honeymoon in the romantic setting of vineyards and mountains back in November 2008, but a border strike prevented us from getting there. We finally rolled into Mendoza in December 2009 on yet another overnight bus (that is five in the last few weeks!) Mendoza is a beautiful, relaxed city with lots of parks, plazas and tree lined streets, but we set our expectations too high on the grape scene. The wine was fantastic, but we had a vision of peaceful vineyards and quaint villages sitting at the foothills of the snow capped Andes mountains, similar to regions we experienced in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and in the States. Rather, the villages were not that well kept and the vineyards were on fairly busy streets with unwelcoming security gates.

Mendoza city has two main areas for vineyards, Chacras de Coria and the more well known Maipu region, which was the first in the nation and we believe started by a Chilean. Mendoza is one of the top five largest wine regions in the world, the largest in Argentina producing 70% of the country's wines. The area is best known for its red wines, especially malbec, as the climate for growing ripe fruit is excellent with dry, hot summers and cool winters.

This vineyard wasn't open to the public, but we enjoyed the view!

We toured the Chacras de Coria region by bike, making stops at Bodegas Alta Vista, Lagarde and Clos de Chacras. The most picturesque vineyard we visited was Alta Vista. It also had the best wines we tasted that day.

These stainless steel tanks hold the cheaper and younger red wines, white wines and champaign for fermenting. Alta Vista uses huge cement tanks for the higher quality wines, because that allows for better temperature control.

The higher quality and more complex red wines age in these French and American oak barrels for six to 36 months. This process is the second fermentation period taking place after the wine has been sitting in the cement tanks.

The Alta Vista tasting room used to be one of the old cement tanks. The small window in the lower right displayed the three foot thickness of the wall. The floor and doors are made from parts of an old, giant oak barrel.

Dave likes the torrontes best, a white wine unique to Argentina, with malbec coming in a close second.

We loved seeing the old cars en route.

Although drivers in Argentina have embraced new cars, they haven't forgotten about some old goodies. You see old Fords, Peugeots, Renaults and Citroens everywhere, probably very reminiscent of Cuba.

Mendoza city itself is quite vibrant.

Families gather on weekend days at Parque de San Martin.

At night, Mendoza is hopping with bar-lined streets. We tried our best to go out to dance, but with the start time of 1 a.m., us old farts were in bed. We were awake enough to grab a drink beforehand on Av. Aristides Villanueva

Mendoza is also the nearest city to Aconcagua, which is is the highest mountain in the western hemisphere. Fortunately, Dave had no desire to do the 15 day hike to the top. Perhaps the thought of his complaining wife next to him gravitated him towards another glass of wine instead!

SAN RAFAEL

Before going to Mendoza city, we visited San Rafael, which is in the south of the Mendoza province and also known for its wine, fruit and olive trees. We visited Bodegas Valentin Bianchi, Suter and La Abeja. Argentinians rave about Bianchi and it was the best of the three.

Valentin Bianchi´s wine cellar was huge. It stores thousands of bottles of wine.

We tasted homemade marmalade from one of many shops outside a fruit farm.

SAN RAFAEL is also known for the Cañón del Atuel and the El Nihuil Dam. The canyon is about 60 km long and made from a variety of rock types and formations. Unfortunately we don't have the best photos, because we went on one of the worst tours ever. . . only stopping at the hydroelectric plants and not sights of nature's beauty. At the end of the tour we had a really bad wine tasting too

The colorful walls of Cañon del Atuel.

Thankfully we did stop at the Valle Grande reservoir, which was pretty exquisite with its turquoise water and mountainous surroundings.

This street sign in San Rafael marks where it all began. We bought our around the world flight ticket in Buenos Aires, and stop number one was Chile.

Before getting on an overnight bus to Santiago, Chile, we spent a few hours on our last day in Argentina at the Termas Cacheuta, a thermal water park just outside of Mendoza. The natural, warm and bubbly springs promised to give us a bit of relaxation before returning home. Unfortunately, the million and one children running around had something else in mind.

Twenty six countries later we have returned to Santiago, Chile, where we began our trip. We have come full circle before returning home to Boston.

- Elizabeth and Dave

Cerro Champaquí, Córdoba, Argentina, through the clouds.

Elizabeth and I often reflect on our year of travel and have the strange sensation that the past 14 months have been a dream. We've found that one of the best ways to inject a dose of reality is to visit people we've met along the way. This is one reason why I was so insistent that we climb Champaquí, the highest mountain in the Córdoba province, with a few of the Argentinians I met on Kilimanjaro.

Perhaps, subconsciously, it was also why I misinterpreted the Spanish dossier sent to me by Miguel, my Kilimanjaro friend and guide for the Alto Rumbo Champaquí hike. I initially translated it to say three day hike with three to four hours of hiking each day, so Elizabeth agreed to do it with me. In reality, there were three to four hour hikes in the morning and then in the afternoon. Sorry Elizabeth!

Elizabeth wasn't too happy with my mistake since hiking seven hours a day for three days straight isn't her thing. Now that I say it, it doesn't sound fun to me either! Never-the-less, she made it to the top easily with only a few (hundred) minor complaints along the way ;-)

How many women would within a year live in a car, sleep in a tent, hike mountains in the rain, use bathrooms ill-suited for humans, take cold showers and not kill their husband? I'm a lucky man!

We hiked with a group of nine fun and friendly Argentinians. Raul, with whom I hiked Kilimanjaro, was the only English speaker.

Miguel, our Alto Rumbo guide, describing the history and geology of Champaquí and the Valle de Calamuchita in Spanish. I tried to translate for Elizabeth, but my Spanish was pushed past my limit. Miguel would talk for five minutes and I would inevitably translate, "that rock is of some importance."

Everyone made it to the top successfully just in time for siesta.

Our group at dinner the night of the summit. Even though we didn't understand everything they were saying, they made the experience enjoyable. We made them all a bit jealous with our 14 month trip. Extended travel is even more unheard of for Argentinians than Americans.

"Equipo Kilimanjaro." Me, Miguel, Viviana, and Raul.

After the hike we explored Villa General Belgrano, a little German village that serves as the base camp for Alto Rumbo.

If people weren't speaking Spanish you'd think we were in Germany.

It's amazing how many towns and cities we've seen in a year. We've taken countless bus trips from town to town. Córdoba was the next city to mark off on the map. We got a small dose of life in the city before our next destination, the province of Mendoza.

Elizabeth gets cozy for our overnight bus trip.

Córdoba has an extensive network of pedestrian ways.

The ubiquitous Argentinian town plaza with man on horse in the middle. Every city and town in Argentina centers around a large square.

The architecture is very European.

Córdoba is a Jesuit town with churches on every corner. Each one has its own character.

Córdoba has the largest university in Argentina. Nearing the end of the school year, sorority girls make a little noise marching down the main street.

We had to buy the peculiar looking green fruit from this peddler. Two days later we realized it was a fig and not some tropical Argentinian fruit.

One thing we find hard to swallow in Argentina is the diet. Individually the meat, empanadas and sweets are delicious. However, a typical breakfast is white bread with dulce de leche (caramel spread), lunch consists of ham and cheese on white bread, and dinner is some type of meat, meat, meat with a combo of rice, potatoes or pasta. Fruit and vegetables are rarely on the table. We were surprised that even the athletic hikers didn't vary their diet to give them more energy. Meanwhile, our insides feel like glue.

Onwards . . . a few more bottles of wine, a handful of empanadas and alfahores, and some Latin dancing in Mendoza and our trip will quickly come to a close. We're looking forward to seeing our friend Valeria and her family in Santiago, Chile, soon where it all began. It's sure to be a sentimental and emotional experience!

- Dave

Coke is it! The biggest thing around. Salinas Grandes, Argentina.

From the beginning of our world trip, I wanted to visit a salt flat, a dried lake of salt, which looks like a snow covered desert. Our goal was to visit the world's largest salt flat in Bolivia, but unfortunately relations between Bolivia and the US have not been good. When we started the trip in Oct. 08, there were travel warnings for Americans to stay out of Bolivia. Now, Bolivia wants US citizens to pay $135, give bank statements from the last three months and requires a passport photo on a red background, which is absurd. I can go into all of the political reasons for this, but Dave and I simply decided that getting this visa was not worth the hassle. It is apparent to us that newly re-elected President Evo Morales does not welcome Americans right now, which is a shame, because Bolivia is a beautiful country and many of its citizens depend on tourism dollars that will no longer come from us, among others.

As a consolation we settled for the more convenient Salinas Grandes north of Salta, Argentina.

Salt Flat Romance.

Dave is in the palm of my hands.

Salt forms in a honeycomb shape as the earth moves.

Salt is collected for human consumption and use from these pools dug into the salt flat, which are constantly regenerating themselves with new salt. Iodine is added for eating purposes.

En route to the Salt Flats we drove along the road next to the Train to the Clouds.

Tren a Las Nubes runs on the third highest railway in the world. It is now only used for tourism purposes.

We climbed up steep mountain roads, passing colorful mountains made up of several types of rock.

We also passed desert filled with cactus.

And stopped in small Inca influenced villages.

Colorful quilts for sale on the streets of Purmamarca, a small, touristy town.

Purmamarca is known for the Cerro de los 7 Colores, but when we arrived and the sun was setting only about 5 colors appeared on the mountain.

This small town was straight from a western film.

Doesn't this town look like Lego Land?

The northwest of Argentina is quite rural and poor. Sugarcane and tobacco production are the main agriculture industries in the area, which help the local economy. We learned that Virginia tobacco either directly or indirectly supports about 500,000 people a year in this region.

SALTA is the capital of the Salta Province. It is a medium size city with a nice square in downtown and pedestrian shopping ways.

Salta church.

Direct deposit hasn't made its way to Argentina. Bank lines are incredibly long, wrapping around buildings, especially at the beginning of the month when seniors want to collect government checks.

CAFAYATE is a quaint town about two hours south of Salta. It is influenced by Spanish architecture and ancient tribes.

Cafayate rests in a valley high above sea level and is known for its wine.

We rented bikes to ride around the wine region, not really thinking about the high altitude, dirt roads and affect of the wine. Hmmm. We really enjoyed wines from Finca Los Nubes and Domingo Hermanos, especially torrontes wine grown from a grape native to Argentina.

Here are some scenes from the bodegas:

AMAICHA DEL VALLE is home to the Pachamama museum, which is not to be missed in the middle of this small town on the way to Tucuman from Cafayate. The property is part sculpture park and part art/history museum solely designed by artist Hector Cruz. Pachamama means mother earth, so the focus of the paintings, tapestries and sculptures is on nature and the aboriginal culture in Argentina.

Like the locals in small town Argentina, Dave flagged down the bus to take us to Tucuman so we could catch another bus to Cordoba. It was a long day!

With less than one week left, Dave and I are trying to enjoy every minute, but are sad about the impending end to our adventure.

Coming up . . . hiking to the top of the highest mountain in Cordoba, plus wine tasting and canyons in San Rafael.

- Elizabeth