Should I Stay or Should I Go?

These past few weeks I’ve had to wrestle with some tough decisions about where I should head to next. Normally, I don’t really hesitate to accept my next travel assignments. These last two potential trips, however, were tough ones to consider and I’m still wondering if I made the right decision.

The first one: Peru. I’ve always wanted to go to Peru. In fact, Machu Picchu is near the top of my list of sites I want to see before I leave this Earth (this topic will also most likely reappear in a future post, I’m sure). And the food: On my rare weekdays off (as my boyfriend can drudgingly attest to), I beg for us to eat at our favorite Peruvian restaurants (I have a total of three faves) just for their lunch specials. Lomo saltado is practically a staple of my diet. (Photo © NationalGeographic.com)

So, when I was invited to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to Lima, Peru, I didn’t hesitate to say yes, well, in my head. Unfortunately, though, due to reasons I won’t really get into, I’m not going. Oh well. Some day.

The second trip: Thailand. Thailand, like Peru, is another one of those destinations that I’ve always longed to travel to. Nearly every travel writer I’ve met who’s been to Thailand before has sung its praises as a destination that can’t be missed. Oh, how I would love to hang out with elephants in Chiang Mai. Unfortunately, though, with the political violence that has been taking place in Thailand—especially in the capital city of Bangkok—I wasn’t so sure whether it would be safe—or prudent—for me to go. (Photo © Tourism Authority of Thailand)

I only had a single night to ponder my decision, so I asked those closest to me for their advice. While my family members didn’t explicitly say no, they didn’t exactly give the trip a resounding endorsement. Other travel industry professionals told me it’d be fine, and that things were totally back to normal. Still, I wasn’t quite sure what to decide.

Here, I thought, was a unique opportunity to actually see what Thailand is like, especially in the wake of what’s happened these past few months. If I went, I could really report on how the government’s current state of emergency is affecting tourism and overall daily life in the city—you know, the kind of stuff that a hard-hitting, in-the-know travel journalist ought to write about instead of fluffy spa day visits or overly opulent luxury hotel reviews (not that I'd turn those down anytime, however).

After much mulling, though, and after talking it over with my editor-in-chief, we decided it was probably best for me not to go, at least for now. A future trip to Thailand might still be a possibility but just not right now.

I think that, if I’ve learned anything from this, it’s that with travel, as with most things, a lot of variables are simply out of your control. And, sometimes, you really have to think more about how your choices will affect the people who matter most to you than looking out for just yourself.

So, instead of packing my bags up and heading off this summer, I’ll most likely be staying at home this year. I’m a little bummed but I'm staying optimistic. Besides, the weather’s been pretty nice lately and well, I can’t wait for summer to officially arrive. So, until then, I’m content to stay.

Perfectly Pura Vida?

I’ve just returned from a weeklong press trip to Costa Rica and, while I’m grateful for the amazing experiences that it afforded me, I must admit that I’ve never been happier to be home from a press trip. I even had a hard time keeping it together after spotting the 405 while I flew into LAX. This, I think, has a lot more to do with how the press trip was organized by the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo (ICT), or Costa Rica Tourism Board—not with how Costa Rica itself, as a destination, really is.

Shady accommodations (with the exception of The Springs Resort & Spa and Trogon Lodge), 5 a.m. wake-up calls, painfully long bus rides, 6 p.m. lunches and 9 p.m. dinners preceded by long-winded PowerPoint presentations were the main culprits. (I’m not alone in my assessment, either; Christopher P. Baker, a fellow journalist on my press trip and the author of many, many Costa Rica guidebooks also agreed.)

But even though this trip may have had a disproportionate amount of downs compared to ups, I didn't exactly see it that way. I’m still glad I went on it and grateful for the opportunities that I had to see so much of Costa Rica. I also know that the ICT really had good intentions; they just didn't execute them in the best way sometimes. In fact, I’d still want to go back to Costa Rica in a heartbeat: I love its rich culture, its super-friendly people, its deliciously wholesome and hearty food and its breathtaking nature and wildlife.

And, as the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right? Or it just gives you a really bad chest cold like the one I have right now. Luckily, blog writing doesn’t require me to get up out of bed at all—or actually try to use my voice.

Another bonus from this trip? I got to know an amazing group of fellow travel writers, photographers and videographers from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and even Uruguay. Together, we muddled through somehow and I know that those shared memories are ones that we’ll always look back on with fondness and laughter.

Those memories and the lessons that I learned from this trip are truly invaluable to me now. More than the bags of Caffé Britt coffee or bottles of Salsa Lizano that I lugged home, these are the things that I will treasure most. Not to sound cliché, but it’s true: we might travel for many reasons but no matter where or why we go, we always learn something from the experience, especially so when things aren't necessarily perfect. So, in no particular order, here are the things I learned from my Costa Rica trip:

1. The ability to sleep on long bus rides is crucial when you have days that start at 5 a.m. and end at midnight. Lucky for me, I can fall asleep on any bus ride, even more so when it’s for three of four hours at a time on unpaved roads.

2. You’re never too old—or young—to play in the mud.

3. Off! Light & Fresh scented towelettes might smell better than the Deep Woods ones, but the Deep Woods ones work 10 times better. Trust me.

4. For that matter, bring a spray-on bug spray, too, and don’t forget to douse the bed sheets with it.

5. If the bathroom reeks of raw sewage and you’re being attacked by crickets while you sleep, resort to a makeshift shower of Charmin wipes, followed by the aforementioned Off! Deep Woods towelettes.

6. No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to make zipline gear look remotely fashionable.

7. Before you take a sip of your vodka tonic, check to make sure there’s no cockroach at the bottom of the glass. To paraphrase Mr. Baker: "If Mexico is known for its tequila worm, does that mean that Costa Rica should be known for its vodka cucaracha?"

8. If I wanted to build my tropical dream house, I’d hire the owners of Monte Azul to do it for me.

9. I’m a sucker for handicrafts…

10. …and baby animals.

11. I really need to upgrade my camera and get a better lens. This was my best shot of the quetzal we spotted in the forests of San Gerardo de Dota. It's pretty awful.

 12. This is a postcard of what the quetzal actually looks like.

13. I know some people detest it, but I love papaya.

14. Hummingbirds never cease to amaze me.

 More to come later…