Phangan Animal Care

When we visited Thailand in February, I was saddened by the abundance of stray and neglected dogs. In Koh Phangan I saw an ad for an organization that helps the soi dogs (street dogs), Phangan Animal Care. I said hi on Facebook and they invited us to stop by. We spent about an hour with Laura Taylor as she showed us around and told us about their accomplishments and challenges. Laura and the other staff work in hot, rugged conditions with limited resources, and they make a big difference for dogs and cats in distress. See the post on our travel blog about Stray Dogs in Thailand.

Peter Alderman Foundation

We took it easy in Singapore because Michael was recovering from dysentery (he got sick in Cambodia; see the post on our travel blog Stomach Gone Amok). So, I watched a lot of TV in our flat. One day, I saw the 2011 movie Love Hate Love about people who have been affected by an act of violence or terrorism. The show profiled five families that turned their pain into something positive; all were memorable, but one particularly stood out. Elizabeth and Stephen Alderman lost their son Peter in New York on 9/11 and created the Peter Alderman Foundation. The foundation’s mission is, “to heal the emotional wounds of victims of terrorism and mass violence by training indigenous health workers and establishing trauma treatment systems in post-conflict countries around the globe.” Two of the countries we visited, Cambodia and Uganda, have clinics.

Fahari

On an airplane in Tanzania I saw an article about a social enterprise in Zanzibar, Fahari, that provides an opportunity for local women to learn job skills and earn an income.UK accessories designer Julie Lawrence used her knowledge and experience to create Fahari. The organization offers free training on handcrafts production, business administration, and marketing. At the time of this post, 54 women have received training and 14 work at the store. I have made jewelry as a hobby for years and recently became interested in social enterprises. So it was really exciting to visit the store / workshop, see the beautiful jewelry and handbags, and do some shopping of course. Julie was there and we got to meet her and chat. Although Zanzibar was not our favorite destination, it was great to visit Fahari (see the Zanzibar post on our travel blog).

Betty Kahima

I volunteer with an NGO, COBATI, that creates cultural tourism opportunities in rural Uganda (I do their website). One of the highlights of our trip was a ten day visit to meet the people who are involved with the organization. Betty Kahima and her husband live in Masheruka village in southwestern Uganda. Although she is retired, Betty continues to offer much-needed midwife, female health, and family planning services at her clinic, Tuhwerane Domicilliary Clinic, (which is onsite at her home). She provides convenient, quality services in a safe, caring environment. One group that especially benefits is women with aids because of the stigma they face. Betty gave us an unforgettable welcome and tour of her home and clinic. See more about Betty Kahima >

Freedom Writers Foundation

In Istanbul, I watched the 2007 movie Freedom Writers about an English teacher in a tough southern California high school. (I only watched it because it was one of the few English language programs available). At first, I half paid attention as I caught up on blogging. But then I got caught up in the storyline and started to wonder if it was a true story. At the end of the movie, I found out that it was (I guess I could have checked online during the movie). I went to the Freedom Writers Foundation website and read about Erin Gruwell and her students. Erin had the courage, patience, and intelligence to break through to the students and empower them to succeed. I love the title they chose for the book! Coincidentally, I lived in Orange County California at the time the movie took place.

What inspires you?

As we continue on our world adventure, I imagine we will encounter more people and organizations that inspire. So hopefully I will have more to share in a future post. In the meantime, it would be great to hear what inspires you. Leave a comment below and share your inspiration…

Stay

We stayed at Ana y Jose, a cute boutique hotel on the beach. The rooms are not very large, but they are cool and comfortable with nice amenities. Try an ocean view room on the second floor (we stayed in Luna, #11). Daily breakfast was included – not a basic continental snack – you could order anything off the menu. Each morning, we ate a leisurely breakfast in the sand barefoot – what a great way to start the day. The beach has comfortable lounge chairs and shaded palapas. The hotel is a short walk or cab ride to restaurants and shops.

Explore

There are several Mayan ruins nearby. If you like snorkeling, you can visit the many Cenotes. Michael put his new scuba diving certification to use by diving at Dos Ojos Cenote. He booked a morning dive at Mexidivers, a short taxi ride from the hotel. See Michael’s photos of Dos Ojos Cenote. There are a few cute little shops with local art and souvenirs along the street near the hotels.

When we travel, we often prefer self-catering properties instead of hotels (see relax in a holiday flat on your next vacation). This time, we stayed at hip, modern two bedroom apartment in the residential suburb Condado (Ocean Park). The apartment is nearly on the beach (there is one house in front) and has an awesome rooftop deck with plunge pool. Read the review on Tripadvisor.

Sand and Sea

We spent a lot of time strolling on the beach near the apartment in Ocean Park. It is a large, clean, peaceful residential beach with lively waves. There is nothing touristy here – just local residents chilling out – some with kids, some with dogs. It is also a popular spot for small group boot camp classes (I felt a bit guilty as I strolled by with rum drink in hand).

Michael was especially excited about the trip because he planned to complete the dive requirements to get his scuba certification. He took the classes online and did the initial diving lesson at a pool in Arizona. In Puerto Rico he went to a PADI center, Aqua Adventure, at the Caribe Hilton on two consecutive days for the open water dives. The instructor Pedro was awesome and Michael had a great experience. Read the review on Tripadvisor. I hung out on the hotel’s small beach and then we cooled off in the pool afterwards. The pool has a swim up bar and is a great place to sip a cocktail and enjoy the ocean view. Here’s the only negative… One day we got a snack at the pool bar and it was yuck! The veggie wrap that was described as ‘baby field greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots’ was filled with a warm, grilled greasy mixture that could have been left over from the previous night’s dinner.

Sights

We visited old San Juan on a previous trip. So we popped over Sunday night to see what was new in town. That night there was a large street fair with food, craft booths, and music. We started at Dragonfly Restaurant for an incredible calamari appetizer accompanied by a lemongrass mojito (I don’t even like calamari and I’m so glad I gave it a try). Next we strolled through the street fair down to the water and along the city wall. Old San Juan is a great place to wander because there are narrow cobblestone streets and random works of art (statues, fountains, etc.). We had worked up a thirst, so we grabbed a pina colada at Barrachina, which claims to be the birthplace of the pina colada (some say it was the Caribe Hilton). The traffic was really bad, so we asked the bartender for a tip on how to easily exit the town center in our rental car. He gave us a great route and explained that the traffic was from the ‘asshole patrol’ (his words) – cruisers who repeatedly drive in a circle through the area.

We returned to old San Juan a few days later for lunch at Restaurante Raices, a popular spot for mofongo, and a wee bit of shopping. I couldn’t resist checking out the Custo outlet and Michael found a spice store where he picked up hot sauce. Afterwards, we stopped for a drink at nearby Hotel El Convento.

Art

If you like art, don’t miss the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico. The museum was just ten minutes from our apartment and we went on Wednesday evening when admission was free. There is a good mix of art styles and a really nice gift shop.

Casa Bacardi

What visit to Puerto Rico would be complete without a visit to Casa Bacardi (especially if you are a rum connoisseur like Michael)? The factory is a 25 minute drive from Condado on the freeway. Admission is free and includes two free drinks per person. The tour was very interesting and provided a great history of the Bacardi family and the business. I’m not much into touristy gift shops, but this one has a lot of cool t-shirts and will custom engrave a bottle if you want.

Lechoneras in Guavate

Michael was craving pork, so we took a drive to Guavate, a small town in the mountains with a relaxed vibe. There isn’t much to see on the main street, other than a few shops and lots of lechoneras. Michael got a bunch of food to go and then we continued a drive through the mountains. We got carried away and decided to continue to the other end of the island by Arroyo. During the drive, we passed a small, pretty lake, Lago Patillas (image below). The roads are very narrow and curvy, so be prepared for a long drive if you give it a try.

Things you Can Skip

We were disappointed with a few sights. Ashford Ave is a generic street with hotels, chain restaurants, and stores. There’s not much here that you won’t see in any other city. La Placita, the outdoor market, is small and most of the stalls were closed. Also, there is no free parking in the area.

Final Thoughts

We didn’t make it to everything we planned to see. There was only one night that was ideal to see the bioluminescent bay – and that was our first night in town. (Travel tip: check the moon phase calendar before you go. The best viewing is on nights during a new moon and waxing crescent phase.) We really wanted to visit El Yunque, but it was a 45 minute drive away and we got a case of the lazies.

Overall, it was a great week with the right mix of sightseeing, relaxation, and rum.
See more photos on Pinterest.

Resources

Apartment in Condado
Aqua Adventure scuba diving
Bacardi Factory
Castillo San Felipe del Morro
Dragonfly Restaurant
Guavate (town)
Guavate (food)
Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico

Hotel Room View

Fira, Santorini – Millhouses

Santorini is one of the most picturesque islands on earth. It is fun to wander the stone paths that hug the coast. Our hotel room was an old windmill that overlooked the caldera.

Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica – La Mariposa

La Mariposa, on the Pacific coast, has a cute swim up bar in the hillside pool and a host of local wildlife to entertain. Our hotel room had floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall and a great balcony to enjoy the view.

Making Lemons into Lemonade

Long, Late Night Drive to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

The international airport in San Jose is roughly 3.5 hours from Manuel Antonio by car. We arranged for the hotel to pick us up. Our flight landed around 11:00 PM and we set off. About mid-way through the drive, the van broke and we stopped a small bar in the jungle. After some tinkering, we set off again. The van was still having problems, so the driver arranged for a vehicle change. We drove to a gas station and met up with the attendant (the gas station was closed). It took over an hour for the new van to arrive.

We were tired and in the middle of the dark, quiet jungle in the week hours of the morning. Michael had packed a bunch of snacks for the plane along with a bottle of rum (yes, this was before 911). So he pulled out the goodies and we had a jungle picnic with the driver and gas station attendant. The new van arrived and we set off again. We reached the hotel just in time to see the sun rise over the Pacific.

Gross but Cool

Dung Beetle in South Africa

Who would think that when you are just a few feet away from magnificent animals like zebra, giraffe, and elephant, you can be captivated by watching two dung beetles.

Libations

Glenlivet Scotch

The first time I tried Scotch was when I visited the UK on my own. For part of the trip, I went on a group bus tour through England, Scotland, and Wales. After a very scenic drive through the Scottish highlands, we visited the Glenlivet distillery. I don’t know if it was the scenery or being at the distillery, but I was hooked. I even bought a bottle of 18-year-old with a tour-mate to enjoy on the rest of the trip.

One Barrel Rum

One Barrel is produced in Belize, and that’s exactly where Michael and I found it in 2003. It is a medium-colored sweet rum with a molasses flavor – super yummy. For a while, it was tough to find in the United States, but has become more available. We usually have a bottle on hand.

Laid Back Island

Ambergris Caye Belize

No shoes needed… Hop on a bicycle, jump in a golf cart, or walk down the beach to one of the local restaurants or bars. Arrange for a boat to pick you up at your hotel’s dock for a day of snorkeling in the beautiful Caribbean. At the end of a perfect day, sit on the dock and enjoy the sunset with a One Barrel cocktail. We stayed at Xanadu Island Resort.

What are some of your favorite travel memories?