Tamarindo is a laid-back fishing town that has been and continues to be converted over to a surfing town and a major tourist destination for foreigners. I stayed in a great hostile with a talkative parrot outside in a cage. I spent my time relaxing, improving my surfing, and hanging out with my newfound friends from Quebec who were staying in a nearby hotel. I really enjoyed the great surfing, amazing sunsets, relaxing atmosphere and friendly people. I greatly improved my confidence and skill in surfing and my appreciation for the skill and fitness the sport entails. I would love to go back and visit Tamarindo as it is a great place for relaxation, fun and surfing. Pura Vida!

Labels: Central America, Costa Rica, Travel, World Tour

Costa Rica is a beautiful country and it has learned to leverage that for its tourist industry. Its most popular form of tourism he is called eco-tourism which promotes exploring its beautiful national parks, beaches, rain forests, volcanoes, and mountains. After a 12 hour layover in Atlanta, allowing me to visit my family, I headed to the airport for my final journey of the trip. The three hour flight to Costa Rica was an easy one and by far the shortest I had taken. I flew into Liberia, Costa Rica where I stayed for one day as arranged transport and lodging for the rest of the trip. The following day I visited Santa Rosa National Park home to volcanic hot springs and boiling mud pools, as well as beautiful rain forest, the Colorado River and one of the most beautiful waterfalls I've seen in my life. I met some new friends from Quebec Canada and hiked most of the trails with them. I heard monkeys, saw a unique raccoon and a large spider while on the hike. At the end of the day I headed back to my hostel in Liberia and rested up to get ready for my trip the following morning to Tamarindo.

Labels: Central America, Costa Rica, Travel, World Tour

I had a twenty three hour layover in Incheon Airport which is just a short bus ride from Seoul, so decided to head into Seoul, get some sleep and explore a bit. I arrived late at night so I found my hostel and went to bed. The next day I spent my time exploring about some of the palaces, markets full of dried anything from the ocean and walking around the main road near my hostel. I didn't spend enough time to have real feel for Seoul, but from my time there I did enjoy it and wouldn't mind visiting again in the future.

Labels: Asia, Dried Sea Creatures, Seoul, South Korea, Temple, Travel, World Tour

Melbourne is a city with a very creative and artistic feel to it. There is a huge focus an design both in the architecture of the city and in the universities and around it. Melbourne feels a little more laid back and relaxed feel than Sydney, but is just as much fun and interesting none the less. I stayed with a couple friends while visiting and was amazed at how broad a reach the local transport had and how relatively easy it was to get around on. One of the highlights of my trip to Melbourne was going with some friend to see an Ausie Rules Football Game! If you have never been or seen a game I highly recommend it. It seems to be a mix of the speed and intensity of soccer with the rules similar to American Football and the no pads roughness of Rugby. It is awesome! I also got to catch up with new and old friends, take a day trip along the Great Ocean Road, See some Kangaroos in the wild, eat Kangaroo for the first time and go to a Pixar Exhibit. I really enjoyed the atmosphere, design and culture of Melbourne and if I had to pick where to live between Sydney and Melbourne I think I would pick Melbourne.

Labels: Australia, Cities, Melbourne, Travel, World Tour

If I had to pick another country to live in permanently so far I would have to pick Australia. The people are friendly, fun and adventurous. The landscape is as varied and unique as the people and the atmosphere in the cities I visited was full of excitement, pride and friendship. Sydney is another city that seems to do a great job of mixing skyscrapers with nature. From the tallest building in Sydney it is about a fifteen minute walk to the Royal Botanical Gardens. The Gardens are impassively large and full of beautiful and unique plants and flowers from all over the world.
They are open to the public and free to explore. I really enjoyed seeing the beautifully designed Opera House, Botanical Gardens and most of all catching up with some old and new friends. Australians seem to have a good live play balance. Occasionally a little to much alcohol is involved in the play, but for the most part, they know how to have a good time and welcome others to join in. I was fortunate enough to take a friends generous offer and stay on her couch in Manly, a beautiful surfers paradise that reminded me a little bit of Seaside in Florida.

Labels: Australia, Cities, Sydney, Travel, World Tour