Mascota and Navidad
August 23, 2024, Mexico. I checked out of El Pabellon and headed to Cafeteria Churrería Ferran, where I chatted with my friend and enjoyed an exotic churro with coffee. I […]
Tag Archives: hiking
San Sebastián del Oeste
August 21, 2024, Mexico. I woke up after the most restful sleep of the trip thus far. I searched for a latte place and found a grocery store that made […]
Setting off for México
August 1, 2024, California. I finally took the plunge. I’d been delaying leaving on my trip for Mexico since July. But a camp reunion in early October and travel plans […]
Granada
October 16, 2023, Nicaragua. I was anxious about missing the morning ferry. If I did, it could take more than a day to reach my next destination, Granada. I had tried […]
Iguanita
October 8, 2023, Costa Rica. Tom and Jean invited me to the Friends meeting this Sunday. Normally, it’s an informal “popcorn” style gathering without a leader, but this time it was […]
Monteverde
October 5, 2023, Costa Rica. From the main office, I got Wi-Fi, looked up a good place to eat, and then started walking toward the volcano on a guest path. […]
El Valle
September 29, 2023, Costa Rica. What a glorious day. I drove back up the steep hill toward Palmar Norte, stopping at the top to take in the view of the […]
Drake Bay, Osa Peninsula
September 24, 2023, Costa Rica. I was sad to leave Ma and Eli, but I was running out of time with the rental car. Diego at Alamo had generously given […]
Rancho Los Palos, Cerro Gavilanes
September 21, 2023, Costa Rica. Given how much I’d done the day before, I was surprised to wake up easily at 7 a.m. I had offered to take Machita to […]
Couch Surfing in Boquete
September 6, 2023, Panama. I woke at 8:30 and went to Buckle Tip for a latte—I hadn’t had one since Friday. I stopped by the artisan market to say hello […]
Boquete Post Surgery – Part 2
August 20, 2023, Panama. I slept poorly, probably due to the two lattes—the second one at noon—and partly because I was anxious about getting up early to go to Cerro […]
Staying with Ruben Barrales
July 3, 2014, Mexico. I had met Ruben when I first arrived in Mexico City to visit Alejandro. They had picked me up at the airport and I’d stayed with […]
Bariloche to Santiago: the wild ride
August 15, 2012, Argentina. After a warm reunion with Claudio—whom I had missed after two weeks apart—we left Bariloche and headed toward Valdivia. Every time I cross the border between […]
Otaru
May 11, 2025, Hokkaido, Japan. I slept restlessly and woke around 6 a.m. I couldn’t get back to sleep for a couple of hours and kept turning over whether I […]
Denmark
August 16, 2018. After stopping to look at a mill and manor, I crossed a bridge under construction and came across a beautiful church, which I took time to explore. […]
Istria to France
August 23, 2022. I camped on the beach near Pula, falling asleep to the sound of the Adriatic lapping against the shore. I awoke to the sound of cars driving […]
Hallein, Austria
August 12, 2022. I woke to a damp world. Everything was wet—tent, gear, me—but I had actually slept pretty well, considering. I drove down to the base of the park, […]
Along the Neckar
July 16, 2022. I woke up to a cool morning, a refreshing change after the heat of the previous days. It’s been sweltering, with temperatures in the 80s and 90s […]
Rennes to Carnac
May 24, 2022. Bretagne Rules the Waves. A punny reference to “Rule Brittania, Brittania Rules the Waves”, a patriotic British song oft heard at Dickens Faire. The names “Brittany” (French: […]
Austria
June 12, 2018. I had to repack the tiny Citroen, which took two hours. It’s amazing how much longer it takes when you have a small space. Everything has to […]
Bariloche and Villa Angostura
July 28, 2012. I spent five days in Bariloche, doing my best to escape the tourist-laden bustle of town each day. The place felt like a version of Disneyland, polished […]
Lisa Karpinski 