Matador - hiking

Galavanting in Costa Rica

Galavanting — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:56:11 -0500

We recently toured the nature-rich and adventure-filled country of Costa Rica. It's a safe and fun destination for women travelers, and most importantly...cheap! Airfare to Costa Rica is affordable, the food is inexpensive, and reasonably-priced hotels abound.

Katy...

ITALY’S MONTE BALDO – FINDING PEACE AWAY FROM THE PACK

Max — Tue, 9 Sep 2008 10:17:48 -0500

I'm flat on my back, completely still. My eyes are closed and I'm listening, acutely. Nothing. I concentrate harder. Still nothing. I open my eyes, and a few wispy white clouds hover in the dome of blue sky above me, then drift on by. Pressing the palms of my hands down into the soft, clumpy grass...

Hike up Mount Teide

irishpolyglot — Thu, 4 Sep 2008 10:04:52 -0500

Here is a video documentary about my experience hiking up the Teide with locals from Tenerife. I used some new editing techniques and included 3-D Google Earth shots to show exactly where we were at each step.

...

YOSEMITE HIGH COUNTRY HIGH

Barbara L. Steinberg — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:04:21 -0500

Traveling California is incredible. Even more-so when it's your job to write about it. And lucky me, I have been traveling California for nearly 18 years and made writing about it my chosen profession. So for me, work is all about exploring, meeting new people, doing new things, and (sometimes)...

Hiking Jebel Toubkal

bradogie — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 22:56:22 -0500

I know, I know, this blog is long overdue! I'm actually home now but the last week of our trip was so chaotic and busy that the sitting down to write a blog was pretty much out of the question. So here it is, as promised: How to get to and climb Mount Toubkal from Marrakesh in 2 Days.

Phase...

A Cave in the Rough

halamen — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:46:14 -0500

I was understandably disappointed when I pulled up to the parking booth at Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy. “The big cave is closed until further notice,” the attendant informed me apprehensively. “The tour just goes to the sinkholes.”

She was surprised when I said it didn’t matter,...

Amazing South Africa

CJ — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:36:53 -0500

Take every preconceived notion (that I probably put) in your head about South Africa and throw it out the window. Cape Town is 360 degrees of AWESOMENESS!! From "TableMountain" with the clouds pouring over the sides, to...

An Aussie traveling Australia

amorris — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:16:20 -0500

I never went overseas growing up. I never traveled with my parents. I did visit a variety of locations around Australia on holiday.

Let's start at the beginning. I'm Anita Morris and I grew up in suburban Melbourne. I have two parents, and a younger brother.

Growing up in Melbourne means that you hold...

Notes from the Big Snow Mountains

Tim Patterson — Sun, 1 Jun 2008 12:09:46 -0500

Kuwannai River, Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaido, Japan

It's been a while since I've gone to the mountains. Back in Japan, just about every weekend I'd get above treeline. I miss the mountains and the clarity of mind and body they bestow.

The following notes from the road are culled from...

Cheap Virginia Beach hotels

sem4cool — Thu, 29 May 2008 05:21:21 -0500

Cheap Virginia Beach hotels is best and very cheap I think due to the luxurious Atlantic Sands Oceanfront interior corridor hotel is a contemporary eight story hotel with 110 all ocean front rooms with private balcony. Whether you prefer to enjoy the sun on the beach or just want to relax and have...

Scuba Diving (and some hiking) in the UAE

YoLeven — Thu, 3 Apr 2008 13:43:03 -0500

OK, granted, the first thing that comes to mind when someone brings up "scuba diving in the Middle East" is a spot like the Blue Hole or Sharm al-Sheikh in the Red Sea. However, I had the opportunity recently to experience a somewhat less visited dive spot in the United Arab Emirates. Most...

Falling in love again

geotraveler — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:36:38 -0500

Slipping into spanking new hiking boots and strapping on the camelbak, for a split second, you’d think I was a bonafide outdoor rat. This was my first hike in a long, long time. A simple 5-miler along the banks of the Potomac which led to Great Falls, I was giddy as a school kid....

Exploring the Hill Country of Sri Lanka

khammons — Mon, 3 Mar 2008 10:15:23 -0600

The town of Haputale in Sri Lanka's Hill Country will forever be etched in my memory. After a grueling hike up Adams Peak, I enjoyed yet another spectacular train ride through the Hill Country, admiring first the beauty of the tea plantations and surrounding mountains, then passing through vast green...

Camino de Santiago

LJayePick — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:39:13 -0600

Here is a link to an article I just had published in Brave New Traveler. Check it out.

http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2008/02/29/4-lessons-learned-from-the-camino-del-santiago-pilgrimage/#comment-55909

...

Coffee and Lava in Antigua, Guatemala

Jenny Williams — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:29:48 -0600

La Antigua is typically the first stop for travelers arriving by air to Guatemala, and we were no exception. It was hard not to be charmed by Antigua’s cobblestone streets, its colorful storefronts; if we decide to spend a month learning Spanish, this would be the place for it. The tough part would...

Long time coming...

ajoveiLFA — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 16:37:03 -0500

A little rambling or better yet a little notice, did some traveling within the island but forget to get in here and post pictures. Linking to a gallery I have of some hiking I did over the summer, went to 2 forests here in Puerto Rico. "El Yunque" and "El...

Parc du Mont-Megantic, Quebec

deva — Mon, 8 Oct 2007 08:23:25 -0500

Barb and I skipped Canadian Thanksgiving this year and
decided to get out of town for one last pre-winter weekend of camping and
hiking instead. On Friday afternoon we drove east out of the city into Quebec (somehow managing to hit rush hour in Ottawa...

Oregon Wine Country

greenmelinda — Fri, 5 Oct 2007 13:07:53 -0500

I just got to spend five incredible days in Oregon Wine Country on a Zephyr Adventures tour. I had never been to the Pacific Northwest before so I was completely blown away by the region's beauty and everything it has to offer.

I've been to Napa and done the tasting thing, rolled my eyes...

Argentina to Bolivia or Bust! (Part 1)

Keri — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 02:29:16 -0500

This is Part 1 of my July 1 - July 28 trip through Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru. Before I took this trip, I emailed friends for route advice. Here’s one to add to the pot…

July...

Peace of Lynn Canyon

Gerard Ward — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:52:13 -0500

Vancouver sports some of British Columbia’s greatest attractions around their temperate rainforests. Some hunt around the world for that perfect place of serenity and tranquility.

Residents of Lynn valley don’t realise how lucky they are with a backyard like this one.

Lynn Canyon is located in...

Echo Lake: A perfect labor day weekend

Ross — Fri, 7 Sep 2007 02:31:32 -0500

Well, there's not much to report here...not many stories to tell, but anyone looking for an undiscovered enclave of California wilderness, check out Echo Lake. It was--as it always is--a much needed escape. Sitting in traffic is replaced with wakeboarding, the boob tube is replaced with board games and...

Trails and Hiking in Hong Kong: From City Lights to Ocean Views

Ross — Sun, 1 Jul 2007 10:06:07 -0500

Like the landscape of Hawaii. Hong Kong and the surrounding islands, rise thousands of feet, straight out of the ocean. There are breath-taking views to be had day and night.

How to get a great view of the city at night:

Get a cab to “the peak”. There is a hotel called The Peak and there’s...

Big Wave Bay: A perfect afternoon in Hong Kong

Ross — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 19:57:25 -0500

This beach was my favorite out of all the ones we visited and sometimes—not often—they get swells that you can surf. There were no waves the day we went but the beach is beautiful and the restaurant there serves up a phenomenal bacon cheeseburger.

If you go to Big Wave Bay, don’t miss the...

Montserrat: Dodging wild boars and scaling rock spires in the spiritual heart of Catalunya

Ross — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:23:44 -0500

Montserrat is an easy one hour train ride from Barcelona and I would highly recommend it to anyone with an extra day to kill. Whether you're an experienced rock climber with gear, or a 70-years-young grandmother in search of an amazing hike, you'll love this place.

Yesterday Ben and I got up early...

Over the Hills and Far Away

ZTP Teo — Thu, 3 May 2007 05:54:35 -0500

It is difficult to know where to begin this. It is difficult to know where to start anything in Afghanistan. This was the 38th nation I have visited thus far in my life. I have lived in seven. There is an ambiance about this place that forces one to deeply examine the recesses of one’s soul....

Trekking in Torres del Paine, Chile

veronica — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 16:19:48 -0600

This is a blog I wrote earlier this year after spending six weeks traveling in Chile and Argentina...

Trekking in Torres del Paine: Now I Know Why There are Wind Emergency Evacuation Procedures in Patagonia

You know the saying that eskimos have about 20 different words for snow? Well, Patagonia...

Children of Men - The Human project and Holy Island

Tish — Fri, 9 Feb 2007 23:58:09 -0600

Well, my travels today only took me next door to see Children of Men. A grueling but excellent movie despite some plot twists that drew incredulous laughter from the audience a couple of times. But, perhaps, this was OK in such a gut ringing movie. I won't give the plot away. The brilliance of the...

Away with the “Goils”

Bullseye-El — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 16:08:45 -0600

Away with the “Goils” by Ellen Goldstein

Like many women, I have a group of friends who like to get together and celebrate birthdays, holidays and each other. In October three of these women were having birthdays, we were invited to Cindy’s house in Lake Tahoe for a long weekend. We arrived...

The Most Informative Blackberries in the World

BlackPacker — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 01:01:45 -0600

Hey everybody. This is my introductory blog here. I’ve been lurking around a bit for a day or two and loved what I have read so far. I was playing a bit with the interface and decided that I needed to put a bit of info on this here Blackberry Bush. This is an excerpt from my trip journal detailing...

Pucon, Chile: Rocket Scientists wanted

Stu — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 23:06:07 -0600

Pucon is a lake town situated at the base of the boiling Villarica Volcano, which, rumor has it, is set to erupt sometime in the next half century. It is said that any medium sized eruption will level the existing town. Ironically, the town has experienced unequaled expansion in recent years, as Pucon...