Two Views of Puerto Rico: The Indiana Jones - James Bond Tour
To many visitors a trip to Puerto Rico is a chance to sip some piña coladas while slathering on sun block or perhaps swinging some clubs. This trip we wanted to add in bat guano and rappel down some cliffs, a bit of cave exploration and some motorized thunder between the thighs (riding ATVs) would also fit in with our plans. After rough days we wanted nights of pleasure and pampering, a combination James Bond and Indiana Jones tour...

Panama: 365 Idyllic Islands, Plus a Canal
I sailed into the San Blas Islands from Colombia, stumbling onto the best Panama has to offer, at least for those who adore pristine Caribbean Islands, one for every day of the year, and appreciate the energetic indigenous culture of the Kuna Yala. The San Blas number 365 idyllic islands, only forty-some inhabited, strung out over 120 miles (200 km) next to precipitous mountains bordering the formidable Darien Gap...

Exploring Western Brazil: The Pantanal and the Chapada dos Guimarães
With less than a week in hand and not much in my pockets I was lucky to pick a place in Brazil's far west to visit, the Mato Grosso state, home of two entirely different ecosystems, the Pantanal wetlands, and the Chapada dos Guimarães, luckily not far from each other. It's hard to beat this amazing short trip packed with alligators, river hogs, piranas, horse-riding, jungle treks hidden waterfalls and and sandstone canyons...

A Summer in the Canadian Arctic
The Arctic, mysterious and wild, is a place of great hopes and fears and has attracted many people in the past and still does today. Its unconquerable nature and unique and fascinating environment creates a longing to explore and experience this part of the world. Mungla Sieck, an equally committed wildlife biologist was keen to come with me and experience the nature of this beautiful arctic landscape...

The Saigon Street Scene: Bursting with Energy and Enthusiasm
Before the sun has made it over the low rooftops of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon and still affectionately called so by the locals) and its rays lit the still dusky narrow alleyways, the clinking of pots begins: steam rising from rice cookers, broth boiling in giant pots, meat grilling over charcoal, and the distinct smell of fish sauce makes its merciless way around the nooks and crannies of the city...

Girls on the Go: More Books by Women With Wanderlust
Ever since I was bitten by the travel bug way back in college as a student abroad, I have been drawn to women’s travel memoirs. I love reading about other gals’ global jaunts because they offer me an escape. I might be stuck at home, but I’m always dreaming of my next big trip. Women-penned travelogues tie me over from my last journey until my next.

Korea: Pitching In to Clean Up An Oil Spill
South Korea has been my home for almost a year and although the Taean Haean National Park is a mere two hours from my house, I’d never got around to visiting. I can’t tell you how sad I was that the first time I saw these quiet, secluded beaches (a rarity in small, overpopulated Korea) the entire region had been destroyed by South Korea’s largest-ever oil spill...

Karlstad, Sweden: A Cultural Revival in the City of Sola
Karlstad, strategically situated at the mouth of the Klarälven (literally “clear river”) in the county of Värmland, midway between Stockholm to the east, Gothenborg to the south and Oslo, Norway, to the west, has recently been host to some of the biggest names on the pop music scene: Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Judas Priest, Dolly Parton, Whitesnake, Rod Stewart, Chuck Berry and Elton John...

Prague's Beer Traditions: From Classic Pilsner to Modern Microbrews
In describing his country’s marquee beer, Czech Emperor Franz Josef I commented, “It is indeed curious that no brewery has yet succeeded in replicating the distinctive gourmet flavor of the pilsner beer.” Prague, the centerpiece of the golden genre of beer known as pilsner, was built, destroyed, and rebuilt on a foundation of beer. The tumultuous history of the city and the ever-evolving tastes of its beer culture are remarkably intertwined...