6 La Paz, Mexico

Located less than 100 miles from Cabo San Lucas is the sleepy capital of Baja California del Sur: La Paz. It is here that we celebrated a white Christmas (sand not snow) with Katrina's family.

Flying to La Paz is not an easy feat. Though it has its own airport, getting there from the east coast requires at least two layovers to be affordable. Much easier and less expensive is flying to the tourist destination Cabo San Lucas's airport. From there, we took an airport shuttle to the San Juan del Cabo bus station to catch an Aguila bus to La Paz (they leave every hour or so). For the return trip, you also have the option of taking a Peninsula Ejecutivo bus directly to the Cabo airport from the La Paz bus station--a much comfier ride for only a few dollars more that we highly recommend.

Experiencing La Paz is best done on foot. Though the city is a sprawling grid, most of the action is contained to a condensed area. The Malecon, the paved promenade pictured above that stretches a mile or so along the coastline, marks the length of the compact city center. Many of the larger restaurants are located close to the water and as you walk uphill, you find many small taco stands and street vendors selling candy, mini donuts, and some of the most delicious churros we've ever eaten. Also downtown is the Mercado Francisco Madero where vendors display heaps of luscious fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and seafood. Directly in front of the Mercado was our favorite tortilleria; the tortillas de harina (flour) melt in your mouth.

La Paz is an absolute mecca for seafood-lovers. Between the two of us we ate shrimp, lobster, marlin, manta ray, oysters and salmon during our five-day stay. One of the best taco places in town is Bismarck-cito--but at night they only serve full entrees, which are nowhere near as good as the daytime taco fare. But one of the real culinary highlights of La Paz is La Fuente, an ice cream parlor that caused Pavlovian responses. They offer unusual flavors like corn, tequilla almond and lemon cream in delicious cookie-like cones.

Though La Paz is located on the water, there are no real beaches in town and locals do not recommend swimming in the bay. A 30-minute drive up the Pichilingue Peninsula takes you to many beautiful beaches, so originally we thought we'd rent a car. No luck: all eight or so rental spots in town were completely out of cars (we recommend reserving ahead of time if you want to go this route). We then found a local bus that goes to Playa Tecolote, but alas, the bus schedule is a bit more flexible in the winter months and after being told three different stories about departure times (from the same Aguila employee) we grew wary. Katrina's dad then found a cab driver who agreed to take six passengers in his compact cab and pick us up at a designated time for about $20 each way. Deal! Omar dropped us off at Playa Balandra, a beautiful beach in a protected cove where we played the day away.

The highlight of our stay was undoubtedly the day-long trip we took to Isla Espiritu Santo. We hired a motorboat, kayaks and snorkel gear through Marlin Adventures, and our guide Javier took us on an unforgettable excursion. Our first stop was when Javier spotted the fin of a whale shark and encouraged us to hop in. We thought he was joking, but apparently these huge creatures only eat plankton and don't have a taste for humans. So we broke out the snorkel gear and chased after him. John and Nicole actually touched the 20 foot beast (we found out only later that touching is not recommended) and we found that the real danger was some vicious agua mala--three of us got jellyfish stings. We also got to see some rollicking dolphins and a spouting whale on the boat ride.

Our next big stop was a rock formation off the coast of Espiritu Santo that is home to some 500 sea lions. We again outfitted ourselves in snorkel gear and got to swim with them! Absolutely amazing, but a bit scary as these large creatures get awfully close--especially the young ones that act like playful puppies (one took a major liking to Daniel!) The water was also teeming with exotic fish that would make any snorkeling trip even without their rambunctious sea lion neighbors.

Back in the motorboat, Javier took us to the stunning Playa Ensenada Grande in a northwest cove of Espiritu Santo where we ate the delicious marlin ceviche we'd picked up from Javier's aunt at Playa Tecolote on the way out that morning. The woman makes a mean ceviche! We then hopped in our kayaks and spent the remaining daylight hours exploring the island shores.

For most of our time in La Paz we stayed at Las Gaviotas, where the family rented a two-bedroom condo. The condos are very comfortable, each with its own private oceanview deck, and there is a shared swimming pool. It was great to have our own kitchen to cook with the delicious ingredients and fresh fish from the mercado.

Since we arrived before the reservation at Las Gaviotas began, we spent our first night in La Paz at Casa Jalisco. This was a very nice hotel--spacious rooms, bubblers of purified water on every floor, beautiful pool, and an exceptionally friendly staff that spoke excellent English. The one drawback is location: Casa Jalisco is approximately a mile and a half from downtown with not much going on in the immediate neighborhood.

Though La Paz is much further than many Mexican destinations, the longer haul definitely paid dividends in the end. We found La Paz to be the perfect Mexican mixture of one part idyllic beach, two parts seafood tacos and one part ocean adventure.

La Paz on Dwellable

3 India

Through my work for the Unitarian Universalist Association, I get to travel frequently around the country to meet with generous supporters of the Association. This fall, I was given a unique opportunity to travel to India to see schools being built in the Khasi Hills, where there is an indigenous Unitarian population, made possible by donations through the Association. Patrick obviously would have loved to join me, but his own work responsibilities kept him in Boston.

My trip began with a tour of the Golden Triangle before heading further east to the Khasi Hills. The morning after my arrival in Delhi, I took a two hour train to Agra, which was a piece of cake after spending 14 hours on a plane the day before. The trains are comfortable and even serve hot breakfast, but make sure to reserve a seat in an air conditioned car. Agra is known as the city of monuments, the crown jewel of course being the Taj Mahal. This magnificent mausoleum was built by Shah Jahan in honor of his favorite wife, and the detailing is truly impressive; seemingly painted characters are actually perfectly inlayed marble in marble. The next stop was the Red Fort, where Shah Jahan was imprisoned by his son. From his room you can see a beautiful view of the Taj. It is so sad to think of him spending the last years of his life longing for freedom and within sight of his cherished memorial.

It is hard to avoid crowds of tourists when in the Golden Triangle but our next stop, the Baby Taj, was a surprising escape. Don't be fooled by the nickname: the only relation to the Taj Mahal is an architectural resemblance. It is much smaller but very beautiful, and the quiet lawn is dotted with dozens of monkeys out to play.

While in Agra I stayed at the Grand Imperial Hotel, a converted palace with plenty of thoughtful details and a lovely courtyard that is visited by a variety of birds and monkeys. The restaurant is also fantastic and serves the best kulfi (Indian ice cream made of goat's milk, pistachios and spices) that I had on the trip.

The next stop on the tour was Jaipur, about a five hour drive from Agra. My favorite Golden Triangle site was actually a stop along this drive: Fatehpur Sikri. It is a sprawling palace built by Emperor Akbar, who was so dedicated to his interfaith belief system that his three wives all came from different religious traditions: one Hindu, one Muslim and one Christian. Each wife had her own living and eating area, but these all reflected elements and symbols from the others' faiths. A definite must see!

Jaipur is known as the "Pink City" for the terra cotta colored edifices that line its streets. In the old city it is mandatory that buildings be painted to conform with the city's moniker. Jaipur is not only known for the color of it's buildings but also for the grandness of them. Notable of the cities many palaces are The Palace of the Lake and Palace of the Winds, both brief stops. The former is built in the middle of a lake and not open to visitors, and the latter is actually simply a facade. Open to visitors is Jaipur City Palace, which is now a collection of museums and a center for local artisans. But the main attraction is Amber Fort built high on the hills. One can take an elephant ride up to the top which is a major thrill and highly recommended, but make sure to tip your driver to avoid them encouraging elephant mischief as you try to dismount! My favorite thing about Amber Fort was the Kali Temple located inside its walls. I was fortunate enough to be visiting during the festival that honors the Hindu goddess Kali, and so there was much ado and many worshipers visiting on that day.

Another interesting site in Jaipur is Jantar Mantar, which is an observatory filled with tools to measure time and make astrological predictions. The world's largest sundial is located here, which can unbelievably tell time within a two second margin of error.

Accommodations in Jaipur were at the Alsisar Haveli. Located right off of a busy street, you are shocked to find this quiet oasis down a driveway between run-down storefronts. A haveli is essentially an Indian mansion, and each room in this one was unique, comfortable, and tastefully decorated.

Unfortunately I was not able to spend time in the third corner of the Golden Triangle, Delhi, due to the time constraints of this work trip. I was fortunate enough to have a guide and

driver while touring the sites above and I would highly recommended the same for anyone else for several reasons. First, driving is crazy in India, and I say that as someone who can navigate through Boston traffic no problem. I cannot imagine even attempting to drive there. Secondly, written narratives at tourist attractions are practically nonexistant. It would be very difficult to understand what you are seeing without a guide. Most importantly, India is really another world. As someone who has done a good deal of foreign traveling, I still found it very difficult to get around without local guidance or direction. It is very inexpensive to hire a guide, and almost all travelers that I saw--from backpackers to affluent tour groups--had a guide with them.

After days of sightseeing it was time to get down to business. I flew to Guwahati for the work portion of my trip and then drove another three hours on a very bumpy road to get to Shillong, the main hub of the Khasi Hills. Visiting Indian villages is a drastically different experience from touring the big cities of the Golden Triangle. In both, white skin and western clothes immediately sets one apart. In Agra and Jaipur, this marks a person as someone with money, and I was swarmed by beggars and hawkers outside every attraction. This made it very hard to be a visitor, and deeply sad in many ways. In the villages I was seen more as alien. Kids would point at me and whisper to their parents, while some warmed to me and would giggle when I waved.

The people in the Khasi Hills were welcoming, gracious, and generous. I was visiting a school built by donations from the West, and the students prepared songs and dances to welcome us. The presented us with gifts upon gifts--traditional Khasi necklaces, beautiful shawls, and handwoven sieves and bowls. It was a special experience to spend time in such a place, so many worlds apart from my home.

It took me almost 36 hours straight of travel time to return to Boston at the end of the trip; I was exhausted and glad to be back. India is an amazing, beautiful, fascinating, and also heartbreaking place. I have never before felt so far away from home.

24 Costa Rica

We enjoyed our visit to Nicaragua last month so much that we were very eager for our trip to Costa Rica. August is the middle of rainy season in Costa Rica but it also means the low season for tourism which lends to less crowds and cheaper prices.

No sooner had we picked up our 4x4 Suzuki Ignis from Tricolor Car Rental than the skies opened up above us. Fifteen minutes later, it was a torrential downpour. This was only the first of our road challenges; after the rain died down, we found ourselves on a windy road through the hills of Costa Rica, with huge semis and buses careening around the blind curves. Luckily, all the roads were paved until we got to La Fortuna. As we turned onto the road to our first destination, Volcan Arenal, we got to experience our first of the rocky, pot-holed, dirt roads that surround Costa Rica's main attractions.

Since a major eruption in 1968, Volcan Arenal (pictured above) has earned the distinction as one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world. We witnessed this activity first hand from our accommodations at The Arenal Observatory Lodge. From its perch less than two miles from the base of Volcan Arenal, the lodge is the only hotel on the lava flow side of the volcano. Originally a scientific research center run by the Smithsonian Institute, the lodge is now opened to the public. The rooms are large and comfortable with balconies offering fantastic views. At night, people watch the glowing lava flow from these balconies, the restaurant veranda, or the hotel hot tub. It is an amazing show.

There are a number of trails that start right on the hotel property which sits on a private nature reserve. We were eager to head out on the Old Lava Trail, which takes you to the base of Arenal to see hardened lava paths, steam vents, and other volcano phenomena. Unfortunately, we found the trail roped off with peligro tape--danger! The hotel owner explained to us that Arenal was currently very active, and lava was flowing down that trail. We asked for other suggestions on how to get closer to the volcano, but he explained that the restaurant veranda was the absolute closest anyone could go right now. So to avoid things like dying and death we explored other parts of the reserve area. We found ourselves hiking Cerro Chato, a grueling trail (pictured at right) that takes you up the side of a dormant volcano to the lake that has formed in its crater. We also found our way to a great waterfall. Throughout the day, Arenal would rumble and puffs of smoke would rise from the bellowing monster's peak.

After two fantastic nights at Arenal, it was time to hit the road for our next adventure: the Cloud Forests of central Costa Rica. Though less than ninety miles from Arenal in actual distance, the road to Santa Elena has been purposely left extremely rough by the eco-conscious residents, resulting in a long, arduous journey through the sleepy countryside (pictured below).
Our speed wasn't helped by the entrepreneurial endeavors of townspeople along the way. In Quebrada Grande, we passed an unmarked left turn and one minute later, there was a very helpful man standing in the middle of the road telling us we were lost, that we needed to take that left turn we passed, and that he would sell us a map. As we backtracked, we saw that a sign pointing to our destination had been knocked over. The sale of that map was very carefully orchestrated.

We finally arrived in Santa Elena after four and a half hours on the road. Our first stop was the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. Santa Elena (pictured at left) is smaller and less celebrated than Monteverde, and combined with the fact that it was low tourist season, we had the reserve almost entirely to ourselves. We happened upon only two other hikers on the trails that meandered through the rainforest's depths. As we hiked, rain started to fall, and just as Patrick was remarking how well the arching canopy above protected us from getting wet, the skies opened up and we got drenched. We ran the last mile back to the Reserve entrance in full appreciation of rainy season in a rain forest.

We found our way through the rain to El Sol, where owner Elisabeth, as promised, greeted us with big hugs. She set us up in one of the two cabins on the property that she and her husband Ignacio rent to visitors, and arranged for a warm dinner and bottle of wine to be delivered to our door.

When we woke up the next morning, the clouds had cleared and we were greeted with an amazing view of the valley from our cabin window. Elisabeth and her crew prepared an amazing spread for breakfast in the main building, and as we ate, she gave us and the other guests recommendations for the day and predicted good weather for the next two days.

And she was right--for the next two days we enjoyed extraordinarily sunny weather for the rainy season. We hiked through the lush Monteverde Cloud Forest where every plant is growing on another and we studied flowers and trees unlike

anything we'd ever seen. We saw exotic wildlife there and especially at the nearby Ecological Sanctuary--including coatis, agoutis, Morpho butterflies, insects (like the ladybug above), and some crazy birds.

While the main attraction in Monteverde is the Cloud Forest, the main industry is the cheese factory. We didn't have time to catch a tour amidst all our rain forest visits, but we did stop at their ice cream shop, Sabores, for some of the most delicious milkshakes we have ever had. Absolutely not to be missed!

On our last day in Monteverde, Elisabeth arranged for her friend Manuel to take us on a

horseback ride through the valley. This was Patrick's first time on a horse and we figured the

trail would be pretty tame. But Manuel took us down steep, rocky paths and through waterfalls

and streams. Lots of fun, but not for the faint-hearted! We broke for lunch at a large waterfall at the bottom of the valley and ate on a bed of rocks in the middle of the rushing river. We returned to El Sol several hours later dirty, sore, but with big smiles on our faces.

Shortly after our return it was time to say goodbye to El Sol. Elisabeth gave us our goodbye hugs, and Katrina a parting handicraft gift. But if you stay here, be forewarned that they accept only cash, which caused us a two hour delay as we drove back to town, dealt with stringent rules and signature scrutiny at the bank, and finally returned. Plan ahead!

Our last Costa Rican afternoon was spent on the rugged roads (see video below) driving back to San Jose. We spent the night at the Adventure Inn. The entire hotel is decorated in a jungle theme--amusing if not charming. But if you are willing to bear the tackiness, it is a clean, inexpensive option very near the airport. One added bonus of staying there is they used their local knowledge to book us a steal of a car rental with the aforementioned Tricolor Car Rental.

One final note about travel to Costa Rica: originally, we booked our flights with Spirit Airlines. They offer shockingly inexpensive flights connecting through Ft. Lauderdale to many Central American locations. However, Spirit Airlines changed our flights twice in the weeks after our purchase, including added overnight layovers in Ft. Lauderdale and a 30-minute connection in Myrtle Beach. We decided the price wasn't worth the increasing possibility of not making it to/from our destination, so we canceled the reservation and forked over a little more to fly on trusty American Airlines. We recommend resisting the dirt cheap allure of Spirit Airlines.

1 West Coast

We have enjoyed our recent trips to the left coast so much that we decided to plan an action-packed Memorial Day getaway out west. Accompanying us for the trip was Patrick's brother, Riley "Carl" Foster, for his first visit out west since the time he prowled Disneyland in a stroller. Much to the delight of the brothers they were able to catch all of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals en route thanks to Jet Blue's 34 channel's of Direct TV (yes we are a walking Jet Blue ad). Much to their dismay however, the Celts lost their first home game of the playoffs. Upon arrival at the Days Hotel in Oakland late that night we were checked in by a large man wearing a sky blue Days Inn polo, suspenders, and a mickey mouse timepiece around his neck. A more welcoming sight I cannot imagine.

The next morning we took a stroll along the highway to get to the Oakland BART station. We obviously looked a bit lost upon walking in to the station as we were immediately approached by a friendly Oaklander looking to help. He asked where we were going, showed us exactly how much fare we needed, and helped us purchase our tickets. As we very gratefully thanked him, he pointed to a destination where he was going, and showed us exactly how much he needed to get there. While it was clear he wasn't going anywhere, we very happily provided him the fare. Our conclusion: the beggars in Boston have much to learn from their helpful West Coast counterparts.

We rode the BART to the Mission District, San Francisco's Latin Quarter, to begin our day of exploring the city. The streets of the Mission District are colorful, lined with fabulous murals, cafes, and markets displaying fresh produce. Dolores Park, a sprawling greenspace located in the heart of the Mission District, provided fantastic views of the city skyline. After a few hours of wandering around we refueled with a strawberry soda from a local shop and hopped a bus to the other side of town. No first trip to San Francisco would be complete without a visit to Lombard Street and that was our next stop. This is the crookedest street in the world--tourists' cars line up to take a turn to wind their way down the hill, dodging people who jump into the street to take pictures (like us).

It has long been a Bergmann family tradition to visit Ghiradelli Square when in San Francisco. The chocolate shop offers free samples as well as every flavor, shape and gift basket they make. The adjoining ice cream parlor makes phenomenal sundaes, including a gigantic creation called "The Earthquake". The 10-scoop, fully-loaded treat taunted us, and we decided to take on the

challenge. The first bite was delicious, but as we worked our way through the task grew more arduous, the process messier. Eighteen minutes later, we finally took the last bite. Victory! As Riley and Katrina hobbled outside holding their stomachs, Patrick boldly declared that he was hungry, and the two looked on as Patrick downed an In-N-Out burger and fries. Once Patrick finished stuffing his face, we walked along Fisherman's Wharf to work off our mid-afternoon gluttony. We passed by street artists, musicians, and the infamous Bushman who jumps from his leafy disguise to scare tourists for tips. When comparing notes with Bay Area natives later we found out that this guy has been working the Wharf for years.

We returned to the Days Hotel in Oakland to get ready for that night's Sox-A's game at McAfee Coliseum. To prepare for the game we decided to indulge ourselves with some of the prominent local fare- Jack in the Box and 40's of Budweiser. After many ounces of Bud we were ready to be loud, rowdy, and represent. Unfortunately the Sox weren't quite as prepared and fell to the local nine 8-3. After the game the suddenly cocky hometown fans decided to verbally berate our red and blue clad crew. Patrick was more than up to the task and the walk back to our hotel was heated to say the least.

Before anyone came looking for the loud Sox fan in the number 24 shirt, we got out of town the next morning. We swung back by the airport to pick up our rental car for the day, Black Beauty, and set off northward for Seattle. The first few hours of the trip were rainy and quiet as people caught up on sleep but all were quickly roused by the promise of a visit to the northernmost In-N-Out burger in Redding. The next leg of the drive was truly scenic with vistas ranging from Mt. Shasta in northern California to the rolling, fir tree speckled terrain of Oregon. We were able to squeeze in a short visit to Portland, Oregon and were impressed by the green downtown and the local Thai food. That Saturday was a busy one as in the span of 5 minutes we came across two weddings and a prom (obvious Hugh Grant joke omitted here). The last miles of our day long drive were highlighted by a Celtics victory over Detroit with an assist from XM radio and a stunning setting sun to the west. After a 3 minute stand off between Patrick and traffic spikes at the entrance to the Rental Car Return, we finally reached our destination...at 10PM on the dot which was Black Beauty's curfew that Saturday night.

It was early to bed that night and late to rise the next morning as we continued our adjustment to PDT. Once the crew, now including Katrina's family, was assembled we set off for Tiger Mountain for a hike in the Washington woods. Tiger Mountain is well-known as a take off point for local paragliders and we were treated to quite the aerial show at both the top and base of the mountain.

Dinner that evening was at the heralded (at least by us) La Cocina y Cantina in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in Seattle. There are two musts when you visit La Cocina, the massive La Cocina Burrito and an equally massive Margarita. Impressively, more burritos were finished than not, a rare feat that will undoubtedly live in lore for decades if not centuries to come. Jump-started by the aforementioned margaritas a night of game playing and imbibing ensued that lingered into the morning hours.

The next morning we slept in even later, but determined not to let our next to last day slip away. We rallied and headed to Pike Place Market, Seattle's famous destination for all things commerce (and tourist). There we scoured the sizeable selection of scaly seafood, contributed to the impressive yet disgusting gum wall, and received a singing fortune from Elvis. Next we skipped crosstown to the International District for a delicious dinner at Shangai Garden featuring Katrina's favorite--hand shaven green barley noodles.

From the the International District, Safeco Field is a short walk. Another baseball game you ask? You know it! The Olde Towne Team was facing off against the Mariners and this time the outcome (and ballpark) was much more to our liking. Thankfully following the 5-3 victory the post-game shouting matches were limited to deciding who was going to sit on who's lap as the six of us wedged into a Honda Civic. The loser was Katrina.

The majority of the final day of our trip was spent at the Museum of Flight housed at Seattle's captain of industry's Boeing Field. To say this museum is a must-visit is an under statement. Think Air and Space Museum times ten. We first toured a British Airways Concorde and then an Air Force One that made many historic flights and was in use from the Eisenhower to Clinton administrations. Other highlights included an entire wing on World War I and II history, an exhibit on flight attendants featuring the risque past of airline advertising, and enough interactive simulators to occupy Patrick for hours. The 4 hours we spent there was not nearly enough and we will probably go back to see what we missed the first time.

We were sent off in style that night with a gourmet home BBQ. Armed with a belly full of food to fight off hunger and induce sleep, we boarded our red-eye flight back to Boston. Though we once again had the luxury of our Direct TV there really isn't much on at 3AM. We aren't ashamed to say that a mini marathon of "The X Effect" did help pass the time. Morning greeted us at Logan and we bid goodbye to Riley as we hopped the T for work. Vacation days are a precious commodity and we certainly weren't going to waste one sleeping.