There’s something I need to make clear to all the irrational, jingoistic would-be aviation pundits out there: Airbus aircraft are no more dangerous than their Boeing counterparts. Because of the recent crashes of Air France Flight 447 and Yemenia Flight 626, the Interwebz are ablaze with ignorant armchair aeronautical engineers insisting that the consecutive crashes [...]
Posts from ‘June, 2009’
Boil and Bubble at Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland, New Zealand
If an army of Parrotheads and Grateful Dead fans ever invades New Zealand, I know exactly what strategy to take to stop the assault: The New Zealand forces would need to establish its positition and fall back, leading the unsuspecting invaders to the Mud Pool at Waiotapu Thermal Wonderland south of Rotorua.
There, the marching Parrotheads [...]
Creature Feature – Coatis in Costa Rica
If you like things furry and four-legged, there’s a good chance you’ll run into a coati during your visit to Costa Rica. I didn’t know this until I arrived in Monteverde, a laid-back town in the mountains north of San Jose.
We showed up in Monteverde after the bruising ride from La Fortuna – the boat [...]
Game-Changing Boeing 787 – First Flight Coming Soon?
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is reporting that the Boeing 787 might be going wheels-up for the first time before July 1.
Let’s hope so. The 787 has the potential to change travel for the better. I’m not just talking about its fuel economy, which is still a great step forward. I’m not talking about its higher cabin [...]
Move Over, Sheep: Rabbits Star at New Zealand’s Shearing Shed
Really, you haven’t lived until you’ve seen someone shear a rabbit the size of a Shetland Sheepdog.
Okay, so that’s a slight exaggeration. But let’s see you visit The Shearing Shed in Waitomo, NZ, and be able to look away. All over New Zealand, locals will try enticing you into watching a sheep get shorn. I’m from [...]
Watch Wallabies and other Wildlife in Australia’s Top End
Everyone has a reason for traveling – shopping, lying by the beach, sightseeing, sampling cuisine.
It seeing wildlife is the reason you book long-haul flights, put Australia high on your list. The entire continent is too much for most people to explore in a single trip – especially us Americans who struggle to get two weeks [...]
Belize – The Right Destination for You?
The cool thing about Central America is that just because you’ve seen one of its countries, you haven’t seen them all. It might be natural to assume that Belize would be like Costa Rica, but with more Mayan ruins. It would also be completely wrong.
So is Belize worth visiting? That depends on you, traveling friends, [...]
Monkeys on the Prowl in Costa Rica
So picture sitting down to breakfast. You’re having a nice plate of eggs and some fresh fruit when a monkey comes bursting in through a window.
The sharp-eyed little guy, who might weigh about 10 pounds, surveys the situation. His finely tuned senses spot a bunch of bananas hanging from some sort of rack. Before you [...]
Create a Taste of New Zealand in Your Kitchen
Sometimes, I like to re-create my vacation in my kitchen. This weekend, I felt like making my own slice of New Zealand in the form of a raw fish dish I had at Aggy’s Shack in Queenstown.
I believe Aggy listed it on his menu as “Raw Fish in Coconut Milk.” Think of it as [...]
