Getting out
Going from the living room to the jungle is not everyone's cup of tea. But it is not necessary to become a Peace Corps volunteer to get an idea of what things are like out and about (although going the PC route is a great way). Some stories and pictures of places here, there, anywhere can give a bit of perspective. We will try to put up various travel info, to places of interest based on where we have been.
Suriname
The country of Suriname is one of the Guyanas (the middle one). It is the smallest country in South America, but has many important sites both ecologically and culturally. The population is only about half a million people, and much of the interior is unbroken rainforest. For better or worse, tourism here is not huge, and most all tourists are Dutch. Wikipedia has a nice site on Suriname.
SHOW ME MORE
SHOW ME MORE
Costa Rica
Among the Central American countries, Costa Rica is widely known for wildlife watching and interesting things to do. This is true, and the biodiversity is truly amazing. There are volcanoes, rain forest, cloud forest, waterfalls, beaches, birds, etc. But as follows such abundance of developed wild places, come hoards of tourists. It is at times not so easy to walk alone in the forest to hear it quietly. And of note, crime (most notably thievery) is very high in the city, the rest stops, and the final destinations. Yet, even as humans put their stamp on things, some places just stand out and are amazing, and Costa Rica has an abundance of such places. Very few such places will be show here, as there are endless sites and pics on Costa Rica. Instead, the focus is more specifically on the Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology and the Hacienda Baru (which abut each other), along with some caving bits in various places and maybe an odd toss in. SHOW ME MORE
Norway
Norway is a country with an unbelievable standard of living, and an overall happy population. While no place is without some problems, Norway stands as one of the more prosperous nations, and tends to use that prosperity for the general good of mankind. The scenery is spectacular, the people are kind. Other than the somewhat cold climate and generally low-angle sun, it would seem a perfect place. SHOW ME MORE
The UK
Britain has a long history of being in charge of, and being run out of, various places. Here, however, the focus will only be on the British Isles, and not even very much of them. Mostly this is a very lightweight tour of standard tourist fare.
SHOW ME MORE
SHOW ME MORE
The United States
The US is big, and has a zillion places to go and a zillion things to see. Here I will just put up some galleries mostly of macro photos of critters, but also some scenery and suchlike from, in general, non-tourist sites.
SHOW ME THE PICS
SHOW ME THE PICS