Bogota, Colombia
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Thank you to We Said Go Travel for publishing my article, "Captivated In Bogota, Colombia" on their website!
Travelling to Colombia was a great experience and I am happy I went by myself, although next time I would like to go longer than 5 days and see more areas. There was one moment in particular that resonated deep in my soul and where I realized that Bogota was after my heart. I did my best to convey this moment and feeling in my article even though a part of me felt it was indescribable. Click on the below link to one of the videos I took trying to capture at least the visual portion, and I hope you also have a moment to read my article.
Video of Bogota, Colombia
By Naomi Fino
"One of the byproducts of not planning a trip is that expectations drop to ambiguous media tidbits and scattered commentary from friends or fellow travelers, as was the case of Bogota, Colombia. It was the last stop of 3 months of travels through Central and South America, and was a close contender with Peru, Chile and Ecuador. After much vacillating, Colombia won out, partially due to its dangerous reputation that appealed to my illogical sense of adventure despite concerns of being a woman travelling alone.
The US embassy websites did nothing to assuage my concerns but further piqued my interest. While securing travelers insurance in the U.S., a kind woman on the phone explained my benefits should there be an emergency abroad. I perversely, and nervously, wanted to know, 'Does it cover kidnappings in Colombia?'"
To read the full article, click on the link below.
MALTA
MALTA – FREEDOM FAIRY TALES
Thank you to We Said Go Travel for publishing my article “Freedom Fairy Tales – Malta” on their website!
By Naomi Fino
I visited Malta back around 2003 as part of a 2 week family trip in honor of my grandma Violet who had recently passed away. Even if you love and have fun with them the majority of the time, travelling with family can be highly annoying and you can reach points of exasperation where you say things like, “I am never travelling with my entire family again!” There is another more beautiful side to this; one where memories are created that couldn’t have existed if it weren’t for these exasperating loved ones. There is also the beauty of experiencing a place not only rich in ancient history, but rich in personal history. Seeing firsthand with your mother, sisters and brother the site of what was once just a family story told around a dinner table has a profound impact: it will not only last a lifetime but it may even make you weep.
“In the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, slightly below Sicily, rests Malta, the largest island in the Maltese archipelago. Valletta, the capital of Malta, is a fortified city built on Mount Sceberras between two harbors with defense in mind during the architectural planning.
Walking through the entrance is like being magically transported back in time and the steady flow of people through the gates is reminiscent of the Renaissance. An enchanted feeling descends as if you are in a fairy tale. A myriad of shops, vendors, and restaurants can be found by wandering the uneven streets or traversing the famous steps of Valletta, built for the Knights walking with heavy armor as these were pre-spandex times; the very steps bemoaned by Lord Byron for their non-conformity.”
To read the full article, please click here: WE SAID GO TRAVEL
COSTA RICA
This was an article I entered in a writing contest back in February to We Said Go Travel. You can view it by clicking on the following link http://www.wesaidgotravel.com/to-costa-rica-with-love or by reading it below.
Photograph by Dolores Fino (used with permission)
To Costa Rica With Love
15 years ago, I fell passionately in love, not with a person, but with a place. On my last night in Costa Rica, while sitting on the balcony of a hostel in San Jose surrounded by my sister and friends, my heart surged with the resistance one feels when parting with a loved one and I broke down in tears and cried. There have been many return visits since that first trip, sometimes with family members, sometimes with friends, and often as of late, by myself. This is the last week of a 6 week visit to Costa Rica, and the familiar feel of heartbreak has descended, like the first spattering of rain that falls, gathering force until it becomes a torrential downpour, so deafening and fierce, that it is impossible to hold a conversation without shouting.
During one visit to La Fortuna, we met some locals on a canopy tour where we zip-lined with an aerial view of the jungle, the trees in silent competition with each other for the sun. We had already visited Tabacon Springs, an incredible hot springs fed from Volcano Arenal, with its pools of various temperatures of healing and relaxing water scattered throughout the property, linked by paths and surrounded by lush jungle. The locals told us about another hot springs nearby and took us there at night. Armed with flashlights, curiosity, and a healthy fear about what lurked in the waters, we waded through the warm pool of water, uncertain what was underfoot with each tentative step we took. With the flashlights turned off, the darkness was thick like the humid air. We sank into the water floating on our backs and the volcano rumbled in the distance while hundreds of fireflies winked at us like jungle stars. The magic of that moment was inescapable and a decision was, unknowingly, in the making. In the breaking dawn of the next morning, we had a clear view of the volcano and stood in the road, mouths open in astonishment, as we were treated to more rumbling from Volcano Arenal and the spectacular sight of lava. The bus back to San Jose to catch a return flight was intentionally missed that morning – with no regrets.
La Fortuna is on the itinerary again for a short visit in a couple of days. There will be two nights there to relax in the glorious waters of Tabacon Springs, then a return to Manuel Antonio, a favorite destination and the focus of my passionate love with Costa Rica. It was about 6 years ago that, by a chance encounter with a German traveler, I learned of Casa Buena Vista, a bed and breakfast set in the jungle with a lovely view of the ocean and Manuel Antonio National Park in the distance. The intention was to stay a few nights then continue down south, but when the time came to leave we asked instead if we could stay one more night, and then another, and yet another. It is a 15 minute walk down the hill to a gorgeous beach lined with jungle and speckled with palm trees, or a 10 minute walk up to the main road where a variety of restaurants with incredible views and delicious food beckon the hungry traveler.
There are a variety of activities and tours to do to keep any adventurer satisfied, from canopy or night tours in the jungle to snorkeling or fishing tours in the sea. There is a fantastic snorkeling tour run by Sunset Sails. Not only is it wonderful to be out on the water in search of playful dolphins, majestic whales, and shy turtles while sipping cervezas or cocktails included in the trip but, it being a family run business, you get the personal attention, delightful humor, and warm personality of the knowledgeable crew. One of the most delicious fish dinners with rice and vegetables can be had on their tour, served after snorkeling in the sea and before the spectacular sunsets that frequently grace the skies. If you are lucky and conditions are right, you may even be able to see the “green flash” that occurs just as the last bit of sun slips into the water.
It is such displays of nature that enchant the appreciative traveler. These can be found even when relaxing on the porch while the mono titi monkeys chirrup their way through the jungle, or an iguana embarrasses himself by falling off the roof and finds he is clinging to a plant while the inconsiderate human laughs at his clumsiness. For a moment the laughter distracts me from my heartbreak, which is only tempered by the thought that perhaps, one day soon, I will stay.
Photograph by Naomi Fino
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