by Jason Bowles | May 28, 2021 | Jason, North America
Love the La Paloma Beach House! Tropical seclusion is not so easy to find anymore, yet here we are with two private beaches tucked up against the rain forest near Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica. The house sits up above the beach, a 15-minute walk down the coastal trail that continues from the La Paloma Lodge all the way through Corcovado. In addition to modern conveniences like air-conditioning and drinkable water, it has a spectacular deck overlooking the ocean as well as the tools to enjoy the remote setting. Well equipped with a cooler full of drinks on ice, beach chairs, and boogie boards, it was easy to spend a day “marooned” on our private beaches.
Cousins on the beach
by Jason Bowles | May 22, 2021 | Jason, North America
While Stacy and I have hiked it before, May 22, 2022, would be the first Rim-to-Rim hike for Alex and Maile. We organized a large group of friends, most hiking North-to-South but a few were hiking in the opposite direction.
Starting the Rim-to-Rim hike.
Daunting statistics: North Rim-to-South Rim = 23.5 miles, 5761 feet of elevation loss followed by 4380 feet of elevation gain. Fortunately, it was unseasonably cool on May 22, 2021, which made conditions for the hike optimal. It was quite windy and cold on both rims, but in the canyon it was ideal. Near freezing at the top, it was low 90’s at Phantom Ranch, 10 – 15 degrees cooler than normal at this time of year.
Roaring Springs, May 22, 2021
Maile at Roaring Springs, Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim hike
Crossing the river on our Rim-to-Rim hike
We did it! Rim-to-Rim in a day, May 22, 2021.
by Jason Bowles | Mar 14, 2021 | Africa, Jason
I last dove the Red Sea 25 years ago. I recall clear, warm water with vibrant coral and fish life. Of course, that was in October. March is still considered winter in Egypt, and the water hasn’t started to warm up yet. Even in a wetsuit, the Red Sea in March is brisk. A full 5-mm wetsuit was just barely enough as the water temperature was only 70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 C). Unfortunately for us, the wind was blowing constantly which made exiting the water and removing wetsuits a little chilly. Still, we had a great time with Aquarius Diving Club.
Maile and Megan posing with clownfish
Alex diving the Red Sea
by Jason Bowles | Mar 14, 2021 | Africa, Jason
We were originally scheduled to see the sights of Upper Egypt on a Nile Cruise. Stacy and I have traveled in Egypt twice before, and have experienced both cruising on the Nile and travel by local train. Cruising is the most popular, and on previous trips, it was common to see dozens of ships disembarking passengers at every site. Given the pandemic, we chose not to risk the close quarters of a river cruise and decided to make the journey overland.
We met our guide, Walid, in Cairo and he flew with us to Aswan. After the sights in and around Aswan, we drove north to Luxor, stopping along the way to see temples at Kom Ombo and Edfu. The Temple of Horus at Edfu is the best-preserved temple in Egypt as well as one of the largest. It is just over 200 kilometers from Aswan to Luxor, but traveling along the Nile with stops to enjoy the major temples, it took most of a day to reach Luxor. Here, we spent a day on the east bank (Karnak and Luxor temples) and a day on the west bank (balloon ride at sunrise, Valley of the Kings, and Hatshepsut’s temple). After these sights, we dropped Walid at the airport to fly home to Cairo and we drove the 300 kilometers to Hurghada.
by Jason Bowles | Mar 9, 2021 | Africa, Jason
After only a day in Cairo, we flew to Aswan to start our exploration of Upper Egypt. Around Aswan, we visited the Aswan High Dam, and later the Aswan Dam where we took a boat out to see the Temple of Philae which was moved from its original location where it was partially submerged after the Aswan Dam was built. We enjoyed an excellent Nubian lunch at a small restaurant on a nearby island with the Temple serving as a beautiful backdrop a short distance across the water. We also visited the red granite quarry where the unfinished obelisk lies. When last we visited, the quarry seemed quite remote. Now, a growing Aswan surrounds it, complete with a formal entrance, chain-lined path, and barriers to keep you off of the obelisk.
Early the next morning we were up before the sun, driving 3 hours south across the desert to the furthest reaches of Egypt to see one of the most spectacular temples built for Ramses II–Abu Simbel. Rescued from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, Abu Simbel was also relocated by a massive UNESCO effort in the 1960s. Originally carved into a sandstone cliff, the temple was cut into pieces and reassembled higher on the plateau. Abu Simbel is quite remote (only 90 km from the Sudanese border), but well worth the visit. In addition to its ancient beauty, massive scale, and intricate workmanship, it is also a marvel of modern engineering to relocate and rebuild such a massive monument.
Abu Simbel–one of the most spectacular temples in Egypt
by Jason Bowles | Mar 7, 2021 | Africa, Jason
Alex and Maile have finally made it to Africa, their seventh continent, and what a memorable way to spend their first day. After arriving very late (4 am, maybe early is more accurate), we met up with our friends for breakfast at the hotel before starting our first day in Egypt. Our guide, Walid Ghonem, took us first to Memphis, then Sakkara, and finally to the Giza plateau. Even though Stacy and I have been here twice before, the Great Pyramids are just as impressive as the first time we saw them. They were already ancient when the ancient Greeks proclaimed them a wonder of the world, and they still are today.
Originally this visit to Egypt was planned for March of 2020 and only the four of us were planning to go. While the pandemic put us off for a year, we convinced several of our friends (Kelly, Rochelle, Nate & Brayden Nyberg, and George & Megan Robison) to join us this year. Egypt was closed for several months last year. People have started to return, but mostly in small numbers. According to Walid, we are the first “group” that he has hosted since March of last year. Groups traveling in Egypt are afforded extra security ever since the terrorist incident in 1997, something that we didn’t have when we were here in 1995 or when we traveled independently through the country in 2002. The armed police officer riding shotgun everywhere we went was readily apparent. It took a while to realize, though, that the frequent sirens and flashing lights behind us were our police escort. Eventually, Walid explained that our entire itinerary had been registered with the police, and they were not only escorting us but expecting us at various checkpoints. Our escort varied, from a single police car to a convoy of police cars, motorcycles, and occasionally trucks with armed soldiers. We felt like VIP’s!
Our tour was organized by Junior Singh from Travel Discounters, who did an amazing job last year when we were dealing with sudden flight cancelations, and again this year putting things back together for us and arranging things for our friends. Their partners in Egypt, Blue Sky Tours, provided excellent services on the ground and made sure everything went smoothly. Finally, our Egyptologist guide, Walid Ghonem, put together an outstanding itinerary and took extra care to help us experience Egypt, not just see it.
