my favorite deadly sin

I did not stop squealing for a long time when I found out about the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica.

Sloth. SLOTH!

Yes there is heaven on earth and I imagine it would be this privately-run sloth camp on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. According to the site, you can VOLUNTEER there (paying $65/day to play, feed, clean up after, and generally loll around in slothness.) Well, you can also stay there as a tourist and take sloth tours but c'mon, don't you want to hold one of these little guys?

Costa Rica has just moved up the bucket list...

In the Peruvian high Amazon with a sloth baby...
could there be more sloths in my future?

contest of the month

Can you explain yourself in just a few words? Then maybe Intrepid's 30 trips in 30 days contest is for you!

Each day in November Intrepid is posing a question that must be answered in 50 words or less. One response is chosen for each question and the winner gets an Intrepid itinerary of their choice (the itinerary is selected when the response is submitted.) It should be noted that since the trips are limited to the choices available on the contest page, you won't be able to win an awesome cruise around the Galápagos Islands... but still!

I've been submitting response pretty faithfully so far but have been looked over for other responses. There are some I agree with (see the lost in translation winner) and some that I certainly do not agree with (why should drinking on the beach win over contemplating the infinite vastness of the ocean?)

Hey, it doesn't hurt to try!

Image ripped straight from the Intrepid site
and does not belong to me in any way, shape, or form.
Ever.

 I'm still hopeful that I can win a trip to Bolivia or - huge change of plans - Malaysia!

 

not even the Force could bring me luck

I didn't really win 10 cents, the machine just required bets in increments of 30 cents. And I didn't want to put in another dollar. I have the worst luck, which is why I have never played more than $5 in a single slot machine. I don't think I've spent more than $30 in my whole life at the slots.

Treasure Island, Las Vegas.

best buffet ever

Wicked Spoon in the Cosmo, Las Vegas. It was so good I returned for a second go at brunch!

Perfect eggs benedict, slab bacon, sticky buns, bangers and mash, pretth darn good Korean BBQ beef, and homemade chocolate marshmallows! The selection is unparalleled, tbe tiny plates and pans concept adorable, and the ever-so-decadent atmosphere round out the outstanding fare.

Brunch is $22 Monday - Friday with a mimosa or bloody mary included and $30 on weekends for jusf the food, $39 for weekend brunch with bottomless alcohol.

cucumber bliss

Drink up! Fancy cocktails somewhere in Las Vegas.

bigger than a monolith

Colombia is really a hidden jewel. Everyone in the United States is afraid of visiting so they never hear about the people in Medellín taking dance classes in the plazas or the friendly people and dogs. Or a gigantic rock sticking out of a flooded valley like the Lady of the Lake beckoning young Arthur to destiny.

I came, I saw, and I miraculously scaled Guatapé, Antioquía's famous monolith, during a daytrip out of Medellín. 740 steps doesn't sound like a lot, but the base sits at 2000 meters. Combined with my throbbing right foot, the altitude turned this quick jaunt into an exhausting trial. All bitterness dissipated when I reached the top and took in 360 degrees of the gorgeous green view, as you can see here:

flying the friendly skies

I'm ar Terminal 1 in SFO right now and despite a few self-imposed setbacks, I am at the gate waiting to board an Alaska Airlines flight to Seattle. Now I'm not on my orignal flight but that's another story about alarm clocks.

Alaska deserves a great big hug for their customer service. The clerks at the check-in counter were very helpful with my checked bags. It's cheaper to check 2 bags than to pay overage for one, and these heroes of the airline will let you know. Now I just have to hope that the runway construction at SFO doesn't delay me too much.

So far, this Alaska Airlines experience could not be more different from Jetblue odyssey to and from Colombia. I have never been delayed coming and going, nor have I ever been delayed as long as 10 hours. Jetblue's proactive reroute of my itinerary to Colombia is commendable. Sitting on the tarmac for 1 hour and causing me to nearly miss my connecting flight is not. And that connection from dull Fort Lauderdale back to SFO? That was a jetblue flight, too.

This poor soul didn't make it, and I almost thought my fate would be the same. Beware Jetblue!