Hot Pink Travel Blog

The fragility of peace.

6/18/2018

Last year about this time, I was taking two high school young ladies to Nicaragua. Our mission was to see a bit of the country and participate in a week of sea turtle rescue with SOSNicaragua.

We spent seven days in a remote part of the country called Padre Ramos Estuary, a few hours north of Leon.
We learned about the critically endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle, and this new population they discovered living in this mangrove estuary. We weren’t alone, as the group included about 14 travelers, a biologist from Fremont, a young family from Berkeley, a turtle-lover from Hawaii. The young man, the organization’s CEO, who lived in humble circumstances to try to save this sea turtle, humbled me.

We were able to release little sea-turtle hatchlings into the ocean, surf down the side of an active volcano, eat street food, and basically enjoy a country that was poor and struggling, but peaceful and kind.

The sea-turtle trip wasn’t my first to Nicaragua. A few years prior my daughter and I traveled in Granada and San Juan Del Sur to explore yoga retreats along the pacific coast and one in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. We had drivers, mostly because I’m too old to ride in a chicken bus, but we had a wonderful and safe time.

Today my friends in Nicaragua who I follow on Facebook are showing photos of people being killed in the streets of Leon and Granada by government soldiers who work under the directive of President Daniel Ortega. The citizens are mostly college students who are peacefully protesting Ortega’s efforts to increase taxes. One was a baby. The government is shooting young people who are peacefully protesting.

All of this reminds me of the fragility of peace. Today, instead of taking US students to learn about sea turtles and witness the work that a handful of humble biologists are doing to protect them, we have to wait until things calm down. Could be months, or maybe years. The organization relies on tourism to fund its future activities. Tourism helps them to buy things that make recovering and protecting the nests easier. I worry about whether this will impact their efforts. I worry about their safety and I watch my Facebook feed with a sad heart.

Today, more than ever, I encourage all of you to travel and experience a different culture. Granted, go someplace without so much conflict, but meet other people. See how they live. Understand their country and lives so that when things like this occur, it’s not just a blip on the news, it’s something that we can view and respond to with context. And pray for peace. Do whatever you can to ensure our world is safer in whatever small way you can.

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Uncruise is unrushed, uncrowded and unlike any cruise I've ever taken before.

12/16/2017

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Hot Pink Travel + Uncruise snorkel with Sea Otters in the Sea of Cortez

December was spent on a wellness cruise with UnCruise Adventures in the Sea of Cortez. To get there, we left Sacramento on Saturday and it was an easy flight to Cabo and then a bus for a few hours to La Paz where we met the boat. The staff greeted us with cocktails and appetizers and we slowly settled in.

Things to note:

• Everything is included: Cocktails, excursions, 30-minute massage, dinner. And it's all amazing.

• No keys. We did't lock our stateroom the entire time, even when we were in it! It was a bit of a shock at first, but it's nice to be that trusting and really there wasn't anything to worry about.

• Free 30-minute massage for everyone! And it was awesome.

Let's UnPlug

Sailing with 85 people is a dream. On and off the boat is easy and efficient. The ship can get close to shore and go places other boats cannot. Plus, we’re basically the only ship on the entire Sea of Cortez. It’s us and a few sailboats. It gives you what a vacation should be: time to unplug, connect and be present.

Day 1

Sunday began with 6:45 am yoga, breakfast and then a chance to go do something amazing: snorkel with sea otters. Yes, actually get in the water and frolic with the playful pups. The Sea of Cortez is beautiful. The mountains were burnt orange and we saw blue and brown footed boobies, turkey vultures and gulls. UnCruise provides the wetsuits, fins and masks. You just show up and have fun.

Day 2
We spent the morning at yoga and then it was kayaking and tide pooling. The kayak was quite a few miles and it felt good to be sore from the work. We saw so many birds and fish and the calm glassy ocean was a rare gift. Tide pooling was a treat as we were able to see healthy coral that was actually thriving. We saw the little hermit crabs and learned that when a hermit crab meets another for the first time their custom is to trade shells. So cute. We saw urchins and anemones and starfish. It was this thriving ecosystem that was healthy and vibrant and it was hopeful to see how quickly nature can restore itself when left alone and protected.

Day 3 What day is it anyway?

I’ve long thought that the sign of a great vacation is losing your days, and if that’s true, then this is indeed a great vacation. Today we hiked up a trail that was mild in elevation and mileage, but big in views. We saw osprey nests and ocotillo and cactus. We meandered through salt flats and enjoyed sweeping views. It wasn’t difficult, by any means, but it was beautiful. I should also note that every evening we gather before dinner for cocktail hour and mingle with the other travelers. Everything is included, even the smokey Mezcal used in my Frida Kahlo cocktail. I've taken three naps, made new friends and I honestly am not sure what day it is.

Day ? Let's Hike

The thing I love about UnCruise is that there's always a choice of what to do. Hard hike, easy hike, swim with sea lions, hang out in the skiff. Today we opted for the hard hike. We hiked up an arroyo that was challenging from a footing standpoint, but not mileage. It was fun though to climb big boulders and check out the shells that were 500 feet away from water. We saw agave and cordone and tiny little cactuses that you could drink if you found yourself without enough water.

At one point my iTunes turned on and Sign of the Times by Harry Styles came on and everyone sang. It was odd too because when we returned to the ship and walked in to the dining that song was playing on the speakers. Now every time i hear it i can picture that hike and the view and the people we were with.
After the cocktail hour, they turned the lights on to illuminate the ocean. We saw sea turtles and sea otters feasting on the fish that were attracted to our lights. It was amazing. Dinner was a great selection of rack of lamb or shrimp. Delish. I feel spoiled.

Day ? Let's hang

Today was supposed to be a hike but i decided to goof around instead. I got up early and did morning yoga. I walked 2 miles around the ship and then grabbed a video from the library and watched the Life of Pi. UnCruise did a beach party complete with bar tender, food and beach chairs, so I went to the beach and read my book. There were pelicans in the water and everyone was snorkeling. It was super chill.

Whale Sharks? Maybe next time.

Today we were suppose to swim with the whale sharks, but mother nature decided to kick up the wind. Instead we spent the day walking around the fun little city of La Paz. There’s a lot of street art and it’s super clean. We bought jewelry and gifts to take home. It was really fun to just walk the streets and see a little of Mexico and practice a little bit of Spanish. There was a lot of street art and restaurants and it was apparently the place where Queen Elizabeth got her most favorite pearl necklace. We didn't buy any pearls, but I think we found a gem. This cruise was unbelievable.

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Papa Hemingway's Cuba

5/26/2017

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Around 11 a.m. our cruise ship sailed into Havana Harbor. It was an awesome experience heightened by the vintage cars heading down the Malecon to the cruise terminal awaiting our impending arrival.

For our first day in Havana, we set out to learn more about Earnest Hemingway, exploring his favorite haunts as well as his home.

The first stop was the bar the Floridita, birthplace of the daiquiri. It opened in 1817 as a fish restaurant and cocktail destination in the older part of Havana (La Habana Vieja). It lies at the end of Calle Obispo (Bishop Street), across Monserrate Street from the The National Museum of Fine Arts of Havana. The place was packed and there was a band squished into the corner playing some of the best Latin music I've ever heard. We checked out the Hemingway photos on the wall as well as the bronze sculpture in the corner and then slowly made our way to the back of the bar. The place was beautiful. Light blue fresco on the ceiling, deep red counter behind the bar and lots of brass metal. And did I mention the music? Barbara and I sat with a few new friends from the ship and toasted Mr. Hemingway with a pretty strong daiquiri, supposedly his favorite drink. It was an amazing place and I could have stayed for hours. It's touristy for sure, but if you come in the afternoon after all of the tour buses head back to wherever they come from, I heard you can find a table and enjoy the music in a slightly less frenetic setting.

Next, we drove a few minutes to another Hemingway haunt, La Bodeguita Del Medio where Hemingway supposedly enjoyed the mojitos. It is a famous tourist destination because of the personalities which have patronized it: Salvador Allende, the poet Pablo Neruda, the artist Josignacio and many others.

La Bodeguita lays claim to being the birthplace of the Mojito cocktail, prepared in the bar since its opening in 1942, although this is disputed.

The walls are decorated with signatures of everyone who had dined there before us, as well as photos and memorabilia from Nat King Cole. We had lunch of shrimp, sweet potato and red beans and rice and the food was much welcomed as we started everything off Mr. Hemingway's favorite drink: the mojito. As we ate family style we also enjoyed a Cristal beer and continued the conversations of the first stop. Again, the music was amazing and the whole atmosphere was fun and warm. Before we left, we were handed a black pen and asked to sign the wall. Something I relished.

Stop number three was the piece de resistance, Hemingway’s home.... Finca Viglia. It was quiet and lovely, the perfect retreat to write. The house was built in 1886 by a Catalan architect named Miguel Pascual y Baguer on a hill about 15 miles east of Havana. Hemingway lived in the house from mid 1939 to 1960. He rented at first and then purchased the property in 1940 for $12,500. It was at Finca that he wrote much of For Whom the Bell Tolls as well as the 1951 book Old Man and the Sea.

You can't go into the house, but only look into the rooms from the doorway, but you still got a sense of his style and the comfort of the home as well as his love of cats. He built a "tower" with a writing room on the top, but he preferred to write in the house.

We made one more stop at yet another bar and then it was time to head back to the ship. In the end, I was wondering if all I learned was that the great author liked to drink, but it was so much more than that. The places he liked to "hang" were warm and fun and real. Hemingway had a great sense of style and seemed to embrace friendship as vital to his being. People, regardless of their status, were what he really enjoyed. In fact, when we were at his home the docent told us that when Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize he declined the invitation to the award ceremony and instead threw a party in the streets of Havana, choosing to be with his true for friends. You get the feeling that he loved the country and its people deeply. and after just a small amount of time in Havana, I completely understand why.

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Travel Blog

The fragility of peace.

Uncruise is unrushed, uncrowded and unlike any cruise I've ever taken before.

Day 3 What day is it anyway?

Day ? Let's Hike

Day ? Let's hang

Whale Sharks? Maybe next time.

Papa Hemingway's Cuba

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