Vivian

Canyoning, Hotsprings, Rafting and Volcanos in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

6KM from the base of the Arenal Volcano is the town of La Fortuna. No longer the quiet town that sprouted from tourism boom that followed the last major volcanic eruption in 1968; the town is now one of Costa Rica’s busiest tourist destinations. While the Arenal Volcano has been officially dormant since 2010, the

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Hanging out in Cloud Forests in Monteverde

Monteverde was not initially on my list of places to visit in Costa Rica. I was already planning to visit La Fortuna, and for some reason, I thought the two places were be quite similar. Andres, a local working at my hostel in Manuel Antonio, convinced me otherwise. “It’s the most beautiful place in Costa

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Hiking, Hidden Beaches, Waterfalls and Wildlife in Manuel Antonio

After a few days of relaxing on the beach and getting settled to the Pura Vida life in Playa Jaco, I was ready to move on to the next leg of my journey – Manuel Antonio. Hiking, beaches, waterfalls, wildlife, Manuel Antonio offers travelers a plethora of experiences that no Costa Rican vacation is complete

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Winter Wonderland Vancouver

Taking Advantage of a Rare Winter Wonderland in Vancouver

In the last week of the roller coaster year of 2021, something rare and magical happened in Vancouver.  It snowed.  In that strange period of time between Christmas and New Years, a thick blanket of powdery white snow blanketed the city of rain, transforming it into a beautiful winter wonderland.  After a year that saw

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Poor Man’s Peloton: a Couch-Potato’s Home Gym for Under-$200

As the temperatures drop and the Omicron strain closes gyms around the world again, many of us are facing lock-down like situations à la 2020.  It was back in the late summer of 2020, while Vancouver was gripped in both the coronavirus pandemic, and suffocating smoke from the California wildfires, that I caved and bought

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arnica, arnica montana, medicinal plant-8895.jpg

The Magic of Arnica

Last week, after I got home from my bike fall, my right hand (which took the brunt of my fall) was extremely uncomfortable and I could barely move it.  I remembered something about homeopathic Arnica being very helpful if taken immediately after a traumatic injury.  Thankfully I had a tube of Arnica at home, and

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