So here it is, the beginning of 2014. Looking back on 2013 it’s been quite a ride, everything from the fun of ringing in the new year atop a highrise in Panama City with a fellow travel blogger … to the nightmare of being escorted out of a country. Here are 12 photos to show one year in a couple of travel bloggers’ lives.
January – Boquete, Panama
After ringing 2013 in with Kerwin McKenzie, a travel blogging friend, we drove to the other end of the country for a little R&R. Nestled in the mountains is the little city of Boquete. It’s a very popular expat community and a great place to relax.
February – Carnival in Panama City, Panama
March – Israel tour for 21 days
On a nearby perch you can take in the sights of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall.
We spent most of March in Israel and had a blast. After ten days on a fascinating guided tour, we rented a car and set out on our own to see more of this tiny nation, basically everything from the northernmost tip at Tel Dan all the way down to the Gaza Strip near Egypt. I don’t know what we enjoyed most, the food, the people, or seeing the historical sites that we’ve read about all our lives.
April – Casco Antiguo in Panama City, Panama
The old city of Casco Antiguo has charming cobblestone streets and old colorful buildings with a lively nightlife
Our last month in Panama. we spent as much time as we could with the friends we’d miss. Tops on our list is our Dutch friend Farieda. We had a blast sightseeing and bar-hopping in “Casco,” the oldest inhabited part of Panama City.
May – Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca as viewed from the top of one of the surrounding mountains
We moved to Cuenca, Ecuador in May. With half a million people it’s the third largest city in the country and a very popular retirement spot for Americans because of the incredibly low cost of living and the year-round spring-like weather.
June – Amazon Basin Tour
Colorful fields of quinoa, a grain found in the mid highlands of the Andes mountains
In June we visited the easternmost part of Ecuador, part of the Amazon River basin. We stayed at a beautiful lodge in the jungle for a few nights, traveled on an Amazon tributary, and even managed to see Banos, a town sitting on the side of a volcano that is famous for its thermal baths. Sadly, Dan missed a unique photo op: Only three days after we left, the volcano erupted.
July – back to the USA
Ready for the beach at Clam Pass in Naples, Florida
In July we decided to return to the US to visit family, especially grandkids and Linda’s 88-year-old mom. We enjoyed beach time in Naples, Florida, visited The Biltmore in Asheville, NC, and enjoyed time in Richmond and Petersburg, two Virginia towns with a lot of Civil War history.
August – Getting to know Cuenca, Ecuador
With Cuenca being a safe community, night walks reveal beautifully lit churches
Back in Cuenca we took time to get to know the mountain town better and improve our Spanish.
September – Ingapirca ruins in Ecuador, Dublin and Southeast Ireland
Main temple at Ingapirca, where the Incas worshiped their sun god
September through November are major travel months for us. Before heading to Ireland for a press tour and conference, we took a tour of various Inca ruins near Cuenca.
October – Northern Ireland, Germany, and a Mediterranean Cruise
Burano after sunset still maintains its colorful beauty.
After our conference we rented a car and drove north so we could spend some time touring Northern Ireland. Since we were already in Europe our friends Sven and Tina, who we’d first met in Israel, invited us to visit them in Cologne, Germany for a while. We then flew to Rome, because we’d found an incredibly inexpensive cruise. It took us to cities in Croatia, Italy, Montenegro and Greece. Dan’s favorite stop was Burano, an island neighbor of Venice, because of its mega-colorful houses.
November – Sarasota Chalk Festival in Sarasota, Florida
Artists start fresh after a night of rain during the Sarasota Chalk Festival.
November began with a few days in Athens, Greece, then a week of downtime at an apartment in Madrid. We flew back via Lima, Peru, then to Ecuador and finally to Florida, to straighten out our visas and spend some time with Dan’s family in Sarasota. If you’re ever there in November be sure to see the annual Sarasota Chalk Festival.
December – Lights in Bloom at Selby Gardens in Sarasota, Florida
Lights in Bloom at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota Florida
Dan spent much of December going through old photos, while Linda worked on various computer issues and social media. Our last blog-worthy event of 2013 was Lights In Bloom, another annual Sarasota event. This one was held at Selby Gardens. The entire botanical garden is open from 6-9 pm and is ablaze with colorful lighted flowers, butterflies and more. We also managed to visit the gardens during its normal daytime hours. They specialize in epiphytes so they have a world-class collection of orchids, bromeliads, and other air plants.
Looking back on 2013
We’ve had a busy year looking back. Here’s hoping that 2014 is even better.
