Planning for Peru

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Pete

Well my big trip for 2011 will be taking me to Peru for 13 days. While I know this certainly isn’t enough time to explore an entire country, I will definitely give it a shot. As always, researching for the trip has gone way to in-depth and has left me spending countless late nights glued to the glowing laptop, albeit also catching up on my Chelsea Handler. Researching destinations, I like to generally stick to Wikitravel (personal favorite) as well as a couple blogs with people that have actually been to the areas and have travel knowledge to report. However, googling travel time between two areas in Peru, brought me to a gem of a website: Continue reading →

Whitewater Rafting down the Tully River

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Pete

One of the most popular adventure activities, whitewater rafting can be found in destinations around the world. Certainly out of most people’s elements, it can also be very dangerous. I have done my fair share of adventure activities (bungee jumped, skydived, ran with bulls, pogo-sticked), but whitewater rafting was the closest I have come to ‘swimming with the fishes.’ Continue reading →

A mud volcano?

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Pete

A mud volcano? What is that – the new dessert at TGI Friday’s? Mud volcanoes are scattered across the globe, but perhaps the coolest one sits just outside of Cartagena, Colombia. I had never heard of a mud volcano before and certainly not one that I would be able to climb inside. Researching things to do around Cartagena, the Volcan del Totumo “bubbled” up as one of the top day trips outside of the city. Continue reading →

5 Days in Costa Rica

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Pete

Recently married friends of mine (ugh, still weird to say) are taking their honeymoon to Costa Rica. Costa Rica is an amazing, diverse, hospitable country with endless options for tourists. Although I have never been there, Costa Rica gets a lot of travel press and I feel that I have a good impression of the country. I have heard a lot about it through friends that have traveled or lived in the area. They will be going for 5 days, certainly not enough time to cover Costa Rica, but able to scratch the surface. A couple places stand out that I already had narrowed down if I were making the trip. Though certainly not easy, and I know there is plenty more to explore, here is what I would do with 5 days in Costa Rica. Continue reading →

Watching TV at the Comcast Center

Posted on January 11, 2011 by Pete

The largest skyscraper now dotting the Philadelphia skyline is also home to the world’s largest High-Definition television. Comcast’s headquarters, The Comcast Center, shows off what it’s good at, TV. While home for the holidays, a new Christmas light show has emerged into the spotlight. It has taken away some of the allure from the old-fashioned, slow moving, Macy’s (John Wannamaker) prestigious light extravaganza. Comcast puts on quite the crystal-clear Christmas spectacle, drawing large crowds of people at the hour during the winter holidays. However, the Comcast Screen is a Philadelphia tourist attraction in its own right. And it’s open all-year round. Continue reading →

Sydney Bridge Climb — Worth It?

Posted on December 21, 2010 by Pete

An icon to the city of Sydney as well as the country of Australia, the Sydney Harbour Bridge provides one of the top attractions in the country. Unfortunately, due to the price, a lot of backpackers deter from doing it. So is it worth spending more than 200 AUD for an afternoon on a bridge with some photos to prove you did it?? Yes.

Continue reading →

Getting Around Bogota

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Pete

Getting from Bogota to its surrounding sites:

Two attractions that sit outside of Bogota are some of Colombia’s biggest tourist draws. For being so popular, you would think transportation between the 3 areas should be pretty easy. Unless you have a private driver or your own car, getting between places can be very difficult. I couldn’t find much information on the internet so I wanted to share my experience on how we were able to get between the major attractions. While both of these places have direct bus routes from the Bogota Bus terminal, they lack the connection to be able to get to the other destination without having to go back to Bogota. Since they are both north of the city, and on the same route, it doesn’t make much sense. Continue reading →

Stuck in SoBe

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Pete

At last, a visit to Miami. I’m not sure why it took me so long to visit a place like this. Known for its suave, sexy image, it seemed such a fitting place for me to be. Just kidding, but I had always wanted to visit the allure of South Beach. And visit South Beach I did. As much as I hate to admit, my time in Miami was literally all spent in that mile radius. Although that is the place to see and be seen, and it was a great time, I feel I missed out on some of Miami’s authenticity. Staying in South Beach in Miami is like visiting Los Angeles and just staying in Hollywood. I really feel I missed a great deal of Miami and what the city really represents. With that said, I did get a great feel for South Beach with the time I spent there. From walking up and down the chaos of Ocean Dr., and Collins Ave., to strolling over to the pedestrian, tree-lined street of Espanola Way, I noticed SoBe’s charm can attract to everyone. Continue reading →

Top Animal Activities Around the World

Posted on April 20, 2010 by Pete

As I plan a trip around the world, timing is everything. Not only trying to coordinate the festivals and events in different countries, but also the many different outdoor activities that are only held a certain time of the year. When thinking of all the different activities I wanted to do, I realized animals seemed to be involved in a lot. So thus, a list has been created about what I think would be some awesome animal excitement! Please don’t get any weird ideas… Continue reading →

Bungee like Bond

Posted on April 5, 2010 by Pete

When I was putting together an itinerary for backpacking Europe, one of the specific adventure activities I wanted to do was this Verzasca Dam Bungee Jump in Switzerland. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I never made it there. I never even made it to Switzerland. Maybe this was a good thing, as every time I watch my brother’s video I can’t believe he did the jump. I find myself questioning if I could even do it now. I have bungeed before in Australia, but its child’s play compared to this bungee jump. This is the world’s highest permanent bungee jump. You may have seen it before in the James Bond movie, Goldeneye, where he jumps off of it in the beginning of the movie. Besides from it being the highest bungy jump it’s also different from many other bungees in the world. The one I did in Australia you just had to jump out (or kinda fall over like I did) and that’s it. You get dunked in the water and someone is waiting at the bottom in a raft to unstrap you. The Verzasca bungee doesn’t have anyone waiting for you after your several second freefall. Not only is there no one down there with you, you have to actually swing up and strap yourself in another rope to be pulled back up the 220 meters you just came from. Also they advise you to jump out and to the side so that you don’t fly into the Dam wall! Continue reading →