Through The Lens: 6/17/07

Wild lupine near the Mendenhall Glacier visitor center. I have found purple, white and pink lupine along the roads and throughout the forest in Juneau.

— Christopher

Travel Tips and How-To"s

3/22/08

GALLO PINTO

This dish is eaten across Costa Rica by probably every Costa Rican, if they are true Ticos. Gallo Pinto, translated "spotted rooster," is arguably my all-time favorite Latin American dish. It is simple, it tastes great and it gives you a lot of energy (a good combination of protein and carbs). Beans = protein. Rice = carbs. Lizano sauce (native to Costa Rica) = best sauce ever. On the Caribbean side, in places like Limon, they call it "Rice and Beans" (no Spanish translation) and it tastes just as good or better than in the Central Valley.

Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2-3 tablespoons Lizano or worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
- fresh cilantro
- sliced green onions

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2) Add onion and saute until it just begins to soften and turns color.
3) Add garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, or until onion is golden.
4) Add spices and Lizano or worcestershire sauce and stir into onion and garlic.
5) Next, add the beans and rice.
6) Combine the rice and beans evenly and cook until mixture is heated through.
7) Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
8) Garnish with some chopped cilantro or green onions.

It should make enough for six people.

12/19/07
The Costa Rican eating experience is filled with a variety of natural foods and cooking methods. After living with a Tico family, we learned how easy it is to cook exceptionally rich meals with simple and natural ingredients.

Here is one of our favorite dishes from Costa Rica. Although it takes about an hour, it is simple and easy, and will satisfy the entire family. This makes for a good holiday family gathering meal:

ARROZ CON POLLO (RICE WITH CHICKEN)

- About 3lbs of rice
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 tomato
- 2 sliced carrots
- 2 large cellery sticks
- 1/2 finely-chopped red pepper
- 1 sprig parsley
- cilantro
- 1 finely-sliced onion
- 1 can sliced mushrooms
- 1 can peas (frozen or fresh)
- 2 tablespoons of Salsa Lizano (or Worcestershire's sauce)
- 1 teaspoon annatto paste (found in Mexican food stores if not available in local grocery store)
- 1 can tomato paste
- 2 bay leaves
- cooking oil
- salt, pepper, and cumin to your liking

Preparation:
cook rice with carrots, chicken broth from previously cooked chicken and annatto paste.

Sauce:
Sautee the onion adn ass the red pepper, cellery, tomato, parsley and cilantro, along with the spices like pepper, Lizano, cumin, salt, and finally tomato paste. Let it simmer over medium heat.

Shred the chicken, taking out bones or skin. Add chicken to the sauce mix. Then Incorporate the rice, little by little and stir. Lastly, add the mushrooms and peas. Cover for ten minutes and serve.

(makes about 15 servings)

10/29/07
Las Lajas, Panama — Although known to travelers for its enormous canal and proximity to Colombia, the raw beauty and splendor of western Panama has only been revealed to a few small groups of North American and European ex-pats. The mountain towns of Boquete and Volcan are the more popular retirement developments in the Chiriqui region, about two hours from the border with Costa Rica.

One key element to the Panama experience that most travelers miss while taking in the unique sights in Boquete, or Panama City, is the sleepy, tranquil town of Las Lajas. This coastal community of about 6,000 is the closest one may get to paradise. If you go in the off season and find one of the two hostels on the water, you'll likely be the only person in sight as you walk along the 15 km of undeveloped beach. That doesn't include the wild horses grazing in the bush or trotting in the surf.

Getting there:
Take the bus from David to San Felix for about $2.25 and then get a taxi for $5 from the gas station to the beach 14 km away. You'll pass throught the quiet town, but paradise is not far from there. You'll find two-room cabins for $27 per night at Cabanas Panama. Pitch a tent and eat breakfast for $5 per night at the campsite, or hang out with 60-year-old Chinese-Panamanian Kenito at his hostel for $10 per night.

10/22/07
Tres Rios — As a photojournalist and traveler, I have come to appreciate my sometimes ridiculous habit of taking my camera everywhere I go. By everywhere, I mean: to work (of course), in the taxi to the bank, to a get together with friends, to the beach on my weekend off, to the porch at the hostel while reading a book, and even to Saturday lunch at a Costa Rican family's home.

Hey, you never know what might happen between your house and your destination. For a photographer, timing is everything. Isn't it true that 80 percent of life is just showing up? Well, the same goes for capturing those unique, slice-of-life moments. The camera does the rest after you release the shutter.

One of the greatest habits I developed — thanks to the fine photojournalists who mentored me — was to carry my camera on my shoulder EVERYWHERE I go. It has allowed me to capture some fun and important moments.

So when you're traveling and you have a camera (and I have advised many an Alaska tourist of this), keep the power on and the lens cap off. You never know what you might get.

10/10/07
San Jose — When it comes to public cleanliness, many places in Costa Rica could improve. Streets are littered with garbage and often one may walk past a small animal, dead near the water drain on the corner.

Public restrooms are almost non-existent. And when you do finally encounter one, say in a fairly classy restaurant, you enter expecting to have the essentials provided after relieving yourself — sink, running water, soap, maybe a paper towel. Well, that's just not the case throughout the greater San Jose Metropolitan area. The second-story restroom in the Cartago Burger King (a major restaurant chain) is not even equipped with functional plumbing.

You'll find sinks, but no water. You'll find soap dispensers, but no soap. You'll find towel racks, but no towels.

Yes, there are toilets in these coveted public restrooms, but often they do not come with any of the amenities that most of us take for granted. So, when you come to Costa Rica, be ready to see it all in terms natural splendor and beauty, but... BYOHS.

Bring you own hand sanitizer!

10/2/07
Tres Rios — A common misunderstanding among foreigners dining out in Costa Rica, as well as many other Latin American countries, is why the waiter takes so long to bring the bill.

Well, that's because no one asked for it. Waiters at most Costa Rican restaurants assume you come to eat, hang out and chat for a while. Therefore, they don't want you to feel rushed by bringing you the bill.

So, whenever you dine out in Costa Rica, remember: relax; stay a while; enjoy the ambiance, the food and your date.

You ask them for the bill.

9/26/07
San Jose — When getting in and out of a taxi, close the door gently. Many taxi drivers are particular about the condition of their cars, and if they noticed that you slammed the door while getting in, they will ask you to politely shut the door softer when exiting. It is also taken as a little disrespectful if you slam the door.

Through The Lens

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Alaska Wildflowers

Links to Christopher"s Work

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Through The Lens

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Alaska Wildflowers

Links to Christopher"s Work

Get to Know Peru — Travel info and News

Get to Know Costa Rica — Travel info and News

Travel Tips and How-To"s

Who Reads my Blog?

VerveEarth

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