In May, I experienced the trip of a lifetime; eight days in Costa Rica! In preperation for the trip, I delved into Central America. I’m a historian by avocation, whenever I study a topic or a region, I start with the history, it is a key to my understanding. My first ‘book stop” in my preparation for my Costa Rican Adventure was Thomas Pearcy’s “The History of Central America”.
My Review:
Pearcy’s book is a quick read. He gives a solid presentation of the colonial period, and then branches out into the development of the seven Central America countries. I learned many things. Did you know that in the 1830’s these newly independent countries banded together and formed the United Provinces of Central America? News to me!
I was also able to discover why Costa Rica has been such a stable and progressive country while it’s neighbors have struggled.
I rate this 3.5 out of 5 stars!
Details:
Title: The History of Central America.
Author: Thomas L. Pearcy.
Publisher: Palgrave/ MacMillan.
Year: 2006.
Pages:144.
Format: Trade Paperback.
Safe Readying My Friends!
Bill
Standing on the rocky shore of Fernandina island, snapping photos of a family of sunning sea lions, I’m amazed at how seemingly unaware these sleek mammals are of my presence. As I turn to continue on my way, I notice a pup – he must have been only a month or two old – staring at me with big, brown eyes. “Hi!” I whisper, delighted that the cutest of the lot has decided to give me his attention. The pup bobs his head and then, to my amazement, waddles towards me. I freeze, remembering our guide Pablo’s words: “Don’t touch the wildlife, let the wildlife touch you.” Should I move? Will he bite? He doesn’t look mean. I decide to stand perfectly still.
When the pup reaches my feet, he sniffs, his whiskers tickling my ankles – and then grabs hold of my shoelace between his tiny teeth! I laugh as he entertains himself with his new toy, whipping his head back and forth like a puppy playing tug of war. Luckily he’s not strong enough to pull me over, but he does manage to untie both of my sneakers. As my uncle snaps photos from a nearby ledge, Pablo joins us on our perch.“Curious little fellas, aren’t they?” he says with a smile. When the game gets old, the pup sidles his way into the surf where he splashes playfully before flopping his way back up to dry rock to resume his nap.
Today was ALA’s first “Bike-to-Work” day of the season. We had a great turn out, with 83% of our employees commuting by bike today. Our goal is obviously to have 100% next time, but hey, 83% ain’t bad! We plan to dedicate one day per week to making the commute by bicycle, for the rest of the warm weather season. And before the year is over, we plan to have at least one entire week dedicated to biking in. We’re lucky to have a fairly bike-friendly city, with several paved bike paths and wide shoulders to utilize on our commutes. One benefit of being an ALA employee is having access to our inventory of bikes and equipment (anytime you need them!), so everybody is able to participate in programs like this. As a company that promotes an active lifestyle and green-living, we’re proud to be able practice what we preach! So, from all of us here at Austin Lehman Adventures…Happy Biking!
A favorite travel moment was arriving at lunch in a small Tuscany hill town after biking up the switchbacks. The ride was a real challenge, the views were incredible, and lunch was marvelous! Imagine arriving in this small town, on a bicycle, and finding, in the middle of a side street, your lunch set up on a table for 20! The ride offered stunning views of the surrounding countryside — fields being worked, cows grazing, and grapes growing. The lunch of local specialites, served by the cook and her husband, was the crowning touch to the morning’s climb.
