Solo Travel?

Do you like to go solo?

Recently I had my first two tastes of traveling alone. I noticed a number of interesting differences in the experience, and found myself analyzing them. I also began soliciting comments from some veterans who have a good basis for comparison.

Traveling solo presents an excellent opportunity for adventure on one’s own terms. You can come and go as you wish, without negotiations. When one’s schedule is her own, everything from bedtimes to meals and departure dates become imbued with flexibility and spontaneity. An extra day here or a day excursion there? No problem. If you want to tarry at an outdoor market or just enjoy your hotel for an afternoon, no need to explain or affect someone else’s plans. My friend Jessie says:

“You can do what you want when you want to. There’s no feeling bad ‘cause you slept all morning, or because you’re desperate to see an art exhibit that you know your travel partner has no interest in seeing.”

The power to satisfy your own agenda in real time is HUGE, and not to be underestimated. Freedom is the greatest adventure. One voice of experience says: “The best moves I made were the last minute ones.”

But beyond freedom and spontaneity as Master of Your Own Logistics, there is something even more compelling. Many people find that solo travel is a richer, more intense experience. Why is that?

Well, owning your itinerary and controlling your travel destiny to some extent is empowering, no doubt.

And let’s be honest here. Some travel partners --- even (especially?) friends and lovers --- can be needy and demanding. Travel with people you know can keep you psychologically confined to the social world and connections you share. On the other hand, traveling solo means that the only baggage that comes along on your trip is your luggage.

Finally, solo travel requires a continuity of sustained attention to one’s surroundings. Circumstances require that you be both observant and present because so much --- your transport, your safety, your food ---depends on it. One of the side benefits of that kind of attention is the ability to notice detail and nuance. Being there “in the moment” translates into a very vivid, conscious travel experience (as any vipassana meditation yogi will tell you).

To be sure, single travelers are more approachable, and obviously this can be a mixed blessing:

“I visited The Red Fort in Delhi in 1993. Everyone there wants to be your tour guide. I happened to meet a local guy, a student from Calcutta who had never been to the Fort, and also wanted to visit Gandhi’s grave, like I did. So we decided to do some sight-seeing together. When the would-be tour guides set upon me, I smiled and told them ‘My guide is my new friend Ahmet.’ The local guys started beating my new friend up! I had to intervene to stop them! But Ahmet and I ended up having a great day.”

This leads us to the biggest cause for concern in going it alone: security. And for women especially, this can be a challenge, even a deal-breaker. Overly aggressive men in Bordeaux, ass-grabbing in the Marrakesh medina, and crowded bemo rides with overly-friendly strangers in Java can put a real damper on one’s trip. Theft and rip-offs are perhaps easier to work against a single person.

Still, with a modicum of caution and an ounce of prevention, solo travel can be extremely rewarding. Here are some suggestions to those who would “go it alone:”

1. Be sensible in your dress and appearance. You’ve heard these words of travel wisdom a million times: no expensive-looking jewelry or watches, keep money and cameras hidden, don’t “flash your cash.” And don’t show a lot of skin; it’s provocative and often seen as disrespectful.

2. Share your itinerary or contact info with a few friends or relatives, even on the fly. If you’re staying in a guest house or hotel, let them know when you can be expected, and provide a cell number.

3. A phrase book or google translate is always helpful. Learn how to say “Please leave me alone or I’ll call the police” in the local language, or write it down in block letters and keep it handy. Also keep a card with your local address and phone.

4. Don’t carry a lot with you. Pack as light as possible (here is an old post on this subject: http://monterisiinmondoindo.blogspot.com/2012/12/packing-smart-and-simple.html )

Keep your arms free when possible.

5. Wear a whistle around your neck. I often carry a pocket knife or industrial razor blade with me, and I like those small traveler’s lights sold at camping stores.

6. Stay away from unlighted, unpopulated areas.

These are precautions worth taking, of course, but I hope you will not be deterred from going it alone. It’s a wonderful experience, and you will remember it, I promise. 

A Middle Road? Finally, I have a suggestion for those who would like to try solo travel even though they are with a friend or group: spend a day on your own. My nephew and I did this on our last day in Paris. I wanted to visit the old Les Halles and a nearby cafe, and he wanted to go somewhere I had no interest in. We split after breakfast and met back at the hotel later in the evening. It was a great day for both of us, and we had plenty to talk about when we re-convened. Try it!

Do you have any comments on this subject? I would enjoy seeing them.

Awesome Osa

Our weighty conclusion was reached over Tico sours and complementary bar snacks of smashed, fried plantains with guacamole. All of us were seasoned travelers, several from Europe, and two of us were traveling with kids. There were about ten of us in all. We had gathered the last several nights at Bosque del Cabo’s poolside bar before dinner, to enjoy tropical cocktails and compare notes on our day’s activities. And now, the consensus was simply this: eco-lodges on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula are the perfect vacation solution for almost everyone.

Well, maybe not for shopaholics. Aside from small shops at the lodges themselves and a weekly farmers’ market, there are no stores of any kind, only a few basic restaurants, and no power grid on the Osa.

I never heard a complaint about this, however. Perhaps because this shoe-shaped peninsula, which juts out of the southwest Costa Rica into the Pacific, is chock full of incredible flora and fauna. Half of Costa Rica’s and 5% of the world’s biodiversity live here. We’re talking 700 species of trees, 117 species of reptiles, over 360 species of birds. Insects number at about 10,000 varieties. Farmland, rainforests and jungle spread out to meet the blue-green ocean, and all are very much alive with sights and sounds. Indeed, National Geographic calls the Osa “one of the most biologically intense places on earth.” One guest referred to it as “The Garden of Eden.” Without a doubt, this special area is a natural jewel.

Check out the harlequin beetle. So cool.

I have recently returned from my fourth visit to the Osa since 1998. I have stayed at five different eco-lodges --- Lapa Rios, Encanta La Vida, and Bosque del Cabo around Matapalo; Playa Nicuesa reached via a 20 minute boat ride from the town of Golfito; and Luna Lodge, the farthest afield in Carate, a stone’s throw from Corcovado National Park.  Three of these I have visited more than once. The eco-lodges offer different degrees of “luxury” in terms of accommodations, amenities and meals. Four out of five are priced at roughly several hundred dollars per night per person; Encanta is priced at about half of these rates, but the food, digs, and facilities are correspondingly simpler. All of the lodges provide commodious, low-impact cabinas, most with outdoor showers and private porches. All of them include tasty food options with “full board” plans which include local fruit and vegetables. Again, Encanta’s meals are decidedly simpler than the others.  Lapa Rios, Bosque, Encanta and Luna have a pool for relaxing “down-time;” Nicuesa has a small beach and pier for swimming.

With exploration and soft adventure in mind, all of the lodges arrange a myriad of activities, mostly outside of the lodge and for extra charge, such as fishing, kayaking, snorkeling, horseback riding, massage, surfing, waterfall rapelling and in one case (Luna Lodge) panning for gold on the river. Many of the lodges have evocative yoga platforms overlooking the mountains or ocean, and act as venue for yoga retreats guided by a teacher. My stay at Encanta benefitted from a large yoga group that brought its own teacher and a very good chef. Lana Wedmore, owner at Luna Lodge, is also a dedicated practicioner and leads yoga sessions.

Most importantly, a stay at any of these eco lodges provides its guests with access to extensive roads and trails systems, and guides (varying from good to excellent) who will happily show you the natural wonders around you. There are four species of monkeys, hundreds of species of birds, (including scarlet macaws and toucans who look painted by Disney), sloths, tarantulas, tapirs, wild cats, strangler figs, electric blue butterflies called morphos, snakes, and lots more. Encounters with wild things happen constantly; in the Osa, Nature comes to you.

Do-it-yourselfers can spend hours hiking on trails or just roaming the lodge property and see plenty of wildlife. But hiring a guide for $15-20. per hour takes your wildlife spotting up to a new level. Virtually all of the guides are locals, most have taken the rigorous certification required in Costa Rica to be a naturalist guide. Some come equipped with Swarovski scopes and birdcall apps on their smartphones. All have a really good sense of the rainforest and what it holds. --- they know where the red-capped manakin does its “moonwalk” mating dance; they know where the sloth lives hidden in the bamboo tree high overhead; they know the location of the hummingbird nest, and where you are most likely to spot a puma. Trust me: they see things you will never see.

Toucan, four can
Outside our room at Nicuesa

The elusive sloth
Carlos spotted him for us

My traveler’s tale on this subject comes from our first night walk in the jungle with a guide named Tomas at Lapa Rios, back in 1998. About five of us were walking the trail quietly with our flashlights when Tomas said “Oh wow, an adult walking stick.” He led us about 50 feet ahead into the darkness, and then shined his torch on the insect, a stick with thread-like legs, about 3-4 inches. “Where?” I still couldn’t see it. It took me a half a minute to find the walking stick when I was virtually on top of it. But Tomas saw it in almost complete darkness, from quite a distance. It turns out that Tomas had a rep as one of the best guides in Costa Rica, a country that admires nature guides the way Americans admire sports stars. I believe he has since moved to Monteverde. But if you want a great guided experience, you can still hire Oscar at Luna Lodge and Carlos at Bosque del Cabo; both are excellent guides and fine companions.

I love the Osa. I never feel more aware, more in tune with nature, more in synch with the flow of life, than when I am there. One tends to be active while the sun is up, eat healthy foods, and sleep well after a day of fun and exercise. All the while you learn about yourself and the world around you. What more can you ask from a vacation?

Some planning notes and advice. The climate in the Osa is tropical, which means strong sun and high humidity most of the time. The temperature rarely falls below 80 F and often exceeds 90 F with humidity in the 60-90% range. The “rainy season” starts second half of April and extends through November, with heaviest rainfall in October. As a practical matter, this means showers in the afternoon and evening. However, even this general information is subject to the microclimatic differences in the area. We were in the Osa April 20-28, 2013. It rained daily at Nicuesa in Golfito, but we did not see rain at all in Matapalo.

View from inside Sol cabina at Bosque
Views are of the ocean and "the monkey highway"

There are some creepy creatures in the Osa, but they are not likely to be a bother. In my experience, mosquitoes have not been an issue (thanks to the bats?). There are some poisonous snakes, but they are very shy and not commonly encountered. We always shake our shoes and clothes out to make sure no scorpion or other creature has crawled in. Remember you are a guest in nature’s jungle. There is some co-existence involved; in fact, that is the whole idea.

The climate dictates that you hydrate often (all of the lodges make purified water available at all times), not over-exert your body, and use sun protection. Also, it is very useful to have quick-drying, non-cotton clothes that wick away moisture (check out Patagonia, Orvis, North Face, Coumbia, or other “outdoor wear.”) One pair of sandals and a pair of sturdy “trail shoes” are a must. You may also want to have a swimsuit along. And, of course, bring binoculars and the best camera you have.

One question that many visitors ask is whether a trip to Corcovado National Park, the 100,000 acre parcel on the ocean in Carate, is worth the time and expense. Of course, if you visit Luna Lodge the park is just 15 minutes down the hill. However, my personal advice is not to bother. For one thing, access to the park is restricted for most visitors to just a few trails. It is fairly hot and steamy there, adjacent to the sand beach. And you will probably see just as much wildlife outside the park as inside it. That was my experience, anyway.

Lodge web sites:

Bosque del Cabo  http://www.bosquedelcabo.com/home/index.html

Luna Lodge  http://www.lunalodge.com/lodge.html

Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lounge http://www.nicuesalodge.com

Lapa Rios http://www.laparios.com/index.html

Encanta La Vida  www.encantalavida.com

Transportation: Most travelers come from San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. From there, the Osa is best reached by a 50-minute plane ride, booked through either Sansa Regional Air or Nature Air. The small-plane service will take you to either Golfito (Playa Nicuesa) or Puerta Jimenez (all others). The fare is about $130 per person, each way. Many of the lodges will assist with these arrangements, as well as pick you up and transport you from either town.

You must visit the Osa! A great place to educate children, get outdoors, relax, and re-discover nature.

under spybird's wing

Welcome to spybird.

If you enjoy travel as much as I do, you know that inside tips, contacts, friendly advice and a savvy voice of experience can enhance one's journey immeasurably.  Suggestions we receive from friends, other pilgrims - even complete strangers - often prove very useful, even transformative.  The man in the Old Ghetto section of Rome who held a delicious pastry up high, pointed behind him and shouted, "Just follow your nose;" the monk in Bangkok who led me to my meditation teacher; the Costa Rican eco-lodge guest who turned me on to a killer (and reasonable) octopus dish at a Greek restaurant in Manhattan. 

The stunning gardens at Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte outside Paris.
Thanks to a tip from our friend B.

Accurate, practical information is a traveler's best friend. It affords us the luxury of having a clue, which, in turn,  gives us the confidence to relax and enjoy our experience. Such information is meant to be shared, and where better than The Blogosphere - the new meeting place where "our people" can share facts, perspectives, and experiences in the travel world. 

So here is spybird. Informaton about traveling, transportation, things to do and see, people to meet, special places and moments. But we're not just the facts, ma'am. Spybird is also about the traveler's mindset, how we think.  Spybird's mission is to stimulate ideas and insights about journeys far and wide, inside and out. Above all, it aims to whet your appetite for new adventures. 

All of the entries are based on first-hand knowledge, and all facts are verified. The site is mostly the work of John Monterisi, an ESL teacher, recovering litigation attorney, working/recording musician, lover of tasty snacks and drink, and intrepid traveler since the age of 9. But I have friends and acquaintances, also with itchy feet, whom I hope to coax (with food and alcohol if necessary) to blog here also.

By the way, spybird is my second blog. During a 3-month teaching tenure in Java, Indonesia earlier this year, I published twenty-one posts called monterisi in mondo indo, which I hope you will visit. Here is a link: http://monterisiinmondoindo.blogspot.com

Thanks so much for looking in here. I hope you will stop back often.

Lovely Lombok

     I began hearing about Lombok while I was planning for my stint teaching English in Indonesia. Comments came peppered with glowing superlatives, from trustworthy sources who shunned corporate resort hype and cruise line adverts in travel magazines. Lombok’s first devotees were front-line tourists --- divers, trekkers, back-packers, and sun-seekers.  They found nearby Bali a bit overly-touristed, or maybe tainted in the aftermath of bombings in 2002 and 2005. In any case, it has been only seven or eight years since this part of the island province called Nusa Tenggara has truly come into its own. And friends, that’s a major part of the charm. Lombok still offers a very authentic experience. With very little effort, a visitor can experience an original and unspoiled sense of place on this 1800 square mile island. Above all else, Lombok feels “real.”

 And it is incredibly beautiful. The Gillis ---- an archipelago of three small satellite islands just off the northwest coast, are like the quintessential tropical islands of your dreams. They offer simple bungalows on fabulous beaches at bargain prices (as little as $40/night), lots of live coral for primo diving and snorkeling, surf and even some nightlife if you want it (on Gilli Trawangan, the largest and most populated of the group). Transportation to the Gillis by public or private means is readily available and inexpensive.

Back on the main island of Lombok, the impossibly blue-green waters roll up to miles of superb white sand beaches, and I can report that in March there were few people on them. The northern interior of Lombok boasts the majestic Rinjani volcano, Indonesia’s second highest peak. It is protected by its own national park, and there are 2-3 day treks for the willing organized through outfitters, hotels or the Rinjani Information Center in the park. Lombok also offers beautiful waterfalls, coffee and rice terraces, a monkey forest, a crater lake, Balinese Hindu temples, superb seafood, pearls and textile weaving, and the warm hospitality of the Sasak Muslims who call the island home. Best of all, because this is Indonesia, paradise comes at a price that can work for almost any budget, with as much added luxury as you want to pay for.

Some highlights and recommendations follow:

Tugu Hotel Lombok ----- Tugu Hotel in Lombok http://www.tuguhotels.com/lombok/?menu=1# certainly has location going for it. Lonely Planet calls Sira Beach “insanely gorgeous” and it’s hard to argue with that description. Dramatic views of Rinjari, expansive white sands, great swimming and snorkeling, and swaying coconut palms set the scene. 

Spectacular Sira Beach and Tugu from the water.

The Hotel has only 19 accomodations, set on beautiful grounds filled with enormous antique Hindu and Javan statuary and two buildings that were faithfully reconstructed from 200-year-old originals. The service is exceptional --- friendly and attentive without overdoing it. Examples: at the bar one night, the staff brought out a cake decorated with “Thank you for staying with us” in chocolate; the spa prepared ice and fresh aloe upon hearing about my sunburn; grounds workers carved up a coconut and presented to me it with straws and a spoon because I happened to be sitting near the palm they were harvesting. The rooms are very large, well-appointed and comfortable. Mine had its own front yard with table. Some may not love the semi-enclosed (but completely private) outdoor bathroom. I did one tour and a day of snorkeling in the Gillis --- both arranged by the hotel --- and the service was terrific. The Tugu also offers a daily “high tea” service with complimentary sweet and savory snacks, bicycles, a free half hour massage, and daily tropical fruit in your room. Full breakfast, included in my $258. per night room price (all tax included), was sumptuous. And you can take meals in any number of places on the property, including the beach.

Al fresco and fantastic. Note greeting on leaf.

There is a downside to staying at a resort like Tugu Lombok. One disadvantage is that by booking activities through the hotel you are paying quite a bit more than if you booked them yourself, using outside providers. The second disadvantage is related to the first: the location of the property is a bit isolated, and leaving it is not made easy. Personally, I can live with the downside. On vacation, convenience is king, and door to door (or shore to shore) service has value worth paying for. The hotel vets providers, answers for any problems and assures a better quality experience. To the second point, I am not a guy who needs to be on vacation with everyone else. I am content being a bit isolated if the location makes for a good trade-off, and in this case it does, no doubt.

Snorkeling in the Gillis ----- Maybe 20 minutes by boat from Sira, these islands have become a vacation and diving hotspot, especially the largest of the three, Trawangan. On the mid-sized Gilli Meno I spent about an hour “on island” wandering past the shoreline cottages, visiting a turtle sanctuary and having a coffee with two local guys, one of whom lent me a guitar to play. Very mellow. Motor vehicles are not allowed on the islands, but there are traditional horse-drawn carriages called cidomos.

It’s so much fun feeling like you’re swimming in a giant aquarium, and this is the experience of snorkeling around the coral reefs of the Gillis. The fish are varied, with all the psychedelic colors you love in tropical fish. Pencil fish, small barracuda, angel fish, and parrot fish, schools of them. The biggest thrill for me was seeing an old sea turtle, maybe 3 feet long. He swam to the surface, put his head above water, and then descended into the depths.

Pura Lingsar ----- The largest and holiest temple compound in Lombok is a stone’s throw from its capital town of Mataram. Built in 1714 and sitting amid deep green rice fields, Pura Lingsar is multi-denominational, although its architecture is Balinese, and both Hindu and Muslim priests live on the grounds. There is an enclosed holy pond dedicated to Vishnu and at the small opening to the pond you may feed hard-boiled eggs to the Holy Eels. It is supposedly lucky to see the eels, and my local guide said that a tour bus from Jakarta we saw departing was a bit miffed at seeing none. I saw two, a monster and one that was mid-sized. Vishnu, if you are listening, I would like to share one eel’s worth of luck with those sad folks from Jakarta.

The holy eel seeks his hard-boiled egg snack. Lucky for me.

The Best Fish I Ever Tasted ----- This award is no small thing to someone who loves seafood as much as I do. And all bragging aside, I have eaten some ridiculously good seafood --- in Maine, Costa Rica, New York City and Nice, France, among other places. But my favorite so far is Warung Manega in the tourist town of Senggigi. Super-fresh fish is grilled over smoky coconut husks and then served with four different sauces --- a spicy chili condiment called sambal, garlic, sweet soy and chili-lime-vinegar. We chose red snapper, but I bet the grouper and king prawns are rockin,’ too. With greens, white rice and limeade, about $12 per person. Simple but so delicious, I wanted to hire a cab and drive the hour to return for dinner the next night. I should have. For those who like to dine al fresco, you can eat on tables set up in the sand.

The Best Fish Ever. No lie.

Spring is a “shoulder season” in Lombok, when visiting means less expense and fewer people.  There can be an occasional shower, but I did not see one. In fact, now could be the ideal time for a visit.

      But please don’t wait too long. One can detect the first whiff of corporate leisure development and infrastructure in the wind. Small condominiums are being built on the Gillis, and beautiful Kuta Beach on Lombok’s south shore has apparently been slated for a multi-million dollar development project. Before the digging begins, I would suggest everyone check out Lovely Lombok without delay.