Six Weeks in Western Europe / Highlights (Feb-April, 2025) / PORTO, SINTRA, MILAN, VIENNA, FIRENZE, NICE

As a blogger, I really should be ashamed of myself. It was the longest time we've spent on vacation together (6 weeks), and we covered a large swath of area. And yet, I was pitiful in my effort to take notes and photos. These were stays of roughly 7-10 days, living in mostly Air B and Bs and touring in: Porto, Portugal; Milan, Italy; Firenze, Italy; Vienna, Austria; and Nice, France. The best I can do now is make some a few notes, comments and suggestions, and maybe steer you a bit among destinations that offer almost too much to do and see. GENERAL/MODUS OPERANDI: Of course, travels to European cities will almost always challenge our budget, and as a retired American, I like to be careful of expenditures these days. There were few splurges. We thought the Air B&B options we researched and chose were generally very good and convenient. Among the benefits are cooking facilities that allow one to buy food at the markets and eat at home for breakfast, and often dinner. Laundry is another big benefit. The "free" hotel in Milano (use credit card points when you can, people!) was fine. We took one Uber the whole time we were in Europe. Trains, subways and trams are excellent, safe, reasonable and generally on time. When we crossed national borders, we had our passports ready, but they were checked only once by a conductor. We walked a lot, and averaged like 18000 steps a day. In general we kept our overhead down when possible, but never denied ourselves something to eat, drink or see. PORTO, PORTUGAL: Porto is the European city I would move to right now, if asked to choose one. We felt super-comfortable in Portugal generally, and this town is very beautiful without trying too hard, and feels a bit easier to navigate and enjoy compared to Lisbon (although Lisbon certainly has its own charms). Also, Portugal is slightly less expensive than other European tourist centers, which stretches your dollar and ability to experience. Our Air BandB in Porto was located around Rua Mouzinho, which is roughly city center. On that street is Bartolomeu Bistro & Wine, a wonderful restaurant with a very tasty raw tuna dish.Strongest recommendations are: free walking tours, Mercado do Bolhao, a daytrip for a Winery Tour in Douro Valley, and the spectacular Lello Bookstore. Of course, enjoy all the port that flows so freely; it is the drink of the gods. SINTRA, PORTUGAL: Sintra is easily reached from Lisbon, just a short train ride. It is a very interesting and unique place, full of medieval vibes, castles and Christian mysticism; it should not be missed if you have the chance to visit. For digs, I certainly recommend Chalet Saudade, which is like a block from the train station. It is a vintage guest house with beautiful rooms and very helpful staff. The chalet is associated with an excellent cafe across the street. Take a free tour and visit one of the many castles (perhaps Madonna will invite you to hers). A fine meal can be had at Romaria de Baco, although the night we were there one of their guests was loud and fairly annoying. MILAN, ITALY: There's quite a bit to do in this under-touristed Italian center of industry, fashion and art. This was the only time we stayed in a hotel, Hotel Gran Duca di York. We had a good deal on this, paying with credit card travel points, and it was comfortable. The must sees: the grand Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (with all the fashionistas vogueing and taking selfies), and DaVinci's The Last Supper (with tour, if possible). You must not miss this trinity! We wanted to see La Scala, the famous opera house, but it was very expensive, and the web site offered different kinds of tours, performances and experiences, all challenging to navigate! Have a Negroni and people-watch, enjoy a good meal somewhere (Ricci Osteria on Via Pasquale Sottocorno is pretty good), do some walking around. VIENNA, AUSTRIA: This was my first visit to Vienna, a well-planned and beautiful city full of magnificent architecture, culture and sweets. We stayed at the Adina Apartment Hotel, an interesting combination hotel and apartment units with a nice bar, gym and pool. It enjoys a great location on the tram and near the city's main train station. Service was spotty, but not to cause any real issue. We took another Viator walking tour, which was a terrific way to see some main tourist sites, including the apartment where Beethoven lived for awhile. The Belvedere Museum and Albertina Museum are both incredible, as is the Schoenbrunn Palace, a must see. As a general guideline, follow Klimt masterpieces -- go to where they are shown and you will have no regrets! We saw classical music at Musivereinspl, a wonderful experience, but not inexpensive. Delicious wiener schnitzel at Griechenbeisl and Figlmuller Wollzeile, both decidedly old school and popular with tourists. The city's many sausage stands (just those two words together gladden my heart)are supposed to be excellent and they look tasty, but we did not have the chance to try them. The two most famous cafes -- Sacher and Central -- are tourist magnets, but we found that Sacher was overrated and not worth the wait. There's a beautiful old medieval clock, the Ankeruhr Clock, that is quite interesting and worth a visit. One cool thing about Vienna is the ability to take excellent daytrips. We took the train to Bratislava for the day, and took a walking tour of the town and a bus trip to a castle fortress nearby. Fun and easy. FIRENZE, ITALY: Well, this was a very busy part of our trip, since our intention was to do a deep dive into Italian Renaissance Art. We stayed on the far side of the Arno, in the area called Santo Spirito. I recommend it highly, but I would not recommend the Air B&B where we stayed. One must acclimate into a heavy tourist atmosphere, but the city's pleasures and treasures are worth it, no doubt. I encourage you to see as much of you can of the touristt "must sees" -- the Uffizi Gallery, Bobili Gardens, the Duomo and Baptistry Museum, David at Galleria dell'Accademia, Basilica Santa Croce, and the Cappelle Medicee. Yes, they require tickets, some planning, and are best visited with a tour. But please, have patience and see as many of these phenomenal sites as circumstances allow. This was my third or fourth trip to Firenze, but I had missed several of these places because of the hassle factor involved. Let me add hastily that I am sooo glad I finally took the opportunity to see the Medici Chapel, and spend more time at the Uffizi, for example. These sights are life-changing and unforgettable. They are the reason why the city is so important historically and culturally. You will not regret making the effort! Later, you may be interested in reading The Agony & The Ecstacy by Irving Stone, the fantastic story of Michelangelo's life. One very useful tip: see the Basilica Santa Croce with our new friend, Dan Harper. Dan is an American who has devoted himself to this incredible Basilica, with its stunning Giotto frescoes, and tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo. Dan presents his audience with the exciting back-stories and details, and one pays what one wishes. This is the best tour from our time in Europe. But there's more! In back of the Basilica, some of the finest quality leather goods (in a town known for leather goods) are sold at the venerable Leather School. The folks there love Dan, and if you go with him, discounts and courtesies abound. In addition, ask Dan where to eat around town and he will give you a good list of his fave trattorias. And, incredibly, when you go to these establishments and mention that Dan sent you, you will be "upgraded," either in hospitality or with a complementary dessert. We were pretty well blown away by this. And it worked even in Sienna. Find Dan on Reddit or elsewhere on the internet. He is a treasure of resources. We took a Viator day trip by bus to Pisa and Lucca. I recommend Pisa without question, with a visit to the Leaning Tower but perhaps more important, the outstandiung Duomo nearby. Lucca was underwhelming, but I think we missed some of the beauty and things to do. Our guide was a bit scattered, and spoke with herself constantly. We also did a day trip to Sienna, to see the lovely Duomo and Baptistry, and the town center where the Palio is run each year. NICE, FRANCE:I have been to Nice at least three times, and I highly recommend not only for its privileged location relative to The Cote Azure, Liguria and Provence, but because the town is full of stunning architecture, incredible views, museums and food. The climate is lovely as well. The international Nice Airport is fairly close to town. We stayed at an Air BnB on Rue France, just at the edge of the tourist area. It is an excellent location just a short walk from the Promenade Anglais and sea views. As always, a "free" walking tour is a great way to get oriented and receive tips about where to visit. The flea and food markets in Old Town are fun and offer lots of local products. The Chagall and Matisse museums are in town, but in residential neighborhoods. Worth special mention near the Chagall Museum is the small, reasonable and very tasty restaurant called Mr. Po. Excellent Vietnamese bowls. It's very easy to work out bus travel to visit towns along the Cote Azure. The Foundation Maeght just outside of Saint Paul du Vence has indoor- and outdoor- spaces to show off its world class collection of fine art, sculpture and photography. It was a revelation! There's a tea garden there as well. The Renoir Museum is in Cagnes-sur-Mer. In Eze, you can climb up high to the Exotic Garden for free, and eat in one of the sweet restaurants on the walk up. Also, for those interested in the making and sale of perfume, the Fragonard company has its factory in Eze. All of this is accessible by public buses.

JAPAN, KOLKATA AND BHUTAN 2024

        

                                       JAPAN, KOLKATA AND BHUTAN  -- 2024

      This was a Bucket List journey. Since all in life in uncertain and impermanent, Cheryl and I wanted to visit Japan together at least once, and I was very excited about Bhutan, which I knew would be completely different than any trip we had ever taken. In essence, we assumed that we had one more trip to Asia in us, and this is what we wanted to experience. It turns out that it was a perfect decision.

        We flew directly Boston to Tokyo, which is pretty easy, if a long flight. We traveled in Japan by car and train to Harkone and Mount Fuji, then to hot springs resort spa, then Kyoto, Koyasan, Hiroshima and a short visit to Osaka. Then we flew to Kolkata by way of Singapore, holed up at the Taj in Kolkata for 3 days, then Bhutan for a week, including Paro and Thimbu, then Kolkata and and home via Doha and Qatar Airlines (we used points to upgrade to Business Class; it was sublime). Total about 3 weeks away.

     In Tokyo we stayed at the Keio Plaza Hotel, which was fine and convenient. We had a fantastic evening at Chagohan Cooking School and Restaurant, which we enjoyed a fabulous sushi cooking session and meal with Masa and Junko. It was a wonderful kickoff for the trip. We did some sightseeing at the oldest Shinto and Buddhist temples downtown, some shopping, a stop at Shibuya to see Hachi the dog and old imperial building, and delicious food almost everywhere.

Cooking class with Masa and Junko

Harkone is a a very pleasant area to visit, and gives one a great view of Mt. Fuji with a museum to understand the mountain and its importance culturally. We stayed at the Harkone Kowakien Ten-yu, a resort where every room has an outdoor hot tub fed by local springs. There were also scenic outdoor walks, incredible feasts, and (my favorite) two large ice-cream vending machines that were token-operated, where you can have as many pops, cones or cups as you wanted. People milling around in leisure wear and slippers.

Walking around the spa resort in Harkone

We both fell in love with Kyoto. So beautiful, plenty of gardens, old temples and tea houses, terrific food in holes in the wall, not expensive. We loved the sushi, soba and tempura, all much better than US grade. Perhaps the best thing about Kyoto was our guide Yoko. She was so wonderful and helpful. Booked some evening entertainment for us, took us to the best sites that we had missed in planning Kinkaujicho, a museum exhibit in Nara, Nijo Castle, Kasugataisha Shrine, etc. We were also participants at a tea ceremony, which is fun and a very calming experience, highly recommended. Yoko also arranged a short tour of the Genke (Geisha) area, which is a world unto itself. Our hotel in Kyoto was The Thousand, which was very good in terms of rooms, amenities, breakfast and location. https://www.keihanhotels-resorts.co.jp/the-thousand-kyoto/en/. An English-speaking robot brought ice to our room!

Golden Temple in Kyoto

We spent a day in Hiroshima to see the Peace Garden, Museum and walk a few blocks to "ground zero." I understand why my travel partner wanted to see these things, but I found them to be very upsetting and sobering. Our guide also took us by ferry to Okonomiyaki island to walk around and have lunch. 

After leaving Yoko and Kyoto, we traveled by train up to the Koyasan area. This requires a cable car ride up a steep mountain to a community of home-stay temples, where one stays overnight, is fed breakfast and dinner, and can practice meditation or visit the surrounding area. We stayed for two nights at a very fancy "shukubo" (Koyasan Shukubo Association) with our own bathroom, two additional rooms, and a sweet view into a lovely garden just outside. The meals were excellent and accommodations very comfortable.  We went to a local museum and one of the two very old outdoor mausoleums, with lots of moss and vibe. A stay in Koyasan is very unique, restful and fun, but two days maximum.

outside our rooms at the shukubo

After coming down from Koyasan, we took a train to Osaka and checked into the Zentis. I might skip Osaka next time, although we enjoyed Osaka Castle and some shopping downtown. Of course we had to try takoyaki (octopus dumplings), but they were just okay. 

We flew from Osaka to Singapore and the onto Kolkata. We stayed at the Taj because the Oberoi was under construction. The Taj is a bit old and is undergoing a face lift. Still, everyone in the hotel was very friendly to us, and we had the fabulous Mr. Rao to drive us around for sight-seeing at Mother Teresa's home, two temples (including a sumptuous Jain temple), and by my request, a visit to the best fresh paan walla in Kolkata. The Taj has an amazing Indian restaurant and an award-winning Chinese restaurant. We availed ourselves to both. And the bar was introducing a menu of new drinks, so we had a few (on the house). Kolkata is a rough place -- old, broken, poor -- but it does have some worthwhile sites. We suggest a local guide. 

                                                     Fresh Paan Walla in Kolkata

       

We flew out of Kolkata and into Thimphu Bhutan, where we had arranged for a guide and driver through Yak Holidays International and Mr. Sithar. Bhutan requires a visa and all arrangements were made easily through Yak. The one "drawback" of visiting Bhutan is that one can enter from only a handful of designated cities; we chose Kolkata; Singapore is another option.

Honestly, nothing prepares one for Bhutan. It is stunningly beautiful with snow-capped mountains, lots of forest, very little industry, no "Western" stores or eateries (I mean none whatsoever), people dressed traditionally, and lots of Buddhist overlay. No one speeds or leans on their horn. There are some wild dogs, but they all look like they just came from the groomer and are vaccinated for rabies. We traveled with Karma and Sunil for about a week, and I had requested some birding, so that was a constant theme. We did four hikes of varying difficulty, with the last day dedicated to climbing Tiger's Nest outside of Paro (5 hours total). Everywhere there were prayer flags, stupas, statuary, and characteristic buildings. Really beautiful country! The only downside of traveling in Bhutan is the many Indian families who drive over for vacation in large family groups; they take up a lot of psychic space.

Our trip provided us with "hotels" at night and three squares. The food was good, perhaps a bit spicy for some people. All the accommodations were fine except for one (in Phobjikha Valley, Gadgety), where we were shut out of Yak's first choice by a big biking group. Those digs were cold, power was interrupted, and we heard critters crawling in the walls, but they were nice folks and it was all tolerable. Again, this place was not the choice of Yak Holidays, and Mr. Sithar was apologetic. 

We were very lucky to be able to visit Chukka for a yearly dance festival and it was a high point. Lots of people dressed up as astrological animals doing traditional dances inside a small outdoor stadium. Color, pageantry, finery, celebration and a real family moment for the locals. 

Hiking above the clouds

Tiger's Nest

Chukka Fest

On the way home, we flew through Kolkata with a brutal 14-hr. layover, but had smooth sailing to Doha and then onto Boston via Qatar Airlines. 

At this writing, Bhutan has plans for a Mindfulness City that will combine futuristic urban planning with technology and conservation to create a new kind of urban space. Access to Bhutan will expand as time goes on, although I believe that sooner is better for a visit. Japan and Bhutan are highly recommended!

BIRDS AND CULTURE IN GUATEMALA 2024

     I must admit that I was totally wrong in my thinking about Guatemala and what I would find there. Sometimes we're happy to be wrong, and so is the case here. I expected to find unrelenting poverty, danger and crime. I saw some poverty driving through Guatemala City, and the local guide's family we visited was poor (but not distressed). But my lasting impression is one of incredible natural beauty, warm and friendly people and a wonderful opportunity for inexpensive eco-tourism with a strong infrastructure.

     Once again, we were birding with a group of about 12. Our friend and bird guru Seth Benz, of Schoodic Institute in Maine, told us about this trip running for about 3 weeks in March, 2024. It was partially a benefit for Schoodic Institute and presented by Sabrewing Nature Tours (www.sabrewingtours.com). The trip included one of Sabrewing's principals, another Sabrewing guide, a fabulous and unforgettable local guide named Maynor and The Bird Whisperer, Seth. Lots of smart and talented birders. 

     The trip was expertly planned to cover a wide range of bird habitat, from grasslands to cloud forest to the lowland jungle. We started in the lovely town of Antigua and traveled mostly by van, and then, for the "extension" to Tikal, flew from Guatemala City to Flores. Perhaps the most memorable place we stayed was Guacamayas Lodge, perched on the Laguna del Tigre National Park. We saw no people other than those who worked there, and we boated out on the river at night to find owls, bats and nightjars. Another excellent stop was Las Tarrales, a large natural reserve in Patulul.

view from the lookout tower in Laguna del Tigre

Our guide Maynor found excellent places to eat when our lodges and hotels did not provide meals, and the food was always delicious and plentiful. My personal opinion is that the food of Central and northern part of South America is overlooked and written off without justification. The soups, stews and sauces are rich and complex and the fruits and beverages are fresh and nourishing. We met a local chef named Gabriela Requena in Flores at her restaurant, Nativo. The food was world class, creative and labor intensive. This woman deserves culinary fame, and her main dishes from local ingredients went for like $16! 

Incredible crepes before birding

   I should add that the birding was superb. We saw over 300 species and some of them were incredibly rare and beautiful (resplendent quetzal -- national symbol of Guatemala, the pink-headed warbler, jacamars, king vulture, trogons, motmots, etc.).

   

resplendent quetzal

pink-headed warbler -- very rare!

   Besides a city tour of Antigua, the other cultural highpoint was spending time exploring the ancient Mayan city of Tikal, which flourished in the first millenia after Christ. It was quieting and fascinating, and Maynor guided us perfectly to see the best of the archaeology and local nature, while keeping us comfortable and hydrated in 104F temps. Our birding activities usually required 1-2 hours hiking per day, but we did as much as 7 miles. There was no difficult or dangerous climbing. 

Tikal

   I would definitely trust Sabrewing to put together a good nature tour in the future. Of course, trips like this require traveling with others, but birders are generally good folks and pretty easy-going. 

OAXACA, PUEBLA, MEXICO CITY 2023

         This trip was fairly last-minute. We learned early in the Fall of 2023 that there were a few spaces left on a Day of the Dead group trip with our friend Marina Aguirre and Marina in Mexico (www.marinainmexico.com) and we jumped on them. Cheryl has always wanted to do this trip and I will return to the pleasures of Oaxaca for any reason!

We met in CDMX and traveled up to Puebla for the first few days. Puebla is a sweet town and has a lovely cathedral and easy access to the to town of Cholula and its archeological site. I have reviewed these earlier. The main thing I want to say now is the Hotel Boutique Casa Reyna    https://www.casareyna.com/es/ is where you want to stay, and also where you want to eat. Excellent rooms and service, the best moles and local food.

Moles of my dreams

A few new notes on Oaxaca. Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) is a beautiful holiday in Mexico. It is celebrated in essentially two ways -- the fiesta side with floats, parades, events as local businesses, and then the family gatherings "celebrating" and remembering dead relatives at cemeteries and home altars. Both are great experiences, but for access to the family side of the holiday, one needs to be invited through a local or someone like Marina. 

At the cemeteries, folks bring flowers, incense, fruit, candles, photos and sometimes music and hang out for hours on the nights of November 1 and 2. It's quite the scene and interestingly enough, not very sad; it's more like remembering and appreciation. It was a revelation to experience it, and highly recommended. 

Oaxaca is great place to eat, if you don't know. However, during holidays like Day of the Dead reservations can be difficult. There was a 2-hour wait at Las Danzantes (our go-to) so we switched gears and went to Crudo on Avenida Benito Juarez. This was the Best Meal of The Trip. Chef Ricardo Arellano is mashing up fresh Oaxacan ingredients with Japanese style and presentation for a seriously delicious eating experience. It's like a very unique omakase of 5 or 6 dishes with superb flavors and tastes. On the other hand, I was less impressed with Alfonsina, which is a new destination restaurant out near the airport. Food is served in a beautiful courtyard, but the meal itself was just okay. Two of the five dishes featured the same fish, some of the local vegetables seemed bland, and there was a faint odor of sewage. Maybe I was put out for having to travel half an hour for the meal. But let's say "once is enough."

We do like Zandunga https://www.zandungasabor.com/ for a more casual mood. Sit at the bar and have the house mezcal, which is always tasty, and different and a few apps from the menu. They also have a very cool dress shop for women, right next door. Finally, our group had lunch at the Quinta Hotel downtown, which was well-served in a lovely dining room, but not special or worth the price.

Marina is friends with many crafts people in the Oaxaca area, and one day we visited Manuel Jimenez, who has been making his carved, painted animals for decades. They are often copied and sold in markets around this part of Mexico, but his are unique, original, spectacular and very expensive.

We stayed at Hotel Casantica in the centro. Very nice people, but the rooms are pretty noisy and tired. I would "pass" next time.

As I say, I have rambled about Oaxaca, Mexico City and Puebla in earlier spybird posts, so just wanted to add these notes on new subjects and places. 

Don't forget Monte Alban, "a must visit."

Feel free to contact me about Oaxaca for recommendations!

BACK TO MINDO, AMAZONIA AND LIMA, 2022 / HIRE A GUIDE?

         This year we wanted to return to the wonderful natural treasures around Mindo, Ecuador. Mindo is about 1.5-2 hours from Quito, and happily, Jet Blue has a fairly easy and direct path there from Boston, through either Fort Lauderdale or Miami. So "the drill" becomes fly in the morning and arrive that same evening at a hotel in Quito, allow yourself an extra day in Quito (the highest capital city in South America) to acclimate and drink the ubiquitous coca tea, maybe do a city walking tour, and then arrange to be picked up and taken to Mindo or environs. Here you have made previous arrangements with an ecolodge or outfitter. We love David Brito and Las Terrazas de Dana https://www.lasterrazasdedana.com and would submit to you that whatever your interest, David can and will tailor a terrific experience for you and your party (more on this later). Aside from the 8 days we spent around Mindo and on tour, we wanted an urban experience added-on, and decided to spend three full days in Lima at a fancy hotel. This required flying from Quito to Lima on LATAM airlines, and then on the return catching a red-eye out of Lima on Jet Blue back through Ft. Lauderdale, and up to Boston by mid-afternoon. Please consider this information carefully, because Lima airport is overcrowded and those red-eye flights are a bear. More on this later also.  

I have written fairly extensively about visiting Quito in a spybird blog from 2018, the last time we were there: http://spybirdtravel.blogspot.com/2018/02/ecuador-2018-quito-mindo-quito.html. 

We can provide an update that Le Parc Hotel is in the middle of construction on two sides (they will not tell you this, however, when you arrive late at night asking for a quiet room to allow you some sleep). They are still nice people, though, and the room rate of $100. including breakfast is a real bargain. But make sure your room does not face the construction! 

For some reason, the altitude sickness was a bit more pronounced this time, even though we had taken medication for it. There was definitely some combination of headache and stomach upset, but I took it slow and drank the sacred coco tea and lots of water. The take-away is give yourself an easy first day to adjust and walk around a bit. 

We returned to Zazu http://zazuquito.com for another fantastic meal. The food is local and creatively prepared. Truly, it apprears like art on the plate. And the flavors are delicious. We wrote to Chef Wilson in advance and he was kind enough to spend some time with us and buy us a drink. The big winners here are the charred octopus with smoked octopus reduction, sweet potato and mesclun (I have sworn off eating octo everywhere but here); the sea bass cerviche, and the suckling pig tacquitos. The service is friendly, professional and welcoming. The prices are reasonable for what you eat. Love it at zazu!

The charred octopus at Zazu

and melt-in-your-mouth cerviche

As mentioned, David Brito arranges a ride to come and take you from Quito to Mindo, and the ride takes about 2 hours with a bio break and/or snack. I suggest you stop at a place called "Two Armadillos," which is in essence an outdoor coffee garden with hummingbird feeders. The owner is a sweet man, visibly happy that we had returned, and there are some excellent views across the hills and a variety of hummers at all times. 

Hiking with my Honey around Paz de Aves

                                                                     

At Las Terrazas we had a large, clean room atop the terraced hill, with an outdoor porch area, large bedroom and even larger bathroom with jacuzzi. David and Marco arranged some day trips to hummingbird areas with feeders, to La Paz de Aves sanctuary (with a hidden "lek" to see the cock-of-the-rock), antippa birds, beautiful hiking, breakfast, and other delights (highly recommended!), to the Mariposaria, to the Quetzal Chocolate Company and a guided tour with our friend Sergio. We were accompanied at all times by the wonderful Natalia, our guide for our time in Mindo and glamping in the cloud forest. Some meals were taken at Las Terrazas and these were excellent -- local trout with garlic sauce, tasty local soups, a variety of fresh tropical juices we enjoy so much.

After a few days of birding and relaxing around Las Terrazas, Cheryl and I were accompanied by new friends Natalia (naturalist guide and bird whisperer par excellence) and David (new bird guide and excellent driver/expediter) for several more days farther afield, out to and including the area known as Amazonia. We spent two nights at two separate lodges, Cabanas San Isidro http://www.cabanasanisidro.com near the Napo River and situated between two national parks, and then the Ama Ecolodge https://www.amaecolodge.com  in the beautiful and very different natural environment of the Nisahualli area. 

So just a few impressions of these respective places to roost. First, keep in mind that neither provide all the in-room amenities of a an urban hotel situation. The lighting is scarce, the rooms are not heated, and the bed & bathroom situation is good and clean, but not much beyond that. Adjust expectations accordingly. However, the natural siting of these lodges is superb, and both provide an excellent viewing deck to start your day with a cuppa coffee. Some very exotic and beautiful critters are drawn to them --- local owls, tapir, trogons, etc. etc. --- and are easy to see here in their element. The food at both lodges is excellent, and plenty. I would return to Cabanas Isidro tomorrow; we enjoyed incredible encounters with nature here. Ama is also excellent, and as a bonus provides access to a water experience in the local mangroves, which is fun and different. As a lodge it still has a bit of growing to do.

Black-and-white owl; nightly visitor at San Isidro

Tapir at the salt lick

We also stopped at Guango Lodge http://guangolodge.com for a lunch visit and some birding (with some unhappy French tourists). We enjoyed the most delicious lunch of our trip (Ecuadorian soups are a national treasure), the hummingbird feeders and a lovely walk down the river nearby, but housing looked a bit "tight" for the likes of us. 

David and Natalia dropped us at the airport outside Quito, and we flew to Lima to stay in style at the Belmond Hotel in Miraflores Park https://www.belmond.com/hotels/south-america/peru/lima/belmond-miraflores-park/  The Belmond, part of a boutique chain, is quite pricey, but it boasts a great location (near the park and water), excellent amenities and breakfast, and fine service. There is beautiful "upscale" mall built into the cliffs within easy walking distance from the hotel. It is called the Larcomar, and is worth a visit to see (and shop for?) the incredible llama/wool items. It turns out The Belo Bar at the hotel itself is a great place to visit and enjoy a Pisco Sour expertly prepared by Andre, the incredibly kind and cordial bartender/ambassador for the hotel. We had so much fun with Andre, we visited him twice. 

Andre doing his thing

And there are other activities worth your while in Lima. 

The Museo Larco has a wonderful Inca collection full of pre-historical artifacts housed in a beautiful old home with some lovely outdoor garden space. We also had an amazing lunch at the wonderful Astrid y Gaston https://www.astridygaston.com, a restaurant that is noted to be among Lima's best, and presents as a homey, unstuffy space in the yard of a large, old manse with excellent service and local fare. And all at a reasonable price (about $100. with drinks.). 

Chimu Funerary garb, about 1400 A.D. (Museo Larco)

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HELPFUL NOTES ON HIRING A GUIDE

If there is any doubt in your mind about whether you should hire a guide for some or all of your next trip, allow me to dispel it for you. You should definitely avail yourself of a good, licensed, local guide. I mean one who has skills, has been recommended and researched, who communicates well, and is freely available for the time you are considering. 

Why? Because a guide will take your experience to a much higher level --- whether it's because she knows where the natural world hides and displays itself, or he knows the history or best viewing place or best time to visit when other folks aren't there. Sometimes guides have friends who know the good viewing spot or just saw a jaguar nearby, or they know someone who can provide perfect transportation. Or they can call, identify or answer questions about an animal passing close by. In short, you are paying a small sum for their expertise and resources, which they are happy to share, to make your visit fuller, more fruitful, more interesting. 

We have been so privileged to know some incredible guides, people who became immediate friends and shared their passion for the place we visited with them, whether ancient Egyptian ruins or, mural art in Mexico or safari animals in Botswana.  They took me to see the red-capped manakin do his "Michael Jackson dance," the wild feral dogs as they feast on remains of an antelope, the only known Egyptian representation of Cleopatra in an ancient temple, the walking stick and the potoo both completely visible and yet invisible in their habitat.

Here's some advice to help you enjoy a guide experience:

1. Know what you're getting before you go. It's best not to pick up a guide at a tourist site. If you've been to The Red Fort or Taj Mahal, you know the scenario I'm thinking of, where a local guide will share his/her schtick with you or anyone else for an hour at a certain cost. Maybe worthwhile on some level, but better to have someone researched or recommended, at an agreed price, who will agree or recommend a certain itinerary over a specific time. If you have physical limitations, don't hesitate to make them clear. After a price is agreed to, consider an additional tip when it's time to pay. Also, note that there are often walking tours that are free, charging only tips. A tourist's dream!

2. Equipment? If we're thinking of a naturalist guide, our friend should have a field guide or the necessary apps, maybe a properly-used laser pointer or blue-tooth speaker or spotting scope or license/document to work in the area in question. Once we had a birding guide chosen by a local hotel in Panama who told us that he "forgot" his binos and field guide. We should have fired his sorry self from jump! 

3. Local for sure. I heard this story from a local guide in Africa: one of the lodge's clients wanted to bring his own guide with him. I heard it was because the client's guide was white and the client was racist. Anyway, the lodge allowed the white guide, gave him a jeep and a map and permission to access the safari areas. Within a day he had radio'ed home base saying he was lost and needed to be picked up. There are a couple of valuable lessons there. But trust me: local is the way to go.

4. Let her work!  This is very important. Know that a guide is often mindfully attending to her senses of sound, sight and even smell. This is how she finds stuff, especially birds and other critters. Let your guide work by being quiet and not talking. Of course there may be time to get to know your guide, exchange stories and learn about each other. But pick your spots and make sure you give the guide personal space and silence. The guide will never be rude and tell you to pipe down, but often that is the best way to find more good stuff. 

Please consider spending some of your time away with a guide to enhance your understanding and experience. Always feel free to ask me for details referred to in the spybird travel blog.

Happy trails!

John

 

BLUE HILL, MAINE & ENVIRONS

Most of our time in Maine is spent in the area I call "Midcoast," roughly 1.5 hours north of Portland on the coast. The base of operations is on Damariscotta Lake, and the peninsula where we spend most of our time is known as the Pemaquid Peninsula. But if you travel up along the coast past Camden, past Belfast, and then down the east coast of Penobscot Bay, there's another beautiful peninsula with some beautiful old towns --- Castine, Blue Hill and Stonington (over the bridge on Deer Isle). We are just learning about this area ourselves, but wanted to share a few cool points of interest for travelers and tourists based on a first foray there, summer of '22 Blue Hill is a sweet town and well worth a visit. There is a wonderful library, and a music festival at the local park some Fridays during the summer. The clothing shops and art galleries are worth a look, but perhaps a bit pricey. We stayed at the grande dame of the town, The Blue Hill Inn, https://bluehillinn.com, and it is well situated, (essentially, you can walk to everything); it also boasts quaint atmosphere and delicious homemade breakfast. My only complaint was the bed, which was fairly cozy for two and very noisy. One could not move in the bed without making a lot of noise. Maybe we'll ask for a different room next time. Kneisel Hall https://www.kneisel.org is a wonderful chamber music school and festival that produces a terrific summer program of music on weekends. Tickets are very affordable and the venue is sweet and intimate. Highly recommended. Nearby food options are numerous, including a Thai Restaurant, a fine dining establishment with an excellent rep https://www.arborvine.com (unfortunately closed during our visit), and the very reliable and varied Blazes, a high-quality restaurant that specializes in brick oven pizza, and has four or five sister restaurants in Maine. The Blazes in Blue Hill has two lovely outdoor spaces for dining when weather allows. Several points of interest farther afield. For great hiking, we suggest Harriman Point in Brooklin, Maine https://www.mcht.org/preserve/harriman-point/. This is a Maine Coast Heritage Trust property, and offers walks on the beach ("the Blue Hill Peninsula's largest continuous stretch of coastline open to the public"), and inside pine forest. The views are spectacular, and you can swim on the pebbly beach. Just be aware of mosquitoes; they were out in force in August with nary a breeze to discourage them.

Besides hiking, we offer two other "finds." You simply MUST make a stop to visit Eric and Karl at Pugnuts Ice Cream in Surry. http://pugnuts.com/index.html . These guys are not just slinging your Giffords or Round Top (no disrespect intended). This is WORLD CLASS ice cream and the best gelato we've had this side of the Atlantic. They sold 50 TONS of ice-cream in 2022, so they are closing early (Oct. 2) for some well-deserved R-and-R. Trust me, you want to make the trip next year. All fresh, homemade ingredients. The blueberry gelato and peaches 'n cream gelato were both spectacular. See you there! One more stop we highly recommend is Brooklin Candy Co. in Brooklin, https://www.brooklincandy.com. It's worth the trip just to meet our new friend Blossom, but this fun, rambling and quirky little store has a fantastic selection of old-timey candy (including a sentimental fave -- Choward's Violets), handmade goods, gifts, imported items for all budgets, and little treats that you didn't realize you needed. A wonderful, welcoming experience. Always happy to answer questions and make suggestions. Enjoy Maine and be kind!

Southern Arizona / Birding 2022

      It was our first vacation away since the pandemic came down in March of 2020. Now, two years later, we were inclined to stay in the U.S., and hatched a plan to visit to visit southern Arizona, as far south as the border, to do some birding with Arizona Birding Tours and its main man, Felipe Guerero, https://www.arizonabirdingtours.com . We also wanted to see my nephew James, who lives near Phoenix,  and stay a few days in Tuscon. 

     So, big picture, we flew Boston to Phoenix (direct flight, reasonable cost), rented a car, spent one night in Phoenix, 3 nights in Nogales, and 3 nights in Tuscon before driving back to Phoenix and flying home in the afternoon. Easy-peasy!

     In Phoenix we stayed at FOUND:RE Phoenix Hotel at 1100 N. Central Ave. https://www.foundrehotels.com. Found:RE is kind of hip and has some interesting pop art decorating in the lobby. Its the rooms are thoughtfully laid out. But the staff is calling it in, and it feels kind of industrial. 

                                

FOUND:RE PHOENIX Lobby

We had a terrific meal and beer experience at the college hangout Wilderness a few blocks away. Outdoor service and amazing salads and burgers. For a bev, try the "Puffy" -- a "fruited milkshake sour." Delicious.

The Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix https://dbg.org is lovely, and had a Chilhuly glass sculpture exhibit set in the desert that was pretty spectacular:

                                     

Chilhuly in the Desert

Driving south a few hours, we stayed with Nisa and Jeff at Hacienda Corona de Guevavi https://www.haciendacorona.com, a Bed & Breakfast in Nogales, Santa Cruz County. This is beautiful and historic space, where John Wayne and his family spent summers. We stayed in an enormous room with huge fireplace and bathroom with a whirlpool tub. At sunset there was wine and beer and nibbles. Nisa and Jeff are interesting and wonderful people. They get highest marks for hospitality and attitude. We were off birding early every morning, so they supplied delicious fresh fruit and baked good with coffee to take away. Highly recommended.

Sunset from the Hacienda

Birding with Felipe was excellent. He is a superb guide and extremely intelligent, especially in matters relating to ecology, birding, equipment, geography and earth science. Apparently this part of southern Arizona is a reknown birding hotspot in the U.S. We spent half-days at Patagonia State Park, Coronado National Forest, San Raphael Grasslands, Harshaw Creek Road, and a local hummingbird area with feeders, etc. He made sure to vary the locations and geography to show us more species. He also gave me some great birding tips and suggestions. We saw 51 new species, although somehow we missed the common roadrunner.  Next time!

Yellow-eyed vireo, through Felipe's binos

Since we had a car and time to ourselves during the afternoons, we explored Tubac (good for shopping, but arrive by 3 pm because it shuts down early). Another afternoon, we parked the car in a $5. lot and walked over the border to La Roca, a very good (but not excellent) Mexican restaurant on the Mexican side of this "two-country" town. https://www.larocarestaurant.com . La Roca is real old school with waiters in tuxedos and great ambiance.  The experience of walking over the border is interesting, but there is really not much to see. The town has little to recommend itself, except cheap dental services. Glad we did this in daylight.

One of our unplanned outings, to Kartchner Caverns State Park, was an excellent addition to the trip, thanks to our friend Jane. Fascinating tour and guides, great for kids and families. Reserve in advance or take your chances.

We headed north to Tuscon, and stayed for our last three days at Adobe Rose Inn. The Inn gets excellent reviews on Trip Advisor and guests gush about its perfect location and heavenly breakfast. https://www.adoberoseinn.com/ . The breakfasts are, in fact, spectacular --- three courses with enormous portions and inside/outside seating. Thousands of calories. The location is also really terrific for exploring. The inn-keeper is very responsive (we had a water issue in our shower) and a really nice person. BUT "know before you go:" (1)  our Santa Catalina Suite was small, tired, and dusty. It was not worth $300./night. as it needed a thorough cleaning. And (2) the check-in process on arrival is a bit off-putting and time-consuming. You have to find parking, go to the front of the inn to get an envelope with instructions, go back out and move your car to an area adjacent to your digs, then take your instructions and luggage and navigate through the two locked doors to find your room. 

One of our best outings was cocktails and dinner at the nearby Arizona Inn, the grande dame of Tuscon hotels and very upscale. Too expensive to stay, but great for a meal. 

While visiting with my awesome nephew James and his girlfriend JJ, we visited the oldest mission in the U.S, at San Xavier del Blac. Quite beautiful inside and out. We also tried local Mex food at Boca Tacos Y Tequila where a James Beard finalist is producing tacos, elote (roasted corn) and other goodies for the masses. https://bocatacos.com . This on North 4th Street where the local characters and college kids are wild in the streets (I mean literally). Well, the margaritas were good, and the food was fine, but Cheryl and I are a bit jaded, I think. And our waitperson was tripping, or something. I would choose a different spot next time.

Highly recommended is Saguaro National Park for seeing the cacti and hiking in the desert environment. We have a lifetime senior national park parking pass, and these come in very handy. We made friends with a volunteer who was very knowledgeable and fun to talk with. We hiked the Loma Verde Trail for 1.5 hours. It was great fun, but we did not bring sufficient water. Bring twice what you think you may need. It is very hot and dehydration sneaks up on you!

"Broccoli" Cactus -- double headed

Honorable mention: We loved Mexican Shaved Ice or raspados. These really help beat the heat! Cheryl found these as Rincon Valley Farmers & Artisans Market

Also, for those of us from New England, Dutch Brothers Coffee is a real find, better than Starbucks for sure. 

Enjoy southern Arizona in early spring for lovely weather and a real change scenery!