the girls were the first brave ones (claro!)

My original impetus for hopping a chickenbus and taking a daytrip from Xela to San Andres Xecul was to check out the technicolor church in the main square. And the church facade is pretty cool, with a riotous display of carvings in primary colors depicting scenes from the Mayan holy book the PopolVuh. But the real treat was farther up the hill, where I encountered a group of school kids in an area called Barrio El Calvario.

Barrio El Calvario schoolkids

I had to huff and puff a bit to get up the steep hill, but was rewarded by stunning views of the valley and highlands. Meanwhile a group of kids seemed to be having gym class behind me. They were a little shy at first, but soon came over to check out my pen collection as I wrote in my travel journal. And then, gradually, everyone wanted to get their picture taken! First the girls, then the group, in various configurations.

gym class

I also got the chance to admire a creepy Mayan shrine dug into the hillside just beyond the gym class area. These are fairly common in Guatemala, although this one had the added bonus of wild turkeys running through it. You'll notice I got much closer to photograph the children than I did to the turkey.

creepy Mayan shrine with... turkey...??

These photos are from my 2007 Central American trip through Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. For more fabulous travel photos, check out DeliciousBaby's Photo Friday!

RELATED LINKS:
* all San Andres Xecul pics
* all Guatemala pics
* original story: Making friends in San Andres Xecul

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mmm, ravioli with duck ragu (Taverna della Rocca, Frontone)

This is the fourth and final installment in a four-part series of my favorite Italian food porn from our recent trip. The other three parts are linked below.

Part four: small-town restaurants
One could argue whether or not some of these sites are actually small towns... it's all relative once you start traveling through the Italian countryside. All of these sites were reached via daytrip from our agriturismo in Le Marche, and each had its own distinct charm. In contrast with our culinary adventures in Florence and Venice, visiting these smaller cities was much more about slow food and slow travel, sampling the local fare, and taking a deep-deep-deep breath to soak it all in. In some cases, we had a recommendation for a specific restaurant. More often than not, we followed our nose and found a place that suited our needs in the moment. Regardless, each of these towns had their own stories to tell; links and recommendations are provided below.

cantucci e vinsanto (Vineria PerBacco, Anghiari) 

heart attack on a plate, om nom nom (Agriturismo Olivetano, Perugia) 

panini-licious (Caffe Duomo, Assisi)

Zuppa della Luna (Osteria Della Luna, Gradara) 

sadly, not the mixed grill… awesome piadine tho (Taverna della Rocca, Frontone)

Hop on over to Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering pics.

RECOMMENDED:
Vineria PerBacco
Galleria girolamo magi
52031 - Anghiari (AR)
+39 0575 788893

Agriturismo Olivetano
Strada dei Cappuccinelli, 18
S. Lucia - Perugia
+39 075 44235

Caffe Duomo
Piazza San Rufino, 5
06081 Assisi
+39 075 81 55 209

Osteria Della Luna Di Ercoles E Cimarelli
Via Umberto Primo
61012 Gradara (PU)
+39 0541 969838

Taverna della Rocca
Via Leopardi, 22
61040 Frontone (PU)
+39 0721 786109

RELATED LINKS:
* A few of my favorite things, part one: big-city restaurants
* A few of my favorite things, part two: festival snacky-treats
* A few of my favorite things, part three: handmade with love

* Anghiari: Tuscan daytrip
* Perugia: full of surprises
* Assisi: saints and sinners
* Frontone: can you smell what the Rocca's cooking?
* Gradara photos

* browse photos by region: Le Marche | Umbria

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our first Le Marche dinner, with fresh veggies from the garden
 

This is the third installment in a four-part series of my favorite Italian food porn from our recent trip. The first two parts are linked below.

Part three: handmade with love
We did a lot of self-catering during our time in Le Marche. This was easy to do, given the well-appointed in-room kitchens at La Tavola Marche, not to mention the abundance of fresh produce in the garden out back. We also managed to pick up some fun local ingredients at nearby festivals and markets. And we took a half-day cooking class with Chef Jason, which was truly a wonderful way to learn how to prepare simple, delicious cucina povera.

Here are some of the dishes we learned to make in our cooking class:

pumpkin ravioli

sardine & sage antipasto

grilled polenta, a big slice of heaven

lasagna made from scratch
(another guest actually made this, but it was too beautiful NOT to photograph!)

One of the best things about cooking in Italy is the freshness of local ingredients. Not sure how well it comes through in these photographs, but the handmade pasta is actually an orange-y color because the eggs are bursting with Omega-3s and come from happy chickens. The pale sad yellow yolks sold in grocery stores around here just can't compare.

now *that's* what I call a happy ending!
quite possibly the best seafood risotto ever, and other local goodies

Coming up next week: Part four: small-town restaurants!

Hop on over to Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering pics.

RELATED LINKS:
* A few of my favorite things, part one: big-city restaurants
* A few of my favorite things, part two: festival snacky-treats
* browse all Le Marche pics
* cooking class blog post: These guys can even make fish guts fun!
* browse all market photos

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burning incense on Temple Street

Singapore was the first stop on our 2008 monthlong jaunt through Southeast Asia. It's a fascinating place, an amalgam of cultures and customs that sprawls across the densely-packed island city-state, in the shadow of gigantic gleaming skyscrapers that house corporate headquarters of multinational outfits. We found wandering through Singapore's ethnic neighborhoods to be a great antidote to its no-gum-chewing, intimidatingly squeaky-clean reputation.

There's nowhere the melting pot is more obvious than in its houses of worship. On one street alone (the aptly-named Temple Street) there are mosques, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, and Christian churches all within a block or two of each other. Here's a small sampling of some of our faves from throughout the city:

Ron Jeremy visits Sri Veeramakaliamman

ornate gopuram of Sri Veeramakaliamman

Buddha luck

Kwan Im Tong Hood Che temple

Masjid Sultan

Don't forget to visit DeliciousBaby's Photo Friday for more fabulous travel pics!

RELATED LINKS:
* Singapore blog entries
* all Singapore pics
* DeliciousBaby's Photo Friday

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local pecorino aged in hay

As promised, here's the second in a four-part series of my favorite Italian food porn from our recent trip.

Part two: open-air snacks at fabulous festivals
There's no doubt that festivals are *the* place to get the best treats, regardless of where you are in the world. We were fortunate to visit Italy during the fall, which is prime festival season. Two of our favorite fests were fairly close to our home base at La Tavola Marche: the San Sisto Mushroom Festival, and the Apecchio Truffle Festival. They afforded us not only a plethora of tasty snacks, but also a window into small-town life.

get down, get funghi

and don't forget the salumi!

fries, polenta with ragu, and vino della casa

tartufi!

piadine con salsa di tartufi

Missed part one last week?
Coming up next week: Part three: handmade with love!

Hop on over to Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering pics.

RELATED LINKS:
* A few of my favorite things, part one: big-city restaurants
* San Sisto mushroom festival: story | pics
* Apecchio truffle festival: story | pics
* browse all Le Marche pics
* other blog entries in the "festival" category

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dem bones, dem bones, deep inside the cave

Sometimes my best adventures have the fewest photos, because I'm so busy *doing* that I forget to play travel photog. This was definitely the case during a daylong trip to Actun Tunichil Muknal cave, outside San Ignacio, Belize. (At the tail end of my 10-week Central American junket in 2007.) The tour consisted of a hike through the jungle, a swim upriver to the mouth of the cave, and then spelunking -- I love that word! -- through the cave itself. The highlight of the cave tour is the pottery and human remains found deep inside, evidence of Mayan spiritual ceremonies from days of yore. Creepy goodness!

entrance to ATM cave

Mayan pottery inside the cave

calcite-encrusted skeleton of The Crystal Maiden

Don't forget to visit DeliciousBaby's Photo Friday for more fabulous travel pics!

RELATED LINKS:
* original ATM blog post: Spelunk, Part 2!
* all Belize stories
* all Belize pics
* DeliciousBaby's Photo Friday

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pappa al pomodoro, Florence

As a contribution to WanderFood Wednesday, and in preparation for an upcoming exhibit of "food porn" photos, I'm creating a four-part series of my favorite foodie pics from our recent trip to Italy.

Part one: iconic meals in big-city restaurants
We noshed at many wonderful ristoranti, osterie, enoteche, and assorted charming spots during our monthlong gastronomic tour through Italy. Finding affordable food in the major cities was sometimes a challenge, but we ate quite well in both Florence and Venice, as well as nearby cities Murano and Treviso.

 
patate arroste, Dante, Florence

 
lardo! il Santino, Florence

 
spaghetti al nero di seppia, Trattoria alla Madonna, Venice

 
penne al salmone, Trattoria Busa alla Torre, Murano

 
spritz and penne rosate, Piola, Treviso

Most of these dishes came from some of our favorite restaurants, which are highly recommended if you find yourself in any of these cities (or suburbs).

RECOMMENDED:
Ristorante Trattoria Dante
Piazza Nazario Sauro, 12/R
50124 Firenze
+39 055.219219

il Santino Gastronomia
Via di Santo Spirito, 60-red
50125 Firenze
+39 055.2302820

Trattoria alla Madonna
Calle della Madonna San Polo 594
30124 Venezia (VE)
+39 041.5223824

Trattoria Busa alla Torre da Lele
Campo San Stefano No 3
Murano (VE)
+39 041.739662

Piola
Via Carlo Alberto, 11/a
31100 Treviso (VE)
+39 0422.540287

Coming up next week: Part two: festival snax!

Hop on over to Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering pics.

RELATED LINKS:
* browse all Florence pics
* browse all Venice pics
* browse all Murano pics
* browse all Treviso pics

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Does anyone else feel completely inundated with New Year's Resolution lists and self-improvement advice? (Oh good, I thought it was just me.) I'm not a fan of resolutions, and I actually tend to do my year-in-review work around my birthday. But this brilliant little 5-minute video by @boxofcrayons really grabbed my attention. It's clearly a few years old, but was recently re-surfaced by the very wise Chris Brogan, and I felt compelled to pass it along. Take a peek:

My favorite principle is number 6... Use Your Wisdom: Start getting rid of the crap.

"Knowledge is a process of piling up facts;
wisdom lies in their simplification."
-- Rev Dr Martin Luther King, civil rights leader

Which one spoke to you the loudest?

RELATED LINKS:
* Eight Principles
* Chris Brogan's blog

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"Uno dei borghi più belli d'Italia"

There's a good reason Anghiari has been labeled "one of the most beautiful villages in Italy." This picturesque hilltown, another convenient daytrip from La Tavola Marche, is absolutely stunning from all angles.

I know you're not supposed to use the term "nestled" in travel writing, but this truly is the best way to describe the town. Anghiari is nestled into the Tuscan hillside like an adorable baby animal you just want to slip in your pocket and take home with you. (Sorry, Matador!) See for yourself...

Palazzo Pretorio

picturesque Italian street #3,523,986

Tuscan olive goodness

my kingdom for a tripod!

We also found an amazing vineria called Per Bacco, just off one of the main squares. Stunning local dishes, amazing wine list, and friendly service that was superlative even by Italian standards. (And that's saying something!) We finished off the meal with cantucci dipped in vinsanto that was simply to die for. If you're in the neighborhood, you must check this place out!

bringoli al sugo finto at Per Bacco

cantucci e vinsanto

Don't forget to visit DeliciousBaby's Photo Friday for more fabulous travel pics!

RECOMMENDED:
Vineria PerBacco
Galleria girolamo magi
52031 - Anghiari (AR)
+39 0575 788893

RELATED LINKS:
* browse all Anghiari pics
* Matador's 5 MORE Words We Never Want to See in Travel Writing Again
* DeliciousBaby's Photo Friday

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fresher than fresh

In this season of snow and ice, it's tantalizing to daydream of greener days when fresh produce wasn't so challenging to find. In honor of WanderFood Wednesday, here are some pics from our October visit to the Fano market, just an hour's drive from our agriturismo. The market cranks into action each Saturday morning, and is sandwiched between medieval churches and ancient Roman gates in Fano's narrow streets.

the hungry crowd wants fresh produce!

The array of produce, cheeses, breads, and assorted other items for sale is just staggering. And the vendors are just as colorful.

The Egg Guy doesn't mess around

piadine lady servin' up some porchetta goodness

phenomenal pepper cheese

This post is part of Wanderlust & Lipstick's mouth-watering WanderFood Wednesdays.

RELATED LINKS:
* browse all pics from our trip to the Fano market
* visit W&L for more great foodie photos

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Wat Sothornwararamworaviharn... but you can call me Wat Hong

About an hour outside Bangkok is a beautiful gold and white temple with a mouthful of a name. (Happily, it's also known simply as Wat Hong.) We were fortunate to be taken there during our visit last November. It was a lovely break from the tourist throngs at the major sites in Bangkok, and in fact we seemed to be the only non-locals in the place. In addition to enjoying the splendid artistry inside and outside the temple, we got an extra treat: that day was graduation ceremony for the latest crop of monks. Zoe explained that almost all young men in Thailand become monks for a month or two. It's almost like Boy Scouts; monks in training learn physical and spiritual discipline, as a preparation for continuing on to adulthood.

temple worshippers

monk initiation ceremony

graduation photos

For more great travel photos, check out Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

RELATED LINKS:
* all Chachoengsao pics
* Chachoengsao and a river cruise (Nov 2008)
* all Thailand pics

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I'm excited to announce the return of Passports with Purpose, an ambitious project started last year by a handful of travel bloggers. It's essentially a fundraiser raffle with some amazing prizes. This year the funds raised will benefit American Assistance for Cambodia, an NGO that builds schools in Cambodia. As you can see in the widget to the right, PwP is off to a roaring start, and the event has only just kicked off!

Here's how to participate:

* Browse the list of prizes and enter a donation for a chance to win that prize. Each $10 donation to AAfC equals one drawing entry.

* Spread the word! Tell your friends, shout it from the rooftops, mention it at your next holiday party. 'Tis the season for generosity and goodwill, after all. If you have a blog or site, promote PwP to your readers. Tweet about it using hashtag #PwP. There's also a Facebook Fan Page.

* If you've been naughty this year and need to obtain a few extra good-karma points to avoid getting coal in your stocking, consider donating a prize or becoming a sponsor.

Don't delay! The raffle closes December 21, and winners will be announced January 5.

RELATED LINKS:
* Passports with Purpose
* American Assistance for Cambodia
* Beth Whitman's poignant account of her travels in Cambodia
* Nicholas Kristof's firsthand experience with AAfC in Cambodia

Murano has lots of shiny edges

A short vaporetto ride away from the hustle and bustle of Venice is the island of Murano. It's known for its glass artistry, and you can certainly find all manner of shiny glass objects for sale. We had a great time wandering through Murano's quiet side streets, soaking in the chill vibe of Venice's more mellow neighbor.

Murano: a chiller version of Venice

glass workshop in a side alley

RELATED LINKS:
* browse the rest of our Murano pics
* check out more fabulous travel photos at Delicious Baby's Photo Friday

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This is our first guest post, by our friend Marina Villatoro of Travel Experta (her bio is below). If you're interested in contributing a guest post to Pulpology, drop us a line!

The Arenal volcano is a 1,633 meter high mountain with a perfect conic shape and a crater of 140 meters. It is geologically considered a young volcano and its age is estimated to be less than 3,000 years. The locals also know it as "Arenal Peak,"  "Pan de Azúcar," "The Canaste Volcano," "The Costa Rica," "Río Frío Volcano" or "The Guatusos Peak". It is located in the northern region.

It was asleep for hundreds of years and had a single crater with minor fumaroles covered by dense vegetation. In 1968 it had an eruption that created three more craters on the western flanks but only one of them exists today. Arenal is considered to be Costa Rica's most active volcano and almost every night the crater offers a spectacular show of lights with its explosive eruptions, creating the most amazing views. Although the main attraction is the Arenal Volcano, the area offers much more:

Arenal Volcano National Park
Arenal Volcano is actually part of this national park. There is also a second volcano called Cerro Chato, which has been inactive for around 3500 years. The park is part of the Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area that protects 16 protected reserves in the region between the Guanacaste and Tilarán mountain ranges including Lake Arenal.

Lake Arenal
Lake Arenal was originally a small lagoon, but in 1973 the Costa Rican Institute of Electricity built a dam and within three years, this became the biggest lake in Costa Rica with a surface of 88 square kilometers. It is a wonderful place to windsurf or do some sport fishing.

La Fortuna Waterfall
This is the most popular excursion in the area, after Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal. The waterfall is reached by a 5.5 kilometer gravel road. On foot it takes about an hour to get there, but you can also visit it by horse or by car. Bird watching is also very popular in this area. Once you have reached the waterfall, you can take a trail that will lead you to a natural pool where you can go for a swim.

The Arenal Hanging Bridges
Here you will find eight bridges measuring between 8 and 22 meters and six hanging bridges that vary between 48 and 98 meters. From there you will have a great view of both the Arenal Volcano and the lake. Some of the most popular activities here are the natural history walk, early morning tour, bird watching and night walks.

The Venado Caves
The Venado Caves are located in the village with the same name, about an hour by car from La Fortuna, to the north of Arenal Volcano. Water is what formed the caves many million years ago. Presently, the caves consist of limestone rocks, stalactites, stalagmites and corals. It has a total length of approximately 2.5 kilometer with 10 large quarters. During the rainy season the tunnels can get filled with water. This is the reason access by visitors is forbidden in this season.

Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge
The 10,000-hectare reserve of Caño Negro has the most biological diversity in Costa Rica. There are trails and paths, but the easiest way to access it is by boat. The Rio Frio flows through it and during the wet season it becomes an 800 hectare lake. The reserve is especially popular among birdwatchers and sport fishers.

Peñas Blancas Wildlife Refuge
This 2400-hectare refuge was created to protect plant species and the watershed of the rivers Ciruelas and Barranca. The river canyons were formed million years ago when Central America was covered by the sea, by unicellular algae that built up deposits and transformed into chalk like stone.

About the author: Marina has been living in Central America for over 7 years and her site Travel Experta is all about traveling in Central America. Marina loves to help people plan the perfect vacation to this amazing part of the world! You can sign up for her RSS feed and join the fun on her Facebook fan page and follow her on Twitter at @MarinaVillatoro.

Related posts:
* Spelunk! tales from the Venado Caves
* Waterfalls and volcanoes and hot springs, oh my!
* Adios PSE, and on to La Fortuna!

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The good folks at Wanderlust and Lipstick are conducting their second annual WanderWomen Travel Writing Contest for budding and experienced female travel writers. Participants can enter original travel stories in five different categories, for a chance to win some very cool prizes. This is a women-only contest (sorry boyz!) and is meant to encourage women in both their writing AND their travels.

The Grand Prize is a 12-day "Health and Harmony" tour through Vietnam. There are also great category prizes including a daybag from Overland Adventure and a travel pillow and blanket from Cocoon. Sweet!

So, ladies, I encourage you to submit your best stuff, and please spread the word to other travel grrlies in your network. The contest ends November 30, so don't dawdle.

* WanderWomen Travel Writing Contest
* about Wanderlust and Lipstick