Vamos Travel Blog

What do the Chapel of Bones, Cork Trees, and Megaliths Have in Common?

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:April 7, 2021
Post category:Portugal
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All are located in or near the UNESCO heritage site of Évora, Portugal. map of the Portugal showing Évora Overlooking Évora Taste of the Past Évora, beautiful walled city of…

The lodge provided us with this photo of the resplendant quetzal which we had seen in a blur. The bird was sacred to the ancient Maya and Aztec peoples. Royalty and priests wore the feathers as part of ceremonial dress. The birds were not usually killed but only the freathers were taken. New feathers grew every mating season.

Ecolodging in Panama

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:March 24, 2021
Post category:Panama
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More than Panama hats Indeed, the famous Panama hat is actually made in Ecuador. You can read about this phenomenon in a previous Vamostravelblog. On this trip, however, we…

Singapore-The Trip That Never Happened

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:March 10, 2021
Post category:Singapore
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One year ago this month, we planned to fly to Singapore. Then COVID restrictions appeared, we cancelled, and now we drool over the sights, sounds, and tastes of the trip…

The Secret War in Laos

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:February 24, 2021
Post category:Laos
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Map of Region Map of Laos Secret War After a visit to the local night market in Luang Prabang, Laos, we learned about The Secret War. Backgounder. Landlocked Country A…

This is the Cowboy Hat Lady made famous in North America by a segment of Anthony Bourdain (CNN) in Chiang Mai (you can google the episode). She serves Khao Kha Moo - slow cooked pork leg at a night food market. She has been doing this for years. One day she wore a hat to shield her eyes from the light - it is now her signature. The stewed pork leg is served on rice with a hard boiled egg. There is a sour chili sauce and pickled mustard greens (on the table) to finish the dish. We had a side of fried bamboo shoots. With beer the total cost was less than $10. The stewed pork leg reminded us of pulled pork. Yummy!

Eats ‘n Treats in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:February 10, 2021
Post category:Thailand
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Map of Thailand Street Food, Fine Food in Northern Thailand From the Cowboy Hat Lady cook in a street stall to a more refined Northern Thailand restaurant, your tastebuds will…

Petra – One of the Seven Wonders of the World

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:January 27, 2021
Post category:Jordan
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Why a Wonder of the World? The ancient city of Petra in Jordan became one of the 7 New Wonders of the World when it was chosen in 2007 by…

Gondolier is a signature of Venice

Casanova and the Bridge of Sighs

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:January 6, 2021
Post category:Italy
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Venice, Italy The Lover, the Bridge and the Doge The great lover, Giacomo Girolamo Casanova, once crossed the Bridge of Sighs on his way to prison in a dingy, dark,…

Hoi An, Vietnam – Falling in Love

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:December 9, 2020
Post category:Vietnam
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Falling in Love in the Rain The year is 2006. We are touring Vietnam from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south. Map of Vietnam…

Sangre de Drago (Dragon's Blood) which we purchased at a local health/traditional supplement/herb store. Cost ~$2. Take 3 - 5 drops in some water once per day. This is purified sap from the tree - no additives. apparently it is also available in North America.

Dragon’s Blood in An Eco Park

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:November 25, 2020
Post category:Colombia
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Map of Colombia showing Medellín Where? High above the city of Medellín in Colombia sits a large Eco Park with dragon's blood. Forgotten Parque Arví is rediscovered. Once a forgotten…

Santé at Millévin in Avignon

Post author:heatherr1
Post published:November 11, 2020
Post category:France
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Côtes du Rhône wine: to your health A festival of wine, feasting and camaraderie awaited us in Avignon in Provence, France, two years ago. Santé! Map of France Millévin, an…

heatherr1 on Ecolodging in Panama
Arlene on Ecolodging in Panama
heatherr1 on Ali Part 1
Arlene and mike on Ali Part 1

What do the Chapel of Bones, Cork Trees, and Megaliths Have in Common?
All are located in or near the UNESCO heritage site of Évora, Portugal. Taste of the Past Évora, beautiful walled city of about 60,000 citizens, lies 1.5 hours east of Lisbon by bus or train. Its beginnings provide a taste of the past in Portuguese history. Tourist information here. Influenced by the Moors and […]
Ecolodging in Panama
More than Panama hats Indeed, the famous Panama hat is actually made in Ecuador. You can read about this phenomenon in a previous Vamostravelblog. On this trip, however, we experience more of Panama’s natural world at Los Quetzales, a mountain ecolodge in Guadalupe village not far from the border with Costa Rica. Cloud Forest […]
Singapore-The Trip That Never Happened
One year ago this month, we planned to fly to Singapore. Then COVID restrictions appeared, we cancelled, and now we drool over the sights, sounds, and tastes of the trip that never happened. Singapore Singapore is a republic, a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It is about the same size as Bahrain. Singapore […]
The Secret War in Laos
Secret War After a visit to the local night market in Luang Prabang, Laos, we learned about The Secret War. Backgounder. Landlocked Country A communist country, Laos is landlocked, almost hidden in southeast Asia. ‘Simply Beautiful’ Luang Prabang We were in Luang Prabang, Laos. Described in travel brochures as ‘Simply Beautiful’, this former Royal capital […]
Eats ‘n Treats in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Street Food, Fine Food in Northern Thailand From the Cowboy Hat Lady cook in a street stall to a more refined Northern Thailand restaurant, your tastebuds will find delicious rewards in Chiang Mai. Spicier Northern Thai food is known for its more fiery, hotter taste than its southern counterpart. You are often invited to order […]
Petra – One of the Seven Wonders of the World
Why a Wonder of the World? The ancient city of Petra in Jordan became one of the 7 New Wonders of the World when it was chosen in 2007 by a vote of 100 million people. Petra was the capital of the Nabatean Empire, an ancient Arab state that grew rich due to its […]
Casanova and the Bridge of Sighs
Venice, Italy The Lover, the Bridge and the Doge The great lover, Giacomo Girolamo Casanova, once crossed the Bridge of Sighs on his way to prison in a dingy, dark, small cell. Known as the Leads, these dreaded cells were in the attic of the Doge’s Palace in Venice. Casanova was only 30 and had […]
Hoi An, Vietnam – Falling in Love
Falling in Love in the Rain The year is 2006. We are touring Vietnam from Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south. On a rainy, misty night we arrive in Hoi An. Located on the South China Sea, the city lies in the middle of the country, about 30 km […]
Dragon’s Blood in An Eco Park
Where? High above the city of Medellín in Colombia sits a large Eco Park with dragon’s blood. Forgotten Parque Arví is rediscovered. Once a forgotten area for hundreds of years in the land above Medellín, it is now fully restored. Origin of name Arví is the name of the Indigenous people who once inhabited this […]
Santé at Millévin in Avignon
Côtes du Rhône wine: to your health A festival of wine, feasting and camaraderie awaited us in Avignon in Provence, France, two years ago. Santé! Millévin, an annual event held in mid-November, celebrates this area’s new and old Côtes du Rhône vintages along with gastronomic delights. Throughout ancient cobbled streets, one can hear the word […]

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