“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” ― Philip Pullman

This blog is about a lifetime of adventures. My big fear (after heights) is that I’ll forget these stories if I don’t write them down. Some of my favorites include hitching cargo boats up the Amazon, helping an orphaned orangutan return to the Borneo rain forest, working with Dian Fossey and the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, and pampering abused and retired working elephants at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Other favorites are stories my great grandfather told me when I was a young child. Papa Juan was Pancho Villa’s curandero (medicine man) and favorite harpist during the Mexican Revolution. I want his stories to live on for generations of my family to come.

Bio

I  was born in Los Angeles, California. I first visited Costa Rica in 1988 as a wildlife photographer and writer. My specialty was primates and after having photographed mountain gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans in the wild, I traveled to Costa Rica in search of the loudest primate in the world, the howler monkey.

I’m the author of a Costa Rica Travel Guide series, including the Best of Margaritaville 2015 – Quepos & Manuel Antonio. I have been a full time resident of Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica since 2004, making me uniquely qualified to write an insider’s travel guide about the place locals describe as magical. I’m also the author of the award-winning book, “Among the Orangutans – The Biruté Galdikas Story” (Chronicle Books). I was a worldwide public speaker for 20 years on the topics of endangered primates, rain forest, conservation and writing before moving to Costa Rica. I am the author of more than 40 articles, a travel blog and have produced more than 100 videos on YouTube about Costa Rica, travel, conservation and primates.

On a personal note, I met my husband David in 1975 and we began our relationship by trekking through South America for 9 months, where we climbed Machu Picchu and hitched cargo boats up the Amazon River. We figured if we were still in love at the end of our challenging adventure then we could spend the rest of our lives together. We celebrated our 40th anniversary in 2015. To look at us now you wouldn’t suspect that we were long-haired, bell-bottomed, backpacking hippies back then. We were bound by a dream to someday live abroad in the tropics surrounded by wildlife. After traveling to more than 30 countries We finally found our paradise in Costa Rica, known as the Happiest Country in the World. We fell completely in love with its friendly people, awe-inspiring beauty, relaxed lifestyle and abundant wildlife. We now own 2 vacation rental homes in the Manuel Antonio rain forest that are within the natural foraging routes of 3 kinds of monkeys, including howlers. Now I can write about and photograph primates right from our terrace!

I enjoy sharing our vacation rental homes with guests from all over the world because of the lifetime of beautiful memories made and the important life events that take place there such as birthdays, family reunions, anniversaries and weddings. I am also inspired by the way the community cooperates for the common good and to raise awareness about the beauty, wildlife and magic of Manuel Antonio, Quepos and all of Costa Rica.

Affiliations
International Travel Writer’s Alliance
International Women’s Writer’s Guild
Jane Goodall Institute
Dian Fossey Gorilla Foundation
International Primate Protection League – Costa Rica Representative
Orangutan Foundation International
Kids Saving the Rainforest

Honors
Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International – Anti-Poaching Service Award
Orangutan Foundation International – Outstanding Service Award
Color Me Bright Youth Foundation – Outstanding Service to Children
Nueva Book Award
John Burroughs Nature Book Award

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