Blog Title: Calypso Island Chronicles

Travel Photo of the Week - Lotus Pond at Luang Prabang

Calypso Island Chronicles introduces a new feature – Travel Photo of the Week. Every Friday, I will be publishing a special Travel Photo – the photo will be selected from my vast library of images from my worldwide travels to such places as Thailand, Costa Rica, Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, Laos and Malaysia. Each photograph will read more..

A Profile of four new Hotels in Northern Thailand

Many new hotels have recently opened their doors in Northern Thailand during the last year or so. These new hotels range from Banilah, a budget boutique hotel in Chiang Mai to the deluxe Four Seasons Tented Camp in Chiang Rai Province, a resort modeled after the luxury tented camps in East Africa. I will be read more..

Fun & adventure with celebrities in the rainforests of Costa Rica

Have you spent the last three weeks watching I’m a Celebrity, Get me out of here, the wildly popular (and absurd) reality show which took place in the rainforests of Costa Rica? I admit that curiosity got the better of me and even I watched a handful of episodes (I recorded the whole read more..

Discover Nirvana at a Meditation Retreat in Northern Thailand

I have a friend by the name of Lek in Northern Thailand who hosts a meditation retreat on her large sprawling estate in Chiang Dao, a small rural community located about 75 minutes north of Chiang Mai, a major tourist hub. With the majestic Doi Chiang Dao, Thailand’s 2nd highest peak, rising high above read more..

Introducing Thailand’s New Cover Girl

Going through my voluminous collection of photographs of Thailand, I have discovered “The Land of Smile’s” New Cover Girl. I can imagine her face gracing the front cover of my forthcoming brochure – Welcome to Thailand. What is the story behind this picture? While strolling through the crafts market in Mae Salong, a quaint Yunnanese read more..

A Love Affair with Costa Rica

I recently came across a rock ballad with a very catchy and beautiful melody about COSTA RICA sung by Jakob Dylan, son of the famous rock star-poet, Bob Dylan. Entitled Costa Rica, the song reminds me a bit of the famous Margaritaville sung by Jimmy Buffet, but it is much softer and dreamier in tone read more..

New Celebrity Reality Show invades the rainforests of Costa Rica

Coming up on NBC in early June is the new reality show “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here”. The show will be filmed in the lowland rainforests of Costa Rica’s Sarapiqui region. Contestants confirmed to participate include actor Stephen Baldwin, former NBA Star John Salley, American Idol contestant Sanjaya and Speidi. There has read more..

Why is Costa Rica such a population destination for birders?

The answer is very simple actually – there are more bird species in COSTA RICA per square mile than any other country in the world. According to Mongabay.com, there are 838 bird species in Costa Rica, a small country of only 19,800 square miles. This translates to .42 species of birds per square mile. The read more..

Is this small bird from Costa Rica a Variable Seedeater or a Blue-Black Grassquit?

Are there any avid birders out there? I need help with the identification of a relatively common bird that I encountered in Costa Rica. The bird in question was spotted amidst the undergrowth along the roadside in Turrialba Valley – not too far from Guayabo National Monument – about 3500 feet above sea level. Black read more..

Discover the exotic wildlife of COSTA RICA

What is there to see in Costa Rica? Close encounters with nature and wildlife! I have produced a short video on the exotic wildlife of Costa Rica. To make this video, I mixed together a variety of short video clips and digital pictures from my most recent trip. Most of the footage is from read more..