Gray Line Wanderings Travel Blog

Every morning this past week I have woken up with a smile on my face. If you know me personally you know that this is a very rare thing. Typically, I awake with a grumble and a frown. Why the sudden change? No, I’m not on drugs. I am waking up a happy woman because spring is making her debut! Spring, the season for barbeques, camping, hiking etc! I have compiled a hiking bucket list of sorts. It is short, is in no particular order, but I think it’s a great start. . .

• The Zion Narrows, Utah, United States – If you love red walled canyons and don’t mind getting wet, this hike sounds amazing! This hike is great for both the extreme and the timid. For an easier time, start at the bottom and turn back when you’ve reached your limit. If you’re looking for high adventure, do the entire 16-mile trek with the option of making it an overnight trip. Here’s more information on hiking the Zion Narrows.
• Torres del Paine Circuit, Chile – Want a variation in landscape? This is the hike for you! Be prepared for climate extremes but don’t be afraid of them. Think of it as an indicator that you are going to experience something incredible! Go here for the full scoop on hiking the Torres del Paine Circuit, Chile.
• Machu Picchu, Peru – Do I really need to give you a reason why this is on my list? Yeah, didn’t think so. This would be my ideal way to hike to Machu Picchu, you get to ride horseback, zip line, and climb your way from Cusco to Machu Picchu! Done, sold, who’s buying my ticket . . . ?
• Kalalau Trail, Kauai, Hawaii – This hike along the Na Pali coastline is so lush that you’re going to want to take your time, and you should. Just because this trail is gorgeous doesn’t mean it is for the timid, it has moments when it leans on the treacherous side. That being said, are you really going to allow a few inclines dissuade you from experiencing this feast for your eyes? Yes, I just said a feast for your eyes. Follow this link to find out more about hiking the Kalalau Trail.

If mountain trails aren’t your thing, here’s a list of “8 of the Most Unique Walking Paths in the World” from our friends at bootsnall.com. Don’t want to stop at trails and paths? Here’s a list of countries you can walk across! And finally, for an incredible list of trails around the world, including many in your own back yard, check out the incredible search tool at www.trails.com.

Tell us about your favorite hiking trail or travel story in the comments below! (click here to see Facebook comments if you can’t already)

The rapidly expanding Uturuncu volcano in Bolivia.

I’ve only lived in South America for a few months, but one thing I’m quickly getting used to is having to check out the geological forecast along with the local news and weather. Living in proximity to the planet’s Ring of Fire will do that to you …

For example, last week a family member came for a visit to Buenos Aires and we found ourselves tracking the daily activity of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle in nearby Chile. As it is wont to do, Puyehue (roughly pronounced “poo-shay-WAY”) belched a bit of volcanic ash miles into the stratosphere, shutting down flights across the continent from Chile to Brazil for a time. In truth, our guest was hoping to be forced into an extended stay … “volcanic eruption” must surely fall under the umbrella of acceptable excuses for missing work back home, right?

But there is something even bigger brewing in neighboring Bolivia. And it has the potential to produce something that modern human civilization has never seen – a possible supervolcano that likely will one day spew more magma than the equivalent of 1,000 eruptions of Mount St. Helens. The last supervolcano eruption happened in Indonesia more than 74,000 years ago, but one may be in the offing today in Bolivia.

Uturuncu is one of the highest points in Bolivia at more than 20,000 feet, and scientists say the broad base of the mountain is expanding at an incredible rate. New studies recently reported that magma is filling in all around the base of the peak by 1 to 2 centimeters every year.

It’s essentially inflating, and building and building to what scientists say could be the most explosive volcano any of us will ever be around for.

The rapid inflation has been happening for at least the last 20 years, when satellite images first became available. Scientists say that other supervolcanoes in the immediate area – the region is one of the densest collections of dormant supervolcanoes anywhere – collect sub-surface magma at an average of 300,000 years before blowing their considerable tops.

Uturuncu last exploded … 300,000 years ago. And when it does go off again, not only will flights from Bariloche to Buenos Aires be canceled, but probably more like Australia to Austria.

Yes, this is a hot tub.

From the beginning of time, folks have enjoyed a good soak.

And for travelers, spending days shuffling from site to site — or canned in planes, trains, buses and cars in transit to all the spots on their itineraries – there is perhaps no sweeter relief than relaxing in a therapeutic thermal pool after a long day’s travels.

Lucky for us, our planet is stocked with geothermal energy, and it bubbles up to the surface in hot spots all around the globe. Through the centuries, kings have built palaces around thermal springs, lords have constructed massive bath structures for themselves and their concubines, and more recently man has carved countless pools and parks into volcanic hillsides to tap into the trapped heat just below.

Make these destinations part of your travel plans, and at many of these spots you can still soak your travel stiffness away.

Other-worldly Pamukkale

Pamukkale, Turkey – Some off the most ancient natural hot springs in which soaking is still part of the visiting experience can be found in southwestern Turkey, in Pamukkale. An area literally translated as “cotton castle,” the mix of hot springs and thermal pools are interspersed among carbonate terraces that have been naturally formed over thousands of years. New protections have kept recent development at bay, and you can still wade in the waters that date to Greco-Roman and Byzantine eras, when the city was known as Hierapolis.

Take a tour of the ruins and experience for yourself the thermal therapeutic pools by clicking HERE.

Hua Qing Hot Springs, Xi’an, China – This is a popular stop-off for folks checking out the extremely popular Terracotta Warriors, though you won’t get a chance to soak your bones here. The lush gardens at Hua Qing, however, surround one of the most tranquil spots in the province, and date to the Tang Dynasty. Hop a tour by clicking HERE.

Chilean respite at Huife

Huife Hot Springs, Chile – How’s this for a big day: Wake up early in the spectacular Andean city of Pucon, trek up a live volcano spitting rings of smoke into the skies, have a ski down sugary powder, and finish with a soak in the natural mineral-rich thermal pools at Huife. Book this awesome day HERE.

Bath, England – Roman ruins on the English mainland? Check. See the elaborate Georgian architecture that dates to the 15 century, which surrounds the famous waters of the Bath Abbey west of London. THIS great tour combines the pools at Bath with the mystery of Stonehenge, and has you back in London by dinner time.

Tabacon alight

Tabacon, Costa Rica – This is Disneyland for hot tub hounds! Carved right into the side of the towering, grumbling Arenal volcano is the Tabacon Spa, an incredible complex of thermal pools naturally heated by the area’s volcanic energy. Dozens and dozens of individual pools are hidden among jungled nooks and pathways, each of varying degrees of heat. Rivers of thermal waters connect them all. After a quick trip down a thermal water slide, you can swim up to a poolside bar for a cold Imperial. The facility is first-class in terms of food, accommodations and service, too. Thus the big, well-worth-it, price tag.

Book a day tour away from busy San Jose by clicking HERE … and enjoy the dreams of your Tabecon soak from every day forward.

Costa Rica is truly wild. It is a nature-lover’s paradise, and one of the world’s great destinations for travelers in search of an up-close-and-personal interaction with the outer, exotic end of nature’s spectrum. Its biological diversity is nothing short of stunning. Hundreds of species of birds, scores of the world’s most exotic and unusual mammals and reptiles, thousands of strange and extraordinary insects, and countless tree and plant species are spread across the country’s diverse ecosystems.

Dense and flourishing jungles, pristine sand beaches, explosive volcanic ranges, dry seaside landscapes dot the nation. Rainforests, mangroves, reefs, cloud forests are all easily accessible to tourists because of the country’s unique geography. Living elusively among all of these dynamic ecosystems are human beings’ closest evolutionary cousins, monkeys. They are often at the very top of tourists’ wish lists when it comes to spotting natural wonders in the Costa Rican wild. Here are some hypothetical sighting possibilities:

Possible simian encounter #1: You’re hiking a trail in a dry, tropical forest near one of the beautiful beach towns that dot the Guanacaste coast. In the trees above, you hear a rustle, a rumble, and then some of the strangest, most haunting bellows you can imagine. Calming your nerves, your eyes then follow your ears in the direction of the eerie calls, and you catch a glimpse of Costa Rica’s largest, and loudest, monkey species, the Howler Monkey. Scary as they sound, Howlers’ aggressive calls belie the fact that they are, for the most part, docile and strict vegetarians.

Possible simian encounter #2: From a seemingly suspended volcano observation deck, your gaze turns lower to the rustling tree tops below. Swinging tree to tree, the distinctive white-streaked fur of a colony of White-throated Capuchin Monkeys catches your eye, albeit briefly because they move so quickly from treetop to treetop. Alternately curious and aggressive, the cute but conniving Capuchins are often the face of Costa Rica’s wildlife. But try to retrieve a banana one has co-opted from your fruit basket, and you’re likely to see their sharp teeth and sometimes obnoxious behavior on full display.

Possible simian encounter #3: Along the edge of one of Tortuguero’s jungle canals, the fast-paced arm-over-arm swinging of a long, slender Spider Monkey is hard to miss. They’re especially eye-popping when they take to the air in spectacular fashion, crashing noisily through the canopy, or when they dangle delicately with their prehensile tails. Their intelligence is unmistakable, but their numbers are diminishing because of their value to poachers.

So where can you turn these possible encounters into the realm of the probable?

You’ve got a good shot at seeing any of these species at Manuel Antonio National Park, one of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations for wildlife travelers. White sands meet the Pacific Ocean just south of Quepos, and a lush rainforest backs right up against a series of spectacular beaches and bays, offering visitors lots of different things to do in Manuel Antonio. Another one of the more popular activities is sightseeing in Arenal due to the towering active volcano with sprawling rainforest surrounding its base. Monkeys can be found in abundance.

Other Costa Rican destinations with known monkey populations: Barra Honda National Park, the Cabo Blanco Absolute Reserve, Juan Castro Blanco National Park, Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge and Guanacaste National Park.