North America

How to Bring a Dog into the USA From Mexico

We never expected to bring home a pet from our 465-day trip around the world. But when we saw Tamale's big brown eyes staring up at us and heard the story of how she was found on the streets of Valladolid, Mexico, cowering under a car, our hearts melted. At first, we thought the logistics of bringing a dog into the US would be too complicated, but after researching the requirements, everything fell into place.

This is the story of two weary world travelers, one adorable dog, and our journey together from near the ruins of Chichen Itza in Mexico to Dayton, Ohio.

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Chichen Itza – Why Not Visit The Ruins of Uxmal Instead?

When the media talks about the Mayan ruins in the Yucatan, it is all Chichen Itza, Chichen Itza, Chichen Itza.  You can hardly read a report about Mexico without this famous site coming up time and time again.

We understand why the hype for these ruins is the way that it is- the ruins of Chichen Itza are large and incredibly well preserved.  But when such rapid-fire promotion comes out to the world, the crowds are sure to follow. 

If you are one of those people who just cannot stand the sight of 50+ tour groups in one day, I'm sorry to say that Chichen Itza may not be for you.

Luckily, the ruins of Uxmal just a few hours away offer a wonderful alternative that we think all visitors to the Yucatan should check out.   (Okay, maybe not all visitors since that would defeat the purpose, but definitely the amazing readers of our blog).

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A Yellow Fever Issue Traveling from Colombia to Costa Rica

For those who know us well, you've come to expect that we plan every little detail far more than most other travelers.  We research a lot, and only very rarely have unexpected surprises pop up on us.

I say this as the intro to this article so you can imagine our shock when we tried checking in to our flight from Cartagena, Colombia, to San Jose, Costa Rica and were told we had to show our Yellow Fever vaccination records in order to fly.

You know, the ones that were lost when we were robbed in Peru.

Hello panic mode, my name is Jeremy.  I never thought I'd be seeing you this day.

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Confessions of a Cirque du Soleil Addict

My name is Jeremy, and I am a Cirque du Soleil addict.

You've probably heard of Cirque du Soleil.  Maybe even have seen one or two.  But I have a confession to make to everyone here today – I am an addict.

People ask me all the time what it is about Cirque du Soleil that gets me so excited, but I really have a hard time pinpointing it.  For those who are new to the show style, I like to describe it as being loosely inspired by common circus acts, but amplified with the extreme nature of the X-Games.  

A simple tight rope act is taken to the extreme when the participants start to jump rope while balancing on a single line. 

A juggling act goes crazy when the performer begins throwing cowboy hats over the stage in boomerang style. 

A simple trampoline act gets the crowd going when they use existing set designs like a playground, jumping in and out of tiny holes with well timed precision. 

A loose theme ties them all together for a rough story, but you do not see a Cirque du Soleil show for the “plot”, it is entirely for these boundary pushing acts.

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