Pics or It Didn’t Happen?

Around 4 a.m., Jeff and I crept out of our open-air bungalow. Our little stray jungle cat with the crooked tail and orange fur—we called her Naranjica (small orange)—scuttled around our feet along the gravel path to our rented Montero. The phrase “It’s always darkest before the dawn” seemed so true  as we jounced over…

The Revolution is Happening at Standing Rock

The Oceti Sakowin Camp looked like the promised land after a grueling 25+ hour drive. The terror I felt about coming to a place depicted as a war zone on social media had already started to dissipate, and then I saw a beacon: a massive tipi with a large turtle emblazoned on it. This was…

Oil, Oil, Everywhere

One of the awesome things I learned in Costa Rica is that there is plenty of oil there . . . yet they banned oil drilling. Why? Because the oil is beneath National Parks, and those are protected, and they intend on keeping them that way. More than 25 percent of the country is protected…

Endangered Baby: Leatherback Sea Turtle

Recently I visited Las Baulas National Marine Park in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. But I didn’t see a single one of these leatherback turtles that the park is named after (baula is the Spanish word for leatherback sea turtle). It’s because after surviving for more than 100 million years, Pacific leatherbacks are now critically endangered. My…

What Does Pura Vida Mean?

In Tamarindo. Costa Rica is so fresh! I feel at home here more than any other place I’ve been…even more than my actual home in Los Angeles. Vibrations are high and all of nature is in tune with one another. The locals and expats easily found a place in my heart. I’m going to continue…