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This Way To Paradise

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Travel Tips
  • Escape Guides
    • Belize
      • Ambergris Caye
      • Caye Caulker
    • Cambodia, Koh Rong Samloem
    • Costa Rica
      • Arenal and La Fortuna
      • The Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Park
      • Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
    • Dominican Republic
    • Guatemala
      • Lake Atitlan
    • Indonesia
      • Ambon, Maluku
      • Bali
      • Gili Islands
      • Kai Island, Maluku
      • Raja Ampat
      • Sumatra-Belitung Island
    • Mexico
      • Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo
      • La Paz
      • Patzcuaro
      • San Miguel De Allende
      • Todos Santos-The Antidote To Cabo!
      • Zipolite Beach: A Complete Travel Guide
    • Portugal
      • Beach Porn Alert: 7 Reasons Why You Need To Put Lagos, Portugal On Your Bucket List Now
      • The Top Portugal Beaches To Visit
    • Sri Lanka
      • Colombo, Sri Lanka
      • Ella
      • Mirissa Beach
      • Yala National Park
    • Thailand
      • Bangkok
      • Koh Lipe
      • Phi Phi
      • Phuket
      • Railay Beach-Krabi Town
      • Your Thailand Songkran Water Festival Guide
  • Places To Stay
  • Food
  • Contact Me
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Travel Tips
  • Escape Guides
    • Belize
      • Ambergris Caye
      • Caye Caulker
    • Cambodia, Koh Rong Samloem
    • Costa Rica
      • Arenal and La Fortuna
      • The Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Park
      • Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
    • Dominican Republic
    • Guatemala
      • Lake Atitlan
    • Indonesia
      • Ambon, Maluku
      • Bali
      • Gili Islands
      • Kai Island, Maluku
      • Raja Ampat
      • Sumatra-Belitung Island
    • Mexico
      • Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo
      • La Paz
      • Patzcuaro
      • San Miguel De Allende
      • Todos Santos-The Antidote To Cabo!
      • Zipolite Beach: A Complete Travel Guide
    • Portugal
      • Beach Porn Alert: 7 Reasons Why You Need To Put Lagos, Portugal On Your Bucket List Now
      • The Top Portugal Beaches To Visit
    • Sri Lanka
      • Colombo, Sri Lanka
      • Ella
      • Mirissa Beach
      • Yala National Park
    • Thailand
      • Bangkok
      • Koh Lipe
      • Phi Phi
      • Phuket
      • Railay Beach-Krabi Town
      • Your Thailand Songkran Water Festival Guide
  • Places To Stay
  • Food
  • Contact Me

Recent Posts

  • Monaco in One Day: The Ultimate Guide to What to See and Do
  • The Best Beach Destinations for Singles Looking for Romance
  • How to Find a Secluded Beach Getaway Without Spending a Fortune
  • How to Find Your Own Paradise on Vacation
  • From Theme Parks to Coastal Escapes: Planning a Florida Vacation That Has It All
  • Rice fields in Ubud
    Travel Blog

    Watching The Rice Grow-What I Learned In Bali

    March 5, 2013 / No Comments

    No matter how far you may travel, you will always return to the place inside of you. I am not sure that you will really get to read these words. I am pretty sure that I am living on the edge of a dream. The edge of my dream. The dream that I have dreamed my whole life which ended here. Either that, or I have actually died and have truly found Heaven. I am in the middle of a stillness.  A stillness so deep and so profound that, yes, I actually can see the rice grow.  I am living in my dream house.  A house with no walls.  No…

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    April 1, 2013
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    February 13, 2013
    Dolphins Azores

    My Experience Of Volunteering With Dolphins And Whales In The Azores

    April 1, 2023
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    Travel Blog

    Yep, I’m A Goofball-How That Fact Saved The Day (And Had Half of SFO Airport Cheering Me On)

    March 2, 2013 / 13 Comments

    I have been convinced that I am half-mermaid ever since I was a child and saw Darryl Hannah in Splash. Later on, when people told me that I looked like her, I knew it had to be true. And, I seem to be the kind of person who doesn’t quite fully understand what to do with her legs. I am always running into stuff, tripping, and very much accident prone. I often am amazed when I take a flight that my whole body arrived at my new destination, and surprised that my head isn’t still stuck back at the departure gate. The thing is, when people first meet me their…

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    March 21, 2016
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    April 1, 2023
    Riding an Elephant

    White Knuckles-Surviving Scary Situations And Letting Go of Fear

    January 20, 2013
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    Para Hoy-For Today (Life In Mexico)

    February 26, 2013 / No Comments

    “Pará hoy”?  the avocado seller asks. I nod. Yes, today. I have no life beyond today. -Tony Cohan Perhaps the greatest thing that I learned on my trip to Mexico, on that Mexican time was that there is only today. Perhaps that is why tears welled up in my eyes when I was airlifted back into a life  that seems all too often to take me out of the present and into some future. Future plans, future moments….I really don’t want any of it. In Mexico, when you ask a restaurant if they will have a reservation for you, the answer is maybe. Always maybe. After all, you never knew…

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    What Being Back In Hawaii Is Really Like-The Good And The Bad

    July 12, 2016

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    March 4, 2026
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    Phuket-How I Created My Own Sanctuary Among The Crowds

    January 28, 2013
  • Val eating fish in Mexico
    Travel Blog

    Lost In Translation-How My Spanglish Almost Caused Me To Starve To Death

    February 25, 2013 / 9 Comments

    We must all eat to live; some more urgently than others. Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am easy-going, upbeat, and positive UNLESS I am hungry. When my blood sugar gets low, I don’t manage very well.  The world seems to tilt on its axis, my stomach starts to feel like it’s eating itself, and I lose all sense of balance and equilibrium.  Especially with my mood.  While, I try to learn the basic phrases in the language of the places that I travel to, I am learning that one of those basic phrases needs to be, “I need food now!!!” I really should know this by now.…

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    May 15, 2013
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    January 20, 2013
    Journeying Home www.thiswaytoparadise.com

    Where Is Home?

    September 13, 2013
  • Boat in Belize
    Travel Blog

    Where I Found Happiness In Belize (It Wasn’t Where You Might Think!)

    February 15, 2013 / 4 Comments

    I admit, I was searching for happiness when I booked my plane ticket to Belize.  You see, I spend most of my time in  Portland, OR where in the winter, the only sun we see is the picture of the one on the Weather Channel.  It was March, and I absolutely couldn’t handle another day of rain.  So, I booked a ticket leaving for Belize three weeks later.  I was feeling blue, and I thought the sun, the sand, and the sea would bring me some much-needed happiness. And yes, while the beauty there did make me feel happier, the true joy that I discovered was the people themselves.  The…

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    March 16, 2013
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    November 3, 2015

    The Credits: Meet Chef Amit Das

    June 5, 2014
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About Me

I am always looking for the perfect escape, the perfect paradise, the kind of place that tosses your cares into the sea. Fortunately, I have discovered many! I created this site to show you where to go and how to get there. My goal is to show you that Paradise is only a plane ticket (or boat ride) away. I have inspired many others to travel and to create a better life. I am available for inspirational speaking, coaching, writing, travel planning, and photography.

©2026