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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

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  • Southeast Asia’s Hidden Wellness Traditions Most Tourists Miss
  • Sorting Your Email Before A Long Trip Abroad
  • Planning a Solo Trip in 2026 That Fits Your Budget
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Travel Tips

Unforgettable Things To Do in Portland, Oregon

I moved back to Portland, Oregon after living in Charleston, SC and St Pete, FL the past four years. Moving back has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever…

read more
April 1, 2025
Travel Tips

San Pancho & Sayulita Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know

I just got back from my travels to San Pancho and Sayulita in Mexico, and I had a wonderful time. These two beach towns are right next to each other,…

read more
November 28, 2025
Escape Guides

10 Hidden Beaches in Mexico You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

If you’re looking for an uncrowded escape, you need to know about these hidden beaches in Mexico. Everyone tends to gravitate towards Cancun, Tulum, Playa del Carmen, and to Cabos,…

read more
May 29, 2026
Escape Guides

From Dolphins To Fish Tacos: The Best Things To Do In Loreto

I just returned from Loreto, Mexico, and while I can’t say it was my favorite place in Mexico, it still had its charms. Zipolite still gets my vote for being…

read more
August 5, 2025
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  • Bali Hai Terraced Rice Fields
    Pictures

    More Pictures Of Ubud, Bali

    March 15, 2013 / 2 Comments

    Ubud has captured my heart and soul so much that I can’t just post one photo gallery. This is a place whose rice fields and streets I could walk every day for the rest of my life and still find something new to photograph.  I hope these pictures of Ubud capture the essence of Bali for you in the same way that living these moments did for me.

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  • Places To Stay in Ubud, Bali
    Places To Stay,  Uncategorized

    Magnolia Joglos-Places To Stay In Ubud, Bali

    March 14, 2013 / 7 Comments

    The Magnolia Joglos are without a doubt, one of the places to stay before you die.  In fact, it is such a heavenly place, that you will probably think you did die and go to Heaven.  At least I did!! The Magnolia Joglos consist of a few Javanese open-air style joglos set in the middle of a rice field in Penestanan, an artist’s village, that is part of Ubud .  I stayed in the Passiflora one, and the minute I got there, I felt an extreme sense of peace settle in my being, the weight of the world being lifted from my shoulders, and knew that all of the yoga that I…

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    November 8, 2016

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  • Flower petals in Ubud
    Pictures

    Pictures From Ubud, Bali

    March 13, 2013 / 1 Comment

      Ubud, Bali is the place that stirs my soul and touches my heart in a way that no other place on Earth does.  And it doesn’t even have a beach.  Is it the gracious and smiling people?  The beautiful rice fields with their colors of electric green, dancing fireflies, butterflies, and chirping crickets?  Is it the spiritual energy in the air where everyone seems to know their place in the world?  Is it the misty mornings, the shining rainbows, or the scented air which smells of frangipani, sandalwood incense, and coconut oil.  You decide!

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    November 10, 2025
  • Beach View Gili Air
    Travel Blog,  Uncategorized

    Learning To Slow Down On Gili Air

    March 12, 2013 / 1 Comment

    I think there is a lesson that I need to be learning on this trip.  The art of slowing down.  It seems that every bit of stress has been caused when I rush, when I go against the flow of  the pace of time that is here.  Always rushing to catch a plane, find a ATM, a boat.  That’s not the pace of these islands.  That is especially not the pace of Gili  Trawangan or Gili Air.  Yesterday, I ate lunch at the most relaxing place.  They were playing chill out music and I felt my body totally surrender as I sank into the brightly colored purple and green cushions…

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  • Places to stay in Kuta, Billy Pendawa
    Places To Stay

    Billy Pendawa Homestay-Kuta, Bali

    March 12, 2013 / 1 Comment

    Searching for places to stay in Kuta, Bali can be overwhelming.  You definitely have many hotels in Kuta to choose from.  Kuta is a very busy area, so it’s nice to find a haven where you can relax and be away from all the traffic.  I found such a place at Billy Pendawa Homestay.  It is located down a really cute gang or alley very close to the airport. It was nice staying with a local family. I felt very looked after and cared for.  The rooms were very clean and comfortable and are very much like hotel rooms in the sense that you have your own bathroom.  I loved…

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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