Bali Holidays - Bali temple by David Blackwell., on Flickr

When you think of a beautiful beach honeymoon, Bali often comes to mind. Aracely and I never really had a proper honeymoon, so trips to places like this are always on our minds. Aracely will bring up the fact, “But, we didn’t really have a proper honeymoon.” Someday we will enjoy Bali holidays. Our 10yr anniversary sounds good.

2 Backpackers - Travel Photo of the Day – A Bali Holiday… Someday 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Las Vegas Travel - Red Rock Canyon National Park

Las Vegas travel is always good to us. One might think that after you get married, Vegas doesn’t have the same appeal. We would disagree. It’s not just about hotels and casinos. We love Las Vegas for many reasons, including the adventure the area offers. Hiking, biking and rock climbing can all be done in the mars-like landscape of Red Rock Canyon National Park. Ride a dune buggy in the desert. So go out, work up a sweat, come back to your posh hotel and go enjoy some of the best dinning and gambling the world has to offer.

2 Backpackers - Travel Photo of the Day – Red Rock Canyon Las Vegas 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

China Travel - Asia Holidays

We recently visited Asia for the very first time during our visit to Beijing, China. Our only disappointment was that we didn’t have time to explore more of Asia. Many of the travelers we met in the hostels were doing the typical Asia backpacker trail, which included Thailand, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. Next time we visit Asia, I hope it’s after researching for Hong Kong holidays. It’s on our list of must see big Asia cities, and we hear it’s a lot easier to travel as a tourist in Hong Kong than in Beijing.

2 Backpackers - Travel Photo of the Day – Beijing China Colors and Architecture 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Australia Travel - Byron Bay by aschaf, on Flickr

Guess where we haven’t traveled to yet? Australia.  Yup, still haven’t made it to the great Gold Coast or any type of Australia travel. Byron Bay is a popular stop for backpackers exploring the Australian coast, but yet, these 2 Backpackers haven’t made the trip yet. I am guessing when we finally venture out there we will be searching for Byron Bay hotels rather than hostels, as our travel tastes have changed a little bit. Although, it’s not a cheap country, so maybe a hostel will still suffice.

2 Backpackers - Travel Photo of the Day – Byron Bay Australia 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

I’ve lived in New Jersey most of my live and always within 45 minutes of New York City. My last residence in NJ was Hoboken, located just across the Hudson River. My morning runs always included the best views of “The City”, which is how we refer to it in those parts. Even after working in lower Manhattan for 3 years, this city still impresses me. It’s so incredibly big. Every time I visit a new city, I compare it to New York; and every time the cluster of skyscrapers on Manhattan Island tower over any other skyline that I’ve ever seen.

That was until I stared out the window of our plane as we descended on the landing strip of Beijing Capital International Airport.

“Beijing makes New York look miniature, I whispered.”

China Travel - Beijing Skyline

Beijing has approximately 22 million inhabitants, compared to the 8 million of New York City.

China Travel

We were only scheduled to be there for 8 full days and I didn’t do much research ahead of time, of course. I know Jason would have taken a different approach if he didn’t have a week full of business meetings. This meant I was going out and exploring this massive place alone. I remember wishing I was a little more prepared. “I’m going to need a map,” I thought.

All I knew about Beijing was that people don’t speak much English and it’s where Tiananmen Square is located. The first part is completely true. Actually, both the first and the second part are completely true, but Beijing also has an abundance of places to visit and it has a modern and easy to use subway system that will help you get to each and everyone of them. Here’s the places I visited during my short visit to Beijing during my China travels.

Tainanmen Square

Tainanmen Square has a lot of history, but it’s most famously know for the deadly protest in 1989. It’s huge, the size of about 50 football fields where over 1 Million people can congregate.  Today it’s highly protected by Beijing Police. There’s not much to see here except hundreds of Asian tourist groups.

China Travel - Tainanmen Square Beijing

Forbidden Palace

The ancient palace was home to the Chinese Emperor(s). This is massive, and I mean massive compound where thousands of eunuch, concubines  and high ranking officers lived to meet the demands of the Emperor as he ruled China. Anyone who visited the palace needed special permission or invitation, hence the name “Forbidden Palace.”  The place is usually extremely crowded, so go early and bring water and a snack. Depending on how interested you are in seeing a decent amount of the place this could easily be a full day event.

China Travel - Forbidden Palace - Beijing

The Great Wall of China

There are excellent sightseeing sections of the Great Wall available near Beijing. The most popular and picture perfect is at the Badaling section. We recommend avoiding the crowds and visiting the Mutianyu section instead. A lift takes you to the top of the wall where you can traverse several different sections for incredible views. Consider taking a toboggan ride down for a little extra excitement. Yes, I said toboggan.

China Travel - The Great Wall of China - Beijing

Hutong

Another popular Beijing activity is to take a rickshaw ride through the Hutongs (Alley’s) of Beijing. It’s an interesting way to see how and where the common people lived, but be aware of “Tea Ceremony” scams and always ask for a price before you decide to take part in any activity.

China Travel - Rickshaw Ride through Beijing

Temple of Heaven

Think of Central Park times 3. Here you will see people taking dance lessons, exercising, playing cards and practicing tai-chi. The Temple of Heaven translates to “Alter of Heaven” and includes many different buildings with historical and cultural significance.

China Travel - Temple of Heaven in Beijing

Lama (Buddhist) Temple

Over 50% of Chinese are Buddhist, which technically is not a religion, it’s more commonly referred to as a cultural practice or thought system. This is one of the largest and most important Buddhist Temples in the world. Here you can see an 85 foot tall Buddha carved out of one single piece of wood.

China Travel - Lama Temple - Beijing

China Travel - Lama Temple Beijing

Confucius Temple

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” ~Confucius. This is the second largest Confucian Temple in China and the only site where the entrance fee was a bit sketchy. My guide told me that tourists will get charged 70 Yuans but the real cost is actually only 30 Yuans. He asked me to stay behind while he purchased the ticket. On the actual ticket it did say 70, but he came back with 70 Yuan change for me. He said this is the only place where they have this issue. Inside the compound there is a museum that showcases how students of Confucianism learned the wisdom of their practice.

China Travel - Confucius Temple Beijing

Summer Palace

This peaceful compound was more or less the Emperor’s vacation home. He came here in the summer months to relax in the shade near the man made lake. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time as to enjoy the landscape and bring your walking shoes.

China Travel - Summer Palace Beijing

China Travel - Summer Palace Beijing

Beijing Zoo

Zoos in China aren’t the most animal friendly, and can be disturbing sometimes for animal lovers, but the Beijing Zoo houses something many westerners are eager to see. Panda Bears have residence in the zoo, but don’t expect them to look too happy with their living conditions either.

China Travel - Beijing Zoo Panda Bears

WangFuJing Shopping Street

Beijing’s most famous shopping center, housing famous Beijing brands, tea houses and restaurants. The street is closed off for pedestrian use only. Try venturing on a few side streets and your likely to find some disgusting bugs on sticks, ready to eat. Also be weary of “art students” inviting you to their exhibition and selling you fake art. I was approached by three different art students that asked me the same exact questions and offered the same exact thing.  They will engage in friendly discussion, asking where you are from.

China Travel - WangFuJing Shopping Street Beijing

Beijing Olympic Park

The most spectacular Olympic Games Opening Ceremony to ever take place was here, at Olympic Park in Beijing. The two most iconic stadiums are the Birds Nest and the Cube. Four years after the Games and Asian tourists still flock to visit the park in the thousands.

China Travel - Beijing Olympic Park - Birds Nest Stadium

Today’s post was made possible by Flightcenter.com.au. If you are looking for International flights, domestic flights, tours and cruises be sure to visit Flightcenter.com.au

2 Backpackers - Top Things To Do in Beijing China 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

China Travel - Great Wall

View of The Great Wall of China from Mutianyu on a warm March day during our visit to Beijing, China.  The Great Wall is only 1.5 hours away from Beijing, so be sure to visit this incredible Unesco World Heritage Site.  I still can’t imagine how they built this wall over the peaks of these mountains.  It’s truly an amazing human feat.

2 Backpackers - Travel Photo of the Day – The Great Wall of China 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Argentina Travel - Aracely on the cliffs of Punta Ninfas in Patagonia Argentina

10 Unusual Things to Do in Buenos Aires
Punta Ninfas (Spanish, “Nymphs Point”) is found in Patagonia, Argentina. Just opposite of Península Valdés the Point is about 90 km southwest of Puerto Madryn. Argentina travel is vast and varying, from the bottom of the world in Ushuaia Patagonia to the the Gaucho lands of Northwest Argentina.

Punta Ninfas is the ideal location for observing a colony of elephant seals, whose breeding season occurs from September to December.

2 Backpackers - Travel Photo of the Day – The Cliffs at Punta Ninfas in Patagonia Argentina 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Watch More Adventure Travel Videos

Staff, crew and passengers of the G Adventures M/S Expedition ship were asked:
“What one word comes to mind when you hear Antarctica?” Produced by JD Andrews of EarthXplorer.com.

My favorite was, “Balance, one of the only places where the world is in balance.” Enjoy the show!

2 Backpackers - Antarctica in one word… “Balance” 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Ecuador Travel - Galapagos Land Iguana (Conolophus subcristatus)

The wildlife on this Galapagos tour has been incredible as we continue #HangingWithTurtles during our Ecuador travel.

2 Backpackers - Travel Photo of the Day – Galapagos Land Iguana 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Ecuador Travel - Dolphin Jumping Around our Boat in the Galapagos Islands

2 Backpackers - Travel Photo of the Day – Galapagos Islands Dolphin 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Ecuador Travel - Green Sea Turtle

2 Backpackers - Travel Photo of the Day – Galapagos Green Sea Turtle 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Friends often ask us what they should do while visiting NYC. There are tons of “things to do in NYC” lists, so this list is for those that constantly ask for our opinion. The truth is, there are an unlimited number of things you can do in the greatest city in the world.   Much depends on your time, budget and travel preferences. Start searching for flights to New York, because we have provided you with a huge checklist of things to do!

NYC Travel - NYC at Night

Be a Tourist in NYC

Our list is for the NYC tourist. It’s for those that don’t have much time, but want to see some of the greatest attractions or iconic travel photos.

NYC is best explored by walking around the different neighborhoods, but beware, it’s very cold in winter. Be sure to ride the subway and hail a cab ride. Purchase a metro card in the subway, which can be used both on the bus and in the subway.

List of Best Things To Do in NYC

Iconic NYC

• Top of the Empire State Building
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck at the Rockefeller Center – less crowded, great views of Central Park
• Rockefeller Center
• Brooklyn Bridge – walk it!
• Times Square – best at night and now even better with pedestrian only streets
• Little Italy – enjoy strolling through the neighborhood and grab a pastry, but don’t eat the overpriced touristy food
• St. Patrick’s Cathedral
• Grand Central Terminal
• West Village – walk this classic NYC neighborhood with old brownstones
• Ground Zero
• Stroll Soho – grab a seat at an outdoor cafe

NYC Travel - The Brooklyn Bridge

Eating in NYC

With restaurants, bars and clubs changing so rapidly in NYC, we avoided adding much to this section.

• Brunch at The Boat House in Central Park – best in summer/spring
• Pizza, almost anywhere minus Sbarro’s
• Grimaldi’s Pizza in Brooklyn
• Becco NYC – My favorite Italian restaurant
• Street Food – falafel, hot dog, roasted nuts, kabobs, pretzels, dumplings, the list is endless
• Meat Packing District – fine dinning and posh night clubs
• Time Warner Center – for fine dinning and cocktails

NYC Travel - Pizza

NYC Parks

We are obviously big fans of hanging out in parks.

• Central Park – always entertainment going on, best in spring / summer
• Horse and Buggy Ride in Central Park – overpriced, but still popular ($50)
• Battery Park – excellent views of Financial District skyscrapers, Statue of Liberty and East Side bridges
• Pier A in Hoboken – Not technically in Manhattan, but incredible views of the Hudson River and NYC
• Bryant Park – catch a movie under the stars during the summer or grab some lunch
• Washington Square – near NYU campus & boutique shops & restuarants
• Union Square – people watching & sometimes street entertainment
• High Line Park – NYC’s best creative park

NYC Travel - Central Park

Activities, Entertainment

• Watch a Broadway Show – seek TKTS discount booths
• Ride a bike on the West Side – bike path for scenic views and excellent parks near Battery Park
• Rent a bike in Central Park
• Visit a Bar in Hoboken – home of Frank Sinatra, baseball, and tons of bars with best views of NYC, take a ferry or subway
• South Street Seaport – street entertainment, shopping, bars and great views
• Williamsburg Brooklyn (Bedford Ave) – art, food and bars, a young artistic vibe
• Get tickets to a Late Night Talk Show – sometimes difficult to get
• Madison Square Garden – get tickets for a sporting event
• Comedy Club – possibly bump into your favorite comedian

NYC Travel - Rockefeller Center during the Holidays

NYC Museums

• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
• American Museum of Natural History
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

NYC Travel - Lower Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge

NYC Tours

• Gray Line Bus tours – they may be cheesy, but many are informative and will take you all the way up to Harlem
• Statue Cruises to Statue of Liberty – An all day affair to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
• Circle Line Cruises – offering various cruises around Manhattan
• NYC Pizza Tour
• NYC Street Food Tour
• Staten Island Ferry – and it’s free! Not technically a tour, but you can make it one.

NYC Travel - Statue of Liberty

NYC Shopping

• Canal Street – flea market type shopping and black market brands
• Madison Avenue
• Fifth Avenue
• Macy’s
• Times Square
• FAO Schwarz
• Time Warner Center

NYC Travel - 9/11 Memorial

2 Backpackers - Best Things to do in NYC 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Ecuador Travel - The city of Quito, Ecuador

2 Backpackers - Travel Photo of the Day – Quito, Ecuador 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Kiri Bowers joins 2 Backpackers as a regular weekly contributor.  Look for her travel writing and photography both on 2Backpackers.com and CoupleTravelTips.com.  We welcome her to the team and look forward to reading about her travel experiences from around the world.

Kiri Bowers created her site Travel Bumpkin out of a passion for escapism and discovery.  After graduating with an English Literature degree in London, the only thing on her mind was gallivanting the globe.  Currently on her second round the world adventure, Kiri has explored her roots in India, found love in Australia and eaten her way all over South East Asia

Thirsty to share the ups and downs of life on the road, Travel Bumpkin follows her backpacking journey with her photographer partner Roscoe Duncan.  They have spent the last year exploring the world, on a budget and are aiming for the journey to never end.  Kiri is a regular contributor to the new social networking site for travellers, Gap Daemon and you can follow her on Facebook and Twitter

2 Backpackers - Introducing Travel Writer Kiri Bowers 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Our first gap year travel included backpacking in Central and South America between 2009 and 2010. We had no clue how to prepare for long-term travel or what to pack for a gap year. Now, our travel style is geared towards vacations or working holidays. Preparing for the two is completely different as you can imagine, but what’s unexpected is how quickly we forget or struggle to pack light.

Packing for a Gap Year / RTW Trip

Aracely carrying her luggage on our RTW trip

Packing for a Vacation

Since Aracely and I have returned to the United States and settled in Miami, our trips and adventures have shortened.  We take vacations, preferably more adventurous ones, but they are still vacations, or holidays for those in Europe.  One might think, we take our big backpacks out of the garage and start packing them with as little as possible, just as we did for Latin America.  That’s not the case.  We grab our roller luggage, doing our best to avoid checking bags, but the selection of clothes we pack is much greater.

Enjoying a vacation in Napa Valley, California

I am sure there are still many people that pack light for all their vacations, but it’s difficult to stay so disciplined.  When you have the options of many different clothes and shoes sitting in your closet, we tend to grab them all.  It’s tough to think, “I won’t need that.”  It’s easier to think, “I might need that,” and therefore, you pack it.

Shopping for a Vacation

Do you go shopping before a vacation or holiday?  I think most of us do.  It’s habit.  We always feel like we need to purchase some new or more appropriate clothes for a destination.  Since, I am planning on visiting the Galapagos Islands and doing lots of snorkeling, I figured I needed a surfers shirt.  It’s a tight spandex shirt to protect me from the sun, while I am snorkeling.  I went and bought one.  We also wanted to get all biodegradable and natural cleaning products to use while on our Galapagos tour.  I imagine most of the water we use for showering and brushing our teeth on the islands ends up in the ocean, so we wanted to go green.  Add sun hats and sunglasses.  They are absolutely necessary for visiting the Galapagos right?  We needed to get us some of those.  A few hundred dollars later and we are prepared for our vacation.

New purchases for our Galapagos Vacation

This is quite the contrast if we had visited the Galapagos Islands during our backpacking journey in 2010.  We wouldn’t have purchased much, and if we needed something, it would have been a cheap local item that we could pass off to someone else when we were finished using it.  I do feel a bit guilty, knowing that I have succumb to the consumerism based economy of the USA, but hey, at least I am helping the economy, right?

We do remember the lessons learned during our gap year, and still make every effort to make positive decisions when traveling to foreign destinations.  Galapagos is a delicate environment, and we will do our best to keep it safe, while giving back to the local community.

2 Backpackers - Packing for Gap Year Travel vs Vacation 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Choosing from the hundreds of Galapagos tours doesn’t sound like an easy choice, but it actually wasn’t too hard for Aracely and I. As someone that’s active on the web, always reading others’ experiences while touring the world, I sort of knew who the best tour operators for the Galapagos were.

Galapagos Travel

Adorable sea lion pups, Chinese Hat, Galapagos by GirlUnmapped, on Flickr

This trip is a special one, it’s to celebrate Aracely’s 30th Birthday. Our visit to the Galapagos Islands is a bit different compared to when we backpacked through Central and South America between 2009 and 2010. In 2010, our budget prevented us from experiencing Galapagos the way we had always imagined. We were living on $55 a day, which didn’t cover the cost of Galapagos tours. Now, in 2012, we are ready to book the tour we have always wanted, and we expect G Adventures will be able to deliver that for us.

10-Day Multi-Activity Galapagos Land Tour

We experienced a small tour with G Adventures in 2009 to the Iguazú Falls and had an excellent trip. Add that experience, all the other positive experiences written about by travel bloggers and the experiences by our friends in the Wanderers in Residence program and you end up on a trip with G Adventures. That’s why it was an easy choice for Aracely and I.

Galapagos Adventures and Education

We will be sleeping on the Galapagos Islands each night, which is probably best for Aracely, who is prone to seasickness. This also allows us to spend longer days hiking volcanoes, exploring individual islands and museums. Other activities include kayaking, snorkeling and mountain biking. I figured we might get bored touring on a boat for 7 days, so the idea of multiple activities was a good thing.

Education has always been an important part of any tour we participate in. Ever since our Grand Canyon hike in 2006, we make every effort to get schooled in the places we visit, the local culture and it’s history. We know the Galapagos Islands has amazing scientific facts and a lot of wildlife to learn about.

Quito, Ecuador

We arrive to Quito this weekend, a city we have a spent over a month living in before. It will be fun to revisit some of the old places we ate at, maybe even climb back up the Basílica del Voto Nacional or just check off items from our list of best things to do in Quito.

By Sunday afternoon, we should be swimming with sea lions as Frigate birds fly above on San Cristóbal island during our Galapagos tour with G Adventures in celebration of Aracely’s 30th birthday.

2 Backpackers - Choosing the Best Galapagos Tours 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

It’s official, we are traveling to the Galapagos Islands for the first time in our lives. This is a significant trip for us because Aracely has always dreamed of visiting the Galapagos Islands, but we had great trepidation in doing so when we spent over a month in Ecuador back in 2010. We both have discussed our concerns over Galapagos travel and have made the decision to move forward with our exploration.

Galapagos Islands by la nomada, on Flickr

Galapagos Travel

Exploring the Galapagos Islands is one of those bucket list places to visit.  The great Pyramids of Egypt, Easter Island, Uyuni Salt Flats, Taj Mahal, Ancient Rome, and for us nature lovers, the Galapagos Islands.  To make it even more significant and memorable, we are going for Aracely’s 30th Birthday.  She turns 30 on March 12th, so we need to book the trip immediately.

A Concern for the Environment

As described earlier, we are booking this trip with a little bit of guilt.  Excessive tourism and over population from Ecuadorians seeking work, has caused significant harm to the fragile ecosystem of the Galapagos.  We would be hypocritical if we didn’t admit our tour will be contributing to that slow destruction of wildlife that surrounds the area.

I promise to examine our tour and provide some insight into what different tour companies are doing to reduce or possibly increase the damage to the ecosystem.

Photos and Videos of Galapagos Islands

On a lighter note, we will also be taking thousands of wildlife photos and lots of HD video!  We are extremely excited about our decision and we hope you are looking forward to the colorful, nature pictures to come!

Now we have to seek out an adventurous tour.

2 Backpackers - Galapagos Islands… Here we come! 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Aracely turns the big 30 on March 12 and as usual with any milestone in her life, she wants to go travel, or at least create more adventure vacations memories.  We have a week to escape, and no plans at this point.

Aracely relaxing during her hike of Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

What type of travel?

It doesn’t seem like she has narrowed it down very well. Aracely wants a little bit of everything, which includes, urban city, the country, hiking, nature, culture, history and good food. In terms of cost, we are interested in mid-level accommodations. That means, not hostels or motels, but not 5-star luxury resorts. We have nothing against 5-star luxury resorts, as long as we can afford it.

Where to Travel?

Relaxing on a warm beach is nice, but so are the canyons in Utah. She has researched a stop-over in Vegas for the city life and then on to Hawaii for adventure, nature and relaxation. A luxury resort in Utah’s desert looks awesome, but a bit out of our price range. Australia seems to offer it all, beaches, city and the outback, but it’s a very expensive and long flight.

Also, take note, Aracely doesn’t like spending a lot of time traveling in a car or bus, which eliminates a road trip.

Give us your ideas!

So there you have it. An extremely vague list of wants for her 30th Birthday vacation. What ideas do you have for Aracely?

UPDATE: Aracely doesn’t like cold weather.

2 Backpackers - Aracely turns 30 – Where should she travel? 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

Watch More Adventure Travel Videos

Enjoy the best off-the-beaten-path beach in Costa Rica through an HD adventure travel video from 2 Backpackers, Jason and Aracely Castellani, while visiting Sámara, Costa Rica.  In travel video episode #21, we film the flat, calm, white sand Samara Beach and it’s small island of Isla Chora. Enjoy the show!

Costa Rica Travel – Sámara

Samara is located on Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific Coast. Costa Rica is Central America’s most developed country and attracts the most tourists, allowing it to build an improved infrastructure attracting luxury beachfront resorts. As a budget traveler, this can be a challenge. You want to explore the wonderful beaches of Costa Rica, but you also have a travel budget to stick to.

Best Beach in Costa Rica

Have you ever envisioned a wonderful cove beach with subtle waves, endless reefs, nearby cliffs battered by the sea, horses running along the water’s edge, palm trees bending towards the horizon, reefs occasionally sun bathing and a small rock island that beckons you as you rest on the mainland?

Then you better get yourself to Samara Beach, the best off-the-beaten-path beach in all of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Travel - Samara Beach

2 Backpackers - Samara Beach Costa Rica – Travel Video Ep. 21 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.

On the third Monday of January, the United States will be celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

The idea of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday was promoted by labor unions in contract negotiations. After King’s death, United States Representative John Conyers (a Democrat from Michigan) and United States Senator Edward Brooke (a Republican from Massachusetts) introduced a bill in Congress to make King’s birthday a national holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979. However, it fell five votes short of the number needed for passage. Two of the main arguments mentioned by opponents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive, and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition (King had never held public office). Only two other persons have national holidays in the United States honoring them: George Washington, the first President of the United States, and Christopher Columbus, the navigator, colonizer, and explorer from the Republic of Genoa, whose voyages across the Atlantic Ocean led to general European awareness of the American continents. – Wikipedia

Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

Things to do in Washington D.C.

On August, 22, 2011, the Martin Luther King Memorial was opened. Located in Washington, D.C., southwest of the National Mall, it’s one of the most dramatic sculptures we have ever seen. It’s a large scale Martin Luther King, Jr. carved out of a rock, representing a piece from King’s famous speech.  If your looking for things to do in Washington D.C., this is a must!

The centerpiece for the memorial is based on a line from King’s “I Have A Dream” speech: “Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” A 30 feet (9.1 m)-high relief of King named the “Stone of Hope” stands past two other pieces of granite that symbolize the “mountain of despair.” Visitors literally “pass through” the Mountain of Despair on the way to the Stone of Hope, symbolically “moving through the struggle as Dr. King did during his life.” – Wikipedia

Martin Luther King Memorial Photos

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

A right delayed is a right denied.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

Philanthropy is commendable, but it must not cause the philanthropist to overlook the circumstances of economic injustice which make philanthropy necessary.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.

Aracely paying respects to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

2 Backpackers - Photo Essay – Martin Luther King Memorial 2 Backpackers - Travel around the world sharing budget travel tips, travel photos and adventure travel videos.