National Parks of the Western U.S.

My travels in Central America was an unforgettable tour through a part of the world that is diverse both socially and culturally. Be it in ancient cities or crowded markets, with relative ease I was able to absorb elements of many distinguished cultures -- many dating back thousands of years. The lessons in history, anthropology, sociology, and politics that presented themselves were as exciting as they were ubiquitous.

Alas, I returned from Central America and embarked upon a new part of the world. Here I found a decidedly different set of lessons to be learned. Alone, I explored California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah both under the desert sun and the star filled night sky. In this part of the world, the lessons which presented themselves most saliently were on a different magnitude of time -- geological time. By comparison, the time since the existence of the ancient civilizations of Central America is merely a snap of the fingers.

I will end by simply exhorting you to GO VISIT A NATIONAL PARK. They are so close, and more amazing than words -- particularly mine -- can possibly describe.

May they speak for themselves:

Death Valley National Park, California

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Zion Canyon National Park, Utah

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Capital Reef National Park, Utah

Arches National Park, Utah

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Central America: The Final Post

The final stretch of my journey in Latin America involved travels in Costa Rica and Panama. I had the pleasure of being accompanied by my sister, Andrea, in the former country, and my dad, Parker, in the latter.

The Central American tourism behemoth, Costa Rica is indubitably worthy of its reputation. Natural beauty and an enjoyable climate -- most of the year at least -- make this country a very pleasant place to visit. Below is the consistently majestic sunset over a beach near Manuel Antonio, a city on the Pacific coast southeast of the capital.

As usual, despite the negative things I had heard about San Jose, Costa Rica's capital city, I found it to be rather hospitable. In the background of the picture below is the national theater/concert hall where the orchestra plays. Costa Rica has a notably famous international orchestra, which evidently shames those of its neighboring countries. It is said that this is possible, at least in part, because of the additional resources available given Costa Rica's lack of a military -- something the Tico's are very proud of. What could we do with the all of the money we dump into the defense budget? Perhaps the CEOs could get larger salaries. Even better, more media coverage of Paris.

Andrea and I had a nice time in the mountain highlands of Costa Rica. Among the many highlights was a canopy tour (zip lining) that exceeded by far all of our expectations.

After Andrea made her way back to Los Estados Unidos, Parker met me in Panama. Behind us is the surprisingly densely developed Panama City skyline. High rises everywhere you look.

Oh, and I THINK there is some kind of canal in Panama of some significance -- so I've been lead to believe. The bridge below crosses the waterway that passes through the canal, ushering ships from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean all hours of every day, and visa versa.

More than just the country with the canal, Panama has beautiful jungles and beaches too...

So, there it is. Parker and I enjoyed a week in Panama before I finally left my home away from home of the last three months, Central America, for the home land. At first culture shocked, but always happy to be once again amongst friends and family, I'm back.