Interview – Yeison and Samantha (MyTanFeet)

Chris Boothman
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5
Interview – Yeison and Samantha (MyTanFeet)

Our blogging friends, Yeison and Samantha over at MyTanFeet have graciously given their time to speak with us and help us learn a little more about her travel inspirations and their website!

Please feel free to comment, ask questions and connect with Yeison and Samantha using their various social media fronts listed below.

We would like to give a special THANK YOU to both Yeison and Samantha for taking time to interview with us!

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Name: We are Yeison and Samantha, a couple living in Costa Rica. Samantha is originally from Washington in the United States and Yeison is from Costa Rica.

Website: MyTanFeet

Social Media: 

What is your favorite aspect of traveling and if you are a travel blogger, why did you decide to create your website? 

We love traveling because it’s something that we have done together since the beginning of our relationship. It was the only way for us to see each other since we were long distance internationally for 2 years and so every time we go on a trip, it reminds us of how lucky we are to be together and get to travel together.

We decided to create our blog first as an easy way for us to document our travels and to show Samantha’s friends and family what she has been doing in Costa Rica since she’s moved. It started off just as a fun personal journal but has since developed quite a bit.

How many continents have you visited? 

Two

How many countries have you visited? 

11-20

What is your favorite destination in the world and why? 

We absolutely loved the San Blas Islands in Panama. They were the most pristine islands we’d both ever seen and we loved the rural aspect of them. We like cities but appreciate the organic beauty of places more and the San Blas islands had some of the most clear water we’ve ever seen. Plus the history and culture of the islands is so incredibly amazing and really makes you think twice about modern life and how lucky we are to have simple things such as running water and electricity.

If money/time was no object and you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you travel to and why? 

We have had our eye on Antarctica for awhile. The climate is changing so rapidly and it is one of the places we want to see before it changes completely or even disappears. It seems like it can be a tough journey which is something we both want to experience and it’s one of those places that seem almost impossible to go see, but it can definitely be done.

Which of the following gadgets do you take on your travels? 

Camera, Phone and Laptop

What is your preferred method of transport? 

Bicycle

Complete the following, “Everywhere I go, I visit….” 

The place where the local cab drivers eat. We both love food and have found that the best way to get a taste of the local cuisine is to go where cab drivers eat. Since they’re always eating out, they definitely know places that are cheap but good. We believe that trying the local food is one of the best ways to get to know the culture and to also mingle with locals.

Here is your chance to sell yourself and your website! Tell us some more information about yourself, what your travel philosophies & future plans are and anything else that people may find interesting to read about… 

Through our experiences in long distance relationship and as a multi-racial couple, we have found that traveling is one of our biggest passions. The world is just so big and there are so many different cultures and people that we want to experience it all. We are lucky to live in a country that is very diversified and also in good location to other places.

Our blog is focused on Costa Rica right now since that is the country we live in. We just want to share information about how it is to live and travel here since there are so many misconceptions about the country. Besides providing information and insight on living in Costa Rica as an expat, Yeison provides his insight as a Costa Rican which is unique since all the Costa Rica blogs are by foreigners. We show you what it’s really like by someone who was born and grew up here.

We’re planning on staying in Costa Rica for awhile and then next year, go live in Taiwan since that is where Samantha is originally from. From there, explore Asia and then who knows! We just want to live a happy life and find a balance between work and pleasure. Our philosophy is just to experience as much as possible because we don’t want to have regrets when we are old that we didn’t see as much as we wanted to.

Using SEPTA to Get Around Philadelphia

Chris Boothman
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Using SEPTA to Get Around Philadelphia

Wouldn’t it be awesome if every city had a great public transportation system? Well, unfortunately this isn’t the case and when you live in Arkansas the idea of ‘public transportation’ is foreign to most folks. Our recent trip to Philadelphia saw us do things a little different than usual. When we go somewhere either for a weekend trip or longer, we will either stay downtown or use public transportation or if we stay outside of the center we rent a car to get around. However, this time we opted to do a combination of the two by staying at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel near Philadelphia Airport but opted against renting a car. This forced us into using Philadelphia’s SEPTA public transportation system and this was overall a pleasant, convenient experience.

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Ticket Options

The first item of note if you are flying into Philly is that you can pretty much get wherever you need to directly from the airport using the SEPTA system. You don’t pre-pay for your ticket; instead you pay the conductor onboard. If you are only traveling one way and don’t plan on using the system any more on the same day, a one way ticket will cost $8. However, for those of you like us and wanted a little more flexibility, we purchased the ‘One Day Independence Pass’ for $12, which provides access to all SEPTA networks (trains, buses, trams etc.). This is really a great deal even if you only use it a couple of times and given that we had to go to and from the airport twice each day, it was a more cost efficient option for us.

You need to have cash though in order to pay for your tickets onboard because that is the only payment option available!

SEPTA Network

As I mentioned, you can pretty much get wherever you need to in Philadelphia especially if your primary purpose is to see the key landmarks. You have a couple of options when you ride the Airport line (Blue line) into downtown Philadelphia. After passing Eastwick, University City and 30th Street, the next two stations are both feasible to get off and be in a good spot to start exploring.

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Suburban Station is within walking distance to both City Hall and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, also known as being famous for the ‘Rocky Steps’ and ‘Rocky Statue’. If you prefer to not walk, buses are frequently passing by and your Independence Pass will allow you to get onboard and take you closer to your chosen destination.

Market Street East Station is next on the Airport line and gives the perfect landing spot to explore Independence Mall (Independence Hall and Liberty Bell) and the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

If you decide to take in a game to watch the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers or 76ers, you can take the Broad Street line (Orange line) and this will take you outside all three stadiums.

Be Safe Using Public Transportation

I think it’s worth noting as a word of caution as with any public transportation system that you should be aware of your surroundings, especially if you are traveling alone at night. Be confident, be aware and trust your gut instinct if you feel uncomfortable in a situation when using public transportation.

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At no point during our experience on the SEPTA system did we feel uncomfortable but it’s also worth nothing that we were together and also primarily used the main stations in downtown Philly.

I have used many public transportation networks and although I wouldn’t say Philadelphia’s SEPTA system is as good as New York City’s underground or London’s tube system, it is efficient and provides a great service to locals and visitors to the area.

What are your favorite public transport networks around the world and why?

What are your tips to be safe when using public transportation?

International Travel Extravaganza

Chris Boothman
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13
International Travel Extravaganza

Wouldn’t we all love to travel the world and go on a proverbial International Travel Extravaganza? There have been times that I have wondered what it would be like to just pack a bag and set off on a round the world, once in a lifetime, trip to see all the amazing sights that our planet has to offer. What would be on top of your bucket list if you were given this opportunity? Would you want to visit the Seven Wonders of the World? There are so many ideas and routes that you could take that probably not any one person would choose to pursue the same trip.

Whenever I graduated from the University of Manchester, I almost embarked on a global trip with a friend but for one reason or another our proposed journey fell through. Maybe we were too young at the time or maybe it would have been a life changing experience for both of us. I don’t know about then but what I do know is that realistically speaking I would love to travel to a variety of different countries, not only to cross them off my bucket list, but also to expand my cultural background and learn about how other folks live.

If you have read our bucket list, you will have noticed that one of our goals is to visit at least one nation in each of the seven continents. So how would I like to go about this? Well here are some countries and reasons behind each of the seven continents I would like to visit:

Europe

Europe

Europe is probably the easiest for me to start with as I am from the United Kingdom. I have travelled much of England and also several locations in both Wales and Scotland. Aside from that, my European travel is limited with only a solitary trip to Southern Spain (Benidorm to be exact) to speak of. There is so much more out there to experience and both Heather and I are intrigued by the opportunities that are out there. Heather has a desire to visit Paris, in particular the Eiffel Tower, so this is one of our ‘must visit’ places in the near future. I have always had a desire to visit the Scandinavian countries, though the cost of visiting these countries is high. Europe is much like the United States except the proximity of States is in turn how close countries are to each other. Taking a road trip around Europe or embarking on the Eurorail would be a great way to get around. Plenty of things to do, plenty of different cultures to experience and a myriad of options available in Europe!

North America

Yosemite

Since arriving in the US in 2006, I have been fortunate enough to travel to several of the states, though many are those that most tourists would probably never think of visiting. There are still a lot of different places I want to see in USA, in particular I am looking forward to our trip to San Francisco in July 2013 but also I have a desire to road trip around the North East. I think the close proximity of the North-Eastern states and the fact there are several major cities within close distance to each other is a major drawing point for me. Canada is another country that I would love to visit. We were considering here for the July 2013 trip but opted for CA instead. Hopefully we can visit north of the border sometime soon. The same could be said for Mexico as we were looking into all-inclusive resorts. Something just didn’t appeal about Mexico, though many who know me in the States would know that Mexican restaurants are at the top of my favorite cuisine here.

Oceania

Sydney

We were very fortunate to visit Australia in December 2012 for our belated honeymoon. We had a blast here but only spending 10 days was not sufficient to allow us to visit everywhere we wanted to see. I also have a strong desire to visit New Zealand and some of the lesser known islands such as Fiji and the Cook Islands. There is so much beauty in the Southern Hemisphere and this is a great place to get away especially at Christmas when you are experiencing the cold winters, just head south and you are back in summer climates!

Asia

Taj Mahal

The Far East is such an intriguing part of the world. I will be the first to admit that for the most part, the thought of traveling around Asia is not really my cup of tea and I have never had a particular desire to visit this part of the world. However, there is so much modern technology that is derived from the Asian markets, who in the right mind would not want to visit the likes of Japan, Taiwan, Thailand or even India. These are without doubt the emerging markets of the future and will help shape the economy of the world we live in today and into the next decades. I noticed earlier this week that flights from LA to Narita, Japan were as low as $650 round-trip and I was seriously tempted to looking into this! Hopefully we will venture out East at some point because I know it would be a great cultural experience for both of us. Everyone that I know who has visited Asia has loved their experiences there.

Africa

safari

Much of Africa is rarely among most peoples travel thoughts. South Africa is obviously one of the more popular destinations given its development as a nation and the fact that it’s location in proximity to the ocean but also nearby safaris make this appealing to tourists. Other nations throughout the continent are suffering from high levels of poverty, drought, famine and disease ridden plagues which make them very difficult to attract the levels of tourism which would undoubtedly bring in much needed income. Before we headed to Australia for our honeymoon, South Africa was one of our top destinations to visit and we would both still love to visit this country. Climbing to the summit of Table Mountain, overlooking Cape Town would be great and then being able to take a safari into the wilderness is also an appealing thought. Northern Africa is also a great hub of tourism with the likes of Egypt, Morocco and Algeria’s proximity to Spain being major attractions for travelers.

South America

South America

Rio de Janeiro in 2014, the home of the football FIFA World Cup would be a great place to head to if you have never visited South America. Or you could wait a couple more years and visit this same city in 2016 when it hosts the Summer Olympics. Either way, Brazil is a thriving country that will be developing economically in the next few years with such huge events hosted there. Whenever we are browsing around Pinterest and those great images that people pin on their boards, there are always great sights in South America, whether it is the wonderfully named Iguazu Falls or the dangerous roads in Bolivia. There appears to be great opportunities here and hopefully one day we will be able to experience some of them.

Antarctica

penguins

There really isn’t much to say about this unknown gem of a continent except “how cool would it be to visit there some day!” One of those expensive cruises from South America would be great but realistically experiencing what it is like on this continent in New Zealand at the International Antarctica Institute may be our best option.

So is traveling to all the continents on your bucket list? 

If so, which countries in particular are you most excited about visiting and why?

Experiencing Science at The Franklin Institute

Chris Boothman
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Experiencing Science at The Franklin Institute

Understanding the concepts of science may not be something that we are all interested in, but I am convinced that we can all appreciate that technology and science have evolved over time. At the Franklin Institute Museum in Philadelphia, there is everything that any budding scientist could dream of. From electrical engineering to the human body, visitors are treated with an abundance of amazing displays, hands-on experiences and visual exhibitions.

Our initial intention was not to visit this museum, rather we were passing by en route to the Philadelphia Museum of Art when we decided to wander inside the museum and see what they had to offer. Immediately walking through the doors into the large entrance hall, you could see that this was going to be a cool experience. Ticket prices at first seem a little high but you have various options available to you dependent on how much time you have or what your interest are.

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During our visit, the main attraction was ‘One Day in Pompeii’ which was a special feature currently running. For $27.50 each, we received tickets to this special feature, the science museum and also our choice of an IMAX movie (we opted for the Ring of Fire). If you are only interested in visiting the museum, the price of $16 per person seems very reasonable.

The Science Museum

We spent the first couple of hours walking around the museum; this really brought back memories of my childhood going through science museums where you get that hands-on experience of using your body as a human conductor of electricity or walking through a human heart! One of the most interesting exhibits was a wall full of small antennas that lit up whenever you placed your cell phone in close proximity. I am not sure if this was fascinating because of how the radio waves clearly transmit or the potential harm cell phones are doing to us (Admittedly, I am not a proponent of this and believe that cell phones are relatively harmless unless you are on them 24/7).

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There are 3 floors to the museum and each has very different displays available. The first floor contains the Train Factory if locomotives interest you, a Planetarium to learn more about how our solar system works and Space Command which allows you to explore the farthest reaches of space without having to leave Earth! The second floor is where the main entrance is when you pass the Franklin Memorial. Exhibit galleries here feature the Electricity area, Giant Heart and Changing Earth (which is pretty cool as you can create your own weather forecast and replay the video!). Unfortunately some of the main attractions on the top floor were closed including the Sports Challenge but for those daring enough to ride the SkyBike, you could soar through the air above the Atrium.

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Before visiting the science museum, I would probably have associated this type of attraction with activities solely related to children. But I can now honestly say that anyone can enjoy this type of experience. There is something for everyone, of course there are activities catered for kids but many of the ‘hands-on’ challenges are probably more suited for adults. Interaction is always going to attract visitors and I think this is one of the main reasons why the Franklin Institute will continue to be successful.

IMAX

We have visited a few IMAX theatres before and really enjoyed them. Given the opportunity to see ‘The Ring of Fire’ (No, not Johnny Cash but the volcanic chain that surrounds the Pacific Rim), we were both really looking forward to this. Our show started at 2:15 and lasted 45 minutes. The theatre was one of the biggest I have seen before, though my only regret was that we sat on the front row that I believe took away from enhancing the overall experience.

Learning about how volcanic activity is still such a huge natural phenomenon was interesting. This was also a perfect prelude to our final attraction of the day which was ‘One Day in Pompeii’ as it gave us a little more information on what causes volcanoes to erupt around the world.

One Day in Pompeii

For those of you that don’t know the history of the ancient town of Pompeii under the ashes of Mount Vesuvius, this would have been a really great attraction. However, I was left a little disappointed especially given that we paid $11.50 each for this and it rather failed to live up to the hype and expectations given the advertisements for this.

On a positive note, learning about how the ancient Romans lived their daily lifestyle, ranging from architectural design of their living quarters to the food they consumed was interesting. The story continued culminating in a video showing a recreation of Vesuvius erupting and destroying Pompeii under 12 feet of ash. Only in the 18th Century was Pompeii rediscovered and to this day archaeologists are working on identifying remains and learning more about how the Romans lived and what actually happened on that tragic day in AD79.

Summary

Though you are probably not going to leave the Franklin Institute as the next Albert Einstein, you will certainly learn plenty to make you intrigued about the evolution of science. You can easily spend a full day here and it is great spot for the whole family to just learn and have fun. If you plan on visiting here for just a hour, it’s not worth paying the admission fee because you simply won’t have enough time to see everything. We spent about 4 hours here and didn’t see everything so be prepared to set aside at least half a day when in the Philadelphia region. Visit this attraction because you won’t regret it!

Have you visited the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia? 

Have you experienced other similar museums around the world?

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