It has been 76 days since I last posted.  This is by far the longest time that I have gone without posting since my first post on this blog 2 years go to the day.

I have not been idle.  I have been deeply absorbed by 2 projects that I now want to share with you.

The first project is a program of monthly departures called “The Quest for Pura Vida Adventure-both out there and in you. New sights, new eyes, new relationships.” “Pura Vida” means “Pure Life”. It’s the expression that Costa Ricans use to express the essence of their land and way of relating.

This program is so important to me that I have spent countless hours to give it a very long name and create its very own website.

The reason I am so excited about this program is that it is the biggest step since The Wish List and Time of Your Life in my decades long quest to change the travel paradigm from emphasizing places and activities to emphasizing companions and memories.

Time of Your Life is as close as I can come to illustrating what I mean.  A year ago this October Yolanda two Costa Rica Expeditions naturalist guides, and a Costa Rican videographer and I spent a magical week  with 5 past guests only one of which I had met before.

What made the week magical?

The first day we  rafted the Pejibaye River. Then we spent the rest of the week in Tortuguero National Park, one  of the most beautiful biologically rich places on earth.  We kayaked rainforest creeks.  We watched baby turtles hatch on a tropical beach at dawn.  Our meals were lovingly prepared by  a passionate chef who baked a thirst for our pleasure into every dish.  None of this hurt.

But with that group we would have had a magical week stuck in the Detroit Airport eating fast food.

The short version of how this happened is that I took a shot that I could bring together a magical group of  strangers based merely on their comments on my blog, and I lucked out.

You can read the long version here.  Better yet, read a beautifully written account of one of the participant’s experiences here.

All my travel has been highly enjoyable, most has been inspirational and left me with life time memories.  What distinguished this trip are the especially magical memories that will forever enrich my emotional landscape.  At 69 years old I made new life-long friends.

“The Quest for Pura Vida Adventure-both out there and in you. New sights, new eyes, new relationships,” is designed to encourage travelers who are drawn towards a quest for group magic to self select and join us. It is also designed to suggest that travelers who do not find the idea appealing choose another option.  Read Your Travel Companions-Why this is important to find out more.

And one other thing, “The Quest for Pura Vida Adventure-both out there and in you. New sights, new eyes, new relationships,” was inspired by spending two weeks shooting a one hour PBS special with the best travel magician I know,  my friend of over 40 years, Richard Bangs. “Costa Rica, Quest for Pura Vida,” is the eighth episode in the Emmy Award winning series “Adventures with Purpose,” Watch this excerpt from the show and you’ll believe in magic.

Please let me have your thoughts. “I’ve missed interacting with you on our this blog.

Next week I’ll tell you about the other project.