Megan Unbounded

If you are looking for some changes this year in your beauty routine, I have a few suggestions and tips I have received while traveling around the world this year. My top 4 tips that are now my favorite go-tos that I have learned along the way from friends from various cultures are:   1. Rose Water (or Fresh Herbal Teas) I first fell in love with rose tea while I was in China and just about every person I met, they were drinking some type of flower tea! I remember one of my Chinese friend's made a cup one day and it smelled so good. At the grocery stores, they were easily available in Beijing and that was when I started to experiment with rose water and noticed the great benefits it can do for your skin! Maybe I got a little too carried away and was not only drinking rose water but bathing with it too. It reduces acne when using as an ingredient in a facial cleanser or as a face toner. Softens, refreshes, and relieves dry skin after bathing with it. An aromathe...

I would have to say that one of the craziest things that I have ever done in my life was to hike Volcan Baru, at midnight! For me, it was a once in a lifetime thing to do because I am not sure if I want to hike a total of 10 hours straight, no sleep for about 32 hours, and do all this during freezing temperatures. But it is an experience worth seeing the views and to say that you have completed a feat that most probably would not do. If you start at midnight, a few things to keep in mind are.... 1. YOU NEED A HEADLAMP. We were lucky and went with clear skies with a bright moon guiding us through some of the path but then there were parts that had so many trees blocking the moo and it  was pitch black. It would be impossible to climb without some light because you can easily trip on rocks since the road is not that great. 2. BRING SNACKS, WATER, AND MORE SNACKS. So, it is about 6 hours up and depending on how long you can descend, 5-6 hours down they will estimate as...

If you are coming or want to come to Panama, there are many beaches to choose from but overall, I think that Isla Coiba and Bocas del Toro are two that are worth checking out. Equally beautiful with their clear blue waters and laid-back beach cultures, they have some things in common and different. Bocas del Toro is closer to Costa Rica and is more jungle that hide the indigenous native groups that live deep in them. You can either take a bus ($28) or plane ($100) to get to Bocas and to get to the islands, there are numerous of boats that you can choose from around $3-5 per person, one-way to Colon Island. Once on the main island, you can check out the others that are beautiful as well. One of my favorite places was Wizard Beach on Bastimentos Island because it was more private and the waves were fun to play in! There is a little hike through the jungle to reach it  but it really is a hidden gem  that does not have many tourists. We took a boat taxi from Colon to Bastim...

Finally I had some visitors from the USA!! My former college roomies came to visit my community and experience Panama! Let's just say that I forgot about some the interesting things about Panama and campo life that I have become accustomed to, like the diablo rojos (buses with crazy designs), 3AM rooster wake up call, and cold showers/bathing in the river. Also, they enjoyed the variety of fruits and vegetables that are easily available in our gardens or found in the jungle especially coconuts, pipas, and bananas.   Iguana! A monkey!