Sometimes going native requires something nicer than cargo pants - sometimes you just need a cool pair of jeans. I was in Los Angeles last weekend and fit in nicely with the crowd sporting a pair of Joe's Jeans. You can't discount the fact that there are places you have to look good in while traveling and LA is no exception.

So do you have a pair? If not, here is a chance for you to get a free pair. Send in a picture of yourself on vacation with "I Want Joe's Jeans" creatively written on the picture. Check out the picture below as an example.

You have until January 31st and in February I am going to choose 5 of my favorite pictures and send you your free pair of Joe's Jeans. It is that simple.

Send your pics to sebtobler@collidingcontinents.com

Colombia is a beautiful country with so much culture to offer. So why is it that people who visit Colombia insist on going to coke labs? There are two issues here, the most obvious being the fact that travelers are paying money to go to coke labs.

It has already been established that the money made from the cocaine trade contributes to the death of thousands of people in Colombia. Not from addiction but because the cocaine money funds the internal conflicts there. This means political assassinations, massacres and the displacement of people (refugees) on a large scale.

The second issue is that Colombia has become synonymous with cocaine to the point that tourists have become interested in seeing the labs as if though they were cultural sites. People can now say that they went to a coke lab in Colombia, and were taught how to break down coca leaves to its base powder.

More issues can be listed out here but lets be honest, it is a stupid thing that is happening and the only ones that truly get hurt are the Colombians and the Colombian culture.

With the current global economic crisis in full swing it would seem obvious that hoteliers and ski resorts in Switzerland would be in for a rough ride especially since during the high season it is very expensive. Not this season. There has been an unusually large amount of snowfall in the Swiss Alps this year. The great skiing conditions have been attracting skiers from all over the globe and have helped keep bookings at the same level as 2007, a feat that many hotels hope for.

What this specific instance should portray is the fact that travelers are looking for value. People are most likely not going to cut their vacations out of their budget but instead would rather see a bigger return for the price they pay. Naturally this implies shorter booking windows (where customers take their time and book closer to their check in or departure dates) due to the fact that more people are using their time to evaluate and compare value to price point.

In the case of Skiers, they still want to ski it is just a matter of finding a sweet spot.

Continued from Finding A Daydream

Sitting around a wooden table made out of the base of a tree trunk with another tree growing through the middle, I listened to Ramon as he explained three pressing issues involving life on the island. There was the problem with the swamp, the drop in lobster prices and the most damaging of all; the rights to drill for oil off the coasts of the Corn Islands which had been sold by the Nicaraguan government to an American oil company.

Prior to my trip I had informed Ramon that I was interested in filming on Little Corn. I was not exactly sure what I was going to film or if there was even going to be anything worth telling a story about. I told him that I was just going to focus on some basic things and I was sure that all the details would fall into place as the trip progressed. He mentioned he had some projects in mind for the community that perhaps I could help him with and proposed that we exchange thoughts and maybe help each other out. Basically, he suggested I put together a little piece for the benefit of the community. I was instantly on board with the idea.

I decided that I would gather as much footage that surrounded the issues he wanted to highlight and while doing so get the insider's perspective of life on Little Corn giving me the story I wanted for myself. At the end of the day my contribution to this "Communal Movement" as it has been called, would be an informational video piece with the purpose of informing the community of the issues which were surrounding them and hopefully inspire some of them into action.

Realistically I knew that a couple days of filming was nowhere near enough time to cover all three issues, so instead we did what we could. With the help of Nina Faust (a member of the communal movement) and Ramon, we got some great footage and I came home with enough material to edit together the Swamp Piece which I have posted below.

I never thought that this particular trip was going to be so fulfilling. Sitting here now, writing about it, I don't think I have ever felt so involved with something this amazing. It has completely shifted a lot of my perceptions of life and travel for the better and I am pretty sure my filming, editing and overall story telling style has changed with it. At the moment I am putting together my personal video piece for my trip to Nicaragua. I am taking my time with this one just because I want to loose myself in the feeling of being there again. Expressing myself through my work has been inhibited significantly by what I produce for the Travel Channel. Which, needless to say follows a stricter format. This time around I want to try my own style and see what happens.

Coming back from that little island in the Caribbean and straight into the insanity of Washington life was not a smooth transition. After leaving Little Corn we were stuck in Managua airport for 12 hours because our flight had been canceled. We did not leave until 24hrs later than when we should have. What this meant was that things were really hectic back in the work place and jumping from paradise into the office was rough to say the least.

I didn't get what I thought I was expecting while on the island. Didn't snorkel much - though I tried, got a sun tan but that was because I was in the sun a lot not because I was out tanning. The traditional idea of getting away and relaxing was out the window, and I am so happy for that. What I got instead was the best type of experience; it was not physical and it is not something that can be taken away - only expressed.

I got a chance to know the people on the island and I embraced the opportunity. Even if it was just for a very little while, the amount that we experienced is absolutely amazing. In Ramon and Nina we found kindred spirits. In all of the smiling faces that we met we saw acceptance. From that little island we found a little bit of home - which is pretty hard for two people who do not really have one.

continued from Adventure to Little Corn Is.

As we disembarked the vessel I was impressed by the sheer durability of the boat and could only imagine what it had been through in the past. Some lady had brought a shopping cart along with her, which the deck hand had strapped down with a hemp rope to the front of the boat. She now stood on the dock, drying various bottles of shampoo from her shopping cart, in the middle of the disembarking/unloading area. I later found out that she was waiting patiently to 'hold onto' unclaimed bags until the owners 'came back' for them.

There was not a single square inch of me that was not soaked through. I had to pour the remaining bottled water on my face to clear the salt water from my eyes. I watched as the other travelers on our boat quickly made their way to hotels conveniently located steps away from the dock. I searched for signs of Ensueños, the place we were staying, amongst other signs for hotels; Derek's Place, Casa Iguana, Elsa's...no Ensueños . While glancing to the right, my fellow traveler noticed that there was a sign on the ground underneath a larger PADI sign. Sure enough, pointing to the ground: Ensueños.

When upright, the sign pointed away from the other hotels which were located just steps from the dock. We asked a girl who worked at the nearby dive shop for directions. We were told to keep following the path, veer right at the school and continue on until it stops and it turns into a muddy path. Follow the path through a baseball field and continue straight into the jungle. Answer the wise man's questions three, steal a crystal ball from a witch and slay a dragon...ok, so maybe I just thought she said the last part about the wise man, the dragon and the witch because I was tired and thinking like a petulant child. She basically said "you will see signs."

The soothing Carribbean breeze immediately ceased to be soothing, in fact it ceased entirely. Once past the tree line the jungle's humidity seemed to take over and made my wet clothes feel like a led blanket. Did I mention that it had been raining for 12 days straight? When mixing rain with dirt the result is mud. So I trekked through mud, looking for signs which were only found painted on rocks and small signs on trees. My pack seemed to get heavier by the minute and the sweat on my head combined with the saltwater in my hair to create a burning reaction in my eyes. I began to question the enjoyability factor of my trip, the weather had been horrible, the waves were high (which made snorkeling a no no) and the stress free aspect was rapidly slipping between my fingers.

Then there was the breeze. The soothing breeze came through the the thinning tree line and with it the sound of waves and the sun's rays through the canopy above. My pace quickened, it is a sign! - no not a metaphorical one, an actual sign! Ensueños.

Following the sounds of the ocean we found ourselves on an empty beach. An empty beautiful beach. Not a burnt tourist in sight, not even a local actually. Palm trees, blue waters, fallen coconuts. The stress free aspect was back on the table. Walking north, I saw a row of baby palms forming an inviting hallway which led to what seemed to be a lodge. It was beautiful, I nicknamed that path the green tunnel after the soothing light green effect it had when the sun's rays came through the foliage.

After a quick break, Ramon, the owner, came over and showed us the available cabañas and casitas. Each of them were made from materials that were swept up to shore by the sea. They were all very well done in a creative and very beautiful manner. Each one was very unique and seemed to have a different expression. We chose the first one we saw which was high off the ground and had a fantastic view. Chill time had arrived and the entire trip from that moment until we left only got better.



to be continued....

Hey everyone, I am being interviewed live on KLAS 89.7 Hollywood 4PM PST 7PM EST tonight. If you are interested in listening you can find links to listen online at soulcole.com Check it out.

I will also be posting the interview online later on. Have a great weekend!

Continued from Nicaragua: Pre-Departure Details

Staring at the twin propeller Cessna from the inside of Managua's domestic terminal sent shots of adrenaline up and down my spine like an electric current getting stronger and stronger. I knew as soon as I had found out about the Corn Islands in Nicaragua that it was meant to be.

Admittedly, there was a point before purchasing my tickets when I had doubts about the entire trip but, as I said before, the difference between traveler and tourist is that critical first step into the unknown. The rush I got clicking "Purchase Tickets" was but a fraction of what I was feeling as soon as I was airborne.

The night before was spent in Managua's night life area which consisted of six or seven bar/restaurants/clubs, they were primarily US themed which was an immediate turn off except for the $1 liter of beer special one bar was having. Needless to say it was the best way to indulge in my first sip of Nicaraguan beer which goes fantastically well with Conchas Libres (live Conch with lime and diced veggies). My travel mate was not the least impressed with what I was eating but I credit her for trying one anyway.

While in the air I thought for a moment that the live conch had cursed me with a bad stomach but it was just the rush of the morning combined with the butterflies in my stomach. Our flight was at 8AM and we were instructed to check in at 7AM. We had informed the owner of our hotel, Manfred (German guy), that we would need a ride to the airport at 6AM to which he assured us was no problem. By 6:15AM the driver had not shown up and by 6:25 it was crunch time so we sent a wake up call to Manfred who within 3 minutes came screeching around the street corner to race us to the airport.

The entire process of getting to the airport quickly became very much like a military exercise. The boot opened before the car came to a halt, my pack was in along with camera gear and tripod within milliseconds. Before I had a chance to finish saying "Gutten Morgen Manfr...." we were off.

Zigging and zagging between cars, buses, stray dogs and street vendors in a Central American capitol felt very much like riding a roller coaster without that safety bar to hold you down. I was all smiles though. Maybe it was the combination of random beeping, the smell of exhaust fumes early in the morning, the pseudo-stop at a red light and then running through it or the fact that our driving was 'driving normally' - but the foreign sense of home settled in; it reminded me of driving in Asia.

Looking down at the landscape thousands of feet below re-confirmed that we were in fact not in Asia. A volcano in the background smoked continuously as we flew by it and eventually the brown and green Nicaraguan earth gave way to deep blue Caribbean waters flashing a green here and there revealing the coral reefs that were not far from the surface.

Our landing was something less than graceful and woke me from my sleep. I realized that we had landed in Bluefields, a stop over and the largest town closest to Big and Little Corn Islands. More passengers arrived and coffee was served along with a selection of biscuits and crackers.

Within 30 minutes we arrived on Big Corn and were zipping along in a taxi towards the dock. At first it reminded me of the Virgin Is., it definitely had a Caribbean feel. We ate lunch at a cafe by the dock and awaited out boat. We had been told by Manfred that it had been raining in the Corn islands for 12 days straight. I was not impressed and I found my spirits begin to sink the moment I noticed dark clouds quickly forming and light ran drops began falling on my arm. I fought hard to fend off the negativity that was about erupt. Our boat was ready, it only gets better from here. Right?

Little Corn Is. is north of Big Corn Is. The winds blow south and given the high winds during the tail end of the rainy season you also get big swells. Since our pangan (boat) was going against the wind this meant that we were riding against the waves. It was a lot of up, down and SLAM!! The front of the pangan took the brunt of the blows and that is where yours truly was happily positioned. During the entire ride I was unable to open my eyes due to the sea water which was continuously splashing in my face. I was completely soaked and the sun's rays were magnified onto my skin turning it red very quickly. Since I was unable to see properly I was also unable to gauge the swells and brace for impact. Instead I was tossed up off my seat numerous times only to be greeted by the unrelenting section of wooden board that I paid a spot for. I instantly had an image of what it would have been like for me to have attended Catholic school in the 1950s.

Seeing Little Corn Island on the horizon provided an inkling of hope and I could not wait to step onto the dock and walk straight into my casita.

to be continued...

Some of the mosts beautiful beaches in the world aren't always the warmest. The beaches along the Oregon Coast are beautiful accompanied by very dramatic backgrounds.



Cape Cod, Massachusetts is another example, as the colors of the season change so does the mood on this very family oriented beach.