Jennifer Holmes

questions I had were promptly answered with friendly Writing Samples – Jennifer M. Holmes responses. I’m a creative writer with a passion for fiction and travel-related Our tour was a one-day trip along the Pacuare River on Class articles. Below are three samples: III and IV rapids. Despite my excitement, the night before the 1. Travel Article - My Costa Rican Adventures - Rushing excursion I was not feeling very calm. I had never rafted more than a Class II and I had heard that the rapids here could be through the rapids of the Pacuare River very intense. The Pacuare River is sourced from the Cordillera Planning a trip to Costa Rica, looking for adventure? White water rafting on the Pacuare River is sure to please…and getting drenched is guaranteed! de Talamanca and flows over 100 km into the Caribbean Sea. Nurturing the rain forest that surrounds it, this river has been named by National Geographic as one of the world's most I am all for adventure, especially anything involving nature. So thrilling places in the world to white water raft. But despite my when I planned our last visit to Costa Rica, naturally my travel fear, I was excited to board the small private bus which picked companion and I were us up at our hotel in San José for the long trip to the Rios both about Tropicales Operations Center which is the starting point for the booking a white water tour. After the bus stopped at a few different hotels to pick up rafting trip. more rafters, we made our way out of the city for a roughly 1 thrilled There are many options for tours with the rivers Reventazon, Pacuare and Corobici offering some of the best white water rafting in the world. After weighing all the options we decided to book with Rios Tropicales online. Their prices were reasonable, the booking process simple and the few and 1/2 hour drive into the rain forest. As we drove through rudimentary roads winding this way and that, bumping over the ever present potholes along the way, I was mesmerized by the splendor of nature in the dense rain forest surrounding us. The breeze coming through the open window was cool and fresh. I could smell the clean scent of chlorophyll which permeated the air and the sound of birds Just before we pushed off, the guide's face split into a grin as he chirping in the tree tops and animals rustling in the warned us that it was quite possible we'd fall into the water undergrowth relaxed any trepidation I had had when we given the fast conditions, but reassured us that the two guides boarded the bus in San José. in the raft would be quick to pull us out, and safety kayakers Just before 8am we arrived at the Rios Tropicales Operations Center where a traditional Tico breakfast was laid out on the would be following behind if the guides couldn't get to us in time. buffet table for us – beans and rice, exotic fruits and juice. His warning made me a bit nervous and the beans and rice sat Beans and rice are Costa Rican staples and the freshness and heavy in my stomach as we paddled out into the water, making seasoning that this dish is made with makes it so tasty you our way to the rapids beyond. My nerves were immediately never get tired of eating it. After our hearty breakfast the six of distracted by the lush green landscape that hung over the us on the tour began changing into rafting clothes; shorts and river's banks. shirts made of quick drying material, and water shoes. moss and water falls trickling down the slopes of the banks Afterwards we were fitted for life-vests and grabbed some rushed past us as we headed into faster waters. The sound of paddles. The guide led us down to the rafting put-in spot. birds calling to each other became overpowered by the sounds After a review of the equipment, safety procedures and of rushing rapids. instructions on rafting basics, we were ready to begin our tour. Huge leafy plants, tall thick trees covered in Before we got to the first rapid run, the guide told us that in dry Since we were visiting during the rainy season, the guide season the tour would take about five hours, but in these wet warned us that it would be a fast ride because the water levels season conditions it would be more like three hours. The tour were so high. High water levels also mean that getting would bring us through some of the Pacuare River's biggest completely soaked is guaranteed because huge waves and rapids such as the Upper and Lower Huacas, Cimarron and whirlpools are very common in these conditions. Dos Montañas. Just before we hit the first rapid, the guide grinned again and reminded us to follow his instructions on when and how to paddle and to keep our knees pressed into to scampering back across the raft's seats to pluck us out of the the inflated seats in front of us, which would help us remain rushing water by grabbing us by our life-jackets and flinging us securely in the raft. into the bottom of the raft like stupefied fish, gasping for At that point we didn't need to paddle any longer as the current breath. brought us fast into the first set of rapids. Our guide yelled out Reaching the raft take-out point a few hours later, we were “Pura Vida” and off we went. Adrenaline pumping, I heeded greeted with a huge buffet lunch, a comfortable dining area and his commands which he spat out in rapid fire. My mind swam hot showers. The day had sped by so fast - literally - and I was with the orders of Right back! Left forward! Paddle hard! Left oars saddened that our trip was over. up! After each set of rapids, we were met with calm pools of destined for the Arenal area but if we would have had another water where we would raise our paddles in the air to tap day to spend on the Pacuare River I would gladly have done so. against each other in a toast of Pura Vida, meaning pure life (my personal definition was we are still alive!). The next day we were In addition to one-day tours, Rios Tropicales also offers multiday adventures which include a stay overnight at their Lodge The rest of the tour was a blur of water and adrenaline; the rush located within the rain forest. I would highly recommend Rios of the water and the green glory surrounding us gave me a Tropicales to anyone planning a trip to Costa Rica looking for glorious feeling of how good it is to be alive. At one of the calm adventure. You will definitely find it on the Pacuare River - pools we took a break to swim and float in the calm waters, Pura Vida! flanked by tall banks chalk full of foliage and trickling with small waterfalls. I have to admit that I did fall in….twice…during some of the fast Class IV rapids, as did some of my raft mates. But true to their word, the guides were amazingly fast in fishing us out, over 3 million inhabitants, it is surprisingly walkable. The city 2. Travel Article - Segways In Spain; Exploring the city of center is filled with architecture both historic and modern, ranging from the massive Royal Palace, the sprawling Plaza Madrid Segway tours in Madrid - a great way to see the many historic Mayor Square, the quaint side streets and villa squares. landmarks in Spain's capital city and the perfect solution for There is a lot to see and explore in this city which has been sightseers who are short on time! settled since pre-historic times, but my visit with my daughter Although the weather in Spain is at its coolest in January, if you want to avoid the high season crowds you'll encounter in warmer months, then Madrid is the place to be. Even though the winds are sharp and the rain plentiful, this bustling capital city of Spain still hums with commerce and a was a short one, so we decided to forego the walking tours in favor of one that would cover more ground in less time. Rather than disconnect ourselves from the flavor of the city by shortcutting through the well-run subway system, we found a tour company that takes sightseers through the city on Segways. sprinkling of tourists. The For those not familiar with Segways, these contrivances are current sluggish European basically upright scooters that are self-balancing and propel economy seems under the forward or back depending upon where the rider shifts their surface Madrid's weight. To move forward you lean into the handle bar and to cobblestone streets, since move backwards you simply lean back. They are incredibly the buildings are well conserved and the sidewalks are tidy and easy to use and only move as fast or as slow as your body well-kept. position commands. Madrid is centered on the Iberian Peninsula, inland from the The Segway tour we took was with a company called MadSegs coast, and even though it is the largest city in Spain, filled with Tours. Run by an ex-pat from Scotland who had emigrating of years back for the love of a Spanish woman, Anthony is fluently walking by, but Anthony was quick to aid me in setting myself bilingual with a wonderful sense of humor and an outsider's straight. perspective of his adopted city. The tour brought us past some fabulous attractions such as the It had rained the majority of our brief stay in Madrid, but the Royal Palace which is the official residence of the King of Spain, day of our tour turned out to be sunny albeit cool and windy. the mysterious looking Debod Temple and the ornate Opera Anthony met us in front of the Plaza de España in the Gran Via Theater. But that is just to name a few. Anthony was able to area of the city. As we set out on the Segways zipping along the show us much of the city's key attractions within only a few sidewalks, the brisk wind bit at our noses but our fingers stayed hours - perfect for our needs given our brief itinerary. warm thanks to Anthony who had thoughtfully brought gloves to lend us. After the tour, my daughter and I stopped at a small café to warm up after being in the cold January weather. We were For most people, the use of a Segway is intuitive once you delighted to enjoy Madrid's infamous freshly made churros know the mechanics of how it works. For left-handed people dipped into thick cups of chocolate - the perfect way to end a though, it can be a bit challenging when trying to turn. The perfect day in beautiful Madrid! reason for this is that the rider must turn the left-side handle up or down to turn left or right; this works wonderfully for righthanded people, but the directional commands are counterintuitive for lefties. Being left-handed, at first I thought I was uncoordinated with the Segway (I am by nature a clumsy person), but Anthony explained to me that I wasn't the only lefty that had a habit of turning left when meaning to go right. Due to this quirk, I had a few near-misses with pedestrians 3. Synopsis of my novel - “Following Michael”- a 94,000- following Michael she realizes there is a huge gap between the word piece of fiction set in some of the places in the world and her narrow views of it. While enduring the comical world which I’ve visited: fumbles of an inexperienced traveler, her journey through In a journey around the world to find the reason for her son’s suicide, a mother’s travels bring her the insight into his troubled mind that she desperately seeks, the blunders of a naïve traveler she would rather have avoided, and a self- Canada, Europe, Asia and Central America provides her with a heart-wrenching understanding of her son’s perspective and the realization that he suffered from an undiagnosed mental disorder. Unexpectedly, along the way Dana also becomes aware of things about herself she never would have seen awareness she never expected. without the window that was the lens of Michael’s camera. Since adolescence Dana’s creative son was a complete mystery. As Michael got older, she felt their once close relationship spreading across a great divide as she attempted to get him to focus on settling down instead of wandering the world with his camera. But without warning, his life ends in suicide and Dana feels responsible; did she ask the wrong questions? Were her expectations of him too high? Whatever the reason, she is compelled to go in search of the answers, following Michael’s travels guided by the letters and photographs he left behind. Prior to her quest, Dana had lived comfortably in her life’s routine in Syracuse, New York; but in