I came to Southeast Asia for two reasons: surfing, and scuba diving. But, totally unexpectedly, the highlight of my trip so far has been a two-day slow boat cruise down the Mekong River, from Thailand to the center of Laos.

Guys, I'm, like, soooo vaccinated right now!

​In just a few days, I'm headed to Thailand. Then Sri Lanka. Then Vietnam. Then... who knows? And, at the last minute, I decided to do the responsible thing and get my vaccines.

​I recently posted The Very First Thing ALL Divers Should Do When They Get to Bonaire, in which I described the Lionfish Hunting certification course I took while traveling in the ABC Islands. (Eradicating invasive species for the win!)
 
But I also wanted to give a shoutout to what I thought was the best dive shop in Bonaire – VIP Diving, through whom I took said lionfish course.

Want to know how I know there is magic in the world?

Because I just returned from Bonaire, where there is magic everywhere. 

Three weeks ago, I had never heard of a place called Bonaire. But then, one day, I decided to Google "world's best shore diving," and Bonaire kept showing up -- usually in the number one spot -- on every list.

So I did an image search for Bonaire, fell in love, and booked a flight.

As my departure rapidly approached, I checked the CDC website to read their recommendations for water and food safety in Bonaire.

​Like many things, the government got it all wrong. 

I read the saddest story ever this morning. A beautiful, vibrant woman named Geraldine Largay, or Inchworm, was found dead in her tent, almost two years after losing her way along the Appalachian  Trail. 

I've done Half Dome more times than I can remember. It's an amazingly beautiful 18-ish-mile hike in Yosemite National Park, and everyone who can (and almost everyone can, with an early enough start) should do it at least once. 

This will be your reward.

But Eva, you might be thinking, It's hard to get a permit! I can't do Half Dome without a permit!

There's  simple solution to the permit problem. Go during the off-season, shoulder season or whatever you want to call the months of October-March. You know -- the times when you don't need a permit. 

Check the conditions first, obviously -- you probably don't want to do Half Dome in a blizzard, or run into unexpected road closures or anything. But if it looks like the weather's going to cooperate, there's no good reason not to go during the cooler months.

But Eva, you may be wondering, Aren't the cables down October-March? Astute observation. The cables will be down -- but they will still be there.