Sunset at Lapa Rios, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.

by Brook Wilkinson

I've been changing locations so much over the last week that I can barely keep track of where I am. Maybe next time I should bring JSteele along to keep track of my schedule, because he's the winner of this WHERE'S BROOK? Contest! Reader Jason Steele culled clues from every corner of the photos I posted: a concrete curb told him I wasn't on an island, cloud build-up revealed the time of day, shadows indicated the cardinal directions. Way to go, Jason! Just shoot me an email with your address and we'll get your grand prize in the mail to you: a brand-new AT&T Samsung Blackjack cell phone and $500 in service. I can tell you from using Wendy's AT&T Samsung phone throughout this trip, they travel well!

Kudos also to LoriB, who kept Jason on his toes throughout the game and is our runner-up. She also was the first to correctly identify my last clue as SkyTrek's Arenal canopy tour, and my hint as the nearby Hanging Bridges (where a tree had recently fallen across the trail, easily bending the steel bridge). LoriB, Wendy and I owe you another lunch!  (LoriB was the runner-up in last summer's WHERE'S WENDY? Contest too.)

Stay tuned for more contests and great prizes in the coming months!

Where am I?

by Brook Wilkinson

You guys are amazing travel sleuths, but I think I've finally stumped you! No one has correctly guessed the location of my Round 6 photo yet -- though some of you are getting warm. So take a look at the picture above for a hint; this one was snapped on the same day. If you can figure out where I am in this photo (and maybe give a guess as to what's going on here?), you'll be one step closer to winning Round 6. Remember, the grand prize is an AT&T Samsung Blackjack phone with $500 in service, and runners-up will get to have lunch with Wendy and/or me at the restaurant of their choice!

Where am I?

by Brook Wilkinson

Kudos to JSteele for correctly guessing the location of my Round 5 photo. I was standing in the Finca Rosa Blanca's El Cafetal room; the mural over the bed mimics the view from the room, and is also printed on every bag of organic coffee that the hotel/coffee farm sells. This place has far and away more character than any other hotel I've stayed at in Costa Rica, and I highly recommend it for the first and/or last night of your Costa Rica trip, as it's only 30 minutes from the airport.

Now it's time for the final round of this WHERE'S BROOK? Contest. Take a gander at the photo above. Where am I? Please name the country, city, canopy tour operator, and cable number. And for extra credit, can you guess what was going through my mother's head at the moment this picture was taken?

Remember, the grand prize is an AT&T Samsung Blackjack cell phone and $500 in service. Wendy, your own cell phone was a lifesaver once again: I used it earlier today to call an editor and dictate some story changes over the phone when my Internet connection wasn't working. Thanks a million for letting me borrow it!

Where am I?

by Brook Wilkinson

Welcome back, puzzlers. While the rest of us were taking the weekend off, JSteele figured out the answers to Round 4, AND the extra credit: I was planeboarding in Costa Rica's Golfo Dulce, until a group of jellyfish started attacking.

This was my first time planeboarding, but I'd do it again in a second (preferably without the stinging jellies). You hold on to a half-moon-shaped wooden board that's dragged behind a boat, and you can dive by tipping the board down, cruise underwater by holding it flat, and come up for air by tipping it up. I've never felt so much like a fish, gliding 10 feet under the surface.

But now it's time for Round 5, shown above. Please name the country, city, and hotel room where I took this photo.

A smokin' view of the Arenal Volcano.

by Brook Wilkinson

While you all continue to battle it out over Round 4, it's time to reveal the answer to Round 3. Congrats to JSteele for nailing the airport and aircraft shown in my Round 3 photo. I threw you a curve ball: Though the nearest tourist attractions to that runway are the Arenal Volcano and the town of La Fortuna, the airport is officially named El Tanque, after the tiny village in which it's located.

LoriB bagged the extra credit for guessing that the Nature Air flight came from Liberia (not the West African nation, but the Costa Rican city).

They were onto me when they noticed the cone-shaped mountain obscured by clouds in the background. That's Arenal, one of Costa Rica's iconic attractions. I got my favorite shot of it, which you can see above, while having lunch at the Tabacon Resort's hot springs. This volcano is constantly active; you can watch rocks crash down the slopes by day and see red lava flowing at night.

Where am I and what in the world am I doing?

by Brook Wilkinson

Another day, another clue to my whereabouts: Check out the photo above. Please name the country, the body of water, and what on earth I'm doing! For extra credit, can you guess what finally drove me out of the water, beautiful though it may be?

Hazard a guess below for a shot at our grand prize -- an AT&T Samsung Blackjack cell phone and $500 in service. Runners-up get lunch with Wendy and/or me at the restaurant of their choice.

Wendy, surprisingly enough, your cell phone even worked out on the water! I love that it operates on the GSM system so I didn't have to switch out a SIM card or anything.

Name that runway.

by Brook Wilkinson

Calling all gamesters: Here's the third clue in the WHERE'S BROOK? contest. Please name the airport and the type of aircraft. For extra credit, tell us where this just-landed plane flew in from. Remember, the grand prize is an AT&T Samsung Blackjack cell phone and $500 in service!

Wendy, your AT&T Samsung phone's coming in handy. I snapped this photo with it, just before text messaging my boyfriend to tell him what a great trip he's missing!

by Brook Wilkinson

Kudos to LoriB, who whittled down the location of my Round 2 photo: The River Trail (or Sendero El Rio) in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve. The name of the river and the waterfall is Cuecha, though you'll find it misspelled on some Web sites as Cueda.

The magnificent creature you see here is a Resplendent Quetzal. Their feathers are iridescent; the same one can look absolutely blue from one angle, and green from another. They can be hard to spot, but my hawkeyed Monteverde guide, Danilo Brenes, found this male high up in the trees and set up his telescope so that I could take a photo through it.

Stay tuned for Round 3's clue, coming shortly!

Playa Espadilla in Manuel Antonio National Park.

by Brook Wilkinson

Congrats to JSteele, who was the first to figure out that my first snapshot was taken near Manuel Antonio National Park, in Costa Rica. JSteele, you've won the first round!

But nobody has yet named the hotel where I was sitting, so keep guessing to win extra credit on your way to our grand prize of an AT&T Samsung Blackjack cellphone and $500 in service. Runners-up will get lunch with Wendy and/or me at the restaurant of their choice.

Round 2 is still up for grabs as well -- we're looking for the name of the country, as well as the spot where I was standing.

Good luck!

by Brook Wilkinson

Okay, folks, good guesses for Round 1. Keep 'em coming.  I'll let you continue to ponder the last clue while I move on to my next location (see photo at left).

It's a good thing Wendy lent me one of her international cell phones for this trip (the same Samsung SYNC that she lent our Dream Trip contest winner Gene Pembroke, as well as our colleague John Oseid for the WHERE'S JOHN? game): When my digital-camera battery ran out, I was able to use the phone's camera as a back-up. My guide snapped this picture of me with it. What's really been critical in this country, though, is to have AT&T's global service; it means I can call my guide in-country to confirm our arrangements, as well as call home easily. No wonder Wendy insisted I take the phone.

So, where am I?  Please name the country and the spot where I'm standing.

Where on earth did I snap this photo? Make your guess by clicking on "comments" below.

by Brook Wilkinson

Wendy's sent me on the road again, which means it's time for another WHERE'S BROOK? contest. (The last one followed my move across the U.S. last year). Normally the winner and runners-up get lunch with Wendy and/or me at the restaurant of their choice, but this time we've added a grand prize: an AT&T Samsung BlackJack cell phone, plus $500 in service! So get your world maps out and take a good look at the photo above. Where in the world am I?  Please name the country and the spot where I'm sitting. (And, to read the contest rules, you can click here).

Where on earth is this?  To hazard a guess, click on "comments" below.

by Wendy Perrin

Okay, since nobody's figured out the location of yesterday's mystery cave (although there have been some terrific guesses!), I'm gonna cough up another clue. This is what you see when you look out from a vantage point very close to the cave. (At least, it's what my husband Tim saw on the rainy Sunday morning last month when he snapped this photo). Intriguing topography, huh?

You're reading my final drumroll for the WHERE'S BROOK? contest that starts tomorrow. Perrin Post contributor Brook Wilkinson will be posting daily photos and clues as to her whereabouts somewhere in the world. Whoever correctly guesses her location most often will WIN AN AT&T SAMSUNG BLACKJACK CELL PHONE AND $500 IN SERVICE!  Runners-up will get lunch with me and/or Brook at the restaurant of their choice.

Tip: The best way to prep for the game is to get a feel for how it's played by checking out the last WHERE'S WENDY? (when you click on the link, remember to scroll down and begin reading from the bottom).

Ready to play?

Okay, fellow travelers, where in the world is this?  To hazard a guess, click on "Comments" below. 

by Wendy Perrin

Attention, gamesters:  On Tuesday Perrin Post contributor Brook Wilkinson will begin posting daily photos and clues from a trip she's taking somewhere in the world. Think you know her location? Post a guess. As in the last WHERE'S BROOK? contest, she'll be on the move, so each day you can guess anew. The first person to pinpoint Brook's whereabouts each day will win that day's round, and the person who aces the most rounds wins the game. The grand prize is an AT&T Samsung BlackJack cell phone and $500 in service!

To get you in the mood, can anyone guess where in the world my husband Tim snapped this photo last month?

by Wendy Perrin

Attention, contest fans: The next WHERE'S BROOK? game starts two weeks from today! On March 18 Perrin Post contributor Brook Wilkinson will begin posting daily photos and clues from a trip she's taking somewhere in the world. Think you know her location? Post a guess. Brook will be on the move, so each day you can guess anew. The first person to pinpoint Brook's whereabouts each day will win that day's round, and the person who aces the most rounds wins the game.

Here's the best part: The grand prize is an AT&T Samsung Blackjack cell phone and $500 in service! We've come a long way since the first WHERE'S WENDY? contest, where all the winner got was lunch with me at the restaurant of his/her choice. (Actually, there were three winners and two runners-up that time.) Since every contest-winner lunch has been fascinating -- I've now had two with CoralsO, one with Seafarer, two with SCory, one with TheGlobalTraveller, and one with KiwiWriter (I still owe Tracker1312 and LoriB) -- I plan to continue our little tradition and give this contest winner and each runner-up a magnificent lunch with either me or Brook -- take your pick.

To whet your appetite, here's a teaser. Can you guess where Brook is in this photo? For extra credit: Can you guess who she's with? Just click on "Comments" to hazard a guess.