PAM WALKERS BLOG

MEXICO DE MIS AMORES

2012-01-31T16:51:00.002-05:00

Mexico! I love Mexico! One of my best guarded secrets is that I watch Mexican telenovelas (soap operas) nightly. They are not like our American soaps. Mexican novelas go on for maybe 3 months and then they are over. They are also such a
wonderful representation of the Mexican people and Mexican life!

What a shame that so many North Americans are now afraid to travel there. The other day, a client asked me for a vacation that was different. He asked about Cuba...then about Columbia.
I suggested Mexico and was greeted with the shocker that Mexico was "way too dangerous"!

What have the news mongers done with poor Mexico. It is not any more dangerous than anywhere else in the world. There are areas everywhere where it is not advisable to go. Even today, there are bombs dropping in Israel, but hotels and homes have safe rooms to hide in case.
It has not stopped tourism to this wonderful country.
Paris and London both have experienced terrorist activity but tourism is still thriving.

I would not recommend in crossing the border from the US to Mexico these days, but mainland Mexico and even the Yucatan Peninsula can yield some of the most fantastic experiences in the world. To climb the Temple of the Sun and Moon in Tenochtitlan outside of Mexico City is totally awesome. Chichen Itza with it's observatory, temples and senotes (sacrificial sink holes) are amazing. Uxmal in the same area of the Yucatan has one of the most memorable Sound & Light Shows on earth. The Museum of Archaeology in Chapultepec Park in Mexico city is one of the finest in the world. You have to visit all the buildings to get a real feel for what Mexico is about.

A visit to Mexico would not be complete without a stay in one of the fabulous haciendas. There are so many wonderful places with organic gardens and vineyards and serving authentic Mexican organic meals at the tables of these historic homes.

There is so much more to see and do in Mexico. There is more than just Cancun and its resorts. There is the Ballet Folklorico and the symphony, and theatre and wonderful restaurants. There are the cliff divers of Acapulco, and the wonderful ceramics of Pueblo and the silver in Taxco.
Everywhere there is something to do and see.

Mexico is a wonderful country. We need to embrace this historic country and visit. It is not about drug lords and killings. You can watch the telenovelas like I do...or visit and get a taste of the real thing. You won't be in danger or ever sorry that you visited.

Mexico de mis amores!

WEIGHING IN ON THE COSTA CONCORDIA

2012-01-20T13:45:00.000-05:00

I don't claim to be a cruise expert. However, I have been on enough cruises to know that the entire story of the Costa Concordia to be a total lapse in human judgement.

As anyone who has cruised knows, almost before you leave port, you have the official "lifeboat drill". This is the often boring task of going to your cabin, finding your life vests, putting them over your head and clipping yourself in snugly...and then going to your particular meeting point ...IE the dining room or the aft deck or somewhere else on the ship where you receive training as to what to do in case of emergency. Then everyone traipses to their particular life boat muster station to hear the drill from the captain.

In the case of the Costa Concordia, three hours into the cruise and no "lifeboat drill".....but instead the real thing and no one knowing what to do. No Captain....announcements from crew members in various languages....total confusion reigned. So where was the Captain of this ship? Rumor has it that even an hour after the hull breach from his off course maneuver...he was having dinner with a pretty blond crew member.

So human blunder no 1......going 2 and 1/2 miles off course to show his ship off to the inhabitants of Giglio Island (maybe he had relatives...or a girlfriend there?).
2nd human blunder....having a hull breach and not worrying about it.
3rd human blunder .....falling into a life boat with your blond dinner companion (what?)
4th human blunder...not having the ____'s to get back on his sinking ship and taking command.

I am sure there are more human blunders that we have not heard about...but I believe that the biggest human blunder of all is the lack of a background check by Carnival Corporation on the history of this particular captain.

For those of us in the travel industry, it has long been known that ships captains and crew live a somewhat cavalier life...going from port to port with liaison's everywhere. It's almost like airline pilots who have a similar reputation in the business. Come now guys....sorry,...but how many years have you denigrated the reputations of flight attendants? Even now...the TV serial PAN AM puts a shady light on both the men and women of those historic crews.

So no surprise that our Latin lover captain had his mind (and who knows what else) on something besides his ship, the Costa Concordia.

For me....I love solid ground where I can dance the Tango, or hike high mountains in Tibet, or photograph the wonderful Big Five in Africa. After all....the Southern Hemisphere is my playground.
So if you are a cruise fanatic.....more power to you. There is a lot to enjoy on those big behemoths....and know that not all crews are like that on the Concordia.

ON TO 2012

2012-01-05T20:53:00.043-05:00

Welcome to 2012. I know it will be a good one. The weather around the world is good...no terrible snow storms, no tsunamis, no cyclones ....nothing of that sort during the holidays! Calm weather prevailed. The worlds airports got millions of passengers traveling to stay with friends and family or go on vacation on their flights without too many problems.

I, for one, am anticipating a great year ahead. January takes me to Miami for a few days, then in February, I am planning to spend a short weekend in Amsterdam. In March it is off to Argentina and the Valdez Peninsula to see penguin colonies and sea lions and maybe even get a chance to ride a wild stallion.

April brings a visit to the Big Apple and May to SeaWorld and the new Legoland in my own back yard in Orlando. The summer months I am off to Newfoundland to do some hiking and exploring to see whales at play and Canadian history come alive.

The fall will hopefully take me to visit family in Bozeman, Mt., and to see the beautiful colors of the Aspens and other treats of the northern Rockies. Then who knows what the rest of the year will bring? It is 2012 and those that believe in the destiny of the Mayan Calendar say I should stay home!

I don't think so... I might even go to Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico to find out what is really going to happen. Who knows what else will pop into my travel calendar this year.
I can't wait to begin!

HAVE A GREAT 2012

MY LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE HOLIDAYS!

2011-12-06T16:16:00.001-05:00

Bah Humbug! I hate the holidays! And yet ,for me, it is the most beautiful time of the year!

November starts with my birthday and then Thanksgiving. Then come the holiday parties culminating with the Christmas Eve Carol service. The next morning there are presents under the tree..... kids screaming and tearing wrappings...... throwing bows all over the house.....you know the drill!

But I would not have it any other way!

It is also that time of year when I get documents out to all my traveling clients (lucky them) going to Europe, South America, Africa and SE Asia. It has taken months of planning to get these folks off on their holiday trips to places near and far. And just when you t...hink they are happily on their way, a huge snowstorm muddies the waters with cancelled flights or traffic on the highways that impede getting to check in with the necessary 3 hour window. What would my life be like without some kind of crisis just before the 25th of December?

Wouldn't it be nice if I could be sitting on my upstairs patio at Cavas Wine Lodge in Mendoza, Argentina, sipping a glass of Malbec....or back in Chile walking on the Balmaceda Glacier just outside of Puerto Natales, Chile. On the other hand....wouldn't it be lovely if I could be enjoying the Christmas Markets of Germany or Austria...or even skiing down a wide open slope of one of Switzerland or France's ski towns. Imagine coming back inside to a warm fire and a huge mug of hot Swiss chocolate. Imagine a wonderful holiday boy choir in a cathedral in London....or watching Kris Kringle come to visit the small children in Eastern Europe with a big walking stick in his hand to punish those children who had been bad. Better than that would be to attend the "Misa de Gallo" (Mass when the cock crows) in Spain or South America then come home to a fabulous feast and presents. It would be nice to be able to "beam yourself up" to all parts of the world during this season to see how others enjoy.

In the northern USA....snow means a beautiful holiday scene typical of a holiday card but too cold to go out for anything but a sleigh ride. In Florida, it could be cold, it could be warm...so warm that if you are lucky you can play a short round of golf before the huge Christmas Dinner.

In the end, it is a time of giving. After all the stress and strain of getting clients off on their wonderful holidays, buying and shipping presents and holiday cards to all parts of the globe, cooking and contributing to all the wonderful parties and perhaps enjoying a little too much of the cheer....what could be better than a wonderful holiday....wherever you are....with good friends and family.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS/I HATE CHRISTMAS.......BUT MOSTLY....IT IS MY FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS AND MAY YOUR NEW YEAR BE HAPPY AND FILLED WITH HAPPINESS AND JOY!

BIRTHDAY IN BOCA GRANDE

2011-11-17T18:57:00.000-05:00

Never let it be said that I let grass grow under my feet. Just back from Chile, my birthday looming ahead and I was ready to go again.

A while back I had an invitation to visit the Gasparilla Inn and Club in Boca Grande, just south of Tampa on the west coast of Florida. As I never get to play golf back at home, and because I travel so much, knowing that the Gasparilla Inn had a nice golf course where a single fee gets you as many rounds a day as you want, I didn't have to ask twice to get in my car and drive across the state.

What a delightful surprise. On the register of Historic Hotels of America, the Gasparilla Inn is like a page out of history. The lovely front portico with its highly polished wooden floor (they are out their daily putting a "spit" shine on it) leads into a wonderful lobby and historic public rooms with big fluffy sofas and soft candle light everywhere.

Everything is historic here...from the cozy bar to the wonderful world class restaurant which has been recognized by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the best around. Rooms however are completely modern with living rooms and complimentary wi-fi throughout.

The little town is within two blocks of the Inn and you can walk or drive one of the complimentary golf carts at every guests disposal. There are two or three restaurants, a Beach Club (with a bar to help you salute the sun as it sets) a gym, a spa, and a sports outfitter complete with fishing gear, bicycles and whatever else you might like to pass a wonderful vacation on this wonderful barrier island. There is a great croquet field for those enthusiasts and even a marina if you want to arrive in your yacht.

Boca Grande is a little hidden secret with more snow bird residents than locals. The Gasparilla Inn doesn't get going till mid October and closes in the summer (due to the heat I am told). Many of the employees have been brought in from Jamaica and as a result, there is a lovely island kind of feel at this laid back little island. The only thing missing is the reggae music or steel band as Red Stripe beer can be found in most places.

Happy Birthday to me....because with as many birthdays as I have racked up, a trip to a good hotel or restaurant is a perfect gift. I know...you think I am nuts because I am always in hotels. But when I get a chance to come to as sweet a place as Gasparilla Inn and Club and in my own country and in my own language and with great food and wine...what else can I ask for?

ESTANCIA IN THE WILD

2011-11-04T17:51:00.010-04:00

What could supercede my visit to Torres del Paine with a nights stay in a yurt? It is really hard to imagine. Howev er, that said....next stop and estancia in the middle of Patagonia.

Cerro Guido is just that....one of the earliest ranches (estancias) in this area.
Founded in the late 19th century as part of “Sociedad Explotadora Tierra del Fuego,” the largest and most prominent sheep-farming company in Patagonian history, Estancia Cerro Guido flat out in one of the most desolate areas on earth. Surrounded by Argentina on all sides, the Estancia is located in Chile almost at the base of the famed Torres.

Due to climatic conditions and its location, the Estancia developed a lifestyle all on its own. In order to survive, the crop was sheep farming and the need to be self-sufficient led settlers and workers to live with their families and work in a small village. Here are Cerro Guido there is a school, a medical station and residences for the part time workers.

I was here to ride horses....one of my passions. I love horses...and at Cerro Guido there are 150 in their herd. These horses live on the grasses and flowers of the fields. The Huaso's (Chilean cowboys) coral them once or twice a week to pick out one to ride or to change their shoes or do what is necessary to maintain them. These wild horses are different from those at home in that they have mustaches. These mustaches allow them to dig through winter snows to get to their feed, the plants below. They are so funny.....and to feel a mustache nuzzling you tickles.

But what a wonderful experience a ride up to the top of the Las Chinas, high above the Estancia to look down and know that two countries are included in the vista below. There are no trails, no rings, and the saddles are Chilean....a combination of English and Western without a pummel.
You don't ride western style with legs hanging down, nor English style with your knees pressing high along the body of the horse. Chilean style is halfway between ....a relaxed ride.

And these wild horses know that the rider is either experienced or not. Like all animals....they know fear. So if you are afraid of these wonderful creatures, don't bother to go for a ride. If they want to run and you do also....you are off to the Torres, Las Chinas or down into the valley...for an exciting ride with your own private huaso.

The estancia itself is like being a guest in an old Chilean home....complete with fireplaces in every room, dining room and library. Only one thing is different...there is satellite wi-fi in the main house.
The owners have their own garden where they grow vegetables for the kitchen and the daily menu is sure to include lamb or salmon which is fished from the rivers nearby.

So I am in heaven here....with my horse ....no several horses following me around the pasture. I do have treats in my pocket, but they are just happy to have me scratch their heads or tickle their mustaches. This may be wild...but I am right at home.

IN LOVE WITH YURTS

2011-11-02T10:03:00.002-04:00

Its a new day and I am off again. This time to stay and hike at a new hotel called Patagonia Camp. Built entirely of yurts (kind of semi-permanent tented houses used in Siberia by nomads), Patagonia Camp is nestled on the shores of Lake Toro at the foot of the Massif of Torres del Paine National Park.
It is just a stunning location with each little yurt complete with king sized beds, heated bathrooms and fabulous views of the Torres.
However, there is no time to enjoy at this moment because I am off with a guide from the camp to visit the Park. When I was here years ago, there was only one hotel to stay in....today there are many, many new ones. I was amazed to see the amount of traffic running up and down the dirt roads with flying stones and dust everywhere. Busloads of day trippers were everywhere from the beautiful Salto Grande to one of my favorite hikes to Lago Saramiento. We travel on to Lago Grey where each calving of the Grey Glacier brings mini icebergs to the shores along the lake. When I see the crowds, I decide not to get out of the van.

Please, find me a hike where there are no people I ask the guide. He tells me that I am approaching the heavy tourist season and today is a holiday in Chile....thus the crowds. Well let me come back in off season so
Torres del Paine will revert to how I first knew it. Wild open spaces with hikes across valleys and streams with only the herds of Guanucos for company.

So back to my yurt we go so that I can stare out the window or sit on my deck and bask in the beauty of this fabulous place. Sitting on the deck on my Adirondak style chair, I read, blog and just enjoy a cup of tea in between snapping pictures of the Torres.

Later after a wonderful dinner of fresh salmon from the lake and wonderful Chilean wines, I retire to my cozy little yurt. At the top, there is a clear plastic bubble so that lying in bed, I can watch the moon and the stars. The sound of the winds blowing around its circular shape and through the trees makes wonderful music which in the morning turns to a tremendous rain storm. The rain pounds down on my cozy little yurt as I nestle under the woolen blankets in the midst of millions of pillows. I don't want to get up.

Then the sun comes out and the bird symphony starts. How totally delightful. But tomorrow is a new day and I am off again to the next hotel. Rio Serrano Hotel has a lovely location with great views, but it is a monster with 95 rooms and too many bus people. Please take me back to my little yurt. I love you little yurt. You made me really happy for a night.

AMAZING EXPERIENCE AT THE SINGULAR

2011-11-01T16:51:00.003-04:00

Amazing is the best way I can explain the new hotel THE SINGULAR. The concept is totally amazing, the decor amazing to the 10th degree and I don't even know where to begin with the staff.
They are all so new and helpful from the General Manager on down to the dining room staff and the great bar tender. This stay was probably the exception, but Santi the GM joined us for dinner every night. It was almost like eating at the Captian's Table every night during a cruise. This young man manages a staff of hundreds, and yet had enough time to sit with me and explain all the plans and aspirations that he has for this deluxe property. Hailing originally from Barcelona, Spain, I have no idea where he got so much experience because he is one of the youngest GM's that I have ever met. His staff hires are also amazing form Rafael the Maitre D to Rodrigo.one great local guide, Not only was Rodrigo fluent in English (self taught mind you) but there was not one question that you could ask that he did not know the answer for. He was also an amazing geologist and botanist aside from being one of the best hiking guides I have ever had the pleasure of following down a trail.

Which, by the way, is one of the main purposes of The Singular. Located about 2 hours south of Chile's Torres del Paine National Park, the hotel sits on the edge of a huge lake with access to the Pacific Ocean. Singular has two motor yachts with about 10 seats each for excursions up into the nearby fjiords and to the base of the Balmaceda Glacier. It was so amazing to take a sunset cruise (at 8PM) up into the fjiords on this lovely little vessel accompanied by its amazing captain Ulyses and his first mate who were there to serve us champagne or Chilean wine and hors d ouvres while Rodrigo explained what we were seeing.

The next day we road into those same areas by the base of the glaciers to see bird life and a chance for me to ride a criollo horse up into the hills looking for Condors. One excursion that I didn't get to do was to kayak on a nearby lake. The hotel provides you with a complete winterized wer suit ad Wilderness Kayaks with rudders so that you can navigate in these some times turbulent waters. You an also take a day trip into Torres del Paine to see the amazing "cuernos" or horns that crown the park.

The hotel also has mountain bikes and hiking routes to follow and many more amazing activites planned for the guests including a full scale spa right on the edge of the lake.. They are even planning to have the chef teach a wine course, a chilean cookiing class and as well as a pisco tasting class along with other ideas for those days when inclement weather may stop the outdoor plans.

So as always, whenever I travel, I never get to stay long enough to totally enjoy the places I see. However......., next year I am definaely coming back to the Amazing new hotel to spend my vacation at THE SINGUALAR...a singularly amazing place to stay in Patagonia.

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FROM HELL RIGHT TO HEAVEN

2011-10-31T22:42:00.013-04:00

At 2:30PM I finally arrived in Santiago. The nightmare was over. What a relief to see my driver waiting for me with a sign with my name in large letters. At that point I was so tired a could barely see straight let alone find a taxi to get to whatever meetings I had not already missed.
Luckily, the company that I use in Chile had gotten my emails from the night before and had re-arranged everything for me. My first appointment was at a great new modern hotel in the newest hip location in Santiago. The Noi is surrounded by great designer boutiques, art galleries and super restaurants. What a great way to start.

After seeing 5 more hotels, I was totally glad to check in to The Lastraria, a small cozy and again very new hotel in the midst of the city. Too bad I couldn't stay longer but at 5AM it was up and to the airport again for my flight to Patagonia.

On arrival in Punta Arenas, again the driver was there to take my bags and speed across the stepps to the new Singular....the hotel that brings part of Patagonian history to this exciting part of the world.

Declared a Chilean National Treasuer in 1999, the Frigorifico de Bories which began as a eat packing plant in the early 1900's. It became one of the most important businesses in the world, exporting canned and fozen meat to the starving people of Europe during the 1st World War. It also put Chile and it shipping industry sqarely on the map as an international leader in produce.

Patagonia covers both Chile and Argentina. There is not much here except wind, fabulous vistas and lots and lots of sheep and cattle. So famous was the Frigorico de Boires (meaning freesing plant in Puerto Bories where the plant was located) that herders from the Argenitne side of Patagonia would drive their animals across the Andes to bring them to the plant to sell and reaping the great fiacial prize that the plant was producing.

As the world progressed and life went on, the plant slowly closed its doors and in early 2006, a Chilean investors group purchaed the plant with plans to keep it as a national mounment and at the same time convert these old wonderful factory buildings into one of the most spectacular hotels in Ptagonia.

The Singular is just that.....Singular in its purpose and its modern beauty. The old factory has become the reception and restaurants of the hotel while a brand new building with spectacular views of the water contain huge rooms with lovely amenities.

I am totally in awe of this place and want to tell more....but right now, I just want to absorb the heavenly beauty of Patagonia from my window.

More on The Singular and the fun you can have here in my next blog.

MY NIGHT FROM HELL

2011-10-29T22:42:00.002-04:00

We have all heard the stories…..mechanical failure…weather delays...missed connections. I have lived my life flying from one place to another and have been fairly lucky. I fly about 10 times per year. I know that is not much for many of my readers, but to me…six or seven international trips per year and the rest domestic is quite enough. I have rarely suffered more than a delay due to one of the above reasons.
However, that was not to be the case on this trip. I left Florida on time, and arrived in Atlanta on time an even left our international gate on time en route to Santiago, Chile. But as the plane took off, the cabin filled with an acrid smell of plastic burning. Then it just smelled like hot wiring. This has happened before on takeoff, but the smell goes away. This time it did not. Something was going on. The flight deck called the flight attendants on a repeated basis and when no food or drinks were served after an hour, everyone knew something was up.
So one hour into the flight, the pilot made the announcement that we were making an emergency landing in Orlando to see what the smell was. Now wait…..I had just left Florida ….and now I was landing right back from where I had come. The really terrifying thing is that the airport was almost closed for the night and when we had to abort the 1st landing, everyone thought things had gone drastically wrong. We made it in on the second try with screeches and bumps and everyone listening for any strange new noise.
In all my years of flying, never have any of the planes I have been on been greeted by bright green fire engines with lights flashing in the dark. Everyone was told to stay seated until we were boarded by the firemen who would check for live fires aboard. It is a scary thing to see the heavily suited fireman walk up the aisle with his sensor gun looking everywhere and still having to sit still.
When he got off, the plane was allowed to pull up to the gate. Still we were not allowed to deplane. The airport was closed for the night and because we were an international flight, they had to call in TSA officers and Orlando Police before we could descend into the empty airport.
Then came the announcement that we would be deplaning to await the arrival of a new 767 that would depart Atlanta at 2AM. At 1AM we were deplaned an allowed to roam only the echoing Delta concourse. Delta employees then robbed the Sky Club and brought down snacks and water and set up shop at the desk of the gate we would eventually leave from.
It was such a strange feeling to be the only ones in the airport. I felt like Tom Hanks in the movie, The Terminal, where he sets up his life in an airport because he doesn’t have the paperwork to leave.
At 3:47AM the plane arrives from Atlanta. But wait…Delta’s gate agents have to remove all the service items from our smoking plane and bring them to the new plane which arrived bare boned. Finally at 4:45AM we were allowed to start boarding all over again. We took off finally at 5:35AM with an estimated arrival time in Santiago at 2:30PM…..only 6 hours late.
Well as I write this, we are still in the sky with a couple of hours left to go. Gone are my appointments for today. Gone is my luncheon in one of Santiago’s best restaurants but hopefully not gone is my hotel reservation!
Tomorrows is another day…and guess what….that means another flight…..to Punta Arenas at the southern tip of the world. After my night from hell….I do hope that the rest of my explorations go smoothly.

OFF AGAIN HEADING SOUTH

2011-10-28T20:30:00.001-04:00

Off again! Left the warm east central coast of Florida and flew north to Atlanta. I am shocked. With all the media and news talking heads spouting gloom and doom about the economy, one would never know it. The airports in Jacksonville and Atlanta are slammed! In the Sky Clubs, it is almost impossible to find a chair to sit in.

People are traveling and doing it well. There are people going all over the world and all over the USA. Money does not seem to be an object. Or perhaps they are getting their travel in before the airfares go up yet again this year. I read the other day that airfares in the US have been raised at least 7 times and that compared to a year ago at this time, airfares are more than $150 more expensive. Just heard that another $10 increase is planned for next week.

It is odd...this trip to Chilean Patagonia is costing me about $2000.00. Yes I know...everyone thinks that we travel consultants travel for free(??????). Big....big....misnomer! I remember several years ago flying to Chile cost less than $1000.00. What has happened?

I'll tell you that "taxes" have happened. My flight to Chile without taxes was about $900.00.
Plug in the taxes and it is more than double that. A friend was flying to London the other day.
The base fare of her ticket was $424.00 and the taxes were $597.00...more than the ticket price.

No wonder the airlines are screaming.....they aren't making the money. Your friendly government is! When is all of this going to stop.

The next time you purchase an airline ticket....just notice the price of the ticket and then look at the taxes. You will be shocked.

So maybe everyone is getting their travel going before everything in life goes to pay for all the people who don't work for a living.

Oh welll....I am like the rest of these folks here in the airports of the US. I am off to Chile and some great new hotels in Patagonia and I for one, am going to forget about it for now.
I am flying south to enjoy the wonderful scenery and beauty of Chile.

A STEP FORWARD IN TRADITION

2011-10-14T18:07:00.001-04:00

When invited to visit the famed Cloister o Sea Island, Georgia, I jumped at the chance. We had an opportunity to see the McGladrey Tournament, part of the PGA Fall Classic Series. As a golfer (not a good one) and married to a 5 handicapper, I was anxious to see the professionals play on this course that I had played so many years ago when I lived in Atlanta.

Living in Florida, there are golf courses around every corner. But in Georgia it was always a treat to come south to play this world renowned club that rivals Pebble Beach on the West Coast.

We had been here before having stayed in this stately old hotel that was created in 1928 to host friends and family alike to play the golf course created by Mr.Howard Coffin, owner of the Hudson Motor Car Company.

For 75 years, the resort stayed the same....with its chintz curtains and bedspreads, and even the same people serving in the Georgian Room, a stately old restaurant where coat and tie were required morning, noon and night. Families that had been born and raised in Atlanta came every summer to eat great seafood and stay in this resort for the "well heeled". Many of the servers knew these families by name as they returned year after year with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. It was an old Georgia institution. Every president of the United States has staid in the Cloister during its history and many foreign heads of state as well. Even the G8 Summit was held here .

75 years is a long time for anything, and in 2003, the Cloister got a face lift. Not just a refurbishment....but a complete rework from the ground up. The staid old buildings were demolished but certain special pieces such as fireplaces, paintings and chandeliers,were lovingly kept in storage until the new Cloister was built.

In 2006, with much ado and 1/2 billion dollars in investment by the Sea Island Company,
the resort was reopened to much acclaim and several Mobil awards for fine service and great dining.

Needless to say, I was delighted and very happily surprised to visit the new Cloister. The decor alone is stupendous, much of it done by Ralph Loren designers. The lobby and many of the public areas suggest the Spanish influence felt by this area of Southern Georgia and Florida. Standard rooms are over 700 sq ft and also share wonderful river views as do the many suites that are in the main Cloister building. There is also the Lodge at Sea Island with its great clubby atmosphere and the Beach Club Villas(a super place for kids ad families) and the Ocean Villas that are large enough to live in on a permanent basis.

Best of all, gone are the de rigour coat and tie requirements for breakfast,lunch and dinner.
There are several restaurants on property but the much acclaimed Georgian Room is the only place where coats (but no ties) are requested. If you forget yours at home, they even have "loaners" so you won't be embarrassed.

Golf is the main sport here, but there are bikes to ride, skeet shooting, horses to ride, both on trails or in a ring. There are Hobie cats and day sailors and many more water sports and fishing experiences that you can enjoy as well.

In old Atlanta, we used to say that if you could afford the Cloister, that you style of life was above ordinary. Today at the new Cloister, rates range from a low season $279.00 to the most luxurious suite that is I am sure much more. But prices are very affordable.

So I am totally dumbfounded by the excellence and affordability of the new Cloister Resort on Sea Island. What is not to enjoy?

HISTORIC CARTAGNA DE MIS AMORES

2011-09-15T17:43:00.008-04:00

I love Cartagena! I have been here several times before, but have never had the time to really explore it. One of my previous visits was on a cruise ship and that was just awful. Awful, because the tiny cobbled streets become jammed with the thousands of passengers from the huge behomouths in their harbor.

Then I had a meeting in Cartagena's revered Centro de Covenciones. That meeting was fantastic! The city pulled out all the stops to show the tourism industry what it had to offer. We danced on the ancient city walls and watched parades, visited some of the hotels and just enjoyed the social life of this vibrant city in Colombia.

This time I was here on my own to see all the wonderful little hotels and boutique hotels that the city offered.... and to wander these historic streets on my own. The French chain Sofitel hosted the stay and while it is very modern on the inside, the Santa Clara is a historic converted convent on the outside. In the lovely garden patio, fountains play a wonderful soothing sound to accompany a cup of Colombia coffee. Imagine my surprise when a tame Toucan jumped on the table to join me for breakfast! This is a huge hotel, and very lovely. Especially the wine room where you can have wine and cheese pairings seleced by the hotels knowledgeable wine sommelier.

Back on the street, I wander down tiny streets with balconies festooned with flowers and climbing plants. These homes have been here since the late 17th century and each balcony and facade boasts a story that we in the US will seldom see.

There are also wonderful boutique hotels here such as that of Colombian model and famed designer Tcherassi, spectacular with its rooftop pool. The Boutique Hotel La Mantilla even has its own yacht to fly you across the waters to a secret island for a wonderful tropical day.

The Sofitel Santa Clara and the Santa Teresa also have connections on the Rosario Islands out in the bay. Spend a day or several days in airconitioned comfort while local fisherman bring you freshly caught lobsters cooked to order right before your eyes.

The Rosariio Islands are a group of some 30 very small islands. Boats leave Cartagena every morning for the 90 minute trip across the water. Protected as a National Park, in the islands you can take a bike tour of the main island, do birdwatching, kayaking, or visit the Aquarium for a look at some large fish. If you are a diver, the San Pedro de Marajua Hotel has a 5 star PADI diving center which offers different aquatic activities such as diving and snorkeling off shore. The 90 minute boat adventure to and from the islands is well worth the adventure.

Back in Cartagena de las Indias, the shops are beckoning with their emeralds, coral jewelry and a host of everything. In the evening there is music everywhere with a great selection of street dancing and pubs lining the steets to sit and watch with a local "cerveza" in hand.

Cartagena is very safe. Before I left home...everyone was apprehensive that I would be safe in this country synonymous with drugs and killing. But I never felt safer.
Everywhere the tourism police have a presence. If you feel scared, they will even walk you to your hotel.

I would love to spend more time here and bring my family back to enjoy the great restaurants,local foods and historic streets of Cartagena. Maybe someone would even purchase a beautifulColombian emerald for me? Do you think?

BECOMING A COFFEE TASTING EXPERT

2011-09-12T20:00:00.001-04:00

The notoriety of Juan Valdez goes way back in TV history. He was synonymous with coffee in the 80's and 90's in US TV. The memory of that Colombian coffee grower with his big hat and "ruana" or cape of local woven wool is as true today as it was then.

Armenia is the capitol of the "coffee triangle" in Colombia. It is about a 1/2 hour flight from Bogota. High in the Andes at about 8,000 ft. the coffee plants here grow strong in healthy. Although it is high, this area has a warm climate during the day and cool at night which is just what these beans need to mature.

A few years ago this area was infested by Marxist Guerrillas and drug lords. Tourists were not welcomed. The Colombian government has now routed out the great majority of these "bad guys" and tourism is becoming one of the strongest markets here, second only to the exportation of coffee.

Now this region is filled with small hotels and farms that accept guests and provide opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, riding and other fun things to do.
Exploring the coffee plantations by horseback or on foot is a great way to learn about coffee.

In Buenavista, the coffee plantation and hacienda San Alberto offers an adventure into coffee. You can graduate after a day there with their coffee expert, Francini Torres Corrales. This fellow teaches everything you ever wanted to know about coffee from the picking of the berries to the smells of over roasted coffee to how to recognize the good beans when you purchase them in your home grocery store.

Like wine tasting, Franciny teaches the process of coffee tasting and how to smell and taste the different versions of coffee. He takes you through the process from begining to end and explains why some coffees are less expensive than others. The best beans are bright red but as the pickers get paid by the weight of what they pick and the red beans are sometimes few and far between.....yellow and green beans are roasted along with the reds. The most expensive coffees such as that of San Alberto go through multiple selection process and only the bright red berries are used to serve the best coffee.

It is the mixed berries that we get here in the US and for that reason, we mix it with sugar and cream to cover the strong taste that often comes with a mixed berry blend.

At the end of the day, the visitor is given a certificate proclaiming that one is now a graduate in coffee expertise.

There are many other things to do in the Coffee Triangle.....hikes to waterfalls, visits to small towns filled with shops offering local crafts....rides in 1950's Jeep Willy's which are still in circulation after all these years.

But now I am on to the next place.....a warmer climate and some days in the sun in historic Cartagena. More on this later...when I get there.

Santa Fe de Bogota

2011-09-10T22:39:00.000-04:00

Finally I arrive in Bogota. There are clouds hanging low over the mountains and it looks like rain. But right at the moment the sun is shining brightly and Alvaro, my guide tells me that the weather here changes rapidly from sun to rain most of the time and that I should be prepared to bring an umbrella wherever I go.
My first visit to Bogota seems like a millennium ago and at that time; it was a lovely city with only one main hotel. Now there are several small boutique places in the Rosada district (THE place to stay in Bogota). These small hotels come at a hefty price but the beauty is that they are in the midst of the “happening place” in this capital city of Colombia. Just outside your door are restaurants, and shops and street artists and action 24/7.
If you come for business or want a somewhat quieter place to stay, there is a sparkling new Marriott in the financial district and soon to be a new Hilton around the corner. So if walking around shops and fun places is not your style, the Marriott would do nicely. It comes complete with a beautiful spa which is the first place I always stop to get over jet lag. In the case of Colombia, there is no jet lag as it is on Eastern Standard Time and only 3 + hours from Miami.
Bogota has come a long way since I was first here. It is a very safe city now, as is the entire country of Colombia. Gone are the drug lords of the past…their homes having been made amusement parks or apartment homes. In their place are beautiful new high rises made of brick and glass and all with parks in the middle for the families to use as they wish. Flowering trees are everywhere, as are lush green landscapes….a result of the frequent rains I guess.
There is a wonderful historic area with several little quaint hotels as well. Walking here at night is still a little dicey as it is in the center of a lot of cities, but during the daytime there are cathedrals to visit, palaces of historic patriots of Colombia and little streets filled with antique houses. There is a renovation project going on here and hopefully in a few years, the historic center of Bogota will be as safe and as beautiful to visit as is Quito, Ecuador.
So my first day in Bogota is all about exploring this new city. So far…I am delighted and finally after so many years away, it is lovely and safe and a great place to visit.

EN ROUTE TO BOGOTA, COLOMBIA

2011-09-09T21:16:00.000-04:00

Years ago I had the pleasure of traveling with Avianca to Colombia. Then came all the drug lords and the terrorist force called the FARC and travel to this lovely South American Country stopped.
Yesterday, I flew to Miami and spent the night at the Miami Airport Hotel which has also been there for many years, and then at 5 AM reported to the Avianca counter at Miami International to my flight to Bogota.
Avianca and Colombia have come a long way. Being one of the few foreigners on the flight, I was surprised by the polite passengers that were on their way home. Checking in was a breeze and the counter agents more than helpful and friendly. Why I mention this is that generally when checking in at Miami….people are less than polite no matter what airline. Avianca is located in the new terminal J which is shiny and bright and even the TSA agents there are more relaxed and pleasant.
Queing up for any airline is usually a mess….but as the Avianca gate agent called the flight, passengers made a nice neat line and boarded only when their row was called….from back to front. I must say that other USA airports, TSA’s and boarding processes of domestic airlines should take a lesson from Avianca.
The flight to Bogota was a mere 3 + hours but in that time, we were served a full breakfast with scrambled eggs , fruit and croissants. Another plus for Avianca. I know I sound like an advertisement for the airline but it was really pleasant.... and it has been a long time since I have been pleased flying anywhere. There was plenty of overhead room as everyone was respectful of their places and didn’t try to stuff the overhead compartments with huge bags. Niether did the people sitting in the back stuff their bags into the front bins leaving no room for those of us sitting up there.
The pleasure continues now that I am in Bogota….a lovely city filled with parks and flowers everywhere. Here the traffic is “killer” like the rest of South America, but weaving in and out of lovely brick buildings, my guide tells me that Bogota is famous for its bricks which are made nearby.For that reason, the entire city is growing bigger with these attractive buildings.
But more on this later….tomorrow I am out and about to see the sights and will include photos as well.

COLD AND COLDER

2011-07-02T11:14:00.000-04:00

OK...back in Bozeman again. I do like this place but it is the beginning of July and there is still snow on the ground in the mountains.
I have never seen fireworks over snow on the 4th of July, but it looks like this time that is how I will see them.

It's a simple plan....go to a 4th of July Parade, then to Ennis to a Rodeo and then on to the local ski resort, Big Sky, for fireworks. Hmmmm....sounds like a good day.

Meanwhile its off to Yellowstone National Park for a day of fun. Only about 25 miles from this Montana city, you slip over the border to Wyoming in Gardner where the North Gate of the most famous park in the US. I expected to see hoards of people and cars on this holiday weekend, and yes there were busloads from Trafalgar Tours, Tauck Tours, Brenden Tours and some other local brands, but all the tourists were from international places. At Yellowstone Falls, I felt like I was at the United Nations with people talking Italian, French, Chinese and Hindi. I think there were less US nationals than there were foreigners. This could be because the US dollar is at an all time low in exchange for foreign currency. So it behooves us to welcome these folks from all over to show them our patriotism.

In the places like Mammoth Hot Springs, and Old Faithful...there are lots of people. But off on the other roads through the Park, there are not many cars.....that is until someone spots a buffalo or an Elk. No Grizzly sitings this time though.

We have a pic nic in a place called Sheepfeeder Ridge where I saw a "chippy" or two and some beautiful wildflowers, but aside from this, America's most celebrated National Park seems to be suffering from a lack of tourism.

What a shame that our economy is so bad that we citizens of the US cannot celebrate the founding of our country with a visit to one of our National Parks.

It is cold here, and we pass lots of patches of snow, because the Park lies at an altitude of over 7,000 ft. but after a day of visiting and enjoying the sites, even with the United Nations on bus tours....we head back to Bozeman for over night.

Tomorrow biking, and hiking...there is too much water in the rivers right now for kayaking and fly fishing. That cold snow is melting and along with the rains there are flash floods and rivers and streams are over their banks.

So nights are cold as the winds blow across the snow cover into the warm plains near Bozeman....but the days are nice and warm and I still intend on enjoying my 4th of July celebrations.....cold or colder...no matter. Just time to enjoy.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY TO EVERYONE!

UP UP AND AWAY!

2011-06-30T12:40:00.000-04:00

Off and away I go again! I have been on so many airplanes this year that when I am not traveling, I get withdrawal symptoms. So what better way to cure this ill but to get on another flight somewhere.

When I am home for more than a month, I get "antsy".....I start looking for places to go. So where better to go again than to Orlando overnight and then a 7AM flight to Bozeman to visit family.

This time, I am going to learn to fly fish, going to a rodeo in Livingston, Montana and hike in Yellowstone National Park. Usually Bozeman means staying at home and babysitting....but this time I don't plan on staying put.

Bozeman is such a beautiful place in the middle of summer, that it is hard to resist.
I have done white water rafting on the Gallatin River before, but as it has been raining a lot this year, I can imagine that the river will be awesome now. Maybe I can even do some kayaking in the nearby lakes and streams. Mountain biking is not out of the question either, but my daughter tells me that it is a whole different sport than the beach bikes I ride in Florida. Oh well....we will see.

So, today again finds me in another Crown Room....ooops sorry....I mean Sky Club in Salt Lake City....another nice town. Getting ready to get on the flight to Bozeman.

See you there!

A DAY OF GOLF AND THEN SOME

2011-05-24T10:37:00.000-04:00

Early to bed - early to rise.....and so on. A 7AM tee time doesn't do anything for me except groan when the alarm goes off at 5:45AM!

Oh well. The excitement of a new course always gets me going. The dew is heavy this early and when you hit your ball it makes a path through the shiny wet grass when it hits the fairway. That always helps to see where you hit it when the flat light of the morning makes it disappear from sight. Then the first rays of the sun hit the course and it is all so beautiful.

I wish I could say that the Sandpiper Golf Course that is part of the Club Med property was all that brilliant. The resort itself is 30 years old and the golf course was one of the originals in the area of Port St. Lucie. The fairways are lined by those houses that so define what Florida used to be. These little "cracker" boxes with bright flowers and surrounded by palm trees are still there.

Club Med is in the midst of their renovations and they have started a wonderful Golf Academy that should be one of the best in South Florida, but I must say that their course maintenance leaves a little to be desired. This Tom Fazio Course is a fun 72 hole 6000 yard course easy enough for everyone to play..

We played all 18 holes of this lovely little course. Big wide fairways with forgiving greens....lots of Par 4's and enough Par 3's and Par 5's to make it interesting. Along with the on-site 18-hole golf course there are 15 world-renowned courses within 25 minutes and the Club Med concierge can arrange tee times at any of them.

There is also a Tom Fazio II-designed short-game practice course and of course the driving range and chipping and putting green. There are also daily group lessons that are complimentary along with so many other complimentary things to do at Club Med Sandpiper.
At the Academy Brad Brewer and Don Law, along with Marie Claire De Bortoli, are committed to helping each unique athlete through every stage of junior, amateur and professional development.

Brewer was mentored by golf legend Arnold Palmer, and Law, an Industry leader in junior golf, and De Bortoli,a LPGA Master Professional, are working together
to pioneer a new training model with the ultimate goal of developing premiere talent.

There is also a world class tennis academy too. At Club Med’s Tennis Academy everyone from active adults to junior pros receive a comprehensive tennis training experience.

Led by Gabe Jaramillo, who has developed eight number one players, and
Scott Del Mastro, who has trained pros & juniors across the world, the Club
Med Tennis Academy is perfect for players of all ages and skill levels.
There is stadium court, 6 Hydro clay courts and 14 hard courts, a 12,000 sq. ft.elite fitness training facility with top-notch equipment and the complimentary group lessons daily as well for those who are not trying to be professional and who just want to better their game.

There is so much to do here, I'm glad that we started out at 7AM this morning. 18 holes with the sun coming up and a slight breeze makes me forget about the alarm going off so early. I still have plenty of hours left today to do everything else!

FAMILY ADVENTURE AT CLUB MED!

2011-05-23T14:39:00.000-04:00

Who would have thought that just a week after returning from Vietnam, I would be off again? Certainly not me! But when a long time friend who represents Club Meds around the world asked me to join her to see the re-opening of Club Med Sandpiper...I was on my way to Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Billed as the only "all-inclusive" resort in the US...I was anxious to see this Club Med which had recently gone through a $25,000 face lift. The resort, just two hours down the road from home, was closed for more than a year getting it's re-tooling.

They opened with a bang in January of 2011 and now offer a World Class Tennis Training Academy, a Golf Academy committed to excellence, A Fitness Performance Training Center and their Get centered with the Yoga Retreat Program. So not only is it an all inclusive family resort, but Club Med Sandpiper also offers all kinds of programs for people of all ages.

What I like most is the fact that there are so many activities for kids.You can drop the wee ones off and then go play tennis, golf or just relax by the adult only pool and know that your kids are safe and supervised by trained professionals. You know that they are having a great time until the time you want to pick them up.

There are two restaurants, with indoor and outdoor seating, and a great bar that rocks into the night with all kinds of activities should you want to join in. Best of all....there are a myriad of activities for everyone. Want to become a circus star?...try the class on the trapeze (de rigour at every Club Med world wide). Want to sail out into the sunset in their Hobie cats and never done a day of sailing in your life? Roberto, the GO (Gracious Organizer) for water activities will take you out and show you the ropes and even go with you if you don't feel that secure when the wind fills your sails.

I could go on and on....but right now, I am going to sit and watch the sunset on the beach with my drink by my side. Time to relax and enjoy! It's all included you know. Tomorrow I play golf and maybe even get a tennis lesson! Its all included.
I might even join in on a Zumba class...as everything is complimentary at Club Med...just a few short miles from home!

SAIGON, SAIGON

2011-05-08T10:02:00.000-04:00

Happy Mothers day from Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City as they now call it. Saigon, Saigon is the name of the open air bar on top of the Caravelle Hotel where I am staying. Given that it is 90+++ degrees in the daytime and about 89 +++ at night with a humidity level in the 90,s...even though there is a latin band playing here called Gato Negro....I am not about to frequent that place. As in all large cities...it is also frequented by what they call here as "boom boom" girls. Obvously, these girls are not thinking about their mothers today...but about how much money they can put in their pockets from the Americans and other foreigeners that are visiting this country. In any case...how they got the "boom boom" nickname is beyond me. I can say that they are all extremely beautiful and I can see how American servicemen lost thier hearts to these ladies of the night. Today I learned more about the gruesome history of this country. At the Cu Chi Tunnels, now a museum, the American War played out in horrifying consequences. Most of the Vietnamese that I have met from this area are missing one or more relatives from this area of this beautiful country. There were more bombs dropped here than any where else in Indochina. The Vietnamese people built these tunnels to escape the horrible bombardment from the US forces. I don't fault the Americans for bombing this area. Even women and children would walk up to a GI asking for help and when least expected, ended up dead from a hand grenade or a bayonet in the back. The US was hated so much for entering this country that it seems everyone was against them. This area northwest of Saigon was the headquarters of the Vietcong and everywhere there were sympathizers. To escape the bombing, the people built these tunnels. There were tunnels for cooking, tunnels for living, and medical tunnels for triage. Even school was held in the tunnels for the children of this area as they hid with their families from the horrors of war. Life here in Saigon had been peaceful prior to 1965. It was a rural lifestyle full of days of farming this rich fertile land and good family life with large families helping to keep the fields tended and food on the table. Then WE arrived. Things changed forever. Today Saigon is the largest city and center of commerce in Vietnam. It had been the capitol of South Vietnam, but when in 1972 when US troops started to pull out, slowly North Vietnam took over and the city became Ho Chi Minh City named after the leader of North Vietnam. Shortly after 1975, the capitol was moved to Hanoi where even today, the rulers of this now communist nation live and rule. There is a lot of history in this great city. Saigon, Saigon is the name of a bar....but it indeed carries some poignant meaning for the people here. How lucky we are never to have needed to battle for our homes as these people have done through the years. Maybe I will go and drink a toast there to the families of so many who lost loved ones both US and Vietnamese. We all need to think about the consquences of war and conflict!

THE HIGH OF THE NAM HAI

2011-05-08T04:28:00.000-04:00

Over the top! Amazing! Georgeous! One of the most beautiul hotels I have ever seen!
These are some of the words and phrases that can be used to describe this resort hotel south of Da Nang and neaby Hoi An.

Saying this for me is not a stretch as I have been so lucky in my life to have seen thousands and thousands of hotels. But who would have imagined that I would have found such a place in Vietnam.

When we think of Vietnam, super deluxe resort hotels do not come to mind immediatly. I tend to think of this country in relation to the war that our US troups fought against the Viet Cong. Here it is called The American War even though we took over to help the south Vietnames fight the French and also the Chinese and Russian communiists that were trying to make inroads in this country.

Today, this bustling country is filled with beautiful hotels along the beach....China Beach and further on down the coast. There are hotels for Europeans, hotels for Australians as well as wealthy Japanese and of course Vietnamese. But as political relations with the US were just re-established in the late 1980's, hotels for North American tourists were a while in coming.

However.....our money and our buying power has arrived....and the Nam Hai is one sybriatic property that appeals to our luxury tastes.

Each room is its own private villa complette with platform bed, sunken living room with electronics panel, outdoor lanai facing the Eastern Sea and a bathroom with his and her facilities. There is also an outdoor showere amongst the foliage where you can bath surrounded by birds and flowers and exotic Asian sculptures. At night, all these areas are surrounded by atmospheric lighting and white mosquito nets althoughth I did not see one of these whiney creatures in my room or anywhere else for that matter. There is a lap pool as well as a double sized olympic pool all with infinity edges. As a matter of fact at check in there is an non swim infinity pool that blends into the other two pools which then blend into the palm trees, beach and ocean.

For entertainment you can enjoy the piano bar, or either of the two sea facing restaurants....or you can just submerge yourself in your private pool villa if you are so lucky as to have reserved one.

Hoi An is the option here. A small town full of crafts and great restaurants, you can spend an afternoon there if you like. But why bother when you can indulge in a full day at the Nam Hai.

What a shame I was here all by myself! Next time Larry, I will bring you!

CHINA BEACH AND THEN SOME

2011-05-06T02:46:00.000-04:00

OMG!
Up over a high pass and then down into Da Nang where the US forces first arrived in Vietnam during that same war. What was then, a sandy beach of dunes and scrub pine, is today a thriving megatropolis and the 4th largest city in Vietnam.

On the way over the pass, we visited some remainders of that war which I barely remember.
French bunkers and american bunkers line the hillsides as this was the highest point on the Vietnamese coast from which the armed forces could defend the land and the cities further inland.

I have learned much about the Vietnamese War which somehow sounds very similar to the conflicts that our US forces are involved in today and as always, protecting US strategic alliances. I was in college when the US was fighting the Vietcong. Being in a theatre school at Carnegie Mellon, I was more concered with what was happening on Broadway than what was happenig overseas. I wonder what would have happened if we had supported Ho Chi Minh instead of the French who raped and pillaged this country for many many years before we got here? Oh well...the course of history is set and we may have lost the battle...but we have won the hearts and minds of these lovely people.

The Vietnamese want to please. Everything they do is to forget the past and their communist government and produce goods and services for the rest of the world.
Since my journey began, it seems as if we have done nothing but eat. The hospitable people of this country spend a lot of time and effort to feed everyone all the time.
Everywhere the streets are filled with little cafes with a constant flow of patrons eating soup and chicken or pork. To me it seems they eat 24/7.

The good thing is that most of their food is made up of vegatables. Today we went to Vietnamese cooking school and learned to make some of the wonderful dishes of Vietnam.
We went to the market and then cooked what we purchsed with Miss Vinh. A young woman with some very capitolistic ideas, Ms Vinh started cooking for the public when she was 8 years old. Today she has 5 restaurants, one hotel, and a cooking school in Hoi An. You can see by her photo that either she is not very old, or that her healthy cooking agrees with her good lifestyle.

I am loving every minute of this trip. Vietnam may be a communist country in name but it is a truly wonderful and yet still exotic country to visit. In the US it is not always mentioned in good terms, but Americans are very popular here with John McCain almost godlike in his popularity.

I am now feeling like a god myself as after cooking my own lunch I can retire to one of the most exotic and wonderful resorts on the face of the earth...the Nam Hai Resort.
More on this tomorrow.

PARADISE IN HALONG BAY

2011-05-04T11:11:00.001-04:00

OK..this was the part of the trip that I had so dreamed about….an exotic overnight trip on an old rice barge or Chinese junk in a hidden corner of Halong Bay!
What a shock to arrive at the port and see a huge operation with multiple cruise boats (read modern junks) on a massive dock lined with vacation condominiums and hotels! This was definitely not the Vietnam that I had come to see.
Just like China, it seems that Vietnam has joined the capitalist world…even though it is a Communist regime that runs the county. I am sure there is a back story here where the big dogs in the government give these companies a “pass” if the money in the pocket is in the correct amount.
The people seem content with things as they are, ignoring the politics and making money any way they can. In a few weeks there is an election and it is mandatory to vote. When I asked who the candidates are, no one seems to know or care.
And so it goes in Vietnam!
We board our 3 story junk, complete with air conditioning, restaurant, bars and a sports deck with kayaks. At least we will have some fun on the Bay.
Departing port in the midday sun, the Paradise Luxury junk we are on is accompanied by a “gravy train” of boats of all sizes and shapes. There are over 500 boats that leave this and nearby ports per day. Most are day trips but there are in excess of 200 that are overnight boats. Halong Bay is vast, but I am not sure that a deserted cove is in our future.
The day is absolutely perfect for sailing…..enjoying the sun and a wonderfully cold Halong draft beer (I don’t usually drink beer) is perfect. The mountains formed by a shifting of the geographic plates, jut upwards into the blue sky in an array of wild vegetation and rock. The lighter the rock the newer. Rains here carve the various formations with the older ones the dark rock outcroppings.
At first when we left the dock with the “gravy train”…I was terrified that this was going to be similar to the Li River outside Guilin in China, where a cacophony of party boats cruise up and down this beautiful spot jarring the senses with their flashing lights and pulsating music.
I am pleasantly surprised as we leave these other boats far behind and head off in a different direction. The day is glorious and to make things twice as good we park in a small cove of pearl farmers and lower the kayaks into the water.
I am not a fan of the sit on top plastic kayaks, but in this case, they were perfect as we paddled into the coves and along the shores. The bird calls and monkeys are everywhere. It is absolutely breathtaking to think that I am on the coast of Vietnam in a kayak on the opposite side of the world from home.
I am truly lucky and this experience is beginning to be just the magical one I had hoped for.
The next morning, we motor off and hoist our sails to reach a small cove where there is a wonderful cave. These mountains are filled with caves and places to explore. Again we take the kayaks into a huge cave to discover the beautiful lagoon on the other side. It is like being in a prehistoric world…all by ourselves. Of course there are other kayaks nearby and a smattering of small boats filled with tourists, but I am told that a cruise of 3 or 4 days takes you to seldom visited nooks and crannies of this great bay.
Vietnam and my rice barge (read junk) experience is truly exotic and everything I had hoped it would be. Just wish I could spend a few more days here to hike the national parks and visit some of the small villages on its shores.
It will have to wait as there is still much more to explore in this fascinating country!

HANOI TO HALONG BAY

2011-05-03T12:36:00.000-04:00

May 1 in Hanoi is a day of celebration. On Liberation Day, the Vietnamese celebrate the day 30 some years ago that Saigon became unoccupied by American troops and both North and South Vietnam became one. Communist Vietnam is full of red flags and motor bikes. This 3 day vacation is the one time of the year that all the Vietnamese get out of their homes to visit the tomb of Ho Chi Minh and walk the parks’ and visit the lakes around Hanoi. There are over 30,000,000 motorbikes in this country and I swear, they are all on the streets today. Getting anywhere is a problem but we forge ahead. White uniformed guards line us up for the Mausoleum along with thousands of Vietnamese that have come to Hanoi to visit the patron saint of Vietnam. Like Gandhi in India, Ho Chi Minh is the unifying force between all the country people. We file in past the glass coffin to gaze on the silent figure of this great man who looks for all the world that he has just been asleep since 1969. Hanoi is also about eating. Aside from thousands of people and millions of motorbikes, there are also small restaurants up and down every street. Big steaming pots of soup boil on outdoor gas burners surrounded by little foot stools occupied by Vietnamese all laughing and drinking local Hanoi Lager and eating soup. It seems that all the Vietnamese do is ride these bikes and eat. It is midnight when we return to the hotel, and they are still eating and riding through the streets like an army of ants with headlights. This morning we are off again to Halong Bay and our Chinese Junk or what I like to refer to as a rice barge. Before these junks became small floating hotels for tourists, they carried rice from one part of Vietnam to another. I can’t wait to see what our accommodations will be like. Hope they are air conditioned, as I thought Florida was a hot place to live, but it is mild by comparison to very hot and humid Vietnam. We leave the city and travel east on a main highway across rice paddies and through small towns our bus accompanied by a contingent of motorbikes. I wish I had stock in Honda as they must be making a total killing in this country. Alongside the road is a rail track and a canal for shipping. Either way….I can’t wait to arrive as we will also have the opportunity to hike in a wonderful amazing Sung Sot Cave or cave of surprises…a prehistoric cave deep in the hanging gardens near this beautiful bay. I will also have a chance to do some kayaking today. Looking forward to this amazing day. I am so liking this whole experience….motorbikes and crowds and all. Such a gentle people and lovely culture!

HELLO FROM HANOI!

2011-04-30T00:20:00.000-04:00

I made it!
In my life,I have been on some really long flights, but this one, without a doubt was the longest. From home in Florida to the airport to Atlanta to Seoul to Hanoi with layovers was abouot 29 hours!
Am I glad I am here!
The airport is about a 30 minute ride into the center of town...and that of course depends on which center of town you are talking about. There is the historic center, the french area, the new area and the rest of Hanoi that is bustling even at the hour we arrived!

Somehow it seemed like Lima, Peru, on arrival as there are hundreds of locals waiting for family members as we cleared customs. However unlike the locals, no one was waiting with huge bouquets of flowers for me. Only the smiling agent representitive of Asia Transpacific, the company hosting this trip in Vietnam.
Flowers are cheap here and way out by the airport are the many fields of flowers full of asian lillies, roses, you name it...the flowers are spectacular. Driving into town there are truckloads and bicycle loads of flowers going to the flower market which is setting up at midnight to do business the remainder of the day. It is hot and humid and unless they get the flowers to market early, they will droop and die in the midday heat.

Bicycles and motorbikes are a way of life here and there are probably more of those on the road than there are cars or trucks. The trucks and cars pay attention to the traffic rules but the motorbike riders do not necessarily play by the same code so at red lights while we stopped, the motorbikes spead through. A warning if walking in Hanoi...Watch Out for Motorbikes and bicycles....as they don't watch out for you.

So at last I am here and checking into the hotel...just give me some air conditioning.I thought it was hot at home but by comparison, Hanoi is really hot and very humid. Hope my hair makes it through the rest of this trip. As of right now I have that wild untamed look.

Oh well...lets see what tomorrow and daylight bring. Exicted and glad to be in Hanoi!
I am going to bed in my airconditioned hotel room!
Good night Vietnam!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

2011-04-29T04:28:00.000-04:00

It seems that every time I begin to write a page in this blog....I am sitting in an airport somewhere trying to occupy the down time between flights.
This time it has been a long one. I left Florida early yesterday morning and connected...or almost didn't...with my non-stop to Seoul Korea. 19 hours later, I am in the gate area waiting for the next flight to Hanoi.

Who ever said that my job is glamorous? Were they nuts? Perhaps someone will invent the Startrek beam so that my next trip can be done without these horrible airport experiences.

Everywhere these days security is tight at airports. Traveling through the tortured jungle of people who don't know the ropes in our country, let alone a foreign one. is a definite disadvantage.

And I am not at all sure that the economy is down! Everywhere I go, flights are full, full, full. Seats also seem to be getting smaller (no I am not putting on weight or girth). Pack em in and get em out...must be the new motto of the airlines.

In any case, the Seoul (Incheon) International Airport is filled with designer shops...good for browsing...but prices out of sight. It is true that the US dollar is not going as far as it used to.

So here I sit....getting ready for my next adventure. Off to Hanoi. My rice barge awaits .

They are calling my flight....finally!

FROM THE HIGH ANDES OF PERU

2011-03-22T12:34:00.000-04:00

Driving through the high Andes makes me appreciate the ancestors of the Incan peoples. The Incans, founders of the city of Machu Picchu, one of the New Wonders of the World, came to power in the early 1400’s AD. Machu Picchu lies in the Urubamba Valley at about 10,500 ft.
I am now in the Conchucos Valley at about 15,416 feet going to see the famed ruins of the Chavin peoples, ancient ancestors of the Incas. The Chavin inhabited this high valley from 1200 BC to about 800BC. Although their ruins are not as spectacular as those at Machu Picchu, the fact alone that they predate Jesus Christ (from whence all calendars are derived) by 1200 years and that if we add that to the date of this writing, we are talking about a people that lived 3011 years before us.
3000 years is a long time ago to have a formal culture with crafts to make drinking vessels, to have gods that they honored with statuary and ceremonial centers that are impressive enough to have Stanford University archaeologists come every year and stay for 3 months to dig for relics and study their findings.
The most amazing thing for me is that in the town of Chavin surrounding the ruins, there is not one desirable place to stay. There are several hostals, but these places give me the creeps and I am amazed that the archaeologists stay there when they can go 5 miles down a winding road and stay in one of the loveliest places I have found in the high Andes.
Here at almost 13,000 ft. in the small town of San Marcos is a small bed and breakfast called Nanaleys (the sisters in Quechua the native language). Each wonderful room is decorated with exquisite taste reflecting the owner who Peruvian is born now living in the US. Heavily carved wooden doors frame the arrival but please note that there are horseshoes and horses carved throughout this historic home as the owners also love horses.
.So fond of her childhood home, Martha Oconnel,( who now lives in Thomaston, Georgia) wanted to share this beautiful area with visitors, so she opened her doors to visitors. With its honor bar in the patio, you feel at home the moment you arrive. But don’t imbibe too much as one drink at 13,000 feet can “put you under” in a matter of minutes.
From Nanaleys, visit the Chavin Museum and ruins, or drive a little further on to Huari and the “Lake of Mirrors” with its 300 foot waterfall. The drive itself is amazing as you zig zag through little native villages all along the way. The central plazas of each village have their own flavor, but there is always dancing and a loud speaker blaring the latest Huayna (Andean folk music). Markets are abundant filled with crafts from nearby villages. Sundays are always special market days and the locals dress to the nines in their native finery to sell to neighbor and foreigner alike.
To get to Chavin and San Marcos, begin your journey in Lima where there are daily flights to Anta and Huaraz, hiking and climbing central for Peru. From here you can climb the Cordilerra Blanca or Negra. Spend a few nights hiking the trails near the city and acclimatizing to the altitude before continuing on to Chavin and San Marcos, a few hours away.
Huaraz in the high Andes is the big city and Chavin and San Marcos are wonderful small towns to rest and relax and enjoy the wonderful views and nearby hot springs that gush from this volcanic country. Visiting the high Andes of Peru is like a step back in time and time to appreciate those who came before us.

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT ON EL AL

2011-02-17T14:07:00.000-05:00

El Al Airlines is one of the more interesting airlines I have flown in my life.
I didn't know what to expect but what I did experience was totally unlike any other in the world.
Once we were off the ground, the traffic in the aisles began. The passengers aboard kept making a steady stream up and down to go and pray and then return to their seats. Everywhere on board were men in black suits with big black hats, long beards and one curl hanging down from under the hats on both sides of their faces.

Growing up in the south and then living in Catholic, Lima, Peru, for a good long time in my life, I seldom encountered many people of the Jewish faith. Being admittedly ignorant about the Jewish religion, I had no idea what was happening en route to Tel Aviv when the very pious Hasidic Jews got up and gathered in a group around the back hatch window of El Al to pray in the early morning sunlight.

These gentlemen with their long beards and peyots (curled hair which lines their faces) and their prayer shawls only prayed on the eastern side of the plane as this was the direction of Jerusalem, the most holy city of Judaism. Both men and women of this sect cover their heads in pious reverence to the Lord God.

There were other groups on this flight as well. Headed to Israel for tourism were lots of US Americans with little tour badges plastered to their chests proclaiming that they were on Pilgrimage with one religious organization or another.

If one ever had any doubt about security……with God looking out for all these praying souls on board, what could go wrong? On the other hand..El Al’s security is second to none. Meeting with an El Al representative later, I was also told that their security department also has trained guards on board every few rows (looking like passengers of course) and that to be in the service of El Al, means years of training to spot a terrorist at a glance or a strange body movement. The El Al rep even said that when a suspicious person gets aboard, that security agent is assigned a seat alongside that passenger to assure that nothing untoward happens. Is that why I had a very handsome and very strong looking Israeli sitting next to me?

At meal time it is the orthodox Hasidic Jews who get their meals first. They have special rules about kosher food and what you can eat with what. I had an orthodox mother of 4 sitting next to me who barked orders to the flight attendant and then to her children. Amazingly, the attendant demurely listened and then went to the galley and got whatever the lady wanted, even to the inconvenience of others.

Oh well….it seems that there are a whole different set of rules aboard this flight.
After all this praying and singing (yes the pilgrimage group started to sing a hymn or two) we arrived in Tel Aviv and a huge applause erupted! We were home in the Promised Land.

On the way back to JFK after my 8 days in Israel, I am grilled in the airport by a young female security agent wanting to know everything about me. Why did I come to Israel? What did I do there? Did I know anyone in Israel and even if I go to church and what is the name of the church in what town etc, etc. She goes to the computer and then comes back and tells me that I am free to check in for the flight.

And so it goes on the return El Al flight to New York….the pious Hasidic and orthodox Jewish men praying and the ladies walking up and down…and everywhere babies crying.

I am glad to get back to the USA….but I have learned so much about a different culture that I am happy to thank El Al for introducing me.

SHALOM FROM ISRAEL

2011-02-15T10:22:00.000-05:00

Wow....I have been in Israel almost a week now and have been so busy that I have not had time to post to this blog. Sorry about that.

I left for Israel on Feb 7 from JFK and don't come back until the end of this week, Feb 18. Do you know what it is to see an entire country in 8 days? Almost impossible.

From day one it has been up and on the bus at 7AM with a return back to the hotel at 11PM. One site after another with so much history and world events wrapped up in this tiny country the size of New Jersey.

Israel is to the world....Jews....Christians....and Muslams....the center of the universe. More earth shaking events have happened in this small country over the millenium than in any other country in the world.

Jesus Christ is revered not only as The Christ but Christians....but also as a prophet by the Muslems and a holy man by the Jews. For that reason alone the religious powers of the world have spent years fighting over this religious place.

Jerusalem is still divided into 3 parts.....the Christian section ...the Jewish section and the Muslam section. Dress codes and tradtions both change from one sector to the other.

To go the short distance to Bethlehem, there is a huge wall. The small city where Jesus was born is actualy in the Palestinean territories and Jews cannot enter there.
It was really frightenening to cross from one section to another as you have to pass through armed guards and then through barbed wire fences all the while surrounded by
Palestineans who look for all the world like the pictures of terrorists that we see i the Us newspapers every day.

It is hard to believe that Jerusalem has grown so much that Bethlehem is like a close suburb of the main city. But it is a whole world away in its customs and traditions.

So now in Tel Aviv it is like being back in Miami or New York. Skyscrapers everywhere...the Medierranean lining the coast.

More on this later.....I am again...late for the bus to go somewhere.
Shalom!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-12-31T14:22:00.000-05:00

Better said...Happy New Year to me! Many of you know that I arrange travel experiences in my beloved Southamerica for friends and family and even some clients that come my way by reference.
I love Ecuador with all my heart and have planned on retiring there some day. I have even created some packages whereby you combine good things like the Galapagos Islands and a stay at a hacienda to end the vacation. This program has always been really well accepted and the people just love the old hacienda experience at the end of their stay.
This year.....2010....I had a lovely family of 17 traveling on this program. Everything in the Galapagos was perfect with private yachts to take them to all the different islands. After the Galapagos it was off to my favorite hotel in the world...La Mirage Garden Hotel and Spa in Cotacachi, Ecuador. Again...an amazing success. On Dec 29 driving from Cotacachi to the hacienda that they had picked for their final New Years stay...Hacienda San Augustine de Callao...they were informed that even though we had prepaid in full, arranged all kinds of activities for them and including special meals for the children...that their rooms had been sold out from under them.

Do you know what it is to find another hacienda that can take 17 people inside of a couple of hours? Haciendas are small and very much like boutique hotels. They are the homes of former aristocrats that for whatever reason have had to open their homes and take in guests. There are many of these lovely places in Ecuador. I have stayed and written about my favorites....HACIENDA ZULETA(residence of the former president of Ecuador Galo Plaza. There is also HATO VERDE where Cesear and Maria and the family greet guests and take them on horseback adventures into Cotopaxi National Park. There is the HACIENDA MANTELES with its wonderful glowing fireplace and gracious hospitality and where the meals are prepared using the recipes of the early owners of this hacienda. There is also HACIENDA UMBRIA where the owner has gone to school to learn to be a sommelier. You should see his wine cellar!

And then we have Hacienda San Augustine de Callao. Built on Inca ruins....it has always been hailed as one of the better haciendas with lovely rooms and a lovely atmoshphere. Now they even have "lovely" prices for their services.......not at all in keeping with the other haciendas in the area. So I guess all this fame and fortune has gone to their heads. Evidently they don't care about their current reputation with the travel industry or business community in Ecuador.

In the end....we had to bring my lovely friends...yes all 17 of them...back to Quito and organize activities for them from the city. Thank you Susanna Garcia and friends from the HILTON COLON for providing special services for them.

Tonight...the family goes to a friends home and hacienda in the hills overlooking Quito. HACIENDA RUMILOMA is one of my favorites and the owner Amber (an Irish girl married to an Ecuadorian)...will be there to provide this family with a great meal, fun and fireworks to end the year in a special way. Thank you Amber for your help too.

I hope my party of 17 has a great evening and can return home from their holiday happy. I for one will toast an extra toast to them tonight.....and wish myself
a Happy New Year. I will also never suggest Hacienda San Augustine to another living soul as long as I live!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND A WONDERFUL 2011

2010-12-21T18:15:00.000-05:00

I hope that everyone of my friends and travelers will have a wonderful holiday trip. I, for one, will not be going anywhere. My family from Bozeman, Mt., came to visit a week ago and now my family from NYC is here for Christmas. My 92 year old Mom is in Hospice and my 93 year old Dad is trying to keep up with the changes and the family. Quite a chore when you are that age.

I wish I was departing with clients...some to Easter Island....other to the Galapagos Islands....even those departing for the Panama Canal and the Caribbean and even some for Italy. Anywhere would be great.

I guess I am just to used to being independent and foot loose and fancy free. I have planned a trip to Israel in February and Peru in March. I am excited about both trips
and already getting ready to travel. For those of us who are constant travelers, a month without going anywhere can be frustrating.

Don't get me wrong...I love my home and my husband.....but getting on those big 747's or any big jet...gets my energy going. I can't wait to get going again. I absolutely love to explore new places and of course visit friends in so many places that I have been to multiple times.

Although I have been all over the Middle East (even married the Sheik of Wadi Rum in a mock ceremony)..I am psyched about going to Israel. So many places that I have studied about in religion classes and learning new things that I had not known about in the past. I have been to the Red Sea and many Judeo/Christian sites in Turkey and Jordan. But now I am going to the mother land....where the Sea of Galilee and Jerusalem beckon with the wailing wall and the place where Jesus was born. Jerusalem is the center of the religious world for Christians, Jews and Muslims alike and I am totally excited about learning about each of the sites that are so important to these peoples.

Peru, my home for many years, offers me some new opportunities in March. I am consulting on a new hotel project that will be a wonderful and restful site in a part of the Andes that is green and beautiful. Located near a historic ruin with a museum on site...I am really excited about contributing my knowledge of tourism marketing to this venture.

So as I sit in a very cold Florida (hope this is no another below normal winter)....I can only wait till my upcoming adventures. For now, my adventures consist of going to he beach in frigid 50 degree temps (frigid for me at least) and taking care of my parents who have turned into children once again.

So I hope that everyone who reads this blog has a wonderful holiday season and a very successful new year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS...AND HAVE A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR!

PORTLAND - ESPRESSO ON EVERY CORNER

2010-11-15T11:34:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful city! I really like Portland, Oregon. This chic city is filled with historic buildings and streets lined with trees and sculpture.....and espresso shops about every 10 feet. The great bus and MAX system gets you to and from the airport in about 40 minuets for $2.00. How can you beat that!

We got here in the morning and checked in to the uber chic hotel The Nines. This Virtuoso hotel is in the heart of everything in Portland. From Macy's to Nordstoms, the the Pioneer Center with its designer shops. Check in at this hotel is on the 8th floor of one of the most historic buildings in Oregon's capitol city. But the inside is anything but historic. The ultra trendy decor is also highlighted by sculptures everywhere. There must be a lot of dot come industry in the area as money seemed no object at the Nines. These kids are some of the most well dressed people I have seen in recent months.

I guess the young and hip have found downtown Portland as we were the oldest people around . In one place we saw a line of young families and young people standing in a long line in front of a store called Voodoo Doughnuts. We wondered what they put in those doughnuts to warrant a 45 minute wait with children?

Outside the hotel, it is much the same. The hip and the young are all over the place from the trendy Pearl district to the center of downtown. They are a sharp contrast to the overabundance of homeless that seem to be everywhere too. In some cities, you find the homeless under bridges and in subway entrances. Not in Portland. They are in parks, under streetlights, beside buildings and any warm place they can find.
Portland may be a beautiful city....but it does have its underbelly. What I don't understand is why they would stay here and not hitch a ride south to California or somewhere warm. The weather here is not always the best.

Portland is covered in cloud most of the year as Pacific weather fronts move in from the northwest. But the city makes up for it in great restaurants and shopping. Sunday afternoon looked much like Manhattan with shoppers and young families in the parks and cruising the weekend flea markets that are everywhere.

I wanted a good birthday meal, and everyone recommended this great Peruvian restaurant in "the Pearl" called Andina. Well as I cook Peruvian food at home from my years of living in Lima. When I looked at their menu on the Internet...it looked like stuff that I used to eat daily...and now cook for friends and family when they come over for dinner. I am sure that I don't make it as gourmet as the Peruvian chef at Andina....but it was close enough to home cooking, that I didn't want to go there for my birthday.

There are so many restaurants to choose from here..all with great Oregon wine lists. So we decided to eat at Urban Cowboy, in the Nines Hotel. Steaks here start at $60 for a 6 0z fillet....and a Kobe Beef sirloin between 6 and 8oz was available for a mere $80. Those prices were without accompaniments or tax....all a la carte. I settled for some lovely foie gras home made in Oregon. Everything in this restaurant is locally grown and seasonal. Maybe that is why it costs more. In any case the chef's complimentary appetizer was a almond butter and jelly slider with a thin slice of foie gras in the middle. I have to say I would not have ordered my main dish had I known this was coming.

I have often said that these chef's complimentary appetizers are given to people as an experiment. Well this one fell way short. The almond butter and strong berry jelly completely overshadowed the foie gras which was pasty and with not much flavor any way. Oh well....my lovely Pinot Noir was a winner.

So much for my birthday dinner. When back in the room there was a present from the hotel of some delightful chocolates and a plate of special fruits and nuts. Very nice touch Nines. Thank you.

The stay in Portland was far too short. We walked and walked and walked. People were wonderfully friendly, helpful and nice (maybe because we looked so much older than they were)
On all the trains and buses, a recorded message tells you to make sure you are nice to seniors (super citizens)and give up your seat if needed. In any case.....we really enjoyed this city filled with youth and great spirit. There is so much to see and do and it was truly wonderful to see people enjoying the downtown areas of a large city.

So Portland and Oregon....thank you for a fun birthday weekend. I will be back...to be sure.

YELLOW LEAVES AND FUZZY TREES

2010-11-14T17:58:00.000-05:00

Heading back to Portland this morning, I am totally mesmerized by patches of yellow along the roadside. Fall has come to the vineyards of the Willamette Valley. There are also lots of tall Sitka Spruce trees...some towering at least 100 feet overhead.
In between these vineyards and the spruce trees are also "fuzzy trees".

We had seen these all along Highway 26 to the coast as well as OR 101 which stretches from the Washington state line to the California state line. And now we see them again on our way back to Portland. I have been noticing these trees covered with a soft green moss......totally covered! I have named them "fuzzy trees" as that is how they appear as we zoom by.

Being a lover of all things wine inspired, along with the great seafood that we have enjoyed, the wines of Oregon are top notch. There are more than 160 vineyards here. Because of the cool climate and damp winds from the Pacific Ocean, this is a terrific place to grow the wonderful and now very expensive Pinot Noir grapes. It is the leaves of this pinot noir grape that turn bright yellow in the fall. I wanted to stop and sip Dundee Hills or Le Cadeau wineries...but we were on a mission to arrive in Portland and see the sights of the city. Next time...wine tasting!

So what about the "fuzzy trees" you ask....? We finally found another one of those state parks of which there must be at least a million in Oregon....and in that park....were FUZZY TREES! So as you will see above....there I am standing at the base of a FUZZY TREE. These were not the best examples that I had seen. Most of these trees are totally covered....trunk.....branches.....twigs....all with the soft green moss. Not only covered on the north side like we have back east....but these are generally covered all around. I am not sure if this moss kills the trees or not...but they are truly spectacular if not a little spooky when surrounded by a grove of them.

So out of the forest and into the traffic of Portland. Streetcars, noise....weekend markets and tons of people. Rain or snow...the people are everywhere....!

Take me back to the vineyards and the fuzzy trees please!

SURF'S UP

2010-11-13T19:18:00.000-05:00

Wow......I thought I knew waves! Last week we just had the Tommy Tant Surf Championship in nearby Flagler Beach, Florida. If those guys could see these waves....they would either put on their wet suits and sprint into the ocean....or conversely...if they had never seen waves like these in Oregon, they would freak!

I have never seen such big crashers! You know I have been everywhere.....and I have seen some waves in Hawaii...in Japan...in Costa Rica...in Peru. I've seen some really big waves....but nothing like I saw today! All down the coast of Oregon these huge waves of 10' to 20' rolling in from the Pacific in a regular rhythm. Crash....tha-ump.....crash....tha-ump...splasing their 40 and 50 foot sprays up the cliffs of this beautiful Oregon Coast.

We drove south this morning through all the small towns from Depoe Bay and south to Florence where the waves crashed on the amazing Oregano Dunes National Seashore. They say that with the movement of the wind and waves, these dunes can travel up to 20 miles inland each year.

The locals tell me that the best time of year to visit the Oregon coastal area is in October when the weather is warm and there are few storms. It is in January and February where the weather closes in and the 95 mile per hour wind gusts even stunt the trees along the shore (we wondered why the trees all seem to grow away from the sea). A nice shopkeeper told me that the coastal residents are much more hearty than those of us from Florida. No hurricane fears here....they just live with constant wind and rain that the Pacific Ocean produces. The rest of the year it is "pot luck" as to whether you will get rain and clouds or sun or a mixture of the same.

I was excited to see these wild seas, the rain and clouds. It is a beautiful and amazing sight. I stood for far too long gazing at the waves crashing in at Devils Cauldron...mesmerized by a 80 foot tree that was trapped in the huge waves....just bouncing around to be eventually smashed to pieces and thrown up on the surrounding rocks in splinters. The food has also been great.

Nothing like hiking on these cliffs and beaches and then return to a good seaside restaurant glowing with a fireplace and serving the local Salmon, Halibut or Dungeness Crab. Here they also give you a wine menu with your lunch as Oregon wines from the Willamette Valley and elsewhere are some of the best in the world. The wine thing is so common here that I almost expected them to offer me a nice Pinot Noir for breakfast.

Back now in our home away from home...the Salishan Spa and Resort. We have the a roaring fire in our fireplace and are sitting looking out at the rain and mists of this beautiful coastline. I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.... on to Portland to get to know Oregon's capitol.

OK OREGON

2010-11-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally made it to Oregon! I have wanted to photograph the coastline of this western state for years....but never made it. So this year.....I am treating myself to a birthday trip to the great Northwest of the USA.

First things first! It is pronounced Oregen....not Oregone (like gone)! Being a Spanish speaker, I tend to pronounce words using the full vowel sounds. Not so here. Anyone from this state will quickly correct you if you say it any other way.

So here we are....the beginning of November cruising the beautiful green coastline of rocks and surf and more state parks than you can possibly imagine. It seems that there is one every 10 miles or so. But in the end it is worth it if the Park Service Fees keep these beautiful and natural places clean and undeveloped.

Speaking of clean.....on the way down to the coast from Portland, we saw a sign that stated "No Littering! Maximum fine $6,250.00". So be forewarned.....NO LITTERING in Oregon if you don't want a big hole in your bank account.

They seem to take the green thing to extremes....except when it comes to cutting down trees. The forests of huge spruce trees seem to be fair game for logging companies and everywhere you look there are bald mountainsides. No reforestation projects here. Thank goodness for the parks. Without them, Oregon might look brown instead of green.

Now sitting on the deck of my resort, the Salishan Spa and Golf Resort just south of Lincoln City and just a few hours drive from Portland.......it is time to rest and relax and relive the beautiful sights of today....lovely Cannon Beach, quirky Seaside,the Three Capes Loop Drive....all bathed in beautiful sunshine. How lucky was that?

Tomorrow is another day and they are predicting rain. We came for those misty scenes and rainy capes overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Now on to enjoy some great seafood and some spectacular Oregon wines.

BEACHES AND SPACE MEN!

2010-10-29T09:13:00.000-04:00

When I lived in Peru many years ago, I would take my kids to the beach in summer and we would always enjoy and then go home in the evening. In those days, there were no beach resorts in Peru. Usually you would just buy a house on the beach and then on the weekends and in summer, go there to escape the cold dreary weather of Lima.

A few weeks ago, I traveled to Lima for a meeting and then to spend time with friends. Now that I live in sunny Florida, I seldom go places for the beach. However this time in Peru....that was my destination.

Paracas, Peru, has long been one of those getaway beaches for the rich and famous of Lima. Now it is the star in a chain of beaches that dot Peru's coastline from Lima south. The old haciendas and beach front homes of the wealthy have been bought up in droves and in their stead, bright new hotels have appeared to host the new middle and upper class of Lima. These hotels are also catching the eye of the vacation market from the world over.

Paracas is about three hour drive south of Lima along the Pan American Highway. The "Pan American" as we used to know it was a two lane highway used to wind up and down the sand dune mountains and with tons of trucks going both north and south. Now there is a super toll highway that goes straight as an arrow across the top of Atacama Desert.

The waters in the Bay of Paracas are calm and smooth with lots of parasailing, jet skiing and other water sports happening all day. The beaches are a bit grainy for those of us who love the sugar white beaches of the Caribbean, but here at some of the mega resorts, they have brought in lovely white sand from somewhere else in Peru.
The beaches are lovely clean spots for children to play and so safe because if there are any waves, they are small ripples in contrast to the other Pacific beaches in Peru.

My girlfriend and I stayed at Hotel Hacienda for the weekend. It is a lovely small hotel built mainly for Peruvians and those who know where to find it on the Internet. The flavor of this hotel is very local with an astounding free form pool and a delicious beachfront. There is a beachfront bar and grill that serves some really amazing cebiche, a speciality in Peru.

During the day, I toured the American branded hotels to see what is being sold abroad. Hilton has a lovely Doubletree property here with a huge kids clubs and a myriad of activities. The rooms are all suites with a small living area at the entry and a deck or patio for each. Accommodations are all very modern and quite utilitarian for a Hilton. It was a great place for families with all kinds of sports and activities available. It also had one of the whitest beaches on Paracas Bay.

The other end of the spectrum was the new Hotel Paracas, part of the Luxury Collection of hotels. This hotel was amazing and to go from the very Peruvian Hacienda Hotel to this gem of luxury was absolutely glorious. In true Luxury collection style, everyone greets you, from the car park to the doorman to the front desk staff....which by the way is not a counter you stand behind...but is a proper desk. The staff is gracious all over this hotel which boasts rooms in chalets, bungalows and villas.

The beachfront rooms are spectacular all with balconies and ample seating to rest after a hot day of sun and watersports. Nothing is left to the imagination and the modern interiors and mood lighting amplify the beauty of this resort.

The are several bars and restaurants but the bar and restaurant on the waterfront is my favorite with a wonderful roaring fireplace as the cool winds from the Andes can cause a chill in the evening.

If beach sport bores you...each hotel has its own spa replete with treatments befitting an Incan ruler. Paracas Bay lies on the edge of the Nazca Reserve, home to the famed Nazca Lines. All the hotels have tour agencies that can arrange anything from a private fishing charter to a fly-over of these famed lines said to have been created from visitors from other planets. There is even a local belief that if you watch the clear night sky, you can see these space ships from time to time coming and going above the desert dunes.

From Paracas you can also visit the nearby Ballestas Islands, home of Humboldt Penguins, birds of all kinds and of course the wonderful sea lions. From the islands you also get a view of the famed "Candalabra" the mysterious geoglyph that stands watch over the Peruvian coastline. Was this another visit by the beings from outer space? You be the judge!

So, after a marvelous weekend with my friends and drinking entirely too much Pisco, also a Peruvian speciality...and remembering good times...I head back to my own beach in Florida. But my best new getaway beach is Paracas Bay....now truly meeting world standards.

BEAUTIFUL HOTELS AND GOURMET TREATS

2010-09-21T20:17:00.000-04:00

Here I sit in the Quito airport waiting for my flight to Lima, Peru. It is raining outside.....rather pouring....as winter is beginning in Ecuador.

I DON'T WANT TO GO!

Not because its Lima.....but because I have just spent another wonderful experience at my favorite hotel in the entire world.

You all know that I spend many nights and so many days exploring hotels and looking for new experiences for my clients and my readers. I am by all accounts "jaded" because I have spent time is some of the loveliest places on earth.

Well.....yesterday found me once again at La Mirage Garden Hotel and Spa in Cotacachi, Ecuador. I love Ecuador.....it is such a wonderful green land of lovely people, rolling hillsides, snow capped Andes mountains.....green pastures with cows grazing...horses everywhere...and beautiful indigenous families in native dress decorating the landscape with their long black hair trailing down their backs. And Ecuador is one of the cleanest countries in South America. So proud of their heritage and their lush countryside....the Ecuadorians do all possible to keep their country trash free and environmentally clean.

Cotacachi is a small town about one hour and 45 minutes from Quito. The drive through the Andes is a pleasant experience through indigenous villages beautiful landscapes. Cotacachi itself is a small town with a main street peppered with leather shops. Here you can purchase some of the most supple leather coats and bags ever seen. And prices are well within any one's budget.

At the end of the main street you take a left into one of the most lovely paradise's on earth. Relais & Chateau La Mirage....is an old hacienda, beautifully decorated and surrounded by beautifully planted landscaping full of flowers and plants that attract a myriad of hummingbirds and other colorful birds from this region.
Wild Peacocks roam the gardens as if they were kings and queens of this property.

The rooms are all suites and personally decorated by the owner in historic hacienda style. Personal paintings of his family hang in the bar and reception area.

The Spa is another splendours thing. All the treatment rooms have themes and your can have anything from a chocolate body scrub to an ancient shaman ritual. Before each treatment a fire is lit in each room's stone fireplace and a bath drawn and strewn with rose petals. Your treatment begins after a relaxing bath that you can take by yourself or with the assistance of your massage therapist. I thought it would be strange to have someone else bathe me....but under cover of thousands of rose petals....it was beyond relaxing. At the end of your treatment you are led to a room bathed in candle light and painting in a deep warm blush. Here with soft music playing you can relax or meditate or even sleep after your treatment.

At La Mirage...you have any number of activities aside from the Spa and shopping for leather. There are horses to ride, tennis courts and mountain bikes for the nearby trails.

But the most wonderful thing about La Mirage is the kitchen. Each meal is an experience in gourmet dining. The owner himself is a gourmet chef and although he does not serve as executive chef, he is always observing and coming up with some of the most fabulous food creatings and presentations I have seen in my life.
My favorite is the chef's surprise course which is presented within a music box playing beautiful music.

The main courses are always fabulous and the deserts are beyond imagination. My favourite is the lavender sorbet served within lavender infused rose petals. Three sorbet roses are placed on a blue plate for a visual delight as well as a delight for the palate.

So again....as I sit in the Quito airport ready to fly to my meetings in Lima....I am devastated that I have to once again depart this wonderful country and in particular....La Miiage Resort and Spa.

PAWS UP-"GLAMPING" IN MONTANA

2010-08-01T11:43:00.000-04:00

PAWS UP – “GLAMPING” – MONTANA STYLE

I have been lucky to go on safari in Africa many times. What thrills me most are the wonderful and very deluxe accommodations in the “bush”. No amenity is left to chance with full bathrooms and oriental carpets on the floors under the canvas. Camping here in the US has a completely different connotation.....until now.

Just outside of Missoula, Montana, the folks at the Resort at Paws Up have created a new kind of camping experience. Yes the tented Creekside Camp and the two other camps at the Resort equals any of those in Africa.
This August while staying in nearby Bozeman, I was invited to come to the resort to get a firsthand view of what ”Glamping” is all about. In Africa, you go to bed under stars with the night noises for accompaniment.
At Creekside Camp, the baths with vanity and double sinks, and a shower are attached within the tent At the other two tented camps there are bath houses a few steps from your tent
If “Glamping” isn’t for you....you can also stay in any of the deluxe log cabins and homes scattered around the 37,000 acres (more than 60 square miles). These 3 bedrooms, 3 bath Wilderness Estates come complete with wireless access and 42" flat screen TV’s and outdoor hot tubs. The views from the wide porches across the meadows to the vast plains and hills in the distance are spectacular.
There are also two bedroom Meadow Homes and the four-Bedroom Morris Farmhouse which belongs to the owner. In total there are accommodations for 180 people throughout the property. All rates include 3 meals a day even thought each of the homes come with complete kitchens.
Each of the tented camps comes with its own dining room and as each camp has only about 6 tents it almost like having your own private chef and servers. This is true throughout the property as there are almost as many staff members as there are guests.
A rental car is not needed even with the “wide open spaces” as each guest is provided with either a golf cart or a small electric car to go from the homes to the restaurants and activities.
There are hikes to see the wildlife, horseback riding, clay shooting, ATV’s, Fly-fishing and even golf 20 minutes away. Nearby Seely lake provides guests with kayaking, canoeing and raft floats as well as water skiing and jet skis. Even in winter you can snowmobile, g snowshoeing or cross country skiing and of course ice fishing, dog sledding and sleigh rides.
For horse enthusiasts, this is a paradise with a 23,000 square foot riding arena, a 52 stall barn, equestrian showers and a huge outdoor pasture. The Saddle club offers private lessons group rides, tours as well as horse care lessons as it actively breeds, raises, trains and sells quarter horses and paints.
For those that travel with their entire families....there is even a daily kid’s camp so that adults can enjoy activities with their friends while the kids go hiking and on treasure hunts with the camp directors. Nannies are also available for that evening out enjoying the award wining restaurant Pump.
Pump, the resort’s gourmet restaurant features western influenced cuisine featuring Montana raised meats like quail, elk, buffalo, trout and rattlesnake. The wine list has become recognized world wide and won Wine Spectator Awards year after year. There is also the Tank & the Trough Bistro with outdoor dining as well as an indoor tent with crystal chandeliers with a more casual menu.
So here I am in the car heading back to Bozeman, wishing I was down by the creek at Creekside Camp enjoying a cool beverage in front of my tent. It is 95 today in Montana....and I thought Florida was hot? Oh well...tonight it will be in the 50’s

Resort at Paws Up is definitely a place I can return to and where I can bring everyone in the family. Tents or not.....Glamping is a great way to “rough it” Western style..

THE GREASY OILY TRUTH ABOUT THE GULF!

2010-06-01T15:56:00.000-04:00

Oh.....I want to cancel my reservation because of the oil in the Gulf! What...there is no oil on the beaches in Florida? What.....? Well I am scared anyway...so please cancel my reservation! Working in the tourism industry and being part of a tourism commission that is promoting beaches and a county on the East Coast of Florida....I can tell you that calls like that above are coming in all over the place. Even in Orlando, a place where even Micky Mouse seldom sees a wave...people are cancelling! Come on people....when are you going to stop listening to the "talking heads" on TV and radio? When are you going to read and absorb and make that thing on top of your shoulders grow a little bit and expand the horizons of your world? I am continually amazed at the mass thought process of the American public. You hear it on the news....and it must be true. When is the average American going to climb out of their individual shells and explore the world around them...without taking the advice of one of the nutjobs on TV? Don't you realize that they get paid for "stirring the pot"! The more viewers they can get to watch them and their horrifying broadcasts...the more advertisers flock to their stations and ply them with money. Why is it now that the average program is 1 hour long...but there is more commercial content than substance these days? Why do we watch that stupid degrading box....one in every room in my house. This is scary! If a talking head tells you that the end is coming and to jump off the cliff....are you going to do it? The beaches this year in Florida are wonderful.....white and pristine as ever. In Flagler County...on the relaxed east coast of Florida....the beaches are a pretty pink, which comes from little colored coquina shells and reefs off the coast. The only oil we have ever seen is when some tanker or cargo ship has the bad taste to clean their bilge out at sea and the small pieces float to shore. Growing up in New Jersey...I remember my grandmother with a small can of gasoline by the back door to clean our feet from the tar every time we came from the beach. Why now are we fretting so much when the beaches are so beautiful? Memorial Day we had a picnic on the beach here in Flagler. Nice friends....a warm breeze ....surf rolling in with warm water...and a beautiful pink sand beach to enjoy. I must admit that part of that beach came home in the car with me....but I don't mind. There was no tar...no oil...and no worry. Most all the beaches in Florida are that way. But the Federal Government had to give the State of Florida $25,000 of your tax dollars to fund new advertising.....because you listened to the talking heads and are cancelling your beach vacations. Come ON People.....you are missing the best time of the year....and the best beaches in the world!

DREAM CRUISING...REGENT SEVEN SEAS STYLE!

2010-04-26T20:48:00.000-04:00

Back in Florida, again.....with yet another trip to Atlanta this week. But yesterday I could escape a little to a magical world created by Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
I took a day to visit friends on a cruise ship that had docked in Port Canaveral...only a couple of hours from where I live.

I SO WANT TO BE ON THE NAVIGATOR ....RIGHT NOW!

The Regent Seven Seas Navigator is the epitome of what I want to do when I "grow up"! My friends tell me that there are passengers aboard who live on the ship and go with its crew and its passengers wherever the ship goes on its World Cruise itinerary. They laughed and said that instead of purchasing real estate in Florida (like so many of us)...these folks just spend their pensions enjoying ports in Europe....Asia...Africa...and South America! Oh what a life!

The Navigator is a wonderful small ship with only 490 passengers aboard and even when she is full there are 1.4 crew members to serve every passenger aboard. Wow...not that I would like to be served every day of my life...however being aboard for just day really made me realize what I have been missing.

Never having been a "cruise person"...(I have always preferred the trips where I can hike and kayak or learn to tango...i.e...the active life), yesterday I learned that there is no slouching here. You can be as active or as inactive as you want.

As we sat in the bar overlooking the port...I saw people jogging and walking...swimming in the pool...(or just enjoying the sun deck). Many of the passengers met ashore for air boat rides into the famous alligator filled mangrove swamps that we have here in Florida. There are others that were off kayaking in the nearby waters of Cape Canaveral. Still others went to the Kennedy Space Center touring with views of the latest and newest Atlas Missile.

So as my friends tell me their itinerary for the next few days...I am enthralled and instead of being anxious to get home and ride my bike or swim in my pool....I stick around for the rest of the story.

The Navigator is bound for Charleston and Bermuda on this itinerary. Somewhat mundane....but in this day of erupting volcano's and earthquakes....what could be better that an idyllic trip to the old south and then to the lovely island nation of Bermuda. From there she will travel back to New York then on to San Francisco and Alaska and from there to Asia for late summer and fall. She then cruises around the South Pacific until she returns to San Francisco late in December. Then its back to Ft. Lauderdale through the Panama Canal and we start all over again.

I have to say that each stateroom is beautiful and the cruise line has just spent $20,000,000.00 per cabin on upgrades. That is $20,000,000.00 on an average of 316ft. Can you just imagine what any of us could do with that in our homes? How divine! Obviously the rooms were lovely and my friend tells me of the evening that she didn't want to go to any of the 3 fabulous restaurants aboard....even though all are "country club casual" She opted to stay in sweats and have another couple over (yes 4 in a cruise cabin) to comfortably enjoy dinner and a movie. There was full cabin service on a full sized table with a wine steward and 4 courses served to them by their waiter. Best of all...these ships are all inclusive so this evening of fun and special services was all part of the price..no tips...no extra charges.

Even shore excursions are included for no extra cost. Of course if you want a helicopter ride over the Eiffel Tower or something really special...there is a surcharge....but in general, the surcharges are not a lot for the value you get.
Everything....even your bar bill and your stocked fridge in your cabin are included!

So...as I sit here getting ready to make my last trip to Atlanta to get the parents...I am just dreaming of when I can take the time to live the luxurious life of cruising with Regent Seven Seas Cruises on one of their 3 fabulous ships.

LOST IN CYBERSPACE-FAMILY MATTERS!

2010-04-15T20:08:00.000-04:00

Wow....I know I promised to write on a regular basis and keep my friends and fans updated on my travels....but lately all I seem to be doing is scheduling and cancelling and then scheduling and cancelling again....not because I want to...but because of family matters. When you have elderly parents and they decide to move in down the street from you.....a lot of time is spent coddling and helping them with the move. Thus....my recent travels have all been between Atlanta and Florida.

I was scheduled to go and visit friends with a marvelous beach house outside of Lima, Peru. They even planned a huge party while I was supposed to be there. But as the date grew closer for my flight to take off.....there was my Mom on the phone cajoling me and begging me not to go. I told her that the difference between a flight to Atlanta and a flight to Lima, Peru, was in reality about the same distance.
However in her logic...Lima was a long, long way away from Atlanta....and thus the trip was cancelled. I was very dismayed as my friends house looked lovely and I was also planning on visiting some of the new hotels in the Paracas area south of Peru's capitol.

Paracas and Ica is close to the Nazca plains so widely known as the landing place of space people from Erich Von Daniken's epic ideas. The drawings made from stones and other materials in this area of Peru are truly amazing and where so many wonderful creatures and shapes are visible from the small plane that I had hired to take me up and over them for a spectacular view. You can also see them from ground look-out points. The designs run along the ground in the desert over a surface area of more than five hundred square kilometres.

I regret not only missing the party and seeing my friends...but also seeing this area of Peru which I have not seen in years. Now there are modern hotels and resorts built around an ancient watering hole used by the ancient Incas and pre-Inca peoples in that area. It is also the area from which the famed Pisco of Peru (aka- Pisco Sours) come from.

So...as I sit in Florida wondering when and where I will go next...I am sad to say that I will miss seeing my friends. Wow...I hate to have missed this trip. Maybe next time.

Now as I drive back to Atlanta for the last time...instead of getting lost in cyberspace for a month....I soon will begin to be able to travel again and tell everyone how I love what I do!

WALKING WITH ELEPHANTS

2010-03-19T10:04:00.000-04:00

Who would ever think of going on safari for your honeymoon? Well...in actuality....many people.

My honeymoon was spent in Kenya years ago. At that time there were few camps and little electricity. I can remember my new husband trying to get a cold beer and looking for the TV in our 1st tented camp. He had not yet gotten to know the adventurous life his new wife (me) had planned for him.

Now days, the real world has come to Africa. If you can imagine the most wonderful accommodations in the world, in the middle of nowhere, that is the Africa of today.

In South Africa, the Singita properties are some of the most sybaritic.
From Johannesburg, you fly into the “Bush” (read wilderness) in a very small plane and land on a dirt airstrip with giraffes grazing alongside. At Singita Boulders under thatched roofs, the super deluxe rondovals (African style cottages), come complete with plunge pools, sun decks, fireplaces and romantic outdoor showers (there are indoor ones too). After an early morning of game viewing, there is nothing like submerging yourself in your private pool and watching the parade of wild animals traipse by.

Kenya also has some very deluxe accommodations that are “over the top”. Ol Donyo Wuas is one of the best in the Chyulu Amboseli region. Here under a thatched roof you have wonderful beds with a view of your huge bath tub at the edge of a picture window with a view of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background.

But my favorite safari experiences have been in Botswana. For me, “Bots” represents the true
Africa of old. Tented camps like Stanley’s Camp, or Duba Plains or Jacks Camp are to me the epitome of what an African safari is all about.

These are no ordinary tents. The come complete with wooden floors covered with oriental rugs, soft beds and warm running water in the baths. There is even a warm water bottle nestled at the bottom of your bed at night to keep the sheets and your toes warm.

At Stanley’s Camp in Botswana, you can join in a real live experiment. Walking with elephants. In an effort to save the elephant population of South Africa, a young couple saved a number of elephant calves and brought them to the Okavango Delta near Stanley’s Camp. They have raised these elephants and are now habituating many of these and other elephants into the bush. If you are a guest at Stanley’s Camp, you too can join in the fun. Not only do you walk with the elephants, you can even feed them or bathe with them in the local watering hole.

The best thing about a safari is the ability to get up close and personal with the animals. Taking your safari vehicle into a pride of sleeping lions...or chasing cheetahs sprinting after a kill. But nothing can prepare you for the amazing relationship you can have with the elephants. The babies are so small....but the big bulls are so huge they tower way above you.

In the game parks, they still don’t have TVs (thank goodness), but the electrical situation has become much better. Generators in some places still chug into the night to keep the beer cold and the variation and luxury of some of the camps are stunning. I am sure the early inhabitants of Africa could not have foreseen what this future was to bring. If only the elephants could tell you the beautiful history of this continent as you walk with them trunk in hand.

BACK TO THE BOREAL

2010-02-17T15:34:00.001-05:00

I was writing about the new ship to visit Antarctica when I felt compelled to write about my former country of Peru. The situation is quite dire there and the government has now stepped in to offer some amazing deals for people still wanting to go. You can get approximately 50% off of everything from hotels to museums to guided tours....everything....except of course the famed ruins of Machu Picchu...which is closed until further notice.

So if you would like to combine a fantastic trip...why not visit Lima for the excellent cuisine and then go to Cuzco for a visit to the area's indigenous background....and then fly to the nearest port to board the MV Le Boreal and sail to Antarctica!

I know you are saying what a weird combination, but I can't tell you how many cruise ships are now circumnavigating South America visiting everything from Carnival in Brazil to tango dancing in Buenos Aires then the famed islands of South Georgia off the coast of Argentine Patagonia and then to Antarctica before returning to suburban Santiago, Chile. That in itself is a wild mix!

So what better to see the wonderful sights of South America by combining Peru and Antarctica as well?

In the words of the tour company Abercrombie & Kent;, "Follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest adventurers of all time: Sir Ernest Shackleton, who hiked across South Georgia Island to reach civilization—and thus saved the Endurance crew. From your base aboard Abercrombie & Kent’s sleek new expedition ship, Le Boreal, explore rocky peaks covered with glaciers to reach sites such as the abandoned whaling station at Grytviken, site of Shackleton’s final resting place. Join renowned scientists on a journey to the last frontier with panoramic views of the magnificent scenery and wildlife from your private balcony. South Georgia adds an unforgettable dimension to an Antarctic adventure: the stately king penguin, found nowhere else. In the Falklands, there is time for leisurely hiking to penguin rookeries and other unspoiled wildlife habitats, and a chance to stroll through the village streets to see how people live “at the ends of the earth.”

I think one of the most exciting things about Le Boreal is that it is one of the few ships sailing to the Antarctic that has a "kids" program. That in itself is amazing as this type cruise seems to cater to an older clientele. But A & K (as they are known in the trade) has bridged this gap by inviting the younger set on board with their own naturalists covering such topics as ornithology, marine biology, history and geology. Pretty cool stuff (no pun intended) for anyone let alone the kids.
Young Explorers are invited to participate in workshops created just for them, such as Marine Mammal Identification, Squid Biology (featuring squid dissection-yummy!), Charting the Ship’s Course, Fish of the Southern Ocean (including fish printing), Drawing Penguins, Nature Interpretation through Art and Plankton Lab.

Can I be a kid again, please? There is a special "Family Departure" Dec 17, 2010.

The ship itself is an "all-balcony" expedition ship with the company trying to bridge the gap between the word adventure and deluxe. This ship even has elevators!
It also has two dining rooms and world class cuisine (which you usually don't get on an expedition type ship).

Abercrombie & Kent has managed to bridge that gap in their tented programs in Africa as well as other off beat areas of the world and I well imagine that they will be able to accomplish the same here with the new MV Boreal. I hope to be on the 1st sailing in December of this year! What about you?

VIVA EL PERU!

2010-02-11T16:35:00.000-05:00

I know I told you that I would continue my story on Antarctica....but I have more urgent news to impart. Many of you know that I lived for many years in Lima, Peru, and in an earlier version of me...I was a professional tour escort in South America. I traveled a lot to Peru and because of this, settled there with my first husband.
I really love that country and if any of you believe in past lives.....I was, perhaps, way back when in that other life....part Peruvian Incan.

Maybe that is why I married a Peruvian in the first place, gave birth to two wonderful little "cholitas" (little Peruvian girls)...and feel so at home when I visit there. As you well know, I love that part of the world and right now it pains me a lot to see the suffering that is going on in Cuzco and the rest of the country.

For those that don't read the papers or tune into international news....it is raining in Cuzco. Once called the "naval of the universe" by the early Incan rulers, this wonderful city once completely covered with hammered gold, is now melting in the constant rains of the El Nino pattern that is gripping the weather systems of the World.

In a city that doesn't see much rain at all...this is devastating! A little over a week ago...the river Vilcabamaba which usually crests at flood stage at 17ft....crested at over 37ft! As the Sacred Valley around Cuzco sits at more than 10,000 ft altitude...there is little to no vegetation due to the lack of oxygen in the atmosphere and lack of precipitation. So when it does rain....there is no stopping the torrents that gush down the mountains into the river below. In its wake, these torrents leave devastation, taking with them the humble houses of the locals and washing away roads and in particular the railroad bed and track that takes upwards of 2000 tourists per day to the famed citadel of Machu Picchu.

Declared one of the New 7 Wonders of the World....these glorious ruins now lay vacant as the last tourist was helicoptered to safety a week ago. With no way to get into Machu Picchu and the little village of Aguas Calientes where the daily train from Cuzco stops, there is no tourism. The hotels are empty....the shops are empty.....the restaurants are empty...and the tummy's of the children are growing empty because their parents now have no income. Tourism was and is the only business in this area.

Back in Cuzco...the hotels are trying to hang in...and in the Sacred Valley, friends who have hotels and casitas there tell me that even though the river is raging...their hotels and restaurants are fine.....except there is no business! No one wants to visit Peru if they can't see Machu Picchu.

Everyone tells me it will re-open soon...however letters from the government tourist office say the end of April will see the first tourist back in the ruins of Machu Picchu.

There is so much more to see and do in Peru. There is the wonderful White City of Arequipa with its ancient convent now a fantastic living museum to the Catholic faith. There is the Colca Canyon, deepest and most little known canyon in the world. Here you can hike...or bathe in the hot springs or just enjoy watching the fabulous Condors with their 12 foot wing span float gently above the canyon floor.
There is Cajamarca and Paracas with their fabulous ruins as well...and lets not forget the Amazon Jungle near Iquitos. There is a wonderful river experience aboard the Aqua (see my blog from April 2008)...and near Cuzco you can fly over the Andes to the Manu Biosphere Preserve where you can see all types of jungle animals and birds. When was the last time you saw a Macaw (what we call Parrots) lick with thousands of these colorful birds fluttering and flying in and out?

OK and lets not forget Lima. I love Lima which is now recognized as one of the hotspots of international cuisine. There are wonderful restaurants like Astrid y Gaston and Rosa Nautica built on a pier over the Pacific. Or how about dinner in an ancient Inca ruin at the Huaca Pucllana? Then there are the museums of Lima. There are so many it is hard to count. Do you want to see ancient textiles.....or gold or weaponry....we have a museum for it in Lima....and the hotels like the Miraflores Park and the Marriott are modern structures that offer 5 star accommodations to the most picky guests.
Then there are my friends at the Casa Andina Hotels. Not deluxe...but extremely comfortable and definitely with a Peruvian flare. There are several in Lima's Miraflores district near restaurants and shopping. They also have several hotels in Cusco (wonderful shopping there too) and the Sacred Valley...as well as near Nazca, site of those huge rock paintings in the desert put there supposedly by people from outer space.

There is so much to see and do in my adopted country of Peru......please don't forget it. Just because Machu Picchu is closed.....don't cancel your trip....just rearrange it. The ruins of Machu Picchu have been there since the 1500's and will still be there in the next millennium.
Peru is so much more than the rock outcrops of this ancient city.
VIVA EL PERU!

ME AND SHACKLETON

2010-02-04T16:04:00.000-05:00

Have you ever dreamed about doing something so exciting that you can't stand it?

I have!

For years I have dreamed of going to the bottom of the earth to traipse across the vast empty stretches of the Antarctic, commune with Penguins and just stare at the awesome beauty that God created.

Unfortunately, the Antarctic is somewhat difficult for mere mortals to access. There were always expedition ships (without stabilizers) that crossed the Magellan
Straits taking two or three days time to get there. I love to sail...and do not suffer from being seasick. However when I heard stories that passengers were sometimes strapped into their beds for two days and that even the crew got sick....I opted out of that scenario.

Then there was...and I say was...a company that flew tourists there, landed and stayed for a few days before it returned to Punta Arenas, Chile. I can't find them now...but perhaps that has something to do with the economy and the $67,000 per person price tag that it cost for the one week journey.

Quantas Airlines flies several flights yearly from Sydney or Melbourne, Australia, down over the Pole and returns within 24 hours. If you purchase a 1st Class (lie down bed like) seat...you get to look at the Pole from the comfort of the up front cabin and keep your seat all the way. If you fly in Coach...you have to give your seat up halfway through the flight to swap with some other unfortunate soul who may have had the bad luck to have a center seat all the way over... for a mere $3000.

So...now there is a new game in town....Le Boreal. A brand new French expedition ship. Abercrombie & Kent the tour company that is marketing the trips on this new ship, says that Sherman Travel (whoever that may be) has been quoted saying that this trip is one of the Top 10 Cruises for 2010. It is,
"raising the bar on Antarctic adventuring as per style and comfort, as well on cruise lines' expected environmental sensibilities in the region."
Can you imagine a balcony for each stateroom? On an expedition ship?
It is small...(very important in Antarctica)and attractive with a heated pool (is that like a hot tub at a ski resort?), two restaurants and even a spa? Wow!
And environmentally sensitive to the last wilderness and frontier in the world?
This one I have to see......!

I have requested more information (and to find out if it has stabilizers) and if this is everything it is supposed to be...I will let you know. I will also be scheduling myself on it for a future sailing. Abercrombie & Kent says that you get a 20% discount if you book before March 31, 2010...so do hope they let me know so I can plan my next escape soon.

GLACIERS GLACIERS EVERYWHERE BUT ONLY WINE TO DRINK

2009-12-05T19:14:00.000-05:00

Here I am still thinking about Argentina and wanting to share some details with my readers who have never been to Patagonia (or Buenos Aires for that matter). You hear the word Patagonia and everyone thinks of the clothing line (they have done a good job of advertising their brand!). But the real Patagonia is an arid and very windy wasteland at the southern tip of South America. It is comprised of both Argentina and Chile and both share some spectacular scenery. I have been lucky enough to visit both and it is a real toss up as to which I would rather visit.

On the Argentine side, you fly from Buenos Aires to El Calafate, about a 3 and 1/2 hour flight. Everyone always thinks that air service in the rest of the world is like our airlines in the USA. They are stunned when they find that in South America and elsewhere in the world that there are not flights every hour and connections out of every city to every other city. In Argentina...there are about 2 flights per day to El Calafate and they fill quickly. That is they fill quickly in summer (from November to February when temps reach a balmy 50 degrees). In the winter months the population of El Calafate decreases substantially as there are no tourists to serve as winter winds blow over the glaciers and snows get very deep. Only the hardy farmers and sheep herders stick around in the cold months.
So...with a short season and lots of hotel rooms to fill with hikers, adventurers and mostly people who want to see some of the most spectacular glacier fields in the world...this little town which used to be only a spec on the map...has grown a whole lot.
The most amazing thing for Argentines as well as foreign tourists are the wildness and the Glaciers. There are any number of them...the Perito Moreno Glacier is the most spectacular and one of the few glaciers in the world that is not melting or growing. Then there is the fabulous Upsala Glacier with its channel of icebergs where 2/3rds of the chunks of ice are below the surface of the water.
It's quite an experience to take a boat trip out through the channel with the patrol boat leading the way to warn of hidden ice that could crack the hull of any ship. You can hear the "clunk" "clunk" of the smaller pieces hitting the boat as you journey closer to this amazing glacier.
Then there is the Spegazzini and Onelli glaciers and the huge Viedma Glacier a little farther north. These are just some of the 48 glaciers that can be found within the Glacier National Park which stretches across Argentina and Chile. It is the worlds 3rd largest source of fresh water.

There are now tourist excursions to all of these complete with boat rides and commentary...but for my money the best experience is the mini ice trekking tour that allows you to walk on tome of the Perito Moreno Glcier. It is the most amazing thing to be walking along the crevasses with your guide and to hear the tremendous crack noises coming from within. It is also hard to believe that you are standing on top of approximate 240 ft of ice (from the lake up to where you traverse). If you don't feel so adventurous.....you can walk around the metal "balconies" that Argentina has built. Make sure you work on your "stairmaster" before you go as none of these excursions are made for handicapped. The balconies are a series of steps up and down and all around the glacier. Here too you can hear the noises coming from this huge mountain of ice that stretches some 30 miles from where you will see it. These glaciers make our Alaskan glaciers look small in comparison.
Best of all if you really don't want to get out in the wild winds of Patagonia is the wonderful Los Notros. This Argentine hostelry fetches a pretty price for the honor of being the only accommodations within the National Park and best of all...every room faces Perito Moreno Glacier....a spectacular site at dawn and at sunset!
So strap on your crampons (to help you walk on the ice for those of you who are uninitiated into climbing and hiking ) and get yourselves down to Patagonia before there are too many people there to make it a true adventure.

MEMORIES OF A GREAT ADVENTURE

2009-11-27T16:01:00.000-05:00

As I sit here at home in Florida once again....I think back to the great adventure that I just had in Argentina. I love Argentina. I love South America. Oh well...lets face it....I love to travel. That is why I do what I do (arrange other people's adventures as well as write about my own adventures). If I can help people to have as much fun and as great experiences as I have had in my lifetime...then my job has been well done.
Questions.....? I always get them. Does my husband go with me on my adventures? Sometimes....but usually not. If there is a golf course involved.....there is a chance that he will go. But most of the time...he leaves the fun stuff to me (read hiking or skiing or paddling or biking). Don't I get tired of being on airplanes?....a definate yes to that one! However I have become accustomed to getting on a plane...sitting down and putting the seat belt on....eating my meager airplane meal and then put on my earphones, my eyecovers and my blanket and going to sleep until I get there. There have been times when I can't sleep and then the seat back movies or a good book keep me occupied. I remember one trip with especially long flights where I read 5 books by the time I got home 15 days later.
Don't I hate being away? Yes...I do....for about the 1st two days and then the excitement begins and my adventures take over my longing to be cozy at home.
So....I am now home again...and cozy again....waiting for my next trip to come around.

TO THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD AND BACK

2009-11-18T16:18:00.000-05:00

Airlines in foreign countries are always interesting. Each place I go , customs agents and security is diffeent. One place you take your shoes off and another you don't...
In Argentina..... they xray your hand bags and you get on the plane. Easy! I was glad, because at 5AM after an entire day of meetings and tango shows and birthday songs...I was too tired to worry about figuring the whole thing out . All I wanted to do is sit in my seat and sleep

I'm glad I did because on arrival in El Calefate it was off and running again for my little group.
First stop the outdoor clothing store as even the folks from Chicago hadn't brought enough warm clothes to keep warm on the glaciers. Thankfully we could rent" and not "buy" because I don't think I will need artic outerwear in Palm Coast Florida ....ever!

Second stop was for Argentine pizza and wine. In Argentina...almost every meal is accompanied by wine. Only at breakfast it's not offered. So after pizza and a great Malbec.. we climbed aboard a giant dune buggy to climb up the mountains surrounding the town. From the top we could see for miles across the plains of southern Patagonia from huge Lago Argentino (3 times the square miles of the city of New York)...to the snow capped mountains....to the glaciers that had formed this valley thousands of years ago.

Standing on the precipice was difficult because of the 45 mph winds that blow on a regular basis. Thank goodness for those Arctic clothes I rented.

Hiking in the wind was even more fun but there was no other way to see the plants and small animals that survive in this cold windy desert area! It is truly hard to bellieve that the entire area was covered with small flowers and colorful plants. After all, it was spring in Argentina !
Even here where the summer brings temps no higher than 50 degrees Farenheit!

At the end of the hike, there were two domed tents which we could crawl into to get warm. A cup of hot chocolate also helped to take away the chill. then back into the big dune buggy for the trip down.

Why is it that the grade and angle of the land never looks bad on the way up.....but the way down....well..how does a vertical drop of 1000 ft in 5 minutes at an angle of attack 0f 35 degrees sound? Yikes...that is super steep!
What no one noticed was that we were doing this at 8PM.
In Patagonia, the sun comes up at 4:30AM and doesn't set at this time of year until 10:30PM.
How great is that? Look how much time it gives you to”play”!

But today all I want is to return to our beautiful hotel, Los Sauces, built by the current President of Argentina for her officials and weekend guests. Mrs.Kirchner and her former President husband live next door and originate from this area of Argentina. Needless to say, the series of cottages and homes (large and small) are filled with the best of everything.
All I could think about after 36 hours of work and fun..was to take a hot shower and get into my beautiful bed.

And that is exactly what I did!

MY NEVER ENDING BIRTHDAY

2009-11-17T15:22:00.000-05:00

It was never planned to spend my birthday in business meetings in Argentina. But when opportunity calls......birthdays take a back seat to what one has to do to keep on learning until the next one.
Starting out with the meeting in the early morning in Buenos Aires and ending in El Calefate in Argentine Patagonia a day later....it was also one of the longest days in my life. Business first... meeting suppliers from all over Argentina. Then a wonderful luncheon at 1pm where the entire group of more than 100 toasted me with a glass of Malbec and sang the happy birthday song in Spanish, English and French.
A friend from Costa Rica even presented me with a red rose and a wonderful birthday cake with one large candle (loved the fact that it was only one). Then back to the lovely Buenos Aires Park Tower Sheraton, my host hotel, where my BA ground operator and friends from this beautiful South American city joined me for drinks and more "Happy Birthdays". Flowers as gifts must be a big thing here because I received so many, there was no way I could take them all to El Calefate the next morning.

At 7PM we were off again to meet the group to attend the fabulous Tango Rojo...a very sexy cabaret tango show that is performed nightly in Phillipe Stark's super eclectic hotel, the Faena y Universo. The Faena y Universo is one of the highlights of any trip to Buenos Aires. The bar, called "the Library" is one of the greatest bars in the city and the champagne flows freely every night along with great appetizers prepared by the award winning chef of the hotel. This also happens to be one of my favorite places for dinner in Buenos Aires. Faena y Universo is located in the new hip Puerto Madero area of the city and where apartment condo's prices begin in the millions.

After drinks and toasts for my birthday in the Library...it was off to Rojo Tango (the hotels showroom) for dinner before the show begins. Dinner usually begins around 10PM and comes complete with more Argentine blends and of course wonderful grilled meats. The show starts at 11PM and this modern interpretation of the Tango is always highlighted with the sexy two person tango where both dancers undress each other and tango horizontally wrapped in thin guaze-like scarves. Then spotlights off! Just one more wow factor of this very special hotel.

Surprise, surprise.....after the show.....another birthday cake and a champagne toast by the entire audience! And I thought Tango was the hit of the night. Will this Birthday ever end?

Back to the Park Tower at 1AM with an hour to repack my suitcase...then off to the airport for the 5AM flight to one of the southernmost points on the planet. By now it isn't my birthday but we keep on celebrating. What better way to stay awake than with more laughs and toasts to me and to our next destination ..Patagonia! I can't wait till we get there!

Cuisin' in Buenos Aires

2009-11-16T20:50:00.000-05:00

When I tell everyone I am traveling again....they always say they want to go with me....even though I am going for work reasons. I have heard,"I'll carry your suitcase" , more than once.....!
Well let me tell you that since the flight touched down at the Eizeza International Airport....my feet have barely touched the ground.
My day starts at around 6AM when I get up and get prepared for the day. Then its breakfast meetings with suppliers. Then off to the convention for a few hours.
After a huge midday meal complete with Argentinean wines, all I want to do is return to the hotel and take a nap. However...it's off to a polo match to watch the expertise of the Argentinean Polo Team. This ends at sunset and it is back to the hotel in traffic up to your eyeballls. I look longingly at my bed as I jump in the shower for a quick one. I have 20 minutes to change into something formal for an evening of Tango on he town. More wine....more tango...more traffic.
I finally return to the hotel about midnight....but some friends want to meet in the lobby bar for a drink. Am I nuts...? I go along....until 2AM. Finally to bed for a few hours, the entire thing repeats the next day with other festivities thrown in for extra learning experiences.

I do love what I do...and always have a great time "learning"!

Well its off to another meal and another tango show. Tomorrow is another day!
So next time you want to go along...just remembeer how much fun I am having and the rigurous schedule I keep. when I get home....I will sleep for a week!

BUENOS AIRES QUERIDO

2009-11-14T22:35:00.000-05:00

Well I made it to Buenos Aires! Almost thought I wouldn´t. The airlines have to be the stupidest people in the world. Why they schedule 1 hour between flights in busy hubs like Miami I will never know. Then in even greater wisdom....they make rules where people have to pay for every checked bag and so rather than paying....everyone in the family brings a rollaboard suitcase. And because they don´t travel on a regular basis....they try to get them in the overheads any which way they can....pushing and shoving...and delaying everyone. Most planes these days are leaving late because of it.
Then there is the guy who can´t get his bag overhead and tries to shove it under his seat...not the seat in front of him...and on to my feet! I have gotten to be a real bitch when flying any more....I stand up for myself and fight for the seat and the space around me that I have chosen for myself. I am an aisle person...and no one can move me from it.
I remember one guy told me that he had to go to the bathroom frequently and that I would be bouncing up and down a lot. I just thanked him and told him today would be my lucky day as I would get my excercise without really trying. Hey buddy....make your own seat selection in a timely manner!
Well here I am....I made it to the beautiful capitol of Argentina. It is spring and the purple Jacaranda trees are blooming. It is just beautiful.
I´m off to a cocktail party and dinner with friends....it is already 9PM....so getting in the style of things here. More tomorrow

OCTOBER IN THE SNOW!

2009-10-30T18:50:00.001-04:00

When was the last time you were in a blizzard in October? What possessed me to go to Bozeman, Mt. in October? Wouldn't it be fun to be with my family during Halloween....?

When I made the air reservations in July...I thought there would be colored leaves, and fall breezes and pumpkin patches where I could help the kids pick the pumpkins and then carve them into scary faces. My family, who used to live in Denver recently moved to Montana for a slower lifestyle. What they didn't figure on was the weather! In Bozeman, the first snow fall comes around the beginning of October and then there is snow on the ground until early June.
Weather systems move across the country from the Pacific Ocean around Portland and Seattle and move down across Montana and on to the east.

So when we deplaned in Bozeman...there was at least one foot of snow on the ground and the temperature was 22 degrees at 4PM. Yikes...what a change from Florida! Thank goodness Delta routed us from Florida to Atlanta to Salt Lake to Bozeman (fun you say?...just love all those changes). My parents were routed through Denver on United and they experienced one of the largest snowfalls in history at such an early date. At my kids old house in Golden....they had 44in of snow in a two day period...quite an anomaly for Golden. My parents, needless to say, spent the night in Denver before continuing on to Bozeman the next day...thanks to the weather.

The great thing about Denver is that one day it snows and then the next, the sun comes out and melts the snow. Bozeman is not that lucky due to the weather fronts that blow in from the Pacific Coast!

So it was into the snow we came....Halloween with snow boots on. Halloween costumes with ski clothes. Oh well...it's all about family! Tomorrow is the big day.....! What will you wear?
Will you be a witch or a goblin or a ghosty. I know that whatever I decide to be....I plan on wearing a lot more clothes than what I would wear in Florida....!

HAPPY SPOOKY HALLOWEEN!

WI-FI AT 32000 FEET!

2009-10-29T11:24:00.000-04:00

Here I sit on a Delta flight in between Atlanta and Salt Lake City.....using the Internet. Hey....this is pretty neat! Who would have thought that we could connect on-line at 32,000 ft?
I just hope they never let people talk on their cell phones! As I fly around the world...more and more people are not turning off their cell phones when the plane leaves the gate. Conversations continue until the flight attendants have to lecture them on turning it off.
So...needless to say...if they ever allow people to talk on phones on planes....it will be a living hell!

As it is now...I can hardly type as the guy in front of me has his seat almost down in my lap. I honestly didn't know they reclined that much. I have an aisle seat thank goodness...but it seems lately that every time I fly...the guy in the center must have been a football player in his earlier days because their arms are always almost in my lap. People in center seats seem to think that as they are being tortured by sitting in the center...they can torture everyone around them.

I always remember the drunk sitting next to me on the flight from Nairobi Kenya to Rome one night several years ago. When he finally fell asleep...it was with his head on my shoulder. Try as I could, every time I would move..I would get the head back again with his whiskey breath wafting up into my nostrils. I think that was the worst flight I ever had. Not one flight attendant would help nor was there another seat available for me to move to.

This flight is not so bad...just an aluminium can packed with people like sardines. Any way....I have my trusty laptop to keep me company and entertain me for the 3 hour flight to Salt Lake City.

So I will sit back...listen to music...read...and play on my computer and do some work as well.
Thank you Delta for making this possible....I do like being able to communicate while wasting so many hours in the air.....

FALL IN FLAGLER BEACH

2009-09-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

I know you must get tired of reading about my trips home. I say trips home because every day at Flagler Beach/Palm Coast is like a vacation.....especially in the fall.

No we don't have colored leaves like the rest or the USA. What little leaf change we have (yellows, browns and yes...some reds)...comes in December. But we do have a wonderful time of year in September through mid December when the skies are blue, there is a cool breeze that whips up white caps on the lake behind my house and there are few people on the beaches.

The "snowbirds" from Canada and the upper Midwest have yet to come down for the winter....and we locals can walk for miles along Flagler's pink beaches with only the seagulls and pelicans for company.

This is my favorite time of year....mornings in the 60's and afternoons in the high 70's...and little to no humidity......heaven on earth.

There is a saying that "home is where the heart is" ....and my heart has been captured by this beautiful place. All my travels through the years have brought me great joy and learning....but Flagler Beach/Palm Coast is one of my all time favorites.

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2009-09-12T17:46:00.000-04:00

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SOUTH BEACH BEAT

2009-08-27T17:47:00.000-04:00

I know I need to get out more....! After Germany, Austria and Hungary ...staying at home was so relaxing. For family matters, I drove 4 hours to Miami to visit friends as well and enjoy some of that good Latin atmosphere that has become what Miami and So Be is all about.

What used to be a sleepy little beach getaway for folks from the Northeast, is now a have for Southamericans and HipHopers from all over the US.

The major "line of demarcation" is 5th St. When you cross the causeway to South Beach....the traffic empties on that street. If you go left...you head into the heart of SoBe...but if you turn right you are in the midst of the new condo complexes owed by locals and foreigners alike.

Below 5th is the quieter side of this pulsing beach city. There are still great restaurants and bars like Smith and Wolensky Steak House and Joe's Stone Crab. But mostly there are residences of the rich, the not so rich and yes , the famous. Buildings are private and gated with doormen and valets who guard the privacy of their residents carefully.

The condo of my daughter and family is also here right on South Point Park and within a 2 block walk to the beach. Best of all it has a view to the Port of Miami and you can sit on the balcony and watch the cruise ships come and go, and cargo ships unload their containers all the while jets take off from Miami International heading for Europe, South America and the far reaches of the USA. At night the city of Miami sparkles in the distance with bright reflections on the water of the canal in front of the condo.

While the more sophisticated side pulses at a slower Latin beat....the upper side of 5th street in the heart of SoBe is reaching a fever pitch. This side of Sobe comes alive around 11 PM and keeps on dancing until the early morning. Collins Avenue is one long strip of partying restaurants and bars up to and including Lincoln Road which is filled from end to end with every imaginable type of people. Gay couples, straight couples, Latins, tourists, Europeans, Japanese and Chinese...all can be found enjoying the night life of South Beach.

This is the place I love to go both day and night to enjoy one of the most interesting and international cities in the southern USA. Back at the condo.....I relax with a glass of good wine and a wish that I could stay longer....but Palm Coast is only 4 hours up the road...and I can come back here whenever I want.

Viva SoBe!

TRAVEL BARGAINS ARE EVERYWHERE!

2009-08-18T16:32:00.000-04:00

Wow...I knew when I went to Europe that things were bad in the tourism industry.

When was the last time that the airlines only charged $500 roundtrip to Frankfurt, Germany at the height of the summer travel season? I really knew that tourism was off when on that same cheap flight....there were empty seats! So many in fact that I had a row of 5 center seats all to myself. I can't remember the last time I lifted up the armrests, took a blanket and pillow and got a good night's sleep on an overnight flight to Europe!

Well...that was just the beginning. As you read in earlier blogs....there were no tourists in Germany, Austria and Hungary. This week I have been talking to friends in the tourism industry around the world and it seems that things are bad everywhere (for people who make a living from tourists that is). There were no tourists in Bordeaux....and few in Paris. Airfares to Africa have just fallen to the $1000 mark and safari travel is way off. My guide friends in Peru tell me that they are even have slack days and that is a shoch as Machu Picchu has just been named one of the New Wonders of the World! Even cuise ships are selling at rock bottom prices and a cruise for two for 7 nights in the Medeterraniean can be as little as $1800.00!

If you have never traveled before and have a passport.....CALL YOUR TRAVEL AGENT AND GO!....now before things start to turn around. You will never find the bargains that are around every corner at this very moment!

Take advantage and get out there and get to know our country and our world! Make peace with your neighbors and spread the good news that we Americans are not so bac after all.

Don't miss this oportunity to travel. The Travel Bargains are everywhere!....so I am off to somewhere quickly...not a minute to loose. I will write as soon as I get there!

HOME AGAIN

2009-08-06T09:22:00.000-04:00

I know, I know....where did we go?

Well sad to say we reached a bend in the river (read Danube) where the Internet did not reach. Who would have believed it that from Melk, Austria....to Nuremberg, Germany....I would be unable to "reach out and touch" everyone!

To me..this was the most beautiful part of the trip...from an organ concert in Passau to Linz at night with its quaint bars and pubs filled with locals to Regensburg, with its wonderful history so different from the rest of Germany.

Regensburg was not a threat to the allies during World War II because Hitler's forces thought it useless. Just a city with a bridge to nowhere. Both left it alone and because of this it has one of the loveliest histories in Germany. Our guide, so cute dressed in her dirndl( German country dress), led us though cobbled streets so close together that it was hard to believe that cars could travel on them.

We arrived at the ancient city hall in time to see a wedding....after which everyone...and I mean everyone including us...went to Regensburgs most famous beer hall to have a drink and some local sausages in a hard roll! Lots of fun.

From there we traveled to Nuremberg where we heard stories of the Nazi's from a local historian. Having been born after WWII and never liking to hear anything about these great world conflicts, I was totally amazed at that horrible man's cruelty to his fellow human beings.

There has always been talk about how many Jewish people he put to death...but we learned from our guide that Hitler was totally intolerant and that he put gays, orientals, blacks and anyone else who was "different" to death in the same way that he did the Jews. Over 6 million German citizens in total were executed by the Nazi's. Over 2/3rds were of Jewish decent...but the rest could have been you or I.

Hitler was elected free and clear by the German people as in the late 30's there was a depression, no jobs, and banks and the monetary system in Germany was in trouble. Hitler promised "change" and the Germans were elated when things turned around the 1st year he was in office. Then things really changed and one couldn't say anything negative about his administration for fear of death squads. Then the exterminations began. Hitler became what we know of him today. Thank God he later committed suicide and that the world didn't have to provide him with one of today's defense attorneys who twist and turn the law to their convenience.

In any case...Nuremberg was an eye opening experience for me and a city although beautiful now had been almost totally destroyed by the allies. I was glad to return to our ship on the beautiful Danube to get out of Nuremberg's depressing shadow.

So now, after a long flight back....I am home at the beach in our great country. We have a lot wrong here...as do all countries. But never let us become a country like pre World War II Germany. Even thought there is a large Neo-Nazi movement in Germany now...the country is peaceful and happy as are Austria and Hungary.

It is more important than ever that we all work for world peace through understanding. We must never forget!

MELK, AUSTRIA

2009-07-29T16:30:00.000-04:00

Ask me what place I think could be the quintessential representative of the typical Austrian town and I believe that Melk would win every time.

130 feet above the Danube you can see the Benedictine Abbey of Melk from miles down river. Built over 300 years ago this stunning abbey is a symbol of what Europe was about. Fuedal palaces and giant churches surrounded by a small village where people lived and breathed to support the local royalty (and the church).

Even today this small town is thriving on the tourist trade that the Abbey brings to the area.
Tourist shops dot the main street and after a visit to the spectacular church, you wind your way back to the Danube though town.

The church itself served as a transit stop for those traveling along the river as the monks keep an entire wing for Royals. The gilded church, covered in frescoes and intricate period paintings on the ceilings is a magnificent example of how powerful and rich the Catholic Church was in the early 18th century. It also houses a magnificent library with over 16,000 volumns of scriptures and writings from this early period. It is one of the largest librarys in the world of works of this kind.

Like all good abbeys...this one also makes a delicious wine known to be one of Austrias best. They sell the wine at the Abbey and also in the town below where all good tourists end up after their tour of the Abbey itself.

So into town I go....along with the hoards of others. There is a wonderful street market with Austrian foods and breads as well as the wine. What a wonderful little respite from the big cities we have been visiting.

So it is back to the Danube and the Viking Pride for another night of travel on the river.
Tomorrow Germany and the ancient city of Passau will be our stop. Hungary and Austria have been wonderful.....maybe I should take some German lessons to get me through the next few days?

VARIATIONS ON VIENNA

2009-07-28T17:30:00.001-04:00

Who would of thought that I would come halfway around the world to see new places and experience wonderful music and their first night I sit down to dinner with a couple from home. There are way too many coincidences on this trip, but the couple from home put the icing on the cake. It is great seeing and doing things from a similar perspective.

After dinner we had an early evening and as the water of the Danube sloshed by alongside...I drifted off to sleep with visions of Vienna Austria with concerts and beautiful palaces and gardens to see.

This is not the 1st time I am in Vienna. I was here years ago and I must say there are still as many tourists here as I saw in Budapest. It is reassuring that so many people still want to come and see the beautiful churches and hear the wonderful music of Mozart and Beethoven and many more.

When we land in port it is indeed a curious scene we are not the first ship in port. As a matter of fact...river cruising is alive and well on the Danube. This is almost like the Nile where the hotel ships line up one alongside the other. To disembark, you get a tour of the lobbies of several ships on your way to the dock itself. This is not all bad.....but today there are a total of 8 river ships docked here. Needless to say....Vienna is crowded.

But this is a city of huge parks, wide avenues and pedestrian streets. There are gold leaved monuments around every turn and photo ops are continual. Representatives of various concert halls dot the corners spreading information about the wonderful musical entertainment available in this city of music. These are cute young men dressed in period dress complete with white wigs and leggings( yes and also the pants and silk coats).

As are most cities in Europe, Vienna is a walking city. We ar part of the parade of people walking everywhere. They drop us at St. Stephens Cathedral, a beautiful example of early architecture.The Rose garden of the nearby palace of the Hapsburg's is stunning at this time of the year with roses of all colors lining every path. Vienna is particularly green at this time of year. The winter snows gave way to summer rains and the tress that bloom along every street give a wonderful glow to this city. Ii should be called the Emerald City ....not the City of Music.

The walks of this afternoon are followed by a concert in a great hall this evening. A small Chanber Orchestra entertains while a young couple dances waltzes to all time favorites of Mozart and Strauss. There is even a petite opera singer who entertains with a scene from the Magic Flute. It is impossible to believe that such a powerful voice comes from such a small person.

Back on the ship after such a full day....the sloshing of the Danube outside my cabin lulls me to sleep for yet another night in this wonderful part of Europe. What will tomorrow hold in store?

I can't wait!

SAILING ON THE RIVER (SORT OF)!

2009-07-27T08:33:00.000-04:00

Quietly gliding through the waters of the Danube, we are now aboard what is to be our home for the next week.

Viking Pride is part of a fleet of river barges (read large yachts) that Viking River Cruises has plying the many rivers of Europe and China. Docked under the Chain Bridge we get off and walk around the city, enjoy a beer in a cafe and then take in a nighttime view of the Danube from one of th ramparts of this beautiful old bridge. A big old stone lion, the bridge mascots stares down at me as I gaze upriver and listen to the sounds of the Budapest and the creaking of the bridge.

I was afraid that our little cabin might be too tiny for me and my neighbor Judy, however it proves to be a great size for friends traveling together. Our cabin is right at the water line and so when we look out the window, we almost feel like a flying fish might feel before he jumps back in the stream. The best thing is the sound of the water alongside the hull....a restful swoosh to help us sleep at night.

There is lots to do on board...all related to where we are on the trip. Last night we had a Hungarian musical group and dancers. There is also the proverbial “lounge Lizard” who entertains on board with a myriad of instruments so you can sing along to your favorites if you want.

Touring locally is a must and more often that not we are off the boat seeing things locally.
Today we are off visitng the many palacee and historic churches of Budapeet. This afternoon we are going to learn how to make Apple Strudel as we wind our way upstream to Vienna, Austria.

Right now....I am going to join Judy on deck to watch the historic castles go by on shore and take as many photographs as I can. People are kayaking in the Danube.....wouldn't it be fun to join them?

Next time.....Goodbye Budapest....herre we come Vienna! What a wonderful way to get
around Europe!

WHERE HAVE ALL THE TOURISTS GONE?

2009-07-26T21:00:00.000-04:00

o this point in our trip, I had begun to think that tourism iin the world was reallly “in the tank”. Everywhere we have gone there were no crowds, no lines, and no people on modes of transportation. The flight coming over was thankfully quite empty and we could stretch out flat with three seats each on our overenight flight. Every train we took there were people, but about 2/3rds of the seats were empty meainng that we could move about taking pictures from any of the windows on the rail cars. Snack service was quick and friendly although the ocasional beer that I have become accustomed to was usually served warm.

We arrived in Budapest at about 9;00PM to a dark empty but historically beautiful arrivals hall. Outside there was one taxi waiting to take us to our hotel on the Danube. The driver quickly announced that we were in good time beause the Formula One Hungarian Gran Prix was to start in the morning. I though he might be trying to qualify for the race as we made it to our hotel in record time!

The front desk clerk welcomed us by telling us that he had held a beautiful room with a view to the iluminated palace across the river. At that point we were so tired....he could of given us a room facing the alley and we would have been happy.

Howeveer the next morning....when we opened the curtains.....the awesome view was next to spectacular. We could not wait to go outside and walk. And walk we did....walk and walk and walk and walk. As a matter of fact we have been walking a lot since we got to Europe. It had not been a problem until we arrived in Budapest! I guess all the missing people on Delta and in Munich and Salzburg and on the train.....had all come here!

Budapest is just teaming with people....europeans and americans....all enjoying themselves and laughing, sightseeing eathing and drinking in the many outdoor cafes that surround the beatiful buildings and parks that make up the Pest side of this city. Pest we fouond out is known as the modern flat side of the city, while the Buda side of the city, l0cated on the other side of the Danube was the historic side built on hills for the defense of this ancient site.

Most of the luxury hotels such as the Four Seasons, Intercontinental, Sofitel and Marriot are located on the Pest side as is most of the activity now in Budapest. There are wide avenues and pedestrian streets loaded with fun shops touting everything from touristy things to wonderful fasion , shoes and antiques. There is a superb and very large flea market here as well which takes hours to wander through. The most amazing thing about Budapest is while they have crushed some buildings to build modern skyscrapers, they prefer to save many of the citys historic buildings, by gutting the inside to modernize them....but leaving the baroque and italianate facades which creates the most fascinating mix of old and new and preserves the rich history of what Budapest has become.

As recently as 1989m Hungary left behind its communist ties with the Soviet Union and today boasts a literacy rate of 99% with only a 7% unemployment rate. The country itself is totally self sustaining with wonderful farms in the couontryside producing a myyriad of producsst for the local maket and for export.

There is so much to see and do and because Hungary has more recently come onto the world state as far as tourism goes.....just a day or two here is simply not eenough to eenjoy its museums, historic churches and palaces, monument and hot springs. It is no wonder that the streets are crowded.

Budapest is the new “in” place to travel to and they now know it. There are so many sightseeing boats on the Danube, tour buses in the streets and restaurants, casinos and clubs to go to....let alone the festivals that are constantly going on.....you could stay for weeks and never see it all.

Tomorrow we board our ship to sail upstream to Vienna. Like everyone else....we hate to leave Budapest so soon. So we take a last minute walk over the Chain bridge to Buda, under
the many spotlights that illuminate the buildings along the shores of the Danube. We are not alone...it seems the world is here with us. What a beautiful and wonderful city.
I will be back!

THE SOUND OF MUSIC TOUR

2009-07-26T09:41:00.000-04:00

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Another day in Europe..another beer in a scenic spot. Life is good!

For a person who is really not into beer that much in the states, I am making up for lost time here in Austria.

Sentimentalist that I am, today I took the Sound of Music Tour with Judy. I know just about every song from the movie having seen it more than 10 times (a question they ask everyone on the tour). As you visit the sites of the film, they play every song so you can sing along.

Odly enough our guide is not Austrian but a guy from Colorado transplanted to Salzburg.

With some of the jokes he told and the way he talked, I really wondered if he was a graduate of Disney or Six Flaggs back home.

In any case....to be able to get outside of Salzburg and enjoy the spectacular scenery, was well worth the price and stopping in the little town of Mondsee (where the Von Trapps of the movie got married) was great! We ate weiner schnitzel and apple strudel (no not together) for lunch and then had a beer in a little alleyway under flower boxes loaded with bright colorful blooms.

Both Judy and I wished we could take some of those beatiful gardens back to Florida.

The tour drops you in the Mirabel Castle Gardens which are spectacular with geraniums, petunias, hydrangeas and other gorgeous blooms. But that is a long way from our hotel and so we run most of the way back so we can make our train to Budapest.

So as we sit aboard and watch the fields of sunflowers float by with an occasional castle in th background....we again lift our glasses in toast to our too rapid departure from Salzburg and its wonderful music scene. Proust! and on to the next beer!

THE SOUNDS OF SALZBURG

2009-07-24T16:26:00.000-04:00

As I sit here by the window in our hotel in Alstadt (Old Town) Salzburg listening to the rain coming down on cobbled streets....I am tiredly thinking of the wonderful day my friend Judy and I have had wandering around this beautiful city.

Yesterday we walked and walked and walked through lovely Munich ..so stylish and wonderful that everyone who visits seems to travel quietly and talk in hushed tones. Perhaps it is that there were so many Middle Eastern people there and as they walk around in their robes with women and children behind them...they don't talk. Well neither did the Germans and other visitors to Munich.
Judy and I found ourselves talking in hushed tones as well as to disturb this quiet would have been a shame. It was however strangely somber and odd.

Today however we left quiet Munich and replaced it with symphonies and music of this Austrian city. The 24th of July is the kick-off for music season and there are stages and musicians everywhere. Too bad we have to leave tomorrow as we could have attended so many of the concerts and operas being performed.

Our hotel sits at the edge of Old Town and along the edge of the river so when we don't here the
sound of the rain....we can hear the music with a background of river flowing through it.

Judy and I love this city. We took the funicular up to the Salzburg Castle and toured the beautiful rooms. Then we sat along the castle wall and enjoyed beer and a huge Austrian pretzel in the afternoon sun while it too glittered off the snow of the nearby Alps. Are we in heaven?

The greens are greener...the flowers seem more colorful and the many tourists here seem so interested in the finer things of life. Not many Sandis here.....this is all about culture.
Actually there are not many Americans either.....but lots of Europeans enjoying the history of their forefathers.

The rain is quieting now....and in the distance echoing off the buildings ....somewhere an orchestra plays. Music is everywhere!
It is too beautiful here.

MUNICH FOR THE MIDDLE EAST

2009-07-23T09:13:00.000-04:00

Finally we arrived in Germany after a very very uncomfortable night on my favorite Delta. The Boeing 676 we flew on had so many empty seats that thankfully we could lie down and get some rest as even in business class the seats only declined about 2 inches.

but getting around in Europe is very easy which makes things easy for our tired bodies. Airports lead lead to rail and bus stations and before you know it you can be anywhere on the continent.
Trains in Europe are modern and fast averaging about 90 MPH so it doesn't take long to get some place. Plus they are clean and neat with full service aboard. The transportation system in the USA could take lessons here and really learn the meaning of service.

So...as they say in Germany....we are in Munich...land of the Saudis! We have never seen so many Saudis and other Midleastern people in our lives (outside of Riyadh or Dubai). They are eveerywhere. And most are shopping at Chanel , Gucci, Bally, and other designer stores. What I could not figure out was why buy all that beautiful stuff when you have to wear a black galabia with everything but your eyes covered? Oh well...at least there are some people traveling and buying. Americans are definitely not! We are a scarce commodity here in Germany.

My traveling companion and I tried to help the local economy with a beer in every stop....but there is no way we can help on the designer end of things as our dollar still doesn't buy too much with the exchange rate of the euros.

So...(again) the stay is quick and tomorrow its off to Salzburg, Austria... We wonder if that city too will be a cool respite for the people from the hot sands of Arabia.

Prost!

OFF AGAIN

2009-07-22T15:24:00.000-04:00

I feel so guilty that it has been since May when I posted my last blog! I apologize.
I left you in Ecuador and then in June I was in New York City for visiting family and then returned three weeks later for the 1st meeting of the Saveur Magazine's Travel Advisory Board. After having been in the city so many times...I feel almost like I live there. My daughter lived on 4th Ave where we spent the Christmas Holidays and now lives in Brooklyn. I always remember the famous old book about "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and I have found out that it is true as the houses are old brownstones with big gardens behind them and all the streets are lined with big old oak trees.
So now I am old hand at using the subway to get back and forth to Midtown Manhattan where my meetings were held.
Today finds me in the Sky Club (Delta's new name for the Crown Room) waiting for my flight to Frankfurt Germany. My friend Judy and I are on our way to Germany, Austria and Hungary to join up with Viking River Cruises Romantic Danube Cruise. I don't know how romantic it will be in a tiny room without our spouses....however we are definitely planning on having a good time!

So....this time I promise to try and keep up each day so friends and family alike can follow our footsteps in Europe.

Its time to board our plane....so bibi for now! Cheers!

CUENCA-ECUDORS BEAUTIFUL CITY

2009-05-14T19:59:00.000-04:00

In a city where there are almost more churches than sqares to put them in...Cuenca takes the prize in being one of the most beautiful cities in all of Ecuador. Perched above two rivers, the historicc section above the T river is laid out much llike colonial times with tree lined squares centered around cathadrals or historic chches. The modern side of the city across the ? river and stetcheing up the Andes has 8 universities and colleges to educate the residents.

Around every turn in the Old town is a historic building or turn of the century convent, or musuem or tourist point of inteeest. Classical and spanish style ballads ring out from loud speakers in Calderon Square....that is in between teh clanging of the bells from all thhe churches. he city is a cacophy of sounds from the street vendors laughter to the bird calls that signal the traffic light changes on each street corner.

It is in Cuenca that the original Panama Hat originated. The straw hats made here were exported to Panama during the building of Panama canal.when the Panama canal was visited by Teddy roosevelt he wanted one too and with his picture featured on newspaper covers around the world...these hats, made in Cuenca were mega popular and became known as Panama Hats...!

RUNNING OUT OF TIME

2009-05-06T21:31:00.000-04:00

Where to begin? I am in Quito and loving it (as usual). And I am running....so much to do in so little time. I am here for one day only.

There are so any fun places to go and historic things to see. Went to a breakfast meeting in an old hospital that has been converted to an event center. There are many of these in Quito and as this is the 3rd tourism meeting I have been to here it is always a surprise to see that the Ecuadorians have come up with one more.

I escaped the city tour this time as I wanted to see the Botanical Garden. Ecuador has over 4000 species of orchids and I love them all. I have about 18 in my house and am trying to learn how not to kill them. So I am off to see the orchid house.

One of the great things in Ecuador is that cabs are all over the place and the most you pay is $4.00 to go just about anywhere. It costs me a $1.50 to get to the Garden. And what a spectacular display. There are thousands of species all under one roof....orchids...bromiliads...and right outside the door there is a display of cactus like I have never seen. What a spectacular place.!

I have been to Quito so many times now...I actually have friends here and beleive it or not...the brother of a neighbor in Florida also lives here. So rather than do the regular tourist thing, I am off to have drinks at his new penthouse apartment and then dinner with friends at a wonderful Peruvian restaurant.

The view of the city of Quito with its background of snow clad volcanoes is beyond beautiful. As it grows dark....the lights of the city with its lighted monuments and buildings in the historic center lend a spectacular touch!

As a former resident of Peru...dinner at Astrid & Gaston consisted of Cuy(guinea pig) which is one of my favorites. Luckily Ecuador also specializes in this dish so I know I will have more.

So late this evening it is back to my hotel to get ready for another brilliant day in Ecuador. Running again.....before departure for Cuenca tomorrow

COME FLY WITH ME

2009-05-04T14:14:00.000-04:00

One would think that today with the economic struggles of the world and now with the Swine Flu "panddemic" that everyone would be on their good behaviour to keep the pulic happy purchasing their products and traveling on their planes (especially with Mr Biden's advice not to).

Unfortunately....this is not the case.

Flying to Ecuador from our area of Florida there are several choices (another reason to be nice to people). You can fly from Orlando to Miami and then Quito, the captiol. Or you can fly from Jacksonville or Daytona to Atlanta and then on to Ecuador directly. There are choices of several airlines.

We chose the Daytona route as the airport is wonderful and small and friendly and everything is easy to accomplish. Also because the airline where I have the most miles flies out of Daytona Beach Airport. It also helps that I am a member of their elite flyer club so that gives mee an occasional upgrade to the front of the plane. When I checked in on line I had gotten my upgrade. I looked at the seat map and at 11PM the night before we left there were 7 empty seats up front.
So I called Delta and askeed if they would also upgrade my husband given that we were a few hours from departure. The agent promptly informed me that I would have to ask at the airport.

So after our flight to Atlanta from Daytona....I asked the agent in the Crown Room who promptly told me to ask at the gate. The agent at the gate said "NO"....no reason given. I boarded and took my seat in business and Larry in the back in Coach. There were still 7 empty seats! I asked the lead flight attendant and she said she would ask the captain "but I understand we are full" (the standard answer). When she came back she told me that the captain had said No.

When they closed the door there were several seats still available and in particular the one next to me. I begged...I cajolled.....I almost got down on my knees and pleaded....all to little avail.

Then I got mad....stating that being a Medallion Flyer meant that I spend a lot of money with the airline and why had they boarded people with "buddy passes" (standby passengers that are usually friends of Delta employees)and who now sat in some of those business class seats. However this Medallion almost "million miler" with their airline...a paying client... could not even have my husband sit next to me in a seat that was going to go empty.

She explained tha they didn't have a meal for him (so what...give him peanuts or a coach meal)..that they couldn't serve him drinks.....(he offered to pay for his drinks like they do in coach). All I wanted was him to enjoy the seat next to mine.

Then she closed the curtain between Coach and Business and we were off for Ecuador.

When the seat belt light went off....she came back to me and whispered that she was going to move him up as she agreed with me and didn't know why the airline had this policy. She apologized to us both and then asked us to remember that there were still nice employees with the Delta.

In the end...there was a meal for him and drinks and we arrived in Ecuador ready for our adventure. But righ now there is a general hate for the airline industry among the traveling public. You have to pay for your bags...you have to pay for headsets....and you have to pay for your own meals. And best of all you have to deal with nasty crews who are threatened to follow the rules or be fired!

I can't blame the employees who just want to keep their jobs....but when are the pencil pushers who run the airlines going to remember that it is we the people who are the reason that they have jobs. It is the paying passengers who make it possible for the employees and retirees of the airlines to have 10 Buddy Passes per year to give to their friends...free of charge. Please rememer Delta and all you other airline management people that it is the paying passengers that make all of this possible for you.

So give us a break and some slack and when there are empty seats up front ....let someone sit there. Give a free drink if we have to sit on the runway too long. Lets get back to the times when traveling was fun. Come Fly wih me an enjoy it.....don't make me hate you

WORLD WIDE PANIC ATTACK!

2009-04-30T09:43:00.000-04:00

I can't tell you how many people have called me warning me to not go to Ecuador!
"Don't get on airplanes or any form of public transportation".....Joe Biden, VP of the USA said this morning on The Today Show! What is the US press doing to us....making us a nation of whiners?

When I travel throughout the world....when there is a problem....it is always the people from the US that hunker down and stop visiting the wonderful places. They cancel their trips right and left and cause a general mess in the US travel industry. Even now....because of the panic, US cruise lines have cancelled stops in Mexican ports. The already reeling travel industry and yes the flailing airline industry is suffering in the wake of all these TV talking heads that spout gloom and doom daily!

STOP ALREADY!

Swine Flu, Bird Flu, outbreaks of Ebola in Africa, Aids in Africa, and kidnappings in Central America....what next?

I am tired of the US being the laughing stock of the world. It is no wonder we are dis-respected throughout! Not only are we brash and brag that we have "The biggest and the Best" here in the USA but we try to impose our values worldwide. We don't bother to learn foreign customs before traveling and God forbid we learn a foreign language to get along!

Wake up America...yes there is a flu out there....but the regular old flu (for which we have vaccines) kills many people each year. Would we even be giving the Swine Flu much thought if the talking heads on TV didn't say it was so?

So...as I prepare to get on the big metal cigar of an empty airplane for Quito, Ecuador, on Sunday....I will think of all those crazy folks who cancelled their trips and their summer plans to protect themselves from this "pandemic". Yes...I plan to wash my hands a lot...and I am even taking hand sanitizer (a small one like I always do). I'll be having a good time at my meeting...out of the blast of US TV sets and radios with their scary reports of world wide panic. Why can't we Americans just use our heads and think through this whole situation....have fun and just enjoy life?
Every day is a blessing and a new experience. What happens will happen here or there. So just enjoy yourselves and lets help stop this world panic attack! Tell our "talking heads"...ENOUGH AND STOP THIS!
Hope you are having fun too!

KEEPING UP AND GETTING READY

2009-04-25T08:55:00.000-04:00

I am currently entering into "panic mode" this week as I get ready to attend a tourism conference in Quito, Ecuador. This is the 3rd such meeting in as many years. There will be two days in Quito then 2 in Cuenca in the south of the country and then 2 days in Guayaquil on the Pacific coast.

Quito is by now "old hat" for me as I have been there many many times. I am really looking forward to Cuenca and Guayaquil as they will give me lots of new things to write about.

Ecuador is called the land of constant spring because the weather is usually wonderful.I guess climate change has affected them as well because in checking weather.com it has been in the 60s all week and raining. For this Florida girl....that will be a shock to my system as this week in Palm Coast the weather has been fabulous and sunny in the 80s.

So as I enter into this week of panic....my entries here will be short and sweet. I have to finish all my work, get my house ready for guests while I am gone, and pack. Yikes.

So BiBi for now......have a great day!

WHAT SHALL I WRITE ABOUT NEXT?

2009-04-23T09:42:00.000-04:00

I don't know how many of you know this...but I write travel articles for a monthly magazine in Atlanta, Georgia. OUR TOWN Monthly (www.ourtownmonthly.com) is the publication. I have a deadline of the 15th of each month and because I have not been traveling as much as last year..it has been difficult to think of themes or places to write about. So....when I think about what to write here in my blog....I may just do the same thing as when I write for the magazine and tell you about what is currently happening in travel around the world.
Right now...things are cheap cheap cheap! Stay 4 days for the price of two....reduced rates on airlines and cruise ships! Even the dollar is at 1.29 with the Euro today. That is almost where it was when Euro's were first issued.
So now is the time to travel and purchase you air tickets and travel and to plan your next vacation. You can come to Florida (where I am) and enjoy the weather here...or for almost the same price you can go to the Caribbean and take advantage of some of the available specials.
Those are my words of wisdom for the day....let me know if you have any ideas as to what you would like me to write about. I have been just about everywhere in the world and for that I am grateful! So let me hear from you and you might be in my next Our Town article or posted here on this blog.
Thanks for following me!

WHERE ARE YOU?

2009-04-22T08:57:00.000-04:00

Wow...I feel really badly that I haven't been keeping my blog up to date. Truth is...I haven't been anywhere exciting. What with the economy and people feeling down about spending money...let alone traveling....it has been difficult to write about exciting things.
Yes...we traveled back and forth to Missoula, Montana, for the wedding of my nephew and to visit family. Then to Atlanta on a regular basis to visit my mom and dad who are going strong at 90 years of age (they will really hate that I told you how old they are).
In any case....February found us in Montana. Most would say that it is such a beautiful state....which it is for the most part. But the city of Missoula leaves room for improvement. We flew into Bozeman where my daughter and my sister live...and then drove 3 hours to Missoula for the wedding.
OMG! I know that the University of Montana is in Missoula....and college towns are usually quite nice, but I am sorry about this....Missoula is perhaps one of the ugliest western towns I have ever been in. Maybe it was the drab weather...neither snow nor sun....just a gray pall constantly clouding the skies.
The wedding was beautiful however. On a hillside overlooking Missoula, the setting was a country club and golf course which even in the dull afternoon looked halfway pretty. As the lights of the city below came on...it was almost magical. Missoula was quite pretty at night and from above.
After the wedding....it was three hours back to Bozeman...through Butte (another "not to visit" place). All you see are the huge brown strip mines surrounding the city. Truth is they have a nice historical center....but with the surrounding hills gouged by machinery looking for copper....not a pretty site.
So...back to beautiful Bozeman....with the Spanish Peaks in the background...all pristine and white with the winter snows. Being from Florida.....seeing 14 inches of the white stuff come down in one night was frightening. However the locals just take it in stride and don't let it bother them. Bozeman also has bright sunlight and lots of trees too ...so it was a nice ending to this family gathering.
So friends.....I will try and do better and keep up to date with this column. However for now...I am glad I am back in 80 degrees and cool breeze on the beach at Palm Coast, Florida!

2009 - THE NEW YEAR

2009-01-25T12:16:00.000-05:00

I am back in Florida again...after having said my goodbyes to my parents in Georgia and driving back 6 hours to home base. Some how six hours sounds like a long time, however it is short in comparison to one's lifetime of experiences and the ride really gives me a quiet period to speculate on what has transpired last year. I had a wonderful 2008. I am so grateful for family and friends and where I am in my life. I have so much to be thankful for....it should be Thanksgiving!

I have several people who follow my bog and also those who live vicariously through my travels. When I was young, if someone had said that I was going to spend a good portion of my life overseas (let along in airplanes) I would have said they were crazy. Now I just enjoy every minute that I am traveling and getting to know our world.

Now I find myself in the middle of January 2009, thinking about where next? I am getting cabin fever and I have only been back for a couple of weeks. Maybe I can find a trip for Valentines Day....much better than roses or chocolates don't you think?

Right now there are "deals" everywhere. I have been to a lot of places, but
where I like to go...the more exotic the better. Those are never inexpensive.
I would love to go to Irian Jaya (Indonesia) where they still don't wear clothes.
I am also dying to go to the south of France and just spend some days in the sun with a pallet and easel and canvas stretched and ready to recieve my efforts.
I don't really know how to paint....I just like the smell of the oils! Africa is again calling my name. It has been several years since I have been there,but remember fondly a program called "Walking with Elephants" where you lived in a tented camp in Botswana with a herd of elephant and learned all there was to know about those huge pacaderms.

Oh well there is plenty of time to think of where next. Today it is warmer and the beach is calling my name. Right now the Right Whales and moving up the East coast of Florida. Yesterday there were pods of 6 and 9 seen close to shore. I will take my chair and my binoculars and dream about where I really want to go....South America (so close to my heart)...Southeast Asia......Southern Africa or Southern Europe....so many places to go and never enough time.

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK

2008-12-24T15:54:00.000-05:00

What an exciting city to be in during the Holidays! Thousands of people flock to this world class city from Thanksgiving to early January.....and I can see why. It is so beautiful and exciting.
If you arrive at any of the city's airports or train stations....."car services" (kind of a limousine/taxi) are everywhere...and cheap. Car service from LGA (LaGuardia) is a mere $30 and from JFK $40...a real bargain when you consider other cities and their airport transportation. If you are brave of heart and you don't mind dragging your own bags around...there is train service that connects JFK to the New York subways. Otherwise those famous old Yellow Cabs are all over the place.
As a matter of fact...they are a great way to get around Manhattan as well. All of my friends and family that live here don't even have cars because they don't need them. The sea of yellow moves north and south and east and west throughout the city and can take you anywhere for little to nothing. Just make sure the car has a working meter and that you give the driver a tip of about 5%. Otherwise you might get yelled at by those same guys who are so anxious to pick you up. And prepare to fly through the streets night and day at break neck speed. The newest cabs even have computerized GPS/TV's that keep you entertained as you go....and so that you don't notice how close you get to the other yellow cabs!
The Subway in New York is also great for a quick ride. You can get anywhere within the city for a mere $2.00.
We traveled north to the Bronx and the NY Botanical Garden on a clean fresh commuter train for $6.00.
The attractions in New York run the gamut from the regular Broadway shows and the famous Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall to performances at Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum. Christmas trees are everywhere from Rockefeller Center south to Ground Zero and the South Street Seaport. You can go ice skating in Rockefeller Center or Central Park and one half hour north is the NY Botanical Garden with its children's exhibits and which hosts a wonderful train show every holiday season.

Kentucky born artist Paul Busse has created this show for over 20 years adding new recreations of New York City landmarks every year. Every building and bridge is made with natural things from mother nature. The G-class trains run across bridges high above your head and made of twigs and sticks from nearby. The beautiful display inside is an equal match for the snowy landscape outside.

Back in the city we can't miss a chance to visit the beautiful angle tree at the Metropolitan Museum.....no pictures allowed. Then a quick trip down 5th Avenue past stores like Bergdorfs and Saks to see the famed windows before returning home to the family apartment in the West Village.

Tonight is Christmas Eve and the historic church next door will ring in the Birth of Christ with bells ringing from the lighted towers outside our windows. "People everywhere bringing in good cheer"...Christmas in New York....there is nothing like it.

HOLIDAY AIRPORT BLUES

2008-12-22T10:26:00.000-05:00

Well I am off again. After several warm weeks at my beach in Florida and getting people off to their holiday destinations.....it is my turn!
Here I sit in the Crown Room at the Atlanta Airport in Concourse B. We got here this morning at about 8AM thinking that the crowds would be insane.
They were!
There were lines out the door of people checking in.
Luckily due to the fact that I travel so much...I have garnered enough miles to acquire elite status and so don't have to wait in long lines. The glares by those crowds as we bypassed them was not very special.
Merry Christmas I say. Glowers ensue. Oh well....they now know what I go through at least once or twice per month.
So the way I figure it....I have earned this bypass!

We check in and because of that elite status...I also don't have to pay for my checked luggage. Thank you Delta...for remembering those of us who rack up those miles. I checked the bags of those traveling with me so that they wouldn't have to pay either.
The lady at the counter knows what we are doing. But because she has the very exact first and middle name as me....we chat about our names....and thankfully she is pleasant.
Not so with so many others as the large crowds make everyone cranky.
So thankfully we make it through the TSA's in record time and from check in to the CR it takes 1/2 hour.
Now we sit...and sit...and sit. New York City here we come...but we still sit.

I love NYC at Christmas...it is cold (very cold) and festive. My family lives in the West Village so we can even enjoy the homey feeling of real New Yorkers.
Tonight we will drive uptown to see The Tree and Rockefeller Center with its skating rink and lights. How beautiful.

Sometimes...living in Florida...this season really doesn't feel festive. What with the Palm trees blowing in the wind and a sunny beach day de rigour. But now I am on my way to a real Christmas holiday.
New York City...here we come....but for now we sit and enjoy the Atlanta Airport Blues !

FLOATING OVER CAPPADOCHIA

2008-11-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

No trip to Turkey is complete without a visit to the weird rock formations in the area of Cappadochia. When I saw the line of white buses headed up the highway toward this famed spot....even in the "off season"....I knew we were in for lots of bodies from all over the world.
Yup....I called it....! There were busloads of Japanese(of course!)...Germans....French....Chinese....and a few other Americans.....with some Canadians thrown in. There was even a group of Spanish tourists being their usual loud selves and taking over the best picture spots.
So if you ever go....be prepared!
Cappadochia is spectacular and really memorable...even to the police station located in one of the spires which I have posted a picture of here. However the best moments are early in the morning on a fabulous balloon ride up and over all those people. Of course they too have figured out that balloons are the best way to see everything and the air at 7:00AM is filled with colorful balloons all bouncing up and down over the amazing countryside. You play and bounce around for about 1 hour and then when you land the crew is waiting for you with a bottle of Champagne to toast the sunrise and your happy return to earth. Cappadochia Balloons was the first company to do this and is still considered the best and safest in the business and it was very much of a treat for them to host us that morning.
So....tourists aside....tourist trinket shops aside.....(why do we pollute the world with these?)...Cappadochia is truly a unique place in the world where for generations and centuries....the early peoples of the world visited and made cave homes etched into these spires. Perhaps they were smarter than us all along. Warmer in winter and cooler in summer....the locals still enjoy the caves even today while we enjoy our hotel (also made from the caves)...but complete with swimming pools and spas and a gourmet restaurant.
Tomorrow back to Istanbul and home to the states. Turkey has been a wonderful experience and there is still more to see and enjoy. Maybe next year I will come back and try my hand at sailing a Gullet (small sailing yacht). Then again...maybe I will let someone crew it for me and show me the best places to go....without those extra tourists around.

A Bath at Pamukkale

2008-11-04T13:41:00.000-05:00

Every now and then....I get opportunities to get to know other countries and places. Invitations in my business are common. All the world wants a published travel writer to do an article about what they see. Personally I like to do the trips on my own as somehow when the government of a country invites you to write a story.....the view of the local world they present to the writer is somewhat slanted. I personally end up comparing them to South America as that is my favorite place in the world.

I had always thought that Peru topped the list of places with historic ruins around every corner....but in the case of Turkey...where I was on an invited trip....the ruins are at every step of the way. You can't go 3 feet without stepping on some kind of pot shard from ancient history. They are so plentiful that the locals don't even bother to pick them up. But don't try and do this yourself as customs officials will put you in a lovely Turkish jail in case you get any similar ideas.

Proliferation of ruins in Turkey is common as is the proliferation of tourism in this country. Masses of Japanese, Russian, German and French are a common site all year long. Cruise ships with thousands of passengers dock in Istanbul every day.
Big white buses can be seen even on the smallest roads and Turkey has yet to work out a way to see all its historic sites without having a big white bus in the picture. Hotels and restaurants are always prepared with the typical menu of bus tour fare and are ready with "get them in, get them out" service.

The Turkish have yet to figure a way to get these masses of people moving around without the feeling that one is just a part of the mass. Ruins are over run with Japanese....as usual....with cameras clicking and all of them talking at an excited pitch and at the same time.

Pamukkale...a wonderful area of hot springs dating from Roman times, was no exception. Here there are public bathing pools and salt flats to wade in which are overrun with all kinds of people...all snapping away taking pictures of friends standing on the white stone.

Turkey and Pamukkale are very beautiful places to visit....but crowds are everywhere and the mentality of tourism is on the busloads of cruise ship visitors and tourists from the world over. Although from December through March it is cold.....tourism comes to a standstill. I wonder if this is perhaps a more beautiful and austere time to see this amazing country?

ON TO THE LAND OF FAITH

2008-11-02T12:38:00.000-05:00

Growing up and attending years of Sunday School and Bible Studies....I don't know where I picked up the idea that the sites of the Bible were mostly located in Israel and Jordan. Never did I think that Turkey would figure in to that map of ancient Roman/Judeo Christian belief.

We left Istanbul (called Constantinopel in the days of the Ottoman Empire)and headed south along the turquoise coast past WWI bunkers, olive groves and orange trees.
Turkey is located just south of mainland Europe and East of Iran and Irag. It is a magical mixture of East and West and a prime crossroads between both areas...thus the reason for the bunkers. Turkey was a strategic crossroads between waring fronts throughout its history.

It is a beautiful area where Europeans now come to vacation alongside of historic ruins. Here, the "7 churches of the Apocalypse" from the book of Revelations in the New Testament are located. Called Anatolia it is here that St. John played an important role in the expansion of early Christianity. It was John who promoted the westward march of this religion from the Holy Land.

He located his church near Ephesus and even brought along Mary, the mother of the cruicified Jesus to live out her last days. Her home, now a shrine, is visited daily by many religions of the world. Mary was venerated by the Muslims as well and was honored thorughout their religious art that acknowledged the virgin birth and her role as the holy mother of a man that all religions considered sacred.

We visited the large city of Izmir (formerly known as Smyrna),now called the Pearl of the Agean and then the seaside resort of Kusudasi. Then we continued inland past the ruins of Troy, Pergamum and Philadelphia and on to what is now Pamukkale formerly Hierapolis where early Christians as well as Roman royalty went to enjoy the mineral springs. On and on into religous history in this land where over 95% of the population is Muslem.

Turkey...the land of the Early Christians, Gladiators, the Ottomons, Sultans and World Wars. Now a mixing pot of east and west as it was in the early days....brining business and commerce and tourism up to date.

ISTANBUL- FOODIE CENTER OF TURKEY

2008-10-31T11:48:00.000-04:00

Baklava, tea, Turkish coffee....What a great day. Day 2 of my trip wee are off to some exciting places in Istanbul. But we visit the most famous Baklava factory in the world. Nadir Gullun , the owner is our host and actually shows us the process of how to make this delicious sweet that originated in Turkey...not Greece. After donning white gowns and caps and face guards we have a hands on learning experience. The dough is so thin you can read a newspaper through it.

After we learn...then we sit down to taste some of the 20 different varieties that are made here. As I am not a sweat aholic....I love the kind that is filled with cheese and spinach.
For those that are chocoholics there is even a syrupy baklava that is made with cocoa in the pistachios.

It is hard to leave..but we must do some tourist things today...like seeing the amazing

Haghia Sofia church built in the 6^the century and decorated with beautiful Byzantine religious mosaics. Interestingly...these are Christian mosaics that are also revered by the Turkish Muslims which is the majority of the people of turkey. The religious symbolism is also revered by Muslims as the saints are also mentioned in the Koran as the virgin Mary and Mathew, Mark,Luke and John are holy men as is the Virgin Mary.

The dome of this sacred church is also the highest point in the city and its minarets dominate the skyline of Istanbul.

Across the street from this ancient church is the Blue Mosque. Interestingly..the only women inside are tourists as our guide tells us that Muslim women are expected to be working while the men pray. We are not permitted in this prayer area where we see the Mullahs and men kneeling down in prayer in the direction of mecca.

Today is October 29,...turkey's 4^{th/sup> of July...and the streets are crowded with revelers and decorated by the red Turkish flags everywhere. Traffic is as bad if not worse than a New York traffic jam. It takes us two hours to go perhaps 3 miles...but we arrive with ample time to see the spectacular laser and fireworks show that is being displayed across the water of the Mamara sea.}

Istanbul Turkey

2008-10-29T01:48:00.000-04:00

An invitation by the Turkish Tourist Board has brought me to Istanbul during this last week in October. Little did I think I would be here during this important time in the US when we have to decide who will lead our nation. But thanks to absentee ballot...I was able to take the 24 hour trip "across the pond" to Istanbul. I have never eaten so much in what is now my1st 4 hours in Turkey!
Turkish hospitality is all about good food and entertaining. It is also helped by the fact that I was invited to come to Turkey by auspices of being on a travel advisory board for Bon Appetite Magazine.
We are here with the Executive Editor of the magazine and with 1o other "foodies" from around the USA. We all love to cook and we all love to eat ......and we have!
Mosques...food....and Minarets....and food! That is what is we have done today. And we saw a spectacular laser light show and fireworks display over the Bosporus tonight.
Tomorrow we leave Istanbul....a city of 16 million people....for the countryside....and more regional food. For now I will leave you with a picture of the Blue Mosque and the sounds of the Mullah singing the evening prayer for the city.

THE ROMANTIC HACIENDAS OF ECUADOR

2008-09-18T18:02:00.000-04:00

For years I have dreamed of owning a large historic hacienda in some beautiful green valley in South America. Along with the acreage, I dream of stables filled with wonderful Arabians and good tempered Paso Horses that I can ride across pastures and hillsides.

I have always wanted to live that part of South American history written about by Isabel Allende (House of Spirits/ Portrait in Sepia and Daughter of Fortune). Daydreams can become reality in Ecuador.

A green gem of a country on the Pacific Coast of South America, the average elevation of Ecuador is above 5000 ft with a year round spring like climate. With more than eleven major peaks, (many of which are still active volcanoes) it is also a great country for trekking and mountain climbing. There are also many, many historic haciendas where you too, can live like part of the historic aristocracy. Once owned by the powerful and rich families of Ecuador, these haciendas were faced with extinction in the current economy. The inheritors of these historic places had to create a way to keep their lands as upkeep on an average 1000+ acres is very expensive. In recent years they have had to sell off portions of their properties to local farmers and large dairy farms so they can keep the hacienda homes, stables and horses. Others have turned these homes into wonderful boutique hotels where you can enjoy excellent food, ride their horses, hike or just settle down with a good book in front of a cozy fireplace.

Yes, you can live like South American aristocracy! Hacienda Zuleta is such a place. Owned by one of the first Ecuadorian presidents and creator of their Constitution… it has been passed down to his son (another of Ecuador's presidents) and now his grandson and current owner.. This hacienda boast stables with over 100 pure bred horses. Daily rides to the nearby mountains and valleys near the Cayambe Volcano provide scenic views for both the experienced rider or beginner. You can also visit nearby villages and the Otovalo Market which is famed for its weavings and colorful indigenous people.

At Hacienda Manteles just bring your riding boots …they will provide the rest. César Duran, the great grandson of the original owner, Ecuador's famed wood baron, offers his home for hikes through orchid forests and beautiful waterfalls all within his 700 acres. The hacienda is located in the shadow of the still active Tungurahua Volcano which at times spews forth a red glow and always a constant plume of smoke. The horses, cows and sheep on this hacienda roam the fields and nearby mountains as part of a project to teach locals about sustainable grown and organic farming. Meals are cooked with food raised and grown here using the wonderful recipes of the owner's wife, Guadalupe, which have been passed down to her by many generations of her family.

120 year old Hacienda Hato Verde is located at the foot of the Cotopaxi volcano. Home to the great grandson of this hacienda's original owner, Cesar and his wife Maria happily host you as part of their family…two kids included. You can ride horses from his stable, help milk the cows (if you want to) or hike up the volcano. César also loves to dance so ask him to put on some good Latin rhythms and learn to dance from a true South American gentleman. You can also visit the next door farm of Tambo Roses, one of the largest producers of Ecuador's main export. Roses from Tambo are shipped all over the world every day.

Nearby Hacienda Umbria at the base of the Corazon volcano with spectacular views of Cotopaxi offers a true gourmet experience. Owner Alvaro practices his favorite hobby as gourmet chef. He is also learning to be a world class sommelier so that he can offer guests exquisite wines from his large wine cellar. You can join Alvaro in the kitchen or help him pick out local cheeses to serve with the wine, or you can ride with him on horseback into his fields to pick which of the organically grown vegetables you would like him to serve for dinner. Everything he cooks is locally grown and raised. He also plans great hikes and rides throughout the 300 acres owned by his family.

To live like this for a week or a few days in a wonderful experience and a dream come true for me. It is true South American history but with all the modern conveniences of home. I have now lived my dream and hope to return again and again to enjoy more of the historic haciendas of Ecuador.

LEAVING LAS VEGAS TOO SOON!

2008-08-23T17:43:00.000-04:00

I have been so busy for the last two months.....I have not had time to tell you all where I have been.

Last week found me at Bellagio in Las Vegas for a meeting with all the suppliers of Virtuoso and other Virtuoso travel counselors from all over the world. It is a week of fun and learning.

This time...it was a real learning experience for me ....my first experience with hurricanes. Three days prior to departing for the city that never sleeps...Tropical Storm Fay struck out in the Caribbean and headed right to Palm Coast, Florida.

With tales of it turning into a full scale hurricane.....two days after my arrival in Vegas found me changing my air tickets (thank you Delta for allowing this).....and heading back to Florida to close down my house for the onslaught of Fay ..the tropical storm...hurricane.

Well as luck would have it...Fay was a Flop! She did come ashore just north of Palm Coast....but aside from 60 MPH winds......there was little damage or harm. We did get a lot of rain...and I had to let water out of my pool several times after 9" of rain fell.

Home again...learned a lot in those few days......now planning for the vacation in Ecuador!

HELLO FROM ATLANTA

2008-07-19T10:13:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a long time since you heard from me....I have been working hard preparing my plans for my next trips.

I am on my way to Atlanta, Georgia for the weekend. Visiting my 90 year old parents and enjoying a weekend of eating at Atlanta's great restaurants and shopping!

Wow...does Atlanta have shopping! What a great city Atlanta has become.

I moved to Atlanta in 1984 from Lima, Peru. With two little girls in tow....I arrived at my mom and dads home in Buckhead...a sleepy little residential area about 15 miles from the center of the city. Buckhead was named for the tavern that was located at the divide in the road on the way north to either Chicago to the west or to Richmond and on to New York on the east coast. Over the door of the tavern was a bucks head...thus the name Buckhead began and stayed with the area until today.

Well sleepy little Buckhead is now the center of the hipest shopping area south of the Mason Dixon Line. There are also tons of million dollar mansions (not my Mom and Dad's place), condos, town houses, restaurants and an entire city within a city. Buckhead is Atlanta!

So after my weekend fix...its back to Florida....sans traffic...shopping and restaurants.

BEAUTIFUL BOZEMAN

2008-06-15T14:04:00.000-04:00

Landing in Bozeman is an awesome sight. It's the middle of June and there is still snow on the mountains. Bozeman sits in a valley between four mountain ranges...the Bridger Range, the Gallatin Range, the Tobacco Route, and the Spanish Peaks. All part of the Rocky Mountains, these snowy peaks create beautiful greenery in the late spring from the runoff of late spring snows.

When you get off the plane in the four gate airport....you are greeted by a myriad of cowboys...both pseudo and the real deal. Buses are lined up outside to take tourists to some of the several dude ranches found in the area. Some of the real cowboys even walk with that bowlegged gait from riding horses most of their lives.

Years ago when my sister moved to Bozeman...it was just a small town with a main street and little else but farmland and ranches in the outskirts. Now....13 years later....Bozeman has grown to a large city with shopping centers around every corner and all the big chain stores found in most large cities in the USA.

There are still the large ranches and farms...but now portions of them have been sold to land developers to make subdivisions and gated neighborhoods. It still takes about 10 minutes to drive through town...but now on every direction there are the subdivisions and strip malls with Home Depot and Walmarts as anchor stores. Shortly further on you reach the real ranch lands with the snowy peaks in the background.

It is June and summer in the rest of the country but in Bozeman it is still late spring and the flowers and cottonwood trees are blooming. In the low 70's during the day, it is just great weather to hike or ride into the hills . In the evenings the temps drop to the low 40s which is perfect for a fireplace and a romantic glass of wine.

Family, good weather, beautiful scenery....what could be better!

ON MY WAY AGAIN

2008-06-14T09:21:00.000-04:00

Well....did you wonder where I was? After my wonderful weekend in San Diego with great food, entertainment...a super spa and a fabulous golf experience....I found myself back again at home (well just for a week!)...in beautiful Florida.

I find that when I am in my home office...I get so busy that it is hard to keep up with my blog. It's also not as much fun as when I am on the road.
Admittedly, living in Florida is like being on vacation 24/7....with the beach less than half mile away and my pool calling my name every day.
But work I must and so I sit in front of my computer and connect with friends and clients to plan their next trips. One thing that is special is that so many of my clients have become good friends. I even feel like the godmother to a young couple that has been with me for years. I planned their post honeymoon trip and now get family pictures of their growing family all the time. I just love my job!

In any case.....today finds me again in the Crown Room at the Atlanta airport on my way to Bozeman, Montana. It is the occasion of my mother's 90th birthday (she hates me to tell people she is that old!). But my 90 year old dad is taking her to Bozeman where my sister Debbie lives to celebrate. The entire family is going. My daughter and family from Denver and hopefully even daughter from NYC will show up.

So....hopefully there will not be any delays for weather and I will go from a warm 85 degrees in Florida to a (for me) cold high of 70 degrees. Hope I don't freeze ! I did bring my "long johns" just in case. Now don't laugh......it is really true that when you live in a warm climate your blood gets thinner and the cold affects you more.

Even cold however, I hope to take advantage of some great vistas and good hikes in the Spanish Peaks area outside of Bozeman. I have hiked and skied there before...amidst the buffalo and deer and even an occasional bear! It is a glorious place to enjoy the outdoors.

Time to go for my next flight.......hope these miles that I am getting will get me somewhere when I need them!

GOLF GOLF GOLF! - GRAND DEL MAR

2008-06-07T19:27:00.000-04:00

WOW! Again with superlatives....! The Grand del Mar Golf links was spectacular today. Aside from a gorgeous and somewhat challenging course...the staff goes above and beyond to make sure you have a good time. One of the few courses in the USA with professional caddies....each foursome tees off with a expert that knows the course up and down. Just my luck that my caddie, Cole, looked just like Brad Pitt! I have a hard enough time playing golf, let alone a round with a Brad Pitt look alike riding on the back of my cart.

Weather here is spectacular....sunny with a gentle but cold breeze...a hard thing for a Floridian like me to get used to. I had to bundle up...even in the sun and of course all the Californian thought I was nuts to put on a wind shirt with the sun out at 70 degrees.

This reminds me of the wonderful dinner that we had last night. Not only does the Grand have a spectacular resort....it has some exquisite villas for "fractional ownership". These 5 bedroom chalets come complete with fire pit, butler kitchen, game room, work out room, hot tub, and fireplaces everywhere....even in "His Bath" and "Her Bath". Just small little places of around 5,000 sq ft. each one. I was told that there are some famous "Hollywood types" that have already opted in....but do not know who as this fact is "never disclosed".

In any case...the entire wall of the living room, dining room opens onto the garden with the fire pit which provided welcome warmth for the cool night in San Diego.

After many glasses of wonderful California wines....it was back to my palace room for a good nights rest....and to dream about my super day at golf with that handsome caddie Cole!

GRAND DEL MAR - SAN DIEGO

2008-06-06T19:48:00.000-04:00

WOW! WOW! WOW! Talk about a wow factor! As luck would have it, I was invited to play in the first annual TILGO (Travel Industry Ladies Golf Outing) at the GRAND DEL MAR . So....from sunny Florida I was on an airplane again and heading toward the other coast...and San Diego.

After two Delta flights yesterday (hey...the flight attendants were really friendly and nice....what is happening here?).....I have landed in perhaps one of the most beautiful resorts I have ever seen.

Designed after a Renaissance-inspried Mediterranean villa, The Grand Del Mar is a work of art from the moment you arrive.

There is no Front Desk and on arrival you are greeted by name and then taken to your suite where you can relax with a glass of wine as you sign on the dotted line.

Left alone and with a few minutes before a welcome cocktail party and dinner....I wandered around my suite like a princess in her castle! Where to go first? What to do tomorrow...? Do I want to go to the Spa? Do I want to go hiking in Los Pensaquitos Canyon Preserve...? Or do I want to take golf lessons and then play on the wonderful Tom Fazio designed course?.....so many options.....so much to do.....but right now.. I have to go to a party!....so this Cinderella is putting on her ball gown to join the rest of the ladies for a wonderful evening of chatter and wine.

More from the lap of luxury tomorrow......

HOME AGAIN

2008-05-30T08:58:00.001-04:00

So...did you wonder where I was? Yikes....after a quick visit back to Lima where I stayed in the new Ramada Inn at Lima's airport, I took an early morning flight to Miami and then to Orlando and home to Palm Coast.
The beach sure looked great after so many days of steamy weather in the Amazon and cool weather and high altitudes in the Andes!

After hearing some conflicting stories about the Ramada Hotel at the airport in Lima...I was glad I got the opportunity to see for myself. It is totally convenient and just a walk across the parking lot if you have a late night or early morning flight.

(Secret for prospective travelers.......they have a great spa as well and rather than spend four or five hours between flights in the grim Lima airport....why not opt for some spa treatments at the Ramada?)

If you opt to spend the night...the hotel is adequate and plain. It seems clean and basic and the food very good. I especially enjoyed the very mod bar where you can also spend several fun hours laughing with other travelers and making new friends. But beware...there are other "types" of ladies in this bar even though the hotel tries very hard to keep them out!

One final word about my trip. LAN PERU did an exceptional job. Here in this country they cannot even serve peanuts and a coke on a 45 minute flight....but LAN did an exceptional job with little boxed lunches and a beverage each time we boarded flights from 1/2 hour to 2 hours. These same boxed lunches got old after a few flights....but the service was all smiles and the flight attendants pleasant. Internationally....service was excellent. Our US carriers could learn a thing or two from their foreign counterparts. Thank you LAN!

CASITAS ON THE EDGE OF THE COLCA CANYON

2008-05-02T16:23:00.000-04:00

The Colca Canyon was discovered by foreigners in 1985 who declared it the deepest canyon in the world. After a 4 hour ride up over the Andes from Arequipa to Chivay and a pass at over 16000 ft above sea level......our host for 2 nights is the lovely Casitas de Colca. A new deluxe lodge recently openend by Orient Express Hotels, the casitas, or little houses, are nestled in the tall trees with a trout pond nearby. From here we will visit the famed canyon as well as the Cruz del Condor where at least a dozen condors fly up from the valley bottom 12000 ft below to soar on the currents and air drafts above our heads.

Today we were lucky....we saw at least 12 of them.....all at the same time....fly up over our heads and off to find their sustenence for the day. Condors live to be over 75 years old and the show lasted for more than an hour with what we believed to be grandfather Condor making the last pass only five feet from where we stood. With his wing span of appx. 12 feet...our guide told us this big bird has been doing this for years....kind of like the finale to the show.

The rest of the day was spent in small villages hunting for the spectacular crafts which are hand made by the people here.

Back at "casitas" there is a show of Peruvian Paso Fino Horses and local dancing and music. I opt for a massage in the new spa and then dinner in my little house with a fire in the fireplace.

Too bad tomorrow we have to leave....but there are more exciting things to see back in Arequipa.....and more to tell you about at our next meeting.

LIMA ON THE RUN

2008-05-01T18:41:00.000-04:00

My favorite hotel in Lima is the Miraflores Park which overlooks the sea and a beautiful park. It is within walking distance from everything....but when you hit the ground rolling...you hardly have time to enjoy this beautiful spot.
From the wonderful MS Aqua floating along the Amazon in the north of Peru....I flew into Lima arriving late at night. The hotel was lit up with its beautiful chandeliers but I was way to tired to do anything but go to bed.
The next morning was filled with visits from friends and family as way in my history I lived in Lima and had a lot of catching up to do.
Lima is a very social place and I went from dinner parties to lunches to visits to downtown which is now bright and beautiful and very safe. One thing I really wanted to do was a culinary tour of Lima now that Peru and Lima have acquired the reputation of world class cuisine. I visited the San Isidro Market with my chef and teacher and then went to learn how to make some of the exotic dishes that Peru is famous for.
Then it was off to one of my favorites......Rosa Nautica....a lovely seafood restaurant on a pier over the sea. I also must say that aside from Pisco Sours....Peru has developed some lovely wines from the area around Ica.
Unfortunatly I didn´t have time to linger as I am off to Arequipa in southern Peru to see a wonderful new Orient Express hotel in the Colca Canyon. More from the wonderful Las Casitas Del Colca tomorrow.

FROM THE AMAZON WITH CARINOS

2008-04-30T09:08:00.000-04:00

Wow....little did I realize how really far away from the normal things of life it is in the Amazon. My life as North American came to a dashing halt.......airports with no air conditioning.....no cell phone reception.....no TV....no radio....and worst of all....no email and computers. How do these folks live? Oh well....being the only blonde in a sea of small dark skined people has its advantages. I am 5'2" and for the first time in my life I could see over people's heads.
All things considered....I adjusted very well to my Pisco Sours (favorite drinks of Peruvians) and daily excursions into the wild of the Amazon. Deet is a must if you don't want the little flying "beesties" to nibble at your skin....but soon you forget all that and concetrate on seeing the birds and the animals of the forest. It is the wet season and so 80 percent of the Amazon basin in Peru is flodded. People live in houses on stilts and the animals cling to the tallest trees which have dominated this area for centuries. Nature is an amazing thing! What a joy to just sit quietly and hear the bird symphony accompanied by a frog and cricket chorus. At night the fireflies and the glow worms come out to illuminate the stage. Just spectacular!
Monkeys, sloths and other creatures inhabit the daylight hours as our riverboat plys the waters of the Amazon's headwaters near Iquitos, Peru. I love this. I am one lucky person to have experienced so much of what life has to offer. Next....on to Lima..Peru's capitol!

THE DAY BEFORE DEPARTURE

2008-04-24T11:07:00.001-04:00

Yikes......so much to do and so little time to do it in. Have to go to the office for a luncheon. One of the other girls departs for Norway as I depart for Peru. Both of us "going home". I lived in Peru for many years and have family and friends there. Gretha is Norwegian and she returns home each summer to visit her family and friends. I wonder if she is in as much of a panic as I am? Oh well....when I get on my flight tomorrow I will be fine. It is just these last few hours and hoping you don't forget anything or to do anything or answer that last question for a client.
Next time I write...it will be from Lima, Peru. I will let you know about my flight on Lan Peru and other fun things about the trip.
Back to packing!

MY APRIL TRIP TO PERU

2008-04-22T17:13:00.000-04:00

Getting ready for my trip to Peru this week! Lots to do! Packing is a mess because I will go to the Pacaya Samiria Reserve in the NW part of Peru and the headwaters of the Amazon....and then to the Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world and one of the highest located at over 11,000 feet.....ie..this means cold! So hot then cold which means extra layers of clothing and a larger suitcase. Darn and all I wanted to bring was a backpack! Oh well....if I throw in a day or two in Lima to visit friends....I have to bring even more clothes ......so this trip is a packing nightmare. I have things strewn all over the bed in my guest room. Can't wait to get in the air on Friday!