Green, Clean & Glistening Santiago

I arrived safely after a 21-hour trip and stop in Lima, Peru.  Only 4 hours of sleep in the past 24. I am enjoying the people watching in the lobby of the ultra chic W Hotel in the downtown financial area of beautiful Santiago. It is the first W in South America. The hotel is on the 4th and 5th floors of an office building, filled with business men in blacks suits, white shirts and ties. Conservative dress but very good-looking. By the way the women are beautiful too.

Santiago is GREEN, CLEAN and GLISTENING with new, modern shiny skyscrapers. Very prosperous looking. Building everywhere and little tree-lined neighborhoods with pastel-colored homes and outdoor cafes and charming restaurants filled with antiques. Bella Vista is my favorite neighborhood, filled with students, yuppies, art galleries, tree-lined small streets, flamingo clubs, and unique street sculptures.

I am really amazed by the cleanliness and prosperity of the city and how modern many of the buildings are. They’ve had an economic boom for the past 20 years. USA used to be their largest trade partner and now it’s China. Everything WORKS from cell phones to internet cafes. About every 3 blocks there is another park, all well maintained and green and filled with lovers on the grass. The guide said to me “Ah Seniora, it is spring you know.” The city has 6 million inhabitants and is squeezed between the snow-covered Andes and the sea, with a river that flows right through the middle of town. A freeway was built for 3 miles under the river and town so you can easily get around. Very progressive. The largest, most fortified building I have seen is the American Embassy.

What a land of contrasts. The fish market had the largest king crabs I have ever seen and people were playing guitars and singing as others dinned at 4pm which is the end of lunchtime. I was told not to bother going out for dinner until at least 9pm.

You get glimpses of snow-capped mountains and even a huge glacier between the skyscrapers.

Gotta run. Thanks for your good wishes.

.

Packing Pains

Why do we obsess over what we pack? The worst things to forget are a cell phone charger, passport or photo ID, enough cash and the name and address of your hotel.

Nevertheless, packing can be painful even for an experienced traveler. The night before my trip to Chile I found myself in frenzy mode packing one small roll-aboard suitcase for 3 weeks and covering climates from Santiago and Buenos Aires warm and sophisticated, to Patagonia trekking, to Tierra del Fuego freezing and zodiac boat cruises right up to glaciers. Seems like I always need more time to pack and plan and research. It helped a lot to Google the weather for the next 10 days in all three areas of Chile (north, Patagonia and extreme south). So I packed 3 pairs of shoes…light sandals for the city, light but sturdy and water proof hiking boots, and very light tennis shoes. I’ll need the tennis shoes when I bike through the wine area. Heavy things I can leave at home: hair dryer and more than one reading book.

What does one do on a 16-hour flight? I’ve downloaded podcasts, news programs, music and my favorite CD’s, and I always bring my inflatable pillow and silicon ear plugs.

Now I’m euphoric. Packing done, boarding pass in pocket, good music, good book and time to relax and read the pages I copied out of the guidebooks. Adios!

River Cruising in France – Stretch Your Time and Travel Dollars

Lavender in Provence - Van Gogh said "Nature here is extraordinarily beautiful"

What do you do if your heart is set on going to France but you only have 10-days of vacation?

Last summer my husband and I looked for a way to see the sites in Burgundy and Provence and also relax. Is that possible?

For once, I didn’t want to plan the whole trip, rent a car, read the maps, find gas stations, or figure out the hours of a museum or restaurants.

We also wanted to know what we would spend up front, to stay within our travel budget. So we booked a Viking River Cruise which combined the best of cruising and land tours.

During our 8-day journey, we explored the famed wine region of Burgundy and the lavender fields of Provence. We visited Gallo-Roman ruins in Lyon, Vienne and Arles and we walked the cobbled streets of Arles to see how it inspired Vincent van Gogh.

We visited the historic Papal Palace in Avignon, “City of the Popes.” We learned about the region’s winemaking traditions, sampled Burgundy varietals at a family-owned small vineyard and we indulged in the famed Provençal cuisine in Lyon.

The boat carried just 154 guests on board. Unlike some of the large cruise ships, you won’t need a pager to find your family aboard or a GPS to navigate back to your stateroom after a meal.

For more information www.vikingrivercruises.com

Southern France by Boat

By day we enjoyed sightseeing and most evenings we returned to the boat for a leisurely dinner in the dining room which featured panoramic windows, so we didn’t miss any of the scenery or the amazing locks, while we were dining.

Sightseeing excursions were half a day, so we had time for exploring on our own. After breakfast one morning, we took a scenic drive along France’s Burgundy wine route through Pommard, Volnay and Meursault.

The roof of the medieval hospital in Beaune

In Beaune, wine capital of Burgundy, we enjoyed a guided tour of beautiful Hôtel Dieu, founded as a hospice in 1443. I couldn’t take enough photos of the medieval hospital; a real architectural jewel with a roof of brightly colored tiles laid out in geometric patterns. And then on to more wine-tasting at one of Beaune’s famous cellars.

In Lyon, Avignon and Chalon-sur-Saone we got a little exercise. Stepping onto the gangplank, we walked onto the shore and slipped right into town to wander the streets, shop, sip wine in the cafes, listen to musicians and watch street artists.

River cruising was a good value for our travel dollars and for our limited vacation days. Just about everything was included in our cruise: three meals a day, gratuities for guides, entries to museums, transfers from the airport and many excursions, like the Beaune and Burgundy wine tour, sightseeing tours in Avignon, Arles and Lyon.

A big plus for cruising is to unpack your bags once and settle in. One of my favorite parts of river cruising was to relax in a lounge chair on the roof and watch the ever-changing scenery.

Floating along the Saone and Rhone Rivers we passed fortified medieval villages with towers, small farms, fields of sunflowers, meadows of lavender, grazing goats and steep slopes of vineyards.

Give yourself a relaxing vacation: try a float through Europe someday.

For more information www.vikingrivercruises.com

River Cruising in France – A Way to Stretch Your Travel Dollars

Lavender in Provence "Nature is extraordinarily beautiful here" wrote Van Gogh from Arles

Viking River Cruise in Southern France

Who Gives Away TWO TONS of GOURMET FOOD Every Week in San Francisco?

The leftovers from Tante Marie’s cooking class are donated to Food Runners serving the hungry in San Francisco www.foodrunners.org

Meet Cooking Teacher and Humanitarian of the Year

Today  at Tante Marie’s Cooking School I met an extraordinary woman and culinary entrepreneur.  Mary Risley, the fun-loving and focused founder of Tante Marie’s Cooking School in San Francisco follows her passion for food, cooking and philanthropy.  Twenty years ago she created the nonprofit “Food Runners” who give away 2 tons of food each week to the needy of San Francisco!

Mary hated to see good food go to waste, which often happened at her gourmet cooking school. She saw hungry people on the street going through garbage cans and she came up with a good idea: give the food from those who have leftovers to those who have too little.

She persuaded some colleagues in the restaurant industry to save their excess food, which she and a few friends picked up in their cars and delivered to local shelters and food programs. Today, Food Runners has
over 200 volunteers, and more than 250 restaurants, schools, caterers, bakeries, groceries, farmers’ markets and other businesses regularly donate
perishable food that would otherwise go to waste. This helps valuable programs stretch their limited budgets and give out more food.   Mary and her volunteers organize it all. www.foodrunners.org

And if you haven’t taken a class at Tante Marie’s you’re in for a treat. Try “Entertaining with Ease, Simple Italian Suppers, Classic French Bistro Menus, Cooking from the Pantry or Asian Small Plates”. Tante Marie’s was voted on of the “10 Best Cooking Schools” in the country by Cooking Schools Compared. www.tantemarie.com

I met a young man from NYC who left his job in advertising to move to SF and follow his culinary interest by attending Tante Marie’s Intensive and Professional Six-month course. He was seriously ready for change. He and the other students are thinking about becoming caterers, personal chefs, food writers or pasty chefs.

Today in Cooking Class: Low Calorie Strawberry & Merange Cake www.tantemarie.com

New York at its best

Last weekend I visited the Big Apple for the New York Times Travel Show, where I spoke on a panel about Women Travel; how to get started, save money and stay safe. The moderator of the panel was April Merenda, President of Gutsy Women Travel who talked about organized women’s vacations. I shared tips, specific travel destinations, and money-saving advice from my book 50 Best Girlfriends Getaways in North America.

These interesting statistics were noted: 40% of American women are single. They haven’t met “Mr. Right” or have left “Mr. Right” or are widows and killed “Mr. Right”. Within the past year over 50% of American women have traveled without a spouse or male companion. Today there are over 300 travel companies promoting women travel.

The enthusiasm of the women attending showed that we’re not slowing down. Yes, we’re time deprived, but we’re still hitting the roads, the air and the waterways. We are traveling in different ways; alone, with girlfriends, daughters, mothers, and increasingly on a budget.

Everyone at the show was looking for inspiration and ideas. I left the show with a long list of “must see” places and deals. Even if I can’t travel in the short term, I’m planning the next adventure. What about you?

Happy Travels,

Marybeth

On top of the World…almost. The easy way.

Last summer, at the peak of the wildflower season, my college-age daughter and I flew to Calgary and joined a group of hikers with Canadian Mountain Holidays (www.canadianmountainholidays.com) for an unforgettable adventure heli-hiking (and one exciting day of world-class rock climbing) in one of North America’s most dramatic settings — Canada’s mini Himalayas — in British Columbia.

I used to backpack in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada Mountains, but nowadays, it’s hard to find the time for those week-long outdoor escapes. If you’re an adventurer in love with mountain wilderness but short on time, consider the rewards of helicopter hiking.

The idea is to by-pass days of arduous back-packing and to be air-lifted directly to a comfy, remote lodge, (with sheets, down comforters, fresh fruit and vegetables), located in a pristine area far from roads, trails, or signs. You can hike to your heart’s content and end the day with a massage and glass of Pinot Noir.

After a short flight to Calgary, British Columbia, and a comfy night at the Banff Springs Hotel and Spa, we headed northeast to a helicopter pad and a short fight into the Purcell Mountains of British Columbia.

Unlike my mountain excursions in the good old days when I backpacked and ate freeze-dried food, I awoke each morning at the Bobbie Burns Lodge and indulged at a buffet laden with ripe raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, freshly baked breads, scones, muffins, home-made muesli, granola, Eggs Benedict and French toast.

After our first feast of many, we divided up into small groups and were whisked away to remote ridge tops and mountain lakes. We hiked as hard as we wanted, with experienced guides. Some flower aficionados strolled by streams and identified flowers.

The last day, a hardy group of us opted to go “mountaineering”, which means white-knuckled, adrenaline-pounding technical climbing up vertical peaks. We didn’t have to have previous climbing experience. Thanks to the support, encouragement and knowledge of our expert climbing guides, who ensured our safety, we rose to the challenge and made it to the summit.

The helicopter dropped us off near the base of the climb. Roped in we found hand and foot holds, and slowly made our way, one-foot-at-a-time to the summit, where we collapsed with dizzying drops in all directions and panoramic views of neighboring peaks and glaciers. And then we rappelled 150′ down to the base of the peak and glissaded (slid) down an ice field to the helicopter. We were whisked back to the lodge where we relaxed in the warm Jacuzzi as the sun set behind lush forests and jagged snow-capped mountains.

The adrenaline-rush, exhilaration and thrill of climbing surpassed even our wildest expectations.

If you’re an adventure traveler and have a “must-do” list add heli-hiking in the Canadian Rockies.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Canadian Mountain Holidays in Banff, Alberta, Canada to answer your questions about five wilderness lodges, guides, family trips, climbing, mountaineering and lodge-to-lodge hikes.

800-661-0252 www.canadianmountainholidays.com

Girlfriends Getaways – Getting Started

We know that “girls’ night out” is fun. We love to confess, confide and laugh together. We also know that a short trip together is even better. I am asked repeatedly is: “how do you plan a girlfriends’ reunion or women’s getaway?

First, access your budgets and the amount of time you have. Do you want to travel for a long weekend or a week? Do you want to go far or stay close to home, travel by car or plane?

TIP: You can save a lot of money if you travel weekdays, off-season and to less touristy-destinations. Best days to travel for cheaper plane tickets are Monday, Tuesday and Saturday.

Second, canvass the group to find out what everyone wants to do; sit and talk, go to shows, spas, resorts, evening entertainment, cultural events, biking, hiking, kayaking.

Thirdly, one person needs to be the organizer and start looking for accommodations. Ask everyone if they have friends or family members with a condo, beach house, mountain home, or apartment that your group can use or rent? Condos or homes are practical because they have kitchens and living rooms where you can all hang out. Maybe you’d all prefer a spa vacation, or a weekend at a fabulous resort.

Fourth, everyone should contribute a non-refundable deposit of $100 to go into a kitty. The organizer can use this for reservation deposits. When everyone has decided upon a date and committed money, there will be fewer cancellations. Remember, the deposit is non-refundable.

Happy Travels.

http://gutsytraveler.com/new_site_books.html

Links to a sampling of Organized Girlfriend Getaway Packages:

Camelback Inn in Scottsdale , Arizona

Camelback Inn in Scottsdale , Arizona offers a Mother/Daughter package year-round. For moms with daughters 18 years and up, the package includes accommodations, two one-hour spa treatments per person, two Starbucks drinks, a $50 food and beverage credit (redeemable for room service or any of the restaurants), and full access to all spa amenities (pool, hot tub, steam, sauna, lounge, gym, classes, etc). The package starts at $469 during the month of May. www.camelbackinn.com

Girlfriend Getaway to Galena, IL,

where travelers can visit wineries and spas or go hiking on the Galena River trail. Enjoy the perfect girlfriend getaway in a setting that offers a chance to relax, shop, and sample wine at local vineyards.

http://www.enjoyillinois.com/3-day/viewGetaway_8.aspx

BIG SKY, Montana—AdventureWomen Inc, a pioneer in women’s travel in active women over 30 is offering a new adventure vacation for solo women travelers who want to experience one of America’s “last great places” while celebrating their independence—on Independence Day. Home to some of the last remaining wild land in the United States, Montana is renowned for its outdoor adventures, and this trip will give these ladies a reason to celebrate in Montana this 4^th of July.

On this adventure vacation, gutsy women who want explore the glorious outdoors can learn to fly fish, take a horseback riding jaunt across Montana fields, and then enjoy whitewater rafting on the Gallatin River. Travelers will safari to Yellowstone National Park to see a “big game” and unique ecosystem, relive history as they visit the Missouri River headwaters made famous by Lewis and Clark, take a trip through time to historic gold rush towns of the 19th century, and experience a Western rodeo and fireworks on the 4th of July. This trip to a premier dude ranch is specially designed for those independent ladies who want to “try it all” during this jam-packed week of adventure activities in Montana. www.adventurewomen.com

The James Chicago

Gather the girlfriends for a Just Us Girls weekend at The James. Start with a cooking lesson from talented (and eligible!) Executive Chef Rick Gresh from in-house restaurant, David Burke’s Primehouse. Later, head up to the Penthouse and indulge in mini facials and makeup applications by technicians from The Spa by Asha. Don’t miss dinner reservations at Primehouse, followed by a VIP table and round of drinks at Jbar.

www.jameshotels.com

Temples of Kathmandu

Even if you only have one day in Kathmandu you should visit the “Monkey Temple” (Swyambunath populated with new-born to mean-looking grandpa monkeys). My favorite Buddhist temple; Bodanath, famous for the huge eyes painted on the white round stupa. Bodanath is the largest Tibetan Temple in Kathmandu and there’s always some sort of festival going on around the large white stupa (dome). I also love Bodanath because it’s always crowded with traditionally dressed Tibetan pilgrims turning huge prayer wheels as they walk around the stupa chanting prayers. If you have time, the interest and stomach for it, also visit Pashupatinath (the Hindu temple on the river where the dead are cremated). This temple is also haunted by screeching monkeys, as well as aggressive beggars and hawkers.