Touring China: Imperial Allure
Ballooning Around the Gum-Dropped-Shaped Mountains of Guilin
With news of the 2018 Winter Olympics to take place in South Korea, my thoughts have recently shifted to that part of the world. I conducted an interview with Margot Kong, from Imperial Tours, on my Travel Fun radio show in which we discussed the boon to tourism created by the Summer Olympics in Beijing in 2008. I’ve decided to post that interview as a podcast below. It’s wonderful how these extraordinary international events capture our attention and introduce us to far-flung lands, especially the most exotic ones that many of us only dream of visiting.
Whether you’re planning a trip-of-lifetime or want to return to China for a closer look, I recommend you enlist Imperial Tours for any travels you’re considering to this far-off land. When you listen to the below interview, you’ll learn that Margot recommends two weeks for discovering the highlights of China. In our chat, she focuses on the most distinguished attractions of Beijing, Xi’an, Guilin, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Hong Kong, where I’ve had the good fortune to visit twice, is a must-see side trip to add on to any trip to China. Hong Kong Harbor is mesmerizing, so if possible, stay in a hotel that offers killer views of the world’s busiest and most colorful waterway.
Visiting the Great Wall of China in Style
Imperial Tours organizes group tours, private tours, themed tours and even celebrity-led tours to China. They have been recognized by many top travel publications for their excellence in travel planning to China for over a decade. Do check them out since even if you’re an intrepid traveler, China is not necessarily a destination you want to visit on your own. It is a vast country where English is only spoken in the most cosmopolitan areas. Know that flying is the most efficient way to get around in China—it’s not only fast but it’s also quite affordable. As a foreigner, you are not able to rent a car unless you rent a car and a driver. Spring and fall are the best times to visit. My goodness, there’s so much to know! This is why you should consult with an expert.
I’ve traveled to some of China’s best-known destinations but have not hit Shanghai which is beckoning. At this point, I have little interest in Korea but I’m sure that will all change once I take in the marvelous images of that land that will surely be broadcast during the 2018 Winter Olympics. The joys of travel never cease!
Do listen to the below interview. Margot is articulate, highly knowledgeable and a terrific radio guest. If you like shopping, you must hear what she says about all the goods to seek out in this enchanting land. Remember that China is the birthplace of the compass, pasta, gun powder, paper and so much more. As cities rise from rice paddies, China’s pace of development in recent years is astonishing. This is the time to visit this exciting land.
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by maribeth
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Gateway Canyons: One Big Discovery
The Kiva Pool: My Own Special Sanctuary
I returned to Gateway Canyons recently and became even more enchanted by this magnificent site than when I first visited this resort two and a half years ago. Clearly they’d been busy at Gateway throughout this period, cultivating and refining the soothing oasis that has been created within the awe-inspiring red rocks of this unique southwestern Colorado location. Indeed, Gateway Canyons is well on its way to being a world-class resort. And certainly Gateway Canyons owner and founder of the Discovery Channel, John Hendricks, must feel proud about how his burgeoning resort has more than added to the beauty of this already spectacular setting.
Although just a two-hour (and quite scenic) drive from Telluride and Grand Junction, getting to Gateway can require a bit of an effort. But to me, this only adds to the appeal of this lovely resort. I can’t ever imagine it overrun by tourists and that certainly wasn’t the case when I stayed here a couple of weeks ago during peak time. This enabled me to while away peaceful hours by the Kiva Pool, sipping lemonade and eventually a prickly pear cactus daiquiri as I leafed through magazines. A quick dip in the pool’s cool, saline water allowed me to lounge in the desert heat until the surrounding rocks soaked up the sum of the day’s blistering sun. Ahhhh, that’s what I call relaxation.
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by maribeth
Comments Off on Service Travel: Two Different Approaches
Service Travel: Two Different Approaches
Erin and Some of "Her Kids" in Nepal
With all the flack recently about Greg Mortenson’s “Three Cups of Tea,” I thought it was due time to post the Travel Fun interview I conducted a couple of months ago on service travel. In it I discuss with Erin Guttenplan, founder of Edge of Seven, and Sharon Shuteran, local Tellurider and service travel worker extraordinaire, the merits of helping out in far-flung lands in a variety of capacities. As unfortunate as the news is regarding Mr. Mortenson’s supposed wrong-doings, I don’t think anyone wants to see those in need around the world suffer from this firestorm.
It Takes a Village (And Lots of Tea!)
“I’m a firm believer in the power of travel and the power of educational travel,” says Erin, founder of Denver-based Edge of Seven. Their current focus is building a dorm in a rural part of Nepal, so that forty girls can continue their education. They take volunteers from every skill set on their two-week programs, one of which was completed by a friend of mine last June. “These experiences, while challenging, are incredibly rewarding,” Erin emphasizes in the interview. More projects are scheduled for departure the end of May and June; check out Edge of Seven to see how you can become involved in this unique form of voluntourism.
Sharon Instructing in Her Bhutan Cleft Care Project Job
Sharon Shuteran, our judge here in T-ride, became involved in service travel, primarily in Bhutan and other parts of southeast Asia, through a personal contact. She has worked as a non-medical coordinator for the Bhutan Cleft Care Project for the past few years and organizes most of her travels herself. In our interview, she talks about how you can find volunteer positions by contacting organizations directly or on facebook and other forms of social media. Sharon, a “freelance service worker” of sorts stresses that you can create your own program without signing up for an organized trip. Wow, now that’s what I call an intrepid traveler!
“You connect more to people when you’re working there,” Sharon says. “I get more out of it than I give,” she continues. Clearly there’s a lot to be said for “getting outside of yourself.” Click on the link below to hear more from these two dedicated women.
Click to play the Service Travel program
Know that both Erin Guttenplan and Sharon Sharon would be happy to hear from you regarding service travel. You can reach Sharon through facebook.
Sharon On the Road Again (Hey, No Talking on the Cell Phone While Driving!)
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by maribeth
Comments Off on Bag It and Green Travel
Bag It and Green Travel
Suzan and the Bag Monster
In honor of Earth Day, next Friday, April 22, I wanted to once again draw your attention to “Bag It,” the award-winning documentary produced and directed by Telluride local Suzan Beraza. April is also an important month for this informative and highly entertaining film since this is when PBS has chosen to make it available to their viewers.
I sat down with Suzan last fall and interviewed her for Travel Fun, my talk radio show on travel. I highly encourage you to click on the link below to listen to what Suzan says about “Bag It” and why we should all pay more attention to our consumption and use of plastic. There’s no lecturing in this movie—or in the interview for that matter—but Suzan and her work (as well as my chat with her!) politely reveal that plastic doesn’t just go away. Where is away anyway? In honor of Earth Day, which I try to celebrate every day of the year, please listen to our interview by clicking on the below link.
Click to play the Suzan Beraza interview
If you tuned in to the interview, you should now be on your way to realizing that buying water in a plastic bottle is a silly concept. Suzan started “Bag It” by making a short film about the plastic bag challenge between Aspen and Telluride a few years ago. Her project grew in scope as she discovered to what extent plastic impacts our environment. “Bag It” began with plastic bags and then expanded to reveal how single-use items such as plastic forks wreak havoc in our world. It follows one man’s journey, played byTelluride local, Jeb Berrier, as he learns more about plastic, how it’s unhealthy for us and the environment.
Cutting down on our consumption of plastic and being green overall can sometimes be challenging. The task often becomes an even taller order while traveling. But in all cases, the reward is great and isn’t it our duty to at least try to be better stewards of our environment? In our interview, Suzan chats about her experiences traveling the world, promoting “Bag It.” Be sure to tune in to hear some of her observations about how other countries are faring in their efforts to be green. We also share how all of us can become more eco-friendly travelers.
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by maribeth
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The Elegance of Paris in Our Nation’s Capital: The Fairfax at Embassy Row
Cherry Blossoms at the Jefferson Memorial
It’s been over a week that the mountain closed here in Telluride and the town has already slowed down to its sleepy off-season mode. Many people have hit the road in search of warmer climates. Others (like me) are using this quiet time to catch up on work that had been shelved during the busy winter season. Fortunately there’s still fun to be had nearby since I just returned from a long weekend of skiing at Beaver Creek and Snowmass. My final spring ski fling will be in Aspen over Easter.
Still I’m feeling the itch to visit cities such as Paris or Washington D.C., two great capitals that are especially resplendent this time of year. I’ve often been to Washington in (late) spring since it’s an easier trip than crossing the Atlantic; and in Paris I’ve lived through nearly a dozen printemps. Flowers bloom bountifully in April in both cities, making spring the perfect season for strolling vast boulevards while crisscrossing in and out of world-renowned museums. This year, due to the disasters in Japan, there was more talk than ever about D.C.’s cherry blossoms, great puffs of beauty that surely provoked more emotion than usual. (I haven’t seen the cherry blossoms in D.C. but I did experience them in all their splendor nearly two decades ago in Kyoto, and I remember them as heartbreakingly beautiful then.)
Both Paris and D.C. humble you year-round by their manicured landscapes and grand and glorious architecture. This stateliness may be considered distinctly Washingtonian or typiquement parisien. Or sometimes a little of both. (As most of us know, it was a Frenchman, Pierre-Charles L’Enfant, appointed by President George Washington in 1791, who designed our capital city.) The history and tradition of Washington D.C. may be more recent than that of Paris but a visit to this glistening beacon along the Potomac still imbues you with the spirit of the past as well as the omnipotent force of the present.
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by maribeth
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Traveling with Seniors: A Lesson in Patience and Humility
The Folks and Me at Monument Valley
Togethering, a term coined not long after 9/11, has gained momentum over these past years as families and friends enjoy the bonds created by spending vacations together. Multi-generational traveling has become more commonplace than ever as more and more families hit the road with grandma and grandpa in tow. Parents with young children seem well-equipped to deal with the needs and demands of their little ones while away from home. They’re just basically taking their show on the road since they’re already well accustomed to taking care of their kids at home. Sure, certain adjustments have to be made but most people know their children well enough to be able to make them “happy campers” when traveling. But what about our aging parents’ needs? Do we know how to make a trip smooth sailing for them?
Not always. And I’m speaking from first-hand experience.
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Romantic Getaway in the Heart of Utah’s Ski Country
Schussing at Sundance
Romantic getaways can take many forms. For my boyfriend, Steve, and me an escape centered around skiing works well for us, no matter what destination we chose. This time we skied four days in Utah, testing and comparing four different mountains, a terrific outdoor adventure that made our many candlelight and fireside moments feel all the more rewarding.
It’s great when you share a passion with someone and for both of us, skiing creates a powerful bond whether here in Telluride or at other resorts. But as with all aspects of a relationship, compromises must be made. (Hear that Steve!?! Only kidding. Hubba-hubba.) Fortunately we were able to strike the right balance during this trip, one that allowed Steve to obtain his share of challenging skiing and me to fulfill my all-important quest for an authentic travel experience.
Romance, Sundance Style
Kudos to Steve for having selected Sundance Resort, the dream that Robert Redford realized in the mountains of Utah over four decades ago. We made Sundance our base and explored Park City Mountain Resort and Deer Valley Resort from there. (The Canyons came on the last day after spending a night in Park City.) We quickly concurred that that was the right formula for us since settling into Sundance made us feel like we were holed up in our own private retreat. (The big resorts at the bigger ski areas offer a more look-at-all-we-have-to-offer-you-here-in-the-mountains stay.)
We like to keep it simple, and at Sundance we discovered a warm and genuine atmosphere that celebrates the spirit of the West and its mountains. We immensely enjoyed our Mountain Suite punctuated by rough-hewn woods and warm, woolen accents. Here we made roaring fires (no gas flames!) and sipped hot chocolate in the quietude of our cozy space. But we didn’t stay home long since we discovered much to do and admire within this beguiling resort. Oh how our senses were tickled at every turn. We spent our first night whooping it up at the Owl Bar, a warm, western saloon of sorts that boasts great live music and tasty pub food. Best of all though it exudes a marvelous mountain panache that can only be achieved by the right mix of locals and visitors.
The ski hill at Sundance appeared more regional—at least on the busy Saturday we were there—consisting of lots of school kids from the nearby big city and its environs. They reminded me of the snowsports enthusiasts I encountered at the little ski area I grew up on in western Massachusetts. I felt totally rattled by them, mostly because these novice skiers and boarders crisscrossed the bunny slopes like rabbits darting about for food. Steve and I both agreed that it’s likely best to ski Sundance during the week, something that was confirmed when we left the resort the following Monday when we noticed that the parking lot was still empty after 10 a.m., This made us feel wistful about coming back on a weekday especially since Steve ended up rating Sundance as having the best expert terrain of all the resorts we tested throughout our trip. Steve had sampled most of these runs before I headed out on our Sundance ski day. I thought they were awesome, too, until I I found myself—mid-way down one of the runs—doing loopty-loops in a gully made even more disorienting by flat light. Here, I experienced my first meltdown of the season, but you have to have at least one on a ski vacation, don’t you?
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Light and Luminarias in Taos, New Mexico
Taos Mountain from La Posada de Taos
New Mexican Light and Luminarias by Day
It’s been so unusually grey here in southwestern Colorado lately that I can’t help wondering what it’s like south of us in New Mexico. I love the light in that part of the country-––sort of like America’s Provence-––no wonder so many artists such as Georgia O’Keefe have called this land of enchantment home. The wondrous play of light in the sky and on the raw landscapes and adobe architecture especially enchant us this time of year when the sun is low in the sky. These mystical scenes become even more beguiling at night during the holiday season when luminarias light up the rugged southwestern dwellings like candles on a birthday cake. Today many of these small lights or lanterns have been electrified and bulbs have replaced the candles that were originally set in sand-filled paper bags, but no matter-––the effect is still magical and quintessentially New Mexican.
