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I will admit that I’m not much of a beach-goer, mostly because I hate being hot and am a bit sun-shy [as noted by my extremely pale legs]. Vieques Island, just off the coast of Puerto Rico was most notable as a former bombing range of the US Navy. It’s hard to imagine that it possesses some of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen. When I first went to Caracas Beach [Red Beach] and Bahia de la Chiva [Blue Beach], I was absolutely stunned and in awe. The clear, crisp colors of the beach was amazing – clear blue waters and endless powdery white sand as far as my eye could see [but I’m nearsighted].

This was one beach where I could sit all day long reading a book, sipping a glass of wine and just enjoy the view.  You know, the view of the back of my eyelids as the gentle waves hypnotically lull me to sleep. There are no facilities at this beach making it inconvenient for parents who are trying to potty train their kids but for adults who want to have some time away from their every day lives, this is the perfect respite.

In order to achieve your own personal Nirvana, you will need a few things:

• Beach towel or chair
• umbrella if you need some shade [there are coconut trees but you risk the chance of having a coconut fall on your head, thus ruining your perfect outing]
• a cooler stuffed with ice cold drinks – water, soda, beer & wine. Actually, you might need two coolers.
• a good book
• lunch and snacks

A note about lunch: if you go on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, I highly recommend a stop at Sol Food Truck at the entrance of the road to the beaches. The sandwiches that they prepare are absolutely amazing. I had the Caribbean Pulled Pork sandwich topped with a homemade Purple Psychedelic Coleslaw.  Items on the menu range in price from around $8 – $10.

Most importantly, choose to spend your day at Caracas Beach without any of the tethers that demand your attention – cellphone, email, or stress. Leave them behind and enjoy your time there.

How to get there:

1. By car: you can rent a car and drive to PR 997, the turn off is at the entrance to Garcia Gate
2. By taxi: you can pre-arrange a pick up time as cell service can be spotty.

Museums do not hold my interest for very long. Being trapped in building when I could be out running around town doesn’t excite me. Barcelona provided art in the form of parks & buildings created by Antonio Gaudi throughout the city – just what I was looking for! However, when I first saw some of Gaudi’s work in Barcelona, I found it to be a bit too bizarre and modern from what I was used to seeing in Europe. I appreciated the creativity and architectural brilliance used in his structures but I wasn’t drawn to it.

As I flipped through my photos from my trip, I noticed all the smaller details that I missed while I was there. Gaudi’s use of brilliant bursts of colors, geometric patterns were highlighted as I started editing my photos.  How could I have missed this while I was there? Perhaps I was so focused on the “bizarreness” of the visuals that I lost focus on the beauty of it.

Broken down into smaller bite sized sections rather than the overwhelming spectacle that was his creations really helped me to process what I saw through my camera.  Here are just a few snapshots from my trip!

The measurement of distance is subjective.  I learned this on my quest to find Piñones in Puerto Rico last summer. I had finished my work for the day and had a few hours of free time to discover for myself if Piñones, off highway 187 just outside of San Juan, was really the fried paradise that it was cracked up to be. I managed to squeeze myself into a pair of shorts, throw on my tennis shoes, grab my cellphone, some cash and a credit card and headed down to the lobby of the hotel.

“How far is Piñones?” I asked the valet.

“Hmmm…it’s about…well, about a mile away or so,” he responded hesitantly.

“Are you sure? I’m thinking about running to Piñones and if it’s too far, I might die.” I declared dramatically.

“Umm.  Let me check…hey guys,” he called to his colleagues, “how far do you think Piñones is…”

“Oh, it’s like a 15-20 minute walk,” a young American valet with perfect hair answered confidently, “you just have to get to the bridge and it’s right passed the bridge…it’s a….uh….20 minute walk. 2 miles, tops.”

I tried to give him my best piercing stare but I don’t think he fell for it.  He did offer to get me a taxi, which I turned down.  One of the best ways to get to know an area is by foot and considering that today’s destination was a deep fried food paradise, I felt it was imperative that I get some exercise before my quest.

After running for about 20 minutes [surely I run faster than people walk, so shouldn’t I have hit the bridge at least 10 minutes ago??], I started to get a sinking feeling in my stomach, which had no relation to my hunger. To my right, I see cars stuck in a traffic jam worthy of Los Angeles, to my left I see tons of families picnicking happily at the beach on the Sunday afternoon heat. Dead ahead, I did not see a bridge.

I slowed my pace to admire the views, to take in the sound of laughing families, and to breathe in the smell of the barbecue grills filled with meats.  I halfway hoped that THIS was Piñones and I was just directionally confused.  The curious stares that were pinpointed on me as I inched closer to the grills were indication enough to me that I was not at Piñones.

The first indication that I arrived at my destination was the colorful murals of slaves that splashed on the walls of an old building. The area was originally the settlement of the African slaves that were brought in to work the sugarcane fields.

Along route 187, kiosks lined either side of the highway, filled with banana, cod fritters, pork, and chicken roasting over open flames ranged in price from $2 – $3.

Looking at the kiosks, it’s hard to gauge what the food and safety ratings are…somewhere below an “F”.  Some keys to picking the right kiosks:

• crowds of locals,
• lots of families with kids eating at the kiosk [what parent wants to deal with a sick kid?]
• frequent turnover of food,
• constant grilling/deep frying of new food [if they aren’t cooking anything, you don’t know how long it’s been sitting around]
• the dreaded line, if there’s a line, there’s frequent turnover and people are there because they like it

Don’t be afraid to ask the patrons what their favorite thing from the vendor is.  People will even volunteer information when you’re torn with indecision.  Or just have one of everything.

I love New Orleans. From the moment I touch down, a huge smile breaks out on my face. I feel like I’ve come home.  I don’t know if it’s the people, the music, the architecture, or the food.  Whatever it is, I’m just happy to be back and in disbelief that it took me so long to get back there.

Although I was in New Orleans for almost 6 full days last year, I was busy with work for 5 of the 6.   If it wasn’t for my hotel contacts [all of whom were total foodies, darn them], I would not have forced myself to leave to grab a bite to eat.  As it was, I tempted beyond my weak will to go to Stella!, Executive Chef Scott Boswell’s fine dining establishment.  I don’t even know where to start.

So really, let’s start with the important stuff. The booze.  We saw vodka chilled with liquid nitrogen and we knew that it was ours.  The local California brew tasted wonderful.

Amus Bouche

The best part of the meal might have been the Foie Gras BLT:

There were so many wonderful dishes that I ate off of other than just my own.

Blackened American Red Snapper and Cornmeal Crusted Oysters with Louisiana Seafood Jambalaya Risotto [didn’t try any of this, although I was tempted]

Being a huge fan of duck, I absolutely loved my duck five ways:

House made Pistachio and Vanilla gelato.

Candy Bar Dessert:

Passionfruit cheesecake

The entire meal was so enjoyable and tasty. The ambiance was a little too upscale for my comfort but was the service was personable enough that it put me at ease. This is New Orleans, after all, where the hospitality is as warm as my last sip of Cafe Au Lait.  But don’t take my word for it.  Go forth and discover for yourself!

If you find yourself on your way to Fajardo, Puerto Rico from the San Juan airport, you have to stop by this fruit stand that serves the most incredible and refreshing fruit smoothies, using the fruits that they sell in the stand. While the stand itself looked cramped, crowded and a bit eclectic stuffed with candy, snacks and toys, the fruit was fresh and looked so sweet.

There was even a mystery item that I couldn’t figure out. Any guesses?

Anything?  Ok, they’re avocados. I don’t think I’ve ever seen avocados this long before.  I didn’t have a knife or I would’ve bought this so I could check it out.

I moved along to the counter to place my order for a mango smoothie since I had fondled a few that smelled so sweet, I knew it had to be good.  The husband and wife team split the job between blending fruit smoothies and selling tostones [deep fried plantains] and pastries to their local clientele.  My hosts who brought me here both separately had commented that this was one of their favorite places to stop off for fruit smoothies, but since it was only open Monday – Friday until 5:30pm, it wasn’t a convenient spot to get to.

It is out of the way, so unless you are headed to Fajardo, there are plenty of other places that you can visit for a delicious and fresh smoothie!

Some days when all else fails, Sake tasting is the only way to go.  A couple of summers ago, I spent almost 2 weeks on a family vacation to Japan.  Family vacations are always rough [at least in my family] with the age range from 10 years to 81 years old.  It’s tough finding common ground for all the participants [especially when there’s 15 of us].  At some point, I had to take my own needs into consideration, so I made an urgent call to my cousin, Chiyoko, begging her to get me into a Sake tasting in Okayama.

I was told that Okayama is one of the most prolific areas of microbreweries in Japan, due to the high quality Okayama rice [I was told by an Okayama native so take it with a grain of salt…or rice].  This was the city where I sampled my very first alcoholic beverage ever at the age of 13, eh hemmm….let’s just say I was really young when I had my first taste of sake.  I swear I thought it was water…and I was thirsty.

On short notice, my cousin managed to find us a local brewer willing to take us through the facility’s museum. The brewery was located on the old ancient road to Edo, making this “Sakazuke” a well placed respite for the weary samurai travelers to Edo.

Although I didn’t get to see the sake making process, I was treated to a fascinating history lesson in Sake making.  The brown balls made of Spruce leaves [pictured above] were hung outside the factory to indicate when the sake was ready.  To the right were barrels that were artfully covered with the dried grass of rice. We were told that this artistic method of wrapping the barrels was no longer finished of this way since there weren’t enough artisans to accomplish the laborious feat.

We were treated to a Kanji lesson as well.  The diagram starts from right to to left, top to bottom.  They believed that the drawing to the top right was the drawing of the urn [see photo below where I’m clutching onto a clay urn]. Throughout time, the style of the bins changed until eventually, it came to the current kanji for Sake.

There is a style of pottery from Okayama called Bizen Yaki.  It is positively one of the most beautiful works of art that I collect religiously.  I was hoping to run off with this urn but that thing was heavy and I wasn’t able to move it an inch. Plus I couldn’t stash it in my carry on.

Unfortunately, they didn’t allow me to take any photos of the ancient tools that was used to make the sake…but for the one random photo of the old mode of transportation I got:

The best part of any sake tour is the tasting.  We got to sample a few of the varieties which we all we enjoyed.  I think I believe my cousins that the sake brewed in Okayama is best because of the fertile lands and water quality!

While Paris markets are a novelty to me, it’s a part of every day life for these lucky residents! Paris was where I discovered how to feast like a king for very little money in the style that I love – Picnic style!  In spite of the fact that we had just enjoyed a breakfast of a crispy hot buttery croissant and an espresso, my girlfriends and I discovered that we couldn’t pass up the wealth of goodies on display for us.  I highly recommend that you check out the farmers markets in any city – it’s a wealth of delicious food options at reasonable costs.

We saw the crepes lady with a huge jar of nutella, generously slathering a crepe for a customer that stopped us in our tracks.  We tried to reason that we had just eaten but one of us brought up the point that we were in Paris and we would not have time to come back to indulge…besides, we were sharing so it wasn’t like we were having a WHOLE crepes to ourselves.

As we polished off this crepe [that didn’t stand a chance against us], I happened to come across the chicken lady that I read about on David Lebovitz’ blog. I leaned over to my friends as they hovered over the remains of the crepe to let them know that at long last, I thought I had found the chicken lady…and shouldn’t we at least TRY this chicken that had recommended been recommended?  I mean, everyone knows that he knows his food, so it HAD to be good.  We looked dubiously at each other – we had a buttery croissant, an espresso, and a crepe all within a 30 minute period…we couldn’t possibly polish off some chicken, could we??

Well, apparently we could. We agreed that we couldn’t finish an ENTIRE chicken when the vendor pointed us to the cut pieces. We could definitely finish off one teensy, weensy little piece [i don’t know if the girls clued into it but it was actually the better part of a 1/4 of a chicken].  Crispy skin on the outside, moist tender meat on the inside, I was glad to discover that David Lebovitz really did know his food.  We had no problems finishing this off and I only wish that I could’ve had a whole chicken for lunch or dinner one night…or on the plane ride back home.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to travel with my girlfriends who were mommies of 2 kids each.  I’m not sure who was more excited – them or me.  I have to give a heartfelt thanks to their husbands who picked up the slack while we were out eating, drinking and shopping [and no, this does not mean they get to go on the next trip].  One of the biggest concerns that my friends had was the guilt that accompanied leaving their kids behind.  There was a lot of thought on how they could involve their kids in their travels.

Sao, my artsy fartsy friend, came up with the brilliant photographical journal/storybook after discovering that her sons’ packed their favorite “friends” in her suitcase to keep her company.  She started taking pictures of the “friends” in famous landmarks in Paris – Versailles, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Arc de Triomphe [pictured above] to name a few.

At first we thought it would be awkward, but so many people stopped to watch the photo sessions with big smiles on their faces. Judging from the others we saw doing similar photo sessions, I guess it wasn’t as uncommon as we thought.

At the end of each day, she would email them “postcard” pictures of the friends at famous sites around Paris.  The boys seem to delight in following their friends’ adventures.

The next time you find yourself out of town for work or play, bring along a “friend” to join in the fun! Heck, I don’t even have kids and I want to find some “friends” to bring along!

Last November was my 3rd trip to the Fairmont Kea Lani.  My first 2 trips were so busy I didn’t have time to enjoy the property and all that it offered.  I was determined to change that and be completely pampered by the uber attentive staff.

The one thing that I love about this hotel is that ALL of the rooms are one bedroom suites.  See the curved sofa below? It’s actually a comfortable pull-out bed, making this room perfect for families!

If you’re traveling with a larger family [or have a larger budget], the Villa is AH-MAZING. 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, en-suite washer/dryer, patio with a plunge pool and barbecue.  It is the perfect “condo” for your trip to Maui.

If you are part of the Fairmont President’s Club, you get free internet access and gym clothes for your stay! I’ve been a member for almost 10 years now and take advantage of it whenever I stay at a Fairmont. I hate packing tennis shoes and these shoes are so much cleaner than my own tennis shoes – I’m still not convinced that these weren’t brand new!

The bedrooms in the villas are very spacious – one room is upstairs with a full bathroom and a HUGE closet and one full bedroom off the living room area with another huge bathroom.  I actually wanted to move into the villa.  Unfortunately, neither my bank account nor the hotel would let me. Boo.

The sales manager and I attended the same college and had a lot of mutual friends in common.  The weird thing is that we couldn’t figure out why we never met in college, especially since we were both a little loud and a little obnoxious. In any case, he was kind enough to take me to their signature restauarant, Ko, and the fantastic menu that Chef Tylun Pang had developed over the last year.

My favorite was the seared ahi tuna since i could control the sear on the stone.  It was a fun interactive dish that I totally dug.  I love the healthiness of the food that was offered since I was planning on digging into as much SPAM and Portuguese Sausage as I could.

I love the Kea Lani’s Pool area [especially the slide!!!].  The cabanas were comfortable and well shaded for people like me who are sun-phobic.  The towels were nice and fluffy, making a great cover up when it started to get a little chilly.  The beach was the perfect location to watch the sunset – make sure you grab a chair early and a nice big bottle of wine.

If hanging out on the sandy beach isn’t your thing, you can always enjoy watching the sunset from the lounge. The view is lovely and is close in proximity to some fantastic drinks [and those cushions are comfortable enough to sleep in!].  Personally, I opted for a glass of wine on my huge balcony to say aloha to my day.

*Although this post sounds all sales-y and sponsored, I did pay for my room during my stay.  I just happen to REALLY like the Fairmont Kea Lani and want to share the love with you!

The number one question I get all the time is, “What’s your favorite destination?” It’s a difficult question to answer since there are so many places that I love and would love to revisit, each one being so unique and special. At the top 5, Turkey has a strong foothold in my heart for the people, the food and the beauty of the country. One of my first experiences in Turkey was sampling some sweet Turkish Taffy in Izmir from a Street Vendor.

I saw some children at the next table over losing their little minds when they saw the Taffy vendor roll up.  The adults purchased candy for the kids and joined in the fun, chewing on the sticks of rainbow goo.  I’m a sugar freak so I could not see myself letting this pass me by.  I called our server over to help me navigate flavor options and pricing.

It’s softer and stickier than pulled salt water taffy, with a an explosion of flavors similar to a Big Stick popsicle.  It comes in flavors such as lemon, vanilla, strawberry, lime, and kiwi.  Of course I had to try every single flavor, even though it was swirled around and melted together into one big blob.  It was one of the best darn blobs I’ve ever tasted.

Don’t be afraid to try things from Street Vendors – you’ll definitely miss out on some great experiences!