Some Unique Hotels

At some point in your travels, you've probably seen most of the places on your bucket list.  I'm far from there, but for those who are, the next thing you might look for is some really unique hotels.  There are some amazing hotels around the world built of ice, underwater, in the sides of cliffs, and up in the trees.  Here are some that you might seek out on your next adventure.

The Fairy Chimney Hotel in Turkey looks like an alien landscape.  The Caves Resort in Jamaica is dramatic and something you might enjoy.  Hotel de Glace in Canada is just one of many hotels built out of ice.  Other ice hotels are located in Scandanivan countries.  Sala Silvermine is a hotel in Sweden, which is underground, and the Poseidon Undersea Resort in Fiji, is underwater.  Iglu Dorf Hotel in Switzerland is another igloo type hotel.  Ngorngoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania is a gorgeous safari lodge.  The Ice Hotel in Sweden is the largest ice hotel in the world.  Another igloo style hotel can be found in Finland, Kakslauttanen Igloo Village.  Finally, The Mirrorcube Tree House in Sweden is so exotic.  Rooms of glass hang nearly invisibly among the trees.

If these exotic hotels don't get you yearning to plan a trip I don't know what will.  Staying at any of these incredible hotels would be quite an experience.  I'm already thinking about Scandanivia and one of the ice hotels.

Vacation Means Good Food

My trip to Nashville and Chicago with my mom was so much fun.  We both love to eat, and I thought I'd just mention a few of our favorite spots, just in case you're thinking of visiting either of these cities.
Nashville:  The best meal we had was our first night in town at a Mediterranean restaurant called  The Butcher and Bee.  Fantastic, is all I can say.  A corn pudding to die for.  You've got to try it if you're in Nashville.  Pinewood Social, for coffee, after dinner drinks, or a meal.  We went for coffee.  it is so unique.  It's a huge room, divided up into cozy areas with sofas and chairs and dining tables.  Very upscale, wonderful drinks.  They have a bowling alley in the back.  It's a great place to relax and kick back when you're tired of the hustle and bustle of Broadway.

Chicago:  It's hard to get a bad meal in Chicago.  Two standout breakfast spots were Kanela Breakfast Club (several location)  and Beatrix.  At Kanela Breakfast Club I had a wonderful French toast with apricot flavored creme fraiche on top and sitting on a bed of apricot puree.  Mom had avocado toast with spicy chickpeas.  Delicious. At Beatrix, I had the most delicious lemon ricotta pancakes I've ever had.  The lady we met on the street who gave us this recommendation, and walked us to the restaurant, was right.  Our breakfast was great.  For dinner, our favorite was Monteverde, a neighborhood Italian restaurant serving modern Italian food.  This was one of the best meals I've had in a long time, and the items on the menu were so unique.  My describing them will not do them justice, but trust me, if you go to Chicago try to get a table at Monteverde.  We also tried Swift and Sons in Fulton Market.  This is a traditional grill, with steaks, seafood, and chicken.  Great starters, like lobster bisque and caesar salad and steak tartare, which I ordered.  It's like Ruth's Chris or Flemmings.  We loved it.  Another restaurant called the Grand Lux, right on Michigan Ave, was wonderful, especially for lunch.  It's owned by the Cheesecake Factory, so you know it's good.  We had two of the best salads I've ever had there.  These were the standouts on our trip.

Oh, I should mention that we saw Garth Brooks getting into his car in Nashville, and Pam Tillis walking down the street.  They were both on music row, where all the music publishing houses are.  It was a great time for us.  My mom was disappointed to find out that people from Nashville don't have much of a southern accent.  We heard more southern accents from the tourists in Chicago!

Languedoc Roussillon: One of the Prettiest Villages in France

I'm a great supporter of the public library, and all it has to offer.  Book clubs, lectures, movie series, and much more.  I recently attended a lecture by local author Susan Vreeland, where I learned about her most recent novel, Lisette's List.  She is a New York Times best selling author of numerous books, including The Girl in Blue Hyacenth and Clara and Mr. Tiffany.  Many of her books are related to art history, specifically the impressionist period, and many of her books take place in France.  If you like these two themes as I do, you will probably like her books.  I had not read anything of hers prior to hearing her speak, but have listening to her for an hour, I went into the library and checked out The Boating, based on the painting of that name, by Pierre August Renoir.  Her most recent book takes place in the village of Roussillon, located halfway between Avignon and Aix-en Provence.

Lisette's List is about three artists, takes place in the village of Roussillon, and critics are saying it is Vreeland's best work yet.  I have been to France many times, yet did not know anything about this small village.  It is considered one of the prettiest villages in France.  It is well known for its ochre mines, which are then turned into paint.  In fact, the entire village has a reddish/gold hue to it.  It is charming looking, and possibly a wonderful place to visit.  You can get the ambiance of the south of France without all the crowds.  However, it is not a high interest destination.  The ochre mines are interesting to visit, but other than that, there are no well known monuments, churches, or history.  It's just a beautiful little village, much like dozens of others in France.  I might have to visit this village on my next trip to the south of France, if only overnight.  It just looks like what most of imagine when we think of France.  Big cities are great for the sights, art and shopping, but the small villages give you a taste of what makes France one of the most popular destinations in the world.  I can see myself in a small square, sitting in a café having a latte.  Since that's not possible right now, I'm off to Starbucks in my local shopping center.

Extraordinary Experiences Around The Globe

Travel is an ever evolving business. Years ago a tour of Italy would include tours to the major sites, a nice hotel, a little shopping and a few meals. Things have changed. For high end clients, private jet travel has become very popular. Four Seasons just had a 757 reconfigured for private jet travel on round the world trips. In May, Four Seasons unveiled it's Extraordinary Experiences Collection, promising exclusive experiences at its hotels around the world, from a Texas boot camp that has nothing to do with exercise, to private viewings of art collections.

In Punta Mita, Mexico, Four Seasons offers a private helicopter excursion to the family run Jose Cuervo distillery in Tequilla. In addition, clients are offered a behind the scenes tour of the facility by an expert sommelier to demonstrate the tequila making process. Then, guests will feast on a gourmet lunch prepared by a Four Seasons chef, while sipping tequila and listening to live music.

Boot camp Texas style is being offered by Four Seasons Austin. The trip starts with a consultation for custom boots made by Lucchese. The Package also includes lunch from Franklin Barbeque, named the top barbeque restaurant in the country, and two-step dance lessons at Austin's legendary Broken Spoke dance hall.

Other packages include stargazing in Costa Rica, hiking in Japan, private jewelry viewings in Florence, and tailgating at the Santa Fe, New Mexico opera. In time, more hotels will offer more interesting experiences. These trips sound truly extraordinary. I hope I have a chance to try one.

Cruising The Baltic Sea: The Good and The Bad

I just returned from a 10 day cruise from Stockholm to Dover, with stops in Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn (Estonia) and St. Petersburg. In celebration of my mom's 90th birthday, we took the cruise together. It was memorable. We were on a Crystal Cruise, so it was automatically good. Crystal tends to every detail. They think of things to do for you before you can even think of them. For example, when returning from a day of excursions on shore, they have juice, tea or water available for you before returning to the ship. They also offer you a cold towel! Little touches such as these make cruising with Crystal a six star experience. After day one, every waiter that serves you knows your name and what you like. Joe, our breakfast waiter greeted us each day with a cheerful "Good morning Dorothy, good morning Susie," and two hot cups of decaf coffee. Samrat, our headwaiter for dinner, frequently ordered extra goodies for our table. The preparation of escargots was so good that we had them several times as an additional appetizer for dinner. And have you ever eaten Salzburger Nocherl? Neither had I, but after having it once I couldn't resist asking for it again. I'll explain it's deliciousness some other time, but take my word, it is pure heaven. The other very good thing about cruising in general, is the wonderful people you meet. We had the most fabulous table for dinner each night, everyone very different, but the mix made a group that was full of laughter. A talent agent from New York, a retired banker from Corona del Mar, a dance host who worked on Crystal, the Mayor of Corpus Christie, Texas, two wonderful widows from New York, and us. We had a grand time, and many at our table are already planning a reunion cruise together. The bad part of cruising is the weight gain. I made the unfortunate decision of weighing myself on day 6, and it showed a gain of about 6 pounds!!! Could that possibly be right, I wondered? I eased up on the eating for the last few days, and when all was said and done, I had a gain of about 3 pounds. That's bad, but it was worth it. The only other bad thing I could say about this cruise is the immigration process in Russia, but that is not the fault of Crystal, and everyone must deal with it. They need to personally inspect every passenger. Lucky our ship was small and only had about 950 passengers or we might still be standing in line. We went on shore excursions in Russia, as that is the only way to see St. Petersburg unless you get your own very expensive visa. We visited the Hermitage, Catherine's Palace, saw most of the city by bus, and as the grand finale, went to a performance of Swan Lake. What a treat. Now I'm home again, back to reality, back to eating well, and hoping that those extra pounds will soon be off. It's great to travel, but there's nothing like home. So happy to be home with Ron and Pepper. Oh, I almost forgot to put in a plug for Air New Zealand. They are awesome. If you're not using mileage to purchase your ticket, check out Air New Zealand. (they are United partners). Their price is much less than most other carriers, and their business is class is fantastic. I slept about 5 hours on the way home, thanks to a 180 degree bed, with mattress and quilt. A perfect way to start and end a European holiday.

It's Summertime in Iguazu Falls

Frequent travelers are always asked questions like, "What's your favorite city"? or "What city has the best food"? Whenever I'm asked about my favorite natural wonder, I answer, "Iguazu Falls."

It was in the early 1990's that Ron and I took a 10 day trip to South America. Our itinerary included Buenos Aires, Rio de Janiero, and Iguazu Falls. The two cities were fascinating, both Buenos Aires and Rio being among the top cities for food, and you know how I love food. But the highlight of our trip was the few days we spent in Iguazu Falls. One of the most beautiful parts of the trip was getting to the falls. We flew there, and the captain skimmed over the tropical rainforests of Brazil on his way to a touchdown at the Iguazu Falls airport. That plane ride was simply spectacular.

Our hotel was in the national park, with beautiful veiws everywhere. Iguazu Falls border the countries of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. The falls were first discovered in 1541

by the Spanish Conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabez de Vaca. It has recently attracted botanists and biologists from around the world, who come to study the flora and fauna. For those of us who are not scientists, it offers beautiful vegetation, hiking trails and boat rides through the falls, all in a tropical climate. We met many university students in Iguazu Falls, there for a few weeks or months with a scientific expedition.

These falls are different than other famous falls, like Niagra or Victoria. Iguazu is somewhat U shaped. When you approach the falls by boat, which we did, you are almost surrounded by the falls at one point. Water is falling all around you at different heights and speeds. We took an inflatable boat into the falls, with the spray soaking us. The warm water from the falls cooled us on a tropical day, but left us drenched. We disembarked the little boat to find ourselves at the bottom of the falls, having to hike the whole way back. An Italian woman on our boat was in big trouble. She was dressed in a silk dress and high heeled shoes. Is that any way to go to a park? She ended up taking her shoes and stockings off, and hiking back barefoot. We all laughed.

Next time you plan a cruise or tour to South America, be sure and include Iguazu Falls on your itinerary. It is truly one of the wonders of the world, at least of what I've seen so far.

Lots To See In Phoenix

I flew to Phoenix a few weeks ago to visit friends Phil and Ellen. You might remember them from one of my Monday blogs. They were the couple that came to visit Ron in March, passed a slow driver in the parking lot, and were turned away. They felt terrible, Ron and I felt terrible, but we all learned something. The rules are the rules at Taft, no ifs, ands or buts.

My visit to Phoenix was two fold: it gave me a chance to relax, and it also gave me a chance to get to know Phil and Ellen better. They live in Paradise Valley. Their home is nestled in the hills, with a beautiful panoramic view of Phoenix in one direction, and mountains and cactus in all other directions. I could have spent hours in their backyard, enjoying the spectacular scenary. My visit with them was just what I needed.

Phil and Ellen went to high school with Ron, so they've known each other for over 55 years. I only met them about 10 years ago, and every time we've seen them, it's been the four of us. Well, this visit was just the three of us, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with each of them separately and as a couple. I know now why Ron has talked so highly about them for so many years. Wonderful people, great friends, and so much fun to be with.

One day Ellen and I decided to visit the Desert Botanical Gardens. It is almost entirely succulents, something I'm very interested in. It also has some desert wildflowers. I was there about one week too early. One more week and everything would have been in bloom, but I still got a chance to see many blooming succulants. It was spectacular. They also had a butterfly pavillion, which although I've seen them many times, is always a delight. This is truly someplace to see on any trip to Phoenix.

Ellen and I had a delicious lunch at the garden cafe, talked alot and really got to know each other. It was a great afternoon.

Another great attraction in Phoenix is the MIM, the Musical Instrument Museum. This is unlike any museum I have ever been to. Plan on 4 hours to really see it. It covers every part of the globe, every country, every kind of music. For example, you walk into Africa, and then go through displays, country by country with audio headsets explaining the video you are watching. All the native instruments are displayed, and the music is played for you to watch and listen to. As if that's not enough, they have a huge interactive room where kids and adults, can try out many instruments. It's fun and informative for all ages. I would highly recommend this museum to anyone going to Phoenix.

Our evenings in Phoenix were spent engaged in one of my favorite pasttimes, eating, but I'll talk about some of our interesting meals at another time. For now, it's enough to say that Phoenix is much more than just desert. Museums of all kinds, architecture that will inspire you, and outdoor activities(if it's not too hot)that will get your heart pumping. Thank you, Phil and Ellen, for showing me such warm hospitality. Next time, come to San Diego and I'll show you my city.

See You At The Market

I am passionate about food, and one of my favorite activities, at home or abroad, is visiting the local farmers' market. Cities like Portland, Boulder and Austin are well known for markets that attract both locals and visitors. In many cities around the globe the local market is the meeting place for friends and families, a social as well as shopping experience.

In 2003, the Kapiolani Community College (KCC)Farmers' Market was founded, and has been introducing thousands of locals and visitors to some of Hawaii's best local produce and products ever since. The islands continue to promote farm-to-table cuisine under the leadership of co-founder Dean Okimoto.

My next trip to Oahu will include a trip to this market, located at the Kapiolani Community College on Saturdays. 7,000-10,000 visitors frequent the market on any given week. Although it's still a small market by big city standards (60 vendors), it is unique. Some of the products you might find at this market include papaya, mangoes, lychee and lilikoi, and they're some of the best in the worlds because of the climate and soil of Hawaii. Many of the vendors sell prepared foods, including barbequed fresh abalone for at $5 for two pieces. Other vendors sell fried green tomatoes, pesto pizza with fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, a cheese omelet with fresh tatsoi and Hamakua mushrooms, taro poke, and fresh roasted corn with different toppings. Next time you're in Oahu, take a break from the beach and go to the market for lunch. It's a great way to mingle with locals and taste the local fare. If you're in a condo or timeshare, stock up on some local fruit and produce to eat during your stay.

The farm-to-table movement has really taken off in Hawaii, and in Oahu alone there are a dozen or so local markets every week. Well known local chefs like Roy Yamaguchi and Alan Wong's involvement has really moved things along. Some of the well known restaurants where local seafood and agricultural products are featured include Roy, Alan Wong's, DK Kodama's, Hiroshi's, the Sheraton Waikiki, 12th Avenue Grill, Indigo, Kaiwa, and Kakaako Kitchen.

Next time you're in Oahu, on a Saturday, put the KCC farmers' market on your to do list. You may just get hooked like I did, and want to visit one in every city you visit, domestic or foreign.

Mark your calendars. On May 10, Hagen Dazs will be handing out free ice cream cones from 4-8pm. Check their website for the nearest location. Thanks, Lynda, for giving me a heads up on this.

A Must See: Denver Botanic Gardens

I recently spent several days in Boulder with my son Phil, his wife Deborah and grandson Lennon. My mom and I visited together, and one morning we decided to do some sightseeing while Phil and Deborah went to work. What to do was the big question. We decided to visit the Denver Botanic Gardens. No one I know had ever been there and we both love plants and flowers, so we headed to Denver. The gardens are located just a few minutes from the city center, and are probably the nicest gardens I've ever seen including Kew Gardens in London and Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles.

Wow is all I can say. I would plan on about 1 1/2- 2 hours to visit the gardens. They are small but filled with great beauty. One of my favorite areas of the garden was where herbs were incorporated into the garden, often as hedges. Purple basil as a low hedge is spectacular. There are numerous other edible plants used in decorative manner such as white and purple cabbages and kale. One area has spectacular apricot trees, laden with fruit. Of course I was concerned with what happened to all the fruits and vegetables in the garden, and I got the answer I was hoping for. It is all harvested and donated to food banks in the Denver area.

The gardens have paid personnel to do the heavy planting, but much of the garden is tended to by the many volunteers. Everywhere I looked there were volunteer workers watering, weeding, leading tours or working in the fabulous gift shop.

A small indoor tropical plant area was also of great interest to me. It was a meandering, circular space that housed so many interesting species of plants, many of which I had never seen before.

On the rooftop is a succulent garden. Rooftop gardens are the hottest thing in gardening today. Look at cities like New York and Chicago from an aerial view and you will see them dotted with gardens. The Denver Botanic Gardens is slowly developing this space and it will take some time to be as beautiful as the rest of the gardens.

One other great feature of the the gardens for locals is the education program. We were there during the summer and lots of school age children were involved in week long summer programs. These classes are so valuable to students and a great enrichment activity for kids. They looked like they were having a ball.

The gardens were pleasant surprise and something I would recommend to anyone going to the Denver area or for locals that may have overlooked a real find, right in their own backyard.

Two Days in Playa Vista

Last week my friend Jan and I spent a few days cat sitting for her daughter's new feline friend, Lucy. I'm allergic to cats, but with Benedryl in hand, I said yes. Luckily this cat has short hair and my reaction was minimal. I went two days without having to take any medication.

Playa Vista is adjacent to Marina del Rey, in Los Angeles. It's a new area of apartments and condominiums, with lots of green space between buildings, and just a mile from the the ocean. I decided to take Jan to Venice Beach on Saturday. It's a must see for visitors to Los Angeles. If you've never been, you must go once. For me, it's a great place to take out of towners and get a nice workout at the same time.

We rented bicycles and were on our way. The area from Washington Blvd north, to the Santa Monica Pier, is colorful, to say the least. There is a bike path that winds northward, past beachgoers, musclemen, roller bladers, tattoo artists, street vendors and musicians. We stopped along the way at the skate park and watched with amazement the skill and daring of the young skateboarders. They are quite amazing. Many rollerbladers are also on the bike path, and there is an area for the bladers to show off their skills. We were there early, but in the afternoon this area resembles an ice skating rink with performers practicing their jumps, twirls and dance routines. It's very entertaining.

We reached the pier, turned south, and walked our bikes back to Washington Blvd. We passed the Shul on the Beach, Tattoos on the beach, sidewalk chalk painters, vendors selling everything from luggage and sun glasses to tee shirts and jeans. We passed Muscle Beach, a long time attraction, which now has stadium seating surrounding the workout area for spectators. There wasn't much activity when we were there, but you can often see men with huge muscles working out in front of the crowd. Handball and paddleball courts are also on the boardwalk, and full of players. Many private trainers use the area to train their clients. There was a yoga group practicing on the sand, and several trainers with their clients on the grassy area doing sit ups and lunges. One of the most interesting activites we saw was a large group of young people in something that looked like rollerblades, but the bottom of the shoe had two flexible strips that bounced when they walked. They're called Bounce Shoes, and what a workout you get from them. The teacher was leading them through a series of exercises and I could see they were really working hard.

Of course Venice Beach offers lots of eating opportunities, too. It's the standard beach fare of corn dogs, snow cones, popcorn and pizza. We decided to wait until our ride was over and get some really good food.

We were just a few blocks from one of my favorite Venice restaurants, 3 Square Cafe. It is owned by Hans Rockenwagner, one of the most respected chefs and restauranteurs in Los Angeles. It was Saturday and they were serving brunch. Jan had an apple pancake with creme fraiche. It was like a cake/pancake with apples in it, topped with powdered sugar and creme fraiche. I had an egg white omelette with fresh veggies and cheese. Other items included crab cakes, corn meal pancakes, tuna burgers on pretzel bread, corned beef sandwich with spicy cole slaw and bread pudding french toast with smoked bacon and eggs. Everything was excellent. Afterwards we took a short walk along Abbott Kinney and enjoyed the interesting shops.

What a wonderful day. Warm weather, good company, exercise, great food and some interesting sights. Who could ask for anything more?

A Day Visiting Balboa Island With Friends: Priceless

Several of my boogie boarding friends planned a trip to Balboa Island today, and I was smart enough to join them. There were nine of us in all. We had a spectacular time and perfect weather. Our original plan was to go kyaking in the beautiful, calm waters, but decided to rent a motorized boat instead, due to the cool weather. We all hate to be cold! Here's how our day went.

We left Encinitas at 8:45 in two cars, and arrived in Balboa around 10:15. I hadn't been there in years and had forgotten what an utterly charming little town it is. The whole island is only one square mile, yet it is loaded with great shopping, souvenir shops, a few restaurants, and some spectacular homes. Every homeowner takes great pride in his property and all homes are in tip top shape. Gardens are important, one more beautiful than the next. Architecture runs the gamut. Most homes are at least two-story due to the small size of the lots. Everywhere you look you see painters, carpenters and gardners working to keep up the residential area.

We shopped on Marine Avenue, the main street in Balboa before lunch. Great gift shops, upscale clothing stores, children's clothes and toys and restaurants are in abundance. Yogurt, pizza, burgers, diners, candy shops and of course stands selling the famous Balboa Bar are present. Everyone claims that their shop sells the original Balboa Bar, but they all seem to be the same. A Balboa Bar is simply vanilla ice cream on a stick, covered in chocolate, and either finished with jimmies or nuts. We did not have one, but they did look delicious.

My favorite part of the day was still to come. We arranged to rent a motorized boat to putt putt around the bay, eat a picnic lunch on board, and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Lucky for us, the sun finally broke through around noon and we had a magnificent afternoon. Captain Jill and Captain Marie kept the boat on an even course and we enjoyed our home prepared picnic lunch, lots of conversation and a tour around the bay. Thanks to Debbie for remembering to have the boat rental company put the life rafts on board. They were going to send us out to sea with no life jackets!!

Our entertainment came from the sea lions that were abundant and naughty. It's obvious the sea lions are not afraid of humans, as we got within a few feet of them relaxing in the water on their backs or sunbathing on someone's multi-million dollar yacht. The sea lions have decided that the boats and yachts in Balboa are their personal living room. There were four sea lions on one boat. When a little dinghy went by slapping an oar at them to try to get them off the boat, the sea lions swam around the boat until the dinghy left, then got right back on the boat. This is a terrible problem for the boat owners. Many owners have put fencing around the deck to keep the sea lions from ruining their property. The animals sure are cute to look at, though. Debbie took lots of pictures of the sea lions relaxing in the sun.

After a wonderful lunch and sailing around the bay, we returned to the Fun Zone area of Balboa and did a bit more shopping. I was hungry for something sweet, so while some went off for yogurt, Fran, Pam and I went to Wilma's Patio, a casual family restaurant. We had pound cake topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh strawberries. A sweet ending to a very sweet day.

Cruise Ship Renovations in a Down Economy

I was recently lucky enough to experience the luxury of Crystal Cruises, and wondered how in this poor economy they were still able to offer the excellent service and ammenities they always have. Their philosophy is that they must in order to maintain their six star rating and keep ahead of the competition. The cruise industry is highly competitive, and at least a dozen cruise lines have spent upwards of $100 million recently in upgrades to their ships.

The Crystal Symphony just spent $25 million on a makeover after it had already spent $25 million a year earlier. The many new features to the 15 year old ship include a redesign of the penthouse (I'll never see that), Swaroski Crystal chandelliers, cashmere throws, new pool deck furniture, enormous jacuzzi at the main pool, sleek new decor in the Prego restaurant and a new Trident Lounge. President Greg Michel says that as the market shows evidence of stable recovery the company is likely to consider a new vessel order. When I travelled on the Crystal Serenity we were told it was the first full sailing in two years. That's very good news for the industry.

At the other end of the spectrum Carnival has been doing extensive renovation to keep its fleet fresh. The eight Fantasy-class ships have been renovated. The new amenities include a waterpark, redesigned pool and Serenity adults only area. Many of the ships have received new balconies on oceanview staterooms as well as open deck features, including a 300 foot long Twister water slide filled with exhilarating twists and turns. It sounds like the kids will love it.

Other cruise lines that have also completed renovations include Celebrity, Costa, Holland America, Oceania, Princess and Royal Caribbean. A good question to ask when booking a cruise is "When was the ship last renovated"? It can make a big difference. Cruising is one of the best travel bargains out there. Consider one for your next trip, and try to cruise on a recently renovated ship. It could make a big difference.

Thank you Lynda, for reminding me that July 29 is National Lasagna Day. Who knew? Go to Buca de Beppo for lunch, order one pasta dish, and get a free lasagna. What a deal. Thanks for letting me know, Lynda.

South America On Sale

I love to travel, but in this tight economy most people are staying close to home, me included. I usually don't promote travel specials, but this is one I can't pass up. How about 10 days (eight nights) in South America, including air, breakfast daily and some other specials, for $1799 per person? That is one heck of a deal.

The tour is three nights in Rio de Janiero, two nights in Iguazu Falls, and three nights in Buenos Aires. I have visited all of these places and count them as among my favorite destinations. Iguazu Falls in particular is spectacular. Traveling by boat, visitors motor into the falls. It's a magnificent sight. If you have any interest in this tour, please give me a call. I hope some of you have an opportunity to visit South America. It's a special destination.

Offbeat Travel: A Trip to Cuba

In 1987, when I had all about I could take of teaching in LAUSD, I became a travel agent, something I continue to do to this day. There were many opportunities for agents to travel near and far, and I took advantage of this as much as possible. In the year 2000, my friend Elaine and I decided to journey to Cuba. This was at a time when travel to Cuba was tight, and the rules for foreigners were ridgedly enforced by the Bush administration.

I had sent a film crew to Havana in the late 1990's so I had some idea of the red tape that was involved in getting the proper permits. Elaine and I went with permits from a ministry in Los Angeles. We brought medicine and clothes to a church in Havana. There are several categories of people allowed to visit Cuba, religous and medical being two of them. We spent several weeks obtaining the proper documentation, meanwhile planning our trip so we would be ready to go when our papers were in order.

We made most of our arrangements through a Canadian tour operator, as there are no restrictions for Canadian tourists, and Elaine has both Canadian and American citizenship. Most people that go to Cuba connect through either Cancun or Mexico City, as there are no direct flights from the U.S. One can also fly direct from Canada.

We arrived in Havana, went through customs without a hitch, and were on our way. There were many four and five star hotels in the city by then, and our accomodations were excellent. Much of the historic center of Havana has been restored, and several European governments have gambled a lot of money on the fact that Havana will again become a world class destination. Old Havana is the place to visit. One site that no visitor misses is the Hotel Nationale, the old hangout of Earnest Hemingway. It's loaded with pictures of memorabilia from the 1950's.

Once the hot spot of the Caribbean and popular destination for Americans, Cuba has now been declared a World Heritage Area by UNESCO with many plazas having buildings dating from the 16th and 17th centuries. Old Havana's side streets, narrow and cobble-stone, are another picture, one of urban decay. The walls of many of the buildings are literally propped up with wood. Walking these narrow streets one is struck by the absence of commodity shops. There is very little to buy, and they have stamps for all basic necessities. In other words, everything is rationed. When you do see a shop with clothing, the merchandise is 20 years old.

As poor as the Cuban people are, they are the happiest people you can imagine. There are musicians everywhere, even dancers in colorful clothes hoping to make a few pennies by entertaining passers by. I was struck by the fact that there is almost no anti American sentiment. Almost everyone you meet has a relative in Miami and their hope is to get there one day.

Where did all the old Chevys and Oldsmobiles of the 1950's go? Why, Cuba of course. They have vintage car shows several times a year. This is a big attraction for visitors from all countries. They also have music, music, music. Every bar and restaurant has music at night, dancing too. It's a happy place to be.

Open air markets offer an array of items, from food to crafts, to original art. When I was there I bought several oil paintings for under $20 each. Most artists are untrained but their paintings emote such feeling for life in Cuba. You can't help but love their raw, primitive work.

Food varies from poor to excellent. Many families use their homes as restaurants, and serve dinner in the backyard, dining room or patio every night. These were among our best meals, and it was so personal, as we could talk to the family members we were visiting.

Our tour guide was a young woman of 18, a college student, another person we met who hoped to come to the U.S. one day. She recited information from a prepared statement, and would not offer personal opinion on Castro, good or bad. We gave her a big tip at the end of the week, probably more money than she makes in several months. We were told that at the time doctors made $20 per month.

Beaches in Cuba are beautiful, and although we did not visit them, there are five star resorts along the coast, just as you would find in many other Caribbean islands. All in all it is a wonderful vacation, a real eye opener as to what life under a repressive dictatorship is like.

I recommend Cuba for anyone wanting to see this island before it becomes overpopulated with American style hotels and restaurants. It's beautiful, reasonable and very interesting. It will also give you a great appreciation for the American way of life.