Conde Nast on Angkor Wat

by Erik Olsen on

One of the best
trips I’ve ever taken was to Cambodia. This was only a few years ago, and I went there with my wife to explore Angkor
Wat and also to pay a visit to Phnom Penh. The temples at Angkor were mind-blowing.  You generally stay in the
town of Siem reap, which is, I might add, growing like kudzu, with huge new hotels springing up like toadstools, and
then hire a guide to take you in to the ruins. It’s expensive to get into the ruins…I forget what I paid, but i was
like $30 a day or something. Still, it’s totally worth it. The ruins just appear at the end of a dreary little road,
rising out of the early morning mist like something out of a story by the Brothers Grimm. It takes days to explore them
fully. And it took even longer for me, because I was very busy shooting panoramic
photos of several of the temple buildings and this always takes a while.

The whole area is now getting
so built up and touristed that I hate to think about what it will look like in a couple of years. But for now, I think
it still manages to hold onto its charm and exoticness.

Anyway, as I say, this was one of the more marvelous
trips I’ve ever taken, and memories of the trip were rekindled as I read through and explored the fine coverage
provided by Conde Nast’s Conceierge.com site. We’re
talking Conde Nast here, so this is more or less higher end stuff. The recommendations are for the more expensive hotels and restaurants, but they still
give a nice lowdown on the best things to do and
see, as well as features on eating and
nightlife, which is definitely happening in Siem reap. Me, I recommend going to the Khmer Kitchen, and then stopping in for a full body
massage at one of the local massage parlors. These are not “sexual” massages, mind you. These people are
professionals and you leave feeling perfectly relaxed so that when you hit your hotel, you are ready to sleep and prep
your brain for the vigorous next day of temple exploring that lies ahead.

Hajj & Eid-al-Adha

by Adrienne Wilson on

If you’ll take a look at your calendars you’ll notice today is Eid-al-Adha. While some of us may need
no reminder of the festivities that occur on this tenth day of the month there are many of us who are clueless to the
event and that of Hajj. Eid-al-Adha is a celebration of sacrifice, where Muslims returning from Arafat or Mount Mercy
will slaughter an animal to commemorate the preparedness of the Prophet Abraham. Beliefnet has a great short piece helping to understand
the religious festivity and more importantly Hajj.

A friend of mine recently re-explained what the event
was about and how she wishes to help send her mother there. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca and required for all
Muslims to attend at least once in their lifetime, if they can. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. From what my
friend describes and this article found in the Washington Post getting
there isn’t always easy and is extremely costly. Many pilgrims have started mixing business into their trips by selling
silk prayer rugs, wooden crafts, precious stones and even honey to help off-set the expenses involved with getting
there. The trip to Saudi Arabia for the average tourist staying in moderately priced hotels can cost up to $3,000 per
person with deluxe packages up to $8,000. With 2 million people expected to visit this year one can only imagine the
tourism dollars going into Saudi Arabia, but what could be more beautiful and sacred than people from all corners of
the globe gathered at the same place, time, in the same attire, doing the same prescribed acts, reflecting harmony and
fraternity?

No matter what the price many will always continue to travel to this holy ‘promised’ land.

Ceres, South Africa & Juice

by Adrienne Wilson on

Inspiration for this particular travel destination
comes from a tetra pak of apricot juice. Must have had a few more
morning brain cells charged up than normal. I focused my half-awake eyes on the same tetra pak I normally pull from the
fridge and pay no mind to, other than gulping down some of the best fruit juice in the world. But where in the world?
As I started reading the labeling on the box I was suddenly sucked into the fertile valleys at the southern most tip of
Africa. A land where rivers are replaced with streams of free-flowing youngberry, guava, mango, hanepoot, and passion
fruit juices with no added sugar, colorants, or preservatives. All the real earthy fruit juice you could possibly ever
want and desire found in the "Eden of Africa."

Ceres, South
Africa offers a wide-variety of activities beyond visiting the fruit growers factories or the Klondyke Cherry Farm.
Mountain drive tours through the Matroosberg are available at the Matroosberg
Reserve, experience panoramic views of the level shallow valley of the Ceres Karoo, mountain bike, go fishing, on a
cultural tour or something as simple as a donkey cart ride in Wethu. Visit the tourism site to see a full list of activities, accommodation, restaurant, and
historical information about the region. If you decide to go try not ask about the free-flowing streams of fruit juice.
That was only wishful thinking on my part.

Lonely Planet Blue List Review

by Erik Olsen on

I
got my hands on a copy of another book out from Lonely Planet, the guidebook
publisher who has lately been churning out all manner of new titles related to travel. Now, I have to say up front that
I am biased. I LOVE Lonely Planet. I love everything about the company (well, except for Tony Wheeler’s Web
site), and was gleeful about my own fortune in doing a podcast months ago with Don
George, one of my travel writer heroes. 

Well, one of the newest titles out from LP is a kind of
encyclopedia of opportunity, a sprawling tome of life-experiences that will make your head whirl and will have you
reaching for your credit card to book the next flight out of dodge.

The idea behind Bluelist is simple, and certainly well-known
to anyone who has been on the road for a while. As LP puts it, “to Bluelist something is the travel equivalent of
‘you should see my guy, he’s the best’. It’s the act of recommending a travel experience. Any travel experience.”
In this case, these experiences and places are suggested for you by the editors and writers at LP…who should
know.

And so the book is loaded with page after elegant page of tips, suggestions and recommendations from
nooks and cities all over the world. It’s good, and the kind of book you’d keep on your coffee table and
thumb through while half-watching a football game or something.

Now, if I have anything negative to say
it’s that some of the entries are sparse and much of the book lacks depth…at least the kind of depth you
expect from Lonely Planet. Now that may be the point, but when you read about a great trip like Overland Track in
Tasmania, you want o know more. I suppose they
expect that you will go to the (impressive) Bluelist Web site, or will Google the place on your own. Anyway,
that’s my gripe. Otherwise ,it’s a nice addition to the LP oeuvre.

One for the Road (01/04/06)

by Kelly Amabile on

Following up on my mention of some great NYC
Walking Tours, I thought I’d also suggest a book that you can use to do it yourself, if that is the approach you’d
like to take when footing it around the five boroughs. New York
Neighborhoods: A Food Lover’s Walking, Eating, and Shopping Guide to Ethnic Enclaves Throughout New York City was
written by travel writer Eleanor Berman. The third edition of this book was released in April 2004. It suggests stops
at a Russian cafe in Brighton Beach and an Astoria taverna where famished walkers can sample tasty Greek treats. Other
suggested stops include a taste of Korean bibimbap in Flushing and sauerbraten on the Upper East Side. The handy guide
includes tips on how to eat like a king or queen on the cheap and includes maps and illustrations to make navigating a
breeze. Eating your way through the city has never been easier.