jenjoy

Brave New Traveler Article

I thought this article in Brave New Traveler, Why Do We Crave Escape From The Modern World , did a good job addressing our desires to travel.  Check it out and make sure to read the comments at the end.

Trip Around the World

To celebrate his 50th birthday, a co-worker and his best friend are taking a month to go around the world and see all the sights left unseen on their "list".   The Great Wall of China, Petra, the Pyramids and Machu Picu to name a few.   Why is it that so many of us wait until we feel time marching past us to do and see the things that are important to us?  Are we so caught up in the moments of life; picking the kids up from school, the promotion at work, global warming,  that we lose sight of the other things that are important to us?  Or is that the choice that we make?  Why do we have to make a choice?

It seems these quests are for the young and the old.  Those who have yet to step into responsbility and for those that have lived past it.

I am fascinated by the prospect of this kind of grand travel and, while 50 is fast approaching, I don't want to wait.  But how do we balance the requirements of our life with our desires and dreams?  In many aspects I am lucky to have the opportunity to travel extensively.    My job allows me months off at a time, with an income to support it.  And though my heart desires a family, I have not been blessed with  one.   I only have a commitment to two loving and furry cats.  And yet, I find myself at work more often than in travel.  Worried that the next job may not come, or the money will run out, or saving for retirement.  What is the compromise?

Until we figure out the perfect combination of life, fun, travel, family and obligations--let us dream.  Of private jets, world cruises, cultures we have yet to experience and sights that take our breaths away.  Read this article from MSN  or check out the decadence of Starquest Expeditions .

Magellan's Retriever Luggage Tags

I am always on the lookout for new, fun, helpful luggage tags.   Take a look at these luggage tags
from Magellan.   Instead of putting a copy of your itinerary in your luggage, you put it in your
luggage tag.  Sounds like a good idea.

Travel Writing Contest Monthly Winner

I am happy to announce that my entry, "Heart of a Mountain", has won the first monthly Travel Writing Contest at the Costa Rica Pages.    Check out the announcement, along with my bio, on their blog.

They will award the grand prize winner ($3,000 Costa Rican Vacation) on August 4, 2008.

Thanks to everybody who has visited the site and made comments and/or rated my short story.
If you haven't done that yet, its not to late.  Click here to visit the site.
  

Airlines Slash Flights

Things are not looking good for the airlines.   With gas prices soaring to over $130 a barrell, many flights aren't even breaking even.   USA today is reporting that over 300 airports will be effected,  by reduction in flights and seats available,  in their comprehensive article, "Fliers in for pain...."  .  And that is bad news for us, the travelers of the world.  Gone are the days of last minute flights, lots of choices and low fares.  We will have to plan accordingly, and after the dust settles, I am sure we will figure out new and different ways to make air travel work for us.  One of the options I am looking into is a new website called Yapta ("Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant"), which will monitor ticket prices and alert you when the prices drop, even keeping track after you have made your purchase.  You still have to do the leg work as far as purchasing and refunds, but Yapta brings the information to your fingertips.

Do you have any ideas or tips to make airline travel easier?

Budapest Millennium Line

I step outside my friend's Budapest apartment, into the blistering mid-morning heat.  Today's temperature has forced me to into the bowels of Budapest, into the subway system.  Skirting the sun, which is heating up the cobblestones at an alarming rapid rate, I head to the Opera stop on the M1 line, also known as the yellow line. 

I've broken into a sweat on my short two block walk to the Metro stop, from the heat and the anxiety
of  being by myself in a strange city.   I've only been here two days, and while the people are very friendly, the language is difficult and the city of Budapest has an odd feeling to it.    I am not yet comfortable here, amid the crumbling buildings and the smell of old sewer systems.

Being charmed by a subway line wasn't what I was expecting. .  Down one short flight of stairs, I smell the sweet chill in the air and I am transported into another time, a bygone era.   The M1 line is the oldest subway line on the continent, the metro in London being the oldest in Europe.  Constructed in 1894, the Millennium Line, was built for Hungary's  Magyar Conquest millennial celebration in 1896, and leads directly down Andrassy Street to Hero's Square.  The late 1800's were a prosperous time for the Hungarians, having just come out of 150 years of occupation by the Turks and the Hofburgs of Austria.  Little did they know they were living on borrowed time.  That in less than twenty-five years they would be involved in a World War and lose two thirds of their country.  And twenty-five years after that  they would be taken over by Communism after a second World War.

Budapest recently renovated all the stops along this metro line, capturing the elegance of the 1890's.
White and brown tiles adorn the walls, while wood cabinets bookmark each end of the space.  The exposed steel beams have been painted brown and are topped with gold molding.  The wooden ticket booths have also been lovingly restored, even though they are not operational.  The only modern equipment cluttering this area are the ticket machine, the stamping machine and the digital clock mounted above the rails counting down to the next train.

At one time the train cars were wood, but they have now been replaced by steel cars, painted yellow.
The cars are small and independent of each other.  Leather straps hang from the ceiling as
hand holds.  The track is loud and squeaky and reminds me of that first long haul up an old roller coaster, the clicking of the train moving over the tracks, slow screeches on the turns.

This metro line, the Millennium Line, is representative of Budapest and Hungary.  Renovating itself
after years of neglect under communist control.   Soon it too will stand tall and proud, restored to
the glory of bygone years and a testament to the longevity of perseverance.

Costa Rican Vacation

"Describe your most memorable vacation or travel moment and how it changed or affected you.”

Costa Rican Vacations  has challenged me and in return, if my entry is the best, will reward me with a week long trip to Costa Rica in September, worth $3,000 (airfare not included).    How do you pick one moment or vacation?  Each trip is unique and has it own special experiences.

Ultimately I chose to tell the story of me and David and a mountain in Belize.  Some of you may remember the day from my email blogs.  The day after I broke my rib horseback riding, the day we explored the amazing cave on top of the mountain.  What I didn't tell you about was the journey up that mountain and how it lives with me everyday.  How hiking that jungle trail was a defining moment for me and the insight of my guide, the way he saw into my soul, still travels with me today.

Please, check out my entry, "Heart of a Mountain".   Give it a rating, and comment on it.

I will let you know if I win.

Brave New Traveler

I have been spending a lot of time reading traditional travel magazines in the past few months, both online and in print.  One of the more unique webzines I have come across, and check out several times a week, is Brave New Traveler .    It combines unique articles about the the spirituality of travel  with practical tips ("Hostel Sex: The practical guide for Backpackers ") and throws in some travel writing advice. 

The editors of Brave New Traveler are trying to build readership.  Help them out.  Take a look.  I think
you will like what you find and hopefully you will keep coming back for more.

Ojai, Oh My

Ojai holds the remembered promises of tiny hamlets that use to exist near Los Angeles before the urban sprawl engulfed them.  Tucked between towering mountains, Ojai embraces the calm and peace that Southern California professes but rarely delivers.  My friend Meredith and I have made this journey north of Los Angeles to celebrate her birthday and seek truth to the rumors of restorative powers that our friends have boasted.  After fighting over two hours of bumper to bumper traffic through Oxnard and Ventura, we pull off the freeway onto California Highway 33 North, winding our way through little towns, along side the Ventura Bike Trail, a paved nine mile trail that ends at the beach in Ventura.

Our goal is the Oak Cafe at the Ojai Valley Inn and Spa (recently rated the#1 Spa destination in the world by Trip Advisor ).  Arriving mid afternoon, we are greeted by unimposing elegance, casual yet formal whitewashed Spanish style buildings spread out over 220 acres, home to the resort, spa, restaurants and golf course. The outdoor restaurant, surrounded by huge old oak trees, seems populated by resort guests and locals, and exudes a relaxed, take your time atmosphere.   As we sit at our table, watching people stroll along the edge of the golf course, the tensions and stress of our fast paced city lives disapates, replaced by tranquility and quiet.  We take this time to catch up with each others lives and eat from the casual American cuisine on the menu, followed (of course) by birthday cake.

After lunch we walk the grounds, enjoying the sparse layout of the resort's buildings and finally making our way to the spa.   I am reminded of my recent visit to the Center of Well Being Spa at The Phoenician Hotel in Phoenix, Az.  This would be a perfect place for my next "girls weekend getaway". Just walking the grounds, eating lunch and looking over the spa menu put me in a relaxed frame of mind, I can only imagine what  a weekend of pampering would do to my Psyche.

The Ojai Valley Resort and Spa is located on the outskirts of Ojai so Meredith and I decide to ventured deep into downtown Ojai, where the main drag only gets congested at 3P, when school lets out.  Having no trouble finding street parking, we wander in and out of art galleries, home stores and tea shops.  We just missed the 9th Annual Storytelling Festival , which took place in the park that runs along the center of town.

Ojai has a very laid back atmosphere, infused with artistic and therapeutic qualities.  I waited fourteen years before making the short drive there.  I won't wait as long to go back.

Westways Magazine

Westways Magazine, the magazine for AAA of Southern California is going to publish one of my travel tips in an upcoming issue.  I will keep you posted on my first publication!