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Friday fotos: blaine harrington iii
Check out this week’s featured travel photos! Blaine Harrington is a travel/location photographer, based in Metro Denver (Colorado, USA). He is the 2005 and 2006 SATW Travel Photographer of the Year. He has worked on assignment for most major news, business and travel magazines. With over 35 years in business (including working in Amsterdam, New…
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In fiji, your own island, barefoot luxury, and reefs to roam
With over 300 islands set in crystal-clear waters, palm-fringed white sand beaches, lagoons and coral reefs, relaxation is big in Fiji–although there are loads of activities when you’re in the mood: amazing snorkeling, diving, jet skiing, white water rafting, swimming with manta rays or visiting local villages. I traveled to Fiji with my 16-year-old daughter…
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Riding the rails in the rockies
“A-a-a-all abora-a-ard,” chimed the conductor at Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station as we hurried down the platform toward “The Rocky Mountaineer.” We were about to embark on one of the world’s classic train journeys, from Vancouver, British Columbia to Banff, Alberta. Many call this the most spectacular train trip in the world. Built over a century…
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Big island big adventure
As the jet makes its arching descent across Hilo Bay on the Big Island of Hawai’i, we’re mesmerized by the tropical tableau below – translucent blue water fringed with green rolling hills. The couple across the aisle compares the scenery to Ireland. But when my husband and I step off the plane the floral fragrances…
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Video: rapa nui traditional dancers
Matato’a Dance group as seen worldwide. “Matato’a (the watchful eye of the warrior) is a musical and dance group from Rapa Nui. It is one of the most famous bands from the island. Matato’a was founded in 1996 by Kevamatato’a Atan. It was in 1998 that they adopted the name of Matato’a, which means ‘warrior’…
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Book: a woman’s world
Marybeth’s best-selling first collection of travel stories, A Woman’s World, chronicled and celebrated the diverse and bold new ways women are exploring the planet. A Woman’s World won the prestigious Lowell Thomas Award for Best Travel Book of the Year and elicited not only critical praise but thousands of enthusiastic letters from readers. It is…
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Where is the riviera maya–and why go?
For pure alabaster white sand, turquoise-blue water, and a seamless vacation of R&R, you should know about the Riviera Maya; a strip of coastline stretching south from Cancun, on the Gulf Coast of Mexico, to the Mayan ruins of Tulum. And, due to the large number of all-inclusive hotels, there are fabulous deals for serious…
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Hawai’i island-kīlauea volcano’s new eruption, spews lava
Kīlauea volcano’s new eruption site, which suddenly cracked open on Sat., Mar., 5, continues to spew lava through fissures on its east rift zone, following the dramatic collapse of Pu’u ō’ō crater’s floor. Fiery curtains of orange lava – some as high as 80 feet – have been captured on video and in photographs the…
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Where’s the largest irish event west of the mississippi?
Irish Eyes Are Smiling in San Francisco San Francisco’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival is the largest Irish event west of the Mississippi, which certainly merits a sip of Irish coffee or a romp through the Oxalis (which is a fancy word for shamrocks). “Giving Back” is the theme for the 160th annual St.…
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Celebrate wine, food, love of life in the heart of alexander valley
There is still room at the table on the terrace overlooking the vineyards of Alexander Valley at the newly opened Francis Ford Coppola Winery restaurant near Geyserville. The 88-acre property of rolling land includes sustainably farmed vineyards and embraces bucolic views from the terraces, tasting rooms, movie gallery, pools and bocce ball courts. Recently on…
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When planning travel online is a bust – get honest answers from friends.
Do you ever wonder who writes the reviews on travel sites that rate hotels and restaurants? Here’s a cool new online travel resource that gets around this issue. Check it out. Gogobot. When all the reviews are “over-the-top” complimentary, I question their credibility. Was this written by employees or friends of the owner? After all,…
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Spring break beach trip in the planning. Mexico?
Lousy winter weather and a pent up demand for a vacation in the sun are my reasons for heading south to Mexico. The top international destination for Spring Break is Cancun, along the gulf of Mexico and that’s where I’m going next week. Actually I’m going to an area an hour south of Cancun called…
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Banish bad hair days – dos and don’ts
Can you beat back frizz, control cowlicks and tame unruly hair when you’re traveling? Yes! Bad hair days do not have to be part of your travel plans. Hair Beauty Dos and Don’ts 1. See your stylist and have your hair done the day before you leave. Planning, packing and closing up the house are…
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The insanity of learning to surf at my age – on the north shore of oahu
I can remember exactly the first time I felt I had to surf….against all expectations, as I am uncomfortable in the ocean when my feet don’t touch a sandy bottom. Surf movies were projected onto the walls of the hip restaurant where we celebrated my daughter’s birthday. Watching surf movies is like seeing poetry come…
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Valentine’s day without a lover
Valentine’s Day is for lovers, right? I spent many years without someone special in my life in mid-February. So if that’s not part of your life right now, here are some tips of things that I’ve done to make it fun. 1. Instead of dinner, consider going to a comedy club and laughing along as…
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National geographic radio: hear the inside story about rapa nui – easter island
My interview with Boyd Matson, National Geographic Radio, XM Radio, NPR is streamed on the National Geographic Website and is available on itunes. The question I’m asked the most is: Where is Easter Island? In the middle of nowhere, no really, it’s roughly equal distance from Tahiti and Peru and Chile, at 29′ South latitude.…
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Questions about easter island – why and how?
Despite its isolation in the middle of the South Pacific (roughly equal distance from Tahiti and South America), Easter Island is at the center of a lot of questions. WHERE DID THE HEADS COME FROM? HOW WERE THEY TRANSPORTED? The giant heads were carved our of a dead volcano, which contains over 400 Moai; one…
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Night life at easter island – dance ’til you drop
Recently I went to Easter Island, the most remote and least visited World Heritage Site, home of the giant stone heads and dazzlingly attractive men and curvaceous women. Watch the video of the mostly nude men dancing an elegant South Seas swaying and a sexually charged version of the Maori war dance. This is the…