Pulpology: Mark & Sonia's Intercontinental Absurdities!

WanderFood Wednesday: Brazilian Füdism

2012-02-01T00:00:00-05:00

In honor of the two-week countdown to our Brazilian junket (can I get a woot-woot?) I decided to post a recap of our last Füdism, a monthly foodie gathering where we throw down the food-geek gauntlet with a group of friends. In January the theme was Brazilian food, and as usual everyone brought their A-game.

"just" a potato salad

feijoada!

Our contribution, besides hosting, was two dishes: codfish balls, and pork empanadas. Om-nom-nom, if I do say so myself.

codfish balls... easy to make and fun to say!

balls in the oven

mmmm, crispy balls!

Mark chops the meat

empanada filling

empanada-rific

Part of the fun of these events is poring over cookbooks and internet recipes for just the right dish. It's even better to get an authentic recipe from an expat friend.

arrumadinho

authentic recipe, quaintly quoted straight from the source

These photos capture only about half of the total feast, but at some point I stopped snapping and started chowing down. The caipirinhas flowed, the gorgeous dishes kept coming, and we had plenty of meaty goodness.

no Brazilian meal would be complete without a big hunk of meat

I'm a bit chagrined to note that I focused solely on the "food porn" shots, and neglected to take a single picture of the delightful people who not only prepped these dishes but also made the gathering extra-festive. My bad! Brazilians are legendary for their hospitality... I think this group of gringos made a good run at it. Saúde, fudistas!

Be sure to check out Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering travel foodie posts.

RELATED LINKS:
* We're going to Rio!
* browse all WanderFood Wednesday posts

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Rooting DC - support urban gardening

2012-01-26T00:00:00-05:00

Three cheers for Rooting DC! This year marks the fifth annual gathering to celebrate urban gardening in all its many colors and flavors. Whether you want to learn to compost, cook healthier, organize a community garden, or influence local food policy, this is one event not to miss. And it's free!

I've attended for several years running, and I love how this event gets me energized for the gardening season ahead. Attendees comprise a wonderful mix of gardeners, foodies, community organizers, and most importantly low-income residents for whom this event was created.

The goals of the Rooting DC Forum are to:

* Build community among groups and individuals who want to improve our city through gardening and greening
* Share information and resources about gardening and greening in DC
* Provide opportunity for DC gardeners to coalesce around specific areas of interest
* Identify volunteer opportunities by creating a database of community based garden projects
* Keep gardeners connected via monthly e-newsletters that highlight volunteer opportunities, events and news from participants

oktapodi loves urban (and suburban) gardening

I'm slightly bummed that I'll be missing Rooting DC this year because we'll be in Brazil -- I know, I know, don't cry for me -- but I encourage all my DC garden peeps to check it out. Online registration opens January 30.

While Rooting DC remains free and open to the public, tax-deductible donations of any amount are greatly appreciated. To further support the cause, there's a silent auction & happy hour next Thursday, Feb 2, at Looking Glass Lounge. I'll be there, raising a toast to my West Coast nephew Jack, who turns two that day. I'd love to see you there!

OK, so let's summarize. Here's how you can get involved to support this great cause:

1. Come to happy hour on Thursday, Feb 2
Looking Glass Lounge
3634 Georgia Ave NW, WDC 20010
5-8pm
RSVP on Facebook

2. Spread the word!
- Like Rooting DC on Facebook
- Follow Rooting DC on Twitter (also watch the hashtag #RootingDC)
- Download and share the event flyer

3. Come to Rooting DC on Saturday, Feb 18
Coolidge High School
6315 5th Street, NW, WDC 20012
9:30am - 4pm
Online registration & more info: http://rootingdc.org

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

WanderFood Wednesday: minestrone

2012-01-18T00:00:00-05:00

I'm a big fan of salad, but when the weather gets blustery, nothing beats a big bowl of homecooked soup. To get back into the WanderFood Wednesday groove, here's a quick homage to a recent masterpiece: minestrone!

According to The Kitchen Project, "minestrone means 'Big Soup' to Italians and means a soup with lots of goodies in it." For me, it's all about the beans. Traditional minestrone usually calls for cannellini or great northern beans, but I happened to have a delightful melange of dried beans on hand from last year's garden.

Jacob's Cattle, Cherokee Cornfield, Black Turtle, and "Big Red Ripper" cowpeas

I was a little sad that these beans mostly reverted to a standard brown color when cooked, but it was fun to see them all mixed together in the pot. One love!

The final product was an adhoc mix of whatever veggies we happened to have around, elbow pasta, plus some beef stock and a dash of tomato juice just to give it some extra oomph. The crowning glory was a cube of frozen pesto, made last year at the height of summer basil production. As the pesto cube melts into the hot soup, it provides just the right splash of garden-fresh flavor.

ahhhhhhh

Snuggle up by the fire with a bowl of this homecooked goodness, and all the world's cares melt away in a haze of basil and garlic. Soup IS good food!

Be sure to check out Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering travel foodie posts.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Merry Chrismoose!

2011-12-23T00:00:00-05:00

best cookie cutter ever, courtesy of my sister in Alaska

Hope your holidays are merry & bright! Or at least covered in frosting. And here's to a stellar 2012... it is the Year of Awesomeness, after all. Cheers!

WanderFood Wednesday: play with your food!

2011-12-14T00:00:00-05:00

time to make the ducks

For our combined Zamborsky Thanksmas this year, we didn't do a full Slovak Christmas Eve meal. However, we did tweeze out a favorite tradition: the making of the ducks!

a serious business (not)

even Jack gets into the act

Without Grandmom Gallo around to award a shiny nickel to the best duck, we were reduced to our own catty judgments, and maybe even a little trash-talking. The wine flows, the kitchen steams up, and the gloves come off. It's all part of the ritual.

the making of the ducks is followed by the judging of the ducks

some ducks are just winners

I didn't get any pictures of the finished product, which have been brushed with egg and baked to a nice golden brown. They got gobbled up with the Thanksgiving meal. Because, at this time of year, you can never have too many carbs.

the Boogerduck stands alone

Hop on over to Wanderlust & Lipstick's WanderFood Wednesday for more mouth-watering travel foodie posts.

RELATED LINKS:
* I'm Dreaming of a Slovak Christmas
* browse all WanderFood Wednesday posts

Unexpectedly thankful for...

2011-11-22T00:00:00-05:00

November is a dreary time in the garden, at least here on the East Coast. And Nov 21 in particular is one of the toughest days of the year for me. But just when I feel like giving up and burrowing in for the winter, Mother Nature pulls out a few surprises. Here are a few random happy things I found yesterday:

kale, glorious kale!

I have no idea what this is, but it's been growing all year and decided to flower yesterday.

strawflowers, still going strong

pass the peas! we might actually get a few before winter

Thanks, Ma!

We're going to Rio!

2011-11-16T00:00:00-05:00

It's been in the works for over a decade.

For Mark's 30th birthday, I took him to Mardi Gras to celebrate. Unbeknownst to me, he's been scheming ever since about how to top that for my 40th. (This kind of competition is what I call a win-win!) And for my birthday this year, he announced that we're going to Rio de Janeiro for Carnival. Woot!

In 2012, Carnival starts on February 18... closer to Mark's birthday than mine, but who's complaining? We have our flights booked, but not our accommodations, so that's definitely the next order of business. We'll be there for about 10 days, so we probably won't have time to see much outside the city. But recommendations for daytrips and things to do in Rio are welcome. Should we get tickets for the Sambodromo? What about the balls? What are some other (and perhaps less-obvious) ways to experience Carnival? Let the crowdsourcing begin!

In the meantime, we'll be practicing our Portuguese and maybe even learning to samba. Should be an epic adventure.

And if anyone has any ideas for how I'm possibly going to trump this for Mark's 50th birthday, lemme know!

all images courtesy RCS Travel & Tourism

Photo Friday: lawn ornaments come to life

2011-11-04T00:00:00-05:00

This time last year we were in Aruba, chilling out at the Renaissance's private beach and enjoying some fabulous diving and not doing much else. One side of the beach sported some massive iguanas, the other had a flock of flamingoes. I don't think I'd ever seen one this up close before... they're kinda surreal.

RELATED LINKS:
* browse all posts from Aruba
* check out other great travel snaps at Delicious Baby's Photo Friday

If you want to sing out, sing out!

2011-10-25T00:00:00-05:00

Does it feed your soul? Go within before you go without. We don't know how long the economy will be down, and in the meantime we need to live our lives!

Sure, last Tuesday's Meet, Plan, Go! in DC dealt with nuts & bolts issues like insurance, airfare, and finances. But in between the logistics a steady theme emerged. Travel is more than getting from Point A to Point B. It nourishes something deep inside.

For the second year, I had the privilege of assembling a kickass panel to tell their stories and answer questions about long-term travel. In the audience of about 80 people were nurses and lawyers, project managers and artists, techies and cops, past and present and future careerbreakers, all bitten by the travel bug and yearning to see more of the world.

After a little informal mixing and mingling, and an opening video featuring interviews with many MPG hosts from across North America, our panel of experts turned up the star power:

>> Moderator Alexis Grant backpacked thru Africa in 2008, recently left her journalism job and has just published an e-guide called How to Take a Career Break to Travel. In addition to contributing her own travel tips, she kept the program flowing smoothly and guided the panelists through a wealth of topics.

>> Nancy Bearg, co-author of Reboot Your Life and former National Security Advisor to vice presidents, regaled us with some eye-opening stats about how just burnt out the American workforce is. Did you know we're leaving $21 billion in vacation time on the table annually? Sheesh. Nancy gave us some great tips on how to make your travel work for your career. In 20 years, more than half the jobs out there will be things we don't even know the name of today. Create your own niche to come back to!

>> Kim Palmer, author of Generation Earn, tackled the big issue of money. Before you can figure out how much you need to save for your trip, you need to determine your dream/vision. Do you want to work while traveling? Relocate to another country? Just lounge around? Regardless, get your finances organized before you go, and consider launching a side business to sock away funds for your trip. Craigslist is great place to see what people are getting paid to do!

>> Kinnari Patel, corporate rat race escapee and social entrepreneur, advised us to tap into local hostel staff for information on traveler-friendly job opportunities and volunteer gigs. To find an organization to volunteer with, do your research online but ultimately go within to find a place that's a match your passions.

>> Coley Hudgins represented both the expat and family travel contingents. He's moved his family to Panama, and his youngest daughter will have dual citizenship. (How cool is that?) Kids are more flexible than you can imagine and will roll with anything. Getting your spouse on board can be another story, but as long as he/she has a willingness to get outside his/her comfort zone, you're on your way. He advised us not to underestimate the "boots on the ground" effect of researching travel deals as well as local employment.

Here are a few of my favorite nuggets from the night, as seen around the Twitterverse:

@hungry_wil: search within before you go without.

@pulpologist: You'll come back frm #travel more creative & a risk-taker, and this makes you a more appealing employee!

@CareerBreakHQs: Amen! RT @pulpologist: Wing it! Don't overplan. You'll never have this much freedom again in your life!

@jenniferparker3: Me too! RT @cityandsand Yes. #travel RT @jenniferparker3: Is this something that your spirit needs?

@pulpologist: You will have naysayers. (They're jealous!) Ignore some, let others know how important this is to you.

@BBADWoman: You nvr know the work yr going to get abroad until your boots are on the ground! Good blog name #BootsOnTheGround

As a way to unwind after the event, Mark & I watched the classic movie Harold and Maude. If you've never seen it, or haven't seen it in some time, I highly recommend a viewing. It's not a travel flick, per se, but includes lots of timeless wisdom about finding your passion. And it has an amazing soundtrack by Cat Stevens, who reminds us:

Well, if you want to sing out, sing out
And if you want to be free, be free
'Cause there's a million things to be
You know that there are

And if you want to live high, live high
And if you want to live low, live low
'Cause there's a million ways to go
You know that there are

You can do what you want
The opportunity's on
And if you can find a new way
You can do it today
You can make it all true
And you can make it undo
You see
It's easy
You only need to know

In addition to fueling the passions of future careerbreakers, our DC event raised funds for the Joan Zamborsky Memorial Trust Fund, which provides supplies and enables scientific exploration for an alternative high school in Pennsylvania. Way to go, travelistas!

Many thanks to:
* my kickass panelists, for their energy before and during the event
* DC Travel Tweetup ambassadors Jennifer P, Jennifer L, Kelly, Claudia, and Kim, for helping to spread the word, for mixing and mingling, and for tweeting up a storm
* Lisa & Russ, for rockin' the reg table and icebreakers
* Mark, best.soundguy.ever
* Kelsey, fabulous photog
* Recessions Lounge, for donating the space
* Hosteling International volunteer Bob, for representing HI
* our kickass national sponsors: Intrepid Travel, Hosteling International, and GoMio

Recaps from just a few of the 16 other events:
* Austin
* Minneapolis
* Boston
* Toronto
* San Francisco
* Scenes from Meet, Plan, Go!

To see more photos and get involved in our monthly meetups, check out the DC MPG Facebook page. Oh, and check it out, we made the WaPo!

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Save the Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

2011-10-19T00:00:00-05:00

A recap of last night's stellar Meet, Plan, Go! event is coming later this week, but in the meantime I thought we'd keep the travel inspiration going with this guest post from Daniel Quilter of Ecoteer.

The Perhentian Islands are renowned for being the most beautiful Islands in Malaysia and this title is warranted. The coral sand beaches are lined by palm trees on one side and fringing coral reefs on the other. If Robinson Crusoe was to be filmed they could easily use the Perhentian Islands as the set.

However below the turquoise blue waters not all is good. The coral reefs are dying fast, mainly due to the hordes of tourists which search out this tropical paradise on a daily basis. Corals grow at fastest just 15cm per year and with hundreds of tourists snorkelling and diving the coral reefs daily the breakage of coral is a big issue.

The same goes for the sea turtles of Perhentian. The beaches of the Perhentians are nesting grounds for two species of turtle, green and hawksbill. The number has been slowly declining since 2000. Tourists often seek out nesting turtles and if they get too close they will scare the shy creatures who will then go back into the sea without laying any eggs. If a mother gets to lay her eggs, they then have to evade being collected by poachers who consume or sell the eggs as a local delicacy.

It's not all bad news though! Reef Check Malaysia and Ecoteer both run projects in the islands and several of the resorts are protecting their own piece of paradise. Ecoteer run the community house which is open to the village children in the afternoon as a youth centre. Ecoteer international volunteers also go into the local primary school twice a week to improve the children’s English and to teach them about the environment.

The Ecoteer House is the base for Ecoteer and provides international volunteers with an opportunity to experience the village island life and to give back to the islands' environment. Reef Check runs extensive surveys to establish the health of the coral reefs in Perhentian.

One of the resorts who are doing a lot of good is Bubbles, pictured above. They run a turtle and coral conservation project aimed at protecting the nesting sea turtles and replenishing their fringing coral reef. The seas surrounding Perhentian are very easy for first time scuba divers and during the Bubbles volunteer program you can not only take your first course but the advanced and then become a qualified Reef Check surveyor.

The Perhentian Islands need you, otherwise Paradise will be lost!

You can find out more about these projects at www.ecoteerresponsibletravel.com.

Daniel Quilter has always been inspired by the words and footage of David Attenborough which has created a love and passion for helping this world. After he finished his studies in 2005 in Environmental Science Daniel went on an adventure to Borneo that changed his life. He lived and volunteered in Malaysian Borneo for eight months which culminated in him starting Ecoteer.com. Six years on and Daniel is still helping the nature and people of Malaysia.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Meet, Plan, Go! it's almost here!

2011-10-17T00:00:00-05:00

Tomorrow night, aspiring careerbreakers will gather in 17 cities across North America to get inspiration and information from the experts.

In DC, we've got a stellar lineup of panelists who will be dispensing advice on finances, travel with children, facing your fears, and lots of other juicy topics. If you haven't already met our kickass panel, here's a second chance.

There's been a flurry of great articles written in anticipation of the big day. Here's a quick roundup of my faves:

* Raising Travelers, by DC Ambassador Jennifer Parker
* How a Career Break Turned My Life Totally Upside Down, by 2010 DC panelist Stephanie Yoder
* How Taking a Break to Travel Can Benefit Your Career, featuring 2011 DC panelist Nancy Bearg
* Does leaving your job to travel sound appealing? by DC panelist Alexis Grant
* Can I Afford to Take a Sabbatical? by DC panelist Kimberly Palmer
* The Event that Changed my Life, by San Franciso panelist Spencer Spellman
* Lisa Lubin: A Cheeky Chick You Should Know, featuring Chicago host and everyone's favorite cheekster Lisa Lubin
* How to take a career break for long-term travel, featuring St Louis host Adam Seper
* It Might be Time for a Career Break, courtesy of MPG national marketing partner BootsNAll
* A Career Change: Why I’m Speaking at Meet, Plan, Go 2011, by Seattle panelist Chris Faust
* Career Break Call to Action (Inspired by the Songs of Glee), by Austin host Jeff Jung
* How to Represent Travel on Your Resume, by MPG co-founder Sherry Ott

There's a ton more -- it'a a nationwide movement, people! -- but I'll leave you wanting more. Grab your passport, and join us tomorrow night to take advantage of this collective wisdom. If you can't make it to DC, there are 16 other locations available for all your careerbreak needs. And if you want to follow along virtually on Twitter, check out the hashtag #meetplango plus our local tag #mpgdc.

Stop dreaming... start packing!

RELATED LINKS:
* DC event registration
* DC event Facebook page
* Meet, Plan, Go! national event
* all MPG-related posts from this blog

Bein' the Tía Loca

2011-10-13T00:00:00-05:00

This week, in the face of some auspicious news (the birth of my first niece, Gwen) and some ominous news (an aunt deciding to accept hospice care for what we think is end-stage breast cancer) I've been ruminating a lot on aunthood.

It has long been my theory that every family has a crazy aunt and a party uncle. Sometimes these characters are packaged together into one person, sometimes the genders are reversed. But they make an appearance in just about every family circus. We seem to have a preponderance in my family, and I'm proud to count myself in the crazy aunt contingent.

Melanie Notkin (aka "Savvy Auntie") wrote an article recently in celebration of PANKs: Professional Aunts, No Kids. Whether childfree by choice or by circumstance, non-breeder aunts play a special role in the lives of their nieces and nephews. Unfettered by rules and homework and other parental structures, we're freer to dish out important lifeskills like how to curse in five foreign languages and the best way to open a wine bottle. There tends to be more negative bias towards the "maiden aunt" as opposed to the swingin' bachelor uncle, but personally I think that just adds to our mystique.

I wouldn't be a proper auntie if I didn't proudly display pics of all my nieces and nephews. So, here, see for yourself how fabulous they all are. :)

James Welcome Rinard, 4 years
big brother in the hizzouse

Jack Elliott Zamborsky, 1 1/2 years
the Jack Attack

Charles Andrew Zamborsky, 3 months
aka Charlie, or C-note

Gwendolyn Ruth Rinard, 1 week
one niece to rule them all

So what advice do I have for these adorable niece- and nephlings?

- See the world, just as soon as you have the inkling to do so! Don't let fears -- your own or the fears of those around you -- hold you back. As Mark Twain famously said, "You will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor." Indeed, stretching past your comfort zone is the only way to grow.

Burning Man 2010, my contribution to the Temple of Flux

- Be radically self-expressed. Speak your mind, even (and especially) when it's unpopular. Be true to yourself, even if it takes an entire lifetime to figure out what that really means.

- Appreciate your parents. They work *really* hard for you, and they put up with a lot of your shit, literally and figuratively. Yes, they're hopelessly uncool, but that's sorta their job. You may think they'll be around forever, and I sincerely hope that's the case, but take it from me, you just never know.

- Love your Mother. And this time I mean Mother Earth. We in past generations have done a crappy job in the stewardship department, but don't let that stop you from getting your hands dirty, knowing where your food comes from, and perhaps even planting your own victory garden.

Salut!
To my fellow tías locas -- particularly Tía Laura and Tía Vanessa of my own clan, but also the rest of you out there who are wrong in all the right ways -- I raise my glass. Despite the title of this post, I don't think Ricky Martin is going to write us a song anytime soon. Somehow Pink seems a more fitting tribute anyway.

Any party uncles wanna weigh in with their perspective?

RELATED LINKS:
* Savvy Auntie: PANKs
* The Truth About the Modern Aunt
* with apologies to Ricky Martin
* P!nk: Raise Your Glass
* Browse all Burning Man posts, view pics from 2010 and 2008
* Celebrate Joan

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Planning on taking a year off to travel? Read this first.

2011-10-11T00:00:00-05:00

Today's guest post is by #DCTravelTweetup compatriot Adam Riemer (bio below). Get more great travel tips at next week's Meet, Plan, Go! event in DC.

Many people get stressed out with work and just want to travel. You can take a gap year, you can teach your native language in another country or you can go and travel without an actual purpose. It's easy to overdo it with pre-trip tasks and lists, but you'll be better able to enjoy your trip if you square away a few key items before you go:

Rent and other bills – Make sure you have someone taking care of your apartment or house before you leave for your trip. Either cancel or put a hold on your phone, and get one that you can travel with. Make sure you have also either closed out any bills or utilities that are in your name or transferred them over to the people who will be living in your apartment or house.

Family – Make sure that everyone in your family from pets to people are taken care of. If someone is pregnant when you leave for your trip, they may have the baby before you get back, so make sure to find a way to keep in contact so that you can be there for the birth or be able to see the pictures. Skype is great for this, but you may have to walk any technophobic relatives through the installation process before you leave. You also need to make sure that your pets are being taken care of as well. You may want to leave your pillow or something with your scent at the persons house that is taking care of them.

Savings and Credit Cards – One thing you will want to have is an emergency backup plan in case your wallet gets stolen. Hide a credit card and keep it at a zero balance, and consider squirrelling away some extra cash in a hidden pocket of your backpack or suitcase. Don't forget to set aside some savings to support you when you get back.

Medicine – You’ll want to go to your doctor and get every shot or vaccination that is recommended for each place you plan on visiting. If you have specialized medication, bring it and the prescription with you, but keep in mind that most medicine is widely available and cheaper outside the US.

Insurance – Do not forget to buy travel insurance. You never know if you will need it and you will be thankful you have it in case something comes up. You’ll want to ensure your policy covers lost or stolen clothing, medical expenses, etc…

There are a lot of other things you will need to do to prepare for a long trip, but the things mentioned above should help you get started. You’ll also want to consider things like a second passport just to make sure you can apply for visas as well as have a second one in case the first one gets lost or stolen.

Overwhelmed? Not sure where to start? Come to Meet, Plan, Go! on October 18
and we'll give you the tools you need to get your long-term travel planning on track.

Adam Riemer is an Affiliate Marketer and Online Marketing Strategist. He consults for VisaHQ and blogs at http://adamriemer.me, and you can catch him on Twitter at @rollerblader.

WanderFood Wednesday: funky Asian fruits

2011-10-05T00:00:00-05:00

From the archives, just 'cuz, some funky fabulous favorite fruits from our time in Southeast Asia...

mango & sticky rice! like buttah!

custard apple

name those funky fruits

actually made out of bean paste... but so purdy!

durian, the most notorious fruit of them all!

a medley of fruit funk

For more great foodie posts, be sure to visit Wanderlust & Lipstick's weekly WanderFood Wednesday blog carnival!

RELATED LINKS:
* all Thailand photos and blog posts (2008)
* all Malaysia photos and blog posts (2008)

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

How a Career Break Turned My Life Totally Upside Down

2011-09-29T00:00:00-05:00

Today's guest post is from Stephanie Yoder, one of our Meet, Plan, Go! panelists in DC last year. Steph will not be at this year's event because she's off traveling the world. But if you'd like to meet other inspiring travelers like her who are getting out there and living the dream, come out and join us for MPG DC on October 18!

Last September, I sat on the panel for Meet, Plan, Go! DC, nervous as hell. I was there to share my expertise both as a blogger and an imminent career breaker. In less than a week I was supposed to be on a plane to Tokyo. From there I would be exploring Asia, Australia and more in what I envisioned would be a year long trip before I came back and found myself a real career.

As I sat near the bar, nervously reciting my reasons for leaving, I felt a tad hypocritical. I firmly believed that may year around the world would be a success, but there was no way for me to actually know what the world had in store for me. In truth, and I didn't dare say this out loud, I was terrified.

Looking back now, a year later, I can now say that my decision to quit my boring cubicle job and fly to Asia was the best thing that has EVER happened to me. My life now looks totally different than it did 12 months ago and it just keeps getting better.

Here are some of the ways by life has evolved over the past year:

A new career
In truth I felt kind of guilty calling my Asia trip a career break as, at 25 years old, I'd yet to come close to finding anything resembling a career. I'd been working in publications, which fit in well with my English degree but bored me to tears, yet I couldn't come up with an alternative that actually sounded appealing.

Months before I left I'd started writing about my travel experiences online. I wrote about my desire to travel, to do something different, about planning and executing a big trip, about how bored I was at home. It took far too long for it to dawn on me that what I really loved, maybe even more than travel, was writing itself! Even better: people seemed pretty interested in what I had to say. It was a leap.... but maybe I could write about travel for a living?

And that's what I do now, against all odds. I am a self-employed travel writer and blogger. The money isn't super but the intangible rewards are out of this world. I used to hate getting up and going to work in the morning but now I've become a workaholic!

A new community
When I began blogging and planning my big trip I started tapping into the online travel community -- a fascinating place full of backpackers, career breakers, travel professionals and more. It was so encouraging to meet so many people who also felt passionate about travel. I now have friends all over the world! Sure I haven't met all of them, but it's a great resource.

A new love
In the months leading up to my big trip I'd pretty much given up all hope of having a love life. The career-oriented guys I would meet in DC just looked at me like I was a lunatic when I told them my plans. I'd planned to do this big trip solo anyways and I was pretty okay with that.

Then, mere weeks before I was set to leave, I met a really cute guy. Not just any guy, a free-wheeling fellow travel blogger who was headed to China to teach English for the next year. In most situations that would be a pretty big inconvenience but for me it was perfect.

We spent the next nine months hopscotching around Asia. I'd go to visit him in Xi'an, he'd use his vacation time to island hop in Thailand with me. It wasn't easy but a jet-setting, continent hopping romance did feel pretty glamorous. Plus I was in love, with someone who actually understood the restlessness of my soul.

A new energy and purpose
When I was working in DC, wasting away my hours answering corporate emails I felt like I could spend an eternity just whittling my life away without any chance of escape. Now, anything seems possible. If I dropped everything and flew across the Pacific, what else could I do?

After 9 months of backpacking around Asia and Australia I came home for a couple months, to get ready for the next step. In my case, the next step is to head down to South America (I leave this week!). The boyfriend and I are making a documentary about technology and travel. After that, who knows?

I'm not writing all of this to brag, although my life IS pretty sweet. I know that most people who take a career break end up returning to the traditional work force and not becoming free-wheeling backpack hippies like myself. Even so, nobody comes back from a year of travel exactly the same. That's a scary thought, but also kind of an awesome one.

I now know what all that fear was about -- it was about change. Change is scary, but it was absolutely what I needed in my life. Massive change was the only thing that was going to get me on the right track, the one where I belonged.

Stephanie Yoder is a girl who can't sit still! She blogs about her adventures at Twenty-Something Travel and tweets a LOT at @20sTravel. You can read more about her documentary project at Everywhere Connection.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

40 days till 40

2011-09-27T00:00:00-05:00

Today a countdown began.

I don't typically put much stock in age or birthdays. Many years back, I recall a coworker freaking out because she was turning 25... a whole quarter of a century! Silliness. That being said, the big four-oh is something of a milestone, and seems like an opportunity not to bemoan the passage of time but to regroup, contemplate, and clear some space for what's to come.

I got the idea from Britt Bravo's blog, Have Fun Do Good. Last year she wrote about creating a daily practice for the 40 days leading up to her 40th birthday and it seemed like an interesting thing to try. I particularly liked her idea about letter-writing. Who sits down and actually hand-writes letters anymore?

I was also inspired by the Holstee Manifesto, which I recently purchased as a poster. Its simplicity is brilliant and profound.

And finally, I've been reminded a lot lately of one of my favorite quotes:

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
-- Albert Einstein

So, in an effort to shake things up a little bit, maybe restore some of my recently-depleted mojo, and slide headfirst into 40 with as much zest as I can muster, I've decided to spend the next 40 days on the following practices:

* Connecting. I don't know about one letter a day like Britt, but I am going to take this opportunity to write, with an actual pen, on actual paper, some notes of appreciation. What a fun way to connect, and in a more in-depth way than the typical text message or Facebook "like."

* Clearing. This is the big one. I feel compelled to clear away space, mentally and physically, for new projects and new possibilities. Clearing away distractions.... So many ways to clear out clutter.... There's the digital version, a la Chris Brogan's "Great Unfollow Experiment". There's more concrete activity, such as clearing out closets or stacks of unread magazines. (Marks shifts nervously in the other room. Don't worry, I'm not going to toss out any of your stuff without your permission!) There's also a more abstract idea of clearing out bad habits that hang heavily like stale cigarette smoke. Hm. I'm not sure what shape this will take, but I feel there's great potential here.

* Nourishment. Massage. Yoga. Drinking more water! There are a number of ways to nourish the physical self. Play. Creativity. Meditation. And then there are ways to nourish the spirit. I already do most of this stuff, but not usually with sustained focus.

Quite by chance, smack in the middle of this will be Meet, Plan, Go! on October 18. It's an inspiring event anyway, but I'm wondering if the confluence of timing will yield a little extra somethin-somethin this year. Hm.

OK, enough navel-gazing! Thanks for indulging me, faithful readers. I may check in from time to time on this little experiment, but probably not. ;) We now return you to your regularly-scheduled blog topics of mostly-travel with a dash of gardening-cooking-wining. I also have a few more fun guest posts lined up in the coming weeks, so don't change that channel!

RELATED LINKS:
* Britt Bravo: Have Fun, Do Good
* The Holstee Manifesto
* Chris Brogan's Great Unfollow Experiment
* Come join us at Meet, Plan, Go!
* Vote for me in Tripping's contest (ok, totally not related, but there's just a few more days left, so I had to get one more plug in there!)

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Raising Travelers

2011-09-20T00:00:00-05:00

Today's guest post is by #DCTravelTweetup regular and Meet, Plan, Go! Ambassador Jennifer Parker (bio below). If you'd like to meet fellow travelers like Jennifer who have great advice, tips, and tricks to share, come out and join us for MPG DC on October 18!

If you’re a traveler and a parent, there is no doubt you struggle to manage your love for both. Balancing that trip to Europe against the rising costs of day care seems a daunting task. Not to mention the plain day-to-day monotony of life…soccer games, piano practice, school work, etc. I know how you feel. I did it for 23 years and have just recently come out the other side with my youngest now in college.

Bottom line, you should make every effort to remain true to your passions (travel and your children) and make it happen! You will want this for your kids; they will thank you for it later. Personally, we raised our kids traveling their entire lives. Exotic destinations and visiting new places was how our family spent our time. Whether it was local or international, my kids were traveling. As an individual, I have traveled to over 14 countries and many, many of those were with kids in tow (and sometimes in lead!).

Indulge me for a few minutes while I share the fabulousness that comes out of raising travelers. My kids are the most socially adjusted kids you will ever meet; they don’t know a stranger and adjust to all levels of conversation. It’s beautiful to hear them order food in Spanish and then watch them plan trips with their friends. Our daughter, now 23, is taking a year off to live abroad before moving to New York after college. I might add that she knows absolutely no one in New York. She has targeted Paris for that year in between. Knowing how expensive Paris can be and how dirt poor she is, she still has no hesitations, “I will just make it work, Mom.”

Our son, upon graduating from high school, decided to travel through Europe for 2 months (on his own dime I might add) prior to beginning college. He is not traveling with companions; he is comfortable that he will meet people abroad traveling through local hostels. And, of course he will. I came home from work one day to find had planned his entire trip, day by day. He is starting in Portugal, on through Spain, then up to France and finishing with a stint in Germany. All planned out down to the Euro rail stop in each city. He put together a budget of the costs (breaking it down to the daily meal level and Euro pass costs) and determined a monthly savings plan for himself between now and his departure.

Another example of the beauty of raising travelers is an Italian exploration story. I am divorced (now remarried for 11 years) and the kids traveled with their father to Italy last year. They were 22 and 17. I will never forget receiving that call, “Mom, we are in Venice!” As the conversation progressed I realized the group they were traveling with had decided to stay in for the day. My kids, realizing they only had one chance to experience Venice, took off on a train to conquer it alone. Hearing this, I literally must have fallen out of my chair and immediately went into “mommy” mode. Do you have a jacket? Do you have a map? Where are you going? Do you need me to google anything? They laughed at me and said, “Mom, we got this!” And, so they did. They called later to talk about all of the places they visited and the bar they drank in…uh-hum! They had discovered Venice together, like a sister and brother should. I remember hanging up the phone and thinking that I have never been more proud of them!

As a traveler and parent, this is absolutely what you want for your kids. And, you already know they learn through our guidance. Therefore, it is almost your job to introduce them to the world so that they learn the skills and get comfortable in a travel setting.

So, what next, money? Yes, the big thing is the cost. I am not going to say it’s easy, because it isn’t. It takes a bit of planning, prioritizing, budgeting and watching the specials. You will have to budget at home during the year to make travel happen. And, you may have to cut things out. Don’t think of it as “cutting,” think of it as trading. Trade a little shopping, a few nice dinners stateside for dinner in Belize….it’s worth it!

Yes, there is more airfare involved when the whole family travels together, but hotels are the same cost for one king versus two doubles. Meals can be somewhat reasonable by finding bargains. Eat from street vendors; it’s typically cheaper and tasty. Consider getting a VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner) or house swap, instead of a hotel. If you buy groceries, after you land, you can eat breakfast before leaving each day and occasionally, after a long day of exploring, make a dinner or two.

Other ideas of how to not break the bank are to have picnic lunches on the mountainside and hike around town instead of going to the theatre. Lay on the beach with crackers, cheese and wine (for the parents). Also, enjoying some of the little local amusement parks in Europe always brought us tons of joy at a reasonable price. We ended up meeting really great people and explored funky rides like a flying Panda bear ride in Germany or large water filled orbs that bounce down the side of the mountain in New Zealand.

At the end of the day, you may not be able to attend all the plays, eat at every restaurant and take in all of the guided excursions. However, you are doing something so much bigger. You are introducing future travelers to the world.
When your kids are married and have children of their own, just think of the amazing experiences you can have together raising another generation of travelers!

Enjoy and relax – you and your kids deserve it!

Jennifer Parker is a recovering corporate executive who loves to travel the world with her family. She has reviewed hotels and writes travel related articles for various sources. Her passion is expanding the minds and educating people to explore the world outside their own front door. She has traveled to 14 countries and over 440 cities around the globe. Jennifer is an endearing wife, loving mom, travel addict, friend to many, wine enthusiast and a career gal who has never met a stranger. Catch up with her on Twitter at @jenniferparker3 or via her blog Traveling Through Life.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Photo Friday: there's a fungus among us

2011-09-16T00:00:00-05:00

almost looks good enough to eat

Last week NPR's Science Friday did a piece on how, due to the recent torrential rains, there seem to be mushrooms EVERYWHERE. Inspired by this, I took a walk through my neighborhood. Sho 'nuff... shrooms aplenty. What was meant to be a quick walk to stretch my legs soon turned into an obsessive chronicalling expedition, with me stooping in front yards and patches of roadside grass to snap pics with my phone. Once I started, I couldn't stop!

unseen by most passersby

curdled

brrrrrrrrrain

striped umbrellas

shelf

crinkly

Super Mario mushroom?

I also had a little fun with Instagram:

The heck with stopping to smell the roses... I recommend you stoop a little lower and check out the mycological wonders awaiting you in the damp spaces of your world!

See more fabulous travel snaps at Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

Oh, and speaking of travel snaps, Tripping.com is running a photo contest. Wanna help me win a trip? Vote for my submission, taken during our recent Finger Lakes winery trip. Vote once a day if you want to, between now and Sept 30. Thanks for your support!

RELATED LINKS:
* Science Friday: Rainfall Brings Bumper Crop Of Fungi
* Three unexpected Finger Lakes finds
* Vote for me in Tripping's contest

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Photo Friday: rain, rain, go away!

2011-09-09T00:00:00-05:00

This week's rain has been a bummer, reminiscent of some of the heavy rains in tropical places we've visited. (Although it's much more fun to experience rain in an actual rain forest as opposed to rain flooding into your basement.) Here's a snap from the archives:

attempting to view lava flows in the rain at Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna, Costa Rica, is one of the country's top sites to visit. When I was there in 2007, it was recommended time and time again as a must-see. Unfortunately on the day I took the tour to see the lava flows, a torrential downpour blocked most of the view. I did get to see the volcano from afar under better weather conditions, but it wasn't quite the same. There's a much better pic in Marina Villatoro's guest post on Arenal.

view of Arenal from downtown La Fortuna

See more fabulous travel photos at Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

RELATED LINKS
* browse all photos from La Fortuna
* browse all photos from Costa Rica
* read blog entries about La Fortuna
* read Marina Villatoro's guest post: Arenal Volcano

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

PhotoFriday: Great Balls of Fire

2011-08-26T00:00:00-05:00

I just realized I never uploaded all my pics from last year's Burn. We're not attending Burning Man this year, but in honor of the 2011 event -- which has sold out for the first time ever, yikes! -- here are a handful of characters from our camp, Great Balls of Fire (GBOF).

Mama Love, Bitchezz, Forward

Jewellee in the camp kitchen

Forward & Crystal are ready for the Million Carrot March

Mitch jams

Lunar is one cool customer

Codrin (from Michigan) & oktapodi

Liz gets a package

one of Jon's many outfits

Jim, and a bit of dust

This is but a small sampling of GBOF denizens. To see the rest of the freakburgers (and there are many), check out the full album on Google+.

See more fabulous travel photos at Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

RELATED LINKS:
* Burning Man art installations | Bliss Dance
* Photo Friday: Burning Man art cars, part two
* Photo Friday: Burning Man art cars, part one
* Photo Friday: ab-fab, sweetie-dahling
* Photo Friday: my night with oktapodi
* Photo Friday: this is your brain on Burning Man
* browse all 2008 Burning Man pics
* read all Burning Man blog posts

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

WanderFood Wednesday: summertime yum

2011-08-24T00:00:00-05:00

one of these things is not like the others!

Today's WanderFood Wednesday post didn't require much wandering, just a stroll out to my front yard, plus a quick trip to our local farmers' market.

Happily, I've been too busy out in the garden to do much documenting this year. But rest assured, the goodies have been rolling in! Above is a selection of heirloom squash, tomatoes, and hot peppers surrounding everyone's favorite cephalopod. Below is one of my favorite summer salads, a classic caprese, with Woodle and Black Plum tomatoes, two kinds of basil, and some heavenly mozzarella from Blue Ridge Dairy Company.

say it with me: om nom nom!

I had a little success growing potatoes this year, although the resulting crop was a bit paltry. Never mind, we had enough yield to whip up some roasted blue and purple potatoes with garlic and rosemary. All ingredients straight from the front yard, except the olive oil & salt.

what's taters, precious?

Paprika, grown like other peppers, has been another fun experiment this year. I've already picked a few and once they're dried they'll be ground into powder. Until then, they make a spirited addition to the front walk.

paprika, with some salvia & kale in the background

I've always been a big fan of carrots, and although they don't tend to grow all that big in my yard, I have managed to pull up a fun sampling of heirloom shapes and colors. In the salad below is a combination of chantenay, deep purple, sunshine, and cosmic carrots, plus a few types of lettuce, mustard, kale, and chard.

heirloom rabbit food

This has been another challenging weather year (earthquakes! hurricanes! drought!), but the front yard veggie garden experiment continues! How does your garden grow?

For more great foodie posts, be sure to visit Wanderlust & Lipstick's weekly WanderFood Wednesday blog carnival!

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Take a break at the virtual Photo Art Café!

2011-08-18T00:00:00-05:00

Today’s guest post is by fellow traveler Petra Schultze, who just started up a new project combining travel and photography: Photo Art Café.

El Drugstore in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

One of my favorite student travel memories was a monthlong train trip through France. I’ll never forget the simple youth hostel above the small town of Cassis. From the train station you hiked uphill on a trail in the dry heat. But once you arrived you had a glorious view from the cliff top site over the Mediterranean. The other reward was sitting at long tables with humorous Brits sharing bottles of cheap red wine late into the night. The Brits’ humor was guaranteed entertainment that beats any TV comedy channel.

Since I attended university in Freiburg im Breisgau in southern Germany for 5 years, traveling in Europe meant just hoping on a train with a discounted youth ticket. But as a small city next to the Black Forest and sunniest spot in Germany, Freiburg itself was a worthwhile destination. One of the key practical features I remember from student days was the “Dampfross” – a bar less than 100 feet from the main lecture hall – beer aplenty and large plates of garlic “Pommes” or “Fritten” (fries) at a frugal price. Tip: if you’re in a generally expensive travel region – go where students go!

Of course a camera is one of the essentials on any packing list. My first camera as a kid was a small Vivitar point-and-shoot camera that used 110 film cartridges. Does anyone even remember those 110 film? I guess that places me in a generation that wasn’t exactly born holding an iPhone. For a trip down memory lane, this is what the film looked like.

After college when I had a bit more disposable cash I bought a manual Nikon film camera (the FM model), which I brought along on trips in the US, Canada, Caribbean, and Europe. At some point several years ago I transitioned to taking more pictures with a digital camera – currently the Kodak EasyShare Z740. The biggest decision for anyone who enjoys photography as much as travel seems to be: how much photo gear do I bring? My definite preference is for traveling light, so I am currently exploring some of the Panasonic Lumix models – known for good quality without being too bulky.

In those “too long” breaks between trips I find myself still dreaming about my next adventure. Some of the time I’m planning my next trip. But several years ago I decided to poke my traveling toes into the business side of photography – at least on a small scale. I began to make photo greeting cards and framed some enlargements – and attended a couple of local craft fairs in Virginia. And now I finally have opened my Photo Art Café on etsy!

Having grown up in DC and having lived in this area since after college, I’ve also traveled around the US quite a bit. For natural scenic beauty, the national and state parks can’t be beat: Acadia National Park in Maine, Northern California Parks that boast both redwoods and rocky coastlines, and the fantastically unspoiled Oregon – with 363 miles of public coastline which is sprinkled with numerous parks. I’ve been to this region twice now in the past few years and for anyone who wants to get active when they are no longer parked in an office chair, I recommend the book “Day Hiking the Oregon Coast” by Bonnie Henderson for lots of fantastic trail tips!

Of course overseas destinations continue to call my name. In the summer of 2009 I went on a 1-week “fair trade” reality tour to Guatemala. The trip was led by California-based Global Exchange together with the organization Rights Action. Our group of seven traveled in a van led by our fearless Canadian guide Karin and our Guatemalan driver Martin. In talks by in-country experts we learned a ton about Guatemalan history, economics and international trade. We visited weaving and sewing craft cooperatives, as well as two coffee cooperatives, and the indigenous Mayan communities near the Marlin Gold Mine.

Community House and Dorm at Santa Anita de Union cooperative

At Santa Anita de Union fair trade coffee cooperative our visit included spending the night in the colorful community house dorm. We heard a history talk from a Guatemalan ex-guerilla combatant, toured the coffee plantation, and went on a waterfall hike. To read more about this cooperative, check out their website in English.

This is where your morning cup of coffee starts!

So take a break, grab a cup of fair trade coffee, and stop by my virtual Photo Art Café and stroll through the gallery while you brainstorm your next travel plans!

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Meet, Plan, Go!: meet the kickass DC panel

2011-08-08T00:00:00-05:00

Meet, Plan, Go! tickets went back onsale today, so it seems like a good time to introduce you to our stellar line-up of panelists for the DC location.

- - -

Alexis Grant is a journalist and social media coach who's writing a book about traveling solo through Africa. She left her reporting job in 2008 to backpack through a handful of French-speaking African countries, freelancing along the way. Now she covers careers and job-search strategy for US News & World Report.

Alexis writes about taking leaps in life on her blog, The Traveling Writer, and she's author of the e-guide, How to Build a Part-Time Social Media Business. A resident of Washington, DC, she spends her free time running, hiking, reading non-fiction, baking cupcakes and learning about entrepreneurship.

- - -

Kimberly Palmer, the author of Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back (Ten Speed Press) and personal finance columnist at US News & World Report, is a money expert on navigating adulthood. She helps young people master their own finances, from spending and investing to earning and giving back. As a young professional herself, she’s experienced the challenges (and joys) of parenthood, home-ownership, and job juggling first-hand.

Based in the Washington, DC area, Palmer has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, CNBC, CNN, and local television and radio shows across the country. She has also written for the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and the Asahi Shimbun/International Herald Tribune in Tokyo as a Henry Luce Scholar. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in history from Amherst College. She can be reached at www.generationearn.com.

- - -

Coley Hudgins is mercurial, impatient, temperamental and often moody. On the other hand, he's passionate about stuff he likes, creative, non-traditional and loves taking risks. Hudgins has traveled extensively throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. He lived and worked in Sierra Leone in the ’90s in the middle of a civil war where he ran a commodities business exporting coffee and cocoa to Europe. He's run roadblocks in Liberia manned by drunk soldiers, traded cigarettes for safe passage to a coffee farm at the end of a barrel of a stoned teenager’s gun, and was once arrested and threatened with a severe beating by a Nigerian solider for taking photographs at a military landing strip. The $100 bill he kept in his sock for just such an occasion saved the day.

He used to be a partner at a large public affairs firm in Washington DC but chafed under the authority and routine. The daily grind of wearing a monkey suit and witnessing the griminess of the Washington political scene didn’t help, existential crisis ensued, and he sold the house, car and most of the family’s possessions and moved to Panama with wife and two young children where he lives today. His day job consists of running a small consulting business while traveling hither and yon building his personal investment portfolio. Hudgins also co-founded the blog TheResilientFamily.com to catalog his experiences living, working, and investing abroad and outside of what most would consider the mainstream. The goal is to hopefully instill in others the excitement, confidence, and ultimately peace-of-mind that comes from radical self-reliance and living and traveling abroad.

- - -

Kinnari Patel graduated from the University of Maryland in Physiology/Neurobiology. Before beginning med school, she took a year off to visit India, her homeland. This led to a decision not to pursue medicine and instead she went on to work in internet technology for almost 10 years, for companies such as Marriott and Conde Nast Publications. After surviving the rat race in NYC and the economic downturn in 2008 she left to travel the world. On her journey she explored Australia, New Zealand, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Peru, Brazil, Argentina, Boliva, Chile. She also spent a month in Nepal volunteering at an orphanage and traveling through Tibet. She lives a spiritual life, practicing meditation and yoga, and believes in self realization and making life choices that fulfill your own personal truth. Currently, Kinnari is the owner of Be Healthy Vending, a company that provides natural, healthy food options to schools and gyms in the DC metro area, a cause she is very proud of. And, as always, she continues to realize her bliss.

- - -

Nancy Bearg has a distinguished career in national security, leadership, and human capital, primarily in the government and non-profit sectors. She is a founding partner of Reboot Partners LLC, which conducts individual and corporate workshops and consults with corporations on Reboot Breaks. The four Reboot Partners principals authored the book Reboot Your Life: Energize Your Career and Life by Taking a Break on the whole process and benefit of taking sabbaticals. (April 2011, Beaufort Books).

Ms. Bearg’s former positions include National Security Advisor to the Vice President of the United States, National Security Council staff member, and non-profit President/CEO. In her current consulting career, she applies her extensive experience in practical and innovative ways to non-profit, for-profit, and academic endeavors. She holds a BA from Willamette University in Oregon and a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. She teaches a graduate course on leadership at George Washington University and lives in Washington, DC.

- - -

Join us on October 18, in DC or one of 16 other locations throughout North America, to:

    * MEET inspirational speakers and like-minded travelers in your area.
    * Get motivation, contacts and resources necessary to PLAN the trip of a lifetime.
    * And start taking concrete steps forward to get ready to GO!

Stay updated on the latest happenings by following MPG on Facebook and signing up for the Career Break newsletter. In the Twitterverse, follow @CareerBreakHQs and watch the hashtag #meetplango.

RELATED LINKS:
* Meet, Plan, Go! ...it's baaaaaaack!
* follow Meet, Plan, Go! on Facebook
* sign up for the Career Break newsletter
* meet 2011 MPG hosts
* information about all 2011 locations

Photo Friday: aye-aye, cap'n!

2011-07-29T00:00:00-05:00

Oktapodi seems to be in a cruising state of mind lately, so here are a few boat-related images to take us into the weekend...

Lago de Atitlán, Guatemala

Grand Canal, Venice

Loy Krathong, Thailand

Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Río Dulce, Guatemala

Oranjestad, Aruba

For more fabulous travel snaps, check out Delicious Baby's Photo Friday blog carnival.

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Three unexpected Finger Lakes finds

2011-07-20T00:00:00-05:00

I was prepared for the worst.

Upstate New York hadn't been on our short list of weekend getaways, but we sucked it up, Did The Needful, and drove up to Wayland, NY, for a family wedding in June. Honestly, we went under protest. So it was an extra-pleasant surprise to spend a few delightful hours on Sunday afternoon, soaking in the fresh lake air and listening to the grapes grow. I might actually consider going back sometime soon!

overlooking Keuka Lake

If you happen to find yourself with a spare afternoon in the Finger Lakes region, here are a few recommendations:

1) Stay
Because of its proximity to the wedding festivities, we wound up staying at the kooky Cohocton Valley Inn. Somewhat reminiscent of the Bates Motel, this family-run B&B is in a great location right off I-390/Route 15 . Kim, its friendly if somewhat xenophobic proprietor knows all the goings-on in the region and can recommend four regional festivals at the drop of a hat. (Just don't get her started on all the "foreigners" overtaking nearby Niagara Falls!) Our room was clean and comfy, albeit somewhat antiquated. The old-school plumbing fixtures and fussy bedspreads reminded me of a visit with a favorite maiden aunt. For around $60 a night per double, including free wifi and excellent coffee, we would definitely stay there again on a Finger Lakes redux.

2) Eat
We decided to spend our free afternoon doing some winery-hopping. En route to the wine trail, we made a random stop at a Mexican restaurant along Highway 54 in Bath. San Carlos prides itself on locally-sourced ingredients, and the slogan on the servers' tshirts proclaims "Cocinamos con pasion!" They have excellent housemade salsa and even better guac, the kind where you just can't stop munching even though you know you should save your appetite for the main dish. It turned out to be a great place to chase away the wedding hangover and prepare for an afternoon of more drinking!

3) Drink (and chillllllllax...)
We had one false start at Pleasant Valley Wine Company, which just happened to be the closest winery to where we started. The wines were sickly sweet enough to cause cavities and the weird little museum next to the tasting was fusty-dusty. After this less-than-auspicious beginning we headed to the next winery, which had been recommended by our server at San Carlos. A subsequent road closure and scenic detour later, we finally ended up at our destination, which was worth the work: Bully Hill Vineyards, where the staff are cheeky and the wines are actually worth drinking. Even the corks are sassy, emblazoned with slogans like "Wine with laughter" and "Wine with honesty." A festive gent named Woody poured our wines, cracking goofy jokes the whole time, clearly having a blast and loving his job. We splurged on the a la carte tasting menu, where you can have your choice of wines at a buck a taste, rather than go with the standard $5 tasting lineup. I highly recommend this, as you get to taste some of their premium wines like the St Croix red. (Yum!) Afterwards, we ended up at the winery restaurant, with a fantastic view overlooking Keuka Lake. Baked brie + a glass of tart green apple Verdelet = a sublime way to end a surprisingly excellent day.

After this lovely afternoon, I realized I hadn't given the Finger Lakes region its due. According to our Finger Lakes Wineries map, there's not only a wine trail but a cheese trail as well! And supposedly a new Finger Lakes Wine Map app is coming soon. We'll definitely need to go back for a full weekend of fun.

By the way, I'm trying something new, and sharing this photo album via Google+. Haven't joined the plus-party yet? Drop me a line and I'll send you an invite.

RECOMMENDED:
Cohocton Valley Inn
33 Maple Ave
Cohocton, NY 14826
585.384.5592

San Carlos Mexican Restaurant
7500 New York 54
Bath, NY 14810-9526
607.776.4411

Bully Hill Vineyards
8843 Greyton H. Taylor Mem Dr
Hammondsport, NY 14840
607.868.3610

RELATED LINKS:
* view all photos from this excursion
* Finger Lakes Wine Trail
* San Carlos Mexican Restaurant Facebook page
* Bully Hill Vineyards site and Facebook page
* WanderFood Wednesday: Finger Lakes Finger Food

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Photo Friday: welcome (back) to the jungle!

2011-07-15T00:00:00-05:00

Sungai Kinabatangan at sunrise

Today's secret word, boys and girls, is "Kinabatangan!" Use it three times in a sentence. Roll it around on your tongue a bit. Trust me, it's fun.

If I seem even punchier than usual, it's because this beastly heat & humidity may have fried my brain just a tad. It's been pretty junglicious around Our Nation's Capital this week. Accordingly, today's Photo Friday is an homage to Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, where we stayed at a small lodge alongside the mighty Kinabatangan River in November 2008.

bewildered tarsier

proboscis monkey

We spent a few days at Kinabatangan Nature Lodge viewing the jungle's moist bounty via night hikes, early morning boat rides, and midday treks through the muck and slurm with our guide Jungle Jay. (Yes, really.) In addition to monkeys-aplenty, we got to check out bizarre jungle creatures like tarsiers, monitor lizards, toucans, tiny chirping frogs, and all manner of giant bugs. Oh, and the leeches! Plenty of leeches too.

leech alert!

I'll let you write your own leeches-in-Washington joke (too easy), and leave you with a few lovely parting shots of the scenic Kinabatangan.

For more fabulous travel snaps, check out Delicious Baby's Photo Friday blog carnival.

RELATED LINKS:
* view all Kinabatangan pics
* browse original blog posts from our Kinabatangan stay
* Nature Lodge Kinabatangan

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Declaring my independence, and a blogaversary

2011-07-04T15:03:00-05:00

I was reminded the other day that this July 4th marks my fourth anniversary of travel blogging! Wow. Tempus fugit.

celebratory but shaky... that about sums it up

Four years ago, I was watching the fireworks on the Mall on the eve of my first career break. Unfortunately, technical issues prevented me from actually posting anything until I was a week or so into the trip. By then I was already playing catchup (some things never change!) so my first few blog entries aren't particularly brilliant or introspective. Rest assured, I was freaking out. I'd just quit my job, was planning to travel solo for 10 weeks through Central America, and then come back and sell the house so Mark and I could take "the big trip." In my head I knew I could do it, and I like to think I was putting on a pretty good game face, but somewhere deep down, doubt and fear were gnawing into my spleen. What if I was making a huge mistake?

Tabacon Hot Springs, Costa Rica

I managed to get through that shaky July 4th, hopped on a plane the next morning, and had an amazing trip. As most of you know, the rest didn't quite work out as I'd planned. For more details on that, check out a piece I wrote for Briefcase to Backpack called "Making Other Plans." Bottom line: I don't regret a second of it! And I continue to encourage other folks to take the plunge, by helping organize events like Meet,Plan,Go! and also by telling my story whenever someone seems open to hearing about it.

This July 4th, I'm working on another big project and hope to share more details in the coming weeks. It has the same familiar "holy crap" fear factor that's been waking me up in the middle of the night. What if I'm making a huge mistake? Fortunately the four-years-older-and-wiser me knows I can take whatever life throws at me. And the scarier something is, the bigger the opportunity. Bring on the fireworks!

How are you declaring your independence this year?

RELATED LINKS:
* Making Other Plans
* browse all "fond farewells" pics from 2007
* browse all July 2007 blog entries
* Meet,Plan,Go! ...it's baaaaaaack!

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Photo Friday: go to your happy place

2011-07-01T00:00:00-05:00

Hope everyone plans to take a deep breath and go to their happy place this weekend!

Here's one of mine:

our friends' beautiful backyard in Kamloops, BC

Happy Canada Day!* Not a bad tribute, eh?

Check out other fab travel snaps at Delicious Baby's Photo Friday.

RELATED LINKS:
* What's Canada Day? (don't worry, I didn't know either)
* browse all Kamloops pics
* Quiet moments
* Loopy in Kamloops

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

Two venerable DC institutions you won't see from the Tourmobile

2011-06-28T00:00:00-05:00

If you have limited time in DC, and haven't visited since your 8th grade Social Studies trip, by all means check out the museums and monuments and the National Mall. They are mostly free, after all. But if you're able to plan ahead a bit, and have a hankering to hang with locals, I invite you to check out two DC musical venues that are nowhere near the tourist trail.

WolfTrap Filene Center, photo by Scott Suchman

If you have a car...
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

Seeing a show at WolfTrap is one of my all-time favorite summer activities. They have concerts in The Barn over the winter, but there's something magical about wining & dining & spectating alfresco at the magnificent Filene Center. It doesn't matter whether your tastes run to opera, Elvis Costello, or Bugs Bunny cartoons with live orchestral accompaniment, I dare you to have a bad time at WolfTrap. You just haven't lived until you've heard the 1812 Overture with live canon fire.

We typically grab a bottle of wine (or ten) and some picnic snacks (the prepared foods bar at Whole Paycheck is right on the way), and try to arrive early to stake out a good spot on the lawn. Actual seats in the pavillion are also available, but then you can't self-cater, and that's at least half the fun.

Filene Center, photo by Robert Llewellyn

Besides a full cadre of kickass shows, WolfTrap offers summer programs for kids, places professional artists in classrooms, and administers performing arts scholarships through its Foundation. But my favorite WolfTrap factoid is that it's part of the National Park System, and the National Park Service maintains the grounds and helps with theater tech. If you look carefully you just might spot Ranger Smith in his green khakis running lights behind the scenes.

Summer would just not be summer without at least one trip out to WolfTrap. Yes, it's a bit of a hike outside the city, but completely worth it. Hey, if you buy me an extra lawn seat, I'll happily give you a ride out there!

9:30 Club, photo by PatrickDB

If you're public-transport-bound...
The 9:30 Club

Originally housed in a sketchy location downtown where rats were commonly seen running along the ceiling beams, and now in a slightly-more-upscale neighborhood off the hipster U Street corridor, Nightclub 9:30 has been *the* go-to spot for live music in DC since 1980. With capacity for about 1200, this midsized venue is a great place to get up close and personal with the band, provided you get there well before the opening act starts and are willing to stand around. We tend to prefer to perch on the third floor, which has a separate bar and offers a great view of the performers as well as the crowd.

According to the Washington Post, the old club on F street was known as "a station of the cross for ascending bands working outside of music's mainstream." While the "new" 9:30 Club pulls in a more conventional roster, owner Seth Hurwitz prides himself on a diverse lineup. We always get tickets to see hometown favorite Thievery Corporation when they're in town. Also Ozomatli, who take advantage of the lack of seating to perform a conga line through the crowd at the end of their set. Other recent excellent shows have included The Shpongletron Experience, GWAR, and Richard Cheese.

photo courtesy Consequence of Sound

Watch for 9:30 mainstay Josh Burdette, aka the scary-looking bouncer with the wicked piercings, and don't get on his bad side!

How to do it right

Both venues regularly sell out, so it does pay to plan a bit and get your tickets ahead of time. To plan the perfect musical interlude, figure out your transportation situation, cross reference your genre preferences, and pick a venue.

If heading to the 9:30 Club, hop on Metro's Green Line to U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo and pick one of the many excellent Ethiopian restaurants along 9th Street. Or stop at Dickson Wine Bar for wines by the glass and a huge front window for peoplewatching. Head over to the club when doors open (or before, if it's a popular show) and stake out a spot on whichever of the three levels suits your fancy. Earplugs are available for a buck a pair at the tshirt stand on the ground floor. Don't forget to tip your bartender well and prepare to have your world rocked.

If you're going to WolfTrap, pick up a few bottles of wine or six packs of beer, and score some picnic snacks at your supplier of choice. Whole Foods? Gas station convenience store? Whatever floats your boat. Food & drink is available for purchase onsite but of course it's much more expensive. You can get to WolfTrap via the Dulles Toll Road or Route 7, both of which can get jammed during rush hour, so plan accordingly. The parking situation can be a bit bewildering, but just go where you're directed; there's no such thing as a good space and you'll be walking uphill to get to the Filene Center no matter what. (Consider it pre-justifying the calories you're about to intake!) Bring a blanket or two, and try to get there well before the doors open so you can participate in the mad rush for the perfect spot on the lawn. Secure your location, crack open your beverages, spread out your treats, and prepare to make friends with your neighbors, especially if they've brought something even yummier! By the time the sun goes down and the show starts, all will be right with the world.

This post is part of Cambria Suites' Backyard Gems blog carnival. What are some gems in your own backyard?

RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Filene Center at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
1551 Trap Road
Vienna, VA 22182
tickets: 877.WOLFTRAP

Nightclub 9:30
815 V Street, NW
Washington, DC
tickets: 877.435.9849

Dickson Wine Bar
903 U Street, NW
Washington, DC
202.332.1779

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!

WanderFood Wednesday: Finger Lakes finger food

2011-06-22T00:00:00-05:00

On a recent trip to upstate New York for a family wedding, we took a brief side trip to the Finger Lakes wine trail. I'm working up a whole post about that, but in the meantime here's a quick tease... a few snaps from our afternoon snack at Bully Hill Vineyards in Hammondsport.

baked brie with an accompaniment of house wines

We went in with the intention of ordering a small snack, but the allure of baked brie was impossible to ignore.

Bully Hill Vineyards overlooks Keuka Lake

I had the chard (butterific!) but Mark took a walk on the wild side and tried the daily special, a tart and tasty Verdelet with the crisp tang of green apples. Only slightly less green was the waitress, who was working her way through her first day on the job and was impressed when we mentioned how this wine reminded us of a Portuguese Vinho Verde. We're such winos.

For more great foodie posts, be sure to visit Wanderlust & Lipstick's weekly WanderFood Wednesday blog carnival!

RECOMMENDED:
Bully Hill Vineyards
8843 Greyton H. Taylor Mem Dr.
Hammondsport, New York 14840
607.868.3610

If you enjoyed this post, please share it!