While not on a par with Squaw Valley or Heavenly or other
major California ski resorts, the Bear Valley ski area is
still a prime candidate for a weekend or even an extended
skiing vacation. As we discovered in early February, Bear
Valley offers a surprisingly complete ski vacation
experience - no frills, to be sure, but still rewarding and
well worth the trip deep into the Sierra Nevada range.

If designer clothing stores, zillion-dollar condos, and
Hollywood-style glitz are part of your criteria for a ski
vacation, this ski area might not be the best choice. If
wide-open ski runs, no lift lines and plenty of groomed
snow are more important to you, then by all means give Bear
Valley a try.

Coming originally from the Pacific Northwest, we could not
help but compare Bear Valley to one of our favorite ski
areas in Washington state - a place called Mission Ridge in
a town named Wenatchee. Since the population in that area
is small compared to the cities that feed Stevens Pass,
Snoqualmie and Crystal Mountain, Mission Ridge is able to
maintain plenty of wide open space on its ski runs, even on
weekends.

Similarly, Bear Valley is less accessible than the many
larger ski areas in the Lake Tahoe area. Bay area and
Sacramento residents can drive Interstate 80 to the Tahoe
area and find a selection of ski resorts a short distance
off the interstate. To reach this ski area, you have to
drive two-lane roads through the foothills and mountains
for close to 100 miles.

But when you get there, most skiers and snowboarders will
find it’s worth it. Our mid-week skiing was some of the
best we’ve experienced - plenty of groomed intermediate
terrain serviced by a variety of lifts that never seemed to
have lines. It was ski down the run, get right on the chair
and do it all again and again until just a few hours into
our day we were growing exhausted. We probably skied in
four hours what it would take us a full day to do at a
resort with moderate lift lines.

There are no gondolas or high-speed quad chairlifts at Bear
Valley, although there are 10 lifts altogether, mostly
doubles and triples. About 1280 acres are available for
skiing and snowboarding; some 100 acres are in an area
where they can make snow - although at 7,750 feet, it’s
likely Mother Nature will supply all the snow you need.

We mentioned the intermediate skiing because that’s our
favorite - but rest assured this ski area has many black
diamond or expert ski runs for those looking for more of a
challenge.  The day lodge is situated mid-mountain with
lifts going both up the mountain to 8495 feet, and coming
to the lodge from the lower part of the mountain. Most of
the expert runs are located on the lower mountain.

The area’s day lodge also was wide open and easy to
navigate. Instead of masses of people waiting in line to
get their food and find a place to sit, we stepped right up
and got our cooked-to-order Philly cheesesteak sandwiches
in just a few minutes. And there was no shortage of menu
options - lots of different types of food from sandwiches
to Asian cuisine, from soups and salads to major meals.

But the Bear Valley experience is much more than a daytrip
- or at least it should be given the time it takes to get
to the ski area. For our trip we booked lodging at the Bear
Valley Lodge, one of just a few hotel-type facilities near
the mountain. Located about three miles from the mountain,
the Bear Valley Lodge seems to be the hub of activity in
the area and proved to be a good choice for accommodations.
While showing some of its age - it was built in the 60’s -
the lodge proved to be a comfortable, convenient base of
operations. A ski shuttle bus will take you to the
mountain, and you can even ski all the way back to the
lodge.

When we say comfortable, we are not comparing the lodge to
the high-end condos you find at most major ski resorts. The
rooms at Bear Valley Lodge are more like a motel unit with
two double beds a bath area and a TV/entertainment area
that included HBO. But small touches - such as the bay
window looking out onto the snowy landscape or the pine
furniture - helped to make this feel much cozier than a
motel room.

The four floors of rooms at the Bear Valley Lodge look out
onto the Cathedral Lounge, a large open space in the middle
of the lodge that offers guests a place to sit and read and
enjoy the fire in the massive stone fireplace. Photos are
mounted along the walls depicting the history of the lodge
and Bear Valley ski area. Celebrities such as Spider
Savich, Claudine Longet,  Merv Griffin and several others
are shown skiing or otherwise enjoying Bear Valley.

Adjacent to the lounge are several shops including an
old-fashioned general store - with a deli to get quick
sandwiches and soups - and a surprisingly complete ski shop
with all of the latest ski equipment, clothing and
accessories. But keep in mind this is not the type of
resort where you can spend hours shopping when you’re not
on the slopes; your down time here most likely will be
spent in front of the fire reading a good book.

During our brief stay we dined in the lodge’s Grizzly
Lounge - mainly because the other lodge restaurant, the
Creekside Dining Room, was closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The
lounge food was good and included a few menu items from the
Creekside. We did learn that the Creekside has recently
employed a well-educated and accomplished chef that has
proven both creative and popular with guests - so we were
disappointed we didn’t get a chance to sample the Creekside
cuisine.

We also enjoyed a meal down at BaseCamp, a lodge that is
just a short walk from the Bear Valley Lodge and the only
other hotel-style lodging this close to the ski area. The
meal at BaseCamp was well prepared and we especially
enjoyed learning more about Bear Valley from our English
waitress who chose to move here from England because of the
area’s excellent intermediate skiing. The BaseCamp,
incidentally, offers the lowest cost rooms in the area with
“bathroom down the hall.”

There are also condo and cabin rentals available in the
Bear Valley area, as well as the Tamarack Lodge further
west on Highway 4. Prices in general will be less at
BaseCamp, moderate at the Bear Valley Lodge and Tamarack,
and more when you rent an entire vacation home.

While in the area, there are several small towns and
attractions that are worth a stop if you have the time. To
reach Bear Valley in winter, you’ll be traveling through
the historical town of Angel’s Camp and then a similar but
smaller Gold Rush town called Murphys.

But our suggestion would be to allow plenty of time for
skiing. You’ll want to ski or board Bear Valley just as
long as the weather - and your legs - will hold out.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Bear Valley Ski Resort is on Highway 4, about 52
miles from the foothills town of Angel’s Camp, and 130
miles from Sacramento.

WHAT: Bear Valley is a throwback to skiing in the ’60’s and
’70’s - no high-speed quads or gondolas but lots of wide
open groomed terrain in a gorgeous setting.

WHEN: Winter gets plenty of snow for skiing and other snow
sports; the area also is a popular summer recreation area
with numerous lakes, hiking trails and a pristine forest.

WHY: It’s refreshing to ski where there are no lift lines
and little pretense - most of the “beautiful people” went
to Colorado; the home-growns stayed here. Economically,
this ski vacation is quite affordable.

HOW: For more information on Bear Valley Ski Resort, phone
(209) 753-2301 or visit www.bearvalley.com. For more
information on Bear Valley Lodge, phone (209) 753-2325 or
visit www.bearvalleylodge.com.

—————————————————-

Now in its 18th year, NYC Restaurant Week brings together some of the City’s most celebrated dining establishments — including Café de Artistes, Gramercy Tavern, and La Goulue — with some of the City’s most contemporary and sought-after hot-spots- including Bar Boulud, Apiary, and Nobu. Notable newcomers this year include Lever House Restaurant, The Palm Tribeca, Union Prime, Fishtail by David Burke, Dovetail, and Country. NYC Restaurant Week Founding Sponsor American Express and NYC & Company have partnered to support City Harvest. American Express and NYC & Company will donate $.25 per transaction when diners pay with any American Express Card at participating restaurants during NYC Restaurant Week Winter 2009, up to $10,000. This partnership helps City Harvest reach its goal to rescue 20 million pounds of excess food from the food industry and deliver it to more than 600 community food programs throughout the five boroughs using a fleet of 16 trucks and volunteers on foot. For more information, a complete list of participating restaurants and a selection of this year’s prix-fixe menus, call 311 or on Jan. 5 visit www.nycgo.com.

Brisbane is located on Australia’s east coast and is the
capital of Queensland. With a population of around 1.9
million people it is the country’s third largest city after
Sydney and Melbourne. There is a good rivalry between
cities in Australia and residents of the southern cities of
Sydney and Melbourne often joke of Brisbane being a big
country town and not as happening as their cities. Brisbane
may be a more relaxed city which is no bad thing but this
city can compete in other ways with excellent cafes and
restaurants, an excellent music and nightlife scene and
plenty to see and do. You can’t help but enjoy the
sub-tropical climate and are bound to enjoy many days of
sunshine in Brisbane.

Getting there: From within Australia you can easily reach
Brisbane by air or road. Brisbane airport is well served by
all the major domestic airlines such as Qantas, Virgin Blue
and Jetstar. It’s about a ninety minute flight from Sydney
to Brisbane and around two hours from Melbourne. If you’re
traveling by road then it’s a good ten hours on the road
from Sydney so best to break it up if possible and explore
some of the coast on the way up such as Byron Bay or Coffs
Harbour. If you’re coming to Brisbane from overseas then
the airport is well served with direct flights from Asia
and connections from other parts of the world such as
Europe and the US. Airlines that fly into Brisbane include
Singapore airlines, Emirates, Qantas and Cathay Pacific.
Once you land you can either get the Air train into the
city or catch a taxi which will take around 20-25 minutes
to get into the city.

Getting Around: Once you in Brisbane the central areas can
be accessed easily by foot or public transport. The public
transport is operated under the name of TransLink and
allows the use of a single ticket for bus, rail and ferry.
Make sure you explore the river using the fast and smooth
City Cat catamaran ferries. If you’re staying in the CBD
itself or near the river precinct of Southbank then you
will be able to explore much of the centre easily by foot.
The city centre is quite compact. However, if you need to
get further away from the centre then Brisbane sprawls out
a long way and you may find car rental a good option. There
are many Brisbane car rental companies to choose from
including all the big names and a number of local low cost
operators. A word of warning. If you choose a low cost car
rental firm then read the small print in detail. A couple
of the firms charge admin and other fees in the event you
cause damage to the car and hide this in reams of small
print on the contract.
What to do: Brisbane has plenty to do but here are a few
suggestions to get you started. * Explore the river via the
Citycat ferries. Check out the luxury houses along the way
and make stops to see New Farm Park or get off at Bretts
Wharf to visit the new cruise ship terminal called Portside
Wharf with riverside shops and restaurants. *  Visit
Southbank Parklands on the other side of the river to the
city. Stretching along the river for over a kilometre this
area is home to great cafes and restaurants, Streets beach
which is an artificial beach and lagoon which is free all
year round and is home to the cultural heart of Brisbane
with the performing arts centre, galleries and museums. *
Visit the eat street areas of the inner city suburbs of
West End, Paddington and Oxford Street in Bulimba. *  Shop
on the Queen Street Mall in the CBD which features a great
range of stores including department stores Myer and David
Jones. *  Play a game of bare foot bowls at Merthyr Bowls
Club on Oxlade Drive in New Farm. Access is easy via the
Citycat ferry using the New Farm Parklands stop. *  Head
east to Moreton Bay and take a ferry over to North
Stradbroke Island, one of the largest sand islands in the
world and home to some great beaches. *  Use Brisbane as a
base for nearby destinations such as the Gold Coast, the
Sunshine Coast and Australia Zoo which is one hour north of
Brisbane by road.

Where to stay: There is a wide range of Brisbane
accommodation on offer. The good news is that much of the
Brisbane accommodation on offer is of a very good standard
and good value.

At the more expensive end of the spectrum are the big hotel
chains in the city centre such as the Hilton, Marriot and
Sofitel. These have the advantages of good location and
facilities though value for money is sometimes not as good
as the alternatives.

One of the best Brisbane accommodation options is the use
of self contained holiday accommodation such as holiday
apartments for rent. There are a good number of serviced
apartments available in the city centre and nearby areas
such as South bank parklands. The serviced apartments tend
to be great value for money, especially for families who
might otherwise need two hotel rooms. The apartments offer
bedrooms, separate living areas with a full kitchen. As
well as getting much more space than a hotel room you can
also save money by cooking some of your meals in the
kitchen rather than having to east every meal out.

When to go: Almost any time of the year is good for a visit
to Brisbane as it has a warm sub-tropical climate and over
three hundred days of sunshine per year. If you are used to
colder climates then you may find the summer months of
December to February a little hot. The temperatures during
these months often range between 28c and 34c as well as
being humid. These summer months are also the wettest. You
don’t tend to get many dull and dreary days with rain
though. Typically they come in the form of thunderstorms
that build up during the day and are short but sharp!

Personally my favorite times of the year for Brisbane are
the in between seasons of Spring and Autumn which are still
nice and warm but not too hot or humid. Winter in Brisbane
is not exactly cold either. Winter is the driest time in
Brisbane so expect a good number of sunny days.
Temperatures drop to single digits at night in winter but
still often reach the low twenties by the middle of the day.

Brisbane is increasingly a popular destination for
Australian and international travelers so make sure you
make it part of your trip.

——————————

In addition, the Hotel’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Bradley Pacana, is now a board member of The Philadelphia Green Hospitality Association, an eco friendly association in Philadelphia.  In his new role, Pacana hopes to further the eco friendly association’s mission where hospitality and environmental professionals can join together to create sustainable “Green” practices.

The Rittenhouse Hotel, located at 210 West Rittenhouse Square, has received five out of five stars from Allstays.com for its Green practices.  The hotel uses cotton towels and sheets, promotes green aspects, educates guests, participates in Green Programs, has non-smoking rooms, and performs environmental cleaning.

The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia at Ten Avenue of the Arts has also received five stars for its green initiatives.  The hotel has been recognized for its towel and sheet programs, energy conservation, composting, fresh air, water conservation, and durable service items.

Located at One Logan Square, Philadelphia’s Four Seasons Hotel is recognized as a green hotel for diverting some 120,000 pounds of kitchen waste a year by sending table scraps to a farm to be composted.  The hotel saves a big chunk of change on dumping fees and the compost is brought back to the hotel to much flowerbeds.

If you are planning a trip to Philadelphia soon, be sure to stay at one of these recommended green hotels in the 8^th most sustainable city in the United States.

Dine at a Green Restaurant in Philly

Surely you will need to eat at some point during your stay in Philadelphia.  If you would like to stay with your “Green” theme while here, you are in luck.  In the restaurant business there are so many little things that restaurants can do to help the environment and make positive change.

The White Dog Café, located at 3420 Sansom Street, is a not-to-be-missed destination for organic and sustainable food.  Management has a passion for eco-friendly practices and cuisine is American with an innovative mix of Native American and South East Asia accents.  Dinner features incredible options like sherry cumin-glazed lamb sirloin, seared Alaskan halibut, and pan-crisped Peking duck breast.

The Pita Pit, located at 1601 Sansom Street, is Philadelphia’s first certified Green Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association.  For less than $7, meat lovers, vegetarians, and vegans can sink try a pita bursting with toppings, cheese and house-made sauce.  The Pita Pit employs a low-water system, biodegradable cutlery and carryout bags, and a strict recycling program and has reduced its carbon footprint by sourcing local food.  The Philadelphia Pita Pit makes sure to use compact florescent lighting, motion sensor lighting in bathrooms, sustainable food (vegetarian vegan options), non-toxic cleaning supplies, a local produce company to minimize fuel and consolidate orders to decrease deliveries, bleach free recycled napkins and bags and besides recycling, their employees use personal mugs and silverware to minimize waste.  They also refrain from using Styrofoam. The Pit will continue to meet the marks / criteria provided by the Green Restaurant Association by implementing four new environmental steps per year.

You will also want to try Derek’s Restaurant, at 4411 Main Street, which serves locally sourced organic food.  With deals like a three-course lunch for $20 or a three-course dinner for $30 offered daily, you can taste a lot without breaking the bank.  Derek’s features fancy cocktails, brilliant dinner creations and tasty desserts.

For you seafood lovers, check out Otolith Sustainable Seafood at 143 -147 West Girard Avenue.  This restaurant is an ambitious venture which seeks to raise the local profile of sustainable seafood - products caught in American waters by those taking factors like population count, waste and fuel costs into consideration. Otolith offers hard-to-find fresh-frozen seafood, ranging from smoked black cod, pink shrimp and spot prawns to Bering Sea scallops and five types of salmon.

Recently opened Root Restaurant at 1033 Spring Garden Street is another great choice. The message is straight forward and the message is clear; simple presentation of the finest ingredients available. All menu items are made in-house; from the bread to the maple bacon ice cream. Meats are organic and the produce comes from local farms.

Notable Sustainable Sites
If you would enjoy eating and experiencing a truly sustainable site in the city, check out the recently completed Comcast Center at 17^th and Arch Streets, the tallest building in Philadelphia standing at 975 feet tall. With its ambitious incorporation of eco-friendly technologies, the Center is also the country’s tallest “Green” building.

The cutting edge sustainable design of the Center can be found in nearly every aspect of the building.  The Comcast Center uses 40 percent less water than a typical office building, and fixtures will save more than three million gallons of drinking water annually.  Waterless urinals in all restrooms will save 1.2 million gallons of urinal-water use every year.

Shading on the plaza reduces the heat-island effect caused by pavement by 70 percent.  A glass curtain blocks 60 percent of heat while allowing 70 percent of the sun’s visible light, reducing energy used for air conditioning while utilizing natural light to its fullest.  An under-floor water loop is used to cool the winter garden and the sixth floor atrium floor during the summer and warm it during the water, saving energy.

Another one of the new building’s main draws is its awesome selection of eateries. The Market at Comcast Center, located right below the building’s main lobby, has more than 24,000 square feet of food retail and some 20 storefronts for your enjoyment.

Places like Bucks County Coffee Co., Di Bruno Bros., LaScala’s, Mexican Post, Sook Hee’s Produce, Susanna Foo’s Dumpling Kitchen, Under the “C” gourmet seafood and Tokyo Sushi give you a wide variety of culinary tastes to try.

Sustainable Transportation
While you are enjoying staying at these Green hotels, eating at Philly’s sustainable hotspots and seeing Green sites, don’t forget to save some gas in an effort to Go Green.  Why not try a popular car-sharing program?  Philly Car Share or Zipcar are two of the major players, and they have several convenient locations around the city.  Philly Car Share is one of the largest regional car-sharing programs in the United States.  They recently lowered their mid-week rates on hybrids and also offer free rail passes so customers can get to and from the car share location.  Membership-based ZipCar has over 20 spots to pickup cars.  Both programs are cheaper than regular car rental and allow you to return the car at any time, without the hassle of a line.

Or try the City’s public transportation options.  The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) offers a line that connects directly to the airport and $7 gets you to 30^th Street Station for an Amtrak connection or to Suburban Station, where Philly’s day guests can purchase regional rail tickets for destinations outside the city.  Bus, subway, and trolleys are $2 per ride, or $1.45 if you purchase multi-packs of tokens.

Karen Toner is a free lance writer for ExplorerPod.com

Our recent weekend in L.A. reminded us of just how much
there is to see and do in that city at any time of the
year. We visited places we knew as well as attractions we
were exploring for the first time. We did a lot of things
right, but also learned some lessons for future trips to
the city. But, most important, we simply had fun.

On this trip we combined a little business with pleasure
and that meant I had to be in the city for business before
my wife and daughter could join me. Schools nowadays are
getting a little touchy about letting kids out for their
parents’ vacations or getaways, even though we still
maintain our eight-year-old daughter is indeed learning
something every time she travels.

So we decided my family would join me, after school was
out, by taking the Amtrak train from the San Diego area
into L.A. where I would pick them up. The trip up on the
train was just a couple of hours, so that part went fine.
The problem was it took me only slightly less time to
travel from Santa Monica to the downtown LA train station.
That’s 15 miles in one hour, 45 minutes. You do the math.

Note to travel diary: Never plan to do any L.A. driving on
a late Friday afternoon. Weekend visits should start Friday
morning or Saturday morning - but not Friday afternoon.

Aside from that little miscalculation, our trip from that
point forward was fun, relaxed and full of interesting
things to do. We checked into the Hotel Oceana, a
completely updated, upscale lodging on Santa Monica’s
picturesque Ocean Avenue, where our third-floor suite had
spectacular views of the ocean and, in the distance,
Catalina Island. This hotel proved to be ideally located
near the beach as well as the popular Downtown Third Street
Promenade shopping district.

The mood of the Hotel Oceana is colorful and breezy and
what you would expect to find in a Caribbean resort.
Entering our suite, we were struck by the colors - bright
yellows, greens, pinks - and by the spaciousness. If you’re
looking for a suite that has lots of room to move around
in, this is your place. The bedroom was a typical size, but
the living room area had room for a couch, table and
chairs, and then another whole section of the room that had
a small dining table, mini-bar, and work desk.

Both rooms had picture windows offering panoramic views of
the ocean. A big-screen flat panel television also was
available, and the bath area was also unusually spacious
with a tile bathtub enclosure as well as a European
spa-style shower. A double marble vanity rounded out the
stylish bathroom decor.

Such attractive accommodations just seem to put you in the
right mood for a weekend of exploration and good times.
After dinner and an early turn-in, we were up early
Saturday ready to spend some time in Santa Monica as well
as at nearby attractions we had selected.

Santa Monica is a playground for L.A. TV and movie people
that is all neatly compressed into 8.3 miles strategically
bordered by the Santa Monica Mountains on one side and the
Pacific Ocean on the other. The words “trendy” and “hip”
seem to pop up a lot in the descriptions of the some 400
restaurants packed into this little piece of real estate.
Throw in a few art galleries, some luxury hotels and - oh
yes - celebrities, and you have the makings of an
eye-popping diversion from your everyday hometown.

As we took a short walk to the Santa Monica Pier, it seemed
like half of L.A. was down here jogging or walking. Wide,
tree-lined and well-landscaped Ocean Avenue stretches along
the coastline offering about as pretty a downtown street as
you’ll see considering this is all modern office buildings
and not historic mansions.

The Santa Monica Pier is the dominant feature on the
water’s edge - and also over the water — and is a favorite
for families. The pier is home to a variety of fascinating
tourist shops, carnival rides, seafood and other
restaurants and even a trapeze school that was drawing a
crowd every time one of the students would go up and risk
life and limb to swing on the high trapeze.

Just up from the pier are blocks and blocks of shopping in
the popular Downtown Third Street Promenade, an area where
city fathers have taken a street and turned it into a
pedestrian mall. There are fascinating shops and an unusual
number of movie theaters along this walkway that seems to
attract people from all walks of life - young and old,
wealthy on down to the homeless.

Santa Monica is only a few miles from Hollywood so, just
for fun, we decided to drive over to the Hollywood Museum,
near the intersection of Highland Avenue and Hollywood
Boulevard in the heart of Hollywood. The museum does not
advertise much and has been building its business through
word of mouth and walk-in traffic since it opened just a
few years ago. Gradually the word has gotten out that this
four-story museum is loaded to the rafters with props and
memorabilia from hundreds of Hollywood’s most famous movies.

The items on display cover both movies and television and
span the history of motion pictures. You’ll see things like
Sylvester Stallone’s boxing gloves from Rocky, or a
complete selection of Marilyn Monroe’s dresses, or the
actual jail cell where Anthony Hopkins was incarcerated in
the Silence of the Lambs. Big displays are presented for
movies like Dreamgirls, Gone with the Wind, Planet of the
Apes and many more. Walls are lined with old Hollywood
publicity photos of the stars and famous Hollywood
restaurants and haunts. Located in the old Max Factor
building, the museum truly is a trip down memory lane and
is well worth spending an hour or two immersing yourself in
all things Hollywood.

On Sunday, we drove over to another L.A. attraction we had
always wanted to visit:  Will Rogers State Historic Park,
just three miles from our base at the Hotel Oceana. The
famous writer and celebrity made his home in Beverly Hills,
but had a weekend ranch in the hills above Sunset
Boulevard. Rogers moved to the ranch in 1928 and eventually
the small original cottage was enlarged to its present size
of 31 rooms. Rogers loved horses and the entire household
has a Western feel with its Indian rugs and baskets,
saddles and even a polo field on the property where Rogers
could indulge in one of his favorite pastimes. The park
service offers a brief 20-minute tour of the house that is
both interesting and entertaining.

A lot of people visit the Will Rogers State Historic Park
simply to take advantage of the park-like grounds and the
trails you can walk on the 186-acre property. We took the
loop trail, which is a moderate hike that offers panoramic
views of Santa Monica and the Hollywood Hills - a great
place to get a little exercise while sampling what seem to
be an endless number of L.A. attractions.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Santa Monica is just west of Los Angeles and on the
coast south of Malibu. It’s easy to reach by taking
Interstate 405 or Interstate 5 to Interstate 10 and driving
west.

WHAT: Santa Monica’s a great base of operations for a
myriad of attractions, from Hollywood to Malibu.

WHEN: The weather in Los Angeles is sunny most of the year
- about 343 annual days of sunshine to be exact - so
there’s no bad time to visit.

WHY: The scenery’s great, but there’s also an electricity
that comes with a getaway so close to celebrities and the
entertainment business.

HOW: For more information on Santa Monica, visit the Santa
Monica Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.santamonica.com.

From Seattle Center to Westlake Center to the Pike Place
Market, the usual visitor attractions become just a little
more special on a chilly winter’s day. Throngs of excited,
bundled-up families and couples sample the seasonal
offerings at Westlake such as Quest carousel rides, or the
kettle corn and elephant ears nearby. Vendors make balloon
animals for the kids while loud Christmas music blares in
the background making sure no one misses out on Seattle’s
holiday spirit.

Make it an overnight trip and it’s even better. First,
you’ll be sure to see the numerous Christmas lights along
downtown streets including the famous star on Macy’s, the
Space Needle lights and many other special seasonal
touches. And, by staying overnight, you can turn a shopping
trip into a true getaway.

Our base of operations was a Seattle landmark, the
Edgewater Hotel. If you’re old enough, you’ll remember that
the Edgewater was made famous in the mid-60’s when the
Beatles stayed in one of the waterfront rooms and caught
fish out their window. In fact, it became the obvious
choice for many famous rock groups that came into town
during that period to play for one of Pat O’Dea’s
spectacular rock concerts. Read More On Seattle…..

Crested Butte Mountain Resort is offering a Stay and Ski for Free package from November 26 through December 17, 2008 area lodging properties in Gunnison, Almont, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested are working together to bring you a great deal! Just buy lodging and get two FREE lift tickets. For every night you purchase, you get two FREE lift tickets (based on double occupancy)! It’s that simple. Visit GCBSkiFree.com for details!

Just a 4 hour drive from Denver without the I-70 traffic (you actually get to drive and not use your brakes)!; 3 scenic hours from Colorado Springs and 3 easy hours from Grand Junction. What are you waiting for? Visit GCBSKIFree.com

When it comes to rivers, we offer a wide variety. Test the limits of your larynx with a rapids-inspired rush. Or give your adventurous self the day off with a leisurely ride down a lazier river. Just you, your tube and not a care in the world.

Read More on Texas and watch the video.

But let’s start by answering the fundamental question of
all would-be scramblers. How do you define scrambling? It’s
a pastime somewhere between steep walking and rock
climbing. It’s not really climbing, but it certainly isn’t
hill-walking (known as fell walking in this part of the
world). You’ll always need your hands to hold on - together
with your feet and any other spare part of your anatomy!

If you want something more exciting than fell-walking,
scrambling is an exciting step upwards which will add huge
interest to a day out. And for rock climbers, a day spent
scrambling is a great rest-day alternative.

But what may appeal to you most is the chance to get off
the beaten track. Scrambling usually takes place off
conventional trails and footpaths, so even on the busiest
days you have the chance of solitude.

The Lake District has many varied scrambles, ranging from
steep ridges and buttresses to water-filled ghylls and
ravines.  There are many guide books available which take
you through the classic and more challenging routes. They
are graded from 1 to 4 - if you’re a beginner, you’ll want
to start with Grade 1, the easiest.

Although the easiest scrambles are well within a fit
walker’s capacity, unroped scrambling in exposed situations
can present some risks. If you want to try it, make sure
that you are well-briefed, and ensure the weather is
suitable - wet rock in particular can be very dangerous.

To learn more about scrambling contact the British
Mountaineering Council on 0870 010 4878 or visit
www.thebmc.co.uk

And so - you’ve decided you want to try it: where to go
first? Jack’s Rake in the Langdale Pikes is a classic
scramble, well known to generations of walkers.

You start in Langdale from the Stickle Ghyll car park, and
ascend up to Stickle Tarn in one not-so-difficult ascent.
This gives you the chance to survey the Rake, a diagonal
traverse of the face of the crag opposite you. The cut of
Jack’s Rake makes its way from the bottom right to top left
of Pavey Ark - and it’s easy to see. Now’s the time to
rethink your plan for the day if your nerve gives way!

The exposed areas can be seen clearly. If you decide to go
ahead, walk around the tarn to the foot of Jack’s Rake and
look up the crevice in the rock. The first feature point is
a sole Rowan tree about a hundred yards ahead - beyond
that, it’s easier to go on rather than turn around.

For most of the ascent you climb inside a rock groove.
which makes this feel very safe for beginners. Although
there are tight spots the rock channel offers comforting
protection from exposure to the drop down to the tarn.
However, bear in mind that there are some very exposed
sections later on!

After you’ve passed the Rowan tree, there’s a small flat
piece of ground with no edge protection - perfect for
viewing the scenery! The path is wide, but step off and
you’re going to be falling off the cliff and down to the
tarn. Be very careful where you tread!

The next stage of the climb has a few scary moments -
mostly involving smooth rock which is slippery when wet, or
tight crevasses which you cannot squeeze through, and so
must traverse on the edge of the rock face. And near the
final ascent comes the most exposed bit of Jack’s Rake: a
sharp turn to the right to gain the summit, with a sheer
drop below you to the left. Like so many frightening
situations, it’s better if you don’t stop to think, grasp
your handholds firmly, and haul yourself up.

Finishing the scramble is a moment of triumph, and if
you’re a novice Lake District Scrambler it will give you
fantastic memories for years to come!

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The Lake District Guide contains hundreds of pages of
information on Lakes hotels and other accommodation, as
well as restaurants, walks, places to go and things to do.
The full route of Jack’s Rake is included! In fact, we have
all the information you’ll need for a great holiday in the
Lakes. Find us at http://www.lake-district-guides.co.uk

Peddler’s Village

Located in the heart of beautiful Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Peddler’s Village has something for everyone from 70 specialty shops and six restaurants to the luxurious 70-room Golden Plough Inn and the Giggleberry Fair family entertainment center.

Plan a trip to welcome the holidays and the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus at the annual Peddler’s Village Christmas Festival on Saturday, December 6 and Sunday, December 7.  The Village grounds will be festively decorated for the holidays with fruit wreaths, and greenery.  By evening, one million twinkling lights will transform the village into a winter wonderland.  Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive at 1:30 pm on Saturday in a horse-drawn carriage as part of an old-fashioned parade through the Village to Giggleberry Fair.

Be ready for a mouth-watering holiday extravaganza as you stroll through the Village’s free gingerbread house and competition and display through January 3, 2009.  The competition includes categories such as Traditional, Authentic Reproduction of a Significant Building, Amateur, Unusual Three-Dimensional Creation, and Children’s.  This visual delight is on display at the Village Gazebo.

For those of you who would rather make your own holiday decorative wreaths (or as gifts for others), don’t miss the Fruit Wreath Demonstration on Wednesday, December 3^rd from 10 am to 12 noon.  Learn how easy it is to make your own door or window decoration for the holidays from fruit in the traditional Williamsburg style.  Ann McAloan, floral designer and owner of Annie’s Floral Farm in Jaimson, Pennsylvania, will showcase models of different styles and instruct so you can do-it-yourself at home.

The Village has expanded greatly since Earl Jamison founded it 46 years ago.  Today, Peddler’s Village offers its visitors a wide array of dining options, including the Pine, Cock N’ Bull, Sweet Lorraine’s, Hart’s Tavern, Peddler’s Pub, Painted Pony, Murder Mystery Dinner Theater, Colonial Kitchen Diner, and House of Coffee.

Longwood Gardens

Christmas at Longwood Gardens, 1,050 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows, is an annual event in Kennett Square, PA, that you won’t want to miss.

The Gardens presents ice skating performances at an outdoor rink near the Chimes Tower.  National, world and Olympic skaters - including Olympic pair team Scott and Philip Dulebohn and Olympic ice dancer Alexey Beletsky - perform for 20-minute skating vignettes daily.  Bring your camera!  Skaters will meet and greet the audience and pose for pictures following each performance.

In addition to ice skating, the dazzling floral displays, stunning trees, holiday music, 500,000 outdoor lights, and dancing fountains create a Christmas fantasy at Longwood.  Holiday concerts in the ornate Ballroom include organ sing-a-longs, and evening choral and bell choir performances throughout the season.  While enjoying these sites, feast on scrumptious buffets, including Thanksgiving Buffet, Breakfast with Santa (December 13, 14, 20 and 21), and the Yuletide Buffet.

Center City Philadelphia

If you are visiting Philadelphia this holiday season, don’t worry, there’s plenty to do to enjoy the season here in the heart of the city without travelling to the suburbs.

Be there on December 17 as the magic of the season comes alive as more than a half-million outdoor lights adorn a forest of trees that enchant both young and old.  The Lighting Kick-off ceremony at 6:15 pm occurs at The Bellevue at 200 South Broad Street.  Stay from 5:30 - 7:30 pm to celebrate with ongoing entertainment and food.  Guests will be treated to savory offerings from Cadence Restaurant at the Kimmel Center, The Palm, XIX, Doubletree Hotel Philadelphia, Del Frisco’s Steakhouse, and the Union League of Philadelphia.

Since shopping can sometimes seem “boring” and like a “never ending chore” to those who dread lines, check out the Holiday Light Show and A Christmas Carol’s Dickens Village while at Macy’s at 13^th and Market Streets. Put it on your Macy’s Christmas list so you don’t forget these fabulous holiday events.

The Holiday Light Show (November 28 - December 31) is a Philadelphia tradition that dates back half a century.  This show is spectacular with snowflakes, ballerinas, and reindeer floating beyond the four-story velvet curtain of the Grand Court atrium.  During the show, more than 100,000 bright, energy-efficient LED lights combine to create fantastic holiday images.  The display is accompanied by festive music from the world-renowned Wanamaker Grand Organ.

Squeeze in a family history lesson about the time period of the 1800’s as Dickens Village on Macy’s third floor this holiday season.  Here Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol comes to life with more than 100 fully animated figures reenacting 26 of the story’s most memorable moments.

Written by Karen Toner for ExplorerPod.com

Looking for something uniquely Philly? Check out the Cheese steak wars

It is places like that which can easily be missed, and with them many of the real attractions of Paris, including the Latin Quarter, the artistic Left Bank and Montmartre (named after the hill it surrounds), the only real village left in Paris.  You have to be careful with your choice of tour company if you are not be stuck with nothing more than the popular tourist attractions in Paris and miss the real city.

Most people don’t get the opportunity to visit France very often, so not only is it important to visit the right places in Paris, but also to check out some of the other delights that France has to offer, and there are luxury tours available to Paris and the Riviera available that enable you to make the best of your visit to Europe. The French Riviera, known to the French as the Cote d’Azure, is the playground of Europe, where the jet set spend much of their time (and their money).

You should visit Cannes, famous for its film festival, and also pay a trip to Golfe Juan, situated between Cannes and Juan les Pins, where Napoleon stayed when he escaped from Elba, prior to raising an army and marching off to meet his Waterloo and eventual imprisonment on St. Helena.  Nice is also on the French Riviera, and you can’t possibly visit that part of the world without a visit to Monaco, driving round the famous Grand Prix street circuit and chancing your luck on the tables at Monte Carlo.

There is a lot more to Monaco than just the world-famous beaches and casinos, however. There is the Prince’s Palace, home of the royal family, and where Grace Kelly used to reside when she was Princess here. If you like architecture, the Grand Casino and Paris Opera House are sheer architectural wonders, and for the historically minded there are Monaco Cathedral and the Napoleon Museum, while the Oceanographic Museum is also worth visiting.

Such a vacation is the holiday of a lifetime, and you don’t want your luxury tour to Paris and the Riviera spoiled by poor accommodation and travel, or by unexpected costs for which you might not have budgeted. It is important, therefore, that you make sure that your vacation is all inclusive, even down to free baggage handling at your hotels.

Air travel should be at least business class, and TGV rail travel first class. Your hotels should also be of superior quality, as should your transfers to and from the hotels. A trip to Paris should be one of the highlights of your life, and by including the Riviera on your itinerary, you will make sure that this is the case. Many vacation packages leave you a little disappointed at the end, but if you plan properly and choose the right tours and resorts, organized by some of the most experienced vacation planners in the world, you should have a trip to remember.

However, for the ultimate in luxury tours to Paris and the Riviera, you want personal attention. Not just the attention that a tour guide gives to you and the rest in your group, but to you and your partner personally. You want luxury tours that are designed for two people, and that offer personal limousine travel.  You want your own car, your own driver and your own guide, your own tour round Paris, Cannes and Monte Carlo, and your own dinner table with the flexibility to rearrange timings to meet your personal needs, not those of the majority.

That is true luxury, and if you can’t live better while away from home, then why bother leaving? That’s the type of vacation you should be looking around for, so keep that in mind when searching for luxury tours to Paris and the Riviera.

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If you are seeking luxury tours to Paris and the Riviera that offer you personal service, business class flights and first class rail travel, try http://www.ultitude.com , where you will find tours to Paris that are designed just for you and your partner, offering the highest quality accommodation and cuisine in addition to trips to Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo.

Here are three examples of great getaways for holidays, or for any other time of year that you can take the kids along.

San Francisco

San Francisco has a plethora of attractions for the small-fry ranging from theme parks to museums to aquariums to islands where you can enjoy great hikes and spectacular views of the bay. While many see San Francisco as a  romantic city, the truth is you can have just as much fun when you take the kids along.

Start by booking a Kids Suite, like the one we reserved at the Hotel Union Square in the heart of the city. This is not the kind of place where you’re going to see kids running up and down the hallways or groups of teens hanging out the lobby. This is a more sophisticated hotel that just
happens to offer some of its accommodations in a special format that appeals to families.

While parents will love the fact that this is a boutique hotel - with all the extras that the term implies such as brick walls, mosaic murals, warm colors and stylish furnishings - the kids who share the Kids Suite with Mom and Dad are in for an extra special treat. The suite actually is a spacious high-ceiling corner room that has been subdivided into a parents area and a kids area. A
free-standing partition also serves as a storage device where games, toys, dolls and anything your kids could want are ready to use anytime.

There is a bed for the kids, and on the kids desk is a Mac computer ready to fire up and play games on the internet. But the piece de resistance is the 47″ flat panel HD TV hanging on the wall with a Wii game system attached – an incredibly fun diversion for kids and adults alike. The Wii system lets you play tennis, baseball or golf or other sports by holding remote controls in your hands and “hitting” the ball with the same physical movements you would use in the real sport. We literally spent hours playing these games with our eight-year-old - one of the most unusual and fun experiences we’ve ever had with our kids in a hotel room.

When you do venture outside, there are many family activities in the city, especially near Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39: Aquarium by the Bay, the Venetian Carousel, the Cinemax theater, arcades, street performers and dozens of sea lions napping near the pier. From here, you can take a ferry to Angel Island, a popular island where visitors hike trails and visit more than 100 historical buildings.
Another great attraction in the city is the hands-on science center called the Exploratorium, located near the Presidio at the end of the waterfront near the Golden Gate Bridge. And then there’s Golden Gate Park, where there is a children’s playground including a restored carousel,
Alcatraz Island, where you can take a self-guided tour of the famous prison that was closed in 1963, and the San Francisco Zoo, which offers hours of enjoyment for the whole family.

For more information on Hotel Union Square, phone 1-800-553-1900 or visit www.hotelunionsquare.com.

Resort at Indio

Another “adult” place that can also be fun for the kids is the Greater Palm Springs area. On our most recent trip to the desert we based ourselves a few miles east of Palm Springs in Indio, a comfortable neighborhood, but perhaps less extravagant than some other parts of the valley. Out
on the eastern edge of the valley cities, this area is now undergoing a major transformation with several new housing developments that feature modern, spacious homes set alongside man-made lagoons and canals, all five minutes from the freeway. It is in this same area that a major new
resort complex - the Resort at Indio - was built just in the last few years.

This group of condo-style buildings includes 453 units altogether, built around what almost looks like a water theme park full of swimming pools, whirlpool spas, giant sprinklers for the kids, ponds, canals and even a man-made river to float down on a resort-provided inner-tube. There
are a couple of huge swimming pools - the largest being almost 5,000 square feet. The resort also includes tennis courts, a basketball court, a recreation center with pool, ping-pong and other games, and a modern workout gym.

Given the recreational opportunities, it’s not surprising that the Resort at Indio is especially popular with families. During our visit on an unseasonably warm spring weekend, family groups large and small were taking full advantage of the pools and other facilities. With hundreds
of deck chairs and plenty of space to accommodate them, families were spending hours poolside. Come mealtime, many would walk the short distance back to their condo units and fire up the barbecues available on their decks and patios.

As you might expect, the accommodations are really vacation rentals, not hotel rooms - each unit comes with a complete kitchen, multiple bedrooms, living and dining room areas. Since the resort is almost brand-new, everything is in top shape with the latest appliances, colors and decor.

This is the kind of place where you can settle in for a few days, let the kids play and meet other kids and just relax. Within easy driving distance, you’ll also find fun family excursions such as Patton Museum with its World War II tanks as well as other fighting equipment and memorabilia.
There are many hikes in the general area, and the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway is another fun family adventure.

For more information on the Resort at Indio, phone 800-867-2095 or visit www.greatpricedcondos.com/id/.

Greenhorn Guest Ranch

To our way of thinking, one of the most ideal family vacations we have taken is when we visited Greenhorn Guest Ranch, about an hour’s drive west of Reno in California’s Plumas County.

Sometimes you just know when you’ve come home. Within about 30 minutes of our arrival at Greenhorn, we were chowing down on their Friday night barbecue of scrumptious, fall-off-the-bone ribs with all the fixin’s. The owners of the ranch, Trish and Ralph Wilburn, were strumming their guitars and singing western songs by the campfire. Soon, the kids in the group were scurrying to get their marshmallows and chocolate so they could get more smores than anyone else.

Out there, the Big City might as well have been on the moon; which, incidentally, was just starting to rise to take its place among the sparkling stars visible above the towering dark pine trees’ surrounding the ranch.

The Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch is where you go to get a healthier heart. Not that barbecue ribs and steaks and big breakfasts of bacon and sausage and biscuits are going to unclog your arteries. The heart we’re talking about is the one that helps you look at the world and shape your
reactions to it. It’s the one that sometimes gets a little overwhelmed with the day-to-day and forgets about the big picture.

The big picture is considerably brighter after spending a few days with fellow ranch visitors of all ages, shapes and sizes. Some of the people visiting the Greenhorn know about horses and may even have horses of their own. Others aren’t sure which stirrup to step into first. Some are constantly running from one ranch activity to the next. Others are just content to sit on their cabin porches and inhale the Great Outdoors. Most people who visit the ranch spend at least a couple of hours each day on the back of a horse.

Cabins are cozy and the food’s good at the Chuckhouse dining room. Coming up Thanksgiving Week, the food will probably be pretty spectacular with a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner as well as many holiday activities such as wreath-making and a horse-drawn wagon ride to cut down your own Christmas tree. Guests don’t have to book the entire week; you can come for just a night or two to get a taste of this wonderful family experience.

For more information on the Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch, please go to www.greenhornranch.com or call     1-800-334-6939 .

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Cary Ordway is a syndicated travel writer and president of Getaway Media Corp, which publishes websites focused on regional getaway travel. Among the sites currently offered
by GMC are http://www.californiaweekend.com , and http://www.northwesttraveladvisor.com .

I found out about the Gibbon Experience shortly before I left for Laos. The description of the Gibbon Experience – an eco-tourist forest conservation project where visitors live in canopy-level treetop houses and fly above the rainforest on ziplines – was enough to make my friend Dani and I quickly rearrange all our (admittedly shaky) travel plans and veer up to Bokeo Province.

The “veering” wasn’t as easy as all that. Once on an overnight train from Bangkok to Vientiane, we were confident that an overland trip thorough Laos wouldn’t be that bad; in fact, it’d probably be fun. A relatively painless border crossing at the Friendship Bridge and we were in the Lao capital, Vientiane.

We didn’t get to see much of the capital, so I’ll never know if it had any Western-style attributes that many other Southeast Asian cities possess: malls with high-end shops, chain restaurants, Starbucks. What we saw was a sleepy little city, with temples and wats as in Thailand, no buildings taller than three stories and little English spoken. I needed to buy a camera battery recharger, and so we asked where to get one. We were told in the “big mall” – it turned out to be a vast concrete building with a giant marketplace selling cell phones and washing machines alongside souvenirs and clothes. Upstairs was more of a “mall” environment with individual shops, all very local and very Lao. Its food court, thankfully, had pictures of the dishes, so all we had to do was point. Dani had a Lao phrasebook that never seemed to contain any of the things we wanted to ask. We mostly used sign language.

There was no train to Bokeo Province. The bus station housed double-decker buses that looked quite nice on the outside, but was fairly cramped on the inside. Our bus had a toilet, but the bathroom would be filled with luggage the entire trip, so we couldn’t use it. Dani and I were seated in the way back, against the rear of the bus, on chairs that couldn’t recline anyway. The back row had five bucket seats; we saw that four people had crowded into the three seats next to us.

The trip was about 22 hours. Right before we left, the bus driver distributed plastic bags to all the passengers, to the horror of Dani and I, who thought they were expecting everyone on board to throw up. We found later that this was more of a bag for people’s spit, but it didn’t matter: some of the passengers just spat on the floor anyway. The driver stopped every few hours to allow a bathroom break — usually by a few roadside food stalls, so passengers could buy something to eat, but Dani and I had come prepared with snacks. The bathrooms were usually outhouses, with a “Lao-style” toilet bowl sunk into the ground. A couple of times in the night, the bus stopped for extended periods of time and turned off all its electricity, waking us up within moments when the airflow turned off and the oppressive Southeast Asian heat took over. At random intervals during the night, we were awakened by the blare of very loud Lao pop music. None of the other passengers said a word, and as our Lao language book did not contain the sentence “Please stop annoying us with that noise,” we didn’t either.

We rolled past beautiful rolling landscapes, red clay cliffs, increasingly large mountains, lots and lots of huts with satellite dishes outside, and some really nice, French Colonial-looking houses every once in a while. The roads started to get steeper, the mud started to get deeper and the bus really started to shake, bounce, and pitch. A couple of times it got stuck in the mud, or had to stop behind another vehicle who had. When this happened, we all had to file off the bus and wait for the driver, his helper and a bunch of assorted passengers and passers-by as they got the bus through.

We made it to Louang Prabang, ate an incredibly delicious noodle bowl at the bus stop café, and then got in a mini bus for what should have been a 4-hour trip to Louang Namtha. I squeezed into a seat next to another passenger and Dani curled up on the engine cap between the driver and front-seat passenger, who must have been his wife. We made great time, rolling by scenic Lao mountainsides and villages, when the van suddenly came to a halt. All the traffic around us was stopped. There was a large truck in the middle of the road ahead, completely mired in bumper-high mud, blocking traffic in both directions. We had to wait for hours until a crane and a bulldozer had to clear the area and yank out the truck (which promptly became stuck again about a quarter of a mile later).

The crane then plowed into the red clay and rocks of the mountainside, digging up dry rocky dirt to fill up the mud pits and make the road navigable again, at least until the next downpour. Because it was rainy season, this repair job probably lasted about four hours. Late at night we got to Louang Namtha near the Chinese/Burmese borders. We found a guesthouse, showered, and fell into a grateful sleep.

The Gibbon Experience

The morning after our 30-plus-hour bus odyssey through Laos, Dani and I woke up fully restored after a night on a flat mattress. We stopped for a couple of tropical fruit smoothies — one of the great things about Southeast Asia — and some groceries before getting onto another bus that would take us down, this time, to Bokeo Province and the gibbons. Another fantastic noodle bowl later and we got onto a bus heading toward the Thai border. This trip was relatively uneventful, save for the amazing mountain scenery passing by our window. It took us to Houayxai, a pretty little Mekong River town where the Gibbon Experience office was located. We got a room at a guesthouse near the office, and checked in with them. It seemed that because we had not confirmed our reservation online, we couldn’t go out in the next day’s expedition. I felt like an idiot – I thought that surely, no one else would know about this gibbon thing, right?

Turned out it was hugely popular and drew people from all over the world. We would have to stick around and wait for a couple days to see if anyone canceled their reservations, or failed to show up. We didn’t mind hanging around this cute town for a little while, anyway. It had Lao and Chinese markets, some ornate Buddhist temples (where Dani and I posed with young, orange-clad monks) and a cute little tropical bar with pillows on the ground, art on the walls, candles and incense burning, and a potted marijuana plant for decoration. On our second day there, we got the good news that people had failed to show up, leaving open slots on the next day’s expedition for us to fill.

Our party consisted of Dani and me, plus five others of varying ages and nationalities. Early the next morning we got up early and were driven about two hours into the mountains. The van suddenly stopped at a tiny roadside grocery stand and we were told to get out, because this was the beginning of our trek. It was the rainy season, and the mountain roads weren’t navigable by any vehicle larger than a motorbike. During the dry season, the van would continue to drive up into the mountains closer to the Gibbon Experience, but in the rainy season we had to walk up.

So walk we did — for six hours, under the beating sun, up and down wet clay mountain roads, up and down forest footpaths on muddy ledges no wider than two feet, slipping on the red mud. It seemed as though there were never any flat parts to the trek; it was either up or down, usually pretty steep either way. It was exhausting, dirty, and draining. Five hours in, we reached a tiny village — little huts, this time without satellite dishes, and a tiny store with a bench out front where we collapsed to rest. We gratefully bought water and Cokes, ate, and gathered our strength for the last part of the trek, arguably the hardest. It took a little over an hour, mostly on a very steep and muddy uphill, through the forest. Most of the paths were a series of slippery steps. A few of the people in our group had been traveling and jungle trekking for months, and it wasn’t nearly as rough on them as it was on me. I thought I could possibly die, right there in the Lao jungle. Staggering up the last flight of mud steps, I could hear the sound of laughter and hollering above me … we were finally at the Gibbon Experience.

We had arrived in a clearing with two large hut-like structures. One was an outdoor kitchen where all the Gibbon Experience patrons’ food was cooked on open fire. The other was essentially a giant room for sleeping. It had an outside front porch and a long table. Between the two structures was a volleyball net and about 20 young Lao men, barefoot, playing a volleyball-like game, except with a smaller straw ball, and kicking it instead of using their hands. It was kind of like hacky-sack volleyball. We sat and watched them play for a while. It turned out they were our guides, the local Lao who brought tourists through the jungle, trekking and on zip lines, and who maintained the six tree houses that the Gibbon Experience had built.

One of the guides, named Charlie, distributed climbing harnesses to us all, and we stepped into them and cinched them around our legs and waists. Attached were a safety rope and a zip line wheel pulley, covered in a strip of car tire. The tire was our brake, Charlie told us. He led us into the woods, up and down another muddy path until we got to the first zip line terminal, a steel cable with one end wrapped around a tree and the other extending over the treetops and into the distance.

As we’d learned in our safety video back at the office, each zip line is one-way only. When green tape was wrapped around the cable at the terminal, that meant it was an outgoing line and okay to ride. Red tape indicated it was an incoming line and you couldn’t clip on there. One by one we climbed a wooden platform up the tree, clipped our safety rope into the cable … slid our roller onto the steel cable and locked it into place … undid our safety rope and clipped it onto the zip line … and jumped off the platform, whizzing into the void.

A mixture of panic, as I hurtled over a 3-story drop — and exhilaration, as I flew across the line, my wheel buzzing noisily next to my ear — accompanied that ride and every other time I climbed onto a zip line. I couldn’t believe how much fun it was, like flying, and how unbelievable to look down onto tall treetops and look out over a sweeping green Lao mountainscape.

That first cable took us to Treehouse 1, a necessary point along the Gibbon Experience’s zip-line network. There was one cable leading into the treehouse, and two leading out in different directions. The treehouse itself was a childhood fantasy come true – three levels embedded in the thick fork of a ficus tree, with a kitchen and bathroom, all with running water. The bathroom was the Lao bowl in the ground that … opened up into the void below, where a compost heap fermented. We all chose our beds (cot mattresses on the ground) and took showers. A Lao guide zipped in with a giant bag on his shoulder, from which he unloaded our dinner … meat, rice and vegetables contained in metal camping pots and clamped together. He distributed dinner and grinned as he clipped onto the outgoing line and zipped off, dangling almost upside-down to wave goodbye to us as he flew away.

That night, as we’d been warned, tree rats chattered and scampered around us; one of them chewed through our canvas bed net and ran across my head. We didn’t get much sleep. At dawn I heard a ghostly hooting sound; I thought that must be the biggest owl I’d ever heard. It got closer and closer, until I was convinced he was right above our thatched roof. The next day I learned that was no owl; that was a gibbon, and it would be the closest I would get to a gibbon during my jungle stay.

The next day veered between us using the zip line network — clamping on, zipping, climbing uphill to the next zip line, clamping on, zipping, climbing — until we were exhausted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner came to the tree house via our acrobatic tour guides. We figured they must have the best jobs in the world. We were also visited by forest patrol rangers zipping around the network with AK-47s strapped onto their backs, on the lookout for poachers; and our housekeeper, a young Lao woman who bunched up her native sarong, zipped over, pulled a broom and other housekeeping items from her bag and proceeded to clean our entire treehouse top to bottom before zipping off to the next house.

Go Eileen Go

That night, I wanted to zip again, but nobody else in my group wanted to come. Charlie said he would accompany me – zipping through the forest alone is ill advised – and he and I walked up the muddy jungle paths. He was learning to speak pretty good English. Every time we zipped to another platform, I’d go first and wait for him to follow, and I noticed that both of us had the same huge grins when we landed. It surprised me: any job, no matter how cool, must get kind of routine after a while, right? But he said this was always fun, every day, every time. I believed him. I hated to leave.

Eileen Loh is a freelance writer and World Traveler. You can read more fo her work here

As the city celebrates, there is no excuse for not finding a way to join in the fun.  Here are some suggestions and ideas to help our Phillies fans engage in the playoff spirit.

The best way (and probably most expensive one) to get in on the playoff fun is to attend a World Series game at Citizens Bank Park.  Although standing room tickets usually go for about $14, some fans are paying up to $600 for a chance to stand to see the home team make some home runs! There is plenty to do at the ballpark for fans of all ages - run the bases, play ball park pinball, and try pitch ‘em and tip ‘em in the unique Citizens Bank interactive game area located at the stadium entrance.  Before you partake in the festivities, take a stroll to Ashburn Alley where fans can watch batting practice (with Cole Hamels!) 2 ½ hours prior to game time.  Most importantly, come pumped for the game!

If you want to be real close to the action but just can’t get a ticket, McFadden’s is the place to be.  With 33 HiDef plasma televisions and two giant projector screens, this bar has become the premiere sports destination in Philly.  It makes for the perfect venue to meet pre-game, post-game, or watch the game.  McFadden’s full menu and great draft and bottled beer selections contain something to suit every taste.

There are plenty of ways for the Phillies littlest fans to get in on the spirit too.  First, those littlest will need a friend first! This will mean building a Phanatic friend.  Fans, young and old, can pick out a miniature Phillie Phanatic, stuff it and dress it in one of the Phanatic’s outfits.  This exclusive Citizens Bank Ballpark feature is managed by Build-a-Bear Workshop and is located on the main concourse near Section B5.  With their new (customized!) phanatic friends, children under 8 can head over to the Phanatic Fun Zone where they can climb, explore, play games and have the slide of their life as they venture through the largest play area in Major League Baseball.  After that, head over to the Phanatic Shoe Slide behind Section 317 on the terrace level.

If you are looking to gather with some friends to watch the game but don’t want to have to clean up after, check out these two great Philly sports bars.

Chickies and Petes, well-known in Philadelphia and now parts of South Jersey, is one of, if not the best, locations to watch a big game at in Philly.  In spite of the notion that many patrons are there “just because it’s Chickies” it is hard to ignore these attractive features…

Those crab fries have just the right amount of old-bay seasoning to leave your mouth watering the next day…

Plenty of big-screen televisions…

It’s truly a “Philly Institution” from its very beginning…

The sandwiches on the menu are perfect for game-watching - not too fancy but enough to satisfy your game-time hunger…

Reasonable prices (we won’t approach the Chickies prices at Citizens Bank Ballpark or the Lincoln Financial Stadium since they are not the same…)

For the next big game you should definitely check out Chickies and Petes - after all, ESPN named it the third best sports bar in the country! There is sure to be a convenient location for you, South Philly, Northeast Philly (two locations) or South Jersey (two locations).

Or try the Field House, located in Convention Center near City Hall.  Although this bar is somewhat new and doesn’t have quite the “following” as Chickies does, it will get there one day soon.  This is the only sports bar in Philly to my knowledge that has televisions on every booth table.  Can’t beat it! Saturday afternoons are made easy here for those die-hard college football fans that just have to see two games at once. It’s possible at the Field House with the ability to have one game on the big screen and another game on your table.  Seating is not an issue here.  The menu is great for sports fans. The “Field of Fries” menu includes The Vet, Shibe Park, Camden Yards, and Brew City Fries.

Should the Phillies win the World Series, be sure to join other enthusiastic fans in celebrating this momentous occasion at one of our city’s biggest intersections. These include Frankford and Cottman Avenues in the Northeast section of the City or Broad and Snyder in South Philadelphia.  Here you will find the die-hard fans honking, hollering, hooting, and of course, many news helicopters. Don’t miss a chance to be on television!  And be sure to stay tuned for the announcement about the celebratory parade down Broad Street - we have waited 25 years for this kind of festival party!

One last thing, if you are looking to “Philly-ize” everything around you because you are just SOO EXCITED about this World Series, try these fun things:

-          Download Phillies wallpaper from their Web site for your computer

-          Shop Phillies clothes (Modell’s, vendors, Foreman Mills)

-          Join the Phillies Fan Club

-          Decorate your house and car

-          Dress your kids in Phillies gear and take pictures

-          Pull out next year’s schedule and plan your games to attend

-          Read “Phillie Phanatic Happiest Memories” to your little friends

-          Write your game thoughts on fan blogs

-          Tailgate (even if you don’t have a ticket)

-          Make signs and stand on your corner asking Phillies fans to beep (only in Philly is this acceptable of course)

-          Buy 2008 Phillies Yearbook and plan how you could try to get some autographs

-          Pull out some baseball trading cards and organize with Phillies players first

-          Dance on your kitchen table the way the Phanatic dances top of the bull pen (only when you are home alone of course!)

-          Stand in line a few hours for an autograph of one of the players on the National League Pennant-Winning Team at one of the local stores hosting a meet and greet

LET’S GO PHILS!!!!!

Karen Toner for ExplorerPod.com ( Karen lives in Philadelphia and is a huge Phillies fan)

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