Let's try a new spin...

I have been deep within the search for all the most fascinating cruises one can enjoy. I wanted to get away from normal, you know the whole four day cruises around the Caribbean with three stops one always being in Mexico. Yes they are all amazing cruises and you see some of the most breath taking scenery in the world. But it's been done, a lot. It's time to branch out, go for something that is outside of your comfort zone (Ha! Someone has said this to you before, must have been a genius). There's so much to discover and to pigeon hole one's self because you know it a good time from the fifteen times you've all ready done it, well you're robbing yourself.

River cruise, I know they sound a little 'eh' because when you're from this country, rivers are meant for white water rafting, fishing, or providing a ridiculously long word to learn for your third grade spelling bee. But river cruising in Europe and Asian is something to behold. It's one of the ways to see Europe untouched by modern day. You travel down these canal and rivers and see the world as it was ages ago. And the history you learned about as a child is right there. At your finger tips. Not to mention, it really fine cruising, and by fine I mean high end. The restaurants are five star dining, and the cabins are some of the finest accommodations I have ever seen anywhere, and the ships are not filled with thousands of patrons, they're small, and you have this intimacy you cannot get on an ocean liner.

Now let's say, you want an ocean experience, but you're willing to step outside of the box. There's a vast amount of options for you out there. One of them is cruising north to places like Alaska. One of my favorite cruise companies explains cruising around this area is like seeing the world before it was touched by the human footprint. You can see glaciers, go whale watching, even see the aurora borealis. Again, it's top of the line. There's no cramped cabins, packing in a family for four into a closet. No these places are meant for lavish luxury, and the ship fits the bill. It's the perfect marriage of experiencing top end, luxury travel and witnessing nature in it's truest, untouched setting.

So that's two options of two very different types of cruising. And the options are really limitless as to where you can go, what you can see, and what sort of cruising you want to do. It's a matter of know who to contact so they can help you find it. Like I don't know, maybe your favorite wide eyed traveler.

The list is life.

Ok I know it's wrong to use Schindler's List as a title to a blog, but it's gonna be a good, blog! You'll see.

I wanted to start my bucket list off with a bang. Something that when people read this, their jaws would drop and nod silently, awestruck by the flooring discovery I had brought to them, something they too must visit before their end of days. It's a tall order if you think about it, I mean just writing about random thoughts is hard enough but this, this is some heavy hoo-ha. So the only place I can picture living up to such a grand challenge would have to be an oasis of awesome.

I found Emirates Palace Hotel when looking though some of my favorite sites for fascinating locations. It is so astounding that I am contemplating breaking off my love affair with the Augustine to devote all my love and attention to this magnificent desert rose. It's this completely self sustaining morsel of perfection. Allow me to explain.

It took three billion dollars to build this and that's not with a "mmm" it's with a "bah", billions! When you go to most resorts in the world, it's wonderful because you're at the beach, all your needs are met, you can just kick back and relax. Take that philosophy and multiply it by a bajillion and you have the Palace. Unlike most resorts with let's say ten (I'm being generous) places to chose from for your dinner, this place has one hundred and twenty-eight! Where most places when you lay out the staff is happy to get you a refreshing beverage from the bar, this place has a staff who will bring you a cool towel for your face and rotate your umbrella for you to protect you from the sun's devious rays. And it's gorgeous, really, I am happy just to stare at the pictures all day, heck I'm writing this blog so I have another reason to stare at it some more. I'm having a virtual vicarious relationship with this place, yes my very own VVR!

This place is like being taken to another world, a whole new world if you would. I understand that most don't consider Abu Dhabi when they first think of luxury resorts, but I assure you, it's leading in the way of luxury. But it's not just luxury, it's becoming a real hub for every sort of tourism you can think of. From some of the most fascinating ancient archaeological site dating back thousands of years to the world's largest indoor theme park Ferrari World. There isn't a narrow minded view when it comes to travel, if you can imagine it, they probably have it.

Bucket List O'travel!

Hello my gnomes! I hope everyone had a fabulous New Year celebration and welcomed 2012 with happy open arms. This is my first blog of the year! Everyone throw some confetti and dance the jig. Alright now that's enough. I have been stewing over what to write in my blog  all week. Should I write about my goals as the newest most amazing travel blogger of all time? No. Should I speak my mind about the hardships mankind faces? No. Should I write about the Mayan's calendar stating that this is the end of time and we are all doomed?! No.

No!

Let's look to a happier subject.... These are the places I want to travel to before I die. I understand that the subject of death isn't sunshine and flowers but we're all going to come to a demise, so let's try and see as much of the world and explore our dream locations before we meet our makers. Let's face it, there are certain things and places you can visit at a certain age. Like I want to go snorkeling in Fiji, not something to do when I'm eighty. I'm not saying no one CAN go snorkeling at eighty in Fiji, but I think it's an act of kindness after seeing how.... fluffy my grandmothers were at that age to just go ahead and do it now. Remember folks, spandex is a privilege, not a right.

The list one makes about where they want to go can be a looking glass into their soul. I always dreamed of being a princess living in a beautiful castle when I was a child. So it would seem logical that on my list is... Well every castle ever in the world, and Red Square. I also dreamed of being a mermaid, hence my desire to go to all the most luxurious beaches in the world.

It's more important to have a desire to travel than it is to have a set list of places you want to trek to. We have this life, just the one, to see what out there in the world makes your heart soar, and brings sense of accomplishment to your life. I often find myself wondering what would have happened if my parents had put me in ballet, it's odd but I really reflect on that often. It's a vanished dream because I can't go back to being five and try it, the chance to be a ballerina has long passed me (I still think I can wear a tutu).

I don't want to be old and look back in... some years and wonder why didn't I take the chance to go see Red Square when I had the chance. I'm not going to let my ballerina let down also be my travel let down. Yeah I realize I was suppose to make a list but I got a little side tracked. Next time my gnomes you will have a list you can dream over.

Yep, I'm Special!

Today I am faced with a hard, hard challenge. An even harder challenge than planning the perfect family vacation.... The task that faces me, and stares me down is a complicated one in more ways than I can fathom. I have to write a bio about myself for our travel site. 

You would think, yamming about how amazing you are and letting the world know that you are the best for whatever their needs would be cake walk. But you're wrong. There is a huge obstacle facing you in a challenge like this because as you begin to type you start realizing that all your short comings are not short or meek they're these skyscraper size hurdles that you can never conquer and all those people who said you'd never amount to anything are right! Oh the humanity! Ok, so maybe not so intense but it is a big unforgiving mirror being shown to you. 

Your focus goes from everything you accomplished in your life to every opportunity that seems to have passed you by like a bullet train. Not to mention somewhere in the back of your mind is the fact that eventually after you finally get the emotional strength to pull yourself together and write what you think is the most jaw dropping bio written on a person ever, your boss is going to attack your personal Pulitzer prize winner with a weed whacker. 

But to hell with feeling like a nobody, and to hell with worrying if you're not good enough. I'm going to put on my big girl panties, suck down my body weight in caffeine, munch on some chocolate, blast my favorite tunes, and write a bio that's worthy of having my name attached to it. I am the self proclaimed Queen of Halloween and Paranormal vacations. I got to write a review (that is now highly respected) about a hotel I once dreamed of. Those are just a couple things that I have already accomplished and I have only been in the travel business for six months, image what goals I'll reach after a year or even a decade. The Augustine might be my dream now, but the whispers I hear calling out to me will be answered, and I'll be taking so many people on beer excursions through Prague that it won't be a fantasy, it will feel as at home to me, as Italy feels to Harold. Perhaps you should take a look in the unforgiving mirror, push past everything, and write your own stellar biography, make yourself your own inspiration. 

What dreams may come.

I know I know, I'm a bad blogger, I promised a next day blog about the advantages of vacation rentals by owners. But when I came in today Harold my brilliant enlightened boss (that's five bucks!) sent me some information on a really interesting hotel in New York. This sparked a new blog idea for me as I looked over the  new awesome Yotel New York. I have an obsession with hotel's in general. I think they are these fascinating venues where you can leave the world behind you and relax. It's (for me) a means of really being able to escape what stresses you out in day to day life and completely allow yourself to unwind.

Now, even though there's an incredible amount of really awesome NOT super unique hotels out there in the world, today I'm going to focus on those with an insane 'WOW" factor, especially those found in the United States. First of course is the Yotel New York. It's this crisp clean brand spanking new hotel in NYC that is modeled to accommodate luxury, fun, excitement. But let's get down to what makes it so cool. The lobby to start off with has a robot to store your luggage. I don't think I need to go on from that, because we live in an age obsessed with simulating the images people from the fifties thought was how the future would look like now. So luggage toting robot army thingy, check! Now there's all the awesome decor to go with it, it really feels like a hotel that the Jetson's would have booked for themselves, minus the air travel tubey things. The hotel of the future is here today my friends. Finally the rooms aren't rooms, they're cabins. They are brilliant constructed floor plans to make a usually confine space seem roomy, like taking a room that looks like it's meant for two and suddenly the couch converts into a set of bunk beds. Yep I'm impressed.

As for the person who saw "The Hills Have Eyes" and thought to themselves "Hey, I want to live in the face of a desert cliff and be little spooky", I have a place for you too. Kokopelli's Cave, this place is freakishly awesome. Let me give you a brief description of the abode, located in New Mexico it's a 1,650 square foot one bedroom house, carved into 65 million year old sandstone 280 feet above a river. Don't tell me this doesn't sound amazing. It's so cool! It's unique and a little frightening. It is probably the only place in the US where you have to descend into your room, and sign a waver that you won't sue them should you die at the location. But no one who has ever stayed there said it was anything less than phenomenal or amazing. It's the first hotel I have ever researched that has zero negative ratings about it at all. The place is huge considering you're literally staying in a hole in the wall. There's a waterfall shower, a hot tub, and pretty much any luxury accommodation someone could ask for... except food, there's no room service here so bring your grub with you.

Since I gave you a place from the future and another nestled in prehistoric rock, I thought the last place should be... Well I can't say in the middle because 35 million years ago is still ancient. So something a little older, but still modern enough. Heceta Head Lighthouse in Oregon is listed as one of the world's most unusual and unique hotels. It earned that title by being said to be the most beautiful light house in the world and is adjoined by a luxury cottage that is also the hotel. The hotel is actually a Light Keeper's Cottage, the inn only has a capacity for 14 at a time, and because of how small and cozy it is, it's known for being one of the most romantic bed and breakfast. There isn't a room that you can't see something breath taking out of your windows and the prices are actually pretty affordable considering the high quality of the hotel.

There's so much out there to discover, and maybe my love for finding these crazy accommodations is silly, but I don't want to be someone who doesn't take the opportunity to go explore and see the world from a new perspective, be it a robotic run hotel, or a romantic cottage that looks like it was made for a Nicolas Sparks book. Don't settle for normal when you travel, don't be that person who only seeks out the usual hotel because the waffles are free and you know they have HBO. Find somewhere that makes your heart skip a beat, and if you can't find it on your own, call me at Epicopia Culinary Journeys and I'll find you something.

Holy 'Mole!

Tomorrow is a very important national holiday for those of us in North America, something we all treasure (or should) is getting the acclaim it truly deserves. I think back to this beautiful concoction and think of all the times I shunned it in my childhood ignorantly, judging it on it's less than scrumptious appearance, letting my bigotry steal moments of pure delight from my life. Till I finally took a leap forward and opened my eyes to it's tantalizing deliciousness and fell in love with Guacamole.



 September 16th is the celebration of National Guacamole Day, our most precious creations, not as a country but as a continent. This mouth watering dip is one of the most simple of recipes, but I think it's the beauty of how the few yet powerful ingredients marry that makes it such a staple in southern dining. If you have not tried this dip, I encourage you to get brave and go devour some in respect of this glorious holiday this icon so righteously deserves.

If you live in the Dallas Metroplex, there's a fantastic restaurant we at my office love with all our hearts named Mextopia, it's a wonderful eatery on Lower Greenville. The appetizing menu is full of traditional Mexican cuisine, and of course they pride themselves on their fresh lime margaritas. The food is fresh and tasty, and the atmosphere is soothing and relaxing. While you're there, ask about a very cool trip they are hosting to a culinary treasure, Oaxaca, I promise you this is something you must see!

Another Wideeyed stamp of approval for those of you wanting to celebrate National Guacamole Day, after going to the bar, is Los Arcos. This hidden treasure is simple quiet and open 24 hours a day, and at 5 am they have a mariachi band come and perform, beware trumpets are loud after five jager bombs. This gem is located on the corner of Hall and Ross, I found that it (like Mextopia) features true Mexican cuisine. And as a personal heads up, I found their white queso dip mixed with Guacamole is the perfect prevention to a hangover.

Now how about some fun National Guacamole Facts.

• When Spaniards encountered the Aztec empire, the locals were making a sauce called Ahuac-mulli, which means "Avocado-mixture". This means this delightful dip is older than the United States of America!
• Schlotzky's is recognizing this holiday by giving away free Guac' on any sandwich ordered on September 16th with purchase of any sandwich meal.

I hope you all have a great weekend, visit your favorite Mexican restaurant (http://www.mextopia.com/)in honor of this great holiday. Go visit your favorite co-op or farmers market on Saturday to continue your fabulous farm to table dining I know you all have been doing so great at. In the coming weeks you're all going to see some really fascinating blogs coming to you; about a beautiful Oaxaca trip we're involved with and what I'm learning from it, a look into something pretty cool in jazzy little town we all know, and a challenge I set for myself and my bladder. Have a wonderful weekend my favorite gnomes.

P.S. I have one more interesting fact for you. The word Avocado descends linguistically from the ancient Nahuatl word ahuacatl, meaning "testicles". Some language experts think that conquistadors combined the Nahuatl with the Spanish "abogado" (lawyer) to make the present word for our favorite green fruit. So, when eating Guac', you're chewing on mashed lawyer balls... there's some food for thought! Enjoy!

By interesting you mean generic?

In my search to find inspiration for today's blog, I did a search of fascinating places. The search engines all pulled up the same old same old. I agree that yes, Rome, Paris, and New York are all wonderful places that everyone should visit, but interesting thinking outside the box travel locations... No not really. It's like going somewhere and looking for the best kept secret of burgers in the big apple and being referred to Corner Bistro. It's a magnificent restaurant with some of the most mouth watering burgers ever created, but cutting edge? the newest thing?.... No.

 I want to challenge my clients I want to show them a whole new world of excitement they didn't realize existed, not send them somewhere they saw in a romantic comedy. Instead of doing the usual trek around Rome, why not go to Puglia? Puglia is this gorgeous part of Italy filled with olive trees, houses called Trulli's you'll never see anywhere else, and cliffs that are strikingly breathe taking. But I worry that rather than experience something so exotic, people would fixate on the fact that Rome is their comfort zone and never step outside the box. Cruises are the same way. The huge ocean liners that only troll a certain set of ports is far more popular than the Orion that takes you on an adventure around South Pacific.

There is so much to see in the world, I'm going to set a challenge. For your next vacation, step away from what you usually do and seek out an adventure. Don't go do something dumb and dangerous, but try something new, go somewhere you have never been before. If you need an idea, I know some pretty excellent people who can help you.

Food so good, you need to ask for forgiveness.

Well it's Tuesday, just a few days to get all my ingredients for my delicious dish of Ropa Vieja for my Cuban dish party. I cannot wait. Every time I think about how wonderful it's going to be my mouth starts watering. All those slow cooked dishes... It's sinful. Cuban's have mastered the art of making food divine in two very spectacular methods. The first (I'm making it first because this is how the dish I'm making... is made) is slow cooking. It is this art of putting all the most savory ingredients in a pot (or crock pot) and letting them do the cooking nasty all day till it's like tasty velvet. It's WONDERFUL! You can't go wrong, and unless you cook it for days you can't burn it, it just gets smoother and yummier. It looks a little scary I will admit but you quickly forgive the appearance once you taste it. Just pour over some rice and devour, I mean it! If it wasn't frowned upon to shove food in your face with your bare hands I would with Ropa Vieja... Oh how I would.

Now the second method is a very true and very Cuban method of making sure whatever it is you are cooking has the utmost delicious factor. It's the thought that if you smoosh something as flat as it can go the taste will reach it's most delicious potential. I was always amazed at how wide my Abuelita's dinner plates were. Now I realize that it wasn't because it was due to us receiving so much food, we got the same size dinner as anyone else was getting served by there families, but rather our food was so wide and so flat. The flatness seemed to bring out the rich garlic flavors and Caribbean feel to all our favorite dishes. It's the kind of food that makes you moan in happiness when you can smell it coming from the kitchen.

I figured something fun for my favorite readers would be to give you a couple great recipes to try out at home. Of course this is assuming I have readers...

First comes to you from my Abuelita's cook book.

Congri

• 1 16oz can black beans
• 1 small onion (my grandmother used white, I like sweet yellow)
• 1/2 green pepper (I also like to add yellow and red peppers) seeded and cut into strips or chunks.
• 2 garlic BULBS browned in olive oil.
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups rice

Blend everything together when the water begins to boil. Cover and cook for 30minutes.
On a side note, I like to add bacon too, it gives it a good extra "umph".

Tostones by Hector Rodriguez 

• 2 green plantains
• oil for frying
• salt

1. Heat oil to 350
2. While the oil is heating up, peel the green plantains and cut into 3/4' slices.
3. Fry the slices in the hot oil for 3 mins. They should be a light golden color and semi-soft.
4. Remove the plantain slices with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
5. When the plantain slices are cool enough to handle (about 1 minute), smash them into flat rounds.
6. Fry the rounds in the hot oil for 3 minutes. They will turn crisp and golden brown.
7. Remove tostones with the slotted spoon and drain them on a paper towel. Salt to taste.

ENJOY!

I think I'm a bad travel agent...

When I book a vacation, I try to find the best way to stretch my buck; leave on an early day to have cheaper airfare, get cheaper room and board so I can afford to eat at the best restaraunts and see the best locations. But when I book for my clients I treat them like I treat my own travels. I really make the dollar stretch as far as it can reach. I do my best to make sure they can do all they want and then some within their budget. See, that makes me a bad travel agent.

So I am not a bad travel agent, I'm a great travel consultant. I really seek out the value of the trip. I learned that if you have a range of one hundred dollars a day to three thousand, I can find you the best way to spend that budget no matter where you go or what you do. I can make a trip custom fitted to everything you like and nullifying all the little things that irk you about travel (except for TSA security checks, I can't make them not make you take off your shoes. I know I hate it too). But when I was a green little fledgling in this office looking around like an awestruck child, diving into the books on destinations like they were the first fairy-tails I ever read, I thought our job was to make you give US your budget. I didn't know I'd be so helpful. That by helping someone take their dream vacation to New York, I too would feel some since of over whelming joy knowing I made that happen. So damn, I guess this isn't all about being a money monger, more concerned about raking in the dough, it's about loving what I do and making sure I have clients who are so happy they don't want another consultant other than me.


Did I mention that I'm working on a fabulous trip to Tasmania....

What I learned this weekend.

Good morning little gnomes, I hope your weekend was wonderful and filled with fun. I did a huge boo boo this weekend I assumed that this little ole town of Rockwall was no big attraction, so waiting till the day of to book my reservations at the Hilton Bella Harbor wouldn't be such a bad idea. And like the time I thought it was cool to make smoke rings by waving a tissue above a candle, I found out I was wrong. It was BOOKED. Woe is me! I didn't get my poolside day or an umbrella drink! What a shame.

 I made it up to myself by devouring far to many crab legs and buying more movies than I could watch at the movie trading company! I feel that the lesson here is, that in no way should you put off booking once you realize what you want to do with your free time. I think it's important to get out and relax, and thanks to my poor planning I missed out on a great opportunity to do so. I think it's important to know this as someone who is going to be consulting people about their travels. I'm a "grab the bull by it's horns" girl now! Or perhaps a "get off your bottom and book it while it's available" girl.

Harry Potter day is here!

Today is Harry Potter day, the final installment of the great series will hit movie theaters at midnight, and the masses will be out and ready to see if the Chosen One will be capable of taking down the Dark Lord. I love Harry Potter, it's a huge feat for me to love reading a book series, seeing as I have crippling dyslexia. I spend my drive into the office today wondering how I would make a blog about the boy who lived and relate it to work, how is a fantasy series going to tie into culinary tourism? Well hold onto your wizard caps my little muggles I think I have some good ways to spin this. 


I'll start with the suggestion Harold made to me when I brought up my concept for this blog.... 

TADA BUTTERBEER!


There's been quite the debate on several websites on which recipe is the best. As a future brewery tour specialist I thought it was odd that there is no Butterbeer recipe I have found that has actual beer in it (just as a funny side note, I have to keep back spacing because every time I write "beer" I end up writing "bear", goodness I'm a goober sometimes). There is only one JKR approved Butterbeer recipe and it belongs to Universal and only sold at their very own Harry Potter land. Luckily I'm pretty good at fishing around and I found the assumed recipe Universal uses at it's park. 


1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 package Spiced Alpine Instant Apple Cider
8 oz Water
8 oz Cream Soda
Buttershots Schnapps
Dissolve 1/4 cup of Brown Sugar into 8oz hot water. Add one half of 0.74oz Apple Cider package to mixture. Let cool.
Put 1/4 cup of Cider mixture in glass. Add 8oz Cream Soda. Add Buttershots Schnapps to taste.
May reduce 8oz water and Soda to fit into 8oz glass.


Now I'll talk about the travel part of today's blog. London. Gorgeous, inviting, wonderful London. If you haven't caught the drift, I LOVE London. I went there at the end of a very long tour of Europe when I was eighteen, and as homesick as I was, I was just captivated by it's rich fun culture. It is where I truly became a wide eyed traveler. I stood in Trafalgar Square looking around with a gaping mouth staring at the exciting city around me. If you have a chance to visit London, do so. If you need someone to help you book a glorious vacation to see this magnificent city... Call me at Epicopia Culinary Journeys, I'll get you fixed up!


Happy Harry Potter Day Everyone!

Let's try and find something good.

Morning blog readers... Or just myself. I'm not sure how many people are reading these if any, for all I know it's only the underpants gnomes (who find my laptop open late at night) that giggle at my cutesy word play. But like I said, good morning. Today I'm conquering the exciting world of making a mailing list. I know, it's far to stimulating to discuss the process of making a spreadsheet complied of name and emails, so let us move on.

In addition to my impressive list of high school alumni being added to our mailing list (check us out and sign up at www.Epicopia.com), I got to speak to the brilliant Erik (the founder of the International Culinary Tourism Association). The fantastic Harold allowed me the chance to speak to him briefly, I got to enjoy having a few moments to listen to the captivating intelligent  Erik Wolf It was a short and sweet conversation that quickly covered my new blog and a quick recap of why Portland is so breathtaking.

I must say, after doing some research for our soon to come Brewery/Wine bus tour of Dallas, getting a booking for a client to go to a cabin underway, and now my talk with Erik, I'm starting to feel like a true (on my way to becoming) travel consultant. But alas, I must go, the cut throat world of data entry for mailing list is pulling me away and I must get to it before someone else comes along and takes this fun task from me.