Friday, July 18, 2008
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I’m off again, destination a secret until later. So no new blogs until July 29.
Paula "Wanderlust" Gifford
Don’t you just love having a proper tea in proper surroundings? Taking out-of-town guests to tea is one of my favorite things to do. And it’s one of the items on my daily agenda when I’m traveling.
I’ve probably drunk more tea in more places than anyone who’s not a traveling tea sales representative. When done right, the whole experience is one of life’s unsung civilized pleasures. But it’s "doing it right" that makes all the difference. Sitting down to a freshly brewed cup of tea at home is relaxing and enjoyable, of course, but it’s not the same as have a full afternoon tea in a fine hotel or a cozy tearoom.
Making a good cup of tea is no routine matter. Dunk a teabag in a cup filled with hot water, and you might as well be drinking "instant" hot water. But although I know that making truly good tea is no simple matter, I’m not very good at it myself. I do try, though, to follow the rule that Charles Laughton laid down in the very old movie, Ruggles of Red Gap. "Never bring the teapot to the kettle. Always bring the kettle to the teapot." Nevertheless, my own teas are never as good as those I’ve had elsewhere, so I go looking for afternoon tea wherever I may be.
In London there are any number of places for afternoon tea, but my favorite is the Beaufort Hotel. The surroundings are strictly English country house, the cakes and finger sandwiches are divine, the tea superb and the service calculated to make you think they’ve mistaken you for royalty.
In Glasgow, it’s got to be the Willow Tea Room, designed by Scotland’s premier architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Here, the tea is accompanied by scones with plenty of jam and heavy cream, of course, but also crumpets and Scottish pancakes!
In Calcutta (I’ll never be comfortable calling it Kolkata) it’s the Hotel Sonar Bangla Sheraton, where tea is served in tiny screened tea rooms—ideal spots for reading or meditating when the heat and humidity make it bearable to be out of air-conditioned interiors.
I could go on and on, but instead, why don’t you tell me about some of your favorite afternoon tea rooms? I’m sure there still are others I haven’t tried.
Paula "One Lump, Please" Gifford
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
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Although several friends have suggested radical psychiatric treatment, I’m considering signing on for a dog sled and skiing trip to the North Pole next April. The modes of travel and the activities at and around the pole seem to me to be of a less intrusive nature than the South Pole expeditions I’ve written about recently.
As with any adventure trip, a successful experience depends to a great degree on careful preparation. In this case, anyone not experienced in handling dogsleds has to take a five day preparatory course in Northern Minnesota.
And going with an experienced tour company is essential on a trip of this nature, as there are potential hazards that have to be anticipated and that someone has to know how to handle successfully.
Just as important is the list of clothing and equipment I’ll have to bring along. When I received this information from the tour company I’m considering, I was bowled over at the thought of packing all this gear—especially as I pride myself on traveling light. But I realize it’s all necessary for comfort and safety, and being equipped with the right gear is essential for the success of any undertaking.
So here for what I hope will be your interest—and perhaps use if you ever consider a similar expedition—is my packing list. How I’ll carry it all remains to be seen.
- Waterproof trousers that will fit comfortably over thermal long underwear and rubber boots.
- Other insulated trousers with cuffs wide enough to fit over insulated boots.
- Knee-high rubber boots with tread soles. Wide enough for 2-3 pairs of socks and long underwear to fit inside. No zipper.
- 3/4-length down jacket with hood.
- 2-3 pairs of insulated gloves and glove liners.
- Long, thermal underwear (not silk).
- Warm, close-fitting, ear-hugging hats (at least two).
- Soft, warm wool muffler.
- Socks: thin wool (first layers), knee-high thermal (second layers), thick knit (third layers).
- Comfortable shoes (tennis, moccasin, etc.) for indoors.
- Insulated boots for outdoors.
- 2-3 turtleneck jerseys in various weights.
- 2-3 warm sweaters in various weights.
- Thermal or fleece vest.
- Lightweight sweatshirts for indoors.
- Sweat pants or jeans for indoors.
- Flannel shirts.
- Lightweight sleeper.
- Sleeping bag (rated to at least -35̊ Celsius)
- Two ground pads
- Bivouac sack
- Waterproof backpack or fanny pack.
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Two cameras -- a digital camera with a zoom lens for stills, and a digital video camera so we can upload key moments to YouTube.
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Lots of memory cards for the cameras
- Binoculars.
- Sunglasses.
- Anti-fog goggles
- Face mask
- Personal grooming amenities, including tissue, a large bar of soap, sponge or luffa, laundry soap packets, pinch-type clothes hangers and other preferences.
- Sun block.
- Lip balm.
- Thermos bottle
- Eating utensils and bowl
- Personal medications.
- Second pair of prescription eyeglasses.
- Notebook and pens.
- Sealable plastic bags in various sizes.
- # 4 carabineer & 5 meters of 6 mm rope
If this alone doesn’t stop me, the rest of the trip will be a breeze.
Paula "Mush You Huskies" Gifford
Monday, July 14, 2008
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There’s a great new book on Paris restaurants, much needed. since Patricia Well's Food-Lover's Guide to Paris went out of print. I’ve been looking for something to replace it, and recently found it with the just published Hungry for Paris, The Ultimate Guide to the City's 102 Best Restaurants by Alexander Lobrano (Random House, $16). Not only is it a terrific guide to great eating in Paris, it's also a well-written combination of guidebook, memoir and portrait of Paris as seen through its restaurants. (Buy directly through Amazon by clicking here.)
One of my favorite books on Paris is a precious Taride Guide—a street guide of sorts, but with all sorts of useful information. Mine is at least 30 years old, and probably missing a lot on today’s Paris, but I figure the basics are still correct, and indeed, whenever I’ve used it to get around the city by bus or metro, it’s been very helpful.
My copy starts with a list of old street names that have been renamed. Next comes the complete street guide with the arrondissement for every one as well as information on where the street starts and were it ends—very useful when using the arrondissement maps that are also included. There’s a ton of information on places of interest, from museums to government offices, also bus route maps and street guides for the principal suburbs of Paris, all in a volume little larger than a 3X5 card and less than an inch in thickness. My copy is from the 300 series; today’s Tarides comprise the 500 series, I believe. Amazon has used copies of Tarides from the 1990s at collectors’ prices, but W.H. Smith claims to have new ones for about $20.
Another book—or rather two— I would not go to Paris without are the Michelin Green Guides for the city and for the Ile-de-France (the region around Paris). There’s a virtually endless list of guidebooks for Paris, but these two standbys will tell you all you need to know about the city and its environs, with the information conveniently arranged for walking.
If you have favorite guidebooks about any city—especially if they are something other than the current “best sellers,” I’m certain our readers will appreciate learning about them. So please let us know.
Paula “Bon Voyage” Gifford
Friday, July 11, 2008
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As both my niece and I are interested in nature, science and exotic environments with lots of unfamiliar bird life, I chose to take her to Panama as a high school graduation gift. And on advice from my travel agent, we picked the Gamboa Rainforest Resort as our primary destination.
The physical location of Gamboa gave us lots of opportunities for nature activities. On day one, we visited Monkey Island, reached by boat via the Chagres river, which merges with the Canal. Capuchin monkey troupes run the island and become quite indignant is visitors don’t bring them banana snacks. They even come aboard for their handout. Unlike the Capuchins, the Black Howlers, also resident on Monkey Island keep to themselves, but easily within sight. The water surrounding the island abounds with crocodiles and caimans, both frequently seen.
Next we took Gamboa’s aerial tram through the rainforest canopy where, except for an occasional sleeping tree sloth or iguana, the main interest is in the varieties of trees and vines, especially those from which medicines are extracted by local Indian shamans as well as Western researchers. What’s more, by careful observation—and with the help of the local who drove the tram—we spotted 27 birds neither of us had ever seen before!
On another day, we were thrilled to meet a few of the native Indians on whose land the resort is built and who continue to live in rather primitive style in the area. And as you can imagine, all of these jungle experiences caused my stock to rise sharply with my niece.
I was so pleased by the quality time I had with my niece that I wonder, have you tried exotic destinations as a way to bond with the teenagers in your life? How did it work out?
Paula "coolest aunt ever" Gifford