Moorea is Tahiti’s sister island and part of paradisiacal chain of tropical islands that is French Polynesia. The flight is long but the rewards are great; here are a few reasons you might want to start saving now for your trip to the South Pacific gem.

Note: Ferries from Papeete on Tahiti to Moorea are frequent, but if you are not staying at a five-star resort with an over-water bungalow, you probably want to pick up a few munchies from the grocery store before you leave for the more primitive and more beautiful island of Moorea.

Top Ten Reasons to Go to Moorea:

1.   For the white sand beaches that surround the island. The soft powder caresses your feet and body as you beach, and the pale hue is the perfect foil to the turquoise blue waters.

2.   Because Captain Cook did, and the island and his landing point (Cook’s Bay) still look much the same as they did when he visited Moorea during his second voyage of discovery in 1769.

3.   To get a tattoo. Tattooing is an ancient Polynesian art, and both modern and traditional tattoo opportunities abound. Ask around for tips on shops from the locals before you ink that whale on your wrist, the Polynesian symbol of freedom.

4.   To meet Muk, one of Marlon Brando’s friends and the inventor of the over water bungalow (so he claims, anyway.) This character will be wondering around the island telling stories and is just one of the interesting people you will meet in paradise.

5.   To traipse through the jungle looking for hidden waterfalls and come across ruins that are hundreds of years old- and all yours between the steamy leaves of the tropical flora.

6.   To picnic on a beach at sunset with mango juice dripping down your elbows, a bottle of world-class wine in your head and fresh French baguettes and cheese in your belly. French Polynesia is just that- French, and its culture has been colored by its colonizer.

7.   Because you are in love. Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora and the other islands of French Polynesia are made for lovers, and in fact the islands have had a sexy reputation ever since Westerners showed up and discovered the natives personal philosophy: clothing optional. Romantic resorts and annoyingly in-love couples abound.

8.   To try Poisson Cru, one of the local specialties, whose name translates into raw fish, prepared here with coconut milk and limejuice and served as a fresh and cool salad on a hot afternoon.

9.   To go to the top of the Belvedere lookout and drink in a view of half the island of Moorea, gazing at the same time at Opunohu Bay and Cook’s Bay from one of the highest points on the island.

10. BECAUSE IT IS PARADISE. The brochures aren’t lying; this place really exists on earth and you can go there. What are you waiting on, your next life?

But the rugged, maritime culture of Maine is rooted in the immense beauty of the state; look far into the backwoods and deep into Penobscot Bay and you will find a fresh beauty unlike any other place in America. 

I called Maine my home for almost three years, and here are my Top 10 Reasons to Go to Maine:

1.   To eat lobster on the beach along with clams and corn, all steamed next to the ocean under a bed of seaweed, followed by a jump in the cold Atlantic to wash yourself off.

2.   To sail on a traditional wooden schooner like the Timberwind and jam the wind with a crew of salty sailors- and maybe even become one yourself.

3.   To ride the mountain at the Camden Snow Bowl, the only ski resort in the world with a wicked view of the Atlantic Ocean, and catch the National Toboggan Championships in February of each year.

4.   To indulge in blueberry season with fresh pies, tarts, and pancakes- served with Grade A maple syrup, of course. More about the chocolate than the fruit? Try a classic New England Whoopie Pie.

5.   To go ice fishing. While sitting out on a frozen lake staring at a hole in the ice waiting for fish may seem a little boring, add a wood-fired sauna on shore and a large helping of coffee brandy and milk (the Maine State Drink) and you will understand this northern obsession.

6.   To tie a sled to the back of a snow mobile by a long rope and get your friends to pull you around. NOT recommended after indulging in the Maine State Drink.

7.   To walk in a field of lupines, tall elegant flowers which dot the countrysides in spring in a palette of purple, pink, white, yellow and fuchsia. Visiting in autumn? The bright red leaves of the sugar maple tree will blow your mind.

8.   To truly understand the need for gloves, hats and scarves which are not accessories in Maine, but necessities (during the six-month snow season, anyway).

9.   To share your days with the wildlife: sea lions who pop into bays at low tide, families of foxes playing in your backyard, bright birds of all colors, and the regal moose, lumbering through the backwoods of Maine and into your heart.

10. To breathe in the smell of the sea and the firmament of the forest, letting the raw salty air and deep piney green soak into your body and become part of your person. Natural beauty defines Maine, and will delight you. Ayuh.

I have lived in Paris twice, worked there as a guide and interpreter and visited the beautiful, historic city several times more- but never enough. Out of all the wonderful, amazing things to do in the city, these are my Top Ten.

1. Musée Rodin: Not only a museum but the former home of the amazing sculptor August Rodin, you will find a well-kept rose garden, The Thinker, and many more unfinished sculptures, for Rodin believed that art, like life, is never finished.
2. The Catacombs: Over twenty million skeletons rest underneath the streets of the Montparnasse neighborhood, arranged by type, not owner, and often artistically. Deep underground you walk, walk, walk, and then walk some more through this “Empire of Death.” Bring a flashlight.
3. Ile de la Cité: Go at sunset to the birthplace of Paris with a picnic in hand, and watch the buildings of Paris turn pink as night falls and you share the evening with the youth of the city, out for the very same reasons as you.
4. Boul’ Mich’: The artery of the Latin Quarter, the Boulevard Saint-Michel, is a throbbing lane of students and madness swirling around. Cheap cafes, restaurants, bookstores and clothing shops abound.
5. La Defense: This giant, modern arch to the west of the city is where I like to go when the crowds get to me; indulge in the crazy fountains and modern art sculptures or go up to the top of La Grande Arche, so giant that all of Notre Dame cathedral could fit inside.
6. Champ de Mars: Right under the Eiffel Tower, there is no  better picnic-and-party spot in Paris and perhaps the world. Visit on Bastille Day (July 14) and you will find one of the most raucous parties ever, complete with flinging fireworks and plenty of wine.
7. Mouffetard and Place Monge Markets: Rue Mouffetard was the ancient street from Paris to Rome, and medieval murals still line this cobblestoned street which fills up with vendors every day but Monday. The nearby Place Monge market is open on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays and adds to the village atmosphere. Go before noon for the best goods.
8. Père Lachaise Cemetery: While it is a little freaky to hang out in a graveyard, Père Lachaise is not just the famous resting place of Jim Morrison, Gertrude Stein, and Oscar Wilde, but a bonafide sculpture garden and art museum, beloved by any with a gothic turn of heart or a dark streak down their back.
9. Dali Museum: It’s like, SO SURREAL! If you like your art with a slice of freak, head up to Montmartre for the small but densely packed Dali Museum, filled with sculptures, sketches, paintings, melting clocks, optical illusions and yes, that giant mustache.
10. Random Café #46 with glass of wine: This is my favorite activity in all of Paris and maybe the world- sitting, sipping, relaxing, and watching the beautiful people swirl around you as you contemplate life. Santé!

You are dancing under the blazing full moon on the island of Ko Pha Ngan, your arms flailing about wildly, your bare feet turning around and around on the white sand, your legs doing things you didn’t know they could. Electronic music stomps it’s way up and down the crescent beach, and the Gulf of Thailand seduces the party people successfully with its warm, foamy waves. You are surrounded by thousands of travelers from around the world; backpackers, worldrompers, budget tourists, fire-twirlers, old hippies, new hippies, artists, hedonists, jugglers, dancers, musicians, deejays, and wanderers. It is mere minutes until the fireworks show, and many, many, hours until dawn. The night has just begun.

Are you smiling? Scheming how you can get a ticket to Thailand? Already Googling “Ko Pha Ngan Full Moon Party?” If not, then maybe you shouldn’t go to THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BEACH PARTY.

Or maybe you need to go the most of all.

Celebration is universal; having fun is essential to human happiness. Some of us even make it our priority in life. Humans have been dancing bare-footed to drum beats around fires for much longer than we have spent our days in pursuit of big-screen TVs or the newest car or diamonds or whatever else we use our money on in place of experience, which is worth exponentially more than anyTHING you can buy.

This indisputable truth, that humans need to celebrate, is manifested every month during the full moon as anywhere from six to twenty thousand travelers converge on a white sand beach in Southeast Asia, take off their shoes, and straight GET DOWN. Thailand is a dream for travelers, easy and cheap to navigate, with killer cuisine and the chill energy found in Buddhist cultures. American citizens don’t need visas for stays of less than 30 days, and round trip air tickets from the West Coast of the U.S. to Bangkok right now are about $1000. The giant music festival takes place at Haad Rin Beach, and accommodation can be found as low as $2 per night (for a beach-side hut with shared bath). There are also plenty of luxury digs for those of you who crave a private pool or outdoor shower. If for some reason you actually plan on sleeping during the Full Moon party, be sure to book your room OUTSIDE of Haad Rin, and take one of the all-night taxis back to your bungalow.

Full Moon parties go off the hook every month; if you can’t make it to Thailand that day of the month, no worries: there are also Half Moon and Black (New) Moon celebrations. All the parties are free and stocked with food, drink, black light artists, flaming lanterns, fire twirlers, and craft vendors. During the rest of your stay you can snorkel, dive, wakeboard, rent a moped, explore natural caves, and swim at pristine beaches all over Ko Pha Ngan and her sister islands of Ko Samui and Ko Tao.

Festivals and celebrations are are part of every culture on the globe, and whether you like all-night dance parties on the beaches of Asia, man-festivals on the dusty plains of Mongolia, or sugary skulls at the Day of the Dead in Mexico, HAVING FUN is the perfect excuse to travel!

So what are you waiting for? Someone to remind you how short life is, to tell you that if you are really really lucky, in the blink of an eye you will be old, wrinkly, and not that into beach dancing? You don’t need ME to clue you in; you’re reading this blog which means YOU have already taken the first step: admitting that you want to travel and have fun and experience everything you possibly can- and you will accept nothing less in your amazing life.

Mont Saint-Michel

Mont Saint-Michel is found just off the northern coast of France, right in between Normandy and Brittany. For hundreds of years was a premier pilgrimage site in Europe, along with Lourdes and Chartres. Today it is still an extremely popular destination, and travelers from all over the world come to see the evolution of Western architecture in the flesh, for you can literally trace your steps from Romanesque to High Gothic and everything in between. The Mont only has one very narrow road inside the massive complex, and in the peak summer months, this singular lane is packed to the gills with modern day pilgrims in search of historic architecture and the famous omelets of Mere Poulard.

Traditionally travelers had to cross over quicksand under the thread of rushing tides to get safely behind the ramparts the Mont, but today tourists can drive right up to the front door thanks to a causeway built from the mainland. And therein lies the problem. The causeway was built over a hundred years ago and was never meant to be permanent, but still it remains- and this bridge is trapping silt and river dirt that would have otherwise been washed out to sea. Today, there is a real danger of Mont Saint-Michel becoming part of the mainland, and losing its historic island character.

However the French people and the government of France are not going to let that happen. A massive effort to undo the damages and create a thin bridge instead of the massive causeway is in progress; in the future travelers will not be able to drive or bus right up to the front gate but rather will have to walk or take a shuttle from the mainland, about a mile away. It is predicted that by 2025, the land around Mont Saint-Michel will once again retain its historic character of quicksand and rushing tides surrounding an impregnable island.

In the meantime, you can visit Mont Saint-Michel and walk the ramparts, visit the cloisters and the scriptorium, and push your way through the tourists. As a former guide to the Mont, I would suggest going in the off-season, or if you can’t swing that, spend a night within the ancient stone walls. Most tourists are on day trips from Paris, and when they leave at night, you will find yourself in a quiet, almost spooky relic of medieval France, with plenty of room to meditate or gaze out over the causeway that will someday soon be gone.

Photo by Afloresm at http://www.flickr.com/photos/afloresm/2093721431/

There is a place on the West Coast of the United States where the surf dream is alive, where you can walk barefoot to all of your best friends’ houses, chill on the front porch swing with a cold brew before heading a couple of blocks away to the crashing waves, only stopping for a waffle cone of blueberry cheesecake ice cream along the way.

The place is called Ocean Beach.

Located on the northern edge of San Diego, close to the airport and Sea World, Ocean Beach is a counterculture haven you didn’t know existed, glossed over with a millennial sheen so even if you aren’t a sun-kissed surfing god, you can still get your beach culture on in the form of cheeky sidewalk restaurants, locally-owned gift shops bursting with sea treasures, and bars where the only care in the world is whether your beer is full or half-full.

This thriving neo-hippie community is held in place by a long pier that seems as if it was once a sinuous sea snake, staked in place by tall wooden legs. Walk along the sea cliffs here with your dog, lover or headphones and start plotting which home overlooking the ocean will be yours. Girls with shaggy dresses sell bundles of sage, lost teenagers strum found guitars, and dozens and dozens of black-suited surfers bob along on the baby waves, waiting their turn to carve some glass. Babies play under bright blue and yellow beach umbrellas and sun worshippers lay on red beach towels getting as pink as the polka-dot bikini top they just untied.

Visiting San Diego sometime soon? Don’t forget to stop by Ocean Beach, but don’t plan it out too much- this is the perfect spot for a lazy day.

Photo by ercwttmn @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricoslounge/328791963/

I LOVE LA TRAFFIC.

Yeah, that’s right, I do. This idiotic statement could be attributed to the fact that I have barely even lived in Los Angeles for three months and the negative aspects of the city- the traffic, the smog, the vapid nature of humanity- haven’t quite gotten to me yet, at least not past the palm trees, beaches, and sunny skies. I am still in the honeymoon phase of geographic relocation. You probably think I’m crazy. But sitting in traffic in LA is one of the only times in my life I ever slow down. Ever. When you are stopped on Highway 101 at midnight on Friday night or stuck on I-5 during the evening rush hour, you just have to accept it, exhale, and wait. Stop. Do nothing. And for me, that is a rarity, and a welcome moment in my life.

I am a very busy person- call it Type A personality or ADHD or what you will, but there is rarely a minute in this life when I am not doing anything. I can’t remember the last time I was bored. I just checked my three email accounts, Myspace and Facebook since I’ve been writing this post. I am an epic multitasker, a characteristic that fits my life and this crazy post-post-modern world very well. I am always on the go and I rarely slow down- except in LA traffic, when I am forced to. When your car is stopped dead on a freeway, all you can do is enjoy the warm sunshine on your arms, play with the thoughts in your head, and crank that car stereo up to the moon with the glitchiest, bassiest, heaviest music you can find and rock out. At least that’s what I do, and it is one of my favorite things on earth.

I am writing this post in part so I can re-read it in a year, when I am a little less pie-eyed and a bit more jaded, when the traffic has gotten to me and I have caught myself screaming at people in BMWs and cussing the motorcycles which race up between the lanes. I know it will happen, and when it does, I will remember the day I wrote an ode to LA traffic. I will breathe out, turn the music up, and remember to slow down and smell the exhaust every once in a while.

Photo by Alforque @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/alforque/1036407920/

Love me some Phad Thai

From falafels in Cairo to meat pies in New Zealand to Phud Thai in Chiang Mai, every region of the world offers unique tastes for the intrepid traveler. Adventures in eating is one of the very best parts about traveling; why not take the table one step further and enroll in a cooking course?

Many people travel to Chiang Mai, Thailand for the express purpose of learning to cook Thai cuisine at a school like the Baan Hongnual Cookery School. Here you can get your stir-fry on and learn to create authentic Thai dishes in an open-air teak building with all the modern conveniences of a gourmet kitchen. And chickens.

Depending on the day, you will make a combination of several delicious Thai dishes which may include green coconut curry, red pork curry, fried fish cakes, Phud Thai, spring rolls, stir-fried chicken with cashews, Tom Yum soup, fried banana or papaya salad.

Before the spring rolling gets going however, you will first visit one of the many open-air markets that provide food for many families and a feast for all your senses: huge garbage bags full of tiny red peppers, spiky and smelly durian fruit, freshly pressed coconut milk, whole deep-fried chickens, jellied mushrooms, giant bunches of tiny bananas, dried fish snacks, fresh flower leis of purple and pink and yellow, and about a billion other necessities of life.

A trained chef then walks you through the cooking steps of each dish before you try them on your own, soaking up lessons on the levels of curry, the importance of fresh-picked herbs and the healthy aspects of Thai cuisine along the way.

Of course, the best part of any cooking school is trying out your taste creations, and by the time sit down for your multi-course meal at Baan Hong, you will be you proud and sure of your ability to create authentic Thai cuisine. You’ve got the skills, a take-home recipe book, tons of chefs’ secrets and some dried shrimp- and that’s everything you need.

Baan Hongnual Cookery School: Full and half-day cooking courses are available for $20-30 which include round-trip transportation to and from your hotel, all ingredients from the local market, several courses of Thai cuisine and a recipe book.

Tel: (66-53) 423335

Email: hongnual@yahoo.com

Web: http://www.baanhongnual.com/

Recommended Lodging for Chiang Mai:

People Place Hotel: A basic three-star hotel in an excellent location, close to the night market and main streets. Rooms have AC, TVs, and mini-fridges and are around $25 per night.

Tel: (66-53) 282487 or (66-53) 818296

Email: peopleplace@csloxinfo.com

Web: http://people.infothai.com/

Other Chiang Mai Activities:

Chiang Mai X-Centre: An extreme sports center just outside of Chiang Mai in the beautiful Mae Rim Valley where you can bungy jump, zorb, play paintball, and ride go-karts and off-road buggies.

Tel: (66-53) 297700

Email: sales@chiangmai-xcentre.com

Web: http://www.chiangmai-xcentre.com/

Do you dream of traveling in Egypt? Of witnessing the pyramids before your very eyes and soaking in the beautiful hubbub of Cairo? Do you want to experience the ancient country from the Nile, with a riverbank view that has remained practically unchanged since the time of the Pharaohs?

The Nile River is the bloodstream of Egypt. A fertile strip of green follows the snaking waterway on either side, palm trees pushing up to the skies and flat family farms resting on the banks of the river. Donkeys carry loads of thick grasses, random cows graze along the riverbanks and herons step slowly in the marshy lands, looking for dinner.

Low cracker box houses provide respite from the afternoon sun for the farming families; children play in the dirt and grandfathers tool around the riverbanks in tiny boats. Deep below in the ancient waters of the Nile bubble the breaths of the crocodile and hippopotamus, and far overhead the brilliant African sun blazes down.

Popping up along your cruise down the Nile are timeless temples: Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae…sharing a sliver of their secrets through hieroglyphs and architecture. Just beyond this green strip of life stretches the Saharan desert, whose tawny rolling hills are a constant reminder of how vital the Nile River is to life in Egypt even today.

And you are right there, smack in the middle of the bloodstream of Egypt, experiencing the Nile River the very best way possible- in a traditional felucca sailboat. You can relax and sun on the deck, get involved and help with the rigging and learn the ways of the Egyptian sailor. Massive cruise ship this is not- rather, the felucca is a simple and authentic way to explore the Nile River.

To explore amazing Egypt in a close-to-the-ground style, check out Intrepid Travel, a small group adventure tour company that began in Egypt and now offers some of the best values out there when it comes to Nile cruising on a felucca. With simple sails and plenty of shade, these traditional boats glide silently down the ancient river, and you will experience the bloodstream of Egypt in much the same way as travelers have done for centuries.

What are you waiting for? Start plans today to turn your dreams of Egypt into reality!

*******

Intrepid Travel offers simple and budget-friendly small group adventures around the world that focus on culture and include accommodation, local transportation, some activities and food.

Recommended lodging in Cairo:

Cosmopolitan Hotel Cairo: A classic and quiet three-star hotel in an excellent location, within walking distance to the National Archaeological Museum and the Nile River. Rooms are tidy and basic and most have AC, TV, and minibar; rates start from $40 per night including tax and breakfast.

Address: 1 Iben Tahlab St, off Kasr El Nile St, Cairo 12555

Tel: 3923-956, -663 and -845

Website: http://www.safariegypt.com/egypt_hotels/cairo_hotels/details_cosmopolitan.htm

You don’t have to be an anthropology major like me to enjoy the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. This world-class museum boasts some of the best collections of dinosaur fossils, precious gemstones, and ceramics from Central and South America anywhere in the world.

The Gem and Mineral Hall catches your eye in a big way with over 2,000 sparkly things, including chunks of Lapis lazuli as big as my head, bulbous globs of hematite, over 300 pounds of gold nuggets and a very rare bright red diamond from South Africa. The amazing mineral structures from all over the world dazzle open-mouthed onlookers case after case with a rainbow of colors and then some.

Giant dinosaur fossils are the biggest eye-catchers of the museum; your head automatically fills in the missing flesh as you gaze at the remains of these amazing beasts, sharp claws and teeth in clear detail. Also of great interest is the ongoing project unearthing a near-complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton found in Montana, a find that has to be every paleontologist’s sharpest dream. You can watch the archaeologists work, painstakingly cleaning the enormous fossilized femurs with tiny brushes and new technology.

The African and North American Mammal Halls have breathing room and an epic collection of taxidermied animals, from polar bears to lynx to skunks. Dead animals are always a little creepy but will no doubt be interesting for children of all ages, as is the massive bird collection with a focus on the giant local scavenger, the California condor.

Zuni fetishes and an outstanding exhibit of ceramics from Mayan, Aztec and Incan cultures rounds out the history of the American continents along with a streetcar from the days of gas lamps.

Whether you spend a day at the museum or combine music and drinks with a little learning and make it a night, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is a worthy experience and will no doubt contribute to your personal evolution as a student of life. Check it out.