Flight to India : Flight news and information

Jump to the full entry & travel map Shanghai, Shanghai, China Annoushka Ducas was the spirit behind Links of London . Way back in 1990 she had the bright idea of creating a line of small, charming but affordable silver pieces: spoons (I remember a delightful one with a little bird on the end of the handle), cufflinks, charm bracelets. Exactly the sort of thing that most of us are endlessly looking for to give as christening or birthday presents.

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Lucia loves: jewellery with a difference – Shanghai, Shanghai, China

Jump to the full entry & travel map Richmond, Indiana, United States We left our cozy Walmart parking lot at 10am and other than stopping for lunch we drove all the way through Ohio and just barely into Indiana where we found a great KOA here in Richmond. We have had an almost unbearably hot day travel ling and I cannot tell you how great it felt to jump into the pool here ! We have a great spot with some of my favorite large trees and buzzing grasshoppers in them to create that lovely evening serenade ! I just got back from a paddle boat ride with the kids as they have a tiny lake here that you can either paddle around on or fish out of. The sun is barely dipping beyond the corn fields and the breeze is just barely cooling off.

Jump to the full entry & travel map Bucharest, Romania Thursday we visited another castle, Peles Castle in Sinai, in the morning which was quite impressive. We had a little trek up the hill, saw the castle set to the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains, ate some cake and then napped on the bus all the way to Bucharest. We had our first major truck disaster on the road to Bucharest; without any warning one of the front windows of the truck smashed, showering glass all over David and Alison

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Bedlam in Bucharest – Bucharest, Romania

Jump to the full entry & travel map Vienna, Vienna, Austria The next morning we left for the Austrian border, stopping on the way to see the strange ossuary known as the ‘House of Bones’. The inside was decorated entirely using thousands of people’s bones. I was generally excited because Charlie and Ewan stopped there on their way through! We then travelled the remaining 9 hours to Vienna and stayed in a lovely campsite called ‘Happyland’.

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Viennese Wonderful – Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Jump to the full entry & travel map Swanzey, New Hampshire, United States After months of planning and negotiation, the excursion to the Western cultural meccas of England & France is about to begin. Tomorrow, at around 10 PM, I take off for London. (My friends and I will join up in France on Saturday.) Anyone on the mailing list is invited keep tabs on us, for as often as I can, I plan to upload pictures and keep a daily diary of the trip.

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Packing for Passage over the Pond – Swanzey, New Hampshire, United States

Japan is terribly hot AND humid during the summer, and to while away the time during the obon weekend, my Brazilian friends and I hied off to the coast of Shirahama in Chiba to pay homage to the sea!  Of course, no beach outing is complete without summer grilling and we had hearty churrascos to fill our bellies. churrasco means MEAT, and more MEAT! But after all that meat, decided that we also wanted something fresh! So off to a seaside restaurant for some traditional Japanese eats! sashimi teishoku seaside freshness! Oh yummm… this is why we go to the beach!

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Summer Eats

Jump to the full entry & travel map Brugge, West Flanders, Belgium We loved Brugge! Seriously who wouldn’t when all you do is wander the cobble streets and around canals eating chocolate,frits,waffles, and sampling over 300 types of beers! We got to our hotel that and had to climb to the attic up 73 very steep and narrow stairs to our room.It was the loft with lots of character which made up for the calf burn hike up to the top. The major excitement here is centered around the food and beer so we joined right in with the festivities by going on a(frit) fry museum tour followed by a sampling of what they claim to be the best fry’s.We didn’t know there was so much to learn about a simple potato! At the end we had our fry’s which were

Jump to the full entry & travel map Puntarenas, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica Woke up super early for our trip to Isla Tortuga (Turtle Island)–had to be at school at 5:45 AM and then we (6 of us) were driven to the downtown Marriot for a semi public bus that would drive us to Puntarenas. We stopped for breakfast at a restaurant type place that happened to be the same place I went Saturday on the tour-it was the place with the souvenir ‘factory.’ Had good watermelon/strawberry juice and a ham/cheese sandwich and watermelon. It took about an hour and a half to drive from San Jose to Puntarenas and from there we (and a few dozen other passengers) took a boat (like the ferry to/from SF) to the island

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Day 15, Sunday, 08/16/09 – Puntarenas, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

In conjunction with his upcoming book, Here Is Where: In Search of America’s Great Forgotten History, we’re following historian and Legacy Project founder Andrew Carroll as he drives, flies, walks, boats, buses, bikes, and hikes to seek out little-known historic sites in all 50 states. Bookmark all of his posts here . After leaving Palestine, Texas, to pursue an extraordinary story I’d heard concerning the Columbia Space Shuttle explosion in 2003, I needed to photograph a site in Dallas related to one of the nation’s greatest Blues singers

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Here Is Where: Street Talk in Dallas

Those of us who live here  far too often write City Market off as just a place for tourists. But if you love to munch and you love your dog (and we  know that all dogs love to munch!), then don’t forget! CityMarket’s the place for you and your pooch.  From Vinnie Van Go-Go  for great pizza to Belford’s for fine upscale dining, to Tapas by Anna and The Cafe at City Market for tasty mid-line fare, you  and your 4-pawed pal, can sit back,  people-and-dog-watch, and dine al fresco.

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Foodie Dog Lovers Delight

That’s right, it’s officially Pizza Week on Sac Foodies! This week, we’ll tell you about our favorite places to grab a slice in Sacramento and beyond. We’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations as well, so feel free to leave a comment here on the blog or on our Facebook page anytime! When I moved to Land Park about a year ago, I noticed right away the strip of empty storefronts lining Riverside Boulevard. It wasn’t but a few weeks after we’d moved in to the neighborhood that one of the vacancies became Masullo Pizza – a tiny, nondescript, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it neighborhood pizzeria.

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Pizza Week: Masullo in Land Park

[ Femia ] 1) FiDi : Flo Fab reports that eccentric chef and mad scientist Will Goldfarb is opening a barbecue trailer in Wall Street Park to complement his sandwich shop in Battery Park City: ” Picnick, Smoked , will serve heritage pork shoulder, kobe brisket and Bobo Farms chicken, with sides, fresh baked goods and natural sodas.” They’re open 10 – 6 now but will open for breakfast after Labor Day. Status ; Signs point to open; Wall Street Park, no phone

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Monday Opening Report: Picnick Smoked, Forty Eight Open

Eating with chopsticks is a skill we all want to master, but few of us have been able to add it to our resumes.  I have found that the best motivator for learning to eat with chopsticks is hunger.  My parents moved to Japan when I was in college, and I mooched a grand summer vacation by going with them to help them settle into their new home.  We quickly found that Western utensils are not readily available at Japanese restaurants like they are at home.  The chopstick was number 1, and we were forced to learn or we did not eat.  Because of this, I learned a few important things about even setting out on this venture.  If you are a beginner or novice, stick with fried foods.  I accidentally pointed and grunted at the boiled dumplings once in a Japanese restaurant, and then summarily proceeded to launch almost everyone one across the room as I attempted to eat with my chopsticks. Also remember that the sticky the rice, the easier it will be to eat with chopsticks.  Nothing will wear you out faster than trying to pick up individual grains of rice that will not stick together.  So, no eating Uncle Ben’s instant rice with chopsticks! Last, but not least, is the set of chopsticks themselves.  Believe it or not, chopsticks come in a wide variety of materials, styles and sizes.  Wood is definitely the best material to start with, and most common found on the tables of Asian Chopsticks with ridges restaurants in the West.  If you are out shopping for your own set of chopsticks to use at home, look for ones that have ridges in the end, like the ones shown here.  Talk about extra traction that will guarantee your food makes it to your mouth!  You have definitely advanced past the beginner stages if you can successfully feed yourself with the plastic chopsticks often found in Asian food courts abroad.  And, if you can eat with the thin metal chopsticks of Korea, you have become a true artist with the chopsticks. With these important tips, a raging hunger and these simple instructions from e-how.com:  http://www.ehow.com/how_3261_chopsticks.html , you will soon be performing feats like these at your next dinner party.

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Chopsticks 101

Our favorite neighborhood restaurant offers a special menu on Sunday nights – Izakaya.  Michael and Daniel serve everything family style, and showcase Japanese family style cooking.  No sushi here on Sundays!  Prices are reasonable, with each dish either $5, $7 or $10.  With a bottle of sake, two people can eat well for around $100.  We had a bottle of hakkaisan seishu, as well as a little glass of Dunn Vineyards 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Savignon the guests sitting next to us at the bar offered – thank you! Last night, lots of great dishes.  thai fu sarada – a thai style pork and cucumber salad.  Beautifully seasoned, with a little bite to it, and very refreshing renkon amazu – lotus root with sweet vinegar – was also great ni-daikon – dashi simmered daikon – two large pieces of daikon sitting in a bowl of flavorful dashi meron sarada – canteloupe honeydew shiso with olive oil – ripe and fragrant fruit with shiso leaves, which tasted almost like mint ohitashi – gai choy with chilled dashi – similar to bok choy, tastes of a cross between broccoli and lettuce takikomi onigiri – riceballs with clams hijiki – they should sell this at the Thursday Street Food Market at the Ferry Building!  Almost a japanese taco, the riceball, studded with clams is molded and served on a piece of seaweed. sansho karaage – marinated and fried chicken – often on the menu, and always delicious aji furai – crisp fried whole aji – two whole aji fish, fried until crisp, and served with lemon.  perfect finger food! gyoza – pork and vegetable potstickers – another frequent menu item, fried until crisp and very flavorful with a great dipping sauce. sakamuchi — sake and butter steamed manila clams – this was awesome!  perfectly cooked clams were great, but the star was the liquid they were served in!  almost like a miso soup, but with the richness of butter and flavor of sake added.  We ate the clams first, and then sipped the broth

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Izakaya on Sunday at Sebo

Jump to the full entry & travel map San Antonio de los Cobres, Northern Argentina, Argentina And so, on Monday morning we woke up nice and early to make sure we could make the most of the day. Although definitely excited I was also a bit nervous about driving in, essentially, the middle of nowhere and also on the right hand side of the road.

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Road Trippin´ – Salinas, Stars and Summits – San Antonio de los Cobres, Northern Argentina, Argentina

Friend of Intelligent Travel , Molly Feltner , shares this story of sitting face-to-face with a silverback in Congo as one of the first tourists to visit Virunga National Park since tourism reopened in May. For the first time in nearly two years–following the massacre of seven endangered mountain gorillas and months of occupation by rebel forces– Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is welcoming back tourists for gorilla trekking. Up until a few months ago, Virunga National Park sat in the eye of a perfect storm of man-made calamities.

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Gorilla Tourism Reopens in Congo

Union Square : @newyorkology tweets : “E-mail press release says: “TGI Friday’s and Tim Hortons to Occupy 34 Union Square East.” And by golly, Crain’s has the full story ( cached version for subscription wall ), confirming that the fast-casual chain will join Best Buy and Nordstrom Rack in forming the new Union Square. The Riese Organization just purchased 34 Union Square (between 15th and 16th), formerly home to Zen Palate and plans to install a Friday’s and a bonus Tim Horton’s in the space. Its been vacant in the two years since Zen Palate vacated due to “astronomical and non-negotiable increases” in their rent, a rent that has dropped 40% in the last six months.

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APOCALYPSE: TGI Friday’s Coming to Union Square

No, this blog is not branching out into restaurant reviews, though your humble author is quite the “foodie.”  Rather, with consumers remaining retrenched, perhaps for a long period of time as they continue to focus on debt reduction, a look at where they might be eating out, and which companies may benefit from the dining “trade-down” seems timely. The restaurant industry has generally done a commendable job of aggressively reducing expenses, thus preserving liquidity, even though same-store sales remain weak.  In its latest “ Leveraged Finance Weekly ” newsletter [registration and/or subscription may be required], Fitch Ratings reports: Consumers are likely, however, to continue searching for lower cost alternatives at quick-service restaurants (QSRs) or simply preparing more meals at home if unemployment continues to increase.

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Restaurant Investment Review: Consumers Still Need to Eat

Back in December national upscale grill chain Houston’s rebranded its two New York locations as Hillstone , adding a seasonal menu and, later, sushi. However, to avoid losing old customers and to maintain that hour-long wait time, the Houston’s signs were not removed and remain up to this day. A few commenters immediately suspected foul play, accusing the chain of rebranding to avoid the new calorie count rule in NYC, which requires chain restaurants (no matter how high end) with more than 12 locations to post all calories on the menu.

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Busted: City Catches on to Houston’s Calorie Shenanigans

Jump to the full entry & travel map Antalya, Antalya, Turkey After returning from the internet cafe yesterday, I began to look over some of the sound library I’m building up and started to see some promising things. From some very cursory observations it seems like some of the darker birds I recorded in the village of Karadyi have some distinctive differences in their song, compared to the birds in Bogazkent, which tend to be lighter in color

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The Foggy Bottom Boys – Antalya, Antalya, Turkey