In honor of International Women’s Day: Female wrestlers rock Bolivia
‘Cholitas’ are easy to identify in the streets of La Paz, Bolivia’s capital city
In the spirit of International Women’s Day, a global celebration for the achievements of women, I bring you a quirky story I stumbled upon while traveling through Bolivia….
With their long flowing skirts, braided pigtails and bowler hats, ‘Cholitas’ are easy to identify in the streets of La Paz, Bolivia’s capital city. It’s an antiquated look — compared to the skinny jeans and low cut tops seen across the new generation – but the Cholitas have become a symbol of indigenous tradition and culture.
That’s why I was so surprised to hear about the event that happens every Sunday in the mulifunctionary arena in El Alto, just twenty minutes outside of polluted La Paz. Here, in this humble arena, you can spot the Cholitas…wrestling!!
In Washington, D.C. this Weekend?
The Washington DC Travel & Adventure Show, March 6-7, 2010
If you’re in our nation’s capital this weekend, check me out at the Adventures in Travel Expo! Sunday, March 7th at 12:15-1:15pm, I’ll be talking about my adventures around the world, through 80 countries across six continents. I’ll share tips and tricks for maximizing your independent travel and boosting your cultural experiences while cutting the costs.
Here’s a brief description from the travel show’s official website:
“The world’s largest travel and adventure show – the Travel & Adventure Show – gathers hundreds of captivating destinations from exotic India to captivating Cayman and exciting, activities: a huge scuba pool, kayak demonstrations, an aerial zip line, a rope adventure course, cultural performers and much more. The Travel & Adventure Show is THE place to kick off the winter blahs and plan that ultimate vacation.”
For more details, check out: http://www.adventureexpo.com/
Hope to see you there!
Alice in Wonderland: High Tea in NYC
Alice in Wonderland, in theaters this weekend
Photo credit: Disney
In anticipation for Tim Burton’s movie spectacular Alice In Wonderland (set to open this weekend), why not organize your very own Mad Hatter tea party? New York City knows how to pull off high tea, so before you start drooling over dreamy Johnny Depp, chase your own white rabbit through some of the city’s best herbal haunts. Check out my Top 3 spots to sip afternoon tea in NYC. These places offer stewed brews of loose leaf fit for the Queen of Hearts; pastries and scones so delicious they’ll have you smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
Alice’s Tea Cup: This Upper West Side cafe offers Alice In Wonderland themed treats and matching decor. Order the Jabberwockey, a $38 spread with scones, preserves and cream, an unlimited selection of sandwiches and Jean’s “not-yet-but-soon-to-be-famous mocha chocolate chip cake.”
Tea & Sympathy: For all things British, this is your one stop shop. Lewis Carroll style afternoon tea will set you back $35 and includes finger sandwiches, a pot of steaming hot tea, scones with clotted cream and raspberry jam.
The Russian Tea Room: With its decadent decor, plush red velvet seats and twinkling chandeliers, this 80-year-old establishment is the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon snack. Between the hours of 2-4pm, indulged in caviar-crusted blinis and fancy-shmancy sandwiches (smoked ham and turkey with truffle croque monsieur; curried chicken salad with raisins and pecans; roquefort bleu cheese and pear with walnuts…de-lish).
Do you have a favorite tea spot in NYC? Are you pumped about the new Alice In Wonderland movie? Share your thoughts below…
7 Tips for a More Fulfilling (and Frugal) Travel Experience
A new friend in India
Looking for ways to maximize your travel experience at a fraction of the cost? Here are few tried and true ways to enrich your travel, feel more fulfilled and save money!
1) Select destinations that are good value. Say no to Europe and say yes to Southeast Asia and South America. The plane ticket may initially be expensive but the cost of living is cheap when you’re in the country and your dollar will go much further. In Thailand I was paying $10 a night for a beach bungalow and a few dollars a day for street food. Plus, Thai culture is so different from that at home, making for a more interesting travel experience.
2) When looking for flight deals, turn to Kayak.com, an online travel search engine and helpful travel tool where you can compare prices across hundreds of sites in one simple search. Check out their Deals, Buzz and Trends sections for affordable flight and hotel options.
3) Independent travel may seem a bit daunting at first, but everything you need to survive will be available to you in the “Traveler’s Bible.”
In New York this weekend?
The New York Times Travel Show, February 26-28, 2010
Check me out this year’s New York Times Travel Show (Feb 26-28th at the Javits Convention Center), the largest consumer and travel trade show produced in the US, featuring more than 500 tourism boards and 23,000 attendees.
Travel seminars are held throughout the day, hosted by experts in the field including the “Frugal Traveler” columnist Matt Gross, “Practical Traveler” columnist Michelle Higgins, WOR Radio host and travel experts Arthur and Pauline Frommer, “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” author Patricia Schultz and yours truly. I will be a featured speaker for a seminar called: Around the World With Julia Dimon – Beyond the Tourist Zone. In this 45 minute session, I’ll talk about my adventures across some 80 countries and six continents, from extreme religious festivals in Sri Lanka, to fair trade coffee farms in Nicaragua, to worm-infested jungles of Venezuela. With an insatiable passion for off-the-beaten track exploration, I’ll share tips on maximizing your very own travels, experiencing local culture and pushing beyond the tourist traps.
I’m also speaking with Max Hartshorne and Kent St. John about Travel Writing 201:
GoNOMAD.com editor Max Hartshorne and senior travel editor Kent St. John, and TV personality Julia Dimon (that’s me) provide insider’s tips for travel writers. This class builds upon last year’s successful workshop. Back from a trip and want to share what you saw with the world? We will present an overview of the travel writing market for beginner travel writers, and provide tips and tricks that will help get your articles published. We will also teach you how to use social networks like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace to get more exposure for your travel stories on the web.
Hope to see you at this weekend’s New York Times Travel Show!! For more information about the travel seminars, check out: http://www.nyttravelshow.com/Travel-Seminars.html
An island paradise: spear fishing in Zanzibar, Tanzania
Sunset beach vista from my beach bungalow on Kendwa beach
Not a dinner party goes by without someone asking me, “Out of all of the places you’ve been around the world, what’s your all-time favorite destination?” For me, the answer is simple. Tanzania. Home to the Serengeti, Mt. Kilimanjaro, rich Maasai traditions, welcoming people and Lucy (a historic female hominid that gives root to our human ancestry), this Eastern African country has a lot to offer the curious tourist.
There is tons to see and do but, as far as I’m concerned, no trip to Tanzania is complete without visiting the island paradise of Zanzibar. Once the hub of the African slave trade, Zanzibar now draws sun-seekers and young partiers looking to laze along its many beaches. It’s a fascinating combination of Arabic culture and local African life, set against hypnotic blue waters and crumbling buildings that scream character.
Julia’s top 10 travel tips for going green
There are lots of ways to “go green” while traveling
With climate change, vanishing ozone, rising sea levels and the endangerment of the world’s cuddliest creatures, the need to be environmentally responsible now extends beyond fringe scientists, trendy celebrities and campaigning American presidents.
More and more travelers are going green by minimizing their travel footprint. For travelers who’d like to become more enviro-friendly, here are some basic tips on reducing your impact while on the road:
Travel Writing 101: How to break into the biz
That’s me, writing in Chile
Jet setting around the world through exotic locales (and getting paid for it), travel writers sure do have pretty desirable jobs. True, it’s a coveted and fiercely competitive career but, with a little passion, perseverance and advice, you too can become a travel writer.
Over the past seven years, my experience as a travel writer has ranged from writing a weekly travel column for a national newspaper, to hosting a TV show called Word Travels, about the real lives of travel writers. Living and breathing travel writing, I’d like to offer the following advice.
For those looking to break into the biz, here are 15 tried-and-true tips to becoming a travel writer.
