In case you haven’t heard… the 21st Winter Olympics have come to Vancouver; curling, bobsledding and luging their way into our hearts, from Feb 12-28.

While the sports junkies are glued to the TV, rooting for the world’s best athletes, why not convince the girls who aren’t obsessed with Quatchi the sasquatch mascot to indulge in a little Vancouver inspired getaway?

For a quality time with your best girl friends, sisters and moms, visit Vancouver, a 2010 hot spot destination, for a good ol’ fashioned girl retreat.

Here are a few fun ways to explore Vancouver with the girls:

Where to Play:

Perfect Day offers hundreds of experiential activities for the adventurous at heart

Before you get your nails polished, get them nice and dirty. Why not spend the morning rock climbing, parasailing or speeding a NASCAR racecar around the track?  Perfect Day, a Vancouver-based company that operates activities all across North America, offers hundreds of experiential activities for the adventurous at heart.  Take flying lessons, try European sword fighting or strut your stuff at a pole dancing lesson.  From martini cocktail mastering, to kite boarding classes, Perfect Day has something for everyone. www.perfectday.ca

Where to Get Pampered:

A trip to pHresh Spa + Wellness Club is a great way to spend an afternoon.  Body treatments include Thai massage, detoxifying fruit wraps, lymphatic drainage and, my personal favorite, the customized martini facial.  The chocolate-scented mud mask, followed by the apricot wisp moisturizer, is gently massaged into the face and neck.  The facial ends with a complimentary eyebrow pluck and makeup application.  But the pampering doesn’t end here.  You can spend the day chilling out in the Eucalyptus steam room, taking a dip in the outdoor pool or tanning in the roof top garden terrace. www.phreshspa.com

Travel To Wellness, a Canadian-based online resource for all things spa, recommends Vida Spas in the Wall Centre Hotel for their Ayurveda treatment called the Nidra Sleep Treatment (means “deep sleep” in Sanscrit) www.traveltowellness.com

Where to Power Lunch:

Join a mix of fashion forward femmes and film execs for a power-lunch at Glowbal.  This trendy grill and satay bar in Yaletown, serves up some unusual dishes: sablefish salad with avocado and black tiger prawns or lamb with a Tequila lime mint glaze.  Wash it all down with a “You Glow Girl Martini,” a lethal combo of gin, Sour Puss apple and white grape. www.glowbalgrill.com

Where to Shop:

For local, independent designers and vintage shops, explore the Main St strip between King Edward and Broadway.

Check out Twigg & Hottie (www.twiggandhottie.com) for funky fashions and one-of-a-kind jewelry.  Lazy Susan’s (3647 Main St.) has Jesus lunchboxes and Wonder Woman kitsch, while Lark (www.lark8thave.com) displays classic designs in a minimalist loft-style setting.  My ultimate favorite is The Barefoot Contessa (3715 Main St.) a frilly, feminine shop at fair prices.

Where to Eat Chocolate:

Chocolaterie de la Nouvelle France (198 E. 21st Avenue off the Main Street strip) serves up French Canadian creations using milk chocolate from around the world.  Handmade truffles are infused with fruits, teas, spices, and flowers.

Where to Sleep:

Opus has hosted such divas as J.Lo, Gwen Stefani, Cher and Shakira.  Located in the trendy area of Yaletown, the 96 room boutique hotel is minimalist chic.  Penthouse suites are pimp, with eclectic designer furniture: red lipstick couches, leopard print chairs and purple four-poster beds.  Voted one of the world’s top hotels by readers of Conde Nast travel magazine, a night’s accommodation at the Opus doesn’t come cheap, but staff do offer a few freebies like bicycle rentals, yoga dvds and, when booked in advance, a personal driver.  For more visit www.opushotel.com

Where to Party:

Circa, on the Granville strip, is a huge Supperclub space with 25-foot ceilings and Romanesque columns. Pretty people sip over-priced cocktails and pose as the DJ spins the latest tracks.

Any other ideas for hot spots in Vancouver? Post a comment below!

Drug, kidnappings, violence and Swine Flu.  It’s been a hard year for Mexico.  With these kinds of reports coming out of the country, it’s no wonder tourists have shied away from traveling south of the border.  But, as The New York Times recently reported in their feature travel piece “36 Hours in Mexico City,” Mexico is on an upswing, with chic restaurants, new galleries and hotels at huge discounts (some luxury hotels slashing their room rates by up to 65%.)

Times writer Brooks Barnes suggests a variety of things to do while in Mex-hi-co: visit the home of unibrow painter Frida Kahlo, spend your money in Condesa (a hip neighborhood with great shopping), chow down in Polanco (a strip with the latest in Peruvian restaurants) and relax at the “floating gardens” of Xochimilco.

What the Times doesn’t mention is that there’s a most unusual, off-the-beaten path attraction… perfect for the traveler who wants to get their fire burn and caldron bubble.

Mercado de Sonora, a sprawling outdoor shopping area in the heart of the city, is the Walmart of the witch world.  Located on Avenida Fray Servando Teresa in the Venustiano Carranza borough, it’s a maze of alleyways stacked with hundreds of stalls.  For locals who dabble in witchcraft, or visitors looking to stray off the typical tourist trail, the Sonora market has all your ritualistic remedies.

You can find everything from antique amulets to medicinal herbs; live snakes to mysterious brews; and animal-shaped ceramic charms to powdered potions for health, wealth and romance. The market is loosely organized into three parts: Healing herbs, Afro-Cuban paraphernalia and black magic.

Walking amongst the tribal rattlers, taxidermy rabbits and other accessories of the underworld, I met Bertha Gutierrez Montes de Oca, a shaman who has been working in the market for 51 years. The five-foot-nothing elderly woman explained the ritualistic purpose behind the potions.

“Witchcraft plays a central role in Mexican society and medicine,” she explained. “In the half-century I’ve worked here, the market has grown and the faces have changed but people’s hopes and desires have stayed the same — hopes for money, love, good luck, marriage and fewer problems at work are among the most popular.”

I learned that, though these beliefs stem from indigenous knowledge and centuries-old traditional medicine, witchcraft continues to play a big role in contemporary Mexican society.

Navigating a clutter of products that claim to ward off evil spirits, Bertha took me to a set of stalls selling popular love sprays.  For the ladies, there are potions for better sex, long marriage and curbing a boyfriend’s flirtations with other women.

For men, the art of seduction is a popular sell.  Male customers, looking to attract their heart’s desire, often buy a product called Quita Calzon.  As belief has it, men looking for love must first lather their bodies with this powder and think about the woman for whom they yearn for.  The power of the talcum-like potion will cause the woman in question to succumb to the man’s wildest fantasies, all for the equivalent of a few dollars.

Just in case there was truth to the bottles claims, I dabbed on a little “true love” perfume, an aphrodisiac oil that promises to attract Mr. Right. In the rat race of today’s dating scene, I figured a little sorcery couldn’t hurt.

From there, Bertha showed me a soap called Tapa Voca, purchased by women who want to stop gossiping, and a pair of cloth voodoo dolls for women who crave more commitment in their romantic relationships.  For every problem, the market sells a solution.

Beyond the scary headlines, Mexico truly has a lot to offer, from high-end luxury resorts to markets with eye of newt.  A visit to Sonora market is a culturally significant look into a side of Mexico most tourists don’t normally hear about.

And as for that love spray? It hasn’t helped me find Mr. Right, but it may have protected me from swine flu.

Do you have off-the-beaten track advice for cool things to do in Mexico City? Leave me a comment below!

Martha of Martha’s Heli-Hikes

The best part about starting a new year is the chance to wipe the slate clean and achieve a fitter, slimmer, richer, smarter you.  If fitness, natural beauty and all-round relaxation are on your resolution “to-do list” for 2010, consider a trip to Canadian Rockies’ snow-capped mountains.  While they boast some of the world’s best skiing and wildlife viewing, this region is also home to an unusual tourist activity called heli-yoga, a practice that combines the meditative properties of yoga with a traditional helicopter sightseeing tour.

Just a short drive outside Banff National Park near Alberta’s Lake Louise, Icefield Helicopter Tours takes the conventional aerial experience one step further.  This helicopter tourism provider has partnered with Martha’s Heli-Hikes, an outdoor adventure outfitter, and together, they are offering a variety of high altitude activities, from hiking to snow shoeing, ice walking to yoga.

Tourists keen on connecting with nature may find themselves high on the mountain top, resting in “child’s pose,” overlooking some of our country’s most stunning scenery.  There’s nothing quite like “tree pose” at 9,000 feet.  There I was, balancing in this classic yoga position while taking in a panorama view of the Canadian Rockies’ snow-capped mountains.  One thing’s for sure, this certainly isn’t your average yoga studio.

A day excursion begins at the heliport with a brief safety lesson, a gear check and the distribution of tasty gourmet packed lunches.  After piling into the chopper and slipping on a set of noise-canceling headphones (complete with fighter jet style microphones), the pilot is ready for take-off.  The blades rotate faster.  The whomp-whomp sound crescendos.  The plane lifts off and hovers above the ground like a giant metal dragonfly. Even for the most jaded of flyers, there’s something truly exciting about cruising around in a helicopter!

We soared above The Rockies mountain range, keeping our eyes open for wolves, elk, grizzly bears and other wildlife found in the area.

Depending on the flight conditions, the helicopter can land in a variety of geographic landscapes, from the waterfalls of the raging Cline River to the ridge of Wedding Knoll, a grassy clearing and matrimonial hot spot.

The chopper found a safe pad to land and Martha, my guide and resident yoga-expert, hopped out, mindful of the deadly blades swooping overhead.  I followed her and braced myself as whirls of wind whipped up sand and dust.

I got into yoga gear and prepared for my Hatha yoga lesson.  Depending on the season, weather can change quickly and without warning, so it’s best layer your wardrobe and prepare for sudden variances in temperature.

As my yoga mat flopped and folded with every gust, I slithered into Cobra position. Breathing deeply, relaxing and stretching at the top of a remote mountain somehow made me feel more connected with nature, with myself and the world around me.

While I enjoyed the experience, I can understand why helicopter tourism is such a controversial topic in the area.  Critics claim that helicopter tours aren’t sustainable; that the noise and air pollution from the aircrafts can cause environmental damage and disturb the wildlife.  Martha herself admits the environmental irony of using a gas-guzzling machine to enjoy the pristine wilderness, but she maintains that “practicing yoga in nature bring us closer to the earth.  Fuel and yoga might seem at odds with each other but the benefits of coming out here, into remote parts of the Rockies, far outweigh the negative effects.”

After a series of poses and meditative moments, the lesson ended with a calm concluding “oooom,” a whispered “Namaste,” and a scenic helicopter ride back to the base.

Icefield Helicopter Tours offers day Heli- yoga trips in Alberta’s Rockies at $469 per person.  For more information visit www.icefieldheli.com

Can’t make it to Canada? Here are some other ideas for the World’s Best Places to Yoga.

1) Rishikesh, India – Dubbed the “Yoga Capital of the World,” this spiritual budget getaway is one of the most spectacular places to downward dog.  Located on the banks of the Ganges River it’s now famous for its ashrams, New Age meditation classes and delicious vegetarian cuisine.
2) 7 Centers Yoga Arts in Sedona Arizona offers week-long yoga retreats, day workshops and teaching seminars for those who want to take their Chakra training to the next step. http://www.7centers.com/
3) Create your very own Zen Den at home.  A little Ayurvedic Tea, soft music and flickering candles can go a long way and will cost you a fraction of the price…

Where are your favorite places to Yoga? Email me at julia@traveljunkiejulia.com