SMUGGS: All the latest family fun, in a quaint New England package

Smuggs -- short for Smugglers Notch,the ski resort  cozied onto the north side of Mt Mansfield in northern VT -- has made a decision: 

Leave the swanky mountain houses and high speed gondolas ( and the $90/day life tickets) to the other mountains.
Smuggs will charm you with its New England ambiance- down to preserving the green wooden lift chairs- and put all their energy into creating the best  family winter playground in the Northeast that's convenient, affordable, super friendly, and bursting with ideas!
    
Ski or snowboard? There's an entire mountain for beginners, and the only TRIPLE black diamond run in the East!
If that doesn't entice you, then consider that lift tickets are $70 ($55 with discount voucher through local hotels) compared to $90 at their mountain neighbor, Stowe!

Canopy adventures! It's zip lining, alpine style, complete with sky walks and rappelling down trees! 


Snowshoe tours- gentle loops for the family or High Elevation Tours up through tHe Notch!  
Deer mice and mountain fox footprints- even black bear claw marks running up the beech trees- all tell a story of wilderness life in the Green Mountains that your guides will share with you.



Nordic trails!  The whole loop which is groomed daily and which roams through Vermont hardwood forest and along windswept meadows, is around 10K.  Dogs are welcome on the trail, and the staff at the Nordic Center can fit you with rentals ($19) as well as suggest routes  suitable for all levels of skiers.

Swimming pool and sauna!

Ice skating  on the outdoor rink!

Even air boarding!  Imagine boogie boarding down a ski run!  I'm not sure how you stop, but they run clinics every afternoon at the Nordic Center to teach you all the tricks. 


FOOD FIND of the week:  The Bakery, in Jeffersonville. 
Homemade cinnamon rolls, roasted beet n kale hash with poached eggs, gingerbread waffles, yogurt dishes called Treehuggers, seitan dishes for vegans, and $1 Green Mountain roasters (if you bring your own mug!)
        

Just for fun...

our photo of the perfect apres-ski table:  drying socks, hat and headphones, Magic Hat, and a giant bag of M&Ms

                                           

To HELL with the New Year's Diet: EAT POUTINE!

On a recent getaway to Montreal, I was introduced to this Jewel of Junkfood...
Poutine --  it's that heaping plate of Fries drowned in gravy, crumbled cheese curds, and (for those Atkins-haters)  even bacon! 

You can treat yourself to strawberry-n-nutella crepes...sample "white" hot chocolate and Philly-caliber pretzels...and feast on a fine French duck at Bonapartes...




But no trip to Montreal is complete without the Poutine!




This culinary tradition dates back to the 1950s, to Quebec, when a restaurantuer  told a customer, who was requesting fries and cheese to be packaged in the same take-out bag, 

"thats gong to be' a 'maudite poutine'"-- or "big mess"

The gravy ingredient was added about a decade later by Jean-Paul Roy whose potato gravy recipe providentially existed in the same city as the poutine creation, making an easy culinary merger. 
Poutine eventually spread down the Atlantic coast to NY and NJ-- the term "disco fries" ring a bell? 

Now you can get poutine in fancy restaurants as well as  24-hour diners....
You can get meat gravy and sometimes even marinara saure or BBQ Sauce...although Quebecers will act appalled at this corruption.

You can even get poutine out on the West coast!   

In-n-Out Burger has an off-menu item that's french fries with grilled onions and sauce.  They don't advertise it, so expect a look of surprise when you walk up to the counter and say,

"French fries, animal-style please!"

2011 Holiday Gifts for your Favorite Traveler!

An Ulu Knife! 
For centuries, this uniquely designed knife was a basic tool of the Unupiat culture, used for everything from skinning seals to cleaning fish.

Today, any cook on your list will appreciate it!  You can buy it, paired with a wooden bowl which cradles the nuts or herbs so the curved blade can do its job.  
I have one of these!  They're priceless, but you can get one for about $20.  Shop here for Ulus!


CD of African Children's Choir
Have a music lover on your list, who'd enjoy this spirited collection of songs by some of Africa's most talented but also most vulnerable children?
Started in the '80s as an effort to help Uganda's starving and helpless orphans, the choir has since grown to incorporate South Africa, Southern Sudan, Ghana, and many other African nations.


They tour the US, and perform to raise money for schools and social programs back home.
Their fame has been infectious -- they've performed with celebrities like Queen, starred at Live8, and even sung in the White House.

They have about 6 CDs -- including a holiday one -- and they're easy to order.  
Around $15. Order CDs here! 


A Travel Journal 
Have a friend who's getting ready to leave on a trip?
Think of someone who'd love a blank book for a diary?  A recipe book?   An exercise log?

These classy leather-bound books with refillable blank pages come in a variety of sizes -- the smallest is only about  5" tall and perfect to fit in a travel bag! 




The company -- a private leatherworker out of Michigan -- also makes ipad cases, menu covers, eye glass holders, luggage, and a host of other beautiful leather crafts. 
Around $22.  See and order all their products here!




Pottery -- hand created, custom glazed!
This Mother-and-Son pottery from the hills of Barbados is a true favorite of mine!  What's so special?  Unique glasses.  Colors that take you back to the Caribbean.  Useful items, both in and out of the kitchen.  Hardy designs, durable and even dishwasher-ready!


I've known them since 1986 and have collected many items:   dinner plates!  serving dishes!  lamps!   Just check out their designs...

My all-time favorite is their Sun design 






But there's also a magical Moon scene
 

Their most popular glaze is the turquoise blue-green
but they've introduced a melon glaze now, also!




Prices start at about $10.  From mugs to plates to small bowls for jewelry, check it out!



Books!
Would the reader on your list like:

Venice is a Fish, by Tiziano Scarpa : a sensual guide to Venice.   Not really a guidebook, this cleverly written narrative is a series of essays on different parts of Venice's unique culture -- the life of the gondolier,  perspective on the columns of St Marco Basilica, glassblowing, gastronomy!


Bear Man of Admiralty Island, by John Howe:  a biography of Allen Hasselborg, who lived in the Alaska wilds in the early 1900s, as a homesteader, hunting guide, photography expert, and friend of the Bears of Admiralty Island!


Cry the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton:  This heavy story of Apartheid is a classic in South African literature.


Istanbul, Memories and the City, by Orhan Pamuk:  An enchanting novel of Istanbul and the Turkish life.  If you like this book, try this others also (Snow and The Museum of Innocence are particular favorites!)






Photo items
Trip photos make a great photo album, and online versions like  iphoto (Mac) and Shutterfly are as easy as they are popular. 
But there are other items too:
Photo mugs!    Photo tote bags!   Photo ornaments for the tree! 

They start at $12, and there's still time to order CUSTOM photo products for Christmas!  It's all in Exposures Catalog!


A Subscription to National Geographic Traveler magazine
Out of all the glossy travel mags, I find National Geographic Traveler the most enticing!  The articles range often focus on food trips, range from city stays to outback excursions, but always have a slightly unique angle.  Off the beaten track travel, is, after all, my real love! 


1-year subscriptions go for only $10!  Order a Subscription here!

Gift Certificate for TRIP PLANNING with Tough Love Travel!

Give the gift of a dream!   

There's a world of options...   Contact me to set it up!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM 

MELANIE AND TOUGH LOVE TRAVEL

5 Reasons I feel SO lucky to be a TRAVEL DESIGNER!

Fall Housekeeping at TLT!  

I have a sparkly new website (coming in 2 weeks!), 18 new destinations, and tons of inspiration -- particularly for you FOODIES out there! 

That has made me pause, to feel thankful for all my clients who have entrusted their travel dreams to me, and to count my blessings as a travel designer.  Here are my Top 5:

#5:  I get to meet and work with inquisitive, caring, talented people, like Hannah, from Brooklyn, NY, who captured this restful moment while on Safari to the jungle savannah of South Africa:

#4:  I get to help people accomplish things that they thought were impossibly difficult...  like Wilma, from Kansas, who wrote,

"After going with you to Alaska, I feel like I could go anywhere!"

#3:  I get to make friends on (almost) all continents!

        

and I get to introduce my clients to worldwide friends, too! 

#2:  I get to keep a WishMap on my wall where I mark each of my Dream Trips with a small flag.

In 2 weeks, I leave for a truffle hunt with a farmer and his dog in Umbria.   When will I get to marvel at the monarch butterflies as they swarm the trees of Michoacan?   Or float in the steam-vent-warmed waters of Deception Bay in Antarctica?    Our world in so enticing!

#1:  I dream, typically in the same language, but rarely in the same country!  Easter Island one night, Block Island the next!  Is that what they mean by "taking your job home with you"?

So, thank you to all my special clients!  I have lots more in store for you!

And if you're an adventurous traveler, who really wants a unique trip with offbeat lodging, novel excursions,  and UNFORGETTABLE food, let me help you, too.  I'll deliver a trip you will never forget!

Let's talk today!  Call or text @ (609) 923 0304.   Or  email Melanie here!

Margie and the Bear Whisperer spend the day at Geographic Inlet, Alaska!

I was up at 4:30am at the Captain Cook Hotel in downtown Anchorage, eager to embark on the highlight of my trip -- a day with the bears! 


One quick flight down to Homer, one stop at the Sourdough Cafe for my charter lunch, and a photo op with the sea planes at Bald Mountain Float Tours, then our guide Gary Porter showed up and me and the other 9 people, in 2 planes, took off for Katmai! 


Our shiny yellow float plane took us two hours over beautiful scenery to Geographic Inlet in Katmai NP.   We landed on a lovely lake , and i climbed out onto the pontoons, then into a skiff to take us a few yards to the houseboat. We were instructed to leave our lunches -- no food out by the bears -- don rainpants and jackets, and even HIP BOOTS! 


As we headed to shore, the bears were already in sight.  I did not want to take my eyes off the bears as i feared they would run away as we approached -- yet I had to watch my footing in the loose rocks.  But the bears did not seem to care that we had arrived.  They looked up and took notice of our arrival, then they went back to the business of fishing the stream for salmon. 


Gary repeated his instructions to stay close together, move slowly, and quietly.  We came ashore to settle in a group on a sandbar with streams on both sides of us feeding into the lake. 


Mother Brown Bear arrived with twin cubs, and they stayed with us for the day. 


Gary told us he had developed a "comfort zone" for the bears by bringing people there every day to the same spot and not threatening their space.   We were to stay seated on the ground -- we were not to stand -- no sudden movements -- no flash photos. 


The Mother Bear became agitated only when other bears came too close to her cubs.  She actually charged and scuffled with a large black bear just a few feet in front of us.   We had to be perfectly still during this confrontation, but the black bear eventually retreated and the Mother Bear returned to her cubs.  It was a tense few moments, but very exciting! 


The Mother Bear was all business, all day -- fishing for salmon, keeping track of the cubs, and keeping other bears at a safe distance.  In the afternoon, she took her cubs into the high grass on the far side to nurse and nap. 


The steady drizzle that had started in the morning, turned to rain fogging the camera lens and my glasses.  It rained hard at times, and I had to stuff my camera into my raincoat between shots.  I must have been a sight, with rain running down my face, but i was perfectly warm and dry inside and enjoying every moment! 
(This is proof of my favorite saying:  no such thing as bad weather, just bad equipment!)


Baby bears came begging fish when Mother Bear caught one.  If she thought they were getting too greedy, she'd fuss and growl at them.  One of the cubs was quite feisty and more aggressive at stealing fish from his Mom and running off with it.  Our guide said Mother Bear had smacked the cub yesterday sending him rolling.  He didn't seem any worse for wear today as he was back to his old tricks.  We saw this same cub catch his own fish.  Since Mother Bear is still nursing these cubs, no wonder she disciplines one who can start to fend for himself. 

Birds were everywhere snacking on fish remains left by the bears.  I still have this vivid mental picture:

Bears splashing in the shallow stream.  Birds squawking over head.  Fog and mist obscuring the mountain tops.  There through the raindrops off in the distance sat the float plane bobbing on thelake near the boat. 


I was so totally immersed in the moment that i never once thought about food or bathroom (or lack of)  But once back on the houseboat, i was glad to get those heavy cumbersome hip boots off, and get dry clothes on. 
I was all of sudden very tired, too.  It was an especially rewarding day for me as i had been concerned if I could actually do this physically.  


Not only had we seen bears, but they had stayed with us all day and come so close to us.   The inquisitive cub came so close to use that the guide had to clap his hands and yell so he'd run back to his Mom. Otherwise, we could have had a problem with Mother Bear. 

Now for the trip home.  From the houseboat to the skiff to the pontoons and up into the float plane.  I was exhausted, not only from the physical exertion, but also from the emotional experience.  
I nodded off in the cab as I rode back to the Captain Cook.   At midnight, I was still washing out my muddy clothes and thinking of my next wildlife adventure -- a cruise on Thursday through Kenai Fjords.
Finally, for today, though, a hot shower! 


What a day!  What a glorious day!  Most memorable experience! 

  Blog written by TLT guest and avid Alaskan traveler, Margie, from Central SC, in August 1998. 

The Ghana Tableau

There are slave castles, jungle canopies, soccer fans, shopping bazaars, wild beaches, and wilder street scenes.

Check it all out here!
THE GHANA TABLEAU

Images of Indonesia

I'm back, fellow travelers!

To re-ignite your travel passion after my blogging absence, here are water gardens, erupting volcanoes, wild orangutans, and street food!

Double-click on the below image, and click "slideshow" on the top left.  Here we go....

IMAGES OF INDONESIA! 

Images of Indonesia