Destinations

By Guest Blogger, Nishant Bagadia

The Great Wall is synonymous with China, a country that has harbored this 4000-mile stone monument since the 5th century BC. It is almost impossible to return from China without paying a visit to this world wonder. If you go to Beijing, there is of course the option of walking on the recently renovated portion of the wall, complete with tourists, gift shops and hecklers. However, if you are seeking an authentic experience of the Great Wall in the most peaceful of mountain settings, I recommend you take a day trip a few hours south west.

Start early. Hop on a relatively short train to another major city in the Hebei province called Baoding. Here, find a bus to transit over to the small mountain town called Laiyuan County. If you leave Beijing at 6 am you might make it to Laiyuan by noon. Upon your arrival, I recommend you ignore the tempting street markets and go straight to the desperate crowd of private drivers waiting to take people to the base of the Great Wall “hike”. As a tip, I would negotiate a price, around 100 Yuan per person, with the driver before you even begin and ask them to take you to the section of the wall called “Wulonggou”. After another one hour of anxiety, sweat and anticipation, and as the wall slowly grows from a dot in the horizon to a structured object, you can expect your driver to park in a village at the base of the mountain. As you walk past the lone farmer’s house where a few native children are chasing scorpions, understand that you are now one of the few foreigners about to make an incredible hike to one of the most breathtaking views of the wall.

Be sure to wear tennis shoes (although I hiked this trail in sandals and jeans), and keep your camera handy, while climbing the dry, brown stone plateaus that encompass the hike. Although your eyes will naturally stay fixed on the stone watchtowers ahead, certainly take a few minutes to turn around and embrace the never ending stretch of rocky land. Let the cool breeze muffle any distracting sound as it whistles past your ears.

When you approach the wall, be sure to move your hand along the earthy barricade and let the dust settle on your fingers. This is the wall in its truest form. As you traverse on top of the structure, notice the massive width of the wall lined with continuous defensive battlements. There are complete sections of the wall missing and an occasional area of eroded stones exposed by years of wind and weathering.

No other part of the remote wall is as impressive as the watchtowers. When you climb into this barrack, you will have a chance to feel the intricacies of a limestone room where the guards worked their defense. Look up and see the open window leading to the roof, I recommend safely climbing up onto the top. Here, you will find the best view of the snaking wall in all directions, especially if you look through the circular windows from where the archers released their arrows.

Finally, if you have the time before sunset, definitely spend 30 minutes enveloping the environment around you and opening that well deserved six pack of Tsingtao beer.

What more wonderful than seas with 1.5 foot swells, clear skies and a broad open decks to relax on between ports-of-call? Nothing!! I just returned from a marvelous six day ‘repositioning’ cruise aboard the SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS, one of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s mid-sized ships. Sailing from Lisbon, Portugal via Gibraltar, Sardinia, Dubrovnik and finishing in Venice, Italy, we got to experience a range of wonderful places to visit. We even had time to relax at sea on two of the days. All guests on board seemed to delight in this extra open time to mingle, laugh, chat and also have a bit of quiet time. It made an excellent balance between sightseeing new places and enjoyment of the ship’s proffered offerings.

On board, there were so many options for all age groups — rock wall climbing, spa treatments, mini-golf, shuffleboard and table tennis, jogging track, dance lessons, as well as special programs for the youngsters aboard with specialized on board counselors provided by the cruise line. Teens had their separate spaces and younger ones a playroom with age appropriate activities.

Throughout the day there was light musical entertainment which all of us enjoyed by the pool. If music wasn’t wished, there were ample other deck areas for quieter activities including snoozing. At night the quality and range of entertainment was excellent — full-fledged dance shows, atrium area duets and quartets, and light entertainment in several smaller club Rooms.

The ship had over 47 different nationalities aboard this sailing which gave many groups opportunities to share life experiences and cultures. The ship is designed to give everyone the option to be super busy to totally relaxed and the choices on the daily activities ‘menu’ left by the cabin stewards were endless and easy to make. All in all — a good time and all too short.

If your New Year’s resolution of losing weight or eating healthy needs a pick me up then this is the place to start. When vacationing, we often throw our diets out the window and indulge in the local fare. But, this indulgence does not have to hurt your waistline. Here are a few tips for staying lean while on holiday:

• Use Public Transportation - If you live in the Bay Area like me then you know public transportation leaves a lot to be desired, but many travel destinations have excellent public transportation like New York, London, Spain, etc. Take the bus or subway and walk to burn off extra calories.
• Sample the Local Fare - Instead of ordering a whole meal, opt for smaller, more frequent snacks or light meals. This way, you can sample the cuisine and still fill in with healthy alternatives like fruits and vegetables.
• Choose Cocktails Wisely - A night on the town can lead to a heavy load of calories, but choose your cocktails wisely. Wine and spritzers have the least amount of calories, around 80 per glass, with beer coming in around 150 calories. Heavy mixed drinks can have up to 500 calories in just one glass! A pina colada is a hefty 260 calories and the trendy chocolatini rings in at a whopping 440 calories.
• Drink Plenty of Water - Staying hydrated can help curb cravings and will flush out toxins.
• Stay Active - Use the hotel gym or plan active adventures. Go for a swim, plan a bicycling or walking tour of the city versus a bus tour, or take a yoga class outdoors.