How can you put all those precious waiting minutes to good use?  You can keep a book nearby, but often you just get into the plot and it’s time to put it aside.  You can talk on your phone, annoying everyone around you and risking private information being overheard my many.  You can stare into space, day dream, or even try to come up a way to save the world.

But what if during all the waiting around you really could save the world?  Well, maybe not you alone and maybe not the entire world, but what if you could use the waiting time to support a cause that was important to you?

That’s part of the premise behind a new on-line game charity called GamesThatGive that launched earlier this week.  It’s a chance for you to play some of your favorite online games for FREE and while doing so generate funds for your favorite charity.   Funds are generated by the corporations who sponsor the site, who have agreed to donate 70% of its advertising revenue to charity.  All you have to do is pull out your smart phone or laptop, and choose your favorite game.  They say:  “70% of our ad revenue goes to your favorite charity. You play. We donate. No Catch.”

Who are the community minded businesses involved with the venture?  More are being added each day, but so far include Domino’s Pizza, Starbuck’s, Pepsi, Best Buy, Quaker Oats, Dial, and MasterCard.

There are about 9 games that you can choose from, including Solitaire, Blackjack, Gems, Bubble Burst, and Sudoku.  Pick your favorite, or try to learn a new one.  Although I’m not a big game person, when I could help raise money for Breast Cancer Network of Strength, Mercy Corps, or Ronald McDonald House Charities (just three of the charities you can choose), it seemed like gaming was a good idea.

There’s even a social media component, if you want to challenge your friends to beat your scores, raise more money, or get involved.

I just checked the site before writing this post, and it said that $3.147.87 had been raised so far.  If you’re hanging out with time on your hands, play a game or two and make that total go much higher!

Photo credit:  SXC

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

I live in Seattle, and there are 5 haunted locales list in the state of Washington:

• The Bush House (Index)
• The Oxford Saloon & Eatery (Snohomish – I knew about this one)
• Murphy Family Farm, a private residence (Longview)
• Rutherglen Mansion Bed & Breakfast (Longview)
• Port Gamble (Port Gamble, near the Hood Canal Bridge – I had also heard about this one)

Belief in ghosts and paranormal activity is a common belief around the world, and is found in nearly every culture.  I’m sure many of remember our childhood, and tales of haunted houses, stories about spooky happenings in the local cemetery, or maybe about strange things that go bump in the night.  We told stories around the campfire, when we were camping in the backyard, or maybe when we were trying to scare a younger sibling or neighbor.

But what if we found out that all those stories were true?

That’s basically the purpose of this encyclopedia – to set out, in an investigative fashion, what the world’s leading paranormal investigators have discovered, and to share it with all of us.  All of the entries give a little bit of history and background about why it is believed that the location is haunted.  This includes details of who investigated the haunting, what was observed, interviews, research field notes, and additional anecdotal information.  Some of the locales are public buildings, while others are private residences, and I’ve been assured that this 2nd edition of the book includes lots of new listings.

After the geographical listings, there is a profile of paranormal investigator Dr. Hans Holzer (PhD in Parapsychology from the London College of Applied Science) who has studied this field for over 60 years.  And, if you think your house might be haunted, there is also a geographical listing of paranormal investigators.  I noted that there are three serving the Seattle area.

This is a fun book for the discovery factor alone.  If you’ve a particular interest in the paranormal or visiting haunted houses, graveyards, monuments and hotels, you’re going to love the book!  The first thing you’ll do is probably the same thing that I did, check out what’s near you, and then you’ll start looking for all the other places that you’ve “heard” were haunted.

The Encyclopedia of Haunted Places is 360 pages and includes photographs.  You’ll find it at your local bookstore, online at Amazon.com ($13.59), and from the publisher, New Page Books.

Photo credit: New Page Books

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

—

In the soft grey light of early morning, we sit quietly on a bamboo mat, wicker baskets of sticky rice beside us, across from a shuttered colonial mansion heavy with bougainvillea.  Birds chatter in the flame trees until a gong sounds, momentarily startling them into silence.

Around a corner, dozens of barefoot monks and novices appear in a swish of saffron, golden bowls hanging from orange shoulder straps.  Beside us, locals show us how to earn merit.  Men adorned with scarves over one shoulder as a mark of respect and kneeling women in traditional shawls put fistfuls of rice into the monks’ bowls as they lift the lids, barely stopping their gracious procession.

As in a dream, just as the rising sun gilds the ceramic-tiled temple roofs, the stream of gold vanishes and the monks return inside. Luang Prabang gets on with the business of the day.

The alms giving ritual, while common in many Asian communities, is particularly vibrant in this ancient capital of Lao culture where the royal family were patrons of Theravada Buddhism. Because of its remoteness in the lush mountains of Northern Laos, Luang Prabang preserved a strong Buddhist culture and traditional fabric of life during the French occupation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today there are no less than 32 active temples or wats, their sweeping roofs sheltering ornate murals, mosaics and intricately carved golden doors, in this pretty town nestled on a narrow peninsula at the convergence of the Mekong and its tributary, the Khan.

In 1995, UNESCO granted Luang Prabang world heritage status because of the unique juxtaposition of the French colonial architecture with its temples and traditional Lao wooden buildings. It simply oozes the languid beauty of old Indochine.

We arrive at La Residence Phou Vao, hot and exhausted. Part of the Orient Express portfolio, La Residence is set on a hill above town and is a perfect place to savor the gentle ways of impeccable Laotian service. Its elegant open-sided reception area, graced with Lao silk weavings, artfully arranged pottery, and black and white photographs of Lao villagers, opens onto a lush garden shaded by bamboo and palm trees.  A small bougainvillea and frangipani bedecked stupa floats in a lotus pool.  Our spacious room…with four-poster bed draped in mosquito netting and comfortable sofa…is a study in rich tropical woods and white linens.

We restore our equilibrium by luxuriating Lao style: a cooling dip in the infinity pool before traditional Hmong deep-tissue massages with hot indigo herbal compresses in one of the serene spa pavilions that encircle a second pool. As dusk gently falls we join the head Lao chef for a cooking class on the terrace as other staff transform the pool area into a magical outdoor restaurant, draping dining tables in traditional silks, lighting lanterns in the trees and carefully floating an armada of candles on the water’s surface.

We also spend a couple of days right in the old town in the delightful contemporary-styled Apsara Hotel, with its jewel-bright silks and fuchsia lanterns overlooking the quiet Khan River. We discover the magnificent food market that weaves along roadsides under pagoda eves and airy colonial verandas. Vendors are busy arranging neat piles of basil, eggplants and bananas. Pyramids of red, brown and golden rice sit beside massive mounds of vermicelli and sparkling fresh Mekong river fish and eels. Mothers in traditional Lao sarongs select eggs, paw paws and tomatoes, fermented fish paste, chokos and chiles. There are marvelous swaths of exotic greens, wild boar trotters, kaffir limes, and clusters of ginger and mushrooms. A woman with a shoulder yoke carries baskets of watercress; a child grasps a live chicken; bouquets of gardenias perfume the bright morning sunshine.

After strong Lao coffee and pastries at the Jo Ma Bakery, set up when the Scandinavians helped restore the royal palace, we explore the former palace, which is now the national museum. Built by Vietnamese laborers and funded by the French colonialists it is a curious hodgepodge, with the crest of Erawan or three elephant heads of Laos, the French fleur de lys, Italian marble stairs and an eclectic collection of Art Deco furniture and Buddha statues. A replica of the pure gold, standing little Pra Bang Buddha, after which the town is named, is housed in a pavilion in the grounds. At 6pm, we return to watch elaborately costumed and masked dancers from the Royal Ballet Theatre tell the story of Ramayana.

The most elaborate wats are located between the palace and the fingertip of the peninsula. At the 18th century Wat Mai we see gold stucco bas reliefs of the last incarnation of the historic Buddha while at Wat Xieng Thong we marvel at a rare reclining Buddha and spectacular glass mosaics. Even more transporting, however, is to peek inside temple courtyards where orange robes flutter in the breeze and young novices play under the palm trees.

All over town there are a number of remarkable shops showcasing Lao textiles, woodwork, and silver. Many are identified by the sign ‘Stay Another Day,’ which is an initiative promoting sustainable tourism by connecting travelers with organizations that are helping to conserve local culture and support community projects.

One of the most impressive is Caruso Lao started by Canadian designer Sandra Yuck. Her gallery-quality shop displays exquisite contemporary handcrafted silk furnishings and scarves, silver, and hand-made furniture and wooden bowls that are made by some of the most talented artisans in Laos. At Ock Pop Tok, which means East meets West, Brit Joanna Smith linked up with local partners to help reinvigorate the Lao weaving industry. Today, you not only can buy stunning silk creations and learn about Lao textile traditions but also take dyeing and weaving workshops with local master crafts people under a traditional Lao wooden house beside the Mekong.

Other interesting ‘Stay Another Day’ projects include Big Brother Mouse, where you can help produce and distribute children’s books, and the Lao Red Cross steam baths and massages whose proceeds go to support humanitarian work.

We take a languid cruise in a longboat up the wide khaki swath of the Mekong River. Fisherman throw their nets from boats, children splash in the velvet shallows, women collect river weeds, water buffalo roll in the mud, farmers tend their vegetable plots.  At the sacred Pak Ou Caves, gouged from limestone karsts at the river’s edge, we discover thousands of old and damaged Buddhas retired in peace high above the water, which is tinted orange like the monks’ habits by the sun’s dying rays.

When it gets dark, vendors set up their displays at the mellow night market. We wander undisturbed along the stalls, lit by colored lanterns, choosing delicately patterned silk scarves, rice paper light fixtures pressed with flowers, Hmong embroidery and silver jeweler, and even antique opium scales. Beware, however, of cheap machine-made products from other countries. In a nearby street, food stalls offer inexpensive and delectable Lao specialties such as laap, spicy marinated meat or fish with vegetables.

Indeed, we can’t get enough of the remarkable local food. We enjoy a lunch of watercress soup and local buffalo mozzarella, tomato and basil salad at L’ Elephant, savoring also its sumptuous ode to colonial Asia on a rattan chair-decked terrace. At 3 Nagas we devour fiery kaipen, a rustic nori made from pressed and dried riverweeds that are fried with chili, sesame seeds, garlic and buffalo skin paste, and knap, delicate parcels of river fish with local vegetables and herbs wrapped in banana leaves. Afterwards, we stroll contentedly in the soft perfumed air along the lantern-lit riverfront to the Apsara Hotel.

At sunset on our final day, we climb the 328 steps to the temple on the top of Mount Phousi, right in the heart of town. Luang Prabang is spread before us in a tropical patchwork…its slow-motion traffic of bicycles and tuk tuks, its splotches of orange and black as monks with parasols stroll the footpaths, its red-trimmed blue longboats plying the latte-colored Mekong, its pastel-shuttered verandas, its golden temples soaring above mango and frangipani trees.

GETTING THERE: The easiest option is to fly from Bangkok to Luang Prabang on Bangkok Air or Lao Airlines.

VISA: $30 Lao visa can be bought on arrival.

Photo credit: jiazi @flickr (alms); Allie Caulfield @flickr (Buddha)

—

Susan Gough Henly has written about travel, food, wine, and culture for twenty years contributing to such publications as The New York Times, The International Herald Tribune, Travel and Leisure, The Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast, The Guardian, The Toronto Star, Luxury Travel, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Sun Herald, Royal Auto and Outback Magazine. Now based in Australia, she lived for many years in the United States, where she was editor of The Best Places guidebooks in Seattle as well as an editor at Workman Publishing in New York. She also worked for the Bordeaux Wine Trade Council in France.

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

First, the movie.

It was, ostensibly, a baseball movie – The Lost Son of Havana – about former baseball pitcher Luis Tiant.

In 1961, the Cleveland Indians brought the young pitcher to the United States to play professional baseball, following in the footsteps of his father, also a pitcher, who played in the Negro League for the New York Cubans.  While living out his dream, Tiant received a message from his parents back in Cuba – don’t return home.  The rise of the Castro regime made returning back to Cuba an unwise decision.

Tiant heeded the advice of his parents, but it would be 14 years before he saw them again.

Castro eventually allowed the elder Tiant’s to travel to the US (following intervention by then Senator George McGovern), and they saw their son play in the 1975 World Series, where he was the winning pitcher for two games against the Big Red Machine of Cincinnati.  Luis Sr. even through the first pitch of the game, which resulted in father and son being on the mound.  The Tiant’s stayed in the US for 15 months, as they watched there son play baseball and got to know him once again.  Eventually, they both passed away here in the US, within a day of one another.

If that was all the movie was about, it would be a nice, simple movie, with baseball as a subtext for a warm family, feel-good movie.  But the heart of the movie lies in following Luis as he is finally allowed to journey back to Cuba following a 46-year exile.  After a couple of previous attempts to return, all futile, this movie is about finally going home again, to a country that has changed nearly to the point of being unrecognizable.

Tiant reunites with elderly aunts, former baseball colleagues, and numerous extended family members and friends from the neighborhood, as he takes a trip down memory lane that is both joyous and painful.  A new generation of Cubans come out to meet him, thinking of him as not only a great baseball players, but as a “millionaire from the United States.”

The movie, which premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, does a nice job of weaving old film clips into the filming of the journey back home.  It does an amazing job of showing the emotions of a rather stoic man, as he wrestles with the guilt over leaving his family and homeland, and his successes as opposed to the poverty of his former home.  There’s grief, there’s joy, there’s guilt, and just a teensy bit of hope as Luis Tiant says that he will return to Cuba again.

After watching the movie, I was left asking myself once again – why do we continue this crazy embargo on travel to Cuba?  Who is really hurt by it?

It’s a mere 90 miles away from our shore, but there’s a mountain of policy that says Tiant will probably never be able to cross that divide again.

So please. . . somebody. . . tell me again, why is this a good policy?

If I’ve piqued your interest, please take a look at the movie trailer:

Photo credit: wikimedia

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Consumer Traveler – Chris Elliott shares good advice about dealing with a bankrupt, or soon-to-be bankrupt, airline.  Ignore this advice at your peril.

Ciao Amalfi – Taking the boat from Salerno to Amalfi.  Just a little slice of heaven.

London Bridge

Travel Blog Camp – Registration for this travel blogger meet up opens. . . and closes.  If you’ll be in London next month, it may still be worth getting on the waiting list.  I’ll be there, so let me know if you will too!

Almost Fearless – Commonsense tips for travel safety.  Don’t let fear run your life.

PlanetEye Traveler – Green Travel – Green travel iPhone apps.  And you know how I love my iPhone apps!

EyeFlare – A couple travel organizers for your consideration.  These are such personal things, and I think it’s best to look and compare several before making a decision.

Travel & Leisure Blog – It will cost you more to sit next to your traveling companion with these new reservation fees from British Airlines.

IB Traveler – Places to experience French culture, even if you’re not in France.  Good list, but I still want to go back to Paris.

Gadling – Don’t mess with my free wi-fi access.  Could mooching it soon become a thing of the past.

Intelligent Traveler – Ken Burns talks about his new PBS mini-series, The National Parks:  America’s Best Idea.  I’m recording the series.

Location Independent – Tips to lighten your load when packing.  While I’m not a fan of all the choices, everyone should be able to walk away with an idea to implement.  Me?  I’m going shopping for a wireless travel router.

The Vacation Gals – Tips to deal with a fear of flying.  It’s real and it can be paralyzing, but it also can be tamed.

Travellious – All those gadgets need power, and here’s how to get it.

PlanetEye Traveler – Disney – Help your kids have a successful experience in getting Disney character autographs.  These tips will help kids of all ages.

West Seattle Blog – A local story that brought tears to my eyes about an assisted living center and the cats who live there.  If you doubt the healing powers of a pet, these stories will change your mind.

Seattle MetBlogs – Great photo of a reptilian resident of the Pike Place Market.

Photo credit: slideshow bob @flickr

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

MJ outside the gate of SMU's Gerald Ford Stadium, Dallas

Earlier this summer, I had a chance to visit Southern Methodist University in Dallas.  It’s officially located in University Park, a part of the greater Dallas area.

SMU, founded in 1911, is a private university owned and operated by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church.  The university has an enrollment of nearly 11,000 students, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree in seven schools:  humanities and sciences, business, the performing, visual, and communication arts, engineering, education and human development, law, and theology.  The campus is home to 10 libraries, including the largest private collection of research materials in the southwest, and the Meadows Museum, one of the leading collections of Spanish art outside of Spain.

What brought me to the SMU campus, however, was not related to education, culture, or art.  What prompted my visit to SMU was football.  Specifically, SMU Mustangs football.  I know, you’re scratching your head thinking, “but MJ, you don’t even like football,” but this little side trip, like many in my travels, was about friendship.  Head coach June Jones is a friend, and this was a little glimpse at the stadium and field where his team plays.  (The photo shows me standing outside the gate of the Gerald J. Ford Stadium.)

This was a beautiful campus, set in a largely residential area, and a visit was well worth the time getting off the beaten path.  I’m looking at fall travel plans now, and wondering how many new campuses I can visit!

Do you have a favorite college campus that you’ve visited?

Photo credit:  Mary Jo Manzanares

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Slow Travel gives you an opportunity to connect to a place and its people, rather than racing through a bunch of cities.  It’s about experiencing culture and heritage, not just about finding the nearest fast food drive-thru.  In other words, take time to stop and smell the roses – or look at the sunflowers!

Slow down and take time to look at sunflowers in Italy

As part of the slowing down process, a number of cities banded together to create Cittaslow, and to set up and official Slow Cities charter and designation.  To get the designation, a city must have less than 50,000 residents and meet 55 criteria covering environmental policy, infrastructure, quality of urban fabric, encourage of local produce and products, hospitality and community, and awareness of the Slow City movement.  Applying cities are thoroughly vetted before being granted the designation, and are regularly checked to maintain compliance to standards.

There are more than 120 Slow Cities in 16 countries around the world.  Most can be found it Europe, with the majority located in Italy, but they are also found in Australia and South Korea.  Cowichan Bay in British Columbia is the first Slow City in North America.  It comes as no surprise that there aren’t any Slow Cities in the United States.  Maybe that will change soon.

What do you think of the slow city movement?  Could you slow your vacation down, seeing less but more in depth?  Or do you want to experience more when you travel?

Photo credit:  personal collection

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

And I’m not talking about a vacation to go visit family – I’m talking about a real vacation – for everyone!

Ashford Castle, County Mayo, Ireland

I first tried the holiday vacation plan nearly 10 years ago, and while I don’t do it every year, it’s become an important part of mixing up my holiday celebrations.  It’s also done a lot to restore peace and balance in my life, something for which I am very thankful!  The vacations have occasionally occasionally included extended family members, sometimes not, and I’ve found that getting people out of their usual places and roles, can go a long way toward establishing new traditions and having fun.  You don’t have to do the same thing every single year!

In past years, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving on a cruise (several times, including cruises to Mexico, the Caribbean, and through the Panama Canal) and in Hawaii.  This year’s plans haven’t been finalized yet, but since I’ll be in London earlier in November, this may be a stay-at-home year.

Need some inspiration to do a mind switch on a Thanksgiving vacation?  Why not suggest something different for this year?

Here’s a Thanksgiving travel package that I came across to get you started thinking outside the box:  Spend Thanksgiving, including a hearty dinner, at Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland.

Ashford Castle is located on 350 acres on the shores of Lough Corrib and the River Cong.  It’s surrounded by the lake, river, mountains, and lots of green.  The Castle has 83 guestrooms, and features an equestrian center, a falconry school (the first in Ireland), a 9-hole golf course, and fly fishing.  There are several dining rooms and bars on property.

For a Thanksgiving stay, you can take advantage of the Thanksgiving special which is a 3-night package that includes breakfast each morning, and a gourmet Irish-style Thanksgiving dinner.  Packages start at €375 (about $548) per person, and is offered for November 26 – 28th.

Don’t get me wrong – I love my family.  Sometimes, though, you have to break with the old to establish new, healthier, and more memorable family traditions.

Have you vacationed for Thanksgiving?  How did it work out?

Photo credit:  Courtesy of Ashford Castle

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Due to its prime location at the end of the Golden Gate Bridge, much of Sausalito’s history has been playing a supporting role to nearby San Francisco.  The area has been a fishing village, transit hub, and a center for bootlegging during Prohibition, and during World War II was a major shipyard supporting the war.

Colorful floating homes dot the Sausalito landscape

Following the war, the shipyards were abandoned, and they became the location for a number of communities of houseboats.  Eventually a rather eclectic houseboat community sprouted up, eventually becoming a the side of the “Hill People,: rich families who lived on the hill and felt the houseboats were a blight on their view.  This led to the “Houseboat Wars” pitting the two groups of homeowners against one another in what seemed like an endless amount of legal battles.

Two house boat communities remain, Gallilee Harbor (at Waldo Point) and the Gates Cooperative (just outside the city limits).  Over 400 houseboats are within those communities, spanning a wide range of shapes, sizes, and values.  It’s as eclectic and diverse as ever.

Following a brief hiatus, the floating homes (as they are now properly called), will host a Floating Home Tour, opening the doors on 20 unique floating homes.  The self-guided tour will allow you to take a look at the interior of the homes, talk to residents of the community, and get a feel for what water life is like.

The tour begins at Kappas Marina (on Gate 6 Road off Bridgeway), with registration at the Green.  From there, the self-guided tour takes you through a selection of floating homes, including the “Train Wreck” which was built from an 1889 North Pacific Railway Pullman car that was cut in half.

The floating home tours is September 26th, 2009, from 11 am – 4 pm.  Advance tickets for the tour are $35 and are strong recommended.  Tickets can be purchased online.  If you can’t make it to Sausalito, and still want a little glimpse at houseboat life, you can check on their virtual tour.

Photo credit: wikimedia

Post from: Fly Away Cafe

Up, Up, and A Gay, a recently discovered blog from another Flight Attendant, dishes about why we’re always dishing about work.  It’s true, too!

Los Angeles Times tries to makes sense of the security rule regarding exact name matchups.  There may be flexibility now, but what little there is will be going away soon.

The Venice Guide captured my attention again this week with a post about the etiquette of dining in Italy.  If you’re planning a trip there, give this post a once over.

Consumer Traveler enters the debate about travel agents being charged fees to book tickets on United.  No matter which side wins this battle, it’s us travelers who will wind up paying.

Gadling reviews a gadget with a name too long to remember.  Bottom line, though, is this little gem will help you get better wi-fi reception in hotels.

The Rio Guide gives suggestions for saving on your food budget by hitting up the right supermarkets.

Intelligent Travel tempts us to the 49th state with a post about Homer, Alaska.

Wanderlust and Lipstick has a travel writing contest.  You can win a 12-day culture and spa tour of Vietnam.

The Miami Guide writes about the story behind Vizcaya, a landmark property along the Miami shore.  You may want to catch the upcoming PBS documentary about it, too.

Tripbase lists 20 ways to screw up your Labor Day road trip.  These are good trips for any time at all.

Ron Dubin Photography has a great shot of Los Angeles and the smoke blanketing the city from the aggressive forest fires.

Traveling the Green Way reviews recycled travel speakers from OrigAudio.  Compact and green, what a great combo.

USA Today writes about the conception vacation promotion.  Provide some medical documentation to support your claim that your baby was conceived while vacationing at the The Westin Resort on Aruba, and get a credit for a return visit.

Photo credit: SXC

Post from: Fly Away Cafe