Divas, I’m home! Back from 3 weeks in Tanzania, Zanzibar and Dubai. Wow! First of all, let me say that if you haven’t been to the Burj Al Arab, you haven’t been to Dubai. The world’s only 7-star hotel did not disappoint. And what a relief after camping out in the bush with lions!
My Spark delegation trip started out in Dar Es Salaam, where we fanned out to small villages to meet with local women and learn about their businesses as well as visit grade schools to learn how we can help more girls both attend and STAY IN school (for instance, pregnant girls get kicked out of state schools, and many of the girls we talked to traveled for HOURS every day to and from school on dangerous roads).
The weather was hot, our resolve was strong, and the obstacles facing women and girls seemed almost insurmountable. Yet we forged ahead, and forged connections across cultures and borders. Sounds like a Hallmark card; felt like ten furnaces of heat and 3 bushels of I’m-not-worthy. We came away taking more from the women and girls than we felt like we gave them!
And last but not least a safari followed by some royal R&R in Dubai. I swam in both the Persian (Arabian) Gulf and the Indian Ocean, saw the Big 5 (Cape Buffalo, elephant, lion, leopard, rhino), and did both no star and 7-star accomodations. More details to come, but I just wanted ya to know that I made it home safely.
Oh, and ‘dada’ means sister in Swahili, so hello to all my Diva Dadas!
I have been in too many airports in the past 2 weeks to even count, and the place I see the most frustration is at baggage claim. Now with the holiday season roaring towards us, I wanted to give you some tips on how to pack so you can avoid luggage loss or wasted time at the airport…after all, do you really need to 5 pairs of stilettos for your weekend girlfriend getaway? I didn’t think so.
Rule number one, only bring what will fit in a carry-on. Period.
Check the weather before you pack! Do you need a raincoat or a swim suit?
Try to avoid creating extra packing by using items that have multi-uses.
Transformer Fashions: Pack clothes that have multi-purposes and can be layered. - Tank Tops - Black lycra pants - Cute sweaters - Little black dress - T-shirts or camisoles - Sturdy, sexy shoes
Bring clothes that don’t have many buttons, then you don’t have to worry about losing them. Black is back: pack black clothes and use scented scarves to dress up your outfits. Lycra, cotton blends, NO linen. Bring basics that don’t wrinkle.
Everything else gets rolled lightly, cotton tops get a scarf rolled between it. Shoes go on the side where the luggage will be on the bottom when rolling and when laying flat. Put cosmetic case on the top because if they are going to go through your luggage, that is what TSA goes through first.
Scarves: Instead of fabric softeners, take a variety of scarves and spray them with your favorite perfume. Then use them to wrap your clothes in. Cotton shirts or other items that can wrinkle will fare better and smell fabulous. Bring different sizes, like a big pashima wrap and small neck scares.
Wine bags: The cloth and tulle bags that are used to wrap wine as gifts are perfect to stuff your sock and intimates in. I also use them to pack jewelry. I wrap my necklaces and earrings in a small scarf and then pack it in a tulle wine bag.
Hard Soap: Bring a bar of fabulous soap. My favorite is Roger & Gallet from Paris. It smells divine and it comes in a plastic container. So, I can take the soap on many trips with me.
** Transportation Security Administration** Carry on: The following rules apply to all liquids, gels, and aerosols carried through security checkpoints.
1. All liquids, gels and aerosols must be in three-ounce or smaller containers. Larger containers that are half-full or toothpaste tubes rolled up are not allowed. Each container must be three ounces or smaller. 2. All liquids, gels and aerosols must be placed in a single, quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag. Gallon size bags or bags that are not zip-top such as fold-over sandwich bags are not allowed. Each traveler can use only one, quart-size, zip-top, clear plastic bag. 3. Each traveler must remove their quart-sized plastic, zip-top bag from their carry-on and place it in a bin or on the conveyor belt for X-ray screening. X-raying separately will allow TSA security officers to more easily examine the declared items.
There are exceptions for baby formula, breast milk, and other essential liquids, gels, and aerosols, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Plastic bag with basics: Keep packed in a small plastic bag: single use eye drops, small bottle of hand sanitizer, lip balm, small sunscreen, travel size packs of motion sickness medicine, pain relief, and stomach medicine.
Color copies of identification: It is much easier to get a new passport or ID when you have copies of your originals. Carry them in all of your suitcases; I store them in the unused side pockets of my luggage.
Handy wipes: The truth is, some place you go won’t have toilet paper. So, be prepared with a small pack of handy wipes. They are also great for refreshing your hands and face when traveling.
Eye cover and ear plugs: These are great on the plane, or even on trains. But they are the best when you are staying somewhere that is a bit noisy or the curtains are not very thick. You need your sleep when traveling.
They helped me firm up, de-fluff around the mid-section, drop some of those pesky too many cocktails and trying new restaurants pounds, and lose almost 5 % body fat while having … TONS of FUN!!!
When I invited my NYC sis to join me for a week of “being good” at Fitness Ridge, I could almost hear her heart rate speed up over the phone.
Her response: “Are you nuts? What part of 1200 calories a day, no booze, no coffee, a nine mile hike daily and hours of exercise classes sounds like me? And there’s absolutely NO WAY they can charge a measly $1295 for the whole week unless it’s a complete dump. Get serious-that’s what most spas charge per day! ”
Since tact has never been part of my M.O. I just sweetly replied, “Ok, then. I take it you wish to keep all your extra tummy rolls?” Nuff said- she huffed and puffed over what tummy rolls I could possibly be referring to, but she started packing!
Belly-aching the whole two hour easy drive from Las Vegas to Ivins, (Fitness Ridge will arrange for a shuttle pick-up and drop off the airport- but Sis made me rent a car in case we needed to escape.) Sis was working herself into a major frenzy, insisting I had roped her into a stay at the “Big House for White Collar Criminals.” (Granted, the new pic’s haven’t been put up on their website yet so the old photo of a wire fence all around the grounds did look a little Alcatraz-ish!)
Just returned home from a fantastic couple of weeks eating my way thru Morocco—will write up my culinary adventures soon, but for now, I’m just trying to stay awake and plow through my email invites…. Oh-here’s a GREAT one that I didn’t miss- and you won’t want to either if you like discovering boutique wines and live in the Bay Area. You’ll be sure to fall in love with some of this little know treasures culled from about 40 small winemakers. Come say hi if you make it into the top 200 list!
Wine Tasting, Food and Fun Join RadCru.com, Bottlenotes, Wine 2.0 and 200 of our closest friends for “New Releases Only” Thursday November 29th From 7pm – 10pm At Varnish Fine Art and Wine Bar in San Francisco. Ample parking is available.
New Releases Only features over 30 vintners pouring their newest released wines. Attending wineries include: Cameron Hughes Wine, Canihan Wines, Clautiere Winery, Creek View Vineyards, Dashe Cellars, Delectus, Dono dal Cielo, Due Vigne, Esca Wines, Fantesca, Four Vines, Girard, J Dusi Wines, Jeriko Estate, Joseph Family Vineyards, Kenefick Ranch, Kenwood, Lake Sonoma Winery, McFadden, Medlock Ames, Modus Operandi, Otter Cove Wines, Owl Ridge, Peter Franus, Sapid, Spencer-Roloson, Stag’s Leap, Tobacco Road Cellars, Twisted Oak, Valley of the Moon, Vie Winery, and Windsor Sonoma.
Varnish Fine Art 77 Natoma St. San Francisco, CA 94105 T: 415.222.6131 Tickets are $40 pre-event and $60 at the door. To order tickets go to: http://www.winetwo.com/
Sometimes Thanksgiving is a relaxed potluck affair, and sometimes the host/ess is a control freak who wants to do it all by herself. Either way, I have the perfect gift suggestion that will guarantee you’ll be graciously offered plenty of leftovers to take home.
I’m having a complete love affair with St-Germain, Delice De Sureau — the world’s first handcrafted, all-natural elderflower liqueur, since I discovered it at the 2007 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It aced the competition and took home the Best In Show-Double Gold Medal!
It’s flavor is best described as a little pear with some passionfruit and maybe a hint of Meyer lemon. It’s not too sweet and makes a wonderful secret ingredient for Martinis. But my fave is the St-Germain Cocktail, equal parts of champagne and soda with a shot of St-Germain. Really wakes up those taste buds.
P.S. The gorgeous belle epoque bottle is much to pretty to throw out so let me know if you have any great recycling ideas. Maybe high styled Mateus candleholders?
Opening early next month at Heathrow, following a successful debut at London’s Gatwick airport, Yotel offers a new first-class layover option.
Conveniently located right in the terminal, the Japanese-style Yotel gives you all the perks of an upscale hotel in a teeny little package, with a price to match. From the comfort of your own ten-square-meter capsule, you can order movies to watch on the 23-inch flat-screen, surf sixty channels or exploit the free WiFi or summon curried noodles or a chilled Chardonnay with 24-hour “pod” service.
Yotel, London Heathrow Airport, Middlesex, United Kingdom, +44 207 100 1100; taking bookings from December 1st, from £25 www.yotel.com/
Be sure to check out the special year-end issue of Glimpse Quarterly, "Global Greening: Lessons from Abroad," which offers a compelling look at how the rest of the world is responding to increasing environmental threats through the eyes of our student and young adult correspondents Check out the PDF at this link: http://glimpsefoundation.org/downloads/issues/winter2007/Issue.pdf
The issue features: - Returned study abroad student Leanne Cameron reminisces about London’s pedestrian-friendly streets and laments America’s over-dependence on cars. - Eco-village volunteer Flora Lindsay-Herrera questions how this model of sustainability can be applied to the urban world. - Canadian backpacker Leona Baldwin gets off the beaten path in New Zealand to work for food on an organic farm. - Study abroad student Amanda Spector struggles with trash disposal issues in rural Madagascar. - Young journalist Sabrina Mondschein learns about prudent resource management from her roommates in Xi’an, China.
Plus: - Experts in the sustainable travel industry reveal the devastation wrought by mass tourism and what travelers can do to contribute positively to the places they visit. - Malaysian cyclist and adventurer Nithy S.R. outlines his plans to bring solar-powered rickshaws to the Indian subcontinent. - Top picks for green travel gear, adventures on public transit around the world, and small solutions to the planet’s 13 largest environmental problems.
Glimpse Quarterly is published by the Glimpse Foundation, which works in close partnership with the National Geographic Society to promote cross-cultural understanding and exchange among young people by providing forums for sharing the experiences of students and volunteers living abroad.
The foundation also publishes a community-based Web site, glimpse.org, which offers first-person, cultural-experience pieces written by study-abroad students and other young adult travelers. It has become a valuable resource for students in international study programs at nearly 800 universities and colleges around the United States. Glimpse.org also serves as a gathering space for internationally minded young adults, offering a database of nearly 500 student-written articles from over 100 countries, as well as blogging services and social networking capabilities.
You have probably heard about Elizabeth Charles – she is one of 7×7 magazine’s "Hot 20 Under 40" this year and she is also the charming hostess of Tango Diva’s pre-holiday soiree in San Francisco.
Before the holiday season takes off, join us for an evening of fabulous fashions from Australia and New Zealand at Elizabeth Charles’ recently opened boutique in Pacific Heights. Nibble on delicious hors d’oeuvres by the new and fabulous SPQR and sip exceptional wines while treating yourself to a new party dress you are a Diva after all! Pick up a copy of Fly Solo which Teresa Williamson will sign and HEIDI will gift wrap on location and shop for other great holiday gifts such as stylish scarves and coveted lipsticks. From 7×7 magazine: "In the barely six months since she set up shop on Fillmore Street, Elizabeth Charles has already drawn Tinseltown shoppers Kate Hudson and Charlize Theron to her namesake boutique. The native of Melbourne, Australia, opened her first store with husband and business partner Tony almost five years ago in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, where regulars include red carpet stylists and their clients – Naomi Watts, Lindsay Lohan and J-Lo."
What: Tango Diva’s Pre-Holiday Soiree
When: Thursday November 15, 7 – 9 pm
Where: elizabeth charles 2056 Fillmore Street (Btn California and Pine) San Francisco CA 94115
Who: Feel free to invite your fashion-forward friends to this exclusive event.
My sister blew in from New York for a week-end together in Las Vegas, en-route to our week’s stay at the new Fitness Ridge Resort and Spa,aka: the Compassionate Boot-Camp, in Utah. (Watch for upcoming story.)
We checked into our digs for the night, a place I stumbled across on the internet, The Platinum Hotel & Spa. Sis was totally disgruntled…I spend 6 hours on the plane and you can’t even book us on the STRIP? (Some people have such trouble keeping an open mind.)
So, in the spirit of full disclosure, The Platinum is….two tiny blocks from the heart of things, where it can be found right behind Bally’s. (Or as their brochure states: All the bells and whistles without all the bells and whistles.) That being said this no-smoking hotel (and in Vegas that is huge!) is a real find, which didn’t surprise us after we found out it was a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts.
Platinum offers gorgeous designer-furnished condos, with one bedrooms ranging from a generous 90-to 1100 square feet. But Sis and I sprung for the two-bedroom suite, weighing in at a sumptuous 2400+ square feet plus a private wrap around balcony overlooking the indoor/outdoor pool with mountain vista backdrop. Each unit has a bathroom (with oversized whirlpool tub and designer shower) that by itself is as big as most hotel rooms, a state of the art gourmet kitchen-even a washer/dryer should you be missing your daily chores back home!
A word more about the Hotel’s outdoor swims. We were so relaxed at the 4th floor pool oasis, lounging on the cabana beds, in front of the outdoor fire pit, chattering away while sipping the hotel’s signature Zen-tini cocktail and that we actually considered canceling our tickets to O!
Should you win a little something at the slots you can treat yourself at the full service Well Spa… should you lose, go for lots of dessert at the sophisticated Restaurant. We didn’t have a chance to eat there but next time I’m going to try the tempting “Monte Cristo on Grilled Cinnamon Doughnuts’ and get Sis to stay awake so we can check out the outdoor nightclub that looked totally fun.
Platinum Hotel & Spa 211 E. Flamingo Road Las vegas, NV 89169 p:707.365.5000 www.theplatinumhotel.com/
Divas! The Spark delegation trip to Tanzania starts in a few hours. I am SO excited! Our itinerary is fabulous. From a day at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) to village visits to an eco-safari, Tanzania promises to transform…
I’m on the board of Spark, and we are an organization that promotes education as well as socialization…from cocktail parties for a cause to fabulous Speaker Series events to delegation trips around the world to see how our global grantees are putting our money to use, Spark seeks a 360-degree view of the challenges facing women around the world.
To that end, we are off to Tanzania today! We will visit the ICTR where war crimes during the Rwandan genocide are finally being prosecuted under the auspices of the UN. We will visit nonprofits on the ground such as Village Enterprise Fund (where Kiva.org founder Jessica Flannery got her start), Care and CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education). We will do volunteer work with Tanzania Volunteer Experience.
Then it’s zipping to Zanzibar for some R&R and learning about this Indian Ocean island’s role as a major slave trade hub and massive exotic spice exporter.
Finally, some pampering in Dubai at the world’s only 7-star hotel, the Burj Al Arab. Did you see that fabulous 60 Minutes segment on Dubai? What a fascinating mix of traditional Islamic values, an ex-pat melting pot, a stratospheric gold rush, and an architectural orgasmica!
Brava Argentina!
And speaking of empowering women, my Croatian expert and magazine publisher friend Martina excitedly emailed me this article from The Economist all about the newly elected first female president of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. Brava!
Part One
Since tact has never been part of my M.O. I just sweetly replied, “Ok, then. I take it you wish to keep all your extra tummy rolls?” Nuff said- she huffed and puffed over what tummy rolls I could possibly be referring to, but she started packing!
Just returned home from a fantastic couple of weeks eating my way thru Morocco—will write up my culinary adventures soon, but for now, I’m just trying to stay awake and plow through my email invites…. Oh-here’s a GREAT one that I didn’t miss- and you won’t want to either if you like discovering boutique wines and live in the Bay Area. You’ll be sure to fall in love with some of this little know treasures culled from about 40 small winemakers. Come say hi if you make it into the top 200 list! 
Sometimes Thanksgiving is a relaxed potluck affair, and sometimes the host/ess is a control freak who wants to do it all by herself. Either way, I have the perfect gift suggestion that will guarantee you’ll be graciously offered plenty of leftovers to take home.
Opening early next month at Heathrow, following a successful debut at London’s Gatwick airport, 
My sister blew in from New York for a week-end together in Las Vegas, en-route to our week’s stay at the new Fitness Ridge Resort and Spa,aka: the Compassionate Boot-Camp, in Utah. (Watch for upcoming story.)
