Intelligent Travel

Smith Island Bake Sail

Tiny Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay is Maryland's last remaining offshore inhabited island, and the home of Maryland's state dessert, the magnificently multi-layered Smith Island Cake. So I got it in my head to sail there on our friend's boat and taste this baked extravaganza at the source. There are easier ways to do it (i.e., by ferry), but not as fun. It's a ten-hour sail from the town of Oxford, which is where the sailboat lives, and the folks at Smith Island Marina advised us to come on a rising tide to avoid getting stuck in sand. That meant sailing at night, which I love, and arriving at 2 a.m.

My family was up for the challenge, and our neighbor and his friend as well, so we set off on a warm Friday afternoon, after momentarily forgetting one of our teenagers on the dock. As we entered the bay, a trio of ospreys flew around the boat, and one of them landed on the mast and hitched a ride for a while, which we deemed a good sign. The kids grilled hamburgers on the barbecue cantilevered over the stern, and after dinner the stars came out and bioluminescent dinoflagellates sparkled in the waves as we zipped along. The kids were sleeping when we entered the channel and slowly motored through the hazards, using spotlights and flashlights to illuminate the navigational aids in the dark, tricky channel, and we tied up at the marina with relief. 

Delectable Dining in Denver

Can I just pause for a moment to say how much I love you readers? Because I can honestly say that your insightful tips made my trip to Colorado terrific in so many ways. First off, you nailed the restaurant suggestions: I booked a table at the Vesta Dipping Grill before I left for the airport, and eight hours later, I was sitting before a roast duck with dried berry chutney sauce that was fit for the gods. My friends, including a Denver resident who had yet to try the joint, each were thrilled with their pork, scallops, and tuna (and the selection of dipping sauces that accompanied them—the restaurant has 37 to choose from), and I was more than happy to report that they had the readers of IT to thank. Service was excellent, and the space had a cozy, yet modern feel. And did I mention the food was fantastic?

My one evening in Denver gave me the chance to explore the neighborhood of LoDo, or Lower Downtown, the historic district which was the original Denver settlement site. It's now home to a collection of restaurants, bars, and galleries, and sits in the shadow of Coors Field (D.C.'s Nationals had just won their third game against the Rockies the night I arrived and dejected fans were spilling out onto the street, much to my boyfriend's delight). We didn't have a ton of time to explore, but we enjoyed wandering up the 16th Street Mall and seeing how things were shaping up for the Democratic National Convention (more on that in a later post). After dinner, we popped over (literally) to Corridor 44, a champagne bar in Larimer Square, and got a taste of their bubbly offerings. The small bar's ceiling glimmered with chandeliers, and the walls were decorated with terrific quotes espousing the benefits of booze:

I drink champagne when I'm happy and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I'm not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it—unless I'm thirsty. —Madame Lilly Bollinger

I was with a several friends who all happened to be in Denver for a short time, and it was fortuitous that we were able to be together. So we toasted the readers of Intelligent Travel for their help, and I set off to explore the best of Boulder over the weekend. More on that soon.

For more on Denver, check out our Destination Guide from our May/June issue.

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Chatsworth Estate: Oh! What a Lovely Garden

Multimedia Intern Ally Burguieres was in England last week for a linguistics conference held at the University of Sheffield. While there, she found some time to enjoy the countryside . . . (And if her academic adviser is reading this, she attended plenty of talks on language ideology and political discourse, too.)

When the weather is nice in England, there is no better diversion from the thrills of the northern town of Sheffield than the nearby Chatsworth Estate. The site was a primary filming location for 2005’s Pride and Prejudice film, and reportedly inspired Jane Austen's original description of Mr. Darcy's home, Pemberley, in the book, first published in 1813. For centuries Chatsworth has been one of England's most spectacular and visited attractions.

"[Elizabeth] had never seen a place for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste," Austen wrote in her novel. The words ring true today—the magnificent house, filled with treasures of antiquity as well as modern art, is curated with an informal though luxurious touch, and the gardens, at once impeccably manicured and wholly organic, are often called the UK's finest.

The 300-year-old Cascade fountain runs from the top of a hill toward the house, and visitors are welcome to splash (along with their dogs) in all 400 yards of it. Most of the property is open grassland, where visitors picnic along the banks of small streams and sit nose-to-nose with grazing sheep (seriously), but the gardens themselves take hours (if not more) to fully explore. “We’ve lived in Sheffield for 27 years,” a man reading the paper in the rose garden with his wife, told me. “And we’ve never been to this part of the garden.”

Next Great Travel Writer: The Real Mongolia, Part Two

Traveler Editor in Chief Keith Bellows, and Suzanne Roberts, winner of the "Next Great Travel Writer" essay contest, have been exploring Mongolia and sending IT dispatches along the way. In her last dispatch, Suzanne continues her quest for the "Real Mongolia," this time finding it in the Gobi desert.

Legend has it that the Gobi was created by the stampede of Genghis Khan’s horses, flattening the scrubby desert. In the distance, outcrops of rocky, black hills bubble from the plains, reminding me of a desert not far from where I live, the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, home of the famous, or infamous depending on whom you talk to, Burning Man Festival. But here, meager grasslands cover the sand, providing food for the Bactrain camel, wild horse, and wild ass. This ancient inland sea is also home to the endangered wild camel and Gobi bear, the only desert-dwelling bear in the world (and there are only about 30 left). The Gobi occupies about a third of Mongolia, but it is one of the most sparsely populated area in the world, with only one person per square kilometer. The area is rich in coal, copper, and gold, and China, Japan, and Canada are all getting involved in mining. This will create jobs and revenue, but I can’t help but wonder about the environmental implications upon this amazing ecosystem.

We drive into the “city” of Dalanzadgad, and warped wooden fences enclose small parcels of land that contain gers, motorcycles, and cars in various stages of disrepair. We stop at a convenience store for batteries and water. A khadag, a piece of blue silk hangs from the ceiling, a welcoming sign. The store carries various sundries—sodas, snacks, beer, vodka and more vodka.

We load back into the all-terrain vehicles and bump along the roadless desert to the Three Camel Lodge, an eco-lodge that practices responsible and sustainable tourism. They take advantage of wind and solar power and use both local products and people. The roof of the main building was built by local artisans in accordance with traditional Mongolian Buddhist architecture, without using nails. The tourist gers here are luxurious with in-suite bathrooms, queen beds, robes, and slippers—a nomadic Four Seasons.

Before lunch, I set off for a hike across the plains to, well, nowhere. Crickets and geckos scurry out of my way as I cross the desert. A shepherd on a motorcycle herds sheep, waves as he zooms past. A couple of gers dot the otherwise empty landscape. Sadly, I collect a couple of plastic water bottles next to the dirt “road” we came in on. Although the plastic bottles are few and far between, they are an ominous reminder of what may be in the future as the Gobi becomes a more popular travel destination.

Tune in for More of Boyd

Fans of Traveler's "Unbound" columnist Boyd Matson may already be aware that the man keeps himself busy with several endeavors beyond writing columns, with radio show host being just one among many of them.

But if you can't get enough of Boyd, now there's a way to get more of him: you can now download his weekly radio program, NG Weekend, which is available online and can be added to your MP3 player. His sessions feature interviews with explorers, scientists, and photographers (like our own Senior Photo Editor Dan Westergren, discussing his recent Arctic adventure), as well as regular segments from National Geographic's Green Guide and Boyd's personal stories from his travels. Boyd's show is in 120 markets and is distributed by Salem Radio Network, so you can check there for local listings to find out when you can catch it live. 
Photo: John Vincent Bellezza

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Eating (and Drinking) Well With Matt in San Fran

So after a whirlwind trip, IT editor Janelle Nanos is still recovering from her tour of the West Coast. She'll be summing up some of the highlights over the coming days and weeks.

I'll start off by saying that eating well in San Francisco isn't all that hard to do. The produce there is so fresh that you sometimes have to give it a smack and put it in its place, and the city's proximity to the Napa and Sonoma wine regions (more on that later) means that you're bound to find a vintage that suits your palate. But I like to eat, and so I left it to a flock of friends and a host of IT tour guides to help me pick where I should grab grub over the course of my trip. Here are some of my favorite bites.

On Thursday night, I met up with San Francisco local (and occasional IT blogger) Matt Bloom, whose day job is staff editor at San Francisco magazine. Teaming up with Traveler contributing editor Andrew Nelson and another SF staffer, we hoofed it through the Bermuda Triangle of downtown San Fran where North Beach, San Francisco's answer to New York's Little Italy, borders "adults only" skin shops and spills over into Chinatown. Matt had a specific place in mind known for its view, The Empress of China garden and restaurant. Sure, the place may have been a bit more glorious in the '70s (faded pictures of Sammy Davis, Mick Jagger, and other era celebs greet you in the foyer) but take the elevator up to the sixth floor and the view remains the same. We passed under the elaborately carved 30-foot octagonal wooden garden pavilion and headed to the bar, where we had an impeccable view of Coit Tower and the city sprawling below.

After drinks, we walked over to Bocadillos, a hip wine and tapas bar that was brimming with people (and which was formerly home to a gay nightclub in the 30s and 40s, we learned from a small placard outside). There, we feasted on a host of small plates: Andrew insisted on the house-made chorizo, then we wrestled for the last of the garlic prawns. After sampling a few other dishes (and some of their wine) we asked our waitress which dessert she would choose to bring with her on a deserted island (no pun intended). She paused, staring up at the ceiling intently for a moment before a smile spread across her face: The warm chocolate cake with banana ice cream. Our decision was made, and it was delicious.

Stay tuned for more tidbits from Janelle's West Coast trip. And check out her posts from Tacoma, Ruston, and Seattle Washington, and biking San Francisco's Presidio.

Empress of China 838 Grant Ave., +1 415 434 1345
Bocadillos 710 Washington St., +1 415 982 2622

For more on San Francisco, be sure to check out the September issue of Traveler magazine, now on newsstands. And enjoy our San Fran photo gallery on our website.

Photo: Janelle Nanos

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Behind the Lens: China Travel Tips from Fritz Hoffman

To usher in our coverage of the Beijing Olympics, we asked National Geographic photographer Fritz Hoffman, who shot the beautiful images collected in National Geographic Magazine's Inside China issue in May, to give us some of his travel tips. In this first installment he offers some safety advice for getting around the country.

Holiday travelers pack the Guangzhou Railway Station in Guangdong Province. By Fritz Hoffman 

Taxis: A few words of caution about travel in China. When you take a taxi make sure that the driver has a license and is familiar with the territory. Most taxi drivers will tell riders, especially foreigners, that they know where their destination is. This is not always true. You would rarely encounter a situation where your safety is in question by a dishonest taxi driver. Rather the driver just wants your business bad enough to lie and would plan to ask directions along the way.

Buses: Always check the bus out a little before buying your ticket. Old buses are being replaced with new ones here in China but in rural parts, rust-buckets are still plentiful. One important thing to ask is whether the bus has brakes or not. Also get a good look at the driver. Best to pick an older driver over one who is young and inexperienced. When traveling by bus, especially in rural areas, take a seat in the middle of the bus but do not sit over the wheels otherwise every bump in the road will be felt tenfold. Sit far enough away from the driver to take the edge off the bus horn noise which must be used every 10 seconds to avoid mowing down bicyclists and farmers.

Plan My Trip: Denver and Boulder!

IT Editor Janelle Nanos is still putting the finishing touches on her posts from her West Coast trip (more SF tips await!), but she's getting ready to go on the road again. This time, she's off to Colorado and looking for your suggestions for what to do this weekend.

I have to admit that I've only just finally unpacked my bags from my West Coast adventure (I'm terrible about that) but I'm getting ready to lug them back to the airport this weekend to check out Colorado. This will be my first time visiting the area, and I'm looking forward to making the most of the hiking, biking, and other outdoor activities that Denver and Boulder are known for. But since I'm a Colorado newbie, I'd love to get some reader suggestions on where I should go.

Here's my plan: I'll be flying into Denver and spending the evening in the city, then heading down to Boulder for the rest of the weekend. This smaller city about 30 miles outside of Denver has been called the smartest and the thinnest city in America, the best place for runners and singles, and the number one green and clean and “dream” city in United States. You're tempted to wonder: what is this perfect place? I'm looking forward to finding out (and getting your help).

So please give me your suggestions for your favorite restaurants, hikes, and things to do in the comments, and if you're up for showing me around (as Pam did so well in West Seattle) let me know there as well. Thanks!

Photo: A boot display at Rockmount Ranch Wear in downtown Denver, by Joanna B. Pinneo

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Next Great Travel Writer: Experiencing Naadam

Traveler Editor in Chief Keith Bellows and Suzanne Roberts, winner of the "Next Great Travel Writer" essay contest, have been exploring Mongolia and sending IT dispatches along the way. Today, Suzanne gets a hefty dose of local wrestling and horse racing culture.

The hotel phone rings at 8:30, waking me from a short albeit dead sleep. “You want to come to Naadam?” Keith asks. “We’re leaving right now.”  After my adventures at the Mongolian disco, I hadn’t managed to properly set my alarm. But, I wasn’t about to miss Naadam, so I flew out of bed, threw clothes on, and was on the bus within five minutes. Eriin Gurvan Naadam (Naadam for short), means “Three Manly Games” and is the most anticipated and important festival in Mongolia. Naadam consists of the nomadic sports that date back to the days of Genghis Khan—horseracing, wrestling, and archery, and although they are considered “manly games,” girls and women participate in all but the wrestling.

The horse riding is a long-distance event, taking place on the open steppes, but the wrestling and archery happen in the stadium in Ulaanbaatar. We arrive and walk around the grounds, which are bustling with activity—vendors set up little shops, selling everything from children’s toys, traditional hats and dels (the long Mongolia robes), sunglasses, and all kids of food and drink. Because I missed breakfast, I choose what I think is a pizza. As it turns out, the “cheese” is really carrots and the “pizza sauce” is ketchup. When I ask our guide Oyunaa what it is I am eating, she says, “It’s pizza.” I was right after all—Mongolian pizza.

Before we enter the stadium, I decide to get some pictures. First, I offer a man in traditional dress some money for a picture of him with his horse. We negotiate the price with hand gestures, and once we have settled on 1100 tugriks (about one US dollar), he tries to get Keith up onto the horse. Apparently, the negotiation charades had not gone as well as I had thought, and we had just paid for a horse ride. Somehow, we get the horse man to understand that we wanted him on his horse, and I get my pictures. Then, I see a group of military men whose commander is wearing a black silky LAPD (Yes, Los Angeles Police Department) warm-up jacket, and I follow the soldiers behind a cement building, ready with the camera. I quickly learn the reason for their retreat behind the building—the ladies room is in the building; the men’s, behind it—enough with the camera.

The stadium is full of tourists and locals, and the ceremony begins with a welcome from the president, followed by a colorful procession of soldiers, horse riders, archers, Olympic athletes, dancers, and singers. There is much song and dance, traditional costumes, and five giant mechanical flowers open up their petals to reveal brightly-dressed contortionists, making up the acrobatic stamens and pistols of the flowers. Around the contortionist flowers circle Buddhist monks, shaman, and gods, as well as leaping Russian dancers. All the while, soldiers in Khan-era uniforms pose in warrior stance.

After the impressive opening ceremony, the wrestling begins. The wrestlers wear tightly-fitting speedo-like pants called shuudag and an open-fronted jacket called a zodog. Legend has it that after a woman (dressed as a man) won the wrestling competition, they designed open-fronted jackets so this embarrassing episode would never happen again.

The crowd begins to leave the stadium even though there will be anywhere from six to eight more hours of wrestling. According to Oyunaa, “Mongolia is a big country with lots of space, so we do not have time limits. No space limits. No time limits.” This means that if a pair of wrestlers are well-matched (which usually means about the same size—there are no weight categories either), a single match can take hours. We don’t stay that long; instead, we wander over to the archery. The archers are traditionally-dressed, but modernize their outfits with sunglasses and high heels for the ladies. The women of Mongolia love their high heels—even some of the policewomen wear stilettos with their conservative uniforms.

After the jump, Suzanne describes the mini-Naadaam in the Gobi Desert

Whale-Watching by Kayak in British Columbia

Senior editor Norie Quintos edits Traveler's annual Tours of a Lifetime issue, which selects the 50 best guided tours of the year. So what did she do on her family vacation? She took two tours out West. This week she blogs about sea kayaking in British Columbia; next week, rafting on Idaho’s Salmon River. And the following week, she'll share tips on planning a great family trip.

It took three flights and an hour-long boat ride from northern Vancouver Island to get to Hurst Island, in the heart of one of British Columbia’s newest provincial parks, God’s Pocket. There, a charming seven-room lodge at the water’s edge served as our base for exploring the area by kayak.

I’ve kayaked before, but no way was I going to do it in unfamiliar (not to mention sea mammal-laden) waters, and with two kids in tow. This was a job for an expert outfitter and the one I called on was Sea Kayak Adventures, which has been guiding trips to this area since 1993. The Couer-d’Alene-based company also runs trips to Baja in winter.

The kids weren’t so keen on encountering Shamu up close, but I was fixated on seeing orcas. So it came as a bit of a shock that during the entire five-day trip, we saw not a one. Not. A. One. Apparently, wild orcas, unlike their unfortunate caged brethren at SeaWorld, don’t perform on a schedule, which is why all whale-watching tour operators in the region, including ours, never guarantee sightings.

But we did spot something else in the water. And that something else turned out to be just as awesome and thrilling. Huge humpback whales, hunted to near extinction and a rare sight in this former whaling area, have made a dramatic comeback in the last decade.

We spotted several humpbacks, including a mother and calf that entered the cove at the entrance to the lodge. However, the encounter that made chills run down my spine was kayaking on Browning Passage and hearing behind us the forceful exhalation of air through the blowhole of one of these otherwise silent creatures—like Darth Vader, but friendlier. Is there anyone who can listen to the breath of that gentle giant (which might have gone the way of the dodo) and not become an instant environmentalist?