March 9, 2007
TEXAS UNCORKED
By Linda Fasteson
Bucking broncos, bareback riding, steer wrestling, and mechanical bulls may seem an unlikely pairing with fine wines.
For the fourth straight year it was a winning combination at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo International Wine Competition's two great public food and wine events. In the spirit of Texas, the state's wineries took on the world's biggest and best.
GREAT TASTES
The Fourth Annual Texas Uncorked! Roundup and Competition on February 26 at the Reliant Astrodome was an unveiling and tasting of all Champion, Reserve Champion, and Double Gold medal-winning wines. It was also Best Bites, a tasting competition with over 50 participating Houston area restaurants, caterers, culinary schools and hotels. Attendees used tokens to vote for their favorite culinary creations. At the end of the evening, the award-winning wines were announced.
In true Texas style, top winners -- Grand Champion Best of Show, Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show, Top Wine of Texas, Top Value Wine, and Top All-Around Winery are awarded a prestigious Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo hand-tooled trophy saddle. Winners of other categories are given chaps and belt buckles.
The event drew 1580 entries from 443 wineries in 16 countries throughout the world. "We're extremely proud of this outstanding performance by Texas wines against very impressive competition," said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. "Once again, the awards affirm for consumers that premium-quality, world-class wines are being made right here in Texas." Twenty-four Texas wines received top awards.
For the fourth straight year, Messina Hof Winery has won the Top Texas Wine Award, this year for their Sweet Riesling Late Harvest Angel 2005, a Double Gold Champion and Texas Gold Champion.
For more information about 2007 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition winners go to www.rodeohouston.com/et/wse/we_ww.aspx
Bucking broncos, bareback riding, steer wrestling, and mechanical bulls may seem an unlikely pairing with fine wines.
For the fourth straight year it was a winning combination at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo International Wine Competition's two great public food and wine events. In the spirit of Texas, the state's wineries took on the world's biggest and best.
GREAT TASTES
The Fourth Annual Texas Uncorked! Roundup and Competition on February 26 at the Reliant Astrodome was an unveiling and tasting of all Champion, Reserve Champion, and Double Gold medal-winning wines. It was also Best Bites, a tasting competition with over 50 participating Houston area restaurants, caterers, culinary schools and hotels. Attendees used tokens to vote for their favorite culinary creations. At the end of the evening, the award-winning wines were announced.In true Texas style, top winners -- Grand Champion Best of Show, Reserve Grand Champion Best of Show, Top Wine of Texas, Top Value Wine, and Top All-Around Winery are awarded a prestigious Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo hand-tooled trophy saddle. Winners of other categories are given chaps and belt buckles.
The event drew 1580 entries from 443 wineries in 16 countries throughout the world. "We're extremely proud of this outstanding performance by Texas wines against very impressive competition," said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples. "Once again, the awards affirm for consumers that premium-quality, world-class wines are being made right here in Texas." Twenty-four Texas wines received top awards.For the fourth straight year, Messina Hof Winery has won the Top Texas Wine Award, this year for their Sweet Riesling Late Harvest Angel 2005, a Double Gold Champion and Texas Gold Champion.
For more information about 2007 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo International Wine Competition winners go to www.rodeohouston.com/et/wse/we_ww.aspx
AUCTION
The Champion Wine Auction and Dinner, held March 3, is a reception and pairing of the champion wines with dinner prior to bidding for specially prepared oversized gold-etched bottles of the award-winning wines from the competition. It has become so popular that tickets sell out nearly a year in advance.One of the country's highest-earning wine auctions, a bottle of the 2004 Grand Champion Raymond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon sold for a record $200,000 in 2006, and annual earnings now top $1 million. As part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, proceeds benefit youth and education and better agricultural practices. In the fall of 2006, 1,935 students were enrolled in 92 Texas colleges and universities on direct Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholarships.
The Lone Star state shines bright in the wine industry and is one of the fastest growing wine regions in the world. Texas is the fifth largest wine-producing state in the USA. There are now more than 120 wineries in operation, and Texas wines have won win medals in both national and international competitions.
RODEO
This year marks the 75th Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, www.rodeohouston.com, held
February 27-March 18, and the the 50th anniversary of educational programs. It has been named "The Year of the Volunteer". About 18,000 volunteers on 90 committees share their time, talents and resources, donating an average of 67.7 hours of service each, allowing the event's proceeds to be directed to the show's mission.
Begun in 1932 to improve and develop the cattle industry, the objectives of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has been expanded to include support for agricultural improvement with exhibitions and presentations, promotion of education through scholarships and programs, preservation of the area's rich Western heritage, and fun and affordable family-friendly entertainment.
Since the first scholarship was given in 1957 over $100 million has been committed to educational support to over 20,000 students through scholarships, teacher training, and the arts program. To boot, it's a top entertainment event with high spirited fun.
The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas...
It all opened with a grand parade and lively rodeocompetitions, followed by a standing room only performance by George Strait, his 20th Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo performance. Included, of course, was his recent #1 hit, Give It Away. Other performers this year include Reba McEntire, Natalie Cole, Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana, and Beyoncé. Gene Autry was the first celebrity entertainer, in 1942. Elvis Presley starred in 1970.
Rodeo Houston has it all--bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, and tie-down roping. It's twenty days of events and attractions-chuck wagon races, a carnival, live animal exhibits of just about every kind of livestock, a mechanical bull, pig races, barbeque competition, and a shoppers paradise of Western goods, to name a few.
And of course, it's Texas-sized fun:
Begun in 1932 to improve and develop the cattle industry, the objectives of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has been expanded to include support for agricultural improvement with exhibitions and presentations, promotion of education through scholarships and programs, preservation of the area's rich Western heritage, and fun and affordable family-friendly entertainment.
Since the first scholarship was given in 1957 over $100 million has been committed to educational support to over 20,000 students through scholarships, teacher training, and the arts program. To boot, it's a top entertainment event with high spirited fun.
The stars at night, are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas...
It all opened with a grand parade and lively rodeocompetitions, followed by a standing room only performance by George Strait, his 20th Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo performance. Included, of course, was his recent #1 hit, Give It Away. Other performers this year include Reba McEntire, Natalie Cole, Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana, and Beyoncé. Gene Autry was the first celebrity entertainer, in 1942. Elvis Presley starred in 1970.Rodeo Houston has it all--bareback riding, barrel racing, bull riding, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, and tie-down roping. It's twenty days of events and attractions-chuck wagon races, a carnival, live animal exhibits of just about every kind of livestock, a mechanical bull, pig races, barbeque competition, and a shoppers paradise of Western goods, to name a few.And of course, it's Texas-sized fun:
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This is the world's largest rodeo. This event ropes 'em in... over 1 million spectators at the rodeo alone.
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The world's top 50 cowboys compete for the world's highest purse--$1,275, 000--for Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeos.
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It is the world's largest livestock exhibition
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Reliant Stadium is the largest and most expensive rodeo and football facility ever built, at nearly 2 million square feet and seating 70,000 for rodeo. The floor of the arena covers nearly 2 acres.
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The Carnival features the world's largest portable Ferris wheel
Don't be all hat and no cattle. Y'all come down! It's the best. And as they say in Texas, "If it's true, it ain't braggin'."
SoGoNow.com by: Linda Fasteson on: 9:19 PM
March 7, 2007
Ten Best Snorkeling Spots in the World
Intrepid Snorkelers Choose Favorite Underwater Adventures.
BY LARRY TAYLOR
My wife and I are avid snorkelers. We have snorkeled in various spots all over the world. So, with this in mind, I decided to write about our 10 best snorkeling experiences. Be aware, these selections are very subjective.
What I looked for in choosing these places was not necessarily the quantity and variety of fish seen, but the quality of the total experience, including the beach and coral environment. For example, a place with a great stretch of sand might rank over an area we had to painfully tip-toe through rocks to enter the water. Also snorkeling on a boat excursion trip would be chosen only if the experience was particularly unique. Considering this, here is the list.
NORMAN REEF, AUSTRALIA
When we came to the Great Barrier Reef, 1,580 miles along the northeast coast of Australia, we knew its reputation as having the best diving and snorkeling in the world. We weren't disappointed.
The Barrier Reef is not accessible from the shore. Therefore, in Cairns, Queensland, we took an easy route to reach the reef on a Great Adventure trip in a high-speed catamaran which took us some 40 miles out to a unique pontoon, .a large 135-foot by 45-foot covered platform. It was equipped with tables, chairs and a restaurant. Other amenities included a dive shop and, of course, a souvenir shop. All the comforts of home.
Once there, it was a short swim out to the spectacular coral shelf and the creatures living on it - every manner of tropical fish, including giant clams. To greet us when we returned to the float was "Sammy," a large six-foot Maori wrasse - a daily ceremony, we were told. We were in and out a couple times, had lunch, staying there for three hours. For those who don't want to get wet, there is an underwater observatory and semi-submersible submarine to view reef life.
For information, contact: www.greatadventures.com.au
BY LARRY TAYLOR
My wife and I are avid snorkelers. We have snorkeled in various spots all over the world. So, with this in mind, I decided to write about our 10 best snorkeling experiences. Be aware, these selections are very subjective.
What I looked for in choosing these places was not necessarily the quantity and variety of fish seen, but the quality of the total experience, including the beach and coral environment. For example, a place with a great stretch of sand might rank over an area we had to painfully tip-toe through rocks to enter the water. Also snorkeling on a boat excursion trip would be chosen only if the experience was particularly unique. Considering this, here is the list. NORMAN REEF, AUSTRALIA
When we came to the Great Barrier Reef, 1,580 miles along the northeast coast of Australia, we knew its reputation as having the best diving and snorkeling in the world. We weren't disappointed.The Barrier Reef is not accessible from the shore. Therefore, in Cairns, Queensland, we took an easy route to reach the reef on a Great Adventure trip in a high-speed catamaran which took us some 40 miles out to a unique pontoon, .a large 135-foot by 45-foot covered platform. It was equipped with tables, chairs and a restaurant. Other amenities included a dive shop and, of course, a souvenir shop. All the comforts of home.
Once there, it was a short swim out to the spectacular coral shelf and the creatures living on it - every manner of tropical fish, including giant clams. To greet us when we returned to the float was "Sammy," a large six-foot Maori wrasse - a daily ceremony, we were told. We were in and out a couple times, had lunch, staying there for three hours. For those who don't want to get wet, there is an underwater observatory and semi-submersible submarine to view reef life.For information, contact: www.greatadventures.com.au
RED SEA - SAFAGA, EGYPT
For divers and snorkelers, the Red Sea is high on the list of places to go. One of the most famous resort cities is Sharm el Sheik on the Sinai Peninsula. Having been to Sharm el Sheik, we prefer Sagafa, Egypt to the south, not nearly as crowded and much easier to get out to a reef. Also a point for tourists to consider, it's few hours drive from Safaga to Luxor on the Nile, the celebrated destination to see ancient temples and royal tombs.
At Soma Bay, right outside town, there is a long pier extending about a hundred yards out. We entered the beach through the Sheraton Soma Bay Resort. (For those not staying at the resort, it's a good deal to pay a small day fee and use the facilities.) Once at water's edge, a short walk took us to the pier.
Here, divers, as well as snorkelers, enter the water and immediately are in a wonder world among coral and exotic sea life. Interesting is that a lot of the same species seen in the tropics throughout the world are here but in different colors. As well, we saw species new to us.
Once in, we were amazed at how clear the water is in the Red Sea. Clown fish abounded, and right away, we saw the outrageously bedecked lion fish, a rare sight anywhere, but here he was, swimming languorously among the crowd.
For information, go to www.goredsea.com
At Soma Bay, right outside town, there is a long pier extending about a hundred yards out. We entered the beach through the Sheraton Soma Bay Resort. (For those not staying at the resort, it's a good deal to pay a small day fee and use the facilities.) Once at water's edge, a short walk took us to the pier.Here, divers, as well as snorkelers, enter the water and immediately are in a wonder world among coral and exotic sea life. Interesting is that a lot of the same species seen in the tropics throughout the world are here but in different colors. As well, we saw species new to us.
Once in, we were amazed at how clear the water is in the Red Sea. Clown fish abounded, and right away, we saw the outrageously bedecked lion fish, a rare sight anywhere, but here he was, swimming languorously among the crowd.
For information, go to www.goredsea.com
SEYCHELLES ISLANDS
Whatever your conception of tropical paradise, the Seychelles Islands will more than meet it - over 100 islands scattered off the African coast, east of Kenya, in the Indian Ocean. Stereotypically, wide unspoiled beaches abound, lined with palms, virtually unspoiled and not overcrowded.Mahe is the capital and the most inhabited of the islands. The two easiest islands to reach from there are Praslin, a 20-minute flight or three hours by ferry, and La Digue, a 30-minute ferry ride from Praslin. Snorkeling is excellent in both places, especially Le Digue which has some of the most photographed beaches in the world. Its surrealistically-shaped granite rocks rising from the shallows like sentinels can be seen in countless fashion ads.
On La Digue's Anse d'Argent beach, we took a short swim to the reef. On the way, we saw an octopus wrapped around a pillar of coral, his tentacles flowing in the current. A little beyond, we came on a couple of devil scorpion fish on the bottom and were very wary of not touching their poisonous bodies.We had our best snorkeling on small Desroches Island, a 50 minute flight from Mahe. Unlike Praslin and La Digue which have a few places to stay, there is only one small resort here. A walk around the island takes only 20 minutes.
We had one of our greatest ever snorkel experiences here about 50 yards out from the main beach. Once there, we came upon a tower of coral with the most varieties of fish we had ever seen in a small area. They included many of our seldom-seen favorites - the moon-shaped marong fish and the oriental sweetlips with its black and yellow polka dot patterned fins -even a lion fish slowly glided by. We were on a "snorkel high" the rest of the day.
For information, check out www.seychelles.com
BONAIRE - CARIBBEAN ISLANDS
Bonaire is the smallest of the so-called ABC islands in the Dutch Antilles, which include Aruba and Curacao. Long considered one of the best diving and snorkeling spots in the world, Bonaire's coastline has been designated a marine park, affording protection to the area's magnificent coral gardens and abundant sea life.
The best place for underwater viewing is on the small off-shore cay, Klein Bonaire. We took a boat for the brief journey from the main island. After jumping ashore, we spread out our towels, and, mask and fins in hand, walked a couple hundred yards down the beach to the recommended spot to enter the water. In a short time we came to the outer edge of the reef and got into the prevailing current along the coral. With the reef on our left and deep water on the right, we floated along, amazed at the rainbow array of staghorn, elkhorn and brain coral and the iridescent sparkle of the fish who swam among it.
For information, contact www.bonaire.com
Bonaire is the smallest of the so-called ABC islands in the Dutch Antilles, which include Aruba and Curacao. Long considered one of the best diving and snorkeling spots in the world, Bonaire's coastline has been designated a marine park, affording protection to the area's magnificent coral gardens and abundant sea life.
The best place for underwater viewing is on the small off-shore cay, Klein Bonaire. We took a boat for the brief journey from the main island. After jumping ashore, we spread out our towels, and, mask and fins in hand, walked a couple hundred yards down the beach to the recommended spot to enter the water. In a short time we came to the outer edge of the reef and got into the prevailing current along the coral. With the reef on our left and deep water on the right, we floated along, amazed at the rainbow array of staghorn, elkhorn and brain coral and the iridescent sparkle of the fish who swam among it.
For information, contact www.bonaire.com
SAN BLAS ISLANDS - PANAMA
San Blas is an archipelago consisting of 365 islands, some 100 miles off the east coast of Panama. Inhabited by Kuna Indians, many of the islands are postage stamp-size, with the biggest only a mile around.
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The islands are easily accessible after a 20-minute flight from Panama City. Accommodations are rustic here as would be expected, but it's a place of quiet nights and bright sunny days, with pleasant breezes tempering the mid-day heat..Kunas welcome tourists and will take them in their boats to a different uninhabited island each day, each with perfect beaches and great snorkeling in the warm, clear water as would be expected in this unspoiled place.
On the islands people live much as their ancestors did in palm-thatched huts with no electricity. Food, as well as water is brought in from the coast. Of course, a Kuna staple is the plentiful supply of sea life. By the way the crab and lobster caught in these waters are the best we've ever eaten.
Kuna women are known for their multi-colored wear which consists of a patterned blue cotton wrapped skirt, red and yellow head scarf, arm and leg beads and an intricately sewn mola-panel blouse. Molas are hand-woven in a reverse applique technique, using several layers of different colored cotton. (Four-layered designs are the best.) These have become desirable art pieces and a principle source of income for the people.
Indeed, women follow tourists and set up what we called "mola malls" on the beaches. Part of our daily fun was taking a stroll down the line, viewing these wonderful rectangular pieces. Averaging about 18 by 14 inches, they depict animals, mythic characters and folk symbols, the pieces are as little as $10 each, but some sold for up to $80.
On the islands people live much as their ancestors did in palm-thatched huts with no electricity. Food, as well as water is brought in from the coast. Of course, a Kuna staple is the plentiful supply of sea life. By the way the crab and lobster caught in these waters are the best we've ever eaten.
Kuna women are known for their multi-colored wear which consists of a patterned blue cotton wrapped skirt, red and yellow head scarf, arm and leg beads and an intricately sewn mola-panel blouse. Molas are hand-woven in a reverse applique technique, using several layers of different colored cotton. (Four-layered designs are the best.) These have become desirable art pieces and a principle source of income for the people.Indeed, women follow tourists and set up what we called "mola malls" on the beaches. Part of our daily fun was taking a stroll down the line, viewing these wonderful rectangular pieces. Averaging about 18 by 14 inches, they depict animals, mythic characters and folk symbols, the pieces are as little as $10 each, but some sold for up to $80.
For information, call (800) 743-8352 or visit www.vacationscostarica.com/panama
NINGALOO REEF - WEST AUSTRALIA
The Great Barrier Reef comes to mind when snorkelers and divers consider going to Australia. But, some 800 miles north of Perth on the country's sparsely populated northwestern coast lies Ningaloo Reef. Nearly 200 miles long, it is one of the largest fringing coral reefs in the world. Also, in contrast to the Barrier Reef, it is situated close to the beach, about 100 yards out at its nearest point. Due to its remoteness, Ningaloo doesn't have the tourist draw nor reputation of its eastern counterpart.
Even beginners can swim in the shallows along the reef and see an amazing variety of fish swimming among the more than 180 species of coral which create a riotously colorful display. However, reef snorkeling is only one of the big attractions here. From mid-March to mid-May snorkelers can swim with whale sharks, the world's largest fish. Ninagaloo is the only easily accessible place in the world where these gentle giants appear in large numbers at predictable times of the year.
Whale sharks reach more than 36 feet long and weigh more than 11 tons and swim close to the surface, seemingly inviting people to join them. Boats leave daily to seek them, and airplanes scout their location. It's a once in a lifetime experience.
The small towns of Exmouth or Coral Bay are the best places to stay. Contact: www.ningalooreef.net
Even beginners can swim in the shallows along the reef and see an amazing variety of fish swimming among the more than 180 species of coral which create a riotously colorful display. However, reef snorkeling is only one of the big attractions here. From mid-March to mid-May snorkelers can swim with whale sharks, the world's largest fish. Ninagaloo is the only easily accessible place in the world where these gentle giants appear in large numbers at predictable times of the year.Whale sharks reach more than 36 feet long and weigh more than 11 tons and swim close to the surface, seemingly inviting people to join them. Boats leave daily to seek them, and airplanes scout their location. It's a once in a lifetime experience.
The small towns of Exmouth or Coral Bay are the best places to stay. Contact: www.ningalooreef.net
HUAHINE - FR. POLYNESIA
All the Polynesian islands have great snorkeling, but we especially like Huahine, 198 miles northwest of Tahiti. The island consists of two volcanic ranges joined by a natural bridge. It is called the "Garden Island," due to its lush green tropical foliage and jungle-like scenery. A big plus, there are less vacationers here than in neighboring Moorea and Bora Bora, giving us a chance to get away from people and explore on our own.
There are many white sand beaches off which to snorkel. The high point here came, however, when we took a dive boat which dropped us off into a slight current at an outer reef. We then leisurely floated through a lagoon, moving effortlessly with the flow, taking time to enjoy the fish. To keep us from being swept away, our boat was cruising slowly at our side.For information go to www.huahine.com
JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU RESORT - FIJI ISLANDS
Fiji contains some 300 islands, many with top resorts, making it hard to select the right place to visit. High on anyone's list, though, is the Jean Michel Cousteau Resort, particularly if water sports are a premium. With the Cousteau name, the diving has to be good, and snorkeling, too, is the best.This award-winning, five-star resort is located on 17 acres of what used to be a coconut plantation (There are warning signs on the premises to watch out for the falling coconuts.)
On Vanua Levu, Fiji's second largest island, the Cousteau is surrounded by mountains and reefs, at the edge of Savusavu Bay, a well-protected refuge. Buildings are constructed on the theme of a traditional Fijian village, with 25 bures (thatched-roofed bungalows) in various sizes to accommodate couples or families.
Every morning the resort boat leaves with a group of divers, while we snorkelers had several options. Coral and fish can be seen by going off the little pier in front. As well, a snorkeling boat is available to take guests out. We especially liked nearby Lighthouse Reef - deep water on one side where we might spot a large grouper; shallow on the other with the usual menagerie of smaller tropicals to be seen.Night snorkeling was also an option. A staff marine biologist would take groups equipped with flash lights off the pier to see the wonders of nighttime on the reef. We particularly sought out our new "friend," a rare oriental sweetlips, snoozing under a coral ledge.
For information, call (800) 246-3454 or www.fijiresort.com
KEALAKEKUA BAY - HAWAII
Fair Wind has another ship, too. The more luxurious Hula Kai brings snorkelers to other places along the lava coastline. For information: (800) 677-9461or check www.fair-wind.com
LA JOLLA COVE - SAN DIEGO
We make it a point to go to La Jolla in the summer when the water is a comfortable, but invigorating, 68-72 degrees. The cove itself is world famous - a small beach tucked between adjacent sandstone cliffs. Because of its beauty, it is one of the most photographed beaches in Southern California. It is part of the San Diego/ La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve which helps ensure that marine life remains plentiful.On our daily soirees into the water, we see an interesting variety of fish, including the bright orange garibaldi, which seems to glow in the water, rivaling the beauty of any tropical fish. Amazingly, it starts out blue as a baby and slowly gains orange spots in the juvenile stage.
Near the surface, close to shore, schools of top smelt with blue and brown stripes cruise along. Almost as plentiful are opaleyes, with white dots on their backs, brown-patterned kelp bass and grey barred sand bass. Not so plentiful, but exciting to see, are the scraggly red and yellow giant kelp fish and the shovelnose guitarfish.Also a big draw during the summer months are the harmless leopard sharks which migrate here to breed and give birth. We swim out in the shallows and see swarms of them.
From the cove, there are many directions to take. To the north are the La Jolla Sea Caves, some eight caverns worth exploring. A half-mile south of the cove, we snorkel around Seal Rock where seals will come off their ledges to visit.
For information on the cove, go to www.sandiego.gov/beaches/cove
So there they are - our favorites - but every snorkeler knows all you really need are fins and mask and a stretch of open water. A good time lies right before you.
Photos by Gail Taylor
When people talk about snorkeling spots, it is most often about places in the tropics. Great snorkeling can also be found in colder water locations, our favorite being La Jolla Cove on the Pacific Ocean.
We have been snorkeling off each of the Hawaiian Islands but by far our favorite place is Kealekekua Bay on the Kona coast of the big island of Hawaii.
First of all, the bay is historically unique, the place where Capt. Cook, the famous British explorer, met his death in 1779 at the hands of the natives. A plaque commemorating this event is located on the north shore of the bay.
Another thing that makes this spot special is its isolation. There are only limited ways to reach the bay. First, one can hike 2.5 miles down from the highway. (My wife and I have done this in our younger days. It's easy to go down the trail, but, believe me, it is tough hiking straight up in the afternoon, carrying your backpack and snorkeling gear.)
People also kayak two miles from the south, or, best for us, come in on a Fair Wind Snorkel and Dive Cruise in a sleek 60-foot catamaran. Fair Wind is the only commercial boat that brings people to this area. The hour-long cruise leaves from Keahou Bay, on the Kona Coast, mornings and afternoons.At the base of lava cliffs, Kealekekua waters are normally calm and clear, even on rough-water days along the coast. Everyone, young and old, can have a great time seeing the multitude of fish living on the coral and exploring the underwater lava caves.
We particularly enjoy seeing the eels that swim out during the day here - big morays and snowflakes, not to mention the green sea turtles that often swim by.
Spinner dolphins are almost daily visitors to the bay and can be seen frolicking close-by. Of course, in late fall and winter migrating humpback whales can also be readily spotted.On the morning cruise, after a couple hours of snorkeling, the captain fires up the barbecue on the back deck and serves burgers for hungry passengers.
SoGoNow.com by: Larry Taylor on: 12:05 PM
March 5, 2007
New Visions of Bogota, Colombia
By Sandra Scott
Whatever impression people have of Bogota it is sure to be wrong if they have never visited the capital of Colombia or have not visited recently. Our first impression on the drive from the airport to the Crown Plaza Hotel in the heart of the city was how green the city is. A wide green area separates the divided highway, the mountains that ring the city are tree-covered, and there are plenty of parks. This is especially impressive because the population is about the same as New York City.
The Crown Plaza is the grand old lady of Bogota located in the center of the city with easy access to all the tourist spots. The climate is such that air conditioning is not usually necessary and not available at the Crown Plaza. The service was excellent from t
he moment the traditionally garbed bellboy, complete with a pillbox hat, greeted us to our final checkout on the executive floor. The lobby, which is reminiscent of the grand hotels of Europe, has a mural that depicts the creation of the world according to the indigenous people of Colombia.
Most impressive in Bogota is the Candelaria area where the colonial style buildings have been beautifully preserved. The Cathedral fronts on the large Plaza Bolivar and is just one of many churches in the district. Most have ornate golden altars. Each church is unique such as the red and white Iglesia de Maria del Carmen, which is a blend of gothic and Florentine.
The large open plaza is also home to the Place of Justice that has been restored since the 1999 storming by guerillas. Above the portal is the thought provoking phrase, "Arms will make you free, but laws will give you liberty." The city has a full contingent of military and police, which ironically makes Bogota very safe, at no time in any place in Columbia did we feel our safety was in jeopardy. One of the best pastimes is wandering the streets of Candelaria admiring the colonial architecture. Each street is a photo opportunity with brightly colored buildings, many with intricate balconies, some with privacy screens and others laden with flowers, but always with the green mountains as a backdrop. Many of the buildings still carry the traditional names of the streets such as Calle del Olivo.
Colombia's best-known artist, Fernando Botero, donated his collection to Bogota. It includes impressionist works by Picasso, Monet, and Calder but it the work of Botero that is the most interesting. Always easy to recognize, Botero celebrates plumpness. He brings fun to art by depicting himself in rotund form as the El Presidente, El Capitan, and El Guerrilla. Adjacent to the Donacion Botero Museum there are other museums including one devoted to religious artifacts and another about money.
The most famous museum in Bogota is the Gold Museum. With only one-third of the 35,000 pieces on display it is still the world's largest collection of gold ornamentation, it is especially thought provoking to realize that most of the gold was hauled away by the Spanish. When the doors of the circular Salon de la Ofrenda close music pierces the darkness, slowly the golden objects are highlighted symbolizing gifts offered by the indigenous people to restore the balance and harmony in the universe. Nearby the brilliant gold of the Muisca Raft is dazzling in the spotlight and surrounded by blackness, which brings out the intricate detailed workmanship.
The Museo Nacional de Colombia, housed in a converted fort-like jail, explains Colombia tumultuous history. Gostinos Restaurant, with a view of the Museo from the floor-to-ceiling window makes a great place for a shrimp or lobster meal. At Gostinos the Mixed Ceviches (marinated seafood salad) served on clamshells feature shrimp with a variety of unique sauces created by the owner, Santiago, and his chef. All are wonderful from the Mexican to the Italian to the Mango Ceviche. Santiago is a supporter of the Slow Food movement. A reaction to the fast food restaurants, Slow Food proponents take the time to enjoy every aspect of dining - the look and the smell, plus savoring the taste. A meal at Gosinos personifies the Slow Food concept, it is a place to relax and enjoy eating. The meal should include the typical drink, Corozo, a frothy swirl of milky and dark rose-colored palm juice, with a refreshing taste similar to cranberry. Of course, a meal has to end with Juan Valdez's signature drink, coffee. Juan Valdez coffee shops are the found in many parts of the city.
Part of the charm of Bogota is the presence of the green mountains especially Monserrate which is visible from most parts of the city and easily recognized because it is crowned with El Santuario de Monserrate. With spectacular views of the city it is easily reached by a cable car or by a grueling uphill trek which is the path of pilgrims on Sunday.
For the perfect day trip from Bogota take the high road along the mountains to Zipaquira to see the magnificent salt cathedral. On the way stop outside of Bogota at the vista spot to see Bogota spread out in the valley far below. The drive to Zipaquira is beautiful with green valleys and cows grazing in the fields making one think of Switzerland. The cathedral is the focal point of Zipaquira's brick central plaza ringed by traditional buildings but it is only short a distance from the center of town to the magnificent subterranean cathedral built in salt mines that were in use even before the arrival of the Spaniards. It's especially impressive on Sundays when mass is held and music can be heard in all the chapels and walkways. Along the way to the main altar there are Stations of the Cross. Especially impressive is the altar in front of a waterfall of stalagmites behind a font used for baptisms.
There are plenty of things to do in Bogota, including shopping. The Crown Plaza has many shops plus it is connected to a large mall. But, there are many, many malls in Bogota that will satisfy the shopping urge of even the most dedicated shopper, including Salitre Plaza with 237 trademark shops, 37 food establishments plus five restaurants, the biggest indoor play area in the city, and a multi cinema complex. The ten-year old plaza receives 52,000 shoppers a day.
An article in El Tiempo, the leading newspaper in Colombia, reported that the growth of foreign tourism to Colombia increased 12% last year; whereas, in the rest of the world the average increase was only 4.5%. It is easy to understand why. Columbia has much to offer from cities to fincas to mountains to the Caribbean.
For more information:
Crown Plaza: www.ichotelsgroup.com
Colombia: www.turismocolombia.com
SoGoNow.com by: Sandra Scott on: 7:14 AM
March 4, 2007
ZEELAND: A DUTCH TREAT FOR CAPE COD LOVERS
Text and photos by Peter I. Rose*
Sunset over Wellfleet Harbor, Cape Cod
Cape Cod is a special place, a land mass flanked by ocean and bay, covered with scrub oaks and pines, miles and miles of pristine beaches, fishing villages that have become resort towns each with its yacht harbors and boat yards, fish markets and flea markets, art galleries and souvenir shops, great restaurants and clam shacks. Locals, summer people, even day-trippers think there is nothing in the world quite like it.
Cape Codders (and Cape Cod lovers) traveling to the southwest province of The Netherlands, known as Zeeland, might be surprised to find there is such a place.
The beaches and dunes, boat harbors and bike paths are so similar that it is hard to believe you are on the others side of the ocean.
Aptly named Zeeland (Dutch for "sea-land"), the province does have many features that seem to mirror those we know best back home. Located in the southwestern corner of the small country, like Cape Cod, it has a seaside character, a rich local culture, and an aura all its own, attracting many who own summer homes and many renters and day-trippers. Like the Cape, tourism is a critical aspect of the economy. But, a stay of just a few days, even a few minutes, will open the eyes to things we would never associate with Barnstable County, like wooden shoes and cannabis "starter-kits" sold in open markets!
In addition to such old and new items, there are the iconic windmills. To be sure, there is one in the village of Eastham, and a few others on the Cape, but they are nothing like the ones that dot the entire Dutch landscape and are still quite ubiquitous in Zeeland.
Hundreds of old mills are kept as monuments to earlier times or converted into homes and apartments. There are also thousands of modern ones that are used to generate energy. Some are by the water; some are in it. These tall, white-shafted turbines, arrayed in straight lines or in geometric phalanxes, look just like the ones some Cape Codders are so worried about having in their Sound- or on their turf. The Dutch have no such qualms. Their new mills, a principal source of renewable energy in Zeeland, have become as much a part of the landscape as the old ones, some even appearing in modern paintings as Dutch today as those done by the early masters.
While insurance agencies out on the Cape worry about hurricanes and the havoc they can create, many refusing to renew long held policies, in Zeeland as in other parts of The Netherlands insurance comes in the form of huge dams and intricate locks that control the flooding from storms coming off the North Sea.
Every school child in the United States knows that much of The Netherlands is built on reclaimed land, the sea being held at bay by a system of dikes. Americans know the story of the boy named Peter, whose finger in the dike stopped the floods from destroying his country. (Most Dutch people have never heard it!) But few in this country know that, after two terrible floods in the mid-twentieth century- one man-made, the other nature driven - Peter's apocryphal act of heroism was to be duplicated on several occasions. During World War II English forces purposely bombed the dikes to flood a significant part of Zeeland to prevent the Nazis from overrunning the countryside and gaining easy access to the estuary that divides the strategic area from Flanders in Belgium. The ploy succeeded, but at great cost. Zeelanders had to rebuild their levees. A decade later a Katrina-like catastrophe overwhelmed the reconstructed but hardly adequate sodden barriers and flooding waters wreaked havoc on the countryside and economy. A flood control project that was implemented, an exercise that rivaled the building of Boulder Dam or the Tennessee Valley Authority in scale and complexity, was one of Zeeland's greatest feats of engineering. People from all over the country know about it;so, too, do many engineers in this country. In fact, many were brought over to the U.S. to advise on the problems relating to the breached levees in Louisiana in the fall of 2005.
Despite historic links to hosts of the English Puritan forebears who first found refuge in Amsterdam then on the Lower Cape, the Dutch who came to the New World settled mainly in Nieuw Amsterdam (site of New York City) and northward along the banks of the Hudson where they left an indelible mark. The only thing New Englanders ever got directly, aside from nautical expressions like sloop and spinnaker and helm and yacht (actually, jacht) from the Dutch was the name "Yankee," a corruption of a rather pejorative expression for "country bumpkin" or "hick" (in Dutch, Jan Kees), said to be what those old Knickerbockers called the English farmers they encountered.
While the countryside evokes a sense of deja vu to Cape Codders, the architecture is very different. There are few wooden houses and none have cedar shingles. Instead the buildings, many built of brick long before the "first encounter" here, have a distinctive style, much of it dating back to the days when Zeeland's main city vied with Amsterdam as the major harbor in the land.
Some of it is quite grand, like the Flemish-style Stadhuis or city hall, built in the Middle Ages in the port city and provincial capital of Middelburg. Middelburg itself has many claims to fame in addition to its grand building, its central marketplace, and wonderful old houses with typical Dutch rooflines. Among its most significant ones, and surely its principal link to our country (but, again, to New York not New England), is that Middelburg is the ancestral home of the Roosevelt family. Today their legacy is memorialized in two major institutions: The Roosevelt American Studies Center located in the buildings of a very old church and monastery, and the Roosevelt Academy, a B.A. granting international honors college modeled on American liberal arts colleges and affiliated with Utrecht University. Its "college hall" is the previously mentioned Stadhuis. Its campus is the city itself.
If Middelburg is a slightly less diverse Provincetown of Zeeland, Vlissingen (also known as Flushing) is its Hyannis (though, with its long walk along the sea, in some ways it feels more like Atlantic City). It has modern sections and seaside hotels and ferry landings - for those heading not to the Vineyard but to nearby Antwerp. Domburg, the home of one of the greatest modern artists, Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan, is a classic Chathamesque old time summer village, hard by the sea and very close to Zeeland's Wellfleet- and my favorite- Veere.
Veere is a very special, well-preserved and charming town with tight controls on development. It is a haven that is not just for the hundreds of boats moored there, but for its devotees. While it, too, has a year-round population, the numbers swell in the summertime when city folks head to Veere, with its own attractive galleries, small boutiques, sea-farers chandleries and boatyards and bike rental stands, its bakeries and coffee shops, selling "broodjes." little open-faced sandwiches, its upscale restaurants and less expensive fish shops (which feature herring and mussels instead of lobsters and steamers).
The summer people in Zeeland, like those we know here, spend their time enjoying the ambience, the special food, the sandy strands, and the sea itself, and, while way ahead of us in the numbers who do it, in bicycling through the countryside on hundreds of kilometers of smooth and safe bike paths, clearly separated from the road traffic and flanked by beautiful countryside.
For Cape Cod loyalists willing to tear themselves away - but not too far from what they love best about the Cape, a trip to Zeeland should be seriously considered. It is very different from the places most Americans visit in The Netherlands -- Amsterdam, The Hague, Haarlem, Delft, and Utrecht. And it is very much like home. A land mass flanked by sea and estuary, it, too, is blessed by sunsets those who live or summer there feel are unlike any others.
Sunset over the North Sea in Zeeland
*Peter Rose, Editor of SoGoNow.com Travel Magazine, is a sociologist, writer and photographer. He lives in Northampton and Wellfleet, Massachusetts, but often travels in the Netherlands. His latest books are Guest Appearances and Other Travels in Time and Space, (2003), The Dispossessed (2005), and They and We (2006).
Sunset over Wellfleet Harbor, Cape Cod
Cape Cod is a special place, a land mass flanked by ocean and bay, covered with scrub oaks and pines, miles and miles of pristine beaches, fishing villages that have become resort towns each with its yacht harbors and boat yards, fish markets and flea markets, art galleries and souvenir shops, great restaurants and clam shacks. Locals, summer people, even day-trippers think there is nothing in the world quite like it.
Cape Codders (and Cape Cod lovers) traveling to the southwest province of The Netherlands, known as Zeeland, might be surprised to find there is such a place.
The beaches and dunes, boat harbors and bike paths are so similar that it is hard to believe you are on the others side of the ocean.
Aptly named Zeeland (Dutch for "sea-land"), the province does have many features that seem to mirror those we know best back home. Located in the southwestern corner of the small country, like Cape Cod, it has a seaside character, a rich local culture, and an aura all its own, attracting many who own summer homes and many renters and day-trippers. Like the Cape, tourism is a critical aspect of the economy. But, a stay of just a few days, even a few minutes, will open the eyes to things we would never associate with Barnstable County, like wooden shoes and cannabis "starter-kits" sold in open markets!
In addition to such old and new items, there are the iconic windmills. To be sure, there is one in the village of Eastham, and a few others on the Cape, but they are nothing like the ones that dot the entire Dutch landscape and are still quite ubiquitous in Zeeland.
Hundreds of old mills are kept as monuments to earlier times or converted into homes and apartments. There are also thousands of modern ones that are used to generate energy. Some are by the water; some are in it. These tall, white-shafted turbines, arrayed in straight lines or in geometric phalanxes, look just like the ones some Cape Codders are so worried about having in their Sound- or on their turf. The Dutch have no such qualms. Their new mills, a principal source of renewable energy in Zeeland, have become as much a part of the landscape as the old ones, some even appearing in modern paintings as Dutch today as those done by the early masters.
While insurance agencies out on the Cape worry about hurricanes and the havoc they can create, many refusing to renew long held policies, in Zeeland as in other parts of The Netherlands insurance comes in the form of huge dams and intricate locks that control the flooding from storms coming off the North Sea.
Every school child in the United States knows that much of The Netherlands is built on reclaimed land, the sea being held at bay by a system of dikes. Americans know the story of the boy named Peter, whose finger in the dike stopped the floods from destroying his country. (Most Dutch people have never heard it!) But few in this country know that, after two terrible floods in the mid-twentieth century- one man-made, the other nature driven - Peter's apocryphal act of heroism was to be duplicated on several occasions. During World War II English forces purposely bombed the dikes to flood a significant part of Zeeland to prevent the Nazis from overrunning the countryside and gaining easy access to the estuary that divides the strategic area from Flanders in Belgium. The ploy succeeded, but at great cost. Zeelanders had to rebuild their levees. A decade later a Katrina-like catastrophe overwhelmed the reconstructed but hardly adequate sodden barriers and flooding waters wreaked havoc on the countryside and economy. A flood control project that was implemented, an exercise that rivaled the building of Boulder Dam or the Tennessee Valley Authority in scale and complexity, was one of Zeeland's greatest feats of engineering. People from all over the country know about it;so, too, do many engineers in this country. In fact, many were brought over to the U.S. to advise on the problems relating to the breached levees in Louisiana in the fall of 2005.
Despite historic links to hosts of the English Puritan forebears who first found refuge in Amsterdam then on the Lower Cape, the Dutch who came to the New World settled mainly in Nieuw Amsterdam (site of New York City) and northward along the banks of the Hudson where they left an indelible mark. The only thing New Englanders ever got directly, aside from nautical expressions like sloop and spinnaker and helm and yacht (actually, jacht) from the Dutch was the name "Yankee," a corruption of a rather pejorative expression for "country bumpkin" or "hick" (in Dutch, Jan Kees), said to be what those old Knickerbockers called the English farmers they encountered.
While the countryside evokes a sense of deja vu to Cape Codders, the architecture is very different. There are few wooden houses and none have cedar shingles. Instead the buildings, many built of brick long before the "first encounter" here, have a distinctive style, much of it dating back to the days when Zeeland's main city vied with Amsterdam as the major harbor in the land.
Some of it is quite grand, like the Flemish-style Stadhuis or city hall, built in the Middle Ages in the port city and provincial capital of Middelburg. Middelburg itself has many claims to fame in addition to its grand building, its central marketplace, and wonderful old houses with typical Dutch rooflines. Among its most significant ones, and surely its principal link to our country (but, again, to New York not New England), is that Middelburg is the ancestral home of the Roosevelt family. Today their legacy is memorialized in two major institutions: The Roosevelt American Studies Center located in the buildings of a very old church and monastery, and the Roosevelt Academy, a B.A. granting international honors college modeled on American liberal arts colleges and affiliated with Utrecht University. Its "college hall" is the previously mentioned Stadhuis. Its campus is the city itself.
If Middelburg is a slightly less diverse Provincetown of Zeeland, Vlissingen (also known as Flushing) is its Hyannis (though, with its long walk along the sea, in some ways it feels more like Atlantic City). It has modern sections and seaside hotels and ferry landings - for those heading not to the Vineyard but to nearby Antwerp. Domburg, the home of one of the greatest modern artists, Pieter Cornelis Mondriaan, is a classic Chathamesque old time summer village, hard by the sea and very close to Zeeland's Wellfleet- and my favorite- Veere.
Veere is a very special, well-preserved and charming town with tight controls on development. It is a haven that is not just for the hundreds of boats moored there, but for its devotees. While it, too, has a year-round population, the numbers swell in the summertime when city folks head to Veere, with its own attractive galleries, small boutiques, sea-farers chandleries and boatyards and bike rental stands, its bakeries and coffee shops, selling "broodjes." little open-faced sandwiches, its upscale restaurants and less expensive fish shops (which feature herring and mussels instead of lobsters and steamers).
The summer people in Zeeland, like those we know here, spend their time enjoying the ambience, the special food, the sandy strands, and the sea itself, and, while way ahead of us in the numbers who do it, in bicycling through the countryside on hundreds of kilometers of smooth and safe bike paths, clearly separated from the road traffic and flanked by beautiful countryside.
For Cape Cod loyalists willing to tear themselves away - but not too far from what they love best about the Cape, a trip to Zeeland should be seriously considered. It is very different from the places most Americans visit in The Netherlands -- Amsterdam, The Hague, Haarlem, Delft, and Utrecht. And it is very much like home. A land mass flanked by sea and estuary, it, too, is blessed by sunsets those who live or summer there feel are unlike any others.Sunset over the North Sea in Zeeland
*Peter Rose, Editor of SoGoNow.com Travel Magazine, is a sociologist, writer and photographer. He lives in Northampton and Wellfleet, Massachusetts, but often travels in the Netherlands. His latest books are Guest Appearances and Other Travels in Time and Space, (2003), The Dispossessed (2005), and They and We (2006).
SoGoNow.com by: Peter I. Rose on: 4:20 PM
