Nine Day Cacao and Culture Tour of Ecuador Follows Path of Gourmet Channel Documentary ‘El Cacao’ Released in May 2011
Gourmet adventure along the ‘cacao route’ is reason enough for anyone with a sweet tooth and penchant for offbeat travel to book a trip by this name through Equatortrekking to explore chocolate production in Ecuador.
by JackJelly for iStockPhoto.com“This is a must for foodies who can sample chocolate, learn how it‚s used in indigenous dishes, scrutinize its harvest and the supply chain,” says Mateo Ponce, founder of Equatortrekking. “Our travelers are always pleasantly surprised by the quality of Ecuadorian chocolate. This response inspired us to combine Ecuador’s rich chocolate history with the country’s people, landscape and culture to create this distinctively flavored tour.”
The per person rate for Gourmet Adventure in the Cacao Route is $2,430 (exclusive of air into Ecuador) for the nearly all inclusive, nine day-eight night tour. 2011 departures are June 20, July 15 and 30, Aug. 15 and 30, and Sept. 15.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
YES YOU CAN leave the guilt, kids, spouse, BFF, or significant other behind and set off solo for your next vacation. Increasing numbers of savvy travelers are doing just that and returning home the better for it.
Single or not, male or female, on a budget or ready to splurge, looking to learn or seeking solitude, traveling on your own is so much easier when you take out the guesswork.
To help get you started, here’s a selection of best bets for solo-friendly travel.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
THE WORLD, À LA CARTE
For those of us who can’t imagine experiencing a new place any way but food first, we’re in luck. Michelin, the bible of epicureans on the go for over 100 years, now offers foodies a new way to eat, drink and sleep their way around the planet. For travellers’ with twin appetites for great food and one-of-a-kind experiences, they’ve launched a new culinary travel series, Michelin Food and Travel.
© Ellen Barone.
Michelin Food & Travel experiences are wholly customizable, but here’s a few sample itinerary highlights to whet your appetite:
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Couldn’t resist sharing….
From canine ambassadors to goat adoptions and first-class hospitality, Fairmont Hotels continue to delight and surprise.
Chefs Will Use Signature Goat Cheese for Montreal’s Beaver Club
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth in Montreal has recently adopted a goat, affectionately named Blanche Neige (Snow White), to make the hotel’s signature cheeses for the legendary Beaver Club. A registered “show goat” with an impressive pedigree, Snow White was adopted from the local Fromagerie du Vieux St-François as part of the property’s ongoing commitment to supporting local cuisine and small artisan producers. While living at the fromagerie, Snow White will produce cheese for the menu at The Beaver Club, as well as for sale at the Fairmont Store.
“Before adopting Snow White, our culinary team decided that we wanted to create a unique and exclusive experience for our guests, while also promoting local, artisan cuisine” said Michel Busch, Director of Food & Beverage. “With Quebec’s reputation for award-winning cheese and the growing demand for locally-produced food, working with an artisan fromagerie here in Montreal was a natural choice.”
The Beaver Club’s Chef Martin Paquet will be using the goat cheese in a variety of dishes to complement the restaurant’s renowned cuisine, from entrées to desserts, including Asparagus Bundle with Goat Cheese and Confited Cherry Tomatoes; Snow White Iced Nougat and Snow White Cheesecake with Red Berries. The cheese is exclusive to the Beaver Club and the Fromagerie, and will include varieties such as La Tour Saint-François, the Peau d’ours and l’Ilot de Blanche Neige. They will also be available alongside a larger selection of Quebec cheeses as part of the gourmet cheese cart.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Send your Mom’s best and favorite recipe, and if she’s the winner, her recipe will be featured on the Mother’s Day menu at one of my favorite Santa Fe stays, The Bishop’s Lodge. As the winner, she will also receive a night in one of the Lodge’s Deluxe rooms as well a spa treatment at the award-winning Sha Nah Spa.
Submit recipes by Wednesday, May 5th to Executive Chef Carmen Rodriguez at crodriguez@bishopslodge.com or submit your recipe at the reception desk at Bishop’s Lodge.
Mother’s Day Brunch at Bishop’s Lodge will be served Sunday, May 9th, 2010 11:00AM - 3:00PM. For more information visit www.bishopslodge.com.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
One of my most memorable holidays was a summertime heli-hiking vacation in the Canadian Rockies with Canadian Mountain Holidays. And, it delights me when a company that’s already great, does something even better. Case in point, the new “CMH Summer Adventures” (formerly CMH Heli-Hiking). As if heli-hiking wasn’t exciting enough, they’ve added ropes courses, zip-lining, via ferrata, yoga getaways and women’s weeks-and brand-new for this year, painting and cooking workshops, cancer survivors’ retreats and exclusive trips with great Canadian explorers to their summer lineup. The CMH Summer Adventures season will run from July 6 to September 7, 2010. See details below.
The new Summer Adventures for 2010 will include a unique opportunity for active and creative types to participate in a Painting Workshop with Liz Wiltzen in the Bugaboos (August 31-September 5). Liz combines 10 years of guiding experience in the Bugaboos with 20 years of painting, to provide guests with real-time hiking experience in the storied Bugaboos, as well as hands-on artistic guidance in the painting of them.
With CMH’s new Stretch & Stir cooking workshop, guests can join sisters Sandra Davis and Julie Sagan in an alpine experience that mixes yoga, cooking and Heli-Hiking in the iconic Bugaboo Mountains (August 20-23). Chef Sandra Davis creates mouth-watering delights from her catering business The Saucy Gourmet, while her sister, yoga master Julie Sagan, stretches her clients at the Bikram Yoga West Edmonton Studio.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".