Heidibella in the Tropics

Anniversary Celebration

Gab and I celebrated our 5^th wedding anniversary on the lovely Isla Contadora, an island on the Pearl Islands archipielago in the Gulf of Panama. Contadora gets its name because it provided the Spaniards a safe haven to count the pearls they harvested.

We stayed at the Hotel Punta Galeón, complete with restaurant, swimming pool, private beach, pool table, Fußball table, rooms with private balconies, and a beautiful deck that overlooks the ocean. We went hiking and explored the entire island, we hung out on the beach drinking cold beer, we rented a boat for four hours and went on a tour of the Pearl Islands, lounged around by the pool, and ate ourselves into a coma with the freshest of seafood. We took a bunch of pictures…click here if you’d like to see some of them. Thanks to Kira for recommending the hotel and Michi and Austin for taking care of our doggies while we were away and for providing airport transport...what a fabulous weekend!

Highlights of our trip:

·         The guy at the airport who, concerned for the safety of our beer bottles, repacked our cooler, sealed it with tape, and put a fragile sticker on it

·         The hassle-free, 20 minute flight that landed right across the street from our hotel. Within minutes we had changed clothes and were exploring the island

·         Glenda, head of the restaurant at the hotel, who took care of us like no other and always made sure we had cold beers on hand

·         Carla, operator of Blandy supermarket and restaurant who served us the most delicious fried fish ever

·         The four-hour tour around the Pearl Islands led by Niño and his son Cholín on their boat, Jimena.

·         Hiking around the island not knowing what might be around the corner

·         Anniversary dinner at the Hotel Villa Romántica Restaurant. Delicious lobster!

·         Watching the sunset on the deck outside our hotel room

If you’re thinking of going to Contadora, here are some tips I’d like to share:

·         On Aeroperlas you’re allowed one piece of luggage per person. Each piece can weigh a maximum of 30 lbs. You will have to pay an additional charge if your luggage weighs more than that. Depending on the total weight and number of passengers, the airline might need to leave some luggage behind to send on a later flight. Have essentials (ex. bathing suit, sunscreen, shorts, tee) packed in one spot where you can easily find them, take them out, and stick them in your purse/carry-on. Keep your baggage claim tickets…you’ll need them.

·         I highly recommend Hotel Punta Galeón. It has the perfect balance of privacy and mingling, good food (albeit a bit pricey but everything else is too), very friendly staff, super clean, nice pool and beach.

·         Go to Blandy (close to the hotel) and ask for Carla early in the morning. Ask her if she has fish and if she does, place your order for “pescado frito” right then and there and let her know what time you’ll be back. If you don’t, it will all be gone by the time you decide to eat.

·         Take some sort of portable speakers and music. It’s great to set it out on your balcony and listen to music while you relax with a drink.

·         Ask for Niño and have him take you out on his boat for a tour of the islands. Ask him to take you specifically to Isla Boyarena. You’ll be amazed.  He charged us $50 for two hours.

·         Eat one meal at the restaurant at Hotel Villa Romántica. The food is absolutely delicious and the service is great.

·         Take comfortable walking shoes because you’ll want to hike around the island.

·         Take a tote bag to throw in a towel and things you’ll need for the beach/pool.

·         Hotel provides towels, shampoo, conditioner, and soap but no toothpaste.

·         Take a cooler with you if you can as one of your luggage pieces. It’s great to take down to the beach or to take with you on the boat to drink beer as you tour the islands. The hotel does not allow outside food or beverages on the grounds, but you can always fill it with ice and they’ll supply your beer and you can have it with you by the pool or on the beach.

·         Don’t forget to take your camera with plenty of memory and battery life!

NYC Lightning Trip: DAY THREE - Ground Zero, a taste of Ireland, and a wickedly magical ending

Day three started off with a trip to Ground Zero. We took the subway all the way down and stopped first at St. Paul's Chapel. The chapel served as a place of worship, rest, and refuge for volunteers who worked for eight months after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. St. Paul's Chapel stood opposite the east side of the World Trade Center and was spared miraculously, with not even a broken window. Inside the building you can still see memorial altars, photos, articles left by visitors to pay tribute to those that lost their lives on that day. It really is a place that transports you right back to that moment that not only changed the New York skyline, but the entire world forever. We walked over to Ground Zero and saw the enormous construction site of what will one day be the Freedom Tower. The makeshift memorial nearby provides visitors an opportunity to read about the project.  I'm glad we went there.  It really gives you hope and you get the feeling of starting over and a new beginning that is not far away. After Ground Zero we went back up close to the hotel and had a bite to eat at an Irish pub/restaurant. I had the most delicious Irish stew...yum!  It tasted like amazing comfort food. After a couple of good, cold beers, we went to get ready for the show. I was so nervous...but hopeful. We got dressed and headed toward the Gershwin Theatre to see Wicked. As I walked in, I noticed that the sign was up, announcing stand-ins for that evening's performance. But no Elphaba was listed...only the Witch's mother. YES!  Julia Murney would perform. I was so excited that I was shaking. When the show started, the music filled the theatre and I felt that rush that I only get during a Broadway show...that feeling of magic that transports you to another level, an entirely different place that I can't describe. Julia Murney was FABULOUS. What an amazing talent, the way she connects with the material draws you in like you can't believe. When it was over, I was on a high for the rest of the evening...a feeling that I will never forget. What a fantastic trip to the "city that never sleeps". Thanks for a great time Mich!!!!!  Day 3 pics here.

NYC Lightning Trip: DAY TWO - From a trip down memory lane to ROW "A" in Wicked

Day two began with bagels and coffee (and not at the emergency room!!). We took a walk past Radio City Music Hall and did a bit of shopping.  We hit the grill at Macy's and took a break from the hot weather with a nice cold beer. We then took a subway trip to Long Island City to visit Mich's old neighborhood. 44-44 21st St is now called Riverside Place and Mich's old apartment is now renting for hundreds of dollars more. The neighborhood seems busier, more businesses in the area, and the places we used to frequent have new owners. C-Town, the neighborhood grocery store is completely renovated and looks great inside. The only person Mich recognized was "Wham!" (nicknamed by Austin after the band). We chatted with him for a while and he gave us a tour of the new store. He showed us how every other item on the shelves was either sugar-free, fat-free, or organic. What a change from just a few years ago. We took the V train at the 23rd and Ely stop that is so familiar (even the smell of the subway station brought back so many memories) and went back to the hotel to change for dinner and Wicked! I was shaking from the excitment...I couldn't wait. We had made reservations at Del Posto for the Enoteca dining experience. The ambience was great...lighting just right, and the music was perfect for dining, not too loud, not too quiet. Our waiter, Pablo, was great fun. He explained how the Enoteca menu works: you select any antipasto, primo, secondo, and dolci from the menu for $45. The primo (which is pasta) would be served to the entire table, so we would get to try both pastas. We selected our wine and our Del Posto adventure began. First came the antipasti. My Grilled Octopus in Zimino was soft and buttery, and Mich's Insalata Primavera had the most fabulous dressing. Our pasta choices for the primi were Spaghetti alla Marchigiana and Garganelli with Lamb Sausage. Both were out of this world but we agreed that the Garganelli (freshly made flat spinach penne) was the best. Then came the secondi. I had the Skate in Potacchio which is essentially a sting ray and its texture is a lot like scallops. Mich had Tagliata with Rucola Salad, a delicious beef dish...the best in both our opinions, which shouldn't have surprised us because Pablo said that was his favorite of the secondi. We were undecided on the dolci, and ordered it at the end which Pablo permitted. I asked him to bring us the two best desserts, but Mich wanted to try the Torta della Nonna. Pablo said he couldn't please us both because the Torta della Nonna wasn't one of the two best!  So he brought us a grilled panini with chocolate and mascarpone (delicious!) and the creamiest most delicious cheesecake we had ever tasted. And lovely Pablo...also brought us a Torta della Nonna, on the house. We finished the evening with a cappuccino and then grabbed our cab to head to the Gershwin Theatre. We had tickets in row "R". All day Mich had been teasing me, saying that we would be in our seats and someone would suddenly announce that the role of Elphaba (title role) would not be played by Julia Murney (love her!!) but by some obscure actress, or worse...someone I don't like at all. And of course, we walk in, and I see a sign in the lobby of the theatre that said that Elphaba would be played by the standby. I couldn't believe it. I wanted to die. Disappointed, I looked at Michelle but words couldn't come out of my mouth. Or at least that's what I remember. I had already decided to give up but Mich wouldn't have it. She marched right up to the box office and explained our predicament. She told the man that I had travelled all the way from Panama and that if I didn't see Julia Murney I would be SO disappointed. She asked if he knew whether she would perform the next day and he said that he had no idea. So Mich asked him to exchange our tickets for the next day anyway and he said there was no availability. At this point, any hopes I had just vanished. But Mich continued to insist and the guy, seeing the desperation in our faces, asked us for our Friday tickets and gave us new tickets for Saturday in return. When I looked at them, I couldn't believe it. We had traded our row "R" tickets for row "A"!!!!!  I love you Wicked box office man!  I love you Michelle! So, my hopes had been somewhat restored...for now. We decided to walk around Times Square before going back to the hotel. The lights of Broadway flashed in front of me, and I walked down the Great White Way with my sister...hoping and crossing my fingers that Wicked with Julia Murney would happen for me. Day 2 pics here....stay tuned for Day 3!

NYC Lightning Trip: DAY ONE - An Adventure in Taste

On day one of our lightning bolt trip to NYC, Mich and I went on a Chelsea Market / Meatpacking District Food Tasting Tour, provided by Foods of New York Tours.  I highly recommend this one. We were a small group of seven, which was great because we could ask all the questions we wanted and there was a lot of interaction with the other people taking the tour. We met our terrific tour guide, Kurt, at the Chelsea Wine Vault inside Chelsea Market. After supplying us each with a bottle of water for our walk, Kurt led us to our first stop which was Eleni's Bakery. We had what I think they call an Everything Cookie which was pretty much the best cookie I’ve ever had.  As far as Mich and I could tell, it had chocolate chips, walnuts, cranberries, coconut, and oatmeal. To wash down our delicious treat, we headed over to the Ronnybrook Dairy, a real dairy farm. Kurt had us try what they call coffee milk which tastes like cold, melted coffee ice cream (delicious!!) and chocolate milk. We stopped by Amy’s Bread where they make everything from green olive picholine to French rye to semolina fennel golden raisin twists. We then made our way to The Lobster Place, a fish market with the freshest seafood you can imagine. There were sushi chefs making fresh sushi right there for you to buy and take home. Kurt showed us huge slabs of tuna and gave a lesson in the life of a lobster, from ocean to table. Poor things no? But they sure are delicious. We had a taste of a wonderfully rich and buttery lobster bisque that they make right there in the market. All I can say is…WOW. After bidding farewell to the doomed crustaceans, we were taken to Buon Italia, an imported Italian foods market. Kurt set up a table with an Italian picnic of a variety of foods like soppressata, olives brined in-house, sheep's milk cheese, smoked buffalo mozzarella, mortadela, sweet onions in balsamic, sun-dried tomato pesto, and some artesenal bread from Amy’s. From there we journeyed on to the Manhattan Fruit Exchange which is a huge market that sells whole-sale to New York City restaurants and provides produce for the Food Network. We also visited Chelsea Market Baskets, a specialty shop where they make amazingly beautiful gift baskets. We tried one of the items they include in the baskets, Tyrell’s Potato Chips. They are made from potatoes imported from England and are hand-fried…quite possibly the best potato chip I’ve ever had in my mouth. After having lobster bisque, an Italian picnic, and chips we were all ready for something sweet so we headed over to a bakery called Sarabeth's where we sampled spreadable fruit on buttermilk biscuits. The flavor pops in your mouth and it’s incredible. To continue with the sweet tooth soothing, we went to L'Arte Del Gelato for some wonderfully creamy Italian ice cream. We each picked the flavor we wanted to try.  My choice…limone arance. We strolled by the entrance to the Food Network studios where shows like Emeril Live are filmed. Oh how I would have loved to tour that place...but alas…no tours allowed. We then ventured outside and passed by Morimoto, a Japanese Restaurant, Sushi Bar and Lounge owned by Chef Masahara Morimoto. The décor was simple, yet breathtaking. We also visited Del Posto, a restaurant owned by Chefs Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich. Kurt told us about the $45 Enoteca tasting menu and Mich and I decided right then and there that we would try it.  We continued walking around meatpacking district. Kurt told us how years ago meatpackers left work at 3pm and in the hours following the area turned into a pretty seedy place. The first upscale restaurant to open in the area was Pastis, and they started a movement that would change the meatpacking district forever. The tour ended with a visit to Kurt’s friend Marge’s town house and a view of the area from atop a hotel. Check out the pics here!

Forgot to mention that we started the day at 5:30 am when Mich woke up with a sore and very swollen thumb. We ended up spending the morning in the emergency room. She was diagnosed with perionychium. They gave us a prescription for antibiotics and we rushed out of there and managed to reach the meeting point for our tour just in time!  How are you feeling Mich? 

Talk about luck

I think luck must be following me because the flight to Newark from Miami was awesome. The entire flight was full and the only person in a row with empty seats was...you guessed it...me!  I had the whole row to myself.  The whole plane must have hated me when I stretched out to read my book. Sorry guys!  Better luck next time.

 

If you can make it there...

Heading off to The Big Apple today with my sis, the former New Yorker!  It will be the first time I've been back since before 9-11. Stay tuned...more to come.

Birthday at the Grand Canyon

I have always wanted to go to the Grand Canyon. When we planned the trip to go for my birthday, I was so excited because I've heard so many people say it's amazing, and of course it has been photographed a million times. We are all familiar with the image of the Grand Canyon. I was not prepared for the moment when we pulled into a parking space at Mather Point inside the Grand Canyon National Park. You can't prepare, really, because you come upon it all of a sudden. And then it's there, and you can't stop looking at it. Every time you turn away, and then look back, you are amazed all over again. It's funny to watch people as they arrive and see it for the first time. There is one universal word that comes out of everyone's mouth at the first sight of the Grand Canyon: "Wow."

We drove around to all the different viewpoints. When we started to get hungry, we went to the grocery and bought things for a picnic: bread, sliced chicken and turkey, pickles, gherkins, cheese, hummus, crackers, salsa, chips, and fig newtons. We found a nice spot to lay out our feast. Once we finished eating, we continued along the canyon in search of the perfect place to watch the sunset. We had been advised to be at our spot one hour before sunset which was going to be at 7:40 pm. We drove all the way to Desert View on the South Rim and unanimously decided that the best one we had seen was Navajo Point. We drove back, unloaded our beer and cameras, and sat right at the edge of the canyon to watch the sun come down. An absolutely incredible experience.

We went back to the Briar Patch Inn, our hotel in Oak Creek, a few miles outside of Sedona. We stayed in a cabin called Treetop, and it was perfect. The night before, Michelle, Austin, and Gab had a birthday party for me in the private courtyard. In the morning we had an organic breakfast by the creek, provided by the inn. There was live music played by musicians on violin and guitar.

After the Grand Canyon adventure, we decided to go to Antelope Canyon before heading out to Los Angeles. Antelope Canyon is in a Navajo Tribal Park. We went to the upper canyon because the lower canyon was closed by the time we arrived. You park, and ride a truck to the canyon entrance, that hides slots that have been formed from sandstone. As soon as you step inside, a feeling of peace falls over you as the cool air hits your skin and your hand glides over the smooth stone walls. The sunlight that comes in from the top of the canyon reflects beautifully on the walls and on the ground, and you can't help wonder at this creation of nature. We started the 10 hour drive back to Los Angeles around 7:30 pm. Austin and Gab took turns every hour driving us...and we got to L.A. at 5:30 am. Thanks for getting us back in one piece guys!

I can't describe how it felt to be at the Grand Canyon, watching as the sun seemed to be swallowed up by the huge canyon below. All I can say is thank you to Michelle, Austin, and Gabriel for being there with me, and for making my birthday extra special. Also, thanks to all my family and friends that called, or tried to call! Thanks for the emails and posts, and all the love that you show me not just when it's my birthday, but every day. Check out the photo album here.

The City by the Bay

Woah!  What a trip this has been so far.  We haven't stopped for a second.  I haven't even had time to post about my adventures, but on this lovely California morning I must end the hiatus.

We started off the trip in San Francisco. We realized on the plane that we were going to be there during the Memorial Day holiday, and the city was full of people. We couldn't even ride the streetcar because they were always overflowing with people hanging off the sides waving cameras. My first and only time in San Fran was almost 20 years ago. Gab had never been, and he was so excited. We stayed at the Hotel Serrano, a Kimpton Hotel. I really enjoyed it because not only was it a bargain, but the hotel staff were extremely friendly and the ambience was unique. The restaurant/bar has a lot of character, and so do the rooms. When I opened the closet and saw the leopard-print robe hanging in it, I knew we were in for an experience. Every evening from 5-6, our hotel held a complimentary beer and wine hour for guests. We definitely took advantage of that! There is so much to do in San Francisco, there was no way for us to cover everything in 2 days.  But we did manage to visit Union Square, Chinatown, Lombard Street, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Golden Gate Park.  San Francisco is truly a gorgeous town. When we were on the ferry going to Alcatraz, Gab noticed that there was not one speck of trash in the water. The weather cooperated with us, and we had two beautifully sunny days, albeit a bit chilly.

On our way to Los Angeles, we stopped at Sausalito and had lunch at Scoma's. The food was amazing and the town made you feel like you were in a movie. Gab wants to go back to San Francisco, and he says that it has become his #2 favorite city in the U.S. See you again some day Frisco! Check out my photo album here.

Two weeks

It's amazing how preparing for a vacation can be almost more exhausting than never taking time off at all. These past two weeks have been so hectic that I can feel a constant burning right behind my eyeballs, and there's a persistant throbbing right at the balls of my feet. I'm still looking forward to the moment when everything will be packed, all papers and phone chargers and ipods are in their place, and I can just lie back on a fluffy pillow with a tall glass of cold icy soda and dream about the adventure to come. I don't even want to start thinking about how quickly this time will pass, fast forwarding to the moment when I step off the plane back to reality. For now, I feel rich as I think about the two full weeks of fun with my family that lie ahead.

From the tropics to sunny California I go!

Westbound

Gab and I are off to Chiriqui today, to celebrate Gabs' grandma's 98th birthday. I can't imagine turning 98 years old. She's beautiful isn't she?

See y'all when we get back on Sunday. Have a great weekend!