Photos: Fiji

Fiji is almost solely known for its stunning white sandy beaches, perfect for sunning, swimming, diving and snorkeling. But on my recent trip, I found numerous other sights and activities, including hiking trails coursing through the Colo-i-Suva Forest Park. One trail allows access to numerous swimmable pools with waterfalls and also provides bird watching opportunities. I also found an eco ethic at many of the resorts, including Castaway Island, Fiji, a resort on a private island. Given that this and other waterfront resorts depend on healthy coral reefs that are home to a variety of different fish and shellfish species, it’s no wonder that conservation efforts are underway to restore coral that have died as a result of climbing water temperatures. These photos show some of the numerous sights and vistas I discovered in Fiji, including Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort, Nanuku Auberge Resort, and Castaway Island’s North Beach that’s the focus of the myriad water-based and many other activities, including a massage table set up on the golden sands at the end of this beach where, at low-tide, you can walk around the rocky point to yet another and more desolate beach. (You can also kayak there.)

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Photos: Southern India

In India, two properties, the Neeleshwar Hermitage in Northern Kerala and Evolve Back in the adjacent province of Coorg, together offer travelers numerous opportunities to connect with nature. While the Neeleshwar Hermitage is on the Arabian Sea, Evolve Back in Coorg is at altitude, set among acres of lush coffee plantations. But, both are eco-oriented properties, offering numerous opportunities for bird watching and educational naturalist treks. And, of course, the culinary delights and spa treatments are stellar.

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Anguilla: It's More Than Beaches

Anguilla’s 33 beaches beckon with their pure, white swaths of crushed coral sand. Most visitors are enticed to the island by their picturesque allure, from the shelling possibilities at Shoal Bay West to Savannah Bay where sea turtles are known to nest. But there are plenty more activities on Anguilla to occupy those who want a break from the sand and sun.

That includes taking a guided walk with naturalist Oliver Hodge who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the medicinal and cultural uses of native plants. (You can trek with him along the lush Katouche Trail that ends at a picturesque bay.)

Or sign up with the Anguilla National Trust to explore caves on their Bats & Botany tour. When you're not bird watching along the island's brackish ponds or trekking to the arid east side of the island to spot curious cacti, you'll want to check out the creativity of the island's chefs (at De Cuisine and Hibernia) and artists, such as Cheddie Richardson at his shop and atelier, Driftwood Haven.

Find out more about the non-beachy side of Anguilla in the article I wrote for National Geographic Traveler - Intelligent Travel.

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Cayman Islands in Pictures

The Cayman Islands that I recently experienced is the one few spend the time to become acquainted with. Not the Caymans of snorkeling, diving, endless hours on the beach or stepping off a cruise ship for a quick visit. My Cayman Island travels -- aside from Grand Cayman, I overnighted on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman -- was all about wandering walking trails through the dense forests, spying exotic parrots, browsing contemporary art in the National Gallery, bicycling to an iguana nesting sanctuary, and strolling through orchid and palm gardens.

My short YouTube video slideshow provides a small window into the authentic Cayman Islands that I know.

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My Fave National Wildlife Refuges

Not much wildlife made it into "Wild," the Reese Witherspoon movie based on Cheryl Strayed's solo, thousand-some-mile trek along the Pacific Crest Trail. That is, unless you count some of the shady people her character meets along the way. In real life, it's the four-legged, winged and finned creatures in our nation's wild places that provide treasured experiences for ourselves and our children -- whether it's prowling for owls, digging for crabs, learning to photograph flocks of cranes, or following the tracks of a bobcat. In America, wildlife links us with our past and provides a gift we can offer future generations. We can thank President Theodor Roosevelt for establishing the first national wildlife refuge -- Florida's Pelican Island -- in 1903. But the idea of protecting America's fish and wildlife, and the plants and waters they depend on dates to the mid-1800s, when reporters and explorers in the West documented how animals were being wiped out. The public came to the realization that America's heritage is intimately tied to its wildlife that require safe and healthy havens to thrive. Every U.S. state plus its territories has at least one refuge, all managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serve. I recently wrote about six stand-out national wildlife refuges for National Geographic Traveler - Intelligent Travel. 

credit: Ward Feurt/USFWS

credit: Colin Hackley

credit: Steve Hillebrand/USFWS

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Protecting The Peruvian Amazon

The only thing coming between the mahogany and cedar trees and other bountiful natural resources in the Amazon and the devious poachers who are anxious to pillage them is a man in a boat. Well, actually a few men, each in a canoe.

The Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon is a wealth of plant and animal species. And, a small cadre of rangers in canoes is tasked with protecting this more than five million-acre expanse bordered by the Marañon River and the Puinahua Channel that branches off the Ucayali River.

Some of the creatures are quite unusual, including the 100-some-pound capybara, the world's largest rodent, the walking catfish that can breath air for up to 24 hours, are quite unusual, and the pink dolphins which are believed to bear this hue because of blood vessels that are close to the surface of the skin.

Find out more about the treasures these rangers are protecting in the article I just wrote for National Geographic Travel Intelligent Travel.

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Birding In Cuba

I arrived in Cuba (on a tour with International Expeditions) not to sample the coffee, some with elaborate foam art displaying the visage of Che Guevara; watch the daily street parade of 1950s automobiles; dance to son, danzon, rumba or other Cuban music; or sip a mojito in a Havana bar that Hemingway frequented. No, I came to check out the bird scene because, beyond this island nation's signature sights and activities is a verdant landscape brimming with bird species. 

I recently wrote about my birding experiences in Cuba for National Geographic Traveler - Intelligent Travel.

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Cuba In PIctures

Imagine my surprise, returning to my hotel at the end of a long day to find that the towels had all been arranged on my bed so that they resemble swans. I found that this display of housekeeping origami was more the norm than not. Now think about walking into a small bodega-type store only to find that boxes of vanilla- or chocolate-filled cookies were pretty much the only packaged goods on the shelf. Not far away stretched a canopy of foliage where I spotted the world's smallest bird, the bee hummingbird.


Another day, I walked around a village that's completely wrapped around an eco concept, where a restaurant is solar powered and the hotel was built to accommodate the resident trees. In this village, Las Terrazas, I sat at a coffee shop high above lush gardens, ordered a cappuccino and stared into the foam at the barrista's insistence: the chocolate powder was sprinkled in the form of Che Guevara. Welcome to Cuba, a land of diversity and disparities, a land with warm, welcoming and exceedingly creative people, and protected green spaces that would satisfy even the most discriminating birder or botanist. I found a family of potters, a young jazz ensemble, a choral group whose repertoire included everything from Renaissance to Japanese folk music, and a slew of contemporary painters producing some very surreal work that I would gladly own.

Because it's difficult for Americans to travel to Cuba directly, I signed up with International Expeditions so that I could see the less touristy side of this politically-charged isle.

The above slide show will give you a glimpse into Cuba's colorful treasures.

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Bicycling Four Rails-to-Trails

As I mentioned in a previous post, I took a trip to four of the six states that I somehow never visited. In each state, I stopped in one city to bicycle the length of a rail-to-trail. Here's what I found in my wanderings in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas:

The Keystone Trail - Omaha, Nebraska

This trail is very well used not just by cyclists, but also parents pushing strollers, families walking with kids in tow, joggers, and bladers. Having a well-maintained trail so close to downtown certainly motivates members of the community to get into a fitness mode. And, though I didn't feel far removed from my urban environment -- a network of highways were withing sighting distance and when I neared the airport jets roared overhead -- the trail allowed me to get "in the zone" as I pedaled parallel to the rippling Papio Creek, past the sprawling lawns of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and St. Mary's campuses, and the small copse of shade trees in Esther Pilsner and Democracy parks. Tall, delicate grasses waved beside the trail while plump clouds bumped up against each other as they drifted above. With Missouri River flooding that has affected Omaha, it was no wonder that part of the trail, at the Bellevue Loop, was closed.


The Landon Nature Trail - Topeka, Kansas

This sun-dappled mostly dirt/crushed stone trail literally starts smack in the city (right beside Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site) and cuts through agricultural lands. It couldn't be more convenient but it wasn't swarming with cyclists or walkers because I was bicycling in the middle of the workday. And, though the entire almost 13-mile peaceful trail is technically open, the last couple of miles is so thick with gravel and stones and overgrown with weeds, that I had to turn around. What I found on my tranquil journey were expansive farms growing corn, alfalfa and soybeans, colorful moths fluttering in front of my face, tall cottonwood and ash trees and a brilliant display of wildflowers.


Osage Prairie Trail - Tulsa, Oklahoma

Railroad fans will especially enjoy cycling this paved path that has a reproduction of an original mileage marker and Osage Prairie signs that are replicates of railroad crossing signs. This path also crosses over several different types of bridges, including an original trestle bridge constructed of core 10 steel and another that's a plate-girder type. But it's not just railroad fans that will be fascinated by this trail that provides scenic views of the Tulsa skyline at the trailhead, but also birdwatchers and nature lovers. That's because the trail courses through a prime birding area, according to the National Audubon Society. Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to the candy red trumpet creepers while towering pecan, walnut and oak trees line the trail. When I cycled this path, many a creature crossed in front of my bike, including a tortoise, a weasel and a black snake. A former railroad car transfer station at the end of the trail in the town of Skiatook has been transformed into Central Park with its boldly-colored waterpark, curvy lake, blooming flowers and shaded benches. It's so well designed that the entire community, young and old alike, is attracted to this relaxing venue.

Arkansas River Trail - Little Rock, Arkansas

You're never far from the river along this trail that travels along both sides of the waterway that separates North Little Rock from Little Rock. After I started out with views of the old State House and Petit Rouge, the rock that gives the city its name, my trek became a little more exciting than I anticipated because I ended up cycling on the lone day that week when the city was hit by a violent thunder storm with torrential rains. Instead of heading indoors, I continued cycling -- this was the only day I had allotted for this trip so I didn't see an alternative -- until the rain impaired my vision. Once I pulled off to the side of the road, lightning struck a transformer 20 feet away, sending sparks flying in all directions. I immediately got back on the bike but, again, was forced to bail out and, coincidentally, lightning struck a tall tree directly across the road. I finally took shelter with half a dozen other cyclists in a nearby open-air pavilion where we waited it out. Once the storm abated, I continued along the path, passing tall red-tinged bluffs, an old quarry, the lush Emerald Park (a good mountain biking and hiking venues), the massive pedestrian-only Big Dam Bridge, and the spacious Murray Lock & Dam Park with its well-tended and densely forested sections.

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Tracking Birds in Malta

I wouldn't call myself a hardcore bird watcher, but I'm definitely a tree hugger. So when I found out that hunters in Malta target song birds and endangered feathered creatures, I couldn't have been more shocked. Nonetheless, on my recent trip to Malta, not only did I get a chance to interview the intrepid campaign coordinator at the conservation group BirdLife Malta, but I also took a guided stroll through one of the country's leafy reserves that goes out of its way to protect migratory birds as well as a host of endangered plants.

I recently wrote about my bird-related adventures in Malta for National Geographic Traveler's Intelligent Travel blog.

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What I Love About Kuala Lumpur

Often, it seems that the sleek Malaysia capital of Kuala Lumpur is nothing but a mega hustle bustle metropolis dotted with space-age edifices that make architecture aficionados drool. But I found plenty of peace in this energetic city that’s the epitome of diversity. (Their cuisine that melds the flavors of their Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures is one of my very favorite.) These are my top picks for any visit to KL:


Lake Gardens -- KL has green spaces aplenty and this is an exceptionally expansive -- some 230 acres -- landscape. In this jungle-like acreage, I wandered the lovely, well-tended gardens, jogged along the paths, and walked the landscaped hills in the early morning when locals were performing tai chi. The best thing is that within this botanical garden are many of the sights below, including the Bird Park and Orchid and Hibiscus gardens.

Kuala Lumpur Bird Park -- Keep your binoculars peeled as you gaze skyward. Within the fine net canopy of the aviary you’ll see a riot of color as macaws, toucans, cockatoos and other birds fly about. There’s plenty of bird action on the ground as numerous wading species make appearances.

Butterfly Park -- The space is small and a bit rough and tumble in places, but if you’re a fan of butterflies and you’re patient, you’ll likely spy an array of specimens. I was lucky to spot an iridescent Malay lacewing with its bold red and orange scalloped wings. Other species revealed a glistening wisp of teal or lime green coloration amidst their dark bodies. But even more curious were the giant bug specimens in the insect museum. (I’m glad they were behind glass.)

Hibiscus Garden and Orchid Garden -- Strolling through these petite adjacent gardens couldn’t be more fragrant and relaxing. It’s appropriate to find the terraced Hibiscus Garden in KL, considering this is the Malaysian national flower. The myriad shapes, sizes and colors of the blooms in both gardens captivated my attention. No wonder many visitors decide to purchase a specimen to tend once they return home.


Islamic Arts Museum -- I wish I had a couple of hours to spend examining the extensive collections of jewelry, illustrated Korans, ancient almanacs, costumes and other striking items. On display I found on display some delicate ceramics, such as Iznik (referring to a town in Turkey) porcelain, as well as mother-of-pearl flasks from the Mughal Empire in the former Persia.

Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery -- A mere third of a mile from the sleek Petronas Towers, this is the epitome of a tranquil oasis. Dedicated to the Buddhist goddess of compassion, this retreat offers contemplative spaces with bonsai, mandalas and gilded statues. But a real highlight for me, however, was the extensive vegetarian buffet lunch with all manner of soy foods that even meat eaters would be hard pressed to not relish.

KLCC Park -- At the foot of the Petronas Towers, this park is planted with thousands of different types of flora. Joggers, like me, enjoy the short track that runs through this expanse with its water features.

Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve -- KL doesn’t seem to have a shortage of verdant lands smack in the middle of urban chaos. Here, at the food of the KL Tower, I strolled a couple of well-marked nature trails (including the Merbau Trail) that network this jungle with its towering trees where I was treated to the sight of a macaque monkey. I had to watch my steps, though, because bird watching can be quite distracting here as well. It’s interesting to note that this is the city’s only remaining tropical rain forest.

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Panama Beyond the Canal

For many people, a trip to Panama City isn't complete without visiting the Canal. Having transited the Canal and blogged about learning about its inner workings, I would agree. But I found in my Panama City wanderings, I also found that there were many green spaces as well as other gems that had nothing to do with the Canal. The green spaces, in particular, seemed little visited. Which is one reason why I sought them out. I recently wrote a piece on Eight Cool Things to do in Panama City for GoNOMAD that involve walking, biking or hiking or present interesting cultural offerings. You'll find out where you can roam around the ruins of old Panama City, rent a bicycle to peddle along a car-free waterside lane, or hike through an urban jungle with plenty of bird watching opportunities.

Things To Do

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The Cyprus You Never Knew

It wasn't until I told a few colleagues that I was headed to Cyprus that I realized even savvy travelers don't know much about this Mediterranean island. After all, their response upon hearing about my upcoming trip was uniformly "I've always wanted to travel to Greece." Curious, considering that, though the Greek culture certainly informs Cyprus, both in terms of the cuisine, the language and other cultural influences, Cyprus is not part of Greece. It's an independent country located just south of Turkey and west of Lebanon and Syria. In addition, if you're heading to Israel, Cyprus makes a great side trip. There are regular cruises from Haifa and frequent one-hour flights from Tel Aviv.

Here's what else you're missing if you haven't visited this petite-sized country that's not even as big as Connecticut.

1. Aside from Israel, I've never found a country with more plump, juicy citrus fruits than in Cyprus. No matter where we drove on the island, I found trees loaded with grapefruits, lemons, oranges and tangerines. Cyprus grows a surprisingly wide array of fruits (and vegetables), from kiwi and cherries to strawberries, bananas and quince. And, no matter where I dined, the fruits were always sweet.

2. I was under a misconception that, since Cyprus is surrounded by the Mediterranean, the meals would be mostly fish centered. In fact, Cypriots eat a lot of meat. It seems that's because the waters have been over fished, making fish quite expensive. But the meats are a real treat, including succulent lamb dishes, seasoned ground pork that's formed into a oval-shaped meatballs, and ribs that are marinated in red wine and then grilled. At lunch and dinner, your best bet is to order the meze which means you'll be eating sometimes a dozen small dishes. The desserts may be the most interesting because the Cypriots love to serve candied fruits in a heavy sugary syrup. Watermelon rind and bitter orange were my two favorite candied fruits, both having a perfume-like aromatic flavor. Some of our meals concluded with a grappa-like beverage called zivania. This is such a powerful drink that some of the locals use it to clean windows!


3. When you've visited one graveyard you've visited them all, but not in Cyprus. We inspected the Tombs of the Kings, named because the tombs were so grand yet kings were not buried here. Rather, it was most likely rich aristocrats. Dating to the 4th century BC, these tombs are unique because they were designed to look like houses, complete with open air courtyards surrounded by massive columns and Doric capitols. The best preserved were tombs #3 and #4 where I found massive cave-like structures where several stone coffins would have been positioned.

4. Ancient people in Cyprus have long worshiped the fertility goddess. Later, she became identified with Aphrodite, the goddess of love and fertility. So it's not surprising that a temple to Aphrodite was found in Cyprus. (You can visit the remains of the ruins) as well as the Baths of Aphrodite, a pool fed by a natural spring, where, as legend has it, Adonis first saw Aphrodite as she bathed in the waters. It's said if you drink from the spring you'll feel younger. (But the water really isn't for drinking.) Probably the most visited Aphrodite site, though, is along the coast. It's a giant rock in the sea marking the site where Aphrodite was allegedly born. Today locals say anyone who swims around the rock seven times will have eternal youth or eternal love. Lovers also tie white fabric to brush in the area hoping their wishes will come true. But the tides can be quite rough in this area so swimming at all let alone seven times might actually be dangerous. (I'd opt for just tying the fabric and skip the swim. But the spot with its pebbly beach does make a nice picnic spot.


5. Choirokoitia is a must visit for archeology buffs. Here you'll find ruins of the earliest settlement in Cyprus, dating to 6,800 BC. This UNESCO World Heritage site has replicas of the round, flat-roofed stone huts where these ancient people once lived. You can see where they buried their dead in a pit in the floor of each dwelling -- the dead were buried with a stone on their chest, maybe because they feared that they could rise again. After inspecting these replicas, then hike around the expansive site with the actual ruins that also that this village was sophisticated enough to have a security wall with a gate.

6. I'm a big fan of castles and I wasn't disappointed in Cyprus. My favorite was the Kolossi Castle where the basement was used to store sugar in the Middle Ages. (Yes, hard to believe, but sugar cane was a big industry.) It's here where the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem (referred to as the Commanderie) first produced the traditional Cypriot wine referred to as Kommandaria. (Kommandaria is the oldest wine in the world. And you can taste this sweet red dessert wine at some of the vineyards on the island. Only 14 produce Kommandaria.) Don't miss walking up the narrow steep spiral stone staircase to the top for panoramic views. On the way up you'll see the spacious private quarters of the head of the order.


7. If you love grand theaters, then Kourion is a must see. This city, that originated in the 12th/13th century, includes a massive Greco-Roman theater that was the site of Greek comedy and tragedy as well as Roman mime performances. Now, every July, you can sit in the stands overlooking the azure Bay of Episkopi and the verdant farmland and watch performances during the Ancient Greek Drama Festival.


8. I adore archeological digs and Cyprus is loaded with them, especially in Paphos in the southwest. In fact, the whole town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. On a hilltop locale are the remains of the houses and villas of the wealthy who decorated their floors with elaborate mosaics. Some of the most impressive, colorful mosaics are in the House of Dionysos, named for the mosaic of the god of wine and theater found here. Interestingly, it was a farmer accidentally who first discovered one of the mosaics in his field in the 1960s. If you have a guide, you'll be treated to an array of soap opera-like stories as you observe the mosaics telling the tales of Narcissus gazing at his image in the lake, Apollo falling for Daphne who rejects him, and Pyramos who kills himself when he erroneously thinks Thisbe was devoured by a lion. (She then kills herself when she finds his body.)

9. If you're a nature and adventure lover like me, then you have to stop at the Akamas Peninsula in the Northwest. The landscape reminded me a lot of Ireland with its confection of green-tinged landscape. It's home to many nature trails, including the path along the Avakas Gorge where the walls become quite narrow and shaded. Then you look up to see an enormous boulder stuck between the two sides of the gorge. It was formed millions of years ago and it only requires a short walk with some boulder hopping. When I was on this trail where some of the plant life is identified, I heard wild goats, saw giant reeds that my guide used to make kites for his kids, and found wild asparagus that the locals cook with scrambled eggs and lemons.

Large parts of the Akamas Peninsula are protected, allowing the green and loggerhead turtles to lay their eggs on placid Toxeftra Beach each summer (July-August). It's certainly an adventurer's paradise here. Aside from hiking, there's bird watching, mountain biking, parasailing, scuba diving, horse back riding all in this area. After all of this activity, to wind down, I chose the five-star Anassa Hotel that relies on seawater and algae in their treatments.

Things To Do

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Morocco's Bird Watching Oasis

My trips don't always work out the way I'd like. Sometimes they work out better. Because of itinerary restrictions among the members of the group I was traveling with, I spent my brief time in Morocco based out of Agadir and not the High Atlas Mountains, as I would've preferred. But that didn't stop me from heading out into natural landscapes.

I hired a jeep and took off on a day trip with my guide, Mokhtar, through the Souss Valley, a fertile land in south Morocco where the country's Berber people reside, bound for Massa with its picturesque estuary.

On our journey, we passed donkeys carrying heavy loads and women dressed in colorful garb sitting astride horses with baskets filled with greens, sometimes they overflowed to such as extend that you could hardly see the donkey. We passed villages of red clay in an ever-changing scenery -- from lush verdancy dappled with bold wild flowers to crop fields, groves of citrus, olive and almond trees, and dense forests of Argania trees. (The oil from their nuts are used in many traditional dishes.)


As we traveled through the semi-desert, the buildings were the color of sand with doors painted in bold blue and green hues. We bumped off road on rutted, bone-rattling single track bound for Souss Massa National Park and its picturesque estuary that's surrounded by massive sand dunes and a tidal sandbar. The road got sandier as we bumped along towards the ocean. Finally, I strolled through sugar-fine golden sand delighting in the cool breezes. Then my guide told me that this area is more than a prime migratory bird zone. It's also said to be the beach where the whale disgorged the prophet Jonah.

This petite wetland with its reeds and grasses is considered Morocco's prime bird watching site. And it didn't disappoint, with an array of sightings: terns, gulls, herons, ibis, sand martins and marbled ducks, a threatened species. I kept my eyes focused skyward, wondering if I'd spot eagles, falcons or even some rarer birds. Given the natural beauty and the wealth of bird sightings, I wished I had a few days to spend here. But we had to head back to Agadir that evening.

We did have time for a late lunch of traditional Berber bread that was baked in a clay kiln and then piled high in shallow wicker baskets. We ate the warm bread with honey. Then I curled a piece around beef shish kebabs. I also scooped up the traditional Berber dish, tajine, that's served in a round clay pot with chicken, squash, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes.

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My Three Best Kept Travel Secrets

TripBase, a very popular travel blog, recently started a tag-you’re-it game across the travel blogosphere. The idea is to collect a cool list of across-the-globe travel secrets from as many travel bloggers as possible. At some point, this list will be a Creative Commons roundup that I’ll be able to share with you once it's available.

I’ve just been tagged by two of my favorite travel bloggers, Melanie of TravelswithTwo and Robin of MyMelange to contribute my top three travel secrets.

Here they are:

1. Florida's Panhandle sometimes gets a bad rap, often because overdeveloped Panama City gets so much attention as a haven for spring break revelers. But there's that other Florida Panhandle, the authentic one that presents so many opportunities to explore some pristine beaches you might have difficulty choosing which ones to lay down your beach towel. In fact, over the past many years, some of these beaches have made it on to Dr. Beach's Best Beaches in America list -- a list with some 50 key criteria, including water color, scenery, urban development, sand quality and more.

Here are some of my favorite picks where blinding white sandy beaches are the rule and where, depending on the time of the year, I've found sections with more shorebird tracks than footprints.
Nine miles of dunes make St. Joseph Peninsula State Park particularly appealing. Shallow waters make also make it ideal for novice kayakers and a haven for migratory song birds, though it's also possible to spy hawks soaring overhead. St. George Island State Park is blessed with miles of sugar-white sands bordered by salt marches and oak and pine forests. Off the beach there's also good fishing for red snapper, mackerel and pompano. At Grayton Beach State Park, you can swim in emerald green water, gaze at sea-oat covered dunes, and hike through a lovely pine forest. St. Andrews State Park gives you the choice of swimming in the gulf or in a quiet tidal pool. From the beach, snorkelers are treated to multi-colored fish among the granite boulders of the jetty.


2. Surrounded on three sides by the sea and ringed by defensive Genoese watchtowers, Alghero makes for a picturesque town, especially given its fortified ancient quarter. Yet, many of those who visit Alghero with its fortified quarter never seem to leave their beach blanket. Set along the less developed west coast, Alghero has so much more to offer than swaths of sand and aquamarine waters that are perfect for boating. A sense of history pervades the old quarter that's still surrounded by Genoese watchtowers. On a self-guided audio tour, I climbed to the 20-meter-high terrace of the 16th century Porto Terra Tower for the panoramic views.
Though the beaches lining the coast of this resort town as well as those in nearby Fertilia get all the tourist attention, there are an array of day trips (many within cycling distance) sure to delight those who care little about sunning on Sardinia's sands. For example, I picked up an audio-guide at the Palmavera Nuraghe and meandered these ruins in this prehistoric village, one of the most complete of these Bronze Age complexes. Drive or bicycle through the little-visited Regional Forest of Porto Conte and you'll quickly understand why the protected land of oaks and pines is dubbed Noah's Ark. Unique white donkeys, small horses and Tibetan goats are just a few of the curious creatures wandering about. Though most visitors sign up for a boat tour to reach the famous Grotto di Nettuno with its cave network, a more memorable journey is to take the 654 steps of the Goat's Stairway down the cliff face. Not far away at Porto Ferro, three Genoese watchtowers guard Sardinia's longest beach where surfers flock to take on the crashing waves. Bird watchers often drive or bike to nearby pine-fringed Lake Baratz, Sardinia's only natural lake, where you may spot grebes and mallards.


3. Barcelona, Madrid and Andalusia get so much tourist traffic but it's the little visited Extremadura region -- one of Spain's least visited regions and the birthplace of Cortez, Pizarro and other Spanish conquistadors that provides so much inspiration for me with its rural landscapes of olive trees and Holm oaks, craggy mountainsides coated with pines and chestnuts trees and historic towns, Guadalupe, Merida, Trujillo, Zafra and Caceres, laced with labyrinthine streets. Each has a distinct character and is worth a visit: Trujillo http://www.spain.info/ven/otros-destinos/reportaje/trujillo.html?l=en for its palaces bearing the coats of arms of prominent families; Guadalupe for its massive monastery that's a UNESCO World Heritage site and one that houses a wealth of museums with elaborate embroidered vestments, reliquaries, ancient books of Gregorian chants; Merida that has some of the most complete set of Roman ruins around - so much so that I was able to jog along the periphery of the Roman Circus where chariot rides once took place; and, every June in Caceres, the capital of the province and another UNESCO World Heritage site, hosts the Classic Theater Festival where the works of the gold age artists can be experienced.
In whitewashed Zafra, though I didn't stay in one of Spain's most impressive paradors that's housed in a 15th century fortress-palace, I enjoyed the property's best feature: it's white marble Renaissance patio where I dined one evening on guinea hen in puff pastry. Instead, I stayed at Hotel Huerta Honda, the next-door property that was once the site of the castle's farm. In fact, the hotel's restaurant retains the original brick archway that was part of the fortress in the late 1400s. I also was lucky enough to visit during an annual event, De La Luna Al Fuego, when I took a historic tour of the fortress' impressive ramparts. I would've hung around longer to watch the sun set when an unexpected lightening storm cut our explorations short.


Now, I'm tagging 5 other travel blogs to share their top 3 best-kept travel secrets:

EllenBarone: Ellen's website and blogs have something for everyone. I've had the pleasure to travel with her and find that she's a real Renaissance woman who always gives me great tips and something new to think about.

JourneyWoman: Evelyn is a supreme resource for all things any woman will need when she's on the road, whether it's staying well or wondering what's appropriate to wear in different international destinations.

CiaoBambino: Ami provides a wealth of family-friendly travel advice. I don't have kids but, if I did, this would be one serious resource.

EuropeUpClose: Terri's just got so many fab tips, deals, news items and advice on so many European destinations. I'm in Europe frequently and I always find something here I didn't know.

Italylogue: Jessica rounds up an amazing array of everything you need to know about traveling to and enjoying Italy.

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