“Riding on a horse to smell the flowers” describes how fast-paced this journey has been. We had a taste of some of the many highlights of China and we definitely want MORE! Leaving Beijing, we flew to Xi’an, home of the Terra Cotta Warriors and countless other amazing archeological finds. We were granted special access to the vaults of the art museum where we saw some beautiful paintings that were 2000 years old and younger. The paintings were done on a material like the plasterboard we use for walls in our homes. We also visited a very old mosque (Who thinks Islam in China—they have 30,000,000!) and were all surprised with a gift of reflexology-style massages when we returned to the hotel.

We love Shanghai! It’s East meets West, old Victorian and Art Deco meets Post Modern, knock-off Heaven meets edgy, emerging designers, New York meets London meets Hong Kong. We toured the Urban Planning Museum that houses a complete model of the existing layout of Shanghai. Remember the days of toy electric trains on miniature landscapes? Now, take that image and multiply it times a zillion! This was the largest and most intricate 3-D model I’ve ever seen. It even includes models of the upcoming World Expo 2010 which will be held in Shanghai. From that museum we went to the Shanghai Museum. We only had 1 ½ hours there and we easily could have spent 3-4 hours or more. It houses the best exhibits of all things Chinese—art, bronzes, silks, textiles, jade, currency, clothing, and ceramics. We walked along the Bund (from the Indian word for Quay), visited the historic Shanghai bank building with a breathtaking mosaic domed ceiling depicting the major world cities of the 1920’s. We shopped at the Knockoff market, did hotel site inspections, and last night we went to a show of the Shanghai acrobats. My body ached watching their stunts! Picture doing a one-handed handstand, slowly lowering your body parallel to the ground. Now picture doing this while balancing on the edge of a wooden chair. Take this pose and add another one above your chair, continuing upward until you have a 7-Acrobat skyscraper. In Shanghai we stayed at the Grand Hyatt on the Pudong side. The city is divided by the Huangpu River. The Pudong side, developed since 1992, is the financial and business center of Shanghai, featuring a myriad of modern skyscrapers, one more architecturally amazing than the next. The Puxi side (pronounced Poo-shee) is where vacationers should stay. It has the Bund, shopping, history, museums, markets, culture, dining, etc. Do NOT stay at the Grand Hyatt! Although they have some lovely suites, the basic rooms are worn, have filthy carpeting, and the oddest room lighting system any of us have experienced. Yesterday we moved to the Portman Ritz Carlton, totally divine! It overlooks the former Sino-Soviet Center (a gift from Stalin to Chairman Mao in 1953) and is on Nanking Road, a famous street in Shanghai. We were told the other top hotel here is the Four Seasons. We visited the St. Regis and it is absolutely lovely; however, it is in a remote area on the Pudong side, near nothing. A good choice for moderate hotels would be the Westin, near the Bund. The Fairmont bought the famous, old People’s Hotel and is in the midst of renovating it. It sits close to the Bund and should be wonderful.Tonight we head home flying from Shanghai to Chicago to Kansas City. We will take the new magnetic train to the airport and we take off at 6:00 PM tonight Shanghai time. We arrive in Chicago ½ hour before we leave, 5:30 PM Central Standard Time. The 14 hour time difference makes us true time travelers.

What a whirlwind few days! Went to the Forbidden City (where Emperor, concubines, and eunuchs lived but was “forbidden” to commoners), Tiananmen Square, a traditional hutong (house built around a courtyard and passed down through the generations, did site inspections at the St. Regis and Ritz Carlton, climbed the Great Wall (originally Chinese called it the Long Wall—actually several walls blended together when China unified in 221 BC), ate at a country-style Chinese restaurant (so delicious!!!), visited the “Bird’s Nest” Olympic venue, the Temple of Heaven, and a shopping area. We’ve been served wonderful meals—most of them have been “non” Chinese until today. The first day we had one mediocre Chinese meal and then all sorts of gourmet cuisine, French, Italian. Finally today we had both a Chinese lunch and dinner. Both were outstanding! Beijing is very modern, very clean, and, unfortunately very polluted. People have traded bicycles for cars. Also, lots of factories and coal-generated heat. Tomorrow we fly to Xi’an to see the Terra Cotta warriors, the largest mosque in China, a new excavation area, a new museum, and end up at the Shangri-La Hotel. Then off to Chongqing to board the riverboat for our brief few day Yangzi River cruise.Written on November 11, 2008

I don’t know why you do what you do. I can’t imagine anything that would cause me to purposely kill people–not a war, not a cause, no fervent beliefs. Nope, nothing except insanity—are you insane? I am looking for some rational explanation of your actions the past few days in Mumbai, and in the past bombings in London, Madrid, Yemen, New York, Kenya…

I know, I know—one can’t define illogic using logic and perhaps my desire to “understand” is my attempt to tie this all in a neat little package and put it safely on some remote shelf in a distant place in my brain to forever remain, collecting cobwebs and dust, and never causing anyone pain ever again. Ahhh, sounds like a fairytale for grownups, doesn’t it?

Michael and I stayed at the Taj Mahal Hotel and Towers in Mumbai in April. A grand dame of historic prominence, it overlooks the famous Gateway of India. I love Mumbai (called “Bombay” until 1995). It is a potpourri of people, customs, and architecture. A blend of modern financial and traditional business models (e.g. the famous “Dhobis”—washermen), traditional cuisine mixed with McDonald’s (no meat, thank you very much!), contemporary buildings moments away from World Heritage sites, Mumbai is an enthralling city.

As a survivor from Vancouver so aptly said, we need to go to Mumbai and put our arms around its citizens. This violence is NOT Mumbai and we cannot allow the terrorists to win by avoiding this magnificent city. In fact, perhaps the only way we can fight this insanity is to continue to discover new friends in every corner of this world.

You may have noticed that there are NO entries for our sojourn. Why? Because (I hope you’re listening, Mr. Blog host), I couldn’t connect to it from China! Hmmm, does China discriminate against Midwest USA bloggers? Is this some kind of Bush administration retribution (I bet you didn’t know I was that powerful!)? Perhaps a pro-Communist, anti-Zionist, isolationist, rightwing-leftwing, anti-female vendetta against travel advisors? Does my venting strike you as paranoid? I’ve told you countless times, “DON’T LISTEN TO MY ENEMIES!”

So, why couldn’t I connect to my blog? My best guess (feel free to correct me, Mr. Blog Host) is that I use WordPress and am connected through a circuitous route to my site that bypasses that wordy, long address ”spacegoddess.wordpress.com.yada.yada.yada”! Nah, that’s way too logical! I’m sure it’s those spinach eating, poison mushroom-growing post modern, victorian nihilists!

The world’s most distinguished travel experts pick the finest hotels

“A once-in-a-lifetime experience that sets a new standard for over-the-top luxurious hotels. This is a masterpiece. If you want to see what living like a billionaire is like—just once in your life—stay here.”

“In 35 years of hotel design and visiting, this is the best hotel experience I have ever had. Such a wonderful location and such wonderful service—it was a magical experience. I was heartbroken to leave.”

“Truly one of the most beautiful spots—and hotels—in the world. What more can I say?”

“These are just three of the many comments we collected from the Forbes Traveler 400 board of travel experts who determined the 2008/2009 list of the world’s top luxury hotels. You’re just dying to know which hotel they’re talking about, right? Well…to paraphrase the Bard, there’s the rub.

When we first published this groundbreaking list two years ago, we broke rank from the other travel magazines and websites that place great emphasis on mathematically ranking the best hotels in the world. Statistically speaking, the only way to make such a claim is to ask several thousand people for their opinions. The world’s best hotels, then, are often ranked by a sea of anonymous web surfers.

Turning to the crowd is good for certain tasks. When you can’t remember the capital of Belarus, ask everyone on the bus. Someone will probably remember it’s Minsk (a fifth-grader, no doubt). But when picking the right hotel means the difference between an unforgettable trip and an unforgiving spouse, shouldn’t you ask people who stay in luxury hotels once or twice a week—not once a year?

So, from a wide variety of industries, we assembled a board of 79  luxury-travel experts. Arianna Huffington is a renowned author, publisher and one-time California gubernatorial candidate; her fellow board member, Todd English, is a celebrity chef and restaurateur. Adam Tihany is a noted interior designer and architect who’s responsible for several high-profile hotels around the world; Tony Wheeler co-founded Lonely Planet, publisher of the eponymous guidebooks.

We were fortunate to have Erik Blachford, current CEO of TerraPass and former CEO of Expedia, opine alongside Peter Greenberg, noted travel writer and The Today Show’s travel editor. And if anyone knows about luxury hotels, it’s Matthew Upchurch, CEO of Virtuoso, a consortium of upscale travel agents, and Aaron Simpson, group CEO of Quintessentially, a global concierge service for discerning travelers.

We asked our board members to rate nearly 800 highly regarded four- and five-star hotels in seven categories. Because new hotels need time to find their rhythm, we omitted properties less than two years old; and, we didn’t include hotels that are undergoing major renovations. Our experts were promised anonymity so they could speak freely, and they had nothing to gain from any of the hotels they praised (or criticized). We then took the top-rated 400 and commissioned reviews from professional travel writers who have first-hand experience with the hotels (and did not receive complimentary stays during their visits).

The result is the Forbes Traveler 400, a rundown of the world’s best hotels, spread across six continents and presented geographically.”

I am honored to be a member of this panel! I hope you click on the link below to see the Forbes 400!

http://www.forbestraveler.com/forbes400/

Meet the other 78 members of this panel!

http://www.forbestraveler.com/forbes400/panel

To get away from one’s working environment is, in a sense, to get away from one’s self; and this is often the chief advantage of travel and change.  ~Charles Horton Cooley

The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway.  ~Henry Boye

As we’ve become overwhelmed by the “macro” complexities of our world, we’ve sought refuge in the “micro”–Red v. Blue, Black v. White, Straight v. Gay, Pro-Choice v. Pro-Life, Neo-Con v. Leftist. We’ve morphed into a nation of factions and the only thing United is each side’s ardent belief that they hold THE ANSWER. 

We’ve witnessed our country’s slide from respected to scorned: we can’t even help ourselves (Hurricane Katrina); we’ve proved that Free Market strategies have fostered greed and, more recently, severe economic instability; we have abandoned our values (Gitmo, Abu Graib, and Torture).

We are not victims! We’ve participated in most of the disasters of the past 8 years. We’ve allowed ourselves to become distracted by fear, greed, and selfishness. Today we have a chance to set a different course. Please, please, please vote! Look at the issues and the candidates. Try to sort out reality from imagery (there you go again,wink, wink!) and let your voice be heard.   http://www.voteforchange.com/

www.VoteForChange.com

I usually recommend a voyage through the islands as the best way to experience the Galapagos and my personal favorite company to use is Lindblad. Yesterday a friend of mine at International Expeditions, Jennifer Reynolds, sent me  information on an exciting option for a Galapagos adventure—rent a breathtaking villa and take day trips to various islands.

Here are some photos of the home and photos of the animals of the Galapagos to whet your appetite to visit this amazing destination:

A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” — Moslih Eddin Saadi

“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” — Martin Buber

“A man of ordinary talent will always be ordinary, whether he travels or not; but a man of superior talent (which I cannot deny myself to be without being impious) will go to pieces if he remains forever in the same place.” — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you have traveled.” — Mohammed

“Traveling tends to magnify all human emotions.” — Peter Hoeg

“The journey is my home.” — Muriel Rukeyser

“To awaken alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” —Freya Stark

“Our happiest moments as tourists always seem to come when we stumble upon one thing while in pursuit of something else.” — Lawrence Block

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.” — Robert Frost

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” — Pat Conroy

“I should like to spend the whole of my in life traveling abroad, if I could anywhere borrow another life to spend afterwards at home.” — William Hazlitt

“Hitler didn’t travel. Stalin didn’t travel. Saddam Hussein never traveled. They didn’t want to have their orthodoxy challenged.” — Howard Gardner