Favorites, 2010 (Part 4, Friends)

What’s even better than getting to eat really well and see amazing sights? Getting to share all of that with your friends and family, of course. I was lucky enough to do just that this year …

Margery and I have traveled together twice—first to Israel in September 2009 and most recently to the Big Island, Maui and Oahu in March 2010. During our Hawaii trip I got to know Margery so much better and together we conquered a number of firsts, including our very first helicopter ride over the volcanoes on the Big Island. That, and also having to endure my crazy rental car driving skills on the Big Island—my apologies, Margery!

This year was also the second time that I got to travel with Daniel, one of my favorite PR reps ever. This year, he and Mariela (left) hosted me and a few other journalists in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, first in Cozumel and then in Playa del Carmen. Together, we shared many a margarita, rogue ocean waves and one very scary encounter with a wayward clown. This shot was taken right before we took a snorkeling excursion just off the coast of Cozumel.

Leslie is one of my dearest friends—we’ve known each other since high school. So, when I had an opportunity to cash in some vacation time and hoof it over to New York to see her, I didn’t let it pass me by.

Reuniting with my cousin Christina and her boyfriend Coco was one of the things I most looked forward to during my recent trip to Southeast Asia. Both of them, experienced world travelers that they are, are endlessly entertaining, funny, thoughtful and insightful. I especially loved this shot of the two of them, posing for a very regal portrait at Villa Sentosa in Melaka, Malaysia.

And finally, although I only traveled about 20 or so miles for this trip to the L.A. Times Food & Wine Festival, it’s a trip I’ll always remember for the company I kept with three of my closest friends—Justina, Tricia and Jennifer. I hope I’ll get to travel with them at a slightly further distance in 2011.

And while it’s been wonderful looking back on my travels this past year, I’m ready to start looking ahead to the next and I hope you’ll consider doing the same. So, here’s to a new year filled with unforgettable experiences no matter how near or far you go.

Favorites, 2010 (Part 1, People)

Looking back on all of the travel experiences that I’ve had this past year, it was difficult to just choose a few photos or memories that stood out as my favorites. So, I decided to break them up into favorite categories, from the people I’ve met along the way and the scenes I’ve captured, to the many (many) foods I ate and the friends I got to share my travels with.

When you travel, you never know whom you’re going to meet—which could be a really good thing or, in some cases, a not-so-good-thing. Lucky for me, I’ve encountered some truly amazing people this past year. For me, each one reminds me of some of the best experiences and stories I’ve had this year …

Take, for instance, Leo from Skyline Eco Tours in Kaanapali, Maui. The man saved my life—well, sort of. When I got “stuck” on the sixth zipline run, Leo bravely came to my rescue, which involved a rather embarrassing straddling maneuver that I wish not to reenact anytime soon. Oh well, to Leo, I am eternally grateful even if I was utterly mortified for the rest of my zipline tour that day.

I had the luck of meeting Mary and Kevin during a Westin Maui Resort & Spa luau. It was clear to all of us at our table that they possessed a honeymooners’ glow but it was only after talking to them that we found out about their remarkable love story—falling in love years ago in high school only to part ways for years and then find each other once again after facing some challenges—and tragedies—along the way. Seeing them so happy that night, dancing just after the rain had fallen, was truly memorable.

Bruce Shimabukuro gave us an impromptu ukulele performance one morning while strolling through the lobby of the Sheraton Waikiki.

During that same press trip, I witnessed a moving art dedication ceremony in honor of Iolani Luahine, one of Hawaii’s most revered and respected hula masters. This was a photo I snapped of Danny Kiaha and Leimomi Mo’okini Lum during the ceremony as they blessed John Charlot’s charcoal portrait of Iolani Luahine which now hangs in the Royal Hawaiian’s lobby.

We got a taste of fresh-from-the-earth asparagus during a tour of various North Shore farms on Oahu.

And on our last day of that trip, thanks to Candice, we feasted at the Kapiolani Community College Farmer’s Market …

... And we weren’t alone.

Just the day before, we saw the same little boy hanging out on the farm at the North Shore Cattle Co.

… Along with meeting the employees who worked at Twin Bridge Farms, purveyors of that delicious asparagus …

… And lots of potatoes.

In Costa Rica, I visited the preserved home of Dr. Alexander Skutch at Los Cusingos Bird Sanctuary. It was amazing to see how much reverence and respect that the folks at Los Cusingos still had for Dr. Skutch and his beloved wife.

I totally fell for the amazing handicrafts from this family of artisans in Costa Rica, too.

And how could I forget Valentin, the dog with a heart-shaped mark on his back, and his equally adorable owner?

I also saw lots of cute kids with dancing talent, first in Costa Rica…

… And then in Melaka, Malaysia.

Like a kid, I played in the mud, as did one of my fellow travel journalists in Costa Rica.

And we also made the best of a rocky and rainy cruise to nowhere thanks to the high spirits of my fellow travelers.

I loved our short, unplanned visit to the Sri Veeramakaliamman temple in Singapore’s Little India…

… Along with stumbling onto one of the few shops that sells curry by the kilo…

… And later walking into the bustling commotion of the covered wet market in Singapore’s Chinatown.

In Geylang, also in Singapore, I loved sharing a meal of durian with my fellow travel journalists, even if they didn’t wind up loving durian so much.

They did, however, love Ya Kun Kaya Toast.

And I have a feeling this little boy was a little in love with my camera—or my food—during lunch at Rumah Makan Minang in Singapore.

Also feeling the love was this rock-star senior citizen, performing at the Chinatown Night Market in Melaka, Malaysia.

Last but not least, one of my favorite encounters this year was with Abdul Rahim Haji Hashim (shown here with my cousin Christina) at Villa Sentosa in Melaka, Malaysia. Not only is the man an excellent historian and tour guide but he can also analyze your handwriting—and he’s eerily exact in his assessments, too.

Next up, my favorite scenes from 2010 …

Favorites, 2009 (Part 4, With Friends)

As I’ve said before, one of the least favorite things about being a travel writer (if there is such a thing) is having to travel with people that you would never—ever—want to travel with. On the flip side, however, I consider myself to have been very lucky. Last year, I traveled with some of my dearest friends—and even made some new ones along the way.

In the midst of the H1N1 scare, my brother, Matthew, and I embarked on our first cruise ever, sailing from Long Beach, Calif. to Victoria, B.C., on the Carnival Splendor. We still had fun anyway, even if it was a lot rainier and cloudier than it would have been in Puerto Vallarta. (May 2009)

My friend, Jennifer, whom I’ve known since the second grade, was my travel buddy on my first-ever river cruise, sailing down the Rhine with Avalon Waterways. We snapped this photo in Heidelberg, Germany. (Photo (c) Jennifer Eriguel; August 2009)

Cindy and I cast a shadow on the shores of Achsiv Beach in Israel. (September 2009)

And, on the first night of our trip to Japan and Korea, my boyfriend, Eliot, and I enjoyed a feast at The Peninsula Tokyo’s Peter restaurant—just one of many great meals we savored throughout both countries. (December 2009)

That's What Friends Are For

It’s really rare to meet a fellow travel writer whom you’d actually want to travel with again (let alone one who’s sane, sometimes), but I consider myself to be extremely lucky—I’ve met so many truly funny, kind and generous fellow writers on my past trips.

As with other writers, however, travel writers are their own special breed with their own types, too. Some of the less-likeable ones I’ve encountered in the past include the creepy old guy, the diva, the kooky one and the elitist (and always loquacious) snob, just to name a few. I think most other writers would agree with me that we’re all a little strange and peculiar in our own ways—that’s why we’re writers, after all, right? I’m sure I fall into a category, too—whichever one it is, I just hope it’s not that bad.

But it’s even rarer to meet someone whom you can think of as one of your dearest friends and travel buddies.

Cindy is just that person. She and I first met on a press trip to Hong Kong and we immediately bonded over a noisy, multicourse dinner of gigantic Cantonese-style prawns and steaming-hot “ice” water. Since then, we’ve survived a sandstorm together in Jordan; we’ve gorged on croquettes in Amsterdam; and we’ve won a car rally knock-off of “The Amazing Race” in Israel. Throughout each of our trips—through good times and not so good times—I could always count on Cindy to make me laugh or have my back, no matter what.

So, today, on her birthday, I just want to say thank you, and that I hope we get to travel together again sometime soon! (Photo © TheSmallObject.com)