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To get a taste of Utah’s famed canyoneering opportunities, Zebra Slot provides for a nice insight to what’s possible. The canyon itself can be a little tricky to find so check in with the BLM Visitor Center in Escalante to get a map and current conditions. Located down Hole-in-the-Rock Road south of the town of Escalante, the 5.5-mile round-trip hike starts on an easy rock and sand trail to Harris Wash (a usually dry river bed) in the canyon. Your feet (at the very least) will get wet but seeing the beautiful formations and striped layers of sedimentary rock which give the canyon its name will make you forget any discomfort.

When hiking in parts of South Korea’s Seoraksan National Park, you won’t go thirsty. Spectacular crags all around, rustic restaurants dot some of the trails. Mountain spring water combined with rice from nearby paddies leads to fermentation...and voilà: “rice wine!’ Yeah, the milky-colored contents in the bowl look like porridge...but that chunkiness comes from the fact that the beverage is semi-frozen. Ladle some into your bowl and sample some of this very local “dong dong joo.” (If you’re familiar with Korean liquor, this is similar to ‘makkeoli.’ If not, there’s something else for you to try.) Slightly sweet, a hint of sour, and ice cold. It wasn’t my wife’s favorite, but I bottled up what she couldn’t finish--yep, the little establishment let me fill up my empty water bottle with it so I could take it ‘to go.’ Ahh, the alchemy of rice and mountains... [This particular ‘rest-stop’ for hikers is located on the trail to Biseondae in the Cheonbuldong valley. Avoid autumn weekends at all costs--the crowds are formidable.]

Situated along the bustling, tree-lined avenues of Gangnam, Hotel La Casa is a concept hotel created by one of Korea’s most popular lifestyle and furniture stores, Casa Mia. Known for clean lines and modern touches, the brand is the South Korean equivalent of Ikea. The welcoming lobby is decorated like a cozy study with book-lined walls, plush couches, and picture windows. The 61 rooms of Casa Mia’s flagship design hotel, which opened in 2011, look like pages of a catalog come to life. Rich wood, ample white space with pops of color, and kitschy decor items are meant to make guests feel right at home. Love your pillowcase, the bath towels, or the cute alarm clock next to your bed? The first three levels of the hotel are a massive Casa Mia retail store where guests can purchase items found in their rooms.

Standing tall in Gangnam—one of Seoul’s most exclusive neighborhoods—is the glass-encased structure that is the Park Hyatt. The hotel’s east-meets-west atmosphere was created by the Japanese design firm Super Potato, using elements of wood, stone, steel, and natural light to create a simple yet elegant space. The natural granite used to construct the bathroom in the Presidential Suite was flown in from China and Japan.

Korean antiques and works by local artists are displayed throughout each floor to help guests immerse themselves in Korean culture during their stay. The best part about the Park Hyatt is where water meets sky at the 24^th-floor infinity pool. The hotel’s concierge recommends a swim at sunset, when the golden light melts away and the lights of the city take their place in Seoul’s skyline.

The real deal for vintage. A well-regarded, strong-word-of-mouth gem on the south side of Santa Fe hovers at over 2,000 square feet of denim, cowboy boots, belt buckles, Navajo blankets and moccasins, leather World War II flight jackets, vintage flags and old photographs. It’s virtually endless. There’s something unique for the traveler looking for that one-of-a-kind item. Make certain to call ahead, the shop is by appointment only. And, for those who want to stay downtown, the proprietor recently opened a smaller shop called Santa Fe Vintage Outpost.

The weavers in Teotitlan del Valle may be more renowned, but the backstrap loom weavers of Santo Tomás Jalieza are practicing the art in a way that dates back to very ancient times. The local market is set up in the main square and every day you can see weavers at work and browse the products of their labor, but Fridays are particularly busy. They sell belts, handbags, change purses, table runners and place mats at reasonable prices. This small community is located 15 miles south of Oaxaca city and can easily be combined with a day trip to Ocotlan.

The ChuHuo Eternal Flame (恆春出火) just outside of Hengchun in the far south of Taiwan is definitely worth a stop. Natural gas seeps up from the earth and ignites on this otherwise dead area of rock and sand ground. There are several areas of fire to see and, on at busy times, there are vendors in the parking lot who will sell you popcorn to pop over the eternal flames.

There are a few locations of Jo’s, but the on South Congress has jus the basics from breakfast tacos to their signature i"iced turbo” and Belgium Bomber—more chocolate milk than iced coffee. It’s open until 9pm, so post up all day and get some work done, or stop by for something quick.

One of the first things I like to find when visiting a new destination is a place to take a good walk. Winding through the city’s waterfront neighborhoods, the design of the HarborWalk allows the public to connect with the cleaned and restored Boston Harbor. The section in South Boston and Fort Point Channel takes you along some of the city’s best views of sparkling high rises, as well as plenty of good restaurants to stop in. Take time to people watch and grab a bite. Their interactive map shows the visitor just where they can connect to it.

Just south of downtown Tucson is a reminder of the city’s Hispanic-and-adobe past: the Barrio Viejo. One of the most eye-catching buildings is the Teatro Carmen, which opened in 1914. For the rest of the teens and on into the mid-1920s, this venue featured Spanish-language plays and concerts. Plans exist to restore this structure, but for now you can still admire its colorful façade as you wander in this historic neighborhood and catch glimpses of history amidst the restoration.

Hillside Farmacy is a farm-to-table restaurant in Austin built around a pharmacy theme. While it may sound odd, the execution is brilliant, with incredible food and wonderfully eclectic design. The restaurant space was formerly the home of a 1920s pharmacy owned by Austin‘s first African-American pharmacist. The decor features authentic apothecary items (from a different 1920s drugstore)—a vintage collection of medicine bottles, antique cash registers, tin ceilings, and wooden cabinets. But it’s the “F” in the deliberately misspelled Farmacy that nods to the emphasis on simple, fresh food. The restaurant works with local food purveyors and regularly changes the menus around the highest-quality seasonal ingredients. Local cheese, homemade pate, artisinal breads and pastries, raw bar, charcuterie are all available here. Dishes include bangers and eggs, buttermilk bisquits and gravy, and bison tartare. Other perks include an old fashioned soda counter and a shaded outdoor patio. If I were a local here, this would definitely be one of my favorite go-to places.

A 15-minute walk from Langkawi’s beaches, the Temple Tree resort redefines “home-stay.” Guests sleep in authentic Malaysian heritage houses—including a century-old Chinese farmhouse, a colonial-style bungalow, and a 1940s-era Malay home—that were disassembled at their original sites and rebuilt on the hotel grounds. Now updated with modern amenities, the structures are appointed with local antiques such as money boxes and birdcages. Don’t miss the resort’s lagoon or its eponymous Chinese temple, built around a tree tied with colored ribbons. As a feel-good bonus, some profits from the hotel benefit owner Narelle McMurtrie’s animal rescue organization.

This appeared in the March/April 2010 issue.

The weather may stay mild and snow may not fall from the sky, but Christmas still arrives in a big way to downtown St Petersburg. By the day after Thanksgiving, bayfront North Straub Park is all decked out with animated light displays, sparkle lights, and the town Christmas tree. The tree is officially lit on the Friday evening after turkey day (at 7pm) Located off of Beach Drive and overlooking the Vinoy Yacht Basin, North Straub Park becomes a winter wonderland complete with skating rink, Santa, the City Christmas Tree and for one afternoon (usually the first weekend in December) SNOW!!! Brought in by the truckload, it gives the chance to Florida kids to play in the snow. Around the same day as the snowfest, the City of St Pete hosts the annual Santa Parade which starts on Central Ave and ends at North Straub Park. Last but not least, the St Pete Rotary Club sponsors the annual Illuminated Boat Parade, (this year on December 14th). Scores of boats of all sizes load up on lights, reindeer, inflatable santas, and boom boxes blasting out holiday cheer. Locals bring beach chairs and sit along the waterfront to watch the cheery parade.

On the gorgeous island of Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands there is a beach at Devil’s Bay where huge boulders line the edge of the sand and spill out into the turquoise sea.

Natural tidal pools, arches, grottos and tunnels are formed by the granite boulders.

Since 1990 this beach area has been known as a BVI National Park. The entrance fee is $3.

Swimming, snorkeling, and climbing and slipping through the boulders are popular pastimes at the Baths making it a top tourist attraction on the island. The Top of the Baths is an excellent restaurant with stunning views where I had lunch. There is also a beautiful pool up there. Gift shops offer souvenirs.

At the bottom of the path there is a cafe. I walked through the boulders and had a sense of peace. It was so quiet.

There were some slippery spots and some areas where I had to use care when sliding through the path. The water rushed through a couple of times and I saw the tide was coming in. Luckily, I had come out of the path and onto a stunning white sand beach where I swam in the clear warm waters. I didn’t want to leave this little bit of paradise but it was getting late so I had to pack it in for the day.

The Baths National Park was an attraction that lived up to its reputation. I would recommend the Baths of Virgin Gorda. Wear a bathing suit and bring an underwater camera. Just watch the tides if you don’t want to get tossed around.

Doña Olga* is a large kiosk in Piñones, from which the smell of fritters wafts all the way to the beach. I often find myself getting a large order of bacalaitos (round cod fritters), empanadillas (turnovers), alcapurrias (dough of plantains or yucca and filled with meat), and piononos (deep-fried sweet plantain balls stuffed with meat and cheese). Halfway through the meal, I start thinking my eyes are bigger than my stomach, but the flood of Puerto Rican flavors in my mouth makes me devour every last morsel in front of me. Of course, there’s no way I’d be able to handle all that without a refreshing drink on hand. My drink of choice is coconut water. (It’s completely natural; an employee will chop off the top of the coconut with a machete and bring it to you with a straw.) After you drink the water, you can scoop out coconut meat (the white stuff), which serves as a pleasantly light dessert. A swim in the nearby beach (two minutes away walking) and a nice nap will perfect your day. *Doña Olga is my first choice, but this whole road is bursting with beachside kiosks selling fritters and other Puerto Rican fare.