Fat Belly Traveler

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The young trekker arrives in the mountains and explores a village then begins the trek to June Besi. Part two of ten.

After a stroll to the nearby village of Saleri, the trek begins in earnest. The trail climbs, follows a river and then crosses a suspension bridge. Truly in the Himalaya!

She passes though a pine forest and begins to see the prayer flags and stupas approaching the June Besi village. The young adventurer starts to tell her story of trekking in Nepal, of her new friends and how it is through her eyes.

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In 1991 a seven year old girl joined a trekking group led by her father and trekked 18 days near the base of Mt. Everest. This popular video had a limited release in 1992 and has remained one of our favorites. It is searialized here in 10 short segements. This is part one.

The Everest region of Nepal is one of the most dramatic mountainscapes in the world, if not the number one. Views of distant peaks as they are approached on foot are like nothing on earth. The snow covered summits seem to hang in the air like clouds.

The seven year old girl, Chelsea, has now graduated from university and would die if her real idenity were revealed here so suffice to say she was raised in the Sierra Nevada of California and was a hearty hiker, skier and skater before taking on the steep trails of the Himalaya.

Everything is new for her eyes during her first trip to Nepal and a culture far different from her own. She has a chance meeting with Sir Edmund Hillary in the airport in Kathmandu and they exchange autographs and greeting.

The trek begins with a visit to the sights of Kathmandu and a flight to Phaplu...

Labels: himalaya, kathmandu, Mt. Everest, nepal, trekking, treks

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There aren't many tourists on the railway in Rangoon. It is just our kind of place. We like to see what the life of the people is really like, sans manicured tourist sites and shops.

We had some time and a few hankerchiefs for the perspiration of hot steamy day in Rangoon and took a ride on the local train.

The route runs in a circle, was build by the British in the days of their Empire and sees a real slice of Burmese life. There are vendors selling snacks, smokes and the ever-present betel nut chew.
We rode from the main central station to Insien (pronounced - "insane") at a speed not much faster than we could walk and were serenaded by a blind musician singing traditional songs. The men wear sarongs as do the women.

People were friendly but not outgoing to us obvious foreigners. Our "approved" guide was a bit uneasy with us opting for public transit but accommodated our wish in good spirit.

Take a ride on the Rangoon railways.

Labels: burma, railways, travel

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Join FatBellyTraveler.com as it makes a visit to the snake charmers, gets up close & personal with a few cobras, and successfully evades the onslaught of trinket sellers by using every excuse-in-the-book, which inadvertently "keeps them coming at ya." Persistence is the name of the game here and no one seems to give "up" or "in" easily.

No doubt that one's view of love, life and architecture, will ever be the same after a visit to the Taj Mahal, but outside the gates of the Taj one's view will be indelibly changed as well.

The Taj Mahal, in Agra, India was built by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is such a monument of love and passion that many would agree with the romantic quote below.

"The picture of Taj Mahal does not adequately convey the legend, the poetry and the romance that shroud what Rabindranath Tagore calls "a teardrop on the cheek of time". Taj Mahal means "Crown Palace" and is in fact the most well preserved and architecturally beautiful tomb in the world. It is best described by the English poet, Sir Edwin Arnold, as "Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor’s love wrought in living stones." It is a celebration of woman built in marble and that’s the way to appreciate it." ----Neeraj Peswani

All in a days journey, where potential adventure lurks at every corner with FatBellyTraveler.com.

Labels: india, snakes, taj mahal, travel

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New Orleans Louisiana is known for it's World class musical events. It is after all the "Birthplace of Jazz," and on just about any given day or night of the week you can stop into the most unsuspecting place, a joint here, a tavern there, and be enchanted, moved and grooved by the most talented of musicians.

What I love about the music in New Orleans is that it is utterly unpretentious: It's cheap, it's plentiful and it comes directly form the soul - it is raw emotion in motion. Everybody who is "anybody" plays down there, and everybody who is nobody (all of us) gets "down" with it.

The French Quarter Festival, featured in this video, is but one of New Orleans' well known events. It is however lesser known than the Jazz Festival and therefore draws a smaller, more local crowd. The musicians in the French Quarter Fest are all well known local musician's (one of the criteria) and boy do they know how to get a crowd up on their feet!

The beauty of the French Quarter Fest is that you can actually roam the Quarter, and down by the river, listening to Big Band, Swing, Latin Jazz, Zydeco, Soul, Gospel and more while noshing on favorite foods from some of our Country's most notorious restaurants (Emeril's, K-Paul's, Arnaud's.....) You can break off from the crowd, breathe, spread out, come and go, and go at slower pace than the much touted and also wonderful Jazz Fest which takes place in the Fair Grounds and has a "one time entrance only policy." So, get ready to get out of your chair and up on your feet and join FatBellyTraveler for a tour of French Quarter Fest 07'.

And then pick up the phone and book your reservations for French Quarter Fest 08'!

Special Thanks to:
French Quarter Festival All Stars with Connie Jones
Leif Pedersen's Big Band
Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers
Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers
Marva White & the BMW's

Labels: French Quarter Fest, jazz, New Orleans

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Most tourists only get to Bangkok or maybe one of the beach resorts when they visit Thailand. But there is much more to this fascinating country, about the size of France, than what is commonly known.

The major city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand is rich with cultural treasures and natural wonders. Temples in the forest have a peaceful atmosphere, the night market throbs with life and a Tuk Tuk ride is always a thrill.

The custom of releasing birds, liberating them is often practiced in the grounds of Buddhist temples in Thailand. It is considered very good Karma to be liberating creatures from their confinement. It is a metaphor of what we need to do to our own spirits. The contradiction is that the birds are raised specifically for the purpose of selling their release. One wonders about the Karma of the captors - but there are worse ways to make a living.

Labels: Chiang Mai, Thailand, travel

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In every great city throughout the world there is usually at least one place (a shop, service or experience) that stands out above the rest. It is most often a place that is soulful and unique amongst a backdrop of the predictable. A place that transports you to another time and place. A place that offers the type of experience that will charm you into pondering why everyone doesn't still do business in this way.
Hove' Parfumeur in New Orleans, Louisiana is just such a place.

Established in 1931 by Mrs. Alvin Hovey-King after the depression, turning a much loved hobby and passion into a business, she created fragrances reminiscent of Southern life and luxury. Fragrances such as Magnolia, Vetiver, Spanish Moss, and the renowned favorite Tea Olive (also known as Sweet Olive) these highly seductive blends will toy with your modern day values as they beckon you to a slower, more feminine way of life.

From the moment you walk down the charming French Quarter street, passed by horse drawn buggies as you enter the one-of-a-kind shop, it is an unforgettable step back in time. The cherry wood cabinets, the glass bottles filled with golden and amber liquids, the vintage graphics, the Fourth Generation service and of course the intoxicating aromas themselves.

It is a place that will seep into your skin, your memory, your soul. A romantic place that will ease your frenzied spirit and enchant everyone around you each time you dab a drop of Old World perfume on the nape of your neck.Visit Hove' Parfumeur in person or online. Allow yourself to be enchanted!
Hove' Parfumeur

824 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA 70116

504-525-7827

www.hoveparfumeur.com

Labels: French Quarter, New Orleans, perfume