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Women
Writers Worldwide Share Travel Secrets 2006
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Try Thai in
Paris...
We
call it le Fast Food Thai, and it’s got to be the best restaurant
deal in Paris. Loads of rice, two main dishes plus tea is 4 E at La
Maison Thai, 2 rue de L’Evangile, Paris, Métro
Marx Dormoy. It’s small and basic and you may have to share
a table – and it’s always crowded. A French friend of
mine who eats there says a lot of artists from the neighborhood are
regulars. Closed Sundays and Mondays. If there’s no room at
all, they’ve just opened another place, larger and more elegant,
Le Sud Est D’Asie, around the corner at 10 rue de la Martinique.
But you’ll have to pay more – 5 E per meal instead of
4!
Jeanne Feldman is the author of the shopping guide,
‘Best Buys and Bargains in Paris’.
She leads Discovery Shopping Tours of
Paris, is an intercultural trainer/coach and Paris
resident since 1991. Website: http://www.jeanne-feldman.com |
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Small hotels
for solo travellers...
When
traveling alone, I prefer to stay in small, independently-owned hotels
with two or fewer stars but a private bathroom. Best way to find these
is in guidebooks. What I like to do is go to a big bookstore, gather
all the books available for my destination, take them to the coffeshop
section of the store and pore over them while sipping a latte. I look
in the "accommodations" section of each guidebook for hotels
in my budget range (low to medium budget). When I find the same hotel
recommended by two guidebooks, that is where I'll book my room. Then
I buy at least two of the guidebooks and I'm all set for researching
my trip.
Sharon
Wingler lives in Atlanta, USA. She is a flight attendant
and the creator of the website: http://www.TravelAloneandLoveIt.com |
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Finding tolerable
toilets in India...
In
my country public and paid toilet facilities are not so common so
I'm sending along some advice for female visitors to India. Almost
every restaurant and some tourist spots have toilets attached to them.
Have a cup of tea at a hotel and take this opportunity to use the
toilet facility available there. If you've had a meal at a restaurant,
don't leave without using their facilities (even if you don't REALLY
need to go). It might be a while before you find another proper toilet.
Alternatively, if you are traveling by car and stop for a petrol fill,
take the time and use the toilet facilities available at most petrol
pumps. Carry tissue and wet wipes. You'll probably need them.
Resmi
Jaimon is an international freelance writer in Kochi
(Kerala), India. Website: http://travel.to/resmicreations. |
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Home cooking
in Santiago, Chile...
If
you're in Santiago, Chile, head to the casual and friendly Cantina
El Hoyo to sample tasty traditional Chilean dishes,
such as Cazuela. This dish is often described as a stew, but the broth
is very light and clear, like a soup. My Chilean companion informed
me this is a casual dish, one that people would cook at home for family,
not for company. Busy homemakers simmer the meat all day, then add
a few green beans, carrot slices and a boiled potato. Try, too, the
Terremoto (Spanish for earthquake), a large pitcher of pipeno (a young
new wine) that's mixed with pineapple juice and vanilla ice cream.
There's a smaller serving size, called the Temblor (aftershock). Address:
San Vicente 375, Santiago, Chile. Phone: 689 4528. Web site: http://www.elhoyo.cl/eng/home_eng.htm
Karen Zabawa is
a freelance travel writer in Missisauga, Canada. Website: http://www.karenzabawa.com |
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Eating
alone -- make it an adventure...
Women
travelers come in two varieties. Some seek solace and sustenance by
calling room service and vegging out. Others get out and have an adventure.
Here are some suggestions of the types of places to eat when you are
alone anywhere in the world. (1) Wine Bars -- generally serve food
at the bar (not to mention wine). (2) Sushi restaurants --part of
the fun of these places that serve sushi and brochettes is sitting
at the bar watching the chefs perform their culinary show. (3) Noodle
Shops -- if you love Oriental noodles, hit a noodle bar. All you need
to do is point. (4) Haute Cuisine -- Restaurant owners are now squeezing
in a few extra small tables and some of Paris’s most glamorous
hotels serve meals in the bar. Take a book with you. But, I’ve
ended up having pleasant conversations with people from around the
world. There are times when it’s a pleasure to simply eat “alone.”
Karen
Fawcett is a journalist in Paris, France. She is the
president of http://www.BonjourParis.com
(Travel, Hotel, News, and Information
about Paris and France). |
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She eats out
in Beijing...
For
strictly veggie, I recommend the Green
Tianshi Vegetarian Restaurant. This is across the
street to the north of the Tianlun Dynasty Hotel. Open 10am-10pm.
Credit cards are accepted. No MSG, no smoking, no meat, no eggs, no
alcohol. High protein, low calorie, zero cholesterol. The menu has
photos of its dishes and is in Chinese and English. This is very conveniently
located a few meters from Wangfujing Street, the main shopping area
in Beijing. It is across from the Songhe Hotel and near the Tianlun
Dynasty Hotel. The roast “duck” is Y96, roasted vegetables
with fresh “meat” clusters in Xinjiang style is Y18, vegetarian
prawns Y72, and grilled vegetarian “beef steak” Y68. The
restaurant's predominantly white setting is very pretty. Address:
57 Dengshikou Street. Tel: 6524-2476, 6524-2349 Email: friend@Greentianshi.com
Website: http://www.greentianshi.com
Xinjiang Moslem
located on the grounds of the Xinjiang government representative here
in Beijing serves modestly priced food, but there’s no menu
in English. You can go to the front of this huge noisy hall with its
white linen table cloths and point at what you want: bun stuffed with
mutton, chunks of mutton on yellow and orange rice; skewers of barbecued
meat, spicy hot and wonderful. You can take photos of the chefs too.
Most of the patrons are local. It is located south of the Xiyuan Hotel
and the zoo. Xinjiang Fan Jong, San Li He 7. Tel. 6833-2266 X 6618
or 6617. P.S. If you want or don't want anything specific in terms
of food ask someone at your hotel's front desk to write your preferences
for you and show this note to the folks at the restaurant.
Xiao
Wang’s Home Restaurant is located in a lane
north of the east side of the Jinglun Hotel and south of the west
side of the Kerry Hotel (It also has other branches in the city).
This is a simply decorated restaurant with plastic covers over cloth
table cloths and walls in need of renovation. But the food is excellent
and extremely well-priced. If you point at its English menu, waiters
in black sweaters and trousers (with no English), can bring you
seven juicy, meaty, melt-in-your mouth spare ribs for about Y35.
Crispy rice is Y25-Y28 and one order is enough for four people.
Boiled dumplings with pork and vegetables are Y10. Jasmine tea Y2.
Spicy dishes are noted. It is open 12 noon to 10pm. You can also
ask for their take-out menu. Tel. 6591-3255, 6594-3602.
Ruth Lor Malloy is
a travel writer with an expertise in China who lives in Toronto,
Canada. She is the author of China
Guide and Ruth Lor
Malloy's Beijing. Website: http://www.china-travel-guide.com
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Journeywoman
Bonus Tip...
Travelling
to Paris with children? Here's two helpful tips from the Fodor guide,
'Around Paris With Kids'
'Keep
in mind that around 16,000 people visit the Tour
Eiffel daily. To avoid the worst of the crowds,
come early or around sundown, when the light is perfect for spotting
the city's monuments, or come at night when the views of the City
of Light are especially magical'.
'The Musee du Louvre's
rue de Rivoli entrance usually has shorter lines to get into the
museum. Come to the Louvre at night to see its stunning exterior
artfully lit. The Louvre organizes excellent guided tours and workshops
for kids (in French); call 01-40-20-52-09 for subjects and times'. |
More juicy pages 1/2/3/5/6/7
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