Picture of the Day: Pink Bougainvillea Blooms

Codrington, Barbuda
7.2009 

Picture of the Day: Windmill at Zaanse Schans

Zaanse Schans Open-Air Museum
Zaandijk, The Netherlands 
8.2004 

Picture of the Day: Ship Transiting Through the Pedro Miguel Locks

Pedro Miguel Locks
Canal Zone, Panama
6.2012 

Picture of the Day: Tulip Bulbs for Sale in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, The Netherlands
8.2004

Picture of the Day: Shoal Bay in Anguilla

Shoal Bay, Anguilla
5.31.2010 

Picture of the Day: Flowers at Farm Tomita in Furano

Furano, Hokkaido, Japan
9.2010

Cincinnati Eats

I had to make a quick trip down to Northern Kentucky for work earlier this week and had the chance on the drive down and on the way back to try a few new restaurants in the Cincinnati area.

On Monday evening we pulled into Blue Ash Chili at eight p.m., just in time to eat before they closed at 8:30. I really enjoy Cincinnati style chili and Blue Ash Chili had a lot of rave reviews so I thought it would be fun to try it. I got a 3-Way which is spaghetti topped with chili and cheese. For reference, a 4-Way is a 3-Way with the addition of beans or onions and a 5-Way is a 3-Way with both beans and onions. Blue Ash Chili also featured a topping unique to their restaurant: fried jalapeño caps. Of course I had to have them added to my 3-Way. I really loved it. The spicy jalapeños gave an excellent kick to my 3-Way. The service was also really quick and we ordered, got our food, ate and left in under thirty minutes which was nice since we still had an hour and a half drive remaining that night. Overall it was delicious chili and I would go there again if I had the chance.

On Tuesday as we drove back we arrived for an early dinner at Terry's Turf Club at four o'clock, right when it opened. I had read that it was a popular place and fills up fast but we had no problems getting a seat since it was early on a weekday. I will say that almost all the tables had people seated at them by 4:30, though. The decor is really charming full of vintage neon signs and posters. The vibrant colors and neon continued outside as well, and I also spotted some old brightly colored stadium seats for waiting in line to get in, I presume. Besides the fun decor, another thing that I liked about Terry's was that every table has a bowl of peanuts and you can just toss your shells on the floor as you snack on them.

The menu looked awesome. I had never seen foie gras on the menu at a diner before so I decided to try it. It was served with toast points, grilled apple slices and a pomegranate pear sauce. It wasn't the best foie gras that I had ever had but it was pretty darn good. The burger, on the other hand, was probably the best burger I have ever eaten. Terry's offers all sorts of sauces and toppings for your burger and I couldn't resist getting Stilton cheese and the Burgundy wine with wild mushrooms and truffle sauce. The burger was perfectly cooked and both the sauce and the cheese were to die for. Absolutely delicious! Terry's is definitely worth a detour if you are anywhere in the area. 

Picture of the Day: Vendor Stall at Straw Market in Nassau

Nassau, Bahamas
1.2011 

The Night Market in Luang Prabang (and Why You Should Always Pack Benadryl)

One of the fun, magical things about staying in Luang Prabang in Laos is visiting the Night Market. In the evening a section of the main road through town, Sisavangvong (try saying that five times fast!) closes to traffic and local traders set up a market in the street.  They lay down mats on the ground to spread out their wares and set up tent awnings over them with strings of bulbs to light everything up.

The market is geared toward selling to tourists and is full of Hmong handicrafts. The vendors bargain over prices, but are friendly and not aggressive about making a sale. They are also very adept at the exchange rates in a variety of currencies and I saw trades happening in US dollars and Thai Baht in addition to Lao Kip. The market is full of wonderful paintings, carvings and lanterns but the hand appliquéd items are really stunning. The stitches are so tiny that they are almost invisible. The detail work is just amazing with beautifully intricate patterns. The prices are so fabulous that I bought several pillow covers and a duvet cover for myself and some aprons for Christmas gifts.  I also couldn't resist buying a small painting, a lantern and a decidedly non-handicraft item, a Beer Lao t-shirt.

I enjoyed wandering around the market and even though I had already purchased my souvenirs on a previous night (so many so that I actually had to mail a small box home!) I decided on my last night in Luang Prabang to go to the market again after dinner. The little place that I was staying was just a few yards down the street from the beginning of the market. Just as I walked out the door and was about the enter the row of tents something flew at my face. I instinctively shut my eyes and then felt a sharp searing pain right below my left eye.

I quickly rushed back to my room and sure enough a large stinger was protruding from my face less than a half inch below my eye. I was so lucky that it hadn't actually hit my eye and was instead just below. I grabbed my tweezers and pulled it out but the spot had already ballooned into a lump the size of a walnut and was slightly obstructing my vision. I took a can of soda out of the mini fridge and pressed it against my face. The cold felt wonderful and helped the swelling. I also had some Benadryl with me and taking that helped as well. By the time I went to sleep the area around my eye almost looked normal.

The next morning was another story. When I woke up it was puffed up again and itchy. Since it was near the corner of my eye it made me look like I had a cat eye on the left side. Not cute! I put the cold soda can against it again and popped more Benadryl and it improved. Over the next few days I found that if I didn't take Benadryl every four hours the area around the sting would puff up again. I was so thankful that I packed the Benadryl or I would have had a miserable time on the rest of my Southeast Asia trip. 

In conclusion, my takeaway from this story is twofold. One, the Night Market in Luang Prabang in awesome and should not be missed. Two, always pack Benadryl when you travel.

Note: For people outside of areas where it is sold that may not be familiar with it, Benadryl is an over the counter antihistamine that can reduce swelling and itching. As with all medications make sure before you take it that you are aware of any risks and follow dosage instructions. Also, as a disclaimer, I am not a doctor and cannot give medical advice. 

Picture of the Day: Girl Making Lanterns in Hoi An

Hoi An, Vietnam
8.10.2011