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Turning Fifty on Safari

I've been called many things in my life – both good and bad. But never had I been called a male lion. Yet here I was on a warm Sunday morning, somewhere deep out in the Maasai Mara savannah, bending down with a throng of Maasai cattle-herding boys from about 5 to 15, all eager to touch my humidity-challenged “lion’s mane” hair. Some giggled, some shreaked, but none were too shy to give it a go. After all, when living in dung huts surrounded by wilderness in every direction, it's not every day one gets to touch a 'mzungu's' hair. That's what I was called in Kenya - a mzungu, Swahili for foreigner, or white person.

Vancouver Sun

Rhones-Alpes: Undiscovered riches just two hours from Paris

It’s pre-dawn in old Lyon. The antique streetlights cast a romantic peachy glow. The only sound is the clip-clop of my shoes on the cobblestones, echoing on the centuries-old walls just arms length from me on both sides. As I walk through the aged terra-cotta buildings, tiny ivy and geranium-bedecked passageways beckon me to explore their hidden courtyards. I seem to be the only one awake in this very Italian French city, until I reach the boulangerie. Here I buy a buttery almond croissant, fresh from the oven and a cup of steaming cafe au lait. I feel as though I’m on a movie set, but these 700-year-old streets are real, as are the sleepy folks around me calling friendly “Bon jour’s” to each other as they dash off to work with their morning pastries.

360WEST

Why you should visit Guanajuato: A rich Mexican city, often dismissed by travelers

The singing was getting louder, so I dashed over to my streetside hotel room window and gazed between the wrought iron bars onto the moonlit cobblestone street. Sure enough, one of the renowned callejoneadas — this one, for a wedding — was passing.

Every night in Guanajuato, troubadours lead the way through this colonial Mexican city’s narrow lanes, tunnels and alleyways. A few nights later, my friend and I joined a multinational, somewhat tipsy group, singing along (as best as we could) to De Colores as we strolled after the musicians, typically University of Guanajuato students, adorned in medieval-looking Spanish velvet breeches and finery.

Costco Connection Tough as Steel 

Danielle Steel has been in Guinness World Records three times for being on the New York Times bestseller lists longer than anyone else, and France named her an officer of the Order of Arts and Letters as well as a knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honour.

Yet despite her success, she still worries every time she sends a manuscript to her editor, including her latest, The Wedding Planner. “I think, ‘Oh, she’s going to hate it.’ I’m a very anxious person, always worrying about things,” says Steel, adding that to this day she is still stunned and thrilled when her editor is pleased. “I really try not to rest on my laurels, and I never take my success for granted.

“I’m just a normal person. I don’t play ‘star,’ I’m not a diva, and I’m very shy.”

Edible

Pedal Your Way to a Farm Tour - and Great Lunch 

Hundreds of farms dot Boulder County, some dating as far back as the Colorado gold rush of the 1860s, with over 130,000 total agricultural acres and over 1,000 farms. From foothills, mesas and buttes to wooded creeks and stretches of prairie, each farm has a unique feel.

In 1967, Boulder became the first city in the United States to tax itself for funds to be used for acquiring and managing open space. County residents also approved the use of public lands for agriculture, and today some 25,000 acres of Boulder County’s public lands are leased to farmers.

Ladies Home Journal

Plan a Weekend Getaway You Can Afford 

Everybody loves a travel deal, and there are plenty to be had with a little bargain-hunting know-how. Make the most out of your mini trip with our trips for cheap, cheaper, and cheapest transportation, lodging and dining.

Adventure Cyclist

Riding the old Rio Grande 

Living in Colorado ever since I was a hormonally-challenged middle-schooler, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what my magnificent state had to offer. I’d done a great deal of horse-back riding, hiking and driving through the wilderness. Even taken a narrow-gauge railroad or two in the Rockies. Nothing compared, however, to the excitement I felt while cycling from Aspen to Glenwood Springs on the newly inaugurated Rio Grande Trail in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Costco Connection

Meet the new Mexico

Think about taking a zipline canopy tour into the jungle, followed by some ATVing? Or maybe a visit to ancient Mesoamerican temple ruins, or an excursion to buy handpainted tiles directly from the artisan? Now, think about powdery white sand with an aquamarine ocean stretching beyond, flanked by a mile-long meandering swimming pool. There you are, lazily sipping on a mojito and munching on blissfully fresh tacos, made from the fish you caught yourself this morning. The youngsters are off in the kids’ club, happily hunting for turtle nests. Ahh…