Potpourri

Below, our fashion-guru Carson Kressley fills us in on a little known seaside village in Mexico. Our adventurous world-traveler, Alona Cherkassky, shares her experience of taking a cooking class in Thailand and Maryann Fernandez, founder & president of Philanthropy Indaba, shows us how we can impact many lives simply by asking the right questions.

Carson Kressley's Fashionable Travels

Hello stylish travellers! Carson Kressley here "reporting" from the chic shores of Sayulita, Mexico. Now it may not sound as chic as Cabo or St. Barths, depending on which coast you are jetting in from, and it’s not.

But trust me, dear reader, it is FABULOUS in its own right!

So if you have not been here, let me give you the skinny. Sayulita is a tiny fishing and surfing town about 30 minutes north of the Puerto Vallarta airport. As you travel from Puerto Vallarta, you will wind up into the hills, cross the state border into Nayarit, and enter the very low key, chill and charming little village. I imagine it is what some of the more well-known beach resorts of the Mexican west coast must have been like 20 or 30 years ago when I was just getting into my first pair of Calvins!

Don’t get me wrong, the town has plenty for well-heeled tourists to enjoy. There are some lovely restaurants (Don Pedros is the best in my book), a very chic store or two (in a Boho, surfer chic, runway model-on-vacation sort of way). My favorite is Pachamama which has the most divine and chic handmade leather hobo bags and black pearl jewelry. The shopping here is not East Hampton, Boosios or Saint Tropez by any means. It's all about the hunt for some truly cool under-the-radar ethnic and Bohemian fashion finds.

But the best part of Sayulita is the relaxation factor. The beach with some major surf runs the entire length of the town. It’s pristine and great for walking and people watching. Did I mention the hot surfers with absolutely no body fat?

For me, after some beachcombing, shopping and yummy food, it’s always dreamy to return to our villa, perched just steps from the surf, that we rented with 6 other friends I know from the world of showing horses. I have to mention here that our horsey selves could not resist the cliche ride on the beach (that's a couple of us pictured above). And thank goodness we did. Our guides brought  seven trusty steeds to our beach gate and then, after mounting, we headed down the beach, through the jungly forest and up to the top of a local promontory with a view of endless beaches and the cobalt blue Pacific stretching out.

Renting a villa is really the way to go in these types of towns. You can enjoy some shopping or a meal out, and then return to paradise behind the gates of your gleaming white villa by the sea. We had maid service and a marvelous chef that prepared two meals a day with the freshest of ingredients purchased at the local market. Our villa had five large, luxurious and comfortable guest rooms, a pool, direct beach access, gardens and a gourmet kitchen. What I loved most about it is that the stunning taste of its owners shined through the home. I felt as if I was living in an Elle Decor spread, not some bland rental unit.

The location, fabulous and warm staff, and beautiful decor--including endless slip covered sofas, miles of travertine marble flooring and exquisite bedding--make for a truly chic and relaxing experience that is ultimately very comfortable.

                                                                                                       --Carson Kressley

Learning to Cook Thai

“Chop! Mix! Stir! Harder! Mind your garlic! And please, don’t set your kitchen at home on fire!”

Do you know that garlic can be cooked with skin or without? But cooking it with skin prevents it from turning bitter. Eggs don’t have to be refrigerated for up to four weeks. Pad Thai is cooked with Palm sugar. Pink eggs come from flamingos. Chinese bok choi has little yellow flowers and sticky rice is best when soaked overnight.

These are just some of the things I try to remember during the early morning market tour before the Thai cooking class, one of the more popular things to do here in the Northern Thai town of Chiang Mai.

Boom, our cooking instructor and owner of the Best Thai Cookery School, took us on an hour-long tour, poking fun at our Western habits of eating, and walking us through the remarkable details of the different types of rice, chili, vegetables, and mixtures that make the Thai cuisine intoxicating. Everything is always prepared fresh. The only canned products are coconut cream. The rest--noodles, eggs, vegetables--are purchased on the day locals make the dish. For a traditional dinner, Thais never just make one dish. The more people in the party, the more dishes are made, so that everyone can share.

At the school itself, students typically cook in a large kitchen that comes equipped with individual stations that include tiny stoves, a few pots, spatulas, spoons and a big chopping knife on a wooden block. Assistants bring in chopped up ingredients, and Perm (the main chef) mixes the sauces but not before instructing us, and maybe being a bit patronizing, on the precise measurements of palm sugar, chili, salt, pepper, and about 100 more ingredients.

I have never been a big fan of curry, but here, with Perm’s careful observation, it becomes almost food of the Gods. My red curry with chicken takes longer than other dishes to prepare, and the instructors don’t mince words when they check out my creation. Perm says curry is like love, and takes time. Here’s the secret: When first mixing the curry with spices, stir constantly until the mixture becomes oily. Then add coconut milk. After bringing to boil, add chicken and other carefully selected ingredients including pineapple. Let the curry sit for a bit before eating. When ready to eat, warm it up, and mix it with white rice. Go to heaven.

Next we make Pad Thai, which is prepared with the right combination of sauces and palm sugar. If one can memorize the sauce and spice combination, Pad Thai takes about 3 minutes to make. Here in Thailand, the “loving” way of preparing it is to wrap it in an omelet, rather than by scrambling the egg. I can’t seem to evenly spread the egg around the wok so Boom loses patience with me and tells me to scramble. Once the noodles and tofu are ready, add the egg, and a few minutes later lunch is served either on a plate or in a banana leaf, a good way of wrapping it “to go.”

When feasting on the dishes I just made, I feel a remarkable sense of achievement. My curry, vegetables and noodles taste completely authentic, same as at any restaurant or food stall. I am strangely not hungry after cooking all day so I savor my food slowly. What’s the rush here in Thailand anyway?

Taking a cooking course is a remarkably popular activity here in Chiang Mai and can be set up through any travel agency. Typically, prices vary between 900 and 1000 Baht (about $33 US Dollars). The class is an all-day affair, lasting about 6 hours.

--Alona Cherkassky

Responsible Traveling: Questions YOU Can Ask

Every day, more travel companies spotlight their efforts to “give back” to the communities where they operate. Some companies even develop their own travelers’ philanthropy programs where guests can visit and donate to projects they support, such as local schools.

Perhaps a more effective way to impact change, however, is through the travel choices we

make.

Tourism is the world’s biggest economic sector, generating over $8.8 trillion a year, over 9.9% of global GDP (statistic from Center for Responsible Travel in 2008). The wealth generated by the tourism industry exponentially exceeds the amount of money donated as part of travelers' philanthropy or corporate social responsibility programs.

As a more conscious consumer, you might consider asking some of the following questions, when making travel arrangements:

Does the travel company employ indigenous people from the community?

Do they pay them fairly and treat them well?

Do these workers have the opportunity for further career development in the organization?

Are they represented in management, and if so, what is the percentage?

How is the travel company managing any negative impact their business might have in the community (i.e. eco-footprint)?

Is there a locally based and locally owned option?

It may not be easy to get direct answers. But by being more aware of these aspects of the travel business, we can start to align our decisions with the positive impact we want to see in the places we visit. By enabling local people to earn sustainable livelihoods in excess of a minimum living wage, they will be empowered to self-direct development in their own communities.

Much of the change we want to see in the world starts from within: in this particular case, within a company’s corporate culture and within a conscious traveler’s choices.

As a consumer, we don’t always feel like our decisions make any difference: what impact can I or my family really have by choosing one hotel or resort over another? But as more and more of us vote with our dollars, we become a powerful voice.

--Maryann Fernandez