South Africa: The Sequel

Yep, a sequel. Not only did I travel back to South Africa for the second time in three months - I was in fact returning for some work related to a movie sequel. After a daunting 11.5 hour flight, 2 hour stop-over, 1 hour flight and a 2 hour drive, all without any sleep, we arrived at our final destination: Port Edward, a sleepy, little place west of Durban on the wild coast of South Africa.We checked ourselves into the Estuary Country Hotel (a very pretty, no-frills resort with an incredible view of the Indian Ocean), found our footing and braced for a hectic and exciting week of work.

It was amazing to spend time in such a quiet, chill and comfortable place - the kind of random place I likely would never have seen if it weren't for my work. It actually reminded me quite a lot of home - like cottaging up north, only it's the Indian Ocean and there are monkeys in the trees.

Some of my highlights of the week?

For one, I spent the week working with and getting to know some new friends and colleagues. I started the week off with an amazingly fun dinner with a visiting colleague Saundra, her lovely family, Melissa and our new South African friend Andrew that included several bottles of vino, some Lamb, pumpkin soup "(it tastes like...October") and some heavy metal discourse. And, then, to celebrate the end of our crazy week of work,  six of us North American ladies ventured out for an awesome dinner at a place called Casa Toscana. "Casa" indeed - the restaurant was actually in a home, complete with a tub and shower in the bathroom. But the food was excellent - and so was our decision to order and share all six desserts off the menu!

Secondly, I may in fact be living on the wrong side of the world. I am a sucker for a foreign accent...but, man, throw in a tan and a sense of humour and I am left defenseless. South African men are lovely. Somebody  please send a few of them to Toronto ASAP.

Thirdly, I met some really nice, funny...and very "kiff"...people who decided to school me in South African slang. This involved a very detailed cheat-sheet of sorts - which included some handy words and phrases like "now now" (in the near future), "just now" (distant future or not at all), "Wil jy naii" ("wanna get jiggy?") and my personal favourite, "Zef" ("the kind of guy who bangs his sister").  Special thanks to Jaci, De Villiers and Craig for preparing me so well for the rest of my trip. Haha.

Lastly, we had a really fun night hanging with some of our new friends at a great little bar called Sally Can't Surf. It was a very late night that may have involved some tequila ("down down")...but well worth the exhaustion on our ride to Durban the following morning at...yikes...7 am.

Six and seven...

It's actually quite incredible that by the start of July, I will have already taken 7 trips so far this year. The latest two, which will be detailed in the following posts, include a return visit to South Africa for business during which I was able to tack on some personal time to see more of the gorgeous country there, plus a couple of short (but jam-packed) days in one of my favourite cities of all time: Paris!

Yes, Paris. Everyone loves Paris. I cannot even say "Paris" without eliciting a deep sigh, closing my eyes and smiling.

For this trip, I once again traveled with my business colleague Melissa who shares the same great affection for both Paris and South Africa. And although our stopover in Paris was very short, our mantra of "we're in Paris!" made sure that we didn't waste a minute...or a crumb of our baguette...while we were in the gorgeous city of light. After a long flight (7.5 hours) with a horrible movie (Valentine's Day...ugh) and no sleep, we navigated our way on the Metro to our hotel. Not the best idea when your luggage weighs in at a whopping 24 kilos but we did manage to find our hotel while getting a great upper body workout. Our adorable hotel - Hotel de la Sorbonne - was somewhat easy to locate across the street from the famous University and close to the Luxembourg Gardens. It's a tiny, boutique hotel with cute (very small, of course) rooms decorated in bold colours. Each room has a juliet balcony that overlooks a pretty an internal courtyard - and has it's own Mac that serves as your TV and computer. Rooms are inexpensive (under $200 CN) and are all roughly the same size (based on the layout map on the back of my door) so I would advise not to splurge on a superior room. Located in the Latin Quarter and close to Notre Dame, the hotel is easily accessed by the Luxembourg, Cluny or St-Michel Metro stops.

Once we settled in and cleaned up we made our way on foot through the Latin Quarter, the Marais and Bastille to take in the shops and sights. We took shelter from the rain at Cafe Bastille for a bite of dinner (Poulet et Risotto for me, Salmon for Melissa) and some good wine. We got lost on our walk back but a hailed a cab. This was probably not the safest move as our cabbie was watching a World Cup match on his GPS screen while he drove us. Thankfully no one scored...or crashed.

After a good nights sleep, a good Parisien breakfast (at Brasserie du Cercle Luxembourg) and a walk along the Champs Elysees, we braced ourselves for another long flight (11 hours)...and another incredible adventure in South Africa!

Turkoise

It’s true, I have been slacking on this blog. Though I highly doubt there are too many people who have even noticed. That said, I did meet some great people on my most recent trip to Turks and Caicos back in April and had promised to update this blog with some of our hilarious adventures involving a crazy cast of resort characters (most notably, Frank the Tank). The problem is, to be honest; I don’t have a lot to say about this particular trip. Which is a bit weird for me? I had a lovely time and all of my expectations were met tenfold (sun, sand, soul) but it really was about doing absolutely nothing. Doing absolutely nothing - but in the most gorgeous scenery imaginable. 

While I have always hoped to visit Turks and Caicos, being that it is an incredibly expensive place to visit I certainly didn’t expect to get there this year, or by myself for that matter. But, I like to think I have an eagle-eye when it comes to finding inexpensive flights. So when I spotted a West Jet flight for $320 (tax included) I took a chance and booked it. It was perfect - a direct, 3.5 hour flight and a 5 night visit to the island that would only cost me 4 vacation days. On an island like this, hotels are at a premium price so traveling alone can be an expensive endeavor. However, with such a low list of expectations, I figured I could easily, happily and affordably find a studio villa through homeaway.com or stay at the Comfort Suites (a popular low-cost option). But, an online advertising banner for Club Med caught my eye – thankfully – and I scored myself 5 nights of all inclusive accommodations and a Club Med membership for $600 (tax included). Seriously – an unbelievable deal.

My 10 am flight was slightly delayed but pretty uneventful. Considering what I paid, I would have been perfectly happy strapped to the wing. I scored a seat at the back in an empty row (my favourite) and was able to get a decent look at the island (and incredible blue sea) as we flew in. The one major piece I would give about Turks, is to prepare yourself for major chaos and a tiny bit of stress at the airport. The airport is very small with a teeny tiny little luggage belt and extremely congested luggage pick-up area. Add to that multiple flights coming in at roughly the same time (likely intended to streamline shuttles and domestic flights etc) making the baggage area utter chaos. And it’s not so much the baggage issue itself but the impatient people who are willing to push you out of the way, let their children run wild and complain as loud as they possibly can. They will threaten your chill if you are not properly prepared.  It wasn’t easy, but I did manage to ignore it and after about 30 minutes of patience I spotted my, ahem, leopard print suitcase and made my way outside to paradise.

Because I hadn’t purchased my air and hotel stay together, I did not have transfers included with my package. However, when I went outside there was in fact a Club Med representative (Diesel) waiting for me and I was able to take their shuttle for a $15US (versus a $30 taxi fare). Fantastic!  The ride was short – down an impeccably clean highway, past some local shops and homes. The island seems quiet, financially healthy (relative to other Caribbean islands I have visited), and dare I say it, a bit boring. We arrive at Club Med and are greeted by a group of G.O.’s (I’ll explain momentarily) with a cool towel and a cold drink, given a bit of orientation and escorted to our rooms.

I have to admit - I was more than pleasantly surprised with the resort. I didn't know much about the place before arriving. Club Med had always struck me as a place that had its heyday back in the eighties and nineties so I was expecting something a little less...current. While the resort definitely shows it's age - it was way nicer and newer than I dared to hope for. The rooms themselves are quite spartan, but they are clean and have anything you might need (flat-screen TV, telephone, coffee/tea service) with the exception of a balcony. But who needs to hang out in their room when a beach like that awaits outside.

I've been to many beautiful beaches (Maui, St.Martin, Mayan Riviera, Cuba, St. Barth's and Rio De Janeiro to name a few) but the beach here really is something special. The water really is THAT beautiful. Clear, calm...perfect. Club Med's long stretch of beach, while short on shade, has tons of chairs and hammocks.

The pool is lovely too....lots of chairs with soft, white cushions on them...and its in close proximity to the bar where you can keep yourself cool with a fresh mojito.

And although I did absolutely nothing...there are a ton of different things that you can try for free: trapeze, a snorkeling boat expedition, volleyball, bocce, water aerobics, soccer, ball hockey, baseball, sunset yoga on the dock. There was also some really cool late afternoon entertainment at the beach bar with a guitarist playing rock and pop music while the sun set and the party got started. The "show" each night was pretty good - mostly because it didn't take itself too seriously. The staff at the resort participate in the show which always includes a trapeze component which was always cool to watch.

The Club Med experience is definitely different than a regular resort, so it might not be for everyone. The staff (for the most part attractive and young) known as "G.O's" are encouraged to mingle with the guests during the day, at dinner and at the bar later which inevitably leads to some "intermingling" which could give the feeling of being transported back to highschool or spring break. That said, the casual set-up (communal tables for dinner etc) definitely works for the single traveler. I got to meet many people over the course of my trip just by sitting with them at dinner or drinks: Fernando and Mattias from Argentina, the lovely Kelly and Dr. Taylor, Kim from New York, Laura from D.C., Linda and her husband celebrating their wedding anniversary, Liz, Camille and the rest of the Club Med regulars...plus a woman from my hometown who chatted with me in the pool. Small world. Oh, and lest I forget the highlight of the trip - a real-life version of "Frank the Tank" who was rocking the party every night by removing his shirt and singing "ooh-ooh" into the mike. Though a bunch of us had secretly dubbed him Frank the Tank, we were shocked to find out that his name was actually Frank. So perfect.

Hmmm. Wait a minute, didn't I start off this post by saying I didn't have much to say?

Half way there...

It's only the 4th month of the year but I am getting ready for yet another vacation - which will be my 5th trip this year!
I had set for myself a fairly aggressive objective of traveling 10 times in 2010. By the end of April, I will already be half way there. This trip - a completely impulsive, last-minute purchase - will have me visit the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean for six days of relaxing in the sun. Though I have never been to these islands, I am not planning to do any research. This trip is all about the sun, the sand, the sea and the soul.
More scoop to follow next week.

Final day in Cape Town

We had a full day to spend in Cape Town before our evening flight, so we decided to make the best of it with an early start. While we had hoped to take a trip up to the top of Table Mountain in the cable car - high winds had foiled our plans. I wasn't so disappointed - it's a long way to the top and I am afraid of heights. So we decided to visit the Green Market Square where we perused the african crafts.

After I successfully negotiated the purchase of several cool items, we moved along for a quick drive through the Cape Flats. Our driver, Mark has a colleague - Tembhala -  who lives in the flats and he would escort us for a quick tour to see what life is really like there. While Cape Town is a beautiful modern city with terrific shopping and restaurants, it is also the site of some remarkably sad living conditions for it's less fortunate population. I will let my photographs speak for themselves but I will say that despite the conditions, the community here seems very joyful with big smiles seen on every corner.

Since we couldn't go up Table Mountain we decided to take a drive up Signal Hill to take some photos of the city below. A canon is fired from the top of Signal Hill every day at noon - it is good to know this beacuse it is incredibly loud and if you aren't prepared for it, it will surely frighten you. Afterwards, we lounged by the pool with a Pimm's Cup (yum) and then visited an African restaurant for dinner where we tasted a delicious Bobotie - a traditional African meat pie. Delicious.

The Cape of Good Hope

We just couldn't travel all the way to Cape Town without going the extra distance to the Cape of Good Hope, known as Cape Point - the place where the cold Atlantic and warm Indian oceans meet. It was an amazing drive through Chapman's Peak (not the best thing for my fear of heights), past hippy surf towns, craft markets and into the heart of the Table Mountain National Park. The park itself is quiet and huge in scale - but the Cape of Good Hope is busy with tourists taking pictures of the beautiful cliffs and rocks that line the coast. Though, a group of Japanese tourists decided that the blonde girl taking pictures on the rocks might make a better subject matter and started snapping photos of me. Too cute. After that, we buzzed around the roads deep in the bush hoping to spot some Zebra but did not have any luck. We had spotted a few baboons on the road (including a cute baby riding on his mother's back) but that was the only wildlife we had seen. Baboons are extremely prevalent in this area and there are warning signs everywhere you go. It's too bad we didn't pay closer attention to the signs.

Baboons are dangerous. And smart. We found this out the hard way.

After unsuccessfully locating some Zebras, we came upon another group of baboons relaxing on a beautiful cliff overlooking the sea. We took some cutesy photos from the safety of our car and all was good...until the Alpha Male showed up. Our driver, had left the vehicle to capture some photos on the cliffside. We had also stepped outside the vehicle briefly, but safely returned before the arrival of this huge, alpha male baboon. Our windows were rolled up and doors locked. Or were they?

All of the sudden, I hear Melissa furiously repeating my name from the back-seat. I spin around to see what is going on only to come face-to-face with a huge baboon who is sitting in our back-seat! He had opened the apparently unlocked door and climbed in. I cannot even remember what went through my mind at that point - only that I grabbed for the locked door handle and yanked on it until it let me out while swearing like a trucker. Outside with a knee that would not stop shaking, I saw that Melissa had also exited the vehicle and that the baboon had taken off with Melissa's purse. While the baboon was rifling through her purse, our driver (slash bodyguard) Mark, decided to frighten the baboon enough to get him to drop some of the items from the purse. The baboon then took off into the road, but the loud sound of a tour bus horn caused him to drop a few more items from the purse. Once we were all safely back inside the car, the big guy returned to show us who was boss.

Here's a video I shot after the baboon episode, as I wanted to capture exactly how big this creature was. What's funny is, while I was shooting the video we noticed an elderly couple who had not locked their doors:

Afterwards, we went for a chill lunch to calm down and spotted some penguins. I like penguins. They don't attack.

For dinner we met up with our lovely new friend Helene (along with some of her nice friends). We dined at Wakame in Mouille Point - which must have been a cool place because Annie Lennox was there too. Afterwards we hit up a club called St-Yves in Camp's Bay for a couple of beers and a good laugh at some Cougars who were searching for prey on the dancefloor. A cougar is still a cougar in any language.

Now she been to a shebeen...

So after our day of winery hopping, we kind of felt like we wanted to keep the party going. So, at the recommendation of our wine servers at Englebrecht Els, we decided to visit the famous Mzoli's in Gugulethu. Mzoli's is a butcher shop owned by Mzoli Ngcawuzele. It sits in the heart of the Gugulethu township and is a popular meeting place for the community there. Now, to some this might seem like a dangerous move. However, we were assured that we would be safe - tour buses regularly visit and we would be in the company of our driver (slash bodyguard) Mark.

After locking everything in our trunk (with the exception of my small point-and-shoot camera and a R100 bill), we made our way out into the street party and located Mzoli's shop. Mark found Mzoli himself and introduced us. Mzoli suggested we grab some beers at a local shebeen and return to sit with him and his family back at his shop. A shebeen is basically a bar that is located inside someone's house, so we hit the one directly across the street. Inside a small living room we saw a old man asleep in a chair in front of the TV while a woman served cold beers from a fridge just a few feet away. In the kitchen - local women were holding court, inviting us in to dance and party with them. We purchased a couple of large sized Carling Black Labels and I gave them the entire R100. They were so nice and welcoming; it completely put me at ease. Back at Mzoli's we spent time with his family and friends and enjoyed a free platter of meat that Mzoli cooked up especially for us. As we were still pretty full from our visit to Steers, it was a challenge to put it back but I did try the sausage and enjoyed it. (I'm not too sure what the other meat was). When it was time to head out, Mzoli sent one of his men to escort us back to our vehicle. A very Soprano's-esque experience.

After a quick power-nap, we met up with our new German friends Mitch and Suza for dinner and drinks at the hotel and then succumbed to a very well-deserved sleep.

Winery hopping in Stellenbosch

Saturday was beautiful...sunshine and a cool breeze...a perfect day for visiting some of the top-notch wineries located in Stellenbosch, a short drive outside of Cape Town.

Our first stop - Morgenhof Wine Estates - is located on the slopes of the Simonsberg mountains and has been producing wines since 1692. Here we tasted a flight of wines while sitting on the cozy porch over looking the gardens. It's a beautiful estate with lush gardens and shady trees and would be a perfect spot for a nice brunch or wedding party. We could have stayed here all day...but we had places to go and wine to drink. Next we made our way over to Boschendal Estates, stopping en route to take some photos at a local graveyard. I know, I know. It sounds a bit weird and morbid but I really love taking photos in cemetaries. I love the mix of beautiful headstones and simple grave markers and am always fascinated by the devoted living who keep-up these graves with fresh flowers and candles. It's a constant I see in every country I visit.

At Boschendal, we sampled another 4 delicious wines ( my favourites: Le Bouquet and Le Blanc Noir) and an amazing cheese platter under the shade of an enormous oak tree. Sigh! Life is good. But...once again...there was more wine to be consumed elsewhere, so we made our way to our final destination - Englebrecht Els Vineyards. For those who don't know, the proprieter, South African Ernie Els, is one of the most successful golfers of all time. Englebrecht Els is a beautiful place - with a gorgeous mountainside locale, views of the grape fields below, gardens, a koi pond and a cosy yet modern restaurant. They produce only reds - so we sampled 4 terrific big glasses while listening to a musician perform in the garden. After our tasting, our cute little server Nick bonused us a free bottle of their best wine. Ahhh...it's good to be back in the bubble.

After all that classy wine...we needed to have some food and decided to sample some authentic South African food.  Fast food that is. So we picked up some burgers and fries at Steers. Mmmm. It would have been the perfect finish to a perfect day...but this day was far from over yet. But I'll save that story for my next post.

Cape Town - Day 3

While I still have a few more posts to enter about Cape Town, there are a few little things I want to make sure that I share:

1) If you happen to have a thing for foreign accents, then this place is accent heaven! There is also some very cool slang that you can't help but pick up - like "howsit?" which is the equivalent of how a Canadian might say "How's it going?".

2) It is an incredibly cheap place to eat and drink! A good meal at a fine restaurant including a bottle of wine would unlikely top the $50 Canadian mark. Wine is especially inexpensive (and very good!) to buy in restaurants or in store. The currency is the South African Rand (ZAR) and the exchange is roughly R7=$1CN. This can get a bit confusing sometimes...but those big bills can make you feel like a bit of a high roller.

3) As a tourist you can recieve a Value Added Tax rebate on your purchases (minimum R500 spend) at the airport. But don't check your bags before you apply - they need to see your receipts and see the merchandise. A couple of dummies I know checked their bags first. No names mentioned.

4) The Cape Town landscape really has it all: powdery white sand beaches, intimidating mountains, rocky cliffs, lush green forests and valleys, and dry flat grasslands. And all of it is truly gorgeous.

5) The people are incredible! I know that could be said about a lot of places but it's really true. From our waiters, taxi drivers, hotel staff, children in the townships - everyone here is nice, kind, helpful and funny! Everyone - from all walks of life - seems really happy.

6) And lastly - it's freakin' hot!

Though the summer is almost over in South Africa, the weather is pretty much perfect. So it made total sense to spend a bit of time on our third day relaxing at the beautiful pool on the roof of our hotel - The Cape Royale. The Cape Royale is in a great location directly across the street from a brand new stadium that is set to host some of the 2010 FIFA World Cup soccer matches. It's also located in close proximity to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront area - a great place for shopping and dining  - so we decided to take a walk there in the afternoon for a little sight-seeing. A nice dinner at Mano's (recommended by nearly everyone we spoke to) included some good comfort food and a bottle of Waterford which was quickly followed up with another good night's sleep.

Action!

South Africa is a long way from home.

I mean, it is a physically long journey that stretches 22 hours over 3 continents. But it's also the kind of trip that makes you sit back and think, how did I end up here? I know I have been traveling quite a bit lately (so much that I am writing a blog about it) which may give the first-hand impression that I am somehow "worldly". The truth is I am just a girl from the (once-small) town of Whitby, Ontario. My family and friends have never been to Africa, and may never get there. And for this reason, I will seize every moment I have there.

But let's not forget the first bit I mentioned - Africa is a long way from home. It's a journey that requires (#1) loads of patience, (#2) zero vanity, and (#3) an ability to sleep sitting up. My journey started on Monday evening at YYZ where I met (for the first time) my new business colleague and  traveling companion, Melissa, who would be making this trip with me. After a round of Bloody Caesars in the lounge, we boarded our KLM flight for the first leg of our journey - a 7 hour flight to Amsterdam. However, we would not be taking off any time soon. There was a problem with the on-board telephone system that needed to be fixed before take-off. So we sat and exercised patience (#1) as we waited (and silently prayed) that the problem would be fixed do that we did not have to fly out the next day or miss our connection in Amsterdam. However, after four hours of waiting we were finally able to take-off. The cabin-crew informed us that with some extra fuel on-board, we may now be able to make up some time in the air and still make our flight to Cape Town. Yay! We landed in Amsterdam, ran off the plane and onto the next one, bracing for another 11 hours in-air. I will say that despite the extreme inconvenience, flying KLM was a great experience. The staff are lovely (polite, helpful, funny), the service is great (lots of drinks, snacks, somewhat tasty and free meals) and the planes were (mostly) comfortable.

We landed in Cape Town just before midnight on Tuesday. Unfortunately, our luggage did not arrive with us. This was made worse by the fact that we were due on set first thing in the morning. Time to exercise patience (#1) and zero vanity (#2). We were advised by KLM that we had some funds to spend towards clothing and our hotel concierge let us know that the shops would open at 8:30 am. Perfect. After a mad shopping spree at Woolworth's - which resembled a bad fashion challenge straight out of America's Next Top Model - we made it to the set looking somewhat respectable.

 I know I haven't said much about what kind of business I will be conducting in South Africa. And while I don't think this is the right forum for me to share details about my work, I will say that I am extremely grateful to have this amazing career experience. In a nutshell, I am visiting the set of a film that is shooting here and have brought a long a business partner who will interview the cast and crew to be used as part of our promotional efforts later this year. At  some point, I will share further details about the truly incredible two days I spent on set - watching car chases, crashes, explosions and meeting some really nice, interesting people who made us feel very welcome.

Needless to say, after two exhausting, long days on-set we were ready to relax a little. We had a delicious dinner in our hotel restaurant,1800 Degrees - Crispy Chicken for me, Beef Filet for Melissa. Afterwards we sat outside with a bottle of our new, favourite South African wine - Waterford - and ended up meeting a crazy bunch of characters including our lovely new German friends Suza and Mitch, Brendan from next door and a bunch of guys from the Hampshire Cricket team in the UK. After that, a long, good, deep sleep. Thank you Waterford.

Sorry Martinique...

...you've been replaced.

When I started this blog back in January, I had no idea just how much traveling I'd be doing. It's only mid-March and I am already packing for my fourth trip. I have barely adjusted back to my own timezone and now I am headed seven hours into the future, to Cape Town, South Africa. So I've now had to adjust my Top 10 for 2010 list - I've added in Cape Town and poor Martinique got the boot.

To be honest, I don't really know a whole lot about South Africa and am not sure what to expect. I will be traveling on business so I will no doubt be busy. However, I am hoping I can still manage to soak up some culture, take some photos and meet some interesting people. As you probably know, South Africa will the be the host of the FIFA World Cup this coming June and Cape Town will be one of the 9 cities to showcases matches. I am lucky enough to be staying in a hotel that is a stone's throw away from the stadium ...and very close to Cape Town's very picturesque harbour. I'll be sure to share all the details after I arrive sometime late Tuesday night.

Wish me luck...Africa here I come.

Oscar Sunday

Though it was calling for rain, it turned out to be a really lovely day. After some brekky at Mel's Diner (again), we hung out with the rest of the gawkers in and around the Kodak theatre. The bleacher seats were filled as early as 10 am. These seats were allocated by a lottery process back in late fall and are definitely for true Oscar die-hards. It was amazing to see all the cameras set-up and people milling about dresssed in tuxedo's and evening gowns. After browsing the cheeseball souvenir shops on Hollywood Boulevard, we retired to the pool for some sunshine, a cocktail and to watch the beautiful people lounging by the pool. Many people in our hotel were attending the event and we had the chance to see them getting primped by their stylists and photographed by their assistants. One of the lovely ladies by the pool - Maria Menounos from Access Hollywood.

The hotel itself was in full swing with E! reporting live from somewhere in the hotel and various celebs coming and going. Anca spotted Robert Downey Jr in the lobby en route to the red carpet - and I spotted him on TV walking the red carpet a mere 5 minutes later.

As I've mentioned before, The Hollywood Roosevelt was the location of the very first Academy Awards ceremony and they have continued the Oscar tradition by throwing a grand viewing party in their historic (and insanely gorgeous) lobby. We headed to the lobby for 3 pm and settled into our spot on a leather sofa in front of the large projection screen brought in special for the event. Although we were unfortunate enough to sit directly under the air conditioning vent (brrrrrr) we made the best of it with some Oscar themed martinis (we sampled the lemon-gin Avatar concoction), fine cheeses and a nice bottle of California Sauvignon Blanc.

And the winner is...me! Such a fantastic trip.

Blame it on the rain...

I'm noticing a trend - it's rained on all of my vacations so far this year. But after a sunny, mild week here in Los Angeles, I can't really complain. Besides, there are lots of fun things to do in the rain....like shopping!

After an amazing breakfast at 25-Degrees (a cool little diner in our hotel) we headed over to the Beverley Centre for a marathon shopping session. Hello Macys!!! I bought a pair of Marc Jacobs gold, strappy flats and a pair of Harajuku Lovers wedges both for 75% off...plus we got an additional 10% and 15% off through various deals the store was promoting. So I walked away with 2 pairs of designers shoes and a pair of black, skinny Levi's for under $100. A trip to the DSW also yielded a nice pair of Calvin Klein heels for $70. Success!

On an internet tip, dinner plans were made for Antonio's on Melrose, an authentic Mexican family-style restaurant. After a fresh strawberry margarita for me (and straight-up tequila for Anca), we dove right into the guacamole, chips and salsa. A fresh sangria helped wash-down our mains - beef with a mole sauce for Anca and a combo of chorizo enchilada, beef taco and steak for me. Though we couldn't finish it all, it was a valiant effort. Then it was back to the Tropicana bar for a night cap.

Who says a rainy day can't be fun?

L.A. Woman

It's true. I'm a "lucky little lady in the city of light".

After an exhausting day of eating, walking and eating again it was nice to just chill on Friday. The sun was shining so we made our way down to the pool to lounge about. The Roosevelt pool is fantastic and has quite the pedigree - Marilyn Monroe's first ever photo shoot took place here and artist David Hockney (famous for his paintings of swimming pools) has painted a mural of swirls at the bottom of the pool. If you are a fan of Entourage or, ahem, The Hills, you might recognize the pool from various episides. My favourite Entourage episode ("The Day F*ckers in Season 4) sees Vince getting lucky with a guest-starring Sophie Monk after meeting her at the Roosevelt pool. While there was no Johnny Drama there that day, there were definitely a few characters there to keep things interesting.

We had the good fortune of upgrading our room to a suite that day and were excited to find to out that we were scheduled to move to the ninth floor with a great view. In my research of the hotel, I discovered that there have been many *reported* sightings of the ghost of Montgomery Clift who lived in the hotel during the filming of From Here to Eternity. His room number - 928. Our room number - 924. Interesting!

I know I've blogged about how much I liked this hotel during my previous stay. I am just as impressed on this visit. The staff has been friendly and attentive - we even got a yummy fruit basket and welcome letter from the hotel manager. And our room is amazing - it's huge with a living room and two bathrooms (we only discovered the second one a good half hour after we moved in). Plus we have a great view of downtown LA of  in the distance, which makes for a great "Michael Mann-scape" view in the evening. The hotel itself is a sight to see - dark wood, tiled floors, a central fountain and sweeping velvet curtains.

We did dinner at Bar Marmont and saw only two celebs amongst the scenesters at the bar - Jesse Csincsak from Season 4 of The Bachelorette and Dylan Walsh who plays Dr. Sean McNamara on Nip / Tuck. Dinner was amazing - Mojitos, an appetizer of prosciutto and pecorino, poulet roti for moi and a braised lamb sandwich for Anca. A couple of beers back at Tropicana and then I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

Hamburger Los Angeles

After a great couple of days on conference in Pasadena for work, I made my way to Hollywood for some sun, fun and Oscar madness. After checking my bags at the Hollywood Roosevelt, I headed over to Mel's Drive-in for a bite of breakfast with a couple of friends from work - Jeremy, who'll be in town for the day, and Anca, who'll be joining me on this adventure. After a good greasy breakfast that included beef sliders (which really should be on every breakfast menu), Anca and I headed over to the Tropicana Bar at the Roosevelt pool to sit in the sunshine and have a drink (a delicious strawberry basil mojito for me).

Now before I tell you about the rest of my day, I should first give you a little back-story. A few weeks back, on a tip from a co-worker (and fellow foodie) I watched a documentary called Hamburger America (which also has a companion book of the same name) that highlights the 100 best hamburger joints across the USA. So, of course, we looked up some of the key locations in Los Angeles and decided to visit at least one.

We started the burger pilgrimage with a visit to Apple Pan in Santa Monica - a very old-school, hamburger house that serves straight-up burgers and fresh pies. A dozen or so red, vinyl stools face in towards the grill - which makes seating very limited. Drinks are served in vintage silver cups that are lined with paper. One word of warning - prepare yourself well before you enter the restaurant - know your order by heart and whatever you do, don't leave without trying the fresh apple pie a la mode. Delicious.

In dire need of some exercise after the gluttony at Apple Pan, Anca and I made a visit to the Santa Monica pier for a walk and although the wind was cold, the sun was shining brightly.

After meeting back up with Jeremy (and his cousin Aaron who was visiting for the day), we, for some strange reason, decided it would be a good idea to eat yet again. We hit up the legendary Pink's on LaBrea in Hollywood and indulged in some outstanding hotdogs. I could only eat half of my Guacamole Hotdog, but not because it wasn't tasty. I know, I know. I'm a total lightweight.

After a quick spin on the the red carpet at the Kodak Theatre and some major geeking out at Grauman's Chinese Theatre we called it an early night.

I wonder if they have a rehab for burger addiction out here?