This Site is Moving to Wordpress!

Hello all!

For all the articles on this site, plus daily new and fabulous pieces, pop on down to the awesome new Wordpress site at:

AroundTheWorldL.com !

Onward and upward!

Two Stunning Five-Star Hotels, and Deep Thoughts Around Them

I need your help!

Here's the question: What do we think of the concept of five-star ultra-luxury hotels?

Thanks to the wonderful Valencia Ministry of Tourism, my friend Gary and I were treated to the opportunity of a lifetime: a tour of the highest-rated hotels in all of Benidorm, Spain!

And let me tell you: these are some SERIOUSLY amazing hotels.

I snapped the first three show photos here at gorgeous Asia Gardens five-star hotel and Thai spa. Led by an extraordinarily nice woman, Gary, Maria and I zig-zagged around the lush green gardens and bright blue infinity pools spilling downhill from the hotel's mountain perch above the city.

"The concept of the hotel," our guide told us, "is that it is a hotel in a garden-- not a garden in a hotel."

Gazing out at the Eden before us, we nodded and agreed it was a luscious concept. The white drapes on the outdoor patios fluttered in the breeze and the expanse of azure blue water stretched on and on, winding between the emerald green Asian plants. Far below, the high-rises of Benidorm's many hotels appeared as pillars of ivory between the hills and the sea.

Inside the hotel itself, we gaped at the massive (Wi-fi equipped!) conference hall, the indoor pool and spa realm, and the homey luxury of the bedrooms.

"How much does this hotel room go for?" I asked, stroking the rich bedding beneath the high dark wood rafters.

"A thousand dollars a night," replied our sweet guide with a smile.

Oh my. It was then that my mind started to race. Earlier that day, I had received an email from the wonderful youth center in Ghana at which I volunteered for three months this year. My friends there were writing to update me on their fund raising efforts to keep the youth center afloat, and I had pledged in my mind to donate when I got home to Boston.

So how can we organize in our minds the disconnect between a youth center in Ghana aching for just a little more money to keep breathing-- and a gorgeous room in Spain that costs $1000 a NIGHT? It's the way our world works, I know, yet it brings a twinge to the heart!

But I'm not finished... let's keep walking.

The second unbelievable establishment we visited in Benidorm was the SHA Wellness Clinic. Its breathtaking rooftop terrace is pictured in the last two photos of this article.

As the purple storm clouds gathered over the mountains in the distance, we walked around the gauzy white curtains and cooed to see the crystal-clear infinity pool stretching right out to the edge of the five-story-high roof!

The SHA Clinic is serious business: delicious luxury paired with a vibrant focus on health. Not only is there a macrobiotic diet served at every meal, but there are specialist practiconers there offering everything from seaweed wraps to anti-cancer treatments.

When we asked our friend Meridith about her two-day stay there, she moaned, "Oh! Why can't I live there forever?? I loved every second of it!"

The clinic is a gorgeous place, and it does very good work. It even won the Conde Nast spa award for 2010! I felt privileged to be able to tour it.

So let's kick off the discussion. I truly loved seeing these hotels, and I believe they bring beauty, happiness, and relaxation to many people. They also seem to be run by nice, smart people who work hard and have kind hearts.

So should we just enjoy the glory of these places and put the examples of financial need that we've seen around the world out of our minds?

Or should we hope that somewhere in their business model, these wonderful five-star establishments have a philanthropic plan of action?

Um, So I Think I Just Saw the Holy Grail?

"Hey dude," slurred my British dorm-mate as he climbed into his hostel bunk for the night, "Did you see the Holy Grail yet?"

"Wait, WHAT!" I exclaimed, "the Holy Grail is in Valencia, Spain? The magical cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper?!"

"That's what they say," the boy mumbled as his eyelids began to droop. "It's in the little room to the right in the Valencia Cathedral. Don't forget to see it before you leave. It's pretty cool."

Ok then! The next day, I shuffled the five minutes from our hostel to the mighty Valencia Cathedral, strolling past the peaceful cafes lining the Plaza de la Virgen and the Plaza de la Reina.

I paid the 4.50 Euro ($7) entrance fee to the two very stern women at the door, then promptly began gaping at the majestic blue dome and gold-framed paintings on the far wall which are pictured in the second photo of this article.

"Eyes on the prize," I admonished myself, snapping out of my awestruck stupor. "First priority is to see the Grail!"

There were no signs whatsoever. There were no advertisements and there was no fanfare. I double-checked the map the boy had given me, then turned a sharp right to enter a high-ceilinged stone room with an ornate arch pictured in the third photo.

A golden glow exuded from the curved space in the center of the wall, and I moved closer, breathing a little fast. A Spanish woman was kneeling on the floor, swaying and crossing herself. I peered forward: There was, indeed, a magical-looking chalice sitting behind thick glass between two strong columns. The photo is the first in this article.

Could this really be it?!

Confused, I lingered for a half hour longer, then wandered back to the hostel to begin some research. Indeed, it appears from a number of sources that there are several possible Holy Grails in this world, but scientific research and a Pope's blessing have in fact confirmed that this particular Grail in Valencia is one contender for the real one!

For a particularly spirited argument as to why this Valencia Grail is the real deal, check out this excerpt from an article on ValenciaValencia.com:

"Your quest for the Holy Grail is complete once you land in Valencia.

It is inevitable that such a seemingly bold claim will evoke a cynical grin from most people. However, and contrary to how it may seem, such skepticism is an uninformed reaction, rather than otherwise.

It is common knowledge that if you collect all the nails with which Jesus was crucified, it turned out that the poor guy had a few hundred nails in Him. And you could build a house from all the wood that is claimed to be part of His cross.

However, it is not just like that with the Cup that can be much more scientifically analyzed and cross-examined with various historical records and references. As a result, every single claim in the world has been dispelled. [...] Historians all point their evidence to this item as being the authentic Cup used in the Last Supper.

[...] To be totally fair, the Cup in the Antioch Cathedral also passes tests on authenticity. However, it is way too large to be passed around as a cup.

Records refer to two cups being used at the Last Supper-- one as a communal tank for wine and the other as a cup to drink from. The Holy Grail can be easily viewed in the Valencia Cathedral."

And that, my friends, is why I think I maybe, perhaps, might have seen the Holy Grail. Hooray!

Reason Two (of Many!) to Visit and Love Valencia, Spain

I am having a little addiction problem. At this time, according to the original plan, I was supposed to be merrily chugging through Seville and Cadiz, and perhaps even Toledo... but instead, I'm back where I was a week ago: in Valencia, Spain.

"Woman, why can't you just move on?!" you exclaim. My answer: Because Valencia is great. And thus let us continue our Reasons I Love Valencia series.

Today's reason: I love Valencia because it has a giant, snaking park that used to be a river!

If you gaze at any map of this city (such as the one conveniently pictured to your right) you will see that Valencia has a sexy emerald belt draped around its waist. From whence did this feature come? Well apparently, there used to be a fat river winding through Valencia, but when it flooded and badly damaged the city, the government diverted the water to the outskirts of town, leaving behind a big empty riverbed.

The head honchos in town started plans to turn that riverbed into a highway, but the people of this town united and hollered: "NO! That riverbed shall be a park, not a mass of concrete!" And thanks to their rallying, Valencia now sports miles and miles of luscious grass, trees, and playing fields!

Words cannot express to you how important green space is for my happiness, and thus in my overall rating of any city. Perhaps this preference is embedded into my bones, having grown up in Boston, so famous for its "Emerald Necklace" chain of parks. But one thing is for sure: green space keeps me sane.

Now here's a question for you: What do you think is a more useful green space shape for a city: a big rectangle like Central Park, or a scrumptiously long, thin river of green? For all that it may get me beaten up by New York fanatics, I vote for the river-shaped park as superior!

My reason is, with a long skinny park, you are able to access the grass from a greater swath of the city because you get a much longer perimeter. This means more people can be made happy by the green!

A girl just came in this hostel dorm and flopped on her bed, exclaiming: "I like this city so much! And yet, I had never even heard about it before."

I'm supposed to take a train somewhere else in Spain sometime soon (I really should, right?), but instead, I may just extend my stay here yet another night. While I'm at it, maybe I should check out a meeting of Valencia Addicts Anonymous! But first... off for a run in that riverbed park. Yum!

Why You Need a Mentor... or Fifteen!

I have wild admiration for students who graduate college when no one in their family has done so before.

"First Generation College Students," we call such superstars.

Why is being the first one in your family to graduate from college such a feat? Because the entire U.S. college process-- from navigating the miles-long applications, to knowing the smartest way to approach a caustic professor-- is full of secrets.

If you have someone (aka, a parent or two who attended college) whispering these secrets into your ear, it's all a whole lot easier. If you don't have this privilege, however, it can become a nightmare.

Now, you've likely heard this before, but it's tough to really understand the depth of the issue. According to a recent USA Today article, a mind-blowing 89% of first-generation U.S. college students from low-income families leave college after six years without obtaining a degree. Eighty-nine percent?! Horrifying!

There are a number of ways to combat this tragic statistic, but my recent favorite is: seek out a whole army of mentors.

At my dear friend's medical school graduation, students with parents who were doctors had them come up on stage to place the doctor "hood" upon their child's head. Do you know how many graduating medical students had parents (yes, often BOTH parents) who were doctors? Nearly two-thirds. Clearly, a child with doctor parents finds it much easier to get into and graduate medical school.

Now, my friend immigrated at the age of nine from the Dominican Republic, and neither of her parents is a doctor. But, being brilliant, my buddy sought out a mentor doctor during her first job out of college.

This awesome man became both a professional mentor and an uncle figure for the years to come. The advice and connections he provided surrounding medical school were invaluable. When my friend walked across that stage at the Case Western Medical School graduation, her "uncle" was right there on the stage draping her hood! Having a mentor is key.

Why am I thinking lately about first generation college and graduate school students? Because being a First Generation Worker in a new career has similar challenges.

Me, I'm a First Generation Travel Blogger! No one in my family has ever Blogged or Tweeted before me, and thus when I began Around the World "L" in July of 2009, I had absolutely no clue what I was doing.

I felt like that student who gets his first college course syllabus and realizes he has never in his life done that amount of writing or reading! You ask yourself: "Is my brain up to the challenge? Am I strong enough to figure this all out on my own?"

In fact, no, it is not possible to figure everything out on your own... and why should you? Heaps of folks before you have already mastered the ropes! The trick is to be bold, humble, and proactive enough to seek those gurus out.

Thank heavens, my forces of boldness, humility, and proactivity all swirled together this month and thus I found myself sharing a heavenly week of tourism with the world's number one travel blogger, Gary Arndt.

That's Gary in the photo to the right, posing in front of the very popular (and rather funny-looking) Roman-style dried and salted fish in one of the many Spanish towns we toured!

Words cannot express how much I appreciate the blogger secrets Gary has revealed to me over the past seven days, as the delightful Valencia Ministry of Tourism has shown us the sights of this excellent region.

Here's an example. In the blogger world, it's normal to "exchange links" with someone by adding their site to your "Blogroll" or Partner Site Page, while they add yours to theirs. This helps you both get more readers. Now, recently, several websites have contacted me to do a link exchange, but asked for me to put specific (often rather strange) words as the "anchor text" for their link.

For instance, one supposed travel blog wanted me to link them through the words: "Cheap Flights." I didn't really understand, and I couldn't exactly ask my parents for advice, being a First Generation Blogger and all.

Then my second day with Gary (eating baby mussels, the seafood not the infant) he mentioned: "Some sketchy businesses will try to get you to link certain words to their site, because for Google rankings, the specific words you are linked to make a huge impact on how high you appear on Google searches."

"HOLY BABY MUSSELS!" shrieked a little voice in my head, "THAT is why those sites wanted me to link them like that! They were just using my naive and un-blog-educated self to try to raise their Google rankings and thus make more money on sales and advertising!" The clouds cleared and I was let in on the secret... all thanks to having a mentor.

Here's a second example. See that first photo of me with the giant and fancy camera? That's Gary's baby, not mine. On our fourth day together, Gary thrust the massive device into my hands and said: "Take some photos!"

"Eeei, noo!" I screamed. "I'll break it!"

"Oh please," said Gary. "Quit whining and just start experimenting. And stop holding it like it's about to explode. You need to learn how to use this!"

I realized at that moment that, despite my raging ambition to be a top travel blogger, there are still so many necessary steps to success in this world that terrify me. Fancy cameras? Eek! Moving from Blogger to Wordpress? Eek!

And this is why we need Mentors: to hold our hands and physically drag us up those stairs to the next level. Few students entering college yearn that first time to enter a professor's office hours and ask for help on a difficult assignment, but a good mentor will force that student to take those intimidating proactive steps for success.

And now a note to pull it all deliciously together: It turns out that Gary Arndt, wildly successful internet entrepreneur and number one travel blogger, is actually a First Generation College Student, himself! Admiration, man... admiration.

Readers, (especially former students) please leave a comment describing your experiences related to this topic!

Photo Note: All these pictures are from the beach town of Benidorm, Spain, which has the interesting mix of tourist-filled high-rises and beautifully dressed locals who love to put on festivals and parades!

Lucy's Article 2: The Result of Running From School

Article #31 in the YCC Kids Club Ghana Student Life Stories Project
The Result of Running Away From School
By Lawani Lucy, Age 13

"Run fast, Lucy!" my friend shouted. "Pass over to the other side of the road so they won't see us!"

On the fifth of March, 2010, my friend Bless and I decided to run away from school. We were hungry to a great extent, but at that moment we did not even have money to buy water to drink. So my friend told me we should run away from school to find food.

At first I refused, but later on I agreed we should go. But I had never run away from school before! What if we saw a teacher on the way? I am in the Junior High School, and the teachers are many. But my friend influenced me to run, and off we went!

Almost immediately, we saw walking right towards us... our headmaster. We went to swerve, but our headmaster saw us. He demanded our name, and we longed to call out a different person's name, but that day was Wednesday and thus that day we had heard a sermon in school about the word of God, so I didn't want to tell any lie on that day.

We called out our names truthfully, and the headmaster told us that we should both come to his office early the next morning.

The next morning when we came into the Headmaster's office, we saw a big cane on the table. At that moment I thought, "If I had known..." but immediately the headmaster boomed: "Hey! Lucy and Bless, come here!"

Then I saw a giant man that I didn't even know, and I started to remember back to the time I was born, and I just shook my head and tried to sleep on the table as the cane went: "Sluch! Sluch! Sluch!" at my back.

I cried very hard that day, and I didn't even talk to anybody.

Later, the headmaster said that we should dig a hole to continue our punishment. My friend refused at first, but ultimately he agreed. We both did that work, digging the heavy dirt.

You know what? For my friend, digging that hole was a punishment. But as for me, it was a lesson I had to learn.

So readers, learn from me. Never escape from school, because it is a bad habit.

Lillie's Note: Please leave a comment for Lucy, a proud member of the Cross-Culture Class, on her fascinating article!

As we see the finest food and sights that Spain has to offer, let us not forget the amazing hard work and fund raising the YCC students and staff are putting into their upcoming first flight ever out of Ghana!

Please note the "Donate" button at the bottom of the right-hand sidebar, should you like to lend your support.

Three Lovely Moments from Benidorm, Spain, in Photos

As I pulled out my little blue camera to photograph the toddler playing by the fountain, a tornado of snow-white birds began to swirl.

One after another, the birds swooped around the child, around the red stroller, and finally right towards my face, fluttering my hair!

Gary was busy at the other end of the fountain, trying to photograph the single black bird amid the snowy hordes.

"If any of these photos come out well," giggled Gary, "I'm going to blow it up real big and glossy and paste on the headline: "IT'S OK TO BE DIFFERENT." Then I'll sell it to a cheesy inspirational poster company."

Who knew the world's number one travel blogger had such a flair for enjoyable sarcasm? And who knew that pigeons, so hated in the U.S. for their scruffy greyness, are heavenly white in Spain? These are both nice surprises.

Maria continued our tour through Benidorm by guiding us to the long undulations of the town's new promenade. "See how the tiles change color?" she asked us, pointing to the way the blue tiles melted into purple further down. "If you walk all the way to the end you will see every color of the rainbow!"

This new promenade is designed to mimic the ocean, so as you walk atop it, you will see the edge stretch out and back, out and back, like tides lapping the shore below it.

If you descend one of the walkway's ramps to stroll beneath it (as shown in the photo to the right), a mini concrete tsunami shades you from the sun, and smooth wooden planks protect your toes from toasty sand.

If you have a more sensual eye, perhaps this promenade wall is the graceful arch of a woman's back. Ocean, woman, wave, stone... it's all good.

Maria then guided us... onto a boat! Of course, since she knows everyone in Benidorm and (literally) their mother, she first had a delightful conversation with the ticket salesman, inquiring about his family and life updates. Did you know that the Valencian language is like a mix of Spanish and French... with an almost Russian accent?

The boat, a-flutter with young mothers and their so-cute-as-to-be-nearly-edible babies, chugged off directly toward the triangular rock jutting out of the sea: Benidorm Island.

We came, we saw (note the pretty island photo to the left), and... we didn't really conquer because we stayed on the boat instead of getting out so that we could return to the shore for lunch.

That's right: our chief organ for trip planning is... our stomachs. And what a yummy way to live.

Silver Hair, Silver Tongues, Waves, and a Nice Retirement

We turned the corner onto Benidorm's beachfront, when suddenly-- "TRA LA!"-- a wave of seventy singing voices crashed upon our ears!

"What the heck is that?" I asked our sweet Benidorm tour guide, Maria, as Gary and I gaped at the giant circle of silver-haired singers.

"It is so nice!" sighed Maria, her hand to her heart. "That man in the center, Juan Mari, his whole life he has loved to sing. But unfortunately, he always had another job for money, so he never could follow his dream of becoming a professional singer."

As if to underline her words, the man held his song packet aloft and shouted, "La siguiente cancion esta en la pagina tres!" The circle of singers cheered in anticipation and eagerly flipped their song packets to page three, clearing their throats in preparation.

"But now that he is retired," continued Maria breathlessly, "Juan can finally pursue his true love of singing all the time! Isn't that wonderful? But he does not just do it alone, no. Instead, he brings his gift to others by holding this singing group on this beach, open to anyone!"

"AMOOOOR!!" began the group in vibrating harmony, grinning and swaying as the notes poured from their throats.

Maria pointed to a sign in the center of the circle. "Normally when people perform outside," she laughed, "they put a sign asking for donations, like "We Accept Donations." But do you see what that sign there says?"

I gazed over, did a quick translation, then smiled. "We Accept Applause!" it read.

Benidorm, which is about ninety minutes south of Valencia on Spain's Mediterranean coast, was rather strange to visit at first in that it is decidedly a resort beach, not a stately and castle-filled example of historical Spain like Granada or Cordoba. But the truth is that the longer Gary and I tour around here under the loving wing of Maria, the more I am seeing the charm in it.

I have recently heard Benidorm be accused of being "not Spain" because of its vacation vibe and massive foreign (mostly British) tourist population. But it's hard to take the Spain-ish-ness out of Spain!

Like the Spanish family I stayed with in Madrid, Maria knows all the vendors and workers in town by name, and greets them with kisses and inquiries about their families. This is Spanish!

And glorious circles of elders belting out Spanish love songs on a beach? This is certainly not American or British. But I wish it were!

"Look how happy all those people singing are," sighed Maria. "Juan has made them so happy!"

So very, very true. May we all find ways like this silver tenor to embrace our passions... and simultaneously bring joy to others!

Reason One (of a Whole Lot!) to Visit Valencia, Spain

If you were to dangle an American out of a ten-story window and force her to choose a city in Spain to move to forever, I bet you ninety Euros that she would scream: "Barcelona!"

But the more I experience Spain, the more I realize that this pervasive American romanticization of Barcelona is just plain foolish.

If I, myself, were to pick a city in all of Spain to live, it would be... Valencia.

"Huh?" you say, wiping the juice off your mouth from an orange you just finished chomping. "Isn't Valencia just like one big pile of citrus fruits?"

No, no, no! And also, no! Valencia, Spain's third largest city, sits on the Mediterranean Ocean, right between Barcelona and Andalusia. And in all honesty, I really, really like it. It's supremely livable, often in ways that mirror my dear hometown of Boston.

We will go into other aspects of Valencia in subsequent articles, but today let us highlight one realm in which Valencia has Boston beat: its gasp-inducing-ly futuristic City of Arts and Sciences, pictured here.

Okay now, stop shaking your head and rubbing your eyes, already! I swear to you: the buildings you see in these photos actually DO exist. I recognize that they look artificially computer-generated, or perhaps even lifted from some twenty-eighth century time warp, but really, I touched them!

For me, the experience alone of seeing these mind-blowing buildings was worth my train ticket to Valencia. You can truly spend hours striding around the "City," because the buildings within the complex are numerous, and each is so unique and beguiling that it merits close, lasting, and almost lascivious ogling. Should you tire of gazing, pop inside! Each structure houses a museum or hall.

To close, I need your help with a debate that has erupted with a Spanish friend: Do these City of Arts and Sciences buildings represent "Good Architecture?"

Me, I think these structures are absolutely great. They are innovative and cool (or as the Spaniards say, "chulo"), and I adore how the park around them seems to be lovingly and constantly used by locals and tourists alike.

See how happy the people in these photos are, languidly lounging around the azure blue of the crystalline ponds?

BUT (cue the angry background music) not all humans love Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences. Here is a loose translation of the words of my Spanish architect friend regarding the artistic merit of the place:

"My first concern with the City of Arts and Sciences," growled my friend, "is that these buildings are pandering to tourists, trying to be so shocking that they turn the city into a sightseeing playground like Bilbao's Guggenheim... all in an effort to get more visitors."

("Well," laughed my friend Gary when he heard this argument, "Those buildings are the coolest I've seen in my entire life, so if they're meant to pander to tourists like me, they work! And I'm okay with that.")

Undeterred and increasingly poetic in his fury, my architect friend continued with his argument: "For me, good architecture is not pretentious or spectacular," he asserted. "Good architecture should be realistic and discreet, giving way to what may happen in it. It should be autonomous, but attentive to the environment. It should be clear, simple... and magic."

"Listen," I said, "Discretion and modesty are all well and good at times... but there are other times you just want to see something that will knock your socks off!"

This idiom did not translate very well into Spanish, and much confusion ensued. ("Wait, what do socks have to do with architecture, Lillie?")

But the fundamental question remains for you, dear reader: What is your take on flamboyant architecture like Valencia's City of Arts and Sciences?

(Want to see a far better photo of these buildings by the far better camera of Gary Arndt? Click here!)