catching a great view in San Diego- photo credit: Evita Singh
A long weekend in San Diego: Haute Travel
hiking
Tips to keep your workout routine while on the road: Haute Travel
my brother before climbing stairs on the great wall
Like many people, I struggle with keeping my routine going while on the road. I am not one of those people who will pick up their running shoes and hit the streets, though I wish I would become one (and may have to try). So I have been on the hunt for easy to manage workouts while on the road that I can do from my hotel or nearby but still enjoy.
- Tone it up on You Tube – I found out about the duo (Kareena and Katrina) behind tone it up from their show on Bravo (which I didn’t keep up with). It spurred me on to checking out their online fitness videos, and unlike the show I got hooked. I start with yoga (cause who doesn’t need a stretch), and move onto HIIT or abs or something. Because the videos are 15 – 20 min on average, they can be done quickly. And many of them from your hotel room if you don’t want to brave the gym. Definitely a haute find.
- Barefoot (almost) running – In Bali I didn’t bring running shoes due to space constraints, so when I wanted to hit the treadmill, I used my water shoes. Now this is not recommended for everyone, but a jog was possible for me with these puppies, and gave me the barefoot running experience. Being creative here is the key, and if you have a clean beach at your disposal, maybe barefoot could really work out.
- Build in hiking or get outside in some way – now that Spring is almost here, I want to be outside as much as possible. And if I am on the road, it’s great to look up a cool place to build in a hike (like Croatia – Plitvice Lakes or Cherokee National Forest) and get to spend some time exploring nature. It’s great cause my friends are all about this now, so we build activities into our vacation, like private yoga classes in Mexico, or a good nature walk.
- Try something new – I love the old adage “do something every day which scares you”, and as hard as this is, I channeled this energy when I tried surfing in Bali. While I don’t do this enough, like walking the stairs on the great wall pictured above, I felt like surfing would redeem me a bit. And what I learned, after many wipeouts, is that surfing in a reef break for your first time is super hard. (Note to self – try this again on a beach break somewhere.)
- Look up local classes on Yelp – who doesn’t love yelp in the US for great food or entertainment finds; I certainly do (thanks Yelpers!). So in order to keep up with whats haute and happening any city, I use Yelp’s “search map area” function to find things which I may want to do near me, like yoga or zumba. Sometime drop-in rates can be pricey, but it’s worth it for a good kick in the a$$ while on vacation. Note: Another great tool I have discovered is the mind body app. Most spas and gyms use this service, which is linked to your credit card. Easy peasy.
Hope these haute tips will keep you inspired and active while on the road, and if anything, provide some food for thought.
Cherokee National Forrest on a Whim: Haute Travel
Fur covered hills from the top of the mountain
From rolling hills, to vastly dense trees, to streams of rivers, these are the views one can relish on a trip to Cherokee National Forrest. Now I made it here on a whim, while visiting Murphy, NC for a work engagement, but it was still a great trip to take, albeit short.
Let’s first start with, Murphy, NC; a small town on the TN/NC border, which is surrounded by mountains and forest as far as the eye cans see. A stay in Murphy will get you some good (and relatively cheap) eats (at places like Mama Mia’s, Shoebooties Cafe, and Doyles-check out the Tiki bar here open in March), a slow pace, and some darn good nature. We started the week exploring Murphy’s Riverwalk, which is a truly lovely and peaceful trail along the Hiwassee River. It starts and ends in different places, like the local ball field or the old train depot, both of which provide you with great access to the trail, and also give you insights into the Cherokee History of the area. This is a must-do to kick of a great nature trip in this part of the country.
murphy riverwalk at leech place
Old rail bridge in Murphy
After settling in, we implored the locals on the best routes to get into the forest. If you put this area into Google Maps, you will get a driving path around the forest, to the Bald River Falls area, about 1.5 hours from Murphy. But what we learned from the locals was that there is a semi-paved mountain path which leads through the middle of the forest, and can only be found if 1. you know it or 2. you look for a bike trail into the area. Given the time we had, we opted for the bike path route, and mapped our way to the Trout Hatchery at Telico.
The ride up the mountain was partially rough terrain (good thing we rented an F150 pickup), but otherwise paved or gravel roads. As you ascend the mountain, you get to see just how vast and dense this forest is, with trees covering the area for hundreds of miles. The trees were dense, but given that it was still winter, not lush green – though one can only imagine. Seeing the dense forest reminded me of fur covering the hills, and was a different site than some of the rock hikes I have done.
trees on the mountain
Along the way we also caught sight of some great waterfalls as we followed the Tellico River through the path. Though we didn’t make it, I would recommend a trip further in to the biggest falls in the area, Bald River Falls.
small waterfall on the path
We stopped off for a bit of hiking on some of the trail area (you can camp out here, as they have set up lots of stops and facilities on the Tennessee side). The trails here are natural, and in our case, leaf-covered, but still easy to navigate.
Cherokee Forest trails
As the sun was setting, we decided to head back to town about half-way to Bald River Falls…still catching some nice sites along the way. I would relish a trip back to this area in spring or summer…maybe with a kayak or two.
a river runs through it
Seeing as Spring is approaching, I am looking forward to more outdoor fun and haute travel to come!
le haute eye 