Colchuck Lake, Washington

THE FIRST TIME you go around the corner and come out of the trees at Colchuck Lake is something of a religious experience. Suddenly laid out beneath you feet are the icy waters of the lake deep blue in shade, bright aquamarine in sunlight while high above you at the far end of the lake the twin spires of Dragon tail and Colchuck Peaks seem to crowd out the very sky.

This is a challenging hike with beautiful scenery in the Alpine lies wilderness area of Washington State. However the views at the lake are well worth the effort. This hike is also unique, in that you will find several people who are climbing, snowboarding, skiing and camping whether up down or around Mt Colchuck, Asgard pass or Dragon tail. It’s has many great spots for swimming and snoozing.

Colchuck lake trail starts at Stuart lake trail head off of forest service road 7601, which can be accessed from Icicle Creek Rd. The hike to Lake Stuart is easier than the hike to Colchuck Lake because there is considerably less elevation gained. Once you reach Colchuck Lake you will be rewarded with beautiful views of blue/green lake with the peaks towering behind it. During the hike you may encounter mud, deer, and beautiful scenery. You hike across huge granite boulders and across bridges. At first the trail switchbacks gently, but closer to the lake, it becomes increasingly steep and rocky. Once you near the summit take the trail to the right for quickest access to lake views.
The trail offers number of activity options and is best to visit from April to October.

Enjoy a unique sense of solitude and see stunning Colchuck Lake and the imposing peaks around it under a heavy blanket of snow.

There are campsites all along the Colchuck lake shore, but be aware that camping here is managed under the same strict regime as the core enchantment zone.

After setting up camp for the night try your hand at night-time photography. This is an incredible backpacking trip that leads to amazing locations for night time photography. Overnight in enchantment Wildness for certain season require fee permit .Most people focus on Colchuck Lake, but Asgard pass and Dragon tail Peak make for great photographs as well. Early morning is a Paradise with clear alpine lakes, icebergs, glaciers, mama goat with baby goats, and only few people around. It is one of the most beautiful mountain wilderness areas.

Dogs, Horses, campfire are all prohibited at Colchuck lake which is on the enchantment permit Area. Dogs and horses are also prohibited on the trails leading to Colchuck Lake at all times of the year. All forms of motorized travel are also prohibited on these trails. This trip is definitely best during weekend.

List to pack for your trip to Colchuck lake: 

Snowshoe/ touring skis, Ice Axe or trekking poles, Gaiters, Good waterproof boots, navigation tools would be especially important after a recent snowfall, tent, warm sleeping bag and snow shovel.

Reasons to Visit Little Tokoyo in Makati

Did you know that you can visit Tokyo here in the Philippines? Little Tokyo is a small Japanese’s community. Little Tokyo is a small place in the bustling Makati. Here Filipinos can get at their doorstep authentic Japanese food without having to leave the country. A mini Japanese garden, a Japanese grocery and numerous restaurants shaped like the traditional Japanese home are found here. If you ask any Filipinos about the countries he wants to visit, Japan will surely be a part of the list.

Little Tokyo is tastefully designed to transport you to the streets of kagurazaka in Tokyo, a place that the Japanese refers to as Little Kyoto. This little Tokyo in Makati makes you feel you are in Japan.

Red Tori a traditional Japanese gate stands on both entrances of the compound. The cobblestoned alleyways leading to the restaurants are narrow but are in line with small but well – maintained gardens complete with bonsai. The structure within little Tokay is made of wood to follow traditional Japanese architecture. Most restaurants also feature sliding doors, while colourful lanterns adorn and illuminate the area .Yukata one form of a traditional Japanese garment is worn by the restaurants staff. Some restaurants telecast Japanese T.V. shows, while others have racks of manga available for customers to read.

Two groceries shops are filled with Japanese items in Little Tokyo having your favourite cup noodles, food mixes like instant curry in a box, ingredients like tonkatsu sauces, Kewpie mayo and dressings, mirin and various snacks.

Try authentic Mocho and ice-cream Mochi: Fugetsu-do Mochi is the longest running mocha business in Little Tokyo. A Family business operated since 1904 are famous for their variety of handmade Japanese confections right from small sweet cakes to chocolate filled mocha. If you like the ice cream filled varieties instead, stop by Mikawaya the originator of Mochi Ice cream. Made fresh, small balls of ice-cream are wrapped in the sweet sticky rice dough with traditional flavours like green tea and vanilla to non traditional flavours like mint chips and guava.

Listen to some sweet jazz at the Blue whale located in Weller court. Blue Whale located near Marukai market is one of the best jazz clubs in the city, where the music come first over everything, they have a decent food and drink menu too.

Visit the James Irvine Japanese Garden: it is open to the public and free all year round. The James Irvine Japanese Garden is located in the Japanese American Cultural and community centre. It has a tranquil garden with a waterfall and a 170 ft stream as well as blooming trees, flowers, a selection of stone lanterns and a hand washing fountain.

Koban: If you are in Little Tokyo without a plan or just lost, stop into the Koban centre on the corner of the 1st street, known for being little Tokyo’s information and community hub. The Koban is a great spot to learn about local attractions, current events, festivals, location a hotel, restaurant recommendations and more. Visitors can also sign up for a walking tour.

Enjoy some delicious sushi: Little Tokyo would not be complete without great sushi. There are top three favourite spots for fresh fish and a vegan option as well.

Explore Japanese village Plaza: The Japanese village plaza is little Tokyo’s most popular destination for dinning, shopping and exploring. Places like HAMA (Sushi), Shabu House, Mikawaya (mocha) and cafe Dulce are all located inside the village. Find the unique fashion at Hob Nob or Pop Killer and stop by Sanrio for an extra dose of cuteness if you have kids.

Get your food grilled in Yakitori style: Honda Ya Izakaya offers traditional Japanese dishes like sushi, udon, soba, tempura and more. But the main attraction is the yakitori, select from a long list of mini skewer options like chicken skin, liver, beef balls and bacon.

Nice mushrooms and beef tongue: it’s grilled over a fire and served to you piping hot and it’s delicious.

So let your dream holiday becomes a reality. Little Tokyo is only a jeep or a taxi ride away where you can experience a slice of Japan all day and every day.

Romantic Spots to Dine with Your Date under the Stars

Date Night is a chance to spend a Night under the stars. Your best bet for a night under the stars is to make your plans according to an upcoming celestial event.

Seeing stars it may just be the look in bae’s eyes, cuddling up with you sweetheart while doing some serious star gazing seems like the perfect romantic date night for summer. Star gazing can be an amazing date. Think about the beautiful scenery, there’s no one else around and you’re lying next to each other in the darkness looking up at the sky. Cuddling under a blanket and sipping wine or eating chocolate, this might not be so bad after all.

Wine and dine in either al fresco setting on a rooftop overlooking the view or cosy and warm indoors. It’s a starry night wherever you go with bae.

Be sure to add these spots to your must try lists so you never miss any restaurants near you.
Some of the amazing places to have a romantic dinner are:

Overlooking the city is a beautiful spot with a view of a beautiful landmark like a bridge or a hilltop, where you can watch the city lights twinkle as the sun goes down and have a wonderful dinner along with your date.

Rooftops: if you lie in the city it may be possible to set up a table on either of your rooftop. These are ideal spots because they are secluded and have a nice view.

Parks, meadows and other outdoor areas: these are just a few of the romantic places you can choose, use your imagination to think of other spots that provide great views of the sunset while you enjoy each other’s company.

The PURPLE OWL TAGAYTAY : it is a truly one of Tagaytay’s best kept secrets serving homemade comfort food by Mrs. Gee’s kitchen right in their own backyard, the Purple own transforms the place into different themes, making it perfect for date nights, anniversaries or even casual outdoor movie nights.

The Nest dining under the sky at Alabang: enjoy your dinner along with the warmth of life and laughter, as you dine on the 31st floor at Vivere Hotel with a sweeping view of the south.

Rustic Mornings by Isabelo Garden one of Markna’s hidden gems. It offers delicious food with quality service and most of all a mesmerising garden style set up making up for a unique dining experience a little outside of the city.

If you’re looking to take your date through the flavours of North Indian and continental dishes you must try smoke shack. It is situated at park plaza 17, Garcha Road; Ballygunge.This place has the perfect romantic ambience with a rooftop view and the poolside tables. A perfect candlelight dinner under the sky and right next to the sparkling pool is just what you need to woo that special someone. Add to that, plates of delicious food and you’ll have the best night of your life.

Astronomy still holds at least a notion of romanticism for you too. So why not make a date night of it.

Stress Reducing Travelling Products

Standing in front of an awe-inspiring natural wonder or historic site isn’t the moment to be thinking. Did I lock the front door? Put anxiety at bay. With this stress reducing travel products that will help you relax on your trip, keeping in mind that everything is just fine.

Nest home monitoring product: Assigning a friend to check on the house while you’re always is quite troublesome for them. Putting an extra burden on them is not right on our part. You would like to see whether any one on the door or get notified is something goes wrong. Nest has camera and home-monitoring accessories to tailor to your needs. By doing this you can have a stress free holiday.

Travel Pillow: sometimes it seems like the interior of a plane is specifically engineered to prevent you from sleeping during the trip. Travel pillow attempts to fix this issue by offering neck support, but they leave a lot to be desired. That’s why the Ostrich pillow is such a revelation-it fits your entire head engulfing you in its soft flexible material. Best of all it blocks out light and plane noise.

The ultimate travel organiser: for long trips extra toiletries and a surplus of underwear are frequently required. Keep it all together with the TUO. This water resistance nylon bag unfolds into what is essentially a mini closet with plenty of pouches and pockets to store your personal items.

Luggage Locks: to keep your luggage safe the lock comes handy, like leaving your bags at a hotel reception, before getting on a bumpy flight or for a renting a locker at an airport or hostel. Depending on your needs stash a small or more durable combination lock in your luggage just in case you don’t want to be stressed out worrying about losing a key. Get a lock which is TSA for flights and can double for a locker or go for a classic combination padlock if you depend on hostel lockers.

Luggage tracker: don’t fret about whether or not your luggage will be at the carousal when you reach your destination. Luggage tracker has become an affordable accessory that allows you to see via your phone where your bags are at all times. Smaller trackers like the keychain sized tile are also great for tracking suitcase and smaller items like your keys or wallet. This will ease your stress.

Back up phone charger: maps, entertainment and phot snapping are all important on vacation but they’re also sure to drain your battery by the end of the day. Stash a spare charging bank in your bag or travel jacket so you can plug in on the go if you need to. My charge Power cord even fits on your keychain so you’ll never have to worry about packing extra battery power.

LINQ wearable charging cable: this wearable charging cord means keeping your easy to lose charger where you can see it. LINQ is a bracelet and charging cable for iPhones and iPads tha tallow you to wear you iPhone cord when you don’t have anywhere to stash it and it comes with a super compact portable charging bank plus the woven cable looks to be a lot more durable than Apple’s fast fraying cables.

SCOTTeVEST: turn all your essential into Wearables, try pocket added travel jacket like the SCOTTeVEST hoodle. The casual sweatshirt has 21 pockets to help you lighten your baggage load, and will comfortable fit bigger items like an iPad or a water bottle. It’s basically a carry-on bag you can wear.

Portable luggage scale: before it was a gamble to carry a luggage scale in an airline. But thanks to tiny luggage scale

Oaxis: Air Scale doubles as a phone charger and weighs only 5.5 oz. when it is not charging your device use it to lift your bags and get an instant digital reading of the suit case weight.

By using all the above products will reduce your stress and have a tension free holiday.

Tips for Beating Jet Lag

Travelling by plane is not at all enjoyable. Especially people with sleep problems, jet lag can wreak havoc on your sleeping patterns. Anyone who flies through multiple time zones has to adjust with the biorhythmic confusion known as jet lag. How to prevent jet lag becomes easier when we understand how our bodies work. Our bodies are naturally programmed to do a number of things throughout a 24 period, such as eating and sleeping. Adjusting with different time zones can play havoc with our bodies, leading to extreme fatigue along with indigestion, bowel problems, loss of appetite, memory and concentration issues.

Jet lag can vary depending on our age, state of health and stress level.

How can we make adjusting to new time zone simpler and how can we help our bodies cope with the effects of long haul flights are few tips shared below.

Hydrate: dry and pressurized airplane cabins can quickly dehydrate you, making you feel extremely sleepy. Drinking water throughout the trip helps ease that process. It doesn’t stop jet lag but it helps make sure dehydration doesn’t affect your fatigue. Try to avoid alcohol and anything caffeinated during your flight. Both can dehydrate your body mess your internal clock and exaggerate jet lag symptoms.

Shift your time for long trips: knowing how to prepare for a long haul flight can help you start your holiday feeling fresh, rather than fatigue. If you are someone with a rigid schedule at home, try to relax that schedule during the days before you leave to another country. Try to shift your sleep schedule one hour each day. Try to alter your meal times. If you’re flexible about such arrangements you’ll start your trip abroad with a major advantage. It really pays off.

Sleep: if you can slap on the plane even for few hours it makes a big difference. So when you land you are fresh.

Avoid naps: Try to stay awake during your new time zone till you go to bed. It can be painful but it really is necessary to make the rest of your trip enjoyable and productive. The fresh air and sunshine make it much easier to stay awake than if you’re stuck inside.

Have an egg: Looking for another delicious way to beat jet lag. A protein rich meal in the morning will boost your brain what it needs to produce neuro chemicals to increase your alertness throughout the day.

Split up the trip: Try to make a stopover between two flights, so your body has more time to adapt to the new routine. This can also slash the price of your airfare.

Don’t be tempted for that afternoon nap: Honestly you need to try your hardest to keep everyone awake. A long afternoon nap is going to stop you sleeping at night and then you will end up in an ongoing vicious circle. I know this is tricky- especially with young children which are bend, pushed around in a buggy. If they do fall asleep try to only let them take maximum one hour nap at a time. Trying to stay awake at the right time is one of the hardest challenges of jet lag,

Sleeping pills are a no: Relying on sleeping pills for a long haul flights is a bad idea. They’re not worth it. They’ll do nothing to come out from your jet lag but will just leave you feeling fuzzy when you land. If you’re in need of some, shut your eye, do it the natural way. Unlimited free hot water is one of the best in flight freebies, so why not try you own herbal tea bags.

So you’ve worked out how to beat the jet lag and you’re ready to explore the world. Why not try these few basic tips.

Unique Travel Experience Stay at These Tree Houses

Holidays and vacation are one of the best gifts you can give your spouse. When you plan a romantic getaway with your partner, you want to have thrilling as well.

There is time when you might want to spend time arms in arms, in a cool and intimate location, away from the hustle and bustle of life. A stay in tree houses could be the perfect escape from everything that prevents you both from giving enough time to yourselves and to one another. A romantic trip with nature to witness your bond, nothing could get better than tree houses holiday homes. Tree houses are one of the most popular types of glamping. Modern architecture and constructions has allowed tree houses to be erected in the most diverse place in the world. Immersed in nature tree houses envelopes the true definition of glaming as they are each unique, luxurious and awe inspiring. Bring out the kid in you through this unique travel experience

From the jungles of South America to the treetops of the plains of Africa, you can find tree houses on just about every continent in the world, each offering unique amenities, comfortable stay yet amazing experience.

Few of them are as follows: 

Tree houses in the midst of jungles in Nuse Penida Bali: it’s a decent 1 room tree houses overlooking the enormous greenery sweeping ocean and horizon mountain. While staying here don’t miss out the Crimson sunset and golden sunrise view from the tree house. During the stay, outdoor activities such as flying fox and campfire are also organised. It would be a delightful experience to stay here. This tree house is comfortable for 2 people .Also enjoy the panoramic view of the ocean, majestic hills and immense greenery.

The Chalkey Tree houses AFRICA: this tree house is built around a beautiful 500years old Lead wood Tree. Guest is driven out to the tree house suite at dusk given a picnic dinner and then left alone to soak up the evening sounds of the African bush. This is certainly a luxury tree houses and comes with its own toilet, King Size bed and a mosquito net.

Tongabezi Tree houses, Zambia: Tongabezi is a wonderful lodge on the banks of the Zambezi River, just from the Victoria Falls. The tree house is situated on a huge Ebony tree, offering wonderful river views, filled with snorting hippos, with a king sized bed and personal valet service. This is a very romantic option. The food is top notch and many of their activities are unique and included in the price. They have a lovely rustic property on a river island, Sindabezi ad also own the concession at Devil’s Pool, a plunge you have to take on the edge of the Victoria Falls.

The Tree house at Winvian Farm: A night in the Tree house at Winvian Farm one of the eighteen unique cottages on the property of the LITCHFIELD HILLS OF Connecticut is unforgettable. A stay in the tree house starts with an ascent up the colour canopied staircase to the main entrance, 35 feet from the forest floor. With two floors , the cottage features a king size bed and sofa pull-out along with luxurious amenities including two fireplaces , a steam shower and a Jacuzzi, with a full bar in site as well as a night in the 780 sq. foot property makes for the perfect celebratory toast.

Tree houses at the beach in Krabi Thailand: Tree houses at Viking Nature Resorts offer a blend of traditional Thai style accommodation with contemporary standards of convenience and luxury. Covered by the trees the tree house rental space opens up into the white sandy beach. It is fully furnished and fully equipped holiday home situated in a tranquil ambiance.

A tree houses vacation is quite different from the monotonous hotel stays and hours of sightseeing.