Matador Network's Blog, page 1116

Passengers flee airplane

There are several situations that might cause passengers concern prior to takeoff, and flames shooting out of an engine is certainly one of them.

Passengers on an Utair flight from Moscow to Makhachkala, a town on the Caspian Sea in Russia, panicked when they spotted flames coming from under one of the engines of the Boeing 737 in which they were seated. Those in the emergency exit row opened the door and three people climbed out of the plane and onto the wing.

An airline spokesperson told Russia’s RBC News, “This was an ordinary situation, the plane was in order, passengers were in no danger.” According to the spokesperson, the flames were simply caused by a disrupted air flow — a legitimate reason for the engine to suddenly emit flames. It doesn’t indicate a potential hazard, but the burning of excess fuel.

Despite the fact that the engine fire didn’t pose any actual danger to passengers, the airline switched passengers to a different aircraft. The three passengers who climbed onto the wing were detained for questioning, and one said, “When the panic started, when people started to run, squashing each other, when they began screaming and yelling, in order to pacify them and to stop the panic we opened the emergency exit.”

H/T: Yahoo Finance

More like this: Why you have to put your shades up for takeoff, and other answers to your burning airline questions

The post Passengers escape onto airplane wing after spotting engine flames appeared first on Matador Network.

Hanging Lake permits are going fast

Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon is one of Colorado’s most popular hiking destinations and it’s easy to know why — the lake’s waters are an incredible shade of turquoise and the waterfalls are hypnotic. But the beautiful natural scene that is now a National Natural Landmark has become way too appealing in the past few years, to the point where tourism was deteriorating the site’s ecological health.

Visit Glenwood explained, “Over the years the popularity of the area has increased leading to vegetation and trail damage and overcrowding. […] The implementation of the permit system, environmental education and interpretation program will help visitors play an active role in protecting the ecological health of Hanging Lake, improve the visitor experience and support the local tourism economy.”

This year is the first time that a permit is required to visit Hanging Lake and it’s already flooding with reservations. According to The Denver Post, on April 14, only 14 days after the opening of the reservation system, 6,180 hikers had already signed up for a spot for the 2019 season that starts on May 1.

The permits cost $12 per person from May 1 to October 1 and $10 per person from November 1 to April 30, and can be reserved on the official website or by phone at the Hanging Lake visitor information line: (970) 384-6309. According to Visit Glenwood, “A percentage of the fees collected for reservations will be reinvested into the long-term stewardship and sustainability of Hanging Lake.”

The hike to reach it is a steep 1.2-mile trail that climbs 1,000 feet up from the bottom of Glenwood Canyon. Personal vehicles are not allowed to park at the trailhead during peak season, but there’s a shuttle that operates daily.

H/T: Lonely Planet

More like this: Best Denver parks for hiking, biking, and picnics

The post Permits to Colorado’s popular Hanging Lake are selling like hot cakes appeared first on Matador Network.

Serious case of measles in El Al

A flight attendant for Israel’s El Al airline became ill with the measles and is currently in a coma. Measles outbreaks in the US are directly linked to air travel, so the airline is taking this case very seriously.

The 43-year-old woman became ill with the disease after a flight on March 26 from New York to Tel Aviv. She is reportedly suffering from encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, a complication that affects one out of every 1,000 people who get the measles, and can result in hearing loss, brain damage, or death.

Israeli health officials are warning people who were aboard the flight — El Al flight 002 — to seek medical care if they develop a fever, runny nose, cough, bloodshot eyes, sensitivity to light, or a dark red rash. Symptoms may appear between six to 21 days after exposure. Unfortunately, measles is a highly contagious viral infection that can spread to between nine and 19 people who are not immunized, and airports and airplanes are an easy place for them to spread. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, up to 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected.”

Israel is recommending that all of the country’s airline staff be immunized as soon as possible, to guard against contracting the measles. “Our hearts are with our El Al sister who is battling this disease,” said Taylor Garland, a spokesperson for the Association of Flight Attendants, “and our thoughts are with her for a full recovery. Her suffering should give the public and crew urgency to heed the recommendations of health officials.”

If you don’t have an MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) proof of vaccination in your health records, make sure you talk to your family physician and get vaccinated before you travel internationally, domestically, or even walk around airports. According to the CDC, all six measles outbreaks in the US so far in 2019 have been linked to people carrying measles from foreign countries such as Israel and Ukraine, where there are large outbreaks of the disease.

H/T: The New York Times

More like this: These are the travel vaccines you actually need, according to an expedition doctorc

The post El Al airline warns passengers of severe case of measles appeared first on Matador Network.

How to book a family farm stay

Experiencing the great outdoors and spending time on a real-life working farm is a great way to switch off from the modern world. Not only will you slow down, but you’ll also be amazed at how much you learn. And nothing bonds a family more than enjoying the eggs that you’ve just collected from the chickens for breakfast or milking a cow together.

While staying at a five-star resort with all mod cons can be fun, farm stays let you connect with nature and with each other. You’ll always remember the time you fed the goats, cleaned out the pig pen, picked apples, or made cheese — and then ate it on freshly baked bread. Here’s why a farm stay should be on your family milk-bucket list.

You get to slow down.

A farm stay is an easy way to slow down, discover, and disconnect — a bit or a lot, depending on what you desire. Switching off and connecting with the outdoors means stepping back from the frantic day-to-day rituals of modern life. Once you’re on a farm, you’re at the mercy of Mother Nature — and not of your smartphones, deadlines, or school runs.

You learn where food comes from.

Photo: Margot Black

On a working farm, you get up close to the food you eat, and sometimes you’re even involved in making it. Over the course of our farm stay weekend, our son Jett fed and milked goats, pushed a wheelbarrow around like his life depended on it, and fed horses, ducks, pigs, and turkeys. He watched a sheep get sheared and picked out an egg from the chicken coop. Woken by roosters at the crack of dawn, Jett’s first excited words were, “Can I go eat my egg now?”

Some farms have a variety of crops that kids will recognize and consume during their stay. We’re so accustomed to seeing our food neatly packaged that this immersion is a true journey of discovery. Those moments where you see the joy on your kid’s face when they come face to face with animals they only ever see in brick form on Minecraft is heart-warming. Kids learn to make the connection between plants and animals and the food they eat.

You need to work for your food.

Often on a farm, you may be able to participate in picking and harvesting the food you eat. It’s not uncommon to have the chance to go apple or pumpkin picking, as well as getting involved with crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, and squash — which are all easily recognizable to kids.

Bringing your little ones to a farm for a few days to learn about the cycle of life is more effective than spending weeks in a classroom far away from the source. Our family farm-stay experience taught our son how much work is involved in getting food to the table and encouraged him not to waste it. Even now, our son only goes for second helpings when he knows he can eat it all, and he’s more conscious about what food we are buying in the supermarket.

You spend all day with animals.

Photo: Elizaveta Galitckaia/Shutterstock

On a farm, animals are everywhere — goats, horses, chickens, pigs, dogs, cats, and even the occasional llama or two. Caring for the animals — including cleaning up poop — is a great way to show the work and love involved in keeping others comfortable and alive.

At some Western-style ranch stays, you can also go bird-watching, fishing, or cattle herding. At a couple, you can even train racehorses before sharing your animal stories around the campfire at the end of the day.

Kids play outdoors.

Depending on where you live, your kids may spend most of their time playing indoors, or have to adhere to playdates and scheduled activities like karate, dance, or music lessons. On a farm, playtime is always simple and great fun. There’s kickball, swings, baseball, swimming, boating, or biking. Plus, activities like fishing, cooking, and jam-making keep kids outside and away from screens.

You can enjoy a non-hotel experience.

Farm stays tend to have a variety of lodgings, from farmhouses to cabins, cottages, B&B accommodations, campers, or tents. They often require a little bit of flexibility, planning, and togetherness. This isn’t a room service situation where breakfast appears out of nowhere after you hang a menu on your room door the night before. You tend to make your own, and you might even share a kitchen with other families. This can be lots of fun and add to the rustic experience, especially if you end up sharing the omelette you had a hand in making happen.

It’s good, old-fashioned family fun.

There aren’t many vacations that everyone from grandparents to toddlers can enjoy, but a farm stay definitely ticks all the boxes. In a world that seems so divisive, a farm can really be a great leveler. The animals need looking after, and the food you eat comes from them. That’s it. It’s so pure.

If you’re three-years-old or 83-years-old, you’ll end up learning something. There are so many jobs to do that a well-run farm will always find something to suit all abilities. And there’s nothing better than cuddling a little chick or help shear a lamb.

You’ll learn new skills.

Photo: Margot Black

Many farms hold classes in anything from canning, pressing, and cooking to fiber-making, breadmaking, and cheesemaking. It’s a rich and memorable learning experience, so encourage your kids to embrace as many activities as they can. Unlike school, which is a controlled and scheduled environment, your kids won’t know they are learning. They’ll just be having a good time. The same goes for the adults too.

Farms teach responsibility.

Photo: Max Topchii/Shutterstock

On a working farm, it’s really important that your kids listen to the adults who are in the know and learn how to take instruction. They need to think before they act, be mindful of the land and the animals, and learn how to be responsible with tools. There’s hardly a better place than a farm to learn lessons of responsibility, attention, and care — and all while having fun.

What you need to know

You do need to be prepared to end up covered in dirt, dust, and probably a little poop as you go about business. Leave your flip flops at home, wear sensible shoes, and always remember to cover you and your family in a high factor sunscreen.

To research your own perfect farm stay, check out Farm Stay US, as they have their own accreditation standards. Their star rating system is designed to show how much of their criteria — such as safety, cleanliness, the farmer’s presence on the farm, and visitor friendliness — each farm or ranch on their site meets.


More like this: Stop saying your kids are too young to travel

The post Why farm stays are awesome family vacations appeared first on Matador Network.

Best cocktail bars in Denver

Denver is a wonderful city to visit for many reasons. It’s beautiful, it has some of the best recreational cannabis dispensaries in the US, and it has an excellent restaurant and bar scene. Over the past few years, it’s also become a destination-worthy cocktail city.

Along with classic bars that have been around since Prohibition, it seems like a new cocktail haunt is opening every other week in Denver. The city’s cocktail community is tightly knit, and it’s clear that there is a lot of support in the industry. “The Denver bar community has been nothing short of amazing from the moment we landed here,” says Tyson Buhler, the national beverage director for Death & Co. “From lending their spaces and resources during our pre-opening training, to the continual support and graciousness we’ve received, the community here in Denver is truly second to none. It’s a very exciting thing to watch a scene grow with a city that is rapidly expanding.”

While there are too many amazing Denver bars to mention on this list, these seven spots serve some of the best drinks in town. Denver is America’s next best cocktail city, and these places prove why.

1. Death & Co Denver

Located in Denver’s flourishing RiNo neighborhood, Death & Co opened its Mile High City location in 2018. The bar is tucked inside the beautiful Ramble Hotel and offers two different drinking experiences. The first is the lobby bar, which features plush velvet furniture, crystal chandeliers, and a fun, boisterous environment with cocktail and food service running from 3:00 PM to 1:30 AM every day. There are too many great cocktails to choose from, but standouts include the Escadrille (made with Armagnac, rhum agricole, roasted almond, allspice, and lime) and Voodoo Dreams (Venezuelan rum, Scotch, banana, and lemon).

The food here is excellent, especially the vegan options like the Heirloom Bean Hummus and Crisp Maitake Bao Buns. If you’re more interested in an intimate Death & Co experience, make sure to book a reservation at Suite 6A. The space seats 20 guests at a time and features creative cocktails made with rare ingredients and unique presentations, as well as a curated small-plate menu.

2. Poka Lola Social Club

Photo: Max Schwartz

Poka Lola is arguably the most beautiful bar in Denver and can be found in Dairy Block, a micro-district in Denver’s historic LoDo neighborhood. It serves as the lobby bar of The Maven hotel and is the kind of friendly, fun-loving spot that welcomes anyone and everyone to drink within its walls. Bar manager Peter Danyluck encourages his team to create signature cocktails and isn’t afraid to put them on the menu, making it a true team effort.

Poka Lola makes many of its syrups and liqueurs in house, and it has a signature bitters blend that goes into its signature Old Fashioned. Try the savory and tangy Lil’ Pick Me Up, which is made with gin, pickled peppers, and lemon juice. Poka Lola bottles its own cocktails, a favorite of which is The Fizzler, a well-balanced mix of rum, Champagne syrup, citric acid, and tonic. As far as bar snacks go, the French Onion Dip is one of the most satisfying choices and delivers bite after bite of crunchy, savory goodness. Come for happy hour when Old Fashioneds, Manhattans, and glasses of rosé are $6.

3. Saint Ellie

With low ceilings and sleek but comfy furniture, drinking at Saint Ellie is kind of like hanging in a friend’s basement but with excellent drinks and delicious snacks. The creative cocktails are named after hip-hop songs and feature interesting infusions. Take, for example, the California Love, which is made with green cardamom-infused cachaca, tequila, cinnamon, pear liqueur, lemon, absinthe, and bitters. Shareable punches are often served on fire in a large penguin bucket, which just happens to be Gus, the mascot of Saint Ellie. The snacks here include dishes like sweetbread hushpuppies and a dry-aged bacon burger to keep your tummy happy well into the night.

4. Panzano Bar

Photo: Max Schwartz

Kimpton Hotels are known for excellent dining and drinking options, and the Panzano Bar in the Hotel Monaco Denver is no exception. The expansive, light-filled space is a refuge from the surrounding financial district where you can sip and catch up with friends while taking in the neighborhood around you. Panzano has one of the friendliest staffs in Denver. The bar has an extensive amaro program (along with the largest amari collection in the city), and the folks behind the stick are on hand to walk you through the various styles and cocktails made with the liqueurs.

There are plenty of low ABV cocktails to help kick off your night, but Panzano Bar also has excellent barrel-aged cocktails if you want something stronger. One standout is the Graffito, a strong and stirred tipple made with Illegal Mezcal Reposado, Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Gualco Soldatini Amaro, creme de cassis, and Varnelli Dell’Abrosita. Don’t miss Panazo’s happy hour, one of the best in the city, from 2:30 PM to 6:00 PM when aperitivo cocktails are priced at $7 and barrel-aged drinks go for $10.

5. B&GC

Right around the corner from Denver’s Halcyon hotel is an unassuming alley. Take a stroll about halfway down and look for a sign that reads “Stair 3” near an antique brass doorbell. Give it a ring and someone from B&GC will greet you at the door and ask if you have a reservation, which is recommended if you want to drink in this former home of the Cherry Creek Post Office. The host will wind you through hallways and stairwells before you reach your destination: a beautiful Mad Men-era room that has excellent cocktails and impeccable service.

An expansive drink menu awaits, featuring a huge list of classic cocktails as well as some B&GC signatures. Try the Coatimundi, which is made with vodka, mezcal, macadamia nut liqueur, creme de cacao, Angostura bitters, and Wildfire bitters. In the unlikely chance that nothing on the menu appeals, the bartender’s choice option will ensure something is crafted specifically for you. Snack on smoked Marcona almonds and bacon-topped deviled eggs when hunger strikes.

6. Churchill Bar

Photo: Churchill Bar

The Brown Palace Hotel and Spa has been a vision of iconic luxury ever since it opened its doors in 1892, and it’s still one of our favorite places to stay when visiting Denver. While there are multiple places to grab a cocktail on property, you don’t want to miss Churchill Bar. Dark wood and leather welcome you into the space as the smell of sweet, dusty cigar smoke fills the air. Churchill features a customized humidor filled with a selection of more than 60 cigars, so there’s one for every palate.

If smoking isn’t your thing, the huge selection of spirits — including rare drams, vintage port, and fine wines — will entice you to come inside. The knowledgeable bar staff is happy to whip up classic cocktails like a Manhattan or Penicillin, and signature drinks like the Smoked Chet Baker (made with hickory-smoked Bacardi 8 Year, Carpano Antica, Brown Palace rooftop honey, Angostura, and orange bitters) give you a taste of Churchill Bar’s homemade creations. Be sure to order the Chermoula Hummus as well.

7. The Cruise Room

Art Deco design is the star of this classic Denver bar. It opened in 1933, making it the city’s longest-running watering hole that’s stayed open since its founding. Tucked inside the lobby of the historic Oxford Hotel, which opened its doors in 1891, entering into The Cruise Room is like taking an elegant step back in time. The wine-bottle-shaped bar is bathed in pink light and adorned with 1930s fixtures, artwork, and details. The order here is a classic Martini, which the bar staff will prepare to your liking whether that’s vodka or gin, dry or 50/50, and garnished with olives or a twist.

But even if you’re not a fan of Martinis, a large list of expertly made classic and signature cocktails means there’s something for everyone. If you’re feeling peckish, grab a plate of meatballs in spicy tomato sauce, the daily charcuterie plate, or the ridiculously tasty crispy fries, which are served with malt vinegar, jalapeno powder, and blackened foie gras aioli.


More like this: The best bars and breweries in Denver, Colorado

The post 7 bars that prove Denver is the next great cocktail city appeared first on Matador Network.

Best street food in Taipei, Taiwan

Any traveler privileged enough to visit the vibrant island nation of Taiwan always walks away talking about one thing: the street food. When a traveler and a Taiwanese local start talking, it’s pretty much a guarantee that food will be brought up by either party within the first conversation. Taiwanese love their street food. It’s an art, it’s their passion, it’s their culture.

You can try everything from Chinese cuisine with Japanese influences to truly wacky Western fusions to unique foods that can only be found in Taiwan. Here, we focus on the small, family-owned food stands in Taipei that keep me coming back year after year. When friends and family visit, or just when the craving becomes too much to resist, I make my way to these places to satisfy the hungry beast within.

Baked pepper cake

Photo: Matt Girvan

Located at the far end of the RaoHe Night Market, near the Songshan MRT station, is Fuzhou Ancestor Pepper Cake. Here, cooks hand make and bake a pork pepper cake or, in Mandarin, a hújiāo bǐng. If you enter from this end of the market then it’s the first stand you’ll see in the center aisle.

Photo: Matt Girvan

Black-pepper-seasoned ground pork is folded in with diced scallions and wrapped in a doughy blanket. It’s then hit with sesame seeds on top and slapped onto the walls inside of a top-loading brick kiln. In a matter of minutes, the crust turns a variety of hues, and the juices from the pork heat up to mouth-scalding temperatures. For only $1.50, this pick-up-and-go goodness can’t be beat. Take it in a small paper bag and go on your merry way to your next destination. Just keep in mind that it’s hot, so you need to bite carefully; otherwise, you won’t be tasting anything else the rest of the night.

Big sausage wrapped in small sausage

Photo: Matt Girvan

While you’re in the RoaHe Night Market for your ancestral pepper cake, you should also be sure to check out the “big sausage wrap small sausage,” or dàcháng bāo xiǎocháng in Mandarin. There’s only one stall that sells it, and it’s located about 300 feet from the west gate entrance on the left side of the right aisle. It’s easy enough to find and well worth the search.

Photo: Matt Girvan

Taiwanese sausage is a staple street food. It’s served on small carts all over the city, grilled over hot coals, and served on a stick. Here, though, you get it inside a gelatinous rice sausage (rice packed into a casing exactly like meat sausage) with diced garlic, curry, cumin, seaweed, soy sauce, black pepper, pickled bok choy, or any variation of flavors she’s got available. Think of a hot dog but with more character. This food is also served in a small paper bag. Just continue twisting the bottom of the bag to keep the deliciousness coming.

Pork belly bun

Photo: Matt Girvan

I’m a sucker for a good Chinese baozi, or bun, and this one is one of the best. Alternatively called the guà bāo, this food is also known as the Taiwanese hamburger. There are lots of places to get a pork belly bun in Taipei, but none of them is as good as they are at Lan Jia Traditional. Located in the Gongguan Night Market, and a five-minute walk outside of the Gongguan MRT station exit four, this food stand practically causes street closures.

Photo: Matt Girvan

You can order it standing up at the food stand or take it sitting down inside a small eatery. Keep it in the little bag it’s served in because it gets messy. Pork belly buns use pork meat and pork fat that’s braised until it practically melts in your mouth. It’s sandwiched inside of an ever-so-sweet and soft steamed bread bun with pickled mustard greens, sweet peanut dust, and cilantro.

Sticky rice dumpling

Photo: Matt Girvan

While sticky rice dumplings aren’t unique to Taiwan, it’s here you can find the best. Try it at Lan Jia Traditional, same as the pork belly bun. It’s called a ròu zòng, or “meat rice wrapped in leaves,” which is a form of a sticky rice dumpling.

They have other variations of zòngzi here and at other places, but the ròu zòng specifically is the one to try. Besides the semi-sweet rice steamed in a bamboo leaf, which makes it amazing already, you also get raw peanuts, cilantro, egg yolk, and a chunk of stewed beef inside. The stewed beef chunk adds a savory note inside what could otherwise taste too sweet.

Rice wrap

Photo: Matt Girvan

This one is usually eaten as a grab-and-go breakfast but can also be a late-night-after-the-club, um, breakfast. It’s made with sticky rice that’s flattened into a bed and topped with pork floss (pork meat boiled in a savory soy sauce until it pulls apart and is then dried in ovens), mushrooms, pickled greens, and a Chinese donut bread. The whole thing is then folded and tightly rolled into a seamless oblong wrap. The sticky rice provides a soft outer layer while the Chinese donut inside finishes with a stiff crunch.

Photo: Matt Girvan

Try the rice wraps at Yonghe Soy Milk King, which is just a five-minute walk south on Fuxing Road from the Daan MRT station and hidden next to a fire station. Lucky firemen. This corner is open 24/7, and it’s always on the menu. Yonghe Soy Milk King is relatively popular with locals, but as a visitor, you’d never think to find it or go looking for it here. There’s also a list of delicious items like as dòu jiāng (soy milk) and xiǎo lóng bāo (soup dumpling), but what you’ll keep coming back is the fàn tuán (rice wrap).


More like this: Why Mumbai’s most popular street foods are made with Portuguese bread

The post Taipei’s best street foods and where to find them appeared first on Matador Network.

Ultimate guide to Thai massages

For first-time spa patrons, getting a massage can be intimidating and raise questions like Is this going to hurt? Tickle? Do I keep my underwear on or go buff? But even for those familiar with a deep-tissue massage or a Turkish bath pounding, a Thai massage is something completely different, more like assisted yoga mixed with acupressure. Once you try it yourself, you’ll understand why it’s arguably the most approachable of the types of massages. Here’s everything you need to know before your first Thai massage.

The origins of Thai massage

The history of nuad boran, or “ancient healing touch,” is older than Thailand, dating back to ancient India, Ayurvedic medicine, and the origins of Buddhism. Ayurveda, the ancient Indian “science of life,” teaches that our bodies possess unique combinations of the three doshas (life energies) which need to be in balance. The path to harmony lies in herbs, nutrition, spiritual meditation, and a special form of massage that focuses on the body’s energy pathways, or sens in Thai. Sometime during the fifth century BCE, Jivaka, a respected doctor and Ayurvedic healer, met the Buddha and became both a follower and his doctor. He also built a monastery. Jivaka’s medical knowledge was passed down through generations of Buddhist monks and their temples, known as wats in Thai. As Buddhism spread from India to what is now modern Thailand, this healing knowledge spread as well, and Jivaka became known as the father of Thai traditional medicine.

Certain Thai temples still double as massage parlors. But if you do venture out to one of the many private salons, don’t worry about fly-by-night operations: Thai massage is regulated by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health. All practitioners must take an approved training course and pass a national examination to be licensed. In addition to the actual physical methods, a typical month-long course covers physiology, anatomy, and traditional medicine.

What to expect at a Thai massage

Photo: Olena Yakobchuk/Shutterstock

First things first: There’s no massage table. Thai massages are done on a padded mat or thin mattress laid out on the floor. In a temple setting, this may be in a large open salon while in spas you’ll have either a private room or a curtained-off space. You don’t need to lose your knickers, as your therapist presents you with a neatly folded set of one-size-fits-all pajamas. You want your clothes to be loose.

There are no oils or lotions. The therapist uses their entire body to stretch and compress muscles and joints and to apply acupressure to specific points along the body’s yogic energy lines. Don’t be surprised if a masseuse places a foot in your armpit as they pull on your arm to stretch a shoulder muscle, or if they place their knees in your back (always gently) to pull you into a yoga pose to stretch your abs. You can expect a lot of physical contact, and sometimes the stretching may amusingly resemble wrestling.

Thumbs, knuckles, feet, and elbows push at pressure points to encourage energy flows. Admittedly, some may find this uncomfortable. However, I’ve had these treatments many times over the years, and in every case, the therapist has consistently asked if I’m OK and if I prefer softer pressure. Often, the therapist is so in tune with my breathing or tension that she or he can sense my limits.

Typical treatments last one or two hours, and, thanks to government regulation, you’re likely to get very similar treatments at a luxury spa, sidewalk salon, or the floor of a Buddhist temple. Luxury spas may add an extra flourish or combine Thai methods with aromatherapy as a hybrid treatment, so be sure to ask what exactly you are getting.

Why you should get a Thai massage

Photo: Piriya Kulvatada/Shutterstock

Massages are very relaxing, especially when you have jet lag. It’s not like aromatherapy where there’s a chance you fall asleep, though. While they are relaxing, you’re engaged almost as if the therapist is leading you in a dance. If you are not already sold on the health values of yoga, Thai massage may convince you. After a treatment, you can expect to be loose and energized, with your muscles warm and stretched. The stretches can give relief to sore muscles and joints while preventing injuries related to tightness and inflexibility. These physical benefits translate to mental ones, with better focus and maybe even a positive attitude adjustment.

Best places for a Thai massage in Bangkok and Chaing Mai

Local massage parlors are as ubiquitous as 7-Elevens in Thailand, and some of them will have a collection of young women sitting out front calling to passersby. I’ve been to some of those and they’ve been fine, but there are better experiences. I advise starting with a temple experience. These aren’t spas, so don’t expect lavender essential oil vaporizers and New Age meditation music on a loop, but the Thai massage treatments are reliably good and traditional.

Wat Pho Massage in Bangkok: Prices for a Thai massage here may be a couple of dollars more than the average mom and pop shop, but these masseuses are fresh out of training. As a bonus, you’re visiting one of Bangkok’s most famous temples, and you can travel the Chao Phraya River to get here.

Address: 2 Sanam Chai Rd, Khwaeng Phra Borom Maha Ratchawang, Khet Phra Nakhon, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10200, Thailand (13.746695, 100.493943)

Wat Worachanyawas in Bangkok: Not a popular temple for visiting as it’s overshadowed by Wat Yanawa up the street, but a couple of spa managers I know tell me their own massage therapists go here for their Thai massages. The temple is right on the Chao Phraya River, and the treatments are done under open-air pavilions with ceiling fans. It’s one of the cheapest prices you’ll find, with a massage running somewhere in the neighborhood of $5-6.

Address: 10120 25/2010 Charoen Krung Rd, Khwaeng Wat Phraya Krai, Khet Bang Kho Laem, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10120, Thailand (13.7090477,100.5076675)

Nuch Massage in Bangkok: Most popular for foot massage, Nuch (sounds like “noodt”) is often full of visitors side by side in recliners with their feet up. Upstairs, you’ll find two floors with several Thai massage mats sectioned off by curtains. There’s a punch card for repeat visitors if you think you’ll be around for 10 treatments. It’s conveniently located just steps from the Phrom Phong BTS station.

Address: 1, 8 Sukhumvit Rd, Khwaeng Khlong Tan, Khet Khlong Toei, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10110, Thailand (13.729784, 100.569526)

Wat Si Koet in Chiang Mai: If you go to Chiang Mai, this is the temple massage to go to in the Old City. Mats are in an open-air salon with fans. It’s not unusual to be the only person there, but don’t worry it’s legit, excellent, and quite cheap.

Address: Rachadamnoen Rd, Phra Sing, Amphoe Mueang Chiang Mai, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand (18.788264, 98.983987)


More like this: 5 health benefits of visiting a Moroccan hammam

The post Everything you need to know before your first Thai massage appeared first on Matador Network.

Tips for traveling with young kids

Being hesitant to travel with young kids is understandable. Maybe you’ve experienced a toddler screaming for the entirety of a coast-to-coast flight. Worse, maybe that was your toddler. But saying your kids are too young to travel is a slippery slope. When will you know when they’re old enough? The fact is, the sooner you start taking trips with your kids, the sooner they’ll adapt to journeying. And the sooner they — and you — will reap the benefits of that travel. Here’s why you should travel with your kids, no matter how young they are.

You really can work around their schedules.

Some little kids wake up at the crack of dawn. It’s painful, but there are workarounds. For one, staying in an Airbnb makes it easier to eat an early breakfast. If you’re staying in a hotel, try to reserve one that has a minibar so you can keep a few breakfast items in the tiny fridge.

If you’re traveling with an adult partner, divide and conquer. One of you can take the little one out to a cafe — or a playground — while the other one sleeps just a little longer. They may wish they were still in bed, but the adult who gets out early gets a different window into life in that new location. We spent a week in Menorca when our son was 14 months old, and 6:00 AM was his preferred wake-up time.

My husband got up every day, grabbed the stroller, and took him to the local cafe. My husband had an espresso while the two shared croissants and observed the grey-haired residents of town gather for breakfast together. Then they hit the playground before the day got too hot.

And you can manage their naps.

Little kids also need to nap, sometimes in the middle of the day. That may be the hardest part of the vacation schedule. You’d like to spend the whole day exploring, but you know that if your child doesn’t get that nap, you may be releasing the Kraken.

Don’t skip the nap. If you can divide and conquer, do that with naptime. Your partner can explore the neighborhood on their own and have some cherished alone time while you do something luxurious yourself — like take a vacay nap of your own. You can take turns each day — or give the nap to the one who woke up extra early.

If you’re on a beach holiday, one of you can go for a swim or a run while the other reads a book on the veranda as your child sleeps. Chances are, you’ll look back at those vacation naps as a special moment to just slow down.

If you’re road tripping, and your kid is a good car sleeper, plan drive times to coincide with nap time. Just try not to plan a flight in the middle of nap time, if you can at all help it. (See above note about screaming child on an airplane.)

And then there’s dinner time.

If your child is, in fact, waking up at the crack of dawn, you may need to get them into bed before it’s even dinnertime in a large part of the world. In those places, lunch may be quite late, so you can make the latest lunch reservation possible — and just call it an early dinner. In Spain, tapas can be your evening meal. Throughout North America, northern Europe, and even East Asia, dinner time will be about the same as at home.

Jet lag can work in your favor.

We’ve spent a lot of time talking about time. If you’re traveling somewhere where schedules are very different than back home, you might be able to take advantage of jet lag to push your kids’ clocks gently forward. In southern Spain, it’s not uncommon to see families with grandparents and babies in tow arriving for dinner at 10:30 PM.

We have no idea how they do it. But we do know that houses and hotels in many Mediterranean and South American countries have blackout windows that make rooms pitch black — even at high noon. So, yes, you can trick your kids into adjusting their body clocks a bit. And then you can make a dinner reservation for 9:00 PM — when the restaurant opens. You may be the only ones there, but you’ll get a nice dinner.

Traveling with little kids is not that expensive.

Unless your child is under two and can sit on your lap, the biggest ticket item in traveling with kids is flights. After that, young ones don’t take up that much space, so they don’t necessarily need an extra hotel room. (If you have three or more children, that’s a different story.)

If you have one or two kids, you can do what we did when our girls were seven and under: We packed ugly, pink, pint-sized inflatable sleeping bags in our suitcases. The girls slept in them together with us in our hotel rooms all over the world — from Patagonia to Portugal.

After hotels, food adds up. There’s a good chance, though, that the restaurants you dine at with kids are, on average, going to be less fancy than you might have splurged on when you were a couple. And even if you do hit up the fancier places, a plate of plain pasta with a side of broccoli just doesn’t cost as much as the branzino you’ve ordered for yourself.

Umbrella strollers are awesome.

If your kids aren’t old enough to walk, or walk fast, nothing beats an inexpensive umbrella stroller. Depending on where you’re going, you may want a good stroller with sturdy wheels to, say, manage cobblestone streets or unpaved roads. But check that clunker with your luggage. It’s too much hassle to carry onto the plane.

Use the umbrella stroller to get through the airport, especially if you have connecting flights. Reduce the stress by pulling out that stroller as often as needed. We spent six weeks in Europe with our son right after his first birthday, and all we used was an umbrella stroller. By the end of the trip, it was so rickety and the wheels so jammed up, the only place left to put it was the trash. It had cost us $29.

You don’t need to rent a U-haul (aka the kids can carry their own stuff).

You may be frightened off by visions of mounds of luggage that require calling an UberXL just to get to the airport. Don’t bring it. Bring a tiny bottle of laundry detergent and wash clothes in the sink. If you’ve rented an Airbnb, maybe you’ve got a washer-dryer.

You may need to bring a fold-up crib, and there’s really no way around that — although if the airline is going to charge you extra for it, you may be better off buying it locally and then donating it to a local charity. As noted above, think whether you really need that jumbo-stroller.

If your kids are big enough, they can roll their own backpack through the airport. It takes a load off you and lets them feel grown up. If you’re paying for your kid’s airline seat, take advantage of their checked-bag allowance. Stick to smaller suitcases, which are easier to carry and fit into taxis and cars.

They can draw what they see.

If your kids are older than two, electronics can be a life-saver for plane and car trips. But don’t let them be a crutch. Take advantage of a new context and set new rules. Give your kids disposable cameras and let them discover their inner Ansel Adams. Or give the kids paper and crayons and ask them to draw what they see.

When our girls were five and seven, we visited Argentina’s Perito Moreno Glacier. The girls didn’t understand why we wanted to just stand there watching the glacier calve and listening to its otherworldly creaking and moaning. So we gave them papers and crayons and asked them to draw the glacier. That entertained them. Years later, we still treasure those drawings.

You can still see the things you want to see.

Don’t think that because you’re traveling with little kids that you can’t stroll through museums. Well, in some cases the stroll may be more of a brisk walk. But follow these pro tips on taking kids to the museum and, if you’re in Washington, DC, you really will be able to spend some quality time at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

More importantly, you’ll get your kids used to the idea that museum visits — or cathedrals or castles — are just part of your family trips. Help that along by buying age-appropriate books that help them understand what they’re seeing. They’ll appreciate the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, for example, if you read them a children’s book about architect Antonin Gaudì’s upbringing in the countryside. The more they visit museums and see architecture, the more they’ll grow to appreciate it.

You will see things you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

You can get even the youngest kids used to visiting museums. But they also need time outside, and you should dedicate space in your daily schedule for that. It turns out that playgrounds in other places can be a cultural experience of their own.

You’ll see play structures you’ve never seen before — like dragons in a park in Berlin or a pirate ship at London’s Lady Diana Memorial playground or even an unusual seesaw in San Francisco. You’ll also see different ways of playing and different attitudes to parental interference.

And kids being kids, they’ll probably make a connection on the climbing structure with another little kid — regardless of whether they share the same language. The world outside their hometown will become a little friendlier and feel more welcoming. And they may be inspired to discover even more of it. And, really, isn’t that the whole point of travel?


More like this: How to do California wine country with kids -- and actually all have fun

The post Stop saying your kids are too young to travel appeared first on Matador Network.

Roman Holy Stairs bared for pilgrims

For the first time in 300 years, worshippers will be able to ascend Rome’s Holy Stairs (or “Scala Santa”) — located in the Santuario della Scala Santa e Sancta Sanctorum — without its protective casing, lending the pilgrimage there an even greater significance.

Said to have originally been located in Pontius Pilate’s palace in Jerusalem until they were transported to Rome in 326 AD, these are the stairs that many believe Jesus climbed before receiving his death sentence from Pontius Pilate.

For three centuries, on the order of Pope Innocent XIII in 1723, the stairs were encased in protective planks of walnut wood, preventing the many worshippers who climbed on their knees from touching and damaging the marble surface. Their wood covering is now being restored, however, so until June 9, the faithful have the rare opportunity to touch the original steps.

Photo: Mateusz_Szymanski/Shutterstock

The restoration is the first time the 28 steps have been exposed since a cleaning in the 1950s, and many objects have already been found under the wood, including coins, photos, handwritten prayers, and rosaries. The frescoes around the staircase were recently restored.

If you’d like to take advantage of the rare opportunity to ascend the bare stairs, you must do so before June 9, the Feast of Pentecost, when the casing will be re-installed. The inauguration, which will take place from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM on that day, will include a presentation of the restoration, a benediction of the Stairs, and a holy mass.

H/T: Smithsonian.com

More like this: How to save money on your trip to Rome

The post Rome’s Holy Stairs will be accessible to pilgrims for the first time in 300 years appeared first on Matador Network.

Firm wants to weigh air passengers

Stepping on a scale in public is a nightmare for many, but it might soon become a reality whenever you prepare to fly. A British startup company called Fuel Matrix wants to start weighing passengers to help airlines minimize fuel costs and improve flight safety, though they’re trying to do it as discreetly as possible. Methods like pressurized pads at self-service bag drops, or even full body scans that determine weight, are all being considered. This would provide airlines with data on how much weight is on their flight, and potentially help the airline save on fuel costs.

Baggage, equipment, and passenger weight all play a role in how much fuel is required for a plane to make its flight. The typical weight estimate is, however, higher than the actual passenger weight, resulting in planes carrying far more fuel than they actually need. This means planes are heavy, less efficient, and less environmentally friendly.

Even more controversially, Fuel Matrix is also proposing seating passengers based on weight. This would ensure that weight is evenly distributed throughout the flight and go even farther toward achieving fuel efficiency — but it’s unlikely to be well received by the public.

H/T: Travel & Leisure

More like this: 7 rights all air passengers have and should know about

The post This company wants to weigh passengers before flights to save on fuel appeared first on Matador Network.