This week I am featuring the Brazilian tunes of:

Céu

When her album, Varagosa, came out in 2009, Clive Davis said, “Céu has put Brazilian music back on the map.” And I am inclined to agree with him! 

Find Ceu on iTunes

Related Articles:

Kate’s Travel Playlist – Track 1 , Track 2 and Track 3

I’m on my way to Mexico for a girlfriend getaway!

About a month ago we booked our flights using Priceline. And we decided on Spirit Airlines because they offered the cheapest flights. Flying Spirit meant $100 less on the fare. Score!

Of course, we are not dummies. We knew this low budget carrier would not be as great as other airlines. But I did not expect them to stoop quite as low as they did.

The first bad sign came when I checked-in online the day before our departure. Spirit Airlines charges for checked bags, like most other airlines these days. Your first checked bag is $38 if you pay for it when you check-in. That is astronomical. According to seatguru.com it’s $13 more than American. And for this same flight on Delta there is no charge for the first checked bag.

But that is not all I paid in baggage fees. They also charge you for your carry-on. Yep, that’s right. You get to bring a personal item on board that will fit under the seat in front of you for free. But if you have a second item and need to put it in the overhead bin it is $35 at check-in. So add up these costs and that is an additional $146 to the fare total for both ways.

Given the facts, I wish we’d gone with another airline that provides more creature comforts – because Spirit skimps everywhere they can!

As I sit here on the plane, I am noticing just how cheap this airline is.

The seats are pretty narrow, there is less legroom than on other carriers and these arm rests are really flimsy. As I feel for the recline-button on the armrest I discover, oh, these seats don’t even recline! And there is no comfy little pillow built into the head rest of the seat. So if I want to take a nap I’ll be swaying back and forth and probably end up on my neighbor’s shoulder.

I guess I’ll stick to writing and reading my book. And I say that because there is no in-flight entertainment. None. There’s no little personal monitor to buy movies from or tv on demand and there’s no movie for everyone to watch. Nothing.

And here are some other fun details:

-You have to pay for refreshments like coffee, tea, soda, water and snacks. Most airlines have us paying for snacks and booze but not non-alcoholic drinks. A soft drink is $2.

-If you want to check in at the airport with a human being rather than at the computer kiosk, they charge you $5.

-It costs money to choose where you want to sit on the plane. I’m not talking about upgrades to the bulk head seats or exit rows. I’m talking about choosing your seats at all. So my friends and I are scattered about the plane.

-The restroom in the front of the plane is out of service.

My frustration with this airline is quelled only by this very tantalizing view as we land.

To be fair there were pros. The plane was clean. The airplane attendants were nice. The pilot had a sense of humor. And the plane did get us there.

PS. Stay tuned for posts about our trip exploring the Mayan Riviera in and around Tulum and throughout the Yucatan Peninsula.

That said, here are some tips to keep in mind before you jump into any politically charged conversations while abroad.

Were these tips helpful?  Or were they too obvious?  I’d love to hear what you think.  Are there any tips or experiences you can share?

This week I am featuring electronic tango music from:

Bajo Fondo Tango Club

Their sound is unique and familiar all at once.

Leonel, el Feo is a tribute to Edmundo Rivera, a famous Argentine Tango singer. And it was created by the founding group member, Luciano Superveille.

Other songs from Superveille and Bajo Fondo Tango Club that I love are Pulso (100 Mares) and Fandango.  You’ll notice that each song sounds very different. And there often seems to be an intro before you get into the true sound of the track.

Find these songs and more on iTunes

Related Articles:

Kate’s Travel Playlist – Track 1 and Track 2

There she is in the distance, a cluster of whitewashed homes with terracotta roofs perched atop a cliff in a lush, Spanish countryside; straight out of a fairy-tale.

Located in southern Spain, Ronda is just over an hour away from Malaga by car. The town itself is split into two sections divided by a beautiful and massive bridge.

On one side lies the old village and on the other a newer, more modern town has cropped up. I prefer the older of the two with its uneven, winding streets. There it is easy to get lost and found.

In September each year, catch the Corrida Goyesca, an annual festival of matadors in Ronda’s bullfighting ring – the first ring in all of Spain. Ernest Hemmingway and Orson Welles spent many a summer here writing about the beautiful sites and the rough bullfighting tradition.

If that’s not for you, maybe Flamenco music and dance is a better choice. Many of the most famous Flamenco artists have come from Ronda. And each year in August, the Cante Grande festival is held showcasing the finest Flamenco singers and musicians in the region. There is nothing like that Spanish guitar.

But I wasn’t there during September or August, or during any festival. I was there during the spring with one of my best girlfriends. And our itinerary was rather bare. We were content to simply wander the streets and roam the country side – inhaling the spectacular beauty.

It was quite nice sunbathing atop an old tower where lovers once made their devotion known.

It just felt right having a picnic among the wild flowers and olive trees.

And napping in the grass was definitely a highlight.

In Ronda, it felt like the clocks moved slower, the greens seemed greener and the land felt alive. We were only going to spend one night there. But we ended up spending a total of three because we just couldn’t say goodbye so quickly.

If you are looking for a place to stay in Ronda, I suggest Baraka B&B. The owner is very helpful and her establishment is a sweet Bed and Breakfast perfectly situated in the old town.

Most photo credits here go to my dear friend Katherine. She is very handy with her camera as you can see.

Related articles: Flamenco 101

But remember it is all about your perspective and how you take advantage of each situation. Here is what I mean…

About tip 1:

In this video, I mentioned staying in a B&B or homestay while traveling. This is great to do because it usually takes you out of the neighborhoods that cater to tourists and let you experience a real slice of life.

But beyond that, use your host. And get to know them. Ask them where you should go, what are the hidden gems, what are their favorite restaurants, etc.  What they recommend will likely not be found in a guidebook or online.  And they might even feel compelled to take you out with them.

Also, I caution you about B&B’s. That is, if you are looking to experience the culture of the place you are visiting, find a B&B run by locals and not expats from another country.  This is key.

 About tip 2:

I also talked about taking a cooking class from a local. This is a fun way to not just learn some native recipes, but you also get to interact with someone from the culture you are visiting on a rather intimate level. You can ask them questions, hear about their life, and get their advice on what to do in town. It is not just about the food!

And as I said in the video, call your place of lodging and ask them to help you find someone to teach you. If you just go with a school or company that does cooking classes regularly, you will not be getting a very unique experience that is special for all involved.

About tip 3:

If you feel you need a little help finding your way around a new place – and really who doesn’t – guided tours that show you local life can be great.  However, I’d suggest you make sure the company and the tour guides are native to the country you are in.

And take advantage of the situation.  Don’t just go on the tour. Befriend your tour guides, pick their brains about what to do and what to see.  And who knows?  You might go out for drinks with them later.

Oh, and the sites I mentioned in this tip are toursbylocals.com and vayable.com.

This week I am featuring the romantic, rock music of:

Mana

Mana is from Guadalajara, Mexico.  And their music is a mix of Latin pop, rock pop, reggae, ska and Calypso. Picking one song to feature of theirs is nearly impossible. But here goes.

Mana is no joke.  They won three Grammy’s, seven Latin Grammy’s, nine Billboard awards and five MTV Video Music Awards. Don’t be shy and do check out more of their music.

The song featured, “De Pies a Cabeza” is from their album, “Donde Jugaran los Ninos.”

Find all their albums on iTunes

Back during my final semester of college, I was living in Paris with a host family. Within the first month of being there, one of their daughters, Mathilde, asked me if I’d join her and her friends for dinner. Elated that I’d be included in a real French gathering, I accepted.

She said everyone would be coming from work, so I shouldn’t dress up too much.  But there would be about 15 people at dinner.  I thought, “where could you go with 15 people for dinner?” In any case, I figured it would be fun and I’d make a bunch of new friends.

Little did I know, that dinner would initiate a chain of unexpected events and subsequently change the course of my life.

I was so surprised when we got to the restaurant, El Pueblo, in the 9th Arrondisement. Being from California it felt oddly familiar. It was Mexican food!

And like many Mexican restaurants catering to the tastes of a foreign patronage – it was pretty over the top.  Reams of colored paper hung from the ceiling, large, highlighter-pink margaritas adorned the tables, sombreros were pinned to the walls and Mexican music blasted from the speakers.

As soon as we walked in, Mathilde and I joined the long, cafeteria-style table where everyone was already seated.  Mathilde introduced me saying, “this is my new American, Kate.”  And then she went around the table introducing each person, shouting over the music: Marie-Celine, Caroline, Anis, David, Sami, Wissem, Clemence, Amel, and on the list went.

I smiled and waved as that was the only thing I could think to do.  And I swiftly ordered my own highlighter-pink margarita to help my French. I figured, at some point, I’d try to strike up some primitive conversation with my immediate neighbors.

I ordered chicken tacos with rice and beans.  And as I had my first bites, it struck me that I’d never had such flavorless tacos in my life.  And the hot sauce was anything but hot.  You see, French cooking is not spicy – buttery and delicious, yes, but not spicy.

As I was trying to explain to my neighbor, Marie Celine, that the food was very inauthentic, something caught my attention.  The music had stopped and lights came on, illuminating a dance floor.  And it appeared people were crowding around to take a salsa dancing class.

Craning my neck from my seat at the table, I watched as the teacher had everyone pair up. He began to walk them through the basic steps.  I’d never danced salsa before and I thought, “this would be a great time to learn. Salsa dancing in a Mexican restaurant in Paris?  Makes perfect sense.”

So I let my wishes be known to Mathilde. She laughed at me.  And she said, if you want to learn salsa you have to talk to Sami.  She pointed down the table. And I saw a young guy with a shaved head, dark eyes and big, goofy smile.

Mathilde summoned Sami over and we got to talking. He said that he would love to take me out dancing that very next night.  And I agreed.

So that Saturday, I met him at 8pm at La Coupole, a night club in the 14th Arrondisment and underneath a famous restaurant of the same name.  I found Sami waiting in line in front of the club.  And as we kissed on either cheek hello, I realized I wasn’t sure if he thought we were on a date.

Once past the bouncer and coat check, we entered the main dance room that was packed with people of all backgrounds, it seemed.  And we arrived just in time because up on stage the teacher was about to begin a salsa lesson.

Sami directed me up to the front so we could see well.  And suddenly, there I was, learning the basic 1-2-3, 5-6-7.  Or rather, Un-deux-trois, cinq-six-sept.

But it soon became not so basic with turns and shimmies and shuffles.  And then we had to partner up.  I think I stepped on Sami’s toes maybe ten times before the instructor shouted out for us to find a new partner and practice with them.

I had fun.  But the honest truth is that I was terrible at it. And it seemed everyone else was so good at picking up the steps and moving to the music.  It was overwhelming and that night was the last night I danced salsa in Paris for a long time.

Once that semester was over, so was school.  I’d graduated.  And I moved home and got a job. I became an assistant at a television production company where most of my day was spent sitting at a desk, answering phones, filing, photocopying and making copies of dvds.  This was the first rung to moving up the ladder in the entertainment business.

Needless to say, I was going stir crazy. I thought, “This is torture!” And I was fantasizing about going back to Paris.

One day, I was reminiscing about that night dancing with Sami.  I emailed him just to say hi and reconnect.  He had become one of my dearest friends in Paris.  And then I thought, why don’t I try salsa dancing here in LA?

So, that’s what I did at a dance studio in Hollywood every Saturday.

The lessons were very basic and everyone in class was kind and helpful.  They became my friends. And soon I found out about other dance schools and clubs around town.

It wasn’t long before I was going out to salsa clubs throughout Los Angeles 4 to 5 nights a week.  I was addicted.  And so was everybody else, it seemed.

Through salsa, I found this whole new community of people in my hometown that would never have been a part of my life otherwise.  And when I would invite my family and non-salsa friends, people were resistant to join me.  They generally felt like they would be intimidated and uncomfortable.

And I realized, they are probably not the only people that don’t know anything about the LA salsa scene and the warm community of people that make it up.

That inspired me to make a short documentary about it.

I majored in film during college and had produced scripted shorts before.  But I’d never made a documentary.  And as it turned out, I loved the experience of it.  I ended up selling the film I made to Current TV.  And buoyed by that success, I applied to journalism school in New York to follow this new career path.

A few years later I graduated from NYU journalism and then worked in video production for AOL and the Huffington Post.  I went back to Paris to shoot a travel series that will be appearing soon on this site.  And I am pursuing my career as an on-camera travel host, expert and journalist.

If it wasn’t for that semester abroad in Paris, that invitation from my host sister, that bad Mexican food restaurant and, of course, Sami, I would not be doing what I am doing today.

It is crazy how life is. It seems everything that happens to us has roots in something else we experienced.  That is why I think it is so important to pursue exciting adventures, explore new communities and learn new things.  Because if you break out of your shell, you might get a little shell shock at first, but you will find interests you never even knew you had.

To that end, travel is one of the most life changing experiences you can have.  I don’t believe that a trip is just a trip, an isolated experience or a frivolous use of time and money.  Your journeys outside your own immediate world can create new and unexpected avenues in your life like nothing else.

So, I encourage you to get out there and travel.  And see what new hobbies you acquire, career paths that inspire you or perspectives that enhance your state of mind.  But be patient, big life changes often don’t happen over night!

By the way, I hear the Mexican place closed.  But La Coupole is still going strong.

As it is anywhere, you only have one chance to make that first impression.  And while traveling, you’ll be making a lot of first impressions.  So here goes…

I hope these quick tips were helpful to you.  And I hope that they get you thinking about finding creative ways to relate with people from different countries and seeing the importance of cultural sensitivity.

Do you have any tips for making local friends?

Music is one of the many treasures to uncover while traveling. As the easiest point of entry into other ways of life, it allows us to relate to different cultures like nothing else. We get to take it home with us. And any time we listen to that song or album from a trip, it instantly transports us back to the place and time we discovered it.

This week I am featuring the sexy, French vocals of:

Brigitte

A friend I made in Paris shared Brigitte’s music with me.  This pair of vixens have quickly become my go-to artists when I want to chill out.  Here’s one of their many songs I love. Enjoy.

Parisians, Sylvie and Aurelie, chose the name Brigitte because they felt it embodies the ultimate, sexy, liberated woman. Like Brigitte Bardot, Brigitte Fontaine (famous French singer), Brigitte Fossey (french actress), and Brigitte Lahaie (french pornstar) they exude confidence and sensuality. 

This next video is from a live concern they did for TV. Consider it a bonus track!

In my article, How to Learn a Foreign Language, I talk about using music to boost your progress. If you are learning french, you might want to try one of Brigitte’s songs. 

Here’s the iTunes link.

Oh… and if you have any songs you love from your travels, please tell me about them!