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BY Nancy Mueller 9 Comments ON April 6, 2013

F is for Farmers Market Destinations

HongKongFarmer'sMarketCrossroadFoundationFlickr (300 x 450)

Hong Kong Farmer’s Market – Photo courtesy of Crossroads Foundation – flickr

One of my favorite pursuits when traveling is visiting the local Farmers Markets to get an authentic, sensory feel of my destination.

Here I can discover fresh local produce, sampling and tasting as I saunter along from vendor to vendor, smiling while the farmers compete among themselves for my attention and pocketbook. I can get lost in listening to the music of a foreign language, learn where locals like to eat and how to prepare an evening’s meal from unfamiliar ingredients.

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Seattle’s Pike Place Market

Even when home in Seattle, I can visit several different neighborhood markets to find unusual teas, melons and spices.

Flower Bouquet at Pike's Place Market (450 x 338)

Seattle’s Pike Place Market

And can I ever leave without purchasing a bouquet of flowers or gifts of indigenous handicrafts? Hardly.

Brazil (450 x 281)

Little Red Riding Hood & Friends from Brazil Farmer’s Market

Not a bad way to spend a few hours . . .

What’s your favorite farmer’s market, Wanderboomers?

 

 

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations, Ecuador, Gifts, Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Shopping, Travel Tips, Washington State Tagged With: Brazil, Farmers market, flowers, handicrafts, Hong Kong, indigenous, Pike Place market, produce, Seattle

BY Nancy Mueller 8 Comments ON July 2, 2012

A Mountain Trek Hiking Retreat – Part III

Fortified by my morning yoga stretches and a nourishing breakfast, my Moment of Truth had arrived at Mountain Trek. As an infrequent wanderboomer hiker with a compromised knee and ankle, I had a twinge of apprehension. Would I prove up to the challenge of alpine hiking 4 hours a day?

Ultimately, if I wanted to blast through body fat – and I did . . . If I wanted to regain lost energy, increase my stamina and de-stress – Yes! . . .  I had to put on those hiking boots, strap on my daypack and get moving.

But first came the foot care routine. Our expert guides (former park rangers, avalanche technicians, rappel forest fire fighters, wilderness skills instructors) ensured that our feet were well-protected to prevent blisters from our hiking boots. I’m happy to report that my feet stayed blister-free for the entire week!

On the trail, our hiking poles became lifelines of support, catapulting us over gnarly roots, sharp rocks and underbrush. Our guides explained that just using the hiking poles boosted our cardio-vascular conditioning by over 20%! Plus, we learned how best to use the poles for maximum benefit: “Hold at a 90 degree angle from your elbows, keep your arms close to your body, and alternate between holding the poles in front of you when going downhill, and back far enough so you can’t see the tips when heading uphill.” The fact that the poles lessened the impact on my knee and ankle joints proved significant.

After a fast start and a slow finish on my first day out, funny thing happened on my path to fitness in the days that followed. My resistance gradually gave way to the rhythm of my daily hikes along meandering meadow and forest trails.

At elevations ranging from 550 – 700 vertical feet and distances up to 4.35 miles, my breathing eased as I inhaled nature’s sounds of silence and the beauty of my surroundings:  birdsong, waterfalls, wild orchids, Indian Paintbrush and Queen’s Cup flowers brightening my path in all directions . . . When all I had wanted was to step up my fitness routine, what I gained lay far deeper: slow down, be mindful, listen, let go, take your body with you . .

Oh, I did have weight loss – in my case, just a pound, though others lost far more. BUT I lost 4.6 pounds of body fat, plus 1-inch around my waistline while increasing muscle mass. Stress? What stress?

Not bad for a week’s hiking vacation, hmm?

Tell us what you’ve gained in your summer travels so far, Wanderboomers!

 

Filed Under: Activities, Baby Boomers and Travel, British Columbia, By Land, By Ship & By Sea, Destinations Tagged With: alpine hiking, avalanche technicians, beauty, blisters, body fat, cardio-vascular conditioning, daypack, energy, expert guides, fire fighters, fitness, flowers, foot care, forest, forest fire fighters, guides, hiking, hiking boots, hiking poles, hiking vacation, Indian Paintbrush, Mountain Trek, Nature, park rangers, Queen's Cup flowers, rappel forest fire fighters, stamina, stress, vacation, wilderness skills instructors, yoga

Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
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