Baby, it's Cold Outside; Five Places to Thaw Out Right Now


With much of the United States shivering in the bitterest weather of the season, here are my five picks for 
warm-weather getaways today. If you can get 
out of your frozen local airport, that is.


 
There is nothing like the South Pacific. View from Octopus Resort, Waya Island, Fiji.
Fiji is my all-time favorite archipelago and Octopus is an exceptional value.
You won't have seen the country featured in any TPD episodes;
it's one of the few places I travel to actually vacation.
Photo: Rachel Parsons

1. Down Rio Way

Yes, tourists love the beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema, but locals on the east side of
Guanabara Bay hide away on Itacoatiara as seen in the season 1 Rio episode.
Fronting a quiet residential neighborhood, the beach has all the
raw beauty of Rio's urban beaches only with far fewer bodies.
It's a trek outside the city, but well worth it.
Photo: Rachel Parsons


2. Surfin' Safari

Looking for sun and fun with a side of city? Cape Town and Johannesburg get most of the hype,
but my pick for South African cities is Durban. Located on the eastern coast of the country,
funky, multicultural, with a boardwalk for miles and some great sets for the surfers
out there, it's a perennial favorite of mine. You can
see it in the Durban episode from season 1.
Photo: Rachel Parsons

3. So Nice it had to be Mentioned Twice

The warmest people, as a group, I have ever met are Fijians.
Local rugby teams embark after a day of rough and tumble
on one of Waya's neighboring isles in northwestern Fiji.
Photo: Rachel Parsons

4. Southeast Asian Beauty, French Accent


The Mekong River conjures images that run the gamut of human imagination, but in Laos,
it invariably evokes beauty. View of the confluence of the Mekong and
Nam Khan River at World Heritage Site Luang Prabang, where
Laotian royal history and French colonial architecture meet
and mingle. The TPD episode featuring Laos
will be released in 2018.
Photo: Rachel Parsons

5. Wanna Get Way, Way Out?

In the mood for heat but not humidity or people? The Australian Outback is probably for you. 
Sandstone monolith and aboriginal sacred site Uluru stands majestic at sunset. Part of 
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Parkthere are amenities, 
but if you want to do it right, camp out under the 
stars like I did in the original TPD webseries.
Photo: Rachel Parsons


For my money, King's Canyon in Watarrka National Park, not far from Uluru
(as central Australian distances go), is every bit as gripping and beautiful.
Walk the rim or climb down to serene pools.
Photo: Rachel Parsons



© Rachel Parsons, all rights reserved. The Peregrine Dame is a registered trademark.

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