How to eat steamed dumplings and other food adventures

I can't think of a better way to put my limited Mandarin to use than to order my first meal in Taiwan. The only problem is I don't know what to order! Chris and I followed our noses to a small hole-in-the-wall place, where someone was grilling what appeared to be tofu and rolled omelettes. There was a lot pointing, motioning and shrugging going on until we settled on a fried egg and hot tea. Not being enough to sustain us, we ordered more. This time, Chris was able to order pot stickers (guo tie) and the "cong you bing" or spring-onion pancake (my favorite!).

We didn't have to work so hard for our food at lunchtime, however. A college friend, John Eastwood--who now lives in Taipei--invited us to join him at a Taiwanese institution, Din Tai Fung. This restaurant, which has other locations throughout Asia and even one in the U.S. (Los Angeles), is quite famous for its "Xiao Long Bao," known in the west as steamed dumplings. On his TV show, "No Reservations," Anthony Bourdain proclaimed the dumplings to be the best on earth when he visited in 2003. According to the Taipei Times, "He had nothing but high praise for the restaurant, especially when it came to the joint's 'incredible' crab dumplings."

As we waited for a seat--the place was packed--we watched the dumplings being made by a group of men we dubbed "the dumpling gang." The masked men looked more like doctors performing surgery in their head-to-toe white garb, surgical masks and gloves. Whether mixing the dough, rolling it out, stuffing it with a variety of different fillings, pinching the dough together and placing it in the steam basket, each one of the employees had a critical job to perform.

But, nothing was more important than savoring these treats and we readily set to the task. The dumplings come with instructions for the uninitiated:

1. Mix soy sauce and vinegar in the dish supplied with fresh ginger slices. They suggest a ration of 1 portion of soy sauce to 3 portions of vinegar.

2. With chopsticks, grasp the dumpling and dip it in the sauce.

3. Place the dumpling on the provided spoon. Using your chopsticks, carefully poke a small hole in the dumpling to release the hot broth inside.

4. Place some ginger on the dumpling and eat together with the broth.

We repeated these steps over and over until all the steam baskets were empty and we were ready for a nap.

Will President Obama be seeing red?

On the day of his inauguration, it's certain that president-elect Barack Obama will be opening gifts from the leaders of other countries. France, for example, sent a 4.5-pound package of Roquefort cheese.

But would red underwear be appropriate to send the new president?

In China and other Asian countries, red underwear is one of the most popular gifts to give around the Chinese New Year, which falls on January 26 this year.

Markets and department stores stock the red underwear, generally sporting the pertinent zodiac animal. This year, it will be an ox, which by the way is Obama's zodiac sign.

According to lore, it's even more critical for someone born under the current zodiac sign to wear red to help ward off dangers that may come his or her way, because the "benming nian" (or the meeting of one's zodiac year) can be an unlucky year.

So, if there's any advice I can offer to Obama on his inauguration day, it would be to open the gift from China (or Taiwan) first.

In case they didn't send any, we've got him covered!

A Taiwan primer

Well, the time has come for a trip to Taiwan. As I was preparing for the visit, I realized there were a few interesting tidbits about the country that most people probably don't know. In fact, more than a handful of people got it confused with Thailand.

"Isn't that where they will execute you for having weed?" asked one friend.

"Asia confuses the hell out of me," said another after making the common mistake.

Well, here are some facts about Taiwan you can talk about at dinner parties (compiled from a variety of sources):

• Taiwan is an island located in East Asia off the coast of China. The People's Republic of China (PRC) acquired the island from Japan in 1945, although the PRC has never controlled it. On occasion, the red dragon will breathe fire on the tiny island when it is perceived as being too pro-independent, but things generally calm down again.

• With a population of 23 million people, Taiwan is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, second only to Bangladesh. In Taipei alone Taiwan, there are an average of 25,219 persons living in each square mile.

• The earliest inhabitants are of Austronesian origin, Malay and Polynesian more specifically.

• Taiwan's National Palace Museum houses more than 650,000 pieces of Chinese bronze, jade, calligraphy, painting and porcelain. The collection moved from the Forbidden City in Beijing in 1949 when the Kuomintang party lost control of mainland China and fled to Taiwan. The collection, estimated to be one-tenth of China's cultural treasures, is so extensive that only 1 percent is on display at any time.

• Popular sports in Taiwan include basketball and baseball. Cheerleading performances and billiards are quite fashionable. Badminton is also common.

• Karaoke, drawn from contemporary Japanese culture, is extremely popular in Taiwan, where it is known as KTV.

• Taiwan has a high density of 24-hour convenience stores, which in addition to the usual services, provide services on behalf of financial institutions or government agencies such as collection of parking fees, utility bills, traffic violation fines, and credit card payments.

• Taiwan is the world's largest producer of computer goods.

• A Taiwanese company has begun manufacturing dinnerware out of wheat, effectively allowing you to eat your plate after you've finished your meal. Inventor Chen Liang-erh spent 10 years and $1.4 million developing the product.

• Bubble tea and milk tea were invented in Taiwan and can be tried at many restaurants in the U.S. (I recommend trying one at the Mint Cafe in Cleveland).

• Ang Lee, a native of Taiwan, has directed critically acclaimed films such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Eat Drink Man Woman, Sense and Sensibility, Brokeback Mountain, and Lust, Caution

Buffalo gets a boost

Nothing gets my heart racing more than the promise of visiting an exotic far-away destination, but on a day-to-day basis, I extol the virtues of places around Lake Erie. In my regional travels, I have found some true gems, but I really hold Buffalo, New York, in high regard.

And, apparently, so does The New York Times, which ranked the city one of "The 44 Places to Go in 2009," in the January 11 travel section.

The Lake Erie city ranked #37 on the list, which also included incredible international spots, such as the Seychelles, Zambia and Bhutan. According to The Times, Buffalo got high marks for being able to "thrill culture junkies," specifically noting the recent opening of the Burchfield Penney Art Center.

There's a lot more to Buffalo, whether you head downtown for free Thursday night concerts at Lafayette Square or wander the funky neighborhood of Elmwood Village.If you're lucky, you might see Chuck the Bubble Guy blowing bubbles from his third floor apartment in nearby Allentown.

For more information about Buffalo, check out this video:

The Future of Airport Security

Today, my confidence in airport security got a boost when I read a Budget Travel blog entry about the Airport Security Check Point from toy manufacturer Playmobil.

I thought it might be a great tool for teaching children the finer points of navigating an airport. Unfortunately, according to a few Amazon customers, it demonstrates just how lax security can be.

One customer commented: "We placed a deadly fingernail file underneath the passenger's scarf, and neither the detector doorway nor the security wand picked it up. My son said 'that's the worst security ever!' But it turned out to be okay, because when the passenger got on the Playmobil B757 and tried to hijack it, she was mobbed by a couple of other heroic passengers, who only sustained minor injuries in the scuffle, which were treated at the Playmobil Hospital."

If you want an entertaining read, browse through the rest of the reviews. The problem is only that I can't seem to find the toy listed on the manufacturer's website. However, you can order the Police Station with prison cell, for unruly or deadly plastic airline passengers on Playmobil's jet plane.

New Year, New Blog Changes and New Travels

The new year means new beginnings, and I'm starting of the year with a new look. The next time you see my blog, you will notice a few changes.

I'm in the process of upgrading the site. Not only the design has changed, but I've been trying to add more robust features and testing out a new way to receive email alerts when the blog gets updated.

when you have a moment, please visit farflungplaces.blogspot.com and sign up at the top of the page. I will be phasing out the Yahoo Group over the coming weeks, but only after I've tested out the new subscription service during my next trip.

Yep, Chris and I are heading out of town next week to Taiwan, where I hope to bring you stories about the Chinese New Year. I'll be ringing in the Year of the Ox with
friends Marci, her husband, William, and his family (who only speak Taiwanese and Mandarin, so I'm sure I'll have plenty to blog about.

Here's to a new year and fresh starts. I wish you all well with all your resolutions.

Online image editors make sharing photos easier when traveling

When I travel, I like to upload photos to share with the folks back home. However, the computers at hotels or internet cafés don't always have imaging software loaded on them.

That's where online image editors come in handy. There are many out there, but this year, Adobe Photoshop launched Photoshop Express, a pared down version of it's miraculous image editing software that costs hundreds of dollars to buy.

It may not have all the bells and whistles that the original program has, but you can upload, sort, resize, crop and store up to two gigabytes on the site for free. After that, you can share them on Flickr, Facebook, on a mobile phone or on a blog.

You can also find a list of other image editors here.


PHOTOSHOP EXPRESS TUTORIAL:

Photo appears in National Geographic Traveler magazine

My dream of being published in a National Geographic publication come true! A photo of mine appears in the November/December 2008 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.

The photo of an Argentine man grilling beef over an open flame, which originally appeared on this blog in April 2006 (click here to read the original entry), was chosen to illustrate a woman who describes her first Argentine asado (cookout).

Traveler's Senior Photo Editor Daniel R. Westergren found the image, of all places, on my Flickr page in late September. Flickr is a photo-sharing website, which hosts more than three billion images worldwide.

Many photographers believe they've reached the top when they've appeared in National Geographic. For me, this is just the beginning.

Bargaining Power

Face it. Most women like to shop.

But shopping at handicraft markets around the world is akin to shopping for a used car. There's a lot of haggling back and forth over the price, which has a tendency to put off some people that are accustomed to paying the advertised price. But if you don't play the game, you'll not only walk away with a bigger hole your pocket, but you'll also contribute to further price inflation for future tourists.

But, there are strategies you can use to help come to a mutually agreeable price and not endure snickers from vendors behind your back.

Do reconnaissance. Check out what products the airport gift shops carry when you first arrive in the country. Note the prices on items you like, and never pay those amounts in the market. Goods at airport gift shops, even here at home, are way overpriced--the markup can be as great as 300 percent.

Shop Around. Most vendors at a handicrafts market carry the same stuff. As you wander past the stalls, casually ask the price of the things you're interested in, but don't linger. Prices at the perimeter of the market tend to be higher, so keep going further. The price invariably goes down.

Never accept the first price. If you are ready to try your hand at bargaining, the first price is ridiculous, and the vendor knows it. Just smile, and say, "no thanks."

Ask for a discount. After the first price is given, ask for a discount. You might have a vendor say, "How much will you pay?" I usually ignore this question, and ask, "How much is the discounted price." The figure they tell you is the real starting price to start the haggling process.

Offer one-third to half of the asking price. Start with a low figure. The vendor might laugh or try to convince that you've offended him/her, but don't let this ruffle your feathers.

Walk Away. I can't tell you how many times I've walked away from a price that I felt was too high, and suddenly it dropped significantly. At one stall in Ecuador, the starting price on a blanket was $40, but suddenly dropped to $10 when I walked away.

Buy from a man. I can't put my finger on it, but it seems like a get a better deal when I buy from a male vendor. It's not that he succumbs to my feminine wiles, I just think that female vendors drive a harder bargain.

Buy in Bulk. Often times, you can get a deeper discount if you want to buy several items once you've settled on a price for one object. If one object costs $2, ask for three for $5.

Have fun. Never yell at a vendor, or get angry. That never gets you anywhere.

These are just a few suggestions for jump starting your confidence when shopping abroad, although there are more ways that may be just as or more effective.

My friends, Jennifer and Adrianne, developed a team bargaining method in Ecuador. If either one of them were interested in something, she would ask, "Do you think it's my style?" The operative word--style--would indicate that bargaining was about to commence. The friend would step up and say that it wasn't her style, examine it closer for flaws, and they'd try the walk-away method.

That worked well until the last day of our trip. Jennifer was enamored with some black and white chulucana pottery. She was determined to buy it, and she wore her eagerness openly. I asked her if it was her style. She said "Oh, yes!"

Adrianne and I just looked at each other, and knew she was in trouble. Sure enough, the total came to $33 for several pieces, and she couldn't even get $3 off the price to make it an even $30.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

The equator lies about an hour's drive north of Quito. But until the invention of GPS navigation, the true "line" between the north and south hemispheres was as scientific as someone building a monument and claiming it was located at the equator.

Various markers have come and gone in the modern age, but only one lies exactly on the equator, and it's not the more popular site called Mitad del Mundo (Spanish for the Middle of the World, which is off by about 240 meters.

Then along came the Quitsato Project--scientific research that began in June 1997 in an effort to establish the exact location of the imaginary line. As it turns out (big surprise), ancient cultures had already plotted the equator exactly. They had a complex knowledge of astronomy, which helped them plot agricultural calendars, climates, seasons and seasonal festivities.

The Quitsato Project found links between various archaeological sites, including one called "Catequilla," which is located at ground zero: latitud 0˚0'0". Although its significance had been lost over time, the research confirmed that the location of this place was not a coincidence.

To raise money for more research, and "to rescue, renovate and dignify the concept of the Middle of the World, which is seated at the base of the cultural identity of the Ecuadorians and their history," the group has built a giant sundial on the North Panamerican Highway between Quito and Cayambe, which marks the exact middle of the world. In exchange for a small donation, you can straddle the equator, with one foot in the north hemisphere and the other in the south.

The sundial measures 177 feet across, and has a tall orange pole in the center that marks the hour and month according to the transit of the sun. Even better, the structure can be observed by satellite thermal images.

Unfortunately, despite it's size and easy-to-find location, our driver had no idea where it was. When we told him we wanted to visit the site, he was baffled. He told us a police officer had directed him to another spot outside of Cayambe. When we got there, we saw an abandoned building with a globe in front.

One of my travel companions, Jennifer, knew instantly that we were in the wrong place. "No," I translated for her. "It's suppose to have a big sundial."

We asked the driver to call the phone number we had for the place, but he said he didn't have cell service in the mountains where we were. (I turned on my cell phone and got a perfect signal.) Then he said he didn't have minutes left on his phone card inserted. And wouldn't you know it, my cell phone didn't work properly (or I just couldn't figure out the right country and city prefixes).

We took a few pictures at the wrong place (see photo). I thought we had no chance of seeing the sundial, so made the most of the situation. Jennifer suffered miserably through a few photos at the fake equator, which we later deleted at her request.

And after a game of good cop, bad cop, the driver said, "Well, there is this one place I know about."

Perhaps he thought we would complain to the hotel that arranged the trip between Otavalo and Quito, or perhaps he thought we stopped in Cayambe for directions (when we requested a pit stop). Either way, he pulled off the road at Kilometer 47, and after peering skeptically at the site, we discovered we were in the right place.

Our driver explored the area with as much interest as the crazy gringas, staring intently at the scientific displays inside the orange tube. While he didn't apologize to me, he admitted that he thought we were confusing this spot with the ancient site, Catequilla, which was further away.

In the end, we all left with some cheesy photos, and as the Quitsato web site states, "a new perspective on our planet, one with balance and unity."

Furthermore, balance was restored between us and our driver, and we returned to Quito happy...and he made it home in time to watch Ecuador beat Chile 1-0 in soccer in a 2010 World Cup qualifier.

Animal Attraction

"How much for that chicken?" I asked a man who was strolling through Otavalo's animal market with a live chicken under his arm.

"AHHHHH,"he responded shoving the bird in my arms. "It's a great chicken. Look here, under the wing. It's a beautiful yellow color. This is a national chicken. There's nothing better."

"But how much?"

"For you, $15."

I had no idea what I was going to do with a live chicken, but the market was an incredible ethnographic experience for my first morning in this highland town nestled in a valley between a cluster of dormant volcanos.

At six o'clock in the morning, an empty field on the outskirts of town begins to fill up with trucks filled with cows, horses, pigs, chicks, ducks, guinea pigs, rabbits, kittens, dogs, and more being brought to auction. Crowds of people, whether buying or selling, meander through the mud and muck checking out their future meal.

A gigantic pig went for about $300--roughly $1 a pound, I'd guess. I think the man who bought it should have had a discount. The critter wasn't behaving so well, so it took three people to wrap a rope around its neck. It may have been the same pig that I later heard squealing loudly on the street. The owner kicked it a few times in the head and shoved it in the back of a truck.

I inquired about a turkey ($38), then a guinea pig (only $2!).

Sadly, the guinea pig is considered a food item, not a pet. And the price goes up to around $6 during holidays like Mother's Day. This is surprising, considering there seems to be a surplus of these little furry rodents in the surrounding countryside. A nearby lagoon is named after the cuy (its quechua name) due to its proliferation in the area.

My travel companions, Jennifer and Adrianne, considered buying one for Jennifer's birthday. We really weren't planning to eat it, but we imagined that it would have been fun to put it on a leash and lead it around town for the day, then sell it to someone else!

We left the animal market empty handed, but I caught myself a runaway kitten on the way out, which I returned to its vendor. It may have been the same kitten I heard mewing from inside a woman's bag as she walked down the street on her way home to solve a mouse problem.

Not Lost in Transaction

With the economy of the United States weakened under the pressure of the financial crisis, decreases in the value of the U.S. dollar against foreign currency has negatively impacted American travelers abroad. Compared to a year ago, the dollar has lost 10 percent of its value against the Euro, for example, despite temporary rebounds. On top of the bad news about exchange rates, travelers incur fees and service charges for foreign currency exchanges.

However, there are places where the dollar is not only relatively strong,but also considered legal tender, eliminating those pesky fees and exchange rate headaches altogether.

Panama has been accepting U.S. dollars alongside its balboa since making an agreement with the U.S. government in 1904. On a recent trip to Panama, I breezed through the international airport—bypassing the currency exchange booth—into a waiting taxi. The driver happily took my $4, and I got a jump start on my vacation. And, I might add, the $22 oceanfront room on Boca Brava Island was easy on my pocketbook.

Ecuador (2000), El Salvador (2001), and East Timor (2000) all adopted the dollar. The former members of the U.S.-administered Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, which included Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands, chose not to issue their own currency after becoming independent, having all used the U.S. dollar since 1944. Two British dependencies also use the U.S. dollar: the British Virgin Islands (1959) and Turks and Caicos Islands (1973).

Today, I’m heading to Ecuador. I read a report that the trouble in the U.S. has caused prices to go up all over the country. I'll find out and let you know in the coming days.

Google is taking over the world

I must confess that I'm addicted to Google's "My Maps" feature.

I use it to plan business trips. I use it for online supplemental material for stories I write for Lake Erie Living. And now, I have discovered that it works great for creating travel itineraries for foreign travel, too (as long as Google has mapped the country).

So, I tried it out for my upcoming trip to Ecuador next month (Oct. 9-14, 2008). I was able to find lodging close to the South American Explorers Clubhouse that I want to visit on my first day. (South American Explorers is the organization for which I volunteered in Peru for five months in 2004; and in Buenos Aires in 2006.) And I was able to change the icons on the map, so I can quickly see what points are restaurants, hotels, shops, transportation hubs or tourist attractions.

And voilá:

Laura's Ecuador Itinerary

View Larger Map

With My Maps, you can create customized maps in which you can add placemarks for the locations you want to visit. If a place already exists in Google's extensive database, then all the contact information appears at the placemark. If Google doesn't recognize the location, you can add it, then enter information about the place.

Once you have created a map, you can embed photos and videos; share the map with others; give other people permission to edit the map; import KML or GeoRSS to the map; open it in Google Earth; and embed it in a Web site, such as this blog! AND it's dynamic, so you can move the map around, and click on all the points of interest to get more information.

Lonely Planet may still be my primary travel planning companion, but with "My Maps," I can simplify the abundant information and plot only the things that I'm interested in doing.

Google has it all mapped out.

Pulled Under

Today I watched a limp and lifeless child being pulled out of Lake Erie, shattering a beautiful Labor Day evening for at least one family.

I knew something was amiss when I saw a life flight helicopter hovering over the lake while I was riding my bike. Twenty minutes later, when the whirring of the chopper's blade was still puncturing the air, I decided to head to the beach.

I pulled up to Huntington Beach, where the fence overlooking the shoreline was lined with hundreds of people—-some still dripping from their dip in the lake that ended rather abruptly when the missing child alert went out. The beach was cleared of everyone but police and the family of the child. In the picnic area, some groups were still enjoying their holiday cookout, despite the many emergency vehicles and onlookers.

At the far end of the beach, the Coast Guard and Bay Village police were dragging the bottom of the lake. Just a few moments after I arrived, the seven-year-old boy was retrieved from his underwater nightmare. Unresponsive after being underwater for an hour, the emergency crew worked feverishly to revive him. People around me were staying positive (some assuring the crowd that it's possible to revive a drowning victim after an hour in the water), but I feared the worse. And after a quick check on wkyc.com, his status is still not known.

In the meantime, I did a little research. Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years, reports the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of those that becoming drowning victims, 54% survive.

Here are some tips from the CDC to keep swimmers safe:

* Know the local weather conditions and forecast before swimming or boating. Strong winds and thunderstorms with lightning strikes are dangerous.

* Know the meaning of and obey warnings represented by colored beach flags.

* Watch for dangerous waves and signs of rip currents (e.g. water that is discolored and choppy, foamy, or filled with debris and moving in a channel away from shore). If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to shore; once free of the current, swim toward shore.

* Designate a responsible adult to watch young children while in the bath and all children swimming or playing in or around water. Adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity (such as reading, playing cards, talking on the phone, or mowing the lawn) while supervising children.

* Always swim with a buddy. Select swimming sites that have lifeguards whenever possible.

* Avoid drinking alcohol before or during swimming, boating, or water skiing. Do not drink alcohol while supervising children.

* Learn to swim. Be aware that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend swimming classes as the primary means of drowning prevention for children younger than 4. Constant, careful supervision and barriers such as pool fencing are necessary even when children have completed swimming classes.

* Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). In the time it might take for paramedics to arrive, your CPR skills could make a difference in someone�s life. CPR performed by bystanders has been shown to improve outcomes in drowning victims.

* Do not use air-filled or foam toys, such as water wings, noodles, or inner-tubes, in place of life jackets (personal flotation devices). These toys are not designed to keep swimmers safe.

• If a child is missing from your sight, look in the water first.

Despite all best attempts to keep swimmers safe, accidents do happen, and perhaps this advice still couldn't save this little boy's life.

Maybe these tips will help someone else.

All Hail the King

Bruce Campbell is the legendary B-list actor from Evil Dead. I've never seen the film, nor any of his others, but I can sing all the songs from Evil Dead: the Musical (of all things).

I don't think I've ever seen him in anything but a You Tube video in which he sings "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran, while dressed in a smoking jacket and ascot.

Nonetheless, I was on hand during his signing session at the Dark Horse booth, where he was signing comics from his upcoming film, My Name is Bruce. Apparently, he plays a version of himself in the new movie, who becomes the un-hero when the undead actually do come to life. Everyone is relying on him because he played the role of Ash in the Evil Dead movies. Little do they know, he's only Bruce, the actor.
Evil Dead fans were on hand to get autographs, but only a small number of fans actually won the chance in a ticketed lottery. One fan, dressed as Ash, was particularly disappointed, but he happily posed for me.

The Lost Boy

The television show, Lost, is always full of surprises. At Comic-Con, the surprise was the unbilled guest appearance by Matthew Fox, the star of the show, who surprised the crowd by appearing suddenly on stage during a Q&A session with the executive producers of the show--Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.

Prizes were handed out to everyone who asked a question. Each unique item corresponded in some way to the question that was asked. A uncanny Hurley look-a-like was awarded a Dharma Initiative bottle of ranch dressing.

Some of the other Lost revelations, included the acknowledgement that Jin (who may have died in the freighter explosion) and Locke (lying in the coffin at the end of last season) would be back. On the show, "dead is a relative term," the execs proclaimed.

A Heroes Welcome

Saturday is Comic-Con's biggest day and Chris was divided over which panel discussions to attend. He could either go see the cast of Battlestar Galactica or the Heroes and Lost panels that were back to back in another hall.

He picked Battlestar, while I checked out the only two dramas on television that I watch.

The line to get into San Diego's Convention Center Hall H snaked around the building when I arrived this morning. Fans of Heroes, had spent the night in order to snag one of the 6,500 seats. I stood with everyone else, but managed to get into the Hall and gain access to the press area next to the stage. Why, I wondered, did I have to stand in line for two hours when I was just going to stand up in front anyway (Comic-Con is surprisingly unfriendly to members of the press--especially low-level journalists such as myself)?

Nevertheless, I was in the heart of the action as the entire cast of Heroes filed onto the stage while adoring fans screamed. Cameras were clicking and clacking, but the photographers paid extra attention to 18-year-old Hayden Panettiere, who has gotten a lot of attention off screen (either crying over the Japanese cruelty toward dolphins or her highly publicized romance with 31-year-old co-star, Milo Ventimiglia.

When the crowd settled down, the Heroes season premiere appeared on the screen. The episode will air in October, but Comic-Con attendees got a sneak peak. Spoiler Alert: Sylar will be coming back strong this season to terrorize those with special powers, and in the first episode, he "collects" a particularly desireable power from one of the main characters. Mohinder, obsessed with his father's research, conducts an experiment on himself. And as usual, Hiro finds himself in a pickle.

The Adventures of a Comic-Con Widow

I have a car, I'm in San Diego, and I don't want to spend my entire time here inside a convention center. There's only one thing to do: go to the beach!

But first, I hopped on the freeway and drove 10 miles south of downtown to Chula Vista to visit my dad's brother, Uncle Bill, who is at the Veteran's Home there. After boring him with tales of Comic-Con, the Great Race of 1908 and my world travels, we had some lunch.

The cafeteria food was pretty good. I had a beef taco and decent refried beans (not the runny ones you get at most Mexican restaurants) for $2.50. We sat with a talkative new resident of the home, Alice. She was decked out in a sequined sweater, and had a purple silk flower affixed to her glasses. A large, colorful stuffed frog clung to the back of her wheelchair. She told many stories about her days as a cab driver and a puppeteer, but to be honest, I think her stories put Uncle Bill to sleep!

After leaving Uncle Bill, I headed for Old Town San Diego. That's where everyone said you can buy good, cheap goods from Mexico. But I quickly got disgusted when I saw that the Mexican handicrafts had good ol' American prices. They were more than twice the price of stuff you can buy across the border (which is only 15 minutes away). Believe me, I was tempted to cross into Tijuana, but everyone I've talked to has advised against it. Gang violence has escalated in the last few years, and kidnappings of American tourists is on the rise, too.

So, I abandoned my bid for Mexico, and headed to Coronado Beach, home to the famous Hotel Del Coronado, which was built in 1888, and later became an exclusive hideaway for Hollywood celebs, such as Frank and Marilyn. I've been told that my great, great grandfather worked there in the early 1900s. Dad said he was a clerk, and Uncle Bill told me he was an assistant manager. Unfortunately, there is no record of his employment at "The Del," says Uncle Bill, who said he'd been to the famous hotel to inquire about our ancestor on a few occasions.

I wandered about the historic landmark, ate a piece of flourless chocolate cake on the Sun Deck, then headed onto the white sand of Coronado Beach, where health-conscious runners and health-oblivious sunbathers co-mingled in perfect harmony. The water of the Pacific was surprisingly cold, but that didn't stop kids from catching waves on their boogie boards.

Heading back to downtown San Diego, the traffic report warned of Comic-Con traffic slowing the flow on the I-5, but a sailed into town with no trouble. The biggest problem was trying to avoid paying $17 for event parking. I pulled into a $10 lot just as a van was pulling out. The driver rolled down his window and handed me his parking ticket, which was valid for another eight hours. It was the perfect end to very enjoyable non-Comic-Con day.

From Paris with Love

Dad & Bobbie sent me an e-mail this morning. Paris Hilton swooped into Comic-Con last night to promote her upcoming film, Repo: The Genetic Opera. Aw shucks, I missed her and her entourage.

I did however see Jane Wiedlin (formerly of the GoGos) on Preview Night jockeying for position (behind me) in line at the NBC booth. It seems that her VIP status couldn't get her to the front of the line to get the Battlestar Galactica toaster or the Heroes Hiro bobblehead doll. The toaster sold out within minutes of the exhibit hall's opening, but I'm happy to say that I acquired the Hiro doll and the limited-edition Sylar action figure.

Chris had lined up to get into to the hall around 3 p.m., while I wandered the streets of San Diego, and checked into the hostel, located a few blocks from the convention center. After a cat nap, I wandered down to Comic-Con around 5:45 p.m. because the hall was opening at 6 p.m.

The crowds had amassed in front. Most of those standing around didn't have their passes yet. As I squeezed my way through the long winding lines, someone behind me said, "Let the Nerdfest Begin." Those of us with passes pushed and shoved our way into the exhibit hall as the doors opened at 6 p.m. Meanwhile, in another part of the building, Chris was still waiting in the line he'd been standing in since 3 p.m.

He sent me to the NBC booth for the toys, and he finally made his way to meet me there just after I had seen Jane. From that point, I followed Chris around as he weaved his way through the crowds, past a larger-than life Jabba the Hut, Star Wars Storm Troopers, Iron Man, etc. We turned right at the Marvel Comics Booth and ran into a reporter for The Plain Dealer--Michael San Giacomo--who was promoting the graphic novels he had written. From there, we were off again searching for rare action figures that Chris could buy.

In many ways, Comic-Con is a shopping mall for men, or as Chris reminded me, "a shopping mall for nerds."

Pros and Comic-Cons

The southern California sunshine is beaming upon me, but I feel like I've been hit by a truck. It's 5:15 p.m., but my body clock is starting to remind me that I've come from three time zones away.

I've come here for the world's largest comic book, pop culture and television trade show--Comic-Con, which Entertainment Weekly recently called the "Sundance for Nerds." It was my gift to Chris, whose birthday is this Friday.

I've only got a half hour to rest before the madness begins. More than 150,000 have descended upon San Diego for the four-day event that brings together pop culture arts--from comic books, to gaming, to Sci-Fi, to TV. We've got the chance to see big names like Sarah Silverman, the cast of Lost, as well as blasts from the past, such as William Katt from the Greatest American Hero and Lindsay Wagner from the Bionic Woman. Or we could wander the show floor collecting rare action figures and other toys. The possibilities are endless.

Seasoned visitors of Comic-Con say it's completely overwhelming. There's just too much to see and do, they say. I get to find out now....I'm on my way to meet Chris waiting in line behind thousands of other attendees to get into the trade show floor for Preview Night.