September, 2015 - Lili on the Loose

29 09, 2015

Local Activites: Boulder Farmer’s Market & Dushanbe Tea House

By Lili|September 29th, 2015|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Events, Local, Travel|Tags: Boulder, Colorado, Dushanbe TeaHouse, fall, farmer's market, Halloween, pumpkin|0 Comments

A favorite annual fall tradition for me is to go to the Boulder Farmer's Market and pick out a ghost pumpkin. Sure there are tons of local farms where you can pick out a regular pumpkin but I like the white ghost pumpkins as they are more unique for Halloween. I also love to walk through the market and pick out fresh fruits and veggies for the week. Nothing beats local apples (or peaches in the summer!) And many of the stalls offer free samples. The Boulder Market is located near 13th and Canyon and runs Saturdays from 8AM to

28 09, 2015

Travel Missteps: Wrong Exit

By Lili|September 28th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2005, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, Europe, Italy, Rome, Sistine Chapel, swiss guard, tour guide exit, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vatican City, Vatican Museum, wrong|0 Comments

The Sistine Chapel - known for Michelangelo’s beautiful ceiling and the grand finale of most Vatican Museum tours. After craning my neck trying to take it all in, it was time to leave...except I went through the wrong exit. There are two ways to exit the Sistine Chapel. The main exit is to the left of the room as you enter. I’m told that this has a long walk back. The other exit is for licensed group tours only, and lets you out close to the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica saving you a long hike back and skipping an

24 09, 2015

Coatimundi

By Lili|September 24th, 2015|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Travel|Tags: Central America, Coatimundi, G Adventures, Gadventures, GAP, Guatemala, Mayan Encounter 2013, Tikal, tour, Travel Thursday, UNESCO World Heritage Site|0 Comments

Source When traveling the jungles of Guatemala & Belize I was on the lookout for local wildlife. But at Tikal, I literally stumbled upon so many! Parrots, Macaws, grey foxes, and then I saw something I had no idea what it was, or how to identify it. I was told it was called a Coatimundi! If you see a group of them, its likely a band of females, as males are solitary. We saw many bands of them, and they were very curious, coming right up to us. They kind of remind me of more active raccoons, who are

21 09, 2015

Museum Monday: Fayum Portrait of a Young Woman

By Lili|September 21st, 2015|Categories: History, Museums, Travel|Tags: 2011, ancient egypt, Christmas in Germany 2011, Europe, Fayum portrait, Frankfurt, Germany, Liebieghaus, Mummy, Städtische Galerie Liebieghaus|0 Comments

The Städtische Galerie Liebieghaus in Frankfurt, Germany doesn't just have statues, it also has a few beautiful Fayum Portraits. These portraits were often painted during life on wood, and were placed over the mummy upon death. Portrait of a young woman Read more about Fayum Portraits here. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.

19 09, 2015

Souvenir Saturday: Drink Like a Pirate Day

By Lili|September 19th, 2015|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: British Virgin Islands, BVI, Caribbean, St. John 2011, Tortola|0 Comments

"Fifteen men on the dead man's chest-- ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum! Drink and the devil had done for the rest-- ...Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!" Today is National "Talk Like a Pirate Day!" or for others "Drink Like a Pirate Day!" Traveling the USVI and BVI via boat is the best way to experience the islands. While stopping in Tortola, BVI I picked up this large tumbler with a recipe for a Rum Runner. I certainly had a few that trip! Souvenir Saturday is an every-other week series on the items that represent travel memories.

15 09, 2015

Local Treats: The Cookie Lady

By Lili|September 15th, 2015|Categories: Food, Food & Drink, Local, Travel|Tags: 16th Street Mall, Carrot Cake, Colorado, Cookie Lady, cookies, Cupcakes, Denver, Downtown, Local, North America, Santa Fe Cookie Company|0 Comments

The Cookie Lady has a wide Variety of cookies, listed out in cute place-cards in front of the baskets. I had heard rumors since I started working in Downtown Denver, of the infamous "Cookie Lady". Without much to go on, my mind ran rampant and likened her to the "Soup Nazi" of Seinfeld fame. So one day, when I smelled the most delicious fresh-baked-goods scent wafting through the air, I followed it down to the Santa Fe Cookie Company. But alas, that first visit was for nought. She was out of cookies! I nervously waited around, watching the

14 09, 2015

Travel Missteps: No See Ums

By Lili|September 14th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps, Travel Tips|Tags: 2010, 2011, beach, bites, bug bites, bugs, Caribbean, itchy, mosquito, no see ums, ocean, paradise, rum, sand, sand flies, snorkel, snorkeling, St. John, St. John 2010, St. John 2011, USVI, vodka|0 Comments

The US Virgin Islands are full of amazingly beautiful sandy beaches. And those beaches are often infested with small biting and blood sucking insects sometimes called No See Ums, Sand Flies, as well as many other names. They are almost invisible but their bites can swell up and look like mosquito bites. They can also carry/transmit diseases. They are also not fast, if you are moving quickly into the water, you'll likely not get bit, but its when you walk back through the sand, sit on a towel, or have stand sticking to you or your shoes that they can hitch

10 09, 2015

TSA Chemical Swab Test False Positive

By Lili|September 10th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Tips|Tags: chemical swab, Chemical Swab Test, Colorado, Denver, EDS, ETD, Explosive Detection System, Explosive Trace Detection, false positive, glycerin, Glycerine, Homeland Security, Nitrates, North America, pat down, Secondary Security Screening Selectee, Secondary Security Screening Selection, security, SSSS, Travel Thursday, TSA|0 Comments

I've written before of how I'm on the "random" SSSS list and so get extra security every time I fly. What I forgot to bring up in that discussion was how once I accidentally set off TSA's Chemical Swab Test using Explosive Trace Detection (or Explosive Detection System aka EDS) to find explosive residue on your person or belongings. It was like any other travel day for me. I was getting my usual extra "random" security, and automatically presented my hands to be tested with their chemical swab. But this time it beeped, and the female TSA agent checked the machine. "Sorry,

7 09, 2015

Museum Monday: Woman of Pompeii

By Lili|September 7th, 2015|Categories: History, Museums, Travel|Tags: Colorado, Denver, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, DMNS, exhibit, North America, Pompeii, statue, USA|0 Comments

A statue of a woman from Pompeii I love statues, there is something captivating from being able to walk around and seeing the artwork from all sorts of angles. This statues is from Pompeii, and was part of the A Day in Pompeii exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in 2012. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.

5 09, 2015

Souvenir Saturday: Omamori

By Lili|September 5th, 2015|Categories: Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2004, Ai, Amelia Earhart, amulet, Anime, Asakusa, Asakusa Temple, Asia, Buddhist, charm, college, deity, en-musubi, evil, exchange program, Final Destination, gakugyō-jōju, good luck, Harajuku, Japan, kōtsū-anzen, Love, Love Charm, luck, manga, Meiji Jingu, Meiji Shrine, Movie, Nagano, omamori, prayer, protect, protection, Rei Hino, Sailor Mars, Sailor Moon, Sensō-ji, Shinto, Shrine, Sister Cities, Sister Cities Japan 2004, studying, Suwa, Suwa Grand Shrine, Suwa Shrine, Suwa Taisha, talisman, Temple, Tokyo, travel, TV Show|0 Comments

In Sailor Moon, one of the main characters Rei Hino (Sailor Mars), is a Shrine Maiden, and in some of the episodes she sells amulets. I remember watching this episode when I was young and I was very excited to go to Japan and purchase one of these charms! The Hikawa Shrine in Sailor Moon Called Omamori, these talismans are sold at Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples and provide different protection or luck. They contain a prayer written on paper or wood and are contained within a cloth bag. The shrine or temple sell these in return