Culinary Travel: Hunan Province China

Located in the south central part of the Chinese mainland, Hunan has long been known for its natural beauty. It is surrounded by mountains on the east, west, and south, and by the Yangtze River on the north. Its mixture of mountains and water makes it among the most beautiful provinces in China. For thousands of years, the region has been a major center of agriculture, growing rice, tea, and oranges.

In a discussion of China's four regional cuisines (North, South, East and West) the provinces of Szechuan, Yunnan and Hunan are combined to represent China's western regional schools of cooking. It's true that Hunan and Szechuan cuisine have much in common - both are famous for their fiery cooking and production of rice. But there are also significant differences. Today we have a Hunan recipe for you.

Stir-Fried Shrimp in Garlic Sauce

Servings  3-4 Servings

Ingredients:
1 lb large shrimp, cleaned and deveined

3 1/2 cups assorted fresh vegetables, chopped

1/3 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon chili paste (sambal oelek) (optional)

1 tablespoon dry sherry or 1 tablespoon sake

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

9 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger

10 Thai chiles, stemmed and left whole (optional)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 tablespoons water

hot steamed rice


Directions:
In a small bowl, mix together chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste (if using) and sherry; set aside.

In another small bowl or cup, stir together the tbsp of cornstarch with the 3 tbsp of water and set aside.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a wok; add ginger and garlic and sizzle briefly, then add vegetables and Thai chilies (if using).

Stir-fry vegetables for approximately 3 minutes, then add the shrimp.

Cook the shrimp 2 minutes or until it curls and turns opaque or pink.

Add the sauce mixture and cook 1 minute more; then stir in the thickener (briefly stir first) and stir-fry until mixture thickens, about 1 minute.

Serve with hot cooked rice.

If you have a taste for culinary travel, let Rawhide Travel and Tours help you plan your next vacation and all of your other reservation needs. Call us at (602) 843-5100 or visit our website: rawhidetravel.com.

Presented By:
Rawhide Travel and Tours Inc
6008 West Bell Rd # F105
Glendale, Arizona 85308-3793
(602) 843-5100
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Great Places to Take the Grandchildren: Smithsonian Institution

If you have the opportunity to travel with your grandchildren, we are starting a new series to share some of the great places to take them this summer. The first destination we are going to cover is the Smithsonian Institution.

There are so many things to see at the Smithsonian that it is difficult to pick a place to start. It will of course depend upon the age and interests of the children. Here are a few of the many offerings at the Smithsonian Institution.

Smithsonian IMAX® Theaters
Their giant-screen films offer an immersive experience that complements the exhibitions. Explore exotic locations like Jerusalem, Madagascar and Mexico at the National Museum of Natural History’s Johnson IMAX Theater. Travel to the moon and back via the National Air and Space Museums’ IMAX Theater and Planetarium in Washington, D.C., or at the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.—no space suit required!

Albert Einstein Planetarium
Feel the sensation of zooming through the cosmos, enveloped in color saturated moving images and spine-tingling sound. Immerse yourself in the stars! The Einstein Planetarium is the only full-dome digital theater in the DC area.

Celebrating 125 years at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo
About 2,000 animals from 400 different species reside at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Our best known residents are our giant pandas, but the Zoo is also home to great apes, big cats, Asian elephants, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, aquatic animals, small mammals, and many more.

Natural History Museum 
Tarantula feedings, the biggest blue diamond in the world, a Live Coral Reef and more. There is plenty for you to do at the world’s largest natural history museum!

National Air and Space Museum
Twenty-three galleries exhibiting hundreds of aircraft, spacecraft, missiles, rockets, and other flight-related artifacts. Highlights 1903 Wright Flyer, Spirit of St. Louis, SpaceShipOne, Apollo 11 command module, Hubble Space Telescope test vehicle

A Night at the Museum
Imagine rolling out your sleeping bag at the home of the Star-Spangled Banner or beneath a 50-foot whale. That’s exactly what kids and their grown-up companions can do when they attend a Smithsonian Sleepover. The American History Museum or the Natural History Museum is all yours during a night of fun that features tours, games, crafts, a film, and more.

This basically just scratches the surface. There are many more thing to see and do in a multitude of locations.

Let Rawhide Travel and Tours help you with all your reservation needs. Call us at (602) 843-5100 or visit our website: rawhidetravel.com.

Presented By:
Rawhide Travel and Tours Inc
6008 West Bell Rd # F105
Glendale, Arizona 85308-3793
(602) 843-5100
rawhidetravel.com

Experience Full Service

Need to travel on business or leisure, Rawhide Travel and Tours will make it happen. We will arrange your flights, rail, hotel and car rentals. Let us assist you in planning your upcoming business trip. We're also available to help you plan that exciting vacation.

Want a small hotel or a luxury resort? Let Rawhide Travel and Tours customize the perfect spot just for you! We have many choices.  Let Us Help You Get Lost.

Call us at (602) 843-5100. Check out our website: rawhidetravel.com or email us at flythis@rawhidetravel.com.

Presented By:
Rawhide Travel and Tours Inc
6008 West Bell Rd # F105
Glendale, Arizona  85308-3793
(602) 843-5100
rawhidetravel.com

In the News: Summertime Air Travel Predicted to Be Busier

After a harsh winter, Americans are determined to pack their bags and travel this summer, even though they will have to pay a little bit more if they choose to fly.

Airlines for America, the trade group for most of the major carriers in the USA, predicts roughly 210 million fliers will take to the skies on U.S. airlines this summer, the most in six years, and 1.5% more than the number who flew last summer.

Among them will be a record-setting number of passengers traveling abroad, with Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Germany and Japan the most popular international locales for a summertime visit. International flights are expected to ferry 29.9 million passengers.

Job growth, growing personal income and airfares that have been rising more slowly than inflation and some consumer goods, are all helping boost the demand for air travel.

Customer satisfaction with airlines has also reaches a record high. With fares remaining stable, customer satisfaction with the airline industry is at a record high, according to an annual study released Wednesday.

On a 1,000-point scale, customer satisfaction reached 712, a 17-point increase from the same study last year when the previous record of 695 was established, according to the 2014 airline satisfaction study by J.D. Power.

The study found that the greatest influence on overall satisfaction came in the category of costs and fees, whose satisfaction score improved to 642 from 618 last year.

Airlines are adding seats to deal with the summer crush, and planes should be about 85% to 87% full, the same as last year.

But passengers flying between June 1 and Aug. 31 will see some changes that they didn't experience in 2013, such as their pick of dozens more destinations and upgraded facilities at airports around the country, like the new Terminal B at Boston's Logan Airport where fliers can tag their own bags and even scan their own boarding passes before walking onto the plane.

Flying will cost a bit more. The average domestic fare from June 8 though Aug. 25 will be 2% higher than during that period in 2013.

Come summer, the highest fares are likely to be seen on the most coveted flights, such as a non-stop departing late morning on a Friday, or those heading to the most popular destinations. Still, there are bargains to be had, if you're flexible.

Looking for that uniquely different vacation destination. Call Rawhide Travel and Tours today 602-843-5100 or visit our website rawhidetravel.com. We can help!

Presented By:
Rawhide Travel and Tours Inc
6008 West Bell Rd # F105
Glendale, Arizona  85308-3793
(602) 843-5100
rawhidetravel.com

Off the Beaten Path: Southern India

The original population of South India are the Dravidians. In Madurai, Thanjavur, Trichy and Mamallapuram are impressive temples. On the coast, there is salt mining, rice and sugarcane are grown and fishing is done with nets. In the Backwaters near Allepey people live on and in the water. In the mountains are rainforests, tea plantations and pineapple, rubber and coffee are grown there.

Mamallapuram was the major seaport of the ancient Pallava kingdom based at Kanchipuram, and a wander round the town’s great, World Heritage–listed temples and carvings inflames the imagination, especially at sunset. ‘Mahabs’, as some call it, is only two hours by bus from Chennai, and many travellers make a beeline straight here. The town is small and laid-back, and its sights can be explored on foot or by bicycle.

Alapuzha (Venice of the East) or Alleppey as it is popularly known is the most prominent township in the backwaters. The Backwaters of Kerala is a network of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets formed by more than 550 miles of waterways. The backwaters have a unique ecosystem, freshwater from the rivers meets the seawater from the Arabian Sea. Many tourists that come to Alappuzha take a houseboat cruise along the backwaters. If you are not interested in a longer ride in a House boat, there are smaller boats available for rides lasting 3 to 4 hours.

South India Beaches mainly takes in to account the beaches of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, four states of South India. The beaches of Kerala are placed between the Lakhswadeep Sea and the western Ghats in South India. The South Indian state of Tamil Nadu possesses the second longest beach in the world namely the Marina beach. The Bay of Bengal stretches along the vast sand sea shores. Karnataka boast of a coast line of around 200 miles filled with the serenity and charming imagery of the beautiful landscape.

The Malnad region of Karnataka State in South India is part of a unique ecosystem known as the Western Ghats, an area famous for its biodiversity. Due in part to the mountainous biotype and the effect of yearly monsoons, which bring high annual rainfall, the Western Ghats has an incredibly rich assemblage of endemic plants, reptiles and amphibians, many of which remain unknown to science. The rainforest is also the home of the largest venomous snake in the world, the much respected and feared king cobra. 

Looking for that uniquely different vacation destination. Call Rawhide Travel and Tours today 602-843-5100 or visit our website rawhidetravel.com. We can help!

Presented By:
Rawhide Travel and Tours Inc
6008 West Bell Rd # F105
Glendale, Arizona  85308-3793
(602) 843-5100
rawhidetravel.com

Culinary Travel: Southern India

Soothe your soul with ayurveda! Savour the brimming coffee estates, spice plantations and rice paddies and amble in lush jungles. Add spark to your evening witnessing fireflies on a houseboat in Kerala's backwaters. Witness historic living temples and colonial towns. A gentler India awaits.

South Indian cuisine is rice based. Rice is combined with lentils to make wonderful dosas, idlis, vadas and uttapams. These items are delicious besides being nourishing and digestible (due to the fermenting process). They are combined with sambar (dal), rasam (tamarind dal), dry and curried vegetable and pachadi (yogurt). Their rice preparations are also masterpieces like the biryani from Hyderabad, lemon rice and rice seasoned with coconut peanuts, tamarind, chilies, curry leaves, urad dal and fenugreek seedsSouth Indian chutneys are made of tamarind, coconut, peanuts, dal, fenugreek seeds, and cilantro. Meals are followed by coffee. South Indian dals and curries are more soupy than North Indian dals and curries. South Indian cuisine is also hotter.

Coconut milk straight from the nut is a common beverage in South India. Coffee is very popular in South India and Madras coffee is popular in South Indian restaurants throughout the world. 

The South Indian food is a brilliant blend of flavors, colors, seasoning, nutritional balance, fragrance, taste, and visual appeal.

Shrimp Curry in Coconut Milk

Ingredients
1 large onion, minced
1 inch-long piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup butter, ghee or vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 to 2 fresh green chiles minced
1 cup hot water
1  can unsweetened coconut milk - 14 oz.
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 lb large shrimp in shell  - about 20
minced cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions
Heat oil in a pan and saute onion until onion is a nice golden brown color. Add ginger, green chilies. Stir in curry powder and turmeric and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Stir in water, coconut milk, and lime juice, salt, sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.

While sauce simmers, peel shrimp (devein), wash. Add shrimp to curry sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just cooked through and change color, about 3 minutes. Serve garnished with cilantro. 

If you have a taste for culinary travel, let Rawhide Travel and Tours help you plan your next vacation and all of your other reservation needs. Call us at (602) 843-5100 or visit our website: rawhidetravel.com.

Presented By:
Rawhide Travel and Tours Inc
6008 West Bell Rd # F105
Glendale, Arizona 85308-3793
(602) 843-5100
rawhidetravel.com

Washington Monument to Reopen

More than 150 cracks have been repaired, rainwater leaks have been sealed, and the 130-year-old Washington Monument will reopen today for the first time in nearly three years since an earthquake caused widespread damage. Tours begin at 1 p.m., beforehand, the National Park Service held an hour long reopening ceremony with schoolchildren, bands, singers and speeches.

The monument’s white marble and mortar were cracked and shaken loose during an unusual 5.8-magnitude earthquake in August 2011 that sent some of the worst vibrations to the top. Debris fell inside and outside the monument, and visitors scrambled to evacuate.

The memorial honoring George Washington has been closed for about 33 months for engineers to conduct an extensive analysis and restoration of the 555-foot stone obelisk that was once the tallest structure in the world.

The monument was built in two phases between 1848 and 1884. When it was completed, it was the world’s tallest structure for five years until it was eclipsed by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The monument remains the world’s tallest freestanding stone structure.

It normally draws about 700,000 visitors a year. The National Park Service will offer extended hours to visit the monument beginning Tuesday and through the summer from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.

Let Rawhide Travel and Tours help you with all your reservation needs. Call us at (602) 843-5100 or visit our website: rawhidetravel.com.

Presented By:
Rawhide Travel and Tours Inc
6008 West Bell Rd # F105
Glendale, Arizona 85308-3793
(602) 843-5100
rawhidetravel.com