travel souvenirs — part 1

rice goddess from Bali (c) 2020 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Souvenir ... a French word that literally means memory. During these days of limited travel opportunities, I've been looking at souvenirs I've brought back from my many trips. Much more than retail therapy, we purchase souvenirs to bring back memories of wonderful travel experiences.

I remember the day we bought this beautiful wood carving. Claire and I were visiting Bali, staying near Ubud, Bali's cultural center. My advise is to bypass the center of Ubud. The town itself is full of tourists, its retail opportunities limited to many cheap souvenir stands and a few ultra-expensive stores. The true wonders of Ubud are to be found in the surrounding countryside.

We were staying at Amandari, a very picturesque resort designed to look like a traditional Balinese village. We booked a full day tour of the area with our Aman guide. He took us to some notable temples and rice fields ... and also to the shops of master artists and craftsmen who lived and worked in the area surrounding Ubud.

We found this rice goddess in the shop of a master woodcarver. The detailing is exquisite and the color and grain of the wood is so beautiful. She lives on a shelf in our bedroom ... but was happy to spend a few minutes out in the sun and fresh air this morning to pose for this photograph.

copyright (c) 2020 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Eichardt's | lakeside luxury in Queenstown

couple by the lake (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Queenstown, a beautiful small town with less than 16,000 full-time residents, belongs on every itinerary to New Zealand. Its downtown wraps around the shoreline of Lake Wakatipu, and former visitors will recognize this weeping willow tree — a favorite spot for couples to frame photos of their visit.

Queenstown abounds in possibilities for retail therapy (whether you want hand carved Maori jewelry or possum fur sweaters) and thrilling opportunities to engage in bungee-jumping, jet boat rides, or downhill skiing in the winter. It's also an ideal base for helicopter tours of majestic fjords (Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound) and glaciers.

If you want to stay downtown, Eichardt's Private Hotel is my first choice for five-star luxury accommodations. Located right on the lake, I was fortunate enough to have been blocked in one of Eichardt's apartments. Designed by Virginia Fischer, my second-floor living room area had a comfortable seating area with gas-burning fireplace and an unobstructed lake view.

my living room at Eichardt's Private Hotel (c) 2019 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

A welcome and totally unexpected bonus was the apartment's washer dryer. I was able to leave Queenstown with enough clean laundry to finish out the trip. (Pro tip: if you wash out clothes in hotel sinks, keep a small plastic 8 oz. container of powdered laundry soap and a rubber sink stopper in your suitcase).

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.