According to a recent Roper poll commissioned by Fodor's, almost 40 percent of us have traveled alone for at least three days in the last two years. And most of us enjoyed it - a lot.
Soloing doesn't necessarily mean going it alone. It's a positive term,
meaning independence, and traveling the way you choose, whether on your own, or
with a friend or a group. You call the shots and can break away when you wish.
You'll meet more people traveling solo than any other way (and maybe even find
a Valentine for next year).
Thumb your nose at Cupid, and treat yourself with a trip - and maybe, even a
bauble. Better yet, choose a destination where charm - and charms - comes at a
value price. Here are three suggestions from my own travels alone:
CARTAGENA
I had read languid descriptions about Cartagena de Indias
in the novels of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I knew it was one of the
best-preserved Spanish-colonial towns anywhere (and spilling over with
emeralds!). So I hopped a short flight - about 21/2 hours from Miami - to the
southern Caribbean coast of Colombia.
Cartagena was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. Founded
in 1533, it was the start and end point of galleons sailing between the Iberian
Peninsula and the New World.
Colombia has earned a negative reputation because of drug-related violence, and
the U.S. State Department continues to warn of ongoing dangers throughout the
country. But the situation is improving in cities, according to its consular
information sheet for Colombia: ``Violence in recent years has decreased
markedly in most urban areas, including Bogotá, Medellin, Barranquilla, and
Cartagena.'' I walked by myself through the old city and felt less hassled
than I do on Miami Beach's Washington Avenue. The people, I found, are friendly
and helpful.
The old city still looks as it must have nearly 500 years ago. Lush plazas,
spired cathedrals, wooden balconies spilling with bougainvillea - all seem
especially enchanting at night, when lights dramatize the centuries.
Horse-drawn carriages clippity-clop past block after block of ornate pastel
buildings and through narrow lanes.
To protect the city from pirates and buccaneers, the Spaniards built their most
important complex of fortresses in the colonies here. You can walk and climb
and descend ancient golden stonework, from towering parapets to narrow
dungeons.
Outside the old city, contemporary shops and markets thrive. Colorful buses
called chivas dart around, blaring tropical music.
For nature lovers, 50 nearby islands can be reached by boat for a day's
excursion. You can enjoy tropical preserves, an aquarium and a botanical
garden.
I stayed in the Hilton, a seasoned resort about a 10-minute drive from the old
city, on a lagoon in the high-end Boca Grande district. The beach is minimal,
but balconies overlook a shimmering, silvery Caribbean under moonlight.
As for green gems, Colombia produces 40 percent of the world's emeralds from
mines high in the mountains. Check out the jewelry factories that demonstrate
turning green rock into sparkling gems. I watched, and learned what to choose
when I'm ready for this queen of jewels. Restraint is sometimes best.
MONTANA
To dig for sapphires I thought I'd be donning a miner's hat with a light, and
chipping into the depths of the western Montana earth with a heavy pick. Duh.
Instead, at a table at The Sapphire Gallery in small-town Philipsburg, owned by
charming entrepreneur Shirley Beck, I sifted through gravel for an hour in a
climate-controlled, comfortable mining room, hunting for my hidden jewel,
You can't lose if you have patience and a few bucks. Bags of stones are $25. If
you don't find sapphires, you keep getting a bag until you do.
Later, an appraiser checked out my potential stones, the biggest the size of a
raisin. One was considered worthy of polishing, and came out pale blue and the
size of an appleseed. But I had found it!
I celebrated my tiny sifted gem next door at Shirley's candy factory, The Sweet
Palace, humbly dubbed ``the grandest candy emporium in the great American
West'' with almost a thousand types of fresh candy.
This wide-open, mountain-fringed Big Sky Country is dotted with 29 ghost towns
within 30 miles of pretty Philipsburg. These sparsely inhabited towns return
you to late 1800s, when people converged to chase elusive gold dust. (Not that
different from chasing sapphires.)
I stayed an hour's drive away, at Papoose Creek Lodge, nestled among spruce,
fir and aspen woods in the spectacular setting of the upper Madison River
Valley in Southwest Montana. And oh yes, at dinner I proudly wore my new gem.
MINING FOR JEWELS
CARTAGENA
* Getting there: Avianca, Copa, Delta and American offer service.
WHERE TO STAY
* Hilton Cartagena, at the tip of el Laguito, Peninsula, Avenida
Almirante Brion El Lag; (011-57-5) 665-0666; www.cartagena.hilton.com.
Gym, spa, small beach, business center. Single/double from $248.
* Charleston Cartagena, Santa Teresa Centro Plaza Teresa; (011-57-5)
664-9494; www.hotelescharleston.com. 17th-century restored convent, on a plaza
by the old walls. Two restaurants, gym, pool. Single/double from $167.
* Sofitel Santa Clara, Calle del Torno Barrio San Diego; (011-57-5) 664-6070;
www.hotelsantaclara.com. Restored Clarisas Convent in the old city. Near the
convention center, pool, private island. Single/double from $385.
WHERE TO EAT
* Club de Pesca, set in the walls of San Sebastian del Pastelillo Fort,
old city. Seafood served on an ultra-romantic terrace with water views.
(011-57-5) 660-4594;www.clubde
pescadecartagena.com. Entrees, $11-$20.
* El Santisimo, Calle del Santisimo 8-19; (011-57-5) 664-3316;
www.restauranteelsantisimo.com. Local creative cuisine, including shrimp in
mango/ginger sauce and local fish sauteed in coconut milk. Plaza setting in
restored house. Entrees and combos, $10-$25.
* Tinajero Steak & Seafood House, Hilton Cartagena. Colombian cuisine in
old Cartagena setting. (011-57-5) 665-
0666, ext. 242; www.cartagena.hilton.com. Entrees, $12-$33.
Information: Consulate of Colombia, 305-448-5558. Cartagena tourism,
(011-57-5) 655-0277; www.turismocartagenadeindias.com.