2009 - Good year so far! New stories, races & more

The new year is off to a good start with personal and professional adventures underway! Here's a snapshot of 2009 so far, in photos and captions:

Jan. 1-7: STORIES ONLINE NOW!

• Away.com Peru stories on Machu Picchu!
Machu Picchu Part 1: Trying to Get Off the Beaten Track
Machu Picchu Part 2: Temple of the Moon
• Story on Monterey in Destination Hyatt is now posted on my website.
• My pet project is a Facebook group I created on the Amgen Tour of California bike race.

Karen at Machu Picchu's ruins near the Temple of the Moon, in October '08.

Jan. 1: NEW YEAR'S EVE

NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTY IN SANTA CRUZ: Pictured here, my mountain bike relay team- mates: Jen Lucia, Henrietta Stern, Winona Hubbard, Karen Kefauver, Tracy Moyle and Rita Leon. Called the Go Go Go Girls, our team will compete in a 24-hour mountain bike (relay) race in May in Northern California. Expect us to look much dirtier!

Race Info: The Coolest 24 Hour Race Against Cancer is held on the Olmstead trail loop in Cool, CA, north of Sacramento. While it is called the Coolest 24 Hour Race Against Cancer, there are three races: kids' race, 8-hour race and a 24-hour race.

Dec. 31: LESSON LEARNED in 2008

Reporter Matthew Cole Scott of Good Times, a Santa Cruz newsweekly, snapped my photo and had me answer a question for its Person on the Street:

Q: What’s the best lesson you learned in 2008, and how did it change you?
A: The best lesson I learned in 2008 was my favorite John Lennon quote, “Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans.” I am now more open to possibilities that I hadn't considered before.
Karen Kefauver, Santa Cruz | Freelance Writer

Bhutan - good news if you are planning to visit!

A Bhutanese temple was constructed on the Mall at the Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. Pictured here is a joker.
Photo credit: Leslie Kefauver

I have not been to Bhutan, but it is high on my list of places to visit. My mother, Leslie Kefauver, learned a lot about Bhutan when it was a featured country at the Folklife Festival, on the Mall in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2008. The photos on this blog entry are taken by her.

I find it discouraging that there is a required daily minimum a visitor must spend in that country. The good news from Jen Robertson at Village Tours and Treks about Bhutan's mandatory daily spending is the rates remain the same as in 2008 (instead of going up!)

Here is what you have to spend:
2009 Peak Season Rates Per Person
US $200 per day - Group of three or more people
US $230 per day - Two people
US $240 per day - One person

Temple art from Bhutanese Buddhist temple at the Folklife Festival.
Photo credit: Leslie Kefauver

2009 Off Season Rates Per Person - only July and August
US $165 per day - Group of three or more people
US $195 per day - Two people
US $205 per day - One person

The government doesn't charge a royalty fee for children under 6 years old; expenses for food and bedding will be charged. Children 6-12 accompanied by their parents or guardians receive a 50% discount on daily rates.

Bhutanese dancers perform at the Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. in summer 2008.
Photo Credit: Leslie Kefauver