BeTraveler

Maybe it is the lasting memory of the gay icon Elizabeth Taylor's scandalous affair with Richard Burton during his filming of “Night of the Iguana” in the early 60's, but Puerto Vallarta is becoming gayer by the year and is now poised to overtake Acapulco as Mexico's leading gay beach. There are now some dozen gay-friendly hotels and a glut of bars and clubs clustered along the aptly named Zona Romantica.
More info on Wikipedia

When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money. ~Susan Heller

One of our Turkish travelers (and her mum) would like to share a typical delicacy of their country : Börek.

Börek (also burek, boereg, and other variants on the name) is a kind of pie popular throughout the former Ottoman Empire. They are made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo or yufka, and are filled with salty cheese (often feta), minced meat, potatoes or other vegetables. Börek may be prepared in a large pan and cut into portions after baking, or as individual pastries. The top of the börek is often sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Here is her recipe, based on a meat & spinach filling:

1. the Main Ingredients:

4 sheets of round Phyllo Pastry
1 tea glass of extra virgin olive oil
1 glass of milk
4 eggs
40 x 40 cm pyrex casserole dish

2. the Spinach Filling:

1 kg fresh spinach
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

3. the Meat Filling:

150 gr minced meat
1 small onion, chopped
1 tea sp of water
Salt
Black pepper

4. Preparation for Spinach:

Put the salt, pepper, olive oil and onion in a pan. Cook on medium heat for two minutes. Add the spinach and continue cooking until all liquid has evaporated. Put aside and add the meat.

5. Preparation for Meat: Put the salt, black pepper, meat and onion in a pan. Cook on medium heat until the beef is done and add it to the spinach.

Now we can move on to the main ingredients. In a bowl, mix the eggs, add olive oil and milk while continuing to mix with a whisk. This liquid mix will go between every layers of the pastry, and will complement the filling. The filling will go in the middle only.

Grease the casserole dish. Place one sheet of the pastry untidily in the bottom and over the sides of the dish. Spread 2-3 tablespoons of the liquid mix on top. Take another sheet of pastry, do the same. Then, spread all of your main filling. Place the 3rd sheet of the pastry untidily and spread 2-3 tablespoons of the liquid mix on top. Take the last sheet of pastry, do the same. Cut into pieces

Leave the casserole dish in the fridge for 2-3 hours, this way it will be more crispy and tasty. Bake until golden brown at 200 C, for approximately 25 minutes.

You can have it as a main dish (6 servings) or with afternoon tea as a snack.

When you think of Brazil, depending on what decade you were born, you think of Rio, maybe Carmen Miranda, the beautiful mountains right next to the sea. There was always the Samba, and the South American Way, and that Girl From Ipanema.

According to our sources, the beaches haven't changed, at least in beauty - for centuries

What has changed is the level of security in and around the beaches. But let us preface that with telling you this is only around large populations like Rio de Janeiro.

For instance, in Buzios, there is no security threat and the city is willing and ready to keep its act clean for the dollar tourism brings.

Where do you start when you think of Brazil, if Rio isn't all that safe? We suggest that you DO start in Rio, but make sure you are smart about your stay there. Unsafe conditions come when you are alone at night, or have something flashing around that someone might take - such as a camera or jewelry.

There are dozens of locations out of Rio that experience a safe and secure tourism operation. Why not visite Morro de Sao Paulo and Buzios. These two beach cities are so fun and will show you all the charm and culture that Brazil offers.

But don't stop there. Go on to famous Fernando de Noronha island where this Brazilian protectorate has become a getaway for the rich and famous. It's Brazil's Galapagos, and has fauna you won't believe!

Tunisia is undergoing a Morocco-like luxury makeover. A new wave of stylish boutique hotels, often in historic town houses, has cropped up alongside this North African country's white-sand beaches and age-old medinas, drawing increasing numbers of well-heeled travelers.

The Villa Didon in Carthage, for one, has a restaurant originally run by Alain Ducasse. Indeed, TripAdvisor ranks Jerba, a resort island off Tunisia's southern coast, as the No. 1 emerging spot in 2008.

If you want to find out more about Tunisia, check this Wikipedia article.