Irvine, California + Mauritius
While gatherings of seemingly every type have been cancelled worldwide, you know what hasn’t been cancelled? US! We have content for you aplenty:
You can check out our #10KSaturday slice-of-life interviews with people we know and love…and think you will too!
You can read about our “past travels” on our blog…
Have you checked out our daily 10-minute episodes? 10K Dollar Dailies is our way of talking about the current going-ons while staying connected and engaged with you, our listeners! Tune in wherever you get podcasts!
Oh and check out Alison’s parody music video she made…in her house. Performers gotta perform, even while quarantined.
In other news: we were going to be speaking at the Outlier Podcast Festival in Ohio in May. Because of, well, you know, the festival is now going to be a 3-day Virtual Summit taking place May 13th-15, 2020. For just $49, you can learn about podcasting from experts around the world, all while in your pajamas. And you can see us perform a live show on Friday May 13th, 8pm CDT. You can find us on the schedule and register here.
Alison is obsessed with Buxom Power-Full Plumping lip balm. She got it from our producer Ash in a "quarantine happies" package along with a whole range of lipsticks, lip tints, and lip balms for her to try. This one was the winner, for now, anyways. Alison gets obsessed with a new lip product every few months. Lulu is obsessed with her most recent job, which will be coming back around hopefully soon! She is in the revival of 1776! Because of postponed productions, they did a two-week digital workshop, which was a huge gift (and relief!) for actors and other creatives out of work during this time. Huge shout out to American Repertory Theatre!
After spending two weeks in a Zoom workshop, Lulu really needs a better chair. Anyone else working from home feel her? Alison is wishing that her undercut would grow out faster. It is so annoying! I mean when you are stuck in a house with your family, the little things really start to bug you. Anyone have any hair growth acceleration tips? Hit her up!
Letting her fear of getting sick in real life guide her research for this week's destination, Lulu found Irvine, listed among Thrillist’s "Healthiest Cities in the US”, and is ranked as the “safest big city” by the FBI. Both great reasons to visit this spot in real life, or in an imaginary luxury travel day. Lulu flies out Alison to join her, because enough with this quarantine life, she’s ready to see her friend! They head outside Irvine city proper to get to the coast, where Lulu found this Charming beachfront home on Airbnb in Newport Beach. Now there’s beach front, and then there is this place. You literally walk from the sand into the home. This bright and airy rental has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths, and an idyllic outdoor area for watching the sunrise with coffee, or the sunset with wine.
First stop of the day for these ladies who brunch is California chain eatery Breakfast Republic. They start their meal off with Horchata Cold Brew Cocktails made with horchata vodka and nitro cold brew coffee (YUM!)! They also indulge in the “French Toast Sampler for 2”, with options like strawberry & mascarpone, s’mores, banana split, GF cinnamon raisin brioche. Adding a couple sides of bacon to balance out the sweet with some salty.
Next they head to the Great Park Balloon, a giant hot air balloon that looks like a giant orange! It rises to 400 feet above ground! It can fit 30 passengers at a time, for $10 a passenger, Lulu and Alison buy out the whole ride. So for $300 they can do cartwheels in a hot air balloon basket hovering 400 feet in the air. They’d probably get in trouble, but they'd have the space to try it at least once.
After all of that excitement, it’s time for a nosh so they head to HiroNori Craft Ramen. This is some very craft cuisine…their broth is boiled for 24 hours for “richness and taste”, their soy sauce has been barrel aged for two years, and their noddles are freshly made every morning. They both go for the Tonkotsu Ramen bowl.
Post-lunch fun is in store when they head to Bistango. Not to eat, however, as COVID-19 has them temporarily closed. They are offering wine-to-go…and Alison and Lulu have their eye on a $378 dollar of 2013 Opus One. There is a 12 bottle minimum, so there goes $4500+ on vino. Sounds about right.
Lulu wants to find an activity for multiple people, people who will appreciate the good wine, and will have a good time with them while drinking! So Lulu buys five pairs of walkie talkies because they are joining up with Zombie Scavengers to test their apocalypse survival skills. You can have up to 10 people per team, and you have an hour to use your smartphone to scavenge the area for much needed food, supplies, weapons, and shelter. The more things you find in the 1 hour, the more points you get and “more likely you are to survive”.
PS. Our game is family friendly, no actual zombies are involved in the scavenger hunt, which makes sense, because Lulu is a bit anti-zombie.
Lulu pays to have two teams, so that Alison and she can both be captains. And they are each choosing the four celebrities they would want to be on their team:
TEAM LULU:
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Kelly Clarkson
Amy Poehler
Michelle Obama
TEAM ALISON:
Gordon Ramsay
Adam Levine
Steve Martin
Daniel Levy
After their zombie scavenge-ing and wine-drinking, and with very little money left, they head to Taco Bell for some drunk cravings.
And that’s Lulu’s day in Irvine, California in Orange County, where she never went to the beach.
This tiny island nation in the Indian Ocean serves up a laid-back vibe and boundless turquoise ocean views. Thankfully, Lulu knows how to pronounce it. and “they” call it the Hawaii of Africa. Alison has discovered The Oberoi Beach Resort Mauritius located on the pristine white beach of Turtle Bay, a natural marine park made up of white beaches and subtropical gardens. Breathtaking sunrises, sunsets, and starry night skies are a guarantee! She reserves their Presidential Villa with Private Pool, and not just a private pool, but a heated private pool. Perfect for evening swims in the buff! This residence also has its own al fresco dining pavilion! Don't let the thatched roofs fool you, this 7,000 sq foot space is oh-so-luxurious, with thoughtful amenities like a pillow menu, blackout blinds, and included breakfast and dinner. Biggest draw is that it is set right on the ocean so you have unobstructed views!
Alison found a great deal on a car hire for the day with a local driver through Viator. $179 for the entire day! There's a lot of this island nation to see, so it will be handy to have someone who knows their way around getting her from point resort to point local culture.
Swimming with dolphins is the first thing on the itinerary, with an excursion through JPH Charters. For just $50 per person you can enjoy an exciting experience in Black River or Tamarin Bay. Both Spinners and Bottlenose dolphins are seen playing in the bay in the early morning before going back to the open sea, definitely a must!
Alison then goes on a three hour hike through Black River Gorges National Park with a local guide who takes you along the most beautiful trails. Learning about the flora and fauna (read:monkeys up close), you guide will bring you through all kinds of jungle until you conclude your experience with a dip in the river. How rigorous yet picturesque, and for under $50!
After her hike Alison heads for a bite at Chez Tante Athalie in the Pampelmousses region of Mauritius. She is excited for the adorable ambience and for the food influence by Portugest, Dutch, French and British settlers, as well as migrant workers from India, China, and Africa. All the flavor palettes for the win!
Mauritius National Botanical Garden, the garden formerly known as Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanic Garden is known as one of the world’s best botanical gardens. Seeing these exotic, tropical plants in their natural habitat are worth the stop, and the guided tour is an excellent choice if you want to learn more about the unique flora found here.
Half way through her research, Alison discovers that she MUST GO to Flic en Flac beach. Which is on the other side of the island. It's fun-to-say name likely comes from a Dutch phrase meaning "free, flat land". There are beach hotels with incredible spas and bars walking distance from the ocean...so though Alison already has a beachside villa on the other side of the island, she's going to go ahead and book a suite at Maradiva Villas Resort and Spa which boasts an outdoor shower and Hermes toiletries, and she’s going to book a service at Maravida’s spa.
Dinner was included at her first hotel, and her second hotel, but why stop there when she could book a THIRD hotel that includes your meals? Alison booked a Bubble Lodge, a semi-transparent eco-dome in the middle of Mauritius’s largest tea plantation. She closes her day watching the sunset from her bubble sipping on some bubbly!
CHECK OUT THE CHARITIES WE FOUND IN THE CITIES WE VISITED:
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