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	<title>Butterfly Diary</title>
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	<link>http://butterflydiary.com</link>
	<description>A Travel Blog with Colorful Tales</description>
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		<title>Photo of the Day: Snow Covered Spruce Trees at Rib Mountain State Park, Wausau, Wisconsin</title>
		<link>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/02/photo-of-the-day-snow-covered-spruce-trees-at-rib-mountain-state-park-wausau-wisconsin/</link>
		<comments>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/02/photo-of-the-day-snow-covered-spruce-trees-at-rib-mountain-state-park-wausau-wisconsin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:25:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charu Suri</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rib mountain state park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[snow covered spruce trees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wausau]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wisconsin]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://butterflydiary.com/?p=6454</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today&#39;s photo of the day is once again of&#8212;you guessed, it &#8211;Wisconsin! After my recent trip, I could not help marvel at the pristine quality of snow-covered terrain, especially the sweeping spruce trees. One such giant (almost Gulliver-like) spruce tree stood in our way as the group hiked on Rib Mountain State Park. Several branches stood, imperturbable and laced with snow. But the spruce trees seemed to make fun of the bare trees because of their generous evergreen leaves. This is a slightly overexposed photo (the glare of the sun plus the snow makes for some truly white on white) but the essence of that moment is still very much alive. Spruce trees at Rib Mountain State Park, January 2011]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/02/photo-of-the-day-snow-covered-spruce-trees-at-rib-mountain-state-park-wausau-wisconsin/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Photo of the Day: A Walk in Rib Mountain State Park, Wausau, Wisconsin</title>
		<link>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/photo-of-the-day-a-walk-in-rib-mountain-state-park-wausau-wisconsin/</link>
		<comments>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/photo-of-the-day-a-walk-in-rib-mountain-state-park-wausau-wisconsin/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:51:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charu Suri</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photo og the Day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Walk in Rib Mountain State Park]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wausau]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wisconsin]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://butterflydiary.com/?p=6444</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today&#39;s photo of the day is of Wausau, Wisconsin, a place I never thought I would visit during the winter because I&#39;m typically shy of the cold and snow. A hike through Rib Mountain State Park completely changed my mind however. Birch and oak trees gently swayed with snow and ice; the landscape &#8211;white on white&#8211;was more brilliant than I anticipated. As I hiked through one of the oldest geological formations on Earth, I could hear the silence. Simon and Garfunkle&#39;s song, &#34;The Sound of Silence&#34; echoed in my mind. The tints of aqua and white formed an Ansel Adam-esque backdrop and it was hard not to feel close to Nature.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/photo-of-the-day-a-walk-in-rib-mountain-state-park-wausau-wisconsin/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Blogger Spotlight Series: An Interview with Runaway Juno</title>
		<link>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/blogger-spotlight-series-an-interview-with-runaway-juno/</link>
		<comments>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/blogger-spotlight-series-an-interview-with-runaway-juno/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:57:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charu Suri</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blogger Spotlight Series]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Interview with Runaway Juno]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://butterflydiary.com/?p=6434</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There&#39;s no denying the infectious presence that Juno Kim (aka @RunawayJuno) has on Twitter. She is lively, fun and engaging. Her blog posts are vivid and extremely candid, and I find her to be very down to earth. We get to know her better in our Blogger Spotlight Series Q&#38;A. &#160; Juno eating BBQ and onion rings in Virginia, USA &#160; Q: What were some of your favorite places to visit in 2011? Would you revisit? Why? &#160; Runaway Juno: Borneo, Malaysia and New England, USA. &#160; Yes I will revisit both. No matter how long we spend each country, if always felt short if you have the interests about the place. And Borneo Malaysia and USA were like that for me. &#160; Borneo is still a very wild place to travel, and all the surrounding nature fascinates me. Food is fantastic, and people are so laid back. I want to go jungle trekking and island hopping there. &#160; I went to a road trip to New England for 56 days during three months of my time in the US. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/blogger-spotlight-series-an-interview-with-runaway-juno/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What are Travel Bloggers&#8217; Top Destinations in 2012?</title>
		<link>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/what-are-travel-bloggers-top-destinations-in-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/what-are-travel-bloggers-top-destinations-in-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:47:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charu Suri</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Banff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Belize]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Egypt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[London]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel bloggers top destinations for 2012]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trinidad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zimbabwe]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://butterflydiary.com/?p=6419</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The New York Times can make endless predictions of why Chile, Egypt etc. etc. will be the hottest destinations of 2012 but I generally take any publication&#39;s crystal ball with a pinch of salt. After all, travel is a very personal decision. Your bucket list may not be the same as mine for many reasons. As a travel blogger and journalist, traveling to places where I feel as though I have learned something new and different is key. I don&#39;t really subscribe to the &#34;visit sexy places&#34; theory, although there&#39;s nothing wrong with visiting St. Barts or the Bahamas to sip a mint julep on a hammock. If you&#39;re into adventurous travel, then &#34;off the beaten path&#34; &#8211;to use a cliched phrase &#8211;is more appealing. So, where are my adventurous tweeps dying to visit in 2012? Find out: Travel Bloggers Spill their 2012 Destination Yearnings (in alphabetical order) BackPackForever: Personal picks include 1. Nepal. Been wanting to go since Matt Dillon said in Something About Mary, &#34;All I have are these damn Nepalese coins.&#34;&#160; 2. Myanmar/Burma: we want to party [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/what-are-travel-bloggers-top-destinations-in-2012/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>2012 Destinations (PHOTOS): Reasons to Visit Motor City (Detroit, MI)</title>
		<link>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/destinations-to-visit-in-2012-reasons-to-visit-motor-city-detroit-mi/</link>
		<comments>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/destinations-to-visit-in-2012-reasons-to-visit-motor-city-detroit-mi/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:20:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charu Suri</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Experiences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hotels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Detroit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Henry Ford Museum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Motor City]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pewabic Pottery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Piquette Assembly Line]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reasons to visit Detroit]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://butterflydiary.com/?p=6387</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are some places that I am hesitant to visit initially, but end up falling in love with. Travel is like a kaleidoscope in that aspect &#8212; you don&#39;t really know what you&#39;ll get until you get there. Detroit is one visit I will always remember from 2011. There&#39;s so much to Motor City beyond the silver GM Building, the indefatigable assembly line pioneered by Ford, and the dreary thought of worker layoffs and stringent Unions. Detroit is for the foodie, the adventurer, the architect lover in all of us. Beyond the Willy Wonka Car Production Factory: Detroit, a City for Serious Foodies I visited Detroit in April, 2011 and drank in everything: from the developed, ethnic fabric in Dearborn, Michigan to the more run down outskirts like Corktown. Corktown is not pretty, by any stretch of the overactive imagination, but the area is a cultural melting pot and a fabric of Irish immigrant settlers and a now more hip, young urban crowd. Detroit is a place for foodies, and one iconic dining option &#8211;Slow&#39;s BBQ on Michigan Avenue &#8212; [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/destinations-to-visit-in-2012-reasons-to-visit-motor-city-detroit-mi/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>8</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>&#8220;Behind the Scenes&#8221; Series: A Q&amp;A with MMGY Global on Working With Travel Bloggers, Tips for Writers &amp; More</title>
		<link>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/behind-the-scenes-series-a-qa-with-mmgy-global-on-working-with-travel-bloggers/</link>
		<comments>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/behind-the-scenes-series-a-qa-with-mmgy-global-on-working-with-travel-bloggers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:39:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charu Suri</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Behind the Scenes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chuck Mardiks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MMGY Global]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel Bloggers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Working with Travel Bloggers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://butterflydiary.com/?p=6366</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Our &#34;Behind the Scenes&#34; Series continues with a Q&#38;A with Chuck Mardiks, Managing Director of MMGY Global&#39;s New York Office. Chuck provides us with his valuable insight on working with travel bloggers, his do&#39;s and dont&#39;s and more.&#160; &#160; &#160; Q: I&#39;ve seen Peter Yesawich speak before and feel I have an understanding of the pulse of MMGY Global, but would love your candid take on how your agency views travel bloggers. Do you embrace them? Are they an important part of the travel media landscape? Why or why not? Chuck Mardiks: There&#39;s no doubt that the emergence of digital media has changed the travel media landscape and has created a wealth of new opportunities&#160;including the proliferation of travel bloggers.&#160;We closely follow key travel and lifestyle blogs and have forged solid relationships with many of them. We certainly embrace those that reach and influence key markets for our clients. We have created some exciting travel blogger-focused campaigns recently that have generated powerful results.&#160; &#160; &#160; For example, for the German National Tourist Office we partnered with #TNI to host niche-focused [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://butterflydiary.com/2012/01/behind-the-scenes-series-a-qa-with-mmgy-global-on-working-with-travel-bloggers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>13</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Unusual Ways to Celebrate New Year&#8217;s Eve 2012: Olive Drop, Bagpipe Dinner, Hip Hop Bowling &amp; Meditation</title>
		<link>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/unusual-ways-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-2012-olive-drop-bagpipe-dinner-hip-hop-bowling-meditation/</link>
		<comments>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/unusual-ways-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-2012-olive-drop-bagpipe-dinner-hip-hop-bowling-meditation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charu Suri</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Experiences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2012]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bowling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Celebrate New Year's]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meditation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pal Springs Olive Drop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scottish Dinner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unusual New Year's 2012]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Unusual Ways]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://butterflydiary.com/?p=6345</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Each New Year, I fully believe in having an experience. It&#39;s a plus if that experience is non local, since the travel bug always encourages me to seek some new tradition for celebration. Last year, I celebrated New Year&#39;s Eve by doing a chilly but energizing 5K Midnight Run in Central Park. What better way to start off the New Year on a healthy foot? You get delicious mugs of hot chocolate at the end of the race, as well as sparkling cider at about the half mile mark, and fireworks as a background. Unusual? A bit. It certainly is different from watching the Times Square Ball drop or enjoying drinks at a bar, although there&#39;s nothing wrong with those options either. This year, I was curious to see if Americans celebrate New Year&#39;s Eve in unusual ways; if you&#39;re looking for some inspiration, try these on for size: MEDITATION OR YOGA CLASSES: While most people wouldn&#39;t enjoy doing the &#34;downward facing dog&#34; at the stroke of midnight, there&#39;s something peaceful and powerful about meditating to usher in the New [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/unusual-ways-to-celebrate-new-years-eve-2012-olive-drop-bagpipe-dinner-hip-hop-bowling-meditation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Must See 2011 Department Store Holiday Window Displays in New York City: Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy&#8217;s</title>
		<link>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/must-see-2011-department-store-holiday-window-displays-in-new-york-city-bergdorf-goodman-saks-fifth-avenue-macys/</link>
		<comments>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/must-see-2011-department-store-holiday-window-displays-in-new-york-city-bergdorf-goodman-saks-fifth-avenue-macys/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:04:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charu Suri</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://butterflydiary.com/?p=6309</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#39;s impossible to truly experience the spirit of New York City without taking in a good window display or two &#8211;preferably several. Each stores vies for attention and it&#39;s always a surprise as to what the general theme of the displays will be. In the case of Bergdorf Goodman (my hands down favorite this year), the window displays are typically unveiled mid November, closer to Thanksgiving. The theme of Bergdorf Goodman is usually sophisticated yet quirky and unexpected. In contrast are the winning, yet less opulent displays from Macy&#39;s and Saks Fifth Avenue. While Saks Fifth Avenue definitely merits a walk by this year (the hand painted white and black barrels and pulleys are stuff the Metropolitan Opera is made of), Macy&#39;s left me a tad disappointed. Clock gear? Really?&#160; Missing from the below photo series are Lord &#38; Taylor, Bloomingdale&#39;s and Barneys New York and I&#39;m hoping to add them later on. Take a look and leave me a comment: which one of these is your favorite?&#160; MACY&#39;S HOLIDAY WINDOW DISPLAY AT 34TH STREET, HERALD SQUARE, NEW YORK CITY [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/must-see-2011-department-store-holiday-window-displays-in-new-york-city-bergdorf-goodman-saks-fifth-avenue-macys/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>13</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>For All the Tea in China: The Art of the Ancient Japanese Tea Ceremony in Macau</title>
		<link>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/for-all-the-tea-in-china-the-art-of-the-ancient-japanese-tea-ceremony-in-macau/</link>
		<comments>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/for-all-the-tea-in-china-the-art-of-the-ancient-japanese-tea-ceremony-in-macau/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:11:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charu Suri</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Experiences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://butterflydiary.com/?p=6276</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The very last place I expected to find a Japanese tea ceremony was in Macau.&#160; While the English can wax on about their royal &#34;High Tea&#34; and the fancy assortment of scones, watercress sandwiches and what not, the concept of tea as a beverage that is freshly brewed, prepared and served is a Chinese concept that spread to other countries. In as early as 727 A.D., The Chinese Tang Court presented tea as a gift to Emperor Shomu of Japan. Tea then was planted in the Imperial Garden of Kyoto in 794 A.D. So, I should not have been surprised to see the various ways the Macanese take their tea during my recent visit. The Chinese and Japanese have profited from centuries to make their tea just right (tea was discovered in 2772 B.C. by the Chinese emperor and inventor Shennong, and initially planted in the Chengdou province in China). Wherever we went, the place settings and the attention to detail seemed so other wordly. &#34;Only in Asia,&#34; I thought, thinking of the crazy mess in my dining room. I [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/for-all-the-tea-in-china-the-art-of-the-ancient-japanese-tea-ceremony-in-macau/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>7</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How Do You Earn $10,000? We Interview the Winner of TravelGuard&#8217;s 2011 &#8220;World&#8217;s Unluckiest Traveler Contest&#8221;</title>
		<link>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/how-do-you-earn-10000-we-interview-the-winner-of-travelguards-2011-worlds-unluckiest-traveler-contest/</link>
		<comments>http://butterflydiary.com/2011/12/how-do-you-earn-10000-we-interview-the-winner-of-travelguards-2011-worlds-unluckiest-traveler-contest/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:15:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Charu Suri</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Experiences]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[$10000]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emergency]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Zealand honeymoon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rebecca Fisher]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TravelGuard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World's Unluckiest Traveler 2011]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://butterflydiary.com/?p=6268</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For the second time in two years, I&#39;ve been invited to attend TravelGuard&#39;s &#34;World&#39;s Unluckiest Traveler&#34; contest results, and listen to the plight of some really unfortunate globetrotters. Last year, Dr. Gary Feldman won for what I thought was a genuinely funny yet unfortunate story: he was standing on the edge of a cliff to answer Nature&#39;s Call in Vietnam, and slipped and tumbled 30 feet, and broke both his legs.&#160; I&#39;ve been in a pretty pickle here and there but some of the stories submitted to the Insurance Company deserve to be on the Travel Channel (file under &#34;Travel Nightmares&#34;).&#160; &#160; We interviewed the winner of TravelGuard&#39;s 2011 &#34;World&#39;s Unluckiest Traveler&#34; contest, a do-gooder who saved her husband&#39;s life. Rebecca Fisher was on her last minute honeymoon to New Zealand when she discovered that she&#39;d have to give emergency surgery to her husband, and ended up saving his life.&#160; We caught up with Rebecca in a Q&#38;A, and were curious to know if she enjoyed any part of her trip at all, and how she plans to spend that [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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