Men's Journal

Gluten-Free Recipes

Allen Lim’s Rice Cakes

Ingredients:

2 cups Calrose medium-grain rice

3 eggs

50 to 75 grams of prosciutto, diced

Bragg Liquid Aminos, or tamari soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

Modena balsamic vinegar

Cook 2 cups of rice with 3.25 cups of water, in a rice cooker or on the stove. (To cook on stove, combine rice and water, and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Cover and reduce heat to low. Water should remain at a simmer. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until rice has absorbed all water and is fluffy.)

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pan on medium-high, add eggs and scramble.

When the rice is cooked, mix it with the eggs, and add prosciutto, Braggs Liquid Aminos, and balsamic vinegar to taste. Take the mixture and smash it into a brownie pan to form squares. The squares can be refrigerated or eaten warm. Wrap squares in aluminum foil for easy transportation on the bike. Recipe feeds two hungry cyclists on a long ride.

Chef Sean Fowler’s Sean Bars

Ingredients:

6 cups organic, whole-grain oat flakes

6 cups organic, puffed rice

6 cups nut mixture:  (2 1/2 cups cashews, 2 1/2 cups almonds and 1 cup sunflower seeds)

1 1/2 cups maple sugar

1/2 cup sunflower oil

1 cup apple reduction concentrate (available in health food stores)

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 cups agave syrup

3/4 cups molasses of rice

3/4 maple syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 vanilla bean

14 oz. puree of dried figs

2 individual, instant soluble coffee packages (such as Starbucks’ VIA)

Mix all nuts and grains together with the maple sugar, sunflower oil and 1/2 cup of the apple reduction concentrate. Spread on baking pan and toast in convection oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until brown. Then place in large mixing bowl and mix well with agave, molasses of rice, maple syrup, remaining 1/2 cup of apple concentrate, brown sugar, vanilla from one bean, 14 ounces of dried-fig puree and coffee from 2 individual soluble coffee packages.

After mixing well, spread again evenly onto a sheet pan with wax paper approximately 1/2-inch thick,making sure it’s also well-packed. Bake in a convection oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. until golden-brown and delicious. Remove from sheet pan if possible to cool. When cool, cut into square portions with serrated knife. Wrap with either plastic wrap, wax paper or parchment paper. Bars can be frozen. 

If your oven doesn’t have a convection setting, just cook for about 25 percent longer than indicated. (Around 25 minutes for the first baking; about 38 minutes for the second.)

Chef Sean Fowler’s Super Sean Salad

Ingredients:

12 ounces mixed leaf greens: Buy the freshest at the market; the more variety, the better. Wash thoroughly with water and either a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice to kill any bacteria. Then spin dry and place in large mixing bowl.

1 small bundle fresh parsley, chopped and stemmed

6 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

1/2 cup cashews

1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1 large carrot, peeled and grated

1 cooked beet, peeled and grated

1 apple (Granny Smith is a good choice) and/or strawberries, washed and cut into medium dice

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped fine

3 ounces whole cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup raisins

1 sweet onion, diced medium

1 small red pepper, seeded, bitter membrane removed and diced

2 ounces Manchego cheese, diced without skin

2 tablespoons rice molasses

1/4 cup olive oil

red wine vinegar, sprinkled to taste

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper, to taste.

Mix all ingredients in bowl, serve individually and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve immediately after mixing to ensure crispness and vitamin and mineral content. Serves four hungry athletes.

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How to Enter:

1. To enter the Men’s Journal Survey Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”), visit the Men’s Journal website at Accessmensjournal.com and follow the registration and entering directions provided therein. Limit one entry per person. Sweepstakes begins at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on February 3, 2010. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on February 17, 2010.

2. No mechanically reproduced or computer generated entries permitted. Not responsible for lost, late or misdirected entries, or entries containing incorrect or incomplete information. Not responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer, on-line, or Internet systems or services, servers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email or entry or confirmation or winners notice on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet, problems with the Accessmensjournal.com website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person’s computer resulting from downloading any materials in connection with the Sweepstakes. Entries become the property of Men’s Journal LLC (“Sponsors”) and will not be acknowledged or returned.

Winner(s):

One (1) Grand Prize winner will be selected from a random drawing held on or about February 17, 2010 from among all eligible entries received. The winners will be notified by e-mail or telephone. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received.

Prize(s):

Three (3) Grand Prize winners will receive: a $500 American Express Gift Card. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) of Grand Prize: $500. Actual retail value of the Grand Prize may vary. Certain restrictions may apply. Men’s Journal reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value.

General:

1. Employees of Sponsors, their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising or promotional agencies, and their immediate family members and/or those living in same household are not eligible.

2. No substitution or transfer of prize permitted except as provided herein. Prizes are non-redeemable for cash. In the event of unavailability, Sponsors may substitute a prize of greater or equal value.

3. All federal/state/local taxes are the sole responsibility of prize winners.

4. Potential prize winners must execute an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability/Prize Acceptance Form within 10 days of notification. Noncompliance/return of prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

5. By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Sponsors, their parents, subsidiaries and affiliated entities, and each of their directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives from any damage, injury, expense, cost, death, loss, claim, action, demand, or other liability that may arise in connection with the Sweepstakes, or resulting from their acceptance and/or use of any prize, their travel to or from any prize related activity, their participation in this promotion, or from any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, including, without limitation, personal injury, death, and/or property damage.

6. Acceptance of any Prize constitutes consent to use winner’s name and likeness for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law.

7. Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process, the operation of the Accessmensjournal.com website, or who is otherwise in violation of the Official Rules. Sponsors further reserve the right to cancel, terminate or modify the Sweepstakes in the event the Sweepstakes is not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, or technical failures of any kind. In the event of a dispute as to entries submitted by multiple users having the same email account, the authorized subscriber of the email account used to enter the Sweepstakes at the actual time of entry will be deemed to be the entrant and must comply with these Official Rules. Authorized account subscriber is deemed to be the natural person who is assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization which is responsible for assigning email addresses or the domain associated with the submitted email address. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY PARTICIPANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE ACCESSMENSJOURNAL WEBSITE OR TAMPER WITH OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT(S) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

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Winner’s List:

For names of prize winners, after February 17, 2010, send a separate, stamped, self-addressed, No.10 envelope to: Accessmensjournal.com Survey Sweepstakes, c/o Men’s Journal, Attention BG, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104.

Official Rules for Men’s Journal Survey Sweepstakes

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Open to legal residents of the United States who as of January 8, 2010 are fifteen years of age or older.

How to Enter:

1. To enter the Men’s Journal Survey Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”), visit the Men’s Journal website at Accessmensjournal.com and follow the registration and entering directions provided therein. Limit one entry per person. Sweepstakes begins at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on January 8, 2010. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on January 22, 2010.

2. No mechanically reproduced or computer generated entries permitted. Not responsible for lost, late or misdirected entries, or entries containing incorrect or incomplete information. Not responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer, on-line, or Internet systems or services, servers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email or entry or confirmation or winners notice on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet, problems with the Accessmensjournal.com website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person’s computer resulting from downloading any materials in connection with the Sweepstakes. Entries become the property of Men’s Journal LLC (“Sponsors”) and will not be acknowledged or returned.

Winner(s):

Two (2) Grand Prize winners will be selected from a random drawing held on or about January 22, 2010 from among all eligible entries received. The winners will be notified by e-mail or telephone. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received.

Prize(s):

Two (2) Grand Prize winners will receive: $250 American Express Gift Cards each. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) of Grand Prize: $500. Actual retail value of the Grand Prize may vary. Certain restrictions may apply. Men’s Journal reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value.

General:

1. Employees of Sponsors, their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising or promotional agencies, and their immediate family members and/or those living in same household are not eligible.

2. No substitution or transfer of prize permitted except as provided herein. Prizes are non-redeemable for cash. In the event of unavailability, Sponsors may substitute a prize of greater or equal value.

3. All federal/state/local taxes are the sole responsibility of prize winners.

4. Potential prize winners must execute an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability/Prize Acceptance Form within 10 days of notification. Noncompliance/return of prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

5. By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Sponsors, their parents, subsidiaries and affiliated entities, and each of their directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives from any damage, injury, expense, cost, death, loss, claim, action, demand, or other liability that may arise in connection with the Sweepstakes, or resulting from their acceptance and/or use of any prize, their travel to or from any prize related activity, their participation in this promotion, or from any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, including, without limitation, personal injury, death, and/or property damage.

6. Acceptance of any Prize constitutes consent to use winner’s name and likeness for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law.

7. Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process, the operation of the Accessmensjournal.com website, or who is otherwise in violation of the Official Rules. Sponsors further reserve the right to cancel, terminate or modify the Sweepstakes in the event the Sweepstakes is not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, or technical failures of any kind. In the event of a dispute as to entries submitted by multiple users having the same email account, the authorized subscriber of the email account used to enter the Sweepstakes at the actual time of entry will be deemed to be the entrant and must comply with these Official Rules. Authorized account subscriber is deemed to be the natural person who is assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization which is responsible for assigning email addresses or the domain associated with the submitted email address. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY PARTICIPANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE ACCESSMENSJOURNAL WEBSITE OR TAMPER WITH OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT(S) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

8. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges, which shall be final and binding with regard to all matters relating to the Sweepstakes.

9. Any dispute arising from this Sweepstakes will be determined according to the laws of the State of New York, without reference to its conflict of laws principles, and the entrants consent to the personal jurisdiction of the State and Federal Court located in New York County and agree that such courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all such disputes.

Winner’s List:

For names of prize winners, after January 22, 2010, send a separate, stamped, self-addressed, No.10 envelope to: Accessmensjournal.com Survey Sweepstakes, c/o Men’s Journal, Attention BG, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104.

What’s New: The Dreaded Feast

“We all know that Christmas is the real culprit here, the true source of the mania, depression, and clinical hysteria.”

—P.J. O’Rourke, from The Dreaded Feast: Writers on Enduring the Holidays ($16), a collection of essays and diatribes — from Mark Twain, Hunter S. Thompson, David Sedaris, Charles Bukowski, and more — that celebrates the Ebenezer Scrooge in each of us.

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This article originally appeared in the December 2009/January 2010 issue of Men’s Journal.

Essentials of a Sniper’s Toolkit

A sniper carries many items in the field. We asked Tyler to describe the five most essential.

1. Rifle and Scope

You want one you’ve shot many times, with a scope you’ve calibrated using a chronograph, which is like a radar gun and calculates the bullet speed. In the field you’ll do calculations to adjust for barometric pressure, temperature, altitude, angle, and even, for longer shots, the Earth’s rotation. But in the end it comes down to knowing your weapon. It comes down to feel. If I were working an urban scenario, like the one in the sketch, and was expecting the target to be people, I would probably opt for an MK11, also known as the SR25, because it is semiauto, not bolt-action, and I can quickly engage multiple targets easier if Ineed to. If I’m on a mission where Ihave to shoot from a distance and still need something light enough to pack around, then I might opt for a .300 Winchester Magnum. For the scope, I want glass that captures as much light as possible, especially for dusk and dawn scenarios. And I don’t want anything too large that’s going to be tough to conceal. Plus, sometimes I need to get into tight spaces. Schmidt & Bender has some of the best glass for rifle scopes — nothing fatigues the eye and body more than looking through a distorted lens.

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2. Rounds

You don’t need many; 30 to 50 would be on the high end. They are heavy, and you shouldn’t be missing. Ilike accurized rounds with open tips, in particular a type called Sierra MatchKing. Open tips fly truer: The center of gravity is shifted slightly toward the rear, and they’re teardrop-shaped for less turbulence. They don’t lose much speed, hitting the target at more than 1,180 feet per second.

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3. Binoculars

You have your scope, but it’s small. Swarovski has some of the best glass you can get in binoculars.

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4. Compass 

I like the Silva Ranger compass because it’s light and easy to use, and it has a signal mirror built in.

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5. Secondary Weapon

If three people are coming around a corner 10 feet from you and all you have is a bolt-action rifle, you are in trouble. I prefer a semiautomatic pistol, a .45 — you can fire three shots in three seconds, and it’s light on your body. Some guys wear it on their torso, but I like it strapped to my upper thigh. You’ll want a silencer, too. That way you don’t have to grab anybody and knife them. The last thing a sniper needs is to have his hide site compromised by a pack of feral dogs or a nosy bad guy or two.

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Return to “The Way of the Sniper”

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This article originally appeared in the December 2009/January 2010 issue of Men’s Journal.

Groundwork for a Kill

Scott Tyler breaks down his approach to a hypothetical mission in Iraq.

The first thing you need to know is that no two sniper situations are the same. Even at the same location, things change: the sun, wind, people, objects. It’s the job of the sniper team — a shooter and spotter — to account for that. What you see here is a modified “range card” I drew, the kind of sketch I would put together on a piece of paper with the spotter’s help so we could quickly communicate and engage targets using a common perspective. The card can easily be handed over to a relief team.

This is a typical urban setting in Iraq, a place where IEDs have been set in the past along a military supply route. We’re trying to stop the people who are doing it. The arcs indicate the distances in meters from the shooting position. The 1, 2, and 3 indicate rubble or rock that the enemy might use for ambush. You need to scan those places continuously — there could be machine guns, RPGs. The X marks where an IED will most likely be placed. It’s a suspicious place, because in previous days people may have built fires there, dumped garbage, hammered, done something to break through the surface of the road. People often will use the same place for bombs once the surface has been breached. They tend to return to places that are familiar to them.

Our cover might be anything from bushes to a building to a trash pile. You want to have a place where you can see well. Ideally, you’re prone, but rarely does that happen. Comfort is not the norm. Bad positions are. You may be there for hours or even a day or longer. A member of my team once had to shoot leaning out of a building, with his rifle on metal grillwork. It was the only shot he had. Because the barrel was touching metal, it distorted the harmonics of the whole thing. The bullet path changed because of it, and he missed badly. He didn’t get another chance.

Return to “The Way of the Sniper”

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This article originally appeared in the December 2009/January 2010 issue of Men’s Journal.

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How to Enter:

1. To enter the Men’s Journal Survey Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”), visit the Men’s Journal website at Accessmensjournal.com and follow the registration and entering directions provided therein. Limit one entry per person. Sweepstakes begins at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on 11/13/09. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on 11/18/09.

2. No mechanically reproduced or computer generated entries permitted. Not responsible for lost, late or misdirected entries, or entries containing incorrect or incomplete information. Not responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer, on-line, or Internet systems or services, servers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email or entry or confirmation or winners notice on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet, problems with the Accessmensjournal.com website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person’s computer resulting from downloading any materials in connection with the Sweepstakes. Entries become the property of Men’s Journal LLC (“Sponsors”) and will not be acknowledged or returned.

Winner(s):

One (1) Grand Prize winner will be selected from a random drawing held on or about 11/18/09 from among all eligible entries received. The winners will be notified by e-mail or telephone. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received.

Prize(s):

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive: $500 American Express Gift Card. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”) of Grand Prize: $500. Actual retail value of the Grand Prize may vary. Certain restrictions may apply. Men’s Journal reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value.

General:

1. Employees of Sponsors, their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising or promotional agencies, and their immediate family members and/or those living in same household are not eligible.

2. No substitution or transfer of prize permitted except as provided herein. Prizes are non-redeemable for cash. In the event of unavailability, Sponsors may substitute a prize of greater or equal value.

3. All federal/state/local taxes are the sole responsibility of prize winners.

4. Potential prize winners must execute an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability/Prize Acceptance Form within 10 days of notification. Noncompliance/return of prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner.

5. By entering, participants agree to release and hold harmless Sponsors, their parents, subsidiaries and affiliated entities, and each of their directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives from any damage, injury, expense, cost, death, loss, claim, action, demand, or other liability that may arise in connection with the Sweepstakes, or resulting from their acceptance and/or use of any prize, their travel to or from any prize related activity, their participation in this promotion, or from any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, including, without limitation, personal injury, death, and/or property damage.

6. Acceptance of any Prize constitutes consent to use winner’s name and likeness for editorial, advertising and publicity purposes without additional compensation, except where prohibited by law.

7. Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify any person tampering with the entry process, the operation of the Accessmensjournal.com website, or who is otherwise in violation of the Official Rules. Sponsors further reserve the right to cancel, terminate or modify the Sweepstakes in the event the Sweepstakes is not capable of completion as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, or technical failures of any kind. In the event of a dispute as to entries submitted by multiple users having the same email account, the authorized subscriber of the email account used to enter the Sweepstakes at the actual time of entry will be deemed to be the entrant and must comply with these Official Rules. Authorized account subscriber is deemed to be the natural person who is assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization which is responsible for assigning email addresses or the domain associated with the submitted email address. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY ANY PARTICIPANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE THE ACCESSMENSJOURNAL WEBSITE OR TAMPER WITH OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE SWEEPSTAKES IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH ENTRANT(S) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

8. By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of the judges, which shall be final and binding with regard to all matters relating to the Sweepstakes.

9. Any dispute arising from this Sweepstakes will be determined according to the laws of the State of New York, without reference to its conflict of laws principles, and the entrants consent to the personal jurisdiction of the State and Federal Court located in New York County and agree that such courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all such disputes.

Winner’s List:

For names of prize winners, after 11/18/09, send a separate, stamped, self-addressed, No.10 envelope to: Accessmensjournal.com Survey Sweepstakes, c/o Men’s Journal, Attention BG, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104.

Official Rules for Men’s Journal Survey Sweepstakes

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Open to legal residents of the United States who as of 11/05/09 are fifteen years of age or older.

How to Enter:

1. To enter the Men’s Journal Survey Sweepstakes (the “Sweepstakes”), visit the Men’s Journal website at Accessmensjournal.com and follow the registration and entering directions provided therein. Limit one entry per person. Sweepstakes begins at 9:00 a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on 11/05/09. All entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on 11/09/09.

2. No mechanically reproduced or computer generated entries permitted. Not responsible for lost, late or misdirected entries, or entries containing incorrect or incomplete information. Not responsible for any problems or technical malfunctions of any telephone network or lines, computer, on-line, or Internet systems or services, servers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email or entry or confirmation or winners notice on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet, problems with the Accessmensjournal.com website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrant’s or any other person’s computer resulting from downloading any materials in connection with the Sweepstakes. Entries become the property of Men’s Journal LLC (”Sponsors”) and will not be acknowledged or returned.

Winner(s):

One (1) Grand Prize winner will be selected from a random drawing held on or about 11/09/09 from among all eligible entries received. The winners will be notified by e-mail or telephone. Odds of winning depend on number of eligible entries received.

Prize(s):

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Winner’s List:
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Mexico: 30% Off

Best for Honeymooners

Base camp: Sayulita
Just as drug wars were forcing already cheap Mexico to slash prices to keep tourists, swine flu hit. To fill empty beaches, hotels and airlines are piling on deals, even to the area near Puerto Vallarta known as Riviera Nayarit ($300 flights from L.A.). A surfer’s mecca and fishing village, Sayulita dead-ends at a white beach with two breaks — the Right is slow and steady, good for longboarders and beginners, while the Left rolls fast and high for shortboarders — and the bottom is all sand. For the best fish tacos outside of Baja, try Sayulita Fish Taco Restaurant, which also boasts more than 300 rare tequilas ($2; sayulitafishtaco.com). Stay in a private ocean-view villa with your own staff and pool ($100; sayulitalife.com), or drive 15 minutes to Punta de Mita, where many luxury resorts are throwing in a third night free ($279; starwoodhotels .com/stregis). Come from June to February, when volunteers free thousands of olive ridley and leatherback turtle hatchlings from their nests (project-tortuga.org).

Excursion 1: The waters off Nayarit offer amazing blue-water spear and deep-sea fishing ($980 for four nights; puntamitaexpeditions.com).

Excursion 2: Sierra Madre
Mountain biking this jungle’s singletrack reveals rare birds, deserted beaches, even jaguars ($50; wildmex.com).

Can’t Get It at Home: Intricate, handmade silver jewelry, sold by weight ($14 per ounce).

Read Before You Go: Gringos in Paradise by Barry Golson
A retiring editor and his wife try to build their dream house in Sayulita.

This article is part of our See The World — at 50% Off package.

Ireland: 35% Off

Best for Seafood and Surf

Base camp: Galway
The humbled Celtic tiger has thrown out a welcome mat, with $400 flights from New York to Shannon Airport in the West Country — the Ireland of song, with green mountains, deep lakes, great whiskey, and a jolly middle finger to the capricious weather. Galway is all cobblestones and bright-colored buildings, where old-world rooms at the Hotel Meyrick are a short stumble from your favorite pint (from $134; hotelmeyrick.ie). Sample some of the planet’s freshest seafood at O’Grady’s on the Pier (ogradysonthepier.com), and be sure to buy a round for the musicians singing of seafarers and shipwrecks during a musical pub crawl along Shop and Quay streets. During the annual Oyster Festival (September 24–27, galwayoysterfest.com), 30 pubs offer free oysters to anyone who downs a pint of Guinness.

Excursion 1: Surfing Aileen’s
First surfed in 2005, Aileen’s Wave is a monster barrel with a consistent winter break off the stunning Cliffs of Moher. Rent a car, take the N6, N18, then N67, and follow signs for the Cliffs (60 minutes). Too advanced? Take a class nearby ($55; lahinchsurfschool.com).

Excursion 2: The Aran Islands
The craggy rocks at the mouth of Galway Bay are the best spot around for deep-sea fishing ($85; galwaybayfishing.com). Ferries from Rossaveal take 45 minutes ($35; aranislandferries.com).

Can’t Get It At Home: Burren Smokehouse’s hot-smoked salmon
Dill and honey make Ireland’s famous salmon a world-class gift ($16; burrensmokehouse.ie).

Read Before You Go: Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle
A comic tale of a working-class preteen hooligan in Dublin.

This article is part of our See The World — at 50% Off package.

Vietnam: 35% Off

Best for Golf Addicts

Base camp: Dalat
The Communists may have won the “American War,” but Vietnam has fallen to the ultimate capitalist weapon — golf — with nearly 20 world-class courses now open. Rounds are very affordable (often less than $100), as are a crop of fine hotels and restaurants. The country’s oldest and best layout is Dalat Palace Golf Club, 50 miles north of Ho Chi Minh City, in the center of a mountaintop city built by the French in the 1920s, which plays up and down hills and along a series of lakes with lush, New England–like bent grass ($90; vietnamgolfresorts.com). Live like a French colonist at the grand Sofitel Dalat Palace Hotel ($200) and its authentic restaurant, Le Rabelais. (Try the wild boar.)

Excursion 1: Hoi An
The narrow cobblestoned streets of Hoi An’s Old Town are lined with centuries-old houses built when this was a trading center. Stay in the laid-back Life Heritage Resort ($120; life-resorts.com), and don’t miss the “eclectic fusion” cuisine of Mango Rooms, where Texas A&M alum Duc Tran is renowned for his Exotic Dance (prawns wrapped with beef). The new Montgomerie Links course, designed by Scottish scowler Colin Montgomerie, offers 18 meticulous holes over gently mounded terrain featuring lakes and stretches of sand ($88; montgomerielinks.com).

Excursion 2: Ba Vi Mountains
Like politicians everywhere, Vietnam’s bosses love golf. The best game in Hanoi is at Kings’ Island resort in Dong Mo Lake, accessible only by boat ($80; kingsislandgolf.com). Its Mountainview course is dramatic, with vistas of the Ba Vi Mountains, also a great area for hiking and biking (adventuretours.vn). To taste the French influence on local cuisine, try flower crab ($10), or any fresh fish, at chef Didier Corlou’s La Verticale (verticale-hanoi.com).

Can’t Get It At Home: Bargain Bespoke

The custom-made shirts and suits in Hoi An are high quality-and unbelievably cheap ($8 a shirt; try Yaly or Thu Thuy).

Read Before You Go: Shadows and Wind by Robert Templer
A fascinating, nuanced postwar history of a misunderstood nation.

This article is part of our See The World — at 50% Off package.

Maui: 30% Off

Best for Relaxing on the Beach

Base Camp: Hana
As Hawaii’s most accessible vacation island, Maui is chock-full of resorts desperately discounting in the recession, and flights are as low as $450 from Los Angeles. But how do you find solitude in paradise? Fortunately, the 617 white-knuckle switchbacks and 56 one-lane bridges on the road to Hana keep most tourists away. With dozens of spectacular waterfalls and secluded red-sand beaches, this cliffside jungle village with little more than a general store actively discourages development, with bumper stickers that read KEEP HANA HAWAIIAN. Rent a private home (studios from $600 per month; hanamaui.com) or, for a bit more luxury, stay at Hotel Hana-Maui, whose island craft–adorned seaside bungalows, built from native woods in the 1940s as the spring-training home of the Pacific Coast League’s San Francisco Seals, make it the most quietly beautiful hotel in the entire state — and $200 cheaper than a year ago (from $495, hotelhanamaui.com). For a delicious bargain meal, simply head out on the Hana Highway, which is dotted with plate-lunch trucks selling fresh-caught seafood ($5) and smoothies ($3) made from fruit right off the tree. Still not convinced this is paradise? Hana is also home to Hawaii’s best nude beach.

Excursion 1: Gliding over the waters off Hana
An ultralight airplane is little more than a motorcycle with wings — all the exposure of a hog with the grace of a bird — but it’s the best way to get close to stunning waterfalls and cresting humpback whales. At 10,000 feet, your instructor will cut the engine and glide on gentle winds to the remote Hana airstrip (from $220 per hour, hangglidingmaui.com).

Excursion 2: Haleakala
This dormant volcano dominates the island; you can make a three-day trek to the crater and back by camping or booking cabins in Haleakala National Park. Take the Hana highway south, then follow signs to the park ($5 fee plus $75 for a reserved cabin; nps.gov/hale).

Can’t Get It At Home: An Authentic Gyotaku

Intricately detailed prints, made from the fresh fish you just caught, and framed in Hawaiian koa wood, by local artist Naoki Hayashi ($100; gyotaku.com).

Read Before You Go: Fluke: Or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore
Surviving a watery superrace.

This article is part of our See The World — at 50% Off package.

Turkey: 35% Off

Best for an Anniversary

Base Camp: Istanbul
If you love the tumble of city life for a steal, then East/West ancient/modern Istanbul is the place to be. The Turkish economy has crashed some 5 percent this year (worse than the annual rate during our Great Depression), and flights now cost 20 percent less than a year ago. You can live like a king and queen in the jail from Midnight Express, now a Four Seasons, and arguably Istanbul’s finest hotel ($500; fourseasons.com). Or enjoy a bargain at the Naz Wooden House Inn, built on the ruins of an eighth-century Byzantine palace, with views of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque ($100; nazwoodenhouseinn.com). Cross the Bosporus to Asia for Turkey’s best restaurant, Ciya Sofrasi, so seasonal there’s no set menu; brave the intestines stuffed with lamb ($8, ciya.com.tr). After haggling for spices you’ve never heard of at the Spice Market, have a beer under the Galata bridge ($2) and watch the flickering lights of the Old City while leathery fishermen reel in their catch.

Excursion 1: Cappadocia
Take a one-hour flight to Kayseri ($130; thy.com) to explore the sci-fi moonscape of Cappadocia. The ultrasoft volcanic tufa rock has worn into minaret-like pillars, which early Christians carved underground churches into. Stay at Serinn House, a stylish five-room cave hotel ($150; serinnhouse.com).

Excursion 2: Troy
Ruins from the city of antiquity, as well as the bloody battlefields of Gallipoli, are a half-day’s drive away.

Can’t Get It At Home: Raki
This elegant anise-flavored brandy is the national drink.

Read Before You Go: Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk
The Nobel winner explores the city’s hopeful melancholy.

This article is part of our See The World — at 50% Off package.

Argentina: 25% Off

Best for Horses, Steak, and Wine

Base camp: Buenos Aires
Argentina’s capital is a lot like Paris, only much cheaper, with better weather (highs of 60 to 80 degrees year-round) and even more innately elegant women. Thanks to the newly recollapsed Argentinian economy, there are dozens of great neighborhoods with cheap lodging, but Recoleta is the most beautiful. (It boasts the extraordinary Recoleta Cemetery, which has blocks of towering tombs and Eva Perón’s final resting place.) Save more cash by renting an apartment with your own kitchen for $230 a week (baapartments.com.ar). Soak up the country’s love affair with horses at the timeless racetrack Hipodrómo Argentino de Palermo ($3;palermo.com.ar); opened in 1876, it still feels like something from another era. Argentines eat more steak per person than anyone in the world; learn why at Cabaña Las Lilas (laslilas.com), where you can gorge on some of the most delicious beef you’ve ever tasted for $20, preferably around midnight, when most locals have supper.

Excursion 1: The Paraná Delta
Roughly 20 miles outside of Buenos Aires, five rivers come together to form a mix of grassland, swamp, and forest, with hundreds of islands begging to be explored. Catch a 60-minute train to Estación Tigre ($1), and walk one block to Estación Fluvial, where you can hire a boat for a tour (from $4). Or just stick around and go swimming, kayaking, wakeboarding, and sculling in a place that feels a world away from the city.

Excursion 2: Parque Nacional Perito Moreno
Barely 1,000 visitors a year dare to visit this remote, often bitterly cold — April through October is particularly rough — and utterly magnificent park in the mountains of Patagonia. Fly Aerolíneas Argentinas to Aeropuerto El Calafate (from $270), rent a car ($70; milletrentacar.com.ar), and drive National Road No. 40 until it intersects with No. 37, which takes you to the park. Be sure to stock up on supplies in advance (including extra gas), as you’ll be staying in your ride or camping. The payoff: plenty of breathtaking glacier-topped peaks (Cerro San Lorenzo stands 12,100 feet), metallic blue lakes, wildlife like condors, pumas, and foxes — and virtually no people.

Can’t Get It At Home: Dulce de Leche Empanadas
Separately, real Argentinian empanadas (small pies stuffed with meats, cheese, etc., from street carts) and dulce de leche (a caramelized sauce of milk and sugar) are delicious. But a warm empanada with this sweet filling? Addictive.

Read Before You Go: El Diego: The Autobiography of the World’s Greatest Footballer by Diego Maradona. He’s no Borges, but in his rise from poverty, Maradona casts a sharp eye on social strata.

This article is part of our See The World — at 50% Off package.