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Deliberately homeless: What it means to be a full-time PT - by Paul Terhorst; In a very real sense, our home address is our E-mail address. PTs like security and predictability…it's just that security to us is a trusted friend, a helping hand, rather than a government program. ~ From "The Best of International Living" Life in Argentina ~ Not Taking Into Account The Devaluation Or Political Situation ~ By Jaime Russell - Jaime Russell is married to an Argentinean and has spent the last couple of years in the regional capital of Jujuy. She writes about her experiences in Argentina and points out how different things are in the interior of the country from the troubles in Buenos Aires. Argentina has become a very popular destination for Latin Americans and Europeans. The country has a lot of bargains for those who know where to look: real estate in the south being one of the most popular areas for investors. If you just want to get a feel for Argentina the above article will get you started. April/03  Patagonia,
Coffee, Tea, Maté ~ An
Exchange Student's Escape ~ By Abby Consadine - The history of Patagonia
is rich with stories and mysteries. The gaucho's who populated the region
in the 19th century were some of the fierces fighters ever, and they lived
off a land that gave little. The massive wave of immigration that brought
thousands to Argentina from Europe at the the end of the 19th century also
changed Patagonia: there were Welsh communities and German communties that
mixed with the local population, but kept most of the traditions of their
homelands. These communties are relatively unchanged up to the present
day. The desert in the south is endless and traveling across this landscape
you feel as if are standing still rather than progressing forward. The
above article gives a little glimpse into how people live in Patagonia
and what they do to pass the time away in one of the most remote regions
known to man. June/03
Road Trip Through Argentina - Road Trip Through Argentina - The Route 40 stretches the length of Argentina, from Bolivia to Rio Gallegos. It passes through desert, jungle, mountains and cities. It's the perfect road trip, or so Charlie O'Malley and Kelly Thornhill of The Grapevine thought when they decided to hitch the 1500km from Bolivia to here. That was the plan anyway... May/07 Undervalued Argentina - Undervalued Argentina - Whatever your dream, you may be pleasantly surprised to find there's one nation where it's not simply attainable - but remarkably affordable, too: Argentina. It's varied, beautiful, sophisticated… and undervalued, which means it makes a lot of sense right now - whether you're in the market for a primary residence overseas, a vacation home, or simply a smart investment. Sept./06
Return to Adventure - Return to Adventure - This informative article on adventure desitinations draws on excerpts from our friend Harold Stephens' newest book Return to Adventure: Southeast Asia. Stephens, an adventurer and early escape artist, is a well known expatriate in Asia having written thousands of newspaper and magazine articles and 19 books. Stephens says, "How few of us ever stop to realize that adventure is not something in the past. It's now. It's happening all around us, all the time. The problem is knowing where to look. We turn to new horizons. Adventure awaits in SE Asia." The Mood of Southeast Asia - The Mood of Southeast Asia - Harold Stephens returns to Escape from America Magazine with an excerpt from his novel, Return to Adventure: Southeast Asia. Stephens writes, "There are images so powerful you cannot forget them. The sounds that came to me, at first, were inconsequential, until I minded them. When you sit there long enough, you wonder if your senses are deceiving you. I heard, very faintly, the echo of a gong somewhere far off. A gong in the forest! In an instant more, it was clearer, and louder, and mingled now with faraway voices. Then came the sound of a flute, and another, and more gongs. I watched them grow from fuzzy silhouettes into focus, like a camera zooming in on its subject. I could see them clearly now, all wearing sarongs, white sarongs, and around their waists were scarlet cummerbunds fastened with rich buckles carved in gold."
Australia: Wilson's Promontory - Australia: Wilson's Promontory - Australia has no shortage of national parks providing magnificent scenery. When it comes to wildlife, however, one stands out from the rest – Wilson’s Promontory National Park. Referred to as The Prom, this national park protects 50,000 hectares of diverse landscape; untouched beaches, swamps and rainforest. Jul/06 Australia's Great Ocean Road - Australia's Great Ocean Road - The Great Ocean Road, billed as one of the world’s most stunning coastal drives. Driving yourself along the spectacular coastline would be redundant; if you’re paying attention to the road, you’re going to miss all the scenery. Let someone else do the driving so you can concentrate on the important things. Jun/06 Awake From The Dreamtime ~ Facing The Realities Of Modern-Day Australia ~ by Sharon Miller - When I was a little girl, the dream of visiting the Land Down Under occupied my mind. I dreamed of long stretches of white beach, of bush land as far as the eye could see, of deserts that rivaled the Sahara. I thought about the friendly faces of blond haired, blue eyed Australians smiling as they greeted me with the traditional “G’day.” When I finally visited Australia, during my senior year of college, I found myself entering the land of my dreams. Aug./05 Back
In Time To Gonwonda Land ~ Adventure
In Australia ~ By William Starr Moake - Great article about traveling
around the remote northern territories of Australia. Find out what it's
like to travel through a landscape that is 120 million years old. You will
see some of the oldest flora and fauna in the world. Be careful because
there is the dangerous funnel web spider and the brown box jellyfish, both
of which can kill a human. If you're brave and like adventure then take
a look at what it's like to travel to the far north of Australia. Nov./03
Creatures And Comforts On Kangaroo Island ~ 4-WD Tracking of Koalas, Kangaroos, and Cockatoos ~ Story by Carol L. Bowman Photos by Ernie L. Sowers - The dark, deserted building showed no resemblance to an airport. Noticing our hesitation, the cab driver reassured us that this was the Adelaide General Aviation Terminal, the departure venue for Emu Airways’ 84 weekly flights to Kangaroo Island. Much of our eager anticipation for this sojourn centered on a magical, ecological adventure to Australia’s third largest island, 30 minutes by air and 120 km. from the mainland. Being the dutiful U.S. travelers that we are, we arrived at the terminal the customary 2 hours prior to departure time. Aug./05 Fleeing
Tropical Darwin For The Capricorn Coast ~ Or,
How We Escaped The “Build-Up” In Australia’s Sunshine State ~ by Brian
Norris - Just south of Brisbane and in what the Aussie's call the "sunshine
state" Yeppon, Australia offers the expat many incentives. From the endless
summer days, to the wide open beaches, to the abundant wildlife, northern
Australia makes for a good investment and a good place to call home. If
you want to get out of expensive Europe or dangerous America, then take
a look at safe Australia. Sept./03
Going, Going – Ghan ~ Across Australia By Train ~ Story by Carol L. Bowman Photos by Ernie L. Sowers - The full moon beamed down on the baked Red Centre clay, emitting a rebounding glow from the earth. Rounder, fuller than the moon my eyes are accustomed to viewing, the illusion of a different Southern Hemisphere’ tugged at my imagination. Just then – a movement outside the window distracted my attention. A huge, red, short-haired kangaroo hopped alongside the sleek silver Ghan Train car, his speed enhanced by the coolness of the Great Victorian Desert night. We were both traversing the vast Australian Outback, by different locomotion and with different view points, to be sure. Earlier, only faint outlines of the ‘roos, hiding from the unmerciful sun among the scrub bushes and scant gum trees, were visible. Jul/05 Sydney: From the City to the Mountains - Sydney: From the City to the Mountains - You could easily spend weeks in Sydney and not see everything that this sensational city has to offer. In my last article I covered only a few of Sydney’s highlights. When you’re in a big city for a short time, it’s hard to decide which tourist attractions you have to leave out, but there are certain must do’s in Sydney. April/06
All Over Belize in Boats, Planes, and Golf Carts - Getting Around Without a Car - Keith and Erin are travellers who are taking a couple of years to see the world. This is the first of many articles that will chronical a their journey from beginning to end. In Belize, they discovered a new and different way to travel. Keith writes, "As Americans, we are all about cars. Everyone has one, sometimes two or three, and we use them to go anywhere, even it's just around the corner to get a cup of coffee. The same cannot be said for the country of Belize." In the ten days they spent in Belize, they succeeded in shedding their all-American dependency on the automobile by relying on just about every other kind of transportation imaginable. Update... "Belize is no longer a secret" - In a concise review, Ken Layne tells us about his upcoming article on Belize. One traveler on an Internet bulletin board had this to say about Placencia: “We hesitate to even tell you since it's so tempting to try to keep this little ‘secret’ to ourselves. We literally didn't wear shoes for a week. Go!” by Ken Layne Ya
Gotta See It To Belize It! - Having
Fun In Belize ~ by Lynette Blinne - Most people have a picture postcard
image of their ideal beach vacation, replete with lounging and reading
on sandy white beaches, sipping tropical drinks while gazing at a gorgeous
sunset, after snorkeling in warm, turquoise waters. Well, welcome to Un-Belizable
Belize during low season. (April to November) While many head to tropical
escapes during the winter, I highly recommend that you summer in Belize.
July/04
Baby
Blue And La Paz ~ Making
It Through In Bolivia ~ By Mark McMahon - Mark McMahon has been traveling
around Latin America over the last few years and has brought back some
great tales. In this installment he talks about his prized car and what
it's like to explore the Bolivian capitial of La Paz. If you ever thought
about just getting in a car and heading south then you will want to read
about Mark's adventures. June/03
Bolivia
To Buenos Aires -On
The Road ~ by Mark McMahon - Mark is off, headed out of Boliva and
making a trail towards Argentina. Read all about it in the above article.
Remember to check out Mark's tours to Cuba and Ecuador. Oct./03
Through Bolivia ~ Riding My Bike On The World's Most Dangerous Road ~ By Mark McMahon - There are some great photos in this article. They show you what it might feel like to bike down a dangerous road in the mountains of Bolivia. There is also a lot of information about where to stay and how to join the kind of bike tour described in the article. Bolivia is a country that has great extremes: the browns of the altiplano and the green jungle on the Brazilian and Paraguayan borders. The people have always been friendly to me and that's important in a country where, depending on which city you're in, your body may be acclimating itself to the pressures of altitude sickness. Enjoy your time in Bolivia and stay away from the drop. May/03
A
Breathtaking Brazilian Inland Alternative ~ Carnival
In Brazil ~ By
Ashley Riley Lopes - Heading off into the interior of Brazil rather than
the worn out, overcrowded Brazilian Coast, could make your Carnival experience
much more exciting. Ashley heads into Minas Gerias province and finds a
world of waterfalls, wide-open grasslands and friendly people as well as
some adventure and vivid memories. And if you know what you're doing during
Carnival then that's how it all should feel when you see the sun come up
on Ash Wednesday. Aug/03
A Hidden Wonderland ~ Búzios, Brazil ~ by Elienne M. W. Lawson - One hundred and five miles east of Rio de Janeiro, there is a small peninsula home to roughly twenty-five beaches, each with its own particular flavor of paradise. For a thousand years, these beaches were the home of the Tamoio and Goitacás tribes, who competed to outdo each other at blissful frolicking in their idyllic surroundings. They drank the sweet milk of the tucum fruit, which is similar to a coconut, and flirted with members of the opposite sex while swimming in the surf. In the sixteenth century, as the European powers cast their greedy glances on the vast wilderness of Brazil, Búzios remained relatively untouched by the legitimate forces of military might. Dec./05 Colina
do Sol ~ PARADISE
FOUND! ~ By Barbara Anner - Colina do Sol is a naturalist commune that
was established only seven years ago. There are wonderful homes and crystal
clear lakes. If you think that Brazil and and a naturalist colony are something
you might be interested in, then a move to Colina do Sol might be what
you need in order to begin things over again. July/03
Devil's Island - Sailing From Brazil to French Guyana ~ By James Baldwin - Devil's Island conjurs up all kinds of hellish thoughts. The French prison camp was opened at the end of the 19th century and closed by the middle of the 20th. During the years that it operated it was source of some of the most grusome survival stories ever. Wonder what it looks like today? Check out the above article. March/03 Explorations In The Amazon Basin ~ Into The Unknown ~ by John Spampinato - So I show up for work one morning - one which began pretty much like every other day I had faithfully dedicated to the company for the previous sixteen years - only to be told that tomorrow was to be my last. I suppose at some subconscious level I had seen it coming. A seed had been planted weeks earlier when the new president called together his bloated staff to announce - in a masterful example of the subtle hint - that “…we have way too many managers”. But being laid off caused no major anxiety on my part. I saw a rare opportunity. Oct./04 Fishing The Pantanal - Fishing The Pantanal - If you're the type that likes fishing, the wild life and adventure try the Pantanal. What is the Pantanal? The Pantanal is 3000 amazing square miles of Brazilian wet lands. Hotel owner, adventurer, raconteur and bon vivant Dion Ross is an American who has lived in Brazil for 27 years. He tells us all about it. He ought to know, after 27 years he still lives there ~ more In
Brasilia - Surely
You Must Be Joking, Mr Niemeyer ~ by Philip Blazdell - Coming in to
land at Brasilia was meant to be the highlight of my latest swing through
the country I had arrived at Sao Paulo airport early and flirted outrageously
with the frumpy check-in girl to ensure that I got a window seat that wasn't
over the wing. I was looking forward to seeing the city slowly take form
through the early morning clouds and to be able to brag, for months to
come, that indeed I had been to the governmental centre of Brasil and that
indeed it did look like an aeroplane from the sky. July/04
Investment & Travel - Investment & Travel - Dialing for dollars in Brazil & Feasts and finds in Nassau My Brazilian Experience ~ And Brazil's Best Kept Secret ~ by Richard Conti - My name is Richard Conti. I am originally from New York City. Being raised in the shadows of the once towering World Trade Center little or nothing surprises me or shocks me these days. I now live and have lived in Beautiful Boca Raton Florida on the southeast coast of Florida for about eight years. No other city has impressed me as much as Boca Raton until I discovered a Most Wonderful Place in Brazil !! Nov./05 Non Stop Erotic Bingo - Out And About In Sao Paulo ~ By Philip Blazdell - Sao Paulo is an enormous city and you can do just about anything at anytime in Sao Paulo. But the problem in Sao Paulo is always whether or not you will be able to arrive to the place you want to be: the traffic jams are truly nightmarish. And if you are in the middle of a nightmarish traffic jam, then you might take a quick turn and end up anywhere. But that's the fun of Brazil. Jan/03 Paraty, Brazil ~ Paradise On The Far Side Of The World ~ by Elienne M. W. Lawson - t has been five hundred years since French, Dutch, English, Portuguese and Spanish pirates began to traverse the Brazilian coast, looking for Indians hot to trade and the odd white man’s stash to loot. Not much has changed in the intervening years in that respect. North Americans and Europeans, gringos if you will, still hit the beaches of Brazil, looking to trade coins for trinkets and experience their own economic power by finding prices that are a “steal”. But after so many years of travelers searching for an undiscovered treasure, one may find themselves grumbling as they share the “paradise on the far side of the world,” as Brazil was once known, not with pirates but with spring breakers from Chicago and London. Jul/05 Red Or Blue ~ A Folk Festival In The Amazon ~ by Rita Shannon Koeser - It was a rainy, humid April night in the Brazilian Amazon when I stepped off my ship in Parintins and entered the world of Caprichoso and Garantido, a world of red and blue. A world where red and blue are competing against each other in a fantastic performance of music, dance, chanting, fireworks, singing, beautiful young people in dazzling costumes, and beating of drums. Sept./04 Rio In The Rain ~ In Brazil ~ by Elienne M. W. Lawson - Rio de Janeiro, long before it was Rio de Janeiro, first saw a tourist in the form of Amerigo Vespucci in 1502. After much letter writing between Vespucci and his patrons, the great Medici family of Florence, Rio was already a legend in European literature and folklore. It certainly did not take any considerable time for it to gain a reputation that has lasted to this day: a tropical oasis with beautiful beaches, gorgeous women and hedonistic fashion. Feb./05 The
Coconut Coast - A
Brazilian Version Of Paradise ~ by Stan F. Gwinner - The “Coconut Coast”
or Costa dos Coqueiros as it is called in Portuguese, lies on the northeastern
coast of Brazil, a few miles north of the city of Salvador, capital of
the state of Bahia. The Coconut Coast is a 125 mile stretch of sandy beaches
lined with coconut trees, sand dunes, rivers, lakes and mangrove marshes.
Its golden-sand beaches protected by reefs, and warm, emerald color ocean
waters offer an escape to paradise. Jan/04
To
The End Of The World - Part
4: From Small Town Brazil To Patagonia ~ by Charles Ragsdale - Two
months into what was to have been an extended stay volunteering in
a remote part of Brazil’s Espiritu Santo province, the pull of wanderlust
came over me once again and I decided to return to the road. For the past
month I had lived in a cabin on the plantation of a local coffee farmer
I befriended, far outside the rural town of Pancas where I had been going
during the day to teach English. April/04
Traveling
Through Fortaleza Ceara ~ Adventure
In Brazil ~ by John Mueller - The beauty of northwest Brazil is stunning:
from desert, to palms, to lakes and finally the blue sea. Fortaleza, Brazil
is the place to go if you want to sit back and enjoy the beach and friendly
people. Find out what to look for in Fortaleza in the above article. Sept./03
Valença, Brazil ~ Coffee Cathedrals And Slave Spirits ~ by Elienne M. W. Lawson - Sulking through Rio de Janeiro under an umbrella, it is fair to say that my beach dreams are most decidedly rained out. Clouds edge bikinis back into suitcases and sweaters come out in their place. I am nursing a bruised and broken vision of being the Girl from Ipanema, when a Brazilian friend drops me an invitation to a celebration in the mountains north of Rio. There is the hint of a festival that will last for days, and I can see Brazilian life away from the jumble of Rio de Janeiro and the glitter of Buzios. Excited by the promise of authentic Braziliana, I hop in the car, grab mangos and coconut water from a street vendor for sustenance and leave the soggy coast behind. I do not expect the trip inland to be a tour of Brazilian spiritual life, but serendipity plays a larger part of life in Brazil, where flexibility mixed with chaos reigns supreme. April/05 Visit To Brazil - Learning English In Brazil - The Michigan School ~ by Rita Shannon Koeser - Everybody knows Susi. And they all want to study with her at Michigan School. Some have already studied with her. Here in the small town of Capivari, also known as “Land of Poets”, everybody wants to learn English. Senhor Cabral, whose wife owns the gift shop, Loja da Leninha on the corner, two blocks off the square, says he was in Susi’s first adult class. In the Livraria e Papelaria shop, a bookshop and stationery store across from the square, everyone stops to listen when my Brazilian friend and I start speaking English. May/05 Your Beach Business Under the Sun - Body Painting In Bahia ~ By Richard Abel - Bahia, Brazil means beaches during the day, parties at night and surfing in the morning. Some people come and never leave. One of the ways that people have stayed on the beach is with a new tanning oil product from Brazil that can be sprayed directly onto the body. Spraying bodies on the beach with tanning oil could lead to something interesting. Check this out. Jan/03
Adventure
Vacation In Bulgaria - The
Natural Beauty Of Bulgaria ~ by Petya Milkova - Bulgaria is a popular
destination for sea and ski holidays. But the country has also other charming
places yet to be discovered. These are the numerous mountains, plains,
rivers, villages and many more. Here you can practice many outdoor activities.
Among the well developed are trekking and hiking, horse back riding, bird
watching, etc. Other practiced activities are: caving, paragliding, mountain-biking,
rafting and kayaking, photography tours, botany, etc. Dec./03
Europe’s Next Big Bargain Holiday Destination ~ “You Can’t Spend Money Here No Matter How Hard You Try” ~ by Steenie Harvey - With its history of hard-core Eastern Bloc communism, Bulgaria may sound an unlikely vacation spot. But with soaring prices in Europe’s traditional sunshine resorts, the country’s Black Sea Riviera has become this year’s destination of desire. For the sun-starved and cost-conscious, it’s far cheaper to vacation here than Spain. Jan/05 Living In Bulgaria ~ What You Should Look Out For ~ By Simeon Mitropolitski - There are many things to see and do in Bulgaria: the Valley of the Roses, skiing in the mountains, and relaxing on the beaches. As a place to move to it is not an obvious choice, but the country is slowly integrating itself into the European Union and this should lead to greater stability and wealth. If you want to know about what you need to do in order to survive in Bulgaria the above article will be your guide. April/03
Travel In Burma ~ Asia's Most Obscure Travel Destination ~ by John Spampinato - A half cup of coffee and an exit form sat on the table before me, and I was loath to finish either. I wanted that coffee to last forever, its contents to magically refill with each sip. And I wanted that form to just disappear. The experiences of the past several weeks had been somewhere between an opium dream and a National Geographic cover story. Jan/06
Before Angkor ~ In Cambodia ~ by Antonio Graceffo - Along the dusty road, you pass ancient two-wheeled carts, pulled by large cows. Half wild herds of buffalo make their lazy way through lush dense jungle, driven by barefoot boys wearing krama. Rice farmers squat in their flooded fields, their heads protected from the intense Cambodian sun by pointed wide-brimmed straw hats. Children play, casing pigs and chickens under the houses on stilts, whose thatched walls are made of woven palm leaves or shredded bamboo. Many of the front doors are adorned with a plastic bag of red liquid to ward off the vampires believed to drink the blood of young girls. Women, wearing traditional dress, their heads wrapped in krama, walk or ride bicycles along the side of the road. Oct./05 Cambodian
Director Preserving Khmer Culture, Through Martial Arts Movies ~ Preserving
Cambodian Khmer Culture ~ by Antonio Graceffo - All morning people
kept asking me if I had heard of E Pho Thoung. Of course I had. Everyone
in South East Asia knew the name of the Khmer boxing champion and world
kickboxing champion. But having heard of him was a far cry from having
him leap up, and crash down on the top of my skull with his elbow. Effortlessly,
he flew through the air, his huge, muscular frame, like a cruise missile,
intent on killing me. I jumped out of the way at last instant, and caught
a reprimand from director, Ouk Haiseila. June/04
Feeling Safe In Cambodia ~ Talking To The Nerves ~ by Peter O’Dowd - I promise, I’m not a feeble man. I’ve traveled through Kenya, studied in Europe, just finished a year working in Japan, but there is a reaction I encounter whenever I cross a border into a strange country for the first time; it’s a nervous feeling of impending tragedy and Cambodia brought that out of me unlike any country I had ever approached before. Our mission was to travel overland from Bangkok to Hanoi via Cambodia, and I almost turned around before I got there because everything I read and everyone I loved said, “No. Don’t do it. The place is too dangerous.” By all accounts, they were right. Dec./04 Glimpses Of Cambodia ~ The Killing Fields Near Phomn Penh ~ Written And Photographed by David Lavoie - Some fifteen kilometres from Phomn Penh down several dusty dirt roads we arrived at Cheung Ek. This was one of the infamous Khmer Rouge “killing fields” There was one in each of Cambodia’s 18 states. In them uncounted people died. Chung Ek alone claimed 17,000 including nine westerners who tried to help Cambodians. There are no words adequate to describe this visit, one we felt we had to make. Dec./05 The People Of Mekong Island ~ On The Tone Lesap River ~ by Antonio Graceffo - Her hands shook as she poured the watery rice mix into the stone bowl. With effort, she lifted the heavy crank into place, and began to turn. Slowly, with the patience of ages, a frothy porridge of ricey paste began to trickle out of the spout, and into the pail. Seeing that her work was going well, Sae breathed a sigh of reliefe, and resumed her constant narration. "I takes three cans of rice to fill one bucket. And, I have to turn the crank for one hour." She told me. "When the bucket is full, I will make a batch of rice cakes." The cakes are a favorite treat for the local children. Oct./04
Canada
From Various Perspectives ~ Montreal,
Vancover And More ~ by Jurgen Klemann - About five or six years before
I started blessing the world with my presence, my folks had made the decision
to emigrate to Canada. A little more precisely, they wanted to settle down
in Montreal. After finalizing the paper work with the Canadian immigration
authorities, all that was left to be done was to get on a plane or a ship
to hop across the creek. That was exactly when my mother chickened out.
Feb/04
Driving the Okanagan Wine Trail - Driving the Okanagan Wine Trail - With more than 50 vineyards producing ...and counting, the Okanagan Similkameen Valley is B.C.'s largest wine appellation. This sunny region is a paradise of fresh local produce, wines, glittering lakes and outdoor activities. After years of visiting - to ski at Silver Star, Big White, Apex and Sun Peaks or to golf, this time I'm touring wineries. By Margaret Swaine Mar/06 Montreal"s summer festivals on the cheap - Montreal"s summer festivals on the cheap - Budget Travel - Powell
River British Columbia, Canada ~ On
Canada's West Coast ~ By Carl McIntosh - Never heard of Powell River
before but like what I see. The author of the above article gives us a
very good idea of what there is to do in Powell River. He outlines prices
of real estate as well as what kinds of people make up the communtiy of
Powell River. If you visit Canada and decide you like what you see than
Powell River may be a place to settle down in. Aug/03
Quebec…“Je me souviens”—what? - Upper and Lower Quebec are connected by stairways down the face of a cliff—one is called l'escalier de casse-cou, or Break-your-neck Stairway—and an expensive funicular. Walk - The towering wedge-shaped roof of the Château Frontenac, a hotel that looks like a caricature of a Loire château, dominates Upper Quebec. Gloomy and baronial inside, it is still the only place to stay, though not to eat. VANCOUVER ISLAND - BRITISH COLUMBIA - CANADA ---an offshore island paradise within sight of the US border - Real Estate & Life On Vancouver Island - You will not be culturally deprived anywhere in the Island as you are in easy reach of three world class cities, each with a superb symphony orchestra that has hosted the likes of Luciano Pavarotti. Live theater abounds and some of the worlds most celebrated restaurants call the Island home. Who has not heard of the sumptuous high teas at the Empress Hotel or of the magnificence of the renowned Butchart Gardens? April/03 Western Canada Part One ~ Walk With Dinosaurs ~ by Dawnelle Salant - When I tell other travelers that I’m from Canada, they inevitably ask, “Toronto or Vancouver?” In fact, I come from nowhere near either of these wonderful cities. There is so much more to Canada than many people are aware of, and although Vancouver and Toronto are cities worth visiting, there are many other lesser known sites that deserve some attention. Western Canada - Alberta and Eastern British Columbia (the opposite side of the province from Vancouver) - has activities and destinations to cater to all types of travelers. See what you’ve been missing! Oct./04 Western Canada Part Two ~ More Adventures In Western Canada ~ by Dawnelle Salant - Many years ago, a young native boy wished to witness a customary buffalo hunt firsthand. He found a place on the face of a cliff where he could sit and have a perfect view of the buffalo toppling over the precipice, driven to their deaths by his people. The kill that day was extremely good, and the bodies of huge buffalo soon began to pile up. In time, the boy was trapped between the cliff and the dead bison. By the time he was discovered, his skull had been crushed by the weight of the buffalos’ bodies. The site was named Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Nov./04 Worldwide Quality of Life Review - Worldwide Quality of Life Review - Canada edged out the US to take top honors this year in our 19th annual Quality of Life Index; With a strong economy, good & "universal" health care ("We don't check your credit card in the hospital on the way to check your pulse," says Brian Tobin, premier of Newfoundland), good & affordable education (Canada has the highest college attendance rate in the world), beautiful & diverse landscapes, and low crime rates, Canada seems to have it all...even one of the lowest costs of living among the industrialized countries. Houses are cheap... and spacious. In fact, houses built in Canada are, on average, bigger than houses built anywhere else in the world. In short, Canada is without what many Canadian politicians call the "three G's" of the United States: guns, ghettos, and gated communities. By Michael Palmer
Bolivia
To Buenos Aires -On
The Road ~ by Mark McMahon - Mark is off, headed out of Boliva and
making a trail towards Argentina. Read all about it in the above article.
Remember to check out Mark's tours to Cuba and Ecuador. Oct./03
Chile, The Ultimate Adventure - Traveling Through The Beaches And Coastal Areas ~ By Jon Steele - Jon continues his writings on Chile with a look at the beautiful Chilean coastal towns of Viña del Mar and Valparaíso. The hills, the sea and the sunlight are incredible along the western coast of Chile. The seafood is some of the best you'll find anywhere and the people are famous for being friendly, intelligent and very well-dressed. Also, if you go to Viña del Mar and Valparaíso, be sure to visit some of the small beach towns nearby. Oct./03 Chile's Simple Pleasures - Horcon ~ by Jon Steele - I’ve written alot about Chile over the past year in many articles. I have written about Vina Del Mar as well as Valparaiso but those are the big named coastal cities. This time around I want to concentrate on smaller areas. This particular article will focus on Horcon. May/04 Life In Chile ~ Learning The Fine Details Of Survival ~ By Jon Steele - This is a very fine article about living in Chile. Get all the details about what you should and should not do. Find out about how people spend their time and how they socialize with one another. From Santiago you can go either to the mountains and ski or to the coast and swim. Viña del Mar and Valparaíso are beautiful towns on the coast: make sure you visit Pablo Neruda's house in Valparaíso. Chile physically feels very much like California, but without all - well you know. Six months in Chile and six months in the States might be just the thing for someone who wants to get away from it all part of the year. May/03 Living
In Chile ~ Part
II ~ By Jon Steele - This is the second article in a two-part series
about living and working in Chile. Can't say enough about what a nice place
Chile is to live in and how interesting the people are to socialize with.
If you travel by bus to the north of Chile look for the sculpture of a
hand rising up out of the desert and if you head south make sure to visit
Torre Paine National Park. There are also the mountains above Santiago
where you can go skiing and the vineyards of the central valley. For the
expat Chile offers everything you could want. June/03
Paddling The Pathways Of Patagonia ~ Deep In The Heart Of Patagonia ~ by Kyle Hammons - Patagonia. For years that word has conjured fantasies in my mind, visions of sheer granite walls and isolated wilderness. Flying south over the Andes I could hardly contain my excitement as I paced the aisles of the plane attempting to gain a better view of the snow-capped peaks that formed the border between Argentina and Chile. Like so many explorers, I had anticipated this day for as long as I could read the words on my father’s jacket and now I had reached a land that had once seemed so remote, so forbidding and so impossible. April/05 San Pedro de Atacama - Adventures In The Atacama Desert And The Bolivian Altiplano ~ By Justin Marshall - One of the trips that I have made that still sticks in my memory was the bus ride from Arica, Chile to La Paz, Bolivia. Probably the reason I remember it so well was by the time we reached the Bolivian border I could hardly think or move due to the altitude change: from sea-level to 18,000 feet in a couple of hours. I remember getting out of the bus to give my documents to the customs agent at the border and looking around and seeing Bolivians wondering around a completely mud-brown landscape and off in the distance a glacer slowly melted into a perfect clear lagoon. But you couldn't enjoy it because your head throbbed and your extremities were numb. Feb./03 Trials And Treasures In Patagonia ~ Adventures In The South Of Chile ~ by Kyle Hammons - Rivers in Patagonia run wild. Few bridges cross the glacier-fed streams and our group was having difficulty locating a safe crossing spot. The Nadis River had only grown deeper and wider as our expedition journeyed further into the secluded valley in southern Chile. Now twenty people were faced with the daunting task of crossing a rapid-moving river. Numerous attempts were made the previous day, but all scouting parties were forced back by impassable waters. Feb./05
Biking
The Xian City Wall ~ Adventure
In Xian ~ by Tina Zhang - Bicycling along the wall of Xian City sounds
like a great time. If you like biking and are thinking of traveling to
China, then you need to know what it's like to travel on a great wall riding
on your bike. Enjoy the views. Nov./03
Buyer Beware in China - And Learning A little AboutThe Chinese Language ~ By Linda S. - Thinking about visiting China? Then you should look into the different traps you might find as a consumer. China is a great country to shop in but like anywhere you have to be careful about what it is that you think you are buying. And before going to China learning something about the Chinese language might help you on your travels or just give you a key as to how people think. March/03 China ~ My Other World ~ by Sam Meiguoren - What if there was another distant planet in another galaxy that had humans just like us. What if they came into being the same time we did. Would there technologically have evolved the same as ours? Would they live the same way we do? Would they comunicate in the same way? Maybe they would never have invented the automobile or the light bulb. Maybe they would have found a different way to travel or to light their world in the dark. It would seem that nothing could be exactly the same from one world to another but how then would it be different? I've never thought about these questions until after I visited China for the first time. Feb./05 China: A Nation In Motion: Traveling Beijing, Wuxi, and Shanghai As A Tourist And Potential Investor ~ by Vinnie Apicella - Ten days in China is not nearly enough time either as a tourist or value investor. Bearing in mind the flight, which is nearly a day long, or nearly two after whizzing by the International Date Line, unless your point of departure is, say, Vancouver, you’re already behind schedule before even touching down! Ideally, it is best to locate a reputable tour agency that can escort you city by city to cover the necessary highlights, then return again on your own to explore your preferred destination. Feb./05 Elephants, Dragons, Rice Fields, Pagodas, Karaoke, And Edible Puppies ~ Going It Alone In China’s Guangxi Province ~ by Steenie Harvey - Students aside, most first-time travelers to China join organized tours. But not everybody enjoys group travel, set meals, and rigid itineraries. Although things sometimes go wrong, I much prefer the freedom of making my own discoveries. Besides, going it alone is always likely to be cheaper than any tour. But if you don’t speak Chinese is traveling independently feasible in this country? Is it easy to book internal flights, use public transport, and find decent hotels at affordable prices? Nov./05 Kangding
- On
The Road To Tibet ~ by Satina Anziano - Going to church on Sunday.
Now, what could be more ordinary? Well, for me, the nearest church
means a trip to Kangding, and a trip to Kangding is far from the ordinary.
'Kangding' is what the Chinese now call it. Dartsedo, the meeting
place - of two rivers, and of traders - is what the Tibetans have always
called it. Closed off until recently, few westerners have heard the
call of her river and the rugged beauty of her mountains. April/04
On The Modern Silk Road ~ Traveling An Ancient Trade Route ~ by Susan Boyoung - Born in South Korea and raised in America, I embody Eastern roots with Western views. Traveling through China fulfilled part of my personal story, for in our heritage lies a discovery that may answer some of our precious questions. With a group of students from The Beijing Center, I traversed part of the 1,423 mile ancient Silk Road exploring the land, people, and places of my root culture. Jan/06 Paddling
The Maekok River - In
Indochina ~ by Antonio Graceffo - When you tell the folks back in Brooklyn
that you are going to paddle the entire Mekong River, they are justifiably
impressed. The Mekong is one of the most famous rivers in the world, often
referred to as The Heart of the Dragon, or The Soul of Indochina. It's
pristine waterways run from Yunnan, China, through Indochina, ending in
Vietnam. May/04
Shopping in Mainland China ~ Twelve Steps Across the Cultural Gap ~ Bargaining and Negotiation 101 for the Traveler to China - Make a Deal - A mother of two and a grandmother of 6, Eva Lynne dreamed of coming to China to teach since her early teens. She currently resides in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, Peoples Rep. China. Bargaining price is not only expected, it's the custom. Here's how-to-do-it advice from a seasoned shopper in China. June/02. Taklamakan
Desert By Rickshaw ~ Venturing
Through Western China ~ by Antonio Graceffo - Antonio takes you out
onto the deserts of western China to meet some of the local inhabitants.
An intrepid traveller he bikes his way across the desert in order to show
us what is out there. He's planning on heading back to the desert soon
and hope we hear from him again upon his return. Sept./03
Adventures
In Colombia ~ The
Journey Continues ~ By Mark McMahon - Back out on the road and south
of the border. Mark is an intrepid traveler and this time he takes us to
Colombia. Some of the best people I know are from Colombia and from what
they tell me the country is great even if the politics aren't. Cartegena
and Barranquilla are considered safer than most other cities in Colombia.
Mark gives us an idea about what it's like to travel and explore Colombia
and what a hard night with a bottle of Aguardiente is like...hmmm, have
had a few of those lately myself. July/03
Viva COLOMBIA ~ Heart of Heaven, Heart of Hell ~ The Pros and Cons of Living and Working in Colombia - Living and Working in Colombia - Larry M. Lynch has been living and working in Cali, Colombia, for the last seven years. He has this to say to those of you considering moving to South America, "Don’t worry needlessly over the politics and news reports. Never mind the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. No longer does the sound of helicopter gunships firing into the suburban brush greet your ears in the evenings. President Andres Pastrana has adopted a 'get tough' attitude with guerilla forces. President-elect Alvaro Uribe won based on his hard-line stance against Guerilla and Para-military forces. Just remember to prepare yourself for the adventure of a lifetime when you do come. It’s up to you whether Colombia becomes the heart of heaven or the heart of hell."July/02.
Costa Rica: Midway Between Heaven and Hell - Costa Rica: Midway Between Heaven and Hell - Surely it was a routine workday for Park Rangers and Volcanologist checking the pulse of Earth's boiling entrails, but for us it was an awesome experience. Seldom one could enjoy such a magnificent display of Nature's immense powers. Our planet is alive. The same forces that millions of years ago forged continents and archipelagoes, still breath from the core of the Earth. Sept./06 Living in Costa Rica ~ Exploring The Beaches Of Costa Rica ~ By Vanessa Morson - Costa Rica has for years been denouced as a bad place to invest or visit. This is just not true. It's my favorite country in the region and the people are nice and realistic. They know tourism and have been at it for years so the quality of the service in Costa Rica is much higher than in the other countries of Central America. And the weather is the best as well as the beaches. If you want to visit a country where you know you're going to have a good time try out Costa Rica. April/03 Osa Peninsula:Unspoilt Costa Rica - Osa Peninsula:Unspoilt Costa Rica - The island itself was as virgin as a 4th grade computer geek; fallen coconuts collected in mounds, hermit crabs wandering around the sand, and birds nesting in the trees. The only way you could tell anyone had ever been there was the ramshackle ranger station and adjacent picnic tables. Jun/06 Panama
And Costa Rica - Thoughts
On Both ~ by Matthew Atlee - One of my favorite countries to visit
is Costa Rica. It has become a favorite destination for many people: an
average of 750,000 people a year visit Costa Rica. In 1994 tourism surpassed
coffee and bananas as the biggest industry in Costa Rica: one in ten people
work in the tourist industry. Of course, this has meant that the country
sometimes feels as though it is being trampled over by tourists, and the
ugly side of tourism – prostitution and child sex – are very evident in
Costa Rica. Despite all the heavy traffic in tourists, Costa Rica still
offers the traveler some of the most incredible scenery in Latin America.
April/04
Pura Vida In Costa Rica ~ Enjoying Manuel Antonio ~ by Cindie Baxter - Often, we gauge the satisfaction of a much anticipated exotic beach vacation by the number of days spent basking in the warm tropical sun's rays. To say that being caught in tropical storm force winds, pounding rain, and loss of both power and water would be anyone's ideal vacation would be insane, or would it? Before you send the men in the little white coats, consider this. Pura vida! Nov./05 Pure
Life - Traveling
Through Costa Rica ~ by Dawnelle Salant - “Pura Vida”. In Spanish it
means “Pure Life” and is a phrase you’ll hear and see, everywhere in Costa
Rica. The locals live this expression to the fullest and their love for
life is evident on their smiling faces and in their kind actions to strangers.
Some of the happiest people I have ever encountered were Costa Ricans.
And why wouldn’t they be constantly cheerful? – You would be too if you
could call one of the world’s most beautiful and exotic countries home.
Jan/04
Tropical
Tableau In Costa Rica ~ Golfito
~ by Bill Moake - I remember a tropical tableau like scenes from an old
South Seas adventure movie. Sultry purple nights in the open-air bar of
a waterfront hotel, sipping rum with shady characters, watching palm fronds
sway in the moonlight and listening to the raucous hoots of howler monkeys
echo across the bay. Through the smokey haze I see Houston Bill playing
poker at a table strewn with empty beer bottles. Feb/04
Travel Croatia: The Pearl in Europe's Oyster - I've just returned from my third trip to Croatia, and I'm writing to explain my enthusiasm for this country and the opportunities it offers is now even greater. Last year, I traveled to its northern islands of Krk and Cres, where rocky villages surrounded by walled-in vineyards teeter on the edge of windblown cliffs. A few months ago, I visited its lush southern islands, with traveled north of Dubrovnik to the Pe1jesac Peninsula, a stretch of land almost covered by vineyards.
From Santiago de Cuba to Havana in only Three Weeks - From Santiago de Cuba to Havana in only Three Weeks - Linda Thalman is the director of WebFrance International and editor of the Paris In Sites Newsletter. She has traveled extensively. On a recent trip to the land of music, laughter, and rum, she lived Cuba from east to west. Linda writes, "At the first step out of the Santiago de Cuba airport on Saturday, 12 February, we salsa-ed through a receiving line of costumed dancers moving to the beat of Cuban music. And the beat went on and on throughout our trip from east to west in Cuba. After three weeks of almost no TV -- CNN and even France-2 television are available at the big hotels, no newspapers -- only the Spanish-language national daily Granma, and no Internet -- no Internet cafe anywhere, es bueno!, we found it actually is possible to totally disconnect -- what a fiesta!" Gaviota, The Last Cowgirl in Cuba - Gaviota, The Last Cowgirl in Cuba - This ratiocination of events in Cuba leads me to a bizarre vision of the future: Havana stands very little chance of not becoming another Juarez or Tijuana, with their controlled and horrific professional prostitution, gambling and gangsterism (a lot like present day Russia, too). Historically, this has been the payback for cultures which deny and try to suppress the natural instincts of their peoples. Kirk Stephan doesn't pull any punches when he writes about Cuba. Andrei Codrescu would like his writing... we know we like his writing, but perhaps it's good advice that weaker souls should stay away. Havana Great Time in Cuba ~ Doing Havana Like a Cuban in Cuba - Vacationing in Cuba - Al Dieste says, "Having just returned from four weeks in Cuba, three of which were spent in Havana, I would like to share with your readers the wonderful opportunity to enjoy and discover a rich and diverse culture, at less-than-Motel 6 prices! Consider an alternative title to this article as “Vacationing Like a King in Havana for $50 a Day!” Sept./02 Hooks In Havana ~ Lowdown And Looking ~ by Will Mitchell - This article clearly has the single male travellor in mind, and may be offensive to some people, so skip it if you're one of them. I have travelled much of my life, and try to fund my travels through black-market money trading, which works well in some South American and third world countries, where hard currency is in desperate demand. It's a skill in itself, and may be the subject of another article. As a single male expat Canadian, with normal heterosexual needs, I do sample the wares of other countries, but only if I am convinced it is safe, and not going to cause me grief in terms of STDs. Sept./04 Iowa City Yankee in King Castro’s Court - Iowa City Yankee in King Castro’s Court - Obviously the situation here on the island was closer to the opposite: Nearly everyone was HIGHLY educated and had had in the past many varying opportunities, cultures, and comfort-levels. This probably was a significant contribution to their becoming what they are: one of the most articulate, bright, and passionate peoples. ...they exhibited daily their tremendous joy in living. Without the comforts which most of the world enjoys (TV, computers, magazines, presidential sex-scandal-entertainments, etc.) they resort to music and dance, poetry and art, dialogue and personal interactions... life as we used to know it. Iowa Yankee in King Castro's Court - Iowa Yankee in King Castro's Court - Steeping back through time, the author, recounts the events of a short trip to Cuba -- his fifth. "Though recovering, my energy level was hovering around zero plus 2 or so. I told my girlfriend I would pay her plane ticket to come to Havana from Santiago de Cuba, but this was tantamount to telling a North American girl in Los Angeles that her lover from Europe had arrived, but she'd have to travel to New York in order to see him! All this was compounded by the fact that Cubans aren't allowed to just travel about at will, but Havana is starting to shape up. In the next couple of years, I guess, it'll be looking a lot more like it did in the old capitalist glory days." photos by Håkan Rönnblad.
Jindrichuv Hradec, Czech Republic ~ Number Two vs. Number Three ~ by Matthew Gregory - Don’t be blinded by the hype. Yes, it’s true. Cesky Krumlov is one of, if not the most, beautiful places in the Czech Republic. Never heard of it? Ask any Czech person to tell you about Cesky Krumlov and their face will light up like a child on Christmas morning. They’re certainly not wrong as Cesky Krumlov has the second-biggest castle in the Czech Republic (behind Prague’s of course), a spectacular garden to go with it, and unique architecture throughout the town on top of that. Jun/05 Not Your Normal Pagan Fertility Ritual ~ Easter Monday In Mikulov, The Czech Republic ~ by Matthew Gregory - Every culture has its own holidays and ways of celebrating them. It's not uncommon for countries of the "Western" world and beyond to know at least something about American or other country's holidays. And many holidays overlap, such as Christmas, with different cultures and countries having various ways of celebrating them. As far as the Czech Republic goes, no other holiday puts a wry smile on the resident and a perplexed smile on the foreigner more than Easter (Velikonoce in Czech which literally translates "Big Nights"). April/05 The Other Franz Ferdinand ~ Experiences In Bensov And Konopiste Castle ~ by Matthew Gregory - When I visited the small Central Bohemian city of Benesov (the 's' makes a 'sh' sound), and the adjoining Konopiste Castle for the first time, it was my first trip outside of Prague. On the journey there I noticed that the clouds hung low in the sky and merged with the tops of the hills that dominate Central Bohemia's landscape, which gave the countryside a gloomy, eery feel. Most of the leaves had left the trees so the landscape was very skeletal. Feb./05 UNESCO As My Guide - More Travels In The Czech Republic ~ by Matthew Gregory - The longer I’m in Europe, the pickier I’ve become as a traveler. In a sense, I’m still like a little child on the way to the candy store because I feel as though as I’ll be satisfied by ANYTHING I see, treasuring every moment of my life abroad. Then there’s another part of me that critiques the town while comparing and contrasting with other places I’ve seen. As you can imagine, my appreciation and amazement by new surroundings have declined over time, much as one would feel eating their favorite meal 5 times in a week. Because of this, I’m finding it harder and harder to rely on people’s recommendations. Mar/05
Life
In The Dominican Republic ~ Quite
A Change After The UK! Part 1 ~ By Malcolm Couch - There are
a lot of people who have asked me lately about what's it like to live in
the Dominican Republic, and from what I understand from those who know
the country well, it is a little tropical paradise with all the good and
bad that you associate with living on a small Caribbean island. The parties
are great, the people friendly and the beaches beautiful. There's always
the problems of traffic and electrical cuts but that's par for the course.
Everyone tells me that in the end you have to love the place just for its
sheer spirit. June/03
Life
In The Dominican Republic ~ Quite
A Change After The UK! Part 2 ~ By Malcolm Couch - This is Part
2 of a series of articles that will give you all the details you need to
move to and live in the DR. This time we learn about food, dancing and
sports as well as visas and shopping. The DR is not only becoming a popular
tourist destination; it is also becoming home to many people from the U.S.
and Europe. If you like sun, beaches and parties, go to the DR. July/03
Life
In The Dominican Republic ~ Quite
A Change After The UK! Part 3 ~
By Malcolm Couch - In Malcolm's third and final article on the DR he looks
at the economy of the country and examines what kinds of things you can
see if you decide to move to or visit the DR. The DR has a lot to offer
to the expatriate who wants to have calm and excitement: if you are thinking
about making a move to the DR make sure to read Part I and II of Malcolm's
series on living in the DR. Aug/03
Treasures Of The Silver Coast ~A Guide To The Dominican Republic's North Shore ~ By Carolyn Kelly - The north coast of the Dominican Republic is considered one of the most beautiful coast lines in all the Carribbean. The above article gives tons of details about what to see if you visit the north coast, where to stay, where to eat, and what to do. Never been to the Dominican Republic, but have lots of friends who live there. And they tell me that there is no place like living in the DR; the mix of people and the beauty of the island make it a place people don't want to leave. April/03
It’s
Back To The 50s…For Better Or Worse ~ What
Life’s Been Like In Ecuador ~ By Lee Harrison - Great article about
living in Ecuador and why it's such a great place to live in. Ecuador takes
people back to an earlier time, a time when the pioneering spirit was what
people longed for. Ecuador could give you that feeling you always wanted:
starting from scratch in a tough place and making a success out of yourself
nonetheless. July/03
The
Black Sheep Inn ~ An
Ecological Inn ~ By Matt Kelly - Black Sheep Inn is an Ecological Resort
set in the hills of Ecuador. The founders of the Inn have made ecology
an important part of their lives and you can see this when you go to the
Inn. Ecuador for physical beauty is as wonderful as any country in South
America; spending some time at Black Sheep Inn would be the perfect way
to enjoy the beauty of Ecuador, as the owners of the Inn truly appreciate
Ecuador's rich enviroment and are intent on perserving the nature they
love so much. July/03
El
Salvador Autohotel ~ Salvadoran
Hotel Pleasure ~ by Mark McMahon - I just don't get it! Is this just
a place to park your auto? Where's the freakin' office? I drove around
the circular interior of the drab cement complex several times and all
I could see were small garage spaces with a door inside and a rolling metal
garage door outside. "Where's the office?" I asked the security guard with
a big shotgun and a nasty german shepard. My much improved Spanish was
not enough to comprehend the situation. "Are there rooms here?" "Yes. Sept./04
.
Notes From The Egyptian Desert ~ Adventure In The Desert ~ by David Lavoie - About two hours out of Cairo on the road to Bahariya Oasis, we turn east into the desert. At first it’s what is called “black desert”. Billions of tiny pebbles and ancient shells have worked their way to the surface and cover the sand in a dark blanket. This is treacherous to drive on and our two Bedouin guides, Mohamed and Salah, prefer sand runs which are solider and more dependable. It’s a fast exciting bumpy ride until we come to the edge of the escarpment. The first level of the valley floor is about 100 meters below us; the drivers skirt the edge of the drop coming heart-stopping close to the edge at times, and driving over slopes that tilt the Toyota Land-Cruisers at scary angles toward the drop. Jan/05 Sinai Desert: Diving in Dahab - Sinai Desert: Diving in Dahab - There’s no place on earth like Dahab – a palm fringed bay in the midst of a vast arid landscape - an intoxicating mix of desert, Bedouin culture....and diving. The sand meets the sea in a most dramatic way and a fringing reef stretches further than the eye can see. The best bit? Many of the good dive sites can only be reached by camel!! Aug./06 Sinai Desert 2: Said's Story - Sinai Desert 2: Said's Story - The first time I came to Dahab, I came with my father. It was 1983, and for me Dahab was nothing less than Heaven. A palm tree oasis with shining gold sand (this is what Dahab means, 'Gold')… and the Sea.... back home in the desert, I would close my eyes and see the amazing colours of the coral reef, and the blue water stretching all the way to the Saudi Arabian mountains. Sept./06 The Sinai ~ Explorations ~ by David Lavoie - Egypt is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, but most visitors see very little of what this fabulous country has to offer. Everyone wants to join the hoards visiting the Pyramids, The Valley Of the Kings and Abu Simbel. Everyone dreams of a Nile Cruise, all things that you should do at least once, but what of the rest of the country? Unhappily Egypt has one of the lowest rates of return visit in the world, perhaps because it has not sufficiently promoted the rest of its many attractions. April/05 Travel to Touch a Chord ~ Seeking Genetic and Sociologic Ties ~ The Inherent Truth of How Similar We All Are to All of Humanity - The Affirmation of Creative Theory - Award winning author Carolyn Howard-Johnson writes, "Of all the experiences I had, with sights, sounds and wonderful people, the one that stands out for me was this affirmation of creative theory. Not only because I now feel more assured, somehow, about the similarities between my work and myth, but also because I am somehow connected to the inherent truth of how similar we all are to all of humanity, clear back to the first stirrings of creative mankind." June/02.
Let It Be London ~ Clubbing For People Who Dance and Love To Dance – London Clubbing – The first time Mei-Ling McNamara went to the UK was in 1996. Since then, she has scarcely looked back. Mei-Ling says, “Music and dancing has always cast a certain spell over me; it is emotive, active, and incredibly creative. London clubbing is my expression, my joie de vivre.” Mei-Ling and her boyfriend were discovered in a London club and invited to join a dance troupe for a clubbing promotions company. “Anyone who tells you London is not the capital of hedonistic pleasure, of nocturnal wanderings and requited dreams, has never indulged in its world-renowned, adrenaline-charged clubbing scene. But, London Clubbing is a way of life that you won't write home about. So, if it must be, then let it be London. Suffolk Classic Olde England, With London Within Commuting Range -Living In Suffolk - This is classic English countryside. Between golden wheatfields, streams overhung with willow trees glisten in the autumn sunlight. Corn dollies hang up in casement windows like magic charms. In market gardens, red-flowered runner beans grow on eight-foot high poles. Strings of racehorses exercise on Newmarket Heath, village greens host cricket matches, and Greene King ale—real ale—comes straight from the cask. ... from the best of International Living. May/03
Europe
~ Explorations
~ By Jon Steele - Jon gives us all the details we
need to know in order to make our way through Europe. He really is an experienced
traveller and you can tell that by all the little details he gives us about
how to make our way through a country with the least amount of friction.
Jon I hope will continue on with his other writings on Chile, a country
he knows very well. Aug/03
Europe’s Next Big Bargain Holiday Destination ~ “You Can’t Spend Money Here No Matter How Hard You Try” ~ by Steenie Harvey - With its history of hard-core Eastern Bloc communism, Bulgaria may sound an unlikely vacation spot. But with soaring prices in Europe’s traditional sunshine resorts, the country’s Black Sea Riviera has become this year’s destination of desire. For the sun-starved and cost-conscious, it’s far cheaper to vacation here than Spain. Jan/05 Travel In Europe ~ Venice To Corfu ~ by Janet Darbey - We had already driven through most of Europe on our way back to our home in Corfu, Greece. We were on the last leg of the journey, with our small car completely full of goods we had bought during our vacation in England. We had managed to fit in six weeks of visiting our family and friends, and some two thousand miles of travelling within the UK, and now we were pleased that we were on the final part of our long journey home. Aug./05
Brittany:
France’s Best Kept Secret ~ Traveling
Through A Painting ~ by Maxine Rose Schur - Very nice article about
traveling around Brittany and passing through the beauty of France in the
Summer. Maxine talks about traveling through the countryside and feeling
as though you are moving through an impressionist painting and seeing the
photos in the above article you can see the comparison is valid. Maxine
lets you know where you should stay in Paris as well as the small towns
in Brittany. And from the article you will get a clear idea of what's it
like to spend time relaxing, eating and traveling through one the most
beautiful regions of France. Sept./03
Brittany's Watchers In The Woods ~ In France ~ by Andrew Hartnagel - As anyone in the tourism industry knows, planning is essential. Perhaps no entrepreneurs were so aware of this as the early Neolithic people who once inhabited the far northwest corner of France known as Brittany. Their capitalist skills were so finely honed that they erected a host of mysterious stones and tombs in anticipation of the next 5,000 years of curious travelers. Brilliant. Oct./04 France
And Spain By Train: Like Drinking Café Olé ~ Like
Drinking Café Olé ~ By Maxine Schur - Great article about
traveling through the Costa Brava on Spain's northeastern border near France.
This is an area that became popular with artists in the 1920s because of
its great climate, people and food. If you want to know a little about
the towns that dot this area then the above article has some great resources
for exploring Costa Brava. June/03
Getting What You Need - Getting What You Need - The Wit & Wisdom of Bill Bonner. "I remind myself that beauty is only skin deep. And like money, it is superficial. But superficial seems plenty deep enough. Money can't buy love. But it can buy those Russian women in the Bois de Boulogne. And what would be nicer - a 30 minutes of cheap, imitation love with the woman on the bicycle...or a lifetime of the real thing with Janet Reno? " Lasting impressions: Paint Gauguin's France - Take your own guided tour of the best retirement destinations - Travelers Bulletin Board Mountain biking expeditions in San Miguel de Allende - Microbrews in France - On a recent trip to San Miguel de Allende to study Spanish, we discovered a whole new adventure. John Kay, an American who now runs La Puertecita. Hotel high atop a hill in San Miguel, takes groups of five to seven on mountain biking expeditions through the countryside near San Miguel - Micro-brasseurs have made their way into a city where wine has reigned for thousands of years. Eight microbrew pubs have opened in Paris for those looking to avoid the standard pilsner-style European beer Paris ~ For An Escapeartist ~ by Will Sullivan - When the sun rises and sets, it's thinking of Paris. So should we all. Paris is not only a mindset; it's a memory of something deep inside of us, of love, of faith, of the grand expectations of civilization. Often, this is simply called romance. And what isn't romantic about a place so grand, that each alleyway, each square, and each small, hidden, fountain-graced Place is beset with its own memories and mysteries, its own essential facet of a une belle époque? Oct./04 Paris With Six Kids? On A Budget? Were We Mad? - US$1 equals 0.75 euro ~ by Magdalen McInnes - Monsieur Meslin, the owner, sent through stacks of pictures—the kids were thrilled to discover there was a tree-house in the garden and that the neighboring village (Longjumeaux) had an outdoor swimming pool. House rental for nine days cost $1,344—including a $310 security deposit to cover any breakages. (Thankfully we got our deposit back!) Renting direct from the owner cuts out the middleman—and in my view saved us at least $2,400 (if we had booked our flights through a travel agency, the cost would have been around $5,000). May/05 Return To Paris - Adventure In Paris ~ by Hugh Phelan - The only thing that distracted me from the severe pain in my back was the excruciating pain in my shoulders. Matters were of course compounded by the fact that I barely knew were I was, wasn’t sure if I was pronouncing the name of the place I was trying to get to properly and even if I was, I had no idea how to get there. Life underneath the city was proving difficult. March/04 Take A French Lover ~ And Other Tips For Learning The Language ~ by Jane Watt - When I arrived in France 10 years ago, the energetic elderly Frenchwoman who lives down the road made obscure comments about pillows being a good place to learn French. By the time I eventually understood her meaning (that taking a French lover was the best way to learn the language), I was almost ready to agree. Most of my friends believe I should be fluent by now. But, while my French is good, I can’t say that it flows readily and easily. April/05 The River Loire Up Close And Personal ~ Horse Carriage Ride Along River Loire ~ by S.A. Costigan - The pair of horses clopped forward, jerking the open carriage into motion while the six American passengers grabbed for the bags, cameras, and jackets that had slipped from our laps. “I apologize for my poor English,” our driver Celine murmured over her shoulder, her voice just a shade above a whisper, “but I will do my best to answer questions. I will have to speak low because the horses are voice directed. They get confused.” Jun/05 Touring the South of France - Paris to Vichy, the Cevennes, Arles, the Camargue - Out-of-the-Way Places in the South of France - Linda Thalman from Paris In Sites Newsletter discovers great places to wine, dine, shop, and taste the culture that is the South of France. She and her traveling companion, Pierre, are ahead of the pack in this article that takes you to the best known and the least known places of of Arles and Vichy. They beat the tourist season and got great deals. She writes, "Zooming down the auto route on the last lap home we knew we wanted to explore more of France. Treasures await you. Don't miss them." Travels In Nice ~ One Of Europe's Great Cities ~ by Richard Robinson - In the old part of Nice there is a small shop beneath a striped awning called Cave de la Tour. Strictly speaking it is a wine vault but in fact it defies categorization. A tiny stone bar is shoehorned between vats and racks of wine, a place to sample and buy the excellent Vin de Bellet of the region. There are two or three small tables with checkered covers crammed inside, and some chairs and up-ended barrels outside, on a narrow street free from traffic. Jan/06 Voila! - Paris Again ~ by Mary Lou Sanelli - After learning that I had accumulated enough mileage credits to fly to virtually any destination imaginable, it took me only a few seconds to say aloud the word, Paris. Years ago, I’d visited the city like so many other hippy kids with a backpack and a hundred bucks that needed to last me. It wasn’t the right time in my life to experience a city refined as Paris, yet how it felt to walk its sidewalks and to weave through its ancient neighborhoods has been alive in me ever since, lodged in mind like a scent. Mar/05 Wild
And Lovely Corsica - The
Best Of France And Italy With A Twist, US$1 equals 0.88 euro ~ by Steenie
Harvey - The beautiful Mediterranean island of Corsica has both French
and Italian influences. And of course it was the birthplace of Napoleon.
The island is famous for its beautiful beaches and people and would be
the perfect place to own a second home. If you can think of nothing but
Mediterranean sunlight, food and fun, then Corsica is the island for you.
OCt./03
A
Long Way From Munster To Colima - Travel
And The Self ~ by Juergen Klemann - There have been a few people who
have shaped and influenced my values and convictions in the course of time.
Some of these people have shaped and influenced me when I was an adolescent.
Some of them have shaped and influenced me when I was already an adult.
The first person who fits the bill in this respect was my English teacher
at preparatory school. His name is Dietrich Buff. Unlike my other teachers,
he had not spent all his life as a teacher in Germany. Instead, he had
lived for quite a bunch of years in the United States. That made him stand
out of the crowd. Dec./03
Black
Forest Magic ~US$1
Equals 0.89 Euro ~ By Steenie Harvey - Nice article on traveling through
the Black Forest region of Germany. There are some great houses and vineyards
to see as well as waterfalls and spas. The Black Forest always brings all
kinds of images into people's minds and if that is something that you've
always wanted to explore, then a trip this summer to the Black Forest region
might be the trip to take. June/03
Dresden,
Germany ~ The
Capital Of Saxony ~ by Jörg M. Unger - If you are interested in
German history, architecture, and art, you should decide for a journey
to Dresden, Saxony - a gem among the big towns in former East Germany.
The advantage of Dresden’s historic center is that all the well-known and
famous buildings and squares are in walking distance, thus giving you plenty
of time to visit the places of your personal interest. Sept./04
Drive-Cycle-Hiking Through The Alps ~ Summer Tour ~ by Jorg Unger - When your days at work or on weekends are very scheduled, you may either tend to plan your vacation, too, or spend these days without any detailed arrangements. Last summer, we preferred the latter method and just took a map of the Alps and marked some places, valleys and mountains which seemed to be of interest. Then I joined up the marks and ready was our route through the German-speaking regions of the Alps. To be independent of any bookings, places, times - and of course, not to overdraw our vacation budget - we put our mountain bikes, rucksacks, and some camping equipment into our van and drove to Füssen at the edge of Allgäu, Bavaria. Dec./05 One World, One Love, No Ice ~ Sprained in Berlin's Love Parade - The Love Parade - Keith O'Brien was backpacking through Europe when he first got the news of the upcomping Belin Love Parade. After 12 countries in seven weeks, Keith thought his whirlwind travel would pick up in this 12-hour EU outdoor rave. The whirlwind subsided to an air cast for a badly sprained ankle, but Keith didn't let that stop him. Party on.Berlin’s Love Parade can be more dangerous than the running of the bulls in Pamplona.
Britain
- Beyond
London ~ by Dawnelle Salant - When most people think of Britain, the
exciting and ever changing city of London immediately comes to mind. Don’t
get me wrong, I love London and all it has to offer. But everyone knows
what’s there. Even if you’ve never been to the island’s most popular city,
you’re likely familiar with the history, sights and activities that make
London one of the world’s most popular destinations. Even though Britain
is a small island, it has plenty to offer if you ever tire of the big city.
April/04
Hot, Cool And Curative ~ The Greek Spa Town Of Edipsos ~ by Dulcy Blattner - My husband and I love to soak in mineral spring pools and tubs. We have sought them out from Calistoga, California to the Dead Sea in Israel. But this was the first time we were able to stand in the sea, feel the hot thermal water under our feet, and experience it pouring over our shoulders – all at the same time. We can't claim to have "discovered" the thermal springs in the spa town of Edipsos on the northwest coast of the Greek island of Evia, since the hot curative waters were mentioned in Aristotle's writing! Oct./05 Island
Hopping In Greece - Mediterranean
Summer ~ by Dawnelle Salant - Perhaps one of the most celebrated cities
in the world, Athens is a frenzied mix of history, culture and myth. Many
tourists expect more from this ancient city and are disappointed with what
they find. But if you look at it the right way, you’ll see that Athens
has more character than many most cities. Yes, it’s big. Yes it’s busy,
noisy, polluted and overrun with traffic. (What city isn’t?) Athens’ uniqueness
comes from its history, its people and the fusion of its past with its
future. July/04
Meta Avrio on the Island of Rhodes ~ Learning to Go with the Flow ~ Bureaucracy can be annoying. In Greece, they have raised it to an art form - Greek bureaucracy - It will be sunny tomorrow on the Island of Rhodes. Great weather. Rhodes has over 300 days of sunshine per year. You want friendly people, reasonable prices, affordable housing, easy access, good health care, and minimum bureaucracy. "Rhodes has all of these except the last," says Ron Ron Ferguson who lived there for seven years. The Ionian Islands - The Ionian Islands - The largest of the Ionian Islands is Kefalonia, the island of contrasts, which is well-known and appreciated for its tranquillity and unspoilt beauties such as its magnificent caves, its endless mountainous areas and breathtaking beaches which differ from north to south of the island, thus the reason for it being described as the ‘island of contrasts’. Jun/06 The
Island Of Crete - Dreaming
Of Crete ~ by Marialena Lioulia - Regarding the "Escape from America"
article about affordable vacation places, I was happy to see that Crete
is considered one of them! The family of my mother stems from Crete and
my grandma and aunts and cousins still live there, so I think I can tell
you more about this beautiful island. First of all is a very big place
combining both steep mountain sides and a huge coast line from north to
south. It is divided into four counties, which have four major cities as
capitals, each one with a character of its own. July/04
Traveling To North Western Greece ~ Discovering The Land Of Macedonia ~ by Marialena Lioulia - Since I’ve been living in the capital of Greece, Athens, for most of my life up until now, the chance of traveling to other parts of my country always seems like a good idea whenever I have the opportunity. The opportunity this time was the Greek Orthodox Easter Holiday at the end of April 2005: I wanted a first class getaway to the countryside. Jun/05
Murder
And Horses - Todosantos,
Guatemala ~ by Daniel Wallace - I arrived in the Guatemalan mountain
town of Todosantos Chuchumantan hoping to improve my Spanish. Some hours
after my first lesson, my teacher's brother was shot dead by a local police
officer. The dead man turned out to have been the head of a local gang
- the next morning the entire town police force fled in fear of lynching.
As the town began the preparations for its annual horse racing fiesta,
preparations mainly involving getting fantastically drunk, the infamous
Guatemalan army rolled in to keep the order. That weekend, six other people
would die, and the host family I was living with would fall into crisis
when the father punched his wife in the face. July/04
The
Country Of Eternal Spring - Guatemala
~ by Dawnelle Salant - Guatemala. Another of the world’s undiscovered gems,
waiting to be shaped and shined by adventure seeking travelers. Landing
in Guatemala City is rather unremarkable, and spending more than a day
in the urban center is unnecessary. The city, which is divided into fifteen
zones, does have several sights worth seeing. The Mercado Central, located
in Zona 1, boasts arts and handicrafts that make wonderful souvenirs and
gifts. In Zona 10, Museo Ixchel displays the richly colored traditional
clothing, arts and costumes of Guatemala’s people. Dec./03
To
The End Of The World ~ Crossing
A Closed Border ~ by Charles Ragsdale - After a relaxing few days in
the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala spent recovering from a car crash in
Mexico and my near arrest by corrupt police, I was looking forward to reaching
Honduras and enjoying the famed scuba diving of the Bay Islands. Feb./04
Buy a piece of Lenin's house - Buy a piece of Lenin's house - This page includes real estate, tours, "Quiet and secluded, Utila is the perfect alternative to Roatan " Editorials, & Travelers' Bulletin Board I
Dream Of The Sea ~ Diving
In Roatan ~ by Dawnelle Salant - Landing in La Ceiba, it’s hard to
believe that the small, primitive airport services international flights.
La Ceiba is the third largest city in Honduras, and a great base to start
your explorations. Home to Dole Fruit Company, the city offers a beach,
proximity to nature and more urban activities, such as night clubbing.
Feb/04
Utila: Roatan's quiet neighbor is an escapist's paradise - Getting home by boat - Bargain-basement offerings - Travel: Portuguese notebook: Enjoy Lisbon on the cheap -
Looking
For Something A Little Different? ~ Journey
Thru Hungary ~ By Steve Phillips - Funny little piece about having
your teeth done in Hungary. Of all the countries in the former East bloc
Hungary seems to have come out of the gloom of communism with some luck
and success. The people are considered some the most beautiful in Europe
as well. Take the train to Budapest. July/03
On The Road - Budoia To Budapest - For travelers who miss the pre-EU border checks and passport stamps as souvenirs, a trip to the edge of the Balkans should satisfy their nostalgia. On a recent spur-of-the-moment, 5 day soggiorno intended to just explore the northeast corner of Slovenia, we decided to keep on going. Budapest isn't that far. The following are some road tips gleaned from making a 1500 km. odyssey into, around, and out of the Magyar Zone. Travel - Budapest – A Tale of Three Cities - Travel - Budapest – A Tale of Three Cities ~ Located in Eastern Europe, Hungary is diverse and beautiful country. The undisputed treasure of the country is Budapest. Over 2,000 years old, Budapest is a large city containing traces of the various forces that have ruled it over time. Romans, Turks, Goths and many others have conquered the city. Somehow, the various influences work in such a way as to make the city sparkle. By Rick Chapo Mar/06 Go to - Unique Travel: Page Two -
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