TravelWorld International Magazine Spring 2015: Pacific Rim Travel

Cover Photo: Fushan Temple, Taiwan

travel world

SPRING 2015

I N T E R N AT I O N A L M AG A Z I N E

The Pacific Rim ISSUE Stories on:

• Taiwan • Vietnam • Cambodia • Bangkok • Guam • Japan • Alaska • Costa Rica • Cruising Southeast Asia

The Magazine Written by North American Travel Journalists Association Members

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We’ve been stirring up history and culture for over 375 years.

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Rich history, astounding architecture, unspoiled beaches, celebrated restaurants and world-class events – they’re just a part of what makes Newport the shining gem in the coastal crown of New England. Come discover the City-by-the-Sea people have been talking about for centuries.

DiscoverNewport.org Media Contact: Andrea McHugh AMcHugh@DiscoverNewport.org

travel world

SPRING 2015

I N T E R N AT I O N A L M AG A Z I N E

The Pacific Rim ISSUE F E A T U R E S

& S T O R I E S

6 Southeast Asia by Sea: Hitting the Highlights

on a 17-Day Cruise

Story and Photos by Jennifer Crites

17 Taiwan’s Temples and Its Pantheon Story and Photos by Bennett W. Root, Jr.

26 Vietnam & Cambodia “Pinch Me Moments” Story and Photos by Deborah Stone

32 Vietnam’s Training Restaurants Story and Photos by Maureen Littlejohn

36 Bangkok - The Side Tourists Rarely See Story and Photos by Don Mankin

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Letter From the Editor

As we move into the new year of 2015, we are entering the Chinese zodiac sign of the Year of the Goat. Although not a great follower of astrology, I am a believer that the inner cuurents of life, philosophies and the physical nature of the universe can come together in forms we may interpret and understand.

The forms for the Year of the Goat are the symbols of Peace, Harmonious co-existence and Tranquility. This is believed to be the primary and fundamental mood for the new year. The Goat is the symbol of the Arts. It relates to passive and nurturing times.

It will help the healing process with regard to past events caused by individuals with little respect for the human race. For those wishing to be aggressive, expect to be out-maneuvered by strategy and common sense. Although there are cries for War, the symbol of the Goat indicates that it will be averted and a period of mending and compromise will be undertaken to ensure Peace is maintained.

I am sharing these encouraging beliefs with you, our readers, in hopes to help spread them around our world. For this Pacific Rim Issue, our writers have contributed wonderful stories with beautiful images of great cities, natural wonders and positive human interactions from China to Vietnam, Cambodia, Bankok and Guam, north to Korea and Japan and across to Alaska and down to Costa Rica. I believe that by traveling, observing and communicating all that is good in our great world, we will out-maneuver these negative, aggressive forces by a higher method of strategy and common sense.

I encourage you all to keep investigating, writing, reading and sharing the beauty of our world! .

Sincerely, Joy Bushmeyer Managing Editor TravelWorld International Magazine

TRAVEL TRIVIA QUIZ 1. What do the words Polynesia, Micronesia, & Melanesia mean?

TravelWorld International Magazine is the only magazine that showcases the member talents of the North American Travel Journalists Association

Group Publisher: Publisher: Editor in Chief: Editor: Managing Editor: Art Direction: Web Manager:

NATJA Publications Helen Hernandez Bennett W. Root, Jr. Dennis A. Britton Joy Bushmeyer Artistic Design Services Yanira Leon

Contributing Writers : Daniele Auvray Jennifer Crites Bobbie Green Maureen Littlejohn Don Mankin Bennett W. Root, Jr. Carla Marie Rupp Deborah Stone Laura Watilo-Blake

Editorial /Advertising Offices: TravelWorld International Magazine 3579 E. Foothill Blvd., #744 Pasadena, CA 91107 Phone: (626) 376.9754 Fax: (626) 628-1854 www.travelworldmagazine.com

2. From base to top, which is taller the Mauna Kea volcano on Hawaii or Mt. Everest?

3. List these, the world’s four largest islands, in order by size: Borneo, Papau New Guinea, Greenland, Madagascar (largest to smallest) 4. Ferdinand Magellan named the Pacific Ocean “Mare Pacificum” meaning what?

5. What is the the Pacific Ocean’s deepest trench called?

Approximately how deep and long is it?

6. List these eight large cities in order by their population: Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Bankok, Shanghai, Jakarta, Mexico City (largest to smallest)

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(Answers on Pages 63)

Volume 2015.2 November 2015. Copyright ©2015

by NATJA Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Advertising rates and information sent upon request. Acceptance of advertising in TravelWorld International Magazine in no way constitutes approval or endorsement by NATJA Publications, Inc., nor do products or services advertised. NATJA Publications and TravelWorld International Magazine reserve the right to reject any advertising. Opinions expressed by authors are their own and not necessarily those of Travel World International Magazine or NATJA Publications. TravelWorld International Magazine reserves the right to edit all contributions for clarity and length, as well as to reject any material submitted, and is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts.

This periodical’s name and logo along with the various titles and headings therein, are trademarks of NATJA Publications, Inc. PRODUCED IN U.S.A.

travel world

SPRING 2015

I N T E R N AT I O N A L M AG A Z I N E

The Pacific Rim ISSUE F E A T U R E S

& S T O R I E S

42 Guam Glories in Welcoming Visitors

Story by Carla Marie Rupp, Photos by Guam Visitors Bureau

50 Oita Encounters (Japan)

Story and Photos by Daniele Auvray

54 A True Alasken Experience: Dogsledding

on a Glacier

Story and Photos by Bobbie Green

58 Colorful Costa Rica

Story and Photos by Laura Watilo Blake

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Colonial architecture and brightly lit ships along the Bund

Southeast Asia by Sea Hitting the Highlights on a 17-Day Cruise Story and Photos by Jennifer Crites Pedestrian promenade along the Bund

In the 1969 movie, “If it’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium,” a busload of tourists travels across Europe at a whirlwind pace, spending only a day in each country.

At the time, seasoned travelers poked fun at the idea of such a madcap itinerary.

After all, how could anyone experience a country’s culture in a day? Now, however, ocean-going cruises provide, if not an in-depth, then at least a fulfilling sampling of the culture at each port of call through a variety of excursions tailored to passengers’ varying tastes and abilities.

With that in mind, my husband and I signed up for a September 2014 Princess Cruises’ Grand Asia 17-day voyage from Shanghai to Singapore.

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SHANGHAI

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ur usual M.O. is to arrive in the region several days before the cruise starts, partially to combat jet lag and also to explore a new destination.

In this case, Shanghai didn’t disappoint. As China’s largest city with 22-million people, it’s a fascinating mix of old and new.

In the old quadrant, Yu Gardens delighted us with its winding walkways, manmade caves, pavilions, carp-filled lakes, arched bridges, whimsical doorways and ferocious-looking stone dragons. Now a national monument, this five-acre oasis of tranquility was built during the Ming Dynasty by a son for his aged father.

Just outside Yu Gardens, a bustling and colorful bazaar sells everything from clothing and delicate hand fans to decorative pool cues, incense sticks and tempura-battered crabs—perfect for a hand-held snack on the go. This area and its environs are part of Old Town—the original walled city. It’s worthwhile to take a guided walking tour of the narrow, crowded streets to get a feel for what life is like here away from the modern city that has sprung up around it.

Hugging a bend in the Huangpu River, a 1900s-era strip known as the Bund is lined with colonial Beaux Arts-style buildings that once housed western banks, consulates, a newspaper and scores of international trading houses. Its wide, 1.6-mile-long pedestrian promenade, which is more than twenty feet higher than street level, was originally constructed as a levee to protect downtown against floods caused by typhoons.

One of many bridges, lakes and pavillions in Yu Gardens Stone Dragon at Yu Gardens

Directly across the river from the Bund stands Pudong—Shanghai’s newest business and financial district. It features several nosebleed-inducing skyscrapers like the Shanghai Tower, which, at 2,073-feet is the second tallest building in the world. Top-level viewing platforms draw sightseers for a mesmerizing view of the city below.

Pudong skyscrapers and barge traffic on the Huangpu River

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JAPAN

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fter boarding the ship and leaving Shanghai, we headed for Nagasaki, Japan—its Peace Memorial Park and Atomic Bomb Museum chronicling the August 9, 1945 explosion that, along with the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, led to the end of World War II in the Pacific. A tour of nearby Shimabara peninsula showcased a moat-fortified, pagoda-style feudal castle (now a museum); a traditional samurai village; and Mizunashi Honjin—a modern-day version of Italy’s Pompeii—which was buried by ash during the 1991 eruption of Mount Fugan.

Houses covered with volcanic ash, Mizunashi Honjin, Shimabara Peninsula

Inside a kitchen at the Samurai Village, Shimabara Peninsula

Japanese lunch, Shimabara Peninsula

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Feudal castle, Shimabara Peninsula, outside Nagasaki

Costumed interpreter at the feudal castle, Shimabara Peninsula

Armor once used by feudal warriors, Shimabara Peninsula

SOUTH KOREA

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n Busan, South Korea, tales of a legendary sea goddess lured us to Haedong Yonggungsa—a temple complex perched on a rocky landmass abutting the ocean. From this fairytale-like spot, we motored to Dongbaekseom Island and the APEC house, which was built for the 2005 APEC Economic Summit, and then to the city’s Gukie street market where gold-painted statues on street corners mimicked people engaged in various activities. On a cruise, there’s only so much port time, so we reluctantly missed the Shinsegae Centum City department store, which includes a golf range, ice rink and spa, and is registered in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest shopping complex in the world.

Clams at the fish market, Busan

Mopeds crowd intersections, Busan

Gold-painted statues depict everyday scenes, Gukie street market, Busan

Haedong Yonggunesa oceanside temple, outside Busan

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TAIWAN Changing of the Guards at Martyr’s Shrine, Taipei

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and archway, Teipei Artwork inside Confucius Temple, Taipei

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he militarily precise Changing of the Guards at Martyr’s Shrine heralded our temple-studded excursion in Taipei, Taiwan. At Confucius Temple, the scent of incense perfumed the air; and dragons, warriors and other figures seemed to leap from ornate rooftops and walls. We also toured the National Palace Museum, catching a glimpse through crowded halls of the renowned jade cabbage (nobody could tell us exactly why it was renowned), and the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, where even the president’s car was on display. A traditional lion dance and sumptuous buffet lunch at the Grand Hotel and some retail therapy at the Handicraft Center rounded out our Taipei adventure.

Replica of the carved jade cabbage, Handicraft Center, Taipei

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Rooftop art, Confucius Temple, Taipei

HONG KONG

Hong Kong sunset

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ext stop: Hong Kong, where our starboard balcony cabin rewarded us with a stunning panoramic view of the evening’s spectacular city-lights sunset. I had visited Hong Kong many years earlier, so we passed on the Victoria Peak tram ride and other Hong Kong standards to explore Lantau Island’s Tai O—a traditional fishing village— and the Po Lin monastery (one of Hong Kong’s most important Buddhist sanctums) with its 1993-built giant Buddha (34 meters tall) at the top of 268 steps. Two of the red-robed monks graciously stopped to pose with tourists for a photo op at the base of the steps.

Monks, giant Buddha at Po Lin Monastery, Lantau Island

Decorative architecture, Po Lin Temple, Lantau Island

Incense burning, Po Lin Monastery, Lantau Island

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VIETNAM

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Fruit seller, Hoi An,

war-torn country in the 1960s and early ‘70s, Vietnam is now a flourishing visitor destination.

Our excursion here showcased the port city of Da Nang with its French-influenced houses and offshore armada of tiny fishing boats; the Cham Sculpture Museum—a glimpse into the south-Vietnamese culture of the powerful 11th-century Champa Empire; thousands of exquisite marble sculptures mined from the Marble Mountains; and the picturesque village of Hoi An, where you can shop for ceramics and uniquely crafted embroidery, as well as silk clothing and wall hangings— with a demonstration of silkworm raising and silk weaving thrown in for good measure. The super friendly Vietnamese have a knack for selling. It’s almost impossible to get away without buying something.

Wedding brides and bridesmaids, Hoi An

Serving lunch, DaNang

Cyclo (bicycle taxi) driver, Hoi An Dragon Bridge, DaNang

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BANGKOK

Architecture at the Grand Palace

Giant Statue, Grand Palace

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mpressed as we were by the beauty and variety of Asian architecture thus far, we were blown away by the ornate eye-candy temples in Bangkok, Thailand. The city has been described as a living museum, every aspect—gilded temples, food-and-flower stalls, tuk-tuks, and even its colorful inhabitants—mesmerizing, intriguing, yet all part of a functioning historical tapestry that is distinctly Thai, the country having maintained its independence throughout the 19th and 20th centuries while many of its neighbors were losing theirs.

A tour of Bangkok’s Grand Palace should be on everyone’s agenda. And be sure to board a tour boat for a scenic cruise along the wide Chao Phraya River, which runs through the city and offers a waterfront kaleidoscopic view of homes, temples, bridges, parks, modern hotels, a Ferris wheel, and bustling boat traffic of all stripes.

Boat on the river, Bankok, Thailand

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SINGAPORE

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ne final tour, in Singapore, delivered us to the city’s landmark Merlion sculpture shooting water into the harbor, a hilltop park where we strolled through an exotic orchid garden, a Buddhist temple, and along streets grandly decorated for the Lotus Blossom festival, before dropping us off at Changi Airport—its three terminals a traveler’s paradise of shops, video-game arcades, restaurants and exotic fantasy-like oases blooming with sunflowers, orchids, butterflies, giant ceramic flower pots and arched bridges over koi ponds.

Giant flower pot in the Enchanted Garden at Changi Airport Inside Buddhist temple, Singapore

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During our days at sea between countries, we’d taken time to enjoy the ship’s entertainment, spend time with friends we’d made on board and reflect on the variety of cultures we’d visited. Like the Belgium-onTuesday movie, our trip was a whirlwind adventure. But thanks to onboard destination lectures, well-organized excursions and knowledgeable local guides, we experienced the intense flavors of each culture—not just the food, which was undeniably delectable fare cradled by harmonious blends of sauces and spices and served at family-style tables— but also the stunning architecture, daily life and friendly people everywhere we went.

The samplings of each country outdid our expectations and were a bit of a tease, leaving us longing for our next visit.

Street decorated with giant lotus blossoms for the Lotus Blossom Festival

Photo credit: Robert Demar / aerial view, Mark Gardner / bikes, Mike Bertrand / Friday Harbor, Jim Maya / whales

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Taiwan’s Temples and Its Pantheon Story and Photos by Bennett W. Root, Jr. Looking north at the South China Sea over the roof of the Fushan Temple from the mountains at Juifen where gold miners enriched the area long before it became a tourist Mecca.

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Worshippers jam the interior of the Longshan Temple in one of the oldest sections of Taipei, lighting candles and incense, bringing food, clothes and other offerings for the temple’s gods.

Temples are part of each city large and small; people may drop in at any time to petition a temple deity or seek guidance for life’s daily challenges.

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here is no shortage of gods, or temples, idols and icons in Taiwan. As in many other destinations in Asia, the Taiwanese pantheon is wide and deep.

But unlike some other parts of Asia, the temples here have a daily vibrancy . The rich culture and history of the Taiwanese people and of the region are accessible through the temples, and the mythology and rituals that are part of temple life .

As the vast portion of Taiwan’s almost 25-million people have as their ancestors those who emigrated from south China’s Fujian and Quangdong provinces, it is not surprising that the Taiwanese pantheon includes the structure and fundamentals of Chinese mythology.

The Jade Emperor is the Heavenly Grandfather, one of the primordial emanations of the Tao. The San Kaun trinity are the rulers of heaven, earth and the waters and protectors from evil and calamity; they are usually depicted

as three bearded mandarins often sitting adjacent to each other. Hsuan Tien is a fierce soldier, slayer of dragons who may be accompanied by his generals or troops and, interestingly, is the patron of those starting businesses.

Pao Sheng is the god of medicine, a legendary physician deified after curing an ailing empress in the 10th century.

He is the principal deity in over 100 Taiwanese temples.

And perhaps most popular in Taiwan, Ma Tsu, the deified daughter of a Fujian fisherman who saved her brothers and father when they were caught in a typhoon, is now the patron of sailors. She is the principal deity in almost 400 Taiwanese temples. She is often depicted with a flat crown and a bead screen reminiscent of the Jade Emperor, and is usually accompanied by two demons she vanquished now her servants, Chein Li Yen, (“Thousand Mile Eyes ”), and red faced Shun Feng Erh (“Ears of Favorable Winds”).

There are many, many other gods, spirits and local folk heroes also resident in Taiwanese temples.

Local mythology places familiar effigies in many temples throughout Taiwan. Ears of Favorable Winds and Thousand Miles Eyes are well known guardians of the island’s fishermen and servants of the goddess Ma Tsu.

Exterior temple gates elaborate imagery guards the temple against evil spirits.

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The Mengjia Longshan Temple in Taipei’s Wanhua District dates from 1738. From the street, it is unassuming, concealing a crush of worshipers inside.

The interior of temples vary, depending on which of Taiwan’s many gods are the principal gods “resident” in the particular temple. Often a temple’s main alter may have the principal god and his generals or lieutenants.

Exotic and elaborately crafted dragons guard the Longshan Temple from evil spirits.

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or the Taiwanese, gods and spirits are living things, and as such, require food, clothing, daily necessities and, of course, a home.

The temples are their homes, or for some, their palaces or courts. Not all gods depicted may actually “reside” in a single temple simultaneously; in belief, the god’s presence may be a function of need of its supplicant, who often seeks to connect with the relevant spirit by making an offering of burning incense. Frequently, worshipers bring food or flowers to temple when seeking guidance on dayto- day problems. However, for festivals, the offerings are more extravagant. Such offerings may well include goats, pigs and dressy clothing—all traditional, not Westernized, as would be appropriate for gods of one’s ancestors. And money, of course. Not real money—that would be insulting—but ghost money, usually made from bamboo or rice paper and printed with designs or sometimes decorated with gold or silver threads.

Ghost money is often specially folded, sometimes shaped into forms, say of an ingot. It is believed to bring luck and to be an appropriate provision of necessary resources for the gods or ancestors departed but whose spirit continues to dwell in the natural world. Ghost money is burned every fifteen days in braziers at temples, at businesses and outside of homes, increasingly creating a head butt between traditionalists and ecologically minded Taiwanese.

Many religious or spiritual traditions exist in Taiwan, anchored by Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism, with some missionary-driven Christianity and a bit of Islam. But traditional gods and spirits are the dominant culture of the island, with heavenly beings’ lives anthropomorphized to allow the spirit world and the material world to coexist in daily life. Thus it is that birthdays of gods and spirits are celebrated almost daily throughout the year (given the large number of occupants of the Taiwanese pantheon), for example, Ma Tsu, the deified daughter of the fisherman, whose birthday is celebrated on the 23rd day of the third month of the lunar year.

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n Taipei, we took an afternoon to visit the Longshan Temple, where for three plus centuries Taiwan’s meek and powerful have come to pray and work out solutions for life’s troubles.

The temple is dedicated to Guanyin, the Buddhist representation of compassion, but its statues and icons mix most Chinese traditions. From the street in Wanhua, an original district in Taipei, it presented a quiet, unremarkable exterior that hid (briefly) the vibrant beauty of the temple and worship services inside. The temple’s internal design is traditional siheyuan, a four-building courtyard, with a roof of mosaic dragons, phoenixes and other mythical creatures, a distinctive highpoint of Taiwanese art. That afternoon the temple courtyard was jammed with worshippers, offerings, and choked with incense. “Services” seemed chaotic, or perhaps individualized and random, with many participants chanting from texts, others bowing with incense sticks, some fingering beads . Monks attended a Buddhist image at an inside chapel . It seemed akin to Brownian motion, but within the chaos, provided a meditative environment to focus the mind and leave the crush of daily activities behind.

Monks at Longshan Temple in Taipei paying homage to Buddha.

Taiwan’s people regularly go to local temples to worship, petition the pantheon for help, seek comfort in the midst of life’s challenges. Here, worshipers take an afternoon break at Taipei’s Longshan Temple.

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Statues of the deities may be styled as an emperor might be, complete with beaded headdress, or more as a traditional jolly Buddha, here at the Chung Tai Chan monastery in central Taiwan.

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Taiwan is home to many religious traditions including this Confucian Temple, Kong Miao, located in the ancient city of Tainan. The temple and its grounds are more spacious, almost minimalist, than the predominant Buddhist temples.

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wo hours from Taipei by fast train is Tainan City, the oldest city in Taiwan.

Blessed with wonderful local cuisine and an engaging history (including the Dutch East India Company and Fort Zeelania), it is also the site of some of the most interesting temples in Taiwan. The Datianhou Gong or Grand Ma Tsu Temple is a Taoist shine, the original home of King Ningjing of the Tungning Kingdom, dating from the late 1600s. It was the first temple dedicated to Ma Tsu in Taiwan, a blatant attempt of the then ruling generals to curry favor with the locals by honoring the Heavenly Goddess. Here Ma Tsu is depicted as a large golden presence in the center of the temple. She is flanked right and left by her monster servants Qianli Yuan (Thousand Mile Eyes) and Xufong Er (Ears of Favorable Winds) who together with Ma Tsu patrol the seas and the Formosa Straight for sailors in distress.

Tainan is also home to one of the oldest Confucian Temples, Kong Miao . This temple has grounds.

The designs here are simpler, almost minimalist by comparison to the glitz of the tiny Grand Ma Tsu temple. Statues are replaced by inscribed tablets . Among the people we met here was a poet working with traditional brushes and inks. It was easy to envision monastic life and serious scholarship.

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rom Tainan, we set out for Sun Moon Lake and across the central mountains to Tarako National Park.

East of Tainan, we stopped to visit the temple of the Sunglasses Buddha . To us, this seemed at first a bit like a Margaritaville tourist stop, but be careful of contempt prior to investigation. This east facing temple, high on a plateau south of the Alishan forest, greets a brilliant sunrise each morning; the sunglasses protect the Buddha from the sun’s harshest light. Seriously. Here we were greeted by locals—our guide was a welcome intermediary—enjoyed fresh fruit and joined morning worshipers to cast our moon blocks (bwah bwey) to make sure we could make it through the forest and over the mountains on the tiny back roads that cross the island’s mountainous divide. And while the temple here was not as packed as the Longshan temple in Taipei, it was clear that serious temple life and connecting with local spirits remains an important part of daily living in Taiwan, both for city dwellers and country folk.

Northwest of the Sunglasses Buddha temple, our guide took us to the Chung Tai Chan (“Zen”) Monastery outside of Puli. Here ancient tradition meets contemporary teaching in an unexpectedly moving, but exceedingly lavish setting. Our temple guide--a novitiate— took us through the Hall of Heavenly Kings with its happy Buddha and guardian pillars , through the Great Majesty Hall with its red granite Sakyamuni (historical) Buddha , and finally to the stunning white jade Rocana Buddha in the appropriately named Great Magnificence Hall. What a very long way from reading Siddhartha so many years ago, and what a humbling, empowering experience this side trip was.

Taiwan is an extraordinary way to explore Pacific Rim culture. From its high mountain tea gardens, to its cultural sites and its National Palace Museum, it is a perfect and easily accessible counterbalance to walking the Great Wall, looking at Xi’an’s terracotta warriors and traveling to ponder the Yangtze and the Three Gorges Dam. Its people are warm and easy to meet. But it is in its temples that we found the soul and raison d’ être of our time in Taiwan.

In their silent majesty, these temples had so much to say.

The grounds and buildings of the massive Chung Tai Chan Moneastery houses both a museum of religious art and artifacts and one of the largest active training facilities for Zen monks.

East of Tainan, on the road to famous Sun Moon Lake, is the temple of the Sunglasses Buddha, where the main effigy greats the sunrise as it peeks over the central mountains of Taiwan’s interior. People greeted us with food and tea, and showed us the ancient tradition of casting “moon blocks” (bwah bwey) to help one see the correct path ahead.

This huge pink granite statute of the Buddha commands the attention of passersby, offering them a chance to sit, quiet the mind and meditate as one seeks the Middle Way.

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Over 16 million people have gotten naturally high soaring up the face of Mt. San Jacinto on the remarkable Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The two-and-a-half-mile journey to an altitude of 8,500 feet will take you to another world completely. With hiking trails in the summer. Family snow fun in the winter. Both casual and fine dining with spectacularly amazing views all year long. Come on up. It’s a trip all right. And it’s a natural.

Like no place else.™

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Vietnam & Colorful temple gateway

Memorable ‘pinch me’ moments abound in Southeast Asia

Temple statues

s the stars fade and the colors of the sky begin to slowly change, the dark shadows of Angkor Wat’s temple walls gradually emerge. The anticipation builds among the hushed crowd as the towers and their reflection in the moat surrounding the vast complex become increasingly clear. And then, this visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking scene reveals itself in its full glory, rendering viewers speechless. It’s a “pinch me” moment and I revel in the experience, trying to savor each special element.

Seeing Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat was just one of the many “pinch me” moments I encountered during my trip to Vietnam and Cambodia with Journeys Within, an award-winning boutique Southeast Asia tour company. I confess I stopped counting these memorable occurrences after just a few days into this fascinating cultural odyssey. The moments came fast and furious, one after another, and all I could do was continue to pinch myself to ensure I wasn’t dreaming.

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Sunrise over Angkor Wat Temple

My adventure began in Hanoi, the bustling capital of Vietnam, where modern meets ancient in regards to architecture, traditions and culture. This charming, yet chaotic city overwhelms the senses. The Old Quarter is a congested maze of narrow streets offering a wealth of cheap shopping and delicious, exotic eats from street stalls and sidewalk cafes. The area is jam-packed with pedestrians, bicycles, motorbikes, cars and tuk tuks, the motorized rickshaw or pedicab that is a popular form of transportation in many Southeast Asian countries. The pace of traffic is frenetic and vehicles come from all directions with total disregard for organized rules, making the act of crossing the streets an extreme adventure sport. The stakes are high, the risks are great and he who hesitates (or veers suddenly) is toast!

Cambodia

Traditional temple ruins

Story and photos by Deborah Stone

There are numerous sights to explore in this lively city, from Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and the famed One Pillar Pagoda to the Hoa Lo Prison Museum, the penitentiary built by the French in the 1880s and later used to house American POWs, who sarcastically named it the “Hanoi Hilton.” Another famous attraction is the water puppet shows at the acclaimed Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre. The art form of water puppetry is a Vietnamese tradition dating to the 11th century. Wooden puppets are mounted on long bamboo poles, which remain totally hidden under a shallow pool of water. Experienced puppeteers manipulate the puppets, making them appear to be dancing over the water.

Shows are accompanied by singers and a live orchestra, which plays traditional Vietnamese instruments.

Halong Bay

From Hanoi, I headed to Halong Bay for a three-day trip on a classic junk boat. A visit to this UNESCO World Heritage site is an incredible treat. The bay features nearly 2,000 limestone islands of various sizes and shapes that rise up from the crystalline emerald water, creating one of Vietnam’s most spectacular natural wonders. The isles appear as monoliths or pillars and together with a variety of coastal erosional features such as arches, caves and grottos, combine to create a haunting seascape. Kayaking in and around these formations, especially on a misty late afternoon, is deliciously eerie, qualifying for yet another one of those “pinch me” moments.

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Angkor Wat temples at sunrise, Cambodia

Cambodia temple ruins

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Nature intertwines within the ruins of Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia

ietnam is full of World Heritage Sites from north to south and all places in between. In the central zone of the country lies the old capital city of Hue, which contains a number of historic treasures.

Located on the banks of the picturesque Perfume River, the city is notable for its temples, royal tombs, palaces and pagodas. One of the prime attractions is the Imperial Citadel, an extensive complex that once contained a forbidden city where only the emperors, concubines and those close enough to them were granted access. South of the city are the Tombs of the Emperors, each with a different style, providing excellent examples of Vietnamese Buddhist aesthetics and architecture.

Dinner at Tha Om Ancient House provided another “pinch me” opportunity. Located in a small village near Hue, the 100-yearold home is owned by an architect who is a descendent of a mandarin royal family. At night, the compound’s stone lanterns are lit up, displaying its numerous ponds and gardens, which exemplify the use of Feng Shui in ancient architecture. The menu for the evening’s meal was cleverly written on a fan and included such sumptuous delights as spring rolls, pumpkin soup, green papaya salad, fish, grilled beef on tiles and a host of tropical fruits, among other delectable dishes. The experience included a tour of the property, provided by the owner who enjoys regaling guests with intriguing historical information and details about the house, as well as its original occupant, the owner’s eccentric grandfather.

The south of Vietnam, which is considered the tail of the country’s dragon shape, holds its own when it comes to memorable sights and experiences. Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon, is the largest and most populated metropolitan and economic center in the country. Located near the Mekong River Delta, this city, like Hanoi, is a melding of Old World charm and modern influences and bustles with life rhythm 24/7.

Examples of colonial French architecture, such as the stately Opera House and the grand Central Post Office, remind visitors of the French Indochina period in the country’s history.

Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre

For Vietnam War buffs, the Reunification Palace and War Remnants Museum provide insight into the conflict primarily from the perspective of the Vietnamese. The Palace, formerly the presidential quarters for South Vietnam’s president, has been left largely untouched from the day before Saigon fell to the North. A replica of the tank that crashed through the gate, officially ending the war on April 30, 1975, is parked on the lawn outside the building.

Inside, the museum there’s a kitschy rec room and an eerie basement full of vintage 1960s phones, radios and office equipment, supposedly left exactly as it was found when the North assumed power. A photo gallery and propaganda film recounting the domination of Ho Chi Minh’s revolutionary forces against the South and its American allies completes the picture. The War Remnants Museum is a much heavier and disturbing walk down memory lane.

Outside Ho Chi Minh in the Cu Chi district are the famed Cu Chi tunnels, which are worth a visit if only to get a full understanding of the ingenious underground network that aided guerrilla fighters in their resistance to first the French and later, American and allied forces. At its height, this intricate multi-layered system stretched from the South Vietnamese capital to the Cambodian border and consisted of innumerable trap doors, living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, kitchens and command centers.

Cambodia, like Vietnam, contains countless cultural jewels.

In Siem Reap alone, there are scores of magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to 15th Centuries, including the aforementioned eminent Temple of Angkor Wat. Though Angkor Wat is a “must see,” make sure you venture further out to some of the other temple sites including Angkor Thom, Ta Prohm and the lesser-visited Preah Khan. The latter two sites depict a battle between nature and architecture, where it’s obvious that nature is getting the upper hand. The jungle is basically devouring the remains of these ancient structures, as the trees have taken root in loosened stones and wound their way through the buildings. Determining which root belongs to which tree becomes a mesmeric puzzle for the viewer, as does the question of why an entire population abandoned these sites umpteen years ago. Preah Khan, which was built in 1191 A.D., originally served as a monastery and school, and at one time, 15,000 people lived there. Some archaeologists postulate that possibly severe climate conditions forced inhabitants to leave, but the actual reason for their departure will always be a mystery. As I walked among these masterpieces, I could almost hear the voices of the past within the crumbling walls of the ruins. It was truly a mystical, spiritual “pinch me” moment.

Food is a star attraction in Vietnam

Colorful kites, Hue

Fishermen at Halong Bay

Buddhist monk offering a greeting

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Street vendor on bicycle

Water buffalo grazing

Hanoi street scene

or an up-close and personal view of rural life in Cambodia, take a tour of a village near Siem Reap with a local guide, who will show you his community of houses built on sticks and explain how residents eke out a living with their small rice farms and various cottage industries. An average family has six kids, who attend school until sixth grade at the small village school. If they want to continue their education, the children must go into Siem Reap.

Halong Bay boatwoman

Hanoi street market

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Fisherman with traditional style boat

The tour motivated my desire to further interact with the local people. Journeys Within gladly facilitated this opportunity via its nonprofit organization, Journeys Within Our Community (JWOC). Founded by Brandon and Andrea Ross, owners of Journeys Within Tour Company, the organization works at the local level to be an active force for change. It invests in future generations by offering scholarships to students who have the ability to succeed, but are unable to afford the tuition fees and course materials. The nonprofit also offers a micro-finance program aimed at addressing the major problem of credit and debt in Cambodia. Additional programs include the Clean Water Project and the Free Schools Program; the latter which offers a variety of English language classes, training opportunities and skills development for children and adults.

I decided to volunteer one afternoon in an English conversation class for adults. The group met at JWOC’s center in a building adjacent to the Journeys Within Boutique Hotel, where I was staying during my time in Siem Reap. Three other volunteers from the hotel joined me in assisting the teacher with different speaking activities. The students were delightful and equally as curious about us as we were about them, which spurred an enthusiastic and stimulating exchange. Their hearty appreciation for our time was genuine, but I know that I got much more in return than I gave. Yet another “pinch me” moment from this incredible trip.

Float on to summer at VisitVirginiaBeach.com

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Delicious Food, Tasty Futures:

VIETNAM’S TRAINING RESTAURANTS make culinary dreams come true for disadvantaged youth.

By Maureen Littlejohn

T

he resiliency of Vietnam is remarkable. Despite being ravaged by wars with France, the United States and China, the country’s economy is surging. English schools are popping up everywhere as people strive to learn the language of commerce and tourists arrive by the planeload to see UNESCO world heritage sites such as dream-like Halong Bay, the ancient capital of Hué or the newly named Trang An area on the southern shore of the Red River Delta.

On the surface, Vietnam seems poised to jump from developing to developed nation. However, dig down a little and you’ll come across poverty and lack of education. This is especially so in rural areas inhabited by ethnic minorities where children often drop out of school in order to help parents with household chores or farming. These children can face other problems, as well. Some are orphans, some move to the city looking for work and become addicted to drugs, some end up homeless.

But all is not lost for these marginalized young people. There’s a movement afoot to help them with food. Not handouts, but a hand up, through culinary and hospitality training. Three non-government organizations supported by donors in Australia, Canada and the United States have started training centers and restaurants where students can hone their skills and tourists can taste the fruits of the labors while supporting a worthy cause.

At KOTO Restaurant, tucked behind Hanoi’s ancient Temple of Literature, tour groups flock to enjoy a menu of Asian-meetsEuro dishes including nem (spring rolls), beef baked in bamboo, delicious salads, sandwiches and baked goods. Started by Jimmy Pham more than 15 years ago, KOTO stands for “Know One, Teach One.” Pham, a Vietnamese-Australian began with a small sandwich shop in Hanoi that provided disadvantaged youth with jobs. In 1999, he opened a training center that offered training for careers in the hospitality business. Since then Pham, who was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2011, has opened another training center and restaurant in Saigon. The business has also expanded to include catering and cooking classes.

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Chefs in training

Koto restaurant interior

Koto restaurant exterior

Koto restaurant kitchen

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eal life experience in the training restaurants is key to students being able to succeed. “It is a source of immense pride when all of them have good jobs and sustainable lives after graduating,” Pham says. To date, KOTO has launched more than 500 graduates, some whom now work at the Sofitel Plaza Hanoi, the Intercontinental Asiana Saigon and the Movenpick Hotel Hanoi.

In the Truc Bach neighborhood of Hanoi, a stately house has been transformed into elegant restaurant called Song Thu. Run by Hoa Sua vocational training school, at-risk kids–homeless or physically disabled–get professional training in European and Asian cooking, catering and hotel services, sewing, embroidery, baking and languages. When it started in 1994, the school was graduating around 20 students a year. Today around 700 students graduate yearly and to date more than 6,000 graduates have found work in the tourism and hospitality sector.

The brainchild of Mrs. Pham Thi Vy, Hoa Sua has received support over the years from many local and international partners including World University Services of Canada (WUSC), Samaritan’s Purse, Kraft, Gapyear, Oxfam Quebec and UNICEF. The school provides students with on-the-job training and practical experience at Song Thu, as well as at a bakery café located at the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, a mini hotel/restaurant called Baguettes and Chocolate in the tourist destination town of Sapa, and a small baked goods outlet at the south end of Hoan Kiem Lake in the center of Hanoi.

These enterprises help fund the school’s operations.

“Most of the students are in their 20s and are from ethic minority groups who live in the mountainous regions of Vietnam.

They have limited education and language skills. Most speak just a little Vietnamese and no English, but they have a passion for the work,” explains John Matthewman, a Canadian volunteer with the WUSC/Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) Uniterra program (one of Canada’s top international development volunteer programs) who is working with Hoa Sua to develop a soft skills curriculum to be delivered to students by Hoa Sua teaching staff. Soft skills are those little touches that are so important in the hospitality industry—smiling, communicating with customers, listening to their requests and complaints, and solving their problems.

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“The passionate Hoa Sua students are very employable with the training they receive,” says Matthewman, adding, “Soft skills give them an edge for better jobs.”

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n the historic city of Hoi An, in central Vietnam, in a restored colonial house, Streets Restaurant fuses traditional Vietnamese food and contemporary international dishes. The restaurant’s most popular dinner choice is the Hoi An tasting menu featuring iconic regional specialties such as white rose dumplings, papaya salad with dried beef and Cau Lau noodles with spicy, braised pork.

Steam rises, pots clatter and energetic voices shout out orders as trainees whip up platters of delicious delicacies for hungry patrons.

The brainchild of New Yorker Neal Bermas, Streets International was launched in 2007 and in 2014 it became a member of the Clinton Global Initiative. Bermas, who was a high-powered hospitality management consultant, recalls being inspired to make a difference after his first business trip to the country in the ‘90s. “Street children approached me, begging for money for milk. These kids were as young as eight,” he says.

Cocktail creations

Desserts

My Quang Pork Shrimp

With expertise as a hotel and restaurant consultant, restaurant owner and college lecturer, Bermas was able to put together a selfsustaining program that has placed more than 100 graduates in good jobs including with five-star hotels such as the Hyatt Regency and the InterContinental Hotel in Danang.

Internationally credentialed by the award winning Institute of Culinary Education in New York, the 18-month curriculum starts with orientation to hospitality and a basic skills overview, then gets into the nitty-gritty of professional cooking and restaurant service and operations. The program includes extensive culinary and hospitality classroom instruction, a teaching kitchen, a state-of-the-art computer language laboratory, hands-on experience in Streets Restaurant, life skills curriculum and extensive hospitality English classes. Plus, trainees receive housing, food, basic financial support and medical care.

Why did Bermas pick Hoi An, a city smack dab in the middle of the country, over the better-known hubs of Hanoi and Saigon? Having traveled in southeast Asia for 10 years working for large hotel brands and Vietcombank, he identified the town as a growing tourist destination. Visually unique in Vietnam, Hoi An has an unusual blend of 19th- and 20th-century Chinese, Japanese and European architecture as well as pagodas and temples. The city is charming, the people warm and friendly.

Visitors to Streets Restaurant often take home more than a full belly.

There’s a line of products including aprons and chef’s toques, plus a glossy Streets Cookbook for $25. Profits are pumped back into the training program.

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At these training restaurants, good food equals good opportunities.

Students are empowered with knowledge and skills while patrons delight in carefully prepared meals. What better way to a strong, sustainable future than through the stomach?

IT’S A WIN-WIN SITUATION.

100 miles of coastline 20 public beaches just for you

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K O K G N A B ee S y l e r a ts R s i r u o T Mankin

by Don e Side

Th

s

d Photo

Story an

The chubby six year old with the heavy-duty water cannon scanned the crowd, looking for targets. He spotted me, one of the few Western tourists in sight, and hesitated. I smiled. That was all he needed. The wet blast from his weapon hit me square in the chest. I didn’t mind. There are worse things than getting doused with water on one of the hottest days of the year in one of the hottest cities on earth by a smiling kid in the “land of smiles.”

During the annual celebration of the Buddhist festival of Songkran, revelers douse each other with water for spiritual cleansing, as well as to cool down during the hottest time of the year.

I was at Asiatique, a new “lifestyle” development on the Chao Praya River in Bangkok, the mighty river that winds through the heart of the city. Asiatique is just one of several destinations that draw thousands of residents every day but remain largely off the tourist track. These destinations are where the locals play and where visitors willing to leave their guidebooks behind can observe and interact with them when they’re not working.

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Asiatique, the new “lifestyle” development on the Chao Praya River in Bangkok, is where Thai locals come to play.

Asiatique is easy to get to and easy for potentially squeamish Westerners to take. It is Bangkok’s version of the commercial developments that have revitalized waterfronts in many American cities over the last few decades -- part upscale shopping center, theme park and river walk. At the beginning of the 20th Century, the site was a bustling international river port before falling into decline. Now the formerly abandoned warehouses and factories have been remodeled and converted into upscale shops, restaurants, cafes, nightclubs and bars. The development also includes food stalls, theaters, and a Ferris wheel, riverfront promenade, and pier for the boats that ferry people between Asiatique and Sathorn Pier, adjoining the Saphan Taksin Skytrain station just 10 minutes away.

The crowds start early in their quest for something to eat at the Ramkhamhaeng Night Market.

My first visit to Asiatique was during Songkran, the three day Buddhist holiday that is essentially the Thai version of New Years.

The roots of Songkran are religious, marked by the dousing of people with water to cleanse them spiritually.

Since Songkran happens during the hottest part of the year, the dousing is usually welcome by the “dousees.” Over the years it has evolved into huge, generally good-natured water fights throughout the city, ergo the chubby boy with the mischievous gleam in his eye and the artillery grade water weaponry in his hands.

On the two visits I made to Asiatique during a recent fiveweek business trip in Bangkok the crowd was overwhelmingly Thai -- from the looks of it, mostly middle to upper class with lots of students and young professionals. They were all having a good time, laughing, playing, and taking selfies.

Asiatique, the new “lifestyle” development on the Chao Praya River in Bangkok, attracts many locals but few Western tourists.

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One of the few Westerners I did see was at the bar, Brew, where I took refuge from the heat and the dousing. With its impressive collection of craft beers from around the world, Brew was a welcome respite from the heat. I spent an hour or so drinking and talking to Hans from Denmark, who had wandered in for a beer while his wife and daughter were shopping.

He was a serious beer drinker so our conversation included phrases like “West Coast IPA” and “hop profile” – not what you expect to hear from a Dane in a pub in Bangkok.

Later that evening as the Asiatique ferry pulled into the Sathorn Pier on my way back to my hotel, I saw a long line of people waiting to board. Again, only a handful of Westerners. Less than half of the people in line made it on before the ferry reached it’s 100 person capacity. Apparently, Asiatique really rocks at night.

Most every evening street food vendors line Soi 24, the street that runs along the southern edge of the Hua Mak Sports Complex.

I came back a couple of weeks later, mostly for another cold IPA, and it was the same without the water pistols -- a long line to get on the shuttle, few Westerners, and lots of Thais smiling, playing and, of course, taking selfies.

The lack of western tourists is not intentional.

There is an English version of their website and signs in English throughout the site.

But for now the clientele is mainly local.

My recommendation is to get there fast before Western tourists discover it.

At the other end of the spectrum from Asiatique is the traditional and more economically eclectic Ramkhamhaeng night market in NE Bangkok. It is much larger than the highly popular Patpong night market, which is surrounded by the sleazy stripper/hooker bars that attract so many Western tourists, mostly male, and far less accessible from the tourist hotels on the river or on Sukhumvit Road than the weekend Chatachuk market. The clientele at the Ramkhamhaeng market is almost all local.

With no easy access via public transportation it is not likely that it will see many Western tourists any time soon.

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The street food vendors on Soi 24, the street that runs along the southern edge of the Hua Mak Sports Complex, provide a less crowded alternative to the Ramkhamhaeng Night Market.

The Ramkhamhaeng night market sets up in the late afternoon every day but Monday in a large parking lot on the northern edge of the Hua Mak Sports Complex. It may well be the largest temporary night market in Bangkok.

Crowds of people work their way through the maze of aisles between rows of vendors selling inexpensive household items, kitchen utensils, packages of tube socks, t-shirts with random collections of English words, and glittery “Hello Kitty” iPhone covers and handbags.

The food is the main attraction for me, especially the fermented sausage from the Isaan region in NE Thailand, known for its hearty, country style cuisine. On my first visit I stared indecisively at the four trays of small, round, skewered sausages with signs in Thai describing, I assumed, the contents of the sausages on each tray. They all looked the same, but the different lettering on the signs implied otherwise. I pointed to the sausages on one of the trays and asked the proprietor, “What’s in this?” hoping that his English was better than my Thai. It was… barely. “Pork,” he answered. I pointed to the next tray. “Pork.” And the next. “Pork.” I got the idea. I chose one at random. He picked up a skewer of two sausages, put it in a small plastic bag, and handed it to me. I paid the equivalent of about 30 cents, headed for an open spot on the lawn by an artificial lake and sat on the ground. After rubbing a few drops of sanitizer on my hands, it was time to eat. The sausages are like hot, slightly sour juice bombs ready to explode in your mouth, or on your shirt if you’re not careful. After several visits, a few soiled T-shirts, and the occasional minor burn on my chest, I learned that the trick is to nibble a small opening at the end of the sausage and suck out the juice before biting down.

Other personal favorites at the market include huge, fluffy shu mai and grilled chicken skewers. It’s important to note that despite numerous visits to Thailand over the years and many meals in the market and on the street, I’ve never gotten sick.

Choosing among the several varieties of Isaan sausage for sale at the Ramkhamhaeng Night Market isn’t easy, especially when you can’t read Thai.

After eating I check out the people.

The age range is much broader than at Asiatique. Families sit on the lawn eating while their children run around, teen agers flirt, grandmothers haggle with vendors, and athletic looking men play basketball, soccer or what looks like a hybrid of the two involving the kicking of a ball into a net about 20 feet above the ground.

Usually, it’s a night’s worth of entertainment, but if I haven’t had enough, I exit the complex at the south end, turn right and wander up Soi 24, a lively, narrow street with open air restaurants and food stalls stretching for blocks. I often top off the evening with a foot massage at one of the many places along the street. It’s not your relaxing yuppie massage with new age music and incense, but the masseuses know their business and for $7 an hour, you can’t beat the price.

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WHERE TO EAT: THE BEST WAY: Many airlines --including American, Delta, and United – have one stop flights to Bangkok for about $1000.

Brew Beers and Ciders, Asiatique The Riverfront, 2194 Room T05, Charoenkrung Road, Bangkok, 108 8744, brewbkk.com. Besides a wide selection of craft beer from around the world, they serve a full menu of Asian and Western snacks and meals.

About $40 for 2, including American craft beer.

The Never Ending Summer, 41/5 Charoen Nakhon Road, Khlong San, Bangkok 10600, 861 0953, www.facebook.com/TheNeverEndingSummer/ info. Ultrahip restaurant on the site of an old jam factory across the river from the Royal Orchid GETTING AROUND: Sheraton. A great looking space with exposed roof rafters, beams and brick walls. An Get the Asiatique shuttle at the Sathorn Pier, excellent modern take on traditional which is right next to the Saphan Taksin Skytrain Thai cooking. About $35 for 2 station. The ten minute ride is free. with beer.

Getting to the Ramkhamhaeng night market is more complicated. The easiest way is by taxi. Some taxi drivers might not know about the night market so its best to ask them to take you to the Rajamangala National Stadium, which sits on the southern edge of the Sports Complex. From the street entrance walk north about a half a mile to the market. Depending on where the taxi driver drops you off, you may have to wander a bit until you find it. Look for the lights, crowds and tents. If you are looking for a bit more of an adventure, take the Skytrain Sukhumvit Line to the Ekkamai station and take a taxi from there.

TELEPHONES: To call the numbers listed below from the U.S., dial 011 (the international dialing code), 66 (country code for Thailand), 2 (the area code for Bangkok) and the local number.

From downtown the taxi will run about $10-15, from Ekkamai it will cost about $3-4 per person. The Skytrain will add another WHERE TO STAY: $1.30 per person to the total cost. You can easily hail a taxi on Soi 24 or Ramkhamhaeng Road to get back to the Skytrain or your hotel. Another option is to Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok, take the Saen Saep Canal Express Boat. The 28 Charoenkrung Road, Bangkok 10120, 307 Ramkhamhaeng stop is a short walk south 8888, www.chatrium.com. Sleek, modern hotel with to the market. great river views located on the river a 10 minute shuttle boat ride from Sathorn Pier. Fully refundable rate for river view room booked on hotel’s website is $137/night.

Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa, 257/1-3 Charoennakorn Road Thonburi, Bangkok 10600, 476 0022, bangkok-riverside.anantara.com. Lush grounds and traditional architecture in a quiet location a 20 minute shuttle boat ride from Sathorn Pier. The hotel shuttle boat stops at Asiatique on its way to Sathorn Pier. Fully refundable rate booked on hotel’s website is $165/night.

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Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers, 2 Charoen Krung Soi 30, Siphya, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500, 266 0123, www.royalorchidsheraton.com. Great river views and convenient location next to Chao Praya River Express stop and high end shopping in River City. Fully refundable rate for river view room booked on hotel’s website is $214/night.

South Carolina’s REVOLUTIONARY RIVERS

Listen closely. The waters of the Pee Dee & Lynches Rivers whisper stories of swampy battlefields, colonial rice fields and routes to freedom. Retracing the past from Native American settlements to the island hideout of the Revolutionary War’s Swamp Fox, your outdoor adventure becomes a history lesson you will never find in a book.

Don’t just read history... paddle history. visitflo.com/screvrivers 41

GUAM

Glories in Welcoming Visitors Around the Island Story by Carla Marie Rupp Photos by Guam Visitors Bureau

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uam offers an exciting, warm, vibrant island paradise experience, with great scuba diving and snorkeling, golf, beach-combing, wonderful shopping with better prices (especially with its duty free status and local markets) and spectacular sight-seeing and landmarks. It’s exotic in its own way, yet American.

It’s “where America’s day begins!” as they say. Morning begins first in Guam, which is 3,800 miles southwest of Hawaii. Guam is the largest island between Hawaii and the Philippines.

Not only just natural beauty, there’s plenty of history. Even World War II sites are easy to find and visit, as well as scenery steeped in legends. There’s so much to do in Guam and discover. Tourism is the second biggest industry after the military. And there are definitely interesting locals to meet and interact with, as I found out.

It’s one of my favorite places, not just for the attractions but for the friendly people you meet and fun along the way. It’s really worth the trip. Arriving alone from a long but good flight sure didn’t stop me from a thrilling, as-you-go adventure each day and a rich cultural-filled vacation.

Hafa Adai! This welcoming “hello” greeting became so familiar that I happily started to say this, too, as I grew more and more enchanted with my Guam trip during my 12 days in this tropical, western-Pacific paradise where a beautiful blend of Spanish, Japanese and American cultures blend.

Who wouldn’t like this bright, sunny climate, the clean ocean waters and the beautiful green and open-village landscape atmosphere? It suited me perfectly. The native people, the Chamorros, made sure of that. I admired their hospitable nature and their attitude of being grateful for the beautiful island they call home. I loved how they wanted to show me their preserved sites, such as the Stone Latte Park.

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Tumon Bay ariel photo

Explore Guam’s natural wonder: The Blue Hole Enjoy tax-free luxury shopping

Family fun at the beach

Take a swing at Guam’s scenic view

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learned a lot about Guam’s customs and talented locals at the annual Guam Micronesian Island Fair, with food, crafts, music, native structures, dancing and a lot more, which will be held May 15-17, 2015.

Locally Woven Handicrafts Chamorro Fiesta Buffet

While Guam has festivals of all kinds, it will host the 12th Festival of the Pacific Arts from May 22 to June 4, 2016. It will be the island’s big opportunity to showcase its Chamorro culture that has survived colonization of the past and modernization of the present. This premiere event is hosted every four years at a different Pacific island as a mission to preserve indigenous customs and traditions.

Twenty-seven Pacific islands and territories are expected to participate: Hawaii, Australia, Easter Island, Papua New Guinea. Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Pitcairn Islands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis, Futuna, Palau, Nauru, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Fiji Islands, American Samoa, Solomon Islands, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Mariana Islands, French Polynesia and Guam.

Delegations will be made up of more than 2,500 performers and artisans and crafts persons.

The first few days I was on Guam, I hardly used my rental car, spending my time enjoying the first of several beach resorts. But I wanted to learn more so I visited the Guam Visitors Bureau and picked up several brochures and got great hints on what to do from its friendly staff. One of their first suggestions was to snorkel at the beach behind their office. It was terrific suggestion.

Display of Unique Local Art

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Cultural Performance of Chamorro Dancers

T

he staff also said I should try diving since Guam is one of the more affordable places to scuba dive. One can go off the shore or from a boat. I did both with the Micronesian Divers Association. I hired my own diving instructor and we marveled at the good visibility in the perfect temperature waters.

For a living museum experience, I went to Gef Pago Chamorro Cultural Village, modeled after a typical Chamorro village where I saw skills from the old days demonstrated and was able to interact with the crafts persons. I learned the uses of coconut oil and saw how a rope is made.

My imagination was swept into another time.

The following day, I was intrigued by a local enterprising Chamorro merchant casually chopping fresh coconuts from the back of his pickup truck. He said he was Joe, the Coconut Man. He had his truck perched at the site of Fort Santa Agueda, a Spanish historic site built in the 1800s overlooking Hagatna. As I sipped the refreshing coconut water I was intrigued to watch Japanese visitors adding soy sauce and wasabi to the coconut meat.

One of the special treats I enjoyed is when a new friend took me to the home of her family to eat with her relatives. We dined on typical Chamorro specialties, such as red rice, cucumber salad and chicken kelaguen, a popular dish using lemon juice, salt, grated coconut and hot red peppers.

Chamorro Hut Supported by Latte Stones Breathtaking view of Cetti Bay

Divers with Butterflyfish

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S

he also took me to her church fiesta and parade. Catholicism is the principal religion with the first Catholic church being built 1669. Church festivals and fiestas are open to the public and visitors can find them listed in the Pacific Daily News.

WW II site Plaza de Espana

Guam also is full of nightlife for all ages.

My friend took me to the Chamorro Village Wednesday Night Market, where we had so much fun eating some good local food and seeing all the local crafts that I couldn’t resist.

We also went to the Sandcastle Showroom for a Las Vegas-styled performance. I also enjoyed the Trades Jazz Club, featuring excellent musicians.

One of the quirkier things I enjoyed was stopping at Fort Soledad to ride bareback on top of a carabao, a type of water buffalo, handled by a Chamorro man calling himself Buffalo John.

Riding a Carabao Aerial View of Two Lovers Point

“People tell me this is a million-dollar view,” he said. “I’m already up to a zillion dollars already.

They tell me ‘this is God’s country!’ What do you mean? This is my home.” His real name is John Fegurgur and he’s a great conversationalist and wonderful host who’ll also sell you coconuts and bananas if you’d like.

He’s based on a steep bluff at the last of four Spanish fortifications built in 1810 on the south side of the island at the village of Umatac. “I introduce local culture. It’s what visitors want to see when they come, not malls or a concrete jungle. This is a different tourist who comes to the south of Guam,” he said. “I like to take my shirt off --- it makes me look more native. The carabao is up here for pictures and riding. Any donation will do. You do or you don’t. It’s part of the hospitality and tradition on the south part of the island.”

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Another interesting twist on Guam are the legends around some of the scenic sights.

Two Lovers Leap cliff is a favorite of picturetakers and features the most magnificent view. According to ancient folklore, at this breathtaking site two ill-fated lovers forbidden to marry tied their hair together, then leapt to their deaths from this 378-foot high cliff.

S

irena the Mermaid is another legend.

You can locate a statue dedicated to her beneath the San Antonio Bridge in Hagatna. The legend is she disobeyed her mother by choosing to swim instead of running errands and was cursed. But before she was completely changed into a fish, her godmother intervened.

Legend says that Sirena swam out to sea. My friend named her daughter Sirena. “She thinks it’s so cool that she was named after Guam’s legend.”

The War in the Pacific National Historic Park is interesting to visit. You can learn about many of the events of the Pacific War, including the Battle of Guam and the role of the Mariana Islands in helping to end the war. The park was established in 1978 to honor all those who participated in the Pacific Theater, including those from the United States, Japan, and the Allied nations.

Comprising of 1,000 acres, the park hosts thousands of visitors each year. The National Park Service maintains seven sites around the island. I took time in the little theater to watch an educational film on the Pacific War that I found so compelling I ended up purchasing it in the gift shop. Information is available at the T. Stell Newman Visitor Center near the U.S. Naval Base Guam entrance on Marine Corps Drive. You may also contact the park at (671)333-4050 or visit www.nps.gov.

Hopping in my rental car, I took my own solo around-the-island day tours, stopping whenever and wherever I felt like it. I really recommend this circling the island for a sense of accomplishment and its joie de vivre experiences. It can be tricky driving around, navigating the roads and learning where things are, but it is well worth the effort and things begin to look familiar after a few days.

I stopped at one historical church where I discovered a few parishioners playing the piano and singing. I joined in and sang songs with them!

We snapped some photos together, and I felt so glad to have this connection.

Relaxing in the Inarajan Pools, a natural system of swimming holes by the side of the road, is another special place during my drive and was a favorite stop because it was easy to park and get in the pool. It was also fun to chat with others while enjoying the free soaking and sunshine.

Jeff’s Pirates Cove is a well-known hangout and one of the original beach bars. It has a great view fronting the Pacific Ocean. There’s plenty to eat and do. It’s also a nice spot to buy postcards and kitschy souvenirs. I got lucky and met Jeff who started it all, still running a Seaside Museum here with ancient Guam pieces and World War II artifacts.

Spas are also part of most of the larger hotels on Guam. At the Outrigger Guam Resort, I enjoyed not only the water activities at the pools and beach but also the Mandara Spa massage and steam area.

I also made friends with a few visitors from Japan and we giggled as we snapped pictures of each other. When our Global Media Gathering (I was a U.S. delegate) ended and my stay at the Outrigger was over, I moved to the Hotel Santa Fe, a laidback hotel on a bay with a little beach.

It was great having breakfast or dinner outside facing the little island to which you can swim or kayak and relax to no end.

I’m glad I went to Guam. It’s close to my heart now, even though it’s thousands of miles away. I love the people, the way they draw you in and captivate you and share their island and its ways, its foods and activities. Everyone I met seemed interested in my happiness and was wishing me a good time.

I want to return, maybe to the Festival of the Pacific Arts to see all the island delegations that will come to Guam. All travelers should consider Guam sometime in their travel plans, since the rest of the world and the American military and their families and friends have already discovered this great place.

Local boys sitting on a coconut tree

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Agat Spanish Bridge

IF YOU GO Guam Visitors Bureau

Open daily 9 am-12 noon Box 170051, Inarajan, Guam 96917 (671) 828-1671 www.historicinalahan.org

12th Festival of the Pacific Arts

#111 Rt. 4, Ipan, Talofofo, Guam 96915 (671) 789-2683 www.jeffspiratescove.com www.facebook.com/jeffspiratescove

(Guam FestPac 2016) www.guamfestpac2016.com

Micronesian Divers Association (MDA) 856 North Marine Drive, 96915 Piti, Guam (671) 472-6321 www.mdaguam.com lee@mdaguam.com www.facebook.com/MDAguam

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Gef Pago Park

401 Pale San Vitores Road, Tumon, Guam 96913 (671) 646-5278 Fax: +1 671 646-8861 www.visitguam.com www.facebook.com/guamvisitorsbureau MicronesiaTour.com

Jeff’s Pirates Cove

Sea Grill (Tumon Aquarium LLC) 1245 Pale San Vitores Road, Tumon, GU 96913

SandCastle Showroom

1199 Pale San Vitores Rd., Tumon, GU 96913 646-6800

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Oita Encounters Story & Photography by: Daniele Auvray O I

Kitsuki Castle

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enturing outside of the usual tourist trail (Tokyo,Osaka or Kyoto) can prove to be vastly rewarding in Japan, for the inquisitive traveler.

A simple visit, for instance to Oita prefecture on the island of Kyushu reveals lesser known little wonders.

In Oita city, a stop at the newly built art museum (OPAM) is a must for the art lovers, while architecture buffs will marvel at the rather innovative concept of the building combining both function and design. It is the brainchild of famed Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, who designed among other things the Pompidou center in Metz, France.

Back in the Edo period (1603-1867) Oita was divided into many feudal domains and fiefs.

This system of small independent domains is often used to explain what is described as the tendency to narrow mindedness among the prefecture’s residents.

However, it is also this history that has helped Oita produce a variety of independent and self- motivated people able to develop creative new ideas unfettered by conventions.

It is in that same spirit that Shigeru Ban envisioned the creation of a unique museum here. Literally thinking “outside the box” by conceiving a new type place, less intimidating perhaps than the common type of museums he had encountered on his trips overseas, and which he likes to dub as “closed box”. Creating then an “open box”, with the use mainly of glass and pine wood, to allow a profusion of light to permeate the structure, giving any passerby a clear view of what is inside, enticing them in turn to naturally step in. The unknown has become familiar. Simple in shape, rather cubic; it is meant to fit its direct surroundings which consist mainly of office buildings; the novelty lies elsewhere. Inspired by the natural beauty of Oita, bamboo crafts a wooden ribbed pattern has been faithfully reproduced up to the ceiling, which also help to maintain the structure. Room size can be easily adjusted thanks to a system of railing drawn into the ceiling, or even opening its huge front folding doors in a blink of an eye.

OPAM Oita Prefectural Art Museum

Front Folding Doors at OPAM

Shigeru Ban at OPAM

Art on display in OPAM

Hot Springs Drinkable Water

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Chi-no-ike Jigoku

Beppu Kannawa District

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cobalt blue color. The spring gushes out 150 liters a day and is thought to have been created when Mt Tsurumi erupted 1200 years ago.

But also “Oniishi bozu jigoku” (shaven monk’s head), which gets its name from the grey mud that bubbles up from the springs. The round bubbles are said to look like the shaven head of a monk.

To hell and back for a complete “Onsen” (hot spring) Or yet again “Chi-no-ike jigoku” (blood pond), entertainment experience, a visit to some of the the oldest jigoku spring in Japan. Its name comes most spectacular “jigoku” (hell) is a must to witness from the boiling blood-red clay. There, visitors first hand the many mysteries of Mother Nature.

Visiting the boiling “jigoku” that gush steam, mud and can purchase chi-no-ike ointment made from the magnesium oxide rich mud, which is said to be water make for a memorable sight. good for skin disease. Leisurely strolling along one can munch on “onsen tamago” (hot spring boiled One is constantly in awe in front of these scenes of egg), or take a foot bath (Ashi-yu) to relax those great beauty. Notably, “Umi jigoku” (Ocean hell) aching feet. : this 208 F hot spring gets its name from its cool, ust north of Oita, the city of Beppu offers another striking vision. Considered “hell’s paradise” as vents come right out of the ground, its streets have indeed a mysterious atmosphere with hot springs spouting out and steam rising everywhere.

Oniishi Bozu Jigoku

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Umi Jigoku

Kitsuki .Tourists strolling along Suya no saka in kimonos

Kitsuki.

Old samurai residence is the perfect setting for a japanese style wedding

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hen ready for a feast fit for a feudal lord move on to the lovely city of Kitsuki, on the way to Oita airport.

At Wakaeya restaurant, one must try “Ureshino”. It is a “Taichazuke” (Sea-bream chazuke)--chazuke being hot tea poured over rice. The dish is made by slicing sea bream into thin strips, steeping those into a well-kept secret sesame sauce, after which they are then placed on top of the cooked rice, onto which hot tea is poured. It originated from a story about the feudal lord of Kitsuki who once fed with this Taichazuke express its delight by saying: “Ureshi-no”, or “I’m quite happy with this”!

Kitsuki. Ohara residence is the best of the old samurai residences.

Kitsuki. Shioya no saka slope

The best symbols of Kitsuki however, are the beautiful slopes which gives the impression and the atmosphere of the Edo period. This representative slope of Kitsuki is named “Suya no saka”, and the other slope facing it “Shioya no saka”. These two slopes which took an important role in people’s life in the past still do today as well, as Ureshino dish at Kitsuki is aiming to be a city Wakaeya restaurant in which to walk wearing kimono on certain days is the norm. It suits the city perfectly with its many samurai residences to visit.

IF YOU GO: Oita can be reach from Tokyo (Haneda) in 1h30mn (JAL/ANA/SNA) But for those on a budget with plenty of time there are ferries from Kobe (11h20mn) The OPAM (Oita Prefectural Art Museum) is due to officially open on April 24,2015

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A True Alaskan Experience:

DOG SLEDDING ON A GLACIER

Story and Photos by Bobbie Green

Mendenhall Glacier, Juneau, Alaska

Glaciers and dog sledding, what can be more perceptive of Alaska, ok, igloos, but I did not see any of those.

Exhilarating, breathtaking, immense, all words, describing our recent participation in a true Alaskan experience-- dog sledding on the Mendenhall Glacier. Temsco Helicopters, Inc. operates this awesome Alaskan adventure in conjunction with the oldest operating dog sled tour company in Alaska, Alaska Icefield Expeditions out of Juneau Alsaka.

Staff greeted us at the Temsco heliport, gave us a brief orientation, showed us a safety video and gave us glacier boots and sun glasses to put on. Each helicopter holds five passengers with seating arranged by weight. There are windows all around and viewing is excellent. Note, no backpacks allowed on the helicopter, cameras- without case- gloves, hats, jackets are the only acceptable carry-ons.

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e lifted off on our flightseeing tour to the Mendenhall Glacier and headed over rugged terrain toward the jagged mountain peaks. As we pass alongside the mountain peaks, the views are spectacular. The scenery below us is unique, this exact landscape cannot be found anywhere else and in reality, very few people have the opportunity to have this view of it. We are all in awe. We seem to be standing still, maybe hovering-- yet, the pilot said we were flying 135 miles per hour. All five of us passengers sat wide-eyed and fearful, silently hoping the pilot was going to elevate the helicopter high enough to make it over the jagged peaks. A few times, we were sure we would not make it, yet here I am.

Temsco Heliport Juneau, Alaska

Landing on Mendenhall Glacier

When we reached the Glacier, we followed its path—in air it was even more impressive to be able to see the length of this gigantic ice mass. All too soon, we were flying over the dogsled camp. It was hard to see because everything in camp must be white to blend in with the snow per regulations of the Tongass National Forest. There are between 250 and 300 dogs here at any given time during the summer.

Each dog is tethered to its own little house. Many like to lie on the roof of their house.

After exiting the helicopter, we find it is not an easy walk to our assigned dog team, even with our glacier boots.

Most of us sink into the snow many times. The snow pack is about 30 feet deep at the beginning of each season.

The mushers who take us out are all professional Iditarod and Yukon Quest mushers with trail experiences--they are happy to share with their new team. We get personal answers to our questions about the Iditarod and Yukon Quest. Many of the dogs are also Iditarod experienced. We are encouraged to meet and greet each of the dogs pulling our sled. The mix breed huskies are anxious to meet us.

They are slim in body unlike the “White Fang” vision most of us in the lower 48 have in our minds. The dogs get very excited, they are anxious to be picked, to pull the sled.

Mushers and mixed-breed huskies

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ach of us gets a turn at riding and mushing.

Both were fun, but it gave us a new respect for the dogs and the mushers who can travel a minimum of 40 miles a day during a race or rescue mission. These people are a hardy group.

Friendly and noisy as the dogs are once the mush order is given, by mouth or release of the sled brake, they assume the position, heads down, tails up and it is all work, until the stop order is given. Our team of twelve dogs pulled four passengers on two sleds with one musher. Each member of the tour gets a chance to be musher/driver, standing on the back of the sled, if they wish and you better be hanging on when the sled starts to move.

Being on the snow- packed ground, surrounded on three sides by white snowy mountains gave me a new perspective. I asked about the rumbling noise from the nearby mountain. Our musher told us it was an avalanche. “Should we be worried it is so close,� I asked. He told us that mountain base was three miles away. It looked like only 100 yards away. Avalanches occur quite frequently and we continued to hear rumblings. I can see how easy it would be to lose your way amid all the white setting.

Since the camp is located, right on the glacier it moves six inches per day, along with the glacier. The mushers stay in tents with no facilities, or showers they work six days at a time and then get 1 day off the glacier at a facility, with showers and washing machines. The rounded tents look like covered wagons of the old west. The food kitchen looks like the old chuck wagon. They say the camp cook feeds them very well. They keep a two-week supply of food on hand in the event of bad weather preventing the helicopters from flying in. Even though it seems like a harsh life at the camp, the staff returns year after year. Barrels containing all waste, human and canine are flown away from the camp by helicopter every other day.

This was a unique once in a lifetime experience, but a pricy one. Not everyone will want to pay $499.00 to take this trip. However, all participants I talked with felt it was well worth the price. Some brought children or grandchildren along. Lighter in weight they were able to walk on top of the snow easier.

Based on their show of enthusiasm, I am sure this was the thrill of their life. All tours are subject to weather permitting. I recommend taking the morning flight if possible, if the weather turns bad, you may be spending the night on the Glacier with the mushers and dogs and while the food may be good you may miss your shower and a warm commode seat.

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IFYOU GO Temsco Helicopters, Inc. Juneau 877-789-9501 http://temscohelicoptersltd.com

Icefield camp tents

Icefield camp from a distance.

Everything must be white to blend with snow per Tongass National Forest regulations Dogs on their houses

Befriending the dogs

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For over a century visitors from around the globe have been putting Glenwood Springs, Colorado on their travel itineraries. Our destination is family friendly, affordable and blessed with a remarkable mix of geological wonders that include hot springs, vapor caves, two rivers and a canyon, all surrounded by the glorious Colorado Rocky Mountains. It’s no wonder USA Today and Rand McNally named Glenwood Springs America’s Most Fun Town!

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Sustainable tourism takes flight in the tiny coastal village of Punta Islita Scarlet Macaws are once again flying the friendly skies of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula.

Story and Photos by Laura Watilo Blake “Have you heard the macaws yet?” asks a man standing in the open-air lobby of the Hotel Punta Islita while I am checking into the luxury eco-resort that perches on a hillside overlooking a crescent-shaped beach on the Pacific Ocean.

Shaking my head no in disappointment, a few other people around him begin to squawk, heartily imitating the boisterous, throaty calls of the far-more-visuallyappealing scarlet macaws that are once again flying the friendly skies of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula.

“Trust me,” the front office manager, Marvin Seas, assures me. “You’ll hear them.”

I get my inauguration while cooling off in the hotel’s adults-only infinity pool. The brilliantly hued members of the parrot family loudly announce their presence well before I spot their flashes of red, yellow and blue streaking through the air beyond the hotel’s giant palm-covered palapa. There are many types of tropical birds that call Islita home, but the scarlet macaws are a welcome sight for both area residents and guests of the secluded getaway. Once found in 85 percent of Costa Rica, the scarlet macaw population had reached alarmingly low numbers by the 1950s due to habitat destruction, hunting and a lucrative pet trade.

“The people who lived around here didn’t have jobs, so they would poach macaws for money,” says 28-year-old Vanesa Quirós, who was born and raised in the small village just down the hill from hotel. “By the time I was born, there were no macaws flying around here.”

No longer on the list of endangered species as of 2008, the remaining colonies of scarlet macaws are small and scattered throughout Central and South America.

In Costa Rica, the largest populations are found in the Osa and Central Pacific conservation areas.

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owever, in 2011, the Ara Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of macaws, began releasing the birds around Islita through a partnership with the hotel, which has a 20-year history of socially responsible practices aimed at protecting and restoring the area’s natural and cultural environment.

“That was the first time I saw them,” says Quirós, who works for Islita Art Museum. “Since then, people in the village have planted almond trees in their yards to attract them. I like them because you don’t need a clock to wake up in the morning any more.”

A little more than a year ago, the Ara Project moved its breeding and rehabilitation center to Islita. Previously headquartered near San José, the macaws were evicted when the land underneath them was sold to developers planning to build a shopping center. When Hotel Punta Islita’s owner, Harry Zürcher, caught wind of it, he donated a corner of the 300-acre property to house the operations.

Every day at 3 o’clock, the Ara Project opens its gates to a handful of visitors in exchange for donations that help keep the program going. The aviary houses more than 100 juvenile scarlet and great green macaws. The latter type of macaws will eventually be released into native habitats on the Caribbean Coast.

Our visit coincides with the once-daily feeding that brings 34 now-released macaws back to their home base for a supplemental feeding of seeds, nuts and fruits. As interim director Sam Williams replenishes one of the large bird feeders, he has to dodge batting wings, powerful beaks, and sharp talons as macaws swoop in for a snack.

“We do a soft release with a built-in safety net of the daily feeding,” explains Williams after he finishes his task.

“But, it’s a lot like chocolate for the macaws. Ideally, we need to make their feedings more like salad, so they go out and look for food on their own.”

It has taken some time for the released macaws to spread their wings and expand their range. In fact, it took two years before they ever came close to the hotel.

“Everyone was expecting them from the first moment they were released,” says Seas back at the hotel. “But it took awhile and eventually some landed on a tree here at the restaurant. Now, every once and awhile you’ll see them.

We love it. The guests love it.”

Indeed, it was a serendipitous moment when a pair of macaws landed in a nearby tree during breakfast on the last day of my too-short trip. At that moment, several people leapt from their seats to snap pictures. One woman had tears in her eyes.

“I don’t know why I’m crying,” she told me. “The macaws are just so beautiful.”

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ABOUT THE HOTEL:

Ranked among the top 100 best hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure, most recently in 2013, Hotel Punta Islita (hotelpuntaislita.com) has 57 guest rooms, including suites, casitas, villas and private homes with their own private plunge pools or Jacuzzis. Other amenities include a nine-hole golf course, ziplines, a gym, a spa, free Wi-Fi and a full breakfast. Prices start at $280 per night.

Marriott Rewards members will earn points for the stay now that the hotel has joined the Autograph Collection of independent properties.

Founded in 1984, the hotel is owned by Harry Zürcher, considered one of the pioneers of sustainable tourism in Costa Rica, originally came to Islita to create a teak plantation. However, the long growth cycle and short harvest season did little to stimulate the economy in Islita whose residents were moving away to find jobs. Building a hotel created jobs, which could bring people back again.

“Now 43 percent of the revenue generated here, stays here,” says Seas.

“It’s a big amount of money that stays and is being reinvested in art and education. It wouldn’t be possible without the hotel tuning into the needs of the community.”

Over the years, the hotel helped establish Islita’s recycling program that services the hotel, not to mention supporting the Ara Project and Latin America’s first open-air art museum. Almost every building in the village, from the grocery store to the daycare center, have been painted by distinguished national artists, who also teach valuable art skills to the residents. In turn, villagers created artwork to sell in the resident gift shop.

BEST TIME TO VISIT:

Average temperatures in the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica hover around 90 degrees year-round, but most visitors come during Guanacaste’s dry season, which runs from December to April. When the rains come between late May to November, the countryside is green and lush, but the dirt roads turn to mud, making travel more challenging.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Nature Air (natureair.com) has daily flights to Punta Islita from San José starting at $78 one way. The hotel has a free shuttle service for guests.

Otherwise, it takes about five hours by car from San José or three and a half hours from Liberia. If you plan on renting a vehicle, an SUV is recommended.

WHAT ELSE TO DO:

When you stay at the Hotel Punta Islita, the toughest decision you’ll have to make is perhaps choosing between the two pools. The adults-only infinity pool lies just beyond the hotel restaurant and there’s another at the oceanside beach club, which can be reached by hotel shuttle or a short 10-minute walk down the hill. If you do want to venture out, the concierge can arrange tours, including diving, fishing and dolphin-watching trips. On land, there are birdwatching, yoga and cultural tours.

For more information about the Ara Project, visit:

thearaproject.org

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Punta Islita beach

Hotel Punta Islita’s 1492 Restaurant

Punta Islita beach

Hotel Punta Islita infinity pool

Hotel Punta Islita hammock porch

Hotel Punta Islita bedroom

61

DESTINATION INFORMATION EXPLORE BRANSON, MO

Branson, Missouri, nestled in the lakeside beauty of the Ozark Mountains, is America’s affordable, wholesome family entertainment capital that emphasizes fun, comfort and the feeling of being right at home.

Featuring an array of live theaters and attraction venues and active recreational pursuits, the community embodies essential American values such as patriotism, faith, courage and generosity of spirit in a warm inviting atmosphere that is truly genuine and heartfelt. www.explorebranson.com

UNITED STATES ALABAMA

Greater Birmingham Conv. & Visitors Bureau (205) 458-8000 www.birminghamal.org Hunstville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau (256) 551-2235 www.huntsville.org Explore Fairbanks 907-459-3770 www.ExploreFairbanks.com

VISIT PHOENIX, AZ

Desert character. It can’t be conjured, landscaped or kindled with twinkling bulbs.

Projected against this rugged backdrop is a panorama of charm: Resorts and spas infused with Native American tradition. Golf courses that stay emerald green in the middle of winter. Mountain parks crisscrossed with trails.

Sports arenas worthy of the Super Bowl.

Restaurants that invite you to dine beneath sunshine or stars.This is the desert you never knew. Discover it. www.visitphoenix.com

(CALIFORNIA cont’d.)

Visit Pasadena (626) 395-0211 http://www.visitpasadena.com/ San Diego Zoo Global (619) 685-3291 http://sandiegozoo.org/ Team San Jose 408-792-4175 www.SanJose.org (California)

ARIZONA

Visit West Hollywood 310-289-2525 http://www.visitwesthollywood.com

ARKANSAS

Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Assoc.

(970) 945-5002 http://www.glenwoodchamber.com/

Visit Phoenix (602) 452-6250 www.visitphoenix.com Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau 501-370-3224 www.LittleRock.com North Little Rock Visitors Bureau 501-758-1424 www.NorthLittleRock.org

CALIFORNIA

Janis Flippen Public Relations 805-389-9495 www.JanisFlippenPR.com

Long Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau (562) 495-8345 http://www.visitlongbeach.com/ Visit Oxnard (805) 385-7545 www.visitoxnard.com Visit Palm Springs (760) 778-8415 www.visitpalmsprings.com

62

COLORADO

DELAWARE

DISCOVER OXNARD, CA

Nestled along the Pacific Coast between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, Oxnard, California offers everything you need for a great vacation. Catch a boat out of our scenic marina for a whale watching cruise or to explore the Channel Islands National Park, “America’s Galapagos.” Enjoy miles of uncrowded beaches and oceanfront bike trails. Grab a kayak, ride the ocean on a paddle board, soak up Southern California’s beautiful-year-round weather.

Play at our world-class golf courses and taste local wines along the Ventura County Wine Trail. Celebrate the sunset. It’s time to discover Oxnard! www.visitoxnard.com

GEORGIA

Alpharetta Convention & Visitors Bureau 678.297.2811 www.AwesomeAlpharetta.com

IDAHO

Visit Idaho

(208) 334-2470 http://www.visitidaho.org/

ILLINOIS

KeyLime Cove Waterpark 608-206-5796 www.KeyLimeCove.com

LOUISIANA

Visit Baton Rouge (225) 382-3578 http://www.visitbatonrouge.com/ Alexandria/Pineville Area Conv. & Visitors Bureau (318) 442-9546 http://www.theheartoflouisiana.com/index.cfm

Kensington Tours 647-880-1581 www.kensingtontours.com

Jefferson Convention & Visitors Bureau 504-731-7083 www.ExperienceJefferson.com

FLORIDA

West Baton Rouge Convention & Visitors Bureau 225-344-2920 www.WestBatonRouge.net

Carnival Corporation Cruise Lines LDWW group 727-452-4538 www.LDWWgroup.com Franklin County Tourist Development Council (850) 653-8678 http://www.saltyflorida.com/ Greater Miami Conv. & Visitors Bureau 305-539-3000 www.MiamiandBeaches.com Leigh Cort Publicity 904-806-3613 www.LeighCortPublicity.com

MASSACHUSETTS

Open the Door, Inc. 617-536-0590 http://www.openthedoor.biz/

MISSOURI

Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & Convention & Visitors Bureau (417) 243-2137 http://bransoncvb.com/ The Beenders Walker Group (573) 636-8282 http://www.tbwgroup.net/

TRAVEL TRIVIA ANSWERS: (from quiz on page 4)

1 Many Islands, Small Islands, & Black Islands 2 Mauna Kea, 33,476 ft (13,976 ft above sea level) - Mt. Everest - 29,035 ft 3 Greenland, Papau New Guinea, Borneo , Madagascar 4 Peaceful Sea 5 Marina Trench (Over 6.5 miles deep & 1,580 miles long) 6 Shanghai, Jakarta, Tokyo, Mexico City, Bankok, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Los Angeles

VISIT PALM SPRINGS

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, CO

Palm Springs, California is known for its storied Hollywood legacy, Native American heritage and stellar collection of mid-century modern architecture. Palm Springs is California’s ultimate desert playground. It truly is like no place else. Lounging by the pool and soaking up the sun is always a favorite pastime. If you want to explore the outdoors and enjoy the beautiful climate, there are plenty of activities. Soar to the top of Mount San Jacinto on the world famous Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, hike scenic trails and stroll through the ancient palm groves in the Indian Canyons, or take an off-road excursion of Joshua Tree National Park or the San Andreas Fault.

Take a ticket to your next Colorado Rocky Mountain adventure by exploring “America’s Most Fun Town,” Glenwood Springs, Colorado! For over a century, visitors from around the globe have added Glenwood Springs to their travel itineraries. Our destination is family friendly, affordable, and blessed with a remarkable mix of geological wonders including hot springs, vapor caves, two rivers and a canyon, surrounded by the glorious Rocky Mountains. Whether you crave hiking, biking, fishing, outdoor activities or relaxing spa time, you’ll find it all in Glenwood Springs.

www.VisitPalmSprings.com

www.glenwoodchamber.com

VISIT SALTY, FLORIDA

We’re Salty! If you’re looking for the old Florida experience you’ll find it in Franklin County. Tucked along Florida’s Panhandle, the coastal communities of Alligator Point, Apalachicola, Carrabelle, Eastpoint, and St. George Island offer beaches, history, adventure and fresh Apalachicola Bay seafood served up in an authentic “salty” setting. Relax on award-winning, pet-friendly beaches, climb historic lighthouses, charter eco-tours and fishing trips or bring your own gear and enjoy camping, paddling and hiking on acres of wooded trails and miles of quiet streams. Tee up on a championship golf course, enjoy live theatre performances in an historic venue and browse local galleries, museums and shops. Fresh local seafood is served at more than 30 area restaurants and local seafood markets.

www.saltyflorida.com

NEW YORK

PENNSYLVANIA cont’d.)

(TEXAS cont’d.)

Camelback Mountain Resort 608.206.5796 www.SkiCamelback.com

New Braunfels Conv. & Visitors Bureau 800-572-2626 www.InNewBraunfels.com

Travel + Leisure Magazine 646-822-0111 www.TravelandLeisure.com

Camelbeach Mountain Waterpark 608.206.5796 www.Camelbeach.com

Virtuoso Life Magazine 817-334-8680 www.Virtuoso.com

Turning Stone Resort Casino 800-771-7711 www.TurningStone.com

RHODE ISLAND

VIRGINIA

Finn Partners 212-715-1600 www.FinnPartners.com

Ulster County Tourism 845-340-3568 www.UlsterTourism.info

NEVADA

Discover Newport (401) 845-9117 www.gonewport.com

South County Tourism Council (401) 489-4422 www.southcountyri.com

City of Henderson Department of Cultural Arts and Tourism (702) 267-2171 www.cityofhenderson.com

SOUTH CAROLINA

OHIO

TENNESSEE

Lake County Visitors Bureau 440-350-3720 www.LakeVisit.com Tuscarawas County Conv. & Visitors Bureau (330) 602-2420 http://www.experiencecolumbus.com/

OREGON

City Pass (503) 292-4418 www.citypass.com/ Lincoln City Conv. & Visitor’s Bureau (541) 996-1271 www.lincolncity.org/

PENNSYLVANIA

Camelback Lodge & Indoor Waterpark 608.206.5796 www.CamelbackResort.com

lorence Convention & Visitors Bureau 843-664-0330 www.VisitFlo.com Cherohala Skyway National Scenic Byway (423) 442-9147 http://monroecounty.com/ Visit Knoxville 865-523-7263 www.VisitKnoxville.com

TEXAS

American Way Magazine 817-963-7984 www.AA.com/AmericanWay Visit Big Bend 432-837-3915 www.VisitBigBend.com Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau (888) 653-3788 http://visitnacogdoches.org/

Hampton Convention & Visitor Bureau (VA) (757) 728-5316 http://visithampton.com/ Virginia Beach CVB (757) 385-6645 http://www.vbgov.com/Pages/home.aspx

WASHINGTON

San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau (360) 378-6822 http://visitsanjuans.com/

WEST VIRGINIA

Pocahontas County CVB (304) 799-4636 http://www.pocahontascountywv.com/

WISCONSIN

Savvy Owl Marketing & Public Relations 608.206.5796 www.SavvyOwlMarketing.com

MEXICO

Sunset World Resorts & Vacation Experiences

52-998-287-4157

www.SunsetWorld.net

PUERTO VALLARTA Visit Puerto Vallarta (212) 633-2047 www.visitpuertovallarta.com

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