Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for international travel
A Sea of Sand
By Linda Tancs
There’s a sea of emptiness that swallows up a fifth of the Arabian Peninsula. Known as Rub’ al-Khali (Empty Quarter), it’s the world’s largest sand desert. Popularly referred to as the Sands, it encompasses parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen and United Arab Emirates. You might think of it as an arid wasteland, but the Bedouins have been calling this expanse home for ages. Ever resourceful, they’re even giving tours that include ATV dune bashing and overnight camping. Who knows, there may be a tourist lurking behind that next-door dune.
Share this:
Birding in Mabamba
By Linda Tancs
Uganda’s Mabamba Bay is designated an Important Bird Area (IBA), one of the best marshy areas along the northern shores of Lake Victoria for bird watching. Besides Murchison Falls National Park, Mabamba is the only place where the elusive shoebill can be spotted. It’s also a haven for threatened species such as the blue swallow, pallid harrier, papyrus gonolek and white-winged warbler. Overall, more than 260 species have been recorded in these wetlands.
Share this:
Birthplace of English Landscape
By Linda Tancs
The English Landscape Movement was inspired by Dutch landscape paintings of the 16th and 17th centuries. Launched by landscape designers like William Kent, the movement’s birthplace is widely recognized to be the gardens at Chiswick House in west London. The property was restored a few years ago to enhance its lake views and serpentine pathways. This 65-acre oasis has inspired other great landscapes around the world like New York’s Central Park. Admission is free year round. Take the District Line to Turnham Green station.
Share this:
Surrender in the South China Sea
By Linda Tancs
Scuba divers understand what it means to surrender, placing deep trust in the world beneath their feet as they plunge to the depths of a watery abyss in search of aquatic bliss. So where do experienced divers go to hit the sea life lottery? The Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Layang Layang, controlled by Malaysia, is the only island within the Spratlys having an airport with regular flights and exquisite scuba diving resorts. Kayaking, windsurfing and bird watching (at, where else, nearby Bird Island) are also available for those who prefer life above the sea.
Share this:
The Land of the Picts
By Linda Tancs
The county of Angus in Scotland has been dubbed the “birthplace for Scotland,” a site where the Declaration of Arbroath was signed in 1320 at Arbroath Abbey during the Wars of Independence. It’s also a county rich in Pictish history. Over 2000 years ago Scotland was roamed by warrior Pictish tribes, a source of irritation for the Romans who erected Hadrian’s Wall in northern England to keep them out. You can learn more about Scotland’s ancient past at Pictavia in Haughmuir, an all-weather museum sporting interactive exhibits and artifacts exploring the life and times of this mysterious people. From there, set out on the Pictish Trail, where stone relics bear silent witness to the tribes’ lifestyle, education and culture. Reputedly, one out of every 10 Scots is descended from the Picts. Are you one of them?
Share this:
England’s Oldest Hotel
By Linda Tancs
Reputedly England’s oldest hotel, The Old Bell in Malmesbury is a luxurious oasis in the Cotswolds that opened in 1220. Recently refurbished, the property boasts 33 individually decorated bedrooms as well as locally sourced fare for hardened foodies. Until the end of October you can enjoy a special two-night Garden Lover’s Break, including a visit to nearby Abbey House Gardens and Westonbirt Arboretum.
Share this:
Mountain Biking in the Caucasus
By Linda Tancs
Marking the border between Georgia and Russia, the Caucasus Mountains (the highest mountain range in Europe–sorry, Alps) offer bikers a spellbinding tour among the high and low Caucasus. The lower Caucasus tower over the capital city Tbilisi, where forest paths meander through quaint villages and greenways. From the village of Khazbegi in the Greater (high) Caucasus at the foot of Mount Kazbek (one of the highest mountains in Georgia), riders can descend the Dariali Gorge, punctuated by vertical walls of rock marking the border with Russia. From there a journey through the Sno Valley to the granite cliffs of Mount Chauchebi offers more dramatic scenery, churches and historical sites. When your legs get weary, take advantage of Georgian hospitality. Guests are, after all, a gift from God according to the locals.
Share this:
A Wash in Norfolk
By Linda Tancs
In Snettisham, England, a nature reserve is bordered by The Wash, one of the most important bird estuaries in the United Kingdom. Two of the most spectacular wildlife spectacles in the nation occur here. One is a winter event when thousands of pinkfooted geese fly from their overnight roosts inland to feed. The other event can occur anytime upon a particularly high tide, forcing tens of thousands of knot, oystercatchers, sanderlings, godwit and plover to flee their feeding grounds. The reserve is clearly signposted; just twelve miles from Kings Lynn, you can pick up regular bus service from there.
Share this:
Valley of the Sugar Mills
By Linda Tancs
Eight miles northeast of Trinidad, Cuba, a trio of rural valleys–San Luis, Santa Rosa and Meyer–comprise the Valley of the Sugar Mills. The industry peaked there in the 19th century, when more than 30,000 slaves worked in more than 50 sugar mills. A monument to that powerful industry is Manaca-Iznaga Tower, a 147-foot-tall mud brick structure built in 1816 by Alejo Maria Iznaga y Borrell, a successful plantation owner. Its value as a lookout over this region dubbed an area of Outstanding Universal Value by UNESCO belies its harsh history; a bell in the tower once signaled the start and end of the slaves’ workday in the mills and on the plantations and sounded an alarm should any of them try to escape.
Share this:
Rocky Mountaineer
By Linda Tancs
It’s a three-hour drive between Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, B.C., but why deal with the traffic? If you believe that life is about the journey rather than the destination, then take the meandering route via rail on the Rocky Mountaineer’s Coastal Passage itinerary. The tour begins at Seattle’s King Street station and features over two days of daytime train travel, taking in a hotel night in Seattle, two nights in Vancouver and a night in Alberta. While munching on delectable entrees and complimentary drinks, you’ll take in amazing vistas (through oversized windows or glass-domed cars, depending on the class of service) of the Canadian Rockies. Keep an eye out for sightings of its wildlife inhabitants like sheep, elk, goats, bears and moose. They’re in no hurry–are you?
Travelrific® Travel Journal 