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
Where the Kangaroos Roam
By Linda Tancs
Kangaroos are everywhere in Australia–no less so at Kangaroo Island. But that’s not the only form of abundance waiting for you in this 1700-square-mile piece of paradise just 30 minutes from Adelaide. The place is teeming with wildlife, but what else would you expect on an island that is about one third protected national park land? No worries, there’s more than kangaroos and koalas to see. From spa treatments to sand dunes and cavings to Clifford’s Honey Farm, there’s something for everyone. As English playwright Douglas Jerrold once observed about Australia, “just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest.”
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Sticker Shock in Cuba
By Linda Tancs
Now that travel under some circumstances from the U.S. to Cuba has been eased, don’t break the piggy bank for that traveling money. According to the official Cuban tourist board in Canada, that American-based dinero will not be as welcome as you might be. For instance, unlike euros, Canadian dollars or even Swiss francs, American dollars are subject to a 10% surcharge on exchange. Also, credit and debit cards and traveler’s checks drawn on U.S. banks are not accepted. That’s not to say that you can’t spend dollars at all. Save the greenbacks for the street vendors and relatives. In other cases, it might be best to go continental.
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What is Culture
By Linda Tancs
A special issue of a major magazine is dubbed “The Culture Issue.” This got me wondering–what is “culture”? Don’t mind the dictionary. Just think about it. What does culture mean to you? If you had to gather a compilation for your own issue, what would you include–and why? It seems almost daring to lay claim to culture in a single issue as it’s susceptible to as many meanings as there are sensibilities–or, to borrow the words of late Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, “I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material but I know it when I see it.”
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Let the Good Cheese Roll
By Linda Tancs
Most of us would likely prefer our double Gloucester on a cheese plate with some table crackers, but on Cooper’s Hill in the Cotswolds they’d rather roll it down a very steep slope. Yes, it’s another centuries-old custom across the pond. Think of it as bowling without the pins, but you don’t lose your grip on the ball! Conditions on the hill are expected to be favorable this year, with the first race starting at noon on 25 May. The cheese wheels weigh between 7 and 8 pounds. Not surprisingly, their escorts have suffered an injury or two on the Alpine-like slope. Spectators, too, should be wary of wayward cheeses. Though only one will get the brass ring (in this case, a lot of cheese), the joy for the rest will surely be the thrill of competition, and maybe the agony of ‘de feet.’
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A Different Kind of River Walk
By Linda Tancs
Morecambe Bay, just south of England’s Lake District National Park, gives new meaning to the phrase “to walk on water.” Every year from May to September, intrepid travelers brave the shifting sands in a six-mile walk from Arnside Promenade to Kents Bank Station–dependent on the tides, of course. If it sounds dangerous, make no mistake–it is. That’s why this centuries-old jaunt is led by an official guide with an ancient moniker, Guide to the Kent Sands. Best to wear your shorty shorts and plimsoles or sandals. Leave the fancy gear at home.
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Secure Flight Means Tighter ID Requirements
By Linda Tancs
The Transportation Security Administration recently announced the implementation of its Secure Flight program, an initiative from 9/11 requiring airlines to collect precise identity information to match up against the no-fly and warning lists. The program requires that a party present ID at check-in that matches the name given to the airline when making a reservation. Of paramount concern is whether a problem will arise if a driver’s license or passport omits a middle name or middle initial or some other hiccup in identity that is otherwise revealed on a boarding pass, or vice versa. Perhaps it’s too early to tell what the ramifications of the new rule will be, which ultimately will apply to both domestic and international travel (international rules taking effect in late 2009). The best advice? Have the appropriate ID handy when making that reservation or when instructing your travel agent.
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Going Green in Madagascar
By Linda Tancs
Recent reports indicate that Madagascar, the Indian Ocean island off the coast of southeastern Africa, just got a little greener. As in frogs–200 new species of them. Not all of them green, of course, but if you put them all together it might look like a small treetop. The way things are going, it may well be the only way to get the feel of a canopy in this idyllic island nation. Word has it that the protected forests are being plundered. In fact, rainforest destruction there is among the highest on the planet. And that gives our amphibious friends really something to croak about.
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Live Like a Novelist
By Linda Tancs
Fans of mystery writer Agatha Christie will be pleased to learn that her beloved Devonshire home, Greenway, has been reopened to the public after refurbishments restoring it to its original condition. Deeded to Mrs. Mallowan (her married name) in 1938, she resided there with her husband for over 20 years, transferring the property in 1959 to her daughter. Now owned by the U.K.’s National Trust, a cottage on the grounds can be rented. Timed tickets are available for tours of the main house. Who knows, maybe you’ll find your muse there. As Christie once said, “Everything that has existed, lingers in the Eternity.”
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Konstanz Blooms
By Linda Tancs
Each spring over a half million bulbs start blooming in Mainau, an island in Lake Constance, Germany. For gardeners, this event is no doubt topped with the orchid show in the Palm House. The springtime bonanza, planned and cultivated by the late Swedish prince Lennart Bernadotte and run by his children, attracts over 1 million visitors a year. Those without a green thumb need not spare themselves a visit. The 111-acre site, open year round, also boasts an arboretum, a children’s playground, a butterfly house and what else–a castle. Get there via the scenic route by boat from Meersberg and Unteruhldingen.
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A Head in the Clouds
By Linda Tancs
If you fancy the idea of experiencing life amidst the treetops like Swiss Family Robinson, then a trip to Costa Rica should be on your short list. At Monteverde Cloud Forest, you can commune with nature along the Skywalk, a series of suspension bridges and integrated walking paths atop the forest canopy–that’s in the clouds, of course (hence, the name). Orchid lovers will swoon over nearly 1500 species supplying a great part of the world’s florists. The walk will take about 2 hours. If you’d rather zip along, then you might want to take Sky Trek (a bit of a misnomer if you ask me), a zip line that zig zags through 10 different cables at about 500 feet. The less adventurous would do just as well taking the tram. They say that 90% of all rainforest life is found in the canopy. With all the flora and fauna converging on this ecosystem, it gives new meaning to the phrase “workplace diversity.”
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