Always Pack your Powerstrip

Max Hartshorne complies a list of 15 very useful tips that make travelling much easier in his article, “I Wish I ‘d Thought of That” Travel Tips from a World Traveler.” These tips vary from products to bring, to where to sit on the plane, and safety precautions. All these tips will help make your trip safer, easier and more enjoyable.

Have your passport scanned and email it to yourself before you leave. Take all of your credit cards and copy them onto a piece of paper along with the phone numbers of the credit card companies so you can easily cancel them if they are lost or stolen.

Do the same with prescriptions if you would be in trouble without them; having that info makes refilling them much easier abroad. If you’ve emailed them they can easily be retrieved on line.

Tell your bank you are leaving the country so that when you use your cards abroad, they won’t think someone has stolen them and deactivate them.

If you have an iPhone, you can download a whole host of incredibly useful applications such as Skype -- call any phone anywhere for pennies a minute or call any computer for free using your iphone handset. Other apps include translating, soothing ambient music for sleeping in noisy places, and weather forecasts for wherever you are.

Bring a small power strip that you can use to charge up your cell phone, camera, iPod and laptop. That way you only need one small adapter and you’ve got plenty of places to plug in your gear. No hotel in the world provides as many plugs as in the US, and it’s always hard to find that one electric plug in most hotel rooms.

Bicycling through Cuba

One thing is for certain, the Cuban landscapes are amazing, and unlike any other landscapes elsewhere. Matthew Kadey’s feature on “Bicycling Cuba: Bluebird Skies and Welcoming Homestays,” not only demonstrates the beauty through pictures, but demonstrates the fun activities to partake it, especially bicycling.

The Cuba saturated with grandiose architecture among ancient cities, marvelous Afro-Latino influenced music and remarkably affable denizens just trying to make a go of things under the noose of the outdated U.S. trade embargo, a government that zealously squashes all capitalistic inclination and morale draining hurricanes.

For the cyclist, roads sans cars, bluebird skies, numerous and welcoming home-stays and the diverse topography of the Caribbean’s largest country are making Cuba an increasingly popular cycle touring destination. Where else do you have beaches and cathedrals and mountains cheek by jowl?

All in a caught-in-a-time-warp setting.
For most of the 40 some miles the road hugs the shore closer than a mother does her newborn. The ocean mist provides welcomed respite from the roaring mid-day sun. Still, I’m sweating like an overripe piece of pork vindaloo.

Each new curve in the rising and descending pavement unveils a view magnificent beyond words. To Tabi’s chagrin, I can hardly manage 10 minutes of cycling before needing to pull out the camera.

South African Safari

Jim Prevet explains his wild adventure in his feature about his vacation to Africa, “Kapama Lodge, South Africa: Predators and Prey,” and the unique out of every day activities he enjoyed. A trip to the African Safari is not something everyone can say and not many can say they have staed in Kapama Lodge’s. This is a story you don’t want to miss out on reading.

The bush — technically a woodland savannah — was lovely in the early morning light, shadows stretching across the grasslands, the air cool even brisk, and the scents fragrant.

Cynit told us that the rangers call this lion Calvin Klein. He was beautiful, but he did not have the same great heart as an old male lion in the preserve, who once took down a Cape buffalo after a three-hour fight, but who now, old and without teeth, would not survive the coming winter.

Once or twice, one would circle us, coming within five feet of the truck but never threatening us. Our guides were relaxed — the engine was shut off, and the rifle lay in its case on the floor of the jeep — and this gave us a sense of safety.
It was a cool, clear morning; a herd of impala leapt, graceful with their rear legs bent high above the trunk of their bodies. Zebras, springboks, giraffes, and wildebeests were everywhere, unthreatened by predators.

Before he could raise his rifle, the elephant was upon him, thrusting his tusk through Henry’s thigh close to his groin. He then pierced his back, the tusk forcing itself out the front of his chest.

The elephant knelt on Henry’s back to crush the life out of him. He played dead, exhaling and going limp. The elephant walked away.

Unexpected Beauty

“Bliss” is the perfect word to describe Susan McKee’s trip to the Oberoi Resort on Mauritius as she depicts in her article, ”Delicious Mauritius: Sugar Plums and Coconut Therapy.” The perfect get-away for the ladies and relieve some stress. As McKee mentions, this trip will help you escape from reality, thanks to the atmosphere and location.

It must have been the coconut. After the most delicious massage I’ve ever enjoyed, I awoke covered with curly white aromatic shavings like a giant macaroon.I had fallen asleep as my petite masseuse administered the “paillasson” at the spa in the Oberoi Resort on Mauritius. The therapy involved the entire coconut -- first, a full body scrub with the husk, then a peeling with the soft, white interior and finally, a rub with scented oil.

Mauritius is all about retreating from reality. First of all, it’s an island nation -- one of those places that will cause your friends to stare at you blankly as they try to place it on the globe. (Hint: look for a small island that’s south of the equator and east of Africa.) Nobody from back home is likely to run across you accidentally when you’re surrounded by the Indian Ocean!

Flowers are everywhere on the island: frangipani, bougainvillea, jacaranda, orchids, hibiscus, anthurium. Every time I returned to my room at the Oberoi Resort, the maid had rearranged the towels and folded the clothing I’d discarded on the rattan couch -- then carefully placed fresh flower blossoms in the folds.

Expeditions around the island are many and varied. I enjoyed an afternoon at Pamplemousses gardens, had lunch barbecued by my captain on a boat trip to a picturesque cove, drove a bit along the Tea Route, visited a sugar plantation and took an underwater trip on a mini submarine. The island is volcanic, so the topography is varied. There are steep jagged peaks inland and deep gorges with plummeting waterfalls. At Black River Gorge National Park, the resident monkeys begged treats from visitors.

France, Fun for All in the Family

I remember going to France when I was younger and I loved it. But usually when you think of fun family trips you think more along the lines of Disney world or land- which, don’t get me wrong, is an amazing place and one of my favorite places to visit to this day. Alexandra Regan writes about her family trip to France in the article, “Strasbourg, France: A City to Enjoy with the Kids.” She makes a good point than when travelling with a family there is still a segregation in interests, kids want to go to fun parks, adults to museums, teenagers, elders, all have different interests. So, it is important to travel to a place where everyone can find adventure and fun.

This vibrant symbol of European unity (it is the headquarters for the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, and the European Court and Commission for Human Rights) has a complex and fascinating history, and the blend of French and German architecture, cuisine, and language makes Strasbourg very different from other French cities.

Winter is a fabulous time to enjoy Strasbourg’s coziness. The Christmas markets that run from the end of November through December 24th are perhaps the best in France. These outdoor markets sell hot spiced red wine (spiced cider or orange juice for the kids), pretzels, crepes, and cakes, as well as crafts and inexpensive Christmas items.

Cathedral Notre Dame - This stunning pink stone cathedral is one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in Europe. Victor Hugo described it as “a skillful combination of monumental size and delicateness.” Building began in 1015 and the spire was completed in 1439. The kids can burn off some energy (and their parents the heavy Alsatian meals) by climbing the 330 steps to the base of the spire. From the cathedral platform you can enjoy the view of the city and beyond in all directions.

If the kids get hungry outside of regular mealtimes, try one of the informal brasseries found throughout the city. Perhaps because of the German influence, meal times seem to be earlier than in most French cities, and we found it easy to dine before 7:00 pm. Most restaurants will have Alsatian dishes such as choucroute and tarte flambe on the menu.

Taxi Ride Through Iran

Troy Nahumko takes us on a wild taxi adventure through Northern Iran in his article, “No Translation Necessary: A Taxi Ride in Northern Iran.” He depicts his roller coaster ride through highways, towns, and mountains. This article follows a fun, unexpected voyage all by taxi.

The lingering smell of burnt rubber was an inauspicious end to an eye-opening journey through the beautiful though scarcely traveled northern tip of Iran. As the driver pitched us from one near-death experience to the next, vibrant green rice paddies melted past the window on the left while the Caspian's black sand beaches hemmed us in on the right.

The Talesh and Sabalan Mountains may be dwarfed the by towering Alborz Mountains that rise from the smog of northern Tehran, but as they run down the Caspian coast from the border with Azerbaijan, the hues of green found in this fertile area challenge the preconceived idea of Iran being nothing but a vast desert littered with beautiful blue tiled mosques.

Here perennial mists seem to slide off the Caspian and drape these ranges with a diaphanous light when temperatures in the more famous southern tourist sites might be hitting 110º under an unrelenting sun. Brahman cows wander along the roadsides while brightly dressed women tend the tea bushes of the plantations in the area.
Back to that happy reverie before the Brahman jolt. To a place west of the black market caviar dealers in steamy Rasht, where the roads wind through rice paddies and tea plantations that wouldn't be out of place in Southeast Asia.

Locals rent out rooms to travelers and it's impossible to walk through the village without being invited in for tea and the orange flavored tobacco that wafts from every terrace, no matter where you are from. The inevitable trinket shops cater to the mainly Iranian tourists looking to buy local delicacies and most of the handicrafts available are locally produced, but livelihoods here are still made on the side of the mountains.

Perhaps the most notable difference after traveling around traffic-crazy Iran, when coming to this green mountain village, is the silence. Due to the way the village is constructed, only the bravest of drivers dare work their way up the tangled paths. So amidst the mist you are treated to something that is indeed rare in this enormous country, a total lack of car noise.

A New Kind look at Australia

“Australia’s Coober Pedy: A Gemstone in the Desert,” by Laura Sicilano-Rosen, characterizes what you don’t picture of Australia. Cooper Pedy is a small town in Southern Australia, a very dry dessert land not depicted as that lovely from first sight. However, as Sicilano-Rosen continues, as she states herself, Cooper Pedy is in example of how beauty is “not skin-deep.”

An inexplicable amount of junk — rusty street signs, abandoned tires, plastic doll heads — dots the moonscape terrain. There is little vegetation except where determined residents make watering efforts, for the climate is extreme and water expensive in this strangely apocalyptic land. Actually, there’s little hint of life in Coober Pedy besides the locals, the black flies that swarm the air, and the camouflaged grasshoppers that leap from the dust.

Less than a century old, the town’s history is short but remarkable, and marked by a number of novel developments that have made living and visiting there both possible and enjoyable — like underground businesses and a grassless golf course with “greens” of oiled sand.Construction workers from the country’s Transcontinental Railway and soldiers returning from World War I were among the first to populate Coober Pedy in 1917, back when it was called the Stuart Range Opal Field.

Modern dugout homes are, like the opals, hidden riches of the land. Half of the residents live underground today, and, as I discovered on my visit to Coober Pedy, it’s impossible to imagine the luxury concealed within the unassuming orange sandstone hills scattered around town. No two dugouts are ever the same, but they often begin on ground level with doors and garages, and descend deeply into endless cool spaces of utmost comfort and modernity.

There’s no shortage of stores selling opal jewelry or even just non-precious (common) opal pieces, so, having admitted defeat in the mines, I picked up a little souvenir before heading to one of Coober Pedy’s more recent tourist draws — Underground Potteries, family-run since 1982. The gallery, a pretty display of finished pottery and local photographs for sale, offers instant respite from the uncomfortable outdoors.

Maine's Lobster and Trails

Esah Samajpati’s article “Magnificent Maine: Hikes and Lobsters on Mount Desert Island,” will make anyone want to visit Maine, hike (even if you don’t like it), eat lobster (even if you don’t like it), and coast the harbor with a beautiful sunset (who doesn’t love that?). It seems like a perfect story book vacation.

Paying the entrance fee, we drove into Acadia National Park’s 27 mile long Park Loop Road winding gracefully through the greenery, connecting various points of interest. By now, the sun had come out and we could see every bend of the road opening up to vistas, each more breathtaking than the next. There is no end to the things you can see and do at Acadia National Park. There’s Sand Beach, Jordan Pond, Thunder Hole, Otter Point, Cadillac Mountain, Gorham Mountain, The Beehive, Abbe Museum, Bubble Rock and many more.

As the hike progressed, we came upon a plaque in memory of Waldron Bates. He set the trend of utilizing stone stairways and iron-rung ladders to help hikers. Thanks to him, the Beehive Trail is accessible to amateur climbers like me.With the sun warm on our faces and the cool mountain air refreshing our very souls, we trudged uphill. Ignoring the Cadillac Cliffs trail, we followed the trusty blue marks and soon came upon what is known as the false summit.

Cracking open the shells with the nut-cracker, I dug out the soft white meat with a prong, dipped them into the butter and put them straight into my mouth. Nothing like fresh sea-food to round up a coastal hike.

Turning into the lane, we saw a band of three playing live Jazz. Spotting a brief break in between numbers, with the applause refusing to die down, I walked up to the pretty lady in a flowing skirt and asked her if it would be okay to mention her in my travelogues.

Mythical Adventure in Switzerland

Gary Singh’s insight on Switzerland after visiting H.R. Giger’s Museum located in Gruyeres, small medieval village, changed drastically from the jolly hillside Switzerland, to a unique artistic museum with more than a history than you read about in books. In his articl "Spooky Switzerland: Alien Nightmares and Mystical Savages" he mentions the typical tourists spots and reasons, but explores he own adventure in the Giger’s Museum and Giger himself.

“Most people travel to Gruyères for the castle and the cheese factory,” says Aurore Sierro, one of the Museum’s tour guides. “And when they come in here, they get disgusted.”
Ascending a spiral wooden staircase, we eventually arrive at a room featuring huge airbrushes of The Spell, I, II, III and IV — one on each wall. Spell III includes Giger's version of the Baphomet symbol at its center, complete with the Caduceus — two snakes coiling into a figure 8 around a shaft. Baphomet and the snakes represent male and female energy or dark/light polarity.“But he is definitely a Swiss artist,” Sierro enthuses, pointing out traditional Swiss doily textures Giger stenciled on the skins of the snakes in Spell III. “He also painted aliens eating fondue.”

And the transformation didn’t stop there. Outside on the cobblestone pathway, some tourists paused to have their photos taken in front of the 500lb cast aluminum Birth Machine sculpture, instead of actually visiting the museum itself. The massive work is two meters high and features mechanical babies in place of the bullets inside a revolver. The piece is one of many where Giger explores the lifelong psychological effects of a traumatic birth.

In fact, it seemed like the longer I remained in Switzerland, the more mystical everything seemed to become. Things began to connect in unexplainable ways — Jung, alchemy, transformation, Giger, male/female polarity, etc.