A trip to the Russian Far Eastern Siberia in 2005 was one of the most exhilarating, thrilling, beautiful, educational, and amazing adventures I have ever experienced in travel. But a prelude event on the second day of the trip set in motion a myriad of unsettling emotions. In the first town we visited (Ossoro) we were to be entertained by some "small numbered peoples" as the Russians call their native tribes. While we waited for the performance to begin, we explored the monot

Making a Spectacle of Oneself Several years ago I was part of a group of 6 who went trekking in Patagonia. We climbed up some mountains, we toured some beautiful cities and interesting little towns, we caught wonderful wildlife sightings, we saw the dramatic lake glacier (Perito Moreno) and we enjoyed some of the most beautiful and awesome scenery on the planet, as well as some of the most barren desert views imaginable. We gawked and gasped at everything and enjoyed it all

My birthday hit while in the country which prides itself on its Happiness Quotient rather than its Gross Economic Quotient. In general I do not like a fuss made over these anniversaries and figured I was safe from a restaurant full of singing waiters in this agrarian and non-westernized society. When the day arrived, we had been out hiking with our Bhutanese guide, Kelsang, and came back to our rather basic accommodation for the night. We really just wanted to take a shower a

AND WE WERE THE MEAT We had no idea when we booked this particular expedition to Greenland that there would be no acknowledged Expedition Leader (EL) on board. Instead there was the ship's captain who spoke very little English who had preconceived and inflexible ideas of how he would run the entire trip. There was a nominal EL hired by our travel company who was so intimidated by the captain that he was afraid to lead. Then there was a woman leader of one of the other group

Or: Are there really no dumb questions? Yes: every one of these entries has been said or asked on trips I have joined. And No: I did not ask or say these things. On a cruise ship in Antarctica: "What's the altitude here"? Same ship, different person: "Does the crew sleep on the ship during the night?" Kidding Staff: "No, they're helicoptered off at night". The following morning, she complained, "The noise of the helicopters kept me awake all night?" One of our fellow travel

Thankfully, this awful experience didn't happen to either of us. But we have taken it as a cautionary tale ever since Kay's sister related her story to me. Suzanne was booked on a trip with Overseas Adventure Travel that began at JFK. She had been happily anticipating the vacation for many months. Her plan was to drive into the city from Syracuse and leave the car at the airport. All went well and she made good time. Then it was to time to check in with the airline and procee

CASTLE GANDOLFO Several years ago if people wanted to see the Catholic Pope during the summer, they journeyed to the small town of Castel Gandolfo where sits the Apostolic Palace, the Pope's summer residence. There is a short street leading to the Palace lined with tiny restaurants, bars, shops and an imposing public building. Some friends and I travelled by bus to the little town early in anticipation of an audience with the Pope at 3 PM. Only about 300 people are admitted t

Mixed-up communications in foreign countries are often the funniest things we experience. As an example, here's a true story of a stay at a B & B on the Isle of Skye. Our hostess was an dour lady who stood in her kitchen silently ironing while we ate our gargantuan breakfast. Grasping for topics of conversation, one of us commented that as we were driving, we had noticed that the local sheep were not fenced in but rather allowed to wander at will over the countryside and a

A biking & barging trip in the Netherlands and Belgium can be the most wonderful way to see those beautiful and history-filled countries. You have the freedom a bike gives to pursue what interests you might have and the a wonderful floating hotel to return to when day is done. Of course, there is the constraint of having to be where the always moving barge will be at a designated time. Our bike-master provided each of us with maps of the day's outings and the times we had to