Features

December 2009 issue

Sri Lanka — Surprising and a bit surreal

by Teresa O'Kane, San Jose, CA

Sri Lanka is a place like no other. That’s what the marketing posters say, and why not state the obvious? But if I were in charge of marketing for Sri Lanka, my slogan would be, “Feel in the mood to drop down the rabbit hole? Come to Sri Lanka, where the unexpected happens.”

The Cannonball Run

In the capital city of Colombo, my husband, Scott, and I stayed at an old colonial hotel, the Galle Face (phone 941 12541010), which still feels “veddy, veddy” British. Expats working or passing through Colombo gather nightly for drinks on the...

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November 2011 issue

Narrowboating through the English countryside – an enjoyable but sometimes challenging endeavor
Approaching bridge No. 6 on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal.
My wife, Margaret, and I have made many trips to Great Britain, often to visit her cousin near Oxford and our friends in Scotland. On our September ’10 visit, we were looking for a different experience. For many years we have had a timeshare with Diamond Resorts International, which we’ve utilized throughout the US and Europe. I noted that, besides traditional hotels and condos, they list canal boats operating from several marinas in England in their inventory of stays.
February 2009 issue

Visiting friends in China — hitting the highlights, with a local’s insight

by Marisue Pickering, Orono, ME. Photos by John W. Pickering

In late April/early May ’08, my husband, John, and I were the guests of a Chinese couple who had lived with us for a year in the early 1990s, when they were in the United States as students. Now well established in the man’s home city of Shanghai, our friends provided us with round-trip air tickets and organized a visit that included time in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou.

Our friends

Our friends, Shimbiao and Li, live with their 7-year-old son in a community of townhouses in a recently developed...

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May 2009 issue

The Arirang Mass Games open the door for a visit to North Korea

by Gloria Helmuth, Tulsa, OK

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), known to the Western world as North Korea, is often in the news even though most of us know very little about that country.

For country collectors, North Korea is another destination to add to a list, but our main purpose in booking a late July ’08 trip was to attend the world-famous Arirang Mass Games, featuring synchronized dance and gymnastic performances. We were not disappointed.

The Games

By good fortune, my husband, Ed, and I happened to be in attendance on the opening night...

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September 2009 issue

Trading winter woes for Costa Rica’s sunny skies

by Jeanette Dewey, Abington, PA

As much as I enjoy the change of seasons that comes with living in Pennsylvania, by late February each year I yearn for some sunny skies and warmth. Last year I decided that a 10-day tour of Costa Rica would to be an easy solution — no hotel reservations to make or itinerary to plan and no language problems. (As it turned out, English was spoken everywhere we went and US currency was accepted.) All I would have to do is be where I was told to be at the appointed time.

I chose Caravan Tours (Chicago, IL; 800/227-2826, www.caravan.com) because...

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July 2011 issue

Remembering a painful past

by Paula Prindle, Orient, OH

It was raining at Auschwitz — not a hard rain, just a dreary drizzle — fitting, I thought, for a concentration camp.

The term “concentration camp” has always puzzled me. Why such a bland, neutral phrase to describe a place that was anything but? These were work camps, prison camps and, yes, death camps, so why were they known as concentration camps? Perhaps because when human beings are concentrated in one place, they are easier to control; they lose their identities and, to their captors, cease to exist as individuals.

The original camp...

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December 2009 issue

Tips on volunteering overseas for the 50-plus crowd

by John Dwyer, Port Townsend, WA

There is a way to travel the world while spending time helping one’s fellow world citizens. It is by volunteering internationally.

Many worthwhile and fulfilling international volunteer opportunities are available to folks over 50 who wish to serve. One can choose from either long-term (two years or more) or short-term (one week or more) assignments.

I began volunteering internationally in 1991 when I joined the Peace Corps. I was sent to Guatemala and, because of my business experience, was a volunteer in the Small Enterprise...

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November 2011 issue

The Pamir Highway and the Five ’Stans — taking the road less traveled
Ak-Baital Pass on the Pamir Highway.
I met my fellow travelers, a small group of Americans, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, to begin my third trip to the ’Stans, in September 2010. A third visit seemed necessary to comprehend the magnitude of Central Asia. This turned out to be the most in-depth, contrasting trip of all, arranged, as my previous trips were, by MIR Corporation (Seattle, WA; 800/424-7289). Their diligence and attention to detail helped create one of the best trips I’ve ever taken.