There we were, talking about one of my favorites dudes
gong to Mexico to check out the Maya and another one of my…well, another dude we all know well is also there. President Bush paid a visit
to the ruins of Chichen Itza before heading off with other NAFTA chiefs of state to begin two days of talks in
Cancun. Is this a Presidential Spring Break? maybe. Bush seemed to be in the Spring Break spirit, anyway, donning a
cream-colored Hawaiian shirt (untucked). No world on whether he will be out doing tequila poppers this eve. We can
only hope.
Experiencing Nature up Close
Looking to commune with nature this year? Hoping for some quality time with the lions and tigers and
bears? Well, here’s your chance to play Grizzly
Man but without, hopefully, the same tragic demise.
Our friends over at The Independent have just published a Ten Best list for Close Encounters with Natural
Wonders. They provide us with details on how to hang with pandas in China, fraternize with bats in Romania,
keep a safe distance from polar bears in the Svalbard archipelago (Norway), stalk snow leopards in India, and howl at
the moon with grey wolves in Yellowstone.
The article also lists a few less exciting natural wonder opportunities such as bird watching in the Outer
Hebrides and counting badger poop and deer dung in Oxfordshire’s Wytham Woods—not exactly up my alley, but
at least I won’t get eaten by a bear.
Free Ways to Travel
The first
hindrance for most of us when it comes to travel is the matter of time. How can you get the days/weeks/months off work
to do a trip right? The second issue is money. Face it, to get anywhere really good, you usually need to hop aboard a
plane, and while JetBlue and other carriers often have good deals to get you where you
want to go, you’re not always certain there will be flights available for your price range.
But what if
you could travel for free? Pretty sweet idea, eh? Well the Budget Travel people have got some suggestions for you. Their
Ultimate Guide to Free
Travel, part of the April issue, is full of pointers for the penurious. From drive-away car rentals, to home
exchanges and house-sitting opps, there are free travel possibilities out there. One of the suggestions they provide is
the Rotary Ambassadorial Fellowships, which yours
truly did for a year in Chile. And let me say it was one of the best experiences of my life. You have numerous
obligations to fulfill as part of the experience, but they are all in their own way fulfilling, and actually help you
fit into and become a part of the culture in your temporary home country.
Flying Coffins: The Most Dangerous Airlines
Well, this is fun. The European Union has banned 92 airlines from entering European airspace due to their failure to meet basic safety standards. EU Transport Minister Jacques Barrot has described these carriers as “flying coffins.”
I was happy to discover that I’ve never flown any of the blacklisted airlines, although I once came close to flying Phuket Airlines in Thailand two years ago.
A few of the offenders are based in Central Asia, but the overwhelming majority can be found in Africa. Congo leads the charge with an incredible 50 airlines while Sierra Leone comes in a distant second place with 13.
I don’t know about you, but on my next rip to Africa I’m keeping my feet firmly on the ground my eyes glued to the sky in search of raining aircraft.
Outdoor Schools
When you spend most of your life in
the city, the idea of going to an "outdoors" school is about as far out as the idea of studying
Serbo-Croatian. To be honest, I don’t know a lot of New Yorkers who have taken the time, say a week or two, to
challenge themselves in the outdoors with an organization like Outward Bound. But I’ve long wanted to enroll myself in
one of these courses, to take one of their epic paddle trips in Baja or a survival class in the wilderness. But words
are weak. I’ve yet to actually enlist.
But you can. And to help you make your decision which outdoor school
might be right for you, the good folks over at Stellar Magazine, one of my favorites,
have got a solid little piece on how you ca get started. They really only cover the big two: the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and Outward
Bound, providing links and some of the basics about what these schools offer,. Your best bet, really, is to go to
the sites themselves and browse the catalogs, considering which type of sports you are most interested in, and avoiding
those you might not be suited for (i.e. agoraphobics might avoid rock climbing courses).
One of these days, I
am definitely going to take one of these courses. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what others experiences have been.
Anyone taken a NOLS or Outward Bound course out there? Let us know what you thought.