I received something in the mail from La Sabranenque today, which I must have requested awhile back. I’m very interested in vacations that have a restoration or preservation component to them (although I’ve yet to try anything like this myself) so find that I’m often drawn to reading about these hands-on vacation programs (like the Forest Service one I mentioned the other day). Maybe it all goes back to those camping trips I took as a young Girl Scout, when we were always building something or frolicking in the woods searching for firewood. I like to be active when I travel…most of the time. La Sabranenque offers a variety of weeklong sessions in France and Italy that keep visitors moving while still enjoying a relaxing, vacation-like atmosphere. Some weeks are purely volunteer driven, and others combine volunteer work with hike and tour options. The two locations are in Provence, at St. Victor la Coste, France and in the southern Italian town of Altamura. All activities, housing and home-cooked meals are included. Yum. They have some off-season sessions that I might actually consider doing if my itinerary and budget allow. I’m off to investigate this further…
Tijuana, Mexico: Los Ninos
It’s hard for me to believe that it has been ten years since
I participated in this immersion program in Mexico. It was my senior year of college, and we spent ten days after
Christmas volunteering in villages and at orphanages in areas of Tijuana and Tecate, Mexico. We painted, sang and
played with the children, listened to local politicians and businessmen explain their struggles and accomplishments in
trying to build a better life for future generations. Our group worked with Los Ninos, a community development organization based in Chula Vista,
CA that collaborates with these Mexican communities to improve their quality of life. It was an amazing service
opportunity, opening my eyes to the incredible stories of these people and their close-knit communities. The tour we
took of the US/Mexican border was a particularly moving moment, as was every second spent with the children. It was an
incredible learning experience too, one that I think back to often. I had hoped to make a "reunion" visit
this year, and still might be able to do something late summer or in the fall…we shall see. But at this very moment
my thoughts go to another group of students from my alma mater, Loyola College in Maryland, who are currently
participating in the exact same program. I’m thinking of them and hope they too experience the beauty of what we call
Project Mexico. Los Ninos works
mostly with university groups on student immersion programs, but there are ways that individuals and families can
volunteer too — just contact them through their website to learn more.
Movies that Inspire You to Travel
It has occurred to me more times than I can count that I see some film and then get a very serious urge to
travel. The last time this happened was a mere week ago when I went and saw King Kong. Was the movie any good, you ask?
Yeah, it was OK. Kinda had to suspend your disbelief in a few places, but otherwise it was fine. But the scenery in
certain places in the film was breath-taking. I must say I think Peter Jackson has done more for tourism in New Zealand
than anyone since Edmund Hillary.
Then, of course, I go to some favorite Woody Allen films, which never fail
to inspire me to get to know parts of New York better. I can ‘t tell you how many times I’ve seen a film like Manhattan
or Annie Hall and said to myself: Why don’t I get myself uptown more often!? Being the downtown guy that I am.
Well, Woody gets some props in this Movie/Travel Guide out by
Budget Travel. he gets it, though, for his newest movie Match Point, which I understand is quite good, and even if
it wasn’t I’d see it. So check out the list here. It takes ten of the big and small movies fro the last year or so and
examines how they get you fired up about hitting the road. Another one I agree with big-time here is Grizzly Man. The
scenes of Alaska in the film, bears and all, were enough to make you want to go up and do your own Grizzly documentary.
Of course, you’d be smart and keep your distance from the wild bears, which is ,sadly, more than I can say for the
protagonist of the film, Timothy Treadwell…who we blogged
about several times. He was, you might recall, eaten by a bear. That would suck.
I haven’t seen a bunch
of th eother films mentioned here. Narnia is on the list and I’ll probably miss that one…but I was wondering if it
will make people spend more time in the closet…speaking of which, Brokeback Mountain is also on the list.
Tony Wheeler's Blog
Kelly gave a nod to Lonely Planet
founder’s blog a while back, but I only recently stumbled upon it and gave it the once over. The verdict: not bad, but
not great. There are some decent posts where Tony lists his favorite restaurants and one about books. But that’s
about it. The entries just kinda stop and stutter there. And they’er just lists, you know? There’s very little
personal reflection or commentary. I would guess this is because Tony is a remarkably busy man, which would make some
sense since he does lord over a travel book empire that has been churning out some fine books lately. Still, if
you’re going to create a blog, keep it up, y’know? Overall, given what I expected to find, this was pretty
disappointing.
Do Good Travel Outfitters
Wonder whose been doing good in the travel
business all year a long? The Who’s Who in travel outfitters? Arthur Frommer highlights six non-profit organizations
that really deserve a round of sound or perhaps may be of use to you in your future travels. The San Francisco
Chronicle does the pleasure of listing these phenomenal groups, which you’ll have to go to the travel home page and then click on their ‘Time to do good for do-good travel
outfits,’ link. Those listed have displayed exceptional work in travel for persons with disabilities, promoting peace
through world home stays, cleaning and tending to hiking trails damaged by reckless travelers, and by providing
low-cost lodging. The list is as follows and I encourage all to look at them all.