Here’s another version of canopy tours, much different than the ones in Hocking Hills, Ohio and near Kuala Lumpur. At the Ysterhout Gorge in Magaliesberg, South Africa, trees are sparse, but the gorge is mighty. This is a well-done edited version that shows each step of the experience. The scenery is gorgeous. The family in this video consists of a young girl as well. You really know how much you trust a tour guide when you send your child flying along a cable, feet dangling high above the rocky ground. There’s a point where my heart would jump. Part with fright, part with their excitment–and I’m the one who once took my 3 month-old on long boat rides in Thailand, passing him above the water while he was strapped in a car seat carrier. Here is a resource to find canopy tours in South Africa, plus a Gadling post from former blogger Erik Olsen that presents options in other places.
Renting a villa in Tuscany: AAA travel show tidbit
In the chat room lounge at the AAA travel show, “Europe is Closer than You Think,” questions and answers were batted between participants. Someone would post a question and eventually people responded. It was like listening to several conversations at once, but you could scroll back to see what was missed.
One person asked a question about traveling to Europe with her children ages 2, 4 and 7. She wanted to know if she should wait until they are in grade school. One of the travel agents suggested traveling in Ireland or renting a villa in Tuscany. Another suggested waiting until the kids are a bit older to take a river cruise with short shore excursions. The woman asking the question jumped on the villa in Tuscany idea, though and that sparked my interest as well.
Here is a Web site I found that lists villas to rent in Tuscany. I have never rented a villa in Tuscany. I have toured historic villas before near Padua, but stayed in a friend’s apartment. Friends of mine with small children have rented a villa in Tuscany and the experience actually made them want to buy a villa in Tuscany. They liked it that much.
Here is another villa I found. Advantages of renting a villa is that you could stay in one place, cook meals or eat out and children would have a place to play outside. What a wonderful home away from home. One way to have an even more relaxing, less expensive villa experience is to rent one in the fall. If any of you have a villa in Tuscany experience to share, do tell.
Car DVD Players
I’ve started searching for car DVD players and that has shown me how technologically behind I am. First, when I saw the DVD players that fit into the dashboard, I assumed that meant that the screen fit into the dashboard too. Can you imagine? Traffic accidents caused by cell phone use while driving are bad enough. How ironic would it be to crash a car while watching a chase scene car crash?
The kind of DVD player I’m looking for is one that plugs into the cigarette lighter hole so that the people in the back seat can watch a movie. I’m specifically thinking about my 5 year-old. My 14 year-old plugs in her headphones and falls asleep as soon as the car pulls away from our house. One in awhile she’ll open her eyes to keep her brother entertained. We’re heading to Montana again this summer, quite the hike from Columbus, OH and I’m considering folding on my no DVD player stance. It might beat the bickering and whining. If we do get a plug-in DVD player it will be in competition with our plug-in CD player.
If you are looking to install a DVD player in your dashboard, prices range from $199 to over $1,000. The kind I’m looking for can also cost a bundle or about $100. I found an article in the magazine First Glimpse that explains the differences between DVD players and includes links that explain more. One feature that looks worth paying for is the one that lets you hang the DVD monitor over the back of the front seat. But, with two kids, does that mean you need two DVD players? If you want to get a look at what’s out there, here’s the car DVDplayer link at bizrate.com. This photo is from “Foursprung, the ultimate car gadgets” blog.