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In This Issue...
Reader Tips & Suggestions
Hot Travel Deals & Getaways
WJ's Gear Reviews
Women's Tour: Tuscany and Rome
Spotlight ~ Taj Safaris
Cuban Cooking!
Down the Enchanting Danube!
Recipe: Gazpacho
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Greetings!
Summer has finally arrived and we've headed outdoors to hike, bike, golf,
canoe and camp. For some of you, it will be the time to take a family vacation,
maybe a cruise, a trip to Disneyland, flight to Europe or a road-trip to visit
friends and family. Whatever your summer brings, have a safe and wonderful
time and don't forget to email us with your favorite summer memories:
activities; concerts; festivals and campsites.
Thanks to all our faithful readers and contributors for making the WJ website a
success.
Keep your photos, stories, travel tips, recipes and recommendations coming
and help us spread the word by forwarding this newsletter to your family,
friends and colleagues.
Send us an email if you need any suggestions or ideas, and as always, we'll be
happy to help.
Thanks to all our faithful readers and contributors for making the WJ website a
success. Keep your photos, stories, travel tips, recipes and recommendations
coming and help us spread the word by forwarding this newsletter to your
family, friends and colleagues.
New contest for WJ readers ~ We are giving away the book, Inca Trails:
Journey Through The Bolivian and Peruvian Andes by Martin Li. Inca Trails is
the thrilling story of a riding and trekking adventure through the Bolivian and
Peruvian Andes, tracing the rise and fall of the Inca empire.
For all the details and to enter WJ's contests, go to:
www.wavejourney.com/contests1.html
To view WJ's latest photos, visit www.flickr.com/wavejourney.
Happy Trails!
Viv and Jill
(aka: WJ)
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Be sure to enter WJ's exciting monthly contests.
Each month we're giving away something different.
You can win lots of fun and useful prizes.
Enter at: www.wavejourney.com/contests1.html
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Reader Suggestions
Cruise Buyer Beware ~ After paying brochure
price for a cruise I booked nine-months ago, the
price of the exact same cabin was discounted
by 50% six weeks before we sailed. We did not
get a refund of the difference. Know that when
you book a cruise, most likely you will not be
given a refund if the price is reduced. The only
cruise company that offers the lowest price is
Crystal, with their "unconditional
price-protection plan". So, for the rest of us
sailing on NCL, HAL, Princess, Celebrity and so
on... the price we pay is not going down, even if
there are sales, promos and last minute
specials to be had.
By Samantha, Florida, USA.
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Hot Travel Deals
Book your travel and check the weekly bargains from Expedia.com.
* cruises
* car rentals
* hotels
* flights
* vacation packages
* excursions
* hot summer vacations at 30% off
Click Here For Details...
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Readers Recommend:
The time of year has arrived when I'm planning
my next film festival trip.
Here are a few of my favorite Canadian film
festivals:
Halifax - Atlantic Film Festival, September 11-20.
www.atlanticfilm.com
Montreal World Film Festival, August
21-September 1.
www.ffm-montreal.org/en_index.html
Ottawa International Animation Festival,
September 17-21.
www.ottawa.awn.com
Toronto International Film Festival, September
4-13.
www.tiff08.ca
Edmonton International Film Festival,
September 26-October 4.
www.edmontonfilmfest.com
Calgary International Film Festival, September
19-28.
www.calgaryfilm.com
Vancouver International Film Festival,
September 25-October 10.
www.viff.org
Vancouver Queer Film Festival, August 14-24.
www.outonscreen.com
Victoria - Antimatter Underground Film Festival,
September 19-27.
www.antimatter.ws
As recommended by Marlene, Ontario, Canada.
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COMING SOON...
SEQUIM, WASHINGTON'S 12TH
ANNUAL LAVENDER FESTIVAL
OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK ON THE
OLYMPIC PENINSULA, WASHINGTON
SUMMER FUN IN BEND, OREGON
AND MUCH MORE...
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HIGH SIERRA SPORT COMPANY
For over 25 years, High Sierra Sport Company has strived to give
you the bags you need at a price you can afford. Specializing in
adventure travel, their dedication to function, design and quality
shines in each and every one of thier products. From athletes and
outdoor enthusiasts, to students, travellers and professionals, their
versatile, innovative products are sure to fit your needs.
To learn more about High Sierra products, click here.
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14 Night Scandinavian Splendors
Cruise with Oceania Cruises
Stockholm to London, August 8-22, 2009.
3 nights in St Petersburg, Russia, plus many
other ports!
Prices start at: $4,499 per person.
Optional post-cruise stay in London, including
golf!
For More Information Contact:
Betsy at CruiseOne in Bend, Oregon, USA.
PH: 541-385-0499
Email: betsy@luxurystylecruising.com
Website: www.luxurystylecruising.com
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Stay Healthy On Your Next Cruise
With cruise season to Alaska and Europe hitting full-throttle, it brings with it the Norovirus
(24-48hr stomach flu with symptoms of vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, chills and weakness).
Most ships sailing the waters off North America, and many in Europe, will have hand-sanitizer
stations. Not all do and not everyone uses them. Keep yourself healthy on your upcoming
cruise by observing a few of the following germ-avoiding tactics:
- When you first arrive at your cabin, put on your rubber gloves.
- Spray or wipe everything down with a disinfectant product (such as Lysol or Clorox). Make
sure to get door handles, walls, floors, ceilings, beds, shower curtains, phones, remotes, etc.
- Remove the bedspread and place in the closet. Leave the cabin steward a note to leave the
bedspread off for the entire cruise (you'd be horrified with the nasty things on those
bedspreads).
- Ask the cabin steward to put an extra sheet on the top of your blanket (who knows when it was
last cleaned) - known as triple sheeting.
- If you go to the buffet, use one hand for handling the tongs and the other hand for eating food.
You don't know where other hands have been.
- Food that is cooked will typically be safer to eat than food that isn't - remember that the
Norovirus often comes from food-handling staff who don't wash their hands properly (if at all)
after using the toilet.
- Wash your hands frequently and keep them away from your mouth, eyes and nose.
You may think these tips are over-much and paranoid, but think how much you spent for your
cruise and why you're there - you're probably not on vacation to spend 2-5 days locked up in
your cabin, only making friends with the toilet.
http://children.webmd.com/tc/noroviruses-topic-overview
As recommended by Jill, Oregon, USA.
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Weekday Promotion - Stay 3 nights
pay for 2
Summer Sensation in Boutique Hotel
Zara, Budapest
Available: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday night stay only.
Period:
22-27 June 2008, 6 - 11 July 2008, 13-18 July
2008, 20-25 July 2008, 27-30 July 2008, 4-8
August 2008, 10-15 August 2008, 17-22 August
2008
Single room rate 240 EUR - Double room rate
285 EUR
The 3 days/2 nights package includes:
- accommodation in a standard room
- hot buffet breakfast
- taxes
The offer is subject to availability. Not valid with
any other offer. Book online! or Send an Inquiry!
To book the package, please contact:
Tel: +36.1 577 07 00
Fax: +36.1 577 07 10
E-mail: reservation@zarahotels.com
www.zarahotels.com
www.boutiquehotelzara.com
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Spotlight
TAJ SAFARIS ~ Wildlife Lodges in India
Our India lodges have exceeded expectations in recent months. Can you believe that our first
two jungle lodges are close to two years old! We are so proud that Mahua Kothi was awarded
prestigious Relais & Chateaux status (first of three properties ever in India!)
Mahua Kothi and Baghvan will be joined by two more lodges opening in October: Pashan Garh
and Banjaar Tola. With four exclusive lodges on the borders of four different tiger reserves, the
Taj Safaris tiger circuit offers the ultimate interpretive wildlife experience in India.
Experience India's legendary jungle wilderness by tailormaking a safari to Baghvan and
Banjaar Tola, or Mahua Kothi and Pashan Garh.
An ideal time to celebrate the highlights of Madhya Pradesh's wildlife circuit is from October to
March, just after the monsoon season. Stay at any combination of Taj Safaris lodges and
receive a discount:
· Stay at any 2 lodges, receive 5% discount
· Stay at any 3 lodges, receive 15% discount
· Stay at any 4 lodges, receive 20% discount
· Baghvan, Pench National Park
· Mahua Kothi, Bandhavgarh National Park
· Pashan Garh, Panna National Park
· Banjaar Tola, Kanha National Park
Valid: June 2008 - June 2009
Reservations: reservations@tajhotels.com
Website: www.tajsafaris.com
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WJ's Gear Reviews!
Get geared-up for summer.
Are you taking a backpacking trip? Staying
close to home? Or, are you heading overseas
for a few months?
Anyway you slice it, WJ has got some great
suggestions for what to take with you:
- Maps
- Bottle bags
- Phrasebooks
- Trekking poles
- Luggage
- Packtowels
- Photography gadgets
- Light-weight seat pads.
Click here to read more...
READERS RECOMMEND
BedBugRegistry.com is worth a look at before
booking your next hotel room. This registry
includes hotels and apartments, across the
USA and Canada, with reports of critters that
bite in the night. Rather creepy, but I'd rather
know before I go.
www.bedbugregistry.com
As recommended by Fiona in Stockton,
California, USA.
For lovers of the Camino de Santiago, or for
those who just love to take long hikes, the
Camino to Assisi in Italy, is worth considering.
The journey is approximately 300km/200 miles
and takes about 11-13 days. Instead of
following yellow arrows on the camino in Spain,
this camino has pilgrims following green
arrows and markings. Much of the website is in
Italian, but there are lots of online translation
tools to use (http://babelfish.yahoo.com), that
quickly make the pages readable in English.
www.camminodiassisi.it
As recommended by Caro, Adelaide, Australia.
The Sani Hotel Resort in Thessaloniki,
Halkidiki, Greece was a lovely place for a
holiday with my husband and nine month old
son. We loved it! Very pretty place with nice
beaches and marina.
www.saniresort.gr
As recommended by Jennie, England.
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MINI-REVIEW OF KARIEGA GAME RESERVE - SOUTH AFRICA
We went to Kariega (main lodge) in South Africa and it was totally fabulous!
Spent 6 days/7 nights there and all three of us - 15 year old son included - just wanted to stay
there and not move on.
Most people stay for three nights, which is long enough to spot about 75% of the animals,
once. But, it doesn't give you any time to get to know them!
Despite the relatively small size of the reserve (expanding annually), their conservation
commitment is huge; so too their local community involvement.
As well as the usual twice daily ranger guided drives; there are walking trails, mountain bike
routes, canoeing & swimming in the river (bikes & canoes provided - free), plus a short river
cruise to see the Fish Eagles, etc. - very relaxing.
The chalets are huge! Three of us shared three double/twin bedrooms, plus three bathrooms;
with a large sitting area, large dining area, massive fully equipped kitchen - which was odd, as
it was full board! Some have small private pools, but there is a nice larger pool down below the
bar/boma area.
Wildlife of all sizes wander around your chalets and on the bike/walk trails day and night; but
not the elephants, hippos, & large predators, which are fenced at the other (larger) side of the
reserve. Oh, except for the leopards, of course. No-one fences in a leopard, they go where they
want!
If there was a problem at all (our fellow British and Irish travellers all agreed on this point), then
it was with the huge variety and great quality of the dishes on offer at each and every one of our
three meals a day! It was so gorgeous, but we just couldn't even try it all - never mind finish it!
(possibly an American appetite is needed?)
To sum up, we thought the place idyllic, and would definitely go back. The place is beautiful
and all the staff were great, always friendly and helpful, even if they didn't speak English!
But best of all and what made it magical, was Anton! He was
friend/carer/chauffer/'gofer'/companion/"Mr. Fixit"/conversationalist/translator/and the most
excellent and informed ranger/guide that any safari party could wish for. Anton is a real star!
I can't (yet) compare Kariega with a full wilderness safari; but if you're doing a bit of South
Africa's south coast (eg. Table Mt., penguins, wine & whales), then I'd seriously recommend it
as a few (or more) nights stopover before the Indian Ocean beaches.
For Eastern Cape safari options, Kariega is one to throw in the hat (malaria-free).
Kariega:
- We never had full landcruisers.
- We were alerted by other rangers as to sightings we might be interested in.
- Anton tried to stay on the tracks generally, but would drive off over ludicrous terrain for a
point of interest.
- Maximum of three landcruisers at any one specific place/sighting.
- This translated into us hardly ever seeing another vehicle party whilst on safari, though
Anton knew where they were.
www.kariega.co.za
As recommended by Mike, England.
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Recipe ~ Great Taste of Summer!
Gazpacho ~ Yogurt Cold Soup
by Habeeb Salloum
serves 4 to 6
This cold soup is a great dish on
hot summer days.
1 cucumber - from 9 to 10 inches
long, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 cups plain yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
4 tablespoons finely chopped
parsley
4 tablespoons finely chopped
green onions
4 tablespoons slivered almonds
Place cucumber, garlic, yogurt,
salt, mint, pepper and cayenne in a
blender and blend for 2 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl, cover and
refrigerate overnight or for about 8
hours.
Garnish with parsley, green onion
and almonds - then serve.
Click here for more recipes...
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Travel Tales
Cuban Cooking: An Offspring of a Melange of Cultures!
Story by Habeeb Salloum
When Columbus first set foot in Cuba, the Caribbean's largest island, he thought that he had
discovered Paradise. This island of green, wooded mountains and rich fertile valleys; a
landscape dotted with flowing rivers, clear springs and encircled by an ocean full of fish; awed
him.
He found that the indigenous people lived off the natural products of this fertile land and the
bounties of the surrounding sea. The fruits and vegetables growing in the wild, plus the fish
and wild animals, supplies them with their food. As a whole they lived a simple life of ease.
But, this paradise was not to last after the conquistadors stormed through the island looking
for gold.
After the Spanish conquest, the gentle indigenous Tainos, in but a few decades, were
eradicated, but their contribution to the Cuban kitchen remained. This included ingredients
such as cashews, cassava, corn, custard apples, guavas, icaco plums, peanuts, peppers,
pineapples, pumpkins, sour sops, star apples, sweet potatoes and a number of other fruits
and vegetables.
Subsequent to the Spanish conquest and their introduction of cattle, pigs and reared poultry,
the food of Spain, heavily influenced by the Moors; and the fruit and vegetables inherited from
the Tainos, became the base of the island's cuisine. Later, in the ensuing years, immigrants
from Africa, China, France, Portugal and the Arab lands - mostly 20th century newcomers from
the Greater Syria area, as well as influences from the neighboring Caribbean countries, all
added their bit in the creation of the modern Cuban kitchen.
Click here for recipes & to read more...
Travel Tales
Sunriver Women's Club Cruise Down the Enchanting Danube!
Story by Betsy Scherr
Recently, I returned from one of the most memorable and enjoyable cruises I have ever taken!
A group from The Sunriver Women's Club (Sunriver, Oregon) and I spent seven incredible days
on a cruise down the Danube, along with three extra days in Prague. This was also a
fundraising event for the club. I am happy to report we raised $4,100 total for the Sunriver
Women's Club Philanthropy Fund. A very successful venture for all involved!
There is so much to tell... it is hard to know where to begin! I had never been to this part of the
world before. We visited five different countries during our trip. We began in Prague, a vibrant,
beautiful city in the Czech Republic. It truly is the Paris of the East. The Prague Castle, Old
Town Square and Charles Bridge were historical and impressive sites to behold. After leaving
Prague, we traveled by bus to Passau, Germany where our cruise began. It ended seven
glorious days later in Budapest, Hungary.
The day we sailed through the Wachau Valley in Austria, with its medieval castles and wineries
caressing the hills along the river banks was especially memorable. We sat upstairs on the
top deck, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun as we slowly cruised down the river. One of
our stops was in Melk, a quaint little town famous for its Abbey. Originally a palace, this
beautiful building, now a monastery for Benedictine monks, is absolutely breathtaking. I was
impressed with its library: 80,000 volumes of priceless medieval manuscripts. After touring the
abbey, I wandered through the town, then walked back to the ship and hopped on a bicycle.
There were six on our ship for passengers to use and enjoy. I road along a bicycle path next to
the Danube. It was a special and delightful way to spend the afternoon.
Click here to read more...
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