A Little Imagination

     Lots of places we Third World travelers visit seem to be just heaps of stones from buildings or dwellings that no longer exist, or ancient caves or holes in the ground or age old ceremonies whose true nature and meaning have been transformed over the years and are now lost in the mist of time or perhaps significant monuments that once stood at the center of great civilizations which died and vanished long before our visit. What we need to bring with us to such places is whatever imagination we can summon. We need to reconstruct in our minds what may have appeared in such places when they were at their cultural apex. That is not always easy to do. We sometimes can find clues in the stories we hear or in the writing on stones and stellae that describe what once existed there.

     Macchu Pichu, for example, is merely a set of terraces with what may appear to be occasionally random stones aggregated in some organized fashion at the edge of each parcel of farm land. It takes a little time and a modicum of meditation before half clad Inca warriors appear in full regalia and workers fill the land, furrowing, planting, harvesting and tending domesticated animals. There may well be llamas treading the trails through the site (there are actually a couple who roam the grounds). The clouds that once rolled in to cover the mysterious city still appear in the early afternoon and lend an aura of mystery to the scene below. The quiet that surrounds the site when the morning tourist groups return to their original destination comes once again to open the gates to our imagination. The more we know about life at the ruins and the purpose of the city atop the mountain, the more we can conceive of the once brightly colored housing and busy buildings and hills that fill the landscape. If we can even begin to reconstruct what we are seeing in line with our understanding of life there when the city was alive, we have entered an ancient and beautiful world. It takes a bit of effort, but that is what the tourist who visits the impressive ruins of the past must offer to make his visit meaningful.

     At now deserted places like Tikal and Copan, Borobudur and Khujaraho, Xian and Giza, Angkor Wat and Djenne, we must add for ourselves the colors and the decor that have faded over the ages. We must supply the parade of workers and the array of soldier-guards, the shoppers and sellers, the artists and strolling citizenry. We must remove the winding tree trunks that have grown in cracks in the stone facades or have twisted themselves around structures and engulfed them in the jungle habitat.We can do that if we prepare ourselves and if we concentrate on what we actually know about the niche in man's history that the site occupies. When we do so, ruins come alive; shopfronts fill with flowers and goods; activities spring from doorways and fill walking paths. It is then that we have visited the past and made our visit a travel through time to gain a glimpse of some past civilization.

     All of us have some ability to picture the past. I remember many years ago walking through the ruins of the Forum in Rome and the marble floors of the temples at Paestum or Santorini. It was my responsibility to paint the bricks and complete the columns so that the sites could come alive for me. Visiting the remains of ancient cultures requires preparation and knowledge. The more we know, the more we see. Grab that guidebook and study it as you go. It is truly an amazing experience to have a long disappeared place come to life before your eyes. Many travelers tend to drift aimlessly and unfocused through the aisles of the world's museums or the piles of stones left to us by long gone ancestors and, if that is your predilection, sobeit. Yet you can add a great deal to the depth and value of a journey by learning about where you are headed beforehand and adding your own dreams and cultural memories to the places you traverse.

Palace of the Magicians, Uxmal, Yucutan, Mexico

The Joys of Central America

     I wonder why Central America isn't flooded with tourists from the States. Of course there are quite a few Americans in Panama where we were the builders and managers of the Canal for close to a century and a location many families who worked there have chosen for their retirement. In Costa Rica and Guatemala one is likely to bump into gringos as well but there are more European and Latin American tourists than from the U.S. I assume the situation is due to a knowledge gap as well as the general timidity of American travelers to explore new places.

     Costa Rica and parts of Panama feature filtered water as well as most of the comforts of the area of the industrialized world we are more familiar with and are easy to travel in even for the fussiest vacationist. Costa Rica even features self contained resorts so one need not venture into the "dangerous" unknown nor encounter too many surprises. Both countries also feature great traveler delights. Costa Rica is replete with wonderful water and jungle experiences. There are smoking volcanoes, zip lines, and endless hiking paths. The bird life is a as rich or richer than anywhere in the world. Panama not only houses the fascinating Canal but also jungles and islands where indigenous, traditional Indian tribes still maintain enough of their traditional cultures to make a visit educational and interesting.

     It is the rest of Central America where few Americans are encountered. They are outnumbered by Europeans and Latin Americans who visit Guatemala abundantly and are also much more likely to wander through the neighboring countries in that area. Of course there is still a problem with crime in Guatemala, a sure cause for American avoidance, but the country features some of the most interesting colonial architecture in Latin America. The Peten jungle in the North contains one of the spectacular deserted Mayan sites, Tikal. The most colorful market in our hemisphere, Chichicastenango, sits in the rolling hills in the center of the country. And beautiful Lake Atitlan with its smoking volcanoes is not far away. What more could a tourist hope for? Belize is also rather easy to travel about in and parts of the country are rather well developed. The Caribbean area, however, is a place where there is an abundance of poverty with many folks housed in simple huts not dissimilar from places in Africa. Yet the country is worth a visit for its several Mayan sites and its fascinating caves, some of which one can tube through on a lazy afternoon. The beautiful island of Ambergris Caye is but one of the comfortable and attractive islands the country features and offers the visitor just about as much as anyone needs on vacation.

     Then there are Nicaragua and Honduras. The former is the more interesting destination for tourists who are willing to brave the challenges of the Third World. Earlier political struggles have kept tourism quite low though things have settled down.  In Nicaragua there are interesting islands, lovely colonial villages like Granada and a coastline that equals Costa Rica's yet is far less developed and quite a bit less expensive. Some Americans have been purchasing land along the Pacific coast in the expectation that tourism will increase considerably. Honduras, a former outpost of the United Fruit Company, is also a bit challenging. There is less for the tourist to visit there than in Nicaragua but there are wonderful Mayan stellae in Copan, the southernmost of the important Mayan sites; there are white sandy beaches and great snorkeling on the Caribbean side, and the island of Roatan has become a common port for the cruise ships that ply that part of the world.

     In short, for Americans who prefer a short plane trip (no more than five hours to just about any site), a touch of Third World adventure, some fine natural sites in jungles, lakes and mountains, and friendly people, Central America should be a consideration. From extensive rain forests to volcanic lakes, from some of the finer beaches in the world to impressive variations in animal and plant life, there is much to do and see. With no wide oceans to cross, the nearness of the area makes it a good choice for week long trips. As the memories of recent wars fade and the popularization of some great travel destinations increases, I anticipate that our close by neighbors will be seeing more gringos in their midst. In the meantime, you can take advantage of inexpensive, interesting locales without tripping over too many folks from your neighborhood.

Coastline, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

Israel Surprise

     It is a long time since I first visited Israel- December, 1967 to be exact. If that year doesn't strike a bell, I will remind you that it was the year of the Six Day War in which Israel won control of what was then the "Occupied Territories." That territory has since become part of what is expected to be the independent nation of Palestine or, alternatively, Judaea and Samaria by the religious settlers who hope to maintain control of the land. Whatever the case may be, another part of the conquest was the occupation of Gaza, a piece of land nobody seemed to want very much. When I arrived on vacation from teaching in Rome the year of my visit, I rented a car and my family and I began to travel through the war-torn countryside past disabled tanks, pitted roadways and bombed out military sites. The Arabs were subdued so visitors could go just about anywhere they wanted. It was post-victory, pre-political antagonism time. Except for the occasional but brief interruptions of roadblocks (brief unless one was Arab that is) it was possible to drive into parts of what was once Jordanian or Syrian or Egyptian controlled locales. We got to visit Hebron and Jericho, for example, inadvisable places for Americans to visit today. We got to explore the remains of East Jerusalem after the long Arab occupation. We even drove into the former Syrian hills where so many shells had been fired from its gun emplacements.

      What would happen next, we wondered. I remember well a conversation I had with a group of folks in a kibbutz. They were full of victory and proud they had been able to fend off so many forces of course. Their answer to the conquered land issue: We will just sit on the land for a while, make a deal toward permanent peace and get rid of it after a couple of years. How far off target that prediction turned out to be! But spirits were high at the time and anything seemed possible. I wonder what the people who participated in those conversations might think some 45 years later were they still here and able to ponder the aftermath of the conquest.

      I guess we shared some of that delusion as my wife, my infant daughter and my young son explored the country. There were Israeli troops just about everywhere so there was an aura of stability and safety most of the places we went. That is except for Gaza. We roamed around independently to all corners of the little nation and even decided to drive into the sliver of land recently taken from Egypt. We motored into Gaza City, parked our car, took out the stroller for our infant daughter and started our leisurely walk down the main street. We did have to fend off a plethora of youngsters with rags who offered to wipe down our car. As we strolled along, we became increasingly aware of how distant and hostile the inhabitants seemed to be toward us. Slowly we felt people encroaching on our space and eventually we felt threatened. That was one of the few times in my travels that I sensed imminent danger. My wife and I decided to return to the car which we did quite hurriedly, keeping our children close and shutting out distractions. We got in, revved up, and moved out as quickly as possible.

     It is amazing to me as I recount this experience that I could have been so politically naive and foolhardy in my travels, especially with my children at my side. I tend to discount risks and travel without very much worry but Gaza was simply not the place to be. Residents there were angry, humiliated and hopeless. And we were visiting. I learned a good bit from that incident and have never again intruded into desperate places where people wanted to and deserved to be left alone and where I might be perceived as the enemy. When I am in areas laden with political anger and resentment against government, I disappear into the setting or I simply avoid it altogether. I have since had many opportunities to melt into the background of scenes that unfolded around me. Memories of my Israel experience sometimes lead me toward more caution than I might exercise otherwise. The Gaza visit was 1967 but it occurred only yesterday in my mind.

West Bank, 1967, Occupied Territories, Israel

A Stroll Through Downtown Istanbul

      Istanbul is perhaps the easiest city for accessing tourist destinations just by walking around the center of town. Sites that cannot be reached that way are near the Bosporus and its inexpensive public ferry which plods the waterway regularly. Thus, the city is not just one of the most interesting places in the world; it is arguably the simplest one to get around in. I suggest that the traveler find a place to stay in the center of the city (although, of course, hotels are more expensive there than ones further out), get a map, put on his walking shoes and then just roam about. As soon as you hit the street in the central area, the city jumps out at you. There is activity everywhere. Outside of India, it is the busiest city I have ever visited. Water sellers with old time costumes approach to sell you their wares. Kids walk by with flat boards on their head piled with delicious herbal breads. People hustle and bustle everywhere. You are definitely in Istanbul.

     The first places the visitor needs to head for are the preeminent and fascinating Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia which stand directly across the street from one another. A visit to these two historic and magnificent structures makes a trip to Istanbul worthwhile alone.  Not far from these sites are the Hippodrome, the vast Topkapi Palace which houses an extensive anthropology museum, the Rustem Pasha Mosque and the Grand Bazaar. You may not make it through all of these in one day. The Sultan Ahmed or Blue Mosque is indeed one of the most beautiful religious edifices of the world. Its 260 windows and multitude of Iznik tiles are hypnotic while the ceiling stands out with its heavenly blue color. Outside there are six graceful minarets and the onlooker can marvel at the skillfully constructed Byzantine Dome which dominates the building. While this structure served as a mosque for its lifetime, the Hagia Sophia was originally built as a church by the Byzantines when it was dedicated in the year 360 AD and it became a mosque only after the Ottomans conquered the area. It served that function from 1453 until 1931. It was then converted into a museum by the secular government that followed the Ottoman era.  The building is one of the great remaining monuments to Byzantine architecture. Some of the wonderful Byzantine mosaics that decorated the walls have been uncovered and offer fascination for the visitor. These ancient religious creations were among the finest art of their time. The structure has been transformed or rebuilt more than once and is somewhat of an historical symbol of the city. Near the Hagia Sophia is the Basilica Cistern. This underground storage facility was built by Justinian in 532 AD, and it is the largest surviving Byzantine cistern in Istanbul. The huge structure once held over 80,000 cubic meters of water. The vaulted brick roof is supported by 336 columns, each over 30 feet tall, and water was pumped to it through over 40 miles of aqueducts from a reservoir near the Black Sea.

      Only about one block away one comes upon the Roman Hippodrome. This ancient site was the scene of festivals and contests during Roman and Byzantine times. Its main feature is the 3500-year-old Egyptian granite Obelisk of Theodosius, brought to Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius in 390 A.D. A longer walk takes one to the 1384 Galata Tower originally built by the Genoese. The tourist's next step may be a day's trip on the ship that plies the Bosporus and stops at a host of little, interesting towns along the way. One can visit the Dolmabahce Palace, one of the most glamorous, excessive and luxurious buildings of the nineteenth century on one stop and then enjoy the products of the most famous yogurt producing town in the world on another. Even for those who not especially fond of yogurt, this creation has to be sampled. Vendors board the ship with trays of yogurt and disappear as the voyage continues up the Bosporus to the Black Sea. Although the trip on the Bosporus is a great second day, the most incredible thing about this bustling and historic metropolis is the fact that one or two days of just walking about in the neighborhood of the old city covers the most important sites to see in Istanbul. I don't know of another place where that is the case.             

     While the Grand Bazaar is a bit of a walk from the center, the tourist is bound to make that trek. The glistening plates and ceramics, the spices and sweet smelling food, the color and the bustle make this a true travel highlight. My favorite site is still farther away so the tourist might want to catch a ride to the Suleymaniye Mosque. It is the mosque's simplicity combined with its majesty that entrances me. While the more centrally located Blue Mosque is better known, Suleymaniye is the more dramatic building. It was designed by the master architect, Sinan, in the mid-sixteenth century. Its great dome and four minarets dominate the third hill of this fascinating city. You can't go wrong just wandering about in an amazing metropolis which combines the best of the East and the West. I think you will find Istanbul to be one of the most delightful and interesting places in the entire world to visit.

Lake Van, Western Turkey

    

No Third World No More

     My aching and vulnerable body makes it impossible for me to travel to the Third World or actually anywhere with my customary abandon and relative disregard for comfort and protection. The time has arrived for careful pill packing and a far slower pace. That is the fate of every aging traveler at some point in their life. The trick is to do as much as possible when the opportunity presents itself. I still have many unwritten anecdotes about my voyages past but my current adventures are tamer and far less frequent. For example, I have just returned from a second trip to Costa Rica. Now I do not consider Costa Rica a Third World country though some of the folks living in one room shacks might disagree with me but there are passable roads to travel on, electricity and filtered water  and good sewage facilities throughout the country, artifacts that the Third World often lacks. The food is safe, schools are available to all and people vote for their political leaders. But the country is a splendid place to visit for folks looking for scenic delight, jungle adventures, Hispanic culture and cuisine and other such things. The entire country is is a bit like a self-contained resort in an underdeveloped area.

      In spite of my apprehension, my family was eager for one more trip. I did not want to disappoint them so off we went. This trip was quite a change for me. As a now disabled traveler, I had to concern myself with lots of new things. My rooms needed to be handicapped accessible; I had to organize my pills in a box with each day marked on it; I could no longer do hikes or climb hills; I needed to make sure I had sufficient rest (no more all nighters for me); I needed someone to wheel me from one place to another, and so on. Costa Rica turned out to be a wonderful place for a wounded warrior still moving along the travel path. The distances from one place to another are manageable so a couple of rides of a few hours each was the total transportation I needed to weather. Even those trips were delightful with views of neat farms, resplendent vegetation and lovely mountain scenery. The rides simply flew by.

     Costa Rica is an extremely beautiful country. There are smoking volcanoes, soft and lovely beaches, jungles with zip lines and hiking trails, rivers filled with large crocodiles and with birds and iguanas and lizards perching on the tree limbs, magnificent but expensive hotels in the tourist areas, monkeys and other animals to be spotted throughout the country, white water rafting and more. It is a place worth going to even if one's travel capacity is not 100%. I was able to do some rather nice photography without walking a lot, especially from the boats that took us on the picturesque river rides. With the help of my family I was even able to ascend to the jungle canopy in a lift which took me up to the zip line although I could not join the others flying through the forest. At least I was in the company of howler monkeys and such. The biggest problem was the price of almost everything. Food at the hotels was outrageous and traveling into town by taxi or shuttle was even more. The excursions could break the bank as well. As a Third World traveler, I was not used to resort rates. This was not a trip one could easily do on the cheap and still participate in the things the country has to offer.

     All my life I have taken risks and gone to places many others tend to avoid because of the presence of the unknown and the absence of customary travel comforts. My Costa Rica trip was just another extension of such activity. A safer, more predictable journey for a body that I now need to be more careful about. But it was successful and surely delighted my family who shared my expectation that I would not venture abroad again. Glad I surprised them and myself. If you share my dilemma, evaluate carefully what you can do- and do it. It is always about seizing the day, whatever that may mean to you.

Howler Monkey with Baby, Jungle, Costa Rica

Traveling with Friends

      We have gone on vacation with several of our friends, but traveling with them to the Third World is another matter. For the most part, it is more challenging and more complicated to go to places where one is not really certain about what to expect around the corner. We usually go alone. In the past several folks have indicated they would like to take a Third World trip with us and we have had a few successful voyages with good friends. It takes a bit of planning and one needs to evaluate a few things first. People who travel together have to be socially compatible of course. That is a sine qua non for any kind of travel but especially where the going can be rough. No complainers welcome. Pleasantness and flexibility required. Waiting at unexpected obstacles on the road or stretches between acceptable restaurants are common. Hotels may not meet usual standards but they are what they are and that is where we stay. So we start out by voyaging with those few friends who don't care too much about minor inconveniences along the way.

      Flexibility is the most required characteristic for couples who journey to out of the way places together. One may well have to change plans in midstream, move along with a piece of luggage missing for a period of time, or tolerate discomfort for part of the trip in order to access the places that need to be visited. I wrote earlier about our experience in the monsoon in the Philippines and how we had to completely revise our trip in midstream. Although most trip alterations are not so dramatic as that, we do try to do things that are unique and we often thrust ourselves into the unknown from time to time. If our companions cannot tolerate risk at about the same level, the trip may be lacking surprises and excitement. Time and travel are too precious to sacrifice the serendipity that makes the Third World so inviting.

     Personalities need to mesh during as intimate an experience as adventuresome travel. If one person does not care about time, meeting arrangements are not kept and the rest of the group may be waiting in a lobby for a half hour for the other person. That can be especially aggravating when more punctual members of the group have rushed to make sure their companions are not waiting for them. Morning people and evening people may have to adapt by modifying those tendencies when they are with others for breakfast or during an evening excursion. One sad sack can drag a group down and diminish its level of pleasure. Folks who like museums or ruins have to compromise with those whose interests are more focused on the outdoors or hiking or other more active undertaking and vice-versa. People who are shy about participating in ceremonies or activities of people in the places they are visiting may have to put themselves out more than they otherwise would. People who are germ adverse may need to just let some things go that they would react to at home.

     There are many such matters which folks need to be sensitive to before embarking on a two or three week endeavor to experience some place in the Third World. It is unlikely that travel companions will make an otherwise potentially pleasant trip into a failure but an inability or unwillingness to change one's behavior or an insensitivity to others' wishes and needs can certainly make such an undertaking less enjoyable and less productive. We know our friends in the social context where we usually associate with them but travel is something else. It is hard to know for certain what people will be like on the road but one should take as full measure how that might turn out as possible before taking a risk on a diminished journey or even worse, a diminished friendship. Traveling with company can be lots of fun if the group is truly compatible and on the same page about what they want to do and what they hope to get out of the experience. My wife and I still prefer to wander the Third World on our own. That's how we do it most of the time.

Buddhas in Temple, Mandalay, Myanmar

Mali Fading Fast

     Mali has been one of the more stable West African countries over the last couple of decades but there is trouble in the north where the Tuaregs are pushing for independence and in the capital where a group of soldiers has staged an insurrection. The Tuaregs have been restless for some time, primarily for economic reasons. There is not much work in the desert anymore and that tribal group has suffered a great deal over the last few years. So what should concern the traveler about these developments other than a general concern about the welfare of other peoples? You can't go to Mali, or just about any other place, when the people are staging a revolt.

     What many folks are unaware of is that Mali is an especially fascinating place to visit. The name comes from a great empire that spread through western Africa and established several famous centers of Islamic learning from the beginning of the thirteenth century and endured for 400 years. There is much to see in the country even today. One might start with the famous place Westerners were banned from for centuries, Timbuktu. From its height as a center of trade for the many caravans that traversed the Sahara carrying gold and salt primarily and as a central place for Islamic studies in the madrases that were built there to the present there has been a dramatic change. For one thing, the desert is slowly encroaching on the city and its physical size is dwindling. For another, the trade and the studies have diminished greatly so the population has decreased from over 100,000 to less than 15,000 persons today. But the tourist can still get a feel for this historic cultural center. One can ride into the beautiful desert and visit the Tuaregs who still live in that challenging environment. Some of the mosques which served as learning centers eight hundred or more years ago can still be visited. The narrow streets still offer scenes which remind one of earlier days and even the market with its giant slabs of salt to be carried on the backs of caravan camels still exists though in greatly diminished form. This is not a place the traveler wants to miss.

     There were other centers of Muslim study when the area was the center of the Malian Empire. Djenne is almost equal to Timbuktu in interest. This is a place which rivaled Timbuktu in size and fame. Here too were places of learning and the Great Mosque which dominates the center of town is worth a visit in itself. It stands next to a wonderful market and the scene is perfect for great photography. Non-Muslims are not permitted to enter the building however so most tourists don't get a chance to see the construction of these sand-castle like constructions from the inside. Djenne is also the home of mud cloth.. One can see delightful examples of this craft hanging in the hot sun to dry. The most famous artists of mud cloth are native to Djenne.

     The heart of Mali is the Niger River which is also its major source of transportation and trade stretching from the capital, Bamako, to the edge of the desert in Timbuktu. A ride on one of the multitude of pirogues or panaches that carry goods and people along the river is fascinating because there are a variety of interesting and varied tribal groups living in the towns along the way.  The Bambara, Fulani, Songhai and others people the center of the country. The tribal Bobos provide much of the transportation on the river and also make the clay pots which hold the liquids that the people need and are traded for other goods. In the villages, the towns folks are welcoming in spite of the poverty and malnutrition that is evident almost everywhere one stops. Interesting and unusual mosques dot the landscape and travelers wave warmly to visitors from boat to boat on the river.

     One more absolutely essential stop in Mali is the Dogon area. This almost perfectly preserved traditional locale is an amazing place to visit. The hills where the Dogon people live which are referred to as escarpments are not easily climbed but a visit is a great experience. The people are known for their religious practices, their very unusual architecture and the art, masks and sculpture they produce. Their artifacts are greatly valued by collectors. A trip to the Dogon is not for the comfort traveler however. Get ready for a hearty day of climbing.  As is the case all over the Third World, one can anticipate that such traditional cultures will change markedly as economics and technology improve and visitors bring new ideas and customs in the regions. Mali, with its great tribal diversity, friendly people, varied crafts and colorful ports and towns along the Niger will delight the visitor. Go whenever the opportunity presents itself but not right now.

                                                
                                             Man with Fulani Hat, Mopti, Mali

Kids, Travels and Memories

     I am a very lucky guy. I wrote earlier that I have been able to travel with my children and my grandchildren to the Third World on a couple of occasions. These are not just trips; they are adventures as all journeys to underdeveloped and less trafficked places tend to be. One thing our whole family agrees about is that the experiences we have had together are among the most memorable and meaningful in of our lives. I took my grandchildren to the Third World to help them appreciate how other people live and to teach them to respect the differences among the peoples of our planet.  I wanted them to have the experience of being on the road without all the accouterments and pleasures and comforts that surround them customarily in their home settings. Mission accomplished, or at least well begun. When the family and I reminisce about times that were important to us, or most exciting, or most bonding, the trips we went on together are at the top of that list.

      Where does one start such an undertaking? Finances are a major issue so someplace close and some place that is not too expensive makes for wise options. For our first family voyage we chose Nicaragua, a country I had not visited earlier. It was a stroke of luck. Little, colorful colonial towns with restaurants sitting right on an open plaza at the center of town where many residents were engaged in one activity or other enabled the kids to move around freely, mix with others and wander about on the square with little worry or inhibition. Travel distances were short and there were surprises all along the way. For the kids, museums and churches and other adult captivating sites were sparse. Open spaces and natural wonders abounded. Climbing the sides of volcanoes up to the rim where one could witness the gases emanating from deep in the earth, bathing in natural hot springs deep in the jungle, helping to release newly hatched turtles and watching them rush into the incoming tide were the kind of natural highlights that made them more intimate with our planet and the activities that go on every day but which are normally beyond their access. Almost every turn in the road became a teaching moment.

     And all along the way in places we visited were stops in small, traditional villages where life moved along at an unfamiliar pace and in different ways. The Third World includes poverty almost by definition. My children and their childrens' world does not. The strolls through tiny streets or muddy roads where folks just seem to be whiling their time away without visible employment and seem to be in possession of few material things was a different view of the world than they were accustomed to.

     On another trip to Central America, we visited islands which only monkeys inhabited and found them to be as curious about us as we were about them. In Panama, we visited Indian tribes who live in the jungle and still hunt for their food. On our most recent, and unquestionably our most expensive, trip we traveled through Southern Africa. Off the beaten path, that world was dramatically different. We went on an exceptionally interesting safari where lions were playing in trees just above our heads and rhinos circled to mark their territories. We danced with villagers and had other rewarding interactions with the people we met. Perhaps the most telling moment of all came the last night of our African journey when we went around the dinner table to share what had been the most interesting highlight of the trip for each of us. My youngest grandson who was about eight at the time did not cite the villages or the plethora of animal life we had seen. His chosen highlight was our trip to Robbin Island where he learned about life in that prison from an ex-inmate, visited the cell where Nelson Mandela was confined and came to understand what Apartheid was all about. Need I say more?

Curious Visitor, Monkey Island, Panama

Bolivia-a Third World Dream

     If you are a lover of traditional culture or an avid photographer, an admirer of spectacular scenery or just someone who enjoys being in a place that is dramatically different from your customary surroundings, Bolivia might be just your cup of tea. The landlocked boundaries of the country contain a very high percentage of Indians who settled there long before the Conquistadors sailed to the New World. Many of them still speak the languages their ancestors did during Inca rule and a great number dress very much the same today as they did hundreds of years ago.

     A prominent feature of Bolivia is that it is one of the pathways into the Amazon Jungle. The eastern part of the country is rain forest. I went into the Amazon on an earlier trip to Peru so I did not explore the Bolivian rivers but I understand that they are equally interesting. The western part of the country is primarily Andean. One typically starts in the capital, La Paz, and just the experience of landing at El Alto, the town after which the airport is named, is an adventure in itself. Imagine stepping out of a plane onto ground that is elevated over 13,000 feet high. The oxygen is low and the challenge is high. If one works too hard or otherwise ignores the altitude, the price is a few days of vacation in bed, feeling horrible and missing the sites of La Paz. The capital itself is a startling place for the visitor. Along the streets one encounters Indians dressed in century old style. Most of the rural Indian women wear wide, flowing skirts and artistically woven, colorful cloths. Since the weather can get quite cool in the highlands, the outfits are mostly wool from the llamas and cover the entire body. The head ware is also quite unusual. Usually, women wear black bowler hats. In some Andean towns people wear miner's hats or hats which mimic those of the Colonial era. There are wonderful, brightly colored weavings sold in most of the towns and cities.

     My favorite shopping town in South America is Tarabuco, nestled in the mountains. Just walking down the street one can select from a variety of local crafts, especially woven goods of high quality, see the people wearing completely traditional clothing and observe the greatest variety of hats I have ever seen anywhere. Equally interesting is the town of Potosi where the Spaniards mined an enormous amount of gold and silver during their occupation of the area. There still stands a very interesting mint in the town containing a fine collection of coin presses and a comprehensive assortment of the coinage produced in the building over the years. The visitor can descend into a working mine in this delightful town and get an idea of what the miner's experience is even today. A gift for the miners you will meet, a visit to the shrine to honor miners who died there and a stop to say hello to El Tio, a fantastic, devil like creature, who protects the mine are necessities. There have been reports about child labor on this site so inform yourself ahead of time. Going into the mine was a travel highlight for me: don't miss the opportunity if you get there.

       Another must stop in Bolivia is Lake Titicaca. There are thousands of Indians in the villages surrounding this high, freshwater formation. Several dialects that were common at the time of the Inca are still spoken there. The lake is full of reeds which the locals often weave into sailing boats that the fishermen have used for centuries. One can purchase miniatures of these intricate artifacts which take a good amount of skill to fashion. They come in all sizes. On the lake, there are a number of small islands fashioned from the reeds where the Uros Indians actually live. They do their fishing from boats or holes cut into the islands right outside of their reed huts. This group also wears a distinctive, traditional dress. Their marital status is advertised by their headdress so no innocent mistakes are possible. Nearby the ancient Tiwanaku culture has left impressive monuments many of which have yet to yield their age old secrets. If you are so motivated, the little town of Casablanca on the shores of Titicaca has a church where the priest will bless your vehicle to insure your safe journey. Bring a little gift for the church or the priest if you want a blessing.  Bolivia has a great variety of offerings for the visitor even if its tourist infrastructure is limited. But that is why we call such places part of the Third World. Don't go to Bolivia for fancy hotels. Travel there for amazing scenes, varied cultural sites, beautiful Andean views, fascinating people and all the rest that one finds off the beaten path.

Woman, Murillo Square, La Paz, Bolivia

Money and Travel

     I frequently got questions about the cost of traveling to the far corners of the world from the audiences I lectured, the kids I taught, friends and just about anyone else who knows how many miles I roam. Mumbles about my having to be rich to go where I go are often audible even in large auditoriums. It is time to talk about money. There is no getting past the fact that roaming about in Pakistan or Namibia or Venezuela is more costly than staying home but everything is relative. First of all, in order to travel the globe, you need to dedicate yourself to that undertaking. That means you need to dedicate part of your income as well. There are people who drive fancy cars or dress to the T or buy expensive jewelry and still travel extensively, but I am not one of those. We do not have any of that stuff.  My wife and I have a total of 12 years of use combined on our low priced cars. We have lived in the same home for 49 years. She has no furs and I wear a fifteen dollar watch. We have had to make some significant choices in order to do what we do although there are no regrets about that. We have never yearned for what we don't have. We have designated our savings over the years primarily to our travels. For that reason, we have perhaps paid more attention to money than we might otherwise have done. Our investments have been careful and lucky from the start- all the better to insure future adventures.

     My wife and I always put as much of our savings into those hard to withdraw accounts called IRA's so that we could save for retirement and for travel in our retirement years. That worked out well. We sometimes had to choose which bills to pay from the pile on my desk and we did not indulge in very many luxuries during those earliest years but even then we did do some traveling. I worked in Europe for two years before I was married and managed to get all around the continent on the my salary. On another grand trip, my wife and young kids and I got a year of living in and touring Europe because I taught in Rome for that year. We put on a lot of miles in those twelve months.

    We took other trips too. Each of them was at the economy level but that did not dissuade us or discomfort our journeys. The issue for us was travel, not luxury. We had a budget for everything and we never starved along the way. But the important thing to note is that travel was our prime investment. It still is. If one wishes to stay at the best hotels, eat at the most luxurious restaurants or sail the finest cruises, lots of money is necessary. We did not travel that way. We learned that smaller hotels got us closer to the people we wanted to visit. Local markets and restaurants helped us to get a better feel for the places we visited.

      So what is the answer to the assumption, "He must have money." It is yes and no. Yes, it does cost more to travel than it does to stay home. There is transportation and housing and food and the occasional gift. But if one masters the tricks of the trade and finds bargains, learns how to get the best price for services and avoids unnecessary expenses, it can be done. We are not backpackers so we do spend money on hotels and meals. We know there are travel styles rougher than we prefer. I would refer to us rather as bargain shoppers. We do pretty well that way. And the growth of the internet with its abundance of travel information has made it even easier to travel cheaply if one is willing to put in the time and effort to construct a modest trip for oneself. We enjoy that challenge.

Inexpensive Shopping, Turpan, China