Here we are more a traveler than a tourist as we set out on safari changing hotels each night. We follow the Garden Route, the premier tour route preferred by locals. I (Adventures for Solo Travelers, 770-432-8225, $1824 land) bring in a way-cool group of 45 singles which includes a fighter pilot, 2 physicians, 2 psychoanalysts (who came in handy for me), mother/daughter, father/son, the uncle of Julia Roberts and one of my favorite clients whose … [Read more...]
Lapland Polar Dreams -January Site Inspection
My love affair with Finland began the moment I stepped off the Finnair plane. My ancestry is Norwegian and I guess something primal in my Viking genes bonds me in kindred spirit with this unique Nordic land. Having toured over a hundred countries, this is virgin territory for me and what an utterly cool place to visit in January. I've packed enough thermal gear to survive the most brutal blizzards but on arrival in Helsinki today, there is no … [Read more...]
AFS Taj & Tigers of Incredible India with Pushkar Camel Festival
We arrive with our Adventures For Solo Travelers - $1198 land) to the land of 1000 languages and 1000 gods. At the Intercontinental, the women in my group are welcomed with marigolds and branded with the typical red dot on our foreheads. This hotel is an oasis of luxury in a polluted city of 14 million people. Two days are spent touring Delhi. The obligatory sites include Gandhi's Tomb and many UNESCO World Heritage Sites. No where else have … [Read more...]
Mt. Rainier, WA
In every inspiring natural creation there is a realism that speaks to you. In every moment on a mountain you find it more and more. You discover yourself in ways not possible through other means. This stays with you and guides you for the rest of your life. May everyone have this chance at least once. ~ Dave Mt. Rainier is the crown jewel of the Pacific Northwest and the 700 mile long Cascade range spanning from Mt. Lassen in the south, all … [Read more...]
Mt. Rainier, WA – Pre-Climb
Rainier as seen from start of trail on the way to Camp Muir, and Bergshrund above Ingraham Flats A note regarding the National Park Service links listed on this page. The National Park Service is the most unorganized department for constantly changing links and NOT updating old URL's to point to their new URL's. We like to point our users directly to the correct information and this is a nightmare to keep updated across the articles posted on … [Read more...]
Mt. Rainier, WA – The Climb
Introduction We stayed one night at Camp Muir, then crossed the Cowlitz Glacier to Cathedral Gap (10,640 ft) and continued along the rock and scree ridge to Ingraham Glacier and Ingraham Flats at 11,100 ft. We spent the rest of the day here, caught some Z's until just past midnight - then left for the summit, reached the top and returned to Ingraham Flats. At this point due to exhaustion we caught some more Z's and then packed up the tent and … [Read more...]
Mt. Rainier, WA – Accomodation
Most of the accommodation closest to Mt. Rainier is in the very small town of Ashford located just outside of the National Park entrance. Ashford is considered the "gateway to Rainier". In addition to the properties mentioned below, additional information is available about regional accommodation on this informative guide here: www.stayinwashington.com The following are select hotels and motels in Ashford. Almost Paradise offers private … [Read more...]
The G.A.P Top 5: Places of Independence
1. Yukon, Canada There's nothing you know like your own backyard, and even if it's 7000 km away from home it's still more familiar than Mexico, which is closer. Canada's Yukon, east of Alaska and north of British Columbia, has attracted independent types since frontier days. I like trekking in the mountains, which there are lots of (the last ice age missed this part of the continent) and the long light in the summertime. I don't recommend … [Read more...]
Choquequirao – the Real Lost City of the Inca
Machu Picchu is one of those things you can't miss, even if you hate crowds and band wagons. It is undoubtedly gorgeous and profound. However, all that 'lost city' stuff sounds like a cheap cliche these days. What is so lost about a shiny train, a bunch of new coaches, international cuisine, inflated tourist trap prices, tactical formations of retired Japanese and millions of North-American kids screaming for mommy? Machu Picchu is a Very Much … [Read more...]
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
"So what do you make of this?" said Xavier. I watched, from behind a cordon of yellow police tape, Antonio Banderas in a mariachi outfit, and Salma Hayek in far less, dangling from cables affixed to the rooftop of the Hotel San Francisco in San Miguel de Allende's central plaza, el jardin. Walkie-talkies crackled in Spanish and English. A utility van edged slowly past with a card taped to its windshield reading Once Upon A Time In … [Read more...]