Travel Woes

By Christina VanGinkel

From drinking water to being stranded in an airport, travel woes are varied. Knowing upfront what some of these things are that can go wrong, is often the best way to avoid such pitfalls in the first place.

Drinking Water No's

If you are traveling a few cities over, or across the globe, avoiding drinking any amount of beverages that are made from un-boiled or un-bottled water can help keep you feeling healthier than if you do. Water is necessary for life, yet it can also harbor disease and germs. Even going from drinking well water to city water, or vice versa, can be enough of a knock on our systems to leave us running to the bathroom every few minutes. If you are flying, stick with bottled water or beverages too. A glass of water from an airline could have potentially come from so many different sources, all depending on where that plane has recently been, it is just not worth the risk. It is important to drink water though, just make sure it is bottled or has been boiled. For long flights, be aware that you can dehydrate rather quickly, so using moisturizers for your skin along with drinking bottled beverages can help you feel overall healthier at the end of the flight.

Stuck in Traffic, Airports, Train Stations and More

Airports, bus or train stations, and even traffic, all have the potential to be backlogged. You might find yourself sitting in a terminal or stuck in traffic for hours longer than you ever imagined. Once, on a car trip to Colorado to visit family, my husband and I, along with two of our three children, ended up in a major backlog of traffic outside of Denver, when a car sheared off the back axels of a semi, and traffic in the area became a congested mess. Life Flight was called in, and the accident victims were soon on their way to help, but cleanup of the accident occurred only after investigators arrived on the scene. Nearly five hours passed before traffic was able to proceed anywhere close to a normal pace. Thankfully, as we were already in the midst of an extended car trip, we had snacks, games, and reading material. I am sure though that many of those around us in other vehicles were not as lucky. A lesson we learned from this was that even if you are taking a short jaunt, if it involves being on an expressway or freeway, where backing up, or turning around are not an option, then take along a few things to pass the time if any sort of lengthy delay should occur.

No room at the Inn

You never want to think about it, but it does occur. You arrive at your destination, and the person behind the counter looks at you and says they have no record of your reservation. Sure, you probably have your credit card that the reservation was reserved under, but by the time, they track it down via that information, a major sized headache can be settling in. Keep all reservation numbers on your person, and if any reservations were made over the phone write down who you talked to and when. While hotel staff is trying to figure it out, tell them you will wait in the bar or restaurant, and inform them that you expect them to pick up the tab while they figure it out, as they are the ones inconveniencing you. I do not suggest that you run up a huge bill, just that you keep comfortable while they straighten their error up.

Medical Information Musts

Be prepared for accidents or other medical emergencies. While no one wants to entertain the idea of being sick or hurt when on vacation, having with you all your medical cards and information on yourself and your travel companions can be a huge advantage. Make sure someone else in your group knows where the information is stored, and in the event, you are traveling alone, be sure to keep a card in your wallet or purse with all identifying information that a caregiver might need to provide you with the best medical attention they can. Insurance cards, allergy information, medication list etc., should all be with you at all times.

Traveling to the UP

Summer vacations can be the high point of anyone's year. The long and warm summer nights, sipping margaritas on the beach with you loved one. If you are clad den with these miniature copies of yourself than there is no doubt that you would be enjoying the summer no sipping a martini, but frolicking in the surf with them. Conversely, if can also be the down fall of many families. There are far too many stories of family vacations that did everything but bring the siblings, parents and other kinfolk closer together. Can anyone remember the movie "National Lampoon's Summer Vacation"?

One of the most beautiful driving trips of the summer was taken by me as I left the Queen city of Cincinnati and drove 8 hours to the gracious isle of Mackinac. The drive took me through a few of Ohio and Michigan's greatest cities to the meeting place of the Lake Ontario and Lake Michigan. As stated, we start our trip at the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati Ohio. The Great American Ball Park and Paul Brown Stadium behind us, we never look back as we traveled up Interstate 75. We pass the United States' first zoo as we make our way to Dayton Ohio.

I have been to Dayton many times, mostly for the great sports bar called Roosters and the new and innovative gay dance club.... I had never been north of Dayton on interstate 75, It was strange, to say the least, to see how much farmland there is once you get past the city of Dayton. The deterioration of the roadway did not deter my fervor for traveling the open road and seeing the most of Ohio as I could. With two very sleepy friends in the back seat and an over excited one in the passenger seat. I trekked on.

Less then a few hours later (and a multitude of bathroom breaks along the way) we made it to Findley Ohio. You may not think that there is much in this central Ohio city, but Findley boasts being the Flag Capital of the world. What, pret ell, do you think that means? Well, but of course it means that this city has been charged with the patriotic tasks of producing Ol' Glory, the official flag of the United States. Along Interstate 75 you could see why this small city was called this. Everything from a sign stating its Flag name to a statue of a star spangled four legged animal graced the seen along the high way.

Traveling on, the two backseat passengers were wide awake and now graining my nerves, but I kept everything jovial. As we neared Toledo Ohio, the three riders-along were welcomed (I guess more because I had been driving non stop since 8am that morning). We worked our way around the Glass Capital of the world via two separate by-passes. I hindsight, I guess we could have drove straight through the city to see more of Ohio's northern sister city, but we stood steadfast with the Trip-Tick provided to us by AAA and we the recommended route.

Surprisingly, the trip through Michigan was very uneventful. If you call the beautiful wildlife, the picturesque forestry, the vibrant colors found in the landscape and the less than un-perfect lakes and other waterways found in that glorious state to be uneventful. The island of Mackinac and its bridge are the crowning jewels of this oven mitted shaped state. These two pieces of Michigan's land and history are so appropriately named because of their proximity near the northern most point of the state.

All in all, traveling the open highway of interstate 75 through the Buckeye state of Ohio and continuing through Michigan on a clear summer's day is a great way to see both of these majestique states. Make sure that you take your time and that you are not to rushed trying to get to your destination. Looking back on this trip I wish that I had heeded my words so that I could take in some of the sights and attractions that could be found on this trip. Well, there is always a next time. Where will you go on your next trip?

A Week In France

The spring has come to France, bit by bit, and I can tell now in the nights that there is warmth in the air and in the personalities that have also been frozen, in a way, throughout the unusual winter we have had here. I find myself with only 2 weeks left of my intensive French classes, and wonder what I will with the month of April, as I have only one class, and that for just 4 hours a week, which means five out of seven days I am ‘sans chose à faire’. But we will see, and I am sure there will be adventures to recount.

I am currently in France with Tony. He was set to arrive on Friday of last week, and I had been anxiously counting the days. When I called him last Thursday I was shocked to hear that one of his flights had been cancelled and he would arrive at the airport in Paris a half hour too late to catch his flight to Pau. He was rather upset that he would be stranded in Paris for more than 10 hours, because the final flight to Pau in the evening would not leave until 6. He does not speak any French, and he had been waiting an awfully long time to come and visit me. The prospect of yet another 10 hours in a stark, lonely airport in a foreign city were not appealing to him.

A long time ago, I learned that what is important in life is not how much money something costs, and what is important in life is not always what is the most logical and 'safe' thing to do. On Thursday night I hopped the night train to Paris and was waiting at CDG airport when Tony's flight arrived. I spend the night shivering on the bottom bunk of a tiny room as the train crept towards Paris.

You can travel between Pau and Paris on a regular train in 6 or 7 hours, perhaps 8, while the TGV takes just 5. However, when one buys a ticket on the night train, one knows it will take the NIGHT. At 9 PM I walked from my house to the train station, and at 11 I boarded the train and used my newly acquired French to ensure I had a place to sleep. The train did not arrive in Paris until 7 AM the following day.

The two people who shared my tiny couchette provided much of my entertainment for the evening. The man was obviously a musician, because he took up one of the top bunks, and his rather large guitar took up the other. He was also obviously a BROODING musician, because he spent the first two hours standing in the corridor watching the French night pass us by. The woman, who was a bit more talkative, perhaps was his REASON for brooding, because although I heard them talking to each other before they entered the room, and they LEFT the train together, they said nothing to each other for the entire journey. While he stood and watched she made some small talk with me before covering her face with her coat and keeping the exact same position for the next 7 hours.

I arrived in Paris with the brooding musician and his lady at about 7 AM. I had not slept a terribly large amount, but I was very excited to be there. Somehow I found my way on the RER, which is the regional train system in Paris, from Austerlitz station where I arrived, to the airport, where Tony did. I had not known much about CDG airport, because when I arrived in Paris I had followed the signs to the train station in the airport and had stayed in that place for 10 hours on my own. It had been easy enough to find, when I had arrived in France, back in January.

I had remembered the 10 hours I spent in the train station at CDG airport, underneath the large signs that announced each train that left and arrived, and I had remembered it well. It had really been my first impression of France, this time around. It had been cold, and it had been lonely, but I knew it would be different this time. The Thursday before Tony arrived I had thought to give him some simple instructions. "The word you are looking for is GARE" I told him, "Follow the signs from your gate to the GARE and meet me underneath the big signs that give arrivals and departures". And that is what he did.

We sat on the floor of the GARE for perhaps an hour, talking, exchanging stories and hugs that seemed to last a day. We had not seen each other in two months, and spent the first few moments remembering each others faces again, and laughing about our travel adventures. After we arranged for Tony's suitcase to travel the same route he would have travelled later that day, we decided to see as much of Paris as we possibly could before the train left for Pau. What does one see in Paris when one has only one day? We navigated the metro system and arrived, of course, at the Eiffel Tower. We didn’t have time to climb it, we had time only to stand underneath it and stare up at the people who HAD the time. We asked some strangers to take a few pictures of us there, in Paris, before we hailed a taxi to take us to Montparnasse station.

The taxi itself was wonderful. The seats were leather and cool black to match the coolness of the afternoon. The driver looked exactly like Kevin Spacey in a turtleneck sweater. He had jazz music playing on the radio, and although it was probably more expensive, he took us the long way to the station, which gave us both a view of the beautiful buildings and history that is Paris. I wished that I had studied Paris more in the three times I had been there, because although all of the buildings looked familiar to my eyes I wasn’t often able to answer Tony’s inquisitive “What’s that?”

From Montparnasse we rode the TGV back to Pau. The return trip for me, less than 20 hours after I had left my apartment, took only 5 hours to complete. The TGV travels about 160 miles an hour at top speed, and it is an amazing experience. Tony and I arrived back in Pau at around 9:30 and took another taxi to my apartment, which was much LESS romantic and much more practical than the one we had taken in Paris.

We have been having a wonderful time here in my town. On Saturday there was a USAC excursion to Basque County, and everyone was excited to meet this person I have been talking so much about. We saw a beautiful town in France, St Jean Peid de Port, and had our lunch at a French Cidery. The cidre was not very good, but the food WAS, and Tony's vegetarian meal was much better looking than mine tasted!

We ended our day at Biarritz, which is at the ocean. I think that I can say walking to the edge of the sea on Saturday was perhaps the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It was a tiny bit cold, and we could see an amazing storm heading in our direction as we stood with France behind us and eternity before us. Our friends left behind, Tony and I walked to the furthest edge of the pier and wrapped our arms around each other as we gazed at the water. It was rough and cold and horribly wonderful as the spray hit us and matched the rain that we saw coming across the ocean like a velvet curtain you could just barely see through, being pulled across the water and tormenting the waves with its absolute smoothness. The salty air blew in our faces and we had a most private and beautiful romantic moment at the edge of the water.

We made it back to the bus just as the rain began to fall in earnest, and enjoyed the company of friends as we drove back to Pau. That evening I surprised and pleased myself by ordering a pizza on the telephone in French, and not only having the pizza arrive at my house, but having it be exactly what I had ordered. I was very proud of myself for accomplishing this task, and also very glad that Tony had no reason to tease me for screwing it up.

On Sunday, we travelled with friends to Lourdes. A small change in elevation unexpectedly threw us all into about an inch of snow as we stepped off of the platform. Lourdes is a beautiful place. A long time ago, at a Grotto in Lourdes, Bernadette saw the virgin Mary. Since that time, the waters that flow from the grotto have been said to be healing waters.

Tony and I marvelled at not only THIS amazing idea, but at the fact that while the grotto and church itself are very proper and beautiful and sacred, the streets on the WAY to the grotto are full of shops that sell things to capitalize on this idea. We stopped in a few of them, and bought ourselves plastic bottles shaped like Mary in which to bring water from the Grotto to our friends and family. The best part about this excursion, in my opinion, was that the plastic bottles look much more like Aunt Jemima from the syrup, rather than Mary from the Bible.

Liza Kollman
On Sunday night we visited one of my favorite restaurants in Pau, which is rather new. It is called The Mexico, and it is run by a man who once called Bloomington, Minnesota his home. When I first heard this I smiled and said "My mall is there!" When he moved to the US from Mexico, he was granted a type of citizenship, but when he married a French woman, the government would not let them both stay in Minnesota. So here he is, cooking us Mexican food, half a world away from home.

The week has flown by for us here in France. Last night we ate Crepes at the restaurant by the Chateau, and tonight we will cook for our friends. Tomorrow afternoon we will head to London for the weekend. I have booked us yet another hostel, and I know you will all be anxious to hear how that one works out. We will be sure to pay in cash, however, so don’t worry!

A Weekend In London

I have never lived in a place where one could hop a plane to London for the weekend. I didn't even realize how possible that was! Our flight cost each of us 60 euros. For any of you who want a conversion, well, you will have to figure it out for yourself, as I have found that in order to protect my mental health it is best to forget dollars even exist.

We flew Ryanair out of Pau on Friday afternoon. There is a flight from Pau to London every day, and one that returns as well. Ryanair was an experience in itself. The airline is extremely cheap but I felt very secure and safe. Of course, there is no drink or food service of any kind. They have a menu that you can pick up when you enter the plane, and if you wish, you can spend Euros or Pounds and buy yourself something to eat or drink.
It is very expensive, and not very good. The airline is also constantly selling you things. Flight attendants will come through the aisles offering perfume and jewelry, as well as scratch cards that you can only play in international airspace. It is most annoying, unless one has some headphones to keep themselves occupied.
At any rate, the flight lasted just over 2 hours, but because of the time difference we arrived in London just over an hour after we had left Pau. My friends and I then paid 12 pounds to take a bus to the center of London, where we could find an underground station and our hostel.

The 6 of us stayed at a place called the Dover Hostel and Bar in London. After what seemed like an hour checking in and signing forms and paying money, we were escorted to a simple but nice room with three sets of bunk beds and one window. We didn’t ask if the sheets had been changed, we just smiled and threw our bags on the bunks, assuming they had been. (I tried desperately NOT to think of the time a friend of mine, whose name I will not mention, got fleas from a hostel bed.....)
The hostel was actually very nice. The bathrooms were disgusting of course, and I made a snap judgment call that I would be cleaner if I spent the weekend WITHOUT showering. On Friday night we took the underground down to Piccadilly circus and stared at the lights before finding a great Mexican restaurant at which to eat in Leicester square.
On Saturday we did almost everything you could do for a day in London. We took a hop-on hop-off bus tour that let us stop at all of the places those of us who had never been to London should see. We saw the London Bridge and the Tower Bridge and took a walking tour that led is to Buckingham Palace in time for the changing of the guards. We went to the Tower of London, saw St Paul’s Cathedral, and ended our afternoon at Madame Trousseau’s wax museum. How much fun!

At first, I was a bit overcome by the whole operation. I had envisioned a museum with different characters standing in rows that you could take your picture with. However; it was not like this. The place was set up with many different rooms that one could walk through, and each room had a theme. The first room was by far the most interesting and also the strangest! It was set up like a club or a party in some large city. The statues were standing and sitting in various places around the area, and people were milling about with them, taking pictures and standing in groups talking. The lights were very low, and because of the set up, many times you didn’t know that someone was real until they moved, and when you gazed across the room and your eyes fell on a group of people, it might take you several moments to realize there were also FAKE people in that group. It was crazy!
However; I DID get my picture taken with lots of famous people! In the next room, I have pictures of myself being taught by Ghandi and, my personal favorite, mooning GW. (of course, its only a PANTOMIME moon, in case any of you (or members of the CIA attracted to this email because of the sudden mention of our president) were wondering).

After the museum, we visited a half price ticket booth and found tickets to the Reduced Shakespeare Company's "Complete Works of William Shakespeare - abridged" which was a VERY funny play. The three American and Canadian actors performed the plays of WS all at once, and in a very funny manner. The three actors were hilarious, and I laughed till I cried several times. And get this - they mentioned something that nearly all of you are familiar with! During one portion they said "Its time to take a break from reality, from John Thune and Jennifer Lopez" It took me several moments to realize what I had heard!
I think its amazing what a small world it is that I can go all the way to London and hear the name of that guy! John Thune, what an amazing thing to have heard so far from home. He is the senator who won over the head of Tom Dashcle, the Senate Minority Leader. I have often shaken my head at the stupidity of my home state, who gave up the power that was a Senate minority leader for a newcomer, no matter how his conservative views might line up with their own. However, that is for another email!
Also, during a part in the play which included the recitations of several elements of tragedies, one line was read that blew me away. The man looked out into the crowd and for a moment seemed to even catch my eye, as he proclaimed: "49 million idiots re-elect the VILLAGE idiot" and again I had to laugh until my sides hurt. Later that night we went to a discothèque and even later we returned to the hostel. The trip home on Sunday afternoon had us all quite tired.

It IS a small world; isn’t it? The comment about John Thune was only part of it! Earlier in the day, during our walking tour the guide was asking members of the group where they were from. Two ladies in the back shouted out "South Dakota!" and I shouted back "Hey! I'm from South Dakota!" It turns out that one was from Rapid and one from Sioux Falls. I wish I had had time to ask more, but the ladies disappeared from the group before I could find them to inquire as to why they were in London and figure out if we knew anyone in common. For I know that we would have! Isn’t that just how the world works?
You can be an ocean away from home and hear news of your own politics. You can be in a group of people looking at old statues and awaiting the Changing of the Guard and hear people shout that they are from your state. You can come halfway around the world and catch someone’s eye as they talk about the president in perhaps the same manner that you would have. The Earth might cover an awfully big expanse of space, but it is really very small when you think about it. The best part is that we never know. We never know who shares our views or who might be cousins with the neighbor up the road.
We never know when we will run into people who went to our school, or who took a random hike through our neighborhood. The best thing that we can do is keep our eyes and ears open for the coincidences that serve to show us that we are all related. We are all cousins, as my great grandmother used to tell my mom. And when we visit each other, no matter how far we go or what relatives we see, we are cousining. Sometimes we are even cousining when we don’t mean to.

Four Things To Try On An Adventure Sports Holiday

By Simon Woodhouse

For many people, lying on a beach in the sun is all they want from a holiday. Perhaps throw in a bit of shopping, a few day trips, the chance to sample some local cuisine and they're happy. There's nothing wrong with that, each to his own. However, if you think one beach looks very much like the next, shopping is torture and coach trips to ancient ruins are too much like something you did at school, then perhaps you want a bit more adventure. Perhaps you want an adventure holiday.

Adventure doesn't have to mean danger, but adventure holidays and dangerous sports seem to go hand in hand. They also seem to take place in some of the most scenic locations around the world, which means at least you have something nice to look at whilst your waiting to jump/dive/zoom into whatever form of danger you've chosen. Here are four activities that might help to make an adventure holiday more adventurous.

Bungee jumping has been around for a while now, and though in its modern form it started in the late 70's, its roots go back much further than that. On the Polynesian island of Pentecost (part of the island group known as Vanuatu and formerly called the New Hembrides), young men perform a coming-of-age ritual that involves diving headfirst from an 80-foot tall platform made of bamboo. The only thing that stops these brave young souls from killing themselves is a liana vine tied to their ankles. In 1986, a canny New Zealand man set up the first commercial bungee jumping business, and started charging people for the privilege of throwing themselves off a bridge. South Africa now boasts the highest commercial bungee jump. This takes place from the Bloukrans Bridge, located on the border of the Eastern and Western Cape. Here you can plunge straight down for 700 feet, before the bungee cord twangs you back up again. And kudos to you if you do it.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and this saying is never more accurate than when applied to Bill Hamilton, a boat builder from New Zealand. Faced with the challenge of using a motorboat in very shallow rivers, he invented the jet boat, a craft that's driven forward without the use of a propeller. Not only can jet boats operate in really shallow water, but they're also very fast and extremely manoeuvrable. Taking this vehicle and putting it to good use, a company called Shotover Jet offer jet boat rides along the Shotover River in New Zealand. Marketed as 'thrill therapy', the ride specialises in blasting the boat through a narrow canyon of sheer rock walls. Skilled pilots take the boats to within touching distance of the rock, whilst at the same time performing 360 degree spins. Life jackets are mandatory, no video cameras are allowed (they tend to end up in the river) and pregnant women are strongly advised against riding.

Whilst you're in New Zealand, why not have a go at fly by wire? This is a cross between a ski resort chair lift and a propeller driven missile. Victims, I mean riders, are strapped face down into what looks like a small rocket with a large, enclosed propeller on the back. High overhead, a series of 1200-foot long cables span from one side of a steep edged valley to the other. A single cable hangs down from these and is attached to the middle of the missile. Then the horizontal wires are tightened, and the missile is lifted upward with the propeller going. The rider has control of a throttle and a steering bar, both of which are then used to hurtle the missile around the valley as it dangles from the overhead cables. Just how fast it goes is up to the rider, but it can reach speeds of over 100 mph, and pull three G. This whole set-up is the fastest tethered ride in the world, and also an experience unique to New Zealand.

Perhaps speed isn't your thing, but you still fancy a bit of danger. How about swimming with sharks, but not just any old shark, the heavyweight champion of teeth and fins - the Great White. This type of holiday has been running for a few years now, around Cape Town in South Africa. Though it's advertised as swimming with Great Whites, there is a cage involved, but you go in the cage, the cage goes in the water, and the shark's in the water. Depending on which operator you use, there's also a chance to swim with aquarium sharks, and scuba dive without a cage in the presence of such happy little fellows as the Tiger Shark and the Hammerhead. As far as the Great Whites are concerned, nothing is guaranteed, which means to say they may not show up on the day you're due to take the plunge. However, the tour operators know what they're doing, so seeing a shark of one sort or another is more than likely.

These are just a few adventure/dangerous sports that can help to make a vacation just that little bit more special. You could also try white-water rafting, tandem skydiving or eating food purchased from a street vender in New Delhi.