YOU MUST BE DREAMING
Get in touch with your inner Genghis Khan, only in a more civilized way – by train, on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Traverse the Gobi Desert on MIR Corp.’s Beijing to Moscow Rail Journey. In Beijing, stop at Tiananmen Square, visit the Great Wall and check out the mazelike Imperial Palace in the Forbidden City. Then head into Mongolia, where the cultivated fields of China give way to grasslands and desert. Explore the steppe, where you can camp like a nomad before crossing into Buryatia, Russia, to visit native villages between Ulan Ude and the Mongolian border. At Lake Baikal, board a boat and trace the shoreline, spending the night in a rustic Siberian lodge. The final destination is Moscow, where guests tour Red Square, shop, toast the journey and learn about the politics and economy of the country. Along the way, MIR endeavors to have guests meet and interact with Chinese, Mongol and Russian natives to learn as much about the areas as possible, and side trips and free time are arranged, as well. Cost is $4,495 per person, with departures in June and September for 17 days westbound or May and July for 18 days eastbound. Call 800-424-7289 or visit mircorp.com.
GEARING UP
Folks still insist on packing stuff worth stealing in their checked baggage, and stuff continues to be stolen, thus we still have the need for luggage locks. But we’re not allowed to lock our luggage unless it can be opened by the Transportation Security Administration, so a cottage industry of locks Officially Approved by TSA! has materialized. Their wares seem to be about the same, all decently crafted combination locks with numbers you set yourself, able to be opened by TSA if needed. But one lock stood out:
SearchAlert by Prestolock, which offers a “security window” that lets you know if TSA has indeed been visiting. If the lock is opened, the window changes from green to red, and one of those stickers should have been slapped on your suitcase to accompany the search. If the red window shows and you have no sticker, you had better check your luggage for stolen items.| $9.95, amazon.com, shop.nationalgeographic.com, tamperseal.com, travelsmith.com
BOOK YOUR VACATION
There are more than 150 monasteries and convents open to the public for lodging in France, some for about $30 a night, often including meals. Who knew? Eileen Barish tracks them down and gives us the skinny in “The Guide to Lodging in France’s Monasteries” ($22.95, Anacapa Press). Broken down by city, then by possible lodging, the book is a bit of a dry read, but in terms of information, everything you need is here. Each listing offers a brief history of the monastery or convent, with its denomination, current status and who runs it, type of accommodations available, amenities, price in euros, included meals and contact information. Barish offers no opinion on any of the places or their offerings, just the facts. In the back she also includes a section of monasteries that offer lodging specifically for retreats or other spiritual practices, with their contact information and basics, with no additional narrative, and she provides a helpful letter in English and French so you can contact the lodgings ahead to secure accommodations. Barish has also written “The Guide to Lodging in Italy’s Monasteries” and “The Guide to Lodging in Spain’s Monasteries.”
WEBSITE
nps.gov/glac/ehikes.htm
Until you have the time to do the real thing, take an eHike, Glacier National Park’s way of convincing you how cool it would be to power trek or go on a casual stroll through its gorgeous habitats. Each hike requires about 4,866 kilobytes of space, but once it’s downloaded, sit back and relax while the Trail of the Cedars and Avalanche Lake unfold, revealing the sounds of the birds in the background, as a whitetail whispers by, the leaves rustle, the wind blows and the views move around 360 degrees (click the mouse around to hear it all). The colors and sounds are excellent, and if you aren’t ready to plan your trip by the end, you weren’t paying attention. The site is set up to help you do just that, with links to everything Glacier, and extra pictures and information about everything found within the park make this one of the most useful and well-thought-out sites around.
TRAVEL BY NUMBERS | Top dog-friendly locales
DogFriendly.com compiles this list of dog vacations annually:
1. Vancouver, British Columbia: Stroll and shop from historic Gastown to Granville Island. Ride a ferry to nearby Victoria and beautiful Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island.
2. San Francisco: Many dog-
friendly hotels. Ride the cablecars and street cars with leashed dogs, stroll through the Wharf area. Dog-friendly beaches, parks and outdoor dining.
3. Chicago: Take a boat tour on the Chicago River or Lake Michigan, visit Navy Pier and Buckingham Fountain. Walk the 18-mile Lakefront Trail.
4. Boston: Take the Boston T with your leashed dog. Visit historic sites; walk the Freedom Trail, take a ferry to Cape Cod or Martha’s Vineyard.
5. Austin, Texas: Visit the Botanical Gardens, take a carriage ride, dine in outdoor cafes. See the bats leave the Congress Street Bridge each evening.
6. Seattle: Take a ferry to Bainbridge Island. Ride public transportation with your leashed dog. Visit Sand Point Magnuson Park off-leash beach. Carriage through Pioneer Square.
7. New York: Get around by taxi, limo or pet taxi. Take a walking tour. Visit famous stores, ride a horse-drawn carriage, visit the 30 off-leash parks and the Prospect Park beach.
8. Long Beach, Calif.: Visit Los Angeles County’s only off-leash dog beach. Catch the Haute Dog Easter Parade. Visit nearby Orange County and L.A.
9. St. Louis: Visit the AKC Museum of the Dog, Purina Farms, local wineries, ride a riverboat. Take a walking tour and visit nearby historic parks throughout Missouri.
10. Northern Virginia: Cruise the Potomac on a Canine Cruise. Visit Mount Vernon and Roosevelt Island, and a Doggy Happy Hour in Alexandria.
GEOQUIZ
1. Rich reserves of bituminous coal are found in Upper Silesia, a region lying mostly in the southwestern part of which country?
2. An Afrikaans word meaning “separateness” is used to refer to South Africa’s former policy of racial segregation. Name this term.
3. What French word is used for a bowl-shaped mountain depression carved at the head of a glacial valley?
4. What city on the Pearl River delta was the first Chinese port regularly visited by European traders?
5. Name the volcanic island east of Madagascar that is an overseas department of France.
6. Dubrovnik is considered one of the most scenic cities along the Dalmatian coast of what country?
7. In 1857 the United States claimed the 2-square-mile Navassa Island because it contained valuable guano. Navassa is located between Jamaica and what island to the east?
8. Yellow fever slowed early development of Fort-de-
France, the capital city of which French overseas department?
9. The easternmost point of mainland Russia is located on what peninsula?
10. Italy’s occupation of the capital of Eritrea in the early 20th century influenced the architecture of many of its buildings. Name this capital city.
ANSWERS: 1. Poland 2. apartheid 3. cirque 4. Guangzhou (also acceptable: Canton) 5. Réunion 6. Croatia 7. Hispaniola 8. Martinique 9. Chukchi Peninsula 10. Asmara
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
