YOU MUST BE DREAMING
Forget those hokey dude-ranch experiences that hold your hand every step of the way: High Wild & Lonesome horseback adventures is for the untamed at heart, taking guests into one of the biggest unfenced areas left in Wyoming, the Great Divide Basin of the Red Desert, where wild horses still roam free and open-range riding is possible. The week-long experience includes the chance to watch the wild horses, offers women-only rides, features riding clinics for every skill level and puts riders in remote locations. Open-range riding isn’t like the single-file trip where the horses are just looking to get back to the stable and eat kibble; this is for experienced riders looking to challenge themselves and try out a true-West journey. When practical, riders go abreast, and extended gaits such as the lope are favored. Group size is limited to eight per week. Riders live on the trail in a vehicle-supported, wilderness-style camp, with Western-style, Dutch-oven meals cooked over open fire, and amenities include hot showers. Riders depart from Pinedale, Wyo. Three types of adventures are available, each costing $1,900 per person. Call 877-276-3485 or visit hwl.net.
GEARING UP
Not content to just let Outside tell us what’s good, we had to have our own look-see at the Trade Wind 15-Degree DriZone sleeping bag that just won the 2006 “Gear of the Year” award from the magazine. We’ve been impressed by Sierra Designs stuff before; the Louisville-based company is a source of pride here, and it puts out plenty of excellent outdoor products. This is another one, and what fun to test: For a really good time with your kids, stick them in a sleeping bag and then throw bowls of water on them to see how waterproof it is. Everyone stayed dry, and then wanted to sleep in the mummy-style, breathable nylon shell, laminated for extra protection against the elements and filled with 800-fill goose down, with a polyester liner that draws moisture away. The zipper has a special track to keep it from getting stuck. The regular size fits a 6-foot person; for another $20, the long bag accommodates another 6 inches. Each weighs about 3 pounds and comes in royal blue. | $329.95, rei.com
BOOK YOUR VACATION
To travelers with a few miles on them, those who think age 80 is the time to hang up the suitcases, author Warren Rovetch says poppycock. He believes that’s just when a few principles need to be kept in mind when planning a trip: “Nourish the soul. Feed the mind. Rest the body. Leave time for happenings. Have fun.” In the latest addition to his “Creaky Traveler” series, “The Creaky Traveler in Ireland: Clare, Kerry, and West Cork” ($15.95, Sentient Publications) provides for just that, taking readers on a journey through the most beautiful parts of Ireland, with visits along the way with the characters and sights that make the Emerald Isle such an enchanting place to spend time. Rovetch, a Fulbright Scholar who worked as an economist before retiring in Boulder with his wife, Gerda, (whom he lovingly refers to in the books as “G”), writes in an almost wistful style, and this is far removed from the current guidebooks of the day that give practical information about where to stay or eat. Instead, there are poems and lovely prose, hand-
drawn, Celtic-font maps and amusing anecdotes. Meet Rovetch at the Cherry Creek Tattered Cover May 24 at 7:30 p.m. for the book signing.
WEBSITE
travelandleisure.com/
restaurants It’s only just begun, but the resources this magazine can pull from will only serve to bolster the site as time goes on. The Restaurant Guide, launched in conjunction with sister mag Food and Wine (at foodandwine
.com/restaurants), serves up about 2,700 eateries, most in the United States, Caribbean and sprinkled throughout Latin America, with a fair number in Asia. Simply click on the larger area, then on the smaller, such as Seychelles, to find that there are two recommended restaurants, one with simply the basics – address, phone – and one with the article link. In addition, eight hotels are similarly listed. The home page also includes a featured destination that focuses solely on its restaurants as well as a featured article, such as “European Eye Openers,” filled with suggestions for tracking down the best breakfasts in foreign cities.
TRAVEL BY NUMBERS | Top 10 affordable cities
SmarterTravel.com offers the next generation of “must-visit” cities across the pond. “Undiscovered” cities, like Prague and Budapest, are tourist hot spots.
1. Tallinn, Estonia. One of the few fully walled and intact cities left in Europe, Tallin is not quite dirt-cheap but more affordable than others in Europe.
2. Krakow, Poland. Sharing many similarities with Prague, including lavish churches, outdoor cafes and hearty food, Krakow is inexpensive and relatively undiscovered by tourists.
3. Dubrovnik, Croatia. A former hot spot for vacationing Europeans in the ’80s, Dubrovnik is beginning to shine again after the Balkan wars in the ’90s.
4. Istanbul, Turkey. Istanbul is one of the most dynamic cities in the Mediterranean, a mix of Eastern and Western civilizations. Flights depart from major American cities each day.
5. Ljubljana, Slovenia. Although Slovenia is a new member of the European Union, prices in the city are not yet out of reach for tourists.
6. Kyiv, Ukraine. The gold- domed city of Kyiv (Kiev in Russian) still reels from the 2004 Orange Revolution, but Kyivans have a can-do attitude.
7. Bruges, Belgium. As ancient as it is beautiful, Bruges is a heaven for foodies.
8. Kosice, Slovakia. Almost completely undiscovered by Americans, Kosice is unassuming.
9. Sarajevo, Bosnia. Sarajevo is a city to be approached with care and respect; however, it has much to offer for open-
minded tourists.
10. Gdansk, Poland. Situated on the Baltic Sea, Gdansk is known for its clean and well- maintained beaches.
GEOQUIZ
1. Textiles and antiques are some of the goods sold at the suq, or open-air market, in Damascus in which eastern Mediterranean country?
2. La Boca is an Italian neighborhood in Argentina’s most populous city. Name this port city.
3. Which large country bordering the Coral and Arafura seas has a population that is more than 85 percent urban?
4. Native people known as Inuit, Chukchi and Saami mostly live in regions bordering which of Earth’s four oceans?
5. Which Central American country located just northwest of El Salvador has 23 officially recognized indigenous languages?
6. Thousands of rural migrants arrive in Morocco’s largest city each year to look for work. Name this city.
7. The hangul, a 24-letter alphabet, is used to write the language of two countries on a peninsula that borders the Yellow Sea. Name this peninsula.
8. Which African country has 11 official languages, including Afrikaans (AH-FREH-KAHNZ), English and various Bantu languages?
9. Most people living in Malaysia and Indonesia are followers of what religion?
10. Tuscan and Umbrian are regional dialects spoken in which European country?
ANSWERS: 1. Syria 2. Buenos Aires 3. Australia 4. Arctic Ocean 5. Guatemala 6. Casablanca 7. Korea Peninsula 8. South Africa
9. Islam 10. Italy
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
