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I admit it—-this city girl (okay–suburban girl) has morhped into an adventure-travel afficianado! To be honest, I am a lover of “soft” adventure—where I can soak up the beauty of nature, all types of flora and fauna, as well as being able to sleep “off” of the ground, take a hot shower, and eat yummy food!
I’ve traveled through: Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia—in the footsteps of Captain Cook; Antarctica; Alaska; Costa Rica; Peru; Ecaudor; the Galapagos; Argentina; Chile; Egypt; China; Indonesia; India; Fiji; the Amazon; Kenya; Tanzania; Botswana; South Africa; Zambia; Zimbabwe (when it was safe); Mauritius; Colorado; Arizona; New Mexico; northern Wisconsin; and southern Missouri (actually slept on the ground on the canoe trip—years ago!).
I’ve sampled many wonderful adventures and now I want to let you know about one of our exceptional partners, Natural Habitat Adventures. NHA knows adventure—from soft to adrelin-flowing! They follow the same philosophy as Great Getaways, which is “Cookie cutter vacations are great if you are a cookie cutter!” We both specialize in experiential travel and both companies are committed to sustainable travel. NHA guides are experienced, well-trained, knowledgeable and professional.
The trips they offer are unique! Let me give you an example: I’ve been to the Galapagos twice and hope to go back again soon. Both times I was on a wonderful expedition ship with great naturalists and guides. What I’ve discovered is that I like “small” and that is what Natural Habitat provides. The yacht they use for the Galapagos holds a maximum of 20 people and they offer something quite special and unusual—you can elect to spend the night in the highlands of Santa Cruz in a safari tent or “tree house” amid an area known for its giant tortoises! Another special offer from NHA is their new land-based Galapagos expedition, in which you stay on 3 different islands, almost unheard of, don’t you think?
This year they’ve added a few new adventures—including the Wild Colorado, Alaska’s Secluded Southeast Coast, Yosemite and the California Coast, and the remarkable San Juan Islands.
Next month I’ll tell you about an exciting opportunity to win a journey to visit the Polar Bear Capital of the World, Churchill, Manitoba, courtesy of NHA, Great Getaways and Lifetime Fitness!
So, if you are an adventurer of any kind, from soft to rugged, contact me today to experience the amazing journeys we create with Natural Habitat Adventures!
We just returned from an expedition to Antarctica with Lindblad Expeditions. It was so amazing that I am at a loss for words to describe the magic, the mystery, and the moods of this continent (me—at a loss for words???). So, please enjoy this slideshow.
“I should brush up on my Spanish”… leads to the many times in my life I think, “Maybe I’d like to learn to…” or I’m going to study…” or “I’m going to explore…” Just insert one of the following words to complete the sentence: Spanish, French, Chinese, Hebrew, Swahili, the Bible, ancient history, dye wool, bead, Yoga, sewing, tailoring, how to cook Indian food, make silver jewelry, read classic novels. I’m not sure when or if I’ll explore any of the above topics, but it is fun to know that life holds so much interest!
Quick update: we left Ushuaia, Argentina on Thursday evening aboard the National Geographic Explorer and we are headed towards the Antarctic peninsula. We crossed the Drake Passage with their usual rough seas (thank goodness we brought seasickness patches and never got sick!). In the wee hours of this morning we crossed the Antarctic Convergence and are officially in the Antarctic Circle. Weather is brisk, skies are spitting snow, and there is the ever present Antarctic wind. As we approach Antarctica the days are quite long and nights are quite short. For example, the sun rose today at 3:00 AM and will not set until 12:08 AM tomorrow. Tomorrow we’ll reach Marguerite Bay and take our first Zodiac ride to shore! FACTOID FOR TODAY: Antarctica is the windiest of the seven continents.
One of my favorite spots on Earth is about 600 miles west of Ecuador. Actually, it is not a spot—it’s a collection of islands, unique, pristine, unspoiled (for the time being), and the area that spawned Darwin’s theory of evolution of the species—the Galapagos!
I usually recommend a voyage through the islands as the best way to experience the Galapagos and my personal favorite company to use is Lindblad. Yesterday a friend of mine at International Expeditions, Jennifer Reynolds, sent me information on an exciting option for a Galapagos adventure—rent a breathtaking villa and take day trips to various islands.
Here are some photos of the home and photos of the animals of the Galapagos to whet your appetite to visit this amazing destination:
A couple of posts ago, I invited you to play a game, “Cout the SUVs and Minivans”. On Monday I forgot to count; yesterday, on my way to work I counted 19 vehicles and 18 of them had only 1 passenger. Today, returning from lunch, I began counting again and discovered 2 out of 11 vehicles had more than one passenger.
Some of the reasons I’ve heard to justify driving big gas guzzlers are: 1) I have to drive my kids to school; 2) I haul things; 3) It snows a lot and I feel more secure with a big 4-wheel drive vehicle; 4) If it works for the military, it works for me (Hello! Have you noticed their Hummers are old, decrepit, and break down regularly???); 5) I don’t want to be hurt in a car crash.
I confess I owned a “I have to take my son to school-mobile” 10 years ago. I even knew back then that the public reason made no sense—I had one child to transport! Also, unless my child was the progeny of the Jolly Green Giant or King Kong, he could probably fit in most regular sized cars. Last, I must have had a really good reason to trade in my Saab convertible for a Toyota 4-Runner, right?
So, here are some truths behind the given reasons for owning a gas guzzler: 1) I want to fit in (i.e. “keep up with the Jones” syndrome—guilty as charged!); 2) I am independently wealthy and have no care about the cost of fuel; 3) I will be dead before the damage to our environment is felt (i.e. the “I am selfish” syndrome); 4) I am a multiple spouse in a pluralistic community and have to schlep 20 kids at a time.
