1. Amongst geologists, it is generally agreed that the Grand Canyon is approximately how old?

2. On an average day, how many vehicles cross the Brooklyn Bridge?

1. 75,000
2. 100,000
3. 140,000
4. 200,000

3. World Capitals: Match the country with its capital:

4. The Tatras mountains are part of what larger mountain range?

1. Alps
2. Pyrenees
3. Carpathians
4. Urals

5. Since the 16th century Cochin Jews, also called Malabar Jews, have lived in which Asian country?

6. In what century were official Franco-Japanese relations started by a Samuri (Hasekura Tsunenaga who was also among the first Japanese to visit North America) visiting Saint-Tropez?

1. 15th
2. 16th
3. 17th
4. 18th

7.The “General Council of the Valleys” is the name of what European Micro nation’s 28 member parliament?

8. What is the most common street name in the USA?

9. Which city has the most taxis? Bonus point - how many?

10. What is the most common surname in the world?

11. In what time zone are the north and south poles?

12. Which place in South America is part of the EU and uses the Euro?

Planning to take advantage of the improved exchange rates with a trip to France this summer? Eiffel’s Tower by Jill Jonnes offers not only the back story on the construction of Paris’ iconic landmark but a social history of the era that produced it. Built as the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair, the tower was an engineering marvel, the tallest structure in the world although the design was immediately reviled by a society on the brink of the modernist revolution. The fair was a showcase of all that was new with art represented by still controversial impressionists like Gaugin and Whistler and technology on display with Thomas Edison’s phonograph as well as Otis’ elevators in the tower itself. Jonnet’s prose is full of the same vibrant energy that typified the fair and the time. This is a wonderful way to learn about the Belle Epoque France that still so influences French identity. ($27.95)

If your European travels will take you further south, take a ride with Matthew Fort in Sweet Honey, Bitter Lemons: Travels in Sicily on a Vespa. These days a well-known food writer for Britain’s The Guardian, Fort originally traveled through Sicily with his brother in 1973. Considerably older now and hopefully wiser, he decided to retrace some of his steps and take some new ones, seeing the changes thirty odd years makes in a place we often think of as unchanging. The glorious food of the island was a central theme of both journeys, and we are treated to entertaining explorations into the relative merits of the sausages of rival villages and the million varieties of honey-sweetened pastries. Fortunately, he also includes recipes. As in his previous book, Eating up Italy, Fort captures our Italian fantasy trip with sunshine, history, a hip little Vespa scooter and fantastic food. ($24.95)

Hungary doesn’t seem the obvious choice for a first novel setting by a Brooklyn-born, Atlanta resident but Marc Fitten’s move to Eastern Europe as a twenty-something student has given him wonderful material for Valeria’s Last Stand. Set in a small village so far off the beaten path that World War II passed it by unnoticed, the novel centers on the late life romance between the spinster Valeria, a feisty character who thrives on her neighbor’s scorn while growing the area’s most perfect vegetables, and the widowed potter. As one would expect in a small town, the intimate relations of long-time neighbors add complications to the romance but love wins over all. Fitten uses the ancient traditions of the folk tale to tell his story, giving it a ring of authenticity, bringing in the iconic characters one would expect to meet in such a village. This is a sweet, funny, earthy look at a culture that deserves the attention. ($24.00)

Anyone traveling to Turkey or the Middle East or Central Asia or even Indonesia should consider reading Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary. Most of us raised in the Western educational system got only the most glancing view of the history of the great Islamic empires, often in a slightly disparaging way. Ansary’s book begins with Mohammed and his immediate successors, moves on to the concept of caliphates (quick, define caliphate for me) and then tells of the Moguls, the Selcuks, and other great Islamic civilizations that many Americans know very little about. He also explains how little most of those societies knew or cared about European history and how that has lead to much of our current situation of mutual misunderstanding and disrespect. Written in simple, readable language, this quick overview of Islamic history gives us a fuller understanding of our world. ($26.95)

For those of you who would prefer not to be tied to any particular spot on the planet, there’s another eat your way around the world book on the Front Table this month. What makes this one worth reading? Well, Simon Majumdar is part of that new phenomenon, the blogger turned published author. His new book, Eat My Globe, grew out of the blog he and his brother write that mostly reviews London restaurants. As Majumdar explains in the prologue, his entire family are foodies of the most extreme kind and his personal mantra is “go everywhere, eat everything.” Sounds good to me. With support from the bloggo-verse, the author did just that, he went everywhere he could think of and ate whatever was most typical, most highly recommended or just plain weird enough to be interesting. Chapters are short, breezy, funny, and completely food centered. I admit, I’ve already made notes of the restaurants he visited in Buenos Aires. ($26.00)

And finally, my favorite of the bunch, the cross country road trip as whimsically presented in another first novel, The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen. Tecumseh Sparrow Spivet (I’m already sold just from the name) is a precocious twelve-year-old living on a ranch in Montana with his scientist mother and cowboy father. He obsessively chronicles everything in his life in “maps,” drawings that depict everything from the layout of his bedroom to the path of a working dung beetle, many of which are presented in the margins with T.S.’s explanatory notes. Awarded a prize by the Smithsonian, he hops a freight train and heads to Washington D.C.to collect it, a trip that inspires deep philosophizing on the nature of man, travel, destiny and the world. This is an inventive and entertaining novel with a charming main character. I’d take this one over a new Dan Brown any time. ($27.95)

Enjoy the start of the sunny months!

It’s bloom-time at the Hillside Desert Botanical Gardens in Yakima, Washington. This hobby turned into a business offers garden tours noting that the best tour-time is now through June.

Community Tribute to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, is at Town Hall the evening of June 3rd. David Horsey, Art Thiel and others are appearing and, while the event is free, reservations are required through seattlepitribute@gmail.com.

Mountains to Sound Greenway invites all to participate in National Trails Day, June 6th. Meet fellow hikers while maintaining one of your favorite hiking trails.

The 28th Annual Northwest Garlic Festival in Ocean Park, WA. Garlic food galore, crafts, and games are all part of the fun June 20-21.

Seafair kicks off with its Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon June 27th. You know Seattle’s summer has officially arrived when Seafair events start happening.

Coming soon to a city near you: A map that shows the carbon footprint of each neighborhood. Check out San Francisco’s here.

Economical & Ecological travel tips!

Maps not only help us navigate through physical space, but also through difficult questions.
http://opinion.berkeley.edu/

Wednesday, June 10th, 7pm
Travels with Willie: Adventure Cyclist with author Willie Weir
Local Seattle guy, world traveler, frequent KUOW contributor and avid recycler Willie Weir joins us to celebrate his latest book, Travels with Willie. It is a book is about finding adventure & facing fear, embarrassing blunders & language barriers, ice cream & kindness, the world’s steepest street & the world’s cheapest engagement ring, catching a thief & losing a zebra, a father’s touch & a farmer’s embrace, buying time & spending another night. And, of course, it’s about bicycles. Please join us tonight when we listen, learn, and laugh with the energetic and entertaining Willie Weir as he performs his stories from the road.

Saturday, June 20th, 9-10am
Gutsy Women
Back by popular demand for the month of June, we are hosting our informal gathering for women to meet and learn from each other’s travel experiences and share wisdom learned from the road. Bring your coffee and your questions!

Matt, the YouTube sensation with more than 20,000,000 views, has just published a book of the story behind his dancing/traveling phenomenon.  Dancing Matt Around the World, a celebration of his arm- swinging, knee-pumping, infectious dance of joy, is a full-color travelogue with a behind the scenes look at the places and people he has met and its affect on him. Put on your happy feet, come travel the world and leave touched by Matt’s zest for life.

To learn more about what’s going on at Wide World, check out our other upcoming events.

Hola,

Well we have been in Bolivia for about a week now and it just keeps getting better!

We crossed the border from Argentina at 5am and had to wait till 7 for the Bolivia side to open, other than that it was a fairly painless border crossing; especially since I got in for free and the American chicas had to pay $160. From the border we hopped straight on a bus going to Tupiza, a small town we used as a transfer point to Uyuni. In Tupiza we had 9 hours to wait until our 6 hour train ride to Uyuni. We spent most of our waiting time hiding out from the cold in a tourist cafe and also took an afternoon nap in the setting sun in a canyon about a half hour walk away (we were once again suffering from a night-bus sleep). The train to Uyuni was a very nice change, although I was disappointed that it was a night train and so we weren´t able to see any of the scenery.

We arrived in Uyuni at 1:00am just in time to get the last room in the hostel across the street from the train station, 30 bolivianos or 5 Canadian. The next day we organized our 3 day tour of the surrounding Salt Flats and of course stocked up on a few cold weather clothes- my first buy was of course socks made from Alpaca fur with llama designs. The Salt Flat tour was an incredible adventure. It was the three of us girls along with five English guys and our driver, Pedro, who could change a flat tire in minuets, cook delicious meals, and had the best no-teeth smile I have ever seen. For the three day tour we were all packed into what looked like the oldest 4×4 still running and we spent the next 3 days driving south of Uyuni.

Our first stop was through the famous ´Salt Flats´, I believe 14,000 square kilometres of Salt. It is incredible to see as every direction you look is completely flat and white. Highlights from the rest of the trip included lagoons full of flamingos, endless herds of llamas, incredible mountain landscapes, spending enough time with English guys to begin to adopt an English accent, waking up at 4:00am in negative 10 degrees and seeing the sun rise over hot geysers, at 6:00am the same day stripping all our alpaca apparel off and getting into natural hot springs, being in the corner of Bolivia with Argentina and Chile just over the mountains, and of course one flat tire!

On Saturday we bused from Uyuni to Potosi, the highest city of its size in the world- don´t ask me what that means! Potosi is famous for its silver mine, Cerro Rico, and yesterday morning we made the epic trip into the mine. It was an incredible experience; scary, heart wrenching, and mind boggling. Our first stop was to change into our under-ground gear: big rubber boots, jacket and pants, and a helmet with a head lamp. Then it was off to the ´Miner´s Market´ to buy all our gifts for the miners, this included coca leafs, natural cigarettes, alcohol (very strong), gloves, and dynamite (to blow stuff up!). Our tour guide, Jose, made sure we had all the proper tasting experiences; so at 9:30am before we made our way into the dark shaft we all had globs of coca in our cheeks and were buzzing from a small hit of what tasted like rubbing alcohol!

Making our way into the mind a little loopy may have been a good idea as suddenly we were plunged into darkness with only the light of our headlamps to show us the way down the cart tracks. Our first stop was to chat with the men who push the carts filled with rocks up from the depths to the outside. When asked they said their job is the hardest as they suffer from chronic back pain with the endless pushing. Next we met two men who spend their days pulling baskets of rocks up with two levers as their “amigo” down below fills up the baskets, they were especially grateful of the alcohol gift. We made our way past them until we reached a seemingly bottomless pit with three rickety ladders, Jose then instructed us to descend the 15 metres to the next level of the mine. At this point we were all nervous, though some more than others as a German girl on the tour suddenly decided that she would prefer to wait with the lever men while we descended. One down, six remaining, we began the decent.

All went well as the sixth person touched the rock below, though none of us could continue to pretend that we weren´t feeling a big touch of the nerves. Of course the next words out of Jose´s mouth were ¨ok, the next set of ladders is this way¨. None of us could even speak as we leaned over yet another 15 metre hole, the light from our headlamps not reaching the ground below. But, we sucked up our fear with the reality of the worker´s around us making this journey daily. At the bottom level, about 35 metres below, we struggled to breathe in the dusty dank air. We met two more workers, one 20 years old who had been in the mines since he was 17, whose job it is to pick away at the basement walls. When we gave the gift of alcohol at those depths the 20 year old (Richard) immediately insisted on opening it and we were all obliged to do a second set of shots. With our thoughts on fire from the fire water we made our way back up the ladders (wouldn´t recommend being tipsy for those accents) and met back up with our German compatriot.

Our final interaction with the mining crew was to meet the men who get paid the most, the “dynamite dudes”. As we approached we could see three men in masks (the only masks we saw in the mine), their faces and bodies were caked in mud giving them the appearance of ghosts from some level of Dante´s hell. Jose then informed us that we should quickly make our way farther down the tunnel as they were about to set off 15 explosions. We skirted down the tunnel quickly until we were told to stay put and turn off our headlamps (I think for effect). And before any of us could really contemplate the idea of being somewhere inside of a mine waiting for explosions, we were all shaken and deafened to the core for the next 3 minuets as explosion after explosion were going off; during these three minuets I was desperately clinging to Megan and the English guy next to me. Once we knew we were going to be OK we made our way to the last stop, pay homage to the spirit that had kept us from falling down ladders or getting crushed by falling rocks, El Tio. El Tio is set in the far end of one of the tunnels and looks suspiciously similar to a devil. He is sitting surrounded by offerings (coca, alcohol, cigarettes) and seems to be enjoying himself as his giant penis is dramatically displayed. We gave our final gifts to him and then made our way out of the tunnel and into the bright sunshine.

I may have to give this experience a few more days in order to truly asses its definite impact on me, but maybe one of the most surprising things was the voice of the miners themselves who told us repeatedly that it is a hard job, but it is the best paying job in town (between 50 and 80 Bolivianos a day) and for that they are thankful.

We left Potosi after the mine tour on a three hour bus to Sucre, a much bigger colonial town. We will probably spend a day or two here before either heading to Santa Cruz or Cochabamba to do a bit of trekking in the jungle.

So Bolivia continues to amaze us by the day, and it is also having a very positive impact on our budget.

Well this is the excitement of Bolivia, in only one week!

Alia

First, I got a book. The internet may have all the information you need to plan a trip like this, but I find that having a good guidebook from a source that I trust gives a framework to judge what you find on the web. I chose Moon Handbooks Buenos Aires both because I know the Moon Guides have a strong Latin American line and because I’ve heard the author, Wayne Berhardson, speak several times at Wide World. I know he spends a lot of time there, owns property, is married to an Argentine and knows what of he speaks. I read straight through the book trying to get a sense of the city so I’d be able to take my next steps: buying a plane ticket and choosing a place to stay.

I looked into a lot of ticket possibilities like flying out of Houston or Miami instead of Dallas, or making stops in Mexico. I spent hours on intratours.com and searching the web for deals. I knew I didn’t have enough miles to get an awards ticket on American but I figured out that if I bought mileage from the frequent fliers program, I could book the direct flight that I’d really rather have for about half the price especially since I used a mileage sale to earn an extra 20% on miles purchased. I wound up saving about $600 on my ticket. It’s possible that I’ll miss out on some great last minute deal but I’m the kind of person who would rather lock in an acceptable expense than gamble on a last minute bargain.

Next, I started looking for a place to stay. If you do any research about Argentina on the web you’ll immediately run into ads for short term apartment rentals. The rates on these rentals looked very attractive but I was cautious about spending so much money with companies I didn’t know anything about. I went back to the Moon Handbook and saw that Wayne had good things to say about more than one of these companies and from his website, I learned that he uses one of them to rent out his own place. Still wavering on which part of town would suit me best (funky San Telmo for the tango? the hip scene in Palermo?) I sent Wayne an email asking for advice to which he graciously responded. I spent some quality time with a good map of the city (I like the one from Borch) and then, after looking at about a thousand places, I decided my priorities should be: price, access to internet, full kitchen, not far from transportation, close to opera and symphony. Once I had those things in mind, I was able to choose this apartment in Recoleta, an area of town that would be roughly analogous to midtown in New York City. I spent some time emailing with Denise at the agency (whose English, by the way, is perfect) and then used my PayPal account to make my deposit. These agencies require that you pay the balance in cash on arrival along with a damage deposit that is refunded at the end of your stay. I checked out some message boards and almost everyone agreed that, despite the leap of faith aspect of leaving several hundred dollars with a total stranger, this system works fine. The agencies do charge substantial penalties for cancellations so be sure to take out travel insurance if you’re worried about this.

Since I’ll be staying such a long time, I did some other basic leg work. I checked my passport to make sure it’s not due to expire anytime soon. I visited the Argentina page at the state department to make sure I didn’t need a visa (I’m allowed 90 days without one). While I was there I took a look at Uruguay, too, since I’m hoping to take the ferry across to Montevideo for a day or two. I’m considering a trip over the mountains to Chile as well since I’ve read that the bus ride offers fantastic views. I checked out the Chilean Embassy site so now I’ll know to add in the cost of the “reciprocity fee” into my calculations of the expense of that trip. I also looked at vaccination recommendations through convenient links from the state department to the CDC.

Packing is my next big consideration. Staying for three months, especially for winter months, is going to require serious planning and a bigger suitcase than my trusty Eagle Creek 19″. I talked to the experts at Wide World, weighed the merits of wheels versus carry straps, compared the capacities of various bags, thought seriously about life time guarantees and finally narrowed my choices down to the Rick Steves 21″ Roll Aboard or the Eagle Creek Load Warrior LT 22. Fortunately, I already have an assortment of packing cubes, compression bags and locks along with passport pouches and other necessities. I’ll need to take a serious look at my usual packing list. I’ll plan on buying things like shampoo and toothpaste when I arrive and use the space to pack an extra sweater or more socks. I’ll be taking my trusty packable duffel bag so I’ll be able to bring back all those tango shoes and leather jackets I’ll be buying.

I’m definitely going to need to stay in touch while I’m in Argentina. I’ll have my computer with me so I’ve set up Skype and I’ll be able to talk computer to computer with other Skypers for free (did I mention the apartment comes with wi-fi?). I’ll also subscribe to their “Skype In” service so I’ll have a U.S. phone number that connects to my computer. That way non-computer types like my mother can call me inexpensively. Of course, I’ll still be blogging and on Facebook so everybody will be able to keep up with my fabulous adventures.

Do you have suggestions for things I should do while I’m down south?  Email me at Terrell@terrelltravels.com. I’d love to hear your ideas!

Even the title of Thrity Umrigar’s latest novel, The Weight of Heaven, tells us this book fits the prevailing monthly theme. Frank and Ellie Benton are living a typical American family’s happy life until their seven-year-old son dies suddenly of meningitis. The weight of this loss is threatening to destroy their relationship until Frank decides to accept a job offer in a coastal town in India. Ellie adapts well to the new environment but Frank struggles with the difficulties of work in another culture, preferring the distraction of a growing friendship with the young son of the Benton’s cook and maid. Bombay-born Umrigar uses the colorful background of her native country to highlight the difficulties of the Benton’s loss but ultimately it’s the emotional baggage they brought with them to India that determines their fate. $25.99

Author and educator James Tooley was also in India when he made a discovery that changed his thinking and his career. In The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey into How the World’s Poorest People Are Educating Themselves, he describes how, while in India to assess state-run schools, he accidentally discovered that the poorer neighborhoods were full of small, ill-equipped private schools that were passionate about teaching. He then investigated similar schools in China and Africa, leading him to become an advocate for international assistance to this grass-roots movement. The later chapters of his book present his ideas for a system of vouchers and credits that would assist poor parents in their quest to educate their children. As Tooley argues his case he manages to keep the writing interesting with the moving stories of academic achievement against tremendous odds that he has personally witnessed. $19.95

Bulgarian-born author Iliya Troyanov also takes us to India in The Collector of Worlds: A Novel of Sir Francis Richard Burton. Burton’s fantastic 19th century career as a military man, linguist, author and explorer is the stuff of legends so it’s appropriate to have it presented in fictional form. The novel centers on three famous periods in Burton’s life: his military time in India, his adventure in Mecca disguised as an Indian doctor making the Hajj, and his exploration of African lakes with John Speke. Translated from the German, Troyanov’s award-winning novel is not straight forward bio-fiction. He uses multiple narrators and a non-linear style to tell parts of Burton’s story, leaving it to the reader to supply beginnings and endings. He does, on the other hand, create richly detailed images of Burton’s exotic travels and moving portraits of the people he encountered. This is fascinating historical fiction that is challenging literature, not light beach reading. $24.99

As long as we’re following explorers to faraway places, let’s join Tom Avery in To the End of the Earth. After finishing an expedition to the South Pole, young British adventurer Avery’s friends kept asking him, “What’s next?” He decided that his next logical trip (certainly not my definition of logic) would be to attempt to recreate Richard Perry’s amazing and controversial 37 day trek to the North Pole. Avery’s team used replica wooden sleds and dog teams to negotiate punishing ice fields, pressure ridges, streams of open water, and bitter temperatures. In the end they managed to better Peary’s time by four hours, proving that Peary’s record was at least possible. Avery mixes in tales from the history of polar exploration along with the page-turning details of his team’s trek so you can even learn something while you’re getting your virtual adventure travel fix. Alright, I admit, this one is pretty much a fun read despite the ice and near death experiences. $26.95

Rejoice, Anne Michaels fans. The author of Fugitive Pieces has finally written a second novel. The Winter Vault tells the story of yet another couple torn apart by loss, but Michaels’ luminous writing elevates it to a tale of heartbreaking poignancy. The novel begins in Egypt where Avery Escher is a Canadian engineer on the team attempting to rescue the monuments of Abu Simbel before the waters on the new Aswan Dam inundate the valley. His wife Jean, a botanist, becomes pregnant, only to deliver a stillborn girl, a loss the couple is unable to deal with. They try to move on with new loves and new careers but there are still ties that hold them together. Michaels is primarily a poet and her descriptions of the settings of Egypt and Canada and the elegant way she weaves the themes of drowning and displacement through the plot are what make this novel more than just a love story. $25.00

The Front Table book that comes closest to a light read this month still has some pretty serious themes. About Face is the eighteenth (!) installment of Donna Leon’s popular mystery series starring Commissario Guido Brunetti that began with 1992’s Death at La Fenice. This time around, the Venetian police detective is asked by a colleague in the Carabiniere to investigate a case of illegal garbage hauling. (In real life, Leon is concerned that problems with pollution are reaching critical levels all around Italy.) Brunetti also gets a request from his aristocratic father-in-law to look into the background of a potential business partner. Soon a mysterious beautiful woman, a dead body and evidence of the inevitable official corruption enter the picture and we are drawn into yet another thrilling Italian adventure. Leon gets consistent high marks from the critics for the quality of her plots and characters and this latest book is no exception. $24.00

Enjoy these last days of cool, cloudy weather!