In honor of Veteran’s Day, here’s a different type of remembrance ceremony than most of us are used to.

At Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, tribal officials of the pueblo honor America’s military veterans with a procession through the pueblo. On this day, it’s good to remember our many brave military people, who came from all regions and walks of life.

If you’ve been to Taos on one of our Santa Fe trips, you’ll recognize most of the sights, though it looks a lot chillier here in November, with snow on the mountain behind!

Video is from Nov. 11, 2008 at Taos Pueblo, New Mexico, USA.
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We visit Taos Pueblo every year on our Santa Fe trip. It’s at least 800 years old, and people in the town follow traditional ways of their ancestors. It’s tranquil now, but hasn’t always been so.
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Related posts:

1. Taos, New Mexico - Rio Pueblo Gorge (video)

The San Juan Islands are beautiful from land and sea. Whether you’re hiking, biking, kayaking, sailing, or just riding the ferry, you can’t help but be struck by that. But what about from the air?

This video is primarily about the plane, but I like it because it gives you a real sense of what soaring over the islands in a small plane would be like.

It’s an amphibian plane called the Nardi FN.333, which first flew in 1952. Out of the 26 such aircraft built, only half a dozen are believed flyable today, and it’s a very cool looking plane!

It really makes me want to go find a small plane, and fly around the islands, landing in little harbors here or there. How incredibly cool that would be!
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We wrapped up our San Juan Islands tours for this year back in August, and I’m already looking forward to going again! And if I ever lose that feeling, I’ll just watch this video again.
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Related posts:

1. San Juan Islands - The ferry ride
2. San Juan Islands - scuba diving

This video is from the Rio Pueblo Gorge, near Taos, New Mexico. This river comes from Taos Pueblo land and runs into the Rio Grande River. This is a deep gorge, but not as deep as the Rio Grande Gorge, which is a spectacular gash across the high desert — almost shocking when you first see it.

On our Santa Fe trip, we go rafting on the Rio Grande. Even though this is a tributary canyon, the video is nice in that it gives you the feeling of the land there. The warm, languid, relaxing feeling you’d get sitting on the side of the river, just enjoying a sunny fall day. It’s the same feeling you get floating downstream — in the calm spots, when you’re not paddling the whitewater, that is!

Lovely Taos Pueblo Flute Music from WindWalk: Music of Blackhill Albino Lujan of Taos Pueblo

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We’ll be back in Santa Fe and Taos for our women’s trip to New Mexico in September. I can hardly wait! It’s a captivating place, and each time I’m here, I wish I could stay longer.
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Related posts:

1. Veterans Day at Taos Pueblo
2. Spy vest - Product review video
3. San Juan Islands, by classic float plane

OK, I’ll say it right up front. We do NOT go scuba diving on our San Juan Islands trips! I’m a wimpy warm water diver (think British Virgin Islands)!

However, even though that water looks pretty chilly to me, it’s fascinating to know what lives down there! The undisputed rulers of the local seas are the orca whales, but there are a ton of other lesser-known, and much less-seen species that live on rocks, walls, and tidal areas around the islands.

When we go kayaking, you can see some underwater stuff, but only a few feet down into the water. Think starfish, mussels, clams, kelp, and seals (who visit any depth they want, and look like they’re having fun doing it!) This video takes you further down than we can see from our kayaks, to give you a deeper glimpse of “what’s down there”.

Me, I’m happy to stay above the water, peering in to see what I can see. Maybe someday global warming will warm these waters up enough for me…  But then, everything that lives here now would be dead.  OK, let’s not do that, OK?

In the meantime, have a look at some underwater video shot by other, warmer-blooded souls!
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Our San Juan Islands trips for women run every year in August. If you’re on the trip, and newly inspired to try the scuba diving, I bet we could arrange for you to join a dive with one of these groups. Just let me know!
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Related posts:

1. San Juan Islands - The ferry ride
2. San Juan Islands, by classic float plane
3. Anegada - The drowned island

Friday photo:

So there we were.. ready for our medieval feast

If you visit during this time, you’ll find quite a different place than normal! The townspeople are all dressed in medieval garb, and the locals are very much into the spirit of the event. As you wander through the streets, you’ll find all sorts of unusual activities underway, from falconry, to blacksmithing, to paper making.

The town is historically divided into four quarters, “Le Gaite”. These neighborhoods compete against each other in different events as part of the festival, and there’s a real rivalry between them. Archery is one of the events. Watching the contestants in their tunics engaged in this traditional endeavor, can really take you back. Just pretend that the spectators are of a different era, too!

One of the competitions is cooking, and that’s where our banquet comes in. For this, we all got to dress in character, and attend an authentic medieval feast. There were jesters and musicians, and food and drink appropriate to the time.

“Appropriate to the time” has a very specific meaning here. It must be “food as it was prepared and served between 1250 and 1350, in this region of Italy”. They’re very particular about this authenticity when it comes to judging. A dish could be eliminated from competition if it used a type of apple that wasn’t grown at that time! Somehow I expected this historical food to be bland, but I was surprised by how delicious it was. I was fortunate enough to be given a cookbook with the secret recipes from Gaita Santa Maria.

You can see photos of the town at Excursion to Bevagna, taken at a quieter time of year, without all the medieval activity!

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I’m not sure when we’ll be back in Bevagna, but looking at this makes me hope it will be soon. We’ll have to start planning another Tuscany and Umbria trip before long… That was so much fun!

PS. The guy in the middle looking like a happy Friar Tuck was our driver, Massimo. His true calling should have been opera singer — what an amazing voice!
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Related posts:

1. Rome Italy - Chariot racing at Circus Maximus

Influenza virus particle

If your travels are affected by a disease outbreak like swine flu, what does your travel insurance cover? We don’t have any trips to Mexico now (thank goodness). However, this recent information release from Travelex (our partner for travel insurance) is great information on what would happen if YOUR trip were to be affected by something like this!

Here’s a rundown on possible situations and coverage options from Travelex.
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If a traveler gets sick with the Swine Flu:

• Current insured travelers who become ill would be eligible for coverage under the trip interruption, medical expense and evacuation benefits of their plan up to the limits of the policy and subject to its general terms and conditions.
• If you are aware of any insured passenger in Mexico with flu-like symptoms or who has been admitted to the hospital, please make sure to contact the applicable assistance company — contact information is also stated on the traveler’s Confirmation of Coverage.

If a traveler is contemplating cancellation:

• Insured customers that are considering cancellation or have canceled arrangements due to travel restrictions, warnings or general fear of traveling, whether to Mexico or elsewhere, are not eligible for cash reimbursement under the provisions of the plan.
• Insureds who purchased the Cancel for Any Reason upgrade will be eligible for Trip Cancellation coverage under the provision of the plan.
• Specific to the Travel Select and Travel Max plans: Should the destination airport close and insured customers are unable to reach their destination, the cancellation benefit for losing 50% or more of their covered trip may apply, assuming all terms and conditions of the benefit are met.

If a traveler is being quarantined:

• Quarantine coverage is included under Trip Cancellation/Interruption and Trip Delay benefits in the event a physician quarantines the traveler/insured for any illness which prevents traveling.
• Quarantine means that the person is restricted to their home or a medical facility - not restricted from one country or destination.

If a traveler transfers travel dates:

• If the insured is allowed to transfer their travel payments (trip deposits or full payments) without charge, they can also elect to transfer the protection plan monies on the booking to the new travel dates as well. Typically the protection plan monies are non-refundable inside the penalty period but Travelex is making an exception for this specific case.
• Any expenses for change fees to move airfares to the new trips would not be covered, unless such move was predicated by the travel supplier’s cancellation of the original trip.
• Transfers would only apply to trips that are booked within 12 months from the original departure date.
• If the trip cost increases as a result of the transfer, then the insured will have to make an additional insurance payment to cover the full trip cost in order to best protect themselves. Note: they would need to make the purchase within the required time to continue to receive cancel for any reason, pre-existing condition waiver and any other benefit with an advanced date purchase requirement.

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We always recommend the purchase of trip insurance, especially for trips out of the country. I sincerely hope that none of you are being affected right now, but this is a great real-life example of how it would work. Personally, that “cancel for any reason” upgrade is looking pretty good right now!
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No related posts.

Friday photo - Armadillo at Peninsula Valdez, Argentina

The armadillo gets my vote for most unusual mammal

Peninsula Valdez in Argentina is a sweeping, open space, where the dusty brown desert stretches right to the sparkling sea. Where else do you see armadillos and elephant seals all on the same walk? Not to mention guanacos and sea lions, killer whales and rheas!

I’d always heard that armadillos were shy, and that we were unlikely to see one. However, this little guy (or girl, for all I can tell!) was so intent on lapping up the drops of water that had spilled on the ground here, that his thirst overcame any fear of people, and we were able to get an excellent close-up view.

From a distance, the armadillo’s protective armor looks like a hard shell. How appropriate that the name “armadillo” means “little armored one” in Spanish. As you get closer, you see that it’s hairy. In fact, this particular animal is the species Hairy Armadillo — once again a very appropriate name! Yes, this little armored creature really is a mammal, and one of the most unusual ones anywhere. When you get even closer, it looks like he’s wearing an ornate golden headpiece!

Armadillos are omnivores, which must be a useful trait when living in such a harsh environment. They live in burrows, and in desert climates adjust their schedule day or night to take advantage of the best temperatures. Among their more surprising characteristics is an ability to swim, inflating their stomachs & intestines with air to keep themselves afloat. See more at the Wonderful World of Armadillos.

So next time you’re hanging out at Peninsula Valdez, keep an eye out for hairy little armored ones, especially around the miniature watering holes.

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We’re going back to Argentina for our women’s trip to Patagonia in February 2010. It’s an exciting trip! Peninsula Valdez is a stop half-way down the coast of Argentina, not far from Punta Tombo (with its hundreds of thousands of nesting penguins). But that’s another post!
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No related posts.

Wondering about the San Juan Islands? This video (first in a series) shows you what the ferry travel is like out to the islands, and around the islands.

If you’re going on our tour, you can ignore the part about which highway exits to take — we’ll handle all the driving! Just enjoy the part about being out on the water. It’s a beautiful ride, to a beautiful place.

I always think the ferry ride is very special. There’s truly a feeling of leaving the “real world” behind, and entering something different. As soon as we pull away from the dock, I start feeling it, and half an hour (max) into the trip, it’s a palpable sensation. I know I’m somewhere different. And this different place is beautiful, peaceful, and relaxing.

I know that being out on the water and breathing fresh sea air has a restorative effect. I’m a sailor, and any time on the water is good time! But it’s more than that, too. If we were taking the 3-hour cruise and heading back to Seattle, it wouldn’t be the same at all.

The ride is charming, and I love it a lot! But knowing that you arrive in the San Juan Islands is the other half of the magic.
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