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My husband, Fred, and I along with our daughter Rebecca Couillard, son-in-law Greg and 8-year-old granddaughter Sarah visited Australia, Oct. 18-Nov. 12, 2007. This was the fifth trip to Australia for Fred and me, the second for Rebecca and a first-time adventure for Greg and Sarah. In planning the trip, we wanted to limit the days traveling between locations, sample three different parts of Australia and include activities suitable for an 8-year-old.
We enjoyed the article on Papua New Guinea by Clark Scott (Oct. ’08, pg. 24). We were there with Mountain Travel Sobek (Emeryville, CA; 888/687-6235, www.mtsobek.com) in 1995 and had some similar experiences. We saw the big sing-sing festival, visited villages of very friendly people, stayed in spirit houses and saw the beautifully carved masks.
Today we don’t hear much about cannibalism or headhunting in Papua New Guinea (PNG), but a few years back it was a reality. After WWII this land became a protectorate of the Australians, who, in an attempt to lessen feuds, placed field officers among the tribes and brought the various groups together to sing and dance in their indigenous dress. These meetings became competitive and thus replaced much of the warring.
Now these “wars” are called sing-sings, and to see one is to be present for one of the greatest events you could witness in a lifetime.
My daughter and I own a yoga studio and led a yoga retreat to Corfu, Greece, in September ’08. In researching activities for our group, I discovered that Albania is just across the border and easily accessible. Since I find border crossings irresistible, I was determined to visit. I found an excellent Albanian tour company that I thought other ITN readers might like to know about.
My wife, Joan, and I have traveled independently since 1964, and as professional educators we have been fortunate enough to teach and live overseas in a number of Western and emerging countries. In 2005 we spent five months in Chengdu, China, and in 2006 and 2007 we were in classrooms in Cyprus and Russia.
On July 29, 2008, I dropped my wife at the Brussels airport at around 7:15 a.m. and then caught the train to Brussels Midi. I arrived there just before 8:00.
by Paul Burke, Harpers Ferry, WV. Photos by JoAnn Koppany, San Diego, CA
Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. There are no restrictions on length. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the US, Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.) The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged.
This month’s winner is BRUCE PALMER of Pullman, Washington:
You can hear the Vienna Boys’ Choir sing at Sunday Mass in the Imperial Chapel at the Hofburg (Hofburgkapelle) in Austria’s capital. You are actually attending Mass, but I would recommend that you buy tickets. They do allow people to attend on a first-come, first-served basis, but you must stand through the entire service. If you buy tickets, you are seated.
I enjoyed William Reed’s story on his trip to Tanzania (Sept.’08, pg. 24), especially about his contact with the Hadzabe (Hadza) people. He described their hunting and cooking birds as “the single most significant thing we saw on the entire trip.”