On our cruise around South America, we sailed on two oceans and cruised in grand fjords flanked by snow-covered mountains. We encountered penguins, petrels, cormorants and condors plus porpoises, sea lions and whales. Icebergs, large and small, passed by. We visited some of the continent’s most cosmopolitan cities and some of its smaller towns. This was our adventure aboard the Marco Polo of Orient Lines (800/333-7300) in March ’03.
An article in the June ’05 issue of ITN, “Inca Ruins and Amazing Animals on a Private Tour of Peru and Ecuador” by Fred DeVinney, prompted us to contact Elizabeth Sanders of Tropical Nature Travel (Gainesville, FL; phone 877/827-8350 or visit www.tropicalnaturetravel.com).
—by Yvonne Michie Horn, Santa Rosa, CA
In the central volcanic range in Russia’s Siberia, the town of Esso is on a tributary of the Kamchatka River. When we visited in July ’03 the streets were unpaved and without sidewalks.
The Central Suriname Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is about an hour’s flight south of the capital, Paramaribo. On our May ’03 trip we flew in a Cessna around Tafelberg, which is a tepui, or flat-topped mountain, and saw its 12 lovely waterfalls cascading over the sharp edge of the top, the largest a golden color — quite spectacular. We were lucky to have seen Tafelberg after some rain, since the waterfalls are seasonal and they do seem to be a miracle appearing from nothing.
by Jay Brunhouse
We took an 11-day tour of Iceland in July ’04 with Vantage Deluxe World Travel (90 Canal St., Boston, MA 02114-2031; phone 800/322-6677). The cost for two of us, including all airfare and an overnight stay in Baltimore on our return, was $7,328.
We flew United Airlines to Boston and Icelandair from Boston to Reykjavik. The Boston-Reykjavik leg was five hours and only the evening meal was served, and we were charged for all drinks except coffee or water.
I took a memorable journey to the “end of the world,” Chile’s Patagonia region, with Adventures For Singles (1907 Daniel Green Ct., Smyrna, GA 30080; phone 877/813-9421 or visit www.adventuresforsingles.com).
The 10-day trip cost $2,397 from Miami plus $100 for a Chilean visa. It was a good value and the guides throughout the tour were excellent. We had a wonderful group of 30 participants who met as strangers and returned as lifelong friends.
by Patricia Arrigoni, Fairfax, CA
by Julie Skurdenis