Exploration: Whether we journey to the farthest reaches of our planet in search of new discoveries, or we strive for a deeper understanding of other cultures’ perspective on life, both journeys require relying on faith and trusting in the humanity of those you encounter.Travel is meant to broaden our knowledge, and open our minds and hearts. By exploring different cultures we come to recogni...
Tour Host Review
From the farthest reaches of South America across Central, South and East Asia, Africa, America, Europe’s eastern countries and the Middle East, Bestway Tours and Safaris offers small-group departures which it markets as "journeys without frontiers.” By focusing on the culture and diversity of the countries its clients visit, Bestway is able to provide an in-depth look at the his...
Host of the Month
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo had no idea the chain of events he was setting in motion when he discovered San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. As the first European to set eyes on what would later become California, he simply saw a quiet, sheltered inlet that would make a fine harbor and encourage settlement. The land here was much like parts of Spain, sunny and dry but not too hot or arid; perfe...
Festival Pick
When it comes to human affairs, Buddhists are firm believers in the transitory nature of things. A clear illustration of that has been the up-and-down existence of Angkor Wat, the magnificent Buddhist temple complex in Cambodia. It was begun in the 9th century A.D. and reached its magnificent peak as a worship, urban and administrative complex in the 12th century A.D. under Suryavaram II, at the h...
World Heritage Site
At just a shade under 300,000 square miles, a little larger than Texas, Chile has more geographical variety than all other countries on earth, with the possible exception of the United States and China.
It’s the country’s odd shape, extending 2,600 miles north to south and an average of 150 miles east to west, that allows it that distinction. Chile spans 38 degrees of latitude,...
Most people in recent times would never have considered touring Iraq. However, I was fortunate to accompany tourist groups on two journeys that covered the history and culture of Iraq just before the latest war. The theme of our tours was “Mesopotamia: Where It All Began.” Truly, that sense of origin is what Iraq is (or was?) all about.Five thousand years ago, what is now Iraq was home to the first cities in the world, to the invention of...
When I was a young Scottish lass attending school in Glasgow, many of my textbooks were full of stories about the adventures of David Livingstone, celebrated Scottish explorer and missionary. Stories of African jungles, savages and man-eating lions fired the embers of my young and fertile imagination.
Born in 1813, David Livingstone grew up in the town of Blantyre on the bonnie banks of the River Clyde. He...
We have all heard heart-stopping tales of what it is like to be followed by a stranger. However, it is also somewhat disconcerting to find yourself inadvertently following the path of a venerable historical figure. This was my experience while following in the wake of Captain James Cook during visits to England, Queensland and Hawaii.My first encounter was coming...
Great Falls enjoys a special place in the annals of Lewis and Clark. It was at the falls of the Missouri that their expedition spent more time than at any other location except for their winter quarters at Fort Mandan in North Dakota and Fort Clatsop in Oregon. The Corps of Discovery spent just over a month here while Clark surveyed a portage route around the five great falls. Clark also...
On June 8, 2004, an extremely rare and unusual astronomical event will be observed by those who know what to look for over approximately half of the Earth’s surface. It is so rare that not a person alive today has seen it – the last such event occurred some 121 years ago!
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo had no idea the chain of events he was setting in motion when he discovered San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. As the first European to set eyes on what would later become California, he simply saw a quiet, sheltered inlet that would make a fine harbor and encourage settlement. The land here was much like parts of Spain, sunny and...
Exploration: Whether we journey to the farthest reaches of our planet in search of new discoveries, or we strive for a deeper understanding of other cultures’ perspective on life, both journeys require relying on faith and trusting in the humanity of those you encounter.Travel is meant to broaden our knowledge, and open our minds and hearts. By exploring different...
At just a shade under 300,000 square miles, a little larger than Texas, Chile has more geographical variety than all other countries on earth, with the possible exception of the United States and China.
It’s the country’s odd shape, extending 2,600 miles north to south and an average of 150 miles east to west, that allows it that distinction. Chile spans 38 degrees of...
n 1893, historian Elliot Coues wrote in his History of the Expedition under the Command of Lewis and Clark that “Jefferson gave you the country; Lewis and Clark gave you the way,” and surely, Lewis and Clark are to be counted among the world’s great explorers.
The country was new and so were 828,000 square miles of the Louisiana...
Blackfish, aka Orca, or more commonly, killer whale – a creature that inspires awe in we land- bound humans. “Blackfish” is what the coastal Kwakwaka'wakw band (First Nations peoples) in British Columbia call these sleek hunters, which are actually mammals. Technically, Orcas are very large dolphins – with much larger teeth. Whales have always been...
Traveling to Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego (“Land of Fire”) can be a unique and exhilarating experience. Nowadays, as it has always been, the only way to see the fjords of the island of Tierra del Fuego is by water. The early European explorers discovered Tierra del Fuego when they arrived by ship after a long journey across the Atlantic Ocean. They learned that the...
(Editor’s Note: May 29th marked the 50th anniversary of New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary’s ascent of Mt. Everest, the first human ever to scale earth’s tallest peak. The New Zealand-based Sir Edmund Hillary Trust graciously consented to allow us to reproduce this discussion of Sir Hillary’s feats.)
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo had no idea the chain of events he was setting in motion when he discovered San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. As the first European to set eyes on what would later become California, he simply saw a quiet, sheltered inlet that would make a fine harbor and encourage settlement. The land here was much like parts of Spain, sunny and dry but not too hot or arid; perfe...