ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Dr. Mark Brazil, a regular Zegrahm expedition leader and field staff member, is also a published author and avid wildlife photographer. Mark happily shares some digital photography tips in the October edition of the ‘Wild Watch’ column he writes for The Japan Times.

Mark’s column provides insight into maximizing small-bodied cameras, shooting wildlife close to home, visiting a local zoo to improve your skills, and exploiting smaller subjects for their photogenic qualities. Read the full article at this link: Wildlife on your doorstep.

Mark will be leading several expeditions for us in the near future, including one he designed especially for Zegrahm. Our Snow Monkeys & Cranes Eco-Expedition highlights Japan’s striking beauty and prolific winter wildlife. The peaceful, snow-clad landscape of the rural countryside and soft, winter light create the perfect backdrop for amazing photography. And though Mark designed this expedition with nature-lovers and serious photographers in mind, travelers will also enjoy a unique culinary experience as our gracious hosts serve us gourmet Japanese dishes and share time-honored dining traditions.

Eco-Expeditions began offering our Burma & Laos trip about ten years ago, with the belief that we could do more to help the people of Burma by traveling to their country than by not going at all. We have always hoped that if we could get to Aung San Suu Kyi’s ear, that she would reach the same conclusion. Someone has gotten to her ear and we can now be even more proud of our positive, progressive legacy in Burma.

Many of our travelers have been inspired by their experiences in Burma and have generously contributed to orphanages and schools that we have visited as well as directly to villages in one-on-one situations. Using owner-run accommodations and trusted guides and friends in Burma, we have made every effort to put our tourism dollars into the hands of Burma’s people. Our groups come out of Burma with a much clearer understanding of the nature of this military junta and what is really going on behind the scenes, as well as a deeper appreciation of this beautiful country and it’s gracious people. Now with Aung San Suu Kyi’s clear blessing, we can be even more proud of Eco-Expeditions’ legacy of truly caring for the people of Burma through the very act of traveling there. The following article is very encouraging news indeed.

Burma opposition leader Suu Kyi: ‘Tourism might help’

As I prepare to lead the 2010 Maldives trips, I am reminded of the distinct beauty of the place. The archipelago is comprised of twenty-two coral atolls including 1,200 separate isles and islets, only 200 of which are inhabited.

This spectacular island group in the Central Indian Ocean is an icon for scuba enthusiasts, a holy grail for snorkelers. For those who love warm tropical seas full of life, it is a breathtaking place. Even the planning and academic preparations are exciting. Read more

Zegrahm Director Kevin Clement recently returned from an extraordinary trip to Manado and the northern tip of Sulawesi Island. Thrilled with his experiences, he agreed to share some of the many trip highlights with our Zeco Travel Talk readers.

On the map, the sprawling island of Sulawesi, formerly known as Celebes, has a shape that resembles nothing so much as a giant squashed spider. The northernmost tip of the northern leg, a region known as Minahasa, is a place seldom visited by outsiders. Everywhere I went people were surprised and pleased to see a Westerner. The land rises from the coast into volcanic mountains, dotted with villages caught between the ancient and the modern. We visited several fascinating places outside of Manado: Read more

Receiving your advanced diving certification is a great step to take to make all your scuba diving endeavors fun and safe. With this increased level of training you will be able to dive almost everywhere, and you will feel much more comfortable and relaxed in the water. Now that Zegrahm Expeditions requires this level of training we wanted to give you a few quick tips on how to get your certification.

Most of you probably have scuba diving certification through PADI, NAUI, or another authorized scuba organization, because of this you can easily move up to an advanced diving certification.

All you need to do is find your nearest dive center (or resort) that offers advance diving certification. A quick search online with your town name and “scuba diving certification” should yield good results.

Each dive center has their own course methods, duration, and rates, but generally (and this is based on a local Seattle dive center) it costs around $200 and takes at least 3-5 days of required coursework and specialty dives to achieve advanced diving certification. Through PADI, the core dives that are required for an advanced certification are deep, below 60 feet and something we often do on our itineraries, and navigation, which helps you become comfortable with your compass. Three additional specialty dives are required however you can choose from several options that include night, wreck, naturalist, fresh water, etc. NAUI requires six dives, the three core dives are deep, navigation, and night, and like PADI you choose your other three from a list of specialty dives.

More details and references on obtaining your advanced diver certification are available at:
PADI – http://www.padi.com to obtain PADI Advanced Open Water (AOW) Diver certification.
NAUI – http://www.naui.org to obtain NAUI Advanced Scuba certification.

Another great option is the ability to complete the advanced scuba diving certification online with PADI (it costs $120 and you complete it at your own pace) or through other accredited internet classes. However, you will still need to go to a dive center or resort to do the required advanced dives (deep, night, dive, etc) with an instructor.

Another great advantage to getting this certification is you get back in the water and you will have completed the required two open-water dives needed 12 months prior to the departure of your voyage.

Happy diving.

The bus rounded the corner and there it was: one of the most recognizable ruins in the world. Today we were in Hiroshima, standing across from the A-Bomb Dome.

The fractured, skeletal remains of the building stopped us in our tracks. We just stood there, imagining the blast blowing out the windows and peeling the copper off the dome, then the fire consuming the building as the walls and roof collapse.

As we walked through Peace Memorial Park, we came to a memorial standing in a plaza. This is a place that all Japanese know, study, and respect. It is about the story of Sadako, a young Japanese girl who survived the blast and subsequent effects of radiation poisoning. She believed that if she folded 1,000 origami paper cranes, she would be cured of her illness. She succeeded in folding her cranes, but sadly succumbed to leukemia. Today, school children from all over Japan come bearing gifts of folded cranes to honor her memory. The offerings are placed in cases surrounding this monument, topped with a statue of a girl holding a giant folded paper crane. Read more

Having just finished our Welcome Dinner in Kyoto, Lia Oprea our intrepid Expedition Leader started to explain our plans for the following day including just how we were going to get our group of 100 people on to a train that only stops at the station for 60 seconds! Looking around the room I noticed mouths agape and eyes rolling as everyone had the same thought… 60 seconds?!

The next morning we made our way to Kyoto Station for our Shinkansen, or Bullet Train, to Himeji. We made our way to the platform where a carefully choreographed ballet unfolded before our eyes: A futuristic white train slowly glides into the station and stops at its prescribed place. The doors open and out pour 120 people on to the platform, while another 120 wait on a patch of colored tile in a line ready to board. The swift exchange is made all within 60 seconds! Read more

After a pleasant international flight from Seattle to Osaka, Japan, I was woken from a gentle slumber in the early evening by the phone. On the other end was a familiar South African voice: “Hi Matt, Lynne here. Would you like to join our group for Shabu Shabu dinner tonight? We are meeting in 30 minutes.” Would I, – yes! So off we went to Saami Ryotei, a traditional Japanese inn and restaurant built in 1615 on a hill in Maruyama Park. On arrival we had time to walk through the lovely gardens with the scent of camphor trees wafting through the evening air.

As we reached the inn, a taxi pulled up and out stepped two visions of Japanese beauty – a Geiko and a Maiko resplendent in beautiful kimonos and their simple but striking painted faces. At the door of the inn we were asked to remove our shoes and were then lead into a “dining” room with groupings of low tables set with large ceramic pots of boiling water and large trays of meat, vegetables, and tofu. Read more