ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Sunshine and blue skies added to our fantastic morning at Ossora Town on the coast of Karaginskiy Island off the Kamchatka Peninsula. On shore, all the Koryak people were waiting for us… We watched a fish gutting demonstration and three passengers tried their hand at gutting their own fish. Afterwards, we were treated to wonderful traditional dancing and a reindeer lassoing demonstration.

Another sunny day made our landing in Glybokaya Bay nothing short of spectacular. Even before breakfast, as we cruised into the fjord, we saw several bears up on the snowfields. Ashore, we had more excellent sightings and good photo ops; even those who stayed on the ship were treated to some great bear watching. Our Zodiac tour later in the day yielded yet more bear viewing—and quite close up—and we didn’t know where to look first. Our tally, for this one day alone, was 25 bears—give or take a couple!

At Peters Bay we went ashore for beautiful nature walks—towering volcanoes under a blue sky and no mosquitoes made the day extra great. In the afternoon, at Bogaslov Island, we jumped into Zodiacs, zipped right up almost to shore and watched and photographed more than 100 walrus! This trip has been such an incredible wildlife extravaganza…

Gorgeous weather and Turkey’s amazing sites continued to wow us. We headed to Cyprus on a short flight; our hotel here is surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean—just lovely! In Nicosia, we explored the narrow streets of the old town and its 400-year-old Venetian walls, then made our way up and into the foothills of the Five Finger Mountains to the Bellapais Monastery… I’m not sure what was more impressive, the Gothic construction or the incredible views of the harbor town of Girne below. The ancient Kyrenia Castle in Girne has been transformed into a series of museums and we really enjoyed our time at the Underwater Archaeology Museum which was impressive, especially the partially reconstructed shipwrecked sailing ship.

I can honestly say that our lunch at what appeared to be a roadside stop was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. We sat outdoors on a patio under a thatched covering, looking out over a small marina and the sea. The food was out of this world—there were no fewer than six mezes (small plates), including one with yogurt made at the restaurant earlier in the morning. And I seriously think we need a moment of silence for the olives! I have no idea what they do to them but they were like eating little bits of gold. Then, if that wasn’t enough, a local fish arrived at our places—whole, head and all—grilled to perfection. Thankfully our guide Yasar was there to help filet mine or I think I’d still be trying to work every last little piece off the bones!

Heading east over the mountains we visited the old trading center of Famagusta and its beautiful Cathedral of St. Nicholas, now a museum. And the Monastery of St. Barnabas was just superb with its iconic Christian art, probably the best we’ve seen. Our last site visit here was the ruins of Salamis with a 5,000-seat amphitheater that was used for artistic performances, rather than gladiator games. We also found some of the most beautiful mosaics of the trip. We are now on our way back to Antalya to board our gulets for five days of sailing along the Turquoise Coast…

Our time in Turkey is flying… In Ankara, The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations was fantastic; the exhibits are so well done and transport you through the different time periods and cultures. We had a wonderful lunch at an old Ottoman home within the ancient Citadel in the heart of the city, then had a rare chance to visit rooms not usually open to the public in the Mausoleum of Ataturk, thanks to our great guide, Yasar.

In addition to the amazing sights, the trip has been a gastronomic extravaganza! The produce is incredible… I have never heard so many different interpretations of “yummy,” and over an orange! Our favorites have been the grilled vegetables with wonderful sauces, and the always abundant olives in so many varieties…

Our drive to Cappadocia was fascinating. On the way we stopped at the Valley of the Monks and the Zelve monastic settlement, where three valleys of rock-carved cave homes and churches converge, some decorated with primitive paintings. In the evening we watched a performance of the Whirling Dervishes which was just fantastic—mesmerizing, really. Read more

Our visit to Burma and Laos was a great success. Pleasant memories of the trip remain fresh and vivid – the luxury and surprise of Afternoon Tea at the Strand Hotel; the joyful spirit of the people at the Shwedagon; the peacefulness, relaxation, and enthusiastic service of the Pandaw voyage; sunset and horse cart ride amidst the stupas of Pagan; and the incredible and unique Inle Lake. For many of us, Burma was especially delightful – thanks to our super guide Daniel. To others, the cruise down the Mekong in Laos was most memorable: hours and hours of lovely, uninterrupted greenery and forest – not to mention the wonderful teakwood bungalows at Luangsay Lodge. A highlight for me was the very moving ceremony of the Baci, graced upon us so gently and kindly by the warm village folks around Pakbeng.

Excerpts from the Welcome Home Letter written by Expedition Leader Gary Wintz for our March 2008 Burma & Laos program.

What amazing contrasts we experienced, beginning with our somewhat damp welcome in Nagoya. From the tea plantations and flowering plum trees of southwestern Kyushu, to the light snow followed by sunshine in the forested mountains of Nagano Prefecture. And finally, day after day of glorious sunshine reflecting on packed snow in east Hokkaido.

And what wildlife experiences we had! The spectacle of more than 12,000 Hooded and White-naped Cranes at Arasaki in Kyushu was our southern highlight—but with the added bonus of close encounters with individual Common and Sandhill cranes. Four species of cranes in two days, coupled with delightful glimpses of displays among the White-naped Cranes left us with the ultimate dilemma: which crane is most beautiful? The displays in Kyushu were just a prelude for the magnificent dancing cranes of Hokkaido, which we experienced under so many different conditions, and at sites around Tsurui (the village of the cranes), and Akan Villages. Read more

From the urban chaos of our first afternoon in the narrow alleyways of old Delhi to the serenity of our time on the sacred Brahmaputra River… from the timeless elegance of the temples at Khajuraho to gaudy roadside markets, India boasts a cultural and scenic richness second to none. No single trip to India can hope to cover the rich spread of this immense country. But in our case, it was tigers we were after!

The global plight of tigers is among the most publicized of all wildlife conservation stories, for no other animal can match this largest of cats for sheer beauty and charisma. Ironically, the day before we commenced our expedition, the sobering news broke of the latest Bengal Tiger census figures: 1,411 remaining at the end of 2007, Read more

Because of the remoteness of our Eco-Expeditions destinations, we don’t always hear from our field leaders until a trip is almost concluded. So we eagerly await news and are always excited to hear the details. Since so many Eco trips are happening at this time of year, we thought we’d share some of the enthusiasm expressed by our leaders via phone calls and quick emails to our office… Makes us all wish we were there!

BACK TO AFRICA SAFARI
from Lex Hes, Expedition Leader
“…As always, this has been a great adventure. And guess what? There was rain at Serra Cafema, Namibia, of all places! We had their entire average ANNUAL rainfall this afternoon! And with three times their average annual rainfall in the past three weeks, it has turned this area into an incredibly beautiful place, almost right before our eyes… the rolling hills are carpeted in lush, bright new green… Quite amazing!”

INDIA & THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER
from Jonathan Rossouw, Expedition Leader
“We’re on the home stretch of our trip… now over-nighting in Kolkata. With 11 tiger sightings under our belt, a pack of Asian Wild Dogs, and three… yes, THREE leopards, everyone is as happy as wild boars in a mud wallow!”

SNOW MONKEYS & CRANES
from Mark Brazil, Expedition Leader
“All is well from our spot in Tsurui. We’ve just enjoyed the best ever conditions at our monkey site; there were so many of them, and offered incredible photo opportunities… everyone was thrilled. Plus, there was fabulous deep snow and sunshine… and now it’s snowing here too – lovely!”

“…our first trip out last month was the most successful ever in terms of birds… We sited a whopping 145 species – shattering last year’s new record!”

Circumnavigation Of The Black Sea

We had a wonderful time on board Le Levant, a luxurious cruise ship, circumnavigating the Black Sea for two weeks in September. The history and culture of that part of the world are fascinating, and the lecturers on board did a great job.

When we received the brochure for the trip from the MIT Alumni office—who sponsored a group of 22 people—we knew right away that this would be our 8th MIT-sponsored trip. We also knew that we had an extraordinary personal opportunity that no one else on the trip would have—to visit the city of Varna, Bulgaria, the last port of the trip and the birthplace of our adopted grandson. Read more