Now for something completely different – A river cruise in the South of France.

My better half, the tour specialist alerted me yesterday to a great experience she found out about. A river cruise starting May 28th from Arles to Lyon which is front ended by three days in Barcelona ( May 25-28) and ends with three days in Paris (June 4-7).  You would leave Canada May 24.

This is a first class  five star, white gloves, gourmet wining, dining , touring experience.  These things are wildly popular, with small numbers on a small river boat which sell out almost a year in advance. We were lucky to get what we found.  We have a hold on  5 rooms for 5 couples and can take reservations now. When they are gone they are gone, likely in a month from now.  check out the links:
Canadian Organizer
http://www.exclusivetours.ca/index.asp?sec=rc&nav=france&prod=france4

Boat and company
The Swiss Pearl
http://www.amawaterways.com/ships.asp?ship=fr
Trip overview
http://www.amawaterways.com/itinerary.asp?iticode=FA10
Map of trip
http://www.amawaterways.com/inc/popup_map.asp?iticode=FA10
Detailed itinerary
http://www.amawaterways.com/itinerary.asp?iticode=F
Videos  about the AMA cruise line
http://www.amawaterways.com/video/video.asp

Related articles by Zemanta

• AmaWaterways Announces Special Wine-Themed Cruise this Fall (prweb.com)
• Eating Well in Lyon (online.wsj.com)
• Lyon, France (sandwalk.blogspot.com)
• Provence Cote d’Azur, Roman Ruins, Arles, Frejus & Vaison Romaine (france-travel.suite101.com)

A Walk in the Woods. Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail. Bill Bryson. 2007. ISBN 9780307279460. Bill Bryson can write about pimples and make it hilarious.  This 2000 plus mile trail was the object of his romantic desire to hike the length. Along  the way of his hop scotch coverage of under 900 miles you enjoy the breadth of his humour and travails.   Good four hour read, very enjoyable.

Related articles by Zemanta

• At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson: review (telegraph.co.uk)
• Book Review: Born to Run (teamcrossworld.com)
• How come forks have four tines? (kottke.org)
• Some weekend Bill Bryson reading (americablog.com)
• Bill Bryson’s Icons of England: A trip down memory lane (telegraph.co.uk)
• Vintage quality Bill Bryson – and it’s brand new… (trueslant.com)

The Secret Life of France. Lucy Wadham. 2009. ISBN 9780571236114. This book was a delight.  The author has a wry self deprecating way with words that captivate you.  If you have ever wondered about what, to us Anglo Saxon Protestant work ethic driven planet dwellers, is going on in the minds of the French   (And so some extant French Canadians, this is the book that will give you a lot of answers.  Any summary will not do justice to how she argues:

The French (Chattering classes ) love the idea, but not often the implementation There is liberty – except if you transgress the unwritten codes:

• All French are created equal – except if you are an immigrant who is unfortunate enough to love in a ghetto
• We are all equal , but I will fight to the death my particular perks that I enjoy that you do not have.
• Working for the State is the highest form of service – but that means I am better than you and I can be rude
• Team play takes a distant second seat to me winning
• France remains a patriarchal society- feminism did not take root, men run the country and women wait for men to make their move.
• To be seen is to be better than to do.
• You can divorce, but why not have affairs- changing husbands is just moving t e furniture in ten years.
• All are allowed their secret garden and the press will not inquire into your private lives – at least not until Sarkozy made it a celebrity life.
• The press is free , but the government really interferes, and most French people do not read it anyway
• The Republic is not a democracy – it starts as a Socialist state and then pushes left
• Only the govt can get in debt – it is frowned upon with regular folks, just try to get a loan.
• All are equal but a sub current of racism means Sarkozy talks about his Hungarian fathers roots, but not his mothers Jewish roots.
• Parisian views are diametrically opposite to the views of the country people (who  eschew capitalism)
• You  have Liberty but Muslim women can not wear the head covering etc, because displays of ethnic, religious difference are not allowed.  You are all free to look the same – perfect French, perfect French people.

A good coast to coast airplane read- Very useful if you ever have to deal with The French. You will understand your lack of success better.

Related articles by Zemanta

• You: Hidden France: the Cévennes mountains (guardian.co.uk)
• Bigot (newsflavor.com)
• Joshua Stanton: A Jewish Voice Against the Burqa Ban (huffingtonpost.com)
• Sarkozy’s Father Writes Tell-All Book (huffingtonpost.com)
• Nicolas Sarkozy, a modern Louis XVI? | Nabila Ramdani (guardian.co.uk)
• Laïcité and the French veil debate | Nabila Ramdani (guardian.co.uk)

Stones Into Schools. Promoting peace with books, not bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Greg Mortensen. 2009. ISBN 9780670021154.  When we left Greg Mortensen in Three Cups of Tea, he had promised tribal leaders from  one of Afghanistan’s wildest parts to come and build a girl’s school like he was doing in Pakistan. This is the chronicle of the work CAI his foundation is doing in Afghanistan as well as deep insights into the tribal leaders, people and students he encounters on his journeys.  Inspiring, and uplifting as his work is, you are constantly brought back to the constant roadblocks that life in these parts puts in front of the individual who wants to better them self.  In this book Greg is surprised at the work that the US and Allied military is putting in to be sensitive to the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Being on the front, the soldiers develop tremendous empathy for the lot of the civilians. This book validates the nation building work that the Canadian and US military are committed to. One soldier said it, ” you can not bomb your way to peace.”  In page after page you read about the incredible dedication of the people to get some kind of an education. They are very tired of war and want to build their country.   An uplifting read and a noble cause.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Three Cups of Tea. One man’s mission to promote peace…one school at a time. Greg Mortenson & David oliver relin. (regnordman.com)
• Islamic banking turns to Afghanistan (teabreak.pk)
• Greg Mortenson On Bill Moyers: A Better Path To Peace In Afghanistan (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• NATO Backs Plan to Give Command to Afghans (teabreak.pk)

Dead Aid. Why aid is not working and how there is a better way for africa. Dambisa Moyo.2009. ISBN 9780374139568. The author, born in Zambia has a terrific CV – World Bank, Harvard, Oxford, Goldmann Sachs. This is a black  African talking about how Africa can be, could be helped.  She builds a compelling case First all the aid that has been poured into Africa has resulted in African people becoming poorer, not better off.  Second the money (World bank et al)  has found its way into “lucky hands” ie the corrupt rulers/administrators and resides in Swiss bank accounts.   Third, Africa needs trade and investment such as being offered by China and India. Fourth, Inter african trade needs to be freed up ( A car cost $1500 to ship from Japan to The Ivory coast and a further $5000 to get it over a few borders)  .  Third Western nations need to  stop sending aid and stop subsidizing their own  farmers (who then dump product onto world markets – putting African s out of business)  - free international  trade.   Then stop supporting the guys like Mugabe with “free money”  Ask for results, roads, bridges  and commodities from the investments (like the Chinese). Put the countries on notice that the aid will stop over five years.   She has really got onto something and is passionate about it.   I wonder if Rick Mercer realizes that if he ships free  mosquito nets to Africa he is putting local manufacturers out of business?  Better to buy locally.  well written and rolls right along. Once again common sense is not that common.  Less Bono and more Moyo. Someone should send this book to Steven Harper.  The best thing is Moyo lays out how this can be done.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Carson: US is committed to substantial increases in foreign assistance for Africa (one.org)
• The new empire: China in Africa – Howard French (chinaherald.net)
• Survey Finds Africa Is Most Religious Part Of World (huffingtonpost.com)
• Governor General begins 10-day African visit (cbc.ca)

Three Cups of Tea. One man’s mission to promote peace…one school at a time. Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin.2006. ISBN   This is a real life story on one man, Greg Mortensen who discovered his life’s work , while climbing K2.

As of 2010, Mortenson has established over 131 schools in rural and often volatile regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, which provide education to over 58,000 children, including 48,000 girls, where few education opportunities existed before.  This story lays out the hardships and risks he has taken in order to provide the ultimate for his adopted countries Pakistan and Afghanistan.  You can not help but be uplifted by this book. He provides yet  another validating data point to the analyses provided in the the Bin Laden book by Yossef Bodansky I reviewed.

His work has not been without difficulty. In 1996, he survived an eight day armed kidnapping by the Taliban in Pakistan’ Northwest Frontier Province tribal areas, escaped a 2003 firefight with feuding Afghan warlords by hiding for eight hours under putrid animal hides in a truck . He has overcome two fatwehs from enraged Islamic mullahs, endured CIA investigations, and also received threats from fellow Americans after 9/11, for helping Muslim children with education.

Related articles by Zemanta

• A Very Different and Positive Way of Bringing Peace to “Trouble Spots” (innovationtoronto.com)
• Greg Mortenson On Bill Moyers: A Better Path To Peace In Afghanistan (VIDEO) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Greg Mortenson’s path of peace from one mountain to another (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Teacher, Can We Leave Now? No. – Op-Ed – NYTimes.com (kingstonaauw.blogspot.com)
• Three Cups of Tea in Perspective, Mehreen Bokhari, juta, lathi and thappar. (teabreak.pk)
• 1 man’s voice, 1 man’s mission; 2nd shot to see ‘Three Cups of Tea’ co-author Mortenson (bendbulletin.com)
• Amid devastation, oppression, compassionate effort expands (boston.com)
• Educating Girls – Our Responsibility in Afghanistan? (kingstonaauw.blogspot.com)
• Stones into Schools: Mortenson climbs another mountain (thestar.com)

Off the Tourist Trail. 1000 unexpected travel alternatives.  fwd by Bill Bryson. 2009. ISBN 9780756653996. When I am not traveling I confess to a love of armchair travel. Whether it is DVDs  (The Lonely Planet City DVD set is awesome!), National Geographic shows, or books by Lonely Planet or DK..

This coffee table book by DK is my favorite.  As Bryson says here is good news and bad news, the good being 1000 places you likely have not heard of that are fantastic, the bad being you will not live long enough to see them.  I really liked the section oon each location where it compared the famous site Pompeii with the lesser known, less busy but great site , Herculaneum, which is off the  tourist trail. You can spend hours with this book, which is filled with great pictures and compelling descriptions.  They also summarize how to get there, best months to visit, suggested restaurants and hotels and budget for two per day.  Enjoy.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Tracking down the world’s best guide (telegraph.co.uk)
• The Best Free Online International Travel Guides (makeuseof.com)
• Get Every Issue of the National Geographic Magazine on a HDD For $200 [Storage] (gizmodo.com)
• 100 Best Travel Blogs (travelanswerman.com)

October 21 – Thailand

Here we are at last on the final leg of our journey. Got off the ship just after 9:00 am this morning and were met by Rob Scarr of Image Limousine (www.imagelimo.com). A very organized limo service and his driver got us to our destination in about 6 hours with a couple of stops along the way. Even though it was a long drive down to the south end of Thailand, it gave us a chance to experience a lot of the countryside. We finally, after a few wrong turns, pulled into this beautiful resort in Ban Krud (thank you Kyle).
We are not supposed to divulge this location therefore name of this resort will be withheld at the present time but if you ply us with unreasonable amount of wine and a great meal, our tongues might be loosened! We were escorted to our lovely beach bungalow which overlooks a 12 km long beach on the Gulf of Thailand. After getting ourselves settled, we took a quick stroll along the beach, then parked ourselves in one of the hammocks tied up between the many coconut trees along the beach and listened to the lapping of the waves. Ahhhhh….this is pure heaven!
A quick dip in the resort’s pool and a shower in our “honeymoon” shower a little later got us refreshed and ready to tackle dinner. Dinner was wonderful. They started us with their specialty for new guests – very lightly deep fried Frangipani flowers (the national flower) accompanied with a light plum sauce. The next 2 dishes were a lovely local fish (eagle fish) steamed with ginger, garlic, lemon grass and onion and lightly spiced, a stir fried vegetable dish and a green chicken curried dish. Wonderful blend of flavours in all dishes. Dessert was fresh sliced pineapple to clean the palate. A great end to a long day.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Hot stuff (guardian.co.uk)
• My shrimp salas from Paradiso 37 – and there’s a wedge of… (mymobileadventures.com)
• A surprise in our CSA box – lemongrass (timesunion.com)

Nha Trang, Vietnam Oct 16 2009.

Boasting some of Vietnam’s best beaches and considered the driest resort area in Vietnam, Nha Trang is a step back in time. The markets are rough and ready, very dirty, but so authentic you c an smell them a long way away. The street food we liked the most was a tiny crepe called Banh Xeo which is filled with seafood, pork, bean sprouts, cooked to perfection and eaten with fresh green leafy vegetables in a delicious fish sauce called “nuoc mam”…yum yum. Follow that up with a large super thin crispy egg cracker (similar to an Indian pappadum), with green onion, egg, a spicy sauce and poppy seeds and lightly toasted on a brazier. Wash it down with a Vietnamese ice cafe – super living. Local beer is Tiger and 333, its cold cheap ($1.00) and tasty.
We visited the Long Son Pagoda where an enormous white Buddha sits on a hill behind the Pagoda and another large Buddha lying down on another level. It commemorates the Buddhist monks who protested the abuses of the Diem regime in the early 1960s by setting themselves on fire. Then we visited the Po Nagar Cham Tower Complex ( old remnants of the Cham sites) dedicated to the black goddess Uroja. Lastly the Bao Dai Villa which was the summer home of the last Monarch of Vietnam, who ended up living in France. It stands on a hill with a beautiful panoramic view of Nha Trang Bay. The local fishing boats are painted bright red and blue and really show up in this rustic fishing village and port of Cau Da. Traffic is wild in this little town and scooters are the major means of transportation. The best way to cross a street is to follow a local! The surviving French-colonial buildings are also quite attractive.
And of course there is shopping. All the name brand goods you can imagine are up for negotiation. The US buck reigns supreme as well.
All in all quite a nice visit…and a look at how Vietnam people really live.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – October 17 2009

The economic center of Vietnam, an incredibly busy sprawling city (population of over 7 million with 4 million scooters) with lots of bustling market places, street vendors, and colonial architecture including the Notre Dame Cathedral built in 1876, in a city that is still growing. It was just wild crossing these streets as you’re basically vending your way through scooters, cars, bicycles, buses, trucks and pedi-cabs coming from all directions. Crosswalks and street stop lights are almost non-existent and no protection anyway. You must stride out into what looks like certain death, never faltering or stepping back and lo and behold the scooters, cars, trucks and buses thread their way around you. It is still best to follow the lead of a native until you get the hang of it. Amanda chose the “clutch of death on my arm and closed eyes while walking” technique. It also works, though I will carry these clutch mark scars for a long time!
Vietnam maintains a GDP rate of 8% even in the world economic downturn. Taiwan is the biggest investor in Vietnam and light industry (e.g. textiles) is booming. Considering that they are starting from almost nothing their adoption of the pursuit of money is quite amazing. Everywhere you look there are private shops and commerce is thriving. The rich are getting very rich in Vietnam.

Of course there is a plethora of variety in name brand goods and knock-offs, in a huge bargain hunters paradise called Ban Thanh market where you wheel and deal amongst the experts. As this was the cheapest place to shop in all of Asia, we took advantage of it and spent hours dealing in the markets, also tasting some wonderful pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) and enjoying the array of various Asian fruits and vegetables. And of course the coffee. This country deserves to be known as having wonderful coffee. I had several cups at different spots just to make sure. The secret to Vietnamese coffee making is…..25 grams of their blend per cup, exactly plus the patience to let it drip completely (Yes Kyle I bought some to bring home for you to try).

The only thing we didn’t like about this was the commute to Saigon. As the ship was too big to enter Saigon’s port, it was docked in the brand new Phu My container port, 1 ½ hours each way from Saigon. That cut down considerably on our visit as well as letting more than a few of our fellow travelers free opportunity to whinge. It was still a wonderful visit and definitely a place we recommend highly to everyone.
We look forward to our final port of call, Singapore, before disembarking in Bangkok and a 5 day total veg out at a quiet beach resort.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Zen master decries Vietnam’s treatment of monks (ctv.ca)
• Bia Hoi in Vietnam (travel.booklocker.com)
• The Prophecy: Vietnam At War (oup.com)
• You: Vietnam Finds Itself Vulnerable if Sea Rises (nytimes.com)