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If I could point to one thing that has helped me grow as a human being
and shaped my philosophy about life, it’s
travel. My interest in other places and cultures started with the wonderful
travel books my parents gave me
during early years. I was mesmerized by descriptions of strange and
exotic countries, and pictured myself
visiting them.
My parents loved to travel. They often left me with my grandparents during summer vacations, so they could take extended trips. But they started taking me with them when I was in my teens.
These weren’t just ordinary trips. I remember going through the Panama
Canal on a freighter -- because its mission
was to deliver its cargo, we often didn’t get to destinations until
late at night, so sightseeing was limited. One of the
most unusual ocean voyages I took with my parents was on the
maiden voyage of the S.S. United States. Inaugurated on July 3, 1952, she
was the fastest and most modern ship of her day. En route to Europe, the
ocean liner established a new transatlantic speed record. As a matter of
fact, we crossed the Atlantic so quickly -- in just
three days -- that we had to wait an extra day off the coast of France
so we could disembark at the proper time and place in England.
Another memorable and unique way of travel in the 50’s was flying on
a Pan American-Grace Airways DC 6,
which took us in I951 across South America’s Andes Mountains. The ride
is etched in my memories for two
reasons: the roughness of the trip and the use of oxygen masks as we
flew over the mountains. In those days
planes did not have pressurized cabins.
As I grew older my love of travel endured, although its form changed. After I married and had four children, trips were dictated both by budget and time constraints. My adventure gene did surface, though, when I proposed that my family take a six-week drive across a good part of the country in a rented station wagon. At the time, my children spanned from teenagers to elementary schoolers. It was fortunate that we each -- children and adults alike -- the trip had our mini meltdowns at different times. Today we all look back at our trip with a great deal of fondness.
After my divorce, with mostly grown children, I had limited financial resources and worked hard to support myself. Fortunately, in 1984 I landed a job that I found challenging truly enjoyable. I was executive director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of Southern New London County. I recruited, trained, and placed 700 volunteers, 65 and older, in 97 non-profit agencies. Many of these women were widows and they often talked about how lonely they were and how much they missed the trips they had taken with their spouses. I came up with the idea of putting together some trips with a local travel agency and offering them to my volunteers. The trips were very popular because the volunteers had picked them, they knew each other, and they felt comfortable having me as the group’s leader. I took RSVP members to destinations such as Ireland, islands in the Caribbean, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, and Alaska. Some of the trips were by bus, some were via a cruise boat.
Having experience as a tour guide as well as a tourist has given me a good perspective on the plusses and minuses of the travel business. For instance, being a tour guide is a huge responsibility! I once had to evacuate someone from a trip in Juneau, Alaska, which can only be reached by sea or air. She had to be flown to a hospital in Anchorage. Travel agents should insist that people show their doctor a brochure of their trip, and even more important, get a note stating their medical problems and attesting to their ability to handle the rigors of a trip.
Running trips for seniors helped me learn what they really appreciated. One was always finding someone to help them put their carry-on luggage up in the overhead bin. If you’re older, this can be a very difficult task. I also did their immigration paperwork and made sure they got through airports and customs with the least hassle.
I always checked out the suitability of a trip before I offered it. Once Al Italia airlines offered me a free three-day trip to the Amalfi coast of Italy as an inducement to take a tour there and use their airline. That trip ranks as the longest distance I’ve ever schlepped for the shortest period of time.
Even after I started A Touch of Grey, my syndicated radio show for
those 50 plus, satellites and cell
phones enable me to broadcast from the far reaches of mother earth
and convey to my listeners the immediacy and wonder of the sights I’m seeing.
One of the first trips I took after I started my radio career was a very unusual train expedition on Russia’s vast Trans-Siberian Railway, sponsored by an organization of train lovers. I adore trains, and my idea for this trip sprang from the 1965 movie Doctor Zhivago, in which one scene was shot from a train crossing the vast steppes of Russia. It showed thousands of flowers -- mostly daffodils -- in bloom, an incredibly romantic image. However, this trip, across the plains from Moscow to Irkutsk, Siberia, was anything but romantic. Instead of daffodils, I encountered dust. Tons of dust, which seeped into every corner of the train and covered my clothes, even my hair. After many long days of travel, I realized why invaders from Napoleon to Hitler had failed to conquer this country: The distances across Russia are so great that it becomes increasingly difficult to supply an advancing army.
When I arrived in Siberia, I was quite surprised to find how beautiful
it was in the summertime. Irkutisk is located
on magnificent Lake Baikal, which is the size of Switzerland. Irkutisk
had the most unusual bathrooms I’ve ever encountered. The shower was not
enclosed. When it was on, the whole bathroom got cleaned. The bathroom
was so pitched that when I shut off the shower, the water instantly
ran into a drain on the floor.
My Russian trip included a short but memorable trip to Magnolia. I flew
there on a tiny airplane. The runway was the desert. My lodging was a round
native hut called a Yurt, which was heated by a central pit that
contained logs. In the cold desert night, to keep warm, I had to keep putting
logs on the fire -- a ritual not conducive to sleeping.
While traveling among these nomadic people, I also experienced a desert
storm. It resembles the blinding whiteout
of a blizzard accompanied by biting particles of sand.
In my travels, I have broadcast from a number of isolated places. One of the coldest and most remote locations was Antarctica. The trip took place in February 2000 aboard a small ship, the M.S. Explorer. It carried 110 passengers and 65 crew.
During both legs of the voyage to and from the South Pole, we cruised the infamous Drake Passage. This body of water off the tip of South America lived up to its terrifying reputation. In the ship’s log book, the captain described the ship as pitching and rolling heavily with swells ranging from eight to 25 feet. I spent the better part of two days crawling around on the cabin floor.
The South Pole gives birth to much of the world’s weather. Both the
winds and the atmospheric conditions are constantly changing. It’s therefore
a natural lab for studying global warming. When I was in Antarctica, I
saw dramatic evidence of this. For example, I saw a fissure opening on
the huge Larsen Ice Shelf, which is gradually disintegrating.
Using Zodiacs [explain how zodiacs helped you explore these islands],
I explored a number of islands around the Antarctic Peninsula. What most
surprised me about icebergs was they came in a variety of beautiful colors,
including a vivid blue, pink, and green. This is caused by some of the
minerals that get captured in the icebergs.
I have also broadcast from areas that were remote and hot. I have very
fond memories of talking on air about the beauties of an African sunset,
from a boat on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. I have also been able to
call in to A Touch of Grey from South Africa’s legendary blue train.
In an effort to see Africa’s animals up front and personal, in January 2001 I went on a safari to Kenya and Tanzania. I’ll never forget driving in an open land cruiser in the middle of thousands and thousands of zebra and wildebeest amid their annual migration through the Serengeti Plains. Buzzards and vultures hovered overhead waiting to swoop down on any animals that might not make it.
The highlight of my safari in Tanzania was driving into Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact, inactive volcanic crater covering 3,200 square miles within its 600-meter walls. Lions, gazelles, rhinos, wildebeest, zebras, and elephants thrive in the crater’s variety of habitats, from grassland plains, swamps, lakes, rivers, forests, to arid areas with drifting dunes.
Finding animals roaming around in other parts of Africa was a matter of luck. You could go hours without a sighting. After seeing life in the wild, I am working harder than ever for several organizations that are trying to save the world’s endangered species from further encroachment by the human race
I have made several around-the-world trips by plane. One of the counties
I visited that touched me was Vietnam.
I spent some in time in Hanoi its beautiful capitol. Despite the massive
bombing of North Vietnam from 1965 to 1968, many beautiful buildings remain
along with lovely tree-lined boulevards. It was the most bustling, energetic
city I have ever seen. Getting around Hanoi was an adventure. With virtually
no traffic lights, no policemen and thousands and thousands of mopeds,
somehow everyone seemed to safely get where they were going.
Going through what was a jail for Americans the “Hanoi Hilton” was quite
an experience. It has been turned into a museum about the American War,
which is what the Vietnamese call it. Although I didn’t agree with their
one-sided
view of the war, I did come away realizing why they fought so hard
against foreigners and for their independence.
The list of countries that invaded and occupied Vietnam is endless.
The Vietnamese people were surprisingly upbeat and friendly. Perhaps
it is because instead of dwelling on past injustices that have so devastated
the country, its people are concentrating on building a better future.
Finally, always seeing the glass half full, I have to comment on the
wonderful island in the Indian Ocean called Mauritius. Thirty miles long
and 24 miles wide, it has a remarkable mixture of cultures and religions.
Dutch, French, English, Indian, Creole and Orientals, Hindus, Moslems,
and Christians all live peacefully side by side in an
atmosphere of great religious tolerance. If only the world could emulate
the conduct of these people who live on a little island in a big ocean.
Travel makes you realize that despite unsettling differences that
are sometimes emphasized by world leaders,
in the long run people are really the same. They all want peace,
good health and a better future for their children.