Thank you, Melissa. And may your words inspire sabbaticals and not frighten parents!

- Helen
———-

Columbia, Indonesia, Poland, Laos, Argentina, New Zealand, and India. A wish list for some, a bucket-list for others. For me, they are but seven of the forty countries I explored in the same amount of time it takes to go law school. Graduating college with a communications degree and minors in business and African American Studies, I decided to further my studies with an MWS—a Masters in World Studies.

What better time to spread my wings and travel the world? I was 22, had no commitments, no career, and no cash. Perfect! Because I was a waitress during my undergraduate years, I had a valuable skill that easily found me jobs in Dublin, London, Sydney, and Auckland; what I earned underwrote my travels throughout those other 40 countries. OK, so maybe waitress/ traveler will not be my final calling, but these last three years have been pretty sweet!

First Year Curriculum: Europe

While others were learning about torts during their first year in law school, I was backpacking my way through Europe—an amazing number of countries on such a small amount of real estate! Every border crossing is a gateway to an entirely new culture, language, and landscape. I was awed by the Vatican, insanely disturbed by concentration camps, and swept away by the Alps. I ate all the Belgian waffles I could handle. A great choice for my first big trip abroad.

Traveling the lowest class on the Euro rail, I efficiently, if not always comfortably, traversed the Continent. Once at my chosen destination, it was a hunt for the nearest, cheapest hostel. “Cheapest” is self- explanatory; “nearest” was a necessity as my backpack grew continually heavier with each country’s souvenirs and latest European fashions. “Nearest” also important because of the neighborhoods in which hostels are generally located. [Not 5-Star! – HN]

For those not familiar with hostels, let me assure you that while they are not always the trendiest lodgings, they are a great place for young travelers. We arrive from all over the world, meet, exchange travel stories and share a bunkroom for the night. By bunkrooms, I mean one room with anywhere from four to fifty beds. [Not 5-Star! – HN] The hostels usually have kitchens, which is great for frugal travelers who can’t afford to eat out; kitchens also are a great place to gather and trade travel tips, learn about the cheap cuisines of the world, and pick up insider news on what’s hot and what’s not. By the time that first whirl through Europe ended, I had mastered the art of finding not only the cheapest hostel but those that were bedbug free [So not 5-Star – HN] and could knock out the basics in about eight different languages.

Second Year Curriculum: Central And South America

After that first big trip—my own personal first year of graduate school—I had the fundamentals under my belt. For my next year, equivalent to a second year of law school, I too looked forward to something more challenging and unfamiliar: Central and South America. Traveling south, my first stops were in Central America’s Guatemala and Costa Rica, then on to Peru, all before landing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for a couple months of Spanish lessons and the Tango lifestyle! I rented an apartment and lived the Latino culture, which I embraced and loved. It was so completely different. Instead of working 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. as many Americans do, Brazilians may go to work at 9:00 a.m., take a two-hour lunch break, a little “siesta,” and then head out for dinner at 10:00 p.m. While in BA I did as the BA’ers do!

I enjoy a good football game as much as the next girl—a little tailgating, a little foolishness—you know how it is. However, if you think you’ve attended a great game I am here to tell you that nothing compares with a football (soccer) match in South America. I am talking about a whole new level of the term ‘fanatic.’ Braced with my newly minted Spanish language skills, I took off with friends for the match. After being mauled by the team hooligans waiting in line to get into the biggest match in Argentina, the police found us and escorted us, damsels in distress, to an entirely different section than what our tickets stated, because, basically, they were scared for our lives! No joke! (These are the tidbits one doesn’t write home to Mom. Ignorance is bliss.)

Having an apartment rather than staying in hostels made this trip completely different than the first. But more cheap hotels and hostels awaited as I took on the south of Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile—by bus. Suddenly, I missed those cheap Euro rail seats!

I became an aficionado of the siesta, visited the highest, driest desert in the world (the Atacama of Chile), followed the Inca trail and fell for a couple of cute South American guys. Yes, that’s part of it, too. Being a true passport piggy by now, I shed a few tears while boarding the adios plane from South America . . . but soon recovered as the plane was taking me to Australia where I would be working for the next four months. Bondi Beach in Sydney—not bad!

Third Year Curriculum: Asia

It’s now Year 3. Law students returning for their last and final year feel relieved knowing that school is coming to an end. I was making ever-bigger plans, trying to top my previous year and seriously hoping that my travels would never end. This was too much fun! Here’s what I did. I flew back to Europe for a six-month visit to my now numerous friends, hitting the countries I hadn’t gotten to before. I then hopped a plane to New Zealand, working in Auckland for four months where I had a blast and saved up loads of cash. What part of the world to soak up next? Southeast Asia’s Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand.

Now my head is exploding! These are fantastic countries. I learned about Buddhism, trekked through jungles, visited remote islands, experienced the history of Vietnam, rode elephants in Thailand, and saw Angkor Wat at sunrise, which aroused every imaginable feeling—mostly wonder and humility. It was also extremely challenging to stay calm and patient (”Be the Buddha”) traveling through these countries as everyone wanted your business and would do almost anything to get it! “Hawkers,” I believe, is the term.

Final exam: India. This was miles beyond anything I’d yet known. The poverty is incredibly saddening, the Taj Mahal is incredibly beautiful, and the Indian people are incredibly friendly and welcoming. India is an adventure and experience beyond mere vacation. There are many countries in which you can kind of slide by; sometimes you don’t fully appreciate the culture or even notice the different life style. In India, you are forced to see, feel, and experience it all. It was my Master’s thesis, my final exam for my MWS degree.

A lawyer may be finished with school but is never done learning about the law. I too will never stop traveling and being evermore intrigued by the world.

At my ripe old age of 25, I reflect on my travels thus far, thinking about all the cultures and history I have been exposed to and seen. What a classroom, what a textbook! My post-grad degree in the World has changed my life, who I am, and whom I will become.

And Mom will never know all the details.

Melissa Pugh, MWS
Currently managing a restaurant in Deer Valley, ID, and, yes, pursuing travels up and down ski slopes.

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During my tenure there, I came to love what the recently-released, two-and-a-half hour movie Australia reveals on the screen. Like Out of Africa, A Passage to India, The Mission, and other sweeping geographic epics, it touches the heart of anyone who has been there and seen this stunningly beautiful, rugged country with his or her own eyes. The Outback, which is pretty much anywhere other than Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth, is epic indeed. It’s either beautifully flooded (during The Wet) or one of the world’s driest, harshest deserts (The Dry). Either way, it can kill ya’—unless the multitude of poisonous critters gets you first!

Australia also boasts an unending coastline, including one of the most remote in the world, The Kymberley. The settler population is a mixed bag of Brits, Asians, Europeans, Russians, prisoners, rednecks and aristocrats. Appreciative of some of the old country’s ways, they march to their own beat with beer, Aussie Rules Football, and she’ll be right, mate seize-the-day spirit. No one parties like Aussies! They have an enduring love for the Yanks who they reckon helped keep them safe during World War II. (The Darwin battle scenes in Australia are historically based.) And everyone knows the tragic tale of prejudice against the indigenous peoples, the Aboriginals.

Flawed, bodacious, good-humored, beautiful: Australia is a wonder.

My fondness for all things Aussie remains intact. Take a month or more to dig in if you want to get below the surface. Enjoy the ever more sophisticated cities and the outstanding wine countries, but for goodness sake, get back of beyond!

Explore Remote Places By Sea, Air, Or On Foot

Hook up with Orion Expedition Cruises, a small ship expedition company that is one of just a few outfits exploring the wild, jagged Kymberley coastline in Western Australia. Not too many people live there: the incredibly remote interior is nearly impossible to access, and even most Australians have never ventured into this region. I’m a believer in small ship cruising as a means to learn, get a little dirty, and still live in comfort. You’ll be among the few who have the Kymberley under your travel belt.

You can also explore the back of Burke (yet another colloquialism for the Australian boonies) through a number of well-organized tours sponsored by Australian- or US-based organizations. Bill Peach is the Tom Brokaw of Australia, an elder statesman who parlayed his love of his native land into Bill Peach Journeys, which feature flying itineraries on a Dash 8 high-winged aircraft. Given the distances, the only way to journey throughout Oz is by plane. The itinerary includes the Kymberley and the glorious northern landscape, which is where Australia takes place.

A cattle station (ranch) is where Brad Horn grew up. His deep-seated experience of his country, in addition to his stints around the world as adventurer and Aussie Army officer, allow him to offer tailor-made journeys into Australia’s corners that are as extraordinary as the land. Visit Epic Journeys.

Uncharted Outposts International has a collection of itineraries and lodges in Australia that is as mouth-watering as a cold Fosters on a hot, dusty day. If you were headed to the Australia movie set, but in style, you might want to have Chip and Sandy set you up at Bullo River Station—and enjoy a half million acres around which you can roam, ride, and explore. It’s one of the world’s top spots. And if you care to try out the Red Centre, you must go to Longitude 131.

Australians Welcome Eco Travel

Some of the world’s finest eco-lodge developments are in Australia. Australians jumped on the sustainable travel bandwagon early on. The Southern Ocean Lodge, opened in early 2008, is a full-ocean-view environmental gem on Kangaroo Island, the Galapagos of Australia. It’s exquisite in every way.

Speaking of eco, check out Bay of Fires Lodge. Walk across an amazing stretch of Tasmania, and you’ll arrive on a cliff-edge lodge opened in 2000 with the express purpose of “protecting the present for the future by maintaining bio-diversity, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting place.”

As the world economy is reborn, Australia is one of the value countries for US travelers right now. The US dollar is stronger against the AUS dollar than it has been for many years—all the more reason to get out of Dodge and Go Down Under.

Australia has been rated #1 in the hearts of US travel dreamers since I can remember. Rightly so. Go. Lift a pint or two with a local. Take in an Aussie Rules football match. Do your own personal Walkabout. From that day forward, whenever you hear the strains of “Waltzing Matilda,” a happy fair dinkum smile will return to your heart!

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Walk…Walk…Walk—today, tomorrow, and on holiday. Don’t waste your next vacation on speed (which is probably an oxymoron). Stretch it—and your legs—on a walking vacation. No special equipment required, and you’ve been doing it since you quit crawling. When you walk, your body and soul get lost in the present. If you can ambulate, you can perambulate!

Take A Hike—In Surprising Slovenia

Kathy Moyer Dragon, Dragon’s Path/Active Women founder and ever pioneering, resourceful, and authentic walking sprite, introduced her Hiking Tour to Slovenia by quoting Lonely Planet: “Rich in resources, naturally good looking and persistently peaceful, Slovenia’s been doing just fine (flourishing, even) since breaking away from its Yugoslav owners in 1991. Travelers in search of an antidote to much of Europe’s crowds and high prices can, at least for the meantime, consider it their little secret…” Say no more; I’m there!

But first, let’s get out our maps.

East Europe meets West in a country with historic Hapsburg and Venetian influences (refer to your political map.) Slovenia’s Alps, the easternmost part of the range, are called The Julian’s. They’re wild, beautiful, deeply loved, and have the good sense to sun themselves by facing the Adriatic (see your topographical map). Slovenia’s people prove themselves warmhearted, and friendly; they appreciate their relative affluence, their family and community based society, and their particular brand of Catholicism (see your demographic map). When I visited, we sang, danced, and ate together in peoples’ homes, mountain huts, vineyards (oh yeah), and country restaurants or gostilnas (see your food and fun map).

Maps, though instructional, are flat. Slovenia is anything but, making it a perfect location for hiking. Kathy has an outgoing, fun-loving spirit that attracts similarly minded travelers to walk with her. She makes friends everywhere (she’s an ambassador of the best sort) and her travelers benefit from her friendships. She appreciates the texture and substance of small town and country life, and delights in finding the local finds. (She invited the local squeezebox musician to dinner at our farm house/guesthouse one night. Whoopee!) Kathy’s energy is boundless, so don’t go expecting a stroll. Her walks are energetic and sometimes personally challenging, but never anything that you can’t do or choose not to do. After all, a challenging walk makes reaching those high meadows more rewarding, and the cold Slovenian beer back down in the valley more inviting!

My family jokes that wherever I’ve just been is “the best trip ever.” But in this case, hiking in Slovenia really is on my short best list.

Last I heard, Kathy was walking the paths of Northern Vietnam and Laos. Catch her if you can at Active Women. She does custom trips and if you’re lucky, you can join her on one of her personal joy walks.

“Basque” In The Basque

Like a page-turning mystery novel, the Basque has a richly complex cast of characters, an intriguing back story, and sharp and delicious sensory experiences to offer. Cathedrals are filled with silver and gold treasure, mountain passes are shrouded in mist, and ancient pilgrimage routes are haunted by millions of believers. The blend of politics and religions makes for lively, zealous dialogue.

That’s the Basque, a wonderfully mysterious corner of Spain that is politically, physically, culturally and linguistically (if not officially) autonomous. Here is a country within two countries that hasn’t succumbed to the neon of Hard Rock Cafe’s and McDonalds. As I walked this dramatic countryside, I breathed in the fresh air of a place neither French nor Spanish. It’s Basque.

Country Walkers is one of a very few travel companies that knows the secrets of the Basque and will share them with you if you care to explore by foot. After an afternoon of walking through high Pyrenees meadows, I was able to distinguish the different musical timbers of bells worn by sheep, cows, goats and horses. What a sweet symphony they made when they all came together, some from near, some from a distance. One morning that would culminate at a Rioja wine cellar, I allowed my eyes to paint an Impressionist’s canvas from the blue, yellow, pink and green flowers growing wild beside the path. I raised my eyes to an open field, elevated just enough that all I could see was green. Curious, I climbed the incline and discovered that the field was alive with orange poppies. No faxes, no phones, no cars, no yesterday, no tomorrow. Just orange poppies.

One day we chose a harder walk through a Merlin-like forest. A dense mist obscured our way; the path was narrow and steep with boulders punctuating the grade. I leaned heavily on my space-age metal walking stick, keeping my eyes down, watching each foot placement. Sweat mingled with mist. For half an hour, the angle upward was at least 60 degrees. And suddenly, I reached the top. A breathtaking valley spread out before me: a distant village, a shepherd with crook (yes, with a crook!) tending his sheep. Then clouds lifted and we had a picnic on the grass. Strenuous exertion stimulated our appetite and thirst—we passed around a wine skin and the laughter of my companions flew up to the hawks soaring overhead.

There’s a here and now to the Basque people. Everyone’s related; everyone knows one another. It only takes one visit to the Basque pie stand on the market square to be considered a friend. We drank coffee in their homes, danced in sidewalk cafes with wedding-party revelers, leaned against a village bar for a schnapps-like fortifier, sang at the tops of our lungs at the Basque cooking club, and learned the tongue-twisting Basque language in a family wine cellar amid great hilarity. What made it even more fun was sharing the experience with like-spirited travelers who came together for a walk in the Basque.

Alberto, my man in the Basque, remembers walking the back hills and vales of this land with his father. He met the farmers, innkeepers, and priests of his secluded, fabled country and learned to appreciate and eventually communicate to visitors the subtleties, innuendo, and mystery behind the enigma that is Basque.

Country Walkers has chosen to help travelers walk throughout the world. They, like me, love the pace and peace of walking. Walking is certainly a meditation, definitely a belly laugh, obviously an exercise, and most assuredly, the best way to feel fully awake and alive in the moment.

Just Google Walking Tours and you’ll be overwhelmed with possibilities. Here are a couple more favorites.

Walking Vacations:

Country Walkers

Butterfield & Robinson

Austin Lehman Adventures

Backroads

Classic Journeys

English Lakeland Ramblers

Walk Locally—some are free for the downloading:

Dwell

Big Onion

SF City Guides

Portland Walking Tours

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We usually think of a voyage of discovery in terms of traveling to new places, seeing new landscapes. I certainly do. I’ve spent much of my life visiting new places, discovering what goes on there and who hangs out there. It’s my passion!

But Proust suggests that the real voyage of discovery is not accomplished by visiting or revisiting new places. He suggests that real discovery comes through having new eyes.

New eyes means seeing in a new way, with new insight, and from different perspectives, with a different focus. In doing so, we embark on a voyage of discovery in an entirely new dimension. Who knows?—we may stumble upon dragons (friendly, of course) swimming in this new sea! Beginning a voyage of discovery by definition means that we don’t know what we’ll find, that the voyage is unpredictable. And what makes it unpredictable isn’t that we haven’t been there before, but that we’re seeing with new eyes.
I like this idea; it appeals to me, and I can apply this to everything that I do, and to the world at hand. If we focus on discovering the world through new eyes, we can view recent events on Wall Street, Main Street, and even Pennsylvania Avenue in new ways. Certainly, we can travel the world with new eyes.

Voluntourism Translates An Old Idea Into A New Context

Journeying to extend the hand of kindness, understanding and compassion is as ancient a reason to travel as travel itself. Now we refer to this type of travel as Voluntourism. The opportunities are endless. In a world flattened by technology, world markets, air travel, and a 24/7 news cycle, we all know how much need exists. When curious travelers address this need, the results can be stunning. For a few hours, days, or weeks, travelers can offer up soft or hard skills, whether physical, technical, or social. Swing a hammer. Sort through recycled lumber. Read a book. Hold a child. Paint a school. Ride a bike. Count ants by day. Count turtles by night. Or simply take a trip knowing that part of the proceeds are going towards good causes.

This type of travel, once cynically characterized as Do-Gooder Travel, is now so mainstream that it’s almost overlooked. Behind every responsible travel company is a flow of cash that supports the communities in which they operate. Many offer programs that are wholly devoted to or include time to give a little back to people, plants, and animals; that support shelter, education, conservation, and sustainability.

Look at Natural Habitat Adventures. In the 1980s, fluffy white harp seals were endangered because the economy of the Magdalen Islands off the coast of eastern Canada depended on harvesting these animals. Nat Hab’s founder, Ben Bressler (who comes from a family of attorneys), took on the task of changing the Islands’ economic focus: instead of killing the seals with clubs, inhabitants built a sustainable economy by protecting the seals and creating a then emerging eco/nature-travel business. The islanders receive money in the long term by preserving the resource rather than destroying it in the short run. Still a hallmark expedition, Natural Habitat has educated thousands of travelers by giving them a first-hand experience of eco-tourism, and has kept money flowing to the Magdalens.

Today, Nat Hab is a poster organization for what you can do with sound business practices, a big heart, and an eye to what makes long-term green sense. It is the first carbon-neutral, worldwide travel company that also offers a choice of conservation benefits. Taking it to the next level, they have developed a practical way to not just neutralize, but reduce their footprint by including hybrid safari vehicles in their fleet—that run on used cooking oil! (Photo ©SMorello & Natural Habitat)

As Ben pointed out, Escape Adventures, specializes in active travel in western North America, also offers hybrid vehicles. “This company is a leader in the field and has become a collaborator and mentor to us,” he said.

Incorporate Volunteering Into Your Travel

Olaf Malvar is a pioneer—and a real-deal explorer. His brainchild, Explorers’ Corner, is a referral-only, high-end specialty adventure company. If the prospect of kayaking the Antarctic Peninsula, trekking the Caucasus Mountains, or paddling between the Galapagos Islands whets your travel appetite, then this is your community of dreamers and achievers. Olaf and his company support the indigenous peoples in their locales, especially the northern tribal communities, a fact that isn’t publicized on their website or in their newsletter.

Myths and Mountains, an inspired travel company that focuses on the people and cultures of the world’s high altitudes, was founded by Dr. Toni Neubauer who has a love for Asian travel. Toni also created READ Global, a nonprofit global organization dedicated to empowering communities by increasing literacy and access to education through the creation, advancement and leveraging of a replicable library-based model for sustainable economic development—in other words, it draws on the “teach a man to fish” model that reaches deep into the fabric of a people. This year, READ Nepal received the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation 2006 Access to Learning Award. Toni also received the Walk the Talk Global Citizen Award. As a result of Toni’s efforts, you can go library to library with M&M on their Mountains, Monkeys and Books visit in Nepal. (You can also motorcycle the Ho Chi Minh Trail of Vietnam!)

Here are some other organizations that promote voluntourism:

Global Volunteers, headquartered in Minnesota. Bud Philbrook, an attorney, got hooked back in the 1980s—on his honeymoon—and eventually developed this amazing little company.

Classic Escapes works closely with alumni and non-profit organizations through their Global Philanthropy projects in Africa, Latin America, and Jordon. Founder Stacy Fiorentinos is passionate about bringing the world closer.

Cross-Cultural Solutions combines international travel with philanthropy. It’s perfect if you want to focus on service, adding travel on the weekends or before/after you volunteer. You can also check out uVolunteer.

If you want to feel good about the world, yourself and your travels, hop into a vegetable-fueled vehicle, pick up a paint brush, offer up your professional services and see the world with new eyes.Photo ©SMorello & Natural Habitat)

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If your winter’s weekend-away was based on cocktail party chatter, pay attention.

If this summer’s family holiday is based on the great time your neighbors had last year, whoooa there! Sit yourself down because we’re about to have a conversation.

That most precious of commodities—vacation time—deserves counsel wiser than that of an in-law! (Not to disparage in-laws, but really…)  When it’s time to escape the everyday and indulge in the diversions of travel, the wise traveler asks, “What kind of a traveler am I?” Unless you share your neighbor’s travel DNA, don’t assume you share the same vacation life-style. In fact, assume that you don’t!

Create Your Traveler Profile

Dr. Stanley Plog, researcher and author, developed a travel personality test that asks what kind of traveler you are. Were you the first to have an I-Phone or are you waiting for the bugs to be worked out? Are you the one who throws the big party or are you a couple-close-friends-for-a-quiet-dinner type? When the pressure’s on, do you handle stress with ease or does it gnaw at you, leaving you anxious and sleepless?  Your answers could help you determine which of the highly touted or discretely described destinations in the world are best for you—and allow you to crumple that cocktail napkin notation of someone else’s idea of what’s divine.

To find your profile, take the test at the top of the page on Best Trip Choices.* Have your travel partner take it too!

This test isn’t the ultimate answer. No traveler is all-daring-all-the-time or its opposite. But knowing what kind of traveler you are—and,  oh my gosh, knowing what kind your travel companion is—could save you from some seriously nasty moments while sharing an over-water bungalow in Tahiti or while pony trekking in Iceland! The flip side, of course (and this is the best news) is that understanding your profiles can also lead to travel bliss. Push your type a little and you’ll grow as a traveler. Step completely outside of it (or travel with one who’s your dead opposite) and you’ll be yanking your hair out.

Part II.

Wisely, I fled the deep freeze of this year’s brutal North American winter to enjoy sun and summertime in South America, one of my favorite continents. I took in a new spot and revisited a favorite.

Valparaíso, Chile was the supply port for 19th century ships sailing around the Horn, a stop on a voyage that might have started in Amsterdam and continued in New York before the final push to San Francisco Bay in those bad old pre-Panama Canal days. Now it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a funky, funiculared, labyrinth of a city with steep hillsides rising from the busy and colorful port (Muelle Prat). The ascensores (literally, the ascenders or funiculars) will whisk you up to charming neighborhoods tucked into trees, winding streets and original, colorful architecture. Just 72 miles from Santiago’s airport (about 90 minutes), it’s a very do-able, cool-breeze alternative to steamy summers in Santiago. And yes, there’s a little bit of a San Francisco vibe.

At the architecturally distinguished ZeroHotel, I was welcomed by the sophisticated José Mujica and Carolina Medina to a two-year-old gem with just nine individually decorated rooms. If you dig antiques, you’ll adore the saved and refurbished chandeliers, original doors, and outrageously high ceilings. If you’re a minimalist, you’ll appreciate the best of everything, essentials-only design features, such as 400-thread count Egyptian cotton bed linens. Are you into the contemporary art scene? The commissioned works of French-born Thierry Defert (nicknamed Loro Coirón) will have you asking for an introduction. Carolina will give you a docent’s tour of his xylographic technique, character-filled street scenes.

Step outside and the street art (it’s hard to call it graffiti) will amaze you. Peña Oltra’s “eyes” mural is just one of hundreds that caused me to stop and think, “This place is so cool!” The city is a canvas! Are you a foodie? Try the cheesecake for breakfast. Since Zero is breakfast only, exploring the emerging culinary scene is an easy task, though reservations at Pasta e Vino Restaurant can be difficult to come by. (Have Zero make a reservation for one of the six coveted tables there.)

Urban and chic, Zero is a home and it feels that way. I’m returning to room #7 on a New Year’s Eve to watch the fireworks from all around the bay. Bring on the champagne!

Discover—And Rediscover—Easter Island

Do not be confused: Rapa Nui, Isla de Pasqua, and Easter Island are one and the same. This eastern-most island in Polynesia is properly known as Rapa Nui, her Polynesian name and that of her people and language. Easter Island is the European/English name, having been claimed for king and country by Dutch explorers on Easter Sunday morning, 1722. Isla de Pasqua is her Chilean español nombre, as she lives under the flag and protection of Chile despite her yearnings (and political movement) for autonomy.

No matter what she’s called, this is one incredibly interesting island. The sculpted stone Moai stand sentry along her coast (all 900 of them), making Rapa Nui a gem in the world’s crown of important archeological sites. When you visit (and you must) take time to savor this special place and her extraordinary people. The island will beg you to linger, so throw away the 2 or 3-day tour that too many people follow and get in rhythm with the universe. You couldn’t be further from the rest of the world, so leave it behind.

There is no better place for lingering than at the newly-opened Explora Lodge on the Easter Island. Whatever kind of traveler you are, you’ll find something at Posada de Mike Rapu (another name for the same place) to engage you. It’s architecturally stunning, and discretely tucked into a copse of trees in the lee of Maunga Te Miro Oone, 7 miles from the only town, Hanga Roa. Built to the international environmental standards of LEED, it honors the island. (LEED: U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) The food is artfully prepared and wines come from the owner’s vineyards. Comfortable bedrooms feature huge windows looking to the Pacific.

Explora is a way of travel that has inspired three acclaimed lodges in Chile. Rapa Nui has equally amazing, fully inclusive sister lodges in Patagonia (the southern tip of South America) and San Pedro de Atacama (the northern high desert near Bolivia). On this remote little island, Explora has achieved its stated philosophy of “travel born out of the desire to explore—for ourselves and our guests—the natural and cultural environment of remote regions…a vital experience…a feast for the senses and repose for reason.” When you go on daily journeys with on-staff Rapa Nui guides, they are taking you through their personal landscape. In the shadow of the Moai, you will hear tales both scientific and traditional. The political conversation I heard about autonomy reminds me that the desire to be free and proud is alive everywhere.

Three years ago I first visited the island of Rapa Nui and it was amazing. My return, this time in the care of Explora, was extraordinary.

____________
RESOURCES

Websites:
www.zerohotel.com
http://www.fotolog.com/perseus1969/38216657
www.islandheritage.org
www.usgbc.org/LEED
www.explora.com

Quiz:
Plog Travel Personality Quiz:  www.besttripchoices.com

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