Dear Reader,

You know boredom isn’t going to be a problem when preparation for your river rafting trip includes practicing a tricky technique for falling out and being bounced back into the raft. This month’s Travel Post starts out with a white-knuckle white water rafting expedition on the Zambezi River.

Our next writer takes us for a ride on the Train to the Clouds, a railway line between Argentina and Chile that has 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, two spirals and two zigzags. The route seems to head straight for the heavens, past small Andean villages and ruins of thousand-year-old civilizations.

A restaurant in an alley/city parking lot doesn’t sound like anyone’s first choice. But Lazy Lunch is a “must-eat” for Easton, Maryland, insiders.

Last month we took a tour of Juneau in Alaska, one of the USA’s most inaccessible and undiscovered states. Now we’ll get an equally comprehensive view of the quiet little harbor town of Haines, Alaska, with its expansive natural setting, outdoor adventures, and a few surprises, including the quirky but world-famous Hammer Museum.

Fair winds and following seas,

Janette Jones
Editor, Travel Post Monthly

This month’s featured stories:

• Shooting the Zambezi - The mighty Zambezi River is 1,678 miles long and crosses five countries before it reaches Mozambique and empties into the Indian Ocean. Below Victoria Falls the river has carved out the Batoka Gorge, providing world-class white water rafting opportunities.
• Train to the Clouds - From April to October the “Tren a las Nubes” (“Train to the Clouds”) cuts a stunning swathe across the high peaks of the Cordillera de los Andes, from the city of Salta in ­­northern Argentina, through the Valle de Lerma, entering the Quebrada del Toro, and arriving finally at La Puna.
• Eclectic Eatery for Easton Insiders - Nestled next to the alley behind Easton, Maryland’s South Washington and South Harrison Streets in what amounts to a city parking lot are Columbia Restaurant Group’s Lazy Lunch and L.L. Bakery. Normally, one would think that a restaurant in an alley/city parking lot would be lacking character, style, and panache.
• Haines, Alaska: One of the Last True Bastions of Small Town America - The small town of Haines nestles peacefully, overlooking the remote shores of Alaska’s pristine, 90-mile Lynn Canal -- the longest fjord in America. Haines lies at the base of the fog-shrouded Takshanuk and Chilkat Mountains.