Come and See the Lava -- Big Island Hawaii
By Bob Starink
The Big Island of Hawaii doesn’t have the glitz of Oahu but it does have the volcano. Kilauea, with its ongoing lava flows, is a major enticement away from the beaches of Honolulu.
We stayed in Hilo, the capital and closest city from which to visit Volcanoes National Park. We opted for a morning helicopter flight to study the big picture before heading out by car at ground level. We also went with the Doors-off Experience, the idea here being that you can actually feel the heat coming from below as you fly.
Let me say it’s a very small helicopter (the pilot, two more in the front and two in the back). I had the prime position up front but I’ll admit it was unnerving having a whole bum cheek hanging out the side flying over 3,000 feet above the ground. Also, while the copter is definitely worth the $225 per person, you are at the mercy of the volcano’s whims. While naturally not wishing anyone harm, you do hope for lava spurting into the sky and rivers of red flows gushing down the slopes. You might fluke this happening, but more likely you will have a slow day like we did. You will see lots of steam but very little red. The magnitude of the volcanic country is impressive, though, and you will definitely appreciate the activity you do see from such a fine vantage point.
Back at the airport, it’s into the rental car (very necessary here) and off to explore. Volcanoes National Park is 40 minutes from Hilo and offers many walks around and into craters. A short walk through the Thurston Lava Tube demonstrates what is happening elsewhere on an active scale. The drive down Chain of Craters Road to the coast covers vast lava fields and continues till the road stops where it has been cut by previous lava flows. A lookout over the water here shows the craggy coastline and a lava arch. There is a long walk into the distance along the coastline which we knew from the helicopter would not be worth the hours it would take.
We ventured down the less touristy Route 130 through Pahoa to check out the other end of the road that stops. This ended up being a good move. From a parking area, local volunteers tell you what’s happening further down the road. That day there was a fresh lava breakout. The 20-minute walk had more to see than the lava at the end of it. There are occupied houses built on the lava fields, strange structures often surrounded by only black rock. The insurance premiums here must be extreme. (One was for sale. No thanks.) We reached the breakout, and from a safe distance we witnessed fresh lava seething to the surface, causing bushes to catch alight and flowing (very slowly) in our direction, the molten bright silver rock as it cooled a living contrast to the rough dead crusts evident on the walk there.
Take the scenic route along the coast going back to Hilo and see a greener part of the island with pretty houses you may really be tempted to buy.
While on the Big Island, we also participated in a quad bike tour with ATV Outfitters on the North Kohala coast. If you have time, this is an exciting excursion riding over farmland, through gulches and up and down hills to see a more inviting shoreline. They also offer tours into the hills for a swim beneath a waterfall in a mountain pool.
If you go:
Jetstar offers cheap flights to Hawaii from $500 one way. Honolulu to Hilo with Hawaiian Airlines is around $80 including taxes. Volcanoes National Park costs $10 per car entry. A seaside ATV tour is priced at $129 per person and takes just under two hours. Hilo is on the wet side of the island with the ritzy resorts all on the dryer, far side near Kona, so accommodation in Hilo is basic. We stayed at the Dolphin Bay Hotel, not flash but clean and comfortable for $125 per night.
For more information see www.paradisecopters.com and www.atvoutfittershawaii.com.
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Planned, Polished and Proud
By Keith Langston
ITWPA Member
“Please -- no photos in this area!” The announcement is firm as our guide leads the way along the glassed corridor. On either side are large rooms containing stainless steel machinery and white-coated workers who ignore you. The corridor ends abruptly. Though fascinated with activities in the sterile rooms, you are not here primarily to observe. A sweet velvety fragrance has engulfed you. It brings a sense of pleasure and salivating anticipation, and perhaps a hope for over-indulgence. 
You are touring the Haigh’s Chocolates factory, established in 1915 and just five minutes from Adelaide city center in South Australia. The tempo increases with the fragrance as you enter the free tasting area. Chocolate frogs, fruit centers, truffles, fudges and bars! Sparkling glass counters contain trays of mouth-watering, exquisitely-decorated delights. While savoring a rich, polished liqueur center, you are already eye-balling a powdered chocolate truffle. Tucking a large pack of chocolate truffle seconds (cheapskate?) into your pocket, you depart for the city coach tour.
A planned “square mile” grid is the layout for Adelaide, which was founded for free settlers in 1836. Broad parklands on all sides are a defensive measure around a low-rise city. Wide boulevards and squares offset gracious Victorian sandstone buildings. The Torrens River meanders by. Wonderfully diverse food markets lead off Victoria Square and it’s the perfect spot to pick up a cheap lunch of fruits, cheeses, bread, nuts and cold meats.
Persecuted religious minorities fled here in the mid 1800’s, shaping Adelaide and bestowing the moniker “City of Churches.” Festivals, long beachfronts, chocolates and a proud wine and food culture are Adelaide’s heritage today.
Your hand slinks into your pocket -- time for a truffle.
Next day you’re on a coach to the Adelaide Hills and the wine-producing Barossa Valley. Jacob’s Creek Winery boasts an expansive tasting room and restaurant with high glass walls. At the time of our visit, mellow views stretched over the colorful autumnal vineyards on the rolling hills. The winery is a major exporter of reds and whites, but the sampling glasses are far too small!
At boutique Langmeil Winery the vineyards richly displayed autumn’s salute to summer. There is a cold wind as we dive into an historic stone cellar featuring old wine barrels. We learn that phylloxera destroyed European vineyards in the 1800’s, and Cellar Door Manager Jonathan Bitter informs us that this is therefore probably the world’s oldest vineyard.
Quality wine from the world’s oldest vineyard? That deserves a truffle!
In the rolling green Adelaide Hills you discover a lovely small town built of colored stone. In 1839 German settlers founded Hahndorf. The architecture is Germanic, the climate Mediterranean. And meals are heavenly at the Hahndorf Inn.
Inside, the inn’s warm and old-fashioned timber beams and stained-glass windows add to the charm. About 80 diners are tucking into German dishes accompanied by a small band dressed in lederhosen and playing... yes, German music. Platters delivered to nearby tables torture you. The cold weather has sharpened your appetite and local wines and beer further enhance the pangs.
The coach back to Adelaide is buffeted by cold rain squalls and the country outside is a blur, but you already know that the locals are proud of their heritage.
Now is a good time to settle back for that last truffle.
Coach tours by Sealink Travel Group: http://sealinktravelgroup.com.au/transport/
If you go:
Grand Chifley Hotel is close to the tram running between city and beach: http://www.grandchifleyhotels.com.au/adelaide/grand-chifley-hotel-adelaide/
Ask about cheaper accommodation next door at “The Chifley.”
Sugar Cane Restaurant near the Chifley hotels has the best Vietnamese cuisine at 408 King William Street. Phone: 8212 9638
In Glenelg (take a tram to the beach), try The Strand Restaurant at 108 Jetty Road -- it’s popular and bound to please. Phone: 8376 9222
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Romantic Getaway in the Rain Forest
By Janet and Ron Stager
(Ron is an ITWPA Member.)
We have always tried to take a trip to celebrate our anniversary. This year, since we live in Costa Rica, we went to a resort nestled in the rain forest on a mountain across from the Arenal Volcano called The Lost Iguana Resort. When you first arrive you notice the buildings are so well-designed and constructed that they blend into the rain forest all around them and look like they belong there.
In the registration area we got our first pleasant surprise. The receptionist asked if we wanted to upgrade our room to a suite with a Jacuzzi on the deck at a nominal increase in cost. You cannot imagine anything more romantic or relaxing than a long soak in an outside Jacuzzi surrounded by jungle.
Imagine our delight when we entered our suite to find a large, comfortable room with brightly-colored jungle-motif linens on the bed, bamboo lamps, and all-natural décor. On the bed was a display of “Kissing Swans” with red flower petals scattered around it, all made out of towels.
On the wet bar was another piece of towel art shaped like a heart, with a bottle of wine and glasses, a “Lost Iguana” photo album to put our own pictures in, and a card wishing us a Happy Anniversary. Every day we were treated to a different display of towel animals on the bed. It was exciting to come into the room to see what we would find.
The complimentary breakfast offers hot entrées and cold. They serve a variety of fresh tropical fruits, robust Costa Rican coffee and various juices, all in an open setting -- no walls, no windows, just jungle all around you. On our first morning a beautiful blue bird perched on the back of a chair, allowing us to come close enough to get good pictures. This bird had obviously been there before. I watched as a young couple left their table to return to the buffet and the bird swooped down to snatch a piece of muffin left on a plate. Every day there is something unique to the jungle that you notice.
We found the rain forest is very aptly named -- it rained part of every day we were there. The volcano was not visible because of the clouds and there was no lava flow to watch. It gets more active later in the year. The hotel is well-prepared for all the rain, though, and has umbrella stands everywhere with lots of umbrellas for guests to use. Or, if you don’t feel up to a walk up and down the hills in the rain, you can call the desk and a cart arrives to take you where you want to go protected by the convertible top and sides.
On our actual anniversary we made reservations to enjoy a “his and hers” full body wrap and massage. The staff pamper you in every way possible, right down to preparing tea for you to sip while you cool down after the sauna and warm shower. Nothing is done in a hurry. This was total relaxation. On returning to our room, another surprise! The spa staff had flowers with a card placed on the bed with the towel art.
This resort offers many more services that we did not have time to take advantage of, so we plan to return. We would love to try to find our way out of the maze or go for a hike to see what we can see of the flowers and fauna.
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A Feast for the Senses in Northwestern France
By Ida Giroday 
If you like beaches, seafood and mild temperatures, Brittany’s stunning Crozon peninsula will bewitch you!
Start the day by exploring Europe’s largest geological site, with breathtaking cliffs and mile-long beaches, or trek through pine forests and moors of heather. Perfumes exhaled by beautiful nature all around you will sweep you away, no matter what season.
Then get fresh fish and seafood from the open air market in Crozon, the main (small) town of the area. I got my langoustines (Dublin bay prawns) for $10 a pound and they were steamed in front of me. Add organic fruits, vegetables and dairy products from local farms to your basket and you’ll want to do it all over again the very next day!
Alternatively, the small harbor of Morgat, five minutes down the hill from Crozon, hosts excellent seafood restaurants such as Saveurs-et-Marée -- or, for a more diverse menu and excellent pizzas, try Les Flots. Both are oceanfront.
Then it’s time for a well-deserved dessert at l’Espadon, a crêpe and ice cream oceanfront bar in Camaret, after a lovely 20-minute ride through the peninsula’s countryside. But beware, servings are large!
Don’t miss strolling the cobbled, narrow streets in the artsy quartier Saint Thomas. Pop in some art galleries. The very special light here attracts artists from all over the world and you’ll find some very nice and affordable pieces to bring back home.
For accommodation you’ll easily find small hotels either by the ocean or in the countryside, and charming local stone houses called penty can be rented for as little as $260 a week depending on the season. 
How do you find this gem? The Crozon peninsula is an easy 45-minute drive from the city of Brest. And Brest is only an hour’s flight from Paris (or a four-hour train ride if you prefer). Renting a car and getting over is easy on a great expressway and you’ll enjoy seeing signs always translated in the local Breton language.
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How to Find a Local Tour Guide Before Travelling
By Robert Blessing
I like to connect with local people: to talk about their points of view, thoughts, customs and culture, and to experience the local culture as it is and not how mass tourism companies masquerade it. The best option to do this for me is to hire a local private guide who is knowledgeable, easy-going and likable. Private tours last at least a couple of hours and if the local tour guide isn’t likable and knowledgeable in my fields of interest, the encounter won’t be of much value for either of us.
So, how to find a local tour guide and get in touch with him or her before travelling?
Of course you can go to your travel agency around the corner and hire a private tour guide. But that’s not satisfying.
First of all you won’t get to know more about the guide than his first name. And you probably won’t be able to contact the guide directly ahead of time to inform him about your travel interests and wishes. So the local guide can’t customize the tour for your special interests because he doesn’t know them. The encounter at the meeting point is then like a blind date. You do not know anything about each other: what kind of person he is, what are the expectations, etc.
But thanks to the new possibilities of the internet there are some good websites helping travellers and locals connect with each other. Tour guides get their own profiles with information about themselves. (And, on some sites, there is also information about guiding experiences, guiding education, unique tours offered, etc.) User reviews show the service quality of the local tour guides.
These websites help local tour guides to make themselves and their unique adventures public to a broader audience and to get direct market access. Therefore the local guides get higher wages than those typically paid by mass tourism companies. As there are no middlemen the prices are still lower than what travellers normally pay at their travel agency. Other industries (for example, the coffee and chocolate industries) are calling this approach fair trade. The travel industry is calling this approach local travel. The key values of local travel are:
-- Respect the local culture, local heritage and local people.
-- Make unique experiences together with local people and save money by spending it locally.
-- Be sensitive to the local environment.
One site where you can connect with local, independent tour guides in a more personal way is LocalGuiding.com. You’ll find personal tours around the world and get to know the local guides behind each tour. Tours are linked to the guides’ personal profiles. There you’ll find reliable information about the person guiding the tour.
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