Vol. 24 No. 10 December 2006 - The Travel Society

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fortable seating in the window orfrom the private deck using providedbinoculars, you can view seals in theriver below. Pacific waves crashsending spray skyward and theincoming tides make patterns on thesandbar. The rate for this unexpectedluxury? $80, with a second nightavailable at half-price. There arestores and an art gallery in Gualala,one of the few towns on this stretch ofcoast line.For a truly private get-away on“the Wild Sonoma Coast”, considerTimber Cove Inn, 15 miles north ofJenner or two hours north of SanFrancisco. Some rooms offer oceanviews from your tub, fireplaces, balconiesand skylights. After hikingthe trails, enjoy a drink beside thetowering stone fireplace in the lobbyor merely drink in the serenity of theJapanese garden. The range of pricefor these unique rooms is $78 to $500US. I was relieved to find that holidayingin California was actuallyaffordable in what, for them, is offseasonbut for us is welcome respitefrom our snow, cold and grey time ofyear.Contact details ...Beachcomber Motel in Fort Bragg:707 964 2402 or www.thebeachcombermotel.com.Cliff House Restaurant of FortBragg: 707 961 0255 or www.fortbragg.org.Camping reservation for MendocinoCoast State Parks: 707 937 5804.Wharf Master’s Inn: 707 882 3171or www.wharfmasters.com.Seacliff on the Bluff: 707 884 1213or www.seacliffmotel.com.Timber Cove Inn: 707 847 3231 orwww.timbercoveinn.com.Nancy Macdonald.Toronto, ONWinnipeg AirportLoungeWith regard to the airport lounge issuediscussed in TTS recently, Winnipegwas not mentioned, so I’d like to adda few words. Recently I found myselfwith a long lay-over at the WinnipegInternational Airport. I had heardabout the Palliser Lounge. It’s similarto the Maple Leaf lounges but lessrestrictive. Any plane ticket and $15will let you stay in the lounge all day.Alcoholic drinks and sandwiches aresold at airport prices, but there aremany free “munchies” such as doughnuts,bagels, cookies, fruit and drinks.The easy chairs are comfortable, thereare desks if you wish to work, computerrooms and a TV. It’s a quiet andcomfortable place and well worth the$15 if you have to spend a few hours inWinnipeg Airport.Sonia Simes,The Pas, ManitobaRafting to an Eco-lodge inCosta Rica“Forward, back, get down.” shoutsAntonio, our river guide. The brightblue rubber raft swirls, twists and turnsas we navigate the rapids in CostaRica’s Pacuare River. We wind throughrock canyon walls deep in the rainforest,over rapids sideways, backwards,past a cascading waterfall. The riverwidens, the turbulence ceases and wecatch our first glimpse of the PacuareLodge’s thatched roof bungalows. Ourgear, safely stowed in bright red rubberbags, is unloaded as the manager,Willman Salanos greets us. “There isno electricity,” he warns. “Be sure tocarry your flashlight to happy hour. Itgets dark at six o’clock.”This environmentally sensitivelodge with its nine separate bungalows,set in an untouched tropical wilderness,is the only lodge in the country whereeverything, including most of thewebsiteVisit The Travel Society website www.thetravelsociety.comOur website is fully operational. We always want to improveit and welcome your input.To access the site, the password will be up-dated monthly and will appear on theback page of your Travel Society Magazine within the address box.You can renew your subscription on-line too!4www.thetravelsociety.com
guests, arrive by raft. Designed withthe adventurous in mind, there areplenty of amenities - except electricity.I reach my cabin, set in a garden-likesetting of rare tropical plants and giantceiba trees via a stone path that wendsits way through a swath of lush greengrass.If the screened bungalow with itspolished teak floors, queen sized bed,down filled pillows, plus a candle anda wind-up flashlight on the bedsidetable, spells a unique form of luxury,the bathroom is straight out of Homesand Gardens. Open, with a privacyscreen of dark green foliage, its solarheated hot water flows into a burnishedcopper sink. A lush arrangementof bright red tropical flowersrests beside a wood stand holdinghuge white towels.The owners of this award-winninglodge, a Swiss and a Costa Rican,are serious about preserving the fragileecology. Instead of cutting down theirendangered rainforest to build the bungalows,they brought in wood by raftfrom a sustainable tree plantation.Local Cacebar Indians thatched thepalm leafed conical roofs in their traditionalway. With no electricity, theromantic atmosphere of candles, flashlightsand lanterns melds right in therewith conservation. At happy hourguests gather at the rustic bamboo barupstairs in the main lodge to nibble onyucca chips and trade stories about thetriumphs and pitfalls of travelling.Then it’s time for a candle-lit gourmetdinner served communal style on along table in the lodge’s downstairsdining area. Dinner might includefish baked in plantain leaves with atouch of herbs, white wine and freshcream, coupled with a local specialtyof cassava, fried bread fruit, or wildrice and organic garden vegetables.For a grand finale an organic chocolatetort is served with vanilla icecreamlaced with rum and topped withcrystallized ginger. The river guides,turned waiters, wearing large whiteaprons keep the wine flowing.Unless guests are afraid of heightsthey make the offered canopy tourover the tops of the rain forest … aonce-in-a-lifetime experience. I (a senior,I’d like to add!) scramble up a narrow,steep winding path on the side ofthe canyon to Station One. Jorge, theon-site expert, gives me the safety talkand hands out a helmet, special vestand heavy gloves. Feeling edgy, Iclimb to the first platform high in thebranches of a giant ceiba tree. Theview is astonishing, but the 500 metresof heavy steel wire connecting the stationswas not reassuring. Jorge shoutstres, dos, and – at the sound of uno – Iflew off the platform and found myselfzipping over the canopy of the rain forestto Station Two. By the third stationI relaxed. By the end of my two hoursabove the tree tops I was hooked oncanopy tours.Besides the canopy tour you canhike through the lush rainforest, pastcrystal streams to the neighbouringCacebar Indian village. There Zutkia,the local shaman, describes the firstinhabitants of Costa Rica. Or you canmeander through the gardens to swimin a cool pool underneath a cascadingwaterfall. On another day I rose atdawn for the daybreak tour to learnabout orchids, bromeliads, the orangeflowered amapolis and to add toucansand the Montezuma Oropenduala to mybird list.All too soon it was time to hop inthe raft for the rest of our eighteenmiles on the river. Bags stowed, westrap on our red life jackets and yellowhelmets and within minutes the raft isoff … spinning, dipping, and divinguntil it slips into a safe pool beside thecanyon wall. The current slows and theriver meanders into civilization. Carswhiz over a bridge. Soaked and laughing,we disembark. Our trip ends andthe Pacuare River, rated as one of thefive best rafting rivers in the world,continues its journey to the AtlanticOcean.Pacuare Lodge is managed byCosta Rica Nature Adventures (contactWilliam Cook) 1 800 514 0411 or 1 888PACUARE, www.junglelodgecostarica.com.Guests choosing to arrive byraft are picked up at their San José hoteland brought down to the banks of thePacuare River to board the boat. It isalso possible to reach Pacuare Lodgeby land, first on the hotel’s 4-wheeldrivevehicle, then crossing the riveron a gondola, and then hiking the lastthousand feet (300 m) on a trail thatparallels the river. Visit their websitefor full details and package prices.And the Costa Rica National TouristBoard can be visited at www.visitcostarica.comKatherine McIntyreToronto, ONMembers arerewarded forsharing!The TravelSociety rewardsmembers with subscriptionextensions of varyinglengths for all submissionspublished. So whether youhave a letter with a traveltip or a destination to share,please write to us!ann@thetravelsociety.comor218 - 1033 Bay StreetToronto, ON M5S 3A5Note: If it is possible toinclude wheelchairaccessibleinformation inyour letters and stories Iknow that would beappreciated by many.Thanks! - Ed.Decemember 2006 5
Page 1 and 2: Index for 2006 ... page 20Vol. 24,
Page 3: eaders’lettersMosetlha Bush Camp,
Page 7 and 8: highlights with time to visit some
Page 9 and 10: or ask directions to 375 Rue Descha
Page 11 and 12: DUBAI … GOLD SOUKSANDAQUAMARINE W
Page 13 and 14: A Return to Greecestory and photos
Page 15 and 16: fast during the shoulder season. Th
Page 17 and 18: Cooking up a Storm in Moroccostory
Page 19 and 20: For some, hearing the words “volu
Page 21 and 22: A new tourPerhaps you are one of th
Page 23 and 24: 22 days from $5,995A Traveller’s

Vol. 24 No. 10 December 2006 - The Travel Society

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