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Biking Japan, Cruising Puget Sound, Exploring Indonesia, Railroading White Pass and more…


Weird, Wild & Wonderful

 

Hot wheels

Leave it to Mercedes-Benz to come up with the ultimate (in status, at least) two-wheeled dream machine. Its new limited edition Z mountain bike is kind to the environment and the derriere. With a US$3,950 price tag, it is a little heavy on the wallet, but it weighs in at just 22.5 pounds. Fully collapsible, it can be transported in its custom travel case and takes 10 minutes to reassemble when you are ready to rumble. It features a Shimano XTR drive-train with 27 speeds and Rapidfire shifting. Available exclusively at Mercedes-Benz dealers.

Biking the Japanese Alps and beyond

Books and movies like Memoirs of a Geisha and Snow Falling on Cedars have reawakened our desire to take another trip to Japan. So many of the things we would like to see and do are included in Butterfield & Robinson's new biking and walking expedition through feudal Japan that we are drooling over the trip profile in their Trip Guide 2000. This 8-day/8-night journey of contrasts starts with a rendezvous in modern, bustling Tokyo then proceeds by train to the scenic foothills of the Japanese Alps where the biking and strolling begin. From the mountains it is on to the remote Noto peninsula through the fishing villages and rice paddies. The journey worthy of its own memoir finishes in the elegant palaces, gardens and temples of Kyoto. Departures are available in March, April, September and October. The cost is US$5,750 ($700 single supplement). For details, visit the website: www.butterfield.com or call 1-800-678-1147 to receive a catalogue.

April in Aspen anyone?

Hardcore adrenaline junkies will probably have their fill of snowy mountains by April, but for the rest of us the combination of long sunny days and warm temperatures when there is still plenty of snow on the ground is irresistible. If you can find a package deal on lodging and lifts it is even better. A seven-night/six-day lift ticket package at the small and intimate, centrally located Hotel Aspen in Aspen, Colorado, for example, is $727 ($104 per person/per day). A similar package at Wildwood Lodge in Snowmass Village is $623 ($89 per person/per day). If your technique needs a little polishing, the Ski and Snowboard School of Aspen is one of the best in the world. One attraction in addition to skiing and snowboarding is the Aspen Filmfest at the Wheeler Opera House April 5-9. The National Synchronized Skiing and Snowboarding Championship Competition is also held in April, exact date to be announced. Click back and enjoy www.skiaspen.com, or call Aspen Skiing Company at 1-800-525-6200.

Seeing Europe blossom by blossom

A glance at the barren trees and dead landscape outside a frosted window sends the imagination reeling toward spring gardens in full bloom. Even before your own garden comes to life, you can be off to Holland when bulbfields are at their peak, or to Northern Italy when the azaleas and rhododendrons are ablaze in the landscapes of lakefront villas. In May there is the Chelsea Flower Show, in June it's Monet's Garden when the hydrangeas are top heavy with showy clusters. These are among the itineraries available from Lucas & Randall's Gardens of Europe tours. The focus is on first-class, small group tours to gardens large and small, private and public, famous and unknown. In many cases, the owners or their head gardeners conduct the tours. The personalized, flexible itineraries provide free time to absorb the unique atmosphere of each location. Call 1-800-505-2505 for a 16-page brochure.

Argosy Cruises goes overboard on fine dining

 

Need a fresh idea on where to take mom on Mother's Day? Seattle's Argosy Cruises and Consolidated Restaurants have teamed up to take cruise ship dining to a whole new level with the launching of their fine dining cruise ship on May 6. Consolidated Restaurants, Inc. is the owner/operator of Elliott's Oyster House, one of the top-rated oyster bars in the United States, The Metropolitan Grill, recognized as one of the top 10 steakhouses in the country, and many other landmark restaurants. Argosy is the largest private and public cruise company in Washington State. Seasonal menus will showcase such Pacific Northwest favorites as wild Chinook salmon, Dungeness crab cakes, center-cut filet mignon and desserts to live and die for. The fine dining cruise ship will operate from Pier 55/56 on Seattle's central waterfront and will offer guests two- to three-hour cruises around Elliott Bay and Puget Sound. Prices for meals will range from about US$65-$75 per person, based on the day of the week. Group prices for corporate events, holiday parties and such will vary according to the size of the group and day of the week. For details, contact Argosy Cruises at 206-623-1445, or visit the website: www.argosycruises.com.

 

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

Indonesia beyond Bali

We went off the deep end celebrating the millennium, but for those of you who still have untapped reserves of wild energy and love to scuba dive or commune with nature, we recommend a vacation in Amanwana. This exclusive wilderness hideaway is located on the Indonesian Island of Moyo in the aquarium-like Flores Sea. Its dive center specializes in night diving, deep diving and underwater photography and offers courses from beginner to advance, open water, rescue dives and dive master. The Amanwana Nature Experience includes five nights' accommodation with meals and various add-ons ranging from a waterfall excursion to a beachside massage. Your Boy Scout tent never looked like the ones you will find at Amanwana. They are large, luxurious and air-conditioned -- like something Cleopatra may have set up in the Egyptian desert. Rates until March 31 begin at US$3,000. Round-trip airfare (Denpasar-Sumbawa-Denpasar) is US$300 additional. For details or reservations, contact Amanresorts Indonesian Reservations Office: Tel: (62-361) 771-267, e-mail: amanres@indosat.net.id, or visit the website: www.amanresorts.com.

Seize the day

Want to feel some white sand between your toes while everyone else is shoveling snow? Need to get in touch with your inner birdwatcher, or just want a revitalizing winter break without crowds of people? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you have until Feb.10 to take advantage of Amelia Island's Midweek Retreat. You'd be amazed at how many things there are to do on this gentle barrier island at the top of Florida's northeastern shore. Stay two nights and get the third night free or stay one night and the next night is 50 percent off. Accommodations range from beachside villas to cozy bed and breakfasts. Ten-percent discounts are available at participating restaurants, boutiques, and adventure venues offering bike rentals and sailing excursions. Amelia Island can be reached by commercial or private aircraft, motor and sailing vessels or by car from Interstate-95. If you are a vintage car buff, you might want to wait until March 9-12 for the Concours d'Elegance, the classic car show held at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island and The Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach. For details on Midweek Retreat call 1-800-2AMELIA, or visit the website: www.ameliaisland.org. For more information on Coucours d'Elegance, call 904-596-6231 or see their website at www.classiccarshow.com

Haute barge trips for a whole lot less

Premier Selections, which represents a wide choice of fully-crewed luxury hotel barges in Europe, is offering reduced rates of as much as 29 percent on many cruises at the start of the season in April. Two vessels even offer mid-summer savings. For example, the all-inclusive rate for a one-week itinerary in the six-passenger Saroche along the canals of The Camargue and Provence is US$2,500 from April 2-May 6, double occupancy. Ordinarily, these cruises are up to $3,500 per person. On its April 19-May 9 Burgundy cruises, the 14-passenger Luciole offers a per person rate of $1,950, a 26 percent savings off the high season rate. Meander in the lap of luxury at three-miles per hour and explore the countryside by foot, bicycle or minivan. Hot air ballooning is an option on some itineraries at an additional cost. All barges can be chartered for groups. For more information, a copy of the 2000 brochure European Luxury Hotel Barge & Specialty Cruises, or reservations, contact your travel agent or call Premier Selections at 1-800-234-4000. Visit the website at www.premierselections.com.

Wrap up a travel bargain plus an antique or two

 

Save a few pounds on your hotel and you have that much more to spend at the British Antique Dealers' Association (BADA) annual fair. That's the way we look at it. One way to do so and still enjoy luxurious accommodations is to purchase Royal Garden Hotel's BADA Fair Package. The three-day, double occupancy package during fair dates March 22-28 is priced at US$900 per couple. Included are accommodations, continental breakfasts, two general admission tickets to the antiques and fine arts fair, tickets to neighboring Kensington Palace and its Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection that currently includes 14 dresses once worn by the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Guests to the fair have an option to attend one of the top social events of the London season, a black-tie charity gala usually attended by a member of the Royal Family as guest of honor. The antiques show is held in Cheltenham Terrace at the Duke of York's Headquarters in Chelsea. About 90 British dealers will exhibit their finest furniture, paintings, drawings, glass, ceramics, clocks, textiles, silver and jewelry. To book the package or for more information, call 1-800-987-9317 or access www.royalgdn.co.uk/. Tickets for various talks, demonstrations, dinner and the charity gala should be purchased in advance by calling BADA's international toll-free number 1-877-872-0778. For additional information on the antiques fair, visit the website at www.bada-antiques-fair.co.uk.

 

ADVENTURE TRIPS

Hitting the ropes corporate-style

Corporate training experts in Palm Springs, Calif., have opened a brand new ropes course facility that makes similar corporate team-building programs look like yesterday. The Uprising Outdoor Adventure Center and Aquarius Training & Development have worked together to develop the new High Adventure Rope Course Team Building facility as part of an integrated program of high ropes challenges and academically-based problem solving exercises designed to deliver high energy camaraderie, cooperation and fun for work groups who need to work better together. Uprising also has a broad range of other outdoor adventure programs. Groups from five to 500 can schedule half-day to three-day programs. Contact Paul Blanchard (Uprising) 1-888-254-6266 or Bart Berry (Aquarius) 1-800-328-5776.

Steamy celebration planned in snowy Yukon

Courtesy of White Pass & Yukon Route Millennium madness and Y2K are a thing of the past, but a centennial ride on WP&YR (White Pass & Yukon Route) Railway is yet to happen. It has been a hundred years since Alaska was first connected to Canada by narrow gauge rail, linking the tidewater port of Skagway to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. It isn't too early to make a reservation for the golden spike ceremony to be held July 29, 2000 in Carcross, Yukon to mark the completion of the railway. Railroad buffs will have the opportunity to witness a 'steam meet' between two restored steam locomotives. Passengers on the WP&YR ride in refurbished parlor cars and new train cars. Various excursions are available during spring and summer months. The route cuts through some of the North's most ruggedly breathtaking terrain with names like Pitchfork Falls, Inspiration Point and Dead Horse Gulch. The 8.5-hour, 80-mile roundtrip excursion from Skagway to Lake Bennett, B.C., is mountain railroading at its best. Or opt for the shorter, 3-hour White Pass Summit Excursion that climbs 2,865-feet in just 20 miles. Hikers on the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail can use the rail service to return in comfort to Fraser, B.C., or Skagway. The WP&YR was designated an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1994. Roundtrip tickets for the Lake Bennett Adventure, including lunch, are US$128 for adults, US$64 children 3-12. Write or call: White Pass & Yukon Route, P.O. Box 435, Dept. B, Skagway, AK 99840, Tel: 1-800-343-7373 or 907-983-2217, or visit the website at www.whitepassrailroad.com.

Plain of Jars: caveats and no caviar

Copyright Irene PloegIndochina Services, a leading ground operator for Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, recommends travel to the Xieng Khouang Province and the Plain of Jars in Laos only if you have traveled extensively in underdeveloped regions and know what to expect. Though the huge megalithic jars carved out of granite and weighing up to six tons are an archeological wonder well worth seeing, the Plain of Jars area has no electricity so hotels operate on generators. Local staff, although friendly, doesn't have much experience dealing with foreigners. Indochina Services can be reached in San Francisco at 415-434-4015 or e-mail: usa@indochina-services.com.

Argosy Cruises goes overboard on fine dining

Need a fresh idea on where to take mom on Mother's Day? Seattle's Argosy Cruises and Consolidated Restaurants have teamed up to take cruise ship dining to a whole new level with the launching of their fine dining cruise ship on May 6. Consolidated Restaurants, Inc. is the owner/operator of Elliott's Oyster House, one of the top-rated oyster bars in the United States, The Metropolitan Grill, recognized as one of the top 10 steakhouses in the country, and many other landmark restaurants. Argosy is the largest private and public cruise company in Washington State. Seasonal menus will showcase such Pacific Northwest favorites as wild Chinook salmon, Dungeness crab cakes, center-cut filet mignon and desserts to live and die for. The fine dining cruise ship will operate from Pier 55/56 on Seattle's central waterfront and will offer guests two- to three-hour cruises around Elliott Bay and Puget Sound. Prices for meals will range from about US$65-$75 per person, based on the day of the week. Group prices for corporate events, holiday parties and such will vary according to the size of the group and day of the week. For details, contact Argosy Cruises at 206-623-1445, or visit the website: www.argosycruises.com.

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

Indonesia beyond Bali

We went off the deep end celebrating the millennium, but for those of you who still have untapped reserves of wild energy and love to scuba dive or commune with nature, we recommend a vacation in Amanwana. This exclusive wilderness hideaway is located on the Indonesian Island of Moyo in the aquarium-like Flores Sea. Its dive center specializes in night diving, deep diving and underwater photography and offers courses from beginner to advance, open water, rescue dives and dive master. The Amanwana Nature Experience includes five nights' accommodation with meals and various add-ons ranging from a waterfall excursion to a beachside massage. Your Boy Scout tent never looked like the ones you will find at Amanwana. They are large, luxurious and air-conditioned -- like something Cleopatra may have set up in the Egyptian desert. Rates until March 31 begin at US$3,000. Round-trip airfare (Denpasar-Sumbawa-Denpasar) is US$300 additional. For details or reservations, contact Amanresorts Indonesian Reservations Office: Tel: (62-361) 771-267, e-mail: amanres@indosat.net.id, or visit the website: www.amanresorts.com.

Seize the day

Want to feel some white sand between your toes while everyone else is shoveling snow? Need to get in touch with your inner birdwatcher, or just want a revitalizing winter break without crowds of people? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you have until Feb.10 to take advantage of Amelia Island's Midweek Retreat. You'd be amazed at how many things there are to do on this gentle barrier island at the top of Florida's northeastern shore. Stay two nights and get the third night free or stay one night and the next night is 50 percent off. Accommodations range from beachside villas to cozy bed and breakfasts. Ten-percent discounts are available at participating restaurants, boutiques, and adventure venues offering bike rentals and sailing excursions. Amelia Island can be reached by commercial or private aircraft, motor and sailing vessels or by car from Interstate-95. If you are a vintage car buff, you might want to wait until March 9-12 for the Concours d'Elegance, the classic car show held at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island and The Golf Club of Amelia Island at Summer Beach. For details on Midweek Retreat call 1-800-2AMELIA, or visit the website: www.ameliaisland.org. For more information on Coucours d'Elegance, call 904-596-6231 or see their website at www.classiccarshow.com

Haute barge trips for a whole lot less

Premier Selections, which represents a wide choice of fully-crewed luxury hotel barges in Europe, is offering reduced rates of as much as 29 percent on many cruises at the start of the season in April. Two vessels even offer mid-summer savings. For example, the all-inclusive rate for a one-week itinerary in the six-passenger Saroche along the canals of The Camargue and Provence is US$2,500 from April 2-May 6, double occupancy. Ordinarily, these cruises are up to $3,500 per person. On its April 19-May 9 Burgundy cruises, the 14-passenger Luciole offers a per person rate of $1,950, a 26 percent savings off the high season rate. Meander in the lap of luxury at three-miles per hour and explore the countryside by foot, bicycle or minivan. Hot air ballooning is an option on some itineraries at an additional cost. All barges can be chartered for groups. For more information, a copy of the 2000 brochure European Luxury Hotel Barge & Specialty Cruises, or reservations, contact your travel agent or call Premier Selections at 1-800-234-4000. Visit the website at www.premierselections.com.

Wrap up a travel bargain plus an antique or two

Save a few pounds on your hotel and you have that much more to spend at the British Antique Dealers' Association (BADA) annual fair. That's the way we look at it. One way to do so and still enjoy luxurious accommodations is to purchase Royal Garden Hotel's BADA Fair Package. The three-day, double occupancy package during fair dates March 22-28 is priced at US$900 per couple. Included are accommodations, continental breakfasts, two general admission tickets to the antiques and fine arts fair, tickets to neighboring Kensington Palace and its Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection that currently includes 14 dresses once worn by the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Guests to the fair have an option to attend one of the top social events of the London season, a black-tie charity gala usually attended by a member of the Royal Family as guest of honor. The antiques show is held in Cheltenham Terrace at the Duke of York's Headquarters in Chelsea. About 90 British dealers will exhibit their finest furniture, paintings, drawings, glass, ceramics, clocks, textiles, silver and jewelry. To book the package or for more information, call 1-800-987-9317 or access www.royalgdn.co.uk/. Tickets for various talks, demonstrations, dinner and the charity gala should be purchased in advance by calling BADA's international toll-free number 1-877-872-0778. For additional information on the antiques fair, visit the website at www.bada-antiques-fair.co.uk.

ADVENTURE TRIPS

Hitting the ropes corporate-style

Corporate training experts in Palm Springs, Calif., have opened a brand new ropes course facility that makes similar corporate team-building programs look like yesterday. The Uprising Outdoor Adventure Center and Aquarius Training & Development have worked together to develop the new High Adventure Rope Course Team Building facility as part of an integrated program of high ropes challenges and academically-based problem solving exercises designed to deliver high energy camaraderie, cooperation and fun for work groups who need to work better together. Uprising also has a broad range of other outdoor adventure programs. Groups from five to 500 can schedule half-day to three-day programs. Contact Paul Blanchard (Uprising) 1-888-254-6266 or Bart Berry (Aquarius) 1-800-328-5776.

Steamy celebration planned in snowy Yukon

Courtesy of White Pass & Yukon Route Millennium madness and Y2K are a thing of the past, but a centennial ride on WP&YR (White Pass & Yukon Route) Railway is yet to happen. It has been a hundred years since Alaska was first connected to Canada by narrow gauge rail, linking the tidewater port of Skagway to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. It isn't too early to make a reservation for the golden spike ceremony to be held July 29, 2000 in Carcross, Yukon to mark the completion of the railway. Railroad buffs will have the opportunity to witness a 'steam meet' between two restored steam locomotives. Passengers on the WP&YR ride in refurbished parlor cars and new train cars. Various excursions are available during spring and summer months. The route cuts through some of the North's most ruggedly breathtaking terrain with names like Pitchfork Falls, Inspiration Point and Dead Horse Gulch. The 8.5-hour, 80-mile roundtrip excursion from Skagway to Lake Bennett, B.C., is mountain railroading at its best. Or opt for the shorter, 3-hour White Pass Summit Excursion that climbs 2,865-feet in just 20 miles. Hikers on the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail can use the rail service to return in comfort to Fraser, B.C., or Skagway. The WP&YR was designated an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1994. Roundtrip tickets for the Lake Bennett Adventure, including lunch, are US$128 for adults, US$64 children 3-12. Write or call: White Pass & Yukon Route, P.O. Box 435, Dept. B, Skagway, AK 99840, Tel: 1-800-343-7373 or 907-983-2217, or visit the website at www.whitepassrailroad.com.

Plain of Jars: caveats and no caviar

Copyright Irene PloegIndochina Services, a leading ground operator for Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia, recommends travel to the Xieng Khouang Province and the Plain of Jars in Laos only if you have traveled extensively in underdeveloped regions and know what to expect. Though the huge megalithic jars carved out of granite and weighing up to six tons are an archeological wonder well worth seeing, the Plain of Jars area has no electricity so hotels operate on generators. Local staff, although friendly, doesn't have much experience dealing with foreigners. Indochina Services can be reached in San Francisco at 415-434-4015 or e-mail: usa@indochina-services.com.