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Transcript of Travelers Insider
Travelers Insider
Stay in a Tree House
Amsterdam
I Dream of Africa
Table of Contents
Stay in a Tree House … 4
Amsterdam …. 11
I dream of Africa …. 13
Travel News …. 18
T
When looking for
accommodations for a
vacation, staying in a
tree house isn’t what
normally pops into
persons mind. When
you say “tree house”
most people envision a
crude structure put
together out of some
gapping 2 x 4 planks of
wood and glassless
windows. But that is
certainly not the way of
the modern tree house.
The modern, luxury tree
house comes with king
size beds, full
bathrooms, sitting areas
and balconies with a
view. However if you
are looking for
something a little more
rustic you will have no
problem finding
something to fit your
taste as well.
Tree Houses
Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort– Belize
This Caribbean Sea beachfront property is a secluded, intimate resort perfect for discovering Belize. Its 9 luxury tree houses are raised on stilts and set in the coast forest surrounded by orchids and birds.
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The Great House which is reminiscent of a plantation home, is the heart of the resort and where you will find the lobby, gift shop, restaurant, bar and wrap-around veranda. You can also enjoy a refreshing swim in the curved, freshwater infinity pool or maybe just go for a stroll in the lush gardens. You can also take advantage of the full service scuba diving and snorkeling center.
All the tree houses come with private porches, hair dryers, bottle water, safe, are en suite, and have air conditioning. Other amenities vary by room. Rates run from $251 per night (dbl occp.) to $690 with $35 for each additional person.
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Tree Houses Hotel - Costa Rica
The Tree Houses Hotel is perfect for when you want that
rustic feel but don’t want to give up all the comforts of a
hotel room.
The tree houses come with a full bathroom, air
conditioner, safe and refrigerator yet they still retain that
rustic, natural feel. Located in the Costa Rica jungle, the
tree houses have great viewing balconies and are often
visited by monkeys and toucans. Some come with open
showers, are split level, full size beds or family size.
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Prices range from $87.00 a night to $150 a night (dbl occupancy & $15 for each additional person) with prices
being slightly higher from Christmas through New Years. Price includes a full breakfast and access to the 70
acre wildlife refuge complete with waterfall and dipping pools.
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Tongabezi – Zambia
The luxurious Tongabezi tree house boast of amazing views of the Zambezi River. The beautifully decorated,
exotic tree house includes a king size canopy bed with air conditioning and plenty of space for private dining
and lounging. The bathrooms pride and joy is it’s the open claw footed bath. The resort is all inclusive with
activities including canoeing, an island lunch, Sanpan floating candlelit dinner, Mukuni Park, sunrise & sunset
boating, Victoria Falls, bush walks, museum tours, fishing, game drives and trips to the Maramba Market.
Rates start at $620 per person, per night.
Marc’s Treehouse Lodge
Marc’s offers rustic yet comfortable accommodations. Some tree houses are en suite while others have
bathrooms just outside the tree house. They come with mosquito netted beds, electric fans and private decks
which overlook either the Klaserie River or the Breakfast Dam.
They are located on the Motlala Game Reserve where there is an abundant of wildlife. The tree houses are
spread out so have the feeling of being secluded.
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Since Marc’s is located on a game
reserve animals are free to roam
about so this is the perfect place
when you want a really African
wildlife experience. These are basic,
not luxury tree houses which also
makes them a good bargain. Game
drives can be taken right from the
lodge and with their package deals in
conjunction with Viva Safari’s, meals
are included as well as your pickup in
Johannesburg which makes them
very convenient. No phone or
internet connection is available since
you are out in the middle of the
African bush. A small bar is available
in the mail building/lobby.
Package deals are available, contact
lodge for rates.
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Amsterdam is able to perfectly mix its 17th century
charm with modern conveniences. The narrow
streets, canals, bridges and squares are exactly
what visitors hope to find.
Amsterdam started out as a small fishing village
with the waters around it controlled by a system of
dykes and polders. The young township soon
became the chief trading city of northern Europe
and in the 17th century a massive trading empire.
Known for its gable houses, the city has the
highest museum density in the world with
museums such as the Van Gogh Museum,
Heritage Amsterdam and the Rijkmuseum with
Rembrandt’s world-famous Nightwatch.
Amsterdam is also rich is World War II history
and no visit to the city would be complete without
a tour of the Anne Frankhuis where 13 year old
Anne Frank and her family along with four other
people hid for two years during World War II in
order to escape Nazi extermination.
Visitors enter through the hidden staircase
behind the revolving bookshelf just as Anne and
the others did in 1942. The rooms are now empty
except for Anne’s film star pictures still pinned up
on the walls and Otto Frank’s model of what the
annexe looked like during the occupation.
If you are planning to visit the annexe get there
early, over 500,000 people visit the museum a
year. But don’t let that discourage you from
going. It is a historical and moving experience
you will not want to miss.
Amsterdam
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When people think about Amsterdam they often
think of tulips and flowers and justly so.
Beginning in late January and peaking around
mid-April, beautiful varieties and colors of tulips
can be found in and around Amsterdam. Tours
to the tulip fields and gardens can easily be made
right from the city. One of the
most popular places to see the
tulips is at the Keukenhof Gardens
with over 7 million bulbs in every
imaginable color and variety you
will want to make sure you have
plenty of memory in your camera.
You can also visit a flower auction
and watch buyers from all over the
world bid on some of the
most beautiful flowers you will ever
see. The variety and color of flowers are
amazing. You can walk along the catwalk inside
the warehouse and marvel at the sights and
smells.
There are plenty of good places to eat no matter
what your budget is. You will find everything
from a retro 70’s restaurant to South American
food and if you prefer something a little more
familiar you will even find a McDonalds.
However, one thing you may be surprised not to
find at the local Micky D’s are seats. There may
be a couple of chairs but mostly there are just
stand up tables. When the Dutch say fast food
they mean fast food, and that means no time for
sitting.
But since you’re in the Netherlands you may
want to try more traditional meals. A traditional
Dutch breakfast usually consist of bread, cold cut
meats and cheeses along with sweet spreads such
as hagelslag, vlokken and muisjes. Don’t worry
the names aren’t as scary as they sound.
Hagelslag are chocolate sprinkles, Vlokken are
chocolate flakes and muisjes are tiny candies or
sprinkles made primarily from aniseed and sugar.
You will find lunch doesn’t differ much
from breakfast. With both meals there will
be plenty of cheese, the Dutch are famous
for their cheese especially Gouda, Edam and
Leyden.
If you want a traditional dinner you may want
to try some like Zuurkoolstamppot which is
sauerkraut mashed with potatoes and served
with fried bacon or sausage, Hutspot made with
carrots, potatoes and onion and served with
meat or perhaps some Andijviestamppot which
is rave endive mashed with hot potatoes and
served with fried bacon. Of course the big
question here is what is endives! But no
worries it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds, it’s a
leafy vegetable belonging to the daisy family.
Amsterdam is also a great launching point for
visiting other European cities which are easily
accessible via the Euro rail. Paris, France is
just 3 hours away by train, Frankfurt, Germany
is 4 hours away and London, England is only 2
hours away.
Amsterdam is the perfect blend of old world
charm and new world modernization. Giving
visitors that feeling of stepping back in time
but with all the modern conveniences.
Who could ask for more.
12
I Dream of Africa A trip review by Cindy, California
From the time I was a little girl I had the desire to travel. Growing up my family didn’t have
money for traveling so I didn’t get to start traveling until I got a job and could pay for it myself.
I have worked long and hard for every trip I have taken and on the top of my bucket list was
Africa. I had been waiting since I was a young girl to take this trip so it had a lot to live up to. I
was afraid too much to live up to, maybe I had built up the expectation of it so high there was no
way it could live up to it, especially on my budget. This was going to be a short trip on a tight
budget but if I was going to get to Africa this was how I was going to have to do it. So with
more excitement then I can describe, I packed up myself, my husband and teenage son up and
headed to South Africa.
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I had booked a 6 night package with Viva Safari’s, a local tour company
(http://www.vivasafaris.com). I choose them because they had excellent prices with an itinerary
that focused on seeing the animals which was what we were interested in. We arrived in
Johannesburg the day before our tour was to begin and spent our first night at a hotel near the
airport. After breakfast at the hotel we were to be picked up at 9am by somebody from Viva
Safari’s. I was a little nervous about whether anyone would actually show up or not. I had heard
terrible stories from travelers who used local tour companies but I had done a lot of research on
this company and could not find a single
complaint about them but still I couldn’t
help but be a little nervous. As it turned
out I had nothing to worry about, as our
driver and guide showed up in the lobby
at 9am sharp. We were picked up by a
van and after a couple of stops around
the city to pickup other guests we were
on our way. After about three hours of
driving we stopped for lunch and then
continued on for about another 3 hours.
We stopped at Tremisana Game Lodge,
where we would spend our first night.
Tremisana is a fenced lodge in the Balule section of Kruger Park. It has 15 chalets and 2
guesthouses. The grounds are beautiful and quiet except for the mischievous monkeys who like
to break into the kitchen area and play with the pots and pans. Dinner was served outdoors,
buffet style around a big table. Our first game drive was taken shortly after arriving at the lodge
and the sunset drive did not disappoint. We saw rhinos, giraffes, a lion, wildebeest, zebra,
impala and a number of other animals.
The following morning after breakfast we set out on a morning game drive in our open
Landcruiser. After returning to the lodge we had some lunch, relaxed at the lodge for a while
and then on to Mark’s Treehouse Lodge, which was about an hour’s drive. The lodge is located
on the Motlala Game Reserve. We arrived at Marc’s in the evening and after a short orientation
on what to do if we come across any animals on the trails around the lodge, we were escorted to
our treehouses. The long dark walk, via a dimly lit trail, to our treehouse was a little intimidating.
I just kept asking our escort, how far out are we? I could see why you needed a guide to show
you to your treehouse, we would have never found it on our own.
14
There is no fence around the lodge area. We were deep in
the South African bush on a game reserve and the animals
were free to roam, right up to your front door if they wanted
to. The tree houses were spread out so you really got the
feeling you were all alone.
Our tree house was on an embankment, there were about 6
steps made out of small round tree branches, which made
them awkward to climb. The outside deck overlooked the
river. The sound of the river at night was very soothing.
After being escorted to our treehouse we were told dinner
was being served so we had just enough time to drop off our
suitcases and take a quick look around and then head back up
to the main building. After walking for several minutes, we
passed another treehouse. We looked at it and realized it was
ours. Somehow we had walked in a complete circle. We
were so lost. Fortunately, someone came walking by and
showed us the way.
The treehouse walls were made of thin pieces of bamboo.
The walls were pretty solid except in the bathroom where
there were several gaps. In a number of places you could
actually see outside, so it’s a good thing we didn’t have any
neighbors.
The bathroom was a bit ruff, I don’t think I was ever in there
alone. There was always some creature in there with me.
Several times I showered with lizards.
At the top of the walls was about one foot of chicken wire
which kept out the mischievous monkeys. The floor was
made of wide wooden planks. You could actually see the
ground through the gaps in the floor boards. Frogs were
constant visitors in the treehouse. There weren’t took many
bugs, we went at the beginning of June and the beds were
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equipped with mosquito nets. Though I did bring a can of Off and spray it around the beds at night and we had
no problems with bugs at night.
We were told by the manager the first night if the treehouses were too extreme for us they did have some
bungalow style rooms we could stay in instead. They also have tents you can stay in. I loved the treehouse
but you really are roughing it. There is no heat, no air conditioning ( just a ceiling fan), no TV or phones. So
if you needed something you couldn’t just pick up the phone and call, you had to actually make the trek up to
the main building and there really wasn’t much there once you got there.
16
The walk to the main building wasn’t much less scary in the day time. There were often Impala,
Kudu, and Nyala along the trail. One night about 15 minutes after returning to our treehouse after
a group of hyena’s came by. They are very loud.
Each morning when we got up we could see foot prints from
all the animals that had come by during the night. We often
heard the animals at night but sometimes it was hard to tell
what they were. One night we heard a noise that sounded like
a woman’s scream. The following morning our guide told us
it was a warthog being attacked by a leopard.
Breakfast and dinner were included in our rate. Breakfast
was served on a deck alongside the river. The monkeys
usually came by to see what was for breakfast. They love
the homemade muffins. They are incredibly smart and often
worked together to distract us while one of them jumped up
on the table to snag a muffin.
Dinner was served under a covered patio alongside a fire. All of the guest ate together, it was
very nice. All the food was delicious.
Marc’s is just a few minutes from Kruger Parks Opren gate. We took daily game drives right
from the lodge as well as a game walk. The tour also included a trip to an animal rehab center.
Marc’s Treehouse Lodge was not only a great bargain but
also a great place to stay for the real bush experience. I
absolutely loved it and would highly recommend it. I do
recommend bringing a small flashlight since it can be pretty
dark walking around at night and also a bottle of Off.
My trip to South Africa lived up to everything I had hoped
it would be and so much more. It really was the trip of a
lifetime.
17
Travel News Smoking on Cruises
In the spring of 2014, Cunard
Line will begin banning
smoking on cabin balconies
aboard the Queen Elizabeth,
Queen Victoria, and Queen
Mary 2.
As of November 15, 2013,
Disney Cruise Line will no
longer allow smoking on
stateroom verandas. Violators
will be charged a $250 cleaning
and maintenance fee. Smoking
will also be banned from all
interior spaces and will only be
allowed at specified outdoor
deck locations, which will vary
from ship to ship.
In early 2014, Seabourn Cruise
Line will ban smoking in all
cabins on all ships. Smoking is
banned on the balconies of the
Seabourn Legennd, Seabourn
Spirit, and Seabourn Pride but
will be allow on the balconies
of the line’s other ships.
Passengers will still be able to
smoke cigarettes in bars and
lounges and on the starboard
side of the ship. The new
policy will ban the smoking of
cigars and pipes except on open
air decks.
Current Travel Warnings
Korea, Democratic People's
Republic of 10/01/2013
Kenya 09/27/2013
Turkey 09/06/2013
Lebanon 09/06/2013
Pakistan 09/06/2013
Iraq 09/05/2013
Algeria 08/23/2013
Afghanistan 08/23/2013
Egypt 08/15/2013
Haiti 08/13/2013
El Salvador 08/09/2013
Yemen 08/06/2013
Saudi Arabia 07/25/2013
Mali 07/18/2013
Niger 07/15/2013
Mexico 07/12/2013
Philippines 07/05/2013
Somalia 06/21/2013
Israel, the West Bank and Gaza
06/19/2013
Honduras 06/17/2013
Chad 06/11/2013
Libya 06/07/2013
Nigeria 06/03/2013
Iran 05/24/2013
Mauritania 05/21/2013
Cote d'Ivoire 05/16/2013
Eritrea 05/10/2013
Central African Republic
05/10/2013
Congo, Democratic Republic of
the 04/24/2013
Burundi 04/22/2013
Sudan 04/16/2013
Colombia 04/11/2013
Republic of South Sudan
03/29/2013
Tunisia 03/13/2013
Syria 03/01/2013
Jet Blue’s New Premium
Service
Jet Blue is introducing its new
business class intercontinental
service, Mint. With fares starting
at $599 each way, Jet Blue feels it
is making its premium service
available to everyone.
Mint will feature a pre-departure
drink, followed by a cocktail and
amuse-bouche once airborne. The
on board menu has been created by
famed restaurant Saxon + Parole.
They will also be the only U.S.
airlines to offer customized
amenities kits for men and women
created by Birchbox which will
change throughout the year.
Mint will also feature lie-flat beds
and four private suites.
18