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Overview

Introduction

Located about 250 mi/400 km north of Windhoek, Etosha Park is Namibia's best-known tourist attraction and one of the most interesting game reserves in the world because of its unusual terrain. Etosha is a combination of dried lake (salt pan) in the north and grasslands, dense brush and open plains in the south.

Etosha means “great white place,” so named because 25% of the country is covered by a huge salt basin that was an inland lake 12 million years ago.

The sun glints off the 6,500-sq-mi/16,835-sq-km salt pan—a dry, flat, shallow, silvery-white depression—providing an eerie backdrop for wild animals moving through the shimmering haze. Dust in the air adds to the mystery: Everything is slightly indistinct, and since mirages are common, we occasionally found ourselves questioning what we'd really seen. It's widely regarded to be a photographer's paradise, especially during the dry winter months, when wildlife congregates around the artificial waterholes that line the pan, allowing for excellent close-up sightings.

Etosha is home to around 100 large mammal species, among them the elephant, giraffe, zebra, leopard, cheetah, lion, kudu, spotted hyena and black-backed jackal. It is the only reserve where you are likely to see the range-restricted black-faced impala (distinguished from the normal impala by the black blaze on its face) and is also an important stronghold for black rhino.

A checklist of 340 bird species found in Etosha includes local specialties such as white-tailed shrike, and an impressive selection of raptors and ground birds such as bustards.

The prime watering holes are on the southern side of the park, but they're only full after the rainy season (December-March). The Kuvelai River, which feeds Etosha, either floods or dries up completely, vanishing into the sand.

The park is open year-round, but the best time to visit, for both climate and the best photos, is August and September. There are three camping/self-catering rest camps with facilities inside the park (Halali, Namutoni and Okaukuejo) and several private lodges just outside. Okaukuejo has a floodlit water hole for nocturnal viewing.

Overview

Introduction

When the first atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima, Japan, on 6 August 1945, the city became an immediate symbol for the horrors of war. Today, it has several moving reminders of that day of utter devastation.

In the years since the war, Hiroshima has been rebuilt into a fairly typical industrial city (Mazda has a huge factory there). The city is located 175 mi/280 km west of Osaka.

History

Potpourri

Buildings are numbered according to when they were built, not their location on a street. To find a business or home, you may need to do as the locals do: Take the address to the neighborhood police box (or koban)—they're everywhere. You may find maps posted around, but they're of little help unless you read Japanese.

The so-called "eternal flame" that burns in Hiroshima is not actually intended to be eternal. It will be extinguished when the last nuclear weapon is destroyed.

Should you have problems making your English understood by people who claim to speak the language (or difficulty understanding someone speaking it), try writing out your messages. Many Japanese understand written English better than the spoken version.

Location

Cruise ships dock at Ujina Pier, which is located about 2 mi/3 km from the city center. The port is quite industrial, and there are few amenities for cruise-ship passengers. Hiroshima has an excellent tram system, but the nearest stop, Kaigandori, is a 10- to 15-minute walk from the port, through an uninteresting area.

If there are taxis available, take one to the city center and then utilize the trams. When taking the tram, enter from the back and pay at the front when you exit.

Shore Excursions

Most people choose to visit the Peace Memorial Park and Museum. The outdoor park is leafy and has many touching memorials, while the museum offers a realistic view of the grim destruction that resulted from the bomb.

A visit to Miyashima Island to see the Itsukushima Shrine is also a popular shore excursion. To reach the island, take a 20-minute ferry from Ujina port.

Overview

Introduction

Joshua Tree National Park is located just south of the town of Joshua Tree and 140 mi/225 km east of Los Angeles. With trees that look like they jumped from the pages of a Dr. Seuss children's book, the beautiful park is also a rock climbers' oasis—with desert, mountains and wilderness.

After a quick visit to the Oasis Visitor's Center at Twentynine Palms or the Visitor's Center at Joshua Tree, drive to Jumbo Rocks to view the various rock formations and Skull Rock. Or meander through Cholla Cactus Garden and the thorny Ocotillo Patch.

On clear days, which are pretty common, the panorama from Keys View extends beyond Salton Sea to Mexico. There are 12 self-guided nature walks in the park and ranger-guided tours are offered by reservation, including to Key's Ranch, a historic homestead. Permits are available for backcountry camping.

The park is busiest in the winter, most notably with rock climbers. Summer in the park can be challenging during the day because of the extreme temperatures. There are no restaurants, hotels, gas stations or stores in the park, so prepare before you go. There are nine rudimentary campgrounds in the park, but only two of them (Black Rock and Cottonwood) have running water and flush toilets. There are no showers or other modern amenities in any of the campsites. Wildflower season is late February, and spring is a great time for bird-watching. http://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm.

Overview

Introduction

Most travelers find themselves in Moshi because of its proximity to the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. It's from there that trekking companies depart early every morning and head into the Kilimanjaro National Park to commence the climb to the top. The region is particularly fertile because of the volcanic soils and melt-water streams fed by the mountain's snow.

Moshi's other major feature is that all around town and on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro are vast coffee plantations; this is the country's principle coffee-producing center. The beans are auctioned to international buyers at the Coffee Board in town.

Moshi is fairly compact, with the former European administrative areas clustered around the clock tower, while the main commercial areas are southwest of the market. It's a pleasant town to wander around—there are shops, cafes and tour operator offices (you may get some hounding from touts selling Kili climbs)—and most visitors stay there just long enough to arrange their trek up the mountain and to enjoy a hot shower when they get back. Ensure that your hotel will store your luggage safely while you are on the mountain. Moshi is 340 mi/548 km northwest of Dar es Salaam.

Overview

Introduction

Overview

Introduction

Oshkosh is located 80 mi/130 km northwest of Milwaukee on the shore of Lake Winnebago in the east-central part of Wisconsin. Its factory-outlet stores at The Shops at Oshkosh are a shopper's dream, including the factory store where Oshkosh B'Gosh clothing is sold.

When you're done shopping, visit the Oshkosh Public Museum, housed in the historic Saywer House; the Paine Art Center, an English neo-Tudor manor with botanical gardens and an arboretum; and the Grand Opera House, a restored structure that was once the center of social and cultural life in Oshkosh.

In late July, thousands of aircraft converge on Oshkosh for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture, one of the biggest and best airshows in the country. If you can't make it to the July confab, you can still visit the EAA Aviation Museum, which is open daily year-round.

If you follow the shore of Lake Winnebago north from Oshkosh, you'll end up in Appleton, home of the Harry Houdini Historical Center, which covers the life and exploits of the famed escape artist, an Appleton native.

Outdoor attractions include the Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve (a huge expanse—780 acres/315 hectares—of cedar swamp); the Appleton Memorial Park Gardens; and the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers baseball team (a Class A farm team for the Seattle Mariners).

Overview

Introduction

Oshogbo, Nigeria, is one of Africa's most creative art centers and a must-see on any trip to the country. The town is filled with artists working in the style of the Oshogbo school, producing original masks, tapestries, batiks and sculptures, often based on Yoruba folklore. We particularly recommend the gallery of Nike Davies-Okunday—she is one of Nigeria's best known batik artists.

On the outskirts of Oshogbo is the haunting Sacred Forest, also known as the Osun Sacred Groves, a wooded area filled with shrines to the Yoruba gods. For more than 50 years, Austrian sculptor Suzanne Wenger has been renovating and adding to the shrines, making them even more stunning. (Wenger eventually became a priestess at the shrines.) Today it is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its cultural significance. You can pick up a guide who knows the history and the stories behind the shrines.

The best time to go to Oshogbo is during the Osun Festival, which takes place on the second to last Friday in August. 125 m/200 km northeast of Lagos.

Overview

Introduction

Chairman Mao's hometown of Shaoshan, 400 mi/645 km southwest of Beijing in Hunan Province, still draws nearly 800,000 visitors each year (though a far cry from the millions of "Revolutionary Tourists" who visited each year during the Cultural Revolution).

There is an audiovisual museum of Mao's life, and you can also visit his childhood home, which has been restored and furnished with period furniture. Pictures of his childhood and family life are included. Neither site is particularly fascinating, but collectors of Chairman Mao memorabilia will be in heaven. A multimillion-dollar museum was built next to the existing facility and exhibits restored belongings of Mao.

Wrap up your day of red tourism with a serving of Mao-style braised pork. It's said that before the founding of New China, Mao celebrated each of his army's victories with a serving of his favorite dish, which has since grown into something of a local delicacy.

Overview

Introduction

The scenic mountain area of Yoshino, Japan, is famous for its abundance of cherry blossoms, which bloom in a slow-moving wave up the mountain, usually providing visitors a three-week window to see them, unlike the usual weeklong period. It also has several stunning ancient wooden temples and shrines, including Yoshimizu Shrine and Kinpusenji Temple.

The stunning mountainside barely escaped complete destruction when powerful warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi brought 5,000 people there for a massive cherry-blossom viewing party. It rained continuously for three days straight and Hideyoshi, so the story goes, flew into a rage at the local monks, saying that if they didn't do something about the rain, he would torch the entire mountainside. The monks prayed and chanted feverishly all night and, lucky for all of us, the next day was sunny.