Features

by Fritz Oelrich, Stafford, VA

For years I’ve been reading about the trains of South Africa — The Blue Train and those of Rovos Rail and Shongololo Express — with great interest. If you’re not worried about cost, take The Blue Train. If you want to wear a coat and tie to dinner, use Rovos Rail. But if you want a bargain, go with Shongololo Express.

In May ’06, I saw an ad in ITN from Wild African Ventures (Shadow Hills, CA; 800/358-8530, www.wildafricanventures.com) featuring Shongololo Express trains. I contacted Deborah Urquhart and she sent lots of information. (You can...

by Andrea Granahan, Bodega, CA

Several times while in Peru, I felt as though I had reached the end of the world. Upon reaching the island of Amantani on Lake Titicaca, I felt that way again. Not only had we traveled far into the Andes to get to the lake, we had been riding for hours in a boat across the vast body of water.

Our day on the lake coincided with the first rainy day we had had in three weeks. Even though it was Peru’s spring, the rain was cold and the winds, sharp.

We all remember Lake Titicaca from school because of its funny name (which is the Aymara word...

by Ed Kinney, Contributing Editor

On return flights from Europe, my wife, Moreen, and I often looked down from the sky in awe at the subtle montages of Iceland and the massive ice fields of Greenland, both islands surrounded by the blue Atlantic. We would ask ourselves why we hadn’t visited either place, especially since they are relatively close.

Early in 2006, we began searching the Internet and perused ads and comments in ITN about both islands before we selected Iceland Saga Travel’s 12-day “Magic of Iceland Tour” with a 3-day extension to eastern Greenland for August ’...