December 2009

This interactive crossword puzzle is no longer available online.

This month’s winner is LISA ROBERTIELLO of Valencia, California:

During a visit to Ireland in 2000, my husband and I enjoyed overnight accommodations at a working farm in the southwestern area of the country. In the morning, as I assisted the farmer’s wife with clearing the breakfast dishes, we chatted about the differences between our daily lives.

Upon entering her kitchen, I had noticed her oven was several feet away from any wall, which, being used to cooking with gas or electricity, seemed a bit odd to me. Not so for those using peat bricks as fuel.

9-day/8-night tour of Peru, May 28-June 5, 2010, includes volunteer project in a Sacred Valley village. Highlights: visit ruins, markets in Sacred Valley/camp at Aruraycocha Lake/weaving demonstrations/hot springs/train to Machu Picchu. Land only, $2,640. PLAY it Forward Adventures (St. Paul, MN; 651/493-8817, www.pifadventures.com). 

10-day/9-night NAMIBIA tent safari. Highlights: black rhino in Torra Conservancy/at Hoanib River, elephants, lions, giraffes, oryx/meet Himba herders/in Hartmann’s Valley, Fairy Circles/crocodiles in Kunene River. Land only, $6,412. Single supp., $330. Kunene Conservancy Safaris (Box 8255, Swakopmund, Namibia; phone +264 [0] 81 149 0399, fax +264 [0] 64 40 6136, www.kcs-namibia.com.na).

14 days/13 nights, March 16-31, 2010. Highlights: swim with dolphins in Christchurch/hike and kayak in Abel Tasman park/horseback ride in Palaroa National Park/helicopter to Fox Glacier/nature cruise on Milford Sound. Land only, $5,595. Adventure Women (Bozman, MT; 800/804-8686, www.adventurewomen.com).

15-day/14-night cruise-tour of VIETNAM and CAMBODIA. Highlights: Hanoi/two-night Ha Long Bay junk cruise/Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei/at Tonle Sap Lake, embark on seven-night river cruise/sail to Phnom Penh/Cai Be floating market/Ho Chi Minh City.  Land-cruise, from $3,048. Single supp., from $1,549. Amawaterways (Chatsworth, CA; 800/626-0126, www.amawaterways.com).

13 days/12 nights. Highlights: in Beijing, Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City, hutong tour by pedicab/Great Wall/Xi’an Terra Cotta Warriors/Guilin limestone caves/bamboo raft ride on Li River/Shanghai. Land only, $9,580. Single supp., $2,920. Internal air, from $1,065. Imperial Tours (San Francisco, CA; 888/888-1970, www.imperialtours.net).

21 days/20 nights in OMAN and YEMEN. Highlights: four UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Oman’s Bahla Fort and Frankincense Trail plus Yemen’s old walled city of Shibam and Old City of Sana’a/desert tent camping/remote beaches on Socotra Island. Land only, from $7,690 (with four travelers). Single supp., $1,580. Bestway Tours & Safaris (Burnaby, BC, Canada; 800/663-0844, www.bestway.com).

14 days/13 nights, June 1-15, 2010. Highlights: hilltop villages in Provence/the Riviera (Antibes and Cannes)/Villa Rothschild/MONACO day trip/in ITALY, boat to Portofino/medieval streets and Roman ruins in Sirmione/Venice/Milan/Lake Como. $6,399 from New York or Boston. Single supp., $1,250. Olde Ipswich Tours (Ipswich, MA; 978/356-5163, www.ipswichtours.com).

8 days/7 nights in Provence, FRANCE, April 19-26, 2010. Highlights: stay in a traditional mas (farmhouse) near Avignon and take five three-hour classes in traditional Provençale kosher cooking. Visit markets. Meet with local Jewish community. Land only, $3,500. Single supp., $550. Inland Services, Inc. (New York, NY; 212/794-1400, www.cookeuro.com).