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Private Notes
Estelle Bingham starts her exploration of the ancient city of Istanbul at the famous Topkapi Palace, former home of sultans and their concubines. From there she visits the former seat of Christendom, the beautiful Aya Sophia church.
She interrupts her sight-seeing for a day trip to Gallipoli, the site of an infamous World War I battlefield in which thousands of Anzac soldiers died.
Continuing her journey around Istanbul, she visits the opulent Pera Palace hotel, visited by Agatha Christie amongst many others, and has a belly dancing lesson from some gypsies.
She visits the Florence Nightingale museum and has some retail therapy in the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest markets in the world. She takes another day trip to the amazing Edirne Wrestling Festival, with over 1000 well-oiled men competing for the gold belt.
Her last day in Istanbul has her visiting the famous Blue Mosque, and going to see some Whirling Dervishes.
Christina starts her journey in the wine region of Bordeaux, where she gets a very unique beauty treatment: vinotherapy, or wine therapy.
Suffused with colonial history, New England boasts a mixture of Old World Charm and New World sophistication. A visit to New England at this time of year guarantees a fantastic spectacle of autumnal natural beauty throughout the region.
Our journey begins in Plymouth, site of the first Pilgrim community in America, where Megan visits the restored Plymouth Plantation. From there she heads to Boston, the lively and cultured hub of New England. She passes by the Boston Tea Party Ship, and visit some other Revolutionary War sites in and around Boston. A quick visit to Harvard, a college football game and some delicious local oysters rounds out her Boston visit.
Heading out of town in her rental car, Megan meets some witches in notorious Salem, eats at the original hamburger stand in New Haven, and takes in a biker convention in Danbury Connecticut. From there she heads west to the Hancock Shaker Village, then drives through historic Deerfield before landing in Stowe Vermont for some gorgeous fall foliage and hiking.
She continues north into Maine for some rafting and lobster, before getting some sun in New Englands' summer playground of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard. She ends her journey in Newport, taking in the famous mansions and having a sail on a beautiful old 12 meter yacht.
Estelle starts her trip to Rome touring the famous Forum, the hub of ancient Rome. Starting her second day she tastes as many different forms of espresso as possible before continuing her exploration of the city by visiting Michelangelo's beautiful Piazza Campidoglio, and the historic museums flanking the piazza. She then learns how to make a real Roman pizza, before strolling through charming Trastevere, and visiting the oldest church in Rome, Santa Maria.
Her next day finds her watching a mass in St. Peters, trying on the latest in clerical garb on some streets nearby, and visiting the home near the Spanish Steps where Romantic poet John Keats died.
Taking a break from Rome, she goes on a day trip to Anzio, site of a famous Allied landing and victory during World War II. Back in Rome she visits the Piazza Navona before taking in the sumptuous sights of the Villa Borghese, one of the greatest private art collections in the world. She looks at the balcony where former dictator Mussolini exhorted the crowds, before visting the famous Colosseum. She takes another day trip away from Rome to go to a unique festival in Tuscany: a duck derby. On her last day in Rome she has lunch with a movie star, and visits the Pantheon, the resting place of Raphael.
Ian starts his journey at the unique Day of the Dead festival in Pazcuaro. After reveling late into the night, he goes to the old colonial town of Guanajuato, where he spends time bull riding with some Mexican cowboy. From there he goes to Acapulco, where he takes in the glitzy nightlife and watersports before watching the famous cliff divers. Continuing his search for the perfect beach, he heads to Puerto Escondido for the annual surfing festival. He then travels to the Mayan ruins of Palenque, before visiting the Zapatista stronghold of San Cristobal. He ends his journey with an amazing trek through the Lancondon jungle.
Megan McCormick's journey of Indonesia takes her to two of the most fascinating and sophisticated countries in the South China Sea. She starts her adventure in Java's capital Jakarta where she tries her hand at Car Jockeying, the street people's response to the three in one car pooling system introduced by the Jakartan government. From there she Heads north of the city to Sunda Kelapa Harbor, a 800 year old port originally used by the Dutch.
After sampling the nightlife and the Jakartan answer to fast food Megan travels to the site of one of the most volcanically active places on the earth Krakatau. Megan climes Anak Krakatau the volcano that grew on the site of one of the most violet eruptions of all time. She also dives the seas around Krakatau which have some of the most wonderful sea life due to its undersea thermal springs keeping the water warm.
From here Megan takes a train ride to Yogyakarta, Java's old capital. On the way she stops off to take in the splendor of one of Indonesia's religious biggest attractions, the Buddhist temple of Borobudur. Heading north takes Megan to the Islamic center, Kudus, where she learns how to make the much loved Indonesian cigarette Kretek.
Sumatra is Megan's next destination and it's just a short flight to the Capital Medan, from there an hour bus journey to the travelers chill out resort of Danau Toba. After a visit to the witch doctor in Lake Tuba, Megan meets Solomon who tells her of the speculation surrounding the ancient tribe of this area the Batak. With stories of sacrifice and cannibalism behind her Megan heads north again to Sumatra's Gunauagleuser National park, and Bukit Lawang nature reserve to meet our closes ancestors the beautiful Orangutans.
After a 10 hour ferry ride Megan's last stop is the island of Pulau Nias, where she meets the Niasans, who are more willing to exhibit the traditions of life where war was a frequent occurrence. A more modern tribe to emerge from Nias is that of the surfers, wh
Ian Wright starts his amazing journey of South Korea in the Capital Seoul. After finding a place to stay, he takes in the delights of the Kyongdong market with a hired guide. Still in Hog Head Farm: street food in KyongdongSeoul Ian tries his hand at Tae Kwon-Do with the national team of Korea, and gets to train with the Womans Olympic team. After taking in the nightlife of Seoul, Ian heads north to the North - South Korean Boarder to experience Military power at it most dramatic at the DMZ.
Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China has been described by tourists as China's largest theme park; for the Chinese it is the 'Promised Land' with its lure of prosperity.
Tiananmen Square, the former stage of Cultural Revolution rallies and now a place of recreation is where we begin this journey to the beat of the daily flag-raising ceremony where PLA soldiers are drilled to march at 108 paces per minute, 75cm per pace as the sun rises. Not far away lies the largest and best preserved group of ancient buildings in China, the Forbidden City, kept out of bounds for 500 years by the Ming and Qiung dynasty emperors and now a place that welcomes visitors. Following a climb to the roof of the Ancient Observatory for a great view of the city, we sample Mao's revolutionary cooking prepared by his townsfolk whilst admiring the grounds of the Lama Temple, the most colourful in Beijing, with its beautiful gardens, stunning frescoes and tapestries.
Inside we look for the image of the Buddha having sex, formerly used to educate Emperors' sons, and that evening carrying colourful paper lanterns, we join revellers of the Lantern Festival during the evening of the 15th day of the first moon, before driving to the Longquin Gorge, a canyon in Yanquin County about 60 miles north-west of Beijing where we end our journey at Beijing's Ice Lantern Festival amidst a colourful fiesta of ice and light.
In seven days, Ian Wright explores the home of Mozart, Freud, the Hapsburgs and of course the nation that brought you the sausage! At the centre of Europe, Vienna, the capital of Austria flaunts some of the best and most varied architecture on the continent and the Hofburg Palace is no exception. Home to the Hapsburgs at their height, Ian explores the crypt holding the remains of many Hapsburg bodies, admires the stunning emerald (the largest in the world) and marvels at the bizarre collection of relics including the tooth of John the Baptist.
On to the city's cemetery which houses 2 ½ million bodies including Schubert, Brahms and Beethoven. After taking a look around the Freud museum and sitting in his old waiting room, Ian travels to Mauthausen, a Nazi concentration camp. Witnessing 100,000 deaths, Mauthausen is an example of one of the many torture camps existing during the Second World War. Ian is shown around the site and speaks to a survivor of the camp.
In the conclusion to his trip Ian winds his way away from Vienna to Salzburg, the home of Mozart, and the Danube before enjoying his final night back in the capital at one of the city's stunning balls.
