Travel Vicariously with Pilgrim's Tales

Pilgrim's Tales Publishing is a small individually owned imprint that puts out unusual and very personal travel books aimed at the vicarious voyager in us all. Brandon and Cheryl Wilson are intrepid travelers indeed, accomplishing daunting long-distance treks -- often the first Americans to do so -- and putting their experiences into words.


Yak Butter Blues (right) by Brandon Wilson is the tale of the couple's 650-mile trek across Tibet. Walking from Lhasa to Kathmandu, in neighboring Nepal, they crossed the wild Himalayan plains, accompanied only by their Tibetan horse, Sadhu. They faced Tibet's challenging weather (blistering winds, extreme temperatures, sandstorms, blizzards, high altitudes and thin air), as well as what the author describes as "exhaustion, hunger, illness, inflexible bureaucrats and trigger-happy soldiers." It's a tale of faith, of the human spirit and human connections, as well as an ancient culture that has changed after half a century of Chinese rule.


Dead Men Don't Leave Tips: Adventures X Africa, also by Brandon Wilson, documents their 10,000-mile overland odyssey Morocco on the Mediterranean to Cape Town, South Africa, on the continent's farthest tip. Interactions with clueless tourists, uninformed guides, people and animals are the fodder for this travel adventure book.


Walking on the Templar Trail, Wilson's next book, covers Wilson's trip "in the footsteps of history." With an he embarks on a 2,620-mile trekking pilgrimage for peace across two continents and countries along an ancient trail followed by Templars, Romans, pilgrims, and traders on their way from France to Jerusalem.


I have never met Brandon or Cheryl Wilson, but I'd like to. When it comes to travels of this ambition and treks of such magnitude, vicarious works for me.

DIA and LGA: A Study in Airport Contrasts

"DIA is Getting More Crowded" reads the top headline in today's Denver Post business section. The article goes on to explain that Denver International Airport, built to handle 50 million passengers a year (but designed with a capacity for significant expansion), last year counted 47.3 million. Of these, some 41 percent were connecting passengers, who generally don't leave their concourse.

The opening sentence for this front page story is, "Denver International Airport seems more crowded all the time." I'm here to tell you that there's crowded and there's crowded. DIA might might be racking up numbers, but LGA felt really mobbed -- and really old and tacky.

Commercial air service at LGA began in 1939. Its Central Terminal Building was built in 1964, expanded in 1967 and again in 1972 and was most recently "modernized" in 2000. The expansion and especially the modernization are not immediately obvious. The terminal is still crowded. And as airports go, it's still a dump. When I arrived on a recentl rainy day, the roof on my arrival concourse was leaking, as it had been when I arrived there on a rainy day about two years ago. The clever catchment system seems ready to roll out in any downpour. It might have been positioned in the same spot as the last time I was there in the rain.

The concourses are narrow, the waiting areas are crowded, the security lines slow-moving because they have to funnel into the crowded concourses and the restrooms inadequate. And did I mention the delays? LGA, which surrounded on two sides by water, has two runways. DIA has six. We were late in taking off from DIA because there were delays at LGA. A week later, my flight left LGA on time, because I'm sure ground controllers couldn't wait to get rid of another aircraft.

DIA might have 47.3 million passengers a year, but to me, it seems like fewer. LGA has about 25 million, and every time I fly to or from there, it seems that most of them are at the airport the same day I am.

Cheap NY-London Flights, But Who's on First?

Zoom Airlines recently announced "a revolution in low-cost air travel" with impending London-New York flights for £129. I'm quoting its press release here and take no responsibility for bizarre capitalization, but I reveled in the news that "the low-fares, full-service airline is to operate daily flights from London Gatwick to New York JFK from Thursday 21 June. Zoom will operate an ‘easyJet-style’ booking service with flexible one-way fares and the New York flights will offer economy and Premium economy services with designated seating, meals service and ‘plenty of frills’.

"Zoom says it plans to become the UK’s leading low-cost Transatlantic airline providing an affordable alternative to BA and Virgin which ‘have been fleecing passengers for too long’.
The new flights will also take off almost a year ahead of any “Open Skies” deal which may lead to more low-cost flights being offered by Zoom in the future."

Zoom promises:
• Year-round low-cost fares
• Full flexibility for passengers to travel when they want, with no restrictions on fares such as the need to stay a Saturday night
• Lunch time departures from Gatwick arriving NYC JFK early afternoon • The ability to be able to change reservations for a minimal fee
• Options to buy affordable one-way tickets
• Value-for-money Premium Economy service

John Boyle, co-owner with Hugh Boyle of Zoom Airlines, has been quoted as saying, “You cannot put a sheaf of paper between the prices charged by BA, Virgin and the American carriers on the New York route and it is high time that passengers had a better deal. We are offering savings of up to 70% on these flights. “Our catch phrase is ‘Now you’re sitting comfortably’ and we think this will appeal to people who, quite frankly, have been forced to pay outrageously high fares to fly between London and New York for too long."

Zoom does have a track record, having operated between the UK and Canada for the three years, serves Bermuda and has been granted permission to operate from London Gatwick as an official UK carrier to the United States alongside British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

This sounds to good to be true, and it might be, so don't book yet even though the inaugural is less than two months away. When you go to the US booking page of the carrier's website, the following message comes up: "Due to US Department of Transportation regulations, we are presently unable to offer flights to London and Bermuda to persons in the United States. Please check our website in the coming weeks for more details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and look forward to serving you in the future. Please call for further assistance 1.866.359.9666." This is the Zoom Airlines' North American toll-free number.

Maybe this will all change tomorrow -- or next week -- or next month. Stay tuned.

The Wine Adventurers

Oh to be young, footloose and in love with each other and wine. I stumbled on a blog called 1000 Wines, written by C.J. Levine and Brianne Day Levine who introduce themselves individually and then write, "C.J. and Brianne met on the Internet in September of 1998. They first met in person on May 20th, 1999, and were married a year to the day later in 2000. With the exception of a few wild months in Camas, WA, they have always lived in Portland, OR, the city they both consider home."

In March 2006, they embarked on a 16-month round-the-world wine, food and culture odyssey. Brianne wanted to study enology (winemaking) and viticulture (grape growing), and they both wanted to learn about "the similiarities and differences of most of the world’s wine producting regions and cultures."

They've been Australia, New Zealand, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Italy. They have visited 15 wineries, 12 vineyards, two wine cellars and eight breweries. They're nearing the end of their journey, and wish I'd been following them vicariously, on-line, since the beginning. I've dipped into some of the posts archived on their site. It has ended up being about a lot more than wine, and if you want to read abour their experiences and see their photos, check out their blogged travel diary.

Fancy Denver Hotel Welcomes Families

Other than the guest room of friends or family, an attractive and well-located hotel can be the difference between a vacation dream and vacation drudgery. Denver's JW Marriott Denver, a very upscale Cherry Creek North hotel, is offering a well-priced weekend package for families this summer. Note that I didn't write budget-priced, because this is a deal that represents value rather than straight-out economy. Still, I think that as kids who grow up eating real food in real restauants rather than manufactured commestibles in fast-food places learn to appreciate food, kids who now and again have a taste of luxury learn to appreciate fine travel.

The Kids in the City Package includes luxury accommodations, complimentary valet parking, four tickets to the Denver Zoo, JW coloring book, milk and cookies at evening turndown and complimentary in-room movie. Each family will also receive a Passport to Savings at Cherry Creek’s most popular kid-related businesses such as the Wizard's Chest, Cute as a Button, Kazoo & Co. and many others. The hotel is at 150 Clayton Lane. For reservations, 303-316-2700 and mention rate code 21FFUP. The package is offered weekends through September 3, 2007.

New Travel Blog

Travel blogs are a dime a dozen and new ones are coming on-line all the time, but I draw your attention to one created by Travel Arts Syndicate, a New York-based syndicate that sends my (and other writers') feature articles out to newspaper travel sections. Though the scope and approach isn't yet clear (it really is brand new with only three posts up as of this writing), it will certainly include when and where which TAS writers' work appears and other news of TAS writers, as well as editor Terese Loeb Kreuzer's own travel experiences. Since she lives in New York, she will share her epic knowledge of that popular city as well. After all, we travel writers "travel" even when we are at home.

Europe's Low-Fare Airlines

I've been curious about low-fare airlines abroad ever since I heard about RyanAir (founded in 1985) after airline deregulation began hitting European skies. New York Times "Frugal Traveler" columnist Matt Gross did the legwork (or more accurately, butt-in-seat-work) in a feature called"Adventures in Low-Cost Travel" that appeared today's travel section, comparing European low-fare carriers. In such a volatile business as airlines, I'm slightly uneasy about a report printed toward the end of April on a weeklong city-hopping trip undertaken in January, which for a newspaper isn't exactly swift.

Nevertheless, Gross praised Air Berlin ("a spanking new Airbus A320" in which "the air was so clean I could smell the high-tech filtering system"...and "for the first time, I had a personal flat-screen") but gave thumbs down to its codeshare partner, Fly DBA ("the airline's 737-300 exuded shabbiness"). Jet4You had "the highest fares and the oldest planes." He praised FlyBaboo (right)for its waiting area, aircraft and on-the-ball flight attendant, and EasyJet for its flexibility. Wizz Air's cabin, he reported, "was overpressurized and its flight attendants a confused as the color scheme." As for the pioneering RyanAir, he called it "not just the cheapest but the chintziest." Other airlines whose names he dropped but which he did not fly were Vueling, TUIfly, and Sterling. Italy, he reports, "has a host of tiny carriers that focus on random and disparate cities."

Low-fare arlines can offer cheap tickets by publicizing only the base price. Rockbottom fares often require advance booking or other restictions. They often fly from distant airports. Add-ons include taxes, fuel surcharges, high excess baggage fees, airport security charges and other miscellaneous fees. Forget frequent-flyer miles, but then, with low enough fares, who needs them?

"Leave Only Footprints," Rangers Plead

"Take only pictures. Leave only footprints," has long been the slogan of the Leave No Trace movement, in an effort to persuade users of public lands not to abuse the nation's forests and parks. For years, Volcanoes National Park rangers have pleaded with visitors not to take away volcanic rocks as souvenirs. Now, they are begging people not to leave anything either. According to an Associated Press report, "rangers at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are launching a program to stop people from leaving religious offerings at the summit of Mount Kilauea -- including food they say attracts rats and cockroaches."

Park officials say that some 45 pounds of unwanted "offerings" must be removed from Halemaumau Crater each week. These include flowers, bottles, money, incense, candles and crystals, but the problem is food that well-meaning visitors leave for Pele, the goddess of fire. The report continued,"One ranger recently found a whole, cooked piglet replete with a papaya, orange and apple in a cardboard box...The rotting offerings pose a hazard to the endangered nene goose, the state bird endemic to the islands, the park service said."

Many years ago on the island of Bali, I saw offerings everywhere, including in front of shops every morning and on the hood of my rental car. A Chinese tradition is burning fake money to assist the deceased in the afterlife. Freelance fires are illegal in Volcanoes, as in virtually all national parks.

The national park has always been a leading attraction on the Big Island of Hawaii, increasingly so since Kilauea began erupting, continuously, on January 3, 1983.

New York Subway Musings

An interesting museum showcases underground New York

The New York Transit Authority has made great efforts to clean up and upgrade subway trains and stations -- in Manhattan, at least. Stations' new artwork includes replacement tiles in "subway white," but new new graphics and designs relate to what's above-ground now. Also, some platforms have been refloored, graffiti has been curtailed, elevators now make many underground train platforms accessible, and security issues have been addressed. Any improvements to this century-plus-old system that hauls millions of riders a day in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of subway cars and buses is to be applauded.

Still, it is difficult, as a rider, to ignore the considerable downside to the New York subway system experience. Peeling (and sometimes leaking) ceilings, chipped paint, ubiquitous litter, pools of standing water between the rails and the occasional rat do are dispiriting. So are squadrons of wary but bored-looking police officers (I counted 17 on Broadway line platform at 6:00 p.m. this evening) and glum riders who never make eye contact with one another.

The subway was not always a literal and figurative pit. It was once the pride of New York. It is still possible to see glimpses of the subway's elegant past. The fancy brass token booth cages have given way to heavy Plexiglas booths and transit card vending machines. Yet some stations still boast elegant terra cotta signage and on some routes, trains rattle past ghostly, abandoned stations. Most spectacular of all are the Gustavino Vaulted Ceilings in the City Hall Station (right), fabricated by a company whose projects included work on the US Supreme Court Building.

The New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn Heights has opened a convenient gallery annex at Grand Central Station in midtown Manhattan. It's open fromn 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekends. It's worth a visit -- and the price is right: free.

Until July 8, the gallery is showing an exhibition called "Architects of the NYC Subway, Part 1: Heins & LaFarge and the Tradition of Great Public Works." Extensive captioning, historic photographs and diagrams tell the story of the subway, but what I liked best was the terra cotta, seen upclose and not high on a wall or through a grimy subway window. The terra cotta was cast and fired by the like of "Maker Unknown" (the Hay Street Station plaque) to Rookwood (Wall and Fulton Street stations).

Wireless Access Bait and Switch?

I am in New York at back-to-back conferences. I've had a weird couple of days, Internet-wise. I've been able to get on the Net and usually to receive E-mails -- but not to send them. With more than a dozen messages stacked in my Outbox (including a couple or urgent ones), in desperation I went to Starbuck's at 75th & Broadway in Manhattan. Starbuck's boasts of its wireless access called t-Mobile Hotspots. A counter card offered 60 minutes for $6 or a 24-hour day pass for $9.99. I only needed to send and receive a day's worth of messages, and perhaps answer a few of them, so 60 minutes was ample. When I connected to t-Mobile however, the cheaper option was not on the menu. It was urgent for me to get on-line today, so I was ready to pay more for the service I didn't need. The crisis-level problem was that I could not get t-Mobile to take my credit card and connect me. I went to Kinko's, used their high-speed cable connection at 10 cents a minute. The charge was $2.40. No atmosphere. No coffee at hand. But fast and hassle-free.

Cheers for the Melting Pot

I'm in New York right now, having arrived this afternoon for a Tourism Canada event. There are Francophone Canadians and Anglophone Canadians, and the entertainment during the opening reception was Tanya Tagaq, a throat singer from Nunavut whose primal voice and haunting songs evoke the tundra. Nunavut is a largely Inuit jurisdiction was created in 1999 from Canada's Northwest Territories -- dividing one vast sparsely populated region into two still vast, sparsely populated regions. Together with the Yukon Territory, their total populations well under 100,000. But, as Dave Barry often writes, I digress.

The opening event, whose theme was the Northern Lights, was a lovely melding of three Canadian cultures under the glittering chandeliers of the Waldorf-Astoria's Starlight Roof, a wonderful hotel in the most crowded city in the Western Hemisphere. What a contrast between Nunavut and New York. But I'm still digressing. Tomorrow, I will plunge into the abundant travel opportunities provided by our neighbor to the north, but today, in just a brief period, I again was energized by New York's role as the greatest melting pot on the planet.

I deplaned at crowded LaGuardia Airport , hearing snippets of English, Spanish and other languages -- though LGA is the most domestic, least international of New York's three major airports. Two friends who were on my flight and I got into the cab line. The dispatcher was an African-American. The cab diver was from South Asia. The bellman who unloaded our luggage from the trunk sounded Jamaican. The front desk person who checked me had a Hungarian accent.

One of my friends and I decided to run out for a bite to eat. We both had work to do and wanted only something quick to bring back to the hotel. We only had to cross the street to find cheap, fast steet food. At the corner of St. Bartholomew's Church, an Byzantine-style Anglican church known for its ecumenical outreach, was a halal food cart run by two Arabs -- if the name is accurate, according to Moslem dietary law. The menu board (right) listed gyros, falafel, kofta, hot dogs with sauerkraut or chili, Italian sausages and potato knishes. That first hour off the plane is what makes New York such a multi-cultural melting pot. It's one of the things I love most about the city.

Buckle Up!

Airplane flight crews remind passengers to buckle up during takeoffs, landings and periods of turbulence. My family, virtually all of my friends and I wear seat belts in our cars too, but some people don't bother -- even people like New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine, whose state has a mandatory seatbelt law. His carelessness, and that of the driver who was supposed to make sure that everyone was buckled up, resulted in devastating injuries when his vehicle was involved in an horrific accident.

The New York Times reported, "The crash occurred about 6:15 p.m. Thursday in the northbound lanes of the Garden State Parkway, about five miles north of the Atlantic City Expressway. The governor’s Chevrolet Suburban swerved to avoid a Dodge Ram truck that had, in turn, turned to avoid a red pickup that was described by the police as driving erratically. The Suburban slid into the end of a guardrail, which 'penetrated the vehicle, and struck both [State Patrol officer] Robert J. Rasinski [who was driving] and Governor Corzine,' according to a police report."

Governor Corzine's injuries are life-threatening. He is in intensive care and is facing further surgery. The Times article reported, "Both Robert J. Rasinski, the state trooper driving the car, and Samantha Gordon, the aide in the back seat, were apparently wearing their seat belts. Mr. Rasinski left the hospital at 5:15 p.m. Friday. Ms. Gordon was sore, but otherwise uninjured."

Bottom line is: buckle up, whether on a quick errand around town or on a road trip.

East African Game at Risk

Thomas Friedman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and New York Times columnist, is in East Africa. In a recent column, he wrote of Kenya's Masai Mara, "Surely of all of God's creations, none is more beautiful than the Masai Mara grassland...The sun's ascent here is like a curtain going up on one of Mother Nature's richest ecosystems. Through the day you can be greeted by a bull elephant in hot pursuit of a cow, serenaded by tropical boubou birds, intimidated by two lionesses devouring a warthog, amused by the cattle egrets riding on the backs of African buffalos and impressed by how each small cluster of topi antelope 'assigns' one topi to watch for predators while the others graze. Everything seems in perfect balance."

I have never been to Kenya, but I have been to Tanzania's great national game parks: Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangiri and came away with the same impression. But that was nearly 11 years and, as Friedman notes, "behind the curtain" things were not so great -- and they haven't gotten any better.

He points to deforestation, wildlife poaching and "now climate change [that] present a trio of threats" to the Mara and also to the Tanzanian parks that my family and I visited. A Boulder friend who visited East Africa last summer came back with terrible tales of drought and desperation. This year appears to be no better, as the equatorial region continues to become dryer and the once-reliable rains no longer are so.

Kenya's rhinoceros population has plummeted from 20,000 in 1963 to 500 today. Friedman quotes Julius Kipng'etich, director of Kenya's wildlife service, saying, "When you see a rhino today, you are very lucky. Your children or grandchildren may never see one." We were lucky to see three of the fewer than two dozen rhinos known in Tanzania when we visited. We drove around and around Ngorongoro Crater, with our sharp-eyed driver-guide who spotted them in the grass at least a quarter of a mile from our Land Rover. With strong binoculars, we could just spot them slowly rising up from the grass. When I later saw one at the Denver Zoo, I put it into context of my own then-recent travels.

Friedman pointed out that Africa accounts for less than 3 percent of the emissions that contribute to global warming, yet its fragile and threatened ecosystems suffer from the problems caused by the developed world. "You [industrial countries] are causing aggression toward us by causing global warming," Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni said at the African Union summit recently.

Drought, famine, disease and death will increase upon Africa's human population. The animals that we travel so far to see in their native habitats are already fall to that fate.

Galapagos "In Crisis"; Ecuador Might Suspend Tourist Visits

Eleven-and-a-half years ago, we visited the Galapagos, cruising from island to island on a 12-passenger motor-sailer called the "Diamante." The map on the right, from VisitEcuador.com shows the relationship of these islands, which are 600 miles from the coast of Ecuador, to each other. Our visit was a "National Geographic Special" come to life. The volcanic islands sport rare plant species, and among the many animal species we saw were abundant seals, marine and land iguanas, and many birds, including the world's most northerly penguin, petrels, flightless cormorants, albatross, frigate birds, blue-footed boobies, herons, flamingos and several of the finch species that jump-started Charles Darwin's thoughts on evolution.

Our too-short visit did not include any island where the archipelago's famous giant tortoises are still to be found -- and it did not include either of the small settlements on the islands of Santa Cruz (where the only tourist town is located) or San Cristobal (site of the Galapagos' political capital). There was trouble of some sketchily described sort -- perhaps between local and mainland fishermen, perhaps between fishing interests and conservationists, perhaps between predatory Japanese fishing fleets and Ecuadorian fishermen, perhaps something else entirely. In any case, we were unable to visit the famous Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz.

Now, El Comercio, an Ecuadorian newspaper, reported on an emergency degree signed by President, Rafael Correa responding to a social and environmental crisis, indicated that he would consider temporarily suspending tourism permits to the Galapagos and enforcing other restrictions to prevent further environmental harm. Sustainability in the face of increased and too loosely regulated tourism, population pressure, threats from invasive non-native species and other critically harmful problems have brought these islands to this crisis state.

"We are pushing for a series of actions to overcome the huge institutional, environmental and social crisis in the islands," President Correa was quoted as saying. He reportedly ordered the Governor of Galapagos to convene an urgent meeting of the Institute Nacional Galapagos (INGALA) to determine the balance between conservation and development, the potential halt to new tourist permits and even the possible suspension of commercial air service.

Some international reports mistakenly claimed that tourists would be hereafter barred from the Galapagos, though Ecuador, of which claimed the mid-Pacific Galapagos back in 1832, emphasized that tourism might be suspended, not prohibited, and that any suspension would be temporary.

The Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) issued a press release affirming “strong support for yesterday’s declaration by Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa that Galapagos is at risk and is a national conservation priority." International conservation agencies have been monitoring the Galapagos for years, and various Ecuadorian and international organizations have carved out their own little environmental fiefdoms on the environmentally fragile islands and also do not always seem to get along.

A high-level delegation from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, led by Director Francesco Bandarin, is currently or will soon be visiting Ecuador to study the state of Galapagos and make recommendations on whether to list Galapagos as an endangered World Heritage site. Not surprisingly, President Correa claimed that Ecuador does not need attention from international organizations. Leaders of countries that do not or cannot take care of their precious environmental and cultural treasures always say seem to believe things like that.

Since whatever problems kept us off the two inhabited islands more than a decade ago, things have gotten tense. There have been recent reports of an assault on Galapagos National Park rangers who were attempting to stop a kayaking operation on Baltra Island. Hard to believe, gut the rangers were injured by members Ecuador's own Air Force on a nearby island. Both the commander of the Air Force base and the Puerto Ayora port captain or harbormaster were reportedly relieved of their duties. Pressure is growing to contain and more strictly regulate tourist development, which might be getting out of hand. Still, during our visit, we were impressed by the environmental sensitivity and his by-the-book regard for Galapagos National Park regulations as he shepherded us around the islands. Clearly, things have even changed since our visit.

Passport Renewal Taking 10 Weeks

"eFlyer," an E-newsletter put out by Global Traveler, is reporting that US passport renewals, as well as first-time applications, are currently being processed slowly. The timeframe now appears to be up to about 10 weeks, about a month longer than previously. "eFlyer" attributes the new backlog to the recently passed Western Hemisphere Initiative requiring Americans to carry passports for travel to the Caribbean and Mexico, where previously a vote ID card and other official documents sufficed. there is a massive backlog in the passport application process that is equally affecting passport renewals. Applications for new passports has backed up renewals too.

More cautionary news is that even the $60 expedited service has stretched form two weeks to three or even four. "eFlyer" advises, "You’ll speed up your expedited application if, in addition to using the proper form and enclosing your check, you write 'expedite' prominently on the envelope." The newsletter also reports that both local and regional passport offices are often requiring appointments.

The National Passport Information Center (877-4USAPP) is open from 6:00 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday for those who must travel within seven days. "eFlyer" further notes that "there is a limited staff who will even take your call on weekends. But as with other passport processing, the phone lines are jammed; it may take multiple calls to get through to a human being. Email forms are available on the website, but only for general inquiries since — surprise! — they take a while to get answered, too. These days, 'passport' is spelled with three Ps — planning, patience and persistence."

Even before this slow process (another P), I learned not to let my passport renewal go later than six months prior to the expiration date of the current one. A number of years ago, I went to Turkey on a one-week trip with a passport that was still three months from expiring -- not the six months that I had no idea that Turkish authorities wanted. The officials at the airport in Istanbul didn't want to let me in at all. They finally did, after a serious plea (still another P) and the presentation (yet another P) of my return airline ticket showing that I was booked to leave the country seven days later. The lesson seems to be that renew your passport if it is within six months of expiring, and then expect to wait a while until you get your new one.

Diane Sawyer in Afghanistan

Good Morning America anchor Diane Sawyer is reporting from Afghanistan this week. The state of the Afghan nation, the status of women, the ressurgence of the Taliban and the importance of the opium poppy in the Afghan economy were topics that she covered today. But she did a food segment, reporting on her visit to a bakery where she bought and ate some wonderful-looking flatbread baked in a tandoor. She visited a market where she tasted spinach- and potato-stuffed soft bread that resembled large empanadas and meant to be eaten with a red or green dipping sauce, and she drank a beverage made of raisins, almonds, water and other ingredients. She marveled at some young men who were eating raw cucumbers.

Meanwhile, in the New York studio, three GMW personalities also had the opportunity to try the stuffed bread and the raisin drink. They seemed perplexed at the drink (which had "things floating in it") and gingerly tasted the stuffed bread. One asked why was the hot sauce. Diane counseled him to be courageous and try. He tried the hot and didn't seem happy. Then, Robin Roberts asked Diane what she was eating in Afghanistan. Sawyer replied, "Potato chips." I was frankly disappointed and hoped that she, who was so very empathetic, would resort to potato chips -- no matter the reason.

The Good Morning America site include the recipe for the raisin-almond beverage. Recognizing that you kind of have to sing this one, I add it here:

Ab Kishmish (Raisin Drink)

8 oz. golden or dark raisins (almonds optional)
Water
Honey to taste
Rose water to taste

Wash the raisins well. Boil the water and add raisins. Rinse raisins again. Add two cups of hot water, add honey and rosewater to taste. Leave in a cool place or in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. If making with almonds, boil the almonds separately and peel away the skins before adding to the raisins and hot water.

Recipe from Bamiyan Afghani Restaurant

What I Love About Spring Skiing..And What I Don't

What I Love:

• Sunshine (don't forget the high-SPF suncreen).
• Long days, inspiring some resorts to run the lifts longer in the afternoon.

• Late-season snowstorms. April powder is a bonus.
• No more cold toes. No more cold fingers.
• Firm, fast morning corduroy from the night's grooming (Crested Butte photo, right).
• Moguls softened in the afternoon sun.
• Lifties wearing fun hats and smiles.
• Skiers wearing fun hats and smiles.
• Lunch outside on a deck.
• Apres-ski out on a deck.
• Special end-of-season events (last Saturday's pond skimming at Crested Butte; yesterday's Falmingo Dance in downtown Telluride).

What I Don't Love:

• The reality that another ski season is drawing to a close.

Skiers note that many resorts are already selling 2007-08 season passes, usually at the best prices of the year.

FCC Continues to Nix Inflight Cell Phones

Sometimes, a government agency makes a wise decision. Bless their bureaucratic little hearts, the Federal Communications Commission reaffirmed its earlier decision that passengers still may not use cellphones on planes while in flight. The official reason given was that there is still no solid information on whether cell phones interfere with cell towers on the ground and, perhaps more importantly, with an aircraft's communication system. My brother-in-law, the Airbus captain, claims that cell phones, like video games, distract passengers' attention while the crew is making its announcements. Even though many cell phones feature a "flight mode" that turns off the transmitter off, but still permits other functions, but those remain distractions.

For my part, I don't care why the FCC ruled as it did. I'm simply glad of it. Flying these days isn't all that much fun anymore -- what with security rigmarole, tight quarters and minimalist food. To be trapped in an aircraft cabin with one-sided conversations all around would amount to cruel and inhuman travel punishment. It is annoying enough to be assaulted by relentless and usual trivial jabber in the waiting area and on-board before take-off and immediately upon landing. I've never figured out why so many people feel obligated to call someone and report, "We just landed. We're taxiing now. I'll be getting off the plane in a few minutes."

So thanks, FCC. Stick to your guns. Oops. No guns allowed when we're talking about airplanes.

Brits Muddle Through Carry-On Baggage Regs

All this time, I thought the US Transportation Security Agency had the screwiest policies in traveldom, but I've just been alerted to the nutty inconsistency in Britain. The British Airways website tries to explain the complicated carry-on bag policies, which are as follows:

• Travelers flying to the UK from elsewhere are permitted to carry on whatever number of pieces permitted at their departure country (typically one carry-one, one personal item such as a purse and a cane or crutches if needed).
• Travelers departing from the UK are permitted only one piece of carry-on, which may be no larger than 56 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm (approximately 22 inches x 17.5 inches x 9.85 inches). In addition, customers may now carry musical instruments through security search provided they can be x-ray screened. There doesn't appear to be a size restriction on musical instruments, which can theoretically vary from piccolo to cello or bass.
• Travelers transferring at a UK airport from an international flight to a domestic one are permitted to bring two pieces to a UK airport but may only board their next flight with one, even if they never leave the airport.
• Travelers transferring at a UK airport from one international flight to another international flight are also permitted to board their second flight with justone carry-on.
• Inernational travelers arriving in the UK are permitted one carry-on plus plus a laptop or briefcase.

Considering that London's Heathrow Airport is the world's third-busiest (after Atlanta-Hartsfield and Chicago O'Hare) with nearly 70 million passengers annually, these regulations affect a lot of flyers. If you are traveling internationally and your itinerary includes the airport code LHR, pay special attention.

If the number and type of carry-ons (referred to in British English as opposed to American English as "cabin baggage" or "cabin bags") aren't complicated enough, BA addresses the issue of food, toiletries and medications. This isn't exactly the same as in the US and elsewhere either. The UK follows the European Union rules on carrying liquids aboard. "Limited quantities" (approximately 3.5 fluid ounces) of liquids, gels or pastes must be held in individual containers. No indiction of whether that3.5 ounces is per item or cumulatively for all items. In any event, these "may include" shampoo, cream, hair gel, hairspray, suntan lotion, toothpaste, liquid or aerosol deodorant, perfumes, "cosmetics such mascara and lip gloss."

Water and other drinks, soups and syrups and "other items of similar consistency" must be carried in a separate clear plastic, zip-top or resealable bag that does not exceed 20 cm x 20cm (8 inches x 8 inches) or "equivalent to one litre capacity." All of these items must fit in the bag comfortably and the bag must be completely closed. At the airport security search, the plastic bag must be removed from the cabin bag and x-ray screened separately.

BA says, "Customers can take solid food items onboard for consumption in-flight such as sandwiches, crisps, fruit and vegetables. Drinks and liquid-based food items such as pasta sauces, gravies, stews and curries, jams and yogurts may be taken through security provided they are stored in containers no larger than 100ml and are carried in a clear plastic bag." Interesting that BA makes no mention of baby food or infant formula

Also, "customers can take onboard disposable contact lenses in sealed strips. Non-disposable contact lenses may be taken onboard in holders that contain solution. These do not need to be packed into the clear plastic bag. Additional solution may be taken in a container no bigger than 100ml but this must be carried in the clear plastic bag."

Then there's the whole issue of which are EU countries, which non-EU countries must comply with EU rules and which US and other non-European nations' regulations kick in when flying to or from any of them into or out of the UK.