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Rundown for the Week of July 11, 2003

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Bali, After the Bombing by Kelly McEvers

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When you scan the list of Top 10 travel destinations of the world, you'll see that one place has consistently scored high for decades: Bali. People from all over the world are attracted to this small island in Indonesia where absolute tranquility abounds. The whole island is blanketed in deep emerald green and trade winds make the weather pleasant all year. But last October, al-Qaeda-related terrorists bombed a popular nightclub, and the nirvana of the island went through a cataclysmic change. Reporter Kelly McEvers visited Bali after the bombing and found a place struggling to get back to paradise.

Visit one of the many useful travel portals for Indonesia and Bali
www.indo.com: Bali & Indonesia on the Net
www.bali-paradise.com: Bali Paradise Online
www.baliforyou.com/bali: Bali Info For You
baliwww.com: Travel Villa Hotel Portal

News updates about the Bali boming and its aftermath
www.abc.net.au: Australian Broadcasting Corporation News Online

Travling the Louisiana Backcountry by Mike Tidwell

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The travel editor of "The Washington Post" sent reporter Mike Tidwell to Louisiana with one caveat: he couldn't mention New Orleans. So, Mike wound up in one of the more unusual places in the country: the coastal Cajun Bayou. Mike hitchhiked on shrimp boats through the swamps that serve as the local "roads" in coastal Louisiana. He wrote a book about his experiences called "Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana's Cajun Coast." He talks with host Diana Nyad about life in the marshes and the ecological problems this region faces.

Some of Tidwell's published works include
"Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana's Cajun Coast
"Amazon Stranger: A Rainforest Chief Battles Big Oil"
"In the Mountains of Heaven: True Tales of Adventure on Six Continents "

All books are available for purchase on Amazon.com. Your purchase helps support The Savvy Traveler.

Ukulele Dreaming "Bad Taste Tour" with Cash Peters

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Our humorist Cash Peters is known for his "Bad Taste tours" because he has spent years traveling the world in search of destinations that pall with the kind of kitsch and horror that truly delight him. Well, this week, he puts his signature irreverent touch on a trip to the ukulele capitol of world, Hawaii, at the KoAloha Ukulele Factory. "The ukulele is basically just a paddle with four strings in the middle: part violin, part ashtray," he says.

For more information about KoAloha ukuleles and all things ukulele
www.ukes.com: The Bounty Music Hawaii Ukulele Guide. (The KoAloha Ukulele Factory Web site is currently under construction.)

Cash in print
Cash's book, "Gullible's Tavels: The Adventures of a Bad Taste Tourist", is available for purchase on Amazon.com. Your purchase helps support The Savvy Traveler.
CashPeters.com

Other stories produced by Cash
"Lost in the Dole Maze": March 7, 2003
"Slithering Serpetorium": January 1, 2003
"Foot Museum": December 13, 2002
"The Dirtiest Story You've Ever Heard": May 3, 2003


  Slideshow
Rembrandts at the Airport by Jeff Lunden

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Ever actually look forward to a long layover at an airport? Probably not very often. But you would if you found yourself with some time to spare at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport because its Rijksmuseum features world-renowned works of art. Not only can you see a Rembrandt portrait as you wait for a plane, you can view other works by 17th century masters of the Dutch Golden Age between the casino and the chair massage. Jeff Lunden acts as resident docent and gives us a tour of this unusual airport-related museum.

For more info. about the exhibit
www.schiphol.nl

Other stories produced by Jeff Lunden
"Lower East Side Deli Tour": May 30, 2003
"Biking NYC": October 18, 2003
"A Little Russia in Brooklyn": June 22, 2001

Bumping 101 with Chris Elliott

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Last week, the European Parliament approved a new law that increases the compensation you get, should you be bumped off a flight. Now, compensation will range from about $300 for flights less than 940 miles up to about $700 for flights of 2,200 miles or more -- but that's in Europe. So, what are you entitled to if you get bumped from a flight in the U.S.? Our Travel Troubleshooter Christopher Elliott is here to give us the definitive answer. Chris explains compensation rules, what you can do to avoid getting bumped, and just why airlines overbook in the first place.

Online resource
www.elliott.org: Christopher Elliott's Web site

More advice online on how to get "bumped"
www.usatoday.com: article - "Playing to win in the bumping game"
www.fly-free.com: article - "How to Get Bumped for Fun and Profit"
www.traveldirt.com: article - "Getting Bumped from a Flight"
www.sunandbreezes.com: book - "How To Fly For Free By Being Bumped"
www.websciences.org: article - "How to Get Bumped on Purpose to Save on Airfare"

Sound Travels Summer in Chicago

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On "Sound Travels," where we travel with just our ears as our guide, we're continuing with our summer series of audio adventures: We've asked producers and sound artists to give us tours of their hometowns. This week, Julie Shapiro takes us to Chicago, a city, she says, that has a quiet, musical layer hidden beneath a loud, industrial facade. There's the rhythm of the lake, the cheers at the ballgame, the sounds pouring from blues clubs and after-hours poetry "happenings." So, grab a seat and enjoy.

Recent Sound Travels
"Summer in San Francisco"; "Indian Wedding"; "The Call Of The Wild Orcas"; "One Man Banda, Paris Metro"; "Lava Flow, Hawaii's Big Island"; "Cicadas, dogs and frogs, Southeast Asia"; "Camel Races in Mali, West Africa"

Traveler's Aid Classes Abroad

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One of the best ways to learn about a local culture when you travel is to take a class. Our round-the-globe travel expert Doug Lansky has some suggestions of courses travelers can take when visiting various parts of the world. And, he shares his own experiences taking acupuncture classes in Beijing and sumo wrestling lessons in Japan. Like they say, the world is the best classroom.

For more info on classes to take
Check out Doug's book "The Rough Guide First Time Around the World", available on Amazon.com. Your purchase helps support The Savvy Traveler.

For addional information online
Traveler's Toolbox: Savvy's bank of online travel resources on studying abroad

Other program segments featuring Doug Lansky
"Bargaining 101": Aired May 9, 2003
"Traveling on the Cheap": Aired April 18, 2003
"Documenting Your Journey": Aired January 10, 2003

Deal of the Week Ireland on the Cheap

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If Ireland has always been the place you've wanted to visit, our Travel-Expert-in-Residence, Rudy Maxa, has two tantalizing deals involving the Emerald Isle: get first-class hotels and a tour of the Guinness plant in the "Sight & Sounds Pub Tour" and hot bargains on air, car and B&Bs with the "Emerald Package."

DEAL #1:
Come November, you can fly roundtrip from NY, Boston and Baltimore/Washington to Shannon, get 4 nights in first-class hotels (2 nights in Galway, 2 in Dublin) 2 dinners and all breakfasts, plus an escorted tour of the countryside of Ireland and Dublin for: just $499 a person. All of this is offered by our old friends at Sceptre Ireland, and it's called the "Sight & Sounds Pub Tour." But you don't have to lift a single pint of Guinness to take part, although in Dublin, you'll be invited to tour the Guinness production facility.

Leaving from Chicago? It's $589. From LA: $699.

DEAL #2:
We've talked about the "Emerald Package" before, but it's worth repeating since we're all about Ireland today. Here's the deal: airfare, a car and 6 nights in B&Bs beginning at $549, September and October. The prices drop to $479 in November and $399 in December. Add $100 if you're departing from Chicago; $200 if you're flying out of Los Angeles.

FINE PRINT?
The deals are based on two people traveling together. And, we suggest adding $72 (for the week, not per night) to have a private bathroom in all of your accommodations. If you want an automatic transmission on your car, that's another $72 per person charge.

Deal info.
Visit the Sceptre Ireland Web site for more info. on the deals: www.sceptretours.com.

Deal of the Week sponsor
Orbitz.com - The travel Web site where your travel missions are accomplished.

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