Sun Dog Travel Club

Bali is most famous and has several yoga retreat sites.  There are many islands that make up Indonesia so I want us to go to the more remote locations, the not so familiar.  I have been having a tough time getting information on anything outside the main land.  Please comment and suggest.

These are the initial ideas for Italy.  Again comment and suggest.  The most important logistical communication needed is if we do Eat, Pray, Love trip in 3-5 weeks all on same trip or if we take 3 separate trips over the course of 18 months and go to all three countries for 2 weeks each.  Please let me know.

·         October—just after tourist season is time I’m thinking.  This would coordinate nicely with some festivals in India so something to think about.

Southern Italy

Amalfi Coast, Italy

Amalfi Coast has erodes rocks that look like sea animals or mythological creatures, fairy grottos,

Special Points:

·         Lombardy (NE of Milan bordering Switzerland) is Italy’s most creative food town using spices, and borrowing food ideas from many cultures

·         Fly into Naples then go south to  Herculaneum, Pompeii, Catellammare, Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello Salerno, Battipaglia, Paestum, Palermo

·         Campania ks known for its enclaves of gastronomy  cucina povera – local garden ingredients (translates peasant’s kitchen]

·         Look for cheese made from buffalo (like Asian water buffalo) bufala in Italian, Campania is king of red wines.

Amalfi is 21 miles w of Salerno, 38 miles SE of Naples/paper-making invented here, Hx of dominating market in spice, silks, perfumes, and carpets/ St. Andrew buried here/ museums,  cloister / Salerno last town on amalfi coast, capitol of Italy during WWII, destroyed except for medival center, 1990’s regentrified and nice coastal area

Special Points:

·         Lungomare Trieste best coastal area in Italy

·         magic ruins of Paestum a short trip out of Salerno is an archaeological site of greek temples and roses that bloom in fall

·         Hotel Montestella is family owned/operated

·         nat’l park of Cilento—off the beaten track yet has world’s most unique caves, Monte Cervati- highest Mt. in Campania

·         grottos of castelcivita

·         Caserta, Benevento, Avellino—Italy’s best kept secrets on the outskirts of Naples east and NE of Naples…here’s where the wine and food are best in Campania/ San Leucio (old silk factory exists)

Palermo

Home of the Mafia.  It may be another name.  Bob’s son went there for his honeymoon per my suggestion so I gotta remember it. On the island of Sicily.  Bagheria is the town they went to.  It’s about 19 hours by train from Naples. Street food in Palermo a must.

Tuscany- Volterra tour see the sites where New Moon movie was filmed!

Pompeii- ruins of Vesuvius

These are the Things to Do, Places to See list for India so far.  Not all of them will be possible given the seasons of the different festivals.  However, I want to put the ideas out now for all of those interested to comment and suggest.

·         Kerala:  Snake Boat Races—rowing to a song that is devotional, “largest team sport in world”

·         Kerala:  ayurveda originated here and panchakarma best known here.

·         Karnataka is southern India where Mysore is

·         Goa is north of Kerala on coast/ was Portuguese stronghold for 400 yrs so cathedrals built, town laid out in Portuguese fashion, language influenced by this (to get a more Xan perspective in India)

·         Uttar Pradesh is North Central region: Aurangabad (county) Agra (city) is where Taj Mahal is located

·         Central India: Rishikesh is heart of yoga an Int’l Yoga week held here in February/ yoga taught on banks of Ganges during this week/ it’s where Beatles visited and found yoga for selves and introduced it to West.

·         Ganga festival in Oct.

·         Varanasi—holiest of holies site/ central india in Uttar Pradesh  India/ all the ghat’s along the Ganges river/ oldest city in world (aka Babylonà Nineva); also known for its silk brocades.

This is due to the many people with food allergies to peanuts  and the  U.S. Transportation Department has been asked to make a decision.

“Advocates say restrictions would ease the fears of an estimated 1.8 million Americans with peanut allergies, which can be life-threatening”.

So, I’ll let you know of the developments and when to bring your own snacks.

[By Russ Bynum source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37643940/ns/travel-news/]

October 2010 is my Beta trip to Nicaragua to tag sea turtles and commence an annual trip there to build up foreign presence on the San Juan del Sur beach.  Only in that manner will we demonstrate to the locals that earning a living from servicing the tourists that come to their lovely beach to see and experience the turtles is far more lucrative than feeding the turtle eggs to the few tourists.

Please join me  this fall for a wonderful trip that will include yoga and meditation in the mornings, beautiful and serene accommodations on the beach, a hike up a volcano, and the wonderful hospitality of the Nicaragua people!

Dates: October 26, 2010 to November 4, 2010
Location: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
Phone: 623-207-1513
Event Type: ecotour
Cost:  estimate $1500 all inclusive.  Cost subject to change with airline flight prices.  Will update.  The sooner we get the group together the cheaper the flight!

Please feel free to post comments!

The cost will be around $800 per person for 10 days, excluding the flight, now that it is just a couple of months before the time. Please let me know asap if you are signing up for this trip. We need 10 people total to make the trip happen!

The trip of a lifetime for self-discovery and growth!  Join us in reading the book this year and traveling with us to Italy, India, and Indonesia taking in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and culture of each country as we experience those countries and cultures not as tourists but students of life.