A Canopy Adventure in Chile

By Valerie Martin

“I don’t want to do it!” Fara hissed.  The French tourist’s eyes widened with fear as we stood on a wooden platform, 1000 feet above sea level, on the western slope of the Osorno volcano.

Glacier-capped Osorno is often referred to as the Chilean Mount Fuji. It’s one of the most active volcanoes in the country, with 11 eruptions recorded since the 16th century.

As I peered down the endless steel cable that would send us flying through treetops and over deep canyons, I was suddenly afflicted by some first-timer doubts of my own. What if the pulley breaks? What if I get stuck on the line before reaching the next platform? What if I crash into the tree? What am I doing here?! (more…)

London Is Notorious As One Of The Most Expensive Cities To Visit, But With A Little Planning And Some Inside Tips It’s Possible To Have A Good Time There And Not Break The Bank

By JS Wight

A weekend in London for £100? Yeah right. OK, so you’re not going to sleep between Egyptian cotton sheets, sip champagne, or shop till you drop, but a weekend in town for less than £100 is possible — I promise. It just takes a little planning, some effort, and a whole lot of self-control. Here are some insider tips that can make London work for you.

Accommodation

2 x £15.50 = £31

The Ritz is out, but there are a handful of decent, central hostels in London. Being fairly central is important as it saves you valuable travel pennies. Piccadilly Backpackers Hotel has 10 bed dorms at £15.50. Also check out the Holland Park YHA (£16.50) and St Pancras YHA (£24.50). All prices are per person per night and include breakfast.

The hitch-hiking of travel accommodation — couch surfing — is another option for the more adventurous. This option means you slash over £30 from the budget, but the further you are from the center of town, the more complicated the travel gets (and buying breakfast as a thank you gift should also be considered). www.CouchSurfing.com (more…)

How the ancient city of Bitola, Macedonia, has preserved its ancient raditions and culture — a rarity in modern Europe

By Anna Kosmanovski

Many people reach a time in their lives when they feel a need to find out where they came from and to see their countries of affiliation. For many this may be a pleasant afternoon in Scotland taking tea with a Great Aunt Mary, but for me this involved flying over the sharp Balkan Mountains and travelling to Bitola, the southernmost city in Macedonia (formerly Yugoslavia). My Great Aunt Marys are babushka-style old ladies who speak a strange language and offer homemade, ripened wine. Aghast at your skinny wrists, they will shake their head sadly before forcing you to consume munja (traditional paprika flavored lamb) and potato stew (cabbage stuffed with rice) or hopefully both.

Arriving in Bitola is no walk in the park. The easiest way to get there is to fly into the capital city of Skopje and drive a few hours south. I took what I thought would be a shortcut which involved flying into Thessaloniki, Greece, then hopping into a taxi for a two-and-a-half hour drive. As my driver hurled the car down the road at a frightening pace, he would occasionally point out the window to something noteworthy and mumble. Once he said, “Left – look!” and pointed to what was Pella (rumored to be the birthplace of the Macedonian conqueror Alexander the Great). (more…)