Best Western Lord Manaus was chosen by Sheena, our travel agent. She chose this hotel because, she said it was ‘very convenient and comfortable’. Both and Sue and I found her assessment to be correct. Located close to the city center it had a nice, spacious double room for us with radio, TV, air conditioning, and the works. The room also included an excellent buffet breakfast, after which we couldn't complain!

The best thing about the hotel, apart from its regular amenities, was its proximity to the Opera House. The magnificent edifice that reflects culture. We saw here French chandeliers and candelabras, Italian statues and busts, English staircases of wrought iron, etc. All of it, a picture of splendor and magnificence. The Opera House has had its share of ups and downs, though. Launched amidst much fanfare in 1896, it was mainly supported by the money that the rubber industry in Manaus was spinning.

But by the early 1900s, as Asian competition began sweeping it aside, the fortunes of this grand house of culture plummeted. I was happy to see, though, that there has been some revival of the arts, particularly theatre here. On the evening of our visit we were treated to an opera based on Cinderella's story in Portuguese!

The next day being a Sunday we had a ball shopping at the fair organized inside the town's city hall. Here we got some real bargains on Brazilian artifacts and jewelry. We also saw plenty of hammocks, all richly-colored, on display but we bought none. During our two-day trip to Manaus we kept strictly to the town area which, we'd been told, was safe. We didn't venture into any of the slums, also called favalas, where crime runs high. People live close together in hutments with poor lighting and sanitation. In every other way, our Manaus trip was perfect.

Kampala: Haunting specters, charming smiles

The specter of Idi Amin’s dictatorial regime kept looming as Sue and I alighted at the Entebbe Airport, the site of a dramatic hostage rescue operation by Israeli forces so many years ago. I half-shuddered as I made my way to the taxi stand to get to Kampala from Entebbe. Sue, who was silent up to this point, must have been mulling over the same things. By and by, however, we began to lose our edginess as the warmth of the place; the people reached out and clinched us with calming reassurance. We were propositioned by several motorcycle taxi drivers. These motorcycle taxis are called boda bodas and look extremely dangerous. So we simply shook our heads in polite refusal.

We finally booked a taxi to take us to the hotel Sheena had booked for us, the Kampala Sheraton Hotel. As the towers of the hotel loomed up in the horizon both Sue and I felt immediately reassured. Set in a sultry, seductive tropical background it is an oasis – mainly owing to its magnificent gardens – inside a bustling city. The hotel has cafes, bars, a beauty salon, in fact the works.

We had a late lunch and being a tad too tired, went off to sleep. In the evening Sue and I went across to the Rock Garden, a rather cool night club in the midst of the city. We weren’t charged anything to be admitted and had some great Tusker beer while listening to some rollicking numbers mostly from Uganda and India. We were also treated to a lot of ABBA hits, a thing that bombards your senses wherever you, we realized. The country appears to be quite ABBA-struck.

The next morning we woke up early and stepped out of the hotel and could help marveling at the landscape that Kampala offers. Set out on seven hills, it is the site of the verdant and resplendent views I have seen during my travels. We took a stroll up to the Naksero Market with a zesty medley of shops and restaurants. Such brilliant colors and such bright smiles! I felt sorry when it was time to leave.

Lago de Atitlan: Guatemalan beauty spot

A perfect place to chill out in,” is how Sheena had described Lago de Atitlan. And I cannot agree more. Sue and I stayed at this hotel called Lomas de Tzununa during the entire duration of our stay. From the hotel’s private dock we had to clamber up some three hundred-odd steps and it was beautiful all the way. The food too, was great. We had fish that appeared to have just caught from the lake and cooked, it tasted so fresh!

The next day we drove down with some friends, also guests of the hotel, to a village called Santa Cruz parts of which, we discovered, did not have any electricity. This picturesque village is located at an altitude and we had a pretty steep climb uphill. The seaside and the beach at Santa Cruz is pretty nice. We saw quite a few boats departing from the sea shores for the main village Panajachel.

The saddest feature about this lovely Guatemalan town is the poverty; there are vast Mayan populaces existing within the community with little to survive on, it’s heart-rending. The next day Sue and I decided to go shopping at this place called Panajachel. We loved the colorful markets laid out in the main street. We bought some fabrics with traditional Guatemalan motifs.

I also liked the hand-carved flutes and hand-woven scarves and rugs prepared by the Mayans with their symbols and motifs beautifully embossed. Really quite charming. Feeling hungry we looked around for a nice café or restaurant. We saw our friends – the same ones from the hotel – sampling some marinated seafood, raw I believe, called ceviche. They appeared to love it although I didn’t much feel like tasting raw stuff. So we had tacos, spaghetti and some local beer at a wayside stall. Rather nice.

Moeciu de Sus: Pastorally yours

Miles upon miles of pastoral landscape is what Sue and I came across while aking our way towards Moeciu de Sus, a lovely Romanian hamlet- so friends had mentioned to us. Taking the Transfagarsan was hardly the best idea, the way being too long , but neither Sue nor I had issues with driving stretches of beautiful road under a bright mauve sky. Once in a while an odd horse cart would draw up close and the farmer seated atop would cheerily wave at us. We were met by several hitch-hikers on the way. We decided not to stop for anyone initially.

But then we saw two women all by themselves and I pulled over at Sue’s request. Mother and daughter, their names were Gina and Sophia. They didn’t speak a word of English and we knew no Romanian but we still managed to communicate courtesy of miming. We saw an assortment of cattle on the roads, especially cows. At one point I had to stop and let a gaggle of geese cross over. Surrounded by such bucolic wonder, who could complain?

It was Sue who took the wheel by the time we pulled up at the guest house our travel agent Sheena had fixed for us, the Casa Dragoslovean. “Sounds dragon-ish, doesn’t it?” Sue had exclaimed before setting off. Hardly, was our collective verdict on beholding it. The interiors are even prettier; very comfortable and inviting. What I really liked about the place was the food prepared entirely from local produce. Much of it is grown in the kitchen garden and simply delicious for that reason.

There is a strange calm energy about this Romanian village that makes its visitors feel rejuvenated and relaxed akin to the feeling of having just woken from a deep sleep. Stepping out of the guest house Sue and I were content to simply walking around, soaking in the pastoral landscape with its story-book scenery. We also watched the hay stacking and dairying activities. Among the places I absolutely recommend is a village called Bran which is pretty much next door to Moeciu de Sus and, like the latter, breathtakingly beautiful with little hills and waterfalls. A memorable vacation spot, certainly.

Bucharest: Some kind of mix

Sue found it charming while I was slightly uneasy around the uncompromising grey buildings, old remnants of communism… that’s right, the place I am referring is the Romanian capital, Bucharest. A mix of trendy, traditional, and drab is what we got here on our last visit. Sheena, our travel agent, had us booked in at the Ramada Majestic Bucharest Hotel. With its 111 guest rooms, beauty salon, large conference center., fitness center, and swimming pool, it is truly majestic with a great trendy façade. Some tourists staying here mentioned that the Ramada had the cleanest swimming pool in Bucharest.

One of our friends traveling with us on business dropped us off at the Revolution Square on the afternoon of our arrival. He dropped us right opposite the Administrative Complex, also referred to as the Senate. Constructed in 1940, it used to be the headquarters of the Communist Party and the site of the Romanian Revolution of 1989. From where we stood we were able to see the spot from where the infamous dictator Ceausescu relayed his last speech before departing in his helicopter only to be captured and shot a few hours later. Quite chilling.

We also saw the Parliament Palace,a mammoth building and second only to the Pentagon in size. It was the last building to be built under Communist dictatorship. Started sometime in the 1980s, the colossus was finished only in 1997, well after the death of its corrupt owner. Over 330,000 square this giant has 12 floors with rooms that are 84 meters high.

The interiors are characterized by luxury that is vulgar to behold. Both sue and I exited the place with double quickness. From the Parliament Palace we walked down to the Unirii Avenue towards the Antim Monastery, a lovely tribute to the ruler of that name. Such a relief after those concrete communist buildings we had just passed. Well, that’s essentially Bucharest, a mix that can get uncomfortable at times.

Monterey: A place to fall for

Sue wanted to visit California this time round. “A nice Spanish coastal city should be just fine,” she had said with a toss her curls. So we chose Monterey. This was our second visit to San Francisco and we were both having a gala time but she wanted something smaller, “more intimate, if you know what I mean.” So we drove down some 115 miles south to this town that Steinbeck made so popular in his novels. Sue, who happens to be the well-read one, informed me that the city was founded by Spanish soldiers and missionaries and was the capital Alta California belonging to Mexican territory.

The US seized the area in 1846 and developed it into a fishing port. Today, Monterey has a large population of Italian as well as Chinese immigrants. Thanks to its year-round temperate climate it attracts tourists by the droves. So much for somewhere smaller and “more intimate”! We saw this motel called Ramada Limited Monterey next to the highway and drove up. Luckily they had a couple of rooms vacant. For $73 per night we checked into rather large and comfortable guest room with a king-sized bed, bath with clean and crisp linen.

There was cable TV in the room, and an ironing board, etc and the bathroom had a hairdryer. Pretty neat. We also liked the heated swimming pool and Jacuzzi. It was getting late so we slept in early after a long and tiring drive. The next morning we awoke at the crack of dawn and drove down a little further south to view the Mc Way Waterfalls about which we had heard so much. ‘Spectacular’ is the word that comes to mind. This area is called the Big Sur and is famous for its mountainous frothy falls that simply drop into the ocean.

The area is also home to lovely parks like the Los Padres National Forest and Pfeiffer State Park. We didn’t stop at any but were simply content to drive around the highway next to the Saint Lucia Mountains. The next day we went to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the largest in the world. Interesting, but nothing to beat the waterfalls.

Jericoacoara: A must visit village town

While visiting Jericoacoara in Brazil we stayed at this place called Pousada Ponta Mar Jeri, a family-owned establishment. A bed and breakfast joint, actually, its rooms are quite nice- spacious and clean with air-conditioning. That is, our room had air-conditioning while quite a few others had fans. There is also a swimming pool that Sue took advantage of during much of our stay. The lady running the place, Dona Rosa, baked us a lovely banana cake on the day of our arrival. Her husband, Daniel, offers buggy rides to several destinations of tourist interest.

We took a walk in the village resembling an extended beach. It only has five streets, it appears. But it is well-stacked with some rather swanky eateries and bars. Not bad for a rural set up, we reckoned. We’d started out early and saw some fishermen making their way towards the sea with their nets, chatting away merrily. Around noon it became rather hot so we went looking for a café.

At Rua Principal we came across this rather chic eatery called Espaco Aberto which, incidentally, I had heard a great deal about. The staff is friendly and the service is well-oiled and efficient. Both Sue and I tried out a number of shrimps and fishes doused in the most exotic Brazilian sauces. The restaurant’s Hawaiian-styled fish is a dish worth trying. Peixe Ao Molho Verde is what its called, I believe.

For souvenir shopping Daniel told us that the shops next to the beach were our best bet. We stopped by at this shop called Jeri Arte which is not far from Rua Principal. What amazing ceramics! We bought cups, saucers, salvers and lamps; all beautifully crafted and designed.

The next morning Daniel took us buggy-riding towards the icon of this village-town, the Pedra Furada or Arched Rock. This a rock, ten meters in height, and naturally sculpted by sea waves. A must visit!