Archive for February, 2008

Call it synchronicity, call it what you will. When I receive two emails about something, then it must be a trend. Or a coincidence. Or possibly just another day on the internet.

Case in point. A few weeks ago I was forwarded a link to a fascinating article on BudgetTravel.com about 10 Celebrity-Trashed Hotel Rooms. Normally I don’t pay attention to celebrity gossip. But how can you resist a story about hotels and their celebrity guests. Keith Moon after a stay at the Day’s Inn in Michigan? $24,000 in damage. Johnny Depp after an altercation with girlfriend Kate Moss at the Mark Hotel in New York City? $9,000 in damage. Billy Idol after a three-week drug and booze binge at the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok? Carried out in a stretcher plus a $200,000 bill.

Now that’s quality celebrity entertainment!

Then just last week a coworker (we’ll call her elly-kay to protect the innocent) sent me a link to a new celebrity hotel development, the Brando Eco Hotel on the island of Tetiaroa in Tahiti (a.k.a. French Polynesia). Marlon Brando apparently fell in love with the island in 1965 after filming Mutiny of the Bounty. So of course he bought it. As one does.

Brando’s Eco Hotel: Population 1

Here’s an excerpt from the website. We’ll do some close textual analysis in a moment:

The former playground of Tahitian Kings, Tetiaroa is now virtually uninhabited (population of one – Brando’s son Teihotu). The project is being overseen by Tahiti Beachcomber SA, whose CEO, Richard Bailey, owner of several luxury resorts in French Polynesia, had been in contact with the actor for a number of years… “The Brando eco-hotel will be exactly what Marlon would have wanted: Energy-autonomous and built with natural materials, it will rest lightly on its environment and be nearly invisible from the water. It will showcase the latest in renewable energy technologies, including some we are already employing in our new hotel in Bora Bora, which Marlon had promised to inaugurate. We worked together on this project for three years before he died,” says CEO Bailey.

If you don’t think too hard about, it sounds like a lovely story. Marlon Brando falls in love with a Tahitian island, buys it, and pours millions of dollars into developing a luxury hotel complex built on ecologically sound practices. Good on ya, Marlon.

Now for that close textual analysis...

Tetiaroa is now virtually uninhabited (population of one – Brando’s son Teihotu). Hmmm, population of one. Could that be because Marlon Brando begged Teihotu’s mother, Tarita Teriipaia, to have his child but later changed his mind and urged her to have an abortion? (She refused and the couple had a son, Teihotu, followed by a daughter, Cheyenne.) Or maybe it’s because Marlon later committed Teihotu’s sister Cheyenne to a revolving door of psychiatric institutes. “When she started being ill, Marlon stopped coming here, to Tahiti, and no longer called,” Teriipaia writes in her tell-all book, Marlon, My Love, My Suffering. Or maybe it’s because Teihotu’s sister Cheyenne hanged herself in 1995 after her brother (Teihotu’s half-brother), Christian Brando, shot and killed Cheyenne’s boyfriend, Dag Drollet, in 1990. Either way, Teihotu has plenty of reasons to live alone.

And what about this bit: The Brando eco-hotel will be exactly what Marlon would have wanted: Energy-autonomous and built with natural materials, it will rest lightly on its environment and be nearly invisible from the water. Yeah, that sounds like the Marlon Brando who demanded a multi-million dollar fee to appear briefly in the film Superman. Or the man who helped Leonard Peltier flee the FBI in a motor home filled with dynamite, guns and airplane tickets charged to Brando’s own credit card. Yup, that sounds like somebody who’s primary concern in life is energy autonomy and natural building materials.

And then there’s that final telling detail: It will showcase the latest in renewable energy technologies, including some we are already employing in our new hotel in Bora Bora, which Marlon had promised to inaugurate. My interpretation of CEO Bailey’s comment — ‘Marlon you owe me money! You said he would pay for all this, is the check really in the mail??’

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m sure the Brando Eco Hotel will be a lovely place when it opens. If it ever opens. But let’s not get carried away. Let’s not paint the place with a brush dipped in Marlon Brando’s good name or fame. The man was a nut. The man brutalized his children. The man was out of control.

The Brando Eco Hotel may well prove to be a great place to stay. But it will have nothing to do with Brando, or the Brando mystique. This is a case of celebrity hotel-trashing that leaves a sour taste in the mouth, and CEO Bailey ought to do everything he can to distance the project from the deceased star.

In the very least, we all should leave poor Teihotu alone in his splendid isolation. The last thing Teihotu needs is a pack of celebrity-seeking tourists demanding autographs and remembrances of the Great Man.

–Scott McNeely

More than a few years ago, back when the Earth was flat and tourist was just another name for traveller, I lived in a little piece of paradise some 80 kilometres out of that Ultima Thule, Darwin. The one that you hear so much about, middle of nowhere but somehow the centre of something.

This little patch was on the edge of the “other” National Park of the north, the tourists they all want to see the mighty Ka Ka Doo (Kakadu National Park), with its huge waterfalls and billabongs and crocodiles and blablabla…

Not so many make it over to Litchfield National Park, two hours closer to the “action”, if that’s what you’d call it in Town, and in my small estimation at least twice the better of its eastern cousin, too. (Cut to the chase if you like; click here for a Viator tour to Litchfield National Park from Darwin.)

Now, as far as geology goes, one of my small hobbies in stretching myself out over the land that shares its place on the mighty Terra Australis, Litchfield and Kakadu, and the Tanami Desert for that matter, they have at least one thing in common – oldest rock shelves in the Northern Territory.

Where the rock’s old, and you’ll find mining engineers and prospecting companies gathering and rubbing their hands in anticipation of future prosperity. Litchfield has many subterranean friends: gold, copper, lead, nickel, cobalt and of course the great U with no learning – uranium. ‘Twas the site of Australia’s first Yew-ranium mine, it was, and the little bits that lie discretely from the average travellers’ way still bear silent testimony to this passing historical fact.

Why bother you with a history and geology lesson on the point of travel? Well, it’s these finer details, hidden away beneath time’s passing veil and the layer of dirt we call Earth, that give the true tips on where to go and how to stay. I’m not going to spoil it for you and tell you what kind of plant sits atop these little collections of metallurgical joy, saying that there is probably water about, too.

But when you learn the signs you can read the land, something that many a “True Blue” Australian may have never encountered in their time in this new country of ancient means. Suffice to say, Litchfield might not be the biggest of the mighty North’s national parks, but it has secret wonders if only you look.

And perhaps, without upsetting the locals, I’ll share a hint or two…

Litchfield National Park: Jack Shares a Secret, or Two

After the first hour out of Darwin, past the many new traffic lights and points of congestion, and just after the Noonamah pub, you’ll strike the turn-off to the “back way” into Litchfield, along Cox Peninsula Road. This is no secret and probably even the locals aren’t big fans of the slow dirt road that coaxes you in after the 30 km or more of tar that lead to it. You can wave as you pass my old shack, a couple of K’s off to the east as you barrel down the road. Over to the left, round the Blackmore River, the black soil plains flood come wet season, when this road is cut off further down by the Finniss River, and I’m told great crocodiles roam the area and even scarier locals roam on those airboats like in Gentle Ben. But I digress.

The road through the park, being a loop, brings you back out at Cox Peninsula. The other way into Litchfield is further down the Stuart Highway and through the town of Batchelor – which got a little write up in my first post. Follow the signs and once you’re through, the scenery settles a little and undulates some, too. A couple of jump-ups to small escarpments though the eastern side of the park and where there’s a drop, you may find waterfalls. As the ground moves round, you’ll also notice some signs pointing out the famed Magnetic Termite Mounds. Unless you’re out to estrange friends you haven’t met yet, don’t worry about these little roped-off patches of tourist turf, there’s plenty more little wonders like these spread around. Over on the CP Road entrance, there’s a whole unmarked field of them waiting to stand and wave at you as they turn pink in the sunset.

Termite Mounds at Litchfield National Park

There’s two little theories on why the termite mounds run east-west (or north-south depending on how you look at it) – some say it’s a cooling effect, their skinny edge attracting less of the sun’s heating rays, as with their cathedral mound cousins which employ crenelation for their air-conditioning. The other reason proposed by those in the know is that they follow the strong magnetic lines in the area, and the little geothermal line that starts round the west side would maye suggest something in that, as well as all the lightning storms I used to watch from my verandah back in the days I lived there. For many of these reasons, Pethericks Rainforest Reserve, a privately owned camping area by local indigenous people is worth stopping at for a swim, be sure to show respect and follow their signs.

Things to Do at Litchfield National Park

Florence Falls (east side) and Wangi Falls (west side) both have camping and waterfalls, too, though in peak season (May/June to September/October) and especially weekends you may have trouble finding a spot to get wet, so get in early. There’s also a bit of a circular current in Wangi Falls and those that find swimming a struggle (everyone in Australia has to learn to swim as a youngster in school) have been known to have a little trouble with the the pull round the far waterfall. Buley Rockhole also has a plethora of mini-waterfalls and splashing around spots, but sometimes its as simple as respectfully slipping a little way down the creek and some peace can be yours.

Waterfall in Litchfield National Park

For those of you pulling some mobility in a 4WD, the Lost City makes for an interesting excursion because, well, it looks like a lost city, all Stonehenge but in the bush. It’s a bit of a hike but worth heading out, because again, there’s less people milling about catching flies with their mouths agape at all the natural wonder out there.

Another way to escape the crowds, but not the heat if you don’t take a hat and some water, is the TableTop Walk between Wangi Falls and Buley Rockhole. There’s a few of these off track wonders around the park, taking a compass and map sure help, otherwise some good boots and something to keep the grass seeds out of your leg hair. Nothing quite like getting out on the plateau and doing a bit of discovering for yourself away from the luxury of the air-con and teeming hordes. There’s a bit of information on it you can download from the NT Government site here.

Now I’d be run back out of town next time I go back if I divulged all the little secrets here, for the world to see, that Litchfield has hidden under the brim of her hat. But suffice to say this little taster tells you that you don´t need to pay the earth and drive for a couple of hours to actually spend some quality time in the bush if Kakadu is not your calling.

–Jack Brown

Planning a trip? Browse all of Viator’s Darwin tours and things to do in Alice Springs, including Kakadu National Park and Litchfield National Park.

At the end of the last century Berlin was the world’s largest construction site – I suspect it still is. This city has been battered and bruised, divided but never conquered. It’s defiant, it’s determined, it’s open-minded. And it’s affordable. No wonder it’s full of artists.

Catching public transport makes Berlin seem a lot bigger than it really is. Which is not to say it’s small – 3.4 million people. But everything seems to ring around Alexanderplatz, home of the iconic television tower, the Fernsehturm. Each time you look out the window of the train or the bus or the tram, there’s the TV tower, no further away that it seemed before, and because it looks the same from all sides, you feel like you haven’t moved, except you have, and the buildings between you and the tower have changed. And the people on the bus, tram or train have ebbed and flowed. Of course it could all just be one big Truman Show experience and the TV tower is the moon in the corner. I prefer to think it’s just that the TV tower is causing an illusion of confusion. Anyway… so, yes, my three days in Berlin.

Berlin, it’s Philippa’s kinda town.

Things to Do in Berlin: Day 1

Orientate yourself. And to do that, ironically I would suggest going straight to that monument of confusion: the TV Tower. There’s a lift up to the observation deck and, although the windows are kind of dirty and on an angle, you get a good overview of Berlin. Of course, by doing this as your first stop in the city, what you look at will be a complete mystery to you, but there is helpful signage and it’s great getting some sense of the city layout.

Running south-east from Alexanderplatz is Karl-Marx-Allee, an imposing processional avenue of Communist architecture. It’s worth a walk along this lengthy avenue of white, Stalinist public housing from the 1950s. Until 1961 it was even called Stalinallee.

Now, I’ve become a big fan of the Hop On, Hop Off Bus. So a Berlin Hop On Hop Off bus tour is my recommendation for what to do next. And, helpfully, it has a stop in Alexanderplatz. Well, close by although I did find it a tad hard to locate. I hovered hopefully near one of the big H bus signs, hoping not to be accused of loitering, and when people clutching cameras began to appear my faith rose, my fear of the law decreased, and when the bus lunged into sight, all was right with the world.

The bus tour was good for seeing all the main sights and demystifying the city a bit. My overwhelming sense was of destruction, construction and reconstruction. Berlin was 70% destroyed during World War II and then largely rebuilt in the Russian Communist style up until reunification in 1989. Many of these buildings have come down to make way for reconstructions of old Berlin. The communist Palast der Republick is in its death throes (largely due to asbestos) and will be replaced by the reconstruction of a Prussian Palace. Similarly one of the oldest parts of Berlin nearby has had the historic buildings reconstructed, although on a different street layout as the city planning changed over time.

If you’re full of energy – and you should be, you just arrived! – you can knock over lots of the “must sees” of Berlin by hopping on and off the bus. Go to the schloss at Charlottenburg, visit the Checkpoint Charlie Musuem and get the history of the divided city and the ingenious attempts some people made to escape the GDR. You can also visit the Jewish Museum and the eerie Holocaust Memorial, finally unveiled in 2005. Lots of things held it up including the revelation that the graffiti-proof paint was made by a company associated with the one that made Zyklon B used in the gas chambers. The dark history is never far away. (You can also visit the nearby Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp for an even more sobering look at Germany’s dark history.)

Another overwhelming impression of Berlin is the graffiti. And, unlike other cities, most of it is left on the walls. It feels like a symbol of the undaunted spirit of the people in this once troubled city.

Near Checkpoint Charlie there is a section of the Berlin Wall but it is now very pockmarked and the graffiti on it almost gone. That’s due to ‘woodpeckers’, the local name for souvenir hunters who come and chip a bit to take home. Ecotourism includes respect for the built environment as well, people! There’s a much better section of wall across town, but I’ll take you there on Day 3.

End the day with a coffee or drink in one of the cafes on the Unter den Linden near the Brandenburg Gate. This was the place to see and be seen in the heady days of the 1920s. Kick back and imagine.

Things to Do in Berlin: Day 2

This is your galleries and shopping day. Stumble into a café, any café for breakfast and the coffee is likely to be good. And I kept happening across the wonderful breakfast plate of cheeses, fruit, bread, pesto etc (and I assume German sausage for the carnivores).

Berlin: Yes, the world’s largest indoor fish tank.

Wander along the banks of the River Spree to Museums Island. First stop, the Pergamonmuseum, a place of wonder – the sheer scale is amazing. There’s the Pergamon Altar reconstructed and enormous. It was quite surreal to see people dwarfed by the giant marble steps and we were inside! I kept expecting to look up and see sky. It’s like the Acropolis kept in captivity. There is a Roman room and a Greek room, both with giant marble columns that feel they should plummet onto your head. But I loved the Ishtar Gate and Processional Way from Babylon. Reconstructed. Inside. And it’s blue. Fabulous. Included in the entry price (10 euros or free on Thursday nights) is the audio tour and, although I usually like to have my own experience rather than being blinkered by the experts, I did learn a lot.

From there, wander back towards Alexanderplatz (the TV tower), past the Berliner Dom (you can go in if you like…), heading for the main event: the world’s largest indoor fish tank. Yes, it’s in Berlin at the Marriott Hotel. If you want to actually ride the lift up and down inside it, you have to go via the Sealife exhibition around the corner (and it costs), but it’s free to stand in the hotel foyer and gaze.

Hop on a train at Alexanderplatz going to Hauptbahnhof. That’s the recently re-opened main train station and it’s a symphony of glass, trains and fast food. From there it’s a short walk to an old train station, Hamburger Bahnhof, now a modern art gallery. It’s a great collection and a great building and is free on Thursday afternoons. I wandered happily, loving the room full of succinct information about artists like Warhol, Lichtenstein etc. And then I came across half a room dedicated to Matthew Barney. Okay, I thought, I keep hearing about him, what’s all the fuss? Half an hour later after watching video art (sigh) I was no closer to finding an answer. Sometimes a few words can say more than endless artsy video… Move on, people.

Now it’s shopping time*. Oh, and you might be hungry. Walk along Invalidenstrasse, in the opposite direction to Hauptbahnhof and you’ll hit Chausseestrasse. There’s a cute little French café on one corner (Marcini?) recommended. Then head up Chausseestrasse, past the U-bahn station, until you’re opposite a petrol/gas station. Head past the security booth, down a driveway, towards a small theatre café and into a courtyard. Sorry, no idea of the street number but there’s a vacant block next door… Anyway, once in, you’ll see the sign Trippen on the left. Berlin shoe mecca. And this is the outlet shop. They’re still not cheap but they’re half the price. And there’s another outlet store upstairs. But choose carefully, the shoes are generally seconds so find out what the fault is.

Okay, U-bahn it back towards Alexanderplatz and wander the nearby streets towards Hackescher Markt, full of funky shops and great cafes.

Now you’re not a million miles from Orianenburger Strasse, which has the rebuilt Jewish Synagogue (completed 1995), and around the corner Beth Café (kosher) that has armed police outside, as do many of Jewish sites in Berlin still. Berlin has the largest Jewish population in Europe today.

And then fall into a bar – the quintessential Berlin experience. You could go to the Kaffee Burger, a well known alternative bar in nearby Torstrasse. Madonna hired the top floor of the place for a party when I was there, so you know it must be cool, right?

*Alternate plan if you’re not into shoes (say what?!), from Hamburger Bahnhof you could go instead to Kurfurstendamm, the big shopping street of more upmarket labels and the famous and magnificent department store KaDeWa. Check out the food hall in particular. But apart from this, Ku’damm really offers shops you see in every other city and why not have some one off, unique to Berlin shopping in Mitte instead?

Things to Do in Berlin: Day 3

Today, we are going further afield. But the transport is easy in Berlin so don’t panic. Also, I realise that by now you are exhausted so this is the gentle day, trust me.

Berlin: The Badeschiff

Start the day in Prenslauer Berg, an artsy area full of cafes. Wander up Kastanienalle (where beautiful people abound and soap stars are discovered) looking at all the shops in the area around Eberswalderstrasse Station. Then hop on the tram (M10) and find your way to the most fabulous bridge: the Oberbaumbrucke. A magnificent confection of red brick towers like a fortified town, it crosses the River Spree and was closed during communist times. It connects Kreuzberg with Friedrichshain across the river.

Opposite the bridge is the East Side Gallery – the largest open-air gallery in the world and the longest stretch of Berlin Wall still in one piece – 1316 metres. It was retained after 118 artist from 21 countries decorated it in 1989.

Walk across the Oberbaumbrucke into Friedrichshain and wander the shops and cafes there. Heading towards the height of relaxation and my favourite place in Berlin – you deserve it! The Badeschiff (near Treptower Park). In summer this is a swimming pool and basking platforms stretching out over the river. In winter, it is covered and has saunas, the pool (the ends are still open to the elements, divine!) and a huge relaxation area. It also has a small café. And views of Berlin (the TV tower is visible naturally) from inside the saunas! I was very happy there. The only word of warning: it is mixed nude bathing, not for the prudish.

Then you’ll be so relaxed, treat yourself to dinner. You haven’t been up the Reichstag dome by Norman Foster yet, and the best way to beat the queue is to book a table at the café at the top. Enjoy the view. And if you’re not tired yet, count all the cranes on the skyline. You’ll be asleep in your beer before you get to one hundred.

–Philippa Burne

Plannnig a trip? Browse Viator’s list of things to do in Berlin, Munich tours and what to do in Germany.

Editor’s Note: Jenny is the person at Viator who finds all of the cool, fun and unique things to do in Orlando (and Florida). She’s just back from Orlando and wanted to share a few experiences from her trip.

I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love my job (for the most part), and this past week reminded me of another reason why.

I have been down in Orlando discovering all the things to do aside from the ‘Big 3’ (Disney, Universal Studios and Seaworld). Whilst I love these parks (and yes, I know they are some of the best theme parks on the planet) that doesn’t mean I think you should spend 100% of your Orlando vacation visiting them. Orlando has a whole lot more to offer.

Top Things to Do in Orlando: Alligator Wrestling at Gatorland

Florida is know for their alligators, so where better to start than at Gatorland? I had the unique pleasure of going ‘behind the scenes’ where regular guests can’t go, but even the guest areas are full of interesting (porcupines), cute (a black bear), scaly (snakes, gators, lizards etc) and somewhat scary animals (no, I am not a fan of spiders and scorpions!).

There is one behind the scenes tour you can do which is really cool – be a Gator Trainer for a Day. Every day the tasks you do are different – one day it could be collecting gator eggs, the next it could be helping with the shows. And don’t worry you’ll still have plenty of time to visit the Big 3; a half day at Gatorland is all you need to explore this gem in the heart of Orlando. (Update: There was a fire here at the front entrance in 2006, and I’m happy to advise this is almost completely rebuilt. The current construction has no effect on the rest of the park.)

Next I was off to the coast (about 45 minutes by car) for the Daytona 500 Experience, part of our broader collection of NASCAR racing tours and ride-alongs in Orlando. If you’re a fan of racing you will love the Daytona 500 Experience: two IMAX movies (one in 3-D), a simulator ride that is too real for words, and the actual winning car from the Daytona 500 every year, scratches, dents and all! To be honest, I’m not a big NASCAR fan, but it was extremely impressive to see the racetrack on the “Speedway Tour”. It’s hard to comprehend how huge this track is and you can only imagine what it must be like to have every seat filled and engines roaring around the track. This is definitely worth a day trip to the coast to check it all out.

Top Things to Do in Orlando: Swimming with Manatees

So then it was back to nature – swimming with manatees. I was picked up from my hotel and taken out to Crystal River, where I went diving with these gentle creatures. It wasn’t actually ‘manatee’ season, but there were still plenty to see. I’ve swum with dolphins before and had a blast – this was equally impressive.

All the food served on the tour was excellent and it is obvious that the manatees and the preservation of the native Florida wildlife is paramount in the mind of the operators of this tour. After the swim, we headed to our airboat ride – such fun!

Finally, it was over to the Homossassa State Wildlife Park. This is where they bring the manatees to rehabilitate them, but honestly just seeing the manatees here would have been enough for me - swimming with them was an added bonus.

Kennedy Space Center is another great day trip from Orlando and can be purchased either with or without transport and a variety of upgrades to choose from. Kennedy Space Center is one place that has a lot to see and do. You don’t have to be a space junkie to enjoy it all and be amazed by the sheer magnitude of the shuttles. There are hands-on exhibits, IMAX movies, you can have lunch with an astronaut, and much more. This really is a must-do in Orlando.

Then there was Cypress Gardens, a 1-hour drive from Orlando. This park was in its heyday a number of years ago and they have recently done a lot of work to attract visitors again. Thrill rides and a water park have been added, there’s good food, and the gardens are simply amazing. They also have free outdoor concerts featuring acts like the Beach Boys. The park is renowned for its waterski show (which runs year round) and the southern belles that wander the park adding a touch of southern hospitality and charm. The park is constantly undergoing improvements, but nothing that will detract from the experience

Finally, there are all the shows in Orlando. Orlando is a haven for families and these shows make for a perfect end to the day. From pirates and knights to Arabian horses, Blue Man Group and Disney characters, you can combine good food and first class entertainment in one place!

Keep an eye on our Orlando offerings however – we have some new and unique experiences coming up. It’s all part of my job, to find amazing adventures for travelers like you to experience.

–Jenny Crossling

Planning a trip? Check out Viator’s complete list of Orlando tours and things to do. Or consider extending your stay in the Sunshine State and check out the colorful Art Deco District and Little Havana neighborhoods in Miami, or partake in a smorgasbord of water activities in the gorgeous environs of Key West.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t
do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the
safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

– Mark Twain

Since the last article — which saw the Optimistic Fools without a vehicle, penniless and with no specified route — many things have changed. And the world-renowned Mongol Rally slips progressively closer into view.

This rally is unlike all its rivals in as much as it has little more than three distinct rules which its participants must adhere to. The first is that each team must raise a minimum of £1,000 for charity. The second dictates that the vehicle that will transport them from London’s Hyde Park to the capital of Mongolia, Ulan Bator, must have an engine displacement of less than 1,000cc (or 125cc if your car has two wheels) and ‘generally be considered crap’. And the final rule is that the teams are not allowed support teams following them. Even so, the road less traveled has, for the Optimistic Fools, become mildly more chartered.

The Fools — full of unfounded optimism — is made up of two idealists, Ollie and me (Chris), who have had little time to prepare for this epic escapade. The moderately loquacious lackey, Ollie, is from Guernsey, a small picturesque atoll nestled in the English Channel between France and England. In the final throws of building a house, his time has been limited to assist in the planning of such a grand adventure. And myself, half-German half-English, living and working in London (where working 9 to 5 is a cruel myth). However, despite the initial lack of planning, we Fools are steadily surmounting the many obstacles laid before us, in a slightly dubious mission to cross more than a 1/3 of the Earth’s circumference in some rusty old throw-back from the automotive world.

Mongol Rally: The Fools’ Route

Mongol Rally 2008: The Fools’ Route Options

On a weekend visit to London, Ollie and I sat for three hours in an internet café on the fashionably alternative Brick Lane. This East London street, once cheap and arguably unattractive, has since become trendy. With street signs both in Urdu and English, the road is lined with secondhand clothes shops, small cafes and Bangladeshi curry houses catering to everyone from the prosperously sleek city crowd to the followers of retro trends that are awkwardly seeping back into fashion.

The sole aim of this meeting, the first of the Fools, was to assess the route and to plan a path from the centre of London to the plains of Mongolia, and from there to our final destination, the origin of the illustrious Genghis Khan, Ulan Bator.

However this simple task proved harder than originally expected. If we decided to head south we would miss the wonders of Poland, the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine, and the fertile steps of Russia. Yet if we opted to travel north we would forgo the glorious sights of Turkey and the wondrous charm of the Iranian people. As frustration stated to gnaw at and penetrate our fervent enthusiasm, we dropped the map, left for the pub and picked up the pints with a mutual friend — whose suggestion that we flick a coin led us simply to our chosen route. Head south.

On this elected itinerary we would take the ferry from the English port of Dover to the French docks of Calais, across and into Belgium, the land of chocolate. Onward bound would see us accelerating down the autobahns of Germany through the ancient historic towns of the Czech Republic and into Slovakia. Hungary would follow, then mystically romantic Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the long open plains of Kazakhstan, a brief glimpse of Russia and finally, after 10,000 miles of exhilarating highs and piercing lows, the glorious land of Mongolia.

Mongol Rally: The Fools Meet Irene

With the route planned, we had something to focus our hearts and minds on, something concrete. We could now start to scour the internet, dive into books and pick the minds of knowledgeable souls to learn and prepare ourselves for our epic journey across sea and plain.

The next step was also to find a vehicle under 1,000cc that could possibly be worthy — let alone capable — of such an awesome voyage. The first choice was the Citroen 2V, inimitably beautiful yet ultimately made from little more than papier-mâché. On the opposite side of the spectrum was the Suzuki SJ40, a heavy duty four-wheel drive with built-in crank, resembling a sturdy tank and therefore far too boring. Or the robust curves of the cute little mini? Light and fast, yet predisposed to trip over a pebble or drown in a puddle.

Irene using logs to aid her non-existent brakes, and Irene with Ollie in Guernsey

After much deliberation, a spectacularly kind gentleman from Guernsey who is a Renault 4 aficionado, offered to donate one of his beloved cars to the cause. Initially with a price of £200, he succumbed to the charm and charisma of my teammate and relinquished his pride and joy into the hands of us Fools. Born around 1970, this sky blue Renault 4 with four axel independent suspension originated in France as a trusty alternative to the donkey and cart. This little car is the most successful French car to have ever been produced, and in Colombia is still known affectionately as Amigo Fiel (trusty friend). With a high carriage base and simple mechanics this vehicle would suit the bumpy rural terrain of the Kazak steppes and the dusty Mongol dessert like a duck to water. And so, no doubt to her great dismay, it was that Irene became a Fool.

Mongol Rally: The Fools Need Money

Asking actual people to part with their cash is an undertaking laden with obvious hurdles. And nevermind large companies, which get a plethora of such requests on a daily basis.

Viator, however, didn’t even have to be asked and proffered their generous support before any other. But the Fools want to raise as much as humanly possible, from all possible sources, to help their four chosen charities. Suitable sponsors might be travel organizations, clothes companies, and extreme sports retailers but even after numerous letters, the effort proved to be fruitless. We even thought of oil companies such as Shell, to donate petrol for the 10,000 miles, but as it turned out they couldn’t afford (despite their record-breaking profit of $31.3 billion this year) to spare even a few hundred on much-needed positive publicity.

We soon realised that in order for companies to take us seriously, we had to have a website. So armed with embarrassingly meager IT skills the Fools set to work, pen to paper and fingers to keyboards, to conceive and give birth to optimisticfools.co.uk. Second step, we had to get the press interested, so us Fools contacted our respective local publications, smiled for the cameras, answered the questions and basked in their Andy Warhol predicted 15 minutes of fame. After this, the tide soon turned, having stirred either certain wanderlust, or the promise of an excellent marketing opportunity. The phone has started to ring…

–Christoph Courth

Editor’s Note: Please, for the love of adventure and the sake of wanderlust, send the Optimistic Fools some money! They are doing all of this for charity, the cause is worthy, and if you don’t send them 10 bucks, euros, pounds or whatever local currency you use, then we wash our hands of you! Seriously, send the fools a few bucks. Click here for full details on donating to their cause.

Fiji is the multicultural crossroads of the South Pacific, the throbbing heart of Oceania. Here Polynesia meets Melanesia, Micronesia, China, India and Australia. And your choice of resorts, activities, and islands is huge, from the sunny paradise isles of the Mamanuca Group to the soaring volcanic islands of the Yasawas.

Fiji, a little piece of tropical heaven.

If you’re into sports, then you’ve come to the right place: The sports-minded can go scuba diving, snorkeling, hiking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, surfing, and sailing. In fact, there’s so much to see and do in Fiji that the savvy traveler will have done some advance planning prior to arrival. Several of Fiji’s diverse regions merit special attention, and all routes begin in Nadi.

Things to Do in Fiji: Nadi

Direct flights from Auckland, Brisbane, Honolulu, Los Angles, Melbourne, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo, and a host of South Pacific countries arrive at Nadi International Airport on the west side of Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu. Numerous hotels and motels are strung along the 8-kilometer road from the airport to the markets of Nadi Town.

Most of the larger international resorts are on Denarau Island, a 10-minute drive from Nadi, while the beach resorts of the Mamanuca and Yasawa island groups are accessible on highspeed catamarans based at Port Denarau. As a break from the many shopping and dining possibilities, many Nadi-based visitors join bus tours to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, Vuda Lookout, Sabeto Valley, and Fiji’s second-largest city, Lautoka, all north of Nadi. There are also luncheon and dinner cruises on Nadi Bay and jet-boating on the Nadi River. The more energetic can go trekking in the Nausori Highlands overlooking Nadi.

Things to Do in Fiji: The Mamanuca Islands

The idyllic coral isles of the Mamanuca Group are scattered across a protected sea west of Nadi and north of the Malolo Barrier Reef. Sailing vessels such as the schooners Seaspray and Whales Tale ply these waters on day trips from Nadi, or you can take a fast exploratory cruise on the fast catamaran which supplies the offshore resorts three times a day.

Fiji cruises & sailing trips: A good way to explore the islands

The various resorts cater to different markets, be it couples and families at Amunuca, Castaway, Mana, Malolo, Navini, Plantation, and Treasure; adults only at Likuliku, Lomani, Matamanoa, Tokoriki, Vomo, and Wadigi; backpackers at Beachcomber, Bounty, Funky Fish, Mereani’s, Ratu Kini, South Sea, and Walu Beach; surfers at Namotu and Tavarua; and sailors at Musket Cove.

When selecting a resort, it’s important to pick the one that is right for you. Staying at the Mamanuca resorts is generally more expensive than staying in Nadi, but you can have the best of both worlds by visiting the islands one at a time on all-inclusive day cruises from Nadi. Consider the Beachcomber Day Cruise if you’re with the kids, the Castaway Island Cruise if you want to meet some friendly Aussies, the Mana Island Day Cruise if you want to combine a hike with a swim, and South Sea Island or Tivua Island if you’re only looking for fun. All of the day cruises include Nadi hotel transfers, the catamaran, a buffet lunch, and snorkeling gear. It’s a great way to check out a resort before committing to a long stay.

Things to Do in Fiji: The Yasawa Islands

The Yasawa Islands chain runs up the west side of Fiji, northwest of Viti Levu. The chain’s jagged peaks are clearly visible on the horizon across Bligh Water from Lautoka. Tourism is relatively new to the Yasawa Islands. While Mamanuca resorts such as Beachcomber Island date back to the 1960s, the vast majority of the Yasawas resorts have only opened during the past decade.

That said, it is now possible to board a morning catamaran at Nadi’s Port Denarau and arrive at the Yasawa Island resort of your choice in time for lunch. A Bula Pass (valid for 7, 14, or 21 days) allows island hoppers to stop for a day or two at all of the main resorts. The Pass covers unlimited catamaran travel within the Yasawas, but only one trip back to Nadi. Three and four-day packages eliminate the need to decide on all your stops in advance.

Be aware, however, that most of the Yasawa resorts are designed for young backpackers willing to trade a little inconvenience for lower prices, and one shouldn’t expect luxuries here. If air-conditioned comfort and fancy food are a priority, the Mamanucas would be a better choice. However, the swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving are unsurpassed in the Yasawas, and there are many opportunities to hike to scenic viewpoints on these high volcanic islands. Traditional Fijian culture is preserved intact in the local villages where almost all of the resort workers live.

Things to Do in Fiji: The Coral Coast

Many of Fiji’s largest international resorts are along the Coral Coast between Nadi and the country’s capital city, Suva. Southwestern Viti Levu gets ample sun and there’s good snorkeling off the white sandy beaches (although one must be aware of unperceived currents). Some of Fiji’s best surfing is along the Coral Coast’s fringing reef; shuttle boats provide access to the world class wave at Frigate Passage.

Scuba diving is another very popular activity and all of the main resorts have dive shops. Shark diving in the wild is an everyday thing here. Exhilarating whitewater rafting and leisurely outboard boat rides on the Navua River are offered from Monday to Saturday with resort pickups easily arranged. Firewalking and traditional dancing accompany the Fijian feasts at island nights staged at the main resorts. Aside from this resort activity, there are many shopping possibilities in nearby Sigatoka, the Coral Coast’s largest town.

Things to Do in Fiji: Suva

The markets and colonial buildings of Fiji’s capital, Suva, can be toured on a daytrip from Nadi or the Coral Coast. For those who chose to linger a while, there’s exciting nightlife at the city’s many clubs and bars. Some of Fiji’s best restaurants are here, too, with an Indian restaurant recommended for lunch and a Chinese restaurant best for dinner (many of the Indian restaurants do not serve alcohol). The Fiji Museum in South Suva is a must see with the Thurston Botanical Gardens, Albert Park, the Government Buildings and the Grand Pacific Hotel all within sight of the museum.

Suva’s bustling municipal market and the main shopping centers are in North Suva where buses from all around Viti Levu arrive. Colo-i-Suva Forest Park in the hills above Suva is one of Fiji’s top ecotourism attractions, with nature trails and waterfalls in a mahogany rainforest. It’s just a 15-minute taxi ride from town.

Things to Do in Fiji: Northern Fiji

The traveler with more time should also visit Fiji’s “Friendly North,” especially the old plantation town of Savusavu on Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second-largest island. Cruising yachts from all around the Pacific pause at Savusavu for extended stays (and short cruises are easily arranged). Savusavu is also one of Fiji’s top scuba diving venues. The nearby garden island of Taveuni, often called Fiji’s finest island, is another famous scuba diving area. The half dozen dive shops on Taveuni take divers to the Rainbow Reef and Great White Wall off eastern Vanua Levu.

Taveuni also offers exceptional hiking in the Bouma National Heritage Park in eastern Taveuni. Guides are available or you can hike to the waterfalls on your own. Accommodations are easily found on Taveuni, from self-catering cottages to upscale boutique resorts.

Things to Do in Fiji: Eastern Fiji

Eastern Fiji means everything east and south of Suva. The lover of history and culture won’t want to miss Fiji’s old capital Levuka, on Ovalau Island just east of Viti Levu. It’s easily accessible from Suva by boat or plane. The wooden false front shops from 19th century along Beach Street in Levuka are well preserved and there’s good hiking in the green hills behind the town. Levuka has no real beaches but there is an active dive shop.

Further afield, the southerly island of Kadavu is another of Fiji’s favorite scuba diving sites with the Great Astrolabe Reef running right up the northeastern side of the island. Kadavu is also popular for its surfing and ocean kayaking. There are few roads here and most travel is by open outboard canoe. The seldom visited Lau Group between the main islands of Fiji and the Kingdom of Tonga is only for adventurous travelers who wish to get well off the beaten track. Vanua Balavu Island is a recommended destination in Lau as it has a couple of simple but adequate places to stay.

–David Stanley

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours & things to do in Fiji, from Fiji cruises & sailing tours to Nadi airport transfers.

Editor’s Note: Jack is back. Well near a computer, anyway. It’s been a rough month for Jack after that wrong turn down in Queensland. Since then he’s been up and down and round and round, with more than a few tales to tell. Jack is in Berlin now. It’s unclear how he got there. And it’s equally unclear if the Australian passport authorities will ever let Jack come home again.

Black clothes? Check. Mowhawk? Check.

As you might expect, I’ve been a little down-on-my-luck lately. Had a fight with the missus, got turfed out on the street, and been a bit short on cash. I had to walk for a while, and well, even without a wallet full of pictures of the Queen, I managed to get around. I had this theory that, if you did it the right way, you could make your way without any money, but you’d have to do it with a particular style, y’know – flair.

But first, a point of order: I like a beer as much the next bloke, and I’ve had more than a few in my time, probably more than hot dinners, mainly because its hard to have six or more hot dinners straight after your first hot dinner. But beer? There’s always room for one more, and as they say, one for the road.

And if the road is where you are heading, probably just for a sleep or to meet some mates, who’s to say “no”? Even if it is well before midday and you don’t quite sound like you’re past last night. But if they’re only 60 cents, then chuck a couple of extra letters in “beer” and call that “breakfast”.

Now as far as that point of style goes, you may have noticed, except for some of the bands that tour nowadays, it’s not the 1970s anymore. And a *few* things have changed.

But the punks of Berlin seem to have that debonair way with cloth and hair that is like a passport to the world, and their story, well it’s sort of like a gutter and street-corner tour of the world. They care not for money, they care not for manners, hygiene and fine dentition. They care not for their packs of dogs of mixed breeding (except for the cute little scarfs they make them wear). One could learn a lot from these backpackers of the streets (strasse): travel light, don’t get thirsty and know all the things not to do and people not so see.

Berlin Punk: Some Background

The truth of the matter is, being punk in Berlin starts with an attitude, which is how the whole punk thing got started in the first place. Back in the glory days, the attitude came from your politics: social change, dissatisfaction with the way things were and nonviolent direct action. And like any decent cowboy of the streets, the way you dressed and how you lived showed your hard-fought politics, so there was something to it. I don’t usually judge a book by its cover, but these days in the punk section of life’s library, there is a lot more “poor me” whining, punk as fashion statement, and direct non-action than even a couple of years ago.

Berlin Punk: You Need a Dog

To have your passport to punk-backpacking success stamped and ready to go, you will need: that dog or two I mentioned before, some black clothes (ill-fitting is best), obligatory safety pins, hair in a mandatory mohawk (with or without colour and vertical ascension), boots, empty pockets and — to pull it altogether — a loping stride and downcast sneer. Got it? Now we need somewhere to go.

Berlin Punk: A Place to Loiter

Berlin Punk is Not Dead

Berlin’s Alexanderplatz must have been an amazing place for people to come together back in the day: a great hulking open space in the middle of a great booming city, old Soviet-style buildings dwarfing everything in the area. Imagine all the People coming to be comrades, to meet, to talk, to greet each other and spend some time, even in the depths of the cold Berlin winter; the harsh shapes of the buildings softened by the warmth of the people milling in the Platz. AND it features the amazing golf ball on a stick (Fernsehturm, or TV Tower). Makes a fella from the country just wonder and shake his head, because a place like this could eat 10 town squares for breakfast and still have room for more.

And there’s that word again, breakfast, makes my stomach rumble just running over the words in my mind and for good reason, too. Three things I’ve found in my few days in Germany - well Berlin, which is practically an island in the stream. These three things could practically pass for a national pasttime in these parts: Breakfast, Renovation and Bicycles. Of these three, breakfast is the punk-backpackers only domain. No house to renovate, no need for a bike (because you’ve got your feet, and they’ve got boots). So back to breakfast and Alexanderplatz, what could they have in common? Twenty of your mates, two dogs each and that beer we left waiting a couple of paragraphs ago. Now head down to the platz and get started!

Helps make friends, won’t help keep them

Another good place to hang out is at Kottbusser Tor U-bahn station, there’s always a party going on there — y’know just standing about and talking to drunks and their dogs. Just round the corner there is the Köpi, home of the regular Volkskuche (literally “people’s kitchen” or a place for cheap shared meals), punk bands on weekends and punks during the week (it smells the same any day).

Or there’s always the old favourite, Friedrichshain: plenty of space, the rent is still cheap but unfortunately most of the squats have been shut down so that leaves you with only take-away beers to drink at those great hangouts because the squat bars are nearly all gone. There is still the Fischladen though, and that will always live on.

Berlin Punk: Things Not To Do

Now, if you’ve got the hang of it and a few places to get started on your punk backpacker’s tour of Berlin you’ll need some things to do. We’ve already covered beer, drinking in public and hanging out with your dog. When out walking, if you need some space and someone is in the way, just push through (but ignore them as you do it). And remember if you are short of space, there is always more room on the bike-path or especially on the road.

If you need a steady course of income try begging, or bang away on a guitar tunelessly while your mate begs. Or maybe just a sign in front of you so you can fit in some quality staring-at-the-ground time, there’s never enough of that. Don’t forget not to smile. Smashing bottles is always good to fill the day (again, especialy on the bike path), as is shouting at the ruling class, they’re everywhere. You’ll know them because they’re the ones that don’t look like you.

–Jack Brown

Plannnig a trip? Browse Viator’s list of things to do in Berlin, Munich tours and what to do in Germany.

I’ve been to Paris five times now and each time it’s like a different city. There’s just so many sides to Paris, and so many ways to approach it. And the thing is, each and every time I’ve loved it.

Paris is that kind of city.

So here’s an overview of the different Paris’ I have experienced. Maybe something here in my past travels will help you sort out what to see and do in Paris. Or, if you’re just like me, you will head straight to the Galleries Lafayette…

Paris, it’s that kind of city

Paris: Visit 1, the Art & Shopping Tour

This was my very first trip to Paris. I was studying art history in my home town (of Melbourne) and a friend and I decided to go to Europe during our summer break, which of course if the European winter. We arrived with our crazily overstuffed backpacks making the two biggest mistakes of new travellers: #1 carrying a backpack, and #2 thinking you had to take everything with you. Apparently they have shops in other countries, you know. Go figure!

Arriving was terrifying. I had a bit of schoolgirl French, not nearly enough to master the train system after a long flight. RER? What’s that? We did what anyone suffering culture shock should do. We wrote the address of our hotel on a piece of paper, waved it in front of a taxi driver, said ‘merci’ badly over and over, and settled back knowing we had a good chance of getting there. Money well spent. We were staying on the Left Bank in the Latin Quarter – an excellent location for discovering Paris for the first time.

And then we embarked on the ‘galleries in the morning, shopping in the afternoon’ tour. A great way to organise your day in Paris. You feel cultured and stylish all in one day.

The most incredible moment for me was seeing Picasso’s painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. I had just written an essay on it, and standing in front of it I realised I knew nothing. Looking at images in books gave me no idea of the size, presence, colour or texture of the work. In one incredible moment I realised that nothing replaces seeing things in the original and that I could happily spend a lot of time in Paris.

So, gallery recommendations: Musee d’Orsay, the Picasso Museum, the Rodin Museum, the Louvre of course, and booking tickets online will get you past the queues. You could spend a month exploring the Louvre, so either be targeted in what you want to see or be unemployed.

Shopping recommendations: Galleries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussman, near L’Opera Metro. It’s one of a cluster of the good department stores – do them all.

The big lesson on this trip was about coffee. Our hotel served breakfast coffee in those wonderfully huge bowls, delicious. But this was not just any coffee, this was real French café and it had my friend and I running straight to the WC – no wonder French women don’t get fat. We stuck to hot chocolate after that.

Paris: Visit 2, the Trip with the Arguing Couple

Not recommended. Paris is for lovers, apparently, so perhaps they were just regretting having agreed to meet me, the third wheel, there. But, come on, no stand-up fights in the street, guys. Not fun. (Although the Parisians seemed amused to be able to watch some street theatre that did not involve face paint.)

This was my second trip to Paris and again, I stayed in the Latin Quartier. Fast becoming a favourite. Or perhaps just familiar and therefore comfortable. You can spend days exploring just that one part of the city, wandering into churches, shops, galleries, cafes. Or along the Seine, across bridges, into little parks. Divine.

I arrived by train, Eurostar from London, cheap as long as you book well ahead. And although it takes longer than flying, all the time you save by not having to go to the airport and wait around means I actually beat the flying, arguing couple. Arriving at Gare du Nord somehow seemed simpler than trying to fathom the train from the airport on my first visit, and I easily bought a Metro ticket from the machine and found the right line. Although you might need to buy some chocolate to get change for the machine – oh, well. And the queues for tickets can be long as the machines are well outnumbered by the number of tourists who have no idea how to use them even after watching the six Parisians in front of them do it.

We all just want a croissant

This visit was a lesson in language, too. My friend had very respectfully and carefully taught herself some French phrases (and it is always a great idea to know at least the basics when travelling anywhere). The French have a reputation for not speaking English – they can, they just won’t. But they still look pained when you mangle their beautiful language.

But the lesson I learnt was that in a busy Parisian weekend café, the waiters have little patience for painstakingly pronounced, grammatically perfect French 101 and would rather you point and use scattered words of French and/or English – they’d prefer you to respect their time not their language. We all want coffee and croissant anyway, don’t we?

Paris: Visit 3, Disneyland Paris

Don’t.

Well, if you have kids or like rides, then go if you must. Or you can use it to bribe the kids to put up with your three days of culture in Paris. I was dragged there kicking and screaming for a conference when I used to write TV for a living. It was horrible (read that anyway you like…)

I will never forget the horrifying Dark Ages dinner at the awful castle-themed restaurant. I was fortunate to be sitting next to our token native Parisian so was spared the indignity of wearing the gold paper crown that could only have been designed to add insult to the injury the food was inflicting. He hissed at the unfortunate waiter handing these monstrosities to suffering diners, and our table was spared. I was unfortunate enough to joke that I’d expected better food in Paris and got my own hissing: ‘Thees ees not Parees.’

The upside came when we were given a couple of hours to visit the theme park and partake of the rides. The more subversive of us had investigated the reading material in our rooms and discovered La Vallee Village Outlet Shopping nearby. We commandeered a taxi, headed out there in the misty winter night, piled out and went our separate ways for an hour of retail bliss. I got a Christian Lacroix dress for 50 euros. Fifty euros! Now that’s one ride I don’t mind taking. Go to the mall – it’s not so far from Paris, easily accessible by train, although of course, eet ees not Parees.

Paris: Visit 4, the Fleeting Visit on the Way Somewhere Else

On this trip, I arrived by plane because, when booking last-minute travel, the cheap airlines are much cheaper than the train. I had booked a hotel on the Internet – nowadays my favourite way of organising any travel – good prices, photos, user reviews. And of course you get really specific written instructions on how to get to your hotel.

Arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport I knew I needed to get the bus to L’Opera. The signs told me it went from Stand 11. The airport is curved. I walked and walked. It all began to make less sense. But persistence is the key word in any travel and especially in Paris, and I found it eventually, helped by the fact the word Opera was printed on the road in a bus-sized box. And soon that box was perfectly filled by a bus. I paid, got on, got to L’Opera and stared around me totally perplexed. Streets never look like maps suggest they will.

And then, going against everything you have ever heard about the French, the bus driver locked up his bus and walked me up the street to where I needed to go: helpful above and beyond. And no tip required, he just gave me a smile and waved me on to my hotel. Lovely man, I salute you.

A short but great visit, targeted at a revisit to Galleries Lafayette – my hotel was chosen solely on its proximity to this mecca of stylish retail. I still regret walking away from that pair of fabulous shoes. Still, they did cost as much as my flight, my hotel, and the bus. Twice over. Even on Sale. Sigh!

Paris: Visit 5, the Impoverished Writer Tour

Most recently, I found myself lucky enough to stay at Shakespeare and Co bookshop for two weeks — for free! Again, in the Latin Quartier. I had a gilt mirrored, book-lined room overlooking Notre Dame. For free! The owners of this place, George Whitman and his daughter Sylvia, are truly good p