Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:16):
Jumbo and welcome from the far reaches of the Dark
Continent Africa. I'm Larry Gelwicks. They get away, Guru, and yes,
I've gotten away yet again. I'm in Kenyon a Safari.
It's an exciting experience. But I am out in the
middle of the boonies in the Old Pajeta Game Reserve.
(00:37):
And you know, we've got a great group of travel
show listeners. Now, Jumbo is one of the native greetings
here in Kenya's It's part of the Bantu language. And
did you know there are over six hundred languages and
dialects spoken by the Bantu peoples in central, southern, Eastern
(00:59):
and Southeast Africa. Bantu is, as I said, a family
of language. One of them is Swahili, and Jumbo is
a Swahili greeting. Now I am in Kenya, and through
the miracle of technology, my dear friend and co worker,
Wendy Fraki, a group department manager at Morris Columbus Travel,
(01:22):
is back home in Salt Lake City today. And so Wendy,
a very special.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Jumbo and Jumbo to you and to all of the
people with you right now. I'm so I say this
all the time, I'm so jealous you leave me behind.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, do you understand your vocation and working role in life?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yes, you've explained that to me. I just don't think
I accept that.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Why are we talking about your job is to work
so that I can travel.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
The acceptance of that fact that I have a very
hard time with.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
You know, Kenya is the ultimate game safaris. There are
wonderful safaris all over Africa, and I've been I think
on just about every one of them. But for game viewing,
there is nothing, I mean nothing in the world like
the Great Migration. It is the true national geographic experience
(02:18):
where it seems like the whole animal kingdom. It's the
largest animal migration in the world. And it only takes
place in July, August and September, and only in Kenya
and Tanzania. And for a long variety of reasons, Kenya
is really.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
The better at choicest viewing.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Now I mentioned we're in the old pagetic game park.
There are fifty game parks here in Kenya. Not one
of them has a fence around the park.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Nobody wants to have a fence because then the animals don't.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I remember being in a where We're up on the
Serengetti and I was looking at this pride of lions,
some two dozen lions, and I could see off in
the distance about five miles away a village. But there's
so much food, such an abundance of game, that they
don't move and the village doesn't have a problem with them. Now, Oh,
(03:17):
Pajet is one of my favorite game parks.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I've been there. It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
We will be headed tomorrow. And by the way, it's
nine hours ahead of Salt Lake City, So what is it?
A little bit after eleven back in the crossroads of
the west. It's a little bit after eight pm here
in Kenya.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Not quite bedtime.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
But you know, Serengetti is known to everyone. And the
very word Serengetti is a Masai word, Sernget, which means
endless planes. Now you've heard the term Masai.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Mara, of course.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Masai is an indigenous tribe.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Of people, beautiful people, and it's kind of a.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Nomadic, pastoral native group in East Africa. They speak the
Ma spelled Maaa, the Ma language, and they're known for
what very vibrant clothing, intricate hairstyles. If you you know
a lot of especially girls like to braid the hair.
You ought to see the hair braiding that they do
(04:22):
over here. Very elaborate jewelry, face painting. Have you seen
and they're tall? Have you seen their dance and they're
jumping up and down.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
The jumping dance?
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yes, you know, the average height for a Masai tribesman
is six and a half feet the average Watching.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Their competitions in the village when when you get the
opportunity to go, is quite the spectacle.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Well, they love to wear red, you remember that. Oh yeah,
and red symbolizes bravery, unitedy in blood. Polygamy is practiced
here and I've met several plural families and I've got
a special gift for you when i get back. Oh boy, yeah,
you know I've you're a very beautiful woman. But I'm
(05:08):
going to give you a beauty aid an a. What
the Masai people do the women do is they rub yellow.
It's an iron clay and the colors yellow to deep
orange mixed with calfat on the face. For beauty.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
What do you think, I'm I'm I'm not sure in
that one. I'd have to see it applied. I think
for beauty we do almost anything how about.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
If I do it first?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Okay, all right, I'll follow you, Larry, I always do.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
There's your first mistake anyway. Masai Mara Masa is this
nomadic tribe of people, and the Mara in the Ma
language means spotted plane. Now we will fly in a
bush plane. It's so much fun. This bush plane. It
will land near Old Pajeta where we are today, and
(06:05):
it's just a dirt grass runway and it has those
big bush plane tires and it can bounce a little
bit and it comes down. It has to fly down
and kind of sweep the area, and the zebras and
the giraffes are running away as it buzzes, and there's
(06:26):
no airport.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
No, it's one of those surreal experiences that is no
part of this unique opportunity.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
You're looking for Doctari, which of course I am famous
African guide, and we get into but you're flying up
to the Mara or Serengetti, it's called locally the Mara
and it means spotted plane. You'll see clumps of trees
gathered together and from the air or an elevated position,
(06:52):
it is spotted. Anyway, we're having so much fun. You
know everybody has a favorite animal Africa. You've been there,
what's your favorite?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Oh, okay, elephant. I'm gonna go elephants because I just
saw a video that I took when I was there
a couple of years ago, and it was this family
and they had a couple of baby elephants. And I
know you've seen the baby elephants as they try to
figure out their trunks and then they shake their heads
and their ears just wiggle and they make the funniest noises.
(07:22):
It is just I can watch them all day.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
It's like my grand's children exactly. Kathy loves the war hog.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Why I don't, Okay, yes you have to. And warthogs,
they they're so dumb.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
They make a car bumper look smart, and they're running
and then they'll stop because.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
They they forget where they're running.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Where they're running. Anyway, I love the lions. You know,
it's so interesting about the lions.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Well that is no surprise. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
They're the only cat that forms social groups. Now. A
male lion can weigh up to five hundred pounds. A
roar can be heard as five miles away, you know,
up on the Serengetti. We stay at the Ashviell Lodge
and it's right on the mar River and there's a
(08:11):
pot of hippos down there. We're on a viewing platform
and all these lodges have an electric fence around them,
but we're looking down and there's different animals come to water.
But it's so much fun. At night. You'll hear the
hippos bellowing, but you hear the roar of a lion
and it just does something to you. But it can
(08:34):
be five miles away and the lion has the loudest
roar of all the cats. Now typical, the females do
most of the work.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I was going to mention that.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
And they're the main hunters, the primary.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Just while I'm back here in Salt Lake.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
That's right. For the male lions, their job is to reproduce,
not a bad job, and say that.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Leaving it alone.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
They guard the young and protect the pride's territory, and
you know they go out and mark their territory. I
better not make any comments about marking territory anyway.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I bet you've done that on a rugby field before,
though I.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Have, I have, you know, I remember this one time
we were there and there was a herd of wildebeese,
not a big one, about forty thousand. You've got two
million wildebees on the move. And we were watching them
and there was a row of trees and shrubs about
eight feet tall, and so we're in one position. We're
looking at a pride of lions crouching behind it and
(09:43):
in front of the trees and shrubbery, which was very dense,
there's this herd, and all of a sudden, some females
see they have an attack plan. Everybody has their role,
and these female lions go around it like a sheep dog.
They don't attack it, but all h double l breaks
(10:05):
loose with the wildebeest. They're running and the sheep dog
lions they got behind them and were pushing them towards
the bushes in a coordinated attack. And as they got close,
the pride came out. Now, you know my wife Kathy,
who is the biggest advocate. When we get back, I'm
going to bring her back on the radio. From a
(10:25):
woman's perspective. When she first went, she was hesitant to
go because she thought it was all going to be Chuckorama, right,
and it's not. But the lions have to eat too,
and I'll give you some stories of some of the
most surreal moments that we had. But anyway, Jombo from
East Africa. We have a great group. I've got two
(10:47):
group dates for next year that when we come back,
I'll tell you about Africa twenty twenty five and the
benefits of group travel. You're listening to the travel show.
(11:12):
I'm Larry Gelwick's They get Away Guru, and I've gotten
away to East Africa. Wendy Fraki, a group department manager
for Morris Columbus Travel, the good sponsor of the show,
is back in Salt Lake City, and through the miracle
of technology, we can both talk to you and it
sounds like we're writ in downtown Salt Lake City.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
But you're having more fun than I am.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Yes, I am. By the way, these are wonderful lodges.
We eat so well. I you know, it's if you're
going to do an African safari, here's some questions that
you should ask before you book. Where are we going?
There's wonderful game viewing all over Africa, but some countries
are noted for exceptional game viewing. Well, I mean, if
(11:58):
you want to see the primates, you're looking at Kanda La.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
I was going to say, define the game that you're viewing,
because there are some parks that are just dedicated to birds.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
There really are, and when you know, there's wonderful things
happening year round, but it's very different in every season.
Let's talk about the lodges and the quality. Where are
they located? Are they inside the park or outside the park?
Tell me the type of vehicle I have actually seen
on more than a few occasions so far as that
(12:31):
are in passenger vans?
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Oh? Yeah, the caravans are out there.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Yeah. What we use is a Toyota land Cruiser modified
with the you can stand up in at the pop
up open top, covered of course, but they will seat
eight guests plus the driver. We never put more than
four in so that you can move right and left,
(12:56):
forward and backward. See the animals have never learned to
only come to my side of the vehicle. But if you,
I mean, financially for us, it would be a big
plus to put eight people in there. Sure, but we
put forth Now. The only exception is if a group
or family requests, well, there's five of us or we
(13:18):
want to all be to sure, but that's your decision.
Not ours, and then the history of the company. You
know who you're dealing with. There's so many.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
What's their policies, their refund their payment, all of it?
Are they licensed and bonded?
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Yeah? Well, let's talk about group travel. You you have
served as the group department manager for many years at
Morris Columbus Travel twenty and I will say, you do
a bang up job on that. That one of the
biggest fears I hear about group travel because I want
you to tell me about the benefits of group travel.
(13:56):
But overcome this objection. I don't want to be treated
like cattle exactly.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
No, And I am so grateful that I can say that.
Our company policy is we are a single coach operation
on all of our land tours. So right now you
are with a group of less than thirty. I can't
remember the exact numbers, but you only have thirty people
with you in Africa. Like you said, we could put
(14:24):
eight people in those and we could send forty people
out with you. The tour sells out every year, but
we don't want that experience. I was just booking a
tour to Egypt. They said they can put fifty people
on a coach. I don't want fifty people want a coach,
you know what, Forty forty four is going to be
our limit. We want to make sure that you do
not feel like cattle and that you have just your
(14:48):
own experience as well as a group experience that we
have prepared for you you.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I had a friend of mine, Steve, who world traveler,
been everywhere, and he'd go to Bangkok on business all
the time, really knew the city, and he would never
he was one of my best friends. He would never
come on one of my groups. And finally I got
him talked into of all places, Thailand my annual Thailand
(15:14):
and Legends of Siam tour, and then we go up
to Cambodia for anchor what and I don't want to
be the five blah blah blah. Anyway, he was so
enthusiastic that I actually brought him on the radio to
talk about being a convert to Morris Columbus group travel.
(15:38):
He said, there was only one thing I had to remember,
show up on time. Everything was taken down. I'm going
to put you on the spot. All of the tours,
some one hundred tours that Morris Columbus offers every year
are wonderful, but they go to different parts, and you know,
people have a different preference of what they want to see.
(15:59):
What are some of the you might say, more unique
or unusual. I don't mean I don't mean dangerous. We
don't do dangerous tours. But what are some of the
really unique tours that Morris Columbus offers.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
You know, we have been branching out and doing some
more fun, adventure unique itineries now. I would say the
tour that you're on right now, this experience in Kenya
you're having is probably a very unique experience because of
the way we do it, with the plane, with the
you know, the lodges in the park and all those
other things. I am so excited, Larry about my group
(16:36):
that I'm taking to Switzerland next month, that we're not
doing train or bus transportation from city to city and
psite to site. We're actually going on the trains through
Switzerland and we're going on the Glacier Express. That's a
unique experience and not many people do that. I think
going down to South America, going to the Glopicos with
(16:58):
Carol Gray or Carlos Feda, these are unique experiences. These
are not what you're going to go in and sit
down at any travel agency, open a brochure and be
able to just pick out your date, your time, whatever.
It's not a cookie cutter tour. It will not be
some of those that that we really are trying to
focus on. We've got a tour to Morocco, We've got
(17:21):
other experiences that we're still going to Egypt, which is
still an amazing experience. Egypt it is open to travel
and people need to know that we're we're doing some
fantastic experience and late I know, later on, I think
we're going to mention this tattoo tour that you are
doing in the UK. Yes, left arm exactly, it's it's
(17:45):
going to be my picture right, Yes, but no, I
think we have some wonderful tours that we do every year,
and but we also are trying to get these experiences
out to everybody.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
You've got a great website. If our listeners will go
to Morriscolumbus dot com, Morriscolumbus dot com and on the
homepage just scroll down a little bit and you'll see
Morris Murdoch Escorted Tours. Morris Murdoch is like the brand
name for the division yeah of the escorted tours and
(18:20):
there they are all listed there. And what you want
to do is click on the geographic area. Now, if
it's a cruise anywhere in the world, don't click geographic
click cruises. But you'll see Africa. In fact, those dates
next year July twentieth to the thirty first and July
thirtieth to August night for a great migration. We'll talk
(18:42):
more about that when we come back here from East
Africa on the travel show Jumbo and Greetings from East Africa.
(19:06):
I'm Larry Gelwicks, the get Away Guru, and Jambo is
the native Swahili greeting here in Kenya. I'm joined today
by Wendy Frakki, a group department manager for Morris Columbus Travel,
the good sponsor Jambo Jombo, and she is back in
Salt Lake City today. Now I have I have debated
(19:30):
seriously about this next topic, Wendy, because we don't talk politics,
we don't endorse candidates. Now unless I decide to run
for office.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Well, which will not happen.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
I would be a one term officeholder because I would
not put up with any bs and I tell him
how it is. Anyway, this is a very sensitive topic,
and I am not I want to kind of give
a pre limb. I am not approaching this, advocating this,
that or the other. I'm just reporting a very sensitive,
(20:09):
in fact controversial travels.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Yes, it is controversial that involves Delta Airlines.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Here's what it is. Delta's chief DEI. That's diversity, equity inclusion.
Kyra Lynn Johnson is Delta Airlines Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
and Social Impact Officer, and she said that Delta is
(20:38):
striving to quote boldly pursue equity close quote which has
impacted every level of the company, from its hiring practices
to even the language it uses in gate announcements. And
so this is again quote from Kira Johnson. So we're
(20:58):
beginning to take a hard look at things like our
gatehouse announcement that means the boarding gate. You know, we
welcome ladies and gentlemen. We ask ourselves, is that a
gender inclusive phrase? So she's saying that some of what
she calls the legacy language is perhaps not inclusive. So
(21:25):
Delta has released an inclusive language guide which advises employees
and leaders against using term that reinforced the notion that
they are only two genders. So Delta is saying, we
don't want to say, or encourage or suggest that there
(21:48):
are only two languages. Quote use from the guide that
went out to employees. Quote use gender neutral language and pronouns.
Do not use language that suggest a gender binary meaning
male and female. Close Quote Well, well, well, some people
(22:12):
think that Delta has absolutely lost their mind.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
They have become ok and.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Others are applauding this. As I say, the Travels Show
and its sponsor, Morris Columbus Travel, We're not going to
take a position on this, and I want to make
that clear, but it has kind of lit a firestorm.
But what are you going to do, particularly out of
Salt Lake City? You're going to say? I don't agree,
(22:38):
so I'm not going to fly Delta. They have over
half the flights in Salt Lake.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Well, you know what I think is interesting about that
is whatever terms that they plan to use, I'm sure
are going to be non offensive. Obviously that's what they're
going after. What have we noticed that they dropped ladies
and gentlemen? Have they not made the statement? What have
they I mean, like, what do they say if you
are here to board this plane? You know? How how
(23:04):
do you address this, But would they you know, would
they even notice? I think that's kind of interesting. Would
you notice if lady and gentlemen I was not used?
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Anyway? Interesting story that a lot of people are commenting on.
Let you know, one of the things in international travel
is foreign currency exchange. Now, some countries, like here in Kenya,
you don't change money to the local currency. They want
US dollars. We visit Thailand, they only want Thai bot
(23:37):
and you have to change it. Then we go on
our annual trip up to Cambodia and anger, what, don't
change it to Cambodian it's US dollars. You go to Vietnam,
the local currency is dong. Vietnam Dong is their currency,
and they the street vendors will take dollars, the shops will.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Take dong well, and don't try use US dollars in
Switzerland or in other places in Europe.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
But yeah, you know what's interesting. In Switzerland, the official
currency is not the Europe it's not the year. It's
the Swiss frank it is.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
And they don't like to accept euro.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
No, they will in most cases, but what they do
is they determine the exchange rate. Now, let me talk
about Larry's five percent rule because I see people getting
swindled all the time on exchange rates. You can look
up what is called the BBR or banker's buying rate
or true exchange rate. Now right now, one British pound,
(24:36):
I was in London two weeks ago, actually three weeks ago.
One British pound or sterling is a dollar twenty nine.
One euro will cost you a dollar eight. So you're
gonna have to make this exchange. Okay, So first thing
(24:56):
you want to know what the true exchange is, and
then you look at what you're going to get. Now
you'll see the money changers. You thought they were driven
out of Jerusalem two thousand years ago at the temple,
and they were.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
They drove them to the airports.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
They drove them to the airports. But what happens, Wendy,
is they say no commission, no fee. That is a
bunch of bs, because where they make their money is
not in commissions or fees. It is in they set
the exchange rate. So the easiest way to determine it
(25:36):
is don't start doing a calculator. Take one hundred dollars
bill and say how many British pounds how much Euro,
how much Japanese yen, how much TIE bought? How many
Australian dollars will I get for my US one hundred?
Now you already know the you already know the exchange rate.
(25:56):
So for Euro one hundred dollars, Bill is gonna give
me ninety two euro. Okay, but that's the true Well,
that's the true rate. Now I have a five percent rule.
Usually at airports or hotels, you're gonna lose ten to
twelve percent. That's way too much, Although I do advocate
(26:17):
having some money in your pocket. I deal with a
local bank here in Salt Lake City when I travel
and have to change money, but I usually do a
small amount because the bank rate sometimes it's pretty good.
I never want to lose more than five percent, but
what I usually am losing is two to two and
(26:38):
a half percent. But I won't go above five. Airport,
you're gonna lose ten to twelve I guarantee it.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
Right, it's a convenience fee. Sometimes you gotta look at it.
Sometimes you have to do it, but.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Yeah, pay it with a local bank. Find out what
their rate is and what you're gonna lose. Let me
give you an example you've been to Trevy Fountain, in fact.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
You were there earlier this year it may yeah, and
less my coins.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
There, that means you're gonna go back. You know that
they collect three thousand euro in coins every day because
if you flip the coin in over your shoulder, it
means you'll come back to Rome.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
That's right, all right, every time it's worked too, that's right.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Anyway. So there was a exchange, a currency exchange, small
shop right there at the Trevy Fountain, okay, and they
were giving that. Now, the true exchange would be for
one hundred dollars ninety two euro. Let's say you lose
(27:44):
two percent, you're gonna get eighty nine two or three percent,
you should get eighty nine or something like that. This
guy was given seventy six euro for one hundred dollars.
And people were lined up because he was the only
money changer at.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
The because they think, well.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
I guess that's what it is. And I mean he
was ripping them off. You're losing twenty twenty five percent
with this clown.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Well you know it is, and you a knowledge is power.
So I'm going to just let all the listeners know
that there are several apps that you can put on
your phone that will give you that banker's exchange rate, Larry,
that you were just talking about. I have one that
I travel with. It's called XE. It's only one of them.
(28:31):
I know. It's easy to do in Google.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Service dot com.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
It's X, well XE or oh. I could probably pull
it up and give you the exact but if you
put it either in your Apple store or your play store,
it's just X, which is a currency exchangeect and you
can add all the different countries that you're going to
and you can always see the banker's rate. It's really
(28:55):
going to help with your rule, Larry, and I totally
totally think this is such a strong fool to travel with.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
It really is. Now, let's play stump the dummy. Okay,
As far as cars, trucks, rail travel, air, commercial air travel,
and cruising, which is the.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
Safest ocean cruising cruising cruising general? Absolutely not the Titanic.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
But was I right?
Speaker 1 (29:31):
You were absolutely right? The lowest rate of deaths per
billion passenger miles, not passengers, but passenger miles for a
cruise ship. It's point zero eight.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Wow, all right, that's a good record.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
For rail travel eleven point nine, for cars and trucks
three point three, and for commercial air point eight. In fact,
cruise travel is ten times safer than a commercial airliner,
and good heavens, I haven't even calculated rail travel about
(30:08):
twenty times or more safer. Cruising is a very safe
way to go. I'll tell you where you get into
trouble alcohol related going overboard. Yeah, you can kiss your
backside goodbye.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
Absolutely, and you're hearing about it. Actually more often.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Most overboard people it's alcohol related. I just read a
story of it. Was a college age kid, mid twenties,
and he decided to and he was blasted wasted. He
decided to climb from his balcony cabin to the next
(30:47):
balcony cabin on the railing, well why not, and he
took a deep dive and is in Davy Jones locker
right now, which is very, very sad. Listen. Norwegian Cruise
Line is one of the sponsors to this show. Their
promotion is back and in short, it'll give you up
to seventy percent off your cruise fare. The Free at Sea,
(31:10):
which is free open drinks, unlimited bar letted or unleaded,
free Wi Fi, free specialty dining, free, shore excursion, yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
On board credits and on select cruises, the third and
fourth person sharing your cabin sales absolutely free.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
And what I like is the free airfare, which is
really a buy one, get one free. First person pays
a discounted airfare, second person goes free. You can get
all the details at Morris Columbus Travel. When we come back,
We're going to celebrate Christmas right here in Africa. Henry
(32:01):
Ma Christmassy from the wilds of East Africa. Hennimock Chrismassi
is the native Swahili greeting basically Merry Christmas. It's a
way to extend Christmas wishes in Swahili. Well, I'm Larry
Gelwicks that get away guru, and I am in East
Africa today. Wendy Frakia, my dear friend and group department
(32:24):
manager for Morris Columbus Travel, is back in Salt Lake
City today. As they say, through the miracle of technology,
we can talk with you. You know, Christmas is celebrated
in different countries. Carlos Feed, who's in Perut right now,
has talked about how they celebrated in Argentina, which is
(32:45):
a summer holiday hot They go to the beach.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
Isn't it just so insane to think about that?
Speaker 1 (32:52):
And you know how we sing I'm dreaming of a
white Christmas meeting. Snow they go, I'm dreaming of a
white sand beach at Christmas. Uh, well, you know, uh.
The Christmas celebration, which is very important in East Africa,
really starts on Christmas Eve. And what people do is
(33:13):
they attend midnight church, almost like midnight Mass, but all
the denominations seem to have a midnight service. It's traditional sermons, singalongs,
poetry readings, and dance performances. You know, I love the
church I go to, but sometimes I think we're kind
of boring.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Compare yes, yeah, we do not do not have the
same celebration.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
I would love to see some dance performances in my ward.
Probably anyway, they observe Nativity place, they have a presentation
or a play and then you always come as a
family and you travel back as a family and a
monstrous Christmas feast. I don't know. You can eat zebra,
(34:00):
oh no, jelly, probably not turkey and ham. And there's
lots of outdoor events and tournaments. They decorate the houses,
streets and churches in very colorful ribbons, flowers and balloons.
You don't see Christmas lights so much. You may see
that in town, but the homes are ribbons, flowers and balloons. Now,
(34:22):
let me ask you very briefly, Wendy, what is one
of your family Christmas traditions.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Yeah, I'm going to go with Christmas pajamas this time.
I know we've discussed this before and I've talked about
some of the other ones. Christmas pajamas seems like it
has been a fun tradition that started when I was
a child, and I passed it on to my children,
and now we're doing that with our grandchildren, and that's
been a really fun thing, you know.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
For us. It sees candies. That's one of our Christmas traditions.
The other is an orange. Oh yes, I have given
an orange, a single orange, to my children every year
since they were born, and to my grandchildren. Behind that.
My mother grew up in southern Alberta and they were poor.
I don't mean they were poor, they.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
Were poor poor, and.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
She wanted more than anything else, this Shirley Temple doll
for Christmas. But my grandfather was a grain elevator operator,
meeting as the rail cars would come on. He would
feel the rail cars and it was seasonal work. And
one Christmas that she probably seven or eight years old,
(35:39):
she wanted this Shirley Temple doll more than anything. The
only thing she received from Santa that year was an orange,
which was a real treat. This would be this would
be about nineteen thirty or thirty one. There were no gifts.
(36:00):
They're entering into the you know, soon after they're the
Great Depression and things were leading up to it. And
that's always touched me and I tell that story every
year at Christmas time. You know. One other thing, a
story my mother told me is on another Christmas we
call them homeless today. Back then they were called hoboes
(36:22):
and they would ride the rails and it was a
different era back then, you know. But my grandfather brought
some hoboes that he'd gotten to know, you know, through
because they're regularly railing back to the house for Christmas
dinner and the kids and they would come to the
(36:46):
door throughout the year and my grand they knew who
would give them food. My grandmother, as poor as they were,
always would make them sandwiches, give them something. And on
this Christmas Eve, dinner. He worked that day brought I
think it was two or three of the hobos back.
My mother and siblings resented it because they had so little.
(37:09):
And after they left that fed the men. My grandfather
said to the children they have remember how poor they were,
they have nothing. Look at how much we have. I
have always remembered that, and it taught the kids a lesson.
(37:30):
You know, Christmas in Europe is a special time. They
have a Christmas celebration, a six hundred year tradition of
the Chris Krindle mart Or Christmas markets. It's an outdoor festival.
It's not a department stores, but it's an outdoor festival
of wooden kiosk be decked in evergreens. And it's music,
(37:52):
it's food, it's drink, it's entertainment. It's dancing and shopping, shopping, shopping,
not in a pushy you know.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
No, no, it's not.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
In one of these obscenes.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
It's nice, it's not gaudy, it's not over the top.
It's been in a very festive It is joyful.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Exactly, and it's done all over Europe. The number one
Christmas market in all of Europe, and my view is
Nuremberg it's in the old city, cobblestone streets. It's everything
you dream Christmas to be. Now, when we come back
in the second hour, I want to tell you about
a very special Christmas markets along the Danube River that
(38:32):
I'd love to show you here on the Travel Show.
(38:56):
Jumbo and welcome to the Travel Show. I'm Larry Gelwicks
get Away Guru. Today I'm in East Africa the old
Pajeta Game Park and tomorrow I'll be headed with a
group of Travel Show listeners to the Serengetti on our
African Safari. You know, the Great Migration is the ultimate
way to go. It's only July, August and September and
(39:20):
only in Kenya and Tanzania where it is the greatest
animal migration, the largest animal migration on Earth, and it
is a site to be held. My goodness. You know
what's interesting. And I've got back in Salt Lake City
Wendy Frakia, Group department Manager. And I know you've been
to Africa a number of times, Wendy, is that when
(39:43):
we start our Great Migration Safari, we give all of
our guests and we a sold out group is twenty eight.
We have seven vehicles. These Toyota land Cruisers and we
keep four for an vehicle it will seat eight plus
the driver. We don't do that because you've got to
(40:04):
be able to move around. And it's I mean, my
wife has said, and I hear this all the time.
It's an overused phrase. It's life changing. I hear that
all the time. It's the circle of life. And so
it is just a great experience. Now, next year, twenty
(40:27):
twenty five, we have two great migration safaris. July twentieth
to the thirty first, that's the USA Departure Day, USA
return date. I'll be hosting that one along with our
African guides. And then July thirtieth to August the ninth.
You can check that out at Morris Columbus Travel. Morris
(40:48):
Columbus Travel, scroll down on the homepage to Morris Murdoch
Escorted Tourist, click on it and then just click on Africa.
Speaker 2 (40:58):
It's Africa, Asia, Yeah it is.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
You know, we were talking about Christmas traditions and I
mentioned Christmas markets on the Danube. I've done the Christmas
markets of Europe several times. There are no surprise there.
I love doing it on a river cruise because you
pack it and pack once. Kathy and I, my lovely wife,
(41:21):
will be hosting a Christmas Markets on the Danube Cruise
this year December fourth to the eleventh. We start in
Nuremberg where the ship overnights we've visited, Reagansburg, Passeu We
cross of course the German Austria border to Milk, Vienna
(41:43):
and Budapest. What's really nice about this? First of all,
it's Alma Waterways Ultra Deluxe, which you just got I
just got off of about what oh gosh.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
Three weeks ago, two weeks ago, two three weeks ago
we lost track of.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Time, and the ship overnights in Nuremberg, Vienna and Budapest. Now,
in addition to the Christmas markets, you see all the
normal sites seeing you can see any time of year.
Speaker 2 (42:08):
Can say amazing cities.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
This in all of my travels, all all Bolognia side
the Christmas markets of Europe is in my top three.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
Well, they bring you so much joy and there is
no better way to begin your celebration of the Christmas season.
And Christmas has such a special place in many people's hearts,
it's their favorite holiday. Really is the best way to
experience and you know what true on.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
This one, and you kind of took the lead in
this Wendy is we bought half the ship exactly. As
a result, the cabins are anywhere from several hundred dollars
to one thousand dollars less passing on the bargain than
if you bought it directly from Almah Waterways. Now the
cruise dates again in December fourth to the eleventh. You'll
(43:01):
be home two weeks before Christmas. If you're interested, we
have a three day, two night pre cruise option, which
is we fly into Munich and visit the Bavarian Alps
neus Schwanstein, which is the Disneyland castle. Disney actually used
Neus Schwannstein Castle as the inspiration for Cinderella's Castle in Disneyland,
(43:26):
and then over to ober Amagah the Bavarian Alps. We'll
see Munich and then drive to Nuremberg, which just about
an hour and a half north of Munich and Bord.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
You know you're all the way over there, you might
as well just you're in the neighborhood, give yourself a
special Christmas present early.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
Enjoy this yep, yep, yep, hey listen, let's play stump
the dummy again.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (43:50):
Okay, if it weren't for my kids and grandkids, where
would I live?
Speaker 2 (43:55):
Thailand?
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Hi? I love? Do you know it's a kingdom, actually
have a king. It's more like a constitutional monarchy. But
he holds enormous influence. The government will not oppose him,
much more influence than Jolly King Charles has in the UK.
I love Southeast Das Now. People ask me why. It's
(44:19):
the people, the culture, the food, the graciousness. You know
what's interesting. Think of your hands together in you know,
palm to, palm fingers to and in a prayer position.
That's in Thailand. It's called a why. No reference to
the school down south, but it's it's called a why.
(44:43):
And that's how you greet people with a slight bow
of the head. You'll greet strangers, you'll greet friends, family,
kids greet their school teachers this way. In business, they
the deeper the bow means, the higher the respect for
(45:04):
the other persons. You'd probably only give me a wink.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
Come, I would give you ad.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
So I come home. No kids greet their parents with
a y you know sawadi, the native greeting and Thailand, Well,
I came home years ago when the kids were still
young and tried to implement this in my family. They
asked me to move because I was obstructing their view
of the television. That's how well it went over. But
(45:34):
it's the gracious of the people. You know, you have
everything from tropical islands to rice patties, elephants. Thailand in
the north is the foothills of the Himalaris Himalayas. You know,
do you like massage. You can get a foot massage.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
For about four.
Speaker 1 (45:55):
Five bucks a body massage, all very appropriate, or you know,
anywhere from ten to fifteen dollars an hour. They have
what they call time massage where they give you it's
like hospital scrubs and it's more of an acu pressure
pressure points. Then they have the more traditional, which is
they call it aroma therapy. It's it's a it's a
(46:18):
perfumed oil. It's much like a Swedish massage. Again, all
very very appropriate. Bangkok is the venice of the East.
Over three hundred canals in Bangkok. You know, one of
the places I love is Anchor Watt in Cambodia.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
Oh, it's it is memorizing the unlike I can't say.
Speaker 1 (46:45):
It anchor Watt was built in the twelfth of the
fourteenth century. At the time it is the most enlightened
and educated city in the world, with over one million
people living right there. It is today the largest religious
monument on earth. And anchor Wa remember what in Cambodian
(47:06):
Thai means temple in Salt Lake City, we'd call it
Wa Salt Lake. Well, anchor Wat means in the Khmer
language city of temples. And it's really shared by two religions. Originally,
anchor Wat was a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu,
(47:26):
and towards the end of the twelfth century became a
Buddhist temple. Very interesting. The Hindus believe in the doctrines
of Samsara, which is a continuous cycle of life, death
and reincarnation, and karma, the universal law of cause and effect.
So if you see a dung beetle that has been reincarnat,
(47:52):
it was not a good guy.
Speaker 2 (47:55):
Somebody came back.
Speaker 1 (47:56):
They beliefs of Hinduisms is the atma, or the belief
that in the soul all living things have a soul anyway,
and Buddhism really the beliefs of Buddhism is that human
life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and
(48:16):
physical labor, and good behavior are ways to achieve enlightenment
or nirvana. A lot of fun there, listen. I want
to talk kind of switch gears. That's why I love
Southeast Asia. And we're getting a lot of questions. You know,
my annual January Thailand and Legends of Siam with an
(48:38):
option up to Cambodian anchor Watt this year sold out
in one week. I keep it to thirty eight people,
including myself because it's a deep dive into culture, great hotels,
a lot of food. Everybody's asking will I do it
again in January twenty twenty sixth The answer is yes,
we will have that out this September. Don't call on
(48:59):
at We'll announce it here first, and I might say
that it will sell out very very quickly.
Speaker 2 (49:06):
Get on a wait list on that if you want
to be notified.
Speaker 1 (49:10):
Now when we come back, I would like to you
and I to talk about one of my favorite cities,
the Eternal City Rome, the City of Seven Hills, and
you have organized a very special Splendors of Italy tour
next April. Great time to go. When we come back
(49:30):
from East Africa here on the Travel Show. You're listening
(49:51):
to the Travel Show. I'm Larry Gelwicks, that get Away Guru.
Joined today by Wendy Frakia, Group department manager at Morris
Columbus Travel. We just say thank you. We look forward
to every Saturday and spending this time with you or
we eat, drink, dream travel and we never take our
(50:12):
audience for granted, or our guests or clients for granted.
Without you, we don't have a company, we don't have
a job, we don't have a radio show. So thank
you for joining us. And by the way, you know
when I'm back home. I'm in East Africa today, probably
at least a half a dozen times a week at
least someone will stop me who recognizes me, or I
(50:35):
often hear in a store or restaurant. Oh, I recognize
that voice. And I just love it when you stop
and chat. And you know, I got to tell you
this one story, Wendy. Some years ago, I was at
a Barnes and Noble at a book signing for one
of my travel books, and this gentleman comes up to
(50:55):
me and says, oh, Larry, I've always wanted to meet you.
I love the radio show. I listened to it every week,
all these ego strokes. But then he said to me,
but I gotta tell you, Larry, you don't look anything
like I thought you would. Well, I said, well, what
did you think I looked like These are his exact
(51:17):
words and inflection. He said, quote, well, your voice is
younger and thinner. How do you answer that?
Speaker 2 (51:28):
Well, then you're doing a great job with how you're
presenting it.
Speaker 1 (51:33):
Yeah, younger and thinner. Well, I said, thank you for
buying the book. You know you were in Rome in May,
weren't you.
Speaker 2 (51:40):
Oh? I was. My heart's still there.
Speaker 1 (51:44):
You know. I love Italy. I mean who doesn't. It's
one of the most popular destinations right now, top three,
It really is. And of course, in the City of
Rome is a country, Vatican City, the world's smallest country
at print. It its own currency and stamps and has
about eight hundred resident citizens, including the Pope the Holy Father.
(52:09):
Now Here is something that's quite interesting. Italian's average about
forty five pounds of pasta a year they eat. Now,
I thought, that's nothing. I did that in my.
Speaker 2 (52:23):
Last Yeah, it does not sound very impressive.
Speaker 1 (52:26):
It really doesn't. And we talked earlier about the Trevy Fountain,
which is one of two hundred and eighty fountains in
the city of Rome.
Speaker 2 (52:36):
Do you know that they are all connected?
Speaker 1 (52:39):
I didn't.
Speaker 2 (52:40):
All the fountains in Rome are all connected by an
underwater system and they all feed off of each other.
Speaker 1 (52:46):
And there's over nine hundred churches. Now, if you see
me wearing a toga in Rome, what does it mean?
It means, well, you already know that only free men
in ancient Rome could wear it. Totally was the sign
of citizenship, and the women wore It's called a stola,
(53:09):
which is a kind of a female version, a little
more covering.
Speaker 2 (53:13):
There is both both shoulders.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
Thank you very much. I didn't know how to say it.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
Well.
Speaker 1 (53:18):
Rome became Italy's capitol in eighteen seventy when Carlos was
just a young man, and it previously had been in Florence.
Now you did not like the beauty aid gift from
Kenya that I want to bring you, which is iron,
clay and cow fat.
Speaker 2 (53:37):
Yeah, you know I here.
Speaker 1 (53:38):
I am a very generous giving man, and that's that's
what I get back from you. Well, I've got I
don't need fact here. Thank you. Women in ancient Rome
dyed their hair with goat fat and beechwood ashes. Red
and blonde and You're a blonde were the most popular colors.
(54:00):
So on my next trip to Rome, maybe I could
bring you some goat fat and beechwood ashes.
Speaker 2 (54:05):
What do you say, you know, you keep bringing me
fat and I'm just not sure how to read that.
Speaker 1 (54:11):
Well, I bring you cookies and doughnuts and things like that. Now, listen,
we all love Italy. I think you know. Italy in
July and August is pretty brutal. It's so hot. I
think a great time is in the spring before the
summer crowd.
Speaker 2 (54:26):
Oh, I love it.
Speaker 1 (54:27):
Favorite and Morris Columbus Travel is offering a Splendors of
Italy we are.
Speaker 2 (54:34):
This is such a fantastic tour. I've done this tour
back in twenty nineteen April fourth through the fourteenth next year,
and twenty twenty five is a very special year in
Italy as the epicenter of the Catholics religion celebrating their
jubilee year. But this Splendors of Italy tour is actually
(54:55):
three of the most iconic cities in Italy. Where we
begin in Venice, we go down through Tuscany, we spend
time in pizza, we overnight, we spend several nights in
Florence and discover that whole area, then down into Rome
and get to enjoy that eternal city. It is one
(55:18):
of my all time favorites. I fell in love with
every place. I just did not believe that it could
be more beautiful. And next year, again being a Jubilee year,
such a unique experience to be able to go and
celebrate or witness the celebration that's going to be going on.
Speaker 1 (55:38):
The Pope does something every twenty five years in the
Jubilee go ahead.
Speaker 2 (55:45):
So well, he opens the Jubilee by opening that Every cathedral,
I believe Basilica has what they call the Jubilee doors.
They are very ornate, and they are only opened on
the years the Jubilee, and it begins with the Pope
opening these doors at the Vatican at Saint Peter's and
(56:08):
it happens on Christmas Eve, and it is just a
celebration like no others. This year or next year, I
should say, the theme of the Jubilee is pilgrims of hope,
which I think the world just needs so much hope
right now. I love that theme, and it's just an
opportunity for spiritual renewal, for forgiveness of sins. It's just
(56:30):
such a wonderful time to.
Speaker 1 (56:32):
Giving us of sins. I'm in, you know what, maybe
Catholic to go on this tour.
Speaker 2 (56:36):
You do not have to be Catholic, and you don't
have to be Mormon. You can be any religion that one.
Speaker 1 (56:43):
It's one event in a law tour. It is, And
it's one of those things like when I I love
going to the Lloyd Kotong Festival. It's the biggest festival
in Thailand. I'm not Buddhist, but I enjoy being one.
And so it will be. So it will be in
this year of the jubilee.
Speaker 2 (57:02):
It really will be. It's a very special occasion and
it's not going to happen again for another twenty five years.
So I don't know about you, but I don't know
if I'm going to be around in twenty five years
to witness it again. You better and so, you know what,
I certainly hope I am.
Speaker 1 (57:17):
Hey, we come back. We got the most unique tour
of a lifetime. I want to tell you about it
here on the Travel show. Welcome Back to the travel show.
(57:43):
I'm Larry Gelwicks, that get Away Guru, joined today by
Wendy Fraki, a group department manager at Morris Columbus Travel. Now, Wendy,
one of the most unique tours in my entire travel
life time will be next year. I'm going to give
(58:03):
you a clue. I want you to guess where we're going.
Did I make that too too hard? Well, you know
(58:28):
we have the Scotland Military Tattoo and that is not
body art. The Scotland Military Tattoo will be visiting Scotland,
Wales and England. The actual dates are August the eleventh
to the twenty first. Now, tattoo is an interesting term
(58:48):
for this the largest bagpipe festival in the world. It's
bagpipes and drum course. Over a hundred million people watch
this every year. Started well, the roots go back centuries,
but the actual festival at the Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh,
(59:09):
Scotland started in nineteen fifty and it's only done in August.
And it's done at the Edinburgh Castle. Tickets are hard
to get. They will literally sell out years and years
in advance. Now the Highlight is a performance based upon
the four branches of Service. The Royal Navy, the Royal Marines,
(59:30):
the Royal Air Force and the British Army. The military
bands and performers and bands from literally every corner of
the world come. They line up down the Golden Mile
as it leads up to the Edinburgh Castle because they
can only have one performer at a time. Now, why
(59:53):
is it called tattoo because I think of a tattoo
as Kathy tattooed on my left arm, or the angel
all over my back. Well, the word tattoo really doesn't
have much to do with this type of performance. It's
a Dutch term from the sixteen hundreds. It really means
(01:00:15):
last call. Douden tapto is in a Dutch sixteenth century
phrase which means turn off the taps, the liquor the
beer taps, and it was played a regimental core of
drums would play to tell the tavern owners to stop
(01:00:39):
serving last call and send the soldiers home to their barracks. Literally,
so that this idea of a tattoo or doughtin tapto
comes from the sixteen hundreds, and so it's called the
Scotland military tattoo where they play a lot of different songs. Now,
(01:01:00):
but a Drum Troup would play this every night in Holland,
sending the soldiers, and it carried over to the UK.
Speaker 2 (01:01:11):
I think we should now call it the Last Call Tour.
Speaker 1 (01:01:14):
That's right, get you out of the pubs. Well listen
to this. You know we have tickets to the tattooed.
Now we're going to keep this to a small group
forty ish something like that, Kathy and I'll be your
personal host and tour guide. When I told Kathy we're
going to Scotland, of what she that's her family roots
of the Wallace clan. Now that's William Wallace and that clan.
(01:01:38):
When Kathy gets mad at me, you will understand some
of the genealogical roots to the Wallace clan.
Speaker 2 (01:01:46):
You know where that's coming back?
Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
Thank you very much. Well we'll visit, of course Edinburgh.
The castle will have all the sight seeing on the spectacular.
Speaker 2 (01:01:55):
Well, it's not just Scotland. You're going into Welles and
into England that we are, my.
Speaker 1 (01:02:00):
Dear Chester and York Wales. Did you ever see the
movie what is it? How Green? What was it? That
one about Wales?
Speaker 2 (01:02:13):
And the mine is you know, I'm not sure of
the one you're speaking of but I have seen Shakespeare
and I have seen it's my valley. There you go.
Speaker 1 (01:02:23):
You know that Wales still looks like that today. And
then of course into England and we'll spend a few
days there in London.
Speaker 2 (01:02:32):
And no one also has a poster to Paris which
has been all over the news.
Speaker 1 (01:02:36):
Yes it does. Now. One of the things that you
just have to keep in mind, this one will sell
out so fast. We put it out about a week
ago and it is already a quarter full in just
a week's time. Yes, and with a lot of other inquiries.
That's one you don't want to miss. The tour dates
(01:02:57):
again August eleventh to the twenty first the Scotland Military Tattoo.
Speaker 2 (01:03:02):
Or Last Call Tour or Last Call.
Speaker 1 (01:03:04):
Tour including Scotland, Wales and England. Now you know I
love river cruising. I got let's see a week ago, no,
two weeks ago, I got off a Rhine River cruise.
Do I have a great life or what?
Speaker 2 (01:03:23):
You know? I try not to be jealous. I'm trying
not to be green. But since you can't see me,
you don't know very very good.
Speaker 1 (01:03:31):
I got off a Rhine River cruise. We had one
hundred Travel show listeners, keep in mind Military Tattoo Tour
is going to be about forty issues. It's not unlimited numbers.
Speaker 2 (01:03:43):
We only got sold, so they're going to get really
tired of you, is what you're saying.
Speaker 1 (01:03:47):
Perish the thought. Anyway. I love River Crew. It's the
easy on, easy off. Usually got one hundred and sixty
hundred and seventy people or something. But there are some
specials out there right now. Morris Columbus Travel and Viking
Cruises have teamed up where you If you book now
with Morris Columbus Travel, you can receive up to two
(01:04:10):
hundred dollars shipboard credit per couple. What this is is
free money to spend on board now if you are
a person who enjoys wine. By the way, I had
the most spectacular non alcoholic wine on Almah Waterways. They
brought it. It was a white wine and white and
(01:04:31):
red non alcoholic white. They also had the regular alcohol wine,
but I found the white much better than I didn't
care what I was. I have no idea how to
pair wines, but I drank you dinner, you know. And
then what really got the waiter is I had my
obligatory diet coke, and so I have it, and I
(01:04:54):
asked him if if twenty twenty four was a good year.
He starts crack it up and I hold it, I
look at it, I swirl it, I smell it and everything,
and then I said, yes, it's a good year of
my diet. Anyway, if you're enjoy wine, Alma Waterways has
a special on select cruise as their wine appreciation cruises.
(01:05:19):
You have to book by September thirtieth with Morris Columbus
Travel and you can save up to twenty percent off
your cruise fair.
Speaker 2 (01:05:29):
That is amazing, and we are lucky that we are
such good partners with both AMA and with Viking, and
that the relationships that we have just mean savings for you,
our listeners, our clients, because almost every booking we have
some kind of discount or promotion or value added thing
that we can offer for you for doing your bookings
(01:05:53):
with us. There's no reason for you not to be
working with us as a preferred agency for any of
your bookings with Viking or with AMA. I will say
Larry that I know you've been gone so much here
in Salt Lake. If any of the listeners are local
in September and October, we are going to have a
couple of Viking events either up at Ogden in Salt
(01:06:14):
Lake or even at the Symphony. So be watching your
emails or mailing information about some of these promotions. If
you want to learn more about Viking.
Speaker 1 (01:06:25):
Tell me the benefits of family travel, traveling with your
kids or grandkids.
Speaker 2 (01:06:29):
Time time with your family, the memories that are made,
the opportunities to form these bonds and build these memories.
Speaker 1 (01:06:39):
You know, on that Ryan River experience that my family
and I attended, that we got finished two weeks ago.
The cruise itself for the group was Amsterdam to Basel,
Switzerland with Alma Waterways, the Ultimate River Cruise company, and
we visited the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland well before
(01:07:06):
we joined the group, and we had a two day
pre cruise Amsterdam tour before we joined that my family
and I, we had our adult children and spouses. We
went to London for a few days. No Samuel Johnson,
who's perhaps the most famous British man of letters, also
a poet, even a clergy for a while, said when
(01:07:28):
a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.
Winston Churchill is often credited with that statement which he made,
but he was quoting Samuel Johnson. And we had such
a wonderful time, incredible memories with our adult children. We've
also done some great vacations with our grandchildren, you know.
(01:07:52):
And one of the benefits. I think of my daughter Emily,
when she was about the sixth grade. She's in her
early forties now, but when she's in the sixth grade,
they had a world kind of a world history appropriate
for that age group, and the teacher held up a
picture of Westminster Abbey, knowing that nobody knew what it was.
(01:08:14):
They were talking about how you know the pilgrims they
left England, you know, kind of a British heritage of
the early colonists, and she held up this picture of
Westminster Abbey and said does anybody know what this is?
Of course, the kids didn't accept. One girl, my daughter,
She raised her hand and the teacher said, Emily, you
(01:08:35):
know what this building is? She goes, yes, Westminster Abbey.
Do you know where it is? Yes, in London? Well,
how do you know that? My daddy took me there.
And then she did a follow up trick question and said,
does anyone know what's underneath the floor of Westminster Abbey.
(01:08:57):
Emily raises her hand and says, dead people, because they've
buried people under the floor of Westminster Abbey. You know,
it's one of those things. What thirty years ago, I
took a couple of months off and we rented a
house there by BYU campus in Lightea, Hawaii. It was
(01:09:19):
a professor that was leaving for the summer, and we
made arrangements. We just took over his house for two
and a half weeks. I actually commuted back and forth
from Hawaii. I'd be gone for two weeks, come back.
Speaker 2 (01:09:30):
For a week and well, you had to do the
radio show, right, Actually I did.
Speaker 1 (01:09:35):
It from Hawaii. And what I did one of the
things I wanted to accomplish being so involved in rugby
in the Polynesian community, has learned to speak Tongan conversational
and so I made arrangements with Temilitikava. She taught a
native of Tonga. She taught Tongan at the school and
(01:09:59):
she became my daily tutor and the kids. She became
Grandma Kava for years and years after even into adulthood,
she moved back to Tonga. I visited her house in Tonga.
She became Grandma Tongue, Grandma Cava. So all of these
experiences that a family has. Hey, when we come back,
(01:10:19):
I want to tell you about a major airline with
a strike looming. It is Jumbo and greetings from East Africa.
(01:10:44):
I'm Larry Gelwicks to get Away Guru. And it's almost
ten o'clock here in Kenya.
Speaker 2 (01:10:52):
Now it is time that you can go to bed.
Speaker 1 (01:10:54):
Thank you very much. I'll go Maybe I'll go out
for a walk on the savannah at night.
Speaker 2 (01:11:01):
Don't Larry, I need you to come back.
Speaker 1 (01:11:03):
Thank you. I'm Larry Gelwicks, the Getaway Guru. Joined back
in Salt Lake City by Wendy Frakia, Group Department Manager.
Be sure to check out all the offerings from Morris
Columbus Travel at Morriscolumbus dot com. That's Morriscolumbus dot com.
And if you're looking at one of the wonderful escorted tours,
(01:11:23):
scroll down on the homepage to Morris Murdoch Escorted Tours. Now, Wendy.
It's been in the news that the American Airlines flight
attendants have been negotiating for five years on a new
contract and they reached an agreement American did with its
(01:11:47):
flight attendance union on a new contract which provides up
to a twenty percent immediate pay raise, full retro pay,
plus boarding pay, which raises it another eight and a
half percent. Now, boarding pay is traditionally you have two
types of flight times on an airline, block time and
(01:12:13):
flight time. Flight time is wheels up to wheels down.
Even then you taxi, block time is door closed to
door open, and I think very unfairly flight attendants are
paid on block time even though they have to be
there for the boarding they were not.
Speaker 2 (01:12:30):
Well, that's when they do all the hard work of
trying to get your bags figured out.
Speaker 1 (01:12:34):
They weren't paid. So I think the boarding pay is fantastic. Well,
the big challenge is whether this contract approved by union
leadership will be approved by the members or, like the
last one, gets voted down, which would mean additional lengthy
negotiations and we could be staring down the barrel of
(01:12:57):
a strike again. Now against this backdrop, the American Airlines
Flight Attendance Base president this is LA not the whole company,
has come out against ratifying the contract. She says there
was too many priorities excuse me, He says, too many
priorities the union didn't negotiate for. It'll be a five
(01:13:20):
year contract, but it'll probably have to live with it
for ten years because the current proposal, if passed, took
five years to negotiate.
Speaker 2 (01:13:30):
That is so long to wait for these poor people
who are working so hard.
Speaker 1 (01:13:35):
What is it that we love about the British Isles?
Speaker 2 (01:13:38):
Oh? I think it's the history, and it's the green
rolling countrysides, and it's their adorable accent.
Speaker 1 (01:13:47):
Well they think we speak with an accent.
Speaker 2 (01:13:49):
I know.
Speaker 1 (01:13:50):
Hey, you know we haven't done this in I don't
know how many years, but I will be hosting along
with Kathy, my wife, twenty twenty five British Isle cruise.
We will visit England, Ireland, Northern Ireland and yes, Ireland
and Northern Ireland are different. Northern Ireland is part of
(01:14:11):
the UK, or Ireland is its own independent country. So England, Ireland,
Northern Ireland, Scotland and France. The dates are July seven
to twenty Go online at morriscolumbus dot com, scroll down
to the escorted tours and then click on cruises and
(01:14:35):
go to twenty twenty five July seventh to the twentieth.
Take a look at this itinerary. I mean it is fantastic.
I'm looking at it now. And the one there's so
many good stops in Liverpool. You can go visit the Cavern,
that's the nightclub where the Beatles started. We'll be in Glasgow,
(01:14:57):
in inver Gordon, Scotland, Edinburgh. You have a chance at
Lahove to visit Paris for the day. But one of
my favorite stories is in Cork. That's very near Blarney Castle,
and you know the tradition you can kiss the Blarney
Stone and the legend is you're given the gift of
(01:15:17):
gab Mark Foldmo made the comment, well, that's true, Larry
made out with.
Speaker 2 (01:15:22):
The one of your very best friends.
Speaker 1 (01:15:25):
Hey, where do you park at Salt Lake.
Speaker 3 (01:15:26):
Airport parkinjet Do you like a twenty percent discount?
Speaker 2 (01:15:31):
You know I always take advantage of that.
Speaker 1 (01:15:33):
Go to Morriscolumbus dot com, Morriscolumbus dot com and click
on resources and they're out. Print out a half dozen
of these twenty percent discount coupons that can save you
a lot of money and just put them in your
glove box.
Speaker 2 (01:15:52):
I think it's you know what, the next time that
somebody had a drive through ask you for a tip,
you could put one of these Parkinjet coupons in their
tip chart.
Speaker 1 (01:16:00):
I think that would be fantastic. You know, we mentioned
earlier that Carlos Feta are Argentinian Gauchos in Peru today,
And just a reminder that he has an Ecuador and
Galapagos Islands tour October eleventh to the twenty third. There's
still some space available.
Speaker 2 (01:16:20):
And yeah, if you're looking for something to get out
and go.
Speaker 1 (01:16:23):
Yeah, and Carol Alegray has one, it's around October one
and that also has some space available. Listen, check out
the website Morriscolumbus dot com. I'll be back in Salt
Lake next week and I get back from Africa. This
is an incredible experience. Remember we have two great migration
(01:16:46):
safaris next year. I will be on the one July
twentieth to the thirty first. We also have July thirtieth
to August ninth. My group is already over half sold out.
Speaker 2 (01:17:00):
Don't wait on these.
Speaker 1 (01:17:01):
Go to Morriscolumbus dot com. Click on Morris Murdoch Escorted Tourist.
Click on Africa well as they say here in East Africa,
when we part Audios rivaderce, I'll see you next week.
God bless
Jumbo and welcome from the far reaches of the Dark
Continent Africa. I'm Larry Gelwicks. They get away, Guru, and yes,
I've gotten away yet again. I'm in Kenyon a Safari.
It's an exciting experience. But I am out in the
middle of the boonies in the Old Pajeta Game Reserve.
(00:37):
And you know, we've got a great group of travel
show listeners. Now, Jumbo is one of the native greetings
here in Kenya's It's part of the Bantu language. And
did you know there are over six hundred languages and
dialects spoken by the Bantu peoples in central, southern, Eastern
(00:59):
and Southeast Africa. Bantu is, as I said, a family
of language. One of them is Swahili, and Jumbo is
a Swahili greeting. Now I am in Kenya, and through
the miracle of technology, my dear friend and co worker,
Wendy Fraki, a group department manager at Morris Columbus Travel,
(01:22):
is back home in Salt Lake City today. And so Wendy,
a very special.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Jumbo and Jumbo to you and to all of the
people with you right now. I'm so I say this
all the time, I'm so jealous you leave me behind.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, do you understand your vocation and working role in life?
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yes, you've explained that to me. I just don't think
I accept that.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Why are we talking about your job is to work
so that I can travel.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
The acceptance of that fact that I have a very
hard time with.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
You know, Kenya is the ultimate game safaris. There are
wonderful safaris all over Africa, and I've been I think
on just about every one of them. But for game viewing,
there is nothing, I mean nothing in the world like
the Great Migration. It is the true national geographic experience
(02:18):
where it seems like the whole animal kingdom. It's the
largest animal migration in the world. And it only takes
place in July, August and September, and only in Kenya
and Tanzania. And for a long variety of reasons, Kenya
is really.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
The better at choicest viewing.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Now I mentioned we're in the old pagetic game park.
There are fifty game parks here in Kenya. Not one
of them has a fence around the park.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
Nobody wants to have a fence because then the animals don't.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I remember being in a where We're up on the
Serengetti and I was looking at this pride of lions,
some two dozen lions, and I could see off in
the distance about five miles away a village. But there's
so much food, such an abundance of game, that they
don't move and the village doesn't have a problem with them. Now, Oh,
(03:17):
Pajet is one of my favorite game parks.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
I've been there. It's amazing.
Speaker 1 (03:20):
We will be headed tomorrow. And by the way, it's
nine hours ahead of Salt Lake City, So what is it?
A little bit after eleven back in the crossroads of
the west. It's a little bit after eight pm here
in Kenya.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Not quite bedtime.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
But you know, Serengetti is known to everyone. And the
very word Serengetti is a Masai word, Sernget, which means
endless planes. Now you've heard the term Masai.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Mara, of course.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Masai is an indigenous tribe.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
Of people, beautiful people, and it's kind of a.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Nomadic, pastoral native group in East Africa. They speak the
Ma spelled Maaa, the Ma language, and they're known for
what very vibrant clothing, intricate hairstyles. If you you know
a lot of especially girls like to braid the hair.
You ought to see the hair braiding that they do
(04:22):
over here. Very elaborate jewelry, face painting. Have you seen
and they're tall? Have you seen their dance and they're
jumping up and down.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
The jumping dance?
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yes, you know, the average height for a Masai tribesman
is six and a half feet the average Watching.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Their competitions in the village when when you get the
opportunity to go, is quite the spectacle.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Well, they love to wear red, you remember that. Oh yeah,
and red symbolizes bravery, unitedy in blood. Polygamy is practiced
here and I've met several plural families and I've got
a special gift for you when i get back. Oh boy, yeah,
you know I've you're a very beautiful woman. But I'm
(05:08):
going to give you a beauty aid an a. What
the Masai people do the women do is they rub yellow.
It's an iron clay and the colors yellow to deep
orange mixed with calfat on the face. For beauty.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
What do you think, I'm I'm I'm not sure in
that one. I'd have to see it applied. I think
for beauty we do almost anything how about.
Speaker 1 (05:36):
If I do it first?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Okay, all right, I'll follow you, Larry, I always do.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
There's your first mistake anyway. Masai Mara Masa is this
nomadic tribe of people, and the Mara in the Ma
language means spotted plane. Now we will fly in a
bush plane. It's so much fun. This bush plane. It
will land near Old Pajeta where we are today, and
(06:05):
it's just a dirt grass runway and it has those
big bush plane tires and it can bounce a little
bit and it comes down. It has to fly down
and kind of sweep the area, and the zebras and
the giraffes are running away as it buzzes, and there's
(06:26):
no airport.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
No, it's one of those surreal experiences that is no
part of this unique opportunity.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
You're looking for Doctari, which of course I am famous
African guide, and we get into but you're flying up
to the Mara or Serengetti, it's called locally the Mara
and it means spotted plane. You'll see clumps of trees
gathered together and from the air or an elevated position,
(06:52):
it is spotted. Anyway, we're having so much fun. You
know everybody has a favorite animal Africa. You've been there,
what's your favorite?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Oh, okay, elephant. I'm gonna go elephants because I just
saw a video that I took when I was there
a couple of years ago, and it was this family
and they had a couple of baby elephants. And I
know you've seen the baby elephants as they try to
figure out their trunks and then they shake their heads
and their ears just wiggle and they make the funniest noises.
(07:22):
It is just I can watch them all day.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
It's like my grand's children exactly. Kathy loves the war hog.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
Why I don't, Okay, yes you have to. And warthogs,
they they're so dumb.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
They make a car bumper look smart, and they're running
and then they'll stop because.
Speaker 2 (07:42):
They they forget where they're running.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Where they're running. Anyway, I love the lions. You know,
it's so interesting about the lions.
Speaker 2 (07:48):
Well that is no surprise. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
They're the only cat that forms social groups. Now. A
male lion can weigh up to five hundred pounds. A
roar can be heard as five miles away, you know,
up on the Serengetti. We stay at the Ashviell Lodge
and it's right on the mar River and there's a
(08:11):
pot of hippos down there. We're on a viewing platform
and all these lodges have an electric fence around them,
but we're looking down and there's different animals come to water.
But it's so much fun. At night. You'll hear the
hippos bellowing, but you hear the roar of a lion
and it just does something to you. But it can
(08:34):
be five miles away and the lion has the loudest
roar of all the cats. Now typical, the females do
most of the work.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
I was going to mention that.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
And they're the main hunters, the primary.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Just while I'm back here in Salt Lake.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
That's right. For the male lions, their job is to reproduce,
not a bad job, and say that.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Leaving it alone.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
They guard the young and protect the pride's territory, and
you know they go out and mark their territory. I
better not make any comments about marking territory anyway.
Speaker 2 (09:17):
I bet you've done that on a rugby field before,
though I.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Have, I have, you know, I remember this one time
we were there and there was a herd of wildebeese,
not a big one, about forty thousand. You've got two
million wildebees on the move. And we were watching them
and there was a row of trees and shrubs about
eight feet tall, and so we're in one position. We're
looking at a pride of lions crouching behind it and
(09:43):
in front of the trees and shrubbery, which was very dense,
there's this herd, and all of a sudden, some females
see they have an attack plan. Everybody has their role,
and these female lions go around it like a sheep dog.
They don't attack it, but all h double l breaks
(10:05):
loose with the wildebeest. They're running and the sheep dog
lions they got behind them and were pushing them towards
the bushes in a coordinated attack. And as they got close,
the pride came out. Now, you know my wife Kathy,
who is the biggest advocate. When we get back, I'm
going to bring her back on the radio. From a
(10:25):
woman's perspective. When she first went, she was hesitant to
go because she thought it was all going to be Chuckorama, right,
and it's not. But the lions have to eat too,
and I'll give you some stories of some of the
most surreal moments that we had. But anyway, Jombo from
East Africa. We have a great group. I've got two
(10:47):
group dates for next year that when we come back,
I'll tell you about Africa twenty twenty five and the
benefits of group travel. You're listening to the travel show.
(11:12):
I'm Larry Gelwick's They get Away Guru, and I've gotten
away to East Africa. Wendy Fraki, a group department manager
for Morris Columbus Travel, the good sponsor of the show,
is back in Salt Lake City, and through the miracle
of technology, we can both talk to you and it
sounds like we're writ in downtown Salt Lake City.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
But you're having more fun than I am.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
Yes, I am. By the way, these are wonderful lodges.
We eat so well. I you know, it's if you're
going to do an African safari, here's some questions that
you should ask before you book. Where are we going?
There's wonderful game viewing all over Africa, but some countries
are noted for exceptional game viewing. Well, I mean, if
(11:58):
you want to see the primates, you're looking at Kanda La.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
I was going to say, define the game that you're viewing,
because there are some parks that are just dedicated to birds.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
There really are, and when you know, there's wonderful things
happening year round, but it's very different in every season.
Let's talk about the lodges and the quality. Where are
they located? Are they inside the park or outside the park?
Tell me the type of vehicle I have actually seen
on more than a few occasions so far as that
(12:31):
are in passenger vans?
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Oh? Yeah, the caravans are out there.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Yeah. What we use is a Toyota land Cruiser modified
with the you can stand up in at the pop
up open top, covered of course, but they will seat
eight guests plus the driver. We never put more than
four in so that you can move right and left,
(12:56):
forward and backward. See the animals have never learned to
only come to my side of the vehicle. But if you,
I mean, financially for us, it would be a big
plus to put eight people in there. Sure, but we
put forth Now. The only exception is if a group
or family requests, well, there's five of us or we
(13:18):
want to all be to sure, but that's your decision.
Not ours, and then the history of the company. You
know who you're dealing with. There's so many.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
What's their policies, their refund their payment, all of it?
Are they licensed and bonded?
Speaker 1 (13:35):
Yeah? Well, let's talk about group travel. You you have
served as the group department manager for many years at
Morris Columbus Travel twenty and I will say, you do
a bang up job on that. That one of the
biggest fears I hear about group travel because I want
you to tell me about the benefits of group travel.
(13:56):
But overcome this objection. I don't want to be treated
like cattle exactly.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
No, And I am so grateful that I can say that.
Our company policy is we are a single coach operation
on all of our land tours. So right now you
are with a group of less than thirty. I can't
remember the exact numbers, but you only have thirty people
with you in Africa. Like you said, we could put
(14:24):
eight people in those and we could send forty people
out with you. The tour sells out every year, but
we don't want that experience. I was just booking a
tour to Egypt. They said they can put fifty people
on a coach. I don't want fifty people want a coach,
you know what, Forty forty four is going to be
our limit. We want to make sure that you do
not feel like cattle and that you have just your
(14:48):
own experience as well as a group experience that we
have prepared for you you.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
I had a friend of mine, Steve, who world traveler,
been everywhere, and he'd go to Bangkok on business all
the time, really knew the city, and he would never
he was one of my best friends. He would never
come on one of my groups. And finally I got
him talked into of all places, Thailand my annual Thailand
(15:14):
and Legends of Siam tour, and then we go up
to Cambodia for anchor what and I don't want to
be the five blah blah blah. Anyway, he was so
enthusiastic that I actually brought him on the radio to
talk about being a convert to Morris Columbus group travel.
(15:38):
He said, there was only one thing I had to remember,
show up on time. Everything was taken down. I'm going
to put you on the spot. All of the tours,
some one hundred tours that Morris Columbus offers every year
are wonderful, but they go to different parts, and you know,
people have a different preference of what they want to see.
(15:59):
What are some of the you might say, more unique
or unusual. I don't mean I don't mean dangerous. We
don't do dangerous tours. But what are some of the
really unique tours that Morris Columbus offers.
Speaker 2 (16:13):
You know, we have been branching out and doing some
more fun, adventure unique itineries now. I would say the
tour that you're on right now, this experience in Kenya
you're having is probably a very unique experience because of
the way we do it, with the plane, with the
you know, the lodges in the park and all those
other things. I am so excited, Larry about my group
(16:36):
that I'm taking to Switzerland next month, that we're not
doing train or bus transportation from city to city and
psite to site. We're actually going on the trains through
Switzerland and we're going on the Glacier Express. That's a
unique experience and not many people do that. I think
going down to South America, going to the Glopicos with
(16:58):
Carol Gray or Carlos Feda, these are unique experiences. These
are not what you're going to go in and sit
down at any travel agency, open a brochure and be
able to just pick out your date, your time, whatever.
It's not a cookie cutter tour. It will not be
some of those that that we really are trying to
focus on. We've got a tour to Morocco, We've got
(17:21):
other experiences that we're still going to Egypt, which is
still an amazing experience. Egypt it is open to travel
and people need to know that we're we're doing some
fantastic experience and late I know, later on, I think
we're going to mention this tattoo tour that you are
doing in the UK. Yes, left arm exactly, it's it's
(17:45):
going to be my picture right, Yes, but no, I
think we have some wonderful tours that we do every year,
and but we also are trying to get these experiences
out to everybody.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
You've got a great website. If our listeners will go
to Morriscolumbus dot com, Morriscolumbus dot com and on the
homepage just scroll down a little bit and you'll see
Morris Murdoch Escorted Tours. Morris Murdoch is like the brand
name for the division yeah of the escorted tours and
(18:20):
there they are all listed there. And what you want
to do is click on the geographic area. Now, if
it's a cruise anywhere in the world, don't click geographic
click cruises. But you'll see Africa. In fact, those dates
next year July twentieth to the thirty first and July
thirtieth to August night for a great migration. We'll talk
(18:42):
more about that when we come back here from East
Africa on the travel show Jumbo and Greetings from East Africa.
(19:06):
I'm Larry Gelwicks, the get Away Guru, and Jambo is
the native Swahili greeting here in Kenya. I'm joined today
by Wendy Frakki, a group department manager for Morris Columbus Travel,
the good sponsor Jambo Jombo, and she is back in
Salt Lake City today. Now I have I have debated
(19:30):
seriously about this next topic, Wendy, because we don't talk politics,
we don't endorse candidates. Now unless I decide to run
for office.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Well, which will not happen.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
I would be a one term officeholder because I would
not put up with any bs and I tell him
how it is. Anyway, this is a very sensitive topic,
and I am not I want to kind of give
a pre limb. I am not approaching this, advocating this,
that or the other. I'm just reporting a very sensitive,
(20:09):
in fact controversial travels.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Yes, it is controversial that involves Delta Airlines.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
Here's what it is. Delta's chief DEI. That's diversity, equity inclusion.
Kyra Lynn Johnson is Delta Airlines Chief Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
and Social Impact Officer, and she said that Delta is
(20:38):
striving to quote boldly pursue equity close quote which has
impacted every level of the company, from its hiring practices
to even the language it uses in gate announcements. And
so this is again quote from Kira Johnson. So we're
(20:58):
beginning to take a hard look at things like our
gatehouse announcement that means the boarding gate. You know, we
welcome ladies and gentlemen. We ask ourselves, is that a
gender inclusive phrase? So she's saying that some of what
she calls the legacy language is perhaps not inclusive. So
(21:25):
Delta has released an inclusive language guide which advises employees
and leaders against using term that reinforced the notion that
they are only two genders. So Delta is saying, we
don't want to say, or encourage or suggest that there
(21:48):
are only two languages. Quote use from the guide that
went out to employees. Quote use gender neutral language and pronouns.
Do not use language that suggest a gender binary meaning
male and female. Close Quote Well, well, well, some people
(22:12):
think that Delta has absolutely lost their mind.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
They have become ok and.
Speaker 1 (22:17):
Others are applauding this. As I say, the Travels Show
and its sponsor, Morris Columbus Travel, We're not going to
take a position on this, and I want to make
that clear, but it has kind of lit a firestorm.
But what are you going to do, particularly out of
Salt Lake City? You're going to say? I don't agree,
(22:38):
so I'm not going to fly Delta. They have over
half the flights in Salt Lake.
Speaker 2 (22:41):
Well, you know what I think is interesting about that
is whatever terms that they plan to use, I'm sure
are going to be non offensive. Obviously that's what they're
going after. What have we noticed that they dropped ladies
and gentlemen? Have they not made the statement? What have
they I mean, like, what do they say if you
are here to board this plane? You know? How how
(23:04):
do you address this, But would they you know, would
they even notice? I think that's kind of interesting. Would
you notice if lady and gentlemen I was not used?
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Anyway? Interesting story that a lot of people are commenting on.
Let you know, one of the things in international travel
is foreign currency exchange. Now, some countries, like here in Kenya,
you don't change money to the local currency. They want
US dollars. We visit Thailand, they only want Thai bot
(23:37):
and you have to change it. Then we go on
our annual trip up to Cambodia and anger, what, don't
change it to Cambodian it's US dollars. You go to Vietnam,
the local currency is dong. Vietnam Dong is their currency,
and they the street vendors will take dollars, the shops will.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Take dong well, and don't try use US dollars in
Switzerland or in other places in Europe.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
But yeah, you know what's interesting. In Switzerland, the official
currency is not the Europe it's not the year. It's
the Swiss frank it is.
Speaker 2 (24:11):
And they don't like to accept euro.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
No, they will in most cases, but what they do
is they determine the exchange rate. Now, let me talk
about Larry's five percent rule because I see people getting
swindled all the time on exchange rates. You can look
up what is called the BBR or banker's buying rate
or true exchange rate. Now right now, one British pound,
(24:36):
I was in London two weeks ago, actually three weeks ago.
One British pound or sterling is a dollar twenty nine.
One euro will cost you a dollar eight. So you're
gonna have to make this exchange. Okay, So first thing
(24:56):
you want to know what the true exchange is, and
then you look at what you're going to get. Now
you'll see the money changers. You thought they were driven
out of Jerusalem two thousand years ago at the temple,
and they were.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
They drove them to the airports.
Speaker 1 (25:12):
They drove them to the airports. But what happens, Wendy,
is they say no commission, no fee. That is a
bunch of bs, because where they make their money is
not in commissions or fees. It is in they set
the exchange rate. So the easiest way to determine it
(25:36):
is don't start doing a calculator. Take one hundred dollars
bill and say how many British pounds how much Euro,
how much Japanese yen, how much TIE bought? How many
Australian dollars will I get for my US one hundred?
Now you already know the you already know the exchange rate.
(25:56):
So for Euro one hundred dollars, Bill is gonna give
me ninety two euro. Okay, but that's the true Well,
that's the true rate. Now I have a five percent rule.
Usually at airports or hotels, you're gonna lose ten to
twelve percent. That's way too much, Although I do advocate
(26:17):
having some money in your pocket. I deal with a
local bank here in Salt Lake City when I travel
and have to change money, but I usually do a
small amount because the bank rate sometimes it's pretty good.
I never want to lose more than five percent, but
what I usually am losing is two to two and
(26:38):
a half percent. But I won't go above five. Airport,
you're gonna lose ten to twelve I guarantee it.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
Right, it's a convenience fee. Sometimes you gotta look at it.
Sometimes you have to do it, but.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
Yeah, pay it with a local bank. Find out what
their rate is and what you're gonna lose. Let me
give you an example you've been to Trevy Fountain, in fact.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
You were there earlier this year it may yeah, and
less my coins.
Speaker 1 (27:05):
There, that means you're gonna go back. You know that
they collect three thousand euro in coins every day because
if you flip the coin in over your shoulder, it
means you'll come back to Rome.
Speaker 2 (27:18):
That's right, all right, every time it's worked too, that's right.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Anyway. So there was a exchange, a currency exchange, small
shop right there at the Trevy Fountain, okay, and they
were giving that. Now, the true exchange would be for
one hundred dollars ninety two euro. Let's say you lose
(27:44):
two percent, you're gonna get eighty nine two or three percent,
you should get eighty nine or something like that. This
guy was given seventy six euro for one hundred dollars.
And people were lined up because he was the only
money changer at.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
The because they think, well.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
I guess that's what it is. And I mean he
was ripping them off. You're losing twenty twenty five percent
with this clown.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Well you know it is, and you a knowledge is power.
So I'm going to just let all the listeners know
that there are several apps that you can put on
your phone that will give you that banker's exchange rate, Larry,
that you were just talking about. I have one that
I travel with. It's called XE. It's only one of them.
(28:31):
I know. It's easy to do in Google.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Service dot com.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
It's X, well XE or oh. I could probably pull
it up and give you the exact but if you
put it either in your Apple store or your play store,
it's just X, which is a currency exchangeect and you
can add all the different countries that you're going to
and you can always see the banker's rate. It's really
(28:55):
going to help with your rule, Larry, and I totally
totally think this is such a strong fool to travel with.
Speaker 1 (29:01):
It really is. Now, let's play stump the dummy. Okay,
As far as cars, trucks, rail travel, air, commercial air travel,
and cruising, which is the.
Speaker 3 (29:18):
Safest ocean cruising cruising cruising general? Absolutely not the Titanic.
Speaker 1 (29:26):
Thank you very much.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
But was I right?
Speaker 1 (29:31):
You were absolutely right? The lowest rate of deaths per
billion passenger miles, not passengers, but passenger miles for a
cruise ship. It's point zero eight.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
Wow, all right, that's a good record.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
For rail travel eleven point nine, for cars and trucks
three point three, and for commercial air point eight. In fact,
cruise travel is ten times safer than a commercial airliner,
and good heavens, I haven't even calculated rail travel about
(30:08):
twenty times or more safer. Cruising is a very safe
way to go. I'll tell you where you get into
trouble alcohol related going overboard. Yeah, you can kiss your
backside goodbye.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
Absolutely, and you're hearing about it. Actually more often.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
Most overboard people it's alcohol related. I just read a
story of it. Was a college age kid, mid twenties,
and he decided to and he was blasted wasted. He
decided to climb from his balcony cabin to the next
(30:47):
balcony cabin on the railing, well why not, and he
took a deep dive and is in Davy Jones locker
right now, which is very, very sad. Listen. Norwegian Cruise
Line is one of the sponsors to this show. Their
promotion is back and in short, it'll give you up
to seventy percent off your cruise fare. The Free at Sea,
(31:10):
which is free open drinks, unlimited bar letted or unleaded,
free Wi Fi, free specialty dining, free, shore excursion, yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:20):
On board credits and on select cruises, the third and
fourth person sharing your cabin sales absolutely free.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
And what I like is the free airfare, which is
really a buy one, get one free. First person pays
a discounted airfare, second person goes free. You can get
all the details at Morris Columbus Travel. When we come back,
We're going to celebrate Christmas right here in Africa. Henry
(32:01):
Ma Christmassy from the wilds of East Africa. Hennimock Chrismassi
is the native Swahili greeting basically Merry Christmas. It's a
way to extend Christmas wishes in Swahili. Well, I'm Larry
Gelwicks that get away guru, and I am in East
Africa today. Wendy Frakia, my dear friend and group department
(32:24):
manager for Morris Columbus Travel, is back in Salt Lake
City today. As they say, through the miracle of technology,
we can talk with you. You know, Christmas is celebrated
in different countries. Carlos Feed, who's in Perut right now,
has talked about how they celebrated in Argentina, which is
(32:45):
a summer holiday hot They go to the beach.
Speaker 2 (32:48):
Isn't it just so insane to think about that?
Speaker 1 (32:52):
And you know how we sing I'm dreaming of a
white Christmas meeting. Snow they go, I'm dreaming of a
white sand beach at Christmas. Uh, well, you know, uh.
The Christmas celebration, which is very important in East Africa,
really starts on Christmas Eve. And what people do is
(33:13):
they attend midnight church, almost like midnight Mass, but all
the denominations seem to have a midnight service. It's traditional sermons, singalongs,
poetry readings, and dance performances. You know, I love the
church I go to, but sometimes I think we're kind
of boring.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Compare yes, yeah, we do not do not have the
same celebration.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
I would love to see some dance performances in my ward.
Probably anyway, they observe Nativity place, they have a presentation
or a play and then you always come as a
family and you travel back as a family and a
monstrous Christmas feast. I don't know. You can eat zebra,
(34:00):
oh no, jelly, probably not turkey and ham. And there's
lots of outdoor events and tournaments. They decorate the houses,
streets and churches in very colorful ribbons, flowers and balloons.
You don't see Christmas lights so much. You may see
that in town, but the homes are ribbons, flowers and balloons. Now,
(34:22):
let me ask you very briefly, Wendy, what is one
of your family Christmas traditions.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Yeah, I'm going to go with Christmas pajamas this time.
I know we've discussed this before and I've talked about
some of the other ones. Christmas pajamas seems like it
has been a fun tradition that started when I was
a child, and I passed it on to my children,
and now we're doing that with our grandchildren, and that's
been a really fun thing, you know.
Speaker 1 (34:52):
For us. It sees candies. That's one of our Christmas traditions.
The other is an orange. Oh yes, I have given
an orange, a single orange, to my children every year
since they were born, and to my grandchildren. Behind that.
My mother grew up in southern Alberta and they were poor.
I don't mean they were poor, they.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
Were poor poor, and.
Speaker 1 (35:16):
She wanted more than anything else, this Shirley Temple doll
for Christmas. But my grandfather was a grain elevator operator,
meeting as the rail cars would come on. He would
feel the rail cars and it was seasonal work. And
one Christmas that she probably seven or eight years old,
(35:39):
she wanted this Shirley Temple doll more than anything. The
only thing she received from Santa that year was an orange,
which was a real treat. This would be this would
be about nineteen thirty or thirty one. There were no gifts.
(36:00):
They're entering into the you know, soon after they're the
Great Depression and things were leading up to it. And
that's always touched me and I tell that story every
year at Christmas time. You know. One other thing, a
story my mother told me is on another Christmas we
call them homeless today. Back then they were called hoboes
(36:22):
and they would ride the rails and it was a
different era back then, you know. But my grandfather brought
some hoboes that he'd gotten to know, you know, through
because they're regularly railing back to the house for Christmas
dinner and the kids and they would come to the
(36:46):
door throughout the year and my grand they knew who
would give them food. My grandmother, as poor as they were,
always would make them sandwiches, give them something. And on
this Christmas Eve, dinner. He worked that day brought I
think it was two or three of the hobos back.
My mother and siblings resented it because they had so little.
(37:09):
And after they left that fed the men. My grandfather
said to the children they have remember how poor they were,
they have nothing. Look at how much we have. I
have always remembered that, and it taught the kids a lesson.
(37:30):
You know, Christmas in Europe is a special time. They
have a Christmas celebration, a six hundred year tradition of
the Chris Krindle mart Or Christmas markets. It's an outdoor festival.
It's not a department stores, but it's an outdoor festival
of wooden kiosk be decked in evergreens. And it's music,
(37:52):
it's food, it's drink, it's entertainment. It's dancing and shopping, shopping, shopping,
not in a pushy you know.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
No, no, it's not.
Speaker 1 (38:02):
In one of these obscenes.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
It's nice, it's not gaudy, it's not over the top.
It's been in a very festive It is joyful.
Speaker 1 (38:11):
Exactly, and it's done all over Europe. The number one
Christmas market in all of Europe, and my view is
Nuremberg it's in the old city, cobblestone streets. It's everything
you dream Christmas to be. Now, when we come back
in the second hour, I want to tell you about
a very special Christmas markets along the Danube River that
(38:32):
I'd love to show you here on the Travel Show.
(38:56):
Jumbo and welcome to the Travel Show. I'm Larry Gelwicks
get Away Guru. Today I'm in East Africa the old
Pajeta Game Park and tomorrow I'll be headed with a
group of Travel Show listeners to the Serengetti on our
African Safari. You know, the Great Migration is the ultimate
way to go. It's only July, August and September and
(39:20):
only in Kenya and Tanzania where it is the greatest
animal migration, the largest animal migration on Earth, and it
is a site to be held. My goodness. You know
what's interesting. And I've got back in Salt Lake City
Wendy Frakia, Group department Manager. And I know you've been
to Africa a number of times, Wendy, is that when
(39:43):
we start our Great Migration Safari, we give all of
our guests and we a sold out group is twenty eight.
We have seven vehicles. These Toyota land Cruisers and we
keep four for an vehicle it will seat eight plus
the driver. We don't do that because you've got to
(40:04):
be able to move around. And it's I mean, my
wife has said, and I hear this all the time.
It's an overused phrase. It's life changing. I hear that
all the time. It's the circle of life. And so
it is just a great experience. Now, next year, twenty
(40:27):
twenty five, we have two great migration safaris. July twentieth
to the thirty first, that's the USA Departure Day, USA
return date. I'll be hosting that one along with our
African guides. And then July thirtieth to August the ninth.
You can check that out at Morris Columbus Travel. Morris
(40:48):
Columbus Travel, scroll down on the homepage to Morris Murdoch
Escorted Tourist, click on it and then just click on Africa.
Speaker 2 (40:58):
It's Africa, Asia, Yeah it is.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
You know, we were talking about Christmas traditions and I
mentioned Christmas markets on the Danube. I've done the Christmas
markets of Europe several times. There are no surprise there.
I love doing it on a river cruise because you
pack it and pack once. Kathy and I, my lovely wife,
(41:21):
will be hosting a Christmas Markets on the Danube Cruise
this year December fourth to the eleventh. We start in
Nuremberg where the ship overnights we've visited, Reagansburg, Passeu We
cross of course the German Austria border to Milk, Vienna
(41:43):
and Budapest. What's really nice about this? First of all,
it's Alma Waterways Ultra Deluxe, which you just got I
just got off of about what oh gosh.
Speaker 2 (41:52):
Three weeks ago, two weeks ago, two three weeks ago
we lost track of.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Time, and the ship overnights in Nuremberg, Vienna and Budapest. Now,
in addition to the Christmas markets, you see all the
normal sites seeing you can see any time of year.
Speaker 2 (42:08):
Can say amazing cities.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
This in all of my travels, all all Bolognia side
the Christmas markets of Europe is in my top three.
Speaker 2 (42:20):
Well, they bring you so much joy and there is
no better way to begin your celebration of the Christmas season.
And Christmas has such a special place in many people's hearts,
it's their favorite holiday. Really is the best way to
experience and you know what true on.
Speaker 1 (42:38):
This one, and you kind of took the lead in
this Wendy is we bought half the ship exactly. As
a result, the cabins are anywhere from several hundred dollars
to one thousand dollars less passing on the bargain than
if you bought it directly from Almah Waterways. Now the
cruise dates again in December fourth to the eleventh. You'll
(43:01):
be home two weeks before Christmas. If you're interested, we
have a three day, two night pre cruise option, which
is we fly into Munich and visit the Bavarian Alps
neus Schwanstein, which is the Disneyland castle. Disney actually used
Neus Schwannstein Castle as the inspiration for Cinderella's Castle in Disneyland,
(43:26):
and then over to ober Amagah the Bavarian Alps. We'll
see Munich and then drive to Nuremberg, which just about
an hour and a half north of Munich and Bord.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
You know you're all the way over there, you might
as well just you're in the neighborhood, give yourself a
special Christmas present early.
Speaker 1 (43:44):
Enjoy this yep, yep, yep, hey listen, let's play stump
the dummy again.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (43:50):
Okay, if it weren't for my kids and grandkids, where
would I live?
Speaker 2 (43:55):
Thailand?
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Hi? I love? Do you know it's a kingdom, actually
have a king. It's more like a constitutional monarchy. But
he holds enormous influence. The government will not oppose him,
much more influence than Jolly King Charles has in the UK.
I love Southeast Das Now. People ask me why. It's
(44:19):
the people, the culture, the food, the graciousness. You know
what's interesting. Think of your hands together in you know,
palm to, palm fingers to and in a prayer position.
That's in Thailand. It's called a why. No reference to
the school down south, but it's it's called a why.
(44:43):
And that's how you greet people with a slight bow
of the head. You'll greet strangers, you'll greet friends, family,
kids greet their school teachers this way. In business, they
the deeper the bow means, the higher the respect for
(45:04):
the other persons. You'd probably only give me a wink.
Speaker 2 (45:09):
Come, I would give you ad.
Speaker 1 (45:12):
So I come home. No kids greet their parents with
a y you know sawadi, the native greeting and Thailand, Well,
I came home years ago when the kids were still
young and tried to implement this in my family. They
asked me to move because I was obstructing their view
of the television. That's how well it went over. But
(45:34):
it's the gracious of the people. You know, you have
everything from tropical islands to rice patties, elephants. Thailand in
the north is the foothills of the Himalaris Himalayas. You know,
do you like massage. You can get a foot massage.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
For about four.
Speaker 1 (45:55):
Five bucks a body massage, all very appropriate, or you know,
anywhere from ten to fifteen dollars an hour. They have
what they call time massage where they give you it's
like hospital scrubs and it's more of an acu pressure
pressure points. Then they have the more traditional, which is
they call it aroma therapy. It's it's a it's a
(46:18):
perfumed oil. It's much like a Swedish massage. Again, all
very very appropriate. Bangkok is the venice of the East.
Over three hundred canals in Bangkok. You know, one of
the places I love is Anchor Watt in Cambodia.
Speaker 2 (46:39):
Oh, it's it is memorizing the unlike I can't say.
Speaker 1 (46:45):
It anchor Watt was built in the twelfth of the
fourteenth century. At the time it is the most enlightened
and educated city in the world, with over one million
people living right there. It is today the largest religious
monument on earth. And anchor Wa remember what in Cambodian
(47:06):
Thai means temple in Salt Lake City, we'd call it
Wa Salt Lake. Well, anchor Wat means in the Khmer
language city of temples. And it's really shared by two religions. Originally,
anchor Wat was a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Vishnu,
(47:26):
and towards the end of the twelfth century became a
Buddhist temple. Very interesting. The Hindus believe in the doctrines
of Samsara, which is a continuous cycle of life, death
and reincarnation, and karma, the universal law of cause and effect.
So if you see a dung beetle that has been reincarnat,
(47:52):
it was not a good guy.
Speaker 2 (47:55):
Somebody came back.
Speaker 1 (47:56):
They beliefs of Hinduisms is the atma, or the belief
that in the soul all living things have a soul anyway,
and Buddhism really the beliefs of Buddhism is that human
life is one of suffering, and that meditation, spiritual and
(48:16):
physical labor, and good behavior are ways to achieve enlightenment
or nirvana. A lot of fun there, listen. I want
to talk kind of switch gears. That's why I love
Southeast Asia. And we're getting a lot of questions. You know,
my annual January Thailand and Legends of Siam with an
(48:38):
option up to Cambodian anchor Watt this year sold out
in one week. I keep it to thirty eight people,
including myself because it's a deep dive into culture, great hotels,
a lot of food. Everybody's asking will I do it
again in January twenty twenty sixth The answer is yes,
we will have that out this September. Don't call on
(48:59):
at We'll announce it here first, and I might say
that it will sell out very very quickly.
Speaker 2 (49:06):
Get on a wait list on that if you want
to be notified.
Speaker 1 (49:10):
Now when we come back, I would like to you
and I to talk about one of my favorite cities,
the Eternal City Rome, the City of Seven Hills, and
you have organized a very special Splendors of Italy tour
next April. Great time to go. When we come back
(49:30):
from East Africa here on the Travel Show. You're listening
(49:51):
to the Travel Show. I'm Larry Gelwicks, that get Away Guru.
Joined today by Wendy Frakia, Group department manager at Morris
Columbus Travel. We just say thank you. We look forward
to every Saturday and spending this time with you or
we eat, drink, dream travel and we never take our
(50:12):
audience for granted, or our guests or clients for granted.
Without you, we don't have a company, we don't have
a job, we don't have a radio show. So thank
you for joining us. And by the way, you know
when I'm back home. I'm in East Africa today, probably
at least a half a dozen times a week at
least someone will stop me who recognizes me, or I
(50:35):
often hear in a store or restaurant. Oh, I recognize
that voice. And I just love it when you stop
and chat. And you know, I got to tell you
this one story, Wendy. Some years ago, I was at
a Barnes and Noble at a book signing for one
of my travel books, and this gentleman comes up to
(50:55):
me and says, oh, Larry, I've always wanted to meet you.
I love the radio show. I listened to it every week,
all these ego strokes. But then he said to me,
but I gotta tell you, Larry, you don't look anything
like I thought you would. Well, I said, well, what
did you think I looked like These are his exact
(51:17):
words and inflection. He said, quote, well, your voice is
younger and thinner. How do you answer that?
Speaker 2 (51:28):
Well, then you're doing a great job with how you're
presenting it.
Speaker 1 (51:33):
Yeah, younger and thinner. Well, I said, thank you for
buying the book. You know you were in Rome in May,
weren't you.
Speaker 2 (51:40):
Oh? I was. My heart's still there.
Speaker 1 (51:44):
You know. I love Italy. I mean who doesn't. It's
one of the most popular destinations right now, top three,
It really is. And of course, in the City of
Rome is a country, Vatican City, the world's smallest country
at print. It its own currency and stamps and has
about eight hundred resident citizens, including the Pope the Holy Father.
(52:09):
Now Here is something that's quite interesting. Italian's average about
forty five pounds of pasta a year they eat. Now,
I thought, that's nothing. I did that in my.
Speaker 2 (52:23):
Last Yeah, it does not sound very impressive.
Speaker 1 (52:26):
It really doesn't. And we talked earlier about the Trevy Fountain,
which is one of two hundred and eighty fountains in
the city of Rome.
Speaker 2 (52:36):
Do you know that they are all connected?
Speaker 1 (52:39):
I didn't.
Speaker 2 (52:40):
All the fountains in Rome are all connected by an
underwater system and they all feed off of each other.
Speaker 1 (52:46):
And there's over nine hundred churches. Now, if you see
me wearing a toga in Rome, what does it mean?
It means, well, you already know that only free men
in ancient Rome could wear it. Totally was the sign
of citizenship, and the women wore It's called a stola,
(53:09):
which is a kind of a female version, a little
more covering.
Speaker 2 (53:13):
There is both both shoulders.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
Thank you very much. I didn't know how to say it.
Speaker 2 (53:17):
Well.
Speaker 1 (53:18):
Rome became Italy's capitol in eighteen seventy when Carlos was
just a young man, and it previously had been in Florence.
Now you did not like the beauty aid gift from
Kenya that I want to bring you, which is iron,
clay and cow fat.
Speaker 2 (53:37):
Yeah, you know I here.
Speaker 1 (53:38):
I am a very generous giving man, and that's that's
what I get back from you. Well, I've got I
don't need fact here. Thank you. Women in ancient Rome
dyed their hair with goat fat and beechwood ashes. Red
and blonde and You're a blonde were the most popular colors.
(54:00):
So on my next trip to Rome, maybe I could
bring you some goat fat and beechwood ashes.
Speaker 2 (54:05):
What do you say, you know, you keep bringing me
fat and I'm just not sure how to read that.
Speaker 1 (54:11):
Well, I bring you cookies and doughnuts and things like that. Now, listen,
we all love Italy. I think you know. Italy in
July and August is pretty brutal. It's so hot. I
think a great time is in the spring before the
summer crowd.
Speaker 2 (54:26):
Oh, I love it.
Speaker 1 (54:27):
Favorite and Morris Columbus Travel is offering a Splendors of
Italy we are.
Speaker 2 (54:34):
This is such a fantastic tour. I've done this tour
back in twenty nineteen April fourth through the fourteenth next year,
and twenty twenty five is a very special year in
Italy as the epicenter of the Catholics religion celebrating their
jubilee year. But this Splendors of Italy tour is actually
(54:55):
three of the most iconic cities in Italy. Where we
begin in Venice, we go down through Tuscany, we spend
time in pizza, we overnight, we spend several nights in
Florence and discover that whole area, then down into Rome
and get to enjoy that eternal city. It is one
(55:18):
of my all time favorites. I fell in love with
every place. I just did not believe that it could
be more beautiful. And next year, again being a Jubilee year,
such a unique experience to be able to go and
celebrate or witness the celebration that's going to be going on.
Speaker 1 (55:38):
The Pope does something every twenty five years in the
Jubilee go ahead.
Speaker 2 (55:45):
So well, he opens the Jubilee by opening that Every cathedral,
I believe Basilica has what they call the Jubilee doors.
They are very ornate, and they are only opened on
the years the Jubilee, and it begins with the Pope
opening these doors at the Vatican at Saint Peter's and
(56:08):
it happens on Christmas Eve, and it is just a
celebration like no others. This year or next year, I
should say, the theme of the Jubilee is pilgrims of hope,
which I think the world just needs so much hope
right now. I love that theme, and it's just an
opportunity for spiritual renewal, for forgiveness of sins. It's just
(56:30):
such a wonderful time to.
Speaker 1 (56:32):
Giving us of sins. I'm in, you know what, maybe
Catholic to go on this tour.
Speaker 2 (56:36):
You do not have to be Catholic, and you don't
have to be Mormon. You can be any religion that one.
Speaker 1 (56:43):
It's one event in a law tour. It is, And
it's one of those things like when I I love
going to the Lloyd Kotong Festival. It's the biggest festival
in Thailand. I'm not Buddhist, but I enjoy being one.
And so it will be. So it will be in
this year of the jubilee.
Speaker 2 (57:02):
It really will be. It's a very special occasion and
it's not going to happen again for another twenty five years.
So I don't know about you, but I don't know
if I'm going to be around in twenty five years
to witness it again. You better and so, you know what,
I certainly hope I am.
Speaker 1 (57:17):
Hey, we come back. We got the most unique tour
of a lifetime. I want to tell you about it
here on the Travel show. Welcome Back to the travel show.
(57:43):
I'm Larry Gelwicks, that get Away Guru, joined today by
Wendy Fraki, a group department manager at Morris Columbus Travel. Now, Wendy,
one of the most unique tours in my entire travel
life time will be next year. I'm going to give
(58:03):
you a clue. I want you to guess where we're going.
Did I make that too too hard? Well, you know
(58:28):
we have the Scotland Military Tattoo and that is not
body art. The Scotland Military Tattoo will be visiting Scotland,
Wales and England. The actual dates are August the eleventh
to the twenty first. Now, tattoo is an interesting term
(58:48):
for this the largest bagpipe festival in the world. It's
bagpipes and drum course. Over a hundred million people watch
this every year. Started well, the roots go back centuries,
but the actual festival at the Edinburgh Castle in Edinburgh,
(59:09):
Scotland started in nineteen fifty and it's only done in August.
And it's done at the Edinburgh Castle. Tickets are hard
to get. They will literally sell out years and years
in advance. Now the Highlight is a performance based upon
the four branches of Service. The Royal Navy, the Royal Marines,
(59:30):
the Royal Air Force and the British Army. The military
bands and performers and bands from literally every corner of
the world come. They line up down the Golden Mile
as it leads up to the Edinburgh Castle because they
can only have one performer at a time. Now, why
(59:53):
is it called tattoo because I think of a tattoo
as Kathy tattooed on my left arm, or the angel
all over my back. Well, the word tattoo really doesn't
have much to do with this type of performance. It's
a Dutch term from the sixteen hundreds. It really means
(01:00:15):
last call. Douden tapto is in a Dutch sixteenth century
phrase which means turn off the taps, the liquor the
beer taps, and it was played a regimental core of
drums would play to tell the tavern owners to stop
(01:00:39):
serving last call and send the soldiers home to their barracks. Literally,
so that this idea of a tattoo or doughtin tapto
comes from the sixteen hundreds, and so it's called the
Scotland military tattoo where they play a lot of different songs. Now,
(01:01:00):
but a Drum Troup would play this every night in Holland,
sending the soldiers, and it carried over to the UK.
Speaker 2 (01:01:11):
I think we should now call it the Last Call Tour.
Speaker 1 (01:01:14):
That's right, get you out of the pubs. Well listen
to this. You know we have tickets to the tattooed.
Now we're going to keep this to a small group
forty ish something like that, Kathy and I'll be your
personal host and tour guide. When I told Kathy we're
going to Scotland, of what she that's her family roots
of the Wallace clan. Now that's William Wallace and that clan.
(01:01:38):
When Kathy gets mad at me, you will understand some
of the genealogical roots to the Wallace clan.
Speaker 2 (01:01:46):
You know where that's coming back?
Speaker 1 (01:01:47):
Thank you very much. Well we'll visit, of course Edinburgh.
The castle will have all the sight seeing on the spectacular.
Speaker 2 (01:01:55):
Well, it's not just Scotland. You're going into Welles and
into England that we are, my.
Speaker 1 (01:02:00):
Dear Chester and York Wales. Did you ever see the
movie what is it? How Green? What was it? That
one about Wales?
Speaker 2 (01:02:13):
And the mine is you know, I'm not sure of
the one you're speaking of but I have seen Shakespeare
and I have seen it's my valley. There you go.
Speaker 1 (01:02:23):
You know that Wales still looks like that today. And
then of course into England and we'll spend a few
days there in London.
Speaker 2 (01:02:32):
And no one also has a poster to Paris which
has been all over the news.
Speaker 1 (01:02:36):
Yes it does. Now. One of the things that you
just have to keep in mind, this one will sell
out so fast. We put it out about a week
ago and it is already a quarter full in just
a week's time. Yes, and with a lot of other inquiries.
That's one you don't want to miss. The tour dates
(01:02:57):
again August eleventh to the twenty first the Scotland Military Tattoo.
Speaker 2 (01:03:02):
Or Last Call Tour or Last Call.
Speaker 1 (01:03:04):
Tour including Scotland, Wales and England. Now you know I
love river cruising. I got let's see a week ago, no,
two weeks ago, I got off a Rhine River cruise.
Do I have a great life or what?
Speaker 2 (01:03:23):
You know? I try not to be jealous. I'm trying
not to be green. But since you can't see me,
you don't know very very good.
Speaker 1 (01:03:31):
I got off a Rhine River cruise. We had one
hundred Travel show listeners, keep in mind Military Tattoo Tour
is going to be about forty issues. It's not unlimited numbers.
Speaker 2 (01:03:43):
We only got sold, so they're going to get really
tired of you, is what you're saying.
Speaker 1 (01:03:47):
Perish the thought. Anyway. I love River Crew. It's the
easy on, easy off. Usually got one hundred and sixty
hundred and seventy people or something. But there are some
specials out there right now. Morris Columbus Travel and Viking
Cruises have teamed up where you If you book now
with Morris Columbus Travel, you can receive up to two
(01:04:10):
hundred dollars shipboard credit per couple. What this is is
free money to spend on board now if you are
a person who enjoys wine. By the way, I had
the most spectacular non alcoholic wine on Almah Waterways. They
brought it. It was a white wine and white and
(01:04:31):
red non alcoholic white. They also had the regular alcohol wine,
but I found the white much better than I didn't
care what I was. I have no idea how to
pair wines, but I drank you dinner, you know. And
then what really got the waiter is I had my
obligatory diet coke, and so I have it, and I
(01:04:54):
asked him if if twenty twenty four was a good year.
He starts crack it up and I hold it, I
look at it, I swirl it, I smell it and everything,
and then I said, yes, it's a good year of
my diet. Anyway, if you're enjoy wine, Alma Waterways has
a special on select cruise as their wine appreciation cruises.
(01:05:19):
You have to book by September thirtieth with Morris Columbus
Travel and you can save up to twenty percent off
your cruise fair.
Speaker 2 (01:05:29):
That is amazing, and we are lucky that we are
such good partners with both AMA and with Viking, and
that the relationships that we have just mean savings for you,
our listeners, our clients, because almost every booking we have
some kind of discount or promotion or value added thing
that we can offer for you for doing your bookings
(01:05:53):
with us. There's no reason for you not to be
working with us as a preferred agency for any of
your bookings with Viking or with AMA. I will say
Larry that I know you've been gone so much here
in Salt Lake. If any of the listeners are local
in September and October, we are going to have a
couple of Viking events either up at Ogden in Salt
(01:06:14):
Lake or even at the Symphony. So be watching your
emails or mailing information about some of these promotions. If
you want to learn more about Viking.
Speaker 1 (01:06:25):
Tell me the benefits of family travel, traveling with your
kids or grandkids.
Speaker 2 (01:06:29):
Time time with your family, the memories that are made,
the opportunities to form these bonds and build these memories.
Speaker 1 (01:06:39):
You know, on that Ryan River experience that my family
and I attended, that we got finished two weeks ago.
The cruise itself for the group was Amsterdam to Basel,
Switzerland with Alma Waterways, the Ultimate River Cruise company, and
we visited the Netherlands, France, Germany and Switzerland well before
(01:07:06):
we joined the group, and we had a two day
pre cruise Amsterdam tour before we joined that my family
and I, we had our adult children and spouses. We
went to London for a few days. No Samuel Johnson,
who's perhaps the most famous British man of letters, also
a poet, even a clergy for a while, said when
(01:07:28):
a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.
Winston Churchill is often credited with that statement which he made,
but he was quoting Samuel Johnson. And we had such
a wonderful time, incredible memories with our adult children. We've
also done some great vacations with our grandchildren, you know.
(01:07:52):
And one of the benefits. I think of my daughter Emily,
when she was about the sixth grade. She's in her
early forties now, but when she's in the sixth grade,
they had a world kind of a world history appropriate
for that age group, and the teacher held up a
picture of Westminster Abbey, knowing that nobody knew what it was.
(01:08:14):
They were talking about how you know the pilgrims they
left England, you know, kind of a British heritage of
the early colonists, and she held up this picture of
Westminster Abbey and said does anybody know what this is?
Of course, the kids didn't accept. One girl, my daughter,
She raised her hand and the teacher said, Emily, you
(01:08:35):
know what this building is? She goes, yes, Westminster Abbey.
Do you know where it is? Yes, in London? Well,
how do you know that? My daddy took me there.
And then she did a follow up trick question and said,
does anyone know what's underneath the floor of Westminster Abbey.
(01:08:57):
Emily raises her hand and says, dead people, because they've
buried people under the floor of Westminster Abbey. You know,
it's one of those things. What thirty years ago, I
took a couple of months off and we rented a
house there by BYU campus in Lightea, Hawaii. It was
(01:09:19):
a professor that was leaving for the summer, and we
made arrangements. We just took over his house for two
and a half weeks. I actually commuted back and forth
from Hawaii. I'd be gone for two weeks, come back.
Speaker 2 (01:09:30):
For a week and well, you had to do the
radio show, right, Actually I did.
Speaker 1 (01:09:35):
It from Hawaii. And what I did one of the
things I wanted to accomplish being so involved in rugby
in the Polynesian community, has learned to speak Tongan conversational
and so I made arrangements with Temilitikava. She taught a
native of Tonga. She taught Tongan at the school and
(01:09:59):
she became my daily tutor and the kids. She became
Grandma Kava for years and years after even into adulthood,
she moved back to Tonga. I visited her house in Tonga.
She became Grandma Tongue, Grandma Cava. So all of these
experiences that a family has. Hey, when we come back,
(01:10:19):
I want to tell you about a major airline with
a strike looming. It is Jumbo and greetings from East Africa.
(01:10:44):
I'm Larry Gelwicks to get Away Guru. And it's almost
ten o'clock here in Kenya.
Speaker 2 (01:10:52):
Now it is time that you can go to bed.
Speaker 1 (01:10:54):
Thank you very much. I'll go Maybe I'll go out
for a walk on the savannah at night.
Speaker 2 (01:11:01):
Don't Larry, I need you to come back.
Speaker 1 (01:11:03):
Thank you. I'm Larry Gelwicks, the Getaway Guru. Joined back
in Salt Lake City by Wendy Frakia, Group Department Manager.
Be sure to check out all the offerings from Morris
Columbus Travel at Morriscolumbus dot com. That's Morriscolumbus dot com.
And if you're looking at one of the wonderful escorted tours,
(01:11:23):
scroll down on the homepage to Morris Murdoch Escorted Tours. Now, Wendy.
It's been in the news that the American Airlines flight
attendants have been negotiating for five years on a new
contract and they reached an agreement American did with its
(01:11:47):
flight attendance union on a new contract which provides up
to a twenty percent immediate pay raise, full retro pay,
plus boarding pay, which raises it another eight and a
half percent. Now, boarding pay is traditionally you have two
types of flight times on an airline, block time and
(01:12:13):
flight time. Flight time is wheels up to wheels down.
Even then you taxi, block time is door closed to
door open, and I think very unfairly flight attendants are
paid on block time even though they have to be
there for the boarding they were not.
Speaker 2 (01:12:30):
Well, that's when they do all the hard work of
trying to get your bags figured out.
Speaker 1 (01:12:34):
They weren't paid. So I think the boarding pay is fantastic. Well,
the big challenge is whether this contract approved by union
leadership will be approved by the members or, like the
last one, gets voted down, which would mean additional lengthy
negotiations and we could be staring down the barrel of
(01:12:57):
a strike again. Now against this backdrop, the American Airlines
Flight Attendance Base president this is LA not the whole company,
has come out against ratifying the contract. She says there
was too many priorities excuse me, He says, too many
priorities the union didn't negotiate for. It'll be a five
(01:13:20):
year contract, but it'll probably have to live with it
for ten years because the current proposal, if passed, took
five years to negotiate.
Speaker 2 (01:13:30):
That is so long to wait for these poor people
who are working so hard.
Speaker 1 (01:13:35):
What is it that we love about the British Isles?
Speaker 2 (01:13:38):
Oh? I think it's the history, and it's the green
rolling countrysides, and it's their adorable accent.
Speaker 1 (01:13:47):
Well they think we speak with an accent.
Speaker 2 (01:13:49):
I know.
Speaker 1 (01:13:50):
Hey, you know we haven't done this in I don't
know how many years, but I will be hosting along
with Kathy, my wife, twenty twenty five British Isle cruise.
We will visit England, Ireland, Northern Ireland and yes, Ireland
and Northern Ireland are different. Northern Ireland is part of
(01:14:11):
the UK, or Ireland is its own independent country. So England, Ireland,
Northern Ireland, Scotland and France. The dates are July seven
to twenty Go online at morriscolumbus dot com, scroll down
to the escorted tours and then click on cruises and
(01:14:35):
go to twenty twenty five July seventh to the twentieth.
Take a look at this itinerary. I mean it is fantastic.
I'm looking at it now. And the one there's so
many good stops in Liverpool. You can go visit the Cavern,
that's the nightclub where the Beatles started. We'll be in Glasgow,
(01:14:57):
in inver Gordon, Scotland, Edinburgh. You have a chance at
Lahove to visit Paris for the day. But one of
my favorite stories is in Cork. That's very near Blarney Castle,
and you know the tradition you can kiss the Blarney
Stone and the legend is you're given the gift of
(01:15:17):
gab Mark Foldmo made the comment, well, that's true, Larry
made out with.
Speaker 2 (01:15:22):
The one of your very best friends.
Speaker 1 (01:15:25):
Hey, where do you park at Salt Lake.
Speaker 3 (01:15:26):
Airport parkinjet Do you like a twenty percent discount?
Speaker 2 (01:15:31):
You know I always take advantage of that.
Speaker 1 (01:15:33):
Go to Morriscolumbus dot com, Morriscolumbus dot com and click
on resources and they're out. Print out a half dozen
of these twenty percent discount coupons that can save you
a lot of money and just put them in your
glove box.
Speaker 2 (01:15:52):
I think it's you know what, the next time that
somebody had a drive through ask you for a tip,
you could put one of these Parkinjet coupons in their
tip chart.
Speaker 1 (01:16:00):
I think that would be fantastic. You know, we mentioned
earlier that Carlos Feta are Argentinian Gauchos in Peru today,
And just a reminder that he has an Ecuador and
Galapagos Islands tour October eleventh to the twenty third. There's
still some space available.
Speaker 2 (01:16:20):
And yeah, if you're looking for something to get out
and go.
Speaker 1 (01:16:23):
Yeah, and Carol Alegray has one, it's around October one
and that also has some space available. Listen, check out
the website Morriscolumbus dot com. I'll be back in Salt
Lake next week and I get back from Africa. This
is an incredible experience. Remember we have two great migration
(01:16:46):
safaris next year. I will be on the one July
twentieth to the thirty first. We also have July thirtieth
to August ninth. My group is already over half sold out.
Speaker 2 (01:17:00):
Don't wait on these.
Speaker 1 (01:17:01):
Go to Morriscolumbus dot com. Click on Morris Murdoch Escorted Tourist.
Click on Africa well as they say here in East Africa,
when we part Audios rivaderce, I'll see you next week.
God bless
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