December 3, 2024 • 24 mins
Captivating travel memories from 2024, featuring guests who share unique adventures and insights. These include: Andre Van Ketz with a road trip around Cape Town, where whale watching becomes an unforgettable experience. Lila Kresic-Djurek tells of Spanish visitors falling in love with Croatia's wine and cuisine, while Harry Mitsitis paints a heartwarming picture of travel’s small, impactful gestures in Sierra Leone, Africa. Each narrative celebrates moments of discovery and cultural connection.
Bravo celebrity Aesha Scott takes us on a day off in Havana, Cuba. Best-selling author Mike Finkel shares a gripping journey across the Sahara, highlighting the communal spirit found even in the harshest environments. Ryan Hoke's picturesque return to Wyoming offers soul-soothing fly fishing in the Bighorn Mountains. And there's more: Whether it's the nostalgia of a childhood trip to Europe or the culinary traditions of Ecuador, each of these eleven favorite memories is a testament to travel.
_____
Podcast host Lea Lane has traveled to over 100 countries, and has written nine books, including the award-winning Places I Remember (Kirkus Reviews star rating, and 'one of the top 100 Indie books of the year'). She has contributed to many guidebooks and has written thousands of travel articles.
_____
Our award-winning travel podcast, Places I Remember with Lea Lane, has dropped over 100 travel episodes! New podcast episodes drop on the first Tuesday of the month, on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you listen.
_____
Travel vlogs of our featured podcasts-- with video and graphics -- now drop on YouTube in the middle of every month! Please subscribe, like, and comment.
****************************************
Website: https://placesirememberlealane.com
Travel Blog: forbes.com
X (Twitter):@lealane
Instagram: PlacesIRememberLeaLane
Facebook: Places I Remember with Lea Lane
YouTube Channel: Places I Remember: Travel Talk with Lea Lane
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Lea Lane (00:00):
Hi everyone.
As I record this at the end of2024, we've produced 112 Places
I Remember episodes, and on thefirst Tuesday of each month we
present a new travel episode.
If you haven't already, pleasecheck these out and follow us.
This year we've expanded a bit,regularly putting some of our
favorite episodes on YouTubewith glorious graphics and video
(00:22):
.
So if you haven't already,please subscribe to Places I
Remember Travel Talk with LeaLane on YouTube.
For this end of the yearroundup episode.
I've chosen a few favoritesnippets from each of the
episodes from 2024.
Some guests are celebrities andprofessional travelers, but all
of our guests are passionateabout travel.
So let's go.
(00:43):
In.
Episode 101, Andre Van Kets,director of Drive South Africa,
takes us on a virtual road tripthrough his gorgeous country,
focusing on the Cape Town area.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
And speaking of whales, Clarence Drive the other
one you mentioned earlier isthe road you take.
It's just a little bit hugs theocean a little bit more closely
.
It's not as high and sort ofcliffish, but that's the road
you take to get to Hermanus,about an hour and a half drive
from Cape Town.
All along that drive you do getto see whales and other sea
life and then when you get toHermanus it's known for being
(01:15):
one of the world's largestbreeding grounds of southern
rights and other whale species.
So what makes it so special isthey actually come really close
into the bay on these, with thisprotruding rocks and walkways
that you can walk along and lookdown at these mothers carving
with their young.
I assume you've been there andseen it.
You're looking very excited.
Lea Lane (01:34):
No, I stopped at Sparks Bay.
I remember a little coastaltown called Sparks Bay where you
had barbecue and you couldwatch the whale along that
route as well, yeah, it's justmagical.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
For any sea and nature lover, it's a wonderful
place to go and a road to drive.
Lea Lane (01:50):
In Episode 102, Lila Kresic-Djurek, US Director of
Tourism for Croatia, shares aspecial memory of her beautiful
country.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Thirty people, members of the Gastronomy
Academy of Marbella in Spain.
They came to the islands.
They brought wines with them.
They brought prosciutto becausethey were afraid what they are
going to find in Croatia.
They literally didn't open anySpanish wine.
They didn't touch the meat, andwhatever prosciutto and cheese
(02:20):
they actually brought with them,they literally gave it to the
cook just to have it, you know,for later times.
So they were eating local,organic, local food, local
vegetables, local fruits.
Everything was homemade, youknow, local.
They wanted to buy the wines.
The owner of the little wineryin Brac Island didn't want to
sell them more.
(02:40):
He said you are the friends ofmy friends.
I gave you the best wine whichI keep for my family.
I gave it to you to taste it.
One glass for each.
You are 30.
I'm not going to give you morebecause I don't have such a
quantity and the best.
I want to keep it for my family.
It was so good that they wereready to buy the whole quantity.
It was a time when Croatiareally started to build its way
(03:02):
on the gourmet scene.
Only 20 years ago.
People were so surprised tofind good food and good wine.
That is the reason why peoplecome to Croatia.
Lea Lane (03:12):
Harry Mitsitis, founder of Nomad Mania, has
traveled to all 193 countries onEarth, some of them several
times.
You could call him the world'smost traveled man.
In Episode 103, I loved hisphilosophy of travel, which we
can all learn from, even if wetravel just a bit less than
Harry.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
Yes, I remember once I was driving in Sierra Leone.
Well, I wasn't doing thedriving, but I was in a car.
I was going from Freetown toMonrovia and it was a long
overland journey.
This is in Africa to Monrovia,and it was a long overland
journey.
Lea Lane (03:43):
This is in Africa.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
This is in Africa, and the journey involved a
couple of barges to cross riversbecause they don't have bridges
there.
And I remember, as we werewaiting for one of the barges,
there was a local villagecommunity and of course they
don't get too many Caucasianpeople there, so they were all
screaming, you know, and dancingand sort of playing around and
(04:06):
I decided now I'm going to givethese people a dollar, one
dollar, and I gave them thedollar and I have never seen
anything like it.
You would have thought I gavethem a million dollars.
They all burst out and I meanthere were about 20 people I
don't know if they were onefamily or not and imagine them
colorfully dressed, the women,in these sort of elaborate
(04:28):
dresses.
They didn't look poor, theylooked, you know, very, very
nice, clean, and they burst outin dancing and thank you.
And they were, you know, reallygoing for it.
.
And then when the barge came, Icould still hear them, you know
, elated.
And I think that the lessonfrom that one dollar can really
(04:48):
make such a big difference tosome people.
It's very important to rememberthese small lessons and that's
a memory I have never forgotten.
Lea Lane (04:58):
Episode 104 covers New York City.
My son, Randall, who's theeditor of Forbes magazine, loves
every borough of the city.
We cover the highlights of allof them, but he ends with a
personal memory.
Speaker 6 (05:12):
Maybe the first time I can remember being in New York
, mom was with you and I thinkit was from my what my seventh
or eighth birthday.
Lea Lane (05:19):
It was your 10th.
Speaker 6 (05:20):
It's an early memory so I think it might be less.
We went to the top of the WorldTrade Center yeah, memory I
will always treasure.
And then we went to Chinatownand I love that's still my
favorite birthday party ever.
I didn't know the geography, Ididn't know you could do both
those things on the same day,much less the same afternoon.
But that's what's great aboutNew York is you could have that
modern skyline skyscraperexperience and then you could go
(05:43):
and have a transportingculinary experience in a place
that feels totally different.
But that's what makes New Yorkauthentic is that it's the
melting pot to do both thosethings in two hours encapsulates
.
what New York it's about, it'sabout what's new.
It's not a super nostalgic cityI mean the skyscrapers up there
, for a reason, it's aboutprogress and it's about that
(06:04):
skyline and the strength and theidea of the city that never
sleeps.
I mean Ellis Island is in NewYork, it's where a huge
percentage entered America andyou can feel it.
Lunch in Chinatown that's asNew York experience as it gets.
Lea Lane (06:18):
And also when you say nostalgia.
Of course, when we went to theWorld Trade Center we had no
idea that years later therewould be the great memorial
there, which is another thing totry to see, if you can at 9-11.
It's a wonderful, wonderfulmemorial.
Speaker 6 (06:33):
You know, I was in New York that day.
Something like that just becamea way for New York to get
stronger, rebuild in a differentway, and that's the history of
New York.
It's a city that welcomespeople, has ups and downs, but
always comes back stronger,builds higher, taller, with
endless ambition.
And I think if you visit there,if you have that attitude that
you're going to come in thereand you're going to explore and
(06:55):
not leave anything on the table,you'll have a great time.
Lea Lane (06:58):
New York.
New York is a hell of a town.
In Episode 105, we talked withtwo guests Andres Adazmi,
founder of Kind Human TourCompany, and Amanda Burke,
creator of the digital communityBalanced Travel.
They both believe in journeyingwith a purpose.
Speaker 8 (07:16):
Andres shared a beautiful memory terms of what
it connected me with this placein the Andes a little beyond
traveling.
Just exactly what we offer inKind Human is an experience that
I have here in the Andes that Iwas invited to a Carpay.
Carpay is an initiationceremony in the feet of a huge
(07:40):
glacier in the south of Peru,close to Cusco, that is called
Auzangate.
So I was invited by a local,pampa misayo, that is a Nquero,
local shaman.
I was led by him to the feet ofthis mountain.
For one day I spent half of thenight myself in the middle of
nowhere, connecting with notonly the big glacier = that was
(08:05):
no moon night, absolutely darkbut not only that, I was looking
at the most beautifulconstellations and Milky Way,
because that was a dark, clearnight as I never seen in my life
.
And, of course, being there bymyself, in the feet of this huge
mountain, close to 18,000 feethigh, it makes you feel so tiny
(08:30):
but so humble at the same time.
So it was a huge memory in myhead about going to a place that
is new for me but at the sametime so close and connecting me
in an even deeper level to whatbeyond this is still alive.
This is part of the ancientculture.
Lea Lane (08:49):
And Amanda shares a memory as well.
Speaker 7 (08:54):
I think this memory is what started my love of
travel.
It means a lot to me to be ableto share this.
My grandmother took me toEurope when I was seven years
old.
It changed my life.
I went to Europe to visit myfather for the first time.
He was stationed over there.
We flew into Germany.
I'll never forget being alittle girl and seeing the tile
(09:17):
roo.
I grew up in a really smalltown in East Texas and I had
never seen it.
It absolutely changed my life.
The next morning when I woke upand realized that there was a
pastry truck that drove aroundand brought you fresh apple
strudel.
From that moment that I gotback, I knew I was born to
travel and I haven't stoppedtraveling since.
(09:38):
I'm so grateful to mygrandmother for that very first
trip.
I hope that I've done the samefor my son.
He has a very well-usedpassport.
I think her taking me on thatvery first trip has set the
course for everything that I am.
Lea Lane (09:55):
In Episode 106, Jessica Laughlin, author of 50
States Bucket Lists, sharessurprises about one of the
states she mentions in her book,Oklahoma.
It was established in 1907.
Why was it called the SoonerState?
During that time there was aland grab and people were coming
to Oklahoma taking land beforeit became available to purchase
(10:18):
In 1830, the Indian Removal Actgranted the government authority
to remove the indigenouspeoples, and the Trail of Tears
refers to the long and brutaljourney they made, that the
Native Americans made Thousandsdid not survive.
That's a part of the history ofOklahoma and there's a lot of
evidence of that when you travelthere.
The National Cowboy and WesternHeritage Museum is there.
(10:42):
It has nearly 30,000 artifacts,paintings, sculptures and
photographs.
That's a lot of fun to visit.
The historical accounts ofcattlemen, rodeos and Native
Americans.
It gives the complexity of howthe West was forged.
And then there's the Dust Bowl,when in the 1930s many people
from Oklahoma and other parts ofthe area had to leave because
(11:06):
of tremendous damage there andthey headed west to California.
And there's a lot of documentsthere of photographer Dorothea
Lange and the Woody GuthrieCenter in Tulsa which features a
rare collection of hisbelongings.
Speaker 9 (11:21):
Also Dorothea Lange and those beautiful photos that
she took.
They were so captivatingbecause of the feeling behind
them, and I think that that'sthe sort of thing, too, that
when you travel and when you arevisiting these sites, you know
to also have that historical, abrief historical connection with
what you're seeing.
Lea Lane (11:42):
Michelle Buttigieg, director of the Malta Tourism
Authority, loves her country andin Episode 107, she shares a
joyful memory.
Speaker 10 (11:52):
I've lived outside of Malta now for 27 years, so
when I go back to Malta now, I'mable to see it as a local, but
also as a tourist and doing whatI do obviously.
Recently I had the pleasure tovisit this beautiful olive grove
farm called Tanishia, which issomething I usually would not do
(12:13):
right, And I had thisopportunity to go with a special
group of people when I heardthat this organization called
Meril, together with TanishiaOlive Grove themselves, they've
created this heaven, like it's alittle paradise, where they
planted all these trees.
You're able to go there, youhave lunch.
I met Charlie, the local farmerwho takes care of this area,
(12:38):
and I felt a peace that's allaround it, all you can see of
the history of the land, thepeople that still run it, the
lunch that you taste.
It was a feast for all sensesthe smell, what I saw, the
colors, Charlie and hishospitality.
I met his wife.
They cooked lunch for us.
We planted trees, which wasincredible.
(13:01):
I felt like I've contributed, Ileft something, and it's an
experience that actuallyvisitors can do, and Charlie was
telling me all the love they'veput in the land and it shows,
and for me that was a specialmoment.
I've done it two, three yearsago and now every year when I go
back I go see Charlie and I gosee my tree to see how much it
(13:25):
grew, with all this history thatwe have.
Obviously I am also Maltese, soI have a lot of special moments
and memories.
But discovering the new and howit's still blended with history
and the tradition of the locals, for me it's really important
because we cannot forget wherewe came from, because this is
(13:46):
who we are Right, so peoplepreserving it is special for me.
Lea Lane (13:51):
In Episode 108, we covered the highlights of
Ecuador, focused on the colonialcapital city, Quito, and the
Galapagos Islands.
Katie McDonough, ExecutiveDirector of Custom Travel at
Explore Inc, talks of some ofthe foods in Ecuador.
Speaker 11 (14:07):
There is a celebration that we have for
Easter.
Obviously, as Katie wasmentioning, we have an enormous
amount of Spanish influence.
It has been adopted from thatCatholic tradition with a twist.
So there is a delicious dishcalled the fanesca, which is a
blend of all sorts of grains.
I remember as a child everyonelooks forward to that dish.
Lea Lane (14:29):
I think the food is one of the things.
We mentioned it already, butfrom local food and street food
to Michelin food, it's one ofthe reasons people travel, so
that's good to know about.
What about during the Day ofthe Dead or the Feast of the
Dead?
Is there a special food forthat?
I know in Mexico there is.
Is there one in Ecuador?
Is there a bread?
I think there's a special bread.
Yeah, it's called a guagua depan.
Speaker 11 (14:51):
Guagua in Quechua means child, a loaf of bread
which is like a brioche and it'sshaped in the form of a child
with sugar decorations and color.
So you have that with a drinkwhich is called colada morada
and it is berry-based,blackberry-based and very sort
(15:12):
of spicy.
It's quite delicious and when Iwas a child this is something
that's being lost at the moment,but a lot of the locals would
go to visit their loved ones andtake them food and leave them
there in the cemeteries.
Lea Lane (15:27):
That's beautiful.
I love the sense of family thatcomes out with so many of the
holidays in South America andLatin America.
Stephanie Bonham Carter,co-founder of the Galapagos
Safari Camp, talks of sharks.
Speaker 11 (15:42):
I mean, as you say, the marine life.
Both land and marine life arespectacular.
They really are a treat.
Marine life, obviously youthink of the different species
of sharks, of which there aremany.
.
You can see the hammerheadsharks and the different reef
sharks and tiger sharks, bullsharks.
However, you know, it's alsowonderful to see sea lions
(16:09):
alongside the sharks, becausethey are playful.
So that contrast is what makesthe Galapagos really quite
spectacular that you can havesharks with playful sea lions
literally side by side, and thenyou will have a school of
dolphins joining the party.
Often, if you go diving, yousee the whole spiral of species,
from the tuna fish to thesardines, the richness and the
(16:33):
variety that makes it special.
Lea Lane (16:35):
And they come right up to you.
I mean, I snorkeled I didn'tdive and I remember a sea lion
coming right up to me andlooking at me, nose to nose, and
I remember his mother or fatherI'm not sure which circling
around, a huge, huge creaturejust circling like don't you do
anything.
But the little sea lion wasjust playing with me.
I just didn't want to get outof the water and I didn't even
(16:57):
think about sharks.
IIn Episode 109, we interviewed
Aesha Scott, the dynamic andpopular chief stew on the Bravo
hit reality TV show, Below DeckMediterranean.
She shares inside info aboutlife on a super yacht.
Speaker 12 (17:12):
One of my favorite, favorite memories of all of my
travels, all of my yachting life, was when I was working on this
boat called Phoenix 2.
It's like a 96 meter superyacht.
It's massive.
There's about 30 to 35 crew onthere at one time and I remember
we were right at the end of areally intense season.
(17:34):
It was like three monthsstraight of just like every I
hadn't stepped foot off the boatfor three months.
(Wh ere were you?
We were in the Med, and then wecrossed the Atlantic and then
we'd been in Florida, then wewent down to the Caribbean.
Right at the end we ended up.
The guests wanted to go down toCuba, and so we pulled into
(17:55):
Havana and the guests declaredthat they were going to go.
They're like no, we're actuallygoing to go off and go to some
other place on land for likethree days.
And so the captain said thatall of the crew can have the
next day off and that they'veorganized a surprise for us in
Havana.
So we get all dressed up and getall ready, step off the port
and we come out into the streetand there are these three big
(18:18):
buses there and we were like ooh, what's happening?
There's like buses here, arethese for us?
And the person comes out andshe's like no, no, no, this
isn't it.
And I don't know if this wasplanned or not, but it was like
the home edition of DreamMakeover or whatever.
When they're like move that busand the bus is suddenly all
(18:45):
shifted and behind the busthere's these 10 gorgeous,
shining Cadillacs all lined upin a row.
And she's like these are foryou, guys.
And we're like so we all sprinttowards these Cadillacs and
we're like sitting up on theback up on the back sea,
cruising around Havana, the windblowing in our hair, just
feeling like it was the mostmagical experience I've ever had
.
They ended up taking us toTropicana, which was, you know,
(19:06):
the old cabaret where, likeFrank Sinatra, went there,
Marilyn Monroe, and they got usthese like the best tables in
the house at the very front withlike cigars and all you could
drink.
And I just remember that nightfeeling so unreal.
I couldn't believe that thiswas my life and this was
happening to me.
And if it wasn't for yachting,I never would have experienced
(19:28):
that and I just I'll always beso grateful for that experience.
Lea Lane (19:33):
In Episode 110, the bestselling author of The Art
Thief, Mike Finkel, shares hismost extreme travel experiences
around the world.
Here's one of them.
Now you crossed the Sahara withmigrant workers.
Speaker 13 (19:46):
All I remember is I jumped on the back of a truck
that was crossing the Sahara forthree days.
It was fascinating A couple ofthings.
We were mostly Muslim migrantsand so the truck would stop five
times a day so everyone couldpray and I would crawl
underneath the truck to sit inthe shade.
But the thing I remember mostabout that trip there was maybe
75 people on a pretty big dumptruck.
(20:07):
We were all crammed in and fordinners amazing there was this
huge birdbath size bowl of thegroup of maybe 20 people I was
closest with.
Each group of 20 had this hugebowl and everyone would dig
around in their belongings Like,oh, I found a can of tuna fish
or I had some sardines.
We would all dump it in thisbowl, mix it together and eat
with our left hands and we wouldall share from this communal
(20:30):
bowl whatever we could come upwith.
I've eaten at someMichelin-starred restaurants,
but I've probably not had anymore memorable meals than
sharing a bowl with 19 of myfavorite migrant workers none of
us who shared a languageputting our hands into the same
bowl in the middle of the SaharaDesert in a scorching day.
Lea Lane (20:50):
In Episode 111, Ryan Hoke, executive director of Cody
Yellowstone, shares hismemories of Wyoming the heart
of the American West.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
You know, when you're born and raised in Wyoming, one
of the main things that you'realways enjoying is the outdoors,
and one of the best things todo outdoors, I always say, is
fishing.
For a number of years Iactually moved away from Wyoming
and when I came back, one ofthe first things I did it was a
big family friends trip back inthe Bighorns, which is just
outside of Cody.
So there I am, I'm fly fishingon one of the streams in the
(21:21):
Bighorn Mountains and, sureenough, I see a big old mama
moose pop out of the trees rightthere, and right next to her is
her little baby moose.
And then to my left I see aporcupine kind of come out of
the bushes, and then to my rightI see a big old herd of deer
right next to me and I'm justthinking as I'm fishing.
I'm thinking, holy cow, this isthe most Wyoming thing I have
(21:44):
ever seen in my life.
I couldn't even make this upSurrounded by the natural beauty
of the bighorns, tons ofwildlife all around me, it was
just such a cool thing.
I just felt like, you know, I'mback home again, this is where
I'm meant to be, and it just wasfantastic with my little boy
right behind me, fishing too,and it was just such a cool
memory that I'll always haveonce again.
Lea Lane (22:03):
Yeah, he probably will remember it as well.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
He will yeah, and moose?
Yes.
Moose can be mean.
They can be meaner than grizzlybears sometimes, but there was
a safe distance away and it wasjust such a cool moment that
just felt very Wyoming to me.
Lea Lane (22:21):
I hope this end of year sampling gives you an idea
of the depth of travelinformation and memories you'll
enjoy here on Places I Remember.
I appreciate the awards we'vereceived, but I'm most delighted
that many of you around theworld have become regular
listeners.
Do tell other travel loversabout us and, if you haven't
already, follow us wherever youlisten to podcasts.
You'll get a new episode thefirst Tuesday of every month and
(22:42):
you can listen to over 100 ofour past episodes as well.
And, as I mentioned at thebeginning of the episode, we've
just started placing some of ourfavorite episodes on YouTube
with gorgeous video Subscribethere at Places I Remember
Travel Talk with Lea Lane.
I look forward to continuesharing more terrific travel
memories with you.
Happy and safe travels everyone.
Hi everyone.
As I record this at the end of2024, we've produced 112 Places
I Remember episodes, and on thefirst Tuesday of each month we
present a new travel episode.
If you haven't already, pleasecheck these out and follow us.
This year we've expanded a bit,regularly putting some of our
favorite episodes on YouTubewith glorious graphics and video
(00:22):
.
So if you haven't already,please subscribe to Places I
Remember Travel Talk with LeaLane on YouTube.
For this end of the yearroundup episode.
I've chosen a few favoritesnippets from each of the
episodes from 2024.
Some guests are celebrities andprofessional travelers, but all
of our guests are passionateabout travel.
So let's go.
(00:43):
In.
Episode 101, Andre Van Kets,director of Drive South Africa,
takes us on a virtual road tripthrough his gorgeous country,
focusing on the Cape Town area.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
And speaking of whales, Clarence Drive the other
one you mentioned earlier isthe road you take.
It's just a little bit hugs theocean a little bit more closely
.
It's not as high and sort ofcliffish, but that's the road
you take to get to Hermanus,about an hour and a half drive
from Cape Town.
All along that drive you do getto see whales and other sea
life and then when you get toHermanus it's known for being
(01:15):
one of the world's largestbreeding grounds of southern
rights and other whale species.
So what makes it so special isthey actually come really close
into the bay on these, with thisprotruding rocks and walkways
that you can walk along and lookdown at these mothers carving
with their young.
I assume you've been there andseen it.
You're looking very excited.
Lea Lane (01:34):
No, I stopped at Sparks Bay.
I remember a little coastaltown called Sparks Bay where you
had barbecue and you couldwatch the whale along that
route as well, yeah, it's justmagical.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
For any sea and nature lover, it's a wonderful
place to go and a road to drive.
Lea Lane (01:50):
In Episode 102, Lila Kresic-Djurek, US Director of
Tourism for Croatia, shares aspecial memory of her beautiful
country.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
Thirty people, members of the Gastronomy
Academy of Marbella in Spain.
They came to the islands.
They brought wines with them.
They brought prosciutto becausethey were afraid what they are
going to find in Croatia.
They literally didn't open anySpanish wine.
They didn't touch the meat, andwhatever prosciutto and cheese
(02:20):
they actually brought with them,they literally gave it to the
cook just to have it, you know,for later times.
So they were eating local,organic, local food, local
vegetables, local fruits.
Everything was homemade, youknow, local.
They wanted to buy the wines.
The owner of the little wineryin Brac Island didn't want to
sell them more.
(02:40):
He said you are the friends ofmy friends.
I gave you the best wine whichI keep for my family.
I gave it to you to taste it.
One glass for each.
You are 30.
I'm not going to give you morebecause I don't have such a
quantity and the best.
I want to keep it for my family.
It was so good that they wereready to buy the whole quantity.
It was a time when Croatiareally started to build its way
(03:02):
on the gourmet scene.
Only 20 years ago.
People were so surprised tofind good food and good wine.
That is the reason why peoplecome to Croatia.
Lea Lane (03:12):
Harry Mitsitis, founder of Nomad Mania, has
traveled to all 193 countries onEarth, some of them several
times.
You could call him the world'smost traveled man.
In Episode 103, I loved hisphilosophy of travel, which we
can all learn from, even if wetravel just a bit less than
Harry.
Speaker 5 (03:31):
Yes, I remember once I was driving in Sierra Leone.
Well, I wasn't doing thedriving, but I was in a car.
I was going from Freetown toMonrovia and it was a long
overland journey.
This is in Africa to Monrovia,and it was a long overland
journey.
Lea Lane (03:43):
This is in Africa.
Speaker 5 (03:45):
This is in Africa, and the journey involved a
couple of barges to cross riversbecause they don't have bridges
there.
And I remember, as we werewaiting for one of the barges,
there was a local villagecommunity and of course they
don't get too many Caucasianpeople there, so they were all
screaming, you know, and dancingand sort of playing around and
(04:06):
I decided now I'm going to givethese people a dollar, one
dollar, and I gave them thedollar and I have never seen
anything like it.
You would have thought I gavethem a million dollars.
They all burst out and I meanthere were about 20 people I
don't know if they were onefamily or not and imagine them
colorfully dressed, the women,in these sort of elaborate
(04:28):
dresses.
They didn't look poor, theylooked, you know, very, very
nice, clean, and they burst outin dancing and thank you.
And they were, you know, reallygoing for it.
.
And then when the barge came, Icould still hear them, you know
, elated.
And I think that the lessonfrom that one dollar can really
(04:48):
make such a big difference tosome people.
It's very important to rememberthese small lessons and that's
a memory I have never forgotten.
Lea Lane (04:58):
Episode 104 covers New York City.
My son, Randall, who's theeditor of Forbes magazine, loves
every borough of the city.
We cover the highlights of allof them, but he ends with a
personal memory.
Speaker 6 (05:12):
Maybe the first time I can remember being in New York
, mom was with you and I thinkit was from my what my seventh
or eighth birthday.
Lea Lane (05:19):
It was your 10th.
Speaker 6 (05:20):
It's an early memory so I think it might be less.
We went to the top of the WorldTrade Center yeah, memory I
will always treasure.
And then we went to Chinatownand I love that's still my
favorite birthday party ever.
I didn't know the geography, Ididn't know you could do both
those things on the same day,much less the same afternoon.
But that's what's great aboutNew York is you could have that
modern skyline skyscraperexperience and then you could go
(05:43):
and have a transportingculinary experience in a place
that feels totally different.
But that's what makes New Yorkauthentic is that it's the
melting pot to do both thosethings in two hours encapsulates
.
what New York it's about, it'sabout what's new.
It's not a super nostalgic cityI mean the skyscrapers up there
, for a reason, it's aboutprogress and it's about that
(06:04):
skyline and the strength and theidea of the city that never
sleeps.
I mean Ellis Island is in NewYork, it's where a huge
percentage entered America andyou can feel it.
Lunch in Chinatown that's asNew York experience as it gets.
Lea Lane (06:18):
And also when you say nostalgia.
Of course, when we went to theWorld Trade Center we had no
idea that years later therewould be the great memorial
there, which is another thing totry to see, if you can at 9-11.
It's a wonderful, wonderfulmemorial.
Speaker 6 (06:33):
You know, I was in New York that day.
Something like that just becamea way for New York to get
stronger, rebuild in a differentway, and that's the history of
New York.
It's a city that welcomespeople, has ups and downs, but
always comes back stronger,builds higher, taller, with
endless ambition.
And I think if you visit there,if you have that attitude that
you're going to come in thereand you're going to explore and
(06:55):
not leave anything on the table,you'll have a great time.
Lea Lane (06:58):
New York.
New York is a hell of a town.
In Episode 105, we talked withtwo guests Andres Adazmi,
founder of Kind Human TourCompany, and Amanda Burke,
creator of the digital communityBalanced Travel.
They both believe in journeyingwith a purpose.
Speaker 8 (07:16):
Andres shared a beautiful memory terms of what
it connected me with this placein the Andes a little beyond
traveling.
Just exactly what we offer inKind Human is an experience that
I have here in the Andes that Iwas invited to a Carpay.
Carpay is an initiationceremony in the feet of a huge
(07:40):
glacier in the south of Peru,close to Cusco, that is called
Auzangate.
So I was invited by a local,pampa misayo, that is a Nquero,
local shaman.
I was led by him to the feet ofthis mountain.
For one day I spent half of thenight myself in the middle of
nowhere, connecting with notonly the big glacier = that was
(08:05):
no moon night, absolutely darkbut not only that, I was looking
at the most beautifulconstellations and Milky Way,
because that was a dark, clearnight as I never seen in my life
.
And, of course, being there bymyself, in the feet of this huge
mountain, close to 18,000 feethigh, it makes you feel so tiny
(08:30):
but so humble at the same time.
So it was a huge memory in myhead about going to a place that
is new for me but at the sametime so close and connecting me
in an even deeper level to whatbeyond this is still alive.
This is part of the ancientculture.
Lea Lane (08:49):
And Amanda shares a memory as well.
Speaker 7 (08:54):
I think this memory is what started my love of
travel.
It means a lot to me to be ableto share this.
My grandmother took me toEurope when I was seven years
old.
It changed my life.
I went to Europe to visit myfather for the first time.
He was stationed over there.
We flew into Germany.
I'll never forget being alittle girl and seeing the tile
(09:17):
roo.
I grew up in a really smalltown in East Texas and I had
never seen it.
It absolutely changed my life.
The next morning when I woke upand realized that there was a
pastry truck that drove aroundand brought you fresh apple
strudel.
From that moment that I gotback, I knew I was born to
travel and I haven't stoppedtraveling since.
(09:38):
I'm so grateful to mygrandmother for that very first
trip.
I hope that I've done the samefor my son.
He has a very well-usedpassport.
I think her taking me on thatvery first trip has set the
course for everything that I am.
Lea Lane (09:55):
In Episode 106, Jessica Laughlin, author of 50
States Bucket Lists, sharessurprises about one of the
states she mentions in her book,Oklahoma.
It was established in 1907.
Why was it called the SoonerState?
During that time there was aland grab and people were coming
to Oklahoma taking land beforeit became available to purchase
(10:18):
In 1830, the Indian Removal Actgranted the government authority
to remove the indigenouspeoples, and the Trail of Tears
refers to the long and brutaljourney they made, that the
Native Americans made Thousandsdid not survive.
That's a part of the history ofOklahoma and there's a lot of
evidence of that when you travelthere.
The National Cowboy and WesternHeritage Museum is there.
(10:42):
It has nearly 30,000 artifacts,paintings, sculptures and
photographs.
That's a lot of fun to visit.
The historical accounts ofcattlemen, rodeos and Native
Americans.
It gives the complexity of howthe West was forged.
And then there's the Dust Bowl,when in the 1930s many people
from Oklahoma and other parts ofthe area had to leave because
(11:06):
of tremendous damage there andthey headed west to California.
And there's a lot of documentsthere of photographer Dorothea
Lange and the Woody GuthrieCenter in Tulsa which features a
rare collection of hisbelongings.
Speaker 9 (11:21):
Also Dorothea Lange and those beautiful photos that
she took.
They were so captivatingbecause of the feeling behind
them, and I think that that'sthe sort of thing, too, that
when you travel and when you arevisiting these sites, you know
to also have that historical, abrief historical connection with
what you're seeing.
Lea Lane (11:42):
Michelle Buttigieg, director of the Malta Tourism
Authority, loves her country andin Episode 107, she shares a
joyful memory.
Speaker 10 (11:52):
I've lived outside of Malta now for 27 years, so
when I go back to Malta now, I'mable to see it as a local, but
also as a tourist and doing whatI do obviously.
Recently I had the pleasure tovisit this beautiful olive grove
farm called Tanishia, which issomething I usually would not do
(12:13):
right, And I had thisopportunity to go with a special
group of people when I heardthat this organization called
Meril, together with TanishiaOlive Grove themselves, they've
created this heaven, like it's alittle paradise, where they
planted all these trees.
You're able to go there, youhave lunch.
I met Charlie, the local farmerwho takes care of this area,
(12:38):
and I felt a peace that's allaround it, all you can see of
the history of the land, thepeople that still run it, the
lunch that you taste.
It was a feast for all sensesthe smell, what I saw, the
colors, Charlie and hishospitality.
I met his wife.
They cooked lunch for us.
We planted trees, which wasincredible.
(13:01):
I felt like I've contributed, Ileft something, and it's an
experience that actuallyvisitors can do, and Charlie was
telling me all the love they'veput in the land and it shows,
and for me that was a specialmoment.
I've done it two, three yearsago and now every year when I go
back I go see Charlie and I gosee my tree to see how much it
(13:25):
grew, with all this history thatwe have.
Obviously I am also Maltese, soI have a lot of special moments
and memories.
But discovering the new and howit's still blended with history
and the tradition of the locals, for me it's really important
because we cannot forget wherewe came from, because this is
(13:46):
who we are Right, so peoplepreserving it is special for me.
Lea Lane (13:51):
In Episode 108, we covered the highlights of
Ecuador, focused on the colonialcapital city, Quito, and the
Galapagos Islands.
Katie McDonough, ExecutiveDirector of Custom Travel at
Explore Inc, talks of some ofthe foods in Ecuador.
Speaker 11 (14:07):
There is a celebration that we have for
Easter.
Obviously, as Katie wasmentioning, we have an enormous
amount of Spanish influence.
It has been adopted from thatCatholic tradition with a twist.
So there is a delicious dishcalled the fanesca, which is a
blend of all sorts of grains.
I remember as a child everyonelooks forward to that dish.
Lea Lane (14:29):
I think the food is one of the things.
We mentioned it already, butfrom local food and street food
to Michelin food, it's one ofthe reasons people travel, so
that's good to know about.
What about during the Day ofthe Dead or the Feast of the
Dead?
Is there a special food forthat?
I know in Mexico there is.
Is there one in Ecuador?
Is there a bread?
I think there's a special bread.
Yeah, it's called a guagua depan.
Speaker 11 (14:51):
Guagua in Quechua means child, a loaf of bread
which is like a brioche and it'sshaped in the form of a child
with sugar decorations and color.
So you have that with a drinkwhich is called colada morada
and it is berry-based,blackberry-based and very sort
(15:12):
of spicy.
It's quite delicious and when Iwas a child this is something
that's being lost at the moment,but a lot of the locals would
go to visit their loved ones andtake them food and leave them
there in the cemeteries.
Lea Lane (15:27):
That's beautiful.
I love the sense of family thatcomes out with so many of the
holidays in South America andLatin America.
Stephanie Bonham Carter,co-founder of the Galapagos
Safari Camp, talks of sharks.
Speaker 11 (15:42):
I mean, as you say, the marine life.
Both land and marine life arespectacular.
They really are a treat.
Marine life, obviously youthink of the different species
of sharks, of which there aremany.
.
You can see the hammerheadsharks and the different reef
sharks and tiger sharks, bullsharks.
However, you know, it's alsowonderful to see sea lions
(16:09):
alongside the sharks, becausethey are playful.
So that contrast is what makesthe Galapagos really quite
spectacular that you can havesharks with playful sea lions
literally side by side, and thenyou will have a school of
dolphins joining the party.
Often, if you go diving, yousee the whole spiral of species,
from the tuna fish to thesardines, the richness and the
(16:33):
variety that makes it special.
Lea Lane (16:35):
And they come right up to you.
I mean, I snorkeled I didn'tdive and I remember a sea lion
coming right up to me andlooking at me, nose to nose, and
I remember his mother or fatherI'm not sure which circling
around, a huge, huge creaturejust circling like don't you do
anything.
But the little sea lion wasjust playing with me.
I just didn't want to get outof the water and I didn't even
(16:57):
think about sharks.
IIn Episode 109, we interviewed
Aesha Scott, the dynamic andpopular chief stew on the Bravo
hit reality TV show, Below DeckMediterranean.
She shares inside info aboutlife on a super yacht.
Speaker 12 (17:12):
One of my favorite, favorite memories of all of my
travels, all of my yachting life, was when I was working on this
boat called Phoenix 2.
It's like a 96 meter superyacht.
It's massive.
There's about 30 to 35 crew onthere at one time and I remember
we were right at the end of areally intense season.
(17:34):
It was like three monthsstraight of just like every I
hadn't stepped foot off the boatfor three months.
(Wh ere were you?
We were in the Med, and then wecrossed the Atlantic and then
we'd been in Florida, then wewent down to the Caribbean.
Right at the end we ended up.
The guests wanted to go down toCuba, and so we pulled into
(17:55):
Havana and the guests declaredthat they were going to go.
They're like no, we're actuallygoing to go off and go to some
other place on land for likethree days.
And so the captain said thatall of the crew can have the
next day off and that they'veorganized a surprise for us in
Havana.
So we get all dressed up and getall ready, step off the port
and we come out into the streetand there are these three big
(18:18):
buses there and we were like ooh, what's happening?
There's like buses here, arethese for us?
And the person comes out andshe's like no, no, no, this
isn't it.
And I don't know if this wasplanned or not, but it was like
the home edition of DreamMakeover or whatever.
When they're like move that busand the bus is suddenly all
(18:45):
shifted and behind the busthere's these 10 gorgeous,
shining Cadillacs all lined upin a row.
And she's like these are foryou, guys.
And we're like so we all sprinttowards these Cadillacs and
we're like sitting up on theback up on the back sea,
cruising around Havana, the windblowing in our hair, just
feeling like it was the mostmagical experience I've ever had
.
They ended up taking us toTropicana, which was, you know,
(19:06):
the old cabaret where, likeFrank Sinatra, went there,
Marilyn Monroe, and they got usthese like the best tables in
the house at the very front withlike cigars and all you could
drink.
And I just remember that nightfeeling so unreal.
I couldn't believe that thiswas my life and this was
happening to me.
And if it wasn't for yachting,I never would have experienced
(19:28):
that and I just I'll always beso grateful for that experience.
Lea Lane (19:33):
In Episode 110, the bestselling author of The Art
Thief, Mike Finkel, shares hismost extreme travel experiences
around the world.
Here's one of them.
Now you crossed the Sahara withmigrant workers.
Speaker 13 (19:46):
All I remember is I jumped on the back of a truck
that was crossing the Sahara forthree days.
It was fascinating A couple ofthings.
We were mostly Muslim migrantsand so the truck would stop five
times a day so everyone couldpray and I would crawl
underneath the truck to sit inthe shade.
But the thing I remember mostabout that trip there was maybe
75 people on a pretty big dumptruck.
(20:07):
We were all crammed in and fordinners amazing there was this
huge birdbath size bowl of thegroup of maybe 20 people I was
closest with.
Each group of 20 had this hugebowl and everyone would dig
around in their belongings Like,oh, I found a can of tuna fish
or I had some sardines.
We would all dump it in thisbowl, mix it together and eat
with our left hands and we wouldall share from this communal
(20:30):
bowl whatever we could come upwith.
I've eaten at someMichelin-starred restaurants,
but I've probably not had anymore memorable meals than
sharing a bowl with 19 of myfavorite migrant workers none of
us who shared a languageputting our hands into the same
bowl in the middle of the SaharaDesert in a scorching day.
Lea Lane (20:50):
In Episode 111, Ryan Hoke, executive director of Cody
Yellowstone, shares hismemories of Wyoming the heart
of the American West.
Speaker 3 (20:58):
You know, when you're born and raised in Wyoming, one
of the main things that you'realways enjoying is the outdoors,
and one of the best things todo outdoors, I always say, is
fishing.
For a number of years Iactually moved away from Wyoming
and when I came back, one ofthe first things I did it was a
big family friends trip back inthe Bighorns, which is just
outside of Cody.
So there I am, I'm fly fishingon one of the streams in the
(21:21):
Bighorn Mountains and, sureenough, I see a big old mama
moose pop out of the trees rightthere, and right next to her is
her little baby moose.
And then to my left I see aporcupine kind of come out of
the bushes, and then to my rightI see a big old herd of deer
right next to me and I'm justthinking as I'm fishing.
I'm thinking, holy cow, this isthe most Wyoming thing I have
(21:44):
ever seen in my life.
I couldn't even make this upSurrounded by the natural beauty
of the bighorns, tons ofwildlife all around me, it was
just such a cool thing.
I just felt like, you know, I'mback home again, this is where
I'm meant to be, and it just wasfantastic with my little boy
right behind me, fishing too,and it was just such a cool
memory that I'll always haveonce again.
Lea Lane (22:03):
Yeah, he probably will remember it as well.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
He will yeah, and moose?
Yes.
Moose can be mean.
They can be meaner than grizzlybears sometimes, but there was
a safe distance away and it wasjust such a cool moment that
just felt very Wyoming to me.
Lea Lane (22:21):
I hope this end of year sampling gives you an idea
of the depth of travelinformation and memories you'll
enjoy here on Places I Remember.
I appreciate the awards we'vereceived, but I'm most delighted
that many of you around theworld have become regular
listeners.
Do tell other travel loversabout us and, if you haven't
already, follow us wherever youlisten to podcasts.
You'll get a new episode thefirst Tuesday of every month and
(22:42):
you can listen to over 100 ofour past episodes as well.
And, as I mentioned at thebeginning of the episode, we've
just started placing some of ourfavorite episodes on YouTube
with gorgeous video Subscribethere at Places I Remember
Travel Talk with Lea Lane.
I look forward to continuesharing more terrific travel
memories with you.
Happy and safe travels everyone.
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com