The Travel Show: Adventures on the River Seine; Gems of South East Europe

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:11):
Welcome to the Travel Show. I'm Larry Gelwicks, the getaway Guru.
We have an exciting show for you today. How does
Morris Columbus Travel offer cruise prices below? What is being
charged directly by the cruise line? What's the benefits of
group travel? Favorite foods from around the world? And Hertz

(00:33):
rent a Car has done it again and not in
a good way. You won't believe the last stunt that
the hate pill did. I'll talk about an overnight I
spent with a Southeast Asian hill tribe, and then we're
going to be headed to Africa. I'd like to welcome
back to the show. Wendy Frakia, group department manager at

(00:57):
Morris Columbus Travel. Wendy, welcome back to the sho Show.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Thank you so much. It's been a while. I'm glad
to be here.

Speaker 1 (01:03):
It has been a while. You know, perhaps one of
the most popular travel experiences is a river cruise. I
love ocean cruising, but river cruising is different. What are
the joys of river cruising?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
You know? I had this conversation with so many people
at our travel expo not long ago. I think it
is really one of my most favorite ways of travel now,
it's it is so relaxing. I like the small guest
capacity on a river cruise.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Usually about one hundred and sixty to maybe one eighty
one ninety and some of the like Southeast Asia and Egypt.
If I'm small ninety.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yeah, well, and I love the fact that they are
cruising the rivers that are docking most times in the
middle of these iconic cities, so you're not having to
taxi your bus or anything. You can go do your
tour in the morning, come back, have lunch, and then
just walk off the ship and either take a stroll
down the river or go straight into the city, back

(02:07):
and finish what you see.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
It's more and it's not just the big cities. It's
small hamlets and villages where one hundred plus people does
not overwhelm a small village. But you're seeing real life.
And you know, river cruises primarily are in Europe, Egypt,
South Africa, Southeast Asia, and now we're seeing them in

(02:32):
South America.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Well you're seeing them here in the United States and
the Mississippi and on the Columbia.

Speaker 1 (02:37):
That's right.

Speaker 2 (02:37):
It is really becoming just everybody's almost favorite. You know,
you get the benefits of cruising, but then you've get
the benefits of river cruising.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
What I love is the easy on, easy off, absolutely
and they can do things in the dining room for
one hundred and fifty sixty people eighty people that you
simply can't do on the new mega ships that some
of them holds seven thousand guests.

Speaker 2 (03:03):
It's crazy. I love the small dining room. I love
that there's one time. I love that you can walk
in and pick any table that you want. It's great.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Yeah, well, I know. I'm the Waterways, which is one
of my favorite deluxe over the top cruise lines. After
day one, they are bringing me a diet coke with
a lime wedge before I even sit down.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
They remember they see you coming and they're like, oh, no, see,
you better get him that diet choke.

Speaker 1 (03:34):
Well, you know, people are asking all the time, and
what two weeks ago, we just finished the Utah Travel Expo,
and people are asking because you know, Viking Cruises is there,
Uniworld water Ways is there, and they're saying, Larry, your

(03:55):
prices on these cruises are lower, usually one thousand or
two thousand dollars per person, lower than buying it direct
from the cruise company. How do you do that? Well,
that's not on every cruise, although we do have some
very special arrangements. What Morris Columbus Travel does is pick

(04:18):
some of the most popular river cruise itiners and I'll
give you a couple examples in a minute. And what
we do is what's called inventory risk, meaning we go
in and buy a third or a half of the ship.
We just buy it, we own it, and we get

(04:38):
discounts that are anywhere from one thousand to two thousand dollars.
One case we have, it's three thousand dollars less per
person than if you bought it directly from the cruise line.
So you take that as a couple. As a couple,
that'd be two usually two to four thousand dollars less because.

Speaker 2 (05:01):
We own the cabins exactly.

Speaker 1 (05:04):
And so let me give you an example one of
my absolutely favorite cruises. You know, I love Southeast Asia.
I've said I would live there if it weren't for
my kids and grandkids. Love the food, the people, the culture,
everything about it. But we have a cruise that I'll
be personally hosting in November of this year. The actual

(05:27):
cruise dates of November nine to sixteen entitled Riches of
the Makon. We're on the Mekong River, Cambodi and Vietnam. Now,
if you wanted to see Thailand, we can arrange that
for individual travel. But we start in c and Reap,
which is the home of Anchor Watt, Anchor Tom Top Prom.

(05:50):
You know, these are world class esco. I'll tell you
Anchor Wat was built in the twelfth to fourteenth century,
the most enlightened educated civilization on earth, and it's been
a working temple since that time, so it's never fallen

(06:12):
into disrepair. It's the largest religious complex on earth, and
you have an opportunity to visit that. So following the Makon,
we're on the backwaters. Yes, we visit Nam Pen, the
capital of Cambodi. We visit Saigon in Vietnam, but we're
in tan Chow and these others where it's a step

(06:35):
back in time. You see fields being plowed by water,
buffaloes pulling plows, you know, all the rice paddies being
planted by hand. It's a step back. We'll visit homes
where they're making silk garments and things. We'll also go
to a temple with a private audience with the Buddhist

(06:58):
monks there and they'll give us a special blass, and.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
So they're so fun.

Speaker 1 (07:01):
These are experiences you simply cannot have in big cities,
although we visit big cities Nompen and Saigon.

Speaker 2 (07:09):
It's a great combination, it really is.

Speaker 1 (07:12):
Now the discounts on this one November nine to sixteen
on the Maykong. To me, this is an absolutely must,
even if you've been with me to Thailand or Cambodia.
This is a unique experience. The discounts run from one
thousand to two thousand dollars per person below if you

(07:34):
bought it directly from Almah.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
Waterways, but those are getting very limited now.

Speaker 1 (07:40):
Yeah, we've got five cabins left. That's it. You know
another one that's been very, very popular. I call it
the Adventures on the River Sin. Now, this River Sin
flows north from Paris into the North Sea. The dates
on that, by the way, Maykong is November of this year.

(08:01):
Now going to the Sin, we'll sail round trip from
Paris and visit Honfloor. That is like stepping back five
hundred years, the cobblestone streets, the old buildings everywhere. It's
also where Joan of arc was martyred. We can visit
the very place where it took place happened, Han Floor,

(08:22):
which is Gothic architecture everywhere, Les Andles Vernon. But the
highlight for me is Normandy and the D Day Beaches
June nineteenth forty four. You know there are five beaches
on D Day, two taken by the Americans, two by
the Brits, one by the Canadians. The US landed at

(08:45):
Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. We will stand on D
Day beaches and Omaha Beach was the bloodiest. Thirty four
thousand young men landed that day and they were just
mowed down completely. I was there in July with the group,

(09:07):
and I like to go on YouTube and look at
pictures of actual video and footage and film, and I
stood right where this film was done. We went into
the German bunkers with the cannons and the machine guns,
and then went to the American Cemetery and at four
o'clock they lower the two American flags. Everybody comes to

(09:29):
attention and they play taps. Ninety six hundred graves there
approximately mostly teenage boys and young men in their early twenties,
and literally brought tears to my eyes thinking they fought
a war that wasn't theirs to preserve freedom for others.

(09:53):
It was marvelous anyway. Again, our discounts on this one.
The cruise dates or June seventeen to twenty four, and
the discounts are anywhere from one thousand to two thousand
dollars per person, double that per couple. This one is
selling fast. We've had it out, only went a couple

(10:15):
of weeks and already have enough to almost call it
a day. But we've got some cabins left. You want
to call on that now?

Speaker 2 (10:23):
Well, Paris has still been incredibly popular again this year,
so you know we're going.

Speaker 1 (10:30):
To have a three night pre cruise Paris option. Day
one is arrival, day two is the city tour, and
day three is Versailles. Do give your Morris Columbus Travel
Advisor caller call the group department direct. When we come back,
I'm going to share one more river cruise that will

(10:51):
blow your mind. Here on the Travel Show. You're listening

(11:18):
to the Travel Show. I'm Larry Gelwicks, the getaway Guru.
The Travel show is sponsored by Morris Columbus Travel, where
you always travel more and pay less, give Morris a
call or check out their website at Morriscolumbus dot com
and for escorted tours, you can talk to any of
our wonderful advisors or talk to the Group department directly.

(11:42):
What's the number for the Group department.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
To contact the group department directly, you can dial eight
zero one four eight three six three six three and
there's a lot of people who can answer the phone
and answer your question.

Speaker 1 (12:00):
So the Group Department direct eight oh one four eight
three sixty three sixty three eight one four eight three
sixty three sixty three. Now, just as we ended the
last segment, I mentioned to our listeners that we had
another river cruise with Alma Waterways that I will have
the privilege of hosting.

Speaker 2 (12:20):
You know, I have such a charm, you have such
a privileged life.

Speaker 1 (12:23):
Now do you understand your role at Morris Columbus.

Speaker 2 (12:27):
Travel I always do. It is to keep you out
traveling and seeing the world and making people happy.

Speaker 1 (12:33):
And Wendy, your job is to work so that I
can travel.

Speaker 2 (12:37):
Yes, but I am slowly trying to creep in on
your y Yes, yes, yes you.

Speaker 1 (12:43):
Are anyway, this cruise is one that we just put
it out about a week and is selling like crazy.
And it's the gems of Southeast Europe. Now it's on
the Danube River. Keep in mind the Danube goes north south.
That would be a Budapest, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany. It

(13:05):
also goes east west, and we are doing Eastern Europe,
the old Soviet Bloc. We're going to sail from Budapest
to Bucharest. We're going to visit. Are you sitting down
for this one? Put your seat belt on, folks, because
it's Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania, including Dracula's Castle.

Speaker 2 (13:30):
In October, which is my favorite thing about the trip.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
The actual cruise dates are September twenty seventh to October fourth.
We will offer a pre cruise option to Budapest and
a post cruise to Bucharest. Or you can just come
and get on the ship. Maybe you've seen these areas,
maybe you have other things going on, but here again,
we have taken an inventory risk and the savings are

(13:56):
anywhere from one thousand to twenty five hundred dollars per
person below if you bought it directly from Almah Waterways.
This is one we've never offered before with a deluxe
over the top river cruise company again, the Gems of
Southeast Europe September twenty seventh to October fourth, twenty twenty

(14:19):
seven next year. And you want to put a deposit
down now, because not only do you lock in the
price cruise prices are not static, but you get to.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
Choose your Acusare cabin.

Speaker 1 (14:31):
And have a greater selection of cabin categories.

Speaker 2 (14:35):
Absolutely, I was going to mention that because when we
would just sold out your Christmas market not long ago,
but the last few people who booked could only book
what was left.

Speaker 1 (14:48):
That's right. But what he's referring to, and it happens
to be my wife Kathy's absolute favorite river cruise, that
is the Christmas markets on the Rhine. Rhyine is castle
country and you get all of the sight seeing you'd
get any month of the year, plus the Christmas markets

(15:09):
of Europe, which are a six hundred year tradition where
every city big or small, we hamlets and villages completely
lose their mind in outdoor Christmas festivals.

Speaker 2 (15:23):
Oh, you don't have to tell me. It is one
of my favorite things to do. Now.

Speaker 1 (15:27):
I got to warn the men on this one. Maybe gentlemen,
you're like me. I don't like to shop, I really don't.
I don't even like to shop for a pair of socks.
Kathy's let's go get you some new shirts and penns.
I don't want to go shopping for my own clothes,
you see. Anyway, first time I went, I've been, Kathy

(15:48):
and I've been several times to the Christmas markets. I
had to go out in my suitcase. I lost my
mind shopping for my grandkids.

Speaker 2 (15:58):
Well, you fall in love with it. I think the
atmosphere just totally transfixes you and you're just.

Speaker 1 (16:04):
And of course I have to have a brought verst
every day at least one when we're there at the markets.
You know, the broughts in Europe, in the in Germany
and Switzerland, in these countries.

Speaker 2 (16:17):
There's so different.

Speaker 1 (16:18):
Yeah, they're different. You see, they're in a casing and
when you bite them, they pop, and then the bread
makes that brought you in some bread. I always put
the brown spicy muscard.

Speaker 2 (16:29):
I's gonna say the mustard, Yep.

Speaker 1 (16:31):
It's good stuff. Now the Christmas Market cruise that Kathy
and I'll be hosting this December twenty twenty six is
sold out at Expo a week ago. We will be
adding a December twenty twenty seven. However, Wendy also has
not a cruise, but a land Christmas Market tour.

Speaker 2 (16:54):
It is a flint yes this year if you're if
you're dying to experience the Christmas Market, it's I tell people,
you take Norman Rockwell, you take a Hallmark movie, you
put them in a snow globe and mix it up,
and that is your snow globe. Then you got to
put the smell a vision in it, because you know,
the smell and the sound and the weather and all

(17:16):
of it plays into it. But yeah, this year, if
you're ready to go, November twenty ninth, we have got
a three country Christmas Market land tour. Like the River cruise,
we not only will do the historical tours in each
of the big cities we go to. We start in Frankfurt,
we go into Nuremberg, we go into Austria and do

(17:37):
Innsbruck and Salzburg and then into Switzerland and do Saint
Gallen and Zerich. But we're also doing holiday tradition things.
We're going to the Silent Night Chapel and where they
wrote him, Oh, I know, I can't wait and sleigh rides.
We're just going to have a magical experience as well

(17:58):
as of course shopping time. So it would be so
much fun and we would love to have you travel
with us this year. This is going to be a
really special experience.

Speaker 3 (18:08):
You know.

Speaker 1 (18:08):
To get details on when these land tour, Christmas Markets
or any of our group tours or cruises, go to
Morriscolumbus dot com. Morriscolumbus dot com click and then scroll
down to Morris Murdoch Escort of Tours. That's the brand
name for our tours, and then you have to make
a selection. If it's a cruise land or ocean click

(18:32):
on cruises. Otherwise you pick a geographic area. Ye, when
we come back here on the Travel Show. You're listening

(19:02):
to the Travel Show. I'm Larry Gelwicks, they get Away Guru.
The Travel show is sponsored by Morris Columbus Travel, where
you always travel more and pay less. I'm joined today
as a guest on the show, but a regular guest
on the show. Wendy Frakkia, Group department manager with Morris
Columbus Travel. Wendy, what are the joys of group travel.

(19:31):
Why is it so fun?

Speaker 2 (19:33):
It's it's fun because you get to relax and go
with the program that's been put there for you that
you purchased. You get to just show up, show up
on time. But you get to go and you just
get to enjoy everything, and we take care of you.
That's the best, you know.

Speaker 1 (19:53):
My wife Kathy told a group in which we now
always mention is she says, there's only one thing you
have to remember, show up on time.

Speaker 2 (20:04):
I've adopted that because it's gospel.

Speaker 1 (20:06):
I want to tell you about my neighbor Steve, one
of the great guys, and he he's retired now, but
in his career in the oil industry, he traveled the
world constantly Internet. He'd been everywhere, you know, he'd been
to Bangkok so many times in Thailand and everywhere on Earth.

(20:30):
And I kept saying, Steve, why don't you and your
wife come with Kathy and I on one of our
group tours. And he goes, I don't want to be
herded by cat. He said it nicely.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
I I just we've heard it, yes.

Speaker 1 (20:44):
And I finally convinced him to come to Thailand on
my annual Thailand and Cambodi, which I consider my signature tour.
In fact, just what two weeks ago, I got back
from Thailand Cambodi with the most incredible group of travel
show listeners. We had a ball and great weather, great food,

(21:07):
great everything, And Steve said he never imagined that a
group tour would be so much fun, so well organized,
everything you wanted to see. The admission tickets were taken
care of, the transportation, the meals, fabulous meals, great hotels,

(21:27):
everything about it, he's said, was just completely over the top,
you know, and.

Speaker 2 (21:34):
Go ahead, I'm sorry. I was just going to say,
we keep referring back to Expo, but I get the
pleasure of doing bingo at our Salt Lake Expo, and
it's kind of a joke. But when I called bingo,
I also get to talk about the benefits of group travel,
and I've got a bullet point slide of all those
wonderful things, and I always end with it's more fun

(21:56):
in a group, and I think that is always going
to be my my main thing. It's just more fun
to share it with people.

Speaker 1 (22:03):
Well, Steve was so enthusiastic that they've come on other
group tours, but he was so enthusiastic. I brought him
right here on the radio to give an endorsement, talk
about I never knew how much fun of me. It
wasn't what I had expected. It was well organized. There's activities.

(22:26):
There's also free time that you can do. You know,
at Morris Columbus Travel, the group are marketed under a
different name, Morris Murdoch Escorted Tours. Company named Morris Columbus
kind of like General Motors and Chevrolet. Yep, it's a

(22:48):
brand name under a parent company. You'll operate eighty to
one hundred tours. But what are some of your favorites
and what are some you'd like to share with us
right now?

Speaker 2 (23:02):
Oh okay, that's a big one. So you did. I'll
go back to our classics because you mentioned our name,
Morris Murdoch Escorted Tours. We've been doing tours for over
sixty years. We started doing LDS church history tours and
tours to the Holy Land. So that is one of

(23:23):
the reasons with that history that the board wanted us
to keep our original name that we've developed such a
reputation on when we did the merge with Columbus. So
now it's Morris Murdoch escorted tour the tour division of
Morris Columbus Travel. Proud of all those names. But talking

(23:43):
about church history tours this year, Larry, there's something really
special going on. Do you know what it is?

Speaker 1 (23:49):
Isn't it like the anniversary of the country, at.

Speaker 2 (23:52):
The two hundred and fiftieth celebration of the signing of
the Declaration of Independence. We've got two LAS church history
tours that spend a whole week celebrating America and just
celebrating the fact that that independence to practice your own
faith allowed the restoration of the LDS Church to begin.

(24:15):
So starting in July, I'll just mention this one because
this is an epic tour. Starts in Washington, d C.
It's going to go to Gettysburg, it goes to Philadelphia,
goes to Boston, to New York, I mean New York City.
There are so many amazing things that where you can
celebrate this history, the America Americana going on. And then

(24:40):
this is led by Kay Godfrey who's been doing this
tour with for over more than twenty years. But then
it starts in Sharon, Vermont. It goes to Palmyer, it
goes to Kirkland, it flies over to Kansas City, does
Independence Naveo. It is just it's epic. It's everything all
at once. And a lot of people don't think about

(25:02):
pageants anymore with church history because the Hillcoora pageant is
no more. But in Navu, do you know that they
are still doing two pageants. They do the Navo Pageant
and they do the British Church History pageant Wow. And
so both of those pageants will be performed on this tour,
so you still get the pageants and all the fun

(25:25):
of July in Navu. Now jump to September and you
have another amazing week of American history pretty much all
those same American iconic historical cities. But then this tour
will stop in kt in Kirtland, so it does Sharon, Vermont,

(25:45):
it does Palmyra, and it goes to Kirtland and then
it ends there, so it's just a little bit shorter.
Both of those tours do Niagara Falls, which of course
is an iconic Americana thing. We also have a Fall
Foliage cruise this show year that is in October. It's
like October eighth, and this tour leaves out of Baltimore,

(26:07):
and this is a tour that we include the pre
tour in the selling price because we have got a
great contracted rate on this. So Mick and Diane Smith
is leading this tour. You fly in a day early
into Baltimore. You get to go to Fort McHenry where
the Star Spangled Banner was written. You're going to the
Naval shipyards. Then you board the ship and one of

(26:30):
the ports on this cruise is Boston and you get
to do a full day in Boston, so the Americana
is still there. So if this is something that you
would like to go and celebrate in person this year,
those are three really iconic trips that we have going
that would really just embrace both the special celebration as

(26:52):
well as church history.

Speaker 1 (26:53):
And where do we find information on that.

Speaker 2 (26:55):
You get this information at www. Morris Columbus stock scroll
down to Morris Murdock Escorted Tours, click on the cru
click on cruise for the Fall Folage Cruise with the
Smiths or the LDS Church History for those other tour mentioned.
And I just have to do a shout out because
I have got an amazing tour to South Africa. I

(27:18):
know you love Africa and you love Safari and your
tour to Kenya is just epics Safari great migration beginning
to end. This year's tour sold out, twenty seven is
close to sold out. But if you are interested in
combining a Safari experience in Africa as well as city

(27:42):
and natural wonders, I would love to invite you to
come with me June third this year to South Africa,
Zimbabwe and Botswana. This is an amazing tour. This tour
is under five thousand dollars and you get four days
of safari in a Safari resorts. We're also going to

(28:04):
Table Mountain, We're going to Cape Points, We're going down
to see the penguins at Boulder Beach and Victoria Falls
in Zimbabwe is included in this tour cost as well
as going to Chobe National Park which is in Botswana.
So you get all three of these countries on this
amazing tour experience. So there's still some space available. Again,

(28:27):
this is a small group departure. We're not going to
take any more than thirty people on this tour and
so if this is something, if you really still want
to get an Africa tour in this year, a Safari,
this would be the big one. You still get to
see all Big Five plus so much more. I just

(28:47):
love it. And we've got some amazing European tours that
we would love for you to check out specifically. You
know Abbi bon El.

Speaker 1 (28:55):
Well, she's a well known radio host here.

Speaker 2 (28:58):
In Utah of the UK, a native of the UK.
Every other year she is doing a tour of England,
Wales and up to Edinburgh and Scotland. So it is amazing.
She did the best presentation for us at Expo. She

(29:18):
had people standing in the aisles just listening to her
explain about going out to the Cotswolds. I won't even
pretend to do her accent. But it is a fantastic tour.
There's still some space available on it, and you just
cannot go wrong with doing this tour with Abby this year.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
You know. One of the stops too, is the Wee
village she grew up in odlum Oh.

Speaker 2 (29:44):
And she tells the best story on how they they
put out American flags and they stand in the street
and they welcome the tour bus coming in. I mean,
could you imagine everybody, you know, everybody thinks, wow, what
does the rest of the world think about Americans? And
this town just loves that Abby brings them into.

Speaker 1 (30:04):
Selling every bunny. Well, there's one pub in town. Now.
Pub is like a family restaurant, right, it's very family
friendly and there's American flags. The people are welcoming you there.
It's now about half sold out and the dates is
this September.

Speaker 2 (30:22):
I think the ninth is the exactly to the nineteenth.
And we've got great group airfare on it and it
is just absolutely a fun, fun tour. She does some
amazing things that are very unique to her.

Speaker 1 (30:40):
Well, go to the website we mentioned, Morriscolumbus dot com.
That's Morriscolumbus dot com. Scroll down on the homepage to
Morris Murdoch Escorted Tours and then if it's a cruise,
you click on cruises. If it's a land tour like
Abby's is, like the Christmas Markets is, you click on

(31:00):
the geographic area Europe, Asia, Africa. There's one for Holy Land.

Speaker 2 (31:06):
Tours and oh yeah, get there based.

Speaker 1 (31:11):
Tours, you know, South Pacific. So that's what that's what
you want to do. Now, we have a very fun
topic coming up in our next segment, and that is
favorite foods around the World and some of the history
of how these foods originated that we take for granted

(31:31):
every day. All that and more on today's Travel Show
sponsored by Morris Columbus Travel. Welcome back to the Travel Show.

(32:02):
I'm Larry Gelwicks, that get Away Guru, joined by Wendy
Frakia Group Department Manager. I think one of the most
memorable parts of any travel is food.

Speaker 2 (32:15):
Yeah, food and.

Speaker 1 (32:16):
Drink and dining. You just remember that Kathy tells people
that I remember places by meals.

Speaker 2 (32:25):
I've heard that.

Speaker 1 (32:26):
And it's absolutely true. I'll tell you that Thailand Cambodia
tour that we just got back a couple of weeks ago,
that we eat so well.

Speaker 2 (32:37):
On that one's there's so many options. And you know,
I had the pleasure of going with you in twenty
five on that tour, and my husband and I were
just talking about that not long ago, and you probably
don't remember it, but we were in chang Rai and
we went to this noodle house where they were making
the noodles right there in front of you know, in

(32:58):
front of you there two weeks ago. So you went back.
It was the funnest thing. And that was in the
Cat restaurant. Remember the cat restaurant at the hotel, the
cat cafe.

Speaker 1 (33:09):
Yeah, it's like a coffee house filled with cats.

Speaker 2 (33:12):
Every every memory seemed to be right around.

Speaker 1 (33:16):
Yeah, this noodle. They made the noodles right in front
of you, stretched them out.

Speaker 2 (33:20):
It was awesome.

Speaker 1 (33:21):
Well, here's some of my favorite foods or your favorite foods,
both around the world. I was in Vietnam in November
and I enjoy a hot piping bowl of pa Now
it's spelled.

Speaker 2 (33:36):
Pooh, yes it is, but it's not pooh.

Speaker 1 (33:40):
We don't eat pooh pH oh. It's pronounced phu. And
it's a Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice, noodles, herbs, meat,
sometimes chicken or beef. But it's served in households, street stalls, restaurants. Right,
it's probably Vietnam's favorite national dish.

Speaker 2 (34:02):
Oh, noodles are a big thing.

Speaker 1 (34:04):
It is really, really a big teen. Have you ever
eaten poutin poutine in Canada?

Speaker 2 (34:11):
Of course it is so good.

Speaker 1 (34:13):
It's French fries with cheesecurgs topped with brown gravy, and
it sounds gross, but it's actually very very good. It
emerged in Quebec in the late nineteen fifties. Now, as
you know, I have dual citizenship, both the US and
Canadian citizenship, a US and Canadian passport, and my mother's

(34:34):
Canadian So of course we would go up there almost
every summer growing up. And I was about oh nine
or ten years old. We were at a restaurant and
my cousins ordered poutine and I thought, this has gotta
be gross. I fell in love with it. I remember

(34:56):
the first time we were again up there in Tabor, Alberta,
cann where we had French fries at a restaurant and
they're putting a malt vinegar on it, and I said,
you're out of your mind. They said, try it, no way,
just try it. Okay, I'll try it. I've done it
to this day.

Speaker 2 (35:14):
It's still a thing. Well. I was thinking about Amsterdam
and Manonnai's with your French fries.

Speaker 1 (35:20):
Yeah, I don't eat manonnaise. I would starve before it.
To me, it's satanic. Ill you can have it. How
about with Abby's tour have toad in a Hole? Yeah,
that's a traditional English disc consisting of sausages in Yorkshire

(35:43):
pudding batter and it's usually served with onion, gravy and vegetables.
It's absolutely delicious.

Speaker 2 (35:48):
They've got some of the best names.

Speaker 1 (35:50):
Well, there's bubble and Squeak in the UK, which is
really fried leftovers of a roast meal that they call
it a carvery very popular during the rationing of World
War Two and has remained a popular way of cooking
the leftover potatoes, veggies, and any meat from a traditional

(36:11):
English roast dinner. Manipua, Hawaii, Now that's a meat filled
bun very similar to a Chinese Charsu pao. Very very
popular in Hawaii. And a favorite dish of mine in
northern Thailand is kowsoi now Thai restaurants. I judge a

(36:34):
Thai restaurant by their pad Thai, the national dish. It's
a noodle dish. And the curries. You have a green
curry which is the spicy one. You have red curry
which is kind of medium panang medium. Then you have
the masimon and yellow curry, which are very mild. Kathy

(36:57):
likes all foods mild. I like it spicy. I like
a little spice in my life.

Speaker 2 (37:02):
Yes, so we order it a lot.

Speaker 1 (37:04):
Yes, thank you, we order it mild. But I have
him bring the dried chilis and hot peppers on the side,
so I docked her mine up. So now let's play
stump the dummy.

Speaker 2 (37:15):
Okay, all right, Why is a.

Speaker 1 (37:18):
Hot dog called a hot dog when there's no dog
meat in it?

Speaker 2 (37:25):
Some marketing genius came up with it.

Speaker 1 (37:28):
I'll accept that answer. Well, what you find references to
docs and sausages, These little Wiener sausages and ultimately hot
dogs can be traced to German immigrants in the eighteen hundreds.
The German immigrants brought not only the sausage with them
in the late eighteen hundreds, but they also had his pets,

(37:51):
docks and dogs which did not get into the sausage.
The name hot dog, probably historians belief started at as
a joke about the German small, long, long, thin dogs
and their long, thin sausages that look like a doc's
a hound.

Speaker 2 (38:12):
It makes complete it.

Speaker 1 (38:13):
Makes complete sense. When we come back in our number
two of the Travel show, I'm going to tell you,
Hurtz Renda car has done it again, and not in
a good way. You will not believe what they did
to multiple renters. It's ghastly. You're listening to our number

(38:54):
two of the Travel Show in the best two hours
in radio. I'm Larry Gelwicks, the Getaway Guru, Rush from Thailand, Cambodia,
and the Utah Travel Expo. I'm joined today in studio
by the lovely and talented Wendy Frackt, Group Department Manager
at Morris Columbus Travel. For any of these tours, you
can contact your favorite Morris Columbus Travel advisor or talk

(39:18):
directly to the experts in the Group department. Eight oh
one four eight three sixty three sixty three eight oh
one four eight three sixty three sixty three. Go online
to Morriscolumbus dot com and on the homepage, scroll down
and click on Morris Murdoch Escorted Tours. That's the brand

(39:39):
name that these tours. And then if it's a cruise,
you click on a cruise. If it's a land tour,
click on the geographic area of the land tour. Okay,
hertz rennekar. I stay away from them. I'm not telling
you what to do. I'm not telling you to boycot.

Speaker 2 (40:00):
Them, but I used to be the one of the nicest.

Speaker 1 (40:04):
I just stay away from There's been cases where they
have inaccurately reported to police that your rental car was
stolen and you get arrested. But they've done I gave
this story about six months ago and now they've done
it again. It hurts President's Circle, that's their high renters

(40:29):
group was charged fee if two hundred and seventy seven
dollars and thirty nine cents for not filling up the
gas tank. Now, you're always asked you want to buy
the gas in advance. If not, you have to bring
it back full. And if you bring it back partially
full or empty, then they have a ridiculous refueling charge. Well,

(40:54):
this guy got charged two hundred and seventy seven bucks
for not filling up for gas on a Tesla in
Los Angeles. Wendy Tesla is an electric car. There is
no place to put the gas. Now, this would seem
it's an obvious, impossible claim because it's a Tesla that

(41:16):
doesn't run on gas, But in this case hurts. Customer service,
as reported, is so bad they kept doubling down, saying, quote,
there's nothing they can do about the charge. Think about that.
Think about that.

Speaker 2 (41:33):
I was going to blame it on a California thing.
But customer service, well.

Speaker 1 (41:38):
There's no fuel tank to fill it on a Tesla.
Here's what Hurts Customer Service reportedly said quote I when
the customer said, refund that two hundred and seventy seven bucks.
It is reported that Hurts Customer Service said, quote I

(42:01):
am unable to provide an adjustment or refund since the
service was provided and the contract is closed. Your signed
rental agreement will also be our basis that you were
fully aware of the fuel option that was added on
the contract. I hope I was able to clarify this

(42:21):
for you. Thank you for allowing me to review and
assist you with your concern. Close quote. If that isn't
the biggest bunch of bs I've ever heard in my life.

Speaker 2 (42:34):
You just have to ask yourself what would you do?
I mean, would you stutter through that one? Or would
you lose it on the phone.

Speaker 1 (42:42):
Well, here the charge too seems strange because Hurtz was
charging ten bucks a gallon and the charge would have
represented twenty seven gallon fillip. That would be largely impossible
only maybe in a HUGEUV. But they're rental vehicles, don't

(43:06):
A car doesn't have that sort of a gas take. Well,
the driver is still disputing the charge with his credit
card company. However, it is likely to get his descendants
placed on the company's no rent list.

Speaker 2 (43:23):
Well, if he rented from them again after that, I
have to wonder about his sanity. Oh my gosh, I
think the funny was right.

Speaker 1 (43:33):
Yeah, they've done it again. Okay, Wendy, you were telling me,
you get on a plane and you put your boarding
pass somewhere.

Speaker 2 (43:41):
I do somewhere. It's usually in my pocket. But which
pocket you know? You do the adult head, shoulders, knees
and tow where you're patting yourself down, or you stick
it in that seat back pocket, or you throw it
in the bottom of your backpack when you're pulling out
your earbuds. And yeah, I have definitely need to do back.

Speaker 1 (44:01):
Well. Folks, never throw away your boarding pass for several reasons. One,
it's a record of your travel. Airlines occasionally lose track
a computer glitch of flight records, especially when it comes
to mile edge credit. Now this is also more common

(44:23):
with partner airlines. For example, I flew home from Nompen, Cambodia,
about two weeks ago and on China Airlines, a great airline,
not to be confused with Air China, which I think
is kind of a dumpy airline. Air China is based
out of the People's Republic or Communist China out of Beijing.

(44:47):
I'm not saying anything about their safety. I'm saying the
service totally sucks. Their meals are inedible. It's been my experience.
But Airlines is based in Taiwan. It is a five
star airline. It's also a code share partner with Delta Airlines.

(45:08):
So I said, I want my Delta miles non pen
TYPEI LA, and then I flew Delta back. Well, the
Delta credit automatically attaches itself to my sky Miles account.
Usually with partner airlines. It could be say with Delta
partners KLM or Aero Mexico or Air France or Korean

(45:29):
Airlines or China right any of the partner airlines. It
usually takes one to two weeks before your credit shows up.
But what if it never shows up and you don't
have that boarding passes proof, You're out of luck. And
think of the miles I would lose across the Pacific.

Speaker 2 (45:50):
It's a big deal and it's definitely something that's so
we need to do.

Speaker 1 (45:54):
We always hope that mileage programs work flawlessly, but it's
occasionally a technical glitz happens, and if your frequent floer
miles do not post correctly, your boarding pass can help
customer service resolve that issue very quickly. Also, in the
case of a travel disruption, you've already got your boarding pass.

(46:16):
You're going to be booked on a different flight with
that airline or what we call a fimf IM that's
called flight interruption manifest, and you used to have to
ask for that. Let's just say, for example, I'm on
a Delta air Line's flight to LA and my flight

(46:37):
is canceled for whatever reason, and Delta cannot get me
on a convenient next flight, maybe they're sold out. I
can ask for a FIM FIM flight interruption manifest, which
means that Delta books me on Southwest, United, American, Jet Blue,

(46:58):
somebody and to pays for that ticket. Now they keep
the money for my ticket, but they put me on
another airline and they'll get me where I need to
go on time. They are not legally required to do this,
but particularly if you have a high medallion status, it
is a possibility. I have been filmed by airlines on

(47:21):
some occasions and done that. So delays, cancelation, lost luggage
are unfortunate realities of air travel. If you need to
file acclaim with travel insurance or take advantage of credit
card protections, your boarding pass can provide essential information that

(47:43):
eases your case to validate your case. Keeping it on
handmakes navigating these issues easier. And one final thing. Your
personal information is in that barcode. Your name, financial information,
some include credit card information, and it has sensitive date

(48:04):
including your frequent flyer number which may be linked to
your email address, your phone number, other personal details.

Speaker 2 (48:14):
Bad people can do bad, so hold on.

Speaker 1 (48:16):
To your boarding pass until everything is set. You've got
your frequent flyer miles to your final destination, and then
tear up the boarding pass and be sure to tear
a couple of times in that bar code. Once it's torn,
you really can't put it back.

Speaker 2 (48:36):
Together, so you shouldn't like try to scrapbook it or
something like that.

Speaker 1 (48:40):
Well, take a little tear out of the bar code
with that, so never throw that one away. I have
led an incredible life. I visited one hundred and seventeen countries.
I've got some new ones coming up. Kathy's been to
one hundred and five countries. One of the great experiences

(49:04):
of my life was staying overnight with a hill tribe
at a hill tribe village in the foothills of the Himalayas.
I want to tell you, just briefly a little bit
about that I'm always looking to me, travel is experience.
Oh yeah, it's experiential travel. I enjoy going to the
Mexico all inclusive. I enjoy the cruise, but I also

(49:27):
want to travel for real life and life changing experiences.
You'll be joining me in the foothills of the Himalayas
next on the Travel show. You're listening to the Travel Show,

(49:53):
I'm Larry Gelwicks to get Away Guru. The Travel show
is sponsored by Morris Columbus Travel, wh you always travel
more and pay less. Check out their website Morriscolumbus dot com.
That's Morris Coolumbus dot com. If you have a favorite
Morris Columbus travel advisor already will continue to work with

(50:15):
him or her. If you don't have a favorite advisor,
call toll free eight hundred triple nine forty six forty six.
That's eight hundred triple nine forty six forty six. If
you'd like to talk to the group department about any
of the wonderful group cruises land tours all around the world.

(50:37):
Call them direct at eight oh one for eight three
sixty three sixty three. That's eight oh one for eight
three sixty three sixty three. I'd promise to tell you
about my staying with a hilltide tribe in the foothills
in Himalayas. I'm going to push that a little bit
later in this show because I don't want to cut this,

(50:59):
but we'll get to it. I don't want to cut
this next segment short, Wendy. Yes, sir, you know that
I have a love affair with Hawaii. Not bragging, because
it's never bragging if it's true. I have been to
Hawaii one hundred and seventy times. My very first trip
I was sixteen years old. I was a surfer boy

(51:23):
in California. Used to cut school in San Francisco, and
there's some surfing there at Ocean Beach in San Francisco.
It's not very good, but we'd cut school and go
down to Santa Cruz. Steamer's lane would put the boards
in the water. And I had a perfect forgery signature

(51:43):
of my father because I had to have a note
to get back.

Speaker 2 (51:46):
In this school when's the last time you surfed?

Speaker 1 (51:50):
The last time was a couple of years ago at
Bondai Beach, Australia. Yeah. Yeah, it's kind of like riding
a bicycle. I was never a great surfer like you
see on the Wide World of Sports or something like that,
but I was okay and I totally loved it. And
you know, what I really loved was the culture and

(52:13):
I had I want. By standards then it was long hair,
but by today's standard, it was like maybe half an
inch over the top of my ear, maybe an inch
the long you could see marks, you could see most
of my hair, and my parents didn't really like it.

(52:38):
But my mother and I made a deal if I
would stay on the honor roll and stay at a trouble,
I could have my hair could be whatever length I wanted. Well,
I didn't want to look like something that just crawled
out of the vegetable garden, which was the start. I
was there hate Ashbury Golden Gate Park that we used

(52:59):
to go to the anti war demonstrations, not to demonstrate,
but it was it was entertainment because the crazies, we're
all running the show, and it was hysterical, you know,
and we met girls there.

Speaker 2 (53:14):
Imagine that.

Speaker 1 (53:15):
Yeah, we were at sixteen. We were all in testosterone overload,
you know, and you know that hasn't changed with today's
youth either. Anyway. I love Hawaiian What what is something
that you love about Hawaiian.

Speaker 2 (53:29):
I love the waves. I love being on the beach
and just sitting there and listening. It could be in
the morning, middle of the day, evening, doesn't matter.

Speaker 1 (53:37):
It's it's addictive, it's intoxicating.

Speaker 2 (53:40):
It's relaxing. It is just absolutely memorizing.

Speaker 1 (53:45):
You know. In the Simon language, there's two words for spirit.
There's anganga, which has a religious connotation like the Holy Spirit,
the holy ghost. Then there's a another word, mana that
there's no equivalent English translation. And the mana is the

(54:08):
the vibe, the spirit of the place, the spirit of
the trees, of the waves, of the ocean, ki the rocks.
Every there's a spirit that draws you back. In Hawaii,
they call this the Aloha spirit. It's a very real thing.

Speaker 2 (54:25):
It is such a real thing, and all you have
to do is go there once, and the minute you
step back on the island, you know you're back.

Speaker 1 (54:33):
Well, let's play stumped dummy again.

Speaker 2 (54:36):
Oh boy. Okay, Okay.

Speaker 1 (54:38):
There are one hundred and fifty two islands and atolls
in the state of Hawaii, but there's eight major islands.
Name some of them owah Owahu, Hawaii Hawaii. By the way,
they called it the Big Island of Hawaii. The state

(54:59):
is officially changing it to simply Hawaii. It's still the
Big Island, but that's out of the name anyway. Okay,
we have the Big Island Oahu.

Speaker 2 (55:11):
You've got Maui.

Speaker 1 (55:12):
Maui, Kawai, Hawaii, Mullakai.

Speaker 2 (55:18):
Yes, I was going to say the last.

Speaker 1 (55:21):
Two are kind of hard to remember. La, which nobody
lives on because it was a bombing island during World
War Two and the Vietnam War, and there's still unexploded
ordinances on.

Speaker 2 (55:37):
The high not a vacation experience.

Speaker 1 (55:40):
Yeah, it could really blow up your vacation. And then
the forbidden Island of Nihihau. I've got a Hawaiian adventure
coming up. I want you folks to join me. I've
done this a couple of times. It is a return
to the golden age of cruising, when a cruise ship
was a means of transportation first. Well, now it's a vacation. First,

(56:04):
we're going to get both. We will be sailing from
Honolulu to the West Coast April twenty ninth to May seventh,
a nine day cruise. Next year twenty twenty seven, we'll
start on the island of Oahu, Honolulu. We'll sail to
the Big Island. We'll sail to Kailuacona. Actually the ship
overnights there. Oh have fun and we can do all that.

(56:27):
We'll have our own short excursions, private onboard activities and
then cross the North Pacific to Vancouver, BC April twenty
nine to May seventh. This is a repositioning cruise. The
ship's going to do Alaska during the summertime. But they
have the rates that they have put together there're incredible. Well,

(56:49):
these are special rates for Morris Columbus travel and inside
cabin including all taxes seven hundred and seventy seven dollars
for a nine day cruise ocean View nine sixty eight,
A balcony one thousand and sixty eight. You'll want the
balcony and remember that includes a couple hundred dollars of

(57:10):
taxes included ten sixty eight. Now that's April twenty ninth
to May seventh. You can also stay on board the
very same ship, the very same cabin and do Alaska
when we come back here on the Travel Show. We're
headed to Africa. Welcome back to the Travel Show. I'm

(57:44):
Larry Gelwiz, the Getaway Guru, in my thirty sixth year
of hosting the Travel Show. What a privilege. May I
give a very personal thank you for joining us every
weekend for the Travel Show. I don't take it like that.
You are the reason that I'm here, and I'm so
grateful to spend this time. And you know, I run

(58:08):
into a lot of you out in public, in stores
and things. You know, half a dozen times a week
someone will say, hey, I recognize your voice. You're the
travel guy. I am so appreciative of that, and I
always love to sit and chat with you for just
a wee bit. Yeah, good stuff. So instead of that

(58:29):
bump music, Wendy, couldn't we get something from the Lion
King or tarzan As music?

Speaker 2 (58:36):
Do you want me to do that?

Speaker 1 (58:38):
Yes? Please?

Speaker 2 (58:39):
Okay, never mind, you don't want that.

Speaker 1 (58:42):
We don't want that. But we're headed to Africa. We're
pleased to welcome to the show. Jim Gee, our dear
friend and colleague with Discovery Expeditions, who is the partner
of Morris Columbus Travel for the Great Migration Safaris. So, Jim,
welcome to the show.

Speaker 3 (59:03):
Thanks Larry, it's great to be with you.

Speaker 1 (59:05):
How many years have you been doing Africa?

Speaker 3 (59:08):
This year is my thirtieth year as being an owner
of Discovery Expeditions and.

Speaker 1 (59:13):
Being you know, what's really cool about Discovery Expeditions. My
favorite safari company in Africa is they're headquartered in Salt
Lake and headquartered in Nairobi.

Speaker 3 (59:26):
Yeah, we have an office in Nairobi, Kenya and one
of the malls in downtown.

Speaker 1 (59:30):
So good stuff.

Speaker 3 (59:32):
It's great to be there.

Speaker 1 (59:33):
What is it, Jim about Africa? Particularly a safari that
just just grabs people they want it draws them back
again and again.

Speaker 3 (59:44):
It's a pure wild feeling of being in the animal kingdom.
There's so many animals and birds that you're in like
the Garden of Eden or something like that, because there's
just they're everywhere and they're in their natural habit they're
not in a fence or anything like that. And this
they're free and you see them in their true habitat

(01:00:08):
and there and you can just there's a difference of
them not feeling like they're caged uff. They can go
where they please.

Speaker 1 (01:00:16):
You know. I've often said, jokingly, of course, that the
downside of going with us on one of our safaris
is that Hogel Zoo and Salt Lake will never be
the same against you, and it is no disrespect intended.
I and my grandkids love Ogel Zoo, but it's a
different experience. We often talk on this show about the

(01:00:39):
so called Great Migration. What is the Great Migration?

Speaker 3 (01:00:44):
Well, it's the last mammal migration in the world. I
mean by mammal, you know, a land mammal, not like
the whales migrate, they still migrate from Hawaii to Alaska,
but a land mammal migration. It's a nine hundred wile
migration consisting of about a million and a half wildebese

(01:01:05):
and five hundred thousand zebras, along with Eland's in great numbers,
Thompson's gazelles and Grand gazelles.

Speaker 1 (01:01:14):
You know, on the safari. One of the nice features
of the Morris Columbus Travel Safari partnered with Discovery Expeditions,
is we give you a book with a color pictured
and a description of some sixty seventy different animals. Correct,
and what we have found you talk about the sheer

(01:01:36):
volume of animals, it's overwhelming. By day three, invariably you
have checked off fifty or more species, not including birds.

Speaker 3 (01:01:49):
That's exactly right. Go ahead, and well, I was just saying,
in that book, we give you that field book. We
like to call it a wildlife field book. There's a
check off list and you will be able to mark
them off. And you'll get to that in just about
three days now.

Speaker 1 (01:02:02):
The Great Migration is July, August and September. It's not
year round, and it is only in Kenya and Tanzania.
And for a long list of reasons, Kenya is your
better choice. So there are some fifty game parts in Kenya.

(01:02:22):
Not one of them has a fence completely around it.
Animals are free to roam. I remember sitting there seeing
a pride up lions, and several miles away I can
see a small village. But there is so much food
available they don't tend to bother them to bother them,
and the lions really avoid humans unless they feel threatened,

(01:02:47):
and humans tend to avoid lions. What are some of
the differences in a great migration Safari with Morris Columbus
Traveler Discovery Expeditions. That's really different than others.

Speaker 3 (01:03:04):
Well. One of the big differences the lodges we choose
to use in the Masaimara where the migration takes place
is inside the park and right by the Mara River,
which is the boundaries let's call it between the northern
Serengeti and what we call the Mara Triangle. So they
have to cross that to complete their journey journey, and

(01:03:30):
once they cross over into that triangle, then they will
go back and forth until all the grass is eaten down.

Speaker 1 (01:03:40):
You know. I'll tell you from my perspective. A couple
of things that make you different is our safaris use
a Toyota land Cruiser with modified with the pop up top.
It can seat eight people, but we don't put more
than four in a vehicle, correct now. The reason for

(01:04:01):
that is the animals. Most people fill it up. Economically,
it would be better for us, but the animals have
not yet learned to only come to your side of
the vehicle. And if every seat's taken, you can't move right, left,
forward and back. Now, as they said, they have not
yet learned only to come to your side. We are

(01:04:23):
working with them. We're training them to spot you and
come to your side of the vehicle. Now, if there's
a family of five, six or more or friends and
you say we want to all be together, well then
we do that, but it's that is only at your request.
The other thing I want you to talk about the guides,

(01:04:44):
Edwin and Jackson and Amos, and tell me why your
guides are in the league of their own.

Speaker 3 (01:04:51):
And they are well number one, they've been at it
a long time, and they're very well educated. They're all
certified trackers and guides and can yah. But more importantly,
they've had so much experience and they've been employed by
us for the majority of their time and trained properly.
Edwin has been with me of that thirty years, twenty years.

(01:05:15):
The average experience with just our company or working for
us is around twelve years to fourteen years. So that's
the realm. That's what makes the difference. And they all
speak fluent English English. They have all good to have
a sense, Henry. But the most important thing is they
have a passion for the work. They love what they're doing.

Speaker 1 (01:05:34):
I'll tell you another thing. You employ them year round now,
most safar he's no disrespect to anyone. They'll say, well,
we got some people coming, and they'll go out and
rent a vehicle and then find some third party guide. Again,
no disrespect intended, and you kind of get the luck
of the draw. But with Jim, these men have been

(01:05:56):
with him for up to thirty years now and they
they want to stay there. And I'll tell you one
reason they're so devoted. During COVID there was no business,
no income, There is no social network for people. I
know that you kept them on payroll even when there
is no work. That's that's the connection that Discovery has.

(01:06:21):
They take care of them and these men are dedicated
to Discovery. And it's so fun because I go every year,
year after year, and they've gotten to know me. I've
gotten I've met their families and it's absolutely incredible. Let's
talk about some of the animals. Tell me about giraffes.

Speaker 3 (01:06:41):
Well, girafts are amazing, the tallest mammal in the planet.
And we have three species of giraffes and Kenya which
we'll see on your safari. We'll see the reticulated, We'll
see the massai which are in the Maara and we'll
also see the rothschild, so three of the difference.

Speaker 1 (01:06:58):
They're graceful. I tell me about the leopards.

Speaker 3 (01:07:02):
Well, the leopards are the big three cats in Africa.
The leopards are the most sly and most stealthy, stealthy
and sneak, often nocturnal, right, and that's why so many
people have a hard time seeing them. And a lot
of people don't see him on their on their their adventure.
But we are very fortunate and.

Speaker 1 (01:07:20):
Day after day we do.

Speaker 3 (01:07:22):
And we we've always seen the big five. And the
leopard is probably one of the hardest of the big
five to find. And the big five is the well,
the leopard, the lion. Those are the two cats. We
have the rhino, the black rhino, and we have the
elephant and the cape buffalo.

Speaker 1 (01:07:40):
Not to be confused with the water buffalo or the
bison exactly. And you know that cape buffalo is one
of the smartest and one of the most dangerous animals,
very very dangerous.

Speaker 3 (01:07:52):
Yes, I respect him.

Speaker 1 (01:07:53):
Oh my favorite is the lion. I think a lot
of people love the lions. Tell me about the lions,
the only social group, Well.

Speaker 3 (01:08:01):
They're in big prides. We call them they're families. They
used to have one big male that was one of
the head of the pride, but now we have coalitions
of anywhere from three to four males, often all brothers.
Usually they're very rare, they're not They might have different mothers,
but they all have the same father and they're very

(01:08:22):
loyal to each other and they take care of the pride,
which will consist of about twenty females.

Speaker 1 (01:08:29):
And you know when you have a coalition of three
or four big male lines that can weigh up to
five hundred pounds, correct, and they come into a pride
to take it over, and there's a one male lion,
it's game.

Speaker 3 (01:08:43):
Over, right, And that's why most of them now, like
I say, have coalitions, and that helps our lion population
because there's not as many takeovers.

Speaker 1 (01:08:51):
I remember on one of our safaris, I think there
were two or three lions coming in to take over
a pride against one male, and something fascinating happened. That
male led them on a goose chase. Because they have
to take him out before they can take over the pride.
He led them on a goose chase away from the pride.

(01:09:15):
The pride went to a different area, out there on
the Mara, and the one male lion ditched them and
circled back, you remember, and took up his pride, and
they moved off to another area. Absolutely, we've got about
thirty seconds left. Tell me about elephants.

Speaker 3 (01:09:34):
Elephants we're going to see and all of the places,
the parks we go to, the three major parks. They
travel in groups of what we call a family, and
they're all related females, all sisters, aunts, grandma's mothers, daughter's nieces.
The males leave when they're reached maturity, which is right

(01:09:55):
about thirteen fourteen years of age, and they become solo
and joint bachelor groups. They're very interesting. They rank fourth
in intelligence and we'll see lots and lots.

Speaker 1 (01:10:05):
Of that's interesting because i've been rate at fifth.

Speaker 3 (01:10:08):
You're right below right.

Speaker 1 (01:10:10):
Hey, listen, Jim. We'll be taking a group to Africa
in twenty twenty seven. We're all sold out. These things
sell out a year year and a half in advance.
August tenth to the twenty first, twenty twenty seven. Contact
the group department at Morris Columbus Travel. Thanks Jim, Thanks
Tambo Jumbo, Thank you for joining us on the travel show.

(01:10:44):
I'm Larry Gelwicks. Then get Away Guru. The travel show
is sponsored by Morris Columbus Travel, where you always travel
more and pay less. Check out their website Borriscolumbus dot
Commorriscolumbus dot com. And if you want any of the
wonderful escorted tours which we sell under the brand name

(01:11:04):
of Morris Murdoch Escorted Tours, go to the homepage. Simply
scroll down and click on Morris Murdoch Escorted Tours. If
it's a cruise, click on cruises, be that river or ocean.
If it's a land tour, you pick the geographic area, Asia, Africa, Europe,

(01:11:26):
escort Sure, holy Land, wherever you want to go, and
then you'll see them. If you'd like to talk to
any of the experts in the group department, direct call
them at eight oh one four eight three sixty three
sixty three eight oh one four eight three sixty three

(01:11:46):
sixty three. So I had promised to talk about one
of my great experiences in the foothills of the Himalayas.
Have I have led a national geographic life? You have?
I have had so many experiences, you know? About a
year ago I told the story of when I was
just out of college and I knew a real crocodile, Dundee,

(01:12:10):
and he set me up with an Aboriginal family. They
didn't they'd never done this. Mom, dad, and two kids,
a fourteen year boy, twelve year old girl. Mom didn't
speak any English, a dad spoke kind of passable, the
kids somewhat. And I actually lived with them, hunted. I
hunted with a spear. I ate lizards and kangaroos, We

(01:12:35):
killed wild boares. We slept out in the dirt. I
dressed as they dressed. I mean, I really went native.
The only difference they were barefoot and my feet wouldn't
take it, so I well wore these velcrotivas over my feet. Anyway,
you know how much I loved Thailand and I had

(01:12:57):
the opportunity to stay overnight with the Lisu Lsu the
Lisu tribe, they have fifty eight different clans. They originally
were from southwest China, but in Thailand, the Lisu are
from Mayanmar formerly known as Burma, and came about two

(01:13:19):
hundred years ago. They lived deep in the jungles in
the mountains. Dressed they dress in traditional attire, very colorful,
especially the women very bright colors, very and the village
is spotlessly clean. With that. Well, the women will wear
knee length black Chinese style pants and then these very

(01:13:46):
colorful shirts, and then over the pants that wear a
dress which comes down today. So it's very, very modest,
and there's different tribal languages and interesting. Lisu don't say
hello or goodbye. They just don't have that in their vocabularies.

Speaker 2 (01:14:08):
It's not part of their customs.

Speaker 1 (01:14:09):
No, it really isn't. Well. The main Lisu festival is
the New Year's celebration, the same date as the Chinese
New Year, and celebrated with music, feasting, and drinking. I
did music and feasting. I didn't do much drinking. I
didn't do any drinking. And you know, people for this

(01:14:31):
celebration were enormous amounts of jewelry around, mainly around their
neck and their wrists and their ankles. It is absolutely so.
I had made arrangements for some people I know to
actually stay in the village and I had a hut,
I slept on the floor. I ate with them, everything

(01:14:53):
I did with them, and it was just one of
those experiences that what if you find knowledge, Hey, we're
in something called the wave season. What is that?

Speaker 2 (01:15:07):
Oh, the wave season is always the beginning of the year,
and it is the time where we see the most
incredible deals from the cruise lines that they are offering
their most aggressive discounts, cabin upgrades, on board credits.

Speaker 1 (01:15:23):
I mean you are free prepaid gratuities. Now you don't
get everything on every cruise, but.

Speaker 2 (01:15:30):
No selection, there's so many offers.

Speaker 1 (01:15:33):
Usually the wave season is January, February, March. Sometime it
creeps into early April. But figure quarter number one. If
you're thinking about a cruise, give Morris Columbus Travel a
call and take advantage of exclusive wave discounts. Now. Morris
Columbus Travel is the absolute number one seller of travel

(01:15:57):
in the entire Inner Mountain West.

Speaker 2 (01:15:59):
And we get the best dells I.

Speaker 1 (01:16:01):
Know with Viking cruises, for example, which is Ocean and River.
Morris Columbus Travel is the largest seller travel agency seller
of Viking cruises in the entire Western United Love Viking. Yeah,
they are a great one, and so you're going to
get some deals that you simply can't get anywhere else.

Speaker 2 (01:16:24):
No, everybody waits for wave season, And like you said,
if you're thinking about taking a cruise. Now's the time
to start talking about it. With one of our agents.

Speaker 1 (01:16:33):
Speaking of cruises, I talked earlier and we got cut
kind of short. A return to the golden age of cruising.
I'll be sailing with you nine days Honolulu to the
West Coast, including cruising the Hawaiian Islands. And this is
a repositioning cruise, which means it's giveaway fares. An inside

(01:16:54):
cabin including all taxes seven hundred and seventy seven dollars,
a alcony cabin one thousand and sixty eight. The dates
are April twenty nine to May seventh, twenty twenty seven,
and then the ship does Alaska. You can stay on
board in the same cabin and do Alaska. We'll see
you next week on the Travel show.