Photography Tour in China -- Interested?

What comes to mind when someone says, "Photography Tour"?

• I don't want to go with a bunch of geeks
• Who wants to carry all those bulky lenses all over the place?
• I have a point-and-shoot camera that I like
• ... and it takes pictures that are good enough for me!

Well, guess what? I agree with you on all four of those statements. That's why I'm working on putting together a tour that I'm calling a "Photography Tour for the Average Photographer." I have a Panasonic point-and-shoot that I've used to take good pictures on five continents, so it's served me well. Here are some details (as scant and approximate as they are right now):

• 15-day tour to visit China highlights (Great Wall, Terracota soldiers, Yangtze River, Shanghai)
• Depart USA on Friday September 5; depart China Friday September 19
• I would lead as Tour Director, helpful photographer, story-teller, and bad-joke teller
• In-country guide(s) with us all the time
• You need a China tourist visa (class L)
• Maximum tour size about 16 people

If this interests you, please send me an email at stuart@stuartgustafson.com; this doesn't commit you to the tour; it just gives me an idea of who wants to go, and can we make this work. It will also allow me to communicate directly with you about the tour.
Any questions? Send me an email!

Santa Clara, CA -- a nice winter break!

Darlene and I are enjoying our short weekend break from the cold weather and the inversion in Boise this weekend by staying in Santa Clara, CA. It's both a weekend getaway, plus a chance to attend the Travel and Adventure Show at the Santa Clara Convention Center. It was an easy flight over on Friday afternoon (yea, no zero-dark-thirty morning flight!), and the drive down from SFO was pleasant (thanks to the carpool lane).

Friday evening was a delightful dinner with nephew Brian and wife Michele. The cuisine at California Cafe in Los Gatos was quite delicious, and we even got to sing Happy Birthday to a young lady (16) whose table full of friends were very well mannered.


On Saturday, Darlene and I spent several hours at the travel show, visiting booths, talking to people, and enjoying watching people getting excited about travel. I ran into some friends there, and the lively conversation was great. We headed out for some lunch at Pedro's Restaurant and Cantina near our hotel in Santa Clara. Darlene had a Caesar Salad with grilled chicken (well worth the extra $4), and I had Enchiladas Suiza -- tasty! The never-empty basket of chips with salsa made sure that were were stuffed by time we walked out for the short drive back to the hotel. 

For dinner we found a little place that we'll be sure to re-visit when we're here again -- Happy Sushi. We passed several others on the way, and had to really look for the sign as space #5 is back in off the street. Seating is limited to about 30 people, but the decor is charming, the service was great, and the food was very tasty (and inexpensive).

We decided to head over the hills to Santa Cruz on Sunday morning, and it was a beautiful drive on windy Route 17 through the pine trees and the occasional development. We got to the boardwalk before the excitement really began, so it was still a little quiet. We headed to the pier; walked the full length, and then headed back to find a spot for some food and drink. Lindsey at the upper level of Stagnaro Brothers served us the BEST Bloody Mary we've ever had (not counting the times when we thought our fourth one was the best!). The mix had enough horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper to make it taste like a shrimp cocktail. Speaking of shrimp, she loaded the drink with some nice edible ones also!

The sea lions petitioned the city to have some lounge chairs installed at the pier, but they got some decking installed instead. When the tide comes in, the animals belly their way onto the platforms; some loners, but many get together for a lazy day. Others who either opt for staying in the water, or who were too late for the easy hop on, congregate in the water, certainly looking as if they want to take a nap.

The drive back over the hills to Santa Clara was again a nice reminder of the beauty that still exists even in metropolitan areas. Sunday night's excitement was a Fire Alarm that was apparently pulled by one of the dozens of youngsters that were part of a large wedding celebration at the hotel that was lasting [at least] two days. We grabbed a jacket and headed down the eight flights of stairs, only to be greeted by an "All Clear" -- at least we were able to take the elevator back to the room.

It's a bit foggy outside right now on Monday morning, so we'll wait as long as we can until we head to the airport for our afternoon return flight to Boise. It was a great weekend on many accounts, and now we're looking forward to our trip to Cabo San Lucas in six days for our annual warmth in the sun and sand vacation!

Chicago Travel Show

The Chicago Travel Show (actually in Rosemont, IL) was truly outstanding. It was so well organized, and the booths were arranged in a logical order to make it easier for attendees to find them. For instance, Asia Pacific destinations and tour companies were in row 1700 -- thus one didn't have to wander all over the floor to find trips to China. Smart thinking on the part of the organizers! I hope the rest of their shows are set up that way.

There were four stages with various presentations and top-rate speakers, the "main stage" being the Travel Theater with seating for over 1,000 (I know because I counted the rows and then the chairs in each row!). Among the speakers on this stage were Rick Steves, Pauline Frommer, Samantha Brown and Patricia Schultz. Other stages included Global Beats (music and dance from around the world), Taste of Travel (food, fod, food), and Destination Theater (numerous places to visit around the world).

Also on hand was a Sea World exhibit (no dolphins or penguins; there was a cute turtle, though) and a Mechanical Bull where the operators made sure that the young kids and the older kid had a good time, but always fell off "when it was their time." A fun time was indeed had by all.

Besides talking with numerous tour operators, my favorite "show" was my shoe shine from Dwight. This man truly loves his job, which is entertainment. Yes, you walk away with shinier shoes, but that's not the only reason to climb into his chair.

To see where the next travel shows are, just go to http://adventureexpo.com/ and see where your travels can take you.

Test Post

This is a a simple test to see if it goes out when it should.I've been having problems as the posts were not being sent out on schedule. The December posts went out, but since the new year.
Stuart