Our Globetrotting Favorite PetBy: Kathy Manney / Around Our WorldMy children and I were leaving thefamiliar for the unknown. We set outfor Taiwan in 1972, tojoin my husband John who had already beenstationed there with the United States Air Force19-months before our arrival. Fear of theunknown mixed with the thrill of adventure.Traveling from Taipei to Taichung, outsidethe bus window, besides miles of rice paddies,I saw for the first time high field of sugar caneglistening in the afternoon glare, fields thatwent on and on, weaving gently back andforth.There were villages with small farmhouseswith chickens running freely, and in the heartof the village, two-story shops where familieslived above their businesses, crowded nextto one another and laundry hanging on bamboo poles strung fromone upper window ledge to another. Narrow alleys ran off the mainthoroughfare.We soon settled into life in Taichung, which included a puppy for thechildren. Our son David found her. In the beginning, John wasn’t toothrilled.Gradually, Yuki won all our hearts. If you can call a dog’s personality“refined” and “ladylike,” Yuki fit the description.When military orders came for a unit move from Taiwan to thePhilippines, there was no question aboutwhat to do about Yuki. She was going with us.Removing a dog from Taiwan requiredpaperwork that included an exit visa andwe then arranged for her commercial airtransportation to Manila. Once we arrived inthe Philippines, no Yuki.Yuki was missing for two long weeks.When it was time to come “home,” onceagain, there was no hesitation regardingYuki, She was coming too.We dispatched Yuki commercial air to myparents in Portland, Oregon. In route, Yukihad a stopover that included an exercise walkin Honolulu. Yuki then traveled with us tolive in Texas before moving to Nevada.Without doubt, Yuki our heart stealing, globetrotting dog, foreverremains our family’s all-time favorite pet.Kathy Manney enjoys visiting interesting places and being anAdventure Diva. Her “Must See” travel journeys continue - alwayswith enthusiasm.40Secrets of the AmazonBy: Burt & Dianne Davis / Our VacationThis month the publisher asked columniststo feature pets. This is as close as we wereable to accommodate the request.Traipsing through the dense junglein the Amazon in December 2018, welearned about the benefits, challenges, andsurprises of life in this equatorial SouthAmerican region. We took several tours intothe tropical jungle during our Viking Cruise“From the Caribbean to the Amazon.”One, at night, was a high point of ouradventures.At Manaus, the largest city on theAmazon, we opted for the “Jungle SurvivalTrek.” A riverboat cruise along the RioNegro took us to Guedes Lake for our pretrekbriefing.We saw termite mounds close to the ground and higher up in trees orlarger bushes. We learned of their medicinal value.In the dense woods, our guide showed us nutrient-rich fruits andnuts, plants whose leaves and roots have medicinal properties andwhich vegetation to avoid. Our guide and his helpers demonstratedMarch 2021survival skills and showed how to build a shelter using forest materials.We learned to make a fire, even during wet conditions, and how totrap animals with materials found in the Amazon jungle.Lastly we left after dark to search for Caimans, nocturnal reptiles,in the dense jungle backwaters of the BlackRiver. Small riverboats transported us tothe docking area where we boarded tenpassenger motorized canoes.As we journeyed through the dark waters,our guide silently moved his flashlightalong the water in hopes of spotting thesecreatures which are close relatives of thecrocodile. They can weigh up to 2,400pounds and grow to be 15 feet.There was just darkness with a littlelight from the moon and stars. Luckily, thecaimans we spotted were young and small,giving us the experience - but with a wholelot less danger.We came, we listened, we ventured, we saw, we touched, We alsorecommend these excursions without reservation for the adventurousfolks who want to experience the Amazon region.Thanks to Dianne and Burt Davis who continue to travel the worldand share their adventures with our readers.
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