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Unforgettable
childhood memories
What
is your earliest memory? Mine
is waking up in my father’s arms
as he carried me from the car where I
had fallen asleep. On the way through
the garden he put me down and took my
photo, I remember him telling me to hold
my pig tail as he took the photo. It is
a sweet memory; I was only 2 and 3/4.
I know, not much of a garden, but I lived
in the outback and we were clearly having
a drought that year. Had my father not
taken a photo, though, I doubt very much
I would have remembered waking up
in his arms that day, it was because over
the years I saw that photo time and time
again that I continued to relive those
memories and they stuck. I am now 38 and
can vividly remember the details.
It
goes to show that a photograph should
never be underestimated, especially
when it comes to your childhood or your
children, neither should experiences.
I have a 3.5 year old son who just loves
Pho which is a popular Vietnamese soup.
We took Max to Vietnam when he was 18
months old on a tailor
made itinerary with Kumuka and this
is where we introduced him to the soup
and he has loved it ever since.
It
was an amazing experience, one the grown-ups
will never forget. We had so
much fun, every day was exciting for all
of us including Max. Travelling was like
a big play ground for him, will Max remember
it? I doubt it, but the experience was
so good for all of us, maybe that’s
why he loves flying, maybe that’s
why he loves journeys? Maybe that’s
why he loves adventures? Maybe we have
begun to shape a world traveler. We show
him the photos often and have fun planning
our next adventure together.
OK so not everyone wants to take their
18 month old half way across the world
to taste Pho, fair enough (though I highly
recommend it and the flight is free!).
But taking your family on an adventure
like a Kumuka
Family Adventure is something worth
considering at some stage of your child’s
life and what better way to spend the
school holidays.
The
best thing about travelling with the family
is that everyone enjoys it, adults
and children alike, it is the perfect
generation amalgam. Entertaining your
children on an average holiday can be
more taxing than it's worth, every day
they require stimulus. I recently read
an article from an exasperated father
who was glad to be back at work as it
was too tiring entertaining the children
every day whilst at their beach shack.
The problem was that the parents and children
wanted to do different things. When you
are on a family adventure you don’t
have to think, the entertainment has been
organised and is at your disposal the
minute you wake up each day and its simply
fun for everyone. There is no thought
involved for the participants - simply
enjoyment. Now surely that’s what
you call a holiday.
Over and above the fact that the whole
family is entertained and can happily
enjoy each others company for the duration
of the holiday, the experiences are the
once in a life time types, they bring
the family closer together and for many
can be life changing.
If you want to create an album
that keeps childhood memories alive then
think about a family tour with Kumuka
Worldwide or create your own journey
with Kumuka
Worldwide Tailor Made tours.
So what are you waiting for?
Venture a little further. Go to www.kumuka.com
and discover the 'real' world.
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Meet
Brett Wendorf - Head of Sales and Marketing
Australia/Pacific
A
passionate Kumuka advocate, Brett has blessed
Kumuka with his presence for the last 13 years.
He joined the company after a stint on the road
in his home country, the United States, as a
tour leader. Through his tourism days he has
managed to step foot on every warm continent
and now with a wife and two daughters in tow
has his sights set on Antarctica
so he can bag the last and coldest continent.
In
his own words:
What
made you join Kumuka? What do you like
most about working for Kumuka? Every day is
different, and the world is a very interesting
place
Favorite Destination? Due to
my love for mountains it has to be Nepal and
The Canadian Rockies, I also love the wildlife
in the Rockies.
Favorite bar? I have a few…
“Little Creatures” in Fremantle...the
reason Sundays were created. “The Roxy
on Granville” in Vancouver...great cover
bands and vodka paralyzers. “Sam’s
Bar” in Kathmandu… it epitomizes
Kathmandu. “The Atha-B” Jasper Canada...Too
many nights I can't remember. “Ku De Ta”
Bali…The reason sunsets were invented…
Favorite restaurant? In and
Out Burger USA...It's an American thing.
Weirdest experience from your travel
days? Snow Skiing just outside of Las
Vegas...very surreal
If you could invite two famous people
to go travelling with you who would they be
and why? Michael Palin and Vincent
Vaughn - it would be a witty journey.
Your weirdest – publishable habit.
I steal refrigerator magnets from other people's
home and put them on my refrigerator at home…
particularly target magnets with family photos
on them.
Best travel tip. Travel the
USA just before Memorial Day or right after
Labor Day.
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Simple
and beautiful spice island of Zanzibar
Erica
takes it slow and enjoys garlic prawns!
The
paradisiacal island of Zanzibar, I believe is
so, not only because it is stunningly beautiful
but it is simple. A few roads criss-cross the
island for the occasional vehicle to transit
locals and tourists alike but they take their
time and most people are found walking or leisurely
lapping up the atmosphere, even seaweed farmers
seem to do everything in slow motion.
I stumbled upon a menu in a somewhat rustic
looking restaurant offering garlic prawns amongst
a host of other sensational dishes that sounded
like they should belong in a 5 star restaurant.
Keen to give them a try I asked the waiter for
a dish, ‘ah’ he replied, ‘you
will have to come back in 5 hours, I need to
get the prawns’. Gee things really do
happen slowly I thought, I agreed and made a
note to come back later in the afternoon with
my friends.
After a stunning day on the water, snorkeling
and sailing on a dhow, we came back to find
the waiter flat on his back and fast asleep!
This didn’t bode well for our up and coming
meal! We made a few ‘ahem’ noises
and he stirred, looked at us and instantly beamed,
‘come come, sit, I have your garlic prawns’
he gestured and sure enough he did, he soon
brought out a lovely dish of perfectly cooked,
perfectly sized prawns.
He then sat down to tell us for the next 20
minutes about his journey to get the prawns,
how he got a lift from his brother’s brother
in law to Stone Town and met this man and that,
then waited for a ship to come in, then haggled
to get the best price, then tried to find his
brother’s brother in law, who had gone
already, so he had to hitch a lift back to his
home with the prawns, it was a very hot day
and he was very tired so had fallen asleep.
We felt exhausted just listening to him but
somewhat impressed at the lengths he had gone
to, simply for a happy customer. We realized
why it took 5 hours to prepare a simple dish.
We felt guilty that he had gone to such lengths
to deliver the prawns but his beaming smile
of satisfaction when he saw us enjoy the meal
made us realize that this meal was more than
a simple sale to him, it was a real accomplishment.
As a thank you we visited his restaurant many
times during our visit, though chose wisely
from the menu to avoid any other epic journeys,
and will never forget his face when he said
with a beaming
smile on our departure… ”Goodbye,
see you in two years and have you a good transporta”
These kinds of experiences were what made Africa
for me, the people, the simplicity of life and
the extremes they go to to make things happen,
they don’t happen in the same way they
do at home, everything seems to be that much
more challenging but as a result the experience
is so much more rewarding.
I think about that every time I simply go to
the freezer and grab out a few frozen prawns
for my Pad Thai… I’ll never take
prawns for granted again!
Thanks for introducing me to Africa Kumuka,
I’ll be back!
Eric Vansanten
Eric Travelled on Kumuka’s East
Africa Express tour which visits Zanzibar
(and now also includes a 4 day, 3 night excursion
into the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater).
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BOOK
AN ANTARCTICA CRUISE TODAY AND YOUR COMPANION
TRAVELS AT HALF PRICE!!*
That’s right, book one of the
following departures and your travel companion
can travel at 50% off!
Cruise
aboard the MV Ushuaia to one of the last remaining
wildernesses on our planet today: Antarctica,
the fabled White Continent. Antarctica is an
untamed territory of wild, natural beauty, as
well as a land of superlatives: the world's
fifth largest continent, the coldest place on
earth, the highest average altitude, the lowest
humidity. The continent is devoid of a permanent
human population, although what it lacks in
the human factor, it more than makes up for
in animals, wildlife and scenery.
This
offer applies to the following departures only:
10 March - 20 March 2010
20 March - 30 March 2010
Click
here for more information on the Antarctica
Exploration
*
Conditions: Offer applies to new bookings
after 25 February 2010 only. Offer applies to
the above three departure dates only. Departures
are subject to availability, please contact
Kumuka for more details. Full payment must be
received at time of confirmation.
BOOK
A CENTRAL EUROPE TOUR BY 20 MARCH 2010 AND GET
A FREE* 2 OR 3 DAY ANZAC TOUR
Planning
a trip to Europe? Why not team it up with a
FREE side trip to Gallipoli this Anzac Day.
The
Anzac service is held at dawn, traditionally
among soldiers the favoured time for attack.
In addition to the memorial service, on this
tour you will visit the battlefield, museum
and memorial sites.
Click
here for more details on the 2 day and 3 day
Anzac Tours
Click
here for more information on the 28 day Central
Europe tour
*
Conditions: Cannot be booked in conjunction
with any other offer. Offer applies to new bookings
made between 25 February and 20 March 2010.
Free Anzac Day tour must be used on 25 April
2010 departure. Full payment must be received
at time of confirmation.
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Caption
Competition on Facebook
Check
out our new Facebook competition. Add a creative
caption to our latest travel pic on our Facebook
page and you could win a AU$100 iTunes voucher.
But you must be a fan of our Facebook page to
WIN! Go to:
and click on the Kumuka Caption Comp album to
get creative!
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Travel
tips this month have been brought to you by
our sales team
1.
Don't
use plastic bags for laundry,
shoes or anything of the like ... When packing
in the dark, plastic bags are noisy and likely
to wake your room-mate. One objective of travelling
... try and keep your roommate happy ... It
makes for an easier trip!
2. When using
insect repellent, use a cream
not a spray, creams don’t emit a smell
for everyone else to be offended by.
3. Keep an open
mind when travelling, different
places, different experiences - it's all part
of the adventure!
4. Read through
the itineraries, you will be
surprised at the inclusions Kumuka offer!
5. Never be afraid
to ask questions, before you
go or with the tour leader, you will get more
out of your holiday with advice and information
from our experienced staff!!
6. As a female,
always take a sarong when travelling.
It is a gal’s best friend. It has so many
uses: a towel at the beach, a towel after a
shower, a piece of clothing, a good pillow cover,
a blanket and good for a bit of privacy when
you have to go to the bathroom in the middle
of nowhere.
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Want
to work for the adventure travel experts?
Can
you think on your feet, stay calm under pressure,
share your enthusiasm, and use your knowledge
of a region of the world to come up with great
suggestions? Can you improvise at the drop of
a hat?
We are currently looking for someone passionate
about travel to join us in our Sydney office
as a Wholesale Reservations Consultant.
Ideally you will be well travelled, energetic
and dedicated to providing the best travel experience
for our customers with a definite passion for
travel.
For
more information and to apply please click here.
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“Life
is not measured by the number of breaths we
take but by the number of moments that take
our breath away.”
Anon
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