T H I S+W E E K

American byways
Strawberry festivals & folding chair
marching bands
By Don George, Editor

Ode to the road
Five great books in search of the American dream

D E P A R T M E N T S

The Surreal Gourmet
By Bob Blumer
A nouveau potato salad that'll create a star-spangled banner in your mouth

Mondo Weirdo
Couldn't we just have camel tortillas?

Postmark | Bend, Oregon:
Lattes meet lumberjacks in Oregon
By Christine Barnes

Passages
"The Soul of Golf"
By William Hallberg
Is there an all-black golf course around here?

> Readers' Tips and Tales
Key West: A great place to visit

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Your virtual travel agency

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LA S T+W E E K

Tuesday, June 24

Hong Kong Diary
Simon Winchester reports from Hong Kong in the days leading up to and following the handover

A full list of all
Wanderlust articles

jim coil | Key West--Great Place to Visit...
07:28am Jun 26, 1997 PST (#3 of 3)

remembering Jacques Cousteau - I learned how to scuba dive in key west close to 30 years ago - 3 rookies and one expert - one rookie in the boat - the chief was wandering nearby - me and my friend were armed, why I don't know - we were to amazed to even consider shooting anything - until dead ahead of us - perhaps within 15 feet was the biggest barracuda sitting dead in the water - directly in front of us - I never tried to swim in the opposite direction so fast in all my life - my friend was wearing a cold chain with a cross on it - thought it might have attracted attention? the chief seeing our panic - shot the cuda square behind the eye - the cuda pulled the gun right out of the chief hands - and yes he was a big strong man - we took our next lesson on the other side of the island. I have key west bookmarked - I shall return.

Ellen Liang | Hong Kong
07:05am Jun 26, 1997 PST (#12 of 14)

the scenery in Blade Runner was more attractive than present-day Hong Kong. I have lived here for seven years and when I saw Dan Rather broadcasting from Victoria Harbour today I thought he was in China. There's so much construction going on here that it's a shock even for those of us who do live here. The mood is not very upbeat among the Hong Kong Chinese. Though for many, especially the wealthy and the expats, it's a chance to party, what many locals are happiest about is the five-day public holiday. Most of the celebratory activities are funded by pro-China groups -- very few HK Chinese see any actual cause for celebration. The only ones who are really happy are those with good business links to China. There's hardly a sense of kinship between the mainland and the HK Chinese. The HK Chinese have longed viewed the mainlanders as crass and have often treated them with disdain; now the rich mainlanders who will flood in will be turning the tables. With such a pessimistic attitude, why am I still here? As with everybody else here, it's the economy...

Stephanie Poydock | Climate - wise : weather you love , weather you hate.
08:54am Jun 23, 1997 PST (#9 of 9)

me? I hate the heat and humidity. Can't stand it. We had our first very hot, humid and sticky day here this weekend, most appropriately, the first day of summer. I'd rather be cold than warm because you can always throw on a sweater or a blanket. But when it's hot, you can't always cool off. I am a monster when it comes to heat and trying to get ready for work or to go out. It's just uncomfortable.

I am from Oswego, New York, right on the shore of Lake Ontario. We are known for getting lots of snow in the winter. Personally, I'd take 4 feet of snow over heat and humidity. Blech.

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