Far & Away covers travel and vacation destinations outside the Pacific Northwest, from tourist spots in California to safaris in Tanzania. Stories are listed below by geographical area. Click on the headings below:

• General travel: Adventures, Airlines, Crime, Hotels, Miscellany, On the water, On the web,Women abroad

• Africa: Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia

• Australia: Sydney

• Asia: Bhutan, Cambodia, China (Hong Kong), Malaysia, Nepal, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam

• Canada
• Caribbean: Antiqua, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Grand Bahama Islands, St. Martin

• Central America: Costa Rica, Mexico (Cancun)

• Europe: Belgium, England (London), Finland, France (Paris), Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia (Moscow), Scotland. Spain, Sweden, Switzerland

• Middle East: Egypt, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria

• South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela

• United States: Alaska, Arizona, California (Long Beach, Los Angeles), Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Wyoming

Adventures

• Guided hikes fun way to see wilderness

• Muddy Waters: Nature thrives in estuaries

• Rich estuary is an unspoiled gem of a marine trail

• Whale-watching off coast of South Africa has all the 'right' stuff for adventure

• Expeditions not just vacation but adventure in volunteerism

• Adventure travel has thrills -- and possibly fatal risks

Airlines

• Airports are now using 'sizers' to measure carry-on bags

• Laptop Lane plugs into need for airport office center

• Low-cost airline tickets are a mouse click away

Crime

• List names most dangerous stops for business travelers

• Crime problems drive tourists from Macau

• Pickpocket work with a nasty bag of tricks to divert your attention

• Tourists are prime targets for crooks in Central, Eastern Europe

• Travelers can be easy pickings for savvy airport criminals

Hotels


• Don't like your hotel room? Demand another

• New extended-stay hotels can be a suite deal for saving money

Miscellany

• Maintain a low profile if visiting trouble areas

• UN lifts ban on travel to Libya

• Despite some anti-smoking laws, it's still a smoker's world

• Foriegn taboos to avoid when traveling

• The Euro is coming

• Motion sickness needs to be attacked before it hits

• A plan of attack to prevent jet lag

• For more room than an inn, families, business travelers enjoy apartments

• Travel writers are prepared when they hit the road

• Plastic is replacing traveler's checks as the way to pay abroad

• City Pass a low-cost way to visit top sites in Seattle and other cities

• Save money on long-term car rental in Europe, insurance included

• Tourism may be biggest industry by 2020

• Waning sunlight still destructive enough to damage eyes, burn skin

• How wacky is tacky? Souvenirs take cake

  On the water
  

  • Muddy Waters: Nature thrives in estuaries

  • Rich estuary is an unspoiled gem of a marine trail

  • Whale-watching off coast of South Africa has all the 'right' stuff for adventure

  • For family fun, cruise can be smooth sailing

  • Ferries are great, cheap way to see the sights

  On the Web
  
  • Rail Pass Express sells tickets on the web

  • Tours of national historical sites now on the Web

  • CDC travel warnings now only on Web or by fax

  Women abroad
  
  • Travelwise women find going alone has advantages

  • Concern over safety, gender biases issues for women traveling alone

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Africa
Whale-watching off coast of South Africa has all the 'right' stuff for adventure

Congo


Renewed tourism may be salvation for endangered gorillas

Ghana

Restoration of slave castles causing controvery

Kenya


Man-eaters of Tsavo museum planned in nation where lions killed scores

Mozambique

American proposes huge resort for biodiverse country

South Africa

Blooming fields of Namaqualand one of world's great natural spectacles

Tanzania


African nation is pushing environmentally friendly tourism

Tunisia

Tunisia revels in tourists while Algeria does without

Zimbabwe

At Hwange National Park, the mane attraction is only the beginning

Along the Zambezi: Where hippos and humans are soothed

Bungee jump adds excitement to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe

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Asia
Bhutan

Insular nation is a study in contrasts

Cambodia

Nations' trials meant to prevent errors during restoration of Angkor

China

• Timeless serenity of Suzhou's gardens worth a look

• In Yangshuo, cormorants draw tourists hook, line and sinker

• Macau prepares to rejoin China after 400 years

Hong Kong

• Beijing China Club takes Hong Kong hip to the edge

• Take the train from Hong Kong to Beijing

• Tai O sampan lady keeping Hong Kong tradition alive
  

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Malaysia

• Asian adventure is not for the faint of heart

India
• Visitors to Varanasi blessed with glimpse of India at its most sacred

• Grandiose Taj Mahal full of surprises up close

• Central India city's civic leaders hope erotic sculptures draw tourists

Nepal

• Nepal's glass-bottle crackdown is helping Everest area sparkle

• 18 days of rural trekking in Nepal come close to being a country stroll

• In the land of Everest, one need only scale a bike to get a dazzling view

• Himalayan Nepal offers exciting opportunities for white-water rafting

• The nuts and bolts of preparing for Nepal treks and rafting trips

Japan

• Tokyo can be an adventure in language

• Cultural theme parks bring the world close to home

Philippines

• Philippines putting its rich history on display for centennial

Thailand

• Padaung 'giraffe women' major tourist attraction in Thailand

• Russian tourists seek tropics in Thailand

• Final gaps closing in plans for Trans-Asian Railway

• Ample resources for trekking in the north

• T. Rex remains are drawing the crowds to Phu Wiang National Park

Vietnam

Restoration of the Citadel at Hue is act of pride for Vietnamese

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Australia
• All-aboard in Australia for the newest Orient Express ride

• Hervey Bay: A prime spot for hobnobbing with humpbacks

• Remote town's museum offers a treasure of prehistoric finds

• Visit usual tourist spots, but hop on over to Noosa for a truly peaceful Australian vacation

• Aboriginal heritage center to open in Sydney

• Future Olympic Games site Sydney has full range of excitement to offer
Canada
• A new territory says: Come on up; tundras of fun await

Caribbean
Bahamas

• Glittery Atlantis rises, and Bahamas is banking on it

Antigua

• Lack of rainwater threatens idyllic life on Caribbean island

Grand Bahama Island

This shark adventure is an intense act to swallow

Cayman Islands

• Swim among the fish in the Caymans

• Look out below: Diving opens underwater vistas waiting to be explored

• Diving in the Caymans is like visiting an alien world

• How to cut costs without sacrificing fun

Cuba
• Pristine Cuban beach and thriving resorts -- no cigar for Americans

• Internet now an easy way to plot a course for Cuba

• Behind Castro's curtain, capitalism kicks up its heels

• Despite embargo Americans visit Cuba legally -- and illegally

St. Martin

French and Dutch share their island paradise with sun-loving tourists

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Central America
Costa Rica

• Violence still looms in Central America

Mexico

• Burton-Taylor's Puerto Vallarta: Memories live on

• Need spiritual cleansing? Catemaco, Mexico, has a witching deal for you

• Cozumel tourists delight in sun, snorkeling and rainy-day shopping

• Cruising Mexico's Sea of Cortes

• Acapulco's pretty face hides its tears

• Zihuatanejo: Slice of charming, laid-back and 'real' Mexico

• Thievery against tourists and locals has become epidemic in Mexico City

• Bountiful beaches but no waves of tourists are Ixtapa's allure

  Cancun
  

  • Friendly people make this more than just another resort

  • Paradise hides behind jungle-lined highway south of here

  Puerto Rico
  • A remote mecca calls surfers to Puerto Rico's western tip

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Europe
European auto travel ideal for adventures off the beaten path

Austria


• Lipizzaner stallions symbolize the glory of nation's history
Belgium

• All booming on the Western Front with battlefield tourism

Denmark

• 'Out of Africa' author's estate a top draw in Denmark
England

• Notting Hill: Hot neighborhood before movie turned up the heat

• Quick tour of London focuses on old times, new haunts

• Walking tours high on memory of Princess Di

• British cities abound with tours for Beatles fans

• Althorp Park to open in July and August; tickets very limited

• Passengers can participate in shipboard musical on high seas

• A walk through the Gardens of Heligan is a leap back in time

  London
  

  • Visitors to London can rent a comfortable home

  • London's White Tower reopens

  • Will Britain lose its marbles because they lost their patina?

  • Madame Tussaud's stays up-to-date on its lineup of notables

  • The 400-year-old Globe Theatre is being brought back to life

  • Major theater works and hip eateries have made this a cool place to be

Finland

• Every day is Christmas at Finland's Santapark

• Finnish countryside comes alive in summer with music festivals

• When winter leaves Rovaniemi in the dark, city still glows

• Finns' love of the arts lights up August in Helsinki

France
• Today it's tourists who lay siege to Mont St. Michel

• French couple's success spreads with every jar of homemade jam

• A romantic wedding in France starts with 40-day stay

• Brie-making is art for French village

• Avignon: Smorgasbord of theater, dance

• Some Paris chefs would like to boil Zagat in oil

• Village of Provins re-creates its daily life in the Middle Ages

• After five years, Disneyland Paris is a hit -- even with the French

• Provence region offers fun for the family

  Paris

  • Eight centuries later, Notre Dame still a fascinating work in progress

  • Paris artists provide an intimate glimpse of their inner world

  • Music museum hits all the right notes

  • City of Lights still expensive but it's friendlier to Americans now

  • Paris' much-maligned Pompidou Center is set for a revamp

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Germany

• Post-Wall building boom is hot new tourist draw in Berlin

• Cruise the ancient waterway of the Rhine River and journey through history

• Warner Bros. creates an amusement park in the Ruhr Valley

Greece

• Greek island of Naxos richly historic and quaintly beautiful Holland
  
  • Holland's castles are magical little secret

  Italy
  

  • Rome undertakes major cleanup for millenniu

  • New glimpse of Old Rome

  • Tourism in Assisi still not back on feet after quakes

  • Chances to see ancient city of Pompeii dwindling as time and decay take toll

  • Off-season Venice is poles apart from summer bustle

  • Ferragamo Museum well worth taking step off the beaten path

  • In Italy, cuisine flows naturally from the surroundings

  Norway
  
  • Fjord country magical in its nature

  • It's a matter of latitude: Norwegians trade barbs in northernmost-town spat

  • It's Christmas year-round at one toy store

  • Exclusive Alta River is a legend among sports anglers

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  Poland
  
  Warsaw's Jewish life being born again on Prozna Street

  Portugal
  
  • Expo '98 may be last chance to sample a changing nation
  • All the world's an ocean at Expo '98

  Russia
  
  • A visit to St. Petersburg is an adventure if you know your history

  • The best European museum of '98 is in Siberia, not Europe

    Moscow
    

    • Time, economy leave St. Basil's Cathedral in sorry condition

    • Move over, Lenin: It's consumers of the world unite

    • City awash in a building frenzy, market mentality

  Scotland
  
  • Despite its wee size, Scotland is bursting with distinctive charm

  • Britannia will be opened for tours in Edinburgh

  • Scotland is a haven for pricier rounds of golf

  Spain
  

  • Hosting the 1992 Olympics put Barcelona in peak form as a tourist spot

  • Spain's Sagrada Familia cathedral slowly builds on its designer's dreams

  Sweden
  
  • Stockholm strutting its stuff as '98 Cultural Capital of Europe

  • Ice Hotel maintains chilly attitude toward guests

  • Skiing at nation's top resort is a pleasantly chilly experience

  Switzerland
  
  Private guides offer stunning inner glimpses of Switzerland

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Middle East
Egypt

• Soon there may be a museum of Cleopatra under the sea

• Neglect puts a damper on Cairo museum's treasures

• Protecting its tourists from terrorists a top priority

• Sphinx is being repaired in the ancient way

Iran

• Trickle of U.S. tourists warmly welcomed back to Iran

Israel

• Sepulcher's guardians won't bury old jealousies

• Amateur Dead Sea dig begins at the end of December

• For many, archaeological digs unearth a passion

• Spirit of quest fills quiet darkness during night at Christian sacred site

Jordan


• Mysterious marvels in Jordan's ancient city of Petra

• Jordan wants to attract tourists to it's many biblical sites

Saudi Arabia

Saudis cautiously put out welcome mat for foreign visitors
Syria

Nightclubs help stir new life into sleepy Damascus

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South America
Argentina

A man named Cat introduces sled dogs to the far, far south

Take a spectacular train ride to an end of the world

Bolivia

• Salt hotel rule: No licking

Brazil

• Couple make gaucho marks for a winter wonderland in Brazil

• Great beaches on Brazilian island without crowds of Rio

Colombia

• Starting point for a trip down the Amazon

Ecuador


• Galapagos capsizing causes one death, three missing

Peru

• World still wonders about the origins of Machu Picchu

• Inca culture still part of daily life for modern Peruvians

Venezuela

• Few answers to what killed reefs of Morrocoy

• World's longest cable car is being restored to service

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United States
Historic cities all decked out in old-fashioned best

Washington exhibit will travel around U.S.

Tourism agencies finding a market for black history sites

Thanks in part to postings online, foreigners keep the 'do' in dude ranch

Traveling exhibit offers hands-on look at conditions on slave ships

A man and his dog retrace the doomed Donner Party's 900-mile journey

More than 500 U.S. amusement parks celebrated the International Year of the Roller Coaster in 1996

Alaska


• Tourism and research to go hand in hand at Alaska SeaLife Center

• Glacier Bay an awesome showcase of nature's majesty

• Time has tamed the Alaska Highway but not dulled its beauty

• Cabbage patch giants: Huge vegetables befitting of a huge state

Arizona

• Arizona garden proves there's more to the desert than cactus

  Ellis and Liberty islands welcome offspring of the huddled masses

• Navajo park weaves a rich tapestry of nature and tribal life

• Arizona caters to bird-watchers

• Get a genuine glimpse of the Old West on historic Whiskey Row

• Boaters take notice: Scenic Lake Powell is for everyone

• Many couples fall in love with Sedona, get married there

• Tourists, history and a ghost or two keep tiny Jerome alive

• The old cow trail just ain't what it used to be

• If it's wintertime, it means the 'snowbirds' have arrived

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California

• San Francisco's Cliff House still dishing it out after 136 years<
• Legoland California is stacking up to be a snappy ride for fans

• Palm Springs a surprising paradise for the not-rich and not-famous shopper

• Movie stars are seen at a Hollywood coffee shop

• Silicon Valley's Tech Museum aims to dazzle and inspire

• Torrid Death Valley's a hot spot for tourists

  There's something arresting about movie set Western Town

• Guides cover most bases in California wine country

• California celebration marks glitter and tarnish of its past

• Santa Cruz Island: A diamond in the rough

• Winter is a time to savor wine country's calm

• Once friendly Carmel becoming hostile to its patrons: Tourists

• Map points out hysterical markers in California

• Private ranch becomes part of Channel Islands National Park

• San Diego home for state's only officially sanctioned haunted house

• Visa offers cardholders special dining deals in the Bay Area

  Long Beach
  

  • Long Beach poised to make waves with new aquarium

  • Fun on land, sea and through the air in Long Beach

  Los Angeles
  
  La Brea Tar Pits offer look at stunning ice age fossils
  • Jurassic Park, a Los Angeles theme park, plays on our fascination with dinosaurs

  • Warner Bros. Museum offers inside glimpse into Hollywood studio's past

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Colorado

• Call of the wild: Once-grand lodges cry out for repair

• As Buffalo Bill Cody turns 150, museum celebrates his legacy

Florida


• Universal challenges Disney with new park

• Most of Florida Keys back in business after Georges

• Peruvian artifacts will be displayed in an exhibition in St. Petersburg

• Game fish museum opening in Florida

• Florida rivers offer meeting place for man and manatees

• Fossil hunter really digs his job

• Disney World, Universal Studios make a killer Orlando combo for kids

Georgia

Damaged again by arson, "Gone With the Wind" author's home to rise again

Hawaii


• Mighty Mo joins the Arizona as war memorial

• Maui Ocean Center recreates Hawaii's underwater

• It's a whirlybird's-eye view of stunning scenery

• A coffee museum and exhibit at the Koloa Estate are enticing.

• Go with the flow for spectacular sights in Volcanoes National Park

• From a saddle, this state's a horse of a different color

• Even locals agree Maui is the best

Louisiana

New Orleans' City of the Dead is rich with history

Maine

Historic windjammers set sail for intimate cruises into the past

Idaho

• A walk in the 'Moon' park out of this world

• Hey dude, visiting ranches can be more fun than Disneyland

Louisiana

• Naughty N'awlins a super nice place to be at Christmas

• New Orleans, where the accent's always on a good time

Maine

• Stanley Steamers to re-create mountain chug

Massachusetts

• Celebrate Thanksgiving in Plymouth and experience how it used to be

• Dinner with Ben Franklin

Mississippi

• Down the river on a steamboat

Missouri

• Missouri's crawlin' with down-under sights and lore

Montana

• Putting the giddy in giddy-up for a Montana cattle drive

• Butte recalls its history in park commemorating mining town's women

• Ranches offer quiet-on-the-Western-front experience

• For natural splendor, Montana's Glacier is clearly the ticket

Nevada

• The loneliest road: U.S. Route 50 runs through a lot of nowhere to get somewhere

• Las Vegas earns kudos as a family place with something for all ages

New Mexico

• Taos: Mix of western spirit and ancient culture

• Wind, water, ice artists behind City of Rocks

• Spend a small fortune in Santa Fe. Or not.

• Festival at Carlsbad Caverns explores the wonders of bats

• New Mexico's own 'Jurassic Park' lures plethora of prehistoric buffs

• Santa Fe's tourism boom classified as work of art

• Menagerie of special shapes lifts Albuquerque balloon fiesta above the norm

• Despite tourists, Santa Fe preserves its culture

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New York

• Ellis and Liberty islands welcome offspring of the huddled masses

• At Lake Placid, the excitement begins as snowflakes fall

• Two new guidebooks help you get around the Big Apple

• In the Big Apple some don't know beans about Seattle

• Hotline provides accessibility info for New York City sites

North Carolina

Blue Ridge Parkway offers 469 miles of beautiful foliage

Ohio

• Rock Hall of Fame celebrates Elvis

Tennessee

Young Elvis lives in Memphis' Sun Studio tour

Texas

During December, San Antonio shines with seasonal glow of Hispanic culture

Utah

Turf war over dinosaur park not expected to deter fans

Utah

• Boaters take notice: Scenic Lake Powell is for everyone

• Utah's dinosaur center is the real digs

Ohio

• First Ladies Library: Beyond gowns and gloves

Virginia

• Centuries long past come alive again in Colonial Williamsburg

• All the news that's fit to print can be found in the Newseum

• Blue Ridge Parkway offers 469 miles of beautiful foliage

Washington, D.C.

• Hotel del Coronado gleams as a historic and vacationing jewel

• Nation's capital very accessible to those with disabilities

• Smithsonian 'Star Wars' exhibit honors series' gifts to the imagination

• State Dept. diplomatically seeks more visitors to Foggy Bottom

• The Smithsonian celebrates its anniversary with a CD-ROM tour

Wyoming

Planning essential for visiting Yellowstone Park in summer or winter

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