Sandra Scott Travels

The small island of Aruba in the southern Caribbean Sea is only 18 miles from the north coast of Venezuela. With sandy beaches, cooling trade winds, and friendly people the island is dubbed “One Happy Island.” Aruba is considered one of the safest Caribbean destinations.

My family has been fortunate to travel to so many places. I imagine some people think we are wealthy or have a secret source of money. Not true. Like much in life, if one wants to travel one needs to make choices.

When I travel, besides seeing all the usual tourist spots, I like to see some of the off-beat things. There are several books and websites that I found helpful. “Roadside America” has a website where I can bring up a map and pick out the unique things to see in the area in which I am traveling. It is easy to search by location.

There are many great indoor places that are warm, snuggly and interesting to visit. You don’t have to be an art enthusiast to enjoy an art museum; in fact, I am willing to guarantee even those who usually shy away from art museums will find something of interest and, who knows, maybe, learn to like something new. When I took my grandkids to the art museum in Cleveland we signed up for the children’s tour. It was fascinating. We all learned.

The leaves are falling and there is snow in the air but there will still be a couple of warm, sunny days perfect for a jaunt in the woods. Recently, John and I were at Cornell’s Ornithology Lab where we watched a video in the theater detailing the patience and endurance of photographers trying to get an image of a bird-of-paradise in New Guinea. They also have a lab where one can listen to and learn bird sounds. On the massive wall they have a world map mural that shows one bird for each of 243 bird families.

When the leaves start to turn red and yellow, my mind begins to think of winter getaways and it always conjures up beautiful Ngapali Beach in Myanmar – my happy place. When we first stayed at Ngapali’s Amazing Resorts in 2008 there were virtually no tourists and Amazing Hotel Ngapali was the only hotel on this stretch of beach.

I had never heard of the Tommy Plane and, to my surprise, neither had my aviation-enthusiast, John. The World War I Thomas-Morse S-4B aka the “Tommy Plane” was made in Ithaca. For a few short years in the early 20th century, Ithaca was a thriving center of the aviation industry. The Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corporation produced hundreds of World War I-era “Tommy” Scout Planes.

When the leaves start to turn people often head to the Adirondacks and, for sure, they have some awesome foliage. I especially like the ride to Old Forge and beyond. The panoramic view from the McCauley chair lift is awe inspiring. A boat ride on the Clearwater from Old Forge on the Fulton Chain is a relaxing way to see the area, but they are coming to the end of their season. However, the Finger Lakes are also a wonderful place for a fall trip.

Our culture is so pervasive that many of our customs have caught on worldwide and most people around the world accept our idiosyncrasies. I love a lot of ice in my drinks and so do many other people. Foreigners think that putting ice in a drink waters it down so you don’t get the full value of what you are buying. If everyone did everything the same there would be no reason to travel.