t “hobbyist, a birdwatcher looking: to . THIS FIRST item is a little ” late — I received the letter over a month ago. It con- cerns a woman’s point of view on a Palm Springs golf- ing vacation. She wrote: “Like Brian, | enjoyed Palm Springs’ municipal - course — it isso forgiving and so cheap! go as a single — the rest - play tennis — and I had no trouble ‘getting on at anytime. J never played with a single female and 1 found the men great to play with.” ‘I found this particularly interest- ing as I’d heard all the traditional horrer stories about women being treated like second-class citizens on many golf courses (not allowed to '». play on certain days and between ‘certain hours, and so on). Also, many women would be ” hesitant to go golfing alone, as it “ ight be a humiliating experience. This reader is 65 and took up golf *’ fairly recently. She plays to a 25 ‘handicap. So, if you’re a single goifer, °:Palm Springs sounds like a good «place to visit..I’m not a golfer, so when we travel Brian doesn’t play. See? Men, too, can be hesitant :“- about golfing single but this more " than proves it can be done — and_ . ‘enjoyably, too. '* The 'same reader also sent mea “list of her restaurant recommenda- “tions: : aan + Nicolini’ SOA chain of Italian. - We like the one.on Date Palm -Canyon but there is also one at the municipal golf course. Entrees _ under $10. . “ Flower Drum: think it’s on South Palm Canyon. Chinese. Big, like our old Ming’ s. Reasonable. Kenny Rogers’ Chicken: A take- Canadian prairie wildlife vacation offers photo ops THERE Is anew piece of “unspoiled Canadian wilderness’ available to naturalists and photog- tapers. i. If you’re.a professional ora add to your life-list, or simply a lover of the outdoors,.a°chance to visit this untouched part of the +, prairies will challenge all your senses, © Tt will also change the way you look at the prairies. It’s tucked. into Saskatchewan’s . southwestern corner, southwest of ‘Swift Current and due north of Maple Creek, and it boasts nearly / 10,000 acres of uncullivated land i in. ‘the ancient Cypress Hills. “Now a private reserve operated K : Offer available until JF April 30/94. i bSpecial rate is based on double occupancy. Includes hotel and ‘breakfat. i ‘Youll also enjoya BH boutique mezzanine, f° fine non-smoking B restaurant, outdoor F heated pool, hot tub ard sauna. Lode & RESTAURANT "4/22 age Green Whiter, BC. Carach VON 180. ~ Vancouver Toi free:{804) 64-563 o 604) 9925211 TRAVELWISE. out — the best chicken I’ve ever had. A whole roaster, two large sal- ads, four corn muffins all for $10.99 — we had cnough chicken for three people for two nights. Found out about this one on the golf course! Palomino's: Same person rec- ommended this one but we didn’t pet to try it. We were told that this is even better than Niccolini’s and cheap, too. Diane Redfern, publisher of Connecting: News for Single : Travellers, sent me a copy of her - Single-Friendly Travel Directory, » 1994, If you're contemplating a single vacation, this may be of great help to you. It contains a Jot of helpful _information, especially listings of travel opportunities with single- friendly groups, resorts, cruise lines by a company called Canadian Prairie Wildlife, it has been closed to hunters for 18 years and is popu- lated by more than 50 species of . animals including deer, antelope, moose, elk, coyote, lynx and bob- cat. The Saskatchewan Environment Ministry also lists approximately 200 varieties of 43 species of birds in the area. “I was amazed to discover the area was a utopia, immensely diverse in its ecosystem that makes working, there rewarding and ‘chal- lenging,”. said Dieter Arndt, an internationally acclaimed photogra- pher. He has spent some time on the Canadian Prairie Wildlife Reserve. Timberline is ° a charming, rustic 42. room lodge located just steps from ski lifts in the heart of Whistler Village. Rooms available with 4 poster beds, fireplace and jacuzzi, and so on. I’m sure you've noticed that most accommodation is usually listed as per person, double occu- pancy, opening the door to the dreaded single supplement. In effect, the room is built for two and if you intend to do the unspeakable — go it alone — you have to pay for the privilege. This can mean a surcharge, of ‘up to 100%. It is essential for the single traveller to hunt up the sen- sible companies thal give singles a decent break. . The newsletter is $20 per year — six issues —and the directory is included fzee. Alone, it is $4.95. Write to: Connecting, PO Box 29088, Delamont Postal Outlet; 1996 West Broadway, Vancouver V6J 5C2. Unlike many people, I wear-out baggage. My last suitcase, a small, brown tweed Samsonite, gave out on my last overseas trip when ] went to England last November. Eight years of wear finally broke its frame and bent one wheel beyond repair. Alas, they don’t make that style any more. Pity, as I'd have duplicated it in a flash. There are two things a travel writer cannot be without — a cur- rent passport and a serviceable bag. Luggage shopping is a chore. It’s amazing how much junk ison - the market. Pretty. Sure. Serviceable. NO. All you have to do is lock around any airport to sec. what I mean. First, there’s the elegant lady (5” heels, leather suit, bandit eyes). She’s toting, with the help ofa sky-— cap, five pieces of matching bag- and he’s so impressed he’s making himself available, on request, to conduct wildlife photography class- es. ; Accommodations are rustic but _comfortable, with a cookhouse and - four log cabins set in a quiet valley near.a stream and a lake. The reserve can accept !2 guests cach week. For anyone who pictures the prairics as nothing more than flat tableland, the Cypress Hills will be gage. The baggage gorillas can’t wait to attack that brocade finish with grappling hooks and black grease, Then, there’s the guy with one suitcase. Empty, it weighs 50 pounds and when full would disio- cate the shoulder of a linebacker. He loaned it.to his girlfriend. [like the little man with the leather bag, To keep the bulging sides from exploding he’s got it ‘strapped up with a multicolored belt — thé end dangles six inches, just long enough to foul up the convey- or belt and keep us all waiting another 15 minutes, Then there is the squadron of wheelies. You can hear them long before you see them — trucking along, hauling pigs on a leash. One wheel per case is determined to go east while the rest move west. Another wheel parts company and tolls conveniently under a bus. : So, what did I buy? First, i’m short so any bag has to be short, too. The true test of bag size is: can you carry it up a flight of stairs without bumping? Why don’t lug- gage shops include a test pad? Anyway, I took no chances — my . new bag is the oddest-looki ing thing. Made by Samsonite, it measures 12” when carried by the handle. The shape is awkward-looking — the case is much wider than high, 20” —- and much deeper than the average bag, 8”. A short person can easily carry it up a flight of stairs. And, it wheels. To wheel it, you tip it on end, haul out a handle that slides out of the sides and off you go. Moving this way, the bag is nar- row and tall — far more manage- ablé than squatty bags. ; Another advantage, the handle i is’ the last thing they expect to see, says John Koper, the founder of. the operation. “There are forests and rolling hills and winding streams. It is not’ your typical flat prairie,” he says. Special introductory and group _ rates are available, all including - accommodation, meals and guiding. For more information about pho- tography workshops or to make reservations, contact John Koper at (306) 778-6264. made up of two bars and wheti extended will hold another bag — the essential carry-on for long trips. { bought that, too. 1 would have liked to duplicate my long-wearing brown tweed but it’s unavailable. Instead, I chose a matte black, waterproof weave. The set is absolutely unisex — it match- es Brian's more conventional suit- case. You may think this outfit a bit small for a long trip but not for me! I detest carting around dirty laundry and refuse to tote anything I won't wear over and over. You’d be amazed at how many’ elegant silks | can pack in a small space as well as all the serviceable denims! In an emergency, my casc is a legal carry-on but in it is a com- plete wardrobe, enough for a month in Europe. If you’re shopping for luggage, . check out this style -- the set cost a middle-of-the-road $300 but should be good for ten years of HARD wear, Join The SANTA FE -7 J MUSIC TOUR ~~ August 7 to 14/94 The North Vancouver. WESTCOAST AMATEUR -_ MUSICIANS SOCIETY. ~ _is planning a one week pack-: age to Santa Fe for the peak of the opera season. Five operas *.:. to choose from: TOSCA, _ BARBER OF SEVILLE, : ABDUCTION FROM ‘THE. SERAGLIO, INTERMEZZO . ’ AND BLONDE ECKBERG. : “AN ALL INCLUSIVE | VALUE PRICED VACATION" |” from CDN $2559 10 $2899* April 15 to Oct. 21/94 Inclusive of: * Airfare from Vancouver to Rhodes, and return from Crete to Vancouver (via London). * 4 nights first class hotel accommo- dation in Rhodes. American breakfast daily. *3 nights cruise to Kusadasi, Patmos, Athens and Mykonos. All meals and entertainment on board. * & nights. first class hotel accommo- dation in Crete. Breakfast and dinner. daily. , ‘ * 1 aight hotel accommodation in London (stcpaver on return journey). Continentat breakfast. « All land transfers in Rhodes, Crete, London. Ferry transportation between Rhodes and Crete. §