Slipping in to the sea

@ Feb 17-28 The Indian Ocean

Island ports are coming fast and furiously now and none have docks big enough for our ship, so tenders ferry the 1,200 or so passengers and crew to and from land.

First a visit to Madagascar, the world’s fourth largest island and famous for its rare flora and fauna which man- aged to evolve in its own unique way for eons — that is until recently when the cro- sion of clearcutting has appar- ently caused irreversible devas- tation.

The remaining forests are home to several species of lemur who share our ape ancestors and have fingers and toes which grasp and manipu- ~ late with the dexterity of a human. Unfortunately the only ones we see are tied to young boys begging for lucra- tive photo opportunities. $1 US a shot is the going rate, approximately 5% of a family’ s monthly salary. :

’ Walking ‘the main street of Hell-Ville, named after a French Admiral, is a sobering recognition of very basic living

See Zanzibar page 24

Janice Mucaiov Contributing Writer

“THERE’S morc to do in Palm Springs than just golf,” shouts our guide, Morgan Levine, as we wind our way up the Santa Rosa Mountains in a tomato red jeep.

Indeed, we couldn't be further removed from the nearly 100 golf courses for which the Palm Springs area is mainly known. Here, 4,200 feet above the lush emerald oasis of the Coachella Valley floor below, the dry desert stretches as far as the eye can see. The only relief to the undulating brown sand dunes are occa- sional craggy granite rocks and desert scrub.

But while most Canadians are currently huddling for warmth, plants bloom among the sand dunes. As we quickly discover, each cactus and bush has a story to tell, and under Levine's skillful tutelage, the desert comes alive.

We've booked a jeep eco-tour with Desert Adventures, which shows visitors the wilder side of Palm Springs. “Our goal is to introduce people to the unique enviconment of the desert,” explains Levine, who has been guiding with Desert Adventures since they started 12 years ago.

Our ethnobotanical tour focuses on the veg. etation of the area. “See that plant over there,” directs Levine, pointing out a spindly greyish bush. “You probably think it’s dead. But ifyou look closely, you'll see little purple flowers.” She breaks off a twig and we smell what we now identify as Javender. “The desert flowers between January and March,” she explains. Come summer, the drought-deciduous vegeta- tion will no longer bear the blossoms that close inspection now reveals.

Levine, who is part Indian, explains how the native Cahuilla Indians — hunters and gather- ers who rosmed the region — used the differ- ent plant varieties. Her favourite is the creosote bush. Unremarkable in appearance, it’s reputed to heal colds and-cancer and was also used by

‘TRAVEL

the Cahuilla as an effective form of birth con- wol. The Cahuilla observed that female quail, which normally produce about 30 eggs cach, only Jay one or wo eggs after eating from the creosote plant. So wken the Cahuilla ibe pre- dicted famine, the women would eat creosote leaves to prevent getting pregnant during lean years.

Levine tells us that her native name is “Wind in Her Hair.” She grew up in the Painted Hills near the San Gorgonia Pass at the entrance to the Coachella Valley. “It's one of the windiest places on earth,” she laughs. Today, with the brisk mountzin winds whipping our hair merci- lessly about, we understand why.

We were warned to bring jackets. But when we'd stepped out into the brilliant 22-degree sunshine earlier that morning, it was hard to believe ‘we were going to need warm clothing, so we're all just wearing shorts and T-shirts. Anticipating this, Levine and her colleague have brought along, leather jackets and blankets to wrap around our legs as we bounce around in the jeeps. They also pack hot cider and coffee for a welcome mid-morning break.

The first and largest jeep tour operator in California, Desert Adventures has 17 custom- built, seven-person jeeps and more than 30 nat- uralist-guides, all avid storytellers, who turn ancient Indian legends and lore into living his- tory. Three tour options are normally offered.

The popular “Mystery Canyon Adventure” offers an in-depth lcok at the rich agricultural area east of Palm Springs. Visitors travel by jeep past the shoreline of ancient Lake Cahuilla near the inland Salton Sea and stop at a date farm for samples, before continuing on to the Painted Hills near the San Andreas fault. The tour includes an hour of hiking.

The “Millennium Lost Legends Adventure” takes visitors to a recreated mining camp locat- ed on a 1,00-acre wilderness site on the San Andreas faultline, where prospectors once searched for gold. And on the “Indian Cultural

See Summer page 28

Hotice of Public Meeting

BEVERAGE CONTAIHER REF URN CERTRES

Sunday, March 5, 2000 - North Shore News - 23

EACH bush and cactus in the desert surrounding Palm Springs has a story to tell.

Michael Forrest’ invites his clients to join him at - his new location

Call him at Travel Masters 904-8102

BC reg #3235-1

The Council of the District of North Vancouver will hold a Public Meeting in the Council Chamber of the Municipal Hall, 355 West Queens Road, North ‘Vancouver on Tuesday, March 14, 2000 commencing at 7:00 p.m. to discuss the accommoda- tion of convenient and environmentally friendly “beverage container return centres in the District of North Vancouver, as an outcome of the Provincial “Government's expanded beverage

deposit/refund program.

, ‘The purpose of this meeting is to provide all : interested parties with an opportunity to express

container —

their views with respect to the regulation of bev- erage container return centres.

Copies of relevant background material are avail- able for review at the District of North Vancouver Clerk's Office or Planning, Building and

Environment Services Division at 355 West Queens Road or the North Shore Kecycling Program Office at 148 E. 2nd Street, North Vancouver, B.C., Monday through Friday, except Statutory Holidays, March I, 2000 to March 14, 2000 inclusive between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Agnes 8. Hilsen, Municipal Clerk

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