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Rundown
for the Week of January 31, 2003
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to the Whole Show
Opening
Of Show
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Visiting My Stuff by Anne Hepperman 
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in RealAudio
John Freyer, an artist from Iowa City, is a road nerd. You know the type: "Screw flying, give me the highway." This is at least part of the reason why he sold all of his stuff on e-Bay, hawking everything from his salt shaker to his sideburns. He then got in his car and drove to visit the people who bought his stuff -- and he kept a travel journal, which is now a book, "All My Life for Sale." Contributor Ann Heppermann followed John on a book tour, where he continues to visit his former possessions and meet the people who have brought them into their homes.
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Interview with Robert Young Pelton
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Robert Pelton, the man who wrote the book "The World's Most Dangerous Places," was kidnapped by guerillas in Colombia last week. Luckily, Robert was freed within a couple of days. Savvy Traveler host Diana Nyad checks in with him and gets his take on the safety level in Colombia now. So, should we cross Colombia off the list of travel destinations? No, says Robert: Just be sure to establish a rapport with the locals -- and always remember, there are parts of the country that are like being in a "war zone."
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Travel by Design: Interview with architect Thom Mayne
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In our "Travel By Design" series, we ask leading architects to take us to their favorite places -- places that have influenced their work. Like most architects, Thom Mayne is well-traveled. But Thom's in love with the whole planet, so he had a difficult time picking just one place for us. His place? Venice, Italy.
When he went to Venice for the first time 30 years ago during the summer, he hated it. But in early '90s, he went in November and found it to be cooler, quieter and...he loved it. As Thom says, "Venice is the place you want to be alone." When there, he wanders around after 11 p.m., purposely trying to get lost. He looks at the dark, little streets and bridges, and the misty air creates mysterious bas reliefs of the buildings. There's something about the poetry and spirit of Venice that he brings back with him when he creates new buildings: the way the water, buildings and landscape integrate there. It's not a literal connection, but a complex internal broader context that infuses his work.
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Pictures of Thom Mayne in our studios and samples of his work:
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Interview with author/traveler Bill Holm
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A couple weeks ago, Minnesota writer/world traveler Bill Holm was on our first live Savvy Traveler show in St. Paul. There, he read a story from his book "Eccentric Islands: Travels Real and Imaginary." Bill comes from Icelandic heritage, and he owns a home in Iceland. This story he told is about a poignant evening back in the "old country."
View Bill's photos from China
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As mentioned on the show:
Bill Holm co-hosts a writer's conference in Northern Iceland with his friend David Arnason. It runs for two weeks. They take 20 people per week, and it costs around $2,400-$2,600, depending on where you're flying from. That includes everything but booze, and if you've ever seen the prices for getting around Iceland, you'll know that's a pretty good deal. Of course, Bill Holm says if you like to drink, you could easily run up a pretty hefty bill. Pretty much everything but grass and water gets shipped into to Iceland from far away.
This year's dates are May 28th-June 5th and June 5th-June 13th. If you're interested, write to Bill at Box 187
Minneota, MN 56264, or e-mail him at hofsoswork@yahoo.com, or contact David Arnason at davidarnason@yahoo.com
And, you can purchase Holm's book, Eccentric Islands at AMAZON.com
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Music with Bob Duskis
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Our Savvy Traveler music guide Bob Duskis, co-founder of San Francisco-based Six Degrees Records, is back with more interesting sounds from around the world. Today, Bob takes us to North Africa with DuOud, a duo of oud players, and to Cuba via legendary slide guitarist Ry Cooder collaborating with Manuel Galban, the guitarist and arranger from the Cuban vocal group Los Zafiros.
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Sound Travels: Chinatown, somewhere
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The Chinese Year of the Ram starts this week, Chinese Lunar Year 4701. People born this year, or in 1931, '43, '55, '67, '79 or '91 are rams, which means you are artistic, but shy. Sometimes, you're pessimistic or confused about what you should be doing in life, but you also have the ability to make your own way. Today's sounds come to us from ________________. Here's a hint: two weeks from now, on Feb. 15, this city will host the festival of the lanterns, and one of the world's top 10 parades "not to miss."
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Traveler's Aid: Flying with Pets
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in RealAudio
There are some simple things you can do to help ensure that your pet flies safely and comfortably. Savvy Traveler host Diana Nyad chats with Dawn Habgood, a travel-with-pets expert, about what options are for transporting pets, and the most common mistakes travelers make when flying with their furry, feathered or scaly companions.
Click here for more info.
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Deal of the Week: Jetting to New Zealand on the Cheap
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in RealAudio
Our Travel-Expert-in-Residence, Rudy Maxa, is back with a new deal of the week: "Go New Zealand" for a lot less than you might think!
New Zealand is one very cool country: it has gorgeous natural scenery, it's not crowded, wonderfully fruity wines are everywhere, it has a great tourism infrastructure, the U.S. dollar is still strong, and the climate is more than lovely -- it's actually summer right now.
Click here to read all the details.
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