TRAVELING
11-22

Millions of tourists per year (refers to 2002)

  1. France ..... 77.0

  1. Spain ..... 51.7

  1. U.S. ..... 41.8

  1. Italy ..... 39.7

  1. China ..... 36.8

  1. United Kingdom ..... 24.1

  1. Canada ..... 20.0

  1. Mexico ..... 19.7


  1. Austria ..... 18.6

  1. Germany ..... 17.9

  1. Brazil ..... 4.0

Source: Exame

Most visited cities in the U.S.

  1. New York City, New York ... 4,803,000(estimated overseas visitors in 2001)

  1. Los Angeles, California ... 2,816,000

  1. Miami, Florida ... 2,554,000

  1. Orlando, Florida ... 2,467,000

  1. San Francisco, California ... 1,963,000

  1. Oahu/Honolulu, Hawaii ... 1,747,000

  1. Las Vegas, Nevada ... 1,506,000

  1. Washington, District of Columbia ... 1,201,000

  1. Boston, Massachussetts ... 1,070,000

Chicago, Illinois ... 1,070,000

Source: The Top 10 of Everything

04-10-2004

Sao Paulo is the busiest city in Brazil because of its economic prowess. The international magazine Newsweek reminds us that three new first-rate hotels should be checked if we wish to have a different lodging experience in that metropolis. They are the art deco Fasano, the shaped-like-half-a- watermelon Hotel Unique, and the small with plasma TVs Hotel Emiliano.

11-20 Ron

Baiano food is not cheap, especially outside Bahia. In Belo Horizonte there's a small place called Baiana do Acaraje on R. Antonio de Albuquerque, next to Cafe Tres Coracoes in Savassi, that serves delicious dishes at reasonable prices.

10-29 Vera

Born in Belo Horizonte and having lived here all my life, when I receive guests from other states or countries I show them what they can't see elsewhere. Pampulha is a must for its beauty and for representing the birth of modern architecture in Brazil. Going to Mineirao for a Cruzeiro vs. Atletico game is a very good choice. Shopping at Afonso Pena's fair on Sundays can't be forgotten because the craftwork enchants buyers because of the high quality and low price. Nothing better than visiting 'Palacio das Artes' or Municipal Park, where there are free presentations regularly. The sunset seen from Hilton Rocha Hospital is awesome. Finally, Amendoim Street puzzles everybody and shouldn't be missed.

10-06-2003 Ron

Question of the month: What makes you proud of your city?

Lynn and Ron's English, Xapuri, Albano's, "Parque das Mangabeiras", the Zoo, Minas Tênis Clube, and "Mercado Central" make me very proud of Belo Horizonte.

I believe Lynn and Ron's English is one of the best language schools in the state of Minas Gerais. The teachers are experienced, well-informed and enthusiastic, the courses are rich and dynamic, the test preparation classes are carefully planned and include plenty of material, the school is adequately located, the library is stacked with good books, magazines and videos, and the Web site is enlightening.

If you crave food from Minas Gerais and haven't been to Xapuri, a restaurant in Pampulha, you don't know what you are missing.

If going to bars is your forte, you know that Albano's serves one of the best draft beers in Brazil. And, unlike many other pubs, the waiters are solicitous.

On the other hand, if you are a day guy or gal, "Parque das Mangabeiras" is an excellent place for hiking, despite its hills. The city Zoo is another terrific green area, especially if you have children.

Superlative as well for kids is Minas Tênis Clube. Its four units provide wholesome leisure for the entire family. And their volleyball (men and women), basketball, and swimming teams are among the best in South America.

Finally, every person who lives in Belo Horizonte must visit "Mercado Central". Good quality vegetables, exotic fruits, tasty sweets, cheap food, well-made craftwork, etc. are only found in this downtown "shopping center". The hustle and bustle is unique and worth checking out.

So write to english@lynnandron.com explaining what dignifies your town.

Your answers will be accepted until October 24, Friday, and the results reported on the From Out There page on Wednesday the 29th.

(The question about your city was placed on the Hot News page last year. We did not plagiarize the campaign launched by Belo Horizonte's government this semester. It may sound fishy but it's true.)

*****

Everyone dreams about traveling abroad. There are some links on this page that can provide maps and first hand information about cities, tourist sights, routes, itineraries, lodging...all you need to know about the trip you want to take. But if you want some specific info about the US, send in questions.


Our American friend Fran has this to say about her trip to the famous volcano Mt. St. Helens located in the state of Washington.

It was a fascinatingly weird experience driving up the mountain in the drizzle and fog. This was the first day on my trip that it was truly rainy; we could rarely see any distance at all. But to me, that just added to the eeriness of the landscape. Although quite a bit of foliage has grown back, including thousands and thousands of trees that hundreds of Washington Boy Scouts planted in the mid- 80s, many portions are still desolate – and I mean desolate in a way I've never seen on Earth. Many folks refer to the landscape shortly after the eruption as a "moonscape" - utterly lifeless.


We went up one of the roads they have on the west side of the mountain. At the top end of that road is the Johnston Ridge Observatory visitor center, where we watched a movie about the eruption of the volcano. At the end of the movie, the huge wall-to-wall, ceiling-t0-floor red velvet curtain was raised. In the distance (I am told) is the top of Mount St. Helens. Very dramatic. But since the fog gave us a visibility of about 200 yards at the Observatory, when the curtain was raised all we saw was a park ranger holding up a large picture of the top of the mountain! We all laughed and applauded. Kandy and I will be telling that story for years! I keep telling her I DID see the top of Mount St. Helens – it was the part that slid halfway down the mountain. The top isn't the top anymore. It is a strange place.