If you want to have a great time Clark Weeks, an avid skier recommends Steamboat. https://www.steamboat.com/

Skiing at Steamboat

What makes Steamboat special according to Clark Weeks are the amazing number of trails. The lifts run to 4 or 5 peaks maybe more. It seems like you could ski for a week and not ski the same slope twice. There is a wide selection of slope difficulty with enough double black diamond trails to make an expert skier like Clark Weeks happy.

Besides the beautifully groomed slopes, you can also ski through the woods. Don’t try it unless you are a pretty good skier though. Running into a tree isn’t fun. Ask Sonny Bono. There are cafes and restaurants at different spots on the mountain. The area is so large this is necessary. If you are at the far end away from the main lodge it would take quite a while to get back there to eat and then a long time to get back to where you were. So, they have wisely provided places to rest and eat at different spots on the different peaks.

Clark Weeks Recommends Chalets for Lodging

There are a variety of choices for lodging at Steamboat. You can stay at the hotel there or you can rent one of the chalets and have you own little home away from home. You can cook in if you want or you can go out to the different restaurants. Clark prefers to stay in the chalets so you can ski right to the lift and get a quick start on the day.

Right around the main lodge and hotel are a number of shops selling clothing, ski equipment and a variety of other items.

Dining and Entertainment

There are restaurants as well as shops around the main lodge and hotel. Restaurants in the hotel too of course. But you might want to take a drive in to the town of Steamboat which is nearby. They have a greater selection of restaurants and stores. One of Clark Weeks favorites is a store that has an amazing variety of fossils and various interesting stones. You can also take a ride on a sleigh just outside of town and it takes you through the woods and then serve you dinner in a quaint building.

If you can’t figure out how to have a good time in Steamboat, Clark Weeks says you need to get a life. Loosen up and have some fun! Steamboat is a great place to relax or to play hard and party hard. Your preference, your choice.

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For Clark Weeks trip to India he went to Wayanad. Kerala is a state in southern India that attracts thousands of tourists each year, both domestic and international. Also called “The God’s Own Country”, Kerala has beautiful beaches, peaceful backwaters, exotic wildlife, enchanting hill stations and much more to offer.

This article highlights the key places one could visit while in Wayanad, a district located in the serene Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While all of Kerala is beautiful, Wayanad is especially so. For instance, Wayanad is home to diverse types of flora and fauna, some of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

How did Clark Weeks reach Wayanad India?

As they say, you can’t get there from here. For Clark Weeks to get from the US to Wayanad he of course flew to India.But once in India it takes further effort to get there. To get to Wayanad, you need to go to Kozhikode, which has the nearest airport and railway station and it is only about 100 kilometers from Wayanad city. Therefore, the journey from Kozhikode to Wayanad has to be by road. It is generally agreed that the best time to visit is between October and March.

What to see?

Edakkal Caves:

Pointing to existence of a prehistoric civilization in this region, the wall drawings in the Edakkal caves are believed to be more than 8000 years old.

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary:

Spread over an area of 350 square kilometers, this sanctuary is home to Asiatic tigers, elephants, Indian Bison, several types of deer and a large variety of birds.

Soochipara and Meenmutty Falls:

Wayanad has a number of glorious and breathtaking waterfalls out of which Soochipara and Meenmutty are definitely worth seeing. The small treks to both falls are thrilling and fascinating experiences in themselves. At Meenmutty, ones with an adventurous streak can also indulge in rope climbing to the top of the fall.

Chembra Peak:

With its summit at 2100 meters above sea level, the Chembra Peak offers a great hike from the town of Meppadi amidst stunning views all along the trek. The hike to the top and back can be completed in a single day.

Banasura Sagar Dam:

This vast waterbody, one of India’s largest earth dams, comprises of several small islets and is surrounded by beautiful nature. One can partake in a number of adventure activities here.

Kuruva Island:

Spread over close to 4 square kilometers, Kuruva Island is a heaven for nature lovers. Just the amount of different natural colors around you is a sight to behold.

Tea Estates and Tea Tasting Experience:

Wayanad has acres and acres of tea and coffee plantations. Many tea estates include tea tasting as part of their guided tours, which could be a unique and memorable experience.

Uravu, the Bamboo Village:

Wayanad is famous for its art and craft made using bamboo. One can have a first-hand experience of seeing the craft making process in one of the bamboo factories in village of Uravu.

Pakshipathalam Bird Sanctuary:

Ornithologists and people who love bird watching must visit this bird sanctuary, which is home to several rare bird species.

Summary

The places above are just a few of several attractions Wayanad has to offer. Combine the beautiful nature with heartwarming hospitality of the locals, and Wayanad becomes an unforgettable travel experience. We hope Clark Weeks trip to India has given you some ideas for your next trip abroad.

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America, Love It or Leave It

It seems the country is so divided these days. People say if you don’t love the country you should go somewhere else, or “go back where you came from”. Ironically, that kind of statement is very un-American. Just because you don’t agree with what is going on and you speak up about it doesn’t mean you hate America. Quite likely it means you love America and want to see it be better than it already is. If more people traveled, they might get a different perspective.

Eyes opened in the Soviet Union

Just after college I traveled to Europe and spent some time in Finland. Part of that trip was a side trip for a few days to Leningrad in the Soviet Union. (The name has now reverted to St. Petersburg.) I was with a group of students and recent college graduates. They warned us not to bring any anti-Soviet printed material into the country. At the border, Soviet soldiers came on the train to check passports and sometimes check through luggage. One person had a Time magazine and it had a page advertising a bunch of books, each with a picture about an inch by an inch. One of these was a book that was critical of the Soviet Union. The guard tore that little part out of the magazine. We figured he must have been alerted to look for that issue of Time.

The trip organizers told us to be careful what we said because our rooms were likely bugged and that they would be searched when we were out sightseeing. If all of that doesn’t give you an appreciation for the freedom of speech and thought that we have, I don’t know what will. We should not be trying to shut down other viewpoints in the US but instead be encouraging dialogue. As the Germans found, you can too easily fall into a dictatorship that doesn’t allow dissent.

Eyes Opened Further in Poland

While in Finland I met a Polish girl who was an engineering student. (She later managed to get to Canada and is now a professor of engineering there.) After my time in Finland I spent some time in Belgium. While there I got a visa and managed to visit her in Poland for a few days and stay with her family. They generously shared what they had while I was there even though the country was very poor at the time while under Soviet domination.

Almost every night I was there some of her friends came over. We talked until late into the night. It was fascinating hearing about their experiences and debating politics. They longed for the freedoms that we had.

We talked about anything and everything. But then during the day as she showed me the sights, several times she shushed me and said you don’t know who is listening, we will talk about that when we get home. It was like something out of George Orwell’s 1984. That really gets your attention and makes you glad to live in America.

Embrace Our Differences

No one here in the US wants to experience on a daily basis what I saw in the Soviet Union and communist Poland. So please, think before saying America, love it or leave it. Be open to listening to other people. Try listening to different news channels. Just listening to one news channel or news channels that all have the same point of view is just as bad as the controlled media in the Soviet Union.

When I was in the Soviet Union, our two tour guides were speaking in Russian and I heard one use the word Pravda. (It caught my ear because that was the name of the Communist Party newspaper which was known for giving very biased information. In today’s lexicon, it was famous for fake news.) I asked her what pravda meant and she said “truth”. I cracked up laughing that Truth was the name of the newspaper.

So welcome diversity, look for various opinions. Usually one side is not all right and the other is not all wrong. We only make ourselves better by working through our differences and compromising rather than sticking to one ideology. Sticking to rigid ideologies will destroy this great country over time.

More travel ideas…

If you think that traveling is just for rich people, then you should think again. Clark Weeks has some great budget travel tips for you. This is something that everyone can do. You might need to do a bit more research, and need to make sure that you consider everything before you are traveling on a tight budget, but this is possible to travel on a budget. These are just the things that you should consider to ensure that your experience is going to be great. 

Do your research

The first thing that you should do, is to do research. Make sure that you know what countries and cities are the cheapest to travel to. There are some countries that are really cheaper, and then there are some countries that are really expensive to travel to. Where a tight budget will not work.

This is why you should do research. You should make sure that you are finding a country that won’t be a problem when you have a tight budget that you should consider.

Cheaper accommodation is key

Most of the budget is going to accommodation. And, you really don’t need to have 5-star accommodation in order for you to have while you are traveling. When you have a tight budget, you should consider going cheaper with the budget. To make sure that you have more money left for the more important things.

A four- or three-star hotel will also give you a place to sleep and some amenities. But, you will have more money left to enjoy your trip.

Most countries have great public transport

By making use of private taxi services, you are going to spend a lot of money unnecessary. Most of the countries in the world have great public transport. And, this public transport is a lot cheaper than hiring a private taxi service.

You can also make sure that your accommodation is in the heart of the city, where all the tourist attractions are. Then, you can even walk to everything and you don’t need to pay for transportation. 

You don’t need to have a huge budget in order for you to be able to travel to other countries. You just need to make sure that you know where you can go with a tight budget. Traveling on a tight budget can be just as fun as with an unlimited budget. The only secret is that you should make sure that you plan everything beforehand and that you stick to the plan, no matter what.

One place you can travel inexpensively is covered in another blog post about Clark Weeks skiing Steamboat Springs .

We hope that these Clark Weeks budget travel tips have been helpful.

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