Since 1979, William Taylor has been taking hundreds of Northern California high school students to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East to uncover the roots of Western history as part of a unique educational program. Arete West students participate in a nine-month curriculum, reading and discussing historical literature, then fly overseas to explore the sites they studied. For Arete students, the odyssey is both a journey into history and a formative encounter with the self. This book celebrates the Arete program, as William Taylor and his students articulate Arete memories from the past four decades. For young adults interested in the world around them, parents wishing to enrich their children�s education, and teachers seeking new and inspiring ways to reach their students, The Greatest Classrooms of the World presents fresh ideas and possibilities. More than a collection of personal trip memories, this book communicates the search for personal excellence, the passion of international youth travel, and a program that can be emulated and adapted all over the world.

Since 1979, William Taylor has been taking hundreds of Northern California high school students to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East to uncover the roots of Western history as part of a unique educational program. Arete West students participate in a nine-month curriculum, reading and discussing historical literature, then fly overseas to explore the sites they studied. For Arete students, the odyssey is both a journey into history and a formative encounter with the self. This book celebrates the Arete program, as William Taylor and his students articulate Arete memories from the past four decades. For young adults interested in the world around them, parents wishing to enrich their children�s education, and teachers seeking new and inspiring ways to reach their students, The Greatest Classrooms of the World presents fresh ideas and possibilities. More than a collection of personal trip memories, this book communicates the search for personal excellence, the passion of international youth travel, and a program that can be emulated and adapted all over the world.

This book captures glimpses of sights and cuisines from my experiences around the country of New Zealand. The photographs that I have taken are completed with short captions that describe more about the pictures.

I hope this book has given you some insights into this country and what makes it a true paradise. For those of us that live in New Zealand, I hope it has been a reminder of appreciating how beautiful this place is that we call home.

no summary per author

no summary per author

�Living Well in Thailand� offers a mix of blunt advice, information, and entertaining anecdotes for anyone thinking about staying in northern Thailand. While primarily aimed at longer-term residents, it should also be useful to the short-term tourist. It is compiled in A-Z format for quick reference to various aspects of Thai customs, with a Westerner�s viewpoint on how to live comfortably in a very different culture. We all need a roof over our head, food, effective communication and entertainment. Thailand has a lot to offer in these respects, even on a limited budget.

�Living Well in Thailand� offers a mix of blunt advice, information, and entertaining anecdotes for anyone thinking about staying in northern Thailand. While primarily aimed at longer-term residents, it should also be useful to the short-term tourist. It is compiled in A-Z format for quick reference to various aspects of Thai customs, with a Westerner�s viewpoint on how to live comfortably in a very different culture. We all need a roof over our head, food, effective communication and entertainment. Thailand has a lot to offer in these respects, even on a limited budget.

The idea to travel the world on a motorcycle did not 'come out of the blue'. Monica's husband Simon had this dream for 30 years. The opportunity to go arose after their three children had left school and home. Monica had a motorcycle licence but no mechanical skills and very little riding experience. She didn't even have a motorcycle. At the end of a focussed year of preparation sandwiched between two busy jobs as a social worker she was more or less ready to go. The original plan was to ride from Tokyo, Japan to St. Petersburg, Russia via Mongolia and the Central Asian Republics. The twists and turns of fate saw them return home through Africa, which had never been part of the plan. From the fabled Silk Road route to Timbuktu there was plenty of adventure and challenges. After 50,000kms and through 30 countries Monica missed out on learning how to change a tyre as she didn't even manage to get a flat. The trip was one of extreme travel and adventure and a wonderful way of spending a year. Monica and Simon managed to return home still married and keen to travel more.

The idea to travel the world on a motorcycle did not 'come out of the blue'. Monica's husband Simon had this dream for 30 years. The opportunity to go arose after their three children had left school and home. Monica had a motorcycle licence but no mechanical skills and very little riding experience. She didn't even have a motorcycle. At the end of a focussed year of preparation sandwiched between two busy jobs as a social worker she was more or less ready to go. The original plan was to ride from Tokyo, Japan to St. Petersburg, Russia via Mongolia and the Central Asian Republics. The twists and turns of fate saw them return home through Africa, which had never been part of the plan. From the fabled Silk Road route to Timbuktu there was plenty of adventure and challenges. After 50,000kms and through 30 countries Monica missed out on learning how to change a tyre as she didn't even manage to get a flat. The trip was one of extreme travel and adventure and a wonderful way of spending a year. Monica and Simon managed to return home still married and keen to travel more.

The idea to travel the world on a motorcycle did not 'come out of the blue'. Monica's husband Simon had this dream for 30 years. The opportunity to go arose after their three children had left school and home. Monica had a motorcycle licence but no mechanical skills and very little riding experience. She didn't even have a motorcycle. At the end of a focussed year of preparation sandwiched between two busy jobs as a social worker she was more or less ready to go. The original plan was to ride from Tokyo, Japan to St. Petersburg, Russia via Mongolia and the Central Asian Republics. The twists and turns of fate saw them return home through Africa, which had never been part of the plan. From the fabled Silk Road route to Timbuktu there was plenty of adventure and challenges. After 50,000kms and through 30 countries Monica missed out on learning how to change a tyre as she didn't even manage to get a flat. The trip was one of extreme travel and adventure and a wonderful way of spending a year. Monica and Simon managed to return home still married and keen to travel more.

These are some of the people I have met in my journeys to Tibet and nearby areas in Asia. The purpose of this book is very simple. It is to connect the person viewing this book to the people of Tibet; from the beggars who came to our camps of foreigners looking for food or a little money, to highly realized Buddhist Lamas. It is to put a human face on Tibet and the issues concerning the Tibetan people. The gaze of most of these people into the camera is direct and unflinching. The eyes communicate to me the pride they have in being Tibetan and in their culture and religion. They communicate strength to me: physical, spiritual, and cultural.

I am hoping that someone picking up this book is either informed about the history of Tibet since 1949, or will be motivated by the book to become more informed about that history and the current situation in Tibet as well as ethnically Tibetan areas. I won�t make any political statements myself because I want to eliminate even the possibility of repercussions on any of the people shown because of what I may have said. This is also why I won�t give very many names.

A few words about where the photos were taken. The largest number of them were taken at Katog Mardo Tashi Choling, a Buddhist monastery in what was historically the Golok area of Amdo Province of Tibet. It is now part of Qinghai Province of China. I spent 2 months at the monastery in the summer of 2007. The abbot of the monastery is Khentrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche, who is of the Katog lineage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is now a citizen of the United States and I have been a student of his teaching of the Buddhist Dharma since 2004. His website is: https://katogcholing.com/ At the peak,

there were over 80 of Khentrul Rinpoche�s Western students at his monastery. The main reason I went there was that H. H. Katog Moktsa Rinpoche was going to be giving 5 days of empowerments in August. An empowerment is a ritual in Vajrayana Buddhism which initiates a student into a particular deity practice. Moktsa Rinpoche is one of the five golden throne holders of the Nyingma Katog lineage and is revered as "the Father of Katog Lineage". He is the abbot of Katog monastery in the Kham area of Tibet, (now part of Sichuan Province of China) the mother monastery of Katog Mardo Tashi Choling. It�s easy to find out a lot more information about both Rinpoches online so I won�t give any more information. Tibetan monks and nuns and lay people also journeyed to see him. I and around 10 other Americans arrived about 5 weeks earlier than the majority of the students and helped arrange things for their arrival and helped teach English in the monastery school.

Rinpoche is an honorific term used in Tibetan Buddhism. It literally means "precious one," and is used to address or describe Tibetan lamas and other high-ranking or respected teachers. This honor is generally bestowed on reincarnated lamas, or Tulkus, by default. In other cases it is earned over time, and often bestowed spontaneously by the teacher's students.

A few photos were taken in 2005 when I journeyed to Tibet to do a pilgrimage, or circumambulation, around Mt. Kailash in western Tibet. We started in Lhasa and drove to Mt. Kailash, visiting the cities of Gyantse and Shigatse along the way. Mt. Kailash is the holiest mountain in Tibet to Tibetan Buddhists and also to Hindus. Hindus consider it to be the home of Shiva, and Tibetan Buddhists believe it is the home of the deity Chakrasamvara. The Bon religion, which predates Buddhism in Tibet, believes it is the seat of all spiritual power. It is also significant in Jainism. There is a pilgrimage route of 32 miles around the mountain. At the time you could drive about a third of the 32 miles, and the rest had to be walked. It is considered more beneficial and meritorious to walk the entire way. The highest point on the pilgrimage is about 18,600 feet.

One of the photos was taken in Kathmandu, Nepal on my way to Tibet the first time in 2004. Another was taken in Bodhgaya, India in 2010. A few were taken in or near Zhongdian, China in western Yunnan Province in 2012. This is an area that is ethnically Tibetan and I was there on a pilgrimage with my teacher, Khentrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche, to receive more teachings and empowerments from H. H. Katog Moktsa Rinpoche.

The core of Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan culture is compassion. I am hoping that compassion for the Tibetan people is increased at least a little by the viewing of this book and that you are motivated to get more informed about issues concerning Tibet.

I�m not good communicating with words, so I�ve kept them to a minimum. This book is meant to be a visual communication and experience.

These are some of the people I have met in my journeys to Tibet and nearby areas in Asia. The purpose of this book is very simple. It is to connect the person viewing this book to the people of Tibet; from the beggars who came to our camps of foreigners looking for food or a little money, to highly realized Buddhist Lamas. It is to put a human face on Tibet and the issues concerning the Tibetan people. The gaze of most of these people into the camera is direct and unflinching. The eyes communicate to me the pride they have in being Tibetan and in their culture and religion. They communicate strength to me: physical, spiritual, and cultural.

I am hoping that someone picking up this book is either informed about the history of Tibet since 1949, or will be motivated by the book to become more informed about that history and the current situation in Tibet as well as ethnically Tibetan areas. I won�t make any political statements myself because I want to eliminate even the possibility of repercussions on any of the people shown because of what I may have said. This is also why I won�t give very many names.

A few words about where the photos were taken. The largest number of them were taken at Katog Mardo Tashi Choling, a Buddhist monastery in what was historically the Golok area of Amdo Province of Tibet. It is now part of Qinghai Province of China. I spent 2 months at the monastery in the summer of 2007. The abbot of the monastery is Khentrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche, who is of the Katog lineage of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. He is now a citizen of the United States and I have been a student of his teaching of the Buddhist Dharma since 2004. His website is: https://katogcholing.com/ At the peak,

there were over 80 of Khentrul Rinpoche�s Western students at his monastery. The main reason I went there was that H. H. Katog Moktsa Rinpoche was going to be giving 5 days of empowerments in August. An empowerment is a ritual in Vajrayana Buddhism which initiates a student into a particular deity practice. Moktsa Rinpoche is one of the five golden throne holders of the Nyingma Katog lineage and is revered as "the Father of Katog Lineage". He is the abbot of Katog monastery in the Kham area of Tibet, (now part of Sichuan Province of China) the mother monastery of Katog Mardo Tashi Choling. It�s easy to find out a lot more information about both Rinpoches online so I won�t give any more information. Tibetan monks and nuns and lay people also journeyed to see him. I and around 10 other Americans arrived about 5 weeks earlier than the majority of the students and helped arrange things for their arrival and helped teach English in the monastery school.

Rinpoche is an honorific term used in Tibetan Buddhism. It literally means "precious one," and is used to address or describe Tibetan lamas and other high-ranking or respected teachers. This honor is generally bestowed on reincarnated lamas, or Tulkus, by default. In other cases it is earned over time, and often bestowed spontaneously by the teacher's students.

A few photos were taken in 2005 when I journeyed to Tibet to do a pilgrimage, or circumambulation, around Mt. Kailash in western Tibet. We started in Lhasa and drove to Mt. Kailash, visiting the cities of Gyantse and Shigatse along the way. Mt. Kailash is the holiest mountain in Tibet to Tibetan Buddhists and also to Hindus. Hindus consider it to be the home of Shiva, and Tibetan Buddhists believe it is the home of the deity Chakrasamvara. The Bon religion, which predates Buddhism in Tibet, believes it is the seat of all spiritual power. It is also significant in Jainism. There is a pilgrimage route of 32 miles around the mountain. At the time you could drive about a third of the 32 miles, and the rest had to be walked. It is considered more beneficial and meritorious to walk the entire way. The highest point on the pilgrimage is about 18,600 feet.

One of the photos was taken in Kathmandu, Nepal on my way to Tibet the first time in 2004. Another was taken in Bodhgaya, India in 2010. A few were taken in or near Zhongdian, China in western Yunnan Province in 2012. This is an area that is ethnically Tibetan and I was there on a pilgrimage with my teacher, Khentrul Lodro Thaye Rinpoche, to receive more teachings and empowerments from H. H. Katog Moktsa Rinpoche.

The core of Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan culture is compassion. I am hoping that compassion for the Tibetan people is increased at least a little by the viewing of this book and that you are motivated to get more informed about issues concerning Tibet.

I�m not good communicating with words, so I�ve kept them to a minimum. This book is meant to be a visual communication and experience.

"Steven Stern has an encyclopedic knowledge of the cruise world in general and riverboat-and barge- cruising in particular, with a great understanding of the different lines and their products. This guide is a must for both new and veteran riverboat and barge travelers."

-World of Cruising Magazine

"Finally someone has written a definitive travel guide covering an ever growing and popular, yet seldom covered, segment of the cruise industry. This is compulsory reading for anyone interested in a riverboat or barge cruise."

-Official Steamship Guide International

Steven B. Stern is the ultimate authority on all forms of cruising. Having written 24 annual editions of the universally acclaimed "Stern's Guide to the Cruise Vacation", he has now produced a guide devoted exclusively to the riverboat and barge experience. The popularity of riverboat explorations throughout Europe has grown expeditiously over the past few years and has become the newest "hot" segment of the cruise market. Leisurely sojourns on hotel barges on the waterways of France and other European countries also are becoming popular among seasoned cruisers seeking a more intimate and tranquil vacation.

This comprehensive guide lists descriptive information for every European riverboat and hotel barge, including vital statistics, stateroom size, descriptions of public areas, dining and shipboard facilities, and itineraries. Each vessel is evaluated as to comfort and luxury. Hundreds of photos of the vessels exterior and interiors are included, as well as sample menus and daily programs.

Several chapters are devoted to descriptions of the cities and villages visited by riverboats, and the regions and villages visited by hotel barges, along with descriptive photographs.

When Peter asked Ellen to marry him some fifty years ago she asked what he thought their life would be like. He answered, I will show you the world. Their own Grand Tour has taken them to seven continents and over a hundred thirty countries, and to favorite sites many dozens of times. Their love of history, geography and wildlife has led them to explore the Polar Regions, the African savanna, and the ruins of great civilizations. In this volume, they recount not only the best venues but share their practical insights into how to plan a perfect trip.

When Peter asked Ellen to marry him some fifty years ago she asked what he thought their life would be like. He answered, I will show you the world. Their own Grand Tour has taken them to seven continents and over a hundred thirty countries, and to favorite sites many dozens of times. Their love of history, geography and wildlife has led them to explore the Polar Regions, the African savanna, and the ruins of great civilizations. In this volume, they recount not only the best venues but share their practical insights into how to plan a perfect trip.