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Introducing our Brand New April 2012 Private Journey to Peru

While our journeys in Peru have always been popular and our guest satisfaction levels have always been high, this year we've decided to make a great thing even better!

We've added a three-night excursion into the Amazonian Rainforest, tweaked some of our hotels to make them even more enticing and reversed the itinerary to improve the overall flow of the trip.

We believe that we have the best Peru journey on the market today with the best hotels at the best value. Examine all details of our new trip by clicking here.

We would love to welcome you this coming spring to the land of the Incas and the second highest mountain range on earth! While the altitudes may rival parts of the Himalaya, Peru's mountains are more gentle and inviting. The green slopes in and around Cuzco are especially beautiful and striking. It's no wonder the Incas chose this land for their sacred cities.

Our journey takes you from the desert landscapes of Lima to the southern city of Arequipa and the deepest canyon on earth, the Colca, then on to the Inca empire at Cusco and Machu Picchu and into the rainforests of eastern Peru on the banks of the meandering Madre de Dios river.

You'll enjoy the amazing diversity and stunning scenery that only Peru can deliver.

Travel with us as part of our small group and let us show you magical Peru with its compelling historical and archaeological sites, diverse cultures, captivating museums, local markets and so much more. Add delicious food, happy hours at sunset, comfortable accommodation and stunning photography to make this a very special journey indeed.

Call us at 613-789-1900 or 888-765-7662 and we'll help get you started.

And, attend our free slide show describing this trip at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 25.
Be sure to call ahead to reserve your seats since space is limited.

Early booking bonuses are now in effect for this trip.

TrailFinders plans new trip to
Sri Lanka and South India!

Many of you have expressed interest in a Private Journey to the south of India and the island of Sri Lanka.

We heard you!

The folks in the TrailFinders "back room" are now working on an "all new" itinerary which covers these wonderful parts of southern Asia. We expect this journey to take place in the winter of 2012-13.

As always, this journey will be designed and conducted within the high standards adhered to for all our Private Journeys and will be limited to 16 guests.

Once the itinerary is complete, we'll begin the inspections of all the hotel and restaurant properties and the cultural, archaeological, religious and historical sites. We'll also firm up the exact travel dates, create the website and put everything on line.

Watch our future newsletters for more information on this exciting journey!

Our 2011-2012 Private Journey Trip Status
Click the trip picture or title for full details from our website


	Highlights of Turkey	15 days	Sept 17 to Oct 1, 2011



	Best of Southeast Asia Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia	27 days	Jan 17 to Feb 12, 2012

	Highlights of Chile, Argentina & Uruguay	23 days	Feb 14 to Mar 7, 2012

	Highlights of Peru	16 days	Apr 12 to Apr 27, 2012

Lots of SpaceSome space available Sold Out

Incredible St. Kilda stumps all but one!
Answers to the TrailFinders 'Where am I?' Quiz

Well, our second "Where am I?" quiz last month certainly kept some of you busy.

We designed the quiz so as to make it relatively easy to identify most places, however we made sure there were a few small challenges built in (and one big challenge)!

Many of you did very well. Most entries included answers which were about 90% correct and a few of you approached perfection. Our top scorers in the "non-winners" category were Ian McLaurin, Michael McKenna, George MacDonald and Bob Child.

Only one person, Ron Richards, managed to identify the elusive question #17 as the St. Kilda Archipelago and he walks away with the top prize. Congratulations Ron!

So, a $100 TrailFinders Gift Certificate is going out to Ron. We also drew from all the remaining entries and a TrailFinders leather travel wallet is awarded to Julien Morissette.

We hope you enjoyed our quiz. Watch for our next one soon.

Click here to go to the quiz answers page!

We knew that identifying the St. Kilda archipelago (or the island of Hirta, or Hirte), would be an immense challenge, however for those who knew something of the history of the island, the view we chose clearly showed an arc of abandoned stone houses and the signature rock faces which are characteristic of the nearby Hebrides. Both of these items were powerful clues.

St Kilda is about 45 Km west of the outer Hebrides and was once home to Britain's most isolated community. These settlers had a harsh and often tragic life and in August 1930 they were evacuated from the island, leaving the homes which were clearly visible in the Google Earth image. This was a big story and there have been numerous books written about the history of the islanders. A few good websites are here and here.

As remote as St Kilda is, these tiny islands can receive several visitors on good days. If you'd like to be one of them let us know. St. Kilda is still on our top ten list and we plan to visit when the time is right.

Recipe of the month

A popular crop in Peru, Quinoa has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a nutty flavour when cooked. It is high in protein which supplies all nine essential amino acids, and it’s gluten free. A real wonder food!

QUINOA SALAD

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 can black beans
1/2 cup cooked corn kernels
1 cup diced sweet peppers (any colours)
1 diced avocado
½ bunch diced scallions (white & green), about 2 tbs
¼ cup chopped fresh coriander
2 tbs chopped black olives
1 tbs roasted pine nuts

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 large lime
¼ cup white vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

Wash quinoa in cold water and drain.

Boil broth, add quinoa and let cook on medium heat until it absorbs all liquid. Fluff with a fork and set aside for ½ hour to cool.

Wash black bean with cold water and drain. Add all above ingredients to quinoa and toss. About ½ hour before you are ready to serve, add dressing and keep the salad in the fridge.

Enjoy !

Our Current Slideshows

We're halfway through our current round of free travel presentations. Here's what's coming over the next two weeks.

		Highlights of Peru Pictures of our April 2012 journey from Lima across the Andes to Cusco, Machu Picchu, the Peruvian rainforest at Puerto Maldonado, Arequipa & the Colca Canyon.		Wednesday May 25 7 pm

		Cruising the Baltic The most economical way to discover the Baltic ports of Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Gdansk, Warnemunde, Copenhagen and Oslo.		Thursday May 26 7 pm

		Asia's Si Pan Don (4,000 Islands) The incredible "Niagara Falls" of Asia plus Khon Island and the spectacular temple of Wat Phou. A peek into the hidden wonderland of southern Laos.		Wednesday June 1 7 pm

		Best of Southeast Asia Pictures from our upcoming Jan 2012 journey through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam & Cambodia.		Thursday June 2 7 pm

Space is very limited. Please call us at 613-789-1900 to reserve your free seats.

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