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Page 2-Sunday, April 11, 1982-The Michigan Daily
Travel isn't the
greatest thing
in the world
0
The Michigan Daily-Sur
i Allk
By Mark Gindin
Oh sure, I know all about the tulips of
Holland, the Louve in Paris, the rocks
of Stonehenge, and the Munich
Oktoberfest. These are among the
biggest tourist attractions of Europe.
I've read all about them in magazines.
That's right, not everybody actually
goes to Europe, traversing the world in
search of adventure. Some of us stay
behind, keeping the homefires burning,
keeping the country running while
everyone else goes on vacation, and
reading the travel supplement of our
local newspaper.
THE PLIGHT OF the non-traveled is
a sad one, and one that goes largely
ignored. It is about time someone spoke
about this problem, which is probably
more widespread than the elite
globetrotters would like to admit.
Imagine the suffering involved when
forced to sit down and listen to the
escapades of some jerk who just retur-
ned from scuba diving on the Great
Barrier Reef. On hearing the exploits of
a hitchhiker who backpacked from
Stuttgart to madrid last summer.
One of the more subtle forms of tor-
ture is accomplished by the editors of
the National Geographic, of all people.
Just leafing through the photo-
abundant pages of the magazine is an
eye-widening chore.
THERE ARE MANY reasons or ex-
cuses people use to rationalize the fact
that we have never fone anywhere out-
side our own backyard. Whatever the
reason, there are ways to escape the
fact.
imagination plays a key part in the
life of the non-traveler. Wishful
thinking can take the form of a vacation
that never was.
Imagine white-water rafting down
the Colorado, or scaling the heights of
Mount McKinley, or walking through
the open market in Istanbul. Imagine
watching a gory bullfight in an ancient
Portuguese arena. It's almost as good
as being there.
ANOTHER OF THE ways to use the
ability of imagination to relieve the
frustration of non-travel is really mean.
Think of the "typical tourist," then at-
tach the face of a friend or relative who
is traveling or has just returned and
is now incessently talking about the
trip.
Just the thought of them with in-
stamatics around their wrists, sunbur-
ned necks, with a tacky T-shirt and a
bag of souvenirs wandering aimlessly
down some backstreet in the ghettos of
the Phillippines is enough to at least
bring a smile.
And when they do try and make their
audience feel insignificant by reciting
their adventures, only you will know the
truth, and perhaps emit a small
chuckle.
PRACTICALLY, THOUGH, there
are reasons we are better off not
traveling.
The reservations, the tickets, the
luggage, the clothes, the missed planes,
the smelly people in the next seat, and
the lack of enough time to do
''everything" are reasons enough to
shy away from the concept.
Face it, there's no place like home.
The backroads of Middle America,
Michigan are among the most
fascinating sights in the world. The
tacky plastic sunflowers spinning in the
breeze, the ceramic groups of
ducklings, and the plastic deer family
resting beside the front door all add a
flavor unlike anywhere else in the
world.
Let me tell you about my trip to
Hell ...
THEONL
SHOE THATIS F
The Timberland® boat shoe is
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that won't rust, and a permanently
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It's the classic boat shoe with o
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CAMPUS
619 E. Liberty
IqAST
Daily Photo by MARK GINDIN
You can go to Hell
This sign, located near the center of town in Hell, Michigan, represents the
essence of Middle America. The backroads of the country, like the one in
Hell is on, reveal part of the country never seen by the globetrotting elite.
They never know that Hell does freeze over.
Daily Photo by JANET RAE
THE ROCKY COAST of Anacapa Island, is a favorite spot of California
scuba divers.
Californla divigrg
lreveals new worlds
SUNJUNS
Step into the pillowy suede innersole and you'll know
you've found the real thing-Bass Sunjuns® .The
label says Bass. The look says Bass. The quality
says Bass. There's no comparison. Come see for
yourself. You won't have to look any
further for your favoraite summer sandals.
Spring has Sprung at
cv ave't
17 Nickels Arcade
Ann Arbor
)
P!!!M
iiAL
Spring Into Summer.!
a travel supplement to
J be 3ichigau DaiIlu
Editor: Ann Marie Fazio
Sales Manager: Kathryn Hendrick
Special thanks to Julie Hinds
SALES REPRESENTATIVES: Wendy Fox, Mark Freeman, Nancy Joslin, Beth
Kovinsky, Caryn Natiss, Felice Oper, Tim Pryor, Sam Slaughter, Joe Trulik,
Jeff Voight.
WRITERS: John Adam, George Adams, Jason Adkins, Andrew Chapman, Poe
Coughlan, Mark Gindin, Harlan Kahn, Janet Rae, Lisa Spector, Kristin
Stapleton.
PHOTOGRAPHERS: Jason Adkins, Jackie Bell, Poe Coughlan, Mark Gindin,
Harlan Kahn, Deborah Lewis, Janet Rae.
COVER PHOTOS by Deborah Lewis
(Continued from Page 9)
safety control his depth.
Dive instructors have discovered that
with the BC, students don't need any
particular physical ability to scuba.
Prospective divers may learn the sport
without even being able to swim. In-
structors tell stories of paraplegic and
amputee divers maneuvering freely
underwater.
UNIVERSITY STUDENTS can take
their scuba certificates this fall term if
they want to trot off to the wild waters
of the Pacific or Caribbean next sum-
mer or spring break. The physical en-
ducation department offers a basic
course of instruction for a lab fee of $40.
Further information is available
through the department.
Once certification is earned, divers in
Los Angeles take advantage of a num-
ber of dive spots besides the Channel
Islands. Various coves along Palos
Verdes Peninsula in the southwest sec-
tion of the county are popular, in ad-
dition to sites directly off some of the
resort beaches. Personnel at dive shops
throughout the cunty are always willing
to share tips about good spots.
Visibility-which can go up to 30 feet.
on a clear day - is relatively good in
shore diving. But divers tend to prefer
to catch a dive boat to one of the Chan-
nel Islands where they can sometimes
see as far as 150 feet.
CATALINA AND its sister islands
feature some forms of marine plants
and animals that can be found nowhere
else in the world. Underwater kelp
forest, rocky cliffs, and sandy plains
surrounding Catalina are loaded with a
vast variety of animals, including sea
urchens, rays, smaller sharks and
schools of fish of every size, shape and
color.
Some of the islands support sea lion
"rookeries" - mating grounds for the
playful animals. Both young and old sea
lions are natural clowns and seem to
enjoy playing with divers almost as
much as the humans enjoy being accep-
ted into their environment.
Wildlife in the marine sanctuaries -
submerged areas where hunting and
collecting are forbidden or restricted -
is frequently unafraid of divers and
sometimes an animal will swin right up
to them. Other areas are excellent for
hunting, offering "lobster" (actually a
form of saltwater crayfish), scallops,
abalone and a number of larger fish.
Whether hunting or sightseeing,
scuba diving is literally another world.
Upon entering the water, it is easy to
experience again and again the sen-
sation that accompanies the first dive
- that of being an astronaut visiting
another planet. Despite the interven-
tion of weights and tanks and high
pressure hoses, it is easy to gain a sense
of perfect freedom and awe, suspended
in "space" while watching such an
alien world so soon after departing ear-
th.
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