With the Persian Gulf War and the...

With the Persian Gulf War and the threat of terrorism, I continue to receive calls from readers asking: Should one travel--or wait until the world is safe? Unfortunately, I have no pat answers, only an opinion that I expressed in a note to a young student, Nancy Espinoza, following terrorist attacks in Europe in 1985. Nancy wrote:

“Being a 15-year-old and hearing all the talk about terrorist acts scares me. Like any other 15-year-old, I really get excited because of traveling. But with this terrorism going on I would like to know where it would be safe to go. I understand there are no guarantees.”

And I replied:

You are right, Nancy, there are no safe roads, no guarantees. Only the joy of discovering the unknown. Each day is a new adventure, a new experience, and so there are no promises. It comes to all of us that life itself is a risk. Each moment begins as a mystery , with joys, hopes and fears in a pattern that changes constantly. Otherwise there would be no peaks, no valleys. Only boredom.

The second hand sweeps ahead; impatiently, life goes on and the tragedy of this adventure is failing to live each precious moment to its fullest. To do otherwise is merely to exist. This isn’t to say that one should be foolhardy or to take undue chances; rather it means no road guarantees a safe arrival. In life, risk is a constant companion, whether dodging trucks (and bullets) on a Los Angeles freeway or in skies filled with mystery and adventure.

When I was growing up , the jet age didn’t exist. And so Europe and other distant places were dreams discovered only in the pages of a textbook, not a travel brochure. Surely the world was safer then, but also, Nancy, it wasn’t nearly as exciting, and so with the jet age we surrendered simple pleasures for adventure and the opportunity to discover destinations that previously were mere fantasies.

I’m not so sure that those earlier times of daydreaming weren’t best after all, but they are finished and so I am impatient to get on with the business of living, so that when it is over, in the final hours, I won’t mourn the unspent moments.

The question of whether to travel in times of unrest is indeed difficult to answer. It’s up to the individual. One could wait, of course, for that perfect moment . . . and never know the joy of adventure.

Inn of the Month: The Shelburne Inn in Seaview, Wash. (120 miles northwest of Portland, Ore.), is a country Victorian that continues to get raves from our readers. Sixteen rooms filled with antiques from England/Belgium. Stained glass/leaded windows. Clawfoot tubs. Half-tester beds. Hosts David Campiche and Laurie Anderson met 14 years ago when David came to Laurie’s rescue when her car got stuck on a nearby beach. As for the Shelburne, this is one of those inns where guests feel at home immediately.

“We like people,” says David, a sometimes poet/potter/historian and ex-antique dealer who returned to Washington after stints in Paris and New York City. Washington was where the heart was, particularly after meeting Laurie (“the prettiest girl I ever knew”). The Shelburne is filled with warmth--from both fireside and friendship. In summer, the Shelburne (open year-round) turns out lunch as well as breakfast and dinner. The breakfasts are said to be the best in the entire Pacific Northwest. Only the other morning David prepared stuffed French toast with ricotta cheese, cranberries, currants, apples and walnuts flamed in brandy and topped with cranberry syrup. At the same time he served crepes stuffed with scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, chopped red onions and fresh spinach. And there were smoked oyster frittatas with a wild mushroom salsa. A popular place, this Shelburne Inn.

Shelburne Inn, P.O. Box 250, Seaview, Wash. 98644, (206) 642-2442. Rates $69/$140, including the gourmet breakfast. (The inn is north of the Columbia River and only a breath from the longest beach in North America--a photographer’s dream, with lighthouses, bluffs, jetties.)

Alaska: Hosts David and Jo Ann Lesh will launch their 26th season at the Gustavus Inn at Glacier Bay, Alaska, on May 1. This is in southeastern Alaska. Gustavus is an ex-farmhouse (circa 1928) that the Leshs converted to an inn in 1965. Rises in a meadow. Views of Icy Strait. Mountains, bicycle paths, fields of wildflowers. Guests pick strawberries, hike, fish for salmon/halibut. (Fishing gear is supplied by the inn.) Gustavus is famous for its meals. Fresh vegetables from the garden. Salmon, halibut, dungeness crab from Icy Strait. Home-baked breads/pastries. Meals are served family-style. Guests go whale watching and join naturalist-led walks, guided kayak trips (by day or overnight). Boat cruises of Glacier Bay depart from Bartlett Cove. (This is a vast wilderness region.)

Details from David and Jo Ann Lesh, Gustavus Inn, P.O. Box 60, Gustavus, Alaska 99826, (907) 697-2254. Rates: $110 per adult, $50 children 4-12. Alaska Airlines flies to Gustavus via Seattle and Juneau from Southern California. Call (800) 426-0333.

Freighter Adventure: C.N. of Los Angeles writes: “I am trying to get information on freighter service.”

The leader in the field is Freighter World Cruises of Pasadena. Represents ships that drop anchor in ports around the world. Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand, the Marquesas. Scores of destinations. Wherever there’s a sea or an ocean, these ships are on the move. Freighter World Cruises books 84-day, around-the-world trips out of Long Beach (a total of 24 departures this year). Or they’ll put you aboard a banana boat to South America (19 days), or send you off on a 70-day trip out of Savannah, Ga. Dozens of choices. Freighter life is for the traveler who’s seeking solace. Forget dressy parties, lounge shows, night-owl bars. While some freighters feature swimming pools, their big sell is serenity. Endless days, open seas.

Freighter World Cruises, 180 S. Lake Ave., Suite 335, Pasadena 91101, (818) 449-3106.

Trekking in Nepal: Virginia Allen of Upland writes: “I have recently returned from my third trekking adventure in Nepal. I was so impressed with the service of Asian Trekking that I want to share it. The owners, Ang Tshering Sherpa and his Belgian wife, Jo, ensure that one’s stay will go without a hitch from the moment they whisk you through customs till you leave. I soon felt more a valued friend than a customer. They have an impressive catalogue, but will design any special trek or tour the traveler wishes, anywhere in the country. The trekking crews are absolutely dedicated to the pleasure, health and safety of their clients. The cost for 28 days was $1,589 per person for a party of four (a low-altitude trek out of Pokara, another in the Mt. Everest region, a stay in a jungle wildlife lodge and eight nights in a fine hotel in Katmandu). Address: Asian Trekking, Keshar Mahal Thamel, P.O. Box 3022, Katmandu, Nepal.

Reader Recommendations

California--Barbara Kraus, Newport Beach: “The Little Inn on the Bay, 617 Lido Park Drive, Newport Beach 92663. On the waterfront. Wine and cheese at 5 p.m., continental breakfast, morning newspaper, complimentary bikes, cruise of the bay. Rates start at $96. A sweetheart of an inn.”

New York--Mrs. L. A. McKenna, Whittier: “Skyline Hotel, 725 7th Ave., Manhattan. Loved the view from our spacious 8th-floor room. There were three of us, and it cost $80 per night.”

Massachusetts--Pamela Lachtman, Westlake Village: “The Lennox Hotel, 710 Boylston St., Boston, Mass. 02116. Working fireplaces in some rooms. Request the $78 rate.”

Scotland--Wendy Jenkins: Praise for Muir B&B;, 60 Ferry Road, Edinburgh EH4 2TT. Rate: 10 per person, including breakfast.

England--Mr. and Mrs. B. J. Tott, Santa Maria: “Superb B&B;, The Dower House, Kirklington, near The Bale, North Yorkshire DL8 2LX. A lovely Georgian home built in 1789. Our room with delicious breakfast was about $36 per person per night.”

French Polynesia--Kate Mackie, Los Angeles: “Enjoyed Chez Marie Bellais Richmond Pension, P.O. Box 51, Avatoru, Rangiroa. Rates: $50 a day, all meals included.”

We regret that only a select few recommendations can be used. They must be brief (typewritten or printed). Only one recommendation per reader, please. Note: Recommendations will not be used unless prices and addresses are included.