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Kutztown Festival -- July 2 - 10, 2005 America's Premier Folklife Festival features 200 juried craftspeople, 2,000 locally made quilts for sale or auction, antiques and collectibles, folklife demonstrations, entertainment on 6 stages, children's entertainment and scrumptious food including Pennsylvania Dutch dinners, an ox roast and farmers' market. Kutztown Festival or 888/674-6136.

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Protect Luggage with Baggag 31735/59226_bagguard2.gif m/graphics/bagguard2.gif" border="0" width="335" height="227" alt="" align="left"> The pre- numbered, one-time use plastic padlocks are the perfect way to protect your luggage since they cannot be reinstalled once removed. That feature lets you instantly know if someone tampered with your luggage. Yet when TSAs at airports need to inspect your luggage, Baggage Guard Seals can be easily removed. A package of 10 Baggage Guard Seals is still only $9.95. Click Here to Order.

Steinhatchee Landing Resort, in Florida??™s Big Bend three miles upstream from the Gulf of Mexico on the Steinhatchee River, offers a Riverside Retreat discount. The discount can save more than 35 percent on a stay, depending on the type of cottage and length of visit. Guests can stay three nights for the price of two, or seven nights for the price of four. Children under 17 and pets under 28 pounds stay fr^e. Savings range from $132 to $810 per stay. The retreat discount is valid through Feb. 28, 2005. The package requires a three-night minimum stay and is subject to availability with certain restrictions and blackout dates. Taxes and some amenities are not included. Ten cottages cater to animals less than 28lbs. and a pet deposit is required upon arrival. The riverfront resort resembles a 19th-century Southern village with 36 Victorian and Florida ???Cracker???-style cottages on 35 acres of natural landscape shaded by pines and magnolias, giving you a taste of ???original Florida.??? 75 miles southeast of Tallahassee, 75 miles west of Gainesville and within a two-and-a-half hours??™ drive of Orlando and Tampa Bay, each of the Landing??™s one-, two- and three-bedroom cottages features central heat and air, laundry facilities, full kitchens, TV/VCR, stereo, phones, covered porches and outdoor charcoal grills. The Landing offers adventure activities including canoeing and kayaking, bicycling, hiking, tennis and swimming in the riverfront pool. Several footbridges and outdoor gazebos offer spots for relaxation. Children are entertained at the playground, petting zoo and basketball courts. Steinhatchee Landing Resort or 800/584-1709.

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Pan Pacific Bangkok Bonanza Package

The Pan Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand, offers a Bonanza Package to North American travelers through Jan. 31, 2005. Package rates range from $128 a night for a superior room to$148 a night for the deluxe room. The Bonanza Package includes fr~e welcome drink and fruit basket on arrival, fr~e breakfast buffet, two 20 percent discount coupons for The Spa & Health Club, fr~e use of the fitness facilities and sauna, fr~e daily international newspaper and late checkout. Additional benefits include: one fre.e 55 minute massage on your first night??™s stay; one fre.e 55minute Aromatherapy body salt glow or Baht500 meal allowance (approximately US$13) at Hai Tien Lo for your second night??™s stay. For a third night??™s stay choose a one-way transfer to or from the airport or a Baht500 meal allowance at Hai Tien Lo. In Bangkok's prime entertainment and business district near Lumpini Park and Sala Daeng Skytrain station (S2), the Pan Pacific includes an atrium lobby, swimming pool with statuary and a glass-domed rooftop lounge with indoor garden. The hotel features 235 rooms and suites, starting on the 24th floor of a 32-story hotel/office complex. Pan Pacific Bangkok or 800/327-8585.

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Cheap Tix Chart
Buy Tickets at a Discount -- Special ticket outlets sell discounted day-of-performance tickets to theatrical productions, films, and sporting events. Discounts can be 50 percent or more. On The Go Publishing??™s UPDATED Cheap Tix Chart, still only $14, lists outlets in the U.S. and eight foreign cities that sell discounted, day-of-performance tickets. Order here.

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Exploring Ek Balam in Mexico??™s Yucatan -- by Nicki Chodnoff

Mention Mexico??™s Yucatan peninsula and most people think about new and flashy Cancun, now an international vacation retreat. Yet, on that same peninsula, 200 miles to the west is an often overlooked colonial gem, the city of Merida. The capital of Yucatan state and home to almost 1 million people, some people stumble onto Merida as a gateway to the celebrated Maya ruins of Chichen Itza and Uxmal. From our base in Merida, we found the Yucatan peninsula to be a treasure trove of Mayan archeological sites. More than 2,000 have been identified, yet only 20 have been excavated and restored. As we explored the Yucatan, we opted to skip Chichen Itza (pronounced chee chen eet za) and concentrate on the still hidden city of Ek Balam, far from the radar of tourist busloads. With a combination package from American Express Vacations, we had a variety of cultural and archaeological options including the choice between Chicken Itza and Ek Balam. If we wanted, we could even visit both.. Meaning "black jaguar" in Mayan and with stones on buildings a blaring white, Ek Balam has the feel that you're the first to see it since antiquity. With the surrounding forest almost intact, you can understand why this hidden gem of the Maya civilization is little known. Since there are not many tourists, we counted about 10 other people during our visit, it is more quiet and peaceful than tour-bus riddled Chichen Itza. With easy access to the ruins soon it may be added to every tour of the area. It is a matter of time before the marvels of Ek Balam will lose some of the magic of personal communion with the unknown. For now, the mystery and the marvel of its partially excavated structures are still there. Creators of one of the greatest ancient civilizations, the Mayans developed a sophisticated mathematical system and a complex hieroglyphic writing system. Of all the world's ancient calendars, the Mayans had the most complex and accurate. Their elaborate and incredibly ornate architect 31735/59231_ek-balem-ballcourt.jpg tsanews.fateback.com/graphics/ek-balem-ballcourt.jpg" border="0" width="346" height="260" alt="" align="right">In addition, the Mayans were skilled weavers, potters and master farmers, clearing large sections of jungle and building drainage canals for agriculture. Their engineers constructed grand highways called the Sacbe, or white road, from which they developed extensive trade networks. They had an intricate knowledge of astronomy and medicine and carved the theory of evolution in stone, 1,000 years before Darwin. Compared to other Mayan cities, Ek Balam had a long span of life - about a thousand years. Its apex dates to the Late- and Post-Classic periods of the Maya civilization, 700 to 1200 A.D., though there's evidence of habitation as early as 300 B.C., and a flurry of construction around 600 A.D. Some historians believe that Ek Balam was still partially inhabited when the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century. According to our guide Umberto, the Spanish knew about Ek Balam and described its enormous buildings in the late 1800s. The low lying jungle guarded Ek Balam's secrets. Until the early 1990s, Ek Balam was known only as an ancient city totally surrounded by a wall. It was probably an influential city in the eastern Yucatan, judging from its monumental architecture. Umberto suggested that Ek Balam was at war with neighbors such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal (pronounced oosh-mal), as the city had three protective walls surrounding it. Po 31735/59229_ek-balem3.jpg ="http://tsanews.fateback.com/graphics/ek-balem3.jpg" border="0" width="346" height="260" alt="" align="left">It is through one of the walls' openings that you enter the 2,500 acre site, where you are greeted by a massive, square structure that looks like a sentinel tower. To the right, a large rounded structure catches your eye, unusual in that there are not many round Mayan structures. Passing through a small ball court, you then get your first glimpse of the looming majestic palace/pyramid, the most important of Ek Balam's uncovered structures. The complex also features smaller temples, altars, the ball court, stelae, and living quarters. An ancient Mayan Sacbe was uncovered and found to fan out to distances of up to one mile or more. The excavation and reconstruction started in 1994 by the National Institute of Anthropology and History and monuments began to reveal the city's secrets. The tallest and longest in the city, the chief pyramid is comparable in size (100 feet high, 517 feet long, and 200 feet wide) with northeastern Yucatan's most remarkable Mayan buildings. At the entrance to the pyramid, there is a fanged-monster figure said to guard the entrance to the underworld. The structure consists of six levels, added by different rulers during the centuries. This unique edifice was used for religious ceremonies and housed the governors and the elite classes of society. The temple's expanse and layout i 31735/59227_ek-balam1.jpg ="http://tsanews.fateback.com/graphics/ek-balam1.jpg" border="0" width="346" height="260" alt="" align="right">About half way up its 100 or so steps, you can step on a platform to gaze at an ornate and breathtaking stucco wall, forming the entrance to what Umberto considered an impressive mausoleum for one of the masters of Ek Balam - a marvel of the excellence of Mayan artwork. An amazing and exquisite stucco wall, which takes the breath away from even the most seasoned ruin buff and is reason enough to visit Ek Balam, makes up the opening of the tomb. The doorway is in the shape of a jaguar's mouth with fearsome fangs all around. Life-like statues display fine details such as braided hair and designs in their loincloths. Hieroglyphs of corn pose next to warriors with skulls on their waistbands. In some places you can see some wall paintings in excellent shape. Under the thatched roofs that protect the facade, other statues and carvings of winged people, animals and various figures are integrated in a complex and beautiful design. A stucco relief in an almost-perfect state of preservation emerges from its pyram 31735/59228_ek-balem-climbing.jpg /tsanews.fateback.com/graphics/ek-balem-climbing.jpg" border="0" width="284" height="380" alt="" align="left">The climb is not for the faint-hearted, but if you have the intestinal fortitude to climb to the top, the view of the ruins and surrounding forest is outstanding. About 40 buildings have been released from the jungle's grip, a mere 20 percent of the city. A visit to the site takes less than two hours which leaves plenty of time to explore many other excursions and activities in the Yucatan that American Express Vacations offer. The program always travelers, who can stay at a wide array of properties from posh to practical, to link accommodations, amenities and sightseeing to create a completely customized vacation. American Express Vacations or 888/AXP-0403.

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Windstar 2-for-1 Prices

All 2005 European and trans-Atlantic itineraries aboard Windstar Cruises' three motor sailing yachts are now available at two-for-one rates, or better, with the "Europe on Sail" promotion. Rates are based on brochure fares and apply to all sailings departing Apr. 2 through Nov. 13, 2005. Rates are per person, double occupancy including non-discountable amounts. The 308-passenger Wind Surf sails from Ft. Lauderdale to Lisbon on Apr. 9, 2005 and will spend the season sailing in the western and eastern Mediterranean. Sample prices: $1,795 per person for a seven-day Malaga to Marseille cruise; $1,895 per person for a seven-day Rome to Malta cruise; $1,495 per person for a seven-day Malaga to Lisbon cruise; and $1,095 per person for a 14-day transatlantic voyage. The 148-passenger Wind Spirit sails from St. Thomas to Lisbon on Apr. 2, 2005 and will sail in the Mediterranean and Greek Islands. Sample prices: $1,895 per person for a seven-day Barcelona to Rome cruise; $2,295 per person for a seven-day Athens to Istanbul; and $1,995 per person for a seven-day Venice to Athens cruise. The 148-passenger Wind Star sails from Barbados to Lisbon on Apr. 9, 2005 and will sail in the Mediterranean and Greek Islands. Sample prices: $1,095 per person for a 14-day transatlantic voyage; $2,695 per person for an 11-day Rome to Istanbul cruise; $1,995 per person for a seven-day Monte Carlo to Barcelona cruise; and $2,295 per person for a seven-day Istanbul to Athens cruise. Windstar or 800/258-7245.

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Icelandair 2-for-1 Companion Fare

HURRY! PURCHASE TICKETS BY DEC. 17 -- Icelandair offers a two-for-one special to London, Scandinavia and Continental Europe. Tickets must be purchased by Dec. 17, 2004, at least seven days prior to departure, and travel must be completed by Mar. 31, 2005. A Saturday night stay is required and the maximum stay is 60 days. Blackout dates are Dec. 15, 2004 to Jan. 4, 2005 The offer is for new purchases only, cannot be booked online and is only valid on Icelandair flights from Baltimore, Boston, Orlando and Minneapolis to any Icelandair destination in London, Scandinavia and Continental Europe. No codeshare flights. Tickets are for economy class travel and no discounts are offered for children, infants or senior citizens. The companion ticket must follow the same itinerary as the full fare ticket. Both tickets are eligible for frequent flyer points. One companion ticket allowed per trip. Prices start from $248 per person based on two people traveling together from Boston to London. Tickets are non-refundable and seats are limited. Icelandair 800/223-5500.