Short Trips From Warsaw Popular

Sun., Dec. 31, 1995

Terence Neilan New York Times

Q. My husband and I hope to travel to Poland next spring to visit my father’s village, Suchova, which is about 30 miles north of Bialystok. Will we be able to hire an English-speaking driver in Warsaw, spend the night in Bialystok, go from there to Suchova for a few hours and then back to Warsaw?

A. The consensus among tour operators who specialize in Poland is that such a trip is readily available. Tour operators say trips of this kind are popular to that part of the country.

Any of the following can make the arrangements:

American Travel Abroad, 250 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10107, (800) 228-0877. The driver would cost about $150 a day, plus about $70 for his overnight accommodations in Bialystok. The driver would provide his own meals.

Orbis Polish Travel Bureau, 342 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10173, (212) 867-5011. There are many such programs available, the company says, for about $350 a day, with the driver’s meals and accommodations included.

Air Tours Poland Group, 500 Fifth Avenue, Suite 408, New York, NY 10110, (800) 223-0593. The in-house tour operator of LOT Polish Airlines, Poland Group says such a trip would cost about $400, with accommodations and meals.

Q. I am interested in finding a contemplative retreat in Hawaii. Are there any Buddhist or Catholic retreats or any yoga or meditation camps on any of the islands?

A. There are a few such retreats in Hawaii, covering everything from New Age, to Roman Catholicism to Zen Buddhism.

The following are on Oahu:

Honolulu Diamond Sangha, 2747 Waiomao Road, Honolulu, HI 96816; (808) 735-1347. Well known in Zen Buddhist circles, the Diamond Sangha holds a number of retreats throughout the year, lasting from one day to five days and more.

The center has one prerequisite for people planning to attend retreats: that they read “Taking the Path to Zen,” by Robert Aitken (North Point Press), the center’s Zen master, so they have some idea of what the retreats will involve. Room and board is $25 a day.

Wood Valley Temple and Retreat Center, P.O. Box 250, Pahala, HI 96777; (808) 928-8539. A nonsectarian Tibetan Buddhist temple and retreat center in a rural area - its Tibetan name is Nechung Dorje Drayang Ling - the center has a flexible retreat schedule.

The nightly cost of $18 for dormitory accommodations and $40 to $45 for a private room for two (two-night minimum stay) does not include food. A kitchen is available for cooking food that retreat members bring with them.

Spiritual Life Center, 6401 Pali Highway, St. Stephen’s Diocesan Center, Kaneohe, HI 96744, (808) 263-8844. A Catholic retreat center 20 minutes from downtown Honululu, the emphasis is, however, on an ecumenical approach to spiritual matters, with workshops on subjects like prayer and anger. Guests usually stay no longer than two weeks and are expected to enter into the center’s life of prayer and contemplation.

A room is $30 a night, with a $5 a day charge for food, which is available in a small kitchen.

Mantra Meditation of Hawaii, 169 South Kukui Street, Third Floor, Honululu, HI 96813, (808) 533-0277. Free classes are offered at the downtown center and at retreats held at various points around Oahu.

“Retreat Center Guest Houses” is a directory of retreat centers in 49 states and 14 countries, including 136 in England and others in Germany, Sweden, Malta, Japan, France and Australia. It lists addresses, prices and nearby points of interest. The current edition is available for $15.95 postpaid from CTS Publications, P.O. Box 8355, Newport Beach, CA 92660 (add $2 for first-class postage).

Q. I have scheduled a trip to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires in early November. What sort of weather can I expect?

A. Take an umbrella, a good pair of rubber shoes and be prepared in Rio for uncomfortable levels of humidity, particularly at night.

November is the start of Rio’s wettest period, with an average of just over 4 inches of precipitation that month. Maximum highs are 79 degrees and lows 68. In Buenos Aires the precipitation level will be 3.3 inches, fourth highest of the year. Highs will be in the mid-70s and lows in the mid-50s.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN, QUESTION & ANSWER - Travel Q&A

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