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Traversing the earth in search of knowledge, certain travelers make considerable efforts to get as far from their sphere of familiarity as possible. Deliberately choosing the farthest-flung destinations. the most remote cultures. the paths of most resistance. these travelers delve deep-so deep that sometimes they never return. But this is a risk they willingly take. However many miles they log geographically. they have realized that the best part of any trip is the inner journey, the one that happens as the mind encounters foreign ideas and customs. They discover what it's like to exist. live. function. thrive in an entirely different mindset. And they come back home discovering they have changed in the process. One way to understand a different culture is to study its histo- ry. This also gives you something to chat with the locals about as you try to figure out what it is you're about to eat. Another is to read its fiction. Another is to learn its language. Yet another is to go with someone inti- mately connected to the place, who'll take you further than you'd ever go alone. The following trips have been selected because they challenge you to go further. experience more, learn lots. The leaders are special- ists in their respective countries. They provide insight you wouldn't find if traveling alone. When you feel like jumping right into the thick of things, there's nothing like having a good guru to show you the way. PHOTO. JAMES MARTIN south america> EASTER ISLAND, CHILE UNCOVER THE MYSTERY OF THE MOAI Like the mystery surrounding the pyramids at Giza, no one has yet come up with a definitive answer as to how the indigenous population of this tiny, remote Pacific island erected these monolithic carvings and where they made them. The statues average 13 feet in height and 14 tons in weight. Some are over a thousand years old . Dr Jo Anne Van Tilburg will lead you in the footsteps of Katherine Routledge, co- leader of the first detailed archaeological survey of the island. You'll visit an enormous underground cav- ern filled with house foundations, hearths and sunken gardens. I nvestigate what happened to the flourishing cu lture on the island. Were they victims of an ecological disaster of their own making as they overharvested the once plentiful forests in their quest to build more Moai? THE BRITISH MUSEUM TRAVELLER. 011-44-171-323-8895. WWW.BRITISHMUSEUM.CO.UKrrRAV.HTM. NOVEMBER 2000. 12 DAYS. £2.795 (US$4.606). FROM LONDON INCLUDING AIRFARE. OR MEET THE TRIP ON EASTER ISLAND (FLY FROM NORTH AMERICA VIA SANTIAGO. CHILE), LAND-ONLY PRICE. £1.937 (US$3.199) (MAXIMUM 24 PEOPLE). MANITOBA. CANADA < GOBI DESERT. MONGOLIA DIG UP DINOSAURS For every amateur archaeologist who used to pretend to search for ancient bones in the backyard, this is the trip to take. Follow paleontologists into the Gobi Desert to prospect for and excavate fossils from the Late Cretaceous Period. Last year's voyage found a juvenile Tarbosaurus jaw, the second juvenile Tarbosaurus ever to be discovered. Also found were eggs from var- ious birds and dinosaurs, a partial skele- ton of a Mononyku5 (a birdlike dinosaur) and part of a Velociraptor skeleton. You'll camp out in tents and explore the semi- arid desert while moving between two dif- ferent fossi I beds. NOMADIC EXPEDITIONS. 800-998-6634. WWW.NOMADICEXP.COM. SEPTEMBER 2000. 14 DAYS, $3,965 (BASED ON 10 TO 15 PEOPLE). BUMTHANG, BHUTAN GO GET FERTILE If you want to increase your chances of conceiving, go get blessed at a fertility fes- tival in Bhutan, the Himalayan kingdom nestled between China and India. Two years ago, Asian Pacific Adventures founder Tovya Wager successfully con- ceived her daughter Tashi after taking part in a Bhutanese fertility rite. Now she takes others. But for people who aren't interest- ed in having a baby, don't worry; there's plenty more to observe in this isolated country, including some of the world's highest peaks, Buddhist temples and numerous colorful fairs. Tourists are only allowed in with prearranged itineraries on a minimum budget of US$200 per day. ASIAN PACIFIC ADVENTURES. 818-886-5191, 800-825-1680. WWW.ASIANPACIFIC ADVENTURES.COM. NOVEMBER 2000. 14 DAYS. $3.395 (MINIMUM FOUR PEOPLE) GO ON A POLAR BEAR SAFARI Jump into a tundra buggy and check out the desert of the north. Every fall, polar bears migrate past the town of Churchill on the western edge of Canada's massive Hudson Bay. You'l l drive out directly into the path of the migration and observe the bears up close; these 2,OOO-pound beasts have been known to come right up to the windows of the buggy. Naturalist guides will also take you across the tundra on foot and explain the Arctic ecosystem and wildlife. An optional helicopter ride flies over the frozen ice pack in the bay to watch the great bears hunting for seals. BIG FIVE TOURS & EXPEDITIONS. 800-244-3483. WWW.BIGFIVE.COM. OCTOBER 2000. 5 DAYS. $2.895 (BASED ON 18 TO 24 PEOPLE). ITALY, GREECE AND EGYPT SAIL A BIG OLD BOAT Trace the rise and fall of three ancient civilizations that bordered the Mediterranean Sea. From the decks of the Clelia II, you'll watch each coastline material- ize above the salty horizon. When the anchor drops, you'll wander the well-preserved ruins at Pompeii beneath its looming volcano, gaze into the eyes of the Sphinx, peruse Minoan artifacts and Roman mosaics, make offerings at Doric temples and assess for your- self which empire was the greatest. NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION. 202-588-6300. WWW.NTHP.ORG. JUNE 2000. 12 DAYS. $6,495-13.495 (BASED ON 35 PEOPLE). NOTE, TRIP PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE EXTERNAL AIR- FARE UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. 33