Sometimes, it just doesn't matter what language you speak.
Consider the case of some of Insider's traveling friends, who
stumbled into Dikili, a small resort village on the west coast of
Turkey that was a port call on a recent cruise of the Aegean.
Walking around the town and being somewhat short on photos of
themselves, the group asked a local man to take their picture.
After showing him how to use the point-and-shoot during
something that resembled a game of charades -- the man spoke not a
word of English -- the group had their photo taken together and
then took another picture of one member of their party with the
local man. They thanked him and went merrily on their way.
A minute later, the fellow caught up to them and held out a
piece of paper. It had his name and address on it, and they
discerned that he wanted them to send back the photo that had been
taken of him.
They thought this was very charming indeed and had another
charade-style conversation about the sending the photo from the
U.S.
But the local guy still was not finished with them: He ushered
them into a nearby coffee shop, where he bought them drinks.
He also used the telephone in the shop, and a few minutes later
some members of his family arrived, including his daughter and baby
granddaughter, whom he was eager to show off to his new American
friends.
A lovely chat ensued -- with the Americans speaking no Turkish
and the Turks speaking no English.
In the end, the cruise passengers said it was the most memorable
conversation of their trip.
Gondolier heaven
Insider got the inside scoop on the gondola business during a
recent jaunt to Venice.
Every gondola is custom-made and no two are alike.
Gondola makers at one time were numerous in Venice, but now just
a handful of workshops exist. It takes at least six months to
construct a gondola, and they can cost up to $40,000 each, on
average.
Gondoliers-in-training can expect to spend six months learning how
to maneuver the craft and another three to four years to learn the
maze of canals.
And yes, they all must be able to carry a tune.
Fishy business
The Scottish Tourist Board added an unusual twist to its
marketing efforts.
In the hopes of making the traveling public aware of Scotland's
reputation as a destination that takes environmental issues
seriously, the board joined forces with Scottish Quality Trout, a
commercial entity that supplies, you got it, trout.
The campaign, which was unveiled at the Drummond Trout Farm and
Fishery in Comrie, Perthshire, involves a package of joint
promotions.
For one thing, more than 1 million labels of packaged Scottish
trout will feature the tourism Web site address
www.visitscotland.com.
A new Web site for Scottish Quality Trout, located at www.sqt.org, will be
linked to the tourism site.
And a joint promotion in Tesco, Sainsburys and Safeway
supermarkets will offer shoppers the opportunity to win luxury
breaks at Scotland's Hotels of Distinction.
Furthermore, a Trout Truck roadshow will tour Great Britain,
promoting the quality of Scottish trout products and Scotland's
environment.
Organizers said they hope to net plenty of new tourism business
for the country.