GLOBE TREKKER SEASON 6
EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS
Hosts: Christina Chang, Neil Gibson, Adela Ucar Innerarity, Megan McCormick, Holly Morris, Eils
Nevitt, Alex Riley, Justine Shapiro and Ian Wright
601 Sweden & Denmark — Megan McCormick begins her trip in Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital
and the home of author and poet Hans Christian Andersen. She experiences a Viking festival in
Aarhus and explores the free state of Christiania. In Stockholm, Megan picnics on moose sausage and
reindeer paté, meets tennis legend Bjorn Borg, tours the Nobel Museum, dances to an ABBA tribute
act, and parties at the famous Ice Bar. She also treks on horseback along the Baltic Coast and
experiences a relaxing Swedish sauna.
602 Deep South U.S.A. — Ian Wright hikes through the Smoky Mountains, enjoys a music festival in
Asheville, explores the Freedom Walk and the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr. in Atlanta,
witnesses a Civil War re-enactment near Mobile, and attends a reunion of the Tuskegee Airmen of
World War II. He winds up his trip in Memphis for Elvis Week, where thousands of fans converge to
commemorate the anniversary of “The King’s” death.
603 Cuba & Haiti — Ian Wright explores the bustling street markets in Havana and discovers the lure
of the rumba. He then travels west to the Pinar del Rio, where he lends a hand to the locals, visits a
cigar factory and tours the site of the Bay of Pigs invasion. Ian journeys to Port-au-Prince, the capital
of Haiti, and Jacmel, where Ian takes part in a peasant festival and joins the Rara bands. He ends his
trip with a voodoo festival in Souvenance and a visit to a spectacular citadel in Cap Haitien.
604 Greece — Christina Chang begins her Greek idylls in Athens, where she explores the picturesque
streets near the Acropolis, spends her evening in the student district of Exaria and listens to “rembetik,”
the Greek blues. She takes a detour to the Nea Momi monastery on the island of Chios, hikes through
the Mani region, treks to Dragon Lake from the village of Mikro Papingo, witnesses a fire-walking
festival in Seres, and visits the mountain-top monasteries of Meteora.
605 Sri Lanka & the Maldives — Megan McCormick starts off in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka,
where she samples the exotic cuisine. She visits a Buddhist temple in Matara, explores a topaz mine
near Ratnapura, tours an elephant orphanage in Pinjnewala and takes part in Esala Perahera, Sri
Lanka’s biggest festival. Her trip ends on Dhangethi, one of the spectacular Maldive Islands, where
she encounters exotic tropical fish and lush foliage.
606 Cambodia — Ian Wright celebrates Buddha Day in Phonm Da, travels to the former Khmer
Rouge stronghold of Kampot, feasts on seafood on the island of Koh Rong, tiptoes through a minefield
outside Phnom Penh, rehearses with the National School of Dance, experiences Cambodian stand-up
comedy and ends his trip at Angkor Wat, considered by some to be the eighth wonder of the world.
607 Paris City Guide II — Justine Shapiro and Adela Ucar Innerarity travel to the City of Light.
Justine strolls through the Luxembourg Gardens, discovers eclectic artwork and uncovers culinary
secrets at the famed Le Cordon Bleu culinary institute. Adela wanders through the Musée d’Orsay,
visits a gay boulangerie in the Marais, and chats with British designer Vivienne Westwood at the
couture shows. Touring the Palace of Versailles, she learns about Marie Antoinette and, back in Paris,
she follows the controversial queen’s path to the guillotine. Adela’s trip is complete with a glimpse of
the Mona Lisa, a ride up the Eiffel Tower and a visit to the Moulin Rouge.
608 Las Vegas City Guide — Ian Wright kicks off his visit with a look at the hotels and casinos on
the Las Vegas “strip.” He tours wedding chapels, enjoys the kitsch of Liberace, attends a beauty
pageant with a twist and participates in a “hair-raising” tribute to Elvis. Leaving the city, Ian travels to
the Nevada Test Site, where atomic bombs were tested, and hikes into the Grand Canyon.
609 Argentina — Justine Shapiro begins her trip at the incredible Iguazu Falls and travels west to
Jujuy, the most traditional region of Argentina. In Salta, she catches “The Train to the Clouds,” which
takes her on a spectacular three-day journey. Justine spends a day with the gauchos and attends a
religious festival in honor of the Virgin of the Valley. Next she heads to Buenos Aires, where she
visits Eva Peron’s grave, learns to tango and parties away the night. The journey’s final leg finds her in
El Calafate, where she visits the mystic caves and discovers the beautiful scenery of Parque Los
Glacials, where the glacier caps meet the grassy plains.
610 Globe Trekker Special: Great Natural Wonders — Join the Globe Trekkers as they explore
some of the world’s great natural wonders. Megan McCormick discovers erupting volcanoes in Hawaii
and Java; Ian Wright encounters the Arctic; Justine Shapiro hikes the Perito Moreno glacier in
Patagonia; Eils Nevitt treks deep into the Amazon rainforest; and Holly Morris travels with the
nomadic Tuareg tribe in the Sahara Desert. Other destinations include Australia’s Great Barrier Reef,
Africa’s Victoria Falls, and spectacular national parks around the world, from New Zealand and
Botswana to Kenya and Ecuador.
611 Washington, D.C. City Guide — Justine Shapiro enters the hallowed halls of the capital of the
United States of America, a city in which a quarter of the population changes with every new
administration, and where the history of the nation is encapsulated in great museums, monuments,
memorials and architecture. She attends the massive re-enactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek, and
she is “captured” by CIA agents and interrogates the former agency chief. She meets politicians on
both sides of the aisle and explores Washington's African-American community. Justine then travels to
Virginia and Maryland to uncover the capital's rural hinterland.
612 Micronesia — Micronesia is a chain of more than 2,000 islands, and Megan McCormick starts
on Guam, site of a U.S. military base. Next it’s off to Pohnpei, the capital island, where she hikes
through lush vegetation to the Kepirohi waterfall. Megan explores the arcahaeological ruins of Nan
Madol, dives among sunken Japanese warships at Chuuk and kayaks on Jellyfish Lake in Palau. She
ends her travels on Yap, where she observes a colony of hump-backed turtles and swims with manta
rays.
613 Globe Trekker Special: World History: England — Justine Shapiro starts her historical journey
dodging swords in a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings, then travels up the coast to visit the Royal
Pavilion in Brighton. Passing through London, she takes a canal ride up to the Yorkshire Moors, where
she boards a double-decker bus/hotel. The next stop is Whitby, the eerie coastal town that inspired
Bram Stoker to write “Dracula.” Justine strolls along Hadrian’s Wall, has a chance meeting with a
centurion and rides a steam train before visiting Liverpool, home of The Beatles. Venturing south into
England’s West Country, Justine meets the very eccentric Marquess of Bath and joins a pagan
celebration in Glastonbury before ending her journey in Ottery St. Mary, where the locals run through
the narrow streets with huge, flaming tar barrels to celebrate Guy Fawkes Night.
614 Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg & Murmansk — Ian Wright begins his trip in Moscow, where he
visits the Kremlin, takes in Red Square and Lenin’s Tomb and tours the city’s palaces, churches and
bell towers. He then ventures to the Izmaylovsky Market, a great place to find quirky souvenirs and
communist memorabilia. Ian heads to Star City, home of the Russian space program, where he tries
“moon walking.” Next it’s off to St. Petersburg, where Ian tours the Winter Palace,the Hermitage and
the Peter and Paul Fortress. Finally, he heads north to Murmansk, the largest city in the Arctic Circle,
where he explores Lapland Nature Reserve and celebrates the Festival of the North.
615 Spanish Islands — Alex Riley explores the glorious Spanish Islands, visiting the Balearics off
the coast of Spain and the Canary Islands near Africa. He begins on the millionaires’ playground that
is Mallorca and hops over to Ibiza, where he goes clubbing with the beautiful people and then winds
down at a yoga resort. Alex next travels to Formentera, a sparsely populated island famous for mud
baths and massive boats. He then visits the Canary Islands, starting with Gran Canaria, where he revels
at the festival of the Virgen del Rosario and explores the island’s ancient caves. On Tenerife, Alex
hikes up the Tiede volcano, Spain’s highest peak, and in Fuerteventura, he tries kite surfing.
616 Madagascar — Ian Wright travels to Antananarivo, the capital, where he learns about the unique
culture of the Malagasy and takes in a hira gasy performance combining song, dance and acrobatics.
He catches sight of a golden bamboo lemur in Ranomafana National Park, observes zebu wrestling in
Ihosy, encounters sharks in the waters of Ifaty and dives a wreck off Isle Sainte Marie, a tropical island
that centuries ago was the only buccaneer kingdom in the world.
617 Ireland — Ian Wright begins his trip in Belfast, where he learns about the political troubles but
also discovers a lighter and livelier side to the city. In Dublin, he samples the musical scene and takes
in a hurling match. Ian travels next to Cobh, a seaside town in County Cork and the final resting place
of the ocean liner Lusitania. While in Cork, he visits the Blarney stone and then heads for the beautiful
landscape of County Kerry. Ian celebrates at a festival on Inishmor, the largest of the Aran Islands,
hikes through the wilderness of Connemara and Donegal and meets the king of remote Tory Island.
618 Egypt — Megan McCormick starts her journey in the sprawling city of Cairo at the bazaar of
Khan al-Khalili, open for business since the Middle Ages. From here she visits the mosque at Ibn
Tulun, the legendary spot where Noah’s Ark came to rest. Megan’s next stop is Giza and the Great
Pyramids, built as tombs for three Pharaohs. She arrives in the oasis town of Siwa, famous for its dates
and olives, stops off in Bahariyya, where she is personally greeted by the mayor, and treks to Luxor for
a hot-air balloon ride over the Valley of the Kings. Her final destination is Abu Simbel, the gateway to
southern Egypt and home to the massive Sun Temple of Ramses.
619 Ecuador & the Galapagos Islands — Justine Shapiro visits Banos, a spa town that lies on the
edge of the Andean foothills and the Amazon jungle, where she bathes in thermal baths heated by the
nearby volcanoes and goes biking and hiking in the Pastaza Valley. She climbs the snow-capped
Cotopaxi, the highest active volcano on earth and journeys to Ottovalo, Ecuador's most famous
market. Here, the local Ottovalo Indians invite Justine to sample a great delicacy of Andean cuisine
that dates back to pre-Inca time — guinea pig.
620 Alaska — Ian Wright’s journey begins in the town of Eagle on the banks of the Yukon River,
home to the Athabascan natives who live on salmon in the summer and moose in the winter. Traveling
to the town of Chicken (population 25), which has no running water, electricity or telephones, he goes
gold dredging in the Fortymile River. In Homer, Ian goes sky trekking in a Cessna 185 and watches
grizzly bears catching salmon in waterfalls.
621 Central America: Costa Rica & Nicaragua — Neil Gibson visits the Costa Rican capital of San
José, where he gets caught up in election fever, samples traditional cuisine and visits volunteers trying
to combat poverty in the city. He cruises to Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve and encounters
tarantulas, deadly snakes and rare birds before arriving at Volcan Arenal, where he relaxes in the hot
springs. Neil then crosses the border into Nicaragua and stops at El Castillo, site of the only castle in
Central America. Neil plays baseball on the island of Mancarron, rolls cigars in Granada and explores
Managua, site of a devastating earthquake. He ends his trip at the Volcan Masaya, known by the
Indians as the “land of the gods” and by the Spanish as “the mouth of Hell.”
622 Southern Spain — Christina Chang explores the town of Ronda, legendary for its gruesome
history during both the Inquisition and the Spanish Civil War, and travels to La Rabida, where
Christopher Columbus embarked on his expedition to the New World. Christina windsurfs at Tarifa,
celebrates Easter in Seville, paraglides off the peak of El Yelmo, visits the Alhambra and takes
flamenco lessons in Granada, snowboards in the Sierra Nevada, strolls on the unspoiled San Pedro
beach and commemorates a 13th-century battle in Alcoy.
623 Panama & Colombia — Megan McCormick takes a trip through Colombia and Panama, two
countries that are refreshingly untouched by mass tourism. Panama is a country world famous for its
canal, and with landscape and life outside its capital that are mesmerizing. Colombia, a country that has
had its fair share of trouble in recent years but is safer now and equally steeped in history and beauty.
In Panama City, Megan tries different Panama hats, which she learns are really from Ecuador but were
misnamed as far back as the1850s when Americans were building the railroad during the Gold Rush.
She visits the Panama Canal, the crucial byway that generates $1 billion a year for the Panamanian
economy. In Colombia, Megan finds herself witness to a point-blank shooting. Undeterred, she decides
to learn more about the country’s crime-ridden history. She stops by Bogota’s police museum to see an
exhibition of the infamous drug dealer Pablo Escobar. She then visits the Caribbean coast and the
beautiful historic city of Cartagena, where Megan learns about the city’s Spanish colonial past and
listens to some of Colombia’s most popular rhythms, Vallenato.
624 Eastern Caribbean — Justine Shapiro revels at a festival on Trinidad, visits a former sugar
plantation and takes in a goat race on Tobago, and samples souse, a regional aphrodisiac from
Grenada. She sails to Carriacou for a Shakespeare festival, hikes through the enormous rainforest in
Dominica and swims with exotic fish near the Soufrière volcano. Justine returns to Trinidad, where
she witnesses a giant leatherback turtle lay her eggs on the beach.
625 Ice Trekking the Alps — Zay Harding ski tours the legendary Haute Route from Chamonix to
Zermatt. Taking in Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn along the way, he undertakes a tough weeklong
journey, traversing three Western European countries: France, Italy and Switzerland. He temps fate and
frequent avalanches, masters the technique of off-piste skiing in powder-snow and learns how to
negotiate his way out of a deep crevasse. Zay visits a local cemetery where thousands of intrepid
climbers have lost their lives in pursuit to concur the Alps. Zay’s trek allows him to sample the
delicious French speciality tartiflette, make an exquisite Swiss Rosti and enjoy other regional cuisine.
626 Bolivia — Ian Wright begins his trip on Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world.
In La Paz, he finds some unusual potions in the Witches Market, explores the silver mines in Potosi,
visits the immense salt lake at Uyuni, experiences a spirited fiesta in Uncia, cycles through the lush
Yungas region and ascends the Andean peaks of Huayana Potosi.
627 Cyprus & Crete — Adela Ucar heads to the Greek island of Crete to learn more about the
island’s World War II history and experience its stunning natural beauty along one of Europe’s most
popular walking trails, the E4. Meanwhile, K.T. Comer travels throughout the nearby Mediterranean
island of Cyprus. She visits the ruins of Kourion to attend a midsummer’s day festival in honor of the
ancient Greek god Apollo and pays a visit to the island’s most revered Greek Orthodox monastery at
Kykkos before heading to Nicosia, the world’s last divided capital city, straddling the UN-patrolled
buffer zone between Greek-dominated southern Cyprus and the breakaway Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus.
628 Globe Trekker Special: Galleons, Pirates & Treasure — Megan McCormick sets out in the
footsteps of famous mariners and renegades of the Caribbean to learn firsthand about 250 years of
perilous treasure hunting and brutal competition among the Spanish, English, Dutch, French and
Portuguese. These pirates were vying for gold, silver and other riches. Galleons were sunk, thousands
were killed and, for centuries after the New World was discovered in 1492, it was the pirates who ruled
the waves. Megan explores the legend and lore to find ou how far they went to lay their hands on these
treasures, how hard it was to keep, and what still remains from that extraordinary era.
629 Globe Trekker Special: Best Treks: Caribbean Islands & New Zealand — Ian Wright island hops
around the pristine coral atolls of the Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean where he learns about the
islands’ heritage at the Wade’s Green Slave Plantation and helps out on an environmental study of
lemon sharks. He ends his Caribbean journey on Grand Turk -- renowned for its beautiful colonial
architecture -- in search of majestic humpback whales. In New Zealand, Zay Harding hikes the Milford
Track, the country’s most famous and spectacular trek. The three-day journey takes him through a
narrow river gorge with hundreds of waterfalls, to a 4,000-foot summit with 360-degree views and to
the Milford Sound, a dramatic fjord enclosed by sheer peaks plunging thousands of feet straight down
into the water. It has been called the eighth wonder of the world, and is a fitting climax to one of the
finest treks on earth.
630 Globe Trekker Special: World Food: Vietnam — Megan McCormick starts her culinary tour of
Vietnam in the Mekong Delta. Her first stop is Ho Chi Minh City to visit the Pho Binh noodle shop,
which also served as a resistance headquarters during the Vietnam War. Next it’s off to Hue in central
Vietnam, where Megan samples the region’s “Imperial” cuisine and then travels to Hanoi. She treks
further north to Bac Ha, attends a traditional banquet hosted by the Flower H’mong tribe and ends her
journey with a seafood feast in the scenic Ha Long Bay.