ETCETERA: Want a January thaw? How about Tahiti?

BY JUDY KRIEGER, COURIER EDITOR

Now, this sounds like a great trip! Three Hedrick area residents joined the WHO Radio Tour group to Papeete, Tahiti in December.

While in Tahiti, Jon and Dianne Schuttlefield of Hedrick and Jon’s mother, Dorothy, from rural Ottumwa boarded the Pacific Princess to tour the islands of Huahine, Rangiroa, Raiatea, Bora Bora and Moorea in French Polynesia before returning to Tahiti.

Highlights of the trip, they said, included visits to the W.W.II naval artillery emplacements and ammunition bunkers, pearl farms, vanilla plantations, the black-sand beaches, waterfalls, gardens, museums and ancient open-air temples.

It was hard, they said, to return to Iowa’s freezing temperatures after soaking up the mid-80s in the South Pacific.

Bora Bora and Tahiti — two marvelous sounding places, right?

Thanks for taking a Courier with you!



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Members of The Prestige Club of Bank Iowa of Fremont and Oskaloosa have been on the go again.

They spent New Years 2010 in style in California. They viewed the floats being built and later had reserved bleacher seating to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. They attended a performance of “The Glory of Christmas” at the Crystal Cathedral; toured Hollywood and the Hollywood Bowl; and enjoyed a New Year’s Eve party at the Renaissance Hotel.

Then, they said, it was back home to “cool” Iowa. Yeah, that’s for sure!

Always appreciate you all taking a Courier along!



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For some of you who might think that our nation’s capital — Washington, D.C. — gets chilly in the winter months, imagine living in one of the coldest capital cities on earth.

After temperatures plunged below zero in many parts of the U.S. recently, travel site Skyscanner (www.Skyscanner.com) takes a look at some of the lowest temperatures recorded in capital cities around the world.

Not everyone is a heat lover. With low temperatures scaring away those who only want sun and sand, cold cities are the place to get away from the summer tourist masses. Talk about a “cool” vacation!

If you are going to visit these during the winter, be sure to pack your thermal undies and a hot water bottle.

1. Astana (Kazakhstan) -62° F

Kazakhstan’s capital (which took the title from Almaty in 1997) is renowned for its futuristic architecture; a tour of the “Palace of Peace,” the Ak Orda Presidential Palace, or the Nur-Astana Mosque should be visited. Bayterek, a 345-foot monument and observation tower, is a symbol of the city.

2. Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) -56° F

Located on the bank of the Tuul River, Mongolia’s capital is surrounded by four sacred mountains with dense pine forests on the northern slopes and grassy steppes on the south. In winter, residents wear camel hair clothing to keep warm.

3. Minsk (Belarus) -40° F

The Minsk Circus is good for children. Adults can catch an opera or ballet. Nightclubs are popular.

4. Ottawa (Canada) -35° F

Catch a hockey game at Scotiabank Place, home of the Ottawa Senators, Ottawa’s professional ice hockey team. The Rideau Canal is Ontario’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink in winter.

5. Helsinki (Finland) -27° F

Finland’s cool capital is surrounded by sea and a vast archipelago, creating a city that blends Nordic urban chic with outstanding natural beauty. The Baltic gets so Baltic that it freezes over during mid-winter, and you can ice skate on it. Or, don cross country skis and travel the city’s Central Park ski trails.

6. Bucharest (Romania) -26° F

Known as “The Little Paris,” Bucharest offers an intriguing mix of neoclassic architecture, old town romance and imposing communist-era buildings that mark Romania’s time under communist control.

7. Vilnius (Lithuania) -22° F

The Lithuanian capital has seen a welcome publicity boost following its reign as the 2009 Capital of Culture. A short drive outside of the capital you can take a high-speed snowmobile ride across snowy fields, go ice fishing at the frozen lake and also visit the old town’s many nightclubs.

8. Tallinn (Estonia) -22° F

Tallinn welcomes winter visitors with its medieval old town becoming a magical white wonderland. Glide around the outdoor ice rink before warming up with a hot spiced wine at one of Tallinn’s cozy cafes.

9. Nuuk (Greenland) -22° F

With fantastic ice scenery on its doorstep, Nuuk is one of the world’s most unique capitals. Visitors can take a helicopter ride over Greenland’s vast ice sheet, visit Norse ruins or take a wildlife boat safari to see whales cavorting around the coastline. The National Museum is situated in the Nuuk’s old quarter near the fjord.

10. Warsaw (Poland) -20° F

Warsaw has an excellent selection of museums, galleries and heritage sites; cultural highlights including the Palace of Culture and Science — Poland's tallest building and an imposing example of Stalinist architecture — and the Polish National Opera.

All temperatures listed above are the lowest ever recorded minimums, according to the BBC and mherrear.org. For more information, check out — www.skyscanner.com.



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Ever get one of those voice mail messages where you couldn't quite make out what the caller was saying? The person could have been mumbling or talking like their house was on fire.

When leaving a voice mail message, speak clearly with a smile in your voice. State your name, company and phone number at the beginning of the message and repeat your name and phone number at the end of the message. Say the phone number slowly each time, as if you are standing in front of the person who is writing it down. That way, the person listening to the voice mail message does not have to keep replaying the message to take down your information. Or, if the number was hard to understand at the beginning of the message, the repeat number will confirm it.

Many times callers leaving messages to me say them so quickly I have to listen over and over to get the name and the phone number. It’s like they say, “HiThisisJoeBlow.Callmeat888-0000.

What?

Slow down!

“This ... is ... Joe ... Blow ... call ... me ... at ... 888-0000.”

That’s better!



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Keep warm. Groundhog Day is less than two weeks away!

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Judy Krieger may be reached at j.krieger@ottumwacourier.com; or call (641) 683-5365.

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