Word Travels

- Season 2

(2009)

Finding a good travel story often involves the help of serendipity, a word itself derived from the old name for Sri Lanka. Damaged by decades of civil war, this beautiful island off the coast of India is in desperate need of good press. Robin and Julia explore a remarkable religious festival, stumbling upon a bizarre, bloody ritual guaranteed to make your jaw drop. As Julia explores the impact of domestic turmoil on tourism, Robin learns about the growing and manufacturing of world famous Ceylon tea.

Investigating a story about travelers teaching English in Asia, Robin learns that teaching a class of 11 year-old's is as terrifying, and rewarding, as any adventure activity. Together, our journalists spend the night in a unique Buddhist temple, where tourists are invited to learn about Buddhism, and experience life in a monastery. In Seoul, Julia hip-hops her way into a story about the Korean B-Boy dance phenomenon.

Travel stories come in many guises, from activities and events, to culture and destinations. Exploring the island of Palawan, known for its incredible limestone cliffs and scuba diving, Robin focuses on the northern tip of El Nido, the place that inspired the book and film, "The Beach." In Manila, Julia's gets a taste for balut, a fertilized duck egg delicacy, which is a good story if she can stomach it.

Vancouver Island is an interesting destination for international readers, accustomed to images of snow-covered Canada. Robin is fascinated by Tofino's surfing community, and figures any story that features "surfing" and "Canada" is bound to stoke the interest of editors. Meanwhile Julia gets the low down on how to live off the land with Gisele, a local Tla' Ook guide. Covering a story about a luxury expedition yacht, Robin and Julia reflect on how their jobs often give them a taste of a life neither of them could ever afford.

In this tiny nation, a jewel in Central Europe, Robin saddles up in Lipica, the birthplace of the legendary Lipizzaner horses. Julia prefers to write about smaller creatures in the form of traditional beekeeping. Heading north to the Julian Alps and the medieval town of Bled, viewers learn how different writers have different beats. Julia explores a gorge, while Robin soars overhead, paragliding amongst some breathtaking mountains.

There's more to Romania than vampire myths and Gothic castles. Robin and Julia head into the Transylvanian countryside on a cultural tour, embracing the music, food, and farm life of a village that has seen little change in centuries. But there's still time for a little paranormal investigation as Julia checks out one of Europe's most haunted forests. In bustling Bucharest, Robin keeps up with the Hash House Harriers, a ribald running club that has sprouted up in over 178 countries.

Travel writers lead a nomadic existence, and relationships can be a real challenge. Writing about the world's ultimate honeymoon destination, Robin finds himself alone, feeling the irony of his "honeymoon for one." Julia leaves the tourist brochure behind to discover life in the overcrowded capital of Male. In this beautifully filmed episode, we learn that having a dream job on a dream tropical island is not all it's cracked up to be.

Genesis is the theme this week, as Robin and Julia head east to investigate a story about biblical tourism. Walking amongst ancient ruins, drinking from the well of the prophet Abraham's birth cave, they also reflect how much their own lives have changed since first meeting in Turkey several years ago. While Julia investigates a female-run cooking school, Robin's heads to Mount Nemrut, where massive 2000 year-old statues greet the sunrise every morning.

Robin and Julia explore the "cradle of Slavic civilization" on the streets of Kiev. Following travel writing trends, Julia discovers the best things to see and do in Kiev in 24 hours. Meanwhile, Robin chases a story about an eerie former nuclear missile base. Together, they head off to Chernobyl, site of the world's worst nuclear reactor disaster and a bone-chilling tourist attraction.

New travel writing assignments have brought Julia and Robin to Taipei. For her latest column, Julia decides to go against the tourism board's wishes and write about the betel nut girls - young scantily-clad women, selling this addictive treat on Taiwanese roadsides. Meanwhile, Robin discovers the creator of fire therapy - a risky form of traditional medicine for both patient and doctor alike. Feeling the burn, he joins Julia to flush out an article about Modern Toilet, a bizarre toilet themed restaurant.

Travel writers are seasonal creatures, and it's the wrong time of year to enjoy the coastline of this small, Central American country. Instead, Robin and Julia immerse themselves in the jungle, surrounded by ancient Mayan ruins. While Julia enrolls herself in a jungle survival course, Robin goes underground to explore a vast system of cave waterfalls.

From the Blue Mountains to the gritty streets of Kingston, Robin and Julia learn about Rastafarians and dance hall - two cornerstones of Jamaican culture. Julia's foray into music takes her to record studios, musicologists, and finally an all night dance party. Eager to break away from the popular resorts, together they travel to the South Coast, where Robin takes advantage of a "Meet the People" program to connect with interesting locals.

Robin and Julia discover that there's more to tequila than a good night out and a hangover as they shoot back this week's story about Mexico's national drink. From the region of Tequila, they head to Mexico City, where Julia explores a local witches market and gets blessed by a Satan worshiper. Robin finds himself painfully pretzeled in the ring with the Luchadores, masked Mexican wrestlers famous for their acrobatics.