Mariner - Spring 2008 - (Page 9)

A holiday cruise: the perfect opportunity to stock up on gifts. Sydney, Australia A WORLD OF GIFTS Of all the benefits of world travel, perhaps one of the most undervalued is the opportunity to shop for gifts that come wrapped in a bit of the unique culture they came from. Tales of the South Paciﬁc. Spend just a little time in Australia and New Zealand and you’ll find yourself drawn to Aboriginal and Maori culture. Here the traditional artwork is as much about storytelling as decoration. In Australia, the Aborigines had no written language but instead used mosaic-like patterns of colored dots to depict the dreams, beliefs and stories of their people. This artwork has a tradition going back at least 20,000 years as is evidenced in rock painting. Today, the same unique earth tones and patterns can be found on boomerangs, bull roarers and clapsticks. For New Zealand’s Maori, intricate carvings of wood, bone or greenstone represent both storytelling and spirituality. The Maori believe that all man-made objects possess a spiritual force and only men who are sacred may become carvers. Much like Native American totem poles, each motif moves the story along—an outthrust tongue shows defiance, a fourth finger symbolizes the afterlife, a koru or spiral represents a fern frond bringing new life and purity to the world. Mariner Spring 2008 Imagine spending your holidays cruising the “summer” waters of Antarctica past playful penguins and ice ﬂows. Watching the worldrenowned New Year’s Eve fireworks show in Sydney Harbor. Soaking up the sun on a golden Hawaiian beach. Or maybe snorkeling with sea lions off the coast of Mexico. Whichever destination you choose, you’ll come home with some unforgettable holiday memories, and if you like, a great collection of gifts both for yourself and others. Here are just a few of your choices: 7-Day Caribbean Holiday Roundtrip Ft. Lauderdale ms Eurodam, ms Noordam, ms Statendam, ms Westerdam Dec 20, 21, 27, 28, 2008 15-Day Circle Hawaii Holiday Roundtrip San Diego ms Zaandam Dec 22, 2008 Song of the South. South America doesn’t have just one or two cultures, but many, and each one has its own distinctive crafts and traditions. The Andes regions of Chile and Argentina are known for the breathy sound of the panflute and for exquisitely soft knit goods made of alpaca fiber. Chile is also one of only two places in the world where lapis lazuli is mined—a lovely blue stone that’s a signature of Chilean jewelry. Brazil is known for its steamy jungles, and even in urban Rio de Janeiro you’ll come across Amazon seed necklaces handmade by indigenous rain forest Indians. At the other end of the spectrum, the cooler climates of Uruguay and the Falkland Islands sparked a booming sheep industry in the late 1800s, creating a tradition of handknit sweaters that carry locally nuanced colors and patterns. Useful or purely ornamental, the gifts of the world are limited only by your imagination. 17-Day New Zealand & Australia Holiday Auckland to Sydney ms Volendam Dec 19, 2008 20-Day South America & Antarctica Explorer Holiday Valparaíso to Rio de Janeiro ms Amsterdam Dec 15, 2008 Look for additional Holiday sailing dates, itineraries and special savings on pages 24 and 25 of the Mariner Values section. To book your cruise, call your Travel Professional or 1-877-SAIL HAL, or visit www.hollandamerica.com. 9 http://www.hollandamerica.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Mariner - Spring 2008

Mariner - Spring 2008 Table of Contents Black Pearls of the Sea of Cortez St. Lucia’s Drive-in Volcano Alaska’s Prolific Wildlife How Coffee Changed Costa Rica A Traveler’s Guide to Holiday Shopping Malta’s Last Stand Colorful Residents of the Great Barrier Reef Introducing Our New Website, a New Mariner Society® Director, a Face-lift for the Ms Prinsendam and More The Best Cruise Fares Currently Available The Ms Eurodam’s New Tamarind Restaurant Your Guide to Holland America Line Savings 2008/2009 Sailing Schedule

Mariner - Spring 2008

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