Moscow - Museum Of Gulag History

The Museum of Gulag History in Moscow, is a tiny museum wedged between upscale shops and cafes, near the Bolshoi theater in downtown Moscow.

Like a "small house of horrors", this museum documents a tragic chapter in Russian history (most active during the Stalin era) when millions of Russian citizens where forced into brutal Siberian labor camps when suspected of being "enemies of the State". These camps were active during the years of 1918 through 1988.

To find the museum, please follow Brenda Skeen's (DCASW) directions - she was there this past week and claims that her visit was well worth it and her experience, very powerful. To locate the museum, "...take the street to the right of the Bolshoi Theater, pass the theater and several blocks past the TSUM department store...(you'll find the museum)...tucked in between a lot of swank stores on the right side...you can't miss it if you look for the barbed wire". (thank you Brenda!)

If you wish to learn a bit more about the "Gulags" before you go, I recommend you visit this impressive site produced by the University of George Mason. (link follows)
It's called Gulag - Many Days, Many Lives and it's a compilation of Gulag survivor interviews, short films, photographs, paintings, poems and stories from survivors of the Gulags.
Gulag: Many Days, Many Lives | Days and Lives

Museum of Gulag History
16 Petrovka, Moscow
www.museum-gulag.narod.ru
Entry Fee - $1.20

Photo and story, courtesy of Brenda Skeen (DCASW). Thank you Brenda!

Buenos Aires - A Massage in Your Room

AHHHHH! The ultimate luxury after an all-niter flight to Argentina, a nice long massage by the strong hands of an expert masseuse in the comfort of your hotel room!!!! If this is something you'd like to experience (with out breaking the bank), call Victor Bonaventre, my favorite (crew) massage therapist in Buenos Aires.

Victor is a very professional Massage Therapist and he speaks both, English and Spanish. When you make an appointment for a massage in your room, he will arrive right on time, dressed in a crisp, perfectly white ironed white lab coat over his street clothes toting his own massage table and a wonderful selection of recorded relaxing music for your massage therapy session.

Victor is very familiar with our layover hotel and with our crews. We've been using his services for years. He's also familiar with the layout of our hotel rooms, so he can set up his massage table in a perfect spot effortlessly. He will then adjust the light to low and start the soft music. Soon enough, he'll have your room feeling like a spa and you will be motioned to the massage table for a fantastic hour and a half of total bliss.

Victor's massage services can be hired in two ways. You can either have him come to your room for the massage, or you can go to his center/office for the massage. The later option costs less.

The last time I hired Victor's for an "in-room" massage, I payed him around $40 dollars in cash for the 1:30 minutes session. That was some time ago, so please check with him before you hire him, for updated rates.

FYI, I've sampled both, the hotel Spa massage and Victor's and truly, there's no comparison between the two. Hands down, Victor's massage is a zillion times better, cheaper, and longer in duration than the one offered by the hotel Spa. Best of all, He comes right to your room! Enough said!

I have two numbers to reach Victor in Buenos Aires:

Cell- 15-4081-0306
Home - 4856-2514

You can also reach him in advance by going to this website :
http://yogasadhanaom.blogspot.com

Victor is also an advanced Yoga practitioner, in case you have any questions about Yoga classes and Yoga practicing spaces in Buenos Aires.

Ghana Travel Guide by Better World Books

Ghana, Ghana, I don't wanna! well, even if you don't "wanna", some of us do have to fly to beautiful Ghana for work. If you are one of these people, consider buying this Ghana travel guide written by Briggs Philip that was recommended by one of our crew members, Diane Donahue (dcasw). Thank you Diane!

Described by the Sunday Times as the "best guide book to Ghana" and by Elle Magazine as the "best guide to Ghana", it can be purchased by mail via Better World Books for $21 dollars plus shipping - $3.97.


For more information on this website and this Ghana guide book, please click on the following link. Travel Books: Bradt Ghana by Briggs, Philip: Better World Books and don't forget to take you malaria pills!! Four crew members, two pilots and two flight attendants have already been infected with ACUTE MALARIA. They did not take the malaria pills.

Thanks Diane for the tip and Thank you Better World Books and Google Photos for the photos enclosed.