ReZoom

Years ago, Rona Beame chucked it all to spend seven years island hopping on a sailboat in the Caribbean. Who better than her to inaugurate ReZoom's Q & A series on seasoned travelers?

New Yorker Rona Beame lived on Tortola and has visited every island in the Caribbean. Since she's already spilled about her life in the isles, ReZoom couldn't wait to pick her brain about the highlights of her many other trips and what information she's always trying to get out of the locals.

1. What one thing do you never leave home without?
Electric toothbrush.

2. What's the best meal you've had while traveling?
Roast suckling pig in a medieval restaurant in Madrid. The ovens they used were hundreds of years old. During the meal, a small group of musicians dressed in medieval costumes played flutes, etc. The pig had very crispy skin but was juicy inside. I have never had anything as good since. We ate there every night we were in Madrid. They also had roast baby lamb which was also wonderful. I think the name of the restaurant was Botin.

3. The best hotel you've stayed in?
Ritz in Madrid. Our room had a huge fabulous marble bathroom and outside our windows were huge sculptures of heads. It was a very classy hotel.

4. The attraction that really blew your socks off?
Masada in Israel. Masada is on a plateau on top of a small mountain. Up there are the ruins of Herod's palace with enough remaining to get a feeling of what the palace was like. As we looked around, the guide read Josephus's history (he was there during the siege) of the siege of Masada by the Romans which lasted for quite a while. When the Jews knew that the Romans were finally going to scale the mountain, they decided to commit suicide rather than become Roman slaves. Hearing this story in the place where it occurred was a goose bump moment. There were urns on top filled with grains that were still edible that the Jews had stored there for the siege.

5. Your best souvenir purchase?
Painted wooden horse mask in Guatemala. It is crude but funky, has character and I think was one of a kind - not one of thousands. It makes me smile.

6. How early do you really get to the airport?
One hour.

7. Are language books/tapes ever actually worth it?
Yes, I find a dictionary useful.

8. What is the most useful word/phrase to know in a foreign language?
"How much?"

9. What do you look for in a traveling companion?
Someone very easy going, curious and with a good sense of humor.

10. What destination did you most enjoy in your 20s or 30s?
Spain. At the time I had read "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and books about the Spanish civil war. I had a high school friend who lived in the countryside outside Madrid. I was going to visit her for the first time. I took a train. There were no taxis at the station so I started to walk through fields. The sky was a vivid blue, it was a sunny day and the fields were mustard yellow (Van Gogh colors). Everything felt so wonderful, the gorgeous colors, the slight wind, the sun on my back. I felt a special affinity for this place and felt the strength of this country. When I arrived at my friend's house there were three generations of women sitting outside, dressed all in black. All the men in the family were either in jail or had been killed by Franco. My friend's uncle was Garcia Lorca the famous Spanish playwright. I was young and it all felt so romantic—the countryside and the people.

 

11. What destination do you most enjoy now?
Mexico. I love the pottery, their crafts and the colors of the houses. The people are very kind. Our last trip to Mexico was to the west coast. We were north of Puerto Vajarta, near San Blas. We stayed at a small informal, inexpensive hotel that was so friendly. The guests were not all Americans which was nice and every meal was had outside right by the ocean. It was a most relaxing place. Next time I want to explore the eastern side, picking places where it‘s not so populated. Sometimes I think of moving there.

12. What was your biggest moment of culture shock?
This may be a strange answer but seeing things and places that are mentioned in the Bible in Israel really stunned me. I had just read The Source by [James] Michener and that made the experience even more memorable.

13. If you could go back to one place, what would it be?
South of Italy. I never explored the towns on the southernmost coast. They seem very charming and colorful.

14. Where would you never go back to again?
I've never had a totally bad experience in the places I've been to.

15. Has you ever tried to take a cultural tradition home with you?
The kindness, patience and helpfulness of many of the people in foreign countries –like when a woman in midday heat walked blocks out of her way in Trinidad to show me where a store was. Like many other New Yorkers I am always rushing around. Now I try to really stop and help.

16. What has held true no matter what land or country you've been in?
That there are always interesting, kind people to meet and a history to learn about.

17. What has been your biggest surprise while traveling?
I was in Barbados on Yon Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday. I went to the local temple but it was closed because of reconstruction. On the front door there was a notice saying services would be held in a private home. I went there and celebrated the holiday with a group of strangers. I was very moved by it.

18. How do you stay safe when you're traveling?
Learning ahead of time which areas are dangerous, not wearing anything valuable and staying alert.

19. What are the ingredients for the perfect trip?
Going beyond the resort hotel, staying cool when plans are changed, not compulsively going to museums and churches. Taking time off from sightseeing and just relaxing.

20. What's next on your list?
Greece and Turkey.