Exciting CPAs Go Global!
Exciting CPAs Go Global!
From Europe , to Bora Bora , to Africa — we found that the members of the ASCPA travel all over the world! In fact, we received such a great response when we asked our members if they had done any exciting traveling, that we will continue this feature next month. The five members featured here have one thing in common — they are not afraid to travel long distances or do something out of the ordinary to relax.
The Italian Family
It is often the dream of many Americans to trace their roots and visit the country of their family. Traci Phillips' husband Joe had extended family from Saint Agata, Italy and his father wanted the immediate family (which all live in Arizona) to meet their extended family in Italy. So, 14 members of the Phillips family traveled from Phoenix to Italy for a two-week trip. Their travel included time spent in Rome , Florence ( Venice and Pisa ) and Sorrento ( Capri and Pompeii ).
“Then, our Italian family picked us up in Sorrento and drove us to Foggia ,” says Phillips. “We spent two days with our Italian relatives in Saint Agata. They all speak Italian and we all speak English — so it made for very interesting interaction. An interpreter assisted the conversations on the second day.”
“Saint Agata was a very beautiful place!” says Phillips. “We had a great time with a lot of funny moments — it was a truly an amazing trip.”
Closer to Home
Even vacationing closer to home can be thrilling. CPA Joel Birenbaum started white water river rafting in Pennsylvania , Montana and West Virginia . He most recently spent seven days on a trip down the Colorado River .
“I enjoy the camaraderie and friendship of others on a motorized raft with 15 passengers and two crew members, and the very good food prepared.” said Birenbaum. “The weather in May was spectacular, and camping under the stars at night was superb. If you enjoy camping, a rafting trip on the Colorado River will be the vacation of a lifetime. Take lots of pictures.”
On to Africa
Cindie Hubiak, CPA, traveled to Africa and some nearby islands this past summer. She and her husband, Steve, spent time on the Seychelles and Mauritius . They took the famous Blue Train from Johannesburg , South Africa to Cape Town . There they were joined by Cindie's sister, Beth, and her husband, Bob, both CPAs in Virginia . Bob's two sisters also traveled with them.
“We explored the wine regions of South Africa and had the opportunity to be photographed at the southern most point in Africa ,” says Hubiak. “Our group then flew to Kenya for safari and an opportunity to get to know the people and animals of this beautiful country. One of my favorite memories of the trip was seeing a mother cheetah and her three young sitting on a rock three feet from our vehicle. The driver assured us of our safety, as long as we stayed in the vehicle. Animals consider vehicles smelly and don't think they taste very good!”
To Bora Bora and Back
David J. Krull and his wife went to the French Polynesian Islands . They spent one day in Tahiti , five days on Bora Bora , five days on Tahaa and five days on the remote island of Tikehau . Getting there wasn't easy.
“We chose French Polynesian because of its remote and exotic location,” says Krull. “In order to get to our first destination, Bora Bora , we had to catch a plane to Los Angeles . Then we took an eight-hour flight to the island of Tahiti . From there, we hopped a one-hour commuter flight to Bora Bora , then a 45-minute boat ride to our own private resort motu (small island). The resort, The Sofitel Motu, had only 30 bungalows so we felt like we were all alone on the island, it was about as peaceful as it can get. We had the most spectacular snorkeling right off the island, went on a shark feeding expedition and pet sting rays.”
“From there, we went to Tahaa, only a 30-minute flight from Bora Bora, but another hour boat ride from the airport to the Tahaa Private Island Resort and Spa, another private motu with just the resort, the only five-star resort in the French Polynesian Islands. This resort was all about pampering. Our bungalow had its own private swimming pool, surrounded by a stone wall for privacy. The snorkeling here was even better than Bora Bora . There is an area about 100 yards from the resort that they call “The Coral Gardens.” It's basically a dense field of coral with just about every kind of tropical fish - absolutely spectacular!”
Tikehau was next and was the most remote island. Tikehau is basically a quarter mile wide strip of land in the shape of a circle. The island has a large lagoon in the center which is at least 50 square miles. You really felt like you were isolated from the rest of the world. I think the entire island population is about 275 including the 50 or so workers at the resort. We stayed in an overwater bungalow built in a coral reef that had a large glass window on the floor which allowed us to observe the tropical fish right from our room.”
Mixing Business with Pleasure
CPA Dennis Mitchem has traveled around the world to help with privatization work in Russia for USAID from 1994-1996. He loves his public service work so much he recently began another USAID project to evaluate the emerging Accounting Professions in the countries of Southeast Europe .
“From my initial trip to Prague , I have concluded that contrary to what I have read in the press, Americans are held in much higher regard than the French in that part of the World,” says Mitchem. Mitchem just returned from an accounting conference in Romania where he was a featured speaker.
— Patty Gannon
Coming up next month... Mary Marino visits Mongolia .
