A Realistic Look at India

INDIA: The Far North (World Travel Marketing, 60 minutes, 1994) and INDIA: The Far South (World Travel Marketing, 60 minutes, 1994).

Corinne and Barry Smedley take viewers on a self-guided two-part tour of India. “The Far North” goes to the state of Himachal Pradesh in the foothills of the Himalayas. “The Far South” explores Kerala along the Malabar Coast.

The Smedleys impart travel realism--if it rains they get wet. “The Far North” tour begins in Delhi and the ancient Hindu holy city of Varanasi (Benares). They take a sunrise boat ride along the Ganges River and a side trip to see the erotic carvings at the ancient temple ruins of Khajuraho.

A train trip stops at Kalka and continues to the spectacular mountain resort of Simla that still bears signs of its British occupation.

In “The Far South” the Smedleys travel to Kerala and the Kovalam Beach Resort.

In Trivandrum, Kerala’s capital, kayakers ride on local canals. Contact: World Travel Marketing, P.O. Box 124507, San Diego, Calif. 92112-4507; telephone (619) 560-7687. Price: $9.95 (plus tax and postage).

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THE MIGHTY VOLGA (World Knowledge Films, 90 minutes, 19 93).

This is a video for those who want to visit Russian cities off the beaten track in a riverboat. The tour travels northward 2,300 miles from Volgograd to Moscow, stopping at small towns as producers Raphael and Jocelyn Green discuss cultural, economic and historical points of interest.

Volgograd, once called Stalingrad, is the embarkation point. At Koz’modem’yansk there are views of artists painting along the river.

The boat stops at Gorki, and Moscow is the final stop to see the McDonald’s with its long line, and visits to some shops, including the mammoth GUM department store.

Contact: Jocelyn Green, 2120 N. 1st St., DeKalb, Ill. 60115; (815) 758-4768. Price: $29.95 (plus $3 for shipping and handling).

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HAWAII WILD AND BEAUTIFUL (John Holod Productions, 85 minutes, 1993).

Producer John Holod, who lived six years in Hawaii, introduces and narrates his video in a folksy, humorous style. Traveling by charter boat and cruise ship, he covers the usual and unusual attractions of six islands.

Contact: Wish You Were Here, 1455 Royal Blvd., Glendale, Calif. 91207; (818) 243-7043. Price $29.95 (plus tax and postage).

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UTAH (Finlay-Holiday Film Corp., 80 minutes, 1993) .

In its five national parks and seven national monuments, Utah encompasses “most of the Earth’s geological forms.”

With the help of historical footage viewers follow the growth of Salt Lake City and tour Temple Square, the state capitol and Pioneer Trail State Park.

In the northern part of the state is a re-enactment of the driving of the Golden Spike marking the completion of the transcontinental railroad; the Union Station railroad museum and the Mountain Men Rendezvous at Ft. Buenaventura in Ogden, and the Stagecoach Inn in Provo. There are visits also to the town of Logan in its lush, green valley, nearby Hyrum Lake and Bear Lake that straddles Idaho.

Returning to the south, the video visits Wasatch Valley State Park, Deer Creek Reservoir and Timpanogos National Monument with its caves, waterfalls and mountains.

Contact: Finlay-Holiday Film Corp., P.O. Box 619, Whittier, Calif. 90608; tel. (310) 945-3325. Price: $24.95 (plus tax and postage).

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