BudgetTravel

Details: 75 miles northwest of Belfast; 011-44/28-207-31855, fax 011-44/28-207-32537, northantrim.com/.
     

Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia

Details: For information in the U.S., contact the Russian National Group, 212/575-3431, fax 212/575-3434, russia-travel.com/.

Cha Ca La Vong,
Hanoi, Vietnam

Cha Ca La Vong serves only one dish--cha ca, a succulent fried-fish masterpiece, the recipe for which has been in the Doan family for generations (the name translates roughly to "curried Red River fish"). After more than seven decades, cha ca became so entrenched in Hanoi that the city renamed the lane out front in its honor. A rickety flight of wooden stairs leads to the unremarkable second-floor dining room, full of equally rickety chairs. Patrons cook chunks of seasoned garoupa fish on a charcoal clay brazier, stirring in chives and dill. The rich, oily stew is then spooned into bowls of vermicelli rice noodles and enlivened by the addition of shrimp sauce, fried peanuts, and pickled vegetables. The secret ingredient, if you believe the rumors, is two drops of an essence extracted from the perfume gland of the ca cuong beetle.

Details: about $5; 14 Cha Ca St., 011-84/4-825-3929.

Chuuk Lagoon
Lost Fleet Chuuk, Micronesia

On February 17, 1944, American Task Force 58 engaged in Operation Hailstone, dropping over 500 tons of bombs on the Japanese navy. Today, Chuuk Lagoon (also called Truk Lagoon) holds the wrecks of 60 Japanese ships, the largest concentration of sunken ships in the world. The 433-foot Fujikawa Maru is the most famous, an aircraft carrier that sits upright in 30 to 112 feet of water, a gaping torpedo hole in her side. A combination of warm water, prolific marine life, and lagoon currents has acted as an incubator, transforming the WWII hulks--their guns, trucks, silverware, and sake bottles left undisturbed--into artificial reefs.

Details: Most air connections to Chuuk are via Guam. Stay at the Blue Lagoon Dive Resort. Doubles from $130; 011-691/330-2727, fax 011-691/330-2439, bluelagoondiveresort.com/. Dive operator: Blue Lagoon Dive Shop. Two-dive boat trip, $95 per person; 011-691/330-2796, fax 011-691/330-4307.

Best times: January to April.

El Questro Wilderness Park
Kimberely, Australia

El Questro is the ultimate outback experience: a million-acre working cattle ranch in the middle of Kimberley, just a dot on the map of massive, sparsely populated Western Australia. Explore the property's many tropical gorges or remote water holes, or go on a ranger-led horse, foot, or four-wheel-drive trek to waterfalls, thermal springs, and Aboriginal rock art. There's a fancy hotel, with suites, cantilevered over the Chamberlain River, but those whose wallets dictate Foster's instead of champagne can choose one of El Questro's three less-expensive lodging options--including camping sites under the stars.