The Cheapest Places on Earth: Pensacola, Florida

It's Times Square in early evening and I pause, as I always do, to marvel at the area's most baffling sight: the nightly line of tourists waiting for a table at the Olive Garden Restaurant. In a city with hundreds of inexpensive, authentic Italian restaurants serving every regional cuisine of that glorious nation-every garlic-flavored dish prepared with love, every sauce to die for, every crusty panino, every pungent formaggio - in such a city, they, the tourists, are eating at the bland chain-operated Olive Garden. The residents eat elsewhere, and for less. I'm a resident, and I'm breaking the code of silence. Herewith, fourteen treasured locales, guardians of your wallet, protectors of your purse, and glory of your gullet. At each you can get a heavenly meal (appetizer and entree or entree and dessert, plus tea or coffee) for $12 or under - and sometimes for substantially less; and they are listed in roughly ascending order of cost, starting with the very least expensive. Milon and Panna II 93 First Avenue, between 5th & 6th streets (East Village). Soup, entree, and dessert from $4.60; soup, appetizer, entree, and dessert from $5.85 We begin with "Little India" on East 6th Street (mainly) between First and Second avenues, but also on those avenues between 5th and 7th streets, heart of the East Village (bohemian successor to the largely commercial Greenwich Village). Though plenty of the at least 25 Indian restaurants here provide the same astounding prices for high quality cuisine, we've made two choices as much for the drama of dining there as for the food. They are Milon and Panna II, neighbors that have been involved in a fierce "battle of the bulbs" for over ten years: Whenever one adds a new decorative touch (some sort of ornamental light is the usual), the other follows, putting up the exact same decoration. The result? Twin restaurants that are preposterously crammed with hundreds of jalapeno-shaped globes and Christmas lights festooning the ceiling, tinsel stars and snowflakes everywhere, murals on the walls. As you approach from the street, two waiters eagerly appear at the door, bearing free papadam (flat cracker bread) and other enticements to lure you into their establishment and away from the other. Like the decor, the food is near identical at both establishments: thick, piquant mulligatawny soups (95[cents]), crisp samosas ($1.25, patties filled with meat or vegetables), appetizing but not very hot curries ($3.75 to $6.75; they'll spice them up if you request), and juicy tandoori lamb or chicken dishes ($5.95 to $8.00). Each establishment includes a bowl of mango ice cream and spiced masala tea at the end of your meal, free of charge. Dojo 14 West 4th Street/24 St. Marks Place (Central and East Village). From $6.25 for appetizer and entree Again in the Village (one of the best areas for budget dining in the Big Apple), the two branches of Dojo serve up Asian-inspired health food (along with burgers, BBQ, and BLTs) to the hordes of NYU students and other young New Yorkers who crowd them from morning 'til night. Each restaurant has four dining areas (one outdoors) that are simply furnished with shellacked dark wood tables and the works of local artists hanging from brick walls. Your best bets here are the excellent sesame noodles ($3 appetizer portion, $5.95 main dish); chicken sukiyaki, which you can have as a sandwich with an ample side salad for only $2.95 or on top of a salad for $4.95; mix and match yakitori kebabs (you choose between vegetable, chicken, beef, shrimp, and scallop) with brown rice and house salad for only $6.95; or any of the stir-fry dishes, both noodle- and brown rice-based, for $5.25 to $6.95. Stay away from the desserts, which are substandard (take a stroll instead to nearby Veniero's on Eleventh Street between First and Second avenues - it has the best Italian pastries this side of Naples). New York Noodletown 28 1/2 Bowery (Chinatown). 2 courses from $6.50 You can spend a lot more money for Chinese food but you won't find better eats than at this small, unadorned (read: ugly) Chinatown legend. All the standard noodle dishes are done here to perfection (especially the ginger and scallion lo mein) - with noodles that are al dente and dumplings that are a miracle, generously stuffed with chunks of shrimp or pork and surrounded by a gossamer-thin shell of pasta. The standout dishes are many, but you won't go wrong if you order the salt-baked squid for $7.95 (akin to Italian calamari, but with a wafer-thin crust so beautifully seasoned that no dipping sauce is necessary); the roast duck on rice for $3.25 (pieces of obscenely tender bird atop a heaping pile of rice); or sauteed pea shoots for $8.95. Just how good is the food here? On my last visit, a neighboring table was occupied by chefs from Nobu, one of the most celebrated and expensive restaurants in the city. Sapporo 152 West 49th Street (Theater District). Soup and entree from $7.25 The specialties here are soups and they come in portions large enough for two meals - huge, steaming bowls of broth (soy, salt, curry, sesame paste, or miso), jam-packed with extra-long vermicelli, kernels of corn, fresh spinach, scallions, and various additions (prices per bowl range from $6.30 to $7.90). Other entr,es of note (all of which come with miso soup, rice, and shredded cabbage) include the tangy chicken teriyaki ($7.75); pork or chicken cutlet curry ($8.45 or $8.20); and yasai itame ($7.75), a vegetable stir-fry with your choice of either pork or chicken. For appetizers, I'd go with the substantial house salad for $3.85 (it has a lovely sesame vinaigrette and half a hard-boiled egg on top), the steamed shumai dumplings ($4.50), or edamame, soybeans boiled in their pods and as addictive as popcorn ($3.75). The atmosphere is fun, in the rough-and-tumble way of an outlying Tokyo noodle shop - this ain't the place for elegant dining, but at these prices, who cares? Pepe Verde to Go 559 Hudson Street (West Village). 2 courses from $7.95 Okay, technically this one's not a restaurant but a self-service cafe, requiring a short walk from your table to the counter, but it feels like a restaurant, and a charming one at that (very "Villagey," with fresh flowers and candles on the tables, exposed brick walls, and antique wall hangings). The food is pure Italian peasant fare-robust, straightforward, and absolutely delicious. The bruschetta ($3.95), redolent of garlic, comes heaped high with fresh diced tomatoes; artichokes romagna are a thinly sliced, crisply fried taste of heaven ($4.95); the penne with tomatoes and basil ($4.95) is simple, fresh, and intensely flavorful; and the penne ... la vodka ($5.95) is nicely livened up with bacon. You can satisfy your sweet tooth with a slice of their scrumptious homemade fruit tarts ($3) or a helping of tiramis - ($3). And if there's an Italian favorite not listed on the menu, simply ask - if they have the ingredients, the effusive, very Italian owner (he's the one taking your order) will be happy to make it for you. Afghanistan Kebab House #3 155 West 46th Street (Times Square). Salad and entree from $8.99; appetizer (of dessert), salad, and entree from $12 We told you about this little Times Square gem in the second issue of Budget Travel, and it's maintained its high standards (and low prices). Good as always are the $3 aushak (boiled flat dumplings filled with scallions and smothered in a savory yogurt, garlic, and ground beef sauce); bolanee pumpkin (also $3; it's a fried turnover filled with delightfully sweet mashed pumpkin, again with a yogurt sauce); a house salad with sinful mayonnaise, yogurt, and herb dressing (included with every entree for no extra charge); and any of the kebab dishes ($8.99 lunch, $10.99 dinner). And be sure to try the homemade condiments placed on each table - both the cilantro and the red pepper sauce add a nice tart note. The decor is straight out of Aladdin: colorful rugs covering the walls and tabletops, bejeweled pointy shoes hung like trophies, and Afghani memorabilia galore. There's even a little tent room in the back, where you recline on decorative pillows as you dine, emir for a day. Blockhead's Burritos 499 Third Avenue (Midtown east). $7.95 for soup and salad, burrito, soft drink; from $12 for other two-course combos. For other locations, see below Also at 954 Second Avenue (East Side), in Worldwide Plaza, 50th Street between Eight and Ninth avenues (Theater District), and 424 Amsterdam Avenue (Upper West Side), this is a slick, stylish group of restaurants providing budget havens in otherwise expensive neighborhoods. Blockhead's riffs upon the cuisine of Mexico with glee. In addition to the traditional quesadillas, tacos, and fajitas (all good and reasonably priced) they offer a tangy Carolina BBQ burrito as well as a hot and spicy Jamaican jerk chicken burrito ($8.50). Other diversions from the norm include the option of cutting your calorie and carbohydrate intake by substituting whole-wheat tortillas, brown rice, and tofu "sour cream" for no additional cost. The meal price above is for their seemingly never-ending lunch and dinner specials, which, although not listed on the menu, are consistently offered on sandwich boards outside each restaurant. Lemongrass Grill 2534 Broadway (Upper West Side)/80 University Place (Village)/37 Barrow (West Village). Appetizer and entree from $9.45 Thai restaurants have been sprouting like dandelions all over New York for the past decade or so. None, however, have been quite as successful as this popular New York chain. Its secret? Authentic Thai cooking in a whimsical "jungle hut" setting and prices a few dollars lower than most of their competitors. There are no clunkers on the menu, but I'm partial to the peppery gai tom kha soup ($2.50), the peanut-dressed salad kaek ($3.50), rice noodles pad thai ($6.95), and gaeng khiao wan ($8.95), a green curry with chicken, basil, eggplant, and coconut milk. Gabriela's Mexican Restaurant 685 Amsterdam Avenue (Upper West Side). A filling Mexican meal from $9 Authentic Mexican food in a festive setting, Gabriela's is the south-of-the-border equivalent of a Spanish tapas (hors d'oeuvres) restaurant. While the main dishes are all excellent and well priced (from $7.50), the best way to order here is to fill your table with a variety of appetizers and just graze. Start with crema de elote y poblano (creamy, comforting corn soup, $3.50), and then dig into delectable taquitos al pastor (mini tortillas topped with shredded pork, pineapple, cilantro, and onions, $2.95). To add spice, try next their delicious tamales ranchero con puerco (shredded pork-stuffed tamales served on a corn husk and doused in a fiery mole sauce, $2.95). If you're still hungry (unlikely), order up a few of their famous tacos ($2.25 to $2.50 each), which range from the standard chicken and beef to chorizo (Mexican sausage), birria (beef with tomato sauce), and lengua (beef tongue). A great place for a party, Gabriela's has a hip-swiveling salsa soundtrack and colorful papel picados (elegantly cutout squares of paper) strung across the ceilings like banners. Palacinka, A Creperie 28 Grand Street (Soho). Entree and dessert from $10.50 Crepes for dinner and dessert? Absolutely, when they are as delicious as the central European variety (called, not surprisingly, palacinka and made with buckwheat) served at this funky and sophisticated Soho cafe. Fillings include tarragon chicken, goat cheese, and roasted pepper ($7.50); ham, GruySre, and tomato ($7); and spinach with feta, garlic, and lemon ($7). For dessert, you can choose a simple but yummy butter-and-sugar crepe ($4), or one spread with either Nutella, lemon, or lime, or else a strawberry or apricot confiture (each $4). Also on the menu are elaborate sandwiches, salads, and, in winter, soups (all entr,es come with a small green salad). Chez Gnagna Koty's 530 Ninth Avenue (Hell's Kitchen). Entree and appetizer from $12 Cheerfully decorated with splashy African kente cloths on the walls and tabletops, wooden sculptures, and a large framed photo of Nelson Mandela with President Clinton, this is one of the friendliest restaurants on Ninth Avenue. It is presided over by the gracious and elegant Ms. Koty herself, a Senegalese native, who visits each table more than once in the course of the meal to chat, make suggestions, and answer questions. Our tip: always order what Ms. Koty recommends, as she knows best what's fresh that day. On my last visit, friends and I feasted on the yassa chicken ($8), tender breast meat in a mustard, lemon, and onion sauce that tastes as good as it sounds; fried bananas ($5) which come with a scrumptious tomato dipping sauce, nicely marrying the sweet and tart of this dish; and a chunky and wonderful fish soup ($5). Also good on the menu: maffe (a peanuty stew made with either lamb or chicken, $7.50 to $8.50), their large house salad ($3), and any of the couscous dishes ($9 to $9.50). Hallo Berlin 402 West 51st Street (near Theater District); 626 10th Avenue (near Theater District) German entree and appetizer from $9.50 Not the spot for vegetarians, these two little restaurants glory in meat, meat, meat, all prepared German-style. Both places are tricked out in the style of a Berlin beer garden (albeit much smaller), with umbrellas covering picnic tables and walls festooned with fake grapes and leaves, along with metal beer placards. As you'd expect, the sausages are top-quality and featured (from bockwurst and knockwurst to Berliner curry, $2.50 to $10), the Wiener schnitzel a delight (at $11, with a nice side of tart wine-marinated sauerkraut, red cabbage, fries, and a string bean and cucumber salad); and the sauerbraten savory ($13.95). All entrees come with a bowl of hearty soup, included in the price, as an appetizer. Republic 37 Union Square West (Flatiron District). Appetizer and entree from $9, heavy on noodles A scene, plain and simple. Out front: a frenetic singles bar, patronized by the models, photographers, and other trendy types of the area. Out back: a surreal Maoist fantasy of a restaurant, with large communal tables and benches for diners, oversized photos of beautiful people draped with noodles on the walls, and black-clad waiters with a single red star on their T-shirts. The menu is a tribute to pasta dishes from around the world, with some noodle-less grilled selections available (although these tend to be a tad dry). Favorites include the spicy coconut chicken broth noodles ($8), watercress salad with a delectable lemongrass-ginger topping ($3), salmon sashimi salad ($4), BBQ pork over cold vermicelli ($8), and chicken udon: thick noodles with peanuts, chicken, cucumber, and bean sprouts in a coconut milk and spinach sauce ($7).

What you'll find in this story: Brazil travel, Brazil beaches, Brazil culture, Coastal towns, beach vacations, Morro de São Paulo attractions, Brazil lodging I knew things had changed in Morro de São Paulo, a village on Ilha de Tinharé, the minute I saw the MasterCard awning. It stretched for 200 feet over the wooden pier where my catamaran docked--the same pier where I'd pulled up nine years ago, but back then there was no awning, just a line of torches arcing up a steep, sandy path. Morro's main street had changed, too. Where there once had been a handful of candlelit restaurants serving fried fish, there were now two dozen, huddled together, stacked on top of each other--creperies and pizzerias with high ceilings and flaming-orange walls; Internet cafés selling art and art galleries offering Internet service; boutiques stocked with crocheted bikinis, diaphanous skirts, and T-shirts that commanded no stress, and beneath, in small letters, morro de são paulo. That first night, sipping espresso in an Italian restaurant, I lamented the town's transformation with Pedro, an Uruguayan artist sitting beside me. Pedro had more reason to be distraught: He had moved to Morro 23 years ago, when travelers camped on the beach or slung a hammock. Now three dozen pousadas and a couple of eco-resorts vie for their business. But Pedro insisted that beyond the village center Morro was as lovely as ever: There were still uncrowded, reggae-free beaches; and there were other villages to explore on Ilha de Tinharé as well, villages where tourism had left virtually no footprint at all. The next day, he took me to a boulder-strewn beach called Praia do Porto de Cima. We were trailed by his saffron-colored dog, Dendê, named for the rich, saffron-colored palm-nut oil used in traditional Bahian cooking. There wasn't a tourist in sight, only a circle of local boys practicing capoeira, an African-Brazilian martial art, accompanied by the rhythmic twang of a one-string bowed instrument called a berimbau. Capoeira is the cunning invention of 15th-century slaves, who disguised its ferocity from their masters by choreographing the moves to look like an innocuous hybrid of dance and gymnastics: fan kicks and spins and headstands that melt into somersaults. After 40 minutes, we rounded a curve, and the coastline opened up into a wide expanse of sand backed by raw pink-sandstone cliffs. At the foot of the cliffs, a trickle of water had turned the sandstone into a thick pool of clay. Milling around were a half-dozen people slathered in the stuff, looking vaguely undercooked. "It's an exfoliant," Pedro said, seeing my mystified expression. Ten minutes later, we were covered in pink clay, basking in the sun. Our skin smooth and glowing, we stopped for juice at a beach hut on the next beach north, Praia da Gamboa--except that there was no juice that day, just beer and water, so that's what we had. After the crepes and sushi of Morro's main drag, I found the limitations oddly comforting. Once I let go of my sentimental memories of a torch-lit, car-free island, I was able to appreciate the charms of Morro's vibrant village center as well: the impromptu jam sessions, the off-key sing-alongs on the steps of Pousada do Joe, the street exhibits of handmade lamps and Art Brut sculptures made of dried coconut husks, driftwood, and wilted flamboyants. Weaving in and out of the crowd were boys pushing wheelbarrows, some piled with bricks, cilantro, or firewood, others painted with the words super taxi, their teenage "drivers" trawling for tourists fatigued by Morro's steep hills. By day, Morro's most animated beach, Segunda Praia, is a sun-drenched catwalk where young Brazilians proudly display their assets. At night, enterprising villagers set up portable bars: 20 identical spreads of mango, papaya, passion fruit, and avocado, photogenically arranged around bottles of liquor. A fast-talking huckster with a goatee grabbed my hand and led me to a table. "Come," he said. "I will make you a drink for all-night energy." He prescribed avocado and gin, but I opted for passion fruit and vodka--prissier, but more appetizing. The crowd began to arrive at 11 p.m.--lustrous-skinned women in halters, hot pants, and earrings like chandeliers, and couples who quickly laid claim to the chaise lounges near the ocean, where they could lie entwined and gaze at the stars. By midnight, the speakers were pumped up. By 1 a.m., there were 100 people dancing in the sand--not to samba, though. Not to bossa nova. Not to the African-Brazilian percussion that hits you right in the pelvis, either. They were dancing to Moby. I might as well have been in a Manhattan nightclub, circa 2000. It turns out that Wednesday is the night for African-Brazilian music in Morro. That's when half the town treks up the 200 steps to the island's amphitheater for a 20-person jam session, a percussion-fest that goes until 3 a.m., and involves plenty of caipirinhas, plenty of sweat, and no inhibitions. Morro de Sao Paulo Lodging Pousada Colibri 5 Rua do Porto de Cima, 011-55/75-483-1056, pousada-colibri.com, $30-$50 Pousada Farol do Morro 126 Rua Comingo Olindino Ramos, 011-55/75-483-1036, faroldomorro.com.br, $26-$36 Pousada Natureza 46 Praca Aureliano Lima, 011-55/75-483-1044, hotelnatureza.com Food Biano & Nero Rua Caminho da Praia, 011-55/75-483-1097, pizza $8.25 Oh la la Crepe 158 Rua da Prainha, 011-55/75-483-1165, ham-and-cheese crepe $2.50 El Jamiro Primeira Praia, no phone, Grilled salmon $6 Ilha de Boipeba The river that separates Ilha de Tinharé from Ilha de Boipeba, my next destination, is called Rio do Inferno--Hell's River. The foreboding name made me anxious about the crossing. In truth, Hell's River is as volatile as a pond. It's easily traversed in a five-minute ride on a fishing boat. The Jeep ride across Ilha de Tinharé to the banks of Rio do Inferno was another story. My driver, 24-year-old Nino, drove as if he were at the wheel of a video game, veering sharply around imaginary obstacles and gunning the engine over gentle swells of earth. The gasps of the two Brazilian girls in the backseat only encouraged him. Nino had Morro energy: young, hormonal, ready to rock. Boipeba energy, I soon learned, was entirely different. The island is dramatically less developed, and people don't come to Boipeba to party or shop. Those things simply aren't on the menu, unless you count the riverfront bars selling the occasional beer to the occasional traveler, or Arte de Boipeba, where the art consists of Barbie dolls and soccer balls. If you come to Boipeba, you come to stroll the deserted white beaches, to nap under a palm tree, to stand calf-deep in natural tidal pools and watch electric-blue fish dart around. You come to stumble upon a fish shack, after 40 minutes of stumbling upon nothing at all, where the proprietors will watch you keenly as you eat their grilled lobster with lime juice--they charge just $7--speak to you in Portuguese, and laugh at your dismal attempts to reply. Tourism is tangential to daily life on this serene, lush island. Mornings in the village of Old Boipeba have a timeless quality. Fishermen mend their nets beneath the shade of almond trees. Horses, tied to soccer goalposts, graze on the village green. Three topless little girls sit on the front stoop of a pistachio-colored house, fanning each other with palm fronds. Not that the residents of Boipeba are impervious to tourism. A few years ago, 65-year-old Tevinho, a bony fisherman with a glorious bloom of hair, set up the Museum of the Arts of Boipeba in the front room of his house to display the conch shells, the six-foot-high whale rib, and the heads of coral that had become entangled in his net over the past four or five decades. Some of them he has turned into art objects: 100 tiny shells were transformed into a hula skirt for a plastic doll, and a piece of sinuous driftwood had been painted to look like a dragon. A small sign on one of the tables politely requests a donation. When I asked if Tevinho would consider selling the driftwood dragon, he emphatically refused. Impervious to tourism, no--but not entirely seduced by it, either. The pousada where I stayed, Santa Clara, was a casually beautiful place, set in an aromatic tropical garden. My room was bright and spacious, with a view of the ocean from the veranda. It's owned by two brothers, one a chef who turns out delicious, creative food--red snapper in passion-fruit sauce, lobster ravioli, shrimp and green papaya simmered in coconut milk--that are a welcome detour from the four standard seafood dishes served everywhere else on Boipeba. Sitting at the beach at sunset one evening, I was approached by a guy in a T-shirt that read iran: guia turistico. He wanted to know if I'd like to take a walk. He pulled out a picture album of mangrove-lined beaches and azure colonial churches. Why not? A walk sounded nice. We set off at 8:30 a.m. with two middle-aged Frenchmen who arrived with no shirts, no sunscreen, no water--nothing but a pack of Marlboro Reds between them. Our "walk" turned out to be an 18-mile trek up blazing sandy paths, through dense forest, and across waist-deep rivers where Iran advised us to look out for crocodiles. Iran--whose distinctly un-Brazilian name was inspired by a word on a cigarette wrapper his father spotted during his mother's pregnancy--had encyclopedic knowledge of Boipeba's jungly interior. He pulled silvery green fronds from the ground and squeezed their clear liquid onto my hair to make it shiny. He tapped the trunk of one tree until it oozed milky sap, which is used by children to create soccer balls and by their mothers to calm upset stomachs. When my energy started to flag, Iran tucked a minty-smelling leaf into my waistband, claiming it would cool me down and reenergize me. Placebo effect, perhaps--but it did work. Because Iran and I spoke barely a word of each other's language, all of this information was conveyed through expressive pantomimes. Occasionally, I made tentative forays into conversation, piecing my 15 words of Portuguese into makeshift phrases. "Do you have children?" I asked. "Yes," Iran said. "Two." "They are small men or small women?""Thy are small men." T"e main event at night on Boipeba--in fact, the only event--is going out for dinner. There are but a handful of restaurants open in the evening, which means that you run into half of the tourists on the island wherever you go. After a few days, I knew them all, at least by sight: the Israeli woman with the jailbait boyfriend, the Swedish guy who couldn't hold his caipirinhas. My last night on Boipeba, all of the guests at my pousada walked en masse to a pizzeria, where I ran into the shirtless French guys I'd hiked with the day before, as well as the girls who had gasped their way through the Jeep ride to the banks of Hell's River. Returning from dinner, I glanced longingly at the bars strung along the river, consumed with thoughts of dancing. But they were dark and empty. Ilha de Boipeba Lodging Pousada do Outeiro Praia do Espelho, 011-55/73-668-5044 Pousada Santa Clara Velha Boipeba, 011-55/75-653-6085, $27-$33 Vila Sereia Velha Boipeba, 011-55/75-653-6045, $45-$65 Food Barraca Tassimirim Praia Tassimirim, No phone, Grilled lobster $7 Pousada Santa Clara See above for address, Shrimp moqueca $10 Restaurant Toca da Once Sao Sebastiao, No phone, Grilled fish, rice and salad $5 Restaurant Maria da Pomponha Velha Boipeba, No phone, Fried fish, rice, beans $3.50 Activities Iran, tour guide 011-55/75-653-6123, Island tour $7 Maraú peninsula Locals brag that Brazil's last stretch of undeveloped coastline is on the Maraú Peninsula, a dry, flat finger of land bordered on one side by Camamu Bay and on the other by the Atlantic. To get there, I took a bus from the town of Graciosa to the town of Camamu, and a boat ride to the fishing village of Taipú de Dentro, where I was met by a mutant vehicle--half Toyota pickup, half golf cart--sent by my hotel, Pousada Taipú de Fora. Taipú de Fora is the section of the peninsula reputed to have the most beautiful beaches. It's a lonely, romantic place: deserted stretches of powdery sand; reckless surf; sharp, salty breezes. In the distance, a red-and-white lighthouse winked through the night. I spent most of my time doing nothing in various places. I lay in a chaise lounge under a palapa listening to the ocean. I lay in the hammock on my veranda listening to the ocean. I lay on a massage table under a white tent listening to the ocean. I sat on a wooden bench sipping caipirinhas at a place called Bar das Meninas--the Girls' Bar. It's run by two friendly young Brazilians, Tatiana and Claudia, who are quite happy to let every visitor in Taipú de Fora hang out there all day reading, playing cards, listening to Brazilian trip-hop, and ordering the occasional drink or snack. At Tatiana's bidding, I considered breaking my vow of lassitude to take a custom-designed boat tour of some of the bay's smaller islands--places, she said, that time has all but forgotten. There is a former slave colony where the women make dendê oil. There is an island where men hammer out wooden schooners reminiscent of colonial expeditions. There is a fairy-tale house where someone named Grandma Dolores makes fresh mango ice cream. As it turned out, Tatiana's tour-guide friend was not available, so I opted instead for the standard boat tour of Camamu Bay with a fisherman named Neuso. I tried to suggest that we follow Tatiana's itinerary, but he had his own plan. First we stopped at Ilha da Pedra Furada, a tiny geological anomaly in the middle of the bay where the wind had carved out two natural stone arches. Its only occupants were a retired fisherman and his wife, who charge tourists 75¢ for a three-minute tour--under the stone arch, and back through again. Next stop: Campinhos, where we ate fried fish with two of Neuso's friends, a chicken farmer and his 23-year-old wife, Flavia, who could pass for a supermodel. She pulled out a scrapbook filled with sultry snapshots of her flitting around Salvador. Two years ago, her husband had convinced her to leave the city so he could raise chickens in Campinhos. I asked her if she liked living on the island. "Adore," she said, putting her hand to her heart. "You don't get bored? You don't miss your friends?" She laughed and made a sweeping gesture with her arm, taking in the pink hibiscus, the palms, the mango trees. "Bored? In paradise?" Call me a philistine, but by my last night I was bored in paradise. I checked into a sunny yellow pousada called Ponta do Muta, in Barra Grande, the fishing village at the tip of the peninsula. After a dinner of ginger shrimp and jasmine rice at a disarmingly sophisticated place called Bistro, I wandered around the village square. Families were gathered at plastic tables playing cards and eating acarajé (fried bean cakes), while teenage boys loped around the open-air video arcade, jingling the centavos in their pockets. I was drawn to the beach by the screech of a microphone coming from a maladjusted amp. At a thatched-roof bar called Capitão Gancho, a guitarist and a conga player were warming up to an audience of one, the bar's owner. For the first 20 minutes, it was just the two of us listening to the sensuous strains of bossa nova. Gradually, people began to emerge from the shadows: two women in angelic white sundresses, a septuagenarian couple, a lanky guy with a shaved head. By 10 p.m., the bar was full, but no one was dancing. Then the music stopped. The guitarist said something into the mike, there was an explosion of applause, and the bar owner turned to me. "Forró, forró!" she shouted over the drumbeat, which was suddenly lively and robust. Forró music is roughly the equivalent of country music: mournful lyrics about heartbreak and agrarian struggle set to a jaunty rhythm. Immediately, eight couples were on the sandy dance floor, doing a syncopated dance that reminded me vaguely of the polka, but much less chaste. With forró, your pelvis is pressed tightly against your partner's, and every few beats you throw in a sassy little shake of the hips. I watched their footwork intently, hoping to impress all the Brazilians when my turn came to dance. I was still mid-study when the guy with the shaved head pulled me out of my chair and onto the dance floor. "Wait, wait, wait!" I protested. "I don't know how.""You will learn," he said. I tried to mimic what I'd seen the other couples do. I put my left hand on his shoulder and closed my right hand over his left. I waited for the downbeat to start: right-left-right, left-right-left. I even threw in a loose little shake of the hips. My partner was struggling to suppress an amused smile. He stopped dancing. He unfurled my right hand, clenched tightly around his. He rested his cheek against mine. "Remember," he said. "You are in Brazil." He put his hand on the small of my back and pulled my pelvis toward his. My muscles tensed and I stopped breathing. "Relax," my dancing partner said into my ear. And as our feet moved silently in the cool, dark sand, two complete strangers dancing the sexiest folk dance on earth, I finally did. Marau Peninsula Lodging Pousada Punta do Muta Rua do Anjo, 011-55/73-258-6028, $37 to $47 Food Pousada Encanto da Lua Taipu de Fora, 011-55/73-258-9035, Shrimp tempura $8 Bistro Barra Grande 011-55/73-258-6136, Ginger shrimp $8 Activities Taipu Turismo (Tatiana's friend's tour company, with the boat to untouristed islands), 011-55/73-258-9035 How to get there First fly to Salvador, where you can take a boat to Morro de São Paulo ($20). In high season, December through mid-March, it's worth buying your ticket a day in advance. They don't take phone reservations, unfortunately: You just go down to the dock and fork over the money. To get to Boipeba from Morro, you take a Jeep and a fishing boat ($10). The tourist office on the main drag in Morro sells tickets. The trip to Maraú Peninsula involves a bus ($3) and a boat (the fast boat is $20, the slow one $2); buy tickets at the dock. If this sounds vague, that's life in Brazil. To find out the boats' schedules, inquire at your hotel or the docks. There are generally two types of boats: Slow ones (catamarans) are cheaper but take an hour or two more than fast ones (speedboats). The price difference can be as much as $20. Prices vary greatly from low season (late March/early April through November) to high season. Lodging prices include an abundant breakfast of eggs, fruit, cheese, pastries, cereal, coffee, and fresh juice. In this part of Brazil, it's unusual to encounter Brazilians who speak English. A good Brazilian Portuguese phrase book/dictionary is imperative. Finally, in addition to your passport you need a visa ($100). Contact your local Brazilian consulate for more info; travel.state.gov lists the consulate offices.

I know a place in Europe that has a bucolic, stream- and lake-rich countryside worthy of England's Cotswolds; storybook castles and palaces equal or better than anything in the Loire or Rhine valleys; complex beers that give Germany and Belgium a run for their euros; and good wines from ancient hill towns as enchanting as those of Tuscany. In my Slavic Elysium, you glide serenely amid rolling pine-clad hills and fields adorned with carp ponds, beer hops growing on racks, and brilliant yellow rapeseed. It's an unindustrialized, very lightly touristed region where living, eating, and traveling all cost a fraction of what they do in all the above. Rooms to let at $2 a night and hot dinners for $1? Nen­ problem - just ask. Many Americans have at least heard of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic (once part of Czechoslovakia, it's the land of Martina Navratilova, Madeleine Albrightova, and Ivana Trumpova, not to mention a new member of NATO). That glorious city - as I wrote in the November/ December 1999 Budget Travel - is a must-see doable at truly bargain rates. But few folks have any real clue about the cultural, historical, and natural riches of the area south of Prague - where most prices are so low that even in the middle of an expensive continent, it can still be considered one of the cheapest places on earth. The most bucolic, historic, and all-around appealing itinerary is the 260-mile route from Prague south to Vienna, Austria, a comfortable road currently being marketed under a "Greenways" program intended to shore up adjoining trails for hikers, bikers, and horsebackers, as well as to give a boost to economical development and "sustainable tourism." You can easily manage it on your own (trails are signposted), or via the "official" Greenways tour operator, Greenways Travel Club, repped in the U.S. by Summit International Travel (see box). Contributing part of its take to the nonprofit Greenways organization, Greenways Travel Club runs packages ranging from prearranged but independent to fully escorted (some also now use minibuses). All the towns are served from Prague by inexpensive regular buses (and in some cases by trains), but the best way to see the countryside is to rent a compact Skoda (the cheapest model, but reliable) in Prague from agencies like Czechocar (2/6122-2079, czechocar.cz, from 1,700 crowns/$50 a day) and do the route round-trip, or one-way to Vienna, or to the city of Breclav, where you can take a four-hour train ($9.70 in first class) back to Prague. Your drive southward will be pleasant and pretty much a breeze on good roads; though English isn't exactly on the tip of every tongue (a Czech phrase book's an excellent idea, especially for small-town menus), the average American shouldn't have any trouble getting around and having a grand old time. I wish I could tell you about every single spot I love - the spas of Renaissance Trebon, the memorable ancient chateau and castle towns like Jindrichuv Hradec and Vranov nad Dyji. But here, from north to south, are five areas not to miss: Tabor: Tunnels & heretics 55 miles (1 hour) south of Prague A quick zip down Route E50, one of my favorite Bohemian towns (pronounced "TAH-bor") was the Waco of the Middle Ages - turned into a hilltop military garrison in the fourteenth century by a rebellious Christian cult which held off the armies of the Holy Roman Empire for 17 years. The Hussites, as these tough mothers were called, even carved out eight miles of defense tunnels - by hand - under the streets; you can visit a museum on them and their general, stormin' Jan Zizka, as well as actually go down into some of the tunnels. In spite of its riveting history and charming Star, Mesto (Old Town), Tabor has been nothing like the tourist draw it deserves to be, and only now is its hotel and restaurant situation coming more into its own. Go in September for the big medieval festival (contact local tourism at 361/486-230, fax /486-100; infocentrum@mu.tabor.cz). You can "do" T bor in a few hours and continue on your way, but an overnight to fully absorb the atmosphere can be a kick. The priciest digs in town are the recently renovated, turn-of-the century Hotel Kapital (Trida 9 kvetna 617, tel. 361/256-096, fax /252-411), just down the street from the Old Town. Behind its five-floor pink facade, 50 white stuccoed rooms with private baths, TVs, and phones go for $29 double (including daily buffet breakfast in the cute little dining room). Even more economical options have opened more recently. Right off the late-Gothic main square, Zizkovo namesti, the nine-room Penzion Bylinkarstvi (Trzni 274, tel./fax 361/256-419) is named for the herb (byliny) shop up front, and owner Eva Horov charges a mere $14.70 a night, including private bath, boob tube, fridge, and breakfast. Across the square, the six-room Kostnicky Dum (Strelnick 220, tel. 361/252-283, fax /253-339) is also a good deal, its similarly equipped rooms with a view starting at $23 for two, while a studio apartment's $26. Also off Zizkovo, opposite a little Russian Orthodox church, copious homestyle Czech chow's cheap in a former brewery, now the wood-paneled, pub-like Svejkova Hospoda (Spitalsk, namesti 509, 361/257-733), part of a national chain. Deer medallions top out the price list at $4.25, while roast trout with cabbage, veggies, and typical bread dumplings will run you $2.90. Comparable numbers but somewhat more "international" fare ($2.80 Kung Pao chicken sound yum?) prevail at the more "mod" Divadelni Kavarna Ponte in the Oskar NedbalaTheater (Palack,ho ulice, 361/253-785), where you can amuse yourself with a postprandial performance for $3.50 a head or less. Or for an unvarnished old-timey feel and solid grub at even more unbeatable prices, check out the old warhorse Beseda on the north side of Zizkovo namesti (No. 5, 361/253-723). Ceske Budejovice: Roll out the barrel 30 miles (45 minutes) south of Tabor on E55, 80 miles (11/2 hours) from Prague Here, when you say "Budweiser," you've said it all, because South Bohemia's main city (pop. 98,000) is where that legendary name originated. Once called Budweis by the Germanic Habsburgs, Ceske Budejovice's modern moniker's more of a mouthful-pronounced "CHESS-keh BOO-dyeh-yo-veet-seh" - but pivo (beer) is still king and still world-class. Visits to breweries like Budvar, Samson, and Jihoceske Pivovary have to be arranged ahead and cost $1.65 for an hour-long tour ($2.75 also nets you a-hic-shampling of the shuds). Afterward, stroll the moat-encircled, Baroque city center, with the country's largest town square; shop for world-famous yet amazingly inexpensive Czech crystal; climb the imposing sixteenth-century Cern Vez (Black Tower) with its typical onion dome; and, six miles south, gawk at one of the country's most popular castles: Tudoresque, crenellated, thirteenth-century Hluboka. (Local tourist office: tel. 38/680-2005, fax /635-9480; mic@cb.ipex.cz.) Cesk, Budejovice's lodging scene - especially in the Old Town - isn't quite the bargain basement found elsewhere in the region. Case in point: $48 per well-appointed double in the very central, nicely renovated former brewery Maly Pivovar (Karla IV 8-10, tel. 38/636-0471, fax /636-0474). Or, attached to the old city wall, the five-room Penzion Klika (Zatkovo nabrezi 17, tel. 38/731-8360, fax /731-8171; rents doubles and triples starting at $38 and dishes up homestyle combination platters in its restaurant for $3.80 and under. You'll find cheaper digs a bit farther out, such as Pension Macelis (Prazsk 115, tel. 38/28582), on the street leading out to the highway, whose three sweet doubles with bath go for $20 including breakfast. Downstairs in the modest but stylish dining room, full Czech meals run less than $5.90. Far more touristy but still worth the visit is the atmospheric Masne Kramy at Krajinsk 13 (tel. 38/326-52), just off Old Town's main square. A fourteenth-century former gallery of butcher stalls, it now offers Budvar on tap (41[cents]) and tasty local fish, venison, and goulash specialties for $1.65 to $4.25. Cesky Krumlove: Bohemia's polished jewel 16 miles (20-30 minutes) southwest of CB, 97 miles (3 hours) from Prague A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the most famous destination hereabouts, C?esky' Krumlov ("CHESS-kee KROOM-lawv") boasts an Old Town that's an almost suspiciously picture-perfect, Brothers Grimm-like mix of ancient buildings and winding lanes straddling a hill, the Moldau (aka Vltava) River looping below and the huge Rozmberk family hrad (castle) looming above. Apart from wandering the cobbled lanes, you can visit that impressive Renaissance bastion (English tour $3.25, kids $1.60), tour the Eggenberg brewery ($4.40 with tasting), and check out the local museum and church. Personally, I love to do Krumlov from a different P.O.V. by kayaking or canoeing the Moldau - hardly whitewater but enough to work up a sweat; kayak rentals start at $7.50 per day from Vltava travel agency (Kajovsk 62, tel./fax 337/711-978; ckvltava.cz). Or take to the surrounding hills on foot or horseback (rentals $6.50/hour from Jezdecky Klub Slupenec, tel. 337/711-052). Being the most popular local destination, Krumlov's prices can get up there, but the budget traveler is left with loads of choices, with prices checkable at the "Infocentrum" (tel./fax 337/711-183; infocentrum@ckrf.ckrumlov.cz) in the main square, namesti Svornosti. Doubles start at roughly $20 a night from March through May and $5-$10 higher from June through September, but there are also cheaper rooms to rent (look for signs announcing "Zimmer Frei" or "ubytovani"), plus hostels for $5.90 per person. The Vltava travel agency also runs a five-room pension whose nicely renovated, bath-equipped doubles start at $21 ($32 in high season); breakfast is $2.20 extra. But right up the street at Kajovsk 66, Miroslav and Vlastimil Votrel have refurbished a 500-year-old merchant's house as the Pension Na Louzi (tel./fax 337/711-280; ck.ipex.cz/hotlouze); their seven rooms ($32 for two) have plank floors and decor harking back to the 1930s. Downstairs, the dark-paneled restaurant serves food just like my Czech grandmother used to make (and some almost as good); the $2.90 kralik po selsku (rabbit in cream sauce) with potatoes and veggies is among the South Bohemian specialties, while hotove jidlo (daily combo plates) can be shoveled down for as little as $1.20-$1.45. Meanwhile, up in the main square, I can't possibly leave out the fifteenth-century Zlaty Andel (namesti Svornosti 10, tel. 337/7123-1015, fax /712-927), a 27-room hotel, restaurant, pastry shop, beer pub, florist, and who knows what else - not because of its 25 clean, modern, well-equipped rooms ($49 a double), but especially thanks to Room 5. It's an enormous under-the-roof duplex tarted up in what I can only describe as Czech Austin Powers: wall-to-wall shag, wet bar, a shagadelic gold-glitter-lined four-person tub, and a huge teddy bear at the foot of an even huger brass bed. Sleeping up to five, it's yours for just $70 a night - does that make you horny, baby? Finally, don't miss eating (or just drinking) at Krcma Barbak n, the cherry-tree-shaded rear patio of the Pension Barbakan (Horni ulice 26, tel./fax 337/5017; austere but impeccable doubles $35). Swill a bottle of local Eggenberg beer (41[cents]), svaren, vino (mulled wine, 85[cents]), or mead ($1.05-$1.50) and dig into a prix fixe garlic soup, quarter-chicken, bread, and half-liter of Regent brew for $2.90. The rest of the menu's pretty good too; the service just OK; but the view overlooking the river and town-magical. Telc & Slavonice: Moravian Masterpieces 45 miles (1 hour) from Cesky Krumlov, 97 miles (3 hours) from Prague Another UNESCO special, the region's second-best known magnet is the South Moravian town of Telc? ("telch") - supercompact, surrounded by water, and famous mostly for its fabulous centerpiece, namesti Zachariase z Hradce, an elongated plaza of gable- and arcade-adorned Renaissance town houses. At the western end, the sprawling, lordly chateau makes for a catchy tour (40 minutes/$1.50), as does a nearby gallery dedicated to a supposedly well-known Telc painter, Jan Zrzavy. Otherwise (except in July and August, with their constant stream of summer festivals and goings-on), there's not a whole helluva lot to do except soak up the atmosphere. Or bike the gorgeous surrounding countryside; ask about $4-a-day rentals at the Infocentrum on the south side of nam. Zach, at the sign of the green double "i" (tourist info also at 66/724-3145; telc.cz; info@telc.ete.cz). And do squeeze in sixteenth-century Slavonice ("SLAH-vo-neet-seh"), a half hour (16 miles) or so south on Route 406. A rockin', rollin' entrepot once upon a time, this now sleepy little gem has some of the most over-the-top Italianate sgraffitto (two-tone exterior artwork) in Europe. Take a group tour in summer (otherwise do it yourself with a pamphlet from the museum at the corner of the triangular main plaza, Dolni namesti), then climb the town hall clock tower and check out the underground chambers where some olden-day Slavonicies used to hibernate in winter. Accommodationally speaking, in Telc the rock-bottom picks are the ubytov ni (rooms to rent), mostly in the $5.90-$11.75 range. The cheapest are the two small but clean and comfy doubles (plus one single) run by the Farni Sbor Ceskobratrsk, Cirkve Evangelick, (a mainline Protestant church) at n in. Zach 21, 66/724-3888. With TV, shared bath, and kitchen, they're a steal at $2.35 per person per day ($1.50 for kids under 15); get a sneak peek at these and others in a scrapbook at the Infocentrum. As for hotels, the most reasonable on and around n in. Zach are the 12-room Celerin at the top of the square (No. 43, tel. 66/721-3580, fax 721-3581) and the cute ten-room Hotel Telc around the corner (Na Muostku 37, tel. 66/724-3109, fax /722-3887), fairly similar in amenities and prices: doubles with breakfast about $33. A potato's throw from the Horni Brana (south gate to the Old Town), the 13-room Na Hrazi (Na Hrazi 78, tel. 66/721-3150, fax /721-3151) is at the top end, charging $52-$55 for its more updated doubles; the basement pub is popular with locals. In many cases, by the way, you can get a discount of about 10 percent by booking through a Czech travel agent. Apart from the reasonably priced Na Hrazi and Celerin dining rooms, one of the best mixes of food, atmosphere, and price is the Restaurace U Zachari se, on the plaza near the Celerin at No. 33. Large, whimsical wooden puppets punctuate a woody dining room slinging a mix of local and international fare, with complete meals as cheap as $2.60. For $1.10, try the huge, refreshing sopsky salat (cucumber salad with goat cheese), and don't miss the super poached pear with cottage cheese and chocolate syrup (76[cents]). For an intensely local experience, head in the direction of the Horni Brana to the cozy U Marusky at Palackeho 28, with lace curtains, a wood deck to one side, '30s folk music on the stereo, Starobrno beer on tap (29[cents]-41[cents]), and home cooking at old-time prices (as little as $1.50 can get you stuffed). Morovia's wine country: Grapes, chateaux & Judaica Mikulov 68 miles (90 minutes) southeast of Telc, 150 miles (3 hours) from Prague With their vineyards, rolling landscape, and charming historic towns, you could call the P lava hills and surrounding areas Moravia's version of Tuscany. For a base, a good bet is Mikulov, just a half-mile from the Austrian border. Dating back to the mid-thirteenth century, it's a major winemaking spot (a Moravian tradition since Roman times, some of the stuff's even pretty decent); there's also an attractive Old Town, a castle with a wine museum, several other unique historic landmarks, and a strip club catering to Austrians. Moravia's notorious for being more strongly Catholic than Bohemia - but oy, Mikulov back when was a center of Judaism like you can't believe; walking along Husova street in the old Jewish quarter, you can still see the seventeenth-century synagogue. Not far away, off Brnenska street, is a spookily atmospheric Jewish cemetery even bigger than the famous one in Prague. Other area attractions include the huge, eye-popping chateaux of the Lichtenstein family in Lednice and Valtice (which also sponsor popular summer Baroque festivals). But those greedy for the grape will have their hands (and mouths) especially full, since many of the 300-odd local winemakers offer visits and tastings (typically at $3 or so a visit) - not just in Mikulov but also Znojmo, Lednice, and Valtice (which holds a big trade fair in April, with tastings available for a cover of 59[cents], then 15[cents] to 30[cents] a slug). The second week in September is vinobrani (harvest), a great time for wine festivals and tasting burcak, young wine. The area's crammed with picturesque vinarny and vinn, sklepy (wine pubs); don't miss Mikulov's Pod Koziin Hradkem (Kozi Hradek), built into a grotto; $2.35 buys two liters of house wine plus bottles of water and plates of cheese, salami, and bramboracky (potato pancakes). For details on wine and more, check with the regional tourist office reachable at 625/510-613, fax /510-448; mikulov.cz. That office can also lend a hand with lodgings and reservations. The main game in Mikulov is the Rohaty Krokodyl (Husova 8, tel. 625/510-692, fax /511-695), which has a pub, a restaurant with some creditable grub (combo platters $1.40-$2.60), and 13 nice rooms - lacking only phones - for $35 double. For dinner out, grab a $1.50 cab to the best vinarna in town, U Nas Doma U Moravcu (1 kvetna 610), built in the style of a wine cellar and boasting Mikulov's only salad bar; entrees are $2.60-$5.25. My picks in Valtice: Vinarsky Dvuor (Mal Strana 198, tel. 627/352-737 fax /352-425), doubles $29; Valtick Rychta restaurant (Mikulovsk 165, 627/352-366). In Lednice: Penzion Jordan (Podivinsk 55, tel./fax 627/340-285), doubles $15-$18. Breaking your crown The Czech currency is the crown (koruna, plural koruny or korun), divided into 100 haler?uo; US$1 most recently bought about 35 kc?. Czech those phone codes! When calling all these numbers from the United States, first dial 011-420. From elsewhere in the Czech Republic, first dial zero; within the same town, drop the initial area code. Bohemia-bound Get more information on the area from the Czech Tourist Authority at 212/288-0830, fax 212/288-0971; czechcenter.com. For Greenways details, try Friends of Czech Greenways (in the U.S., 718/258-5468, fax 718/258-5632; pragueviennagreenways.org or gtc.cz). Flying to Prague, CSA Czech Airlines (800/223-2365, 212/765-6022) has the only direct nonstops, with economy round-trip running only $478 until April 30, midweek departures out of New York. Low season fares generally run some $600 to $700 from New York. You may get comparable rates from consolidators on British Airways via London, KLM via Amsterdam, and so forth. Summit International Travel, Greenways Travel Club's representative in the U.S. (800/527-8664; summittours.com), accepts bookings for fully escorted Vienna-to-Prague excursions from May through October; via minibus and including ten hotel nights and daily breakfast and dinner and even beer and wine for $1,985 per person. Other Greenways Travel Club products include beer and Jewish heritage tours, as well as hiking/biking itineraries - some self-guided but with all arrangements premade-starting at $55 a day.

For safari-goers, Botswana is synonymous with pricey and exclusive. This enlightened southern African country has pursued a wise policy of high-end, low-impact tourism that has become an ecotourism model for developing nations, but unfortunately is making most Botswana safaris booked in the U.S. cost a heavy $200 to $2,000 a day (and that's not including airfare). We've managed to ferret out a good number of low-cost options that allow you to rent your own vehicle for as little as $23 a day and stay in inexpensive lodges that offer their own tours and mini-safaris. Camp in fancy tents, slumber in traditional round African houses called rondavels, or even bask in your own desert chalet for as little as $4 for camping and $36 for a chalet that sleeps four; throw in a river cruise for $15 or a rhino walk for $18 per person. With its lack of mass tourism, Botswana's spacious 221,623 square miles (slightly less than Texas) are a special treat for wildlife enthusiasts. There are more wild animals and fewer spectators, especially compared to more beaten-path safari destinations like Kenya and South Africa. The government heavily discourages poaching and hunting, and has set aside a whopping 17 percent of the entire country as national parkland (and that doesn't count the numerous private reserves). Botswanans receive education about preserving their environment and are locally placed in charge of its well-being. Botswana's dry, limitless plains stretch far and wide, with a distinct scent of untamed wilderness and primordial earth in the air. Wealthy, stable Botswana Botswana has been nothing less than an African miracle for over 30 years. Shortly after its independence in 1966 (and to the vexation of former colonial ruler Britain), some of the world's largest diamond deposits were discovered here. Its population of 1.6 million is tiny in African terms, and its foreign reserves total $7 billion, the world's highest per capita (its GDP is Africa's second highest per capita). It is easily one of Africa's most politically stable nations. Botswana does have the highest HIV infection rate in the world (36 percent), but this is because, unlike in much of Africa, testing is encouraged and common. The government has also boldly decided to directly foot the bill for pricey HIV drugs kept artificially expensive by multinational pharmaceutical companies-which even its neighbor South Africa hasn't done. With widely available health care, lack of tribal and racial conflicts, a forward-thinking government, not to mention pure riches, Botswana challenges common perceptions about African nations. All located in northern and eastern Botswana, the following are our top choices for game parks and the best budget accommodations nearby. National park entrance fees are not cheap at about $20 per day but worth every penny. Private game parks include the park fees in their tour prices. Camping on your own in the national parks listed here costs $5 per person per day and must be booked prior to arrival since reservations fill up early (for more info on how to do this, go to gov.bw/tourism/index_f.html). But why rough it when you can sleep comfortably for a few more bucks at lodges? We'll show you how, starting with the least expensive option: The Okavango Delta Go wild at the 1,881-square-mile Moremi Wildlife Reserve, located on one of Earth's great natural wonders, a 9,000-square-mile inland river delta (the world's largest), where the Okavango River seeps into the Kalahari's roasting sands. Over 300 bird species teem in the delta's massive maze of inlets and islands, not to mention unwieldy hippos, lying-in-wait crocodiles, elephants passing through, and lily pads that appear to stretch on forever. The traditional water safari here is taken via a dugout canoe called a mokoro. (Note: Try to avoid the summer wet season -- more water than you've bargained for.) Lay your head at the Audi Camp, seven-and-a-half miles north of the town of Maun, the backpackers' hub for the area. Dedicated to budget travelers and working in conjunction with locals, Audi Camp's prices are nothing short of eye-popping for Botswana: $15 per person for a pre-erected, double tent with beds, along with full dinners for $6. Each tent has lights, its own fireplace, and cooking area. Depending on how much you want to rough it, you can pitch your own tent for only $4 per person. Outdoor bathrooms and showers are communal, and there's croc-free dipping in the swimming pool as well. Audi also has some of the lowest prices for one-day or longer mokoro trips with local guides, at $72 per person. If you need a ride to far-off Windhoek in Namibia, a weekly shuttle costs $61. Phone 011-267/686-0599 or surf to audicamp.bizland.com. Kalahari Desert The Khama Rhino Sanctuary is a special 10,600-acre reserve (15 miles north of the historic town of Serowe), established in 1993 to rescue the vanishing white rhino. From an initial four, the rhino population has swelled to 18, and future plans call for introduction of the nearly extinct black rhino to the sanctuary as well. Seventeen miles of electric fence protects the reserve, and the sanctuary is run by a community trust involving locals from the area. The entrance fee with vehicle is only $5, and the sanctuary is dependent on contributions from tourists. A short drive from the Khama sanctuary's main entrance, the immaculate Mokongwa Camp offers an interesting variation on the African rondavel hut: five thatched-roof chalets that sleep up to four people in four three-quarter beds and have baths en suite for only $36 to $45 per unit. Or you can opt for a two-story, rustic, A-frame chalet at Boma camp, which is a little roomier, comes with private bath, and sleeps up to six for $64 a night, depending on which particular one you choose. Camping underneath large mokongwa trees is $4.50 a night (in addition to a $9 site fee), including outdoor cooking facilities. The camp is surrounded by stunning arid vistas, and there's a provisions shop and crafts store. Fun and educational guided Jeep tours cost only $37 for up to four people, and night tours seeking out red-eyed nocturnal critters are $55 for one to four people. Simple nature walks are a mere $7 a person, and rhino walks are $18. Info: 011-267/463-0713, or log on to the informational Internet site for the sanctuary at khamarhinosanctuary.org. Chobe National Park A good bit larger than Connecticut, Chobe National Park occupies 4,079 square miles just over the borders with Zambia and Zimbabwe. It encompasses a wildly wide variety of terrain, from a lush river region in the north (where myriad game come to drink) and unremittingly dry bushland in the south. Elephants trample around everywhere -- 45,000 are said to make Chobe their home, one of the highest concentrations in the world. Like fishing? Over 90 species, including the mighty tiger fish, are found here. And of course, this is the kingdom of the big cats as well. Chobe Safari Lodge, located near the village of Kasane just 50 miles from Victoria Falls, dates back to 1963. It couldn't look more picture-perfect perched over the lush banks of the Chobe River. Accommodations and amenities have an upscale feel, including squash courts, a beauty salon, and an Internet cafe. But prices are down to earth: Simple yet spacious rondavels come with private bathrooms and fans for only $43 per person, and 20 "luxury" River Rooms in a tasteful two-story complex come with TV, phone, air-conditioning, and verandas overlooking the river for $50 per person. Three-hour game drives are a rock-bottom $21, sunset river cruises on a double-decker boat with wet bar are $13 (a park fee of $13 covers both outings). Large buffet meals range from $11 to $15. For close-to-nature types, campsites on the riverbanks run $8. Info/booking: 011-267/625-0336 or chobesafarilodge.com. Makgadikgadi & Nxai Pan National Park An ancient lake millions of years ago, today this immense national park is a 2,787-square-mile arid basin that goes from a strangely desolate yet inviting dust bowl in winter to a shallow, wet wonderland when it rains in summer. When it's wet, flamingos, wildebeests, and zebras (along with their predators) can be spotted migrating here in the thousands. Planet Baobab is a 15-minute drive from the town of Gweta, within easy reach of the pans on the Francistown-Maun road, and takes its name from the planet where the Little Prince in the classic tale lived. It's sure enough set amid a grove of giant baobab trees (an African native that looks like it's upside down with roots jutting to the sky), near a natural spring. Planet Baobab offers several comfortable, traditional grass huts built by bushmen for $13 per person with shared baths (if you need to live it up, try the mud huts with private showers for $26 per person). Campsites are $4 per person a night. Basic but tasty meals are $4.65 for breakfast, $5.50 for lunch, and you'll pay $9.25 for dinner, including the best chocolate cake in the Kalahari. You can also opt to purchase provisions like fresh meat and vegetables in Gweta and cook for yourself in the communal kitchen. There's also a fully stocked bar (check out the beer-bottle chandelier), and a swimming pool, where you can work on your desert tan. Guided activities include bush walks ($9.25) and village tours for $15 each. Info: 011-267/241-2277 or surf to unchartedafrica.com. Mashatu Game Reserve With 100,000-plus acres, it's the largest privately owned wildlife area in Botswana, and part of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve occupying the easternmost tip of the country, bordering Zimbabwe and South Africa. Beyond sightings of lions, leopards, zebras, kudu, elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, and hyenas, Mashatu also offers riverbeds full of baboons, thousand-year-old archaeological sites from an ancient minikingdom, and dramatic sandstone dikes! Mashatu Main Camp is known as a luxury spot, but it's extremely reasonable compared to most Botswana lodges; the $125 per person at Mashatu Tent Camp and $150 at Mashatu Main Camp per night includes morning, afternoon, and night game-viewing drives, park fees, three scrumptious buffet meals a day and snacks, all transfers, optional bush walks or bicycle safaris, and talks led by experts. You have your choice of accommodations of a carpeted tent with a private outdoor bathroom in the tented camp, or a traditional rondavel with air-conditioning and private bath in the main camp, or the more luxurious chalets with twin bathrooms en suite in the main camp. Both camps present watering holes teeming with thirsty game (thankfully, the animals refrain from drinking from the plunge pool for the guests). At night, the electricity-free tent camp is romantically lit with kerosene lanterns. Info: 011-267/264-5321 or mashatu.com. Bots-wanna go? One of the best and most economical ways to see Botswana is with a package tour through a discount operator rather than a high-priced "safari specialist." Africa specialist 2Afrika (877/200-5610, 2afrika.com) offers a South Africa/Botswana package that includes one night in Johannesburg, six nights in a River Room at the Chobe Safari Lodge, and round-trip air from New York starting at $1,920. Overlanding safaris from British outfits are represented by affordable, California-based Adventure Center (800/228-8747, adventurecenter.com): A 15-night package from Explore is $1,630 (land only). Since there are no direct flights from North America, most visitors to Botswana arrive via South Africa. South African Airways (800/722-9675, flysaa.com) is your main option; nonstops to Johannesburg from New York and Atlanta start at $1,364. SAA is also your least expensive option for daily flights between Jo'burg and Gaborone, Botswana's capital: about $160 round trip. Air Botswana (800/518-7781) is much pricier at $260 from Jo'burg to Gaborone, and $270 round trip from Gaborone to Maun. A selection of car-rental agencies (including Avis, 011-267/391-3093) operate at the Gaborone airport and in town, and most offer compacts for only $23 a day. Botswana roads are rough, so 4x4's at $71 a day may be advisable. Another idea if you're coming from Johannesburg is to get a camper at Avisuper Car Rental (fax 011-27-21/910-2228, kapstadt.de/car-rental/index-g.htm). It offers air-conditioned Toyota Condor camper vans for $30 per person per day, along with cooking equipment, tent, sleeping bags, towels, blankets, etc. You can get tourist information at the new Botswana Tourism number, 877/268-7926, or online at gov.bw. The commercial site botswana.com is chock-full of information as well. For reading in the desert, be sure to pick up the fascinating nature story The Cry of the Kalahari by Mark and Delia Owens, and When Rain Clouds Gather, a portrait of a Botswana village by the renowned writer Bessie Head.