You can't afford a vacation to Rome because you've invested in your daughter's orthodontia. Between Survivor II and the Crocodile Hunter, you've seen enough of Australia. Everybody you work with has seniority, so you're taking your vacation in mid-October. Well, live vicariously through the adventures of these Enquirer readers who answered our third Readers Rule invitational.

7-DAY SERIES

• Sunday: Songs that get stuck in your head.   • Tuesday: Top books for summer reading   • Wednesday: Cincinnati secrets and rites of summer.   • Thursday: Where to go for an afternoon of leisure.   • Friday: What some kids are doing this summer.   • Saturday: Remodeling stories.

        In today's Readers Rule installment, we asked you to tell us about amazing vacations.

Namibia: Unforgettable

        As my husband and I stood watching the sun rise across the golden, wind carved dunes of Namibia, we knew we were going to have an unforgettable vacation.

        Namibia was recently one of eight countries in Africa that we explored while taking a 42-day overland trip from South Africa to Kenya.

        High on our list of favorite activities was a stop at the Otjitotongwe Cheetah Preservation Farm in Kamanjab. At the home of both tame and wild cheetahs, we took a rousing ride in the back of a pickup truck with the owner, Mario, as he fed the wild cats their meal of donkey steaks. We were introduced to the two tame cheetahs that let us rub their heads.

        A second high point for us was visiting with the semi-nomadic Ovahimba villagers. Outfitted with gifts of salt, sugar, maize, biscuits, tobacco and aspirin, we were welcomed as we entered their village. Their homes were simple structures made from saplings, palm leaves and dung. Ovahimba women smear their bodies with a mixture of ocre and animal fat that makes their skin gleam an exquisite burnt orange color.

        Namibia is an adventure-guru's dream. Visitors can take game drives, visit a colony of fur seals, hike in the Fish River Canyon, or quad-bike across the desert. The options for action are endless. — Cindi McCloskey, Eastgate

Thailand: An anniversary

        My wife and I have just returned from celebrating our 22nd wedding anniversary — this year in Thailand. We fell in love with the country, the culture, the food and the kindness of everyone we met.

        We have been on vacation in Europe, Africa, South America and Central America. This was our first trip to Asia. — Marcus Ware, Avondale

Alaska: Backcountry

        This month,three backpacking friends and I will hike in the backcountry of Alaska's Wrangel-St. Elias National Park. We will be flown into the park's interior by a bush pilot.

        While we are hiking we will keep a sharp lookout for grizzly bears. After several days in the backcountry, hopefully the weather will be clear and we can make the scheduled rendezvous.

        But I've already had a vacation more amazing than this. In 1997, I was in Istanbul, Turkey, where I went to see the Topkapi Palace.

        I was admiring the view of the Bosphorus Straight, when I heard a familiar male voice. I turned around and saw Zeke Tamer, a gentleman I knew in Cincinnati many years ago when he was a substitute teacher. He was the one who had told me about his native Istanbul.

        He was giving a tour to a couple of tourists from England when he came across me. In a city with over 12 million residents, what were the odds of meeting him? — John Holland, Westwood

India: Land of contrast

        India is a country of contrast. An immersion trip to India sponsored by the University of Dayton opened my eyes to the great beauty and great poverty that exists outside the United States.

        During our month in Bangalore, we saw everything from slums to leper colonies. However, we were fortunate enough to build a small house for a family of five and to see beautiful mountains in the south. After a month there, it was off to Calcutta to spend a few days volunteering for Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity.

        Delhi and Agra were our final stops. Here we became average tourists and visited the Taj Mahal and the Gandhi Memorial. At the Taj Mahal, we were treated to a cooling eerie monsoon storm which eventually gave way to a brilliant sunset that turned the marble a golden orange. — Pat McEntee, Covington

Paris: Springtime

        Oh Paris, what a trip!

        We decided to be adventurous this year by taking a short vacation to Paris. We selected Paris in the springtime as we wanted a fun, romantic place to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.

        By traveling to Paris in spring, we benefited from discounted air fares and fewer tourists at the various sights. Overall, the trip was wonderful. The only mishaps that occurred were the airline lost my luggage (but it was returned to me the next day) and we almost got on the wrong train. (Fortunately a Parisian noticed and signaled for us to get off just in the nick of time.)

        Our favorite foods were: French onion soup, cheese fondue, crepes, pastries and the espresso.

        Our favorite sights were the Eiffel Tower, Museum Orsay, Sacre-Coeur, Montmartre, Notre Dame cathedral, Champs-Elysees, Arc de Triomphe and Versailles. — Jill and Kirk Isley, Green Township

Costa Rica: Search for shark

        Have you ever met a whale shark?

        Well, neither have I. But there's a picture of one in my wallet. This picture is worn and ragged from the hundreds of times it has been taken out, unfolded and looked at. Meeting up with a whale shark has been my dream for the last 10 years, and maybe this will be the time.

        This month, I will be scuba diving in the cold waters of the Pacific off the Northwest coast of Costa Rica, where these creatures routinely visit and feed.

        If I am fortunate, there will be an exciting and long-awaited encounter with a peaceful whale shark. If this giant of the deep were gentle and kind enough to offer me a free ride, ecstasywould be the only word to describe my emotions.

        I'll let you know when I get back. — Dick Mallon, Withamsville

Chile: Breathtaking

        The Torres del Paine park in Chile is like no other place on earth. I recently hiked this amazing park for five days. (There is also an eight-day hike for the really brave.) One day, in one part of the park, it was 70 degrees and sunny. The next day, in another part, it was 20 degrees and snowing.

        I hiked 5-9 hours a day - one day for six hours in the pouring rain. I know that sounds miserable — and it was at times — but it was also inspiring and breathtaking. I saw countless waterfalls, glaciers, avalanches, torres and icebergs. The glacial lakes are the most incredible shade of blue imaginable. — Jessica Klippel, Mount Lookout

New Mexico: Summer job

        Carefully making my way through the aptly-named scrubland catclaw, I keep my ears tuned to the question-and-answer song of the Bell's vireo. Pausing for a moment, I peer through my binoculars and am rewarded by the sight of a female vireo poking her head over the edge of her nest, her mate singing nearby.

        Searching for and monitoring nests of the state endangered Bell's vireo, along with other neotropical migratory bird species, is just one of my tasks this summer as a Student Conservation Association intern with Surface Resource Management at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. Although famous for its caves, the national park also contains over 46,000 surface acres, including my workplace, Rattlesnake Springs, a premiere birding site.

        Even considering the early hours and often oppressive desert heat, I find working in the field definitely beats spending eight hours a day in a corporate cubicle. With field notebook in one hand and binoculars in the other, by the light of the rising sun I set out in search of more elusive nests - wondering at my luck to have such an enjoyable summer job. - Susan Berg, 23, Fairfield

Capitol: Inspirational

        Over the Memorial Day holiday, my family and I went to our nation's capitol.

        The monuments of Washington D.C. at night are beautiful. The Lincoln Memorial is breathtaking, and the Capitol building from the Mall is a moving experience to say the least. The Washington Monument is a vision of craftsmanship and architectural accomplishment, and a symbol of our heritage.

        We saw the White House, and several other notable sites, some of which were preparing for the capitals' celebration of Memorial Day. We visited the monument of Thomas Jefferson, a tribute to the author of our constitution; his 19-foot visage inspires awe in everyone who enters its presence.

        We all came home with a renewed sense of honor for our nation's capital. — Lyle G. Kelley, West Chester Township

Readers Rule: Amazing adventures
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