Skeleton Crew Needed to Dig Up Dem Bones

Archeologist wanna-bes can help make history by assisting on an excavation project near Rancho Santa Fe in north San Diego County. The pick of dates are July 30-Aug. 6, Aug. 6-13, Aug. 13-20 and Aug. 20-27. The site has cultural layers 10 to 12 feet below the surface. It is believed to contain 9,000-year-old stone artifacts, food and plant gathering locations and rock art. An experienced crew chief will be assigned to four to five participants, who will assist with surveying, excavating, screening, mapping surface artifacts and lab work on the various sites. Basic discussions about excavation techniques, mapping and artifact cataloguing will be ongoing throughout the project. Discussions about the cultures you are investigating will take place as you work and find artifacts. Cost: $395 per week, including ground transportation from Quality Resort in San Diego to the base camp at the project, all meals prepared at the field camp’s kitchen, use of tent, sleeping pad, chemical toilets, showers, shade tarps, tables, chairs and lanterns, and archeological supervision. Not included: transportation to San Diego. Bring a sleeping bag and digging kit. Contact: Lost World Trading Co., P.O. Box 365, Oakdale, CA 95361; telephone (209) 847-5393.

Real Theater, Darling

The 12th annual British Theatre Backstage leaves Los Angeles for London on Dec 27. The 10-day tour, led by arts writer Barbara Isenberg, offers seven performances in London and Stratford, plus meetings with leading British theater artists and critics. This year there are tours of architectural masterpieces with a historian, a visit to the long-awaited Shakespeare Globe Theatre, an outing to Kew Gardens and a David Hockney drawing exhibition. A full-day excursion to Stratford will include a matinee performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as a private gourmet dinner at historic Alscot Park. Cost: $3,760 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, room at Mayfair’s Washington Hotel, full English breakfast daily, seven performances, three dinners, celebrity tea, excursions and transfers. Contact: Susan Holden, Gilner International Travels, 437 S. Robertson Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211; tel. (310) 273-6161.

Saddle Up

A guided two-day eco-tour by horseback up Mt. Ilalo, near Quito, is available year-round to visitors of Ecuador.

Participants take a half-hour trip by van from Quito to the Valle de los Chillos, where the horses are corralled. As they ascend to the summit, riders pass scenic valleys and colorful hamlets. Geological features, native flora and fauna are described by the guides. At the summit, participants stay overnight in modern tents, dining barbecue-style around the fire. The next morning the group breakfasts on huevos rancheros and coffee, and spends the morning bird-watching and exploring. Experience is not required, and children are welcome. Cost: $166 per person, double occupancy, including camping gear, food and horses. Not included: air fare to Ecuador. Contact: Adventure Associates, 13150 Coit Road, Suite 110, Dallas, TX 75240; tel. (800) 527-2500.

Maximum Micronesia

Micronesia, “the land of tiny islands,” is a group of small, widely scattered Pacific islands virtually untouched by the 20th Century. Leaving each Tuesday year-round, a 20-day adventure starts with a visit to Hawaii and continues to the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Mariana Islands and the Republic of Palau.

The area is an underwater museum with sunken ships and warplanes that hold appeal for scuba divers and snorkelers. An excursion to Yap Island in search of “stone money” reveals huge doughnut-shaped stones up to 10 feet in diameter. Accommodations range from bungalows to deluxe hotels. Cost: $4,527 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, hotels, all meals and sightseeing. Extensions to Nauru, Tarawa and Abemama are available. Contact: Universal Travel System; P.O. Box 2115 Santa Monica, CA 90407-2115; tel. (310) 393-0261.

Boston and Newport

An autumn tour of the museums, architectural features and historical sights of Boston and Newport, R.I., leaves Oct. 9 for eight days. In Boston, the tour lecturer will be Rolf Achilles, National Fine Arts Associates guide. In Boston, the itinerary includes: Fogg Art Museum at Harvard; the Museum of Fine Arts to see a special exhibit, “Impressions of France: Impressionism and Landscape at the Paris Salon, 1860-1890”; the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum; the John F. Kennedy Library, designed by I.M. Pei; excursions to Concord and Lexington, and visits to the homes of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott. In Newport the group visits six of the great mansions or “summer cottages,” including the homes of Cornelius and William Vanderbilt. Cost: $1,825 per person, double occupancy, including land transportation by motor coach, hotels, tour escort, sightseeing, daily breakfast and some meals. Not included: air fare. Optional extension to Philadelphia is available. Contact: Tom Baker, Bryan International Travel, 98 Battery St., Suite 302, San Francisco, CA 94111; tel: (415) 986-0967.

Best of China

A 15-day tour to see the most famous sites in China leaves Sept. 19 from Los Angeles. The itinerary includes the Forbidden City in Beijing, the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs, terra-cotta warriors of X’ian, Guilin (for a boat trip on the Li River) and Hong Kong. Cost: $2,795 per person, double occupancy, including international air fare, hotels, all meals in China, breakfast-only in Hong Kong and sightseeing tours. Contact: Nawas International Travel c/o Lew Hunter, 918 Fredric St., Burbank, CA 91505; tel. (818) 848-0616.

Day of the Dead

A 10-day tour to Michoacan, Mexico, to celebrate Mexico’s most famous religious tradition, Day of the Dead, leaves Oct. 26. Participants visit cemeteries near Lake Patzcuaro on the evening of Nov. 1. Residents of the small villages around the lake elaborately observe the centuries-old Feasts of All Saints and All Souls Days, blending traditional Catholic beliefs with ancient pre-Columbian Indian rituals. Souls of deceased family members are invited to join in fiestas held by their surviving relatives; graves in the cemetery are cleaned and decorated with candles and flowers.

The tour also focuses on the diverse arts and crafts of Michoacan and Jalisco. Visits are made to small villages, where potters, weavers, glassblowers, mask makers, coppersmiths and silversmiths create crafts using traditional methods. Tours are arranged to workshops not usually open to the public.

The tour will be guided by Rocky Behr, a Mexican folk art expert and publisher of “Las Noticias,” a folk art and travel newsletter. Cost: $2,150 per person, double occupancy, including air fare from Los Angeles, lodging, most meals and tours. Contact: Folk Tree Tours, 217 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena, CA 91105; tel. (818) 795-8733.

The Wide Missouri

Paddle through the heart of “Big Sky” country on an eight-day canoe trip that begins in Lewiston, Mont., June 25 and Aug. 5. Travelers set up camp on the banks of the Missouri, where Lewis and Clark camped on their journey west two centuries ago. Canoes pass the Eye of the Needle rock formation and Citadel Rock along the Missouri, the White Cliffs area and Missouri Breaks, past sandstone canyons and into grassy prairie lands.

Also explored are historic sites, such as the Nez Perce Trail, the buffalo jump on the Slaughter River and historic cabins of the early settlers and outlaws. No previous camping or canoeing experience is needed; the staff will give detailed instructions, as well as describe the natural history of the area. Cost: $645 per person, double occupancy, including camping gear, canoes and all meals. Contact: Wilderness Inquiry, 1313 5th St. S.E., Box 84, Minneapolis, MN 55414-1546; tel. (612) 379-3858.

* The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with cruise lines, travel agents or tour operators.

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