The girl is wearing an ugly brown Egyptian abaya. It is so large that her body appears as a lump underneath. Not one strand of hair escapes from her drab headscarf. She wears no make-up and has large brown eyes and unblemished skin. She's watching Orinda's Monica Salusky watch her as she and her friends visit Egypt's Hatshepsut's mortuary temple.

The girls appear to be 14 or 15 years old and take turns photographing each other in front of the monument. The other girls are not wearing abayas. Two are wearing loose fitting trousers, shirts and pastel colored headscarves. The fourth friend, a mere slip of a girl, is wearing low rise tight multi-pocketed khakis with a form fitting stylish shirt. She is wearing clunky bracelets and her fingernails are painted red.

The eyes of the girl in the brown abaya lock Salusky's. Seeing that she has her full attention, she holds her camera toward Salusky and gestures to her girlfriends. While Salusky and her husband, John Sutherland, were touring in Egypt, this scene could unfold just as easily in front of a California landmark. Cameras, it seems, speak a universal language.

A camera was of no use to Rick and Terri Humman and their kids as they floated on a gentle current inside a cave in Belize. "You climb into an inner tube and wear a helmet with a light attached as you float in the pitch black cave," remembers Terri. "Stalactites cover the rock walls." In ancient days it

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was considered the Mayan underworld; today it's about cave tubing.

The Lafayette couple stayed on the island of Amergris Cye (pronounced key) in the town of San Pedro. The family met up with their oldest son, Chris, who was traveling through Central America. "The weather wasn't great, but the white sandy beaches were beautiful," notes Terri. "You rent golf carts to get around the island. The rainforests and jungles were amazing, but it was really expensive. The people were so friendly. Wandering into beach front places in town you didn't get the feeling you were intruding." The Hummans also enjoyed discovering the locally brewed Belikin beer.

Back in California, beers crafted at Calistoga Inn's Brewery go down easy. Springtime in wine country is hard to beat — the valley is relaxed and restaurant reservations easy to come by. If you want to dine with the locals and winemakers, check out Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen on St. Helena's Railroad Avenue. After a bike ride on the Silverado Trail or day of wine tasting, I recommend the Wine Country Inn. For a special celebration, or if you find yourself in the dog house, request the Vintner's Cottage overlooking the vineyards. The Web site has a special package "For Men Only" and a simple quiz to see how you rate on the "thoughtful partner" scale.

If you are serious about rubbing shoulders with winemakers, you've probably already registered to attend the Auction Napa Valley taking place at Meadowood June 5-8 and made your lodging reservations a year in advance. For wine country lodging accommodations any other time of year, visit www.MGConcierge.com. The four day "Classic Package" for two costs $5,000, while armchair bidders can join in on the E-Auction lots from the comfort of home with the swipe of a credit card. The E-Auction opens for bidding May 23.

For more information on St. Helena visit blogs.bootsnall.com/What.-A-Trip/.