4: The surveys australian open tennis Great Bathtub australian tennis imparts Race rolls down Nome's Front Street as competitors vie for their sport's version of the passed-around Stanley Cup: a statue of Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog taking a bath. Teams have five racers, with only one sitting in the tub-on-wheels (full of hot, bubbly water at the beginning and with at least 10 gallons left at the end). The four helpers, each wearing a large-brim hat and suspenders, must carry a bar of soap, washcloth, towel or bathmat. Noon Front Street, downtown Nome Team entry is $20 Free for spectators (907) 443-2798 or (907) 443-2919. -- Blake Hennon. BRAZILWITNESS the exotic wildlife and landscapes of Brazil's Pantanal region -- one of the world's largest freshwater wetlands -- on a weeklong eco-adventure. The tour, which begins Sept. 29, travels the wetlands, rivers and savannas of southern Brazil, where participants will search for examples of the 650 species of birds and the many mammals that occupy the 143,000-square-mile ecosystem. "You have a good chance of seeing jaguars," said Birgit Winning of the Oceanic Society, which is sponsoring the tour.

"It is one of the few places you can see the hyacinth macaw," the world's largest parrot, she said. The group will travel from a lodge overlooking the Pixaim River near Cuiaba on day trips to look for highly sociable giant otters as well as capuchin monkeys, giant anteaters and Brazilian tapirs Oceanic Society naturalist Wayne Sentman will lead the tour australian open tenis . One full day will be spent at a site known to be a jaguar habitat. Cost: $3,390 per person, double occupancy ($390 single surcharge), including international airfare from Miami, internal flights, lodging, meals, guided land and river excursions and transfers tennis open . Airfare from Los Angeles to Miami is extra. Contact: Oceanic Society Expeditions, San Francisco; (800) 326-7491, oceanicsociety. org. **FRANCEIn the land of CezanneSTUDY the art, history and culture of Provence on seven-night campus-abroad tour programs. The tours, based in Aix-en-Provence, travel to Avignon, the Luberon, Arles and Cassis Departures are scheduled Aug 22, Sept 5 and 26, and Oct aussie open . 3, 10 and 17. Time in Aix-en-Provence is spent studying the work of painter Paul Cezanne, the history of Provence and contemporary culture 2009 open tennis . The groups tour the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), Notre-Dame des Dom cathedral and the Musee Calvet in Avignon. From the fishing village of Cassis, participants drive along the coast to see the Calanques, cliffs and coves near Marseilles. Cost: $3,395 per person, double occupancy ($350 single supplement), including round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, hotels, all meals, wine with dinner, excursions and seminars. Contact: AHI International, Rosemont, Ill. ; (800) 323-7373, ahitravel . **GERMANYCyclists pedal into the pastPEDAL along Germany's Romantic Road on a self-guided cycling tour that begins in Innsbruck, Austria, and leads to Donauworth, Germany. This onetime medieval trading route is dotted with castles, royal residences, Roman ruins and villages. The seven-night tours, which depart Sundays through Oct 10, begin with a tour of Innsbruck. The next morning, cyclists head out on the Treidel Path, picking up the Romantische Strasse in Imst and following it to Fussen. They hop a bus to Hahntennjoch in the Alps for a downhill trip through the mountains, stopping in the Tyrolian village of Elmen and then back to Fussen Australian Open - australianopen . "It's nice because you're in the mountains, but [you don't have] to bike over them," said Jim Johnson of Bike Tours Direct. Cost: $637 per person ($145 single surcharge), including lodging, daily breakfast, daily luggage transfers, route planning, city tours and service hotline Bike rental is $69 Airfare from L. A Australian Open .

is not included. Contact: Bike Tours Direct, Chattanooga, Tenn. ; (877) 462-2423, biketoursdirect . **IRELANDIt's where Blarney livesDANCE in Dublin, and sightsee in Connemara on a tour of Ireland that begins Nov australian open schedule . 8. The six-night tour starts with a shindig at Old Jameson Distillery in Dublin aust open tennis . The following day will be spent touring the city, including St tennis 2009 . Patrick's Cathedral and Trinity College. The tour then heads to the countryside, stopping at the Blarney Castle near Cork before heading into the mountains of County Kerry. Along the coastline of County Clare, tour-goers will see the 700-foot Cliffs of Moher. Cost: $1,525 per person, double occupancy ($270 single surcharge), including round-trip airfare from L. A. , hotels, most meals, ground transportation and sightseeing. Contact: Great Western Tours, Pasadena; (626) 578-1161 or (800) 344-7090. *Send information to Tours & Cruises, Los Angeles Times, 202 W tennis . 1st St. , Los Angeles, CA 90012 or write via e-mail to travel. . MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, countering suspicions that he intends to formally retain power beyond the end of his second term, said Thursday that he wanted to hand over the constitutional powers of the presidency to a successor. Putin made the comment to reporters after a three-hour televised question-and-answer session with citizens, during which he reaffirmed that he would step down next spring. Putin indicated this month that he might consider becoming prime minister after leaving the presidency.

Many observers interpreted the comment as a sign that he fully intended to become prime minister, and they speculated that he would seek a revision of the constitution to transfer some of the presidency's powers to the prime minister's post. But Putin's statements Thursday amounted to a declaration that he was prepared to grant his successor all the formal powers now in his hands. Australian Open tickets "I am against cutting presidential powers," Putin said Australian Open . "In my view at least, doing that in the near future would be a mistake. "In his annual live broadcast, Putin took questions from selected citizens around the country via television, telephone and the Internet sharapova open . Many of his answers stressed that Russia's growing economy was raising living standards. Putin had particularly sharp words for U. S policy in Iraq wimbleton open . He charged that "one of the [American] goals is to establish control of the country's oil reserves," and he implied that Russia must remain militarily strong to avoid a similar fate wimbeldon open . He also implied that American-led forces are fighting the people of Iraq. "You can overthrow a tyrannical regime, like that of Saddam Hussein," Putin said "But fighting the people is a hopeless case Thank God Russia is not Iraq. Russia has enough arms and people to protect itself and its interests, both on its own soil and in other regions of the world. "Putin said he agreed with President Bush that troops should not withdraw before the Iraqi government can provide for its own security Australian Open - wikipedia .