Details Matter
Photo:Flickr/Yewenyi
I was backpacking Australia in 2005 and stopping a few weeks here and there to work so I could afford to keep going. The most memorable of my working stops was in a little town on the East coast called Airlie Beach. I’ll never forget my adventures there. Particularly not the less pleasant one on the day of my arrival.
A Question of Candy
Photos by author
In all travel to third world or developing countries, one question that will inevitably arise is whether or not tourists should give to begging children. I make no claim to offer any definitive answer, but I would like to present the different points of view simply in order to sensitize people to the issues involved. “What issues?” some might ask. “We of the first world have so much more than they do, why not bring a smile to child’s face by giving him or her a balloon, a banana, some candy, paper and pens? It is such a small gesture to make, and there is so much misery in the world.”
Hawaii
Photo: Flickr/Drewjcheney
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Travel Picks of the Week - 01/18/08
Photo: Flickr/Zinnie
Is travel all about getting away? Or is it about getting ‘in’ to new cultures, languages and food? And the thrill of savoring experiences that could never be had back home? Ben Groundwater explores the reasons that motivate him to travel.
Finding Me
Photo: Flickr/Ingridrp
I was born and raised in the U.S. The two years that I wasn’t here, I was being raised on the island of Trinidad with my grandparents. Not the Trinidad that you see in tourism guides; no– I didn’t see that side until I was an adult. The island I lived on was mostly too hot, always humid, too unsafe to go anywhere without adults, and too boring to do anything more than eat, sleep, and play. So my story isn’t about my travels to Trinidad; it’s actually about my trip to Paradise Island in the Bahamas. And yes, I’m referring to the one that’s shown in the tourism guides. Only this experience was beyond anything that any brochure could have ever prepared me for.
Maya Through the Looking Glass
Photo: Flickr/Da Sauce
I had spent nine years living out my childhood dream of following in Jacques Cousteau’s footsteps and filming in the incredibly beautiful waters of Cozumel. It was a huge privilege, particularly as a foreigner, to have been able to do so.
The Serbs Are After My DNA
“I can tell from the hue of skin, your blood is blue, like mine,” lisps the wan, wheelchair-bound man in his high-pitched Eastern European accent. “You must come visit your home. Come visit Zvezdara.” The lanky giant of chiseled stone towering behind the chair grunts in assent. I smile and nod; what else can I do?
Racing to a Finish
Photo:Flickr/Nygus
The Dakar Rally 2008, scheduled to begin January 5 and end on January 20, was cancelled on January 4, 2008 for the first time in its thirty-year history. This legendary race, originally known as the Paris-Dakar, usually began in the City of Lights and finished in Dakar. However, the routes were changed frequently, so that the last time the rally actually began in Paris was in 2001, which is why nowadays it seems most accurate to refer simply to the Dakar rally, or le Dakar. The planned route was to wind through Morocco, Western Sahara, as well as the sand dunes and canyons of Mauritania’s Adrar Region, which are said to be among the most challenging in all off-road racing.
Travel Picks of the Week - 01/11/08
Photo:Flickr/JavierTC
Adventurer, explorer and conservationist Sir Edmund Hillary passed away on Jan 10th, 2008, at age 88. He was the first to conquer Mount Everest, along with the sherpa, Tenzing Norgay. Known for his humility and humanism, Hillary founded the Himalayan Trust in 1962 and spent decades setting up schools and health clinics in Nepal from his own fund-raising efforts. Ray Lilley writes about Edmund Hillary and his life and achievements.
Kodumudi and the Cauvery
Photos by author
