Destination: Africa
Among the Nomads in Morocco
by Terry Ward | 06.19.07 | 2:17 PM ET
Morocco, like many places, is modernizing. I’ll admit that last time I was in Marrakech, I spent a night in the Ville Nouvelle at a flashy South Beach-style club, sipping top dollar martinis and being wooed by French card players in town for a poker tourney. To really experience traditional Morocco, however, you have to get away from Marrakech’s trendy clubs. Taking that concept to the extreme, the Guardian’s deputy travel editor, Isabel Choat, recently tagged along with a semi-nomadic family during its annual early summer migration from the lowlands to the cooler pastures of the High Atlas mountains.
Email to friend
del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Ma.gnolia
Mixx
Reddit
StumbleUpon
Yahoo! BuzzIn Morocco, a Khubz in Every Communal Oven
by Terry Ward | 06.18.07 | 2:15 PM ET
In every neighborhood in Morocco, from Tangier to Agadir, five places are open to the public: a mosque, a school (madrasa), a public fountain, a hammam (public bath) and a communal oven. In Fes, where I studied Arabic in 2003, my host family was fairly well off, so we had our own oven in the garden—a gas-fired number that we had to shoo the pigeons from when we baked.
Illuminating ‘Dark Travel’
by Frank Bures | 06.18.07 | 1:45 PM ET
The "Lonely Planet 2007 Blue List" and Adam Russ's "101 Places Not to Visit" spur Frank Bures to contemplate why travelers don't always want to be delivered from inconvenience.
Travels With Nicholas Kristof: ‘There is no High-Five in Rwanda’
by Michael Yessis | 06.15.07 | 8:35 AM ET
New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof reprised his Win a Trip With Nick contest this year, and he and the two winners—a teacher from Chicago, Will Okun, and a a Rhodes Scholar-elect, Leana S. Wen—have landed in Rwanda.
The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: The Seeing Stars Edition
by Michael Yessis | 06.01.07 | 6:41 PM ET
Kelly Slater, Billy Graham and Harry Potter all make the Zeitgeist this week as travelers contemplate Hawaiian surf, learning to speak French, Planet Theme Park and the alleged return of the Loch Ness monster.
Most Viewed Travel Story
Los Angeles Times (current)
Q&A: Eight-Time World Champion Surfer Kelly Slater
* He says the sight of the heavens from Mauna Kea (pictured) is probably the best view in Hawaii.
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
New York Times (current)
36 Hours in Florence
Most Read Weblog Post
World Hum (this week)
Harry Potter, Billy Graham Get Theme Parks
Most E-Mailed Travel Story
USA Today (current)
Travelers Face Frustrating Passport Delays
* Earlier on World Hum: U.S. Passports in Demand: Lines Look ‘Like a Rolling Stones Concert 25 Years Ago’
Most Popular Page Tagged Travel
Del.icio.us (recent)
Panoramio
* The site allows users “to locate photos exactly over the place they were taken.” It’s also being acquired by Google.
Most Popular Travel Podcast
iTunes (current)
National Geographic’s Atmosphere
* The pitch: “It’s not quite as cool as teletransporting, but it’s close.”
“Hot This Week” Destination
Yahoo! (this week)
Cheyenne, Wyoming
The Distance From Dachau to Darfur
by Peter Delevett | 05.29.07 | 6:22 PM ET
Photo by Peter Delevett Peter Delevett recently visited the Nazi-era concentration camp in Germany. Afterward, he wondered: Why wasn't he doing more to stop the genocide occurring right now in Sudan?
Africa-Wide Air Safety Authority Set For June Debut
by Michael Yessis | 05.22.07 | 12:01 PM ET
The exhilarating, otherworldly and perilous experience of flying within Africa promises to get safer in June with the inauguration of the African Civil Aviation Authority (AFRO-CAA). According to the AP, the AFRO-CAA will be modeled after the EU Aviation Safety Agency and the U.S. Federal Aviation Agency, and, among other things, will for the first time develop uniform technical standards across the continent. ‘“This will be a big step to improve safety in Africa,” said Harry Eggerschwiler, chief of operations for the AFRO-CAA. “When you go to international safety meetings you always hear ‘Africa, Africa.’ Well, we are now doing something about it.”
Air Travel in Africa: Exhilarating, Otherworldly and Perilous
by Michael Yessis | 05.09.07 | 6:34 AM ET
In the wake of the Kenya Airways crash in Cameroon, the AP has taken a look at the state of air travel in Africa. It’s not the first time the media have addressed the safety of flying within the continent post-crash—a quick search turned up a BBC article from 2005 after two crashes in Nigeria, and an International Herald Tribune story covered the safety issue in 2006—and it likely won’t be the last. Is the scrutiny of Africa merited?
‘Buttock-Swinging’ Dance in Guinea Leads to Violence
by Jim Benning | 05.01.07 | 3:56 PM ET
The booty-shaking dance called Wolosso, which involves women wearing revealing skirts, is scorned by some in the Muslim nation. A performance last week led to attacks of dancers by men and “rampaging youths.” Reports the BBC: “The police have confirmed a few cases of alleged rape committed by the rampaging youths and more than 30 men have been detained in connection with the violence.”
The Critics: ‘Bad Lands: A Tourist on the Axis of Evil’
by Michael Yessis | 04.24.07 | 10:57 AM ET
It’s not a new idea, visiting the countries U.S. President George W. Bush dubbed the “Axis of Evil.” Ben Anderson, for instance, did it several years ago, and the BBC broadcast several programs based on his travels. Now Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler has written “Bad Lands: A Tourist on the Axis of Evil,” in which he chronicles his travels through Bush’s original three “axis” countries—Iran, Iraq and North Korea—plus Afghanistan, Albania, Burma, Cuba, Libya and Saudi Arabia.
Zimbabwe: A Secret Trip to ‘Mugabeland’
by Michael Yessis | 04.24.07 | 7:52 AM ET
The Economist hasn’t identified its reporter in Zimbabwe who is posting updates from the rogue state this week. Good thing. Robert Mugabe’s dictatorship has made the country a dangerous place for many, including traveling reporters.
Spontaneous Trip to Somalia Leads to Three-Nation Ordeal for Swedish Couple
by Michael Yessis | 04.23.07 | 9:30 AM ET
Mombassa, Kenya
by Jim Benning | 03.23.07 | 11:54 AM ET
Win a Trip With Nicholas Kristof, Take Two
by Michael Yessis | 03.12.07 | 7:29 AM ET
New York Times columnist and emancipation tourist Nicholas Kristof has announced another contest to find travel companions for a reporting trip to Africa. Last year, Missouri grad student Casey Parks joined Kristof, and she blogged, vlogged and spoke eloquently about her experiences. This year, Kristof writes, he’ll take along a student and a teacher, and they’ll report on their experiences at NYTimes.com and on MySpace. The “Win a Trip” contest is part of Kristof’s effort to expose more people to the ongoing horrors in Africa and to promote travel in the developing world as a tool for enlightenment. He writes: “Let’s face it: We’re provincial.”
Sahel, Africa
by Ben Keene | 02.16.07 | 1:18 PM ET
Coordinates: 16 0 N 5 0 E
Approximate length: 3,125 miles (5,029 km)
With the Earth’s rapidly growing population putting greater pressure on resources, recent news from Niger offers encouragement that an attainable, more sustainable future is possible. The Sahel, a swath of semiarid territory stretching across Africa south of the Sahara has long been plagued by drought and famine, made worse by subsistence farmers who cleared vegetation only to leave the terrain vulnerable to wind erosion and further desertification. In the last few decades, however, a largely grassroots effort has led to the gradual re-greening of areas northeast of Niger’s capital city. For a dry, landlocked and exceedingly poor country where less than one percent of the labor force is salaried, a little extra shade and some hope for the years ahead are reasons to celebrate.
—.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) is the editor of the Oxford Atlas of the World.