What We Loved This Week: Las Vegas, Maui and the Street Art of Sao Paulo

World Hum contributors share a favorite travel-related experience from the past seven days.

Valerie Conners
Maui. I’ve never had much of a penchant for island vacations, and whenever the possibility of visiting Hawaii came my way, I turned it down, asking why I would spend exorbitant amounts of time and money to fly there from the east coast when I could get my tropical fix in the Bahamas or Virgin Islands if needed. Oh, I was so incredibly wrong.

I absolutely loved the vibrant, verdant landscape, and rented a Jeep to go off-roading and dive deeper into trails and forests. From secret beaches to volcano sunrises to horseback riding through the rain forest, I was astonished by how spiritual and affecting I found the island to be.

Rob Verger
I’m in Sao Paulo, Brazil at the moment, a city that has a reputation for being sprawling and gray. But in contrast to that is the color and beauty of the street art here, which is splashed on the sides of buildings, fences and in alleyways. I’ve loved photographing this often blue, green and pink graffiti, some of which depicts images of people, or strange, curved, plant-like shapes and swirls. Below is one of my favorites, and there’s more here.

Daniela Petrova
I just saw Woody Allen’s latest movie, “Vicky Christina Barcelona.” I felt like I was in Barcelona. I took in the sights and experienced the city—its energy, architecture, the fragrance of the Spanish nights, the music—together with the movie’s protagonists, two American girls visiting the city.

Jim Benning
My new iPhone. I’ve never been one of those guys who has to have all the latest high-tech gizmos—I never even figured out how to send text messages on my old cell phone. But this thing is remarkably easy to use, and I’m only beginning to appreciate its travel applications. Yesterday at lunch here in San Diego, with just a couple flicks of my thumb, I pulled up a digital map showing me exactly where I was sitting. GPS technology isn’t new—for some, I’m merely revealing just how far behind the times I’ve been—but this blows my mind.

Nicholas Gill
The baleada. In El Salvador there are pupusas. In Mexico there are tacos. In Honduras there are baleadas. The simple version consists of a thick corn tortilla that has been put on a grill. The tortilla tastes like—as much as I hate to say it—one of Taco Bell’s chalupa shells. It’s slathered with refried black beans and a bit of white farmer’s cheese and then folded over. It’s the “any time of day snack”—you can have one for breakfast and they’ll add eggs. I just finished a 10-day rafting trip on the Rio Platano and my guide served them for whatever meal he could get away with. In San Pedro Sula, which has more fast food joints than anywhere I have ever been, they have a few chains such as Baleada Express and Super Baleadas, which serve up massive baleadas filled with anything you want: avocado, sausage, plantains, bell peppers, onions, chiles, pork, jalapeños, etc.

Michael Yessis
Jhumpa Lahiri’s Unaccustomed Earth. I’m only part of the way through the title story, but I’m absorbed. She’s certainly a super-noticer, and the travel tales that set up the story ring bittersweet and true. “He was gone for two, three, sometimes four weeks at a time,” she writes in the opening paragraph. “When he was away Ruma did not hear from him. Each time, she kept the printout of his flight information behind a magnet on the door of the refrigerator, and on the days he was scheduled to fly she watched the news, to make sure there hadn’t been a plane crash anywhere in the world.”

Eva Holland
Vegas. I made my first visit to Sin City earlier this week, and I loved the bright lights, the outrageous themed casinos, and the sheer excess of the Strip. I have a strict “No Gambling” rule, but joined in the fun in other ways: with some shopping, good food, and a few overpriced drinks at a fancy lounge. I even managed my first ever celebrity spotting! (Okay, okay. Quasi-celebrity spotting: reality TV personality Wade Robson. Quasi or not, though, it still made my night.)

Frank Bures
Jason Gay had a great piece in Outside about Tom Ricthey and the Rwandan Wooden Bike Race, full of lots of color and humor. It’s clearly a trend of some sort, because GQ also published a more meditative piece about Westerners going to Rwanda by Jay Kirk.

Photos by Valerie Conners and Rob Verger.

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