Travel Blog
Congolese Man Plans New Lawsuit Against Tintin
by Michael Yessis | 09.02.09 | 12:40 PM ET
Cover art from The Adventures of Tintin Vols. 6-10 Two years ago Bienvenu Mbutu Mondondo filed suit in Belgium, demanding Tintin in the Congo be removed from the market because of its “racism and xenophobia.” He got no response from the Belgian legal system, so he’s planning to “launch parallel proceedings in France and go ‘all the way to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary,’” according to the Telegraph.
“Tintin in the Congo” has been stirring up controversy in the U.S. recently, too. Last month the book was removed from the shelves of a Brooklyn, New York, library—news that made the mash-up map of book bannings in America that Eva wrote about yesterday.
Tintin, of course, has been celebrated by many people—including Julia Ross here on World Hum—for its “power to unite travelers and melt national divides.” (Via The Slatest)
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Yahoo! BuzzAre Cruises Green?
by Eva Holland | 09.02.09 | 11:55 AM ET
That’s the question being tackled in Slate’s latest Green Lantern column. The short answer: No.
Ryanair: ‘Too Mean’ for Canada?
by Eva Holland | 09.02.09 | 11:13 AM ET
Jaunted predicts that the not-so-cuddly budget airline wouldn’t go over well with Canadians, who “prefer their service providers amiable and their experiences congenial.” Too true, eh?
The Plight of Western Women in Muslim Lands
by Michael Yessis | 09.02.09 | 10:04 AM ET
Judy Bachrach looks at the circumstances and issues Western women face when they’re living or traveling in Muslim countries. She writes in World Affairs Journal:
Local women are of such negligible importance that they can be viewed as prey. On the other hand, foreign women are in a wholly different category: wild and yet easy, so menacing and just plain available they are invariably treated as prey. The foreigner without a murderous uncle by her side or a veil over her face is a communal dish.
It’s a powerful essay. (Via Arts & Letters Daily)
‘Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World’ Premieres Tonight—He Goes to Cuba
by Jim Benning | 09.01.09 | 4:58 PM ET
Andrew Zimmern’s Travel Channel series “Bizarre Foods” has evolved into Bizarre World, and it debuts tonight at 10 E/P. The first show goes where few American travel shows have gone recently: Cuba. Judging from the description of the show, it would seem that bizarre foods still have a place in “Bizarre World”:
Andrew participates in the Santeria ritual that leaves him covered in blood. He devours the biggest tree rats he’s ever seen, and he discovers how to grow world-class tobacco.
Travel Song of the Day: ‘Los Angeles’ by X
by Jim Benning | 09.01.09 | 3:50 PM ET
Video: An Idiot’s Driving Tour of Moscow
by Michael Yessis | 09.01.09 | 2:38 PM ET
Here’s the idiot, who recklessly tried to re-create a car chase scene from The Bourne Supremacy:
If you want an accelerated travel experience, you’re better off doing this. (Via Gulliver)
Book Bannings in America, Mapped
by Eva Holland | 09.01.09 | 1:25 PM ET
Banned Books Week has a mashup of all the book bans (and resulting challenges) in the Lower 48 over the last two years. Anyone expecting a certain, er, geographical censorship concentration might be in for a surprise: Brooklyn and the Bay Area, for instance, are represented right alongside the more stereotypical suspects. (Via The Book Bench)
What’s Better Than a New York City Hot Dog?
by Eva Holland | 09.01.09 | 12:44 PM ET
The New Yorker’s Matthew Diffee has plenty of ideas. A few for the traveling set:
- Yellowstone National Park
- Seeing the Northern Lights
- The sound of a train in the distance
- A nice set of luggage
- A full tank of gas
- A free trip to anywhere except Scranton
- The call of the wild
- A room with a view
- Coming home after being away for awhile
(Via Kottke)
Photo We Love: Outhouse in Nunavut
by World Hum | 09.01.09 | 11:51 AM ET
REUTERS/Andy Clark An outhouse way out there—in the Canadian Arctic.
Lord of the Flies: ‘Absurd and Uninteresting’?
by Eva Holland | 09.01.09 | 11:25 AM ET
Apparently, William Golding’s castaway classic really made the rounds before finally being published, and one unimpressed reader’s note on the manuscript has just surfaced. After calling the book an “absurd and uninteresting fantasy,” she wrote: “A group of children who land in jungle country near New Guinea. Rubbish & dull. Pointless.”
Dull? I’d love to know what her idea of an eventful island getaway is. (Via The Book Bench)
What Makes a Great Airplane Read?
by Eva Holland | 08.31.09 | 4:52 PM ET
I have a confession: Last week, I enjoyed the greatest airplane reading of my life. I’ve never been much of an on-board reader—for a long time, I was one of those passengers who was asleep before take-off, and who needs a good book when you have the gift of in-flight unconsciousness? But lately I haven’t been able to drop off to sleep the way I used to, and I’ve become a restless, impatient flier.
Enter—don’t laugh—the Twilight saga. Over four days, the bestselling teen-vampire-romance novels got me through 17 hours of flying time, two hefty ground delays and one long scheduled layover. They also got me thinking about ideal airplane books. What factors have me reading straight through until landing, oblivious to the hours passing? And why do some titles leave me fidgeting in my seat after the first hour?
Travel Song of the Day: ‘Two of Us’ by The Beatles
by Michael Yessis | 08.31.09 | 3:41 PM ET
‘Eat, Pray, Love’ Update: Eating in Rome With Julia Roberts
by Eva Holland | 08.31.09 | 2:33 PM ET
The actress has been spotted at restaurants and markets around the city as filming for the first phase of Eat, Pray, Love gets under way. Meanwhile, since our last update, Billy Crudup, Viola Davis and (rumor has it) James Franco have all signed on to the project—fine additions to an already outstanding supporting cast.
Photo We Love: Speeding Auto Rickshaw in Agra, India
by World Hum | 08.31.09 | 1:49 PM ET
