Travel Blog
Obama Administration Wants Controls on Antarctic Tourism
by Joanna Kakissis | 04.07.09 | 2:30 PM ET
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wants to limit landings in Antarctica from ships carrying a lot of tourists in an effort to save the continent from further environmental degradation, Reuters reports. Speaking to a joint session of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and the Arctic Council, Clinton also said the U.S. is offering new rules for lifeboats, to better protect passengers in stranded or sinking cruise ships. One cruise ship was already stranded this past winter, while some 150 crew and passengers had to be rescued in late 2007 after their ship struck ice and sank.
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Yahoo! BuzzPixar’s ‘Up’: Wal-Mart is Unenthused
by Eva Holland | 04.07.09 | 12:27 PM ET
Well, we may have listed “Up” as a travel movie to watch for, but it seems that some people are less excited about Pixar’s latest venture.
The New York Times notes that Wall Street prophets and major toy retailers alike are predicting a poor commercial showing for the flick, which tells the story of Carl, a grouchy old man who fulfills his dream of traveling to South America—by turning his house into a flying machine.
Rooster Racket on the Chicken Isle
by Pam Mandel | 04.07.09 | 11:15 AM ET
Oddly, it’s one of the first things you notice about Kauai. They’re everywhere, it seems: all over the airport souvenirs, on the grassy shoulder to your right when you’re driving your rental car out of the airport, scratching along the path that goes down to the beach ... Chickens. Feral chickens.
Morning Links: North Pole Trek, Life in Antarctica and More
by Michael Yessis | 04.07.09 | 8:43 AM ET
- On the 100th anniversary of the first visit to the North Pole, the descendants of Robert Peary and Matthew Henson gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate the event—and address the controversy over whether Peary and Henson actually made it to the North Pole.
- NPR looks at “micro-hotels” in NYC.
- Boston’s stolen “Make Way For Ducklings” sculpture has been recovered.
- In VQR, World Hum contributor Jason Anthony looks at life in East Antarctica.
- Is Washington, D.C., tourism experiencing an Obama bounce?
- Here are 10 reasons why train travel is great for families.
- Here are 10 travel-related Google Maps mashups.
- Finally, this may be the least-comfortable way to get from Greece to Poland.
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Dhani Tackles Poetry: My Minds
by Dhani Jones | 04.06.09 | 5:39 PM ET
Jon Roche/Travel Channel, L.L.C. NFL linebacker and Renaissance man Dhani Jones hosts the new Travel Channel show, Dhani Tackles the Globe.
Like any good Renaissance man, he’s writing poems inspired by the travel experiences featured on each show.
The topic of his latest journey: Singapore.
Farewell Ukulele Player John King
by Pam Mandel | 04.06.09 | 2:44 PM ET
Uke players around the world are saddened to learn of the death of ukulele master John King. He was a popular teacher—many of my ukulele playing friends took lessons from him here in the Pacific Northwest and were looking forward to his upcoming classes at the Portland Uke Fest. His blog, Nalu Music, includes exhaustive back information about the history of the uke, his tour schedule, quotes about the ukulele, sheet music for skilled players, and lots, lots more. John King was a writer, a musician and an advocate for Hawaiian music and his instrument of choice.
Here’s John King playing Ka Ipo Lei—a love song for David Kalakaua the last king of Hawaii—on his uke. John King died much too young. He’ll be missed.
A Chef’s Travels in China
by Julia Ross | 04.06.09 | 12:04 PM ET
It’s hard to resist chef Martin Yan’s enthusiasm for the innovations of Chinese cuisine in this recent conversation with New York Times reporter and author Jennifer 8. Lee, taped at the Asia Society.
The voluble Yan discusses his travels into China’s far corners, doling out praise for hand-pulled noodles in Shenzhen, the spice markets of Xian and Taiwan’s night markets. In recent years, many Western-trained Chinese chefs have returned home to introduce a new fusion cuisine, he notes, including pizza-like dishes in the north, and recipes making liberal use of eggplant and tomato, ingredients not traditionally associated with Chinese cooking.
Among Yan’s favorite Chinese comfort foods: the doughnut twist (with soy milk) you can find on just about every street corner in Taipei during morning rush hour.
Rock, Paper, Angry Volcano Goddess
by Pam Mandel | 04.06.09 | 11:47 AM ET
From Menehune Land Sales, LLC:
And it was then that I saw her, bathed in the full moon light, a female Menehune. She was beautiful, regal, similar to the male Menehune I had seen many years ago. Seeing her on our property was truly magical. It was the sign I had been waiting for. I was being directed not to sell the land as a whole, but to share the property in Menehune size pieces with those who wanted not only to own land on Maui and perpetuate the myth of these awesome little people, but to become stewards for this land and the spirit it possesses.
In other words, “How about a tenner for the Menehune?” Actually your contribution will go to Froyam Edel, the Menehune appointed real estate agent. He’s selling the land to you, dear reader, in one foot square parcels. For $9.99 (a little more if you want the embossed seal) you’ll get, well, a paper certificate, and not much more than that.
Greek Travel Industry Says ‘Thank You for the Music’
by Eva Holland | 04.06.09 | 10:54 AM ET
Is “Mamma Mia!” helping to buffer the Greek tourism industry from a broader travel downturn? Yes, according to the Telegraph’s Charles Starmer-Smith. He writes of the Greece-set summer blockbuster: “While travel companies and airlines have reported a marked shift away from Eurozone countries in recent months due to the continued weakness of the pound against the euro, Greece has bucked the trend. Sales of easyJet flights to Athens have risen by 13 per cent since the film was released in July, and the low-cost airline has attributed the surge to the film’s rosy depiction of Greek island life.”
We gave “Mamma Mia!” the World Hum Travel Movie Club treatment back in January.
Morning Links: Antarctica Tourism, Road Tripping With Harry Truman and More
by Michael Yessis | 04.06.09 | 9:16 AM ET
- An earthquake struck central Italy early today, killing at least 70 people.
- The U.S. plans to push for limits on Antarctica tourism.
- Can you believe that last year airlines had their highest-quality performance in four years?
- Arizona’s airline graveyard is filling up fast.
- Anna Brones interviews un-roadtripper Boaz Frankel.
- Jayne Clark interviews Arthur Frommer. He calls Twitter and Facebook “a waste of the time for a lot of people who should be reading.”
- Two Paraguays, no Ecuadors. That’s one messed up map. (via The Book Bench)
- Photos: The most interesting bookstores of the world. (via @RebeccaSkloot)
- Harry Truman: Road tripper. Matthew Algeo’s piece about the former president’s travels ran in the New York Times yesterday. His book Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure comes out next month.
- Amtrak hopes to locate—and celebrate—the last of the Pullman porters.
- Finally, the Onion’s Doyle Redland details Disney’s plans to open a Times Square-themed store in Walt Disney World and a Florida woman’s efforts to get pale for a vacation in Minnesota.
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What We Loved This Week: Entropa, Everest Rocks and More
by World Hum | 04.03.09 | 6:33 PM ET
Sure Sign of Spring: Road Trips
by Jenna Schnuer | 04.03.09 | 2:15 PM ET
Ah, early spring. Flowers have started to poke their heads out of the ground. Birds seem that much cheerier and chirpier. And, of course, dreamers across America are plotting the perfect road trip in their minds and Moleskine notebooks. (Come on, admit it—we’re all Moleskine cliches.)
Las Vegas Strip Tips
by Alexander Basek | 04.03.09 | 2:09 PM ET
Do check out HotelChatter and Jaunted‘s glitzy new spawn, VegasChatter. Where else would you find out about an all-male revue at Hooters?
Raffles Holds a Contest (Not a Raffle)
by Alexander Basek | 04.03.09 | 1:15 PM ET
Free stuff alert! Raffles hotels is holding a contest where entrants must submit “a description of the most enchanting experience they have enjoyed or alternatively their dream sojourn at any Raffles Hotels & Resorts.” The prize: “five-night experience in a luxurious Presidential Suite at any Raffles hotel or resort of the winner’s choice, with an option of a pampering Raffles Amrita Spa signature treatment or gourmet dinner for two.” Deadline’s May 30th, and you should head here for more info/to enter.
We already established that my favorite experience in a Raffles Hotel would involve being there while 2009’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit models were doing their thing, so I guess I’ll have to work on a time machine before submitting an entry of my own.
Invasion of the Hungarian Pigs
by David Farley | 04.03.09 | 12:15 PM ET
There are several different types of pig species (or, if you will, sub pigs). The bearded pig is one I’d certainly hate meeting in a dark pig pen. The Indo-Chinese warty pig is another ominous-sounding swine. In all, there are over two billion pigs on the planet right now (and if they’d ever join forces with monkeys, we’d be in big trouble). Most of the pork we eat comes from the generic domestic pig (or sus scrofa domesticus) and, thanks to mass breeding, its offerings have taken on rather bland notes. Not that we’d know it unless we began eating another species of swine. And, in fact, some restaurants around the country are letting diners do just that.
