Travel Blog
Thou Shalt Not Skinny Dip in Tokyo’s Imperial Palace Moat
by Valerie Conners | 10.08.08 | 10:52 AM ET
Was he unstable or just another British tourist behaving badly? Regardless of motive, a British man was arrested after skinny dipping in the moat surrounding Tokyo’s Imperial palace. The naked shenanigans created quite a stir for nearby tourists and security.
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Yahoo! BuzzMaps, Mash-Ups and ‘the Democratization of Spatial Data’
by Eva Holland | 10.08.08 | 10:13 AM ET
To mash-up or not to mash-up? The Globe and Mail takes a look at the origins of the map mash-up and the people that create them—as well as the traditionalists who don’t approve of the trend.
World Hum Has Restless Legs: Come See Us in New York City
by World Hum | 10.07.08 | 6:03 PM ET
Join World Hum editors Jim Benning and Michael Yessis, and contributors Terry Ward and Eva Holland Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Lolita bar on the Lower East Side. We’re teaming with host and World Hum contributor David Farley for a night of readings for the wanderlust stricken. Also: We have prizes to give away. It will be, as Farley says, “a literary travel extravaganza.” For more info, check Facebook or the Restless Legs website.
Related on World Hum:
* Q&A with David Farley: The Restless Legs Reading Series
Photo by madiko83, via Flickr (Creative Commons)
For Sale: Mao’s Airplane
by Michael Yessis | 10.07.08 | 2:29 PM ET
The Trident jet currently resides at a shopping mall in Zhuhai, China. The mall’s owner, Wang Zhilei, wants to sell it to free up space for parking. Can’t tell you how much yuan it’ll cost you, though: Wang won’t disclose his price. (via Jaunted)
Related on World Hum:
* Mao Mao Mao Mao Mao. Enough With the Mao Already.
Photo by yeowatzup via Flickr (Creative Commons).
Fox News vs. CNN: What Channel Should Air at the Airport?
by Michael Yessis | 10.07.08 | 2:21 PM ET
A group of Notre Dame professors say authorities at the South Bend, Indiana airport should tune out Fox News, citing its “right-wing Republican voice.”
Stephen Fry Comes to America
by Eva Holland | 10.07.08 | 11:57 AM ET
Looks like we might have another celebrity-turned-travel-writer on our hands. British comedian Stephen Fry recently made his way to all 50 American states, and the resulting BBC mini-series (and accompanying book) lands in the U.K. this month. The American release isn’t until January, but the British papers offer a tantalizing preview of Fry’s mixture of humor and thoughtfulness.
The QE2’s Final Hurrah
by Valerie Conners | 10.07.08 | 10:37 AM ET
Before she is remade into a floating hotel in Dubai, the Queen Elizabeth 2 is taking a farewell journey. She recently pulled into the port from which she launched 41 years ago. The Daily Mail reports on the trip, and features a series of photos of the ship as it sailed home one final time.
Observing Rosh Hashanah, In Uganda and Elsewhere
by Eva Holland | 10.07.08 | 10:21 AM ET
Walrus blogger Glenna Gordon spent Rosh Hashanah in Kampala, Uganda last week, and the experience reminded her that for frequent travelers, a holiday can serve as a sort of annual place-marker, to remind us where we were in the world at a given time each year.
Cheesy Souvenirs + Famous Landmarks = Very Cool Travel Pics
by Valerie Conners | 10.06.08 | 4:34 PM ET
A very fun—and dare I say, personally inspiring?—slideshow in the Telegraph by freelance photographer Michael Hughes puts a unique twist on the overdone we’re-holding-up-the-leaning-Tower-of-Pisa travel photo. Hughes creates optical illusions featuring souvenir replicas of major landmarks, and the landmarks themselves. My top picks include Abbey Road (the street and the album cover) and the Acropolis.
Greyhound Canada (and Its Passengers) Can’t Catch a Break
by Eva Holland | 10.06.08 | 3:51 PM ET
First a gruesome beheading, then another stabbing, and now? A busload of passengers exposed to tuberculosis. Needless to say it’s been a bad couple of months for Greyhound’s Canadian operation—not to mention for the victims and other affected passengers.
The Paris Greeters: Helping Dispell Notions of ‘Inhospitable Locals’
by Valerie Conners | 10.06.08 | 3:40 PM ET
Ignorant stereotypes, be damned! The Paris Greeters—a group of Parisians intent on showing foreigners that the French are, in fact, friendly—have been spreading warm fuzzies for tourists by providing free tours of the City of Light in nine languages, English included.
Forget About Having a ‘G’Day, Mite’
by Valerie Conners | 10.06.08 | 2:57 PM ET
Hold on to your memories of Crocodile Dundee and Steve Irwin—recent research shows that the familiar Australian accent will soon disappear as “the nation shakes loose its colonial roots and moves towards a standard national pronunciation.” According to Australian lexicographer Bruce Moore, words like “mate” will no longer be pronounced “mite” as typical characteristics of Australian speech disappear.
Violence on Mexican Border Could Worsen
by Jim Benning | 10.06.08 | 1:56 PM ET
Drug-related crime and violence have taken a toll on tourism in Mexican border cities like Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, which have offered Americans a quick, cheap taste of international travel. Now, the Mexican government’s effort to break up powerful Mexican drug cartels brings some more bad news for would-be tourists and those who benefit from their dollars, at least for the short term.
In Vietnam, a Moto is ‘a Bionic Limb, a Magic Carpet, a Personal Jet Pack’
by Eva Holland | 10.06.08 | 12:40 PM ET
Anyone who has traveled in Vietnam has seen the motos—everywhere. Patti McCracken paints a vivid portrait of the country’s moto culture in the Christian Science Monitor.
Voting Options for American Travelers
by Jim Benning | 10.06.08 | 12:05 PM ET
Traveling Nov. 4? USA Today offers tips to ensure travelers have their say, from voting early by absentee ballot to, in 31 states, voting early in-person.
