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5.6.08
On the Occasional Importance of a Ceiling Fan
Emily Stone knew well the kind of moment she was experiencing in Puerto Rico: the guy, the Cuba libres, the accelerated intimacy. It was perfectly safe, she told herself, as long as she knew when to get out. 4.23.08A Writer’s Port of Call
Adam Karlin went to Indonesia to work as a reporter. But after a visit to Jakarta’s old wharf to see the aging Makassar schooners, he left with a calling of a different order. SPEAKER'S CORNER
In Patagonia, In PatagoniaTim Patterson packs his fleece and long underwear, and enters the Twilight Zone where corporate branding meets the multi-layered reality of place. ASK ROLF
Should I Quit Law School so I can Travel the World?Vagabonding traveler Rolf Potts answers your questions about travel BOOKS
‘The Worst Guidebook Writer Ever’?Lonely Planet author Robert Reid reviews Thomas Kohnstamm’s “Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?” and weighs in on the controversy surrounding it Q&A
Thomas Kohnstamm’s Lonely Planet: The Firestorm Around ‘Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?’The author of a new book that purports to explore the underside of travel writing is taking a lot of hits. Frank Bures asks him about the controversy he’s stirred up and his take on the guidebook industry. HOW TO
Have a Hockey Night in CanadaFrom Montreal to Sault Ste. Marie, the sport is the country’s greatest passion. Eva Holland explains where to go to indulge—and who you need to know. AUDIO SLIDE SHOW Promised Land ClosedAnd other odd and unlikely signs from around the world. Aficionado Doug Lansky, editor of the book “Signspotting,” recounts his 10 favorites. THE LIST
10 Sizzling Hot Travel Tips From Sir Francis BaconRolf Potts repackages the 17th century philosopher’s ‘Of Travel’ essay in the manner of a 21st century magazine feature |
TRAVEL BLOG: Cambodia
R.I.P. Dith PranThe New York Times photographer whose story was immortalized in the movie “The Killing Fields” died Sunday. Remarked the Times’ executive editor: “To all of us who have worked as foreign reporters in frightening places, Pran reminds us of a special category of journalistic heroism—the local partner, the stringer, the interpreter, the driver, the fixer, who knows the ropes, who makes your work possible, who often becomes your friend, who may save your life, who shares little of the glory, and who risks so much more than you do.”
Related on World Hum:
Pondering ‘Tourism’s Withering Impact’ in AsiaDenis D. Gray looks at the rise of travel to “places once isolated by conflicts, hostile regimes and ‘off-road’ geography to which only the more intrepid travelers had earlier ventured.” New Travel Book: Bad Karma
Author: Tamara Sheward Released: Nov. 1, 2007 (U.S.) Travel genre: Bad Aussies abroad (you know the type) Territory covered: Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
By Frank Bures • 11.29.07
Weblog • Australia • Cambodia • New Travel Books • Thailand • Vietnam Permalink • Comments (0) Angkor Wat, Better When It Rains
Ethical Traveler Takes On Child Sex Trafficking in Cambodia
World Hum: How optimistic are you that the Cambodian government will take appropriate action? New Discoveries at Cambodia’s Angkor
Wanted: Cambodian Noodle Joint in New York
By Julia Ross • 6.27.07
Weblog • Cambodia • Food: The Moveable Feast • New York Permalink • Comments (2) The World Hum Travel Zeitgeist: Great Wall, Good Grief!Is the world falling apart? Travelers this week seem concerned that it is, as crumbling attractions in China, England and Cambodia have grabbed our attention. Don’t worry. A man in India has some duct tape, and if he can fix a plane with it, surely he could be handy with it elsewhere. Here’s your Zeitgeist.
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By Michael Yessis • 12.1.06
Weblog • Air Travel • Audio/Video • Cambodia • China • England • Europe • Hawaii • Paris • United States • World Hum Travel Zeitgeist Permalink • Comments (1) The Great Wall, Siem Reap, Stonehenge Getting Too Much Love
Sihanoukville, Cambodia: It’s the New Prague!Okay, it’s not the new Prague. But Alexander Lobrano’s friend in Bangkok insisted that the Cambodian beach town of Sihanoukville was “the next Goa, the new Phi Phi,” the place to go for hipster bohemian backpackers in the know. So off Lobrano went to Sihanoukville, located a three-hour drive south of Phnom Penh. As he writes in the International Herald Tribune, he found a lovely beach town once popular with “Cambodia’s glamorous beau monde during the ‘60s,” a place where luxury hotels are on the rise and an airport runway is slated for lengthening and reinforcement. Graham Defends “Suicide Tourism”Earlier this month, Roger Graham shut down his Web site promoting Cambodia as a great place to commit suicide in an effort to avoid a confrontation with local authorities. That didn’t happen. According to a Reuters report, the provincial governor of Kampot has filed a lawsuit against Graham, accusing him of defaming the province. “Suicide Tourism” Web Sites CloseRoger Graham’s Web sites offered to help people make arrangements to kill themselves in Cambodia, and the expat American shut them down voluntarily today in an effort to avoid a confrontation with local authorities. According to an AP report, one of the now-unavailable sites offered a rationale for suicide and links to purchase books on the subject. “You are going to die anyway,” Graham apparently wrote, “so why not in Cambodia?” |
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Full title: “Bad Karma: Confessions of a Reckless Traveller in Southeast Asia”
When writer Stephen Brookes told friends he planned to visit Cambodia’s Angkor Wat in July—the height of monsoon season—they said he was crazy. “You’re certain to get stranded in your hotel, swatting at mosquitoes and hoping you don’t come down with malaria,” came the general response. Well, Brookes and his wife proved them wrong. In a 
Ethical Traveler and partnering organizations recently announced a 
An international team of scientists using NASA satellite images, among other tools, has determined that the medieval city of Angkor was at least three times larger than previously thought—about the size of present-day Los Angeles.
If New York is the food capital of the world, why is a good bowl of kuy thiew so hard to come by? That’s the question writer Matthew Fishbane 
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They’re not the only places in the world being overrun with tourists, of course, but their tourism woes have been highlighted in recent days by the New York Times, Associated Press and Los Angeles Times, respectively. The New York Times on Sunday focused on the Great Wall of China, which is suffering under the weight of an estimated 13 million visitors a year. “[T]he Great Wall is not just crumbling,” 