Tuesday Travel Trivia (Week 9)

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Yes, it’s only two days before Christmas, but Tuesday Travel Trivia never takes a holiday. (Well, maybe for Mardi Gras.) This week we’ve once again got ten tough-as-nails questions for you to answer in the Comments, in the pursuit of fame, fortune, and a justified feeling of smugness over those who aren’t as smart as you.

Congrats to last week’s winners Eva and Sammy 1022, who prevailed over ten very difficult questions. (Gadling’s own Grant Martin was not so fortunate.) Now on to the questions…

  1. Who wrote the critically acclaimed travelogue The Sex Lives of Cannibals, a book about the author’s time spent living in the island nation of Kiribati?
  2. What western US town is known as the “Biggest Little City in the World”?
  3. Name two of South Africa’s three capitals.
  4. What well-known TV travel host and guidebook publisher is on the advisory board of NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws?
  5. The three-letter abbreviation for what busy airport comes from its previous name, Orchard Field Airport?
  6. American Airlines acquired what large US-based carrier in 2001?
  7. What large body of water gets its name from the Latin for “in the middle of land”?
  8. The often-mispronounced city of Wroc??aw is located in what European country?
  9. The first Australian aboriginal word to appear in the English language was the name of what animal?
  10. In what Russian town will the 2014 Winter Olympics be held?

For the answers to last week’s brutally-hard questions, look below the fold…

  1. To what well-known sports league do Manchester United and Chelsea F.C. belong? Answer: The Premier League (if you said simply “soccer” or “football,” I congratulate you on your keen eye for the obvious)
  2. Which two Saudi Arabian cities are considered Islam’s holiest? Answer: Mecca and Medina
  3. The 2002 fictional travelogue You Shall Know Our Velocity, about two guys who travel the world handing out large sums of money, was written by whom? Answer: Dave Eggers (Bonus fact: The book was re-issued under the title Sacrament)
  4. What unusual, travel-related distinction do the following celebrites share: Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Harrison Ford, Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise, John Travolta? Answer: They are all licensed pilots.
  5. Alphabetically, what country comes directly after Mauritania? Answer: Mauritius
  6. The 1993 film Alive was the true story of a rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes, and who were forced to resort to cannibalism to survive. What country was the rugby team from? Answer: Uruguay
  7. True or false: Norway shares a border with Russia. Answer: True (Really, look at a map!)
  8. What is located on the second and third pages (not including the inside cover) of almost every Lonely Planet guidebook? Answer: A map!
  9. The eight-day, free-spirited festival known as Burning Man is located in what western US desert? Answer: The Black Rock Desert
  10. The names of two countries contain the letter “q” not followed by the letter “u.” What are they? Answer: Iraq and Qatar

Traveling To The End of the Earth

by Kraig Becker on

Have you ever wanted to travel to the End of the Earth? Literally! Well, here’s your chance. According to this story, published a few days back by the Times Online, the tiny town of Puerto Williams, located on Isla Navarino, a small island off the coast of Chile, has become the new hot-spot for adventure travelers looking to reach the southernmost city in the world.

For the longest time, Ushuaia, Argentina has been considered the southernmost city on the planet. Backpackers and adventure travelers flocked to Tierra del Fuego on the tip of South America, to experience its natural wonders and take in its remote beauty. But as that traffic has increased, Ushuaia has become more and more commercialized, forcing adventure junkies to look elsewhere to get their fix.

Enter Puerto WIlliams, a place so remote that, until recently, it could only be reached by a ferry that ran just once a week. Now there are daily flights to Isla Navarino, and the town recently paved its first two streets. This has opened the doors for visitors, who find a virtually untouched outdoor playground to explore, with dense forests and jagged mountains dominating the horizon.

Puerto Williams remains a sleepy little town for now. It has just a few stores, a couple of hostels, and three bars. But as an emerging adventure travel destination, it’s sure to be on the radar of the “been-there, done-that” crowd soon enough. And who knows what will happen after that? They might even pave the rest of the roads.

Top 10 stupidest laws you could encounter abroad … will you run into any of them in Puerto Williams?


Fishermen witness dolphin “stampede”

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Fishing is one of those activities that’s tailor-made for relaxing. Sure, there’s some action involved when you finally hook a fish on the line, but until then there’s pretty much nothing to do except sit back and relax. That was not the case however for a group of fishermen on a recent expedition in Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. The group was out cruising when they came across a pod of dolphins and somebody pulled out a camera to record the scene.

The video clip starts with a few playful dolphins lunging out of the water. Around :35 or so into the clip the anglers are witness to an incredible sight as literally hundreds of dolphins begin lunging themselves out of the water at a frenzied pace. It’s a surprisingly beautiful and amazing sight. Even if these guys never ended up catching anything on this particular trip, I think they probably went home quite happy.

Five things to do when things go bad

by Brenda Yun on

I opened the front door to my apartment yesterday evening to find an early, unwelcome, and unpleasant Christmas present waiting for me inside: my power had been turned off. Apparently, the Hawaiian Electric Company finds it completely acceptable to turn off your service when you are a new tenant in the building — and gives you NO warning, by email or otherwise, as to when or why it is happening.

What made this matter worse is that my friend came over to cook steak on my electric stove. We were hoping to drink a bottle of Merlot, and watch “Superbad” on DVD. Instead, we both showered by candlelight, ate out at a mediocre Vietnamese pho restaurant, went to Walmart to stock up on more candles, and are calling it a night.

There are, however, some awfully good lessons to be learned from such an experience as this. If you’re one of the many travelers stuck at an airport in the northern U.S., an unhappy backpacker in the middle of nowhere, or a peeved resident living in a city serviced by an incompetent and unresponsive electricity company, then please resist the urge to cry about it. Here are a few things you could try to get your life back on track when things go bad.

  1. Be creative: If you’re not having fun in your current situation, find a way to make it fun. As long as there’s gas in it, your car can be one of the most enjoyable tools for happiness. Turn up the heat in your Chevy, take a road never traveled, and slowly find your way back home. If you don’t have a car, use your feet. You’ll be surprised how much you never noticed about even the most familiar of surroundings.
  2. Reach out to a loved one: So, you’re all alone in some backward country that you thought you’d love, but it turns out you hate it. Think positively: things will not be this bad forever. Take out a piece of paper and write a letter to a loved one, using your pen as an outlet for frustration, anger, sadness, and expression. Or, if you can get to a phone, give that person a call and tell him/her how much s/he’s missed.
  3. Strike up a conversation with a stranger: I love making new friends in the most random places. The conversation starter here would be your current, shared, miserable experience/existence. My best friend met her husband while waiting for flight in Albequerque. It’s amazing how much a light conversation can ease your inner tension. If nothing else, your little debate can pass the time.
  4. Indulge in your favorite food: Forget that Weight Watchers diet. Take out that stash of Baskin-Robinns Peanut Butter ‘n Chocolate ice cream (sorry for the food plug here, it’s my one weakness) and go to town. At least your belly will thank you.
  5. Get some zzz’s: Sleep is one of the best cures for whatever crisis you might be in. Shrug off your problem for a few hours with a little shuteye.

I hate the sight of frustrated tears, and I particularly detest angry protests by customers upon innocent flight attendants (though, I must confess, I too have instigated such arguments). The best thing you can do in rough times is grin in bear it. Things always get better in time.

Cruise line trends to look out for

by Jamie Rhein on

There are some trends in the cruise industry that might make you pleased or disgruntled, depending on if the trends tip in your favor.

Non-smokers may feel more pleased to find out that one growing trend is to restrict smoking to fewer and fewer places on a ship. Smokers, of course, may not be thrilled.

Another trend is for bigger ships. Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas is the biggest of them all. It can carry 3,634 passengers. Both Celebrity and Carnival Cruises have gone for larger ship sizes as well.

While on-board, you might be paying more fees than in the past. Even the snacks might cost you. Other fees are for on-board tours and eating at an alternative restaurant. Before you book a cruise, find out what your money will pay for and what it doesn’t so you don’t end up feeling mad, cheated or disappointed.

Because more and more people are looking to find R&R while on board, more ships are offering spa classes and areas for retreats where passengers can meditate or just hang out in peace and quiet.

Along with these cruise line trends, Jay Clarke also mentioned in his article in the Columbus Dispatch that there are half-dozen new ships in southern Florida. I imagine this means that if you’re looking for a travel bargain, consider a cruise.