China Makes Voodoo Dolls a No-No

by Adrienne Wilson on

If a voodoo doll with a pin attached ready for the pricking was high on your list of souvenirs to pick up while perusing the vendor stalls on Beijing’s streets then you’ll have to do some searching. (Think Shenzhen and Guangzhou.) Apparently the Chinese government doesn’t like these dolls and for various reasons, but placing the ban has created a craze according to this Newsweek piece found on MSN. Concerned authorities at the Industrial and Commercial Management Department claim the dolls encourage superstition and “promote feudalism and feudal beliefs.” Other citizens equally upset about the dolls and (whispers) maybe even a little afraid of an enemy they may have crossed in the past, are calling on the Communist Party to enforce a nationwide ban on the voodoo dolls. However, vendors sing a different tune where one individual believes teens purchased the dolls because they were cool, not because they were trying to hurt each other.

For those still looking to flatter their enemies by wasting countless hours of their own precious time with pricking, poking, and prodding at the plush, yarn or hand-made dolls can check the web where internet sales for the dolls continue to flourish. See MSN for the full details.

Sir Edmund Hillary Blasts Climbers Who Failed to Assist Dying Man

by Karen Walrond on

Erik Olsen told use yesterday of the three climbers who died on Everest recently — and Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climber to summit Everest, had strong words to say about it.

Sir Hillary today said that he was shocked that dozens of other climbers left a British mountaineer, David Sharp, to die while on their own treks on the mountain.  Apparently more than 40 other climbers are thought to have seen Sharp as he lay dying of oxygen deficiency.

“Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain,” said Hillary in an interview with the New Zealand press.

Photo of the Day (5/23/2006)

by Erik Olsen on


Is it live or is it Memorex? Or some visual variation thereof is the question I want to ask about this photo from Irish Guy’s Round the World Trips (yes, that is the name he has chosen for himself on Flickr). Either way, it’s a great picture. Taken in Laos the photo is of the That Chomsi Stupa, Mount Phu Si (Phousi), Luang Prabang. (I think I got all that right). Anyway, beautiful shot, man. Keep them coming.

Postcards from Tokyo

by Karen Walrond on

While I’ve traveled all over the world, the one area of the globe with which I’m least familiar is Asia.  For this reason, I’ve been dying to visit Japan, and really, I can’t articulate why.  For some reason, Japan intrigues me — in my mind’s eye, Tokyo is the most fashion-forward, technologically-advanced spot on the globe.  Whether I’m right, of course, remains to be experienced.

That said, I love this article in the New York Times written by Carrie Fisher — you know, author of the acclaimed novel Postcards from the Edge, but more well known as Princess Leia from Star Wars? I’m a big fan of Fisher’s writings, and she didn’t disappoint with this article, chronicling her Christmas/New Year’s Eve visit to Tokyo forthe sghts and the shopping.

Definitely worth the read.  And now I definitely have to go.

Potts on Yahoo

by Erik Olsen on

One of our favorite travel writers and, well, sometime, bloggers Rolf Potts seems to have landed himself a great gig over at Yahoo. He’s got a new column called Traveling Light where he ruminates on the Art of Independent Travel. The most recent piece examines Pushkar, the Hindu holy town in India. It’s a nice little peice with real Pottsian flair. Of Pushkar, Potts writes: Pushkar didn’t seem much like a Tourist Zone: There were no glitzy hotels, no air-conditioned knickknack boutiques, no busloads of sunburned Germans and chubby Texans.

But he soon discovers that Pushkar is indeed a Tourist Zone, where monk-like sadhus approach to have their photos taken for money, and a New york City-like array of international foods are at one’s fingertips. We’ll keep checking in on Pott’s peices here, as we’re always eager to see what he has to say.