Good Karma in Mauritius

by Karen Walrond on

Back in 2002 when my then-husband-to-be and I were planning our wedding, we pondered, as fiancés often do, about where we would have our honeymoon.  After doing extensive research on the best places to surf (him) and scuba dive (me), we landed on Mauritius.

Unfortunately, once we arrived, we learned that because of the time of year, the sea was flat and cold — perfect for neither sport.

Nonetheless, Mauritius is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful islands I’ve ever been — and remember, I’m from the Caribbean.  So it was with more than a little bit of nostalgia that I read this fantastic article in the Times on the oft-forgotten island.  Assuming the author was writing from recent memory, Mauritius hasn’t changed a bit — and I would strongly recommend that everyone run, not walk, to their travel agent (or Expedia) to book a holiday soon.  You’ll be glad you did.

Brits to Flock to Hainan

by Karen Walrond on

CNN.com is featuring an article musing on which group of people are likely to have deeper culture shock:  the Brits who will be visiting Hainan, a small Chinese island, or the people of Hainan who ware about to be inundated by British tourists after 2007.  The reason for this influx of Brits will be, apparently, entirely due to a tour company, Airtours, based out of a small English town in Manchester.

The article explains that the island, while beautiful, and home to several resorts, still needs to do some “tweaking” before the English come:  “Predominantly, it’s about delivery in the hotel,” said Steve Barrass, managing director for Airtours.  According to the article, “the Chinese need to get to grips with changing their menus daily. Offerings such as ‘Fried Froggy’ and ‘Stir-fried Flesh’ might also need some tweaking.”

Cultural insensitivity aside (and I’ll let you decide who’s more culturally insensitive), the island sounds lovely, with “golden sand and clean, blue water stretching as far as the eye can see.” 

I’ve actually only been to Asia once, but Hainan seems as good a reason to return, don’t you think?

One for the Road: Code Green

by Erik Olsen on

Travel, when done correctly, is all about discovery. You learn more about the world itself, its peoples and cultures, but also you learn about yourself. The committed vagabond throws himself into the world and seeks new experiences, tries to find fulfillment through travel. Of course, finding fulfillment can be tough. And so now the folks at Lonely Planet want to help. A new book called Code Green is out and is filled with excellent ideas to help you figure out what to do when you travel and how to help it enrich your life. Despite a cover that will scare the bejesus out of your parents, this seems like a very promising volume. The ideas are of a decidedly progressive bent, but all offer the opportunity to find greater fulfillment through travel. Here are a few of the suggestions:

  • Get up-close-and-personal with gorillas in Rwanda, lemurs in Madagascar and sea lions in the Galapagos.
  • Explore some of the world’s most magnificent wilderness, and see it through the eyes of the Dogon people of Mali, the Masai of Kenya or the Maori of New Zealand.
  • Tag turtles on the Great Barrier Reef, count macaws in Peru or learn to be a ranger in an Indian tiger sanctuary.

I’m bullish on this book and have added it to my personal travel library.

Tattoo Mistakes

by Erik Olsen on

Years ago when traveling in Thailand, I came upon an American guy who had just got a new tattoo of which he was very proud. He was one of those white-boy dreadlocked hippie travelers who had recently discovered Buddhism and found it an appealing belief system whose humanism contrasted nicely with what he saw as the raw and mean culture of selfishness of his own country. The tattoo, he told me, said something like peace and love. Sadly, after he left, one of the Thai folks at the bungalow where I was staying explained to me that the tattoo actually said chicken fried rice or some such thing. I laughed a hearty laugh at the travelers expense. There was a very amusing irony there, I thought.

Well, seems he was not alone, and other folks like this lost soul have now been heading to tattoo removal parlors en masse to get rid of tats they once deemed cool, but now find awful little mementos of their reckless youth. This story over at Fox News examines the trend and cites some other fine examples of tats gone awry, including some whereby folks who thought they’d gotten tattoos for Chinese characters for attractive concepts like “power” and “love” discovered they actually read “General Tso’s Chicken special” or “gullible white boy.” That is just too damn funny. The article goes on the describe other Chinese tats where the symbols were upside down or one he thought said “spirit” actually said “gas”. Poor fellow.

Don’t understand Feng Shui? Try a Feng Shui Travel Tour

by Karen Walrond on

Feng shui is an ancient Chinese art of geomancy, which ostensibly helps bring balance and harmony to a person’s life.  While this article from Yahoo!News is primarily about using feng shui in your love life, I  was intrigued by the author’s comment of feng shui inspiring travel:  “…enthusiasts of the ancient art are finding that they can increase their understanding by doing a feng shui travel tour.”

According to the article, people can book a 10-day travel tour through a company called Feng Shui Masters, who will guide visitors through a series of ancient sites in China that represent feng shui’s beginnings.   “Each person has a different reaction (to the trip), depending on their cultural background,” said Johnathan Ng, executive director of Feng Shui Masters.  “A visit to the Hangzhou temple has moved people to tears,” he said. “They feel so great, so very positive.”

Hmm…. a tour of China AND a more balanced life?  Sign me up.