Word for the Travel Wise (05/14/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Word around town is it’s Mother’s Day and since we here at Gadling love mom’s worldwide I figured I’d provide you with a number of ways to wish your own mum the happiest of days. The New York Public Library online has a list of greetings and expressions for several holidays so use it today and then prepare for Father’s day just around the corner. Here’s a just few from their list:

  • Catalan – Feliç Dia de la Mare
  • Dutch – Gelukkig Moederdag
  • Hebrew – Yom ha’em sameah
  • Italian – Buona festa della Mamma
  • Japanese – Haha nohi omedeto
  • Norwegian – Mors dag
  • Russian –  S dnëm Materi

And again, Happy Mummies day to all the mummies of the world!!!!

Indonesian Volcano Threatens 20,000

by Karen Walrond on

From CNN.com:  Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia’s most dangerous volcanoes,  has been growling for about a month now– but an increase in lava flow in the past day has intensified worries that an eruption is imminent.  As a result, more than 20,000 people will need to be evacuated to shelters that are already crowded (one of them already filled to three times its capacity).

If that isn’t bad enough, the United Nations is predicting that as many as 80,000 people may be displaced by an eruption, depending on the way the lava flows.  Volcanologist Catherine Hickson, of Thompson Rivers University in Canada, said “What the officials are saying is that we’re going to have a larger eruption than what we’re seeing right at the moment.”

Merapi is one of at least 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia.  It is part of the so-called “Ring of Fire,” which is a series of fault lines and volcanoes encircling the Pacific Ocean.

Word for the Travel Wise (05/12/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

It seems we haven’t covered much on wonderful Tajikistan so I suppose it’s time I kick things off with a word or two and some pretty cool Tajik links. The reasons for my taking notice are really unimportant at this point, but let’s say I’m cookin’ up a trip to the country sometime this year. Otherwise Tajikistan seems like a pretty hot destination spot if you’re into things like hiking and/or mountaineering in unique, remote places. The TJ tourism site is on the money at providing information to help get your travel planning started. Also worth checking into is this Tajikistan blog with incredible pictures of both people and beautiful architecture. That’s all for now, but trust me when I say there is more to come in the future on this lesser traveled country.

Today’s word is a Tajik word used in Tajikistan:

rohi safed – safe journey

Tajik is the official language of the country and is closely related to the Persian (Farsi) language spoken in Iran. According to Wiki the most important Tajik-speaking cities of Central Asia are Samarkand and Bukhara which are located in present-day Uzbekistan. In addition to giving interested language learners a taste at some commonly used words and phrases, the Great Game Travel Company has excellent info and short trips for touring the city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Be sure to check out the list of words first. If you’re near the University of Washington look into their Near Eastern Language Programs. Lonely Planet has a pocket-sized phrasebook on Central Asian lingos worth packing along and several other book picks can be found by clicking here.

Mango Madness

by Karen Walrond on

Ah, the noble mango!  I have to admit that mangoes are absolutely, by far, my most favourite of all favourite fruits ever.  It might be partly nostalgic — the memories of growing up in the tropics, eating mangoes with my friends, juice running down my arms — but it’s also because it is one of the sweetest, most amazing fruits I know.  And mango juice?  Nectar of the gods.

And if you think that perhaps my fixation on mangoes is a bit nuts, check out this article in the New York Times:  it’s mango season in India, and everyone is taken with this succulent fruit.  Why, even President Bush himself has lifted a ban on importing Indian mangoes into the United States, as part of a recent deal struck with allowing for easier access by India to nuclear technology.  “The U.S. is looking forward to eating Indian mangoes,” he said at a recent press conference in reference to the deal…

…aaaaanyway…

…the article is a delightful read, and in addition to describing the mango culture that surrounds this particular season, a very detailed account on how to properly eat a mango is included — and I have to say that the author has it spot on. 

Word for the Travel Wise (05/09/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Over the last few days I’ve been a bit off on my word postings, but I’ve got a grand excuse for why that is or was shall I say. For starters I’m walking across the country at the moment and secondly I’ve been thinking about the languages I’ve been covering and thinking which langs aren’t getting covered enough. Sure French and Spanish are all swell and dandy, but it’s really time to step up our game and tune into other lesser known languages. Wouldn’t you agree? Are you up for the challenge? Then let’s proceed…

Today’s word is a Sinhala word used in Sri Lanka:

a da – today

English is spoken by ten percent of the population and Sinhala is the official and national language of the country. I’ve actually never tried to learn this one much, but judging from the alphabet it looks like a challenge. Omniglot has a great starter page on learning all the characters and use of this English to Sinhala dictionary could slowly help in distinguishing common travel words. Let’s Speak Sinhala offers lessons at a very small and reasonable fee. They appear to be one of the better Sinhala language learning websites.

Past Sinhala words: hari shook