Word for the Travel Wise (04/12/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Instead of using only the flag to
help point out which country I’ll be looking to pull a word from today I decided to use a picture from the area to help
refresh our memory on a past word explored and a new word today. This picture found at the Hanoi Language and Culture Tour site shows a florist with very pretty
flowers atop of a bicycle on a busy Hanoi street.

Today’s word is a Vietnamese word used in Vietnam:

xinh xinh – pretty,
cute

Can’t say for sure how
today’s word is pronounced, but I’m sure you can find out by either complimenting the flowers or the pretty woman in
the conical hat selling them. Hopefully she’ll understand you’re trying to compliment her in the native tongue and
won’t slap you across the face. Better yet, let’s not take it that far yet. Just tell her how pretty the flowers look
on top of the bike. If you recall bike is xe dap (sur-raap).

This Wanna Learn / Geocities page has some free words and phrases
listed. It was one of few I could find online for free though you won’t get far. Rosetta Stone offers audio and web courses for a
fee and there’s always the opportunity to take a Vietnamese language class in Hanoi,
Vietnam with CIEE. For those flying through the country for just a few short days pick up the phrasebook.

Past Vietnamese words: Xe
Ðap

Beautiful Cities in Dreams

by Adrienne Wilson on

Isn’t funny how our dreams can
capture places we’ve never been, yet only seen on TV or in some glossy magazine with such detail and color, that you
would wake having sworn you had been? For some of you, your journey to Paris or Prague will only take place during the
dark hours of night, while others will twirl pencils for moments on end, daydreaming about being anywhere, but in the
office. Then there are the very lucky few who will one day be actually strolling down a bustling Tokyo street on a
beautiful morning to later stumble into the Watari Museum of
Contemporary Art. Photography, sculpture and installation enthusiasts will be happy to find and to know that they
are neither sleep walking or in the Twilight Zone, but at I Love Art 8’s "Beautiful Cities in
Dreams" exhibit running for another 52 days in Tokyo.

Over 100 works by 13 photographers will
allow visitors to the museum to encounter cities from which they’ve probably dreamed about at least once or twice and
if they haven’t before they’ll be dreaming about afterwards. Some of the artists include August Sander, Man Ray, Diane
Arbus, Robert Frank, Andy Warhol, Olaf Nicolai and more.Sounds like an awesome little event to explore while in Japan
and if you’re hip to the lingo you’ll find more details available at the museum
website, but only in Japanese. Check out Tokyo Art Beat
for a few more details to better help you if you’re around the town.

via Tokyo Art Beat

Photo of the Day (4/12/06)

by Karen Walrond on

Today’s photo of the day was uploaded by sendeuros, and
is a shot of the water temple in Bali, Indonesia.  I how this shot conveys peace — though the stillness of the
water, and the heaviness of the clouds — in contrast to the startling colours of the flowers in the foreground really
beautiful.

If you’d like one of your travel photos to be featured in our Image of the Day, be sure to visit
our Flickr Pool, and upload your best shots there.  Every day
we’ll pick one to be featured here on Gadling.  Thanks!

Sleeping on Airplanes

by Adrienne Wilson on

Falling asleep on
moving objects has never been an issue for me. If I’m not the one in the driver’s seat it’s safe to say I’ll be out
cold until the final destination has been reached. Buses, trains, planes, you name it – sleeping on each has been
something I’ve trained myself to do. For the most part it keeps me from getting "are we there yet"
syndrome and makes time fly a whole lot faster. However, I have to admit snagging my zzz’s on planes can sometimes be a
little embarrassing. Let’s start with the strange gravitational pull that somehow keeps my mouth wide open like a
stuffed bass mounted on someone’s trophy wall. (I know I’m not the only one.) Neck pillow or no neck
pillow I always seem to become a real life bobble head and many times I find myself being nudged by the passenger next
to me to either wake up or get the hell off their shoulder. I don’t know how many times I’ve apologized in the past for
managing to sleep so well on planes at my poor neighbor’s expense, but such is my sleeping style.

Now all of
this brings me to a fine piece of ‘sleeping on plane how-to’ from Independent Traveler, who
better understands that not everyone can nap so well on board. The folks at the Independent title the time spent on
planes "a modern Purgatory for the living" and offer tips on how to close your eyes and make it all
go away. You know – crying babies, the bearded woman, or the poser pretending to chug along on his laptop for some very
important deadline. Yes, just make it go away! Here are some of their tips
with my own two cents.

  • Get seat savvy. Learn which ones are the best and worst seats for getting
    shut-eye on your red-eye.
  • Keep the carry-on luggage to a minimum since they take away from your
    precious legroom.
  • Coffee? Are you kidding! Skip it.
  • Fight for pillows and blankets if you
    have to. Board early and to get yours from the overhead bin if it’s going to help you sleep in peace.
  • Turn
    the neck pillow around for chin support. (Never thought of that one!)
  • If taking off your shoes, know the
    rules. They’ve got the basics listed.
  • Give the bookworm beside you a nasty glare if they choose to use the
    light. Make it known you’re trying to sleep.

Several others which include the use of drugs, headphones and
seat reclining etiquette are listed as well. Whether you have troubles sleeping on planes or not I encourage everyone
to check this piece out.
If you’ve got a moment share a tale from one of your flights. What’s your in-flight sleep style like?

Take Those Malaria Pills!!!

by Adrienne Wilson on

Let’s say you’re on your way to vaca abroad in
some foreign land where the food is strange and even a little smelly, they drive on the opposite side of the road and
perhaps the locals are less inclined to wear deodorant; these are all things you can live with upon your return home.
Now let’s also imagine someone told you about an infected mosquito carrying a tiny pet parasite that could potentially
grow and multiply in your liver, wreak havoc on your red blood cells and multiply some more after the mosquito has
dearly departed  from your flesh. Without the appropriate protective measures you could potentially die from what
seemed like the average insect bite. Chances are you’d break out in a cold-sweat thinking of the dangerous winged bug
and could even be ready to call off your great  adventure through the Amazon basin of Bolivia.

Please
don’t let the scenario above throw off the mood of your entire trip, but I bring this up because not enough people seem
to be taking antimalarial pills before trekking out into the unknown. The LA
Times has an article pointing out the number of malaria related
deaths (a million die annually) and how a third of travelers
tend to skip out on taking prescribed antimalarial drugs. It seems many aren’t thinking enough about the disease and
rely on insect repellent and bed netting to protect them when they should be used in addition to the pills. Other doctor
recommended suggestions include limiting outdoor activities from dusk to dawn when mosquitoes bite as well as wearing
long sleeve shirts and pants.

Antimalarial pills should be taken before, during and after visiting high risk areas. Additional malaria information can be found by
visiting the CDC.