Word for the Travel Wise (11/05/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Every time someone speaks about going to Asian countries, I so often hear talk of purchasing cheap luxurious looking fabrics to have sewn into beautiful dresses and gowns or other items. As a young child I remember my uncle traveling to Thailand, Taiwan and various other countries later bringing back all sorts of souvenirs, but the fabric was always the main prize for some reason. I don’t think he ever found his way into China, but if you so happen to and it tickles your fancy to buy fabrics and such then this word might be for you…

Today’s word is a Cantonese word used in China:

jeuk – wear

Cantonese is mainly spoken in southern Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and by Chinese minorities in Southeast Asia. Check out Wiki for a pretty extensive historical look at the lingo. Cantonese Online – A Tribute is a colorful site packed with info which offers a variety of free resources to learning to this spectacular language. If you’d like to learn some street slang as seen in popular Hong Kong movies there is a book for purchase on this site here. Last but not least scope out or pick up the LP pocket-sized guide to keep you talking on the go!

Past Mandarin / Cantonese words: zhu ni hao yun, guo nian ha, mu di di, hao, xiang zi, zai jian, léui yàu, känt

China’s Newest Tourist Attraction

by Neil Woodburn on

Visiting superlatives is always a fantastic experience.

Visiting dams is also pretty high on the list.

Now, tourists can combine the best of both worlds and travel to China to visit the largest dam in the world.

Three Gorges Dam is not fully functioning yet, but the 610 foot tall structure is certainly something to behold. No other structure on this planet, for example, is made out of more concrete than this Chinese monstrosity. And the reservoir it has created will eventually stretch for an incredible 400 miles.

Local officials are anticipating that a million tourists a year will come to pay homage to this hydroelectric beast. At a $25 billion price tag, Three Gorges Dam just might be the most expensive tourist dive ever built.

Endangered World Heritage Sites

by Neil Woodburn on

World Heritage Sites are, by definition, fantastic places to visit. But is this true of all of them?

Sure, the honored temples, pagodas, natural landscapes, and medieval towns all have something special to offer; otherwise they wouldn’t be on the list. But what about the negative aspects, the things never mentioned by UNESCO?

The fine folks at National Geographic Traveler have come up with their own rating system to honor the very best and very worst World Heritage Sites on this planet based upon “sustainable tourism.”

National Geographic actively hosts the Center for Sustainable Destinations which researches the impact of tourism upon popular tourist sites. For example, toward the bottom of the most recent scorecard of 94 World Heritage Sites researched by the group is the Potala Palace in Tibet. The Palace scored only 46 out of 100 possible points due to the impact of mass tourism, Chinese attempts to diffuse the Tibetan culture, and “souvenir shops replacing the religious articles market.” Dead last is Kathmandu Valley in Nepal where political strife, concrete buildings, and pollution is quickly destroying the ancient heritage of this fantastic area.

It is truly sad reading through the bottom of the list and the litany of problems facing so many of the world’s great destinations. The temples of Angkor, Cambodia, for example, are threatened by a rash of new tourist hotels which consume so much water that the water table has lowered and is weakening the foundations of the temple.

The good news is that a number of destinations are weathering the tourist onslaught with strength and vigor. Number one on the list with 87 points is the west fjords of Norway, followed up by Spain’s Alhambra. Both treasures are well protected and well managed by the local communities in which they lie. They currently face little threat and healthy longevity–at least for the time being.

Be sure to pop on over to National Geographic Traveler and check out the list. This is one of the better World Heritage Site summations I’ve seen in a long time, and one which will motivate, inspire, and sadly, even depress.

If you can get a hold of the print edition (November/December 2006) take a moment to mull over the depressing cover photo of tourists in loud clothing and sun hats scaling the ancient stairs of Angkor. One glance and you’ll understand why it has fared so poorly in the National Geographic Traveler report.

The Panda’s Thumb

by Erik Olsen on

Wasn’t there a book called The Panda’s Thumb? By Stephen J. Gould if I recall. Something about evolution. Well, the Panda’s Thumb took on new, rather tragic meaning this weekend when a panda (oh, he’s soooo cute!) bit off the thumb of an American visitor who was feeding the animal at a reserve in southwest China. The woman, mysteriously named “Lisa” to protect her from the media and the writers of the Darwin Awards series, is 50-years and had registered in the Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in Sichuan province as a volunteer…so said the official Xinhua News Agency, which is not usually so forthcoming about tragic events, unless they involve Americans, of course. To give the woman some credit, she was apparently wearing gloves .But that was not enough to prevent the animal from deciding that her fingers looked a lot more tasty than the panda prison slop they normally get at mealtime.

Photo of the Day (October 23, 2006)

by Iva Skoch on

Following on my post about the Li River, near Yangshuo, China, here’s a shot I took from the kayak. The rain had just finished, but we could hear thunder in the distance. The river was moving swiftly, carrying us past this “commuter.”