NY Times on Vanuatu

by Adrienne Wilson on

Remember Vanuatu? I’m sure you couldn’t have forgotten the happiest country on Earth? Well the NY Times features a fine write-up by Jeffery Gettleman who shares his experiences on just a few of the 83 islands that comprise Vanuatu, an area in the South Pacific between Australia and Fiji. When in Tanna, somewhere deep in the jungle our author explores the taste of Kava and the three rules of drinking the beverage. (Don’t sniff, don’t stare, don’t sip.) Aside from Kava, Jeffery finds the biggest lure to Tanna is Mount Yasur – one of the most active, accessible volcanoes in the world.

The most interesting part of the journey is (hands-down) the island Malakula. On this particular end-of-the-road isle villagers practice the ancient art of head elongation, but in the event you can’t make it to that side of the island you can always opt for a cannibal hike. Sounds spooky doesn’t it? I’ll admit after I read the piece on Vanuatu being the happiest place on Earth I wanted to rush there myself and still do! Judging from this NY Times story it seems as though there is a lot more diversity in Vanuatu’s wild side than I imagined and let’s not forget the beautiful beaches.

Want to plan your own escape to the country/islands? Ready to be happy all over again? Go read Jeffery’s story and then go book your flight.

Northern Lights Finland

by Erik Olsen on

Neil has posted here several times about the Northern Lights, and each time he does, I am reminded of the fact that I have never seen them. This bothers me. Seeing the Northern Lights, in fact photographing them, has long been a life list goal of mine, and the fact I’ve never seen anything other than pictures bothers me. Well, pictures is what I have, so for now I have to stick to them.

As you probably know, to see the Northern Lights, you have to go North. Easy enough, right. But where? Well, Canada is a good start. But another place, where you can get not just a wonderful full of the lights, but also have a wonderful travel experience, is Finland. Finland has long long been on my list of MUST-VISIT countries. No question about it. I’ve wanted to walk the cobblestone roads of Helsinki and sip aquavit there (not to mention check out the lovely Finnish women) for much of my life. And as I say, now I have another reason to go. Here, see what I mean. Check out this series of amazing photos of the Northern Lights in Finland and tell me it wouldn’t be great to go there? Man, I’m ready to buy my tix now.

Mondo India

by Adrienne Wilson on

Just wanted to throw out a small music recommendation for people looking to stock their iPods or music libraries with something a bit more eastern and exotic. After listening to a Bollywood radio station online for the last few hours, a couple different tracks from this Mondo India album played and it seems like a good buy. I checked the CD out on Amazon where you can hear song samples and found several good reviews. The album is said to be a celebration of the work of A.R. Rahman (a well-known filmi composer) who blends Western and Indian techniques, instruments and melodies like no other. Caught my ear, but I’m a lover of world music. Go see the reviews and hear a few of the samples for yourself.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of August 20

by Adrienne Wilson on

Last Friday of the month folks and it’s time for a little review. Strap on your seatbelts and get ready for a take five ride.

5. Travel Trivia:
Nothing beats testing your travel knowledge. I’ve always been pretty confident in my geography skills, landmark knowledge and some historical facts, but pretty confident doesn’t always get you a 100%. Ugh! Time to hit the books or do you think you know enough to score perfect marks on this MSNBC travel quiz. Find out.

4. Red Corner: Vodka Hangover Cure:
Funny piece pointed out by Neil on the joys of toasting to new Russian friends and journeys abroad with Vodka. For the Russians the beverage is like water, but how does a foreigner peer-pressured into drinking to friendship handle a vodka hangover? From the pre-drinking stage to the actual event and next morning here is your guide to some effective cures!

3. Inside Africa Vol. 1 & 2:
TASCHEN has some new books out and these Inside Africa volumes are very much worth your attention if you’re into dwellings and living around the continent.

2. One Hundred Very Angry U.S. Cities:
Shocking piece from Men’s Health on the top 100 angry places around our United States. Florida cities rank very high on the charts, but what about your state or city?

1. Farecast Launches:
Probably one of the biggest travel buzzworthy pieces comes from Erik and his plug on Farecast. What started off as a two city travel search and airfare prediction / watch engine has expanded to 55 cities. Can’t wait to see if it’s worth all the buzz

Worldhum Travel Zeitgeist

by Erik Olsen on

We’re always eager to see what’s happening over at one of our favorite travel sites, Worldhum.com, and I just noticed today they’ve launched a rather cool new feature called Travel Zeitgeist. For those who don’t know the meaning of the word, Zeitgeist comes from the German language and means “Time Spirit” or the spirit of the times or how/what people are thinking at a particular moment. You know what I mean. Cool word. Kind of like Weltanschaung, another favorite.

Anyway, the Worldhum folks have made this little list which they’ll do every week that captures the essence of the week…what people are blogging about, what they’re searching for, the best-selling travel book on Amazon, etc. A cool idea. Wish we’d thought of it.