Let’s Go! with Jiang Zemin

by Erik Olsen on

Move over Bill Bryson, here comes Jiang Zemin. Yes, the near-octogenarian former leader of China is publishing his memoirs, which will include a hefty dose of travel writing, says this piece over at Yahoo news. Sure, it was tough running the most populous nation in the world, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a downright hoot at times. And when you’re number one, you get to do a fair amount of globe-trotting.

Now, chances are he’s not going to be writing about the condition of various hotels he stayed at and his recommendations for places to eat will more likely to include Buckingham Palace, but you have to admit a dose of curiosity at what the old Communist leader has to say about seeing the world. His travel book, “For a Better World: Jiang Zemin’s Overseas Visits,” will include 167 pictures of Jiang with leaders ranging from Bill Clinton to Nelson Mandela. No word, however, if there will be video of him dancing at various popular tourist locales around the globe.

Boobs Bring Rain

by Erik Olsen on

It wasn’t that long ago that Neil posted about how Paris, a place known for its openness and liberal ways, felt pangs of prudishness and banned topless bathing at some of the beaches along the Seine. One little reported story here is that it has not rained in Paris for quite some time, and believe it or not, there is a connection between the sudden scarcity of bare breasts and precipitation. You see, the gods like breasts. Or so some folks believe. They want them to be bare and free and tan. Think I’m joking? Well then head over and read this story from Nepal where the women go about topless in order to appeal to the rain gods. I’m no scientist, but one wonders if the Nepalese are onto something.

Mead Film Fest: November 8-12, 2006

by Erik Olsen on

It’s a ways off still, but worth putting on your calendar. The Margaret Mead film and video festival will be in New York City this year from November 8-12. It’s the 30th anniversary of the festival, which always offers scientifically-minded travelers a great way to catch films about other cultures. In case you’re unaware who Margaret Mead is, you can check out an online bio site. Most people know Mead from their college anthropology class and her book Coming of Age in Samoa. She remains a very controversial figure, as you can read about at this site, which discusses criticism of her by anthropologist Derek Freeman. And, of course, who can forget that the governor of Florida called her a “dirty old lady” for her views on decriminalizing marijuana.

Inside Iran with Shiva the Spy

by Adrienne Wilson on


Gosh darnit! Wait, GOSH DARNIT – I cry! Here I am minding my own business, slowly, but surely working my way into deciding when I should settle down and travel only to places near and close by when I stumble upon this Shivathespy.com business. Ugh – this is exactly the kind of material that gets me worked up into dropping everything for the umpteenth time and zooming over to Iran to tighten up the little Farsi I already know and more!
From the FAQ’s page of this cool inside look at Iran you will learn a few things about Shiva. For starters it is her real name and she is not a spy. What is true is this: Shiva went off to Iran to study a most wonderful language called Farsi with strong focus on reading and writing. She recently graduated from USC and has a lot more FAQ’s to share on her website should you need additional info on why you should go Inside Iran with her.

Now, even though she hasn’t updated since June she has enough musings to keep you informed and entertained for awhile. In her last entry she introduces someone by the name of Arash Hamidi who has taken some amazing photographs around the country. Of these photos I would have to say the Tehran city night shot is one of my fav’s, but let’s not stop there. The entry previous to that describes Kordistan, Kurdish people and has some very good photos as well. (Not from Arash Hamidi, but great still!) And last entry I’ll briefly describe is the hilarious Crooked Bus story. With every turn of this red-eye bus trip from Tehran to Bonneh I was cracking up. Well first I feared for the poor author’s life, but everything on the smuggling goods bus worked out eventually. Thank heavens and Shiva for providing an honest American view (with the exception of being a spy) to a country so often looked down on.

GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of August 13

by Adrienne Wilson on

Its Friday folks and I’ve got places to be and people to see, so if you’ve missed any of this week’s posts you stay put. I’ll be sure to have enough fun for everyone.

5. Headphones:
It was on Wednesday of this week I sat listening to the lip-smacking of the puckered and pursed lips of the kissy young couple seated next to me on my flight. The gentleman even shouted doesn’t first-class stink (we were sitting one row behind first-class). I would have given anything to drown their disgusting P.D.A. and the hum of the plane out for the flight. You’ve been there. We’ve all been there. Neil looks out for our well-being this week in his Headphone piece. Find who ranks what and how; then cancel out all the gross kissy, crying, and humming noise! Thank Neil later.

4.No Such Thing As Eco-Tourism?:
Colonialism is what we call present day eco-tourism according to Anneli Rufus over at Alternet.com. Do people travel for status? Are far-out excursions hurting Mother Earth? Should we all just stay put in our homes and go nowhere at all? You tell me. An excellent read any traveler should look into and feel free to leave comments here and there.

3. Fluffy Is Gone:
This stung my heart, but I’m glad Erik brought it to our attention. The topic touches on pets that croak, are killed, lost or injured while in the baggage bin during flight. Horrible! I’d hate to take my pet into a plane only to land with a broken heart and a dead pooch or kitty. It’s good to know consumers will be able to access this info by airline to twice think bringing Fluffy on board.

2. Not All Travel Blogs Created Equal:
Gadling, if you did not notice, is a travel blog and we like to stay connected to other travel blogs and travel related web content. It’s not just our duty to the virtual public – it is our passion. Now, we think we’re pretty great here so just as much as it peeves us to learn PR firms are using blogs to toss advertisements and garbage in your RSS feeds, it also brings us tremendous joy to find out who is really giving travel blogs a good name. Separate the best from the rest and check out this International Herald Tribune piece.

1. Anti-Americanism Editorial:
After reading the LA Times story on reasons for all the Anti-American feelings so many foreign countries have about Americans, Erik had a few suggestions to make and things he needed to get off his bird. According to the piece the war in Iraq ain’t the only thing burning people up about our country, so what is it then? What are some possible solutions? Take a look at Erik’s blurb and the LA Times.