One of our favorite travel writers and, well, sometime, bloggers Rolf Potts seems to have landed himself a great gig over at Yahoo. He’s got a new column called Traveling Light where he ruminates on the Art of Independent Travel. The most recent piece examines Pushkar, the Hindu holy town in India. It’s a nice little peice with real Pottsian flair. Of Pushkar, Potts writes: Pushkar didn’t seem much like a Tourist Zone: There were no glitzy hotels, no air-conditioned knickknack boutiques, no busloads of sunburned Germans and chubby Texans.
But he soon discovers that Pushkar is indeed a Tourist Zone, where monk-like sadhus approach to have their photos taken for money, and a New york City-like array of international foods are at one’s fingertips. We’ll keep checking in on Pott’s peices here, as we’re always eager to see what he has to say.
Immigration Panos
Folks know I’m cuckoo about panoramas. I haven’t done a ton of pano surfing lately, but I did just get an email from someone calling my attention to this panoramic photograph from the recent immigration protests. I’ve seen better ones, but it is still an interesting historical document.
See the Northern Lights
Neil posted a few times here about the Northern Lights, and what an exhilarating experience it can be. I confess that seeing, photographing them is an item high on my personal life list. Yet, despite almost five years of living in Seattle and numerous trip to Canada (ski trips to Whistler mostly), I’ve still never laid eyes on this amazing natural spectacle.
But I could, if I was willing to fork over the cashola to haul my arse up North. Just haven’t done it yet. But part of me think that to finally do the Northern Lights I should to it in style. And that is why I found this trip so appealing. First of all, you head to Iceland, a fascinating country rich in culture and natural beauty. Second, and equally important, you make the trip with Sky & Telescope magazine editor Paul Deans who, presumably, will be on hand to answer all your silly questions (what makes the sky glow like that? Magic fairies? Why don’t the lights make a sound?)
So check it out and let us know if you take this trip or any other to see the lights.
Travel Guitar
If you’ve ever been on a trip, consumed a few glasses of wine, and then had someone break out a guitar, you know that the addition of music to travel can be wonderful. Excessive renditions of kumbaya notwithstanding, music and travel go together very nicely. There is quite simply nothing like having a guitar along on a trip. But lugging along a full-sized guitar can, of course, be a pain. And that is where the travel guitar comes in. One of the largest manufacturers of travel guitar is Traveler Guitar, and they have several interesting new compact instruments that might add a delightful dose of entertainment to your experience.
One of them, called the Escape, is 29″ long and just 3.75 pounds, making it easy to carry it on the airplane or strap it to the back of your pack. It retails for about $500, not chump change, but worth it to have some portable tunes and to let everyone know that you take your travel entertainment seriously.
Photo of the Day (5/22/06)
This is Luang Prabang, a Buddhist temple in Laos, as photographed by Irish Guy. I love how this shot was taken through the leaves of the bougainvillea bush, as if not to disturb the Buddhist monk on his way to prayers.
If you’d like one of your travel photos to be featured in our Photo 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.