Adventure Travel with Reality Stars

by Erik Olsen on

Don’t know how much you’re into the reality
television thing. To be honest, I more or less wish it had had its 30 minutes of fame and died a few years ago, but
alas, it is still with us, which means that lots of folks who have done the reality show travel thing are finding ways
to capitalize on their "success".

To wit: we have a company called Reality Trips, run by former Survivor stars Burton Roberts (pictured…Survivor:
Pearl Islands, Eco-Challenge Fiji) and Jenna Lewis (Survivor: Borneo, All-Stars, Eco-Challenge
Fiji). The team leads trips to many of the same, or similar, exotic locations where they discovered their TV fame.
Places like Morocco, the Inca Trail in Peru, and Belize, where they will take you diving.

Actually, I think
it’s cool that these folks are doing this It’s far better than leveraging your fame in some other, less-savory way, say
doing commercials for toothpaste or something. In fact, given the chance, I’d probably take one of these trips. But
then, I’d most likely get voted off the island.

African Nation Swipes Photographer's Image?

by Erik Olsen on


This came in through email recently and I
confess I am totally intrigued. Photographer Kelly Fajack says that a photo
he took (no no not the one of the hot chick pulling you POV into bed) was
used without his permission by the government of Burundi. Was it published in some random Burundi newspaper, say The
Burundi National Ledger and Gazette? The Burundi Journal of Education? Nope. It looks as if it was used on the national
currency, the 10,000 franc note, to be exact. If you take a look at
both the image and the bill, it seems pretty damn clear that they are the same image…with the exception that on the
bill the kid in the front seat doesn’t wrench his mouth in a little sneer as he does in the photo. Fajack says that he
was notified the image was taken from him by an American diplomat, and that he believes the image was taken from his
Website. He’s failed a lawsuit against Burundi for copyright infringement.

Tokyo's Strangest Neighborhood

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s no secret these days that Japanese teenagers are the center of the universe when it comes to
outlandishly bizarre fashion style.  The Japanese capital of this strange universe, the epicenter of style where
soft-porn meets anime, is the Tokyo neighborhood of Harajuku.  According to USA Today,
this is the place to go to pick up the latest French maid outfits, piercings, catholic school girl uniforms, pasty
makeup, Lycra, hot-pink lipstick, and miniskirts.

The style, known as Kosupure (an abbreviation of
costume play, or cosplay) combines all of the above and more as school girls transform anime-inspired
animals and characters into real life.  One of the more eye-catching fads is GothLoli, which combines white, ghoul-like make-up, dark
eyeliner, and jet-black hair with a traditional French Maid outfit and a touch of Lolita.  It is a head-turning,
when-worlds-of-fashion-collide, extravaganza. 

I’ve never been to Japan but when I do go, you can bet I’ll be popping over to Harajuku for some
serious people watching.  I’ll be the out-of-place, tall white guy mumbling, “Those damn kids…
when I was their age….”

GADLING'S TAKE FIVE: Week of April 22

by Adrienne Wilson on

Your attention please! I said your attention
please! Since it’s the end of the week it is now time for me to present to you five fine posts you may have missed over
the last few days. Just make sure you never miss them again. (Smile.)

5. Casanova’s Pizzeria – Oakford, PA
As
you may have noticed I haven’t been blogging as much as usual, but it’s for good reason and cause. For starters I was
out sampling the town in Oakford, PA earlier this week to bring you dispatches on what the natives are eating. If you
ever find yourself in the area make sure you check out Casanova’s Kitchen and be sure to order the
"scrapple."

4. America’s Best Campsites
Although camping
may not be Karen’s activity of choice, she points those ready to soak up all that nature has to offer to a fine piece
out of Sunset Magazine on America’s Best Campsites. Grab you sleeping bag, tent, and other camping gear and head on
over to Karen’s blurb.

3. Buenos Aires: Newest Expat Oasis
For
those of us looking to jump ship when things in America have gone completely haywire why not head south to South
America? Better yet, make it Buenos Aires where it is said to be the latest and newest expat oasis. Neil does a
fantastic job offering his insight on other expat locales like Prague in addition to providing his forecast on the
scene Buenos Aires.

2. Tipping Tips
Thanks to Erik I know not to ever leave a tip in Japan, where the pocket change can often be considered an insult.
Whew! But what about tipping here in the U.S.? What is the norm these days? If you’ve ever been a little unsure on how
much you should leave after having your fine meal and glass of wine click here to get all the guidance you’ll need.

1. More on Ugly Americans
It disheartens
me to go abroad and find my fellow countrymen acting a snobbish fool. Had they no clue what the outside world was like?
Did they not know everything that goes down in America doesn’t necessarily go down overseas? I’m sure you’ve come
across an ugly American at one point or another or maybe you are an ugly American. Sigh. Again, Erik does wonderfully
in getting a debate started or the World
Citizens Guide and whether or not we are as bad and as ugly as they really think we are.

Maproom Blog

by Erik Olsen on

And while I’m on the subject of maps, let me also send you over to a
wonderful new three years old blog I found on that very topic. The blog is called Maproom, and it is a wonderful read for the cartographically-inclined.

The site is a great resource for those who love maps (and what traveler doesn’t?) and who are interested in how
they are made, who makes them, and how maps are changing. Some of the stuff here can almost seem too techie, too inside
baseball, but most of the posts, while short and sweet, point you to fascinating resources. For example, this post looks at the current
hullabaloo over who actually discovered America. Was it the Chinese? And this one looks at the geology of the Bay
Area.