A Scholar on the Road

by Erik Olsen on

There’s a company that sends me a new catalog every few months which I do NOT throw out immediately. No, I’m not
talking about the (several) Victoria Secret catalogs that (oddly) come my way. I’m talking about catalogs for a company
called Road Scholar.

The company plans extensive
trips abroad where you can truly engage yourself, learning about another culture, another religion, taking a foreign
language. They head to places like New Zealand, Patagonia, Angkor Wat and Varanasi, India. Here’s the description of
the latter trip:  

You’ll trace the footsteps of Krishna, Buddha and the Mughal emperors on
this journey into the heart of India’s spiritual heritage. Hindu holy men, Buddhist monks and Islamic scholars will
be your guides into the Eastern mind and soul.

OK, a bit flowery, but these trips seem
bona-fide in their depth and a trip where you are actually learning from someone who knows what they’re talking about
can be a good trip indeed. I mean, how many tourists do you see just meandering about with their guide books? But
seriously, I actually spend some time turning the pages of these catalogs when they come and I am reeally impressed by
the number of fascinating trips they offer.

Word for the Travel Wise (04/20/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

Even though I never watched a single
episode of Survivor: Palau, the seasons long reality show
always comes to mind when hearing the country name. (Now, that’s how you know you’ve got a show that works.) While I
lack the time to sit engulfed in primetime television, I’ve got nothing against watching the adventure armchair type
travel/challenge programming and I suppose with each season Survivor has given the hard working mother, under tipped
waitress, and the too-afraid to fly there themselves person the opportunity to see Palau up close. My only question for
all those religious Survivor fans out there is did they teach you any Palauan? If not perhaps it is time to start tuning
into Gadling as well.

Today’s word is a Palauan
word used in Palau:

chellimosk – expert; a
person who has in depth knowledge on his/her trade

Palauan (also spelled Belauan) is spoken by some 15,000 people
in Palau. It is considered one of the two languages of Micronesia and belongs to the Austronesian language family.
Palauan is 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral, Tobi and Angaur. Filipino and English are also spoken on the
island. Learning Palauan online may prove a bit difficult, but you can start at this Palau: Airai – Native Place site. The word list found
here covers family members, society and terms relating to geography. A small pronunciation guide is included below the
list as well. Palau Island has a phrase
list, common proverbs, and tons of info on diving and things to do and see when visiting one of Oceania’s most popular
destinations.

Dead Bird Smuggler Nabbed

by Erik Olsen on

First we had the head smuggler, which was bad
enough, but now we’ve got folks trying to
smuggle dead birds into the country. Where will the madness end? Yes, it was at the Miami International Airport
(always Miami!) where customs officials caught a man with a dead bird stuffed in his luggage. Why carry a dead bird
into the country? Can’t one easily find plenty of dead birds already here? Well, such probing questions go unanswered
for the moment, though the man did say he was going to use it for a religious ceremony. Ah, the old religious ceremony
excuse. Seems that one never gets old. So what are our dutiful customs officials to do? Well, after confiscating the
dead bird, the man (from Nigeria apparently) was released. And probably went straight out to find himself another dead
bird.

LP Does New York

by Erik Olsen on

To celebrate the release of its new Cities Book, which I am deliriously hopeful to get my hands on, Lonely Planet held a little fiesta here last night and pulled out all the stops.
Well, at least I understand there were finger foods and they DID start at the Top of the Rock. Which is cool. Sadly, I
was called away until late at a shoot, and so couldn’t make it. But I was invited. I was eager to hobnob with some of
the folks who produce what I consider the finest guide books on the planet…on this not-so-lonely planet. But to get a
wee whiff of what took place, head over to Jaunted, as the folks there got to go.

Germans Say Nein to Brits

by Erik Olsen on

The invasion of Germany begins later this year
with the start of the World Cup, and who are the Germans most afraid of? The
Brits.

Ah, what a delightful turn of history that reflects the shift in perceptions. At the root of the
story here is the desire of some to build housing for visiting soccer, um, football, fans in Germany for the world’s biggest sports event. That makes
sense, right? Lots of lots of people are coming, after all, to cheer on their favorite teams. But it turns out that
residents in various small German villages in the countryside are saying NIMBY (not in my back yard) to the idea of
having fans come to their peaceful places and have expressed specific fear of hordes of hooligans who they say…I
kid you not…might damage their pine tree through singing and chanting.

The oddest part to me is that
the British fans were to be housed in what is being termed a “fenced encampment” near the local race track
in the village of Iffezheim.