Driving Chile

by Erik Olsen on

If
there’s any road trip that I would love to do, it’s the highway that traverses the entire length of Chile. When I lived
in Chile, I was on that road in bits and pieces many times, but never did it from bottom to top (and there is actually
a break in the road around Puerto Monnt).

It is the length of Chile that surprises; the unfathomable change
in topography, climate and culture from top to bottom. Chile is more than 3,000 miles long, almost as long as the US is
wide. That’s kind of mind-blowing when you think about it. And Neil, the driver here, experiences many of Chile’s
greatest sights: the Martian-like beauty of the high
desert and the vast loveliness of the South. He also meets a somewhat unfriendly Carabinieri, and loses
his driving partner who can’t hack the drive. A fun piece. Highly recommended.

Daily Lives of the Iraqi People

by Karen Walrond on

The BBC is currently featuring stories of daily life of Iraqis on its website. 
However, unlike most reports of Iraq which are written by journalists, these accounts are actually in the words of the
Iraqi people themselves.

The accounts were all taken on April 7th, and include everything from the expected
("We are afraid") to the beautifully mundane ("I’ve been farming all afternoon, and looking after the
sheep. I am very tired!").  Really beautiful way to get a glimpse of everyday life in this country that is
usually featured in the headlines for horrifyingly violent reasons.

(Photo from the BBC feature "Life in Iraq:  Your
pictures")

Guava Magazine: The Girl's Guide to Travel

by Adrienne Wilson on

Boys look away now. This travel installment is
for the ladies only, but if you choose to stay then don’t say I didn’t try to warn you. Then again you may learn a few
things or two about your female counterpart and travel companion so stick around.

Guava Magazine is what I’m getting to and while I’m not sure how long this
periodical has been in circulation – It’s the full on girl’s guide to travel. Women, think about the times you woke up
the day before or morning of your big camping/hiking trip to discover the Fairy Godmother of PMS decided to bless you
with her presence. You’ve got cramps so bad they’d put even the toughest boot camp drill sergeant to shame, but you’re
still ready to spend a day in mother nature’s kinder environments. Carpe diem, right? Well, Guava does a fine job of highlighting three hikes in the Maryland area and
lists them by mood which isperfect for those that tends to have swings. How sweet. But let’s not linger on things we
already dread, they’ve got several other articles worth reading.

Check out their 5 reasons for going on your big road trip alone
(worry about getting a flat later) and just because the ticket to Paris didn’t cost you a small fortune doesn’t mean
shopping should. Look into their best-thrift Paris guide. For the most part I’d say Guava has something for every
woman.

GADLING'S TAKE FIVE: Week of April 1

by Neil Woodburn on

Friday is wrap-up time.  That means we give you one more chance to catch some of the posts
you may have missed earlier in the week when you were cheating on us and visiting another other website.  Shame on
you. 

5. Red Corner: Walking to Russia
Here’s a great one about a British ex-paratrooper who is 7 ½ years into a 12 year journey around the
world.  And why does it take 12 years to circle the globe?  Well, try doing it on foot and you’ll
understand.

4. Palin to Explore Inside of
Cruise’s Head
Well, the title just about says it all.  As part of our April Fool’s celebration we
did a short bit on what it would be like if traveler extraordinaire Michael Palin were to journey into Tom
Cruise’s head.  It ain’t pretty, it’s comedy.

3. Baby Cone of Silence
Erik’s
contribution to April Fool’s Day was a fictitious product all travelers have wished for at one time or another: a
baby silencer.  Tired of that little brat hollering away in the back of an airplane?  Erik’s little
invention drops from the ceiling and muffles the noise so that we can all go back to sleep. 

2. Putting the ‘F’ Back in
Adventure Travel
How about skipping Disneyworld with the kids this year and take them kayaking in Alaska
instead?  Adrienne penned a nice post this week about the recent increase in family vacations that lean towards
the adventurous instead of the mundane.  It seems parents are opting for real outdoor attractions that don’t
require their children to “be at least this tall” in order to have their senses stimulated. 

1. Sabbaticals and Gap Years
This
is one of those dangerous posts you probably shouldn’t read since it will make you want to do something totally
irresponsible like quit your job and spend a year traveling.  Karen, our newest writer, fills us in on the best
way to do so.  So read up, and quit that job. 

 

West Side Story with Meat

by Erik Olsen on

And
hey, while we’re talking about the convergence of Los Angeles and food, let me direct you to an article about a topic
very dear to my heart: the Southern
California burger scene. Perhaps you were unaware there was such a thing as a burger scene in LA. Well, let me
assure you there is, and the followers of the various burger cults there are quite particular about which burgers rule
and which ones suck.

I’m actually surprised no one out there, one of the gazillion would-be movie writers
out there, has yet penned a screenplay about the conflicts between LA burger cults.

For example, I picture
two gangs like the Jets and the Sharks facing off in an elaborate dance number…the opening scene reveals a gang
of hooded riff-raff from Tommy’s; they are holding dripping Tommy’s burgers, hands drenched in Chili as they face off
against the more preppy In-N-Outs, whose Double Doubles catch the moonlight. They break into song:

When
you love Tommy’s you love the night
Always ready for a fight
That glorious chili that gets on your
shirt
Anyone touches you, they’re gonna get hurt

The In-N-Outs then stalk forward, clenching
their burgers, pink lemonade dripping from their greedy maws:

Tommys is crap, there’s only one
meat
That’s out on the street and cannot be beat
A Double Double is the only way
To top of the
night or to start the day

And so on.

Now, did I get carried away there? Perhaps. But all to
point out this site here about LA’s burger culture. Read it enjoy it. And from one In-N-Out to another, savor its
sweet, greasy juices.