2007’s 10 Hottest Destinations?

by Willy Volk on

By “hottest,” we don’t mean the places that will literally be the warmest, thermostatically-speaking. Rather, we’re talking about the places that’ll generate the most buzz, grab the most headlines, or be on the most tongues.

Previously, we’ve suggested Greenland, Culver City, and even New Zealand as some pretty smokin’ destinations, but Concierge has a different take. According to them, the 10 sizzling-est destinations for 2007 are:

  1. Beijing, China
  2. Itacaré, Brazil
  3. Puebla, Mexico
  4. Gabon
  5. Istanbul, Turkey
  6. Argentina’s Estancias
  7. Macau, China
  8. Dominican Republic
  9. Ljubljana, Slovenia
  10. Miami

I’ve only ever hit one of the destinations — Miami — and I loved it. If I could choose any of the remaining destinations for my next adventure, I’d go with Gabon.

Rickshaw Run Himalaya/Monsoon Edition

by Willy Volk on

Oh, how I wish the heavens would align so I could participate in this summer’s Rickshaw Run: the Himalaya/Monsoon Edition. Beginning on June 23, racers will traverse 2000 miles of road — described as “average, bad, terrible and non-existent depending on where you go” — through India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and China. And that’s just the first leg.

Organized by the brilliantly-named Institute of Adventure Research (a.k.a., Tom Morgan), the 2-week-long contest is a charity event disguised as an adventure race. On Day One, racers spend the day “playing cricket and acquainting ourselves with the rickshaws, each other and no doubt some gin and tonics.” Subsequently, teams launch from the start line (this year, Calcutta) and travel the length of the mighty Himalayan range — passing through mountains, forest, jungles, wild plains, and “just about everything India can through at you and your almost useless vehicle” — toward the finish line, using any route they like. There are optional checkpoints along the way, but who has time to stop when your 150cc vehicle travels at only 34 miles per hour?

Why a rickshaw? With only 3 wheels and half a horse power, Morgan argues that the rickshaw is more fun than any other vehicle on the planet. Amusingly, he claims the Rickshaw is “undoubtedly the ultimate long distance, off road machine, despite being designed for short distances on road.”

If you *think* you might want to enter, watch some of the clips from last year’s race, and then read up on the rules. If you’re looking for a teammate, please contact me.

Awesome UNESCO Panos

by Neil Woodburn on

I’m a big fan of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and over the years have loved strolling through the official website to check out possible places to visit.

In the past, the website only had a handful of photographs to give you an idea of what to expect from a location. But now, they are moving with the times.

WorldHeritageTour.org has set up a few dozen Quicktime panographics where visitors can look up, look down, and spin around 360 degrees. Very cool! It really gives you a sense of what it is like to actually stand in front of an exotic location so very far away.

Click here to check out a world map of the locations they have shot so far. I particularly liked the ruins of Afghanistan, the Sphinx in Egypt, and lovely Samarkand.

According to the website, they’ve only completed 19 percent of “all 830 registered sites.” The site currently functions as a nonprofit, so if you like what you see and want to help them complete their job, be sure to make a donation.

Nooroz Mobarak or Happy New Year

by Adrienne Wilson on

When some of woke up this morning and turned our calendars to Tuesday, March 20, 2007 another part of the planet and even some of our friends nearby were turning the page to the first day of a new year – the year is now 1386. Nooroz (Persian New Year) is no stranger to the Gadling pages. I mentioned it last year and offered some greetings for those who wished to spread good cheer and happiness through local communities celebrating the days long event.

This year I’m going to leave you with a few events to check out across the country should you feel so inclined to learn a little about this fascinating culture and holiday. Last year I missed out on various happenings, but this year I’m hoping to find a nice party to crash in the DC/Virginia area. Here are just a few of my finds, but please feel free to share the specifics on others.

From pars411 I found this Eid Nooroz party happening tomorrow at Lima in D.C. 7rooz.com has a calendar featuring events taking place all across the country from San Francisco to New Jersey throughout the entire holiday. So not many discoveries on this end, but there are several out there worth looking for and participating in – I’m sure.

Again, happy, happy New Year.

Heal the Earth Equinox Gatherings

by Jamie Rhein on

Now, if I lived in Southern California, here’s where I’d head on Wednesday, March 21. At the Big Bear Discovery Center in the San Bernadino National Forest in California, there’s an event my 5-year old (and I) would jump at the chance to go to. The Spring Equinox Celebration combines nature and Native American culture in a day long event of story-telling, crafts, animals from Moonridge Animal Park and two EarthHEALCeremonies. The ceremonies are in conjunction with Gathering of Elders in Titicaca, Peru, also with an aim to heal the earth, both spiritually and environmentally. The mix of nature and peace is appealing to me, particularly since it provides a thematic approach to activities geared to parents and their caregivers. The Big Bear Discovery Center is a prototype for an urban forest center operated in partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and volunteers of the San Bernadino National Forest Association. There are other urban forest service visitor’s centers around the U.S. This one was the beginning.

The Gathering of Elders, March 19- 23, is a convergence of indigenous tribal elders who will be taking advantage of the timing of the Spring Equinox of 2007 to bring healing and peace to the world. Somehow, 2007 is a significant year having something to do with 500 years of darkness and bringing the Eagle and Condor together. If this is true, I hope the elders are able to turn the tides. At any rate, it’s comforting to know that the various indigenous groups are watching the earth’s back. The event in Peru is also something non-indigenous folks can go to. Although these particular earth healing events are connected to the Spring Equinox, there are other events throughout the year. Here is a weekend I came across in Vermont that will be the end of July.