Central Europe in Trouble?

by Iva Skoch on

If you missed 1989, now is a good opportunity to sample the “revolutionary, yet peaceful” spirit of Central Europe once again. Head over to Budapest.

Hungarian students have been protesting the new socialist government of the Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány for a week now. Last weekend, he admitted to the nation, that his party lied about the real state of the Hungarian economy in order to win the election. Apparently, everyone lies, so he didn’t see anything wrong with admitting to it. Since then, students have been demonstrating in the streets of Budapest, demanding his resignation. Sure, you have some radical nuts and soccer hooligans joining the crowds, but that is the way things in Central Europe have been — ranging from the extreme left to the extreme right.

Some say this is the first indication that Central Europe is in trouble: Hungary is wrapped up in protest, Poland is on the verge of a government crises and Czech Republic has a “puppet” government in place before preliminary elections are called. I think being in the good old revolutionary days is pretty cool. It’s good to see students in the streets again, rather than only in their bedrooms playing computer games. You know people care. The spirit is contagious.

Maybe Neil was right in his post, suggesting that Budapest is stealing some of Prague’s spotlight.

New Bryson Book

by Erik Olsen on

Bill Bryson fans have a treat in store for them. Bryson’s newest book, a memoir called The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid goes on sale October 17. Some folks who relish his travel stories might be disappointed, but let me tell you, I was skeptical about his recent book on the history of science. But I got it read it savored it loved it. It is now one of the books I recommend to friends and family alike. So I can hardly imagine anything Bryson writes, especially about his own life, being bad.

The conceit here is that he tells us about his middle America upbringing with the help of a superhero persona. According to Tom Brocaw, his eminence of the anchor chair, the book is “a laugh-out-loud pilgrimage through his Fifties childhood.” You can take a look at an excerpt here. And if you want to catch Bryson in person, he is doing a book tour and will be in New York, Washington DC, Des Moines, Pittsburg, San Francisco, and Seattle throughout October.

Miss Tourism World 2006

by Adrienne Wilson on

Um, yeah. Someone please explain Miss Tourism World to me because I do not quite comprehend. Call me slow if you like, but what exactly are the qualifications? Is this another pageant dedicated to nothing other than beauty or does Miss Tourism World have some type of hospitality background as well? Are they roving vagabonds, tour guides, or translators in everyday life? I wonder if any of the contestants are travel bloggers, hmm?

Anyhow, if you’re interested in seeing a slew of exotic beauties duke it out for the title of Miss Tourism World 2006, mark October 5th on your calendars and tune in. World finals will be held in South Africa, but should one not be fortunate enough to root their favorite on in person, you can do so by watching the live web stream. Check out all the pretty contestants here.

Last year’s winner was Zuzana Putnarova from the Czech Republic.

via meniki.com

Being Invisible in Foreign Countries

by Adrienne Wilson on

Perhaps my days of traveling abroad are numbered. Wait, no, never. First, let me say hello and I’m back from my three week jaunt through Central Asia or more specifically the Republic of Tajikistan. I’ll get to the meat of the matter on why I was there and what I was doing over the coming days, but it was a real experience to say the least.

My first two weeks strolling Rudaki, the main drag running through the capital city of Dushanbe were pretty cool. As a foreigner I stuck out as one would expect and children, women, and men all stared as I’d pass by. Even if they didn’t look directly at me I could feel the amount of effort it took for them to walk by without glancing my way burning off their being. Maybe the handful of stares I was getting had me paranoid. I started thinking everyone was starring at me. By my final days of the third week I was wishing only to blend in, to go unnoticed as I ducked into internet cafes and to be invisible on foreign streets. Was it too much to ask?

As an African-American woman traveling I never know what I’m going to get or what to expect. For starters there is very little diversity in Tajikistan and black people are an extreme rarity. (I counted 7 total during my time there.) And there are several very clear occasions were I found my presence was shocking more of the locals than their culture, appearance, or environment was shocking me. For instance:

  • During the 15th Independence Day celebrations on September 9 many Tajiks were more interested in taking pictures of my hairstyle and me than watching the show. The KGB ran into the stands where we seated to swat the young boys with camera phones away.
  • Young children chased me down the street with camera phones trying to snap my photo. (I wondered about their age and why they had cell phones anyway.)

A lot of people asked if I was African, Ethiopian, or Canadian and basically guessed anything but American. One guy I knew joked saying they probably thought I was a rapper as it’s pretty popular among the youngsters, but by that time I was just a wee-bit tired. “Okay, the freak show is over you can all move along now,” I thought. Please don’t mistake this rant for a sob story of sorts. I’m sure the same feeling comes over Caucasians trekking through Africa over periods of time. I don’t know. Does it? Have you ever been burnt out on being the odd man out in your travels?

Travel learning experience for me: Being the center of attention is swell on occasion, but no one wants to be gawked at everytime they open their front door.

Across Mexico via Train

by Iva Skoch on

One of the most scenic train rides I have ever taken is the Chihuahua al Pacifico (or ChePe). We boarded the train in the coastal town of Los Mochis in the morning and traveled eastbound toward Chihuahua, stopping in Creel in order to explore the Copper Canyon area. The train ride takes around 10 hours, depending on how many stops (and breakdowns) you’ll encounter along the way.

And the entire time, the one thing you can’t get out of your mind while watching the Sierra Madre pass by is: “Badges? We ain’t got no stinking badges!”

It is best to travel from west to east because you see the best views during daytime. The scenery is stunning. From the low coastal areas, the train makes its way to the elevation of some 8000 feet. Make sure to pack appropriately. We went in December: it was steaming hot on the coast and below freezing in Creel. Needless to say, we were not prepared. Fortunately, as we descended into the Copper Canyon town of Batopilas, inhabited by the Tarahumara Indians, it was nice and warm again.