Exotic Foods Without The Travel Hassle

by Adrienne Wilson on

You won’t see the folks over at
Gothamist doing any fancy
passport flashing at customs in some
Chinese airport, but what you may find is a whole lot of
Metrocard action on the way down to Chinatown.  Well at least that’s the way they were feeling today when they
posted this great bit on some of NY’s local eats.  Skip over to

Jade Plaza or the Hong Kong Supermarket for your
Chinese treats.  Pass on the jet-lag after getting to Italy, Gothamist recommends
Arthur Avenue for those in search
of Italian markets.  It seems they may be on to something in exploring your neighborhood dining spots, but
isn’t it just so much nicer to have your dim sum in the bustling Shanghai streets?  

 

So even if I missed the point of their blogging woes they still have some great rec’s if you’re in the NY
area.

Gadling Podcast: Intv. Don George

by Erik Olsen on

Hey folks, here it is,
our next gadling podcast,
featuring an interview with Lonely Planet’s Don
George.  If you are a traveler and/or pay much attention to the world of travel writing, then Don George’s
name will probably be familiar. For years, George worked as the travel editor at the San Francisco Examiner and
Chronicle, and then founded and edited Salon.com’s kick ass travel site Wanderlust.

So the first thing you’re
going to notice is what a cool guy George is…affable as heck and a great sense of humor; the kind of guy that
would be great to run into while traveling. The next thing you’ll notice is how knowledgeable George is about travel
writing. This is a guy you can learn from.

In the interview, we talk about George’s career, how he rose from
inexperienced scribe to successful travel writer; the rise and demise of Wanderlust; how YOU can be a better writer;
and all about Lonely Planet.

George is currently the Global Travel Editor at Lonely Planet, an apt 21st century
title which really means he gets to take on lots of amazingly cool projects. Like what, you ask? Well, like this new
book called Travel
Writing, and a regular column at Lonely Planet.com called What Would Don George Do?  We talk about the book in the
interview, but the quick and dirty is that George, who has been in the travel writing biz for a quarter century, has
condensed all these years of experience into this wonderful little volume of advice, interviews, examples and
technique. The point is, if you are at all serious about travel writing as either an occupation or a literary art form,
get this
book.

So enough chatter…enjoy the podcast.

Host: Erik Olsen.
Format: 35
minutes

Jump to:
02:14 – First big break
5:10 – Advice for aspiring travel
writers
7:57 –  Working at Lonely Planet
10:33 – his new book: Travel Writing
15:00 –
Founding Wanderlust
19:05 – Favorite travel writers
21:51 – Writers from the past
23:40 –
"Lonely Planet Effect"
28:59 – Keeping Lonely Planet ahead of the game
31:50 – What’s next
for Don George

(Technical note: this interview was recorded using Skype directly onto my laptop using a
Plantronics headset, so there are infrequent drops you may notice…not many but a few.)

Trip Rec: Motorcycles in Nam

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s a killer travel idea. Part Apocalypse Now, part
Motorcycle Diaries, this trip is done by motorcycle down the Ho Chi Minh trail from Hanoi to Saigon on Russian made
Minsk motorcycles. The cycles are the backbone of the
country, everyone rides them.

While cycling, you will visit everything from Ho Chi Minh’s birthplace to the Chinese fishing town of Hoi An, to the
hill retreat of Dalat. A pretty thorough and bona fide Vietnam experience. You ride along the highway, along dirt
roads, through small towns where you stop and have the best Phu you’ve likely ever eaten. I would do this one in a
heartbeat.

Great Escapes Redux

by Erik Olsen on

I just took another look at the Great Escapes series by MSNBC and have to say I am really impressed. I really hope
they will do more of these.

 

MSNBC.com has done four installments of these travel documentaries called ”Great Escapes Digital Village,”
which feature Richard Bangs, on trips to far off and distant lands.

They are really cool and accessible here for your
viweing pleasure. Bangs was a cofounder of Expedia.com, and his crew were outfitted by HP, a sponsor, with
battery-powered cameras and photo printers to tell the story. Great travel journalism

Orca Safaris

by Erik Olsen on

I wasn’t sure I read this right at first.
A story about snorkeling in Norway’s
fjords? Yes, it’s true, in the icy waters of Tysfjord in Norway…way way up there where right now the nights are long.
The whales come to the fjord, which is almost 3,000 feet deep, and between October and late January, they
munch on the vast swarms of herring who come to the fjords after feasting themselves on  plankton in the
Norwegian Sea.

The herring gather in massive schools and are quite sluggish, as far as herring go. That makes the smorgasbord
that much easier for the whales. Most people will visit just to watch the whales dine from the comfort and security of
the boat. Alas, the fellow who wrote this article, as I say, jumped in and got a herrings eye view of the whole
enchilada.