Create your own Hollywood tour of the movies – in Wales

by Scott Carmichael on

Wales has long been an overlooked part of the UK, and not many foreign tourists take the time to explore what it has to offer. I’ve spent a summer touring around the area, and found it to be quite stunning.

Of course, if friendly people and an impressive environment are not enough to draw you to Wales, then check out their movie location map.

The map brings you to the exact filming locations of flicks shot in Wales, as well as other movie landmarks.

Head into Snowdonia national park, and witness where James Bond saved the world’s oil supply in “The world is not enough” or the forest where Robin Hood and his merry Men lived in their 1991 movie.

Spend a night in Seiont Manor, and you might end up in the same bed where Angelina Jolie slept when she was filming the second Tomb Raider movie. Slightly older readers may remember Ingrid Bergman in “Inn of the sixth happiness” where the area around the village of Beddgelert was transformed into a mock Chinese town.

Sean Connery (and Richard Gere) fans can head into the town of Trawsfynydd with its spectacular lake to see the filming location of “First Knight“. Many of the locals were actually cast for this movie as extras, so be sure to ask around for local stars.

Each location description describes several other things you can do in the area, as well as where you can find a film plaque commemorating the movie.

Bowermaster’s Antarctica — Science in Antarctica

by Jon Bowermaster on

Thanks to the 1959 treaty that governs Antarctica, the entire continent is supposed to be devoted to science (rather than military exercise, national claims or mineral exploitation). And no one does science with more conviviality than the Ukrainians at their base in the Argentine Islands called Vernadsky.

I stopped in yesterday for a visit with the thirteen scientists and support crew who have been here non-stop since last February; only the cook remained from my visit of the year before, when we stopped a couple times during our kayak expedition … one night closing down the southernmost bar on the Peninsula and having to carry a couple team members back to our boat. (I’m still searching for that photograph of my pal Pete McBride dancing in a size 60 DDD bra that I know is hidden somewhere on my computer.)

While the base’s reputation among Antarctic cognoscenti is for concocting the best home-brewed vodka in Antarctica, its 63-year meteorological record keeping is without compare along the Peninsula, perhaps the best on the continent. As I walked the halls of the base yesterday, one chart kept in the weatherman’s office jumped out at me: A slowly rising line from left to right, beginning in 1945 – when the Brits built the base, then known as Faraday – and ending in 2008, charting the rise in average temperatures here on this island. In 1945, the average annual temp was -5.5 C (-10 F); this year, -2.3 C (-4.25 F).

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Six degrees Fahrenheit warmer over the past fifty years makes it one of the greatest average temperature increases on the planet. And it’s not just the thermometer that tells the story. During the last winter – roughly March to October – for the first time anyone can remember the sea around the Argentine Islands never froze solid. This past year they also had heavier than usual snowfalls, thanks to a combination of the decrease of frozen sea (more open ocean means more evaporation and more precipitation) and warmer temperatures.

In the narrow main hall I clamber up a wooden ladder, to revisit the machine the Brits initially used to discover the ozone hole, which opens up above Antarctica each year. The Ukrainians have kept up the monitoring of the atmospheric hole; the current Mr. Ozone at the base showed me another graph, illustrating how the ozone hole grows to its largest in August (25 million square kilometers) and shrinks to its smallest in December (12 million square kilometers). While the hole has been shrinking in recent years (thanks to an international ban on hole-causing CFCs) everyone at Vernadsky takes it very seriously. Everyday before they go outside they check its size and the sun’s strength … and on some days decide not to go out if the hole is big and sun penetrating, for fear of burning eyes and skin.

Click HERE for more dispatches from Antarctica!

A wrap-up of Cuba news and stories

by Brenda Yun on

As my plans to travel there solidify, Cuba has been on my mind — and luckily quite present in the news! Here’s a wrap-up of some of the interesting stories coming from Castro country.

  • Taxis and transportation: Unlike his brother, Raúl Castro is encouraging independent drivers to apply for taxi licenses to improve transportation in major cities in Cuba.
  • Guantanamo hunger strikes reach a two-year high: Despite the looming closure of the Guantanamo prison, close to 50 prisoners are refusing to eat.
  • Fidel is lost but not gone: Venezuelan President and close friend of ailing Fidel Castro says the former Cuban leader, who has not been seen in public since July 2006, will likely stay behind closed doors.
  • Over 10,000 artifacts from Hemingway’s Cuban farm are being digitized: To literary historians’ delight, 2,000 documents, 900 maps, 3,000 photographs, and 9,000 books are being preserved for the Ernest Hemingway Museum in Cuba.
  • Dateline Havana on NPR: I heard a great program on NPR yesterday based on Reese Erlich’s book, Dateline Havana: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Future of Cuba, which touches on such ripe topics as organic farming and traveling musicians.

Budget Travel: Austin, Texas

by Kraig Becker on

Summary: Located “deep in the heart of Texas”, Austin is the capital of the Lone Star state and a center for technology and education. It is also an incredibly diverse and progressive community with a rich history and culture that makes it unlike any other place in Texas.

Originally named Waterloo when it was first founded back in the 1830’s on the banks of the Colorado River, eventually the city was made the seat of government for the newly founded Republic of Texas. Following the Republic’s war for independence with Mexico, it was renamed Austin after Stephen F. Austin, who was instrumental in the early colonization of Texas. Since that time, the city has grown into the fourth largest in the state and the 16th largest in the country.

Austin boasts an eclectic nightlife, a vibrant art and film community, more than 200 live music venues, and an interesting mix of cultures. And with an unofficial motto of “Keep Austin Weird”, you know that you’re in for a very different experience when you come to Central Texas.

Getting in: Austin-Bergstrom International is a medium sized airport that offers service by all the major airlines, and several budget carriers, including Frontier, Jet Blue, and Southwest. Cheap, non-stop flights into Austin from most major cities are plentiful and easily obtained.

Driving to Austin is also easy, as the city sits just a few hours south of Dallas and west of Houston, with major highways allowing for easy access. Having a car in Austin allows visitors to see more of the city and escape to the near by Texas Hill Country, with it’s beautiful vistas and quaint small towns.

The city is also serviced by Amtrak and Greyhound, offering two other inexpensive options for getting to Central Texas.

Where to stay: Austin has a wide range of accommodations, from large national chains to small bed and breakfasts, with pricing starting at the low end and stretching all the way up to luxury levels. But travelers on a budget don’t have to skimp on the laid-back atmosphere that Austin is so well known for. For instance, the Austin Motel is a local favorite for it’s retro-cool vibe, and location in the heart of the hip downtown area of South Congress Ave or SoCo as it’s known locally. This family owned hotel has been open since 1938, and offers affordable and unique rooms that often attract celebrity guests.

There are also several good low-budget options available as well, with the HI-Austin ranking amongst the best. This 42-bed hostel costs as little as $19 per night, and is located near Lady Bird Lake, making it a short walk or bus ride to much of the downtown area.

What to see: Austin literally has something for everyone, with a ton of activities going on at tall times of the year. But the city is known as the “Live Music Capital of the World” and music buffs will find plenty to love. On nearly any night, you’ll be able to find bands playing in any number of locations around the city, with places like Stubb’s Barb-B-Q and The Continental Club offering up inexpensive entertainment. Check out AustinLiveMusic.com to see who will be jamming in Austin while you’re in town.

Outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty to do in and around Austin as well. The Texas Hill Country offers great hiking and mountain biking, while the local rivers and lakes are excellent for canoeing and kayaking. Head to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area for great scenic views from the top of a 425 foot giant granite dome that is a favorite of local rock climbers as well.

A visit to Austin isn’t complete without dropping by the Alamo Drafthouse to take in a movie. The Drafthouse is an Austin staple and is consistently named the best movie theater in the country. Watching a newly released film while sipping on beer or wine, then ordering a pizza, sandwich or just the traditional popcorn is a real treat when you have waiters taking your order at your seat. And attending one of their unique special events will leave you wondering why there aren’t more movie theaters like this one. For instance, in the week leading up to the recent release of the new James Bond film Quantum of Solace, the Drafhouse sponsored a week long game of Assasination, culminating on premiere night where they also had a Casino Royale party featuring poker, roulette, and other games.

The list of things to do in Austin goes on and on, even when traveling on a budget. For instance, from mid-March to early November take a walk by the Congress Ave. Bridge to watch more than 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats take flight into the Texas night. Stop in to Mellow Johnny’s , Lance Armstrong’s bike shop, for a sandwich or expresso, and maybe Lance will drop by to say hello, then head over to Barton Springs to take a dip in the natural pool that is a constant 68 degrees year round. In the evening, move over to 6th Street to for drinking and dancing or stroll through the nearby Warehouse District for a more relaxed environment to enjoy a frosty beverage.

Where to eat: Austin has so many great restaurants, it’s difficult to recommend just a few. But when you visit Texas you’re generally looking for two things when it comes to culinary delights, namely barbecue and Mexican. There are a number of great places to find barbaque in Austin, but if you ask the locals where to go, more than likely they’ll recommend The Salt Lick, which has more than 30 years of experience providing delicious barbecue beef, pork, chicken, and more. You’ll get more food for your money than you thought possible, and no one leaves hungry.

For some of the best Mexican food check out Guero’s Taco Bar or Nuevo Leon. Both offer excellent, fresh food, and are well known for their margaritas, all at a very affordable price.

Making light of Colombia’s crime problem

by Brenda Yun on


There was much debate in the comments on my article about “dangerous” travel destinations — most of which pertained to the current clean-up of Colombia’s city of Medellín. Having traveled to Colombia for three months during the spring of 2008, I believe Colombia as a country (particularly the dangers of traveling there) is largely misunderstood.

Take Mike Peters’s “Mother Goose & Grimm” comic strip that was published a week ago on January 2, 2009.

The Colombian Coffee Growers Federation, which includes over 500,000 coffee producers, were so offended by Peters’ suggestion that it is suing Peters “for damage and harm, detriment to intellectual property and defamation.” The federation is seeking no less than 20 million dollars, claiming that the cartoon links Colombian coffee to organized crime and “attacks the national dignity and the reputation of coffee from Colombia.”

As a cartoonist, Mike Peters seeks controversy, but this type is harmful to our already skewed perception of Colombia. Peters’s cartoon suggests that Colombia is a dangerous place. I’m not clear about how drinking Colombian coffee could be considered a dangerous activity, but there’s definitely a sense of fear in this comic strip with regard to crime in Colombia.

While I’m all for freedom of speech, I think in this particular instance Peters could have picked a topic that he knew more about or discussed a country that he really understood. Instead, this particular cartoon defames a nation and offers an unfair and inaccurate portrayal of Colombia and its coffee for all the world to see. I just hope readers will know the difference between sarcasm and reality.

[via the Associated Press]