Download a college education while on the road

by Neil Woodburn on

Jack London never received a college education. Well, not officially at least. He did, however, get his hands on class reading lists from UC Berkeley and then proceeded to consume all of the books featured–which is far more than most students normally do.

Today’s modern equivalent is actually downloading the lectures themselves.

And now it’s never been easier.

Apple has inked deals with 28 major American universities to make lectures available for free on their iTunes website. That means that Jack London wannabes seeking a free, quality education can download lectures from not only Berkeley professors, but those from Stanford and Yale as well two dozen other schools. Of course, there’s no degree at the end of the day, but there is knowledge, and that’s a pretty cool thing I’m told.

So why are we telling you about this on a travel blog? Because the best way to pass the time between Point A and Point B is to enrich your mind along the way.

Siwa Oasis: site of Alexander the Great and a holiday feast

by Jamie Rhein on

On Thanksgiving Day Heath Cox, his family and a friend headed to the Siwa Oasis for a long weekend and to cook a turkey in a sand dune. He left this detail in the comment feature of a “What did you head this Thanksgiving?” post. Intrigued, I looked up the place. I already knew it is in Egypt since he mentioned this.

If you are going to Egypt, I’d say the Siwa Oasis is one place to put on your must see places list. Sure, take in the pyramids, but don’t stop there. According to Egypt Voyager.com, the oasis is the place Alexander the Great went to in order to meet up with the Oracle at Aghurmi, the site of the Temple of the Oracle of Amun. The Oracle pronounced Alexander a god. This must have given Alexander the umph he needed to continue his conquests. Off he went to take over the Middle East.

There are other oases in the area besides Siwa, but Siwa is the place to find a thriving cultural center. I lit up when I read you can buy baskets that are typical of this area here. I collect baskets. Those of you who are fond of silver jewelry, it looks like this is the place for you.

If you do go here, bring a turkey. According to Heath Cox, drive 10 miles out of Siwa to a sand dune, dig a big hole, put coals in it with a stuffed, foil-covered turkey, add more coals, cover it up and when the steam escapes, the turkey is done. (Okay, I hope that’s when it’s done.) Sounds yummy.

Creation Museum is paving more parking lot

by Jamie Rhein on

I am curious about the Creation Museum that’s not too far from Cincinnati in northern Kentucky. I pass by a huge billboard for it every time I head to visit my relatives who live near there. The billboard is stuck out in a field next to I-71. Most billboards between Columbus and Cincinnati are set out in fields. That’s all there is between the two cities. It’s a fairly flat and BORING ride.

The Creation Museum’s billboard is tasteful. There are silhouettes of dinosaurs on it. One might think the museum is about dinosaurs. Not exactly. It’s about the Bible and how it’s literal. Dinosaurs and humans existed at the exact same time according to the museum’s thinking. I’ve written about this museum before. It’s not a rinky dink place from all I’ve read about it. As a sociological study of human thinking, I’d find it interesting. People’s beliefs always interest me. It’s one of the reasons I like to travel.

When I went to Salt Lake City, I visited the Tabernacle on Temple Square and went on the tour that explained the history of Mormonism. I still remember how genuine and friendly the tour guide was when she led us through displays about Joseph Smith and the golden tablets found near Palmyra, New York. Every time I pass a Mormon church I look for the Angel Moroni on the top of the spire.

I’m sure at the Creation Museum people are also friendly. They must be. Crabby people don’t attract visitors, and there have been 250,000 people who have come to the museum since it’s opening in May. That’s one of the reasons there needs to be a bigger parking lot.

Long weekends: Penang, Malaysia, perfect for a three to four day jaunt

by Jamie Rhein on

One of the great things about living in Singapore is how easy it is to travel from there to other places. When I lived there, one of the first things we would do each August at the start of the Singapore American School school year was figure out where we wanted to go on school holidays. There were several three-day weekends sprinkled throughout the year. Planning early meant getting a flight to where we wanted to go. On holidays, everyone scrambles to get out.

One place we headed to on a three nights, four day vacation was to the island of Penang on the north-western coast of Malaysia. This trip was before kids, but everything we did was kid-friendly. It was also dad-friendly. My father went along with us on this particular long weekend away.

Penang is a perfect mix of history, beaches, nature and terrific food. Not too touristy, unlike what has happened to several beach areas of Thailand, but touristy enough that the hotels know what travelers might like and you can find a variety of interesting things to do. We went here based on recommendations of a few different teacher friends of ours.

Although we did hang out on the beach a little, we’re not exactly beach people, so we spent more of our time at other Penang offerings. George Town, the state capital has historic buildings which have not lost their flavor for what life was like here in the 19th and early 20th century. There is an interesting mix of temples, museums, shop houses and hotels that can easily take up an afternoon of sightseeing. We did take a day tour with a guide that made getting around to various sites simple and easy. (When traveling with family members, almost always choose simple and easy. It’s a sanity saver.)

Another place we went was The Butterfly Farm. According the Penang Web site, this was the first butterfly farm set up in the world. I remember it as being utterly gorgeous and fascinating. The ride through the island countryside was part of the allure.

Here’s another travel hint. Stay at a modest hotel and splurge on a brunch buffet at a swankier place. We stayed at the Lone Pine Hotel in Batu Ferringhi and had brunch next door at the Shangri-La. We also took over a few of the Shangri-La’s beach chairs and no one seemed to notice.

The Great Escape: Visiting historical sites from the film

by Neil Woodburn on

One of the best war films of all time was the Great Escape–a movie that was made all the more fantastic by the fact that most of it was true.

Although I had watched it many times growing up, it never occurred to me to seek out the actual location of the infamous Stalag Luft III from which the characters in the film, and those in real life, sought to escape. In fact, I really had no idea where the camp was even located–except that there had to be rolling hills nearby for Steve McQueen to ride his motorcycle over (something that never really happened, I was disappointed to discover).

As it turns out, the camp (like most of the notorious Nazi camps) was located in Poland. Situated just 150 kilometers from Poznan near the town of Zagan, the camp has all but disappeared today and there’s not much left to see. According to In Your Pocket travel guides, however, enthusiasts of the film can still take a four-hour bus from Poznan to wander among the “overgrown scrub” where the camp used to be. There is also a nearby cemetery with a memorial to the dead as well as a “dusty museum featuring items recovered from the site.”

In Poznan itself, tourists can pay a visit to the Old Garrison Cemetery where the cremated remains are buried of the fifty men who escaped, were captured, and executed by the Nazis, including the mastermind of the escape effort, Roger Bushell.

Be sure to click here to learn more about this legendary escape