It’s a ways off, but I figured I’d give y’all the heads up about an event dedicated to my favorite beverage: coffee. Yes, I’m sitting here with a steaming cup of very strong Joe next to me, and thought to myself it might be nice to head to Hawaii later this year. What’s happening there? I asked myself. Well on November 3-12 there is the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival being held on the Big Island of Hawaii. The festival is Hawaii’s Oldest Food Festival (I put that in caps because that’s how they bill themselves as well). So if you’re a java junkie, give it some thought. Book those reservations now.
Let’s Go! with Jiang Zemin
Move over Bill Bryson, here comes Jiang Zemin. Yes, the near-octogenarian former leader of China is publishing his memoirs, which will include a hefty dose of travel writing, says this piece over at Yahoo news. Sure, it was tough running the most populous nation in the world, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a downright hoot at times. And when you’re number one, you get to do a fair amount of globe-trotting.
Now, chances are he’s not going to be writing about the condition of various hotels he stayed at and his recommendations for places to eat will more likely to include Buckingham Palace, but you have to admit a dose of curiosity at what the old Communist leader has to say about seeing the world. His travel book, “For a Better World: Jiang Zemin’s Overseas Visits,” will include 167 pictures of Jiang with leaders ranging from Bill Clinton to Nelson Mandela. No word, however, if there will be video of him dancing at various popular tourist locales around the globe.
Travel Trivia
One of these days we’re going to do a lengthy and difficult travel quiz. Not one of those easy ones that asks you the capitol of Italy, but one with really hard questions that you will either know or have to google. And in an ideal world, we’ll have a cash prize of some kind. I’m a trivia maniac, and love to play Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy, and pretty much any other game or game show that requires knowledge about the world. I have to say that I was a little disappointed that this MSNBC travel quiz was so easy, but it’s about what I expect from a major media site. I confess I missed one, though. The golf question was pretty hard for someone line myself who lacks both golf knowledge and talent. Anyway, take the quiz and let us know how you did.
Inside Iran with Shiva the Spy
Gosh darnit! Wait, GOSH DARNIT – I cry! Here I am minding my own business, slowly, but surely working my way into deciding when I should settle down and travel only to places near and close by when I stumble upon this Shivathespy.com business. Ugh – this is exactly the kind of material that gets me worked up into dropping everything for the umpteenth time and zooming over to Iran to tighten up the little Farsi I already know and more!
From the FAQ’s page of this cool inside look at Iran you will learn a few things about Shiva. For starters it is her real name and she is not a spy. What is true is this: Shiva went off to Iran to study a most wonderful language called Farsi with strong focus on reading and writing. She recently graduated from USC and has a lot more FAQ’s to share on her website should you need additional info on why you should go Inside Iran with her.
Now, even though she hasn’t updated since June she has enough musings to keep you informed and entertained for awhile. In her last entry she introduces someone by the name of Arash Hamidi who has taken some amazing photographs around the country. Of these photos I would have to say the Tehran city night shot is one of my fav’s, but let’s not stop there. The entry previous to that describes Kordistan, Kurdish people and has some very good photos as well. (Not from Arash Hamidi, but great still!) And last entry I’ll briefly describe is the hilarious Crooked Bus story. With every turn of this red-eye bus trip from Tehran to Bonneh I was cracking up. Well first I feared for the poor author’s life, but everything on the smuggling goods bus worked out eventually. Thank heavens and Shiva for providing an honest American view (with the exception of being a spy) to a country so often looked down on.
GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of August 13
Its Friday folks and I’ve got places to be and people to see, so if you’ve missed any of this week’s posts you stay put. I’ll be sure to have enough fun for everyone.
5. Headphones:
It was on Wednesday of this week I sat listening to the lip-smacking of the puckered and pursed lips of the kissy young couple seated next to me on my flight. The gentleman even shouted doesn’t first-class stink (we were sitting one row behind first-class). I would have given anything to drown their disgusting P.D.A. and the hum of the plane out for the flight. You’ve been there. We’ve all been there. Neil looks out for our well-being this week in his Headphone piece. Find who ranks what and how; then cancel out all the gross kissy, crying, and humming noise! Thank Neil later.
4.No Such Thing As Eco-Tourism?:
Colonialism is what we call present day eco-tourism according to Anneli Rufus over at Alternet.com. Do people travel for status? Are far-out excursions hurting Mother Earth? Should we all just stay put in our homes and go nowhere at all? You tell me. An excellent read any traveler should look into and feel free to leave comments here and there.
3. Fluffy Is Gone:
This stung my heart, but I’m glad Erik brought it to our attention. The topic touches on pets that croak, are killed, lost or injured while in the baggage bin during flight. Horrible! I’d hate to take my pet into a plane only to land with a broken heart and a dead pooch or kitty. It’s good to know consumers will be able to access this info by airline to twice think bringing Fluffy on board.
2. Not All Travel Blogs Created Equal:
Gadling, if you did not notice, is a travel blog and we like to stay connected to other travel blogs and travel related web content. It’s not just our duty to the virtual public – it is our passion. Now, we think we’re pretty great here so just as much as it peeves us to learn PR firms are using blogs to toss advertisements and garbage in your RSS feeds, it also brings us tremendous joy to find out who is really giving travel blogs a good name. Separate the best from the rest and check out this International Herald Tribune piece.
1. Anti-Americanism Editorial:
After reading the LA Times story on reasons for all the Anti-American feelings so many foreign countries have about Americans, Erik had a few suggestions to make and things he needed to get off his bird. According to the piece the war in Iraq ain’t the only thing burning people up about our country, so what is it then? What are some possible solutions? Take a look at Erik’s blurb and the LA Times.