Is Time of a Country’s Essence?

by Erik Olsen on

How many times have you traveled to a developing country and heard other Americans (or Germans or French or
whatever, for that matter) complain about that nation’s inefficiencies? Almost every time I’ve been to places like
Mexico, India, Thailand, Chile, Spain…you hear the same refrain: why can’t they do things here more like we do!

I hate hearing this, and slap myself if I ever hear words of that sort come from my own lips which, I have to confess,
they occasionally do. The rhythms of developing nations, and other nations in general, are part of the weft and weave
of who they are. It is silly IMHO to gripe that another country is worse than your own because they don’t have your
hotel ready or because the toilet doesn’t work. And that’s what makes many places so unique, so interesting. Why in the
world would you want everyplace to become more like America, with its strip malls (the most pervasive and ugly
manifestations of “efficiency”)

Well…I’m sure you have your own opinion on the matter,
but the LA
Times does a nice job summing up the matter in this piece on the way that time flies more quickly or slower in
other places. Is it culture, climate, proximity to the equator (kind the same thing as climate), or what?

One for the Road: The Coldest Winter

by Kelly Amabile on

The title of this book could describe the
weather we are having here in the northeast this week, except that it’s not even officially winter here yet!
Brrr…Anyway, the subtitle reveals that the book is about so much more than the temperature  — It’s another one I
learned about from Powell’s that I really, really want to read. It sounds like a fascinating memoir.
The Coldest Winter: A Stringer in Liberated Europe
is the story of Paula Fox’s year as a stringer for a small news service in Europe in 1946, at a time when the “haunted
continent” was still mostly untouched by tourists. Fox recounts her year traveling through war-weary cities like
London, Warsaw, Paris, Prague and Madrid. And this was after sailing solo from New York to London too! Before heading
to Europe myself this winter, I’d like to read this story of another woman who traveled it on her own, as a writer, at
a difficult and completely different time in history. 

Classical Pursuits

by Kelly Amabile on

If you’ve been reading Gadling for awhile now, you know what we
are big book fans here. That means we are even bigger fans of tours with literary themes. That’s why I was so excited
to learn about Classical Pursuits, an educational tour operator based
in Toronto which organizes intimate trips that follow in the footsteps of a particular writer, artist or musician. The
small group tours foster conversation and inquiry about places like Dante’s Italy or Joyce’s Dublin while traveling
through the modern day atmosphere of these classic literary locations. Itineraries include in-depth discussion of
related texts and guided walks to immerse travelers in the scenery and history of the artistic works. Upcoming tours
for 2006 include a visit to Flannery O’Connor’s
Savannah and travels through Literary
Newfoundland. There is plently more to choose from on their website, so be sure to take a peek around.

I learned about Classical Pursuits from
Bookstore
Tourism, which is a great initiative by Larry Portzline that I’ve been meaning to write about for months. More to
come on his book/travel ventures in a future post, but for now, check out
World Hum’s recent
interview with Larry to learn more about what he’s up to.

Lifelist: Summit Kilimanjaro

by Erik Olsen on

Time for another edition of our Lifelist feature, in which we find
one of those things that every adventuresome soul should do before he/she dies, and we provide the who, what, why,
where, how to do it.

So, first the WHAT and WHERE:

Mount Kilimanjaro is smack in the middle of Kilimanjaro National
Park in Tanzania. That’s in Africa for the less
geographically-inclined. Kilimanjaro rises from the African plain near the Indian Ocean and is the highest mountain in
Africa…actually it is one of the largest free standing mountains in the world. Yes, if you are a climber or even an
avid trekker, you must climb Kilimanjaro.

Most people probably don’t know that the mountain is actually made up of three volcanoes. Kibo, which rises 19,340
feet, Mawenzi which is 16,896 feet, and Shira which is 13,000 feet. Kilimanjaro is also a
UNESCO World Heritage site.

WHEN:

You can climb the mountain throughout the year, but if you want the best time, then head there in the first three
months of the year. January, February and September are the best months, with July, August, November and December also
good.

HOW: There are several outfitters at Kilimanjaro, but in clicking arond, I found that
Kilimanjaro Adventures is one of the top dogs. According to
their site, they have been leading climbs since 1990. In 2004, they led approximately 7,000 climbers up and safely down
the mountain. Not a bad record.

If you want to read more about climbing Kilimajaro, give
this piece from Away.com
a read. it gives a nice overview and delivers a stirring narrative of the climb. And, of course, you can always take a
look at the ever-informative Wikipedia page.

WHY: Because it’s there. Duh.

Tappan Zee Bridge: Fifty and Failing

by Kelly Amabile on

Today is the 50th birthday of the
Tappan Zee Bridge, which connects Rockland and Westchester
counties in the lower Hudson Valley of New York State. But as this

Newsday story and countless other media outlets have reported recently, the bridge has outlived its
life-expectancy. When it opened in 1955, the lifespan of the 3-mile bridge was set at 50 years. That time has come, and
with it tons of debate and controversy over what to do about the aging infrastructure that transports 140,000+ vehicles
a day (40,000 more than its traffic-carrying capacity.) I drove over the bridge just a few days ago, and have traveled
it for years, although not on a regular basis. I still feel fairly safe driving over it, and news of its deterioration
won’t scare me away from using it…yet. But it’s more than obvious that the TZ needs some major upgrades. There is an
official Environmental Review website where you can learn more about
the studies done on the condition of the bridge, which spans from Nyack to Tarrytown. Currently, there are
six options still on the table for how to
approach and handle the mounting safety concerns. Unfortunately, none of these can even begin to be implemented for a
few years. Here’s more unsettling coverage:

The
Second Time Around [Journal News]

Tappan Zee Turns 50 Today [1010 Wins]

TZ Bridge An Impending Disaster? [WCBS TV News;
Video]