Ghengis Getaway

by Erik Olsen on

A pretty cool idea for the truly “engaged” traveler: How would you
like to head to Mongolia to help discover the tomb of Genghis Khan? Ghengis who, you ask? Well, read
up first.

For about $6,000 (excluding airfare), a Maryland-based company is offering 12 amateur Indiana Jonses an opportunity to
assist a U.S.-Mongolian team in excavating a burial site
that may contain the remains and treasure of one of history’s greatest conquerors. The Aug. 15 to 28 trip is offered
exclusively through iExplore, a Chicago-based adventure-tourism outfitter.

Non-talking Heads

by Erik Olsen on

When I was
living in Santiago, Chile, the one place I
wanted to visit more than almost anywhere else was Easter Island. The island has a powerful allure, not just for
it’s famous statues, but for the mere idea that people actually settled there, lived there, thrived, and thn
mysteriously disappeared. Archaeologists tell us that the Easter Islanders went through their natural resources
and ended up unable to survive. Some like Jared Diamond also tell us that this could be our own fate if we’re not
careful.

But we’re not there yet, obviously, and the guy driving his SUV to work thinks less about Easter Island as a tale of
conspicuous consumption than as a tourist destination. So be it. And so,
here is a decent tourist
tale of a visit to Easter Island. A bit of that history is here, but also some talk about how the island fares as a
tourist destination. And yes, I still want to go.

Great God Pan

by Erik Olsen on

Fans of California might be interested in this
blog and site dedicated to California. It’s not updated very often, but some
of the stories are very unique, and cover people and places that most Californians probably don’t know. For example,
check out this article on the gems to be mined from some
old guidebooks, or this one on Frederick Turner and
the closing of the American frontier. The writers have some real chops. One of them,
Mark Sundeen, has done a lot of work recently with the Times and Nat Geo, so
these guys know what they’re doing.  As I say, they need to do more updating, flesh this baby out. I’d like to see
more more more, so I hope they don’t give up on it.

Dharavi: Asia’s Largest Slum

by Erik Olsen on

I was working on a documentary film in India last August and
happened to take a quick day trip to the slums of
Dharavi in Mumbai. Dharavi is the largest slum
in Asia…and the world, too, I think. It was an unforgettable experience. We walked the dusty roads and strolled past
people living in conditions that can almost be described as Fourth World. The slum went on forever. The derelict sprawl
of plastic roofs and filth stretched out before us as far as the eye could see. But the people we ran into were
amazingly friendly. They offered us Cokes and wanted to talk about America as well as their own lives. The kids played
in rancid puddles, but their faces beamed with smiles. The fact is, despite their miserable conditions, many of the
people we met were genuinely happy, full of life and laughter. I think of them every once in a while as I live my own
life and consider how fortunate I am to have been born here in the US. But it’s hard not to reassess the meaning of
happiness when you have an experience like that.

I was reminded of my time in India when I read 
this Slate piece on Dharavi and the people who live
there. It’s hopeful, I think, and an eye-opening story about a part of the world that doesn’t often get our attention.