All That Japanese Jazz

by Erik Olsen on

The Japanese have long been known as imitators. I don’t say this in a mean-spirited way. Everyone imitates…it’s just
that, well, the Japanese seem to do it a little better. And perhaps a bit more.

Take this article in the CSM, for example. It turns
out that jazz is now one of the most popular forms of entertainment in on the island of Okinawa.

There are more jazz clubs there than in most American cities. What’s fascinating, though, is that the popularity of
jazz there is a vestige of the post-WWII occupation. Located between mainland Japan and Taiwan, Okinawa has a history
of Asian and American domination. the island was a was a major World War II battleground where many American and
Japanese lives were lost. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the start of the American occupation, and as the
article points out, the jazz clubs there are an interesting symbol of what has happened to Japan as a whole.

New National Park

by Erik Olsen on

Always great news to hear a new National Park has been born. Of all the complaining people do about the US
government, there is one agency, the National Park Service, who I think really does a fine job providing a valuable
service to Americans and foreign visitors.

Our national parks are crown jewels, and the park Service, despite all its

financial difficulties and other problems  can usually be depended upon to maintain, improve and add to the
wonderful National Parks.

And so it’s great to see a new addition to the park system come on line. So let us offer a gadling welcome to he new
Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Park, America’s newest
national park. The park straddles the Columbia River and stretches along 40 miles of coastline in Washington and
Oregon, allowing visitors to walk in the footsteps of America’s most famous explorers.

Gadling Podcast: Intv. Don George

by Erik Olsen on

Hey folks, here it is,
our next gadling podcast,
featuring an interview with Lonely Planet’s Don
George.  If you are a traveler and/or pay much attention to the world of travel writing, then Don George’s
name will probably be familiar. For years, George worked as the travel editor at the San Francisco Examiner and
Chronicle, and then founded and edited Salon.com’s kick ass travel site Wanderlust.

So the first thing you’re
going to notice is what a cool guy George is…affable as heck and a great sense of humor; the kind of guy that
would be great to run into while traveling. The next thing you’ll notice is how knowledgeable George is about travel
writing. This is a guy you can learn from.

In the interview, we talk about George’s career, how he rose from
inexperienced scribe to successful travel writer; the rise and demise of Wanderlust; how YOU can be a better writer;
and all about Lonely Planet.

George is currently the Global Travel Editor at Lonely Planet, an apt 21st century
title which really means he gets to take on lots of amazingly cool projects. Like what, you ask? Well, like this new
book called Travel
Writing, and a regular column at Lonely Planet.com called What Would Don George Do?  We talk about the book in the
interview, but the quick and dirty is that George, who has been in the travel writing biz for a quarter century, has
condensed all these years of experience into this wonderful little volume of advice, interviews, examples and
technique. The point is, if you are at all serious about travel writing as either an occupation or a literary art form,
get this
book.

So enough chatter…enjoy the podcast.

Host: Erik Olsen.
Format: 35
minutes

Jump to:
02:14 – First big break
5:10 – Advice for aspiring travel
writers
7:57 –  Working at Lonely Planet
10:33 – his new book: Travel Writing
15:00 –
Founding Wanderlust
19:05 – Favorite travel writers
21:51 – Writers from the past
23:40 –
"Lonely Planet Effect"
28:59 – Keeping Lonely Planet ahead of the game
31:50 – What’s next
for Don George

(Technical note: this interview was recorded using Skype directly onto my laptop using a
Plantronics headset, so there are infrequent drops you may notice…not many but a few.)

Photo Expeditions

by Erik Olsen on

Looking for something more to do when you are out traveling than just sightsee?

Maybe while you are out, you can shoot lots of pictures, hone your technique. And while at it, why not get
professional instruction on your shots: composition, technique, camera operation, The whole schmeel. Sound too good to
be true? Well, it’s not. Here’s a guiding outfit that
offers professional photo instruction as you travel.

Trip Rec: Motorcycles in Nam

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s a killer travel idea. Part Apocalypse Now, part
Motorcycle Diaries, this trip is done by motorcycle down the Ho Chi Minh trail from Hanoi to Saigon on Russian made
Minsk motorcycles. The cycles are the backbone of the
country, everyone rides them.

While cycling, you will visit everything from Ho Chi Minh’s birthplace to the Chinese fishing town of Hoi An, to the
hill retreat of Dalat. A pretty thorough and bona fide Vietnam experience. You ride along the highway, along dirt
roads, through small towns where you stop and have the best Phu you’ve likely ever eaten. I would do this one in a
heartbeat.