Great Escapes Redux

by Erik Olsen on

I just took another look at the Great Escapes series by MSNBC and have to say I am really impressed. I really hope
they will do more of these.

 

MSNBC.com has done four installments of these travel documentaries called ”Great Escapes Digital Village,”
which feature Richard Bangs, on trips to far off and distant lands.

They are really cool and accessible here for your
viweing pleasure. Bangs was a cofounder of Expedia.com, and his crew were outfitted by HP, a sponsor, with
battery-powered cameras and photo printers to tell the story. Great travel journalism

Europe and the Church

by Erik Olsen on

It was impressive how many of the seemingly devout went to pay their respects to the pope recently at the Vatican.
And so many of the stories seemed to suggest that Europe was even more religious than we thought.

But is that true? Were people paying their respects out of their appreciation for John Paul as a religious leader or
as a head of state? Interesting question, and one raised by
this article in the Wall Street Journal. As America seems to be headed into ever more religious fervor, Europe has
seemed to go the other way. What’s the truth?

Galavanting with Ghandi

by Erik Olsen on

After going to India recently, I Netflixed and watched Gandhi, the
epic film starring Ben Kingsley. I’d seen it before, but there is something about travel, age and maturity that opens
your eyes to history. The movie I watched was completely different from the one I’d watched when I was younger, BEFORE
I’d actually been to India. India blew my mind. I’ve lived in Bangkok, Madrid, Santiago, Chile, and I’d seen poverty,
but nothing prepared me for what I saw in India. The unfathomable sprawl of slums in Mumbai shook me. The sight of
untouchables sifting through human ashes on the River Ganges, the sight of bloated infant corpses turning slowly,
face-down, in an eddy…these things were unreal to me.

BTW: if you’re interested. I have a video I shot in Varanasi that folks might be interested in…no baby corpses, but a
nice flavor of the place. Watch it
here.

Anyway, I bring this up because I just read
Tom Haines’ excellent article
in the Boston Globe on the reenactment of Gandhi’s salt march. The march was
orchestrated by Mahatma Gandhi 75 years ago to challenge a strict salt tax, and with it British rule of India. The
scene is featured prominently in the film and is one of the most important events in modern Indian history. Haines does
a great job discussing the march and its significance, and the article is really well-worth a read.

Full Bore

by Erik Olsen on

Speaking of bore
tides, I found this piece in Paddler that lists several of the major places the where the biggest bores can be
found (no, not Capitol Hill…ba dum bum). What are they? Tidal
bores are moving waves or holes that rise from the ocean, appearing at full or new moons, their size depending on
weather, swell and season.

Some of the places where the bores rage and can actually make for good surfing are the Severn River in
Glouchestershire, England; Turnagain, Alaska; Shubenacadie, Canada; Pororoca, Brazil, and The Dragon, China.

Djibouti Day

by Adrienne Wilson on

Remember how it was cool to create a theme day because you felt like it? Like National Go See A Movie Day, National Pull Your Sister’s Hair Day (my brother’s all time fav), National Go Kick Rocks Day, or National Hang Ten Day. I’m sure you get the picture. Well today seems like a great day to create a day and I’m requesting a Learn About Djibouti Day.

This African country sits between Eritrea and Somalia and is slightly smaller than Massachusetts. Djiboutians have an average life expectancy of 43 years and will spend those years speaking French and/or Arabic, the two official languages of the country. Though the country doesn’t see tourists too often when times are relaxed from strife, adventure seekers will find the black lava fields, endless plains and strange natural chimney’s interesting sites. Divers will have a blast checking out the coral reefs in the Red Sea.

You can start learning more about Djibouti by visiting the CIA World Factbook and then stroll through Lonely Planet Online.