World’s 10 Most Polluted Places 2006

by Adrienne Wilson on

Make sure you include a respirator or some type of breathing mechanism on your packing list if heading to any of the destinations found on the Blacksmith Institute’s World’s Worst Polluted Places list. Keep in mind there will be no smelling of roses as you stroll the contaminated paths in Haina, Dominican Republic; Kabwe, Zambia; La Oroya, Peru; or Linfen, China. Instead, imagine whiffing the scents of sulfur dioxide, lead, Strontium-90, cobalt and Caesium-137.

On a very serious note the list is very disheartening and if you take an opportunity to read site descriptions in full it gets even worse. Numbers of the potentially affected population are included as well as types of pollutants (some longer than most), site description and cleanup activity. If you’re unable to connect with the dangers of what unusually high levels of any of the toxins noted can do — the pictures make it quite real. I mean, we’re talking some 3,500,000 people in Ranipet, India who could potentially be affected by disgusting, life-threatening toxins found in Tannery waste. This certainly won’t be the kind of information you find in tourism brochures or places your might ever consider for a holiday unless you’re into nuclear power plants, like Ukraine’s ever-so-popular Chernobyl. Chernobyl travel has most certainly been done before, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Then again, I’m just another sucker for fresh water and clean air.

via Gridskipper

Word for the Travel Wise (09/01/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

With this first take on the Kyrgyz language here on Gadling I’m sure some of you are wondering where the heck I get the nerve teaching something you’ll probably never ever use. Some of you might be scratching your head wondering where exactly Kyrgyzstan is located and what one would do if he/she ever found their way in the country. My solution and answer to your question: First pocket this word for a special occasion. You never know when you might run into a person of Kyrgyz descent, especially in New York. Secondly, check out some of Neil’s fine pieces in our Kyrgyzstan category. That should be a good start for now.

Today’s word is a Kyrgyz word used in Kyrgyzstan:

kechiresiz – excuse, pardon me, or sorry

Kyrgyz also known as Kirghiz is spoken by about 3 million people. The lang is a northwestern Turkic language and together with Russian it is the official language of the country of Kyrgyzstan. It is also spoken in parts of China, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Turkey. Check out Wikipedia for background info. In regards to learning online you’ve picked a toughie if you’ve decided on making Kyrgyz your second tongue. This Learning Kyrgyz blogspot page hasn’t been updated in ages, but it may have some helpful links and words of advice for persons eager to learn. If you’d like to learn by listening try the BBC in Kyrgyz. My online suggestions will stop there for now. I picked this word out of my Central Asia phrasebook from LP. Pick one up for yourself!

SmarterTravel: Best & Worst Travel Destinations for Women

by Adrienne Wilson on

As a woman, traveler, and the type that tends to like parachuting into off-the-beaten track destinations, I long for articles that point out where women should go and where they should exercise extra caution when going. Well, USA Today features a fine piece for the solo women journeying this big bad world on her own with the best and worst places for women to travel. The list, compiled by Jessica Labrencis and RaeJean Stokes of SmarterTravel, doesn’t suggest women should free up and lose all inhibitions in so-called safe places or completely avoid named worst destinations. Instead of rambling on about what the list does suggest let’s take a look at their best and worst and share some of our experiences. (You’ll want to go to their site for all the specifics.)

Best travel destinations for women:

  • Amsterdam
  • Ireland
  • Costa Rica
  • India
  • Vietnam

Worst travel destinations for women:

  • Middle East & Northern Africa
  • The Mediterranean Coast
  • The United States
  • Latin America & the Caribbean
  • States of the former U.S.S.R.

If you ask me the worst place destination list looks to include a heavy number of places. Considering the U.S. has 50 states (some worse than others) and the former U.S.S.R. has some 14 states (including my next destination -Tajikistan) it’s safe to say women have to watch their backs almost everywhere. What’s your take? Ladies?

Central Asia Refresher

by Adrienne Wilson on

Every once in a while it’s nice to remind ourselves about places that may not be on the top of our travel lists, but we forget exist or never knew existed. As I’ve been sharing some upcoming travel plans with people it’s suddenly starting to strike a nerve how much of the population is unaware of other smaller countries or entire regions to boot! On a recent trip into a book store for some quick guide book hunting my conversation with the clerk went something like this:

“Excuse me, do you happen to have any travel guides on Central Asia or Tajikistan,” I said.

The clerk scratches his head and replies, “Hmm… Why no, no one goes there.”

“But you’re missing a HUGE chunk of the world and I’m going,” I responded.

An older gent with his head tucked in an Eyewitness Travel Guide for France looks up in curiosity.

“Then you’re probably the only one going then,” he concluded.

“Thanks, I’ll look online,” I said.

After this conversation at the bookstore I have found myself being questioned as to why I’d want to go any placed that ended in -stan or where the heck Tajikistan is, but the better question will always be, why not?! Anyhow, I didn’t start all this to moan and groan. Instead I just wanted to provide a quick Central Asia refresher. Wikipedia is one of the best places to start for the basics which I’ll just throw out right here/right now. Central Asia is comprised of the following: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, western China, northeast Iran, Afghanistan, western Pakistan, and central-east Russia south of the Taiga.

The borders of Central Asia have been defined a number of ways, but in one of the broader cases this is probably your best bet. There – I feel much better now. If you’ve got some Central Asia travel experiences to share please feel to tell all. For those who hadn’t a clue before, I hope this provides a small amount of insight.

Red Corner: The Joys of Soviet Hotels

by Neil Woodburn on

Part of the fun of traveling through the former Soviet Union is that so much of it remains rough around the edges. The typical tourist experience one encounters in Paris, for example is so perfectly coifed and professionally managed that it can actually be quite boring. Not so in the former Soviet Union.

Ohio University professor David Mould recently experienced this for himself when he checked into Motel Hell in Djalalabad, southern Kyrgyzstan. $10 bought him a “luxury” room and all the discomfort of mind associated with the old adage, “you get what you pay for.” His humorous account of the electricity being shut off for the night at 8:30 pm (as opposed to the 10pm time the front desk told him) and eating at the hotel’s enticing, Buffet No. 37 is well worth the read.

Mould, who has had many such experiences in the former Soviet Union, calls it Indoor Camping. I’ve been there myself and disagree; camping is much more luxurious. I’d take a tent in the mountains over a Soviet era hotel any day.