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Gadlinks for Friday, June 5

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Here’s a quick look around the travel landscape:

  • Cracked brings us The 10 Coolest Foreign Words the English Language Needs. I’ve always loved the French expression, esprit d’escalier, which literally means, “the wit of the staircase.” Said when you think of a great comeback just a moment too late… Ain’t that always the way?
  • On the record, TSA workers throw away all that expensive stuff they confiscate. Off the record? Not so much.
  • Bootsnall suggests “7 Reasons Why Traveling With Your Parents Isn’t a Bad Idea,” including the fact that, hey, they pay for stuff!
  • Some of the most beautiful photos from Africa you’ll ever see.
  • Rolf Potts chats (in English) with Romanian travel-TV personality Razvan Marc.
  • Vagabondish points us to the Six Creepiest Abandoned Places in the world. Check out the especially spooky Hellingly Asylum in England. Robert Brockway writes: “I would honestly be surprised if you weren’t grabbed by the multi-headed corpsebeast of the long-dead madmen whose identities (partially erased by electro-shock therapy) have merged over time into a writhing ball of madness and terror.” Sounds lovely!

Have a great weekend, Gadling faithful!

[More Gadlinks here]

Amazing Race 14, Recap finale: Maui, Hawaii where pigs are heavy

by Jamie Rhein on

After after a quick video clip refresher course of the various legs of Amazing Race 14, the three remaining teams bid adieu to Bejing and headed to Maui, Hawaii on the same Air China flight. Admittedly, several times during this episode, I felt the end of the trip feel–a bit of a sigh that the bulk of the excitment and surprise is over and home is near.

I felt sad to say goodbye to China since the last three weeks were spent there, but Maui offered gorgeous scenery and decent finale with some laughs and stiff competition.

First stop in Maui was Beach Access 118. As the teams headed off in taxis from the Maui airport, it was time to don bathing suits while still in the taxi for beach fun, although there wasn’t much fun involved.

In India, one team member had to schlep buckets of water and grain. In Hawaii, both team members had to schlep a pig. Poor pigs. What undignified ends to what may have been happy lives. After dressing the dead, skinned pigs in oil and traditional spices and herbs, and sliding a stick through the space caused by their pairs of tied together legs, the teams had to carry the 145 pound pigs along 200 yards of the beach to a traditional luau.

If you ever have to carry a pig hanging from a stick any distance, use Margie & Luke’s method. They rested the stick on their shoulders. The other method, carrying the stick at waist and chest level, doesn’t work, not unless you think dropping a pig several times might be a good way to tenderize the meat. Tammy & Victor’s and Jaime and Cara’s pigs showed up at the luau covered in salt water and sand, even though Victor told Tammy to not doubt her pig carrying abilities and Jaime wondered what was wrong with Cara for being so weak. Certainly Cara could take Tammy down if need be was the gist of Jaime’s yammering.

Once at the site where people were gathered for a luau, playing instruments in a fashion that seemed a bit lackluster if you ask me–not nearly as buoyant as those Romanian gypsies or Siberians in earlier episodes, the teams had to prepare a cooking fire-pit in the traditional luau way. Luke & Margie nailed it, and the other teams had to do theirs again.

When the teams left the musicians still playing, and the pigs buried in sand with barely a laugh or a quick goodbye, I wondered what the next step would be for the pigs? Would they ever be eaten or cleaned up to be ground into sausage or what?

For the three teams, no time to wonder about such trifles. Off they went to McGregor Point to hop on a two-person water craft to buzz out to 100 buoys to search for the next clue. That looked fun. Not as environmentally friendly as a luau, but fun. The teams had a blast. Margie & Luke kept their lead, passing Victor & Tammy and Cara & Jaime as they headed back to shore. There was laughing and smiling here with friendly waves.

Next stop was the surfboard fence along Hana Highway. Naturally, Jaime and Cara’s taxi got lost and they ended up at the wrong line of surfboards, something they knew right away, but this time Jaime had the eventual presence of mind to apologize to the driver for her attitude.

Just like with the entire season, this episode was anyone’s game. As Luke initially blazed through the task of building a surfboard fence by finding symbols painted on surfboards that matched each leg of the race, he became stumped by the last two. The more he was stumped, the more frustrated, which meant the more he couldn’t think clearly. Eventually, surfboards were scattered every which way while he kept messing up the last two to complete his fence.

Luke’s frustration was enough to give Victor and Jaime who were also playing this clever match game to catch up. As Victor found the last surfboard, Luke was in despair. Margie and Cara beseeched Jaime and Luke to work together, so they could get out of surfboard hell, I imagine.

While Tammy and Victor knew they were on their way to a million dollars, Luke and Jaime berated themselves in their own taxis for having faulty memories. Jaime couldn’t remember St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, and used as the symbol for the Church of San Antonio where they stopped during the first leg. Ironic, isn’t it?

Luckily for them, they each have people who love them dearly. Instead of shouting, “You stupid, stupid fools,” at them, Margie and Cara said the exact words needed to help them swallow the loss of the million.

As these last two teams made it to the finish line at King Kamehameha Golf Club, they realized that they were able to do what most teams don’t, actually finish the Amazing Race. The cheering, clapping and hugs from the teams who had been eliminated earlier helped add positive energy to the finale. Plus, there was enough time for Margie & Luke to talk about what it really means for a deaf person to finish the race. A heck of a lot. In probably one of the most emotional moments, Luke talked about how few parents with deaf children ever learn to sign and what it means to him that his mother does.

Then there was Victor, eloquent to the end, who summed up what makes traveling so darned special if you do it right. “You can have a lot of fun doing the crazy and unconventional. It makes life a whole lot more interesting,” he declared.

So, all you travelers out there, find something unconventional to do this week and have a smashing good time. Just remember everyone finished the Amazing Race alive, so keep it safe– unconventional and crazy is fine, but don’t be foolish.

Amazing Race 14 recap 9: Guilin, China is a splendid place

by Jamie Rhein on

Watching the teams navigate Guilin, China was a splendid episode of reality TV. Whoever set up the tasks for Amazing Race, episode 9 nailed the best of what China offers in a series of aesthetic pleasures. It wasn’t the choreographed, technological feats of the Beijing, Olympics, but the classic architecture, early morning ballroom dancing in a city park, bamboo rafts, and art, all with craggy hills as a backdrop.

Unfortunately, a bit of drama fueled by tension got in the way of two of the teams’ enjoyment of their surroundings and the warmth of the people that they encountered. While Luke and Jen were involved in shoving matches, I soaked in what I remembered about those details I loved about living in Taiwan.

First there were the neon signs that took up every available space when Jen and Kisha dashed out of the airport in Guilen ‘s streets and into a taxi when it was still dark. By the time they arrived at the the first clue box outside a hair dresser’s shop, the morning’s buzz had begun.

Since Luke and Margie arrived at the clue box at Qing Xiu Lu at the same time as Jen and Kisha, there was the first shove as Jen tried to reach around Luke to grab a clue first. In the heat of the moment, each thought the other was at fault, and Jen called Luke a “bitch” since it was a “bitch move.” After the first shove, steamed up, off they went to #24 Bridge on the banks of the Li River where Tammy & Victor and Cara & Jaime had already arrived because of better luck with directions.

Victor & Tammy were happy as can be to be speaking Chinese and didn’t seem too bothered that the other teams globbed onto them whenever they could to take advantage of their language know-how. Listening to these siblings speak Chinese was a bonus of the episode since it offered a more personal perspective on a place. Plus, their relationship is a far cry from when Victor was almost weeping after getting them lost on a Romanian mountainside near the beginning of the race. Now, they are getting along well and seem to be having a blast.

At the Li River, after the team members were poled out into the river in one boat, one member from each team had to sit on a narrow bamboo raft to train a cormorant bird to catch fish. This was a task reminiscent of a show at Sea World. After a team member tossed a fish into the river, the bird was to fetch it to bring the fish back in its mouth. This was repeated until the team member had 10 fish in the basket. If you are near a cormorant bird, don’t get it riled. They have a nasty bite that draws blood as Luke found out. Once the fish were in the basket, it was a matter of getting poled back to shore with the basket along for the ride.

Then it was off to the Ancient South Gate for their next clue and task. The gate, built 1,000 years ago, is a feature common to many Chinese cities. Hsinchu, the town where I lived in Taiwan, had the East gate left of the four that once were important features of the city. The gate was a gorgeous structure that was my favorite spot to hang out.

At the gate’s clue box–which meant another shoving match for Luke and Jen, the teams had to choose between how to do calligraphy or how to ballroom dance. The calligraphy, actually, was the easiest, although there were many steps as teams went from calligraphy person to calligraphy person copying characters until they got to the artist who gave them the painting of the real life scene–the Sun and Moon Pagodas at Banyan Lake that they were to look for which would lead them to the Pit Stop.

Early morning ballroom dance classes or Tai chi are common features of parks in Taiwan as well. Other typical park features are the circular shaped doorways to other park sections and the curved bridges the teams crossed. Central Island was no different.

While Margie & Luke, Jen & Kisha and Victor & Tammy did the calligraphy task, virtually at the same time, and Cara & Jaime were learning the dance routine which gave them a bit of trouble. Mark & Michael were having a blast washing two women’s hair at their Speed Bump. They followed that good time with a great time with the fishing task and ball room dancing. They weren’t quick enough to make up for their 4 hour time delay and Speed Bump penalty from last week’s episode, however, and were eliminated. Too bad. These two are really fun.

Jen & Kisha were the first to dash to the Pit Stop across from the Sun and Moon Pagodas at Banyan Lake with Victor & Tammy and Luke & Margie a close second & third. This was the first time the sister duo won first place. For their better showing than last week, they won a trip to Barbados which includes swimming with sea turtles.

After the win news, Phil tried to smooth over relationships between Luke & Margie and Jen & Kisha, but to no avail. Here’s my take. For Luke and Margie, the race has added stress because he can’t hear. There’s also the issue of him growing up feeling like he is often on the outside, and Margie needing to intercede more frequently than other parents. I have deaf relatives and have seen misunderstandings arise that usually take more work to smooth over than when all parties can hear. Hopefully, after the cameras stopped rolling, there was more conversation to clear up the misunderstanding once emotions calmed down. Tammy & Victor seemed to be allies of both of these teams and felt bad. Hopefully, their lawyer skills came in handy.

As for Mark & Micheal, there were some terrific shots of their race that summed up what a wonderful time these two had. They epitomize the best of cross-cultural travel. Every time they interacted with the people they came in contact with, they smiled, took time to soak in their experiences, and exuded warmth. They might be smaller than the average man, but what great, big hearts. As Michael said, “This world is a wonderful place.”

Oh, one more thing–I loved the sweet couple eating at the Pit Stop. They were such a pleasure to watch and so Chinese. They reminded me of so many people I came across in my own travels–very unpretentious and kind.

Traveling through Moldova’s “Twitter Revolution”

by Grant Martin on

Editor’s note: This dispatch comes from Robert Reid (www.reidontravel.com) co-author of Lonely Planet’s guidebook to Romania & Moldova.

“Communists take ur dirty hands our of our country!’
“They can’t control Twitter! They can’t control Youth!”
“Solidarity!”
“YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!”

Sounds like a riot? It is, and it isn’t. The protests in Moldova’s capital (which erupted after Sunday’s election results gave the communist party 60 of the 101 parliament seats) have fizzled down from up to 15,000 on Tuesday to – per Twitter reports this morning – “about 200.” That doesn’t mean the chants are done. A steady stream of 140-character Twitter posts, like the ones above, are still streaming at a rate of 2000 or more per hour.

I’ve been following the posts — at Twitter’s hashtag #pman (referring to Chisinau’s central square Piata Marii Adunari Nationale) — the past 24 hours. And I still don’t know whether the media rush to call it the “Twitter revolution” is really accurate or not.

Tweets — in Moldovan (Romanian), Russian and English — tend to dwell on a handful of day-old links, eg YouTube and JurnalTV videos, reports of election observers questioning the results. I tried contacting several local posters to find out what was happening on the ground yesterday via Twitter and was thrilled to finally get a response: “atm there r ppl at #pman certainly I don’t know how much.” New journalism!? (Meanwhile The New York Times – one of very few media outlets to follow the story today – reported that 1000 turned out to protest yesterday, perhaps a bit more dependable.)

Beyond the big Twitter buzz rests Europe’s poorest country (monthly average salary is about US$240), a communist-run sliver of rolling farmland between Romania and Ukraine. About one million have left for jobs (a major drain considering the population barely breaks four million), and those who remain are being tugged in different directions. Rural and older folks tend to look east (towards Russia and the communist past), while urban and youth look west, towards the EU. Chisinau mayor Dorin Chirtoaca called Sunday’s election results “fraudulent,” while the communist president Vladimir Voronin blamed Romania for influencing “fascist” protesters.

Tourism doesn’t help economic matters much, attracting only 20,000 visitors a year, about a thousandth of the visitors as Ukraine. The trickle of adventurers who found themselves amidst a protest, it appears, are mostly content to stick it out now that the situation has calmed. Marisha Vozian, who runs a homestay network in the country, emailed me yesterday from the UK that she was “surprised and shocked” by the protests, but said visitors at her guesthouse are staying. Also, Radu Sargu, head of Moldova Travel accommodation service, emailed to say his visitors — from the USA, UK and Finland — are also staying. “They are interested to see what’s going on.”

IF YOU GO, it’s generally easier and cheaper to go by overnight train from Bucharest (about 35 euro one way) than fly in. Most visitors stay three or four days, enough time to take in Chisinau and make day trips to the country’s excellent wineries within 20 miles outside of the capital. Some agencies offer day trips (about 70 euro per person) to the Transdneistr, a time-warp Soviet-style district of Moldova that’s still occupied by Russian troops and operates as a separate nation. No visa is required for US, Canadian and EU citizens to visit Moldova; Australians and New Zealand must arrange invitation letters in advance through Chisinau agencies.

Spring painting for the Eiffel Tower: It takes gallons

by Jamie Rhein on

Every 7 years the Eiffel Tower is painted by hand. Although this icon attracts people by the droves to Paris and prompts folks like Tom Cruise to use it as a romantic backdrop for a marriage proposal, the Parisians don’t have much to do with painting it.

Actually, they don’t have anything to do with it, but probably do what they can to avoid getting paint dropped or splattered on them when they pass by.

This year, Romanians and Greeks will wield hand-held, small circular brushes to coat every bit of it with fresh paint. The specialized paint called “Eiffel Tower brown” is Norwegian.

Although the paint color has varied over the years, the painting method has remained the same ever since 1889. The color has stayed brown, however, since 1968 when it was decided that particular color works best with the skyline in Paris.

The statistics for this paint job are impressive.

According to the AP article, twenty-five people will use 66 tons of paint, 35 miles of climbing rope, and 18 months to do the job.

I’d say that the people who will be doing the painting will have an excellent view of Paris from the top as long as they don’t look down.