Pack travel candles – Hotel tip

by Gadling Staff on

Travel candles solve a few of the typical hotel room woes, particularly for budget travelers:

1.) They mask the scent of overpowering cleaners (or worse, but let’s not go there).
2.) They provide a soothing, romantic ambiance.
3.) Some scents, like lavender, help you fall asleep easier in unfamiliar surroundings.

Several companies, including The Travel Tin Company, make portable travel candles that are clean burning (no wall smudges or waxy drips) and safer than regular candles since they’re contained in a tin.

For under $10, travel candles go a long way in creating a comfortable atmosphere in your hotel home away from home.

Photo of the Day (12-10-08)

by Jamie Rhein on

As daylight is shrinking in the month of December, as we move forward to the winter solstice, candles come to mind. In Denmark, where I spent this last week, candles are salvation in a way. Everywhere I went candles turned rooms into soft glows of warmth.

This shot by flicts evokes memories of other places where candles are a prominent feature.This temple in Lhasa is reflective of every Buddhist temple I’ve stepped into where smells of incense and flames fill the air. Candles are such a universal element of hope. On a grey day in Columbus, a lit candle would work wonders. All I have to do is locate a match.

Along with the lovely angle that highlights the candles, this shot is also intriguing because flicts has included other artifacts that are significant to Buddhism. This is almost like a still-life painting meant to capture a moment.

If you have shots of captured moments, send them our way at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool. They may show up as a Photo of the Day.

No Wrong Turns: Easter in Mexico….No Mini Eggs Here

by Kelsey Mulyk on

You won’t find any pastel colored eggs, chocolates or fuzzy white rabbits in Mexico during Easter. In fact, there isn’t a speck of the materialistic, Cadbury-bunny-laced Easter we have come to know and love at home. And, believe me, I looked for those addictive Mini Eggs everywhere.

Mexicans are predominantly Catholic and Holy Week, or “Semana Santa” as it is known here, is the most important religious holiday of the year. Kids get the week before and after Easter Sunday off and it is a time for family and church. These two weeks off are equivalent to our Spring Break so travelers can expect beaches and hotels to be crowded…make your reservations early.

Tom and I caught a little bit of the celebration on Good Friday (Viernes Santo). The devout congregate in groups all over the city, each outfitted with a large cross. These groups walk throughout the neighborhoods towards the church, stopping at homes to perform prayers and blessings. Eventually all the groups meet at the church for the service. In other parts of the country, the crucifixion is reenacted and passion plays are performed. One of the biggest celebrations is held in Iztapalapa, just south of Mexico City.

“Sabado de Gloria”, Holy Saturday, tells the story of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. Papier mache Judases are created and then burned or destroyed as part of the ceremony. The service we attended was not so inclined and instead included readings by from both the Mexican and English community. People just kept piling in and eventually all the seats were taken leaving latecomers standing in the aisles. Women were hanging onto restless children, statues of the Virgen de Guadalupe were clutched tightly in hand, thousands of candles were lit and re-lit, bottles of water were raised for blessing and children, trussed up in their best clothes, were baptized and welcomed as members to the Catholic church. The evening ended with a shower of bright fireworks that could be seen from all over town.

Two words of advice on attending a church service:

Many Mexicans turn up casually dressed, but it is wise to be respectful and dress appropriately. Women should have their shoulders covered and men should wear a nice shirt and pants.

It is worth bringing your own candle so you can participate in the service. A ton of candles are lit during this event…it is like one big bonfire waiting to happen, so make sure you know where the closest exit is or sit near someone with a big bottle of water.

On Easter Sunday, Domingo de Pascua, Mexicans attend Mass and then spend the rest of the day enjoying the company of family and friends, sadly for me, it is not filled with bunny trails or chocolates either, sigh.
Anyone want to send some Mini Eggs my way?

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“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.