Travel Read: The Lost City of Z

by Brenda Yun on

If you’ve ever wondered whether an ancient civilization existed in the depths of the Amazon jungle in Brazil, then David Grann’s quest to uncover the truth behind the deathly fascination over “The Lost City of Z” will captivate you and leave readers completely stunned by his discovery.

Part memoir and part non-fiction, this book has several interesting layers — the most important of which is the unsolved, mysterious disappearance of famous explorer, Percy Fawcett. Having led several expeditions in the Bolivian and Brazilian Amazons, Fawcett was dead-set on being the first to discover Z. Several of his expeditions ended in death, and when he disappeared in 1927, rescue expeditions to find his three-person team also met similar, dangerous fates.

Grann himself became so fascinated by the story that he — a self-described urbanite — journeyed from his comfortable Manhattan dwelling to the U.K. and then to the Amazons himself to set the story straight.

While at times I would have preferred to read a detailed story of Fawcett’s expeditions (through Grann’s well-researched notes from Fawcett’s and expedition mates’ journals and dispatches), Grann instead weaves a complicated but gripping tale of the events and relations that led to Fawcett’s disappearance. The story is told from several points of view: from Grann himself as he embarks on his own quest, Fawcett via his journals, his son Frank (who was part of threesome that disappeared), and Fawcett’s wife Nina to name a few. These various perspectives and voices help to clarify the real truth from the myth, but also keep readers bouncing between storylines. The two most important characters are Fawcett and Grann himself, but it might have been more fitting for Grann to tell Fawcett’s story rather than his own.

The mythic proportions that became Fawcett’s story, though, are tough to tie together in the end, and the end of Grann’s book falls just a tad flat. Grann does solve the mystery behind Fawcett’s disappearance, but after all the build-up and Fawcett tall tales (some of which involve Fawcett being nearly bulletproof and fighting off enormous anacondas), there’s really no satisfying end to this story that will live up to Fawcett’s reputation as one of the greatest explorers of our time.

David Grann has agreed to be interviewed within the next week for Gadling. If you have questions you’d like me to include in the Q & A with the author, add it in a comment to this article.

Galley Gossip: Lost in first class

by Heather Poole on

It was dark in the cabin, the seat belt sign was on, passengers were watching the in-flight movie, and we, the crew, stood in the coach galley talking about…oh I don’t remember, but I do remember we were flying from Los Angeles to New York and it had been an uneventful flight. Which was nice for a change. I had been just about to remark on the nice flight when the flight attendant working in the first class galley called us in the back.

I answered the phone, “This is Heather.”

An exasperated voice asked, “Is he back there?”

“Yeah, he’s here, hold on.” I shrugged my shoulders and handed the phone to the one in charge, a tall, tough-looking guy with a goatee. Don’t let the looks fool you. He’s really sweet and mushy inside.

“What!” he exclaimed, holding the phone to his ear. He rolled his eyes. “There’s a child lost in first class,” he said, and that’s all he said, hanging up the phone and making his way up the aisle to sort the matter out.

Of course the first thing that went through my mind was a visual of a very young child running through the first class cabin causing a ruckus. I figured the parents were asleep in coach and totally oblivious to the child’s whereabouts. I mean what else could it be?

Once while deadheading on a flight years ago, I felt something strange moving between my ankles. When I looked down, I gasped. Oh my. There on the floor crawled an infant – right out from underneath my seat! I picked up the baby, cradled her in my arms, and turned around. Behind me slept a young lady. I spotted what looked like a diaper bag lying on the seat beside her.

“Excuse me,” I said, tapping her on the bony shoulder. I held out the infant. “Is this yours?”

She nodded, took the baby into her own arms, leaned her head against the side wall, and closed her eyes.

Leesa, a Gadling reader (and soon to be flight attendant), wrote and told me about her experience with not just a lost child, but a child traveling with a parent who might as well have been lost, considering he knew no boundaries, another common occurrence on flights these days…

Once last year while on a Qantas flight back to the US from SYD, we were lucky enough to have one of the exit rows on a 747 where you have like 6 feet of wonderful leg room. Ahhhh, so nice. Anyhow, this man had his 2 year old screaming child for 2 hours dancing and singing right in front of us – in OUR leg room. Of course the crew was busy working so we were given an up close and rather unwanted performance RIGHT in our very coveted leg space!!! Hey, we booked early for those seats!!! The nerve!

I know this might be hard for some of you to believe, but no one wants to play with your child. So please do not assume that just because your little bundle of joy is adorable and smart that we all want to share our space with him or her. Nor does anyone want to watch your child making laps around the airplane. Now I’m not talking about walking up and down the aisle doing the bouncy bounce to make baby stop crying, or the quick lap around to get the blood flowing (just make sure the seat belt sign is not on), I’m talking about the trek from coach, through business class, all the way up to first class, and around again. People pay big money for those premium class seats and they do not want to be disturbed by you or your adorable little monster, which is why when the flight attendant in charge got the call, I assumed – we all assumed – there was just another child making the rounds.

Hey, it happens. But it’s our job to keep it from happening.

Unfortunately, in this case, there was nothing to stop from happening, because the child turned out to be a teenager, a very well mannered one, and the teenager happened to be looking for her father who was supposed to be sitting in first class while the rest of the family sat in coach. His empty seat had apparently been unoccupied the entire flight. No one had noticed. Immediately the purser grabbed the paperwork and sure enough, we really were missing a passenger in first class, and we were three hours into the flight.

Turns out the father had decided to run and get something to read at the bookstore prior to departure while the rest of the family boarded the aircraft and took their seats in main cabin. Because they were in coach and he was (supposed to be) in first class, they had no idea he never made it back in time. Can you imagine his face when he got to the gate and found the plane, along with his family, had departed to New York without him?

Which brings me to the lesson of the day. Passengers, do be on time! The airplane will not wait for you, even when you’re seated in first class. Flight attendants, do not assume anything, especially when it comes to passengers. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something new happens.

Photos courtesy of (little girl) artolog (first class seat) Richard Moross

Undiscovered New York: East Village by way of Japan

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Japan lies more than 6,500 miles away from New York, separated by an entire continent and the world’s largest ocean. But don’t let the distance fool you – there’s no place in the U.S. outside the West Coast that packs more Japanese culture per square foot than New York City.

Throughout the city you’ll find numerous Japanese restaurants, cultural events and businesses. Although the variety is great, covering everything from sushi spots to Japanese department stores like Takashimaya to Cherry Blossom festivals, finding New York’s Japanese culture can be a workout. It’s scattered all over the city.

Thankfully there is one area you can go to get a taste of Japan all in one place – Manhattan’s East Village. No area offers a higher concentration of Japanese culture. Though it bears no official title, the area is practically its own “Japantown,” boasting authentic Japanese businesses and cuisine: laid-back izakayas, quirky toy stores, hidden sake bars and authentic Japanese groceries are all waiting to be discovered.

Is that plane ticket to Tokyo not in the budget this year? Cheer up – consider New York as your backup option. Want to eat some of the best ramen this side of the Pacific Ocean? Do you know the difference between hot and cold sake? Looking for a place to pick up that obscure Astro Boy figurine? Then grab your suitcase as Undiscovered New York takes you to Japan by way of the East Village…
Ramen!!!!
If there’s one Japanese food we particularly love here at Undiscovered New York, it’s ramen. The truth of the matter is nothing beats the perfect combination of salty noodles, spicy toppings, fatty pork and crunchy vegetables that comprise one of Japan’s most famous dishes. You really have to try it to understand why.

New York’s East Village is ground zero for some of the city’s best ramen spots. Foodies love to debate which ramen shop has the best and/or most authentically Japanese ramen. Is it David Chang’s Momofuku Noodle Bar, a relative newcomer that now includes three sister restaurants? Or what about Ramen Setagaya, the spot many purists claim is most faithful to the Japanese ramen recipe? Not if you listen to the owners of straight-from-Japan Ippudo, the newest addition to the East Village’s brewing “ramen wars.” The only way to decide is to head to the East Village and try for yourself. Forget the fact we didn’t even cover the East Village’s numerous yakitoris, izakayas and sushi spots. That’s enough for its own post!

Japanese Toys
It’s sometimes said that New Yorkers live in a state of perpetual adolescence, always delaying the onset of adulthood for the priorities of career, finances and fun. There’s certainly some truth to that statement when you consider the preponderance of Japanese toy stores in the East Village, offering the latest and greatest in Japanese playthings.

Among the favorites is Toy Tokyo, stocking everything from your favorite 1980’s movie figurines to Japan’s favorite monster, Godzilla. Just a short walk east is J 1 Pan Toy, which carries a similarly impressive collection of Japanese stationery, DVD’s and greeting cards. Just one block north is Giant Robot, a gallery space with a smallish collection that tends to skew more towards the savvy and obsessive figurine collectors. If you still can’t get enough of that Japanese merchandise, there’s Aica, a retailer that specializes in “hard-to-find” collectibles straight from the motherland.

Time for a drink
If all the salty ramen and scouring of Japanese toy stores has made you thirsty, it’s time for a cold beverage. You could do worse than stopping by Decibel, an “underground” sake bar that’s literally hidden in the basement down a flight of steps. Stocking a huge selection of more than 70 varieties of the beverage, it’s a great place to try both hot and cold sakes and hang out with a friend.

If your thirst is more of the non-alcoholic variety, never fear, the East Village boasts several authentic Japanese grocery stores. Grab yourself a cold bottle of green tea or some Pocari Sweat over at Sunrise Mart. Nearby is Korean grocer M2M, which stocks a surprisingly large array of Japanese products, as well as JAS Mart on St. Mark’s.

4 ways to replicate your Puerto Rico vacation back at home

by Alison Brick on

What’s a traveler to do? You return from Puerto Rico, and have no choice but to store away the memories along with the suitcase, right? Not necessarily. The better solution: bring Puerto Rico back with you and incorporate her favorite qualities into your daily life.

1. Coffee: As a member of the tropical island club, Puerto Rico produces some fine coffee. And in Old San Juan, the best comes from Café Cola’o–or so I was told by a local, on a recent trip. So I went. So I drank. So I believed. The daily special (Adjuntas) was strong and smooth, without a hint of bitterness. Back at home, rather than hit up any ol’ Puerto Rican knock-off, you can order direct from the source. Check out the Café Cola’o Facebook page to order (Coffee costs $9-23, depending on the type and amount of coffee. Shipping costs $9.)

2. Flora: You hardly believed it the first time that you saw that Alice In Wonderland-like plant in the rain forest–the one whose leaves fold together when touched. But you don’t have to wait until your return to Puerto Rico to see the Mimosa pudica plant again. You can buy seeds online to grow your own “Tickle Me” plant.

3. Colors: Sunglow yellow, playful periwinkle, seaglass blue: these are the colors of your neighborhood…if you’re visiting Old San Juan. Back at home, leave your whitewashed walls behind and go directly to your nearest paint store. Bring those vibrant photos from your trip and compare them to paint chips for the truest colors.

4. Sounds: After a while, that tweeting sound from the treetops will become such a part of your Puerto Rico experience that you’ll only think about it again as you leave–when you notice its absence. It’s not a bird, it’s the coqui–a tiny tree frog. You might not have frogs back at home to respond to the calls (‘co’ serves as a warning to keep other frogs away, while ‘qui’ invites females to come closer). But playing the sounds after your trip will take you right back to the balmy evenings. Record a video and loop it on iTunes for ambient background noise, or leave a digital recorder running overnight on the balcony for an interruption-free replay.

%Gallery-47347%

Tuesday Travel Trivia (Week 20)

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Welcome back to Tuesday Travel Trivia, the game for smart people whose undemanding jobs leave them nothing else to do at 10 am on a Tuesday except answer a trivia quiz. Respect to last week’s big winners Alex and Eva, whose prizes are both in the mail.

Want to become this week’s champ? Check out the following ten questions and leave your answers in the comments. No Googling!

  1. The words schmooze and glitch both originated from what language spoken in the homes of almost 200,000 Americans?
  2. Which line of latitude is farther north: The Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn?
  3. Name one Beatles song whose lyrics are partly in a language other than English.
  4. What German-to-English loan word means “a strong desire or impulse to explore the world”?
  5. The most popular search engine in China is called what?
  6. If you saw the word “???????????” printed on the side of your airplane, what airline would you be flying?
  7. Name two rhyming European capitals. (Hint: Head east.)
  8. What popular travel writer penned the classic book Video Night in Kathmandu?
  9. The Arabic word hajj means “pilgrimmage,” one of the Five Pillars of Islam. To which of the Five Pillars does the word zakat refer?
  10. What actor and comedian is currently starring in the Broadway play You’re Welcome, America?

Last week‘s answers are printed below the fold…

  1. What famous American author, attempting to rediscover his home country in the 1960s, went on a three-month trip with his dog Charley and eventually penned the book Travels with Charley in Search of America? Answer: John Steinbeck
  2. Tokyo has at least seven cafes where customers pay about US$10 per hour to sip tea among what four-legged animals? Answer: Cats
  3. Fill in the two missing countries in this series: Russia, Canada, China, _________, _________, Australia, India. Answer: United States, Brazil (Largest Countries by Area)
  4. What is the occupation of the vast majority of people who work for the company Berlitz? Answer: Teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL)
  5. What four-letter British term means to engage in some type of public performance in order to earn tips? Answer: Busk
  6. If your plane is landing at Jose Marti International Airport, in which Caribbean capital city will you find yourself? Answer: Havana, Cuba
  7. What are the two official languages of the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus? Answer: Turkish & Greek
  8. What word for a type of Spanish appetizer means “lid” or “cover”? Answer: Tapas
  9. Which US state does not make up one of the “Four Corners,” the only spot where a person can be in four states at once: Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, or Colorado? Answer: Nevada
  10. What’s the name of the world’s largest organization of youth hostels, with more than 4,500 members? Answer: Hostelling International