Endangered spaces: Kashgar’s Old City

by Kraig Becker on

Kashgar is an ancient city in the western part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China. It’s origins date back more than 2000 years, when it was an important trade stop on the Silk Road. Over the centuries it has been visited by the likes of Ghenghis Khan and Marco Polo, amongst many others, and it has a rich history as a trade outpost.

Today, Kashgar is no longer the focal point of a major trade route, but it is a fantastic tourist destination, with history around every corner and down every narrow street. More than 220,000 people live and work there, but according to this story, from the U.K. newspaper The Guardian, the Chinese government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to demolish the historic Old City in Kashgar to make way for modern structures, which will take the place of centuries old buildings, many of which are still inhabited by artisans and craftsman.

When the demolition begins next year, more than 85% of Kashgar’s Old City will be destoryed, with thousands of inhabitants being relocated to newer, safer buildings. When the project is complete, Kashgar will practically be a completely new city, and the unique and intresting historical sections will be almost completely gone. The question is, when they are gone, is there any reason for travelers to still make the journey to the city?

If you’re an adventurous traveler who enjoys visiting unique, historical places, and you haven’t made it to Kashgar yet, you may want to book a trip in the next few months. The days are numbered for the Old City, and soon Kashgar will be just like so many other modern cities in China.

Cruising the Northwest Passage

by Kraig Becker on

Global climate change has had an undeniable effect on the planet, with weather patterns changing dramatically, polar ice caps melting, and sea levels rising, altering coastlines and reshaping boundaries. For evidence of these changes you only need to look north, where global warming has caused arctic pack ice to break-up and melt, opening the legendary Northwest Passage for navigation for the first time.

For centuries explorers and merchants sought out a sailing route north of Canada that would link the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Such a route would have made travel to the far east much easier and faster, but all attempts to uncover such a path, which was dubbed the Northwest Passage, were met with thousands of miles of impenetrable ice. Famous adventures, such as John Cabot and Captain James Cook, risked their lives, and their ships, to find the Northwest Passage, but no one was able to complete the navigation until Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen made the voyage back in 1908 aboard a specially designed ice vessel. Amundsen’s journey took three years however, and was not commercially viable for merchant ships.

Fast forward to last year, when the route was declared navigable by the Candian Coast Guard, and the first commercial ship made its way through the Passage. By late summer, the waterway was said to be nearly completely free from ice, and safe for ships to pass through, and it remained that way until the arrival of winter, when the route froze shut once again.The cruise industry has never been one to miss a business opportunity, and there have been a number of tour operators that have begun offering Northwest Passage cruises for 2009. Most begin in Nome or Anchorage, Alaska, but others can be found departing such places as Ottawa, Canada or even Kangerlussuaq, Greenland. The cruises vary in length from two to three weeks, which is a far cry from Amundsen’s three year voyage, and they remain on the expensive side now, with most staring around $10,000 and up.

A Northwest Passage cruise is a true adventure into mostly unknown waters, and a travel experience that few have had the opportunity to witness. But with increased traffic along the route, and plenty of ice to contend with, we can only hope that the ships don’t suffer an accident such as the ones that have occurred in Antarctica, where several ships have run aground, and another has sunk after striking an iceberg. However, those that do take a cruise through the Passage are booking a trip into history, as they pass through a realm that has been, until now, off limits to all but the hardiest polar explorers.

Peace brings tourists back to Lebanon

by Sean McLachlan on

Even by the standards of the Middle East, Lebanon has had a rough time of it. A bitter civil war and periodic Israeli invasions have left much of the country in ruins, but now that order appears to be restored, the country’s tourism ministry is wooing visitors back.

Lebanon has a lot going for it–beautiful beaches, good skiing, fine dining, fantastic historical sights, and cheap accommodation. There are World Heritage Sites such as Qadisha Valley (pictured here), a lush region sheltering ancient Christian communities. Unlike much of the Middle East, alcohol is legal and there’s good nightlife. There once was a time when Beirut was the party town of the Mediterranean. Of course that was before Ford was president, but there’s always hope that it can be so again. Hey, why not?

According to a BBC report, hundreds of thousands of tourists have visited Lebanon this year and officials are hoping for two million tourists before the end of the summer. Not bad for a country with a population of only four million.

The country has been relatively stable recently, and if they can keep Hezbollah in line and avoid getting attacked by Israel again, travelers looking for a bargain will have another stop on their agenda.

I’ve seen Lebanon, but only from across the border in Syria! Have you been to Lebanon? Post your experiences in the Comments section.

Great American Road Trip: The Corn Palace

by Jamie Rhein on

It took three trips through South Dakota before we made it to The Corn Palace, a mecca of sorts in Mitchell, a town that seems as if it might be in the middle of nowhere. The middle of nowhere is a significant detail. Back in 1892, settlers to South Dakota wanted to showcase the harvest bounty of the state and attract people to the area.

If you’ve driven through South Dakota in this decade–it’s a favorite of ours for a Great American Road Trip, something we do each summer, one thing that’s evident is that there are expanses of land between towns. Imagine what 1892 must have looked like. Nothing but land for miles and miles and miles. No gas stations. No houses. No truck stops. Nothing. There wasn’t even a Mount Rushmore.

When the first settlers fashioned a building here out of panels of ears of corn and grains grown in the fertile soil of South Dakota, they probably didn’t imagine that their “The Corn Belt Exposition” would become the ground work for an explosion of gift shops, restaurants and every other touristy schlock a person can think of. Schlock, however, can be fabulous.

If you look beyond the excesses of “stuff” a person can buy in Mitchell, the passion and fortitude of South Dakota is evident in what The Corn Palace is today.

The current building was built in 1921, and the Moorish-style domes and minarets added in 1937. Originally, the building was made of wood, and looked more like a castle. It was also located on another spot in town.

Throughout the structural changes and new location, each year new murals are made of ears of corn and grains. The murals follow a theme and are created by local artists. Last year’s theme, the one we saw, was “Everyday Heroes.”

This year’s theme is a Gadling favorite topic: “America’s Destinations.”

Besides being Mitchell’s main tourist attraction, The Corn Palace, serves as a multi-purpose auditorium and exposition center.

We spent about an hour and a half here. If you go, really take time to look at each of the murals, both outside and inside the building. Although we didn’t take the tour (I think we didn’t have the time), it would be one way to find out more about South Dakota’s agricultural history and the building. For example, the various colors of the mural are due to the grains and type of corn used. There are 13 shades of corn in the current design.

Click here for more facts. As much as The Corn Palace could be touted as tacky, it could be touted as a work of art. Think of the entire building as a thematic art exhibit of sorts.

Plus, the items on sale inside are totally corn related. If anything, browsing through the offerings is a lesson in how much corn inspires people to make knickknacks. Items range from tacky to terrific. I had a blast wandering through the variety and picked up popcorn balls, postcards and a few tasteful presents.

The snack bar outside the auditorium has affordable eats. Of course, we bought ears of corn followed by ice-cream. The ice-cream was not corn related, but South Dakota is hot in the summer and ice-cream bribes make summer road trips bearable.

Although we passed through here last July, August is a month to consider. At the end of the month is the Corn Palace Festival. This year the festival is from August 26-August 30.

Oh, yeah. The Corn Palace definitely fits into budget travel. Admission is free. [all photos by Jamie Rhein]

Tour Detroit’s “good, bad, and hopeful” sides

by Katie Hammel on

Detroit gets a bad rap. So bad, it was voted the “Least Favorite” city in a recent TripAdvisor poll. But one local is trying to help both visitors and residents get a better understanding of the city, to see that maybe it’s not the punch line everyone thinks it is.

Linda Yellin, the creator of Feet on the Street Tours, runs walking, bike, and bus tours of the city for individuals and tour groups. One of the most popular tours is called “The Good, the Bad, and the Hopeful – You Be the Judge”. It’s held the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month and costs $25 per person. Says Yellin, “We created the city sightseeing bus tour . . . because we wanted people to see and decide for themselves – not just assume what they hear or read is correct. We guarantee that people will get a new view of [Detroit].”

As the title of the tour implies, the goal is to show all sides of Detroit. Instead of glossing over the city’s blight, the tour will take you past plenty of crumbling buildings and abandoned lots, and explain the circumstances that led to the city’s current condition. It will also show you the institutions that have stood strong in the city for years and the rich history surrounding them. The tour will take you past the “hopeful” too – the signs of life being breathed into the city in the form of new shops and restaurants and a burgeoning local art scene.

Tours can be customized to focus on Detroit’s history, architecture, music, culture, food, or art, or to concentrate on a certain neighborhood of the city. Learning about the history of Motown Records in Detroit, exploring the festive neighborhood of Greektown, gallery-hopping to see works from the city’s up and coming artists, or sampling fresh produce and local specialties from the vendors at Eastern Market are among a few of the options.