A Hilarious Read: Brian Sack’s Squat Toilet Story

by Jamie Rhein on

I have just finished laughing harder than I have laughed in months. I kid you not. I’m still chuckling and shaking my head thinking about how hard I was laughing a few minutes ago.

While I was browsing our Gadling comments, I came across one posted by Gadling reader Marilyn Terrell who often leaves wonderful traveling tips on various posts. On Willy’s post on squat toilets, she posted a link to another how to use a squat toilet missive. This one was written by Brian Sack and posted on his blog Banterist. This is piece of writing that rivals David Sedaris in the funny factor, and I adore David Sedaris. Sack is hilarious. Because I loved Sack’s essay “China Dispatch: How to Use a Squat Toilet” so much, I wanted to give it its own post. His weblog isn’t exactly a travel blog, but he travels.

Sack’s is the male version of using a squat toilet. A female version would need to have some reference to trying not to pee on one’s shoes. I can see a series of squat toilet stories. How about a book, Squat Toilet for Dummies? It could include an entry on how to use a squat toilet on a moving train, for example. How to use a squat toilet when you have your personal belongings with you such as a camera bag, sunglasses, a purse, a day pack or whatever.

For another laugh, check out the You Tube video on the “About Banterist” page. It’s an interview with John Mayer. Thanks, Marilyn for such a funny, funny read.

Travel Writing Contest: What Is Your Worst Travel Fear?

by Willy Volk on

If you’re sick of reading travel stories that detail where to camp in luxury or get a cheap massage in Bali, maybe it’s time to put fingers to keyboard and show the world how travel writing should be done.

Road Junky is sponsoring a travel writing contest, and they “want to hear about travel stories where you were confronted with your worst fears and how you dealt with them – maybe you were almost killed in a bus accident in India, maybe you were attacked by bandits on the Kenyan border or maybe you just came home to find a credit card bill in 5 figures. It’s up to you.” Off the top of my head, a few other story ideas could be:

  • That time the power went out in the capital and the hotel guests all started speaking in tongues.
  • That time you were kayaking and a hippo appeared about 50 feet from you — right between you and shore.
  • That time you flipped in the crocodile-infested waters of the Class V rapids and you lost the raft.

Oh, wait. Those things all happened to me. Maybe I need to get writing. The deadline is June 31, 2007.

Whogoslavia Means Traveling with Kids

by Grant Martin on

How many folks have heard, “Travel now before you have kids?” When I didn’t have kids and I was traveling it was, “It is good you’re traveling now before you have kids” as if once I had kids, I’d park myself in a chair somewhere to do what, I don’t know. I always figured as soon as a kid is born one should hit the road to get him or her used to hitting the road. When we adopted our daughter from Vietnam when she was 3 1/2 years old we were living in Singapore. Two weeks later we moved back to the U.S. and a two-month-long journey that brought us from Hawaii to Ohio through California, New Mexico and New York, some of which was done in a U-Haul.

Writer Ayun Halliday has really hit the road with her husband and kids. They’re on a journey this month to various spots in the Balkans and she’s chronicling the trip on one of her websites, Whogoslavia. Halliday is one of those writers’ writers who discover a never-ending source of fodder in daily life because she gets out there and lives. For those of you who’ve thought about setting up your own travel website, hers is a clever example. For those of you who fancy traveling with kids, this might entice you to jump on in. I know it makes me think that we need to cash in our frequent flier miles soon and go somewhere further than where our car can take us.

[from ParentDish.com]

Gadling Podcast: David Farley

by Erik Olsen on

A while back, travel writer David Farley decided to undertake a rather odd quest: he left the cozy comfort of his New York City apartment and set out to find, or at least to learn what happened to, one of the most sacred, um, and shriveled, relics in all of Christendom.

I am talking about Jesus’ foreskin. Farley moved to the Italian village of Calcata and spent months exploring nooks and books to find out the answer. The online magazine Slate even gave him some digital ink to tell his story…or at least where the story lies so far.

In this all-new gadling podcast, I talk with David not only about this glorious quest, but also about the life of a travel writer and how he manages to make a living in one of the most competitive and challenging of professions. You can check out some of Dave’s other work at his website here.

So take a moment, put this on your ipod, and enjoy.

Rolf Potts + Travel Writing Classes + St. Petersburg, Russia = Fabulous June

by Willy Volk on

In addition to teaching creative nonfiction (a.k.a. travel writing) classes at the Paris American Academy this July, Rolf Potts will also be teaching a two-week course in travel writing at the Summer Literary Seminar in St. Petersburg, Russia. Russia?! Isn’t that, like, far? Well, yes…but the idea is that by visiting a totally foreign culture, a writer will experience a jolt of creative energy that will energize their writing and inspire greatness.

If you want to experience a jolt, maybe you should sign up for the course, which runs June 17-30. In it, participants take part in daily writing and literature-ish activities, like “Literary Walks” in St. Petersburg, introductory Russian language courses, and more. The 2-week course runs $1850 plus room and board, so it isn’t cheap. However, this is a great opportunity to get away, experience a foreign culture in a very visceral way, and write about it.

Who knows? If you get inspired, you might get published, and the trip would pay for itself.

[Photo: vetkaa]