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Destinations

The Journey to Bahir Dar

My journey to Bahir Dar, a small town crouched on the edge of Lake Tana, several hundred kilometers north of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, begins with a 4 A.M. wake-up knock on my hotel door. Longing for an hour or two more to recover from last night's rounds of Meta Beer and high-pitched music, I groggily wash and stuff my backpack.
Adana, a local guide, meets me outside and we catch a taxi to the central bus station. We join crowds of travelers waiting at the station gates and are sucked inside as the metal bars swing open and the chaos of ticket buying commences. The scene is a blur of shouting and pushing bodies crating sacks and baskets and jugs and babies-all understanding the signs and systems surrounding us, as I stand unknowing and uncomprehending. Continue story

Lebanon: Treasure of the Middle East
The small country of Lebanon, with its rich history and culture, offers tourists breathtaking scenery, unparalleled hospitality, mouthwatering cuisine, and elegant accommodations at an affordable price.
I am an American who recently married a Lebanese-born American. Since our wedding, I have been fortunate enough to have traveled to Lebanon on three separate occasions (twice in the summer, once in the winter). Many American and Europeans still regard Beirut, Lebanon's capital, as the former "Paris of the Middle East". What they don't realize, however, is that after decades of war and recent renovations, the city is now extremely safe and well on its way to reclaiming its title. This article will hopefully whet your appetite for a trip to this beautiful country. Continue story

Features


Following Frida in Mexico City
Finally, she is famous. Not long ago, her name was known only to serious patrons of the arts or those of Mexican descent. But a big budget movie starring Salma Hayek and multiple traveling exhibits have anchored Frida Kahlo solidly in the mainstream.   Now, her signature takes on surrealistic self-portraiture tower next to ads for Happy Meals and Chevy SUVs. Monkeys and the monobrow are in. Nearly fifty years after her death, the woman long shunned for both her radical art and politics has been embraced by the capitalist society she so often denounced. Somewhere, she is surely relishing the irony. Continue story

Japan's Shinkansen Culture: Experiencing Car Free, Refined Public Transit
Japan, the world's largest car producer, is best explored by train, bus, boat, bike, and on foot. Public transit generally offers visitors opportunity to learn more about foreign cultures. In Japan, culture can not be fully appreciated without experiencing its first class alternative transportation.
Yet North Americans, who may have suffered undependable, unpleasant and slow public transportation, may still feel reluctant totravel without their reliable automobile. Japan's public transit makes foreign guests rethink such car habits. In fact, renting a car there is senseless, burdensome and very costly. Continue story

Tours




Biking Tours around the World
Wherever you want to go, you can find hundreds of tour operators on GoNOMAD who can take you there to enjoy riding your bike abroad or around the U.S. We've compiled a new directory of these companies including their websites, for your enjoyment. View listings

Transports

Caravans, Footpaths and Walkabouts: Top Australia Transport Picks
Whether you're a jolly swagman or just a seppo* looking for a two-week holiday, Australia is a friendly, inexpensive, andEnglish-speaking destination. Geographically, it's nearly as vast as the continental United States, but the center is mostly desert. The majority of the population of 19.5 million lives on the coast. Don't try to visit the entire country at one time -- it is massive even when covered by airplane. Instead, focus on a few regions. The most popular routes cover the East Coast from Cairns to Melbourne, with sidetrips to Alice Springs or Darwin thrown in. Continue story.

I'd Turn Back If I Were You: Canoeing Africa's Lower Zambezi There are four things to watch out for on the Zambezi," said Bono, the chief river guide on my four-day Shearwater canoe/camping safari. "One: crocs. Don't stick your hands or feet in the water. Two: hippos. They have four-inch teeth. Let them know you're here like this." He tapped his paddle loudly on the canoe."Three: visible tree stumps. Avoid them. Four: tree stumps below the surface. You can identify them by the way the water flows on the surface. Okay?" Continue story

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Write for us. We are interested in your travel stories. We want stories about places you don't read about everywhere. Different, faraway places in the U.S. and around the world, that will make for exciting reading. If you can provide us with lots of details on where to stay, where to eat, what not to miss and of course, the many websites about the place, we'd love to hear from you.   Visit this link to read our writer's guidelines.   We are especially interested in destination guides to your hometown.