Keep on Traveling

This is my last blog entry, as my semester has ended and so has my internship. I want to thank everyone who read my blog and supported it, and I hope you enjoyed the articles I posted. This was my first experiment with a blog, and I hope that I did ok.

I'll keep traveling and writing about it, so keep an eye out and maybe you'll see some more articles from me in the future. All I can really say is keep traveling and looking for the stories about other experiences. It's the best way to learn about a culture, and definitely the most enjoyable way to learn.

Whether you go to Ireland for St. Patrick's Day or to Spain for Feria de abril, there are tons of things out there to experience, and you should try to see as much of them as you can. They'll definitely help you understand your own culture better.

If you ever want to reach me, my new email address is jon.brandt8@gmail.com

Take care!

A Guidebook for Disabled Travelers

In a new article up on GoNOMAD, an excerpt from a new guidebook by Candy Harrington, entitled "101 Accessible Vacations: Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers" talks about how to travel and get around in San Francisco if you're disabled. Harrington lists a number of activities, places to go, and how to get around. Here's a short clip.

Several taxi companies, including Yellow Cab and Town Taxi, have taxi vans with ramp access and wheelchair tie-downs. The fares are the same for accessible taxis as for standard taxis, but they can be difficult to find on the street. The best course of action is to call the taxi company directly or have your hotel doorman get one for your.

BART operates an underground train system which runs along Market Sreet and serves the downtown tourist area. It also connects to several other BART lines and stops at the International Terminal at the San Francisco International Airport.

All BART stations are accessible by elevator, however it’s not uncommon for elevators to be out of service. Plan ahead, check with the BART elevator hotline and always have an alternate route or stop in mind, just in case of an elevator breakdown.

Additionally, San Francisco Muni operates a bus and train system. The trains feature roll-on access and the buses have lifts, kneelers and wheelchair tie-downs. A free Muni Access Guide, which details accessible services throughout the system, is available from the Muni Accessible Services office.

Of course you have to make some choices and decisions when visiting San Francisco, as it’s literally impossible to see everything. Fisherman’s Wharf tops my must-see list, as it offers a wide variety of food options, lots of street entertainment and the best people-watching west of the Mississippi. You’ll find plenty of curb-cuts, accessible parking and level access throughout the wharf area.

You can read the entire article at GoNOMAD.com

The Boom in Kazakhstan

Though some people only know of Kazakhstan as the poor nation that the ridiculous character "Borat" comes from, The New York Times writes that it's actually a country on the rise. Thanks in part to oil revenues, the nation's largest city, Almaty, has experienced a surge in wealth and culture, and is becoming a hot spot. Here's a piece from the article.

In short, Almaty is no longer a hardship outpost for the diplomats and the oil industry executives who still dominate the city’s visitor logs. Although the overwhelming percentage of visitors continues to be businesspeople, some have begun extending their stays to spend a weekend skiing above the Medeo winter sports complex, to visit nearby nature preserves (among them, the Charyn Canyon, which in breadth and sheer drama compares favorably to the Grand Canyon), or just to explore the city of nearly two million people. “Almaty feels raw, sketchy, and that can be fascinating,” said Brooke Arnao, the online video director for Money-Media, a New York publishing company, who stayed for a weekend after a conference.

But although the forested streets and urban parks create pleasant, verdant scenes in summer, the city has little of the Silk Road charm of neighboring cities like Samarkand and Bukhara in Uzbekistan. Much of Almaty’s architecture dates from the 1960s and ’70s, not a celebrated time in Soviet design. Still, there are several worthwhile city pilgrimages. The Russian Orthodox church in Panfilov Park, built entirely of wood — including the nails — sits across from the Artisan bathhouse, an opulent Soviet vision of the old take-to-the-waters remedy. The Almaty art museum has fine examples of contemporary Kazakh art, and the carpet sellers on the ground floor sell Kazakh rugs (a 4-by-10-foot carpet runs about 73,000 tenge, or $594, at 125 tenge to the dollar.)

You can read the rest of the article at NYtimes.com

The Top 53 Places To Go in 2008

If you're trying to figure out where to go for a vacation in the upcoming year, you should check out a new collection of articles from The New York Times about the top 53 destinations for 2008. From Laos to New York, the Times lists each location and gives some information on it. It's a great way to get some ideas for traveling. Here is the entry on the number 1 location, Laos.

Vietnam and Cambodia are so 2007. Now, Laos is shaping up to be Indochina’s next hot spot. Ancient sites like the Wat Phou temple complex and the capital city of Vientiane are drawing culture seekers. Luxury teak houseboats are cruising down the Mekong. And global nomads are heading to Luang Prabang to sample the Laotian tasting menu at 3 Nagas or hang out by the infinity pool at the seriously upscale Résidence Phou Vao.

You can read about all 53 locations at NYtimes.com

A Return to Israel

In a new travel article from The Boston Globe, writer Bill Strubbe writes about returning to Israel. Strubbe was traveling to Tel Aviv in 1975 and wound up staying and living on a Kibbutz for four years. In a recount of his old days in Israel and the current visit, he draws a picture of a land with many beauties and treasures. Here's a piece.

I always know I'm back in my adopted second home by the familiar potpourri of citrus blossoms, bus fumes, and fried falafel wafting on the Mediterranean breeze. It always seems like only yesterday that one jet-lagged, Catholic-raised, bell-bottomed hippie American kid unknowingly checked into a grungy hookers' hotel in Tel Aviv and ended up living on a kibbutz for four years.

It was 1975 and the Yom Kippur War of two years earlier lingered in collective agony, and Golda Meir, though recently deposed, held sway. Indelible still is the thrill of sitting in the kibbutz dining hall 30 feet away as the legendary matriarch spoke about her life.

Three years have elapsed since my last visit, but on the occasion of the kibbutz's 70th anniversary, as I drive north to Ein Hashofet, about 12 miles south of Haifa, I quickly pick up where I left off. I reflexively revert to aggressive Israeli driving tactics, sunflower seed husks expertly split between tooth and tongue litter the rental car, and my rusty Hebrew is starting to rev up.

At the kibbutz I catch up with adopted family and friends, get acquainted with new grandchildren at the swimming pool, and bicycle through the impressive gardens (visitors often ask how the kibbutz was able to locate in a park; 70 years ago it was bare dirt and stone). I survey the new residential neighborhood springing up, the two-story houses far outshining the simple one room I once lived in.

You can read the rest of the article at Boston.com

Ruins in Cambodia

In a new travel article up on GoNOMAD, writer Stephen Brookes talks about a trip he took with his wife to Cambodia. Brookes writes that he loves visiting ancient ruins all over the world, but the rest pale in comparison to southeast Asia. Here's a selection from the article.

If you’ve been to Angkor, you’ve been to Siem Reap, where all the hotels and restaurants are located. But if you were there more than a few years ago, you won’t recognize the place. On my first trip, in 1999, it was just a dusty little backwater with a couple of teashops and some cheesy, Chinese-built hotels on the road to the airport. The most exciting thing about it was leaving.

But tourism has exploded in Angkor over the past decade, and Siem Reap has turned into the liveliest, hippest place in Cambodia. The town has woken up -- more than a hundred new hotels have sprung up (many of them luxurious five-star palaces) and new restaurants, guest houses, clubs, spas, art galleries, internet cafes and bookstores seem to open up every week.

It’s still got its small town charm, but with an unmistakable buzz. And while the temples will always be the main draw, Siem Reap is starting to turn into a pretty interesting destination on its own.

And for us –- drained after too much sun, stone and ancient history -- it was blessed relief. We lazed our way around the narrow, shady streets of the old French Quarter, talking with people and exploring.

There’s a lot of traditional Cambodian life going on, but it’s mixed up with ultra-modern boutiques, lively bars and smart little cafes that look like they were just airdropped in from Paris. The feel of the place is completely informal; Siem Reap is so casual, in fact, that most of the streets don’t even have names.

And we kept stumbling across the unexpected – fried spiders in outdoor food markets, contemporary art in the McDermott Gallery, a place called Herb’s that serves marijuana pizza, an extremely cool one-room luxury hotel called the One Hotel and – our favorite -- a netted courtyard restaurant called the Butterfly Garden, where we idled away a morning eating blueberry pancakes ($4), while hundreds of butterflies fluttered around us.

You can read the rest of the article at GoNOMAD.com

XShot Photography

Do you ever want to take a picture of yourself with some cool background but have no one else around to do it for you? Rather than just sticking your arm out as far as it goes and having a bad picture as the result, now you can use a new product to help out.

The XShot works like a tripod to attach your camera and sticks it out from 9 to 37 inches. All you have to do is attach it safely and then take your version of a modern self-portrait. You can use the XShot just about anywhere, and it can be stored conveniently in your bag. It also has a lanyard to hang from your wrist.

Often times today you want to be able to take your picture wherever you go. If you're alone it could be hard to find someone to take your picture. If you're with a friend and both want to be in the picture, you'll have to find another way. That is why the XShot is a new and cool way to make sure all of your photos come out just the way you want them to.

Visit www.XShotpix.com for more information on the product.

Reflections on Grenada

Keep your eyes open over the next few years and you'll start to see Grenada in the press more often. For an island that is only 21 miles long and slowly being eroded by the Atlantic Ocean, it is a land on the rise. While the events of the last 25 years have shocked and changed the island, the next 25 will shock and change the outside worlds' impression of the nation.

Whether it was invasion of 1983, Hurricane Ivan in 2004, or Hurricane Emily in 2005, the Grenadians learned that they had to change and improve their island if they wanted to survive. Considering a great deal of their income derives through tourism, this was ever more of an issue than in other nations that have also had to transition and accept change.

Just outside of the capital, St. George's, is a multi-million dollar project aimed at expanding the natural marina and allowing for hundreds of 40-foot boats and yachts to be able to drop anchor in Grenada. Though the island suffered from two hurricanes in the last decade, it generally is spared by hurricanes because of how far south it is. Because of this, many boat owners keep their ships in the marina during hurricane season.

These improvements to the marina will allow for millions of dollars in revenue to circulate throughout the island, improving, among other things, agriculture and education. While some have speculated that all of the improvements to the tourism industry by outside investors will cause the locals to fall into a trap of service industry workers, the British investors insist that they're intentions are to improve the conditions and then hand over the operations to Grenadians. They've even helped start a Hotel and Tourism Management major at the university so that the locals can educate themselves and work in upper management roles.

It's clear that tourism is what drives the economic success of the island, and though the charm of Grenada is its innocence and lack of crowds, bustle, and congestion, the secret will invariably always get out. The Grenadians are wonderful people, and like any other nationals, they want to see their home prosper and draw visitors. The resilience of the Grenadians is amazing, and they will continue to work on and improve their homeland for years to come.

For information on Grenada, visit
www.grenadagrenadines.com

The Way of the Grenadine

Any time I visit a place I've never been to before I like to meet some of the locals and find out about the life of an average resident. The tourist attractions are great and all, but I want to know what it's really like to live in Paris, or where the best dive-pub in Dublin is. In Grenada, so much of the average person's life has been shaped by struggle and rebuilding.

Take for instance the American invasion of the island in 1983. This, unfortunately, is one of the only reasons many people know of the island, and it doesn't do the Grenadines justice to just dwell on the subject. It's not a topic that you can just bring up and chat about. It was a terrible event, and it's hard to talk about. Edwin Frank, the Public Relations Officer from the Board of Tourism, has been assigned to work with our group and showed us around the island yesterday.

Frank doesn't talk much about the invasion, but he did reveal that when the Americans came, he was working as a DJ for a radio station which was bombed. He survived, but was hiding for two weeks with some companions, losing a great deal of weight. Not knowing what happened to him, his family was told he was dead. Frank described a scene of confusion and pain throughout the island, and though the war ended his days as a DJ, he did have a cheerful outlook on it. As a result of it all, he came to work in the Board of Tourism, and now holds a very prestigious position.

You can also look at the devastation that Hurricane Ivan brought in 2004. Ivan hit Grenada with Category 3 strength, killing 39 people. Almost 85% of the island was destroyed. The storm brought the kind of devastation that can scar an island and leave it uninhabitable, but the 100,000 Grenadines pushed on and worked hard to rebuild. It's hard for some to talk about Ivan still, as it was one of the worst events in recent history for the island. But before you can even discuss the disaster, you have to look at the reconstruction.

Today, the island looks as if there never was a destructive storm. Some trees are bare and occasionally you'll see areas where rubble still lies, but otherwise you wouldn't even know. The Grenadines worked hard to get back on their feet, and it shows. The hotels and resorts have been restored and improved, and it's safe to say that Grenada is one of the best kept secrets of the Caribbean.

While tourists flock to islands like St. Martin or Grand Cayman, Grenada has the same temperature and natural beauties, but no where near as many tourists. If you've been to an island in the Caribbean that was nice but had too many tourists, imagine it 30 years ago, and you have Grenada, only modernized.

The Grenadines try to make everyone feel welcome and at home, and the hospitality is definitely not an act. With such good hosts and a charming atmosphere, it will be hard to leave when the time comes.

Time Flies When You're Having Rum

We started out the day by doing some driving around and touring. Stopping in the market at St. George's was interesting, and though there were people trying to get you to buy things, there was a laid back attitude, and all you needed to do was say "no thanks." If you've been to some crazier markets, like the Medina in Fez, Morocco, for example, this was a cake walk.

One of the real highlights of the day came at the River Antoine Rum Distillery. Opened in 1785, the distillery is one of the oldest in the country, and still uses most of the machinery that was shipped over from Darby, England in the same year. As the guide said, "Not much has changed since." With 3 owners, River Antoine employs 90 people. The reason for this is the old machinery. Rather than updating with computers and newer technology, the distillery has chosen to remain traditional for two reasons.

First, there is the tradition of making the rum. Pride goes into the work, and the Grenadines who work here are passionate about the rum. Second, updating would take away jobs, and the owners are more concerned with the quality of staff than turning some extra profits. Though it's Saturday and no one is working, we were still shown around and given a history of the process.

The power source comes from the river, hence the name, and the ancient water wheel powers the distillery. We were offered samples of the rum, and just as the rum appeared, the women in the group decided to step outside. Now the men showed their medal by trying the rum, marked at a whopping 75% alcohol per volume content. River Antoine makes their rum with a minimum of 75%, and sometimes takes it up to 86%. This means that if you like it and want to buy a bottle, you need to drink it all before you leave, because legally you can't take alcohol on a plane that's higher than 70%.

Sometimes to counter this, they'll water down the rum a bit. Otherwise, they won't sell you the higher volume stuff. Every bottle is hand bottled, so only 2,000 bottles are made a week. Remember, it can't be exported, so it's made by Grenadines for Grenadines.

First I tried the 75% alc rum. It was powerful, to say the least. Next I went for the big guns. Before I even got the 86% in my mouth I could sense it coming strong. The resulting effect was a grimace and some indigestion lasting for the next hour or so. And I thought Absinthe was bad. It was powerful stuff, and if we hadn't eaten lunch shortly before, I probably would have fallen asleep on the ride back.

Rum seems to be the drink of choice in the Caribbean, and whether it's clear or dark, you have a plethora to chose from. If nothing else was gained from this day, at least I can say I had the most potent rum I've ever had in my life, and I owe that to Grenada.