Travel Blog

Filed under: Learning, Photos, Africa, Europe, China, Japan, Singapore, Germany, United States, Argentina

A few years ago, I was asked to be a guest speaker at a conference geared towards teachers. Each session had to do with either Japan, Germany and Africa. So, there you have it. A vast, diverse, complicated continent with the same billing as two countries. I narrowed my topic down to comparing Nigeria and The Gambia.

To really see Africa’s impact all one needs to do is see which of the world’s countries can fit inside it.

The statistics are staggering. Africa’s square miles are hard to wrap ones mind around. The first time I went there, I thought it would be easy to country hop from The Gambia to Kenya. Yeah, right. Going back to the U.S. was easier. What other countries could you add into the 29,843,826 of the countries represented here without going over? Singapore for sure. [via A Welsh View]

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Filed under: Food and Drink, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America

Traveling with food allergies must be hard.

Even in many countries in Europe, menus simply don’t list all the ingredients used in meals. My Canadian friend went into an allergic shock in Prague because of his nuts allergy. He figured eating a sandwich would be safe. Of course, they didn’t mention the sandwich had pesto in it. And pesto contains pine nuts…

And that’s Prague, which is now fairly Westernized. Imagine what it must be like to travel in Asia, where not only do they use peanuts a lot more but it is much harder to read the menus and find people who speak English well enough.

This ABC article talks about traveling with allergies. It is about the challenges of a traveler with serious food allergies, who presents a card to the waiter noting his allergies to peanuts and peas, written in the native tongue. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. Some waiters even say that they have “never heard of such allergies.”

I found it really interesting to read, although I don’t have any allergies. How do you deal with food allergies when traveling?

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Filed under: Blogs, Stories, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Burundi, Somalia, Bangladesh, China, Iraq, North Korea, Russian Federation, Ukraine, United States, Papua New Guinea, News, Travel Health

April Fool’s Day, 2007, I wrote a post on Linfen, China. Although it was written as a joke, the premise is true. Linfen is a royal mess. Its mighty pollution problem has earned it the number 2 spot on the recent “Hells on Earth” list. The air quality in Linfen is so horrific that there is a perpetual feeling of dusk in this coal dust laden city.

Here’s the rest of the ten places that have a hellish quality. Perhaps you know of others that should have made the cut.

10. Baghdad, Iraq–No surprise here. What, with the war and all, it doesn’t matter if the place has one of the coolest names. According to the article, the city is so dangerous, it’s hard to find people out and about on the streets.

9. Dhaka, Bangladesh–And to think I almost moved here. I had a job interview that I canceled because getting to this place was a hassle. The pollution is problematic. That’s why it’s on the list. Too bad because, everyone I’ve ever met from Bangladesh has been a real gem of a person.

8. Yakutsk, Russia–When I read that this city is the coldest place on earth, that stopped me cold. We’re talking major frostbite. Temperatures can go down to -58 degrees, according to the article. If you’re a kid, it’s a day off from school, so for the younger crowd, this might be heaven.

7. Mogadishu, East Africa (Somalia)–Another one of my favorite city names. I’ve have many students from Somalia–lovely people, and they shake their heads in sorrow over what once was. No one is minding the store in this country that has been wrecked to shambles. The rebels keep running amok. This truly does not sound like a relaxing place to get away. Get away from, sure.

6. Chernobyl, Ukraine–If you want a radiation boost that could do you in, come here. Most of the city was deserted after the nuclear explosion in 1986 and it has not recovered since. There aren’t any prospects for a brighter future either.

5. Oklahoma City, The United States–But the state has such a catchy song, you might be protesting. What’s wrong with Oklahoma City? Weather, that’s what. A Kansas tornado has nothing on Oklahoma City’s. The Ask.Men folks cite 320 mph winds as the fastest. That seems like enough to turn eyelids inside out. Besides that, blizzards are also fierce. I’ve driven through here a couple times on a calm day–always in the summer, and not a gust in sight. Who knew?

4. Pyongyang, North Korea–Gadling blogger, Neil went here and found that hell must have things to like. Sure there’s some hellish, oddball qualities to Pyongyang, but he found it worth the visit. If you can handle the oppression and a tour guide who never lets you wander off on your own, this might feel more like limbo than hell.

3. Bujumbura, Republic of Burundi–If the accounts of people in Burundi feeling the least satisfied than all other people in the world is true, I’d say this is hell indeed. Look at this list for starters. They feel worse than people who live in Linfen? The reason for Burundi’s problems is the corruption.

1. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea–This place does sound like a hell hole. The murder rate, according to Ask.Men is 23 times that of London and gangs and disease–like HIV, run rampant. Swell.

My good friend over at BloggingStocks and WalletPop, Tom Barlow gave me a heads up on this one. Thanks, Tom.

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Filed under: Africa, Egypt, Big in Japan

This week, Big in Japan is on vacation in the Middle East, and will be bringing you travel news and happenings from around this often misunderstood region.

Home to the last remaining wonder of the ancient world, namely the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt is the original tourist destination. While the Greeks were writing epics and the Romans conquering civilizations, powerful Egyptian dynasties had long come and gone. Indeed, ancient Upper and Lower Egypt were some of the most sophisticated and complex civilizations to have ever existed on the planet.

The Great Pyramids are nearly always at the top of the most tourist itineraries in Egypt. Indeed, a camel trek through the desert plains of Giza is a memorable experience, assuming of course you ignore the fact that pyramids themselves are now located across from a KFC!

But, there are plenty of things you can do in Egypt that don’t involve pyramids. Although this list is by no means expansive, here are our top 5 suggestions for getting the most out of your Egyptian odyssey.

1) Cruise the Nile - The lifeblood of Africa is the Nile River, which has fostered civilizations for several millennia. Generally regarded as the longest river in the world (though the Amazon may in fact have it beat!), a cruise along the palm-fringed banks of the Nile is a quintessential Egyptian experience - particularly memorable is the stretch from Aswan to Luxor.

2) Visit Abu Simbel - While you’re down in Aswan, don’t miss Abu Simbel, two massive rock temples that were carved out of a mountainside by Pharaoh Ramesses II and Queen Nefertari in the 13th century BC. Remarkably, the entire complex was relocated in 1the 960s following flooding caused by the construction of the Aswan dam. The temple is also located near the Sudanese border, which definitely gives you some serious travel bragging rights!

3) Summit Mt. Sinai - Regardless of your religious beliefs, few can resist the magnetic attraction of the fabled mountain where Moses is reported to have received the Ten Commandments. Start your climb in the late evening (bring a flashlight!) so that you can reach the summit in time for what will most likely be the most spiritual sunrise of your life!

4) Dive the Blue Hole - Also on the Sinai Peninsula is the backpacker friendly town of Dahab, which has been dubbed the ‘Koh Samui of the Middle East.’ Even if you’re not a die-hard fan of banana cakes, the SCUBA diving here is tops, especially the infamous Blue Hole. The site of an enormous limestone sink hole, the Blue Hole drops to dizzyingly deep depths that challenge even the most advanced divers.

5) Visit the Pyramids - OK, we lied…well, not exactly. While most tourists in Cairo are dodging touts at the Great Pyramids of Giza, savvy travelers are exploring the ‘Other Pyramids,’ namely the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid at Dahshur. Located in the Giza Plateau beyond the Cairo city limits, these remote pyramids are virtually untouristed, yet in many ways are more striking than their more famous counterparts.

Intrigued by the Middle East? Want to know more about this often misunderstood region? Check out previous posts on the top sights in Dubai, a how-to-guide for would-be travelers in the Palestinian West Bank, reasons why Jerusalem is holier than thou and how to reenact Indiana Jones at Petra in Jordan.

** Big in Japan will soon be returning home to Tokyo, so stay tuned for more on the weird, wonderful and wacky world of Japanland **

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Filed under: Business, Africa, Ivory Coast, News

Selling souvenirs is a big industry; everyone wants to take a little bit of their travels home with them. For most people that means a beer stein from Munich, a triangular hat from Vietnam or a maple leaf flag from Canada. But for others — with lots of money to spend — it can mean a botanical curiosity like a rare tree.

According to the BBC, in the Ivory Coast, scientists are attempting to sell a rare coconut tree for $1 million. The palm tree has a hefty price tag because it has three heads; usually coconut trees only have one. Whoever ends up buying the tree will be free to move it to the location of their choice, and although the tree might end up somewhere fancy and pretentious, the money will be going to a good cause: to continue research at the Marc Delorne research station.

I can’t stop wondering how exactly one transports a coconut tree? Probably not by airline, you’d probably get charged for checking a second bag.

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