It may have something to do with my passion for walking everywhere when I travel to new places, but I’m definitely a map person. Unfortunately, good maps are becoming hard to find. The ones in guide books are usually too tiny to read don’t show many of the smaller streets. The supply of international maps in book stores is ever dwindling, as I discovered when preparing for my current travels; I eventually found a map of Mexico and another of Central America, but for the particular cities I planned to visit I’ve have had to rely on the hostels where I am staying. Most of that material is produced by local tourism organizations and the information contained is driven as much by who pays to be included than by a desire to list the best sites.

Since I’ll be leaving for China’s World Expo on September 1st, this issue loomed large in my mind. It’s one thing to find my way around villages and even medium size cities in Latin America without a decent map, but tackling Shanghai without a map was unthinkable. So I was intrigued when I received a press release last week from A la Carte Maps announcing their new map of Shanghai.

Detail of Shanghai map

The two young Swiss entrepreneurs who started the company imagined what it would be like if they had local friends in exciting cities all over the world. Not only would these friends provide them with the most important information about the cities, they would also reveal insider tips by writing them on a hand-drawn map. Determined to revolutionize the traditional way of traveling, the partners set about creating a combination map, guidebook and piece of art. Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not particularly a fan of cruises. The idea of being trapped on a ship for days, with nothing to see but endless expanses of water much of the time – well, that seems like a fate worse than death to me. But the other day I happened across the website of Viking River Cruises and I was instantly intrigued.

I have often thought about seeing the great cities of Europe from aboard a riverboat plying the placid waters of the Rhine or the Danube. Viking does indeed offer a variety of European cruises, but it was when I investigated further that my interest was really piqued. Their Russian cruises sail the Volga, visiting the great cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, as well as ancient villages like Yaroslavl, Uglich and Goritzy. Russia is definitely on my list of places that I “must see before I die,” and I was giving this serious consideration until I spotted their China cruises. Read the rest of this entry »

My friend Joan forwarded me an email containing some photos of signs found in China. Then I did a little looking around the Internet and found a few more. It’s obvious the Chinese are trying, but I think they need to fire their translator. I couldn’t stop laughing. Take a look: Definitely not politically correct! Read the rest of this entry »