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 »

Efforts to improve the situation of indigenous peoples through restoration of the environment is one of the most intriguing stories to emerge from travel. One of the organizations doing important work in this field, the Environmental Educational Media Project, produced the documentary Hope In A Changing Climate, which promotes the enormous potential of restoration. Screened at the COP 15 climate change summit in Copenhagen last December and subsequently aired by the BBC, the film follows soil scientist John D. Liu, who for the past 15 years has been documenting changes on China’s remote Loess Plateau, where the local people have been transforming a barren plateau into a green and fertile one, reducing the effect of climate change. Liu explains:

“On the plateau, researchers realized that progressive degradation of the environment trapped the local population into a life of subsistence farming. It’s a process that has occurred across the globe, where poor agricultural communities find themselves overusing their land in order to survive, depleting its fertility and further impoverishing themselves. One thing that became apparent early on is the connection between damaged environments and human poverty. In many parts of the world there’s been a vicious cycle: continuous use of the land has led to subsistence agriculture and generation by generation, this has further degraded the soils.”

Shot on location in China, Rwanda and Ethiopia, Hope in a Changing Climate is a truly uplifting story of how ecosystem restoration helps stabilize climate, reduce poverty, and support sustainable agriculture.

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 »

Three weeks ago, the East African country of Zimbabwe held a Presidential election. By all accounts, incumbent President Robert Mugabe was soundly defeated, however his administration has so far refused to release the official results of the election. Instead, Mugabe’s corrupt government has unleashed a brutal campaign to retain power. The opposition says that ten have died, and hundreds have been injured; now, a “human wave” of refugees is fleeing to South Africa and other neighboring countries and Zimbabwe’s crisis is getting worse.

I traveled to Zimbabwe last year and it is one of my all-time favorite destinations. Everyone I met was quick to smile and thrilled that I was visiting their country. By the end of my stay, I felt I had made wonderful, lifetime friends. In view of the current situation, I have been especially concerned for their safety and have tried to stay in touch. The following is an excerpt from an email I recently received from one of my Zimbabwean friends, who shall remain nameless, for obvious reasons:

“Our President has been compared to the likes of Saddam, which is scary to think we had such a man rule us for 28 years. Everyone in the country wants peace and a normal economy once again, regardless of race or social circles. At this point people are getting frustrated and Read the rest of this entry »

I had my next trip all planned. Until last week I was quite sure that my next long-term travel route would be Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, China, Nepal, Tibel, Malaysia, Borneo, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. But when the Chinese again began killing Buddhist Monks and ethnic Tibetans, I started rethinking my visit to China. I was undecided, until the Chinese government accused the Dalai Lama of being responsible for the violence in Tibet.

China has crossed the line with this accusation. The Dalai Lama is a beloved figure across the world. No human being exudes more love and warmth than this man. No one individual could be more Read the rest of this entry »