Matador - Authentic Cultural

Mariel

novoarte — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:56:08 -0500

For Brayan

In my mother-in-law's version of the tale, Francisco came home the Friday before Mother's Day in 1980 and announced he was leaving: His girlfriend. His son. His mother and his sister. His country. They were the wake he left behind as The Green Girl pulled out of Mariel's harbor. His...

Rio vs Istanbul- a comparative study

Auyon — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:21:20 -0500

Objective

To discern essential cultural differences and between the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Istanbul, focusing on two primary points of analysis: cats and old men.

I. Cats

The majority of local street cats I happened upon in Rio were mangy, flea-ridden creatures. They prowled around the...

Are You Connected?

novoarte — Tue, 13 May 2008 10:06:22 -0500

Once a day, Brayan and I stop by Hotel Parque Central, one of the few places with wireless internet access in Havana. “Are you connected?” one man asked today as I twiddled my thumbs waiting for my inbox to open. “I’ve never been more connected,” I answered, and though we spoke to each other...

Myanmar (Burma)

Racso11_11 — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:22:10 -0500

Earlier this week cyclone Nargis tore through the southwest of the country killing up to an estimated 60-100,000 people so far and affecting 1.5 million people by the disaster. Hundreds of thousands of people have no food, water, or shelter. One of the poorest countries in the world, the...

Felicidades, Mama

novoarte — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:02:54 -0500

The signs of the upcoming Mother’s Day celebration began last Tuesday. Men walked down the street with red and white checkered boxes adorned with Felicidades, Mama written in curlicued script, cakes carefully tucked inside, the pink icing trickling away in slow rivulets in the heat. Sidewalk vendors...

Discover Antwerpen

The explorer — Sun, 11 May 2008 18:45:01 -0500

About

Antwerp is the city in the Belgium province Vlaanderen. De city is beside the river “De Schelde”. City population is about 460.000.

Origin of the name 'Antwerp'

The legend says that the name 'Antwerp' comes from the Dutch "hand werpen" meaning "hand thrown".

The story has it...

Otok Brać - Vacation from Vacation

Jay Martin — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:09:45 -0500

The phylloxera swept across the terraced hills of Otok Brać – Island of Brać – in the early 1900s, invading the soil. Native to North America, the tiny yellow aphids traveled across the sea to Europe in the late 1800s, feeding on vino roots and spreading their wine death...

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Cojimar

novoarte — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:57:03 -0500

We hitched a ride out of Central Havana to the seaside town made famous by Ernest Hemingway to research a couple of articles I’m working on. The driver barreled up a dusty road speckled with potholes, noting, “This is the best road in town,” and dropped us off on a forlorn corner, pointing...
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GOODBYE, RUBY TUESDAY--A Collage/Essay for Valparaiso and James Henkel

Steven Jay Weinberg — Fri, 9 May 2008 19:35:05 -0500

Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday—A Collage/Essay—for Valparaiso and James Henkel
Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday/ Who could hang a name on you?/
When you change with every new day/ Still I'm gonna miss you
Landing in Valparaiso was easy...
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Dharma Class

dawctor john — Fri, 9 May 2008 11:25:30 -0500

At this point i'm feeling pretty good about my decision to fly. True the 8 seater plane is much more costly than the train and a bit more risky, but it gave me an extra two days in the mountains, and the passenger list has opened up an interesting opportunity. Confirmed on the flight are; six...
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Malcriada

novoarte — Thu, 8 May 2008 15:36:31 -0500

My 14 year old niece and I don’t have the best relationship. Even since the first time we met, we’ve circled each other with instinctive caution. For me, she’s a malcriada: her mom and grandmother let her get away with everything. She’s a picky eater, so they let her eat cake for dinner. She...
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Bird's Eye View

Violet Alma — Thu, 8 May 2008 13:01:03 -0500

When departing or embarking Guyana (Co-operative Republic of Guyana), I always love to look down from the window of the iron bird, at the endless flora and fauna.

Guyana possesses over 800 varieties of documented birds, and...
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Teremiski

Lauren Lim — Thu, 8 May 2008 05:37:55 -0500

Once upon a time, the villagers were forced to leave their homes. First the Russians came and took all the able bodied men and put them away in Siberia. Then the Germans came and moved all the women, children, and elderly to Belarus. As a little boy and his family were leaving,...
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Bloody Brilliant

Akmonki — Mon, 5 May 2008 17:32:23 -0500

After I got my lazy butt out of Dublin, I've seen some wonderful areas around Ireland. I traveled first to Cork (the second biggest city in Ireland), and while it's still a city it at least had some greenery and even a river flowing through it, so it wasn't grey and gloomy like Dublin.
From Cork I...
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City Spring

halamen — Mon, 5 May 2008 15:49:08 -0500

Spring comes late to the north country.
My untrained eye failed to spot the cherry trees sprinkled here and there along the snowy Portland streets. This being my first spring in the city, the brilliant blossoms took me totally by surprise. And, like many people I’m sure, I can’t look at those pink...
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when the gods descend ...

Grass Routes — Mon, 5 May 2008 10:57:05 -0500

Once a year in the holy town of Puri on the east coast of India, the Gods enter the fray of the common man to mingle with the mob.
Attracting thousands of pilgrims, the annual Festival of Faith is an orchestrated riot of colour, spectacle and sweat. Steeped in folklore and mythology the origins date back...
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Port of Call: Riga

geotraveler — Sun, 4 May 2008 17:56:57 -0500

I recognized those haircuts. I’d seen them in 1987. Complete with tapered stonewashed jeans tucked into high top sneakers, teenagers and young adults filled all decks. This was, I presumed, going to be their booze cruise. The next demographic up were middle-aged men with forlorn looks dragging...
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I (Heart) Sarajevo

Valerie — Sat, 3 May 2008 06:25:08 -0500

Our tour leader said that Sarajevo would be the highlight of the tour, and for me it truly is. I've never been to a city quite like this before. It's got a bit of Istanbul, a bit of Vienna. I haven't been to Turkey but I have a feeling that the Turkish quarter is pretty close to what I would find...
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Tracing Gaudí around Barcelona

geotraveler — Thu, 1 May 2008 06:53:02 -0500

Latest article for GoNOMAD
______________________________________________
Tracing Gaudí around Barcelona
"My client is in no hurry."…Antonio Gaudi
Roia’s face said it all before hanging up. A weak “I’m sorry” escaped him. “They can’t find it”. I nodded...
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Making Meatballs in the Dark

novoarte — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:59:29 -0500

I love to cook. I just don’t normally do it. But with Francisco in New York, I’m left to fend for myself. Alone, my schedule and routine have become bizarre. I eat corn flakes at 4 AM while watching “Love in the Time of Cholera.” I make black beans and rice and eat the leftovers for lunch and...
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Event of the year for getting the blood pumping (and hormones)

croftyangel — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:19:37 -0500

Smoke lingering after the thunder of canons, swords clashing, wood chips flying, fire blazing, lances splintering, belly dancers swirling, rumble of the motorcycle, minstrels singing... an eclectic mix of things but they all have one thing in common – Ironfest Fusion 2008 in Lithgow, NSW, Australia.
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down the shore from a wave of gambling

huntzing — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:42:02 -0500

it's deep times we live in, especially for me, but the waters are always deep if we open our eyes in it...

...i was trying to hitchhike out of this uruguayan beach town, punta del diablo, but it was too dead. i had to bum enough money for a bus ride to rocha where i could...
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A Sensible Death

novoarte — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:06:38 -0500

I've been working on a couple of articles about local lingo this week, which got me thinking about cultures and customs. The popular narrative is that local traditions are eroding beneath the weight of globalization (which is not untrue), but as Eva wrote in a recent
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El Manos de Jesus

Gina — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:51:05 -0500

BEEEEP! BEEEEEP! "Hola, estoy voluntario!"
It always took a few minutes for them to realize that the volunteers were there. The gate clicked, and we walked into the nursing home Manos de Jesus. Usually standing or sitting at the front gate was Wanita. Wanita was a 75 year old woman who if she had her...
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Day 2 - Safe in London

Dan — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:26:58 -0500

I am a safe human being in London now. We are staying at a hostel with suspect hot tub and sauna, but cheap bar. Man Utd and Barca play tonight, chelsea v lpool tomorrow. Going to watch with Matthew Wynne over a couple of pints. Spent the day Looking at Buckingham palace, hyde...
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The Price of Travel - Sapa, Vietnam

Dane — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:58:43 -0500

This is a feature from the San Antonio Express-News that appeared in Jan. 08

The Price of Travel

The pitfalls and payoffs of mountainous Vietnam.

Dane...
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Shook Me All Night Long

novoarte — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:46:05 -0500

I was in the middle of a dream, napping, when the rattling upstairs finally worked its way into my consciousness and startled me awake this evening. The man who lives in 203 is elderly, doesn't like noise. I know because he once rapped on our door at 10 pm and asked us to please...
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Jail in Japan: Tales of Pocket Knives, Bathtub Antics, and Utter Cluelessness

Justin88 — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 05:41:23 -0500

Note: This post has been entered in Traveling-Stories-Magazine.com's May writing contest. If you like this story, please go to TSM to "digg" it. Thanks! Link here (and below): http://www.traveling-stories-magazine.com/jail-in-japan-tales-of-pocket-knives-bathtub-antics-and-utter-cluelessness/
.......
I...
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Viva Mexico

novoarte — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 03:42:13 -0500

Mexico City is always a happening place, but today took the cake for sure.

This morning, Avenida Reforma was the stage for back-to-back celebrations: the first, a presentation of the British polo team, in town for the 8th International Polo Championship, and the second, a parade complete with floats...
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Sailing The World For One Year

Gaijin — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:30:37 -0500

What do you do when you have no job, no woman, no kids, and someone close to you ask's, " would you like to try and sail around the world". Do you think to ask about what there experience level is, do you think to ask how long it will take, or do you simply say, " Yes, I am in"
This question was asked...
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