Photo above by ChadicaWinter is upon us, and snowbirds are alighting on the American Southwest for moderate temperatures and world-class hiking. And why not? The searing heat has dissipated, the monsoons and dust storms are over, and the scorpions and rattlesnakes have retreated underground, inviting travel and exploration throughout the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Great Basin, and Mojave deserts.
We want more of your ultra condensed travel writing, or “micro-notes,” which are mini flashes of narrative that can stand alone in three sentences or less.Micro-Notes, travel stories of extreme brevity. Much like flash fiction, micro-notes tell a complete story in just a few sentences.This round of submissions we would like notes on Waking up Far from Home.
Efforts to find missing New York surfer and teacher Daniel Bobis ramp up in Sumatra, Indonesia.I RECEIVED A MESSAGE this morning from a fellow writer regarding Daniel Bobis, a Long Island, New York-based surfer who has been missing off the coast of West Lampung, Sumatra since Sunday night. My friend forwarded me his wife Rachel’s Facebook plea for media outreach and any leads, even before CNN reported on the situation.
Elizabeth Zito takes ground level notes from the Egyptian embassy, the crowds marching towards the White House, and sitting at home in DC, trying to skype friends and family in Egypt.I WAKE UP to a text saying that they’re all ok, that the phones work sometimes.I go to the Egyptian embassy and walk with the crowds of several hundred to the White House.
Editor’s Note: Alvaro Galvis is a 26 year old carpenter in the midst of a long-distance bike trip from his hometown of Popayan, in the far south of Colombia, to southern Argentina. I met Alvaro in a campground in the mountains near El Bolson, Patagonia, and was instantly struck by his aura of calm, even though he is alone, with very little money, 9,000 kilometers from home.
One of these designed by a 5-year-old The other by 35-year old.This free open source piece of software does wonders for teaching your child to explore imagination while learning to use a computer. But it’s not just for the two-year old set.I first heard about Tux Paint — a silly, fun little program — from Wired’s Geekdad blog a few months ago.
America is the greatest country in the world. Why would you want to live anywhere else?Maybe to experience another culture. Maybe to do some traveling. Maybe for work.Maybe to escape the hordes of morons in this country who don’t know anything about the world, and yet insist on characterizing it as bug-infested, crime-ridden and moments away from a coup.
When heading out on the road, some people like to take as little with them as possible.Their reasons vary: some want to travel light, others want no reminders of their life back home.But sometimes it’s just nice to have a nice distraction when you’re stuck in transit, or have a few hours to kill and have run out of good books.
Linguistic analysis is not always politically correct.Confusion over the linguistic heritage of Urdu is evident in the comment section of our recent article about the world’s most beautiful languages. While more than one person remarked that the Urdu language is poetic, nobody could agree on where it came from.
It’s not easy for a Japanese woman-of-the-world to pair up with even the most progressive Japanese man.Jun-Japanese. Or “pure Japanese” girl. Apparently, they are what all the Japanese men are into. The only ones they’re into.So says Cherie, a blogger born and partially raised in Japan, partially raised in New York.
The “Autumn Special,” a 6’8″ squash-tail, later given away.David Miller takes “inventory” of various things lost / sold / given away in the process of being a traveler.ON THIS LAST MOVE to Patagonia we reduced our “worldly possessions” to 3 large suitcases, a duffel bag, a backpack, a snowboard bag, and carseat (for our daughter).
Some of our favorite Engrish signs found at home and abroad…Photo: Augapfel (creative commons)Photo: Shamam (creative commons)Photo: Stardog Champion (creative commons)Photo: xiaming (creative commons)Photo: sproing (creative commons)Photo: jj look (creative commons)Photo: jgalvan (creative commons)Photo: xiaming (creative commons)Feature photo: xiaming (creative commons)