· December, 2008

Stories about Travel from December, 2008

Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba: City of Contradictions

  29 December 2008

Trinidadian blogger Tattoo spends Christmas in Havana and comes away with the impression that “the revolution has not achieved a new equilibrium. Instead, it has re-appropriated the inequalities inherent in any capitalist society and ensured that those in power are the haves as opposed to the have nots. And this...

Cuba, U.S.A.: Lifting Limits?

  29 December 2008

Uncommon Sense links to an article which suggests that US President-Elect Barack Obama seems prepared to lift limits “on how often Cuban Americans can visit family members on the island and on how much money they can send them”, a move which the blogger says would end “one of the...

Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008

  26 December 2008

For Southeast Asia, 2008 was a year of terrible disasters, both natural and man-made. Rice consumption was reduced, milk products were contaminated with melamine, jobs were lost, bloggers were arrested, and homes were destroyed. But the situation is not hopeless.

Macedonia Timeless

  25 December 2008

On December 24, 2008, there was a presentation of a promotional video for Macedonia – “Macedonia Timeless.” The video is written and directed by Milcho Manchevski (an Academy Award nominee in 1995), and its purpose is to promote Macedonia as a tourist destination. The video will be aired on CNN, and a dozen countries in eight different languages. Elena Ignatova reviews bloggers' reactions to the video.

Singapore Flyer, a white elephant already?

  24 December 2008

Because of the recession, fewer people are visiting the Singapore Flyer (the world’s largest observation wheel). According to Empty Vessel, “if no drastic measures are taken to restore people’s confidence in stepping into the capsules, the Flyer risks becoming Singapore’s biggest white elephant.”

Guyana: Bridge Opens

  24 December 2008

Living Guyana congratulates the government on the opening of the Berbice bridge, but reserves the right to ask a few questions.

Central and Eastern Europe: A Christmas Roundup

  24 December 2008

A holiday season roundup: Tanja of Czechmatediary recalls family Christmas celebrations of her childhood, writes about the Czech Christmas Mass, and shares a recipe of Vanocka (“Christmas bread”); CzechFolks.com writes about a calorie-free yet mouth-watering way of decorating a holiday table with crocheted Czech Christmas cookies; The Foreigner's Guide to...

Czech Republic: A Politics-Free Roundup

  24 December 2008

Politics-free posts from the Czech Republic: a charity project to help orphans organized by Czech model Tereza Maxova, bankruptcy of one of the largest Czech glass companies, and Karel Gott's lasting popularity – at CzechFolks.com; the winner of the Bravest Czech of the Year award, and tips on how to...

Ukraine: Hutsuls and Crimean Tatars

  24 December 2008

My Simferopol Home writes about her dissertation plans to compare histories of exoticism in the Ukrainian Hutsul and Crimean Tatars cultures: “So, why these two groups? While distinct in ethnogenesis, history and territory, Hutsuls, the superstitious, hard-drinking subsistence farmers to Poland and Austro-Hungary’s urban intellectuals, and Crimean Tatars, the perceived...

Azerbaijan: Into the Mountains

  23 December 2008

After living and working in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, for two months, a religious holiday provides Joe's Trippin’ with the opportunity to explore the north of the country. In particular, while surviving various attempts to marry off the Canadian to local girls, the blogger visited the town of Quba and...