Stories about Travel from October, 2008
Jordan: Rumours, Gap Year Foreign Students, and Body of Lies
From an innocent murmur to a devastating consequence on the life of an innocent girl, see how rumours can destroy lives in Jordan in this round up of Jordanian blogs by Mohammad Azraq, which also discusses foreign gap year students in Amman and the latest big screen hit Body of Lies.
Egypt: Blogosphere's Godparents Going South
Manalaa (i.e. Manal and Alaa) the godparents of the Egyptian blogosphere - are going to live in South Africa for a while, and Alaa has written a post [Ar] describing his feelings towards traveling and many other things.
Jamaica: See Me, Come Live With Me
“Many people decide to live in Jamaica because they love the energy and vibe of the culture. Yet, there are those who decide that this is country is far too difficult for them to manage and bolt in less than a year”: Transition Sunshine offers a glimpse into “the real...
Serbia: International Belgrade Book Fair
Balkan File writes about the 53rd International Belgrade Book Fair.
Russia, U.S.: LJ User Drugoi in NYC
LJ user drugoi, one of the most popular and prolific Russian bloggers, shares his wonderful photos of New York City - and his thoughts on some of the issues discussed on Oct. 17 at the Russian-language blogosphere conference at Columbia University School of Journalism - "Russia Online: Mapping the Russian-Language Blogosphere and Participatory Internet."
Blogging Rural Morocco: Peace Corps Volunteers
Morocco has an active and healthy blogosphere. Bloggers write in Arabic, French, English, Spanish, and Amazigh, covering a wide range of topics and issues. The one negative about the Moroccan "blogoma," however, is that the majority of its adherents are clustered within major cities (Casablanca, Rabat, Fez) and abroad; little is blogged about the rural areas. That's where the Peace Corps and Fulbright bloggers come in; as many are stationed in remote areas of Morocco, they are able to paint a picture of the other side of life in the country.
India: First Mission to Moon
India’s first unmanned moon spacecraft Chandrayaan-1, was successfully put into initial orbit today morning. TechBanyan posts pictures and videos of the launch of the PSLV-C11, which carried the Chandrayaan-1.
Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: Bad Publicity
As news surfaces of another tourist attack in Tobago, Bajan Global Report says: “Whether minor or major, we just can’t afford the publicity on tourist attacks. As guests in our region, the onus is on us to safeguard their stay…and make their desired destination a safe haven to be in.”
Central & Eastern Europe, U.S.: Visa-Free Travel
The 8th Circle reports that citizens of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia will now be able to visit the United States for up to 90 days without an entry visa; Polish citizens, however, are not included in this list: “It’s ironic, because of the immense role...
Poland: Notes on the Countryside, Politics, Etc.
Sylwia Presley writes about her parents’ village in Poland and ‘golden Polish fall’, among other things: “There is a sense of magic in the fact that Poles do not clear the paths from leaves – it makes the parks look like a golden carpet at this time of the year.”
Poland, U.K.: “Poles Apart” by Polly Courtney
Sylwia Presley discusses some issues raised in Polly Courtney's novel about Polish immigrants in the U.K., “Poles Apart.”
Croatia: Cyber Squatting and Rijeka.com
Hudin writes about “cyber squatting” on city and country names – and about what seems like a rare exception to the rule: rijeka.com, a photo gallery page for Rijeka, “Croatia's most northern coastal city east of the Istrian Peninsula.”
Somalia: Piracy not something to be celebrated
Open sea piracy is discussed by different video bloggers who speak on the recent Somalian piracy incidents, and a behind the scenes look at how governments are protecting World Food Program cargo at sea.
Belize: Major Flooding
“Massive flooding in the western and central areas of Belize has cut off many villages and towns from the rest of the country, led to emergency evacuations, loss of crops and the closure of most schools…”: Belizean has the details.
Guyana: Road Deaths
As a young reporter is killed in a road accident while on assignment, Living Guyana calls on her company to take some measure of responsibility for her death. Signifyin’ Guyana agrees: “It could just be the kind of thinking needed to curb road deaths in Guyana.”
Indonesia: Becak vehicle
Tempus Fugit blogs about Becak, which is a “very nice and common transportation in Indonesia.”
Caribbean: Omar Rains Down
The Caribbean is officially in the midst of its wet season, but many regional territories are battling more than their fair share of sogginess, thanks to the torrential rains that accompanied Tropical Storm Omar - a storm that was soon upgraded to a Category 3 Hurricane as it forged a path through the northern Caribbean.
Paraguay: Peace Corps Bloggers Share Experiences in a New Land
Paraguay’s blogosphere is growing, and everyday more locals and expats are beginning their blogs about their perceptions of their surrounding world. The Peace Corps volunteers that are working in Paraguay have an interesting point of view that are expressed in their blogs regarding the transition to a new world.
Cameroon In The Eyes of British And American Volunteers
There are very few Cameroonian bloggers based in Cameroon. This vacuum has been occupied by volunteers working in the country (mainly) for the British organization Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) and the US Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV). Their attempts to cope with everyday life in an African country is the main stay of their posts.
U.S.V.I.: Hurricane Omar
On its path from Aruba to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Tropical Storm Omar has become a hurricane. News of St. John reports, and posts a video update, here.
Aruba: Rain, Rain, Go Away
Tropical storm Omar is giving Arubagirl a hard time: “I want the rain to stop, damnit. This storm has a HELL OF A LOT OF WATER. I know it's only an eyeless cat 1 hurricane, but good God, it feels like it wants to drown us in rain.”