Stories about Travel from March, 2009
Israel: The Language of Taxis
Rasha Helwa, who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel living in Acre (and describes herself as living in Palestine), has written a series of short posts at her blog Zaghroda about her thoughts when taking shared taxis, and on the significance of the language - Arabic or Hebrew - that the driver chooses to use.
Estonia: “Kevadväsimus”
Itching for Eestimaa writes about kevadväsimus – ‘spring fatigue’ in Estonian: “It is the yearning for sunlight and all of the earthly pleasures that you know must be right around the corner coupled with the grim knowledge that nature will find a way to delay your satisfaction for as long...
Azerbaijan: Cultural Clash
Scary Azeri in Suburbs remembers a visit from her teenage years to the mountain village of Ismailli. The blog says the trips were always a welcome escape from the summer heat of the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, but the blogger also remembers that they also highlighted the cultural differences between the...
Morocco: Early English Writings
Moroccan blogger VOLVBILIS discusses early English writings on Morocco.
Senegal: One foot in Granada and the other in Dakar
Luna at Expatria is getting ready to move to Dakar, Senegal, “I am spending [time] with Senegalese migrants here in Spain: listening to their stories about Senegal, taking pictures of them that I will then take to their friends and relatives, listening to their music and eating their wonderful rice...
Bahrain: A Mother's Perspective
Rick Beeman is an American living in Bahrain – and he asked his mother to write about her experience of visiting the country: “Here I am on the other side of the world for the first time in the Middle East… Bahrain so far has shown me some very beautiful...
St. Lucia: Visiting Gros Islet
Repeating Islands’ Blog visits St. Lucia and discovers that “the fishing village of Gros Islet – the principal setting for Derek Walcott’s Omeros – seems serenely frozen in time.”
Cuba: Three Strikes
“The president of the Writers and Artists Union of Cuba…affirmed that all Cubans can travel, except those who have a debt to the justice system…I have never been charged in court yet I am condemned not to leave this Island”: Generation Y‘s exit permit has once again been denied.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Savannah
From Trinidad and Tobago, Haveworld takes a stroll around the Queen's Park Savannah – and he has the photos to prove it.
Barbados: Impact on Tourism
“Although we applaud the current Minister of Tourism…for taking the bold step to restructure the Barbados Tourism Authority Board, what purpose will it serve if we have a tarnished brand to sell?”: Barbados Underground is concerned about the future of the island's tourism sector.
Jordan: Photographs from Damascus
Jordanian Ali Dahmash is back from Damascus, Syria, and shares photographs he has taken there in this post.
Egypt: The Call for Prayer
“One of the things that I miss the most when I travel is the call to prayer that I hear five times a day here,” writes Maryanne Stroud Gabbani, from Egypt.
Russia: Photos of Moscow
LJ user victorprofessor (RUS) posts a series of breathtaking photos of Moscow that were taken from the roof of a not-yet-completed high-rise on Mosfilmovskaya Street.
Ukraine: From Dnipropetrovsk to Odesa
From Dnipropetrovsk to Odesa, the last installment of the Touring Ukraine's Economy travelogue, at Petro's Jotter: “Despite the inept politicians, lack of leadership, and rampant corruption, I remain in awe of this country and its people.”
Poland: Roadworks in Warsaw
Polandian writes that road construction in Warsaw is bringing the city to its knees.
St. Lucia: Walcott's School
Repeating Islands’ Blog pays a visit to Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott's primary school in St. Lucia.
Cuba: Travel Permit
“I will sit in the crowded lobby of the mansion at 17th and K for only two reasons: to inconvenience them with my pigheadedness and to claim my rights. To show them the visa document that authorizes my entry to many parts of the world, while ‘they’ curb my travel”:...
Barbados: Tourism's Future
“A real need exists for tourism to have a clearer image and for it to be a beacon that pulls many parts of the economy along”: Living in Barbados wonders about the future of the island's tourism offering.
South Asia: Migrant Workers Coming Home
South Asia is a populous region. Many South Asian immigrants or migrant workers travel to distant places around the world in search of a better education, job or better living conditions. However they have close ties to families and friends back home and their remittances play a major role in...
Barbados: Attack Victim Succumbs to Injuries
Earlier this month, Barbadians awoke to the disturbing news that two Canadian visitors were viciously attacked while walking along one of the island's beaches. The crime of assault has now become murder: Terry Schwarzfeld passed away yesterday at an Ottawa hospital as a result of her injuries. Bloggers continue to be outraged that such a crime could happen in their country.
Martinique, Dominica: Mount Pelee
Repeating Islands’ Blog takes us to Martinique's Mont Pelée volcano and also offers a glimpse into the work of the Dominican/Martinican poet “whose verses…commemorated the tragedy of Mont Pelée…when the town of St. Pierre was destroyed by the 1902 eruption.”
