Stories about Travel from July, 2009
Aruba, Suriname: Journey of Discovery
“It was so incredibly beautiful. The big trees rising from the gorges. The river flowing seemingly endless past the jungle…”: Arubagirl visits Suriname and posts some photos from her trip.
Singapore: Eating on subway trains
Epilogos from Singapore criticizes those who eat while riding on subway trains. The blogger wants to increase the fine for this “anti-social” behavior.
Jerusalem: Discovering The Old City
Glenn Strachan has been working temporarily in Nazareth, and is now visiting Jerusalem for the first time: “What I quickly discovered is that Nazareth is to Jerusalem what hamburger is to filet mignon.”
Balkans-EU: Schengen's leftouts and letins
Eberhard Rhein of BlogactivEU writes about the EU's plans for visa deregulation to Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Gray Falcon presents some critical views from the perspective of Serbia and Bosnia-Hercegovina, and Albanian Blogger gives his version on why also Albania is left out.
Iran: Armenian bloggers on plane crash
When a regular flight en route from Tehran to Yerevan crashed after takeoff yesterday, killing all 168 on board, many in Armenia and its Diaspora were distressed, and not least since there were 40 ethnic Armenians among the dead.
Russia: Medvedev, Obama, and the lot…
Windows to Russia! ironises over Obama's visit to Russia and Medvedev's visit to South Ossetia.
EU-Serbia: Visa freedom in 2010?
Popkitchen writes about rumours that the EU might lift visa regquirements for citizens of Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia in 2010. Americans for Bosnia reacts against Bosnia-Hercegovina, apparently, being excluded from this deal.
Dominica: Tourism Development?
“The issue of sustainable development has been a troublesome issue…and the Caribbean is no exception; as the pace of development has begun and in some cases has already outstripped the rate at which our valuable and fragile ecosystem can replenish itself”: Dominica Weekly advocates approaching tourism development with caution.
Bangladesh: Replica Of Taj Mahal
Taslima Akter at Bangladesh From Our View posts some pictures of the replica of Taj Mahal located 18 miles northeast of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.
East Timor: View from above
Radio Nomad saw a different East Timor during his first helicopter ride.
Saudi Arabia: Protecting Rights Abroad and at Home
Saudi Arabia is warning its citizens to take certain precautions to safeguard their rights while travelling abroad this summer. Saudi Jeans notes: “The guidelines advise Saudis involved in legal cases to only speak in the presence of a lawyer and ensure attendance at court hearings to avoid in absentia rulings....
Bangladesh: Through The Eyes Of Expatriates
There is a vibrant expatriate community in Bangladesh and many of them work as volunteers or are employed in numerous non-government organizations. Some of them are also blogging and are sharing their experiences and these are generally true and more authentic than what is reported by the international media about Bangladesh.
Japan: Beng Mealea Temple and Miyazaki's Laputa
Karapaia shares some pictures of the ruins of Beng Mealea Temple, Cambodia, which, the blogger says, inspired the architecture of the floating island in the anime Laputa: Castle in the Sky (original title 天空の城ラピュタ, Tenku no Shiro Lapyuta), by Miyazaki.
Poland: More trouble on the horizon for Euro 2012
Polandian directs attention to more trouble on the horizon for the Polish-Ukrainian joint hosting of the Euro 2012 soccer championships, namely the poor standard of Polish hotels not by far meeting UEFA-criteria.
Bangladesh: Climbing Mt. Annapurna IV
Mohammad Farhan Husain at Had I been in Voyager 1!!! celebrates the feat of a group of Bangladeshis who climbed Mt. Annapurna IV, the first time for any Bangladeshi.
Arab World: Stories in Pictures
Armed with their cameras, two bloggers in the region took pictures of habits and things which caught their attention and commented on them. Here are their stories from Syria and Kuwait.
Jamaica: “Secret Caribbean”
On the heels of a less-than-flattering U.K. documentary on Jamaica, Abeng News Magazine publishes one reader's view “that the Government…consider a few simple precautions before granting foreign nationals the tools needed to damage our fair land”, while including this caveat: “We do not support encumberment of media workers.”
Saudi Arabia: Summer in London
Saudi blogger Kha6rh Baydhaa [Ar] will be in London, UK, for the summer, where he hopes to meet with other bloggers.
USA: One Step Closer to Lifting HIV Travel Ban
Last week the U.S. government initiated the final steps required to lift long-standing travel and immigration restrictions imposed on HIV-positive foreigners.
Ghana: Best places to eat in Accra
Karen lists the best places to eat in Accra, Ghana: “However, it is that time of the year where dozens of people that I know are heading off for field research and people are always asking me for tips on where to eat in Accra (I am a failed food...
Arab World: Swine Flu Fever Continues
Swine flu or H1N1 is still making headlines across the Arab world as new cases continue to be discovered by health authorities and announced in the Press on a daily basis. Here's a preview of what bloggers in Bahrain, Jordan, Egypt and Syria are talking about.