Stories about Travel from July, 2011
Barbados: REDJet in T&T
On learning that REDJet has finally been approved to provide service out of Trinidad and Tobago, B.C. Pires says: “[It is] going to be good for everyone who thought something was wrong, somewhere, if it cost about the same to fly from Trinidad to Barbados as from Trinidad to New...
Malaysia's first yoga festival
Malaysia's first yoga festival was held last weekend in Sepang along the Straits of Malacca. It was attended by more than 250 participants.
Russia: Public Transport Safety
Streetwise Professor reflects upon safety of public transport in Russia, against the backdrop of the recent “Bulgaria” boat disaster.
Bahamas: Road Works
Weblog Bahamas‘ Jerome Pinder wonders if the New Providence Road Improvement Project is a “road to nowhere…”
China: High-speed rail
Many Chinese raised serious questions about the safety, comfort and efficiency of the new high-speed rail line, in particular after the three malfunctions[zh] in the space of four days (Between July 10-14). (Details from China Media Project)
Russia: Photoblogger Covers Drug Addiction in Afghanistan
Popular Russian photoblogger Ilya Varlamov (zyalt) traveled to Afghanistan where (among other things) he covered drug addiction in Kabul.
Bolivia: Fighting Cholitas in the Spotlight
Female wrestling in El Alto, Bolivia has captured the attention of locals and visitors for more than ten years. These women add a bit of tradition to this popular sport: where else would you see colorful skirts with petticoats, fringed shawls, thick braids and bowler hats battling it out in a ring?
Russia: Infrastructure Falling Apart
Yuri Mamchur of Russia Blog argues that Russian infrastructure is literally falling apart due to desperate lack of reinvestment, while profits continue to go abroad, making much critical functions of society rely on things made half a century ago.
Zambia: Tourism Body Ignores Local Musicians For Rebranding Event
The Zambia Tourist Board has just rebranded with a new logo. However, to the chagrin of local musicians, the board invited a Paris-based Congolese musician Fally Ipupa to perform at the rebranding function in the capital, Lusaka. Exasperated Zambian tweeps were quick to pick on the ZTB faux pas and quickly took to their gadgets to express their disapproval of the move.
China: The danger of a quick visit
C. Custer from China Geeks reminds foreign businessmen and media that the impression one can get in a quick visit in China is usually impartial and misleading.
Indonesia: Tourism slogans
Rima Fauzi suggests some slogans for Indonesia's tourism promotion campaign which also underlies some of the problems besetting the country.
China: High speed rail malfunction
David Bandurski from China Media Project on Chinese netizens’ responses to the malfunction of the brand-new Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway on July 10, 2011.
Indonesia: Rail-based mass transit project
Herlina blogs about the rail-based Mass Rapid Transit in Indonesia which is cited as a solution to the traffic woes in Jakarta.
Ukraine: “Mouth-Watering” Market Photos
The Pickle Project posts “some mouth-watering photos from two Kyiv markets” as well as photos from a highway-side market in Donetsk region.
Ukraine: Hutsul Photo Archive Online
The Uncataloged Museum writes about Hutsul Images, an online collection of photos from the Hutsul regions of Ukraine, created and maintained by Volodymyr Kitselyuk, “an ordinary enthusiast from Hutsul region, a doctor by profession and an ethnographer by vocation.”
U.K.: Polish Poetry on the Tube
Belatedly, a link to a post about Polish poetry displayed on the London Underground, which was published on May 31 by the POLSKI blog.
Ukraine, Belarus: Monuments to Holocaust Victims
Memory At War translates Andriy Portnov's text on post-Soviet monuments to Holocaust victims.
Ukraine: Changes to Disability Laws
Odessablog writes about changes to Ukraine's legislation on the rights of people with disabilities and describes the current situation.
Serbia: “Interesting Buildings” of Kragujevac and Majdanpek.
Nothing Against Serbia: A Virtual Notebook writes about “interesting buildings” in Kragujevac and Majdanpek.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Photos of Sarajevo
Piran Café has visited Sarajevo and is now beginning to post photos from the trip: a series of timelapses is here, more photos – at Flickr.
Russia: Ex vice premier banned to travel abroad
Ilya Yashin of El pueblo unido jamás será vencido reports [RUS] that opposition politician and ex Prime Minister of Russia, Boris Nemtsov, has been banned from leaving the country for the next half year due to a libel suit by financial mogul Gennady Timchenko.
