Results tagged “travel”

Just starting sailing season here, so this is some good news for the 16 year-old solo sailor. Her parents must have been going crazy.

While I think you've got to be a little nuts to try something like this, I can't lay any blame on the parents for this, since the kid's probably a better sailor than most of us.

A search crew has contacted a 16-year-old California girl feared lost at sea, and she is alive and well, her family says.

A search was launched for Abby Sunderland, who is trying to sail around the world solo, when she triggered her emergency beacons after encountering rough seas in a remote patch of the Indian Ocean.

Searchers aboard a Qantas Airbus A330 spotted the teen's boat Wild Eyes and made contact with her via radio after about 20 hours of silence, family spokesman William Bennett said.

You can view her blog here.

CBC News - World - Missing teen sailor found safe

Fantastically cheap way to sail in the Caribbean. I think I found a way to use up those vacation days this year.

We were not, however, paying much. Our berths aboard the Illusion cost us each $55 a day, a sum that covered breakfast, dinner, basic instruction in sailing, plus mooring and customs fees -- pretty much everything except lunch, beer and off-shore excursions. And beyond those tangibles, we were getting access to the world of yachties, those fortunate souls who drift on the wind from port to port, stopping for snorkeling, drinks and tale telling at sparsely inhabited tropical islands where ferries and prop planes rarely land. I'd always craved that sense of freedom, but with sailing classes in New York City generally starting near $500 and yacht charters in the thousands of dollars, this Frugal Traveler despaired of ever attaining it.

The Caribbean Issue - Sailing the Caribbean - Learning the Ropes for $55 a Day - NYTimes.com

Kava in Kona - Uploaded by Zuckervati.

Drinking the muddy waters at Kanaka Kava in Kailua-Kona on Big Island.

Sea Turtle - Uploaded by Zuckervati.

In Leleiki Beach, Hilo. Lazy lazy sea turtles.

Island Crater - Uploaded by Zuckervati.

One of the Hawaiian islands. We're flying into Oahu.

Tropical Airport - Uploaded by Zuckervati.

Guess where?

I was thinking about getting a pair of these for travel sickness, but figured they sounded a little bogus. So I checked online, and while there's plenty of anecdotal evidence, there wasn't any proof in proper clinical trials. The best information came from a New Zealand skeptics page.

You know those sea-sickness bands:

At this point you look at the accompanying photograph and see what looks like a cotton wristband with an inset plastic button the size of an asprin. You look closer and examine the picture in careful detail to see what a Sea Band really is. It turns out to be a cotton wristband with an inset plastic button the size of an asprin.

Ok, they look a little silly, but what about putting them through a serious scientific test:

This may sound pretty innocuous, but in fact it's a fairly severe test. It will bring on the first symptoms of vomiting within 15 to 20 minutes on average. Each subject was tested on the motion challenge on four separate occasions, with at least a week between each. The results? The hycosine had an effect. But Sea Bands? No better than the dummy remedies. In fact, it emerges that the US Naval Aerospace people had tested Sea Bands back in 1982. The results then? No benefit.

Huh, ok, I'll keep looking.

New Zealand Skeptics Online: View Article

Interesting article on travelling by freighter. Takes care of some misconceptions, such as:

2. Freighter travel is similar to being on a cruise. The purpose of a cruise ship is to provide a relaxing and enjoyable time for everyone on board. The purpose of a freighter is to get cargo from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Cruise ships troll around tranquil seas, with stabilizers so that you barely know you are moving. Freighters haul at a breakneck pace across the open ocean, often through storms. A cruise will be populated with thousands of people, whereas a freighter is often a larger vessel with only 20 or so people on it. While a cruise ship has restaurants, spas, gymnasiums, and tons of activities, a freighter will have a TV with a DVD player, a radio, and if you're lucky, an old Nautilus machine for working out.

How to Cross the Ocean on a Freighter Ship | The Art of Manliness

May be going here for NoXmas. Sounds awesome.

Say goodbye to the scenic drive, hello to museums and thrift shopping for hula girl lamps and Hawaiian shirts, right? Wrong. Forty minutes later, the sky was azure, the sun ferocious.

The small, old-fashioned city of Hilo is on the east coast of the Big Island of Hawaii, in a perfect position to catch the clouds that form when the warm, moist Pacific Ocean trade winds hit the long, cool slopes of Mauna Loa. The accordionlike folds and grooves of the jewel-green slopes and the uneven coastline and fluctuating ocean temperatures ensure that clouds meander around Hilo as unpredictably as ghost spirits. One day, around noon, I was walking down a sunny street in Hilo, worried because I'd left the sunscreen back in the room. Then I glanced across the street: the other side was shady and bathed in a vaporous mist.

I soon grew to love Hilo rain. It is a reason this city of around 50,000 has remained largely untouched since the days when it was the thriving center of the Big Island's plantation economy in the 19th and early 20th centuries. While the Kona area, on the west coast of the Big Island, has become a major Hawaiian tourist draw, Hilo remains sleepy and mostly condo-free -- few are enticed to build in an area that typically receives measurable rain 278 days of the year.

Good news, everyone. Now, if only they could open one a little closer to me ... say in Toronto.

Still, this will give me reasons to go down there, now that ISPCON is defunct, and my brother appears to be moving to Australia with his family.

Hopefully, having a new tiki bar in SF will forgive the (potential) closure of the Tonga Room, and the bad experience of finding a urine-soaked alcove where the defunct Trader Vic's used to be (I can't believe people are still writing reviews for the closed location).

This fall, San Francisco will become home to Smuggler's Cove, a new bar designed to celebrate the incredible diversity and versatility of the world's most exciting spirit: Rum. Smuggler's Cove offers a whole new approach to rum by featuring a vast array of traditional Caribbean drinks, classic libations of Prohibition-Era Havana, and famous exotic cocktails from legendary tiki bars- all under one roof. In addition, Smuggler's Cove will offer an unparalleled selection of rare and premium rums from around the world carefully selected for enjoying on their own or skillfully blended into cocktails. For over a decade, owner and creator Martin Cate has been passionate about rum & tropical cocktails. He was the co-creator, designer and chief mixologist for Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda, CA. He has judged in international rum competitions, met with over a dozen rum distillers in five countries, and lectured at Bourbon and Branch's Beverage Academy, Tales of the Cocktail, and Tiki Oasis.

Rum Bar Opening This Fall In San Francisco

A good list of no-nos to be aware of at Mardi Gras.

Mardi Gras Moments: What Not to Do - Intelligent Travel Blog

4. Be wary of the scam artists! If someone approaches you with the question, "I bet you $100 I know where you got your shoes" or any question along those lines, do yourself a favor and do not wager! Even if you purchased your shoes on Mars, they will get you every time with the infamous answer: "on your feet." And at that point you may feel obliged to pay, because technically they are correct, aren't they? Sometimes it's even common to be forced into a service, such as someone offering a shoeshine, and before you know it they are shining your shoes and demand immediate payment (even if you said "no thanks" loud and clear). Avoid these folks as much as possible. The more you stall, the higher the chance of being pushed into a bad situation. Just keep on moving.

The last part of this example actually happened to me in New Orleans. Granted, it was just a homeless guy who wanted me to take his picture, then asked for a buck in payment afterwards.

Oh no! This place was the mecha of Tiki culture in San Francisco!

Will The Tonga Room Be a Casualty of The Fairmontâ..s Condo Plans?

An alarm is going up amongst tiki-lovers and all those who appreciate San Franciscoâ..s eclectic (hic!) history! The Tonga Room, the much loved tacky tiki bar in the Fairmont Hotelâ..s basement (California @ Mason in Nob Hill), is at great risk due to its ownerâ..s plan to convert a large portion of the hotel into condominiums.

The plan would replace the existing Fairmont Hotel Tower with a new Residential Tower and in the process convert 226 hotel rooms into 160 condos. The Tonga Room is at the base of the existing tower.

Enjoy Your Stay | Futility Closet

A neat list of phrases you are likely to need in Borneo, at least according to a phrasebook distributed in 1966 by the Borneo Literature Bureau. Such useful ice breakers as:

- There are too many rats.

- There are a lot of mosquitoes here.

- The cockroaches have eaten my shirt.

Cool bike designed for paratroopers while jumping out of planes. This would make a great portable bike for our sailboat ... that we buy when we win the lottery ... and buy up a small island ... and become famous writer/artists ... who sell wine and hot sauce and paintings ... to Martians ... at our island Bed and Breakfast.

Still, a cool bike.

SwissBike TX

In retrospect, maybe locating your city on a tectonic plate boundary isn't such a good idea. I'm looking at you, Oakland.

First South American Civilisation Wiped Out by Earthquake

The downfall of this powerful civilization was its location. The Supe valley is where the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate crash. When the big one hit, this earthquake-prone region was also hit by mudslides, which clogged the rivers. This coincided with heavy rainfall brought on by a strong El Niño, thus forming a 60-mile-long ocean ridge, which sealed off coastal bays. These filled with sand and therefore eliminated the Supe society's source of food.

Tough luck? Says archeologist Daniel H. Sandweiss of the University of Maine: "By not being able to look decades ahead, they [the inhabitants of Supe valley] were not able to cope with it." With the technology of the time, it was near impossible. Sometimes, when it rains it just pours.

No man is an island. Or is he?

Man (Re)Builds Mexican Island Paradise on 250,000 Recycled Floating Bottles | Ecoble

If you canâ..t afford to buy your own tropical island paradise, why not build your own? That is exactly what Richie Sowa did back in 1998, from over a quarter-million plastic bottles. His Spiral Island, destroyed years later by a hurricane, sported a two-story house, solar oven, self-composting toilet and multiple beaches. Better yet, he has started building another one! His ultimate goal? To build the island bigger and bigger and finally float out to sea, traveling the world from the comfort of his own private paradise.

From the Time Magazine archives.

The Private World of Marlon Brando - TIME

"My first impulse," Brando later admitted, "was to run like hell and disappear into the bush. My second was to turn you upside down and plant you, head first, like a coconut tree." Janos spent two days with Brando on the island and escaped without being planted. His report:

Beyond the sand bar, where we had walked the skiff over the shoals at the end of a languorous afternoon, the wind freshened suddenly ahead of a curtain of rain. The usually placid tropical lagoon hurled water into the skiff. The three of us were drenched. Willie, a local fisherman, grinned at the adventure. Our hulking captain frowned, grabbed a bucket and handed one to me. Brando read my fear. "Don't worry," he shouted. "When the rain hits, it will flatten the sea... the weight of the rain water." Our boat sped into the wall of rain; the sea flattened, and a few minutes later we beached the boat on the white sands of a small, S-shaped islandâ..Brando's bird sanctuary.

As anachronistic as the sexist title sounds, there is actually some good advice here, including tricks such as how to prevent wrinkles in your clothes, how to pack shoes properly, and how to pack a dress jacket (something which I always have trouble with).

How to Pack a Bag for Travel | The Art of Manliness

Leave a little room for souvenirs. If youâ..re going on vacation and expect to bring back some goodies for yourself and your loves ones, donâ..t pack your bag to the brim or you wonâ..t have any room to tote the plunder back. If you plan on bringing a ton of stuff home, pack a collapsible bag inside of your bigger bag, and you can fill it with your booty.

Mix it up with your travel buddy. If youâ..re traveling with your bud or your girl, itâ..s a good idea to pack half of your clothes in her bag and half of her clothes in your bag. That way in case one of your bags gets lost while traveling, youâ..ll still have access to some of your clothes.

Steam it up. Itâ..s hard to avoid wrinkling your clothes during transit. When you arrive to your destination, itâ..s best to unpack right away so you can let your clothes relax before creases and wrinkles get a chance to set. If you still have some wrinkles in your clothes, hang them up in the bathroom while youâ..re taking a hot steamy shower. This should help reduce any wrinkling.

Staying at my favourite hotel in San Francisco -- the Hotel Kabuki. Tonight, I'm on the club floor, which requires card access before the elevator will even move. Yeah, it's pretty cool, but it all costs money. I inadvertently found out I get a continental breakfast too. That's pretty good, no?

The honour bar is pretty pricey, but there's a grocery store right across the street that sells sake. And in the long run, that's what's important, no? Nearby, there's a place (Isobune) that does the sushi boat thing (but that was super busy tonight), and there's even a place (Juban) that does Wagyu beef (but that was $38 for an entree). So I ended up at the O Izakaya Lounge. To be honest, the place is better for drinking than eating. The kimchi (spelled kimchee in the menu) was slightly better than the saba sashimi (which ran about $12 for 6 pieces), but they had Sapporo on draft, and that pretty much made my dinner.

It wasn't really enough for me, but I bought some rice crackers and sat in my room, drinking sake and watching Maverick on TBS. OK, I'll admit, it was a pretty funny film. Graham Greene was the best part of the film.

No, this isn't a Quake level screenshot. It's part of a photoessay on Antarctica. Go look now.

Scenes from Antarctica - The Big Picture - Boston.com