Blogs & Ecology

Some bit of not so bad news: Thailand’s tourism authorities have issued a list of hotels offering accommodation for stranded passengers. A special flight was arranged for Thai Muslim pilgrims to their annual Haj pilgrimage to Mecca. Foreign governments are making extra efforts to help their citizens.

As of this writing, the airport crisis is still not over. Dozens of empty planes were allowed to leave Bangkok, but protesters still control the two major airports in Thailand.

Maria Sonevytsky of My Simferopol Home announces the upcoming exhibition of the “No Other Home: The Crimean Tatars” project in Bucharest, Romania, in mid-December, and links to a related story on Crimean Tatars, complete with photos and audio, published in the online magazine Triple Canopy.

Photo reports from inside Moscow's “VIP Taxi” - at Two-Zero's Diary, here and here.

Notes on a visit to Prague - at Dr. Sean's Diary, here and here.

Egyptian blogger Mostafa Hussein visits Cape Town, South Africa, and pens this eye-opening article on Muslims and race.

Isman from Indonesia is shocked to discover a different kind of amenity offered by a hotel in Manado: A TV program airing a direct feed from the hotel's security camera.

Join Estelle Willemse as she wwoofs at Khula Dhamma eco-village near East London to learn the ins and outs of eco-friendly, sustainable living… [for part 1]

Saturday, 22 November, 2008

Shristi notices that there is unnecessary tension in the daily life of the Nepalis: “In former times the country used to be lively and full of tourists but now you can hardly see a tourist walking in the streets as you pass by. The people are living in fear.”

As many Americans get ready to fly to their aunt’s house in Milwaukee or grandmother’s house in Syracuse for Thursday’s traditional Thanksgiving meal, many critics are chiming in again about the polluting and wasteful nature of the air travel industry.

In fact, air travel has come under sever criticism this year not only for how much fossil fuels are used and how many carbon emissions are produced, but also for many companies’ attempts at greenwashing the industry.

Chevrolet and NatGeo have launched a reality show that mixes driving, tourism, gadgets and blogging throughout South America. On The Road Again follows 6 bloggers in 6 different countries, driving around, taking tours and documenting their experiences through streaming video, blog posts and pictures, and it will later on be featured on a NatGeo channel show. Leo Prieto from Chile writes:

In a blog post of The Dhaka Project, an organization supporting children from the slums of Dhaka, you can read about the experience of some of their kids visiting Germany.

Most Beautiful Cities in the World describes about Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan: “It's expensive to visit Bhutan, and expensive to stay here - a deliberate policy to keep tourism at a low level. Bhutan is poor in material goods, but boundlessly rich in other qualities contentment, inner peace and dignity.”

Five bloggers from different countries have joined Indonesia's Pesta Blogger 2008, a blogging trip and festival.

Mikey Leung at JoyBangla.info reviews the first heritage accommodation property in Bangladesh.

Join Estelle Willemse on her journey to the ecovillage of Khula Dhamma in the Eastern Cape, where she has joined the community to
wwoof for them.

Monday, 10 November 2008

It is 5:30 in the morning and I’ve been on the road for 14 hours. Coming from Cape Town, this is the longest trip I’ve ever taken. My legs are feeling a little numb, though I’m feeling quite content watching a beautiful yellow-red sun rising in front of me…