And the Winner is… ITKT’s Favorite Flight
November 29, 2008 | Written by Devin Galaudet
There are a lot of perks being a travel writer. For those wondering, it’s all the travel. Unfortunately, between the ridiculous airport security, plummeting U.S. economy, luggage charges and flight delays there is little to like about air travel anymore. Moreover, as a resident of Los Angeles, all of my international flights are usually, multi-leg long haul flights (unless I am going to Mexico or Canada.) requiring... [Read more]
“Los Gordos” in Uruguay
November 29, 2008 | Written by Dominic DeGrazier
After spending close to a month here in Uruguay, I have made my conclusion. Although the cultures and roots of the people in Argentina and Uruguay are very similar, as expected, people here are bigger. Do they eat more of the delicious meat that both countries boast of? Is it the different strain in the mate? I don’t know - but I have seen enough to come to arrive at this observation.
Gordo... [Read more]
The Mighty Falls in Zambia
November 28, 2008 | Written by Sarit Reizin
Man triumphs over nature. Tames lions, kills mammoths, conquers raging rivers that roar and foam at the mouth with white water as if outraged that man has dared to venture in. In Zambia’s Livingstone, home to the mighty Victoria Falls, man has enslaved nature. It happens in so many places I visit; it’s strange how I’ve only realized it now.
Aside from being used as an energy source, the Falls are... [Read more]
Thanksgiving for Travel — ITKT Favorites
November 26, 2008 | Written by Devin Galaudet
Over the last year, I have had great experiences trekking through rain forests, gawking at art in museums, experienced on horseback, in sail boats, strolling through parks, flying, and sometimes being eaten by bugs. All of it was worth it because I love travel. Over the next few weeks, I will be highlighting a great year in travel and the Editors of ITKT’s Favorites — our new awards!
These are the destinations,... [Read more]
Gothenburg Hugs Christmas
November 25, 2008 | Written by ITKT Media Partner
November 25, 2008 – Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city, home of Volvo and Hasselblad, embraces Christmas with a largesse that is unbecoming of Scandinavian’s somewhat reticent culture. It hugs everyone.
Scandinavia’s Christmas City No. 1, Gothenburg makes believers out of roughly 1.5 million who enter its enchanted Christmas... [Read more]
A True Taste of Tyrol
November 25, 2008 | Written by Carolyn Bonello
Devouring the last morsel of my Kaminwurzan, I can safely say that it is the most delicious smoked sausage I have ever tasted. It’s probably the best bit of food I ever tasted. No. I’m lying. The absolute best is what I’m about to stuff my face with now. The flakiest, sweetest, made-with-the-ripest-apples-ever, piece of divine apfel strudel. I’m sitting at kreuzjochhutte, a pretty alpine hut, and the mountain air... [Read more]
Costa Rica’s Four-Star Locals
November 23, 2008 | Written by Darby Bailey
There are certain things I get when I take advantage of local travel outriggers vs. large corporate hotel chains. On my solo trip to Costa Rica I wanted a taste of both. I visited Playa Hermosa first, and my local guide and surf coach Gaby took me places I’m sure I never would have gone had I stayed at a large hotel chain.
The first experience was going with Gaby on a river hike, where we ducked spider webs and... [Read more]
A Montevideo Test Passed
November 23, 2008 | Written by Dominic DeGrazier
I am learning the ways of being a local…sort of. Sure, I walk down the street and people can tell (from my clothes perhaps?) that I don’t exactly fit the bill as a Montevidean. But let’s not focus on this for now.
Just yesterday I received a fantastic compliment. During a four hour session of mate drinking with some very sweet new friends, I was asked if I wouldn’t mind serving the... [Read more]
Disney Begins with Ground Blessing
November 21, 2008 | Written by ITKT Media Partner
O‘AHU, Hawai‘i, November 19, 2008 – Walt Disney Parks and Resorts broke ground for its first family destination resort in Hawai‘i today with a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony on its 21-acre oceanfront property, located at the Ko Olina Resort & Marina development on the western side of O‘ahu. Scheduled to open in 2011, the new family friendly destination will overlook breathtaking crystal blue lagoons... [Read more]
Leaving Namibia, or How to Find a Pangolin
November 21, 2008 | Written by Sarit Reizin
I hate to leave Namibia - it has been so good to me. But my last days
here weren’t without memorable adventures. I wondered if the day would
come when Columbus would drown in the thick mud it often has to go
through. And that day nearly came.
Mamili National Park was going to be the last on my list in this
country. It was almost completely flooded and looked deserted. A few
successful... [Read more]
Why Mazatlan? (video podcast)
November 20, 2008 | Written by Devin Galaudet
After a week in Mazatlan, I had a chance to meet with Carlos Berdegue, the Vice President of the Mazatlan Hotel Association and President of El Cid Resorts. I took his word on it and checked out several of the Colonial town near Mazatlan. They are all quite impressive and I recommend the silver mines beneath Daniels in Copala.
Please note the dreadful choice to have my glasses propped up on my head like that. However,... [Read more]
Uruguay - Tierra of Beef, Mate, and Water
November 20, 2008 | Written by Dominic DeGrazier
What more could anyone ask for? You eat some of the best beef in the world for your main course every day. During your time off work, or during a leisurely stroll along the “Rambla” in Montevideo, you drink the best mate in South America. And when you are full of these two gems you drink some of the best water in the world (apparently this is one of Uruguay’s main resources - the natural... [Read more]
A Political View from America
November 19, 2008 | Written by Steve Smith & Christine Johnson
Last night I watched Dave Letterman and was reminded how ‘anti-Bush administration’ he’s become. Immediately after the 911 attacks he was so pro-administration that he subscribed to the notion it could do no wrong. Anyway, he made a joke about why the world hates us and linked it to our innovative technology.
The fact is, the world doesn’t hate us. What they object to is government policies descended from... [Read more]
Border-less Wildlife
November 18, 2008 | Written by Sarit Reizin
On the little stretch of Caprivi, where the colonial politics of the
past have arbitrarily divided the land into Namibia, Botswana, Zambia,
and Angola, wildlife knows no borders. The river here serves as the
divide, and its name changes every hundred miles or so. Birds here are
as colorful as I’ve ever seen. Carmine bee-eaters sunbathe on low
branches, and I photograph them in all their... [Read more]
The Iguana Lodge in Costa Rica (video podcast)
November 17, 2008 | Written by Devin Galaudet
Today is Costa Rica and seeing all the zoo animals I could fit into my camera’s viewfinder. I also had a moment between horseback rides, beach combing and releasing turtles into the the sea with Lauren of the Iguana Lodge in the Osa Peninsula 15 minutes outside of Puerto Jimenez in Costa Rica. She points out some of the highlights of the locale, lodge and surrounding area — which I loved.
If in Costa... [Read more]
Five Fabulous Foods in Greece
November 17, 2008 | Written by Elaine Paparonis
As the pine-green tour bus wound its way through the tree-laden mountains of central Greece, I had to bite my lip and focus on deep, cleansing breaths. No, I was not hyperventilating from the height, and our driver was a model of road decorum. I was attempting to restrain myself from inquiring of my seat mate what on earth had possessed her to travel all the way to Greece—the land of olive oil and antiquities—to order... [Read more]
Dinner at Montevideo
November 17, 2008 | Written by Dominic DeGrazier
It’s 12:43 in the morning here in the Ciudad Vieja (the touristy part of the center of the city). I have just returned from eating dinner with a new Uruguayan friend. This doesn’t sound strange, does it? Dinners always can run late with a few drinks and good times had right?
Except by the time we finished walking around and decided on a place, it was already 11PM.
“Do you usually... [Read more]
Road Trip Travel Enters the Space Age, part 4
November 16, 2008 | Written by Steve Smith & Christine Johnson
I found that nowhere in the world is the wine as fine and varied as in Italy. Towns only 20 kilometers apart produce unique varieties made from the same grapes, appellations they can call all their own. Driving through each will give you the chance to taste this firsthand. My two favorites grew in micro-climates states apart, but the bloodlines these wines share make them family.
We’ve all heard of Tuscany and... [Read more]
Caprivi People
November 15, 2008 | Written by Sarit Reizin
Namibia differs from Botswana like day from night, except for
Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. On a map, it looks like the neck of a guitar,
and stretches for over three hundred kilometers west to east, although
it’s only thirty to seventy kilometers wide. Along its seldom used
roads are scattered tiny mud-huts and skinny livestock. Most of the
structures are round, with a frame of thick... [Read more]
Montevideo’s Banking
November 14, 2008 | Written by Dominic DeGrazier
I’ve become a bit tired of getting charged five dollars, at least, on every transaction I enter into on the ATMs out here. Well, I haven’t used them that much yet, but I will get tired of them very soon. So off to the Banco Republica de Uruguay I went today. I went to open up a bank account.
I walked into the bank at 1:15 PM, fifteen minutes after it apparently opened for the day. Is that... [Read more]
Alaska Turning the Big 5-0 (video podcast)
November 13, 2008 | Written by Devin Galaudet
The 49th state celebrates its 50th birthday of US statehood in 2009 and after a weekend of learning about all the festivities and great wildlife opportunities in Alaska, I had a chance to catch up with Ron Peck of the Alaska Travel Industry Association. In this interview, Ron let me know about some of the basics of visiting Alaska this year, which features festivals and discounts throughout the celebration.
For the... [Read more]
Around Mazatlan
November 12, 2008 | Written by Devin Galaudet
Most of my day was spent in a van cruising along the roads leading out of Mazatlan. I whizzed passed lots of green rolling hills with construction, cows, stray dogs and a curious pair of copulating donkeys on the side of the road. The goal for the day was to visit some of the outlining towns nearby Mazatlan — definitely worth the trip.
Malpica was my first stop for beautiful handmade tiles (I bought a matched... [Read more]
Montevideo Times
November 12, 2008 | Written by Dominic DeGrazier
I’ve been in Montevideo, Uruguay for a week now. This is a smaller South American capital - some 1.7 million people. I am here to live for awhile, to figure out the people, and most importantly to decide if I like what the city has to offer.
A few years ago, for three months, I traveled around Argentina and felt as though... [Read more]
A Change in Mazatlan
November 10, 2008 | Written by Devin Galaudet
I was exhausted as the van pulled up to my hotel in Mazatlan, Mexico. While the plane ride was shorter than many international flights from Los Angeles, I am discovering that all the airport sitting and preparing makes for a tired day of travel — especially when the day started a 6AM. Still I managed to keep an eye on the road and the surrounding buildings. Home Depot, Starbucks, and Taco Bell compete with Tacos Arnoldo... [Read more]
The Poetry of Paris
November 7, 2008 | Written by Andrew Hill
the round-a-bouts are bigger than me. the république . . . and others . . . swirl the machines on wheels in circles. they carry the bodies of humans to work. through the arc de triomphe, they journey with the past history of triumphant military marches, national armies proclaiming victory over the land. this symbol, the arc de triomphe, signals the pride of pennants, and the stink of arrogance. the flags on the arc de... [Read more]
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