I was intrigued to read ROBJH’s forum post about crowd-funding travel this week. I’ve often wondered who’d be daft enough to stump up cash for these people. Why help pay for someone else’s trip of a lifetime when there’s a perfectly good one with your name on it? And don’t get me started about charity ‘challenges’ where the donations fund your travel expenses. Better, I would suggest, if charity stayed at home. Scrimp and save like the rest of us. Trust me, you’ll appreciate it more.
Another hot topic on the forum was raised by Keith Ruffles, inspired by Hilary Bradt’s column in the latest edition of Wanderlust magazine. He wanted to know what you hate about travel. Unpacking and packing seems to be the biggest bug bear. And not just under instruction from officious customs officers either. If you have something that particularly peeves you, you can get it off your chest here.
While you’re over at the forum, treckchick26 is looking for advice on Chiang Mai in August, yamidave wants to hook up with fellow roadrats and Lyn is looking for ideas on how to celebrate 20 years of Wanderlust later this year. My suggestion of an all-expenses paid trip to somewhere exotic for all the staff met with a muted response. Maybe your will fare better.
Over at Just Back From, Bugs has been to Pakistan where he uncovered 5,000-year-old Indus Valley Civilisations and cheered the flag lowering ceremony at the Pakistan/India border. He didn’t say which side he was rooting for. Kevin Hayden has returned from Atlanta, Georgia and its blooming Dogwood trees lbs heavier (order kids' portions, he advises). And Donna McDowell has returned from the Route de Cidre in Normandy without giving any indication of what sort of state she is in. Kendanger has been driving across sand dunes in Doha, and PassengerDiaries suggests you check out the amazing wildlife on the Riviera Nayarit in Mexico.
There has been a range of wonderful experiences posted this week, not least PeteC’s account of being woken up by a dawn chorus of dogs, birds and the local muezzin In Dharamsala. Pete Selman, it seems, got an equally noisy introduction to the concept of Easter in Chiapas, Mexico. Expecting solemn masses, he got fireworks. Lots of them. PassengerDiaries fills us in a little more on the Riviera Nayarit, which seems altogether more peaceful.
Finally, our photography section is awash (get it?) with watery images in response to our water-themed competition. They’re all worth checking out, all nine pages of them. But make sure you swing by Peterj2002’s set on the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania and All Asia Travels' pics from Luang Prabang.
Well, that’s it from me. Have a great weekend. I’m off to buy a copy of Big Issue from my local crowd-sourcer, just outside Starbucks.
