Travel

Journeys, Science, Souvenirs, Photographs

/ Crist Inman / Leave a comment

A GLORIOUS ENTERPRISE. Photographs from a book of Philadelphia’s Academy of Natural Sciences’ collection depict the making of American science. Cleared and stained specimens of youg horse-eye jacks (Caranx latus) from Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo. ANSP Ichthyology Department. This is a species that was first described by Academy member Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) in 1831. Photography by Rosamond Purcell

Click on the image above to go to the Audubon Magazine website, where a review of the photographs in this book, A Glorious Enterprise, was published.  Just realizing that, for a blog that features birds every day, we do not link to stories in the best magazine in the world for bird lovers, we aim to correct this.  First, credit where due. The photographer Rosamond Purcell, whose work accompanies the text in a book that sounds worthy of accompanying a long journey, has more work featured in an article currently on National Geographic’s website:

Walter looks comfortable. Dead for 50 years, the giant Pacific octopus is resting in a ten-gallon tank of ethanol solution, six-foot arms folded in cephalopod repose. His next-door neighbors hail from the Atlantic: a jarred colony of sea squirts, their blue-green bioluminescence long extinguished. Corals and algae bloom on a shelf. Leis of Tahitian snails dangle from hooks. Pearly shelled mussels from the Mississippi River, source of a once profitable button industry, glisten under glass. Continue reading →

Cockneys in Iceland

/ Seth Inman / 5 Comments

The Cockney Tourist, or Where Shall We Go To? © Look and Learn / Peter Jackson Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library

Earlier last week, I completed a working draft of one of my thesis’ chapters. Its subject matter is a bit different from what I’ve been writing about in previous months, because I more closely address trends in travel and travel literature rather than the travellers’ interactions with the environment around them. Here’s an edited (and de-annotated, so comment for further reading) version of the introduction to this chapter:

After the Napoleonic Wars, as continental Europe reopened to British travel during the 1820s, there came to be an exaggerated perception that sightseers were swarming sites of the Grand Tour, previously inaccessible due to both military and socioeconomic barriers. Many aristocratic Britons considered this type of tourist, the mere excursionist, distinct from themselves, the sophisticated travellers more interested in natural history, authentic culture, and exploration. Iceland, with its near-mythical  Continue reading →

Eco On Journeys Of The Mind

/ Organikos / Leave a comment

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If you are a fan of Umberto Eco, and/or alternative travelogues, this book may be for you. If only the former, you might want to just go here or here.  In its blurb for Eco’s new book (click the image to the right to go to the source), the USA publisher Rizzoli Ex Libris has this to say, which make it at least worthwhile to search the book reviews:

A fascinating illustrated tour of the fabled places in literature and folklore that have awed, troubled, and eluded us through the ages. From the epic poets of antiquity to contemporary writers of science fiction, from the authors of the Holy Scriptures to modern raconteurs of fairy tales, writers and storytellers through the ages have invented imaginary  Continue reading →

A Different Kind Of Travelogue

/ Organikos / 1 Comment

10-08discovery_full_380We are unabashedly in favor of reading, thinking and decision-making in advance of travel, during travel, and after travel. We are also in favor, when the fancy strikes, of just hitting the road without knowing why, where to, or for how long. On our pages you will find posts for either end of the spectrum from meticulously planned to wanderlust journeys.  It is about  discovery.  So this book caught our attention. Nothing to do with hobbits, as reviewed by the Monitor (click the book image to the left to go to the source) it sounds like the perfect prelude, accompaniment or postscript for travel in a part of the world we have not been covering in our pages as much as we maybe should:

…In “The Discovery of Middle Earth,” Robb sets out to establish the momentous contributions made to the arts of cartography and communication by the once-great Celtic peoples, who at various points in history spread all the way from modern-day Turkey to Ireland. In the process, he consults old documents, interviews experts, examines artifacts, and bicycles more than 26,000 kilometers across France, taking his readers along with him… Continue reading →

Kerala Named Among Top 10 Holiday Destinations

/ Salim.E.I / 4 Comments
Photo credits: Manoj Vasudevan

Fort Cochin; Photo credits: Manoj Vasudevan

Known as “God’s Own Country”, Kerala is one of the most beautiful states in India. Lonely Planet apparently agrees by citing it among the World’s 10 best destinations for a family holiday in 2014. The Lonely Planet award for Best Family Destination was bestowed at the World Travel Mart in London, the leading trade event attended by industry representatives from around the world. Continue reading →

Drink the Wild Air

/ Daniela Benavides / Leave a comment

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” Alejandra Benavides/conCIENCIA

Working for the balance and health of nature as a conservation biologist brought me to understand the importance of nature in the balance and health of communities. The great gap between the two inspired me to establish conCIENCIA, a nature-based education design program. We build environmental identity in fishing villages across Peru through nature-based integrated learning guided by play, creativity, curiosity and the senses.
As First Mermaid in conCIENCIA, I work with an amazing group of artists and scientist, to connect coastal children to the natural wonderland, since 2010.

Lobitos has some of the most beautiful beaches on the Peruvian coast. Its world-class surfing draws hundreds of surfers from all over the planet and is known far and wide. A lesser-known fact is that it also has 153 children enrolled in its elementary school. Walking down the beach we wonder where these kids are. We walk from point to point with not one in sight. There’s no laughter or splashing on the shores. Surfers and fishermen dominate our view. No mothers and children sharing the democratic fun the beach offers: a place with more attractions than we could ever finish exploring.

In Latin American cities like Rio de Janeiro it is on the beach that rich and poor meet, crossing the giant social chasm that separates them, virtually identical in their bathing suits, covered in sand, sweat and salt. Surprisingly, this doesn’t seem to be the case in many of Peru’s coastal towns. Exactly why is hard to say. Our NGO conCIENCIA helps coastal communities develop an environmental identity and engagement through outdoor science-based learning. We hope to be able to answer the question ‘why’ through surveys, conversation and appreciation.

On the surface one could say it is cultural.  Fishermen don’t bathe in the sea or lounge on the beach. This is their place of work, as for a New Yorker her office would be–of course, with greater hardships and demands. The sea is treacherous and fish stock is dwindling. Continue reading →

Pedal Powered Ecotourism

/ Salim.E.I
Eco Tourism

Pedal Power! photo credits: Ramesh Kidangoor

At Raxa Collective we believe in conservation and what better example than Cardamom County, a plastic-free resort with rich gardens where we harvest fruits, vegetables and even eggs. Kerala is a beautiful state with many places to discover and there’s no better way to experience our neighborhood than with zero carbon transport.

Continue reading →

Parents, Kids, Travel

/ Organikos / Leave a comment

Whether it is to India or somewhere less far afield geographically, culturally, culinarily this advisory essay is well taken:
Taking a child out of the country is no small feat. Heck, taking a child to grandma’s house for the holidays can be exhausting! Not only is it important to prepare logistically for your trip—plane tickets, passports, itineraries, etc.—it is important to prepare your child emotionally, physically, and awesomely. Your mini-me is about to become a citizen of the world, and you are already nailing it.

Photographer + Professor + Himalayas = Collaborative Book

/ Organikos / 1 Comment

The blurb is enough to get our attention, but the images on the book’s website (click the image above to see) make the journey palpable:

The Eastern Himalaya—land of Gods, of ancient mountain kingdoms, of icy peaks and alpine meadows—is like no other place on Earth. The life and landscapes of the region are as diverse, spectacular and fragile as the mountains themselves. Even today, these mountains hold many mysteries: unnamed species, primeval cultures and the promise of magical cures to heal all of humanity. Himalaya—Mountains of Life takes us on a journey of biocultural discovery, from the great canyon of Yarlung Tsangpo and the Siang Gorge in the east to the Kali Gandaki Gorge in the west. Along the way, Himalaya demonstrates through breathtaking imagery and words, why the preservation of this heritage is so important—not just for us, but for the future of all life on Earth. Continue reading →

Incredible India!

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As countries go, India is just about as varied as they come. With a history of people coming here to either lose themselves or find themselves, it’s simultaneously colorful, soulful and gritty.

This offering by the Indian tourism board will take your breath away!

Thenmala Sengottai – Meter Gauge Rail

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Photo credits : Dileep Kumar

Photo credits: Dileep Kumar

The Thenmala-Sengottai Meter Gauge Ghat section had been one of the gems of the Indian rail system and certainly one of Kerala’s most beautiful routes. Maharajah Balarama Varma of Travacore conceived and implemented the railway line during 1904, with an , with an inaugural run in July of that year. Continue reading →

Mushroom-Hunting, Russian Edition

/ Organikos / 3 Comments
Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times. Guides lead a mushroom hunt in Suzdal.

Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times. Guides lead a mushroom hunt in Suzdal.

A shoutout to our mushroom guru, Milo, who has just recently relocated to the Rocky Mountains: we miss your mushroom-hunting in India!  Besides his ever-intriguing mushroom-identification excursions with the tribal guides in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, and just about everywhere else where he steps foot, Milo’s culinary oyster mushroom cultivation project in Cardamom County’s organic gardens is fondly remembered. After a thoroughly refreshing monsoon season, the time for new cultivation in those gardens is upon us again. This article, from the New York Times, makes us wonder whether Milo’s first post from his new post will be mycologically motivated:

‘If You Are Normal, You Search for Mushrooms’

Continue reading →

How To Get To And From Kerala

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As FAQs go, the one we answer most often at Raxa Collective is: what is the best way for me to get to Kerala? As answers go, we could not do better than refer you directly to the video above and for that we give thanks to our colleagues at Kerala Tourism.  Try not to smile every time the narrator says the name of the capital city…

Hermes, Circa 1979

/ Crist Inman / 2 Comments

OdesLPLabelAt Easter time, 1979, my mother and I traveled back to Vourthonia. Musical soundtrack can accompany an occasion in life, just as in film. Vangelis, in collaboration with Irene Pappas, had just released the soundtrack for that visit.  Click the image to the left to read a bit about the album; better yet find the music and listen.

The lamb had been over the fire since morning, and was now on the table. Feta, salads, and the best olives in the world were there too. That music was playing from the open doors of an old VW Beetle parked near where we were sitting–my mother, many villagers, and me. That god gave safe passage. Continue reading →

Hermes, Circa 1969

/ Crist Inman / 3 Comments

As one of the contributors referred to in this post, and as the one who took the photographs in that post, it occurred to me that I should comment further on the reference.  And in doing so, perhaps I could add to the small collection of personal statements that have been gathering on this site since mid-2011.  I am 100% sure I took the photograph above during that same visit to Greece in 2008.  As I snapped this photo my mother was at my side and we both remembered having stood in the same spot in 1969. Continue reading →

Greece Is Feeling The Love

/ Organikos / 1 Comment

Several of the most frequent contributors to this platform walked together in this quintessentially Greek passageway in 2008–the quality of the light, the stone, the feel this image gives can take you straight back to Greece for a moment if you let it.  So can this blog post from Messy Nessy, a new acquaintance:

Traveling the roads of Greece these past few days, it hasn’t taken long for the dollhouse-sized roadside chapels to become a bit of an obsession for me– which means stopping the car at every single one to snap a photo, of course. Some are elaborate little things made of terracotta or even marble, plonked in the middle of nowhere, high up in the mountains; no village or houses for miles, and yet impossibly, most of them are faithfully maintained with a candle always burning inside.

Continue reading →

New Tourist-On-Arrival Visas For India

/ Organikos / 1 Comment
The Hindu

Photo credit: The Hindu. Thiruvananthapuram Airport along with the Cochin International Airport joined six other elite airports in the country to issue T-VoA

Thanks to the Hindu (click the image above to go to the source) for publicizing this new information about India’s ever-easier visa procedures. Decades ago, when it was downright Kafka-esque to obtain a visa, no one predicted that by 2013 efficiency would be a relevant word in a sentence about obtaining a visa.  But, to the credit of India, it is so. While not quite Hemingway lean, the prose is simplified, especially if you are from one of these countries:

Kerala on Wednesday became the gateway to India for holidaymakers from 11 countries who can get tourist visa on arrival (T-VoA).

Continue reading →

Sharing My Summer Travels

/ Timothy Chen / Leave a comment

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” -St. Augustine.

Over this past summer, I’ve had the extraordinary opportunity of traveling around the United States and abroad to see some various national parks. Traveling abroad–and especially, traveling to areas of natural beauty carved out by Earth–always serve as a humble reminder of how little we’ve seen and how important global conservation efforts are. I’d like to think that my summer’s travels to China and Hawaii have opened a little bit more of that book, and it’s with great pleasure that I share some of the pictures from the trip.

Continue reading →

An Introduction to India

/ Kendra Barnett / 5 Comments
View out of the Houseboat

View out of the Houseboat

My name is Kendra, and last week I arrived in Cochin, India. I am a recent graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, and I traveled here to work for four months with Raxa Collective to learn more about Conservation-tourism in action.

Before I arrived in India I didn’t know what to expect. I knew the culture and food were different from the western style I grew up with, but when I arrived I was completely spellbound by what I experienced. My first sights of India came during a drive I took through the southern city of Cochin, and it was amazing. I didn’t expect it to be so full of life and color, especially in the rain. I saw women in beautiful saris racing across the busy streets in the rain and billboards advertising intricate and colorful jewelry. This was my first view of India, and despite my earlier apprehension I was enthralled with it. Continue reading →