I’m just finishing a BUSY World Gymnastics Championships, packing for my next destination — northern India. Hiking.
If you’ve got time for a laugh today, click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
You’ve never seen data presented like this. With the drama and urgency of a sportscaster, statistics guru Hans Rosling debunks myths about the so-called “developing world.
Professor Bill Sands recommended to me this unbelievably likable educator from Sweden.
Arrived Antwerp. For the World Gymnastics Championships.
You never get tired of the gorgeous train station.
I’m already shopping for a souvenir hat. 🙂
I just purchased the essential Lonely Planet India — 1248 pages — for $10.
Published Oct 15th, 2013 for USD $34.99, I got the PDF version early.
The PDF should be $24.49. But LP has a sale on right now. The electronic versions of every guidebook are just $10 with promo code Ebook10.
Colin Lorback is touring his homeland — Australia.
He’s reached Monkey Mia in WA.
That’s wonderful wilderness.
I was there 10yrs ago.
Brian took us to the Bellevue Underground Mine Tour in the Crows Nest Pass.
Bellevue was founded in 1905 on the flat land above the Bellevue Mine operated by West Canadian Collieries with a post office opening in 1907. …
An explosion in the Bellevue Mine during a partial afternoon shift on December 9th, 1910 killed 30 miners. In 1917 a fire destroyed most of Bellevue’s business section, followed by smaller fires in 1921 and 1922. …
That was my first mine tour. Quite fascinating.
Let’s be thankful we’re not coal miners. It was a tough life.
New York based travel writer Michael Kaplan is getting much love for his article on my second home town:
… next morning, we stroll across Broadway Bridge to the Broadway District, where cute shops and bakeries abound. We settle down at Broadway Roastery (broadwayroastery.com) for cups of strong coffee and locally baked muffins.Then it’s back to the other side of the river for a quick run through Saskatoon Farmers Market (saskatoonfarmersmarket.com), where, inside, you get stunningly authentic Vietnamese summer rolls and perfectly gooey cinnamon buns, while brilliant cherries and sweet plums shipped up from Vancouver are to be had on the outside.
The whole thing is soundtracked by a busking guitarist cruising from the Eagles to Elvis to Merle Haggard. Alongside him, a grill man named Johnny Hollywood makes pretty good brats and burgers. …
read more – Canada’s ’Tooned in
Surprises in Saskatoon? You betcha!
Mashable has a recent post detailing 11 Small Living Spaces.
Of those listed, I’m intrigued by the Looper. A glorified tent / pod.
details – Nomadic Resorts
Seems most of the suitcase manufacturers (Samsonite, Delsey, Targus, Victorinox, etc.) are offering similar products.
Of many near identical pieces of hand luggage on offer in Calgary, I ended up with this one.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Hard case, built-in TSA lock, good wheels.
This was one of the few with a decent laptop sleeve.
Absurdly the retail price on a unit like that is $300+. I paid about $120. It goes for about $100 on Amazon.
This Autumn I’ll be back traveling internationally. Europe and possibly Asia.
On nights where I only need to sleep, you’ll find me in one of the cheapest dorm beds available.
Neil:
Staying in hostels is an excellent way of saving money on the road, the trouble is, sometimes they don’t provide the most comfortable nights rest. …
His proposed ultimate hostel bunk bed:
Specific features:
Personal safe. A safe place to keep your passport and wallet etc. It is not open by a key (easily lost/stolen), but rather my a combination code. Inside the safe a plug socket also resides so that your handheld electronic can be charged in safety.
Lockers for your rucksack underneath the bed. This also saves on space in the room.
An individual fan to combat heat.
An individual reading light.
A personal curtain. This affords you a little privacy and allows you to keep your reading light (above) on whilst others are trying to sleep. The curtain would also help block out some of the noise others in the room are making e.g. snoring.
Solid panels at each end of the bunk with towel rails attached. This will give the bunk a bit more of a sturdy frame. keep out some of the noise in the room and will also provide an obvious place to hang wet towels etc. Solves the problem of having someone elses wet towel overhanging your bunk.
I’ve had all of those features in some dorms, but never the personal safe. That would be expensive to install.
(via Matador)
