Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for January, 2016
Backpackers’ Paradise
By Linda Tancs
China’s Old City of Dali is the capital of the former kingdom of Dali and a gateway to the Silk Road in southwestern China. Its city gate is an iconic symbol of the ancient city as is Wuhua Tower. The Bai ethnic minority folk houses are another favorite. Aptly named Foreigners Street is where Bai crafts (and their makers) are in ample supply. Widely known as a backpackers’ paradise, foreigners spend weeks, if not months, in the ancient town to study Bai culture.
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Tribute to a Mountain Man
By Linda Tancs
Near an unpaved road on the south side of Shadehill Reservoir in northwestern South Dakota stands a tribute to a mountain man. The honoree is Hugh Glass, a fur trapper in the 1800s who was mauled by a grizzly bear and left to die in the wilderness. Luckily for Hugh, his indefatigable spirit set him crawling for 200 miles from the site of the attack to eventual safety (and medical assistance) at Fort Kiowa. A monument marks the spot where the bear attacked. His life is commemorated in the film The Revenant.
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Places of Invention
By Linda Tancs
Inventor Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Failure taught Edison to repeatedly innovate, an activity that is celebrated at Places of Invention. Located at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., the exhibition highlights innovative communities across the country and their effect on society. Visitors, both on-site and online, can explore and discuss case studies as well as contribute stories about their own communities.
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Cagey in Neptune
By Linda Tancs
South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula is shaped like a shark tooth, an apt construction given that the Neptune Islands off its coast boast the biggest great white sharks on the planet. Eager to draw on shark tourism, the Neptunes offer visitors an up-close-and-personal experience with this apex predator courtesy of underwater cages. Go ahead and take the plunge.
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On Fire in Turkmenistan
By Linda Tancs
The Russians caused an infernal mess when they drilled for natural gas in Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert in the 1970s. A rig collapsed, resulting in a crater 200 feet wide and 70 feet deep (known locally as the Door to Hell) that continues to burn for over 40 years now. Well, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing after all, considering that the site has become a hot (pardon the pun) tourist attraction. Located 160 miles from the capital Ashgabat, you can hire a guide to get you there.
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The 2016 European Capitals of Culture
By Linda Tancs
New year, new cultural pursuits. The European Union’s honorees for 2016 Capitals of Culture are the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastian and Wroclaw, Poland’s fourth largest city. San Sebastian, the third largest city in the Basque Country, is focusing their agenda on a community of culture to foster peaceful coexistence. Seeking to link the two cultural capitals, Wroclaw’s opera director is planning a massive Spanish folk musical at the local stadium, featuring 50 dance groups and 80 choirs performing under the direction of a Spaniard. What a perfect way to promote understanding through culture and the arts.
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