Travels in the Riel World

Whirling dervishes. The term is a familiar one to many people, but what exactly is a whirling dervish? That is, beyond some exotic Middle Eastern man who twirls round and round while dressed in a white robe and tall hat? Not many people know that the dance of a whirling dervish is actually a spiritual activity, most often performed by Sufi Muslim mystics. The Intelligent Travel blog of National Geographic Traveler recently published a spectator’s view of the whirling dervishes, complete with a video. It’s worth a look.

I first heard the term “Whirling Dervishes” as a young child and, reasonably enough, surmised that they were dervishes who loved to whirl. What a dervish was, exactly, remained a mystery to me until last Friday, when I stepped into a 500-year-old Turkish bathhouse (repurposed as the Hodjapasha Culture Center) in the Sirkeci area of old Istanbul. Here, monks of a mystical Sufi order of Muslims–known traditionally for their spirituality, self denial, and tolerance–perform a centuries-old dance ritual…

I glanced at the notes I had taken as our guide, Etem Öztürk, explained the significance of the dervishes’ clothing: “They wear tall felt hats, white gowns with long skirts, and black capes that they remove,” he said. “The hats represent tombstones. The gowns are burial shrouds. The black capes are the dirt of the grave.” The point of the ritual, Öztürk continued, was to leave everything of the world behind and to become one with God, with Allah. “That only truly happens in death,” he said. “These monks are mimicking death. When they’re performing, it’s as though they are dead.”

Fair enough, though, as we watched, the dervishes seemed quite alive to me, the hems of their gowns lifting centrifugally from the floor as they spun, always counterclockwise, sending a gentle breeze out over us spectators. I watched for the movements Öztürk had described: the tilting of the head, the opening of the arms–the palm of the right hand facing up, the left palm facing down, in order to transmit the positive energy of heaven earthward, spreading peace and wisdom.

Tomorrow is the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, and families from Maine to California will be sitting down for a traditional family meal of turkey, potatoes, stuffing, corn, cranberries, and other such food staples of this holiday. But this is an interesting time to take a look at other quintessentially American foods that have nothing at all to do with Thanksgiving. The inspiration here is a recent Parade article about unique regional dishes from across the country. Such as:  

CUBAN SANDWICH (TAMPA, FLA.)
A perfect storm of multiple ingredients, the Cuban sandwich is a sheaf of roast pork chunks, sliced ham, cheese, puckery pickle slices, mustard, mayo, and hot sauce all packed into a torpedo of crusty Cuban bread. It would fall to pieces as constructed, but it attains harmony in a hot plancha, the Spanish toaster that is basically a toothless waffle iron, causing all the flavors to bond together as one yummy chord: a truly heroic hero sandwich!

INDIAN PUDDING (NEW ENGLAND)
This pumpkin-colored porridge, a distant cousin of Southern grits, can be topped with cream or vanilla ice cream. While creative chefs doll it up with fruit or brandy, the rock-ribbed Yankee recipe, going back to Pilgrim days, is little more than cornmeal and molasses. A long, slow bake (up to seven hours) transforms it into a profound comfort food that smells like Grandma’s kitchen and evokes the first Thanksgiving.

GREEN CORN TAMALES (TUCSON, ARIZ.)
For these, you need corn still on the cob, because when the kernels are scraped off, they yield enough juice to make a moist, full-flavored filling. Fresh, just-roasted chilies are laced into the corn dough (often with cheese) and tightly rolled inside a green corn husk, then steamed until the taste of earth and fire are exuberantly married: an inspiration for house parties.

DATE MILKSHAKE (SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA)
As intense as espresso and as special as champagne, dates were unknown to most Americans before the 1890s, when they first were planted in California. Roadside date shacks concocted this divine dessert drink by adding finely chopped date crystals or date puree to a blender along with ice cream and milk. It’s a wanton luxury that radiates the taste of sunshine and demands gulping.

What other unique regional dishes can you name? Check out the full story for other examples. In the meantime, though, if you’re in the U.S. then enjoy your traditional holiday recipes tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving!

Traveling with children. It’s a nightmare scenario for some people, but for many others it’s a not-to-be-missed family activity and an indispensable tool for teaching children about life in the world. Rachel Denning just wrote a great article for Boots ‘n All about this topic.

It’s long been thought of as an activity that can’t be done with a family, especially small children; it was a choice you had to make – travel, or start a family, but not both.

However, there is a rise in the number of families who are making travel a reality, with infants and older, and they’re doing it deliberately as a way to educate, expand, and inform their children in ways that are not possible by staying at home.

Are these parents crazy? Although they’ve been asked this question many times, the reality is that they simply realize the tremendous benefits of personal growth and character development, not to mention adventure and fun, available from family travel.

She includes five tips for using travel as a way of developing character in your children (and even in yourself). Here is one of her suggestions:

Get Uncomfortable

Although difficult for most people to do for themselves, let alone to purposefully inflict on their children, being uncomfortable actually means that you are experiencing growth.

Instead of planning the usual, touristy trip, try something new, and well… a little uncomfortable. Think about visiting someplace you might not have considered before, a location that is a bit out of your comfort zone – South America instead of Europe, Dominica instead of Disneyland.

The first time I ever traveled outside of the United States was when I was in my early twenties. My family had taken a vacation to San Diego, and we spent a day visiting Tijuana, Mexico.

During the initial half hour of our visit, I felt literally sick to my stomach. I hated it, I just wanted to run away. I had no real-life concept of the kinds of conditions that others lived in throughout the world, and when I came face to face to it, I was extremely uneasy.

Yet that trip has stayed with me. It planted a seed that has grown more with each journey, and has given me a huge heart for humanitarian work, and a desire to relieve suffering worldwide.

Check out her entire story for other such tips, including extending the stay, getting grateful, starting them young, and giving back.

It certainly seems that way to the Venetians who recently staged a mock funeral for their city. They were protesting the fact that the local population continues to shrink, while the cost of housing and the number of tourists continue to rise. A NY Times article reported on the event:

Part photo opportunity, part political theater, the spectacle was the centerpiece of a fake funeral for the city of Venice. A group of prankster-provocateurs organized it to protest the fact that the number of residents in Venice’s historic center has dropped below 60,000, down from 74,000 in 1993, as rising rents and hordes of tourists have pushed thousands to the mainland.

As a result, locals feel like an endangered species. “We’re going to turn into a city of ghosts if something isn’t done soon,” said Matteo Secchi, a local hotelier and a spokesman for Venessia, the group that organized the funeral. “In 30 years there might be zero Venetians left.” …

Real estate prices are steep in the historic center, and many property owners can command far more with short-term rentals to foreigners than with long-term rentals to residents.

As more people move to the mainland, many protest a decline in services in Venice proper, including medical offices, child care facilities, food shops and even cobblers. Many Venetians see the closing of a vast hospital complex on the Lido, which the city has put up for sale to developers, as the ultimate symbol of tourism over local interests.

“The city doesn’t do anything for us,” said Matteo Matteazzi, who came to watch the fake funeral. “They do more for tourists and students. We want to live here with our families. We want it to be a living city the way it was when we grew up here.”

We all love to travel, but it’s also a sad fact that tourism affects local life, sometimes in good ways and sometimes in detrimental ways. Venice is fast becoming more of a museum piece than a vibrant city, as locals are driven away by the high cost of real estate. It’s an issue for everyone who cares about that travel to be aware of, just as much as we care about the affect that tourism has on ancient ruins around the world.

Mention the idea of taking a hike and most people will immediately picture a trail through the wilderness. But it’s also possible to enjoy some fairly long and wonderfully scenic trails right in the middle of major cities. I just published an article about seven of the best urban hiking trails in the United States. Here is an excerpt:

National Mall - Washington, D.C. - It’s a straight and flat 1.9-mile walk down the National Mall from the U.S. Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial. Along the way, you’ll pass the Washington Monument and the Ellipse in front of the White House. You can also see the World War II, Vietnam and Korean War memorials and numerous museums, including the Air and Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art. At just under four miles round trip (a little more if you throw in a trip to the Jefferson and Roosevelt Memorials along the Tidal Basin), it’s one of the most historic and awe-inspiring urban hikes you can imagine.

 

Crissy Field waterfront walk, San Francisco - Crissy Field is a relatively new bayside park in San Francisco and part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The walk between here and Fort Point, by the Golden Gate Bridge, is one of the loveliest urban walks in the country. Walk west and you maintain a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Walk east and the San Francisco skyline will be in front of you. Either way, you’ll stroll along the bay and enjoy the sight of windsurfers and sailboats.

 

Riverwalk - San Antonio - One of the most successful such developments of its kind, the San Antonio Riverwalk is popular with tourists and locals alike. It’s a network of pedestrian paths along the San Antonio River and is lined with shops, restaurants and public art. The walkway itself runs one story beneath street level for several miles and it connects some of the city’s top tourist attractions, from the Alamo to the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Check out my entire story for information on other such trails in New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Chang Mai, Thailand

A woman from the Kayan tribe (popularly known as the “Long Necks”). This is a Burmese tribe, some of whose members now live in northern Thailand. The females wear neck rings that push down the collar bone and gives the appearance of a long neck.

I love to wander through local markets in different countries. I enjoy the colors and smells and sounds, but most of all the window they provide into a different culture. The foods people eat, the products they shop for, the clothing they wear, the way they haggle (or don’t haggle) over prices. So I loved stumbling across this recent article on Brilliant Tips about interesting markets around the world. A few favorites:

Pushkar Camel Fair (India) - Each November before the full moon, thousands of people go to the banks of the Pushkar Lake in the holy city of Pushkar in the state of Rajastan, India to be a part of the amazing Pushkar Camel Fair. During the full moon days, a tented city is created adjacent to Pushkar Lake where people from around the globe cover the sand dunes to enjoy the festivities, trade livestock and handicrafts, participate in camel races and experience music, dance and drama. The colors, music and festivities of the annual Pushkar Camel Fair make for a magical experience that visitors are sure to never forget.

Tsukiji Fish Market (Tokyo, Japan) - The Tsukiji Fish Market is a wholesale market that handles the distribution of fish, fruit, vegetables, meat and flowers for metropolitan Tokyo. The market is the largest fish and seafood wholesale market in the world handling over 3,000 tons of 450 different types of seafood each day. The vibrant atmosphere of buyers and sellers running around, scooters buzzing by and forklifts loading trucks attracts tourists from around the world and has turned the Tsukiji Fish Market into a major tourist attraction.

San Telmo Antiques Fair(Buenos Aires, Argentina) - Known for its bohemian charm and historic appeal, the quaint and funky Buenos Aires barrio of San Telmo is full of energy every day. However, on Sundays, it truly comes to life. Every Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm, the Plaza Dorrego is home to the San Telmo Antiques Fair. To call this an antiques fair, or market, really doesn’t speak to what this event is. As you walk along the cobblestone streets among the antique sales, tango dancers perform and provide entertainment for the crowd and, once night falls, the fair evolves into a milonga (a street side dance party).

Check out the entire story for more unique international markets, including links to longer stories about each one.

Yes, Borders or Barnes and Noble can be fine places to shop or hang out. But there is something to be said for the thrill of wandering the aisles of a bookstore with a truly distinctive feel and personality. Places that take on the character and personality of the city in which they’re located. That’s why some bookstores can even take on the feel of a travel destinations by themselves. In pursuit of some of these shops, I just published an article about seven of the most interesting and popular independent bookstores in the U.S.

The Strand in New York City promises 18 miles of books. City Lights Books in San Francisco is still going strong more than 50 years after being at the epicenter of the literary Beat Generation. The Harvard Bookstore in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of several independent bookstores within a few blocks of each other in eclectic Harvard Square. And Powells City of Books in Portland, Oregon, is huge and hugely popular. Then there are these other favorites:

Elliott Bay Book Company – Seattle, Washington - The Elliott Bay Book Company is a quintessentially Seattle book store, with brick-walled rooms and a popular café on site. It’s another store that can lay claim to more than 150,000 titles and a constant stream of author readings and book club events. The shop is located in Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square district, surrounded by an diverse collection of restaurants, galleries and retail stores.

 

The Tattered Cover – Denver, Colorado - Nestled in the heart of the Rockies, The Tattered Cover is located in an old theater and is renowned for the comfy chairs scattered throughout the premises, the gas fireplace, and the coffeehouse in what was once the theater’s lobby. For a store that stocks more than 150,000 titles, the style is cozy and comforting. Book lovers are invited to relax as they browse this legendary Denver bookstore, which also claims to have a free special event nearly every day of the year.

 

Politics and Prose – Washington, D.C. - It’s a perfect name for a bookstore in a city that is consumed by politics. The Politics and Prose shop is already well known for being the site of many of the author readings that are broadcast on C-SPAN. But the store is also known for a great selection of books, numerous inviting and comfy chairs for reading, and a great café.

What else would you have included in my story? What are some of your favorite independent bookstores? Which ones would you add to a travel itinerary for a particular city?

You’ve seen The Lord of the Rings and dreamed of traveling to New Zealand, where many of the amazingly beautiful scenes were filmed. You’ve sung along with Meryl Streep during Mamma Mia and wondered what achingly beautiful Greek island was the setting for that movie. Yes, movies can be a great boost to a region’s tourist industry, and a chance to visit the site of one of your favorite films can be a fun activity while traveling. Victoria Brewood recently put together a great article for BootsnAll about seven of the best movie locations around the world:

New Zealand: ‘The Lord of the Rings’  - The stunning scenery in the Lord of The Rings trilogy really put New Zealand on the map as a backpacker location – perhaps it should really be called Land Of The Rings. Kiwi director Peter Jackson didn’t have to look far to find the perfect location for the magical ‘middle earth’ in the three movies.

The Lord of the Rings was filmed over 274 days, using 350 purpose-built sets in more than 150 locations over both islands. It is the first time an entire feature film trilogy has been filmed all at once, making it one of biggest productions in movie history. The rolling hills of Matamata were chosen to house the hobbit holes of Hobbiton and the village now presents itself to visitors with a sign saying ‘Welcome to Hobbiton’.

Tongariro National Park is home to three volcanoes; one of these, Mt Ruapehu, was transformed into the dark and fiery realm of Mt. Doom where the ring was forged. Visitors can also ski on Whakapapa Ski Field on Mt Ruapehu, which was used for Middle Earth’s snowy slopes. Queenstown, New Zealand’s adventure capital, was the setting for numerous scenes including the Eregion Hills, and the Pillars of Argonath. Tourists can also 4X4 across the Ford of Bruinen, which was filmed at the Shotover River near Arrowtown or walk the serene forest of Rivendell which is in Kaitoke Regional Park.

Greece: ‘Mamma Mia’ - The most uplifting things about Mamma Mia apart from the classic Abba tunes and all-star cast dancing around to big show stopping numbers, are the beautiful blue waters, narrow cobbled streets and whitewashed houses of Greece.

Mamma Mia was filmed on the islands of Skopelos and Skiathos, two of the Sporades Islands. Skopelos is about a half-hour hydrofoil from Skiathos, and you can either fly to Skiathos airport or take a ferry from Athens. Skopelos is where most of the locations can be found; that beautiful church where the wedding takes place is Agios Ioannis Prodromos Monastery, which is perched on top of a 100-metre promontory.

Kastani Bay and beach is where the song Does Your Mother Know was performed and it’s at Glysteri, on the northern coast of Skopelos, that Amanda reads the diary to her friends. It’s also where Sophie, Bill, Harry and Sam leap from rocks into the sea during Our Last Summer.

What about The Sound of Music in Austria? The Beach in Thailand? Those are included in the full article, along with several others. Read it and dream.

National culture changes very slowly, but there is no doubt that it is something that constantly evolves. Sometimes in small ways over centuries, and sometimes in bigger ways over shorter periods of time. One example of this is the role of women in the Middle East, and particularly in the conservative nation of Saudi Arabia. Saudi women have few rights when compared to their Western counterparts, as they still aren’t allowed to drive or to participate in many things outside the home without permission from a male family member. But there are glimmers of hope and pockets of openness, as shown in this recent story in Time magazine, which looked at the small steps toward freedom that have been achieved by some women in Saudi society.

Like those of its competitors in New York or London, the sleek glass and steel offices of media company Rotana are filled with preening attitude and fashion-conscious staffers: assistants teeter in shoes that might have absorbed much of their monthly paycheck; executives parade the halls in power suits and pencil skirts. But Rotana isn’t in New York or London; it’s in Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, a country in which women normally adhere to a strict dress code in public — a black cloak called an abaya, a headscarf and a veil, the niqab, which covers everything but their eyes.

There’s another reason many Saudis would find Rotana shocking: men and women working side by side. The sight unnerves enough men who come looking for a job that human-resources manager Sultana al-Rowaili has developed a trick to see if a male applicant can handle working in a mixed-gender office. She arranges for a female colleague to interrupt the initial interview, and watches to see if the man loses concentration or stares too much. Sometimes even that isn’t necessary. Many men are undone by the very idea of being interviewed by a woman. “They are in a state of shock to see a woman in a position of authority and to have to ask her for a job,” al-Rowaili says.

Saudi men may have to start getting used to such situations. True, Rotana remains an anomaly protected by the position and progressive ideals of its owner  — global investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. And Saudi women still can’t drive and legally can’t even leave the house to shop, let alone get a job, without a male family member’s permission. Yet under the guidance of a few members of the Saudi royal family — in particular the current King, Abdullah — the kingdom is slowly changing. Mixed-gender workplaces are becoming more common, especially in banks and good hospitals, where female doctors are not unusual. “People used to say, ‘Why is she working? Why does she need the money?’ Now they say, ‘It takes a woman to solve a problem,’” says Norah al-Malhooq, an administrator at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh.

The government is expanding educational opportunities for women by building women’s universities (as opposed to segregated campuses at male-dominated universities); last month it even launched the kingdom’s first coeducational university. The state is trying to encourage women’s entry into the workforce, and is sponsoring initiatives to protect women and children from domestic abuse. And it is pushing Saudis to discuss the notion of empowerment, formerly such a taboo subject that even the word was off-limits in newspapers. “The message is that women are coming,” says Dr. Maha Almuneef, one of six women named earlier this year to the Shura council, a 156-person advisory body appointed by the King. “It’s a good first step. The King and the political system are saying that the time has come. There are small steps now. There are giant steps coming. But most Saudis have been taught the traditional ways. You can’t just change the social order all at once.”

Check out the entire article. It’s a fascinating glimpse into a relatively closed society, and an intriguing look at the cultural tensions that often arise between tradition and modernity.

Nearly everyone enjoys a trip to the ocean. The sound of the surf, the smell of the salt air, the view stretching out to the horizon. But the ocean isn’t the only place one can enjoy a water vacation. There are lakes, as well. And the Brilliant Trips website ran an interesting feature a while back on some of the most unique and fascinating lakes around the world. They came up with a list of 10 lakes, including these:

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala - Lake Atitlan, in the Guatemalan highlands, is said to be the deepest lake in Central America at up to 340 meters. It fills much of the Atitlan Caldera and is flanked by three volcanoes on the south end making for a spectacular scene, especially at sunrise and sunset. What’s also special about this lake is that it is dotted with Mayan villages along the lakefront. Each village is unique as evidenced by each village’s unique pattern and vibrant colors of their textiles as well as their unique traditions. You can visit the different villages by boat across the lake; a peaceful journey with views of local Mayan fisherman along the water’s edge.

The Dead Sea, Isreal and Jordan - The Dead Sea is actually an endorheic lake. This means the lake is landlocked with no outlet. Mineral salts are carried to the lake by rivers and the only way water escapes is by evaporation. Evaporation happens so quickly here due to the climate, thus causing the extreme buildup of saline. Animal and plant life cannot survive in the lake, yet visitors can certainly have a float on the surface. You’ll see many people reading while floating along the warm, coastal waters. Once home to several biblical cities, the Dead Sea is now sparsely populated. However, now, just as in historic times, the Dead Sea’s salts and minerals have been said to have healing powers. Therefore, the lake attracts many on pilgrimages in the name of health and well-being.

Lake Nakuru, Kenya - Home to huge flocks of flamingos and tons of other wildlife, this lake is one of particular beauty. Just over 150 km from Nairobi, the Lake Nakuru is said to have over 1 million flamingos. The sheer numbers make the lake appear to have a bright, pink shoreline. This lake is one of great interest to scientists, birdwatchers and tourists alike. It is often included on Kenyan safari tours.

It’s quite a good list of interesting lakes, though I think I would have added Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia to the list. What about you - any other fascinating lakes that should have been included?