Perceptive Travel Blog

Toast to Freedom

Kerry Dexter — Wed, 23 May 2012 06:02:56 +0000

Every sort of travel, whether you take a trip around the corner or across the world, changes your perspective. A lawyer in London found this happening to him one day, as he read an article in the newspaper on his way to work. He learned that two people ahd been put into jail in another country for, the article said, making a toast to liberty and freedom. The people in charge in that country at the time thought this might mean these people would act against their regime. So into jail the two people went.

The lawyer decided to write a letter, asking that those prisoners not be forgotten. That letter turned into what was going to be a short, one time campaign. That was fifty years ago. What came of it is the organization known as Amnesty International. Fifty years on, more than three million people in dozens of countries work to see that prisoners of conscience are not forgotten.

To honor the fiftieth anniversary of Amnesty International, musicians Carl Carlton (he’s worked with Robert Palmer and Keb Mo among others) and Larry Campbell (who has been part of Bob Dylan’s band and played with Elvis Costello) decided to write a song that would celebrate the anniversary, and which could be marketed to raise funds for the organization’s ongoing work. They called it Toast to Freedom, and producer Jochen Wilms and Art for Amnesty founder Bill Shipley signed on to help.

What they had in mind was to get fifty artists to lend their voices to the song — and they succeeded. Many were able to gather in upstate New York at The Barn, a studio belonging to Americana musician Levon Helm. This would be one of the last projects Helm was able to do before his passing this past April. The artists joined in joyful celebration singing the anthemic song, and those who couldn’t be present in New York added their tracks from around the world. Filmmaker Natalie Johns caught the different stages of the international recording process on video. A song was born, blending the talents of artists including Angelique Kidjo, Shawn Mullins, Taj Mahal, Rosanne Cash, John Leventhal, Kris Kristofferson, and many others.

Here’s a bit of what the artists thought about the project, and what the recording sessions were like.

To find out more about the song, the organization, and the artists, visit ToastToFreedom.org.

photograph of Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal by Kerry Dexter. it was made with permission of the artists and is copyrighted. thank you for respecting that.

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Wanna Be a Travel Writer?

Alison Stein Wellner — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:27:09 +0000

You might want to choose a book on the subject written by an author who’s still alive.

I mean no disrespect to the late Louise Purwin Zobel, the original author of many editions of The Travel Writer’s Handbook. Since she died in 2008 — a fact which features prominently in her author’s bio on the back of the book – the 2012 edition has a (presumably living) co-author, Jacqueline Harmon Butler. It’s frankly bizarre to read a book which frequently refers to the now-most-dead original author in the present tense, as on page 65: “With an itinerary sheet for each of these possibilities and marketing materials within easy reach, Louise goes to work. When she speaks of marketing materials, she means, of course, the marketing manuals…”

I sure hope Louise is not in the afterlife going to work, easily reaching marketing manuals and pitching stories, because when I die that’s the last thing I want to be doing.

That, however, is the least of this book’s problems. Although it attempts currency by throwing around terms like “smart phone” and “digital camera”, it’s seriously out of date. For one thing, the book suggests that CD-ROMs would make a good market for the aspiring traveling writer. It suggests sending a postcard to government agencies to receive pamphlets. (A postcard!) It references American Demographics magazine as a potential market — the magazine where, as it happens, I started my career. Alas, the magazine is like Zobel: very dead. It folded almost a decade ago.

The introduction promises insights for established travel writers and total beginners. But surely, even the rankest amateur in the year 2012 should not need the word “email” defined? Nor the words “internet,” “online,” “website,” or “link”? And if you, as a reader, can relate to the feeling of being unable to cope with “Enter,” “Ctrl.” “Alt,” and “Esc”,” as described in the chapter on research, you really ought not have “someone else do the search for you,” as the book suggests. You ought not be a travel writer. You are simply not equipped.

But okay, fine. There are plenty of people who dream of being travel writers and also lack every conceivable qualification. And yes, I can see that there’s room in the world for an incredibly basic travel writing book that starts with the instruction to inhale, proceeds through the exhale process, and eventually gets to the ins-and-outs of email, before tackling the higher functions of writing.

Unfortunately, this book offers terribly misleading advice to that poor feeble beginner, especially in its recommendations of where to send story ideas. Should you pitch Sports Illustrated “a wonderful market because of its weekliness“? Um, no, dear beginner, if you have no experience and decide to pitch a top national magazine on the basis of its publishing schedule, the odds are overwhelming that you will be either be ignored or summarily rejected. And while I’m on this subject, please do not be heartened by the the news that a Black publication “might like to hear about your trip, especially if you’re Black.” If you’re not African American, and your story has nothing to do with African Americans, do yourself, do everyone a favor: do not send those editors ideas relating to your latest trip.

What I didn’t find misleading in the book, I found mystifying. For instance, from the chapter on research, let’s try to make sense of this together:

Do you want to scan all the Yellow Pages directories in America for an all-inclusive picture of travel services? Do you want to compare winter weather in Miami and Cancun or to compile the geographical distribution of Starbucks locations? Just ask. For instance, Sacramento writer Michel McCormick was preparing a speech she was scheduled to give at a lawyers’s conference, so she looked for some lawyer jokes.

Why would I ever need this sort of information? Who should I “just ask”? And what do lawyer jokes for a speech at a lawyer’s conference have to do with travel writing? The very next sentence in the book is about accessing travel agents’ “programs” in order to spot a bargain, so there are no answers forthcoming in the text.

If I write WTF, do I need to define that for you in a glossary at the end of this post?

I didn’t think so.

Traveling through Africa’s Extreme Wine Territory

Liz Lewis — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:59:41 +0000

For the most part, there is nothing really adventurous about wine travel. You pick a wine region, choose a few wineries, and then spend the days and nights sampling the wines (and foods of the region).

The only real danger, I always thought, was the possibility of becoming a little too fond of the vino.

But that was before I read Africa Uncorked (travel in extreme wine territory), a first-hand account of wine journalists John and Erica Platter’s journey around the ‘extreme’ wine regions of Africa.

From Algeria to Zimbabwe, the Platter’s went in search of passionate and determined winemakers who, despite facing climatic, political, and religious obstacles, were determined to make wine, even if it resulted in having a price tag on your head.

It was not exactly a gentle, relaxing journey. Border crossings, armed escorts, religious zealots, leeches, mosquitos, and even herds of elephants add to the adventure. And then there was the wine – some of which the Platter’s would politely label ‘rustic’ (code for obnoxious brew) and thank the heavens that they could spit it out. Not that this worried the Platters. They weren’t on a mission to find great wines. They were more interested in the great people and stories behind the wines.

Part African wine journey, part travelogue, part history and geography lesson, Africa Uncorked offers some fascinating insights into a region of the world that most of us will never get a chance to visit.

Sharing Waikiki With World Leaders (and Their Security Details)

Tim — Sun, 20 May 2012 18:28:29 +0000

By Tom Koppel, photos by Annie Palovcik

It was not exactly the Hawaiian holiday we had anticipated. The normally bustling boulevards were barricaded, lined with police cars and olive-drab Humvees and empty of traffic. Thousands of police and soldiers patrolled the sidewalks and beaches. Helicopters clattered low overhead. Sinister mobile military watchtowers with searchlights overlooked the yacht harbor. Coast Guard cutters with guns on the bow cruised back and forth just offshore, enforcing a maritime exclusion zone. Canoe clubs had to cancel weekend races. Even the surfers were barred from their favorite spots.

Welcome to Waikiki, where, for a week in November, aloha met the new normal.

The massive uniformed presence was aimed at ensuring the safety of leaders and economic delegations from 21 Asia-Pacific countries, including their host, President Obama.

My wife and I found ourselves smack in the middle of a security zone that extended for many blocks, cordoned off within a fenced perimeter monitored by checkpoints and sniffer dogs. Our condo hotel, the seaside Ilikai, housed temporary offices, where delegates and media people had their photos taken and credentials issued. Our balcony faced the Hilton Hawaiian Village, where Obama and his entourage were staying. On our other side, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and his large entourage were housed next door at The Modern.

We were free to walk around and use some of the beaches, but warned to carry photo ID and proof that, registered at the Ilikai, we belonged in the area. We could cross the wide boulevard, but not if a convoy of VIP limousines was about to pass by. At such times, soldiers and police formed human shields at the crosswalks.

One evening, returning from dinner, we were halfway across to our hotel when soldiers on the pedestrian island suddenly stopped us. Something was happening. Standing patiently, we gawked as a motorcade with flashing lights was assembled in the nearest side-street. After five or ten minutes, it suddenly zoomed out into the boulevard and took off. There were police escorts, SUVs (presumably full of bodyguards), and an ambulance just in case. In the middle was a long, black limousine flying the Russian flag and carrying Medvedev to a banquet.

The motorcades were frequent. A fellow Ilikai guest, Howard Nelson from Chicago, told us he had waited 30 minutes to cross the street to buy snacks at a convenience store, and another 45 minutes to get back. Coming to the hotel annually since 1968, he had never before experienced such security. One time, Philippine strongman Ferdinand Marcos had arrived with numerous limos and mountains of luggage. He had strutted through the lobby with a phalanx of bodyguards and taken over the entire eleventh floor. This was mainly to have space for his infamous wife Imelda’s thousands of pairs of shoes, Nelson quipped. But other residents had not been inconvenienced.

Read the full story on Perceptive Trave webzine: Locked Down in Waikiki

Food of Eastern Europe (Hope You’re Hungry)

Tim — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:20:59 +0000

Eastern Europe has long been a problem area for vegetarians, the lactose-intolerant, health nuts, or just anyone on a diet. A guidebook entry I once read on the Czech Republic said the three food groups were cheese, beer, and ice cream. (Not fair—it should have cabbage and potatoes in there too.) But it sure is yummy.

I just spent three weeks traveling through Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria and can tell you there’s very little chance you’ll go hungry in this region, even if you’re on a tight budget. Portion sizes are on par with the U.S., sometimes even larger, and there will always be something filling. To excess sometimes: even when you get a beautiful salad with fresh local vegetables, it’s going to be covered with shredded cheese. And maybe have some chunks of white cheese in it for good measure. No dressing though unless it’s a yogurt one—mostly oil and vinegar. Here’s a slideshow of photos and if you can’t see them on your hobbled Apple mobile device, follow this link instead. Some areas have more German influence, some more Turkish, and of course climate is a factor too. But I tossed them all together to form a contour from salad through dessert.

Here’s the interesting thing: I didn’t see all that many fat people. Those who had gotten pudgy were mostly old married couples who just didn’t care anymore. I’m now convinced that the evils of eating dairy are highly suspect since all the musclebound men and curvy women I saw in Bulgaria were eating cheese and yogurt with pretty much every meal. And sometimes for dessert too.

Some of the items in that slideshow tasted a lot better than they looked. Overall, it was scrumptious. The article I’m doing for the June issue of Perceptive Travel webzine will be on Bulgaria and the connection with the land. “Slow food” is not a fad there. It’s just the way they eat.

I ate this stuff for three weeks, drank my fair share of local beer, and got home two pounds lighter. So maybe the lesson is I should give up Cheez-its and eat fried cheese instead…

Naz-dravay! (“To your health” in Bulgarian).