Dispatches from Larry Habegger

Jun

22

Tigers, Tourists, and Poachers

Posted by Larry Habegger

There may be no animal more impressive to see in the wild than the tiger. These regal creatures that once prowled the forests of Asia in the hundreds of thousands are now down to a few thousand, with human encroachment on their habitat putting more pressure on them.

Yet there are wildlife sanctuaries in India and Nepal where tourists can see them despite their dwindling numbers. Tourism brings money into local economies and can contribute to conservation efforts in and around the parks, and can provide a financial incentive to local residents for protecting the animals. But not everyone thinks tourists looking for tigers in wildlife preserves is a good idea. Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Asia, Feature, India, Nepal, Travel, wildlife

Jun

5

Trouble on Robinson Crusoe Island?

Posted by Larry Habegger

Triporati’s Chile and Argentina expert Wayne Bernhardson reports that the future is uncertain for the national park comprising the Juan Fernández Archipelago, which includes Robinson Crusoe Island. The report on his blog for Moon Guides says that the government is considering building a road from the airstrip to the village of San Juan Bautista.

Is a road from an airstrip to town such a transgression? Well, maybe if it’s through landscape Wayne describes as “one of the most scenic and solitary [walks] I’ve ever done.” Right now to go from the village to the airstrip requires a four-hour walk or a one-hour sail, but isn’t that what you’d expect on an island where castaway Alexander Selkirk lived alone for four years to become the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s famous novel, Robinson Crusoe? Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Chile, Feature, Robinson Crusoe Island, San Juan Fernández Archipelago, Travel

Jun

2

Here Is Havana

Posted by Larry Habegger

Perhaps it won’t be long before the U.S. embargo of Cuba is over and Americans of any stripe can freely visit the island. Until then, Triporati’s Conner Gorry will keep us abreast of developments on her new blog, Here Is Havana, whether cultural, political, or just plain fun.

Here are a few of the many things she loves about Cuba:

  • The way the palm trees smell after it rains
  • 5 cent cigars
  • Drinking little cups of sweet, black coffee around the kitchen table with friends
  • Yucca with mojo
  • The music – from Pancho Amat to Pancho Terry, Los Van Van to Los López-Nussas.1
  • How anything under the sun can be fixed and rendered functional

There’s more, so check it out.

Conner has covered many Latin American destinations for us, including Belize, Guatemala, Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, and Panama.

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Caribbean, Cuba, Feature, Travel

May

29

Small Money in Vietnam

Posted by Larry Habegger

When traveling in much of the developing world, having money in small denominations is important. Even when traveling in the so-called “First World,” having small denominations is helpful for tips and such. But in Vietnam, as Triporati expert Richard Sterling reports, having small money is essential. Without it, getting the simplest things done becomes a chore.

Richard moved to Vietnam last year and sent this dispatch about life in his Saigon neighborhood.

The View From 608

Life as I see it from apartment 608 on Ngo Tat To (”No Tattoo”) Street, Saigon

By Richard Sterling

A DOLLAR AND A DIME

You’ve always got to have “small money” in your pocket. In Vietnam or any other “Third World” country, any poor country, you need small money. There are too many persons who simply can’t or won’t break a five. Or a six, as the case may be. Here in Vietnam, for example, we have the 50,000 Dong note. A laughably big number for a sum that amounts to a three dollar bill. Years ago I asked a beggar here, when he pressed me for alms, for change of a 50,000 Dong note. More the fool I. The poor old sod had maybe one one hundredth of that in his krinkly, wrinkled hands. Then there was the time in Mexico when I was pulled over by a traffic cop. I earnestly tried to convince him that the stop sign was hidden by the tree (so providently placed), and so I couldn’t see it. He politely responded, “It’s not much money, Señor.” The smallest I had was a tenner. I asked him if he had change. He might have had a pocket full of ones and fives, but the answer was, of course, a smiling “Sorry, Señor.” I ponied up the ten-spot. Lesson learned. Carry small money. Always, carry small money. Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Adventure Travel, Feature, Saigon, Travel, United States, Vietnam

May

1

Mexico Alternatives to Help You Forget Swine Flu

Posted by Larry Habegger

As swine flu spreads, and fear along with it, more and more travelers are canceling their trips to Mexico. But they still want to get away. So we at Triporati created MexicoAlternatives.com to help travelers discover the locations around the world that are most similar to the popular Mexican destinations they had previously booked. Now travelers can salvage their plans, and find the travel experiences most comparable to the ones they had hoped to find in Mexico, without being in harm’s way.

Instead of Cancun, how about Rimini, Italy or Aruba or Boracay, Philippines?

Instead of Cabo San Lucas how about Isla Margarita, Venezuela or the Bay Islands of Honduras or Gran Canaria, Spain?

See all of the best options at MexicoAlternatives.com.

1 Comment | Filed Under Feature, Mexico, North America

Apr

17

Triporati’s Christopher P. Baker on Cuba Travel

Posted by Larry Habegger

Triporati’s travel experts spend a lot of their time reporting on news and events around the world, so it’s no surprise that Christopher P. Baker, our Cuba expert, has some things to say about the Obama Administration’s softening of travel restrictions to Cuba. On his blog at Moon Guides he makes the case for pushing to lift all travel restrictions. If you agree with him, you can follow his steps to take action; if you disagree with him, you can tell him what you think.

Christopher calls this first step “tremendous, and long overdue.” You can see and hear his comments on Palm Springs’s ABC News Channel 3, and listen to a live radio interview with him on KGO Newstalk with Travels with John Hamilton, Saturday, April 18. See also his comments on CNN.com.

Seems to me normalized relations with Cuba are long overdue.

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Caribbean, Cuba, Travel

Mar

19

I Love United Airlines

Posted by Larry Habegger

Well, maybe I don’t actually “love” United Airlines, but for years I’ve been a loyal customer, choosing them over other airlines going to the same place, even, in some cases, when their flights weren’t as convenient as their competitors’. But my experience with them today has made me question my judgment.

It’s often the little things that make a difference. When I checked in online for my flight from San Francisco to Boston I discovered that the one bag I planned to check would cost me $15. I haven’t been living in a cave so I knew about the plans various airlines announced last year about charging for checked bags, but this was the first time the fee had been applied to me. “Nonrefundable,” the note on the computer screen said. “Forget it,” I muttered, figuring I’d wait until I got to the airport to decide whether to check or carry on. Continue reading »

9 Comments | Filed Under Air Travel, Travel

Feb

17

The Pyramids! The Pyramids!

Posted by Larry Habegger

Most of us have seen so many photographs of the Pyramids of Giza that we may feel we know them and don’t expect any surprises when we actually see the gargantuan tombs in person. I certainly didn’t expect to have much of a reaction when I saw them on my first trip to Egypt earlier this month.

In fact, seeing the Egyptian Pyramids wasn’t even my top priority when I arrived. I wanted to see Cairo, the fabled markets and crowded streets and the legendary River Nile. Even a visit to the Red Sea ranked pretty high on my list. I figured the pyramids would be another stop on my tourist path, granted an awesome stop, but I hadn’t given them much thought beyond that. Continue reading »

7 Comments | Filed Under Africa & Middle East, Archaeology, Cairo, Egypt, Feature, Travel

Feb

13

The Oddest Flight of the Year

Posted by Larry Habegger

I was understandably jet-lagged and weary when I boarded the evening Delta flight the other night from New York’s JFK to San Francisco International because I’d just arrived on a 12-hour flight from Cairo. So perhaps what I experienced on the flight home was colored by the fugue state I was falling into. But I don’t think so.

The flight was 1/3 full, and of that 1/3, at least half seemed to be friends who were scattered about the plane. They were jabbering in a language I couldn’t identify. My best guess was Russian, second best was some other Slavic language, third best was Hebrew but I’ve heard enough Hebrew to be pretty sure it wasn’t that.

These people kept getting up and wandering around the plane no matter what was going on, starting as soon as we pushed back from the gate. One guy wore a fur-lined cap and overcoat as if he were in Red Square, and he paced up and down the aisle throughout the flight. Another woman did the same, berating (or seeming to) some other guy seated up front. They paid no attention to the seatbelt sign, the flight attendants’ warnings, the captain’s announcements. Continue reading »

1 Comment | Filed Under Air Travel, Travel

Feb

9

Mohammed’s Shirt

Posted by Larry Habegger

I saw him moments after descending from the bus before boarding the boat for the Temple of Philae in Aswan. It wasn’t the white stubble of his beard and close cropped gray hair that caught me. It wasn’t his erect posture in the flowing galibeyah gown or his flashing eyes or the smooth texture of his brown skin. It was the white cotton shirt in his hands.

Simple embroidery decorated the shirt pocket. A buttonless slit ran from near the pocket to the collarless neckline. Cut like a t-shirt but elegant in its whiteness in the desert sun, the shirt flapped like a flag in his brown fingers. Continue reading »

Leave a Comment | Filed Under Africa & Middle East, Egypt, Feature, Markets, Travel, shopping

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