Best Blogs of the Week & What in the World?

Best Blogs of the Week

I read a lot of travel blogs every week. Every day, even. Since I’m constantly coming across good reads, I’ve decided to highlight some of the best and most interesting posts, photos, videos and general blogging gems from all over the web that I’ve discovered in the past week.

Though I try to read a diverse sampling of things, there’s no way that I can possibly get to it all. So, if you have an interesting post that you’d like me to check out and consider for next week, please let me know in the comments! Who knows? Maybe I’ll fall in love with it. At the very least, I’ll leave you my two cents in a comment.

What I’m Reading

Some of the stupidest things I’ve done while traveling at What’s Dave Doing?

We all do certain things when we travel that we look back on and say, “Wow, that was stupid.” And sometimes, stupid also means dangerous. In this post, Dave looks back on some of his more stupid (and potentially dangerous) travel moments, ranging from getting separated from his travel partner to crashing motorbikes to becoming live bait for a leopard. A great read!

Identity Crisis: The Traveler Who Isn’t Traveling at The Mad to Live

What’s a traveler to do when she isn’t traveling? Lauren tackles this question and the often-frustrating feelings that go along with it. I can totally relate to this — I’m living my own version of it right now! I love that Lauren ends this post with a call to action, prompting readers to “Turn your Backyard into The World.” In my opinion, you can absolutely still call yourself a “traveler” even when you can’t leave your country or state or even city. You just have to become a more creative traveler.

As American as Apple Pie at C’est Christine

What sorts of things do you feel single you out as an American? Or, if you’re not one, what sorts of things do you associate with us Yanks? Country music? Obama? Red plastic cups? Christine tackles this subject in a rather amusing post, detailing certain (and sometimes unlikely) things that make her feel American. Some of these I never really even thought about (such as our obsession with dental care), but they’re all so true!

Good, Bad, Ugly: Advice at I Should Log Off

When it comes to travel, everyone seems to have advice to give. What to see, what to skip, when to go… But, because we all travel so differently, “good” advice for one person could wind up being terrible advice for someone else. In this post, Jillian describes three instances of taking advice from fellow travelers — only one of which falls into that “good” category.

Bangladesh Faces: Frequently Asked Questions and the People Who Ask Them at Uncornered Market

When we travel, we often like to immerse ourselves in the foreign places and cultures that we encounter. We like to ask questions; to get to know the locals. But the locals sometimes are curious about us, too. In this post, Daniel describes some of the things locals in Bangladesh are curious about when it comes to him and his wife Audrey. The post is upbeat, fun, and illustrated with some great portraits. And it gives a good amount of insight into the culture of Bangladesh, too.

Photos: The Songkran Water Festival in Chiang Mai at Johnny Vagabond

This past week was New Year’s in Thailand, and the Thais sure know how to celebrate. What began as a tradition of sprinkling water onto the heads of elders has been morphed over the years into an all-out water battle that lasts for three days. Get your super soaker ready. Wes captures the Songkran action in Chiang Mai in this colorful photo essay. It looks like tons of fun, if a bit soggy.

What in the World?

Here’s a look at what’s happening around the world right now:

Asia

On Monday, Japan officials declared that radiation levels near the reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant were too high for workers to go inside to perform repairs. They said they still hope to stick to their cleanup “roadmap,” however. On Sunday, they laid out a cleanup plan that they estimate will take 6-9 months to carry out. Which means that tens of thousands of evacuees probably won’t be returning to their homes anytime this year.

In Thailand on Monday, three teenage girls (ages 14-16) turned themselves in for dancing topless on a Bangkok street during Songkran celebrations on Friday. This doesn’t sound too crazy to me, but the incident underscores the tension between Thailand’s traditionally modest culture, and the country’s tourism trade and reputation as a sex capital. The country’s culture minister called the dancing “unacceptable” and said he feared foreign tourists might get “the wrong idea” about Thai society. … All this just streets away from Bangkok’s notorious Patpong Road and red-light district. Because, you know, THAT certainly wouldn’t give anyone the wrong idea about Thai society…

The U.S.

Over the weekend, a nasty storm system swept across the lower half of the country, spewing tornadoes and destruction and killing at least 45 people. In North Carolina alone, at least 62 tornadoes were reported, and 21 people lost their lives. Just goes to remind you of the scary power of mother nature.

There’s been a bit of an uproar in the FAA lately as more and more cases are being uncovered of exhausted air traffic controllers sleeping on the job. Last week, a plane had to land without the assistance of a controller, because the controller fell asleep. Nothing terrible happened, but it’s brought the issue to light, and more cases are being revealed almost daily. The industry wants the government to change controllers’ schedules, give them more time to rest in between long shifts, and even allow them to nap during their breaks. The government isn’t too keen on the napping part…

Stinky News

In one of the greenhouses at Ohio State University, a plant nicknamed the “corpse flower” is getting ready to bloom. The flower gets its name because its umbrella-sized petals smell like rotting human flesh when in full bloom. … Intriguing, right? The woman in charge of the flower (one of 5 in the greenhouse) has been growing the plants since 2001. This will be the first corpse flower to bloom. The rare plant is made even odder by the fact that it withers after a day or two. So anyone wishing to see it won’t have very long.

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Do you have a post or news item you’d like me to consider featuring next week? Leave your link in the comments below!

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