Technology on the road

In the past few years, there has been a drastic increase in the popularity of e-books and portable technology. While I am a firm believer in the traditional method of reading, the alarming popularity of Internet tablets and smart phones may prove that the majority of society is shifting to a digital alternative for reading and social communication. With the term flashpackers referring to travelers who are tech savvy, is the age of the backpacker... gone?

I know a lot of travel guides such as Lonely Planet have already began adapting to this e-book alternative by offering their highly resourceful guidebooks in a digital format and even as apps for smart phones. This can be great as one’s luggage may feel significantly lighter without cramming all those thick books in there, but similarly, I feel that carrying all that technology sort of defeats the purpose of traveling in the first place. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with bringing technology on a trip (I can’t see myself without my ipod), but wasn’t the initial passion to travel because of a desire to see the beauty of nature, rather than to constantly update yourself with news from back home?

I’ve stayed at hostels where I’ve met other “travellers” who prefer to spend their nights on their bunk bed with their laptop, avoiding conversations with everyone in sight. To this I wonder what the point of traveling to a distant land is, if they would rather spend their weekend Skyping with their friends back home, or playing video games.

One of my loves for traveling is as an escape from all the technology in our everyday lives. Obviously I check my e-mail, chat with my friends, write my blog, and take photos while I’m on the road, but anything over an hour or so in front of a computer makes me feel like I’m wasting valuable time. Of course to fully “live life” doesn’t require taking up extreme sports, forgetting to wear underwear in public or shaving your head, but sometimes, there's nothing better than getting in touch with nature's wonders (and best of all, it's free).

As a summer challenge, let’s all try to limit our technology usage and see what adventures a few days without a computer, tablet or cell phone will bring us (which hopefully also includes a nice tan!).

69 Fun Facts About France

69 facts is back! This time featuring the lovely country of France, because well, who can resist a country that creates superior wine, beautiful art and genetically blessed people? I think 69 facts is quite fitting. After all, who doesn't love the French? (when they are not driving, of course).

1. There is a Victor Hugo street in every town in France.
2. It's illegal to name a pig Napoleon in France.
3. Charles VIII had six toes on one foot and hid this fact by wearing and promoting square toe shoes.
4. The guillotine was the official method of execution during the French Revolution. It was invented by a surgeon named Dr. Guillotin.
5. France produces over 400 types of cheese!

Language:
6. French is the official language of many countries including: Switzerland, Canada, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Monaco, Congo and Niger.
7. The word "salut" means both "hello" and "goodbye"
8. French was the official language of England for over 300 years.
9. It's the mother tongue of 75 million people worldwide.
10. It's the second most commonly taught foreign language, after English.
11. It's the official language of the United Nations.
12. It's the only language (along with English) that's taught in every country in the world.
13. Crayola is a French word that means "oily chalk"
14. At the time of the French Revolution, 75% of French citizens didn't speak French as a mother tongue.
15. Non-French celebrities who speak French include: Jodie Foster, Johnny Depp, Diane Kruger, Elton John, Ewan Mcgregor, Halle Berry, Jackie O, Madonna, Mick Jagger, and John Travolta.
16. 34% of the French can speak English.
17. Between 6-11 million Americans speak French.

18. On the French radio between 8am to 8pm, music must be by French artists.
19. The heir to the French throne was called Le Dauphin, which also means "dolphin."
20. The French eat snails, frog's legs and horsemeat.
21. In 1386, a pig was hung in France for the murder of a child.

Love and Romance
22. The number of times the French kiss each other as a form of greeting varies depending on region. In Corsica, the number of kisses can be as many as 5! (If you have a hot first date, you now know where to go)
23. According to a 2003 survey, the French have the most sex in a year (unsurprisingly!)
24. It's illegal to kiss on railways in France (oops).
25. "French kiss" is a term by the English as a slur on the French culture which was thought to be overly concerned with sex.
26. In France, it's called a tongue kiss or soul kiss.
27. French men have the lowest level of obesity in the EU, and women are second after Denmark.
28. The French have one of the highest life expectancies in the EU (I think there's a strong correlation of this fact to #23)
29. First Lady Carla Bruni has been known to have a string of relationships with famous men including Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger and Donald Trump.

What's on your summer reading list?

A summer of traveling also brings the necessary commutes that go along with it. Whether it's on the bus, plane, or train, I usually like to have a good book or two to read. Here's what's on my summer reading list. What's on yours?

Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit

By: Al Gore

A passionate and lifelong defender of the environment, Vice President Al Gore describes in this classic best-selling book how human actions and decisions can endanger or safeguard the vulnerable ecosystem that sustains us all. The book's groundbreaking analysis helped place the
environment on the national agenda, summoning politicians, the media, and the public to attention and action. The message remains just as urgent today as it did eight years ago: while much has been accomplished, we must meet a global environmental challenge that reaches into every aspect of our society.

Four Corners: One Woman's Solo Journey Into the Heart of Papua New Guinea
By: Kira Salak

When Salak set off for Papua New Guinea at the age of 24, she had at least some sense of what she was getting into. She was familiar with the reputation Port Moresby had for being a dangerous city; young men known as "Rascals" would descend upon the city, robbing and rioting. But Salak had a desire to test herself, to push the limits and find out what she was capable of. She had already crossed Mozambique during its civil wars and just narrowly escaped brutality at the hands of rebel soldiers. Still haunted by that memory, Salak arrives in Port Moresby but soon sets off for the Fly River, eager to see the peoples who live along its banks. When her guide abandons her, she is forced to find another way to explore the river. She is helped by a variety of people, and even as her trip veers off course, she finds more places and people to intrigue her. Salak's lively writing coupled with her engrossing voyage make this a superior travel memoir.
- American Library Association

Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle
By: Dervia Murphy

Here is the first American appearance of a book by Irish travel writer Murphy. Originally published in 1965, it is the diary of her bicycle trek from Dunkirk, across Europe, through Iran and Afghanistan, over the Himalayas to Pakistan and India. Murphy's immediate rapport with the people she alights among is vibrant and appealing and makes her travelogue unique. Venturing aloneaccompanied only by her bicycle, which she dubs Rozthe indomitable Murphy not only survives daunting physical rigors but gleans considerable enjoyment in getting to know peoples who were then even more remote than they are now.
- Publishers Weekly

Arabian Sands
By: Wilfred Thesiger
Arabian Sands is Wilfred Thesiger's record of his extraordinary journey through the parched "Empty Quarter" of Arabia. Educated at Eton and Oxford, Thesiger was repulsed by the softness and rigidity of Western life-"the machines, the calling cards, the meticulously aligned streets." In the spirit of T. E. Lawrence, he set out to explore the deserts of Arabia, traveling among peoples who had never seen a European and considered it their duty to kill Christian infidels. His now-classic account is invaluable to understanding the modern Middle East.

Gandhi An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth
By: Ghandi
Translated by Mahadev Desai and with a New Preface The only authorized American edition Mohandas K. Gandhi is one of the most inspiring figures of our time. In his classic autobiography he recounts the story of his life and how he developed his concept of active nonviolent resistance, which propelled the Indian struggle for independence and countless other nonviolent struggles of the twentieth century.