Papua New Guinea – Off the Charts

by Beth (February 8th, 2010)

Papua New Guinea Tribal man It’s been a very very long time since I sat down with a guide book to read up on a destination that I know little about. Last week my Lonely Planet guide to Papua New Guinea arrived from Amazon.

PNG is a country that I’ve wanted to visit for something like 20 years. I’ve seen the exotic photos of the local tribesman. I’ve read about their propensity toward (until recently) cannibalism. And I’ve heard that PNG is one of the most difficult places to travel to and, at least in the city of Port Moresby, one of the most dangerous in the world. I’ve also heard that the singsings (festivals) are the most magnificent one can ever experience and that the wildlife is some of the most diverse on the planet.

But for me, it’s mostly about the people. I’ve always had a fascination with indigenous cultures and it seems that other than the tribes of the Brazilian rainforest (which has also been on my list for something like 20 years), you can’t get any more indigenous than those in PNG.

So it was last week that I snuggled up with my guidebook and started highlighting some important facts concerning PNG, a destination that I will likely visit this summer in preparation for a tour that I’ll lead in 2011. The feeling that I got while reading this brought me back to my early 20s when I was planning for a circle-the-Pacific trip. I knew little about Asia at the time and I can so vividly remember cracking open all of my guidebooks to PNG_Woman learn about Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia (countries that I’ve now visited and revisited countless times).

I’m glad to say that my budget is a bit bigger than in my early days of travel but, unfortunately, my time is more squeezed.

So, I’m planning the short time that I have in-country carefully and taking note of some of the more unique facts about PNG. These are some of my favorites:

pigs are considered family members and it’s not unheard of for a lactating woman to suckle piglets
more than 800 languages are spoken in PNG – 12% of the world’s indigenous languages
Pidgin is most commonly spoken and words can often be easily recognized by English speakers. For example, “What’s your name?” is “”Wanem nem bilong yu?” Not too hard – huh?
cannibalism was practiced for ritualistic reasons until the 60s.

There are plenty of destinations I have yet to explore, like Eastern Europe and Antarctica. But I don’t think any of these will hold the same amount of awe for me when I first crack open that guidebook to learn more about them. PNG seems to so far off the charts of what I know that I’m giddy with delight just reading about it!

Travel Well!

Beth

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All photos – MAG – Michael Gonnen

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Photo of the Day: A Lesson from Bhutan

by Beth (February 5th, 2010)

Bhutan’s culture and environment are in a precarious situation. The country wants and needs to increase their tourism, yet they are desperately trying to hold on to their most valuable attractions – their culture and pristine environmental resources.

My tour operator in the Kingdom provides some wonderful advice and insight on the country.

I’ll be returning to Bhutan in March with a group of wonderful women. I still have space available though flights into Bhutan need to be booked ASAP to ensure a spot. Check out the itinerary and let me know if you can make it!

Michael Murphy from Travel On Productions is the fabulous producer of this video.

See more lovely photos at DeliciousBaby’s Photo Friday!

Travel Well!

Beth

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WanderGear Wednesday: Win $200 for Haiti from Tom Bihn

by Beth (February 3rd, 2010)

Tom Binh Cafe Bag This month, Tom Bihn is donating $200 to the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies for their efforts in Haiti and the donation will be in one lucky winner’s name. Read on…

Tom Binh creates an array of travel bags, including messenger, laptop, backpacks, briefcases, weekenders, totes and a whole host of accessory bags for toiletries, passports and money. Here are a few of their products that seem to hit the sweet spot for travelers.

Small Cafe Bag
I have found myself recently in need of a bag that falls somewhere between a large backpack/laptop bag and a purse. Something that’s large enough to hold my journal or notebook but doesn’t need to hold a laptop, like when I’m traveling.

The small Cafe Bag (above) is the perfect fit for this. There’s plenty of room in this shoulder bag for a guidebook, bottle of water and journal. Inside the main compartment are pockets for pens and a larger pocket for a camera or cell phone. There’s a zippered outer pocket ideal for documents and the back open-top pocket could easily hold a map or magazine. There’s also a key holder in the main compartment – a nice bonus so you know where to find your house or car key once you return home from a trip.

3D Clear Organizer Cube Tom Binh Organizer
This bag is perfect for toiletries as it fits with the TSA requirements for your carry-on liquids. I used this on my recent trip to Salt Lake City and it fit everything that I needed for a few days away. It’s made from clear urethane and, unlike the sandwich bags I had been using for years, doesn’t rip when you pull it in and out of your carry-on bag.

It includes a hook that tucks inside so that you can easily hang this in a bathroom. And, the band of cloth around the bag provides reinforcement and gives it a nice personal touch since you can choose from 5 colors.

Organizer pouches
Probably the most surprising Tom Bihn “find” for me were their clear organizer pouches. I wouldn’t have expected to find so many uses for these little guys.

I’ve discovered that they are a great way to keep my receipts organized and to keep other items separated in my daybag. For example, I don’t want my pens scratching up my cell phone, so all I need to do is slip them into a longer pouch, and the pens will stay in their own safe area.

This is all cool. Right? I’m a traveler. I like their stuff. That should be reason enough to talk about them.

But the story gets much better.

Not only are all Tom Bihn products manufactured in the U.S., with the exception of a couple of accessories that are made in Montana, all are made in Seattle! Yeah for Seattle!

The company takes the environment into consideration with all their manufacturing and shipping choices. Most of their fabrics are manufactured in the U.S. and their shipping boxes are made from recycled content.

But, wait, that’s not all!

When I asked their V.P., Darcy Gray, if they would be interested in doing a giveaway at Wanderlust and Lipstick, Darcy responded immediately with an even better idea. Rather than a giveaway, Tom Binh is going to make a $200 donation to the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies’ Haiti Relief Efforts in one lucky winner’s name.

I know. You want cool stuff. But, really, how much more awesome is it to think that your name’s going to be on a $200 donation to help those poor folks in Haiti? Me? I got all tingly when I read Darcy’s offer.

This month there are a few ways to win and it only takes a moment.

1) Subscribe to the Wanderlust and Lipstick Newsletter during the month of February and you’ll be automatically entered.

2) Subscribe to my RSS feed (at right) via email or in a reader. If you subscribe in a reader, leave me a comment below stating that you’ve subscribed. Please leave your email address (not made public) so that I can contact you if you’re the winner. Check back here in early March to find out who the lucky one is. Winner will have 3 days to respond once being contacted.

3) If you’re already both a newsletter subscriber AND an RSS subscriber, leave a comment below and tell me what one item you’d bring to Haiti to give to someone in need if you were to be magically placed there for a day.

If you’re a complete newbie here, you can leave a comment with your Haiti item, subscribe to the newsletter and also the RSS feed for 3 chances to win!

This contest closes at 11:59 pm PST on February 28, 2010 and one lucky winner will be chosen on March 1, 2010.

Travel Well!