The strangest moment came for me was when I was in Zambia looking over images on my camera – photos of desperately poor neighborhoods and malnourished children – and I scrolled back to photos of the Colosseum, Florence’s Basilica and plates of Italian pasta. And that was less than a week before.

I prefer deeper dives into a culture but I’m not one to turn down travel opportunities and so a couple of these trips were shorter than I would have liked. That’s OK – it just means I have to return to Europe and Africa. (Truth is, Jon and I fantasize about backpacking for months at a time in Europe, or Asia or… or… or…)

From my most recent travels, a roundup of some of my favorite photos…

The Parliament Building in Thimphu, Bhutan is typical of the architecture there. Though my 7th trip to the country, I think this was the first time I’d been to Bhutan when the cherry blossoms were out.

The Reclining Buddha in Bangkok is one of my favorite places to visit in the city. It’s immense at 140+ feet long and nearly 50 feet high and, amazingly, covered in gold leaf. The building just exudes peacefulness. Right behind the Buddha are 108 bowls in which you can drop small coins for good karma! Ommm.

I had been to Rome in 2000 and stayed in an area that was about a 30-minute walk from the Colosseum. It was mid-August and so freaking hot that I wasn’t very inclined to make my way back and forth to these ruins more than once.

On this last visit, we stayed in an apartment right across the street from the Colosseum. So we the benefit of seeing it morning noon and night (note to light sleepers, the foot and car traffic at night are kinda loud).

The view alone was beyond words, which made my trip to Zambia even more starkly different.

During our 12-hour layover in Frankfurt, Debbie and I took a train into town and wandered around (the first time to Germany for both of us!). We didn’t see too much during our brief time there but we indulged in some amazing pretzels (these were fresh and about .40 US/each).

Nope. I didn’t take this photo but I love it. When our visit to the Passports with Purpose library was winding down, I handed my little digital camera over to one of the students and she began snapping photos of her classmates. She was transformed by what she was creating and the kids became more animated than they were when I was taking the pictures. I wished I had thought to do this earlier but it could have easily become mayhem (in a good way, of course).

And, yes, I’m happy to be home in Seattle again (at least until mid-June when I had to Colorado and Santa Fe .

Travel Well,

Beth

Related links:
Zambia ~ Africa-light
Komboni Tour of Lusaka, Zambia
Florence, Italy ~ Photo of the Day
Renting an Apartment in Venice

I appreciate that. I really do (though my $10 blings sit in my car as a backup whenever I forget to bring a “real” pair).

I had originally thought I’d be testing out the Bolle Diablos on my spring trip to Bhutan. The Diablos are part of Bolle’s Alpine collection and are lightweight and use anti-fog technology. This makes them great for high altitude as well as changing climate conditions. Unfortunately, they didn’t arrive in time for that trip, but I have discovered a surprising use that’s going to make them far more valuable to me than my twice a year journey to the Himalayas.

You likely know I started running last fall, just as the days were getting shorter. I generally set out at sunrise and haven’t had to worry about sun or the need for sunglasses, until recently. Now that the day’s are longer and my 6 a.m. runs are in the light of day, sometimes, just sometimes, the sun’s actually out strong enough to make me squint if I’m not wearing sunglasses.

This is where the Diablos come in.

They sit gently on my face and have lightweight rubber grips on the nose, the arms (where it sits above my ears) and along the brow line (see photo right). While running, this means they won’t bounce around or shift. Not at all.

While my other sunglasses (yes, even my good quality ones) tend to fog up on me, the design on the Diablos give enough breathing room so that moisture doesn’t get trapped. And I LOVE the rose tint. I had a pair of (cheap) glasses ages ago that were rose-tinted and I miss them. There’s something to be said about seeing the world through these (in a literal and figurative way).

While I’m not sure the white rimmed version would have been my first choice (sometimes I don’t get a say in the color of a review sample that’s sent), they do make me feel like a movie star . And for sure, they are growing on me – I’m definitely wearing them beyond running.

Available on Amazon for $110.

While Bolle specializes in performance sunglasses and goggles, Serengeti, Bolle’s sister company, specializes in driving glasses. (I know, I need to replace those blingy sunglasses in my car with these.)

I was smitten with the style of the Bellas (note the zebra stripes) because of my trip to Zambia. Plus, what travel website would be complete without a mention of Africa-inspired sunnies?

My assessment is this… Lovely styling. Very lightweight. And the photochromic technology in the lenses means that they will lighten and darken depending on the sunlight.

But? And I know this sounds really shallow… either the arms are too short or the curvature of the glasses too flat, but these will not sit on the top of my head without falling off. It means that I can’t easily take them off (and have a safe place to keep them), if I need to (think: driving through a tunnel). Someone else might have a completely different experience (or may not care) so I can’t give them a bad rating as a result, but it’s definitely something to be aware of.

Over all, these really are lovely. I like the smaller frame size (I’m not one to go for those big glamor glasses) and they are comfortable. I haven’t experienced any fogging with these either.

So, yes to the Serengetis, but know what you’re getting into.

The are available in a wide range of colors/designs on Amazon starting at $127.

Travel Well,

Beth

HA! It was actually two South Africans who told me this about Zambia. Now that’s funny. If South Africans think Zambia is Africa-light, I now wonder what they think of their own country.

But going on the theme of “light,” I thought I’d share with you the lighter side of the country in some images.

I thought it was an ominous sign when I found my hotel room equipped with a can of DOOM to scare away the insects. And then I found this…

Hmm, they make those mossies big in Zambia, don’t they?

I think we might all be a bit happier if we encountered this on a daily basis. I discovered this happy puppy roll of toilet paper in a restaurant bathroom.

A good reminder to never mix business and pleasure. I spotted this in a little shop during our Lusaka Komboni Tour.

If you’re from Jersey, surely you know the significance of this all the way in Lusaka. We Jersey-ites yield a lot of influence, don’t we?

*****

I visited Zambia for the opening ceremony of the libraries funded by Passports with Purpose, the travel bloggers fundraiser for which I’m a co-founder. Expedia kindly sponsored this trip to Zambia but funds ($90,000) to build the libraries came during our 2011 fundraiser. In addition to the hundreds of travel bloggers and thousands of donors who contributed to this two-week event, our 2011 sponsors made this happen. This includes Round the World with Us, TravellersPoint and HomeAway.

Passports with Purpose would NOT be such a huge success without the help of this growing community of supporters. Join us later this year for the 2012 fundraiser (we’ll be announcing this year’s beneficiary on June 16 at TBEX, the annual travel bloggers conference).

Travel Well,

Beth

Related links:
Komboni Tour of Lusaka, Zambia
We Bought a Library (in Zambia)

Meanwhile, I’m looking through images of Zambia including photos of the children from a city tour in Lusaka.

I’m aware of the irony of this child’s unhappiness, sitting next to me with every conceivable comfort and two loving parents while the children of Zambia, so many of them AIDS orphans, smiled, laughed and danced in our presence.

The Tour
Before setting out for the Passports with Purpose library, Debbie, Michelle and I took a half-day Komboni tour with Lusaka Experience.

A komboni is a low-income area with a high-density population. Kombonis are found all over Lusaka, with an estimated 80% of the city’s population living and working in these.

Basically, they’re compounds – not quite closed-off sections of a city. In theory, these kombonis have all that the community needs to survive – housing, grocery stores, schools, sewage and water. The reality is that these communities are so poor that it’s unlikely even basic needs are met for most residents. Schools are overcrowded and homes don’t have running water (it’s pumped from a communal well).

Despite this, there were signs of hope throughout the komboni we visited – called the Garden Compound because of its historical use as a large garden area.

It’s unlikely that many of the children will grow up and make their way out of this komboni. But the sense of hope and happiness were still present.

Among the positive things happening here are several programs that are directly aimed at bettering the lives of the children.

The Garden Compound has a community program called Happy Face Kids that teaches children art and crafts – a place where the children can create usable household items (footballs, bags and pen holders) out of recycled materials. It’s a place for the children to spend time, be creative, have someone pay attention to them and create with their own two hands.

Another program offered in the Garden Compound is Yofoso, a recreation center where the kids learn how to play sports and also attend literacy training classes (they have access to a small library).

Though these programs are very modest in size and in reach, the fact that the kids have a place to go as well as mentors who are watching out for them, is a huge deal.

One of the most memorable stops on the tour was a home that Oprah visited in 2003. At the time, Ireland was just a young boy when his mother was interviewed by this television star. Though at the time no one from the compound really knew who Oprah was, her entourage and bodyguards must have made an impression on them.

For now there is an homage to Oprah at this home (that’s Ireland, all grown up!) and the outer walls are painted with inspirational sayings.

I imagine that even now it must be hard for the residents to fully grasp who Oprah is and her influence in the world, but there’s no doubt the people of the Garden Compound find some bit of hope from that visit and by the response that tourists (like us) have when told of her visit.

The tour company requests that no one give money to the children. Even so, I found it remarkable that no child asked for anything – no money, pens or chocolates. Instead, all they wanted was to have their photos taken.

Despite the incredible poverty, children are children. And where there are children, there’s laughter, and curiosity, singing and dancing. One group of kids gathered to show off their dancing prowess. Other kids simply posed, smiled and then giggled on and on when we showed them their photos on our digital cameras.

*****

Perhaps it all started with Oprah but I have to believe that there has been, and will continue to be, some positive effect on the Garden Compound as foreigners take the time to visit and give these residents some much needed attention. I’ve seen it before in other volunteer programs – when outsiders pay attention to an individual, a family, an orphanage or a community, everyone pays more attention.

(During a visit to an orphanage in Vietnam, I inquired about the healthcare of one of the children who had been in a wheelchair all his life. Though my donation to the orphanage was quite modest, on subsequent visits, I learned that the staff had begun giving him extra vitamins and paying more attention to him. Within a years’ time, he was walking with help. I think all it took was me being interested and asking a few questions.)

*****

As I scroll through my images of Zambia on this flight, I am struck with a profound sense of sadness. Not only for these children of Africa, but for the toddler next to me who will, fortunately, be spoiled rotten by his parents, grandparents and extended family. He’ll never know the poverty these kids experience, but I’m also not so sure he’s going to be dancing in the streets or fall over in fits of laughter at digital images of himself.

*****

The purpose of this trip to Zambia was to visit the opening ceremony of one of the libraries that was funded last year by Passports with Purpose, the travel bloggers fundraiser. I, along with Michelle Duffy of WanderMom, Debbie Dubrow of DeliciousBaby and Pam Mandel of NerdsEyeView, co-founded this fundraiser in 2008 as a way to give back to the communities we visit in the world and as a way to ignite the travel blogging community to do the same. We’re joined by Meg Paynor as our PR person and we all make a merry band of travelers and cupcake eaters.

Thank you to Expedia for making this trip happen for us. Passports with Purpose as a whole is indebted to you. We’re well aware that the first-hand stories we’ll get to tell about this journey will help raise awareness of our organization as well as the needs of those less fortunate in the world.

Travel Well,

Beth

Related links:
We Bought a Library (in Zambia)

The XShot Camera Extender allows you to secure your digital camera to the end of this monopod, set the timer and then take pictures of yourself and friends! No more getting your arms in the photo or having the photo be too much of a closeup.

The iPhone 4 Tripod Case allows you to slip your iPhone into the case and then either mount it to the XShot Camera Extender OR the mini-tripod that’s included!

I’ve been using my XShot for years and I still can’t get over how this very simple (and inexpensive) product can make me so happy. Especially when I’m traveling solo – it means I don’t have to bug people to take a photo of me.

It’s super easy to enter 2 ways this month:

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

2. Perhaps you’re already a newsletter subscriber?! In that case, subscribe to my RSS feed (at right) via email.

Approximate Value for the set is $55 and remember, you have 2 chances to win!

This contest closes at 11:59 pm PST on May 31, 2012 and a lucky winner will be chosen on June 1, 2012.

Available to individuals in North America only (sorry!). Winners have 3 days to reply once being notified.

Here’s my latest photo using the XShot. This was taken at Backwoods in Fort Worth, Texas after my talk. These are the store and Briggs & Riley employees. (Both B&R and XShot sponsored my Texas talks.)

Travel Well,

Beth

Related links:
XShot Monopod Review