My friend sent me a link to this really cool Afghanistan video focusing on day to day life in the war torn country. I hate it when media ruins public perception of a country, and while I have yet to visit Afghanistan, I'm confident real life for most of the 34 million people living there is closer to what we see in this video. It's really well done, HD full screen this bad boy and have a look.
One of my favorite places I've been to in all my travels has to be The Ancient City of Petra in Jordan. Petra is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a New 7 Wonder of the World, so there are plenty of resources for you to get detailed information about it. BBC calls Petra a top 40 must see place before you die, and UNESCO says it's "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage". These are very bold statements, and I agree with both wholeheartedly.
I hate travel days, packing up your bag, dealing with whatever means of transport is necessary to get to your next destination, and especially crossing borders. Borders are some of the most stressful places on earth, they're generally crowded, everybody is nervous, excited, tired, and just wants to get through and move on. It's not much better for the people working at them either, they have to deal with these people who are tired and stressed out, which in turn wears them down. Borders are also a place of great opportunity for locals; tourists are generally out of place, uncomfortable, unable to properly communicate, and easy to take advantage of. This translates to dollar signs for the clever, tricky, and/or dishonest locals looking to make a buck off the passing tourist, and even more stress and uncertainty for that tourist.
A time lapse video taken by Expedition 28 & 29 from the International Space Station during the months of August to October, 2011. You can clearly see the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) as the station crosses over the top of the Earth. Because of the Earths constant rotation things look a bit different than we're used to on the map, it's tough to make out what countries you're looking at (when the clouds aren't hiding the ground), but I was able to identify a few regions. The person who posted this video claims they didn't do anything to edit colors or anything similar, it's strange to see the atmosphere so clearly visible, very cool.
By now the secret is out. The evolution of budget travel has gone from $5 for a crappy dorm bed to a free private room. With the explosion of sites like CouchSurfing.org a new generation of penny pinching backpackers are able to travel further for cheaper. As a CS Ambassador, i'm always finding myself caught up in the philosophical (and moral) discussion of CouchSurfing being more than merely a free place to stay. It is instead an opportunity to share cultural experiences with locals (or quite often ex-pats) giving you an inside scoop. While you aren't paying for the room/bed/couch/floor space, a token gesture of a cooked meal or bottle of wine is always a welcome thank-you from the surfer. But regardless of your intentions, CS is a valuable tool every traveller should be packing.
A warning, this article is going to be about poop and pee, if you don't care to read about that, click here. Otherwise, lets get to know each other a little bit...
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About The Cheap RouteTheCheapRoute.com is the site where you find fresh new travel destinations & ideas. We don't provide guidebook style writeups, we normally don't even offer you all the specifics, you can find that elsewhere. What we do provide are high quality photos & videos, useful tips, and a fresh perspective on travelling the world for cheap.
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