Nov 30th, 2009
by Steven Roll.
Out of the approximately 2.5 million U.S. visitors to Mexico in the first half of 2009, at least 126 Americans died of non-natural causes, according to U.S. State Department statistics.
The Los Angeles Times points out that, of these, there were:
36 homicides, and
22 drownings.
The balance of the non-natural deaths resulted from accidents and suicides.
Wend Magazine [...]
Nov 24th, 2009
by Steven Roll.
Over the past year, I’ve shared my travel philosophies with you, reviewed books and movies, and given you the scoop about my trips to Costa Rica and Mexico.
But the most popular post is one which lists 7 surprising facts about Latin America.
So here are 10 more:
Sao Paulo, Brazil is the home of the world’s [...]
Nov 23rd, 2009
by Steven Roll.
My friend Sonya who writes the blog traveling greener nominated me to share three of my best travel secrets on Travelojos.
Sonya’s nomination is part of the Travel Base blog’s Trip Base Blog Tag, in which “the final list of Top Bloggers’ Best Kept Travel Secrets will be published in a special blog post and shared [...]
Nov 20th, 2009
by Steven Roll.
Having spent most of my life in close proximity to cities, I’ve never acquired a taste for country music. But that hasn’t prevented by teenage daughter from doing so.
With cross-over successes like Taylor Swift or former American Idol contestants such as Kellie Pickler on the radio, country music is finding its way onto more [...]
Nov 19th, 2009
by Steven Roll.
When I hear the word “voluntourism,” I imagine myself swinging a hammer in a third-world country. But if I’m being honest about my skills, carpentry ranks near the bottom of the list.
Closer to the top would be writing, legal research and project management. The question is how to leverage these first-world skills to help [...]
Nov 18th, 2009
by Steven Roll.
Another member of the Lonely Planet tribe has condemned the disparaging statements about Peru made by Jens Porup, that the coordinating author of LP’s Colombia guide.
Commenting on Travelojos was Sara Benson, the coordinating author of Lonely Planet’s Peru guide. She disagreed with the notion that other LP authors agreed with his statements. She says:
Jens [...]
Nov 17th, 2009
by Steven Roll.
Looking to avoid trouble on your next trip to Venezuela? For starters, don’t show up in your Halloween costume drinking Coke Zero. Also, leave your golf clubs at home, remove those Family Guy episodes from your iPhone, and forget about booking your trip from Israel.
Oh yeah, if you have a daughter named “Apple,” you might [...]
Nov 16th, 2009
by Steven Roll.
Venezuela recently outlawed the sale of video games and toy weapons. Violators will be subject to a prison sentence of up to five years. The new law continues the steady drumbeat of strange news coming out of Venezuela.
Last month, the country nationalized a Hilton hotel on Margarita Island in what President Hugo Chavez characterized as [...]
Nov 13th, 2009
by Steven Roll.
Paraiso Travel, a movie about a Colombian couple’s illegal passage to the U.S., was released on DVD earlier this month. It’s also available to watch instantly on Netflix. The film set box office records in Colombia and won awards at multiple film festivals in the U.S.
I would rank the movie somewhere between Maria Full of [...]
Nov 12th, 2009
by Steven Roll.
On Monday, I mentioned that Google Maps was available in Mexico, but I couldn’t find Google Street View. I should have consulted the Google Maps Mania blog. It has some navigable Street Views of Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara.
Street View is a feature on Google Maps in which you drag a little man icon to [...]