My Kind of President

Mucho Aloha to the citizens of the world. The tides they are a changin'. See you in the water Mr. President!

The Capital of the World

If there was a capital of the world, it would have to be New York City. You gotta problem with dat? I didn't think so. First off, it is the largest city in the US with 19 million residents spread throughout 5 unique boroughs. Within that, you'll find 170 languages spoken, a population of 36% born outside of the US, a 24 hour subway system, and 46 million visitors a year. Whether you wanna call it Gotham, Manhattan or The Big Apple...one thing's for certain--here's lookin' at you kid. Photo by Julie Sanders.

If you can walk you can dance...

No Seeds for You

May 1st, 2008 marks the end of a favorite tourist activity which has thrived for approximately 100 years in Venice, Italy's most famous St. Mark's Square. As of today, it is illegal to feed the squares resident colony of pigeons and the city plans to fine violators of the new ban 50 Euros ($78).

The vendors who sold grain to the tourists are now out of a job. "Thanks Mr. Mayor for killing off our business after 100 years of sales," read one banner. Authorities say pigeons are eating away at the city's marble statues and buildings by pecking at small gaps in the facades to reach for scraps of food that were blown inside. Cleaning up monuments and repairing the damage caused by pigeons cost each Venetian taxpayer 275 euros a year, one study estimated. The battle against the birds is part of a broader campaign to improve decorum and cleanliness in the Unesco World Heritage Site which welcomes more than 1 million tourists a month. (Reuters)

I am no bird pro, but I do know a thing or two about sustainable travel and maybe 1 million tourists a month along with the fact that the city of Venice is sinking into the lagoon on which it was built is more of a pressing issue than the birds. I am just a tad bit concerned by how these somewhat domesticated birds that have adapted to being fed daily will do? Are they just going to pack up their bags and fly away? Something tells me that's a longshot. Did the city government stop to think that this plan might backfire in a huge way if a couple thousand starving pigeons decide to head straight for the food on the plates of tourists enjoying a bite at one of the numerous outdoor cafes which line the square? That seems quite possible to me but again, I'm no expert on bird behavior.

And the Winner Is...

The verdict is in and make no mistakes, New Zealand is taking the cake. Voting results from the world's largest online travel community, Trip Advisor, have been tallied and the gorgeous Milford Sound on the country's South Island was chosen as the top travel destination in the world. As if that doesn't carry enough bragging rights with it, the lovely alpine village/city of Queenstown, on Lake Wakatipu, also found on the South Island, sealed the deal by walking off with the number 2 spot. The two New Zealand destinations were named in the Travellers' Choice Awards top ten ahead of Cayo Largo in Cuba, Rhodes in Greece, and California's Lake Tahoe. The awards were determined based on the opinions of some six million Trip Advisor members and since we know that there are only 4 million Kiwi citizens (roughly) in total, the results must be legit. Cheers mates!

The Ledge Bungy in Queenstown, NZ

Queenstown, New Zealand

When the Queenstown settlers needed to come up for a name for the majestic mountain range they encountered at Lake Wakatipu, they didn't have to think too hard. Upon seeing the mountain range during sunset one evening, they named the range The Remarkables to describe the sight. Apparently all the Kiwi's present agreed that would be a fine name indeed. Fun facts about Queenstown: One of it's two sister cities is Aspen, Colorado, the other is in Southern Japan. The first frisbee golf course in New Zealand was established in the Queenstown gardens which was a gift to the city in 1866 from Queenstowns first businessman, Bendix Hallenstein. President Clinton was the first US President to visit Queenstown in 1999, and lastly, it will always be known as the bungy jumping capital of the world since the first permanent commercial bungy site was installed at the Kawarau Bridge in Queenstown which led to the worldwide populariaztion of this adrenaline driven activity. If you are headed to Queenstown and want to participate in the wild rush, contact AJ Hackett's company, the famous Kiwi who put this sport on the world map after jumping off the Eiffel Tower in 1987. He owns and operates 5 different jump sites in Queenstown alone and is revered by his fellow Kiwi's as a national hero. www.ajhackett.com

Illinois One vs. Jefferson Airplane

Everyone in business knows that there is nothing better than a little (or a lot) of free publicity. When it comes in the form of a painted airplane named Illinois One hailing from Chicago's Midway Airport, I would say that Presidential hopeful and Illinois State senator, Barack Obama, has some magical PR elves dancing on his side. Southwest Airlines chose a very opportune time to unveil this special plane during the height of the 2008 Presidential campaign when the democratic nomination is still undecided and Obama and Hillary are battling it out in hopes of winning delegates and securing the nomination. The graphic painted on the new Southwest jetliner is a modern day version of the American Seal, created after the American Independence War when the Continental Congress of the recently created United States decided it was imperative to create a set of symbols to represent the new nation. They designated a design committee composed of 3 men: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. These 3 founding fathers designed the future American Great Seal, since used for representation of the Coat of Arms, the President, as well as other American institutions. The bald eagle was chosen by Jefferson to represent the spirit and morale of this new nation. Hmmm, sounds a lot like rhetoric one might find in Obama's hope filled speeches. Maybe Southwest should have just called their new debut Jefferson Airplane. That surely would have satisfied some democrats. But no, that's just a leftover pipe dream or a flashback or something like that. Southwest went ahead and named their new bird Illinois One, which forces my hand to draw ruler straight parallels to the US President's famous airplane Air Force One. Also worthy of note, is that the word "One" can be interchanged with "Won" but let's not go too far down the rabbit hole. Southwest Airlines has always marketed themselves as a different kind of airline, so this seems to be quite the serendipitous pairing for a candidate who hopes to offer the US a very different kind of Presidency. A new nation with new morals and fresh spirit? I think that its fair to say the Southwest marketing team is pretty savvy (and apparently not too Republican). I applaud them in their timing of this plane's debut and I am certain that Obama's campaign team will enjoy the free ride. Some fun facts to be noted: Southwest has served Chicago since 1985 and has expanded from 8 daily flights to 228. A team of 26 people worked 3 long shifts over a period of six days to paint the new Illinois One bird using 93 gallons of paint and 10 different colors. I say the more color the merrier. What will Americans say at the polls? Pipe dream or the future of a new nation? I can't wait to find out.

Message Received Loud and Clear

Well, I should have predicted that the protesters in my city would be one step ahead of the game. Yesterday, Monday- April 7th, 2008, we had 3 protesters actually scale the Golden Gate Bridge to protest the arrival of the Olympic torch which landed at SFO International Airport early this morning. This bridge scaling was obviously no easy feat and must have taken months to plan and execute properly, and yes, of course they were all arrested after coming down. But not before their highly visible message, which is reflective of the same message being sent by protesters in London and Paris over this past weekend, was seen by the thousands who cross this bridge every day. Not to mention a photo of this also landed on today's cover of The New York Times newspaper, which assures that people across the globe have seen their message as well. The continuation of the torch's route is scheduled for tomorrow here in San Francisco and peaceful demonstrations are expected along the route. I will say that I think these bridge climbers took the right approach as I don't think that trying to grab the torch from the runner is a respectable or effective way of approaching the subject matter at hand. These honorary runners are not the problem and going after them is harmful to the cause. We will have to wait until tomorrow to know for certain how this will all play out here in San Francisco. It should be noted that our city has the largest Chinese population found in the US (nearly 20%) which makes me wonder how the Chinese community here feels about all of this and if they will form a visible presence along tomorrow's torch route also. Stay tuned...More to come soon....

China's Olympic Torch Nightmare

Paris, April 6th, 2008 where the Olympic torch flame was put out 4 times en route and eventually ended up on a protected bus.

Protesters climbed the Eiffel Tower with their banner as Paris officials dispatched some men in red to bring them and the banner down. April, 6th 2008. Paris.

The lighting of Olympic torch in Athens, Greece was supposed to be the kick off of China's moment to shine in the limelight of success and prosperity as they play host to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing this summer. As many predicted, the torch has been met with protest in every place it has landed. These mass protests come as a result of China's less than respectable reputation regarding human rights not only in Tibet, but in the whole of their non-democratic society. The protests have been so effective that the torch was taken off the route (which they keep changing) and extinguished in both London and Paris before the completion of either route. Protests in London resulted in 35 arrests over the weekend and another 28 arrests in Paris where the torch was extinguished a total of 4 times and eventually ended up being transported on a bus. Tibetan organizations have said they plan protests at every stop on the torch's 21-nation tour. After Paris, it moves to San Francisco, its only American stop, on Wednesday of this week and I can guarantee they are in for another round of activism and protests here. The city government here in San Francisco has tried its best to keep the route on the hush hush and it is almost guaranteed that they will change the route again in the next two days. Shame on that. You can change the course any number of times but the only problem is that you can't hide China's long history of human rights violations from view in the side alleys of any democratic nation. It is our responsibility to speak for those who have no rights to speak for themseleves, and that is what democratic citizens around the world will continue to do. How many people will be arrested here in SF on Wednesday is to be determined, and how many PR speeches China will have to give over the next month saying that these are fringe groups who are accomplishing nothing will be interesting to count. I wish that I could celebrate the Olympic torch passing through my city as it should be a represenatation of world community and the spirit of the games, but I can't put China up on a pedestal and pretend that they are a society worthy of current praise. The month long Olympic torch tour is scheduled to end in Vietnam; it is to be followed by a six-week, 46-stop tour of China. With several months still to go before the games get underway, the winds of change are blowing strong and the world's most famous flame has already been extinguished numerous times. I can only ponder what the opening day in Beijing will have in store for all of us.

A day at the Sp-aaahhhhh!

After a long day of exploring Northern Israel's finest sites on foot what can one do to ease those sore muscles? I know! How about a nice relaxing snake massage! Doesn't that sound like the perfect ending to a perfect day? If you are interested in exploring your inner masochist be sure you don't miss Ada Barak's so-called-spa in the communal village of Talmey El'Azar, Israel. For a mere 300 shekels (US $70) you can treat yourself to a "massage" from six non-venomous but very lively serpents. As they slither and hiss a path across your aching muscles and stiff joints, all of your worries, fears, and tensions just melt away. And for a mere 300 shekels! What a bargain! Be sure to ask Ada to brief you on all of the health benefits that come from her spa treatments. Without doubt, she is to be trusted as a massage master with healing powers beyond measure. She has spent years perfecting her shekel swiping technique and is considered a guru in the world of snake massage. This photo shows Ada's one and only customer to date just moments before she experienced a full blown serpent-induced anxiety attack. Does that mean she should get her shekels back? I'm betting 300 shekels that Ada is really just an alien spy conducting research on poor human earthlings and this experiment clearly concludes one thing and one thing only: Aliens are in fact the superior race and we should be very very concerned.

Home Suite Home

If I were President, here are a few things I know for sure. I would offer the world a vocabulary level higher than a 7th grader, an open dialogue on U.S. foreign policy, a commitment to wage peace and a universal healthcare system that encouraged saving lives rather than destroying them. As a thank you to myself for all of my hard work, I would hold an annual international lottery where 77 lucky winners from around the world would get to join me in my Presidential Suite at the Hotel Intercontinental in Hong Kong for the night of their lives. There would be laughter and dancing and drinking and plenty of folks would end up being thrown in the pool. Ahhh yes, if I were President...

Shhh! Keep it on the low, ya know?

As much as Wanderbout loves sharing travel tips with the world, some places are called secret spots for a reason. To ensure that these majestic locations can avoid being "Resort-i-fied" and "Starbucked", our lips are sealed. Sorry, we hope you understand just this once and we do hope you will enjoy the photos! We are confident that adventurous travelers will have no issues finding the world's last greatest places on their own without a guidebook, a compass or a tip from wanderbout. So my friends, here is your only hint: You may be able to find this place while visiting the Pacific Coast of Mexico. Just follow your bliss. Bon Voyage y Buena Suerte!!