Before we get started with our weekly trip around the world I want to dutifully remind everyone that Japan needs our help. The best thing you can do at this very moment is to make a donation to the Red Cross. For the good bloggers of the world grab a Japan Relief Banner and sport it proudly.
This week’s vicarious trip around the world is going to take us from the south of Italy to the bazaars of India and the markets of Vietnam. We’re even going to touch on a little travel etiquette this week, but the most appropriate place to start is Tokyo, Japan.
My Experience During the Japan Earthquake
@toddwassel is a staple of the travel blogger community. He was in Tokyo visiting his wife’s family during the quake. In addition to bringing you this eyewitness account from Tokyo he is leading a cooperative effort to help out the victims. Check out this post and sign up to the email list supplied therein for more information. Thanks again to the travel blogger community for being Johnny on the spot with the world’s goings on and always willing to lend a helping hand.
Southern Italy Snapshots: Campania
This one comes from @mybellavita This is a photo tour of Southern Italy. If you refrain from being too hasty you’ll find links on this page to equally extraordinary photographs from Basilicata, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily.
Tipping Etiquette Around the World
This one is a @pocketcultures classic. I’m just going to have to quote from their site: “The boy from England: “Ok, we’ve got enough pooled to cover the bill. How much should we tip? I think it’s customarily 10% in Poland, right?” The girl from France: “No way, I’m not leaving 10%, the service was terrible.” The girl from America: “Whoa, I was planning to leave 20%!” Yeah, pretty much. They cover a dozen countries in this post.
Art in Urban Spaces
I’m not sure I have a twitter listing for Indian Bazaars, but I love this site. Being a three time India survivor I feel the same sense of artistic timelessness that is uncovered in this article.
–start major digression– I remember very specifically having one of the most enlightening experiences of my life sitting on a chia stand bench in the middle of a New Delhi bazaar. It was almost as if for a split second I could see through time. I could see generations. I could see every foot that had pounded the ground into dust and the origin of every item being haggled for. All the noise of the bazaar for that moment stopped, all the movement. It was just me and that bench amongst a sea of uninterpreted perception. I had, for that moment, no question to pose to the universe and no quarrel. As quickly as it happened the commotion returned to my consciousness like a freight train. I sat there for some time in complete awe of what had happened. –digression over —
Winter Photography in Sapa | Vietnam in the Clouds
@happytimeblog is “keen as mustard” to capture some snappy shots of the hill folk with his new camera and he did a hell of a job. This is one way to kill a day in a foggy town with view. Happy times got a great outlook on the world and if he not busy crackin’ you up with his one of a kind style he’s bringing you funky tech gadgets like the interactive twitter photo map. I like the guy.
And this concludes another istallment of the Freewheelings’ Five on Friday. If you want to make sure I don’t miss your article next week, go ahead and leave me a comment with the link.
Remember, I’ll be stumbling, digging, and bookmarking delicious, reddit and others all travel posts that make the Freewheelings’ Five.
hey man thanks a million for picking up our Sapa photography article… Really appreciate it. The other articles are tip top too so that’s my days reading sorted!
Thanks for including my post and call to action! My wife and I have been really busy sorting through the noise to find the best Japanese Partners to donate money too. I’ll be announcing the Blog For Japan plan next week as well as the page where you either a) donate b)share the page with friends or C) USE the info to Post on your own Blog
Thanks for stopping by Todd. We’ll look forward to what you have in store for the Japan crisis. It will be nice to get some insight from someone on the ground. I think the common thread with most of us as far as donations is the issue of overhead. I’m looking forward to what you find on the ground there. Anything to close the gap I’m sure will be well received.
It was so good to read about your experience in India, so unusual and you write about it so beautifully….
Nice to see you as well there happy time. Love your blog and your spirit keep it up Aaron.
Indian Bazaars – I wish I knew your name. Thank you kindly for the nice words. You inspired them.