Gadling

Here's an opportunity to take a vacation with a difference. Scott and Carol Kellerman are missionaries running a clinic serving the Batwa people - a displaced Pygmy tribe in Uganda. The Batwa lived in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest through their entire tribal history, until the Ugandan government declared it a national park in 1991 and relocated them. No longer able to follow their hunter/gatherer traditions, the pygmies are struggling to survive.

The Kellermans put volunteers to work at their weekly clinic held under a tree, providing hands-on medical training for the diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses and tropical diseases like malaria. Every volunteer who comes leaves knowing they have played a vital role in saving many lives. When not at the clinic, volunteers work on school and supply projects.

Visiting this region of Uganda offers other amazing opportunities, too: gorilla trekking in the Bwindi National Forest will cost about $275; only 12 visitors a day are allowed into the forest. There's also a waterfall hike locally, and in Kampala, the capitol, Nile rafting can be had for $120.

The Kellermans provide food and accomodation to their volunteers, and ask for a contribution of $25 a week in return. Travelers will be very comfortable on a budget of around $125 a week. Information about travel and visas can be found here.

Chris Duff has logged over 14,000 kayak paddling miles in was the first man to circumnavigate Ireland in a sea kayak. The story of this journey, On Celtic Tides, recounts his three-month, 3,000-mile adventure through the seas, culture, people and history of Ireland.  "A tender and terrifying story. No one has written better of huge, cold seas in a very small boat, of self discovery in the face of fear, and of gentle moments with Irish people."

The book can be bought online, and is also out as a Palm Reader Ebook, in case you'd like to take it on the go — like on a kayaking trip!

[via Paddle Log]

It's amazing that we've managed to standardise on the width between train rails all around the world, and yet few countries can agree on a standard number for emergency services. Americans automatically dial 911 while at home, but a crisis abroad is not the best time to realise you have no idea what the local emergency number is. While 911 will work in Canada, the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands, many countries (particularly in Europe) have standardised on 999 — but Australia uses 000, and many other places have completely different numbers.

This site provides a quick chart with emergency numbers in countries around the globe so you can look them up before you go. It's a good idea to write down critical numbers like this, plus the number for the US consulate and the international dialing code needed to reach the US from wherever you're calling. Jot them on a post-it note and stick it to the inside of your passport, where they should always be in easy and safe reach.

If we all travelled with everything we're "supposed" to take along when away from home, I doubt anyone would have any room in their lugguage for extras like shoes and clothing. So I like travel gadgets that do double duty: one critical job, and one secondary job. And I like this travel alarm clock that doubles as a flashlight from Hammacher Schlemmer.

The alarm clock has a back-lit LCD display, a solid beep to wake you, and a compact size that makes it easy to chuck in your bag. Twist one end, and the flashlight comes on. While you're not going to be able to navigate your way out of a cave in the Urals with this light, it's more than ample for a hotel blackout or late-night mission to find the door to the bathroom in an unfamiliar room.

Whether you're backpacking through Europe or hiking in Honduras, sometimes you want a break from carrying all your worldly posessions on your back. But since they are all your worldly posessions in a far-off world, it can be unsafe to leave them in hotel rooms or campsites when you're out and about for the day. It can also be unsafe to take them with you; many backpackers have had their packs slit and their stuff stolen while they were totally unaware. And if you're the victim of theft in a remote or distant location, it can be a disaster.

Enter the Pac Safe, a web of light-weight stainless steel mesh you wrap and lock around your backpack with a polycarbonate locking system. You can use the Pac Safe to secure your backpack to anything from a tree trunk to a hotel bed, or you can make your posessions more secure when you're walking through city streets. Starting at $55, the Pac Safe is a good investment worth thinking about.

Fans of the West Wing will be familiar with the Peters Projection Map, the geographically accurate view of our world that "freaked out" fictional White House Press Secretary CJ Craig. And to those who have never before seen the map, which is more commonly used outside the US, it is pretty freaky.

But the traditional Mercator Map most North Americans are used to badly distorts the relative size and shape of countries, and the further from the equator you look, the more distorted the depictions. Greenland, for example, probably appears on your home maps to be more or less half the size as Africa. In reality, Africa is 14 times larger.

What difference does it make? Well, first of all, if you're travelling the world, it's nice to know what that world actually looks like. Second, how we are visually taught to see a country or region has a deep effect on how we precieve that region. Organisations raising money for work in Africa, for example, prefer the Peters map because the sheer, overwhelming size of Africa on the globe — it dwarfs any other continent — helps donors to understand how vast the need is. Because it appears (accurately) to be larger, donors feel it is more important.

Fans of the world (or just of the West Wing) can order a Peters Map online from New Internationalist. And if you really want to change your world view, you can always hang it upside down.

There have been many, many times in my adult travel career when I've wished I was 22 again, and happy to stay in a youth hostel. The money you can save on hotel bills is sometimes the difference between going and not going, and even if it isn't, its money you can spend on other things during a trip. While I had great experiences in hostels across Europe, at this point in my life, privacy and a refuge from other tourists and travellers is something I look for in accomodation when I'm on the road.

But Laura Meckler and her partner did indeed travel through Australia and New Zealand for five weeks, staying in more than a dozen hostels. This article gives a short run-down on all the hostels in which they stayed - from the sublime ( ) to the rediculous (a $4 deposit to get a breakfast plate and fork?) All in all, she concludes, it was a good experience for the traveler with a few more miles on the clock than your average college-aged student.

Her top tips: book in advance to get private double rooms, some with private bath; and join Hostelling International for discounts and the ability to book some members-only hostels. Oh, and bring a padlock.

Luke Smallman is the writer over at Snowgo, a regularly updated and well written snowboading blog. The site is more than just a journal of Luke's boarding adventures (which would be a bit of a challenge, given that the UK isn't exactly bursting at the seams with brilliant slopes, parks, or snow.) He also reports on other websites, shows and exhibitions, online articles, gear and parks. There are also sections on individual riders, resorts, and loads of other interest categories for boarders. All in all, an excellent site and a great resource - check it out!

The Gould family is fond of putting their adventures online, from hiking to snorkling. Their biggest adventure to date is 16-day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon with plenty of hiking and camping as a bonus. Along the way, the get a a uninque and personal view of the canyon, very different from that of the legions of tourists who peer over its rim each year. "Seeing it from the rim is like viewing the painting of a great master. Rafting it is like painting it yourself."

There are also hundreds of photos taken from the river, along the banks, and from hikes and campsites. With a page for every day, including prep, the Goulds also share information about preparing food for the trip, gear, as well as what they packed and how they used it. The river action gets started with this entry, and they all make good reading.

The Boston Globe has a small gallery of photos from the recent Women On High expedition. The expedition by a team of five women was planned to honor and recreate the historic ascents of Mont Blanc, Europe's highest peak, by it's first female conquorers: Maria Paradis in 1808 and Henriette d'Angeville in 1838. The climb coincided with the publication of  "Women on High: Pioneers of Mountaineering," by Rebecca A. Brown, also a member of the team.

The entire team suceessfully summitted during a one-day weather window.  "We were exhilarated. We toasted the women who came before us. The level of respect I had for them grew enormously."