Gadling

Video: Traffic In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Sean McLachlan — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Africa, Burkina, Video, Transportation

I've always been intrigued by Burkina Faso. I know very little about this West African nation and that only increases the allure. It also helps that it has a cool name and its capital, Ouagadougou, has probably the coolest city name ever! While my travels have focused on North Africa and the Horn of Africa, I plan to explore West Africa one day and Burkina Faso is high on my list.

This video by Tony, who writes the great Africa Full Circle blog, gives a sneak peak of the street scene in Ouagadougou. He mounted a camera to his helmet and sped around town on his motorcycle, then added a chilled out soundtrack to the video. Tony says that the roads are much nicer than they used to be with many having been paved in the past year.

Tony has plenty more videos from his world travels on his many blogs. Be sure to check them out!

Video: Traffic In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ethiopia tops list of African nations improving quality of life

Sean McLachlan — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 14:00:00 EST

Filed under: Activism, Africa, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, News, Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)

Ethiopia suffers from a bad image thanks to the war and famine of the 1980s. As my series on travel in Ethiopia showed, however, this is a land of friendly people, beautiful nature, and fascinating historic sites. Infrastructure is slowly improving and the Ethiopians are making serious efforts to boost education, access to clean drinking water, and other improvements to the quality of life.

These efforts have been recognized in the UN's 2010 Human Development Report. It ranked Ethiopia as number 11 in the world for improving human development since 1970, the highest ranking in Africa. The report was prepared by the United Nations Development Programme and measures progress in health, education, income, gender equality, and other areas. Researchers then formulate a "human development index" (HDI) for 135 countries.

Other high-ranking African nations include Botswana (14th), Benin (18th) and Burkina Faso (21st). All of these countries and some others have done especially well in the past ten years. Only looking at the past decade, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Rwanda, and Uganda all come out in the global top ten.

One of the biggest areas of improvement was in education. Literacy has almost tripled in Sub-Saharan Africa in the past 40 years to 65 percent. Also, life expectancy is up and infant mortality is down.

Sadly, not all the news is good. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe were the only three countries in the world where quality of life actually went down.

Good news for Ethiopia is good news to travelers too. While the country is still an adventure travel destination, it's not as rugged as many people think. I spent two months there and my wife spent three weeks, and in all that time we never got sick. Chalk one up for good sanitation and clean water! Also, Ethiopia scores well of gender equality, which meant that, unlike some countries we've been to, my wife didn't get harassed by obnoxious guys. Good education meant we met lots of people who spoke English and wanted to improve it by chatting with us. Improved infrastructure meant there were more paved roads along our route than there were ten years ago.

When it comes to improvements in a country's Human Development Index everybody benefits, even people who don't live there!

Gallery: Roadtrip: Ethiopia

Ethiopia tops list of African nations improving quality of life originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 04 Nov 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The ultimate road trip: 12,500 miles across Africa on a motorcycle

Sean McLachlan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Africa, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Kenya, Lesotho, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Spain, Budget Travel

Thomas Tomczyk is serious about motorcycles. He's done three motorcycle trips across India, from the steamy southern tip all the way up to the frozen highlands of Ladakh. Now he's starting his childhood dream--an epic trip 12,500 miles (20,000 km) across Africa.

His zigzag tour will take in 22 African nations including South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, the Saharawi Republic, and Morocco. . .

. . .before he ends up skinny, exhausted, and happy at my house in Spain, where my wife will fatten him up with her excellent paella.

Full disclosure: Thomas is a friend of mine. We covered the massive Hindu pilgrimage of Kumbh Mela together in 2001 and barely managed not to get trampled to death by hordes of naked holy men. But even if I didn't know him, this trip is so thoroughly cool I would have reported on it anyway.

Thomas isn't just going on vacation; he'll be visiting innovative grassroots projects that are making life better for the average African. Through his website Africa Heart Beat he'll be telling us about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, such as creating a job center for landmine victims in Mozambique, an AIDS theater group in Botswana, and a Muslim-Christian vocational center in Mali that's bringing the two communities together.

"The idea of crossing Africa came to me when I was 10," Thomas says.

Continue reading The ultimate road trip: 12,500 miles across Africa on a motorcycle

The ultimate road trip: 12,500 miles across Africa on a motorcycle originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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List of World Heritage Sites grows by 13

Kraig Becker — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Asia, Europe, Burkina, Cape Verde, China, Iran, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Peru, Ecotourism, Middle East, Central America

The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee just wrapped up its 33rd annual conference in Seville, Spain, where they added 13 new sites to their list of amazing locations around the globe, and made the unusual move of dropping one. The new list of World Heritage Sites now stands at 890.

Of the 13 new sites, 11 are cultural sites and 2 are natural. The two new natural sites are the Wadden Sea on the border between Germany and the Netherlands and the Dolomite Mountains in Italy. The cultural sites include such places as the Tower of Hercules in Spain, The Sacred City of Caral-Supe in Peru, and Sulamain-Too Sacred Mountain in Kyrgyzstan. For a complete list of the new sites, check out the official press release here.

The former World Heritage Site that was dropped from the list was the Elbe Valley in Dresden, Germany. The committee expressed concern over the fact that a new four-lane bridge was being built through the Valley, and even attempted to give warning of this action, placing the site on the Danger List back in 2006. When construction proceeding anyway, they felt they had no other choice, but to drop the Valley from their list.

Continue reading List of World Heritage Sites grows by 13

List of World Heritage Sites grows by 13 originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UNESCO adds sites to World Heritage list, and drops one too

Sean McLachlan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Africa, Asia, Europe, Burkina, Cape Verde, China, Laos, Belgium, Germany, United Kingdom

The UNESCO World Heritage List has just gotten a lot longer. Officials meeting for the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee have added more than two dozen sites of great cultural, historical, or natural value to the list, and they're considering more.

Among the new entries are an aqueduct in Britain, a stately home in Belgium, and a sacred Buddhist mountain dotted with monasteries in China.

Two lesser-visited countries got sites onto the list. The ruins of Loropéni in Burkina Faso, a massive thousand-year-old fort that guarded the Saharan gold trade, was added, as well as Cape Verde's Cidade Velha, a 15th century Portuguese colony that was the first major station for the transatlantic slave trade. Cidade Velha includes a fort, ruins of houses, and a grand cathedral, the slave traders being devout Christians.

There have been some losers too. Several sites have been moved to the endangered list, and the Germany's Dresden Elbe river valley was dropped from the list entirely after "developers" put a four-lane highway through it. Ironically, the old city of Dresden was Germany's most historic city, but was leveled by Allied bombing during World War Two. The nearby historic landscape dotted with castles and palaces escaped damage, but now the Germans have destroyed that themselves. Nice going, guys.

UNESCO's website is posting up-to-date information on new additions and changes.

Trivia questions: What does UNESCO stand for? And what World Heritage site is pictured above? Click "Read More" to find out.

Gallery: UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Continue reading UNESCO adds sites to World Heritage list, and drops one too

UNESCO adds sites to World Heritage list, and drops one too originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Day in Africa: Lives of six ordinary Africans

Jamie Rhein — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Stories, Africa, Burkina, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Video, Across Northern Europe with Brook Silva-Braga

When I watched the trailer of One Day in Africa, the latest documentary of Brook Silva-Braga, the resonance of village and city life in most African countries was immediately evident. It's a resonance that often doesn't make headline news. It resides in the pattern of each day that starts before the sun comes up when Africans, in particular women, get busy.

The shot of women pounding grain comes to mind. When I lived in a Gambian village for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer, the thwack of a wooden pestle against a mortar as it removed husks from grain was like a heartbeat.

What Silva-Braga shows about African life is that it has rhythm and cadence and is not totally embroiled with AIDS and poverty. There is another theme to explore, one that involves the complex melding of African traditions with the modern world.

Sure AIDS, poverty and violence do exist, but they are not what Brook Silva-Braga set out to show in his second film project. His first film, A Map for Saturday, was a documentary about around the world travel--his and others. That film included every continent except Africa.

One Day in Africa is a companion project in a way, but the focus is different. In this latest project, Silva-Braga got up close and personal with his subjects-- six Africans, both men and women, whose stories are typical of the stories of others who live in this vast continent. [For the trailer, keep reading.]

Continue reading One Day in Africa: Lives of six ordinary Africans

One Day in Africa: Lives of six ordinary Africans originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Travel Channel to show Season 12 of Amazing Race

Jamie Rhein — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Blogs, Burkina

To tide you over until Amazing Race 13 begins on September 28, tune into The Travel Channel. Starting September 3 at 8 p.m. EST, season 12 will be shown.

Although the winners from season 12 are known-- Rachel and T.K., the couple who had smart ideas about how to use the dough (although with the abysmal showing of the current market and housing crisis, I wonder how that went?) there are travel tidbits about each of the countries the contestants visited and host Phil Keoghan's commentaries.

My favorite episode was the Burkina Faso leg, particularly when most teams didn't know how to say the capital Ouagadougou when they found out where they were heading. The camel milking made for the best TV. Plus, of all the locations, this was probably the one that was the most obscure to many of the folks who tuned in to watch.

Here's a review of that episode on TV Squad to refresh your memory or to catch you up to the crazy antics that can happen as teams of two people race around the world on a chase for a million dollars.

Jason Hughes, at TV Squad wonders if The Travel Channel's airing of the show may mean that CBS is thinking about pulling the plug since it is only picked up season by season. In that case, The Travel Channel could take it over. I hope it will stay on CBS so people can see it without cable.

Travel Channel to show Season 12 of Amazing Race originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazing Race 12: Recap of nothing. Instead Survivor:China gets on my nerves

Jamie Rhein — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Photos, Stories, Asia, Burkina, China, Netherlands, News

Okay, you can bet I was disappointed to not have my fix of Amazing Race tonight. Particularly after enjoying Martha's recap of last week. I missed the show because I was having my white knuckle drive back from Kentucky. Tonight, I was all set to take notes on who said what and did what for my own recap, but no. Amazing Race was not on. Instead, there was a two-hour Survivor: China. While I watched Survivor, a show I have never seen before, I thought about what makes Amazing Race such an interesting show--and why Survivor gets on my nerves.

Continue reading Amazing Race 12: Recap of nothing. Instead Survivor:China gets on my nerves

Amazing Race 12: Recap of nothing. Instead Survivor:China gets on my nerves originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazing Race Season 12, Recap 5

Jamie Rhein — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Festivals and Events, Stories, Africa, Europe, Burkina, Lithuania

Last week, Martha's recap left our Amazing Race traveling pals in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. That's where this episode started off since the teams stayed here for a night of R&R at the Hotel d'Ville.

Although the people of Burkina Faso were described as "warm and kind" by one of the teams, that's not the general feeling the teams are now having towards each other. Their determination to win the race has heated up, so no one is chit chatting or making nice whenever the teams' paths cross.

"Our eyes are full of fire and we're going to use our fire [to win] " explained Rachel when the teams found out that their next leg was to Vilnius, Lithuania.

Everyone seemed peppy with this news. "I heard they make some great pastries," said Ron, as he and Christina headed off in a taxi to find out how to get there.

Continue reading Amazing Race Season 12, Recap 5

Amazing Race Season 12, Recap 5 originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazing Race Season 12, Episode 3 recap

Jamie Rhein — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Photos, Stories, Burkina, Airlines, Airports

One way to start off an episode of the Amazing Race with a few guffaws is to send the teams to a place most of them can't pronounce.

"Ogogogaga?"

" Oogadoogoo? "

Ou..da..da..doo...dago..go?

Can you say Ouagadougou? (roughly pronounced aWa gaa doo goo) The blonds, Shana and Jennifer could. So could Azaria and Hendekea. The rest of them were fairly hopeless, but raced off with zest and determination to the airport in Amsterdam, the city of Episode 2, to catch a flight to Burkina Faso, West Africa via Paris. Some, though, were still not sure where they were heading for the third leg of this Amazing Race journey, even after they jumped into their taxis hoping to get on a plane first.

After reading the destination card, someone shouted, "Find out where the hell is it!" "I think it's in Africa," said someone else. Of course, Azaria and Hendekea, the self -proclaimed geniuses, knew where it was. "We're from Ethiopia--so we're comfortable," they said, a little smugly, perhaps. Comfortable or not, they didn't make it on the first plane.

Continue reading Amazing Race Season 12, Episode 3 recap

Amazing Race Season 12, Episode 3 recap originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 19 Nov 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More Independence Days to Celebrate

Jamie Rhein — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:05:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Festivals and Events, Benin, Burkina, Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, France, Moldova, Ukraine, Peru, Uruguay

August is another Independence Day bonanza. The shifts of power didn't happen all at once, but 1960 was a big year. If you're in any of these countries expect a holiday. Maybe there will be fireworks or a parade or a speech or two.

August 1 - Benin gained independence from France
August 3-- Niger gained its independence from France
August 5 --Burkina Faso also gained independence from France.
August 11--Guess which country Chad gained independence from? That's right, France.
August 13--Central African Republic also gained independence from--you guessed it--France.
August 14- Pakistan from the U.K. in 1947.
August 15- India from the U.K. in 1947.
August 17- Gabon. Can you guess the country and year? If you said France and 1960, ***ding ding ding ! [Did you hear the you win bells?]
August 19- Afganistan from the U.K. in 1919. Wow, that's early.
August 24- Ukraine in 1991.
August 25- Uruguay from Brazil in 1825.
August 27- Moldova from U.S.S.R. in 1991
August 31- Kyrgystan from the U.S.S.R in 1991 and Trinidad and Tobago from the U.K. in 1962.

*The information is from the International Calendar published by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Madison, Wisconsin. They put this calendar together every year and other Peace Corps groups sell it as a fundraiser.

More Independence Days to Celebrate originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mega, as in the Biggest Ever, African Adventure Trip

Jamie Rhein — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:30:00 EST

Filed under: Climbing, Arts and Culture, Hiking, Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

Suppose you have time-lots of it. Let's say you have 44 weeks. Perhaps you'd like to go overland from Morocco to South Africa by way of Egypt. Here's a travel adventure that will take you through 10 game parks, various cultural and historical landmarks, and enough thrills like rafting and tandem sky diving that you'll have stories to tell for years. Countries not typical as tourist hot spots are included in the mix. Angola, for example, has only allowed tourists in since 2004.

In Angola you'll see Portuguese influenced architecture and gorgeous beaches besides the 3rd largest statue of Jesus in the world. The other countries in this multi-stop, pack-in-variety approach are: Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, DRCongo Zaire, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Egypt.

The highlights of this tour calledTrans Africa. Europe--CapeTown-Nairobi-Istanbul read like a cross between an outdoor wilderness experience, a cultural bonanza and a journey through an African history book. Read the itinerary and you might find yourself chomping to take this trip on. I sure am. R&R opportunities and the chance to luxuriate are built in. Africa Travel Center also offers shorter version African adventures where only parts of this trip are included.

* photo taken in Benguela, Angola by zokete.

Mega, as in the Biggest Ever, African Adventure Trip originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inside Africa Vol. 1 & 2

Adrienne Wilson — Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:11:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Photos, Africa, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Books

TASCHEN books are some of my favorite to collect. If I had hundreds of dollars to blow I could easily do so on their website, but for now I'll have to place some of these titles on my Christmas wish list or refrain from doing so much running to and fro' to buy a few more. Of the more recent releases I'd like to take a peek at the Inside Africa titles. The two volume set puts the diversity of African living in the reader's face. I'll be one of the first to admit (and this is very sad because I have so many African friends), but when I think of dwellings found in various African places I don't think modern for the majority. I see mud, clay, and earthy homes with wells and without running hot water. SO WRONG. While a good portion of countries may have tribes and villages with housing of this nature there are tons of luxury lodges, artist studios, minimalist houses, and so-forth. These two sets claim to have a good mixture of both and more, but with the eye-popping ink and paper stock TASCHEN uses I'm sure anyone flipping through the book would want to stay in a clay hut. Deidi von Schaewen is the photographer and it took a period of four years and fifteen countries to make it these Inside Africa volumes happen.

Countries featured include Egypt, Kenya, Botswana, Morocco, Réunion, Seychelles, Tanzania, Tunisia, Benin, Burkina Faso, Togo, Nigeria, and Senegal to list only a few.

Inside Africa Vol. 1 & 2 originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 21 Aug 2006 23:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pan African Arts & Film Festival

Adrienne Wilson — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 23:32:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Festivals and Events, Blogs, Burkina

Tomorrow the Pan African Arts & Film Festival will kick off until February 20, 2006 at the Magic Johnson Theatres in Los Angeles, CA. This is one of those moments I'm itching to be close enough to the city to peep some of the films, yet avoid the smog. Skip the pseudo glitz and glam of Sunset Blvd and head to beautiful Baldwin Hills. Okay, so not a likely tourist advertisement to get you there, but seriously take in some cinematic cultural pieces from all over the globe. Films from Burkina Faso, Congo, Cuba, Brazil, Zimbabwe, Belgium, and a number from the US are all scheduled over the 12 day period. Undoubtedly, this could be one of the best Black History month events to date.

Since I can't be there, I just want make mention on two films that caught my eye. The first, All About Darfur, is a film about the 20-year conflict between North and South Sudan and how it is not primarily about race or religion. The film plunges further into the situation analyzing the difference in cultural groups, one agricultural and the other nomadic. The second film is titled HM HM out of Egypt with a 3 minute duration tells the tale of a restaurant customer that doesn't wish to pay after eating. Completely different flicks, I'm sure. If anyone happens to catch either, do let me know if a trip should be planned for Atlanta when the festival makes its way to the south in July.

Pan African Arts & Film Festival originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 08 Feb 2006 23:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Guy Francois Photography

Adrienne Wilson — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 08:18:00 EST

Filed under: Photos, Burkina, Madagascar

Guy Francois photography - wow. Few photographers leave me feeling speechless, inspired and with new reasons to never stop wanting to explore the world. In his crisp, vivid, and stunning photos from locales like Burkina Faso, China, Morocco, and Madagascar the world comes alive like never before. Whether it's a shot of hay stacks overlooking the water, a young African boy in the village or a dusty road of clay colored Earth keeping the senses from colliding is near impossible. If you're in need of something to jump start your Monday morning I HIGHLY recommend visiting his site. Should you find yourself as blown away as I am and desire the works of Guy Francois in your very own home click here to purchase "Couleur de Somme." I'll be getting my copy upon return from my own travels and building a new wish list soon after.

Guy Francois Photography originally appeared on Gadling on Mon, 06 Feb 2006 08:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Africa Travel: Burkina Faso & Burundi

Adrienne Wilson — Sat, 04 Feb 2006 23:12:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Burkina, Burundi

I'll admit it is a pretty ambitious goal to tackle and track down some of the secrets behind every country on the African continent (especially when one has never been) for Black History month and a hard one too. As I started looking for things to pour out to the masses on Burkina Faso and Burundi I hit a brick wall. However, Burkina Faso, a west African country north of Ghana has a few things for the interested tourist. One Lonely Planet reader actually listed Burkina Faso on his Blue List with attractions being the SIAO Art Festival and Yako - the halfway town. You can read his notes here, but outside of this and the LP online guide I didn't find a whole lot of promotion for tourism within the country.

Things got even worse on my Burundi searches. Let me not say worse, but complicated. This central African country sits east of Democratic Republic of the Congo and has suffered from years of ethnic violence between Hutu and Tutsi much like its neighbor to the north, Rwanda. Though things have simmered down it is still advised visitors seek other travel destinations over Burundi. The photo above is from Burundi taken by Jan Oberg found this Burundi.nu a site dedicated to spreading tourism and general information on the country. Created by John Jorgensen and his Burundi born wife, Chantal Nahimana Jorgensen the site deserves all your attention if you ever consider travel to Burundi.

Anyone with additional sites or experiences on either of the countries, please share.

Africa Travel: Burkina Faso & Burundi originally appeared on Gadling on Sat, 04 Feb 2006 23:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Latitudes Magazine February

Erik Olsen — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 09:25:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Blogs, Stories, Burkina

Once again I urge you to check out Latitudes Magazine, which just came out. Let me reiterate that this is probably my favorite online multimedia magazine. I try my best to remember that it's a monthly and to take a look, but sometimes I forget. Now I've figured out that they have an email reminder system so I do that.

Anyway, as travel magazines go, Latitudes is wonderful. I believe it's published in Italy, so it has a definite Italian flair, tasteful, snazzy, if a wee-bit arrogant. Every month, the online issue has got about a dozen or so stories from around the world. They are always illustrated with the most luscious photos, a satisfactory amount of text (the pictures really speak for themselves) and a little bit of multimedia surprise in each issue. They usually visit at least a few places that everyone knows, and then there will be some bizarre, distant place that I've never heard of.

To wit: among the places visited this month are Burkina Faso, Belfast, Madrid and...here's the odd one: Coober Pedy, some place in the Australian Outback. So there you go. Give it a read, gander, perusal, once-over.

Latitudes Magazine February originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 03 Feb 2006 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Photo of the Day: (3/13/05)

Erik Olsen — Sun, 13 Mar 2005 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blogs, Photos, Burkina

Today's POTD is from Matt McClure, who worked in Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer and has some great shots of Burkina Faso. This one of a monkey galring at the camera was one of several great shots.

Photo of the Day: (3/13/05) originally appeared on Gadling on Sun, 13 Mar 2005 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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