A British couple sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania was kidnapped by Somali pirates and is now being held for ransom.
Paul and Rachel Chandler, both in their late 50's, had been sailing since March on their 38-foot sailboat and keeping a blog about their journey. Last ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Somalia
British couple kidnapped by Somali pirates
A British couple sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania was kidnapped by Somali pirates and is now being held for ransom.
Paul and Rachel Chandler, both in their late 50's, had been sailing since March on their 38-foot sailboat and keeping a blog about their journey. Last ...Russian yachts to offer "pirate hunting" cruises off Somali coast
Please let this be a joke. According to several news sources, Russian yacht owners will begin offering "pirate hunting" vacations to those interested in wielding AK-47's and shooting at pirates off the coast of Somalia. Tickets aboard the ocean liners, which will cruise at ...Dispatches from the pirate riddled Gulf of Aden
Regular contributor and adventurer extraordinaire Jon Bowermaster just started an interesting series on passage through the Gulf of Aden over at his personal blog. The body of water connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean has seen a disturbing increase in pirate traffic ...AlterNet condoning pirates in Somalia?
AlterNet.org, a human rights advocacy site, has a new article posted: "Why We Don't Condemn Our Pirates in Somalia." First of all, I want to know who gave them the pirates in Somalia. Well, turns out the article is from a Somali perspective, and that "Karma" is the reason ...Destination on the edge: Mogadishu
Mogadishu is the adventure traveler's version of sex in public. The risk of getting caught defines the thrill. Unfortunately, the consequences cannot be compared. While a romp on your neighbor's front lawn might get you a fine or some community service, a misstep in Somalia ...Somali pirate talks: "We consider ourselves heroes running away from poverty."
No doubt you've already heard about all the trouble on the high seas off Somalia's coast. Armed-to-the-teeth pirates have been boarding ships and demanding hefty ransoms from their owners, which are often paid in full for the ship's return.
The Guardian recently allowed one ...The Pirate Life on Somalia's Coast
The BBC recently ran a feature about the pirates who have been terrorizing ships off Somalia's coastline. These pirates make their money by capturing ships of all sorts, from cruise ships to freighters, and demanding a ransom. Are these guys modern day eye-patch-wearing ...Somalia most corrupt nation -- Denmark the least
Transparency international released their annual numbers on corruption around the world, and would you believe it, Denmark edged Zimbabwe out by 165 places to clinch the number one spot. Each year the organization dedicated to fighting corruption compiles data from a variety ...How safe is ferry travel? It depends on where you are.
With the recent ferry accident in the Philippines still in the news, ferry safety comes to mind. According to this research study, Ferry Transport: The Realm of Responsibility, ferries are generally safe in Europe, the U.S. and other developed countries. In countries like ...Top tourist sights Americans can't visit
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As you might realize, there are certain countries that are considered "no-go's" for American travelers, be it for political or economic or other reasons. Publication Foreign Policy took a closer look at this question of prohibited places, recently creating a list of the "Top ...Top hell-holes on earth
April Fool's Day, 2007, I wrote a post on Linfen, China. Although it was written as a joke, the premise is true. Linfen is a royal mess. Its mighty pollution problem has earned it the number 2 spot on the recent "Hells on Earth" list. The air quality in Linfen is so horrific ...Pirates release cruise ship hostages
Call me naive and uninformed, but I honestly didn't think that pirates still operate in the world the way they do in the movies. That is obviously not the case.
According to this IHT article, the International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy, says that global pirate ...Big in Japan: Real pirates are nothing like Johnny Depp
Have you ever seen Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean?
Of course you have!
The wild and drunken antics of Johnny Depp are nothing short of hilarious, which is why Disney's Pirates trilogy has swept the globe from Hollywood to Tokyo.
But, today's posting isn't about the ...Record year for swashbucklers
Almost 300 years after Blackbeard's unseemly death, pirates are still a problem. A big problem. In the first nine months of this year, there have been at least 198 attacks, versus 174 for the same period last year. But there may be some relief in sight. The New York Times is ...The World's Most Dangerous Destinations for 2007
Here at Gadling, we usually profile places people WANT to go. However, sometimes it's useful to mention places to avoid. Consequently, here's an interesting (and not altogether surprising) list of the 2007's 12 Most Dangerous Destinations:
Somalia
Iraq
...Word for the Travel Wise (02/11/07)
Should you be in Somalia and in need of a lift call out for one of these... Today's word is a Somali word used in Somalia: tagsi - taxi Since Somali isn't spoken by a large population learning the language online for free will be a difficult task to accomplish. Start with ...Word for the Travel Wise (12/29/06)
Pulling a phrase off the list a good friend of mine sent me to help out with spreading the Somali language was no easy task. Most were crazy long and dizzying to look at to say the least. I took the shortest, easiest and most useful I think, but you'll need to use it in ...Polo's Bastards Top 10 Worst Destinations
With the current conflict going on between Ethiopia and Somalia, my mind immediately began to wonder what the writers at Polo's Bastards had been up to and what dangerous lands they've been exploring. Last time I checked in they'd just posted a piece on Rio's favelas. Since ...Word for the Travel Wise (11/01/06)
I'm on the run this evening so I'm hitting you with another Somali word to start the month. Hope this one comes in handy someday. Today's word is a Somali word used in Somalia: magacaa - What is your name? Since Somali isn't spoken by a large population learning the ...Word for the Travel Wise (10/12/06)
Occasionally for some of the harder languages to learn online, I try to go back and do some more site searching. It can be an exhausting task at times. Many sites are just dead ends to error messages or really aren't worth visiting, but here is one for the Somali language I ...
