Upright & Stowed

Beijing Fever

Was the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics the most visually spectacular thing ever created by the species known as Man?  Damned if I can thing of anything more jaw-droppingly beautiful, creative and moving … and I’ve seen a lot.   If you’d like to to see a stunning set of photos, go here.  It’s the site from which I lifted the above shot.

Speaking of the Olympics, I learned a fabulous bit of travel trivia during the March of the Nations.  Let’s see how well you were listening.   Question:  What is it that makes the flag of Paraguay different from all other flags … except Moldova? 

Beijing, After the Gold

I’ve never been to an Olympics event, and I don’t have a burning desire to do so anytime soon.  My philosophy is:  Let them clean up and revive the city for the Games (think: Athens), while I watch them in living color on NBC.  Once things settle down, I can go visit and take in the wonders, sans the madness.

I am D-Y-I-N-G to visit China (I’ve only been to Hong Kong) to see what the 21st Century looks like.  But I will wait until the Olympics are over and our teensy weensy disastrous president bush is long gone before I plan my trip.  In the meantime, this is one of the buildings I cannot wait to see.  It's the Grand National Theater, designed by French architect Paul Andreu.  Pretty cool, eh?

Water on the Day of Atonement

I should not be blogging today.   I should be atoning.  But what's a little 10-minute break to compose a post for my non-Jewish (or Jewish-non-observant) readers?

During Yom Kippur, atoning is accompanied by fasting.  Which means no eating, no drinking, no pleasures of the flesh... from sundown to sundown.  This gives one the psychic room to consider being a better person in the coming year. 

My friend Al is currently on a biking trip through Vietnam.  As such, he is not observing Yom Kippur.  Which means he can drink water today.   Al sent me this picture from Vietnam.  It's of a bottle of water he drank.  Note the description of the contents.  Hilarious. 

And now, back to my sins.

Turkey on TV

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that Turkey is high on my list of places I want to go next.  In honor of that aspiration,  today I post my first video (!!!) on Upright & Stowed. 

This is a TV commercial for a Turkish Bank called Akbank, and it's fantastic.  I have no idea what it means, but I love it.  I'm already planning to make all of my cash transactions at Akbank when I visit.  Enjoy, and thanks to Koray – a very sexy Turk – for the video tip-off. 

The Fine Art of Engrish

Engrish is a term used to describe the humorous misuse of English, most commonly found in the marketing and design works of Japan.  If you've ever visited Japan, you'll recognize it instantly, since it's everywhere. 

Often the "mistakes" found in Engrish are intentional.  Sometimes not.  The politically correct viewpoint about Engrish is that it's a simple use of English lettering as a "cool" design technique, rather than poor translation by uneducated translators.   And lord knows, we-who-speak-English as a first – and most often only – language shouldn't make fun of those trying to use it as a second.

In any event, Engrish is often very funny.  And there's a website devoted to great Engrish finds.  It's www.engrish.com.   Check it out.  [BTW: Hat tip to Dennis for turning me on to this site.]

Varanasi

This picture of me and my numero-uno travel buddy Michael was taken in 1999, which partially explains the longer hair and more radiant skin. 

The month is November.  The time is dusk.  The river is the Ganges.  And the location is Varanasi, India.  Long known as "Benares," the Indian government officially changed its name to the historic Varanasi in 1956.

My brief 2 day visit to Varanasi was one of the highlights of my lifelong travels.  It is among the holiest places on earth for Hindus.  The riverbank is lined with "Ghats," which are ceremonial stairs leading to the water and used to facilitate bathing in the river.  To come to Varanasi and bathe in the waters (which, I should note, are highly polluted) is one of the most sacred experiences a Hindu person can have.  We observed these rituals for two days, and they are most intense as the sun sets.  Many families bring their dying or dead here and burn the bodies in pyres along the river.  As a traveler, I feel blessed to have witnessed this holy ritual. It is awesome.

Yesterday, a series of bombs was detonated in Varanasi, killing at least 15 people.  Hearing that news made me very sad, and prompted this post.  Yet India has been shaped by centuries of nearly incomprehensible violence, perpetrated by and against every faction of people who has lived here.  Many of its most beautiful historic places are built on a history of violence and subordination.  But that's true of pretty much every place human beings have tread. 

India is a traveler's dream come true.  If you haven't been, put it on your list.  It will change you.

Architectural Inspiration Pt. 3

What you're looking at is the Burj-al-Arab hotel, in Dubai.  You're also looking at an A380 airplane on a test fight.  Emirates Airlines is going to be one of the first to fly this double-decker super jumbo.

I've read about the Burj before.  It's an over-the-top, ultra-deluxe hotel that juts out into the Arabian Gulf.  Amusingly, it was rated the "Best Hotel In The World" by (drum-roll) Institutional Investor Magazine!!!  Which probably provides a pretty good indication of who is staying here, and on what kind of bank accounts.

Here's how the hotel promotes itself:

"Designed to resemble a billowing sail, the hotel soars to a height of 321 metres, dominating the Dubai coastline. At night, it offers an unforgettable sight, surrounded by choreographed colour sculptures of water and fire. This all-suite hotel reflects the finest that the world has to offer."

In any event, it's a pretty cool piece of architecture, and I've never been to the Gulf States.  An old friend of mine from my American Express days, Lynn Walka, works at Emirates Airlines.  So the stars are aligning.  One of these days I'll see the Burj-Al-Arab.