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Traveler’s Show & Tell – From Propaganda to Leaf Peeping

Traveler’s Show & Tell – From Propaganda to Leaf Peeping

Traveler’s Show & Tell – 28th Edition

Grave of Davy Crockett's wife in Acton, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Grave of Davy Crockett's wife in Acton, Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Welcome to the Traveler’s Show & Tell. This week’s blog carnival features 10 excellent posts from travel lovers around the globe. Read on for:

  • …firsthand examples of North Korea’s incredible propaganda machine.
  • …what to do (and where to go) if you, or someone you love, is a leaf peeper.
  • …what “goetta” is and why they love it so much in Cinncinnatti.
  • …and much more:

This Week’s Photos

I snapped this week’s photo on a sunny day in the nearby town of Acton, Texas. This tiny town’s cemetery is one of prettiest I have seen. The photo is of the monument to Davy Crockett’s second wife, Rebecca. Her grave, which used to be the smallest state park in Texas, is now a state historic site.

We had so many good submissions this time that I decided to spice up all the text with photos of the Fort Worth Water Gardens, a beautiful park in the middle of downtown Fort Worth, Texas.

By the way, the article I submitted to this week’s carnival is from my brand new site, Discovering Dallas – Fort Worth which focuses on fun things to do in my neck of the woods, the Dallas – Fort Worth region of north Texas. I’m having a great time running around the area, researching articles for the site.

1. “Fort Worth Water Gardens” by Tui Snider

Tui Snider presents Fort Worth Water Gardens – A Free Oasis in the Heart of Downtown posted at Discovering Dallas – Fort Worth, saying,

“To me, the Fort Worth Water Gardens are a modern take on ancient city fountains, with Mother Nature as the theme instead of cherubs and Roman gods. Even though flanked by skyscrapers and Interstate 30, it successfully creates a contemplative oasis in the middle of a busy urban environment. Best of all, this peaceful space is free to the public and open every single day!”

2. “The US Imperialists started the Korean War” by Michael Turtle

Michael Turtle presents The US Imperialists started the Korean War posted at Time Travel Turtle, saying,

“Visiting North Korea is like stepping back in time, to a land cocooned from everything we accept as normal.”

Michael’s post is both amusing and unsettling. Some of the photos he includes are downright hilarious, and it’s hard not to snicker when reading about “facts” such as this:

“…we listened to a short audioguide that described how Kim Il Sung’s death led to ten days of mourning and the people’s tears fell to the ground and fossilised as crystals.”

But it’s also frightening to hear the extent to which the North Koreans are fed all this fairytale propaganda, as Michael writes:

For example, they don’t know where Kim Jong Il lives (and they don’t hear the rumours about his rollercoaster, tiger zoo or collection of cars). They don’t know that he has three sons – only one has been officially introduced to the North Koreans.

As Michael explains:

This isn’t just a whitewash of history – it’s a full white laundry service with some drycleaning thrown in as well…To us, as foreign observers, none of this seemed very subtle. As a North Korean, if you know no other alternative version of history or current affairs, that’s just the way the world is.

3. “The Chinese industrial park: An expedition” by Thomas Hale

Thomas Hale presents A Journey to the End of the World: the Chinese industrial park: an expedition posted at opiumblog, saying,

“Satirical/humorous travel writing, discussing a trip to a Chinese industrial park. My aim was to parody travel-writing through discussing a visit to one of the most mundane and dull places imaginable. “

A Chinese industrial park actually sounds rather interesting to me, but it’s Thomas’ thickly smirky writing style that makes this post fun to read, as you can see:

Fastforward seven hours. Words fail me. I have had better hours in my life, but have I had better seven-hours? Any one of the past seven hours, on its own, would have been a decent but unremarkable hour. Perhaps one would have qualified as semi-remarkable. But once combined, there was nothing unremarkable about them. Collectively, they were positively remarkable.

Later, he observes:

I had never realized before just how impressive right-angles are. Half a cross. There is half of Christ in every right-angle. They knew it well, the old masters of the industrial park. They knew it well indeed.

Active Pool at the Fort Worth Water Gardens (photo by Tui Snider)
Active Pool at the Fort Worth Water Gardens (photo by Tui Snider)

4. “Cincinnati’s Regional Cuisine: Goetta” by Dawn Xiana Moon

Dawn Xiana Moon presents Cincinnati’s Regional Cuisine: Goetta posted at Kitchen Lore, saying,

Few people seem to realize that you don’t have to go far [in the USA] to experience local specialties – I live in Chicago, and driving a few hours in the Midwest brings pasties in Northern Michigan, walleye near Lake Erie, and goetta in Cincinnati.

Never heard of goetta before? Me neither!

You probably won’t find goetta anywhere outside of Northern Kentucky and the greater Cincinnati area – the dish likely has German-American origins.

Check out Dawn’s post for photos and a good description of what goetta is all about. Apparently, it’s a big deal in Ohio:

Cincinnati loves its goetta – there are entire festivals dedicated to the stuff.

5. “My top ten photos of New Zealand” by Laurence Norah

Laurence Norah presents My top ten photos of New Zealand posted at Finding the Universe, saying,

I love taking shots of landscapes, and New Zealand happens to have gorgeous landscapes by the bucket load

If you are even slightly curious about the geography of New Zealand, Laurence’s landscapes will utterly seduce you.

I’ve done my best to provide a nice balanced set of shots, (and limit the number of sunset photos I subject you to!).

Laurence’s photos are absolutely stunning. I’ve wanted to visit New Zealand for years, but his post really makes me daydream…

6. “Gruta de la Virgen de Lourdes and a flood of tears
” by Hosteltinktinki

Hosteltinktinki presents Gruta de la Virgen de Lourdes and a flood of tears
posted at Join me on a journey of discovery, saying,

“A unique visit to La Gruta and an unexpected flood of emotions: When I set off this morning to visit a church that was built in 1916, I had no idea that I would be overcome by emotions and burst out in tears.”

Have you ever been unexpectedly affected by art, music or a sight in nature? I know I have. In this post, Hosteltinktinki explains how an innocent trip to see a church turned into a deeply emotional experience.

Enjoying misty air at the Fort Worth Water Gardens (photo by Larry Snider)
Enjoying misty air at the Fort Worth Water Gardens (photo by Larry Snider)

7. “The Blue mosque: Istanbul” by Shawali

Shawali presents The Blue mosque: Istanbul posted at We are all in !!!, saying,

The Blue Mosque is probably Istanbul’s most famous landmark.

Shawali’s post includes some beautiful photos of the intricately hand-painted interior as well as the impressive exterior of this mosque.

8. “Fall Foliage Trips in Upstate New York” by Jennifer Miner

Jennifer Miner presents Fall Foliage Trips in Upstate New York posted at The Vacation Gals, saying,

“The Adirondacks region has many scenic byways that show off Upstate New York’s fall foliage.”

I had never heard the term “leaf peeper” before, but I like it!

Leaf peepers in upstate New York are somewhat akin to birders; they track peak fall foliage seasons and compare popular scenic routes for optimal views of the changing colors of the leaves.

Jennifer’s post includes beautiful photos as well as a lengthy list of fall festivals to enjoy on your leaf peeping quest.

9. “In a foreign country” by Teresa Kakilis

Teresa Kakilis presents In a foreign country posted at Nothing Finer Than, saying,

Everyday can be hilarious. Take today, I got on a bus and asked for a bus ticket, “Je voudrais un carnet s’il vous plait” was what I thought I said… but judging from the strange look the bus driver gave me I realized I said “canard” instead of “carnet”, which meant I asked him for a duck…Oh the joy of learning a new language!

Teresa’s post continues with several photos of Paris and Lille. The pastry photos look especially delicious. She also remarks that:

Blogging (and living in a new city) is very solitary, so it’s really really nice whenever I receive some contact or feedback from readers.

I know the feeling! But isn’t it great how the internet allows us to reach out and connect with people all over the globe?

Aerating Pool at the Fort Worth Water Gardens (photo by Tui Snider)
Aerating Pool at the Fort Worth Water Gardens (photo by Tui Snider)

10. “The Curse of Gokarna” by Iain Manley

Iain Manley presents The Curse of Gokarna posted at Old World Wandering: A Travelogue saying,

“An article on the past, present and uncertain future of an Indian village that is a popular holiday destination for foreign tourists.”

In the post, Iain explains why he was in Gokarna:

“Claire and I had come to Gokarna to work. Claire was under pressure to finish the first draft of a book about contemporary Chinese art, begun eighteen months ago in Shanghai. I was working on a project for an ophthalmology clinic, helping to sell laser eye surgery in China to the West. Allocating a chunk of our travel time to these tasks during the frantic activity of our final weeks in Shanghai, we imagined a quiet place in India’s mellow south, where winter nights were cool but days long and hot.”

I like their work routine, don’t you?

We established a routine of early, work-filled mornings and afternoons on the beach.

It’s a lengthy post, but well-written and full of photos of a very intriguing little town.

Did you enjoy this week’s Show & Tell?

That’s it for this week’s blog carnival, Traveler’s Show & Tell. As always, if you enjoyed it, let us know in the comments section. Also, please let the author know you liked their piece by leaving a comment at their blog. See you next week! :)

Do you have a travel story to share?

If so, submit your blog article to the next edition of Traveler’s Show and Tell using this carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Please keep the following in mind:
  1. Include your Twitter handle even if you have submitted in the past. It really helps me out!
  2. Only submit if your site has a comment box. It is my hope for this blog carnival to promote interaction among travelers, not just be a one-way conversation.


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Tui Snider
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Published inTravel Photo Essays

4 Comments

  1. Thanks for including the North Korea article. Glad you found it equal parts amusing and scary (it’s probably a good way to describe a visit to the country!)

    • mentalmosaic mentalmosaic

      I read a graphic novel about North Korea a while ago. Can’t remember the name right now, but in it, the author gave his translator a copy of “1984” to read. Of all books!

      Thanks again for participating in Traveler’s Show & Tell. Hope to see you here again. :)

      ~Tui

  2. Thank you for featuring my post u201cGruta de la Virgen de Lourdes and a flood of tearsu201d by Hosteltinktinki.

    • mentalmosaic mentalmosaic

      Thank you, Nelieta! I hope you will join in on the blog carnival here again sometime. :) ~Tui

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