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Traveler’s Show & Tell: Letterboxing, Hollywood & the Taj Mahal

Heading home (photo by Tui Snider)
Heading home (photo by Tui Snider)

Welcome to the April 30, 2012 edition of Traveler’s Show and Tell.

This week’s Traveler’s Show and Tell blog carnival features thirteen travel bloggers from all corners of the globe. Read on to discover:

 

  • … where to find the unofficial patron saint of travelers.
  • … what it’s like to stay at a “party hostel.”
  • … what letter-boxing is and how you can try it when traveling.
  • … and much, much more!

This Week’s Travelers

Tui Snider presents Texas Photo Essay: Butterflies at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden posted right here at Mental Mosaic: Even Home is a Travel Destination, saying,

I can’t imagine any other circumstance in which I would see a bunch of Texans walking around, grinning with delight at the sight of a room chock full of bugs, but that’s exactly what happens each year at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden’s Butterfly Exhibit.

Byteful Travel presents San Jose Bike Party Review: An Unparalleled Cycling Experience (with donuts!) posted at Byteful Travel, saying,

What happens when you combine 4,000 cyclists, over 30 miles of road, and free donuts? Bike Party, of course! Every month, the San Jose Bike Party volunteers plan a route leading out of San Jose, through the surrounding area, and back again. And while it’s difficult to completely describe the excitement and sheer adrenaline of biking with such a large group of people, my story (which happens to be a tale of tragedy and triumph) should give you a taste of what it’s like.

Michael Turtle presents The unofficial saint for travellers posted at Time Travel Turtle : Stories from the world, ,saying,

“Difunta Correa has never been officially recognised by the Catholic Church but that doesn’t bother her supporters. In their minds, she is the patron saint of truck-drivers, of travellers, of farmers, and all those who may need the life-saving suckle of a breast. It’s estimated that more than 500 thousand people visit this hill in Vallecito each year to ask for her help in times of trouble.”

Bastiaan Reinink presents The party hostel posted atPerpetual Wonder, saying,

“The human equivalent of the Angler [fish] is the Party hostel. Different species abound, going by names such as Loki, The Point and The Wild Rover. They can be found anywhere where the feeding is rich; anywhere where there is an abundant supply of innocent and sweet little backpackers, ready to have their soul sucked out of them.”

Alex presents Samarkand – the capital of Tamerlane posted at Travel photo report, saying,

“I recommend to stay here for a couple of day before you head to busy Phnom Pehn or Angkor Wat. Once you are there you will remember the peaceful atmosphere and slow pace of life. And of course, great and very affordable crabs, shrimp and squid.”

Emma Goho presents The Gohemians Guide To India: Part 1 – Delhi posted at gohemiantravellers, saying,

“I am currently sitting facing the Taj Mahal as I write this, sitting on a viewing point inside a lush green garden, listening to the haunting sound of patrons chanting in prayer. To say this is surreal is a massive understatement. It’s breathtaking.”

Jacques Bouchard presents The Perfect Spring Hobby For Travel Nurses posted at Onward Healthcare Blog, saying,

“For travel nurses and others who work short-term positions that involve constant travel, letterboxing provides relaxing pastime. Similar to geocaching, this hobby sends you to beautiful and enjoyable public places in each area, collecting prints from handmade stamps in hidden boxes found in thousands of places across the USA.”

Andrea MacEachern presents A Winter Vacation for a Change of Scenery…Snow Included! posted at Another Day of Grace, saying,

“For me, travel is seeing and learning about a new place and a new culture, relaxing on a beach, exploring off-the-beaten track locations that most people have never heard of and escaping the cold, blistery Canadian winters. The advantage that I have over most people though is that I have the opportunity to not only escape winter every March or April, I also have the opportunity to still experience what it is like to actually enjoy and travel within a winter destination outside of that one week that I spend on a beach down south. That’s right, enjoy.”

Jason Ward presents The slow boat to Luang Prabang posted at The Word of Ward, saying,

“A fairly gripping description of a two day trip on the slow boat that runs from Chiang Kong in Thailand to the UNESCO world heritage site of Luang Prabang.”

Micah Alfaro presents A Walk Down Hollywood posted at Friend The World, saying,

“I’m an 18-year-old who decided to change his life. I dropped out of college even though I was successful in my studies. I quit my job even though I wasn’t financially secure. I left my home even though I had comfort and security. However, I’ve also stalled my dreams and desires for 10 years. My name is Micah Kavros-Alfaro, and I’m out to explore the world.”

Pamela Jorrick presents Something About the Ocean posted at Blah, Blah, Blog, saying,

“Being a homeschooling madre extraordinaire, I feel it’s my parenting responsibility to provide educational field trips to facilitate learning about our interests and passions. (Which makes a handy and valid reason to take lots of field trips.) So, off to the ocean I take my family, as often as possible.”

Ron Buffy presents The 5 Best Places I’d Love to Live posted at The Wild Swans , saying,

“If you had to decide a place where you’d kill to live, which one would it be? I get the question a lot and so I decided to dedicate a post about it.”

MaryLou Walston presents 10 Best Travel Writing Books of All Time posted atCar Insurance Blog News, Tips, and Quotes, saying,

“The transforming power of a journey is a literary theme dating back to when the first humans gathered around the fire to share their stories. Non-fictional travel writing goes back a ways too, but may include some creative license on the part of the author in an effort to tell a good story. Mark Twain’s A Tramp Abroad is one such example. Below are ten books about the transformative power of travel, some well-known, some not so well-known, and a few by authors you may not have associated with the travel writing genre.”

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 time! :)

Do you have a travel story to share?

Would you like your blog post to appear in an upcoming edition of the Traveler’s Show & Tell? If so, check out the post, What is the Traveler’s Show and Tell blog carnival? and follow the writer’s guidelines. It’s easy! Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

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Tui Snider
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Published inTravel Photo Essays

7 Comments

  1. […] Traveler’s Show & Tell: Letterboxing, Hollywood & the Taj Mahal …Apr 30, 2012 … where to find the unofficial patron saint of travelers. … what it’s like to stay at a “ party hostel.” … what letter-boxing is and how you can try it … […]

  2. Thanks for posting my story on your carnival! Looking forward to reading the other stories!

    • mentalmosaic mentalmosaic

      Hi Bastiaan,

      Thanks for sharing what life’s like in a party hostel. I had no idea they were out there!

      ~Tui

  3. A great collection of stories, as usual! I always learn something new by checking out the fantastic posts you’ve found!
    Thanks for including little ol’ Time Travel Turtle :)

    • mentalmosaic mentalmosaic

      Heya Mr. Turtle!

      I always enjoy the posts you contribute to this blog carnival.

      Thanks!
      Tui

  4. Nice carnival! Thanks for all the effort involved. I look forward to reading some of the entries. Thanks for this.

    • mentalmosaic mentalmosaic

      Hi,

      Thanks for participating. I hope you do check out the other participants. There are some really interesting posts and gorgeous photos in this edition. :)

      ~Tu

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