Voluntourism--taking a vacation that includes some charity work--is a travel idea whose time has come. In our May 2008 issue, Condé Nast Traveler held the World Savers Contest, asking readers to report on their good deeds with an essay and photo documenting a recent voluntourism trip. A few weeks ago, we posted Beverly Orthwein's winning entry. This week, another one of our favorite contest entries.

by Tom Balliet

It probably all started with my parents' involvement with cub scout and brownie troops, conservation groups, and a swim program for local disabled adults.

My chosen profession as an educator and time spent volunteering at several local agencies and service organizations could have been enough to satisfy my lifelong desire to help make the world a better place. But they weren't.

Since retiring a couple years ago, I have worked with a general contractor-friend on remodeling projects, honing my carpentry skills. This led to a trip to New Orleans to help my pastor in Katrina Relief efforts. I had the time, usable talents, a wish to improve the world, and, yes, an interest in walking down Bourbon Street again.

What an eye opener.

Illustration: CreativeFlutter AKA MazerDesign

by Sara Tucker

Everywhere you turn, it's the same story: the French bistro, the Irish pub, even the Italian trattoria, icons of national culture, all in trouble from rising costs and changing mores. And yet, and yet, there are places in the world where antediluvian fans of real bars and cafés are obstinately resisting the trend.

"The French are no longer eating and drinking like the French. They are eating and drinking like the Anglo-Saxons." That's Bernard Picolet, owner of Aux Amis du Beaujolais, explaining to New York Times correspondent Steven Erlanger why more than 3,000 independent French restaurants filed for bankruptcy in the first half of 2008. "The way of life has changed," said Picolet. To be perfectly frank, the French are gulping their food.

The traditional French café/bistro has been in trouble for some time, but the numbers registering its decline have spiked with the plunging economy. The latest bankruptcy toll represents a 56 percent increase over the same period last year.

A similar affliction across the Channel elicited this lament from the Associated Press: "The iconic British pint is fast losing ground as the national drink," with beer sales at British pubs "slumping to their lowest level since the Great Depression." The Campaign for Real Ale, a brewers association, reached even farther into the historic past to come up with a suitably bleak comparison, reporting that "more than half of Britain's villages are 'dry' for the first time since the Norman Conquest of 1066."

Smoking bans and rising costs (rents, fuel, taxes) are partly to blame, as well as stricter drunk-driving laws, which is why supermarket beer sales are going up as pub sales are going down. In Ireland, which has lost more than a thousand rural pubs in the past three years, the closings are blamed less on rising costs and more on "the profound lifestyle changes that have accompanied the country's dizzying rise to affluence." The loss, here as in France, has been particularly devastating in the countryside, where pubs and cafés are a central part of village life. "What is a village," a Frenchman asked Erlanger, "but a café, a school, a pharmacy, a bakery and a city hall?" The closing of the only pub in Connolly, a town 50 miles south of Galway in County Clare "cut the heart out of the village" said one resident; another, a bricklayer who was working when he heard the news, had to lay aside his trowel and "sit down for an hour."

by John Oseid

If you're a die-hard city slicker like me, you wouldn't know a rodeo from a rugby match. But I'm slowly getting there. Some years ago, I really took to early-century country music. So, I recently found myself letting out a few whoopi-ty-aye-ohs listening for hours to Sony BMG's new Boots, Buckles & Spurs. The fifty songs in the handsome three-CD set were selected to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the National Finals Rodeo held in Las Vegas December 4-13. You might throw your hat in the ring--the NFR puts over $5 million in purse money on the line.

Disc One starts off right where it should with Gene Autry crooning his 1930s standard "Back in the Saddle Again." The Jessi Colter tune, "My Cowboy's Last Ride," was my introduction to the top seventies female Outlaw singer. The last cut is a Johnny Cash song off his little-known 1979 album Silver. The Man in Black was such a genius that even an obscure song like "Bull
Rider" eclipses the best work of his contemporaries.

The Dia:Beacon during renovation.
Photo: Michael Govan

Wendy Perrin recently received this question from one of her Perrin Post readers, and we have some answers on the DT:

"My husband and I are landing at [Newark International Airport] early evening and will be eventually headed to Stockbridge, Massachusetts.  I would like suggestions of where to stay upon arrival that would offer easy driving should the weather be bad (don't want to go into Manhattan).  We don't want to spend a lot of money for a one-night stay, but it is our anniversary and would like to have a good dinner and a nice hotel before heading out the next day on a road adventure. Suggestions?"

There's plenty to do in Beacon, New York, and one of our favorite affordable spots to cuddle in for a toasty night is the Mt. Beacon Bed & Breakfast. (The drive from Newark International is about an hour and a half.) The proprietors live at the inn, so they're on hand to help 'round the clock (we had some trouble lighting a fire in our room, and they were kindling-ready at a moment's notice), not to mention they make a mean breakfast. There are only a few rooms, though, so give a call ASAP. If you have time, check out the Dia:Beacon before you head north. A former factory, the building now houses great works of contemporary art (Louise Bourgeois, Sol LeWitt, Andy Warhol) and its cafeteria serves comforting soups made daily from locally sourced ingredients. Here's some more on "Quick Trips" to Beacon from Condé Nast Traveler's May 2008 issue.

Another great stop if you have time: Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Dinner will cost you at Dan Barber's restaurant (it's been called "the most important restaurant in America") but it's perfect for an anniversary celebration. For a marked-down taste of Barber's magic, you could stop for lunch at Blue Hill's café and then walk around the farm (pigs and chickens and cows--oh my!). Finally, Town & Country Travel recently did a Hudson Valley round-up; read their suggestions for where to sleep and nibble here.

Anyone else have suggestions? Please let us know your thoughts in comments.

 Photo: Kevin Arnold/Getty Images

by Beata Loyfman

On January 15, Park City, Utah will play host to the annual Sundance Film Festival. As usual, producers, directors, actors, and wannabes will descend upon the city en masse, driving hotel rates into the skies. Thankfully, you don't have to be a deep-pocketed Hollywood honcho to enjoy the slopes and the Park City vibe, even during the 10-day fest.

The Canyons Ski Resort is now offering a 20% discount on rooms in its Grand Summit Hotel, the Sundial Lodge, and the Silverado Lodge for the duration of the festival--that's as low as $264 per night for a studio with kitchenette! The resort requires a four-night minimum booking, but our sources say that's flexible.

Rooms are flying off the shelves, so book yours before that turkey coma hits.

by Brook Wilkinson

Public transportation might be the greenest way to get to the airport--share your carbon load with 150 strangers, whether they showered this morning or not--but sometimes you just can't roll out of bed early enough to catch the bus, or don't want to schlep two 50-pound bags up and down the subway stairs. What to do? Surf over to Hitchsters.com. This new service matches up people heading to and from the same airport at the same time, and sends a car service to fetch you. You split the fare--and the greenhouse gases--with your new pal.

The program is currently up and running in New York and San Francisco, and promises to come online in Boston, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. soon. Every time you share a ride, you get to rate your companion online (the info is seen only by Hitchsters.com), which screens out no-shows and creepsters. I haven't had an opportunity to use the service yet myself, and I suspect it might be hard to find matches for rides home from the airport--Hitchsters only matches people on the same exact flight, in case it arrives late. Anyone had a go yet? What did you think?

Further reading:
* Video: The Future of Flying: By 2030, the plane arriving at your gate could resemble this: a fuel-efficient aircraft with theater seating and a radical, stingray-shaped design.
* Responsible Traveler: Making a difference

Got a travel question? Post your query by clicking on "Post a comment" below, and we'll do our best to answer it promptly.

Artwork by Vanessa Stark

by Alex Pasquariello

It's that sacred time of year again, a season when friends, family, and perfect strangers gather together to count their blessings and thank the snow gods for another ski season. It's also the time of year when Condé Nast Traveler's December issue hits newsstands with our "2008 Best Places to Ski & Stay" package. Here's a spoiler: For the second year in a row our readers have voted Whistler Blackcomb their favorite resort in North America. More good news: The epic, twin-peaked resort opens for the 2008-2009 ski season tomorrow (okay, well it fully opens tomorrow--the Whistler side opened today).

Of course, early conditions exist, so all that gnarly terrain you crave won't be open this turkey day. The resort says it's been blasting snow guns, though, to Mother Nature's growing pile, and the Creekside Gondola will be open for access between peaks. Log on to the resort's Web site for the latest conditions. This early season pow is all leading up to one of the biggest days in Whistler Blackcomb's history: December 12. That's when the resort opens its massive PEAK 2 PEAK gondola, linking Whistler and Blackcomb--you can read all about it in the December issue.

If you're in B.C. and making first turns, drop us a line here on the Daily Traveler, or send your opening-day photos to letters@cntraveler.com. In the meantime, get your fix with the art of Vanessa Stark, a local shredder and an artist. Her painting, "PEAK 2 PEAK - First Tracks," won a nationwide contest to design the official poster for the inaugural season of the gondola. Prints will be given away at the grand opening event on December 12 and the original artwork will be auctioned off at the 2009 TELUS Winter Classic/Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Gala on January 25, with proceeds supporting non-profit organizations in the Sea to Sky Corridor.

Further reading:
* Top ski resorts
* Top ski hotels
* Ski trends

Photo: Travelrest

by Julia Bainbridge

Here at the Daily Traveler, we've seen lots of gadgets promising to help travelers catch a wink: lavender-scented eye masks, Enya-like CDs of cricket chirps and lulling ocean waves, countless herbal supplements. We don't need all those trinkets to get our sleep on, though. For us, a good pillow will do.

TravelRest's "Ultimate Travel Pillow" recently floated our way, and after testing the long, slender but substantial cushion from cubicle to cubicle, we have mixed feelings. For those who don't already use travel pillows, TravelRest might make converts out of them. (One overworked intern snuggled it at her desk for a good ten minutes.) For those experienced pillow-ers, there are pros and cons to this model. It's more comfortable than the neck-crick inducing shoulder version, but it's a one-side-only product. What if you shift in your sleep? Looks like it's either a frustrated neighbor's shoulder or nubbly-carpeted airplane floor for you. One of our editors wants it to be more secure, but as TravelRest already has a cord to fasten it to your seat and another strap to snap it onto your seat belt, perhaps only a straitjacket will do for him. (Could that be the new travel trend: straitjacket chic? I can see our next cover now: Intense, Robert Palmer video-esque models wrapped and strapped in white leather and looking...intense.)

Point is: Design-wise, it's a personal decision. But no one can contest that investing in a travel pillow is a cheaper option than buying a $7 sleep kit every time you fly. And TravelRest can be deflated, rolled up, and snapped right onto your suitcase for convenient storage. (No extra baggage fees here.)

Illustration: Klas Fahlen

by Julia Bainbridge

Unfortunately, my Thanksgiving will be a turkey-less one. My siblings are scattered around the country and  spending the holiday with their fiancées' families this year, so there just aren't enough people to pick apart a big bird--not to mention my grandparents can't bear the thought of basting their 90th annual turkey. So, I'm making cassoulet: Hearty, homey, earthy, I think the dish will do the Thanksgiving trick.

In the December issue of Condé Nast Traveler, G.Y. Dryansky writes: "With all that France has done to promulgate haute cuisine, it may be hard to believe that, in the annals of French soul food, the bean is deified. But there they are: beans taken to the level of the sublime in the dish called cassoulet." Dryansky goes on to explore which meat and--equally important--which beans people use in the famous cassoulet-making towns of Carcassonne, Castelnaudary, and Toulouse.

Most recipes you'll find in American cooking magazines use white kidney beans, like this one from Jacques Pépin. He skips the duck confit--something French blogger Clotilde Dusoulier calls the French paradox--and goes for sweet Italian sausage, kielbasa, and Canadian bacon.

If you want to skip the meat altogether, Gourmet's got a quick-and-easy vegetarian cassoulet. Not exactly the kind of thing Dryansky found in his research, but full of beans nonetheless.

I'm going to go with Étienne Rousselot's crusty version printed in Saveur magazine. And I better get started today--the owner of Hostellerie Étienne cooks it over two days.

Further reading:
* Check out the December issue of Condé Nast Traveler for Dryansky's article, "The Secret Life of Beans"
* Parisian Pumpkin: How to celebrate Thanksgiving in the City of Lights
* Catch of the Day: International noshables

No matter where you are in India,
don't ask for beef or pork if
they are not on the menu.

In Condé Nast Traveler's December issue, writer Boris Kachka has done the (sometimes embarrassing, sometimes quite costly) work to find out the who, what, where, when, and how of giving gratuities in 26 countries. Below, some tipping snippets from Brazil and India. For more, check out the December issue, on stands now.

BRAZIL
At restaurants: No tip required; 10 percent is routinely included in the bill for "servico."
At hotels: Two dollars per bag for the porter; no tip expected for the concierge; $2 a day for the housekeeper.
Guides and drivers: Round up for cabdrivers; for a private driver, give about $20-$50 for a full day, depending on the quality of the service; same for an all-day tour guide (they rely heavily on tips, so be generous).
Who else? At ecoresorts in the Amazon, there are often boatmen in addition to tour guides. Tip them $10-$15 per day.
Dollars accepted? Yes, and encouraged, due to a favorable exchange rate.
Note: "Brazilians are discreet and subtle when it comes to business transactions," says travel agent Jill Siegel of South American Escapes. "It's helpful when tipping someone not to make a great display. You might verbally thank them, shake their hand, and express your appreciation while handing the bills folded."

INDIA
At restaurants: Fifteen percent to the waiter (or a few rupees at more modest establishments), though many posh spots now include a 10 percent service charge.
At hotels: Fifty rupees (about $1) per bag for the porter; 250 rupees a night for the (low-paid) housekeeper.
Guides and drivers: Fifty to 100 rupees a day for the car and driver. They usually expect lunch money for the day--about 40 rupees. Taxi and rickshaw drivers aren't accustomed to tips, but you can tell them to keep the change--up to 10 percent.
Who else? Don't be surprised if people ask for a tip for no apparent reason. The novelist and frequent India visitor Daphne Beal has even had people knock on her hotel room and ask, apropos of nothing, if "everything is all right." She doesn't tip them.
Dollars accepted? Yes, but not usually preferred.
Note: Beal finds tipping, or "baksheesh" as it's known, "kind of agonizing in India." One problem is the difficulty of getting small bills. "I tend to hoard them for tipping purposes," she says.

For more from this tipping guide--from Japan to Jordan--check out the December issue of Condé Nast Traveler.

Further reading:
* Etiquette 101: India
* How not to embarrass yourself in China
* Quiz: Test your Mediterranean etiquette smarts

Not just for yogis, Amansala holds
a "Bikini Bootcamp" to kick-start
your fitness routine
Photo: Amansala

by Ondine Cohane

When I really want to go on holiday I like to book a beach getaway where my main activities include lounging, eating, swimming a ton (preferably in bath-like temperatures), and doing yoga. When I arrive I unpack completely and prefer not to have to drive anywhere--biking and walking are acceptable. One of my preferred destinations for this kind of trip is Mexico's Tulum on the Caribbean coast, where my yoga studio the Shala holds an annual retreat at Amansala, a small resort right on the aqua ocean's edge. The weeklong escape is my idea of paradise. Excellent classes in the mornings are followed by a whole lot of nothing in the afternoon except possibly a walk on the white sand at sunset or a restorative yoga session, which often means stretching over a few pillows. Despite copious amounts of guacamole and quesadillas (and a nightly margarita or two) I come home tan, somewhat toned, and with a cheerier outlook on life that lasts for months.

Of course, this stretch of coastline coined the Mayan Riviera has turned from insider secret to a huge destination for luxury resorts in the last decade, particularly in the area around Playa del Carmen. Following on the heels of the Mandarin Oriental last year (I haven't gone myself yet, but by all accounts it's fabulous, and I will get my own look in January) is another big brand debut. The Banyan Tree Mayakoba launches on February 1 with 132 villas, all with private pools, set out along the beach and nestled in the mangrove forest. With a huge spa and a Greg Norman-designed golf course, it's got the buzz of one of the most anticipated openings of '09. Of course, it helps that the flight to Cancun is only four hours from New York and temperatures balmy when the East Coast is frigid, but especially in these current bad news days I am thinking about my Mexican escapes more than ever. 

Further reading:
* Amansala
* Word of Mouth: The buzz worldwide

by Sara Tucker

It's a confusing time for Russia's oligarchs. Consider: Last December, none other than the New York Times crowned Moscow as the luxury destination for 2008, a great place to fling your bling, a city to be congratulated for "renewing itself with a vigor and opulence seen in few other places on the planet." ForbesTraveler.com concurred, declaring the once-grim capital had "found its legs as a chic travel destination  for high-end travelers."

Barely a year later, the party's over.

Or is it?

"Russia begins oligarch bailout," announced the Kyiv Post in a recent headline. But while some analysts predicted that "the power-hoarding era of the Russian oligarchs is approaching its end," others dismissed the notion as "wishful thinking."

All food for thought on the eve of Moscow's shopping event of the year.

Not exactly the best advertising
for Miami
Photo: Showtime

by Beata Loyfman

These days we all need a little escape from the doom-and-gloom. But as we watch our savings disappear, shelling out for a trip to a deserted island is just not feasible.

So why not do the next best thing and escape to the land of make believe? No, not Disneyland--TV land! Some of our favorite shows are set in US cities well worth exploring, and you won't have to sell vital organs to afford the travel. Here's a rundown of the best options right now:

Seattle, Washington - The residents of Grey's Anatomy's Seattle Grace Hospital may spend more time sewing their wild oats in the broom closet than stitching in surgery, but there's plenty for you to do in their hometown. In November's issue of Condé Nast Traveler we featured a great, affordable loophole in the hotel market: Urban B&Bs. Seattle has two, the Shafer Baillie Mansion and Pensione Nichols. Both of these cozy spots will set you back just under $150, so you'll have enough left over for a romantic dinner with your own McDreamy.

Las Vegas, Nevada - The original CSI exposed the dirty underbelly of Sin City, but you don't have to work a crime scene to experience the best of Vegas. We've done the hard work for you. Check out September's special 22-page rundown of the strip, conveniently organized into the Seven Deadly Sins. Yours truly spent 5 days trolling the hottest spas, hotels, and nightclubs for the Sloth and Lust categories--it's a sacrifice I was willing to make.

Miami, Florida - Showtime's Dexter manages to make a serial killer sympathetic. But it's the show's setting that brings the heat. And for good reason. As we've reported in the past, Miami is the watering hole for celebs and non-famous hip, young things. But you don't have to make $100K per episode to afford this balmy retreat. The Penguin Hotel is right smack on South Beach and rates in December start at $89 per night (compare that to The Tides' $340 starting price).    

Check out next week's Boldface for Part 2 of Travels in TV Land.

 

* "Morning banana" is not, repeat, not, the masculine for "Hello Kitty." Behold, the 60 most popular Japanese words and phrases of the year.

* Coming to a Nordic country near you: Bunny show jumping. 

* Missed your train? If you're stuck in Grand Central consider yourself lucky.

* Itching to fly on an Emirates A380?  This person documents every last second down to the lavatory lines. Worth the download time! Photos galore.

* International extinction alert: Mexican walking fish.  Does  this face deserve such a fate?

John Bok in his kitchen.
Photo: Guy Martin

by Guy Martin

"Naturally, the police beat the hell out of us, but that's not the point, my boy!" shouts John Bok across the bar in his Prague neighborhood of Karlin. 

Couples snuggling in the corners to Louis Armstrong's "It's a Wonderful World" look up at the gray-bearded eccentric in his elegant black vest. It's 11 at night on the nineteenth anniversary of the demonstration that started what's known outside the Czech Republic as the Velvet Revolution. Bok, 63, the seminal and hilariously irascible Czech dissident, had what we can call a very good war as the former Soviet satrapies threw off communism. He was the prime architect of the demonstration on the Czech revolution's first day, November 17, 1989.   

"The police carried the long sticks," Bok says, "but it was a little ironic, you know? They trapped us between two cordons of bad boys in front of the Ministry of Justice. Get the joke? That's the Ministry of Justice. Then they marched in on us, cutting down people left and right. Like they were cutting hay."

by John Oseid

Given his goofball name, you'd expect to find Señor Coconut & his Orchestra pitching schlocky music on late night TV. ("But wait, there's more. Get two Señor Coconut CDs...") Sure, the band's new album Around the World has all the deliberate camp of a novelty act, but it's also an utterly original work of serious fun, a riot of famous pop tunes mashed-up in Latin big band, mambo, and merengue styles.

This holiday season I see myself twirling around the tree, 'nog in hand, to a cha-cha-cha version of the German 80s hit "Da, Da, Da." It's camp with street cred: Stephan Remmler of the group Trio, who originally sang "Da, Da, Da," provides vocals, and in the song's quirky video above, Señor Coconut frolics with Japanese erotic performance artists Romantica.

Marimbas, upright bass, and trombones turn the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams" and Prince's "Kiss" into Latin classics. There's a merengue version of the 80s hit "White Horse," while Tom Jobim's legendary bossa nova "Corcovado" sounds like it got filtered through Cuba (and then through one of those Vocoder voice synthesizers). The title track is borrowed from the French electronic duo Daft Punk.

So, who in the world is Señor Coconut anyway? Mr. Coconut's life itself is a mash-up. He's actually a Frankfurt DJ named Uwe Schmidt, a.k.a. Atom Heart, who now lives and produces his cult-ish Latin wackiness in Santiago, Chile. So, put out your tiki mugs, grab your maracas, and start shaking your pompis. Just keep your hands off the lamp shades!

More music:
* Señor Coconut made his name in 2000 with "El Baile Alemán" (The German Dance). The album, an awesome Latin reworking of the seminal German electronic group Kraftwerk, has just been reissued.
* Señor Coconut's label, Nacional Records, is becoming a force in Latin alternative music.
* Boom Box:An unabashed gusto for music of the world

by Barbara S. Peterson

Breaking news: Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano is a leading contender for Michael Chertoff's job as Homeland Security secretary.

And, some more on the last post: The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) blog is entertaining reading in part because of all the mostly unfavorable comments that inevitably follow each post from the in-house bloggers. Case in point: TSA put up a post yesterday about its new PR campaign, headlined "Why?" which purports to be a way of communicating to the public the reasons behind some of its "more controversial" measures. Typical comment: "Without even viewing your videos, I can see that you are again misleading the public." Meet the bloggers here.

The latest "successes" touted by the TSA are again being dismissed as "security theater"--just feel-good measures that don't really achieve anything.  TSA was ready for that, though, and Kip Hawley actually had a good point: Even the fairly low-tech "family lanes" are effective because they have cut down greatly on the number of fliers that set off alarms because they're befuddled (e.g. they forget they have car keys in their pockets). That has the beneficial effect of freeing up screeners' resources to focus on more important things.

"Smile, people!"  Chertoff makes
nice with the TSOs.
AP Photo

by Barbara S. Peterson

Earlier this week I was one of a small group of bloggers invited to a post-election briefing with the top dogs in charge of the nation's security, Homeland Security secretary Michael Chertoff and Transportation Security Administration director Kip Hawley. The message: Homeland Security, a mega-agency that didn't exist six years ago, is getting more customer-friendly. Don't quite see it that way? Here are some of the successes they trotted out:

* The "What's Your Lane?" program, which allows fliers to be screened along with their peers (e.g. families in one line, business travelers in another). The results, they claim, have been so positive that the "family/special needs" lanes will be rolled out nationwide this week, in time for Thanksgiving. No word yet on if or when they'll expand the "expert" lanes nationwide, and they may be redundant at checkpoints with registered traveler lanes.

* Improvements in the technology capable of detecting dangerous liquids will make it possible to get rid of those irritating rules on quantities by the end of next year.   A handheld gizmo, which, as one screener describes it, resembles a pistol with a computer the size of an iPod attached at the end,  is supposed to sniff your shampoo and spring water for explosive vapor.

* And sometime in January, you will start giving your birth date, home address, and full legal name when you make an airline reservation--all part of a "secure flight" initiative that will reduce the number of innocent people who are falsely flagged as potential terrorists because their names resemble those of actual bad guys.

Voluntourism--taking a vacation that includes some charity work--is a travel idea whose time has come. In our May 2008 issue, Condé Nast Traveler held the World Savers Contest, asking readers to report on their good deeds with an essay and photo documenting a recent voluntourism trip. A few weeks ago, we posted Beverly Orthwein's winning entry. This week, another one of our favorite contest entries.

by Richard Brooks

The location was as exotic as one could imagine, deep in the interior of Sri Lanka in a shramadana camp at the village of Dambara.  Let me explain: Shramadana means "sharing of labor."  The Sarvodaya Movement had invited us to work with hundreds of villagers, repairing the irrigation canals that would deliver water to their paddy fields during the off season.  Similar events had taken place thousands of times in the grassroots movement's 45-year history.  Sarvodaya means "the awakening of all." 

Volunteers came from surrounding villages and districts throughout the island, joined by visitors from the U.S., Japan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, France and the UK.  The evening began with ceremony--inspiration, pledges of harmony and a commitment to work together for the common good.  That first night, we sat on the floor of the Buddhist temple with the entire population of the village.

My host family's home had just enough room for me, their three daughters, mother, and father, who toiled in the paddy field down the hill.  Each of the three days I stayed with them, we drank tea together and ate rice and curry, exchanging smiles and questions.  They had much to ask, as did I.

How does your company crawl?
Photo: Climate Counts

by Dorinda Elliott

When it comes to evaluating how the travel industry is addressing the climate crisis--i.e., are companies reducing their carbon footprints?--it's hard to come by statistics, so we were excited that Climate Counts, a nonprofit dedicated to monitoring environmental practices in the corporate world, decided to take a look for the first time at hotels and airlines. The nonprofit, which systematically scores companies' performances based on publicly available information, judged six hotel companies and 13 airlines, scoring each on 22 criteria, ranging from the monitoring of energy usage to whether or not the companies set targets for reduction, their achievements in reducing energy consumption, and policy activism.

Of the six hotel companies that were ranked, Marriott, which received Condé Nast Traveler's World Savers Award last year for its environmental and community initiatives, received the best score, with 40 points out of 100; Starwood came in second with a distant 24, followed by Hilton with 23. Carlson received 11 points and Wyndham got 10. The lowest score was given to Hyatt, with only 7 points. What made the difference? "Marriott and Starwood are measuring their emissions in a systematic way," says Wood Turner, Climate Counts project director. "You have to know what energy is being used before you can begin to reduce it."

If W. has his way, this view might never be the same.
Photo: en.wikipedia.org

by Brook Wilkinson

Looks like George W. Bush has tried to pull another fast one. Late in the day on November 4, when we were all busy figuring out who'd take Bushie's spot in the White House, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) quietly announced that it would auction off more than 50,000 acres of Utah land to the oil and gas industry. The catch? Several of these parcels are right on the borders of the Arches, Dinosaur, and Canyonlands National Parks. If the sales go through, future visitors to Arches will look through famous Delicate Arch and see a drilling platform in the near distance, just over a mile away.

The chief park service administrator in Utah calls the plan "shocking and disturbing," according to MSNBC. Nevertheless, the sale seems to be going through, with a land auction scheduled for December 19. You can voice your disapproval via the BLM's Web site. I know I will: I spent a day in Arches this past spring while on assignment for Condé Nast Traveler (writing the Iconic Itinerary to the American Southwest), and found it one of the most breathtaking examples of our country's natural wonders.

Further reading:
* National Park Service: Arches
* Responsible Traveler: Making a difference

FutureBrand, a global brand consultancy, has just issued its fourth Country Brand Index. Just what is a Country Brand Index, you ask? "This year's Index includes rankings and trends as well as country brand analytics, travel motivations and insights into the challenges and opportunities within the world of travel, tourism and country branding."

What this really means is that around 2,700 global travelers ranked countries across 30 categories (authenticity, ease of travel, friendly locals, value for money); the rankings speak to the countries' reputations, perceptions, and experiences. Australia, Canada, and the United States boast the best all-around brands.  To see the whole list, go to the Country Brand Index site.  After reviewing the list, feel free to post your reactions here. 

by Julia Bainbridge and Mollie Chen

These days, we're more inclined to cook restaurant-quality meals at home (or attempt, them at least) than to splurge on evenings out. Happily, there are slew of fantastic cookbooks on the market right now. From a gastro-techno-textbook to the best in baking, here's what's currently weighing down our shelves:

* A16 Food & Wine: Nate Appleman and Shelley Lindgren of famed San Francisco restaurant A16 map out grape-growing areas in Italy's south, and then pair those robust flavors with peasant foods like chunky pastas and rabbit. This is a veritable encyclopedia of southern Italian food and wine.

* Chanterelle: There's something for everyone here: a love story (chef-owner David Waltuck credits much of his success to his partner and wife, Karen); historical trivia (since opening in 1979, the duo has witnessed huge changes in the New York's eating scene); and, of course, serious recipes.

Wong and Takenaka talk fish.
Photo: alanwongs.com

by Mollie Chen

At Alan Wong's eponymous Honolulu restaurant, sustainability is served in a silky brown butter sauce and topped with sautéed Hamakua mushrooms. The chef recently partnered with Brooks Takenaka of the city's United Fishing Agency for a special fish-focused "Farmers Series" dinner. Takenaka oversees Honolulu's weekly fish auction, a frenzied dawntime affair complete with high-paced bartering and butchering. There, he's usually on hand to talk about the best way to choose fish (with your eyes and nose) and how to be a responsible consumer (seek out sustainable varieties of fish and do your homework).

Instead of big-name local varieties like opakapaka and ono, the Farmers Series menu highlights lesser known--but equally delicious--types of indigenous fish. Mild yellowfin tuna is paired with tart yuzu red onions and silky bigeye tuna topped with spicy coconut milk. Shutome, a firm local swordfish, is served with yuzu brown butter and balanced on a yuba-encased lobster cake, while flaky opah, or moonfish, comes with sugar-sweet local cherry tomatoes and a roasted ulu and warabi ragout. Takenaka heads the recently formed Hawaii Seafood Council, which is working to promote sustainability through events like this, partnerships with local fishermen and consumers, and an information-full Web site, soon to be up and running.

Further reading:
* Seafood Choices Alliance
* Seafood Watch at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
* The New York Times's Mark Bittman ponders the future of fish
* Catch of the Day: International noshables