Vacations Blog

I love books.  I love guidebooks, too.  Nothing is more comforting when traveling than whipping out a guidebook and flipping through it to find what you’re looking for.  But on the way to my first visit to Oahu, I realized I hadn’t made time to get one.  I looked over the shoulder of the guy sitting next to me on the plane, considering asking him if I could look at his.  Turns out it didn’t matter.  I had my computer, my iPhone, and Twitter.

I spent my first day on the island without internet access on my computer, because I didn’t see the ethernet cable that my hotel provided for access in my room, and I never felt like schlepping my laptop down to the business center just to look up directions.   Luckily I was able to use my iPhone to Read More »

Dad....we're lost. Aren't we?

Before Garmin, and Tom Tom, before GPS apps for the iPhone and Mapquest there were, well….maps.  Large pieces of folded paper with markings to indicate roads, rivers, towns, cities and states.  Yet even with all of these modern and archaic conveniences, sometimes it’s necessary to ask for further assistance when traveling.

As a general rule, asking a curmudgeon at the local dairy bar for travel directions is a fairly safe bet.  Chances are, he’s lived in the area his entire life and knows the area intimately.  And they are more than happy to oblige a request as it simply gives them an opportunity to belittle someone, something for which he lives.  Note I said general rule.  There’s a whole other set of standards applied to directions and mapping means and measurements when you ask a curmudgeon for directions in the south.

“Excuse me.  But can you tell me how to get to Tuscumbia?”

“No problem, boy.  Just head on down that road a bit and when you get to where the old oak used to stand, take a right.  It’s just past Old Man Johnson’s place.  Go on over the Cobb Creek Bridge and that road’ll  (road + will = road’ll perfectly acceptable in the south) take you right there.  You can’t miss it, unless you’re blind or an idiot!”

“The old oak?”

“Ay-yupp.  If you get to where the school house used to be you’ve gone too far.  You can’t miss it.  It’s just up the road a bit.”

“This road here? Then the Cobb Creek Bridge?”

“Cox Creek.”

“Cox Creek?” I could have sworn that was what he was saying.

“CONCRETE! CON–CRETE, SON!!!”

“Oh, like cement?”

“Boy, y’ain’t from around here.  Are ya?”

“Nah,” I said smiling in an aw shucks you got me sort of way.  “What gave it away?  My accent?  The out of state license plates?  Full set of teeth?”  (I didn’t really say that last part–but I certainly thought it.)

Not wanting to appear any more the idiot I got back into the van.  Granted, I had no idea where the old oak used to stand and had never heard of Old Man Johnson’s place.  Those two items were not listed on my must sees in rural Collinwood, TN.

Fact of the matter, rural Collinwood, TN was not on my map either.   I started out in search of where the old oak used to be and looked up into my rear view mirror to see the old man waving his arms wildly and yelling at me.

I stopped and rolled down the window to hear him yelling, “the other way, you stupid fool!”

Two miles down the road I stopped and asked again for directions from what I have now found to be a fool-proof source.  The UPS guy.

Another invaluable source is the post office, the sheriff’s office or local fire/ambulance department.  There’s also a pretty fair chance that even the local insurance agent has invaluable knowledge of the area.  Much more so, believe it or not, than the pimple faced high school kid working behind the counter at the corner gas station and convenience store.

Getting lost is a real possibility on even the most well thought out trips.  Knowing who to ask for directions can make all the difference in the world.

Happy Traveler

Made in China. You see it all the time – stamped onto the bottom of your son’s latest holiday toy, stitched into the tag of your gym shorts, even printed on the package of your dog’s pet chow. But did you ever stop to think about what Made in China really means? Where do we draw the line between convenience and dependence?

Quick China Facts…
• In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO), eliminating or reducing tariffs and trade-barriers on goods, services, and foreign investments.

• In 2006 China had a record trade surplus of $177 billion, backed by a 27% surge in exports.

• In July 2007, China overtook Germany for the world’s third largest GDP with $2.9 trillion (US – $13.2 trillion, Japan – $4.4 trillion), up from 7th in 1999.

• Earlier this month, Mattel recalled 18 million Chinese-made toys worldwide containing lead paint or tiny magnets.

While you let those numbers digest, check out these two cartograms exploring global toy exports and imports to get a better of understanding of China’s manufacturing influence/dominance. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a good cartogram is worth a thousand facts, or so I like to think.

Toy Exports – Who Makes ‘Em

Toy Imports – Who Buys ‘Em

A Few Thoughts…

• The responsibility of safer toys falls on both parties – better designs from the toy-company and better (safe) materials from the manufacturer.

• I’m assuming the children in countries that are shrunk down (all of Africa and South America) still have toys, but they are handmade domestic goods rather than plastic from China.

• After staring at the oversized blobs that are the US and much of the EU, it’s going to be difficult for me to rationalize with a sulky child who needs another Barbie. That doesn’t mean of course that I wouldn’t give into those pouty eyes….

Could you go a day without Made In China? How about a year? Living in the Bay Area, I hear people talk with pride about how they’re doing this or that to reduce their ‘carbon footprint’; ever wonder about your ‘China footprint’?