Lessons from Peter Matthiessen

I think part of what makes a person great at what he or she does, and what elevates that person to another level of authenticity, is the refusal to separate life philosophy from work. These people are writers who find it hard to write without expressing some sort of stance, or in whose work a certain passion is unavoidable — because the writer or artist can’t simply shut off the moral compass/driving force, what have you.

It’s what makes one writer’s travel essay stand out from the others, and makes it about more than travel or place. I’ve been considering this idea since hearing the great Peter Matthiessen speak at Brooklyn Academy of Music last month, following a screening of a documentary about his life. Matthiessen was a founder of the Paris Review, has had much of his non-fiction serialized in The New Yorker, and recently won the
National Book Award for the epic Shadow Country, which I’m too intimidated by to even attempt to read right now. In the documentary, one of Matthieseen’s many admirers discussed the author’s insistence on incorporating his personal beliefs and agenda into his work – more than an insistence, the incorporation was simply what came naturally to him. The admirer said this un-separation was the true definition of integrity. For most of us, I think, it’s a sort of distant dream to be able to live and work seamlessly.

The concept is mirrored in food and cheffing. At NYC restaurant Savoy, for example, chef Peter Hoffman refuses to “stay in the kitchen,” as it were. Hoffman is passionate about serving food sourced from local farmers, and doesn’t shy away from the politics of this decision. Savoy is hosting a Cassoulet Fest this weekend, featuring six NYC chef’s interpretation of this simple classic, by the way.

Another great artist who has a passionate belief in his work, and whose work seems determined by his own life is writer Gabriel García Márquez, who “attributes his groundbreaking artistic epiphany to his grandmother’s storytelling,” according to Isabel Cowles. García Márquez did poorly in school because he could only put real effort into what he loved and believed in: reading and writing. In building his career as a novelist, he “realized that in order to create effective fiction, he needed to believe the stories he was telling as if they were completely real,” writes Cowles. This is different perhaps than the more politically-minded ambitions of Matthiessen and Hoffman, but still displays a binding of life and work.

I’m wondering whether this unbreakable tie between work and life can be achieved by will or practice, or whether it’s a “have it or not” type of thing.

Rolf Potts on Middle East Travel

A World Hum reader’s safety concerns for Middle East travel were quickly dispelled by Rolf Potts. He offered great advice, some which is applicable to any destination, such as talking to locals, and frequenting local businesses to stay in the loop and under-the-radar. Of course, there are specific security concerns to keep in mind in every region of the globe, for which, Rolf advises utilizing official Websites like U.S. Dept of State Travel.

Potts also brushes off the idea that anti-American sentiment should dissuade anyone from traveling overseas. More often, foreign visitors are treated kindly and respectfully just for being guests and for being people — imagine that!

Potts writes, “keep in mind that most people in the world will see you not as a political entity or an appendage of the “Great Satan.” Rather, they will regard you as a private guest in their country. Even if these hosts vehemently disagree with your country’s policies and practices, they will invariably honor your individuality and regard you with hospitality and respect.”

Thanks for the positive, and truthful, note.

In Praise of Bicycling

findingDulcinea’s new Great Inventions series focuses on perhaps the ultimate travel accessory – the bicycle. This high-speed, low-maintenance contraption has quite the story. An early all wood version was referred to as the “boneshaker.”

Have learned that Cophenhagen was the first city in the world to be named Bike City. 300 kilometers of bike lanes have been built around the city in the last century! I’m still mastering cycling in New York City, beginning with staying off the sidewalks in Greenpoint, where the many massive tractor trailers and Old Warsaw Bakery bread trucks always freak me out.

Beads. Beers. Big Easy.

Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday!

I  love a good festival – but I’d prefer one slightly tamer and heartier than Mardi Gras, like Oktoberfest, for example.

This feature on discovering New Orleans Mardi Gras spotlights some great sites: PBS New Orleans documentary Web site; and National Geographic Traveler’s Mardi Gras map, with the best  eats, drinks and shops in the Crescent City.

Despite the New York City chill, there are ways to catch a bit of the sunny New Orleans spirit, perhaps by attending one of these Time Out New York-recommended shindigs. Music by Big Sam’s Funky Nation at (Le) Poisson Rouge, or Cajun-style jambalaya at Bell House, and a few others, are detailed.

Cheap Flights to Cabo – Plus a Budget Hostel

The LA Times is reporting on round-trip airfare to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, for just $220! Jen Leo writes “I prefer the monthly rate calendar of Kayak to quickly find the cheapest travel date.”

After discussing this with a friend, I felt less excited by the $220 price tag. Hotels, food, drinks, blah blah blah in Cabo – is it cheap? I was skeptical. But a bit of research led to this:

The Original Cabo Inn Hotel is selected near Frommer’s Travel Guide as the 1 economy hotel in all of Los Cabos. We have 22 rooms centrally situated 2 blocks from the marina. Our amenities includes Free water-Fill your own jugs -Free fish freezing in our freezer, no guts or heads please! – Free use of Barbeque grill and full kitchen on main floor, cook your own fish or what ever! -  Social pool on roof top, seats 15 people. – Library reading vicinity under palapa roof. – No expensive taxi rides as you are in the centre of the town! – All rooms are air conditioned. – Free coffee in the morning.
Free coffee?!  And the kicker – it’s just $11.50 a night. That $220 flight is sounding more feasible now.

An Italian in Falluja

The International Herald Tribune reports that Iraq has “sort of welcomed its first tourist.” Luca Marchio, a 33-year-old native of Lake Como, Italy, was seen traveling on a bus from Baghdad to Falluja, which just sounds insanely dangerous. Marchio, however, was more concerned about finding an inexpensive place to stay in Falluja. Officials suggested (due to the utter lack of hotels there) that he take a quick tour and return to Baghdad, and an official at the Italian embassy there called Marchio “a little bit naiive.”

Even if he is a bit out of touch with what’s going on in Iraq, this guy deserves some credit for traveling with a purpose: “I want to see and understand the reality, because I have never been here before and I think every country in the world must be seen,” he told IHT/NY Times.

His openness to the Muslim world is admirable, and happens to come at a great time – the U.S.-Islamic World Forum is happening in Qatar this weekend.

LP Encounter Guides – Intriguing

Lonely Planet Encounter guides say they help you “discover twice the city in half the time.”  These little books are written by locals, which means you can skip right to the best, hidden parts of a city without having to do all of the research yourself. To me, this is a double-edged sword. I’d love to pick up one of the Encounter guides just to read what the locals in Paris or Marrakesh really love about their home, but at the same time, I’d really love to discover the hidden places myself. I felt similarly torn last weekend at The New York Times Travel Show, where Rick Steves (!) gave a talk about his “Europe Through the Backdoor” series. Rick discussed and showed a photo of a great little hill town in I think Southern Italy, and a ruined Castle in Greece, both of which are largely devoid of crowds because of their location and the fact that neither is promoted by any tourism board. I was giddy at the thought of visiting these attractions, but then realized that I’d be seeing the exact same thing as a bunch of other Rick Steves followers … not necessarily a bad thing, but still slightly less cool than discovering on my own.

It reminds me of the past summer when I learned of Ballydonegan Beach on Ireland’s Beara Peninsula while researching a Hidden Beach of the Week feature for findingDulcinea. Later that season, I saw the beach in person on a trip to Ireland, and there were only two other people there. It is possible to seek out “hidden” places without help from a guidebook.

Environmental Troubles in Northern Ireland

A post on EcoSalon discusses the radical policies of Northern Ireland’s environmental minister Sammy Wilson – he doesn’t buy the concept of manmade global warming, and has banned a British ad that encourages people to conserve electricity and cut down on fossil fuels by taking simple steps like turning off the lights. Wilson says doing so is dangerous and misleading, letting people think that they “could save the world from melting glaciers and being submerged in 40 feet of water.”

Although it is noted that most of Wilson’s colleagues in Northern Ireland don’t support his stance, I’m wondering why Wilson is in command of environmental policy when one of the office’s responsibilities include, according to the Department of Environment of Northern Ireland Web site:

• To protect, conserve and enhance the natural and built environment for the benefit of present and future generations

Read more about Northern Ireland’s “Troubles” in a findingDulcinea article about Bloody Sunday.

Seeking Out Chicago’s Finest Eateries

I watched my favorite traveling chef Anthony Bourdain visit Chicago this past week on Travel Channel’s No Reservations, and was quite taken with Burt’s deep dish pizza, and with what seems to be a simultaneously laid-back and vibrantly creative urban restaurant scene. I did a Sweet Search for the Chicago No Reservations episode and wound up at a really cool blog -  The Food Chain, of the Chicago Reader. Do check it out – a recent post has a recipe for garbanzo bean and turkey sausage soup…

Slovene!

Yesterday at the On Media conference in NYC, which findingDulcinea’s Liz Colville live blogged about, we met Boštjan Špetič. He’s a founder of Zemanta, an intriguing startup based in Ljubjana, Slovenia. Zemanta helps connect bloggers with content suiting their own unique interests. How so? By suggesting articles and photos from around the Web based on a blog’s subject matter. It’s a free tool, which you can download and learn more about at Zemanta’s official site.

Bostjan reminded me how badly I’d like to travel to Slovenia, and cemented my vision of the country as clean and beautiful. The Slovenia Travel Web Guide was one of my first findingDulcinea assignments, and still one of my favorites.