August 27, 2003
On the road again
Starting today, I'll once again be in motion -- first to Bangkok, then to San Francisco, then to see my...Read this article
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A cheerful reminder about choosing your destination
"Fortunately, you don’t ever need a really good reason to go anywhere; rather, go to a place for whatever happens...Read this article
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August 26, 2003
Leaving Asia: A short history of my clothing
In a matter of days, I will move out of my south Thailand apartment, pack up all my belongings (which...Read this article
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August 23, 2003
The Paris Report
Earlier this month, while traveling through France, I managed to get myself arrested at a casino in Normandy. This is...Read this article
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August 22, 2003
Nature loves the idea of the individual, but not the individual himself
"Are we ready to think of all humanity as a living tree, carrying on splendidly without us? We easily regard...Read this article
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August 21, 2003
Around the web: Dave Barry's blog
Late last week, humorist Dave Barry (with a little cajoling on my part) linked my "Power-Struggle Between Butter and Margarine...Read this article
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Fishing kills
"In every arable soil in the world we grow grain over tombs -- sure, we know this. But do not...Read this article
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August 20, 2003
We live in holy times
"There were no formerly heroic times, and there was no formerly pure generation. There is no one here but us...Read this article
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The war on terror is not a war for cultural survival
"Vulnerable or not, the United States is too powerful compared to the rest of the world, and the nature of...Read this article
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August 19, 2003
Now is the time to go vagabonding (regardless of what others say)
Over at Tim Leffel's blog, the World's Cheapest Places author has an interesting post called Why Travel Around the World?...Read this article
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We live in ordinary times
"These times of ours are ordinary times, a slice of life like any other. Who can bear to hear this,...Read this article
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August 18, 2003
Annie Dillard's For the Time Being
Though Annie Dillard isn't exactly a travel writer in the traditional sense, I included a profile on her in Vagabonding...Read this article
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August 17, 2003
The joy of a void
Jen Leo recently sent me this picture of a sold-out shelf of Vagabonding books among the "Staff Picks" at Powell's...Read this article
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August 15, 2003
The Power-Struggle Between Margarine and Butter in Germany
Late last year, while attending an elephant polo tournament in Thailand (that's no joke; see here), I had the pleasure...Read this article
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August 14, 2003
Robert Young Pelton on interacting with locals
Interacting with locals is essential to any meaningful vagabonding experience, and that's why I devote an entire chapter to the...Read this article
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Dean MacCannell on the exploitative side of commercial tourism
"The main mistake made by pro-tourist planners is that they see tourism only in traditional economic terms as a new...Read this article
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August 13, 2003
How to Dance Properly
In the event you have a spare moment in the office, this is very funny....Read this article
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John Steinbeck on vagabonding as a lifelong addiction
"When I was very young and the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature...Read this article
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August 12, 2003
Summer travel reading list in the Globe and Mail
The suggested "Summer Reading List" is a longtime institution in the book sections of major North American newspapers -- and...Read this article
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Anti-Americanism has become the default ideology of opposition
"Without this cloak of respectability, America will face a growing hostility around the world. During the Cold War, many nations...Read this article
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August 11, 2003
Tony Wheeler talks about guidebook writing
This month on the RolfPotts.com Writers page, I'm happy to feature an interview with Lonely Planet founder Tony Wheeler. In...Read this article
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Henry Miller on chance encounters
"We attribute much to chance meetings, refer to them as turning points in our life, but these encounters could never...Read this article
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August 10, 2003
Elaine Pagels on how the Gospels developed
I don't deal much with religion issues on this blog, but religion does intrigue me -- and that's why Elaine...Read this article
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August 09, 2003
Mike Pugh's vagabonding adventures
Back when I was first writing Vagabonding, I checked into buying the vagabonding.com Internet domain -- and I was somewhat...Read this article
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August 08, 2003
More good news from Italy
The Italian translation of Vagabonding appears to doing very well in the six weeks since it was released. On the...Read this article
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Dude, Where’s My Dude?
For those of you who missed it in the New York Observer last month, here's Ron Rosenbaum's entertaining dissection of...Read this article
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August 07, 2003
Cowboys and Indians, Thai-style
A LETTER FROM ASIA From the grounds of Thailand's premier cowboy resort, a displaced Kansan explores the mysteries of...Read this article
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Jim Heintz on the ironical appeal of souvenir t-shirts
"To academics and freelance philosophers who theorize about the difficulty of achieving authenticity in the postmodern world, the souvenir T-shirt...Read this article
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Does American intervention make things safer or more dangerous?
"Ever since the Munich agreement and Pearl Harbor, with only a brief interruption during the decade after the Tet offensive,...Read this article
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