Matador Network's Blog, page 1310

7 rights all air passengers have

Traveling by plane is at once a blessing and a curse: on one hand, it allows you to crisscross the globe at futuristic speeds, but to do it, you’re squeezed into a metal tube with strangers who are all predisposed to hate each other, and given little to no control over the entire process. From power-tripping flight attendants to spending endless, confusing hours waiting on the tarmac, air travel has earned a reputation for making passengers feel powerless.

But if you channel your inner He-Man, you will realize it’s you who has the power. The US Department of Transportation maintains in-depth information about your rights as an air-travel consumer. However, given the breadth and complexity of modern aviation, here’s a shortlist of the most important rights to know you have as an airline passenger.

1. The right to bumping-based compensation.

Airlines are well within their own rights to bump passengers from flights. Overbooking is standard practice, and sometimes this results in too many butts for not enough seats. If you do get bumped, and your rebooking doesn’t get you to your destination within an hour of the initial flight, you are required to be compensated. Another way passengers can exercise this power is by voluntarily giving up their seats and negotiating with the airline for travel vouchers or other goodies, as airlines would rather stay on schedule than hold on to a few hundred dollars.

2. The right to a hotel in case of delay.

This is one of those rights that will vary from airline to airline, but the general agreement is that delays caused by the airline make them responsible for setting passengers up in hotels if the flight is delayed beyond midnight of the day of the scheduled departure. Note that this is not the case with weather delays or anything else that’s out of the airline’s control. Knowing the specifics for your airline will be essential in quickly dealing with an airline employee.

3. The right to deplane during tarmac delays.

Until recently, planes could sit on the tarmac for hours at a time without the airline having to offer passengers food, water, bathrooms, cool air, or the chance to escape the freaking fuselage. Fortunately, passengers are now entitled to be treated like human beings with biological needs. In Europe, A/C, water, and bathrooms must be made available after an hour of sitting, whereas that timeframe is two hours in the US. On the flipside, passengers in Europe can be forced to remain on the plane for five hours at a time before deplaning is an option. In the US, you can deplane after three hours if the plane is actually in the US and four hours if it’s outside the country. There’s a handy guide that answers any questions you may have on the matter, and it is full of information worth knowing.

4. The right to complain.

Not only are you allowed to formally complain, but US air carriers are required to provide you with a means of doing so. Surprisingly, it’s somewhat encouraged to broach problems with airlines, which use that information to improve the quality of their service. There are a number of ways to make a complaint, from emailing to sending a handwritten letter, but social media is often the fastest route to resolution. Whatever your method, know that you are within your rights to speak up about poor experiences. And if you have frequent flyer status with an airline, they are way more inclined to listen to you.

5. The right to advocate on behalf of your pets.

Your pet does not have to go through an X-ray scanner at security. Your pet does not belong in the overhead compartment, and if your pet carrier doesn’t fit under the seat, then the airline is obligated to check the animal in cargo. If it seems like your pet is being treated unfairly or even cruelly, you have every right to speak up about it. Rules for traveling with pets are generally very clear among airlines, and none of them require you to allow your animal to be mistreated.

6. The right to help in a medical emergency.

“Is there a doctor or medical professional on board?” is a question nobody wants to hear over a plane’s PA, but it happens frequently enough that several safeguards are in place for those who volunteer to help sick passengers. According to a report by Traveller, an Australian travel publication, “Australian law provides protection for Good Samaritans. In the case of US airlines, the Aviation Medical Assistance Act of 1998 also provides legal protection for medically qualified professionals who volunteer in a Good Samaritan capacity.” So if you’re up in the air and hesitant to help an ailing passenger, know that you are legally safe to do so.

7. The right to be treated with humanity when traveling with a disability.

The Department of Transportation states, “In 1986 Congress passed the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), requiring the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop a new regulation which ensures that persons with disabilities will be treated without discrimination in a way consistent with the safe carriage of all passengers.” This includes international flights on international airlines. There are 17 pages that delve into exactly what that entails, but basically, passengers with disabilities cannot be refused a flight or treated in a way that needlessly stigmatizes them. If this does happen, “travelers who disagree with a carrier’s actions toward them can pursue the issue with the carrier’s CRO on the spot,” as well as take formal legal action after the fact.

More like this: Everything you need to know about your rights for flying with pets

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7 epic long walks in the UK

If you want to enjoy the natural scenery of the United Kingdom the way the locals do, go for a walk… a really long walk. From Cornwall to Scotland, you can trek from a week to two months across rolling hills, along coastal tracks, through urban sprawls, or in shaded woodlands.

The United Kingdom is crisscrossed with walking paths, both paved trails and rugged landscapes. Some walks offer plenty of accommodations along the way, so you won’t need to carry tents and food, although others might require some nights at a campground. Here are some of Britain’s finest walking trails.

1. South Downs Way — England

Photo: Paul Daniels/Shutterstock

In Southern England, South Downs Way starts at Winchester in Hampshire and ends in the seaside town of Eastbourne in East Sussex. This is the only path that lies entirely within the confines of a national park. The tracks crisscrossing the Sussex Downs have been used by settlers for six thousand years, from Bronze Age traders to ancient Romans.

The path is well defined and passes through ancient forests, small villages, and rolling countryside. Highlights include the chalk cliffs of Beachy Head and Seven Sisters, as well as the mysterious “Long Man of Wilmington,” an ancient figure etched into the hillside. Amazing views of the English Channel are a constant feature of the walk.

The transport links are good, but there is very little accommodation on the trail itself. Most nights, you’ll have to walk a mile or two off-trail to reach a hotel or hostel.

Details: 99 miles, seven to 9 days, easy

2. Coast to Coast — England

Photo: Hanna Grzesik/Shutterstock

Conceived by celebrated hill walker Alfred Wainwright, the Coast to Coast walk is one of the UK’s most scenic trails, spanning three national parks and crossing England from its western to eastern coast. Kicking off at St. Bees on the coast of the Irish Sea, the route cuts through the rugged mountains of the Lake District across the rolling Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors. It finishes at Robin Hood’s Bay on England’s eastern shore on the North Sea.

Lodging is limited, and most of it is located in the small villages through which the trail passes. You should book early, especially in the summer months. There are several campsites close to the path. Farms and pubs often offer a place to camp for a few pounds a night, as well.

Details: 192 miles, 12 days, moderate

3. Pennine Way — England and Scotland

Photo: Dave Head/Shutterstock

Pennine Way, Britain’s oldest trail, follows the mountainous backbone of the country, and much of the landscape is remote and wild. The terrain is tough, the greatest challenge being the notorious peat bogs. It starts at Edale in Derbyshire, not far from Manchester, and finishes at Kirk Yetholm across the Scottish border. Points of interest include Hadrian’s Wall and Withins Heights, the inspiration for Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.

Hostels, bunk barns, and B&Bs can be found at various locations along the way, but there are sections where accommodation is a little scarce. The 17th-century watering hole, Tan Hill Inn, on the Yorkshire Dales is the highest pub in the UK and the perfect place to down a pint.

Details: 255 miles, three weeks, challenging (for experienced hikers only)

4. Wales Coast Path — Wales

Photo: Michael Thaler/Shutterstock

The Wales Coast Path, which opened in 2012, is the first trail in the world to hug the entire coastline of a national region: Wales, in this case. The 870-mile path starts in the English town of Chester, close to the Welsh border. It continues to traverse traditional seaside towns and miles upon miles of sandy beaches. The scenery, however, consists of more than just beaches. You’ll also see castles, cathedrals, and lighthouses, and even pass through Cardiff.

If you don’t have two months to spare, you can walk sections of the path for shorter periods of time. The roller coaster of steep ascents and descents makes the hike challenging at times, but the varied scenery makes it all worthwhile. There is no lack of accommodation, whether you are seeking a night under canvas or a touch of luxury in a stylish hotel.

Details: 870 miles, two months, moderate

5. West Highland Way — Scotland

Photo: Renata Kilinskaite/Shutterstock

Beginning on the outskirts of the city of Glasgow, the West Highland Way weaves its way due north to the foot of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. It’s a spectacular route, displaying Scotland’s beauty from the shores of Loch Lomond to the rugged and majestic landscape of the Highlands. The trail is a combination of stone, tarmac, and gravel, and it’s rocky in parts. The way markers are plentiful and easy to follow.

You’re in northern Scotland here, so bring warm clothes, rain gear, and ponchos. You won’t need much in the way of other supplies, though, as there’s an abundance of lodgings and markets. There are even honesty boxes set up by locals with drinks and snacks placed in them — a welcome sight when you need an energy boost!

Details: 95 miles, eight days, moderate (with one steep climb)

6. Thames Path — England

Photo: AlonaK/Shutterstock

Following the River Thames from its source in Kemble to the Thames Barrier in Greenwich, London, the Thames Path is flat and easy. Through pastoral countryside, the market town of Henley-on-Thames, and Oxford — the city of dreaming spires — to the metropolis of London, this path is perfect for anyone tackling a long walk for the first time.

Additionally, the signage is excellent, and there are lots of opportunities for supplies and accommodation. Best of all? There is no shortage of pubs to revive your spirits at the end of a long day’s trek.

Details: 184 miles, 12-14 days, easy

7. South West Path — England and Cornwall

Photo: Helen Hotson/Shutterstock

Coastguards created this trail to look out for smugglers along the craggy coastline. The South West Path starts in Minehead, Somerset on the northern side of the arm of Cornwall and heads west towards Lands End, where it turns back east along Cornwall’s southern flank to end up at Poole Harbor in Dorset, England.

The trail is strenuous in places with steep hills between the bays, coves, and harbors, so even experienced walkers should plan to walk fewer daily miles than they would on easier terrain. The trail passes Exmoor, where ponies and deer run wild; Land’s End, where you might spot orcas and dolphins from the 200-foot-high cliffs; and Tintagel Castle from the legend of King Arthur. Aficionados usually tackle one section of the path at a time, taking years to complete it all. B&Bs, hotels, hostels, and campsites are plentiful.

Details: 630 miles, two months, challenging

More like this: If you walk 500 miles from Vienna, you could visit 30 different countries

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8 Middle Eastern Instagram accounts

On June 26, the US Supreme Court voted 5-4 to uphold President Donald Trump’s executive order banning citizens of six majority-Muslim nations, along with citizens of Venezuela and North Korea, from entering the United States under most circumstances. The move targets residents of Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, and Venezuela at different levels but generally prevents most residents from entering the United States. While the move and much of the press surrounding it have tended to dehumanize millions of civilians, a number of photographers, journalists, and everyday citizens have taken to social media to share a different story. Take a deeper look at life in the Middle East by following these eight Instagram accounts that are working to reshape perceptions of their region.

The region

@everydaymiddleeast

A post shared by Everyday Middle East (@everydaymiddleeast) on May 27, 2018 at 5:37am PDT

There are a number of @everyday Instagram accounts aiming to “open a window” into the places they represent. None is more vibrant or informative than @everydaymiddleeast, which shares all aspects of life in this often misunderstood region of the world. Contributing photographers showcase people in peace and conflict, at home and at work, alone and with family. It’s an inspiring page to follow and one that will surely challenge any standing stereotypes of the Middle East.

Libya

@dailylibya & @abdurrauf.ben.madi

A post shared by Abdurrauf Ben Madi (@abdurrauf.ben.madi) on Feb 1, 2018 at 12:59pm PST

Foreign journalists regularly come under fire in Libya, even long after the 2011 death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Domestic journalists haven’t had it much better, but Ben Madi is out to document the lives of Libyans through his photography anyway. Operating the accounts @dailylibya and @abdurrafuf.beb.madi, Madi showcases (often in black and white) the diversity of life in and around the capital city of Tripoli.

Somalia

@best_of_somalia

A post shared by

Akon wants to build a Crypto City

It’s been a few years since Akon’s last smash hit the charts, and if you’re wondering what he’s been up to… well, it’s probably not what you’d expect. While some formerly popular artists might be on an obsessive quest for their next big single, Akon is on a different kind of quest — to create the world’s first city based 100 percent on digital currency in what’s being called a “real-life Wakanda”.

The Senegalese singer and producer has long been involved in charitable initiatives in Africa, and his latest venture is an effort to curb the region’s currency instability and inflation. A city that trades solely in cryptocurrency would enjoy a stable economy and attract the investments of African entrepreneurs and global companies.

Photo: AKoin

Based just outside of the Senegalese capital, Dakar, Akon Crypto City would revolve around a digital currency called AKoin. Consumers would buy goods with AKoin right from their smartphones, which in theory would stimulate financial stability and encourage micro-exchanges. When asked specifically how these apps would function, Akon admitted at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity that he’s more focused on the big picture than the details. “I come up with concepts,” he said, “and let the geeks figure [the details] out.”

That said, Senegal might be the perfect choice for a Crypto City, as it’s been moving rapidly into the Digital Age. In 2017, a new €650 million international airport was built, along with a brand new motorway and express train. Eighty percent of Senegalese citizens now own a smartphone, which is up from just 23 percent in 2013.

The AKoin website claims that Akon Crypto City is already in development. Senegalese president Macky Sall gave Akon 2,000 acres of land outside Dakar, so this futuristic city could be a reality sooner than we think.

H/T: Culture Trip

More like this: How I used Bitcoin trading to pay for my travels

The post What’s Akon up to? Building the world’s first Crypto City in Africa, apparently. appeared first on Matador Network.

UNESCO to name 2018 sites

It’s not as flashy as the Oscars, but it’s far more culturally important. UNESCO is currently convening in Bahrain to debate which 2018 nominees will be officially given World Heritage status. Some sites have already been given the honor, like the ancient city of Qalhat in Oman — known for its incredible archaeological remains — Al-Ahsa Oasis in Saudi Arabia, and the Thimlich Ohinga archaeological site in Kenya. Nominees whose fate is still up in the air include WWI memorial sites in Belgium and France, and the Prosecco Hills of Italy’s Conegliano and Valdobbiadene regions.

UNESCO meets every year to review new nominees, which must demonstrate “outstanding universal value” to win inclusion. It sounds a little vague, but it’s been working since 1978 when the first list was published. World Heritage status is highly coveted by destinations around the world, as it leads to increased tourism and revenue.

Winners may range from architectural to natural sites. The Caliphate city of Medina Azahara, a collection of vast medieval ruins in Spain, was one of this year’s additions, as well as South Africa’s Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains.

UNESCO is expected to make its final decisions by July 4th.

H/T: CNN Travel

More like this: Finally some good news: Belize Barrier Reef no longer endangered

The post appeared first on Matador Network.

Going to Cuba as a Cuban-American

I sincerely thought I would cry when I landed in Jose Marti airport with the immediate waft of cigar smoke hitting my nose the second I got off the plane. Smoke that smelled like every old Cuban’s house I had ever been to. I never thought I would actually go to Cuba. My mom left Cuba in 1969 as part of a sponsorship program that allowed Cuban families to legally leave and seek refuge in America and almost everyone had the intention of going back someday. But that day never came, so we all became Cuban Americans.

The weekend I left was the same weekend that Americans fled to major airports to protest Trump’s refugee ban. There I was, heading on a plane, at a time when refugees were being both insulted and defended — I was returning to the very place my refugee family left.

When people fled Cuba in the late 60s, Castro famously called them all worms, or gusanos. The worms were never to be welcomed back. They were considered less than human and to be treated as such. Forever.

Morning in Habana Vieja.

Decades later, la hija de los gusanos was visiting for the first time. I really felt the weight of that as I walked around Havana, where tourist hotspots were dispersed among local shops and deteriorating apartments. Part of me felt like a regular tourist enamored by the colors and culture and the other part of me had this dirty little secret. I was the daughter of the worms and I was touching the soil.

My trip was pretty rushed as I bought the tickets in a flash deal from JetBlue and had to return after four days to meet obligations back in Chicago. As a result, I didn’t plan meeting my family very well. I didn’t realize how spread out people were between Havana and Matanzas  —  the distance essentially of Chicago to Milwaukee  — and that it would be hard to coordinate meeting everyone during the week and enjoying my time exploring Havana as a tourist. I had planned to visit my Tía Ada in Matanzas on my last day in Cuba, whom I didn’t know existed before this trip. She and I spoke on the phone several times before I came down, catching up and on entire lives that neither of us knew about. She did know about me, but meeting Adelina’s grandchildren felt impossible to her and her eight siblings left behind in Cuba. None of them ever really thought they would meet me.

Until now.

I stayed in Havana in a casa particular, essentially Cuban Airbnb before Airbnb was really a thing (but it is available on Airbnb and definitely my recommendation for anyone traveling to Cuba). Tamara and Victor met me and let me stay in their beautiful apartment with a balcony that overlooked the bustling Calle Obispo. They were both sweet and patient with my first attempts at fully native Spanish. I’ve always been used to falling back on English words when speaking Spanish in America, but now I was in the wild west of language. I felt like I was slowly turning rusty wheels in my head to form all the grammatically correct sentences. After a while, the three of us got along in decent Spanglish.

I knew I was just warming up my Spanish tongue, but I was frustrated I wasn’t better. I can read and write in Spanish well, but have always been timid with speaking. It’s really more of a mind game for me. I know the words, but I’ve always been shy about it. I can now see that this saddened my grandparents. There I was, a girl who rarely spoke to them because she was afraid. Afraid of what? Judgement. I had heard them “tell it like it is” about so many other people, make fun of other people’s bad Spanish, that I was scared of being made fun of for my own bad Spanish. Instead, I just listened to them.

I grew up torn between cultures in a Midwestern town whose motto is “The Home of Proud Americans.” From that alone you could probably guess how many minorities lived there, let alone Latinx people. It was an overwhelmingly white American place, where being an outsider as a kid felt like a death sentence. Imagine my horror when my mother would attempt to speak Spanish to me in public! I didn’t want anyone to know that I was different, so for a few formative years I suppressed it, which really impacted my Spanish language abilities. I had to improve my Spanish later in life and stumble through it like a baby deer trying to walk.

Still, my Spanish in Cuba was better than most Americans, according to Cubans I met. As the days passed, my Spanish got stronger and my confidence grew. No one judged me. They were all happy to have someone to talk to as we waited in long lines together. Multiple people asked me if I was Spanish as they tried to determine my accent. Whenever I said I was American, they were dumbfounded. An American that can understand Spanish?! The dumb American stereotype has even made its way to isolated Cuba!

“Cuban American,” I would tell them. “My mother is from here.”

“Oh…then why don’t you speak better?”

That’s the Cuban familiarity I’ve grown up with. Blunt honesty that can cut you like a knife, but it always means well.

I stayed in Havana to be a tourist and explore the city my mom lived in before she came to America. She would often point to certain buildings in pictures of Old Havana and say, “that, right there. That looks like the apartment we lived in. Is it the same one?”

I took in all of the decaying buildings, the colors, the people, the sun. It put my family’s immigration story in a new perspective for me. Mostly because Cuba is beautiful. It’s gorgeous, despite the chipping paint and crumbling brick. It’s all so beautiful that there’s no way this was easy for my grandparents to leave. They made this enormous sacrifice that I always somewhat understood, but I appreciated so much more as I walked up and down Paseo del Prado watching families and friends gather on gorgeous sidewalks. I would think: that used to be them. These are the memories my grandparents have. This is why they get tears in their eyes when they think about la patria.

It was also striking how foreign and remote Cuba feels despite being very close to America AND despite actually being Cuban. It still felt foreign. It made me feel in many ways very American. Internet was not widely available, people waited for hours in lines to do anything and everything (I had many nice conversations with people I met in lines because there’s nothing else to do but chat when you might be in a line for two hours) and there was no advertising (only propaganda).

It all made me wonder how my mom felt coming to America, a very foreign place, as a child with no English skills. She told me the first food she ate when she got to her uncle’s house in Chicago after a long plane ride was a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and that it was the best thing she had ever tasted. Imagine if that was your first taste of American food. ¡Viva América!

I absolutely loved Havana, but I had promised to visit Matanzas and see the family that was left behind on my last day. The bus to Matanzas was cheap, but it was all sold out when I got to the station. A taxi would be too expensive  — after all, Cuba is cash-based and the ATMs do not carry American money. I didn’t budget for that trip. It wasn’t like I could ask my family for money as no one had anything. I felt stuck, until I thought of something.

The Hershey Train! The train left Casablanca, a ferry ride across the bay from Havana — stopped in Arcos de Canasi, which is where my abuela was from — and finally stopped in Matanzas. It would be perfect…except the train was built in the 1920s and has never been updated. It was built about 100 years ago when Hershey Chocolate built a town and sugar mill in Cuba. After the revolution, Hershey left, but the dilapidated train remains. It was a janky, four-hour journey that was known to break down and take twice as long as promised.

A friend I met in line named Daisy. She asked us to take a picture together and we’ve e-mailed back and forth a few times.

When I got to the train station in Casablanca, I called Ada and told her my plan and she did what all loving Cuban relatives do: yell at you about how terrible your idea is.

“Es una máquina muy mala! No! Toma un taxi a Matanzas  —  no tren!” It would break down, she said, it’s so terrible. She made it sound like I would die on this journey.

I called my mom and explained to her what was happening. We brainstormed about ways to get there (my mom could wire me money? No, only Cuban citizens can be sent American money so I would have needed someone’s social security and that somehow felt like identity theft). But ultimately, I didn’t think I could make it out to her in time and with enough money. I was at the station, ready for pay for a ticket, but it seemed like this would be a bad idea. Even the ticket agent told me that the train was likely to break down. What? Who does that when selling a product?

“It always does,” she told me. “It will take you a long time to get there…but it’s fun.” She added that last part, perhaps because she saw the look on my face and wanted to still sell me on this adventure. It was too risky and too time consuming to take the train.

So I called Ada, bracing myself for her heartbreak. I imagined she had been looking forward to meeting me, to seeing the remnants of her sister’s face in mine. I expected her to cry as she did when I called her first and talked to her about meeting for the first time. But that’s not what happened. She sounded very understanding, happy to hear from me, and calm.

“It is okay,” she told me sweetly and talked about how there will definitely be a next time. She added, “That’s Cuba!”

That’s Cuba. That’s the saying I heard so much from Cubans and other tourists in Havana. “That’s Cuba.” Things don’t work. They don’t go according to plan. It’s often best not to have a plan. Now I understood why my grandparents could never be held down to a time when it came to family events. Anything can happen, don’t worry so much. That’s the Cuban way.

Sunset over Casablanca from El Malecón.

I spent my last day walking around Casablanca before returning to El Malecón and reading by the sea wall. At this point I blended in (with the help of my abuela’s gold bangles that I wore, realizing every little Santerian girl in Cuba wore them, too). No one catcalled me and a few tourists asked me for directions. Did I really look like that much of a local after a couple days?

That’s what I loved about going to Cuba as a Cuban American. It was so foreign, but so familiar. The rhythms felt similar to those I had grown up with and the ways everyone behaved with each other  — friendly, affectionate, and always ready to laugh  — was exactly how my big Cuban family always was. I felt so connected with my family there, despite not being able to make it out to see everyone.

When I left the following morning, Tamara and Victor gave me a present. It was a book of Cuban poems. They told me that any time I come back, I am welcome at their house for dinner.

“You are family now,” they wrote to me in a handwritten letter.

So in a way, I did get to meet my family. They just happened to be new family.

This article was originally published on Medium and is republished here with permission.

More like this: The exhaustion and exhilaration of survival — what I learned from 9 days in Cuba

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Man survives 22 hours in the ocean

This man probably did not fall into the ocean after attempting to jump ship to join a rival cruise line, but that’s what ended up happening. A 33-year-old employee of Norwegian Cruise Line fell overboard on Saturday, en route from Cuba to Miami, and spent 22 hours adrift before being rescued by a Carnival Cruise Line ship. One of Carnival’s crew members spotted the man in the water, about 21 miles north of Cuba, and the ship lowered a lifeboat to bring him aboard. He is currently in stable condition and will be dropped off in Cozumel, Mexico for further treatment.

What makes the rescue truly astonishing is the amount of time the man was in the water. It’s common for overexposure and exhaustion to set in after just a few hours in the ocean, yet this Norwegian employee was able to survive for nearly a full day. Mike Tipton, a professor at University of Portsmouth whose research focuses on the physiological and psychological responses to adverse environments, told The Telegraph that survival in the water is all about monitoring energy and temperature levels. “Don’t thrash about as that uses heat and energy,” he says. “Keep a positive mental attitude and don’t give up.”

Though the Norwegian ship conducted a search covering 1,630 square miles, they weren’t able to find the man. Carnival’s rescue was, truly, a miracle. Norwegian experienced a similar situation back in March, when a passenger fell overboard, but on that occasion the ship was able to rescue her immediately.

H/T: The Points Guy

More like this: This 51-year-old man just began swimming 5,500 miles across the Pacific Ocean

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Play real-life Mario Kart in Japan

If you’re not prone to road rage and enjoy video games, this could be your dream vacation. You can tour Tokyo, Osaka, and Okinawa on go-karts, dressed as characters from the popular game, “Mario Kart.” Become Mario, Luigi, Toad, or Princess Daisy as you live out your Nintendo fantasy in Japan. The karts are equipped with action cameras, as well as speakers, so not only can you record every minute of the ride, but you can also pump music from the game into your kart for a truly immersive experience.

To participate in the experience, operated by MariCAR, you must have a valid Japanese driver’s license, an international driving permit, or a SOFA license. While you might be tempted to turbo-boost your way past Toad and sideswipe Luigi at 80 kilometers per hour, you must unfortunately still adhere to the rules of the road, and to the public speed limit.

Indeed, MariCAR has issued a warning to those who might have difficulty separating video game from reality. “When riding the go-karts, none of the following will be allowed. 1. No racing each other on the streets. 2. Do not throw banana peels or any other garbage onto the streets. 3. Do not throw red turtle shells or any other objects to each other.” Sounds simple enough, but once you’re in the driver’s seat, it’s probably pretty tough to refrain.

H/T: Lonely Planet

More like this: The Rickshaw Adventure

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Shark diving isn’t as scary

When you tell anyone you’re going shark diving you’ll get one of two responses:

1. “Oh my God I’m so jealous, please take pictures regardless of what might happen to your left arm!”

2. “Since you’ve clearly lost your mind and might be dead tomorrow, don’t forget you still owe me $20.”

These both are reasonable responses to announcing you’ll spend a perfectly nice Tuesday morning trapped in an underwater cage surrounded by man-eating sharks. Most of that excitement/terror is based on YouTube videos of Great Whites auditioning for Jaws 5 and biting their way into said underwater cages. These videos do well because, well, who doesn’t want to see people getting attacked by sharks? But also because if someone posted a video of actual shark diving, it would get less views than a tutorial on how to mix paint.

Those viral videos are the .000000000000001 percent exception to the rule. Skipping out on shark diving because you saw that would be like skipping a football game because you saw someone get body slammed through at table at a Buffalo Bills tailgate. Which is actually a far more likely possibility than getting eaten during a shark dive.

A long boat ride with no guarantees

Shark diving is a highly misleading name, because there is almost no diving and even fewer sharks. I say this because I had the rare opportunity to actually go shark diving off the coast of Cape Town recently.

The trip was called something like “Cage diving, breaching, and natural predation.” Which might lead one to believe you’ll spend the morning in an underwater cage watching Great Whites leap in the air. Or maybe find an unfortunate seal to maul for your viewing pleasure. The problem, of course, is nobody tells the sharks there are boatloads of people who’ve forked out $175 to watch them do flips and eat breakfast. And sharks, being the assholes they are, don’t feel much of an obligation to put on a show for you.

For their part, the dive company makes this pretty clear. In fact, they make a point of telling you there’s a fairly good chance you won’t see anything, and that you just gave them a Kia payment for a stripped-down bay cruise.

“This is, about, the 19th trip we’ve made this month,” our guide said in the pre-dawn dark as we shivered outside his boat. “We’ve seen about four predations, which is, like, incredibly lucky.”

Disappointing to learn you won’t get your own, personal live version of Seal Slaughterhouse 6. On the other hand, if the very-uncaged seals have a 75 percent chance of surviving the morning, your odds are even better.

“But most days,” he continues, “we’ve had sharks swim right by the boat.”

Most days. An older man in glasses behind me groaned.

“My third day out here, I haven’t seen shit,” he muttered. I assumed he was a plant the dive company put on the docks to keep our expectations low. Kinda like a three-card monte shill, just with carnivorous fish.

The trip was a 40 minute voyage out to Seal Island, the highly-creative name given to a tiny rock populated by about 65,000 seals. To a Great White shark, it was basically Sizzler.

Our guide explained that sharks liked to feed in the morning, because it was easier to sneak up on prey when there’s less light. And also because this was the time when seals usually returned home to the island after a long night of doing whatever it is seals do at night. Effectively picking the poor little guys off as they do their Tuesday morning swim of shame.

He continued that we could generally see a predation — that’s the nice euphemism they use for “turning a live animal into a pulled-seal sandwich” — by looking for red in the water and listening for a skirmish.

“Don’t jump in after it,” he warned. Presumably for the same people that need to be reminded to stay off of train tracks.

Like cage diving in the East River

Seal Island was pretty hard to miss. Not because it’s particularly large, but more because your peaceful boatride is violently interrupted by an odor best described as “a hot day in Calcutta.”

“That’s how the sharks know where to go,” our guide laughed as we collectively made the universal expression for what’s that smell? “That five-acre island has 65,000 seals, and they all puke and shit a LOT. Those waves come up and wash all that puke and shit into the water, the sharks smell it, and they know where to go.”

To put that in people terms, this would be like if waves came up onto Manhattan after a particularly nasty Saturday night, and washed all the college kid vomit and bum feces into the water. Which, now that I think about it, is pretty much the East River.

I looked down at the water wondering if they were expecting us to actually swim in that sea of marine mammal waste. My question was immediately answered when they dropped the cage in the water and said, “Ok! Who wants to go first?”

The cage was about 15 feet long by 10 feet tall, where six or seven people can cram in with their heads above water and wait for sharks to come by. It would be better described as “shark floating,” though that makes you sound more like human chum than an intelligent person in a wetsuit standing in a cage. The guide and your fellow passengers watch the water for sharks. If they see one, they yell “Cage down!” At which point everyone in the cage goes underwater to try and spot the shark.

Guides try and lure sharks by chumming the water around you. This isn’t accomplished by simply tossing fish guts around the boat, appetizing as that might sound. But rather, by repeatedly hoisting and tossing giant fish heads out into the sea. Which means about every three to four minutes, a fish head the size of a small pizza is getting dragged right past your face, then thrown right over you again. Dripping fish-head juice on the way out, staring at you with its dead, fish-head eyes on the way back in.

This comprises most of the action during a morning of shark diving.

Every so often, the guide yells “Cage down! Cage right!” meaning if you get under the water and look to your right, you’ll see a man-eating beast fighting to pull a fish head off a line.

Underwater it’s like Lady Gaga just showed up at the Oscars. The half-dozen people in the cage are all shoving their underwater cameras in front of each other, trying to get a shot of the Great White. What they end up with is a picture of a bunch of underwater cameras with some grey mass somewhere in the middle. Which they’ll spend the rest of their life showing to people saying, “If you look right there between that lady’s hair and the GoPro, you can kinda make out a fin.”

Intermittently, you can get a clear view of the shark if you’re not concerned with getting a picture. It is pretty cool to see something that you thought only existed as an animatronic puppet at Universal Studios up close and personal. But the sharks catch on to the ruse pretty quickly, so you’re lucky if the sharks are there for more than a minute. If someone was dangling a bacon, egg, and cheese croissanwich in front of you and pulling it away every time you tried to take a bite, you wouldn’t hang around long either.

Typically you’ll spend about 30 to 45 minutes in the chilly sewer water waiting for sharks to come by. A good trip down will have three or four encounters. Sometimes you’ll have more. Sometimes, the sharks are like, “Yo, those fish heads over there? It’s a scam, bro don’t waste your time,” and you get nothing. Good day sir.

That’s not to say that shark diving is a waste of time or not something you should absolutely do. It’s to say that it’s not SeaWorld so you’re not guaranteed of seeing anything, so look at whatever you spend as an investment. It might pay off. It might be an expensive morning cruise through shark-infested waters. The only guarantee is that afterwards, you’ll definitely want a shower.


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7 unique ways people drink tea

Whether you take your tea iced or hot, with milk and sugar or honey and lemon, prefer to wake up to a cup or have one before bed, we can all agree that tea is one of the most comforting and versatile beverages out there. All tea falls into six general categories determined by the leaves and processing methods used: green tea, black tea, white tea, yellow tea, oolong tea, and dark, or pu’erh, tea, but more styles of tea exist than anyone could name. Here are seven of the most interesting tea traditions from around the world and what makes each one so unique.

1. Masala chai, India

Photo: AnnaTamila/Shutterstock

Masala chai is a black-tea-based drink traditionally made from leaves harvested in the Assam region of Northeast India. It’s brewed through a process known as decoction, during which buffalo or cow milk and water are brought to a boil with loose tea leaves, then flavored with a spice blend called karha. Karha gets its aromatic flavor from cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and black peppercorns though anise, fennel seeds, nutmeg, and vanilla are sometimes added depending on the region you’re in or according to personal preference. Tea has historically held medicinal value in Indian culture, so many of the herbs and spices associated with masala chai have been linked to ancient Ayurvedic scripture. Just remember: chai simply means tea in Hindi, so be sure to ask for masala chai while traveling around the subcontinent.

2. Po cha, Tibet

Photo: D. Pimborough/Shutterstock

You may have heard of sweet tea, but salty tea is probably a foreign concept. Po cha, also known as butter tea, is closely associated with Tibet though it’s popular throughout the Himalayan regions of Southeast Asia. To make traditional po cha, which dates back to the 7th century, black-tea leaves from the Pemagul region are boiled and left to steep for several hours. After, fresh yak butter and salt are added to the strained tea, which is then shaken or churned, creating a thick tea that is enjoyed from bowls rather than mugs. Po cha is commonly offered to guests in Tibetan households and traditionally meant to be topped up after every sip. To signal that you’ve had your fill, simply leave your tea bowl untouched to let your host know that you’re finished without being offensive. It’s considered rude not to accept the initial offer, but be warned, rich and savory butter tea is definitely of an acquired taste.

3. Earl Grey, England

Photo: Amawasri Pakdara/Shutterstock

Earl Grey is a catchall for any black tea flavored with bergamot oil, giving it a distinctly bitter, citrus flavor. There’s some debate among Brits as to how it should be prepared: traditionalists will tell you to bring water to just below a boil in a nonreactive vessel like a glass kettle, steep loose-leaf tea for three to five minutes, and serve with lemon and sugar; others will advise you to use milk instead of lemon, though the jury is still out on whether you should pour the milk before or after the tea. The good news for tea drinkers in England who don’t want to learn all the rules is that traditional afternoon and high-tea ceremonies are still alive and well. To decide which one you’d prefer, consider how hungry you are. The main difference between the two ceremonies is that afternoon tea is accompanied by light snacks like tea sandwiches and scones with clotted cream, whereas high tea generally comes with a heartier meal.

4. Mate, Argentina

Photo: Aneta_Gu/Shutterstock

Mate is more than just a drink in South America; it’s practically a way of life. It’s almost impossible to walk down the street in Argentina without seeing hordes of people sipping mate out of hollowed-out gourds through metal straws known as bombillas, which also serve as sieves for the loose yerba mate leaves used to brew the drink. Even the Argentinian soccer players were seen sipping mate out of bombillas before their game against France a couple of days ago. Whether hot or iced, mate is regarded as a social facilitant, as single servings are often passed between friends and family during celebrations. South Americans have been drinking mate since the pre-Columbian era, particularly the Guaraní and Tupí peoples indigenous to southern Brazil and northern Argentina. The drink also has ties to the Latin American gaucho, or cowboy, culture in part because of its high caffeine content. Rich in antioxidants, the coffee-like tea is also said to possess several health benefits.

5. Matcha tea ceremonies, Japan

Photo: norikko/Shutterstock

In Japanese culture, matcha tea ceremonies are carefully choreographed and deeply-traditional events meant to promote wellness and respect. The actual ceremony involves several stages. First, guests are ushered into a room known as a machiai to purify their hands and mouths, then greeted by their host with a bow. After, bright green and mildly earthy matcha powder is mixed with hot water and whisked with a bamboo tool, creating a paste to which more hot water is later added. A single bowl is then passed between guests until it’s empty, and the ceremony ends with a final bow. Japanese tea ceremonies trace as far back as the 9th century, when the idea was brought over by a Buddhist monk who had spent time in China, where tea traditions were already alive and well.

6. Samovar-brewed tea, Russia

Photo: Ksenija Toyechkina/Shutterstock

A samovar is a metal urn, often ornately decorated, designed to heat water and brew tea. Samovars have been focal fixtures of Russian households since at least the 1770s, not only showcasing craftsmanship but also offering a warm place to gather. For a time, Russians even believed samovars possessed souls because of the noises they made while heating water, sounds colloquially referred to as “singing.” These days, electric samovars have largely replaced more traditional coal or charcoal-powered versions. Antique samovars are considered collector’s items and some of the oldest and most beautiful ones can be found on display in museums.

7. Bubble tea, Taiwan

Photo: littlekop/Shutterstock

Half the fun of drinking bubble tea comes from slurping up the chewy, mildly-flavored, balls of boiled tapioca starch (called “pearls”) with big gulps of milky, sugary tea. Added flavors range from lychee to ginger, and you might even stumble across avocado or sesame-flavored bubble tea. The most modern beverage on the list, bubble tea was not popularized in Taiwan until the late 20th century. It has since spread like rapid fire, becoming increasingly popular in North American cities.


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