Matador Network's Blog, page 2083
July 22, 2015
20 signs you were born and raised in the Las Vegas suburbs
(via)
1. You feel totally alienated when friends from out-of-state talk about playing outside in the summer.
2. You got used to feeling like the cool local expert, since you spent most of your time loitering at the local Station casino.
3. You feel totally naked leaving the house without a half-frozen bottle of water.
4. Making weekend plans was an ordeal that started on Tuesday — since you had to figure out whose parents were on deck to give everyone the necessary ride-to-the-Galleria-Mall that week.
5. You showed your parents just how cool you were by never wearing a bike helmet or sunscreen.
6. You wouldn’t think twice about the fact that everyone you know had a pool, but you’d go whole summers without swimming once.
7. You’d beg your parents every week to take you to the Excalibur arcade, wait 45 minutes in traffic to get there, and immediately regret your decision when you finally arrived. The giant dragons were always cool though.
8. You learned the hard way that in everywhere else in the world, “buffet” is apparently a dirty word.
9. Your parents dreaded back-to-school clothes shopping because all of the good outlet malls were just off the Strip and were therefore also constantly swamped with tourists.
10. You found it nearly impossible to navigate another city at night, without the blinding beacon of the Luxor on the horizon to guide you.
11. However, you definitely marveled at finally seeing more than 3 stars for the first time.
12. After school, you pretended to be an adventurer while exploring the miles of networked drainage ditches and tunnels that ran underneath your neighborhood.
13. If you were from Henderson, every Friday marked the tragic last day you’d see your Summerlin friends until the following Monday at school.
14. When you finally moved away, you were woefully disappointed when you learned that no professional magicians would be visiting your new local library. Ever.
15. You wept when your middle school friend group was fractured based on who was zoned for Green Valley High, Coronado, or Silverado (even though you all still lived within 3 blocks of each other).
16. When traveling, you got tired of telling people you were from Henderson, Summerlin, Anthem, Boulder, or Seven Hills… and just started saying you were “from Vegas.” That always sounded sexier anyway.
17. The bottoms of your feet became leather-hard, since your backyard was a nigh-unwalkable mess of baked sandstone gravel.
18. But you never EVER forgot to wear shoes when checking the mail, since your trip to the end of the driveway felt essentially like a walk across a fiery coal pit.
19. The best part about New Year’s Eve was finding a nice spot to watch the epic, million-dollar coordinated fireworks display the entire Strip put on, synced to the music that was playing on Mix 94.1.
20. You never realized just how little there was to actually do in the whole of southern Nevada until you finally turned 21 and saw “what the fuss was all about.”
The 17 funniest Doric expressions
Photo: MArc Kjerland
1. A guy in Espionage won’t call you a beautiful woman. He’ll check you out, order you a Jägerbomb, and call you a “bonnie haddie.”
Yes, haddie. As in haddock. As in the fish that goes in fish and chips. Classic loon.
2. A Dons fan won’t be mortally embarrassed if Aberdeen lose to Caledonian Thistle, but he will be “black affrontit.”
Can’t blame him.
3. When you know you know someone, but you just can’t put your finger on where you know them from, there’s only one thing worth saying: “A ken a ken im, but a da ken fa a ken im fae.”
Ken?
4. The bonnie haddies in the Priory haven’t slapped on too much make-up. They’ve absolutely “clarted” it on.
But what’s a quine to do when she’d otherwise be described as having the following?
A face like a weet dish-cloot
A face like a skelpit airse
A face that wid soor milk
Unfortunately, it’s said to be equally true that “Ye canna mak a silk purse oot o’ a soo’s ear.”
5. After one too many shots in Revolution, your blootered pal might have to ask, “Is at a mannie or a wiffie?”
You’ll probably just answer, “Dinna fash yersel” (Don’t go to any bother about it).
6. A quine doing the ‘walk of shame’ down Union Street at 11am on a Sunday isn’t an unkempt person. She’s a “hallyrackit craiter.”
What a girl!
7. The scandal on the street isn’t that Sandy’s got a live-in lover. It’s that he’s got a “bidie-in.”
It’s just like an episode of Take The High Road up here.
8. Your pal isn’t asking you for a piece of chuddy halfway up Bennachie when she says, “Hing on a minty.” She’s saying, “Wait for me!”
9. When a mannie runs up Bennachie without stopping for breath, you’d never says he’s an incredible guy. But you would say he’s “some chiel.”
Shame he was running too fast to get his number.
10. Hanging out in Schuh on a Saturday afternoon, you won’t hear anyone say, “Which foot fits which foot?” But you will hear “Fit fit fits fit fit?”
Well, you might.
11. When a chilled out teuchter (country dweller) can’t get a lift into town on a Saturday night, he doesn’t say it’s water off a duck’s back. He says it’s “tatties oer the dyke.”
Fit a lad! Hopefully someone will save the day by saying, “Are ye needin a hurly?” (Would you like a lift?)
12. You don’t know a badly-behaved boy in need of a smacked bottom, but you do know an “ill-tricket loon who needs a skelped dock.”
Aye, he’s a “feel gype” (foolish fellow) indeed.
13. When a mannie’s proud of having an exceptionally beautiful girlfriend, you’ll probably find him pumping his chest outside the Co-op, saying “Ma quine is affa fine.”
Hopefully he’s a fine-looking chiel himself!
14. You can’t help yourself. It’s just too easy to tease your newly “baaldie-heidit” (bald) pal.
Though actually, it suits the wee toonser. It really does.
15. You’ve never heard anyone say, “Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.” But you have heard, “Mony a mickle maks a muckle.”
You know to take heed. After all, who wants to be “as peer as a kirk moose” (as poor as a church mouse)?
16. After getting “drookit” (drenched) in the rain on what was meant to be a nice day out to Dunnottar Castle, you don’t exclaim that you’re totally knackered. You say, “Am fair connached!”
17. After a heavy sesh at Aberdeen Sports Village, you don’t have sweaty armpits. You “ave minky oxter.”
Shower time. 
42 things an Iowan would never say
2. Ron Steele…is he a WWE wrestler?
3. I sure wish the caucuses were earlier.
4. It’s 20 below, better stay inside until the chill blows over.
5. These Maid-Rites are just too messy to eat.
6. Is it pronounced Dez Moynz? Dess Moy-nezz? Dez Mwah-nz?
7. This place would be so much better with more tofu and kale-based options.
8. I sure wish buying a home weren’t so cheap.
9. Yes, you’re right. We DO grow the best potatoes.
10. I’m not sure we can deep fry this…
11. I like the Bears, Packers, and the Vikings, why do I have to choose?
12. I bleed black, gold, and cardinal. Why do I need to pick?
13. I love other things on my sweet corn, like Hidden Valley ranch powder.
14. I’ve had better pork in Nebraska.
15. God, could traffic be any worse?
16. I’ve never been to Adventureland before. What’s it like?
17. When’s the election again?
18. Omg, drive faster, I’m in a HURRY.
19. Better board the windows, a hurricane is coming!
20. There’s just too much good sushi; I’m paralyzed by choices.
21. Do you think the Des Moines Holiday Inn has a mountain-view room?
22. Hmm, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that presidential candidate before…
23. No way, Texas beef is better.
24. Should I bring my crucifix to Devil’s backbone?
25. I’m so happy it took me six hours to shovel the driveway.
26. I’ve never had to scrape three inches of ice off my windshield before; that sounds terrible.
27. What’s a tenderloin? Do you know where I can get a good one?
28. Oh, THAT’s a tenderloin?! Can I get a smaller one, by chance? This one is the size of my face.
29. No thanks, I don’t like ranch dressing.
30. And that’s enough bacon, thank you.
31. No, I won’t help you. And I’m not sorry.
32. …I think we have enough professional sports teams, don’t you?
33. It’s not the humidity; it’s the heat.
34. I’m so surprised they’re doing summer road construction this year.
35. Allergies? What are those?
This story was produced through the travel journalism programs at MatadorU. Learn More
36. I wish all the big music acts would stop playing here.
37. Whoa! Angelina Jolie is hanging out at the Field House?! Again?!
38. Anybody wanna go downtown and catch the NBA game?
39. I’ve been trying to unload this beachfront property for a while, but there’s just so much competition.
40. I’d like the grits, chitlins, and okra, please.
41. You don’t have that? How about the duck confit with the lemon couscous and elderberry chutney?
42. Do you have any change for the toll road?
19 things Bostonians always have to explain to out-of-towners
They re-enact the Boston Tea Party, or something. It’s a tourist thing to do. Like Duck Tours and whale watching.
2. Our gods are The Sox, The Pats, the Bruins and the Celtics.
You must never blaspheme the gods in front of a Boston native. Praise the demi-gods Tom Brady, Robert Paxton Gronkowski aka “Gronk” and David Ortiz aka “Big Papi.”
3. A liquor store is a ‘packie,’ ‘jimmies’ are sprinkles, a ‘spa’ is a deli, ‘frappes’ are milkshakes and it’s a ‘rotary’ not a roundabout. Got it?
After I run this packie, I’ll take the second exit off the rotary to get a frappe with jimmies at Town Spa.
4. We nevah pronounce ouwah ah’s. (Translation: We never pronounce our R’s)
You’ve probably heard the famous phrase before. All tourists have fun with it. Let’s say it together, shall we? Pahk the cah in Hahvahd Yahd. Not so hard, right? Don’t say it to a local.
5. Good luck parking your car in Harvard Yard, or anywhere for that matter.
Meter maids are on the prowl, all the time. You parked at 5:59 when the meter expires at 6? $25 to the City of Boston. If you drove in, leave your car at the hotel and take the T. Definitely don’t try to drive in if you’re attempting to go to a Red Sox game. You will not succeed in finding parking, unless you have a large disposable income.
6. Yes, the Fens and Revere Beach have nice scenic views, but you better beware of needles.
Massachusetts has a serious opiate addiction problem. It’s very sad. Also beware the junkies; you’ll know them when you see them, and you will see them.
7. If we dig out a space on the street for our car, you can’t legally park there.
Of course, we may have to mark our territory with some chairs or trash cans or a 36-pack of Natty Lite.
8. ‘Dunks’ is slang for Dunkin Donuts, and it is the elixir of life.
Munchkins from Dunks are a perfect treat to bring to work, a party, a museum event, a tailgate, your cousin’s wake, etc. Boston runs on Dunkin.
9. The T is our subway, metro, whatever.
It generally stand for ‘transit’ or ‘transportation’ and is part of the larger MBTA, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It’s not very fast, especially on the Green Line that runs through universities like Boston University, Northeastern, Boston College, etc. But remember, patience is a virtue.
10. Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ is our anthem.
And our anthem. It’s played at every game, at the bottom of the eighth inning. It’s also not uncommon for a drunk guy, or kid (pronounced “khed,” though not actually a drunk child), to start up a chant on the T and get the whole car, including the driver, happily singing along.
11. “’Yankees Suck’ is our other anthem.
And it’s chanted at every sporting event. We’re confident that Jesus hates the Yankees, too.
12. Timberland boots are acceptable footwear no matter the season.
Also, “nice” cargo shorts are acceptable formal attire.
13. Every winter, we inform everyone that we’re moving south.
But we don’t. And every summer, we stick around to enjoy Martha’s Vineyard and “The Cape” aka Cape Cod.
14. We use ‘wicked’ as an adverb, both ironically and seriously.
Went to Kelly’s Roast Beef last night and got some chicken fingahs. It was wicked pissah.
15. In addition to Kelly’s Roast Beef for late-night bites, Santarpio’s Pizza in East Boston (Eastie) and Union Oyster House in Government Center are our Boston go-tos.
Don’t forget the D’Angelo’s chain for a variety of hot and cold subs. Yes, subs. Not heroes, not grinders, not even sandwiches.
This story was produced through the travel journalism programs at MatadorU. Learn More
16. Only we can pronounce our towns correctly.
Gloucester. Worcester. Cochituate. Leominster. Leicester. Haverhill. Spoiler alert! Nothing is pronounced phonetically.
17. Anyone from Mass is going to tell you that these towns are all ‘half an hour away and two towns over.’
We aren’t always lying. Unless the town is in Western Mass. Might as well be its own state, the Yankee lovers.
18. Yes, we are aggressive drivers. But we don’t care if you call us a ‘Mass-hole.’
Mass-holes drive fast, recklessly and cut other drivers off with wanton abandon, so much so that MassDOT, the Department of Transportation, has put signs on the highway that say “USE YAH BLINKAH.”
19. And our pedestrians are not much nicer.
So don’t say hi to strangers on the street. It’s creepy and may get you beat up. Mass-holes love a good fight. 
Emotionally intelligent travel
Photo: MartinaK15
TRAVEL CAN BE EMOTIONALLY TRYING AT THE BEST of times. There are far more instances when one is uncomfortable during travel, both physically and emotionally, than in everyday life. In order for this to not be incredibly overwhelming, you need to be pretty emotionally sturdy.
The best travelers — the ones that are the most compassionate, the most open, the most flexible and kind — are the ones that are emotionally intelligent. They’re the people who are in touch with and understand their own emotions, and can read and respond to the emotions of others. This ability to empathize and reflect is easily the most important trait one can have when going out into the world to travel. Here are six of the things emotionally intelligent travelers do.
1. Listen.
The single most important rule that literally everyone with any amount of emotional intelligence must live by is this: listen. Listening is a fundamentally unselfish act: it is the act of hearing what another person has to say without any reference to what you have to say. This holds especially true for travelers, as they are in a position where there are a lot more obstacles to functional communication.
A traveler who knows how to listen knows that listening isn’t just a matter of hearing, but also of seeing: try and recognize the context you’re in. Recognize the body language of the person you’re talking to. Recognize discomfort. And then absorb all of that with as little judgment as possible.
2. Don’t try to fix everything.
The impulse when one sees suffering is to try to alleviate it. But that, paradoxically, can be a selfish impulse, an impulse that is largely geared towards relieving your own discomfort with the suffering. If you see suffering during your travels, the situation may be that you do not have the proper skills to fix that suffering, or that you may not be the person who is needed to alleviate it. We hear about this a lot in reference to the “white savior complex,” but it does not apply exclusively to white people: many people want to jump in and fix a problem before fully understanding the problem. This usually causes problems of its own.
Someone with emotional intelligence will be able to accept the suffering, empathize with it, and simply be there for the sufferer, if they are needed. It all goes back to listening: you try to harness your impulses to help, and provide the help that’s needed instead.
3. Learn the basic words of courtesy in the local language.
Look: you’re not going to be able to learn the language of every single country you visit. There’s nothing wrong with this, no one expects every visitor to their shores to know their language. But learning a few words shows a few things to your hosts: first, that you are making an effort to speak their language in their home. And second, that you aren’t just interested with what they can do for you, but that you actually appreciate what they’re doing enough to let them know about your appreciation.
4. Learn the art of respect in their host country.
Like with the language basics, learning the basics of respect in a country is important. But this is usually more difficult. First, things like hand gestures or dress code are usually more complex than simples “pleases” and “thank you’s,” and second, these are things you might actually have some moral issue with.
Say, for example, you’re a woman visiting a strict Muslim country where women are expected to wear head coverings at all times. You might find this degrading or anti-feminist. But you should still respect their cultural norms, and not only because not doing so might make you a little bit less secure. You should do it because it’s a sign of deference to the fact that you are the visitor in their culture. Some families ask that you take your shoes off when you enter the house. You might not do this at your home, but you do it at theirs in the understanding that in different places, different rules might apply.
The rules might be nonsense or might even be unjust, but you are likely not the best placed person to fight those unjust rules, because you aren’t fully aware of the context. So you defer to the rule, or choose not to go.
5. Let themselves feel things.
One of the easiest ways to deal with some of the difficult things you see when you travel is to simply brush the feeling aside or push the feeling down. While this stoicism usually has some romance attached to it, it’s not particularly healthy. We’re animals, and animals have feelings and moods. If we don’t allow ourselves to have these feelings or moods naturally, then they can no longer be in our control.
So if an emotionally intelligent traveler sees something that upsets them, they allow themselves to be upset.
6. Don’t let their feelings dictate their actions.
Emotional intelligence consists not only of understanding one’s emotions, but of mastering them as well. Say the airport loses your luggage and you are furious. Would you direct that anger at your partner?
You might, sure, but the loss of the luggage isn’t your partner’s fault. It wouldn’t be particularly fair to them. The smart thing to do is to channel that anger in useful ways — do what you can to get your luggage back, file a complaint, maybe talk the airline into giving you a couple of free tickets — and then letting that anger go. The more feelings have control over your actions, the less control you have over them. 
16 Signs you were born and raised in Kenya
1. Every celebration you have calls for nyama.
Kenyans love nothing more than an excuse to get together and enjoy some nyama choma (open flame roasted meat) with the typical sides of greens and carbs by the pile. Nyama choma always brings together friends, family members, co-workers, anyone you can manage to wrangle together. It is less about the eventual meal and more about the socialization that happens around the meal: from slaughtering a whole goat or cow together, or collectively picking a cut from the butcher’s case, to enduring together the tantalizing wait as the meat is cooked to charred perfection, the smell of quietly roasting meat satiating the air. After the meal is done? Then comes the inertia, otherwise dubbed the itis.
2. It’s impossible to leave somebody’s house.
Kenyans are known for their warm, inviting nature. Sometimes too inviting. Trying to leave a Kenyans house can be like a booby trapped matrix; there is the first good bye, then the second one, then the final one when you make a run for the door and never look back. And 70% of the time you will not leave empty handed.
3. You use “can you believe…” more frequently than it should ever be used.
Most things are believable, actually. But Kenyans can’t seem to believe much.
4. You start 30% or more of your sentences with, “Me, I…”
This one is an easy trap to fall into. You hear it so many times that suddenly the words “Me, I…” come out of your mouth and you realize you are one of us. For example, “Me, I went to her house yesterday, and can you believe she wasn’t there?”
Come to our side. We have terrible grammar and unbelievable moments here.
5. You reinvent English every time you speak to another Kenyan.
Being colonized by the British, Kenyans have have an affinity for the finer bits of the Queen’s English. But we also take pride in our other national language, Swahili. The result? We take liberty with both languages, blending English and Swahili to create our unique versions of “Swanglish.”
There is no universal agreement on what is and isn’t Swanglish, however. So good luck figuring out what the guy at the store just said to you.
6. You can’t resist the lure of a bargain or second hand shopping (otherwise known as ‘thrifting’ in
these Northern parts).
Second hand shopping has nothing to do with income or socio-economic standing in Kenya. Instead, it is something woven into our national fabric. Second hand clothes and items, called mitumba, flood the Kenyan market each year, providing, a cheap, fashionable alternative to any savvy shopper. Word has it that Kenya even beats out Seattle when it comes to thrifting. And let’s not even get into our love for haggling. Sticker prices are a mere “suggestion.”
7. You’re still in a Manchester-United vs Arsenal feud with a family member, friend, or loose acquaintance.
Soccer is to Kenyans what American Football is to Americans; blood and guts, ritual, dedication, and the kind of fanaticism that goes beyond rationale, into mysticism. I kid you not that entire families and friendships have been ruined by soccer tournaments, most notably the English Premier League. A soccer tournament that involves no Kenyan teams, is played overseas, and results in ensuing soccer madness and lots of drinking in bars. It is the sort of soccer madness that has Kenyans in the diaspora waking up at 3 am to catch a match.
8. You are a rugby fan.
Rugby ranks only second in fanaticism to soccer for Kenyans. Which means that as a Kenyan, you have attended at least one Rugby Sevens match in your lifetime. You know someone who plays rugby, or used to play rugby. You know at least one rugby song that is both offensive and crude, and you have stood in bleachers, waving a flag and cheering on the destruction of the opposing team.
9. But when you tell people you’re Kenyan, they just bring up marathon running.
No, we’re not all marathon runners.
10. You’re openly tribalistic.
Home to 42 different tribes, Kenyans will study each other’s faces, and features, trying to compartmentalize people into tribes. We think that will tell us something about the other person’s character or history, or offer clues into their socio-economic standing. A person’s tribe will tell a Kenyan how they should relate to the other person. And yet, in the same breath, we decry tribalism within the national sphere and mourn it’s sometimes terrifying results.
11. Roadside eats. Enough said.
Whether it’s a grilled ear of corn peppered with chili sauce, freshly roasted peanuts, or a bag of delicious bite-sized sugarcane sold from the back of a dubious mkokoteni, Kenyans love to venture (slightly) off the beaten path for a bite.
12. You acquire a Western accent, or know someone who has a Western accent and you/they have never left the country.
There’s an all too familiar hybrid Kenyan-British-American accent that Kenyans have grown accustomed to finding among their fellow Kenyans, even those who have never left Kenyan airspace. The accent is particularly popular with any noteworthy entertainer, journalist, radio personality, or anyone trying to ascend in their societal ranking. It’s origin remains unknown, and the accent itself is hard to place; falling somewhere in-between re-runs of The Kardashians and the BBC News Hour.
13. When you’re in a foreign country and you spot another Kenyan you don’t know, you’re body goes into fight or flight mode…
If you have ever been a Kenyan in a foreign country you know that feeling. The one that leaves you internally screaming, “Please don’t talk to me. Please don’t talk to me. Pleeeeeaaassseeeee. Don’t. Talk. To. me.” One of my Kenyan friends said to me “There should be a meme that says ‘Yoh we both know you’re Kenyan, but I’ll look the other way cuz I ain’t tryna have that conversation.”
14…Because you know what happens when that other Kenyan makes eye contact and decides to strike up a conversation.
It’s 15 minutes later and you’re still eyeing the beer case over their shoulder, thinking to yourself, “I was so close…so close.” Meanwhile your rattling off your entire family history, accomplishments, current affairs, and future goals to this stranger, in the name of community.
Kenyans take assumed camaraderie and personal intrusion to a whole new level. Once I was held conversationally hostage at a barbecue by a Kenyan men who insisted he should have my number because our extended families came from the same town; a town I haven’t been to in over a decade.
15. You can party way more than you should for your age.
There is drinking with my friends and then there is drinking with my Kenyan friends; the two are not comparable. One involves the basic weekend shenanigans, a lost phone, and a bar tab I forgot to close. The other involves the sort of all-night-rager I think I’ve grown too old for. But then it’ll happen….again. There’s nothing Kenyans love more than a room full of our favorite people, and the booze to lubricate the good times.
16. You carry an optimistic and friendly view of the world wherever you go.
There may be something about being born along the equator and spending your life straddling two halves of the world. Or maybe it’s the near perpetual sun and stunning backdrop to life that Kenya offers. Whatever it is, Kenyans have a joy and friendliness to them you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else. 
July 19, 2015
Don’t believe electronic music brings people together? Spend a few minutes with the Symbiosis Gathering.
Being a live music enthusiast, it seems to me like the majority of music festivals these days are getting “better,” but only because they’re getting bigger. They’ve become grand spectacles that span days or even a week, with massive stages packed with the most elite DJ’s and musicians from around the world (playing over sound systems that cost more to run for a day than most of us make in a month). They’ve become $300-a-ticket meccas for fans and college kids to get together for a drug-addled long-weekend of swaying to music and paying too much for bottled water. In short, they’ve become enormous money-making machines that, frankly, don’t really give a shit about the music or your experience.
But one northern California music festival is looking to change all that, and ditch the stigma that music festivals around the world are rapidly acquiring.
Now in its 10th year, Symbiosis Gathering in Oakdale, CA has everything you’d expect out of a music festival:
A killer location on a lake in Oakdale (near Yosemite National Park).
6 epic stages featuring a sick lineup of a-list artists including: beat-queens CocoRosie, wobble-wizard Tipper, the incomparable Lucent Dossier, and psychedelic surfer Shpongle.
Bonus: some of those stages are actually lakeside, so you can swim between them to catch different acts.
A full weekend of programming including workshops, camping, yoga, meditation, and a speaker series.
A veritable mountain of art installations and creative spaces that rival those of much larger events like Burning Man.
Except, you know, without the whole “harsh desert” part of Burning Man.
But what Symbiosis has over 99% of the other festivals around the country is a heavy emphasis on family friendliness and connecting personally with their community of attendees.
Apparent even in the trailer for the event, you can actually see more children playing on parents and turntables than scantily clad women dancing around lasers — which it’s pretty hard not to find refreshing.
Plus, the company behind the event recognizes that their festival-goers are people and not purses.
And are committed to underscoring the fact that they’re not just some nameless, faceless, profit-hungry corporation themselves.
So they recently launched the short “We Are Symbiosis” documentary series to expose the outside lives of the key movers-and-shakers that make the festival possible.
Get to know the people who help make the event what it is:
This year’s Symbiosis event is set for September 17-20, and you can still get tickets here.
All photos used with permission from Symbiosis Gathering. 
Two years ago we created the #travelstoke hashtag. What’s happened since will blow your mind.
Since creating Matador’s official hashtag #travelstoke two years ago, more than 325,000 images have been tagged. We love seeing the incredible variety of terrain, people, and culture that photographers are capturing out there on the road. It’s so inspiring!
Each week we choose our favorite images from readers, fans, and travelers, and post them on our Instagram account. These pictures provide a daily dose of inspiration, and challenge us to photograph the world in innovative ways.
Here are 12 images of people finding some serious #travelstoke:
1. 4th of July fireworks over Portland
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jul 6, 2015 at 10:41pm PDT
2. Sunset in Wanaka, New Zealand
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jul 6, 2015 at 7:54pm PDT
3. Boardwalk at Cloud 9 in Siargao, Surigao Del Norte, Philippines
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jul 8, 2015 at 11:50am PDT
4. Taft Point in Yosemite National Park
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jul 5, 2015 at 9:20am PDT
5. Carthew — Alderson trail in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jun 24, 2015 at 12:43pm PDT
6. Morning run in Chamonix Mont Blanc, France
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jul 5, 2015 at 8:33am PDT
7. Camping near Geysers in Norway
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jun 30, 2015 at 11:17pm PDT
8. Sunset over Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jun 30, 2015 at 6:24pm PDT
9. Kootenay Lake is a lake, British Columbia, Canada
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jun 29, 2015 at 2:14pm PDT
10. Exit Glacier in Alaska
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jun 23, 2015 at 1:03pm PDT
11. Havasu Falls waterfall of Havasu Creek, Grand Canyon, Arizona
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jun 12, 2015 at 8:44pm PDT
12. Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park, British Columbia, Canada
A photo posted by @matadornetwork on Jul 7, 2015 at 2:02pm PDT
July 18, 2015
13 reasons why you should never take your kids to Oaxaca, Mexico
All photos by Laura Bernhein.
1. A city surrounded by super green mountains and views that will leave your breathless? Hmmm…No thank you, you’re afraid your kids will suffer vertigo.
2. Fresh flowers all year round? How does it come these people from Oaxaca don’t know there are thousands of varieties of plastic flowers you can get at Ikea?
3. Fireworks any random day in the middle of town? No, thanks, everyone knows kids hate magical moments.
4. Oh no, there are skeletons everywhere! Your kids will spend all day screaming in terror…
5. And what’s up with these giants? Now you have no doubt your kids will have nightmares for months.
6. People in Oaxaca seem to be too nice…You guys travel to see monuments and landscapes, not to smile at people! And especially not to other little kids!
7. Santo Domingo’s bells will scare your little angels, it’s better to stay away from them…
8. What’s all the fuss about the Children’s Library Biblioteca Infantil? Story times every day, hundreds of books and games and special events every week? No, thanks, your kids can learn everything from watching TV. AND you don’t want them to learn Spanish faster than you!
9. You just don’t get why all the walls have to be painted in bright colours…Such intense visual stimulation will drive your munchkins nuts!
10. Eat elotes while you guys walk on some cobbled streets, surrounded by colonial architecture and under a multicolor sky? No, thanks, it’s not special enough for you all…
11. And these people dancing all night wearing colorful outfits and with such joyful music? You’ll pass, your kids have to go to bed early in in absolute silence.
12. You just don’t think that visiting the petrified waterfalls Hierve el Agua is interesting enough…After all, they are the only of their kind in the Americas and your kids won’t have anything to learn from such place.
13. And finally, your worst nightmare will come true: Your family will be so happy in Oaxaca you will have to come back not only one but a dozen times. !Viva Oaxaca!
Check out a related post by Laura here.
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