Matador Network's Blog, page 2277

Africa's most daunting challenges

What happens when you ask people throughout Africa to document the continent’s biggest challenges, city systems, and burgeoning innovations? You get mesmerizing photos of everyday Africans trying to get by despite government corruption, lack of infrastructure, and shocking poverty.

That’s exactly what IBM Research – Africa did when they launched The World is Our Lab – Africa Picture Project, and the results are stunning portraits of survival, love, and resilience.

The selection of images below was republished with permission. Check out the full gallery here.

1

Digital Migration
“I took the winning image outside our workshop in the Mukuru slum in Nairobi. These kids had found the plastic frame of an old TV and were playing at presenting a TV show. I took the picture because I wanted to show the world the innovative way that kids from the slums play—using the material around them to express themselves in a creative way.”

By Lawrence 'Shabu' Mwangi





2

Boda Boda
“The ‘Boda Bodas’ (bicycle taxis) have always defined the towns of Western Kenya and Nyanza. Public transport systems are often not reliable, so locals have devised new modes of transport using bicycles, which are faster and easy to maneuver.”

By Frank Odwesso





3

Baby Sitting
“Many kids in Nigeria are forced into work or overwhelming family responsibilities as a result of poverty and lack of social support. As a result they often stay at home while their parents struggle to make ends meet. The picture is often worse for girls who are often required to look after siblings at home like this girl in the Mokoko slum in the lagoon area of Lagos.”
By Imole 'Tobbie' Balogun





Intermission





11 images to remind us of the need for activism around the world





29 powerful images from protests worldwide





33 iconic photos of people standing up to injustice












4

Caravan to Dadaab
“Human migration began in Africa and continues to this day at one of the highest rates in the world—in the next 15 years the number of cities with over one million citizens will almost double. This presents a challenge and an opportunity for African nations which need to modernize aging infrastructures but are able to leverage a young and ambitious workforce to drive further economic prosperity.”

By Frank Odwesso






5

Standard of Living
"A child performs a handstand in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya—the biggest slum in Africa and one of the largest informal settlements in the world. There are approximately 2.5 million slum dwellers in about 200 settlements in Nairobi representing 60% of the Nairobi population, occupying just 6% of the land."

By George Ogala, Kenya





6

Tracks
"Once the heart of trade in many regions, today much of Africa's rail system is in a state of disrepair after years of neglect. Foreign investors are playing a key role in rail modernization programs such as Kenya's Chinese-financed line linking East Africa to South Sudan, DR Congo, and Burundi."

By Julian Manjahi, Kenya





7

Mama Africa
"'Makoko' is one of Nigeria's biggest and best known slums—most of it resting on stilts above the Lagos Lagoon. It has an estimated 85,840 residents, many of whom are fishermen, and some have migrated from neighbouring Togo and Benin."

By Stephen Oghuma, Nigeria





8

Kunoa
"A mobile knife-sharpening business in Kenya highlights the entrepreneurial nature of the millions of Africa's micro-businesses."

By James Sudi, Kenya





9

The Underground Economy
"A culture of entrepreneurship and the need to make ends meet results in millions of hawkers working the streets of African cities. While many drivers stuck in traffic jams rely on the goods they sell, many African cities have attempted to rein in this underground economy."

By Seun Idowu, Nigeria





Intermission





Dispatch from Timor-Leste on the 10th anniversary of independence





Interview with Sudan’s ‘Machine Gun Preacher’





No need to look abroad for poverty, it’s in your backyard












10

Girl By the Windvane
"Wind turbines in the Ngong region of Kenya. Renewable energy sources have huge potential in Africa as it seeks to address an electricity shortage that has left more than half of the continent’s one billion people without access to power. Many people still rely on kerosene or candles for light, and most businesses rely on expensive and polluting diesel generators as backup to an unreliable grid power. Investments in wind and solar power are starting to gain momentum and could help to reduce the cost while increasing the reliability of energy."

By Fredrick Leica, Kenya





11

Face of Hope
"Mali is Africa's third largest gold producer. At least 20,000 children, some as young as five, work in the county's artisanal mines."

By Moctar Menta, Mali





12

Hopeless
By Moctar Menta, Mali





13

Galkayo Camels
"A Somali boy watches as the family's drought-stricken camels drink water from a tank near Harfo, 70km from Galkayo northwest of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, in 2011."

By Thomas Mukoya, Kenya





14

City Sunset
By Ken Nzau, Kenya





15

Mathare Slum Fires
"Residents of Mathare slums climbed on top of their shanties to pass water in buckets to their colleagues as they tried to put out a fire that burnt more than one hundred homes, November 5th, 2007. Fires are a common occurrence in most of the slums across the city. In this case, lack of accessible roads hampered the efforts of fire fighters, who arrived with water in a van."

By Stepehn Mudiari, Kenya





Intermission





15 alternatives for Marco Rubio’s water grab





Modern Gypsies: Bringing water to Gulaghuayco, Ecuador





You’ve never seen water like this [65 photos]












16

Commuter Train
"Passengers ride an overloaded commuter train at the Makadara station in Kenya's capital Nairobi, January 5, 2010. The larger than normal numbers was due to a strike by matatu (minibus) drivers and conductors on allegations of extortion and corruption by police."

By Thomas Mukoya, Kenya





17

Transport Systems
"Many African cities rely on complex networks of public buses and smaller private minibuses to get people to and from work each day. Nairobi is well known for its 60,000 yellow matatu minibuses, which race around carrying a third of the city's 830,000 public transport users."

By Catherine Wanjiru, Kenya





18

Launch of Measles Vaccine
"Two-year-old Doris Nyambura cries as she receives a dose of measles vaccination during the launching of a vaccination exercise in Rongai, Nairobi."

By Stephen Mudiari, Kenya





19

Last Resort
"Africa’s water resources are abundant, but owing to an absence of water storage and infrastructure, they are grossly underutilized, meaning that 345 million people don't have easy access to this life-giving resource."

By Kevin Ouma, Kenya





20

Survival
By Immanuel Afolabi, Nigeria





21

Water Hole
"Young girls draw water for domestic use from a shallow hole on the bed of the Kinunu River near the town of Kitui in Kenya."

By Stephen Mudiari, Kenya





22

Poverty Weighed in a Can
"Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest share of banked households in the world with 50% of the population living on $1.25 a day. 90% of African women work in the informal sector."

By Wanjohi Ndungu, Kenya





23

Free Primary Education
"Despite huge efforts by governments, families, and NGOs, approximately half of African children will reach their adult years unable to read, write, or perform basic numeracy tasks."

By Jack Owuor, Kenya





24

Maruge Kimani
"Kimani Maruge attends class at Kapkenduiywo Primary School in Langas, Eldoret, 300km west of the Kenyan capital Nairob. The classmates ten times his junior would be hard-pressed to match the enthusiasm of Maruge, 86, a peasant farmer and veteran of Kenya's 1950s anti-colonial Mau Mau revolt who now has the distinction of being the oldest pupil on the planet according to the Guinness Book of World Records."

By Thomas Mukoya, Kenya





25

Bible Study
"Because of its low cost and accessibility, radio is still the biggest media in Africa, and in some rural areas it plays a vital role in education."

By Kevin Amunze, Kenya





26

Feeding Program
"Malagasy children eat at the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) school feeding initiative at the Saint de Paul community centre, in Tanjombato, a southern suburb of the Madagascan capital Antananarivo, October 28, 2013. The WFP in collaboration with partners provide food assistance to poor children to support their access to education. The centre receives about 927 vulnerable children aged between 5 to 18 years old daily in the feeding programs of primary education, literacy tuition, scholastic adjustment, professional training, and craft activities where poverty is clear, as many parents earn around 2000 Madagascan Ariary ($1) a day."

By Thomas Mukoya, Kenya





27

The Hustle
"The Makoko slum stands on stilts in water near Lagos Island.
70% of Africans do not have access to sanitation systems, increasing the risk of death by preventable contagious disease by 48%."

By Stephen Oghuma, Nigeria





28

Koranic Classes in Dadaab
"Somali refugee girls attend Koran classes at the Liban integrated academy at the Ifo refugee camp in Dadaab, near the Kenya-Somalia border. Africa has more people aged under 20 than anywhere in the world, and the continent's population is set to double to two billion by 2050. The future of the continent lies in the hands of the youngest members of society—creating great challenges but also great potential."

By Thomas Mukoya, Kenya





29

Creative Minds
"Five-year-old boy Ken Kyalo wears glasses improvised from scrap wire during the laying of the foundation stone for a new building at the Heritage of Hope and Faith Children’s Rehabilitation Centre in Mlolongo on August 29th, 2009. Little Kyalo appears comfortable and attentive with his wire glasses, which he made during the event."

By Stephen Mudiari, Kenya





30

Staring Into The Future
By Deji Akinpelu, Nigeria

The post Africa’s most daunting challenges in 30 pictures appeared first on Matador Network.

The land that calls me back

Photo: moominsean

Repetition is soothing. Leaving can become habit. Breaking down your life, building it back up again, rearranging all of your pieces and parts. It’s an exclamation point in the middle of a sentence, starting over in the middle of everything. There is poetry in putting punctuation where it doesn’t belong.

There has never been anyone who could make me stay. I keep searching, but in my heart there is only blue sky. There is only the rust-colored belly of a robin hopping through the greyest winter, dragging spring at the edge of its wings.

The West makes my heart sing a song I have always longed to hear. My thirst for love is bottomless; my soul is a tide turning on itself. There will never be a person strong enough to hold me. But the continuity of countless generations is buried into this soil; the back bowls of these mountains are deep enough to carry me.

I am cautious and the land is constant. It changes too slowly for my senses to notice. My eyes find relief in following the same silhouettes of my youth. The same folding of the yellow hills along the Bay, the same spiked leaves of the Joshua tree, the same Horsetail Fall spilling over El Capitan.

I’ve already forgotten half of what I own, dog-eared boxes of belongings scattered across the globe. It has become so easy to let people go.

I went to a different school every year until the age of 11. When I was 16, we moved again. My parents were prepared to wait, but I had already become addicted to the possibility of place, to the idea that moving can change everything. I am unruffled by solitude, undaunted at being a stranger. I tried to feel homesick, to miss the people I left behind, but I felt only a gentle tug, only a vague dissatisfaction at the thought of standing still.

I will never belong to anyone the way I belong to place.

It was Jerusalem that pushed me home. The cracks and canyons of the Negev reminded me of the place I had left. My eyes rested into a familiar squint and all at once, I missed the hard blue horizon, the red dust, the buzzing, crooning, chirping of a hundred creatures I had grown accustomed to.

I moved back. I always thought it would be a person to call me back, someone whose eyes would catch mine and I would freeze in my tracks. But it was the song of the red-winged blackbird that brought me home.

I reach back and try to find someone to miss, someone to long for, someone to regret. But my heart is a blank slate. No one has left a permanent mark. There is only the wind, the mountains, the changing seasons, the way the land yields to the sun and the moon. I will never belong to anyone the way I belong to place. There will never be anything I love more than this.

“It is here that the romance of my life began,” wrote Teddy Roosevelt, referring to the rugged, windswept Dakota plains, to the land where he recovered his heart and shaped it again.

I have gotten over the color green, mourned the trickling Colorado River cutting its way limply across this hard and heavy land. I have found something I am afraid to lose.

It is the land and the land alone that knows how to love me back. The sight of the mountains softens my heart. The wind shaking the leaves puts my insecurities to rest. The sound of the dirt underfoot is enough.

I watch this land like a lover, memorizing all of its subtle changes, the way it shifts and sighs. The love of my life is this crumbling dirt, this wide open sky. I’ve lived by the rote repetition of packing and unpacking, of waiting for someone else to decide.

And now all I want is to stay, to watch every cloud, every blade of grass, to memorize the song this land sings, to examine the love story between people and place.

Because it is the land to which I surrender, it is the land that shapes the way I move, it is the land that calls me back.

The post The land that calls me back appeared first on Matador Network.

11 signs you're from California

Photo: Linda Tanner

1. You’ve never called it “Cali.”

The only people who call it “Cali” aren’t from California. It’s not that anyone has to tell you not to say it, people just don’t. I think it’s a respect thing. It feels almost like calling your mother by her first name. I’m cringing just thinking about it.

2. Burritos are a constant topic of conversation while abroad.

My Japanese friend was convinced that “you know Californians miss home when they start talking about burritos.” True enough, in-depth discussions about missing our burrito joints of choice would come up even more often than being apart from our families.

Burritos are a unifying part of the Californian experience — black, Asian, gay, poor, rich, or Ke$ha, you love a dank-ass burrito.

3. Other English speakers don’t understand your English.

Speaking of dank-ass food, we don’t speak the same English other Americans do. Sometimes phrases like, “How gnar was that shit?” or, “James was hella butthurt so he just bailed” do warrant translation.

4. You’ve asked someone, “Why do you live there?”

A pissed off Rhode Islander came up to me one afternoon. “God you Californians suck so bad!” I asked her why. “Whenever I say I’m from Rhode Island, they just ask me why. Like, why do I live somewhere that isn’t California.” I tried to sympathize, but honestly I have no idea why anyone would want to live in Rhode Island.

5. Living somewhere rainy makes you seriously depressed.

I was living in Taipei for a while, which despite being a super fun party town, has some of the suckiest weather outside of London. After months of grey weather I was bummed for no real reason until one day, in a quiet alleyway, the sun finally muscled its way through the clouds and onto my skin. I was immediately way happier.

Later, when my friends visited me, they expressed sincere concern about my state of being because I was no longer tan. We are a solar-powered people.

6. You’re the best fucking driver around.

People complain about Californian drivers like we suck or something. Quite the contrary! We have more practice than anybody at it, weaving through lanes and circumventing traffic with our eyes closed. Our skills can shave 20 minutes off a drive in traffic that would reduce lesser drivers into sobbing lumps of existential despair. And yeah, we know this is bad for the environment. We assuage our guilt with compost heaps and Priuses. Prii?

7. You act all tough whenever there’s an earthquake.

“Oh you think that was bad? You shoulda been there for Northridge, now that was a gnarly quake,” you tell those scared non-Californians after a little rumble. True, we have a lot more experience with earthquakes than most people, but they still scare us. Not that we’re going to admit it, though.

8. Snow kinda freaks you out.

Sure you go snowboarding in the winter, but snow is a pretty foreign concept off the slopes.

Last time I was in Brooklyn it was a particularly chilly December evening. I was walking out of the subway when the road looked kind of weird. “Dude, snow!” I said to the guy next to me. “Yeah, what about it?” he said. “Dude!” I said, at a lost for words. He shook his head and walked away.

9. You’ve got a special PCH playlist.

Driving Pacific Coast Highway is a special occasion. It’s usually a day when you’re not in a terrible rush slogging around on the 5, and you can really roll down the windows and enjoy the smell of the sea. What’s actually on the list is really personal, but you can never go wrong with the Beach Boys.

10. You have an incorrigible avocado habit.

In other parts of the country, avocados are an expensive luxury. I’ve seen New Yorkers cradling a sorry-looking avocado they just paid three dollars for. We just put avocados on everything because their creamy decadence makes all of our fresh food taste even better.

11. In-N-Out, dude.

I can’t write an article about California without any mention of what In-N-Out means to us. We have access to every variety of gourmet burger imaginable, from Kobe beef patties to buns make out of ramen, but all these weird permutations are only brief distractions from the pure burger bliss of In-N-Out.

It’s the perfect harmony of the fresh tomato and lettuce. It’s the lightly toasted bun. The thicker than Kim Kardashian milk shakes. That gross-but-satisfying post burger onion breath. In-N-Out doesn’t ever change it’s menu, because there is no improving on perfection. Any Californian who has ever left California for an extended period of time knows that coming in for a Double Double Animal Style is the only homecoming ceremony that means anything.

East Coast idiots might try to tell you that Shake Shack or Five Guys Burgers and Fries1 are comparable, even better, but their taste is suspect; they live on the wrong coast, after all.

1Sorry, but that place should definitely be a sausage joint. Just saying.

The post 11 signs you were born and raised in California appeared first on Matador Network.

46 mind-blowing aerial photos

Aerial photography is not particularly easy to do. For one thing, you’re generally going to be in a moving airplane with crappy windows, or you’re going to be in a choppy helicopter. Considering the cost of plane and helicopter fuel (if you have your own), this also makes waiting around for better lighting somewhat less of an option. So to get a good aerial shot, you need to plan to be in the sky at the right time, know how to avoid window reflection, and be able to take the photo at a quick enough shutter speed that the motion of the airplane doesn’t make the image blurry.

For these reasons, an incredible aerial shot is that much more impressive than an incredible shot taken on land. Naturally, one of the favorite subjects for aerial photography are famous places and landmarks, and, unsurprisingly, they can turn out pretty awesome.

1

Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring, Wyoming, USA
The Grand Prismatic Spring is one of Yellowstone’s most popular attractions. The color is caused by bacteria that grow around the edge of the hot spring.

(via)






2

Niagara Falls
Straddling the US-Canadian border, Niagara plunges over 165 vertical feet, which gives it the highest flow rate in the world.
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3

Central Park, New York City, USA
This picture perfectly demonstrates just how huge Central Park is, especially in such a densely packed city. Its real-estate value has been appraised at $528.7 billion dollars. Not that it ever will (or should) be sold.

(via)




See more like this: 75 places so colorful it's hard to believe they're real




4

Barcelona, Spain
My first thought looking at this was, “Holy crap, Barcelona is a well-planned city.”

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5

Bac Son Valley, Vietnam
A rural area in Vietnam's northeast, this lowland is a heavenly quilt of rice paddies.
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6

Marina Bay, Dubai
Another manmade concoction of the Dubai government, the marina will eventually host over 120,000 residents along its canals.
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7

Na Pali Coast, Kauai, Hawaii, USA
The Na Pali Coast is on the oldest inhabited Hawaiian Island, Kauai.

(via)






8

Paris, France
My guess is you could take hundreds of incredible aerial photographs of Paris, but I love this one for showing just how thick of a vein the Champs-Élysées cuts through the city.

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9

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Gorgeous Rio will be in the news a lot in the coming two years: This year, it’s hosting the World Cup, and in 2016, it’s hosting the Summer Olympics.

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Intermission





Abandoned train and subway stations of the world [PICs]





12 looks at the modern skyline of Dubai





48 epic dream hotels to visit before you die












10

Seattle, Washington, USA
An absolutely incredible shot of Seattle, clouds and all.

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11

The Bungle Bungles, Purnululu National Park, Australia
The Bungle Bungles are made up of sedimentary rock and have been slowly formed over the last 350 million years.

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12

Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver is consistently called one of the most livable cities in the world, and this picture shows at least some of the reasons why.

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13

Yankee Stadium, New York City, USA
I hate the Yankees, and I hope he chokes on that throw, but, God, this is an awesome picture.

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14

The “Tree of Life,” Tsavo National Park, Kenya
This acacia tree is situated in Kenya’s Tsavo National Park. The lines leading to and from it are likely paths beaten by animals seeking its shade or food from its leaves.

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15

Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia
Sydney’s most famous beach, Bondi Beach, was the location of the 2000 Summer Olympics Volleyball Championships.

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Intermission





18 amazing glass floor experiences [pics]





How to: Start an art collection





30 of the world’s most beautiful bridges [PICs]












16

Bern, Switzerland
This is a shot of Bern’s Old City, within Switzerland’s capital.

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17

Roman Colosseum, Italy
Now here's a scene you don't see every day—the Colosseum from above while under a blanket of snow.
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18

San Francisco, CA
Neat and tidy rows upon rows of pricey homes.
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19

Mount Everest
A majestic swirl of glaciers and snowfields surrounds the world's highest peak.
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20

Longleat Maze, England
Redefining the term "English garden," the complexity of Longleat Maze can only be fully appreciated from above.
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21

London, England (The City)
London's financial district is all aglow, featuring "the Gherkin" building.
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22

Golden Gate Bridge, California
The Golden Gate Bridge and fog—two enduring San Francisco institutions.
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23

Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Ahhh, translucent turquoise water and perfect symmetry.
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24

Amazon River
This is just a slice of the second (or first, depending on who you ask) longest river in the world.
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25

The Pyramids at Giza, Egypt
One thing you never quite get a sense of by looking at people’s pictures of the Pyramids is just how close the city of Cairo presses up around them. If you look at the center left of the picture—right beneath the meandering road that leads into the Pyramids, you can see the Great Sphinx, too.

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26

Turin, Italy
Set in the Alps, Turin remains one of Italy’s most beautiful cities—and that’s a list with a lot of competition.

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27

Maelifell Volcano, Iceland
The Maelifell Volcano sits at the edge of the Mýrdalsjökull Glacier in southern Iceland.

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28

Shanghai, China
Shanghai is the world’s largest city proper with 24 million people. You can see why. Another note: Though this picture looks a bit old, you’ll notice the Shanghai World Financial Center among the towers in the Pudong skyline (it looks like a can opener). This means the picture was taken no earlier than 2008. The picture looks old because of smog.

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29

Grand Canyon, Arizona
A fresh perspective on the much-photographed chasm.
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30

Mexico City, Mexico
Another incredible picture of urban sprawl: Mexico City is the Western Hemisphere’s largest metropolitan area, stretching out over 573 square miles.

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31

Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Yes, those islands are fake, and yes, that one archipelago is designed to look like the globe.

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32

Mogadishu, Somalia
The Somali civil war that’s been centered in Mogadishu is now in its third decade.

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33

Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana
A wild shot, but the wildest thing is there are people living on those tiny strands of land!
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34

Moscow, Russia
Hey guys, do you think it’s cold in Moscow?

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35

Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The world's largest living organism sprawls beneath shallow waters.
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36

Vatican City
The tiny city-state in the heart of Rome stretches over only 110 acres and is home to only 839 people. It’s also worth about $15 billion.

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37

Rice terraces, China
These ancient, man-made rice terraces are fairly common throughout Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam, China, and the Philippines.

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38

Sydney, Australia
The fish-eye effect should be used more frequently for aerial photos. Also, I should spend more time in Sydney.

(via)






39

Male, Maldives
Even if we have just a modest rise in ocean level, we can expect most of the Maldives to end up underwater. To highlight the threat to his country by global warming, the President of the Maldives once held a cabinet meeting underwater.

(via)






40

Tulip fields, Spoorbuurt, Holland
The famously photogenic tulip fields in Holland are still incredibly photogenic from above.

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41

The Acropolis of Athens, Greece
The Acropolis in Athens dates back to the 5th century BC. It was initially situated on the edge of the town of Athens.

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42

Chicago, USA
Chicago’s skyline looks like the spine of a dragon on the edge of Lake Michigan. And keep in mind, the black tower to the right, the Willis Tower, is the eighth-tallest building in the world.

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43

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
One of Vietnam’s most popular (and beautiful) tourist destinations, Ha Long Bay has been inhabited by humans for at least 18,000 years.

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44

Amsterdam, The Netherlands
This picture is of the canals within the Singelgracht. They were built in the 17th century, and they're a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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45

Cape Town, South Africa
I would be shocked to find out there’s ever been a picture taken of Cape Town that wasn’t beautiful. You can see the famous Table Mountain in the background.

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46

Venice, Italy
The entire city of Venice is named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to the fact that it’s absolutely stunning and, you know, has canals instead of roads.

(via)

The post 46 incredible aerial shots of famous places appeared first on Matador Network.

Mapped: Tipping around the world

TIPPING IS A SENSITIVE SUBJECT, and some travelers dread the first confusing post-meal moment in a new place when they realize they don’t know the local custom. Am I expected to tip here? Do I have to use cash? How much is appropriate? If I get it wrong, will I be welcome here tomorrow?

Some countries have no tipping culture for locals, but expect visitors in big cities to leave something extra. Some countries have mandatory service charges as an item on the bill, and nothing extra is expected. In other places, the service charge is not enough.

Some tourists go American-syle and leave big tips wherever they go, but others want to be more sensitive to local customs. The map above has general guidelines for big cities in 59 countries all over the world. Use this information as a guide. Before your next trip, check here and then learn the word for “tip” in the local language, find out what a service charge looks like on a bill to make sure you don’t tip twice, and research differences in gratuities in cities vs. small towns. In Eastern Europe, for example, tipping is becoming more common in big tourist destinations, but in a lot of smaller towns it’s unheard of.

I moved to Japan two years ago and it took me a long time to figure out how to have a pizza delivered. Several months. When I finally went for it, nothing was more awkward than the confused deliveryman pushing my change back to me after I tried to give it to him. In Japan, except in very specific circumstances, there is no tipping.

In the map above, which focuses only on restaurants, I’ve separated countries into three categories: countries where some tip is expected, countries where no tip is expected, and countries where a tip is often already included on the bill. Keep in mind that for places where a tip is already on the bill, or no tip is expected, it’s still common for people to round up to a whole number instead of asking for exact change, and in most places even if a tip is not expected, it’s appreciated and not offensive if someone does something special for you.

Mouse over each country for more specific information, and please leave your tipping insights in the comments below.

Sources used:

http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/what-to-tip-your-waiter-almost-everywhere-in-the-world/

http://culinarytravel.about.com/od/planningculinarytravel/a/Tipping_Guide_Worldwide.htm

https://www.mint.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/110302-MINT-TIPSa.png

http://www.whototip.net

http://www.cntraveler.com/travel-tips/travel-etiquette/2008/12/Etiquette-101-Tipping-Guide

The post Mapped: Tipping customs around the world appeared first on Matador Network.

30 stunning images of Scotland

IF YOU’VE NEVER LOOKED AT a topographical map of Scotland, I’d encourage you to do so now. The northern third of the island of Great Britain is one unique place, covered in glacially carved mountain chains and freshwater lakes, cut by sea inlets, and claiming almost 800 islands in its territory. When it came time to source photography for this post, my only problem was deciding which ones to cut to get down to 30 — it’s a beautiful country.

And long with that natural beauty, you have the Scots themselves. Few peoples have been as successful at exporting their cultural emblems around the world — could you name, for instance, an article of clothing or musical instrument that screams “Austria!” with the same volume as the kilt and bagpipe do for Scotland?

With thousands of years of history and a cultural scene on par with any other modern European nation, Scotland is definitely high up on my travel list. Here’s some of what I’m looking forward to seeing when I go.

This post is sponsored by Visit Scotland.

1

Glencoe Lochan
A Canadian couple purchased the Glencoe Estate, in the Scottish Highlands, in 1895. To ease their homesickness, they planted this tract of forest with species native to Northwestern Canada.

Photo: Jonathan Combe





2

The Great Highland Bagpipe
Scots have been blowing on their distinctive version of this instrument since at least 1400. You couldn't find a more iconic image of Scotland than this.

Photo: mike138





3

Evening light in Ayr
The town of Ayr sits on the coast of southwestern Scotland and is named for the river that meets the sea here.

Photo: Graeme Law




More on Scotland: Green guide to Edinburgh




4

Eilean Donan Castle
The island of Eilean Donan lies at the convergence of three Highland lochs. Its castle is one of Scotland's best known and was originally constructed in the 1200s.

Photo: KENNETH BARKER





5

Ben Nevis
A hiker on the trail up Ben Nevis, the British Isles' tallest mountain at 1,344m (4,409ft). In winter, its cliffs provide some of the UK's premier ice climbing routes.

Photo: Richard P J Lambert





6

Buachaille Etive Mòr
Commonly referred to as "the Beuckle," this pyramidal peak just off the A82 in the Highlands is popular with climbers and photographers.

Photo: Graeme Law





7

The Red Highland
Highland cattle were bred to withstand the cold and wet of the region they inhabit. There's a black variety as well as the red.

Photo: Richard P J Lambert





8

Moffat Water Valley
The Highlands aren't the only part of Scotland where you'll find elevation. This valley in the Southern Uplands is home to the 60m (200ft) Grey Mare's Tail Waterfall.

Photo: Jonathan Combe





9

Inveraray Castle
The Georgian Mansion that is Inveraray Castle was constructed over 40 years, beginning in 1744. It sits among the mountains and long ocean inlets of Argyll and Bute.

Photo: Matt Smith




More on Scotland: 5 live music venues in Glasgow




10

Modern Glasgow
Of course, Scotland isn't all green mountains and castles. Glasgow is its largest city and the fourth largest in the UK as a whole. The Clyde Arc, pictured above, is the modern product of a settlement that was originally founded due to its location on the River Clyde.

Photo: Fiona McAllister





11

Callanish Stones
From modern metropolis to prehistory: The Callanish stones on the Isle of Lewis date to 2900-2600 BC and mark the site of an ancient tomb.

Photo: Andrew Bennett





12

Glenfinnan Viaduct
This rail bridge was built in the late 1800s out of pure concrete and comprises 21 arches across its span. It's still used by passenger trains today.

Photo: mendhak





13

Neist Point Lighthouse
The Neist Point light on the Isle of Skye has been in operation since 1909.

Photo: Grégory Tonon





14

The Storr
More scenery from the Isle of Skye. The Storr is a steep rock hill that gives good views down to the Sound of Raasay and is a popular dayhike destination.

Photo: Moyan Brenn





15

St Cuthbert's graveyard, Edinburgh
Just below the promontory on which Edinburgh Castle is built, this churchyard contains graves dating back to the early 1600s and is a quiet spot in the center of modern Edinburgh.

Photo: Alan Weir




More on Scotland: Surfing amongst the Scottish elements




16

River Affric
This highland river runs between Loch Affric and Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin, just 15 miles west of Loch Ness. Downstream from this shot, it drops through a narrow gorge to form Dog Falls.

Photo: Dan Cook





17

Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art
In Edinburgh, this museum holds the national modern collection, including pieces by the likes of Matisse, Picasso, and Warhol.

Photo: Richard P J Lambert





18

Scottish red deer
Scotland is home to indigenous populations of this large deer species, which served as prime hunting prey among the Picts during the medieval period.

Photo: mike138





19

Northern sunrise
The landscape can get pretty spare (and beautiful) up in the far north of Scotland. This shot was taken on the road to Ullapool.

Photo: Paul Hart





20

Edinburgh
A great look at the stately architecture of Scotland's capital city.

Photo: Shadowgate





21

Loch Leven
This sea loch in western Scotland terminates at the village of Kinlochleven, seen above at the far left.

Photo: mendhak





22

Winter sunrise over Dornoch Firth
A "firth" is an inlet or small bay—this one lies on the east coast north of Inverness. The photographer notes that this sunrise photo was captured at the comfortable hour of 9am.

Photo: John Haslam





23

Flat 0/1
Like any other major European city, Glasgow hosts some impressive music festivals throughout the year, in addition to having a killer club scene on the regular. This shot is from a venue called Flat 0/1.

Photo: Ralph Thompson





24

Bass Rock
The volcanically formed Bass Rock sits offshore of southeastern Scotland in the Firth of Forth. Its 100m steep cliffs give it an awesome prominence rising from the sea.

Photo: Phillip Capper





25

Irvine Dragon Stone
On the Ayrshire Coastal Path, above the beach at Irvine, you'll find this creation.

Photo: mike138





26

Inverness
This city of 72,000 serves as the central hub of the Scottish Highlands. If you're going north, you're more than likely going here.

Photo: mendhak





27

Jura
Looking across to the coast of Jura, an island in the Inner Hebrides, adjacent to the larger and more populated Islay.

Photo: dun_deagh





28

Castle Stalker
This four-story keep is roughly accessible by land at low tide—at all other times, it's surrounded by water. You might recognize it from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It's located halfway between Oban and Glencoe.

Photo: mike138





29

Kinghorn tide
The harbor at Kinghorn, a small town on the east coast. Though not necessarily at this beach, Scotland is recognized as a legit cold-water surf destination.

Photo: KENNETH BARKER





30

Scotland
A good image to leave on—if I had to conjure an image of Scotland in my mind, it might be this one.

Photo: Lauren Treece

The post 30 images of Scotland we can’t stop looking at appeared first on Matador Network.

8 signs you’ve lost your sense of adventure

Photo: alongfortheride.♥

You may have lived on a communal farm in the Prairies in the early ’80s. You may have spent one year traveling around in your Volkswagen van with your girlfriend when you were 20. But if you recognize yourself among the following traits, the hard truth is you’ve become a boring domestic creature.

1. Hotel rooms make you squeamish.

Let’s face it: North American hotels are disgusting. You can’t just put your bag on the carpeted floor; you might bring home a colony of those horrible bedbugs everybody’s talking about. As a rule of thumb, you always bring a bottle of disinfectant with you to give the bathroom a good wipe — you never know what the previous guests might have left in the tub or on the tap, and you wouldn’t want to catch someone’s germs. Yuck!

2. A trip to Costco is the excitement of the month.

You work eight hours a day, five days a week, so when the opportunity to go for a weekend trip to the next big city and go shopping at Costco presents itself, you can barely sleep with excitement. You can’t contain the thoughts of the cheap bulk oats and the delicious chemical-filled Cheezies you’re going to fill your car with.

3. You believe the rest of the world is weird, disgusting, and dangerous.

This is an extract from a conversation I witnessed — no joke:

“I can tell you that we’re pretty lucky here in Canada. Everything is so modern and clean. When John and I went to Egypt, we were grossed out by all the dust and grime on those old buildings (pyramids?).”

Yeah, Europeans are dirtbags, Asians eat dogs, South America belongs to ruthless drug cartels, and all of Africa is a powder keg. Let’s just stay home, honey.

4. You’re always too busy for excitement.

Guess what? So is everyone else. We all have the same (small) amount of free time on our hands, but some of us are choosing to make good use of it.

5. You’re obsessed with the weather.

Don’t get confused here — this obsession with rain and wind has nothing to do with the possibility of going for a hike, sailing, or anything of that sort. It’s only laundry related. If it rains, it’ll screw up your weekend drying routine, but if it’s windy, boy oh boy, those clothes are going to dry so fast you’ll probably set a Guinness World Record for number of loads completed in 48 hours.

6. You make plans for the future.

You talk about your retirement every freaking day God makes. You worry about your financial investments, you explain in great length what you’ll do when you finally stop working (mostly sunbathing), and you’re looking into buying a $60,000 RV (so you won’t have to stay in gross hotels). Well, I’m sorry to say, but you’ve got it all wrong. Nobody knows what tomorrow is made of, so if I were you, I’d have fun right here, right now.

7. You seek exoticism in the wrong places.

The local co-op isn’t usually a hotbed of excitement, but it is for you. That passion fruit you purchased for $1.99 apiece is the most adventurous culinary experiment you’ve had in the past 10 years.

8. You say you’d like to see the world.

Unfortunately, there’s quite a wide gap between saying and doing. You spend hours on the internet looking at pictures of beautiful foreign places, but you never actually do anything to get there. That’s called procrastinating, and that’s a very dangerous thing to be doing.

Traveling to new places can be scary because it takes you out of your comfort zone (in this case, your home). But remember that you can see the world. You’re just as able as anybody else to do so. All you need is to book a flight, or jump in your car, or hop on a train and start exploring.

The post 8 signs you’ve lost your sense of adventure appeared first on Matador Network.

The 360° bike cam is awesome

There are a lot of awesome things you can do with a GoPro camera, but I think this one takes the cake. Jonas Ginter, a photographer based in Bremen, Germany, used a 3D printer to create a camera mount that could hold six GoPro cameras. The resulting panoramic effect is super trippy — it looks like Ginter is riding his bike around on a very tiny planet. He gets even more credit for making the mount totally invisible to the viewer — the only hint you get of its existence is its shadow on the ground while he’s on the bike.

You can check out his photos of the mount on his personal blog, and get an explanation of his whole process (as long as you speak German).

The post The 360° bike cam is trippy and awesome appeared first on Matador Network.

Shocking maps on population density

Images: author

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTED in the distribution of the human population across the globe. It’s far from an even spread; the map above shows where people are most squished in (dark colors) and where they’re spread out (light colors).

And the East Asian countries in particular are so jam-packed with people that there’s this insane fact:

(Parts of Malaysia and Indonesia have been intentionally left out — without them, the red regions still contain more than 50.2% of the world’s population.)

To gain perspective on just how differently people are living on this planet, I looked up the average population density of a particular city, state, or country and imagined all humans living at that density. Or, put another way, how many square miles would be needed to fit all 7,103,900,000 members of the human race if all of us were living at the exact density of various places in the world.

Here are some of the findings:

(Aside: If all the habitable land on Earth were as densely populated as Manhattan, you could fit 1.73 trillion people on the planet. Let’s not do that.)

This post was originally published at Wait but Why and is reprinted here with permission. Wait But Why posts every Tuesday. To receive Wait But Why posts via email, click here. 

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The post 13 maps that will change the way you think about population density appeared first on Matador Network.

Awesome octopus video

BECAUSE WE ONLY get to interact with a fraction of the animal kingdom on a daily basis, creatures like the octopus often come off as very unassuming, unobtrusive invertebrates. This video however, narrated by the hilarious Ze Frank of Buzzfeed, provides viewers with a look at how badass octopuses actually are.

If his butt hole theory is correct, it definitely proves why humans are really lame by comparison.

The post Clams are stupid, according to this hilarious video about Octopuses appeared first on Matador Network.