Travel Must-Do's/NMC 302 post #1

My mind is constantly in the place I could go next, I feel it important to make a durable list of international locations that I am obligated to make my way to within the next ten years (a bold mission I realize.) Places on here have either always been on my list for no apparent reason or have recently been added due to the New York Times news agenda or Travel + Liesure's feature spreads on must-see luxury resorts (oh don't act like a Thai spa treatment doesn't sound attractive to you, liar.) Let's get started on just a few, in no particular order:

Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Like I said, the news agenda plays a pretty critical role in my process of choosing destinations. There's enough tragic publicity daily on this place to bring me to tears, and it has actually, but I can't help but be inspired by the recent turn of events:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/12/world/africa/12ivory.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=abidjan&st=cse
In this story from last week, we can see that a change has finally come. Gbagbo is gone. Though the effects of his time in power may continue on for some years, the first step has been taken (unless you count the opposition's initial decision to fight as the first step) and now the country can get back on it's feet- economically and politically. The article also stated the involvement of foreign military groups (like France) as aid for the opposition. Information presented in the article was presented in a way commonly used by the new York Times: quotes from big men involved (including Gbagbo and a commander in the French military) sprinkled throughout but it gets to the point immediately. The arrest of Mr. Gbagbo can probably be considered the climax of the story of unrest in the Ivory Coast and the NY Times wasted no times in telling readers exactly what they needed to know in a situation like this. The ultimate message being conveyed in this story is one that I not only agree with, but also an underlying cause to why visiting the Ivory Coast is on my to-do list. The message is that now that Gbagbo is gone, the country can move on.

For weeks we've been reading about political disaster and internal war, but what we are seeing now are stories of hope. These people, pardon my making assumptions based on what I've read and not directly seen, are the kind that won't let a power-hungry man maintain authority if he doesn't deserve it. Out with the old (Gbagbo: The Mr. Undeserving) and in with the new (Ouattara: the rightful election winner.) I like it. I must meet these people: the very same people the UN predicts will make an immediate come-back and swift economic recovery because they refused to let a cheater get his way.

I can only imagine the cries of happiness that resounded after the arrest.
The following is an article by Voice of America news about the forecasted economic recovery under Ouattara:
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/UN-Expects-Swift-Economic-Recovery-in-Ivory-Coast-119858994.html

Let's hope the UN knows what it's talking about.


Dublin, Ireland. This whole thing stems from my father informing me my family roots are somewhere in the British Isles about seven years ago. Who knows if it's true; I don't come from a particularly heritage-informed family. Even then, though, I made the decision to go see "where I come from" (an obvious excuse to go some place new- as if someone needs an excuse) and experience the compassionate and fun-loving culture that is the Irish. As I have no personal experience on which to base my cultural understanding of this region (my family and I went to London five years ago and that's the closest I've come) I am making some pretty profound assumptions. Regardless of whether or not I am right or wrong, I must go see Dublin: famous for it's coffee-drinking, seven-hours-a-conversation intelectuals, cobble-stone streets and lively pubs. These are the basics I know from articles and books: *Dublin likes to drink.

I'll admit, I got this idea from movies mostly ("P.S. I Love You" played a big part and I'm not ashamed to say it. Okay, maybe a little), but every Dublin travel article I've ever read swears by the pubs and breweries so I'm following suit. Of the the dozens to choose from, there's the world-famous Guiness Storehouse, which was built in 1908 and almost single-handedly ran the economy for hundreds of years. Excuse my frankness, but any city that maintains financial stability through beer must be a light-hearted bunch. *Dublin likes to read.

Sounds dumb, right? What city with any internationally-known university like Trinity wouldn't enjoy a good read? What Dublin has, though, is different. The Archbishop March's Library was built upon a simple cornerstone concept: everyone should have access to books: books on medicine, navigation, math, travel, classic literature and music. From what I've heard, the city continued this theology and has since developed just a few more public libraries.

*Dublin likes to talk.

Well who wouldn't with that accent. A friend of mine once told me about her study abroad experience in Dublin. Her descriptions of the locals were mesmerizing: that they were the friendliest, most hospitable, genuine people she'd ever come across. Not to mention they have plenty to talk about given the availability of higher education, the success of local artists, musicians and restaurants.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

This has been a growing priority since my freshman year in college. I watched a documentary in my anthropology class about the autrocities of the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot's regime, and just like any other naive girl, I suddenly had to go. I guess I am still naive, because the urge has only heightened since then. Not to mention I am becoming good friends with a lovely lady at my church who spent three years as a missionary in Phnom Penh (and of course remains in contact with people who are still there- guest rooms perhaps?) If there is any spirit or happiness left in these people after that devastating history, I will be in awe. I do have experience in Southeast Asia, and from what I have seen with my own eyes, Southeast Asians are a beautiful and lovely kind with smiles from one ear to the other. What I want to see when I go (not if; when) is a bright smile on a Cambodian citizen: proof that a selfish and blood-thirsty dictator does not have power over a nation's people once he is gone. People bounce back, and Cambodians can smile after millions of their own are brutally killed, displaced and weakened.

This is a New York Times story from April 7th on continued repression and adversity in Cambodia: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/08/world/asia/08cambodia.html?ref=cambodia

“Over the past 20 years, the development of civil society has been one of Cambodia’s few enduring achievements,” he said. “This law threatens to reverse that progress.”

In the early 1990s, Cambodia emerged from two decades of civil war and mass killings by the Khmer Rouge, which left the country brutalized, without an educated class or civic institutions."

I wish this country's human rights would for once become the government's main priority, but even if it doesn't I think the people can still be found smiling.

*photos used from various travel websites and news sources.