The Radar: Travel Lately

The Radar – the best of the travel blogosphere – is a regular feature on Intelligent Travel every Wednesday.

 

Here’s this week’s: 

• Myanmar is getting lots of ink this week, with private newspapers returning after a 50-year absence. But for travelers eager to see a real slice of life in Yangon as the once-isolated country continues to open up to the outside world, a ride on the circular railway is a good way to go. @MatadorNetwork
• Welcome to San Antonio, where a can-do spirit pervades all the city has to offer. From world-class Tex-Mex eats to a bohemian arts district, this Texas town (okay, it’s the fifth largest city in the U.S.) has a come a long way since Davy Crockett made his last stand. @BohemianTrails
• Sydney. Melbourne. Brisbane. Cairns? In a vast country dotted with must-see cities, this northern metropolis may not be top-of-list. But for nature lovers seeking nirvana, the “Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef” is more than worthy of an extended stay. @FourJandals 
• If it’s as fun to say as it is to discover, Jo’burg — what one blogger describes as “Cape Town’s cooler younger brother in terms of creativity” — could be just the ticket for travelers looking to push the artistic envelope. Find out what’s so special about  Johannesburg. @we_heart
• In the not-so-distant past, the Balkans were almost synonymous with socio-political strife, with Albania cast as the “North Korea of Europe.” See how the once-tense border region separating Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro is fast becoming an “it” destination. @nytimestravel

The Radar: Travel Lately Albania , Australia , Balkans , Bohemian Trails , Burma , Cairns , Four Jandals , Great Barrier Reef , Johannesburg , Kosovo , Matador Network , Montenegro , Myanmar , New York Times Travel , ngtradar , San Antonio , South Africa , Texas , The Radar , We Heart , Yangon

The Radar: Travel Lately

The Radar – the best of the travel blogosphere – is a regular feature on Intelligent Travel every Wednesday.

Here’s this week’s:

• Turkey links the East and the West — and its landscapes are just as unique. Read on as one blogger finds subterranean surprises in the smack-dab center of this cultural olio. @YoungAdventures
• Modern travelers may take to the air to see the globe, but some of the world’s wonders are still best seen by way of water. From Idaho rapids to a remote corner of Fiji, here are 21 places to get your feet wet. @MatadorNetwork
• Vilnius may be Lithuania’s capital and largest city, but Kaunas has its own contributions to make. Find out what makes this Baltic city tick (and don’t forget your umbrella!). @EuropeUpClose
• What do you get when you pair an iconic car with the Mexican backcountry? The Traveling Beetle – a series of all-inclusive road trips that one traveler calls “a vintage dream.” @Butterflydiary
• The elephant may be Thailand’s national animal, but that doesn’t mean they’re treated with universal respect. Pay homage to the mammoth mammals at the Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai. @WanderlandAlex

 

The Radar: Travel Lately Alex in Wanderland , Butterfly Diary , Cappadocia , Chiang Mai , Europe Up Close , Kaunas , Lithuania , Matador Network , Mexico , ngtradar , thailand , The Radar , The Traveling Beetle , turkey , Young Adventures

Burning the Devil in Guatemala

By Kate Newman
A young man steadies a piñata shaped like the devil on the ground before him. The smug-faced demon is about three feet tall, with spiky red horns, a black tissue-paper goatee, and a small pitchfork in his hand.
He scatters branches and newspaper around the devil’s black boots and snakes a long chain of firecrackers around his chubby waist as the countdown begins. Diez, nueve, ocho….
He dashes inside, returning seconds later with his wife and children, then bends to light a match as the neighborhood chorus reaches uno. The firecrackers pop wildly, making the hollow piñata convulse. The family cheers as the devil keels over and continues to burn. 

Vendors selling pinatas shaped like devils. (Photograph by Javier Aroche, Flickr)

Every December 7 at 6:00 p.m. sharp, Guatemalans “burn the devil,” building bonfires outside their homes to mark the occasion. The tradition has special significance in Guatemala City because of its association with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception which honors the city’s patron saint.
But where did the tradition come from, and how is it changing?
Guate is Burning
According to Celso Lara, an expert on Guatemalan popular culture, the origins of la quema del diablo can be traced to colonial times when it was commonplace for people to light lanterns or, for those with lesser means, bonfires outside their homes to celebrate special occasions.
At the Santo Domingo monastery in Antigua, it became an annual tradition to burn a figure of the devil and light firecrackers on the Day of the Rosary in late October. As local priests began to put more emphasis on the Virgin’s triumph over evil, the celebration was pushed back to December to coincide with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
Many believed that the devil lurked in the home, crouching behind furniture, tucked under the bed, or concealed in piles of rubbish. To cleanse their homes of evil on the night before the feast, Guatemalans would burn their trash on the eve of the feast.
The addition of devil piñatas has been more recent.
In Zone 1, the historic city center, vendors walk the streets selling devil horns and firecrackers as revelers (many of whom are dressed as devils themselves) make their way along Sexta Avenida, stopping on side streets to add scraps of paper to bonfires as they pass. Many continue on to Central Park, with its baroque cathedral and imposing National Palace, to watch fireworks explode against the smoky night sky.
The Devil’s in the Details

A man looks on as the blaze continues. (Photograph by Byron Mármol)

While the celebration may sound fun, it has come under attack from environmental groups. In the past, mostly paper products were burned in the cleansing ritual, but now, garbage is more likely to consist of plastic and rubber. According to Yuri Melini, who heads up an environmental law group in Guatemala, that shift has made all the difference.
“It’s one thing to burn materials like branches, straw, leaves, even a little cardboard devil,” Melini says. “It’s something else entirely to burn plastics, mattresses, styrofoam, things that produce dioxins, which are highly toxic and can lead to cancer.”
With an estimated 500,000 bonfires blazing over the course of an hour in the capital city alone, the effects on the environment are troubling.
The Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources released a widely publicized statement in 2008 warning that one hour of bonfires containing rubber and plastic is equivalent to the carbon dioxide produced by a million and a half cars in circulation at the same time.
While some argue that there is no sense in preserving la quema in light of its harmful effects, the tradition is unlikely to disappear any time soon. Attempts by government to limit — or even ban – the practice have been roundly ignored.
“It’s a very special day because it marks the official start of the Christmas season,” says Miguel Alfredo Álvarez, a historian specializing in Guatemala City. “Families come together after the burning to eat buñuelos, traditional donuts, and drink warm fruit punch.”
Even dedicated environmentalists like Melini oppose outright prohibition. “It’s worth preserving this tradition, fostering it, and improving upon it, because it’s part of the social imaginary,” he says. “But we can do so in a sustainable way, by burning the piñatas instead of other trash.” There’s no sense, he argues, in “stigmatizing, criminalizing, or satanizing la quema del diablo.”
Whether to honor the Virgin, celebrate the triumph of good over evil, or for the sheer fun that comes with piñatas and bonfires, Guatemalans will no doubt be burning the devil for many years to come.
– Burning the Devil in Guatemala

The Radar: Travel Lately

The Radar — the best of the travel blogosphere— is a regular feature on Intelligent Travel every Wednesday.
 
Here’s this week’s:

South Beach is great, but if you’re looking to get away from the sun, the sand, and the crowds – you haven’t come to the wrong place. Here’s how to see a different side of Miami. [Budget Travel Adventures] @budgettravelsac
Traveler shared eight personal essays on the power of place in our latest issue. Here’s another powerful story of one son’s 700-mile quest for his mother’s roots in Ireland. [NY Times Travel] @nytimestravel
Peru promises so many exciting travel opportunities — ancient ruins, lush beaches – that its cities often get overlooked. Annie Fitzsimmons shares tips on how to make the most of Lima. [Annie Fitzsimmons] @anniefitz
If you love the water (and adventure), think about visiting Palau. This group of 200 islands 500 miles from the Philippines has everything from jellyfish swimming to night diving. [Matador Network] @MatadorNetwork
Jill Fergus wanted to immerse herself in nature in Norway — the fjords, the mountains, the quaint coastal villages. See the quiet, rugged beauty of this Scandinavian treasure through her eyes. [Huffington Post] @FergusJill
– The Radar: Travel Lately