Wanderlusting - Political

Salar de Uyuni vs. Global Lithium Needs

greg — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:58:47 +0000

The Salar De Uyuni, one of our favorite parts of our 2008 trip in Bolivia, is now at risk of serious changes. It seems that 70% of the world's known reserves of lithium which is of course an important element for all of the lithium-ion batteries in the cellphones, ipods, cameras, and laptops that people take on their trips to the salt flats to document their trip.

We've posted a ton of photos of our trip to the Salar De Uyuni, here are some of the best. I post these at the request of the site Save the Salar who are also on twitter. They want the world to know about the beauty of the salar and the risks it faces.

Slum Tourism in the Developing World

Nikki — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:45:22 +0000

One of the new trends in travel is tours of the ghettos and slums to get an idea of how large portions of the developing world really live. There were several tours offered in Time Out Buenos Aires to visit the villas de miseria or more politically correctly: villas de emergencia in the outskirts of town.

Solo Damas: Women only subway cars in DF, Mexico

Nikki — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:18:13 +0000

How to not get groped on the Mexico City Subway: Women Only cars

Mexico City authorities have taken the measure of offering only women and children cars on the city subway during peak hours of its use. During rush hour, this barrier is in place while several police monitor entry to the cars. Why? Because so many women were tired of being groped and worse on the city subway.

Men (and me) in Mexico

Brook — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 17:33:58 +0000

I went for a run today, and then went to the grocery store after the park. While I was walking home from the grocery store, carrying my groceries, I got cat-called 3 or 4 times. I was wearing head phones so I didn't know what they were saying but I could see them. Usually In a walk to of from somewhere I will get one on average, and delivery trucks with two men in them are almost a guarantee-- maybe because they aren't in their own car, they are bored, and they have a buddy to back them up so they feel more bold. This time it was two grocery store employees together, two pairs in delivery trucks, and then the one that inspired me to write this post.

White Secret

Brook — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:44:29 +0000

A commercial for a skin-whitening lotion called White Secret has inspired some musings about race and skin color in Mexico. A few thoughts.

Money into power

Brook — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 23:16:53 +0000

Hello again, from the biggest city in the world!* A few weekends ago, I went to a very fresa bar with some of my lawyer friends here (young feminist lawyers from the organization I work for). Fresa, in Mexico, means rich, snooty, haughty, etc. Literally, it means strawberry, and it is used to describe the upscale young people of which there are multitude in Mexico City. First clue: you have to buy a bottle to sit a table, and bottles were around US$130. WHAT!? Bottles of alcohols like Bacardi and Absolut cost about US$15 in the grocery stores here.

Argentine Inflation - At Least It's Not Zimbabwe

greg — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:29:26 +0000

There's been quite a storm of discussion lately about inflation in Argentina. My understanding is that at the beginning of the year the government agency that was in charge of calculating inflation came out with some numbers that were relatively high. That upset the president (Nestor Kirchner) and apparently there was an argument which resulted, more or less, in the president insisting that future inflation reports should be more in line with his perceptions (i.e. lower and also completely invalid). I should note that Argentines tend to love conspiracies and are often quite critical of their government, so this version of the inflation story may not be completely accurate.

Memoirs of a Geisha

HeatherFife — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 08:21:42 +0000

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How the Other Half Live: Los ricos en San Salvador

Nikki — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 22:13:50 +0000

Today we spent inadvertently observing how San Salvador's rich live. Our guide mentioned that many travelers to El Salvador are surprised by San Salvador's glitzy side and I'd have to say I'm one of them. Yesterday we spent a short time transferring busses in Guatemala City--a capital that I'm sure has its bright spots, but one that seems to me like a small piece of hell. When we originally arrived in San Salvador at the beginning of the trip, my vision of it was the same as many Central American capitals--polluted, full of traffic, industrial, dingy, dirty, and delapidated. Escaping the city on that first day brought on my culture shock, while now, another part of that same city is creating a new shock. We're staying along the Boulevard de los heroes, a street full of chain restaurants and one of San Salvador's nicest malls. This morning we watched the Argentina vs. Germany World Cup game in the bar of one of San Salvadors ritziest hotels--the Real Intercontinental, where the bathroom is nicer than any hotel room we've stayed at so far. The hotel is full of Salvadorian and international businessmen (not so many women), and the bar is packed with suits...or at least ties since it's so hot in here. Smoke fills the air and men are sipping tequila and whiskey at 9:00am. Later in the day, we went to the Museo de arte (MARTE) and stopped for lunch in the art museum restaurant. Looking like our typical unkempt travel selves, we weren't quite prepared for the poshness of the restaurant, or of the other restaurant guests. While the men watched the morning world cup game on the big projected screens in a bar, the women of leisure watched the afternoon game between conversations on the small muted restaurant tvs. In the morning we saw a small slice of the wealthy male elite, while in the afternoon we saw their wives. Well-dressed and put together, these women, accustomed to air conditioning and owners of SUVs, are the inspiration for telenovela characters. Later in the evening we paid a visit to the local mall (are we in America?) and couldn't decide if the middle class is growing with its thirst for American-style consumerism, or if this is how those lucky few live. When we left the mall to head back to the hotel for the night, we remembered that we're still in El Salvador when we saw a young boy juggling for money in the street.

Election Stolen, T-shirt Purchased

Brook — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 17:23:59 +0000

The results of the Mexican election are in, and Calderon of the PAN won by a half a percentage point. Until the last moment, however, Lopez Obredor of the leftist PRD led by a fine margin which seemed to just disappear at the last moment (even though the poorest states were the last to have their results counted). We are staying a block from the Zocolo where PRDistas are camped out, wearing T-shirts and allowing everyone to speak on an improvised platform. They are mobilizing for a huge march, under the cry of "VOTO X VOTO" or Vote by Vote. They and Lopez