travel

Showing 202 posts tagged travel

NY Met Museum to return statues to Cambodia.

Experts say the statues appear to have been looted around 1970, about the time federal prosecutors say another statue, of a mythic warrior figure, was also removed from Koh Ker. That statue was pulled from auction at Sotheby’s last year after Cambodia asked for its return.

Wow. I never expected this. I just saw this exhibit last year!

One thing about exploring the world is that I often am reminded of how the old colonial world order still remains in parts of our society - case in point - many Western museums have artifacts that are gained by wholesale theft, looting and force, usually greased by corruption and broken regulatory systems in the (often impoverished) countries of origins.

It’s starting to change as the developing world comes out of their doldrum and demands their history repatriated.

It’s inconvenient, but if that means I need to plan an overseas trip to see history in its proper place, then I should value that.

I was in Cambodia some years ago at Angkor Wat.  To see the immense edifices still standing vs statues whose heads and limbs were lopped off by looters to make their way into auction houses, private collections and Western museums — it was a huge shock.

I only hope the Cambodian govt can be good caretakers of their history.

“This, for many, is flat-out evil but the rest of the world isn’t like America, where it’s become virtually impossible to throw a dinner party. One person doesn’t eat meat, while another is lactose intolerant, or can’t digest wheat. You have vegetarians who eat fish and others who won’t touch it. Then there are vegans, macrobiotics and a new group, flexitarians, who eat meat if not too many people are watching. Take that into consideration and it’s actually rather refreshing that a 22-year-old from the suburbs of Detroit will pick up her chopsticks and at least try the shar pei.”

David Sedaris: Chicken toenails, anyone?

Such a great writer. And hilarious.

“One of the most significant dishes in all countries along the Silk Road, from the Sea of Japan to Anatolia, is dumplings. Dumplings across Asia are tell-tale signs of a shared common past demonstrating drastic similarities. From the Turkish perspective, the origins of mantı have been long forgotten and the dish is regarded as quintessentially Turkish. However, almost all etymological references state that the origin of the word comes from the Chinese word man tou.”

Turkish mantı, Chinese mantou
Aylin Öney TAN

Lame attempt at emo metaphor: I have been feeling anxious recently and I think that comes from not being in control of everything and not being able to see around all the corners in ahead — clarity would help; but sometimes when the fog rolls in, it’s time to just stand still for a minute and think about how awesomely beautiful the moment is.

Oh - and California sun? Pretty good for the brain.

I just came back from the Inaugural festivities invigorated. Some quick thoughts.

Mobile phones/cameras were everywhere.

I went with a friend who is probably the only person left alive that does not have a Facebook account. When I asked if he could send me some of his photos later, he replied “Yeah, I’ll send you a Dropbox link”. And on the bus to and from DC, the passengers in front of me were scrolling through… Flipboard. Very Thomas Friedman-esque (ugh), I know, but excited about companies that are making a dent outside of our tech bubble. Oh, “Great shot- see it on Instagram!” was used too many times.

Most important - I was taken aback at the energy and enthusiasm surrounding Barack Obama’s second inauguration, especially from the African-American community. Unfortunately, I’m not used to being around a lot of black people, and my exposure to the community has basically been guys I play ball with, a few friends from college, and random passerbys on the street. This weekend, I saw so many African-American faces: there were families and dads and moms and cute little kids and grandmas and elegant ladies in fur coats and mustachioed men dressed to the nines. Walking among the crowds, everyone was super polite — humor was a universal solution to the congestion and long lines — kind, warm and engaging. It felt like going to church with a few hundred thousand of your super cool aunts and uncles. It felt like being dropped into the middle of picnic that you kind of knew was going on but didn’t really ever participated in.

I think this was a side of African-American community that should be more visible in our culture, where history and families and pride and dialogue all mixed together in warm embrace.

I’m really glad I went. More photos to come!