link posts - TourAbsurd: Traveling with a light heart!

Dragon of Shandon 2011

Cork, Ireland

Just a quick reminder to anyone who is lucky enough to be in Ireland this Halloween — the Dragon of Shandon is coming on Monday!

A very toothy smile from the 2010 parade.

Here's the scoop on this year's parade:

Join Cork Community Art Link in the historic heart of Shandon, Monday October 31st at 6.30 PM.

This year’s parade features creations from hundreds of community group participants, Irelands largest articulated sellotape Dragon, scary characters, musicians and an illuminated river parade by Naomhóga Chorcaí and Meithal Mara up the River Lee.

Dress up and join us in Shandon – home to Ireland ’s last Dragon.

You can find more at the Dragon of Shandon and Cork Community Art Link websites.

Have a Happy Halloween and a Blessed Samhain!

Travel Tips for Sick on the Road!

I emailed a couple of freshening up tips to Phil (of Phil in the Blank and How to Draw Camels) for him to plug into a post if he should find space. He liked 'em so much they got their own wee post on Sick on the Road!

3 Ways to Freshen Up While Traveling

Sick on the Road has bunches of great travel health info and stories. This is from the About page:

There is a lack of centrally located, frequently updated travel health information that is readable and well organized while also including stories from travelers themselves. We hope to change that. We are here to provide you with travel health tips that are backed up by actual experience, whether it’s choosing which malaria prophylactic to take, picking a sunscreen or finding the best travel insurance.

More at http://sickontheroad.com!

Mentioned on Frommers.com! :D

Cork, Ireland

Yay! TourAbsurd got mentioned on Frommers.com! :D

How to Start a Travel Blog: 4 Easy Tips

Read more: http://www.frommers.com/articles/7476.html

In celebration, I am sharing a picture of a gorgeous mama and baby camel discovered on Cute Overload.

Have I mentioned that I love camels? Oh, yes, I believe I have.

They are too precious! Makes me smile as much as the mention on Frommer's!

What's been making you smile lately?

The awesome power of Haka.

Another travel blogger linked this video on Facebook today. It's awesome and fantastic. Seriously. Gets the blood moving and makes you wish you were Māori.

Can't see it? Watch it on YouTube: http://youtu.be/JuhcZX9rFRM

I remembered how much I loved watching haka and listening to Lisa Gerrard's gorgeous soundtrack from the movie Whale Rider. Even though we were terrible, I was really happy to participate in an improvised haka at the Seattle International Film Festival's showing of the film years ago. It was led by Rawiri Paratene, the actor who played the grandfather.

Continue reading “The awesome power of Haka.” →

Motivational, celebrational!

I've already posted this in a few spots, but I just cannot get enough of this kid. He's so happy about learning to ride a bike that he is encouraging everyone else to pursue their dreams. How awesome is that?

Watch it on Break.com: http://bit.ly/kbxrv2

Cheers and happy dream achieving!

Spider Woman (Rock!)

Canyon de Chelly, AZ, USA

Today's post is by Vera Marie Badertscher (pictures by Charnell Havens) and should probably have been titled something like "Amazing Navajo Art and Tradition" or "The Natural Beauty of the American Southwest," but I could not pass up the opportunity to be silly. You see, the very first photo is of a place known as "Spider Woman Rock." I think we can all agree that Spider Man has already had his share of the hype. It really is time to give Spider Woman her due — she rocks! (Btw, most captions are by me. You know, just to avoid any confusion. :)

Like so many place names in the west, this canyon on the Navajo reservation started out with a mispronunciation. Canyon de Chelly, with its towering red rock walls and evocative ancient ruins, is my very favorite place in Arizona. The name is the Spaniard's version of the Navajo word tsegie (canyon), and is pronounced "de Shay." This canyon, co-managed by the United States Park Service, actually belongs to the Navajos and many families live here in the summer—leading their horses and sheep up on the rim or to nearby Chinle in the winter time.