NewsTaco

By Jose Gonzalez, NewsTaco

This past week, a story via NPR highlighted another benefit of taking to the outdoors. The story referenced a study indicating how participation in nature activities has positive effects on cognition, specifically creativity. As the study notes:

“We show that four days of immersion in nature, and the corresponding disconnection from multi-media and technology, increases performance on a creativity, problem-solving task by a full 50% in a group of naive hikers. Our results demonstrate that there is a cognitive advantage to be realized if we spend time immersed in a natural setting.”

Simply put, spending time in nature helps the mind. The research is part of ongoing work on Attention Restoration Theory, and should be another checklist reason for getting more Latino participation in the outdoors and nature activities.

The push for more Latino participation in the outdoors is a recognized interest by federal agencies and conservation organizations. For one, national parks and national forests are public lands and thus should be accessible to all the public. For mainstream conservation organizations, in order to keep pushing mainstream issues like land conservation and wilderness protection, Latinos need to have a vested interest in the places being protected.

The line “if we get them to the resource, they’ll care about it” is a crucial first step in broadening and diversifying the support base for conservation issues.

But there can be a range of challenges to getting more Latinos in the outdoors. While middle-income and second-generation Latinos may find it easier to engage in outdoor experiences, low-income, first generation, and Spanish-speaking Latinos may face varying challenges ranging from cost of entry, to an awareness of available natural places and the “rules of engagement”—the regulations to be followed and the norms expected by “regulars”.

This is not to mean that simply being low-income is a defining barrier, or that having Spanish as first language is an inherent obstacle but as a budding conservationist, I can attest to having experienced this wide range of challenges. This ranged from being woefully unprepared for a first snow trip, to a failed first family attempt trying to enter a National Park and not having enough for the entry fee, going camping for the first time and showing up with San Marcos cobijas, and saving up to purchase my “first pair of Columbia hiking pants”.

Thus, it would not always simply be a matter of getting Latinos into the outdoors, or providing “education”, but also supporting and understanding the process with a cultural perspective—to not just make the outdoors “Latino friendly”, but to make nature and the outdoors feel like a place we belong, and understand where we are coming from.

And it is very possible.  Studies point to how, for Latinos, a factor such as a strong commitment to family and friends drives leisure activities. Latino youth also tend to be more predisposed to outdoor gateway activities such as camping, hiking, and trail running.

Conservation groups and federal agencies are responding in kind. The National Park Service actively promotes its Free Visit Days with Latino communities, and with the National Park Foundation, they recently launched the American Latino Heritage Fund to get more Latino awareness of our history in National Parks. The US Forest Service also launched renewed efforts this year with its Discover the Forest campaign and there are ongoing efforts to diversify recruitment and staffing.

Someone once shared that going hiking into the mountains he paid attention to where the tree-line was—because that is where he would see few to no Latinos: “The higher you go, the whiter it is, and I’m not talking about the snow.”

In fairness, this has been changing for the better over the years—but not necessarily fast enough and we need to keep diversifying the outdoors.

[Photo by Jose Gonzalez]

By Hector Flores @chicanochino, NewsTaco

Golden week has come and gone and with every incarnation, the entire country is left a gasp. This time around was no different as tourist sites, airports and major cities were inundated with the nouveau riche.

There are 3 so called Golden Weeks throughout the year in which literally the entire country tries to take a vacation. This is the mass movement of people on a grand scale with 1.3 billion itineraries. The Golden Weeks usually coincide with a traditional festival and the Autumn week is in lock step with the Mid-Autumn Festival (also called the Moon Festival) which we in the West often associate with the harvest season. For a decent overview of the holiday, check out this Wikipedia link or simply google search “Chinese Moon Holiday”. Don’t be a huevon!

Travel inChinais typically congested but the Golden Week makes it feel like living in a sardine can. All transport usually increases in price with the most gauging occurring by the airlines. They mention supply and demand but they are being greedy. The same happens to us during Thanksgiving and Christmas so we can relate. Hotels fall into lock step. Restaurants the same. Everyone seems to understand that EVERYTHING will become more expensive, attributed to the Golden Week Tax. You decided to travel, now pay up!

I spent my time off traveling from Guangzhou to Shanghai and then onto the garden city of Suzhou. When I arrived there, I immediately hid out at my friends place until it was time to return to Guangzhou. It is difficult to describe the sea of humanity when traveling during this time so I will refer to recent picture of the Great Wall of China recently taken there by an anonymous tourist. The picture has been making waves across the country and is now well recognized, if not representative, of travel during the Gold Weeks. If you can find Waldo in this picture, you win!

Next up: Panda Express ain’t got nada on this!

Hector Flores is a writer, producer and entrepreneur finding his way through the modern maze that is China. After reading Rudolfo Anaya’s travel memoir “A Chicano in China”, he was inspired to blog, tweet and post on his own adventures as a curious chicano in China. Mr. Flores blogs and posts at www.chicanochino.com , tweets @chicanochino and can be reached atchicanochino@live.com. 

[Photo by "Anonymous Tourist" and Hector Flores]

By Yoani Sanchez, Huffington Post Latino Voices

I have accumulated 20 negatives in just five years to my requests to travel. Twenty times I have tried to leave my country and just received a “no” as a response from the Cuban authorities. Although it is hard to accustom oneself to such an absurdity, the truth is that I have learned to live on my island prison. I have consoled myself by saying that all the raw material of my writing was on this Island, in its reality and that it would also be very hard for me to be separated from my family for even a few weeks.

But these were phrases of relief that I repeated to myself from frustration and anger at my inability to travel, so as not to suffer emotional hurt. It was a way of maintaining mental hygiene amid a feeling of seclusion.

This week a new travel and migration law has been approved…  

READ MORE HERE

This article was first published in Huffington Post Latino Voices.

Yoani Sanchez is an award winning Cuban blogger. Follow Yoani Sanchez on Twitter: www.twitter.com/yoanifromcuba

By Hector Flores @chicanochino, NewsTaco

It has been nearly 3 full weeks since my arrival to the Middle Kingdom (as the Chinese refer to their country) and I feel completely settled in and accustomed to my surrounding community. Apartment? Check. Transport to and from work? Check. Iron to make sure I look crisp and clean. Got that too!

Apartment hunting was not something I was looking forward to since my last experience in Qingdao left me with a 4 bedroom monstrosity that cost nearly as much to maintain it as it did to rent it. This time around, I was paired with a new teacher to China and we decided to rent something small, clean and close to our school. We found a comfortable 3 bedroom, 2 bath apartment overlooking a busy river complete with nice walking paths and loads of greenery. (See pictures)

Our neighborhood is essentially a bedroom community to the congested megalopolis of Guangzhou and has the elderly vibe of Boca Vista, Florida, sans the Seinfelds and Constanzas. Instead, we have the Lee and Yang familias. Loads of families have settled here, bringing along grandparents to help raise their children. Needless to say, the community is up early and lights go out when the sun goes down. Nothing like partying till the break of…7:30pm.

A jazzy couple from California are renting a nearby flat and are about as adventurous they come. Becky and Neal go on long walks through our neighborhood aiming to get lost, stumble upon new a restaurant or enticing street food vendor. On a recent urban hike, we decided to eat at the ubiquitous Muslim noodles restaurants located throughout Chinese cities, lan zhou la mian which literally translates into Lanzhou pulled noodles. Yes folks, these are freshly pulled noodles, yanked and cajoled into shape upon ordering.

Ordering at Lanzhou Pulled Noodles is simple, they have a picture menu. This fast food may beat McDonalds, not only at a speedy delivery but also nutritionally since your food is always made to order. Point at a dish and 2 minutes later. Bam. Served. Take that Golden Arches!

While there are KFC, McDonalds and a variety of other American or western places to eat, nothing beats getting to know China and the culture better than sitting down with the locals and eating as they do. As my new friend Neal commented recently while happily digging into a heaping bowl of fresh noodles, “The Italians don’t know noodles, THESE are noodles!”

Next update: haggling, bartering and street vendors

Hector Flores is a writer, producer and entrepreneur finding his way through the modern maze that is China. After reading Rudolfo Anaya’s travel memoir “A Chicano in China”, he was inspired to blog, tweet and post on his own adventures as a curious chicano in China. Mr. Flores blogs and posts at www.chicanochino.com, tweets @chicanochino and can be reached at chicanochino@live.com. 

[Photo by chicanochino]

Many of us are either currently on a vacation, or will be taking one soon, and so I thought it would be a good opportunity to share a tip that I learned a few years ago that has made packing much easier.

It’s a pretty simple, but effective, little tip. Instead of folding your clothes in halves, quarters, or thirds, I find that if you can roll your clothes as small, little and tight as they can get, you free up a lot of space in your suitcase. For example, a t-shirt becomes the size of a soda can if you folded in half, then roll it from the bottom to the top.

So then you take all of your clothes and fold them into these small little wads and arrange them as tightly as you can in your suitcase. You end up with much more room, and it’s a bit easier to select your clothes because you can see them all at once.

That’s my travel tip for you this holiday season, I hope you’re spending it with people you love.

[Photo By Producer]

By Meena Thiruvengadam

Reykjavik, Iceland — In most cities, the party is about over by 2 a.m. But for many in this near-Arctic European capital, it’s just getting started. Welcome to the land of the midnight sun. Here in Iceland, revelers rarely hit the streets before 11 p.m. and don’t head home until after 5 a.m.

But there’s an art to barhopping in Reykjavik. This is how it’s done:

When to go: Friday and Saturday nights are reserved for partying in Iceland. Go out on any other night, and you’ll be sorely disappointed by the quiet bars and even quieter streets.

How to get there: If you’re at a downtown hotel or hostel you’re a short walk away from all the nightlife you could ever hope for. Otherwise, Reykjavik’s extensive bus system is your most economical option to get to the party for just a few bucks. But the busses stop running at 11 p.m., so you’ll need to budget $25-$30 for a cab ride home or find a friendly designated driver.

What to wear: There’s no formal dress code, but you’ll see most women wearing skintight dresses, short skirts or dressy jeans. And no matter how icy it is outside, don’t forget the stilettos. For men, a nice pair of jeans, stylish shoes or boots and a button-down shirt is the norm.

How to get your drink on: Like most everything else, booze is pricey across this tiny island nation. Two glasses of wine at a downtown bar can easily cost you $25.  Expect to spend between $7 and $9 for a beer, and a minimum of $5 for a shot. If you’re coming from abroad, pick up a bottle or two at the airport duty free shop on your way in. Then, do as the locals do, and make a few drinks before you head out to the bars.

Where to eat afterward: There are lots of places in downtown to satisfy your early morning cravings. Try Pizza Pronto, Bankastræti 14, and Vallarstræti 4, for a quick slice, or Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur at the corner of Posthusstraeti and Tryggvagatafor for one of Iceland’s legendary hot dogs.

[Photo By DoctorWho]

High speed rail can change how we experience our local communities, state and the rest of our nation.

I grew up in El Paso, a city that relies on cars to get around — despite the fact that it once had the most advanced binational mass transportation system on an international boundary in the world, up until the 1970s. My first encounter with a train, aside from the monorail at Disneyland, was in 1984 when my family rode the Sunset Limited from west Texas to eastern Louisiana so that we could visit the World’s Fair firsthand in New Orleans.

A little over a decade later I was relying on a train a town over from Wesleyan University that would connect central Connecticut with Times Square. A few times each semester I would transfer at Grand Central Station and head to Poughkeepsie to visit my sister, looking forward to the Hudson River, and the fun waiting to begin once I reached my stop just outside of Vassar College. Nowadays I catch the train from Long Island to visit my friends in the city as well as Connecticut, and the rest of the region.

Throughout New York, Boston, Washington D.C. and Chicago, I have relied on integrated train systems to provide me with a comfortable and unique travel experience that allows me to be creative while I am in motion. I am 6’2” and I just don’t fit on planes comfortably, and it is so much easier to read, use my computer and rest peacefully on a train than in flight. Recently, I found myself westbound on the Sunset Limited heading from San Antonio to Del Rio, Alpine and then to El Paso.

A train trip across Texas is much superior to flying — if only high speed rail could connect central Texas to the rest of the borderlands and radically reduce the duration of terrestrial travel. The technology utilized across Europe for high speed rail, if applied in Texas, would reduce train rides from San Antonio to El Paso to under four hours — this is less than half the time it takes to traverse this distance by car on Interstate 10.

The vastness of my state has historically impeded the flow of residents between the core of central Texas and the peripheral communities along the border, coastline and panhandle. Preemptive investment in the infrastructure for rail to facilitate affordable, high speed passenger transportation can help link a new generation of students, professionals, entreprenuers and innovators from throughout the state to the regions that are most capable of harnessing their ideas, talents and new enterprises. Promoting “super trains” and a new culture of regional collaboration through investment in high speed rail will benefit our state’s economy for the long-term and provide greater access to emerging fields of employment across the state.

But how much longer will we have to wait for more elected officials to advocate for high speed rail in Texas? Earlier this year, when Florida rejected more than $2 billion in funding, states like New York, New Jersey and California were more than eager to take the money to build, expand, or improve their rail lines.

When I finally made it to downtown El Paso on the train, it was clear that in order for our community to benefit from high speed rail, we need to invest in building out our current regional train system; we could potentially link El Paso/Ciudad Juárez/Las Cruces to central Texas and eventually northward, parallel to the Rio Grande, through northern New Mexico. Increased investment in state of the art mass transportation systems that link an array of fuel efficient public transportation technologies across the state will provide border communities with the ability to integrate high speed rail in the coming decades as the technology expands throughout the greater Southwest.

So, on a hot day in downtown El Paso, it turns out my hometown can again be recognized for being on the cutting edge of mass transportation by promoting high speed rail in Texas, New Mexico and Chihuahua.

Joseph P. A. Villescas, Ph.D. is an independent consultant, writer and instructor. He conducts extensive investigations on Latino and other multidimensional populations that explore trends in their educational development, media consumption, internet usage, voting behaviors, racial categorization, organizational capacities and readiness for future leadership roles in community settings. He is the founder and owner of Villescas Research, Media & Instruction, LLC.

[Photo By Mobilus In Mobili]

A new campaign aims to help save Latino children, who tend to die more often during car crashes. The Buckle Up For Life, or Abróchate a la Vida campaign is funded in part by Toyota and was created by medical trauma specialists at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center to help Latino families become more educated on vehicle safety. A press release notes:

The program is designed to educate Hispanic families on the importance of keeping their families safe while driving.

“We were seeing a disproportionate number of Hispanic children coming into the hospital with severe crash-related injuries and we knew we had to do something about it,” said Dr. Rebeccah L. Brown, Associate Director, Trauma Services at Cincinnati Children’s.

I took one of the best trips of my life when I was 9 years old. It started as a day trip from Laredo, Texas, and took me, a week later, all the way to Toronto, Canada.

I thought about that trip when I spent the better part of a morning in a room filled with PR people at an annual Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) conference.  I was on a panel speaking about the U.S. Latino community, trying to explain who we are and how to best talk to us about travel. I thought about my grandfather.

“One of the things you should know about Latino travel habits is that we seldom plan our trips, but we’re great improvisers,” I said.

We started from Laredo-my grandfather, my grandmother, my brother and I-on our way to Garner State Park where we would spend a day and drive back the next. Instead my grandfather decided that we’d drive to Dallas to visit relatives. That night he spread a road map of the United States on a bed and plotted the next day’s travel. We saw mountains and prairies and the St. Louis Arch when we crossed the Mississippi; we visited Churchill Downs in Kentucky and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana. Each night we’d mark where we’d been on the map and decide where we’d be going next.

My grandfather had spent time in Detroit, working for the Ford Motor company in the late 1920’s and he wanted us to see the factory, so we drove there. Next it was the deafening falls at Niagara, then into Canada and on to Toronto where I remember a large celebration, a fair of some sort.

I’ve done a fair amount of traveling in my life. When I was 19 I was at the helm of a steam ship as it made its way up the Mississippi – I’ll have to tell that story some time. But it’s the impromptu trip to Toronto with my Grandfather that I remember the most.

We had an ice chest that my grandmother filled with fruit and sandwiches, and every place we stopped we bought post cards to mail home to mom and dad. We invented the trip as we went along. Years later, when I read a poem by Antonio Machado I knew exactly what he meant: Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar.

It’s not that Latinos don’t like to plan; it’s that we tend to live in the moment. It’s not that we like to dance or burst into song, it’s that there’s music playing or someone brought a guitar. It’s not so much that we’re hard workers; it’s that there’s work to be done. Mañana? It’s not about procrastination; it’s about knowing that tomorrow will surely come.

I don’t remember the trip home very well, but I remember we got lost. My grandfather decided he needed a nap and handed the wheel to my grandmother. “Tu sigue el pavimento,” just follow the pavement he said. Two hours later we were who-knows-where. For years it was a family joke. Any time directions or instructions were needed: tu sigue el pavimento.

We eventually made it back with a new world open to me and a bunch of great stories to tell. I discovered a different way to look at things; I’ll be sure to find out what’s around the curve when I get there, but I’ll pack fruit and sandwiches for the road.

As for the good folks at the PRSA conference, I tried to tell them this: when you’re pitching your trips and destinations to the Latino community, meet us where we are and we’ll figure out the rest.

Follow victor Landa on Twitter: @vlanda

[Photo by jorgempf]

Visits by U.S. travelers are growing steadily thanks in part to President Barack Obama’s lifting of restrictions on Cubanos visiting their native land, but also probably because Raúl Castro’s government is different than his brother Fidel’s in many ways. Remember that people in the U.S. cannot legally travel to Cuba without governmental permission.

Reuters reports than more than 1,000 U.S. tourists arrive to Cuba daily, taking second place after Canadians as the most popular tourists. What’s more, Reuters reported that businesses involved in Cuban travel reported than 265,000 people travelled in October with 330,000 expected in November/December. Reuters also got an anonymous U.S. State Department source to say more than 400,000 U.S. visitors would have visited the island this year.

It’s good news and bad news, I suppose. I’ve always wanted to visit Cuba, but, having  interviewed Cubans who left, the poverty there is apparently tremendous. On the other hand, the more Cuba opens up, the more likely U.S.-based interests are to begin to exploit the people and resources there. The double-edged sword of “progress”?

¿Qué piensan ustedes?

[Photo By Hoyasmeg]