Still, my pal
Annie sent me a sort of virtual chain letter a few days ago- one that challenged me to list seven links from my blog that I thought were noteworthy. This “challenge” is the brainchild of a website called
Tripbase, a group that I know nothing about- but am blindly proceeding with its charge anyway. I’m a good rule-follower.
Here are my links, based on their categories:
1. Your most beautiful post
I was actually going to pick a
running post from Cape Cod, but I figured that most people prefer Sunrise on Patriotic Monument photos rather than my preferred cold and wet Cape Cod ones taken in January. I know that many of you have been on this very same running trail, so I figured the empathy factor would be high.
2. Your most popular post
My
Kilimanjaro posts seem to be pretty popular, and I think the takeaway from this three-part entry is this: anyone can go online to the REI website, buy a paycheck’s worth of synthetic body wrappings and then proceed to walk up and down a steep hill for seven days.
3. Your most controversial post
Waaw- am naa jëkër.
My blog isn’t academic, nor is it a forum for controversy. Still, my travels ensure that I run into “life experiences” from time to time that are touchy (literally) and sometimes downright infuriating. One of the tags on my blog is “Gender Wars”, and I chose to make it a subject because I find this to be an incredibly incontournable part of life as a woman. I chose the above posting as controversial because I think it best encapsulates the primary reason why my distaste for Senegal is built up as high as it is right now. Sure, there are lots of things that I appreciate about this country, so I would say that I remain largely ambivalent about my experience of life in Dakar.
4. Your most helpful post
I’m a big fan of people who are nice enough to give me loads of seemingly insignificant detail that actually prove to be very helpful when I’m out on the road and wondering whether I should trust that Bedouin man with the big white van. Thus I selected this posting, which chronicles a trip I made from Cairo to the Sinai Peninsula to Jordan. I can’t take credit for the itinerary- because the itinerary contained within was passed on by someone else who made the trip before me. Like me, she was kind enough to provide incredibly useful gouge (info) that made for a fantastic mini odyssey. (Note: keep an eye on the political situation before striking out in a post-Revolution Egypt. Jordan isn’t exactly boring at the moment, either.)
5. A post whose success surprised you
I love coffee, and I’m also a fan of Senegal’s homebrew known as café touba. I did this write-up on the aspect of coffee culture at the local university, and I was surprised at how much feeback I got from everyone. Not bad for a 25 cent cup of caffeine- and yes, it beats Dunkin’ Donuts easily.
6. A post you feel didn’t get the attention it deserved
I kind of feel like this category isn’t applicable in my case. For half of my blog’s life, I didn’t make my postings available to the general public, so there is a great deal that I posted in the beginning that remain my favorites. Most of these have to do with my family (I’m one of five children and we are all wildly different). To this day, I continue to write entries with these guys as my target audience because I feel like this is my best way of keeping in touch as I mindlessly wander about this planet. The above posting is from last Christmas; it is kind of scandalous but it documents rather perfectly the dysfunctional nature of family togetherness that I love so much. I can’t wait to go back this year.
7. The post that you are most proud of
This entry has nothing to do with travelling (really, I don’t think of my site as a travel blog). Still, I am most proud of this entry because it explores the non-malicious mental dueling that accompanies the unremitting sibling bond that lets you know you are loved. Even as you are barricaded into your bedroom and your stupid brother won’t let you out.
And now to nominate some other people to dig through their archives:
In keeping with the chain letter-style instructions, I’m supposed to press this challenge onto other bloggers (but I won’t threaten that a tree will fall on your puppy if you don’t complete the challenge). I’ll be honest and say that I don’t spend much time on other people’s blogs…yes, I am that self-centered…but I think that the following sites do some great work in terms of opening up their world to the public:
Shannon Roddy Photography Blog
The Wolfepack Heads East
The Three Little Baers
Going SubSaharan
Miss Lucey Goes to Borneo
(Miss Lucey has actually left Borneo, but I REALLY want her to start blogging again…because she is hilarious!)
As always, thanks for reading!
