May, 2010 Photo Contest

This month, see if you can tell us the name and location this wide avenue, which leads to an executive branch building, reportedly painted pink to defuse political tensions by mixing the red and white colors of the country's opposing political parties in the mid-1800s. Send your answer with the city and country to editor@travelofftheradar.com. Last Month Congratulations to Becka McKnight of Washington, DC, for correctly identifying Santa’s Postbox located in Nuuk, Greenland.

Glacier Chasing in West Greenland

If you fly in from Copenhagen, you will land at Kangerlussuaq. It is an old American Military Base, which serves as a air hub for the West Coast, and boasts the only runway long enough to accommodate the Airbus. From Kangerlussuaq, you can fly North, to Ilulissat, the main tourism destination in Greenland –here North America’s fastest retreating glaciers can be seen calving with thunderous claps. A boat tour around the Ice Fjord, also a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a must. Greenlandic dogs are not allowed below the Arctic Circle, in order to preserve ...

Nuuk: The Capital of Cool

The “capital of cool,” may be one of the country’s best kept secrets. The fjord system just outside of Nuuk is full of whales in the summer and deserted fishing villages, where some locals have summer houses. You can stay overnight in several settlements – ask Drissia at Nuuk Tourism. You can also hike the peaks around the city, or do a day heli-ski. Both Nipisa and Sarfalik serve gourmet Greenlandic dishes (not for vegetarians.) My favorite place in Nuuk is the fish market early in the morning when ...

Sledding, Hiking and Snowmobiling in East Greenland

Fly from Iceland into Kuluusuk, a small settlement which is the gateway to East Greenland, an isolated part of the country where Inuit culture remains strong. From Kuluusuk, take the Air Greenland helicopter to Tasiilaq, the largest settlement on the East Coast, with 1,600 people. People here are hunters and fishermen. Stay at the Red House, where veteran adventurer Robert Peroni can advise you on all activities – try dog sledding (you can get a dog-sledding license after two days!), hiking, or snowmobiling. You ...

Books on Greenland

Greenland inspires some truly beautiful writing - to prepare for your trip, I suggest three must reads. This Cold Heaven - 7 Season's in Greenland by Gretel Ehrlich is about an Amercian's woman's seven year relationship with Greenland.  While at time she romances the hunter's lifestyle, her descriptions of the high North are stunning and captivating.  She is writing a new book called the Empire of Ice, the photos on her website worth browsing. Smila's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg is probably the best known book about Greenland; it was also made into a movie, which while enjoyable ...

Greenland Music

The traditional instrument here is a drum (called a qilaat, which is a wooden frame covered with a polar bear bladder), which is curious because contemporary Greenlanders are known to be excellent guitar players. A guitar store is not something you would expect to find in a city of 15,000 but there is one in Nuuk (Atlantic ...

Tortoise Blog

I crawl out of my sleeping bag and into the bright white moonlight.  It’s 3.30am, and I am in my knit hat and down jacket in the southern California desert.  I made my coffee last night on the tailgate of my truck with a Coleman stove and a Melitta drip cup so I could silently eat breakfast and slip out of the campground.  I drive 20 miles down a dirt road to the edge of the Joshua Tree National Park Wilderness Area, where our surveys for desert ...

EcoArts is Hiring a Community Manager

EcoArts Tours is hiring for the position of community manager intern to assist the Social Media Director in a comprehensive campaign (3 months minimum time commitment). The job description is below: Call for Intern! EcoArts Tours is currently seeking an intern to help our innovative and dynamic organization. EcoArts Tours provides cultural exchanges in the arts while traveling to help the sustainable development of communities. We seek extra help for our social media campaign as well as the EcoRenaissance Project - a hands-on opportunity for professional artists to collaborate, create, and conserve the arts and natural world. For more information about EcoArts Tours visit ...