WORLD'S BEST TRAVEL GUIDES?

Unlawyer-At-Large was doing some spring cleaning lately (well, actually, summer cleaning), and out of the blue an old, but well-kept copy of a travel magazine fell out from one of overstuffed closets (don’t you worry, no skeletons sprang out). This was one magazine, among other things, that evoked such an inspiration and/or temptation to yield to wanderlust. Published in January 2001, this issue of Conde Nast Traveler, which was awarded "The Best Travel Magazine" by Zagat (which is, by the way, also an amazing website where you can find trusted ratings and reviews for restaurants, nightlife and more, worldwide), presented the Gold List of World’s Best Places To Stay.

Conde Nast Traveler, a top personal favorite, is widely known for the banner “Truth in Travel.” The articles, whether found in the magazine or online, are very well-written. In-depth and very updated. At this writing, it is interesting to read The Ultimate Worldwide Island Beach Guide. Thirty (30) beaches in all. From Shipwreck Beach, Zakynthos in Greece, to Cumberland Island, Georgia in United States. If you are into the sybaritic pleasures of the beach like Unlawyer-At-Large, this is a to-die-for list! While there, check out the links to the insightful and eye-opening Wendy Perrin Report about cruise traveling, published for the month of July 2007.

For all the Filipinos who pride themselves with top local beaches, you might ask: Did Boracay in Philippines make it to this list? The answer is. . .yes! Unlawyer-At-Large urges you to check out the website to see how Boracay measures up against the other listed locations, and from there decide for yourself if one lifetime is enough to visit all those thirty (30) beaches!

There is literally a limitless resource online for the best travel guides that cannot be possibly covered here, but Unlawyer-At-Large shares two more of his other favorite best travel guides:

Lonely Planet. Widely known as a down-to-earth guide, what Unlawyer-At-Large finds particularly novel and enticing about this site is the “Bluelist,” where the wildest travel tips are shared, and the entries are ranked by votes from online readers of Lonely Planet who create the lists themselves. Two thumbs up! Take note, the word “Bluelist” is a verb, defined “to recommend a travel experience.” So, the next time you hear me say, "I'm bluelisting my trip in New York," you know exactly what I mean.

Fodor’s is another veritable travel guide resource, online or at traditional bookstores. Unlawyer-At-Large has amassed quite a number of thick travel guides over the years. Online, you can check their frequently updated “Hot List,” which is very hip, where the reader is presented with short paragraphs with identifiable tags such as “See,” “Shop,” “Eat,” and “Stay.” A very organized and useful website, Fodor's can dazzle you with an amazing plethora of travel advice, too.

I BLOG, THEREFORE I AM...

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

Who said that?

It's one of those well-known lines from William Shakespeare. In Wikipedia, a reference to that (in)famous line can be found, portions of which are quoted hereunder:

Jack Cade (possibly named John Mortimer) was the leader of a popular revolt in the 1450 Kent rebellion which took place in the time of King Henry VI in England

x x x

Cade appears as a character in William Shakespeare's play Henry VI, Part 2. It is one of Cade's followers, in discussion with Cade, who speaks the well-known line, "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers."

So much for that English Literature 101 intro...this blog is NOT actually about lawyers, or "killing" lawyers for that matter (we'll leave that to Cade and his friends). Or Shakespeare (although I would have to think twice about Shakespearean insults).

This is about my rants, raves and reviews on just about anything, hence "unlawyer-at-large." "At large," as in not confined. "At large," as in at liberty to discourse and write on a variety of subjects. From someone educated in the social sciences and trained in the legal profession (although not in practice). From someone who loves learning about cultures of the world and has a consuming passion about the best informal education of all: travelling. Nothing is more gratifying than being able to express oneself freely and being able to share it with the world. That is the very essence of a blog (a contraction of "web" and "log"), which Wikipedia defines as:

. . . a website where entries are written in chronological order and displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), or audio (podcasting), and are part of a wider network of social media.

Now that I have rekindled my passion for writing (I used to write for a widely-circulating lifestyle magazine), now that virtual blogging communities have been existing and phenomenally growing, now that I am up online again, I am going to renew my blogging "vows" (if there were ever such a thing, although I don't want to equate it with the usual vows of, ummm, celibacy) and become part of this exciting world once more (counting 71 million blogs as of May 2007, according to a Technorati entry in Wikipedia).

Cogito, ergo sum. (Latin: I think, therefore I am).

That's French Mathematician/Scientist/Philosopher Rene Descartes for you way back in 1637.

Now I will take a paraphrased shot: "I blog, therefore I am."