Eastern Europe and the Ae gean - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 118

aa PUBLIC transPort worLdwIde
Chicken buses, Guatemala (pictured, top). Former North American school
buses typically decked out with religious memorabilia and an over-the-top
speaker system. They only leave once they're full to bursting, normally with
some chickens on board (hence the name).
Cycle rickshaws, London. If you're feeling nostalgic about Asia or just want
to see the city at a slower pace, a ride on a rickshaw taxi is great fun. There
are usually plenty around Covent Garden and the West End theatres, or you
can book them direct via operators such as W www.londonrickshaws.co.uk or
W bugbugs.com.
Jeepneys, The Philippines. Lumbering, brightly painted jeep-buses often
bearing reassuring slogans such as “If tomorrow never comes” on the hood.
They'll let you off anywhere: just bang on the roof with a coin and shout
“para!”, then pass your money along the line until it reaches the driver.
Matatus, East Africa . White Nissan minibuses that ply the main routes;
like chicken buses (see above) they leave once they're full of passengers,
livestock and baggage. Speed rather than safety is the priority, so feel free to
get out if your driver seems intent on dying today.
Tuk-tuks, Thailand (pictured, bottom) . A motorized version of the rickshaw
that can duck and weave through heavy city traffic. Be sure to negotiate the
fare before you jump in.
aa one new way to smeLL the worLd
In most societies sight is the primary sense with which we negotiate and understand the world. People are “good-
looking”; if we understand we say “I see”; and everything from advertising to politics relies on “being seen”. Not
so for the Ongee, a tribe living on the remote island of Andaman in the oceans between India and Thailand. For
them, the primary sense is smell. When people refer to themselves they touch their nose (while we might touch our
heart). The times of day and year are understood by the differing scents released by plants or as the dew settles,
and although locals daub themselves in what appears to be elaborate natural make-up, its primary use is not to
alter their appearance but their smell. Death is considered to be the final loss of smell.
aa the Longest UnBroken traIn joUrney...
…in the world is the bi-monthly Moscow-Pyongyang route. The 10,200km journey takes a week.
…in Europe is the bi-weekly Paris-Moscow sleeper, a 2500km journey that takes 48 hours.
…in Africa is on the Tazara railway, a 1870km route from Dar es Salaam to Zambia's Kapiri Mposhir, taking forty
hours.
…in the US is the Sunset Limited Florida-LA train, the only transcontinental route in the US, taking 48 hours to
cover 2350km.
…in Australia is the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth, a 4352km trip taking 66 hours.
aa the ark of taste
If you like trying new foods when on holiday, check out the Slow Food Foundation's Ark of Taste ( W www.
slowfoodfoundation.org/eng/arca/lista.lasso), a collection of a thousand rare foods from around the world, from
Tennessee fainting goats to Nagasaki cabbage and the Ischian cave rabbit. Seeking out and eating these unique
local delicacies while on holiday helps keep them commercially viable. Only then will farmers be able to afford to
keep planting and breeding them, thus saving them from possible extinction.