Passports with Purpose and a Flip Video camera to giveaway

Today sees the launch of Passports with Purpose, the fund-raiser by Travel Bloggers to support those in the developing world who need our help. Last year we raised $7,000 for Heifer International and this year the target is to raise $13,000 to build a school in Cambodia.

Build a school in Cambodia

All donations to this year’s Passports with Purpose Fundraiser will go to the charity American Assistance for Cambodia to build a school in rural Cambodia where the population experienced so much trauma during the Khmer Rouge regime. The project establishes schools in poor, rural areas where children have been deprived of any educational facilities or been forced to learn outdoors for lack of funds to construct schoolhouses.

The AAfC uses matching funds World Bank and Asian Development Bank together with the $13,000 that Passports with Purpose hopes to raise, to cover the construction and start-up costs of the rural school. You can find out more about the AAfC’s Rural Schools Project here.

Flip Video Camera Prize

There are many Travel Bloggers offering travel related prizes as part of the Passports with Purpose draw. On the Passports With Purpose website you can find a list of all the prizes and the blogs where the details of the prize are posted.

I’m thrilled that Flip in the UK have donated one of their Flip Ultra Video Camcorders as a Passports with Purpose prize, as it’s a neat and fun little camcorder to take you when traveling or to record special moments with your friends and family. If you’ve been wanting to start shooting video but were afraid of all those camera settings and wizardry, then this is the video camera for you.

You shoot what you like and then upload directly through the USB port of your computer, with the option to email to your friends or upload to sites like Myspace and Youtube. Because it’s so small and self-contained, you don’t ever have to worry about missing that magic moment because you didn’t have the right gear – just pop it in your bag and go.

How the Passports with Purpose Draw works

From today, November 30th 2009, the Passports with Purpose website will show a list of all the prizes on offer, and each one will link back to a full description of the prizes on the blogger’s website. For each $10 in donations that you make to AAfC, you will will be entered to win a prize (or prizes) of your choice.

The fundraiser begins on November 30th and closes on December 21. All proceeds go directly to AAfC. You can donate $10 for the prize of your choice, or multiples of $10 for a favourite prize if you want to increase your chances, or $10 or more for several different prizes that take your fancy. It’s a great thing to make a donation as a gift on behalf of someone and if they win the prize that’s a bonus.

Next Steps

By now I’m sure you’re convinced that this is a charity worth supporting, particularly if like me you’re aware how lucky you and your family are in their opportunities for education that we all take for granted in the West.

So please go now to the Passports with Purpose website and make your donation for the Flip Video Camera or another prize of your choice. If you’re worried about what to buy for that person who has everything, go and buy them a $10 ticket and a chance to win a prize as a bonus. And if you feel you’d like to treat a child you’ve never met to a great Christmas present of a school and an education, then go to the Passports with Passport website and make your donation, or ask your loved ones to do so as your Christmas present.

I’ll be making updates about Passports with Purpose throughout December until the fundraiser closes on 21 December, so keep and eye on this blog, on the Passports with Purpose Website and follow the tweets at #pwp.

A Big Thankyou

• Thankyou so much in advance for your support
• Thanks to Flip in the UK who donated the Flip Video Camcorder as a prize
• Thanks to the key sponsors of Passport with Purpose who have got the fundraiser off to a cracking start
• Virtuoso is the industry’s leading leisure travel network. This by-invitation-only organization comprises more than 6,000 elite travel advisers associated with over 300 agencies in 22 countries, as well as over 1,000 of the world’s best travel providers and premier destinations.
• Got Passport: Will Travel, We’ll Serve
  Living Small, Giving Large. We are a family of three, with a passion for travel, seeking out new experiences, meeting new people, and living simply.
• HomeAway, Inc. operates the world’s leading and most-established vacation rental websites around the world, including HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com.
• Raveable.com is the fastest way to find the perfect hotel and is the first and only website that creates hotel review summaries based on the common rants and raves found in millions of online hotel reviews.
• Travelfish.org produces original travel content for the independent traveller heading to Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Recommended by Rough Guides, Footprint, Lonely Planet and others
• TravellersPoint is a vibrant travel community dedicated to seriously passionate travellers. Upload photos, create a blog or travel map, share travel tips in the forums, and contribute to the wiki travel guide
• Last but not least, thanks to Debbie Dubrow, Pam Mandel, Michelle Duffy and Beth Whitman, the bloggers behind Delicious Baby, Nerd’s Eye View, WanderMom, and Wanderlust and Lipstick who are working hard behind the scenes to organise Passports with Purpose.

Kolkata in India: City of Joy

My guest post today by Lyndsey Biddle of Briefcases Direct gives us a taste of Kolkata in India where she lives, a city with it’s own atmosphere and rewards.

Kolkata is one of the largest cities in India, but unlike the other large metropolis, this northeast Indian city, capital of Bengal, has an identity and character all its own. To some travelers, Kolkata (also known as Calcutta) is a praiseworthy treasure trove of culture and worthwhile activities and sights that will be the source of many good memories. To others, the city leaves a lasting impression that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.

While Kolkata continues to grow in both population and globalizing trends like the construction of shopping malls, new restaurants and boutiques, the city also clings onto its past, often stunting development. Original taxis from the 1950’s still jam the streets, hand-pulled rickshaws still tote passengers through the cities narrow alleyways, and Rabindra Sangeet, songs by Rabindranath Tagore, are blasted from speakers in the streets. It is these long lasting cultural titbits that have helped me to love Kolkata.

There is also something so nostalgic and warming by the cities pride and love for culture. If you are interested in art exhibits, poetry, classical Indian songs, theatrical performances, traditional dance and the like, you will no end of amusement in the City of Joy. Everyday there are cultural happenings across the city and most are advertised in the local news paper.

If you are inspired by architectural design then you may enjoy a walking tour of the north-central area of the city where original structures built during the British colonization of India are well preserved and offer a pleasing visual change from the otherwise modern and bland apartment buildings that are popping up in newer areas of the city. To take a walking tour of the north central area’s architecture you should take the metro to Central station. Or you can take the metro to Esplanade station and walk past New Market on your way towards Central station.

New Market is a sea of aisle ways leading past shops of every nature. This is the largest in-door market in the city and has been around for quite some time. You can find virtually anything here including sewing supplies, cheeses, clothing and flowers. The porters will cling themselves to your every move, insisting that you let them direct you through the market and to carry your purchases. If you want their help then just give a small tip when you finish shopping. If you don’t want their help then just be determined, tell them so, and try your best to ignore the fact that they will continue trying to lead you and help you anyways. It takes a good deal of patience to tackle New Market but the market is enormous and worth a visit.

Though Kolkata is the culture capital of India, the city can tend to turn a lot of tourists away. The poverty is the first thing you will notice: slums bordering the base of brand new shopping malls, people picking through garbage heaps, naked children with distended bellies. These sights are difficult for anyone to bear. It is one of the biggest negative drawbacks to visiting this city, though you will face poverty wherever you go, in Kolkata the striking mixture of poor and rich will knock you back a few steps.

Regardless, the city is an amazing place to visit and you should not pass it up on your travel plans. If you are interested, you can volunteer during your visit at a number of poverty and wellness organizations across the city like Mother Theresa’s Mother House. Check out opportunities online before you arrive.

Lyndsey writes for Briefcases Direct a website that offers luxury briefcases direct from the manufacturer. Lyndsey is currently living in Kolkata, India and studying the Bengali language in her free time.

Photo credits: Rickshaw drivers by Nicholas, Kids by Nicholas Market by Mirmurr, Victoria Memorial by Rita Willaert

Check prices and book hotels in Kolkata through Hotels Combined

More articles on India

My Indian Sponsor Child
Tiffin and Jaipur in Bristol
Community celebrations in India

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Having my Pastéis and eating it in Lisbon – Portugal

They’re crisp, creamy, custardy and perfumed with vanilla and cinnamon – the Pastel de Nata are the signature pastry of Lisbon. If you have a sweet tooth, like me you’ll find yourself looking for opportunities to taste them – at your hotel breakfast, with your mid-morning coffee and perhaps a few to take home.

There are plenty of Pastelarias or cake shops around Lisbon, but there’s one place that’s on every tourist map for tasting these delicious little mouthfuls and that’s the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém where the cakes are simply known as the Pastéis de Belém. In 15 minutes from downtown Lisbon on the no 15 tram you’ll reach the Monastery of Jerónimos, another Lisbon landmark and one tram stop before is the bakery. You’ll know it from the crowds milling around around the doorway, queuing to buy some of the famous Pasteis de Belém.

If the sun had been shining, I’d have bought my pasteis and eaten them in the nearby park, overlooking the River Tagus, but as it was pouring with rain, we spotted a sign saying that seating was available and decided to venture in. Initially I couldn’t believe that there would be anywhere to sit, but as one room opened into the next we walked on through until we reached a large room where there were some free tables. They do sell snacks and sandwiches here, but I would imagine that barely anyone leaves without having ordered their Pastéis de Belém.

So the story goes that in the 18th century the monks of the nearby monastery sold the ancient recipe to the bakery and it remained a secret, only known by 3 of the chefs at the bakery. There’s even a special room where the secret’s kept. It’s a nice story, but if you’d like to give the Pasteis a try, then you I’ve found a recipe on Forks & Jets that you can try out – I’m going to give it a go at Christmas as an alternative to the mince pies.

All the pasties are made on the premises and each day they turn out anything between 15,000 and 50,000 pastries (yes that’s FIFTY THOUSAND). What a production line! If you’d like to hear the interview where I gleaned this nugget of useful information – listen to the Hostelworld Podcast on Lisbon.

Near our table was a counter showing some of the other biscuits, cakes and preserves made at the bakery and we also bought a ringed cake topped with colourful crystalised fruits as a gift for some local friends we were going to visit. They later told us that it was the traditional Portuguese Christmas cake, which might have a little token buried in it, in the same way that we might put a sixpence in the Christmas pudding for one lucky person to find (hoping they won’t break a tooth on it first)

We enjoyed our coffee and Pastéis, which are said to be the best in Lisbon, although I have to say that the ones we were served in our Hotel Av Liberdade had the marginal edge on the creaminess, crunchiness and general deliciousness scale (must find out where they get them). I’m still dreaming of those little morsels of yumminess – it will be hard to miss them when you’re next in Lisbon.

This post is part of Wanderfood Wednesday hosted over at Wanderlust and Lipstick – head over for chocolate and strawberries and other foodie delights

Antiga Confeitaria de Belém
Rua de Belém 84-82, Lisbon

Looking for a hotel in Lisbon? Compare prices and book through Hotels Combined

Lisbon Resources

• Visit Lisboa –  Official Tourism Website
• Go Lisbon Blog – I found lots of useful articles on things to do in Lisbon
• On this trip we stayed at the gorgeous luxury boutique Hotel Heritage Av. Liberdade, which was ideally located for sightseeing
• On this trip I used the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Top 10 travel guide to Lisbon which is a pocket sized guide that’s ideal for sightseeing if you’re there for a short time – read my review here
• Podcast – Hostelworld Podcast – Only in Lisbon
• Podcast – Guardian Unlimited Podcast – Lisbon

www.flickr.com   heatheronhertravels’ Lisbon photoset

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