culture
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Laos
ETHICAL DILEMMA: Is Tubing In Laos Just Harmless Fun?
Squinting into the strangling Laotian sun, I was already sweating in the morning heat. My traveling companions and I were finally in Vang Vieng, Laos to spend a day river ... read more
by Dave Zook
10 Feb 2010
United States
PHOTO CONTEST: Cultural Explorers
Winner [Jomsom, Nepal] – While traveling by bus to Jomsom, my friend and I discovered that part of the road was ... read more
by Glimpse Staff
05 Oct 2009
Blog Posts
Mexico
Beyond Nat Geo: Discovering the Tarahumara
Normal 0 0 1 137 781 6 1 959 11.1282 0 0 0 In the recesses of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Northwestern Mexico lies the Barranca del Cobre (Copper Canyon), a natural wonder considered to be yet more spectacular and raw than the Grand Canyon. It is in ... read more
by Laura Rico
24 Feb 2010
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![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Runner-Up</span></p>
<p>[Varanasi, India] Every night on the ghats in Varanasi, India, mass prayers echo along the shores of the world's holiest waters, the Ganges River. Hindus from around the world are drawn here to find peace and clarity, or to pray for their salvation. Here, a foreigner stands in a moment of prayer after the evening puja has completed. A curious local has approached him, and though I can’t hear what he’s saying, I imagine that he’s asking the same question that so many others have asked me that night: Why do we foreigners travel so far to come to a place so different? I always answer: We come for the same reasons the locals do, and we discover in doing so that we are more the same than foreign after all.</p>
<p><em>Photo by Connie C</em></p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/sdqzG8/small.png)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Runner-Up</span></p>
<p>[Varanasi, India] Every night on the ghats in Varanasi, India, mass prayers echo along the shores of the world's holiest waters, the Ganges River. Hindus from around the world are drawn here to find peace and clarity, or to pray for their salvation. Here, a foreigner stands in a moment of prayer after the evening puja has completed. A curious local has approached him, and though I can’t hear what he’s saying, I imagine that he’s asking the same question that so many others have asked me that night: Why do we foreigners travel so far to come to a place so different? I always answer: We come for the same reasons the locals do, and we discover in doing so that we are more the same than foreign after all.</p>
<p><em>Photo by Connie C</em></p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/sdqzG8/large.png)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Winner</span><br />
<br />
[Jomsom, Nepal] – While traveling by bus to Jomsom, my friend and I discovered that part of the road was under construction and we would have to walk through a rocky section that our bus could not cross. We were told another bus would be awaiting us on the other end, and indeed it was, but it was missing a driver. Embracing the moment, my friend pulled out her travel guitar. Upon seeing the guitar, a Punjabi boy in a pink turban ran over to us and explained that he was a dancer. He proceeded to flip his wrists and thrust his hips to her tune. The bus assistant, who had only answered our questions with frowns, shyly took to a rock nearby and another traveler popped his head out of the window of the bus. Five foreigners. Four languages. Three countries. Two pieces of a broken road. One cultural crossing.</p>
<p><em>Photo by Christina Rivera<br />
</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/aeKMii/small.jpg)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Winner</span><br />
<br />
[Jomsom, Nepal] – While traveling by bus to Jomsom, my friend and I discovered that part of the road was under construction and we would have to walk through a rocky section that our bus could not cross. We were told another bus would be awaiting us on the other end, and indeed it was, but it was missing a driver. Embracing the moment, my friend pulled out her travel guitar. Upon seeing the guitar, a Punjabi boy in a pink turban ran over to us and explained that he was a dancer. He proceeded to flip his wrists and thrust his hips to her tune. The bus assistant, who had only answered our questions with frowns, shyly took to a rock nearby and another traveler popped his head out of the window of the bus. Five foreigners. Four languages. Three countries. Two pieces of a broken road. One cultural crossing.</p>
<p><em>Photo by Christina Rivera<br />
</em></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/aeKMii/large.jpg)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Runner-Up</span></p>
<p>[Phapheng, Laos] While trekking through the forests of northern Laos, my sister and I stayed with families in minority Hmong and Khmu villages. Here, in the hamlet of Phapheng, we shared a meal of sticky rice and wild mushrooms with a family of 12 in their one-room home. Sharing food is one of the few experiences that transcends cultural, linguistic, and geographic barriers—all of us can recognize the warmth and fraternity that accompany the shared meal. This photo captures one of my favorite moments during my seven months of backpacking in Asia and the Pacific. Looking at it now, I can almost feel the humidity of the steaming rice and smell the earth floor and livestock.</p>
<p><em>Photo by Kevin Ummel</em></p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/pvse2q/small.png)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Runner-Up</span></p>
<p>[Phapheng, Laos] While trekking through the forests of northern Laos, my sister and I stayed with families in minority Hmong and Khmu villages. Here, in the hamlet of Phapheng, we shared a meal of sticky rice and wild mushrooms with a family of 12 in their one-room home. Sharing food is one of the few experiences that transcends cultural, linguistic, and geographic barriers—all of us can recognize the warmth and fraternity that accompany the shared meal. This photo captures one of my favorite moments during my seven months of backpacking in Asia and the Pacific. Looking at it now, I can almost feel the humidity of the steaming rice and smell the earth floor and livestock.</p>
<p><em>Photo by Kevin Ummel</em></p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/pvse2q/large.png)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Runner-Up</span></p>
<p>[Bangkok, Thailand] My friend and I were visiting Bangkok during the Thai New Year, or Songkran, and we spent an entire day taking part in what seemed to be the world’s largest water fight. Equipped with our own water guns and camping out on the street with locals, we pumped our water guns and filled up buckets all day long, drenching people along Khao San Road. You would never expect that just days before, violence had erupted during an anti-government protest on these same streets. On this day, people were nothing but happy, playful, and soaking wet!</p>
<p><em>Photo by Christie Fong</em></p>
<p> </p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/XxQiUJ/small.png)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Runner-Up</span></p>
<p>[Bangkok, Thailand] My friend and I were visiting Bangkok during the Thai New Year, or Songkran, and we spent an entire day taking part in what seemed to be the world’s largest water fight. Equipped with our own water guns and camping out on the street with locals, we pumped our water guns and filled up buckets all day long, drenching people along Khao San Road. You would never expect that just days before, violence had erupted during an anti-government protest on these same streets. On this day, people were nothing but happy, playful, and soaking wet!</p>
<p><em>Photo by Christie Fong</em></p>
<p> </p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/XxQiUJ/large.png)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Runner-Up</span></p>
<p>[Varanasi, India] When my best friend and I traveled to the holy Hindu city of Varanasi, we did as the locals do and rowed on the Ganges river. On our way to the boat, our guide Bapa saw three goats, a mother and her two young. Bapa invited the goats on the boat, telling us that they would enjoy the ride.</p>
<p><em>Photo by Lauren Carey</em></p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/IelDuU/small.png)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Runner-Up</span></p>
<p>[Varanasi, India] When my best friend and I traveled to the holy Hindu city of Varanasi, we did as the locals do and rowed on the Ganges river. On our way to the boat, our guide Bapa saw three goats, a mother and her two young. Bapa invited the goats on the boat, telling us that they would enjoy the ride.</p>
<p><em>Photo by Lauren Carey</em></p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/IelDuU/large.png)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Runner-Up</span></p>
<p>[Tetouan, Morocco] In Northern Morocco, my companions and I traveled through the medina of the historical city of Tetouan, where vendors sold everything from spices to doorknobs to leather. We were stopped by a woman offering traditional Moroccan garb, who insisted on dressing up my classmate, Cristin. Cristin was draped in layer upon layer of cloth, both simple and ornate, that covered her from head to foot. After the final tuck, we could hardly distinguish her from anyone else walking around the market! </p>
<p><em>Photo by Mike Mian</em></p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/o4AfmP/small.png)
![<p><span style="font-size: larger;">Runner-Up</span></p>
<p>[Tetouan, Morocco] In Northern Morocco, my companions and I traveled through the medina of the historical city of Tetouan, where vendors sold everything from spices to doorknobs to leather. We were stopped by a woman offering traditional Moroccan garb, who insisted on dressing up my classmate, Cristin. Cristin was draped in layer upon layer of cloth, both simple and ornate, that covered her from head to foot. After the final tuck, we could hardly distinguish her from anyone else walking around the market! </p>
<p><em>Photo by Mike Mian</em></p>](http://media.glimpse.org/uploads/o4AfmP/large.png)
