Robyn's Wanderings

How to dress for the plane!

Off came my jacket. Then my belt.

“Mam, you have to take your shoes off.”

Ugh, traveling today feels more like a strip-tease then an actual security check.

I remember when I was a child. Dressing-up for a plane trip was something I just loved doing. I remember saving new clothes so I would look “nice” on the plane. Now?

Now it’s simply about the easiest things to wear because you’re just gong to have to remove complicated accessories to board a plane.

Which is why it’s important to plan ahead when you’re traveling, and Rock Fever this week? Well I’m going to try and help you with that.

So tip one this week is: Dress in Layers! Is it going to be hot in Jamaica? Is it going to be snow-layered Toronto? Regardless of your destination the actual trip is probably going to alternately freeze and boil you. Airplanes might be know for stabilizing the air pressure, but little is done for climate control.

Bring the pashmina and you’re looking both pulled-together and you’re going to be warm. If you layer it over a t-shirt and the temperatures soar then you’re going to be ok too. For him? (or her as far as I’m concerned) A hoodie with a zipper will help peel it off should security require it, but also provider coverage for your head (remember 80% of body heat is lost through the head).

Want to bring your jewelry? Do you have bracelets that are family heirlooms you cannot lose? Well my tip two is: if you CANNOT lose the jewelry then DO NOT bring it. When you’re traveling you will never be in places as secure as your own home. And if you’re going to countries where your gold necklace is the equivalent of their life-time work, then leave it at home. You’re being ostentatious and you’re asking to be robbed.

Travel Casual and save some stress!

But tip three is if you have to take it: DO NOT try to wear it through security. I don’t want to be behind you as you try to fiddle with the clasp to your bracelets, necklaces and squeezing the rings off your fingers.

Which brings me to tip four: Pre-pack (and by Pre I mean before you arrive at L.F. Wade International Airport) them them in your carry-on luggage, which will be in your possession at all times. Plus, if you pre-pack jewelry in a secure pocket and it takes you longer to get through security than your bag, your items will be safe.

Recently engaged? Tip five: Buy a cubic-zirconia lookalike and leave the real one at home! Attract less attention and worry less about your special ring.

Now, you have what to wear on top, what to wear in your ears, on your finger and on your wrist. How about your legs? Tip six: perhaps sweatpants are not really your thing (they’re not mine) but when you’re traveling, especially for any length of time stretching is important. Find black pants or cargo pants with a bit of spandex in them and they will stretch with you and will not be loose and messy when you arrive.

Of course these types of pants will not, or should not, require belts. But if you do require a belt, which can be embarrassing to remove in public, make sure, tip seven: pack any metal belts in your carry-on and put it on in the bathroom on the other side of security.

That brings us to your feet. Yes boots might be fun, but they’re tricky for any quick on-off movement. So tip eight is: wear slip-on shoes. Both men and women can find respectable and fashionable slip-on, slip-off, flat shoes. Heels? You’re just asking for trouble while you’re on the plane.

Of course if you colour code your clothing and shoes, tip nine is: you’re going to look pulled-together no matter how long you have been traveling for. So try all black or all white (though not as safe for spills) and you will also find it easier to match accessories (hats, scarves, belts) to make it look better at the other end of your trip.

Which brings me to the last tip: organize your carry-on BEFORE you arrive at security. Your lap-top better be in a case you can take out. Liquids? Everyone knows they better be in their own clear bag, so do it. You won’t be the exception, you’ll be the focus of everyone’s ire if you fail to get this sorted.

Want to arrive on time? Make sure you dress for security.

How fast can you get through security? Well next time take these tips and let see! Of course I didn’t have to worry about that for my next trip: Toronto. I was delayed four hours so instead of a rush, I had to find something to fill my time.

So visit my website: www.robynswanderings.com and next week it’s all about wasting time in the airport (L.F. Wade and otherwise).

Hong Kong and Rugby are two I would never pair together, so good thing I’m not the Robyn Wanderer visiting the Sevens.

Yes, this week our Wanderer, Emily Ross, decided to see what the Rugby Sevens was all about thanks to a phone call from God (?):

I had completely written off going to the Rugby Sevens. Completely. Tickets were expensive and had sold out months ago, much to my disappointment. The Hong Kong Sevens are held every year in the last weekend of March and are part of the reason I chose to do my exchange in the second rather than first semester. Everybody I know who had studied, lived/lives in Hong Kong or is some form of sports enthusiast told me that I HAD to go to the Sevens. I HAD to.

And oh, I had failed.

But a text from a friend/God showed up in my inbox on Friday asking whether I wanted to go…and somehow I found myself in a box seat for the weekend and eternally indebted to her. I am still not quite sure how this happened.

The atmosphere is notoriously unmatched. My only experience of rugby tournaments before now was the World Rugby Classic in Bermuda…if you don’t count witnessing the aftermath of matches in the streets of Cardiff. There are people of all walks and all ages. We saw people dressed as flamingos and sharks – the Mexican team paraded dressed in ponchos and sombreros. The energy was amazing.

There were other things that were amazing too:

So, if you can get tickets…don’t pass up the opportunity! Even if you know nothing about rugby, everybody can appreciate the atmosphere, the energy and the *cough* scenery.

Bored on a plane? Ever delayed in the airport? Uhh…if you’ve taken more than one flight in your life you know the answer is: YES!

So what do you do with your time? Pace back and forth? Eat? Drink? Shop? Or maybe you’re like Robyn’s Wanderings’ blogger Nicola Arnold and you take pictures.

An avid traveler, Nicola has been faced with more than a few challenges. Today she shares with us what she does with it…enjoy:

What the?!?$%@&

Ok what’s the date today? Right, it’s March 25. That means we are technically five days into Spring.

With this all in mind, I would like to know what game Toronto is playing?!!

Sure it’s Friday and usually I try to find a photo of the day that will inspire travel or highlight another culture, but today it’s about recognizing that travel is not always fun.

Nope. Not when you’re sitting in Bermuda’s L.F. Wade Airport for an extra three to four hours because of your plane’s delay. Not when you’re forced to listen to a steward who thinks he’s funny for endless hours on the plane.

“What do you call a fish with no eyes????………A fsh.”

Ugh.

Traveling is definitely not fun when you land in Toronto at 1.30 a.m. (Bermuda time) and have to wait half an hour for your bag, while needing a toilet.

And traveling just gets plain interesting when you have to exit the airport into negative degree temperature and snow covering the ground.

Good thing there are good people here or traveling would just be tiring today! And of course that brings us back to our photo of the day: snow from my window! Have a good one.

Walking the Amber Fort in India.....with a side-kick!

He was only four feet tall. Ok, maybe three and a half. Dressed in a dirt-stained blue shirt and blue shorts, he was ambitious. His eyes had spotted us across the courtyard of the Amber Fort in Jaipur, India and he ran over.

With his head tilted to the left, arm extended, he asked: “A dollar? Please, a dollar?”

We (my travel buddy and I) ignored him.

Does that sound harsh? Yes, Robyn, of course it does. Here was a little boy who will never have as much as you do begging for something as little as $1.

You’re right about the boy, but he was also part of a system that creates gangs out of families and businesses out of infants in India.

Indians we met regularly informed us that we shouldn’t give any money to the kids on the street or the sad-looking women pressing their faces against our car. They warned us it just kept kids out of school and reinforced begging as a way of living.

Persistence pays off: our little follower found money in his insistence.

It’s not easy, though, when you see babies carrying babies and they’re all dressed in rags, which brings us to this week’s Rock Fever Column – donating.

A better way to support a community to which you may or may not travel? Kiva.

Key…what? Tip one on donating: Kiva (www.kiva.org) a San Francisco-based organization that connects online donors with small business owners (by small I mean a peanut-butter maker with a one-room hut in Uganda) in five continents i.e. direct, micro-financing. Kiva works with local partners who approve loan applications, take photos of the applicant and the request is then posted online. These requests are not large (some need only $275 to expand their businesses), but would mean a world to supporting their families and communities. For example a carpenter in Uganda needs $1,100 to expand his business. He also supports about 20 family members after the parents died of AIDS. A direct loan to him means he may even be able to employ those family members and sustain a business that will continue to support the family. Better than my $1, no?

Sure, Robyn, but what about getting the money back? It’s only a loan. Well Kiva boasts a 98.63% repayment rate.

Helping long-term goals directly via Kiva, however, doesn’t make it any easier to know what to do when faced with an immediate and intense crisis.

Example? The tragedy of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The images of lives washing away and earth shaking the country’s core are heart-wrenching and strike at the cords of humanity much like the dirty children caught in the poverty of India.

Your first instinct (I hope)? How do I help? But again the business (because that is what is has to be) of tragedy is not an easy one for the casual giver.

So tip two is visit the charity watchdog, American Institute of Philanthropy (www.charitywatch.org). They monitor American Charities via the amount of money that they put into their programs and how little money they spend to fundraise. They have also listed 15 American charities that are considered the best practicing in Japan and the pacific region. These include (as a little sneak peek) the American Red Cross, Doctors without Borders and Save the Children.

But, as the watchdog says, tip three is: don’t rush into your donations. Unlike some places that have experienced serious devastation (the tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 comes to mind), Japan is an industrialized country that has emergency plans in place. Their government and military will take care of many of the immediate problems.

Pictures of the Tsunami and Earthquake that struck Japan on March 11.

And so will tip four which is: the United States Government and the United Nations’ will be providing added support as well. Each of these organizations have money and supplies I, at least, do not have on-hand.

So make sure your donation goes to the most effective organization, which is tip five and what the International Rescue Committee (IRC) (www.rescue.org) recommends. The IRC will be partnering with local, Japanese organizations to give financial support, because as the organization states: “Our emergency team members are on standby to respond and fill in gaps as needed,” says Gillian Dunn, the IRC’s director of emergency response programs. “In the meantime, we are starting direct assistance to Japanese aid groups with better access to communities in need and survivors who have been evacuated.”

Which brings us to tip six and immediate giving versus long-term. In Japan people’s lives have been destroyed. Look at Haiti? We are more than one year on and there is still a lot to be done. These countries will need giving and support for years to come in rebuilding their lives.

So tip seven is to organize your charitable giving BEFORE you give emergency or not. Are you concerned with human rights? Do you want to give towards charities that provide disaster relief? Or perhaps your concern is with organizations that provide long-term support in a community (i.e. teaching, building homes, etc..) Allocate and then make sure you research the best charities in the area of concern. It will help when an emergency does arrive, as well. You will know which organization you feel best donating too.

But are monetary donations the best way? Well that’s a tricky one and our tip eight. A cheque is generally a better way to donate to an area of devastation. Why? Well as Bermuda’s own Red Cross (who is donating to their compatriot organization Japan’s Red Cross) explains on their website: cash donations allow the charities to buy locally or at least regionally, which helps support the disaster-struck area, but also means supplies arrive faster. Not to mention it will be cheaper to ship supplies from South Korea to Japan (for example) than Bermuda to Japan and they can purchase exactly what they need.

Hats and scarves for the coast of Sri Lanka?

Plus it saves mess-ups such as winter scarves, hats and gloves being shipped to Sri Lanka (as in the tsunami 2004). Not really helpful in a tropical climate.

Of course if you’re going to donate money, the best bet is to tip nine: donate directly to a charity. Sure you could get text messages from phone companies to donate to an event/disaster/charity, and I’m sure they mean well, but they are also putting a barrier between your money and your charity. Go to your charity’s website and donate directly.

And tip ten is for those who want to give-up their jobs, homes, lives to go to these disaster areas to help, I understand. It’s painful to watch people thousands of miles away suffering. Unfortunately, the best person to attend to a natural disaster is that person with special training i.e. a medic, engineer, etc… A writer? Not so helpful. Sure I can raise awareness, but there is little I can do to build your house again. That said, following the initial emergency there will be a need for rebuilding and if you coordinate with expert organizations on the ground with how you might help, you may soon find yourself flying into Haiti, Japan, Sri Lanka.

The key is coordination! Coordination for money and coordination of your physical presence. Chaos is never good and it will not be better in a country devastated by tragedy nor will it help if you’re supporting a system that sends small children to follow foreigners.

Unfortunately, I caved. Our three foot guide through the Amber Fort earned his keep after he followed us for 5km into the hills behind the fort. At least he earned it.

And next week? Well you earned it: how to dress when traveling!

Sayonara!

Emily checks-out the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok

One perk to studying abroad? Well anyone who has done it knows it’s quick jaunts to towns, cities, countries that would normally cost a lot of time and money to reach from home.

So what is Robyn’s Wanderings’ blogger, Emily Ross do this weekend? Well our Bermudian studying in Hong Kong nipped over to Bangkok, Thailand of course!

What’s there to do in a weekend in Bangkok? Well, what’s not to do? Emily? Can you give us some hints?

One of the perks of being an exchange student is the ‘quick trip culture’ – there’s always somebody willing to do a whistle-stop tour of anywhere for a weekend. This week a small group of us zipped over to Thailand for the infamous Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan – but the real highlight was our one day in Bangkok and adventure on the sleeper train. Lucky for me, I’ll be back in Thailand this summer for a much longer backpacking stint, but you’d be surprised how much sightseeing you can accomplish in just one day in Bangkok.

Wake up early and go to the floating markets: Unfortunately we did not accomplish the precondition of waking up early. However: for those of you with foresight, there are four main floating markets in Bangkok – Damnoen Saduak, Bang Khu Wiang, Taling Chan and Tha Kha. Damnoen Saduak Floating Market is the largest and most popular of the four: if you want to avoid the tourists, get there early. It’s open between 6am and 11am – hop on a bus from the Southern Bus Terminal or grab a taxi and enjoy the hustle and bustle. I’ll be sure to remember to set my alarm for my return to Bangkok.

The following are listed in order from where we started our walk; you can always do it from the other direction depending where you are located!

Phra Sumen

Visit Phra Sumen (or Phra Sumeru) Fortress: The gorgeous old fortress is at Santi Chaiprakan Park, along Phra Athit Road. The road runs along Mae Nam Chao Phraya River and is worth walking as it leads to the historical hub of the city, the Rattanakosin district. From the park you can see the impressive Rama VIII bridge.

Visit Thammasat University (Phrajan Campus): The next stop brings gorgeous views of the river and another relaxing stop. It’s close to Bangkok’s National Theatre and National Museum. Thammasat University is Bangkok’s second oldest.

Endless Street Food

Eat street food: Just outside of the university you’ll find a plethora of street food. There’s plenty on the Thaa Phrajan pier and along the road leading to the Grand Palace and Thaa Chaang pier market. Try the sweet and sticky coconut rice warmed and wrapped in banana leaf, the spicy papaya salad and the grilled marinated chicken skewers. There’s fresh fruit, fragrant curries, popcorn and banana fritters, just to name a few – try it all!

Curries Galore!

Visit the Royal Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha: after lunch, find the entrance to the Grand Palace and give yourself a good chunk of time to walk around. Don’t listen to people walking along the road saying that historical monuments are closed: they aren’t. These people may seem helpful and will give detailed directions, but they’re trying to send you to other attractions to get commission for themselves. Don’t be fooled, you can’t miss the splendour of the palace!

Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Wat Pho: Just outside the palace, on Mahaaraat street, you’ll find Wat Pho. A wat is a temple or monastery enclosed by walls. The entrance is on Thaawang Road and tourists have to pay 50baht (about $1.50) to enter. Here you can again see gorgeous monastery buildings and the incredibly huge Reclining Buddha. You can also pay extra for a famous Thai massage: this temple is said to be where the practice was born.

Wat Pho

Wat Arun: The impressive Temple of the Dawn (but open from 9am to 5.30pm). Named after Aruna, the Indian god of the Dawn, the building is impressive either at sunrise or sunset.

It’s possible to see many of Bangkok’s most impressive historical sites in the space of one day, so don’t despair if you’re just passing through for a short amount of time! Go forth, see, eat, appreciate!

Grinding grass in India with Bubu (host grandfather)

Time flies. Or better yet, time is March-ing on! Time also tricked me this morning, as I woke up at 5am for no apparent reason. On a weekend?! I know last weekend was Daylight Saving Time in North America, but still…

Thanks to modern technology, I took advantage of my early bird start to chat with friends in India and England. Of course, I was eager to reminisce with my Indian friend that while I was in my host family in India, I was normally woken up at 5am with a cup of hot, spicy chai in order to start the day – cut the grass, milk the cow, knead the chapati, play with the children… all before 7am.

Indian mornings aside, I want to draw your attention to the fantastic reasons to get excited for the rest of March! Saint Patrick’s Day came and went in all of its green glory… but there are still celebrations before April. These reasons may or may not have you ‘springing’ out of bed with excitement at 5am…

Reasons why March madness celebrations continue:

March 20: Two years ago for the start of spring (the vernal equinox), I was in Paris!

Saturday, March 19: There will not only be a full moon tonight, there will be a “supermoon“. The moon will appear very close to Earth, as NASA dictates it will be 14% bigger and 30% brighter than normal moons. Try to catch a glimpse of the moon on the horizon tonight – Illusion? Reality? Either way, enjoy it!

Sunday, March 20: This day marks the first day of spring for Northern Hemisphere, the vernal equinox… or for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox. Spring has sprung, at last. Time for spring cleaning, longer days, temperatures creeping up past freezing (and hopefully staying that way), and new life in plants & animals.

For Iranian peoples – such as those in Iran, Afghanistan, Tijikistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Krygykstan, Azerbaijan, Albania or Georgia – spring is the time to celebrate the Persian (Iranian) festival of Nowrūz (meaning New Day or New Light). Nowrūz celebrates springtime and falls on either March 20/21, depending on the country. Major spring cleaning happens beforehand, and friends and family visit each other… complete with gifts and sumptuous meals. There are various celebrations and activities that differ by family, region and country.

March 25: Independence Day in Greece - eat a souvlaki next weekend!

Friday, March 25: Greeks at home and worldwide will be celebrating Greek Independence Day today, the national holiday commemorating the Greek War of Independence that began in 1821. Greeks celebrate with costume parades and street festivals, both secular and religious, as this date also marks the Feast of the Annunciation in Greek Orthodox churches. As this is a dual holiday, there is little to do except join in the celebrations if you find yourself in Greece – if you are elsewhere, beeline to a Greek restaurant near you and dine on Greek salad, souvlaki and baklava. Go on, smash a plate to celebrate! OPA!

(Side note: March 25th is also Mother’s Day in Slovenia!)

March 26: Power down electricity for 1 hour during Earth Hour, 8:30-9:30pm

Saturday, March 26: Earth Hour happens on the last Saturday in March at 8:30-9:30pm. Organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth Hour encourages people to turn off lights for one whole hour, time zone by time zone. This action is in response to climate change, and has taken the world by storm! Even Bermuda, my own small island in the sun, is even getting in on the action this year by encouraging companies and households to power down electricity for an hour next Saturday.

So go on, celebrate March madness… before you know it, April Fool’s Day will be upon us!!

Green Beer will be everywhere!

Tomorrow in Enterprise, Alabama one person of Irish decent will march from the town’s court house to the Boll Weevil museum (don’t ask) and back carrying a pot of gold and reciting limericks.

No, this is not some new form of torture.

Nope, I promise. Apparently in 1993, the people of Enterprise (with Irish heritage, anyway) actually chose to start this.

What’s this? It’s only the smallest, annual St. Patrick’s Day parade – one person of Irish heritage in the town actually compete to be part (the only part) of it.

At least their parade only lasts about 10 minutes! Want to see some pics? Visit here.

Ahhhh St. Patrick’s Day.

Which brings me to Rock Fever this week: where and what is St. Patrick’s Day and why do people celebrate it around the world?

Well let’s start with Ireland. For those who live in Ireland tomorrow is a National Holiday celebrated with everything from parades to people piled high in the pub.

But they’re not alone (that does not include those calling-in sick! That is NOT a National Holiday). Ireland is joined by Montserrat. Yep, outside of Ireland this Caribbean island is the only other place to call St. Patrick’s Day a National Holiday and celebrates with a week of festivities that include a Freedom hike, a kite festival, and church services.

Yes, church services. While many believe St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration for green beer, the day did actually have a saintly birth. Yes, the day recognizes St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland, who converted Irish pagans to christianity in the 5th Century a.d.

St. Patrick

Patrick, however, was originally from Britain (his parents, Calpurnius and Conchessa, were Roman citizens living in either Scotland or Wales, depending on his stories). When he was about 16 he was captured by Irish raiders and was imprisoned in Ireland for six years. After six years he claimed to have heard the voice of God telling him to leave Ireland. He escaped, marched 200 miles, jumped on a boat, returned to Britain, entered the Church, trained and returned to Ireland.

To help convert the Irish to Christianity, legend has it that St. Patrick used the native shamrock to represent the Holy Trinity and incorporated other Irish symbols such as the bonfire (the Irish had used these to honour their gods) and the Sun. To celebrate his accomplishments, St. Patrick’s Day was born on the day of his death, March 17th.

While it may have started with religious connotation and still has some, it has also evolved into a general celebration of everything green, shamrock and gold. Oh, yeah and Irish too. And while Alabama might have the smallest St. Patrick’s Day parade to recognize this saint, New York is home to the largest! Of course! Who knows how to celebrate a person or an event like New Yorkers? No one.

The first parade in New York was on March 17th, 1762, 14 years before the Declaration of Independence. It now starts on 44th street and marches up 5th Avenue, past St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 50th Street and the finishes at the Metropolitan Museum at 83rd Street. The celebrations in Boston (one of the “most Irish cities” according to them) are no slouch either with a parade in South Boston (among other events) on Sunday!

Canadians are also not far behind in their celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. No, indeed in Montreal, they started in 1759 with celebratory dinners (far more civilized) and meandered up to an annual parade on March 17th, 1824.

Of course on the other side of Canada, Vancouver will be hosting an entire fest to overlap St. Patrick’s Day this year! Yes, from March 16 to the 20, this city will be the focus of some 60 plus concerts, festivals and workshops based on the Celtic culture. The St. Patrick’s parade, though? Well that won’t be until Sunday! So you’ve got time to jump from Montreal to Vancouver if the Irish spirit grips you!

That still won’t be enough time to get you to Australia, however. In Sydney St. Patrick’s day has been celebrated since March 17, 1810 when the then governor, Lachlan Macquarie, declared the official day of celebration for the Irish and those of Irish heritage. Now, more than 200 years since it started, the city is host to the second largest parade in the world (after New York’s of course).

In Brisbane, however, I’m afraid we’ve already missed their parade which is held on the Saturday BEFORE St. Patrick’s Day (go figure). Instead tomorrow will be celebrated with all-day music and “hearty” irish food at the Celtic Koala Club. Sounds like a plan to me.

So where else is St. Patrick’s Day celebrated? I mean besides every Irish pub around the world? How about Dubai!

Yes, in Dubai there is actually an Irish Village (I mean why wouldn’t there be, really?) and starting from tomorrow the Village will host two days of celebration with food and drink. Who knew? Well maybe the people who were invited to the Dubai Irish Society Ball. Yep. One Irish village is not enough for Dubai….there are two and tomorrow (Friday) there will be Ball at the Dubai Marina.

Unfortunately, other celebrations that usually attract Irish politicians will be muted and may not exist this year thanks to economic woes and concerns over political protests. While 22 Irish representatives traveled around the world last year for fancy Balls hosted in everywhere from Russia to China, only nine will this year, according to Global Post. And parades that normally took place in these two countries will also be muted or cancelled (no marching in Shanghai this year) to ensure they do not become a chance to fight the government.

One Irish Government official, however, will definitely be traveling: the Irish Taoiseach (prime minister). He will be heading to the White House in Washington, D.C. where he will be received in an annual lunch hosted by the speaker of the U.S. House and is attended by the president and senior members of the House and Senate. In fact, the Irish Taoiseach is the only head of Government given an automatic access to the White House on one day of the year – May 17. Maybe they can talk about Ireland’s economy over some green beer?

Which brings us to next week’s column and what could be worse than an economy already struggling? One that has been wiped-out by earthquakes and tsunami waves. Poor Japan has suffered and yet visiting might not be the right move. What’s the best way to help? Find out next week.

Until then, Slán go fóill.

I’m not sure why I can’t stop looking. I should be able to. It’s sad. It’s painful. The end of this first film is particularly depressing as one man sits on the side of a wall with his head in his hands.

There’s nothing he can do.

But nothing is quite like looking at an entire town being wiped-out by a wave.

These waves have power of about 800 miles/hour i.e. a jetliner speed. I can’t imagine what it would be like to look at your house disappearing.

What would you do? You’re like washing away? Perhaps watching the nuclear power plant explode? Now there have been three explosions and there could be a meltdown expected any day now.

But I still can’t keep my eyes of the burning and the destruction that occurred in Japan. How do you reconcile the images of cars played with like toys and entire building mowed-over like grass?

And now what is there to do? Well, as everyone keeps saying, Japan has the clean-up crew in place to start picking themselves up and off the ground.

My last wish is incredibly self-centred and selfish: I wish I had visited Japan when I had landed at the Narita Airport in Tokyo in 2009.

I hope the best for everyone in Japan and that the world does not forget about this tragedy.

Every Monday we hear from our Robyn’s Wanderer in Hong Kong, Bermudian Emily Ross. Unfortunately this week it is not about light-hearted travels to a beach or hiking through Hong Kong’s hills.

With Japan devastated from earthquakes and tsunamis, Emily explains it has devastated many living in Hong Kong with families in Japan. Here she tells us how we can help Japan (hint: it does not mean flying to Japan):

You’ve no doubt heard of the catastrophic events in Japan: although far from Hong Kong, its effects are felt here as people worry for friends and family who they cannot contact.

Although the immediate reaction of some (myself included) is ‘get me there, I want to help’ – do not go to Japan. It is a country in crisis, facing apocalyptic challenges and unimaginable losses. It’s easy for us to look on from the safety of our computer screens and imagine popping over but unless you are a medical professional or are trained in search and rescue and disaster relief, there is little you can do other than trivialise the disaster. 10,000 people are unaccounted for in Minamisanriku alone. You may have the best of intentions, but at this point intentions are not going to be of much use.

If you are already booked to travel to Japan, particularly north eastern Japan and Tokyo – please reconsider. This applies to any traveller to any country which is experiencing political unrest or severe natural disasters – before departure, always pay close attention to news about your destination.

However, if you are looking for someone or have information about someone, Google has launched a new version of their Person Finder . It was first used for the Haitian earthquake and has proved to be effective.

A survivor

The risk of aftershocks and further tsunamis is real and high; unless travel is essential you are best advised to stay away. According to the Japanese Meteorological Association, ‘there is a 70% chance of a magnitude 7 or greater earthquake in the same region as the M9.0 quake within the next 3 days. This may trigger another tsunami and aftershocks of over M6.0’ (see British Foreign and Commonwealth Office website).

This morning there was an aftershock tremor near Tokyo of magnitude 6.2 – powerful enough to shake skyscrapers. Do not assume that because the first earthquake is over and that areas (like Tokyo) are away from the first epicentre that it is safe to travel to them. The surrounding infrastructure is severely disrupted – you may not get there anyway. There are also rolling power cuts. I’ve just glanced at BBC news and there’s a new breaking news notification: there’s been an explosion at Reactor 3 at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Contact your airline. To the Bermudians and Brits out there: seek the advice of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office .

If you want to do something to help, the most beneficial thing at this point would be to donate to the following organisations (in no particular order):

www.redcross.org – the Red Cross has acted quickly and contributes indispensably to emergency relief.

www.internationalmedicalcorps.org – Again, the medical assistance provided by this organisation is indispensable.

https://secure.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6239465/k.544E/Childrens_Emergency_Fund/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp?msource=wenlpaqk0311 – Save the Children’s Emergency Relief fund

http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/japan-earthquake-tsunami-relief/ – The Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund, set up by GlobalGiving.org

http://www.salvationarmy.org/ihq/www_sa.nsf – The Salvation Army

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/ – Doctors Without Borders

http://www.worldvision.org/#/home/main/japan-earthquake-1-1-1357 – World Vision is also mobilising.

https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/japan – Mercy Corps and Peace Winds

Tsunami pictures

I got this information from the Huffington Post and MSNBC’s Technolog. These websites will be updated with more organisations and feature a few more US based charities. The photos in this blog were provided by BBC news who are providing excellent news coverage.