Any U.S citizen travelling in Austria who find themselves in distress can enter any McDonald’s in the country and the staff will assist them in making contact with the U.S. Embassy for consular services.
The first transcontinental trip across…
In 1903 two men and a dog used 800 gallons of gas and spent/lost $8000 over 63 days to travel from San Francisco to New York in a car with no roof or windshield to win a $50 bet that they never collected. That was the first transcontinental trip across the United States in an […]
“Begpackers” are mainly white young travelers…
“Begpackers” are mainly white young travelers who beg or sell cheap trinkets on Asian streets to live on.
Cruise Ship Full of Scientologists Is Quarantined Due to Measles Outbreak
In yet another example of Madam Secretary predicting reality, a cruise ship was quarantined on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia following the news that a passenger onboard had been diagnosed with measles.
But not just any old cruise ship – a Scientology cruise!!!
Image Credit: Pixabay
Saint Lucia’s chief medical officer, Dr. Merlene Fredericks-James, said that, after discussions with other regional health authorities, the decision to order passengers and crew to remain onboard the docked ship was made. The fact that measles is highly contagious surely played a large role in the outcome.
Saint Lucia has had no confirmed cases of measles since 1990, and if their health department has anything to say about it, the island will remain measles-free.
Image Credit: Public Domain
“We believe it’s largely because we’ve continued to immunize our population. And we encourage all persons in particular parents to ensure their children are vaccinated to prevent this disease from occurring.”
The ship was identified as the Freewinds and was docked in Castries, the country’s capital. Also, as we’ve already mentioned, it belongs to the Church of Scientology. According to scientology.org, the Freewinds “is the home of…a religious retreat ministering the most advanced level of spiritual counseling in the Scientology religion.” It also says that journeying on the Freewinds “is the most significant spiritual accomplishment of [a Scientologist’s] lifetime and brings with it the full realization of his immortality.”
Interesting because, of course, the religion is well-known for not believing in modern medicine, even though their official position is that their members should follow doctors’ advice on physical health matters.
Image Credit: Pixabay
Also, the ship’s doctor has since requested 100 doses of the vaccine for others onboard. Nothing like an infectious disease in a confined space to make one reconsider their belief in science.
The vaccines have been provided at no cost.
Since the quarantine was declared, the ship has left port and returned home to the Dutch Caribbean.
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10 Countries Where You Can Live for Under $1000 a Month
If you’ve ever fantasized about getting away and starting over, it turns out that it is very possible to move to another country and live more cheaply, while probably also experiencing less stress and boredom. Thrillist listed 10 countries where you can live for under $1000 per month, including housing and food, plus entertainment. I can already feel my stress melting away.
Several of the countries on the list are in Asia, but there are countries all over the world: Africa, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean.
Right, so let’s start with Asia. Laos, Vietnam, Nepal, and India are all countries where you can live a comfortable lifestyle for under $1000 a month. All of these countries offer amazing food options and endless options for ~adventure~.
Nepal
Photo Credit: iStock
On the border of Europe and Asia, we have both Georgia and Armenia. Armenia is apparently known for its smart people and sunshine, while next-door neighbor Georgia is clean and safe, with a rambunctious nightlife.
In Africa, we have Zimbabwe, an unbelievably gorgeous place that uses US dollars and is “Africa’s adrenaline capital.”
In the Caribbean, there’s Grenada, a small island that is often confused with Guyana but is NOT the same. If you want to achieve a whole new level of relaxation, this is the place.
Grenada, West Indies
Photo Credit: iStock
Also on the list is Bolivia in South America. The visa is $160, but everything else is mega cheap. Tiny bonus: You can walk an alpaca on a leash for free???
Lastly, there’s Montenegro in Eastern Europe. It’s a tiny country with beautiful beaches and mountains. Need I say more?
Time to go do A LOT more daydreaming.
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Idaho’s Airbnb Listings Now Feature a Giant Potato, Which You Can Rent for $200
Airbnb has revolutionized the hospitality industry, but there’s a new location you can rent out that is revolutionizing Airbnb. It’s a potato, located in Idaho (because, of course).
From the outside, it looks like the potato couldn’t possibly be habitable — again, it is A POTATO — but in fact, it features a queen-sized bed and a fireplace.
It’s called the Big Idaho Potato Hotel.
personally relate to the AirBnB in Idaho that looks like a giant potato on the outside but then the inside is surprisingly pleasant pic.twitter.com/Y1SZHLPlUv
— Vicky
(@pxrroud) April 24, 2019
Upon further reading about the Airbnb, it quickly becomes clear that the potato is fake, which is a real bummer but also a relief. The tuber weighs six tons, and it’s 28 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 11.5 feet tall. It’s made of steel, plaster, and concrete.
The outside looks appealing, in the sense that potatoes are delicious, but also very unappealing, in the sense that you’d never think to spend the night in one.
But inside, there’s air-conditioning, a kitchenette, and a small bathroom.
Posted by Famous Idaho Potatoes on Monday, April 22, 2019
The giant potato was originally created to promote potatoes across the country. After six years of traveling the country on the bed of a truck, it now has a much trendier purpose: millennials pay over $200 a night on Airbnb to sleep inside of it and take Instagram photos.
The Big Idaho Potato Hotel sits in a giant field in Boise, Idaho, with views of the Owyhee Mountains.
Posted by Famous Idaho Potatoes on Monday, April 22, 2019
It has zero reviews on Airbnb due to being brand new, so… Who’s going to book this place first?!
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Japan’s Wisteria Gardens Will Take Your Breath Away
Spring is in the air all around, and after a long and dreary winter, it’s truly a delight to see all of nature in bloom again. This time of year is truly a magical season, but it’s especially gorgeous in Japan.
There’s a natural tendency for most of us to think of cherry blossom when we picture springtime in Japan, but today we’re here to put the spotlight on something we think is JUST as magical (if not more) – wisteria vines.
Wisteria plants grow long, flowering vines with flowers of various shades including white, yellow, pale blue, pink, and purple. Throughout Japan, there are several gorgeous wisteria gardens with man-made canopies for the plants to spread out on.
One of the most popular wisteria gardens in Japan is the Kawachi Wisteria Garden, located in the northern end of Kyusu Island. This private garden is only open to the public during wisteria season (April-May) and the maple leaf season in the fall.
The garden’s most prominent features are two 330-foot tunnels draped by 22 different varieties of wisteria plants.
Ok, definitely adding this to my bucket list.
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The US Bureau of Land Management…
The US Bureau of Land Management only allows 20 people per day to visit The Wave rock formation in Arizona and you have to apply 4 months in advance for a permit.
This Map Compares the Education Level in Each State to a Corresponding Country, and it’s Offending Everyone
We all know Americans like to think they’re number one at just about everything, but the truth is…that’s just not the truth. In fact, perhaps it’s their low education levels that makes them believe such a thing in the first place!
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation, American students rank 28th in math and science scores (for those not good at math, it means there are 27 better countries). The educated people at Home Snacks made a map of the United States comparing each state with a foreign country that is said to have similar education levels, using the United Nations Development Program index. Understanding this map will take knowledge of both United States and world geography, which means you’ll most likely get it if you live in the Northeast.
Here it is zoomed in, if that helps you focus.
The Northeast and Midwest tend to be on a similar track as European countries.
While the Southeast is largely comparable to Central America and Africa.
The Northwest appears to be the most diverse.
Although the Southwest is pretty diverse in its own right.
I guess like everything else in America, there are advantages and disadvantages to living in every nook and cranny of the country – but I’m not placing any bets on people deciding to forgo their home state for better education grounds anytime soon.
We know you can choose a lot of sites to read, but we want you to know that we’re thankful you chose Did You Know.
You rock! Thanks for reading!
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Startling Report Finds the U.S. Has Over 47,000 Bridges That Are “Structurally Deficient”
Rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure has been a big talking point among politicians over the past several years, but it doesn’t seem like any real action is ever taken.
And the news isn’t getting any better. A new report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association revealed that more than 47,000 bridges in the U.S. are in bad condition and need urgent repairs. The organization estimates that it would take 80 years to repair all the bridges in the U.S. that are deficient.
Stillwater Bridge, MN
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
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The term “structurally deficient” doesn’t necessarily mean that a bridge is in danger of collapsing, but it does mean that a bridge needs repairs and renovations. Clearly that’s not a good thing.
Alison Black, the chief economist for the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, said, “In addition to those bridges that are structurally deficient, about 4 out of 10 bridges across the country need some sort of major rehabilitation work. So unfortunately, it’s not just these 47,000 structures that need to be fixed.”
Arlington Memorial Bridge, VA
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The report says that the deficient bridges in the U.S. are crossed 178 million times each day. Many notable bridges are on the “structurally deficient” list, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Arlington Memorial Bridge that connects Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia, and the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge that stretches across the San Francisco Bay.
San Mateo Bridge, CA
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
To add insult to injury, 2018 saw the slowest rate of repairs in five years. According to Black, “There’s not a lot of new money. It really is just keeping pace with project costs and inflation. I think if we saw a significant increase in the federal funding side of this that would really go a long way to help states that are trying to provide some of these repairs and fix these bridges.”
Let’s all hope that our local, state, and national politicians can work together to repair our infrastructure and ensure the safety of the millions of Americans who drive across these bridges each and every day.
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