Holy Koh Mak!

I’ve decided that I’m not going to try to hide my enthusiasm. (It would be in vain, anyway.) Because I am SO psyched to share the 8th BT Blog Carnival with you today.

Why? Well, because it’s inspired me. I’ve never seen so many truly great stories submitted before. In a typical carnival, I see some good tips articles, some interesting photography articles, and maybe one or two truly great stories. But this time, the quality has gone up right along with the quantity, resulting in my favorite blog carnival I’ve ever had the privilege to put together. (And if you’re new to blog carnivals, you’re in for a ride. They’re one of the best ways to discover awesome new content you never would have discovered otherwise.)

I’ll be the first to admit that my attention span can be short at times, and I think we’ve all closed a web page just a few seconds after loading it because we quickly became bored with the content. Well, not today. I’m very glad to say that actually I had trouble taking my eyes off of some of these articles, which is a rare event for me. So a huge thanks to everyone who submitted, especially those who continue to submit month after month! Truly, this carnival was made possible because of you all.

The Best of this Carnival

In case you don’t have time to read all 21 excellent articles at the moment, I have 4 favorites that you should definitely not miss. First is Jaemin’s Getting Mugged in Colombia, which is an engrossing story about what’s really important in life and how trusting your instincts can save you a lot of trouble (which is something I’ve learned the hard way before).

The second is Zhu’s A Parisian Bug Story which is a great short story about how a situation can seem to get stuck and then unexpectedly become unstuck again. Coming in at a bit longer than that is Iain Manley’s beautifully detailed account of a little-known island called Koh Mak in Thailand’s Quiet Island. (Even though it’s rather long, it’s a wonderful read.)

And lastly, I must highlight Idelish’s If nothing else, take these 3 photographs on your travels which contains some really great ideas on the 3 types of shots to take at your next travel destination. This article is put together extremely well with lots of stunning photography to illustrate its points. Highly recommended.

A Reminder & A Win-Win-Win

Just a reminder that if one of your articles is in this month’s edition, please be sure to retweet, stumble, and “Like” this article. Remember, spreading the word multiplies the reaching-power of this blog carnival which in turn helps more people discover your article and grows your site! (And if you aren’t yet a submitter, find out how you too can submit to this carnival farther down.)

As I’ve said before, blog carnivals have a reaching power that continually surprises me; and by submitting to this carnival, you reach many people, some of which have never even seen your site before. It’s a real win-win-win situation. 🙂

In this carnival, we journey from the shores of the Isle of Koh Mak to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul and far beyond. So remember to blink, because we’re about to be immersed in many wonderful tales of travel…

Travel Stories

Zhu presents:
A Parisian Bug Story posted at Correr Es Mi Destino, saying,

“The room looked just fine at first glance: we put our backpacks down, checked the bathroom out quickly and sat on the bed. A minute later, Feng opened the window to see if we could actually see the Eiffel Tower from the room.”

Jaemin Yi presents:
Getting Mugged in Colombia posted at Jaemin Yi, saying,

“The story of how I got mugged by 7 guys at knifepoint in Medellin, Colombia.”

Serena Makofsky presents:
Surprises Beneath the Surface posted at Have You Seen the Dog Lately?, saying,

“Something as simple as buying and eating fresh fruit and vegetables has remarkable possibilities in a foreign country.”

Iain Manley presents:
The Curse of Gokarna posted at Old World Wandering: A Travelogue, saying,

“A long article about the past, present and uncertain future of an Indian village and popular tourist destination.”

Scholars & Rogues presents:
Sorry, officer, we’re not from around here posted at Scholars and Rogues.

Michael Turtle presents:
US Road Trippin’ posted at Time Travel Turtle.

Michael Turtle presents:
Khao San Road blues posted at Time Travel Turtle.

Travel Destinations

Tui Cameron presents:
Fort Worth Water Gardens posted at Discovering Dallas – Fort Worth, saying,

“To me, the Fort Worth Water Gardens are a modern take on ancient city fountains, with Mother Nature as the theme instead of cherubs and Roman gods. Even though flanked by skyscrapers and Interstate 30, it successfully creates a contemplative oasis in the middle of a busy urban environment. If I worked within walking distance, I would eat my lunch there as often as possible. Best of all, this peaceful space is free to the public and open every single day!”

Iain Manley presents:
Thailand’s Quiet Island posted at Old World Wandering, saying,

“An article about Koh Mak, a quiet Thai island without prostitution or the bucket-drinking brigade.”

Jason Noronha presents:
10 Reasons to Pack Your Bags for Rio de Janeiro posted at The Orange Mango, saying,

“I spent 2 weeks in Rio last month and I fell in love with the place and this is why…”

Jennifer Miner presents:
Fall Foliage Trips in Upstate New York posted at The Vacation Gals, saying,

“The Adirondacks has some great scenic byways for appreciating the peak fall foliage season in Upstate New York.”

Perrin Smith presents:
Extra(ordinary) Days in Seattle posted at Nod ‘n’ Smile. (Site down.)

Travel Photography

Patty Pittman presents:
When Karateka Go Hiking, Caribou Mountain NH posted at Kihon Wasa, saying,

“Hiking and pictures of Caribou Mountain Trail in the White Mountains in New Hampshire, shared with friends. It was a great hike, lots of blueberries and breathtaking views.”

Nicole Elena Robertson presents:
Pattern in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul posted at Nicole Elena Robertson, saying,

“A photo essay of the intricate tile and painted patterns within the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, Turkey.”

Shirlene from Idelish presents:
If nothing else, take these 3 photographs on your travels posted at Idelish.

Jairo Al Jairo presents:
Travel Diaries: Batu Karas, West Java, Indonesia posted at Light Sensation.

The Soul of Japan presents:
Karuizawa Summer posted at The Soul of Japan.

Travel Tips

Heartland Frugalista presents:
The Long and Winding Road: Biking for Pleasure and Utilitarian Purposes posted at Heartland Living on a Budget (site since taken down), saying,

“Biking is a fabulous way to travel. In this piece I introduce a few friends who travel by bike in Wisconsin and Hawaii.”

Dawn Xiana Moon presents:
Cincinnati’s Regional Cuisine: Goetta posted at Kitchen Lore.

Care to grow your blog’s audience?

If you write well (and you’ve written something that relates to travel), and you haven’t submitted to the BTBC before, what the heck are you waiting for? Blog Carnivals are an amazing and free way to get more exposure to your work, so you’d be silly not to take advantage of this opportunity.

I know this from firsthand experience because blog carnivals have been incredibly helpful in spreading the word about Byteful Travel. So if you’re a writer, and you’ve written something that relates to travel, submit a piece you’re proud of.

To submit an article you wrote so it can be considered for inclusion next time, please submit your article (and no more than 3 of them, please) to the next edition of the Byteful Travel carnival using this submission form. And remember to read the rules. (To see past posts and future hosts, check the blog carnival index.)

Are you ready to become a force for positive connections?

So far BTBC has only been hosted on Byteful Travel, but I’d like to change that. I always stress at the end of these that BTBC is a travelling blog carnival, which means it’s meant to be hosted by multiple blogs, not just on Byteful Travel. So if you have a travel-related blog and you’re interested in hosting the BTBC, please contact me via the contact page. Not only will hosting attract more attention to your blog, it will help bring the travel writing community together too. Remember, whenever you host a carnival, you become a force that allows positive connections to manifest.

BTBC #9 in November (& More). Will you join us?

The next carnival is in late November. Will you be the one to have the gumption to step forward and be the first writer to host the BTBC outside this site? Do you want to become a force for creating positive connections? After all, this carnival wants to travel, and it can’t do that without you.

UPDATE: Tui of Mental Mosaic has stepped up and will host the 9th BTBC. So be sure to checkout Mental Mosaic on November 30th!

UPDATE 2: The 9th BTBC has been posted! For more awesome travel writing, don’t miss it: Byteful Travel Blog Carnival #9 – 2011 Nov 30

Also, now that we’ve explored the fun interactive (and free) Intel museum and made a brief visit to Apple’s Campus, we’ll soon wrap up our exploration of Silicon Valley with an exploration of the incredible (and free) Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. And after that, we return to San Francisco to explore its many wonders, including Lombard Street and Coit Tower. So there’s lots coming up that I’m excited to share with you all!

Looking for more handpicked travel content?

A few weeks ago, I created a Paper.li periodical called the Byteful Travel Weekly Recap. There are two cool things I like about Paper.li. One is, it automatically collects the best content from writers I’ve hand-picked from across the web, most of which I’ve discovered because they’ve submitted to the Byteful Travel Blog Carnival. In fact, since it automatically updates every Monday, it always has fresh articles from my fellow travel writers. The other thing I really like about it is that it presents the articles in a very friendly newspaper layout, so finding something you like is really easy. So check it out: Byteful Travel Weekly Recap

And let me know what you think!

Also, if you’d like your content to get exposure through the Byteful Travel Weekly Recap, then submit a quality piece to the BTBC. That’s the best way to be considered for being added to the list of contributors.

And until next time, may your travels enlighten your soul to fresh insights, new connections, and powerful realizations.