Following the Equator | EF's Educational Travel Blog

What would the Earth’s population look like if there were only 100 people?

Would there be an equal number of men and women?
How many Americans would there be?
Where would most people live?
How many would be able to read?

The answers may surprise you.

So that's what Clint Eastwood sounds like

The first movie my wife ever saw in the original English version was The Bridges of Madison County. She was quite taken with the experience of hearing Clint Eastwood's real voice for the first time; until that point, she'd only heard Clint dubbed into Spanish, by a Spanish actor who probably also dubbed Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Hanks.  

More movies would bring her more revelations: Jack Nicholson's real voice, Robert De Niro's real voice, and the real voices of a host of other Americans, right on down to Steve Urkel (American TV shows were dubbed into Spanish, too). For her, there was no comparing the English voice to the Spanish dubbing: The real English was far superior and far more satisfying. 

Pangea Day unites the world

We often tend to overlook the fact that the entire world at one time was banded together on one landmass, one supercontinent called Pangea.

Next Saturday, a global event will try to bring the world together again for the appropriately named Pangea Day.

Pangea Day is an audacious idea to rally the world through the power of film—24 short films, in fact. The four-hour event, which also features seven concerts and more than a dozen speakers, will be held in Cairo, Kigali (Rwanda), London, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro, beginning at 2 p.m. EDT May 10. You can attend the live event, watch the broadcast through the Internet, television and mobile phones, and even host or attend a live local event.

Check out the official Pangea Day site, where you can hear countries sing each other's national anthems and learn about the inspiring international films that will "allow us see the world through another person's eyes." But, first, watch the trailer:

Travel Tidbits: One long walk

How much does it cost to travel from Bristol, England, to Porbandar, India?

If you're Mark Boyle, the answer (hopefully) is nothing.

The catch is that Boyle is walking—yes, walking—from his British hometown to Gandhi's birthplace without any money.

The 28-year-old former businessman (pictured at left) began the 9,000-mile "pilgrimage" last Wednesday and plans to survive by relying solely on the goodwill of humanity or working for food and a place to rest.

"I've got some sunscreen, a good knife, a spoon, a bandage ... no Visa card, no travellers' cheques, no bank accounts, zero," he told BBC radio. "I won't actually touch money along the way."

Boyle, who also goes by the name Saoirse, estimates he'll cover 15 to 45 miles a day walking through France, Italy, eastern Europe, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He guesses it will take him two and a half years to arrive in Porbandar, Gandhi's birthplace on India's west coast.

You can follow Boyle on his journey by reading his blog. And, if you happen to spot him along the way, be sure to post your sighting.

Read on for this week's installment of Travel Tidbits.

Travel Tidbits: Can you spare $10 million?

Think the U.S. economy is problematic? It's nothing compared to the economic crisis in Zimbabwe.

Inflation is so bad—believed to be 50,000 percent annually—that Zimbabwe's central bank just began issuing notes worth 10,000,000 Zimbabwean dollars. Yes, 10 million bucks. That's the equivalent of 100 of the bills pictured.

Ten million dollars is believed to be the largest denomination of any currency in the world, but don't get too excited. At the current rate, it could be worthless in a few weeks. According to the BBC, one $10 million note (or bearer cheque, as its called) is worth less than $4 U.S. on the black market. That means the $100,000 cheque pictured is worth less than 4 U.S. pennies.

Gadling pointed us to a blog that describes Zimbabwe's rampant hyperinflation. The writer reports that the new $10,000,000 bill is the same color, layout and design as an old $20 bill (which expired in July). Fifteen months ago, that $20 bill was worth $0.025 USD; that same bill is now worth $0.00000005 USD. Hence, the $10 million note.

To illustrate what that means in daily life, here's how much it cost to buy a beer back in December.

Now, on to more Travel Tidbits …

2 Million Minutes

Two million minutes … that's how long four years is, that's how long high school lasts, that's how long high school students have to prepare for their futures.

And that's also the name of a compelling new documentary, 2 Million Minutes: A Global Examination, which focuses on how the United States, China and India—"the three superpowers of the 21st century"—educate and prepare high school students for the global economy.

The one-hour documentary—the brainchild of entrepreneur Robert A. Compton—examines two high school students (a boy and a girl) from each country. The Americans (from Carmel, Indiana) are excellent students but appear more interested in sunglasses and sororities than studies. Their counterparts in China and India, on the other hand, are consumed with their education, their careers and pursuits such as the violin.

The film doesn't focus on big-picture solutions, but we know that increasing global awareness through educational travel can play a major role. This is right in line with the goals of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, of which EF is a board member.

Thanks to Scott McLeod over at Dangerously Irrelevant for bringing our attention to this compelling documentary. I just ordered my copy. You can read more about the film, about the characters and about What Should America Do, and you can read Education Week's article.

But, first, you have to watch the trailer:

And the nominees are …

The Academy Awards nominations were just announced, but, alas, there's no Oscar for Best Travel Movie.

If there were, perhaps The Bourne Ultimatum—which was filmed in Germany, England, Spain, Morocco, France, Italy and the United States—would have earned more than its three sound and editing nominations.

With no travel-related golden statue to pass out and no thumb-worthy travel list from Ebert, we defer to Budget Travel's list of the year's top 10 travel-inspiring movies:

1. The Bourne Ultimatum
2. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (set in historic England)
3. Ratatouille (set in animated Paris)
4. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (filmed in Canada)
5. Into the Wild (set in continental United States and Alaska)
6. The Darjeeling Limited (set in India)
7. Atonement (set in WWII Britain)
8. Enchanted (set in Manhattan)
9. Lust, Caution (set in Shanghai and Hong Kong)
10. Once (set in Ireland)

Gadling has written a couple of times about the list (here and here) and even directed us to a video of an interview CNN conducted with Budget Travel Senior Editor Liz Ozaist. In particular, she highlighted Jason Bourne's chase through Tangier's medina in Morocco as one of the many spectacular scenes showcasing a travel destination.