Welcome to the new edition of Perceptive Travel, a webzine for independent travelers with open senses and open minds.

We've got more great travel stories for you, as well as the usual round-up of new world music and travel book reviews. To skip the rest of this intro and start reading, go here: July/August 2008 Perceptive Travel.

Thanks to everyone who entered the Remarkable Photo Contest. We got some great entries and will announce the winners around July 15. Congrats to newsletter subscriber Sally Fine who is feeling fine: she won the fun and useful Skullcandy Link Hydro pack from the newsletter subscriber contest.

This time we're giving away ten, yes TEN Perceptive Travel Coolmax moisture wicking t-shirts courtesy of the fine folks at CoolClothingUSA.com. What do they look like? Well, like the ones at the TravelTease shop but faster drying and white. (Not a ringer T like the one pictured here.) We're giving away five to newsletter subscribers, five to people who are just joining us. If you're in the latter camp, send the e-mail confirmation of your sign-up (as in a fake address will do you no good) and your mailing address to remarkable [at] perceptivetravel.com. See the box at the top right of this page to sign up. We'll pick five at random by the end of July.

In this issue you'll find another great collection of unusual stories, including your humble editor, Rory MacLean, David Drotar, and Bruce Northam. For the first time we welcome Dave Lowe, who faced the big tsunami and lived to tell the tale. Regular world music reviewer Graham Reid returns and Gillian Kendall takes on the book reviews this issue.

Check out the new issue of Perceptive Travel for the whole shebang.

Looking for a story that appeared in a previous issue? Dive into the Perceptive Travel archives where you can skim down or do a search of everything that has appeared here since our debut.

If you're looking for writer's guidelines, want to join our advertisers, or have a suggestion or rant, see the Contact Us page. For some new material between issues, see the Perceptive Travel Blog.

Thanks for stopping by!
- Tim Leffel, Editor