Everyone seeks something different in travel. For some it begins and ends with foreign food. Others prefer art and museums. Some take their pleasure in exotic nightlife. For many, the quest involves a beach. I have my own special thing. I always go looking for the local sport. I enjoy sports for their own sake, but I also find that they often offer revealing insights into national culture. Continue reading…
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Salavado Dali was a master of surrealism, so it’s only fitting that the world’s most comprehensive collection of this eccentric Spanish artist’s work should be found in a surreal setting–beside a power station in an industrial section of “God’s waiting room”–geriatric St. Petersburg, Florida. Just as surprising as the location is the museum’s popularity. On a midweek afternoon in March, the Salvador Dali Museum (www.salvadordalimuseum.org/) is packed, not just with curious Europeans, but with white-bread Middle America types, undeterred by the $10 admission charge or the challenging subject matter. There is no shortage of visual delights. The museum boasts an inventory of 96 oils, more than 100 watercolours and drawings, some 1,300 graphics, plus sculptures, photographs and documents. Continue reading…
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A friend of mine used to fly south each winter to Montserrat. The lush, green tropical island was one of the least known of the many Caribbean getaways. There were a few hotels and some nightlife, but the place was pretty much off the radar for most tourists. My friend knew virtually nothing about Montserrat before he went, other than the fact that George Martin, the Beatles’ producer, had built a recording studio there, at which Dire Straits laid down the tracks for their “Brothers in Arms” album and the Police recorded “Synchronicity.” But he was instantly charmed by the atmosphere. Unfortunately, Montserrat fell victim to two natural disasters, Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and the eruption of the Soufriere volcano in 1995, which buried the capital city, Plymouth, under 15 metres of mud. My friend died of a heart attack before he could find another idyllic retreat to replace Montserrat, but there are other unspoiled islands out there waiting to be discovered. Here are seven to dream about. Continue reading…
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I snapped this photo within walking distance of my home in Vancouver, which would be tough to do in most cities. After I had taken a few shots of the blue heron, it was scared off by a lycra-clad cyclist, who was riding through the marsh, blithely chugging past a sign that read “Environmentally Sensitive Area. Please Keep Out.” This also struck me as a uniquely Vancouver event. At least, he said “Sorry” as the big bird flapped away. The heron was hunting for fish in one of the ponds near Jericho Beach, a wetlands habitat that is home to several species of waterfowl as well as turtles, frogs, muskrats and beavers. My main purpose for visiting Jericho is to take pictures, but since the area is rife with birds, I find that I am slowly and unintentionally joining the ranks of what is North America’s fastest growing hobby: birdwatching. Continue reading…
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Every year it seems there is another book published that tells us which places we must visit before we die. Since that territory has now been so thoroughly trampled, I am offering a twist on the theme–destinations you should visit before they die. There are many world wonders threatened today by pollution, global warming, runaway development, armed conflict and mismanaged tourism. I’ve picked a few sites that stand directly in the firing line. Hopefully they will survive, but in the meantime, the doomsday clock is ticking. Continue reading…
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The Internet has created a number of oddball celebrities, but none stranger than Matt Harding, a self-confessed 32-year-old slacker and video game designer from Westport, Connecticut. Harding’s claim to fame is a goofy dance he performs in front of various landmarks and locations around the globe. Let’s be perfectly clear: Harding is not a talented dancer. Imagine a big, hefty fellow in shorts and hiking boots bouncing around with his arms and knees pumping awkwardly. Yet somehow, his flailing chicken-step has earned him major TV coverage. Harding has appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Daily Show and Inside Edition, to name but a few, and he has been profiled by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post. Continue reading…
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1. In what African country can you stay at a lodge called the The Giraffe Manor, where guests are likely to see giraffes stretching their entire head and neck through the breakfast room windows?
A. Tanzania
B. South Africa
C. Kenya
D. Uganda
2. After John Lennon’s death in 1980, the graffiti-covered “John Lennon Peace Wall” became a shrine for the youth of which city?
A. Amsterdam
B. Prague
C. New York
D. Liverpool Continue reading…
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Tired of gazing at the great works of Picasso, Rembrandt, Monet and Da Vinci? Looking for something with a different bent? How about a woman with a horn growing out of her forehead, blue whale penises and piano-playing cockroaches? These are just a few of the irresistible attractions you can find on display at the world’s weirdest museums. Let’s begin our survey … Continue reading…
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I did a bit of time travel last Sunday–I made a trip to Vancouver’s Wreck Beach. I went there to take photographs. My teenage daughter informed me that the people down there wouldn’t appreciate the fact I was toting a camera. She was referring to the nudists, the major feature of North America’s largest “clothing-optional” beach. Considering the chilly weather, I said I didn’t think that would be a problem. (I left the house wearing a toque, a lined leather jacket and several layers of clothing.) However, I was surprised to learn that my 17-year-old daughter had already been to see Wreck. I asked her if she took her clothes off. “Noooo,” she replied, scrunching up her face. Continue reading…
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Slumdog Millionaire not only stole the show at the 81st annual Academy Awards, winning eight Oscars, including Best Picture, it is also sure to bring a tourism boost to the city of Mumbai, which had seen a decline in visitors since the November 2008 terrorist attacks that killed 173 people. According to the Annals of Tourism Research, when a location is featured in a successful film, the number of visitors rises by more than 50 per cent over four years. The tourists who make travel plans based on their favourite films are known as “set jetters”–and their numbers are growing. From the thousands of baseball fans that make a pilgrimage to the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, to the legions of fantasy buffs who take Lord of the Rings tours of New Zealand, film-inspired travel is one of the hottest trends going. Continue reading…
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