The following is taken from Dave's Journal regarding his time in Oman in which he covered parts of Muscat, several Wadi's including Tiwi, the fort town of Nizwa, the main north south highway, and many areas within several hours driving of Salalah in the south. We have driven over 2000 miles so far! I must say that Oman is TRULY THE PINNACLE of off roading! With its huge, steep, rocky, remote wadis, large sand dunes, and tracks anywhere you … [Read more...]
Day 5 – Breaux Bridge, Music
Travelers who enjoy crawfish and or Cajun and Zydeco music, a visit to the town of Breaux Bridge is mandatory. Restaurants in this town were among the first in Louisiana to offer it on their printed menus, the crawfish etouffe, now common in southern Louisiana was invented here and the annual Crawfish Festival is held in the first week of May. You haven't seen a festival like this one before; features a crawfish eating contest (current record is … [Read more...]
Film Festivals in Istanbul
Istanbul's Independent and International Festivals A city with a unique mix of Asian and European cultural influences, Istanbul is the home of two major film festivals which showcase established and up-and-coming talent from both continents. The Independent !F Festival and the Istanbul International Festival celebrate a combination of alternative productions, big blockbusters and quality Turkish movies, often giving national cinema … [Read more...]
A Journey In The Gold Coast:In Ghana
It was breezy late afternoon as I descended boarding EK 781 in the fertile soil of Ghana, a country in Western Africa. Indeed, it was my first visit to an entirely Black African nation with hospitable people. The uniqueness of humidity caught my attention next as we steered through traffic. Accompanied by my Ghanaian lawyer from the airport going to the place I was to stay. Ghana has a typical tropical climate: two rainy seasons in the … [Read more...]
Splendour of the Far East: The Philippines
My plane bucks like a wild horse on the final approach before landing through disturbing clouds that crowd late afternoon summer skies over Manila. Beside me a Singaporean Flight Engineer and his wife eagerly peer out the window for a first glimpse of the city. "We've been visiting the islands a number of times," she explains, reminding me of how neighbouring Asians refer to the rest of the country, "and can't wait to get back. Philippines are … [Read more...]
Backpacking Amsterdam’s Music Side
The City's Three Alternative Summer Festivals Amsterdam may be known by backpackers for its cannabis-serving cafes and red light district but this notorious city is also home to three world-class music festivals every summer. They aren't all pop tunes and over-priced burgers like many of Europe's offerings - in keeping with Amsterdam's bohemian reputation, the festivals are based on culture, diversity and experiment. With cheap prices … [Read more...]
The Golden Triangle of Andalucia
The rattle of castanets and the sob of guitars drift into the narrow streets from hole-in-the-wall flamenco night spots. Not since tears would come to my eyes when Hansel and Gretel got lost in the woods, had I ever imagined that I could be lost in a forest. But here I was, fully-grown and wandering in the late afternoon gloom, softly calling for my husband. Softly because this was no ordinary woods but a hallowed forest with 850 towering … [Read more...]
Dubai – A Piece of The Pie
The following is taken from Dave's Journal regarding a long weekend spent in Dubai I took a quick trip up to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates 3 weeks ago in the midst of the annual Shopping Festival. Thirty years ago this was a local regional city. Today its an international nightmare, depending on your perspective. Perhaps it is a city that will cause you to have a strong visceral reaction. Lots of craziness with the terrible traffic, … [Read more...]
Mutiny to Tahiti and French Polynesia
Since the age of explorers Wallis, Bougainville, and Cook, legendary Tahiti has tickled imaginations worldwide. More recently, Tahiti became the most famous Polynesian island of all when Clark Gable (1935), Marlon Brando (1962), and Mel Gibson (1984) played the role of Fletcher Christian in three blockbuster Mutiny on the Bounty films. Even the horrendous French nuclear testing program from 1966-1996 did little to dampen this image. For the … [Read more...]
Las Fallas of Valencia
Arguably the craziest urban festival in Europe, this is one of the most bizarre and fascinating European attractions, yet it is not a recent invention of new age imagination but a deeply traditional local festivity. Valencia, the City of Contrast, has stepped firmly into the cosmopolitan 21st century, yet it has kept much of its tradition intact. The social fabric of the city is still organised around the clan-like fallas - neighbourhood … [Read more...]
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