Somewhere between the modern and the traditional, there lies Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia’s fascinating capital is a city evolving before our very eyes. Its population is rapidly trading its ancestral, nomadic ways for a more modern life while still trying to retain the uniqueness of its rich culture. Ulaanbaatar is a city in transition, moved by dynamics bigger than itself. It lies at the intersection of globalization, capitalism, the legacy of … [Read more...]
Pittsburgh: Inspiring Awe and Nostalgia
Visit Pittsburgh. It’s a vibrant city with fantastic views and all kinds of easily accessible ways to see them, a sports legacy to envy, and vital American history. But more importantly, it is a tribute to what city government, public and private enterprise, and concerned citizens – what we, as human beings – can accomplish. In the last 50 years or so Pittsburgh has orchestrated a miraculous environmental transformation. Ride to the top of the … [Read more...]
Cirque du Soleil’s Zarkana—Wild, Wondrous and Body-Boggling
What do you do when your senses are simultaneously confused, excited, alarmed and enthralled? If you’re at a performance of Zarkana, Cirque du Soleil’s dramatic and mesmerizing visual bombardment at ARIA Las Vegas, you go with it. And going with it will be mighty gratifying. Many theater pieces engage your brain, perhaps with some later follow-through in your body. Zarkana envelops you. The lushly resonant music alone penetrates your body and … [Read more...]
Just woke up in “prison” in Helsinki
"Am I there yet? Am I there yet?" This question rattled around several times in my jet lag induced brain for a few moments before one eye fluttered open. In the foggy haze of nonstop travel for the past few days I looked around. I was in a small room. I noticed the window. It was high up the wall, not in a normal spot for a window. I glanced at the blinking red light. It was 4am. But there was plenty of outside light in the room. There was … [Read more...]
Astana: Whipping up a storm
This is the story of how Stalin lost his nose and why the face of former British prime minister Tony Blair pops up in the strangest places in a former Soviet republic. But first I want to tell you about Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan. And later I’ll tell you about kyz kuu, a kind of lovers’ kissing game they play on the steppe of central Asia. Kazakhstan, independent since 1991, and squeezed between those other ‘stans’ (homelands) … [Read more...]
Sacred Guides
The eighty degree weather we’d had at breakfast in a California border town transitioned sharply into the fifties by lunchtime at the Grand Canyon. I exchanged my flip flops for socks and hiking shoes, threw a jean jacket over my summer dress, and donned a beanie, the only warmer things I had easy access to. My dress whipped around my legs in the chilly wind. The weather was unexpectedly far from ideal for sightseeing, but we couldn’t drive past … [Read more...]
Hanging out in Narita Japan
Woke up this morning on some straw mat in a room I had never seen before. This was fine as I'm used to sleeping on hard surfaces. The confusion became clearer as the fog lifted from the sleep deprived mind and I vaguely remembered landing in Narita, Japan last night. The drive to this guesthouse was a blur - but I do remember the driver turning off his engine at every stop light, turning off his lights every time he stopped and driving with both … [Read more...]
Moon Moscow & St. Petersburg
Moon Moscow & St. Petersburg by Jennifer Chater & Nathan Toohey This book is a must have for any visitor planning a trip to Moscow or St. Petersburg. We had a fresh perspective on Moscow having just returned from this huge sprawling city and finding this book in our stack of newly arrived travel books. Moscow is definitely big and can be overwhelming to the first time tourist however this book does an excellent describing the main highlights in … [Read more...]
Lost in the City of Dreams
I had long been promising myself a visit to Istanbul, European Capital of Culture for 2010. So with the Bayram festival now approaching and the summer sun warming the earth, I couldn't resist a visit to this most ostentatious city of spires, a fabulously inspiring metropolis of imperial dreams; and it was only a magic carpet ride away. I arrived exhausted but excited, my heart in my hands here at the epicentre of three empires. Straddling two … [Read more...]
Red Square & the Kremlin – Moscow – April 2011
The Red Square and the Kremlin are super important attractions and we went back to this part of Moscow 3 days in a row. You need at least 2 days to hit the main museums and attractions in this area and or just sit down and people watch. The Kremlin is unbelievable - with its golden spired domes, many cathedrals and amazing murals inside the curved walls of the churches. Red Square is one of the most impressive squares in the world anchored by … [Read more...]