If you're lucky, you live near trees. And if you're even more lucky, those trees will be plentiful. But, if you're really lucky, you might be able to find a rare habitat, one that would make Frodo feel at home - a tree tunnel: high or low canopies of the trees that create a nature-made…
Nature & the Environment
With the benefit of hindsight, we can look back at things that raised the blood pressure of "the people," but can now look back and wonder what all of the fuss was about.
An example is Eileen Gray’s modernist villa E-1027, built in 1929. It resides on the Cap Moderne site. (The Cap Moderne Association is…
Hey tiger, want to explore the bush and find your inner animal? In style, of course. And a rather special place is the The Bushcamp Company in Zambia. It's been around for a while, but they've spent a number of months refreshing the place. The award-winning Mfuwe safari lodge is set in the most prolific…
Research out of the European Society of Cardiology suggests taking more than three weeks of vacation days may help you live longer. The 40-year study initially set out to examine the result healthy living (aerobic exercise, a balanced diet, and putting down the cigarettes) had on the long-term risk of developing heart disease. But researchers…
When you think of space travel, you might associate it solely with men. Especially beefcake men who spend a lot of their time working out.
But here is an article about how maybe that idea is a little outdated. It's time to look at women in space. There are a lot of good reasons why.
They eat,…
Every so often, a human mass movement comes along that subtly alters the zeitgeist of we humans. It could have been the art enlightenment in the 1920's. Or perhaps it was the peace and love Hippies in the 1960's. But one of these movements has persisted - the Chautauqua Institute. Chautauqua was an adult education…
Deep in the Caucasus mountains of Georgia is a town called Bochorna. The highest continuously inhabited settlement in Europe, it has an altitude of 7,694 feet—or six Empire State buildings stacked on top of each other—and a population of one. But to get there, to that man, and to that town, you need to ford…
Whether you want to get out of the USA or into Canada, or the other way around, your time has come. After nearly four years of conceptualizing and construction, the nation’s (USA) longest multi-use state trail is open to the public, reaching from the southern most tip of Manhattan right up to the Canadian border.…
For years there have been jokes about the "tin foil hats" people: the doomsayers, the mountain men, the survivalists, the crazies, the Government Plot believers. Others would look askance at them, walk to the other side of the street to avoid them.
Well, there is no doubt that mother earth is struggling, and we humans may…
In 1986, Vancouver hosted the World's Fair. An event like that is a big deal not only for the hosting city, but also for the brands that sponsor and appear in the fair. McDonald's was no exception: behold the McBarge. The 57-metre, two-storey glass-and-metal barge was used as a floating McDonald’s restaurant during the world’s…
Europe is many things, but one thing that is consistent across almost all of the European countries is the general approach to tolerance. Good, mature behaviour is recognised, and rewarded with few limitations or rules. The Europeans intrinsically get this.
And one area where this all blends together for Europeans is camping. This article talks about…
If you're a music fan, then you certainly must know of the Buena Vista Social Club, 1999 documentary film directed by Wim Wenders. The film follows renowned guitarist Ry Cooder and his son, Joachim, as they travel to Cuba and assemble a group of the country's finest musicians to record an album. But, even if you…
It's always good to think ahead, when you can. And while you're enjoying the summer sun, there are probably a dozen or more items on your list that you're ignoring / forgetting. Well, let us give you a little prod to recommend that you start looking into your winter holidays now. Chances are good that…
Sometimes, we don't realise how lucky we are.
If you're not familiar with this story, prepare to be amazed. Kowloon Walled City was an ungoverned and densely populated de jure Chinese enclave within the boundaries of Kowloon City, British Hong Kong.
Originally a Chinese military fort, the walled city became an enclave after the New Territories were…
Do you fully recognise that "they are among us?" Do you fashion yourself as an extraterrestrial hunter? Do you have the knowledge, desire and hardware to search for them? The US Pentagon says there’s no explanation for “unidentified aerial phenomenon” detected by pilots over the years. But scientists use tools such as the SETI Allen…
The electric interwebs are full of articles and videos about failed attempts on a grand scale. We know that there was thought and planning put into these - there had to be.
But, in the cases here, the dreams crumbled in a number of different ways. Rather than ridcule, let's be glad that we're able to…
Ireland is one of the more hip, inclusive, free and charming places in Europe. When you meet an Irish human, you will inevitably strike up a natural and amiable conversation, no matter the situation. The Irish - the same as the Australians - are simply like that. Everyone tends to gravitate to Dublin and Belfast…
AirBnB, constant bad press notwithstanding, has created a wonderful new model on how to travel. Almost everyone wins. VRBO, an Expedia company (and one of our valued affiliate friends,) have taken the model and successfully given AirBnB a run for their money: in some recent months, they have marched past AirBnB in bookings. But, this…
This is a simple, but very important request. For those of us who are fortunate enough to travel, this should almost be mandatory.
UNESCO has created the Sustainable Tourism Pledge. The pledge takes an industry-first approach to environmental and cultural protection, requiring hotel operators to introduce firm measures to eliminate single-use plastics and promote local culture.
The…
"If looks could thrill it would have been us instead of him" All the children sing. These looks will thrill - at Reserva Alecrim EcoSuite & Glamping in Portugal. The properties, the views, the surroundings, the location - wow! And the bungalows look more like dwellings on the moon. Set by a lake in the Alentejo…