Destination: Australia & Pacific
Photo You Must See: Dust Storm at the Opera House
by World Hum | 09.23.09 | 5:01 PM ET
REUTERS/Tim Winborne A dust storm obscures the Sydney Opera House at sunrise this morning.
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Yahoo! BuzzFlags of the World—Made From Food
by Michael Yessis | 09.16.09 | 2:34 PM ET
These ads for the Sydney International Food Festival are stunning. Right now, this one is my favorite:
(Via Coudal)
David Sedaris on Australia: ‘It’s Canada in a Thong’
by Michael Yessis | 08.19.09 | 4:19 PM ET
That line is one of the comedic high points in a rather moving story about Australia, kookaburras and family by David Sedaris in the latest New Yorker.
Moon-Gazing Around the Globe
by Alicia Imbody | 08.03.09 | 10:32 AM ET
From Puebla to Paris, 12 photos by moonstruck world travelers
See the full photo slideshow »
Travel Song of the Day: ‘Southern Cross’ by Crosby, Stills & Nash
by Jim Benning | 07.23.09 | 5:29 PM ET
Climbing Ban Could be Coming to Uluru
by Eva Holland | 07.08.09 | 11:55 AM ET
An Australian government proposal is in the works to ban tourists from climbing Uluru, the distinctive red rock monolith that is considered sacred ground by local indigenous groups. Those same groups have been pushing for the move for years, but the proposal is—predictably—controversial in other quarters: “Big Brother is coming to Uluru to slam the gate closed on an Australian tourism icon,” said one conservative politician quoted in the Independent.
Invoking Orwell here seems a tad dramatic. I’m more inclined to agree with local elder Vince Forrester. “You can’t go climb on top of the Vatican, you can’t go climb on top of the Buddhist temples and so on and so forth,” he said. “Obviously you have to respect our religious attachment to the land too, so we’re saying please do not climb Uluru.”
Australia’s Prime Minister: ‘Hotter Than Obama’
by Eva Holland | 06.29.09 | 7:05 PM ET
Publicity still via IGN That was the verdict from Bruno, comedian Sasha Baron Cohen’s gay Austrian alter ego, during a visit to Sydney for his movie‘s Australian premiere. Said the ostensible fashion TV reporter after meeting Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: “That guy is like, uber-cute. I thought Obama was like the hottest guy in the world until I met Kevin.”
Ooh. Them’s fighting words, Bruno. President Obama, care to respond?
How to Lick an Ant in Australia
by Kristin Luna | 06.19.09 | 10:55 AM ET
The Oecophylla smaragdina packs a flavorful punch. Kristin Luna explains how to get a taste.
What’s Become of the World’s Red-Light Districts?
by Michael Yessis | 06.18.09 | 3:50 PM ET
A Wallpaper slideshow looks at how red-light districts in Amsterdam, Singapore, Sydney and seven other major world cities have been cleaned up. Or, as the story’s intro describes the transformation of Times Square in New York City, how they’ve reacted after after being given an “urban colonic.”
The Great Guidebook Retail Showdown
by Eva Holland | 06.18.09 | 11:48 AM ET
Who knew the world of guidebooks-in-bookstores could be so fraught with conflict?
Last week came the news that WH Smith—a large British bookstore chain found in most of the country’s airports and major train stations—had reached an exclusive deal to sell only Penguin-published guidebooks (namely DK Eyewitness and Rough Guides) from its shops. According to the Guardian, the chain reasoned that travelers “are often pressed for time and want to have a straightforward range of travel guides to choose from.” Michael Palin and Margaret Drabble are among the big names opposing the move. Arthur Frommer also has a predictably furious response, calling the deal “an unthinkable act of literary censorship and corporate greed.”
Ten Inspirational Women Travelers
by Julia Ross | 06.18.09 | 10:13 AM ET
Julia Ross celebrates women who have blazed their own trails
Sideways, Down Under
by Tony Perrottet | 06.10.09 | 9:50 AM ET
In the Margaret River region of Western Australia, you can just sip wine and nibble on cheese. Or, like Tony Perrottet, you can push the limits of indulgence.
Interview with Rick Steves: ‘Travel as a Political Act’
by Jim Benning | 05.13.09 | 2:33 PM ET
Jim Benning asks the Europe travel guru about his new book -- and where Americans can go for a politically eye-opening experience
The Subtle Bouquet of Cat’s Pee and Other Wine Aromas
by David Farley | 05.12.09 | 2:29 PM ET
In the 1980s, the University of California, Davis gave a gift to wine snobs everywhere by creating the “Aroma Wheel, ” a lexicon that allowed your average wino to stick his nose deep into your long-stemmed Riedel and then emerge using words like grapefruit, blackberry, banana, black pepper and oaky.
Some of the Wheel’s vocabulary bordered on the undrinkable-sounding: sweaty, barnyard and wet dog, for example. Which allowed for descriptions like this: This deep red blend offers an intense bouquet of wet dog balanced by hints of banana and sweaty barnyard with a body robust enough to be, as the Italians would say, perfectly corposo.
Dhani Tackles Poetry: ‘Greater Than…’
by Dhani Jones | 05.11.09 | 4:08 PM ET
Photo by Red Line Films NFL linebacker and Renaissance man Dhani Jones hosts the Travel Channel show, Dhani Tackles the Globe.
Like any good Renaissance man, he’s writing poems inspired by the travel experiences featured on each show.
The topic of tonight’s journey: New Zealand.