Petronas Towers

by Erik Olsen on

Someday, I’m sure, there will be buildings 20,000 feet high. We’ll laugh at little mountain peaks like Rainier and we’ll think about buildings that can reach the moon. But for now, we have to content ourselves with what we have built, and among the big, big buildings are the Petronas Towers.

Johnny Jet has got a nice feature on the Petronas towers, those twin behemoths that oversee, like sentinels, the city of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. I don’t know about you, but I’ve ALWAYS wanted to hang at the towers, to have a drink on the upper floors. Whle the review/experience here doesn’t quite to that fantasy justice, it will still whet your whistle. The article here lists many of the great things to do to see around the towers and should tickle your interest in seeing these magnificent architectural structures.

Top 10 Destination Spas

by Erik Olsen on

I have to make a confession: I’ve never been to a destination spa in my entire life. Yes, a few times I’ve gotten naked and climbed into a hot tub, or even into natural hot springs, but drop a bunch of coin on some place in the desert where you stretch and eat yogurt and get a massage. Never. Look, I’m not pooh-poohing it. I just haven’t gotten around to it yet…nor do I have the disposable income to justify going to one of these places. Heck I’d rather drop that kind of money on a new ipod which, let me tell you, would give me more peace of mind in the long run.

So…since I am not in any way an authority on spas, I am going to turn over the task of telling you which are the best ones to visit to this site. In this nicely written piece they lay out the top ten destination spas in the United States and they tell you what makes them so special. All the usual suspects (by this, I mean states) are covered. California, Hawaii, Arizona. Funny, you don’t find many spas in, say North Dakota or West Virginia. I wonder why that is?

Searching for Jazz in Kyrgyzstan

by Neil Woodburn on

Mark Sabbatini has a nice little goal in life; “To find jazz musicians in the world’s most unlikely places.”

His most recent quest to do so took him to the “unlikely” country of Kyrgyzstan where he spent four days in the capital of Bishkek searching for his favorite style of music, a challenge, as he would learn, that proved nearly impossible.

On his website, AllAboutJazz.com, Sabbatini touches on some of the more likely reasons people travel to Kyrgyzstan, such as the spectacular Tian Shan Mountains or picturesque Lake Issyk-Kul. He also discusses local food (mostly chicken) and drink (mostly vodka). But it is his love for jazz that really dominates his visit.

Sabbatini’s quest to find jazz in Kyrgyzstan was like searching for camels in Anchorage–people were aware that such a thing existed but had no idea where one could find such an oddity. Even the numerous pirate CD markets failed to carry a single jazz album. The salespeople were no help, nor were local taxi drivers when Sabbatini asked them about bars or night clubs which might play some live jazz.

It was only by accident that on his last day in Bishkek Sabbatini wandered into a pizza joint and was greeted with the soothing sound of a real saxophone. Jazz had been found! Sabbatini was overjoyed to have discovered his grail, but rather disappointed in the lackluster response from an audience that never once applauded the music.

It was a bittersweet victory, but a victory nonetheless.

Czech Spa Vacation: Shaken, Not Stirred

by Iva Skoch on

Bond movie junkies will probably know that a large portion of the last Bond film, Casino Royale, was filmed in the Czech Republic. Actually, most of the scenes which are supposed to be in Montenegro are filmed in the Czech spa town Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad), about 2 hours east of Prague.

The hotel, where Bond and his femme fatale are staying, is Karlovy Vary’s 5-star Hotel Pupp (yes, it is pronounced “poop” but it is a nice hotel, really). The hotel was built in 1701 and has been famous for its spa treatments ever since.

The hotel is now offering special 3-day packages called “In the Track of Agent 007“, including visit to a castle, beer spa, and a shooting range. Casino is also a part of the hotel and one of Czech Republic’s best golf courses is located just a few miles away. And, I hear they can make a mean martini. Not that the new Bond cares.

Kwanzaa Parade

by Adrienne Wilson on

A friend of mine just shot me an email telling me to tune into KPFK 90.7 fm radio out of Los Angeles to chill out to some very soothing music and he was right. Thanks to his thinking of me I found yet another cool holiday event that seems worth all your attention. The 5th Annual Kwanzaa Heritage Parade and Festival kicks off December 30, 2006 from 10am-7pm in Leimert Park Village. For those who aren’t quite hip to the African American holiday which takes place every year from December 26th to January 1st, it was created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga and is derived from the Swahili word KWANZA, meaning first fruit. Though the roots of the holiday are African an extra ‘A’ was added by Dr. Maulana Karenga to distinguish differences between African and Afro-Americans.

Having never gone to a Kwanzaa parade or any event for that matter in my past it sounds like a great cultural learning experience if all else. They break down the meaning behind each day. The first is Umoja or Unity where individuals strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race. Find out what the other six days represent and make plans to attend if you’re around So. Cal.