The Independent has got a
sweet new series called “48 Hours
In”, where they go and spend, yes, 48 hours, in a particular city. This one takes them to Bangkok, one of the most
exotic cities in the world. I lived in Bangkok briefly back in the 90s and can say that Bangkok is, as the writer puts
it: ”a chaotic, sprawling city…confusing for the first-time visitor…[but] superb…and breathtaking.” The writer
recommends many of the famous old tourist haunts, like Jim Thompson’s
house, a teak masterpeice; seeing the Chao Praya by boat, and of
course the magnificent temples.
The Explorer’s Daughter
And you thought traveling with kids was an added hassle. Not so, says Kari Herbert, daughter of British explorer
Wally Herbert, who completed the first crossing of the Arctic Ocean by foot and dog sled, by way of the North Pole, in
1969. Daughter Kari says her presence on some of dad’s expeditions helped break the, um, ice with various indigenous
groups.
In this short, nice
little
interview in the LA Times Herbert talks about travels with dad and mum to an Inuit hunting village on a remote
island in Greenland. She ruminates on chiildhood with an explorer dad, eating blubber and her recent book.
Milk and the Munchies
Alas, now I understand the popularity of the famous Liechtensteinian milk shake.
Farmers in Liechtenstein are being stopped from feeding cannabis to their cows, according to this AP news piece. Turns out the stuff the cows and other livestock been eating – hemp – contains THC, (the molecule to the right), the active substance in hashish…the stuff that gets you HIGH. And it turns out traces of the drug have been filtering through to the milk of dairy cows fed with the plant. So the tiny Alpine state decided they needed some cool new rules, pronto, or they’d be bogus, too. (reference, anyone?). Needless to say milk and Fritos sales are expected to decline simultaneously.
A Day or Two at the Florida State Fair
Every city, every state, every place on the planet has some kind of county or state fair.
Okay. Well, if you are looking for a small day trip then check out the
Florida State Fair while it’s in Tampa from February
10-21 and I’m sure you’ll be engaged in tons of strawberry shortcake and funnel cake. (No diets allowed
at the fairgrounds.) I’m not quite sure how it compares with most fairs, but the fun to be had is just
magnificent! I spent the day there myself (doing promo work for Chevrolet) and the food, food, food!
Oh, but there are also enchanting amusement rides, live cooking shows and tons of great little trinkets
to pick-up. In any case if you’re in Florida it’s definitely something to think about.
More Exclusive Safari in Botswana
The animals seem to be multiplying so why don’t the tourist? For one the government has a
deliberate policy on keeping visitor numbers low. Botswana, also being known as the
world’s largest exporter of diamonds and now for the way the animals all seem to flourish, is definitly clocking in as
an exclusive up market safari destination. And just to prove that point
the article here touches on Bill Clinton’s safari trip
to the area in 1998 and some of the fascinating items he even had for dinner. From the sound of things, he
tasted a bit if everything. I think I would have to go with the don’t feed the animals / don’t tap on the
glass policy here, but the safari in Botswana sounds great. For a few extra dollars – why not?