Just in case you missed it, the show Going Tribal runs on Discovery and is worth checking out. It was originally produced by the BBC and thus has numerous British characters, but that shouldn’t keep you from watching it (jk!). The show follows former British Royal Marine Bruce Parry as he takes a month to immerse himself in the culture, language and rituals of a native community. There was a fair amount of hullaballo about how insensitive the idea is, but I have to say it all seems pretty much on the up and up. Various episodes have had Parry horseback with the Darhads in Mongolia, visit cannibals in West Paupa, practice donga with the Suri in Ethiopia, eat “rat cake” in the Himalayas and hunt in the rainforests of Gabon.
GADLING’S TAKE FIVE: Week of August 6
End of the week means it’s time for a quick review. Pay close attention as Erik and Neil both part ways with their latest travel installments, but let’s not babble and jump right to it, okay!
5. Balkan Odyssey Part 24: The End:
Looks as if Neil’s Balkan days are numbered and in his farewell blog he still does a damn fine job of highlighting while summing up his incredible fantastic voyage. I’m sad to see it end here, but I’m sure there will be more travels and features like this one headed our way.
4. Mermaids of the Weeki Wachee Springs:
Who here can honestly tell me they’ve never wanted to see a real live mermaid? I’m well past the suggested age of (believing in) fairytales, but I think this show is fabulous for kids and the kid at heart. The mermaids might not be in Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs much longer, which is why I bring the topic to your attention a second time anyway. Don’t let this attraction swim away before you get there.
3. Gadling Audio Slideshow: Newfoundland Part III:
And yet another so-long, farewell piece from Erik this time as he wraps up his great Newfoundland adventure. Be sure to watch the first two first if you’re just checking in on this last showcase.
2. Alaska’s Seward Highway:
Does Erik have a way of picking up on some good travel pieces or what? This one on Alaska’s Seward highway has you virtually traveling to incredible photo galleries and a guide provided by Alaska.com on the highway itself. So awesome!
1. Top Ten Scenic Routes from the Sky:
If you’re the type that begs and demands window seats on flights you’ll probably want to know where some of the most scenic window seat routes are from 35,000 feet above. Neil points out this Telegraph piece on some of the top 10 and the readers follow right behind by leaving what they think are the best from above. Really cool read if you ask me.
Travel Works & Art of Aurélie Pedrajas
Stumbled upon this pleasant looking site while I was hunting for a globe image and it makes me wish that I could really, really speak French for once. Thank goodness there are images and artwork to assist me in my inability to communicate through words. Aurélie Pedrajas’ website is fully in French and from what I gather she travels the world and makes beautiful artwork from her experiences. In my own opinion they’re quite whimsical. This Sri Lanka inspired piece makes me long to go to the tear-drop shaped island and leaves a lot to fantasize about.
Very, very nice!
Persepolis Recreated
Just wanted to point lovers of ancient history, especially Persian history, to this highly educational and entertaining video on Persepolis Recreated. Located in the province of Fars in south Iran, Persepolis is where Cyrus the Great decided to build a palace worthy of an empire. It was conquered by Alexander the Great two centuries later. Not only did he conquer, but him and his men looted the place packing all the incredible treasures onto 20,000 mules and 5,000 camels. What a crazy entourage to have your back when it’s time to loot the palace and change history as we know it.
History really blows my mind sometimes and that little bit tells nothing of the land once known as Parsa, presently known as Persepolis. If you’ve got 40 minutes to kill this is a grand opportunity to learn something in the process. The website the video is featured on looks like it’s in Danish, but the video is in English – so don’t panic!
Surf Videos
A quick post to draw your attention to some righteous surf videos. these come courtesy of the Boost Mobile Pro of Surf event in Australia.