Travel Wishlists

Ceci n’est pas Luke’s Mum

Editor’s Note: Luke posted this last year for his mum. We thought it nicely captures the spirit of Mother’s Day, so we are re-posting Luke’s original ode today in honor of moms (and mums) everywhere.

Fighting my way to Sydney airport on Easter Thursday evening — along with 20,000 other travellers, dropper-offers and picker-uppers — I wondered whether my mother would enjoy the activities I’d lined up for her over the next couple of days. At 78 she shows no sign of slowing down. And short of a parachute jump there’s not much she wouldn’t try. So here are three totally different things to do in Sydney with your mother, your friends, your lover - or just you.

“Luke, I am your father…”

If you were any higher in Sydney it would be illegal. Sydney Skywalk is purportedly twice the height of the Sydney Harbour Bridge but only a tenth of the effort since you get to the top by elevator. The staff work hard to make your Skywalk a real event and have their jokes - and facts - down pat. The ultimate joke was on me of course, for not even realizing the significance of having the name “Luke” on my “SkyWalker” certificate.

Once kitted out with our overalls and radios and associated ear pieces, beanies, parkas and clipped-on this and double-tied that, were we ready to go outside. Mark my words - even on a sunny day it can be cold and windy up there. In fact it was only when I caught Mum wiping her nose on the beanie (also tethered to her overalls) that I realized I should have smuggled a tissue up for her.

Needless to say, the views from that height are sensational. At almost 900 feet high the glass floor section isn’t for the squeamish but then, neither is my Mum’s beanie after she’s done with it. There’s the added kudos of everyone staring at you as you file through the indoor public spaces toward the lift. (Oh alright - call it showing off).

Ice, Ice baby.

If I carry my Star Wars theme through to our next stop, it would be to note the uncanny resemblance my Mother bears to Yoda once she’s decked out in a fur-trimmed hooded parka that’s two sizes too large. Sydney’s Minus5 Ice Bar is on the Italian-style promenade linking Circular Quay with the Opera House, so if you’re visiting Sydney, you’re bound to be in the area. In a grown-up Willy Wonka kinda’ way you can eat your cocktail glass since it’s made purely out of ice. Steer clear of slurping from the little waterfall because it’s actually anti-freeze. Reindeer skins on big ice thrones lend it a great “Norse God” feeling.

The sun shone, the sea sparkled, the prawns were in abundance.

Sydneysiders can be so damn smug about their harbour and it’s days like these that you understand why. With nothing to do but load your plate with oysters and prawns, settle back at your window side table (if you’re lucky) and watch the harbor slip past and enjoy views that you just won’t get from land. It’s still a working harbor so mega-ton freighters piled high with shiny new cars vie for space with two- man skiffs and luxury yachts.

We joined the Sydney Harbour Magistic lunch cruise at King Street wharf; you can have a good wander around Cockle bay and the nearby Darling Harbour tourist precinct before or after your cruise. You can also join or leave the boat at Circular Quay, and now you know where Minus5 Ice Bar is, too. My secret tip? The little deck in front of the buffet was empty while everyone was chowing down so stake a table and toss a coin for who goes to the bar for the second glass of chardonnay.

The verdict’s in - Mum just called. Her flight’s landed and she’s home safely, tired but happy. I hope she didn’t really put a glass from the Ice Bar in her bag…

–Luke Crosthwaite

Browse Viator’s complete list of Sydney tours and things to do, Melbourne tours, and more things to do in Australia.

Iguazu Falls area - Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay

I have not been to Brazil. That’s the official line and I am sticking to it. However, the reality is, I have been to Brazil. Well…

My trip was simple enough. After visiting the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls we would transit the very corner of Brazil to Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, where we booked a charming riverside guest house to spend a couple of days before taking a local bus to Asuncion. (That’s a story for a future post!)

As any prepared traveler, I checked the situation for visas with both the US State Department and each countries consulate– Paraguay, check. Argentina, Check. Brazil: Not required for transit from Argentina to Paraguay. Excellent! Brazilian visas are expensive and I was happy to not pay this. I printed the information page from the consular website to take with me, “just in case”.

After several incredible days of hiking and relaxing at Iguazu, we hired a local taxi to take us to the border of Brazil. From there, we would transit by bus to Paraguayan border, walk across the bridge and take another local taxi to our guesthouse. At the Argentine/Brazil border, we were stamped out of Argentina with a hearty “Adios” and “Buen Viaje”. We walked through the no-man’s land to the Brazilian immigration office and presented our shiny blue American passports. The officer frowned and fired something at us in Portuguese.

Now, my partner speaks Spanish fluently and with a little improvisation can get out some basic phrases in Portuguese, but did we hear this correctly? They wanted $250 ($150 more than a “real” Brazilian visa) to transit for 45 minutes?? No way! We tried to explain the situation that a visa was not required. I even provided the printout that I brought with me from home – BAD MOVE! As it turns out, the US had just started charging $100 for a US visa to Brazilians and they were one of the first groups of travelers to be photographed and fingerprinted for entry. Needless to say, there was no negotiation and we simply were turned away. Dejected, we took a taxi back to Argentina and called our guesthouse in Paraguay to tell them that we could not make it – and that’s where the fun began!

Shortly after our news, our Paraguayan hosts called back and said that they were coming to pick us up - on a speedboat! It turns out that the boat can motor down the Parana River and navigate directly to the Argentine waters without ever entering Brazil. Great! We were instructed to go down to the river area, where the boat would meet us. What service! We trekked down to the boat docks and waited. It was a Sunday and the normal ferries were not running. The area was deserted and a bit eerie. We waited and waited.

About an hour later, the phone rang again – the boat was not working. Now they were coming to get us - with a car. Again, we explained our situation and they told us not to worry. We would not need to go through customs. Intrigued (and not wanting to re-arrange the rest of the trip), we agreed. About an hour later, a car (with Paraguayan tags) arrived. We were warmly greeted by the Manuel, the hotel owner and his Brazilian girlfriend Ratina. They gave us a glass of wine and we chatted as we sped off toward Brazil for the second time. As we approached the border, Manuel casually turned around and told us to “crouch down on the floor”. It was then that it hit me. We were not being “assisted” through customs. We were being “smuggled” through customs and it was too late to turn back now. We did as we were told and Manuel drove through the commuter lane and waived at the guards. It was that easy. We were in Foz de Iguacu, Brazil! Manuel and Ratina wanted to stop in for a bite to eat. By this time we were a little concerned and did not want any more troubles. We asked if we could just continue on to the hotel instead. They insisted that we celebrate our Brazil “visit” with a drink. We reluctantly agreed and stopped for a glass of wine. Manuel also bought a bottle of scotch. This was clearly a lot of fun for them.

Our departure from Brazil was quite simple. Once again, we were instructed to crouch on the floorboards as Manuel sped through the gates. Our arrival in Ciudad del Este was also straight forward. Manuel explained that the guards may wonder why we did not have an entry/exit stamp from Brazil and he would take care of everything for us. He took our passports (complete with official Paraguay visas) AND the bottle of scotch from earlier. Ah-ha! Something to smooth our entry. Fifteen minutes later it was “Bienvenidos – Paraguay,” and we were back on track.

–Ken Frohling

Editor’s note – Viator does not condone Human Trafficking, Smuggling or Bribery and Ken’s HR file has been duly noted. If you are going to Brazil or Argentina (legally), check out our full range of tours at Viator.com.

Editor’s Note: Let’s all of us hope the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing aren’t canceled due to the recent unrest in Hikinboot. We’re keeping a close eye on the developing story.

At Viator, our mission is to help you make the most of your travels. We believe passionately in discovering new cultures, trying new experiences, and getting beneath the surface of a destination.

In that spirit Viator is pleased to announce the launch of a new country on our website: the Republic of Bakpakhistan. Our team of travel experts has tried for three years to crack open the Bakpakhi tours and activities market. It’s not been easy. The Republic of Bakpakhistan has had a rough go of it; first there was the collapse of its patron, the Soviet Union. Then after a brief flurry of activity in 2001, the country literally — quite literally — disappeared from the map.

Haggling over US$0.0001 at the rug market © Lonely Planet

Now, after seven years of isolation and closed borders, the country is re-opening to tourism. The capital, Hikinboot, has started the slow process of rebuilding and repopulating.

“Dubbed by detractors and admirers alike as the ‘Paris of the Central Urgs’, Hikinboot is an oasis of unbreathable air and inedible food. Bakpakhistan may be the ‘forgotten Stan’, but Hikinboot is a vital stopping-off point on any journey around the country - in fact it’s the only stopping-off point, as the sprinkling of land mines, ageing nuclear reactors, viciously hungry guerrillas, and marauding groups of gun-wielding Soviet soldiers who’ve refused to come in from the cold conspire to make travel outside the capital an impossibility. Travel to and from Hikinboot’s airport will be the sum total of road travel you’re likely to undertake.

–Lonely Planet World Guide: Destination Bakpakhistan

Bakpakhistan: Planning Your Trip

So exactly where is Bakpakhistan? What can you expect from a visit there? When to go? What to see & do? These are all great questions. And we have answers.

“Bakpakhistan is bordered by Tajikistan to the north, Uzbekistan to the northwest, Turkmenistan to the west, Afghanistan to the south, Pakistan to the southeast and India to the east. Bakpakhistan is ringed by mountains, creating a mostly dry, arid, windswept microclimate. There is little fresh water, as most major streams from the mountains flow down the other side into neighbouring countries. The one exception, the Guz River, kept the cooling towers cool back in Soviet times. Now, it’s best not spoken about.”

“Bakpakhistan’s only real event is the annual grain festival, the Bakbakbakstöp Harvest Festival. The event, celebrating the nation’s only successful harvest (1867), takes place in the first three weeks of June. A country already pretty much stationary grinds to a total stop, as every town hosts a parade featuring residents wearing traditional three-cornered hats. It’s also the only time of the year when children are allowed to play the traditional game of stïc bol, played with a stïc (a type of stick) and a bol (a round ball).”

–Lonely Planet World Guide: Destination Bakpakhistan

Viator.com is a proud sponsor of the 2008 Bakbakbakstöp Harvest Festival. As part of the festivities, we’ve partnered with Education Minister Snagult Ufqunt to create a crash-course of local tours to help visitors make the most of a holiday in Bakpakhistan.

Semi-traditional non-nomadic Bakpakhistani dwelling © Lonely Planet

Bakpakhistan: Full Day Foraging Tour

From BK3.7 million / US$1.50 per person
Spend a full day discovering Bakpakhistan’s hottest forgaging spots. You’ll learn about the secret spot near the abandoned overpass, the one by the smelly part of the river and more of Bakpakhistan’s best kept foraging secrets form locals who know. Also, you’ll stop off at the market of Gagin Mawnkoont for shopping and gawking at its famous mutations. You’re probably going to need to forage for food, or makeshift transport to leave the country at some point anyway, so this tour is a MUST.

Hikinboot Day Tour*

From BK2.1 million / US$0.99 per person
Visit the ‘Paris of the Central Urgs’! Dodge land mines, guerrillas, nuclear meltdowns and more as you spend a day getting to know this exciting city. This exclusive Viator tour includes:

• Statue of Stalin
• The remains of Proletariat House
• Admission to the carpet museum
• Lunch at Crazy Abdull’s (no vegetarian option)
• A souvenir land mine

Bakpakhi Cultural Half Day Tour, with Clicking Fingers Demonstration

From BK123 million / US$5 per person
Bakpakhistan is renowned for its crafts and carpets, not to mention its folk music. And the rumors are true: Paul Simon has agreed to make a album (produced by Peter Gabriel, featuring Sting and Bono) based on the Bakpakhici art of clicking fingers and tongues while simultaneously slapping a raw cod on the side of a leather boot. This exclusive tour includes a walk through the Hikinboot carpet museum and concludes with a live performance by the Bakpakhi Five Mega-Minstrels at the Bollixinski soccer stadium. Prime Minister Slotcar Nascar will perform a stïc bol demonstration between cod slaps.

Guz River Experience

From BK99 / US$0.00000002 per person
Spend a few hours on what used to be the Guz River. The river was actually concreted over in 1992 and is now the Hivk Highway. Your guide will take you along the highway in a boat converted into a landmobile. You will have the opportunity to view all the sites that were enjoyed from the river before 1992. If you are lucky some of the concrete will be cracked enough in sections along the highway allowing a glimpse of the sludge. You will want your cameras ready when you pass Bakpakhistan woman carrying 30 litres (8 gallons) of water on their heads just to give their children something to drink. The highlight of the tour is when you stop at former fisherman’s shack and get to view all his mutated and preserved marine animals from the good old days when the river was a cesspool of toxic chemicals.

Pricing on request
Your journey begins with a stop in historic Baghpakh, continuing on to the Bakdur Brothel and Cybercafe for a brief photo opportunity. Then it’s off along the Hvik Highway in a yak cart to experience the incredible beauty of the King Tuj mountains, framed against the towering Timtamistan Cliffs. The Timtamistan Arnottonomous Zone is the most ethnically diverse - and dangerous - region in Bakpakhistan. Local tribes have inhabited these badlands for generations and will not hesitate to dunk your biscuit. Notable tribes include the Timtamoriginal clan, the Order of the Timtamchewykarmelites, Timtamdoublecoats, Timtamdarkks, Timtamlövepötiöns, Timtam-chocölatemudders, Timtamstickyvanillatöffees and the vicious tribe of the Timtam Lattes. On the crest of the Timtamistan Cliffs, you will board a thinly disguised UN aid helicopter for a once-in-a-lifetime, 7 minute, 4,000-foot descent to the mighty Guz River below. At the river’s edge, you’ll board a pontoon boat for a relaxing boat ride down toxic Guz tributaries. Float across the water grasping the inner majesty and mystery of this fabulous chasm. Don’t forget your camera!Happy travels. Or as they say in Bakpashti, Vlassplosspissinskaya!

–The Viator Travel Team

* Viator and the local tour operator are not responsible for death, injury, or other harm sustained on this tour. Undertake at your own risk. In fact, maybe just pick something else, we hear the foraging tour is nice, and practical too.

Related Viator Travel Blog Posts:

• Google launches gDay with MATE
• Swiss Spaghetti Harvest
  
• Explosive New England Maple Trees
• UN to shut down the Internet

I’m packing again. Another day, another suitcase.I love it and I hate it. Love it because it means I’m off somewhere. Hate it because there is just not enough room in there for everything I might need. How can I predict what mood I might be in on any given day and what I might want to wear?

You see, I am not one of those people who can dress sensibly. I am led into everyday on a whim. Call it shallow, some have called it eccentric; I prefer to call it free - a little like an Italian taxi driver once described his driving… which was scary in the middle of a roundabout in Rome. I admit, sometimes so are my fashion choices. Although I have resisted the lure of the Austrian travelling clothes a la the Von Trapp family, I did once succumb to a red nurses’ cape.

Packing Tips: Overweight is good

Unsurprisingly, I always travel with an overweight suitcase, especially in winter. And so far, I have only had to pay excess baggage once, in Amsterdam. I think the airlines are often more lenient than they want us to believe. And I guess a lot of people travel under their weight allowance so it all evens out. When I take my small suitcase (the weekend / one week case, as opposed to the two weeks / one month case or the mega-over-a-month whopper), I usually can’t stuff it fuller than about 14 kilos (30 lbs) even with lots of books and computer cords, so I make up for all those 27-kilo journeys.

You do have to be careful because most airlines now won’t let any individual bag weigh over about 32 kilos (70 lbs) for health and safety reasons. This is particularly relevant for those lucky enough to be in business class and allowed to take at least this much. A good rule of thumb is, if you can’t lift it, they won’t!

Packing Tips: Roll it, decant it, but don’t shoebox it

So, the way I get all that stuff in there is rolling. Some people claim that laying clothes flat fits just as much but I have to say since I started rolling things I have many more wardrobe choice on the road. I don’t understand the laws of physics that make it true (is it physics?) but it works for me.

She did not take Philippa’s advice…

I used to always carry my toiletries in hand luggage because they were heavy and take up space. Not possible anymore. So, it’s into the case for longer trips, or decanted into 100 ml plastic bottles for shorter ones. Although you can still be hassled at security if you have lots of little bottles in your required Ziplock plastic bag.

The big mistake I made once was buying 200ml of something duty free, then, on the return trip, I decanted half into a 100 ml bottle and took the rest in the original bottle. Portuguese security stopped me. Even though the bottle was half full, it said 200ml on it so they would not let me carry it on the plane. I think telling them that the rest was in the other bottle only made it worse; I really did have 200ml of one substance, and man, that bubble bath could have really caused fragrant mayhem on the plane. I was sent back to check-in my hand luggage.

The most amazing piece of packing I’ve ever seen was a friend travelling Europe for a few weeks with the biggest, heaviest suitcase ever – now, she really was a fashion victim carrying all those shoes and bags. But when she opened the case, I could not believe my eyes: it was full of shoe boxes. Not, thankfully, full of shoes but full of everything and anything. She had decided that the best way to find things was have them in little compartments. But what a packing nightmare she had created for herself. I do not recommend this.

Packing Tips: No shoes, no shirt - welcome aboard!

Depending where you’re going – or how much you have annoyed the check-in staff – there is always the fear that check-in luggage may not meet you at the other end. In Russia, they have such rampant theft that when you take your bag off the carousel, someone checks your ID against your baggage ticket against the bag before you are allowed to leave. Comforting and yet…

(more…)

In London I am always passing weird place names. The other day I saw a church called the Parish Church of St Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe. I had to know where on earth it had got that name.

So I went on a Black Cab Taxi tour of London. A private two hours of being driven around by one of the people who know London best: a cabbie.

To drive a Black Cab you have to pass a test called The Knowledge. It means you know London’s streets and significant places inside and out. It can take up to four years. All over London you see people on small motorbikes with clipboards on the handlebars, lists of streets and places, riding around learning, learning, learning. All so we can jump in a cab, say an address and be whisked there.

Philippa on her London Black Cab Taxi Tour (Ok, it’s really a mauve cab)

Our driver for the Black Cab Tour, Michael, had not only passed The Knowledge and been driving a cab for over 30 years, but he was an officially trained tour guide with the badges to prove it. As well as doing general London guides, he is one of only two Black Taxi cabbies who offer Harry Potter tours.

Michael was great. Patient in the traffic, informative, amusing. The only slight surprise was that his cab was not black; it was purple. Well, mauve really. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked that – I have no problem with purple, I even painted my kitchen cupboards purple once. But this is London and surely cabs should be black. But once inside the spacious back seat I forgot the colour and just enjoyed the ride.

London Black Cab Taxi Tours: First, a little history

Quick bit of history. London cabs are not just any old cars that drive you around. They were specially designed with that distinctive shape, by the same people who designed the old Routemaster buses, the famous double-decker red ones with the staircase at the back (and, once upon a time, a conductor hanging off helping people on and off). These old buses were phased out a few years ago to great dismay. Now a few run on only two routes in London (9 and 15). When in London, you have to catch a Routemaster bus at least once, just for historic reasons. And catch a Black Cab at least once. I have always been fond of London cabbies since one old-timer drove me home for free on my first trip to London when I was lost and broke in night-time Brixton; he feared for my safety and probably saved me a bad experience.

Black Cabs are the only taxis you can hail in the street in London. The slightly cheaper mini-cabs have to be booked in advance and are not always sure where they are going. Recently, to the chagrin of the Cabbies, the Mayor Ken Livingston licensed more taxi companies but while more reliable than some mini-cabs, they still have to be booked in advance.

Black Cabs are famous for their small turning circle and have to be watched closely because they are forever suddenly doing U-turns in busy places like Oxford Street. So, when crossing the road, watch out. And if you see one without a For Hire sign on the top, it may be Prince Phillip or Stephen Fry or some other notable person who has bought a black cab for their own private use, mainly for anonymity but also because of their toughness in London’s crazy traffic. I was caught in a traffic jam the other day because the Queen’s Horseguards were heading off somewhere. The whole city ground to a halt for horses and fancy uniforms. You’ve got to love it.

London Black Cab Taxi Tours: Make your own itinerary

On a Black Cab Taxi Tour you can either choose specific places you want to see or, do what we did, and have the general sightseeing tour. We were picked up from a central London hotel and headed down through Covent Garden (shopping heaven) and Soho (the busy nightlife and media offices area of the West End). We tried to imagine the area as a huge hunting ground and learnt that the name Soho comes from a hunting cry akin to Tally-ho, the one we all know. Apparently different hunts had different cries and So-ho was used for hare hunting. These days Soho is still a hunting ground but the cry has transformed into alcohol-affected requests for mobile phone numbers.

As we passed through Trafalgar Square I realised we could have spent the full two hours just there; London is so saturated in interesting history and fact. I’d never known that the four famous lions are made from English cannons off ships sunk during the Battle of Trafalgar, or that the lion modelling for them died before they were finished and was propped up with wood so the artist could continue his work. Or that the smallest official police station is there; it fits one person who stands inside keeping a close eye on carryings-on in the square. Or that the statue of Charles I in the square is Kilometre Zero for London; it’s from there that all distances to and from London are measured.

Michael pointed out the clock on the Horseguards building in Whitehall; there is a black mark on the number 2. This is because at the end of the English civil war in 1649, King Charles I was executed on January 31st at 2pm, in a window of the building opposite.

(more…)

Last week I was picking up a cheeky Viognier at my local bottle shop when I noticed that the bloke lining up in front of me was wearing a Canberra Raiders rugby jersey.

“You from Canberra?” I asked. “Oh no,” he replied. “I just liked the colours.”

“I’m from Canberra,” I said.

“I went there once,” he said. “It was closed.”

Oh ha ha.

It’s a widespread attitude, and one that has Aussies telling visitors to the country that the last place they should visit is Canberra. Overseas visitors often compromise by taking a day tour to Canberra from Sydney, dropping into the top sights like Parliament House and the War Memorial. And most of them leave agreeing with Sydneysiders who mock Canberra’s sterility.

Parliament House in Canberra

They’ve got a point. Canberra isn’t necessarily worth visiting. Bear with me here: If you’ve only got a day spare, you’re better off spending it at Royal National Park or on the beach. But if you have a few days, Canberra can be a real delight, a combination of slick city class, breath-taking museums, unspoiled bushland and dorky country charm.Canberra is two cities. There’s the city that was built to administer the country, the fly-in, fly-out workplace of politicians and high-ranking public servants, the monuments of the Parliamentary Triangle and the gleaming, expense-account lunch restaurants of Manuka and Kingston.

Then there’s the Canberra where people actually live, the leafy established inner suburbs with their alternative restaurants and friendly bars, the stretches of bushland that break up Canberra’s satellite cities, and the quirky suburban shopping centres, some flourishing, some on the brink of death.

Over the next few days, you’ll be visiting both cities. This itinerary takes in Canberra’s top sights as well as letting you in on a few of the city’s secrets. Thanks to Canberra’s less-than-stellar public transport system, you’ll need a car for some of the far-flung spots.

Things to do in Canberra: Day 1

The National Museum of Australia has been a lightning rod for controversy since it opened in 2001. Previous Prime Minister John Howard didn’t like its ‘black armband’ view of history – too much focus on genocide and guilt, he thought, and not at all something you’d want to take your family to visit. He used his influence to tone down some of the exhibits at the museum, but it still has a non-conventional (and some might say haphazard) take on the country’s history.

Before you head off, drop into one of the museum’s cafes and pick up a few things for a picnic lunch. If it’s a nice day, we’re going down to the river. Out by the New South Wales border on the north-west side of Canberra, Uriarra Crossing is the spot where the Uriarra Road meets the Murrumbidgee River, and in Canberra it’s what passes for a beach. Uriarra Crossing is the stuff of childhood memories – floating down the river on a blow-up mattress, waving flies away from a lunch of charred sausages, having a hit of cricket on the grassy banks.

If you’re super organized you can cook your own barbecue down here – there are basic grills, and piles of wood scattered around the place. Otherwise, slip into your swimming costume in the public toilet block and spend an hour or so mucking about in the river. Then unpack the picnic lunch and try to elbow in on someone else’s game of cricket or football, or just have a nap in some soft grass under the pine trees.

If the weather is a bit chilly for a swim, the Australian National Botanic Gardens is a great spot to visit, with a secluded rainforest gully, towering eucalypts spotted over sweeping lawns and a very nice café.

Head back into the city in the late afternoon, wash off the river water and frock up for a visit to one of Canberra’s secretive suburban restaurants. In the northern suburb of Hawker, Rocksalt sits between a takeaway chicken joint and a butcher shop and still manages to seem both classy and relaxed. Specialising in duck, this modern Australian restaurant also does a great kangaroo fillet and has a wide range of imaginative vegetarian dishes. If you want to learn more about Australian wines, this is a good place to do it – they love to give advice on matching wine and food, and are happy to sell you all kinds of drops by the glass.

Things to do in Canberra: Day 2

Canberra’s War Memorial

Today is ‘big ticket items’ day, when you’ll get to check off some of the city’s must-sees. The Australian War Memorial is Australia’s most-visited museum. Not just a memorial to Australia’s war dead, it investigates Australians in overseas conflicts from the 19th century to the current Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

For me the whole point of the memorial is the dioramas. These models of tiny soldiers in action, from Gallipoli to Korea, somehow do more to help you imagine what it might have been like than any immersive video experience could.

It’s easy to spend a whole morning at the War Memorial, but try to drag yourself away by lunchtime so you can head to Silo Bakery at Kingston for some of the best pastries you’ve ever tasted.

Spend the afternoon at the National Gallery of Australia. There’s always some kind of fancy international exhibition on here, but for free you can visit the Australian galleries and get a great overview of Aboriginal art, weird colonial-era paintings that try to make Australia look like Europe, and the muscular, bleak and exuberant pieces that came out of the 1950s and ’60s. The Children’s Gallery shows themed exhibitions with exercises and activities for kids, making a visit to the gallery less of a boring chore for the littlies.

If it’s a Friday, you’re in luck. Wander from the gallery up to Old Parliament House where, between 5 and 9pm, the ‘Café in the House’ puts on its immensely popular happy hour. If you’ve always wanted to flirt with a public servant, you’ve come to the right place – some would call it a ‘meat market’, but you should think of it as an anthropological exercise.

Any other evening, head back into the city for a couple of post-sightseeing cleansing ales at the Wig & Pen, Canberra’s long-running brew pub. It’s the spot to try a Kiandra Gold Pilsener, Kamberra Kolsch or one of several regular and seasonal beers brewed on site. Finish off your evening with dinner at one of Garema Place’s sidewalk cafes or – if you stay at the Wig for several too many – do the traditional Canberra late-night thing and order chips and gravy from city centre Chicken Gourmet.

(more…)

Let me make one thing clear, I am not stalking any of Britain’s royal family, and I’m not a royal family gossip monger. However, I read Yahoo! News, and I can’t help but notice when article after article on Charles and Camilla’s tour through the Caribbean keeps popping up.

At first I was intrigued. Are they in their swimsuits sunning on a beach?

The thought of Camilla in a swimsuit was not thrilling (or Charles for that matter). I admit my curiosity reached an all-time high when it said they were in Jamaica, St Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago. Why those islands, as opposed to say some fancy private one or even a posher Caribbean island selection, and what are they doing there?

The reggae jammin’ Charles and Camilla

They’re apparently doing a lot of royal ambassadorish cultural things. For instance, in Jamaica they visited the museum dedicated to Bob Marley, where they listened to some reggae tunes performed by a group of Rastafarian drummers, and they also tried their hand at drumming along.

In Trinidad they visited the oldest nature park in the West Indies, the Asa Wright Nature Center. In St Lucia, the biggest news was that Camilla wore a bright purple dress. It must be a bummer to not get to wear shorts on the royal tour, I hope back at the resort they are chilling out in a nice frayed tee and some cutoffs sipping planters punches.

So all in all, if you leave out having to wear a suit everyday and the official meetings about drug trafficking and crime, it sounds like a nice trip itinerary. And frankly, a pretty inexpensive one too. Though Charles and Camilla are traveling via luxury yacht, I am sure there’s a cheaper way to travel between these islands if one were so inclined. And all the things they did? You can book all those on Viator, at a guaranteed lowest price. The only thing we don’t sell is the red carpet (you’ll just feel like its there).

–Kelly G

 

There is no graceful way to roll over on a slab of marble slippery with soap and water. Try it, you’ll quickly find out that you have to leave all your pretensions and inhibitions at the door. This, for me, was the lesson of the Turkish Hammam (Turkish bathhouse).

It was my first visit to Turkey, to Istanbul. I had been to a hammam before, and places claiming to be hammams, but this was the real deal. Visiting a building where people have been bathing for over 500 years.

It seemed to me that two of the hammams stand out as the real deal: the Cemberlitas, built in 1584, and the Cagaloglu (1741). Both were close to my hotel in Sultanhamet, Istanbul’s main historical district. Both were described and recommended in my guidebook. I decided to try the Cemberlitas, largely because it is near the Grand Bazaar and I had seen the entrance to it from the tram earlier that day – at least I knew I could find it.

The main (male) bathing area at Cagaloglu Hamami, in Istanbul

Hammam Lesson 1: Not for relaxing

Istanbul is a city of 20 million people. And it is fantastic but after only a couple of days I understood why people needed to get away to a place of relaxation. But that was my first mistake: hammams are not about relaxation. Do not expect a pampering, princess experience like in a Western spa. Hammams are about scrubbing, and gossiping. The experience is vigorous, noisy, crowded. And quite confusing.

I ventured to Cemberlitas on my birthday, suffering a head cold. Both conditions which make me a little fragile. On top of that I was assured by the guidebooks that all would be clear and English widely spoken. Well, yes and no.

The receptionist spoke good English. I went for the full package – soap scrub, oil massage, use of the hammam – and was given a scrub mitten and little plastic tokens. These gave me confidence. I could hand them over and people would know what I wanted. A good theory.

Hammam Lesson 2: Women are clearly inferior

My first disappointment is that women are clearly inferior to men. The website promised little changing cabanas but the reality for women is a narrow corridor with lockers and very little room to change. The girl taking care of this area spoke good English but was not particularly forthcoming with information. And in my weakened, blocked-nose state I probably didn’t really ask the right questions. So, operating on assumption, I changed into the cotton wrap provided and proceeded down the corridor as instructed.

I reached a marble room, with two benches. There were a couple of toilets off this room and several women sitting around who stared at me. I smiled. No response. I showed my plastic tokens and one of them waved me towards a door. I smiled thanks and went through the door. Now I was in the hammam itself.

A beautiful room, all marble with a domed ceiling with stars cut out. This was the historical epicentre; women have been bathing here for centuries. In the middle was the heated marble slab where women were being soaped and scrubbed by the attendants. Around the outside of the room were little alcoves with marble basins, battered silver bowls and running taps. The sheer amount of water washing around was decadent enough to an Australian, coming from the land of severe drought.

A few people stared as I hovered near the door but no-one came forward to help me. I was glad I knew enough to head for a basin and start washing myself with the scrubbing mitten. But I made one big mistake. Clearly the basin I chose was used by one of the hammam attendants and as soon as I put my plastic tokens down she came and chased me away, gesturing and shaking her head. I fled to the other side. She calmed down.

Hammam Lesson 3: No nude bathing

Scrubbing you since 1741 at Cagaloglu Hamami, in Istanbul

Feeling a little fragile, I washed myself down, then went to lie on the hot marble slab and relax. I took my little tokens and figured that someone would notice and come to look after me in turn.

I glanced around to see what the etiquette was for lying on my cloth or not, and then I noticed: everyone except me was wearing bikini bottoms. Then I saw the sign: No Nude Bathing. I had made a huge faux pas. I hadn’t even brought a bikini with me – I assumed that women-only bathing would be a nude experience. My spirits plunged, my coping skills were as low as my immune system.

After toying with rushing back to my locker for my underpants, I forged on, lay my cotton wrap on the slab then lay on it. And, man, was I glad because a short time later another brazen fool without bikini bottoms came in, scrubbed off then dared to sit on the marble bare-bottomed. Oh, the raucous outrage she inspired! I felt a little better.

But I have to say I wasn’t particularly relaxed. I was increasingly anxious about my soap scrub and oil massage. Should I have told someone? Was I just meant to wait? So… I got up and went over to a lady I could see was an attendant and showed her my tokens. She nodded and waved at the slab. Obviously I was meant to lie down and wait. I did… but so much for the guidebooks assurances about good English spoken. I thought about shedding a little tear – as you do when you feel physically unwell, culturally confused, inappropriately naked, and it’s your birthday just to add aging into the mix.

Finally a lady came over, took my tokens and started throwing water on me, wrap and all. Yay, I thought. Here we go. I will be clean and relaxed and this stupid cold will be steamed out of me. Then another lady came to the door and yelled and my lady got up and left. What?! NO!

Hammam Lesson 4: No husband? No wax.

I lay there a bit longer, then finally she came back. And she was really nice. A big smile and the inevitable question about where I was from. ‘Oh, Australia, so far away.’ Then it was down to business. And my realisation that, at the hammam, you are quickly snapped out of any princess pretensions and busted down to being a piece of meat.

(more…)

At Viator we’re constantly searching for new ways to experience destinations like a traveler, not just a tourist. Which is why we are pleased to offer the ground breaking, cutting edge, and profoundly yellow GPS-guided Storytelling GoCars for city touring over on the Viator website.

Huh? What’s that? What in the world are we talking about???

GPS GoCars in San Francisco

Let’s start at the beginning. Once upon time a man named Nathan Withrington (along with his business partner Alasdair Clements) had a vision. What if visitors to a city could drive around in miniature cars with the latest GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) technology, with an audio tour that was “smart” like a local? Their idea was to allow visitors to leave their guidebooks behind and instead discover a city with clever talking cars that navigate and narrate as you drive. An on-board computer and a GPS-system do the thinking so travelers can sit back and explore the destination from a completely personalized perspective.

Fast-forward to 2004, and Nathan and Alasdair offer the first-ever GoCar GPS car rentals in San Francisco and San Diego. Since then their idea has really taken off. If you live on San Francisco or San Diego, you’ve probably seen these bright-yellow minicars navigating the streets, going places that most tourists never go.

We recently caught up with Nathan and asked him a few question about tourism, GPS technology and the growing popularity of GPS GoCars.

GPS GoCars: Interview with Nathan Withrington

Viator: So Nathan, what exactly is a GoCar?

Nathan: The GoCar is a new concept in tourism. We were the first company in the world that, through GPS technology, empowered sightseers to take themselves on a guided tour. Our little cars have a personality and are you tour guide. As you drive, they navigate like a traditional GPS, but that is not all. They will crack jokes with you, recommend restaurants and tell you the stories that bring the city to life. As you drive, the car give you options of places to go and things to see. The more options you take, the longer your tour. So for the first time in history, they can not only take themselves on a guided tour, they can choose when they leave, how long they go for, where they go, when to stop and the language the tour is given in.

Viator: I live in San Francisco, and I’ve been seeing more of these GPS-enabled cars on the streets. It sounds like your idea has really caught hold and taken off.

Nathan: It all started a few weeks after we opened our doors for business. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote a full-page article on us and put it on the front page of their technology section. Before you know it, Time magazine nominated us for “one of the most amazing inventions of the year.” From that point the press has just not stopped, from Today show, Travel Channel, BBC, New York Times, USA Today… and it just keeps coming.

Viator: OK, be straight with me here. Are GoCars safe? Has anybody ever driven one into the bay?

Nathan: Occasionally, some people are intimidated by the vehicle’s small size and the fact that they are driving on city streets. The vehicles are registered as mopeds but the fact that you have three wheels, not two, makes them much more stable. Thankfully to date, with over 65,000 happy customers, we have not had any serious incidents. We take safety very seriously and make sure everyone that drives a GoCar is given a thorough safety briefing on how to operate the vehicle. With regards to driving one in to the bay, you never know, maybe we will come out with an amphibious GoCar one day!

Viator: Do you need a special license? Special training?

Nathan: All you need is a standard drivers license. The vehicles are operated 100% with hand controls very similar to a bicycle. They are fully automatic, so there is no clutch or gears to worry about. After the safety briefing, most people take to it like a duck to water. The GPS will keep people of the busy streets for the most part and will even warn you when you are entering areas where you need to be cautious.

Viator: I’ve heard the GoCar audio tours as people drive by my house. Do you offer custom voices? Can I select John Wayne to give me a tour of SF?

Yes, that really is Conan O’Brien next to a GPS GoCar in San Francisco

Nathan: We do offer custom themes. My favorite is the “MisterSF tour,” written and narrated by Mister San Francisco (of MisterSF.com) himself. This is a great tour for people that think they already know San Francisco. It does not take you to the obvious places like the Golden Gate Bridge and Lombard St, but rather it shows you the more notorious side of San Francisco, such as where a serial killer lived, where notorious murders happened and buildings that were destroyed in the 1989 earthquake.

Viator: Who’s the most famous person who’s rented a GoCar?

Nathan: You would be surprised at how many we have had. Just last week we had Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia, A Year of Wishful Drinking). We’ve also had the lead singer of Iron Maiden (Bruce Dickenson) rent one while he was here for OZ fest, Conan O’Brien and Tim Matheson to name a few. The most amazing person that rented from us may not be the most famous but I think it has to be Antonio “Tintín” Vizintín. If you don’t recognize his name, you have most likely heard his story as it was told in the 1993 movie Alive where the Uruguay rugby teams aircraft crashed in the Andes mountains. They were presumed dead but, some of them had actually survived and were forced to survive for 72 days without supplies by eating their expired team mates. Meeting someone with that amount of courage was just amazing.

Viator: Has anybody ever stolen a GoCar? Is it even possible to steal one?

Nathan: The great thing about the GoCar is that it is not exactly an inconspicuous vehicle! And it also has GPS tracking. We did have one incident where a couple stopped to have lunch and when they came out the car had gone. They called us to tell us the car had been stolen. All it took was one call to the police to say, “Yellow GoCar with the number 11 on it,” and 10 minutes later the car was recovered, given back to the customers and they were on their way!

Viator: OK, last question: What’s the fastest you’ve ever driven a GoCar?

Nathan: The fastest I’ve ever driven a GoCar? Well, firstly I need to say the cars are only designed to do 30 to 35mph. Having said that, being an engineer, I did modify one of the cars for my personal use to go faster. Much faster. I put an engine three times the size of a regular GoCar engine in it, and that particular GoCar would go over 60mph… for my personal enjoyment only.

Check it out for yourself. Rent a GPS GoCar in San Francisco or San Diego the next time you’re visiting. Or if you live in one of these cities, take your next out-of-town guests on a GPS GoCar tour.

–Scott McNeely

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to do in San Francisco, San Diego and coastal California.

The Others are right over those hills…

Here’s the thing, as much as I love, love, love, Viator and most of its 5,000+ products, there are some that I’d probably never consider doing. That’s not because they don’t have merit, they just don’t suit my taste. For example, I watch very little television. So the Sex in the City tour or Sopranos tour in New York City is not appealing to me (despite 80+ positive traveler reviews), I’ve never watched an episode of either show. And though I watch many movies, I’ve never really had much desire to see where things were filmed.

Recently I’ve gotten really into watching Lost. My brother gave me season one on dvd and I am now almost caught up through season three. Maybe its the endless hours of watching the survivors on the island, but I am starting to have a nearly uncontrollable urge to visit where they shoot Lost, which happens to be Oahu, Hawaii. Will I find a hatch? Can I hike through the same jungle as Sawyer and Kate? Will I run into The Others? Okay, of course not, but it seems like fun to go there. And if I just turn up in Oahu, sans a tour, how will I know where to go? Clearly it is not easy to find the village of The Others, and I don’t want to get trapped by Rousseau or zapped by the sonic security system. Admit it, you look at their beach, and really, does it seem so bad to be stranded there? Inquiring minds want to know.

*****

The famous Castro Theater

In San Francisco I live just a couple of blocks from the Castro neighborhood. Over the past few weeks the neighborhood has been turned into a set circa 1970’s for the filming of the Gus Van Sant movie currently titled Milk, a biopic on San Francisco’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk, played by local celebrity Sean Penn. Its been freaky to see the Castro Theater marquee constantly playing the Poseidon Adventure, and all the store fronts are changed back to their 1970s form, though inside, they are exactly as they have been as of late, dispensing dvds or cell phones. As I was strolling to get a cookie from Hot Cookie (currently masked as a Double Rainbow ice cream parlor) I thought about how it is actually really cool to see people filming something in my neighborhood. Soon, Josh Brolin will assassinate Sean Penn, two blocks from my house! Yes, the street blocking it sometimes entails is a pain, but Milk will eventually arrive in theaters, maybe even the Castro Theater, and I will watch it and see my neighborhood on the big screen, reliving moments from its past. Some of my neighbors are extras!

Thus I made the gigantic leap in thought to realize that hey, when movies are shot in other places, the same kinds of things happen as in the Castro. And if I want to hear about those things, I should probably take a movie tour. I might run into locals who were extras, I could see how the cityscape has changed from the time of filming (or how it was changed for filming), and learn lots of movie trivia. Maybe it is to my taste after all, and happily there’s a 3.5-star rated movie tour of San Francisco just waiting for me.

*****

As much as I could wax on about my new found interest in movie and tv tours, there is another dvd of Lost waiting for me, so gotta run to see what happens next, and to get my fix of the breeze rustling through the palm trees. The dvd will have to do until I get there.

– Kelly G

 

Dying to get Lost on Oahu? Or see famous movies sites in San Francisco? Headed to another city immortalized on the silver screen? Check out more movie and tv tours on Viator.