I’ve been readingThe Geography of Bliss lately, and was pleased find that the author, Eric Weiner, did something few people do. He flew to Moldova. Very few foreigners visit this little landlocked country. What’s even more remarkable is that Weiner went there to study happiness. Or, rather, unhappiness. Weiner claims that Moldova ranks among the least happy places in the…
Month: April 2014
Vancouver’s New Micro, Nano, and Pico Breweries Part V: Storm’s A-Brewin’
Today we kicked it old school, first visiting the venerable Vancouver institution that is Storm Brewing, before hitting up two of the new nano breweries in East Van. If you are in the area, you can walk between all three. Visiting Storm Brewing is like watching Igor meet Dr. Frankenstein for the first time: This…
Montevideo: Been There?
Only there for one day, so I believe we only deserve three words of description. My three: mellow, friendly, earthy.
Not Kosher for Passover: What’s Brewing in Israel
This is not the first time I’ve ironically written about beer during Passover. This Passover, I would like to respond to this blog post published about beer in Israel. The author of this post had chosen to visit a culturally diverse cross-section of breweries, but only covers three of them, and therefore does not scratch the surface of…
Orkney: An Archaeological Dreamscape
There’s a little of that breakaway republic feel to Orkney, the alluring archipelago in the north of Scotland. Orcadians have their own dialect, their own flag, their own history, and their own identity. About what Isle of Man is to England, Orkney is to Scotland, proudly preserving a distinct culture. What you see here now is an evolving blend of Viking and Scottish heritages, both…
Vancouver’s New Micro, Nano, and Pico Breweries Part IV: NANOo-NANOo!
Mork and Mindy are behind the times. They might not know that growler laws have changed in BC, allowing a flourishing of small-production breweries that enhance the world of beer in Canada’s sexiest city. Nano- nanobreweries might not have existed on Orc, but they now do in Vancouver, where three of them are just taprooms located in tiny warehouses. Because the atmosphere in…
The Surprise Seduction of the Solomons
We want to be egalitarian travelers who like something about everywhere, but every so often a place stands out as a highlight. The Solomon Islands was one of those places. We divided our Solomon Islands trip into two distinct parts. The first was a visit to Tavenipupu, a private island resort. Tavenipupu was amazing. We slept in the same…
Exploding Volcanos and Cargo Cults on the Islands of Vanuatu
Everything I knew about Vanuatu I learned the week before we arrived. We would fly into the capital, Port Vila, and then visit one another island in the archipelago via an internal flight. There’s lots to do in Vanuatu: perhaps even more so than its Melanesian neighbor Fiji. You can stand at the edge of a live volcano with exploding spitfires and hissing hell-holes….
Photo Essay: Cape Town’s Food Markets
Trade embargo and economic isolation can have a positive effect on a nation, if its land is fertile and its people resourceful with food. South Africa has evolved a distinct and rich food culture characterized by an unselfconscious locivorism. The food in South Africa reflects necessity and pride, not trendiness, although in Cape Town hipster…
Photo of the Day: Tipaniers, Moorea
Tipaniers is one of the few beaches on the island of Moorea, which is more notable for its stunning volcanic cliffs. There is a small cafe here, as well as snorkeling and kayak rentals.
Peaceful Noodle, Vancouver
In a city known for the overall high quality of its Chinese food, it can be hard for eaters to find much beyond the Cantonese and to lesser degree Shanghai cuisine. Enter Peaceful Noodle, and the game changes. Even if Peaceful were the only place covering northern and western Chinese cooking domains, it would be…
Photo of the Day: Red Centre/Australian Outback
These hills are known as the Kata-Tjutas, or as the Olgas. They are near to Uluru, and occupy similarly sacred space in the Dreamtime geo-cosmology. A few of the hills have paths open to visitors like us. We were there in the Austral winter of 2013. The weather was cool and mild during the day, but…
Love and Barley 