Sep
30
Cape Town is, for many, the heart of South Africa, the mother of all countries. It is one of the most cosmopolitan places on the planet, and has been a major center for culture and finance for some time now. It is also splendidly located for travelers, with a rich array of natural wonders along with urban enchantments, to ensure that your days will be full with fun and touring, and the nights will be spent absorbing the local culture. Night life is lively, and the best Cape Town hotels strive to keep you refreshed and regenerated, so you can enjoy every moment of your stay here. Our hotels are selected for their excellence in service and hospitality, to demonstrate the best that South Africa has to offer.
After a comfortable rest in our lovely rooms, sampling some of the local cuisine is certainly on the menu, and a spectacular way to begin a day in Cape Town. There is a wide variety of foods available, reflecting the wide variety of cultures that live here. Whether your tastes tend toward an international chic, or you feel adventurous and want to try some real local fare, there’s plenty available to please everyone’s taste. Attractions can range from shopping to zoos to theatre to music, and there’s also the night life, which is just splendid. For the more adventurous travelers, or for those who might happen to be wondering, alternative culture is alive and well in Cape Town, and for the more dedicated alternative culture heads, there is a version of Burning Man here called Afrika Burn.
This is a four-day affair every year where participants bring their own tents, food, and water, deep into the bush to celebrate culture and art. The idea is to get closer to the elements, and undergo a certain amount of detoxification from the world at large, in order to create a temporary autonomous zone in which to create new works of art, new ideas, and new relationships. Afrika Burn produces some stunning works of visual art, and there are plenty of fascinating stories by the people who do participate. You may not necessarily get the chance to go while you’re here, but if you’re looking, you’ll doubtless hear excellent stories by people who have been there.
Sep
29
I’ve been using one of my drop in gas grills a lot lately, experimenting with turkey thighs in order to get ready for the Downtown Tempe BBQ competition. Cooking on that grill brings back memories of what it was like before I purchased my smoker and how it used to make the best BBQ on the block. See, no one on my block has a smoker, but they do have some sort of grill.
In honor of Labor Day, I thought I’d share some of my favorite recipes. One of the more important aspects to this recipe is to have all of your coals on one side of the kettle, plus, keep in mind, you don’t need that many coals, you just need enough for one charcoal chimney. Get yourself one rack of ribs, or four depending on how many you are feeding. Make sure, though, if you are using four rack of ribs to attach the rib rack, this will help maximize your horizontal space.
First, prepare the ribs by removing the membrane located on the inner side of the rack of ribs. I leave my rack of ribs whole, I don’t bother with trimming them up St. Louis or Kansas City style. Second, coat the ribs on all sides with a heaping amount of your favorite BBQ rub. Third, remove the top grate from your grill, light one charcoal chimney starter full of coals. When the coals have ashed over, pour them on to one side of the grill. It’s really important to have them all the way over to one side. Fourth, add a couple of chunks of hickory over the coals and replace the top grate, them cover your grill and close the vents. Wait for about 15 minutes. Fifth, add the ribs to the top grate opposite the hot coals, cover the grill and wait again for about 4 to 5 hours (Yes, wait 4 to 5 hours!), depending on your heat.
The temperature should be between 325 degrees to 350 degrees. Check on the ribs periodically if you are running the temperature a little hot. If you are running the grill a little too cold, open up the vents a little and let some air in. Sixth, pop open a nice cold beer and put your feet up. Seventh, glaze the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce only when you have about a half an hour to go before you remove the ribs from the grill. Eighth, remove the ribs from your grill and let them rest for about 15 minutes. Use a sheet pan to do this. Then cut up the ribs, serve and enjoy!
Sep
29
A trip to India can be a life-changing experience. Even business travelers experience a sense of touching the ground in a place that is constantly unfolding in its mystery and its history. Mumbai is one of the big centers for finance and culture in the world, and is one of the best places to get in touch with India’s heartbeat. The city is a fabulous puzzle that’s impossible to decode, but relentless in inviting new and exciting adventures for the senses. There is a magical engagement of sight and smell in Mumbai Bombay. Hotel accommodations are a necessary part of any itinerary, because the hotel becomes the center, the point you can reach at the end of the day to rejuvenate for the next.
Our hotels are selected for their excellence in hospitality, so that you’ll experience an absolutely splendid refreshment of body and spirit. And after a short rest, or a long sleep, you’ll be ready for a perfect meal of stunning Indian cooking, and ready to engage with the city. Mumbai has something for everyone, with attractions that will appeal to visitors of all ages. Of course, film is huge here, with Bollywood being at the center. Celebrities are everywhere, and star-gazing is an additional pleasure when added to the immense distractions of people-watching in Mumbai. Cinema history is a place to get lost while you’re visiting, and if you look a little deeper, you’ll find the name Abdul Ali.
He’s a name that’s revered among most film historians, and when he passed away in 2004, he left a gap that’s very difficult to fill. He was a man of singular obsession, and this obsession has made it possible for many artists to continue their work. In 1968, Adbul Ali set up the Cine Society, an organization that was devoted to showing rare and previously lost vintage films. His passion for this work came from his observations at festivals where reels would be lost, and that drove him to collect like mad. He would hear rumors of a lost reel somewhere at a flea market, or stopped at an airport, and he was off to rescue it for his remarkable archive. Because his contributions are so keenly felt, it should inspire the next generation of archivists to determine how to continue the work in a digital age, with new conveniences, and new problems.
Sep
28
Thinking about a visit to Singapore can be like a vacation in itself. The afternoons seem to disappear in daydreaming, and the nights are spent planning the itineraries. There are many possibilities for adventures here. It is a rich and complex place, offering a sophisticated and playful cosmopolitan perspective on the world. Fashion and design are very big here, and this provides a constant visual feast in the streets, where the people and the buildings make a wonderful kind of urban art with their movements and interactions. Its pace is vivid and constantly shifting, and it’s exciting to be a part of, but it can certainly tire out even the most experienced traveler. It’s a brilliant idea to plan your stay in one of our luxury hotels. Singaporecan offer splendid things for the refreshed visitors, and our hotels are designed to refresh.
With a stunning blend of contemporary technologies and traditional hospitality, our luxury hotels can add a glorious touch to your stay in a glorious place. After a rest and a meal prepared by our master chefs, seeing Singapore face-to-face seems to be the order of the day. Shopping is, of course, magnificent here, where you can catch up on the latest styles. People watching is always a joy here, and there is a sense of style here that rivals any of the fashion centers in the world. There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Singapore has pop culture, and they do it with originality and pizazz. Most of what is seen as pop culture here comes from Japan , and has their stamp on it. Kids learns songs by supergroups like L’Arc-en-Ciel , and the iconography of pop is everywhere.
It was notable back in 2000, when Carol Cooper wrote her article about Singapore for Crawdaddy magazine, and it’s even more pronounced nearly a decade later. There are many fascinating reasons for Singapore’s own fascinations, but the result is a visual culture here that is extraordinarily playful and sophisticated. And a decade after Big O magazine started, it’s now one of the more formidable presences on the web, speaking from a perspective that is wholly Singapore, and wholly revolutionary. And very very pop!
Sep
28
I love my new portable hot tub. All the features and health benefits in a portable tub with no need to run a special electrical or having to put in special plumbing. In a few simple steps your throwing the end of your water hose and turning it on then your setting the thermostat to the temperature you love to soak in, and next thing you know your soaking in your very own hot tub.
For me the portability is a must. I am renting right now and am not investing in improving my landlords property. Also I live in a very hot and sunny climate so I want to be able to have the hot tub in the shaded side of my patio in the summer and then I can move it into the sun in the winter when I would like to be in the sun and get a little son on me and right now with it going into fall with in the next couple of weeks I will drain and move my hot tub to the other side of may patio and enjoy late afternoon sun and the hot tub together.
Since getting the hot tub I am much more relaxed. Having the opportunity to soak in hot water and the messaging action of the jets is a very very welcomed relief at the end of the day and I have to say there are frequently mornings I begin my day with a nice soak in the hot tub. I get more use from it than I actually thought I would and I thought I would use it a lot… but I am using it every day and many days two or more times. I don’t have the aches and pains in my neck and back any longer and sleep much better and deeper. This was a worth while investment in my health.
Sep
21
We had a lovely visit to Ibiza, it’s one of the Balearic Islands that are a part of Spain. We decided that a trip to Ibiza should be a blast because I have an aunt and a cousin who live there. They don’t live too far from Ibiza. We only went for 6 days, which was a nice break from Turkey. We stayed at an Ibiza town hotel, we didn’t want to intrude on the lives of my aunt and cousin. But, we did want to bug them just enough to show us around.
Ibiza is the western most island, of the Balearic Islands and they officially speak Catalan, but here on the island the dialect is very distinct. This once was a hippy hideaway, but now it’s world renown as the best place for clubbing and an extraordinary nightlife. Where my aunt and cousin stayed is different, it’s a rural village where the women wear these long black skirts and straw hats. The only traffic tie-up is the goat Herder and his sheep, quite a contrast from the main town of Ibiza.
The village where my aunt and cousin live is called D’Alt Vila, it has an old walled town feel about it, plus the view from the wall is stunning, there’s a Cathedral and an amazing Museu Arqueologic. After our visit in the rural area of Ibiza, we headed for the beach scene. It seems that most beaches near Ibiza city are well developed and crowed. But, if one can get away from all that and head for the countryside, there are many unspoiled, pristine and undeveloped beaches to enjoy.
Our time in Ibiza was too short, we should’ve planned to stay two weeks, we thought that two weeks would be too much and that we’d get bored, but here in Ibiza, with all it’s diversity, there’s no way to get bored. Next time, in about a year, we will be back; for two weeks this time and stay at the same hotel because it was really nice to stay there.
Sep
17
Amsterdam is alive with art and culture and had been from historic times. Amsterdam, the art mecca of northern Europe, this city is awash with museums and galleries showing art that spans all the styles and genres of the ages. While staying in your five star Amsterdam hotelsthere is much information available on the art scene. Along with galleries and museums there are many theaters, concert halls, libraries, design centers and the cultural festivals and art fairs. In May annually there is the Art Fair at RA! Amsterdam. Where artists from all over the world converge on this the largest conference and meeting center in the Netherlands. Art. artists and designers from all over the wold converge on the city to show and share their art.
With the many museums and galleries Amsterdam is a wonderful art destination! When we visited we spent several day leisurely visiting the art galleries and taking in the new worked being produced by European artists. Taking time out for a leisurely lunch and a glass of wine we would continue our gallery viewing until well into the evening. We particularly enjoyed the exhibit at the ABC Gallery. A collective showing of works by artists world wide on the subject of peace. The images were varied and vast. Showing the differences in interpretation of the word and what it means to the artist creating the piece. Other day we spent in museums and had a few evening in the theater.
The Netherlands is a small country with a big art scene. With historic painters such as Rembrandt and Bosh the art history here goes back over 700 years. Being an independent country early on with out the direct influences of monarch or church the art work created here historically has been different than the rest of Europe.
Sep
16
Fascinating myths and deities abound in Hawaii. Pele is perhaps one of Hawaii’s most famous goddesses. She is the one who contours the lands of Hawaii from her home in Kilauea, a volcano with massive craters with a smoking top. It has been continuously active from 1983, or rather Pele has, in changing the character of the land.
Her mother is Haumea whose mother was Papa, which actually denotes her status as mother of the earth, despite the English connotations of what the name might mean to those unfamiliar with it. According to one of her many legends, Pele came to Hawaii to seek sanctuary fromher vengeful sister whose name is Na-maka-o-kaha’i. Or course, Pele had also, according to the legend, charmed her sister’s husband, which might have explained the reason for the wrath. In her quest for vengeance Na-maka-o-kaha’I continually swamped any of Pele’s attempts to build a home. She was forced to move from island to island in order of their decent until she finally came to Mauna Loa. Mauna Loa is the greatest mountain ever. It is also the tallest, and as suc, Na-maka-o-kaha’I could not flood Pele out of another home.
Even though family relationship was bad with her sister, with her brothers, Pele continued to have a close bond with. In fact, she does not permit steam from any volcano to even touch the dwelling place of one of her brother’s, her brother Ka-moho-ali’I the shark king who also had the power to awaken those have died with a powerful gourd in his possession. In it are the waters that provide life.
But Pele did not favor her brothers nearly as much as she favored her other sister— Hi’iaka. Hi’iaka, along with Pele and Laka, another family relations, are goddesses of dancing, in addition to their other duties. In a more interesting tale, Pele supposedly put Hi’iaka, while she was still an egg and not yet born, in her armpit. It was to keep her safe and warm as she crossed the waters to Hawaii. Though absurd sometimes, these myths offer a great opportunity to experience Hawaii from a different perspective.
Sep
14
Considering that Rajasthan is the largest geographical state of India, it is not surprising that it also contains some of the country’s major landmarks and cultural attractions. The Chittorgarh Fort and the Hawa Mahal are just two of the many amazing examples of architecture and culturally significant landmarks that the region has offers. Tourists staying in one of the enormously accommodating Rajasthan luxury hotels are frequently attracted to these and other aspects of Indian culture.
The Chittorgarh Fort is frequently recognized to be the best for in the state of Rajasthan and is also believed to be its largest. It is commonly referred to simply as Chittor and was formerly the capital of Mewar. The amazing complex of structures and buildings has had an incredible history that dates back to at least the 7th century AD. During the 15th and 16th centuries it was sacked three different times before it was finally abandoned in 1568. The complex contains an impressive collection of palaces, temples, gates and towers, and these historic remains have impressed and inspired visitors for centuries after it was abandoned.
The Hawa Mahal is a palace located in Jaipur, the capital city of Rajasthan. It was built in the last year of the 18th century, and was designed by the prominent architect Lal Chand Usta. The design was intended to exemplify the crown of the Hindu Lord Krishna and it was commissioned by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh. The incredible building is part of the City Palace and was intended to serve multiple purposes. It is constructed primarily of red and pink sandstone that is highlighted and strategically emphasized by white quick lime. An interesting aspect of the Mahal is the Zenana, which is the women’s quarters and the intended living space of the harem. In addition, the intention behind the design of the building was to allow for the royal women to observe life on the street below without themselves being seen.
Sep
14
Spain is a land of great mystery, history, and culture. It is also one of the most splendid places in the world to visit, offering a host of attractions and distractions that will please travelers of all ages. For these reasons, there are a wealth of options for luxury hotels. Madrid, Spain, being one of the largest cities, has some fantastic lodging choices. We’ve taken great care to select only the hotels that have offered a consistently high level of service and comfort. There is also an exquisite sense of style here, hearkening back to a classical sensibility while also looking into the future. Trends do not simply come to Madrid, they are born here.
You will certainly enjoy the sense of rejuvenation that can come when you’re staying in a hotel that offers the most sumptuous amenities in the world. It is a pleasure to fall asleep in a room so wonderfully decorated and furnished, and to wake up in the same splendor. Then it’s a perfect time to sample some of the wonderful offerings prepared by our master chefs. You’ll see why Spain has a reputation for some of the finest cuisines in the world. Like everything else we do here, the cooking matches contemporary sensibilities without throwing away the classical ideals upon which the art of food is based. After a magnificent meal, it’s time to see the city.
Visually stunning, you’ll immediately find yourself in awe of the classical architecture as well as the precise sense of style exhibited by the city-dwellers. Fashion is extremely important here, and the Madrid Fashion Week is one of the big events in the fashion world. The organizers of the event, the Pasarela Cibeles, have been enforcing a new ruling to prevent models who are too skinny from participating. Based on a body mass index – BMI – the models are measured to meet the requirements. The organizers, in an extremely enlightened turn, want to prevent the teenage girls watching the event from being bombarded with body images based on an unrealizable skinniness. They want to promote both beauty and health, with an equal emphasis on both. Since 2006, thirteen models have been banned from the catwalk, and it will be interesting to watch for signs of intelligence from the world’s other fashion centers. For now, however, Madrid is the place to be.
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