Posts from ‘Brian's Lists’
Travel highlights of 2012.
Sunday, December 30th, 2012
It was a pretty good year travel wise, but I can’t include my trip earlier this year to the US and Mexico in my highlights because I included it into my 2011 highlights (the trip crossed over from December into January). Mind you, the few overseas and local trips that I took after that were full of great highlights, including jumping out of a helicopter in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, hanging with some kooky tarsiers, big turtles and even bigger humpback whales and adding country number 78 to my list. So without further ado here is my Top Ten Travel Highlights from 2012 (in no particular order)… (read more)
Getting on the piste.
Monday, July 2nd, 2012
I’m off to New Zealand tomorrow to go skiing. I’ll be based in Methven (near Christchurch) and I’ll be skiing Mt Hutt, Craigeburn and also heli-skiing in the Arrowsmith ranges with Methven Heliski. And boy, am I excited. The heliskiing day (which is NZ$975 for 5 runs!) is my birthday treat to myself (I’ll be doing it actually on my birthday!). The first time I went heli-skiing (back in 1995) was with Methven Heliski and it was one of the best ski days of my life (what am I saying, it was one of the BEST days of my life!). In fact, I often get asked what is my number one dream travel destination and it’s always the same answer: heliskiing for a week in Alaska (and I will do it one day!). If you haven’t guessed… (read more)
What’s app?
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
For quite a while I refused to take my phone with me when I travelled. I actually liked being away and feeling like I was truly away. And I certainly didn’t want to sit in a cafe with a beer in hand and update my Facebook page about sitting in a cafe with a beer in hand. I resisted for a while then one day, a few years back, I flew into London for a connecting flight to Zurich and all the planes were grounded because of fog and I was put up in a hotel. The problem was that someone was picking me up from Zurich airport. I couldn’t call or text until I got to the hotel, but by then it was too late because… (read more)
Table service with a view.
Friday, February 10th, 2012
On my recent trip to the States I went to Encounter Restaurant in the ‘Theme Building’ at LAX for dinner with my daughter Jasmine (although the Theme Building was built in 1961, the restaurant didn’t open until 1997). I’ve always wanted to go there after seeing photos of the bizarre Jetsons-esque interior, with groovy bubble motifs in the ceilings, spacey retro mod tables and chairs and a ton of lava lamps everywhere. Rather appropriately we went there after a day at Disneyland (the restaurant was designed by Disney imagineers). The experience begins when you catch the elevator up to the restaurant… (read more)
Travel highlights of 2011.
Friday, January 20th, 2012
I’m only just doing my travel highlights of 2011, because my travels from 2011 stretched into 2012 and I’ve just got home. It was another great year of travelling adventures – although there is always never enough travelling. Highlights included visiting the colourful (and tourist free) mountain markets of north-west Vietnam, getting hopelessly lost in the backroads of central Bali, seeing the delight in my daughter’s eyes as we walked into Main Street Disneyland and swimming with dolphins in the Caribbean. So, in no particular order, here are my Top Ten Travel Highlights from 2011… (read more)
Travel highlights of 2010.
Friday, December 31st, 2010
It wasn’t a big travelling year for me compared to last year, but the few overseas and local trips that I took were full of great highlights. From staying at five-star resorts (with our own private butler) to skiing untracked powder (in Australia no less) to dining with locals in the mountains of Vietnam (oh, except the smoked pig’s intestines part) to snorkelling with a dole of turtles (that’s the correct collective noun I believe!). So, without further ado here is my Top Ten Travel Highlights from 2010 (in no particular order)… (read more)
A Christmas tipple?
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
It’s that time of year when most people (well, most Australians at least) give the bottle a bit of a nudge. I gave it a good nudge at the ASTW (Australian Society of Travel Writers) Christmas party last week. Oh, my head. My self inflicted hangover was wine induced, but it could have been worse. Last month when I was in Vietnam I got quite tipsy on rice wine and I had stomach cramps to go along with my headache. My stomach cramps may have had something to do with the fact that we (about twenty of us) were all drinking the sickly sweet rice wine from a large wooden bucket. Out of shared straws… (read more)
Friday Brilliant Friday.
Sunday, December 5th, 2010
I saw U2 on Friday night and it was one of the best concerts that I have ever been to. My girlfriend Beth and I got there nine hours before the show started and I’m so glad we did. We ended up only fours rows from the front right below Bono – as in so close that I could see his nasal hairs. I’ve seen U2 four times now including, and this shows my age, way back in 1984. I even wore my 1984 U2 tour shirt to the concert (and I have to say that… (read more)
Carn the Pies!
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
Last weekend was the AFL (Australian Rules Football) Grand Final and my team (the mighty Collingwood Magpies) won. This was their second attempt at winning it because they drew with St Kilda Saints the week before and had to come back to do it all again a week later. I would have loved to have gone to either of the games (the first game had a crowd of over 100,000), but tickets are hard to come by. I have been to seven Grand Finals before, though, and not only is it a wonderful spectacle, but also a truly unique and great ‘Aussie’ game (unlike that silly rugby and cricket caper). I recommend any tourist visiting Australia to try and catch an AFL game… (read more)
Human limbs for dinner anyone?
Friday, July 16th, 2010
I’m involved in a project at the moment that’s all about weird restaurants around the world. It’s been a lot of fun (and a little scary) researching them and, if all goes well, it will be a lot of fun (and a little scary) going to them in person. And boy, there are some wacky folk out there not only opening these wacky restaurants but actually dining at them. My favourite so far is Hospitalis restaurant in Riga, Latvia where they serve hearty Latvian dishes and cake topped with realistic-looking body parts such as fingers, noses and tongues. The food is served (or hand fed if you’re in a straight jacket) by scantily clad nurses on gurneys and operating tables. The restaurant provides diners with cutlery such as syringes, tweezers and scalpels to devour their meals and guests are treated to disturbing dinner entertainment including… (read more)