Going back to the thirties some bright entrepreneur in Tijuana Mexico decided to paint their donkey with black and white stripes to look like a Zebra, the idea was to make the animal look better on black and white photographs. Most of the donkey’s were white or fairly light and photographed badly in the bright Mexican sun. Like any good idea, others followed and decades later the tradition continues. The zonkeys or painted donkey are there for the tourist, it’s amazing how many people will spend the $10 or so to have themselves photographed wearing silly Mexican hats and ponchos with these dopey striped animals. Read the rest of this entry »
Toronto’s largest and infact Canada’s largest water park is in Brampton and it’s that huge its a kingdom! The Wild Water Kingdom has 13 body and tube slides, another 7 kids waterslides a huge 6000 square foot swimming pool
and even two mini golf courses and its set on acres and acres of picnic area. The par’s biggest attraction its the Big Tipper, two huge buckets drop 800 gallons of water on the unsuspecting below- it’s great fun. This year the park has a new attraction for the summer months the Misty Blue Zone, here parents can relax under the mist and escape the hot sun while the kids are having fun on the slides. The highlight for us, and I’m sure for a lot of kids is Hugo the Hippo the cuddly purple hippopotamus character who patrols the park- look out for him and give him a big hug for me!
Situated in the historic area of Manhattan where Fulton Street meets the East River you will find the South Street Seaport Museum. The seaport is a collection of beautifully restored 19th century commercial building, restored sailing ships and plenty of tourist malls with food, shopping and good night life and one of the best views of the majestic Brooklyn Bridge. One of the more popular vessels to visit is the Peking a Flying P Liner which was a sailing ship of the German F Laeising shipping company which originated in Hamburg. Built in 1911 the ship was made famous by Irving Johnston who filmed onboard the ship as it rounded Cape Horn back in 1929. The ship has been on display at South Street since 1975. Other interesting vessels include the Wavetree which is a 1885 fully rigged cargo ship and the W.O Decker a 1930’s tugboat which sometimes gives the public a chance to board it for strips around New York’s waterways. Read the rest of this entry »
Siegfried and Roy are Las Vegas institutions they performed amazing animal and magic shows on the Las Vegas strip for decades until a horrific accident involving a tiger nearly killed poor Roy a few years back. Today the duo are remembered with a magnificent animal park at the Mirage Casino Complex. Here amongst an amazing tropical sanctuary are the most beautiful royal white tigers which the team were so famous for along with leopards, white lions, panthers and even an elephant. The sanctuary also includes a watered area with 2.5 million litres of tropical seas and coral reefs which are home to Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins. The centre is committed to conservation and hope this centre will help people understand the importance of these amazing animals and the real threats they are exposed to which threaten their species existence. This is a magnificent way to escape from the neon and artificialness of Vegas and experience some of the world’s finest animals in their very own Vegas oasis.
Cocaine is currently one of the world’s worst and biggest problem drugs and much of it is coming from South America. And now some very game travelers to Sierra Nevada in Colombia are going on trips to see this evil drug being manufactured. For as little as $9 a guide takes them deep into the La Ciudad Perdida or Lost City on a trail to a cocaine lab. Here farmers show how the leaves are grown then mashed together with a deadly cocktail of petrol, acids and other nasty ingredients to make a paste which becomes the base of cocaine. Many of the farmers and manufactures remain poor with much of the profits of this drug going to drug lords and fund the country’s unrest where corrupt paramilitary soldiers, and guerrillas has claimed so many lives in recent decades with massacres and killings of many innocent people. Read the rest of this entry »
Why go to all the expense of dozens of family and friends and churches and reception for your wedding when you can get married in Las Vegas style in a couple of minutes in a drive thru with a Elvis impersonator or something even more tacky. The Little White Chapel on the Las Vegas strip is the perfect place for wedding, If it was good enough for Britney Spears, well its good enough for you!. She is one of the dozen’s of clebs who have tied the knot at the chapel, even Michael Jordan, Joan Collins, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Bruce Willis have been married here and Mickey Rooney loved the place so much he got married there twice. There are a few different style weddings available, you can use the chapel or if you are in a real hurry to start the honeymoon why not use the drive thru, and you don’t need a reservation although you do need to have a wedding license. If you need a dress, some flowers or even a few bridesmaids you can hire them on the spot. Prices are pretty cheap but if you don’t have cash on you they have a handy ATM in the foyer where you can pay for your needs. Read the rest of this entry »
You can get just about anything in LA, and when it comes to weird and macabe, LA specilises. Necromance on Melrose Avenue is one of the strangest shops you will ever come across, if you are game enough to go inside. Their store inventory looks like a shopping list on the Adams Family. They sells heaps of creepy and somtimes horrible things, catering for people who are a little different. If you are looking for a racoons penis bone or a bat in a jar or even a goat foot letter opener Necromance is the place. For only $120 you can get a freeze dried chipmunk, and hows this for $100 you could buy a few North American Porcupine Quills, A sheeps heart in a jar, a few x-rays of human broken bones, a collection of badgers toes and even a vial of vintage cat gut. Amazing value, might be a good place to do your Christmas shopping.
The Distillery District in Toronto is the hippest and most happening place in the city. Jam packed with boutique shopping, galleries, artist studios, some of the city’s best dining and plenty of entertainment this place is really going off. The pedestrian only village is a huge collection of preserved Victorian era industrial buildings including the Gooderham & Worts Distillery which was founded way back in 1832 by James Worts and William Gooderham. The distillery ceased producing alcohol in 1990 development of the 15 acre area began in 2003. When visiting make sure you go on an empty stomach, there are some amazing dining experiences to try including Pure Spirits Oyster and the best pastries you have ever tried from Grand Piano Pastries, they are mouth watering. Read the rest of this entry »
Las Vegas is known for excesses and things larger than life, well this fantastic free attraction is no exception. M&M World on the famous Las Vegas Boulevard offers four floors of chocolate mayhem with all the cute brightly colored characters from one of the world’s most popular chocolate snacks. M&M World is a great escape from the casino’s and buffets (and probably better on your waist line) and the kids will love it. The first floor is basically the gift shop with heaps of M&M merchandised goods to buy. Second floor guess what more things to buy, and the third floor has all the collector stuff. There’s even a M&M guitar or some European M&M crystal to purchase. On the top level there’s guess what, another shop where you can buy M&M house hold furniture and a really cool replica of the Kyle Busch race car. For some added choclatey fun make sure you catch the great 3D &M film- it’s full of colour and plenty of funny M&M guys it’s interestingly titled “I lost my M in vegas”. The M&M World is easy to find, it’s right next door to the massive MGM Grand Hotel Casino at the corner of Tropicana Avenue. Just as an added treat a new M&M world has just opened in Orlando, so if your off to Disneyworld drop in . Read the rest of this entry »
Vinales is about 150 kilometres to the west of the Cuban capital Havana and is one of the most beautiful regions of Cuba. Set amongst huge mountain and lush forests the fertile red ground is used for farming including the famous tobbaco plantations. The quaint townships consists mainly of one story wooden houses with porches and colourfully painted,which give the impression of a relaxed an tranquil place to enjoy after a hard days work on the land. Read the rest of this entry »
