Posted on January - 25 - 2012
By Alexandra Baackes
Siem Reap, and perhaps Cambodia in general, is known primarily for one thing: Angkor Wat. The famous archeological site and world wonder brings travelers from around the globe to stay at the nearby town of Siem Reap. Unfortunately, many make the mistake of breezing in to see the ancient city and leaving no time to explore the modern town they are staying in.
Those that do are missing out though, as Siem Reap has not only museums, shows, and spas to explore, but also a vibrant and growing international art and design scene.
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Posted on January - 25 - 2012
EASTERN PROMISE: The Bosphorus Bridge connects Europe with Asia in the ancient capital of Istanbul.
We wait on the edge of Istanbul for the number 150 to Garipce. The bus, when it comes, is an old one like from my childhood. And it complains constantly as we lurch through the folding hills above the Bosphorus. Occasionally the land parts and we glimpse the mercurial strait of wind-tossed water below, dividing Europe and Asia and coursing between Istanbul and the Black Sea.
For many tourists a day-trip out of heady Istanbul means island-hopping the Princes’ Islands. Instead my wife and I are weaving up the European shore of the Bosphorus.
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Posted on January - 22 - 2012
Michael Zeiden had been planning on taking his 18-year-old son, Brandon, for a five-day ski trip to Mammoth Mountain earlier this month.
However, when he read the meager snow-depth reports at the big central Sierra resort, he began looking north, to British Columbia and Alberta, where La Nia and a high-pressure system over the eastern Pacific have been diverting most of this winter’s storms.
The Los Angeles businessman settled on Whistler Blackcomb, home to the 2010 Winter Olympics, which has received more than 17 feet of snow this season. More than 6 feet have come since Christmas, 2 feet of that after New Year’s.
“It’s been great,” says Zeiden, who skied for five days during the second week of January at Whistler, which has an impressive vertical drop of 5,280 vertical feet.
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Posted on January - 18 - 2012
The sky’s the limit
Most of us are used to travel around the world on these big jets and take them for granted. We tend to forget that aviation had to start somewhere, with more modest crafts and that Man tried for centuries to conquer the sky.
In France hot air balloons are known as Montgolfières as they were named after their inventors, the Montgolfier brothers.
Figure and exact proportions of the Aerostatic Globe, which was the first to first carry men through the air
The Montgolfier brothers made their first public test on 4 June 1783 in front of a group of dignitaries from Annonay, the town where they grew up in the south of France.
Their first balloon was made of sackcloth lined with three internal layers of paper. It
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Posted on January - 18 - 2012
Love Christmas trees? One of the coolest and greenest ones is the Solar Christmas Tree Installation now at The Opposite House, Beijing until January 9, 2012.
The Beijing hotel, in collaboration with Viessmann Heating Technology, is presenting the sculptural Christmas tree in “the spirit of sustainability and the environment.”
At almost 6 metres in height and 4 metres wide at its base, the tree is made from 105 reclaimed solar thermal vacuum tubes which harness the sun’s energy.
German graphic artist Karl Duschek designed a three-dimensional, solar energy icon to replace the traditional star.
The Solar Christmas Tree Installation is lit with energy efficient, warm-white LED bulbs.
“We wanted this year’s ‘non-tree’ tree to get visitors to reflect on their attitude towards sustainability during this holiday season,” says Anthony Ross, general manager, The Opposite House, Beijing.
