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ARCHIVES: CULTURE
EXPERIENCING HORSE RACING CULTURE: Louisville, Kentucky
Kentucky and the city of Louisville are to horses what North Carolina is to NASCAR. I got a chance to see some of the inner workings of Churchill Downs while meeting some very famous world class athletic celebrities of the four-footed kind, then relaxed at a horse racing-themed bar.
THE TERRACOTTA TRAIL: Kolkata, India
While planning for a small vacation around Kolkata, I saw some pictures of the Terracotta temples of Bishnupur and that instant I knew I have to go there. The bright red temples were so inviting that I dropped my plans to visit Shanti Niketan and instead headed for this temple town.
FEAST OF ST. RUPERT: Salzburg, Austria
My congested breath puffs out in visible clouds as I lumber down the trail from my hostel. In my hazy, fever-induced state, it takes me a while to clue in that large groups of people are headed in the same direction, toward Salzburg’s Altstadt (Old Town). I Underneath the looming hilltop fortress, the town is quaint, baroque, and lit up like Vegas.
AN INDIAN COMMUNITY IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC: Fiji
Santosh Kumar, a young artist, squats in a sprawling Hindu temple, designing a poster-size painting. Featuring the voluptuous goddess Lakshmi, it will become a huge outdoor billboard announcing Diwali, the annual festival of lights.
CUBAN SCENTS: Havana, Cuba
Cuba smells of cigar smoke and guava. The rich, earthy smell of cigars assails you as soon as you step off the plane, as portly airport officials smoke Cuba’s finest. The guava takes longer to place. It’s juicy, pink flesh and tart taste accompanying almost every meal. But Cuba also smells like history, like revolution, hardship and triumph.
BAFFIN ISLAND! O CANADA! Nunavit, Canada
I have always dreamed of travelling to the Arctic North, a land full of wonder, mystery and adventure. Somehow, I felt a “calling” in my heart. I often wonder, maybe in my past life I was an Inuit or a polar bear, yearning to return back to where I belong? I finally decided to realize my dream. So I pack all my heavy winter clothing and set off to Baffin Island.
GETTING INTO THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT: Nuremberg, Germany
This city of half a million people might really overwhelm you the first time you venture into it. But because many of the city’s major attractions are within its old city walls and because of its very user-friendly and extensive public transport system, Nuremberg soon becomes small town manageable.
THE CIDER ROUTE IN NORMANDY: France
“Normandy is proud of their apple trees,” my French friend told me. There was certainly ample truth in it as the Cider Route (La Route du Cidre) was proposed in 1973 to let people discover and appreciate the great quality of the wine in the region of Pays d’Auge.
THE RED-ROSE CITY: Marrakech, Morocco
The beautiful Royal city of Marrakech, known as the ‘red city’ because of its pink-tinted buildings, nestles like a rose-quartz gemstone near the rolling foothills of the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains. Marrakech is a spectacle of exotica.
DOING THE LA DE DA - Detroit’s Hamtramck Neighborhood
Following Big Daddy down the street playing “Doing the La De Da” on the accordion was just one part of a fun-filled morning I spent in Hamtramck, the city of 25,000 surrounded by metropolitan Detroit. It is just a short distance from the center of Detroit and the cultural center of the Detroit’s Polish community.
TOKYO, JAPAN: Standing Room Only In Shibuya
I was in Shibuya, a Tokyo district familiar to any moviegoer. It’s all the points of the compass compacted into the city’s busiest road crossing. Pedestrians line up like the start of a marathon and take over the road, leaving Bill Murray hangdog in the middle. His foreignness is clear in his stillness for, in a place that’s constantly moving, the most Japanese of experiences are to be found by standing up.
FLORIDA: Miami's Indian History
You can’t visit Miami without being reminded of the Seminoles, the Miccosukee and the Tequesta, South Florida’s native American ancestors. What better pastime for a rainy Friday afternoon than leaving the glamour of South Beach behind and diving into the exciting history of the Indians with a visit to the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.
A MUSEUM FOR BEDOUIN CULTURE: Kibbutz Lahav, Israel
I always wanted to visit the Joe Alon Center - the Museum of Bedouin Culture near Kibbutz Lahav, northeastern Negev Desert (Israel). My wife and I named a date in the middle of the week, avoiding the the Shabbath (Sunday) drivers and off we went. It was a long drive to the center through an area rich in archaeology and scenic beauty with Bedouin encampments along the way.
RUBBING OFF LUCK AT A TURKISH WEDDING: Turkey
I was thrilled, when I was recently invited to a Turkish wedding. The invitation immediately raised an important question: what gift to take? Tradition requires the guests to give money or gold or both. Luckily, every jeweller has a selection of gold coins, adorned with a red silk bow and a pin for just that occasion. That’s it. No wedding list, no towels or toasters.
TAMADA THE TOASTMASTER, PATRIARCH OF TRADITIONAL GEORGIAN FEASTING: Republic of Georgia
The tamada is not a mere ‘toastmaster’. He is the collective soul of the Georgian people. He is warm and welcoming, a proud father and a dedicated son, a patriot, and an admirer of women. He is an incurable romantic, deeply nostalgic, and he has a kind word for everyone. There is not a feast too informal for him to attend. If there is wine – and there always is – there is a tamada.
TRADITION - OKINAWA'S LUNAR NEW YEAR: Japan
Fireworks illuminate the faces of Americans and locals as glasses are raised and toasts are made to another peaceful year on Okinawa, Japan. While the Americans' New Years celebration is coming to an end, the Okinawans' will continue on through the night until the first sunrise of the new year.
DODGING BANDITS IN SARDINIA
“Are you sure this is wise?” he had asked. I was engrossed in reading The Rough Guide: ‘ … bandit capital … between 1901 and 1954, Orgosolo - population 4,000 – clocked up an average of one murder every two months.’ Always the adventurer, I dismissed his worry. “Of course it’s wise,” I reassured him.
MAKING CHRISTMAS MEMORABLE: Germany
Christmas in Germany is taken really seriously and has much historical significance. Decorated Christmas trees originated in Germany in the 16th century when Christians started bringing decorated fir trees into their homes.
WELCOME TO FOODIE HEAVEN: Penang, Malaysia
In Penang, Malaysia, the Jalan Sungai Pinang is a street crowded with food stalls, and frequented nightly by local Penangites who come to taste their rich treats. Some of the richest gastronomic experiences can be had in the markets of Penang. Street vendors at these markets prepare hot dishes with fresh ingredients right before your eyes.
ĐAKOVACKI VEZOVI: EMBROIDERING A COLORFUL CROATIAN FESTIVAL: Đakovo, Croatia
The 43-year old festival lasts for two weeks. Starting from mid June, people come to Đakovo to enjoy the best of the Slavonian traditions - delicacies, wines, arts, music and horse breeding. The last day of the celebration, always a Sunday, attracts the largest crowd. The grand day this year was on July 5.
CELEBRATING MALTESE HERITAGE: Mdina’s Flower and Pageantry Festival
They call it “The Silent City,” but Mdina in the tiny Mediterranean country of Malta is anything but silent on this April day. It’s Mdina’s (pronounced Medina which is Arabic for city) annual flower and pageantry festival, marking the beginning of spring and also commemorating the warlike history of this alluring walled settlement.
AN OKINAWAN BULLFIGHT: Uruma Okinawa, Japan
Bullfighting is a traditional Sunday pastime in Okinawa and earliest records show it has been a spectator sport since at least the 17th century. Unlike bullfighting in Spanish speaking cultures, there is no Matador to face the bull; it is one bull challenging another and neither will be seriously injured or die in the event.
MATE MATES: Socializing Uruguayan Style
I’ve been invited to matear, Uruguayan style. Mate is a national social pastime here. The mate is a calabash: you fill it with a bitter dried leaf called yerba, add boiling water, and sip it through a bombilla – a silver straw. The set of mate, bombilla and yerba are also referred to as mate, and the verb, matear, means to sip it.
SAVORING COOKING EXPERIENCES IN ASIA: The Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand
I love serving my dinner guests Phad Thai and having them ask, “Where did you learn to make this?” I enjoy their surprised looks when I reply, “At the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok. And, how do you like the lemongrass drink? I learned to make it at the Governor’s Residence in Myanmar.
CELEBRATING FRENCH-CANADIAN HERITAGE: Maillardville B.C.’s Festival Du Bois
It’s almost time for the evening show to go on and the enormous tent is already crammed to capacity. Long tables are set up, banquet style, occupied by hundreds of people, some of them sporting toques and sashes, some enjoying plates of French Canadian cuisine and a glass of beer or wine. The atmosphere is definitely festive.
TIBETAN MAGIC: Mcleod Ganj, Upper Dharamshala
Serene and sunny, this seems like a great day to explore this little Tibetan settlement, which is often known as Little Lasha. Located in Upper Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh), Mcleod Ganj is the home of his Holiness the Dalai Lama and the head quarters of the Tibetan Government in Exile. Home for several Tibetan refugees, this mountain village is packed with compact houses, shops and monasteries.
LA VIRGEN DE LA YEMANJA: Montevideo, Uruguay
Today, 2 February, is the feast of the Virgen de la Yemanya: the patron of fishermen. This evening, after dusk, people will flock to the Rio de la Plata, dressed in white, bringing gifts for her: sweets, clothes, and jewellery - gold chains, necklaces and watches. The gifts will be sent out to sea on paper and cardboard boats, to sink to the bottom, or be washed up on the shore.
CELEBRATING CHINESE NEW YEAR: Hong Kong
I was fortunate to be in Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn as much as we could about the traditional celebrations. From our Western viewpoint, Chinese New Year is like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year celebrations all rolled into one.
NEW YEAR’S IN THE NEW WORLD - A CUBAN SAFARI: Bariay Bay, Cuba
Today is New Year’s Eve, the most important national holiday in Cuba, as on January 1, 1959 the dictatorial government of General Batista was overthrown. This year, 2009, thus holds particular meaning: the 50th anniversary of the Revolution led by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. But today I am seeking a place of much older historical significance.
CHANUKAH: DEDICATED TO THE POWER OF MIRACLES - Israel
Israel holds a special place in my heart and in my travel experiences. I have been there many times and each uplifting experience has proved to be both crucial and miraculous in my life. As I say the blessings and light each candle on the menorah this Chanukah, I attribute a miracle to each flame burning brightly, illuminating “My Israel Miracles”.
THE FORTIFIED CITY: Nauplion, Greece
On my first visit to Nauplion, in 1978, I recall it only as a dusty little town dominated by an impressive citadel, with a small Venetian fortress out in the Bay. Recently, on a quest to explore Greece‘s medieval past, I decided to return there. What I learned was that Nauplion has been a fortified city since the Bronze Age, and an important part of Greece’s history of the struggle for independence. It has been a major port since the Bronze Age.
THE GHETTO OF VENICE: A Visit to Judaism’s Historic Past
Traveling in Europe, from Spain to Germany there are remnants of lost civilizations with little signs of current Jewish life. Of course there are exceptions, but they just do not seem to balance out the wealth of synagogues that have been turned into museums or churches. However, when I arrived in Italy, I discovered a pulse of Jewish life.
TRADITIONAL BOAT BUILDING: Lessons In Environmental & Cultural Preservation in the South Pacific
My husband, Isaac Bingham won a Watson Fellowship to fund a year-long project titled Savants of the Sea: Boat Building on Two Sides of the Pacific. Although I am not a boat builder by trade, I was overjoyed participate in the project.
CELEBRATING THE ARTS & CULTURE: Maui, Hawaii
At Maui’s most Hawaiian hotel, the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, Lahaina, Mike White, the enthusiastic general manager has encouraged his staff to participate in Project Po’okela (excellence), which stresses the importance of knowledge and pride in Hawaiian Culture and provides hospitality, helpfulness, respect and honesty, giving visitors an enriched vacation experience.
NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL, UK'S BIGGEST STREET PARTY: London, England
When the Trinidadians first arrived in England they longed for their elaborate carnivals back home. Dressed in elaborate costumes, pounding on steel drums they began a small procession through the streets. Now, some 42 years later, the Notting Hill Carnival has become a full-blown Caribbean celebration, second only to that held in Rio.
THE MYSTERY OF OUR HISTORY: Discovering Alert Bay, BC
When we descended the ferry at Alert Bay I looked around with anticipation. An elaborate gateway carved with ‘Namgis First Nation, Gilakas’la Welcome' greeted us. Down Front Street, which ran forever along the waterfront was the Namgis Burial Grounds dotted with numerous totem poles interspersed with a few crosses to mark the graves.
MARKET DAY: Vushtrri, Kosovo
In Vushtrri, market day is always on Friday. I followed the old man down the steps and into the traffic circle, which was jammed with trucks, their beds piled with potatoes and other vegetables, but most of all—now that winter had begun—with cabbages. More trucks were arriving behind us, and they drove up onto the sidewalks and circled us like a wagon train under siege.
AN EASTER PILGRIMAGE: Patmos, Greece
Patmos, a small island with about 2,000 residents, is one of the Greek Dodecanese Islands near the Turkish coast. It was once noted for its shipbuilding and trade and many of the traditional mansions have been restored. Today Patmos is known mainly for the Monastery of St. John the Theologian and for the pilgrimage at Easter, which attracts visitors from all over the world.
LAND OF THE UNEXPECTED: Papua New Guinea
If you want to be transported into another world visit Papua New Guinea. From the town site of beautiful Madang, palm trees sway in the warm breeze, and turquoise waves lap on the beaches of deserted islands. It is literally a scene from Robinson Crusoe.
GUNG HAY FAT CHOY - CELEBRATING THE LUNAR NEW YEAR IN CHINATOWN: Vancouver, Canada
A West Coast mist that quickly turned into an icy downpour didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the spectators or stop the lions and dragons from dancing in this year’s Chinese New Year’s parade. From marching bands, politicians, police, banner waving martial arts groups and pretty dancing girls, there was entertainment for all ages.
INSIGHTS FROM TUSCANY - THE ART OF SIMPLICITY: Prato, Italy
It strikes me that aside from the bicycle horn, the only sound I hear on this small street in Tuscany is the foreign chatter of a content population. It is as if the harsh industrial world of machinery, pollution, and environmental distress has been left at the town border.
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