Dingle the Owl

POP THE QUESTION WITH THE HELP OF DINGLE, ASHFORD CASTLE'S RESIDENT OWL         
              Ashford Castle , which dates back to 1228, is set on 350 acres of County Mayo , on the shores of Lough Corrib and the River Cong, with a spectacular backdrop of woodlands, lake, river and mountains...and the presence of a very special owl.  
          Recent awards and recognitions include being ranked Best Resort in Ireland in Condé Nast Traveler's 2011 Gold List, winning the 2010 Gold Medal from the Green Hospitality Awards and being among Trip Advisor's 2010 top ten picks for European castle hotels.
          The castle is Ireland 's most historic five-star castle hotel and arguably the Emerald Isle's most romantic destination...but sometimes an ideal setting just isn't enough to say those four magic words. Not to worry, Ashford Castle 's resident owl, Dingle, is here to help. A new Proposal Package available now through December 22, 2012, highlights Dingle offering the engagement ring on a string around his neck to the bride- or groom-to-be. And who could possibly say no to Dingle?
The package includes:
•Three nights' bed & breakfast
•Bottle of Champagne in-room upon arrival with strawberries and chocolates
•Couples massage
•Candlelit dinner in the George V Dining Room on one evening of choice
•Rose petal turndown service
•Champagne breakfast in-bed on one morning
•One-hour romantic boat ride
•Falconry lesson, finished off with a special visit from Dingle the owl
          Valid through December 22, 2012 and based on two people sharing, the package is priced from €1,450 (approximately US$1,940).
          For more information, visit: http://www.ashford.ie/


Posted by Anne Gordon on Tuesday, 20th December, 2011.

The book - enter the Underworld

"CAVING IN ONTARIO; EXPLORING BURIED KARST", A BOOK FOR THE ADVENTURER

          Exploring Buried Karst published by Edgehill Press is as much about Ontario’s caves as it is the experience of exploring them, the culture of cavers and the people that involve themselves in this activity.  
          "Caving in Ontario" is large, colorful and full of fascinating sidebars – experiences of first time explorations in places where no human has ever gone, unusual anecdotes and snippets of geological, geographical and caving information. 
           There are the better known caves such as Dewdneys Cave, Spanky’s Paradise, Moira Cave and others, then there are also the newly discovered caves- some of which still remain only partially explored. If you are into exploring caves, this book will tell you how to find them.

The author and explorer

          If you are in any way interested in Ontario’s geography, geology or cutting edge exploration, or you’re just simply interested in caves and would like to see some interesting pictures, "Caving in Ontario" definitely is for you. Michael Gordon has been caving for over 25 years, primarily in Ontario, where many believe that caves do not exist. "Caving in Ontario" will show you otherwise.

Posted by Anne Gordon on Monday, 19th December, 2011

Photos copyright Michael Gordon and Anne Gordon

Hindu marriage announcement
displayed outside the couple's
home

NOTICE OF A MARRIAGE IN JAISALMER 
       In Jaisalmer as well as in other places in Rajasthan, I noticed painted signs that occupied a prominent place at the entrance to homes.
       Featured on each of the signs, Ganesh the elephant god, one of the most popular of the Hindu gods, was depicted seated on a low stool or occasionally perched on a lotus blossom.
       Endowed with an elephant head and four arms, his first hand held a flower, the second a trident, the third a basket of what appeared to be plump round bread rolls and with his fourth hand he administered a blessing. With one foot resting in his lap – toenails painted scarlet – he was an unusual sight.
       Each of these signs we discovered, was an announcement of marriage. Each contained Hindu script and a date – the names of the wedded pair and the day of their marriage.
 
Photo copyright Anne Gordon

Posted on Thursday, 8th December, 2011

Brahmin mother with her children
in Jaisalmer Fort, India

COFFEE WITH A BRAHMIN FAMILY IN JAISALMER FORT
       Here in Jaisalmer most of the fort’s inhabitants are of the Brahmin caste. Their homes are tucked away in the curves and hollows of the 99 bastions forming the walls of the fort.
       Invited into one of the dwellings, we stepped across the threshold into a cool dark and immaculately clean room. The ceiling was low with a burnished surface of cow dung and red clay. The stone floor gleamed. Hand-crafted shelves made from sturdy branches dipped in whitewash, cradled the family’s treasured brass vessels. Stacked almost to the ceiling in one corner of the main room was the night bedding, folded into squares, each corner matching exactly the one below.

A solid gold choker, a Brahmin woman's dowry upon marriage

       Upon leaving we were invited to linger awhile with grandma and her beautiful daughter attired in a green sari emblazoned with gold stitched symbols.  Sitting companionably together on the entrance steps we sipped black coffee from small china cups.
       On the walkway in front of us, piglets, striped, spotted and plain, screeched and squealed as they wallowed delightedly in puddles coated with an oily black effluent and children ran alongside anyone with a camera, hands outstretched pleading for "Rupee for a good boy" or "Pen please".
 
Photos copyright Anne Gordon
 
Posted by Anne Gordon on Wednesday, 7th December, 2011

JAISALMER, A CITY OF COLOUR, A CITY OF INTRIGUE
       Today, where the rich gold of shifting desert sands provides a backdrop of drama for sylph-like women clad in saris of saffron, carmine, emerald green, fuschia, blue and gold, little has changed over the centuries. 

Shopping in Jaisalmer Fort

        One can wander along narrow cobbled alleyways for hours. Traders sit cross-legged on the floor at the entrance to Lilliputian shops. Chewing betel-nut, they spit streams of “paan” with remarkable accuracy on walls long stained with splashes of crimson. Their merchandise ranges from Kashmiri shawls and silk carpets to hand-painted miniatures, silver chapatti boxes and opium canisters.
       Seeking respite from the heat at midday, we stood in the shadows beside a fruit and vegetable stall where the sweet aroma of peeled mangos mingled with the pungent smell of ripening vegetable.
       Like the locals, we ate naan (unleavened bread) and biryani (vegetables and rice) with our fingers. Risking a dose of India’s notorious “Delhi Belly” we quenched our thirst with lassi, a delicious iced drink of yoghurt blended with sweetened mango pulp and ice cream and topped off with ground pistachio nuts.

Jaisalmer beauty parlour

       Refreshed and ready for further exploration we moved on, attracted by the resonant boom of a gong that rushed from the doorway of a Jain Temple.      Directly opposite, across a narrow alleyway, an ill-hung and battered door gave entrance to a disreputable looking building. Red paint lettering inscribed on the wall announced the presence of an Indian ‘beauty parlour’ with the words “Henna, body massage, head massage, waxing, manicure, pedicure and shampoo”.
       Next, we came upon a familial confrontation. From an exquisitely carved balcony festooned with drying bed sheets snapping in the wind, a Hindu mother leaned out, chastising her teenage son on the street below. He, unaffected by her scolding, tossed his hat in the air and sauntered around the nearest corner. 
 
Photos copyright Anne Gordon
 
Posted by Anne Gordon on Tuesday, 6th December, 2011

Burial tombs of the Maharajas near Jaisalmer

JAISALMER, INDIA'S DESERT CITY
       In Jaisalmer, a city in the very heart of the Great Indian Desert, my husband and I climbed to the top of a flight of steps where we discovered a poignant memorial; a collection of tiny handprints on stone.
Sati was once customary for widows, who, dosed with opium, were burned alive on the funeral pyres with the bodies of their dead husbands.

Sati Stones in Jaisalmer Fort

       Here in Jaisalmer, before mounting the pyre, the wives of the deceased Maharajah would dip their hands in henna and pressed them on the wall of the fort and to this day those same Sati Stones are considered sacred, and the women who died are venerated.

       Sati has been banned in India for more than 100 years, but there are hints that the practice is not dead. Occasionally widows are still urged onto cremation pyres in some rural villages.

       Many were the sacrifices of the past in this desert city. When conquering invaders stormed the fort and death for the defending warriors was imminent, the fighting men, dressed in orange robes, courageously left the fort to face their enemies and horrific mutilation. Then, rather than be ravished and carried off by the enemy, their women, in full bridal attire accompanied by their children, jumped from the towering fort walls.
 
Photos copyright Anne Gordon
 
Posted by Anne Gordon on Monday, 5th December, 1011.

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London

ENTERTAINMENT AT SHAKESPEARE'S GLOBE THEATRE IN LONDON
Centuries ago when audiences were a mixture of rich and poor, it cost but a penny to watch a play in Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on the banks of the Thames River. The poor, known as the 'groundlings', were expected to sit in the yard, an open space between the stage and the raised covered seating reserved for the affluent.


A replica of that Globe Theatre now stands on the precise spot where Shakespeare once produced his plays, and I, like a traditional groundling, sat in the yard and enjoyed my lunch - a pork pie and a bottle of pop - during a performance, just as the old-time groundlings would have done.

Modern day Groundling enjoying her
lunch at the Globe Theatre

Way back in the Middle Ages a visit to the theatre was an informal affair. The groundlings were at liberty to sit or stand, eat, talk, and heckle the actors, and we were allowed to do the same. I paid about $10 to see “The Maid's Tragedy' (not a Shakespeare play) performed much as it would have been in Elizabethan times.


During the performance, the dramatic sight of the Queen of Shadows rising out of a star-spangled sea of cloth, drew a small child in the audience to the front of the stage where she jumped and danced with excitement as the play progressed. Her screams of laughter drowned out the actors' words as a comical caricature of Neptune with bulging cheeks popped through a hole in the heaving cloth (representing the sea) and blew a spray of water over her.


Next, the sound of wind moaning as if in torment filled the theatre and from well disguised holes in the 'cloth sea', fish, trumpeters blowing a hasty fanfare, and monsters writhing and grimacing rose, then disappeared. Then slowly from above the stage, a woman with a hairdo resembling two triangular shaped horns descended through an overhead trap door and played her part whilst dangling from the dark blue ceiling with its painted moons, trumpeting angels, fish and curly-horned rams. It was extraordinary.
 
Photos copyright Anne Gordon
 
Posted by Anne Gordon on Friday, 2nd December, 2011.

BELFAST AND THE TITANIC
The world was shocked as news spread that the most famous ship ever built had struck an iceberg that tragic April day in 1912 when over 1,500 lives were lost onboard the Titanic. No one felt it deeper than the city of Belfast where she was designed, built and launched, and where its citizens mourned loved ones, friends and colleagues aboard the famed liner. Starting in April 2012, the city of Belfast will celebrate the lives lost and its own maritime heritage on the 100th anniversary of her tragic sinking.

Titanic Belfast Building in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter is the new £97-million (C$160 million) visitor attraction that was built to recognize Titanic’s extraordinary legacy, Belfast’s massive contribution to the ship, and the importance of the city’s unique industrial and maritime heritage. The building resembles the bows of three luxury liners – the Titanic and her sister ships the Olympic and Britannic – all built in Belfast’s famous Harland & Wolff Shipyard, and will be home to the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience.


Photo copyright Anne Gordon


Posted by Anne Gordon on Thursday, 1 December 2011

Spirit House on the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea

CRUISING THE SEPIK RIVER IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA, THE WORLD'S LAST FRONTIER
Papua New Guinea, a wild and mysterious land off the north coast of Australia, is known in the civilized world as the last frontier. Its largest river, the Sepik, is often compared with its even larger cousin the Amazon. Like a giant anaconda, its sensuous meanderings wander for 700 miles alongside lagoons, through swamps, grasslands, rainforests and between mountains to the Bismarck Sea on Papua New Guinea's northern coast.

An elder of the Iatmul tribe living beside the Sepik river

Home territory to crocodiles and vast flocks of birds, the Sepik region is a primitive paradise where many of the people live in stilt villages on the riverbank, much as they have for thousands of years.





Six intrepid females relax after Sepik exploration

Disembarking from a bush plane in the village of Timbunke, we six female adventure travellers were ready for a journey that would take us to places few westerners have ever seen. We were to explore the central section of the Sepik river watercourse.

Our companions hamming it up on the "Sepik Spirit"

The “Sepik Spirit”, a flat-bottom riverboat, was to be our night-time stop-over. Each morning we boarded a tag-along jet boat to explore villages, meet the people and stock up on Sepik art; masks, hand drums, shell jewellery, carved spirit figures and feather-trimmed headdresses.

Stephanie Michaels, America's famous Adventure Girl, hard at work on the Sepik

Speeding away from the mother boat each morning; engine full throttle, hair flying in the wind and a frothy spray jetting skywards on each side of the boat was a deliciously cool way to travel. Approaching villages, or at sight of a Papuan paddling a dugout, the jet boat slowed to a crawl. This was to be a trip of a lifetime and we six, strangers to start, were to form a close and friendly bond that continues still.

Watching him, watching us

I will continue to post blogs about this amazing destination, so if you're interested in hearing about the world's last frontier please return again and again.



Photographs copyright Anne Gordon



Posted by Anne Gordon on Sunday, 6th November, 2011

John W. Moore, cowboy Mayor of Williams and lady friend, Debi Lander

A MAYOR WITH MOXIE IN THE TOWN OF WILLIAMS ON ROUTE 66
He's a one man promotional machine for his town on America's historic Route 66. One of its top star tourist attractions is the Grand Canyon Railway.


This rangy “sheriff” with Beau Brummel elegance  – a good guy attired in white cowboy hat, long flowing black coat, red damask waistcoat and expensive looking cowboy boots, established himself as a lady's man when he gallantly kissed my hand upon introduction.

A retired police chief, John W. Moore now fills the official role of mayor of Williams, and on the other hand in his  unofficial role – all in pursuit of tourist dollars – he is a member of the Cataract gang who terrorise riders on a train ride from Williams to the Grand Canyon. He and his "gang" re-enact a hold-up much to the delight of a pseudo-shocked passengers. But that's not his only talent. He's the master-mind behind a nightly gunfight on William's Main Street.


It was like pulling teeth to get him to admit to his  role in getting Williams back on its feet when Route 66 was closed. But eventually he laid claim to stopping the closing down of William's lucrative rail connection to the Grand Canyon.


Don't miss this great little town with its larger than life Mayor. If you see a tall rangy figure striding along Main Street in his everyday attire; gun on hip, long flowing coat billowing out behind him and oozing an irrespressible charm, that's him.

On my visit he took our group on a tour of Main Street; to the local Road Kill cafe, then on to the Grand Canyon pioneer hotel, to a shop selling cowboy paraphanalia, and to a Wild West town set-up off Main Street.  We finished up at the Twisters Route 66 cafe for a Coke float feeling as if we'd stepped back in time.
 
Photographs copyright Anne Gordon
 
Posted by Anne Gordon on Friday, 4th November 2011

Arizona's Grand Canyon

A warning when visiting Arizona's canyons
Be it the Grand Canyon or any other of Arizona's rocky attractions, visitors should be aware that there are precautions that must be observed.


We were told by our guide that the highest risk factors for hikers in the Grand Canyon is being male! going solo, and being unprepared for changes in the weather – heat in particular. It's much more intense in the Canyon. Temperatures in summer soar to over 100 degrees at times. A vertical plunge onto jagged rocks into a labyrinth created by time, wind and water, standing on the edge of a precipice where sedimentary rock crumbles unexpectedly, venturing too close to massive flakes that lean precariously from mother rock, and for the unprepared, negotiating a descent into an abyss that plunges thousands of feet is a perilous undertaking indeed.

Arizona's Coal Mine Canyon

At the Coal Mine Canyon, a spectacular place on the edge of the Painted Desert, we were warned more than once by our guide before exiting our tour vehicle, to stand well back from the canyon edge. Rocks, we were told, had a habit of crumbling. Looking from a point further along the path running alongside the canyon, I noticed numerous mossy overhangs, no more than four inches in depth with nothing beneath but air.

Over the abyss, crows performed aerial acrobatics as I pondered the results for an eager photographer (me) in search of a great picture. Death is but a whisper away for those foolish enough not to heed warnings.

Photographs copyright Anne Gordon

Posted by Anne Gordon on Friday, 4th November

Arizona's Rainbow Bridge, a natural wonder of the world

THE MAGNIFICENT RAINBOW BRIDGE IN ARIZONA, ONE OF THE NATURAL WONDERS OF THE WORLD
This massive sandstone arch in the Lake Powell area was in 1910, proclaimed one of the natural wonders of the world. Turning a corner after negotiating a watery passageway through cliffs that tower hundreds of feet overhead and walking for close to an hour along a lonely trail, I saw the Rainbow Bridge in all its fiery splendour at the approach of sunset.

Sacred to the Navajo people, it is said to be disrespectful to walk beneath the arch. But another opinion prevails according to our guide. The Paiute people who have been resident here for thousands of years before the Navajo, believe that to walk beneath its towering presence is to bring nothing but good.

The Navajo name for the Rainbow Bridge is “nonnezoshi” - rainbow turned to stone. Stretching 275 feet across a small meandering river, this stone monument was created by time, wind, rain and erosion from an ancient sea.


Photograph copyright Anne Gordon



Posted by Anne Gordon on Friday, 4th November, 2011

The Peak of Christmas on Grouse Mountain November 26 to December 24
There is no better place to enjoy a white Christmas in Vancouver than on snow-covered Grouse Mountain, 3,700 feet above the twinkling lights of Vancouver. During the holiday season, Grouse Mountain comes alive with a multitude of festivities. Visitors can enjoy sleigh rides through the forest, pay a visit to Santa and his live reindeer, listen to carols in the chalet or skate on the outdoor ice rink (skate rentals available). After playing in the snow, warm up in Altitudes Bistro with a cup of hot chocolate and a hearty meal, or watch a Christmas film at Theatre in the Sky.
http://www.grousemountain.com/


Photograph copyright Anne Gordon


Posted by Anne Gordon on Thursday, 3rd November, 2011

The Vancouver German Christmas Market November 24 to December 24
The 700-year-old tradition of the German Christmas Market returns to downtown Vancouver for its second year. The Vancouver Christmas Market, located on the plaza in front of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, is an authentic "Christkindlmarkt" featuring traditional German crafts, cuisine and entertainment. A special children’s area known as the "Kinderweihnacht" gives youngsters the chance to make their own Christmas gifts, visit with Santa Claus and ride the children’s Christmas carousel. German bratwurst, Swiss raclette, brataepfel (stuffed baked apples) and schupfnudeln (German noodles), are just some of the many delicious eats that will be available at the market. Colourful décor, seasonal gifts, family entertainment, authentic cuisine and an enchanting village atmosphere make this an unforgettable event. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for youth. Children (6 and under) receive complimentary entry.
http://www.vancouverchristmasmarket.com/


Photo copyright Anne Gordon


Posted by Anne Gordon on Wednesday, 2nd November, 2011

Grenadian Rum will knock your socks off

GRENADA, SPICE OF THE CARIBBEAN
Spice up the holiday season this year with a visit to Grenada, ‘The Spice of the Caribbean.’ Trade in the mittens and hot chocolate for a pinch of Caribbean spice, rum punch and warm, sunny days.

Seen from my room with a view

A part of the Windward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, the Island of Grenada is a little piece of paradise and the perfect destination to ring in the New Year. Whether you’re solo, or travelling with family or friends, spending the holidays in Grenada will certainly be memorable.




 The tiny island offers a change of pace and a different way to celebrate the holidays. For those visitors looking for rest and relaxation, the island has over 40 white sand and black sand beaches, including the famed Grand Anse Beach. Grenada is also home to a tropical rainforest, perfect for hiking opportunities. For those looking to get out on the water, Grenada is a popular yachting destination and offers some of the Caribbean’s best diving. Whatever type of holiday you’re after, it can be found in Grenada, ‘The Spice of the Caribbean.’

Photos copyright Anne Gordon

Corfe Castle; a place of haunting

AS HALLOWEEN DRAWS NEAR, SPOOKY ENGLISH PLACES FOR A GHOULISH DAY OUT
From the mysterious apparitions of a marching Roman legion to the ghostly recollections of a much-loved Prime Minister, a day out in a hauntingly atmospheric house will give everyone a fright. During Halloween, the haunting season, enjoy eerie tours and creepy tales in some of Britain’s oldest homes, where the floorboards creek and the faces of the past stare out from every wall.


Royal cruelty and a headless Lady at Corfe Castle, Dorset
Believed to have been first settled 6,000 years ago, Corfe Castle is a majestic, brooding ruin and with many years of turbulent history that includes Civil War, torture, treachery and imprisonment.


Legend tells of the 18 year old Anglo-Saxon heir to the throne, murdered in the grounds of the castle at the orders of his stepmother, Queen Elfrida. She was determined to bring about the succession of her son, Ethelred, later known as ‘The Unready’. While in the 14th century, Edward II was imprisoned at Corfe prior to his own horrific murder.


During the Civil War, Corfe belonged to a family supportive of the Royalists, and was overrun by Cromwell’s Roundhead’s and eventually blown up. The sound of a child weeping can occasionally be heard nearby and it is believed that the headless body of a woman in white who stalks the battlements and walls of the ruins is the one who betrayed the besieged Royalists, bringing about the ruin of both the family and their formidable fortress.


A murderous past at Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire
Given Baddesley Clinton’s history (it was a haven for persecuted Catholics in the Elizabethan era) it isn’t a surprise that there are a number of ghost stories associated with the house.


Many people claim to have heard ghostly footsteps along corridors and have had the unnerving experience of seeing door handles turned by an unseen hand. In the 19th century, a house guest wrote, “I once heard that solemn tread. It had an awful and mournful sound…and affected me deeply.”


The library at Baddesley Clinton is particularly known for its dramatic history. In Tudor times, this was a first-floor chamber. It was here that, according to legend, Nicholas Broome, who had inherited the house in 1483, returned home unexpectedly and “slew ye minister of Baddesley Church finding him in his plor (parlour) chockinge (choking) his wife under ye chinne…” The slaughtered priest’s bloodstain made an indelible mark in front of the library fireplace, but scientific analysis has since proved that the stain was actually pig’s blood. Nevertheless the murder was documented as having occurred at Baddesley Clinton, in one of the older parts of the house.

The hard-up Duchess of Ham House, Surrey
Set on the banks on the River Thames, Ham House, near Richmond, is said to be one of the National Trust’s most prolifically haunted houses. Once home to the tenacious and strong-willed Duchess of Lauderdale, a highly ambitious aristocrat, it is her ghost which is believed to roam the house to this day.


After ignoring public outrage about the unseemly haste of her match to the 1st Earl of Lauderdale, whom she married after the convenient death of both her husband and the Earl’s wife, they set about living at Ham in luxurious style. However, when the Earl fell out of Royal favour and died in 1682, he left the Duchess increasingly hard-up; forced to sell many of her prized possessions she ended her days at Ham, writing “I am a prisoner now in my beloved Ham House, and I will never leave.”


The ground-floor room to which she retreated, the Duchess’s Bedchamber, now has a strangely oppressive atmosphere. The room emits sounds of footsteps and wafts of the Duchess’s favourite rose scent, while her looking glass with its slightly clouded appearance is often home to the reflection of a malevolent looking figure. So powerful is the atmosphere in this room that some of the staff take the precaution of murmuring “Good afternoon, your ladyship” before entering.

A lifeless legion march at Treasurer’s House, York York is the leading contender for the title of the most haunted city in Britain, with at least 140 ghosts, and the Treasurer’s House, built over the main Roman thoroughfare leading into York, was featured in the Guinness Book of Records for having ‘Ghosts of the greatest longevity’.

Many people have reported seeing the ghosts of a Roman army in the cellars of Treasurer’s House. The best known account is of an engineer who was installing central heating in cellars of the house, when he heard the sound of a trumpet and saw the top of a soldier’s helmet apparently emerging from the wall against which he had just been working. He leapt from his ladder, watching in disbelief as behind the trumpet player plodded a horse and about twenty soldiers walking two abreast, carrying lances, round shields and short swords.
 
The engineer was not alone in his Roman vision. While the house was in private hands in the 1920s, a fancy dress party was held and one guest was amused to find herself in the cellars with a man dressed as a Roman soldier who barred her passage by placing a spear across the corridor… she was less amused to discover subsequently that not one of the guests had come dressed as a Roman soldier.

More to follow ...


Post from Ted Flett


Photograph copyright Anne Gordon

NUIT BLANCHE TORONTO 2011; THE BURNING HEART
So I’d meant to visit the Heart Machine. It seemed to be a nifty concept, the idea of taking control of your city, instead of passively waiting for the city to happen and you just being an observer. As the artist had written, the interaction between citizen and city was meant to be symbiotic.


Long before you saw the exhibit you could see the orange flicker of the Heart Machine on the upper walls of nearby buildings. I was especially interested as the Heart Machine had been featured last year at the counter-cultural Burning Man Festival in Nevada. The whole idea is that these 4 big severed arteries or maybe it was the Vena Cava, would belch huge roiling puffs of flame into the sky when triggered to do so by some good citizen who was beating at the heart. Well it certainly was a spectacle and it drew a crowd of citizens who chose to interact with the exhibit.


Carl, Jeff, Maggie and I were standing around the Heart Machine somewhat passively watching this fire twirling girl toss a flaming stick around when this Mohawk’d fellow climbed up onto a reddish mound that I took to be the heart. Immediately the heart seemed to be picking up the pace. The pulse was increasing and the night above was lit by great roars and exhalations of fire.  Then the citizens arrived – planned or not they certainly added to the atmosphere and if it had not been for the chill in the air I could well have imagined that I was at the Burning man Festival myself.

I felt it first – this primitive vibration in my gut, a pounding beat explained as “Step-Dub” by Jeff who is familiar with the rave scene. The street was packed and a mob was moving toward us – the smell of weed (cannabis) preceding their arrival. It was a mobile rave where the police were conspicuous in their absence, several hundred youths in varying degrees of stonedness, one fellow near me puffing a joint so large it lit the crowd up all around him. There was this guy who looked like Renfield from Dracula, faeries, various pseudo Manga characters, kids in masks, costumes, fancy gowns and tons of neon glow sticks. And of course a couple of rave queens in a pickup and another vehicle behind that was like a float. “Water, anybody got water?” a young fellow cried out to nobody in particular.


The music was pounding out so loud that I could barely hear Maggie saying “Lets get out of here, this is getting out of control”. As though in reaction to the new arrivals, the heart was now spewing flame as though it had just ruptured. A fire engine was caught up in the mess and its siren added to the chaos.


You might say that these citizens of Toronto had come to interact with the heart, and interact they did!!! It was a symbiosis that seemed symbolic of recent interactions – read into it what you will.


Photograph copyright Michael Gordon


Post from guest blogger Michael Gordon.  For more on the Nuit Blanche Toronto 2011 visit Michael's website http://www.rockwatching.wordpress.com/

Udaipur's Romantic Lake Palace

UDAIPUR'S LAKE PALACE, A PLACE OF ROMANCE
Built in 1746 as a romantic tryst for Udaipur’s royal prince Maharana Jagat Singh II to entertain his paramours, the Lake Palace to this day, weaves a spell of enchantment around all who visit it.

Resembling a Venetian palace and built entirely of marble, this stark white confection of cupolas, tranquil gardens with lily ponds, fountains and sprays of crimson Bougainvillea covers every inch of a four acre rock in the middle of Lake Pichola.

Like another world, part of its charm for us was that it was cut off from the bustle of city life just a ten minute boat ride away. We were blessedly free from the roar of car and bus engines. There were no pigs foraging in garbage at the roadside, no sacred cows lying in the middle of the road disrupting the traffic.

Water Hyacinth

As I sat at the window of our suite the ancient chant of a muezzin calling the faithful to prayer, and the passionate, tremulous notes of an Indian gazal drifted across the water. Close-by a grey cormorant perched on the bow of a fishing boat with wings spread wide to catch cool breezes, whilst clumps of water hyacinth splashed with blue swayed sensuously at each passing of the water taxi.

Lake Palace, room with a view

Life was not always as tranquil in the Palace, though. There was a time during the rule of the British Raj when tensions ran high between the British authorities and the head of India’s premier royal family. Called upon to enlist men for the British army during the First World War, Maharana Fateh Singh, a feisty old fellow, exerted his royal privilege and declined. To him the British rulers were upstarts. Nevertheless, after the war he was awarded a military medal which he brushed aside with a disdainful “Put it on my horse. This is the sort of thing my messengers wear”.

More to follow ...

 
Photographs copyright Anne Gordon
 
Posted on Friday, October 7th, 2011
 

LAMAR VALLEY WOLF WEEK PROGRAM IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

The program is based in the heart of the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone’s quiet northeast corner and features YAI’s signature combination of classroom learning and in-field observation led by Institute naturalists and guest speakers. These programs are offered when the park hotels are not open so guests practically have the park to themselves.


“Ever since wolves were reintroduced to the park in 1995 and 1996 after an absence of 60 years, they have captured the public’s fascination,” said Jeff Brown, executive director of the Yellowstone Association. “We offer a variety of wolf-oriented programs, and these full weeks bring together people who share a common curiosity and desire to know more.”


Lamar Valley Wolf Week will be held Nov. 27 - Dec. 1 and Dec. 12-16, 2011 and March 6-10, 12-16 and 18-22, 2012. The programs are limited to 19 participants, and the minimum age is 12. Rates are $610 for members of the Yellowstone Association. Catered meals, use of snowshoes, instruction and in-park transportation are included.


Participants can rent a sleeping bag and pillow for $20. Shared cabins are $30 per person per night. Subject to availability, participants may also book the cabins privately for $75 per night for one or two people.


The program begins with dinner followed by an orientation on the first night. Participants will then begin each morning by searching for wolves in Lamar Valley – the world’s premier location for observing wolves in the wild. As the sun rises and the wolves settle down for the day, participants will switch gears with snow excursions into wolf habitat under the guidance of an Institute instructor. Afternoons will be unstructured, allowing for participants to peruse the Ranch’s library, relax in small groups or nap in preparation for the early mornings. Dinner each evening is followed by a presentation, guest speaker or the opportunity to head out into the night with the group to listen for wolf howls under the stars.


The program also features hikes on snow-packed trails, or snowshoe trips of up to three miles per day with climbs up to 250 feet. This program includes instruction, snowshoes and three catered meals a day. Meals begin with dinner on Monday and end with breakfast on Friday.


Reservations for the Lamar Valley Wolf Week and Private Tours can be made by calling 1-406-848-2400. Reservations for the Winter Wolf Discovery can be made by calling 1-866-439-7375.

Posted on Thursday, 6th October, 2011

New Year fireworks at Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

Light Up the New Year in Edinburgh
VisitScotland gives one lucky person the chance to start the world famous Edinburgh's Hogmany 2011/12 midnight fireworks.


In what is a first, Scotland’s national tourism organisation, VisitScotland, along with Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and Festivals Edinburgh, is offering the chance to kick off 2012 in style by starting the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay fireworks this New Year.


Not only does this money-can’t buy prize give someone the chance to launch one of the world’s biggest parties, it also includes travel to and from Edinburgh, an exclusive three-night stay in a four-star hotel and three-day Edinburgh Pass.


To enter the competition, visit http://www.edinburghsfireworks.ca/


Edinburgh’s Hogmanay has long been considered the world’s original and best New Year Party. Three days of incredible cultural highlights and celebratory events: theatre, music, dance and Street Party extravaganzas attract massive crowds from across the globe. The world famous Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations are the only way to bring in the New Year.


Edinburgh’s Hogmanay Artistic Director, Pete Irvine said: ‘The opportunity for someone to travel to the ‘Home of Hogmanay’ to start our world famous fireworks is incredibly exciting and will be an experience they will never forget. The Midnight Fireworks is broadcast globally to an audience of over 1 billion people and to say that you ‘pushed the button’ that started celebrations around the world will be unforgettable.


Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: “This really is the chance of a lifetime. The Hogmanay celebrations are a vitally important time for Scotland with the world’s eyes cast on Edinburgh for that big moment at midnight. For someone to say that they started the world’s biggest party off, it really doesn’t get any better than that.”


The night will also herald the beginning of the Year of Creative Scotland. The third in a series of focus years following Homecoming 2009, will see the start of a year-long celebration of Scottish culture and creativity through events around the country.

Photo copyright VisitScotland

Posted on Wednesday, 5th October, 2011