The Compleat Traveller

I have just spent an hour or two going through thousands of images stored in my Google Photos Cloud account. Some of these go back to 2011. Now, if you are a traveller like me and travel light, which in my case means with an iPad, and you automatically backup up photos and other documents to the ‘cloud’, you will know how useful this feature can be. Having access to images, documents and other files stored in the cloud, no matter how far away you may be from home, is fast becoming an essential service for the convenience it offers to travellers of all descriptions—especially tourists and business people.

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival is here. Get ready to party. The Ramsay Art Prize has been chosen and this work and the other finalists can now be seen as part of an exhibition at the Art Gallery of South Australia. Also in this post fine dining and more what’s on information.

Well, it has taken me much longer than anticipated, but recently I finally caught up with Martin Scorsese’s latest epic, Silence. A quick online search reveals that the film has elicited mixed reviews from a wide range of viewers—both regular filmgoers and film critics—so today I thought I would add my own two cents worth to the discussion. But first, a brief synopsis:

OK Go: How to Find a Wonderful IdeaIf you are a popular music fan that has been paying any sort of attention to the music scene over the past 10 or 12 years, you must surely have heard of the American rock group, OK Go. If you haven’t you are in for a delightful surprise. OK Go came to prominence after the 2006 video for their song Here It Goes Again, in which the band performed a complex routine on motorised treadmills, went viral with the help of YouTube, and other video sharing sites. Seemingly defying all odds and bets that the band could would not be able to top the hype generated by that video, OK Go have in fact gone on make many more innovative and genre defying videos that have set the benchmark so high that other bands have simply given up trying to match them. The only exception I can think of to that statement is the always innovative Icelandic artist, Björk.

Last week in my regular TED on Tuesday post, Ben Saunders -  Trek to The North Pole or Stay at Home? I featured two inspiring talks by Ben Saunders, an English adventurer who has pushed his body to the limits while trekking to both the North and South Poles. In that post I only included his TED Talk recounting his trek on skis to the North Pole. In todays post I have decided to include his talk recounting the extreme challenges he and his companion faced trekking to the South Pole

One of the reasons I love New York City so much, is the amazing range of free events that take place right across the five boroughs every summer. Once flights, accommodation, and food is accounted for, I will spend very little on high-priced events and activities over  the next three months. Having said that, I have already booked a series of concerts that have caught my attention at the City Winery and Highline Ballroom, but apart from these, and maybe one or two others, most of my entertainment will come from low cost music venues or the incredible array of free events available to every visitor and New Yorker.

The Virginian: A Horseman of the Plains, by Owen Wister was published in 1902, and is said to be the first ‘true Western’ ever written. As such it can also claim to have been the precursor to a new genre of novels that has since gone on to spawn a million others.

If you had to spend a year on a desert island, and could only take 10 movies with you, what would they be? Here, in no particular order are ten of my favourite films (by genre), with brief explanations for why I chose them.

OMDawd! Watching this video makes me ashamed of my slothful self! This 82-Year-Old Fitness Instructor Will Inspire You to Get in Shape on TheScene

Havana is no longer frozen in time, at least not completely. With Cuba’s guarded openness to private enterprise grabbing hold, classic American cars and salsa singers now share the cityscape with new and inventive offerings in food, culture, night life and hospitality. No other city in Latin America, or perhaps the world, can claim to be having just the kind of moment that Havana is experiencing now after so many decades gasping for change.

Today was one of those rare days on Adelaide's social calendar, for today the hoi polloi, that is the masses or common folk, were allowed to visit the residence of the Queens representative in South Australia, His Excellency the Honourable Hieu Van Le AC. According to the official website, two Open Days are held each year at Government House, and today was one of those. I have of course, been aware of these rare events, but have never made the time to visit the grounds or tour the residence. Today, the perfect autumnal weather provided the ideal environment for that long delayed visit, and some of the many photographs I took during my visit are featured here. 

During my 2012 American trip, I spent five nights in New Orleans and among the numerous activities I engaged in during my stay in the Crescent City, were tours that included the Laura, and Oak Alley plantations. Being the political animal that I am, I was very much aware of what seemed to be the ‘whitewashing’ of history associated with both these beautifully preserved sites, and the part they must have played in supporting one of the worst stains in human history—the institution and maintenance of organised slavery on a massive scale.

The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark. ~ John Muir

A big weekend of events and activities in Adelaide and South Australia including the Copper Coast Cornish Festival, the Clare Valley Gourmet Festival, Government House Open Day, the Versus Rodi and Yidaki exhibitions, and so much more.

This spellbinding documentary follows Aisholpan, a 13-year-old nomadic Mongolian girl who is fighting to become the first female eagle hunter in twelve generations of her Kazakh family. Through breathtaking aerial cinematography and intimate verite footage, the film captures her personal journey while also addressing universal themes like female empowerment, the natural world, coming of age and the onset of modernity.