Archive for June, 2009.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Peter in
For Cape Town car rentals , let us take care of your transportation needs, so you can spend less time worrying, and more time wondering what you’ll do as you navigate your way through this wonderful place. Cape Town has an unusual and remarkable history, and many ways, it is the history of the human race. South Africa is a place of many contradictions, and many cultures and languages exist side by side here. There are fascinating places to visit, like Robben Island, which one held one of the world’s true heroes, Nelson Mandela, as a prisoner. There are fantastic restaurants, and you can find Indian, Malay, and Xhosa food, among many other choices. The clubs are first-rate, featuring live music that is lively and complex, just like the people here. There are also some fascinating artists, who are documenting the changes in South Africa in their art works.
One of Cape Town’s most striking figures is Eggman . Billing himself as a performer, he has performed all over Africa, and attended many conferences, and also was a finalist in the Best of Cape Town Awards. Born in the West African country Benin, he studied computer science, and, so it seemed, suddenly dropped out of college and move to Cape Town to begin working on his peculiar brand of performance art. He is a fixture on the streets here, and also makes appearances in commercials, films, and theatre festivals.
His most striking feature is his extremely striking appearance generally (it can’t really be narrowed down to one particular thing). Eggman or Eiman wears a large headdress, with lots and lots of eggs, on his head. The egg is, of course, the symbol of life, its continuity, promise, and perfection. Although it may strike the viewer as funny at first, and it is, it is also an extremely powerful cultural symbol. In fact, many of Eggman’s cosmetic touches are powerful cultural symbols. The cowrie shells worn around his neck are not simply an old form of money, though it certainly is that. It’s also a means of contacting the spirit world. Likewise the pieces of broken mirror on his chest, which serve as visual metaphors for the other world. Here he cites one of the native religions of Benin, Vodun, as a source for the symbol of the mirror as the portal to contact spirits and ancestors. The act of wearing them on the chest is also a reference to power objects found in the same spiritual traditions. There are more details, too, of course. He says that he adds one more object every day. In his costume, then, he is a visual representation of the entire continent, and his art practice is to make things brighter and lighter, to make a mark on the world’s surface that is positive and life-affirming. There are certainly worse ways of unfolding a life.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Peter in
For all the cities where the lifestyle is just right for boutique hotels, New York holds a special place above all the others. There is a kind of elegance about New York, one that wholly original, and one that is based on a history of cultural mixing. In New York, languages and ideas blend together in combinations that just don’t exist anywhere else. These combinations are evident in the street, in the art, and in the design of things. The boutique hotels here recognize the balance necessary to mix visual styles, and the result is a splendid comfort and gracefulness. Guests here will find themselves living in the heart of luxury, in the heart of the world.
New York has a heartbeat that is exactly like humanity, and it’s an energy that’s attracted artists and writers for many years. One of New York’s celebrated residents, although it wasn’t for very long, is the great Irish playwright Brendan Behan. Brendan Behan was born in 1923 in Dublin, and lived in that metropolitan center for most of his life. But some of his peak years were spent in the heart of New York City. He stayed at the Chelsea Hotel, like hundreds of other famous artists, and lived some rather hearty moments here.
Although his influence on the generations of writers that followed him is large, his output is actually quite modest. Having written only a few plays, he was wise enough to make them some of the more brilliant plays in the English language. With works such as “The Quare Fellow,” and “The Hostage,” he secured a place for himself on the shelves of great literary geniuses. It was the success of “The Hostage,” a work he translated himself from Irish, that brought him to New York for a long run. It was during this run that he started working on some of his last drinking binges that brought him to the end of his life. So, his time in New York was not necessarily very pretty, but he wrote about the city with an articulateness that marks a true marriage between a great writer and a great city. His influence is still here, in the bars and the theatres. The love of Brendan Behan for New York is a familiar one in the Irish diaspora, and he saw a promise here that many before and since have also seen and pursued, their demons and angels dragging behind them.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Peter in
There are always lots of options for the small but necessary details of luxury in choosing four-star hotels. Chennai is no exception to this rule. There are outstanding accommodations that make your stay here absolutely heavenly. With a keen eye for style, and a permeating sense of hospitality and grace, Chennai will hold a special place in your memory. As one of the largest cities in India, it already holds a special place in many hearts. With a tremendously complex and fascinating urban culture, in the middle of some truly beautiful natural wonders, there is much to see and do here.
The local culture is interesting and remarkably complicated in languages, customs, and traditions. There are always plenty of fascinating festivals that speak of cultural identities that are old and constantly shifting. There are also a number of artists and intellectuals who are adding their own twist to life in contemporary Chennai. One of these artists is local musician Ragstomorerags . This one man virtuoso band classifies himself in a few categories, and could be fairly safely filed with ambient and electronic music. In his own words, however, he is a soundscape artist, and his layered tracks are evidence of a tendency to perform for multiple perceptions simultaneously.
His musical works, then, are experiments in an evolution of sound moments. With obvious influences from the Beatles and some of the more theatrical arena rock bands of the 70s, there is a remarkable fusion of sensibilities in his work. The hard rock influence underscores a few different threads of traditional Indian music to make musical works that are actually very haunting. The nuance begins as background and ultimately takes over the track, making for a work that is simultaneously lyrical and conceptual, presenting a sense of fractured personas playing at an illusion of wholeness. This gives the work of Ragstomorerags a sense of depth that bears repeated listenings, and his live performances in Chennai are wonderful experiences to catch.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Peter in
There is always an opinion about the best of tradition, and the best of contemporary culture, and the best Valencia hotels will carry a little bit of both. With old world sensibilities that value hospitality and graciousness, mixed with new ways of keeping comfortable and connected to modern life, there are happy marriages of the old and the new here. Your stay in Valencia will be one of your most memorable travel experiences, and you may leave here deciding not to choose between the old or the new, but to take the best of both.
The city offers so much in the way of culture, arts and music being a lively part of the social scene. There is also fantastic people watching, great clubs to spend an evening dancing and mixing it up, and fascinating side trips that always make the journey full. However, it is probably the food that you’re most likely to write home about. Known particularly for its paella, Valencia has a historic position in the culinary story of the world. There are many, many generations of chefs and cooks who will insist that paella cannot be altered, that the rice has to be the same short grain that has characterized it for centuries, and that the real secret of paella is Valencia’s water. The amounts must be precisely measured, exactly as the grandmothers have done. There are also some chefs who are doing fantastic things to food here, making meals into works of art, and the artwork suggests that change is in the air.
Local Valencia chef Quique Dacosta is the head chef at El Poblet, and his creations are making mouths water around the world. He’s not entirely an iconoclast, but he is taking certain liberties with how things are supposed to be done here, and the result, it seems, is making life better for everyone who tastes his creations. The restaurant itself is a kind of post-modern twist to the traditional restaurant. Walking in, one sees the kitchen right in front, and on the way to your table, you can hear Dacosta yelling at his staff. You are then greeted by none other than Quique Dacosta himself, who loves to talk about his food. From the way to slice mushrooms, to new ways of carmelizing rice, his enthusiasm for his life’s work shows in his speech, as well as the food. Diners are not only in for one of the most exquisite meals in the world, they are also able to witness an artist at the peak of his creative power.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Peter in
On the prowl for the perfect boutique hotel? Cape Town will offer some fantastic choices. The hotels here are splendid in style and blend traditional with contemporary urban designs to make your nesting place a feast for the senses. Dine and relax in comfort and luxury as you enjoy some of the most sophisticated and time-tested methods for rejuvenating the body and the spirit. Cape Town is an amazing place, with an exciting city that doesn’t sleep. But you should sleep, because you’ll be staying in the lap of luxury, and adventures will wait for you to take a long and well-deserved rest.
When you are out on the town, however, rest assured that you will be treated to some of the most interesting urban excitements in the world. Cape Town has an incredible music scene, whose talents reflect the history of South Africa. Some of the liveliest bands here will freely mix rhythms and styles from Europe and the U.S. with local tribal sounds that reinvent rock and roll and jazz all over again, and there are dozens of African musical inventions every week, constantly redefining the world beat. It begins in Africa, of course. There are also culinary adventures here, and although the world is too large to try everything, one can certainly make an attempt. Some of the boldest foods here are extremely local. Sampling the menu from the indigenous Xhosa tradition will make the carnivorous eaters extremely happy, and knocked nearly sensible for a time.
Restaurants like Masande specialize in presenting Xhosa food to a wide local and international population, but their trademark is the “authenticity” of the food. Heavy meat stews, pumpkins, beans, and dumplings populate the dishes here. Masande means “let us prosper,” and the sentiment is always welcome. Another Xhosa restaurant is Aanamkela , which has won awards for its distinctive take on local spice. Imvelo is one of the most-mentioned of these, and should be tested, perhaps multiple times. There is a fantastic array of Xhosa restaurants, and all of these will give a taste of a school of cooking secrets that has been in development for centuries upon centuries. Their menus will please the curious traveler and surprise the taste buds that claim to have seen it all before.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Peter in
In the realm of the boutique hotel, Hong Kong competes with finesse, grace, and a remarkable austerity. These extremely individual and exquisite hotels display a sense of intensely manipulated style, the result of which is a profoundly comfortable and striking atmosphere. Guests here find themselves living in another world, one ruled by calm luxury and rejuvenation for the body and the spirit. World travelers and business guests alike will find their stay here to be one marked by genuine hospitality. In Hong Kong, style and design are necessities to speak to a contemporary world, and here the hotels reflect this sense of balance.
The hotels are nestled in a city that is a fantastic blend of cultures and layers of history. As time and events pass through the cityscape, moments move across the waters, sometimes fast and furious, and sometimes softly, but persistent. Change is marked by the seasons and also by the artists. One of the small galleries here, the Hanart T Z Gallery , is like a watchdog on the banks of Honk Kong’s history. Although the space itself is very small, and ownership has kept it small and humble, its presence and influence on the art world at large is rather profound.
This gallery has been open since 1983, and has always been committed to showing what many artists and critics would call experimental art in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Hanart T Z Gallery is careful not to place labels on itself, and its self-presentation is remarkably refined. There is a much deeper story, however. It has organized shows at the Singapore Art Museum, and the Place Vendome in Paris, but it was probably the landmark China’s New Art Post-1989 show that really put this gallery on the map. Since then, it has shown a remarkable number of artists, such as Qiu Shihua , among many others, all of whom are collectively redefining an avant-garde that is distinctively Chinese.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Peter in
There is something exquisite about a boutique hotel in Singapore . It suggests that the good life has suddenly become a priority, and moments of great beauty matter. The hotels are superbly designed for comfort and luxury, presenting visually pleasing decor along with the amenities that make waking and sleeping a joy. The rest here is complete, and rejuvenating, preparing you to take in the sights of the city around you.
It is a fantastic metropolis. One of the most easy countries in the world to live, and one of the most cutting-edge in terms of trends and styles, there is so much to see here that it is really rather stunning. There is great art, great restaurants, and beautiful vistas everywhere. If you’re lucky enough to be traveling in the beginning of Summer, you should absolutely make time for the Singapore Arts Festival .
Begun in 1977, the Singapore Arts Festival presented new works by local artists who were on the verge of making interesting careers as art-makers. The festival was conceived as a way to showcase these works, and to bring attention to Singapore as an artistic center. The festival, after three decades, is hugely successful. The Singapore Arts Festival has helped to give Singapore an identity as a major force in the art world at large. The festival now has categories for theatre, dance, music, visual art, and works that cross and combine disciplines. Critics and audiences from around the world come to see the talent at work here. It is still devoted to showcasing the best of Singapore, but also shows cutting edge work from around the globe. They have their own bloggers , in the tradition of other theater festivals, who help audiences sort out the multitude of work that can be seen here. Truly a communal event, attendance at the Singapore Art Festival means a connection to a larger global community engaged in a fantastic artistic conversation.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Peter in
In the realm of the boutique hotel, Singapore is a treasure. The country seems built for the boutique hotel lifestyle, highly individual, and elegantly designed, with an eye for tradition as well as innovation. Comfort and luxury are the rule without exception, and guests will find themselves living in an alternative world that is strikingly like paradise, and strikingly unlike any other place on earth.
Singapore is a very unique place. A small country unto itself, it is in close proximity to other Asian nations and cities, and its place on the water gives it a history that is well-connected to the rest of the world. It still maintains an identity that is fiercely individual, yet also complex in its connections with the world at large. In international circles, it is a trend-setter, and the youth culture here seems remarkably flexible in taking in old and new ideas and modifying them to make them uniquely Singapore. In terms of fashion and visual culture, it is easy to see the influences of the old and the new here, and it intertwines in playful and fascinating ways. Fans of surf-music influenced rock of the late sixties will find truly groovy counterparts to U.S. and Europe’s superstars. One band that has held a place in Singapore’s heart for a few decades is the October Cherries .
Their beginning as The Surfers brought them some initial success and popularity, but it wasn’t until they changed their name in 1968 that they began to feel some real momentum. Being part of a British colony, the Singapore band sang in the official language, English, and had some innovative and catchy hits like Cucucu Choo, Felicia (Flowers for your grave), Coffee Toffee Squares, and Will you love me. But piracy was not a friend to the October Cherries , and although copying brought them enough street cred to make them as popular as the Beatles, it did nothing for record sales. Their attempts to cross over into the European markets were stopped by racist practices from the record companies, and they formed their own label, Baal records. They have left quite a legacy, including induction into Singapore’s 60′s Pop Music Hall of Fame, but their sound still needs a proper recognition in the history of world music.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Peter in
Madrid is one of the great cities in the world, and travelers looking for five-star Madrid hotels will find their searches rewarded. The sense of style and luxury here are unparalleled, and guests will see and feel the comfort here. There is also an enormously old-fashioned sense of hospitality here. The food is exquisite, and all of the these elements work toward making a traveler refreshed and ready for adventure.
Madrid is full of adventure. After London and Berlin, Madrid is Europe’s third-largest municipality, and it is the capital city of Spain. Not only is there history here, there is a large and lively local population. It attracts artists and intellectuals from all over the world. One of the locals, Arturo Perez-Reverte , was born in Cartagena, and now lives outside of Madrid. He worked as a war reporter for over two decades before he found the way to make a living writing his novels full-time. His books are hugely successful, having wide readerships in Spanish and English, and seeing their way to film and television adaptations. He is praised in the literary world for his fine sense of language, intricate characters, and complex and accessible plot. Billed in some places as an intellectual mystery writer, his books are well-received by readers of all types of fiction.
One of his most beloved creations is the Capitán Alatriste character. A sort of politically incorrect swashbuckler, this character is admittedly one of Perez-Reverte’s alter egos. A seventeenth century alter ego, that is. Set is the 17th century, these novels take on the familiar themes of honor, love, and vengeance, as Capitán Alatriste gets caught up in complicated situations, and, as a sword for hire, must find the way to make a living while still being true to the dubious moral code of a swordsman. The novels are set in or near Madrid, so readers from here have the double pleasure of reading historical details about their home while also getting a contemporary take on the present through the mask of an historically distant past. It’s a literary convention that is welcome to readers who like a sense of irony with their words. Travelers here can find the same connections in the novels, and will be rewarded for their close reading with direct experience of a sensual and exciting city.
Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by Peter in
Visitors on the lookout for five-star Kolkata hotels will find many splendid choices. The hotels here are fantastic combinations of old-world hospitality and the amenities of the absolutely modern lifestyle. Guests will be surrounded by splendor, with amazing design and style to make the stay here comfortable and rejuvenating. There are also plenty of technological conveniences to keep one well-connected with the virtual world.
Kolkata itself is an amazing metropolitan center. One of the largest cities in India, and one of the largest in the world, there are thousands of opportunities to have adventures every day. People watching here is also a premium. There are wonderful tours and plenty of sights to see, and the curious traveler will find consistent sources of fascination. India is home and the beginning to many traditions. India is the birthplace of yoga, and the spiritually-inclined can find a lot of history here. One of the oldest operating institutes of yoga instruction in Kokata is Yoga Cure Institute . Run by Shib Nath De and Rooma De, focus is given to Asanas, Pranayam, meditation and relaxation. Both are disciples of Buddha Bose, who founded the institute here in 1937.
When he was 16 years old, Buddha Bose began studying Hatha yoga from Swami Kuvalananda. Bishnu Charam Ghosh took special interest in him, and began to train him. When Buddha Bose met Bishnu Charam Ghosh’s brother, Paramhansa Yogananda, he shifted his focus from Hatha to Kriya Yoga, and this is the philosophical beginning of the Yoga Cure Institute . Kriya yoga is focused on three basic tenets of yoga: Karma, Jnana, and Bhakti, and through this combination of principles, the students of yoga are set on a path toward self-realization. The Yoga center attracts students from all over the world, and studying this ancient science in the heart of India is a beautiful opportunity to learn at the hands of masters.