Oktoberfest is one of those traditions that seems so crazy that it’s almost unbelievable that it even exists. For a couple of weeks in late September (yes you heard me right) the otherwise stately Munich becomes a heaving mass of lederhosen-clad beer-swilling hairy men and buxom wenches in dirndls, from all corners of the planet. Yes it’s possible to enjoy Oktoberfest elsewhere (especially if you ask Germans from other cities) but for the foreigner, there is no other experience like being at Munich Wiesn, in one of several beer drinking tents, dancing on the tables and having a right old laugh. It’s exhilirating and horrifying in equal measure. Read more →
Dogsledding in Finnish Lapland
We arrived at the farm early one morning to find hundreds of dogs in kennels going quite beserk at the prospect of going sledding with strangers. Wow, what an exhilirating way to travel the white tundra! The dogs would race like crazy along the flat or downhill, and you had to work hard to keep the sled under control. Respite would come as the dogs headed uphill, huffing and puffing and not stopping until they had reached the top. Alex rode the sled in front of ours and our dogs followed his- usually. Read more →
Chasing the Northern Lights – Aurora Borealis
It’s funny that with arctic locations, the peak season for visitors is generally the middle of summer. While I accept that midsummer in these cold parts of the globe is crazy good fun due to parties, saunas and the general excitement of the local people who become set free from the extreme climate that traps them for most of the year, I never really understood why you would visit a cold, icy, mountainous part of the world and then try to avoid the cold, ice and mountains. Sure, in the colder months the North is dark and forboding and the extremely good looking inhabitants are obscured by excessive clothing. But on the plus side, you experience life as it is most of the year in these parts…. and you “might” even get to see the Northern Lights. Read more →
Surviving an Earthquake in Japan
Ever since visiting the Kyoto region and winning big in Pachinko I’d longed to return to Japan and experience the cartoon craziness, rich history, bizarre cultural contradictions and the food once again. And the snow. I’d heard so much about the snow in the Japanese Alps and the north of Japan. The deepest powder you’ll ever see, I was told. But my mate Brad proposed a trip there at a time I was weary from travel and enjoying the southern hemisphere summer in Australia. “Come on, it’ll be epic,” he promised. He was right, as it turns out, and for reasons other than just the awesome snowboarding. I had never been to Tokyo before, other than some short transits through Narita airport on my way to Europe, so we decided that we’d fly out of the north island of Hokkaido for the last few days of the trip and spend a few days partying and exploring in Tokyo. As it happened, on my first day in Tokyo I experienced an earthquake for the first time. And it was a doozy- at 9.0 on the Richter scale, the 2011 Tohoku quake was the most powerful to ever hit Japan. Read more →
Recent Comments
Top 17 Funny German Words and Phrases
18 Strange Observations of America (from an Australian Living in the USA)
11 Cool Things to Do in Dubai