Tag Archives: Travel & Culture

Travel Video: Street Food And Hot Air Ballooning In Cappadocia, Turkey (2020)

Hello again from TURKEY! This is our last STREET FOOD IN TURKEY video from the series, and we had an AMAZING time here. Today, we are showing you the BEST Turkish food Cappadocia has to offer and also bring you on a hot air ballon flight, and take you to Göreme National Park for breathtaking views over this crazy place.

We are starting early in the morning for a hot air balloon flight with Voyager Balloons. We took their Ultra Comfort Flight (75 mins/8 people max.) and our pilot Ali was knowledgable, fun and kept us up to date with how high we were flying. The flight was SO smooth, the sunrise was gorgeous and it was a UNIQUE experience! We highly recommend Voyager Balloons!

After our flight, we were HUNGRY and ready to eat CAPPADOCIA FOOD. The local specialties are Mantı (Turkish dumplings) and Testi kebab (pottery kebab). The mantı were stuffed with beef, covered in a sour yogurt sauce and chili oil. Traditionally mantı are made to be extremely small. The testi kebab was sealed in a pottery vessel and lit on fire. The restaurant owner then cracks it open and pours out the DELICIOUS stew.

Beef, onions, tomatoes and tons of spices make up this dish. We tried testi kebab in other tourist restaurants in Cappadocia and it was terrible. YOU MUST check out THIS restaurant – the kebab was flavourful, the portion was large and service was very friendly! Next, we visit and explore the national park to see the fairy chimneys up close. It was a beautiful sight to see these landscapes. Before heading to our “cave room”, we stopped to pick up another local specialty – CAPPADOCIA WINE! Cappadocia is famous for their endemic grapes and the caves allow wine to be stored in ideal conditions, so the wine here is fantastic. We picked up a Kalecik Karası and enjoyed a glass from our private terrace of our cave room.

Travel: ‘Chasing Mexica’ – The Color, Beauty And Passion Of Central Mexico

Filmed and Directed by: Louis Lam

This has been the most wonderful film production road trip from the western Jalisco to central Mexico of Guanajuarto, not only for it’s Spanish colonial history and architecture, but also through my experience with many humble local families and over 20 talented artists who participated in this film production. I like to show my audience the color, beauty, passion of the heart of Mexico. This is by far the most exciting travel film production ever. I am forever grateful to the Villafranco family, Stephi my location manager, and Edrei Arvad my production assistant for making it happen! Please enjoy!

Winter Travel: Cross-Country Skiing Through France’s Jura Mountains

The white blanket of France’s eastern Jura Mountains stretches out for 340 kilometres along the Swiss border. Trekking across this wilderness is an unforgettable journey. We follow a small group of cross-country skiers for a three-day hike through pine trees, frozen lakes, gentle slopes and sunny peaks. At night we stop off at a chalet to sample rösti, a local Jura specialty. At the Franco-Swiss border, we discover a passage where Resistance fighters and Jews risked their lives to flee occupied France between 1941 and 1945.

Culture: Merchant Town Of Omi-Hachiman, Japan

Sail through the network of canals winding their way through Omi-hachiman, a once bustling castle town overlooking Lake Biwa. Retrace the steps of the past surrounded by a unique amalgamation of European and feudal Japanese architecture combined with carefully-preserved historic townscapes.

Travel & Culture: The Friendly Citizens Of The Faroe Islands, Denmark

The first thing visitors notice in the Faroe Islands is the breathtaking nature. But soon after, tourists notice something even more special: the way people welcome them into their homes.

The Faroe Islands is a self-governing archipelago, part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It comprises 18 rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean, connected by road tunnels, ferries, causeways and bridges. Hikers and bird-watchers are drawn to the islands’ mountains, valleys and grassy heathland, and steep coastal cliffs that harbor thousands of seabirds.

Travel & Culture: ‘Spoleto’ In Umbria, Italy (Video)

Spoleto is a city in Umbria, Italy. It’s surrounded by hills, olive groves and vineyards. Dating from the 12th century, Spoleto Cathedral has a porticoed facade embellished by a mosaic. Inside is a cycle of frescoes by the medieval artist Filippo Lippi. The National Archaeological Museum complex displays items from the Bronze Age and Roman times. It also includes the restored Roman Theater.

Travel & Culture: The Natural Beauty Of ‘The Navajo Nation’, Arizona

Brooklyn Bell, Chip Thomas, Shaun Martin and Nikki Cooley talk about their relationships with the people and incredible landscapes of the Arizona section of the Navajo Nation—the largest Tribal Nation in the U.S. at 27,425 square miles.

The Navajo Nation is a Native American indigenous tribe covering about 17,544,500 acres, occupying portions of northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico in the United States. 

Travel & Culture: ‘Winter In Champ Du Feu’, Vosges Mountains, France (Video)

Located in France’s eastern Vosges region, the Champ du Feu is a stunning patch of wildlife; a giant meadow that stretches out 1,099 metres above sea level. This vast area can be crossed on Icelandic horses during magical wintry treks. But during the harsh Vosges winters, some locals prefer more indoor activities such as fruit distillation, which produces different kinds of alcohol. The result is a pure concentrate of the Vosges: a wild region brimming with natural beauty all year round.

The Vosges are a range of low mountains in eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single geomorphological unit and low mountain range of around 8,000 km² in area.

Culinary Travel: ‘Truffle Hunting In Croatia’ (Video)

Truffle hunters and their dogs are combing Croatia’s northwest as the winter hunting season for the delicacy gets under way.

A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus Tuber. In addition to Tuber, many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including Geopora, Peziza, Choiromyces, Leucangium, and over a hundred others.

Truffles — the non-chocolate kind, sorry — are edible fungi, like mushrooms. … Though multiple species are found worldwide, prestige truffles come from specific areas, much like wine from celebrated regions of Europe and California. Black truffles from France and white truffles from Italy are the two most highly valued.

Culture: The Food, Sights & Architecture Of Japan

From wandering between Tateyama’s Snow Wall to spending a night in a Koyasan temple, we take you through Japan’s travel spectrum showing the best food places, architecture, sights, thrills, and shopping experiences.

Food – Dotonbori District: The Dotonbori district is the most colorful area in Osaka. When visiting you must try takoyaki and okonomiyaki. Shin-Yokohama Raumen Museum: Taste nine different types of ramen at the world’s first food-themed amusement park.

Architecture – Koyasan: Temples and shrines can be found all throughout Japan. Tourists can experience Buddhist lifestyle through traditional practices by spending a night in a Koyasan temple. Reversible Destiny Lofts: The space is meant to challenge your mind and body to interact with your living space in a new way to allow new possibilities daily. It is made up of only three shapes. Shirakawa-go Village: Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995 for its gassho-zukuri houses, the thatched roofs without nails are symbolic of hands pressed together in prayer.

Sights – Tateyama Snow Wall: The Snow Corridor of Tateyama rises up to 65 feet. Bonin Islands: During the second world war, the islands were used as military bases, so if you enjoy diving, you are likely to see many shipwrecks. Nagano’s Jigokudani Monkey Park: In Nagano’s Jigokudani Monkey Park there are no barriers. These monkeys are the only ones in the world that enjoy bathing in hot springs.

Thrills – Hokkaido: Hokkaido has light, powdery snow perfect for snowboarding or skiing in the winter. Yonaguni: Nevertheless, the Yonaguni monument requires a 9 to 52 foot dive to reach the bottom, and it is recommended that you have at least 100 hours of logged diving experience.

Shopping – Kanazawa: This city is most famous for its teahouses and geisha and samurai districts, along with its gold leaf production. Akihabara: Akihabara, also known as Electric Town, is a hub for all things electronics, game paraphernalia, anime, and manga. Canal City: Called a city within a city, Canal City is a large shopping mall and entertainment center in Fukuoka.