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Category Archives: Travel & Adventure

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Thinking of Vacationing in Cancún – Think Again

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from British website Refinery 29:

The Party Destination That’s Fast Becoming A Murder Capital

Many Brits think of Cancún as an idyllic paradise of white sand, turquoise sea and flatteringly lit beach parties, thanks to its long-held reputation as a popular holiday destination. However the Mexican city is fast becoming known for something else entirely.
Cancún, situated on the coast of the Yucatán peninsula towards the Caribbean Sea, is evolving into a hotbed of murder and violent crime. The murder rate has more than doubled over the past year; more than 100 people have been killed since the start of 2018, with 14 people murdered in a single 36-hour period last month – the highest rate Mexico has ever seen – and five more bodies found in a car just a fortnight later.

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Mammoth Park in Siberia

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An artist's impression of an Ice Age ecosystem – similar to the one that Pleistocene Park...
An artist’s impression of an Ice Age ecosystem – similar to the one that Pleistocene Park is trying to recreate(Credit: Mauricio Antón/CC BY 2.5)

A real-world Jurassic Park is never going to happen, but shooting for a more recent prehistoric era might be more achievable. The Pleistocene Park project is aiming to rebuild a lost Ice Age ecosystem in Siberia, and its directors, the father-and-son team of Sergey and Nikita Zimov, say it could help slow the effects of climate change. Now, the initiative is running a crowdfunding campaign to help transport a new herd of animals to the park. read more

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Vietnamese Stilt House

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It’s beautiful, but you can say mudslide?

Vietnamese architect Chu Van Dong has completed a tiny house project that offers a cheap and...
Vietnamese architect Chu Van Dong has completed a tiny house project that offers a cheap and easy solution for temporary housing or tiny house living(Credit: Handyman)

Vietnamese architect Chu Van Dong has completed a tiny house project that offers a cheap and easy solution for temporary housing or tiny living. Dubbed Forest House, the 12-sq m (129-sq ft) home rests on two stilts and is one of three wooden cabins planned for a vast forest landscape in the Sóc Sơn District, 30.6 km (19 mi) outside of Hanoi, Vietnam.

In designing the home Van Dong wanted to create a basic building model, with an accessible and low cost construction method. “It is hoped that the project will inspire temporary housing projects by its simple construction and low cost,” says Van Dong, who is also a designer at Handyman decor and furniture.

The cabin features a large floor-to-ceiling glass wall at the front ofthe home, capitalizing on its...
 “Designed as a small wooden box lying on the sloping hill, each house has a solid structure,” says Handyman. “The interior is arranged reasonably, compact and full of facilities, including glass windows throughout the home, which look straight out over the woods. It’s extremely poetic.”

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Family over Politics – the Hunt for a Christmas Tree

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by: Brent Smith at the Common Constitutionalist

No Audio Version

Sorry folks, but no Podcast today. For those unfamiliar, I do a video podcast every weekend that airs today. But not this time. No – this time it has nothing at all to do with production problems. It has nothing to do with technical issues, more often than not caused by my own ineptitude.

This time it was pure pleasure. I had a choice to make and I chose family over politics.

Every year my sons and I revel in a trek into the woods in search of a Christmas tree. Sure, we could do it the easy way and pick one out one from the many lots around town. And to be sure, we would likely get a beautiful one.

We could also choose the blasphemous path and buy a synthetic “Fake” tree – maybe hang some pine tree air-fresheners on it to replicate that outdoorsy scent. Yummy!

But we Smith’s enjoy the thrill of the hunt. So off we went, two weekends ago, into the wilderness, to scout for and tag a tree. This year we were exceptionally lucky and found a beautiful 7 ft white pine. And best yet, it was only about a mile in. In years past we’ve been known to trek twice that in seeking out the perfect wild tree. As we strode through the woods, invariably one or the other of my sons, or both, would recount a story from a previous year – “Remember that year when…?” read more

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SmithFly’s Floating Tent

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The Shoal Tent – for campers who like to get away from it all
The Shoal Tent – for campers who like to get away from it all(Credit: SmithFly)

It seems to be human nature that if you’re camping near a lake or pond, you pitch your tent right at the water’s edge. Well, SmithFly’s new Shoal Tent lets you take things a step further. Described as a floating raft with a tent topper, it allows you to actually sleep out on the water. read more

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Chef Jamie Oliver’s New Land Rover

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Jamie Oliver and his family enjoy a one-of-a-kind creation
Jamie Oliver and his family enjoy a one-of-a-kind creation(Credit: Jaguar Land Rover)

When we think of Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations, we think extra-cushy leather interiors, upmarket trim and personalized paint jobs. We definitely don’t think of a rolling kitchen fit to prepare gourmet meals on the road. But that’s the mission celebrity chef Jamie Oliver laid out for the SVO team. Land Rover responded by building Oliver an extraordinary Discovery that slow-cooks under the hood, churns butter and makes ice cream in special wheel drums, slow-turns a rotisserie out front, makes toast in the center console and has numerous other culinary tricks up its sleeve. Forget the drive-through restaurant – this is the driving restaurant kitchen. read more

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Project Maximus Superyacht

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The Project Maximus superyacht concept that was unveiled at the 2017 Monaco Yacht Show
The Project Maximus superyacht concept that was unveiled at the 2017 Monaco Yacht Show(Credit: Heeson Yachts)

Clifford Denn already has a portfolio that puts him in the elite category of maritime designers having previously designed passenger cruise liners for Cunard (such as the Queen Mary 2) and P&O. His latest concept, Project Maximus, shown at the Monaco Yacht Show last week, could begin a trend for superyachts by putting the wheelhouse one deck down and devoting the upper deck to the passengers, just as he has done with his work for Viking Ocean Cruise vessels. read more

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2500 Year Old Shipwrecks Found Intact

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Dozens of perfectly preserved ancient shipwrecks have been found at the bottom of the Black Sea.

A total of 60 wrecks were discovered dating back as far as 2,500 years, including galleys from the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

Scientists stumbled upon the graveyard while using underwater robots to survey the effects of climate change along the Bulgarian coast.

Because the Black Sea contains almost no light or oxygen, little life can survive, meaning the wrecks are in excellent condition.

Researchers say their discovery is ‘truly unrivalled’. Many of the ships have features that are only known from drawings or written description but never seen until now.

Carvings in the wood of some ships have remained intact for centuries, while well-preserved rope was found aboard one 2,000-year-old Roman vessel.

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Dozens of perfectly preserved ancient shipwrecks have been found at the bottom of the Black Sea. This image shows a 3D model of a Roman ship lying in over 2000m (650 ft) of water. Its mast still stands, both quarter rudders with their tillers are still attached. Rope is still draped over the frames due to the preservation of materials in the Black Sea¿s anoxic conditionsDozens of perfectly preserved ancient shipwrecks have been found at the bottom of the Black Sea. This image shows a 3D model of a Roman ship lying in over 2000m (650 ft) of water. Its mast still stands, both quarter rudders with their tillers are still attached. Rope is still draped over the frames due to the preservation of materials in the Black Sea’s anoxic conditions

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Self-Sufficient Rotating Motorhome

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The sCarabane concept offers a look at an innovative, self-sufficient caravan
The sCarabane concept offers a look at an innovative, self-sufficient caravan

While shows like the Australian 4×4 Expo and Overland Expo highlight  tough, no-nonsense trailers and motorhomes ready to get dirty right now, the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon dedicates some space to futuristic campers and technologies. And this year, the Volkswagen California XXL isn’t the only such concept camper wowing the crowds. France’s Green Cat Technologies has possibly the most head-turning concept at the show with a caravan that folds out into a roomy living space complete with solar and wind power generation. The sCarabane even rotates 360 degrees at camp, tracking the sun to generate electricity and hot water.

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