Miami to Maldives, Abu Dhabi to Hong Kong: Travel blogger’s year in review, pt 1.
Ready to ring in the New Year?
If you’ve been following my blog for some time, you’ll know it’s time for my annual Year in Review. This gives me a chance to reflect on the past 12 months, and share some bonus photos with you. So let’s head straight (or gaily forward, as my friends would say) to the first half.
My site’s focus and projects grew significantly in 2013. At this point, I’m traveling at least once a month to a far-off place, usually with my film team or a TV show. It’s my passion to report first-hand on alternative cultures around the world.
Last January, I escaped the cold at Miami Art Deco Weekend. I caught up with friends and did this retro 1920s photoshoot with Mayleen G. Enjoy the Florida posts, including a Bettie Page runway show, in this category.
I’ll never tire of going to Tokyo. I continue to be in Japan several times a year for television hosting and arranging jobs. Each time, there’s something new to experience, like the David Bowie cafe, Alphonse Mucha exhibit…
… and King of the Pirates theme restaurant. Best of all, I get to have fun with my friends. (Interested in hiring us? Learn about our TV production and consulting services.)
Next, my filmmakers and I were invited to a very special place: the Maldives. We fell in love with eco-luxury resort Gili Lankanfushi, and I got to live out my Treasure Island fantasies. Here’s our Maldives video and all the sunny photos.
We also landed in the Middle East for the first time. Dubai was a sci-fi wonderland, and I loved walking through the egg-like Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi. Discover the Arabian peninsula’s grandeur in these blog posts.
There’s no need to jet to far-off places to have an adventure. I featured my home country – Canada – in a series about Montreal’s Goth culture and Kinetik Festival. One of the highlights was bagel-tasting with Aesthetic Perfection’s Daniel Graves.
It appears a lot of people read my site for the Hong Kong travel guides, which makes me happy. This city is full of energy and pop culture oddities, like cute food and giant floating ducks. (Intrigued? Then see my Hong Kong tips.)
I leave you with an image from Shinjuku’s Hanazono Shrine. Shinto worshipers write wishes on these little wood plaques (called ema), and leave them for the kami to hopefully deliver.
On that note, do you have any New Years resolutions? What do you hope to achieve or improve in 2014?
I think we can all resolve to take care of ourselves, do meaningful work, and treat our furry companions like the kings they are! I’m shooting everything with DSLR now, so you can expect more images like the one above.
Coming up next: part II of my annual reflections.
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Off to the Maldives, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Montreal Kinetik Festival! United Arab Emirates & South Asia travels.
All right, here’s the big news. In May, I’ll be traveling to four international destinations: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, the Maldives Islands, and Montreal for Kinetik Festival! What will I be doing, how, and why? Keep reading.
(Hair in the above photo by Kukukachoo, shot by Said Karlsson. More from this series here)
You know I’m all about being a Pirate, and I’ve daydreamed of visiting the Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean. Eco-friendly luxury resort Gili Lankanfushi is making this a reality… my filmmaking crew and I will be staying with them and sharing our “Treasure Island” adventure with you!
Can’t wait to explore this five star eco-resort, accessible only by speedboat. I’ll be staying in my own tropical villa, surrounded entirely by water, with a Mr Friday to assist me. Be sure to add my social networks (on the right sidebar) for a glimpse of the pirate life.
After the Maldives, my crew and I are jetting to Dubai, a destination that’s been on my bucket list for some time. We’ll be guests of The Fairmont Palm Jumeirah, located on the swank, man-made Palm Islands. This video and article coverage will be published on Huffington Post / AOL.
I’m fascinated by Dubai, a city of lavish imagination — home to the world’s largest mall and artificial island, 7-star hotel Burj Al Arab, and outrageous developments like a World-shaped archipelago. I hope I don’t fall off a camel when I ride it for the first time. (Above image from Wikipedia)
And then, we’ll be filming travel videos at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi, a classical Middle Eastern city home to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
Funny enough, I first heard of the United Arab Emirates though Garfield’s Abu Dhabi song (where he threatens to mail Nermal away). Now, I’ll be seeing the UAE with my own eyes.
And that’s not the end. In late May, Montreal Tourism Board is sending me to Kinetik Festival, a four-day celebration of Electro-Industrial-Noise. I’m certain you’ll enjoy my video coverage, since performance artist Lauren (from Death Cookbook days) and Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection will be my co-hosts!
Super grateful to all of you for supporting my writing and presenting work, which makes these trips possible. My film team and I are going to work hard, and bring you the best possible coverage of these international destinations.
Do you have UAE, Maldives, and Montreal travel tips for us? Is there anything you’d like us to feature? Let us know in the comments and we’ll do our best. (I’ve never been to any of these places, except Montreal as a kid.)
PS: Thank you to Atlas Obscura for interviewing me about my “subculture nomad” life. You can also read my Adone street style and South China Morning Post features online (photo above from their Encounters travel magazine).
PPS: My June and July plans are already in motion… where do you think I’ll be? Hint, the continent is Asia…
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Tags: South Asia Travel 54 Comments
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