Welcome to the Instinct by KITI where we move the world though first-hand, new generation travel and lifestyle storytelling.
In the clearest of Bahamian waters, my son slows the boat and trims up the motor. The bow meets the white sand with the slightest resistance and we come to a gentle stop. Our eyes scan the perfect crescent of beach, the adjacent glistening sandbar and we congratulate ourselves on navigating our way to paradise. We've triumphantly arrived at Sampson Cay in the Exuma chain of islands in the middle of the Bahamas.
A few years ago, the fact that an island was the birthplace of Alexander Hamilton would have elicited very little excitement. But now since the advent of the hit Broadway musical "Hamiliton," Nevis is all of a sudden a must-see destination. The very first line of the musical leads you here: “How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean… “ That spot would be Nevis. But more on that later.
"Stop!" my wife and I shout in unison.
We've been on the lookout for a deserted beach on which to romp and there it appears, fronted by turquoise Caribbean waters, topped with glistening white sand. This scene unfolds as we glide into Francis Bay on St. John, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, on a 48-foot-long catamaran called Smooth Operator captained by Dunbar St. Cyr. St. Cyr obliges. The sails come down and the catamaran comes to a halt. My wife and I grab the standup paddle boards and cover the 50 metres to shore in no time. This unnamed beach is our own private crescent of bliss for the next hour.
A great thing about living in New York City, and owning a camera, is the capacity for a visual tapestry for street photography. The reason NYC is featured in so many movies is - the city can hardly take a bad photograph. So let's grab a slice of pizza (the corner slice if it's a square pizza) - and lets hit the street of New York (roughly around the Village and LES), and let's get into the groove of some NYC street photography.
In 1996, a best-selling book titled Under the Tuscan Sun, which recounted how the author restored an abandoned villa in Tuscany, established that area of Italy as a popular vacation destination for Americans. Umbria, Tuscany’s next door neighbor, hasn’t been so glorified. Yet that often-overlooked region encompasses scenic, artistic and other treasures that reward those who seek them out. For starters, Umbria – pronounced Oom-bria by those who live there -- boasts a setting of magnificent landscapes. The jagged Apennine Mountains lead to rolling hillsides that flatten into lush valleys blanketed by wild flowers.
I have a new story in Vice. I travel to Cuba to learn more about the Havana stand up comedy scene. Just as Cubans have dealt with shortages of food and other general goods for decades, the island's comedians have to use their ingenuity and resourcefulness when comes to making political jokes. In Cuba, comedy provides a family-friendly refuge from an everyday life, and an opportunity to inch up to the line of what no one can say out loud.
As far as Europe is concerned, France, Spain and Italy seem to trump all other tourist destinations in that region - and yes, to the naked eye this would be a relatively accurate statement; however, what you don’t read in the trendiest travel books and latest and greatest adventure blogs is that Slovenia will be responsible for taking your vacation to the next level. Though it is hardly noticeable on the map of popular European destinations, it happens to boast some of the areas most intriguing landscapes, historical monuments and interesting adventure sports. Follow this journey through the heart of Slovenia and across four different must see destinations!
Walking home to our apartment in Venice, we share a wave through the window with the owner of Baba, our local osteria. Leaving for a day of sightseeing, a cup of my favorite pistachio gelato awaits me despite the early hour. At the Bar Dugole, we relax after a day of sightseeing and order the regular: vodka for my husband and Amaretto for me. And we sit and watch everyone else in Venice try to figure out where the hell they are! But more on that later.
Here's an opportunity for all you travel writers out there: Between January 2 – June 30th, the Crystal Lodge & Suites is welcoming 2 journalists per month to experience this unique Whistler resort in in British Columbia. Qualified journalists are invited to come and experience all the resort has to offer and find out what it's like to stay 'at the center of it all' in North America's largest Ski Resort.
The thing about the DIY culture is: you can do some really cool stuff with a few good ideas, some descent equipment - and enough money to let you travel around the world for 4 months going to very cool places and doing very cool things. It's just that easy. Check out this traveler's video - he put together some great footage, which was all shot on a GoPro Hero3 + Black Edition; along with a GoPole, Headstrap and Chesty.
Why go to Sweetwater County? Better yet, Why go there with a bicycle? Reason: Sweetwater County has some of the best singletrack trails in Wyoming. No. Correction - probably the best singletrack trails in the entire West. If you're an adventure-seeker (one who seeks adventure) - then this biking haven, located in Southwest Wyoming is worth checking out. While on two wheels, blazing a trail on a hard tail or full-suspension bike, you'll be surrounded by 10,500 square miles of high desert country - along with the nearby towns of Green River and Rocks Springs. Sweetwater County, located halfway between Yellowstone and Canyonlands National Parks.
Wyatt Boyd is a bit of a show off.
Before my son, Alex, and I start a beginner surfing lesson, instructor Wyatt catches a couple of waves to demonstrate how it's done. Of course, as the quintessential California boy, former varsity team surfer and past South Bay champion, he's spectacular.He catches the perfect wave and rushes to shore in a torrent of white water two metres high. He exits the Pacific Ocean and runs towards us tanned, lean and glistening, holding his short board, a big smile on his face. Of course, we're jealous.
The Riviera Nayarit boasts plenty of surfer-friendly beaches. However if you are just learning to surf some are better than others. Sayulita is small beach town located 45 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. In recent years this sleepy fishing village in the Riviera Nayarit has transformed into a mecca for those eager to learn to surf. Sayulita offers great waves, without too much swell, making it an ideal spot to catch your first wave.
Halle is a professional cuddler. This little two-and-a-half-year-old koala has my daughter, Grace, in a eucalyptus-scented embrace. Grace smiles and snuggles and Halle half closes her eyes. Rather than contentment with this human interaction, Halle may just be tired. After all, koalas are notorious slackers.
Out in the desert, the burrowing owl is always the star. This evening the statement is double entendre. There really is a live burrowing owl called Pluto perched atop Lauren Meads' hand being the cutest little envoy you can image for the Romancing the Desert event.
When I visited Seoul, Korea in 2009 to explore its soju industry for a liquor trade book, I found the city to be a sensory overloaded K-Pop video come to life. It was awash with “what recession?” mega-malls, designer branded outdoor advertising and teens wearing frilly statement fashion. Plastic surgery-driven med tourism was also taking off in a big way at that time. In other words, “Gangnam style” was a way of life three years before it was parodied in Psy’s witty video.
“You expect me to climb up that?” I asked Carlos, my guide on a morning adventure in the Dominican Republic.
“And then slide back down?” I added with a badly-hidden note of fear in my voice.
Reassured by my leader’s words of encouragement, but only slightly so, I scaled the first of 27 waterfalls created by a rushing river whose arctic-like temperature contrasted with the sweltering heat of the surrounding forest and began my rapid descent.
The eight of us huddled together, warned repeatedly to stay close and keep quiet. A soft cough escaped from one of our party and the guide looked immediately askance. Coughing and sneezing were very much frowned upon. If you’re scraped by a stinging nettle, don’t even think about screaming -- a usually fitting response. Sharing 98.4 percent of our DNA, the elusive mountain gorillas are very susceptible to human-borne illnesses and more gorillas die from such infectious diseases than from any other cause. We were carriers and they had to be protected from us.
In ways, Railson resembles many 17-year- old boys. He likes to fish, helps with chores and enjoys hanging out with his friends. But there are differences. Railson’s usual catch is piranha, the feared razor-toothed residents of South American rivers that can strip the flesh off a large animal in minutes. The house he helps to clean is a tiny wooden hut built on stilts. And Railson and his buddies live in a tiny village in one of the most remote regions of the world -- the Amazon basin of Brazil, hours by boat from the nearest city or large town.
