JWH TRAVEL BITS AND MORE…January 28, 2021

In the rainforests of Australia, the giant cassowary is in danger of extinction from a foreign invader. Subscribe: https://bit.ly/BBCEarthSub  Nov 17, 2019

Bhutan's other name is 'The Happy Kingdom.' The small Himalayan country has one foot in the distant past and the other in the digital age. It's quite a balancing act for Bhutan's citizens. No other country has recently undergone more radical change than Bhutan. The millennium brought television, the internet and democratization to the last Himalayan kingdom almost overnight. The capital Thimphu has become one of South Asia's fastest growing cities. At the same time, just a few kilometers to the north, 20 thousand nomads still live from herding yak on the high plains of the Himalayas. This documentary tells of the challenges these people face. We meet young Chewang , who often has to leave his family for months and trek to heights above five thousand meters in search of the caterpillar fungus, a fabled medicinal mushroom. We also follows the journey of five-year-old Doryi, who is separated from his poverty-stricken family when they send him to a monastery. Meanwhile, the committed organic farmer Choki is trying to bring the advantages of modern life to her village. And 73-year-old bowman Ap Chimi is finding the modern world quite a challenge, so he's decided to compete in his last archery tournament to show youngsters in the village that he can still hit the bull's eye as easily as they do. This documentary takes viewers on a trip through a time that mirrors Western development in the last century. The loss of a communal life in harmony with nature is juxtaposed against the gains made through globalization. Director Irja von Bernstorff, who has made her home in the Happy Kingdom, gives us a unique peek behind the country's tourist façade to reveal what makes the wondrous world of Bhutan so special. DW Documentary , September 2020

Places and travel

Fejsal Demiraj, co-founder of the RRNO Foundation and a chef at Noma, shares the culinary soul of his ancestral homeland, Albania, guiding us on an epic journey from city to city and village to village, culminating in one of the most elemental and spectacular kitchens on earth. Listen in as Fejsal, RRNO co-founder Nikolin Kola, and an unforgettable couple named Sofo and Dhurata unlock the stories and the food of a nation once cut off from the world and explain how cooking plays a pivotal role in both the survival and the future of Albania. 

Welcome to S.A.L.T. Lab Radio, a series of podcasts devoted to following food to its source and meeting the people preserving culinary traditions, creating new ones and teaching us all how to eat in more well informed ways. Hosted by S.A.L.T. Director Adam Sachs, each episode brings to life Silversea’s mission to travel deeper. Launching soon on our newest ship, Silver Moon, S.A.L.T. is all about connecting travelers to the places they’re visiting through the lens of food and drink culture, aiming to not only delight your taste buds but to also whet your appetite for culinary discovery.

Dark winters with no sunlight for many weeks, and bright summers with sunlight 24 hours/day. How is it to live with the extreme light conditions that countries in the Northern hemisphere have? In this video I want to share my own personal experience and perspective of living with the seasons in the North of Sweden, and take you on a journey to the darkest and brightest times of the year, and share the beauty and the challenges that comes with them. Premiered Jan 13, 2021

UDON THANI, THAILAND - Samuay & Sons (ซาหมวย & ซันส์), is an innovative Isan Thai food restaurant in Udon Thani, where Chef Num serves unique dishes using wild and foraged ingredients. The unique flavors, balance of all taste buds, and his herb driven - often medicinal property cuisine - is what makes it so spectacular. It was a huge honor to spend a day hanging out, eating with, and learning from Chef Num of Samuay & Sons (ซาหมวย & ซันส์ https://goo.gl/maps/uZVZwxWTnQe8a57k9​) and MAK KHANG (หมากแข้ง https://goo.gl/maps/kaGWiD7cxcMd6UJp7​) - two of the most exciting restaurants in Thailand. After meeting Chef Num, we immediately drove to Sakhon Nakhon, about a two and a half hour drive. We drove to a small village, at the base of a mountain known for its indiginous plant species. It’s one of the villages where Chef Num goes foraging and sources ingredients. We went to the home of Chef Num Noi, a former chef at Samuay & Sons (ซาหมวย & ซันส์) who returned to his home and started re-growing and farming some of the rare ingredients from Sakhon Nakhon. Along with an amazing foraging trip on the moonscape mountain - tasting things along the way - the highlight of our trip to Sakhon Nakhon was lunch - well actually two lunches. First lunch we had grilled free range chicken with a chili fermented fish chili dip that was out of this world. As well as a dish called “swa gai (ซั่วไก่),” a chicken boil loaded with herbs like rau ram and lemongrass. It was outstanding. For the second lunch we came back from foraging and the main event of lunch was their special version of “mok nor mai,” a bamboo shoot packet, pounded up with loads of herbs, yangang leaves, and steamed. It was sensational, so many unbelievable layers of flavor. Foraging and eating Thai Isan food in the village with Chef Num was an amazing experience, and it was amazing to see the knowledge, though process, and respect for traditional and local culture that Chef Num has and that translates back into his modern creative dishes at his restaurants. We then drove straight back to Udon Thani, and straight to Samuay & Sons (ซาหมวย & ซันส์) for dinner. Mark Wiens - Jan 17, 2021

In Morocco, Rick enjoys couscous and tucks into the tagines and mint tea found in the bazaars. His Mediterranean travels end in south-eastern Turkey, where he feasts on kebabs. Episode 6 of Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes Inspired by 'good food that stays in the memory for a long time, sometimes forever', Rick Stein journeys across the Mediterranean, visiting islands and places which radiate a vibrant sense of individuality through their spirit, history and food. From spices and perfumes to the lavish use of wine and herbs, Mediterranean food is a large culinary mosaic full of colour, taste and smell created by the Arabs, Greeks, Italians, Spanish and Turks. Join Rick as he travels from Corsica to Crete, straight through the very cradle of cooking in the western world. BBC Documentary – August , 2019 

Van Gogh Museum Virtual Tour in 4K. Have you always wanted to be alone in the Van Gogh Museum? Step into Vincent’s world and enjoy the private video tour. Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam April 2020

Machine learning meets music and Street View imagery https://experiments.withgoogle.com/ne... The Never-Ending Holiday is a machine learning experiment from the Google Arts & Culture Lab that aims to connect us with the places we know and love, and those we've yet to explore. This series of computer-generated, surrealist-inspired, dreamscapes explore three iconic locations around the world. The technology The experiment uses a Generative Adversarial Network, Nvidia's StyleGAN2, trained on thousands of images from famous landmarks and locations in each country. Using Google Maps and Street View data, we created imaginary round-trips between iconic landmarks in each country, generating thousands of images from a never-ending hallucinated walk. We combined this data with creative-commons photographs of famous landmarks at each stop of our journey. The end result is a dream-like , never-ending visualisation of three destinations, driven by the music from each country. The locations In France, we stop by the Eiffel Tower, Mont Saint-Michel, Chamonix via Street View scenes of Plages de Bretagnes et Corse, Dune du Pilat and France's many beautiful villages. In Spain, we pass the Palacio Real de Madrid, the Arc de Triomf, the city of Cadaques, via the rooftops of Barcelona, the Tabernas Desert, Mount Teide and Concha Beach. In Italy, we see the Tower of Pisa, La Pelosa, the Trevi Fountain and Mount Etna, via the beaches of Sicily, the canals of Venice and the Colosseum.

Get ready to set sail for these off-the-radar Gallic islands.

France may be famous for the Eiffel Tower, Chanel couture, and the Champs Élysées, but the Hexagon, as the French love to call their five-sided country, has plenty of hidden spots, including dozens of glorious little-known islands. Many of them are renowned for gorgeous silk sand beaches or peaceful hidden coves; others are famed for their ancient fortresses and prehistoric sites or brine-fresh seafood and crisp white wines.

From exotic Gulf-stream-bathed islands where cars are unwelcome to sun-drenched getaways where celebrities go to chill, here’s our pick of the best.

Heidi Fuller-Love | January 11, 2021

Kyushu is said to be the wellspring of Japanese civilization. Yet few tourists visit the southernmost of Japan's main islands. This documentary contrasts modern Japanese cities with traditional customs in the countryside. The rail journey begins in Fukuoka - a city with a metro population of 2.5 million - and ends at the southern tip of the island, in the city of Ibusuki. As the train rolls along, it travels through time - and reveals the amazing diversity and contrasts of the most southerly of Japan's four main islands. The trip provides spectacular landscape views, as well as deep insight into a foreign culture, and its ancient traditions and modern lifestyles. In the West, Kyushu is one of the lesser-known regions in the 'Land of the Rising Sun.' Even for the Japanese, the green, mountainous island is seen mostly as a holiday spot. Europeans rarely visit this part of the country - but there are plenty of restaurants and cafes that have names like 'Wolfgang,' 'Bavaria,' or 'Côte d'Azur.' Travel guides say that these words sound 'European' to Japanese. The family of the emperor, or Tenno, comes from Kyushu as well. This is also where the dynasties of the proud warrior class, the samurai, have their roots. And there are a number of active volcanoes on Kyushu. One of the most famous is Mount Aso. Its caldera - the cauldron-like hollow at the top -- has a circumference of about 120 kilometers. DW Documentary January 20, 2021

Hosted by Anne Diamond and her guest Andreas Viestad

Get a taste of Norway as British journalist Anne Diamond interviews Norwegian food columnist and TV chef Andreas Viestad. Hailed by critics as an exciting Norwegian food writer and Norway’s culinary ambassador, Andreas was the host of the popular television show New Scandinavian Cooking for seven seasons. In addition to his being a published author, he is a columnist who has written for several well-known Norwegian newspapers and The Washington Post. During his conversation with Anne, Andreas discusses his life, work and philosophy toward food while also answering viewers’ questions.

Discover Asia's most fascinating artist communities.

Walls are splashed with intricate graffiti, streets are lined with sculptures, back alleys brim with creative studios, and artists seem to be at work in every nook and around each corner. All across the continent, particular neighborhoods have become hubs for artists. Some of these communities have a history stretching back more than 500 years, while others have formed recently. From the Kolkata community that crafts Hindu gods to Seoul’s revitalized art village, Hanoi’s town of wooden idol craftsmen, and Bangkok’s canal of painters–here are 10 of Asia’s most interesting art enclaves.

Ronan O'Connell | January 15, 2021

Everything about Bridgerton, the new period piece from Shonda Rhimes's production company, is over the top. From the sheer quantity of Regency costumes (there are close to 7,500 of them, according to costume designer Ellen Mirojnick) and the extravagant, gilded interiors, to the plot lines ripped from the pages of a romance novel, the show, which debuts on Netflix on December 25, goes out of its way to create a vibrant, fantastical world. While each aspect deserves its own deep dive, we chatted with production designer Will Hughes-Jones to find out what parts of the eponymous Bridgertons' lives we can visit IRL. Spoiler: Most of the grand interiors were completely built out on sound stages. 

BY MEREDITH CAREY

December 25, 2020