The Shangheight Of Excitement
Barbie Dolls And A World Expo Entertain Robert La Bua In Shanghai
Have you ever been to a world expo? Like the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, this year’s World Expo 2010 Shanghai is bringing the world to China. World expos are designed to showcase inspiration and thought; on this count, Shanghai has succeeded spectacularly. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Better City, Better Life’ in recognition that the world’s population continues to become more urbanised and innovative policies are required for city living to be sustainable in the future. (more…)
Kiev!
Robert La Bua visits Kyiv, also known as Kiev, the surprisingly avant-garde capital of Ukraine.
Who goes to Ukraine for a holiday? Those in the know know Kyiv, better known as Kiev, is a young and vibrant city of nearly five million people. Just like Australians, denizens of Kyiv make the most of fine summer days and enjoy outdoor activities alternated with urbane pleasures. Promenades along Khreschatyk, Kyiv’s main boulevard lined with impressive, no longer neo-Soviet buildings and chic shopping centres, are a favourite ritual. Khreschatyk ends at Bessarabsky Square, location of the must-see Pinchuk Art Centre. (more…)
Musandam: Dhown’t Miss It!
Cruising The Scenic Fjords Of Oman
Musandam is wild Oman, with barren desert, rocky mountains falling sharply to the sea and isolated villages whose only contact with the outside world is by boat. Some of these villages have existed for centuries and have their own languages. The mysterious town of Kumzar is home to one of these isolated cultures; the Kumzari people are the history of Musandam in one - Portuguese, Hindu, Arab, Persian, and a little bit of British thrown in for good measure. Other villages lie inland, hidden from view by the multitude of peaks and cliffs until you are suddenly within them, dodging goats and their droppings while taking in the sight of 300-year-old houses backing onto sheer rock face. (more…)
Gorgeous Gorges
Robert La Bua Attends A ‘Family’ Réunion In The Indian Ocean
Why would LGBT travellers from Australia bother to visit a small island in the Indian Ocean with no tangible gayfrastructure to speak of? Honey, if you have to ask, you have to go!
La Réunion, an unhyperbolically enchanting island where the scenery is beautiful a dozen different ways, can charm the pants off any visitor willing to succumb to its delights—and there are many. Putting pouty French lips on sunny faces are fine ingredients for a holiday in a place where food is a major attraction. No one leaves La Réunion hungry; after all, this is France, where leaving appetites unsated is as criminal as the more unusual acts performed to satisfy them. (more…)
Vienneasy Rider: Summer Greenery In Vienna
On cycleways and saunaways, Robert La Bua waltzes through The Austrian Capital.
Summer in Vienna and the livin’ lovin’ is easy. The trees in the parks are shooting green all over, the sky just blue and the locals can’t get enough of the outdoors, happy are they to shuck heavy winter clothing and enjoy one of Europe’s most charming cities. Now that Austria has enacted same-sex union legislation as of 1 January 2010, it’s a great time to give a show of support and make a visit to explore Vienna, one of the most gay-welcoming cities in the world. (more…)
You Can’t Be Syria!
Robert La Bua arrives in one of the world’s politically outcast nations and finds a thriving gay subculture.
Syria is a colourful country in a black-and-white world. It gets a lot of bad press in the West, mostly because the Syrian government doesn’t toe the line drawn by its Western counterparts with regard to its views on international affairs. This, however, is no deterrent to an enjoyable visit in a diverse, friendly, and well-fed nation with a fascinating history and proud people. (more…)
Belle Of The Pall
Belfast and the Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland make for good times both urban and rural—no matter what the weather.
Gay and Irish. Imagine the deliciously humorous remarks resulting from THAT genetic combination. Self-effacing as always, the locals would probably say they are merely normal. If that’s the case, there’s no hope for the rest of us would-be comedians. (more…)
ChillOUT In Daylesford 2010
ChillOUT, Australia’s largest regional Gay and Lesbian festival, is back for the thirteenth time. Held in Daylesford from the 5 – 8 of March, The festival draws around 20,000 people from all over Australia. Past festivals have raised $100,000 for charity. Southern Star’s Nick Bond took a look at this year’s ChillOut beneficiary. (more…)
California Casual At Venice Beach: As Laidback As It Gets
The charms and clotheslessness of the Southern Californian lifestyle have beckoned to gaysbians for decades; they still exert a strong pull today. If you’re thinking that gay LA means West Hollywood and nothing else though, think again.
Where to go for the apotheosis of laidback lads and ladies laying back a bit further than their straight friends? Try Venice, where everything Californian worshiped by the locals comes to life along the streets and canals of one of the most eclectic neighbourhoods on the planet. Long a beacon for alternative lifestylists, writers, musicians, and actors, even a few ordinary people have called Venice home for more than a century. It was back in 1905 that visionary conservationist Abbot Kinney created a planned community to incorporate the arts into daily life of the residents of Los Angeles and Santa Monica. With the original Venice as inspiration, Kinney built canals and lined them with Venetian-style public buildings and row after row of classic California bungalows, some of which are now beautifully restored. The classic bungalows now jostle for elbow room with modernist lofts built in the most recent reincarnation of Venice. Mr. Kinney’s legacy lives on in one small area to the south of Venice Boulevard where the few remaining canals are located (the others having been paved over by the municipal government in the 1920s and 30s), though his name is now more familiar to people thanks to the growing popularity of the high-quality shops and restaurants along his eponymous avenue. Venice is the closest spread-out LA comes to having a village in its midst. The chic shops and hipster restaurants are accompanied by Venice’s very own gay bar, Roosterfish, where all are welcome in the heterofriendly establishment, named by LA Weekly as ‘Best Escape From West Hollywood’ in 2009. (more…)
Sandy Claus, Snowy Claus
Beach or Blizzard: Which Christmas is Yours?
Christmas holidaymakers come in two varieties: those who revel in the Australian summer and those who enjoy European-style celebrations rugged up and cosy while schussing down the slopes or sipping hot liquids in front of the fireplace. Whatever your orientation, there are ample options to make you happy. (more…)
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