Avid bird watchers in the Czech Republic are keen to spot a white stork or saker falcon, but to track down the golden nightingale you will need to look in theatres and music halls or turn on the radio, as Intrepid’s Stefan Hellmuth explains…
“Pilsner beer, Bohemian dumplings and Prague citizen Karel Gott are arguably the most well-known exports of the Czech Republic, even though the enjoyment of all three is ultimately a question of taste. I am sure I don’t need to tell you much about beer and hopefully you get to sample the delicious dumplings yourself, but too little is known about the extraordinary singer Karel Gott.
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As a part of SAMA’s efforts to educate our travellers about issues facing women around the world, we want to share a story from another inspiring Intrepid woman. We’d like you to meet Liz – our wonderful Operations Assistant in Nairobi. Her story is one of true grit and determination…
“I was born in the arid Eastern Region of Kenya, where the majority of residents are the Kamba people, who are known to be hard working. My family are Kamba people. Coming from such a region and from a humble background, I am proud to narrate how I grew up and ended up in my present career, and the various hurdles I have had to overcome along the way.
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Essaouira hosts a festival that celebrates the mysterious music of the Gnaouas, brought to Morocco centuries ago via the African slave trade. The drums of the Gnaouas are the true soul of the festival, but as Summer Davis explains, it’s a musical melting pot of experiences…
“The Festival de Gnaoua et Musiques du Monde (Gnawa and World Music Festival) was without question my most amazing concert experience! The festival boasts non-stop performances from afternoon until after midnight on six separate stages and thousands flock to the charming seaside port for four days in June. People flood the streets, squares and cafes, filling in time between acts and wandering from gnaoua ritual performances to hypnotic trance music.
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There was singing and partying in the streets in northern Tanzania recently, when Amani Children’s Home celebrated its 10th birthday – 10 years of rescuing children, restoring hope and transforming lives is a milestone to celebrate and a reason to be proud!
On the big day, Amani children, staff and volunteers headed into Moshi town, wearing bright red t-shirts to spread the message of the day: “Street Children Deserve a Future.” Accompanied by music and announcements, the Amani kids performed drama skits and acrobatics, and took part in a parade from the local Mbuyuni Market to the Clock Tower in the centre of town.
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Everyone knows that to compete in a marathon you need to do a lot of training. But unfortunately for Intrepid’s Alex Kewley, he had no prior warning that he was about to undertake an unusual Slavonian style festival-cum-sporting event…
“I had timed my arrival in Osijek perfectly. I stepped off the train from Zagreb and was greeted by my good friend Ivan, with news that I was in time for Surduk. What’s Surduk? Imagine my pleasant surprise when he explained that it’s a kind of wine marathon. Baranja is a small region 40km north of Osijek, famous for its wine production (most notably its shiraz), and for the past 8 years has hosted an event called the ‘Vinski Maraton’ or Surduk.
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There are those precious moments on our travels when we stumble across an amazing local festival. For Angela Greco that powerful experience remains one of her fondest memories…
“The most unforgettable festival experience I have had was Maha Shivaratri Festival in Nepal. A Kathmandu friend took us southwest of Boudhanath to the great Pashupatinath Temple, where devotees flock from all over Nepal and India. They come to celebrate Shiva’s birthday, which falls in February or March on the new-moon of the month of Falgun. The festival is filled with surprises, beauty, spirituality, depth and peace, and one feels the deep devotion that the Hindu people have for their faith.
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Recently Darrell Wade, Intrepid co-founder, posed the question, “Is it the end of the world as we know it?” Following on from that discussion, Darrell shares some insight into why Intrepid Travel has been determined to make changes and how we did it…
“Last week some readers thought I was taking an excessively depressing view on climate change – I hope they are right, but the reality of the science is looking very grim indeed. Other readers wanted to know why a travel company would get involved in the issue in the first place.
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We asked Mirra Fine, Perennial Plate co-founder, what she enjoyed most about China during filming of their video for the Real World Food Tour. It seems she had trouble narrowing it down to one thing…
“I loved China. I loved everything about it. I embraced the toilets, the spitting on the streets, the vegetarian dumplings sitting next to the donkey meat sandwiches. I appreciated the waves of Chinese tourists in matching yellow hats, the bustling markets full of crazy food and innards I had never seen (and never particularly wanted to see), the crowded streets, the stinky tofu, the public dancing (there’s a lot of it).
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Women make a huge contribution to communities around the world, yet gender inequality remains one of our planet’s most pressing issues. Intrepid has joined the fight for gender equality and this is the first in a series of stories that feature inspirational Intrepid women. Introducing Sreykloeng Ouk, Chief Accountant in Intrepid’s Siem Reap office…
“I was born in 1983, after the notorious Pol Pot Regime. Between 1979-1989 there was civil war in Cambodia, with Government and Vietnamese troops trying to bring things under control and many areas still home to Khmer Rouge troops. There was poverty everywhere and many Cambodians lived in refugee camps along the border between Thailand and Cambodia. My family was one of them.
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