We have stayed a while at Budapest, before pushing on along the Danube and what better way to convey to you the majesty of this great twin city with the River Danube flowing through its heart, than this travel video with Hungarian music, brought to you by the new Budapest Pocket Guide.
Following my post about Diving Holidays in Egypt, I thought that you might enjoy this video of a Red Sea Diving Safari at the Marsa Shagra house reef, July 2005 produced by Wethorse Productions in the Netherlands.
Just a few weeks to the Hogmanay festivities. The Edinburgh celebrations are opened each year with a Torchlight Procession on 29th December, it starts around 6pm at Parliament Square by St Giles Cathedral and a viking warship is dragged along as the procession winds its way down the Mound to Calton Hill.
Of course, the parade is accompanied by pipes and drums and culminate in a burning of the boat, with a magnificent firework display. EdinburghGuide.com bring us this video clip of the event.
Thanks to Hoggywart for capturing this video of the RHS Spring Flower Show at Bute Park, Cardiff back in 2007. The show enjoyed glorious spring sunshine and there were lots of excellent floral displays to inspire gardeners; it is a good excuse for a spring break to Wales.
Second only to the famous Venice Carnival, the magic of the Viareggio Carnival in Tuscany, attracts more than a million spectators every year. Visitors come from around the world to marvel at the great parades, where giant floats featuring extraordinary sculptures in papier-maché, some of which weigh 40 tons, depict popular celebrities and public figures.
The parades take place in a 2 km circuit around the seaside avenues of Viareggio and includes masked folk musicians and performers. There are five parades, taking place throughout the month of February, during which time there is also a big entertainment programme. One of Italy's favourite sporting events takes place as part of the Viareggio Carnival entertainment programme, a youth football tournament known as the Torneo di Viareggio (Coppa Carnevale).
Here is a wonderful video from roleck0666 which captures the spirit and fun of Carnevale di Viareggio.
This year, the Activity Holidays Guide is delighted to be offering the opportunity to sail the warm waters of the Tuscan coastline on-board your own private luxury yacht. Go to our Sail In Italy page for more information or to make a booking inquiry.
Parades for Viareggio Carnival 2010 take place 31 January, 7,14,16 and 21 February 2010.
Here is (rbrimel) Ruth's Culture Musical Club video that I spoke about yesterday. Culture Musical Club, not the Culture Club, with Boy George, that many of you will expect but great performers that typify the spirit of WOMAD and I am sure that they would win his musical approval.
Next week, WOMAD returns to Parque de Santa Catalina in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, for another weekend of music, arts and dance from around the world and the really good news is that the festival is free. You have just enough time to arrange a short break, so you can enjoy some great performances plus the usual workshops and global market.
While browsing some video clips to give you a feel for WOMAD Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, I came across this great solo performance by drum maestro, Billy Cobham at the 2007 Womad festival. The performance was captured by Ruth (rbrimel) and tomorrow, I will try to upload another of her videos from the festival, featuring the exuberant Culture Musical Club.
Halloween will soon be upon us and as the southern hemisphere rejoice in the return of spring, Jack O'Lantern festivals are again lighting the dark northern nights. Mike (djkane12) made this video of the 2008 Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze Festival, Hudson Valley, USA.
The Hudson Valley event features more than 4,000 individually hand-carved, illuminated pumpkins. The breathtaking display meanders through a riverside landscape, confronting visitors with illuminated snakes, a giant spider web, an undersea aquarium, super-sized dinosaurs and even a colossal Stonehengeall made of pumpkins!
The festival runs October 2009, 3-4, 10-12, 16-18, 22-25, 28-Nov. 1. More information
Further to Monday's post about the Ottery Tar Barrels. Here's a video from Peter Hodge that does a fine job of showing just how crazy the Ottery St Mary villagers are.
Oktoberfest 2009 opens on Saturday, so I thought that anyone not able to attend the festival would appreciate this whistle-stop tour of possibly the most enjoyable city in the world.
I thought that everyone would be set up for the weekend with this video from Carynd65, of Afro Cuban music and dancing in the streets of Havana on a sunny, Sunday afternoon; Rumba at Callejon Hamel.
A nice video clip from tvboy61 featuring the Bavarian town of Oberammergau and showing the beautiful murals which are painted on most of the buildings in the center of town
Oberammergau has much to offer besides the Passion Play, including a testing bike park.
The Activity Holidays Guide lists a number of holiday providers who offer Hot Air Balloon flights and training, indeed, it is considered by many to be the ideal way to view South African wildlife, but with the new extreme sport of Cluster Ballooning, your on your own; more often than not, quite literally on your own.
Cluster Ballooning, involves becoming airborne with the aid of a large number of helium balloons. Typically, 165 large helium balloons will provide about 91 kg of lift. A concept which is taken to outrageous extremes in Pixar's new feature film UP.
This video clip posted by smartzmike, shows pioneering Cluster Balloonist, Kent Couch making a 193 miles flight in Oregon, USA, back in 2007. Last year, he covered covered about 235 miles in nine and a half hours.
On the edge of the fascinating Dordogne region of France, where the Dordogne river makes its escape from deep gorges and flows through an enchanting valley bordered by wooded hills, there lies the medieval town of Argentat. Nearby is Chateau de Cautine, set in 34 acres of fields and woods, complete with its own stream and a 15-metre salt-water pool. But this is not just any Chateau, it is a Chateau with a reputation for adventure.
Chateau de Cautine offer a whole range of Activity Holidays and currently they are running some great discount deals. The Chateau is a good base for walking, enjoying the area's natural world or of course fishing in one of the best fishing regions in France.
Those looking for an adrenaline buzz are spoilt for choice with activities like horse riding, cycling, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, abseiling, hang gliding; time for a deep breath, archery, tree climbing, orienteering, hiking, mountain-bike riding, bungy-trampolining and orienteering. Oh and did I mention the proximity to the nearby Massif Central mountains, for skiing and snowboarding?
The region is well known for aero-sports and an old aerodrome has been restored as a center entirely devoted to sporting activities in the air. Qualified flight instructors are on-hand for activities such as hang gliding, paragliding, microlite flying and towed flights.
Jim Hilgendorf who leads small customised group tours to this fabulous corner of France has also posted a short video which does a good job of conveying the beauty and fascination of the enchanting Dordogne valley.
The choice of today's end of week video is clearly influenced by my post about the "Come Dancing" Tango workshop. It has been made available by CosioJ and is a breathtaking piece of art; a timely reminder that the Tango is not just about dance, there are some great musicians involved in this video.
Fancy a Harley Davidson motorbike sightseeing joyride around Melbourne? Enjoy this sampler video sent to me by John (jdkarmch) from HD Chauffeur Rides.
The 2009 Festival of Speed, will be held at Goodwood House, situated just outside Chichester, (PO18 0PX) on 3, 4 and 5 July. The promotional video is worth a look; fast, hot and very classy.
Lewis Hamilton's charity, the Lewis Hamilton Foundation (LHF) is the official charity for this year's Festival. LHF is a not for profit organization, focused on improving the lives and opportunities of children and young people, who despite living in ill health or poverty around the world, have a dream.
With Mayday fast approaching, I thought that we might take a peep at the residents of Padstow, a fishing village on the north coast of Cornwall, England, now best known for its resident chef Rick Stein, as they celebrate May Day.
They prefer to call it Obby Oss (Hobby Horse) day and their festival involves an ancient ritual of parading the Obby Oss through the streets, calling at houses owned by eminent people in the town for suitable refreshment. In return, they ward of evil spirits and ensure good luck for the following year.
This atmospheric video was shot by Reg Vernon (regvernon). At about 3.15 and 8.10 minutes in, you get good shots of the inborn rhythm displayed by the Padstow folk, forget the Sambadrome Samba get behind the Padstow Plod.
The end of week videos about Verona, led me to this video posted by MultigramClassical of what they describe as the greatest mass in history, Verdi's Requiem Mass. It is sung at the Arena di Verona by Luciano Pavarotti and 3.000 members of the World Festival Choir accompanied by the Moscow Philarmonic Orchestra, conducted by Lorin Maazel, on the 45th Anniversary (August 1990) of the explosion of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
This week's video theme is Verona in Italy and we begin with a short clip from AltodiGamma of the celebrated Romeo & Juliet balcony, together with the wall posted with love letters.
Next, a more extensive view of the sights and sounds of Verona from hjdnad.
The Celtic theme gives me an excuse to re-post this video by glamrockdj of the incredible, phenomenal and awesome Albannach, playing at David R. Ross' Wedding in March 2007. Originally posted in The Sessions.
Let the video download fully and then click replay, make sure that all the neighbours have prior warning about the impending noise level, turn the speaker volume up and stand well back! In my opinion this is not a sound to be enjoyed through headphones.
St. Patrick's Festival in Dublin comes to a climax on Tuesday with the St Patrick's Day parade and organisers expect as many as 650,000 spectators. Over 2,000 performers participate in the parade, which starts from Parnell Square North at noon and then takes 90 minutes to wind its way around the city.
Dublin's St Patrick's Day parade is to be broadcast on RTÉ 1 and will also be available online through live video streaming.
Had to bring you "Inside Today" the spoof video from Rubber Republic offering a look inside the studios of Today, the BBC's flagship current affairs radio programme.
A wonderfull video for you to finish this week, Scuba Diving in the Galapagos Islands, shot in the Galapagos Islands during August 2006 and brought to us by Fred Hackstock.
Who needs snowed-under roads to be gritted and covered in salt? A group of ice bikers at Thunder Bay, Lake Superior, Canada, show how it's done in this video from Tacoma White (tacomawhite).
To accompany the video, Tacoma provides an informative description about the sport, which I reproduce below, "Short video on a cold day of Motorcycle Ice Racing on Lake Superior. A steady group of 15 riders that frequent the track on Lake Superior in front of the Lakeview Lodge on Lakeshore Drive, continuing a practice in Thunder Bay that dates back 30 years. They race on the ice from the end of January to the beginning of April with modified dirt bikes and specialized safety equipment. To safely run speeds of up to 85 mph requires the obvious safety gear for personal protection including a tether kill switch to prevent the bikes studded tires from grinding up a rider with engine running. Extended fenders help prevent similar injuries. Regular motocross boots are important not only for cornering but for protection should the rider put his foot into the spokes. Safety equipment works apparently as there have been no fatalities for decades. Other than the obvious $600 set of studded tires, the dirt bikes carburetors are jetted richer, engine blocks are covered with foil, and radiators are partly covered to cope with the cold winter air. 2 stroke engines are more sensitive to temperature changes than four strokes but worth the effort for the power to weight ratio they provide, not to mention the distinctive angry sound. A softer and sometimes lower suspension will better cope with the higher speeds and smaller bumps on the ice compared with a dirt track."
Here is the Disaster Emergency Committee's video for their Gaza appeal, that the BBC and Sky refused to show. We are delighted to show it here without excuses.
Coming up to the end of another week, I thought that you might like this video insight into Hamburg brought to us by Christian (Hamburg4U). Hamburg was the birthplace of Mendelssohn and is both Germany's second largest city as well as being Europe's second largest port.
Hamburg has a special atmosphere and vibrant night-life. After partying all night, those with stamina head for the restaurants at the harbour to enjoy a superb fish and schnaps breakfast!
I thought that for today's "end of week" video, we would return to the 2009 European Cities of Culture and in particular to Vilnius, courtesy of a wonderful video from Vilnius resident, Regimantas (RegisCartoons).
Vilnius is a cosmopolitan city, described as the beautiful centre of Eastern and Middle Europe and any city that has erected a statue to Frank Zappa has got to be worth a visit. Read about the great story behind the statue, in an article by Adam B. Ellick, posted in Rolling Stone, March 29, 2002.
Every Easter, Byron Bay, Australia, explodes with a music festival that has become the southern hemisphere's Glastonbury. The Byron Bay Bluesfest showcases the talent of over 120 local and international artists on five stages over five days. Get a taste of the atmosphere in this video from BluesfestAU.
If you thought that the Penny Farthing Cycling Championships was a joke, this is a must see video from broadcaster diagonaluk of Diagonal View and besides, it will add a bit of sunshine to everyone's weekend.
Here is a video from Australian, Tony Nahrung, that will give you a feeling of warmth during the cold, damp days of the British autumn. It features the people of the Devon town of Ottery St Mary and their remarkable tar barrel rolling festival. That this festival occurs on 5 November each year should give a clue to what happens at possibly the most crazy event in the UK, eloquently described by Tony as "an insane night of fun, drinking beer, dodging burning tar barrels, chilling by a huge bonfire and enjoying rides at the fun fair." That's right, burning tar barrels.
The chosen few, known locally as Barrel Rollers and affectionately referred to as Devonian Nutters, hoist burning, wooden, tar barrels onto their shoulders and run through the streets. Teams of Barrel Rollers, men, women and children, represent the different pubs in the village, carrying on a 17th century tradition to rid the town of evil spirits.
Further to my post about the Festival in the Desert, I just had to show you this video from Wilfried Albin (willizvideoz) about Desert Blues, a music project with Habib Koité, Afel Bocoum and the Tuareg-Women-Ensemble Tartit from Timbuktu.
There cannot be a better way to set the mood for the weekend.
We have spent a lot of time in recent posts covering areas in or close to England's Cotswolds, so I thought that in today's end of week video, I would feature the unique and beautiful Cotswold countryside, nicely collated by TravelVideoStore in a moving picture postcard view of "Cotswolds Towns and Villages".
Last week we were riding the waves, this week we ride the thermals with a video from Robbie (Depecherob) showing why Oludeniz is regarded as paragliding paradise. Oludeniz (Fethiye-Antalya) is on the Southwest coast of Turkey and I believe that the launch site, Babadag Mountain is the highest mountain in Turkey.
There's also plenty of activities on the ground and tourists frequently say it is the best holiday that they have ever had.
This week we are pleased to bring you a couple of videos posted by Luke Gartside (Lukedreams), so settle down to 10 minutes of action. The first shows surfers in the area just to the east of Bournemouth, that is soon to be transformed by the first artificial reef in the northern hemisphere.
And this second, rather more colourful, video shows highlights from the Animal Windfest at Sandbanks, Poole, which is just to the west of Bournemouth. It illustrates the sort of board, beach and surf activities that cause adrenaline junkies to flock to England's south coast. In case your not familiar with this region, it is bounded by the New Forest, Lymington and Solent Water to the East, and Weymouth, site of the 2012 Olympic sailing events, to the west.
A montage provided by spnewman, of some of Lewis Pugh's swimmming exploits prior to his swimming of the River Thames from source to sea (203 miles) in 2006 for the Investec Thames Challenge.
Here is a is a sample track from the walkdigital.com Tour of Oxford, it features Christchurch College, which has formed the subject of a number of posts in this blog and is notable for literary associations with Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter.
And here is a video excerpt about the Bodleian Library and the benefactors who have supported it over the years, produced by The Virtual Experience Company.
The opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics was spectacular beyond all expectations but it did no more than present the spirit of the extraordinary country that is China. Beyond the transient, intense atmoshere of the games, this video, posted a couple of years ago by BeijingBoy1985, reflects the same people, culture and customs, that date back more than six millennia.
The UK National Amateur Gardening Show is scheduled for the 5-7 September, 2008, at the Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Somerset. They are usually blessed with glorious weather and offer spectacular garden displays, an abundance of flowers, fruit and vegetables, plus the biggest dahlia show in the world, organized by the UK National Dahlia Society.
The show is also home to the UK National Giant Vegetable Championships. Vegetables on display are not just big, they are monsters and, contrary to popular myth, having ejoyed optimum growing conditions they make good eating too. BigPumpkins.com provides an interactive web site for the giant pumpkin and squash growing community around the world. They help new comers to get started offer tips and even have a seed exchange.
Alastair Jamieson has just written an inspiring article about the Giant Vegetable Championships and the community of growers surrounding it.
One final note, the National Amateur Gardening Show also reckons to put on the best Bougainvillea (Paper Flower) display anywhere in Europe. Take a peek at a previous show on this video link.
Terrific video shots of the total solar eclipse, captured on August 1, 2008, from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwestern China by a team from Exploratorium, The museum of science, art and human perception at the Palace of Fine Arts, , San Francisco, USA.
Winston Yang (auswy) has put together an interesting and well shot tour of some of his favourite areas around Sydney. The video really captures the atmosphere of the place with some great photography and it certainly leaves you wanting to visit New South Wales to see it for yourself.
Last week I promised a whitewater rafting video, so hold on to your seat and enjoy the buzz with this video from Ryan (BMCPro) of the Glacier Raft crew guiding rafts down Canada's Kicking Horse river.
The Mount 7 flying site in Golden, BC, Canada, has hosted hang gliding and paragliding pilots from all over the world. Mount 7 and the Columbia Valley have become justly famous amongst the flying community for incredible thermal conditions and excellent cross-country opportunities.
rwgreen12 posted this great video of hangliding and paragliding at Mount 7 and I reckoned that it makes a nice end of week video.
But there is much more to enjoy in the Rocky Mountains and Golden BC, which straddles the junction of the Columbia and Kicking Horse Rivers, is now a central hub for numerous mountain activities. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort features incredible verticals for skiers in the winter and mind-blowing downhill trails for mountain bikers in the summer. A gondola operates all year so there is easy access to the summit.
Dan(M7action) has posted this video of himself and a few pals having a little fun and demonstrating an alternative way of getting down the mountain.
Kicking Horse River flows through downtown Golden and is described as an unforgetable white water ride but that can be the subject of another end of week video. Don't want you guys overdosing on adrenalin.
Take a look at our article on Paragliding holidays for the joys of getting a bird's eye view. Even someone that has never flown before can enjoy a tandem flight with an experienced pilot.
Enjoy this trip along a small section of the Austrian/German Danube brought to us by tnsilnl. Beautiful images accompanied by the Blue Danube from Strauss.
A breathtaking video from Santiago, showcasing the diverse landscapes, wildlife and culture of Colombia. A country described as a spectacular paradise.
Brest has been on the French cyclist's map for many years before this year's Tour de France. Paris-Brest-Paris or the PBP as it is known, is reckoned to be the oldest bicycling event that is still in existence.
It was originally a 1200km bicycle race from Paris to Brest and back again but since 1931 it has become two independent long distance bicycle tours. One is called randonnée (also called Brevet) and is held every four years, while the other event is known as an audax and is held every five years. Union des Audax françaises organises the audax and the Brevet is organised by the Audax Club Parisien.
There is a ninety hour time limit for the event, and the clock runs continuously. The riders are expected to be pretty self-sufficient, buying supplies on route and many riders sleep as little as possible during the event, sometimes catching only a few minutes of sleep by the side of the road before continuing.
Wabeck has produced this compilation of video and stills, that give a good impression of the atmosphere surrounding the 2007 Paris-Brest-Paris randonnée.
Emir (emirashed) has posted an informative video giving more background about the Kirkpinar Festival, together with some great pictures, that really convey the atmosphere of the festival.
Here is an interesting video for the end of the week, brought to us from Off The Map Tours. They also do motorcycle, train, horseriding, camel and walking tours, together with many cultural tours. The soundtrack is hypnotic.
Rebecca Campbell has taken off from London's Heathrow for Singapore, at the start of the Skype Nomad challenge to travel non-stop around the World.
And by non-stop, they mean non-stop, continually moving for over 33 days; eating and sleeping while on the move. The additional twist is to use as many different forms of transport as possible, from jumbo jets to dog sleds, canoes to camels and in James Bond style, to include sky diving and revolving restaurants.
Take a look at the proposed route in this short video.
The project will demonstrate how easy it is to keep in touch using the Skype range of products, even when on the move, and is also taking the opportunity to raise awareness for the charity called Motivation, who help disabled people in poor countries to get mobile.
Further to Monday's post about European Cultural Routes, here is a nice slide show of the botanical garden of Villa Hanbury in Ventimiglia, Liguria, Italy, posted by fraste2. The garden was created by Sir Thomas Hanbury, who later donated land that was to become Wisley Gardens, the showpiece of the UK's Royal Horticultural Society.
Liguria is a great, unspoilt, region of Italy, check out Walking Liguria featured in our guide.
Here's a short video, showing some of the more spectacular kites at last years kite festival in Berck sur Mer. Thanks to Erich Schlaikjer, who captured this footage while camping around France with his family during the 2007 Easter weekend.
Found this video on YouTube. It documents a scuba diving expedition off the south west coast of England by Guildford Sub-Aqua Club, aboard Furious out of Plymouth, Devon. Thanks to Uncie for posting this one.
A short tour of Budapest provided by Gabrilu (gabrilu06)to a Brahms soundtrack. It includes shots of the Great Synagogue, Elizabeth bridge, Heroes Square and the Museum of Applied Arts.
The Cornish are a fiecely patriotic people and they certainly do not consider themselves to be English. With Celtic blood running through their veins, they keep alive many pagan traditions.
Every year on the 8 May, the small town of Helston, Cornwall, UK, celebrates one such traddition, welcoming the return of spring. For hundeds of years, revellers dance from dawn to dusk, in what is known as the Furry Dance, Probably better known to people outside Cornwall as the Cornish Floral Dance.
Zooidpix, who posted this video, informs us that "Throughout the Flora Day, the population perform the Furry (or Faddy) Dance in long procession through the banks, shops, houses and streets, all decorated with greenery and flowers, following the town silver and brass band as they endlessly repeat their unique, mesmerising tune from 7am to about 7pm when the final dance ends."
To get you in the mood for next week's sessions, here is a great jam of that tradional standard, Irish Rover, performed 21 years ago by The Dubliners and The Pogues. I am sure that on the 17th, you will hear this tall tale sung several times from every Irish bar in the world; in case you don't know the words, they are reproduced below but after a glass or two of the black stuff, no one will be too concerned about what order they are sung in!
On the Fourth of July, 1806 We set sail from the sweet Cobh of Cork We were sailing away with a cargo of bricks For the Grand City Hall in New York 'Twas a wonderful craft She was rigged fore and aft And oh, how the wild wind drove her She stood several blasts She had twenty seven masts And they called her The Irish Rover
We had one million bags of the best Sligo rags We had two million barrels of bones We had three million sides of old blind horses' hides We had four million barrels of stones We had five million hogs And six million dogs Seven million barrels of porter We had eight million bales of old nanny goats' tails In the hold of the Irish Rover
There was awl Mickey Coote Who played hard on his flute And the ladies lined up for a set He would tootle with skill For each sparkling quadrille Though the dancers were fluther'd and bet With his smart witty talk He was cock of the walk As he rolled the dames under and over They all knew at a glance When he took up his stance That he sailed in The Irish Rover
There was Barney McGee From the banks of the Lee There was Hogan from County Tyrone There was Johnny McGurk Who was scared stiff of work And a man from Westmeath called Malone There was Slugger O'Toole Who was drunk as a rule And Fighting Bill Tracy from Dover And your man, Mick McCann From the banks of the Bann Was the skipper of the Irish Rover
For a sailor its' always a bother in life It's so lonesome by night and by day That he longs for the shore and a charming young whore Who will melt all his troubles away Oh, the noise and the rout Swillin' poiteen and stout For him soon the torment's over Of the love of a maid he is never afraid An old salt from the Irish Rover
We had sailed seven years When the measles broke out And the ship lost its way in the fog And that whale of a crew Was reduced down to two Just myself and the Captain's old dog Then the ship struck a rock Oh Lord! what a shock The bulkhead was turned right over Turned nine times around And the poor old dog was drowned (1,2,3!) I'm the last of The Irish Rover.
I have made several posts recently about whales, turtles and Hawaii, so my attention was caught by a report in TimesOnline. It tells of two kayakers who got more than they bargained for on a trip to spot sea turtles off the Hawaiian island of Maui, apparantly they inadvertently disturbed an anxious female humpback whale, who breached out of the water to warn them off and protect her young.
The report has some good information about the humpback whale breeding grounds between the Hawaiian islands and some nice pictures of the close encounter between the kayakers and the whale. It reminded me of a short video that I posted a couple of years ago, Interesting Kayaking Experience.
At a National Geographic Live Speakers Series event, to be held on Thursday at the State Theatre in Minneapolis, USA, Greg Marshall is to talk about the small video cameras that he has spent the past 20 years attaching to animals. The animals range from whales, dolphins and penguins, to wild lions and domestic house cats. The video cameras have been nicknamed Crittercams and they have provided tremendous insight into the hidden life of numerous animals, providing scientists with unique footage of what the animals see as they go about their lives.
Read More about Crittercams and Greg Marshall, including some nice pictures, in an article by Richard Chin, Pioneer Press.
This delightful video of green sea turtles, with which we can wind down at the end of the week, has been provided by Jason (wreathian) who shot it while scuba diving off the eastern coast of Oahu, Hawaii. The area is known to the locals as Hawaii Kai and Jason says that although it is not a particularly great area for diving, it boasts several 'cleaning stations' where green sea turtles come to have their shells tidied up by shrimp and other small fish.
No soundtrack but wonderfully relaxing to watch these beautiful creatures in their own environment.
Take a look at this interesting video clip, posted by bennihana79, showing the centuries old sport of camel racing in Abu Dhabi.
Since 2005, the sport has a modern twist and uses small radio-controlled robot jockeys. The robots have replaced the small children who traditionally rode the camels as they raced at up to 30km/h; that's a long way down at that speed and has to rate as an extreme sport! I like the 4x4s racing around the track to keep up with the camels. And what's the deal with the two guys who decided to give their camel a head start?
I came across this video taken last year by Judith Porter, on a short trip to Timbuktu. It was posted by Jerry (imgip) on YouTube and he has several other videos shot in the region.
It's going to be a busy weekend with all the Mardi Gras festivals getting underway, so here is an early posting of the end of week video; to add to the fun, I might even post a festival video later.
The video is a nice taster of life aboard the tall ships, posted by Tory Salvia, who is President/Founder of TheSailingChannel.tv and features crew-members of the Tall Ship Prince William, which is operated by the Tall Ships Youth Trust.
The UK's Big Garden Birdwatch Saturday 26 or Sunday 27 January 2008 and is the world's biggest bird survey, so when looking for a suitable end of week video theme, there really wasn't any competition for this weekend.
Thanks to Frank of the TheZanyFilmCompany for providing this week's wonderful video photo-gallery showing 25 of the birds that Brits might expect to see in their gardens (yards) and parks. Last year a staggering 400,000 people took part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch by counting 6 million birds in 236,000 gardens. This year it is thought that there might be over half a million participants. Frank's video is accompanied by the relaxing concerto for pinaforte & orchestra KV466 Allegro by W.A.Mozart; conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler, Yvonne Lefebure piano.
Taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch is simple. All that participants need to do is to watch their garden or local park for just one hour, at any time on either Saturday 26 or Sunday 27 January 2008, recording the highest number of each species seen (not counting those flying over) at any one time. Only the maximum number of each species seen at any one time, is recorded, because then the same bird cannot be counted more than once.
The RSPB counting sheet can be used to help keep track of how many birds have been seen. The sheet has pictures of the most common birds seen in British gardens and spaces to tick off how many of each species are seen together. Don't send the counting sheet back to the RSPB, it is just to help participants record their counts, from 26 January 2008 enter the counts online, using a simple results form.
To download the recording sheet, you need Adobe Reader version 4 or higher. This software is safe, easy to instal and available free from the Adobe website so, if you don't have it on your computer already, just download a copy now.
In this video clip posted by therion616, an advanced Qigong master in China projects his chi energy through people.
If you think that was awesome but wonder how genuine it is, take a look at this second video of the same master, which appears to have been taken some years earlier.
Further to Tuesday's post about Sunway Lagoon, this video clip from a coup;e of years ago, gives the flavour of the Quiksilver Surf Beach Party at Sunway Lagoon Resort.
Speed skating with a few bumps, twists and hairpin turns at the bottom of steep inclines. A measured cocktail to make sure participants are shaken and not a little stirred by the time they reach the end of the track. Enjoy this video clip, posted by rouizz, of last year's Red Bull Crashed Ice event in Quebec City.
Thanks to Rick & Dolly for making this atmospheric video available of the New Year celebrations at Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Jump seven waves and make seven wishes. Happy New Year to you all.
I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy New Year, so I thought that a seasonal end of week video would be a good idea. There are many Christmas songs, some have a message, some make you think, this song from Slade just makes you want to party.
Merry Xmas everyone and thanks to Maribel for taking the trouble to post the video. Have fun.
Today's end of week videos feature one of the most arduous, fun-packed adventure races on the planet. The Drambuie Pursuit is inspired by the legendary chase of an escaping Scottish prince across Scotland but brought into the 21st century with powerboats, Zapcats, Rage buggies, mountain bikes, archery, rock climbing and abseiling.
That first cool video was from racer dadhemar and this second video is a promo from drambuiepursuit.
Think you could cope with the challenge of this not-for-the-squeamish cross country dash? If you're interested in entering, you're over 18 years of age and have what it takes to impress, they invite you to visit the official pursuit site for registration forms and full details.
I came across this incredible video of whales, dolphins and other marine creatures, such as sea horses. The footage was taken by Dieter Paulmann who was inspired by a chance encounter with a huge white whale, which seemed to be Moby Dick; the encounter left him impressed and deeply touched.
You can see the result when you view the video on whalefootage.org. I am sure that it will also leave you feeling impressed and deeply touched, and with a strong desire to protect the environment, the sea and the whales.
With Malaysia celebrating 50 years of nationhood in 2007, their ministry of tourism came up with a great promotional video to promote Malaysia to the world. Not convinced that the backing track will get many plays but Malaysia has a wonderful Asian culture and history, well worthy of a visit.
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is again sailing to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary to save Humpback, Fin and Minke whales from Japanese whalers.
It appears that some of the recent media coverage has been misleading. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society reports that it does not use violence and never has used violence and is not threatening violence. Apparently, in a ramming incident last year, it was a Japanese whaling ship that rammed the Sea Shepherd ship.
The Japanese will only be stopped by economic and social pressure. Copy this post and send it to a few friends, telling them what you think of the Japanese whalers. Let's use the power of bloggers to let the Japanese know what the world thinks about a country that allows its countrymen to engage in whaling.
Worldiki is reckoned to be the first travelog in the world to chronicle the round-the-world adventures of two geeks who intend to keep up their careers while going anywhere they want. Showing how it is to be working on their businesses from anywhere in the world.
Pedro Pla and Grace Cheng aim to screen a short video clip as frequently as possible, featuring the different places, experiences, and people that they meet along the way. Making life a holiday and documenting it.
I was thinking about the upcoming Christkindlmarkt season in Europe, when I happened upon a short video from Alfredo (Aiellici) of the annual Christkindlmarkt in Bolzano, Italy; just a few weeks away now.
The Bolzano Christkindlmarkt takes place every year from the last Friday of November to 23rd December in Bolzano's Walther Square. There is a smaller Christmas market called 'Winterwald' (Winter wood), which takes place near Walther square in Palais Campofranco's yard and the 'Handwerksmarkt' in the Municipal square and the Christmas market of solidarity in some streets of the historical centre, creating a very Alpine atmosphere.
This video has been posted by Jampa, a Dutch Buddhist in the Tibetan tradition, who suggests that inner peace is the most solid foundation for world peace. His blog contains a thought provoking and interesting article by Claudia Sobrevila on Environmental Healing and World Peace.
Here's a video to give you a taste of what to expect on Saturday, when the world record attempt for simultaneous dancing occurs.
It shows 1,500 plus CPDRC inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines at practice! Byronfgarcia, who posted the video, comments that this is not the final routine, and definitely not a punishment! just a teaser.
Following on from Tuesday's post, today's end of week video just has to be this clip from Jobunltd about Nuna 3, the 2005 winner of the World Solar Challenge from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. This team also won the 2001 and 2003 events, so there was quite a bit of enthusiastic celebration at the finish and I guess that you should be warned that this includes a group mooning; I thought that mooning was quite an amusing thing to do at a solar event, kind of eclipsed everything else.
Today we take a look at the charms of Nova Scotia, or more specifically Yarmouth, courtesy of the Yarmouth Marketing Group with a video created by Sue Hutchins of Chebogue Point Productions.
