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agentnico · 2 years ago

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65 (2023) Review

Adam Driver is such a strange looking dude. In fact, he’s a strange sounding dude also. The shape of him is strange. The structure of his face is strange. Adam Driver... so strange.

Plot: After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills quickly discovers he's actually stranded on Earth - 65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at a rescue, Mills and the only other survivor, Koa, must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures.

Right ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to ask you all so kindly to rise up from your seats and give a humongous round of applause to 65 - the first 2023 film to exhibit qualities of a top contender of the worst movie of this year. Look, I’m disappointed as you are. Adam Driver fighting dino-dinos’?! You’d be a madman to not want to see that! However here’s 65′s first mistake: there actually aren’t that many dinosaurs, let alone fights with them. I know right, I can sense the resounding aura of you, my kind audience, in unison thinking “what the f***?”. Exactly, what the fudge indeed. No, instead what we get is a couple of somewhat thrilling dinosaurs interactions, but overall the movie is just Adam Driver and this little girl walking. Just walking. Walking and whistling. The movie isn’t even a long one - an old-school hour and a half. However boy does it drag like a son of a bee! I don’t usually do this as I respect that whole magic of the big screen idea and of course the classic respect your fellow cinemagoers, but yes I do admit I ended up looking at my phone countless times throughout this film, constantly counting down the minutes left as well as looking up the Resident Evil 4 remake demo reactions. C’mon, don’t lie to yourselves, that game is looking awesome and I cannot wait to play as Leon again and enjoy a walk down memory lane through the castle dealing with that creepy little Napoleon dude whilst also experiencing all the gorgeous new graphics and overly gory intense kills. But back to my point, I was so easily distracted from 65 as I was so unengaged with 65. It’s a straightforward slog of a movie that is really dull and boring.

Speaking of the straightforward plot, this movie had the opportunity to be more unique and special. The entire idea of a humanoid alien crash landing on a mysterious planet only to discover that it is Earth from 65 million years ago could have been such a cool nifty little twist...if the movie knew how to keep it a secret. Instead both the trailer and the synopsis and even the first 10 minutes of the movie reveal that the mysterious planet is Earth, and with that any kind of thrilling sense of wonderment and awe is thrown down Jules Verne’s drain. What would have worked better is if they revealed that the planet was Earth at the end of the movie, making you rethink everything you just saw and realising it all was the prehistoric landscape of our planet. But instead the reveal if I can even call it that is shown at the beginning, leaving the rest of the movie to be stuck in this boring characters need to go from point A to point B storyline. In regards to the characters, Adam Driver is the humanoid alien. Yet we are given zero to no exposition about his people and what kind of aliens they are. Nope, they are just ordinary looking people that wear clothes stolen from the set of Dune and use guns that can be seen in like I don’t know, every futuristic science fiction film ever. There’s nothing special about him, again making the whole “alien visiting prehistoric Earth” idea pointless. As for the little girl accompanying him - she’s fine. Does the job I guess. She can whistle okay. Also, what’s with the whole whistling in this movie? It’s like that is the only way Adam Driver’s character knows how to bond with kids.

65 is a soulless, pointless, bland mess of a film that tries to be a mix of Alien, Interstellar, Jurassic Park and 65 million other things whilst not doing any of it justice. Speaking of Interstellar, the movie constantly shows sequences of Driver’s character watching clips of his daughter and missing her deeply, and I felt absolute jack-poop. Yet in Interstellar that one short scene of McConaughey receiving the video message of his daughter all grown up and berating him for not coming back even though he promised her he’d be back by the time she’s reached his age is heart wrenching. Damn, now I kind of wanna go rewatch Interstellar. As for 65 - it’s just boring. Even if you’re a big Adam Driver fan, just wait for it to go on streaming and watch it on Netflix. It’s not worth your money or your time. Anyway, on that note I have to exit and go take care of my Interstellar and Resident Evil 4 needs...

Overall score: 3/10

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vickysaurus · 1 year ago

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Bringing this back with some recommendations of other media!

Dinosaur Sanctuary (2022-)

An absolutely wonderful ongoing manga about a dinosaur zoo! The dinosaurs are beautiful and very cute and are treated as animals, not monsters. The zookeepers deal with issues like enrichment, outreach, medical care, and animal safety. They try to help a rejected and adorable Troodon chick connect with its family. The T. rex is old and sleepy and in her chapter the big tension is about whether she'll be coming out of her nest on her birthday or disappoint a young T. rex obsessed guest. There is a single escape in its backstory, which is treated upsettingly realistic, causing a single zookeeper death, one injured, the death of the Allosaurus involved, and a lot of trauma. Overall wonderful for the way it treats both the dinosaurs and zookeeping.

Minecraft: Prehistoric Nature mod (2020-)

Link

If you are now inspired to build your own paleozoo, or go and look at all the extinct creatures just doing their thing in beautiful past landscapes, this Minecraft mod does just that. It adds the ability to build portals to geological periods, and each of them has an incredible amount of biomes and creatures in it. What you do with them is, as usual in Minecraft, up to you. I've had a lot of fun building a house on the edge of a gorgeous Carboniferous canyon with local materials and getting a small edaphosaur going 'baaaah!' wandering in. There's a Palaeopedia item that essentially works as a pokédex, giving you information about creatures when you observe them, and I've been trying to complete it lately. Which is a tall order, considering the many hundreds of animals there are, spread across loads and loads of biomes in, currently, eight periods. The plan is to eventually add all the periods of the Phanerozoic plus the Precambrian plus the Pleistocene as worlds you can visit. Right now, the periods up to the Triassic are accessible, with the Jurassic being worked on and expected to be added soon. That still gives you the entire Paleozoic and more to explore. The Triassic dinosaurs that are in so far are very cool, colourful and detailed even in the voxely style, and make really interesting and odd noises.

Raptor Red (1995)

A great novel about the life of a Utahraptor, the eponymous Raptor Red. She searches for a mate, helps her sister raise her kids, encounters strange creatures and phenomena, and deals with many a hardship. It strikes a good balance in making its characters distinct and memorable while also portraying them as animals and not making them too smart or anthropomorphic. It's a bit outdated, but easy enough to imagine red feathers when red scales are mentioned. Searching for an image of the cover annoyed me because like half of them call it an adventure in the Jurassic age, which it very much is not.

Dinosaurs of Antarctica (2020)

Another documentary to add to the list! I saw this one in imax format last year and had a great time with it. Despite the name, it actually has a much broader scope than just dinosaurs, dealing with Permian, Triassic, and early Jurassic Antarctica. It spends about half of its runtime on showing off the past of the continent in these periods, and the other half cutting to a modern scientific expedition searching for fossils on Antarctica. The juxtaposition of the ancient forests with the vast icy desert landscape is very striking. It actually deals with the Great Dying! Do NOT under any circumstances watch the Dutch dub, it is absolute ass and sounds like it came through google translate.

Sea Monsters (2003)

I found this one because of replies to this very post. Nigel Marven and his time machine are back, and in this one he visits seven different eras to go bother their marine wildlife. Nigel believes every zoo is a petting zoo. You get to see some stuff rarely explored on screen, my favourite segment being the Ordovician, which really goes to lengths to show off what an alien world the Earth was that far back.

If you’ve finished watching Prehistoric Planet, caught the dino bug, and want to watch more, well, I’ve got recommendations for some fantastic older Mesozoic documentaries and shows! I’m only gonna list my faves, but if you have good ones to add, feel free to do so!

Walking With Dinosaurs (1999)

The classic, the one I grew up with. A six episode miniseries that spans the entire Mesozoic, from the Triassic to the Cretaceous. Each episode focuses on a specific location and usually has one specific animal that’s more or less the main character, while also showing off others as they are encountered. The science and effects are 23 years old by now, so don’t expect much fluff or great CGI, but they used what they had very well. It helps a lot that the close-up shots are done using incredibly charming animatronics rather than CGI. The gorgeous music and Kenneth Branagh’s narration add a ton more personality to everything. You will cry about an Ornithocheirus at the end of his journey. There were three special bonus episodes released over the next few years that have Nigel Marven (more on him later) time travelling to see the dinosaurs in person. There are also two sequel series: Walking With Beasts and Walking With Monsters. WWM explores the Paleozoic but went through it too fast and suffers from some ‘Awesomebro-yness’ in my opinion but there’s not much else to turn to if you wanna see the Paleozoic unfortunately. WWB explores the Cenozoic and is every bit as good as WWD. When I had my recovery day after my third covid vaccine I put on all three in chronological order and just marathoned them and the various little aches didn’t bother me all day as I watched the history of the Earth from the Cambrian to the Quaternary.

Prehistoric Park (2006)

Time-travelling Nigel Marven returns from the Walking With Dinosaurs specials to bring back extinct animals to the present. As you might guess, it’s a bit more on the fictional side, but all the animals are really well done and scientific, as are the ecosystems they travel back to. The modern day parts are much more about actually properly running a zoo, including things like enrichment, proper animal care, and cranky zookeepers with a heart of gold becoming Ornithomimus parents than Jurassic Park type scenarios. Nigel doesn’t just get dinosaurs; he goes to the Cenozoic several times and even takes a trip to the Carboniferous for its giant arthropods. Recent enough that feathers are starting to appear on some dinosaurs, particularly the adorable Microraptors. Nigel is an absolute menace and I don’t know who gave him access to a time portal but i’m glad they did. The recent game Prehistoric Kingdom was strongly inspired by this one, to the point of having Nigel voice the tutorials and trailers. Features a friendly herd of Titanosaurs with a disregard for fences causing more havoc than any carnivores ever could.

When Dinosaurs Roamed America (2001)

America’s answer to Walking With Dinosaurs. A single two-hour long documentary spanning the whole of Mesozoic America and really focussing on how the dinosaurs developed between its segments. The only time I ever remember seeing the Early Jurassic depicted, and the only one on this list to treat the end-Permian and end-Triassic extinctions and how important they were for dinosaur evolution. Though it does blame asteroids for them. Very good stuff, aside from a scene where Velociraptors continue eating their prey even as a forest fire sets them on fire. It’s very America-centric, but that’s no weakness. John Goodman makes for a surprisingly good narrator and throws in a sneaky Flintstones joke or two.

Dinosaur Revolution (2011)

This is a bit of an odd one, and it might or might not be your jam, but it certainly is mine. It is essentially a mashup between a dinosaur documentary and dinosaur Looney Tunes. Very silly slapstick segments focussing on specific dinosaurs with somewhat anthropomorphic behaviours get intercut with scientists explaining the latest of 2011 paleontology. The animation is a bit naff but the designs are really good and there’s a lot of feathers. It highlights behavioural traits like intelligence and parental care a lot. Two of its episodes cover pretty much the whole Mesozoic in no particular order, two episodes do Walking With Dinosaurs style covering of a single animal’s story in a single ecosystem. Shunosaurus eats mushrooms and has a bad trip. Lots of mammals go flying after getting thrown about. In a true Blackadder Goes Forth type pivot, the final episode of this very silly slapsticky show has the most haunting and tragic depiction of the K-Pg extinction I’ve ever seen.

#prehistoric planet #walking with dinosaurs #prehistoric park #when dinosaurs roamed america #dinosaur revolution #dinosaur sanctuary #minecraft prehistoric nature mod #raptor red #dinosaurs of antarctica #sea monsters #dinosaur #palaeoblr #vicky's vritings

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phantombandit-films · 4 years ago

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Why ‘War of the Worlds’ (2005) is a underrated masterpiece.

‘War of the Worlds’ was released in 2005, it is directed by the film god that is Steven Spielberg (Jaws, E.T.) and written by Josh Friedman (Terminator: Dark Fate, Avatar 2) and David Koepp (Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible)

Cast: - Tom Cruise as Ray Farrier. - Justin Chatwin as Robbie Farrier. - Dakota Fanning as Rachel Farrier. - Miranda Otto as Mary Ann. -Tim Robbins as Harlan Ogilvy. - Ann Robinson as Grandmother. - Gene Barry as Grandfather.

First lets start with some history of ‘The War of the Worlds’ - The 2005 film is based off the novel of the same name which was written by H.G. Wells between 1895 and 1897, it then was then made into a series by Pearson’s Magazine in 1897 in the UK, Cosmopolitan in the US. Then becoming a hardback novel in 1898, it is one of the earliest written pieces to tell a story of conflict between Martians and man and so its one of the most commented on pieces of science fiction.

It has been adapted and developed several times over many decades in many medias, the ones that come to mind are the famous 1938 dramatic radio reading that was directed and starred Orson Welles that actually caused public panic to those who listened in and didn’t know that the Martian invasion was fiction, its said that up to a million people ran out of their homes in terror. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(1938_radio_drama) )

The 1953 ‘The War of the Worlds’ film adaptation, which was produced by George Pal and directed by Byron Haskin. It also starred Gene Barry (who played Dr. Clayton Forrester) and Ann Robinson (who played Sylvia Van Buren) who can also been seen at the end of the 2005 film, they play the grandparents of Robbie and Rachel which I think is a sweet little cameo to see for those who loved the 1953 film. Ann Robinson also revived her role as Sylvia Van Buren in two other films and three episodes of ‘The War of the Worlds’ tv series in 1988.

In 1978 the most well known musical album by Jeff Wayne was produced and based off the story of ‘War of the Worlds’ this album included the voices of Richard Burton and David Essex.

This was then turned into a concert musical which tours annually through out the UK and Europe, the concert includes live performers such as Carrie Hope Fletcher but also a 3D hologram of Liam Neeson. It also includes a mix of computer animation, pyrotechnics and a big mechanical tripod that comes out on stage and lights up and can fire its heat-ray.

(Source: Birmingham Mail.)

There have also been several Tv series, the two newest being the 2019 BBC version staring Poldark’s Eleanor Tomlinson and Full Monty’s Robert Carlyle, that has a Edwardian setting and follows closely to the novel.

The other being the FOX 2019 adaptation that is set in present day Europe but I found this version didn’t really go off the novel, and was frustrated with the lack of the famous Tripods. (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds)

As a kid I would watch the 1953 film with my mum all the time as its one of her favourites and I do really like it, but then 2005 rolled around and in comes Steven Spielberg’s version. To be fair it was probably 2006 when I finally saw it, I was nine years old at the time and I remember my dad bringing home the DVD that someone at work had lent him. I don’t remember watching it but I do remember having nightmares for a month after, only for a month though. Many years later when I was half way through high school and getting more and more into film my dad then bought the DVD from Woolworth's before it shut down, the DVD didn’t have a case only a see through CD case so I think it only cost him something like 50p. So I re-watched and again I don’t really remember this but all of a sudden I was hooked, and it climbed to the second spot on my favourite movies list where it still sits today. Honestly if you asked anyone I was friends with at that time they will tell you just how obsessed I was with it.

I have many scenes that I love in this film the first being the rise of the first tripod, but there are two that I geek out over every time.

The first scene being the one in the basement at Robbie and Rachel’s house, the scene starts off with Ray asleep in a chair. He starts to stir when when a blue flash of light on his face, but then jolts up right at a load whooshing noise followed by closely by Robbie shooting up from just below the camera. I love the way that Robbie appears sort of fits with the sound that’s heard, also the whole mood of the scene which is pitch black with this blue flashing light every now and then. The fact that you’re just as clueless as the characters as well, you find out what’s happening when they find out. Also the way that Rachel appears behind the basement stairs, which will appear again near the end of the movie in a much more damaged basement which shows just how much their world has changed in just a short few days. The sound design in this movie as well is something that I love, I love when the sound in a film alone can creep you out. The tripod sound is one of my favourite sounds to exist, like if I heard that from outside I would be so creeped out and scared. At this moment in time Robbie and Rachel have no idea what is hunting them or what Ray has seen, Imagine running from something and seeing something completely destroy the whole of your neighbourhood yet not knowing what it looks like. This is what runs through my mind when I heart Rachel cry “Is it them, Is it them?!” Then the next morning when Ray goes upstairs and see’s that the house is just completely destroyed by an aeroplane that has crashed down in the middle of the the housing estate. This Boeing 747 was a out of use plane and the production crew bought it for $60,000 which then cost them $200,000 to transport, it was then broken into pieces and houses were built around it. Which just shows how far some movie productions will go to make a film look more legit. (We love practical effects in this house.) This scene is still set up at Universal Studios Hollywood and can be seen on the Studio tour.

(Basement and Plane crash scene.)

My second favourite scene, which is one of my all time top favourite scene ever with no surprise is the dock scene. The speeding train that’s on fire is absolute stunning in every sense but for me the scene starts when the music starts. ‘If I ruled the world, everyday would be the first day of spring.’ But i’m really glued to the screen when Rachel starts to follow the birds coming in from the river to in land, she follows them up to the hill where she notices the tree’s on the top are moving weirdly. “The tree’s are funny.” She then reaches out and grabs onto Rays hand who was talking to a friend. Robbie turns to the hill as the camera slowly comes back and shows Robbie also turning to look at where Ray is looking. (Just remembering that this is the first time Robbie and Rachel ever see the tripods.)

The camera then shows us what the family is looking at to reveal a tripod stood on the top of the hill, it then moves one of its legs which crushes a tree and makes everyone else look back. Obviously chaos ensues from this point on, everyone running trying to get onto the ferry to get away from the impending doom, unfortunately we learn that no where, not even on the water is safe. As a tripod comes up from out of the water and attacks the ferry, the family manage to escape and get to land on the other side of the ferry. They stop for a moment to catch their breath as people are being picked out of the water below them, they turn as a old air raid alarm is heard on the other side of the hill and we see tripods coming over another hill that was filled with people and using their head rays to wipe them all out, we also see in the distance a lighting storm indicating more Martions are still coming to earth. The scene is like a depiction of all the stages of the attack. (Dock attack scene.)

I mean all the action scenes in this movie are just so beautiful and amazing, but did we expect any less from Spielberg? And the CGI and practical are all done extremely well and fitted together to make a scene look as real as possible. One of the art directors that worked on this film, Doug J. Meerdink who has also worked on Jurassic Park: III, Cloverfield and Jurassic World.

I was looking up some trivia on IMDB for this movie and found that there was a deleted scene that is called the ‘Camelot’ scene. This scene is supposed to take place between the attack on the ferry and the battle on the hill, it involves Ray, Rachel and Robbie walking through an abandoned housing estate that’s named Camelot, when a pack of tripods start walking near by. One of the tripods breaks off and the family has to take cover behind a SUV, they watch helplessly from behind as the tripod reaches into the house and grabs people from the houses. This scene has never been released but apparently it was fully finished, VFX and all but then taken out a few weeks before post production was wrapped up. There is only one official video from this scene that was in the actual trailer for the film, and it’s only a shot of the family hiding behind the SUV.

The only other shot from the scene is this landscape shot of a CGI tripod.

There are also photos of the set designers setting up the miniature of the housing estate to shoot this scene, the rest are fan arts of how the scene maybe looked/ played out. (Source)

I really hope that one day Steven releases this scene, or for some anniversary adds it into an extended version of the film like we’ve seen for other films. Because I would love that so much! It seems like such an incredible scene, and to see the tripods up this close again would be so cool!

One of the trailers that was released for this film doesn’t have any of the film shots it in, It takes place in a normal neighbourhood where people are just going about their normal nightly routine when suddenly over the hill there are all these brilliant flashing lights, everyone's just coming out of their houses in their pj’s and standing in the street marvelling at this sight in front of them. Then we see explosions and suddenly heat rays are blowing up the tress on the street which then goes into the title. I just love this, a trailer that doesn’t give anything away from the movie but creeps you out enough to be invested. (Trailer.)

All in all it’s just an very visually pleasing film, it feels real enough to give you a sense of fear for the characters and for yourself. I also love that Steven stayed true to the source material,more truer than some of the other adaptations and also added in his own little Easter eggs. The sounds, the aesthetic, the colours just everything comes together so beautifully. I think its a very underrated movie that deserves so much more love.

#war of the worlds #war of the worlds 2005 #robbie farrier #ray farrier #rachel farrier #steven spielberg #movie #film #film talk #tom cruise #dakota fanning #justin chatwin #the war of the worlds #not really a film review #i just wanted to talk about my love for this film

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vytraveldiary2 · 5 years ago

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New Zealand Day 6 - Milford Sound

Today we woke up and heated up an early breakfast to make it out to the front of our hostel at 7:30am, where we would be picked up by the Jucy cruise tourbus to take us to Fiordland National Park. After waiting for half an hour with no signs of the bus, we started to get worried. Luckily, Lucy, an English girl who was in New Zealand on a work visa, was waiting with us and had a phone to call the company. She found out that the company had delayed the pickup time until 10am due to delays in Milford Sound road reopening. They said that they had emailed everyone, but we did not get an email from them. We passed the time by walking around Te Anau town center, playing on the playground (which also had the cool zipline that we had tried at Lake Tekapo), and eating snacks in the hostel.

Finally our bus arrived and we boarded it in relief. The bus driver said that since it was a late start, we would be encountering a lot of traffic and crowds at stop points along the way that we normally would have avoided if the bus had left at the usual time, but we didn't mind since we were happy that we were still able to go on this tour despite the many delays.

Milford Sound is a glacier carved fiord that is found in Fiordland National Park. The ride to Milford Sound was very scenic, riding along beech tree forests and mountain ranges. We also passed by a huge farm, which we learned was part of the reason why there was a road to Milford Sound, as the owner of the farm partially funded the road in order to obtain supplies more easily. We stopped by a few viewpoints, including Mirror Lakes (known for its reflections of mountains in the water, although it was too cloudy for us to see reflections that day), Gunn Lake, and some stream/waterfalls. At one of our stops, we saw a mischievious kea perched on top of a rental car. The kea is a parrot species that is native to South Island New Zealand. This kea was playing on the roof of the car, and even started pecking at the windshield wipers. The owner of the rental came back eventually and started a battle with the bird in order to get it off of his roof. We saw many amazing viewpoints that we would have stopped at had we taken our own car; however we were only able to stop at the discretion of our tour bus driver. It was sad to miss Lake Marian hike in particular, which was an extremely recommended hike in South Island, but that was the tradeoff of having a break in driving ourselves for the day.

As we approached Milford Sound and passed through the Homer tunnel (carved through a mountain), the landscape started getting more and more dramatic, almost as if we were in Jurassic Park. There were huge mountain ranges everywhere (some very lush with vegetation and some which were snowcapped), with small waterfalls flowing down the mountainsides. We continued a descent down the windy roads until we reached Milford Sound.

As we deboarded the bus, we received box lunches as if we were kids on a fieldtrip, along with our cruise tickets. On our way to the dock, Vy suffered an unfortunate accident as she tripped over a half step. Thankfully, we got on the ship in time even with the detour to clean off the scrapes. Even though we were not the first people to board, we had the prime spots on the front ship deck (most likely because the majority of the passengers preferred to sit inside rather than stand in the biting and powerful winds). However, the unbelievable views of Milford Sound and all of the little waterfalls flowing down the mountainside made it worth standing outside the entire time in the most crazy winds that we had ever experienced that made our entire faces hurt. Midway through the cruise, it was then Michael's turn to suffer an unfortunate accident. He had gone inside to grab a coffee, which was topped with foamy cream. When he went back out to the deck, a huge gust of wind swept over the foam and expertly distributed it all over his face (and splattered on the clothes of nearby people and another man's face...whoops)! It was such a funny and impossible to replicate moment.

The cruise continued on with the 1.5 hour cruise. At some points, it took us really close to the waterfalls. The last waterfall was really strong and got us a bit wet. We learned that there was only one permanent waterfall in Milford Sound; the others are temporary waterfalls created after heavy rains. On our return journey, we were relieved to find out that the boat was traveling in the direction of the winds now, which made the ride much more warm and pleasant (but much more crowded o the deck). A notable stop on the return journey was when the boat drove us close to a rock surface that housed a bunch of sea lions. So cute! (But so smelly according to our bus driver).

After the tour, we ran off to explore for a bit (thankfully the bus did not leave without us). We stopped by a few more scenic stops on the way back, including Eglinton Valley. Since the tour started later, we got back later than intended and had a late start to our 3 hr journey to Wanaka.

On the way to Wanaka, we made a pit stop at Queenstown since Michael was craving a Ferberger codfather and to pick up a shirt that Vy and left behind in the Queenstown hostel. Finding the shirt was a success, but as we got in the Ferberger line, one of the workers announced that the codfather was sold out. So sad! We ate the porkbelly and hashbrown sandwich instead, which was as gross as it sounds. Finally after an hour of driving through extremely windy roads (think U-turn type roads) in the dark, we arrived safe and sound at our Wanaka lodging. Good night!

#newzealand2019

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luuurien · 2 years ago

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Arthur King - UMN (Koyaanisqatsi)

(Ambient, Progressive Electronic, Experimental)

The latest installation of Arthur King's indelible Unknown Movie Night series, Koyaanisqatsi's misty ambiance and prickly electronics perfectly embody everything the film is known best for. Contemplative yet urgent, the quintet utilizes immediacy to deliver their most immersive and impressive project to date.

☆☆☆☆½

The fact that Arthur King are able to make albums like UMN (Koyaanisqatsi) is incredible enough; all of it being so staggeringly beautiful is even more so. Though the group's mysterious nature and unorthodox recording spaces - their "Changing Landscapes" series has been put to work everywhere from an Iowa farm to the Chilean desert - there's an intimacy and acuteness to everything they do, the limited time frames and demanding improvisational work forcing Peter Walker and his ensembles to put their all into every moment. It's no surprise then that Koyaanisqatsi is another fantastic release in King's avant-ambient discography, but the album is also a bit of an outlier, too: Unknown Movie Night pieces up until now tended to be more passive and elegant - Pi's dark synth swirls convening with texture-focused percussion and flickering guitars, Jurassic Park's energized percussion and focus on tension and release - but Koyaanisqati's imposing cinematography and surreal shot compositions completely rewire how they handle things, dense electronic drones layered thick for the quintet's instrumentation to sit atop. Stabbing at different parts of the music every listen, finding all the marvelous angles you can look at it from, is the true magic at the core of Koyaanisqatsi's five pieces. Recorded on a cool, airy December night, the quintet are staggeringly attuned to one another as instrumentalists while keeping their own individualistic flairs - If you've heard any of David Ralicke's solo work as Space Between Clouds it only takes one listen to identify the most potent moments of recording for him: Geologic Tides' second half quietly brings in soft trumpet swells spelling both regality and nebulousness, and his electronics work is at its height when Existence permits him to go absolutely wild with effects-drenched chords tumbling about the mix around Joel Virgel's voice. It's almost a little bewildering only five people put these pieces together for how massive they are, Living in Tech's clanging percussion from Wally Ingram cutting deep into the chilly tones of Peter Jacobson's purring cello and Ralicke's fussy keyboards while Corrupted's all-out assault on the senses is brought to life with Virgel's near-incomprehensible vocoded singing and noisy saxophone before Jacobson's purring strings and distorted electronics bring a twisted hopefulness to it all, the hypnotic effect of Arthur King's weightless ambient compositions stronger than it's ever been. Without experiencing these pieces live with the film behind you, you do have to imagine what might have been going on visually during Geologic Tides' shift into an emptier second half or Dig Precious Things' meditative saxophone passages, but that's simultaneously what makes listening to Koyaanisqatsi as an album so special: the minute you start to get comfortable with things, Arthur King brings you yet another hundred feet under the ocean. Koyaanisqatsi's mercurial sound is one part the magnificent skillset of the Arthur King ensemble and one part the deeply cerebral, wholly singular compositional challenge that is Unknown Movie Night. Not only do they have to manage their balance and chemistry as a group, but follow the film's implicit directions and emotional narrative and match it to the best of their ability, resulting in pieces who embody their source material in an entirely new and refreshing way - you could watch Koyaanisqatsi with this album behind it and get a delightfully new perspective on the film through it, and that might be Arthur King's biggest achievement above all else. AKP is yet again putting out some of the loveliest avant-garde projects today, and Koyaanisqatsi makes for another spotless addition to their flawless catalog.

#arthur king #umn (koyaanisqatsi)#akp #ambient #avant-garde #drone #electronic #experiment #neo-psychedelia #progressive electronic #2022 #9/10 #album review #album reviews #2022 albums

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stormyblue90 · 1 year ago

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Oh this sounds fun! Hmm I think my choices would be…

Raven. I love how smart they are, and their beautiful iridescent plumage! They got both beauty and brains! Also love the various myths and legends surrounding them across the world.

Velociraptor. It’s my all time fav dino, ever since seeing Jurassic Park when I was four. Then when I later learned they were small, floofy, and cute, I loved them even more! Not to mention the Fighting Dinosaurs fossil with Velociraptor and Protoceratops is my fav fossil specimen, a prehistoric snapshot in time preserved by the earth.

Golden Eagle. I’d love to be able to just soar over vast landscapes, and it’s my favorite eagle species. Also I love the squeaky chirps eagles make. (They do NOT sound like a red tailed hawk Hollywood!). Also fluffy feather pants.

Allosaurus. This would be the biggest one I’d choose. Allosaurus is my favorite large theropod, and is so overshadowed by T. rex. (As well as most other large theropods like Carcharadontosaurs, Abelisaurids, etc.) The Ballad of Big Al is great, I still love that hunting sequence on the salt flats! As well as Broken-Jaw.

Lammergeier/Bearded Vulture. They eat BONES! How cool is that? Not bone marrow, BONES! Just drop a bone from hundreds of feet up to break it, and chow down! Also they like to roll in dust, giving them a rusty red-orange color, and I dye my hair a lot, so… Also I’ve been told by an Iranian friend online they are associated with the Homa bird, a symbol of good luck and protection if I remember correctly.

You can shapeshift into five dinosaurs of your choosing. But only five. Who are your picks.

Royal Albatross

Little Penguin

Kulindadromeus

Maiasaura

Utahraptor

#dinosaurs #birds #shapeshifting

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ladylilithprime · 7 years ago

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33 - Sastiel

33. Kiss in a dream

Part One

KNOWING THAT YOU are dreaming when you are dreaming is a rare occurrence for humans. For Sam Winchester, it happened every night ever since the Apocalypse when Lucifer began stalking his dreams and that shift of perception never quite went away. Sometimes he wondered if that ability to perceive when he was dreaming had contributed along with the hallucinations to his frequent doubting of reality when awake, but it was never enough of a concern to bring up. He promised himself that if it reached the point where he was having visions of the future in his dreams again, he would bite the silver-and-iron bullet and tell Dean, but his brother had enough to worry about after Purgatory without yet more drama from his failure of a burdensome little brother.

“Sam.”

This dream wasn’t anything special, not like the dreams he had of the Cage or other problematic memories that he was unable to shove aside and ignore while sleeping. It almost looked like a scene out of one of the Jurassic Park movies with its lush, dense tropical forest and a few strange birds gliding from tree to tree. It was surprisingly peaceful as far as his dreams went, even if he couldn’t remember when he might have encountered a scene like this enough to have recalled the sounds so clearly.

“Samuel.”

Sam turned at the more insistent pronouncement of his name, shivering at the Enochian intonations threading through that powerful voice, and his eyes landed on the by now familiar glowing figure with wings of azure and violet light. The greeting he meant to give Castiel died on his lips, however, when the figure seemed to compress and waiver under his gaze. He frowned. “Quit that.”

The figure went still, head angled in that familiar tilt of curiosity as seven blue orbs flickered in rapid succession like a furry of blinking. “Sam...?”

“Quit trying to project Jimmy Novak,” he said. When Castiel’s wings flared open in surprise, Sam gestured around them at the prehistoric landscape. “It’s not like you’re going to burn out anyone’s eyes here, Cas.”

“Physical harm is not the only kind I would seek to spare you,” Castiel said uncomfortably, his voice carrying a more noticeable echo of rumbling thunder and jarring cries of a hundred falcons screaming to the skies. Sam raised an eyebrow at the angel pointedly and Castiel relented, unfolding from the compressed state he - she? they? it? - had been attempting to fold into.

“I know you’re probably used to us calling you a guy because of your vessel, but is there a set of pronouns you’d prefer to use like this?” Sam asked curiously as he watched the unfolding. It was like looking at a bird hatching from an egg and an octopus swimming through coral, and yet completely unlike either one. The great head separated into seven separate heads, each with its own blue orb-like eye, which bobbed and twisted and wove around and sometimes through each other despite keeping one eye facing towards Sam at all times. The wings, too, were separating out from two mostly-distinct wing-forms into several dozen separate wings fanning open and folding together into new configurations that his eyes couldn’t even begin to track reliably even as the body lengthened and limbs formed and split and shifted until Castiel seemed to settle, half-twined around two massive trees with two of the seven heads sliding together and lowering so that Castiel could look at Sam with two glowing eyes.

“You may continue thinking of me as male,” the angel said seriously. One long and tapered limb that Sam thought might have been a tail swept around to settle between them close to Sam’s feet; Sam kept his eyes on the two Castiel had focused on him at the moment rather than glance down at the tail. “My time Falling had imprinted a certain level of gender identity onto my Grace that is in alignment with Jimmy Novak’s physical form. Jimmy is at peace in Heaven, ever since Raphael exploded me at the beginning of the Apocalypse.”

“Sorry about that,” Sam said, wincing at the reminder and finding it much easier now to look down and study Castiel’s tail. Up close, the limb was still overwhelmingly white, but also threaded with a multitude of shades of purple and blue, soft skin that graduated into scales which in turn sprouted silky-looking fur and then plumes of soft feathers in a line down what might have been considered the spinal track. “...You’re beautiful, Cas. It’s kinda hard to really see you out there, as bright as you glow all the time, but you are. Beautiful.”

“As are you, Sam,” Castiel answered, even as those massive, multifaceted wings shifted and flashed at the edges of Sam’s vision. “Even with the damage from Lucifer which I could not heal, your soul is... radiant beyond belief.” There was a hesitation, then Castiel added more quietly, “The guilt from seeing the damage I failed to heal is... troublesome at times. I know that I do not deserve your forgiveness for my part in the infliction of that damage, but I would offer you my apologies nonetheless.”

“Accepted and forgiven,” Sam said immediately, looking up at Castiel as the angel jerked backwards and all seven heads swivelled around to align themselves so that Castiel could stare wide-eyed directly at Sam with his full attention. “Castiel, I have never blamed you for the damage done to my soul. Never. Even when the hallucinations got so bad that it was killing me, I knew who to blame for my deteriorating state, and it was never you.” He bit his lower lip, looking up from beneath the fall of his hair. “Is... that why you ran before?”

“Ran... oh,” Castiel’s heads split again, leaving only two eyes to look at Sam once more as the others shifted and ducked and looked elsewhere. “When you reached for me, I was too surprised at first by the realization that you could See me, not just my vessel. And then you healed me of Naomi’s latest efforts to repurpose me--”

“Is that what those cracks were?” Sam couldn’t help but ask, blushing when Castiel’s eyes narrowed and his wings quivered faintly with the echoes of rustling leaves and wind-stirred chimes.

“It was,” the angel confirmed. “Naomi was not aware that you can see my true form or have the ability to utilize your soul to heal the damage as you did, or I doubt she would have permitted me to go to you. As it is, you broke through her control in time for me to prevent the deaths of several angels, for which I am also grateful to you.”

“Oh,” Sam said, blinking a little. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. “So when you kissed me right before you flew off, that was... a thank you?”

“In part,” Castiel admitted, wings curving inwards. “It was also because... I have admired your strength and compassion and the beauty of your soul for some time, Sam, and when you healed me and utilized the power of your soul to do so.... I could not help myself. I--”

“Don’t!” Sam interrupted. He swallowed when Castiel flinched back and shook his head. “Don’t apologize, not for that.” Castiel may not have had human features to express emotion, but his body language (strange and fantastical as it was) still managed to do a decent job of conveying the angel’s dismay and skepticism. “Really, if you ever decide you want to do it again, I would be more than okay with that.”

“I see,” Castiel hummed. His tail twitched, curling like the end of a cat’s tail, and Sam bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “I believe that may be somewhat problematic given your insistence that I retain my true form in your dream.”

“Well, we can work with that,” Sam said, feeling something that could easily have passed for a stutter in his heartbeat. He thought he might even have been grinning as he lifted both hands and beckoned. “Bring one of your faces down here a moment?”

Castiel’s eyes blinked in asynchronous order, but the angel obliged, lowering the two heads currently aligned together down close to where Sam stood. Gingerly, Sam stepped over the tail and right up close to the angel, gently touching his hands to the smooth and glowing white surface before leaning forward and nuzzling his face into what felt like velvet glass, smooth and cool and soft and tingling along the edges as he pressed a soft, open-mouthed kiss beneath and between Castiel’s incredible blue orbs. This close, Sam could even make out the folds of reptilian eye shields coming together and parting again as Castiel blinked. Sam smiled softly as he drew back again, one hand lingering on the approximate zone of Castiel’s gigantic cheek.

“You can get a more human-type kiss when I wake up,” Sam promised.

#kiss prompt drabbles #sastiel #supernatural #angelic true forms #dream mechanics #sam winchester #castiel #the rabbit hole just got deeper #rodiniaorzetalthepenquin

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scoutshonor56 · 7 years ago

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Sex, Violence, & The Natural Order of Things

How’s that for a Holiday attention grabber… OK, spoiler alert, this blog has nothing to do with the Holidays, but neither is it repugnant, or negative in nature – rather it is life-affirming at its most basic level. Before I go on, look at the interestingly beautiful header picture above and think on it for a minute or two; then give your best guess as to what it is, where it is, and who – or what – made it; I think you’ll be surprised. I myself was profoundly awed.

Those who know me well know I’m an avid and enthusiastic fan of just about anything to do with nature: I’ve subscribed to National Geographic for most of my adult life, their network is on my “favorites” list of TV channels, and I often record the wonderful PBS broadcasts of “NOVA” and “Nature”.

Why do I find shows such as these so fascinating? Certainly the incredible camera work, that thanks to today’s technology takes the viewer to places sometimes far away, sometimes in your backyard, sometimes so small it’s almost invisible to the naked eye, or even places far beyond earth’s atmosphere; but the common denominator is all these shows document and explain the world around us; the world we live in, the planet we call home. A home so diverse in life it’s actually hard to imagine. Also, a world so full of secretes and yet unknowns.

You would think that as primates with a highly developed brain, this would be of primary interest to us – understanding our environment with all its complexities; if anything else, in the interest of long-term survival. But, well, we’re a complex species, and generally politicians, fools, and religious zealots have a different take on the whole thing… but we won’t get sidetracked!

So where am I going with all this? A few evenings ago I finally sat down to watch back-to-back episodes of “Extreme Animal Weapons” (NOVA), and “Nature’s Miniature Miracles” (Nature); I’ll start with the show “Extreme Animal Weapons”.

In a nutshell, the show was about all the creatures, be they mammal, fish, reptile, bird, or insect, who possess various natural weapons to be used both defensively, and more common, offensively. Keep in mind, we’re not just talking about teeth or claws – we’re talking “extreme”; as in an over-sized growth or appendage of some kind, usually in pairs, that is used for battle. Meaning of course, 99% of the time, male on male to establish dominance. More specifically, with the intent of gaining the sole right to pass on their genes through mating.

How’s this for a fun trivia question: In the entire animal kingdom, which species is lugging around the largest attached “weapon” in proportion to its body size?

The Fiddler crab. Some of the species can be as small as a dime, and on the one side of its front end is a nice, small “hand” claw, used primarily for bringing food to its mouth. Its mate on the other side is a monster appendage that makes up half its body mass, can weigh as much as the rest of the crab’s body, and has a measurable crushing force of five lbs. – more than enough to pierce the carapace of it’s rival. That would be like me having a 190lb. plated arm hanging off my shoulder.

But probably the largest group of these armed competitors would be all the mammals with horns or antlers: rams, elk, moose, deer, gazelles, elephant and walrus tusks, the rhinoceros, etc. Antlers are the fastest growing bone known in nature: A Bull elk from Montana can grow, and replace annually, a pair of antlers weighing up to 40lbs or more. Imagine the strength of its neck and shoulders to bear this weight atop its head!

As great as it sounds to be always armed in such a manner, the show also goes on to point out the disadvantages of being blessed/burdened with such an arsenal; this select group pay a price for their status. For instance, the male Fiddler crab can only eat with the one arm, where most of his opponents can stuff their jaws twice as fast, using both their less impressive front pincers. Those bearing huge horns and antlers, such as the Bull elk, pay a large biological investment trade-off to annually replace their massive antlers. Having to channel so much calcium into their re-growth, the rest of their skeleton has brittle bones. The heavier weight likewise makes them just a little bit slower in a chase, requiring more energy to run.

I couldn’t help but think of our own species as the show pointed out that often these extreme weapons are not even required to be tested in battle; many rival encounters are settled simply with a ritualistic show of power, or size, ending with one or the other deciding to take its search for a mate elsewhere. How different is that from a macho showdown in any pick-up bar on a Saturday night? It’s ridiculously easy to imagine two human males circling one another from across the room while sizing up their rival before approaching a single female. Or maybe she had already shown up with a date, who is presently in the men’s room... and things get serious - well, its “go time”, and at least in appearance, it all comes down to a show of size... or weapon.

Along those lines, in the animal kingdom the huge appendage is multi-purpose, often also used for show to attract the female. Back to the Fiddler crab, when trying to win the attention of a prospective female, it will be sure to enthusiastically wave around its big claw! Now think of “bling”, or expensive cars, or flashy suits… How different are we? We may be more evolved, but in such basic biological drives and habits, not that much.

So how do the Woody Allens of the animal kingdom compete against the Sylvester Stallones? How is it that they’re still around and haven’t been weeded out of the biological chain?

They cheat. They out-maneuver the Schwarzeneggers. When the female Dung beetle is ready to mate, she burrows down into a narrow pit of sorts, which is zealously guarded by the dominant male who sits atop the little hole. Not to be denied his amorous urges, a lesser male who is smart enough will tunnel a side entry right next to the female nest and sneak in his self-made “back door” - cool or what?

The smaller Bull elk will play a lotto game of numbers during the rutting season. He and a small group of likewise enthusiastic suiters will approach the guarded territory of the female and start a chase, where the dominant male simply can’t keep them all away from the also running female – remember, he is slower in a lengthy chase, and as always, there is strength in numbers. One of the lucky gang will eventually mount the female on the run and get his prize as he can inseminate in a mere 2 seconds – yeah, not much enjoyment for the female I imagine!

OK, enough of the “R” rated stuff, on to the second show, “Nature’s Miniature Miracles”, which obviously dealt with how the small and tiny of the animal kingdom manage to survive on this very big, and often environmentally challenging planet.

It was equally fascinating, but as I might be boring some of you by now(!), I will include the one featured animal that answers the puzzle of my original question as to who, or what, created the header image of this blog. That work of art is actually an example of incredibly aesthetic underwater landscaping, and it resides at the bottom of the shallower end of the sea, off the coast of Japan. It’s six feet wide, a near perfect circle, and was created by the Japanese Pufferfish, who averages about five inches long. If you look carefully at the image, you can see him just off center in one of the inner furrows, at the 7 or 8 o’clock position.

You see, the male Japanese Pufferfish is one of the physically disadvantaged in the mating game; his scales and entire body are a shade of blue/gray that almost matches the color of the surrounding landscape, undoubtedly serving him well as a defensive camouflage, but how’s a guy going to get a date when he all but fades into the background?

To attract a prospective female, the male tirelessly works 24 hours a day for a solid week to create his masterpiece, and all to hopefully lure a bypassing female to pause and think, “Yeah, that looks like a good spot to lay my eggs…” Both maybe two or three feet above the sand, the male even “corrals” her, repeatedly nudging her toward the center, to make sure she observes and judges his work from the most advantageous perspective.

You’ve got to ask yourself, how does a fish create something so geometrically beautiful and perfect… He even ends his work with a few embellishments and finishing touches, using rocks and shells. I’ve spent most of my adult life making a living as an artist, and I’ll tell you right now, I’d hang that on my wall over many a museum or gallery piece I’ve seen. If you were to tell me this was found in an ancient Incan temple, created centuries ago, I’d believe it. But a fish? And all that work, just so he can squirt a little semen onto a tiny pile of eggs? That has to make you stop and think – and wonder about the programming and intricacy of this humble fish’s brain.

When the female eventually makes her choice, it is somehow communicated to the male, who then lets her swim off, knowing she will return to deposit her eggs when ready. And as a final step, the male then smooths over the center of his beautiful work, making sure the finest and softest sand lay directly center, a perfect mound for the hatchlings.

I read the book “Jurassic Park”, and of course saw the (1993) movie, and undoubtedly my favorite character was Dr. Ian Malcolm, a mathematician who specialized in a branch of mathematics known as "Chaos Theory" (in the movie, played by Jeff Goldblum). When all the eggheads and geneticists on the island assured the visiting party that there was absolutely no way for the dinosaurs to procreate because all males were weeded out of the process early on – hence, all the resident dinosaurs were female – he expressed his doubt and concern by stating that as a rule, “nature finds a way…”

Oh yes it does, because if there is one immutable driving force on this planet, it is the creation of life, and more specifically, the procreation of all existing species, both plant and animal. A force hard-wired into both the sexes through millions of years of evolution, which is essentially a grand experiment of trial and error. Survival of the fittest, and debatably even more important, the most able to adapt and change.

Yes little Billy, there is a God – and his/her name is Life, in the truest and most perfect sense of the word. It is his/her miracle.

Before closing I want to share another mind-boggling trivia fact – that’s right Alex, I’ll take “NATURE” for $500:

Where does 50% of the world’s oxygen come from? “Ah, that would-be phytoplankton…”

“That is CORRECT, for $500!”

Remember, the oceans cover roughly 75% of our planet, and plankton swarms through all of them while existing through the process of photosynthesis – just as our trees and plants. What could be more beautiful than being nourished by sunlight and hydrocarbons, and giving off oxygen as a by-product? Why is it so hard to understand that our physical world is an infinitely complex, yet interconnected web of life, and the severing of even one strand has an effect that resonates and disrupts like a sour note through the entire orchestra..?

But hey, what the hell, don’t worry - if you listen to the GOP, we’ll still have jobs… and gas to drive to them… in a poisoned wasteland devoid of life as we know it…

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emilyzh2019-blog · 5 years ago

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Kauai’s Stunning Na Pali Coastline

Kauai, Hawaii

One of the best ways to see Hawaiian islands is by air, and my doors-off Kauai helicopter tour of the Na Pali coast was an epic aerial photography experience!

If you don’t know by now, I absolutely love helicopters. In fact, I used to want to be a helicopter pilot as a kid (ok, maybe I still do).

Soaring through the sky, hovering over mountains or buildings, able to take off and land almost anywhere.

These things are truly amazing machines. While going on helicopter tours can be expensive, some places are just made to be photographed from a helicopter.

Beautiful places like the Grand Canyon, New York City, and Cape Town look completely different from the sky.

That’s why I was determined to go on a helicopter tour of Kauai — with the doors off for an extra adrenaline rush!

Kauai Helicopter Tour Guide

Boarding our Hughes 500 Helicopter (No Doors!)

Inside the Cockpit

Best Helicopter Tours On Kauai

Doors Off Tour

Anna and I decided to book a 60-minute open door helicopter tour with Jack Harter Helicopters. There are only 2 companies who offer this in Kauai, the other is Mauna Loa Helicopters. It’s great for photographers, because there’s no glass to get in the way of your shots. But you’re exposed to the elements!

Doors On Tour

Most people choose to fly with the doors on, the normal way. It’s a bit more relaxing, and not as windy/cold. There’s a great Waimea Canyon & Na Pali Coast Helicopter Tour that covers all the top highlights.

Sightseeing Plane

If you’re traveling to Kauai on a budget, but still want to fly over the Na Pali coast, a cheaper option is to book a Na Pali Sightseeing Airplane Flight, which costs under $200 (about half the price of a helicopter).

There is SO much cool stuff to see on Kauai that I definitely recommend the 60-minute option rather than the shorter flights.

An hour might sound like a lot, but it goes by very quickly when you’re having fun!

Beautiful Waimea Canyon

Red & Green Colors of Waimea Canyon

The Beauty of Kauai from Above

Waipo’o Waterfall (800 Feet Tall!)

After leaving Lihue Airport, our Kauai helicopter adventure began by flying into Waimea Canyon — aka “The Grand Canyon” of the Pacific (thanks Mark Twain!).

At 14 miles long, and one mile wide, Waimea Canyon was one of my favorite destinations on Kauai. While you can drive and hike along the canyon walls, flying over it in a helicopter was extra special!

It’s made up of rugged cliffs with contrasting colors in orange, red, and green. The canyon basically covers the whole western side of the island — with 45 miles of hiking trails too.

The highlight is Waipo’o Waterfall, a massive 800-foot tower of water. Most Kauai helicopter tours will make two passes so everyone gets a chance to photograph it.

Kauai’s Best Waterfalls From Above!

Welcome to the Garden Island

Manawaiopuna – Jurassic Park Waterfall

So Cool with the Doors Off!

There are SO MANY waterfalls on Kauai! From the ground, you’ll only be able to experience some of them. But from the air… that’s when you can really appreciate the best waterfalls on the island.

Our Kauai helicopter flight took us over Hanapepe Valley, home of the famous Jurassic Park waterfall.

Its Hawaiian name is Manawaiopuna Falls, the same 400-foot waterfall that was featured several times in the original 1993 Jurassic Park movie.

It seemed that there was some kind of massive waterfall (or 10) cascading into every valley we flew over!

Stunning Na Pali Coastline

Heaven On Earth: Na Pali

Helicopter Over the Coast of Kauai

See the Sailboat Below?

The most epic section of our helicopter flight came next. Kauai’s stunning Na Pali Coast State Park on the north end of the island.

Often regarded as the most beautiful part of the Hawaiian islands, Na Pali (which means “the cliffs”) is a 17-mile stretch of lush emerald green cliffs and jagged mountain peaks.

Pristine white-sand beaches dot the border between land and ocean. The water is a deep turquoise blue color.

Keep an eye out for “Cathedrals”, a spectacular wall of knife-edge ridges.

This is also where the Kalalau Trail is located, a rugged (and sketchy) 2-3 day hiking & camping trek along the coast of Kauai.

Mount Waialeale’s “Weeping Wall”

Stormy Skies Over Mt. Waialeale

Entering the Rainy Canyon

Looking up at the “Weeping Wall”

Finally, we flew into the rainy Hanalei Valley towards the Mount Waiʻaleʻale Volcano, one of the wettest spots on earth.

It’s here where like 20+ different waterfalls funnel down the steeps sides of the long-dormant volcano, into a river far below.

The weather here is frequently bad, and today was no exception. The summit of Waialeale is visible for only about 20 days per year.

We flew below the clouds, into the rain, and right up next to the “Weeping Wall” itself. With the doors off, it was extremely cold, windy, and wet!

If you are looking for a difficult hike in Kauai, you can hike to this wall of water, sometimes called the Blue Hole Hike. It’s a tough (and wet) full-day trek.

How to Shoot Photos from a Helicopter

Helicopter Photography Tips

While I love my Mavic 2 Pro Drone, aerial landscape photography from a helicopter with the doors off is so much fun! But it can be tricky too.

Use Shutter Priority Mode

I’m a big fan of shooting photos in Manual Mode. But in some situations, things are moving too fast to adjust manually. Helicopter photography is like this. I generally recommend keeping your shutter speed at 1/1200 (or higher) so your images aren’t blurry. Auto ISO is handy too!

Fire Away!

Shoot as many photos as possible, on rapid fire mode. Helicopter tours can move quickly, and there’s often not much time to compose your shot. You need to work fast, and shoot TONS of photos. Make sure pack a spare battery and a large (and fast) memory card that can handle all the images.

Polarizer & Lens Hood

If you’re flying in a helicopter with the doors on, you’ll need to shoot through the windows. This glass can cause unwanted glare & reflections. Using a polarizing filter and a lens hood can help reduce this.

Camera Gear

If you’re lucky enough to own two camera bodies, I’d recommend bringing them both. One with a wide-angle lens (like 16-35mm), and another with a telephoto zoom (like 70-200mm). If you can only bring one camera/lens, pick something that’s in the middle, like a 24-70mm.

Read My Travel Camera Buying Guide

Anna Ready to Go!

More Hawaii Helicopter Advice

Helicopter Safety

Over the last few years, there have been some high-profile helicopter sightseeing crashes, some of them with the doors off. However, I consider them very rare events, just like plane crashes.

That said, many helicopter tour companies have started banning sticking your hands and feet out from the open doors. While I was allowed to do this in NYC, we couldn’t do it on our Kauai trip. Always listen to your pilot!

How Much Does It Cost?

Helicopter tours on Kauai can cost anywhere between $250 – $400 per person, depending on the length of the trip, the type of helicopter used, and the company.

Best Time For A Helicopter Trip

Kauai isn’t called the Garden Island for no reason! The winters here can be very wet & stormy. So summer is generally the best time of year to go on a helicopter tour. You have more chances for good weather.

As for light, because the Na Pali coast is on the Northwest side of the island, the sun hits the mountain peaks in the early afternoon. Just before sunset is another good time to go. ★

Packing Guide

Check out my travel gear guide to help you start packing for your trip. Pick up a travel backpack, camera gear, and other useful travel accessories.

Book Your Flight

Find cheap flights on Skyscanner. This is my favorite search engine to find deals on airlines. Also make sure to read how I find the cheapest flights.

Rent A Car

Discover Car Hire is a great site for comparing car prices to find the best deal. They search both local & international rental companies.

Book Accommodation

Booking.com is my favorite hotel search engine. Or rent apartments from locals on Airbnb. Read more about how I book cheap hotels online.

Protect Your Trip

Don’t forget travel insurance! I’m a big fan of World Nomads for short-term trips. Protect yourself from possible injury & theft abroad. Read more about why you should always carry travel insurance.

Enjoy This Post? Pin It!

READ MORE TRAVEL STORIES

Best Of The Big Island Miami To Key West Road Trip Canoeing Minnesota’s Boundary Waters The Best Travel Backpacks Review

Have any questions about Kauai island helicopter tours? Have you ever been in a helicopter? Drop me a message in the comments below!

This is a post from The Expert Vagabond adventure blog.

from Tips For Traveling https://expertvagabond.com/kauai-helicopter-tour-na-pali/

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toptechbank · 7 years ago

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Best Google Daydream VR apps and games

We’ve all been told a hundred times that VR is the future. But it’s also the present. Between HTC Vive and Oculus Rift there’s already a mass of impressive VR experiences just waiting to transport you to new worlds and previously unobtainable experiences.

Solid VR efforts aren’t limited to these bank balance-busting headsets though. Smartphone-utilizing VR headsets have come a long way in recent years, and now the Google Daydream platform is leading the charge on VR for the everyman.

A more robust enhancement of the big-G’s past Cardboard creation, the Daydream platform is fronted by the Google Daydream View, a fabric-coated VR headset that comes with its own compact controller to let you interact with your new virtual surroundings.

However, although VR is getting better, there are still a lot of sub-par experiences out there just waiting to bring your future-loving expectations crashing back down to earth.

So before you go sticking your head into other dimensions, you need to ensure you’re exposing yourself to the best the VR world has to offer. Experiences contained in the list below are the best Google Daydream apps and games available to download now.

Price: $6.99

From the makers of the PS4 hit Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture and the cult classic Dear Esther, comes a new immersive narrative. But this time, it’s in VR on Google Daydream.

Shrouded in mystery right from the start, the story is So Let Us Melt is better left that way. But if you’re after a well-crafted, polished experience that shows you just how impactful the VR medium can be, this is one that’s worth picking up.

Price: Free

Sometimes, the simple things in tech are the most effective, and that’s certainly the case with YouTube VR, which lets you live fully immersive video content. Unlike Netflix or Hulu’s VR apps, YouTube doesn’t just plonk you in the middle of a virtual cinema and make you stare at a fake oversized flat screen. Instead, with the right content, it lets you experience the visual settings you want to enjoy.

From exploring the depths of the ocean to climbing the peaks of Everest, and from enjoying the tranquility of a rolling Tuscan landscape to immersing yourself in the bustle of a Chinese street market, YouTube VR’s ever-expanding array of 360-degree explorable videos are a must, and a great way to explore the world without leaving your home.

It’s also the platform that makes dozens of other VR experiences possible, such as the Great White Shark experience.

Price: Free

Grab the sick bag and strap yourself in – it’s time to enjoy the head-rolling, speed-providing fun of virtual karting. Just because lengthy gaming sessions can be more than a little nauseating, that doesn’t mean this isn’t a wildly fun and compelling VR gaming experience. It’s essentially Mario Kart for the virtual world – and who doesn’t like the sound of that?

You look out through the eyes of your intrepid racer, and are tasked with winning the race against a grid of fun weapon-flinging foe. Steering by tilting your controller, you’re not without some tricks of your own, with a tap on the controller’s minus key letting you utilize your own boosts and weaponry. You’ll quickly find yourself leaning into corners and hunching up on your sofa, willing your kart to go faster.

Price: $8.99

Originally planned as a PSVR exclusive, Eclipse: Edge of Light instead made its way to Google Daydream. And while it might not look as good as it would have on PS4, you can definitely see its stellar graphical roots.

Beyond just how it looks, which can’t be understated compared to many other VR experiences, Eclipse satisfies the Metroid Prime itch with fun, floaty controls, a mysterious land to explore and satisfying puzzle solving.

The Google Play Store is light on FPS games in VR and though this game isn’t big on the shooting aspect, you won’t want to stop playing this one until you’ve finished the story.

Price: Free

Imagine that you rented out a beautiful ski lodge just to watch a ton of Netflix. Sounds great, right? Well, that’s what Netflix’s VR app provides.

Chock-full with Netflix’s ever-growing catalog of shows and movies, you’ll have full access to it all from right within the headset.

Perfect for catching up on a show, watching ahead to preserve spoilers for others in the house, or staying occupied on the plane or terminal, Netflix for Google Daydream is an easy win.

Price: £3.89 / $3.99

This is your chance to be a hero, and have fun in the process. You play Archer, a, yep, you guessed it, archer, who’s tasked with defending his rampart from a charging hoard of baddies. As wave after wave of attack rolls in and the stakes increase, so the growing excitement and intensity help you fully immerse yourself in the cartoonish virtual world.

Sure, it’s classic VR gaming, but there’s added polish. You move your head to look around, and once you’ve homed in on a charging attacker you use your wireless controller to aim and rain your arrows down on them. There are similar, admittedly slightly more impressive adaptations of this gaming premise on the likes of HTC Vive, but Daydream’s Archer E. Bowman is pure entertainment, and a game you’ll keep coming back to.

Price: Free

VR’s not just about shooting stuff and riding virtual rollercoasters, it’s also an opportunity to immerse yourself in the best this world has to offer, be that stunning views, natural wonders, or significant pieces of art, history and general human achievement. That’s where Google Arts & Culture VR comes in.

This isn’t a fancy app; there are no head-spinning tricks or immersive VR breakthroughs. Instead, it brings the wows by taking you closer to the best pieces of art in the world than you could ever normally get, backing it up with useful facts along the way. From letting your study the intricacies of a sculpture to the brush strokes of a multi-million pound painting. This is the art gallery of the future – and admission is free.

Price: $9.99

Call this one a big surprise. When Rez Infinite released earlier in 2017 on PC and PSVR, we weren’t expecting this cult classic game originally seen on the Sega Dreamcast to come to one of our favorite mobile VR platforms, but alas.

If you’ve never played Rez, it’s an ambitious on-rails shooter where destroying enemies with the cursor has an impact on the beat of the song. Going beyond this, your character is more or less an anti-virus deployment, sent to root out corruption and bring normalcy to the digital world.

It’s everything that you’ve heard it is: trippy, engaging and unforgettable. But now that it’s in VR, it’s doubly so.

Price: £3.79 / $3.99

This pretty puzzler will have you sitting in your VR headset way longer than your eyes should probably be subjected to in a single session, but it’s addictive fun that will keep you coming back for more.

You play a waddling little robot, and you’re tasking with manipulating the world around him to help him get to his destination. At first the controls are tricky, but you’ll quickly find yourself using your Bluetooth remote to rotate planets and move bricks, clearing a path to ultimate success. Beautifully pairing tricky puzzles with stunning artistry, it’s a must-try game.

Price: Free

Sure, you could cast HBO content from your phone to your TV via Chromecast, but it’s way more cool to just watch it right from the Google Daydream View headset.

In this app, like those from Netflix and Hulu, seats you in front of a massive screen. Your very own private viewing session to watch whatever you want, from hits like The Wire, Game of Thrones and Insecure to Curb Your Enthusiasm and many others.

It’s hard to keep GoT spoilers under wraps, but if you want to watch ahead, there’s no better way to watch it by yourself.

Price: £2.89 / $2.99

Hands up who wishes they could visit Jurassic Park. Now keep that limb aloft if you learned absolutely nothing from John Hammond’s ill-fated attempts to bring these prehistoric lizards back to life… yeah, we thought so. Well, Raptor Valley is what you get for not learning your lessons, as you find yourself alone in the long grass being stalked by a pack of velociraptors.

Your Daydream View’s controller transforms to your virtual gun as you’ve got to blast these pouncing dinos. Your mind will tell you to run, but all you can do is spin on the spot, fending off attacks from all directions as your heart rate quickens. It’s not necessarily the smoothest VR game, but it’s got dinosaurs, dammit – and what more do you need, really?

Price: £4.79 / $4.99

This is the sort of thing VR was built for – giving you the ability to leave terra firma and explore the far reaches of the solar system in immersive 3D, all from the comfort of your sofa. Encouraging you to learn as you explore, Star Chart VR lets you discover everything from our home planet to the rings of Saturn, and much more beyond.

While its top-down view and ability to manipulate planets might give you a slight God complex, getting an immersive sense of the scale of the universe will quickly make you feel insignificantly small. Not only is is this a great educational tool, with the Daydream controller letting you grip and roll entire worlds it offers near endless exploration options.

Price: £9.99 / $9.99

VR doesn’t have to be a solitary experience. Yes, it’s easy to feel isolated when you’re sitting in your home in a space-age prat hat unable to see what’s going on around you, but there are already ways to make VR a group experience – such as the brilliantly innovative Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes.

One of you wears a Daydream View headset, and spends the entire game sitting face-to-face with a big ol’ bomb. Your mates, meanwhile, stay in the real world, using a printable bomb defusing guide to walk you through the process of making this dangerous device safe. It’s like a tension-raising game of VR Bop-It, just with higher consequences.

Price: Free

VR is an experience for the senses, and it’s not just your eyes that are set to be wowed by the BBC-created The Turning Forest. As well as being a visually stunning, artistically playful creation, this is a VR experiences for your ears.

Built around spatial sound, you’ll need to pair your VR headset with a decent pair of headphones to fully enjoy this app of exploration and mystery. As the world of wildlife and giant creatures evolves around you, you can pair the calming ambient sound with your own tunes, using the controller to play music on the monster’s teeth of hanging icicles. There’s a relaxing beauty to this incredible creation.

Price: Free

There are certain things that, no matter how good VR gets, will always claw you back to the real world. Playing with LEGO is one of those things… or at least it was. But now LEGO’s made the VR jump, so other than meal and toilet breaks there’s no need to leave your world of virtual escapism anytime soon.

The BrickHeadz Builder lets you build and play, putting your favourite building bricks at the centre of a puzzler. You can’t create huge brick-based sculptures, not yet anyway, but you’ll still enjoy piecing together these compact creations.

Price: $4.99

Ubisoft’s Rabbids are silly, Minion-like creatures that, in every sense, should be the scourge of the Earth, but I can’t get enough of them.

If you’re in the same boat, you’ll definitely want to check out Virtual Rabbids: The Big Plan. Not only does it get you up close with the ridiculous Rabbids, but its batch of mini games are equally ludicrous, in the best way.

This game is kid-friendly, both in content and how it engages players. Even young gamers will be able to figure out how to play through this title, as it requires them to, at most, know how to tap, twist and pull on virtual objects.

from TechRadar – All the latest technology news http://www.techradar.com/news/best-google-daydream-apps-and-games

#Best Google Daydream VR apps and games

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muscledemandsrespect · 8 years ago

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10 BEAUTIES OF BERMUDA…

The Bermuda Rectangle. Is what I thought it was called, but it turns out that doesn’t exist either. Apart from a superstitious fiction of vanishing vessels and the even-more-mysterious Bermuda Shorts, I’d not really encountered the island of Bermuda before. This marvel of nature is a long, thin, subtropical, volcanic island (made up of 181 mini-islands!) that’s shaped like a seahorse, and is a veritable slither of paradise with soft pink sandy beaches and turquoise waters. Marine heritage is a fundamental part of daily life here, and it offers simply some of the best sailing conditions in the world. When the Bermuda Tourism Authority invited me to tour the island and train with the Land Rover BAR team ahead of the elite and ultra-prestigious Americas Cup in May, I commenced my research; Turks & Caicos is 1,340km away, this isn’t in the Caribbean, it’s one of the most isolated islands on the planet, and it’s surrounded by absolutely nothing other than the fresh depths of the Atlantic Ocean. And its waters are blessed with lashings of wind; a sailors mecca! What I discovered when I set foot on the island couldn’t have been more unique; this is one of the most welcoming gems I’ve encountered on my voyages! Click more to see behind the scenes from the sailing equivalent of F1, as well as my top 10 wellbeing activities on this stunning, arresting island!

This isn’t a forced, artificial tropical existence; it’s a 69,000-strong community with a down-to-earth outlook, a rich and endearing culture and deep, 400-year old history. And oddly enough, it’s immediately familiar, with an unmistakable Britishness to its charm; given it’s the largest remaining Overseas Territory, that makes sense. Whilst the local accent is part American-part-Barbadian, everyone here watches Premiership football, the road signs and traffic lights are identical to the UK, there’s mock-Georgian architecture everywhere, and they even have Waitrose and Marks and Spencer stores selling kale and Percy Pig respectively; it’s a bit like a sunnier Marylebone! The first local I met invited me to ‘go with the flow’, as is the way in Bermuda (hence we ended up at a magical and infectiously rhythmic Gombey troupe’s dance event, as below); almost unheard of in London, but indicative of the slightly different Bermudian rhythm. That’s not to say this island is about chilling on the beach… it claims the terrain diversity of a land mass 100 times its size, facilitating a wonderfully active, and outdoorsy lifestyle. You could go here for some much-needed rest, or likewise to stay active throughout an entire trip, enjoying the freshest, healthiest marine foods! Find my top 10 list of activities here alongside some beach gems and super restaurants!

1) PADDLE BOARDING!

I’ve never heard of anyone paddle boarding to work before, but in Bermuda, that’s a thing! Whilst I didn’t trial a full-on commute, I circumnavigated the bay, and despite a mild coordination fiasco at the beginning, it’s a great laugh! Sneakily, though, it’s fantastic exercise – it engages the balancing stabilizer muscles, which is great core work, and the paddling motions are fantastic for shoulders and arms. If one were to fall in, it’s not the end of the world but rather quite nice to cool off. All of this whilst soaking up some Vitamin D. There are countless sheltered coves in which to try this in reasonably calm waters…

2) CAVES!

The island was formed by an extinct Volcano around 100 million years ago (though I wasn’t there, so it’s hard to verify this ‘alternative fact’); it’s had time to develop some gnarly geological lime and sandstone features. It’s well worth checking out Grotto Bay for more than just paddle boarding; the cave swimming in the ultra-fresh Cathedral Caves is an invigorating icy mega-boost to the immune system!

3) SPA AT PROSPERO’S CAVE

For that matter, the spa at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort was one of the most unusual and spectacular settings for a wellness area I’ve ever encountered… a linen pergola on a floating pontoon under dripping stalactites. The sonorous qualities of the droplets plunging into the pool creates an eerily magical resonant effect to help elevate the treatments ever more!

4) MAKE A RUN FOR IT!

The ever changing surface and landscape offers a fast-developing terrain as you run; there are some flat runs in the harbor, which segway into rigorous beach runs amidst the sand, and can merge into uphill sprints through the forest – how you run this diverse landscape is up to you, but I found the jogs to be a superb way to acquaint myself with the place.

5) CYCLE AROUND

In London, cycling can be fraught with danger; in Bermuda, it’s fraught with safety, as there are only about 20k cars in the entire country and most lie unused – that’s the approximate number passing my house on the school run most mornings! Given that you’re out and about, taking in nature, sampling the local sights, efficiently exchanging oxygen as you go whilst exercising in a low-impact manner, this is such a wonderful and easy way to travel. Should you pass a bus stop you’ll notice a pink or blue sign, each color indicating that you’re running towards or away from Hamilton the capital.

Our group took a superb Cycle Tour with ‘Island Tour Centre‘ who show you some magical parts along the way, including the old defunct railway, which was once the islands only means of transportation, as no cars allowed prior to the mid-1940s – the Rail Trail is well worth a go!

http://ift.tt/2osfJth

The ultimate ball of energy, Miranda from Metro.co.uk

6) SWIMMING & BEACHES – well it’s an island so you’ve come to the right place! Endless iconic beaches to choose from each one more beautiful than the next! The most famous of which is Horseshoe Bay, with a ribbon of pink sand and lucid waters. None of the beaches we visited were at all overcrowded, and all of them felt completely un-spoilt!

7) JET SKI!

This is definitely a supreme way to see the island from within the turquoise waters, but at pace, it’s not for the faint-hearted as it gets choppy out to sea so just remember to bring your courage as it can go pretty fast! Speed is your friend as it nulls out the choppy waters, but I’m no friend of mad speed nor power sleds, so it was a case of hold tightly and try not to close your eyes! I should point out that everyone in the group absolutely loved the experience, and it’s not hard to see why – from the sea, you’re treated to a masterful panorama of the exquisite coastline.

My favorite bit? Stopping to see a shipwreck with it’s nose sticking out of the water and feeding some of the beautiful fish! P.s. you’ll also go under the smallest drawbridge in the world. You can pick up your jet ski at the ‘Safari’ from Southampton Dock.

Strong ocean game Bermuda! #GoToBermuda @bermuda

A post shared by Faya (Fitness On Toast) (@fitnessontoast) on Mar 13, 2017 at 5:22am PDT

Other aquatic activities you can do? http://ift.tt/2osgO42

Swim with the fishes @fitnessontoast A post shared by Jack Guinness (@jackguinness) on Mar 15, 2017 at 3:25am PDT

8) BEACH YOGA (BOGA?) This is pretty much the pinnacle in tranquility; the peaceful sound of the waves gently lapping against the shallow pink sands, the smells of the lightly salted sea air, a soft breeze brushing gently at you whilst the sun warms your body….pure bliss! My class was laid on by local Yoga champions, Kinetix.

9) JUNGLE WALKS AND TARZAN SWINGS

The island offers some wonderfully diverse and surprising scenery, nowhere more than this dramatic tropical jungle scape in Warwick – its prehistoric articulated drooping trees come straight out of Jurassic park. I for one didn’t know that Tarzan branches actually existed but the inner child simply LOVED swinging on them! See boomerang below…

#TarzanMode Just hanging around in #Bermuda love exploring this stunning and diverse landscape, straight outta Jurassic Park! @bermuda #gotobermuda

A post shared by Faya (Fitness On Toast) (@fitnessontoast) on Mar 11, 2017 at 11:06am PST

10) FOOD! We enjoyed the most delicious tasting menu at the Loren Hotel. Were there to have been more time I would’ve loved to try their lunch, as the hotel was nestled right up against the sea and dished out some sublime moon-ocean views too!

Lunch? Find healthy, generous sized lunch bowls at the Village Pantry Bermuda. These are SERIOUS in the wellness leagues, and can comfortably give LA (home of hipster wellness) a run for its money any day of the week. Just look at that thing…

A little something I ordered in @bermuda at the @village_pantry_bda – THE BERRIES BOWL - a filling & delicious veggie, kale salad with topping of quinoa burger Includes strawberries , blueberries, blackberries, walnuts, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds & organic sprouts! Plus a lovely chia dressing! Now that’s what I call a vegetarian tree-nut salad #lunchspo #GoToBermuda A post shared by Faya (Fitness On Toast) (@fitnessontoast) on Mar 22, 2017 at 5:14am PDT

HOTEL?

I stayed at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, a supremely comfortable Fairmont-managed resort owned by a local family, and home to a significant and important art collection. In fact, this art collection wasn’t just good for a hotel; it wasn’t just good for a gallery; it was an absolutely world-class knockout. I’ve never seen anything like it. Countless modern masterpieces line the corridors as if some sort of wallpaper. Warhol, Hirst, Lichtenstein, Magritte, Koons, Banksy, Moore, Matisse, and countless more! The mini-collage below is but a random smidgeon of the pieces on display… Even if you don’t stay at The Hamilton Princess it’s well worth popping by to sample the recently renovated Marcus restaurant – the name referring to a fellow Swede who happens to be head chef and a renowned international culinary genius – it offers a delicious and healthy menu which blends local essences with international influence.

THE AMERICAS CUP !!!

There’s going to be a dedicated blog post about this! If you happen to be lucky enough to visit Bermuda over the America’s Cub it’ll be held at the Rib chase of Land Rover BAR on the Great Sound where the 35th America’s Cup, presented by Louis Vuitton, will be held. The schedule of events from 26 May – 27 June is HERE – (BAR is already 2 points ahead as they won the America’s Cup World Series). This is the real deal, and the most historic, prestigious event in world sailing.

I’ll save that for the next installment, as it’s a fascinating insight into what these world-class athletes do to get in shape, and just how physically strenuous their sport is.

For now, signing off with incredible memories of a wonderful warmth, with some excellent traveling companions!

For more information on Bermuda visit http://ift.tt/pHwNXl

The post 10 BEAUTIES OF BERMUDA… appeared first on Fitness on Toast.

from Fitness on Toast http://ift.tt/2osxFE0 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Fitness on Toast

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yolandadsims · 8 years ago

Text

10 BEAUTIES OF BERMUDA…

1) PADDLE BOARDING!

2) CAVES!

3) SPA AT PROSPERO’S CAVE

4) MAKE A RUN FOR IT!

5) CYCLE AROUND

http://www.gotobermuda.co.uk/article/the-bermuda-railway-trail-national-park

The ultimate ball of energy, Miranda from Metro.co.uk

7) JET SKI!

Strong ocean game Bermuda! #GoToBermuda @bermuda

A post shared by Faya (Fitness On Toast) (@fitnessontoast) on Mar 13, 2017 at 5:22am PDT

Other aquatic activities you can do? http://www.gotobermuda.co.uk/things-to-do/on-the-water

Swim with the fishes @fitnessontoast A post shared by Jack Guinness (@jackguinness) on Mar 15, 2017 at 3:25am PDT

9) JUNGLE WALKS AND TARZAN SWINGS

#TarzanMode Just hanging around in #Bermuda love exploring this stunning and diverse landscape, straight outta Jurassic Park! @bermuda #gotobermuda

A post shared by Faya (Fitness On Toast) (@fitnessontoast) on Mar 11, 2017 at 11:06am PST

HOTEL?

THE AMERICAS CUP !!!

I’ll save that for the next installment, as it’s a fascinating insight into what these world-class athletes do to get in shape, and just how physically strenuous their sport is.

For now, signing off with incredible memories of a wonderful warmth, with some excellent traveling companions!

For more information on Bermuda visit www.GoToBermuda.co.uk

The post 10 BEAUTIES OF BERMUDA… appeared first on Fitness on Toast.

from Health And Fitness Updates http://fitnessontoast.com/2017/04/01/the-beauty-of-bermuda/

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