Blog
DIY Sauna
Rebecca L. Summer is almost upon us here in British Columbia, and it’s getting pretty busy at the campsites round about now. I love camping, it’s one of my favorite things to do at the weekend, but it’s still pretty cold right now in the evenings. Although I love nothing more than wrapping up in my thermals and sitting around a campfire with my friends, I’ve been looking to try my hand at making a DIY outdoor sauna on my next trip. The strategy is pretty simple, all you have to do is get your fire blazing, heat up some rocks and fashion a seamless contraption to trap the steam in. Sounds simple right? But it also sounds pretty risky too. I’ve been researching the best materials for the structure, and I think on my next trip I’ll use a tarp or an old tent. But check out these guys making a sauna out in the middle of winter using plastic wrap. It’s pretty cool. Personally, I don’t think I’d want to use plastic wrap…it’s pretty wasteful and I would prefer to use something that I could reuse again and again, but the structure looks legit! Check it out here: https://youtu.be/vaZHOx0QwvA Have you ever made a sauna whilst camping? Let us know in the comments!
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WATCH: Netflix's High on the Hog
Matt C. Netflix’s new food show, High on the Hog, (which is based a book of the same name) is much more than simply a food show. It is a sunny melding of history, food and travel that follows the creation of African American food. The four episode arc travels from Africa back throughout the US States - South Carolina, Texas, Philadelphia and New York - unfolding the stories behind African American food, and its connection with Black History. I’m only on the first part, but am eager to get watching the next. Host, Satterfield told Variety, “It’s our agricultural knowledge tied to our culinary knowledge, with this historical and cultural context, which I feel just hasn’t been seen and presented as part of a cohesive story. Until now.” You can watch High on the Hog on Netflix here.
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WATCH: Judas and the Black Messiah
Matt C. Shaka King's Judas and the Black Messiah is about the murder of Fred Hampton, deputy chairman of the Black Panther Party. Identified as a radical threat by the FBI, he was done in after they smeared him as a 'dangerous radical endangering the nation with violence and Communist rhetoric', with help from a plant inside the Panthers, William O'Neal. The film in resonant and powerful, anchored by energizing performances by LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya (who just won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) - and as relevant as ever, revisiting American history that feels all too present.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSjtGqRXQ9Y
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Wandering Wheels Campervans
Jasmine G. With travel being domesticated, of late, my feed has been flooded with wonderful pictures of friends’ local escapes. An increasingly popular trend seems to be living the #vanlife. And why not? Campervans are portable, comfy and have everything you need – including the kitchen sink! Meet Naomi and Matt, founders of Wandering Wheels Campervans. Based in Hampshire (UK) they have spent the past year converting vans into bespoke campers for a variety of clients. This is what they had to say about their experience in this fast-growing sector! What drew you to start your own campervan conversion business? A few years ago we rented a quirky, self-built campervan from Bristol and took it to the Lake District. We loved it so much that we decided to build our own quirky campervan. We were at a stage where we weren't fully enjoying our current teaching jobs and the process of building our campervan was so interesting, we thought we'd try taking commissions to convert vans for other people. Over the last couple of years, we have converted 12 vans and have more bookings in the pipeline! What is the peak and the pit of van conversion? Peak: Handing the finished vans back over to their owners is a definite highlight - the last couple cried with delight when they looked inside and it was a great feeling for us knowing we had fulfilled their brief and created something they were so happy with. Creating vans that people will spend future holidays in and take travelling around the country (and continent) is amazing. Pit: Each van is different, and each client's design is different, so there are certainly moments when things don't go to plan! Over time we have built up a great rapport with carpenters, electricians, plumbers and accountants who can help us out in different areas and share their expertise. Where do you get your inspiration for the interiors from? For our own vans, we drew inspiration from our own home so we could use cushions, bed covers and decorations interchangeably! Pinterest and Instagram are great starting points for looking at beautiful van interiors. Lots of our clients already have a clear idea of what they would like their interiors to look like and others like to chat ideas through so we can work together to create something that suits them. Where have your converted vans travelled to? Well recently, probably not very far as restrictions have gotten in the way of lots of travel plans! We know previously that vans have travelled around Scotland and Europe and some families and couples have decided to move into their vans to live in full-time! We travelled around the Cornish coast in ours last year but we're hoping we might be able to travel a bit further afield soon, taking ours to Switzerland or Portugal would be amazing. Have you seen an increase in conversion requests since the pandemic started? We started our business only a few months before the pandemic really began. I think we have had a lot of enquires from people who would now like to stay local (in the UK) for the foreseeable future and who would like to have the flexibility of their own campervan where they feel more in control of the situation, rather than relying on planes/public transport/hotels. What's it like travelling with your furry friend, Milo? It's the best! Being able to take our dog away with us on holiday is lovely. He's part of the family so we don't enjoy holidays as much if he has to be left behind. He also gets us out and about even more and we see areas and places on our dog walks we might not have discovered otherwise. He's a great travel companion who likes exploring, but also likes bunkering down for a long nap in the van. If you’d like to see more of Wandering Wheels’ exceptional work, you can head to their website www.wanderingwheelscampervans.com or their Instagram page @wandering.wheels.campervans.
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WATCH: The Leftovers
Rebecca L. Set in a small New York town, this surreal tale follows a few survivors trying to piece together their lives after part of the global population disappears. The story follows police chief, Kevin Garvey, played fantastically by Justin Theroux (Louis Theroux’s cousin, funnily enough) and the chaos that he has been left to tackle in the 3 years after the event. By far one of the most amazing mystery shows created in the past decade, the plot of this series will leave your head spinning. Balancing intricate character timelines and switching through before and after “the departure”, you’ll be lead on a path of borderline absurdity balanced with the sophistication of life after tragedy. Based on a novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta, he and Damon Lindelof debuted the series in 2014. Seven years later and this show is still high up on my watch list. If you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, I would highly recommend you give it a try.Check out the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLT3YUALJno
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SEE: Imagine Van Gogh
Matt C. This past weekend I was able to slip out for some covid-friendly fun, seeing the Imagine Van Gogh exhibit that is currently stationed here in Vancouver. It is an immersive exhibition, where his familiar works are projected (using some crazy technology that I can't explain) along with music by the composers Mozart, Bach, Saint-Saëns, Delibes and Satie. For the rest of the year, the exhibit has 3 other planned stops in North America: Edmonton, Tacoma, and Boston. If you reside in one of those cities, you can checkout tickets here!
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The World's Longest Pedestrian Suspension Bridge
Rebecca L. Check out this absolute treck of a suspension bridge in Portugal! Coming in at 1,693ft long and 574ft above the river below it, the Arouca 516 is officially the world’s longest pedestrian suspension bridge. Connecting the Paiva Gorge to the Aguieiras waterfall, the bridge is suspended between two huge V-shaped concrete structures and hangs above the Rio Paiva river. Tourists will be welcomed to visit this new impressive attraction for as little as 12Euros for adults, and 10Euros for seniors, kids and students. Here’s a video to check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-qi9xhTDJQ Would you want to cross the longest suspension bridge in the world? Let us know in the comments.
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Daily Map Facts
Jasmine G. MapsFacts popped up on my Instagram discover feed a few weeks ago and I gave them a follow. They deliver daily facts using a world map – may sound kinda boring, but I’ve found some posts pretty interesting! I’ve discovered that Canada, New Zealand and Italy have some of the most expensive taxi fares in the world. That Mexico, Kazakhstan, American Samoa, Moldova, Egypt, Zambia, Montenegro, Albania, US Virgin Islands and Serbia all have eagles on their flags. That Brazil, Mauritania and the UK have some of the longest region names in the world. And that Japan has the shortest national anthem! So if you like random facts, you can find the MapsFacts’ Instagram page here.
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