Blog - Travelfusion

Saturday Snapshot – Costa Rica

Kathryn Frengs — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 10:00:23 +0000

The rain forests of tiny Central American country Costa Rica are some of the most lush and biologically diverse in the world. From brightly coloured tree frogs to a variety of species of monkeys, Costa Rica is the place to visit for any nature-lover. If the forests aren’t your thing, head to the award-winning beaches for some fun in the sun.

Costa Rica has been high on my list of must-visit places for a long while but may have to wait until I head back to North America for good.

Photo credit: Armando Maynez

Street Art Series – Sydney, Australia

Kathryn Frengs — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:59:49 +0000

As it’s been a while since our last post on Los Angeles street art, I figured it was time to explore the different street art that can be found nearly halfway around the world from the west coast of the United States, Sydney, Australia. The largest city in Australia and an immigration centre for people from around the world, the diversity in Sydney means its also a hotbed of culture and art. Here’s a look at how this mix of people can result in interesting and fun street art!

This homage to 1980’s video games is my favourite one. I’d love to have Pac Man up on my wall!

Photo credit: bliksem tobey

This red old-model car and its floating hearts paints a pretty scene.

Photo credit: Ben Cumming

In appreciation of American civil rights activist Martin Luther King, Jr., this mural seems appropriate for such a multicultural city.

Photo credit: treslola

1930s cartoon favourite Felix the Cat looks right at home in the country that reportedly inspired his creation. I like the little characters below him too!

Photo credit: RoboticButtocks

Now this one is not only a really good use of existing space but it also really creeps me out. Scary!

Photo credit: M i x y

In a fitting nod to the neighbouring sea, this colourful example declares “Bikini Zone” ahead.

Photo credit: mirvettium

This weird but wonderful piece shows a jack-o-lantern-headed man talking with an apple head. Though I’ve got no idea what it’s supposed to symbolise, I just love it. Any guesses on what they’re saying to each other? Leave your ideas in the comments section!

Photo credit: Orin Zebest

That’s all the street art for now but stay tuned for more soon. Feel free to leave ideas of cities that you’d like to see featured next!

Exploring Destinations through Photography

Kathryn Frengs — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:17:50 +0000

It started with Prague but then quickly spread to other cities, each one outdoing the one before. Massive and detailed to a seemingly impossible level, the new trend in travel photography is the huge gigapixel photos that have been constructed for a handful of well-known cities around the globe. A super high-definition image, gigapixel photographs are the result of taking hundreds of still photos in a very short period of time and stitching them together to create a detailed panorama of a place.

I absolutely love these photos and the level of detail that they allow the viewer to experience from their home computer. I’ve enjoyed virtually strolling the streets of Paris and trying to spot my old haunts and stomping grounds there, and I’ve taken a look into the lives of people living in central Budapest by zooming in on neighbourhoods and building in that photo. Though nothing can compare with visiting a new city in person, these images offer a great substitute for travel daydreamers like myself!

At the rate that technology improves and changes, it seems as though each of these photos is better and bigger than its predecessor and I cannot wait to see what other types of images might be in store for us in the future!

Here are the links to the best of the best of these photos for you to explore and enjoy. See if you can spot places you’ve been before or take advantage of a break to virtually stroll the streets of these places to see what you can discover!

Prague – 18 gigapixels

Photo credit: 360 cities

Paris – 26 gigapixels

Photo credit: Paris 26 gigapixels

Dubai – 45 gigapixels

Photo credit: Gerald Donovan

Budapest – 70 gigapixels

Photo credit: 360 World