The GypsyNesters

30 Crazy Travel Photos from Around the World!

As GypsyNesters, our quest is to see the world and relate it to you in our own quirky way.

But why should we have all the fun?

To share the wealth, we asked the web’s best independent travel bloggers to send us their best WHAT THE ?! moments as a part of Travel Photo Roulette.

We hit a goldmine of the craziest, funniest and just plain weird travel photos in the world! SEE ALL 30 CRAZY TRAVEL PHOTOS >>

30 Crazy Travel Photos from Around the World! https://www.gypsynester.com/best-crazy-travel-photos.htm

As GypsyNesters, our quest is to see the world and relate it to you in our own quirky way.

But why should we have all the fun?

To share the wealth, we asked the web’s best independent travel bloggers to send us their best WHAT THE ?! moments as a part of Travel Photo Roulette.

(Travel Photo Roulette may be followed on Twitter with the hashtag #PhotoRoulette)

We hit a gold mine of the craziest, funniest and just plain weird travel photos in the world!

Here’s what we asked for:

Everyone who travels has those WHAT THE ?! moments. It can be in nature, or the most unnatural of occurrences. Sometimes it’s as simple as a funny sign, a wacky name of a town, a weird food or an unfortunate piece of art. All nomads find themselves in cultural situations that can cause us to do a double-take, make us uncomfortable or feel completely out of our element. Moments like that are our favorites. Show us yours!

We’d like to thank everyone who submitted their amazing shots to Travel Photo Roulette. It was unbelievably difficult to chose a winner to host next week’s round on their website!

WHAT THE ?! – The Runners Up

Any one of these incredible photos could have been chosen as #1. We just have to say it again – WE HAD SUCH A HARD TIME CHOOSING!
Note: Photos are in no particular order

From Torre at Fearful Adventurer: On Koh Chang Thailand, at dusk every night, it is possible to spot homo sapiens in action. These mammals sprawl shoreside and pose for the camera in a peculiar mating ritual that scientists call “My Latest Facebook Photo.” If you get really lucky, you’ll get to spot an elusive threesome in which the male performs a thonged mating dance in front of two submissive females. (What the?!)

From Suzanne at Boomeresque: These were the “helpful” instructions we were given to enter the “onsen” (communal bath) at our hotel in Takamatsu, Japan.

From Melissa at Melissa To and Fro: While perusing a local market in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I stumbled upon this bizarre egg variation. Yuck!!

From Denise at The Art of Slow Travel: This is easy!!! My biggest what the??? moment while travelling was when I came across the ‘Grand Prix Priest’ in London

From Noah at Somewhere or Bust: I said “WHAT THE?!” when this kid passed by me on a beach in Sihanoukville, Cambodia. I chased after him for this photo.

From Dani at GlobetrotterGirls: Earlier this year we witnessed the incredible Thaipusam festival in Penang, Malaysia, in which the devotees carry out sacrificial acts, mainly mortification of flesh in various degrees… Seeing some of the devotees, all we could think was WHAT THE ?!

WHAT THE?! – The Winner

Congrats to Juno from Runaway Juno! Congratulations and we can’t wait to see what you choose as your theme next week!

From Juno at Runaway Juno: This was taken at Emeishan, Sichuan Province, China. A famous Buddhist mountain, a lot of people here to pray at the Golden Summit. It is 3099m, and seriously the mountain starts lower than 1000m. We walked to the top for two days, and we saw this guy on the way down. There are a group of people who are selling the service. This guy obviously hire these guys and ‘hike’ the mountain, wearing suit and texting. Amazing, huh?

WHAT THE ?! – Honorable Mentions

Note: These are in no particular order

From Shane at The Working Traveller: I’d long forgotten the real name of this temple in Malaysia, instead, somewhat disrespectfully, remembering it as the Nazi Buddha Turtle Temple. This photo partly suggests why:

From Gerard at GQ trippin: Blurry shot taken from Thailand’s Songkran celebration. Q shooting at the SWAT team? What the?!

From Adrian B. at Travel to Sun: The Merry Cemetery from Săpânţa (Maramureş County, Romania) is a unique place where colored funeral crosses carry cheerful lyrics and paintings inspired by memorable moments in the life of the deceased:

From Zara at Backpack ME: For all the traveling racists out there, beware that IN Thailand, the pick-pockets are NON THAI! That’s right.. the locals are aaaalways goodie, goodie!

From Clare at Earth Travel Unlimited: South Africa is a fabulous country and home to much quirkiness. Frequently, you’ll find entrepreneurs advertising their services (typically builders, painters, pest removal etc) via home-made signs fixed to lamp-posts, road signs etc. We’ve seen many hilarious signs, but this one certainly had us going “What the…???”.

From Kat at Travel With Kat: At a Jola Festval in The Gambia, men were striking themselves with knives, broken bottles and razor blades but not actually cutting themselves at all!

From Hannah at Love. Play. Work: ‘WHAT THE…’ was certainly the words coming out of my mouth, but also everyone in the boat watching me too! Big thanks to our Oregon home exchange neighbours for taking us out on the lake.

From Cam at Traveling Canucks: This street performer in Bernkastel-Kues, Germany had me saying “What the…?!”

From Jade at Our Oyster: While hitchhiking the North Island of New Zealand we got dropped off in a small town where the main roads fork. We were careful not to get too close to any of the resident rabies goats though!

From Raymond at Man On The Lam: This is from the Gopher Hole Museum in Torrington, Alberta, CANADA. Basically, it’s a museum filled with stuffed dead gophers. This one was my fave…

From Micki & Charles at The Barefoot Nomad: Our “What the ?” moment is from a highway on New Zealand’s South Island. The highway’s road/rail wooden bridge was barely wide enough for our tiny car. I can’t imagine how an entire train would fit. You can just see the yellow sign at the end indicating a sharp curve after the bridge, making it impossible to see oncoming cars or trains The worst part? We thought we could hear a train in the distance.

From Tash at jouljet: Whilst I was in Dominica, I was constantly surprised at the types of homemade rums they would make, but this selection takes the cake! Snake, grasshopper, centipede, snake fat??? What the??!!!???

From Ted at Traveling Ted: On the famous Nha Trang booze cruise tour in Vietnam, our hosts decided we needed more entertainment: as if snorkeling, volleyball, and a floating bar was not enough. They broke into song and this particular number was a cover of the Beatles Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da. The Beatles never toured for the White Album, but if they did I am sure John, Paul, George, and Ringo would have been adorned in a similar fashion.

From Natasha at World Wandering Kiwi: I enjoyed enthusiastic local hospitality many times when travelling in Central Asia but I’m sure this was the only day in my life when I had vodka with lunch, tea and supper. On this memorable evening in Tajikistan I struggled to keep up with the endless (unintelligible to me) toasts and when called upon to reciprocate, could only come up with inanities such as “Nova Zelandiya!” and “Nyet Taliban!” Perhaps ‘What the..!’ would have been more appropriate!

From Irina at Trips That Work: People in Toronto love dogs. Some of them love their dogs a little too much… what the???

From Lilliane at wanderlass: When i first arrived in S.A., i found the cholitas quite interesting. Eventually got used to them BUT nothing, NOTHING could prepare anyone for the Cholita Wrestling in Cuzco! waadaa?? hahaha

From Melissa at The MellyBoo Project: Taken during my stint volunteering at a lion conservation project in Zimbabwe. We were laying out the partially frozen offals (innards) out in the sun to defrost so that the lions in the breeding program could have their meal. I happened to find some x-rated cow/bull parts and felt this was necessary behaviour to be documented on camera!

From David at The Roaming Boomers: After a stunningly beautiful hike in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains, we noticed that one of our photographs contained a very mysterious watcher.
Perhaps it’s an ancient artifact guarding the Lost Dutchman’s mine!
Look closely on the hoodoo just left of center. See the face?
WHAT THE….!

From Jeremy at Living the Dream: We stopped at a small island in Halong Bay to play on the beach. Other travelers were there, and I couldn’t help but notice that this guy was in the most opposite extreme of beach clothes I’ve ever seen. Love it!

From Greg Goodman at Adventures of a GoodMan: I love India. It’s a magical country where every minute I’m out of my guesthouse, there’s something new and different to see.
Usually it makes sense, but I can’t come up with a single reason for this man to be watering a dirt patch on the side of the road in the Punjab countryside.
Is he trying to grow mud?
Simulating the rainy season?
Making a dirty slip and slide?
What the?!

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

YOUR TURN: Which one is YOUR favorite?

Northern (Ontario) Lights

Late summer in Northern Ontario has weather that humans were meant to live in.

Warm, but not hot, during the days and cool, crisp nights. A perfect escape from the heat and humidity south of the border. Yes, that’s how Canadian’s refer to The United States.

Our mission north had a two-fold agenda, enjoy the climate, and finally find a… CONTINUE READING >>

Northern Ontario

Late summer in Northern Ontario has weather that humans were meant to live in.

Warm, but not hot, during the days and cool, crisp nights.

A perfect escape from the heat and humidity south of the border. Yes, that’s how Canadian’s refer to The United States.

Our mission north had a two-fold agenda, enjoy the climate, and finally find a moose for Veronica.

She’s never seen one in real life, and after our attempts to remedy that situation in New England, The U.P. of Michigan and the Northern Rockies, she has decided that they are mythical creatures. Like unicorns.

So we set out with no particular itinerary other than that I was determined that we would not return to The States until I showed her a moose.

Crossing into Canada at Sault Ste. Marie, we headed east along the north shore of Lake Huron.

Elliot Lake Mining Monument — The Mining Monument at Elliot Lake

We pulled BAMF into several water-side, beautifully forested campsites on our way, places like Blind River, Elliot Lake, and Mississagi Provincial Park, but nary a sign of a moose.

We figured we should go farther north. Up where only the hardiest souls, and a whole lot of moose, live.

Chapleau, Ontario, Canada

After a hundred miles without seeing another human being we reached the little crossroads of Chapleau.

We were glad to see some civilization, and it was about time to call it a day, but we had seen a sign for The Golden Route Lodge that advertised it as Pure Raw Canada, so we turned west and forged on a few more miles.

Arctic Watershed sign in Northern Ontario

Camped right on the banks of Sideburned Lake, near the sign that announced we had crossed into The Arctic Ocean Watershed, we didn’t see anything that could dispute the claim of pureness and rawness.

Grounds of The Golden Route Lodge

Fisherman returning to The Golden Route Lodge

Dinner of pork chops, hand cut on site, and veggies from the garden out back, plus a couple Molsen Canadians sealed the deal

Dinner of pork chops, hand cut on site, and veggies from the garden out back, plus a couple Molsen Canadians sealed the deal. So we asked about moose.

There was some hemming and hawing, excuses that Veronica calls moose-cuses, about how it might be too dry or the wrong time of year or whatever, but we were promised that we could see a fox in the morning.

Moose antler hockey stick rack — Pure Raw Canada: “Moose” antler hockey stick rack.

We got up bright and early, and over breakfast got the full story.

Every morning at 9:30 a mama fox comes up to the door for a hand out to take back to her den. So we enjoyed yet another hearty home cooked meal and waited to see her.

Breakfast with peameal in Canada

The centerpiece of the meal was peameal. Let me just say that the Canadian Bacon those of us south of the border have been ordering on our pizza ain’t no Canadian Bacon, this is.

Made from the loin, it is very lean, cured pork rolled in cornmeal.

The name comes from the original practice of using dried, ground yellow peas, but if the substitution of corn harmed the flavor, we sure couldn’t tell. It may not have been raw, but it sure tasted like pure Canada.

A fox in Northern Ontario

Just as we were finishing up, right on schedule, we spied the fox. Granted it wasn’t a moose, still it was something to see this little vixen fending for her family.

As we continued down the road we began to see more and more of these strange stone figures along the highway.

Finally I decided to pull off and check one out up close. While the rock man was interesting, we were more enthralled by the large patch of wild blueberries we had stumbled upon. We ate till our mouths were blue.

We ate blueberries until our mouths were blue in Ontario

Inunnguaq, a type of Inukshuk

Later, with some asking around, we got the story on the mystery men of stone.

They are called Inunnguaq, a type of Inukshuk that is shaped like a person.

An Inukshuk can be any type of rock marker that the Inuit people have used for centuries from Alaska to Greenland.

They serve as guideposts for travel, or mark spots for fishing, hunting, camping or storing food. Most, if not all, of the ones we saw had been built recently by travelers on this lonely stretch of road.

Lonely road in Ontario

Lonely- that is until we reached the booming burg of Wawa. In these parts a gathering of nearly 3,000 people constitutes quite the metropolis, so Wawa serves as the hub of activity for miles around.

Northern Ontario

Originally a tiny outpost for fur traders, when gold was discovered in 1896 the town had a boom of growth, but now is best known for the small gaggle of giant geese that call it home. Three to be exact.

The Wawa Goose

Three huge statues of Canadian honkers.

In fact, Wawa means wild goose in the Ojibway language, and that led to the monuments. Back in 1960 the town wanted to erect something to commemorate the completion of the Trans Canada Highway as it met up with highway 101 just outside of town.

What could be better than an enormous goose?

Fundraising goose — Ongoing upkeep of The Goose is funded by folks buying feathers.

The original was 27 feet high, 23 feet long, weighed 150,000 pounds, and made of chicken wire and plaster.

We’re not sure what they were thinking, because not surprisingly the first winter about ruined it.

Obviously some stronger materials were needed.

So the town raised some money and in 1963 a slightly bigger steel model took a stand at the highway junction.

The giant goose at Young's General Store in Wawa, Canada

The wounded original was stashed away out of the elements until 2000 when Mickey Clement refurbished it and found it a new perch at Young’s General Store.

Young’s is quite the attraction itself.

The pickle barrel at Young's General Store in Wawa

Antiques, curios and memorabilia are intermingled with all sorts of olde timey products throughout the store.

This makes for a way more than the average crap shop.

Perhaps the centerpiece is the giant pickle barrel by the front door. No way we could visit without fishing one of those babies out.

WATCH: Check out the pickle-mania at Young’s!

Harriet the Moose in Wawa — Harriet the Moose

On the porch Harriet the Moose stands at the ready for photo ops.

So we finally found a moose, but Veronica wasn’t willing to accept this as success since Harriet was no longer a living being, and therefore must be a fake.

We hung around Wawa for a couple of weeks, camping beside The Magpie River, because the area seemed so dad-blamed moosey.

We hiked and biked through the woods and found pastoral ponds and wondrous waterfalls, but not one sign of moose.

Northern Ontario

Ontario lake

Several times we heard tell of sightings, or tracks spotted by the water, and were told to go out looking at sunset.

So every evening as sundown approached we’d mount up on our trusty bikes and ride out in search of the largest member of the deer family.

All we ever spotted were fish and fowl though.

The third Wawa goose

Speaking of fowl, we don’t want to leave out the third and smallest of the Wawa geese at the Wawa Motor Inn.

It dates back to 1961 when the lodge was built and everyone in Wawa seemed to be in a goose frenzy.

Having gandered at plenty of geese, and still no live moose, we made our way south to Lake Superior Provincial Park. That sounded like the kind of place a moose might want to live to us.

Sign leading to the pictographs by Ojibway in Ontario's Provincial Park

The hike to the pictographs in Provencial Park

What we found was more interesting than any Bullwinkle, amazing pictographs drawn by the Ojibway hundreds of years ago on Agawa Rock.

The rock is a sheer cliff right on the water so canoe is the ideal method of viewing, but the wind and waves would have none of that on our visit. Instead we walked out onto a narrow sliver of rock along the base of the cliff for a peek at the pictures.

Lake Superior Provencial Park

Luckily the park has put some ropes and handles to grab hold of, otherwise the waves would have washed us out into the freezing depths of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee.

Even with the hand-holds we were soaked by crashing waves every few minutes, but the sight was worth the chilly dousings.

Hike to the pictographs by Ojibway in Ontario's Lake Superior Provincial Park

Pictograph by Ojibway in Ontario's Provincial Park

One set of drawings tells the story of a raid across the lake on The Iroquois, others acknowledge different clans, and some are tributes to important spirits.

We spotted another moose in one of the pictographs, but no way was Veronica going to count that.

Unfortunately, it was as close as we were going to get on this trip.

The time had come to admit defeat and start moving south before the weather turned. But only defeat for this one battle, not surrender to the forces of the moose-cuses.

No, we will live to fight another day in the struggle to spot a live moose.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

I’m Sick and Tired of the Moose-cuses!

I’m convinced it’s a conspiracy.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in “moose”-laden territory over the past few years. In these areas, I’ve seen quite a few “moose.”

Startled looking heads mounted over fireplaces, taxidermic atrocities in front of campy places of business, bronzed statues in public squares, and souvenir store mugs, tees, and shot glasses with cartoon “moose” in a plethora of wacky situations giving all sorts of North Woodsy advice.

Never, EVER have I seen one in real life.

Until recently, I was a believer in the myth of the “moose,” but … CONTINUE READING >>

I’m convinced it’s a conspiracy. Or at least I was.

Here’s why:

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in “moose”-laden territory over the past few years. In these areas, I’ve seen quite a few “moose.”

Startled-looking heads mounted over blazing fireplaces, full-bodied taxidermed atrocities standing proud before campy places of business, and bronzed statues in public squares.

Souvenir store mugs, tees, and shot glasses emblazed with cartoon “moose” in a plethora of wacky situations bequeath all sorts of North Woodsy wisdom.

Never, EVER have I seen one in real life.

Moose head in Northern Ontario — See how fake looking they are?

Until recently, I was a believer in the myth of the “moose,” but now I realize that I’ve been hoodwinked by
a vast conspiracy.

Like the unicorn, snipe, mermaids, skunk apes and Altie, I believe the existence of moose is a massive hoax.

Think about it.

Moose are ridiculous looking. Even a Pegasus or a griffin carry characteristics seen in creatures that actually exist in nature. Frankly, I’d be less shocked to meet up with Medusa.

My theory on the origin of the moose myth is this:

Canadians – being the wonderfully clever and playful people that they are – needed a way of entertaining themselves during the beautiful summer months when the onslaught of tourists invaded their country.

What could be more entertaining than sending a bunch of heat-avoiding folks from south-of-the-border on a wild moose chase? There’s a simple, elegant beauty to it all.

A moose bottle holder — Real world application for “moose”

Soon, a thriving industry developed. Fake heads for mounting, famous cartoons for watching, and trinkets to be sold. I’m fairly certain the continuation of the myth is what keeps many small towns afloat in the northern U.S. and Canada.

Because of this, I’ve had reservations about writing this post, I feel like I’m revealing a glimpse behind the magic curtain on a time-honored tradition, and possibly endangering the livelihood of many fine folks.

But I’m also really upset by all the times I’ve gotten my hopes up, only to hear the most ridiculous of Moose-cuses:

–It’s the wrong time of the day
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone trudging though the wilderness on a tip from a Canadian, only to come back to civilization and have a different Canadian tell me that I was out there during the wrong time of day.

–It’s the wrong time of the year
We had made a trek to snowy Vermont on a lead from a New Yorker who had “just seen” a moose up there. Upon arrival, we were told by the owner of our hotel that moose just aren’t around that area in the winter.

–You just missed him
I have had more near-moose experiences than I can relate in one post. Someone’s kid or next-door neighbor has always just spotted one the hour before.

–There’s been too much rain this year
Apparently, moose hate mud.

– The new golf course has scared them all away
Ditto for golf, moose hate golfing.

– They are really hard to spot in the woods
Seriously? It seems I’ve simply not noticed the massive, goofy-faced, trees-for-antlers
creatures.

I’ve also had some pretty wild conversations:

– With a drunk woman with whom we were sharing a cab in Winter Park, Colorado
We were chatting about moose with the cabby, he was relating fables about all of the times he had almost hit a moose with his cab. When I mentioned that I don’t believe in moose, the drunk woman we were dropping off on our way to the train station WENT OFF ON ME!
Never discuss politics, religion or moose in Winter Park.

– With a dog sled musher in Whitefish Montana
Here’s where we learned that moose can swim. Yeah. Right.

– With a chip truck lady who fed us poutine in Northern Ontario

ME: If moose are real, how come I’ve never seen one in a zoo?

Chip Truck Lady: Come to think of it, neither have I. I don’t think they’d like being in a zoo.

ME: And TIGERS do?

Chip Truck Lady: I guess not. I wonder why that is?

Yeah. I wonder.

The Newfoundland Addendum (and New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island!)

The “moose” supposedly outnumber humans in
Gros Morne National Park,
so why didn’t we see one?

I was suckered back in to believing I might see a moose in Newfoundland – especially in Gros Morne National Park, where there is supposedly a 1.5 moose-to-human ratio.

Keeping uber-alert while driving the whole of the island, I spied moose fences in the western area, a sophisticated alert system in the central area and very scary looking warning signs in the National Park, but not a single sighting.

Just outside of the park, driving north, David suddenly yelled, “Look. LOOK! A moose!”BUT I may have stumbled on a clue.

I caught a fleeting glimpse of a massive creature standing off in the distance, stock still. Could I be wrong? Was that actually a moose? We immediately spun around, and turned back to get a closer look.

There was nothing there.

What I did see, however, may break this myth wide open.

Parked on the side of the road was a black SUV. Two men, sweating profusely, were hurriedly stuffing something into the back of the vehicle.

A moose suit perhaps?

The Norway Addendum (a “moose” by any other name…)

Sorry Norway, but I STILL doesn’t believe in moose!

At the Olympic Ski Jump museum in Oslo, I was made to believe there was a creature called an elg.

We traveled a huge expanse of Norway by train (all the way to above the Arctic circle in the wintertime!) after I saw this taxidermy-ed monstrosity.

Guess what? Didn’t see a one. I don’t believe in Elg, either.

The Alaska Addendum (or where I eat crow in a big way!)

I stand corrected. I apologize, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Moose exist.

It was less than a week upon our arrival in Anchorage that I spied my first moose while traveling along the Seward Highway south of town. AND he was swimming. I am now fully obsessed with moose, as demonstrated in our Instagram feed:

Veronica, GypsyNester.com

YOUR TURN: Are you a moose-myth conspirator or a disbeliever like me? Do you accept my humble apology?

Seen Any Good Movies Lately?

This is not one of our usual topics, but we’re a little discouraged.

We’re huge movie buffs and we’re finding it harder and harder to find movies that appeal to us (perhaps another get-off-my-lawn, curmudgeonly sign of aging?).

Our hope with this post is that we can all share… CONTINUE READING >>

Man, can we relate! Seen any good movies lately? — Man, can we relate! Seen any good movies recently?

This is not one of our usual topics, but we’re a little discouraged.

We’re huge movie buffs and we’re finding it harder and harder to find movies that appeal to us (perhaps another get-off-my-lawn, curmudgeonly sign of aging?).

Even though these days anyone can just make their own and use this movie maker online to create professional promo videos for your company.

Our hope with this post is that we can all share recommendations.

We are full-time travelers that spend much of our time outside the United States. One of our homecoming rituals after an overseas excursion has been catch up on the movies we missed. So we rent a ton of movies and lay up for a few days watching them and sleeping off the jetlag.

Upon returning from our latest trip to South America, there wasn’t anything in the movie rental machines that we wanted to see. We shouldn’t have been shocked – prior to our trip we were lamenting that there were no good flicks in the theater – common sense should have told us that a rental problem would soon arise.

To make our movie-Jonesing matters worse, it’s next to impossible to find anywhere to rent movies other than the box machines anymore. They have their upside – being able to pick up a movie in one town and drop it off in another is glorious – but the selection is pretty limited. The days of access to hundreds of movies with a Blockbuster card that we could use in almost every town are gone.

In the age of downloaded movies, we are at a disadvantage, internet access is wildly variable and we won’t be streaming hours of bandwidth gobbling video on our little 3G WIFI card. Our wireless bill would end up looking like the price tag for filming one of those blockbusters. If you’re in a similar position, doing a search for cable providers near me is a good thing to do, as it allows you to get a stable connection as well as a reliable cable package so you can access the movies you want, at any time, without limitation.

So we are left with the box machines or buying, usually from the discount bins, to fulfill our flix fix. On the upside, we have found that there are often gems hidden away in both of those places.

Here’s a couple we have found recently, please pass along any that you have discovered:

Carnage

Yeah, yeah we know what you’re thinking, but the name is very misleading. It’s based on the play God of Carnage (not making it better, are we?) and has amazing performances by Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster and Christoph Waltz. Just two couples trying to sort out an altercation between their young sons who end up finding that being civil isn’t any easier for them than it is for their kids.

A Perfect Family

Kathleen Turner is brilliant in this. The range of emotions she goes through in this film is staggering. A women who has successfully sheltered herself from everything that she doesn’t want to see
is blind sided by the real world pressing in on her. And somehow, it’s really, really funny.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

We loved Susan Sarandon in this one. It deals with a lonely, single woman with two adult sons, one married and one that, well, lives at home. Jeff is a Boomerang “Kid” and his whole family is living the consequences. We liked this one because it felt real, yet has a magical undertone.

Bernie

Based on a truly weird true story, Jack Black (whodathunk?) and Shirley MacLaine deliver outstanding performances in this fact-is-stranger-than-fiction flick.

And a not-so-recent one:

Lars and the Real Girl

It’s amazing to us how few people know about this movie. Maybe because it must have been a marketing nightmare. Honestly, we’ve had so much trouble explaining to our friends and relatives how wonderfully funny, well-acted and touching this movie is once they find out (what seems to be) the plot. But trust us, the plot isn’t what it seems to be – at all. And you’ll love it so much that you’ll feel compelled to come right back here and thank us. It’s that good.

YOUR TURN: Have you seen any good movies lately?

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Getting Pickled in Wawa, Canada

enlarge video

Check out the pickle-mania at Young’s General Store! Young’s in Wawa, WAY up in Northern Ontario, Canada is quite… CONTINUE READING >>

Check out the pickle-mania at Young’s General Store!

Young’s in Wawa, WAY up in Northern Ontario, Canada is quite the attraction. Antiques, curios and memorabilia are intermingled with all sorts of olde timey products throughout the store. This makes for a way more than the average souvenir shop.

Perhaps the centerpiece is the giant pickle barrel by the front door. No way we could visit without fishing one of those babies out.

For more about beautiful, pristine Northern Ontario: https://www.gypsynester.com/ontario.htm

Visit our GypsyNester YouTube Channel!

Navel Gazing in Cusco, Peru

Dubbed the Navel of the World, Cusco is an amazing blend of the very-old and the not-as-old.

Join your GypsyNesters as we see the sights (and sights) – see ancient ruins, a street festival with an ornery llama, crossing guards that threaten you with whips and the weirdest rendition of The Last Supper you’ll ever experience.

At over 11,000 feet above sea level, flying in takes steely reserve and handling the altitude takes native remedies… CONTINUE READING >>

After one crazy approach and landing at one of the world’s highest commercial airports, we began our explorations of The Sacred Valley and the incredible sights (and sites) of the ancient Inca Empire in Cusco.

WATCH: The most amazing, insanely beautiful flight we’ve ever taken!

Once inside the airport we were introduced to a few treatments to counteract the high altitude. Seeing as how the salesperson at the OxiShot booth, where oxygen shots were supposed to boost our energy, was out cold we opted to give some of the local remedies a shot instead.

Coca leaves sit in a basket for the guests of our hotel.

The locals swear by the leaves of the coca plant, the plant that produces cocaine, as an antidote to the thin air.

We had heard about this remedy prior to our trip and were hesitant about trying it.

Veronica calls herself a sea-level gal, and not wanting to miss a thing while we were in high altitude, she overrode her reservations and took a chance.

Coca Tea in Peru at Posada del Inca in Yucay — The most common way to serve coca is in a tea. It’s everywhere.

Coca candy in Peru — Coca candy is another way to get your coca fix. We’re convinced it and the tea helped.

We started making iced tea for sightseeing, and we’d even taken to chewing the leaves, just like a local! The raw leaves were not tasty, and we learned to soak them first – otherwise the texture was awful.

Click here to learn how we dealt with altitude issues while in Peru

Cusco, Peru — It’s common to see the very-old & the not-as-old melded together.

Perked up and ready to rock, we stormed the city. Cusco has been the hub of all human activity in this region for centuries.

Not only as the capital of the empire but as the birthplace. Perhaps that is why they dubbed it the Navel of the World.

Around the year 1200 the small city-state of Cusco formed under the rule of Manco Cápac.

He can be considered the first Inca, or emperor, over the Quechua people.

Then in 1438 AD the Sapa (supreme) Inca (ruler) Pachacuti (world shaker) conquered huge portions of the surrounding area and organized it into four provinces and what we know as The Inca Empire, or Tahuantinsuyu in their Quechua language.

The Temple of the Sun, Cusco, Peru — The Temple of the Sun

Legend has it that Manco Cápac was sent to the earth by his father, the sun god Inti, and emerged from a cave carrying a golden staff. He was to build a Temple of the Sun on the spot where the staff sank into the earth, and that spot was none other than Cusco.

In fact that temple still stands, so of course we had to check it out.

Because of the incredible stone stacking abilities of the Quechua, the original walls of the Korikancha (Temple of the Sun) withstood two earthquakes that reduced the Convent of Santo Domingo that Spanish colonists built on top of them to rubble.

The convent was rebuilt, damaged again, and repaired to its current state as a museum.

The temple’s initial construction used the force of gravity to set the stones into each other, which strengthened the structure. Each piece was cut to fit exactly in place and distribute weight so as to hold everything in place without the use of mortar.

This gave the walls flexibility and they were also slanted slightly inward to each other using gravity to help negate the destructive force of any seismic shock.

Going from one temple to another, toward the center of the belly button, our next stop was the Plaza de Armas and the Cathedral of Santo Domingo.

As we walked around town, we noticed that many of the buildings in Cusco are built on top of the seemingly indestructible Quechua stone work walls.

Cusco is earthquake prone, and these foundations have held time and time again.

The buildings set atop have not fared as well.

Cusco Cathedral — Outside of the Cathedral of Santo Domingo.

Inside the cathedral we saw alters layered with insane amounts of silver, literally tons, but we were on a mission.

We had just one goal in mind, find the painting of The Last Supper where Jesus and the disciples are eating cuy.

That’s right, we heard there’s a guinea pig last supper going on in the Cathedral of Santo Domingo and we were not leaving without seeing it.

At the very back corner of the Cathedral we found the version of the classic scene, by Marcos Zapata, featuring a platter of cuy and bottles of chicha, the traditional corn beer.

No photos are allowed in the church, so we bought the postcard.

Click here to see how Guinea pig is served in The Sacred Valley

Back outside we noticed that this plaza is unique in that it is dominated by two churches because of a falling out between the Jesuits and Dominicans centuries ago.

Both were built directly on top of the palaces of former Inca rulers with stones taken from nearby Sacsayhuaman.

So we headed over to see Sacsayhuaman for ourselves.

David "models" the enormity of the stones at Sacsayhuaman — David “models” the enormity of the stones.

The ruins at Sacsayhuaman, pronounced very close to “sexy woman” (which proved easy to implant in our memory banks) are remarkable for the size of the stones.

Some of the blocks weigh in at around 200 tons and, as with every other site we have visited, they are expertly carved and placed.

The Sacsayhuaman ruins in Cusco, Peru — A chalkline grid shows the wonkiness of the placement of the gigantic stones.

Most of the site was destroyed by the Spanish after their conquest, and the stones removed to be used in constructing new buildings down below in the city of Cusco.

Now only the largest rocks remain.

We scrambled up to the top and found a fantastic view of the city.

Sadly, what we didn’t find were any remnants of the once splendid temples that used to stand atop Sacsayhuaman.

Only the foundations are left.

See more about the Sacsayhuaman site

Crossing guard in Cusco, Peru — “Respect the crosswalk” or you will be whipped.

Back down in town, wandering the streets for a little late afternoon shopping, we got quite a surprise.

Bizarre characters were patrolling several of the main thoroughfares, some even armed with whips!

Keeping our distance we decided to observe and attempt to ascertain just what it was they were up to.

After watching awhile, and translating the signs, we figured out that they out in force to discourage jaywalking… and put on quite a show.

Having avoided a confrontation, and perhaps a flogging, by respecting the crosswalk, we ducked into a little watering hole for some nerve calming refreshment.

Since 1908, when Ernesto Günther opened up the first non-corn beer brewery in Cusco, Cusqueña has been quenching the thirsts of folks high up in the Andes.

A bright, refreshing Pilsner, it certainly hit the spot and gave us the confidence to face crossing the street one more time.

Our morning began with a street food breakfast, a delicious avocado sandwich from a lovely vendor, while a huge procession in honor of St. Jerome was staging right in front of our hotel.

Bands were warming up, costumes getting last minute adjustments, and even some attempted llama coaxing to convince him to go along with the program.

The procession of feast of Corpus Christi in Cusco, Peru — The procession included bands, dancers…and very feisty llama…

St. Jerome being carried through the streets of Cusco, Peru — Then culminated with a huge likeness of the saint carried through the streets on the shoulders of a couple dozen men.

WATCH: The surprise procession in front of our hotel! The llama did NOT want to be involved!

Each year on the feast day of Corpus Christi the churches of Cusco all carry their patron saints through the streets to the cathedral in the main square.

There the huge gathering celebrates in a chaotic battle of the bands bedlam that brings the city to a standstill.

Then, on some unknown signal, everyone returns to their home parishes.

Their timing turned out to be perfect, since it was time for us to move on to our next destination as well.

Not that we are saints or anything.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

Delve Deeper:
Click here to learn how we dealt with altitude issues while in Peru
Click to see all of our adventures in Peru!

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Religious Procession in Cusco Peru – complete with fiesty llama!

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The procession included bands, dancers…and very feisty llama, culminating with a huge likeness of… CONTINUE READING >>

A huge procession in honor of St. Jerome was staging right in front of our hotel. Bands were warming up, costumes getting last minute adjustments, and even some attempted llama coaxing to convince him to go along with the program.

The procession included bands, dancers…and very feisty llama, culminating with a huge likeness of the saint carried through the streets on the shoulders of a couple dozen men.

David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com

More about amazing Cusco, with ancient ruins, a street festival with an ornery llama, crossing guards that threaten you with whips and the weirdest rendition of The Last Supper you’ll ever experience: https://www.gypsynester.com/cusco.htm

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WHAT THE ?! – The Runners Up

WHAT THE?! – The Winner

WHAT THE ?! – Honorable Mentions

My theory on the origin of the moose myth is this:

But I’m also really upset by all the times I’ve gotten my hopes up, only to hear the most ridiculous of Moose-cuses:

I’ve also had some pretty wild conversations:

Just outside of the park, driving north, David suddenly yelled, “Look. LOOK! A moose!”BUT I may have stumbled on a clue.

Carnage

A Perfect Family

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Bernie

Lars and the Real Girl