Travels ontheglobe

With cultural navigator Andrew Princz
A Travel-Film Series

Travels ontheglobe is a unique travel-film series presented at private and public functions, institutions and film screening venues which takes audiences to disparate corners of the globe. Travels ontheglobe consist of illustrated talks, multimedia presentations and unique cultural-oriented film screenings from destinations around the globe.

Your journey is hosted by cultural navigator and world traveler Andrew Princz, who takes you around the globe. From the towering peaks of the mysterious Peruvian Inca settlement of Machu Picchu to dancing on the outskirts of the Angolan capital of Luanda or the discovery of the real Kazakhstan and its beautiful mountainous terrain, gorges and archeological sites. This is Travels ontheglobe.

Travels ontheglobe accompanies viewers to magical places that have become iconic, and others that may become just that. This series is an opportunity to travel without stepping out of your environment. The presentations offer viewers first-hand insight into some of the countries, cultures and peoples of the globe. The evenings are accompanied by a photographs and tales of a real-life journey which are followed by a short film, or documentary from the evening’s profiled country.

Cultural navigator Andrew Princz of ontheglobe.com has traveled to over fifty countries and has been published in publications including CNN Traveller, the Wall Street Journal, the Montreal Gazette and the CBC program Dispatches. He is also the author of numerous travel guides including Frommers Budapest and the Best of Hungary, and he is now working on an update for Fodors.com’s guide to Cuba. Princz specializes in tourism promotion in developing and post-conflict countries.

Talking about Travels ontheglobe:

“Andrew Princz’s Travels ontheglobe series should be praised for its unabashedly honest and insightful representations of little-known cultures,” writes John Watson of the McGill Daily, “Take an evening to sit back and learn about a country from someone who is truly respectful of these inhabitants’ integrity, rather than allowing mainstream media to have the last word.”

“Montreal’s ‘Princz’ of travel offers a unique film series…” writes Mike Cohen in The Montrealer, “He may just be one of Montreal’s foremost experts on travel”

The McGill Daily by John Watson: Digging Deeper: Andrew Princz seeks complex understanding of travelling the globe
The Montreal Gazette: Discover the world and don’t leave town
La Presse by Simon Diotte: Pérou, Kazakhstan et Angola au Cinéma du Parc.
Tommy Schnurmacher: CJAD’s the Tommy Schnurmacher Show
Bernard St-Laurent: CBC Radio show Home Run
The Montrealer: Montreal’s ‘Princz’ of Travel Launches Unique Film Series
Ann Lombardi’s Atlanta-based radio program: Travel Talk Escapes

India: Iconic treasures and one-time empires
Travels ontheglobe

An exclusive view of many faces of ancient India. From the famed Golden Triangle of Agra, Delhi and Jaipur; to the most eastern cities of Orissa where we visit ancient temples adorned with mysterious erotic sculptures. This visit reminds us of the histories that we may never have learned, and informs us of powerful empires and magnificent cultural treasures of India.

This journey begins at the Taj Mahal, the most emblematic of India’s attractions. This greatest example of Mughal architecture was constructed with no other purpose than to honor the love of a man for his wife.

We then venture off to Agra, a city on the Yamuna River in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the one-time capital of the Mughal Empire. Here we see the stately Agra Fort and the beautifully constructed but abandoned sixteenth century settlement of Fatehpur Sikri.

After a visit to the capital New Delhi and Jaipur comes a journey to the eastern state of Orissa. The eastern India journey begins in Bhubaneswar, followed by Puri and Konark where we see an impressive array of temples and archeological sites. Here we meet with artists and artisans, dancers and choreographers who follow the age-old dance traditions of Odissi. We discover the mysterious erotic temples that date from the 9th and 13th century, and ponder about their very origins.

ontheglobe articles on India:
The temple walls

Film to be screened:
Given to Dance: India’s Odissi Tradition (University of Wisconsin, 57 mins, USA, 1985, English
A film touching on Odissi dance, associated with the temple of Lord Jagganath in Puri, Orissa. In the past, a few families ritually married their young daughters to Lord Jagganath. Their daughters then trained as devadasis to sing and dance in the temple. The British colonial administrators mistakenly labeled the devadasis “temple prostitutes.” The film interviews the last of the devadasis as they describe dancing for the Lord.

Upcoming presentations:

Sunday, August 22, 2010 at 4:00 pm
The Revue Cinema [Toronto]
400 Roncesvalles Ave
Seating is limited, please call The Revue Cinema box office to reserve in advance at 416 531 9950

Peru: The Machu Picchu Story
Travels ontheglobe

A journey that takes us to the highest reaches of the Andean nation of Peru to the towering Inca mountain settlement of Machu Picchu, the archeological icon of this country. We travel the very journey of American explorer Hiram Bingham almost a century ago when he re-discovered the long-lost city of the Inca Empire perched twenty-four hundred meters above sea level.

The presentation discusses the contemporary debates associated with the site including the dispute between Yale University and the Peruvian government over the forty-some thousand objects removed from Machu Picchu by the American explorer – objects which to this day remain housed at Yale University. Peru wants them back.

We gain first-hand insight from interviews with a Yale University archeologist and emminent scholar of Machu Picchu, and the head of Peru’s Instituto Nacional de Cultura. This journey leads us to uncover the many myths and tales that surround Machu Picchu. We even find out how Bingham himself contributed to creating these myths, and we uncover how the crushing defeat of the Inca at the hands of the conquering Spanish had a lasting effect on indigenous populations. An effect that continues to be felt.

The presentation include a CBC Radio documentary aired on the program Dispatches, followed by the short film Danzak (20 mins), by talented Peruvian filmmaker Gabriela Yepes.

Film to be screened:
Danzak (dir. by Gabriela Yepes, 20 mins, Peru, 2008, with English subtitles)

Nina is a 10 year old girl whose life dramatically changes when her father and Scissor Dancer master asks her to fulfill his last wish. Inspired on a short story by Peruvian writer Jose María Arguedas, the “Agony of Rasu Niti”. A beautifully shot film, this short is a poetic tale that reveals the mythical importance of the scissor dance in the lives of villagers in the high Andes. Gabriela Yepes won the Emerging Filmmakers Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival for this production.

ontheglobe articles on Peru:
Mysteries in the sky

Upcoming presentations:

Previous presentations:
March 18, 2010 at The SAW Gallery for Marianopolis College Reunion [Ottawa]
November 22, 2009 at The Revue Cinema [Toronto]
October 21, 2009 at Cinema du Parc [Montreal]
July 7, 2009 at CinemaSpace at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts [Montreal]

Kazakhstan: The real Kazakhstan
Travels ontheglobe

This stop on our journey takes us to one of the most misunderstood countries of the globe: the vast and oil-rich Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan. With myths and urban legends abound we intend to give you a taste of the real Kazakhstan; its culture, its people, history and natural beauty.

Cultural navigator Andrew Princz and photographer Anna J. Kutor will take you on a journey over the country’s snow-capped mountains, vast steppes and flatlands. We fly in a Russian-made helicopter to what could be the top of the world at the impressive Charyn Canyon, Lake Kolsay and the sculpted rocks and multicolored gorges found here.

We then visit the mountainous terrain surrounding Almaty, with its wild horses and Soviet-era remains that are etched on the landscape. We take a walk in a central park, spending a lush day visiting the former capital’s wooden churches and strolling through the leafy 19th century quaintness.

Heading south we take you to Shymkent, a city on the routes of the ancient Silk Road. We head out on a mysterious morning walk to the mausoleum of Khodzha Ahmed Yassau, a site constructed on the orders of the conqueror Tamerlane and considered among the holiest sites of Islam. We then visit the ancient archeological site of Otrar, the town that brought Chinghiz Khan to Central Asia.

Our journey ends hundreds of miles away in Astana, in the shadows of its quirky futuristic architecture and flashy neon lights.

Film to be screened:
Farewell Gulsary (dir. by Ardak Amirkulov, 102 mins, Kazakhstan, 2008, with English subtitles)

This film is a loose adaptation of the story Farwell Gulsary! by Chingiz Aitmatov, one of the most noted works of modern Soviet and Russian literature. Farewell Gulsary film plays on the story of shepherd and horseman Tanabayev and his struggle to maintain his traditional way of life in face of the Soviet regime’s hard-handed and peculiar ways which reveal only destruction and psychological manipulation.

ontheglobe articles on Kazakhstan:
Between a Russian bear and the Chinese dragon
A stop on the Silk Road

Upcoming presentations:

Previous presentations:
November 18, 2009 at Cinema du Parc [Montreal]
August 4, 2009 at CinemaSpace at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts [Montreal]

Angola: Dancing in Luanda
Travels ontheglobe

This voyage takes us to the Sub-Saharan African nation of Angola as it emerges from an almost three-decade long civil war. This challenging trip takes us from the sprawling capital of Luanda to the diamond-rich tropical eastern province of Lunde Norte. Illustrated by ontheglobe.com photographer Jura Nanuk’s photographs of this rugged landscape we will then venture to the province of Malange with its majestic Kalandula waterfalls, and the strangely shaped stones of Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo. Here the shells of a one-time conflict litter the ground as the sun sets overlooking the African savannah.

The voyage does not end without spending several evenings on a concrete rooftop overlooking a vast slum of Luanda, the nation’s capital. Here the Kilandukilu dance troupe brings to life an exhilarating atmosphere of creative euphoria. Dance has an urgency to it here; one that celebrates life and living. We discuss the unique situation of dance in Angola before presenting a screening of a rare film by Jorge Antonio, Outras Frases, a documentary that traces the history of Angola through the research and reinterpretation of traditional elements by the Angolan dancer and choreographer Ana Clara Guerra Marques.

ontheglobe articles on Angola:
Dancing despite the streets
Rewriting history

Upcoming presentations:

Previous presentations:
January 17, 2010 at The Revue Cinema [Montreal]
December 9, 2009 at Cinema du Parc [Montreal]
September 1, 2009 at CinemaSpace at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts [Montreal]

Voyage up the Lemanak River. Photo © Andrew Princz, ontheglobe.com

Malaysia: An adventure in Borneo
Travels ontheglobe

This adventure that begins in a remote corner of the rainforests of Malaysian Borneo where we visit a native Iban tribe. These are a people who in times past headhunted victims of neighboring longhouses and sacrificed animals. While headhunting and other pagan rituals have largely been left by the wayside, some traditional practices remain.

Chief among them is the longhouse – a rickety wooden structure that acts as a communal living space which continues to play an important role in the very traditional, unique and exotic lives of this ethnic group.

On this visit we are the guests at a remote longhouse on the Lemanak River, where some 40-50 families live under one roof without most of the trappings of urban living. This is a land where orangutans and gibbons still swing from the trees, and wild boar run around the forest floors.

We later return the state capital of Kuching where we attend the Gawai Dayak Harvest Festival – where remote communities come together to celebrate their heritage in an evening of dance, music, pomp and splendor. Our journey ends on continental Malaysia, where we see the contrasting world of the modern, bustling capital, Kuala Lumpur.

Film to be screened: Bajau Laut – Nomads of the Sea (dir. by Matthew Malpeli, executive producer Norman A. Halim of KRU Studios, 48 mins, Malaysia, 2007, English)

Having chartered the waters off the coast of Borneo for many centuries, the East Malaysian Bajau Laut’s unique lifestyle is fast disappearing. The Bajau Laut traditionally known as “sea gypsies” involved in extensive maritime trading and dwelling in boats, are beginning to lose their identity as they give up their nomadic ways to integrate with land-based communities… so much so that today, only a few traditional Bajau remain. “Bajau Laut – Nomads of the Sea” will enable you to a world rarely seen… and often misunderstood.

ontheglobe articles on Malaysia:
Multiculturalism Malaysian-style

Upcoming presentations:

Belize: Playing at nature’s reality show
Travels ontheglobe

Sparsely populated and diminutive in size, the Central American nation of Belize might be overlooked as a travel destination were it not for its beautifully preserved lush tropical rain-forests, world-renowned coral reefs, and plush resort hideaways. What Belize may lack in beaches, it more than makes up for in its boutique hotels that offer a distinctly more upscale experience than the sometimes bland beachfront holiday destinations of the Caribbean.

Take the lush and tropical south just off of Punta Gorda, at the boutique resort of Machaca Hill Rainforest Canopy Lodge. This property is located in an expansive area of protected rainforest at the mouth of the Rio Grande River on a property that spans some 12,000 acres. Living with nature in an understatement here; this is nature’s reality show.

The rooms here are private open-screened cabanas that have you looking right onto the jungle vegetation. At night the strange calls of the howler monkeys reverberate the creatures stake their claim to the vegetation.

With a population of 160 nearby Barranco is a Garifuna village a people who arrived in Belize from St-Vincent in the 16th century share their specific musical history with the world.

In the north of the country is another niche, St-George’s Caye Resort. Located on an island just twenty minutes off of the mainland of Belize City, here you can have a BBQ on a sand-dune of the Caribbean Sea, watch a plethora of life in the nearby coral reefs, or even visit Belize City or the capital of this small nation, Belmonpan.

Film to be screened:
Three kings of Belize (dir. by Katia Paradis, 88 mins, Canada, 2007, with English subtitles)

In a small Central American country, three iconic musicians share moments from their daily lives. Paul Nabor, fisherman and legendary Garifuna composer, has played the same guitar for 53 years. Florencio Mess, a Maya harp player, makes traditional instruments when not touring outside his small village. Creole accordionist Wilfred Peters uses his endless energy and humour as an antidote to old age. Quietly battling to preserve their musical heritir culture while performing with passion and vitality.

ontheglobe articles on Belize:
Nature’s reality show

Upcoming presentations:

Canada: Following the Yukon Quest
Travels ontheglobe – [My Canada Series]

Head north for this adventure of a lifetime to the Yukon in the depths of a frigid winter in a place where -50 degree nights are not uncommon. This journey takes us on a flight over snow-capped glaciers and unforgiving mountains; the quirky Frostbite Music Festival in Whitehorse and even a steamy outdoor thermal hot-spring baths underneath the midnight skies. Here, we get a glimpse of the buzzing Northern Lights.

The highlight of this adventure is following a team of mushers as they participate in the Yukon Quest, a grueling 1000-mile dog-sled race that begins in Whitehorse, Yukon and ends in Fairbanks, Alaska a fortnight later.

We begin the adventure before the race starts as the teams nervously celebrate with a last meal before drawing numbers to determine the running order. The next day we watch the teams leave the starting line on a frigid day as the head towards their lonely, tough and dangerous journey. After meeting up with the teams at several stops along the way, we fly to the one-time Klondike settlement of Dawson City. Here we meet up with long-time Quest participant Kyla Boivin and her team, her family and friends as they help her on. We talk to her about strategy, walk her dogs and chop wood before finally seeing the team off.

As the Yukon Quest participants head off to Alaska, we continue our Yukon adventure by having a go at mushing ourselves at Lake Laberge. We then visit Muktuk Kennels, operated by long-time Yukon Quest legend Frank Turner where we get a glimpse of the commitment and length that mushers go to in the care of their animals.

Film to be screened: Dog Gone Addiction: Inspired by the Women of the Yukon Quest (dir. by Becky Bristow, 65 mins, Canada, 2007, with English)

Hang onto your dog team and join three women tackling the gruelling Yukon Quest; a 1000 mile sled dog race through the Yukon and into Alaska’s frigid Interior. Michelle Phillips, a young Canadian mother; Agata Franczak, a 48-year-old Polish adventurer and Kelley Griffin, Alaskan veteran, test their limits driving their dog teams through record cold temperatures and over icy mountain passes amid mental exhaustion. You will be entertained by their spirit, touched by their vulnerabilities and, ultimately, wowed by the incredible strength these women possess. This entertaining film will reveal why the lesser-known Yukon Quest is considered by many to be the most challenging sled dog race on the planet.

Upcoming presentations:

Cuba: What’s in a resort?
Travels ontheglobe

Cuba is a picturesque island known for its white sandy beaches, sensuous rhythms, colonial towns and colorful history. A favorite among Canadian travelers over the past two decades the island has undergone the dramatic development of its tourism infrastructure.

From the creation of dozens of hotels and resorts on the famed cayos, to the initiation of privately run casa particulares within the colonial towns on the island. Change is coming to Cuba, but slowly, but on its own terms.

In the summer of 2009, cultural navigator Andrew Princz spent seven weeks travelling throughout Cuba, making site-visits to some 85 hotels and resorts from Havana to Baracoa. From the simple pleasure of a Cuba Libre at the Hotel Inglaterra in Havana, to the one-time grandeur of the Hotel Nacional. We will learn of the development of a new wing at the Hotel NH Parque Centrale, and the many boutique hotels in Old Havana. Of course, in the capital we visit the Hotel Saratoga – the island’s recent addition and a true five-star hotel.

We then head off to some of Varadero’s fifty hotels and resorts, and then visit some of the newest properties of Cayo Santa Maria. We find some of the most attractive resorts like the plush Melia Las Dunas, to the environmentally friendly resort of Cayo Sol Santa Maria. We hope to highlight some of the distinguishing factors of Cuba’s hotels and resorts to give potential visitors an understanding of the many lodging opportunities of the island.

Film to be screened: Cuban song (dir. by Fernand Bélanger, 90 mins, Canada, 2006, French with English subtitles)

Cuban Song simply shows the effusion of life at the heart of the everyday – observing the ordinary, accessing the extraordinary and the unusual, and rendering the joy of discovering another culture. This travel journal is a reverie, a meditation, a hymn to Cubans and their vitality. We are carried away by anodyne details, much to the pleasure of eye and heart. The film finds its rhythm and breath in the music that pervades Cuban life.

Upcoming presentations:

Hungary: Memories of migration
Travels ontheglobe

We travel to Hungary where we are privy to the stories of euphoria and disappointment, heroism and foolishness, togetherness and separation. This special presentation takes us on a journey back in time for a mosaic of vividly crafted memories of Hungary’s failed revolution of 1956.

Based on oral-history recollections of those who lived the tumultuous events, this presentation will consist of excerpts of interviews conducted throughout Canada and Hungary of fifteen family pairs who ended up living separated over the following half century.

Using excerpts of cultural navigator Andrew Princz’s publication Bridging the Divide: Canadian and Hungarian Stories of the 1956 Revolution, the audience of this evening will be witness to compelling tales of emigration from a variety of perspectives and backgrounds.

From the intellectuals in the capital who in 1956 questioned the then communist-rule, to an agricultural worker in a village who became a revolutionary despite his own intentions. There were those who approached the revolution as an adventure of youth, while others acted on their patriotic beliefs. Family pairs also presented objects, archival photographs or other period mementos.

Some 38,000 refugees immigrated to Canada from Hungary as a result of the 1956 revolution. After their arrival, they took great pains to learn a new language and contribute to the fabric of the cultural mosaic that is Canada. In the meantime in Hungary their families remained – sometimes suffering consequences of their relative’s migration. Many families remained divided for years.

Film to be screened:
Freedom’s Fury (dir. by Colin K. Gray, 90 mins, Canada, 2006, English)

Freedom’s Fury is a powerful feature documentary about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the bloodiest game in Olympic history. The story follows the fateful fall of 1956 when Hungary exploded in a people-power revolt and climaxes in the infamous water polo showdown between Hungary and the Soviet Union at the Melbourne Olympics. The documentary follows the story of the young star of the Hungarian water polo team, Ervin Zador, who finds himself the unwitting focal point of one of the most politicized ports matches ever played.

Upcoming presentations:

Jordan: The Paths of Lawrence of Arabia
Travels ontheglobe

Head deep into the heat of Wadi Rum, the heart of Jordan’s unforgiving desert landscape, the very place where Lawrence of Arabia ventured to spearhead the Arab Revolts of the First World War. We follow a trip taken the legendary figure to this arid landscape and imagine how it was then and see for ourselves what it looks like today.

We uncover the legend of Lawrence of Arabia, a man whose legacy has left him a hero to some but a traitor to others: a fact that even tormented him in the post-war years.

Our journey begins with a 4X4 jeep ride through Wadi Rum the desert that Lawrence crossed camel before arriving at the port of Aqaba, a tactically brilliant maneuver that earned him the respect of Bedouin tribes. We get to know the country that became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We visit this country’s archeological icon of Petra, the mesmerizing remains of the Nabataea civilization that was voted by millions to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

The visit also takes us to the Dead Sea where we magically float above the salty waters, the sprawling capital of Amman and numerous biblical and archeological sites.

Film to be screened:

Upcoming presentations:

Croatia: The new Adriatic
Travels ontheglobe

The coastal oasis of the Croatia has been dubbed the ‘new Cote d’Azur’ and the island-dotted nation has recently become a choice destination for the European glitterati.

We will take you from the scenic promenades of Split to the chic, elegant Italian-inspired island of Hvar; from the central European flavours of the capital Zagreb to the historic, popular walled city of Dubrovnik.

How was this small nation transformed from a people at war fighting for their independence, to a tourist paradise in less than a decade and a half? On this journey we will reflect on this country’s path with the benefit of an interview with its popular and charismatic president, Stipe Mesic<, and those of the people on the streets.

We learn about Croatia through the eyes of its people, its writers, its history and landscapes. We will offer potential travelers insight into the changes that the Croatian people have had to adapt to in their short modern history. We will offer audiences a personal account of their journeys to overcome the scars of a war that ultimately gave this nation its independence.

Film to be screened:

Upcoming presentations:

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