Posted by: dumbrella | March 24, 2009

COMMENT: the Big Pineapple; tourists in Iraq; the power of Greyskull

Lots about today. Firstly and most importantly the Big Pineapple has been placed on Queensland’s state heritage register, ranking it alongside the state’s top historic buildings and cultural sites. We applaud this loudly, because we love Australia’s Big Things.

The 16-metre fibreglass pineapple has “graced” Queensland’s Sunshine Coast tourist strip, thrilling and baffling tourists since 1971. More here

Further afield… Want to ensure your travel stories are different to everyone else’s? Well, Iraq is now open for tourism.

Four Britons, a Russian (who lives in London), two Americans and a Canadian have braved a 17-day visit to war-torn country.

As the Guardian points out, the timing is somewhat ironic:

On the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the irony was compelling: the last group of western foreigners to arrive outside the Sheraton hotel in Baghdad were invading US marines.

“I have travelled to Afghanistan and there were rusting tanks everywhere,” said one of the tourists. “Here it’s plastic bags and concrete blocks.”

Full story here

Do you have the power? We have the power (of Greyskull!). Tumbrella really enjoyed this story about the power of the travel blog. See, like, don’t mess with us. We’ll say, like, stuff. Yeah!

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Responses

  1. There’s something kind of disturbing about a country which equates gigantic pineapples with national heritage. But I suppose our weirdness is what makes us wonderful?

    Maybe Iraq should add a Big Concrete Block to its heritage list. It would surely help boost their tourism industry. :P

  2. still remember all new assignments that mom…

    gave, One day to eat, next day to speak, And to sit in my cradle, With no freedom to freak! LIFE AS A CHILD… I get nostalgic, and revere about the past… I dream of days when I was a child,…


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