Posts under ‘Kitsch Stuff’

The Big Pineapple

When you think about a building that is on the heritage register you probably think of everything else but a huge fiberglass pineapple.  Today the Big Pineapple was named on the heritage register in Queensland, and while many people may consider the pineapple and the fact that it now has heritage protection a bit of a joke, you must remember the pineapple has been a tourist icon of the state for some time. The Big Pineapple was built in 1971 and has attracted a huge amount of tourists over the years to not only the pineapple but also to the plantation it sits on where the Nut-Mobile ( a nut shaped train) takes tourist around the plantation of pineapples and macadamia nuts finishing up at the gift shop next to the huge plastic fruit. The Big Pinapple is located near Nambour on Queensland Sunshine Coast. Read the rest of this entry »

Recently in the Taiwanese capital Taipei a novel restaurant opened which has caused a bit of interest around the world. Known as the A380 In Flight Kitchen the restaurant is themed as the giant Airbus A380. There is although a bit square, airline like seating for 84 people and people are served by waitresses dressed as flight attendants and serve their food on plastic trays.  People queue up to board with their boarding passes before the ‘flight’ and are welcomed aboard by the head steward before being show to their seats. The restaurant looks and functions just like a aircraft but its really just a clever fit out in a shopping centre and guests never leave the ground. Taiwan has a history of interesting dining experiences, they have one restaurant which is set up as a hospital ward and we did a story a few months back about one which was a giant toilet block where diners sat on toilets- said a lot for their food.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Soviet control of much of Eastern Europe many of the huge monuments to the rule were removed and in many cases destroyed. But many in Lithuania were later retrieved and restored and are now on display at Grtas park, near Druskininkai in Southern Lithuania which opened in 2001. The park has become a family amusement park, and has a very odd list of attractions, there are over 80 of huge statues of just about every leader to rule the East, including Lenin and Stalin. There’s a few wooden huts with over a million pieces of memorabilia from this period and even a zoo, well a pretty crappy one in more ways than one. Don’t expect any exotic animals unless you are counting the chickens, pigs and the odd ostrich or pheasant- if you like the look of them, head down to the restaurant, they have a few of their zoo exhibits on the menu.. tasty. There’s plenty of market stalls where you can buy your very own Soviet era treasure or even some dodgy beer brewed on the premises. It may not be Disneyland but you will certainly be amazed, although in different ways. if you know what we mean.

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There are museums for just about everything and here’s another unusual one- the Lunchbox Museum in Columbus USA. Allen Woodall who started the museum started collecting lunchboxes late 1980’s and today has over a thousand of all shapes and sizes. There’s some fascinating boxes on display including hundreds of rare metal cases dating back to the 50’s and beyond. Many of them feature American pop culture of the time with musicians of the day like Elvis, the Osmonds or TV stars like Flipper and Bonanza. Now lunchboxes are made of plastic or cardboard and don’t have the same nostalgia as the old metal cases but there are some great ones on display including a huge Star Wars collection. The collection is so unique it is even recognised by the Smithsonian.
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You have probably noticed here at Tripandom love big things and on a recent road trip to central Queensland we have found another, this time a giant mango. The Big Mango is located at the Bowen Visitor’s Information Centre about 4 km south of Bowen. Built around 2002, the Big Mango celebrates Bowen as the home of  well what else the Bowen Mango. The upside down fiberglass fruit isn’t the only thing Bowen has to brag about, it is also the home of much of the filming of Baz Luhrmann’s $130 million dollar outback epic called Australia, which features Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. This 1940’s romantic period piece looks like becoming one of the biggest films ever to come out of Australia, if the hype and the big name stars are anything to gauge it by. It is expected the film will be released around November this year. We just wonder if Nicole and Hugh had their photo taken beside the Big Mango..our guess is they wouldn’t have been able to resist it. Read the rest of this entry »

Going back to the thirties some bright entrepreneur in Tijuana Mexico decided to paint their donkey with black and white stripes to look like a Zebra, the idea was to make the animal look better on black and white photographs. Most of the donkey’s were white or fairly light and photographed badly in the bright Mexican sun. Like any good idea, others followed and decades later the tradition continues. The zonkeys or painted donkey are there for the tourist, it’s amazing how many people will spend the $10 or so to have themselves photographed wearing silly Mexican hats and ponchos with these dopey striped animals. Read the rest of this entry »

Starting out as a two story garage complex for the French in the late 1950’s and later being renovated into a trading centre with cinemas, cafeterias and dance halls what is now Ho Chi Minh City’s Rex hotel has seen a lot of changes in this vibrant city. During the Vietnam War the building located in District 1 the hotel’s rooftop bar was a favorite place for the American troops to relax within a magnificent view of the city. It is also beloved the hotel was used by the CIA during the 60’s. Today the hotel is pretty interesting and fairly kitschy although it has had a serious makeover, bamboo detailing and huge crown shape lampshades and plenty of bud lighting to make it feel like Christmas. The location, atmosphere and history its of this hotel makes it worth cent. Even if you are not planning to stay there make sure you visit the upstairs bar, its open around the clock and serves great food and refreshing drinks. Read the rest of this entry »

Liberace was one of the pioneers of entertainment in Las Vegas, he brought a new type of glitz and glamour to the strip with the most over the top and lavish stage shows ever seen. He arrived on stage in jewel encrusted vehicles and had rhinestone covered pianos and his costumes were the most amazing and outrageous with sequins, jewels and diamonds. Stripped away from all the flamboyance Liberace was one of the world’s greatest performers and his classical piano playing was second to none, but it was the glitz and glamour for what this mega celebrity will be remembered for. Today Liberace is no longer with us but his legend lives on in Vegas with a huge collection of his pianos and vehicles including a mirror tiled Rolls Royce and rhinestone laden roadster are on display with many of his costumes, the amazing jewelry and the entire story of his performing life. The museum itself is larger than life just like the superstar with huge neon piano on the roof. There’s a great gift shop and the trust which runs the museum puts the money into the Liberace Foundation which invests in performing arts scholarships for the young, a cause Liberace was so deeply involved in. Read the rest of this entry »

Cadillacs are one of the motoring icons of America and in Amarillo Texas they are a tourist icon. Cadillac Ranch is a project by a San Francisco art collective called Ant Farm who have buried 10 Cadillacs halfway into the ground back in 1974. The Cadillacs are buried nose first and are some of the more classical models from 1949 to 1963 and look like a metal Stone Henge or something. Cadillac Ranch has been embedded into American culture, you might remember seeing them in the Pixar Disney classic Cars and even features in one of American rocker Bruce Springsteen’s 1980’s hits and plenty of other places in the US are jumping on the band wagon and making their own version. Read the rest of this entry »

The classic BBC program Dr Who has made a bit of a comeback and is attracting a huge cult following, with huge names like Kylie Minogue appearing on the new series. Cardiff in Wales is getting in on the act, Cardiff is actually one of the main filming locations for the Touchwood series. They are home to the Doctor Who Exhibition which is a multimedia extravaganza at the Red Dragon Centre at Atlantic Wharf on the lovely Cardiff Bay. The exhibition is very popular and celebrates the 40 year linage of the series, with video, photography, costumes sets and of course those scary robot daleks. You don’t need to be a Dr Who fan to enjoy this attraction, there are some great displays for anyone interested in film and television with exhibits on scripts, writing, acting, and design and its all a bit of fun. Read the rest of this entry »