ride em’ cowboy

bull riding at rodeo

bull riding at forth worth…

Texas is a State teeming with must-sees and cant-misses. And inspired by the new destinations we have on our radar this year, we wanted to give you a bit of everything too by showing the enormous contrasts that exist in The Lone Star State: From the city’s bright lights and non-stop rhythms, to epic Cowboy landscapes. Want more? How about experiencing Texan space age modernism and then Wild West rodeo?

6th street in aust

block rockin’ beats in austin

The area from around East Sixth Street up to Red River Street, near to Austin’s prestigious university, is the world’s live music mecca…and that’s no exaggeration. This area, no more than a handful of blocks, rocks to the tune of Texas’s finest performers. Find all of the favourite Texan sounds here, for every type of Rock, Indie, Grunge and Punk, all the way to the other end of the scale with good ol’ Texan Honky Tonk, Country, Blues and Jazz. To get the most out of the sheer quantity of live music on offer here, work your way around on a loop in an eclectic whistle stop bar hop, taking in all of the tunes on offer.

rodeo in fort worth

fort worth stock yards

In the heart of Cowboy country, Fort Worth is the place to discover your Wild West side. Head on down to the Fort Worth Stock Yards and find all manner of Cowboy culture waiting for you. This is the place to catch a rodeo, swat up on your cowboy history, ride a bull and shop for your authentic Cowboy outfit. When the sun goes down, the Cowboys ride out and we can’t recommend catching a live rodeo show highly enough. On horseback, the riders show off their skills in a series of events such as barrel racing, calf roping and the most famous of all, bull riding. Yee haw.

space travel in houston

nasa space center

We love travelling around the globe, but travelling beyond it has always been a secret little obsession of ours. And while holidays to Mars feel like they’re still a few light years away, a trip to the Johnson Space Center will show you just how close we are. This is the center where NASA operates; designing, building and controlling the space missions of the last fifty years and still to this day. As well as a tour of the training facilities, the command modules and the enormous rockets that propel them there, you’ll be able to take a front seat at the command centre and see all the space age gadgetry that is used.

For more tips on Texas check out our new trips

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jordan’s cuisine 101

tabouleh

Get ready for this… Roast lamb, houmous, labneh, fragrant rice and baba ganoush, just thinking about Jordanian food sends a rumble of longing through our stomachs. Similar to the delicious staples that populate the Middle East, Jordan’s traditional mezze dishes of tabouleh (vegetables and parsley salad), baba ghanoush (roasted aubergine dip) and our favourites like houmus, tahina and labneh (yoghurt with butterfat) are the most ubiquitous of foods, as well as fast food Middle Eastern style dishes, like shwarma and falafel.

Labneh, in its traditional hard form, has long been made by Jordan’s Bedouins. They press the strained yoghurt of the labneh into a cheese cloth and leave it to dry out in the sun, producing a rich, strong, and full-flavoured cheese to eat as it is, or roll into balls and eat with olive oil and zaatar (a blend of herbs, sesame and salt). Make sure to ask for this speciality when touring through the Wadis with your Bedouin guide.

For a hearty traditional treat, get your teeth into the fragrant delights of Mansaf. The variations and ingredients of this year-round dish, popular predominantly with the Jordanian, Israeli and Palestinian Bedouins, is a constant topic for debate in culinary circles. The most common recipe is of roasted lamb and dried yoghurt on a bed of fragrant rice and spices. It’s all set up then for you to grab your Markook Levantine flatbread and scoop up all the flavours for a meaty mouthful of deep flavours and zinging undertones. Other recipes call for the inclusion of lots of nuts like almonds and pine nuts, while others lose the lamb and use fish instead. Whatever combination you find, know that Jordanians take their Mansaf very seriously – we even heard a story on our travels of a Jordanian couple divorcing over the wife’s perceived lack of pride in her Mansaf. That’s some serious food appreciation.

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crimes of art? we think not…

life on the streets of mexico city, photos by Alexandra Peeters…

It seems the hot topic du jour over the summer months has been graffiti. Following the release of a few captivating documentaries we’ve been able to immerse ourselves in the clandestine world that’s sprayed out right before our very eyes. Yet that’s the thing with graffiti, its covert origins and hush-hush locations are crossed with electrifying designs and a whirlwind of colour that makes us stand back and take note.

loco?

Here at Black Tomato HQ in Shoreditch, London we’re blessed with some pretty hypnotising graffiti and street art that pops up when we least expect it, look further afield and you’ll find each country has their own intriguing way of bringing the streets to life.

First stop on our grand tour de graffiti; the vibrant streets of Mexico. Click on the image for some inspirational shots…

hairs looking at you

green goblin

walls a plenty

graffiti

life like

lady of the night

(6 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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BVI baby

My BVI

that’s my BVI…

British Virgin Islands

Snuggled amongst the gentle currents and smiling sun of the Caribbean lies a little bit of Britain that couldn’t be further from home. On the British Virgin Islands (BVI) life’s a beach; an isolated paradise to take you back to island living before the invention of fast-food and stress. Four main islands make up the majority of the BVIs; Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke, each with their own personality and unique brilliance.

We’ve got the inside scoop on this one. Oh yes… click here to find some local insights on the BVI’s.

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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which cayman are you?

east end beach

palms swaying in the breeze…

Our new and exciting squeeze, the Cayman Islands have been taking up all our attention the last few weeks as we’ve got to know all the wide-eyed wonders there are to behold on these stunning Caribbean islands. And we’ve fallen hard.

an aquarium... nope just the cayman islands water

We’ve been spoilt with beaches straight out of paradise, enticing us onto their sugary white sands and into their warm clear waters. We’ve been watching the gentle lapping of the waves from our peaceful perch on a hammock, shaded under palm tree leaves, wondering if life could really get any better than this. On Grand Cayman, Seven Mile Beach’s stretch of sun-kissed sand (oddly only five miles, not seven) is our undoubted favourite for chic seaside style. Blessed with some of the most spectacular sand and sea we’ve ever seen, all the hip happenings of Grand Cayman are here too, with top-notch restaurants, trendy bars and five star hotels jostling for beachfront space. Try out some Cayman specialities like conch cerviche and pork stew, or indulge in the island’s delicious international cuisine, serving up all the high-class classics from across the globe.

Having escaped the grasps of development, Grand Cayman’s little sisters, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, offer untouched tranquillity, where the pace of life has slowed down to a serene standstill. On Little Cayman, take to the water and discover the mind-boggling richness of colours that flourish, with corals and shoals of fish at the world famous Blood Bay Wall Marine Park dazzling with its unworldly bright shades and forms. Fish for an exotic catch too, with dream species like bonefish, permit and jacks all breaking the waters here. Cayman Brac’s craggy limestone outcrop is a hiker’s pristine delight, with exceptional bird life to spot, including the rare nesting brown boobies. Beneath the bluff, find an underground lattice of caves, filled with wildlife and still said to possess stashes of pirate gold buried somewhere within it – as if we needed more reason to explore these natural wonders.

Fancy a juant to the Cayman Islands? Then click here to find out more…

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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happy canada days

cap bon ami

must be canada…

As a special treat to mark the occasion, we figured we’d skip downing shots of maple syrup and snowboarding at Whistler to instead let you in on a few Canada secrets that are sure to have you out on the streets celebrating this awesome country.

polar bears

What better secret to start with than one involving fluffy white polar bears? We at Black Tomato were all sold at this point, but if you need a harder sell than that, does it help to know that we can arrange to have you flown in your private plane to a special wilderness lodge in the sub-arctic Manitoban prairie lands where friendly and docile polar bears and their cubs lounge away the days in front of your very eyes? We thought that would do it.

Even if you’re more city-styler than sub-arctic explorer, we’ve got a Canada secret for you too. Quebéc’s streets are a culture hot-bed, with Montréal and Québec City hosting hundreds of festivals throughout the year, including the world’s biggest comedy and music festivals, not to mention the Red Bull Crashed Ice event; a hair-raising, bone-crunching, spleen-bursting downhill ice race through Quebéc’s streets. Don’t forget your insurance.

That said, Québec can still bring the 18^th century explorer in you out, with a trip to Québec’s wild plains to see herds of gallivanting caribou, followed by whale spotting and a spot of air time soaring over the mighty Saguenay fjord.

No need to thank us, have a Happy Canada Day!

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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party on down the québecois way

Festival-d-ete-de-quebec

celebrate the good times…

It’s summertime and we love nothing better at Black Tomato than getting out and partying up a storm to satisfy our yearning for fun in the sunshine. This year we’ve set our sights on Canada’s magical province of Québec to check out its festival buzz and experience how it’s done, Quebecois style…

First stop, Montréal, and we know it’s the place to be, having just hosted its annual F1 Grand Prix at the state-of-the-art Gilles Villeneuve track. This year’s race was undoubtedly a classic with the high-octane drama culminating in a gripping win for British driver Jensen Button, and the teams and drivers already talking about a hotly anticipated rematch next year.

To calm the hearts of the race-goers, the world’s largest jazz festival brings a touch of bluesy peace to Montréal’s sun-kissed streets this June and July, with over 800 jazz concerts to groove to at the Quartier des Spectacles. Then alongside two million other guests, giggle yourself silly at Just for Laughs, with comedy galas, theatre, stand-up, and street entertainment all vying for a crack at your funny bone. Don’t forget to also check out the International Fireworks festival, where the mesmerising ‘Pyro-Musical’ will have you staring for hours into the night sky and also Québec’s legendary Summer Festival, when Québec City is transformed into the live music and entertainment capital of the world.

(3 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)

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high rolling in tel aviv

Tel Aviv

When the summer heat shrouds the cities of our fair planet we say ditch the cars, dodge all those traffic jams and unnecessary waiting, and get a different kind of wheels under your soles. Have a gander at what they’re up to over in Tel Aviv for when the steamy summer months approach the locals take to the roads on rollerblades.

Lawyers, bartenders, families, and singles can be found cruising along the beach front as night sets in for the weekly rollerblading event. Its efficient, eco-friendly, and a great work-out. Whats not to love we say?

See why we love Israel here…

(4 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)

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beach awards 2011

Beach

Introducing the Beach Tomato Awards 2011

Ladies and gentlemen, let us reveal the first ever Beach Tomato Awards 2011 launched by our sister website, Beach Tomato. Naming the best in beach fashion, beach beauty and beaches around the world, the Beach Tomato Awards will showcase the best of the beach this year.

Combining the Beach Tomato team and industry experts to form a judging panel, June will be spent deliberating the 15 different categories to announce final winners on 28th June 2011.

Alongside a judging panel of industry experts this is your chance to cast your vote in the People’s Choice Award categories to nominate the places and products that make the world’s best beaches worth bragging about. Don’t forget to drop your email address when you vote for a chance to win a very special Beach Tomato goody bag.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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steve mccurry: exclusive

boy in bombay

click on the image above for more inspiring photos…

Clear those coffee tables, have we got a gem for you…

One of the most admired and talked about photo journalists of our generation; Steve McCurry the intrepid photographer has released his eagerly awaited limited edition collection showcasing his most poignant shots that have captured and intrigued the world over.

One only need mention that shot ‘the green eyed Afghan girl’, a haunting yet outstandingly beautiful example of how photography has the ability to conjure up emotions and surpasses our imaginations.  We all love to travel and this collection of shots is the closest thing to transporting you right there. Desk-side wanderlust, bring it.

With only 3,000 copies available this master piece published by Phaidon will be snapped faster than you can say cheese.

And you all you special friends of Black Tomato quote this code: BT20CP for 20% of the original price. Click here for more information.

Boy in mid Flight India

Procession of Nuns Burma

Kuchi Nomads Afghanista

Flower seller India

Pilgrim Tibet

Boy at festival India

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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