Category: Bizarre World

Wisconsin

By Andrew Zimmern on October 27, 2009 12:56 PM | Permalink | 10 Comments

Ever been to Camp Randall on game day in Madison on a crisp clear fall day? Badger fans take their football seriously and their tailgating even seriouser. Marching down State Street with the University Band, grabbing a few moments at each house on Fraternity Row to listen to music or grabbing a bratwurst and then pushing on to the stadium is my idea of a perfect morning. Ever fish the lakes in Wisconsin? Pull a trout out of a hidden stream on a late September afternoon?

Continue Reading Wisconsin.

Florida: Fun, Voodoo, Food and Sex

By Andrew Zimmern on October 20, 2009 12:00 PM | Permalink | 10 Comments

My favorite shows for Bizarre World and Bizarre Foods are always the domestic shows. There is something thrilling about uncovering a piece of the world for the rest of us to see and experience, and when that corner of our planet is right next door, and the people profiled are our friends, neighbors and family ... it's even more exciting.

Continue Reading Florida: Fun, Voodoo, Food and Sex.

Bali: A Must-Go Destination

By Andrew Zimmern on October 13, 2009 12:00 PM | Permalink | 6 Comments

Bali is special. Really special. There are dozens of places in the world where people swear that the air is crisper, the sun is brighter, the people are more connected with each other and the world around them ... Bali is one of those places with a reputation for other worldliness that everyone who visits raves about. Ever since I visited Sedona Arizona for the first time I have always thought reputations like Bali's to be the kiss of death. How can any place live up to the hype? And would I be buzz killed in Bali the same way I was in Sedona at the sight of my first tour bus, a McDonalds, or a theme park eater-tainment venue? I expected so, but I was wrong.

Continue Reading Bali: A Must-Go Destination.

Sulawesi

By Andrew Zimmern on October 6, 2009 12:00 PM | Permalink | 6 Comments

Sulawesi was a bit of a delayed trip for me, one with plenty of built-in drama and heightened expectations. I had flown into Singapore one day, after a 24-hour journey including my layover in Tokyo's Narita Airport, to the news that my mother had a stroke. So I got my bags in Singapore and headed back home to be with my family. A month later I left again and made it to Sulawesi and connected with my crew who had returned to Tana Toraja for the second time. My mom was doing a lot better and let me give a big shout out of THANKS to all the fans who got wind of this somehow and sent emails of support, that was really amazing. Anyway the crew's stories of what I had missed the first time around flipped the dynamic a bit, usually I am the one with all the in-country experiences and this time I was the one who was the new guy on the block. It made for a great trip.

Continue Reading Sulawesi.

Germany

By Andrew Zimmern on September 29, 2009 1:00 PM | Permalink | 7 Comments

We've done some crazy stuff on this program but in Germany we beat the band! Let's lose the easy ones shall we? First there was Chess Boxing. A sport growing in popularity every year in Allemagne. With alternating rounds of chess and boxing, it's the biathlon of new age sport. And it's counterintuitive for the human body. The adrenaline needed to compete in the ring is the wrong chemical needed for concentration in chess. Then we went to beer spas, salt caves, spent a day in Maremotos experimental kitchen, toured Tacheles, started the Glockenspiel, spent the day in Berchtesgaden parading around in lederhosen and eating sour lung soup and of course ate plenty of wurst. But all of it pales in comparison to two of our favorite all time Bizarre experiences.

Continue Reading Germany.