Deep Culture Travel

Jellyfish Lake and Palau Resort Packages for 2012

Photo by Mark Downey

Only 20,000 strong, the residents of Palau are intimately tied to their ancient culture, and to the health of their idyllic South Pacific environment, which provides their food, natural materials for daily living, and, for many, their income as related to tourism. An iconic dive and snorkel destination in Micronesia, Palau is an archipelago of over 586 islands surrounded by spectacular reefs inhabited by 1,400+ species of tropical fish and 500+ species of living coral  . . . and, the incredible, world-famous Jellyfish Lake.

Swimming in the warm, other-wordly waters of Jellyfish Lake, a visitor said, "I’m surrounded  . . . At first I’m afraid I’ll be stung, but these creatures  . . . caress my body and embrace my face. These gelatinous orbs seem downright curious. If I could laugh underwater I would. I’ll remember this sensational wildlife encounter as one of the most wonderful experiences of my life."

The golden jellyfish found only in the lake are called Mastigias papua etpisoni. Living in their tissues are zooxanthellae, which are symbiotic dinoflagellates. Theirs is a special relationship: the jellyfish rotates in a circle and swims around the lake, making sure the zooxanthellae get enough sunlight for photosynthesis. In exchange, the zooxanthellae provide their jellyfish with energy and nutrients.The jellyfish capture tiny organisms for food, with stinging cells inherited from their ancestor, Mastigias Papua, yet they did not evolve to eat large vertebrates like humans. They bob peacefully in the sun and are completely harmless to snorkelers.
 
These unusual jellyfish swim in a migratory pattern seen only in Jellyfish Lake. At sunrise, they swim towards the east shoreline, stopping at the shadow line formed by overhanging trees and rocks, where they hover in the sunlit seawater. As the sun arcs overhead throughout the day, the jellies turn and swim towards the west shoreline, again stopping to bob at the shadow line. Like sunflowers, and tourists snoozing on the beach, Palau’s jellyfish are ardent sun worshippers.

From Bea Broda, a fabulous intro to Palau's water sports and the jellyfish
 
                                                      Photo by Lorry Heverly

This year, several of Palau's vacation resorts are offering special packages:

Ngellil Nature Island Resort  Island Experience Package

• 2 nights with daily breakfast
• Boat transfers
• 3 hour kayak rental. 
• From $400 per couple

Alegría Cirque de San Miguel for Feed the Hungry in San Miguel de Allende

The many travelers who live or vacation in Mexico's historic Spanish colonial city of San Miguel de Allende enjoy a lively schedule of cultural, musical and social events.

Alegría Cirque de San Miguel is this year's annual Feed the Hungry fundraiser.

The spectacular event will be at the luxurious new Rosewood San Miguel de Allende hotel, on Sunday, March 11 (1:00-3:30pm.).

A dazzling GravityWorks performance and seated banquet will be an extravaganza of clowns, jugglers and mimes and spectacular aerial performers defying gravity on Rosewood’s rooftop terrace overlooking the iconic city.

On the menu is sparkling wine, carnival totis with chipotle, lollipop haute dogs, spicy alegría popcorn and more during the First Act, followed by a hearty meal of roasted meats, artisan breads, farm cheeses, salads and savory sides.

You can win a Rolex watch, dream trips, valuable paintings and many other prizes as part of a presale ticket price of US$85 (at the door US$100). Only 400 tickets are available; reserved VIP tables of 10 seats also available. All proceeds benefit Feed the Hungry’s school meals program.

Feed the Hungry is a long-established non-profit organization benefiting hundreds of school children in and around San Miguel de Allende. A unique model for alleviating hunger among preschool and elementary children, the organization builds and operates kitchens on state school property. Its Meals Program increases school attendance and improves learning retention through nutrition education classes, healthier food choices and improved diets. Feed the Hungry provides nutritious meals to more than 4,000 children every school day of the year, and for some, it is their only meal of the day.

Ralph Fiennes reads Bleak House, Dickens Family and Royals celebrate Charles Dickens' 200th Birthday

Click here for a short video of Ralph Fiennes reading from Bleak House, in honor of Charles Dickens' 200th Birthday.

Prince Charles and dozens of Dickens' descents also held forth at the writer's grave today in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey. Born the son of a Navy pay clerk, Dickens died in 1870 at age 58, and was laid alongside the resting places of Chaucer, Tennyson, Samuel Johnson, Kipling and other literary greats. Prayers were said for the poor and for writers and for journalists!  yea

The Prince also visited the Charles Dickens Museum in London where US actress Gillian Anderson, who played Miss Havisham in a TV adaptation of Great Expectations, read from the novelist's work. Free cupcakes were handed out.

"Four Weddings And A Funeral" star, Simon Callow, who authored Charles Dickens And The Great Theatre Of The World, read from David Copperfield, at St. Mary's Church in the city of Portsmouth, where Dickens was born. From the Daily Telegraph, "Describing the event as "a dangerously moving occasion", he said: 'I really made the strong decision to come to the place where he was born rather than to Westminster Cathedral where he never wanted to be.' "

Queen Elizabeth will host a reception honoring the novelist on February 14 at Buckingham Palace.
And, the British Council is also conducting a global "read-a-thon" with 24 readings from 24 Dickens texts in 24 hours, from Australia to Iraq, China, Pakistan and other countries.

More videos here related to the celebrations.

Karen Misuraca is the author of several guidebooks, including Backroads of the California Wine Country; Backroads of the California Coast, and the newly released 8th edition of Fun with the Family Northern California. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

Stay at an Historic Hacienda in Mundo Maya

A glorious collection of five restored 16th and 17th century haciendas are unique places to stay while exploring Mundo Maya on the Yucatán Peninsula and in Campeche. Much on the minds of travelers this year as the ancient Mayan calendar winds down, Mundo Maya comprises the southern Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatán, and parts of Belize and Guatemala.

More than 500 Maya cultural events will take place in the region in 2012, from reenactments of the Maya ball game (wherein the loser loses his head) to the "Sacred Mayan Journey" in May, in which hundreds of paddlers will travel in canoes to the island of Cozumel to pay homage to the goddess Ixchel. Special museum expeditions; music, dance, art and culinary festivals; sound-and-light shows, headliner concerts and more are scheduled.

You'll find some lodging/attractions info at RivieraMaya.com. An excellent source of insider info and ideas is Joshua Berman's blog "Mundo Maya 2012" (he is the author the Moon Travel Guide, Maya 2012). And, I'll be posting news and info about the Mayan world for you, also.

A variety of packages are available at the haciendas, which are part of the Starwood Hotels Luxury Collection:

• Hacienda Temozon
• Hacienda Santa Rosa
• Hacienda Uayamon
• Hacienda San Jose
• Hacienda Puerta Campeche

Latest News about Cinque Terre Disaster

If you've been to Cinque Terre, or if it's still on your bucket list, you'll doubtedly have heard about the devastating mudslides of last October that destroyed much of Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, two of the five iconic Medieval towns on Italy's Ligurian coast (together they comprise a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Here is a New York Times feature that describes the catastrophe.

Click here for Rick Steves' update on what's happening today, links to news and photos, and how we can help. Steves does encourage travelers to visit Cinque Terre this year, or as soon as we can, to support the locals who are scrambling to put their glorious old villages, their tourism, restaurants, lodgings and their lives back together.

Karen Misuraca is the author of several guidebooks, including Backroads of the California Wine Country; Backroads of the California Coast, and the newly released 8th edition of Fun with the Family Northern California. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

Sustainable Tourism Award for Mayakoba Resort

Built within a fragile wetlands, coastal and forest environment, Mayakoba Resort on Riviera Maya (south of Cancun) has been awarded a Ulysses Award for sustainable and responsible tourism development by the U.N. World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). 

Rainforest Alliance also honored Mayakoba Resort with the Sustainable Standard-Setter Award, and announced it as the first resort in Latin America to be recognized as a Rainforest Alliance Verified Destination. Mayakoba was selected for the resort's commitment to conservation and for leadership in improving the environment, and for local community outreach.

Board chair of the Rainforest Alliance, Daniel Katz said, “Mayakoba sets a shining example for other resort groups in Mexico, and throughout the world, to follow.”

A complex of three luxury hotel properties--Rosewood, Fairmont and Banyan Tree--Mayakoba lies on of 593 acres of ecologically diverse land dotted with lagoons, mangrove forests, cenotes, canals, and sandy beaches. More than 148 acres of mangrove forests along the coastline are a precious refuge for nesting birds and for the hatcheries of young fish and turtles. Protecting the endangered mangrove trees, the resort has allowed the forest to increase by 100% , with the result that wildlife has expanded from 35 species to more than 200.

The three hotels are linked by more than 9 miles of canals, comprising an aquatic ecosystem for transporting guests and for wildlife habitat. Each resort employs its own biologist; water and energy saving practices are used, and guests are encouraged to interact with local communities.

Click here to learn about how ancient and contemporary Mayan cultures influence the spa at Rosewood Mayakoba.

Karen Misuraca is the author of several guidebooks, including Backroads of the California Wine Country; Backroads of the California Coast, and the newly released 8th edition of Fun with the Family Northern California. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

Santorini by Lee Daley

Photography by Lee Daley

Link here to a lyrical description of the history and mystery of the Greek Island of Santorini, by luxury travel writer and photographer, Lee Daley.

"Perhaps the primal element that so pervades Santorini goes back to the ancient Minoans who occupied Crete and the surrounding islands.. Archaeologists have found remnants of the Minoan civilization such as frescoes, pottery and temples on Santorini. Some scholars believe the  ancient island dwellers were inhabitants of the lost realm of Atlantis, sunken under the sea in a cataclysmic volcanic eruption.. Plato claimed the story of Atlantis to be true and that the mythic city lay out in the Atlantic near the whereabouts of today’s Santorini."

Karen Misuraca is the author of several guidebooks, including Backroads of the California Wine Country; Backroads of the California Coast, and the newly released 8th edition of Fun with the Family Northern California. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

Terra Madre Day 2011--Slow Food, Village Gardens

On December 10 the global Slow Food network will celebrate Terra Madre Day 2011, promoting good, clean and fair food while supporting the Thousand Gardens in Africa project

On every continent, producers, food communities, cooks, academics and young people are coming together to celebrate local food—protecting it, promoting it, growing it, and eating it! From debates to tastings in schools, dinners with producers, farm visits and campaigns to support sustainable food and biodiversity, hundreds of events are scheduled for Terra Madre Day 2011 (last year’s celebration involved 1,150 events in 125 countries). Among the events:

• Food Swap in Southern California
• Albacore canning party in the state of Washington
• Inauguration of a garden in the village of Namabengo, Tanzania
• In Canada, culinary tours, potlucks, Village Vancouver Slow Day
• FoodCamp Dijon in France
• Food, History & Art in the Czech Republic
• Wintersuppe in Germany 
• and dozens more celebrations

Click here to see all the Terra Madre Day events around the world.

Lucha Libre Masks with Interloper

New Austin-Lehman Cultural Tour in Cuba

 

One of the top adventure tour operators on the planet, Austin-Lehman Adventures is offering a new Cuba tour with exceptional cultural elements. An important advantage of going with this company is that the trip leader, Chris Baker, is the most experienced, award-winning and knowledgeable writer, author and guide to Cuba, and he brings along his long-time Cuban friends, artists and colleagues.

Among the highlights of the Real Cuba Itinerary:

• A visit to the Flores district to Casa-Estudio de Fuster, the studio-home of José Fuster--the "Picasso of the Caribbean."
• In the province of Pinar del Río, Finca Pinar San Luís, the private finca of legendary tobacco farmer and Cuban cigar ‘ambassador,’ Alejandro Robaina
• Follow the old Carretera Central via Cuevas de los Portales, Che Guevara’s headquarters during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• Old spa town of San Diego de los Baños, and Soroa, and a stop at an orchid garden.
• Board a 1906 steam train to visit the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills), with lunch at Hacienda Iznaga, a former plantation where the history of sugar and slavery are showcased.
• Museo de Automóviles (the Car Museum) with members of the Club de Autos Clásicos de Cuba
• Old colonial city of Sancti Spíritus and the industrial-university city of Santa Clara, where a local historian talks about Che Guevara
• Capitolio (the former Capitol building)
• Trinidad (a UNESCO World Heritage Site)
• 10 days/9 nights from $4,998, departures Feb-May 2012 (some of the departures are already filled)

Hawaiian Culture at New Destination Resort in Hana, Maui

Seeking an authentic, culture-based experience in Hawaii away from the maddening tourist crowd? Tucked away in isolated tropical splendor on an idyllic oceanfront site on Maui’s eastern coastline in the historic village of Hana, the former Hāna-Maui hotel has been transformed by new owners into Travaasa Hāna, a cultural destination.

Guests can hide away in a hot tub on their private lanai or venture out to enjoy and learn from the various experiences offered, from outrigger canoe paddling and stand-up paddle boarding to hula and ukulele lessons, throw-net fishing, coastal workouts, and the popular “talk story” fireside gathering each evening. Photography classes, guided garden walks and exploration of the historic town are on the menu, along with yoga, martial arts and horseback riding. 

On the way to Hana by way of world-famous, spectacular Road to Hāna (recently repaved, 54 miles, 2 hours from Kahului), take time to stop at Kahanu Tropical Botanical Garden, which preserves and showcases plant collections from the Pacific cultures of Hawaii, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. Also here, a massive lava-rock structure that is said to be the largest ancient place of worship (heiau) in Polynesia.  Check the hotel's Facebook page for tips on finding treasures along the Hana road, from fresh-made coconut ice cream to banana bread. When you arrive at Travaasa, ocean-to-table cuisine and organic fare await, sourced from local Ono Farms, Hana Herbs, Maui Oma Coffee, Kula Produce and Valley Isle Seafood, among other local producers––not your grandma's resort buffet.

Fall Colors and Eco-Friendly Travel along Canada's VIA Rail Routes

Glorious fall colors are rampant into November along Canada's VIA Rail routes. Just think about sinking into a cozy window seat with a hot toddy in your hand and spectacular autumn landscape rolling by.
 
Fall Colors Tour by Rail is an 8-night journey through the deep forests of Eastern Canada, with stops in such cities as Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax. From US$2,200.
 
Maple trees are flaming red on the Maple Explorer 9-night trip from Ottawa to Montreal and beyond. You will explore British influence on Ottawa's Parliament Hill, plus national galleries, museums, historic architecture, theaters, nightlife and shopping. Then on to Montreal's French Canada with fine cuisine and the birthplace of Canadian maple syrup. From US$2,000.
 
The Fall Colors of the Qu’Appelle Valley package to see Western Manitoba and Eastern Saskatchewan's fall foliage includes a 3-night hotel stay in Melville to visit museums and historic attractions plus touring the Qu'Appelle Valley with visits to Fort Qu'Appelle, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Crooked Lake Provincial Park and more. From US$700.
 
Train travel can be respectful of the environment. While motorists produce more than 13% of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, VIA Rail trains produce only .03%. And, travel by rail also helps reduce vehicle congestion. A current rebuilding operation on the older VIA Rail locomotives and passenger cars is incorporating more efficient heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and other systems, which will result in an additional 9% reduction in fuel consumption and emissions in the near future. All paper products onboard are from recycled sources, coffee and tea served is 100% fair trade, and water use has been reduced by 50%. Guests on multi-night journeys are offered the option of receiving freshly laundered linens only upon request, rather than every day.

Who knew that train travel could be so eco-satisfying?

In his classic Riding the Iron Rooster, Paul Theroux writes: "A train isn't a vehicle. A train is part of the country. It's a place."

Karen Misuraca is the author of several guidebooks, including Backroads of the California Wine Country; Backroads of the California Coast, and the newly released 8th edition of Fun with the Family Northern California. Check out Karen's new iPhone app, California Coast North.

Biking Death Valley: Book Now for Winter

Now is the time of year to book a trip to Death Valley National Park, for visiting from now through spring of 2012, while the weather is mild. Only 2% of the 3.3 million acre park is developed, making it the largest of the National Parks, and one of the wildest and most pristine. Cyclers and horseback riders love the several hundred miles of unpaved roads leading to backcountry sites such as the Racetrack, where rocks mysteriously slide across the dry lake bed; Titus Canyon, a ghost town, ancient petroglyphs, and deep, winding narrows; remote Geologist’s Cabin; and Barker Ranch. More here about Death Valley.

In the most beautiful and most easily accessible part of the park, Furnace Creek Resort offers the Scenic Downhill Bicycle Tour, featuring 2 nights at the Ranch at Furnace Creek, use of specially designed Worksman bicycles equipped with dual drum brakes, plus helmet, transportation to drop-off point, guide, water and energy bar. The 10-mile downhill ride from 2,200 feet above sea level runs through spectacular landscape back to the resort, which is about 200 feet below sea level. $115.53 per person per night through April 30, 2012.

New Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives--Last Chance to See?

The Baa Atoll in the Maldives archipelago was this summer declared a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, an area of natural significance recognized for its harmony between man and nature. In over 100 countries, Biosphere Reserves are places where environmental conservation, research and development combine to protect and restore biological and cultural diversity.

Located on the Baa Atoll, the luxury resort, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, is a major player in the preservation and enhancement of the precious ocean and land environments, and the resort is also an engine of sustainability for the local community.

Pioneering research is being conducted by the resort’s Maldivian Manta Ray Project (with the Save Our Seas Foundation), which is helping to protect the manta ray and whale shark feeding site of Hanifaru Bay. And among other initiatives at Landaa Giraavaru are the development of Reefscapers, a coral propagation project; the Baa Atoll Youth Project, and the Island Waste Management Project.

Amid a string of 1,190 coral islands straddling the equator in the Indian Ocean, surrounded by some of the most spectacular coral reefs on the planet, the Baa Atoll harbors in its lagoons huge concentrations of whale sharks, manta rays and marine turtles, and a wide diversity of stony and soft corals and reef animals found only here. In the extensive mangrove forests are roosting sites for 10,000+ frigate birds.

Calle San Miguel 2011 Traditional Music & Food

The sweet blare of trumpets from a mariachi band, the operatic tenor of an estudiantina or the laughter caused by a bouncing mojiganga––these lively traditions are thriving in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. A Spanish-era city that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. San Miguel is a favorite of American tourists, and especially of retirees who are so enamored of the charms of the place that they spend some or all of their time there.

This month in San Miguel, a huge Mexican Fiesta and street food extravaganza––Calle San Miguel––will benefit Feed the Hungry, a long-established and wildly successful non-profit that provides daily meals for school children throughout the region. The organization has built three dozen small, efficient kitchens attached to the schools, trains the staff, and offers hot, nutritionally balanced meals to over 4,000 hungry children a day. Besides helping families raise healthy kids, the program also draws the children to school every day, which in the past, many of them did not attend.

Among other delights presented during Calle San Miguel will be mojigangas, giant dancing puppet figures created in a unique pop-art expressionist style by renowned artist, Hermes Arroyo.

One of Mexico's most famous mariachi bands, Mariachi Allende, will also perform, as will La Tuna Tradicional, a unique group of estudiantinas. Fashioned after the rondalla in Medieval Spain, the ensemble plays guitars, mandolins, Mexican vihuelas, violins and cellos. 16th century attire of short breeches, ornate shirts and capes add to the romanticism of this traditional type of music.