Three guides. Filcar (the easiest to use), and a large and small Guia “T” – The large one details routes outside the city limits.

One reason for this is the fact that buses here are a system of collective, independent lines (hence they are called colectivos), and while there is no unified system, some things are standard and there are several published guides that can help you make sense of the city in a whole new way.

The more common guide is the Guia “T”. Don’t laugh at my quotation marks. They are a part of the title, and no, I don’t know what the “T” stands for. It is so commonly used that your friends will tell you that their house is in 3-c-4 of the guia. This is the guia they mean.

The one I have found more useful despite its sideways orientation of north is the Filcar Guide.

Each guide contains 3 sections. The first is the map of the city with its corresponding pages and a list of the streets and which addresses fall on which sections of the map.

The second part is the map itself, spread over 34 and 29 pages respectively with the facing page detailing which buses pass through the corresponding square on the map.

Fig 1. From page 7 of the Filcar guide. City map on the left and corresponding squares that detail the buses that pass through the area on the right.

Fig 2. From page 23 of the Filcar guide. City map on the left and corresponding squares that detail the buses that pass through the area on the right.

The final section is the listing of the bus routes, which streets they follow, and in the case of the Guia “T” a picture of the bus you can expect, and in the case of Filcar (and the reason I love it so) the street addresses the bus passes en route (which makes it much easier to figure out where to catch and get off the bus).

Fig. 3 The author’s paranoid technique that enables her
never to be seen looking at a map or guia.

The route from the 1900 block of Mompox to
the 2800 block of Remedios. Start at the bottom.

As of this publishing date, the most a bus trip will cost you inside Capital Federal is $1.25. You must use change (monedas) on most bus lines and it is in high demand and short supply. Hoard your change as if it were porn in the 1980s and lie to store clerks about having it as if they were your mom.

The length of your trip will define your fare. Very short trips are 1.10 (uno diez) while most trips are 1.20 (uno veinte) and long trips are 1.25 (uno veinte cinco). If you’re shy and don’t want to speak too much, just say 1.25. If you say 1.10, the driver will ask you where you’re going and if you’re bashful you could end up tongue tied and unable to answer. 1.25 never elicits a question.

For this tutorial, I’m taking you from the afflicted sounding Calle Mompox to its cure, Calle Remedios.

The first thing you must do is to locate the address where you are and the address where you’re going in your guide.

Then look in the squares that correspond and see if there are any buses that go through both points. If not, seek in the surrounding squares. (Figs. 1 and 2)

For this trip I’ve chosen Colectivo (bus) 133.

I’m paranoid and neurotic about being seen as a tourist. When going into parts unknown I will often write the bus route on a small piece of paper. (Fig. 3) Instead of dragging my guia out in front of everyone, I refer surreptitiously to my paper to reassure myself that the bus is going where I expect it to and that I know when to get off. I follow the addresses and street names through the windows of the bus. I also detail walking routes that take me to my intended destination.

Once you’ve got your route planned, you can go find your bus stop. You must find a stop with the corresponding number listed on a sign.* Make sure you’re headed in the right direction. Many streets are one way and the bus follows differing return routes accordingly, but in the case that it’s a two way street, check if the addresses are going up or down on your side of the street.

If there are multiple routes of the same number check the sign in the front window of the bus to be sure you have the right one. If you don’t know, ask the driver if the bus passes the intersection where you plan to get off. If you’ve followed my paranoid example, you should nervously be clutching a sweaty piece of paper you can refer to while asking.

Keep your eyes peeled for the bus. When you see it, raise your hand to let the driver know you want to get on. Get a seat if you can. If you’re female, you’ll get priority in many situations. Give up your seat for old people and pregnant women. Hang on for dear life if you’re standing. Drivers brake abruptly.

Web Help: If you prefer a computer screen to the written page, you can find bus routes on the site www.xcolectivo.com.ar, and you can use www.comoviajo.com to help you plan your routes. But if you’re out and about and don’t have a computer handy, nothing beats a guia. Just duck into a cafe and order a cup of coffee and get planning.

Extra Tip: A friend of mine puts a post-it note inside her guia on which she reproduces the colectivos in the squares surrounding her home. This way, she can move the post-it to the page of where she is or where she wants to go to more easily plan her route. She can also quickly refer to it while doing things around the city and see if there’s a sign for a bus that gets her home in the vicinity.

*If you walk the route and don’t see a sign, ask anyone working at a convenience store (kiosco), a cop, or a guy running a diario (newspaper stand) — or ask people standing and waiting for no apparent reason where there is no sign if they are waiting for the bus you want. Usually stops are marked, but sometimes they aren’t and you can walk for blocks only to maddeningly see the driver then stop at blocks you ignorantly walked past.

Community Connection

Matador’s also got bussers covered in NYC and London.

How do you take the bus in your city?

All photos by author

Any roadtripper planning to travel across Australia’s south between the states of Western Australia (WA) and South Australia (SA) will have to cross the Nullarbor. With a name literally meaning “no trees” (nullus arbor), it’s an apt description of the nearly 1700km featureless stretch along the Eyre Highway, between Norseman in WA and Port Augusta in SA.

It’s one of the world’s most unique roads as it includes the longest straightaway on the planet, 146.6km of curve-less tarmac.

The open road

For a large portion of the traverse you’ll drive by stark, rugged, low-lying bush that dominates in all directions, the only interruption being the odd gum tree struggling for survival.

Despite the harshness of the Nullarbor landscape, it’s home to a surprising amount of fauna. Humorous road signs illustrate warnings for kangaroos, emus, wombats, and camels.

Yes, camels. The Nullarbor is the last place left on Earth that has truly wild camels — up to 100,000 — abandoned after their use in building inland railroads long ago by people who figured they would eventually die off.

Driving the Nullarbor

If you’re in a hurry, the drive can be completed in as little as two (long) days, but it’s much more reasonable to spread it over three.

May as well start your road trip fresh: assuming a west-to-east route, your first free shower is at the CalTex gas station in Norseman. There are more showers along the way, but they come at a cost — around $1 for five minutes.

A good distance to cover on day 1 takes you from Norseman to a free rest area 26km east of Madura where you can get some sleep. It’s a popular stop complete with fire pits and bathrooms.

Southern Right whale breaching

Early on day 2 you’ll cross the border into SA, where scenic attractions begin to present themselves. Signed turnoffs lead to the Bunda Cliffs, a series of jagged rock walls dropping into the ocean. Note that only two of the nine can be accessed these days due to erosion.

Make a pit stop at the famous Nullarbor Roadhouse, where dingoes will beg you to feed them your leftovers (please don’t). Only 14km after that, turn off toward the Head of Bight (entry: $12).

Every May to October, this inlet serves as one of only three breeding grounds for Southern Right Whales.

During the peak, in August/September, visitors can see up to 60 mothers and their calves surfacing as close as 20 meters offshore.

From here, drivers who’ve had enough of the heat and flies can continue to the final free rest area 36km west of Ceduna — the unofficial end of the Nullarbor.

Post-Nullarbor

After completing the drive from west to east, most travelers head on to Adelaide, another 700+ kilometers from Ceduna. The coastal road of the Eyre Peninsula is the scenic route and it also offers a chance to swim with — or just observe — sea lions at Baird Bay and Point Labatt, and to sample world-class oysters at Coffin Bay.

Typical roadhouse scene

Another option for wildlife viewing is the town of Port Lincoln, one of the few places in the world that’s set up for dives with Great Whites.

If you’ve gone the other way (east to west), you can head north to Kalgoorlie or south to Esperance after passing through Norseman. Esperance is a small coastal settlement that has arguably the most beautiful coastline in Australia, which can be seen on their 34km Great Ocean Drive (not to be confused with Victoria’s Great Ocean Road).

Kalgoorlie is gold mine country and has the feeling of a frontier town in Middle America in the early 1800s, only with modern comforts.

7 more tips for crossing the Nullarbor

1. Watch out for scattered road kill along the way and stop driving at dusk when temperatures drop and kangaroos and other animals make their way onto the road.

2. There are plenty of rest areas that double as free campgrounds for those living out of their vehicle. A copy of Camps Australia (a key resource for any roadtripper), outlines all of them. Most roadhouses offer paying accommodation for people unable (or unwilling) to sleep in their car.

110 km/h across the treeless plain

3. Keep in mind, the price of goods goes up as much as the selection plummets, so stock up before setting off.

4. Gasoline can be 20% more expensive than in the cities and the longest stretch without a station is 190km.

5. Take plenty of water — at least 30 liters — in case you break down. Staying hydrated in the heat and doing tasks like washing dishes takes up a lot more than you’d expect.

6. Save your cash for any emergency road trouble — establishments along the way usually accept credit cards.

7. If heading from WA to SA, fresh produce and plants must be consumed or disposed of before Ceduna. Going the opposite way, the checkpoint is in Eucla (and only honey is prohibited).

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

This surreal drive is sure to bring surreal moments. Make sure to add yours to the discussion at Brave New Traveler’s article, What Is Your Most Surreal Travel Experience?

Can parts of the Nullarbor fit into our Photo Essay: The Most Alien Landscapes on Earth?

Photo: Alastair Rae

Piazza San Marco

One of the world’s greatest open spaces. While it’s also a honey pot for swarms of day-trippers and other visitors, the Piazza is vast and backpackers coexist peacefully with the well-heeled tourists who enjoy overpriced drinks and orchestral music at the café tables.

Photo: Kent Mercurio

The only trouble is the kamikaze pigeons. Some Venetians claim that pigeons outnumber the tourists. Certainly there are plenty of them. And they fly with abundant ammo.

Tip: Pigeon victims suggest letting the poop dry before brushing it off; this may work on clothing, but it’s less effective when a balding scalp or your vintage Carrera shades have been targeted.

Basilica di San Marco

St. Mark’s Basilica is both a house of worship and a monument to kleptomania. It was built to house the bones of St. Mark, whose remains had been stolen from Egypt by Venetian merchants; and the building is filled with sculptures, religious objects, and other booty hauled back from Constantinople and other faraway places during the Crusades.

The cathedral’s five-domed exterior is a riot of Byzantine architecture. The interior is equally spectacular, with gold mosaics that come to life from 11:30am to 12:30pm, when the church is illuminated.

Grand Canal

The Grand Canal is the main aquatic thoroughfare in central Venice. The S-shaped waterway follows an ancient riverbed from the Tronchetto parking island all the way to Piazza San Marco.

The best way to see the canal is by riding the No.1 waterbus from the railroad station in the direction of San Marco — preferably in the evening, when the palazzi along the canal are floodlit or illuminated from within.

As the vaporetto waterbus zigzags between stops on both sides of the canal during its 40-minute journey to San Zaccaria, you’ll pass under three bridges and see dozens of palaces built between the 12th and 18th centuries.

Bridges

Another perspective from which to see Venice is offered by the bridges that cross its canals: the Ponte degli Scalzi, the Rialto Bridge, and the gorgeous wooden Ponte dell’Accademia.

Photo: llamnudds

Go to the top of any of these, find a place at the railing, and watch the constant stream of waterbuses, barges, water taxis, police boats, ambulances, and gondolas pass by below.

The Rialto is the one everyone wants to see. It’s been the main pedestrian crossing between the two banks of the Grand Canal since 1591.

The shopping arcade that runs up the center and over the top of the bridge was built for a structural purpose: the rows of covered arches help stiffen it, allowing 24 feet of clearance for boats — including the galleys that existed in the 16th century, when the bridge was built.

Gondola Ferry

If you’d like to ride a gondola but aren’t willing to spend €100 or more for the privilege, you can cross canals in a traghetto gondola ferry for pocket change — the best transportation bargain in Venice.

Rialto Marketplace

The Rialto Food Markets are working markets where Venetians do their grocery shopping six days a week. There are two markets north of the Rialto Bridge in San Polo.

Photo: David Sifry

The Erberia sells fruit and vegetables. By noon, most of the action is over, so arrive early for shopping and discreet photo shoots. Just beyond this, fishmongers at the Pescheria sell fish, octopus, squid, clams, and other aquatic edibles.

Before bellying up to the crushed-ice trough to take a snapshot, remember that the person you’re elbowing out of the way may be a chef trying to buy the sardines or cuttlefish you’ll be eating for dinner.

The Jewish Ghetto

Venice’s Ghetto was the first segregated Jewish community in Europe. It has several interesting characteristics, like the low-ceilinged, multistory apartment buildings built to accommodate a dense Jewish population, and the upstairs synagogues that served Jews of different nationalities.

Venice’s Jewish population fell sharply during WWII, but it has grown in recent years because of an influx of Messianic Jews from the United States. So if you see men in black hats and side curls, there’s a good chance they’re from Brooklyn.

Calli, Canali, and Campielli

To experience the “real Venice” (and no, it isn’t completely gone), head into the side streets away from the major thoroughfares and the big squares.

Photo: Kieran Lynam

You’ll find an endless succession of pedestrian streets, canals, backstreets, alleys, covered porticos, bridges, campi (small squares), and surprises — like the squero, or gondola workshop, near the San Trovaso Church.

Just as important, you’ll see how Venetians live. Today, only about 62,000 people reside in the historic center (compared to the 180,000 in the heyday of the Venetian Republic), but they still hang out in neighborhood bars, shop from local vendors, and hang their laundry from clotheslines above the street.

Churches

Besides St. Mark’s, the largest of the no-admission churches is another basilica: Santa Maria della Salute, which is near the mouth of the Grand Canal and the Dogana, Venice’s old customs house.

The massive eight-sided building sits on more than 100,000 wooden pilings. It was completed in 1681 as a “thank you” gift to God and the Virgin Mary for allowing the plague to kill only one third of the city’s residents. Salute means “health.”

Further Info

Check out the links below for more details on visiting Venice:

Venice Public Transport ACTV
City of Venice Website
Biennale di Venezia
Venicepocket Magazine
Venice Tourist Portal
Official gondola site

Community Connection

If free is the right price for you, you’ll certainly want to check out the Top 10 Free Things to Do in Paris, our Budget Guide to New York City, and the Top 10 Free Things to Do in Europe.

Photo: Deivis

When to Go

Iceland is cold (though not as cold as you’d expect — temps don’t often drop much below 30F/-1C) and dark in the winter. Summers are warm…er, reaching highs of around 70F/21C in midsummer, when the days stretch into night and the sun barely sets.

Of course, this is when everyone wants to visit, and when prices for flights and hotels are the highest. Come in late fall or early spring instead to take advantage of rock-bottom hotel prices and cheap flights. The savings on airfare alone can reach 50%.

Getting There

Icelandair only operates out of a few U.S. airports, so your best bet is to book tickets to your departure point separately if you don’t live in a hub city.

Photo: sillygwailo

A more roundabout option is to score cheap tickets to a European city and connect from there to Reykjavik on Iceland Express, the country’s low-cost carrier. Tickets from cities like Copenhagen can be as low as $100 round trip.

Taxis from the airport to downtown Reykjavik run as high as $100 one way. A cheaper option is the Flybus, which costs around $17 and drops passengers at the BSI Bus Terminal, a 5-minute walk from the city center.

Make It a Short Stay, or a Combo Trip

It’s a simple equation — spend less time in the country and you’ll spend less money. You can get a good taste in a few days, and because Iceland is just over 5 hours from New York, you won’t feel compelled to stay longer to justify the lengthy plane ride.

You can also combine a trip to Iceland with a few more days in another European city. Icelandair offers free stopovers in Reykjavik on your way between Europe and the U.S.

Drive Yourself

There’s no need to hire an expensive driver or shell out for tours to see the major sites around Reykjavik. Rent a car for around $70/day and set out to explore the Golden Circle yourself.

Photo: exfordy

You’ll drive through Thingvellir National Park and an awesome landscape, dotted with rifts where two tectonic plates are moving apart. The gurgling Geysir no longer erupts, but nearby Strokkur still puts on a reliable show. The thundering Gullfoss waterfall is also nearby.

Along the way you can stop to make friends with the short, stocky (don’t call them ponies), and incredibly inquisitive Icelandic horses.

If you plan on venturing further out, costs are going to add up. Many portions of the Ring Road that circles Iceland are unpaved and you’ll need to spring for a 4WD vehicle with extra insurance.

Don’t need a car for the whole trip? Arrange to pick it up and drop it off at different locations, which most companies will allow you to do for free or for a very small fee.

Self-Cater and Save on Dining

Dining in Reykjavik is expensive — save by staying in accommodations with a kitchenette so you can cook for yourself.

For cheap eats, try one of the famous Icelandic hot dogs, addictive tubes of grilled lamb meat topped with mustard, ketchup, gravy, remoulade, and onions, which cost under $3.

Photo: sillygwailo

Get your seafood fix at Icelandic Fish and Chips, an organic bistro with a rotating selection of freshly caught, battered and baked fish.

Tapas Barinn may sound like it specializes in Spanish cuisine, and while it does serve some traditional tapas dishes like patatas bravas and calamari, it also offers the Icelandic specialties of smoked puffin and grilled whale. Since portions are small (like the prices) you can try some of the more unusual local fare without fearing you’ll waste money.

Don’t Blow Your Booze Budget

Being on a tight budget doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the famous Rúntur, the all-night weekend pub crawl on Laugavegur Street in Reykjavik. Just do as the locals do and start your imbibing at home.

Stock up on booze at the airport duty free when you arrive and save as much as 60% off prices in the local liquor store. Arriving at the club well-tipsy avoids the need to buy rounds of $6-$8 beers.

Get Your Lopapeysa from a Granny

Distinctive handmade sweaters called lopapeysas are the quintessential Icelandic souvenir, but they’re expensive at up to $200 each.

Breeze past the souvenir shops on Laugavegur Street and head for the Kolaportid weekend flea market. Here you’ll find little Icelandic grannies selling hand-knitted sweaters for less than half the going tourist rate.

Do-It-Yourself Northern Lights Tours

Plenty of companies will offer to take you out for a viewing of the Northern Lights.

Photo: DE-VE

The trouble is, cloud cover can make the phenomenon difficult to see even during the prime season, so there’s no guarantee.

Instead of shelling out for the chance to stare up at a cloudy night sky, keep an eye on the Northern Lights forecast. When conditions are right, drive your rental car back out to Thingvellir National Park for your own private show.

On the best nights you won’t even have to do that — they’ll be visible from downtown Reykjavik.

Save on Your Soak

While soaking in the Blue Lagoon is an unforgettable experience, it’s also kind of pricey at around $35 a session. Visit one of Reykjavik’s many public swimming pools instead. They’re open year round and heated from thermal spring water.

Get Money Back

Any foreigner who spends more than 4000 kronur ($31.50USD, as of Aug. 7) in a store should pick up a form that entitles them to 15% of the purchase price back as a tax refund. Keep the forms, fill them out, and collect the refund at the Tax-Free stand at the international airport. Ka-ching!

Community Connection

Iceland also happens to feature in 10 Countries Where You Can Enjoy Hot Springs and James Bond, 007: Secret (Travel) Agent.

For an armchair tour of this amazing island, check out Photo Essay: Iceland’s Fire and Ice.

Photo: advertisingelyse

If the Mall of America — a place that brags of 20,000 parking spots and a dedicated drop-off/pick-up area for motor coaches — doesn’t turn your crank, here are 8 different ways to spend your time.

Lake Calhoun / Photo: twodolla

1. Head to the lakes

Why go to an indoor water park when you’re in the city of lakes? Take your pick of several among the Chain of Lakes.

The largest is Lake Calhoun, a favorite of young people looking to lay on the beaches, bike, roller blade, or jog along the trails that encircle it. Get on the water for some canoeing, kayaking, and windsurfing.

2. Go for a bike ride

Biking is easy in this relatively flat city, and many streets have designated cycling lanes. The most scenic routes will take you over and along the Mississippi River.

Ride down Minnehaha Avenue to get to Minnehaha Falls Park, home of the waterfall that inspired Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Song of Hiawatha.”

James J. Hill House / Photo: puroticorico

3. Stroll along Summit Avenue

Garrison Keillor once remarked:

The difference between Minneapolis and St. Paul is the difference between pumpernickel and Wonder Bread.

St. Paul — the state capital — may not have the cultural venues of its more cosmopolitan neighbor, but perhaps Keillor missed the grand stately houses that line Summit Ave. Three residences of note are the Governor’s mansion, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birthplace, and the James J. Hill House.

4. Go to the theater

The Twin Cities’ theater scene may not compare with Broadway, but Minneapolis’s landmark Guthrie Theater puts on high-quality classic and original productions. If you’re in town this fall, a national engagement of Little House on the Prairie will begin at the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul, with Melissa Gilbert playing Ma.

5. Eat

The Twin Cities aren’t strictly meat-and-potatoes territory and, these days, ethnic food isn’t limited to lutefisk. Although an overwhelmingly white metropolis less than 20 years ago, recent immigration from Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Latin America has added an international array of cuisines to the city’s food scene.

Cafe Latte / Photo: tboard

A global smorgasboard of eating options is available at the Midtown Global Market and along Eat Street, between Grant and 29th Streets.

For more upscale dining and nightlife, head to the Warehouse District near downtown, where your options include a number of sushi joints, an organic cafe, and Pizza Luce, considered to have the best pizza in town. Dessert lovers shouldn’t miss the decadent cakes at Cafe Latte on Grand Ave. in St. Paul.

6. Shop on Grand Avenue

OK, so you will probably break down and need your shopping fix. Grand Ave. in St. Paul is home to numerous independent shops and boutiques, as well as some chain stores.

7. Visit an art gallery or museum

Minneapolis is home to several impressive art collections.

Photo: A.M. Kuchling

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts features one of the most extensive collections of world art in the Midwest, while the Walker Art Center is considered one of the top modern art museums in the country. Across the street from the latter is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, where you will find Claes Oldenburg’s Spoonbridge and Cherry.

If history is more your thing, the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul is home to changing exhibits about the state’s past. Science geeks will enjoy the Science Museum of Minnesota, which overlooks the Mississippi River and has an exhibit dedicated to it.

8. Attend a fair

State and county fairs are a Minnesota tradition. Each summer, Minnesota’s counties hold their own fairs. The main event is the Minnesota State Fair, which is running from August 27 to September 7 this year.

Known as the “Minnesota State Get-Together,” it’s the event where Minnesotans gather to celebrate their agricultural heritage and show off livestock, like a scene straight out of Charlotte’s Web. Disregard any healthy eating habits you may be following — standard Minnesotan fair food is deep fried and comes on a stick.

Community Connection

If you’re looking to combine a trip to the Minnesota State Fair with a visit to another Midwest city, make sure to check out Chicago on a Budget.

The Kimberley / Photo: Flemming Bo Jensen

Most travelers that come to Australia only stick to the east: Melbourne, Sydney, the Gold Coast, Brisbane. If you want to experience the real Australia, head 4000 kilometers west to the most isolated places on the continent.

Western Australia is five times the area of Texas, but is home to just 2.2 million people. That’s a lot of room to move. So hire a 4WD, pick up a cheap Ford wagon, or climb aboard one of the hop-on-hop-off buses running up and down the coast.

Working south to north, here are 10 spots you should hit:

1. Esperance

This windy coastal town is home to some of the whitest beaches in the world. The surrounding national parks offer miles of coastline to explore on foot or by 4WD. At this isolated former whaling outpost, the Indian and Southern Oceans crash with each other. The numerous uninhabited islands just offshore make a fine place to play pirates. Or just go fishing.

Photo: robertpaulyoung

2. Margaret River

Likened to Byron Bay (but with less hippies) the natural appeal of “Margs” soon led to its gentrification. But even the weekend influx of lawyers in Saabs can’t detract from the region’s charm. Minutes from town, old growth karri forests hide countless vineyards which consistently produce world-class wines, especially sauvignon blancs and cab savs.

On the coast, try your hand at finding some roaring surfbreaks, hidden away down dirt tracks. If time is not on your side, Margaret’s Main Break offers some of the most accessible — and biggest — waves around.

3. Fremantle

This port city underwent a major facelift prior to the 1987 America’s Cup, but more than two decades later, “Freo” retains much of its Mediterranean magic. Grab an espresso on The Strip and you could be in any European seaside town — if you can ignore the teenagers in their V8s lapping the boulevard, that is.

Check out the famous markets or immerse yourself in Australian culture and watch local footy team, the Dockers.

Photo: Flemming Bo Jensen

4. Perth

Set on the banks of the sparkling Swan River, Western Australia’s capital is pleasant and offers a fine base to launch your adventures from. Groovy enclaves such as Subiaco and Leederville offer cool shops, cafes, and bars, while the beaches just 15 minutes from the city are as good as you’ll find anywhere.

Leighton, Cottesloe, and Scarborough have the shimmering sands and blue-green Indian Ocean to match any tropical island.

Kings Park is the spot to wander among towering lemon gums while looking down on the sprawling Swan.

5. Rottnest

Just a ferry ride from Perth but worlds apart. Cars are banned so hop on your bike and hit the bays for snorkeling, fishing, surfing, or lazing about. Befriend a quokka — the famous wallabies (like a pint-sized kangaroo) found all over. Dutch explorers mistook the little buggers for rats, hence the name ‘Rat’s Nest.’

Camp or stay in self-contained bungalows and don’t miss the Quokka Arms — the island’s only pub with views of the city back across Cockburn Sound.

6. Kalbarri

Steep river canyons wind their way to the coast near this quiet crayfishing town where the sheer cliffs provide a perfect vantage point for whale and dolphin watching. Fish the rivermouth, visit Finlay’s fish barbecue, or try to sneak in a few waves with the locals at one of the world’s heaviest left-hand reef ledges.

Photo: rggoldie

7. Monkey Mia

Ever wanted to pet a dolphin? Here’s your chance. Generations of dolphins have been visiting this remote beach since the 1960s when a local fisherman began feeding them each day. The calm, crystal waters of Shark Bay make great conditions to spot these gentles creatures cruising the shallows, and Monkey Mia Dolphin Resort on the beachfront has accommodations to suit every budget.

8. Ningaloo

Ningaloo is the jewel of the North West. Stretching for more than 250km along the coast, it’s one of the largest fringing reefs in the world and the most accessible, coming to within 100 meters of the coast at certain points. From Coral Bay, through North West Cape, to Exmouth, the reef offers incredible fishing, snorkeling, surfing, and diving in warm water all year round.

Step off the beach into turquoise waters to see turtles, whale sharks, manta rays, and more.

9. Broome

Camels on Cable Beach / Photo: Flemming Bo Jensen

Now you’re entering the tropics proper. Long a favourite of backpackers and those fleeing the winter chill, this town is lazy and sun-drenched. Nobody hurries — they’re all on ‘Broometime.’

Do some nude sunbathing or just enjoy the sunset view at the famous Cable Beach, down a mango beer at Matso’s microbrewery, visit a pearl farm…there’s plenty to do.

North of town, the aboriginal-run Kooljaman camp at Cape Leveque is worth the drive. Palm-frond huts and 5-star safari tents overlook a typically stunning West Oz beachscape.

10. The Kimberley

Photo: Flemming Bo Jensen

The last frontier of the West, this is where things get wild. 4WD vehicles are essential for exploring this ancient land of hidden waterfalls, ochre cliffs, and indigenous rock art. Derby marks the start of the Gibb River Road: 600km of bone-jarring track through the heart of the rugged north. If you make it through, be sure to pop into El Questro, a million-acre former cattle ranch, now turned wilderness park.

With extra time, worthwhile detours are the national parks of Karijini and Millstream-Chichester in Western Austrlalia’s Pilbara region. Closer to Perth, the Pinnacles — a spooky landscape of petrified trees in the desert — also warrants your consideration.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Interested in visiting Down Under but aren’t sure how you can pull it off financially? Check out Matador’s Contest Alert: Win a Trip to Australia.

For a broader look on what there is to see and do in this part of the world, click over to 15 Things You Can’t Miss in Australia and Top 10 Places to Study in New Zealand and Australia.

Photo: Larsz / Feature photo: Mike Willis

1. Spearfish Canyon National Scenic Byway

This is a fantastic drive in any season, where you’ll find granite walls specked with Black Hills spruce and aspen, tumbling waterfalls, and rolling creeks cascading over rocky beds.

The hike to Roughlock Falls is the perfect way to connect with nature. In the fall months the reds, oranges, and yellows of the trees, combined with the deep canyon walls and surging falls, provide plenty of visual and aural stimulation.

Photo: allygirl520

2. Deadwood

This restored gold-mining town is a national historic landmark, with architecture dating from the late nineteenth century. Gambling is legal here, so if you enjoy the slots, or just like bantering with witty bartenders, head to one of the numerous casinos.

If history is what you’re after, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried at the Mount Moriah Cemetery. The Adam’s House Museum provides an educational perspective on Deadwood and the Black Hills.

There are also some great events in town. My favorite, the Deadwood Jam in mid-September, is an eclectic music festival showcasing blues, country, rock ‘n’ roll, and reggae. You can line up lawn chairs at the outdoor venue, crack open some drinks, and enjoy the local company.

3. Mount Rushmore

Visiting Mount Rushmore renews my patriotic spirit no matter how many times I’ve seen it. National pride swells as your eyes wander over the 60ft carvings by Gutzon Borglum and his 400 helpers. The nightly lighting ceremony, accompanied by patriotic music, is a reminder to be thankful for the privileges we enjoy as Americans.

4. Keystone

Two miles from Mount Rushmore, Keystone is an entertaining stop. Dip into the shops and restaurants, fly down the alpine slide, or watch a wood carver transform a tree stump into a proud bald eagle or bulky bison. You can also ride a tram, pan for gold, relax on the verandas, and visit the Presidential Wax Museum.

Big Time Pizza in the Roosevelt Inn has the best pies in the region. Ask for my favorite, the Super Supreme.

5. Hill City

This hospitable town has a quaint Main Street lined with art galleries and shops full of gifts and antiques. Hill City is also home to the 1880 steam train, which winds it’s way from here to Keystone.

Near Rapid City — the gateway to the Black Hills — visit the Circle B Ranch for an authentic western experience. Eat a proper cowboy meal, bob your head to twangy country music, watch a gun fight, and go horseback riding. The Flying T Chuckwagon Supper & Show or the Fort Hays Chuckwagon Supper & Show can also satisfy the little cowboy in you.

6. Crazy Horse Memorial

My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has great heroes, also.

- Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear to Korczak Ziolkowski

Photo: Jennifer L. Sovanski

These words set in motion the building of the Crazy Horse Memorial, 17 miles from Mount Rushmore. The head alone is planned to exceed the size of the presidents’ heads by over 20 feet.

Although Mr. Ziolkowski was twice offered $10 million from the U.S. government to fund the project, he declined it on the principle that his broader educational vision would be compromised by federal involvement.

Mr. Ziolkowski died in 1982 but his wife, Ruth, and most of their 10 children have continued the work.

7. Harney Peak

Hiking to the top of Harney Peak — the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains at 7,244 feet — is well worth the sweat. On my first attempt I was unable to make it to the top, despite encouragement from hikers coming down.

However, I vowed to make it the next time — and I did. On a clear day, you have panoramic views of South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Montana from the fire lookout tower.

On the way down, this time it was I who encouraged others to keep going.

8. Needles Highway

Located in Custer State Park, the Needles Highway is a road worth traveling for views of the 20-40ft granite spires reaching to the sky, backdropped by thick forest. Drive carefully — the single-lane tunnel is a little harrowing.

9. Caves

There are eight caves to tour in the Black Hills, two being part of national parks and six owned privately. Inside one of the largest cave systems in the world, you can expect to see unique calcite crystals, arranged in a honeycomb-like pattern, embedded in the limestone walls.

As the temperatures in the caves stay consistently in the 50s F, they’re great for cooling off when it’s too hot up top.

Photo: IndigoValley

10. Custer State Park

At 71,000 acres, Custer State Park is a great place for wildlife viewing. You can spot hordes of buffalo grazing on the green grass from Wildlife Loop Road.

Every time I see them, I’m amazed by their size and presence and am reminded of their connection to the Lakota Nation, who relied on buffalo for survival.

I giggle at the wild burros in the park, who stick their snouts into car windows looking for food. Mountain goats, antelope, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, and wild turkeys are other animals you might be able to glimpse during a visit.

Looking for some relaxation? The lakes here are the perfect prescription for stress. Swim or fish, or simply wade around for some therapeutic calming.

More information

Make sure you visit the South Dakota Tourism website for more on the area’s history, events, and things to do.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

If you’re looking for more great itineraries and ideas in the States, check out Gateway to Pristine America: 12 Towns on the Edge of Spectacular Wilderness and Bike Touring Montana: Classic Big Sky Rides.

Why not save some money while you’re at it? Have a read of 8 Ways to Save Money on a U.S. Cross-Country Road Trip.

Photo: Wonderlane

An hour’s drive through the desert from either La Paz or Los Cabos will bring you to the wonderfully strange Pacific coast town of Todos Santos.

Imagine a Marin County artists’ colony crossed with a sleepy Mexican pueblo. Throw in a handful of baby-boomer tourists and a literal oasis of palm trees and cool blue water surrounded on three sides by desert and on one by the Pacific.

On a dark desert highway…

The main attraction in Todos Santos is — and has been since 1947 — the Hotel California.

Photo: author

While this particular hotel didn’t actually inspire the Eagles’ song, it’s easy to see why that myth has been so persistent: the “dark desert highway” that leads you there, the candlelit alcoves, the funky combination of modern art and Mexican handicrafts, the mysterious air of the old building.

You can almost believe it’s a hallucination, or a song.

It’s worth the splurge to spend a night or more in one of the comfortable, colorful rooms (each one’s different), especially if you’re traveling with your sweetie.

Either way, drop by for a shot (or a margarita) of the Hotel California’s award-winning tequila in the hotel bar, La Coronela — or check out the stars (and wild modern art) from the outdoor dining room as you sip.

More digs

For the backpacker’s budget, Todos Santos and the nearby town of Pescadero offer relatively few, but extremely cool, accommodations.

In Pescadero, Jaime’s Surf Camp gives you the option of camping-style palapas or more private casitas — AND a BYOB swim-up bar. Also get deals on surfboard and boogie board rentals, as well as a shuttle to the beach. Pizza and beer (and reggae night on Wednesdays) are within easy walking distance.

In Todos Santos, try La Sirena — again, rentals for ocean sports and basic but comfy casitas with a shared kitchen at reasonable prices.

Photo: kumar303

Run by American expat and turtle warrior Francesca and her Mexican partner (and their two bicultural kiddos), you’ll get friendly advice on how to best spend your time in Baja, including tips on hikes, wildlife viewing, great food, and of course all things turtle-related.

Or, you can always go for the classic surf vacation option of camping on the beach — for free.

Away from the surf and sand

If you tire of the beach, the Todos Santos museum is free, and a weird, disorganized, and oddly fascinating jumble of local history (including haunting photos of Todos Santos’ founding families), reproductions of Frida Kahlo paintings, the work of local artists, and artifacts from the indigenous groups that once inhabited the area.

Photo: Tokyo Tanenhaus

While Baja doesn’t have much to offer in the way of local handicrafts (most of the ones you’ll see for sale are from Oaxaca and Tlaxcala), it has local artists in abundance.

You could easily spend an entire afternoon browsing the galleries, and if you take a look at one of the local papers or magazines, there’s a good chance you’ll find an opening, reading, or at least a yoga class to attend.

Ask around for directions to the oasis when the heat gets to be too much. Swimming under towering palm trees, plucking a convenient mango when you get hungry — the whole trip might just be worth it, right there.

Community Connection

Destinations

Community Connection to Mexico

But…Is Traveling to Mexico Dangerous? Read Julie Schwietert’s take and decide for yourself.

Matador contributor Misty Tosh knows Baja well. Make sure to give her piece on The Ultimate Baja Escape a read.

Many community blogs have also been written on the region.

There are plenty of opportunities to give back in Baja. For starters, click over to First Person Dispatch: Caring for Orphaned Kids in Mexico and Saving Turtles in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Photo above and feature photo: Gret@Lorenz

Tasty Cuisine

Rabat and Fez are the best places for serious culinary explorations. While Rabat is the most modern and comfortable Moroccan city, Fez is traditional and fascinating. Both offer perfect moods for culinary adventures and both have attracted some of the best chefs in the country.

Some might argue that Marrakech is also a great culinary destination — and I wouldn’t disagree — but what’s happening in Rabat and Fez goes beyond catering to tourists and is directed at locals as well.

Here are some unique Moroccan culinary experiences worth seeking out:

White truffles

Photo: Gret@Lorenz

You can find these for sale along the road from Rabat to Meknes.

Artfully stacked on overturned buckets, they’re sold near oak trees growing in a special soil that stimulates the symbiotic relationship between the truffle and the oak roots.

Argan oil

A specialty of Morocco. It’s a toasty, nutty oil, traditionally derived from a complex process: the undigested pits of the Argan fruit, after being eaten by tree-climbing goats, are picked from the animals’ dung, then cleaned and toasted.

Next, the pits are ground or pressed and the oil is bottled for culinary uses or further processed for cosmetic creams and ointments.

But worry not, today the oil is produced in a more sanitary way. Its taste is a cross between peanut oil and freshly mashed green olives — an absolutely delicious way to dress a salad.

Saffron

Taliouine — south of Marrakech — offers a unique twist to the more commonly available Spanish and Iranian saffrons. The saffron of Taliouine has its own flavor due to southern Morocco’s soil makeup.

Wine

The Meknes Valley yields the finest Moroccan wine, which has come a long way. While wine grapes have been grown here since Roman times, in the past twenty years the industry has begun to make certain vintages that wine lovers the world over would gladly add to their cellars.

Photo: dominikgolenia

A particular favorite of mine is Château Roslane Premier Cru from A.O.C. Les Coteaux de l’Atlas.

Escargot

Steamed and ladled cups of brothy escargot are a fun snack that you will most likely see on the street at night.

People gather around the snail seller’s cart and sip and nibble on these hot little striped-shell delicacies.

Sacred Experiences

The biggest challenge to travel in Morocco is that non-Muslim visitors are not allowed into mosques and shrines, with the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca being the exception.

Yet, the natural beauty of Morocco more than makes up for this and possesses what my Moroccan friend Saadia would call “the Big Waloo” — the Big Nothing — as in total, pure divine presence.

From ocean vista to mountain pass to the Big Waloo of the rosy-orange desert dunes of the south, the natural world’s sacred is open to all. You can take your pick following your own preferences.

For ocean-lovers, explore the Atlantic coast from Asilah to Essaouira.

Photo: Rosino

If you’re into mountains, anywhere in the interior — from north to south — gives way to great views whose only sign of human habitation comes from the shepherds and their brown-faced sheep, black goats, and sturdy donkeys.

Those who hear the desert’s call should head south to Merzouga and ride on a camel trek into the dunes.

For a rare chance at experiencing Moroccan sacred traditions as a local, come to Fez in June and July for The Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, when sacred spaces otherwise closed to visitors open their doors throughout the city.

Another similar music festival unfolds annually in Essaouira in June: The Gnaoua and World Music Festival.

Romantic Locales

Asilah and Essaouira command a romantic air, with their oceanside settings and well-established art scenes. These are also two cities with an open, international mood that makes them relaxing.

Asilah is smaller and a bit more intimate, while Essaouira has more expansive possibilities. Both have the dramatic backdrop of fortified old towns against the great watery blue of the Atlantic.

Rabat is Morocco’s most mellow and cosmopolitan city, one that invites visitor interaction with the locals. Numerous cafes offer comfortable places for men and women to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee.

Photo: Vibragiel

Seaside Rabat’s medieval neighborhood, the walled medina, is a welcoming place to walk, shop, and talk to artisans carving or painting wood or working silver and gold.

Finally, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, the Roman provincial capital of this part of Africa (and known in Arabic as Walili), is worth a mention.

Its romantic appeal lies in the beautiful Meknes Valley that surrounds it, and in the ancient stones and mosaics of the old city.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Other guides in the Eat, Pray, Love series can be found on Portugal and Spain.

Three more articles that will satiate your food, spirit, and love needs are The World’s Best Cities for Late Night Food, How to Respectfully Visit Holy Places Around the World, and The Romantic’s Cheap Guide to Southern France.

Photo: Lola Akinmade

Let’s face it: Peru hasn’t done much to make Machu Picchu a budget travel destination.

You’ll drop at least a few hundred on a trek along the Inca Trail. Longer routes can run up to four digits a person, if you book with an agency that actually pays their guides and porters well and cares something for the environment.

Or you have the train. For a seat in the lowest class (Backpacker), British-owned PeruRail charges $50 for the three-hour one-way journey from Poroy (Cuzco). If this is sold out—as it often is in the high season—you’ll need to upgrade to Vistadome class for $70.

And that’s just the transportation. Once you get to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Town), you’ll be faced with inflated hostel rates and food prices. And finally, the unavoidable 124 soles (~$40) for entry to the site itself.

Photo: foxtwo

All told, you’re looking at around $200/person as a minimum.

Fortunately, within the last couple years a new option has popped up, one that hasn’t yet made it into most guidebooks: Machu Picchu by car.

By avoiding the overpriced train, this route cuts transportation costs by two thirds.

All-inclusive tours are actually a pretty good deal, while diehard budget travelers can go independently to save even more.

The Tour

This relatively new tour is offered by most agencies clustered around the Plaza de Armas and other tourist areas in Cuzco. Just look for the telltale sign: “Machu Picchu by car.” One online agent even seems to specialize in it.

A good pricing rule to remember: the farther from the plaza you wander, the cheaper the prices you’ll find.

I got mine from an agent on Cuesta San Blas (just below the boutique hotel Casa San Blas) for $115.

All-inclusive is the standard:

* hotel pick-up
* bus or van transport to the hydroelectric station outside Santa Teresa
* tickets for the 45-minute train ride from there to Aguas Calientes
* a night’s accommodation in town
* two full meals plus snacks
* entrance to Machu Picchu
* a two-hour guided tour of the site

Lunch on the last day isn’t provided. Neither are tickets for the shuttle bus from Aguas Calientes to the ruins ($7 one way; many people walk).

Even better, for an additional $10 per person you can add an extra night to the tour. This is highly recommended. The standard 2-day/1-night schedule only allows you five hours at the ruins (6am–11am). Stay another night and you’ll get the entire day at the site.

Not only does this give you the opportunity to spend more time climbing Wayna Picchu, visiting the Inca Bridge, and exploring other remote corners of the ruins, but it also enables you to outlast the thick fog that sometimes blows up in the morning.

Destinations

Community Connection to Peru

Tour rates higher than those listed above indicate one of two things:
1. You’ll be staying in more luxurious accommodations in Aguas Calientes and your guide will likely speak more intelligible English, or
2. You’re getting ripped off.

Remember, it pays to haggle and shop around.

One final note: as with most budget travel, you’re sacrificing comfort for cost. The bus ride takes 6 hours, the last 2–3 on dirt roads with some rough spots and a couple cliffside sections that’ll make you regret nabbing the window seat.

If prone to motion sickness, pick up a few Gravol tablets at any pharmacy before heading out.

Go Independent

“More savings!” you say.

Most agencies will happily book you the van ride only, for around 85 soles (~$30) round trip, leaving you to figure out the rest on your own.

If you go this route, here’s how to make sure you stick to the savings:

* Don’t take the $8 train from the hydroelectric station to Aguas Calientes. You can easily walk the tracks in an hour and a half (many people do this).

* If possible, bring all your own food. There are no cheap “local haunts” in Aguas Calientes, and most restaurants will tack a “local tax” ranging anywhere from 10 to 20+ percent onto your bill.

* Camp! Instead of blowing $20 or more on a forgettable hostel bed, pitch a tent ($5 per tent, per night) at the little riverside campground just south of the Puente Ruinas bridges. It’s a 15-minute walk from town, but there’s a little store with necessities on-site.

Plus, you have a great view of Machu Picchu up the mountain (no one back in town does), and you’re in a better position to begin the hour-long climb up the Inca stairs in the early morning to snag a front spot in the entrance line.

The polished Manuel Chávez Ballón Site Museum is also nearby (though unfortunately they’ve started charging admission; 21 soles/11 for students).

Remember that you’ll need to buy your entrance ticket to Machu Picchu at the INC office in Aguas Calientes, as they’re not sold at the site itself.

Follow these tips and you could be looking at a grand total of $80 for your Machu Picchu experience.

Community Connection

Some people are against visiting Machu Picchu, no matter how cheap they can do it. Read why in 9 Places to Experience Now Before They Literally Vanish.

The latest edition of Lonely Planet: Peru was published too long ago to have info on the Machu Picchu by car tour. On that note, check out Trips’ 9 Ways to Outdo the Guidebooks in Peru.

Plenty of Matador community blogs cover Machu Picchu, Cuzco, and the surrounding region. Find out what local Peruvian farmers think of PeruRail’s train service in Struck by Strike in Peru. Matador member jgbrandt shares A Short Video on Lima, Cuzco, and the Sacred Valley, and you can also read 5 Things You Should Know about the Typical Sacred Valley Tour out of Cuzco.

Photo above: Señor Codo, Feature photo: Robert S. Donovan

Down, but not out.

After the Great Fire of 1871 leveled it, Chicago took the opportunity to reinvent itself, setting off a campaign of reconstruction that saw the city welcome some of the biggest names in architecture to the Midwest. Over the decades that followed, Chicago became a proving ground for innovative new designs and techniques.

Today, downtown Chicago is one of the world’s great open-air museums, showcasing masterworks by luminaries like Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe. In a city famous for its buildings, these are some of the best:

1. Sears Tower

Photo: Señor Codo

Wacker Dr. & Jackson Blvd.
Oct-April: Daily, 10am-8pm
May-Sept: Daily, 10am-10pm

Despite the controversy over its upcoming name change, the Western Hemisphere’s tallest building remains as impressive as ever.

When it was completed in 1973, the 1,450-foot Sears Tower was the world’s tallest building, a title it would hold until the Petronas Towers surpassed it in 1998. With its blocky, glass-and-steel aesthetic, the office building continues to be one of Chicago’s most recognizable symbols.

The main attractions for visitors are the 99th- and 103rd-floor skydecks, which look out over Lake Michigan and four different states; visibility tops 50 miles on clear days. Admission is $12.95 for a full-price adult ticket.

2. Rookery Building

Photo: swanksalot

209 S. Lasalle St.
Mon-Fri: 9am-8pm
Sat: 9am-4pm

Named for the giant flocks of pigeons that once roosted onsite, the Rookery is really two buildings in one.

Viewed from the street, the red marble and Romanesque adornments of the Rookery’s facade are echoes of the grandeur of the 19th century.

Inside, the vaulted ceiling and bold geometric metalwork of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed lobby are pure Prairie School.

While the Rookery is privately owned, the lobby is open to the public during business hours.

3. Chicago Board of Trade

141 W. Jackson Blvd.
Mon-Fri: 8am-4:30pm

Looming over the LaSalle St. “canyon,” this Art Deco-era skyscraper has a way with the imagination. The tower is a favorite destination of moviemakers, most recently gracing screens as the backdrop for a high-speed showdown between Batman and the Joker in The Dark Knight.

When it’s not hosting superheroes, the building is home to the less thrilling but equally important Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The visitor’s center, located in the lobby, offers information and exhibits on the history of the building and its tenants.

Photo: mcclouds

4. Chicago Cultural Center

Washington St. and Michigan Ave.
Monday-Thursday: 8am-7pm
Friday: 8am-6pm
Saturday: 9am-6pm
Sunday: 10am-6pm

Photo: rpongsaj

Dedicated in 1897 as Chicago’s first public library, the Chicago Cultural Center’s scholarly opulence more than fits in on Michigan Avenue.

On an architectural level, the Beaux Arts-influenced design is as ornate as they come, complete with grand, red-carpeted staircases, Romanesque arches, and the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world, measuring 38 feet across.

In addition to its intrinsic attraction, the center is one of Chicago’s most visited museums and features an eclectic array of art exhibits, live music, and dance performances.

Admission is free.

5. Illinois Institute of Technology – Bronzeville Campus

3201 S. State St.

Spread over ten city blocks in Chicago’s Douglas neighborhood, IIT’s main campus contains the world’s largest concentration of buildings designed by Modernist pioneer Mies van der Rohe, who served as director of the university’s architectural school for nearly two decades.

More recent additions include the Rem Koolhaas-designed McCormick Tribune Campus Center, a slinky, futuristic structure built under and around the elevated train tracks. The campus is easily accessible by public transportation via the Green Line’s Bronzeville stop.

Community Connection:

Intrigued? Admit it — architecture’s interesting. To further your knowledge, why not visit these Top 10 Places to Study Architecture?

Want to network with some Chicagoans? jshugs and jrblues are just two members of the Matador community that currently call the Windy City home.

Photo above: MKBrock, Feature photo: H. Michael Karshis

The Down Low

Geographical definitions of the Delta vary, and you can find quality live blues from Memphis and Oxford south to Vicksburg and Jackson, but the core of the scene is the triangle formed by Clarksdale, Greenwood, and Greenville.

Photo: Bob Jagendorf

If you’re searching for live blues in this triangle, your first stop absolutely must be Cat Head. (I know, I know. I said there’s no “right” way. But trust me on this one.)

Located in downtown Clarksdale, Cat Head is a music store, folk art gallery, recording label, and more. There’s no one more well-informed about the Delta’s regular blues festivals, showcases, nightly juke joint performances, old-timers, or up-and-coming artists than the folks here. Period.

Call ahead, check out the extensive resources on their website, email a question, or simply walk in and ask what’s on the go.

While you’re at it, think about doing some shopping: these guys know their stuff, and will give you tailored recommendations to add some legit Delta blues to your collection, beyond those Greatest Hits albums from Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf.

When I visited Cat Head, I ran down a list of my dad’s favorite big-name blues artists, and asked them to recommend someone similar, but someone he’d never discover anywhere else.

The result? Super Chikan. Here he is, live in Clarksdale:

The Venues

As any purist will tell you, the old Delta juke joints ain’t what they used to be. But there are still a few spots to hear live blues on a nightly basis.

Here are a few reliable options:

Photo: stevebott

Ground Zero:
Best known as “Morgan Freeman’s juke joint,” and located next door to the Delta Blues Museum in downtown Clarksdale, the Ground Zero Blues Club naturally attracts a few more visitors than some.

But it also attracts talent, so don’t sniff at it just ’cause it’s only seven years young and owned by a celebrity.

Po’ Monkey’s:
Widely considered one of the last legit Delta juke joints, Po’ Monkey’s is located in tiny Merigold, outside Clarksdale. It’s as old school as they come, offering live blues just one night a week in an aging shack surrounded by cotton fields. Atmospheric, much?

Walnut Street Blues Bar:
Further afield, in Greenville, is the Walnut Street Blues Bar — also known as the Walnut Street Blues Club or the Walnut Street Bait Shop. (Have you guessed yet? It’s on Walnut Street.) Good blues and good food, and the ownership is active in some of the festivals and area blues preservation efforts that go on.

The History

Sure, you probably know that Robert Johnson is said to have sold his soul to the devil at the infamous crossroads in Clarksdale. But what else do you know about the people that created the blues, and the places that created them?

Several area museums are happy to tell all:

Photo: Waka Jawaka

Delta Blues Museum:
In downtown Clarksdale, this is the place most folks end up. It’s got an array of Delta blues memorabilia, and is probably best known for the reconstructed shack that Muddy Waters grew up in.

The music selection in the gift shop is disappointing, though — head to Cat Head up the block for your shopping.

Rock’n'Roll & Blues Heritage Museum: Another Clarksdale institution, this one is dedicated to more than just the blues — it also touches on rock, soul, gospel, funk, and how they all fit together.

Opening hours are limited: check the website or call ahead.

Highway 61 Blues Museum:
If you’re headed down to Greenville from Clarksdale, you’ll pass through quiet Leland just after you exit Highway 61 heading west. The folks here are heavily involved in festivals and live shows, keeping the music alive outside the museum, too.

B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center:
This brand-new museum, in King’s hometown of Indianola, is a new breed of tourist attraction in the Delta — the $14-million facility is a state-of-the-art homage to one of the greatest of the Delta blues masters.

The Tunes

Be sure to check out the accompanying article, “Highway Blues: Essential Tunes for a Delta Road Trip.”

Community Connection:

For more on the Delta, check out Travelling Riverside Blues, or read personal blogs from Matador members who’ve recently made the pilgrimage themselves: try New Orleans to Memphis: Searching for the Soul of the Delta or Seen & Heard.

Also, don’t miss Worth the Trip: Bluesfest in Ottawa.

Photo: McPig

The vineyards and golden sun of Portugal rival any scene from southern France and the south Pacific. Its diversity ranges from turquoise surf, to grilled sardines and cold beer, to an inland hike with vistas that gaze upon endless vineyards.

Eat: Grilled fish, fresh cheese, and wine

Photo: *madalena-pestana*

Creative and traditional cooking isn’t hard to find in Portugal. Locally grown and produced specialties can be discovered in the form of soups, grilled meats, fresh fish, sheep’s milk cheese, unique wines, pastries, and fruit from the Azores and Madeira islands.

The best way to sample the cuisine is to situate yourself for a while in Lisbon. In the neighborhoods of Alfama, Chiado, and Barrio Alto, you’ll find a mix of traditional and modern dishes that use the same locally grown, fresh ingredients.

After your immersion in the capital, pick a region based on the food and wine you liked the best.

Were you savoring garlic soup? Or enjoying that quintessential Portuguese dish of pork and clams with a full-bodied Alentejo wine? Then head southeast into the Alentejo and graze your way from the coast to the Spanish border.

Destinations

Community Connection to Portugal

Did you find yourself enamored most with leafy green soups, caldos verdes, and that white, crisp Vinho Verde? Then make your way north to the Minho and hike amidst the vineyards, reveling in the hearty stews at their source.

Maybe it was the freshly grilled fish and lemon wedge that grabbed your attention. If you discovered how well wines from nearby Palmela, Setúbal, Colares, and Carcavelos went with the urban cuisine, then continue in Lisbon and nearby Cascais.

Alternatively, good coastal routes travel north to O Porto or south toward Sagres and Tavira, stocked with perfectly grilled sea fare at workers’ cafes and seaside eateries.

Pray: Spiritual upliftment

The shrine of Our Lady of Fatima is one of the most famous holy sites in Portugal. Of course, there are others equally powerful and no less important. Here are a few:

Though Gothic and Romanesque churches in Lisbon were destroyed during the earthquake of 1755, many beautiful and soulful places of prayer survive all across Portugal. Two particularly lovely churches can be found in the villages of Rates and in Rio Mau, both near Póvoa de Varzim north of O Porto.

Photo: author

Braga is considered the nation’s religious heart due to the historic role the church played there. It’s home to the major shrine Bom Jesus do Monte.

A hike in the north-central Serra da Estrêla Natural Park, stretching from east of Coimbra to the Spanish border, offers profound landscapes that move the spirit.

The Caminho Português, the pilgrimage road through Portugal to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, is the historic pilgrims’ road. They made their way northward to O Porto and then onward to Baiona and Vigo before veering inland to Santiago.

The healing sulfuric springs of Caldas da Rainha, north of Lisbon and south of Nazaré, are near the coast. Though its fame peaked in the 15th and later centuries, it likely has a more ancient history of healing and veneration.

Love: From vineyards to castles to beaches

Photo: Teosaurio

The land that gave us fado — that lyrical and emotionally charged Portuguese blues — is full of romantic spots.

The Minho River’s sinewy passage, creating the northern border between Portugal and Spain, goes from remote mountain passes — where wolves still roam — to the Atlantic, passing through unique wine country along the way.

Photo: Fr Antunes

Lisbon boasts many elevated lookout points. At sunset, scan over the Tejo River, where one can sip wine at a café table or stroll through the Alfama listening to lone musicians while little bistros beckon passersby with their fragrant smells.

In Sintra, visit the fairytale hilltop estates and the green, rolling parks and forests with their inviting footpaths.

Southern Tavira is a small and friendly fishing town with beautiful coastlines, beaches, and explorable little islands accessible by row boat.

Evora’s wall-enclosed 14th-century town offers a medieval mood as well as ancient, well-preserved Roman ruins, in the heart of cork, olive, and wine country.

You can find a medieval hilltop castle in Leiria, as well as pine forests planted by Portugal’s romantic poet king, Dom Dinis, who ruled during the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Beebe is also the author of Eat, Pray, Love in Spain — the first in this series.

For more lesser known spots in Portugal, have a read of Claudio Silva’s article Beyond Lisbon and Algarve. If you’ve packed your surfboard, Rhys Stacker can tell you where to find some excellent Portuguese surf.

Photo above: NeilsPhotography, Feature photo: juanete

Psychedelic desert: the Southwest Circuit

You’re in the middle of Bolivian nowhere.

In front of you is a shallow bowled depression, its center carpeted in a bright green lake filled with flamingos. Over your shoulder rise twin volcanic peaks, capped with ice. Just beyond the next ridge stretches a snow-white salt flat, rippling with heat from the midday sun…

Few travelers to Bolivia miss the “Southwest Circuit.” The Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, is its star attraction. Standing in the center of its 4,000-square-mile expanse, horizons vanish, leaving nothing but blinding white below and rich, unblemished blue above.

Those lucky enough to visit during the wet summer, when the entire plain is covered in an inches-thick pool of water that reflects the cloudy sky, can convince themselves their Land Cruiser has taken flight.

But the salar fills only one day of the circuit tour. The rest are spent tearing through some of the most inhospitable desert terrain on the planet.

Brilliantly colored chemical lakes, peak after peak of snowy volcanoes, and Andean wildlife (llamas, alpacas, vicuñas, flamingos, and ostrich, for starters) all compete with the salar for your camera’s memory card megabytes.

Photo: zaturno

I doubt anyone regrets the trip—that said, all tours are not created equal.

The salar and deserts of Los Lípez see more visitors every year. Caravans of jeeps depart daily from the town of Uyuni, the traditional starting point. After four days stuck in the middle of the globular tourist amoeba, many are left asking, “Is there a better way to do this?”

The answer is yes.

Turn the tables: start in Tupiza

Your best option for escaping the crowds is to traverse the circuit in reverse. Make the town of Tupiza your point of origin, with a tour that loops through the sights and ends in Uyuni.

Photo: zaturno

In addition to having the Lípez to yourself, you’ll be saving the best for last. Why knock out the salar on the first day, as the typical Uyuni tours do? They also require a long, backtracking drive on the last day.

By ditching the masses, you’ll avoid the sketchier agencies operating out of Uyuni. Companies there pop up and disappear again without notice, making it close to impossible to get reliable recommendations.

For the most part, Tupiza-based agencies are more established. They have a smaller customer base, and therefore more to prove.

Regardless of who you go with, your tour from Tupiza will look something like this:

Day 1

Bust out of town around 9am and drive till sunset through canyon-cut, cactus-covered terrain. Though lacking “big-name” sights, the day exposes you to the desolation of Los Lípez and gives you a glimpse of what life is like for the few communities living here. Other jeeps = scarce to nonexistent.

Day 2

The mountainous, llama-filled desert continues, transforming mile by mile into the surreal vistas that make it onto the postcards. Once you enter Eduardo Avaroa National Wildlife Refuge, it’s on: colored lakes, hot springs, flamingo flocks, geysers, crazy rock formations, and painted volcanoes.

At some point, you’ll hit Laguna Verde and Volcán Licancabur in the country’s southwest corner. From here, you can tack on an extra day and climb the 19,400 ft (5900 m) Licancabur or other peaks. It’s also possible to hop over the border, connecting to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.

Photo: wili_hybrid

Day 3

After two days of solitude, the Land Cruisers start to multiply around the eerily red Laguna Colorada. Pulling up at the sculpted rocks that surround Árbol de Piedra, only to find them covered with sunburned, North-Faced climbers, comes as quite a shock.

More lakes await, and the end of the day will bring you to the edge of the salar itself.

Day 4

Photo: hillsieboy

This is really a long half day. Wake before dawn to catch the sunrise on the salt.

A visit to the cactus-infested Isla del Pescado is followed by a group photo shoot in the middle of the salar, where the lack of distance perspective makes all kinds of crazy camera illusions possible.

After checking out a hotel made entirely of salt and a stop at a tourist market, you should pull into Uyuni around 1pm.

Practicalities

Tupiza is roughly 11 hours by train from Oruro, and a handful more from La Paz. Hop the train if you can; the buses running the route are old and drafty. Breakdowns are common.

Solo travelers and couples should schedule at least one extra day in Tupiza — longer in the low season — to find a group to hook up with. Standard tours won’t leave with fewer than four passengers; five or six means less legroom but bigger savings.

Photo: Naturaleza

Killing time in town isn’t difficult. This is Butch and Sundance country (the outlaws were gunned down in a village less than an hour away), with scenery rivaling the best of the American West.

Horseback riding, canyon hiking, and rock climbing will keep you occupied till your tour leaves.

Operators running out of Tupiza are scarce compared to the hordes of Uyuni-based agencies. Tupiza Tours is one of the originals and has managed to maintain a solid reputation through the years. Yet even with them, it’s essential to double check the contract—triple check if your group is doing anything other than the standard 4-day tour.

Other options include Valle Hermoso and El Grano de Oro Tours.

One last note: it gets cold in the desert. Damn cold. Accommodations are basic and unheated. Bring a sleeping bag or rent one from your company — even in the summer. During the winter, if you’re lucky your guide will give you a hot water bottle each night to stuff into the bottom of your bag. Yeah…daaaamn cold.

Photo: jaytkendall

Community Connection:

Check out today’s companion post, “Summiting Mount Doom in Bolivia,” for further details on climbing Volcán Licancabur.

For more on Bolivia’s spectacular sights, read about photographer Ron Dubin’s assignment in the country in “Big Bolivian Sunsets.”

If you’re looking to mix a little philanthropy with your visit to the country, Matador member org Sustainable Bolivia offers a range of rewarding volunteer opportunities.

Where to stay

Taghazoute is 45 minutes from Agadir’s international airport and home to the famous righthand point breaks of Anchors and Killers that come alive in the winter months.

It’s not the prettiest of towns with its surf ghetto vibe, but it does offer accommodation for all budgets: from small, bare rooms for $10/night to luxury apartments with pools.

Many people choose to stay with one of the numerous surf camps in the area that offer accommodation, meals, and transport to the surf. Prices start at around $300 with surfboard hire and lessons extra.

Get mobile

You can walk to most of the surf breaks around Taghazoute, but the you’ll be sharing the waves with a crowd. Renting a car with a few friends opens up miles of coastline, much of it rarely surfed.

The area around Cap Rihr, 30 minutes north of Taghazoute, has a variety of reefs for experienced surfers.

For a day trip, try Imessouane, a small fishing village home to a long righthander. Or to the south, the former Spanish outpost of Sidi Ifni has a fun beach break in small swells.

The roads between Moroccan towns are mostly good and traffic outside the big cities is relatively light. Just keep an eye out for the occasional mountain goat, donkey, or camel.

And whatever you do, don’t drive at night. Potholes, livestock, and erratic drivers make it a risky proposition.

Post-surf refuel

After a long day of surfing, there’s no better feeling than tucking into fresh and tasty Moroccan cuisine.

The country’s most recognizable dish has to be the tagine, where meat (usually lamb, chicken, or fish) and vegetables are cooked for a couple hours in a clay pot. Follow the locals and eat it with your hands, using big chunks of Moroccan flat bread to mop up the gravy.

Kefta brochettes (spicy minced meat formed over metal skewers) are also a great option and are available from food carts and restaurants.

The seafood in Morocco is fresh and very cheap. For a post-surf snack you can pick up a bag of steamed mussels from a local fisherman for a few dollars or dine in style at Chez Brahim on the beach at Devil’s Rock, where they do wicked fish skewers with fries and salad for $8.

After, enjoy a super-sweet mint tea or, for a less sugary beverage, try the avoca au lait — an avocado milkshake that should taste weird but is strangely delicious.

Night life

Alcohol can be scarce and expensive in Morocco. Taghazoute itself doesn’t have any bars or liquor stores and the closest nightclubs are in Agadir. Apart from the slightly cheesy British Pub (the name says it all) most Agadir nightclubs are attached to luxury hotels and charge practically London or New York prices for entry and drinks.

An alternative is to stock up at a supermarket (look for the Marjane sign) and have a party in your apartment or hostel. Budget about $1 per small can of Flag Speciale beer.

Four great waves

Anchor Point
Named after the now disused anchor factory on the point, this wave ranges from a gentle, peeling longboard wave when small to a world-class righthander breaking up to 15 feet in big swells.

There’s usually a crowd as Anchors is walking distance from Taghazoute, but if you get a good wave here you won’t forget it in a hurry. Entry is from the rocks on the point or around the front at Mysteries Beach.

Boilers
Another righthand point, this wave breaks close to the rocks and leaves little margin for error. Getting in and out of the water is best done beside the submerged ship’s boiler. The wave is a fast, high performance wall with the occasional barrel. Just don’t get stuck behind the section or you may find yourself between a rock and a hard place, literally.

Imessouane
Swells break down a long, perfectly groomed sandbar in the middle of the bay. Surfers from the various surf camps and guesthouses convene en masse to surf it the few hours either side of low tide. Consequently, it can be a busy break with longboarders, shortboarders, wave skis, and stand-up paddle boards (SUPs) all competing for the set waves.

Tamri
After tricky rock jumps, shallow reef bottoms, and urchin dodging, it can make for a nice change to surf a beach break. Tamri Plage, 45 minutes north of Taghazoute, often has fun waves in small, clean swells.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

For more waves, give Matador’s surf guides to Vietnam, Hawaii, Portugal, and Argentina a go.

If you’re just starting out, you might want to visit our “Newbie’s Guide to Surfing,” or take a look at the “World’s Best Surf Spots for Beginners.” Experts can head straight for the “Top 10 Most Dangerous Waves in the World.”

Photo courtesy of Travel Montana

There’s a scene in A River Runs Through It where Brad Pitt’s character is up to his waist in the middle of the Blackfoot River and yells over the roar of the rapids:

“What are they biting on?”

This beautiful cinematic moment is a summer one. But fly fishing enthusiasts know a seasonal secret: the best time to fish the iconic waters of Big Sky country is spring. Come late March/early April, winter slides off the spine of the Bitterroots as light and warmth entice Skwala stoneflies and March brown drake mayflies out of their casings.

The serious, pleasurable work of catching fish from the end of an elegant cast is about to start.

Photo: Clydehurst

Why Montana?

Besides all the attention the Norman Maclean memoir and the Robert Redford film rendition garnered, Montana has some of the best fly fishing in the world for very practical reasons: its wild fish populations have been protected since 1963 with the passage of the nation’s first stream preservation legislation.

Rather than simply throwing in stockers from hatcheries to please the masses, biologists and natural resource professionals key to the habitat of native cold water fisheries. This helps protect water quality, stream flows, and healthy stream bank vegetation.

It also ensures wily wildness in the fish at the end of your line, fish that spook when your shadow darkens the shore. In a true angler’s opinion, it’s a much more exciting catch than hooking some lunker just out of the Fish and Game truck.

Photo: bugeaters

Montana has also been ahead of the curve in terms of catch and release policy, encouraging the use of barbless hooks for decades. Better to enjoy the thrill of the “get” rather than the taste of the flesh, putting the fish back in the stream and letting them get bigger, perhaps to be caught another day (or not).

Matching the Hatch

For beginners still sorting out their new Orvis purchases, “matching the hatch” is the process of mimicking the entomological cycle of native insects when selecting your artificial fly.

A hatch in full force is an electric event to witness. Nymphs, the insect equivalent of adolescents, morph from teenagers into winged adults instantaneously. The water surface bubbles and boils with feeding trout. Depending on what species is hatching, the ichthyology can get acrobatic.

The initial urge is to tie on your best rendition of a grown-up fly and get in on the action. But before you wet a line, take a deep breath and observe.

Photo: bugeaters

It may not be the flying forms the fish are after. The way the trout moves is an excellent indicator of what’s being eaten and where. Are fish jumping clear out of the water? Caddis emergers are probably making a quick run for the surface.

Small white fish mouths opening and closing below the water so you can see them? Classic surface feeding on small midges. Tails pointed upward towards you? Nymph feast on the riverbed!

Matching the hatch is more than noticing what’s flying around you. What’s underneath a rock may be what you want to tie on your line any given spring day.

Where to Go Before Memorial Day

When it comes to spectacular trout fisheries the “west is best,” meaning the left portion of Montana is where to focus your efforts in the coming months. This includes southern Montana as well.

Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer and the crowds that come with it, so get your license, dust off the tackle box, and head to these Montana waters before school lets out.

Early April: Right now (and I mean right now) the Skwala stoneflies open the surface action on the Bitterroot and Clark Fork Rivers in NW Montana and Rock Creek in SW Montana.

April through mid-May: March Brown and Grey Drake Mayflies are big versions of the genus and make their debut each spring on the Missouri, Bitterroot and Clark Fork Rivers. It’s the season’s first large mayfly hatch. Mercurial weather usually means fishing pressure is fairly light.

Mother’s Day Mayflies: The Yellowstone River rolls through southern Montana to the border with Wyoming and the United States’ first national park. About the time we celebrate our maternal connections, mayflies pop on the surface of one of North America’s premier trout fisheries.

Community Connection:

Matador loves Montana! Check out Travel Montana, a leading Matador partner and terrific source of support in terms of food, lodging, and those all important fly fishing guides and shops.

This year’s snowmelt is pumping up Montana’s rivers right now for both fishing and paddling. If you’re interested in kayaking or floating some of the classic Big Sky runs, as well as additional information and resources for visiting Montanas’ rivers, check out our guide to Boating the Big Sky.

Photo above: sebastian ceriani, Feature photo: Army.mil

Central Laos does not get many travelers, and the tourism office in the provincial capital of Tha Khaek has done a good job of designing treks that alleviate poverty in isolated villages without disrupting local culture.

Travelers get a chance to experience a beautiful part of rural Laos where the locals take pride in hosting foreign guests – a happy balance that does not always exist in more heavily touristed regions of Southeast Asia.

Basics

The 2-day trek costs about $65 per person for a group of at least 3 people — more for couples or single travelers. This is a fair price, and much of the money goes to local villagers who guide groups through the mountains and cook delicious meals.

Travelers start out in Tha Khaek, a medium-sized town on the Mekong River that’s about halfway between Vientiane and Pakse.

There’s a wonderful guesthouse in Tha Khaek called The Travel Lodge that has a range of inexpensive rooms, a good restaurant, and friendly, competent staff. If you’re on your own, this is also a good place to meet other travelers who can join you on the trek.

Destinations

Community Connection to Laos

Phu Hin Bun NPA

The trek explores the Phu Hin Bun National Protected Area, an isolated region of jagged peaks and clear, turquoise streams that looks like a classical Chinese landscape painting. The sheer mountainsides are refuges for several species of endangered primates, and tigers stalk the deepest parts of the jungle.

The villagers who live in the Phu Hin Bun NPA are largely self-sufficient, growing rice, fruit and vegetables, and raising water buffalo, pigs, chickens, and cows. While many treks in Laos visit ethnic minorities, the villagers here are mostly lowland Lao.

Eat, Walk, Swim

I LOVED the food on this trek. Fresh catfish grilled with garlic over a campfire on the banks of a stream was served alongside sticky rice, mountain vegetables, eggplant, and traditional pastes of herbs and chili.

For dinner we ate water buffalo laap, a Lao dish of minced meat with herbs and spices. Vegetarian options were limited but available.

The walks through the forest were broken up by frequent stops at spectacular swimming holes, including a sacred wellspring of turquoise water called Khoun Kong Leng.

Other highlights included a cave that links two valleys by cutting straight through a mountain, and an old temple where the prayer bell was made from the shell of a 500-pound bomb. This bombshell was a poignant reminder of the massive U.S. bombing campaign of rural Laos — a war that the White House kept secret from both Congress and the American people.

Cultural Respect

Visiting this part of Central Laos is a privilege, and travelers should take care to respect Lao customs. Understand that Lao people are extremely non-confrontational and place a premium on smooth social interactions.

Be gentle, kind, patient, and appreciative. Showing any sign of frustration or anger is extremely rude in Laos, so if you don’t like something it’s better just to smile and, if you must, gently inquire about alternatives. The head guide will speak reasonable English, but speak slowly and try to learn some Lao words. Everyone will be thrilled to hear you make the effort.

Photo: Mat Honan

Community Connection:

Other Matador articles on Laos include travel guides to Champasak and Muang Ngoi Neua, and an excellent article that gives the low-down on a unique two-week itinerary in Northern Laos.

You can also read the uncensored version of my San Francisco Chronicle feature on Luang Prabang, the ancient royal capital of Laos. The Matador version is called “Lusty Luang Prabang.”

One final resource is the excellent website Ecotourism Laos.

If you have other helpful links, questions, or advice for travelers, please leave a comment below. For those without a Matador profile, please take a moment to join the community. You won’t regret it!

1. Mt. Kenya National Park

Home to Africa’s second-highest peak (at just over 17,000 feet), Mt. Kenya National Park is the only place in the world where you can find glaciers on the equator.

Hire a guide and some porters (I climbed with Summit Ventures) and spend 4-7 days exploring one of nature’s most diverse ecosystems. Watch the spectacular sunrise from the peak: on a clear day you can see the peaks of Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru (Africa’s 3rd highest) in neighboring Tanzania.

Buffalo, lions, leopards, giraffes, and elephants are some of the big game to spot.

Photo by Mara 1

2. Hell’s Gate National Park

Hell’s Gate is one of the only parks in Kenya you can walk or bike through. No walls or car doors separate you from the wild here, and I’ll tell you from experience that there’s nothing like riding a bike a few yards from a mama giraffe galloping with her infant in tow.

The park sits on top of a geothermal spring, and if you hike down into Hell’s Gate Gorge you can boil an egg in the steaming pools that seep from the winding sandstone walls. Stay at Fisherman’s Camp on Lake Naivasha (you can rent bikes here) and watch the hippos meander ashore at dusk, feet from where your tent is pitched.

3. Malindi National Marine Park

Snorkel or scuba with tropical fish and dolphins in the Indian Ocean, among shipwrecks and coral reefs. From October to March, hire a dhow for the afternoon (you can haggle it down to 10,000Ksh for up to 10 people) and go for a swim with the whale shark, the world’s largest living fish species.

4. Masai Mara National Reserve

Destinations

Community Connection to Kenya

In spite of the high tourist traffic, the Masai Mara is still well worth the trip. The Kenyan extension of the Serengeti, Masai Mara offers probably the highest concentration and diversity in big game in East Africa.

Visit between July and October and you stand a good chance to see one of the “7 Wonders of the World,” the annual wildebeest migration across the croc- and hippo-infested Mara River — though be warned that tourist traffic is highest this time of year.

The Big Five– lion, buffalo, elephant, leopard, and black rhino– are all found here, as well as thousands of zebra and wildebeest, prime game for the predators of the park.

5. Lake Nakuru National Park

In perhaps the “greatest bird spectacle on earth,” up to 2 million pink flamingos gather in the shallow waters surrounding the lake.

Photo by Lip Kee

The view from Baboon Cliffs is spectacular, though watch out for the cliffs’ namesake– the baboons aren’t shy, and will steal your lunch right out of your hand.

The park is also home to over 400 migratory bird species, as well as one of the world’s largest population of white and black rhinos. You’re virtually guaranteed a close-up view of the prehistoric beasts. If you come in September you can sign up for Cycle with the Rhinos, a bike race through the park.

6. Nairobi National Park

Though driving through the actual park may not yield the same number of big game sightings you’ll find elsewhere, it is the only natural game protection area neighboring a city. You can see lions, elephants, buffalo, and giraffe against the backdrop of Nairobi’s cosmopolitan skyline.

Although not one of Kenya’s best parks in its own right, I’ve listed this park for two main reasons:

• At the Nairobi Education Centre & Animal Orphanage (not to be confused with Sheldrick’s Elephant Orphanage– see #2), the wardens will let you enter the pen of three full-grown orphaned cheetahs. Like giant house cats, the cheetahs will let you hug and pet them while they purr like roaring engines. It’s also not publicized; you have to request, sometimes beg, to be let in.
• The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescues elephants orphaned by poachers, and nurses them back to health for re-release into the wild. While they are staying at the Trust, though, you can visit the orphanage and talk with the wardens while the infant and teen elephants bump up against you and play in the mud. Once you’re hooked, you can adopt an elephant for $50 USD and go back for private visits. The Trust also rescues orphaned black rhinos. Watch out for warthogs if you come on foot– they are ubiquitous, and have a nasty temper.

Photo by Paul Mannix

As of 2007 you have to pay the Nairobi National Park entrance fee in order to visit, so it’s best combined with a game drive through the park. The Lang’ata Giraffe Center is also nearby, where you can feed giraffe by hand (or mouth!) from a raised viewing platform.

For more information, including entry fees, visit the Kenya Wildlife Service website.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Are you planning a trip to Africa? Check out Matador’s Africa destination experts here.

1. Singapore

With its sizable Indian and Chinese populations, going vegetarian is easy in Singapore. Hawker centers and food courts throughout the city offer plenty of veggie choices. Or head to colorful Little India for authentic, exclusively vegetarian cuisine at long-established Komala Vilas or chain restaurants Sagar Ratna and Saravana Bhavan.

2. Chiang Mai

The second largest city in Thailand, Chiang Mai is a haven for vegetarians and vegans alike. Open-air eateries within walking distance of the city center abound, and can usually be identified by yellow banners bearing a single Chinese character (‘jay’ or vegetarian).

Try a meatless version of Khao Soi, a northern Thai favorite consisting of egg noodles in a soupy coconut curry sauce, garnished with pickles, shallots, and lime.

Khao Soi / Photo by Jason Hutchens

3. Taipei

Based on Buddhist practices, vegetarian food in Taiwan has developed into a separate cuisine, replete with varieties of chewy “meat” fashioned out of gluten or textured soy protein. Taipei and Taichung, a smaller city in the central part of the island, teem with vegan food stalls and buffet-style restaurants serving everything from stewed “beef” to stir fried “squid.”

4. Kyoto

While Japan is generally not very veg-friendly, you can easily find unique Zen Buddhism-inspired vegetarian cuisine in Kyoto. Called shojin ryori, the multi-course meals are served in or near the city’s many temples, such as Nanzen-ji, Daitoku-ji, and Tenryu-ji.

Local specialties include yuba (tofu skin), fu (wheat gluten), and produce such as eggplant, daikon, and root vegetables. Dishes are meticulously prepared and presented; unfortunately, dinners can be quite pricey.

5. Vancouver

With a sizable organic and sustainable cooking movement, Vancouver is home to a large variety of vegetarian fare and natural food markets. Sample vegan pizza at Jamaican Pizza Jerk, satisfy late night comfort food cravings at The Naam, or take your pick from many ethnic and fusion restaurants around the city.

Photo by Rodefeld.

6. Sydney

From ethnic restaurants to beachside cafes, non-meat options are pretty much de rigueur in this laid-back city. Sydney is also particularly vegan-friendly with Chinese mock meat and vegetarian dim sum restaurants. Favorites include Iku Wholefood and Laurie’s Vegetarian Take Away.

7. London

The veggie dining choices in London are as diverse as its population, offering everything from meatless variations of British favorites, such as sausage and mash and shepherd’s pie, to masala dosa and chickpea tagine.

Exclusively vegetarian restaurants have also cropped up, serving creative fusion fare. Notable eats include Riverside Vegetaria, The Gate, and Manna.

8. San Francisco

With its countercultural traditions and penchant for locally grown foods, the Bay Area has long boasted plenty of veggie-friendly choices. Snack on tofu dogs at a Giants’ game in AT&T Park, check out the vegan ice cream at Maggie Mudd, or splurge on a vegetarian feast at Millennium.

9. Portland, OR

Portland buzzes with an eco-friendly vibe and it’s quickly becoming an herbivore’s dream destination. From downtown food carts to eclectic restaurants and stores, such as Paradox Palace Café, Voo Doo Doughnuts, and Food Fight!, Portland’s got something even hardcore vegans will appreciate.

Photo by ~MVI~.

10. New York City

The vegetarian experience in the city that never sleeps goes beyond ethnic dining. Whether you’re seeking kosher raw foods, gourmet macrobiotic dishes, or vegetarian diner fare, you will find it here. NYC is also home to a number of health food stores, as well as the Natural Gourmet Cookery School, which offers a four-course vegetarian dinner prepared by students each Friday.

11. Mexico City

Purely vegetarian restaurants and health food stores can be found throughout the city, including chains of Super Soya, The Green Corner, and Vegi Market.

Street vendors, hawking fruit (coconut sprinkled with chili and lime), elote (corn), and fresh juices, among other goodies, also ensure that vegetarians eat well in Mexico City.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

If you prefer cooking for yourself on the road, check out Eva Holland’s article, “What Every Backpacker Should Know About Cooking for Themselves.”

Feature photo by Uninen. Photo above by nattu.

An archipelago is an “expanse of water with many scattered islands,” or a cluster of islands, typically found in the open sea. Although generally the result of volcanic activity, archipelagos are also shaped by other forces of nature, including erosion and rising or falling sea tables; as dynamic land masses, archipelagos tend to offer dramatic scenery.

Here are some of the most amazing examples worldwide:

Tierra del Fuego

Photo by longhorndave.

At the southern end of South America, the last echoes of the Andes Mountains collapse into the sea. Tierra del Fuego, the Land of Fire, is renowned for its snowy peaks rising from turbulent waters above Antarctica. The Patagonian forests are complex and mystical with huge cypress trees and pudu-pudu, a deer that’s only 20 inches tall.

Tristan da Cunha

Photo by brunosan.

The volcanic rocks of Tristan da Cunha are the most remote scraps of land on Earth. The closest land is the island of Saint Helena, where Napoleon was exiled, and that’s still 1,500 miles away. Africa and South America are both 2,000 miles away.

A handful of flightless birds seen nowhere else in the world keep the 250 inhabitants of Tristan da Cunha company while stalwart British fishermen keep a wary eye on the volcano that destroyed their only settlement 70 years ago.

The landscape of the islands is austere. While there are no glaciers, the bare ground of Gough Island—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—seems surreal. What lies behind the high cliffs of the aptly named Inaccessible Island?

The Thousand Islands

Photo by Alberto OG.

In the Saint Lawrence River between New York State and Canada, the Thousand Islands have long been home to the rich and famous; in fact, many of the islands are privately owned. The curiosities inhabitants have left behind make the 1,800+ islands of the archipelago as strange as they are beautiful.

Heart Island supports an actual castle with towers, a yacht house, and a stained glass dome. The crumbling ruins of a Revolution-era fort adorn one island; Yale University’s secret society, Skull and Bones, owns another.

Other islands are so tiny that they can barely support a single house, though all of the islands must be above water 365 days a year and must support at least two trees to be considered part of this archipelago.

Svalbard

Photo by gogoolplex.

Svalbard, meaning “cold edge,” describes a group of islands found halfway between Norway and the North Pole. Though geographically large, the Svalbard has only 2,500 permanent inhabitants.

Local law requires residents and visitors alike to carry hunting rifles outside the settlements at all times—a last-resort defense against the 500 polar bears that roam the islands. Svalbard has no trees, but during the four months of constant daylight, Arctic wildflowers bloom everywhere.

Truly entrepreneurial spirits should know that citizens of countries signatory to the Svalbard Treaty may go to Svalbard without a visa and legally open their own coal mine.

The Artificial Islands

Photo by Pete the painter.

The Dubai harbor has more than doubled its size in five years; massive dredging has created very large and expensive artificial islands off the coast of the city-state whose exploits approach mythic proportions.

Between the three Palm Islands, the vast artificial Waterfront, and the massive archipelago called The World, Dubai’s new land will house over 3 million people when done. The islands already look like nothing else in the world.

The artificial islands are resorts, their beauty entirely artificial and entirely commercial. Whether it is a tremendous waste of resources, or greedy profiteering, or mere vain showmanship, Dubai has done the impossible and made land where there was none.

The Dodecanese

Photo by Michelos.

Many of the world’s most beautiful archipelagos gained their renown for pristine beaches, clear oceans, or stunning terrain. The famous Dodecanese, off the southwest coast of Turkey, have all of these in abundance, but they also bear the stunning marks of 3,000 years of advanced culture.

The islands have been ruled by the Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Ottomans, Italians, and — finally — by the Greeks again, and all of these cultures have left their mark with spectacular ruins and structures.

The Colossus of Rhodes, a Wonder of the World, briefly stood guard near (or, more whimsically, over) the most famous island’s harbor. John of Patmos allegedly received the visions which became the Book of Revelation on Patmos. The Knights Hospitaller built a massive Crusader fortress on Rhodes, and churches abound.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Are you a lover of under-visited, isolated islands? Check out Matador contributing editor Tim Patterson’s picks for the Top 6 Most Enchanting Undeveloped Islands in the World. Or, read up on Japan’s often overlooked south, in Shima to Shima: Southern Islands of Japan.

Photo above by Wolfgang Staudt

Feature photo by G u i d o

Cheap and Romantic Lodging Options

Forget staying in hotels, even the budget ones. Southern France is filled with self-catering urban apartments and rural bungalows. Renting one of these for a week or two cuts down lodging costs by 30% to 50% and honestly, they up the romance and authenticity of being there by 200%.

The beauty of renting a place is that you unpack once and spend the rest of your time exploring the area– eating, drinking, wandering, hiking– without stress. And that is how one arrives at the good life.

Some suggested sites to search for your temporary home away from home are:

• Top Rural in France
• Homelidays in France
• Craigslist: Look for housing listings under France for Marseilles, Montpellier, Lyon, and Toulouse).
• For gîtes (rural, self-catering houses and apartments) in Provence French Connections has some romantic bargains if you hunt about.

Photo above by van Ort

Eating and Drinking

Having your self-catering accommodation offers the next big economic and romantic move: the ability to shop at the famous Provencal daily and weekly markets and sample the true terroir of the land: locally-grown food and wine.

Buy your fruits and vegetables, cheeses and sausages from the people who make them, as with the wine. Rent a bike, land your hands on one of the GR foot trail maps, and cycle and walk to villages and towns on market day.

Weekly food markets occur in nearly every town and village. When you arrive at your home base, ask the tourist office for a list of nearby markets.

And always ask the locals. If there is one thing people love to talk about it’s their local food and wine, and where and from whom to buy it. Tourist offices are also well equipped to help you with details.

Flea Markets

Most flea markets occur on Sundays, though some are on Saturdays. Flea markets bring out the diverse color of society and are a great way to see the old fashions and aesthetics of a place.

Moreover, flea markets let you find a one-of-a-kind treasure to take home at a bargain price. Again, the local tourist office can tell you when and where these occur. Avignon and Montpellier have terrific flea markets as do other main towns.

Cultural Activities for Free (or Almost)

Music in the open air, galleries showing off the artistic genius of the area, hikes, sunset vistas from perfect perches– these are many of the free experiences you can find easily in Provence. Concerts are listed on church doors and at tourist offices. Gallery exhibits often have a sidewalk billboard announcing a little hidden plaza where there’s an exhibit.

The person from whom you rented your apartment can tell you the best place to watch the sunset in their town. (In Avignon, it is at the top of the Rocher des Doms gardens). Also ask them where the best trails are for hikes.

If museums are a must, take advantage of the all-city admission deals where you purchase a pass for a one or two-day access to all sites, rather than paying the higher individual admission fees.

Finally, rent a bike and/or buy a good walking map and use your own muscles to motor about. Slow Travel France is a great resource and offers terrific ideas and guidance for hikes in the Luberon.

Photo above by Wolfgang Staudt

Two Itineraries for Touring Provence

These two one-week itineraries capture the highlights of Provence. They complement each other well so if you have two full weeks, I’d give them both a go.

Week One: Arles, Nîmes, and the Camargue, or, The Roman, Romany, and Cowboy Route

• Make Arles your home base—renting a studio in the heart of town, where you can enjoy strolls in the streets Van Gogh once walked.
• Dine at the family-run places that advertise plat du jour, repas à prix fixe, or formules (set menus). These reasonably-priced set menus and specials tend to offer local, seasonal foods at the best prices.

• Arles’ market days are Wednesday and Saturday.

• Rent bikes to tour the Camargue, which you can do from Arles. Be sure to have plenty of sunscreen and mosquito repellent. July and August are the worst months for mosquitoes, but May, June, September and October (maybe even November) can be bad as well.
• Take the train for a day trip to Nîmes. If you want to go further afield, make another day trip to Montpellier, to the west, or Marseilles, to the east.

• Nîmes’ market day is Monday.

• Take a local bus to Les Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer for a beach day, enjoying shellfish, chilled dry rosé wine, and this pilgrimage site where it is believed many sacred Marys, including Mary Magdalene, and other biblical figures, arrived by boat from the Holy Land around AD 40.

• Les-Stes-Maries’ markets days are Monday and Friday.

Photo above by Wolfgang Staudt

Week Two: Avignon, Le Luberon, and the Pont du Gard, or, the Medieval Towns and Villages Route

• Make Avignon your home base. A great hotel, if you decide on that option over the lodging suggestions above, is the Hotel Medieval, which rents studios with kitchenettes at weekly rates. It’s in the heart of medieval Avignon.
• Allow 2-3 days just to soak up Avignon’s cultural, culinary, and social scenes. Enjoy the gallery exhibits, the church concerts, the food and flea markets, and the bistros scattered throughout the old Papal town.

• Avignon’s market day is Monday. It also has the daily Les Halles covered food market that is a treat to shop.

• Take a bus to Gordes and hike around this mountaintop town for the day: Take a linking bus or hire a taxi to the Abbaye de Senanque in a hidden valley nearby.

• Take a day bus to Uzès and the Pont du Gard, preferably during Uzès market days of Wednesday or Saturday.

• Take the train to Aix-en-Provence for the day and soak up the university atmosphere (which also means good eats at good prices).

• Aix’s market is open every day on the Place Richelme.

• Make a day trip to St-Rémy-de-Provence and enjoy a smaller-scale but quintessential Provencal town on the edge of the Alpilles limestone mountains.
• St.-Rémy’s market day is Wednesday.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

For more tips to travel France on the cheap, check out How To Travel in France for Less Than $100 a Day, or our list of 10 Free Things To Do in Paris.

And for a more personal take on travel in France, check out these blogs from Matador community members: The Quiet of the Dordogne, by member Maija, or Is There Any Where I’d Rather Be?, by member terryodee.

Photo by yogi

Belize may only be the size of Rhode Island but it certainly has a lot to do.

The Blue Hole

Photo by nileguide.com

One of the best diving sites in the world, this filled in water volcano is reputed to have some of the best diving in the world and is a must see for divers. Just make sure you stay oriented, because it’s easy to confuse down with up and risk getting trapped.

Placencia

Photo by Matt Kepnes

This little village in the southern part of Belize offers some of the best beaches off the cayes. It’s quiet, relaxed, and cheap by Belize standards.

Caracol

Photo by Matt Kepnes

This Mayan site is the biggest in Belize. It contains many ancient temples and artifacts that offer a glimpse into Mayan life. Caracol was rival to the kingdom of Tikal during the height of the Mayan civilization.

Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave

Photo by Dustin Diaz

This cave is a few hours outside of San Ignacio and getting there is an adventure. Crossing through jungles and rivers to access this remote cave, the persistent will be rewarded with a visit to an ancient Mayan sacrificial site.

You must swim into the cave mouth then walk through the cave, sometimes in chest deep water, before climbing up a rock face to see ancient pottery, sacrificial tools, and a few ancient skeletons.

Caye Caulker

Photo by Matt Kepnes

This caye, located near Belize City, is where all the action happens. A hurricane whipped through the island a few years ago, creating a deep trench that is great for snorkeling.

Eat at Wish Willy’s, where he serves whatever he feels like that day and it’s always good.

Punta Gorda

Photo by anoldent

This city in southern Belize is relaxed, and makes for a good place to explore the surrounding rainforests and reef.

Cockscomb Jaguar Preserve

This nature preserve near Placencia houses some of the last remaining wild jaguars in Central America. You’ll probably never see them, but the park offers day and multi day hikes where you will see birds, small mammals, and interesting plants.

Lamanai

Photo by Matt Kepnes

This Mayan city to the north isn’t as impressive as Caracol, but to get there you have to take a long boat ride, providing up-close views of the local river system, mangroves, and wildlife.

Pine Mountain Ridge

South of San Ignacio, this nature preserve has the only pine trees in Belize. There’s great hiking and waterfalls in this area. Added bonus: It’s on the way to Caracol.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

For a more detailed guide to Caye Caulker, check out Jenny Williams’ article, “Go Slow on Caye Caulker, Belize.”

Photo above by bobtravis

While some of the world’s highest and most dangerous mountains lie in the Himalaya, Andes, Karakorum, and other high ranges, climbers hoping for big adventure need look no further than the United States.

Here are six American mountains to climb for big adventure:

1. Mount Washington, NH

New Hampshire’s highest point may only reach an elevation of 6,288 feet, but it is home to some of the world’s worst weather. In fact, the highest wind gust ever recorded on Earth’s surface, an incredible 231 mph blast, occurred on the summit of Mount Washington.

Its close proximity to the coast makes Mount Washington’s weather changeable and unpredictable. This is especially true in the winter, when temperatures frequently approach -40 degrees Fahrenheit and even exceed -100 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill.

In both winter and summer, climbers can choose to reach the summit via a strenuous hike or a technical alpine route. If you visit on one of the 110 average days per year in which wind gusts exceed hurricane force levels, an adventure is guaranteed.

You can read more about climbing Mount Washington in the Boston Globe and the Mount Washington Observatory forums.

Photo above by masterjack.roger

2. Mount Katahdin, ME

At 5,267 feet, Mount Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine, is lower than Mount Washington. Still, the airy views from the “Knife Edge” trail, which narrows to only two feet in width in some places and is flanked by thousand foot drops on either side, makes climbing Katahdin one of the most unique experiences in the Eastern United States.

For more information on the various routes up Katahdin, check out the Katahdin Regional Wiki.

Photo above by mandj98

3. Mount Rainier, WA

14,411 foot-high Mount Rainier is visible from Seattle, but climbing it is no easy undertaking. It requires travel on the largest glacier in the Lower 48 and advanced technical knowledge.

Still, there is probably no better place in America to get a “big mountain” experience with such a short approach.

For more information on climbing Mount Rainier, try the National Park Service trail descriptions or the Summit Post.

Photo above by david.evenson

4. Longs Peak, CO

The only “fourteener” in Rocky Mountain National Park, Longs Peak is an iconic mountain and considered to be the most difficult 3rd class fourteener in Colorado.

Though it’s officially non-technical in the summer, the popular Keyhole Route still offers steep rock scrambles and lots of exposure. When combined with the intense physical demands of the route, these features make Longs Peak an excellent objective for those looking for a mountain adventure.

If you want to plan an ascent of Longs Peak, the best first place to go is Paul Nesbit’s Longs Peak: Its Story and a Climbing Guide.

Photo above by glennwilliamspdx

5. Mount Shasta, CA

Considered one of the best treks in California, Mount Shasta is also one of America’s most adventurous mountain destinations. Popular routes to the 14,179 foot summit rise more that 7,000 feet from the trailhead and traverse rock moraine, snowfields, and glacial features.

For a classic account of adventure on Mount Shasta, read John Muir’s essay “Snow-storm on Mount Shasta.”

Photo above by exfordy

6. Mount Haleakala, HI

Forming more than 75% of the island of Maui, Haleakala is one of the best places to explore Hawaii’s unique volcanic landscape.

Though the summit is accessible by road and home to astrological observatories, hiking through the national park puts you in touch with the austere and dramatic terrain and provides an opportunity to get close to an active volcano.

Like Mount Kea, Haleakala is considered a sacred mountain by native Hawaiians. Also like Mount Kea, its summit is considered one of the best places on earth for viewing the cosmos.

Spending the night on Mount Haleakala is the perfect opportunity to sit back in a sleeping bag, sip some tea, and dream of all the adventures waiting for you under that star-studded mantle.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

For more big-time adventures, check out the Top 15 Adventure Towns Worldwide, or learn about 7 Classic Adventure Spots in Asia.

Photo by Josh Sommers. Feature photo by Larry Miller.

Covering up to 25,000 square miles of Californian terrain, the Mojave and the Colorado deserts present a rich diversity in landscape, ecology, and climate, and provide an important preservation of natural and human history. The following are some of the most spectacular of the national and state parks.

Joshua Tree National Park

Popular for its Joshua tree forests and climbable hills of bare boulders, Joshua Tree National Park has a uniquely alien and prehistoric landscape.

Slow growers, Joshua trees can live up to several hundred years with some making it to a thousand. Photo by Tobias.

Arch Rock. Photo by Yogi.

Sometimes after particularly wet winters desert dandelions grow. Photo by Dawn Endico.

Death Valley National Park

Its rich geologic and cultural history, and extreme environment and isolation (having some of the clearest skies in North America for stargazing) make Death Valley an attractive destination for nature lovers.

A sliding rock making its way across Racetrack Playa. Photo by Mike.

Badwater, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. Photo by PhillipC.

Zabriskie Point. Photo by Larry Miller.

Red Rock Canyon State Park

The result of erosion exposing the colorful sandstone stratas and creating hoodoos and other dramatic rock formations, Red Rock Canyon State Park has served as the backdrop of many films, including Jurassic Park.

Red cliffs such as these have helped geologists and paleontologists understand the region’s history for the past 500 million years. Photo by Tobin.

Desert tortoises are endemic to the western part of North America. Photo by Chris Selvig.

Photo by Tom Hilton.

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

The largest state park in California and the second largest in the continental United States, the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park offers a varied sample of the Colorado Desert with broad vistas, dry river beds, and diverse ecology, such as palm groves, iguanas, foxes, golden eagles, roadrunners, and rattlesnakes.

The Borrego Badlands. Photo by Jurek Durczak.

Desert flora looks on as the desert sunrise paints a neon view. Photo by Florian Boyd.

Photo by Florian Boyd.

Mojave National Preserve

Seemingly barren compared to other Californian deserts, many make their way to this newly designated park for its booming sand dunes, volcanic formations, and Joshua tree forests.

Kelso Dunes, famous for “singing” or creating a low rumble when one slides down from the top. Photo by Lin Mei.

Photo by Chuck Abbe.

A chuckwalla soaks in some desert sun. Photo by Chris Selvig.

1. Cadrona, New Zealand

Image: nzgeek

In the centre of New Zealand’s South Island lies Cardrona . This large centre for ski and snowboarding is suitable for beginners and intermediates, but there’s not as much to do for advanced riders.

A day lift pass for an adult starts from NZ $81 – this year there’s a new express chair lift. They’ve recently installed a huge half-pipe with 22 foot walls and there’s also a whole range of facilities available.

Time off the piste

If you’re a skater, take a short trip down the road to Wanaka where there is a good skate park. Also worth checking out is Puzzle World, a good time-wasting activity involving mazes and games if the runs are closed when you’re there.

2. Queenstown, New Zealand

Image: slack13

Queenstown is about an hour’s drive from Cardrona and is home to the major ski centres of Coronet Peak and The Remarkables.

Coronet Peak has a paved road right to the top of the ski area, so there’s no need to feel so scared of careering off the edge of a mountain. It’s possible can go night boarding there thanks to floodlights along the runs, live music, etc.

If you’re thinking of going up to the Treble Cone, be sure to check out the six-seater ski lift! The Remarkables has some good black runs for advanced riders where ski insurance would come in very handy, but it also boasts lots of mellow undulating routes for beginners and a decent sized park.

Time off the piste

Queenstown in general is much more of a party town than neighbouring Cardrona, with thousands of tourists looking for all sorts of extreme activities. It’s good fun to go for a night out, but not great if you’re thinking of spending the entire season there. If you’re stuck there without snow, be sure to check out Frisbee Golf and the indoor ice-bar.

3. Falls Creek, Australia

Image: andrewfarrington

Falls Creek is one of the best ski resorts in all of Australia. It’s located in the state of Victoria, about half way between Melbourne and Canberra. You can ski here each year from the start of June until roughly the first week in October.

There are nearly 100 runs for downhill skiers, ranging from beginner to expert terrain. There are also 21 cross-country trails and over 65 kilometres of groomed trail network. A lift pass will cost you from AUS $74 per day, but great savings can be made if you buy a ticket for longer periods.

Time off the piste

In the summer, Falls Creek is an ideal place to escape the traditional Australian beach holiday and take a break in the mountains. With stunning scenery, fishing, walking and mountain bike trails and an abundance of high-quality accommodation, it’s the perfect relaxing antidote to hard work.

Bariloche, Argentina

Image: flynnwynn

The ski resort at Bariloche is a taste of the alps in the heart of South America. With huge quantities of lush snow, first-class facilities and a warm welcome, this resort has a truly European flavour.

Beginners, intermediates and experts alike have plenty of terrain options at Bariloche, including 62 miles of groomed runs. It’s so big, there are 39 ski lifts!

Time off the piste

Although Bariloche is a Patagonian city, the culture and vibe outside the ski area is closer to that of Buenos Aires. Bars stay open super late, and clubs go all night.

Portillo, Chile

Image: davemorin

Chile is famous for the Andean Cordillera running down its eastern border with Argentina. Portillo is a 2 hour drive from the capital, Santiago. As a ski area, Portillo dates back to the 1940s, and while the facilities and accommodation have modernized, the vibe and is still tranquilo.

The management purposely limit the numbers of skiers allowed on the slopes in any one day, so it’s never crowded. Thursday is race day at Portillo. Whatever your skill level, you’re encouraged to take part in a whole variety of downhill races. There are prizes awarded in the evenings.

Time off the piste

The apres ski is just as good as the ski at Portillo. There are as many staff there as there are guests. Be sure to take advantage of the amazing gastronomy on offer. Also, take time on Friday night to check out the beautiful torch-lit parade performed weekly by the students of the ski school.

And these days learning to surf doesn’t have to be the fearful, difficult proposition it once was. Forgiving foam surfboards and qualified surf instructors mean standing up and riding a wave in your first session is very likely — and then you’re hooked.

Read on for Matador’s list of the best surf spots to start your new addiction…

Byron Bay, Australia

This onetime sleepy dairy town turned hippie-surfer-stockbroker enclave is quite possibly the best place in the country, maybe the world, to learn to surf. There’s a variety of waves to suit different levels, from gentle rollers off Watego Beach to the beach breaks of Tallows and The Wreck (in small swells).

Byron Bay Surf School offers both lessons and accommodation. Or stay at the Byron Bay YHA (formerly J’s Bay), complete with pool.

Best time to go: March to May for warm weather and consistent swell .

Kuta, Bali

On an island famous for its grinding left hand reef breaks, Bali still offers great options for learners. The long sandy stretch of sand in front of the famous Kuta and Legian tourist strip can turn on fun waves for beginners in small swells – but watch the currents when its bigger.

Various beach huts rent old surfboards for about 20,000 rupiah per hour. For complete novices try the School of Surf.When the wind picks up in the afternoon there’s a bunch of options to keep you busy, from practising yoga in Ubud to partying late at Ku De Ta in Seminyak.

Best time to go: May to September for offshore winds and a party atmosphere.

Photo by mikebaird

Lagos, Portugal

While there are rarely waves in Lagos itself, this picturesque Algarve town is the base for many surf schools in the region, and it’s not hard to see why. A variety of great waves are within a 30 minute drive, including the protected break at Arrifana – a favourite for learners at low tide.

Among the surf schools based in Lagos, Surf Experience is the longest established and one of the best.

After a day spent learning to surf, refuel at one of Lagos’ cheap but delicious restaurants, from cook-your-own €8 steaks at Retiro da Trinidade to fiery hot piri piri chicken at O Franguinho. After 10 PM, the clubs come alive, the clientèle spurred on by cheap cocktails and refreshing bottles of Sagres beer for just €2.

Best time to go: Northern hemisphere spring and autumn to avoid the summer crowds and higher prices.

Surfer’s Point, Barbados

Located on Barbados’s more protected southern coast, Surfer’s Point in Inch Marlowe is the perfect location to learn to surf in an idyllic, tropical setting. Former competitive surfer and Barbadian local Zed Layson runs the popular Zed’s Surfing Adventures. Zed offers two hour lessons on easy-to-ride foam surfboards, plus a range of accommodation options near the point.

Best time to go: Anytime, although the rainy season from June to October may limit your tanning time.

Photo by marcodede

Waikiki, Hawaii

What better place to learn to surf than the home of surfing itself? Hawaii’s ancient kings rode the surf on crude wooden boards before missionaries in the 19th century frowned on the sport for being a godless activity.

Thankfully, surfing is back bigger than ever. The gentle rolling waves of Waikiki are perfect for beginners, offering long rides and a (mostly) fun, easy going atmosphere. Canoe’s is the most popular, and consequently most crowded, break but you’ll be among beginners so catching waves is relatively easy.

Boards can be rented from the shacks on the beach by the hour or take a lesson from one of the many surf schools in the area.

Best time to go: There’s waves year round although the Hawaiian summer from June to August sees consistent south swells.

Taghazoute, Morocco

Thanks to its long, righthand point breaks, Morocco has been a popular winter destination for European surfers since the 1970s, with convoys of VW campervans parked beside the various breaks.

These days, you don’t need to be a hardcore surfer to enjoy the waves, with a variety of surf schools to choose from. Pure Blue Water, between Casablanca and Rabat in the north of Morocco, offers a range of beach and point break waves.

In the south, Taghazoute almost has more surf camps than surf spots, so you’re bound to find one that suits your budget. Hash Point and the beaches around Agadir can throw up an easy wave for learners. If it’s flat, the chilled port town of Essaouira is just three hours north by bus and makes a great day trip.

Best time to go: The big swells roll in from November to February, but early autumn has smaller waves and warmer weather.

Photo by sub_lime79

Newquay, UK

For a country known for its crap weather, the British sure love their surfing. Newquay’s Fistral Beach is surfing ground zero in Britain, with a variety of backpacker hostels, surf cafes and surf schools in and around the town.

Newquay’s headlands mean there are surfable waves in most conditions, from the swell-exposed Fistral to the protected Watergate Bay just around the corner. If you have access to a car, the crystal clear peaks at Sennen Cove an hour south are worth the drive in clean swells.

Best time to go: September to October are the most consistent months. You’ll need a 4/3 or even a thick 5/4 wetsuit to brave the chilly water in winter and spring.

Bundoran, Ireland

Ireland is the new surfing hot spot in Europe; its world class, uncrowded waves now lure surfers from around the world.

Bundoran in County Donegal on Ireland’s west coast is a great place to learn the basics, with a variety of beach breaks on offer. If the swell is small, try Tullan Beach in town. If it’s too big, head 10 km. north to the more mellow Rossnowlagh Beach. The respected Bundoran Surf Co. offers lessons as well surf-and-stay packages.

And five places to avoid

• North Shore, Hawaii: With waves regularly reaching above 10 feet in winter, this coast is no place for the novice. Hell, even experienced surfers regularly come to grief here.
• Coolangatta, Australia: Home of the Superbank. When it’s on it’s so crowded you can almost walk out to the surf on the back of paddling surfers.
• Port Elizabeth, South Africa: Would you surf in the same waters where tourists flock to go swimming in shark-proof cages?
• Fuerte Ventura, Canary Islands: Sharp lava reefs, sea urchins, strong winds, localism and thumping Atlantic swells. Experienced surfers only.
• Puerto Escondido, Mexico: Has a reputation as one of the heaviest beach breaks in the world. The waves here are consistently above head high and routinely snap surfboards like twigs.

Community Connection

Keen to catch a wave on your next trip? Here are a few of Matador’s destination surf guides: Surfer’s Guide to the Algarve Coast, Portugal, Surf Vietnam: China Beach and Beyond, Surfer’s Guide to Asturias, Spain, or Surfing Argentina: An Insider’s Guide to the Breaks of Mar del Plata.

Landlocked? You can still take a look at our 5 Best Surf Films of All Time.

Photo above by darkroomillusions

There’s no slower, more connected way to travel than trekking. Overcoming obstacles binds walkers together and mobile trail communities flourish. Here are some of the most spectacular treks from around the world.

Kruger National Park — South Africa

Several trails weave through the 20,000 km Kruger National Park in the northeast of South Africa. Combine big cats with giant reptiles and you’ll understand why hiking is tightly controlled. Walking set routes with gun-toting guides will allow you relative safety.

Photo above by jhull

Mt. Kenya National Park — Kenya

As Africa’s second highest peak, Mt. Kenya might be better known as a technical climbing destination. But eight hiking trails also run through the park, each with caretakers and huts. No climbing is required.

Four of the eight walks are staffed and accessible, but the remaining four require special permission from the Kenya Wildlife Service. This is a chance to move from fertile slopes through forest into the rare African alpine environment, then watch the sun rise over Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Photo above by malfageme

Camino de Santiago de Compostela

If there’s one European walk to wander, it’s the rolling Way of St. James, a.k.a. “the Camino.” Pilgrims walk from wherever they want, finishing in Catholicism’s third most holy city (and scoring a free meal in the back of the five-star Parador Restaurant). The most popular route starts in the French Pyrenees, progressing through Pamplona, Burgos, and Lyon, plus countless friendly Spanish villages. Learn 4 Lessons from the Camino.

Photo above by Phillie Casablanca

Inca Trail – Peru

Macchu Pichu is an iconic and powerful image of South America and the once-powerful Inca Empire. What better way to discover it than approaching on a multi-day hike through forest valleys and steep ascents?

Once carefully guarded by Inca checkpoints, the path is now protected by government officials who check passports to ensure regulation numbers are kept and the environment isn’t further endangered. Like many of these treks, it’s imperative to book in advance. If you miss out or are looking for a lesser known alternative, try the Salkantay trail instead.

Photo above by Hiro008

Torres del Paine National Park — Chile

Torres del Paine is home to spectacular multi-day walks through alpine terrain, including the popular four-day “W” track and 9 day circle route. The Patagonia webcam project will have you strapping your boots on before you know what hit you.

Photo above by i am indisposed

Pacific Crest Trail — Mexico, USA, Canada

Approximately 300 hikers a year attempt to through-hike this massive trek, starting in Mexico and hitting Canada before the winter snows make progress impossible. Countless more attempt anything from a day walk to several weeks of camping through harsh desert and snow-flaked mountains. Thank God for those trail angels!

Photo above by Lawlesco

Appalachian Trail — USA

Running some 2,000 miles through 11 states, the Appalachian trail traverses not only the last pockets of wilderness in the Eastern US, but many historic sites and towns along the way. Shelters and a well-developed infrastructure exist along the entire route.

Most surprising is the entire subculture of AT through hikers that spills over into the surrounding towns. Hostels, restaurants, locals–oftentimes it seems like your through-hike (or section hike) is a ticket to this ongoing party.

Photo above by Lucy Crabapple

Annapurna Sanctuary — Nepal

Like most popular routes in Nepal, the Annapurna Sanctuary is a “teahouse trek.” Trails pass through villages, each with its own lodging. Camping gear like heavy sleeping bags, tents, and cook stoves are not required on this trail. As a result, trekkers can get by with fairly light loads. Check here for a complete guide.

Photo above by jenniferphoon

Mt. Fuji — Japan

Forget the expat slogan “Don’t climb Mt. Fuji.” There’s nothing more iconic than watching the sun rise from its slopes, and thousands attempt it each year. It’s not a difficult walk. Visible from parts of Tokyo, Mt. Fuji almost seems to be taunting travelers, challenging them to escape the neon jungle.

Photo above by hadriaswad

Gunung Tahan – Malaysia

When I return to Malaysia, walking Gunung Tahan is high on my list. Malaysia’s highest mountain sits snugly in a forest-clad national park and is surrounded by several trails. The walk to the top takes approximately five days, but is considered the toughest trek in the region with steep climbs and tropical temperatures taking their toll on walkers.

Photo above by Timmy Toucan

Milford Track – New Zealand

You can’t round up the world’s best treks without mentioning the Milford Track deep in the South Island of New Zealand. Described as the finest walk in the world, this strictly-controlled hike is best done in the southern summer as winter rains make it dangerous to attempt.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Keen on doing some serious walking? Check out a few of Matador’s trekking guides: Trekking Torres del Paine, Trekking the Annapurna Sanctuary, Sarawak: Trekking in the Kelabit Highlands or How To Trek the Inca Trail.

GOODS:

Photo above by Stuck In Customs

Everything is bigger and better in Texas. So sorry, rest of the world, but logic and reason won’t win this time: This is Texas, and you don’t mess with Texas.

As both the least and most Texas-esque city, Austin is quite the contradiction. We have BBQ and redneck cowboys drunkenly yelling as they drive by in pickup trucks, but this city is also home to the University of Texas at Austin (UT), a liberal community by many accounts. Kundalini yoga and marching an the Capitol are common enough. Austin is in the one district that always seems to vote Democratic.

The point being, this part of the country is home to an unusually polarized group of people, not in race, religion, or politics, but attitude. It’s what makes this city, my city, one of the weirdest and more interesting places to live on the planet.

If you happen to be passing through Austin at random times throughout the year, be sure to check out:

1. Music Festivals

Photo above by FRICTION NYC

The South by Southwest (SXSW) music and film festival and the Austin City Limits music festival remain the largest and most popular of the city’s offerings.

Austin City Limits commandeers the southwestern shores of Austin’s central body of water, Town Lake, and doesn’t relinquish control until every last music fan has had his fill of booze, food, and artists too numerous to mention. Think of the quiet serenity of a simple county fair… now combine it with the most energetic mosh pit you can imagine. Set it to the beat of some great music, and you’re halfway there.

2. Tailgating

Photo above by kelownabc

There is nothing quite like those pregame hours. With over 65,000 students, The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest schools in the country. The stadium–home to the Texas Longhorns–is the tallest. And the tailgate parties–UT fans camping out for hours before the first ticker holder is allowed to find his seat–are the craziest of them all.

Tailgate parties, if you’re unfamiliar, are opportunities for fans of sporting events to gather and eat, drink, and bleed their team colors (in this case, burnt orange) around the open tailgates of cars and trucks.

If there is any art in Austin that has reached its evolutionary potential, it would be here. Thousands upon thousands of men, women, children: faces painted, brisket on the grill, huge plasma screens displaying early coverage… local bars and clubs have their own booths with free samples and vouchers. It is the place to be on a Sunday in the fall.

3. Going the Distance

Photo above by maxxum_sky

The Capitol 10K race has long been a spring tradition in Austin. As the largest 10K in Texas and the fifth largest in the country, it draws some of the best and weirdest distance runners: spectators should be numb by now to people wearing chicken suits, Elvis costumes, or entire buildings on their shoulders.

4. Eeyore’s Birthday

The Tao of Pooh is nothing when compared with Eeyore’s effect on Austin. Going back to 1963, the festival was first introduced by a UT professor as a testament to the Winnie the Pooh character Eeyore, a depressed donkey.

Unlike the animal, however, the birthday party, which is held in Pease Park every year, now serves as a major gathering of Austin’s hippie population, as well as some mainstream characters. Come for the drum circles and music, stay for the drinking and games.

5.The Zilker Christmas Tree

Photo above by sheeshoo

Set up in Zilker Park, just southwest of the city center, the 155 foot tree is visible almost anywhere downtown. Chew on some kettle corn and sing carols, or opt for the cheapest, most fun activity there is: look straight up at the strings of sparkling, multicolored lights and just spin till your heart gives out. Remember what the holidays were like for you as a child: eating too much candy, laughing at the absurd, and spinning because you didn’t care who was watching.

Photo above by That Other Paper

The Trail of Lights

COMMUNITY CONNECTION:

Beyond the human interests Austin offers, Texas has lots of natural wonders, including hot springs and one of the world’s birding hotspots.

Photo above by Dominic DeGrazier

Sri Lanka. “Is that part of India?” people asked. A few others warned: “watch out for the terrorists – are you sure you want to go to a place so dangerous?”

Yes, I was sure.

But what about traveling through these lands when the terrorist group, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), had organized a few suicide bombs earlier this year?

A few years ago the “guerilla-ravaged” lands of Colombia gave me an amazingly different reality than what appeared on the television screen. Why not go for round two in another place?

I went, and I am very thankful for my decision. Here are 9 reasons to consider visiting Sri Lanka in 2009:

1. The Art of Smiling

If you have not seen enough smiles lately, go to Sri Lanka. The frequency with which locals will beam their brightness at you is mind-boggling. In a few days of venturing out of the capital city of Colombo, you will probably receive more smiles than you did in the previous two months back home.

2. The Land

Sri Lanka is a bit larger than the state of West Virginia. But this nation contains over a thousand miles of coastline, vast tea plantations in the mountains of the central highlands, rainforests, deserts, and brilliant beaches. Its three zones are divided by elevation: the central highlands, the plains, and the coastal belt.

Photo above by Dominic DeGrazier

3. Fruit

Kings coconuts are widely sold in road-side shacks. Costing roughly 30 cents, they are hacked open by a vendor, who will stick a straw inside and presto – you have a refreshing all-natural drink said to help with digestion.

Don’t miss the wood apple. About the size of a small orange with a rock hard stone-looking shell, this fruit is smashed down on a hard surface in order to be cracked open. The ripe wood apple is on the sweet side, and is best used as a jam. The unripe wood apple offers nature’s version of Sour Patch Kids. It’s an unreal nature-candy if you like sour flavors.

4. Friendliness with Interest

After seeing my friend (who is African-American and has braids), a Sri Lankan man in a restaurant could not stop himself from overflowing with excitement. He immediately began to say “Bob Marley!” over and over again while asking to take multiple pictures with my buddy.

In general, families seeing a foreigner walk by their home are inclined to invite them inside for a cup of tea. They want to hear what you think of the country and its people, and they usually get a thrill out of having their picture taken.

Photo above by Dominic DeGrazier

5. Architecture

This is a land of temples – Buddhist and Hindu. Some of these praying structures are magnificently large and visited by many; others are small and seemingly known only by locals. Don’t be surprised to find yourself unexpectedly stopping in a small village to see a beautifully crafted Hindu statue or other eye-catching structure.

6. Commercials

No joke – they are hilarious, as is much of the media. Picture a young girl sitting in the backseat of a car with her mother driving. They stop, get out of the car, and walk into a park full of trees. The child later drops her toy on the ground. A man then picks it up and hands it over with a smile. Next appears a close-up shot of the car’s wheels, for a tire advertisement.

The commercial was so unconnectedly entertaining that it was difficult to forget – like a few other Sri Lankan adverts. But that is the whole idea, right?

7. English Spoken Here

Due to the British colonization lasting over 150 years, a good percentage of the population speaks English – especially in the cities. When a traveler is lost or curious, the locals’ fluency in English comes in handy. A warning to those having difficulties picking up accents: some pidgin English is spoken here. My friends had no problem understanding from the start, but I was lost in this seemingly foreign language for a few days.

Photo above by Dominic DeGrazier

8. Surf’s Up

Sri Lanka has been rebuilding itself, with the help of many nations, since the horrific tsunami in December, 2004. In this restructuring, beach resorts – such as Awanatuna Beach – were built on the southwest side to cater to surfers from April to October. Waves are reported three to eight feet – substantial swells. The off season would be better for novice surfers as the swells usually come in at two to six feet.

9. Watch a Forming Culture(s)

Sri Lankans have fought for independence for more than 400 years, starting with colonization by the Portuguese in 1505, the Dutch in 1660, and finally, the British in 1796. Each colonizer has left its respective mark on the Sri Lankan society. A consistent example of one of these marks is a popular men’s clothing style: a sarong (traditional), accompanied with an incongruous collared shirt (British) to complete the outfit.

Since 1948, Sri Lanka has been a sovereign nation. In 1972, the country changed the British-bestowed name “Ceylon” to “Sri Lanka”, which roughly translates to “prosperous island.” Now, Sri Lanka is making its own way in the world, and figuring out who it is in the process.

Photo above by Dominic DeGrazier

Community Connection

For more on Sri Lanka, check out Hidden Hope: A Visit To A Sri Lankan Tea Estate, or several Sri Lankan blogs from Matador member khammons.

Feature photo by Tony. Above photo by Nidcha Injai.

From the early mountaineers who came to the Himalayas, travelers and adventurers have always sought out new places to explore in Asia. The following roundup outlines some of the recent Asian “classics” for ideas and inspiration on your next trip.

1. Paddling / Rafting on the Pai River, Thailand

The Pai River flows 62 miles through various class IV gorges and long stretches of flatwater through a remote, wilderness section of the Mae Hong Son province in Thailand. Season runs June – January. Mulit-day trips are run out of Pai.

2. Kite-surfing on the Filipino Island of Boracay

Bulabog Lagoon stretching over three bays, with an extended shallow and consistent cross-shore winds perfect for both kite-surfing. Various kite-surfing schools offer courses.

Photo by David Eng.

3. Mountain Trekking in Nepal

Among the numerous trekking routes in Nepal, the most popular is the Annapurna Base Camp Trail. Like most popular routes in Nepal, the Annapurna Sanctuary is a “teahouse trek.” Trails pass through villages, each with its own lodging.

4. Caving and Wildlife Viewing in Borneo

The site of continued international caving expeditions, Gunung Mulu National Park contains over 300 km of mapped caves system, including the largest single cave chamber in the world. It has a well established infrastructure and daily tours.

5. Surfing in Okinawa, Japan

Okinawa is well-known among surfers. The ‘Hawaii of the East’ is blessed with white sandy beaches, huge waves, and an established surf culture. You get to enjoy Japanese culture without the hectic rush of Tokyo or other big cities.

The best waves are found at the North of Nago, but beware of the southern end of the harbor, but this is a hollow reef break, not for novice surfers.

Photo by Oscar López.

6. Sandboarding at Mui Ne, Northern Vietnam

Sunrise is a good time to head up into the White Sand dunes. One of the most fun ways to spend a couple hours exploring the dunes: sandboarding. You can rent a board for 100,000 Dong.

7. Trekking and Climbing in Bhutan

With some of the world’s most spectacular landscapes and trekking routes, and a government that measures the country’s progress in GNH, or Gross National Happiness, Bhutan is good to go. Remember that independent traveling is not allowed by the Bhutanese government; you need to arrange your trip through a local travel agency.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Looking for more in depth guides on the places mentioned above?

Check out this Comprehensive guide to trekking Bhutan. Want to check out surf in Japan Hit up our crew here.

If you’re just getting started in adventure sports, check out David Miller’s guide to paddling or N. Chrystine Olson’s beginner’s guide to telemark skiing.

Looking out to the Mediterranean from the hill city of Haifa, on a peninsula jutting out from Israel’s northwestern coast, you just may see a sliver of land in the distance: Lebanon.

It was barely visible one gray afternoon in the spring, as was a lone naval ship, presumably protecting Israel’s shores.

Together, these two images served as a subtle reminder of the summer two years before, when missiles shot by Hezbollah rained down on the city. Incoming missile alarms sounded multiple times a day, and Haifa effectively shut down for the month of July as residents holed up in underground shelters.

The shuttered Haifa still dominates the world’s perception of the city, but it is not the only Haifa its residents know.

Photo by david55king

The Treasure Chest

Haifa, often likened to San Francisco or Naples, seems to rise magically from the sea. Flowing for a half mile down the side of the tiered city are the varied colors of 19 terraces. Collectively, they look like a rainbow punctuated in the middle by its treasure chest: the golden-domed shrine of the Baha’i prophet, Bab.

It is a beautiful sight, but also a perplexing one. Why are the headquarters of the Baha’i faith located in Haifa, a city in the Jewish state, a country in the Muslim Middle East?

The simple answer is that Bahá’u'lláh, founder of the Baha’i faith, lived and died here after being exiled from a number of other places — but a more poetic explanation is offered by many Haifa residents.

“The shrine symbolizes the tolerance of citizens here,” said Ayala Klingman, a retired musician and piano teacher who has lived in Haifa for 20 years.

Haifa may be the only place in the region where members of five faiths — Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Druze and Baha’i — live and work peacefully side by side.

In 1902, Theodor Herzl, founder of modern Zionism, dubbed Haifa “the city of the future,” and it is well on its way to fulfilling that prophecy. Israelis describe Tel Aviv as wild and cosmopolitan, Jerusalem as ancient and mysterious, and Haifa as an awakening beauty.

Since Herzl’s proclamation, the city’s population has swelled from less than 20,000 to over a quarter million.

Yet somehow Haifa is largely undiscovered by foreign travelers. A stop on many whirlwind tours of Israel and a transit hub for visits to places further north such as the Golan Heights, it is a main destination for few. This is a shame, as there is so much to see.

Photo by Bossplot

The Three-Tiered City

Haifa is divided into three tiers. The lowest of these offers miles upon miles of sandy Mediterranean beaches, beloved by locals but free from tourist crowds, as well as Israel’s largest port and a number of industrial areas.

“Tel Aviv plays while Jerusalem prays, but Haifa works,” goes the common saying. While Haifa’s port and oil refinery still employ many residents, the city, home to Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, has also recently attracted a number of high-tech corporations.

The main attraction of the middle tier, made up of residential areas and the business district, is Ben Gurion Boulevard, the lively heart of the German colony, with its trendy shops and restaurants.

Photo by vad_levin

The top tier, the Carmel District, has green parks and lovely homes. Yefe Nof Street, appropriately nicknamed Panorama Street, has a spectacular view of the sea both by day and by night. It is also the starting point of numerous nature trails that wind down Mount Carmel to the Haifa Bay.

The city’s extensive public transportation system makes it easy for visitors to explore. The various levels are connected by the Carmelit, Israel’s only underground subway, a futuristic-looking aerial cable car, and numerous long flights of stairs. The city also has a reliable public bus system.

“The beauty of the city,” marvels tour guide Yair Herdan, who has lived all of his life in Haifa, is “mountains and sea together with forests and a port – an awakening beauty indeed.”

Visitor Info

HOW TO GET THERE

Travelers coming from Greece and Turkey can land in Haifa’s small regional airport, but those coming from the U.S. must fly into Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv (El Al offers direct flights from New York for approximately $1,500), and then take a train (about $12), or private taxi (about $100) the 55 miles to Haifa.

WHERE TO STAY

Located in Central Carmel, the bustling district atop Mount Carmel, is the five-star Holiday Inn Bay View (Yefe Nof Street, 04/835-0835, www.ichotelsgroup.com). Double rooms start at $170 and feature sweeping views of the Haifa Bay as well as the Galil Mountains. The comfortable Haifa Meridian Hotel (David Elazar Street, 04/850-8888, www.fattal.co.il) offers sea view rooms starting at $190 and easy access to the best of Haifa’s beaches.

Photo by david55king

WHERE TO EAT

The Renee Restaurant (Yefe Nof Street, 4/837-5602), located in a beautiful stone house overlooking the Haifa Bay, offers local meat, fish and pasta favorites and a good selection of wines. At Isabella (Ben Gurion Street, 4/855-2201), located in the German colony, enjoy Italian and Arab dishes as you look out at the Baha’i gardens.

WHERE TO SHOP

Watch local artists work at the Castra Art, Recreation and Shopping Center (Moshe Fliman Street, 04/859-0000), where you can buy their goods and oftentimes create your own alongside them. The Panorama Center (Ha Nassi Avenue, 4/837-5011) in Carmel Center is a good modern shopping mall, and Hertzl Street in the Hadar neighborhood is a bustling outdoor bazaar with plenty of reasonably priced goods.

community connection

Interested in more on Israel? Learn the 10 Customs You Should Know Before Studying Abroad in Israel or read this thoughtful essay on How Conflict Shapes the Culture of Israel.

Photo above by Graham King

Whether you seek wilderness adventure, immersion in a unique culture, or a spiritual journey, a trek through Bhutan’s mountains puts you in the heart of this little-known Himalayan Kingdom.

Here are some considerations for first-time trekkers:

The Basics

Trekking in Bhutan involves a multi-day trip, arranged like a camping expedition. This is due to government guidelines and because many areas are remote, devoid of accommodations. It is not uncommon to walk for several days before encountering a village.

A typical day consists of 5 to 7 hours of walking among some of the world’s most pristine natural surroundings, including subtropical jungles, alpine highlands, and snow-capped peaks.

You will be accompanied by a licensed Bhutanese guide, cook, and mules or yaks that carry tents, sleeping bags, cooking equipment, food and other supplies.

In a nation steeped in Mahayana Buddhist traditions, the mountains are sacrosanct, housing deities. As such, you cannot scale peaks higher than 6,000 meters. At 7,570 meters, Gangkhar Puensum, the highest mountain in Bhutan, remains the highest unclimbed peak in the world.

While treks range from easy to strenuous, it helps to be moderately fit. Daily altitude gain is relatively high, so be aware of how best to acclimate your body.

Photo above by jmhullot

When to Go

The best high altitude trekking seasons are in late April, when colorful bursts of wildflowers dot the landscape, or during the pleasant, clear days of October.

Short treks at lower elevations are possible during most months. You can also time your visit to coincide with one of Bhutan’s colorful festivals, getting a glimpse inside the dzongs, or fortress-monasteries, that serve as administrative, religious, and social centers.

Climate varies significantly by region. The north, bordering Tibet, is perennially covered with snow. The central regions enjoy four distinct seasons similar to those of Western Europe, and the subtropical south is hot and humid. Monsoon rains pelt the country from June to September.

Photo above by jmhullot

The Treks

There are more than a dozen treks, ranging in difficulty. Some combine scenery and culture, passing dense pine and oak forests on the mountainside; whitewashed dzongs overlooking valleys; and chortens, squat monuments housing sacred Buddhist relics.

Druk Path is a week-long trek that crosses mountains connecting the valleys of Paro and Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital. The sparsely populated route winds around freshwater lakes, and if your timing is right, dozens of varieties of scented rhododendron bloom in late spring.

Photo above by babasteve

Bumthang Cultural and Gangtey Nature treks are shorter, lasting from two to four days. Gangtey passes through isolated valleys, including the winter home of rare black-necked cranes.

Of the thousand or so trekkers who visit each year, most head for Jhomolhari, the third highest peak in Bhutan and “abode of the Goddess Jhomo.” Following the river, the trek offers some of the best mountain scenery, including highland villages, yak pastures, and a base camp embedded in natural beauty.

Taking two weeks, the Jhomolhari – Laya – Gasa trek is an extension of the above. It weaves through the high Himalayas, leaving the Jhomolhari trail and heading east along the Tibetan border to Laya, and then south to Gasa and its hot springs.

Lunana Snowman is one of the hardest high altitude treks, involving walking and living in remote areas beneath the peaks of 6 mountains, each over 7,000 meters high. The mystical trail crosses nine passes, taking you by villages and nomad groups, and through forests of blue pine, juniper and rhododendron.

Plan Ahead

You cannot visit Bhutan on a whim as the government controls the number of travelers allowed into the country each year. Arrangements must be made through registered Bhutanese tour operators beforehand, and you have the choice of customizing your own trip or joining a pre-planned tour.

Each visitor is required to pay a fee of US $200 per day. This sounds steep, but it includes taxes, accommodations, meals, a licensed guide, camping equipment and haulage for treks. This fee applies across the board, whether or not you go trekking.

The easiest way to get to Bhutan is by air. Druk Air, the national airline, is the only carrier that serves Paro Airport, offering flights from Bangkok, Kathmandu, Delhi and several other South Asian cities.

There are plenty of online resources. For starters, check out Matador editor Tim Patterson’s excellent guide to, and impressions of, Bhutan.

Photo above by Graham King

The Tourism Council of Bhutan also provides handy information, including a list of tour operators (many of whom have their own websites), local news and events, approved treks, and the latest on travel regulations.

And finally, get a copy of seasoned trekker Bart Jordans’s Bhutan: A Trekker’s Guide , including insights on numerous trails, a comprehensive trek grading system, and information on trekking for families with children.

GOODS

Bahrainian dinars, also known as rubias. Photo by Ahmed Rabea.

The Netherlands Antilles

In the eastern Caribbean, this island group is made up of Curacao, Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius and Sint Maarten. The national currency, the Netherlands Antillean guilder, is pegged to the USD at a rate of 1.79 to 1.

All the islands are tourist magnets; their infrastructure is better developed than many other island nations in the region, thanks in part to support from the Dutch government. Bonaire and Curacao have the added bonus of being below the hurricane belt.

Their close cousin, Aruba, another one-time Dutch colony, also pegs its Aruban florin to the USD at the same rate.

Tourists explore Petra, Jordan. Photo by bribriTO.

Jordan

Jordan’s been drawing tourists for years thanks to its relative stability and fabulous archaeological sites. The Jordanian dinar is pegged to the USD at a rate of 0.709 to 1.

Several other Middle Eastern countries have also hitched their currencies to the USD. Bahrain’s dinar clocks in at 0.376 to 1, Lebanon’s pound is pegged at 1507.5 to 1, and Oman’s rial is set at 0.3845 to 1.

In Qatar, the rial is pegged at 3.64 to 1, and if you can get your hands on a tourist visa for Saudi Arabia, you’ll enjoy a riyal pegged at 3.75 to 1 there. Finally, Dubai and the rest of the United Arab Emirates have pegged the Emirati dirham at 3.67 to 1.

Barbados

Ah, lovely Barbados. With progressive laws on public beach access and a government intent on defending local culture as best it can, it’s done a better job than most Caribbean islands of resisting total resortification. It’s also got a dollar that’s pegged to the USD at a rate of 2 to 1.

Elsewhere in the eastern Caribbean, the Trinidad and Tobago dollar is steady at 6.33 to 1. The eastern Caribbean dollar, the currency used by Antigua, Dominica, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada, is also fixed at a rate of 2.7 to 1.

Lonely paradise on a Maldive island. Photo by Nattu.

Maldives

This Indian Ocean paradise may be one of the first nations to vanish under the rising waters of climate change – but until that happens, you can still enjoy the Maldivian rufiyaa at a fixed rate of 12.8 to 1 USD.

Belize

A rising star in Central American travel, Belize has pegged its dollar at 2 to 1. Neighboring Venezuela is a little further from the travel mainstream, thanks to the antics of its leader, Hugo Chavez. Still, if you decide to head that way, you’ll find the Venezuelan bolivar fixed at 2.15 to 1.

The Bahamas

As one of the wealthiest nations in the Caribbean, the Bahamas aren’t necessarily cheap. They are, however, stable and predictable: the Bahamian dollar is pegged to the USD at a rate of 1 to 1.

Residential high-rises in Hong Kong. Photo by Charles Lam.

Hong Kong

One of the great metropolises of the world, Hong Kong is a hectic, brightly-lit intersection of West and East. The HK dollar is pegged to the USD at a rate of 7.8 to 1.

Community Connection

For more information on travel to some of these countries, check out our Caribbean guides to Barbados, Dominica or Bequia, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Matador Network’s also got a guide to Belize’s Caye Caulker, and a few essays about travel in the Middle East: try How Teaching in Oman Taught Me the Shades of Islam, or Hidden Kingdom: Understanding Women’s Rights in Saudi Arabia.

Run, and you’ll have Machu Picchu all to yourself.

Opt out of the convoy of buses that meander up the winding road every day from Aguas Calientes. Walk the Inca Trail instead.

It can still be crowded, but offers you the chance to be the first to visit Machu Picchu that day. On the last morning, trekkers line up at a gate to get their passports stamped.

The gate opens at 5.30 AM. Line up no later than 5 AM to be first in the queue. As soon as the gates open, start jogging – the last stretch of trail takes about an hour and a half to walk, or about 40 minutes to jog.

Instead of stopping at the sun gate to see the sun rise (on a cloudy day you won’t see anything), keep ahead of your trail mates and quickly but carefully make your way down the last stretch.

Photo by Marie Cleland

Try the coolest experience on Lake Titicaca.

At an altitude of 3,810 m (12,500 ft), Peru’s highest navigable lake is also very cold, with an average summer temperature of just 14 degrees celsius.

If you’re motoring out to visit an indigenous community on the islands of Amantani, Taquile or Uros, get the boat’s skipper to drop anchor en route where the water is deep and jump straight off the boat.

It’s refreshing, to say the least, but the cold is fleeting compared to the thrill of swimming at high altitude.

Test your stamina at altitude.

If you want to fully appreciate Peru’s diverse terrain, take a drive up through the Cordillera Blanca mountain range.

A good starting point is Huaraz. From there you can get a guide to take you as high as the altitude of Everest Base Camp (over 5,500 m) to the edge of a glacier, where you can ascend with an ax and crampons.

Photo by Marie Cleland

Surf.

Peru has some of he best and longest lefts in the world. Mancora and Chicama is one of the best known waves, but get crowded. Other less well-known spots might be even better.

Your best bet is always to ask local surfers where to go. One tip: Puerto Inca, pitch camp next to Inca ruins that few tourists even know exist.

This is a photo caption with a link

Get up close to a national treasure.

Lamas and alpacas may have more economic value to Peruvians, but it’s a smaller creature they hold dear to their hearts. While many cats and dogs in poverty stricken areas are left to wander the streets, a little black dog that could have a starring role in the next Gremlins movie is more likely to be found on the couch in a woolly jumper.

The Peruvian hairless dog has been revered for its supposed healing properties since long before the Incas and is said to have a higher body temperature than other dogs (it’s even been offered to the White House as an allergy-free First Pooch).

Point your camera in people’s faces without intruding.

Not all locals relish the attention of tourists’ lenses. However, if you’re fascinated by foreign cultures it can be hard to resist capturing the intriguing faces and exotic clothes of the people you see along the way.

Time your visit then, for a cultural festival. Dancers dressed in all their finery are expecting to capture people’s interest, so you won’t need to be covert in your snapping, and you might even encourage some shameless posing.

See ancient artifacts before they all wind up in museums.

Peru is to modern-day archaeology what Egypt was to archaeology in the 1920s when the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb drew international attention.

The world is only now cottoning on to just how much material wealth exists in Peru – key sites from past cultures such as the Moche, Chavin, and Nazca can often be explored away from the tourist crowds.

Chauchilla cemetery near the famous Nazca Lines is an extraordinary expanse of human remains, with some intact burials and scores of bones and scraps of clothing lying scattered on the dry rocky terrain for 2km.

Chavin de Huantar’s impressive stone buildings, used for ceremonial and residential purposes, are still standing, but the modern town sees so little traffic that pigs, donkeys, cows and dogs still wander the streets.

Photo by Marie Cleland

Visit the other Galapagos.

Check the marine life at the Ballestas Islands off Paracas. These rocky strips of beach are heaving with the sea lions and the rusting hulks of old mining machinery are now overrun by colourful Incan terns.

With Humboldt penguins bobbing in the water and the curious outline of the Candelabrum engraved on a huge scale in a hillside – this area, the “poor man’s Galapagos” is far away from the crowds.

Night-hike in the Amazon.

However you get there–through local guides or a tour company–complement any day trekking you might do with a night expedition.

Within only a few hundred metres of an established jungle camp, you’ll come face-to-face with creatures you would otherwise miss during daylight hours: tarantulas, snakes, frogs, even marsupials if you’re lucky.

Community Connection: Planning a Peruvian trip? Check out Matador’s Inca Trail hiking guide. And if you’re planning to hang around longer, a number of Matador organizations offer volunteer opportunities in Peru, including Inka Magik, The Ayni Project, and Carisma Peru.

These earthy wines, whose color is reminiscent of the orange-red soil of the region, inspired me to visit the wilds of the Corbieres. There I found more great wine, good food, incredible places for walks and hikes, and a stunning history, that of the Cathars.

In the middle ages, particularly the 12th and 13th centuries, the Cathars were a spiritual-religious group of people all across France who interpreted Christianity differently from the surrounding Catholic orthodoxy. They were especially concentrated and well-received in the south, in and around the Languedoc-Roussillon region.

They followed what they saw as a more authentic spiritual path, one that held the sensory and material world as the deception of a false god, not a divine creation. The path out of this deception was to deny the material world its power, to live a simple life, and to focus on one’s spiritual origins.

Woven into these fundamentals were the practice of vegetarianism, equality of the sexes, belief in reincarnation, and forsaking material consumption for power and display.

Photo by Beebe Bahrami

In Languedoc, the Cathars were protected by the count of Toulouse and permitted to carry on their ways, unlike in other parts of France where Catharism was treated as heretical. This held until the early 13th century when the Cathars were deemed too successful and independent.

Both the king of France and Pope Innocent III wanted dominion over them: what they really wanted was possession of the south. Together, king and pope came down on the Cathars in a crusade, Christian against Christian, massacring anyone in their path.

Called the Cathar Crusade or the Albigensian Crusade, after the southern city of Albi, this is one of the darkest marks in the history of France and of Christianity.

Today, there is still a somber and mournful feel to the sites. As you travel through a vast sea of vineyards and rolling hills, you encounter countless crumbling castle-fortresses on hilltops, reminders of a dangerous past.

There is also a surviving spirit, whispering that the Cathars survived in their own way, and that tolerance is far more valuable than what’s gained through greed and corruption. The Cathars today are something of a romantic group in the country’s imagination. Some people even say there are living Cathars in these remote hills.

Photo by Beebe Bahrami

Here are my recommendations on how to enjoy this region in a low-key and affordable way:

1. You really can’t go wrong on any road you take.

This is especially true if you head from the north around Béziers, Narbonne to Carcassonne, then south to Foix, Limoux, Quillan, Lagrasse, and Durban.

All along the way, vineyards welcome unscheduled drop-in visits and tastings with colorful and often creative roadside signs. You’ll find a warm and welcoming people, so don’t be shy to give it a go and don’t worry if your French consists of the rudiments of the last pages of your travel guidebook. Wine is a universal language and easily understood.

2. Whether you opt to walk, cycle, or drive, follow the Cathar Trail.

The Cathar Trail, or Le Sentier Cathar, gives one of the best cross sections of the Corbieres, not to mentioncovering the major Cathar sites of the wider region. The trail is around 250 kilometers and starts in Narbonne.

It continues to Port-la-Nouvelle, Durban, Padem, Duilhac, Galamus, Bugerach, Quillan, Puivert, Espezel, Comus, Montségur, Roquefixade, and on to end in Foix.

Photo by Beebe Bahrami

3. Take a few detours:
• Renne-le-Chateau, near Couiza, for a seriously New Agey place dedicated to both Mary Magdalene and Cathar history
• Limoux for the warm cheer of the town. Take a picnic lunch along their river, and and try the Blanquette de Limoux, a solid sparkling wine that has absorbed the red mineral of the soil.
• The castle at Arques, offering a lovely drive through low green hills, along valley streams, and deep into that red earth.

4. The entire Aude, of which Corbieres is a part, is dotted with vineyards and little restaurants and cafes advertising the local vintages and fare. Corbieres has a huge variety of terroirs, a fact you’ll easily understand as you wind around its hills, forests, and streams that result in several different growing zones.

Keep your eye open for restaurants and cafes where the locals are gathering; these are a sure sign of a good place.

Some Resources:

The Cathar Way – A Walker’s Guidebook by Alan Mattingly (ISBN: 9781852844868), published by Cicerone Guides.

The Sentier Cathar – In the Footsteps of the Cathars

The Cathars of Languedoc

Matador member toby has blogged about another French wine warren, the Rhone Valley. And Matador contributing writer Craig Martin gets you up to speed on wine know-how in his informative article, How To Drink Wine Like a Pro.

Oeno travelers may like to record their favorite wines and wine experiences in The Little Black Journal of Wine: A Wine Lover’s Record Keeper

Unlike many other Latin American countries, Puerto Rico has a limited transportation system. While publicos (collective vans) can move you from one city to another, getting to the departure point is often difficult and time-consuming, and pinning down a schedule is next to impossible.

Driving the island is the best way to get to know Puerto Rico. At just 100×39 miles, it’s easy to discover almost all that Puerto Rico has to offer in a short period of time.

And what the island offers is extraordinary, especially considering its size. These five best drives will take you from the coast to the island’s interior, showing you the diversity of Puerto Rico’s geography:

• the turbulent waves of the Atlantic north coast
• the smooth as a plate waters of the Caribbean south coast
• the curious karst limestone formations
• the extensive underground cave system
• the dense and lush rainforest
• the desert

The itineraries include starting and destination points, with must-see sites along the route. Some lodging recommendations are also included.

Itinerary One: San Juan-Loiza-Rio Grande

If you want to hang out in the capital for a day or two before renting a car, Old San Juan is a compact, walkable historic center with plenty to see and do.

For an impressive view of the bay, climb to the top of either of the old city’s forts: Fuerte San Cristobal or Fuerte San Felipe (referred to as El Morro). Pass through the only remaining gate of the walled city and stroll along the waterfront “Paseo de la Princesa,” particularly inviting in the evening.

On weekend nights you’ll happen along arts and crafts vendors and musicians on this path. But if it’s daytime and you’re in the mood for art, check out Museo de las Americas, located in the Cuartel de Ballaja building.

And if you’re a late night music lover, no stop to San Juan is complete without a visit to the seedy but perennially popular Nuyorican Café. Celebrity sightings here have included Benicio del Toro and Scarlett Johansson…though not together.

This itinerary takes you to one of the island’s favorite beaches, but if you’re already jonesing for sand and surf, throw a towel down at Escambron (aka “La Ocho”), a small but worthy stretch of beach wedged between Old San Juan and “New” San Juan.

My own favorite though, is Ocean Park, a cleaner and typically less crowded beach in an upscale neighborhood just a couple miles away from the airport. If you decide to overnight before pressing on, check out lodging at Tres Palmas Inn, which is just across the street from the beach.

Photo by Oquendo

Once you’ve got wheels, head out of the city towards Loiza and Rio Grande. You could take the new toll highway, but you’d miss out on some spectacular driving. Instead, turn left on Road 187 before the airport and head through the beachside town of Pinones.

The road is lined with ramshackle kiosks where fried treats are cooked up on wood-burning fires, and if you’re thirsty, look for a man scaling a coconut tree with his machete; he’ll be happy to hack off the coconut’s cap and hand you a refreshing pick-me-up for a couple bucks.

This two lane road is ideal for rolling down the windows and turning up the tunes. Pull off the pavement, though, and you’re in for a real treat: a well worn track runs through the sand dunes overlooking the water and despite the rampant problem of litter, there’s some camera-worthy scenery and plenty of places to pull over to enjoy it.

Back on the pavement and leaving Pinones behind, you’ll cross the Rio Grande and head into the predominantly Afro-Puerto Rican town of Loiza, which has a rich and interesting history. The bridge that brings you into Loiza was constructed in the 1970s; before that, Loiza was geographically isolated and residents had to cross the river on a makeshift ferry.

If you stop here for a couple hours you’ll still get a sense that Loiza is on the geographic and social margins. Check out the small but beautiful church, named for Loiza’s patron saint, Saint Patrick (and ask a local to tell you why).

Ask around for the artist Samuel Lind and visit his studio, which is located in the home he’s been building for years. Lind is a famous painter, sculptor, and lithograph artist.

Head out of Loiza, still on 187, and follow the signs to Rio Grande. After some road that looks pulled straight out of a romantic movie, you’ll break back out onto the highway and find yourself just outside the town that’s home to North America’s only rainforest, El Yunque.

Check out Hal Amen’s The Best Hikes in Puerto Rico Guide for advice about best trails to visit in the park.

Rio Grande’s a good place to call it a day; head up into the hills for Villa Sevilla, a guest house owned and run by proprietors Marina and Wally Lawson. The grounds are rife with plantain, mango, passion fruit, and dozens of other fruits and vegetables, and when you hear the hens clucking you’ll know a fresh egg has just been laid.

Enjoy the salt-water pool and the views from the porch of the Chalet, which is perfect for a small group of friends. The smaller Casita is good for singles and couples. Marina and Wally are attentive proprietors and have been ranked #1 of all 97 B&B lodgings in Puerto Rico for the past two years on TripAdvisor.

Be sure to ask Wally if you can try his homebrew: beer made with passionfruit straight from the vine.

Photo by Coast Guard BM

Itinerary Two: Rio Grande-Fajardo-Guavate-Ponce

From Rio Grande, make your way southeast on Route 3 to Luquillo Beach, consistently ranked by guidebooks as one of Puerto Rico’s best. Luquillo’s waters are typically calm, and the expanse of beach is long, giving people plenty of room to stretch out.

If the afternoon sun has you burned out, drive Route 3 on over to Fajardo and visit Las Cabezas de San Juan, a nature reserve that contains seven ecosystems in a single park. The guides are knowledgeable and while securing entry to the park is onerous (see practical tips), the effort is worth it.

Stick around until dusk and then head out for Fajardo’s bay for a guided kayak trip through the bioluminescent mangroves. Puerto Rico has three of the world’s handful of bio bays, and Fajardo is the best on the main island. You can find a dozen or more operators trying to sell you a trip in the bay’s main parking lot.

Overnight in Fajardo and wake up with an appetite: you’re headed for Guavate, THE place to experience Puerto Rico’s favorite culinary delight: pig on a spit. Take 30 west to 52 south; exit at the sign for Guavate.

The road up to Guavate is lined with kiosks and open-air patios packed with people hungry to chow down on roasted or fried pork and tostones (fried plantains). Cars are parked every which way wherever drivers can find a space; be bold and follow suit.

Head back down the hill and hit the highway, headed southwest on 52 for Ponce, Puerto Rico’s second largest city and the so-called “pearl of the South.” This drive will take you through the mountains, and you’ll notice a drastic change in landscape—from moist and lush to dry and cactus-marked—once you start your descent towards Ponce.

Once in the pearl of the South, take a turn around the main plaza, stopping to see the old fire house, the cathedral, and—my favorite—King’s Cream ice cream (try the coconut and almond—together—they can’t be beat). Tuck in for the night at the historic, family-run and locally owned Hotel Melia (and be sure to enjoy breakfast the next morning on the rooftop terrace).

In the morning, scale the hill with the cross of La Vigia in your sights. If the elevator’s working, ascend to the top of the cross for a sweeping view of the Caribbean; if it’s not, check out the house.

If you’re wondering what else to do in Ponce, check with Quique at the Melia; he’s a friendly person who will go out of this way to help his guests.

Photo by bitshaker

Itinerary Three: Ponce-Guanica-Sabana Grande-Cabo Rojo

Ponce could keep you busy for a couple of days (did you take the trolley tour around town yet?), but head on out to the hills for another Fideicomiso property, Hacienda Buena Vista.

A former coffee plantation, Buena Vista is tucked into a densely forested mountainside just off Road 501, and offers an informative tour of the carefully restored house and the grounds. If you time your visit right, you might just get to try some of the locally made chocolate.

From Ponce, head west on Highway 2 towards Guanica. It was in this town’s bay where the US launched its invasion in 1898. Today, the town has become a little-visited but worthwhile stop for visitors to Puerto Rico’s southwest coast. Guanica is also noteworthy for its dry forest.

Somewhat out of the way, but worth the detour for the religious or simply curious, is the Virgen del Pozo (Virgin of the Well) sanctuary in Sabana Grande. Located on Highway 364, Km 2.4, the sanctuary attracts faithful Catholics asking or thanking the Virgin for miracles.

An entire room is filled with evidence of miracles, including photographs, crutches, medallions, and letters written by people grateful for the Virgin’s intervention.

From here Sabana Grande, make your way southwest, picking up Highway 102. One of the few roads in Puerto Rico that can truly be called an oceanfront drive, 102 winds through old pineapple and sugarcane farms, leaving you on a stretch of two lane road where you’re driving almost level with the ocean.

Cabo Rojo has dozens of roadside kiosks where you can pull over and sample all kinds of seafood treats. Be sure to save this stretch of the drive for the sunset.

Itinerary Four: Cabo Rojo-Rincon

Highway 102 leads you north all the way up the western coast. Take it to Highway 429, which will lead you straight into the popular surfing town of Rincon. While you could spend a day or two just lounging on beaches here, don’t skip the lighthouse at Punta Gorda or the monument to the discovery of Puerto Rico, just north of Rincon in the town of Aguado.

Photo by Oquendo

Itinerary Five: Ponce-Corozal-San Juan

If you’ve had enough of the beach, choose north on Highway 10 instead of west when leaving Ponce, and head into the Puerto Rican interior. The road north will take you through the mountains, near the coffee lands of Jayuya.

You’ll skim the edge of the Rio Abajo State Forest before ending up in Arecibo, home to the famous observatory. While I’d only recommend a stop at the observatory if you’re really into astronomy, Playa Sardinera and the Natural Reserve of Cueva del Indio (Indian’s Cave) are both worth a visit before you head east towards San Juan.

Although you could take the slower, more scenic route, patching together a drive through some back roads between Arecibo and San Juan, Highway 22 might be a better option. If you want one more stop before arriving in San Juan and trying out some of the activities mentioned in Itinerary 1, be sure to swing by the Bacardi factory in Catano. Tours—and two drinks—are free.

After trying out these routes, you’re likely to see why Puerto Rico’s nickname is the “Island of Enchantment.” Sappy? Sure. But it’s also true.

Practical Tips:

*Several airports receive daily flights from the mainland US. The main international airport is located in the capital, San Juan (SJU). Other airports include Ponce and Mayaguez.

*Car Rental: You will need a driver’s license and a valid credit card. Debit cards are not accepted by all rental agencies, so if you’re planning on paying with debit, check with the local rental office before you arrive. A reliable and affordable local company is Charlie Car. With locations throughout the island, Charlie is a locally owned operation that has excellent service.

*Speed limit, distance, and gas: Don’t let the seemingly low prices at the gas pump fool you. Pull out your calculator; gas is measured in liters.

*Tolls: Have some cash on hand while driving; there are some tolls along these routes. For more information about tolls and driving in general, visit the Department of Transportation’s website. The site also has excellent detailed maps.

*Fideicomiso properties: Open only Wednesday-Sunday and rarely answering the phone, the Fideicomiso properties are difficult to get into, but are worth the effort. Call in advance for a reservation and be persistent.

The following ten ski resorts have been selected based on two criteria more important than any other: consistency of good snow conditions, and quality of terrain. Building your trip around any one of these places will make for an epic days this season.

Please ski and ride safely and we’ll see you out there!

10. Kirkwood, CA

Off Tahoe’s beaten-path, Kirkwood is 45 minutes south of the lake and resorts like Heavenly and Squaw. Its location helps thin the crowds, even as Kirkwood receives the most snowfall of any Tahoe resort, averaging 600 inches a year.

When it’s not snowing, it’s probably sunny, as Kirkwood also boasts a healthy majority of bluebird days. Take Wagon Wheel or Cornice Express and slice down steeps, bowls and chutes like The Wall and Cliff Chute.

9. Big Sky, Montana

With 4,350 feet of vertical, Big Sky is one of the largest in the US. It’s also pretty huge in terms of acreage—3,812. Purchase a Big Sky-Moonlight Basin Interconnect ticket and your skiable acreage expands to 5,512, quickly making Big Sky/Moonlight the country’s largest lift-served resort area.

Ascending the mountain, you can’t help but stare at the sheer face of Lone Mountain, towering ominously in the background, inviting the willing onto its many chutes, bowls and couloirs. While the riding is huge, the crowds and lift lines are virtually non-existent—so if you miss out on any terrain, you can be sure it’s because the resort was just too damn big.

Photo from Silverton Mountain

8. Sunshine Village, AB

One of 3 Banff-area resorts, Sunshine Village is all about imposing terrain and quality powder. Delirium Dive, Wild West and Silver City are free-ride areas offering some of Canada’s most extreme terrain within resort boundaries.

In-bounds backcountry, you’d better bring a riding partner, avalanche equipment and big-time skills. Once in, expect to negotiate cliffs, cornices, steeps and variable terrain. You’ll need to have good timing—these areas are often closed due to high avalanche danger.

Not quite ready for the backcountry? Goat’s Eye Mountain offers slightly-tamer, but still demanding expert options.

7. Powder Mountain, UT

In a state that earned its reputation on snow quality, only one resort is named Powder. Receiving 500 inches of dry Utah fresh a year, Powder also has more accessible terrain than any other resort in the US— 5,500 acres. You’ve never heard it billed this way because the terrain is a combination of lift-served, snowcat and hike-to.

Powder Country offers 1200 acres of hike-to terrain, notorious for having fresh lines even weeks after a storm. A shuttle comes by regularly to carry you back to the base once you’ve hit pavement.

Cat rides run either daily or for just $12 a ride. If you feel like gravity stifles your flow, 20 bucks buys you access to snowkiting terrain via Sunrise Lift.

6. Arapahoe Basin, CO

A-Basin’s altitude at 13,050 feet allows for a lengthy season that often welcomes skiers on Fourth of July. A-Basin also has some of the gnarliest, steepest terrain in Colorado, with 60% of the mountain graded for advanced or expert riders. Last season, the resort nearly doubled its skiable terrain with the addition of Montezuma Bowl on the backside.

While there’s no lodging on the mountain, there is tailgating—a section of A-Basin’s parking lot dubbed “the Beach” is the place to pull up a lawn chair, grill some brats and enjoy like-minded company and sweet mountain views.

Photo from Powder Mountain

5. Kicking Horse, BC

The Horse’s 4,133 feet of vertical is second only to the BC untouchables of Whistler and recently-cut Revelstoke. And that’s not PR-guru spin (i.e. vertical divided among seven base areas). You can drop the full 4,133 in one continuous line, from upper mountain chutes and bowls to lower runs and on to the base.

There are only 5 lifts, so catch Golden Eagle Express Gondola or Stairway to Heaven and choose from 70 chutes, cut across several ridges. Don’t expect smooth turns all the way to the bottom, however; chutes are laden with cliffs, cornices, rocks and other expert fare.

4. Jay Peak, VT

Those who complain that Jay Peak is too cold, windy or isolated don’t come back. The rest of us have different priorities. Priorities like 350 inches of powder, 24 glades and some of the only chutes in the east— numbers that would be impressive in the Rockies; in the east they’re unheard of outside Jay’s boundaries.

For backcountry, find a shred with his thumb out on the side of VT 224; he just tracked a sweet line over Big Jay and should provide some local knowledge. When it’s time to head in, lodges like Grampa Grunt’s (more like a hostel) and Snowshoe Lodge are the closest you’ll find to the Ritz here.

Photo by McPhoto, Kicking Horse Mountain Resort

3. Red Mountain, BC

If you’re in BC and looking for a “scene”, head to Whistler. If you’re looking for pure riding and no hassles, consider Red Mountain your spot. Red’s southern inland location allows for much drier powder than resorts toward the coast. It’s still BC though; Red serves big terrain including glades, cliffs and steeps.

The resort also offers easy access points to 2,500 acres of backcountry. Red has piloted The Mountain Project, a cooperative among the resort, locals and outdoor manufacturers to preserve and sustain true mountain community values and lifestyle, the essence of what we sought to capture on this list.

2. Mt. Baker, WA

If you had to describe Mt. Baker in just one word, it would undoubtedly be SNOW. Last year, Baker was crowned the unequivocal snowfall king with a lofty 641-inch average. The resort also owns the world record of 1,140 inches in a single season. That’s no misprint.

Baker’s appeal doesn’t stop at deep pow; you’ll also find some of the sickest terrain in the lower 48. With gut-churning cliffs, cornices and steeps inside boundary lines, and a generous backcountry policy, Baker will ingrain lifelong memories (and lessons).

Don’t expect any plush amenities—the nearest lodging is 17 miles away in Glacier, ensuring that people who come have but one motivation.

Adult lift tickets run just $43/weekend and $36/weekdays, probably cheaper than your local hill.

1. Silverton, CO

Silverton has taken the vision of a rider’s resort to the next level. There’s a mountain. There’s a lift. And there’s over 1,800 acres of steeps, bowls and chutes. A yurt serves as the base lodge. No grooming. No runs. All terrain is colored black.

Depending upon when you’re there, you’ll have guided or unguided options. Avalanche gear is required. Take THE lift, hike the ridgeline and drop in on the line that looks most promising. A shuttle will pick you up where you land and take you back to start again. Expect to be joined by fewer than 80 others. Epic.

Community Connection

Interested in trying out a new snow sport this year? Thinking you’re finally ready to try telemarking? Check out Chrysser’s First Timer’s Guide to Telemark Skiing.

How about the backcountry? Either way, remember that it’s all about progression and new challenges, but always staying in control.

Feature photo by Gertrud K. Photo above by extranoise.

Hold on to your hunger. Watch the lights change from red to green. The sun has begun to set. Graffiti adorned trains pass by. Gulp down that last drop of boxed wine and head over to the district of Kreuzberg.

This is Berlin.

Berlin is more than just an ever-changing city. This burgeoning metropolis seduces the senses, nurses the creative impulse and makes you yearn to unearth its many secrets. Berlin’s dark past has shaped Europe and the rest of the world, making it one of the most historically interesting cities to visit.

Berlin is also a budget paradise for students, artists and travelers. From free raves in the park to art shows in abandoned kindergartens, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have the time of your life.

Photo by tochis.

Things you can do for free

1) Be blown away by the ever-evolving pieces in the East Side Gallery.

2) The Reichstag, in all its glass-domed glory, is considered to be one of the city’s most significant landmarks. The entrance to this location is free but often crowded with tourists. You can avoid the crowd if you head here on Sunday or mid-week evenings.

3) Sit on one of the giant swings located atop one of the hills Mauer Park during sunset with a carton of wine (.80 Euro cents) and good company.

4) Head over to the the Volkspark in Friedrichshain on Sundays and you’ll often find yourself in the midst of a raging rave.

5) Get lost in the maze of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe site. It’s best go here during the evenings, where the glow of the TV Tower (Fernsehturm) will light the way.

The beauty of this historically scarred city is that it entices you to look beyond the beaten down facades or the graffiti strewn walls to find the hidden gems of the city. In Berlin, anything is possible at any given moment and for any given budget.

Photo by Gianni D..

Accommodation

You’ll always find people eager to not only let you surf their couch, but also show you the best of Berlin. Join the Berlin Couchsurfing group, post questions, or find someone to hang out with for the day.

Numerous budget hostels in Berlin range from 10 to 20. Fun and lively hostels that won’t drain your savings are: The Circus Hostel, Citystay Hostel and the Heart of Gold Hostel. If “dirt-cheap prices” are all you care about then the seedy and rowdy scene at the A&O Hostel is where you want to go.

Districts

Mitte
One of the favored (and overpriced) areas for tourists, Mitte is divided into the the affluent locals in the Friedrichstrasse and Unter den Linden section whilst the younger, student crowd is situated towards the north.

Prenzlauer Berg
Prenzlauer Berg at the northern section of Mitte, is known for the “BoBo’s” (Bourgeoisie Bohemians) and is becoming one of the city’s favored districts for expats, artists, and young families.

Friedrichshain
Initially founded as a workers’ district in the 1920s, Friedrichshain is now known as the place for avant-garde culture, beatniks and fashionistas.

Kreuzberg
Considered to be the non-conformist centre of the city, Kreuzberg is a melting pot of artistic, multi-cultural folk, with strong left political sentiments.

Photo by Stürmifüdle.

Nightlife

Berlin nightlife is truly unique. Locals make it their mission to come up with bizarre events, from kooky ping-pong bars to secret raves (known as Geheimtip).

Dr. Pong’s
Danziger Str.
U2 Eberswalder Str.

This grungy bar is reminiscent of underage parties in your grandmother’s basement. The ping-pong table sees a lot of action.

Sexy Döner: www.sexydoener.de

“Döner Parties” are the most popular underground way to enjoy the night. The location is constantly changing, but if you see a long line of people waiting by the Döner shop, it’s often not only because they make a wonderful Durum.

Usually held at the back or in the basement of these popular shops areDJ’s spinning. The most common locations have been in Kreuzberg’s “Baghdad” (U8 Schlesistor Station) and Friedrichshain’s “Oktagon” (S-Bahn Warschauer Str.) Döner shops. A great way to get the inside track is to ask the Berlin hipsters about “Sexy Doner” and they’ll often happily direct you to this unique, albeit quirky, activity.

Photo by Helmers.

Eating

Berlin has lots of cheap eats. Head over to one of the local “Imbiss” (fast food) shops where you can fill up for less than $5. If cooking is more your thing, then check out the grocery stores Aldi, Lidl, Pennymarkt, Edeka and Plus located all over the city.

Café Morgenrot
Kastanienallee 85
U2 Eberswalder Str.

Home for political activists and hippie artists, Cafe Morgenrot serves a delicious vegetarian breakfast buffet. The best part is that you decide how much to pay! Head over to this left-wing restaurant on Tuesdays and listen to passionate speeches.

Vokus

Vokus are eateries located inside artist squats and cultural centers that offer weekly meals for 1 to 2. It’s also a great way to immerse yourself in the local scene and meet some fellow budget conscious folks. You can check out the different locations at stressfaktor.squat.net/vokue.php?day=all.

Entertainment

An evening with a movie under the stars? Check out The Freiluftkino in Kreuzberg. The large field is surrounded by classic buildings. Its selection of German and foreign films and large screen makes for a great night–a glass of wine in hand and the camaraderie of film-buffs as the sun sets and the movie begins to play.

Photo by : : deNNis gErbECkx : :

Sightseeing

Berlin’s history makes it one of the most intriguing cities to visit in Europe. The stories that color this scarred metropolis will leave you shaken yet inspired. Take one of the free (tip-based) walking tours such as New Berlin Tours or The Brewer’s Berlin Tours. If you would rather see the city’s edgy sights, then check out Alternative Berlin Tours, which is also free.

Transportation

Costs
2.10 \ for a single ticket, which is valid for two hours in one direction

1.40\ for 3 stops or less

6.10 \ for a Day Pass (Tageskarte)

Tickets can be used for trains, buses and trams.

For more information check out the official BVG website.

Trains
The public transport system in Berlin is fast, yet due to never-ending strikes, not always the most reliable. If you want to cover the most ground, the S/U Bahns, which operate from 4 a.m. to 12 a.m. on weekdays and 24 hours on weekends and holidays, is the way to do it. The S-Bahn (light rail) is also known as the ‘Schnell’ (fast) train in German and is good for longer trips and excellent views of the city. The U-Bahn (underground) runs more frequently and to more locations throughout the city.

Photo by *Solar ikon*.

Buses/Trams
Although Berlin’s double-decker buses are a tad slow and often late, they’re a cheap way to do some sightseeing. Forego the expensive bus tours and hop on either the 100 or 200 bus lines, which pass through all the major city sights.

If you get left behind by the S/U Bahn, night buses run from 12:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. and work on 30 minute intervals. The N2, N5, N6, N8 and N9 follow similar routes of the U2, U5, U6, U8 and U9.

Trams also operate all day and all night; however, they are only available in the eastern areas of Berlin.

Important Note: Make sure to validate your ticket at the station as undercover inspectors frequent the trains, buses and trams. If caught without a valid stamp or a ticket, you’ll receive a hefty, no excuses, on-the-spot fine of 40 Euros.

Bikes
If you intend on staying in the city for a season (ideally, the spring or summer) then biking through the streets of Berlin is a cheap, enjoyable and environmentally responsible way to get around.

You can buy used bicycles in one of Berlin’s many flea markets for about 40 to 50 Euros. You can also buy one of the leftovers from bike rental companies, such as the Fahrradstation who sell bikes that are only a year old or even from the Berlin craigslist site.

However, bicycle theft is rampant in Berlin so make sure to get the papers on your bike as well the necessary locks.

Community Connection

Plenty of Matador members have explored Berlin and have advice to share with you. Want to know where you can find the best pizza? Have general questions about the city? Check in with Matador’s Berlin expert, nancydrew.

Feature photo by cuellar. Photo above by _Lev_.

Cheap Eats

Fixed-price lunch/menu del día

Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Madrid. Most restaurants offer a fixed-price lunch on weekdays (called the menu del día); for 9-10 euros you get a first course, a main course, bread, drink, dessert, and coffee or tea.

If you eat breakfast and then fill up with everything on your menu del día plate, you might just forget about dinner.

University cafeterias and canteens

For hearty, budget-friendly food and a slice of local life, head to the cafeterias of Madrid’s facultades (university departments) and colegios mayores (residence halls). You don’t even have to be a student.

Photo by kellyandapril.

When in doubt about where to go, just show up in Ciudad Universitaria and ask someone to point out a cafeteria. Each building has its own, so you’ll find one easily and probably meet up with some cool university folk. (Metro stop: Ciudad Universitaria)

Hare Krishna Restaurant

As an alternative to student cafeterias, try the all-you-can-eat vegetarian lunches of the Hare Krishna Restaurant (Calle del Espíritu Santo 19, Metro stop: Tribunal). In fact, they offer free dinner on Sundays.

Cafes & Bars

Madrid’s infinite assortment of cafes and bars deliver reasonably-priced fare of varying quality and atmospheres: from your Spanish grandpa cafe to the hip, hot breakfast nook on the corner.

For breakfast, try the combinations on offer: pastry, toast, pan con tomate, or churros with tea, coffee, or pudding-thick hot chocolate. For lunch or dinner, try a bocadillo sandwich and a drink.

Self-catering

If you want the freedom to choose what you eat and don’t mind a scavenger hunt, then try self-catering. Head to the supermarket (the Día chain is the cheapest) for your main items, but buy your greens from the Ay! Madre chain (or another cheap frutería).

Photo by lecercle.

A whole week’s worth of seasonal fruits and vegetables is so shockingly cheap you might be tempted to subsist on bread and salads alone.

Expert tip: If kitchen facilities are unavailable, wash greens at the drinking fountains in the parks, buy plastic plates (and reuse if you want), make use of a Swiss Army knife, and dine al fresco. Add a bottle of wine and you’re set.

Cheap Nightlife

Photo by Daquella manera.

Cheap bars and open-air cafes

For a good time on a budget, stick to these areas: Malasaña (Metro stop: Tribunal), Argüelles (Metro stop: Argüelles), and Lavapiés (Metro stop: Lavapiés), where you’ll find a mix of bohemian and student crowds.

If you’re here in summer, be prepared for the treat of terrazas (open-air cafes/bars). Terrazas combine the best of the cafe with the best of the street. Note that prices are slightly higher outside than if you sit inside.

El paseo y el botellón

The paseo (a leisurely stroll) is indispensable to Madrid residents of a certain age, and the botellón (an outdoor drinking party) is equally common among its youth.

Simply grab some wine, spirits and friends, head for the nearest park, square, or street corner, and voila! A portable party.

Free drinks and clubs

If you don’t mind working the nightlife industry for a few drinks, then get ready to party. Just cruise Madrid’s nightlife districts (Huertas, Chueca, Malasaña) and soak up the ambiance.

You will inevitably be stopped in the streets by promoters (many speak English). Some may hand you flyers for drink specials or discounts on clubs, but what you’re really looking for is an offer of a free drink or free entrance to a club.

The promoter will walk you to the place, make sure you get what you were offered (usually a cheap shot of liqueur), and then go off to lure someone else to the bar.

The idea is that you’ll stay on and order more drinks, but no one will make you. So rinse, repeat, and feel free to have a night out on them.

Photo by dustpuppy.

Cheap Accommodation

Hostels

For a hostel bed in Madrid, plan to spend around 15-30 euros a night. A good, fun choice – among many – is Cat’s Hostel (Calle Cañizares 6, Metro stop: Antón Martín).

Accommodation swap

With some ingenuity, you can exchange your digs with someone who lives in Madrid for the duration of your holiday. To give it a go, put up an online classified ad on Loquo.

Couchsurfing

Need I say more? If you’ve read this far in this article, you really must visit www.couchsurfing.com.

Photo by Sam Kelly.

Culture

Luckily, a good number of museums are free or have free entrance days (usually weekend afternoons).

These include the Museo del Prado (art), Museo del Traje (historical costume), Museo Nacional Antropológico (anthropology), Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporáneo (contemporary art), Museo del Ferrocarril (trains), Museo Naval (ships), and La Casa Encendida (art expositions), among many other options.

Parks

Not all of Madrid’s sights are limited to its museums. For old Madrid, head to the Plaza Mayor and Madrid de los Austrias (Metro stop: La Latina/Opera).

For some flora, go to Madrid’s parks and gardens (the Retiro, Campo del Moro, Casa de Campo, Rosaleda Ramón Ortiz – Metro stops: Retiro, Príncipe Pío, Lago, and Argüelles, respectively).

Sunday strolls (and drum circles) at Retiro Park are an institution. For fauna, head to Madrid’s squares for some serious people-watching. Try the Plaza de Santa Ana (Metro stop: Sol), Plaza de Chueca (Metro stop: Chueca), and the Plaza del Dos de Mayo (Metro stop: Bilbao).

Community Connection:

For more trip planning information about Madrid and Spain, check out Matador’s “Where In Spain Should I Study Abroad?” And be sure to check out our lists of the world’s best rooftop bars and world’s sexiest men; Madrid gets a nod on both lists.

If you want to be sure you’re not hassled, here are 10 popular beaches where bathing attire – actually, any attire at all – is optional.

Little Beach

Maui, Hawaii

What good is a Garden of Eden type Paradise if you can’t enjoy it Adam and Eve style? Fortunately, the authorities in charge of Makena State Park, on the island of Maui, understand that – and the locals appreciate the tourism dollars naturist travelers bring.

No less beautiful than Big Beach, Little Beach is kept clean and sociable by the Friends of Little Beach/Maui Sunseekers, who also sponsor nude half-day cruises several times a year. littlebeachmaui.com

Wreck Beach

Vancouver, British Columbia

The setting of Wreck Beach, Canada’s first and largest legal clothing-optional beach, couldn’t be more different from the tropics – but it is no less stunning.

Located at the confluence of the Frasier River with the Straits of Georgia and English Bay, this 5-mile long beach draws more than 500,000 visitors annually to admire the surrounding white cliffs and emerald-green forest. As befits one of the largest nude beaches in the world, it enjoys the allegiance of the Wreck Beach Preservation Society. www.wreckbeach.org/

photo by Vox Efx

San Onofre State Beach

Orange County, California

Yet another enclave defended by an active “Friends of” organization is the two-mile stretch of beach at the southern end of San Onofre State Park in the sun-drenched OC. A judge just ruled that the clothing optional section of the beach could stay that way, so come down and help the naturist enthusiasts celebrate their 30-year tradition.

Not far away along this surfers’ paradise coast is another Southern California clothing optional recreational area, San Diego’s Blacks Beach. friendsofsanonofre.org

Cap d’Agde

Vermeille Coast, France

Cap d’Agde is much more than just a nude beach: it is the “World Capital of Nudism.” In the “naturist quarter” of this Mediterranean resort town, nudity is legal not only on the beach but also in banks, restaurants and shops.

Of course, France is the home of laissez-faire, so just about every beach in southern France is topless. While the clothing optional atmosphere here is as wholesome as anywhere, there are sections of the beach at night where friskier activities are reported to take place. www.capdagde.com

Haulover Beach

Miami, Florida

This lovely beach in metropolitan Miami has been featured as one of the Travel Channel’s “Top Beaches” – and 1,000,000 visitors a year give it its reputations as one of the most popular clothing optional beaches in the country.

Haulover was once a very unsavory place, until it was reclaimed from drug dealers by naturist activists; to make sure it stays family-friendly, the city of Miami maintains the amenities, including patrolling lifeguards, barbecue grills, refreshment stands and showers. If you get bored just soaking up rays, there are volleyball games and even occasional surfing contests.

photo by diluvi

Apollo Beach

Volusia County, Florida

More centrally located in the Sunshine State than Haulover, Apollo Beach is at the north end of Canaveral National Seashore, an undeveloped area (i.e., few amenities) shared by hardy beach enthusiasts and a number of endangered species under the protection of the U.S. National Park Service.

“What’s not to love about a nude beach in Florida?” says Steve Vickers, 28, who works for AANR (the American Association for Nude Recreation). “It’s a great place where my friends and I escape for a ‘detox weekend.’”

Available parking (in lot number 5) has not kept up with the demand, so plan to arrive early. And don’t come expecting a bird’s eye view of a shuttle launch: Apollo is closed the week of a planned space shot.

Hanlan’s Point Beach

Toronto, Canada

Hanlan’s Point Beach was an experiment that succeeded: nude sunbathers who had been frequenting the place for years persuaded local authorities to declare it officially clothing optional on a trial basis, and it soon became more popular than the “textile” (i.e., swimsuit) area.

Access to Hanlan’s Point is via a 15-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto, followed by a 10-minute walk to the clothing optional area of the beach. The Hanlan’s Beach Naturists have equipped the beach with courts for playing volleyball, European “lengoteke” and French petanque. www.pathcom.com/~frebeach

photo by Richard Berg

Gunnison Beach

Sandy Hook, N.J.

Gunnison Beach, the largest clothing optional beach on the Atlantic coast of the United States, is one of several beaches in northern New Jersey’s Gateway National Recreation Area. Located on the Sandy Hook peninsula, Gunnison affords a panoramic view of New York Harbor and the famous skyline of lower Manhattan.

Legally recognized as clothing optional, with official signs, a lifeguard and police protection, Gunnison’s proximity to metropolitan New York means it can draw in excess of 5,000 visitors a day on a sunny summer weekend. gunnisonbeach.org

Samurai Beach

Port Stephens, Australia

The Beijing Olympics are over, but there’s no need to wait another four years to watch – or even participate in – riveting Olympic games of a totally different sort: the annual Nude Olympics held every November at Samurai Beach on Australia’s east coast.

Located within the bounds of Tomaree National Park, about 120 miles north of Sydney, ruggedly unspoiled Samurai Beach was one of the first legal nude beaches Down Under. Even when not hosting events like the Nude Torch Relay, the fun-loving Samurai Beach crowd gets to frolic in the Pacific Ocean in gorgeous weather all year round.

photo by pedrosimoes7

Anse de Grand Saline/Anse du Gouverneur

St. Barthelemy

All of the beaches on tiny St. Barts are topless (that good old French influence), and two of them are topless and bottomless, Anse de Grand Saline and Anse du Gouverneur. Lesser known than the clothing optional Orient Bay Beach on St. Martin, these fairly long beaches are consequently less crowded.

On the other hand, neither Anse de Grand Saline nor Anse du Gouverneur have any facilities whatsoever — no food or drink for sale, changing facilities or even public restrooms – so come prepared.

Community Connection!

Watch the legendary video of Matador editor Tim Patterson getting naked in Patagonia and flapping his arms like a condor: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=jFnOhCNBmBg

Before You Go:
[NUDE TRAVEL GUIDE]
Naked Magazine’s Wordwide Guide to Naked Places, 6th Edition

The hardest part of the Maya Trail is deciding where to begin. Fly into Guatemala and head east? Fly to Belize City and travel north?

I chose to fly into Cancún and go south making my first Maya Trail stop Tulum, Mexico, on the Caribbean Sea.

Tulum makes a convenient starting point because it offers an oasis of hippy-style cabaña beach accommodations, yoga, good food and superb beaches with an important Maya ruin to boot. Here the traveler can disconnect from whatever life he left behind when he got off the plane and spend a couple days getting a tan and setting his watch to ‘Maya time’.

Tulum was once a walled Maya city with watchtowers and forts overlooking the sea. It’s important to get to Tulum’s ruins early before tour buses from Cancún arrive around 11am. After a couple days in Tulum and perhaps a side trip to the nearby Cobá ruins, it’s time to get on the bus and cross the border.

Photo by mboncocore

Altun Ha and Lamanai

From Mexico, I bused it to Belize, changing from a first-class bus to a school bus at the border town Chetumal. After an hour and a half ride I got off at Sandhill Junction to explore the Maya ruins Altun Ha and Lamanai.

I would have liked to have rented a car and driven from Tulum to Altun Ha. However, it is a real struggle to cross the border with any car, so taking the bus is the best bet.

Off a dirt road that used to be the country’s main highway, Altun Ha was an important ceremonial site in northern Belize during the Classic Maya period (250AD). The site consists of 500 buildings, most of which are covered in grass and spindly trees. Differing from Mexico, Belize’s Maya sites are not filled with tour bus crowds. At Altun Ha there were maybe ten other visitors wandering around the ruins while I was there.

Set west of Altun Ha is the larger ruin Lamanai. Accessed by water taxi, the ride to Lamanai, which means ‘submerged crocodile’, is part of the adventure. After an hour’s trip up the New River visitors come to what was one of the oldest communities in Maya civilization (1500BC).

Many crocodile sculptures were found at this site along with Olmec statues. Both Lamanai and Altun Ha are set in thick hot jungle. You will want insect repellent, sunscreen, breathable clothing, and water. Sandals are fine at the ruins themselves, but if you decide to head into the jungle it’s a good idea to wear heavy-duty shoes.

Caracol

My next stop on the Maya Trail was Caracol (the snail) in central-western Belize. Unlike the steamy jungles around Altun Ha and Lamanai, western Belize’s climate is arid.

I rented a 4×4 Jeep to explore the Maya Mountains and the Chiquibul Forest Reserve. It’s possible to stay in San Ignacio, the region’s main town, and see the sites through tour operators. While using tour operators may be a bit more expensive, it could be worth it for those who want to relax and let someone else take care of the map and the potholes.

On the other hand, with a rental Jeep you’re free to come and go as you please, stop to take photos, and stay in remote jungle lodges like Blancaneaux and Chaa Creek Lodge.

I stayed at Blancaneax Lodge for the night and then got up early to join the military escort up to Caracol at 9:30am. Because of some robberies a few years back, the Belizean military escorts visitors with one truck in the front of the convoy and another in the back.

I felt safe driving in the group and was joined by another fifteen cars of tours and private parties. It’s important to note that this drive is long (2 hours one way, give or take) and those who do it need a full tank of gas and a packed lunch. If you go with a tour, they’ll take care of everything.

Caracol is an expansive Classic era site. It’s fascinating to climb atop its towering Caana temple and look out over the jungle while imagining what it looked like as a Maya metropolis with a population of 100,000.

Exploring Caracol takes about two to three hours for those who don’t linger. Security is very good at Caracol, and guests are continuously monitored by armed guards (which is a bit weird at first, but you get used to it). After seeing Caracol, make a swimming pit-stop at the pristine Rio On pools.

Photo by kyle simourd

Caves

Caves were another important aspect of Maya civilization and the area around San Ignacio offers some prime caving excursions. One of the easier caves to explore is Barton Creek, which offers English tours by canoe or inner tube. On my visit to Barton Creek there was a small group of us who gathered at the ‘dock’ at the cave’s blue lagoon entrance, where vines and tree roots hung over the water and butterflies rested on alien-like orchids.

Each of us was given a high-power flash light as Borris, our guide, pushed off and paddled into the mouth of the cave. Once in the cave we turned on our flash lights and proceeded to ‘oooh and ahhhh’.

The Maya believed that their rain god, Chac, lived in caves. When drought hit the Maya made offerings and sacrifices in Barton Creek Cave. For whatever reason, Chac preferred young scarifies and twenty-eight skeletons were found in the cave, many of them from child victims. Barton Creek Cave is large, darker than night and a bit creepy. There are numerous bats which dive around and droplets of water falling from the stalactites.

Barton Creek is well worth the trip, but keep in consideration that the cave cannot be accessed when it’s raining and that if you go by rental car you’ll have to make two river crossings. For an even more adventurous and strenuous cave experience try the ultra-intense Actun Tunichil Muknal caves with a guide.

Tikal

Though the Maya Trail heads to southern Belize, it also continues west to Guatemala’s Tikal. From San Ignacio it was an easy bus ride over the border into Guatemala to Flores, an island town where most people opt to stay while seeing the ruins.

Budget allowing, it’s best to stay at Jungle Lodge right next to Tikal, enabling sunrise and night ruin hikes. Tikal was one of the great capitals of the ancient Maya world, with an estimated population of 50,000 and history stretching back to 600BC.

From Tikal there are some fantastic two-day treks into Peten’s forest to temple El Mirador which can be arranged in Flores.

Photo by Canon in 2D

Chicanna

I decided to head back up to Mexico’s Chicanna site, a small but detailed group of ruins on the Guatemala/Mexico border in the state of Campeche. Chicanna was thought to be a retreat for Maya royalty and is best known for its ‘serpent mouth’ carvings.

Chicanna can be explored in a couple of hours allowing plenty of time to also view nearby Becan and the remote Calakmul, a ruin site that was featured in the August 2007 National Geographic feature highlighting secrets of Maya civilization.

To reach these sites a rental car is key, though there are some buses which pass by. I drove all over the Yucatan and found the roads decent and under construction (meaning they should be even better by now!). Chicanna Eco Lodge provides green accommodations right across the road from the ruins.

More Options

The Maya Trail contiues north through Campeche (Edzná), west through Chiapas (Bonampal, Palenque) and north to the Yucatan (Uxmal, Ek´Balam). To see all the excavated Maya sites it would take at least two months of travel.

From June to November it’s rainy/hurricane season in Central America, so the best time to go is from December to May when the weather is dry. That said, I went in hurricane season and only had one day of rain total. Prices are higher in dry season, so budget travelers will want to pay attention to that.

Many of the lodges I listed are pricey, but budget options were available in most places as well (with the exception of Chicanna).

Dry or wet, cheap or luxury, by bus or by 4×4 Jeep, doing the Maya Trail is an unforgettable experience. As so many others have wondered: what happened to these people?

More

Tours: Hunchi’ik Tours: www.hunchiiktours.com

Getting there: Car/Jeep – Matus Car Rental (www.matuscarrental.com).

Practicalities

While the following parks are on opposite corners of the island, driving from one to the other doesn’t take more than a few hours. Renting a car is the way to go due to a distinct lack of public transportation.

Budget accommodation is also difficult to come by. However, in the spirit of immersing yourself in Puerto Rico’s natural wonders, consider pitching a tent. Public campgrounds are widespread, affordable, and well cared for. There are also private campgrounds, although some are open only to RVs.

The Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (Department of Natural Resources and Environment) is in charge of most campgrounds located within parks and reserves. These are cheap, but may require advance reservations.

To camp on the beach, go through Compañia de Parques Nacionales (National Parks Company), which runs several balnearios (seaside camping and recreation complexes) around the island.

Both websites above are in Spanish only. For camping information in English, check out these resources:

You might see safety warnings associated with some campgrounds, but only those closest to San Juan. That said, camping outside of designated areas is not recommended, and wherever you are, it’s never wise to leave valuables in your tent.

If money is less of an issue, numerous hotels and resorts cater to mid-range and luxury budgets. For eco-friendly options, as well as general tips for green travel on the island, check out Julie Schwietert’s Green Guide to Puerto Rico.

With temperature and precipitation relatively constant, the main climate factor to watch for when planning a trip is hurricane season. September and October are the riskiest months to visit, but that being said, the last big hurricane to affect Puerto Rico was in 1998. In addition, your camping options may be more limited outside of the summer months.

El Yunque

While only an hour from downtown San Juan and firmly on the tourist track, the tropical rainforest of El Yunque, also known as the Caribbean National Forest, is a must-see.

El Yunque contains four distinct forest zones, defined by elevation, each with its own unique mix of flora and fauna.

Most visitors come on package tours, which don’t leave them nearly enough time to explore the area. On your own, however, it’s easy to lose the crowds.

Make sure to take advantage of El Portal Visitors Center on your way into the park. The nominal admission fee gives you access to a plethora of informational displays as well as short paths through the surrounding forest.

The Palo Colorado Visitors Center, near the end of Highway 191, is where most of the main hiking routes begin.

Trails range from easy to intense and a hike will allow you to take in a variety of sights, including waterfalls, swimming holes, lookout towers, and mountain peaks. The Trailwinds and El Toro trails are long enough to stretch into an overnight trek.

Camping in El Yunque is absolutely free, but you’ll need to pick up a permit beforehand at the Catalina Work Center (also on Highway 191). There are no designated sites or facilities beyond the visitor centers, so make sure to pack as much food and water as you’ll need, and be prepared for rain.

Other accommodations, including two balnearios, stretch north of the park from Río Grande to Fajardo. Naguabo, to the south, has a few as well.

Bosque Estatal de Guánica

The most impressive feature of the Guánica Biosphere Reserve is its utterly divergent landscape. Only 35 inches of rain fall on this southwestern strip of coast each year. With your socks still damp from a trek through El Yunque, you might feel as if you’ve been transported to a different continent.

The small ranger station just beyond the park entrance can set you up with a map of the reserve’s short hiking trails. None are too strenuous, but remember to pack plenty of water and sunscreen; the hot sun and arid atmosphere will suck the moisture right out of you.

Lookouts and coastal views are easily accessed from the trails. In addition, keep your eyes peeled for the many rare bird species that frequent this ecosystem. And wherever you hike, you won’t be able to miss the sight (or the name!) of the Spanish dildo cactus.

Along the shore just south of the forest runs scenic Highway 333, passing several pleasant beaches. Here, you’ll also find the posh Copamarina Beach Resort, and passage can be arranged to the two islands just offshore. A couple guesthouses are situated in the nearby town of Guánica.

Bosque Estatal de Guajataca

From rainforest to dry forest to something in between. The tall deciduous trees of the Guajataca Forest Reserve will look more familiar to most North Americans.

What catches the eye here often lies beneath the ground. The area is rich in karst formations, porous limestone that over the millennia has been eroded to form rough cliffs, deep sinkholes, and subterranean passageways.

Trail #1 will lead you to a most impressive example of the phenomenon: la Cueva del Viento. After passing through a hole in the hillside, a damp wooden staircase descends into this expansive and pitch-black cave.

Totally unsupervised, you are free to explore the maze of stalagmites, columns, and tunnels at your own pace. Don’t forget your flashlight!

As there are numerous trails weaving through the forest, it’s best to hike with a map. Unfortunately, at the time of this author’s visit, the ranger station on Highway 446 was closed for renovations. It might be best to stop for information at a DRNA office in San Juan or Aguadilla. The DRNA also runs a campground in the park.

The forest sees few visitors, despite its close proximity to other attractions. Good surfing beaches lie to the northwest; to the southeast sits Lago Guajataca, a recreational lake with several camping and guesthouse options; just beyond that, you’ll find the third-largest cave system in the world at Parque de las Cavernas del Río Camuy; and who could forget Observatorio de Arecibo, home to the world’s largest radio telescope?

And many more

Don’t stop with these three offerings. The island is packed with parks and reserves, virtually undiscovered by tourists and awaiting explorers in search of a different Puerto Rico. At approximately 100 x 39 miles, this island is highly explorable. And the fact that US citizens don’t need a passport to visit is all the more reason to make plans for a trip to America’s “isle of enchantment.”

Community Connection

Matador writer and editor Julie Schwietert Collazo lived in Puerto Rico for almost three years. Feel free to contact her for trip advice.

Matador member Caribe is from San Juan, and Liesbet is currently exploring Puerto Rico’s coast by boat. Not a Matador member yet? Sign up today!

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Feature photo by oNico®. Photo above by oNico®.

“How are you affording Paris?” my mother, in her overly-motherly way, wanted to know.

“Well,” I said, with a twinge of desperation. “We’re not, really.”

My partner and I didn’t have a hotel booked and we didn’t know what we would do when we got to Paris, except avoid spending as many Euros as possible.

We packed solemnly, listening to a barrage of radio reports on the desolate state of the world economy and wondering how long we could avoid paying this month’s rent.

Photo by Bryce Edwards.

Youthful Fortune

By lucky, youthful fortune, a friend of ours turned out to have a crumbling apartment in the Latin Quarter that we could stay in, as long as we were out by the end of the weekend—he’d recently sold the place and new ownership was soon to take effect.

On our last evening, we were having a meal on the mattress–cheese, pâté, wine–when a girl came into the apartment to take away all of the furniture.

It was embarrassing—our friend had forgotten to tell us she would be coming, and had forgotten to tell her that we would be there—but in broken language we all apologized until we were weary of apologizing, and then helped her unhook the washing machine from the wall.

We slept without a mattress that night, sweating profusely in the late August heat, but it was okay, somehow—and it was free.

Photo by oNico®.

Slow down to appreciate the rich detail

Mostly we walked around the city, but because my partner had recently sprained his ankle, we had to take it easy, and most of our walks were slow, aimless strolls. It turns out that this was good for me.

I had only been to Paris only once before, a year previous, on my own. I was poor, then, too, but less so; more than that I was lonely, for Paris is a strange place to be without a companion.

To combat the loneliness, I walked the walk of someone with a purpose, although I had none. I walked from the Place de Republique to the Notre Dame, from where I followed the curve of the Seine to the Eiffel Tower; then I crossed the water and hiked up to the top of Montmartre, where I lingered only for a coffee before climbing back down the mountain.

My feet hurt, and I had seen more of Paris than most weekend tourists, but none of it meant anything.

This time, I was reading The Flaneur by Edmund White. A flâneur is a kind of loiterer, a watcher in the city—and Paris, White writes, “is a world meant to be seen by the walker alone, for only the pace of strolling can take in all the rich (if muted) detail.”

Photo by baraka27.

Hungry In Paris

White also reminded me that Ernest Hemingway, a onetime writing hero of mine, was hungry and poor in Paris, too. There is a passage in A Moveable Feast that I had forgotten until I read The Flâneur; it starts thus:

“You got very hungry when you did not eat enough in Paris because all the bakery shops had such good things in the windows and people ate outside at tables on the sidewalk so that you saw and smelled the food”.

Then Hemingway describes how he used to wind his way around the city avoiding all the places that made him hungry and tempted to spend money.

My partner and I ate meals out of supermarkets and bakeries. Our favorite dinner was in a park near the Louvre, facing a trio of naked statues, finishing our €2 red and gorging ourselves on fresh bread and soft cheese.

We determined not to be hungry by carrying chocolate in our bags, sucking bittersweet squares while we passed handsome couples posed over elegantly arranged plates at streetside cafés.

The Occasional Splurge

Occasionally, we splurged, but even our splurges seemed austere. On Montmartre, we found a cafe my partner had been at years ago, a quiet place in a quiet square were we were the only ones speaking English.

We each ordered the special, a huge salad with fresh lettuce and beetroots and meat and cheese, and shared half a bottle of crisp white wine. We watched a pair of leathery middle-aged men doze in the red-and-yellow striped deck chairs outside the sign: Le Botak Café.

Photo by Damien Roué.

In search of a private moment

Of that enviable creature, the flâneur, Edmund White writes:

“He (or she) is not a foreign tourist tracing down the Major Sights and ticking them off a list of standard wonders. He (or she) is…in search of a private moment, not a lesson, and whereas wonders can lead to edification, they are not likely to give the viewer gooseflesh. No, it is the private Proustian touchstone—the madeleine, the tilting paving stone—that the flâneur is tracking down.”

My partner and I sought no major sights, initially because we could not afford to, but eventually because we had found a greater pleasure in the intimate, a curious thrill in our ability to watch.

We drank café au lait facing the street so we could see all the people. Our biggest expense was coffee, not accommodation or food.

Once, for the sheer poetry of it, we had a kir at Sartre’s café, Café de Flore, across from the Brasserie Lipp where Hemingway eats one hungry afternoon in A Moveable Feast. Because the drinks were so expensive we sipped slowly, enjoying being able to rest our feet while other people walked on by.

The waiter brought us a plate of green olives and we sucked them from a toothpick and picked the pits out from our teeth. As we were sitting there a sudden horde of rollerbladers came sweeping down the street, flanked by police cars. Beside me a svelte black-haired woman read Elle and drank a €5 coke through a straw, tapping her high-heeled feet.

Photo by ralphunden.

The rich poverty of youth and idealism

The Paris we found in our state of poverty—which is not, I should add, any true or cruel poverty, but rather the relative poverty of youth, and of idealism—is perhaps a more powerful Paris than we could ever have discovered if, flush with cash, we stayed in a glittering hotel, wandered the halls of the Louvre, dined at cafés along the Champs-Élysées, kissed at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

As it happened, we kissed instead at the top of the Institut Du Monde Arabe, which boasts free entry and sweeping views of the Seine, of Notre Dame, of countless rooftops.

On our last evening in Paris, we went to the Caveau des Oubliettes, around the corner from our (now mattress-less) apartment, to hear some blues. There is no cover charge, only a requirement that you buy a drink, so over a few pints of beer, we listened to the frenzied jams of various swaying musicians until the wee hours, when, dizzy and grinning, we emerged onto the street like two people transformed.

Hemingway may have written about hunger, about the stern beauty of a city that he was mostly always poor and cold in. But also he writes this:

“We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other.”

That’s something–and a far nicer something, in fact, than being able to afford a fancy hotel with a mattress or to enter every museum or shop for souvenirs.

The touch of a single tile

It is as Walter Benjamin, quoted in Edmund White, writes:

“The flâneur is the creation of Paris…he would be happy to trade all his knowledge of artists’ quarters, birthplaces, and princely palaces for the scent of a single weathered threshold or the touch of a single tile—that which any old dog carries away”

It is only when we are stripped of resource—penniless, young, lacking a full understanding of the language of the place—that we finally have the courage to adopt this philosophy of travel.

It is when we have nothing but our own wits, and perhaps the company of an intimate acquaintance, that we finally lose the pressure we have felt for so long, as travelers, to see this, and do that—we destroy our to-do lists and pursue, instead, “the touch of a single tile”.

And what we find along the way is sacred.

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A Moveable Feast
The Flaneur

Feature photo by ccate. Photo above by DanieVDM.

These towns are the best in the world for adventure!

Photo by LizMarie.

Valdez, Alaska

One of the premier heli-skiing locations in the world, Valdez offers access to the snow-drenched steeps and spines of the Chugach Range.

For mellower adventures, Prince William Sound offers sea kayaking and tours into surrounding glaciers. Check out Points North for heli-skiing packages.

Photo by Michael Scheltgen.

Vancouver, British Columbia

Vancouver’s North Shore invented freeride mountain biking. Huge drops. Crazy, winding wood bridges and planks. Sick jumps. This is the North Shore’s bread and butter.

Haven’t gotten enough? Head two hours north to Whistler and drop into backcountry via helicopter and bike your way out.

When the snow begins to fall, Vancouver offers access to many ski resorts including Cypress Mountain, Grouse Mountain, Mt. Seymour, just minutes from downtown, and Whistler, North America’s largest resort, to the north.

Also, check out Matador’s complete guide to heli-skiing in British Colombia.

Photo by woodleywonderworks.

Jackson, Wyoming

Jackson Hole is a name that produces an automatic tingle down the spine of anyone who’s ever ridden planks or boarded down a snow-covered slope.

Jackson is home to some of the most serious riding, both in-bounds and backcountry, in the lower 48. The town is less-known for the multitude of other sports it offers year-round, including mountain biking, backcountry hikes and paragliding.

Jackson is also a jumping off point for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, offering the most diverse wildlife viewing in the lower 48.

Photo by JasonRogers.

Moab, UT

Moab’s 4 x 4 roads, rock-strewn trails and slickrock have given it the reputation as “Mountain Biking Capital of the World.”

The rugged, high desert is a breeding ground for any off-road adventure—ATVing, dirt biking, buggying, jeeping And the hoodoos rising above the desert floor and canyons that cut through acres of red rock are ideal for climbing and canyoneering.

The Green and Colorado Rivers also offer whitewater excursions. Try a Moab multi-sport package.

Photo by uLe @ Dortmund.

Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Puerto Escondido is famous for its break off Zicatela Beach, dubbed the Mexican Pipeline. It is one of the heaviest barrels on the Pacific Coast, a classic surf destination in Mexico.

In addition, adventure-seekers can enjoy kayaking, scuba diving and eco tours into the surrounding jungles and mountains.

Turrialba, Costa Rica

With a reputation as a whitewater paradise for its local rivers, the Reventazon and Pacuare, Turrialba is also a key hub for multi-day mountain biking, hiking, and backpacking trips.

Mountain bike or raft through lush rainforests and volcanic valleys. If you’re on an adrenaline binge, bike from Turrialba to the Pacific Coast and pick up a board for some of Costa Rica’s world class surfing.

For the foot traveler, summit the Turrialba Volcano or take a look 3000 years in the past at the Guayabo National Monument. Check out costaricaadventures.net.

Photo by sancho_panza.

Arequipa, Peru

With its location in the shadow of 19er volcanic peaks such as El Misti and Chachani, Arequipa is a mountain climber’s dream town.

If climbing mountains isn’t your game, Arequipa also offers whitewater paddling through the depths of the Cotahuasi Canyon, arguably the world’s deepest gorge (over 2 miles) and mountain biking treks from high in the Andes down into the Amazon Jungle.

Check out peruadventures.com for these and other epic options.

Photo by ccate.

Futaleufu, Chile

The small town of Futaleufu in Patagonian Chile accesses the river by the same name–a river many lifelong kayakers consider the most beautiful and challenging in the wold.

This alone would earn it a place on the list, but with access to Andean Peaks and treks through Patagonia, the town is ripe for multi-sport adventures like few other locales in South America. Many companies run trips down the Futaleufu; here’s one: earthriver.com.

Grytviken, South Georgia Island

Antarctica needed to be on this list—the continent possesses elements of frontier and adventure exploration like nowhere else on earth. So although Grytviken is not a traditional town, it earns its rank.

Grytviken offers an historical look back into great Antarctic excursions of the past, housing the gravesite of British explorer Ernest Shackleton, a museum and remnants of an early 20th century whaling colony.

South Georgia is a popular stop on many Antarctic trips and is home to hundreds of thousands of penguins, several species of seal and albatross. Prepare for your Antarctic excursion.

Photo by DanieVDM.

Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town is revered worldwide for the huge swells off its white-sand beaches. In addition to killer surfing, the waters that surround the city are great for kite surfing and sea kayaking.

If you prefer to stay dry, pick up a sandboard and head out to the white sand dunes of Atlantis, a nature reserve about 40 minutes outside of Cape Town. Or, if you’re tired of just staring at Table Mountain, climb to the top by foot or cable car and repel or mountain bike down.

Check out Cape Town’s Downhill Adventures for these and other packages.

Photo by travellingtamas.

Interlaken, Switzerland

One ski pass for the Jungfrau Top Ski Region will earn you access to over 128 miles of ski trails across 3 resorts, connected to Interlaken by mountain railway.

Not enough? Jump in a helicopter and ride a remote slice of the Alps. Also try ice climbing or glacier treks. Summertime brings sports like mountaineering, bungee jumping from gondolas, sky diving and zorbing—rolling down a hill inside a big plastic ball—to the fray.

Canyons such as Grimsel and Saxeten offer thrilling canyoning—repelling and leaping into canyons— amidst cascading waterfalls.

Find out more on your own: alpinraft.com or swissalpineguides.ch.

Photo by kennymatic.

Voss, Norway

Voss’s setting amidst the peaks and fjords of western Norway has earned it a rep as a world capital for the fringe sport of BASE jumping.

After landing, kayak or raft Class III-V rapids on the Stranda and Randaul Rivers. If you’d prefer running rapids via riverboard, try it out under close professional supervision at Voss Rafting Senter. The Center also offers repelling on the 500-foot Tvinnefossen waterfall and canyoning/cliff jumping options.

Once dry, be sure to try out para-bungee, in which you’re hoisted 600 feet into the air on a giant parasail platform to bungee 300 feet below. Oh, and Voss is also one of Norway’s largest ski towns.

Shegar, Tibet

It would be difficult to complete this list without including the most revered, infamous adventure of them all—Everest. The tiny town of Shegar, Tibet is the last stop on the northern route to Everest Base Camp.

Although Shegar may be a small, one-trick pony; the trick is pretty huge and significant. Himalayan scenery doesn’t hurt either.

Photo by showmeone.

Queenstown, New Zealand

The mountains and waters surrounding Queenstown are home to many classic outdoor sports: whitewater, heli-skiing, climbing, jet boating and mountain biking, to name a few.

Queenstown decided that its natural endowments weren’t enough and helped craft some of the world’s more insane sports. AJ Hackett, one of bungee’s pioneer jumpers and entrepreneurs, founded a bungee operation in Queenstown on the Kawarau Bridge back in the late 80’s.

Since then, bungee jumping has flourished in the city. Apparently, bungee was a little too one dimensional— Queenstown’s 359-foot Shotover Canyon Swing allows you to swing out over the canyon after dropping nearly 200 feet. Pretty sick. Check out Queenstown adventure for more information.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

For first-timer recommendations about adventure sports in the great outdoors, check out Dana Ranill’s “A First Timer’s Guide to Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding.”

For a classic profile on the pioneers of today’s gravity sports, check out David Miller’s article “Feeling Gravity’s Pull.”

Looking for Outdoor Gear?

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LTD Sock 06 Snowboard Bag – Black
A Team Formica Bottom Sandboard

Feature photo by gashwin. Photo above by Stewf.

1. Trek Through the Daintree Rainforest

Home to one of the most diverse variety of plants and animals on earth, the Daintree Rainforest is an epic destination north of Cairns in Tropical Far North Queensland. There’s plenty to do in this world heritage listed rainforest, including bushwalks, early morning river cruises, 4WD tours and crocodile-spotting expeditions.

Photo by sliabh.

2. Helicopter Ride Over Great Ocean Road

Zoom along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road on a helicopter ride for an unforgettable perspective on iconic landmarks like the magnificent Twelve Apostles, historic Glenample Homestead, ill-fated Loch Ard Gorge and breathtaking 70m high Gibson Steps.

3. Charter a Yacht from Cairns

Aussies dream of Tropical Queensland the same way New Yorkers dream of Hawaii. There’s no better way to see the Great Barrier Reef and Whitsunday Islands than to charter a fully crewed luxury yacht — like the 52 ft. Marcrista.

Photo by H4NUM4N.

4. Burn a hole in your pocket, Crown Casino Melbourne

You’ll need to whip out your credit card if you’re gonna enjoy Australia’s largest casino. Players will find all the usual roulette and blackjack tables, but the Crown Casino is also a major venue for international performers. It’s a plush affair that’s open 24 hours and has around 25 restaurants and 11 bars.

Photo by destabee.

5. Swim at Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island

Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and undoubtedly the most amazing spot on the island is Lake McKenzie — a serene, crystal-clear, blue lake with soft sandy beach surrounded by forest. And what makes this beautiful tropical spot even more mesmerizing is its location – the lake is perched 100m above sea level, deep in the sand dunes.

Photo by krossbow.

6. Wine Tour Through The Hunter Valley

Two hours north of Sydney lies Australia’s oldest wine growing region, renowned for its Semillon and dotted with over one hundred wineries. One of the best ways to discover the vineyards and olive groves of the Hunter Valley is to join a tour. Kick back, enjoy the view and the tastes of each vineyard sip-by-sip.

Photo by semuthutan.

7. Climb The Sydney Harbour Bridge

Scaling the 134 meters up Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge might not be physically demanding, but you’re not doing it for the exercise. Safely tethered to the bridge at all times, climbers get a spectacular view of Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, and the city in all its beauty, a view most Aussies have never seen.

photo by jwinfred.

8. Brave the Waves at Bondi Beach

Australia has many beaches, but among the thousands, this half-mile stretch is the most famous. Located a short commute from Sydney’s central business district, nestled among the urban sprawl, it’s no wonder Bondi gets so busy.

In summertime, as many as 25,000 locals and tourists can invade the silver sands hoping to get a tan, learn to surf or just people watch. It’s not without drama; swimmers get into trouble, children go missing, sharks interrupt beach life as they cruise the lineup; and the odd fight erupts on the beach between drunks. Some people will like Bondi; others will be disappointed.

Photo by SplaTT.

9. Climb Mt. Kosciuszko in Summer or Snow

Standing at 7,309 ft (2228 m), Mount Kosciuszko is Australia’s highest mountain and it makes for a refreshing-but-serious climb from the sweltering heat of the Australian summer. In the old days, prior to 1974, slackers could drive most of the way to the top. Today, around 30,000 people trek to the summit each year. Guided tours are available from Thredbo.

Photo by GothPhil.

10. Ride The Ghan Train

Slink northward through the 1,851 miles (2,979 km) from Adelaide to Alice Springs in the ‘Red Centre’ and then onwards to Darwin in the ‘Top End.’ Passengers are treated to the evocative Australian landscape from the comfort of this legendary train –whose name is derived from the Afghan camels which trod the route in the early days.

Photo by ianbuxton.

11. Watch Sunset Over Uluru

Also known as “Ayers Rock”, this famous sandstone rock is plunked right in Australia’s Red Centre. The enormous rock formation and the whole area are designated as a World Heritage Area and take about 2 – 3 hours to circumnavigate. The local Aboriginal people prefer you don’t climb the mountain, but of course many people still do. Just make sure you wake up early enough to take in the spectacular site of sunrise over Uluru.

Photo by Phillie Casablanca.

12. Trek and Tour The Kimberley

Rugged, forbidding, full of snakes and much larger in size than the entire United Kingdom, the Kimberley region of Australia is amazing wilderness. The wet season is largely impassable thanks to the tropical torrents. The dry season, from April to September, can be intensely hot during the day, but the heat is preferable to the rain. Visitors can take tours around the Bungle Bungles, Geike Gorge, Fitzroy Crossing, Mitchell Falls and many more places of interest.

Photo by Rob Inh00d.

13. Pet the Wild Crocodiles in Kakadu

More of Australia’s remote Top End is waiting to be explored. This is the other face of Australia, about as far away from the usual Aussie urban life as you can get. Traverse this wondrous landscape escorted by Mick Dundee-esque tour guides and the traditional Aboriginal mob you’ll be sure to spot plenty of crocodiles and snakes, traditional rock art and breath-taking vistas.

Photo by prawnpie.

14. Swim With Dolphins at Monkey Mia

Monkey Mia is a small West Australian town, one day’s drive from Perth, with good roads all the way. Despite the name, there are no monkeys at Monkey Mia but you’ll be delighted to swim and frolic with wild, bottle-nosed dolphins when you visit the town’s tranquil shallow beach. Just turn up to the beach between 8am and 1pm, sit around, relax and wait for the friendly visitors to show up — and dolphins do turn up almost everyday.

Photo by Brendio.

15. Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

The World Heritage listed Cradle Mountain is ideal for a short escape, bushwalking by day and holed up in a wooden cabin by night. It can be freezing and is blanketed by a good fall of snow in the winter months, yet the peak is sunny and as warm as 30c in the summer. Cradle Mountain has some of Australia’s most stunning scenery and the iconic national park teams with native wildlife such as Tasmanian Devils, wallabies, wombats, brush tail possums and currawongs.

Feature photo by gordieryan. Photo above by féileacán.

After centuries of relative poverty and subjugation, Ireland had the gall to become an economic power. Dubbed the “Celtic Tiger”, the economic boom of the 90’s brought prosperity to the island and with it, price increases.

Today, the non-astute traveler might pay €7 for a Guinness in Temple Bar, but with these savvy tips you can travel in Ireland without blowing your budget.

How to Get Around

People traveling in groups may find car rentals an easy option. Car rentals give the obvious benefit of freedom, but those intending to drive in cities would do well to get precise directions from a local.

The most attractive budget option for traveling around Ireland is Bus Eireann. With online booking features, low prices, relative comfort and a myriad of destinations, Bus Eireann blends economy and flexibility.

Trains in Ireland are cost-prohibitive. Due to Ireland’s small size, none of Irish Rail’s destinations offer an overnight fare. A round trip ticket from Dublin to Galway (coast-to-coast) will cost twice that of the same bus fare. Significant gains in comfort are achieved, but the longest journeys will have travelers sitting for little more than two hours.

Photo by Professor Bop.

Where to Go

Drogheda, County Louth

Despite being the center of many significant events in Ireland’s history—not the least of which was the birth of actor Pierce Brosnan—Drogheda remains off the radar. Located on the M1 highway between Dublin and Belfast, Drogheda is often relegated to short day trips by travelers. This is a pity, as Drogheda offers a rich look into Ireland for significantly less than other cities.

The Green Door Hostel offers beds at the peak of season for around €14 per night and is within walking distance of everything Drogheda has to offer.

The pubs in the area are reasonably priced. Ollie’s, just down the street from the Green Door, offers pints for little more than €3. The same can be said for The Admiral, downtown.

Drogheda isn’t just about cheap pints. Hours of walking await the history and culture driven traveler, from the defensive fortification at Milmount to the head of St. Oliver Plunkett, stored in a glass case at the town center Cathedral. A mystical history surrounds the area, offering multiple days of excursions that delve deep into an almost pagan side of Ireland.

Photo by Kman999.

Dublin, County Dublin

Though technically not off the radar, the Independent Republic of Ireland’s capital will ensnare every traveler. Like the Greek sirens of Homer’s epic poem, Dublin’s beauty and nightlife entice travelers, dashing their economic ship against the harsh rocks of overpriced Guinness.

As one of the youngest cities in the Republic, Dublin is home to many hostels. Kinlay and Ashfield House represent the lowest cost of all the choices, starting at €16 to €25 per night, per bunk. The Bunkhouse is a newer facility with wireless internet, but costs a little more and is located far off the beaten path.

Dublin is a very cosmopolitan city, so “Irish Culture” tends to come at a premium. The Temple Bar region is where the bulk of young travelers’ money will disappear. Home to a variety of clubs, this neighborhood uses its tragically hip status to price pints as high as €8. Restaurants make delicious international fare, but prices are high.

At the end of the day, some of the greatest attractions Dublin offers are actually free. A tour of Temple Bar will eventually bring you front row to live music—even if it’s a man in the street singing “Viva Las Vegas.” A tour of Dublin castles reveals little tidbits, such as the “not so blind” justice, erected by the English. St. Stephen’s Green is the best place to enjoy a Club (tangy orange soda) and a sandwich on brown bread.

Not Irish enough for you? Than pay the €30 for a round trip bus ticket and head to Galway.

Photo by laurenz.

Galway, County Galway

With a population just over 72,000, the fastest growing city in Ireland isn’t going to lose its charm any time soon. Home of the original 14 families of Ireland, Galway is where the Ireland of the past and the future intersect. A vibrant night life is tempered by a strong sense of culture.

Something is always happening in Galway. There are a proportionately large number of local theatre companies and musical groups to perform at one of the city’s 51 venues. If that sounds too classy, stick around in September for the Guinness Irish Oyster Opening Championship at the Galway International Oyster Festival.

Galway is cheap for a city. €21 will get you a bunk in a dorm at Barnacle Quay.

What’s best is that Galway is a city that openly embraces its Irish-ness. Known as “Ireland’s Cultural Heart,” Galway houses some of Ireland’s most prominent groups dedicated to the preservation of Irish language, music and dance. If any place is going to reveal the innate culture and traditions of Ireland to a traveler, it’s going to be Galway.

Photo by FredArmitage.

Final Notes: Müller Rice, canned draughts and a “good time”

“Budget” is always such a subjective term. €21 ($33.10 USD) for a bunk doesn’t hold a candle to 65 quetzales ($8.80 USD, hotel) per room. But then again, Ireland isn’t Guatemala.

The bulk of any trip’s expenses is going to be food and lodging. Buying draughts of Guinness in a traditional Irish pub adds up quickly. Beyond earning the right to tell everyone back home that “it’s not the same as one in Ireland,” you’ll actually find that it’s an enjoyable experience that’s worth repeating (sometimes to excess), particularly considering the warmth and friendliness of most Irish pubs.

A delicate balance must be struck. This balance will be best achieved by visiting Ireland’s largest grocer, “Tesco”. Less than €1 will get you a nutrient-packed piece of Irish culture, known as “Müller Rice”. An additional €2 will get you 40 bags of Ireland’s favorite teas (Barry’s or Lyon’s). And yes, the Irish do put their draught in aluminum cans—for less than €2 (just don’t tell anyone).

At the end of the day, it’s difficult to put a price on Ireland. Open-minded travelers will quickly find themselves entranced by the often polite and jovial nature of any random Irishman. When you inevitably find yourself in good company, with good food and drink, economics be damned.

Have a good time. After all, isn’t that what you’re saving this money for?

Community Connection

Traveling to Europe? Link up with other travelers, scope out volunteer opportunities and orgs, plus check out many other blogs and feature articles at Matador’s Europe page.

Feature photo by ah zut. Photo above by ah zut.

Nepal is a country of great diversity. Though small, it contains a wide variety of climates, terrains, cultures, and people. Still, the reason most travelers make the effort to visit Nepal are the Himalaya mountains.

If your goal is to get into the high mountains, there is no better path than the trek into the Annapurna Sanctuary.

Photo by ddefranza.

What to Expect

The Annapurna Sanctuary is a natural amphitheater created by a ring of high mountains. The centerpiece is Annapurna I at 8,091 meters (26,538 feet) which rises out of the glacier that extends from base camp, the trek’s highest point.

The mountain was the first of the 8,000 meter peaks to be climbed. However, this does not mean that it is a simple or safe task. The somber memorial to Anatoli Boukreev, who perished while attempting to summit the mountain in 1997, attests to the danger of ascending the peak. Don’t worry though, the trek does not approach the summit.

Though often added as an extension to the much longer Annapurna Circuit trek, the trip into the sanctuary can be done as an objective unto itself. The trek, which begins in Pokhara, usually takes between eight and ten days. This makes it an excellent option for those on a tight schedule.

Photo by ddefranza.

Getting There and Back Again

The base for the trek is the lake-side town of Pokhara. Smaller and more relaxed than Kathmandu, Pokhara is a great place to prepare for a trek and is an even better place to refresh yourself after one.

Most travelers stay in one of the hotels within the “Lakeside” district. This area is roughly equivalent to Kathmandu’s Thamel, and offers dozens of shops, cafes, guest houses, and guide services. If you are looking for something a bit quieter, the neighboring “Damside” district offers many of the same amenities, with a greatly reduced density.

Travel between Kathmandu and Pokhara is well established and fairly straightforward. Options include a 30 minute flight, usually under $100 USD, or a variety of buses, ranging in price from $2 USD to $10 USD, taking anywhere from five to ten hours.

The trek itself begins from the small town of Nayapul, which is an hour’s bus or taxi ride from Pokhara.

Permits, Porters and Guides

The Annapurna Sanctuary trek is largely contained within the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), a national park that covers 7,629 square kilometers. Entry into the park requires the purchase of an ACAP Entry Permit. The permit requires an application and two passport photos. It costs about $60 USD and can be obtained in a single day from offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara.

In addition to this permit, all trekkers in Nepal are now required to register for and obtain a card through the Trekkers Information Management System (TIMS). This new card has replaced the controversial TRC permit introduced in 2006 and is available for free through a trekking agency, the Nepal Tourism Board, or the Trekkers Agencies’ Association of Nepal. The card can be issued in either Kathmandu or Pokhara.

Although people still circumvent the system, trekkers are now required to hire at least one Nepali staff member (a porter or guide) per group.

Many independent travelers are initially upset by this proposition. However, almost everyone who finds a knowledgeable guide from a quality company comes away admitting that it improved the overall trekking experience.

One of the best trekking agencies in Nepal is 3 Sisters Adventure Treks. Based in Pokhara, the 3 Sisters provide responsible, well-trained, staff and manage several development projects throughout Nepal that help women and children.

Photo by utrechtman.

What to Pack

Like most popular routes in Nepal, the Annapurna Sanctuary is a “teahouse trek.” Trails pass through villages, each with its own lodging. Camping gear like heavy sleeping bags, tents, and cook stoves are not required on this trail. As a result, trekkers can get by with fairly light loads.

Essential items include a flashlight or headlamp, at least two water bottles, a few changes of socks, several layers of clothing including a down jacket, sweater, and woolen hat and gloves, plus a waterproof / windproof jacket or parka.

While most teahouses provide quilts, it is a good idea to have your own sleeping bag, even if it is only a summer-weight one, as a supplement and in case an overbooked lodge has run out.

Even in the summer, the trek will take you through snow and ice and over some rough terrain. Bring a sturdy pair of boots, broken in before you arrive at the trail-head.

Also recommended is a tested and trusted backpack large enough to carry all of your belongings.

Other items to consider include sunscreen, candy bars, some form of water purification (if you are nervous or have a sensitive stomach), and a pair of sandals or light shoes to wear at the end of the day.

All kinds of mountain gear, of all qualities, can be purchased in either Kathmandu or Pokhara.

Photo by ddefranza.

Dangers and Concerns

The trail into the Annapurna Sanctuary is well traveled and trekkers should not be overly concerned about danger. Rock and icefall is always a concern, especially at higher elevations in the spring.

If you are unsure of your ability to asses the conditions of an alpine environment, hiring an experienced guide is an excellent idea.

Of greater concern to most trekkers will be altitude sickness. One of the Annapurna Sanctuary trek’s greatest appeals–the fact that it quickly gets you into the high mountains–is also one of its greatest drawbacks. Pokhara lies at 941 meters (2,700 feet), while the Annapurna base camp sits at 4130 meters (13,550 feet). Climbing to this altitude in only five or six days is an invitation for altitude sickness.

Trekkers should take care to study the signs and symptoms of altitude sickness before they leave and adjust their pace accordingly once on the trail.

Resources

Photo by dave watts.

A trek in Nepal can be the trip of a lifetime but planning one can be daunting. Fortunately, there are some excellent resources.

One of the best general guides, even when compared to those in print, is available for free at Yetizone. The description of the Annapurna Sanctuary is included with the guide to the greater Annapurna Circuit and begins at day 16b of the itinerary.

Probably the best guidebook in print is Trekking in the Annapurna Region, 4th: Nepal Trekking Guides.

Lonely Planet also publishes Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya which features some excellent topographic maps but gets mixed reviews from trekkers.

The classic is Trekking in Nepal: A Traveler’s Guideby Dr. Stephen Bezruchka.

Both Annapurna: Conquest of the First 8,000-meter Peak by Maurice Herzog and Above the Clouds: The Diaries of a High-Altitude Mountaineerby Anatoli Boukreev provide excellent reading related to the trek.

Community Connection!

For an overview of classic treks in Nepal, check out 5 Best Treks In Nepal. Hardcore adventurers who want to get way off the tourist trail should read the excellent guide to Trekking The Mt. Kangchenjunga Circuit In Nepal.

Grassroots NGOs that offer volunteer opportunities in Nepal include The Red Panda Project and The Everest Peace Project.

Feature photo by Thomas Hawk. Photo above by GregPC.

Northeast

1. Boston, Massachusetts

Samuel Adams is just one of the many lagers travelers will find in Beantown. You can party with rowdy Red Sox fans at Boston Beer Works, or head out of town to Allston, where you will find the Sunset Grill and Tap with an amazing 112 beers on tap.

Photo by design|wanderer.

2. Portland, Maine

It’s hard to beat the allure of a cold beer and a fresh, affordable lobster roll. Tour the sprawling Shipyard Brewing Company, or partake in a menagerie of “taster glasses” at Great Lost Bear, just one dollar per sample.

Photo by Thomas Hawk.

3. New York, New York

New York is known for its diversity, and the pubs and bars are no exception. From dive bars to gastro-pubs, beer lovers can find the atmosphere that suits them best. If you can’t decide between drinks or dessert, try the Chocolate Stout Float at The Chocolate Room in Park Slope. Check out Matador’s list of the top 10 nightlife spots in NYC for more inspiration.

4. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rumor has it that the Declaration of Independence was drafted in Philly’s taverns. Why not walk in our Founding Fathers’ footsteps? Play darts with the locals at Brownie’s Irish Pub, or just hang out and listen to live music at The Khyber, Philadelphia’s oldest beer bar.

South

5. Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a small town but their beers carry big flavor. Climb Shining Rock or take a long hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Then cool off with a Highland Oatmeal Porter at Thirsty Monk or Barley’s Taproom.

Photo by dannebrog.

6. Tampa Bay, Florida

Whether you like imports or domestics, Tampa and St. Petersburg both have terrific beer selections. World of Beer touts 30 taps and another 300 bottled brews. For satisfying pub grub, check out the Et Tu Brewte salad at Dunedin Brewery, or stick with the authentic fish ‘n’ chips at Four Green Fields.

Photo by jsmjr.

7. Atlanta, Georgia

For such a big city with a large college student population, it’s a little surprising that there aren’t more breweries and brewpubs in the ATL. Fear not, however, because what they do have in Atlanta is quality. The all-organic food and drink menu at Five Seasons Brewing will make you a believer.

8. New Orleans, Louisiana

Take a break from drinking Hurricanes and check out the awesome beer selection at Cooter Brown’s Tavern. Then stumble on down to The Bulldog and do it all over again; be sure to bring your pooch!

Photo by eTombotron.

9. The Triangle, North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill)

Thousands of college students wouldn’t steer you wrong. Get some bang for your buck with the five dollar menu at Hi5 in Raleigh. For a more elegant night out, enjoy the view at Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery in Chapel Hill.

Southwest

10. Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

Marvel at the many, many taps at The Ginger Man, found in both Dallas and Fort Worth. Or be a giddy juvenile (like me) and order the Buttface at Humperdink’s.

Photo by ANOXLOU

11. Albuquerque, New Mexico

Get your kicks with pizza and beer at Il Vicino, located on old Route 66. Sip award-winning craft brews at Chama River Brewing Company, where the chile is as inspired as a Georgia O’Keefe painting.

Midwest

12. Cleveland, Ohio

Admire Great Lakes Brewing Company for their delicious Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. Tour the brewery and you will admire them more for their responsible, sustainable practices.

Photo by mfajardo.

13. Chicago, Illinois

Travelers will love The Map Room, with its weekly International Nights and fun atmosphere. Chat over soccer with Irish ex-pats at The Globe Pub.

14. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Don’t discount Milwaukee as simply the home of Miller Brewing Company. Eat (and drink!) well at the Hinterland Restaurant and Brewery. Homesick Germans can get a fix at the Old German Beer Hall, a great spot that serves Hofbrauhaus Munchen beers. Explore The Safe House if you’re into James Bond-inspired kitsch.

West

Photo by goatopolis.

15. Missoula, Montana

As if the scenery wasn’t intoxicating enough, Missoula also produces some excellent beer. Sample the German treats from Bayern Brewing, self-proclaimed “the only German microbrewery in the Rockies.” Or mosey over to Big Sky for some Moose Drool.

Photo by SchultzLabs.

16. Denver, Colorado

You know a city is serious about beer when they have seven homebrew supply stores. Need more proof? How about the weekly “Mr. Beer” column in The Denver Post? Still not convinced? Join 30,000 beer drinkers each October at the Great American Beer Festival.

Photo by HolyHolySnappers.

17. San Diego, California

Good beer is easy to find in the San Diego area, and these “pubs” are not your typical dive bars. Relax in the beautiful gardens at Stone Brewing Company, or admire the view from the rooftop deck at Pacific Beach Ale House.

Photo by Dead Air.

18. Seattle, Washington

The Pacific Northwest is truly a beer drinker’s Mecca. From the Laughing Buddha Brewing Company to The Stumbling Monk, your time in Seattle will be a spiritual experience.

Photo by Thomas Hawk.

19. San Francisco, California

Foodies know about San Francisco’s wine and culinary offerings, but did you know that they are also the home of exceptional and creative beer? In one evening pub-crawl, bar hoppers have the opportunity to encounter framboise, vanilla beer, and oysterhead stout! Magnolia Pub and Brewery, Thirsty Bear Brewing Company, and 21st Amendment are worth the trip out west.

Photo by richclement.com.

20. Portland, Oregon

Beer is an integral part of Portland’s culture. The quickest way to assimilate and blend with the locals is to hang outside at one of the many McMenamin’s bars with a few local brews and an order of tots. (Get ‘em Cajunized if you like a little spice!) The Horse Brass is also a terrific place to drink, as long as you don’t mind the smoke.

There’s a growing number of websites and publications designed to help travelers find good beer. Take a look at Ratebeer.com, The BeerFly directory and my personal favorite The Beer Mapping Project. You can also post specific questions to readers at Chowhound.com.

Don’t see your town on the list and feel it deserves a spot? Feel free to shout-out in the comments!

Love beer? Check out Beer Quest 2008, a Matador round-up of the best micro-brews and brew pubs in America.

Feature photo by `David. Photo above by Esparta.

1. Buy ticket. Get car. Cross border.

The best city to fly into for your Baja expedition is San Diego. Flights are cheap from most destinations and the airport is user friendly. Shuttles over to the rental car area are short and sweet and the only thing you have to remember is to purchase Mexican car insurance. Any rental vehicle will do; just get something easy on the gas and light on the pocket.

[Editor's Note: Some US rental car companies in San Diego do not permit cars to be driven across the border. Check with your rental car company before driving south.]

Crossing the Mexican border is cake. You don’t slow down, you don’t stop, and rarely do you hit a tangle of traffic going south (it’s the northbound traffic that kills).

San Diego is just a few miles north of Tijuana, so once you get on Highway 5, expect to haul ass across the border in less than 20 minutes. Follow the easy-to-spot signs for the toll road (Highway 1-D) and attempt to keep up with the faster-than-lightning speed of other cars. Careful the slick cops, though; they patrol this trail non-stop, on the hunt for heavy-footed travelers on a southbound mission.

Insider Tip: Once you leave the tourist pockets of northern Baja, make sure you fill up on gas any time you see a Pemex station. You’re heading into the lawless (and gas-stationless) interior of Baja and running out of gas is common for those who think they can “just make it.”

Photo by Lee Otis

2. Ogle view. Gorge on crab claws. Do tequila shooters.

Heading out of Tijuana, your jaw will literally drop at the view of the mighty Pacific crashing into the cliffs. Sweeping mountain ranges bleed into tidy vineyards and giant foaming waves keep you company all the way to Ensenada (69 miles south of Tijuana).

The toll road ends in this touristy seaside city, so start making tracks on the old Transpeninsular Highway, better known as Highway 1. This 1000 mile, two-lane road takes you all the way to the Sea of Cortez, and getting lost is next to impossible.

Tucked away in the dusty valley of San Quintin is a backwoods foodie favorite called Cielito Lindo. This local beachfront institution always has massive cracked crab claws on offer. The place is loaded with weather-beaten old-timers, all of them one shot away from hitting the floor.

Photo by nathangibbs.

After you order up a platter of buttery, paprika doused claws and an icy cold cerveza, watch the madness unfold at the bar.

While you slurp a gratis bowl of smoky black bean soup, the regulars—mostly folks who live in the trailer park behind the restaurant or are beach camping for cheap at Gypsy’s—will belt out impromptu songs about lost love and, most likely, offer to buy you a beer.

Have one on them before exploring the six protected bays of San Quintin and her miles of empty beaches.

Your goal is to make El Rosario around sundown (an hour south of San Quintin), because driving after dark on the no-streetlight-no-side-railing Highway 1 is enough to make your skin crawl.

Plus, the Baja Cactus Motel, a dandy little treasure in this middle-of-nowhere pit-stop, has the most comfy beds this side of Guerrero.

Mama Espinosa’s, the historical late-night cantina next door, is a must-see. This old-school haunt has the fattest lobster burritos in Baja and who doesn’t need a shot of tequila after the harrowing drive into the barren bowels of inland Baja. Make that two shots, extra lime.

Insider Tip: Ensenada has dozens of Baja fish taco stands around town and the best ones are found alongside the marina. A few bones gets you a crispy fried fish taco and a frosty beer. Breakfast of champions.

Photo by dusted.

3. Ponder existence in desert. Cross at Guerrero. Hit Sea of Cortez.

Blazing across one of the emptiest deserts on earth before the sun rises ain’t no joke, but getting an early start is the key to making it to Bahia Concepcion and the legendary Sea of Cortez for a late lunch.

Get your Nescafe fix from one of the busy village tiendas just before you exit El Rosario and keep pace with the salty truck drivers. They plow this route weekly and it’s nice to share the path with some hardcore Bajans.

Photo by Lee Otis

Be prepared to floor it past them on their slow-as-molasses uphill jaunts, though, and before long you’ll be dead alone flying through the cactus dotted mountains and watching the sun rise up.

The landscape is magical beyond belief and very ‘Land of the Lost’ish’…except instead of dinosaurs to contend with, you’ve got machine gun wielding military checkpoint guards. These young bucks set up camp deep in the canyons and often times you are totally alone with them as they search your vehicle and quiz you about where you’re headed.

Don’t sweat it though, they are all pussycats and usually take great delight if you can sling a few words of Spanish their way. Solo gals also get the whole “Can I come with you, please?” speech followed by a round of giggles. A couple of photo ops later and you’ll be on your way.

Guerrero Negro is the border town that separates northern and southern Baja. This is where you buy a tourist visa and get your vehicle sprayed down for vermin. You simply pay a dollar to a guard, purchase your required visa and get back on the road. Why do the guidebooks make it seem so difficult?

The desert south of Guerrero turns downright primitive and you can go a hundred miles with only wild stallions and tumbleweeds to keep you company. Once you blast onto the far east coast of Baja, expect slam-on-your-brakes vistas–deep blue seas and arresting landscapes as far as the eye can see.

Photo by Senor Adventure.

Take a mini-pitstop in Mulege, a tiny, palm tree filled oasis full of rustic restaurants, one-way streets, and happy-go-lucky snowbirds (Canadians who come south for the winter).

For a real culinary treat (re: immediate hurl), you can wander over to the riverside and see fresh manta ray drying in the sun. Once caught, it’s slivered paper-thin and laid out on drying racks in the blazing heat—usually covered in flies. After it’s leather dry, it’s sold to nearby restaurants, where they chop it up and toss it into some mighty rich egg dishes.

If you’ve lugged camping gear, head all the way to Playa Santispac (KM 114) to set up camp. It’s the quintessential campground in Bahia Concepcion, a national marine preserve, and a perfect overnighter for those with lean pockets.

If you roll sans tent, check into Cuesta Real, a shipshape motel a few miles north of the remote coves that make up Bahia Concepcion. The heat in Baja can get blistering, so the AC here comes in handy.

Insider Tip: It’s just as easy to pull your car over into one of the beautiful campgrounds and sleep in it. In the outlaw land that is Baja, not a soul will question your motives and you’ll most likely have the whole dune to yourself.

Photo by Puff’s Daddy.

4. Quaff gigantic margaritas. Inhale coconut shrimp. Gaze at shooting stars.

Once you hit Bahia Concepcion, the real beauty of Baja starts to emerge. Though the desert is breathtaking in its own right, no place in Baja can compare to the spellbinding visuals of Bahia Concepcion.

This rugged outpost is where the dream seekers come. You’ll see SUV’s loaded down with kayaks, quirky expats living out of VW campers, and rugged sailors riding the winds. Every which way you turn, there is someone living out of their truck, just taking advantage of cheap camping, world-class fishing, trail-blazin’ hiking, calm waters, perfect fish tacos and of course, potent margaritas.

After sorting out your digs, head immediately to Playa el Burro (KM 109) for a taste of the good life. It’s home to a string of colorful locals who’ve set up RV’s and built palapas around them, creating their own small slice of utopia.

Just behind the craggy community lies Bertha’s, a favorite spot for those on the hunt for double-fisted margaritas and piles of heavenly coconut shrimp. The tequila pour is as it should be—way on the heavy side—and with one down, the only proper thing to do is get another stiff drink to go, strip down to your bathing suit and wade out into the bathwater warm Sea of Cortez.

The sea’s pristine, ever-changing sparkle will haunt you for the rest of your days and this is the exact moment in time you’ll long for once you’re back stateside.

Insider Tip: Lounging in the empty pool at Cuesta Real once the sun has gone down makes for the ultimate lesson in astronomy. Stars shine bright as headlights and they seem so close you could practically reach up and grab them. Of course, a little vino makes you think it’s actually possible.

Photo by Macorig Paolo.

5. Burn rubber down Highway 1. Stalk tamales. Slurp final cocktail.

For some reason, getting back to the border seems to take way less time than getting away from the border, so after a luxurious sleep, pack up and head north. Stop in the surprisingly quaint town of Santa Rosalia for a two-dollar egg breakfast. This funky port town was once a French mining village and you can see remnants of that flavor in the rainbow of clapboard houses lining the streets.

Food is on the docket for the long drive home, so anytime you pass a cardboard sign for nieve (snowy Mexican ice cream), hit the brakes and partake in this utterly delightful treat. Tamale stands are also few and far between, but if you see one, grab a half dozen hand-slapped bullets for the road. Pork and chicken are usually what’s for lunch.

Since your flight’s not ‘til the next morning, spend the night 45 minutes south of Tijuana at La Fonda (KM 59). This seaside restaurant/spa/hotel is just what the doctor ordered before heading back into the USA.

Photo by ms4jah.

The crowd of surfers and Harley boys can get a little rowdy once the sun drops, but after a deep tissue massage and a stroll on the beach, nothing in the world could beat a blended strawberry daiquiri and a mess of perfectly executed fish tacos. Especially when the walk to your ocean-view room takes about 30 seconds.

Baja is one of the choicest places in the world to drop off the face of the earth and leaving it behind is a journey loaded with fierce regrets. Baja is a haven for rogue adventurers keen on finding paradise and a must-see for those who want to experience another side of the world without straying too far off-grid. Now you know how to make it all happen in just 72 hours.

Insider Tip: Plan on leaving at the crack of dawn to make sure you get to the airport in time for your flight. The snarled lines weaving their way toward the US border in Tijuana are brutal. Food is aplenty though, with makeshift carts halting traffic on all sides—tamale, elote and nieve hawkers to the rescue.

Community Connection!

Check out Matador editor David Miller’s soulful surf classic: Notes on Los Pitayeros: Surf, camping and hallucinogenic cacti on the Pacific coast of Baja

Feature photo by Ruth L. Photo above by IanL.

Halfway from Florence to Arezzo, the train came to an unexpected halt. It was late August and steamy outside, and the train wasn’t air-conditioned. We sat there for at least half an hour, but no one uttered a word of complaint.

Instead, folks took the opportunity to eat lunch. Passengers chatted, mostly about the food. The unexpected setback turned into a pleasant afternoon reprieve. Here was Italy in a nutshell: enjoying the moment and not worrying about the destination. And of course, always, Mangia!

The best way to get the real deal Italy is to do it up slow and local. By planting yourself in a location for at least one week (instead of trying to “do” Italy in 10 days), you’ll experience more culture and joie de vivre than by running from one monument (or city) to the next.

Follow these 5 tips on traveling and eating slow all over Italy and you’ll do it up Italian style: nice and easy, piano, piano, slowly:

1. Understand Italy’s Diverse Regions

Keep in mind that the boot has 20 regions, each with its own indigenous culture, food traditions and climate. Each region is like a mini-country, with much to explore.

That’s why it’s imperative to pick an area and stay planted for at least a week. Visit the same café every day and chat up your neighbors. Before you know it you’ll feel like a native.

Tuscany

Birthplace of the Renaissance and home to countless influential personalities like Dante and Machiavelli, this region’s inhabitants are perhaps the most food-centric in the country. Whether you stay in Florence or in a medieval town like Lucca, rest assured everyone will take a healthy interest in what you are cooking and eating.

The food here is hearty and simple: from ribollita (soup made with vegetables, beans, and chunks of bread) to beefsteak and panzanella (salad made with bread).

Lazio

Steeped in history that goes back thousands of years, this region is home to ruins like Tivoli and Ostia Antica. Capital city Rome is home to endless pleasures, in terms of art and a robust culinary tradition.

When in Rome, do it like the Romans: eat delicacies like carciofi alla guida (twice fried artichokes), rigatoni con la pajata (calf intestines) or bucatini all’amatriciana (spicy tomato and pancetta sauce).

Veneto

Highlights of this northern region include the 15 mile-long open-air museum of the Brenta Canal, Verona (of “Romeo and Juliet” fame), and Venice, at one time the crossroads between Europe and the Orient.

With ingredients such as pomegranates, pine nuts, and raisins, the exotic flavor remains in dishes such as seafood risotto. Beans and polenta are commonplace, as is minestra di pasta e fagioli (soup with pasta and beans).

Photo by MumbleyJoe.

2. Stay In a Vacation Rental

To truly experience Italy, you need more than a few days at a hotel or hostel. Forget the must-sees and long day trips. You’ll experience more culture by staying in one region, exploring your environs in concentric circles and settling in a home like a local.

Villas

Villas are like hostels, only a hell of a lot more fancy. Piedmont’s Villa San Lorenzo Di Bovicino includes walks through winding vineyards, hikes in the Alps, and visits to Liguria (think fresh pesto) and Turin (largest Egyptian museum outside Cairo; chocolate).

City apartments

These are ideal for singles or couples looking to get a taste of the La Dolce Vita. Stay at a flat in Rome built on the ruins of Pompey’s Theater – Rome’s first theater, located on via dei Chiavari, near Campo dei Fiori. Rates vary.

Local farms

For inexpensive accommodations, as well as the chance to see the Italy outside of art and museums – stay at Villa Grassina, 15 miles outside Florence, or at Fonte di Papa outside Rome.

Both of these agricultural stays will give you access to the outdoors and relaxation, yet you’re close enough to frequent the big cities for entertainment. You might also consider Wwoofing.

Photo by Agni dalle Bande Nere.

3. Do it like a Locavore.

It’s no coincidence that the Slow Food movement originated in Italy. What other country is so devoted to the art of eating?

To help support local economy and agriculture, buy fresh fare at local open-air markets.

And as noted by Kevin Gould, when it comes time to eat out, the best way to go local in Rome is to look for simple tavernas where you’ll most likely find local specialties and a relaxing atmosphere:

Rome: Dino’s Express, Via Tacito, 80

Perugia: Taverna del Lupo, Via Ansidei, 21

Florence: Taverna del Bronzino, Villa del Ruote 27r

4. Take the Train

Although it has occasional hiccups (like breaking down unexpectedly), taking the train across Italy is an experience worth writing home about. Traveling from point-to-point in Italy is inexpensive, and you can purchase a rail pass for longer trips such as Rome to Palermo.

This trip is long (10-13 hours), but worth the adventure. Once at the port of Villa San Giovani, the train cars are rolled onto barges for crossing of the Strait of Messina, which lasts about an hour. Then they are rolled back onto the tracks in eastern Sicily for the rest of the journey to Palermo. A one-way ticket costs about 73 euros.

Photo by Hyougushi.

5. Explore Backwoods Destinations

Don’t forget the less traveled but all the more interesting regions of Italy. You might see fewer museums here, but fewer tourists.

Abruzzo

With Abruzzo National Park and local delicacies like wild mushrooms and wild boar ham, and yes, plenty of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, how can you go wrong?

Puglia

Sparkling seas, a rugged landscape, and passionate local food traditions abound in the heel of Italy’s boot. Each month, a different food is celebrated, based on whatever is in season.

And you know those cute little pasta ears, orecchiette? Those are a national dish here, served with broccoli rabe and salted fish.

Sicily

With miles of vineyards to rival Piedmont and Tuscany, Italy’s largest island is unspoiled by modern life. The Mediterranean diet is king here, with plenty of local fish, lemons, and oranges. Add eye-popping blue seas and olive groves to the food feast, not to mention Sicilian gelato and local wines.

Community Connection!

Get in touch with Italy experts from the Matador community before planning your trip.

Suz, or “diastro Americano” as her Italian cousins call her, knows all the best wine bars and live music venues of Rome. Julianne is a writer and photographer, currently working on a book about the Italian Renaissance from her base in Venice. KatieBas has lived with her husband in Rome for over 5 years.

Feature photo by theagent. Photo above by peterbaker.

California has an amazing range of skateparks. If you’re a skater and you’re travelling about, missing out on California would be like missing out on air and food.

Listed below you’ll find what are arguably the best parks the Golden State has to offer. There’s no specific order here – they’re all good – and they’re all free unless otherwise noted.

Santa Ana Skatepark

Street skaters take note. This 12,000 sq. footer has what you crave: fun boxes, ledges, pyramids, plus 11 and 7 stairs with rails and hubbas.

See it skated:

Benicia X Park

At a cost of $850,000 to build, the 20,000 sq. ft. Benicia park is sick. The street section has all the usual fare and flows into a quarter pipe area that waterfalls into a 9-foot bowl.

Map: skatespotter.com

See it skated:

Carson Warner Memorial Skatepark, Healdsburg

Located in an actual park, there are some shaded areas with benches and a deck. The skatepark itself is 20,000 sq. ft. with both a shallow and deep bowl connected by a spine. A nice sized roll in quarter pipe completes the package.

Map: www.carsonwarnerskate.com

See it skated:

Palm Desert Skatepark

If you can stand the heat, you’ll enjoy this park, which is split into 5,000 sq. ft. for beginners and 15,000 sq. ft. for everyone else. A nice snake run spits you out into a 7- foot bowl, plus all the basic street stuff. $5 entry fee.

Martinez Skatepark

If you’re a street skater, this may not be ideal with its limited street course, but the walls and bowl are all 7 feet and offer some nice clean speed.

See it skated:

Tanzanite Skatepark, Sacramento

16,000 sq. ft. of concrete designed by California Skateparks. There’s bowls as well as a damn fine 13-foot over-vert pocket. Rip it up.

See it skated:

Grass Valley Skatepark

Get your speed on at Grass Valley with its smooth as silk concrete. Not a ton of stuff for the street skater, but why not try the bowls?

See it skated:

Novato Skatepark

Novato’s 15,000 sq. ft. park has some nice coping and is just as smooth and fast as can be. There’s an open lawn area, and hey, Novato just seems nice and laid back.

Site: http://www.cityofnovato.org/index.aspx?page=541

See it skated:

Delano Skatepark

Don’t forget your helmet when you come to skate this 23,342 sq. ft. beauty. When the sun goes down, the lights come on for some night sessions.

Photo by bent_karma.

Mariposa Skatepark

Faster, faster, faster! This park has a snake run with a little decline to help with speed. 8,000 sq. ft. that pack a punch.

See it skated:

The Cove, Santa Monica

It ain’t free, but it’s 20,000 sq. ft. of assorted goodness. Come for the tranny skating – you won’t be disappointed. Resident $5, non $5.50.

Site: http://www.smgov.net/comm_progs/skatepark/

See it skated:

Volcom Skatepark, Costa Mesa

Beautifully smooth concrete, nice big transitions, a vert bowl, street stuff, all laid out in a 20,000 sq. ft. area.

Site: http://www.ci.costa-mesa.ca.us/recreation/skatepark.htm

See it skated:

Chino Skatepark

There’s a 3-leaf clover bowl, a 9 foot square bowl and more banks than Wall Street. Pads and helmets required.

See it skated:

Pala Skatepark

Shred the 9-foot deep kidney pool (6 foot shallow end) or take on the hybrid street section/flow bowl. 18,000 sq. ft. $5 entry fee.

Site: http://www.palaskatepark.com

See it skated:

YMCA Magdalena Ecke Skatepark, Encinitas

Home to the huge 2003 X-Games vert ramp, 37,000 sq. ft. of pools, pyramids, rails and a wooden street/flow course. $5 members/$10 non.

Site: http://209.200.114.27/pub/skate/

See it skated:

Ken Wormhoudt Skatepark, Santa Cruz

Legendary park architect Zach Wormhoudt gives skaters a 15,000 sq. ft. park with a crazy full pipe wave that leads into the bowls. The street course has all the fixin’s.

Site: http://www.ci.santa-cruz.ca.us/pr/parksrec/parks/skatepark.html

See it skated:

Lake Cunningham Skatepark, San Jose

56,000 sq. ft! A snake run, a full pipe, a downright insane vert wall, a flow course… this place is unreal. Five bucks.

See it skated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvEDsFVd2jg

Photo by jess.stone.

Phil Shao Memorial Skatepark, Redwood City

In 1998, pro-skater Phil Shao was killed by a drunk driver. His memory lives on in this 13,000 sq. ft. park. Nice street section, a big bowl and the concrete is swell.

Sunnyvale Skatepark

There’s a nice big bowl, a whole whack of things to grind and some really smooth transitions between the bowls. Throw in the vert wall, stairs, and you’ve got a perfectly skateable 18,500 sq. ft.

See it skated:

Alameda Skatepark

Local skaters built this 15,000 sq. ft. park back in the day. It still holds up today with a good street section and a nice view of the San Francisco bay.

See it skated:

Feature photo by libertinus Photo above by libertinus

If the bright lights and crowds of Punta del Este put you off, escape it all completely for a few days of mellow madness in Uruguay´s strangest treasure.

Cabo Polonio is a secret that is slowly leaking out, because once you know about it you can´t keep your mouth shut. With no running water, no electricity, no roads, and not an Internet cafe in sight, Cabo Polonio is a truly unique experience. Although this sandy outcrop is a permanent home to 70 people – an eclectic mix of fishermen, eccentric expats, and hippies – there isn´t even a postal address, as it has never been registered as a residence.

Orientation

On the eastern coast of Uruguay, Cabo Polonio sits on a sliver of sand jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean, with two stretches of clean, white beach sheltered by rollicking sand dunes and rugged tufts of forest. At the outermost point, a grand lighthouse looks out over two rocky islands, home to a large colony of sea lions.

Cabo is somewhere between a working fishing village and a self-contained hippy retreat, eerily reminiscent of the 70s movie, “The Wickerman.” It is made up of a chaotic scattering of multi-coloured houses and inventive shacks dotted across the grass and sand, with some chickens, cows and horses grazing in between. You will see fishermen bringing in their catch along the beaches, and a happy band of hippies permanently crafting their wares along the dusty paths, selling to what tourists they see.

Without water or electricity, there is neither Internet nor mobiles, and only one land-line. The residents survive by collecting rain water in wells, which is pumped up for drinking and showering. While only the lighthouse is powered by the national grid, some shops and houses run essentials like refrigerators and lights from generators, but most people make do without.

The village is centred around a sandy circle with a handful of miscellaneous stores, cafes and posadas branching off in lanes. You can buy most basics in the two larger shops, although sometimes there is a wait for the next delivery of fresh produce like vegetables and eggs.

Although those in the known descend on Cabo from December to March, supporting the very basic tourist infrastructure, the whole town grinds to a halt in the off season, with very few options for food or accommodation.

Cabo has just been made part of Uruguay´s National System of Protected Areas, which means even though people have been building houses illegally there for years, no further development will happen, a blessing which will save it from turning into just another sea-side resort town.

Photo by libertinus

Getting There

There are no roads leading to Cabo, which gives it the wonderful sensation of complete isolation.

But it is situated only 7 km from the highway, Ruta 10, in the Rocha province. You can reach this magical spot on a four-hour bus journey from Montevideo for $12 on Rutas de Sol. It stops in every village along the way, but this is the most direct route, so sit back and enjoy this scenic strip of coast.

The bus drops you off at an isolated outpost with just two little shops and a man waiting for your arrival to offer a lift on one of his big yellow 4×4 trucks.

The budget option is to walk through the sand dunes, but it is tough on the thighs, especially with a heavy rucksack. Trucks are only $3 and if you get a seat up on top, it’s a great 20 minute cross-country ride, dodging sand dunes and shrubs, before the expanse of beach is spectacularly unveiled, and you find yourself hurtling along the surf.

Accommodation

When you jump off the 4×4 in what functions as the main square, you´ll most likely be greeted with friendly offers of accommodation from locals, including Alfredo, who runs the one hostel: Cabo Polonio Hostel.

The solar-panelled hostel has good basic rooms with breakfast included for $25, and has a bar, restaurant and a relaxing patio with hammocks. Just 100 m from the sea, the hostel also offers guided trips and horse rental.

Cabo also has two hotels, which can boast of their electrical prowess.

For the truly atmospheric experience, though, forego all modern luxuries and rent a cabana from one of the locals.

The larger of the two mercados will help you find available rooms or houses. These can vary from wooden shacks with corrugated iron roofs and basic bunk beds for less than $10 a night, to solar-paneled holiday homes with sea views and patios.

Check out Cabo Polonio accomodations for some options.

Photo by libertinus

Sights and Activities

You can explore Cabo Polonio in less than an hour.

Make like the locals and throw off your shoes to wander the dusty paths barefoot, soaking up the often bizarre sights, such as Perdida, the local bartender’s pet penguin, waddling along the road.

A short walk beyond the town towards the sea you will find the lighthouse, built in the 1880s.

It is worth paying the $0.70 entry to make your way up the never-ending staircase, just for the view from the top of the endless sea and across the flat farmlands of Uruguay. The very friendly lighthouse staff will also let you into the light bulb itself for a cheesy photo op.

Cabo, once famed seal hunting territory, now protects its large colony of sea lions (or lobos marinos) who live on the two rocky islands beyond the lighthouse.

One or two are usually sunbathing on the rocks underneath the lighthouse, but in mating season thousands flock to the mainland, with the females lounging on every available surface as the males fight for their attention.

The principal attraction is, of course, the beaches. If you find yourself there in off-season you can often have the beach completely to yourself. Nothing beats waking up early and making the first set of footprints across unmarked sand. The water is clean and just cool enough to be refreshing, with good waves on one beach and sheltered swimming on the other.

Part of the beauty of this place is the slow pace of life. There is very little to do here, so when you see locals getting stuck into their first cerveza early in the morning, the best thing to do is join in. Asking a resident if he ever gets bored living here, he replied, “Isn’t it better to be bored here than anywhere else in the world?”

But if you grow tired of watching the sun move in the sky, the surrounding area makes for great walking, or you can hire horses for a couple of dollars.

Night Time

The true magic of this place comes to life as the sun sets. Remember to stock up on candles from the local shop before night falls, as these will be your only source of light. Take a moment to appreciate the complete darkness. Away from the city lights and smog you can see the Milky Way as you sit on your patio and sip a beer.

Brave the torchlit walk from your lodging to the “main street” just to see Josario’s Bar, the only bar which stays open year round. This unique hidden den is cut into a field with a ceiling made of entwined flowers, which drip into your glass of wine as you drink.

The warren-like den was designed by blind owner Josario, and feels more like a set from Midsummer`s Night Dream than a bar. With jugs of wine only $3, you can spend a long evening here chatting with locals by candlelight, while Gershwin and Miles Davis lull you into a drunken haze.

Every additional drink makes the dark walk back to your lodging that much harder. Listen out for the sound of the sea lions barking to each other in the night, making an eerie cackling. This is how Cabo Polonio is, half mad and beautifully unusual.

Feature Photo by besar_bears

Photo above by murli

1. The Botanic Gardens

Sixty-four hectares of lush greenery, the Singapore Botanic Garden is a tranquil oasis of calm in the midst of the city. Pack a picnic from the supermarket and lounge around on the grass for a lazy afternoon. Entertain yourself by watching the squirrels frolic or observe local couples having their wedding pictures taken (and trying to look romantic despite sweating in their wedding finery).

GETTING THERE: Closest MRT (subway) station is Orchard, followed by a short bus ride. It’s close to the British and American embassies, and cab drivers all know it.

2. The Esplanade Theatres

Often referred to as “bugs’ eyes” or “the durian” (a stinky spiky fruit), the Esplanade has much to offer to visitors. Check listings online or drop by to find out about free events. Weekends often bring free live performances on the waterfront promenade.

Photo by virusinside

Best kept secret: The library@esplanade on the third floor is a slick arts library with a wide range of movies, musical scores, CDs, and magazines.

Foreigners cannot check items out, but they can browse. Find yourself a seat overlooking the sea to enjoy the view, safe from the humidity. The facility (like almost all of downtown Singapore) is WiFi-enabled.

For cheap and tasty local grub (the fancy restaurants in the Esplanade building are anything but), head for the open air local food centre beside the Esplanade building, across from the Marina Square Mall (with giant staircase).

GETTING THERE: Closest MRT is City Hall (walk through the subterranean mall) or Raffles Place (across from the Fullerton Hotel).

3. The Merlion

It’s weird, it’s touristy, but oh what fun to snap pictures of OTHER tourists snapping pictures with the half-fish, half-lion creature created by the Singapore Tourism Board in the 1970s as a tourism symbol (don’t ask). Be amused by the bus loads of Asian tourists excitedly striking poses with the watery beast. You can easily visit the Merlion by walking across the bridge from the Esplanade theatres.

GETTING THERE: Closest MRT station is Raffles Place, or stroll from City Hall, and pass the Esplanade Theatres.

4. Free Museums

Singapore’s museums often do not charge entry fees for permanent displays, requiring payment only for special exhibits or features. On Fridays after 6 PM, the museums allow free entry for all, and may even include free guided tours. Check the National Heritage Board’s website for information on opening hours, exhibits, and other details.

5. Free Movies

The newly-refurbished National Museum holds open-air Friday night movie screenings every so often on its front lawn. The movie nights are often themed (they have held the ‘Audrey Hepburn’, ‘Retro’ and ‘Asian Horror’ series so far), and make for great fun and a free night out. Check the museum’s website for information, but be sure to get to the lawn early to secure a good spot!

GETTING THERE: Closest MRT station is Dhoby Ghaut station, or also walkable from City Hall.

6. Wander Little India

Little India is chaotic and it’s not eat-off-the-floor clean like the rest of Singapore, but it certainly has character. Stroll around the narrow streets overflowing with stalls blasting Bollywood tunes, get a henna tattoo, or enjoy cheap, tasty and authentic Indian food at the numerous food stalls.

Photo by sami73

For extra fun, visit the massive Mustafa Shopping Centre, Singapore’s only 24 hour shopping mall. The quirky mall sells everything from groceries to clothing to electronics to toilet bowls, and even cars. It’s quite the experience for free, if you manage not to be enticed into buying something you never knew you needed.

GETTING THERE: Closest MRT station is Little India.

7. Places of Worship

Little India and Chinatown are home to many Hindu and Buddhist temples, which you can visit for free. The temples are usually abuzz with activities at every hour of the day, so you can observe devotees of the respective faiths going about their religious rites. Of course, be respectful when taking photographs and abide by customs such as removing your shoes or being dressed appropriately.

8. Off the beaten track: East Coast Park

East Coast Park, Singapore’s largest– stretching 15 km along the coast– gets you out of downtown Singapore and is a great place to get some exercise (besides power-walking through malls, of course). Rent bicycles, in-line skates, or even go windsurfing or canoeing. Camping is also possible if you can beat the heat (permits not required for 3 nights or fewer), and there are public bathrooms with cold showers available every 500m or so. The McDonald’s here features the world’s very first “skate through,” where there’s a special line for in-line skaters.

*Singapore’s other parks in the suburbs also have bicycle and in-line skate rentals. Check the National Parks website for information.

GETTING THERE: Take bus 36 from downtown or the airport and alight around Marine Drive. You will need to ask for directions to find the underpass that takes you beneath the freeway and to the park. A cab from downtown could set you back S$18 or so. Check here for directions.

9. Off the beaten track: Pulau Ubin (Ubin Island)

One of the last surviving “rural” areas of Singapore, Pulau Ubin is an island about 10 minutes off the eastern coast of mainland Singapore. The tiny (and dwindling) community tries hard to hold onto its rustic way of life and still has chickens and ducks waddling around. The best way to explore the island is to rent a bicycle. Visit the mangrove swamps and Chek Jawa beach, home to Singapore’s native flora and fauna. There’s also a disused granite quarry and a shrimp farm on the island.