Deep Culture Travel

Stay at an Historic Hacienda in Mundo Maya

2012-01-27T14:51:17-08:00

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

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

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

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

From a compound of 17th century historical houses to a nobleman's estate, the haciendas have such wonders as 18-foot ceilings with massive beams and rafters, 10-foot wooden doors, huge iron beds, tropical hardwoods, spas, arched loggias, swimming pools, stone fountains in elaborate gardens--plus high-tech amenities, and 5-star cuisine.

Winners of 4 Conde Nast Traveler "World Savers" awards, the haciendas work with the non-profit Fundación Haciendas del Mundo Maya, AC (Haciendas of the Mayan World Foundation), which develops sustainable micro-regional programs in nearby Mayan rural communities, from health and housing initiatives to setting up libraries and literacy education for adults, to eco-programs such as a botanical garden, reforestation, community gardens, eco-clean-up and more. The foundation is also helping to rescue oral Maya history through interviews with locals.

More here about Riviera Maya.

And even more about Riviera Maya.

Are you safe in Mexico? heck, yes. In the first half of 2011 alone, 10+ million Americans visited Mexico, accounting for 36% of all international travel by US citizens. Border cities--no. Just about everywhere else--ándale!

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

Latest News about Cinque Terre Disaster

2012-01-23T15:05:35-08:00

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

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

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

Sustainable Tourism Award for Mayakoba Resort

2012-01-03T10:36:31-08:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Santorini by Lee Daley

2011-12-16T13:13:37-08:00

Photography by Lee Daley

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

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

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

Terra Madre Day 2011--Slow Food, Village Gardens

2011-11-18T15:24:54-08:00

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

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

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

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

Within the EU, focus is on a campaign launched by Slow Food to promote a more fair, ecological and democratic Common Agricultural Policy.

The network is united in supporting the creation of a thousand food gardens in Africa, in schools, villages and cities. The Terra Madre gardens are run by communities, cultivated using sustainable techniques (composting, natural treatments for pests and diseases, rational water use) and planted with local varieties, with intercropping between fruit trees, vegetables and medicinal herbs. Nearly 400 gardens have been funded so far, in 300 African communities in 20 countries.

Find out more here about the Thousand Gardens in Africa project

Did you know that Sonoma Valley, California (where I live) was designated the first "Cittaslow" in the U.S., by the international Slow Food organization.

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

Lucha Libre Masks with Interloper

2011-11-11T08:03:39-08:00

Karen Misuraca

New Austin-Lehman Cultural Tour in Cuba

2011-11-03T15:54:13-07:00

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

Among the highlights of the Real Cuba Itinerary:

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

Is it legal to visit Cuba? Yes, since the Obama Administration policy changes this year, the U.S. is granting “people-to-people” licenses to travel to Cuba, and Austin-Lehman is one of the few American companies permitted to operate tours to that country.

More news here about Cuba.

Austin-Lehman Adventures received Travel + Leisure magazine’s 2011 Global Vision Award for Corporate Innovation, recognized for its Wheels of Change program that helps establish Bicycle Empowerment Centers throughout Africa to ensure access to food, water, employment, health care, education, etc. The project came about in 2010 when Austin realized that bikes used in its own domestic and international touring programs needed to be replaced. Along with an equal number of donated bikes, he shipped them to Ngoma, Namibia, where his company operates a luxury wildlife tour. Here his team helped locals turn the used bikes into a rental and repair business operating out of a shipping container. The shop became self-sufficient within 10 months, inspiring Austin to create the nonprofit Wheels of Change.

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

Hawaiian Culture at New Destination Resort in Hana, Maui

2011-10-25T11:36:30-07:00

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

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

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

Right in Hana not far from the most beautiful soccer field on the planet, the Hana Cultural Center in the old Hana Courthouse displays ancient artifacts, prehistoric stone implements, textiles, authentic fishing gear and much more, plus a recreated pre-contact chief's compound (tip: a great place to purchase locally-crafted Hawaiian crafts, quilts, koa wood pieces, amazing baskets, art, Christmas ornaments.). Also in Hana, Hasawaga General Store, Charles Lindbergh’s grave, Waimoku Falls and Hana Hanwahji Buddhist Temple and the lovely Wanalua Congregational Church, built in 1838 from volcanic rock and pulverized coral stone. Stop in to see the stunning koa wood interior; church services are held in English and Hawaiian.

4-diamond-rated Travaasa Hāna was recently rated the #2 Hawaii hotel in the 2010 Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice poll, and The Spa at Travaasa Hāna was also named the #1 Resort Spa in Hawaii by Condé Nast. Designed around native plants and essential oils, and traditional Hawaiian treatments, The Spa at Travaasa Hāna is an indoor/outdoor wellness center with lava rock whirlpool,a private garden, steam rooms and cold plunge pools.

70 rather spacious, luxurious accommodations: Sea-Ranch Cottages and bungalow-style Garden Suites, with dramatic ocean/mountain views. No radios, clocks or TVs---aaahhhhh. All-inclusive, adults-only program (meals, daily spa treatment, many on-site and off-site activities) from about $400 per night. Daily shuttle to Hāmoa Beach.

I recently came across a unique web site that describes many dozens of cultural sites in the islands--places that just don't seem to show up elsewhere.

Your fact for the day: Hana is the birthplace of Queen Kaahumanu, wife of King Kamehameha I.

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

2011-10-21T10:50:19-07:00

Glorious fall colors are rampant into November along Canada's VIA Rail routes. Just think about sinking into a cozy window seat with a hot toddy in your hand and spectacular autumn landscape rolling by.

Fall Colors Tour by Rail is an 8-night journey through the deep forests of Eastern Canada, with stops in such cities as Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax. From US$2,200.

Maple trees are flaming red on the Maple Explorer 9-night trip from Ottawa to Montreal and beyond. You will explore British influence on Ottawa's Parliament Hill, plus national galleries, museums, historic architecture, theaters, nightlife and shopping. Then on to Montreal's French Canada with fine cuisine and the birthplace of Canadian maple syrup. From US$2,000.

The Fall Colors of the Qu’Appelle Valley package to see Western Manitoba and Eastern Saskatchewan's fall foliage includes a 3-night hotel stay in Melville to visit museums and historic attractions plus touring the Qu'Appelle Valley with visits to Fort Qu'Appelle, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Crooked Lake Provincial Park and more. From US$700.

Train travel can be respectful of the environment. While motorists produce more than 13% of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, VIA Rail trains produce only .03%. And, travel by rail also helps reduce vehicle congestion. A current rebuilding operation on the older VIA Rail locomotives and passenger cars is incorporating more efficient heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and other systems, which will result in an additional 9% reduction in fuel consumption and emissions in the near future. All paper products onboard are from recycled sources, coffee and tea served is 100% fair trade, and water use has been reduced by 50%. Guests on multi-night journeys are offered the option of receiving freshly laundered linens only upon request, rather than every day.

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

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

Biking Death Valley: Book Now for Winter

2011-10-11T08:59:30-07:00

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

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

Allowing visitors to explore the park on their own, the Mountain Bike Adventure includes 2 nights of accommodations at the Ranch at Furnace Creek, with helmet, 24-speed bicycle with hydraulic disc brakes, water and energy bar. $103.25 per person per night, year-round.

Welcoming guests since the 1930s, the 4-diamond-rated Inn at Furnace Creek Resort is open mid-October through mid-May, when fall-winter-spring climate is mild. On-site is a fine dining restaurant, tennis courts, swimming pool and lovely palm gardens. More here about the inn.

224-room Ranch at Furnace Creek, adjacent to the golf course, is open year-round. When afternoons too hot, guests head for the spring-fed swimming pool, shopping in the general store and exploring the Borax Museum.

Operated by Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Furnace Creek is powered by the sun, with one of the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) energy systems in the United States. More here about Xanterra's environmentally-friendly endeavors.

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

2011-09-08T11:33:21-07:00

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

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

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

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

Guests at the 4 Seasons resort come here to snorkel and dive in the gin-clear waters, and they are also given the opportunity to experience island life in nearby villages, and to participate in some of the resort's conservation projects. At the Marine Discovery Center, here, kids help marine biologists transplant coral frames, visit the Fish Lab, and learn to snorkel with Reefscapers.

The lowest country on the planet, with islands just seven feet above water, the Maldives are seriously threatened with the rising sea levels caused by global climate change, and many scientists believe that the archipelago will become submerged within decades. Receiving grants from the UN and other sources, the country has vowed to go carbon neutral by 2020, and is engaged in other preventative measures, including the eventual relocation of its population.

Calle San Miguel 2011 Traditional Music & Food

2011-09-06T13:10:31-07:00

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

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

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

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

Food for all will be plentiful, from huaraches, tamales, tortas, empanadas, tacos and salsas to postres and other street food, plus vinos, tequilas, mescals, margaritas, cervesas and other popular refrescos! Also scheduled are a children's Art Competition sponsored by Instituto Allende, and an artesans marketplace.

Can't get to Calle San Miguel next weekend? Catch La Tuna Tradicional on YouTube, and when you're in San Miguel de Allende, listen to them practicing on Mondays at 8:30 pm at the Animas street barbershop. You'll also hear Mariachi Allende holding forth on the sidewalks around the central plaza and in restaurants nearby.

More information: nwww.feedthehungrysma.org

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

T.C. Boyle in the Channel Islands

2011-08-31T14:34:18-07:00

Seen from the air, the Channel Islands resemble the rumpled back of a sea monster undulating on the surface of the ocean. A 60-mile-long, east-west chain off the Southern California coast, the Channel Islands National Park encompasses five uninhabited islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara).

Novelist T.C. Boyle sets his latest book, When the Killing’s Done (Viking 2011) on the islands. An "island biogeographical thriller", the story involves a suspenseful turf war between animal rights activists and biologists of the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy over the elimination of non-native species of plants and animals. A resident of Santa Barbara, Boyle has spent considerable time on the islands with scientists, becoming so enamored of the wild environment that he is setting his next novel, San Miguel, in the islands, too.

A description of the book on Amazon.com: " . . . a series of escalating scenes in which the characters violently confront one another, and tempt the awesome destructive power of nature itself. Boyle deepens his story by going back in time to relate the harrowing tale of Alma's grandmother Beverly, who was the sole survivor of a 1946 shipwreck in the channel, as well as the tragic story of Anise's mother, Rita, who in the late 1970s lived and worked on a sheep ranch on Santa Cruz Island. In dramatizing this collision between protectors of the environment and animal rights' activists, Boyle is, in his characteristic fashion, examining one of the essential questions of our time: Who has the right of possession of the land, the waters, the very lives of all the creatures who share this planet with us?"

Large, comfortable boats ferry passengers from Oxnard, Santa Barbara and Ventura to the islands in just over an hour. The boats are a perfect platform for up-close observation of Grey whales on their annual journeys from Alaska to Baja and back. 27 species of whales and porpoises spend all or part of the year here, and as many as 50 whales at a time can seen without binoculars.

Besides large numbers of Grey whales, Blue, Minke, Humpback, Fin, Orca and Pilot whales are frequently sighted. A thrilling sight on the boat ride are the hundreds of Common dolphins, which fill the channel with their leapings and swim up to 60 miles an hour alongside the ships and boats.

Day visitors and campers explore the easy trails on the Channel Islands, from tidepools and rocky coves on the shoreline to a 2,000-foot-high ridge, on their own or with a park ranger, discovering wildflowers, breathing in the salt air and the scent of sage and wild onion, and enjoying unsurpassed sea and shore views. In the spring and early summer, the islands are blanketed in golden coreopsis, brilliant red buckwheat and pink yarrow.

On the closest island to the mainland, Anacapa, tidepools are bright with orange sea stars, red octopi, blue and purple urchin and colorful fish. Kayakers, snorkelers and scuba divers head for Frenchy Cove and Cathedral Cove, where fluorescent-orange garibaldi hide in waving kelp forests that can reach 100 feet in length and grow two feet a day in the sparkling-clear waters that are protected as a National Marine Sanctuary. Over 100 sea caves and the skeletons of dozens of shipwrecks are fascinating underwater destinations for divers.

In the coves around Anacapa, sea lions hold sway. Herds of them lounge on the little rocky beaches or “raft up” together in the water, heads down, fins up, in order to absorb solar heat and regulate their body temperatures.

Park News: this July, researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service discovered that California Common Murre chicks have hatched for the first time since 1912 on the Channel Islands. The colony disappeared nearly a century ago, likely a result of human disturbance and egg harvesting. Murres are football-sized seabirds with the tuxedo colors of penguins—except they can both fly in the air and dive down to 500 feet underwater, using their wings to propel themselves beneath the surface.

Among companies that guide kayaking, diving and sightseeing tours to the Channel Islands:

New Zipline in Palau's Eco-Park

2011-08-29T11:19:33-07:00

Newly opened in the Micronesian paradise of Palau, the Palau Eco Theme Park now has a spectacular three-course zipline that soars over the world-famous waterfalls and rainforests of Taki Waterfall Park in Ngardmau. Hooked securely to steel cables attached to platforms in the tree canopy, adventurous riders are whisked along one of the longest ziplines in the world at birds-eye-view heights of 250 feet above the ground––a once-in-a-lifetime, unforgettable experience.

Not up to sailing across the treetops? Many visitors to the theme park take birding and nature walks, snap photos of the waterfalls, picnic and just enjoy the verdant surroundings.

Known primarily as one of the top scuba diving, snorkeling and surfing destinations in the world, the Palau archipelago provides pristine habitat for 1,400 species of fish, about 300 species of marine sponges and at least 500+ coral species in its crystalline ocean waters. Among attractions for visitors are the innumerable uninhabited islands, white sand beaches with nary a footprint, tropical resorts, unexplored jungles and a vibrant, traditional Pacific islands culture.

More here about visiting Palau, a country that is a major force in the preservation of the environment, the flora and the fauna of the Pacific Rim.

More news for travelers: Continental Airlines has just introduced reduced airfares for North Americans interested in visiting Palau, Micronesia, from September 1 to December 15, 2011. Roundtrip airfares are as low as $1,305 from LAX or $1,405 from Houston. Other select U.S. airports feature airfares of only $1,505. Also, the airline is offering a special add-on rate for stopovers in Yap, for a fee of only $75 (wouldn't you like to be able to say you stopped in Yap?)

New Map to Cuba, New Freedom to Visit

2011-08-24T08:55:21-07:00

The National Geographic Society has released their first comprehensive map of Cuba since 1906---it's a classic Na Geo wall map, 36: X 24".

The map shows Cuba’s many offshore islands, reefs, and rivers, plus place names, accurate political boundaries, and infrastructure, national parks, roads, canals, airports, and geographical elements including mountain relief, swamps, and coastal reefs and more details. Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, the Florida Keys, and most of the Bahamas and Haiti are shown, showing Cuba in the context of the Caribbean.

The cartographer who created the map, Juan Jose Valdes, immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba in the 1960s. His fascinating personal story is reported in the Havana Journal.

You can purchase the map for $12.95.

The Obama Administration continues to allow expanded travel opportunities to Cuba. For decades, the only airports in the US that were allowed to offer charter flights to Cuba were JFK, LAX and Miami International Airport. Soon Cuban Americans, and Americans traveling to Cuba for “purposeful” travel, will be able to fly out of Tampa, Atlanta, San Juan Puerto Rico, Dallas, Chicago, Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

For the latest information on travel to and in Cuba, go to Chris Baker's "Cuba and Costa Rica Journal" blog for Moon Travel Guides. An excerpt from his August 22, 2011 post:

"Last Thursday, the first group of U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba under the new “people-to-people” provisions arrived in Havana. Travel service provider Insight Cuba (a division of voluntour company Cross-Cultural Solutions), which received a license from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in June, is planning dozens of similar trips in the coming year, including 4-day/3-night “Weekend in Havana” and 8-day/7-night “Havana Jazz Experience”."