Matador Network's Blog, page 1049

Banana peel litter on Ben Nevis

This should go without saying, but Ben Nevis land manager Alison Austin is saying it anyway: Don’t leave trash on Ben Nevis. Scotland’s highest mountain sees 160,000 visitors each year, many of whom tend to leave unwanted items behind.

Real3Peaks Challenge, a mountain cleanup campaign, is also asking hikers to refrain from leaving anything behind, including their banana peels. According to Richard Pyne, writing on the project’s Facebook page on July 13, he has collected around 17 pounds of banana skins over two days on the mountain, which is 17 pounds too much.

Photo: Real3Peaks Challenge/Facebook

Amateur hikers may think that banana peels, being organic material, can decompose quickly and easily, but in reality, it takes up to two years for a banana skin to degrade. In the meantime, fruit litter makes the mountain summit unsightly and can be detrimental to the wildlife that tends to munch on the sugary fruit peels. Also, it’s just plain rude to litter.

The Real3Peaks organization is composed of a volunteer team that regularly summits mountains to clear as much trash as possible from summits and trails.

According to Pyne, about 300 banana peels are left at the top of Ben nevis each week. Still, he acknowledges that the site is much cleaner than it used to be; this year, 287 pounds of trash was taken off the mountain while 507 pounds was picked up in a previous year.


More like this: You can feel good about staying in these beautiful zero-waste, eco-friendly hotels

The post Over 17 pounds of banana peels found on Scotland’s highest mountain appeared first on Matador Network.

Visit these ancient Egyptian temples

Temples in ancient Egypt were built for one of two reasons: to worship a particular god or a set of gods, or to commemorate a ruler. Many temples combined the two. If built for the latter, it was almost always constructed during the ruler’s reign. Seen as houses for whom they were built, temples were used for daily worship, rituals, offerings, and festive occasions.

Ancient Egyptian architecture paid special attention to symmetry, and many of the temples underscore that ideal. All temples have various hieroglyphics and reliefs carved into their structures, sometimes painted as color also held significant importance in ancient Egyptian culture. The centuries and the weather have faded those colors, though some hieroglyphics retain a semblance of their original pigmentations.

Nearly all Egyptian temples have an entrance fee, and you’d be hard pressed to find one without one. They’re usually open from the early morning until early evening, and visiting at either end of the day will provide the best chance of a visit without crowds. It’s important to note that some temples, like Abu Simbel, have a separate ticket for photography and videography that you have to purchase in addition to the entry ticket if you want to be able to take photos inside; workers will constantly ask to see your ticket if they see you with your phone or camera out, so be sure to have it readily available. Deciding which temples to go to can be difficult, so we’ve done the work for you. Here’s how to visit seven of the coolest ancient Egyptian temples.

1. Abu Simbel

Abu Simbel is actually comprised of two temples; the larger is dedicated to Ramses II, pharaoh between 1279 and 1213 BC, and the smaller to his wife, then-queen Nefertari. Built during the 13th century BC, the twin temples were originally located on the west bank of the Nile, but due to rising water levels in the 1960s, they had to be relocated and make way for the Aswan High Dam that would allow Egyptians to regulate water flow. Currently, they can be found in Abu Simbel about three hours away from Aswan.

You’ll approach the temples from the opposite side of the mountain, where it looks like there’s nothing but sand, dirt, and Lake Nasser in the distance. Once you turn the final corner, the area opens up and you’ll get your socks knocked right off as you see the two larger-than-life temples carved into the mountainside.

Photo: Anton_Ivanov/Shutterstock

At the temple for Ramses II, there are four enormous statues flanking its entrance, each of the pharaoh sitting down. Around the feet of the statues are smaller figures of Ramses’ mother, wife, and children. Inside, the rooms get smaller as you move from the entrance to the inner sanctuary. The first hall has eight tall statues of Ramses standing in the same dressings as the Egyptian god of the underworld, Osiris, which are meant to indicate his everlasting power. The hieroglyphics and reliefs depict the pharaoh’s strength, showing a number of images of victory in battle and against enemies. This temple was also dedicated to and used to worship the gods Ra-Horakhty, Amun, and Ptah; therefore, there are various images depicting worship to them. The inner sanctuary has four seated statues, three of the aforementioned gods, and one of Ramses II.

Photo: matias planas/Shutterstock

Just some 300 feet away is the temple for both queen Nefertari and Hathor, goddess of the sky. The exterior displays six standing statues, four of Ramses and two of Nefertari herself, with smaller figures of their children between them. The interior has a similar layout to its neighbor but on a much smaller scale. Instead of large, full figures in the first main hall, there are faces carved out in front of each pillar showing Hathor’s likeness. The images in this temple show both Nefertari and Ramses making offerings to various gods, as well as several of Nefertari being crowned by goddesses and outfitted in similar dressings.

Price: 200 Egyptian pounds (about $12). Photography/videography ticket is $13 extra.

Where: Aswan Governorate, Egypt

2. Temple of Hatshepsut

Photo: Mirko Kuzmanovic/Shutterstock

The Temple of Hatshepsut is a funerary temple located below the limestone cliffs of Deir el-Bahari. While it does contain everything a traditional Egyptian temple would (such as multiple courtyards and an inner sanctuary), the exterior is more unusual and paints a more modern picture — much like the person the temple is dedicated to. Hatshepsut was the second confirmed female pharaoh of Egypt, ruling the longest of them for about 20 years during the 13th century BC. Hatshepsut had one of the most successful reigns in history; she reforged trade relationships, built many great structures, and her time was one of peace. She first began ruling as a queen regent when her husband, the king, died and was only supposed to mind the throne until her stepson came of age. However, when he did, she continued to rule alongside him and assumed the title of pharaoh. During the early part of her reign, she chose to rule as a man and have images depict her as such, so her full authority as pharaoh would be recognized (as women could not assume full power).

Photo: VIIIPhotography/Shutterstock

The grandiose temple was built during her rule, and it’s thought that she specifically chose that location — near the Valley of the Kings and the funerary temple of Mentuhotep II — to emphasize her power. There are three colonnaded levels, with reliefs displaying scenes from Hatshepshut’s time as a monarch all throughout. Within the temple are shrines to gods Amun, Hathor, Anubis, and Ra, some of which have hieroglyphics and reliefs retaining some of their original colors. The statues of Hatshepsut on the highest level show her dressed as a male pharaoh would have been. After her death, many monuments dedicated to her were destroyed and dumped at the temple by Thutmose III, her stepson, in an effort to erase all traces of her rule.

Price: 120 Egyptian pounds ($7)

Where: Kings Valley Rd, Qesm Al Wahat Al Khargah, New Valley Governorate, Egypt

3. Philae Temple

Photo: WitR/Shutterstock

Since this temple complex is located on a small island in the Nile River, getting here will require a short boat trip. The name comes from the complex’s original location on the island of Philae, just a few minutes away from its current location on Agilkia Island; it was moved due to high water levels that later submerged Philae. It was built in the seventh century BC and dedicated to the goddess Isis, though another smaller temple was built within the complex to honor Hathor.

Upon arrival, visitors are greeted by a pylon (a gateway-like structure) over 25 feet tall with large reliefs of Egyptian gods carved into it and three entry points: The entryway in the middle leads to the main courtyard while the ones on either side of it lead to small chambers. The main courtyard has columns on either side and another pylon, through which visitors access the inner temple and sanctuary. On the western side of the courtyard is the mammisi (birth house), built in honor of the god Horus’ birth and dedicated to both Isis, his mother, and Hathor, also known as the goddess of fertility. Inside the birth house are images of Horus’ life, from birth to throughout his childhood.

Price: 140 Egyptian pounds ($8)

Where: Aswan, Aswan Governorate, Egypt

4. Luxor Temple

Photo: Prin Adulyatham/Shutterstock

Built in the 13th century BC through the efforts of multiple pharaohs, Luxor Temple can be found in Luxor, one of the more modern cities in Egypt. Its Egyptian name, ipet resyt, translates as “southern sanctuary,” which is apt considering its location in the southern part of the country.

An avenue of sphinx statues leads up to the temple’s entrance, which displays two statues of Ramses II sitting and three standing. In front of the Ramses statues used to be two obelisks, though only one remains with the other now located in Paris, France. Past this is the Great Court of Ramses II, a courtyard surrounded by two rows of columns depicting the pharaoh worshipping the gods; also in the courtyard are statues of all of Ramses’ sons, as well as a shrine built by Hatshepshut that was later taken over by Thutmose III.

Beyond is a long pathway lined by open-flower columns over 50 feet tall, known as the Colonnade of Amenhotep III, which leads to the Court of Amenhotep III. The hypostyle hall is the final space visitors pass through before entering the temple’s inner rooms and is best seen at night when the four rows of eight columns on all sides are lit up, giving off a spectacularly mysterious vibe. While the temple seems to exist on an open-air plan, it used to be enclosed in its heyday; much of the walls were removed to be reused as building materials for other structures.

Photo: eFesenko/Shutterstock

The main rooms of the temple are the only ones that remain enclosed by walls and a roof; they’re considered “inside,” and these contain shrines to Amun, Amenhotep III’s birth room (with images of his birth), and the inner sanctuary. One room in particular was painted over by Romans with scenes of Roman life, and another shrine was rebuilt by Alexander the Great with images that show him as a pharaoh.

Price: 140 Egyptian pounds ($8)

Where: Luxor City, Luxor, Luxor Governorate, Egypt

5. Karnak Temple

Photo: moonfish8/Shutterstock

Karnak Temple is considered to be the largest temple complex in Egypt and one of the largest in the world. It’s dedicated to a group of gods known as the Thebian Triad — Amun, Mut, and Khonsu — who were popular in the ancient city of Thebes, now ruins in part of Luxor. Its earliest structures date back over four millennia though it has been frequently added to over the years by different rulers.

Photo: serpetko/Shutterstock

An avenue of rams leads the way to the first pylon, though many of their faces have deteriorated over the years. Beyond that, visitors can easily spend hours exploring all of the parts of the complex that are open to the public. The main draw is the vast hypostyle hall, around 54,000 square feet, with over 100 columns that are about 40 feet high; twelve of those columns tower above the rest at a height nearly double that of their neighbors, so as to allow natural light and air inside the space. This part of the complex’s construction is attributed to Seti I and Ramses II, and reliefs carved here depict different victories of the two rulers. Also interesting is the sacred lake within the complex, said to be dedicated to Mut and filled with water from the Nile.

Price: 150 Egyptian pounds ($9)

Where: El-Karnak, Luxor, Luxor Governorate, Egypt

6. Temple of Horus

Photo: Anton_Ivanov/Shutterstock

Also known Edfu Temple, this temple is dedicated to Horus, a god often depicted with the head of the falcon. The entryway at the first pylon is guarded by two granite statues of Horus as a complete falcon, and through it is an indoor court with a number of columns. Looking up you’ll find two things: the first being that many parts of the roof and tops of the columns are darkened, and Egyptologists believe that this is due to groups of soldiers that took residence within the temple and started fires for various reasons (such as cooking and to keep warm); the second is that some of the hieroglyphics toward the top of the columns and on the roof still retain some original coloring, albeit faded.

Past this room is the outer hypostyle hall with another pylon, though this one only has one granite falcon statue remaining. Further inside the temple is the sanctuary, with a granite shrine that at one point used to house a statue of Horus (it’s now in the Louvre in Paris). In front of the shrine is a replica of a boat that was used to transport the statue of Horus in and out of the temple for celebratory occasions.

Price: 140 Egyptian pounds ($8)

Where: Adfo, Markaz Edfo, Aswan Governorate, Egypt

7. Temple of Kom Ombo

Photo: Waj/Shutterstock

While it’s not uncommon for Egyptian temples to be dedicated to multiple gods, Kom Ombo is unique in that it is a double temple. There are two sets of everything — entryways, hallways, etc. Each side is dedicated to a different god; the left side is for Horus, and the right side is for the crocodile god Sobek.

While the temple’s entirety warrants full attention, there are two parts that visitors should particularly focus on. The first is the nilometer on the eastern perimeter of the temple. A nilometer was a structure used to measure the Nile’s water levels during its yearly flood season and determine the forecast of the upcoming harvest season. Typically, there would be a mark somewhere in the middle of a nilometer to show that if the water reached that point, there would be a good harvest to come; too low a level meant famine, too high meant terrible flooding. The one found at Kom Ombo is shaped like a well, with a staircase and entry point midway down, and while that’s unaccessible to visitors, you can peer down into the well from the surface level.

Photo: unterwegs/Shutterstock

The second is a set of hieroglyphics and reliefs found on a wall on the outer edge of the temple. Part of these are of some kind of tools, believed by many to be the first depictions of medical instruments. Beside these are reliefs of a woman sitting down; these show the ancient Egyptian method of predicting a baby’s gender. In ancient times, if a woman wanted to know her baby’s gender, she would urinate on a bag of barley and a bag of wheat, and whichever grew first would indicate the gender — male if it was the barley and female if it was the wheat.

Price: 100 Egyptian pounds ($6)

Where: Adfo, Markaz Edfo, Aswan Governorate, Egypt


More like this: 7 underrated sites in Egypt worth visiting, according to an archaeologist

The post 7 of the coolest ancient temples in Egypt and what to see in each appeared first on Matador Network.

Grenada is the best Caribbean island

“You like that?” teased my tasting guide at the River Antoine Distillery near St. George’s, Grenada. “That’s the weak stuff we give tourists so they can take it on the airplane.”

I had to check and make sure I still had skin around my throat.

The clear liquid I’d just sipped down felt like a smooth cocktail of ghost pepper and butane, a quick, deep burn I felt sliding from my tongue down into my stomach. My face wasn’t hiding the pain either.

“That’s…the weak stuff?” I gasped as I felt my stomach slowly dissolve from the fire juice.

“Yeah, locals don’t mess with that,” she replied. “We start with this.”

She thumped a clear bottle with a red label in front of me, a full 75 percent ABV rum that I’m pretty sure was also used to clean medical supplies.

“You try this next.”

It was sadistic hospitality on her part, but it seemed completely appropriate in this place where nothing is subtle. The “spice island” of Grenada is a place where every flavor — from sun-dried chocolates to spicy stews to the jetfuel rums — is stronger and fuller than you’ll find anywhere in the Caribbean. Its people use what the island provides to create the kind of terroir-driven fare people cross oceans for. And it’s only a three-hour plane trip from Miami.

A familiar name creating some unfamiliar flavors

Photo: Re Metau/Shutterstock

The islands of Grenada — which also include Carriacou and Petite Martinique — are a tapestry of bright colors and robust flavors. The colorful hillsides are filled with blooming bougainvillea and birds of paradise, ripe banana plants, and coconut palms.

The lush vegetation and year-round growing season allow farmers to produce everything from cabbage to grapefruit, mango to sweet potato, and, of course, the island’s famous nutmeg, cinnamon, and chocolate.

I was able to take in the scenery and a sampling of Grenada’s flavors while sailing its coastline with Danny Donelan, a Grenadian native who spoke with a hint of a Dutch accent. He runs Savvy Sailing Adventures aboard his 43-foot, Grenadian-made schooner.

The warm breeze pushed us along as the salt air enhanced the flavors of turmeric balls, cheese straws, and Grenadian chocolates served onboard. We enjoyed rum punch made from a mixture of fruit juices and rums from the islands, and it tasted especially refreshing after snorkeling through Grenada’s underwater sculpture park, the first of its kind in the world.

Photo: Ed Shepherd Photography

The following morning, I took a cooking class on Grand Anse Beach, hosted by the Mount Cinnamon Resort which stood above it. The beach is one of the Caribbean’s finest, an arc of pure white sand guarded by jagged green mountains, with Mount Cinnamon sitting at the end to watch over it all.

The resort’s chef, Janice Edwards, started off by lighting a wood fire under a large metal pot set only a few yards from the turquoise water of the Caribbean.

“This is oil down,” she said in a welcoming, island tone. “Usually, you eat this, you’re over at somebody’s house. They throw anything they want in there for meat — chicken, pork, goat, iguana — and let it boil all day and drink rum. Oil down, it’s a party.”

With that, she threw a tray of chopped up chicken and pork in the bottom of the pot, then liberally sprinkled it with turmeric, garlic, hot pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Photo: Re Metau/Shutterstock

“We used to supply almost all the world’s nutmeg,” she said proudly as she continued to douse the meat. “Most of the cinnamon too. That’s why they call us ‘spice island.’”

She continued by layering breadfruit on top of the spiced meat. She added vegetables — peppers, onions, and callaloo (a mix of local greens) — then had us roll bread dumplings to put on top. She topped the pot off with coconut milk and set it on the fire.

As the oil down boiled, we sat under a palm tree and sampled about a dozen Grenadian rums. Each tasted distinctly like something, whether it was sugar cane, molasses, or the barrel char that comes with aging. The flavors were made especially rich by the warm breeze blowing onto Mount Cinnamon’s shore. None tasted like any rum I’d bought off the shelf back home.

About an hour later, Chef Janice scooped out the steaming, spicy stew and plated it in front of us. It smelled like a sharp curry, with soft notes of coconut. The oil down’s tastes were each distinct, yet blended perfectly. The cream from the coconut and the fat from the meat absorbed into the starchy goodness of the breadfruit and dumplings. The peppers and vegetables added sweetness and heat, creating a spectacular mix of flavors in an equally spectacular setting.

Nearly all food is local food on Grenada

Photo: Przemyslaw Skibinski/Shutterstock

The beauty of Grenada’s flavors lies in their authenticity. Everything you taste is from the land, and from its people. And things here are still made by hand like they were hundreds of years ago.

You’ll find it at spots like the Belmont Estate Chocolates, a sort of Caribbean Wonka Land where you’ll find workers literally dancing atop cocoa beans as they dry in the sun. Old women sort the beans by size so they can be crushed in small machines, and you can tour the production rooms where the beans are turned into the finest dark chocolate in the hemisphere.

Photo: Belmont Estate Grenada/Facebook

The chocolates taste like plants, with hints of nuttiness and a bitter note popping out from under the sugar. None of them are killed with sweetener like the chocolate you might find elsewhere. It’s just the natural flavor of Grenada encased in a golden wrapper.

You’ll also find that authenticity back at River Antoine, a distillery that dates back to 1785 and hasn’t changed much in the last 235 years. The winding drive to the main facility is lined with 10-foot mounds of discarded sugar cane husks. They cease just outside a two-story water wheel, fed by water trickling down from the top of the island. The wheel powers the cane crusher, which extracts the sugar cane juice used in making rum.

Photo: Danielle de Bruin/Shutterstock

A couple of hundred years ago, this is how every distillery crushed its cane. Today, this is the only wheel of this size used for rum production.

After crushing, the husks are taken by a hand cart and discarded outside, where they’re eventually burned to fuel the distillery’s copper boilers. The fermenting “tanks” aren’t so much tanks but big, concrete baths where the rum is left to ferment in open air, absorbing yeast from the island air. The old, stone structures look like the kind of relics you’d go past in ancient distilleries that have been converted into museums or co-working spaces. But these ones are still in action, pumping out 150-proof rum every day that the weather permits.

Photo: Richard Semik/Shutterstock

In the white-stone confines of River Antione’s tasting room, it was my turn to try the locals’ favorite 150-proof rum, which is illegal to fly with because of its high combustibility.

“You ready?” my tasting guide asked as she poured it into a little plastic shot cup, which surprisingly didn’t melt. The only other times I’d tried 150-proof rum were after I’d already consumed roughly my body weight in Margaritas. I was also the indestructible age of 21, when you could probably swallow an entire bottle of antifreeze as long as you had a good enough chaser.

“Of course I am!” I said with completely feigned bravado. I took the rum and dumped it into my mouth, holding it there for a few seconds until my entire mouth was tingling. I swallowed it and felt the burn of the islands coating my entire upper half. My mouth was numb, and apparently, I was tearing up.

“Now you Grenadian!” my guide laughed.

Having felt like I’d eaten through most of the island in just a few days, and with white-hot rum coursing through my bloodstream, she wasn’t too far off in that moment.


More like this: The coolest Airbnb experiences in the Caribbean

The post How to eat and drink your way through Grenada, the Caribbean’s most flavorful island appeared first on Matador Network.

Vail Resorts bought 17 ski areas

The Midwest might finally become a legitimate destination for ski travel. Vail Resorts, the largest ski resort operator in the United States, announced Tuesday that it will acquire Peak Resorts, the owner and operator of 17 ski areas in the midwestern and eastern US. The ski areas will be added to the company’s already impressive portfolio which includes Breckenridge in Colorado, British Columbia’s Whistler Blackcomb, and Heavenly resort in California’s Lake Tahoe, among others.

Vail Resorts secured the ski areas from Peak Resorts for $264 million. The purchase requires final approval from the Peak Resorts’ board of directors before the deal can be finalized, a move expected in the coming weeks. All of the resorts are located in the Midwest and East Coast, which is good news for the region’s ski industry as holders of Vail’s Epic Pass will have access to all 17 of the company’s new mountains this coming winter. Once finalized, Vail will own 38 mountain resorts globally.

The new ski areas to be purchased by Vail include:

Pennsylvania

Liberty Mountain Resort
Roundtop Mountain Resort
Whitetail Resort
Jack Frost
Big Boulder

Ohio

Alpine Valley
Boston Mills
Brandywine
Mad River Mountain

New Hampshire

Attitash Mountain Resort
Wildcat Mountain
Crotched Mountain

Missouri

Hidden Valley
Snow Creek

Vermont

Mount Snow

Indiana

Paoli Peaks

New York

Hunter Mountain



More like this: Why Banff should be the base for your next backcountry adventure

The post Vail Resorts just bought 17 ski areas in the US appeared first on Matador Network.

Chattanooga Airport on solar

Airports probably are not usually thought to be the most energy-efficient institutions out there, but this Tennessee airport is trying to change that. Chattanooga Airport has become the first airport in the United States to operate solely on renewable energy, after the completion of its solar farm. The farm consists of 12 acres of photovoltaic panels, and generates 2.64 megawatts of electricity.

As part of the $10 million project, the airport has also introduced green initiatives like LED-certified facilities, a stormwater system, green infrastructure, and electric car charging stations, all to further reduce its carbon footprint, reported Lonely Planet.

Chattanooga is the first airport in the US to operate solely on renewable energy, but it’s certainly not the first in the world. According to Yale Environment 360, Cochin International Airport in Kerala, India, became the first in 2015.


More like this: How to be a more sustainable traveler while flying

The post This airport is the first in the US to run fully on solar energy appeared first on Matador Network.

Coolest trailers and RVs to rent

Nothing brings you closer than sleeping in a trailer. Now, this might not be an ideal situation, depending on who you’re sharing said trailer with. But if you’re looking for some seriously-intimate time with your significant other, or just want your kids used to being around live people, road tripping with a trailer is a fantastic summer vacation.

Rather than renting through a cookie-cutter trailer service, you can browse Outdoorsy, which is like Airbnb for quirky trailer and RV rentals. Part of the fun when trailer tripping is meeting interesting people in the spots where you stop for the night, and renting any of these unique, artful, and sometimes-luxurious trailers will have plenty of people stopping to ask about them.

1. 1976 Airstream Argosy trailer, aka “The Cosmic Pickle”

New Orleans, Louisiana

$99 per night

Photo: Outdoorsy

Photo: Outdoorsy

If you ever sat back and thought, “You know, someday I’d like to take a 1970s porn producer’s mansion, compress it into an airstream trailer, and spend my vacation living there,” well, your wish is granted. This 1976 Airstream Argosy takes all the trademarks of ‘70s swing — Posturepedic bed, restraint mounts, a disco ball, and a stripper pole — to create the ultimate late-century sex den. It’s even got a front office for any last-minute casting calls, and a mirrored bathroom so you never have to stop looking at yourself the entire time. Perfect for the adventurous couple, or to reserve for elderly relatives for your personal enjoyment.

2. 2016 Off-Road Teardrop hiker trailer

Las Vegas, Nevada

$85 per night

Photo: Outdoorsy

Photo: Outdoorsy

If a hard-core, big-wheeled jeep and a camping trailer had a spunky love child, it would look something like this camper available in Nevada. The massive tires allow you to tow it pretty much anywhere, so you can camp wherever you darned well feel like. If the charm of a desert campfire is lost on you, it comes complete with a propane-powered range for all your meal prep needs. It’s also got an outdoor shower, a little slice of luxury resort out in the middle of nowhere. For those who want to get off the grid but still have a nice mattress to retire to at night, this teardrop is for you.

3. 1980 Boler 1300 trailer

Las Vegas, Nevada

$100 per night

Photo: Outdoorsy

Photo: Outdoorsy

Throw it back to family vacations of yesteryear, when cars got six miles to the gallon and road trips were still cheaper than flying. This red Boler trailer has three beds and sleeps four people — perfect for two parents and two kids to sleep in. Hard to believe by the size, but when the beds are folded up the trailer boasts a full dining room table, too, where you can eat full family meals prepared in the trailer’s kitchenette. Plus there’s plenty of storage so your car isn’t crammed with clothes.

4. 1976 Boler Wandervogel trailer, aka “The Pumpkin Coach”

Toronto, Ontario

$127 per night

Photo: Outdoorsy

Photo: Outdoorsy

If Cinderella’s carriage had some kind of magical glitch and got stuck halfway into its transformation back into a pumpkin, it would look exactly like this. The lightweight, fiberglass Boler trailer sleeps four comfortably and has been bibbity-bobbity-booed on the inside to transform it from ‘70s shag into modern Scandinavian chic. The kitchen comes complete with a gas range and three-way fridge, allowing for grand feasts in the dining room. Which also doubles as a sleeping room at night. It even has USB chargers on board so you won’t have to disconnect at all while communing with nature. The light body makes it especially easy on your gas mileage, by trailer standards. Especially useful north of the border where gas costs somewhere around $4 a gallon.

5. 2018 Vistabule Teardrop trailer, aka “Louise”

Dripping Springs, Texas

$119 per night

Photo: Outdoorsy

Photo: Outdoorsy

Need to slip into a food coma immediately after stuffing yourself into oblivion at Salt Lick BBQ? Book yourself into Louise, a compact little trailer the owners are happy to deliver to any park in the greater Austin area. This 2018 Vistabule is also perfect for campground hosting, with a back-door kitchen and side-out for a cooler. You’ll also get cold running water and ice cold AC, especially important if you’re planning to visit Texas in the summer. If you’d rather let nature cool you off, Louise has large windows to let in all the fresh air. And at night you can gaze up and see if the stars at night are, in fact, big and bright deep in the heart of Texas.

6. 2006 Fleetwood Sun Valley pop-up

Austin, Texas

$90 per night

Photo: Outdoorsy

Photo: Outdoorsy

Unicorn pool floaties are adorable. But if you wanna out-rainbow your bestie’s bachelorette party consider this popup in Austin, where the whole interior is done up in Roy G. Biv’s personal motif. With two king beds and a convertible dinette area, it makes for a cozy home base for an epic Austin weekend, complete with propane-powered stove and a refrigerator. The 16-foot Fleetwood pop-up trailer allegedly sleeps six, but that’ll depend on how much personal space you need. Still, the crammed-in-a-sea-of-rainbows Instagram pics will be epic.

7. 1956 Pink Pleasurecraft, aka “Pinky”

Agoura Hills, California

$360 a night

Photo: Outdoorsy

Photo: Outdoorsy

We all have that friend who’s best described as “leopard print wrapped in glitter.” Well, in this case, that friend is a 1956 Pleasurecraft, literally covered in pink glitter on the outside and done up in almost all leopard on the inside. The Santa Monica mountains-based trailer is used more often for photoshoots than it is for any actual camping. But if you’d like to take this stripper’s-locker-on-wheels out to the field, the owner will happily tow it to Malibu Creek State Park for a mere $1 a mile. There’s no bathroom inside, which isn’t an issue if you’re using it as a set, but might be if you want to sleep here. It does have electrical hookups and a fully operative kitchen, though. So if living in leopard gets you a little ravenous, you won’t have far to go.

8. 2011 Volkswagen VW T2 bus, aka “Clementine”

Sidmouth, UK

£130 (about $161) per night

Photo: Outdoorsy

Photo: Outdoorsy

Rolling a bright orange VW bus through, say, Florida, wouldn’t turn too many heads. But this sunburst of camperdom rolling through the grey-skied UK? That’s like mid-’70s Rachel Hunter sashaying through the streets of Moscow. Though Clementine, as she’s named, was only born in 2011, she looks mature for her age, more reminiscent of a fully-restored ‘60s van than something made this decade. It’s got a pop-up roof for extra luggage storage, and the beach-house-inspired interior comes with a gas stove and grill. So you can barbecue outback like you’ve brought a little piece of California summer to the English coastline.

9. 1985 Airstream Sovereign trailer

College Station, Texas

$225 per night

Photo: Outdoorsy

Photo: Outdoorsy

If hipsters all of a sudden got super into NASCAR, this would become the hottest trailer on the market. The 34-foot 1985 Airstream Sovereign has been fully restored by the enterprising owners, offering the kind of luxe interiors you typically only find on the infield at Daytona. It’s got a king-sized bed, a futon, two TVs, and a full gourmet kitchen. Plus indoor showers and AC so you can stay cool and clean while you’re glamping. No pets or small children are allowed in here either, so the inside looks as pristine as it was the day it was featured on Apartment Therapy. Though no telling what a trip to Bristol might do to that.

10. 2017 Droplet 58 trailer

Vancouver, BC

$89 CAD (about $68 USD) per night

Photo: Outdoorsy

Photo: Outdoorsy

If the natural paradise of British Columbia is calling you this summer, you’ll immerse yourself best in it with this 13-foot droplet origin. Though it might look spartan, it’s actually equipped with a thermoelectric cooler, LED lights, a stove, and a kitchen sink. The trailer also has big, wide doors and windows that let you feel completely outdoors while you’re still “inside.” The queen bed is especially comfortable, though you’ll need to find other places to use bathroom facilities. Just look at it as an excuse to explore more of the most beautiful places in North America.


More like this: 10 ways RVing is a perfect fit for your travel style

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Italy’s lesser-known wines to try

There are only two things you need to understand about Italian wine to fall in love with it. The first is that it is delicious, and the second is that you will never fully comprehend all of the grape varieties grown in the country.

While it ranks among the best-known wine-producing countries in the world, the full breadth of Italian wine is known by few. Italy is home to hundreds — some say thousands — of different types of indigenous grape varieties. What the Amazon rainforest is for fauna, Italy is for good wine.

There are the Italian grapes most know and love. Sangiovese, for example, or Montepulciano. Then there are the ones you might recognize, like nebbiolo or barolo. Then there are the ones like freisa and grignolino that you might only come across on a highly curated wine list or Italy-focused wine store. That last category is where the vast majority of Italian wine grapes lie.

“Discovering the diversity of Italian wine can be a challenging journey,” says Vito Palumbo, the brand manager at the Puglia winery Tormaresca. “Italy hosts the largest variety of local grapes in the world, 535 indigenous varietals are dispersed throughout the 20 Italian regions.”

It can be a lot to take in. Of course, you don’t have to know it all. Even devout wine lovers can get away with only knowing a relative handful of Italian wines. My first job out of college in New York City was working at a wine store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with what I considered at the time a robust Italian section. Other than the occasional wine geek looking for obscure varietal wines, people asking for a bottle from Italy asked for a suggestion of something old (but not too old), pricey (but not too pricey), but definitely something Italian. I’d give them two choices: a bottle of what they know as Italian red wine (balanced acidity and big tannins) or something obscure that would expand their understanding of the country as a whole.

More often than not, people chose the safe bet.

I don’t blame anyone who chooses comfort over exploration. It’s a big world of wine out there, and you don’t even have to leave Italy’s borders to get very, very lost.

“Many of the obscure grape varieties grown in Italy are just that — obscure, covering only a few hectares in a single pocket of the country,” says Courtney Schiessl, a New York City-based wine writer and sommelier. “That’s why we don’t know them. The fact that sommeliers even know a grape like schioppettino, for instance, is pretty insane. There were only 100 vines left of the variety 40 years ago, and production is still very small and localized to a specific part of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. So even if you travel to the region, you may not get to try some of these very obscure varieties.”

Built-in obscurity leads to an endlessly explorable wine scene

Photo: tatianalekseeva/Shutterstock

“Italy is — surprisingly, for many foreigners — a pretty recent country, younger than the USA for instance,” Palumbo says. “For centuries, we’ve been living in the age of powerful city-states, and in some way we are still very culturally divided, especially when it comes to regional pride and maintaining our region’s individual history and traditions. In Puglia, the pride and preservation of our roots is even stronger, especially since we believe our beloved region hasn’t received the attention it deserves.”

Italy was declared unified in 1861 after decades of infighting starting around 1815 (though Rome and Venetia didn’t join Italy until 1870). This division can be seen today on many of the maps that highlight the differences in each Italian region. Those maps don’t always explicitly call out the history of why, but it’s clear that everything in Italy is regional because the regions were everything. Wine and food are no different. Pasta styles, what meat cuts are traditionally eaten, and what wine grapes are grown depends on each region’s history, not a unified Italian history.

Which adds another wrinkle to the fabric of Italian wine diversity. Of the hundreds of varieties, “some of these vines are likely identical but called different names,” Scheissl says. Take into account the commercial pressures a winery faces (it’s much easier to sell cabernet sauvignon than, say, dolcetto), and you have one answer as to why most people love Italian wine without recognizing how wide the scope of Italian wine is.

“In the last 10 years, Italy has begun celebrating and supporting the rediscovery of local grapes, something which is tightly bonded with the protection of our regional identities, one of the pillars of success that makes ‘made in Italy’ so special,” Palumbo says. “Italians are eager to uncover the diverse style and character of these hundreds of local grape varieties.”

Tastes best learned through travel

Photo: barmalini/Shutterstock

You can do all the tastings in the world and read everything available about Italian wine, but nothing compares to going and tasting the wines on location. Italy is one of those countries where it’s tempting to fly through as many famous cities and sites as you can. The ideal method of travel for anyone who loves wine and food, however, is to take it slow and dig deep into the local culture.

“Regions like Veneto, Piedmont, and Tuscany have always been important touristic destinations in Italy while the south — excluding Sicily and the Amalfi Coast — have remained less discovered,” Palumbo says. “Part of the joy of traveling is tasting food and wine, and that’s how most of the wines of Northern Italy have been known and appreciated by foreigners.”

Just because they’re known doesn’t mean you should skip them. Even the most popular Italian regions have obscure varieties, Scheissl says. While you won’t find the lesser-known varieties at your average chain store, you’re “likely to find unknown local grape varieties at the neighborhood trattoria or wine shop.”

Even more can be found outside the major tourist hot-spots in Italy. Southern Italy is working on telling the story of the region’s terroir better, Palumbo says, and there’s more information than ever out there about what indigenous wines to try.

That said, it’s not always feasible to hop on a plane for some wine exploration. It can be hard to squeeze in a proper wine day on even the best-planned trips. Thankfully, Italian wine is a popular category in the US. Tap your local sommelier at your favorite upscale Italian restaurant or wine store to see what’s new. For getting in-depth knowledge, Scheissl suggests the Oxford Companion to Wine and Ian d’Agata’s Native Wine Grapes of Italy. Or just go to your local wine store, and opt for exploration instead of comfort.

Lesser-known Italian wine grapes and regions to know

Photo: Tormaresca/Facebook

While you’ll never know it all, you can always know more. Go to any region in Italy and you’re bound to find grapes that you’ve never heard of, let alone tried. For a taste of what Italy has to offer, these are the regions and grape varieties to start exploring now.

Puglia: Palumbo describes Puglia, located on the heel of the boot, as “the new world into the old world,” where “some of the most ancient varietals in the world are in an area which is still quite undiscovered.” Puglia is the home of primitivo, a grape that makes a deep red wine. You’re likely familiar with the name the grape goes by in the US: zinfandel. Primitivo wines are readily available in the US (Torcicoda makes and imports a primitivo varietal wine, among many other producers), and it’s just familiar enough to know what you’re diving into while still tasting something different. Another grape to look for is negroamaro, which has been grown in Puglia for over 1,500 years. It’s a deep and tannic wine that’s often used for blending. Finally, when in the Southern Italy, try aglianico wines, which are typically full-bodied with balanced acidity and aging potential.

Sicily: Sicily is another region where it’s easy enough to access bottles in the US if you know the right people, yet it has so much more wine diversity than what’s generally available. In the US, Scheissl says, “Varietal wines from international grapes are far more common than Sicily’s fantastic indigenous varieties.” She suggests seeking out nerello mascalese, a red wine grape that expresses the terroir of the slopes of Mount Etna where it’s most commonly grown. Others to look for are carricante, and ancient white wine grape; frappato, a light-bodied red grape; and grillo, a light white wine that’s often used in Sicily’s fortified marsala wines.

Umbria: Indigenous wines aren’t limited to the heel of the boot when it comes to regions to explore. Umbria, sandwiched between Rome and the food and wine haven that is Tuscany, makes a number of destination-worthy wines. The most popular native grape here, like in most of central Italy, is sangiovese. Opt instead for wines made with sagrantino (which makes a deep and tannic red wine) or grechetto (which makes a white wine with a noted peach aroma). These wines are harder to find in the US but worth seeking out when visiting.

Liguria: This coastal region in Northern Italy is more known for the Italian Riviera and its small fishing towns than its wine, but pretty much anywhere you look in Italy is making wine you should pay attention to. Scheissl suggests trying wines made with pigato — a white wine similar to vermentino — and rossese, Liguria’s red wine grape.


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Things to do to make camping easier

Poking sizzling logs in the fire pit while sipping a beer and listening to crickets chirp in the background… camping is the antidote to a busy lifestyle. A necessary escape from the bustle of daily life. And yet camping can seem like another thing on your to-do list, something you struggle to make time for.

You know camping would clear your head after that three-day conference you were forced to sit through. Yet it feels like too big of a deal. You have to pack. And you have to figure out things like where you can find a summer sleeping bag since yours is filled with down feathers, and you would likely die of heatstroke if you tried to use it in August. (Although this rarely happens in high-altitude or desert camping trips, where even summer nights get cold.) And what the heck do you cook?

We’re here to tell you that you can fit camping into your on-the-go lifestyle. Follow these simple steps and you’ll be well on the way to pitching your tent. With a few things always at the ready and these tips, you’ll find that managing a quick camping getaway is painless. And you’ll come back to the office refreshed and ready to sit through another day of meetings. Your hair might still smell like a campfire, but everyone around you will just be jealous.

Keep a go bag .

Photo: New Africa/Shutterstock

Packing often causes the most worry. You think, what if I forget the can opener and we can’t eat all night? What if I wake up freezing, or don’t have what I need to start a fire? So keep your basic camping supplies packed and ready to go on short notice. One bag dedicated to camping supplies solves these problems.

Keep one big bag — or more realistically, a plastic storage box — with the gear you’ll need. In your bag, store the following: a backpacking tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping mat, an inflatable pillow (or a soft down pillow that compacts well), a portable set of pots and pans, a small cast-iron skillet, a propane backpacking stove and extra propane, matches, cotton balls covered in vaseline (great fire starter), a small lantern, tin foil, a refillable water bottle, a spatula, a can opener, a mini bottle of dish soap, steel wool, and a quick-drying camp towel.

The above is what you’ll need for car camping. In addition to that, you’ll want a day pack for going on hikes. If you plan on hiking into the campsite, you’ll want these items packed into a backpack. Everything else is optional. Add some clothes, soap, and a toothbrush to the bag, and you’re good to go.

The point of camping is to rough it. Depending on where you’re going, a camp store may also be an option if, for example, you realize you need something like bug spray. Unless you hiked in, but even then you’ll survive.

Keeping a bag packed with essentials makes the entire process smoother since you don’t have to think about whether or not you remembered the can opener. You know it’s there.

Find a campsite on short notice.

Photo: shutter_o/Shutterstock

It can be stressful if you don’t know where you’re staying for the night. But there are several easy ways to find a campsite one or two days in advance.

First, start with an online search. Look at Recreation.gov or the National Park Service website, which cover campgrounds in larger national or state parks. For smaller, often privately owned campgrounds that don’t appear on these searches, check out Reserve America. Or do a quick Google search for “Campsite Near Me.” You might be surprised how many options appear.

Some campgrounds have groups of sites that are first-come, first-serve. So you can drive up and reserve one on the spot. Smaller campgrounds are less well known and, I’ve found, often less busy. So you’re more likely to be able to score a site.

We recommend following up your online search with a phone call. Ask about availability. I’ve found campground employees or rangers to be knowledgeable about the chances of getting a first-come, first-serve site, and they can offer useful guidance.

Rent extra equipment.

Photo: Tyler Olson/Shutterstock

If you don’t have all the gear you need, you have a few options. For one, you can rent. The quickest option is renting through REI. Always call ahead to make sure your local REI has the right item in stock, but you could pick it up the same day. Here’s their list of rental pricing per item. And if you’re an REI member, you’ll save 33 percent on rentals.

If REI is a no-go, try a quick Google search to see if there is a local store near you that rents out equipment. If you’re planning more in advance, try online rentals. Rent seven days ahead of time through Arrive, and the gear will be delivered to your door or directly to the campground. You can mail it back when you’re finished. Another option that takes a little more time is to rent 10 days in advance through Outdoors Geek.

Improvise.

Photo: happyphotons/Shutterstock

You don’t need everything in the REI catalog to be able to sleep outside. Your clothes don’t have to wick moisture, and your tent doesn’t need to be “super-light.” My dad goes camping with nothing but a tarp and a sheet. While you don’t need to go that rugged, you can probably get by with things you already own or can borrow from a friend. Especially if you’re car camping.

If you don’t have a summer sleeping bag, bring a sheet and a blanket. If you don’t have a sleeping mat, bring a yoga mat. If you don’t own a tent, borrow one or bring a hammock — but also a tarp in case it rains. A sturdy pot from your kitchen works just as well as camping pots, although avoid the ones with plastic handles as they will melt. Cast iron is even better — and cheaper — because you don’t have to scrub all the soot off afterward.

There are so many ways to make camping with what you already own work. Don’t let the stuff hold you back from enjoying the great outdoors.

Cook easy meals.

Photo: Harlan Schwartz/Shutterstock

Cooking over a fire can be intimidating if you’ve never done it. But it’s actually easy. As long as you bring food that’s easy to prepare, you’ll be fine — and you can always pack extra granola bars just in case. Just stop by the grocery store on your way to the site. Here are some go-to suggestions.

Some of these items don’t require refrigeration. For those that do, you can bring a bring a cooler with ice packs if you’re car camping. Items like frozen, pre-cooked sausages double as ice packs and your dinner.

Breakfast

Apples and oranges — No need to get complicated.
Instant oatmeal — Heat up some water and you’re good to go. Plus you get to choose your flavor. You could even skirt around having to bring bowls to clean up.
Egg, sausage, and pepper scramble — If you’re feeling decadent, bring a few eggs, bell peppers, pre-cooked sausage. Slice up some of the cheese and add it as well. Let the sausage and peppers cook until they’re heated, and then add the eggs and cheese. It’s filling and satisfying after spending the night on the ground.

Lunch

Tuna sandwiches — Bring a can of tuna, a small container of mayo, and a loaf of bread. As long as you have that can opener, this is a great lunch. (If you prefer to avoid tuna, which is overfished, you could also opt for canned salmon.)
PB&J — It’s filling and delicious.
Cheese and crackers — Use the rest of that cheese with crackers. Or just eat it straight.

Dinner

Baked beans or canned chili — You can place the opened can on the coals, and it will cook right up. Or stick them in a pot, but that’s more to clean up later.
Baked potatoes — These are the world’s easiest thing to cook in a fire, although it does take time and a person to watch them. Stab a few holes in your potatoes (they can explode if they don’t have a way to ventilate) and wrap them in tin foil. Place them as close to the coals as you can; a pair of tongs help with this. The potato will cook more quickly in direct flame. Sweet potatoes take about half as long to cook as russet potatoes. Bring a little salt, pepper, and a block of cheese, some pre-cooked bacon if you’re feeling fancy, and you have yourself a nice meal.
Hot dogs — There’s a reason these are classic. Use a whittled-down stick to cook them over the flames, or put them in a pot. Bring buns and ketchup, or don’t. Any hot food at the end of a day of hiking and setting up camp is welcome, whether it has a lot of flavor or not. If you’re not into beef, you can get turkey or veggie versions, too.

Don’t forget to pick up a gallon or two of drinking water. You can use the water at campgrounds for washing dishes, but it’s not usually potable. Camping is even easier if you’re planning to camp for more than one night. You do all the hard work — like setting up the tent — the first night, and then it’s smooth sailing. The only items on your agenda are to stoke the fire, cook the food, and eat.


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The post Simple ways to fit camping into your crazy busy life appeared first on Matador Network.

Tokyo’s bubble tea theme park

If you’re as obsessed with bubble tea as pretty much everyone in Asia, you need to start planning a trip to Tokyo. While bubble tea — which consists of tea, milk, sugar, and toppings (known as “pearls”) like tapioca balls, popping boba, fruit jelly, or grass jelly — originated in Taiwan, Japan has announced plans to open a bubble-tea-themed amusement park. Tokyo Tapioca Land is opening in front of Tokyo’s Harajuku Station from August 13 to September 16.

Sneak peeks into its exact appearance haven’t been revealed, but it promises to feature food and drink stalls, 10 photo booths, celebrity ambassadors, a tapioca-themed ride, and, of course, plenty of bubble tea. According to SoraNews24, tapioca will be used in everything, from the food and drink to the aesthetic and even the attractions. Tapioca shops are also slated to open temporary locations here, so don’t worry, there will definitely be enough tapioca to go around. The park will be easily accessible, located a short walk from Harajuku Station and the metro’s Meiji Jingu-mae Station. This accessibility, however, means you can expect some pretty huge crowds, so you should get there as early in the day as possible.

Tickets cost $9.27 pre-sale and $11.13 at the door, and unsurprisingly, pre-sale tickets have already sold out. For more ticket information, you can visit the official ticket site.

H/T: Eater

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London now a National Park City

London has just been named the world’s first National Park City, a designation that underscores the city’s attempts to become greener, healthier, and wilder. The National Park City initiative is intended to improve the city’s natural environment, wildlife habitats, and incentivize citizens to develop a better relationship with nature.

The program isn’t meant to designate national parks but to make urban areas more park-like. Indeed, London’s abundance of green space, waterways, and trees, made it an ideal candidate for the world’s first National Park City, as it could easily expand upon its already existing features.

Adding green spaces is one of the major aesthetic elements of National Park Cities, and it has even been shown to improve citizens’ mental states. Open space for people to exercise and relax, trees that provide shade and combat pollution, and gardens that produce nutritious fruits and vegetables are all factors leading to London’s new designation.

To encourage other cities to follow London’s lead, the National Park City Foundation has partnered with other organizations to create an international charter that lays out a blueprint for how cities around the world can become greener. “This is what cities will aspire to,” said Tim Webb, National Park City Foundation trustee, “when they set off on the path towards joining the National Park City family.”

The foundation aims to have 25 designated cities by 2025, but Webb would be “delighted if they went over that target.”

H/T:

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