Matador Network's Blog, page 2212

8 signs you're from the Philippines

Photo: John Christian Fjellestad

1. You’ve taken a jeepney ride.

The jeepney, or jeep, as we call it, is the cheapest and most common mode of public transport in the Philippines. A jeep is similar to a pickup truck. The driver and two other passengers are seated in front. The back has no rear door, but it has a roof and two bench seats facing each other on the left and right sides. You say “bayad” as you pass along your fare to the passenger next to you, who then passes it along until it reaches the driver.

You may be the last person in, squeezing yourself between two other passengers. You may be slipping and sliding and holding on for dear life to the handrail above you as the driver races through traffic. You may be dodging awkward stares from the person across from you. Your shoulder may be used as a pillow by the snoring passenger next to you. Whichever passenger you may be, a jeepney ride is always an adventure in itself.

2. You eat with the seasons.

The hot months of March to May will make you crave halo-halo (“mix-mix”). This is a

combination of sago, gulaman, langka (jackfruit), buko (coconut), kidney beans, and basically anything else you can think of. It’s topped with shaved ice and covered with evaporated milk. Leche flan, ube (purple yam), or a scoop of ice cream are sometimes added as final toppings. Mixing is part of the fun as, oddly enough, all these ingredients come together into a sweet and delicious blend.

The rainy months of June to September warrant a bowl of tinola. Chicken, unripe papaya, and sili leaves are cooked in ginger-flavored broth. The heat of the soup and the spicy kick of ginger make this a perfect dish for the rainy season.

3. You agonize over being the last person to get that serving plate.

When you’re the last person to get passed a plate of food, you can take some of what’s on it, but make sure to leave a teeny-tiny bit on the plate. It would be quite embarrassing to be the person who got the last of that delectable lechon without leaving some for anyone else.

4. When getting the check at a restaurant, you signal to the waiter with your thumb and index finger, tracing a rectangle from the center outwards until your thumb and index finger meet.

And we call for the bill, not the check.

5. You point with your lips.

Someone comes up to you asking for directions, and you say, “Ah, doon” (Oh, there). But instead of using your index finger to point them towards the right path, you pucker your lips and move them outward to point. Your eyebrows move up while doing this. Hopefully the person gets it and will head toward where you instructed them to go.

6. You have superstitious beliefs, however mundane they may be.

Your itching palm is a sign money is coming. Dreaming of losing a tooth will mean the death of someone close to you. Don’t clear the table while someone is still eating, or that person will never get married. When someone leaves while you’re eating, turn your plate to avoid anything bad happening to that person. Don’t go straight home after attending a wake — drive around so the spirit of the dead won’t follow you home.

I mean, there’s no harm in believing, right?

7. You love pasalubong.

My mom used to bring home boxes full of pasalubong when she was working abroad. These gifts could be anything from new shoes and clothes for me and my older brother, to canned goods, lotion, soap, and chocolates for my aunts and uncles and cousins.

Relatives and friends will ask for local delicacies or native artifacts as pasalubong from wherever you’re traveling. Filipinos are always be happy that you’ve thought of them, and that in this indirect way, they’ve become part of where you’ve been.

8. You find ways to smile no matter what tragedy hits you.

You may have gone through typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and even the dire

consequences of flawed political decisions. However badly this affects you, you still find plenty of reasons to smile. For one thing, you’re still alive. And for Filipinos, that is what matters most.

30 images of American wildlife

NORTH AMERICA IS HOME to some incredible wildlife. City dwellers such as myself typically only see rodents like rats and squirrels, or domesticated animals, but our continent is full of strange and incredible creatures that know enough to avoid our cities.

We’ve done a pretty decent job killing a lot of the animals that used to populate this continent — it’s believed not only that the arrival of Europeans coincided with the wiping out of many American species, but that the arrival of humans, period, tens of thousands of years ago led to the extinction of a lot of our big animals, like the giant sloth and wooly mammoth.

But plenty of spectacular species are still around, despite our best efforts, and in the past half century a renewed focus on issues like conservation has helped bring many of these animals back from the brink. Here are some of the North American continent’s most incredible wildlife.




1

Black bear

Though the smallest of America’s bears, the black bear is the most widely distributed, and thus is the least vulnerable. They’re mostly found in Canada and Alaska, but also inhabit wooded areas pretty much anywhere in the US and down into Mexico.
Photo: Pat Gaines

2

Moose

Though primarily thought of as Canadian or Alaskan animals, moose are actually found in Scandinavia and Russia as well. We'll keep claiming them as our own, though.

Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

3

Brown pelican

Though typically identified with the United States—namely the states on the Gulf of Mexico—brown pelicans can be found all the way down to South America and the Galapagos Islands. They feed primarily on fish and catch them by diving from above.
Photo: Andrea Westmoreland

Intermission




1
24 hours in Fremont, Seattle
by Nicolle Merrill



26
33 photos that will make you want to visit Thailand NOW
by Scott Sporleder



1
7 things you’ll miss when you leave Seattle
by Gina Corsiglia












4

Polar bear

Though often considered the poster animals for climate change, polar bears are actually classified as “Vulnerable,” which is the lowest level of concern in terms of conservation status. A decrease in hunting has even led to recovery in some populations.
Photo: John

5

Bald eagle

America’s national bird is particularly photogenic. They were driven to the point of near-extinction in the continental United States at the end of the 20th century, but have since made a comeback. There are a ton of them in Alaska, and you can occasionally spot them pretty much everywhere else in the US except Hawaii.
Photo: Jason Mrachina

6

Monarch butterfly

Monarch butterflies are among the most famous migrators in the world, going from Canada to Mexico in the late summer, even though the time it takes to travel that distance is actually longer than their average lifespan.
Photo: Joel Olives

7

Gray wolf

Though the gray wolf was basically exterminated in the United States at one point, efforts to reintroduce them to the environment are now proving successful—and they’re largely coming back on their own. There’s now a sizable population in Yellowstone National Park.

Photo: Steve Jurvetson

8

Bottlenose dolphin

The bottlenose dolphin is hardly common only to the Americas, found virtually everywhere in the world’s non-Arctic Oceans. They're known for being the second most intelligent creatures in the world (behind mice, according to Douglas Adams), and it's been shown that they can transmit cultural knowledge between generations.
Photo: Juanma Carrillo

9

Painted bunting

These colorful birds—relatives of the cardinals—breed in the Southeastern United States and then migrate south into Mexico, Cuba, and a number of other Caribbean islands for the winter.

Photo: Dan Pancamo

Intermission




9
A year in photos: The extreme light changes of Antarctica
by Ben Adkison



4
11 portraits that reveal the real faces of the homeless
by Joshua Thaisen




10 under-the-radar spots to check out in western Brazil
by Karin-Marijke Vis












10

Ocelot

Ocelots are found mostly in Central and South America and Mexico, but are occasionally spotted in Texas and Arizona. Salvador Dali and Gram Parsons famously kept them as pets.

Photo: Daniele Pacaloni

11

Manatee

Manatees are another particularly intelligent sea mammal, found largely in the Caribbean, though also in the Amazon and in West Africa. They are vulnerable to extinction, thanks mostly to humans. They’re slow moving and are often hit by boats, and they’re also impacted by habitat destruction.

Photo: Ahodges7

12

Caribou

What we call caribou in the Americas are identical to the reindeer of Europe and Asia. While occasionally found in continental US—mostly in the Northwest—they mainly reside in Canada and Alaska.
Photo: Andrew Russell

13

Arctic fox

The arctic fox can be found in basically any tundra region. In North America, it appears pretty much exclusively in Canada and Alaska. Its fur changes from season to season: white in the winter, brown in the summer.

Photo: Will Brown

14

Alligator snapping turtle

Alligator snapping turtles are mostly found in the south central United States, namely in Texas and the plains states. Their bite can go straight through a broom handle, and has been known to take human fingers clean off.
Photo: Joachim S. Müller

15

Coyote

Unlike wolves, coyotes have thrived as human civilization has spread, as they are willing to live in urban areas. Many Native American tribes cast coyotes as trickster figures in their mythology.
Photo: Todd Ryburn

Intermission




3
20 portraits from the enduring Caribbean
by Daniel Chafer



3
Wintertime in Quebec City is kinda awesome
by Scott Sporleder



17
11 ways to absolutely crush Cape Town in 5 days [pics]
by Ross Borden












16

Bison

Probably the most iconic American animal, the bison—inaccurately referred to as a “buffalo”—had numbers around 60 million before the Europeans. In 1890, it’s believed they were down to about 750 total. They have since somewhat recovered to about 360,000.
Photo: Eric Vondy

17

California condor

California condors are another great conservation story. They became extinct in the wild in the '80s, but have since been reintroduced using the population living in captivity. Their numbers are still extremely small—there’s thought to be fewer than 500 total, with around 200 of those living in captivity, but it’s a comeback nonetheless.
Photo: Isaac Hsieh

18

Gray fox

The gray fox is found throughout the continental US and Central America, and can live on anything from mammals to insects. They are one of the only surviving members of the most primitive canine genus.

Photo: Gregory "Greg" Smith

19

Alligator

The American alligator is the world’s largest alligator species, and is found mostly in the Southern states, particularly in swamplands. Their numbers were greatly reduced as a result of over-hunting, but conservation efforts have led to their recovery and removal from the endangered species list.

Photo: Eric Isley

20

California sea lion

Though named California sea lions—and probably best known for their colonies off of Pier 39 in San Francisco and in the Channel Islands—they can actually be found all along the west coast of North America, down past the Gulf of California in Mexico. They’re smart animals and have been trained for tasks by the US Navy, presumably with laser beams attached to their heads.

Photo: Bill Gracey

21

Tufted puffin

Tufted puffins make their home in the North Pacific and are commonly sighted in coastal Alaska and British Columbia, occasionally wandering further south as far as California. They feed on fish and squid.
Photo: Pat Teglia

22

Rattlesnake

Rattlesnakes cover 32 different species of snake, all with the distinctive rattler on their tail. The Mojave rattlesnake (pictured) is particularly dangerous because its venom is not solely a hemotoxin, but also contains neurotoxins.
Photo: Tom Sprinker

23

Loggerhead turtle

Found throughout the world’s oceans, the loggerhead is probably most common in America on the Atlantic side. They are an endangered species, harmed most often as a result of destructive fishing practices.
Photo: SlightlyOutOfBrussels

24

Canada lynx

This subspecies of lynx is about twice the size of your house cat, with thick silverish fur and tufted ears. Its range covers much of Canada and Alaska, and it has notably undergone a reintroduction program in Colorado.

Photo: Eric Kilby

25

Barn owl

Barn owls inhabit much of our planet, with the exception of parts of Africa and most of Asia. They eat mostly rodents and small mammals, which is why they would be known to hang out in barns.
Photo: DarrelBirkett

26

Armadillo

Armadillos—“little armored one” in Spanish—originated in South America, but have long since migrated up to North America and the southern United States. They could be considered the "state roadkill animal" of Texas.

Photo: DMangus

27

Kodiak bear

The Kodiak bear was initially just a typical grizzly bear, until the forces of speciation on the Kodiak archipelago in Alaska caused them to grow larger. They’re now technically considered a separate species of grizzly and are the biggest bears in the world behind polar bears.

Photo: Yathin

28

Puma

"Puma" is actually a word used to refer to several types of mountain lions. Cougars, which are the American native, have the widest range of any large mammal in the Western Hemisphere, and can be found from Canada all the way down to South America.

Photo: Art G.

29

Gila monster

Gila monsters are one of only two poisonous lizards in North America, and exist mostly in the Sonoran Desert. They’re slow moving and tend to not attack or come near humans, and their venom, while very poisonous, is delivered in small enough doses to rarely kill.
Photo: Joachim S. Müller

30

Bobcat

Bobcats are found throughout most of the United States, thanks to the fact that they are incredibly adaptable and can even live in suburban or urban areas, though of course they prefer more remote habitats.

Photo: Valerie

Off the beaten path in Peru

Photo: erin

1. Spend time on the shores of the Madre de Dios.

While the majority of travelers hoping to experience the Amazon head straight to Iquitos, a (much) smaller number visit the Amazon regions surrounding the Madre de Dios River, namely Tambopata National Reserve and Manu National Reserve. Most guest lodges are about an hour to three hours downstream from Puerto Maldonado, the nearest town.

Slide your feet into high rubber boots to trek through the mud, explore the jungle (by flashlight at night for the best sightings), paddle around hidden lakes, and fish for piranha. You can spot the shining eyes of the caimans in the Madre de Dios via spotlight during evening boat rides, listen to the locals’ eerie stories about the Chullachaqui, and even participate in an ayahuasca ritual. (Just make sure you do your research prior.)

Don’t expect to be updating your Instagram during this leg of your trip.

2. Arrange a homestay in the village of Vicos.

Vicos is a small village at the base of the fourth-highest mountain in the Western Hemisphere, Huascarán. The population of Vicos is a little over 1,000, made up primarily of agriculturists. By arranging a homestay in Vicos, you’ll live just as the locals do. Drink coca tea. Work on the farm with the family, cutting wheat and herding cattle. Learn the traditional cooking techniques and taste the cuisine, which includes papakashki, an Andean potato soup.

Exposure to the lifestyle of a town that hasn’t been affected by Peru’s tourism boom is an experience most will never have the chance to enjoy.

3. Visit Choquequirao, the Machu Picchu no one’s heard of.

Nearly everyone who visits Peru makes Machu Picchu the main stop of the trip. It’s a monumental destination, but you’ll be sharing it with thousands of other tourists.

Choquequirao, on the other hand, is a rediscovered ruined Inca city in the Cusco region, reached by a strenuous two-to-three-day hike from the village of Cachora and visited by only a handful of adventurers daily. Similar to Machu Picchu in overall structure, Choquequirao is still being excavated, and archaeologists can sometimes be seen working at the site.

Guides are readily available, but you can also go on your own. Just remember to bring appropriate provisions, including a tent, a warm sleeping bag, and some sturdy boots.

4. Make your way to Lake Akilpo via Huaraz.

A little-known trek, the journey to Lake Akilpo from Huaraz in Peru’s Ancash region isn’t an easy one, due in part to the altitude. The lengthy hike brings travelers through a mountain pass, a forest of quenual, and an impressive valley.

Unless you’ve been climbing mountains at altitude regularly, you’re likely going to take it slow and get plenty of rest on the overnight. Day two entails a roughly two-hour hike to reach Lake Akilpo, a glacier-fed lake reminiscent of Canada’s Moraine Lake with its nearly fluorescent color. Bring a friend or two, because you won’t see too many faces on this journey.

5. Visit Cusco’s Baratillo Market on a Saturday.

You’re probably rolling your eyes and thinking, “Cusco’s path is as beaten as ever.” And, yes, much of it is. Plaza de Armas has a McDonald’s in it. There’s no argument there.

Roaming on a Saturday? Find the Baratillo Market. You’ll see every sort of ware you can imagine, from jeans to toasters, but not as many tourists as you’d expect. Show up early. Just make sure to keep a hand on your wallet.

Not looking to roam so far off the beaten path? Give the San Pedro Market a visit and try the caldo de gallina for lunch.

6. Take in the views of Lake Titicaca from Llachón.

If you’re looking to experience Lake Titicaca without the commotion of Puno, visit Llachón, a village about 75km to the northeast. Visitors can typically show up accommodation-less with no worry.

The quiet village isn’t a typical tourist haunt, and the vibe reflects that. Sleep in a small guesthouse for the evening and spend your morning kayaking on the lake. The experience is rather refreshing if you’ve seen the Disneyfication of Lake Titicaca and its floating islands near Puno, or the party scene in nearby Copacabana, Bolivia.

7. Appreciate the architecture of Cajamarca’s churches.

A small city in the Peruvian highlands, Cajamarca isn’t visited by many tourists but remains well known for its architecture — in particular, six Christian churches built in the Spanish colonial style. Three of them have pretty impressive facades.

The city is also known as a center of Carnaval, when Peruvians and (some) tourists visit the city to celebrate before Lent begins.

Lake of Dreams, Burning Man

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BURNING MAN HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN, and I’m excited to read the crazy stories, flip through awesome photography, and watch interesting films about peoples’ experiences, like this one produced by Roy Two Thousand. Burning Man is often portrayed as this chaotic, hedonistic festival of drugged-up hippies and corporate-monkeys-turned-soul-searchers, but this video strips away the overwhelming details, and shows Burning Man for what it truly is — a time and place for people to come together and experience moments that are meant to remain in Black Rock City, forever.

How to decide where you've been

Photo: Kevin Tao

I was at a protest in Columbus, Georgia, with my older sister, and we were trying to get back to our hotel. I got lost, turned left, and was suddenly in Alabama. I’d known Columbus sat right on the state border, but I hadn’t known this bridge was involved. I did a U-turn, and within three minutes we were back in the great state of Georgia.

     “Well,” I said, “guess I can check Alabama off my list.”

     “No you can’t, Matt,” she said. “Taking a wrong turn into a state doesn’t count as having been to the state.”

     “But I was physically in it!”

     “Did you step out of the car?”

     “No, but — ”

     “You never set foot on Alabaman soil. You weren’t in Alabama.”

     “But what if I’d driven across the entire state and had never gotten out of my car? Would that have counted?”

     She paused. “Well, you didn’t do that. So you haven’t been to Alabama.”

I’ve since learned this debate’s been had by every traveler I’ve ever known, and that absolutely no one has the same set of rules. My rule is that if I’m physically in a state or country and am either touching the ground or in a vehicle that’s touching the ground, then I’ve been in that state or country — unless I’m in the airport for a flight connection and at no point walk outside of security. So while I’ve been to the Cologne Airport, I’ve never been to Germany.

     “That’s ridiculous,” my fiancee says, “You’ve been in the country.”

     “Airports are the same everywhere,” I say. “The Hofbrauhaus in Northern Kentucky is closer to being in Germany than the Cologne Airport is.”

My fiancee’s rule is a little different from mine: She has to spend a night in the place in order for it to count. This means that while she’s lived in DC for eight years and has driven home approximately once a month to see her family in New Jersey, every single time spending 10 minutes to an hour caught in traffic in that little northern sliver of Delaware, she’s never actually been to Delaware.

I mean, I can’t blame her. I’m never gonna spend an entire night of my short, precious life in Delaware, but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to take credit for being there.

A friend of mine says you have to eat a meal in the state, but I don’t think this is any better. You can get a Big Mac at a rest stop and say, “Oh yeah, I’ve been to Nebraska.” He counters by specifying you have to go to a local restaurant, which is also ludicrous. What if I happen to have a deathly serious hankering for a Bloomin’ Onion, but I’ve never been to Iowa before? Must I ignore my body’s needs in order to be in a place? Are the soggy onion rings at Flo’s Diner in Des Moines the penance I have to pay to have “been” somewhere?

Another friend: “You have to have at least one interaction with the locals.” So if I’m driving at 3am through a small West Virginia town and stop to get gas, I’m obligated to call the poor sleeping attendant out of the booth to pump my gas for me so I can have my local flavor? How demeaning is that?

I reject that philosophy. I’ve been to Vatican City. I’ve stood in the Sistine Chapel. But there are slightly fewer than 800 people living in Vatican City, mostly Catholic officials. They don’t hang out in the Sistine Chapel and chat it up with young apostates. In fact, I don’t believe I spoke to a single person outside of my tour group — led by a Scotsman, not a Vaticanite — for the entire time I was in the City. Have I not been to Vatican City, despite standing in St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, soaking up their wonder?

My dad has the simplest solution, and that’s if you’ve physically been in the state or country — asleep or awake, on a plane, on a train, in a car, for two seconds or two years — you’ve been there. And while that seems like it’s probably the most reasonable measurement, I always secretly wonder if he chose that rule so he could count that connection in Little Rock and never have to go back to Arkansas.

Life without money

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THE BARTER ECONOMY FASCINATES ME. I think it’s a practical solution to a lot of problems, but I’m not sure I’d be able to live off of it for over fifteen years. I guess that’s why I admire Heidemarie Schwermer so much — at 69, she’s been able to live without spending or receiving money, for over fifteen years. She lives by a “zero waste” policy, where she trades clothing and goods for the things she needs, and is able to live a minimalist, nomadic life by doing odd jobs, or housekeeping, in exchange for room and board.

Schwermer leads a simple life, and she feels better about herself because of it. I guess if you have nothing to lose, and everything to give, you can’t get that upset. Check out more about her film and lifestyle here.

4 things Americans say to Brits

Photo: Petras Gagilas

When you’re an American living in the UK, you start to tire of discussions around the differences in language and culture. Ooh, I say aluminum differently than you do! Ooh, I call pants underwear and trousers pants! Shocking! Ooh, my country likes to imprison people and stockpile small arms while yours…uh, I guess plays soccer and calls it football! Weird!

It’s the exact same when Brits come to the States, I’m sure, and I’d imagine it’s just as tiring for them. But these conversations, sadly, are to some extent inevitable.

That said, there are a few things I’ve learned my fellow Americans and I just shouldn’t ever say to Brits, whether out of courtesy or a desire to not be incredibly awkward or insulting.

1. “English accents are sexy.”

First of all, as a pickup line, this is just unbelievably lazy. You know why? Assuming you’re in the UK, virtually everyone in the bar has an English accent. You just don’t pull out such an indiscriminate line unless you’re a total creeper. And if you’re in the US and you’re using this line, guess what? They already know. They’ve been hearing it left and right since the second they touched down at LaGuardia.

Secondly, the “English accent” is a weak umbrella term for an incredibly broad range of dialects. Small as that country is, it has a huge number of different accents. And some of them aren’t remotely sexy. If you can narrow it down and say something like, “Scouse accents are sexy,” (which they are most definitely not), then at the very least you’ve scored points for getting the accent right.

Finally, keep in mind that literally no Brit finds American accents sexy. To them, we all sound like Forrest Gump. So when you go up to someone and say, “English accents are sexy!” they’re basically hearing, “Garsh! You shore do talk purty!”

2. “We bailed you out in World War II.”

American history classes have a tendency to overemphasize the role of the US in World War II. Yes, we did great things, and yes, our involvement certainly speeded the war’s end. But for whatever reason, this turns us into complete chodes when we talk to Brits. First of all, let’s be clear: Our war experience was far less traumatic than Britain’s. Aside from the fact that World War II destroyed their empire (which, honestly, was probably a good thing), nearly 1% of the UK’s total population was killed in the war, while in America the number was about a third of that.

Also, the Nazis bombed the shit out of their cities. Unless you were in Pearl Harbor, that didn’t happen in America in World War II. US soldiers on the front lines didn’t have to worry as much about their families at home.

The British people are still quite proud about holding off the Nazis single-handedly after the rest of Western Europe fell — and their narrative of World War II always seems to mention how we dragged our feet getting into it. Regardless, to declare we came over and saved the day is a selectively simplistic way of putting it, and it’s just a generally shitty, disrespectful thing to say.

3. “Our football is better than your football.”

Virtually every non-soccer-loving American I know does this when they meet Brits. They start talking about “football” and how our football is better, and how theirs is boring. Or about how cricket is the dullest and most inexplicable sport on the planet. The reason this is obnoxious is that it opens the door to these jocky, gonad-swinging debates about whose culture is better and which sport has more of a right to call itself “football” (hint: We always lose this one, because it’s clearly soccer).

The point of speaking to someone from another culture or being in another culture isn’t to compare it to your own and decide which is better. Cultures aren’t laid out on some sort of bigoted March Madness bracket. They’re just different. We’ve got really cool stuff about our culture. They have really cool stuff about theirs. And sometimes, to fully appreciate a part of a culture, you have to have grown up in it.

So, yeah, maybe you don’t find cricket or soccer exciting. But no one gives a shit. Your enjoyment isn’t a prerequisite for others’ enjoyment. Also, shut up about their food.

4. “I thought all Brits had bad teeth.”

Jesus, what are you, a child? Don’t comment on people’s physical appearance, even if you’re hiding behind the foot-in-mouth, “It’s nothing personal! All of you people are like that!” excuse.

The “Brits have bad teeth” stereotype is obviously an exaggeration perpetuated by American pop culture, and, hey, even if it were accurate, at least they wouldn’t have to spend their formative years in mortifying braces. Also, when they get sick, they don’t end up in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. So to each their own.

15 awe-inspiring forests [pics]

Forests make up 30% of Earth’s total land surface. While many people imagine forests as endless clusters of evergreen trees, this type of ecosystem is actually incredibly diverse — some different types include boreal forests, temperate deciduous forests, temperate coniferous forests, tropical forests, and subtropical forests (including subcategories of these as well).

Not to mention the types of forests that aren’t considered true forests, such as those found in swamps, underwater, and even those made of stone.

Check out these 15 forests from around the planet and see for yourself how diverse they can be.




1

Sagano bamboo forest (Japan)

The bamboo forest of Sagano can be found in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto, Japan. The paths that cut through the groves are ideal for walking or biking. The bamboo stalks sway in unison when there’s a light wind.
Photo: Weije

2

Avenue of the Baobabs (Madagascar)

A grouping of 20 to 25 baobab trees along a dirt road in the Menabe region of western Madagascar makes up the Avenue of the Baobabs. The trees measure about 30 meters in height and have become something of a tourist attraction in the region.
Photo: Frank Vassen

3

Muir Woods National Monument (United States)

California redwoods, also known as coast redwoods, cover 240 acres of the Muir Woods National Monument, a short drive from San Francisco. The area is frequently enveloped by a coastal marine inversion layer carrying thick fog.
Photo: Justin Brown

Intermission




20
California’s giant redwoods, the tallest living things on our planet
by Hal Amen



7
59 incredible photos of America’s 59 national parks
by Matt Hershberger



6
How many of these 39 natural wonders of the world have you been to?
by Matt Hershberger












4

Amazon Rainforest (South America)

Also known as the Amazon jungle, the Amazon Rainforest covers the majority of South America’s Amazon Basin (spanning eight countries and 2,670,000 square miles). The Amazon makes up half of the planet’s total rainforest, making it the largest in the world.
Photo: Sara y Tzunki

5

Heron Pond (United States)

Found in Illinois, Heron Pond is home to a cypress swamp consisting mainly of cypress trees along with a smaller number of ferns, willows, and other plant life. The trees grow in holes within the limestone bedrock, which breaks down over time and allows the trees to set roots ever deeper.
Photo: Thomas Gehrke

6

Dragon blood tree forest (Yemen)

Forests of Dracaena cinnabari (also known as the dragon blood tree), indigenous to Socotra Island in Yemen, are found all over the four-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The tree is known as the dragon blood tree due to its red sap, which is still used as both a dye and a medicine.
Photo: Rod Waddington

7

Black Forest (Germany)

The Black Forest (Schwarzwald in German) is a densely wooded area in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The Rhine Valley borders the forest to the south and west. The Black Forest is the setting of many a Brothers Grimm fairytale.
Photo: Albtal.Schwarzwald

8

Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest (United States)

Found in California’s Inyo County, the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is typically open from mid-May through the end of November. The forest is home to Methuselah, a 4,845-year-old Great Basin bristlecone pine, one of the oldest living things on Earth.
Photo: Rick Goldwaser

9

Banff National Park (Canada)

Banff National Park is home to endless coniferous forests, as well as brilliant glacial-fed lakes and meadows. The forests of Banff are generally part of the sub-alpine region, which makes up 53% of the national park.
Photo: James Wheeler

Intermission




2
41 photos of the world’s most spectacular waterfalls
by Rory Moulton




40 most scenic beaches worldwide
by Matt Hershberger



7
Unearthly images of the world’s largest non-polar icefield
by Colin Delehanty












10

Stone Forest (China)

Not your typical forest, the Stone Forest in China’s Yunnan Province is made of towering limestone structures that resemble petrified trees. The formations are assumed to be over 270 million years old.
Photo: Aftab Uzzaman

11

Kelp forest (United States)

Found in nature and aquariums alike (this photo was taken in the Monterey Bay Aquarium), kelp forests are underwater high-density areas of kelp. The ecosystem of a kelp forest is complex, with different types of kelp living in each canopy. Many people theorize that the Americas were originally colonized by fishing communities who followed the movement of Pacific kelp forests.
Photo: Ryan Carver

12

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (Costa Rica)

The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, founded in 1972, is a nature reserve in Costa Rica’s provinces of Puntarenas and Alajuela. Over 70,000 people a year visit the reserve, which contains some of the most diverse flora and fauna on the planet.
Photo: Sergio Quesada

13

Mangrove tunnel (Honduras)

Seen from the Caribbean to the Philippines, mangrove forests consist of gatherings of trees that grow in tropical and subtropical saline coastal habitats. Other accessible examples exist in the Florida Keys and much of Sumatra and Borneo.
Photo: Woody Hibbard

14

Pando (United States)

Also known as the Trembling Giant, Pando is actually a single Populus tremuloides or aspen that's connected underground by a complex root system. It's believed that the roots themselves are over 80,000 years old. Located near Fish Lake in Utah, Pando is considered the heaviest known organism in the world, as well as one of the largest and oldest.
Photo: USDA

15

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (China)

The Zhangjiajie National Forest Park sits within the Wulingyuan Scenic Area of Hunan. The park is best known for the quartz-sandstone pillars that tower above the surroundings, a result of centuries of erosion. It was declared a Unesco Global Geopark in 2004.
Photo: Viktor Lovgren

How to piss off a Floridian

Photo: Cavale Doom

1. Fawn over our accents.

The Panhandle has a bunch of diverse accents. They can range from out-of-staters who say y’all to the super twang of “water” becoming wu-tur. Then there’s the classy Southern accent, where “Florida” becomes Flah-reee-daah! (You have to swoop your hands when you it say that way.)

The most annoying thing in the world is when someone stops us mid-sentence and asks: “Now just what type of accent is that?! IT IS DARLING! SAY SOMETHING ELSE.” I don’t have a strong accent but this happens to me all the time. If I had a nickel for every drunk woman who tried to imitate my Southern accent in a bar, I’d throw those nickels at those women.

2. Feed the seagulls.

If you’ve been to any beach anywhere you’ve probably seen a seagull. In New England they’re kind of pretty. They’re big and grey and white and almost majestic looking. Listening to them caw might not be some sort of hellish torture. In the Panhandle, they’re drowned rats with wings that should have stayed drowned. They are terrible. Everyone hates them. When I was a kid I threw rocks at them.

For some reason tourists think it’s really cute to feed seagulls French fries, potato chips, hotdogs, whatever it is they’re eating. Tourists really love it when they can get a picture of the seagull gently lifting — and by gently lifting, I mean violently yanking — a food item from someone’s fingers. There are signs everywhere saying: Don’t do it. Seriously, they will come out of nowhere in a cawing swarm.

But if you decide feeding a seagull would be sweet and fun and would make the world a better place, I hope that seagull and his 20 friends shit all over you, your iPhone, and all of your other precious things.

3. Assume that thing brushing your leg in the water is a shark.

It really makes a trip to the beach that much more fun to hear: “OH MY GOD A SHARK JUST TOUCHED ME AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHoh…it’s just some seaweed.”

It’s also really special when you ask every local you meet about the sharks. The entire coast of Florida has had a shark issue at some point or another. I’ve caught sharks fishing before, and I knew a classmate who was bitten. Here’s a hint: Sharks really, really like blood. If someone is fishing near where you want to flop around in the waves, you should probably go somewhere else. To a shark you look like a delicious thing to eat. He doesn’t know you’re a person with feelings.

In 2012, 28 people in Florida got bit by sharks, and there were no fatalities. So please go to the beach and don’t worry about them.

4. Trash our beaches.

For mysterious reasons, it’s really popular for guests to visit the beach and leave their piles of shit just sitting there because they’re coming back the next day. It’s also common to throw cigarette butts into the ocean. And because lugging their trash all the way to a trash can off-beach is such a pain, people just leave it where they spent the day.

This trashing counts not only for our beaches but also our rivers. It doesn’t seem to matter to our visitors that all of this trash is POLLUTION. It hurts our Earth (you know, the big blue planet we live on). Even during the BP crisis when EVERYONE was picking up trash, people were still leaving TONS of it. I, myself, picked up a bag worth of trash before someone approached me and accused me of throwing away their bright yellow plastic shovel that they left on the beach. Apparently they wanted to turn it into a tar ball. Um…what the hell?!

Also, if you leave all your shit on the beach during sea turtle nesting season, you’re preventing one of the most amazing creatures in the world from laying her eggs. And when her eggs hatch and your cooler of beer and lounge chair are still there months later, you’re the asshole.

5. Assume it’s party time ALL THE TIME.

Okay yes, the coastline of the Panhandle is Spring Break party central. Yes, having parties on the beach or in the woods is awesome and fun. But we can’t do this every weekend. We have jobs. Spring Break is also the least likely time to party with us in Florida because of all the out-of-state idiots already partying there.

6. Compare us to Alabama or Georgia.

It’s bad enough we have to touch Alabama. But to be compared to them…ugh. They only have 53 miles of coast, which they advertise and tote around like it’s something special. It’s embarrassing. The best thing about Alabama is its peanuts, and I’m not sure what else there is to like about it.

The same can be said for Georgia. Sure they have a nice Atlantic coastline, and the Appalachian Trail starts there, and they grow peaches, but other than those three things Georgia is another of those states we’re not super fond of. Just because we’re neighbors and we both have rednecks, it doesn’t make us similar.

7. Insult college football.

Want to make 90% of the local bar occupants hate you? Insult Florida State or the University of Florida, and talk about how great Miami is. Football is pretty close to religion in the Panhandle, so don’t be speakin’ any blasphemy.

8. Insult church, God, or Jesus.

The Panhandle is Florida’s personal Bible Belt. If you’re a hardcore atheist vacationing on the beach, or if you’re 14 and trying to figure your life out beyond thinking “God’s an asshole,” I would keep your mouth shut. Take it from personal experience, it’s not fun to be cornered and have Bible verses quoted at you.

9. Eat at some corporate chain instead of a local seafood joint.

Sure, ordering the fish dinner that comes with two huge sides and a gallon of sweet tea is cheap, greasy, and fast, but why in hell would you order fast food (especially seafood) when you’re visiting the Panhandle? We have the best seafood around. Why let some corporation clog your arteries when we can do it so much better.

The more out of the way and dodgy the restaurant seems (super dusty, servers with eye patches, people at the bar talking loudly about their latest fight), the better the food tastes. If you’re worried about germs, just order your food fried. Hello! The burning oil will kill ANYTHING. And if there are dead animals or fake dead animals on the wall, you know your food is going to be some sort of down-home Southern deliciousness.

Also, I would highly suggest you NOT insult sweet tea, as it makes up 95% of our bloodstream.

10. Complain about the weather.

The Panhandle has great weather. Sure, the summer is beastly hot and humid, but hey, we get a winter! And by winter I mean occasionally it freezes, so we all pull out our sprinklers to make ice sculptures.

One of the most annoying things people do here is complain about the weather. “Gawd it’s so HOT!” You’re in Florida and it’s August, what did you expect? Or when it’s February and we’re experiencing a cold snap, insult our inability to deal with cold. “You’re lucky there’s no snow! Back home we just got 14 inches!” or “We just got another 1,000,000 inches and are flying back tomorrow. Poor us!”

This will not elicit our sympathy. We live in the South and we live here for a reason. NO SNOW. And don’t get me started on rain. In the Panhandle, the sun and rain like to play some crazy game of tag. Sometimes the rain is awesome and cools everything off, other times it just makes summer more miserable. But hey, you paid how much for your trip to Florida? I live here so I can totally deal with it.

Guide to Thailand's best islands

I’VE BEEN TO MANY of Thailand’s islands, scattered along the coastlines of the Andaman Sea in the west and Gulf of Thailand in the east. Each is unique and wonderful, which makes picking favorites difficult. But after all these years, I have grown fond of certain islands. These are the ones I return to, these are the ones I dream about — these, to me, are the country’s most captivating islands.

Ko Tao

Photo: Eddy Milfort

Ko Tao is all about scuba diving. Dive spots, dive shops, dive resorts, and dive talk permeate every inhabited inch of the island. More than a dozen prime dives ring this small piece of land, including the Chumphon, Southwest, and Twin Pinnacles; Japanese Gardens; and several awesome wrecks like the Tuk Tuk Wreck and HTMS Sattakut. Dive trips and certification classes are affordable; the water is warm and clear. It’s little wonder divers flock here.

But diving isn’t the only activity. Go rock climbing with Good Time Adventures. Or rent snorkeling gear and a kayak and paddle around the island, exploring its less developed beaches, coves, and sister islands like Mango Bay and Ko Nangyuan. Rise early for a morning hike or mountain bike ride into the hilly, forested interior on the northern and eastern sides. Find a beach all your own before returning to Sairee for a drop-in yoga session. Finish with a traditional Thai massage at Jamahkiri Spa, and linger over a green tea on their cliffside deck high above Shark Bay as the sun sets.

Accommodations, restaurants, bars, and shops are primarily clustered in Mae Haad Bay, Sairee Beach, and Sairee Village on Ko Tao’s western shore, but several resorts have staked out southern coves like Chalok Bay. Ko Tao has done a knockup job balancing development with the island’s laid-back character. Attractive yet modestly sized bungalows and lodges are available across the price spectrum. You can get a lot of value here for $50 dollars a night. Bars and restaurants line Sairee Beach, the island’s nightlife hub. They stay open late, serving up whiskey buckets and fire spinners, but the high-energy scene isn’t overly raucous like that of its neighbor, Ko Phangan.

When to visit: July to September for best water clarity
What to know: Like many islands on this list, Ko Tao has no garbage facilities, so consider your impact. A full-moon-party boat leaves Ko Tao for Ko Phangan in the evening, returning the next morning.
How to get here: Overnight ferries depart Surat Thani (board early to stake a spot). High-speed catamarans leaving from Chumphon do the trip in as little as 90 minutes.

Ko Kradan

Photo: Mark Fischer

Pristine, silky white-sand beaches are Kradan’s calling card, drawing day-trippers from nearby, less scenic islands and overnight visitors looking for sun, sand, and tropical fish swimming in crystal-clear water. Among the many islands of Trang province, Kradan stands out among its neighbors — Ko Lanta included — as having perhaps the most idyllic beaches around.

The island’s eponymous main beach, located on the eastern shore, is over 2km long and lined with shady cashew, palm, and mangrove trees. Soft white sand plunges into turquoise water where a shallow hard-coral reef lies just 50m offshore. North of Kradan Beach, find a slice of solitude at the smaller and less crowded Ao Pai. Huge limestone boulders dot Sunset Beach, a 15-minute jungle walk from main beach to the west coast, where tide pools lure swimmers and snorkelers. Ao Niang, on the southern shore, stretches for 800 meters.

Accommodations are basic, limited to a handful of budget bungalows, a couple upscale resorts, and some lovely beach campsites. Meals and cold Chang beers are available at the resorts, but otherwise nightlife is nonexistent.

When to visit: November to April
What to know: Bring cash! No ATMs and credit cards aren’t generally accepted. Electricity may be unavailable in some resorts during certain hours. Wifi is around but relatively slow.
How to get here: Speedboat companies and longtail water taxis make the trip (45-70 minutes) from Trang’s Pak Meng pier. The Lipe-Lanta ferry also stops at Kradan.

Ko Tarutao

Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg

Tarutao National Marine Park’s namesake and the largest island in the archipelago, Ko Tarutao feels like something out of a Robinson Crusoe novel or Swiss Family Robinson. The dense jungle interior is surrounded by sweeping beaches punctuated with dark caves, limestone cliffs, mangrove forests, and hidden coves. Its colorful past includes stints as pirate hideout, penal colony, smuggler stop, and Survivor location; the island now specializes in birdwatching, shell collecting, and long walks on the beach.

Everything on Ko Tarutao seems bigger, taller, deeper, darker. Check out massive Crocodile Cave with its intimidating entrance on one of the park’s guided tours or on your own using a rental kayak. Tides will determine how deep you can explore, but go as deep as you can, all the way to the back until it bursts open into thick, untouched jungle.

Park staff manages the island’s only accommodations — basic bungalows and campgrounds (tent rentals available) — and services — a pretty good restaurant and well-stocked mini-mart. Nightlife consists of watching the sunset on Son Bay with a can of beer or maybe hanging out around a driftwood beach campfire.

When to visit: November to May
What to know: The national park charges a 200-baht per-person, cash-only admission fee. Stick to the park-patrolled northern part of the island.
How to get here: Daily boat service from Ko Lipe and Pak Bara

Ko Lipe

Photo: ZakiTahir

When I first traveled Thailand 10 years ago, Ko Lipe was everyone’s worst-kept secret. Once an outpost, Ko Lipe has grown dramatically over the years. As word spread of its white-sand beaches, cheap beachside bungalows, and chill, “off-the-beaten-path” vibe, more and more travelers started landing on its shores. Located off the edge of Tarutao National Marine Park, Ko Lipe is tiny — you can walk around it in an hour. It’s intimate and easy-going; it only takes a few days to feel like you’ve lived there forever.

Ko Lipe’s three main beaches are the ubiquitous Sunrise and Sunset Beaches, as well as the equally popular Pattaya Beach. Help keep the island pristine (and catch a free ride to uninhabited neighboring islands Ko Adang, Ko Rawi, and Ko Tong) by taking part in the weekly beach cleanup, which meets every Monday at 10am on Walking Street, Pattaya Beach.

Beachside accommodations are simple but please many pockets, consisting of budget huts to upscale bungalows and lodges. Most of them are huddled around the three main beaches along with the island’s restaurants and bars. There are a bunch of cool nightlife scenes at standalone and resort bars, so take your time, stroll the beaches, and choose the bamboo bar with just the right fire show, drinks, and music for you.

When to visit: November to May
What to know: Lipe is like a magnet, constantly pulling you in. Be careful — many a missed flight started with a missed boat in Ko Lipe.
How to get here: Daily boat service from Pak Bara, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta, Trang, and Langkawi, Malaysia

Ko Lanta

Photo: Ilse Reijs and Jan-Noud Hutten

If other nearby islands are the hard-partying coed, Ko Lanta is the wiser, been-there-done-that uncle who still knows how to have a good time. Ko Lanta (aka, Ko Lanta Yai) caters to a mellower, older crowd and families toting young kids. While it has all the activities you’ve come to expect of a Thai island — diving, kayaking, caving, massage — the main event here is strolling one of the eight beaches or enjoying simple (and spicy!) local seafood dishes. It’s the place to rest and recharge, an escape from your escape, with a decent internet connection.

The entire west coast is a seemingly endless pearl necklace of six beaches. The most popular are those closest to Ban Saladan pier, including family favorite Hat Khlong Dao and larger Ao Phra-Ae. The farther south you go, the more remote the beaches feel, like Kantiang Bay. Named one of the “Top Ten Tropical Beaches in the World” by the Sunday Times of London, it’s a lightly developed white-sand beach that stretches for a glorious kilometer and has the best swimming on the island.

Even though Ko Lanta’s nightlife is much more subdued than nearby Phi Phi or Phuket, there are still plenty of places to find cold drinks, live music, and midnight revelry. Nightlife is concentrated in Kor Kwang, where you’ll find bamboo bars and beachfront restaurants. The whole spectrum of accommodation from luxury to budget can be had, but popular lodgings book quickly in peak tourist season (winter holidays).

When to visit: November to April
What to know: Take a break from swimming and sunbathing to check out the Chao Leh Museum on Ban Sanghka-U Street. It pays homage to the seafaring culture that still plies these waters and lives in traditional stilt villages.
How to get here: Daily boat service from Krabi, Ao Nang, and Phuket

Ko Mak

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

One of the smallest and certainly the flattest (easy motorscootin’!) island on this list, Ko Mak consists of a hardworking interior of palm, rubber, and coconut plantations surrounded by a coastline of sleepy white-sand beaches. Unless you’re interested in speculating on rubber futures, stick to the periphery.

Ko Mak is free of raucous nightlife and major commercial development. The beaches are pristine, and the whole island is easy to explore by foot, bike, or kayak. Locals have fought off all major development attempts that would compromise the chill vibe. They have, however, embraced a trail network of red-dirt cuts that crisscross the island, so rent a bike and go mountain biking Ko Mak style. For adventure on the water, rent a kayak and explore the hidden beaches and tucked-away coves on the island’s rugged northern and eastern coasts.

There are only about 30 lodging options, predominately small mid-range bungalow operations or boutique resorts. Most are clustered around Ao Kao on the southwest coast, but several high-end resorts are situated on private beaches and offer the most seclusion. The resorts have restaurants and bars, which comprise the majority of the island’s rather muted nightlife. A handful of standalone bars and restaurants can be found around Ao Kao. Ko Mak also has a thriving weekly outdoor market with fresh-caught seafood, prepared foods, and fruit.

Ko Mak has grown considerably in the last 10 years. On my first visit, I counted only seven lodging options. The five families that own most of the island have resisted major development up to now, but for how long? Best to go now and say you did Ko Mak before it turned into the new Ko Phi Phi.

When to visit: October to April
What to know: There’s no bank or ATM and only basic medical service. Courtesy of artist Khun Somchai, find the overgrown erotic sculpture garden located about 1,000 feet inland from Ko Mak Resort.
How to get here: Boat service from the mainland in Trat at Laem Sok and Ko Mak piers in Laem Ngop. Connections from/to Ko Chang and Ko Kut also available.

Ko Chang

Photo: Pietro Motta

The heavyweight island in an archipelago that includes Ko Mak, Ko Chang has awesome nightlife, excellent snorkeling and diving, all manner of accommodation, thick jungle mountains, and every island amenity imaginable, yet you can still find a strip of silky white sand to call your own on Thailand’s second-largest island.

Ko Chang is your one-stop shop for all things island in Thailand: sailing, snorkeling, diving, hiking, kayaking, off-roading, caving, sunbathing, cooking classes, elephant trekking, spas with massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, etc. The best part is how easy it is to book rentals and spa visits and join tours — outfitters are everywhere along the western coast’s towns and beaches. Normally, you’d have to string together several islands in Thailand (and spend more money and more travel time) to experience the range of activities found just on Ko Chang. There are also a half dozen documented waterfalls (and surely countless others waiting to be “discovered”), including Klong Nueng, which you absolutely must check out. Somehow, someway, Ko Chang manages to please an ever-growing number of diverse visitors without completely spoiling the natural beauty and unique character that first brought travelers here in the 1970s.

The island’s west coast is where it’s at — Lonely Beach, popular with the backpacker set, has a hopping bar scene where the beachfront party lasts all night. Think bamboo bars and whiskey buckets. White Sand Beach is the most developed, with all manner of mid- and upper-range accommodation, restaurants, and bars. It’s more umbrella drink and poolside couch. For a laidback Ko Chang, stretch your baht and enjoy fewer crowds on Hat Khlong Phrao or Bang Bao.

When to visit: October to April
What to know: Ko Lanta’s lodging sells out in peak season, so book ahead.
How to get here: Boat service from Laem Ngop in Trat takes 45-60 minutes.

Ko Phi Phi

Photo: Greg Knapp

Oh, Ko Phi Phi, no matter how many hotel developers, bar owners, and real-estate speculators descend on you, I’ll always love you. You are the most gorgeous island in Thailand, if not the world, and nothing can completely detract from that.

Images of the Phi Phi islands (the developed Ko Phi Phi Don and its protected sister island Ko Phi Phi Leh) in The Beach are what first brought me, like so many other backpackers of my generation, to Thailand. Though we never found Alex Garland’s utopia on Leonardo DiCaprio’s set (we arrived 10 years too late), we did find the answer to our burning question: Can a place of such unrivaled beauty really exist? Yes, it’s called Ko Phi Phi, where limestone cliffs plunge into turquoise water beside white-sand beaches. With such indescribable beauty, it’s not hard to imagine the main attractions here — sunbathing, diving, swimming, snorkeling, sailing, and partying. No trip to Phi Phi is complete without spending a day on Ko Phi Phi Leh’s stunning Maya Bay, which may be the most beautiful beach in the world. Leo sure thought so.

While there are some peaceful escapes to the south and north, most of the island’s accommodation and famous nightlife are crammed into the narrow strip between mirror-image bays Ao Ton Sai and Ao Loh Dalum. Hotel bars offer live music in swanky piano lounges, or try a fire show and whiskey bucket down on the sand at one of the many popular beachfront bars.

When to visit: October to May
What to know: Like the Louvre or Vatican City, Ko Phi Phi is a crowded and pricey must-do for travelers, but I recommend checking it out in the off season.
How to get here: Boat service from Phuket and Krabi, as well as many neighboring island connections

Ko Jum

Photo: Madeleine Holland

Most of Ko Jum’s action takes place on the island’s west coast, where the best beaches are strung together like a wild, sandy chain. Long Beach is the largest and most popular, but for a more secluded and intimate beach experience, head north to Ao Si, Ao Ting Rai, or Ao Luboa.

Ko Jum’s main activity is doing nothing at all — lounge in the sun, stroll the sand, swim, snorkel, read a book in a hammock. For a heart-pumping break from sunbathing, hike the island’s prominent peak, the 395m Khao Ko Pu. Guided hikes are available for around 1,000 baht per person, including lunch. Snorkeling and scuba diving day trips can also be arranged.

Ko Jum has a few proper resorts, but accommodations mostly consist of little bungalows, lodges, and villas. Million-dollar views and a beachside location can be had for about $20 a night. Beach bars and resort restaurants comprise the island’s burgeoning yet mellow nightlife, where a cold beer, delicious fruit shake, or grilled fish plate is never far away.

When to visit: November to April
What to know: The island virtually shuts down in the off season (May to October). Some beaches become dangerously rocky at low tide. The northern tip is so isolated by jungle mountains that many locals consider it a separate island, Ko Pu.
How to get here: The Krabi-Ko Lanta ferry stops at Jum. The 75-minute trip can fill up, so book in advance. Boat service is also available from Laem Kruat.

This post is proudly produced in partnership with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and STA Travel, working together to tell stories of the peoples, places, and cultures that make Thailand special.