Matador Network's Blog, page 602
August 10, 2021
YETI debuted a new color collection and it’s perfect for fall adventures
YETI is a household name among those serious about outdoor exploration. If you’re venturing into the woods for a long camping weekend or hiking your first Fourteener, good luck doing it without some YETI gear in your arsenal. Luckily, YETI released three new color collections just in time for the fall adventure season.
The Highlands Collection is inspired by the rich and rugged terrain of the Scottish Coast, giving you yet another reason to hit the trails. The Harvest Red Collection is inspired by the sweet fruits of fall, defined by its rich berry and red color tones. By contrast, the Sharptail Taupe Collection has more muted colors, inspired by the bronzed prairie in Big Sky Country. Products in each collection, from coolers to backpacks, are equipped with YETI’s patented durability and utility.
Whether you’re heading to the mountains or forest, taking a long-haul vacation, or hitting the beach, there’s something for every type of adventurer. Here are some of our favorite pieces from each collection. 
Photo: YETI
Hopper Backflip 24 Soft Cooler — $299.99
Rambler 14 oz. Mug — $29.99
Daytrip Lunch Box — 79.99
Photo: YETI
Tundra Haul Hard Cooler — $399.99
Crossroads 29” Luggage — $499.99
Rambler 26 oz. Bottle with Chug Cap — $39.99
Photo: YETI
Rambler 18 oz. Bottle with Chug Cap — $29.99
Rambler 10 oz. Lowball with Magslider Lid — $19.99
Rambler 10 oz. Tumbler with Magslider Lid — $19.99
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You don’t know the cheesy joy of queso’s original recipe until you visit El Paso
All hail queso, one of the most omnipresent and beloved dishes in Tex-Mex cuisine. This mouthwatering dip of melted cheeses and chiles runs through the veins of most Texans. In the decades I’ve spent living away from Texas in five other states, queso has remained the gastronomic security blanket I could always make, and was the centerpiece of every family gathering. I’d grab a chip and dunk it in queso before I gave anyone a hug.
Simplicity is at its core: Take a can of Ro-Tel green chiles and tomatoes and a block of Velveeta. Heat it in the microwave for a few minutes or a slow cooker for a few hours and voila! You have a halftime winner. It’s a recipe so easy you could send it over text. Try to change it and you no longer have queso, just a poor imitation. Or so I thought.
El Paso, Texas, has an entirely different take on the processed American cheese and canned vegetables standby. My family knew the so-called classic recipe that’s been passed down through three generations (the one printed for all to see on the back of a Ro-Tel can). But, through years of meals in El Paso, I discovered our family recipe might not be so classic.
El Paso queso is richer and doesn’t use American cheese as the base. It’s delicious, but so divergent from what I knew to be queso. So is the recipe on the back of the can original, or does a truly Texas take on queso actually come from the innovators in El Paso?
Where queso originally comes fromWe may never know who created the first recipe, but Texas food writer Lisa Fain pinpoints the El Paso region as the likely source in her book Queso! Early iterations of queso used Mexican white cheeses and fresh chiles that were only available during the growing season.
Queso’s base shifted in the mid-20th century when processed American cheeses, like Velveeta, were more widely produced and marketed as an easy melting product with a smooth taste.
Ro-Tel, a produce company started in the south Texas town of Elsa in 1943, began selling pre-mixed cans of green chiles and tomatoes. The two necessary ingredients were there, all they needed was to be combined. In 1949, according to Eater, Ro-Tel printed a recipe using its product. Lady Bird Johnson listed the canned ingredient as the secret to her queso when she was the second lady in the White House in 1963. From there, it took off even outside of Texas.
Photo: Warren Price Photography/Shutterstock
The recipe that swept the nation never caught on in west Texas where El Paso is located, however. In an interview with Texas Monthly, Lisa Fain said that, “The queso that you find in El Paso is very similar to the original incarnation of what chile con queso was described as.” Turns out, the El Paso version of queso I thought was a low-rent derivative of a family recipe turned out to be more authentic.
The El Paso recipe for quesoThe cheeses and overall texture set El Paso queso apart from the Ro-Tel recipe I know and love. Asadero, chihuahua, and monterey jack cheeses are the typical base ingredients, which create a gooey mouthfeel rather than velvety or chunky one. It’s served with tortillas and tostadas for dunking instead of tortilla chips in a way that’s similar to fondue.
Of course, any queso wouldn’t be the same without chiles. Most queso in Texas is made with canned chiles and tomatoes. But, with New Mexico’s famous chile-growing Hatch Valley just an hour north, roasted long green chiles take center stage in El Paso. The earthy taste with a delicate kiss of heat makes Hatch Valley chiles mouthwatering without being eye-watering. Onions and tomatoes round out this rustic yet elegant dish.
Photo: Julio’s Mexican Food/Facebook
Some local restaurants can’t resist putting their own spin on the classic El Paso queso. Fire up classic queso with the cheese flambéed or seared and you have queso flameado. Add savory chorizo and you’ll taste the delectable queso fundido. You can find all of these ingredients on the ranch or at the market.
But what of the Ro-Tel and Velveeta queso? I still love it like I love a local taco joint at midnight when I want comfort over authenticity. But that queso takes its cue from the El Paso original. Without El Paso’s heritage of cheese and chiles, every Texan’s family gathering or football party would be just a little less warm.
Where to try to best queso in El Paso
Photo: L & J Cafe/Facebook
L & J Cafe: Ready to take a dip into queso’s history? Any visit to El Paso must involve a pilgrimage to L & J cafe, the famous fourth-generation-run restaurant that’s affectionately known as “The Old Place by the Graveyard.” Three generations of my family have gathered there for the city’s best enchiladas, and it was the first place that tipped me off to El Paso’s queso legacy. Try the queso fundido for a twist on the classic recipe.
Where: 3622 E Missouri Ave, El Paso, TX, 79903
Julio’s Mexican Food: This restaurant is a heavyweight contender for the best Mexican food in El Paso. It’s been around nearly as long as L & J, but it started across the border in Juárez. Loyal to tradition, the restaurant claims to use the same recipes since 1944. In addition to the knockout queso, it’s my favorite spot for chiles rellenos.
Where: 8050 Gateway Boulevard East El Paso, TX, 79907
Kiki’s Mexican Restaurant: Head here for a more casual, homestyle lunch or dinner. Be sure to order a queso and a bowl of caldillo, a hearty Mexican beef stew.
Where: 2719 N Piedras St, El Paso, TX, 79930
Rosa’s Cantina: Located right on the Rio Grande, this is indisputably the most famous bar in El Paso — though you’d never know that from its humble appearance. Loved by locals and travelers, no trip to west Texas is complete without hitting Rosa’s Cantina at least once.
Where: 3454 Doniphan Dr, El Paso, TX, 79922
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Watch a typhoon take Yayoi Kusama’s iconic ‘Pumpkin’ sculpture into the sea
On August 9, Yayoi Kusama’s “Pumpkin” art piece was knocked loose from its iconic spot at the end of a pier by strong winds and large waves from a typhoon, and swept into the sea.
Kusama’s open-air artwork was installed on Japan’s Naoshima Island in 1994. Over the years, the pumpkin has become the most recognizable and beloved art piece among the Art Islands, which are a group of 12 islands home to contemporary works and exhibits in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea.
Yayoi Kusama’s black and yellow pumpkin was captured being tossed around in the waves on video, but the artwork was thankfully retrieved. The hollow sculpture is over six feet tall and eight feet wide.
直島のシンボルが…..#台風9号 pic.twitter.com/7l9b65ivSe
— 歪みっぱなしの帝国. (@ppdisundia) August 9, 2021
According to Benesse Art Site Naoshima, the pumpkin was damaged and the display of the artwork has been suspended. “We are currently restoring the damaged work and it will not be available for viewing for some time,” the announcement explains. Indeed, the video shows a substantial crack in the sculpture.
The Washington Post reported that the pumpkin is usually moved from its stunning display location when there’s bad weather in the forecast, but it appears that yesterday’s typhoon came unexpectedly, leaving staff unable to protect the artwork.
US-based admirers of Kusama are able to see her work at the New York Botanical Garden until October 31, 2021. The exhibit, “Kusama: Cosmic Nature,” includes a brand-new infinity room experience, and, of course, pumpkins covered in polka dots.
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Watch a stowaway pigeon escape capture and fly United from Newark to Greece
There are many things that can delay a plane. Some are to be expected, like the flight crew being delayed on another route. Others are less predictable — a passenger mistaking the emergency exit for the bathroom, for example. But on a recent flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Greece, the issue was a winged and feathered stowaway.
In a TikTok explaining a one-hour delay, United Airlines flight attendant Arina Bloom posted a video of the crew trying to chase down a pigeon. It starts near where the food is stored and prepared as the pigeon walks around bobbing its head. Then the video cuts to the pigeon walking down the aisle and into a row of seats with the words, “The moment we lost him.”
Admittedly, if a bird is going to be in or around a jet that’s about to take off, there are worse places it could be than the cabin. Still, if you’ve ever seen a city pigeon in close proximity to food, you understand why the birds wouldn’t be the best flight companion when the little pretzel packages come out.
@arina.bloom##flightattendant ##flightattendantlife ##cabincrew ##airline ##pigeon ##birdontiktok ##delayflight ##greece ##fyp
♬ Into The Thick Of It! – The Backyardigans
The flight crew did their best to find the pigeon. The TikTok shows people crawling into rows of seats and hitting the overhead storage bins. The doors were left open as well in the hope that “maybe he will fly away,” the text in the video states. They were ultimately unsuccessful.
“We lost him,” Bloom writes on the video. “We are flying to Greece with a bird. Didn’t find him upon arrival either.”
We can only hope the little bird escaped when no one was looking and is now living his best life eating souvlaki, gyros, and other delicious Greek street food in Athens.
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August 9, 2021
This flight attendant stood atop Dubai’s Burj Khalifa to promote her airline
It’s normal to see flight attendants walking about a plane cabin at 40,000 feet in the air. Seeing one standing more than 2,700 feet tall without an aircraft in sight is another story. But that’s exactly what this Emirates flight attendant did when she climbed atop the Burj Khalifa in Dubai as part of the airline’s latest ad campaign.
The new Emirates commercial features a uniformed flight attendant holding a series of cue cards encouraging air travelers to fly Emirates. After the final message is displayed, the camera pans out, revealing her heart-pounding location: the highest point of the world’s tallest building.
According to an Emirates press release, the cabin crew member is one of only a handful of people to ever stand at the summit of the Burj Khalifa. Among the others are the Crown Prince of Dubai and Tom Cruise, who was photographed sitting atop the skyscraper while on location for the fourth installation of the Mission: Impossible film series.
“We always look to challenge the norm and push boundaries at Emirates. We do it every day through our innovative services, our best in class product, and of course through our advertising,” said Emirates President Sir Tim Clark in the press release. “The calm and confidence of the cabin crew you see in the ad is an embodiment of our frontline team, serving travellers and ensuring their safety.”
Safety was, of course, a top priority during the filming of the ad. Not only was the flight attendant a professional skydiving instructor, but the stunt also involved “rigorous planning, training, testing, and a strict safety protocol,” as well as a series of secure harnesses.
If you’re curious to see how the airline pulled off the jaw-dropping campaign, check out the behind-the-scenes video on the Emirates Twitter account here.
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7 last-minute Airbnbs to book for Bonnaroo
Every summer, the 10,000-person population of Manchester, Tennessee, multiplies by 10. This is what happens when you gather 150 of the world’s most popular musicians on a farm halfway between Nashville and Chattanooga for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Following last year’s cancellation, Bonnaroo is staging a comeback in 2021 on September 2-5. That means time is running out for festivalgoers to get their accommodations in order. Fortunately, there are still a few great rentals available within an hour of Great Stage Park. Here are seven last-minute Bonnaroo Airbnbs to book if you’re headed to Tennessee next month.
We hope you love the spaces and stays we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication. See our full Advertiser Disclosure here.
1. The Honeysuckle House
Photo: Airbnb
This luxe tiny home in Tracy City is an idyllic place to unwind after long, loud, festival-fueled days. Located roughly 35 minutes southeast of Manchester on the I-24, the one-acre lakefront property comes with complimentary kayaks and paddleboards, as well as a fire pit out front where you can wind down at night and reflect on your favorite acts from the day.
Eight guests, one bedroom
Price: $200 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Music festivals are a great excuse to gather a big group of friends and split the cost of an epic Airbnb. Enter this three-bedroom house with unbeatable lake access. It’s just 20 minutes away from Great Stage Park and can sleep up to a dozen guests. Though you may not have time to take advantage of the many outdoor opportunities on your doorstep, including three waterfall hikes, we bet you’ll squeeze in a couple of games of ping pong, foosball, billiards, or basketball.
Twelve guests, three bedrooms
Price: $799 per night
Photo: Airbnb
If you’re the type of festivalgoer who’s hellbent on seeing as many acts as possible, this reasonably priced tiny home roughly 30 minutes away from the festival grounds is the perfect crash pad. What little time you do spend here can be spent enjoying the tranquility of the Deer Lick Falls community on your comfortably furnished patio. Cell service may be limited, but the Wi-Fi is strong, so you’ll have no problem mapping out your daily lineup.
Four guests, one bedroom
Price: $143 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Sleeping up to four guests, this two-bedroom townhouse is a steal if you’re headed to Bonnaroo with a small group. Bonus points if your group enjoys cooking, as the kitchen is fully equipped for DIY meals to keep you energized for the festival. The property is located in a lively area of Murfreesboro, near Middle Tennessee State University and the downtown square, where you’ll also find a handful of brewhouses to keep the fun going outside of Great Stage Park.
Four guests, two bedrooms
Price: $149 per night
Photo: Airbnb
This three-bedroom house in Winchester is another spacious, scenic option suited to groups. It’s on the expensive side but can accommodate six guests and has a large back deck and private dock that make the property feel even more expansive. Better yet, it’s only 30 to 40 minutes from Great Stage Park, so there’s plenty of time to travel back and forth from the festival and enjoy some water sports in your downtime.
Six guests, three bedrooms
Price: $650 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Another luxury tiny home operated by Retreat Vacations, this cabin-style one bedroom is conveniently located in Tracy City. It’s perfect for a couple but can sleep four comfortably between the main bedroom and a second queen bed in the loft space. With miles of surrounding woodland and a prime waterfront location, this brand-new property is a wealth of outdoor recreation should you end up wanting a break from the Bonnaroo crowds.
Four guests, one bedroom
Price: $193 per night
Photo: Airbnb
A short walk from downtown Murfreesboro, roughly 30 minutes north of Manchester on the I-24, this three-bedroom estate built in 1847 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The cozy yet grand interior is artfully decorated but it’s the garden, verandas, and patio that really sell the charm. Guests can rent individual rooms or book the entire property.
Nine guests, three bedrooms
Price: $675 per night
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A non-planner’s guide to #vanlife: 8 essential tips for a spontaneous campervan trip
Twenty-four hours before my first campervan trip, the only thing I had planned was where to pick up the van. I’d be flying into Las Vegas from San Francisco, collecting a Kuga Campervan from the Travellers Autobarn location off The Strip, and driving east toward Zion National Park, where my friend and I intended to kick off a weeklong road trip through southern Utah.
Twenty-four hours into the trip, our sink sprung a leak, and our demountable table broke, requiring the services of a welder when we reached the town of Escalante. This was one of several hiccups no amount of planning could have preempted.
For spontaneous travelers, #vanlife trips provide a level of freedom that’s unparalleled. You can go anywhere your four wheels will take you, your lodging and basic amenities are built-in, and you can piece together an itinerary around your favorite activities. There are, however, a few realities of vanlife that are worth preparing for in advance.
From one non-planner to another, here are eight van travel tips from an impromptu trip through the Utah desert that’ll help get you hooked on the unfettered vanlife forever.
1. Don’t book campsites. Do download apps.
Photo: Alex Bresler
Figuring out where to sleep each night is one of the biggest obstacles spontaneous campervan travelers face. Last-minute campgrounds can be hard to find, fully booked, or prohibitively expensive. Thankfully not all campsites require reservations.
Dispersed camping describes camping outside of an established campground. This is permitted on most public lands managed by the US Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Some national and state parks also allow dispersed camping in certain wilderness areas. The rules for selecting a dispersed campsite vary depending on your destination but are generally as follows: Travelers may camp permit- and cost-free at a given site for up to 14 days within a 30-day period provided it’s at least 150 feet from a main road, 100 feet from a stream, and one mile from any designated campgrounds.
Included in our Travellers Autobarn rental was a 90-day free subscription to The Dyrt, a campsite locator service that allows users to filter their search by free sites. This not only helped us find dispersed campsites a stone’s throw from popular national parks such as Zion and Bryce Canyon during peak season, but it also saved us the trouble of attempting any off-roading that our van was not equipped to do. Because most national forests and monuments like Escalante-Grand Staircase are managed by the USFS or BLM, these areas provided us with the greatest number of options and near-total privacy everywhere we parked.
Other resources campervan travelers can use to find dispersed campsites include FreeRoam, iOverlander, and Campendium. More information on camping in specific wilderness areas can be referenced directly on the USFS, BLM, and National Park Service websites.
2. Pack a tent and a tarp, just in case.
Photo: Philip Lange/Shutterstock
Campervans are mobile shelters, rendering tent camping redundant. Nonetheless, there may still be situations in which you’ll appreciate having a tent on hand. Some of the prettiest campsites we discovered required high ground clearance, four-wheel drive, and premium maneuverability. Depending on your van, rugged terrain and narrow roads could be obstacles in claiming ideal campsites that are otherwise accessible on foot. Even in wide-open areas, a tent can offer a reprieve from sleeping in a stuffy van on 100°F summer nights.
Having a tarp nearby is helpful in these situations. It can offer added protection from the elements, be it sun or rain, as well as prevent wear and tear on your tent. For vanlifers, tarps can also be used as makeshift shower curtains, changing stations, picnic blankets, and sleeping bag or duvet buffers if you want to lay out under the stars. Whether you end up using it or not, a tarp is one cheap, compact, multi-use tool that’s always worth loading into your van.
3. Always decide where you’re sleeping before nightfall.
Photo: sylv1rob1/Shutterstock
While campervan trips afford travelers the flexibility to decide where they want to go on a whim, aim to choose your nightly campsites before dusk. In unfamiliar areas, daylight is invaluable for scoping out the terrain, heeding any signage, and setting your camp up safely. Because you’ll most likely be relying on apps and websites to find your campsites, getting a headstart on your search also ensures you’ll have enough cell service or WiFi to find your best option and download offline maps to navigate off-grid areas later on.
Nightfall is less problematic for vanlifers who stick to cities where they can try stealth camping, such as sleeping at a truck stop or in the parking lot of a Walmart, Home Depot, or 24-hour business. You’ll still want to know where these stealth campsites are located lest you end up driving all night in search of one. Beyond finding overnight parking that’s unlikely to get you towed or fined, many cities also have laws about sleeping in your vehicle, so be sure to brush up on what is and is not allowed before settling in for the night in an urban area.
4. Dromedary bags are your best friend.
Photo: BublikHaus/Shutterstock
On the road, like anywhere else, water is a vital resource. You need it to stay hydrated, clean, and cool. Even if your campervan comes with running water, that water may not be potable, and your sink will likely be too small to wash much more than dishes. Though vanlifers have discovered many creative ways of keeping themselves and their clothes clean, such as taking advantage of gym passes and laundromats if they’re passing through cities, dispersed campers may not have access to these amenities. Then there’s the issue of plastic waste when it comes to stockpiling your van with store-bought gallons. Enter Dromedary bags.
A Dromedary bag is a hydration bladder similar to a Camelbak, though the largest Dromedary can hold up to 10 liters of water compared to the largest Camelbak’s three liters. Dromedaries are also outfitted with a hanging strap and three-in-one cap that can release both small and large streams, and they can be easily refilled wherever you might top up a water bottle or your van’s water tank. While our Camelbaks were convenient on long, sweltering hikes, our Dromedary was essential, from serving as a water storage system to acting like a faucet before we were able to find the necessary part to fix our sink. It even functioned as a shower we could hang from a tree branch or the back of our van. After all, wet wipes only go so far.
5. If you can, have a high-quality cooler on hand.
Photo: oksana.perkins/Shutterstock
After a lifetime preparing backcountry meals with basic camping cookware, venturing into the wilderness with a kitchen in tow was a luxury. Our campervan came outfitted with a two-burner gas stove, a solar-powered mini fridge and freezer unit, a small sink, and a microwave for when the van was plugged into a power source. For an additional fee, Travellers Autobarn also provides cooking essentials such as pots and pans, cutlery, and a kettle.
To avoid unnecessary detours and keep our journey as flexible as possible, my friend and I endeavored to make just one grocery run on the first day of our trip. We loaded our pantries with a modest array of spices, condiments, dry goods, and resealable snacks, and we stocked our fridge with long-lasting produce and proteins such as apples, carrots, celery, eggs, and marinated tofu. A few bags of frozen vegetables, a couple of chicken breasts, and a box of veggie burgers just barely fit in the freezer. A few days later our fridge malfunctioned.
Though we were able to meal-plan around any serious spoilage, I found myself wishing we’d brought a cooler on multiple occasions, whether to use as a backup refrigeration unit, cool extra beverages, or simply store loose items while driving. The few coolers we saw on sale at gas stations and country marts mid-trip were made of styrofoam, which are not only less effective but also less sustainable than insulated coolers.
Good-quality coolers can be expensive, but if you plan on making frequent campervan trips, they’re worth the investment. Space is another consideration, though there are enough hard and soft coolers in various shapes and sizes on the market to suit almost any campervan setup. And even if it’s not being used to keep food and drinks fresh, well, what is a cooler if not additional, road-secure, easily organized storage space.
6. Keep an eye on gas prices.
Photo: OleksiyGS/Shutterstock
Gas is expensive, and campervans have big tanks. Fueling up is easily one of the biggest expenses vanlifers can expect to incur on their journeys. While spontaneous travelers may not know where they’re going to be from one day to the next, they can still try to keep costs low. One way to do this is to let favorable gas prices decide when you should fuel up, not the emptiness of your tank. Google Maps can also help. Often, the price per gallon is listed when you search for nearby gas stations, and the difference between neighboring stations can be significant. A 50-cent disparity may not seem like much when you’re looking at the map, but if your tank holds roughly 26 gallons, those savings will start to add up quickly.
7. Stock up on beer, even if you don’t drink.
Photo: Dean Drobot/Shutterstock
In a campervan, all the most useful gear serves multiple purposes. In the kitchen, for example, an eight-quart pot can be used as a saucepan, a skillet, a kettle, and a mixing or serving bowl, as well as an empty vessel to keep other items tidy when they’re not in use.
Beer is not the first thing that comes to mind when we think of gear. Sure, cracking open a cold one after a long drive or hike is a simple pleasure for those who drink, yet even for those who abstain, beer can be handy if you’re comfortable keeping it around. It can be used to tenderize meat, which is wont to get overcooked on a propane stove. One of our favorite dinners was the result of a half-drunk Modelo Chelada Tamarindo Picante, which we repurposed to marinade chicken in lieu of buying spices we would hardly put a dent in. Resourceful chefs can also use tasty craft beer as a simmering liquid, the base for a sauce, or a flavoring agent for one-pot meals such as chili. Because it’s yeasted, bakers can even whip up simple bread using beer.
Carbonation and acidity are two more boons. On one occasion, I used beer to remove rust from metal utensils, letting them soak as the bubbles broke down the unwanted oxidation. I’ve also used beer to put out campfires without depleting my water supply, as the alcohol content in most brews is not high enough to catch fire. Though I’ve not tried these hacks myself, I’ve even heard of people using beer to shampoo their hair or soak their feet after long hikes. Odd? Maybe. But people pay good money at beer spas, and we could all use a little pampering on the road.
8. When in doubt, stop at an RV park.
Photo: Skatie Designs/Shutterstock
Long before #vanlife started trending on Instagram, RV travel was a way of life. This explains why there are RV parks located near so many of the most popular national parks and attractions. For campervan travelers, these outposts are an invaluable resource. The staff, and many of the patrons, are well-versed in the road-trip lifestyle and generally happy to give directions, answer questions, and offer help. Unless an RV park is full, campervan travelers may also be welcome to plug in, empty or fill their water tanks, and even spend the night.
On the one occasion we were turned away from an RV park because there was no water refill station available, the attendant directed us to a small state park down the road. We had to pay a modest fee for a day pass, which gave us access to all the basic amenities we had forgone in our week of dispersed camping. We dumped our gray water, topped up our tank, refilled our Dromedary and Camelbaks, and even stayed for a spontaneous lake SUP session. Unlike big-name national parks, smaller city, county, state, and regional parks are a cheap, uncrowded, and stress-free wealth of resources and recreation.
Knowing when and where to ask for help is one of the best things campervan travelers can do to ensure they have the safe and responsible journeys of a lifetime. Strike the right balance between being prepared and keeping your plans loose, and there’s nothing better than hitting the open road with nothing but your van, a little travel savvy, and an appetite for adventure.
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American traveler denied medical evacuation after accident left her comatose in Bali
American travel blogger Kaitlyn McCaffrey is currently stranded in a Balinese hospital after sustaining a traumatic brain injury in a scooter accident on July 31. The accident left McCaffrey comatose, and her international medical insurance provider has reportedly refused to cover the necessary costs to evacuate her for treatment in the United States.
According to a GoFundMe page created by a friend of the McCaffrey family, “The costs to evacuate [Kaitlyn] using an experienced medevac company, such as Air Med or International SOS, are extremely daunting. Due to the distance and COVID-related border closures, it is estimated that the cost will be approximately $250,000 US dollars.”
The GoFundMe page, which has accrued over $240,000 at the time of writing, also notes that Balinese authorities have denied the family’s requests to be issued emergency visas to visit McCaffrey at her hospital in Denpasar, the Balinese capital, citing the ongoing pandemic.
A video update uploaded to YouTube earlier today by Bob Stolebarger, whose wife Dena Cruz created the GoFundMe page, reiterated the need for McCaffrey’s relocation. Though the lawyer and family friend acknowledges that she’s “receiving all the care the Bali hospital can provide,” Stolebarger describes McCaffrey’s condition as “critical” yet “stable” and states that she “desperately needs a medical evacuation to a hospital in Northern California where she can receive the level of care necessary.”
The McCaffreys have already found a major trauma hospital in Northern California, where Kaitlyn was raised, that can treat her if the family is able to have her medically evacuated.
Though the situation remains tense, the McCaffreys have expressed their gratitude to everyone who has donated to Kaitlyn’s GoFundMe, as well as to the young men who found her “alone, unconscious, broken, and bleeding” following her horrific scooter accident.
“Without their help,” the page reads, “she surely would have died.”
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This artist lends a voice to those who are less heard, and the results are stunning
If you find yourself in downtown Quito, Ecuador, there’s a good chance you’ll see a very large mural proudly illuminating the side of a tall, multi-floor apartment building — standing out in bright contrast to the muted colors of the city.
It’s an arresting image of a plant soaring towards a massive moon. An Indigenous girl reaches out as the seeds of precious corn plants fall beyond her reach, while a leaf pours the countryside’s water down to a thirsty city. At the base of the mural are distinctive Indigenous women standing among the plants and their mighty roots.
The mural is the work of Ecuadorian artist Raúl Ayala and Mona Caron — a Swiss-American artist whose work champions the people and plants that society passes by.
The resilience of weeds
Photo: Mona Caron
For years, Caron focused on the super-micro details of her adopted home in San Francisco, which is where I first met her — a short while after she’d first returned from Quito. By that point Caron had painted on several continents.
Caron’s earliest works in San Francisco focused on detailing life in a particular neighborhood, paying attention to the details — and, critically, people — that others overlooked. It was during the months-long creation of a mural in SF’s Tenderloin district that the seeds of Caron’s international work were sown.
“It was probably the longest project I’ve ever done, over a year. I portrayed like 300 real people in the neighborhood,” says Caron. “And while I was doing that, I was noticing these dandelions and plants growing at the base of the wall. And I kept noticing that people will periodically come around and just destroy them in this act of ‘cleaning up.’”
That absurdity struck Caron, who says that she worked surrounded by dirt during that time. “You’re in a place where there’s tons of dirt of all kinds,” she says. “But for some reasons, it struck me how people will go out of their way to identify that as dirt.”
What was more impressive, though, was that the removed weeds would always grow back. To Caron, those cracks emerging through the sidewalk symbolized the perseverance of the people she was profiling in her work.
“The way they keep coming back is actually the same thing I’m trying to illustrate in my murals there, which are about the resilience of people that are living in less than privileged conditions,” says Caron. “It occurred to me that these urban plants were a total metaphor for that.”
Taking the message global
Photo: Mona Caron
Inspired by the ability of the plants to keep coming back, despite efforts to remove them, Caron decided to create a frame-by-frame animation of a dandelion getting cut down and rising again. As Caron makes clear, the animations were her way of showing the act of reemergence, rather than, say, a commentary about invasive plants.
She posted her video on YouTube, where at the time she says she had just 17 followers. She was surprised then to find that it received 10,000 views, then double that number, then soon over 100,000 views.
Caron was startled at the reaction. “I started getting emails from all over the world saying, ‘We get your message. We are weeds too.’ And like, ‘This resonates with me.’”
One email from Baghdad showed pictures of plants growing there. Other messages came from Thailand, Russia, and elsewhere. Caron says she realized that these plants were a universal theme that transcended national languages.
Invitations to paint weeds decorating buildings or walls soon followed, the first one from a group in Brazil who told her they were seeking to thrive in the way that Caron’s weed had.
“We keep getting stepped on. But we’ll never give up. Come here and paint a huge weed in the Minhocão in São Paulo,” says Caron. “And so, I did a 13-story tall weed there.”
And the requests kept coming. “And all of a sudden I went from the hyperlocal, 10 years of being super, super local — with murals about not San Francisco, but a specific city block — to being global,” says Caron.
The Indigenous women of Quito
Photo: Mona Caron
One of the most impactful of those global works was the mural in Quito — worth highlighting today, World Indigenous People’s Day — which occurs annually on August 9.
Caron got to know Raúl Ayala through activist work like the 2014 NYC Climate Conference, for which they painted banners in a Brooklyn warehouse. Later, Ayala was distressed by the “hypocrisy” of his home government leasing off Indigenous land to foreing mining and petroleum interests — and then offering to host a UN Conference on sustainable development.
Ayala hoped to organize a protest at the conference, but was informed that the conference would occur in a “green zone” that barred activists. After negotiating with conference organizers, Ayal was granted a wall to paint a mural within the green zone instead. And what a wall it was.
When Ayala sent Caron a photo of the proposed location for the artwork, she says she was shocked at its size. But Ayala was insistent.
“‘Can you believe they gave permission? We’ve got to take it, we’ve got to do it,’” Caron recalls Ayala telling her. The wall was in between the hotels and the conference center — making it perhaps the most visible wall in the green zone. Caron agreed.
To better understand their grievances and to tell their story, Caron interviewed specific Indigenous groups — six in the Amazon and three in the Andes — who were fighting to protect their lands and biodiversity. While the Amazonian women were fighting off mining and oil interests, the Andean women were trying to protect their dozens of native corn species from the monolithic, sterile seeds of the Monsanto Corporation.
Caron asked them about images that could serve as metaphors of their struggles, perhaps in the same way that a re-emerging weed illustrates the resilience of the oppressed. But those she interviewed had other ideas, insisting she portrays the very Indigenous women who had been waging these battles, sometimes for decades.
This created a dilemma for Caron. “They insisted on having these specific persons in it. I said, ‘I cannot possibly, as a White woman, paint portraits of you,’” Caron recalls.
She came up with a solution, asking the women to travel to Quito to paint their own traditional face markings. It was a pretty brilliant idea — given that the women came and participated in the project while the conference was taking place.
Voices that need to be heard
Photo: Mona Caron
Journalists passing by the mural on the way to the conference noticed the women at work, painting. They’d stop to inquire what was going on, hoping to speak to Ayala or Caron.
“No, talk to the women. These are the women in the mural. They will explain the mural to you. They will explain what this means,” Caron said she told the journalists. “And then, literally, we gave them a platform. Literally, they were on the platform, talking to the journalists about what is happening in their land.”
Although the struggle in Ecuador, as in other Indigenous lands, is ongoing, there’s no doubt about the visibility granted by the Mujeres (women) mural. We’d like to think it had a role to play in a July 2020 ruling by Ecuador’s high court stating that Indigenous peoples should have sovereignty over their ancestral lands and should be consulted on decisions that could affect them and their lands.
Caron has continued to elevate the voices that need to be heard. She completed another project in São Paulo last spring, in an area called the “Marginal,” which she says is very much on the margins of society — a location most people from the center of the city have never visited. Painted along with artist Mauro Neri, the mural depicts a strong young woman holding a sailboat, and symbolizes how the community there has taken control of the lake by their homes and made it theirs.
And just last week, Caron put the finishing touches on a mural of a native wild plant called the Joe Pye weed in Jersey City, New Jersey. It’ll be visible across the Hudson from New York City, but it’s worth getting up close to check it out. As Caron wrote in her Instagram post about it, the mural represents, “A dream of Nature winning, of plant life being the one towering over us for a change, putting us back in our place.”
The post This artist lends a voice to those who are less heard, and the results are stunning appeared first on Matador Network.
9 San Antonio Airbnbs within walking distance of everything on the Riverwalk
Visiting San Antonio is all about staying close to the Riverwalk. From here, you can easily access the city’s top restaurants, bars, conference and sports venues, and even the Alamo. These are the best San Antonio Airbnbs to put you right where you want to be in the city, with plenty of comfort and amenities to boot.
1. Remodeled industrial loft in Southtown
Photo: Airbnb
Like many US cities, San Antonio’s warehouse districts and neighborhoods surrounding downtown have undergone rapid transformation in recent years. This chic minimalist loft in a former timber warehouse is exemplary of that. The unit is designed for remote workers and long-term stays, so you know it’s comfortable and equipped even if you’re only here for a couple of nights. The host drew inspiration for the decor from his time in Korea, and as an added bonus, the unit comes with parking for up to two cars.
Two guests, one bedroom
Price: $145 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Stay in this house downtown and enjoy amenities including a hot tub, cornhole, and a patio reminiscent of your favorite neighborhood brewpub. Downtown San Antonio Airbnbs are rarely this well-trimmed. Your crew will be within one mile of the Alamo, the Riverwalk, and the Pearl, with nightlife, dining, and the sights of downtown all within walking distance. If traveling with a medium-sized group where you need space and activities, but also plan to go out, this is the spot.
Six guests, two bedrooms
Price: $180 per night
Photo: Airbnb
This historic home looks darn good considering its 115-year age. That’s because it has been completely redone into the fashion of an architect’s dream. Vaulted ceilings, spacious open floor plan, and modern trimmings open out onto San Antonio’s historic King William neighborhood. You’re residentially located, but still within easy access to the Riverwalk and the rest of the city in this high-end San Antonio Airbnb perfect for groups.
Ten guests, three bedrooms
Price: $382 per night
Photo: Airbnb
This six-bedroom luxury home has earned its stripes among the best San Antonio Airbnbs for large groups and get-togethers. It’s set up for success with a hot tub, cornhole, bistro lighting, and outdoor living room. Indoors, the house is the stuff of legend with dueling living room TVs, spacious kitchen and living areas, and six perfectly equipped bedrooms that can easily host everything from a work retreat to a raucous reunion.
Sixteen guests, six bedrooms
Price: $670 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Gaze out at the Tower of the Americas while relaxing over a poolside cocktail. Lounge in a spacious living room, or prepare a homecooked meal for your partner for a date night in (such a rare occurrence when traveling). The nice thing about this downtown San Antonio Airbnb is that it gives you the best of both worlds of hospitality — the amenities and comfort of a luxury two-bedroom apartment with the convenience and functionality of a resort hotel. There are multiple units available, so scheduling and booking are less of an issue. If you want to live as San Antonio’s urbanites do, this apartment is the perfect option.
Eight guests, two bedrooms
Price: $311 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Many of the best San Antonio Airbnbs are near to the Riverwalk, downtown, and the Alamo. This one is literally a few paces away. You can stroll the river, stop for dinner and drinks, and take in a historical knowledge bomb, all without breaking a sweat (at least not due to physical exertion). Lavaca gives you easy access to the entire city, from King William to the ever-cool La Villita Arts Village. With room for 12 guests and an entire house to call your own, you can also enjoy the comforts of seclusion, if you so choose.
Twelve guests, five bedrooms
Price: $448 per night
Photo: Airbnb
aSan Antonio’s multicultural vibes shine bright at this riverside condo. The unit itself is comfortable and equipped for remote work, home cooking, and easy access to all points of the city. And the charm of being right above the Riverwalk and all it has to offer makes this a unit that you’ll have a hard time not re-booking each time you come to San Antonio.
Six guests, two bedrooms
Price: $349 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Among San Antonio’s biggest perks is that you can stay in a residential home in the heart of the urban oasis — it’s not a condo-or-bust type of place. This home speaks well to this fact. A luxuriously maintained historic home in the heart of the city, you’ll have walkable access to the Riverwalk, downtown, and the city’s hippest neighborhoods, dining, and nightlife. The Tower of Americas will provide your morning coffee view — not a bad way to toast a new day in San Antonio.
Six guests, three bedrooms
Price: $420 per night
Photo: Airbnb
Accomplishing the counter-point of historical modernity is no simple task. The owners of this historical San Antonio home have pulled it off and created the perfect apartment rental for a couple or solo traveler to enjoy while visiting the city. The unit overlooks the river and provides a unique perspective on historical San Antonio — it’s located in the middle of it and has been through it all, yet somehow feels slightly elevated from the action. A truly rare find.
Two guests, one bedroom
Price: $108 per night
The post 9 San Antonio Airbnbs within walking distance of everything on the Riverwalk appeared first on Matador Network.
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