Matador Network's Blog, page 920

How do hotel star ratings work

In case you missed it, there’s a seven-star resort coming to an Austrian treetop near you. No word on if it’s being inspected by the Lil’ Rascals to make sure it has adequate clubhouse space and “No Girls Allowed” signage since to literally everyone in the world’s knowledge no official rating system exists for tree houses. But it makes one wonder: If a treehouse can claim it has seven stars, can any old hotel do it too?

The Burj-al-Arab in Dubai famously claimed it was the world’s first and only seven-star hotel, but a quick look at Google reviews gives it a paltry four and a half. So who’s telling the truth here, and who is basing stars on nothing more than marketing copy/guests with a remote control battery vendetta? We set out to get to the bottom of the ever-ambiguous hotel rating system, read through some lengthy reports, and now offer up this handy explainer to how the whole thing works.

Hotels are rated by a handful of bodies

Though the process is completely unregulated by any kind of industry or government organization, a few independent companies rate hotels by strict criteria, awarding the stars you often see hanging over the front desk. The biggest in the United States are AAA, Forbes, and Michelin.

AAA

The American Automobile Association — and its Canadian cousin the CAA — have far and away the most comprehensive criteria for rating hotels. If you’d like to read through them all, here’s a scintillating 46-page guide. If you don’t have time to pore through it, AAA rates hotels in four categories, from the very-basic “Approved” to Three, Four, and Five Diamond ratings. Inspectors look at over 29,000 hotels a year, with only one half of one percent receiving Five Diamond status, and another six percent rating Four Diamond.

The rating system looks at a lengthy checklist covering every part of the hotel, from the landscaping outside to the television on the wall. Approved properties must have two medium-sized bars of soap, Five Diamonds must have “a comprehensive and luxurious selection of fashionable bath products.” Approved hotels must have a desk or writing surface of some sort, Five Diamond must have a large desk with multiple outlets or USB ports, and an ergonomic chair. Approved hotels must have a pool. Five Diamond pools require landscaping and water features. You get the idea.

To achieve the ultra-coveted Five Diamond rating, a hotel must undergo an inspection covering over 100 points in 13 categories, examining customer and concierge service, as well as room service, guest request, and bell service. All aspects of inspection other ratings are not subject to.

Of course, this leaves some pretty large discrepancies for, say, modern lifestyle hotels like The Drake, which don’t offer much in the way of clothing storage but still offer a high level of service. Or luxury hotels in Las Vegas or the Caribbean that don’t have TVs in rooms because they want their guests to be outside. While hotels don’t need to hit EVERY mark on the list, they’ve gotta hit most. So lacking a diamond doesn’t necessarily mean lacking quality.

Forbes

Forbes isn’t quite as meticulous as AAA but still gives its inspectors a 900-point checklist to determine the relative luxury of a hotel. Forbes also looks a little more at lifestyle elements, rating the variety and quality of cocktails at the bar, for example. Or the overall dining experience of a restaurant, not simply its existence. Forbes inspections are a little more personal, too, as inspectors look for anticipatory service and housekeepers who organize your toiletries.

It also only offers four-star, five-star, and recommended ratings, granting them to nearly 1,900 hotels in 73 countries. It has added 70 five-star and 120 four-star properties to its list in 2020, so statistically, Forbes’ ratings are a lot easier to come by than AAA.

Michelin

Once upon a time when you heard something was Michelin-starred you just assumed it gave really good wet-road traction. Now, of course, your mouth starts to water as you imagine multi-course feasts made of foam, espuma, and meats you can’t pronounce. But Michelin also rates hotels, and while its Red Guide isn’t quite the lodging authority it was in years past, it’s still a much more dependable rating system than anything you’d find online.

Online ratings can mean a number of things

Online ratings are effectively two separate ratings: One from the site and one from users. Online travel companies like Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity have quick, one-sentence descriptions of what constitutes one-through-five star hotels, and none exceed five. Most start with one star as basically a place with a bed and a door and work their way from value motels at the two-star level to luxury properties at five stars. They don’t conduct official inspections for these ratings, as these serve more as descriptors than awards.

Many sites, including TripAdvisor and Google, offer user-generated star ratings too. These, however, function more as an indicator of met expectations than luxury. For example, if you say at a Motel 6 and get a clean, comfortable room at a reasonable price with the light left on for you, you’ll likely award it five stars since you were completely satisfied with your stay. However, if you stay at the St. Regis and pay $500 a night for a room where the Smart TV doesn’t work, you may rate it three stars because it failed to meet expectations. That is to say, use these ratings to gauge if a place is worth the money, but maybe not its level of luxury.

The rest of the world is a whole other ballgame

In Europe, a collective of hospitality associations called HOTREC uses a standardized system to rate hotels across the continent. As anyone who’s traveled through Europe knows, hotels there can skew a little more… spartan than they do in the US, which is why the criteria in HOTREC’s Hotel Stars program are far simpler than the hundreds of points from Forbes or AAA. A five-star in Europe, for example, requires turndown service, a safe, and internet as some of its main criteria. One-star properties need to have private bathrooms in every room, as that’s not always the case across the pond.

Is the hotel rating system up with the times?

As we said before, modern hotels have done away with amenities people don’t want, regardless of their star ratings. Minibars have gone from overpriced convenience stores to almost extinct, then back to unique in-room shops. Bulk amenities are becoming more commonplace in rooms. Closet space isn’t as important as it used to be. But electrical outlets and fast WiFi are crucial.

In some ways, the rating criteria have kept up. AAA, for example, began replacing its business center inspection points with tech connectivity features. For example, Five Diamond properties now must have mobile check-in and mobile keys, multiple USB ports, electrical outlets, and high-speed WiFi. And the 42-inch flatscreens now must offer Smart televisions and Netflix connectivity.

Sustainability, on the other hand, hasn’t crept into star rating criteria quite yet. Where once upon a time criteria required daily replacement of bottled amenities, that one has been dropped. But AAA does still require bottled products in bathrooms for high ratings, though it does make exceptions for what it calls “eco-conscious” bathrooms. Still, taking steps like requiring no single-use plastics in-room, or bulk amenities, to achieve five-star status might go a long way in making hotels more sustainable.

Whether the current star rating criteria are relevant at all — especially in the age of ubiquitous user reviews — is debatable. But what’s not debatable is that lacking an official rating from Forbes, AAA, or someone similar, a star rating isn’t much more than a marketing term. Yes, a seven-star treehouse sounds impressive, but if no one was there to inspect it, did it really even get reviewed? Probably not, so make sure you still do your homework, and don’t trust anything that sounds too fancy to be real.


More like this: The 25 most spectacular hotels in the world: 2020

The post The truth behind how hotels really get their star ratings appeared first on Matador Network.

What is the tallest building in each

It can be tough to get a sense of a building’s scale unless you’re comparing it first-hand, side-by-side, with a skyscraper. When many of us were growing up, the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) in Chicago, Illinois, was the tallest building in the country, but that title has since been awarded to the One World Trade Center in New York City. We know how tall the WTC is in feet, but exactly how much taller than the other skyscrapers in the country? And what does that actually look like? Thanks to this data visualization put together by reddit user takeasecond, which compares each state’s tallest building in a simple infographic, we can easily compare and contrast our nation’s skyscrapers.

Photo: takeasecond/Reddit

The chart is also color-coded by function, so we can see what our country’s tallest buildings are actually being used for. While some serve as hotels, residential spaces, casinos, or government buildings, skyscrapers overwhelmingly seem to serve as office spaces.

The chart also helps put these buildings into perspective. If you grew up in Burlington, Vermont, and have never ventured far from home, the Decker Towers might feel like a colossal monolith. Seeing how it stacks up next to the One World Trade Center — or even Wisconsin’s US Bank Center — is pretty eye-opening.

The chart pretty much speaks for itself, but Nevada’s Palazzo deserves a special shoutout for being the only hotel/casino to crack the list. Nevada certainly didn’t let us down.


More like this: The craziest architectural projects completed in 2019

The post The tallest building in each US state, visualized appeared first on Matador Network.

World’s only pink manta ray

There are rare animals, and then there are those that are completely one-of-a-kind. This pink manta ray belongs to the latter, distinguished group. Inspector Clouseau is the world’s only known pink manta ray, first spotted in 2015. Named for the inspector in the Pink Panther movies, sightings of Clouseau are incredibly rare. That’s what makes this most recent close-up photo, captured by photographer Kristian Laine off Australia’s Lady Elliot Island, so special.

Laine told Australian Geographic that at first he didn’t believe his eyes, thinking the ray’s pink coloring was due to a camera malfunction, “At first I was very confused,” he said, “I actually thought my strobes were playing up.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kristian (@kristianlainephotography) on Feb 9, 2020 at 10:07pm PST

The Project Manta research group has been looking into the cause of the ray’s pinkish hue ever since it was first seen. Stress, skin infection, and diet have all been considered as possible causes, but eventually ruled out. Now, Project Manta believes the color is the result of a genetic mutation that affects skin pigmentation. It would, however, be the first such mutation documented in a manta ray.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kristian (@kristianlainephotography) on Jan 22, 2020 at 9:45pm PST

For now, we can enjoy the rare photos that do emerge of the elusive Inspector Clouseau, until his next sighting.

The post Lucky diver captures new photos of the world’s only pink manta ray appeared first on Matador Network.

Positive environmental news

This is the Climate Win, the most positive sustainability news around the world every week.

What a great week in the news. Before you scoff, hear us out. This week saw some major announcements on the sustainability front, overshadowed by the normal dramatic headlines. This is particularly true for those who prefer to vacation beach-side with a cold cocktail in hand. In southern Mexico, it just got a lot easier to do just that without churning out a cluster plastic cups in the process. Here are this week’s top green-friendly stories.

The descent is real

We lead this week with a massive piece of news. Global energy-related carbon emissions flatlined in 2019 after two consecutive years of spikes, according to a report published by environmental consulting firm IEA. About 33 gigatons of total carbon emissions were spewed into the atmosphere last year to produce energy, on par with that of 2018 and — hopefully — signifying the increasing global consciousness of the climate crisis.

The reasoning behind this, according to the report, was the increased use of renewable energy in developed economies, and a corresponding decrease in power derived from burning coal. Globally, we’re nowhere near the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which calls for a 40 percent reduction in the total greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2030 (in 1990 the total-gigaton-emissions calculator had yet to break double digits). But if this marker signifies anything, it’s that we’ve reached the next switchback in a much-needed steep descent over the next decade, and that 2020 could actually see carbon emissions finally fall.

I’ll have another (in the same cup)

If you’ve visited a resort along Mexico’s Riviera Maya in the past few weeks, you likely noticed something quite different from previous visits: the bartender asking for your cup back. The government of the state of Quintana Roo, which is home to both Cancun and Playa Del Carmen and is the most visited part of Mexico, voted in 2019 to ban single-use plastics.

The decision came into force on the state’s islands last year and is now in full effect up and down the mainland coast. It continues a trend of policies phasing out single-use plastics that have spread in various degrees across the country from the beaches of Baja California Sur to the megalopolis of Mexico City. You’ll see this change most readily in the lack of plastic beer cups at the all-inclusive resorts and in the glass water bottles in your hotel mini-fridge. Special shout-out to Hotel XCaret, which recently became the first Latin-American hotel to receive EarthCheck certification for its sustainability efforts. We’ll raise a toast to that.

Loop me in

How many times have you ordered something off the internet, only to be disappointed when it arrived wrapped in plastic, padded by styrofoam, or accompanied by single-use trash? A brand called Loop is out to change that, by inviting retail brands to use its reusable packaging solutions. The brand packages everyday items like shampoo or makeup — even the stuff from big-name brands — in zero-waste, reusable containers and sends them to your home in what the brand dubbed its “Loop Tote.” It gets even better: It also picks the packaging up when you’re done with it and returns it for reuse. Tests of the model performed in 2019 were so successful that the brand just announced that Loop-packaged products will also be available in retail stores later in 2020. For now, though, you can get your Häagen-Dazs fix delivered to your front door.

From developed winter resort to conservation area

A number of ski resorts around the world are taking bold steps to address their environmental impact. But on a swath of former indigenous land in British Columbia, it’s the absence of a resort altogether that is making headlines. Canadian newspaper The Star reported in early February that a 230-square-mile plot of land slated to be turned into a new ski area is instead returning to the hands of the Ktunaxa First Nation. What nearly became BC’s next destination ski resort will now become a designated conservation area about 120 miles southwest of Banff, Alberta. After facing years of protest, court hearings, and negotiations, the developer agreed to settle with the federal government and private interests for an undisclosed amount and relinquish the land to the Ktunaxa, creating Canada’s fourth indigenous-protected area.

Emission-free whale watching

Imagine seeing the northern lights, killer whales, or the vastness of Arctic icebergs in total silence and totally free of carbon emissions. That’s exactly what Brim Explorer, a Norwegian startup, is doing in the high Arctic. Its electric-and-battery-powered catamaran ships run entirely free of fossil fuels, the first such boats in the Arctic. This winter, the company is offering whale-watching tours in the Tromsø fjords. In the summer, the company will sail on a second ship around the Arctic Circle and to the islands of Svalbard, also in total silence and with zero emissions. And on Svalbard itself, as we already reported, you can ride on utterly silent electric snowmobiles, where the power to run them is wind-generated.

How’s that for a peaceful night under the stars? We’ll see you next week.


More like this: Welcome to the Climate Win: the most positive sustainability news every week

The post The Climate Win: flatlining emissions and an all-inclusive farewell to single-use plastics appeared first on Matador Network.

Best places to travel in April 2020

Despite an old adage about April showers, the fourth month of the year is really when life starts to return to much of the planet. The long winter has defrosted and left with it cherry blossoms, baseball, and plenty of end-of-winter parties, combining to make this one of the most enticing months to get out and see the world. But the best places to travel in April aren’t always the most obvious, where festivals you may never have heard of offer better times than well-worn destinations. So read on to see our picks for the 12 best places to go in April, and let your springtime imagination run wild.

1. Curacao

Photo: Birdiegal/Shutterstock

Not that this colorful island is ever lacking for excitement, but in April the party lasts all month…and it’s not even Carnival. The month kicks off with Curacao Culinair from April 3-5 where open-air food markets fill the island with savory smells. That gives way to the island’s annual Seu Harvest Parade on the 13th and the Curacao Film Festival from April 21-26. But the biggest party of the month will come with the BlueSeas Festival, a jazz and blues fest that’s been headlined in past years by Buddy Guy and Leon Russel, and draws the largest crowds of the year after Carnival. The fun’s not over after that, though, as April ends with the block parties and orange-clad revelers of King’s Day on the 27th.

2. Zurich, Switzerland

Photo: dnaveh/Shutterstock

Switzerland in the spring is always a magical time, as you’ll still be able to spot snow atop the alpine peaks, and will also find days where you can walk around in shorts. Zurich makes for an especially interesting destination this month with its “Burning of the Boogg,” part of the annual Sechseläuten festival. Part Burning Man, part Groundhog Day, this event celebrating the end of winter involves building a 12-foot snowman atop a 30-foot pyre, then lighting said pyre on fire until it reaches the snowman’s head. His head is filled with fireworks, and the sooner they explode, the better summer will be, according to tradition. Once the snowman is gloriously decapitated, the crowd roasts sausages on the embers that rain down.

3. Norfolk, Virginia

Photo: Virginia Arts Festival

This April, the cultural capital of the Mid-Atlantic is undoubtedly…Norfolk? Yep. The Virginia Arts Festival is hosting its cornerstone event in this naval hotbed from April 17-19 when the Hong Kong Ballet’s ALICE (in wonderland) comes to town. It’s the only stop on the company’s US tour to be accompanied by a live symphony orchestra, and will feature dazzling costumes from Cirque du Soleil’s Liz Vandal. A different kind of performing arts will be on display on the 30th at the 2020 Virginia International Tattoo. Not a festival of creative body art, it’s a military celebration with over 1,000 international performers including drummers, drill teams, dancers, and musicians honoring the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. It draws over 25,000 people to Norfolk each year.

4. Chicago, Illinois

Photo: Christian Hinkle/Shutterstock

Cannabis lovers, mark your calendars. The most recent major city to legalize recreational marijuana takes advantage of its first sunny days of 2020 with the Illinois Cannabis Convention on April 3. If that feels a little too corporate for you, visit from April 19-25, when the city hosts the first-ever Chicago Cannabis Week. For non-partakers, you may find the longest-running Asian-American film festival worth checking out, as the 25th anniversary of the Asian American Showcase runs from April 3-16. While we make no promises about the weather, the Cubs and White Sox will be back in action in April. And the new 21c Museum Hotel debuts its first curated collection called “This We Believe,” featuring provocative works by THE KID, Kota Ezawa, Titus Kaphar, and others.

5. Monaco

Photo: karamysh/Shutterstock

Where better to experience the release of a new Bond movie than the city that’s become synonymous with 007? The No Time to Die premiere hits the principality on April 6, and if you book a VIP stay at the Hotel Metropole you’ll get the chance to walk the red carpet with the stars of the show. Even if you’re not there for the premiere, the Metropole will have a whole month of Bond experiences for anyone who books a stay in the Suite Carré d’Or, including a private tour of the famous casino, an Aston Martin tour of the French Riviera, and a helicopter ride over the Mediterranean.

If you’re not ballin’ like a Bond villain, you can still Bond on a budget in Europe’s most expensive capital. The city’s biggest attractions — like the zoo, oceanographic museum, royal palace, and even the casino — can be done for less than 50 euros a day. And you can close out your day with 5 euro pints right on Port Hercules during happy hour at Brasserie de Monaco.

6. Jamaica

Photo: Ovidiu Curic/Shutterstock

Though some who are less-familiar with the Caribbean may believe Carnival runs more-or-less the same time everywhere, that’s not at all the case. And in April, it’s Jamaica’s turn to throw a soca-fueled party to end all parties. From April 15-21, towns and cities all over the island will throw massive street parades, and visitors are welcome to join a band, throw on an outrageous costume, and jump right alongside the locals. Jamaica will be another big destination for James Bond fans, as the latest film in the 007 franchise was shot on the island. In addition to visiting the filming locales from that movie, visitors can also hit Dunn’s River Falls from Dr. No and Falmouth Crocodile Farm, which was prominently featured in Live and Let Die.

7. Orlando, Florida

Photo: Wagner Santos de Almeida/Shutterstock

Word to the wise: The later in April you go to Orlando, the better your life will be. Because despite pleasant weather, spring break can make the theme parks a nightmare. So wait until the kids are back in school, then check out the brand new Cirque du Soleil show Drawn to Life at Disney Springs. Or experience Epcot in full bloom during the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. If you’ve been to Disney World before and are looking to mix up your experience this time around, check out one of the lesser-known, exclusive night-time experiences.

Away from the parks, April also brings MEGACON — the largest fan convention in the southeast — from the 16th-19th. Captain Kirk himself Willian Shatner will be on hand, as well as Weird Al Yankovic, Jim Lee, Encino Man Brenden Fraser, and all four hobbits from The Lord of the Rings. Plus you’ll have the chance to attend meet and greets with Addams family member Christina Ricci, Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito, and many other on-screen favorites.

8. Thailand

Photo: Mr. JK/Shutterstock

The world’s biggest water fight goes down countrywide from April 13-15 during Songkran, the Thai New Year’s celebration that’s observed by throwing water on literally everyone you see. The only way you’re staying dry is if you’re elderly, holding a baby, or a monk. Even elephants get into the action, so trust no one. For something even crazier, hit the half-moon party in Koh Samui, an all-night rave that rivals the famous full moon affair at Haad Rin. Beyond the festivals, the April shoulder season brings minimal rain and lower-than-average prices, making it an ideal time to explore places like the turquoise waters and colorful reefs of Koh Tao or the idyllic Pai River valley towns.

9. New Jersey

Photo: gary718/Shutterstock

Quick: Who has the biggest cherry blossom display in all of the US? You guessed it…Newark! So if you’re into calming pink petals make tracks to Branch Brook Park from April 4-19 for the Essex County Cherry Blossom Festival. You’ll find over 3,000 trees in full bloom around the second and third week of April, which you can view from trolly tours, while running a 10K, or just wasting an April afternoon outside. If you’d rather experience New Jersey as some believe it was meant to be experienced — from inside a shopping mall — you can also hit up the long-awaited American Dream. It’s finally fully operational this month and features Nickelodeon Universe and Big Snow, New Jersey’s first indoor snow hill. Easter weekend also marks the unofficial opening of many boardwalk attractions down the shore (well, at least when it lands in April, like it does this year), and is a popular way to celebrate the holiday for locals.

10. Pinot Coast, Australia

Photo: TonyNg/Shutterstock

As tends to happen after disasters, a number of people believe the entire continent of Australia went ablaze these past few months. But much of the country was unaffected, and if you’re looking to help Australia get back on its feet, check out its oldest wine-producing region set along the southeastern coast near Melbourne. Here you’ll find the colorful countryside, in harvest season, when wineries are working their hardest among bright oranges, yellows, and reds. There are 146 wine producers along the 400 miles of the Pinot Coast, with the Geelong, Mornington, Peninsula, and Gippsland regions all offering their own take on pinot grigio.

But it’s not just wine tasting that excels here during Australian fall. You can also go whale watching, diving, and surfing off the coast. Or check out wild penguins at Phillip Island’s Penguin Parade. Whatever your flavor, you can’t go wrong along the Pinot Coast.

11. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Photo: Rob Hainer/Shutterstock

Myrtle Beach is always a fantastic budget beach destination, but in April you’ll have the rare opportunity to grab a Jeep and actually drive on the sand. The annual Myrtle Beach Jeep Jam starts on April 30, where you can bring your vehicle through a treacherous beach obstacle course, enjoy a car show, and take part in nightly bar crawls along the boardwalk.

If you’d like something a little more refined, head here earlier in the month for the opening of large-scale light sculptor Bruce Munro’s exhibit at Brookgreen Gardens, when South Carolina’s biggest botanical gardens comes alight with his massive light sculptures tailor-made for Instagram. One of the biggest golf Pro-Am tournaments in the country will also go down from April 10-13 at Monday After the Masters, highlighted by a live performance from host Hootie and the Blowfish.

12. Palawan, Philippines

Photo: R.M. Nunes/Shutterstock

While the beach where the movie The Beach was actually filmed is effectively closed to visitors now, the beach where Alex Garland wrote the novel that inspired the movie is still as pristine as ever. That’s probably because it sits among the 1,780 islands that make up Palawan, a hard-to-reach tropical paradise that still feels remote and altogether undisturbed. Island-hopping through this region is a true return to nature, albeit nature covered in beaches, and April hits the sweet spot between tourist and monsoon season when the weather is nice and you won’t run into too many other visitors. If you feel inspired to go, Matador Network’s Creative Director Scott Sporleder will be leading an adventure through Palawan in April, sailing from island to island and working on your travel photography along the way. And lucky for you, spaces are still available.


More like this: Island-hopping around Palawan, Philippines, is the best adventure you can take in 2020

The post The best places to travel this April appeared first on Matador Network.

How Kalixmotxo was invented

The most memorable things we come across when we travel often took a long, winding path to get to what they are today. This is Origin Story, a series that looks into the various influences that made the cultural touchstones we know today.

In 1971, Coca-Cola debuted what is now considered one of the world’s most famous commercial. The advertisement features a catchy jingle about wanting to buy the world a Coke. On August 12, 1972, at 5:00 PM, according to local legend, a group of young merchants in Spain with a bad batch of wine bought a lot of Coke during a festival and mixed it with the wine. They called it Kalimotxo. It has since become one of the most popular ways to buy someone a Coke in their little section of the world.

Kalimotxo (pronounced cali-mocho) is a 50-50 Coca-Cola and red wine drink from the Basque region of Spain. It’s sweet, fizzy, and a touch tart. It has a construction as simple as a Jack and Coke and the sophistication of a Shirley Temple.

“I didn’t like it the first time I tried it, neither did any of my friends,” says Patricia Palacios, the co-founder of the Basque Country travel website Eusko Guide. “But it is such an important part of the culture for young Spanish people that you end up drinking it every single weekend. Everybody does.”

The Basque region in northern Spain is one of the country’s, and the world’s, most famous food regions. On the drinks side, Basque Country produces some of the best cider in the world as well as a renowned effervescent white wine called txakoli. Still, the mix of saccharine American Coca-Cola with cheap Spanish red wine has become a regional product known around the world.

“I was bartending at a Belgian beer garden in NYC the first time I heard someone order a Kalimotxo,” Emily Saladino, the digital associate managing editor of Wine Enthusiast, tells me over email. “Embarrassingly, I responded, ‘We only serve beer and wine here, we don’t have spirits.’ When the customer explained what it was and how I absolutely could fix one for her, I thought it sounded delicious — sort of like a boozy Cherry Coke! My fellow bartenders disagreed.”

The first time I tried one was while working on a story for a niche alcohol publication (the same one where Saladino would later become my editor). My reaction was similar: In the right time and place (a casual get together, for example, or a festival in Spain), why not? The online reaction to the story ranged from “3. 2. 1. headache” to “Good job, you ruined perfectly good wine.”

Cocktail bartenders and enthusiasts do not generally use flavored sodas, especially not standard Coca-Cola, in their concoctions. Its sweetness can be overpowering and easily throws drinks off balance. Yet Coke is the standard for American soda. The flavor, for better or for worse, is what other countries associate with American taste buds.

Photo: martiapunts/Shutterstock

When it comes to the wine, Palacios says cheap boxed wine is best and the brand of choice is typically Don Simon (though she adds she can’t stand the taste of a Kalimotxo anymore). Ryan Meliker, a certified sommelier and the food and beverage manager at the Ritz-Carlton Denver, first came across Kalimotxo when studying with the Culinary Institute of America and recommends a tempranillo from Rioja that has cooked fruit or jam notes. Nicky Beyries, bar manager at San Francisco’s Laszlo and Foreign Cinema, prefers grenache or shiraz.

The Spanish mixed Coca-Cola with red wine long before it became known by its Basque name. Originally, the mixed drink had names like Rioja Libre (free Rioja) and Cuba Libre del Pobre (Cuba Libre for the poor, riffing off of the classic Cuba Libre made with rum and Coke). It wasn’t until 1972 that it earned the name “Kalimotxo,” according to the book El invento del Kalimotxo y anécdotas de las fiestas (The invention of the Kalimotxo and party anecdotes).

The legend goes that the Antzarrak club was in charge of drinks for the St. Nicholas Festival at the Old Port of Algorta in Getxo. They were stuck with 2,000 liters of spoiled red wine and didn’t want to lose out on their investment. So they mixed it one-to-one with Coca-Cola. How the drink got the name is unclear, but one theory is that it was named after a member of the group named Kali.

Kalimotxo stuck, unlike its previous monikers. It’s an officially recognized drink popular enough to be listed by the Spanish Royal Academy, the official dictionary of the Spanish language, which defines a calimocho as mezcla de vino tinto y refresco de cola (“mix of red wine and cola”). “Kalimotxo” was eventually registered in 1996 for 30 years by a business owned by one of Coca-Cola’s European partners, according to the European Union’s intellectual property office. The drink itself, however, is for the people. As El invento del Kalimotxo puts it, “Legal ownership belongs to them, for a usurpation totally legal although not authorized by us.”

People in Spain take their Kalimotxo seriously. Despite the trend of mixing highbrow products into lowbrow drinks, Kalimotxo has stubbornly stayed the same. Pepsi tried to capitalize on the drink’s popularity by mixing its bartender-focused cola, called 1893, with red wine in 2017. People immediately called the brand out for appropriating a drink that isn’t a Kalimotxo unless made with Coca-Cola.

Though the drink might sound like an odd combo on first mention, try it for yourself and you might just find the appeal. It’s lighter in alcohol than a traditional aperitivo like an Aperol Spritz — perfect for a long day at the beach, park, or outdoor block party. Pick the driest, most tart cheap red wine you can find and the flavor is more balanced than straight soda.

And for anyone who has been to Spain, drinking a Kalimotxo will bring you back.

“Just as tiki came from vacation nostalgia,” Beyries says, “I can see the Kalimotxo having the same hold on the American cocktail drinker reminiscing about the Kalimotxos they enjoyed on a Spanish holiday.”


More like this: You’ll fall in love with Basque Country’s wild cider traditions

The post How spoiled wine inspired the Basque Country’s most famous mixed drink appeared first on Matador Network.

Using Tinder Passport

Despite editing a website that constantly promotes the power of solo travel, particularly for women, I hadn’t actually traveled anywhere solo. I’d been to the odd work conference alone and been on group press trips where I didn’t know anyone, but backpacking through Southeast Asia as a fearless solo traveler — something nearly all of my coworkers have done at some point in their lives — has never appealed to me.

I crave companionship. My best travel memories are all moments of connection between me and my travel buddy, which has almost always been my mother, my sisters, or back in the day, my ex-boyfriend. I simply cannot fathom enjoying traveling alone. It’s not just a preference for me, it’s a deep-seated fear. I can’t enjoy a day at the park because I’m left wondering how much more I would enjoy the park if I was with someone. I pass up concerts I badly want to see, miss exciting pop-up events in the city, and let my vacation days lapse — all because I don’t often have someone willing to tag along. It’s not that I want a boyfriend, but I want someone by my side, at all times — even if it’s just my dog. So if I feel that way living alone on an average day, surely those feelings would be amplified to an unbearable level abroad.

But then Tinder reached out to me, because I guess my singlehood is so apparent it’s on a public relations team’s radar. They offered to send me anywhere to test out their new Passport feature for traveling singles. This was my opportunity to go to a new city completely alone, knowing that I would be forced to get out of my comfort zone, and forge connections with strangers without a safety net of a friend or family member. It was solo travel without the need to actually be solo. And if I happened to meet the love of my life, two birds, one stone.

I chose Toronto in the hopes that a stereotypically friendly Canadian man would make my journey easier.

What is Tinder Passport?

Photo: Tinder

The basic Tinder we all know and love and delete and reinstall is free, but the premium offering — Tinder Gold — costs $29.99 a month, with a price break if you commit to a six- or 12-month membership. Tinder Gold’s main features are the ability to undo an accidental left swipe, or browse guaranteed matches that have already swiped right on you. But one of the more appealing, lesser-known features is Passport, which allows you to swipe in other cities before you’ve arrived.

This has a multitude of benefits for regular dating. You can set your location to your home neighborhood to swipe at work. You can line up dates in New York City even when you’re stuck in your parents’ house in New Jersey for the weekend. You could test your theory that all the good men are hiding in Omaha. But the Passport feature is particularly advantageous for gregarious solo travelers who want to have a date waiting for them in another country before the wheels have even touched down.

I re-downloaded Tinder a month before my trip, glass of red wine in hand, and with it popped up the ghosts of old conversations that never panned out with San Francisco tech bros, and photos of me sporting a regretful bob. My bio still said I was new in town. It had been well over a year since I’d moved to the Bay Area, and just as long since I’d last used the app. I updated my photos to my current shoulder-length hair, unmatched with anyone lingering in my inbox, set my location to Toronto, and took a big swig of wine.

My bio now read: “Travel editor heading to Toronto the first weekend of August for a story. Need a nice Canadian local to show me around! Distant Trudeau relatives preferred.”

None of that, technically, was a lie.

My Tinder-cation begins

Photo: TRphotos/Shutterstock

Sitting in the San Francisco airport on Friday, panic began to set in. Turns out, it was a Canadian national holiday the weekend I was heading to Toronto, and most men would rather be partying at their parents’ lakehouse than taking out a Tinder date with no long-term promise. My original goal was to see three men over the course of the weekend, but by the time I had to switch on airplane mode, I had just one date confirmed, with Matt.*

The saving grace to my one, lonely plan for a three-day weekend was Matt’s complete enthusiasm for showing me the city and an early-bird attitude. He invited me to breakfast at Lady Marmalade in East Chinatown, a neighborhood few tourists would head to first, at 9:00 AM sharp. He was taking his role as tour guide seriously and had a full day planned across the entirety of Toronto.

Matt was already sitting at the back of the restaurant with a coffee when I arrived, and a wave of relief set in that he had, in fact, shown up, and that he gave off an easy-going energy that I could imagine spending the whole day around. He was also undeniably handsome, and my type, even if he was just barely the same height as me.

Matt insisted that I HAD to order the eggs Benedict, the “best in the city,” as if he could sense my eyes wandering over from the fresh fruit crepe to the brie, avocado, and bacon Benny.

Already, this was going better than most dates I’d been on stateside.

Conversation flowed easily, since we had an entire city to talk about, and I was still under the guise of researching Toronto itself. He told me with glowing pride about the quality of life in Toronto, humble-bragged about owning his own gaming company, and talked about how he spends most of his free time walking around the city’s many green spaces. He complained about the high cost of living, but I had him beat with tales of San Francisco rent. He showed interest in my glamorous-sounding travel job, even though it was clear to me that he’d traveled far more places than I have, but was playing it cool to make me feel like the expert.

When the bill came, I was relieved to not have to play the credit card dance and overthink what it meant if we split, or he paid. I laid down my card and told him that was the deal for the day — he showed me around, and I let my company (read: Tinder) pay for the expenses. In signing the bill, I felt like the character I was playing, of the jetsetting journalist whose job pays for her every need, who collects men like passport stamps.

Photo: Gilberto Mesquita/Shutterstock

We started our walking tour at his favorite, lesser-known farmers market, Evergreen Brick Works — located in a former quarry way off the tourist trail. We grabbed iced teas and walked in the surrounding park to a viewpoint overlooking the city. Along the way, someone asked if we could take their photo. They then asked if they could take one of us. We awkwardly laughed and said sure, wrapping our arms around each other’s waists and posing like a couple. So now, I have exactly one more photo of us than I do of any of my last four boyfriends.

From there we wandered around the Distillery District, popping in and out of artisan shops, and sharing our long lists of favorite TV shows — a mutual passion — and our furious thoughts on the finale of Game of Thrones. We walked along the waterfront toward the iconic CN Tower, where I convinced him to ditch a cool local lunch in favor of being a total tourist, dining at the top of the tower in the revolving restaurant with 360-degree views of the city. That way, even he could experience something he’d never done, and probably would never do no matter how long he lived in Toronto.

We walked to Queen Street West, through Graffiti Alley, and admired the neighborhood’s abundance of street art. We passed by a pop-up called The Funhouse, the trippy kind of immersive art exhibit where you walk through a wardrobe to reach Alice in Wonderland-style rooms. We bought tickets on a whim and took pictures of each other interacting with the art for our respective Instagrams, free of judgment from grabbing that #content on a date.

This was the sort of spontaneous adventure I’d never had on a date back in my city, which is usually relegated to happy hour at some pretentious cocktail bar. More importantly, these were the sorts of experiences I miss out on in general, because I’m always waiting for someone special to do them with me.

Photo: Spiroview Inc/Shutterstock

Around 5:00 PM, a full work day’s worth of a date, our conversation started to slow down, and the mutual desire to call it quits was palpable. We’d crammed more experiences into one date than you would in months under normal circumstances. We’d learned far more about each other’s lives, interests, and dreams than you’d ever risk sharing on a normal first date. But there was nothing more to say, nothing more to show me, and thousands of steps around the city later, we arrived at the front of my hotel exhausted. It was clear we weren’t going to rendezvous upstairs, but how do you say goodbye to someone you’ve spent the entire day getting to know, that you have no intention of ever seeing again?

Quite simply, actually.

We hugged, I pecked him on the cheek, and thanked him profusely for showing me around his city. He wished me well with the story and the rest of my time in Toronto, I wished him a fun rest of the holiday weekend. He walked away, and for once, I didn’t spend the next few hours texting with my friends trying to dissect every moment, stressing over whether I’d get a second date. I just went upstairs, ordered room service, and went to sleep.

Taking the spirit of Tinder with me

Photo: anderm/Shutterstock

The next morning, I boarded an early train to Niagara Falls. I wasn’t going to fly all the way to Ontario and not see one of the great natural wonders of the world. On Tinder, I was pushing hard for someone to join me on a Segway tour, but I settled for the promise of lunch with a tourist from New York in the kitschy downtown, after my trip on the Hornblower of course.

Niagara Falls is the quintessential couple’s trip. It’s the perfect mix of cheesy and romantic. It’s the setting of Jim and Pam’s wedding for God’s sake. It is, in other words, the exact type of activity that would have normally sent me into a panic attack for doing alone. I might be able to handle a work trip for a few days, but a cruise under the majestic falls, with dozens of couples with selfie sticks laughing and kissing in their ridiculous ponchos? It’s the sort of moment that used to make me think, if you didn’t share the memory with anyone, did it even happen?

But even the potential of having a companion for lunch, even if it didn’t actually pan out, was enough to make me feel like I wasn’t foolish for donning my poncho solo. Even the fact that I was wearing a cute outfit and makeup, instead of my usual lonesome look of yoga pants and dark undereye circles, made the occasion feel like just that — an occasion. Except I also didn’t have to worry about that makeup getting ruined from the mist of the falls.

Photo: Laura Reilly

My lunch date did end up hitting me with the sudden unmatch, a few minutes before we were meant to meet. But I was actually relieved to have the rest of the day to myself. That extra time meant I could go check out the 4-D experience (most definitely meant for children) that was included in my ticket. It meant I could FaceTime my parents and show them the view of the falls. It meant I could simply sit on the lawn and eat an ice cream cone from the Ontario-only chain Matt had told me about the day before with great enthusiasm. I could still enjoy shared moments, even if all I was sharing was the same favorite flavor of ice cream as a new friend.

I left Toronto with memories, untarnished by the anxiety of whether or not I had a future with my date. In the months that followed, I downloaded Tinder Gold again before my trip to Italy to practice my Italian with some locals. I hit up one of my Canadian matches whom I never met up with for the lowdown on the best poutine in Quebec City, his hometown. I even used it with the intention of actually dating again in my new home on the East Coast, this time with the much healthier attitude of no expectations for anything but a recommendation on where one can find good food in Delaware.

And as for Matt, we still follow each other on Instagram, throwing each other a cordial like every now and then. He even texted me a month ago to thank me for turning him on to Fleabag. I believe he’s still waiting for his local guide to Toronto to hit the pages of Matador, and for that, Matt, I apologize. We likely won’t cross paths again, but if I do find myself alone in Toronto again, I won’t be afraid to reach out. Because if this experience has taught me anything, it’s to relax and be open-minded for any outcome. Worst comes to worst, I’ll still have myself to keep me company, and turns out that isn’t the worst thing after all.

* Actual name has been changed.

More like this: How to get the most out of your post-breakup vacation

The post Tinder sent me to Toronto to find love, and I fell in love with solo travel instead appeared first on Matador Network.

Beautiful images from Madagascar

In December, my family and I took a trip across northern Madagascar, the world’s second-largest island country after Indonesia and home to diverse animal species found nowhere else on the planet. The country is made up of the main island of Madagascar, the world’s fourth-largest island, and several smaller islands. We started on the island of Nosy Be, off the coast of the main island, and ended at the main island’s northern port city of Antsiranana, visiting three national parks along the way. Below are my favorite photos from our journey to this beautiful, wild island.




1

Our first stop was the island of Nosy Be, located northwest of the main island of Madagascar. Our first night, we saw this sunset along the coast with the main island of Madagascar visible in the distance. Nosy Be, which means "big island," has an international airport, secluded beaches, tropical resorts, and Lokobe National Park, which is home to several species of lemurs, the country's famous endemic primates.

2

This is a hotel pool on Palm Beach, on the west coast of Nosy Be. Nosy Be has become a resort destination for Europeans, with lodging ranging from luxury hotels to small hostels and private home rentals. Even so, many of the beaches are secluded and undeveloped.

3

From the coast, we went to Lokobe National Park where we saw this male black lemur. Madagascar split from the African and Indian landmasses almost 100 million years ago, allowing its plants and animals to evolve in isolation. About 90 percent of Madagascar's species are unique to the island, including the lemur, a small primate. There are more than 100 subspecies of lemur.

Intermission












News

Wombats are the heroes of the Australian fires, sheltering animals in their burrows


Eben Diskin
Jan 15, 2020















Outdoor

The 7 most amazing wildlife experiences in Madagascar


Ali Wunderman
Oct 17, 2018















Outdoor

Ecuador’s highlands are full of rare plants and animals you need to see


Stephanie Frias
Nov 20, 2019













4

The next day, we took an early morning, 90-minute ferry from Nosy Be to the Madagascar mainland. Photographed from the ferry, this pirogue is sailing the straits between Nosy Be and Madagascar. In Madagascar, pirogues - hand-crafted canoes made by hollowing a single tree trunk - typically also have outriggers and are powered both by paddles and sails. Upon arriving on the main island, we drove about six hours to Ankarana National Park along Madagascar’s north-south highway, a rutted dirt road where it was often hard to travel more than 10-15 miles per hour.

5

We spent the next three days at Ankarana National Park. In the park, this is a bridge across the tsingy. In the native language Malagasy, tsingy literally means "where one cannot walk barefoot" and is used to refer to the sharp, needle-like karst limestone formations that can be found in several places on the island, including in Ankarana park. Ankarana is also known for having one of the highest densities of primates of any forest in the world.

6

This chameleon navigates a thorny plant in Ankara National Park. Madagascar is home to about half of the world's 150 species of chameleons, animals famous for their ability to dramatically change colors. They also have bulging eyes that can move independently, providing them almost 360-degree vision, an advantage as they hunt for insect prey in the forest.

7

We look up at a baobab tree in Ankarana National Park. A baobab tree can store up to 32,000 gallons of water in its trunk, which allows the tree to survive in drought conditions. There are six species of baobab trees native to Madagascar. Recently, baobabs across southern Africa have begun to die off as rainfall patterns have changed due to climate change.

Intermission












News

A museum dedicated entirely to words and language is opening in Washington, DC


Eben Diskin
Feb 5, 2020















Travel

Abby Sunderland lost and found at sea


Candice Walsh
Jun 12, 2010















Outdoor

Mapped: The optimal road trip to see all the US national parks


Morgane Croissant
May 26, 2017













8

Trails in Ankarana National park lead across the tsingy canyons. The sharp tsingy rocks are formed when water combines with limestone (calcium carbonate) to form a weak acid, which eats away at the limestone to form peaks and cavities.

9

09

We look out from the Cave of the Bats in Ankarana National Park, where 220 steps lead down to the entrance of this spacious cave. The park has over a dozen species of bats, and the cave is home to several of those species, including large fruit bats.

10

After three days in Ankarana, we spent a day and night at Amber Mountain, staying in the Nature Lodge there just outside the entrance to the Amber Mountain National Park. Located in northern Madagascar near the city of Antsiranana, Amber Mountain is one of the most biologically diverse areas of Madagascar. It sits at 5,000 feet above sea level, offering a cool respite from the heat of the surrounding lowlands.

11

A snake crawls along the forest floor in Amber Mountain National Park. The park is home to 59 species of reptiles and 25 species of mammals.

Intermission












News

Dr. Jane Goodall plans to plant five million trees by the end of 2020


Eben Diskin
Feb 6, 2020















News

What’s going on in… Madagascar?


Lova Rakotomalala
Jan 29, 2009















Sponsored

13 gorgeous images of Norway’s fjord region in winter


Jacqueline Kehoe
Jan 8, 2019













12

Along with wildlife, Amber Mountain is known for its lakes and waterfalls. The local people travel to the Cascade Sacrée, or Sacred Waterfall, to drink the water and leave offerings for their ancestors.

13

From Amber Mountain, it is about a two-hour drive to Antsiranana, a lovely port town on the northern tip of Madagascar known for its large deep-water bay. Antsiranana - a city of 100,000 that’s also known as Madagascar’s "northern capital" - was named Diego Suarez prior to 1975 and is still called that by many locals. In 1885, after the French overthrew the ruling Madagascar monarchy, this area became a French colony; France established rule over the entire island in 1896 until Madagascar’s independence in 1960. Here is an abandoned hotel facade dating to the colonial period.

14

A pirogue sails on Antsiranana Bay, one of the largest harbors in the Indian Ocean. It is accessible by road and airport to the rest of the country. After two nights in Antsiranana, we flew back to Nosy Be, our starting point, for our international flight back home. The alternative, taking a highway back down south, would have been at least a 12-hour drive and was impossible anyway - since the road had washed out during a rainstorm a month earlier.

More like this: The 7 most amazing wildlife experiences in Madagascar

The post 14 stunning images from an unforgettable trip to wild, remote Madagascar appeared first on Matador Network.

How to plan a trip to Pakistan

For much of the past two decades, Pakistan was hardly thought of as a tourist destination. Though the mountain-rich South Asian nation had once been an integral part of the Hippie Trail, foreign arrivals all but ceased post-9/11. But the tourism department has been completely overhauled under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government. The country saw a 70 percent increase in foreign tourist arrivals between 2017-2018, according to Middle Eastern news outlet Gulf News. This number is only projected to grow, as long as safety conditions for visitors remain stable.

The country’s record-high peaks, lush valleys, and a seemingly endless amount of ancient historical sites could make it a top destination for adventure travel in the coming years. Incredible as it is, information still remains scarce in the wake of the rise in tourism and visa changes that have occurred in the past few years. It’s important to have a basic understanding of how travel and local customs work within the Islamic republic, starting with how to get that visa. Here are 15 things you need to know before visiting Pakistan.

1. You can now easily obtain a visa online.

Prior to 2019, getting your hands on a Pakistani visa was no easy feat. The fee was $292 for a 30-day stay, and you could only acquire it by mailing your passport and documents to your nearest embassy. The introduction of the e-Visa system this past April changed all of that. Now Americans (and citizens of over 170 other countries) can apply for their Pakistan tourist visa online, often with only confirmation of a hotel booking and an itinerary instead of the previously mandated LOI (letter of invitation).

US citizens pay $60 for a single-entry visa that’s valid for less than one year, $90 for a visa valid for> one year, and $120 for a visa that is valid for up to five years. Travelers can also choose to apply for a “paper” visa by mailing in their passport and documents to their local Pakistani embassy — all fees are the same regardless of which path you choose. To apply for the e-Visa, visit Pakistan’s Official Visa Portal. Processing times are said to be between seven and 10 days on the web from three to four weeks for mail-in applications.

2. Independent travel is easier than it might seem.

Photo: SAKhanPhotography/Shutterstock

Along with the major updates in the visa department, Pakistan has also made independent travel easier. Gone are the days when foreigners were prohibited from visiting many a valley, and good riddance to the forced security guards that used to be imposed.

Travelers to Pakistan can now travel freely throughout much of the country without the need for the infamous NOC (no-objection certificate.) Though operators are plentiful in number these days, being on a tour is not a requirement to travel to Pakistan — backpackers and other independent travelers are free to roam with only a few exceptions. Currently, restrictions remain within the province of Balochistan, the former FATA region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and various spots along the Pak-India Border, including Neelum Valley in Azad Kashmir. Do keep in mind that such restrictions can change, so it’s best to check with government offices and/or with other tourists before heading out to such places. Both the US and UK governments post updated security warnings and notices of restrictions. Currently, Balochistan has a Level 4: Do Not Travel advisory from the US government due to an increased threat of terrorism.

If you wish to use a tour operator for planning, transportation, lodging, and activities, Intrepid Travel recently launched a Pakistan tour that dives into the country’s Karakoram Mountains, Islamabad and Lahore, and plenty of history and food.

3. While some parts of Pakistan are generally safe, others are not.

Though certain areas of the country remain unstable, as a foreign tourist you won’t even be able to get near such places. Pakistan’s security forces are some of the best in the world, and they’ve done a pretty incredible job of transforming the country’s overall safety situation throughout the past decade. The World Crime Index now ranks the Pakistani city of Lahore, in the Punjab province, as safer than Chicago, Paris, and Berlin.

While both Lahore and the country’s biggest city, Karachi, have seen safety improve, other parts of the country remain violent. These days, the province of Balochistan sees occasional terrorist threats. Parts of Azad Kashmir along the LOC (line of control) with India and the former FATA region of KPK see skirmishes primarily between those two countries. Consequently, the government currently prohibits foreign travelers from traveling in those regions as a safety precaution.

In general, when visiting Pakistan, apply the same protocols you would in other countries regarding holding on to your belongings and not walking alone at night, especially if you’re solo. Keep your passport and other valuables on your body and protected at all times. Since Pakistan is a predominantly Sunni Islamic country, gatherings of religious minorities such as Sufis and Shias have been targeted in the past, but that doesn’t necessarily mean to avoid them at all costs. Doing your research about places and celebrations before attending, dressing in local fashion, and attending with a Pakistani friend are great ways to smartly and safely attend these interesting and worthwhile cultural events.

4. Cars, buses, and trains are way cheaper than planes.

Photo: Aaftab Sheikh/Shutterstock

Pakistan is massive, and distances are vast. Traveling from the capital city of Islamabad to mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan takes over 16 hours by bus, and reaching the Southern port city of Karachi takes even longer. Nevertheless, wheels are your best bet for exploring the country. Not only are domestic flights pricier — often exceeding $100 each way — but many remote and scenic places in Pakistan are only accessible by Jeeps. For those with wider budgets, hiring a car and a driver is easy to do, but the cheapest way to get around Pakistan is by going local. Shared jeeps and minivans are the vehicles of choice for more remote regions, and large coach buses operate between major cities.

Some major car rental companies like Hertz offer chauffeur-driven vehicles. Bus operators Daewoo and Faisal Movers offer five-star bus travel comforts at very affordable prices all over the country. A ticket from Lahore to Pakistan will run you 4,500 Pakistani rupees, or about $63. To research or book bus travel, you can visit Bookaru. You can also inquire with your lodging for information and advice on local transportation. Joining in on shared transport involves simply showing up before it’s filled up, and a concierge can direct you towards pickup spots. while the comfy Western-style buses can be reserved with a phone call or booking on each respective website.

Inside major cities, Uber and the local app Careem will do. Fares are cheap compared to Uber prices in the West, though you can cut it even cheaper by hailing a rickshaw.

5. There’s no need to wear anything other than a shalwar khameez.

The shalwar khameez might be the most comfortable outfit on the planet. Think loose, lightweight pants accompanied by a long dress-like shirt, along with a shawl known as a dupatta for ladies. The shalwar khameez is worn by almost all Pakistanis — even in the more liberal big cities, it’s still the most predominant outfit choice.

Though there is no official dress code for tourists, Pakistan is a conservative country, and it’s essential to respect cultural norms. There’s no better way to do so than by getting yourself a shalwar khameez. Upon arriving in Pakistan, you can easily acquire a shalwar khameez at a local market. Though ready-made options do exist, the best way to obtain one is to visit a local vendor. You’ll first pick out a fabric of your choosing (linen or cotton are best to combat the country’s extreme heat — summer temperatures routinely exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit) and then have it sewn by a tailor. Ladies, keep in mind that you can request pockets to be sewn into yours.

A three-piece suit consisting of the shalwar (pants), khameez (long shirt), and dupatta (matching shawl) will go for about 1,200-2,000 rupees ($7-13) depending on the fabric you choose. Men’s’ two-piece suits (sans the dupatta) cost about the same price. Though covering one’s head as a female isn’t required in Pakistan, having a dupatta handy is always a good idea as they are mandatory for entering mosques. It’s also nice to have the option in more conservative areas of the country, such as Swat Valley in KPK, where all local women will be fully covered up.

6. For Pakistanis, hospitality is a way of life.

Photo: khlongwangchao/Shutterstock

It’s common to hear about “friendly people” when listening to a description of a foreign country, but it must be noted that Pakistanis truly take hospitality to another level. It’s deeply ingrained in societal values that guests are a gift from Allah and must be treated as such. Don’t be surprised when, after a short conversation with someone you’ve just met, you’re invited into families’ homes for a full meal. Equally common is that these people you’ve just met will insist upon giving you a place to sleep. Travelers often report having a difficult time paying for things in Pakistan, as locals in Pakistani cities and at historical sites go above and beyond to make tourists feel welcome.

Even if payment is being staunchly refused, try to give something anyway, and trust that it will be appreciated. Though Pakistani hospitality is boundless no matter where you turn, venturing to the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) will be sure to take things to an entirely new level. KPK is home to the Pashtuns, an ethnic group that follows the code of Pashtunwali, an ancient self-governing code that dominates all aspects of life. One of the best-known tenets of the social code here is Melmastia — providing hospitality and asylum to all guests in need of it. As such, the Pashtuns might be the most hospitable people in all of Pakistan, though you’ll have to visit KPK to make that determination yourself.

7. English is almost everywhere, but an Urdu dictionary is worth packing.

Due to Britain’s prior colonization of Pakistan during the rule of its Indian Empire, English is spoken almost everywhere. That doesn’t mean it should be expected, though. Pakistan gained Independence in 1947, and while English is taught in public schools and universities, it will become less common as you head out towards more remote areas. Carrying around an Urdu-English Phonetic dictionary could be useful, though communication is still very possible without a common vocabulary.

While Urdu is Pakistan’s national language, dozens of other regional tongues are spoken throughout the country, and in certain areas, many people don’t even speak Urdu. In the cities of Peshawar and Mingora, Pashto reigns supreme. In Kalam Valley, a section of the larger Swat Valley, Gowri is spoken. In total, nearly 75 languages can be heard throughout the country, though many of them are similar in some way to Urdu. Dictionaries also exist for some of these, so make sure to grab a phonetic one before you land.

8. There are multiple borders open for overland entry.

Photo: Lukas Bischoff Photograph/Shutterstock

It is possible to fly into Pakistan through one of its major international airports in Lahore, Karachi, or Islamabad, but all visas also permit overland entry. You can cross the border into Pakistan at a few different points. The Wagah Border that connects Pakistan’s Lahore with India’s Amritsar is a popular and easy border to cross over. Tensions might remain high between the two countries, but border officials on both sides of the aisle don’t pass that on to overlanders. To head into Lahore after being stamped into Pakistan, you can take a taxi for about $13. The Pakistan-China border at the Khunjerab Pass is also open to tourists.

9. Getting a local SIM card is a must.

One of the first things you should do when you arrive in Pakistan is acquire a local SIM card. Pakistan is rife with providers, and these days coverage is vast — even many remote regions have access to 2G signal.

As a foreigner, SIM cards can only be obtained either at the airport — where they are sure to be overpriced — or at a franchise store. The major providers include ZONG, Telenor, Jazz, and SCOM. Coverage varies by region and provider, so your best practice is to buy a few as it’s not a problem to have multiple SIM cards. Pakistani nationals are allowed to have up to five activated at a time.

As a rule of thumb, ZONG 3G/4G will work best in Lahore, Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Mingora, and Swat Valley. Meanwhile, Telenor works best in the Chitral District. Jazz works in many of the same places as the rest but happens to be the only functioning provider in the small town of Thall in Dir District. And then there’s SCOM — a government-operated company that functions exclusively in Gilgit-Baltistan.

SIM cards and data packages are significantly more expensive for foreigners than for locals, and ZONG especially has a large discrepancy. A three-month plan costs about $10 a month for 20 GB of data, but foreigners are currently only able to purchase a “postpaid plan.” If you stay in the country for longer than 30 days, keep in mind that you need to go into a Zong store and pay your bill again or risk your services being shut off. Pakistan also currently requires foreigners to register their devices when using a local SIM for more than 60 days. You’ll likely get a text message about this. Travelers have gotten their numbers blocked for failure to register, so don’t forget.

10. Weather is variable throughout the country, so when you should visit depends on where you want to go.

Photo: khlongwangchao/Shutterstock

Pakistan’s mountainous Northern Areas see heavy snow and freezing temperatures come winter. Many major roads and high-altitude passes also become blocked and inaccessible. To see the mountains at their best, your window of opportunity is roughly from April to early November. Cherry blossoms will be in bloom for much of April, and fall colors come out to play in mid- to late October.

The rest of the country, including the Punjab and Sindh provinces, is most pleasant during the opposite time frame, November to April, due to extreme heat in summer. January sees the coolest weather, with temperatures sitting in the 60s-70s Fahrenheit throughout the day and dipping into the 50s at night. Keep in mind that Sindh and Punjab are excessively hot in the summers, with temperatures regularly exceeding 100 degrees. It’s still possible to explore such regions then, but don’t count on it being comfortable.

11. Keep multiple copies of your passport with you when traveling from place to place.

There are quite a few vehicle checkpoints along the highways in Pakistan, though not so many that it will be too bothersome. The 17-hour drive from Islamabad to Gilgit City will pass through 12 such checkpoints. On long drives such as this, it’s best to give a copy of your passport to the driver before you take off to avoid being woken up during the night. Passport copies are required in other places as well, such as when traveling through Swat Valley or when entering the Chitral district. Though you might not always be stopped — especially if you’re traveling in local transport — it’s always better to have them than not.

12. Be ready to eat.

Photo: Naveed Ashraf/Shutterstock

Pakistan is going to earn your praise at the dinner table, guaranteed. Delicious combinations of juicy, flavorful meats and slices of crispy naan (a fluffy, leavened bread) await throughout the country, including many unique specialties depending on the region. Pakistani food is rich and meaty, and distinctly different from that of its neighbor India. When visiting Lahore, paaye (a stew of goat hooves), halwa puri (fluffy bread paired with a sweet confectionary), and chapli kebab (spicy mutton patties) are must-eats. Freshly caught trout is a specialty in the Ghizer District, and Peshawar is known for its one-of-a-kind dumba karahi — a fatty, flavorful dish made with meat from the butt of a sheep.

As great as it may be, food in Pakistan can sometimes affect sensitive stomachs. Don’t be surprised if you run into some stomach troubles as it happens to almost everyone. Activated charcoal is known to be helpful for cases of traveler’s diarrhea, and if things persist past a day or so, antibiotics can be found in the local pharmacies, which are everywhere in the bigger cities.

13. Chai is a way of life — be prepared to become addicted.

Perhaps you won’t drown, but you’ll certainly be filled to the brim with the stuff. Pakistanis drink chai — a masala milk tea — constantly throughout the day. Steaming cups are sipped on the street during lunch breaks, at any and all types of meetings, and of course, it is served as an offering to guests. When staying in someone’s home or hotel, it’s very likely chai will be poured before you even sit down. Definitely accept — it would be rude not to.

In certain parts of Northern Pakistan including Chitral and Ghizer, salt is added to tea instead of sugar. This makes for quite a unique pairing, one that locals swear helps them keep warm in cold temperatures.

Small cups of this liquid deliciousness often go for cents in street-side stalls, and it would truly be a rarity to get through a day in the country without drinking any. Even if you find yourself getting sick of it while you’re traveling, don’t be surprised when you find yourself missing Pakistan’s favorite beverage when you leave.

14. Pakistan has a tourist trail, but don’t be afraid to get off of it.

Photo: shahsoft/Shutterstock

Most Pakistan itineraries stick to Lahore, Islamabad, and Hunza Valley. Though all such places are beautiful and worth visiting, the country is big — and it sure has a lot more to offer. KPK, which includes the idyllic, lush green forests and the transparent frosty rivers of Swat Valley, is generally safe these days and is regularly referred to as the “Switzerland of Asia.” Unexplored valleys and villages can be found in Upper Chitral, as much of it is now open to foreign tourists.

Moreover, the entirety of Sindh in South Pakistan is often overlooked in favor of the Northern Areas. If time (and boiling temperatures) aren’t an issue, you’ll be met with a myriad of cultures, exquisitely decorated shrines, and centuries-old remains all throughout the province. Pakistan’s Ghizer District is another easy and beautiful way to get “off the beaten track” — the peaceful valleys of Yasin and Phander are home to the bluest of lakes, a peaceful ambiance, and very few (if any) other tourists.

15. Respect the local culture no matter what.

Pakistanis are deeply ingrained in tradition, and the country as a whole is a conservative place. While metros like Lahore and Islamabad continue to westernize, the majority of the nation sticks to its roots. As an Islamic Republic, over 97 percent of the country is Muslim. In conservative areas, many women cover up almost fully with long shawls or, in some cases, burqas. Arranged marriages are by far the most common, though this is changing a bit amongst liberal city-dwellers. In certain places, women may not be able to meet with unrelated males. If you’re a foreign guy, don’t take offense to this, it’s simply a cultural norm.

It is far more common to see men on the streets than women, though this isn’t a hard rule and something that varies from locale to locale. It’s also important to note that Pakistan is officially a dry country, though this rule isn’t imposed on foreigners. Though many aspects of Pakistani culture may seem drastically different from life in Europe or North America, as travelers, culture is best to be enjoyed, appreciated, and respected — not judged. As long as you enter Pakistan with an open mind and an empty stomach, you’re guaranteed to have the time of your life.


More like this: Traveling overland from the very top of Russia to the bottom of Iran

The post 15 things you need to know before visiting Pakistan appeared first on Matador Network.

Best local ski resorts near Zurich

Zurich, the financial capital of Switzerland, is home to world-class universities, multinational companies, and hip neighborhoods. The city has a lot going on, but during winter weekends, many Zurich residents leave town to hit the slopes. The Swiss Alps are home to many resorts, both big and not so big. Some you may have heard of — and many probably not. From this picturesque little city, it’s crazy easy to explore a huge variety of places loved by both locals and international visitors.

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best areas that local Zurich skiers frequent for a half-day, one day, or weekend trip. From the Zurich Main Train Station, all are reachable in 50 to 105 minutes by car (with no traffic) and 70 to 180 minutes by public transit. Unlike in North America, where resorts are listed by skiable acres, in Switzerland, kilometers of pistes are listed — which means there’s even more off-piste skiing that’s not even measured. For each resort, we note the piste kilometrage with its equivalent in miles.

If you’re considering going off-piste, know that in Europe, these areas aren’t necessarily controlled for avalanches — even when they’re within sight of a groomed slope. Always ski with a buddy when not on-piste and wear a beacon. If you have one, don your avalanche backpack, too.

“Small,” really local places

If you’re looking for a real local experience, these are the places to go. The mountains on this list are the closest to the city and are frequented pretty exclusively by people living in the Zurich area. Don’t imagine some poorly run, two-lift hill, however. These are still Swiss Alps. These ski areas are decently sized with a variety of pistes. All of them have modern lift systems.

Flumserberg

Photo: Fedor Selivanov/Shutterstock

From Zurich by car: one hour

From Zurich by public transit: one hour, 25 minutes

Number of lifts: 17

Total length of pistes: 80 kilometers (50 miles)

Of all the local ski mountains, Flumserberg is the biggest and most popular choice for Zurich day-trippers. While it’s less than half the size of Flims-Laax, which is just another 30 minutes driving, that doesn’t mean it’s small. It’s still got enough terrain of all difficulty levels to keep you busy. At Flumserberg, you can ski the nearly four-mile-long Terza downhill run, try your hand at mogul-skiing, hit one of the two terrain parks, or just stick to the bunny slopes if that’s your jam. If you are into off-piste skiing, Flumserberg is the best of the local spots. You can race through the trees and hit some steep alpine bowls.

The views at almost all the resorts on this list are breath-taking, and Flumsberg is no exception. Here, not only do you get views of a jagged steep mountain range but also of a beautiful blue lake. One of the coolest things about Flumserberg is that you can pay by the hour. It’s perfect if you want to just hop on the train from Zurich to ski for a couple of hours and then head back to do other things. Its reputation as a convenient day-trip, or half-day-trip, amongst Zurich locals means that during the weekends it can get pretty crowded. During the weekdays, however, it’s almost empty and the skiing is just as fantastic.

Hoch-Ybrig

Photo: Eva Bocek/Shutterstock

From Zurich by car: 50 minutes

From Zurich by public transit: two hours

Number of lifts: 12

Total length of pistes: 50 kilometers (30 miles)

While Flumserberg takes the prize as the biggest, most modern local ski spot with the most exciting terrain, Hoch-Ybrig wins closest place to ski. If you want to take public transit however, Pizol and Flumserberg are both closer because you must go by bus to reach Hoch-Ybrig’s base.

Hoch-Ybrig isn’t big, with relatively short runs and fewer lifts. When we say “short runs,” that is by Alpine standards, though. Some are longer than what you find in California’s Tahoe resorts. Skiing can often feel like spring skiing here, as it is at a lower elevation than other places on the list, so you can do some slushy turns in the sunshine.

Hoch-Ybrig is conveniently located, relatively cheap, and very family-friendly. For free skiers, Hoch-Ybrig has a mile-long terrain park and a skier cross course. And if you want to ski in a deep local spot, this is it. If your friends aren’t from the Zurich area, It’s unlikely they’ve ever heard of Hoch-Ybrig.

Pizol

Photo: Alexander Chaikin/Shutterstock

From Zurich by car: one hour

From Zurich by public transit: one hour 10 minutes (short shuttle to slopes from train station)

Number of lifts: 10

Total length of pistes: 43 kilometers (27 miles)

While Pizol is the smallest of the local ski spots, it’s the least crowded and most affordable. While the rates are the same as Hoch-Ybrig’s, if you book online in advance, there is almost always a discount, sometimes up to 50 percent off. If you time it right, it’s also the fastest to get to by train. You can take a direct, 60-minute train to Sargans from Zurich Main Station then catch a short bus (the 430 or 429) to the Wangs Talstation lift.

It’s the cheapest, but that doesn’t mean it falls short on providing quality skiing. If you are looking to have a relaxing day of skiing and don’t like lift lines, Pizol is perfect. Here you’ll find wide groomed pistes with views of picturesque Alpine valleys surrounded by steep peaks. When not skiing, there are 12 mountain restaurants to choose from. If you have non-skiers traveling with you, Pizol also offers tobogganing, along with spectacular hiking and snow-shoeing trails in the winter. For off-piste skiers, the options at Pizol are a little more limited, but there is a terrain park for freeskiers.

Mid-sized resorts

These two resorts can’t really be classified as exclusively local, as they are known by diehard skiers outside of Switzerland. Yet they aren’t as big as the major Alpine resorts most foreigners usually visit.

Engelberg-Titlis

Photo: Napat Aor70/Shutterstock

From Zurich by car: one hour, 20 minutes

From Zurich by public transit: two hours

Number of lifts: 19

Total length of pistes: 66 kilometers (41 miles)

Engelberg isn’t that big; in fact, by total piste length, it is smaller than Flumserberg. However, it kind of falls into a category of its own because, while it definitely attracts a lot of locals being so close to Zurich, it’s also very well known internationally. For skiers, Mt. Titlis (the mountain the Engelberg ski area is on) has a reputation as a hardcore spot offering steeps, fantastic off-piste areas, and very few intermediate or beginner runs. This reputation as an extreme ski destination isn’t limited to Switzerland. In 2018 Engelberg’s intense ski culture was featured in the Warren Miller film The Face of Winter.

On the other hand, Engelberg gets a lot of visitors who don’t ski at all. Mt. Titlis might just offer the most breathtaking views on this list, and Engelberg has definitely capitalized on that. Most places in the Alps offer views of steep peaks, but at Titlis the peaks somehow feel closer and more extreme than at other places. Non-skiers traveling just to enjoy the views can access a 360-degree rotating tram, the Titlis Cliffwalk with views of the Alps, a Titlis Glacier Cave tunnel, and a massive four-story building at the peak with multiple restaurants, gift shops, and an ice cream bar.

Don’t be surprised if you find that the ratio of international tourists from places such as India, Malaysia, China, Australia, and the like outnumber the skiers 4:1. They won’t get in the way of your skiing, though, as they all stick to the same tourist zone. I found it pretty cool, actually, and had a nice conversation with a couple from Singapore traveling outside of Asia for the first time. If you aren’t into intense downhill skiing, there’s also snow-shoeing tours, cross-country skiing, tobogganing, and lots of comfortable places to rest.

Andermatt-Sedrun

Photo: Alexander Rochau/Shutterstock

From Zurich by car: one hour, 30 minutes

From Zurich by public transit: three hours (with lots of transfers, not recommended)

Number of lifts: 19

Total length of pistes: 102 kilometers (63 miles)

Of all the places on this list, Andermatt is the most snow secure. The peak sits at 3,000 meters, or just under 10,000 feet, and usually has at least a 100-inch snow base. Unfortunately, by train there is no easy way to access it yet from Zurich. You will need to transfer trains at least twice. Unlike Engelberg, which has updated infrastructure, Andermatt has the size and potential to be a world-class resort but is underdeveloped. It recently received a big investment but needs more time before it reaches the same level of modernity and size as other places on this list.

SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun is spread out, comprised of three separate mountains with two different village bases. The closer town to Zurich is Andermatt town. In addition to these three mountains, there are also three mini ski areas with just one to two lifts and a beginner run. Andermatt-Gemsstock is the ski area best suited for off-piste and steep skiers. There is some intermediate terrain, but you might get bored doing the same couple of runs over and over. Gemsstock has only four lifts and seven runs but 31 kilometers (20 miles) of pistes. Twenty miles of pistes divided unequally amongst seven runs illustrates how much vertical Gemsstock offers. Head up the tram and ski the long advanced-intermediate cruiser St. Anna Glescher and enjoy spectacular views. From the tram, you can also access almost limitless off-piste from bowls to chutes, often with great snow coverage.

From Gemsstock you can see Nätschen, a sun-baked mountain best suited for beginners. Nätschen has a magic carpet area, tobogganing, and chairlifts accessing easy terrain. Hikers will enjoy the trails at Nätschen also accessible by lift. From Nätschen you can get to Sedrun/Oberalp. It is the biggest of all three ski areas with seven lifts and 50 kilometers (30 miles) of pistes. Here you’ll find skiing and riding for all levels. If you’re a skier who prefers more intermediate cruisers, stick to this area. With climate change and more places sadly becoming snow insecure, Andermatt will probably continue to grow in popularity.

Bigger resorts

Zurich is also close to many resorts that are better known internationally. These resorts are big, and most North American resorts really can’t compare. They boast huge alpine areas, sweeping views, numerous family-owned restaurants, and slopes for all levels.

Flims-Laax

Photo: Canetti/Shutterstock

From Zurich by car: 1 hour, 30 minutes

From Zurich by public transit: 2 hours 15 minutes

Number of lifts: 28

Total length of pistes: 188 km (117 miles)

Flims-Laax is the closest large resort to Zurich and a favorite for many Zurich residents. It’s particularly popular amongst beginner-intermediate skiers and freestyle skiers. The park is absolutely sick, with the biggest half-pipe in Europe. International free ski and snowboard competitions come to Laax to take advantage of the amazing freestyle facilities.

Beyond the park, with just a couple of exceptions, the mountain isn’t steep. While there is less variety in the difficulty of pistes, there are a lot of them. For families and less advanced skiers, virtually the entire mountain is open to you to explore. If you are into steeps, Crap-Mignon Lift and Glacier T-bar access a steeper section.

One of Flims-Laax’s biggest draws is the hip, laid-back vibe. You’ll find cool touches on the mountain, like a wall of old TVs and records when you step off the Laax tram. There are numerous outdoor sausage stands with music playing and people taking in the sun. Like all major resorts, during the high season, there’s apres at the Laax and Flims base and on the mountain.

Arosa-Lenzerheide

Photo: Florian Muharremi/Shutterstock

From Zurich by car: one hour, 40 minutes

From Zurich by public transit: two hours

Number of lifts: 43

Total length of pistes: 225 kilometers (140 miles)

To really experience all that Arosa-Lenzerheide has to offer you need at least two days. From Zurich, we recommend going to Lenzerheide as it is closer and easier to get to. From Lenzerheide you can do one day in Lenzerheide and another day in Arosa. While it’s not well-known in North America, Arosa-Lenzerheide is a fully developed, international resort with an exciting town. You will find people from all over Europe as well as a fair share of Zurich people. Interestingly, Arosa is home to an old Kosher hotel, so it is home to a strong Jewish contingent of skiers who come every winter. Even though they get a lot of tourists, you will find that the locals are very open and love meeting foreigners — especially if you go out at night.

Here you can find slopes that suit all levels, from beginner slopes to steeps. Arosa also has two parks. If you love really long descents with sweeping views, Arosa-Lenzerheide has got quite a few. The longest piste, which goes from the Rothorn summit to Parpan, covers 4,500 feet of altitude. It’s not a trip to the Alps without a delicious lunch, and Arosa-Lenzerheide has 40 on-mountain restaurants. Arosa-Lenzerheide also has a consistently solid snow base year over year.

Klosters/Davos

Photo: Boris-B/Shutterstock

From Zurich by car: one hour, 30 minutes

From Zurich by public transit: two hours

Number of lifts: 57

Total length of pistes: 245 kilometers (152 miles)

Klosters is a small, fairly local resort that is connected to the bigger and much more famous resort of Davos. If you’re willing to drive or sit on the train for another 10-15 minutes, you can also head straight to the bigger Davos. Klosters, both the town and the mountain, are known for being family-friendly. Its main mountain, Madrisa, is designed for families. In addition to the four magic carpets for learners, there are additional attractions like a carousel and bouncy houses. Beyond the children’s areas, intermediates can schuss on slopes with stunning views of the mountains. For more advanced skiers, Madrisa might not be the best place for you.

From small Klosters, you can take a lift over to Davos, which is absolutely massive and offers something for everybody. You might not have heard of Klosters, but you probably know Davos because the World Economic Forum is held there. Its global fame means you will find people from all parts of the world here. And the skiing is pretty good. Overall, Davos is geared towards intermediates, but advanced skiers won’t be disappointed as well.

Davos is divided into six areas, each with their own particular strengths. Parsenn is the biggest and the center of everything. From the peak at Weissfluhgipfel, you can reach the network of lifts that fan out across the resort. From here you can also do a 7.5-mile-long run with a 6,500-foot vertical drop to a small farming town; from there, buses take you back to the main bases. Especially on crowded days, it’s also worth checking out the other six areas, like freestyle paradise Jakobshorn and free-ride centric Pischa.


More like this: The most unexpected, and awesome, places to ski around the world

The post Near Zurich, Switzerland, world-class skiing is just another Saturday in winter appeared first on Matador Network.