Je to nejjižnější místo na Zemi, kam se přitom můžete pohodlně vypravit. Blíže k pólu už je jen Antarktida. Patagonie – krásná a pestrá příroda, jež láká vášnivé cestovatele, fotografy a milovníky klidu. Nyní zde zvolna začíná hlavní sezona. Od listopadu do dubna panuje na tomto jižním cípu amerického kontinentu léto, během kterého jej navštíví nejvíce turistů. Zejména po Novém roce se návštěvníci vydávají do parku Tierra del Fuego a na Mys Horn. Právě v parcích spočívá krása Patagonie. Jedinečné útvary Fitz Roy zkrátka musíte vidět. Ohromí vás nekonečně dlouhé planiny, silný nárazový vítr a až ledově klidná krajina.
Na jak dlouho se do Jižní Ameriky vydáte, je jen na vás. Pokud však chcete stihnout více než jen Patagonii a objevit také některá další místa Chile, Peru nebo Argentiny, doporučujeme vám rezervovat si pro cestu 14 dní a více. Během dvou týdnů můžete pohodlně procestovat tuto část jihoamerického kontinentu. Součástí cesty může být také plavba okolo fjordů. Na lodích pro zhruba 200 hostů naleznete nejen komfortní ubytování, ale také zábavu a prostor pro relaxaci. Důležitá však je příroda, kterou z jejich paluby uvidíte. Doporučujeme vám zvolit kratší plavby, trvají zpravidla 4 dny. Během nich uvidíte vše podstatné – tučňáky, mys, na kterém se střetávají dva oceány, krásné hory a ledovce. Zbylý čas můžete využít pro cestování po souši. Zejména park Torres del Paine stojí za pozornost. Horské štíty And a větry zde tvoří extrémní klimatické rozdíly. Díky tomu zde naleznete bohatou a neobvykle různorodou květenu a živočišné druhy.
Awasi Patagonia
Tento nový lodge je tvořen 12 vilami, přičemž každá nabízí impozantní výhled. Leží přímo v rezervaci, jeho hosté mohou využít vlastní džíp a služby průvodce, díky kterému objeví ta nejkrásnější zákoutí parku Torres del Paine. Lodge má svůj příběh, neboť před více než stoletím zde měla své tábořiště britská cestovatelka Florence Dixie, která si během svých cest Patagonii zamilovala. Hosté jednotlivých vil si mohou i dnes užívat krásný a ničím nerušený pohled na dominanty parku.Budovy totiž stojí v dostatečných rozestupech a jsou citlivě zasazeny do krajiny. I design jejich interiérů a exteriérů souzní s okolní přírodou, dominuje dřevo a jednoduché tvary. Nechybí ani kompletní zázemí, v němž mohou hosté relaxovat a sdílet své zážitky. A že jich bude. Každý den můžete vyrazit na libovolný výlet, který vám doporučí váš osobní průvodce. Nabízí se řada aktivit, od procházek po ledovci až po jízdu na kolech, kajacích i koních.
Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa
Na jižní hranici parku Torres del Paine se nachází tento hotel, jehož budova připomíná mimozemskou stavbu. Ve skutečnosti však design vychází z nákresů Charlese Darwina, který zkoumal fosilie na březích nedalekého jezera. Stejně jako lodge Awasi je celý ze dřeva, uprostřed krásné přírody, leží jen několik kilometrů od sebe. Hosté hotelu mohou všude obdivovat okolí díky velkým oknům, případně vystoupit na velkou terasu. Pokoje jsou velmi prostorné, s designem v přírodním duchu, všechny jsou přitom orientované k jezeru Lago Sarmiento a dominantnímu horskému masivu Paine.
I rarely return to the same place twice as there are just too many new destinations to discover, but if I am in South East Asia and have a few extra days I try to stop in Luang Prabang, Laos. It is an old royal capital influenced by colonial French architecture, lovingly restored, retaining an air of a small provincial town, yet well supplied with tourist infrastructure, from affordable youth hostels to luxury hotels and with a great culinary scene; from small cafes to five star restaurants. Oh, and for those who enjoy shopping, the gamut runs from cheap Night Market stalls to upscale designer boutiques. Though this is a Unesco designated Heritage town it is not a museum for tourists. Real people still live here: tending their little shops, going to the morning market, while kids go to school and monks to prayers.
The Leisurely stroll
My husband claims I enjoy it so much because this is one of the few places where I don’t get lost. Even for a person with an abysmal sense of direction like me this is an easily navigable place. The heart of the old town lies on the confluence of two rivers- Mekong and its baby sister Nam Kham. It is intersected by two straight roads and interspersed by smaller perpendicular side streets and alleys. In the middle there is a small hill (Pousi Mountain), a green beacon that shows the way.
Being a rather impatient person I tend to hop from place to place in my travels, rarely stopping for more than a few days. I like to get up with the dawn, ticking off sights: monasteries, museums, botanical gardens…If at all possible my husband and I like to rent a car even in the most challenging of places and drive off, exploring every dirt road. But Luang Prabang always puts a special spell on me. I enjoy just wandering around without a map or a big plan. Or maybe renting a bike and pedaling on the roads with very little traffic but an occasional motorbike or large tuk tuk. Every corner brings a new view and something lovely to behold: a spray of colorful bougainvillea against a wooden door, a rickety wooden rack with rice cakes drying in the sun. A black cat on a white wall, a blue longboat on the muddy brown river, a slender bamboo bridge with monks in bright orange robes crossing to the other side. The orange robed monks with their ubiquitous umbrellas and shoulder bags are everywhere; laughing in the golden courtyards of the Buddhist wats, chanting in the solemn sanctuary under Buddha’s loving gaze, strolling along the smaller river, reading under the Frangipani tree. Invariably they are mostly young novices who came to study in this important Laotian religious center, but as young boys everywhere they are full of life and a little bit of mischief. They bring great merit to their families to join the monastery, if only for a short period of time. They are not precluded from practicing English with the foreign tourists or learning about computers at the local library. Their time is not just fun and games, though, they must rise way before dawn at about 4:30 am when the drums announce the beginning of prayers. Before the first sun rays lick the golden spires and mirrored mosaics on the wats they have had already collected their daily alms, barefoot and shivering in the morning mist. Their last meal of the day is taken at twelve noon.
The places of most interest, architecturally and artistically are the many wats, and nobody should miss the most intricate of all- Wat Xieng Thong. There is much history and storytelling within those walls, but you can also enjoy it purely on the artistic grounds. It is a jewell in the crown of old quarter.
Arts and crafts
Luang Prabang is also a thriving artisan center, in particular when it comes to revival of the silk weaving. I am no expert in textiles but after traveling extensively and admiring the patience and artistry of weavers around the world, I am most taken by the Laotian silk. With the help and support of a few Western women aficionados the old traditions of hand weaving, intricate, symbolic design and natural dying have burst alive again. There are quite a few stores that source hand made silk from village weavers and a workshop at Ock Pop Tok where you can be enlightened as to the complicated process from start to finish. They encourage traditional and also create contemporary designs. And if just admiring and touching a beautiful piece of weaving is not enough, the prices are not so astronomical that you could not bring home at least one beautiful wall hanging for only a few hundred dollars. On the other hand if you are just looking for some small, colorful gifts, the Night Market is your place where a few dollars can buy you small trinkets. While in recent years the market has ballooned and many of the merchants are selling the same items side by side, there are not a lot of Chinese products flooding the stalls like in many other Asian markets. In fact you can still see some Hmong women hand stitching their patchwork handicrafts.
Food
One of the most authentic experiences is going to the morning food market close to the Royal Palace grounds. Warning: it is not for the faint hearted as there are many things for sale that we do not consider the least bit inviting. In a typical fashion the sellers carefully set up their few wares on a piece of cloth on the ground. A number of them had fresh or fried field rats (never town rats!), live frogs, crayfish, dead baby birds, even a wild civet. On the more palatable side there were a number of wild mushrooms, different kinds of blossoms, bamboo shoots, many kinds of green lettuces, dried fruit teas, and bags full of rice in hues of white, brown, pink and purple-black. Indeed on the banks of the river and in the hills surrounding the town there are many small thriving organic farms which supply fresh food to the restaurants in town.
Undeservedly so Laotian cuisine is not very well known in the West, though many dishes we like to eat in Thai restaurants are by origin Laotian. While we reveled in wonderful sticky rice and dipping sauces, we also enjoyed a number of interesting fish and buffalo dishes. Our favorite appetizer was crispy river weed called khaiphaen, which was also the name of our favorite restaurant. With fresh, organic ingredients and some contemporary twists the meals were very much enjoyed and flushed down by Beer Lao or innovative and inexpensive cocktails.
On the Outskirts
After a few days of rest you might be ready for a little adventure. Your best excursion is to the Kuang Si Waterfalls. If you can, start your day early before the tourist groups descend. You can have the multilevel waterfalls with their green blue waters all to yourself in quiet contemplation and awe. The walk is comfortable and well designed and you can swim in the lower pools if it is warm enough. Just before the waterfalls trail you should definitely stop to admire the playful Asian Sun bears in their well designed rehabilitation enclosure and on the way back you could visit the new Butterfly center and stay for lunch in their lovely garden.
Many people also take a half day boat trip to Pak O caves. It is a very relaxing trip on the mighty Mekong river with lovely mountainous landscape ahead, but the caves themselves are not very impressive and neither is the stop at the local village along the way where lots of tourist stalls are set up.
Recently many elephant centers and encounters have popped up around Luang Prabang area. While seeing elephants up close and personal is exciting and memorable, they are not always treated with kindness by their handlers. Please refrain from riding on the back of the elephants as it is damaging to their spines. The only acceptable way to ride is just behind his neck.
Compared to many SE Asian destinations Luang Prabang is very relaxed, and surprisingly uncrowded. The local people, be it Lao, Hmong or Kmu are very pleasant and welcoming and they love practicing English. If you want to get to know young people and learn more about their life and aspirations you can spend a few hours at Big Brother Mouse or at The Library volunteering to help with English conversation. It is a wonderful way to learn about a country and give a little back.
Quick Travel Facts:
Visa: at airport on arrival $35 cash plus 1 photo
Getting in: flights are best connected through Bangkok, Thailand
Hotels: Villa Santi in center of town, or Vila Santi Resort outside of town
Recommended Restaurants: Khaiphaen, Tamarind, Blue Lagoon
Textile Shops: Caruso Lao, Ock Pop Tok, TAEC
This temporary bamboo bridge over Nam Kan river in Luang Prabang, Laos get’s rebuilt every year after the seasonal floods recede. Monks, city dwellers as well as tourists cross it daily.
Taking a leisurely boat ride on Mekong River up to Pak O caves is a pleasant experience with an ever changing scenery. You will see distant mountains, villages, gardens and towards the evening upon your return villagers washing dishes, doing laundry and bathing.
A visit to the local marketplace is a special treat as very few markets in Asia retain the true natural flavor of local production. Here you will find mostly local women sellers and buyers with all sorts of daily staples like different varieties or rice, vegetables as well as wild mushrooms and some less palatable items like crickets, frogs, and fresh or fried field rats.
A very Asian food-young bamboo shoots will find their way from the local market to the many excellent restaurants in the town of Luang Prabang. Much of their food is still grown organically and sustainably and retains intense flavors and colors lost in the Western agriculture.
The Night Market as well as many local shops and boutiques are full of beautiful and colorful handicrafts from hand made mulberry paper lanterns to intricate silk weavings.
The resurgence of hand woven silk textiles in traditional and modern patterns is vibrant and fascinating and even the highest quality weavings are quite affordable. It is difficult to decide which pattern and colors are favorite.
The multitiered Kuang Si waterfalls with their green blue waters are spectacular and a refreshing stop during the warm mid day.
There are a few places in the vicinity of Luang Prabang where you can see the Asian elephants. They are smaller with shorter ears than the African elephant and they can also be tamed, touched and fed. It is not advisable to ride on the elephant’s back, except if seated right on the neck as the weight on their back damages their spine.
Just on the outskirts of Luang Pabang you will come across untouched villages where rice is produced collectively by family hands, the water buffalos are the only extra force and houses are made by local materials such as bamboo mats and reeds.
Jamajka, to je divoká příroda, kultura rastafariánů, skvělá hudba. Nejlepší pláže, kvalitní služby a slušné hotely nabízí především severovýchodní pobřeží ostrova. Samozřejmě, není to 100 % luxusní destinace, stále zde schází turistická infrastruktura. O to víc je však autentická. Lidé jsou milí a ochotní, čím více se blížíte východnímu pobřeží, setkáte se s přirozenou jamajskou kulturou a divokou přírodou. Jamajka tak nemusí nutně být dovolenou za branami resortu.
Let na Jamajku vyžaduje přestup. Podle toho, jaký zvolíte spoj, strávíte na cestě od 14 do 16 hodin. Nejlépe se jeví spojení do Montego Bay přes Frankfurt, s německým Condorem a Lufthansou. Pokud se rozhodnete letět do Kingstonu, musíte využít služeb British Airways a v Londýně se přesunout mezi Heathrow a Gatwickem.
Přímo v Montego Bay je první ze tří hotelů, které si zaslouží doporučení. Half Moon, A RockResort je velký hotel s bohatou vybaveností. Rozhodně se zde nebudete nudit, jsou zde tenisové kurty, golfové hřiště, stáje, několik dětských klubů, laguny s vlastními delfíny a lázně. Resort nabízí hezké ubytování, pokoje jsou dobře udržované a několik různých kategorií umoží zvolit ideální pokoj jak rodinám s dětmi, tak náročným hostům, kteří vyžadují klid. Můžete tak bydlet nedaleko hotelových služeb v pokojích na pláži, které se nacházejí v patrové budově. Více klidu však naleznete v Royal Villas, které leží v odlehlé části resortu. Jejich hostům usnadní pohyb po resortu club car.
Dalším doporučeným místem je Hotel Trident. Přiléhá k němu i Trident Castle, který nabídne rustikální design a vypadá jako staré panské sídlo – jeho pokoje jsou však omšelé a rozhodně nestojí za doporučení. Hotel Trident je však dokonalý protiklad. Jeho vily sice neleží na pláži, všechny ale mají výhled na moře. Jsou mezi nimi velké rozestupy, takže se hosté nevidí a vzájemně neruší. Při příjezdu dostanete telefon, kterým může zavolat concierge v případě jakéhokoliv přání. Takže když si chcete třeba objednat večeři či promítání filmu v hotelovém kině, nemusíte opustit pláž. Ta je dobře upravená, ale malá. Vzhledem k velikosti hotelu však dostačuje všem hostům i při obsazenosti všech třinácti vil. Jelikož je hotel součástí brandu Geejam, mohou jeho hosté využít i pláž v sesterském hotelu Geejam.
Také ten má své jedinečné kouzlo, které si oblíbili VIP cestovatelé z celého světa. Nachází se zde například nahrávací studio, které využila řada hvězd populární hudební scény. Jamajka miluje hudbu, na každém kroku zní reggae, v hotelech jsou tematické večery s místními talentovanými umělci, odehrává se zde řada festivalů.
Posledním hotelem, který by mohl uspokojit, je Jamaica Inn. Zde je ale žádoucí sáhnout až po vyšších kategoriích ubytování, zejména po suitách s výhledem na moře. Hotel je relativně malý a pokud zvolíte ubytování v kategorii Cottage, budete mít více klidu a také vlastní bazén. Jamaica Inn disponuje krásnou a udržovanou pláží, kde můžete relaxovat ve stínu slunečníků. Právě pláž s pozvolným vstupem do vody je hlavní předností resortu. Tou druhou je celkový charakter hotelu. Je velmi klidný a hosté zde ubytovaní nebudou rušeni a mohou si užívat karibské relaxace – nachází se zde pouhých 52 suit a cottages.
One often thinks that so called legacy carriers like United or Lufthansa must be a benchmark of the service quality and our personal safety. They repeated it so often themselves that they start to believe it and stop working on improvement.
Most people book on the big well known airlines until they hit a roadblock. The seats are not available for the dates we want, a connection requires a different carrier or quite simply nobody else but that lesser known airline flies where we want to go.
And then, voilà. We are booked on Turkish Airlines from San Francisco to Addis Ababa via Istanbul. In business class to boot.
The pleasant surprises start already at the airport. The Turkish Airlines lounge is not crowded as we are used to with United in particular. There is actually real food available in large quantities, not just a few scarce non-perishable items. And staff, too who actually chats with you, up to the point when you almost start to feel that they actually care! And hot showers? Yes, I should not forget that. Wonderful to make you feel like a decent human being during layovers after a long overnight flight.
Space is always in short supply on the planes and this new, spacious kind of lounge makes your transition from check in and security lines to a ten-hour plus torture on board a little easier.
Before you fill your own space and adjacent real estate on both sides of seven feet of flats (beds?) and your mind and body get a healthy break of sleep over Atlantic, there is more happening in the darkness over Oklahoma. One of the chefs comes in to collect orders from a long list of items not just for dinner but also for individual orders for breakfast. Great idea for those of us whose brain would stop to function in those transitional hours when you can hardly distinguish whether you are still on the Pacific West Coast or already above Eastern Mediterranean.
Then the delicious dinner is served freshly cooked and piping hot, followed by sweets or deserts (yes, baklava was served as it should be on any Oriental Airline), fruit plates, cheese board (no Monterrey Jack available, thank you!) and strawberry ice cream.
Oh, did I tell you they also serve freshly brewed espresso and cappuccino? When I woke up at five o’clock in the morning Pacific Time there was a flight attendant, less than half the age I am used to with United crew, asking me if I wanted espresso OR cappuccino. So after I changed from my pajama back to my travel outfit I enjoyed the welcome feeling of caffein spreading through my veins in my body refreshed by long, comfortable sleep in a flat bed and I could truly dig into my freshly cooked breakfast. And I had to decline fried eggs over-easy. Way too much!
It should come as no surprise that Turkish Airlines were the Best Airlines in Europe three years in a row. And we were not even in the First Class. Not because we did not want to be. Simply, this plane did not have the First Class, just Business. Now, I can hardly speculate how their First actually looks like. But I am sure Kobe Bryant sits next to you.
We finished our breakfast just in time to start our descent into the sunset over Istanbul, another hard task awaiting us. We have less than half an hour to catch our flight to Addis Ababa.
By now we should not have been surprised to find at the end of the jet bridge a Turkish Airlines guy waving his arms wildly like a Dutch windmill with 2 boarding passes, screaming,
„Addis Ababa! Addis Ababa!“
Well, since we were among the first passengers out, he did not have to play the Dutch windmill any longer but instruct us to follow him. We started running towards the gate on the other side of the airport, so far away that if it were not for this guy, there was no way we would have made it. He took us to the front of the security line (here, like in the US, even my belt and watch goes into the TSA bin), with other passengers giving us dirty looks and then we were running through the crowded Atatürk Airport reminding me of a duty free and high end brand names shopping mall, as it is now the case with most civilized airports around the world.
We reached our gate at 6:30pm, just 15 minutes BEFORE our scheduled departure where we were the very last passengers put on a tarmac bus and ferried to our plane. We made it, but no way in hell will our luggage. Who cares when a gorgeous flight attendant is leaning over you pouring you a glass of champagne! Here’s to Turkish Airlines!
