Good News for Trestles!

Its good news this morning for environmentalists in California, the foothill-south toll road has been dealt a fatal blow. The Department of Commerce announced today that it would uphold the California Coastal Commission's decision! Basically, this means that it is illegal under both federal and state law to build a toll road through San Onofre State Park. In a release issued from the Department of Commerce, they "determined that there is at least one reasonable alternative to the project and that the project is not necessary in the interest of national security."

For those of you not familiar with the long disputed project, The TCA (Transportation Corridor Agency) proposed to continue highway 241 south from its current end at Oso Parkway to the I-5 near San Clemente. Here is a map for any one not familiar with the area. The highway's completion was touted as reducing the congestion on the I-5 and as an alternative for Orange County residents. However, the reality was that the proposed plan would have been built directly along San Maeto Creek. According to the Surfrider Foundation "the project would also result in the obliteration of Southern California’s last remaining pristine coastal watershed and substantially degrade habitat that is critical for the survival of at least seven endangered species, including the Southern Steelhead trout."

What I love most about this story is that opponents of the 241 continuation project did not gain momentum from this fact. Instead, popularity was generated from a Southern California institution. Surfing. The 241 extension road project would have directly threatened the world class surf break at and around Trestles. This simple fact started a grass roots movement of unrivaled popularity. Save Trestles became the battle cry and today it is these advocates we have to thank. They saved a beautiful region of our state from unnecessary desecration and I personally hope they take this day to celebrate their achievements!

Be sure to visit Surfrider's save trussels website, the non-profit that has worked tirelessly to win this fight. And if you are interested in reading the TCA's plan click here. Read more...

Monte Roraima

So I was watching this show last night about a group of scientists that recently were assembled and sent to explore Monte Roraima in Venezuela. For those not familiar with random plateau's in Venezuela, Monte Roraima is one of the least explored places on earth. This table-top mountain, or tepuis, is thought to be the oldest mountain on earth having formed when Africa and South America split apart. Monte Roraima is unique in that it is nearly 9,300 feet tall and is almost inaccessible due to sheer cliffs on all sides. This is the point in this blog post where you all begin to drift as I write about random mountains in Venezuela.... Here's why this place, and this expedition, are fascinating to me: Monte Roraima's unique set of circumstances, and inaccessibility, have long made it a candidate for housing unknown, or even long extinct creatures. The thought here is that when this landscape rose from the ground, it's eco-system was essentially frozen in time, and has not been touched since. This place was what originally inspired Arthur Conan Doyle to write The Lost World in 1912 (the inspiration for Jurassic Park and King Kong).

So this random group of scientists set out to explore this place. There is this one guy who is a cryptozoologist. Yep, crypto as in hidden/secret, and zoologist as in animals. This guy was a "specialist" in lost/mythical or unknown-to-science animals. He basically walked around waiting for a pterodactyl to come flying down and eat him (local Indians talk about this species as one of many still thought to reside on the mountain) the whole episode. He was joined by a herpetologist, a couple of cave specialists, a random biologist, and a specialist in tarantulas. Long story short, they find a bunch of new creatures, but no dinosaurs or giant mammals.

I mention all of this because something fascinated me during this show. I began to notice that no matter how remote a tribe, no matter how remote a location, even those on opposite ends of the earth with no contact whatsoever with one another, every single place and tribe have stories of the same type of creature: An ape man. In the Himalayas, it's called the Yeti. In North America, it's been long referred to as (even Native American mythology tells of it) Bigfoot or Sasquatch. In Australia the Yowie, in Central America the Dwendi. In this area of South America, I can't remember what the local tribe was calling it, but essentially it meant "demon-ape." I'm not saying I am going to start believing in Big Foot, but there is something to be said for every ancient culture telling of literally the same creature: A giant bipedal ape/man thing. It's not even that bizarre really. After all, there was a creature that basically was this exact specimen called Giganthopithicus that lived perhaps as recently as 3,000 years ago in SE Asia. Who is to say something similar didn't live elsewhere, and even recently? So my question today is if anyone out there believes in Bigfoot? Read more...

To Go or Not to Go, That is the Question

The more I get to understanding people's travel psyche, the more I begin to realize something: People are nervous about visiting most places. It's not uncommon for me to hear, "I won't travel there, it's too dangerous" many times a week in reference to places no where near the State Department's Advisory List. While most of the time I think their concern is off-base, the real question is, as travelers, what do we do with places like Thailand, India, Myanmar and Greece? We've all seen these countries in the news of late for various reasons and while not on Advisory Lists, instances of unrest in these destinations often creates an over-reaction from the general public.

So the real questions are:
Where should we be worried about traveling?
Where shouldn't we worry?
When do people need to just relax, put aside their anxiety, and just go?


Let me start with the obvious: Any destination engaged in some sort of international, civil, or insurgent-led war should be avoided. I think we can all agree that places like Iraq, Afghanistan and to some extent Pakistan are off-limits. Add to this the handful of countries that are so incredibly de-stabilized or lawless that one would be risking more than simply their belongings by traveling there, and we should add places like Somalia, Sudan, DRC, Zimbabwe, and largely Palestine. But what then?

One of my pet peeves is that if you watch or read the news, you'd think that every place on this planet is dangerous; anything international should be avoided:

Don't travel to Thailand, there are people that are protesting the government.
Don't go to London, they had those bombings,
Don't see the Louvre, the French hate us.
Avoid South America, they have all of those drug cartels.
Don't see China, it's near that crazy guy in North Korea.
Watch out for Peru, I saw that story about how Alpaca's will spit at you.
Definitely avoid Egypt, there are terrorists everywhere.
Steer clear of Southern Italy... all of those mobsters.
Don't go near the Mideast, Arabs hate us and will kidnap Westerners.
SE Asia is lawless. I heard that if you go most places there, you'll likely wake up in a bathtub without your organs.
Russia is crazy, after the collapse they lost all of their nuclear weapons, and they could be detonated at any time.
Never Indonesia; a tidal wave will sweep me away.
Nor Turkey. Crazy earthquakes, none of those buildings are built like the Japanese, they'll fall on me.

Ugh. My advice: Relax. Take a deep breath. Look around you. Realize our country has it's own dangers. There will certainly be instances of unrest, crime, natural disaster and pockets of danger anywhere in this world one travels. But ask yourself: How many crime reports do you see on TV here each day? How many streets exist in this country that you wouldn't walk down past dark? How many earthquakes/tornados/hurricanes/floods hit our country every 12 months? Would you ever tell someone not to come to America because it's too dangerous?

Make sure you do your research, and just go! Aside from the few places listed above, the countries in this world are overwhelmingly safe. The people there are overwhelmingly sweet, hospitable, and just like you. Buy a good guide book to steer you clear of the wrong parts of the city, avoid war zones, and just relax and enjoy yourself. Read more...

10 reasons to visit Bhutan

I know it has been awhile since I have returned from Bhutan, but I could not help posting something else on this magical country. If you have read any of my other posts, you will realize that I am on the verge of begging the Bhutanese government to let me apply for citizenship. So here is my list of the very best reasons to make Bhutan your next vacation destination.

1. "You went where?" If you go to Bhutan, this is a question you will get frequently. And it feels fantastic. To go to a place that so few westerners have ever heard of proves that you have traveled somewhere unique. That, or American's abysmal lack of geographical knowledge. But, I am going to be optimistic and stick with the former.

2. The Bhutanese People. The sweetest, kindest and most lovely people. They are open and friendly and no matter where you are you will receive smiles with waves of 'goodbye' from the children. (Kids use goodbye as a welcome). So cute.

3. The Tiger's Nest. This amazing site is one of the most sacred monasteries in the entire country. Completed in 1692, it hangs on a cliff at 10,200 feet above the city of Paro. The proper name is Taktshang, which means "Tiger's nest", the legend being that Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) flew there on the back of a tiger. The monastery suffered several blazes from a butter lamp which had fell during the night, but its restoration has been completed and it is back to its former glory.

4. The Takin. What on earth is a Takin you ask? It is the national animal of Bhutan and has been described as a bee-stung moose. This animals association is intrinsically tied to Bhutanese religious history, more appropriately with Lama Drukpa Kunley otherwise known as the Divine Madman. He is credited with having created this animal by taking the head of a goat and attaching it to the body of a cow.

5. Paintings of well....male genitalia. It is not often that we see penis' painted on the side of building or on flags on people's home. It is quite a sight. The historical significance traces back to the Divine Madman, a favorite monk which lived from 1455-1529. This outrageous monk was known for his sexual exploits as well as his ability to help with fertility. He is a greatly loved symbol and these paintings are in reverence to him.

6. Monklettes. Otherwise known as little-kid monks. I hope this made-up term does not come across as disrespectful, they are just so darn cute in their orange robes.

7. Eme datse. The Bhutanese love their chilies. And for the adventurous, try their national dish, eme datse. It is a mixture of chilies and cheese and after eating the most miniscule amount I spent the next 20 minutes sputtering, coughing, sweating profusely and guzzling anything liquid in sight. It is very, very hot. Watching our guides eat this dish without the slightest sign of discomfort, the Bhutanese clearly are born without taste-buds.

8. You will not find a single McDonalds....anywhere. It is a blissful change from the everyday life of continual chain stores.

9. "Gross National Happiness". This is concerned the primary currency of Bhutan and significantly more important than Gross Domestic Product. And the feeling is palpable, everyone is so happy.

10. Druk Air. The best in-flight food you will ever have. And amazingly it is free. Read more...