Archive for the 'Polar Regions' Category
Visit Antarctica — for just $9,774 per night
September 7, 2009 12:03pm
It will add nearly $10,000 to the price of your cruise, but if you fantasize about visiting Antarctica — the coldest, windiest and least populated continent on the planet — Crystal Cruises has a deal for you.
The Extreme Overnight Adventure in Antarctica, as it’s called, is one of the most expensive shore excursions ever offered. It costs more than the 19-day cruise itself, which is priced from $8,995 per person, double occupancy.
But a hardy (and wealthy) band of six passengers can get a two-day taste of Antarctica’s terrain and wildlife. They’ll visit a king penguin colony, see elephant seals and fur seals and spend a night at the Chilean Antarctic Institute. They’ll also brave below-freezing temperatures to trek to remote villages, visit a petrified arctic forest and travel by helicopter to a humpback whale sanctuary.
Read the rest of this entry »
Foreign affairs: Where Gov. Mark Sanford should have been sleeping
June 24, 2009 4:04pm
Memo to: All American elected officials
From: Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times travel writer
Regarding: National and international affairs
And: Where to have them
Hey, stuff happens, and sometimes a fella strays. Sometimes, a governor needs to spend Father’s Day weekend cheating on his wife in Argentina. But as South Carolina Republican Gov. Mark Sanford can now authoritatively say, South America is perhaps a bit too far to stray.
Then again, look at the stateside troubles of U.S. Sen. John Ensign, the Nevada Republican who just admitted a 2008 stateside affair with a campaign aide, or John Edwards, the philandering Democratic presidential hopeful from North Carolina. If you’re going to stray, U.S. territory might not be far enough away.
A prudent elected official seeks middle ground. And no, we don’t mean Las Vegas. Because deep down, don’t you suspect that what happens in Vegas ends up on video somewhere?
But we can help. Whatever your amatory outsourcing needs, gentlemen, we suggest you consider these assignation destinations. Or, you know, be good and stay home.
Guantanamo Bay Press banned and extra beds available soon.
Rome Long flight, but very romantic. And the media is so busy covering Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s high-level appointments of various attractive young women —and subsequent threats of divorce by his wife — that tailing you wouldn’t be worth the trouble.
Darien Gap, Panama Green and steamy. And since there are almost no paved roads, they’d never find you. Just don’t forget the mosquito repellent.
Asuncion, Paraguay Because they put the “para” in “paramour.”
Rio de Janeiro Incumbent mistress getting old? Browse Ipanema Beach for a successor.
Tijuana Lots of hotel vacancies. And prices have never been better for car upholstery, dentistry and cosmetic surgery.
Nuuk, Greenland Taste the reindeer. See the aurora borealis. Enjoy Nuuk nookie.
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada Because once you’ve pulled on those yellow rain slickers, you’ll be just another happy, hooded, damp couple.
The Cayman Islands Between flings, check your offshore accounts.
— Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times staff writer
[Photo: The Spanish Steps in Rome, a very romantic city. Credit: Susan Spano / Los Angeles Times
Roundup: Earthquakes in Costa Rica and SoCal; Canadian trekkers break Antarctica record; more BART-shooting protests in Oakland
January 9, 2009 8:12am
Did you feel last night’s earthquake? Centered near San Bernardino, it jolted Southern California at an estimated magnitude 4.5. I didn’t feel it in Venice, but The Times’ Quake Report Board generated comments from West Hollywood to Laguna Niguel and beyond. No damage has been reported.
A quake that shook Costa Rica on Thursday had more serious consequences. Read on for that story and more.
Costa Rica | The death toll from a magnitude 6.1 quake that shook Costa Rica on Thursday afternoon has risen to 14, reported the Associated Press this morning. The quake triggered a landslide near the Poas Volcano national park at La Paz waterfall, where 10 fell victim, according to a Red Cross spokesman interviewed for a Reuters report. The temblor was reportedly felt strongly all over the country; its epicenter was about 22 miles from the capital, San Jose.
Five bonus photos of Your Scene in Travel 2008
December 26, 2008 2:00pm
Snow daze (above): A polar bear samples the snow in Manitoba, Canada, in November. Joe Kras of Glendale used a Nikon D300 (200-400 F4VRG lens) to save the moment.
This polar bear is a keeper– as are many of the photos that readers of the L.A. Times Travel section submitted this year to our regular feature Your Scene.
Here’s a celebration of our readers’ best work–and the ultimate souvenir: Your Scene in Travel: Our favorite reader photo submissions of 2008.
And here are five bonus submissions that we picked to feature in our last Travel section of 2008.
Santa Claus tweets on Twitter, and other NORAD sleigh-spotting resources
December 24, 2008 9:54am
Sweep out that chimney and get to baking those cookies, because Santa Claus is well underway on his world journeys. Not even winter storms will stop this man from coming to town.
How do I know? A Twitter tweet told me so. According to reports on the noradsanta feed, Santa and his reindeer entourage have already sleighed their way through New Zealand, Japan and even — no surprise here — Christmas Island.
This Twitter feed was started by NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), which — besides concerning itself with military matters on our continent — has, since 1955, dealt with the serious business of tracking Santa on his annual, international Christmas Eve flight.
Find out Santa’s whereabouts on the NORAD Santa website, which plots his current and previous locations on a world map. Read the rest of this entry »
12 books of Christmas: ‘Visions of Paradise’
December 20, 2008 6:00am
My new personal hero may be Bronwen Latimer, who created a photographic escape hatch for these gloomy days when the economic news is as overcast as SoCal skies on a stormy day.
Latimer asked National Geographic photographers where, in their view, was heaven on earth. The result is this luscious book, “Visions of Paradise” (National Geographic, $35), which takes a reader to some predictable places (Hawaii), some not so much (Nebraska) and some I’d never heard of (Lago Ypoa National Park in Paraguay).
The 12 books of Christmas: ‘Sacred Places’
December 16, 2008 12:10pm
If you want something a bit more in tune with the vibe of the season, think “Sacred Places of a Lifetime” (National Geographic, $40).
Its subtitle, “500 of the World’s Most Peaceful and Powerful Destinations,” tells you it’s a big ride, but its really the organizing principle that is fascinating.
Travel Ticker website from Hotwire focuses on bargains
July 21, 2008 12:01am
The unemployment rate in California is up to a five-year high, and that tells you nothing good about the economy in the Golden State or anywhere else.
So the timing for Travel Ticker (www.travel-ticker.com), a new bargain website from the Hotwire people, probably couldn’t be better. It makes its debut today.
“We love to read about deals so we wanted to have something that was enjoyable to read and peruse and would inspire travel among enthusiasts,” said Barbara Messing, vice president of Travel Ticker.
Unlike some sites that suggest bargains that aren’t bargains for West Coasters, Travel Ticker uses “geo-targeting,” meaning you’ll see bargains appropriate to where you live. Read the rest of this entry »
America's pastime, baseball in Alaska
June 21, 2008 1:44pm
I’m seriously smitten by the Alaska Baseball League – hardball in a time warp, a heaping dish of Americana.
Most serious fans are aware of the Alaska league, which features players from some of the top college programs in the nation. The wood bat developmental program begins in mid-June and runs to the end of July. The six teams are based in cities around Alaska, but also play teams brought up from the lower 48.
For instance, on Wednesday night, one of the two Anchorage teams, the Glacier Pilots, was playing the SoCal Running Birds, a team of mostly junior college players based in Orange County.
Picture the Durham Bulls in an even more homey and low-key setting.
I don’t think Fall Out Boy will be camping in Antarctica
March 23, 2008 12:25am
I’d rather see a penguin than a bear outside my tent any day of the week. Did you know that you can comment on Your Scene photos?
For this photo, Charlie said, “Penguin’s thinking: ‘These people build such STRANGE homes.’ . . . nice capture, kkcondon.”
— Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times Travel Deal Blogger
[Photo: kkcondon, Petermann Island, Antarctica / Your Scene, Los Angeles Times]
