The Land of Milk and Honey… and Hummus

Israeli Vineyards

This just in… some super cool packaged tours throughout… you guessed it… The Holy Land. And the holy land to me means… the land of milk and honey and wine, and hummus and hotties!

Plus, no one really thinks about it, but, the Israelis were some of the first successful communists in the good sense of the word… communal. Rocking the kibbutznik farm style, these guys managed to share and deliver duties in an eco-friendly way better than any of their predecessors in Russia or, let’s just say, Cuba. The Israelis not only developed a system of drop irrigation that is now one of the best watering solutions in the world to save water, but, as you can imagine, they also have some pretty old grape vines. So, see the deals on Israel travel and go get yourself some holistic harmony… with a side of the best hummus you’ll have in your life.

• Israel by Kibbutz

Delve into this soul moving country while staying at a collection of traditional Israeli kibbutz.  Partake in the communal lifestyle of the Kibbutznik people firsthand as you tour this holy land.  This one is called ‘a transformative travel experience’. We believe it. We’ve been to kibbutzim and they’re a pretty cool thing.
http://www.kensingtontours.com/Tours/Egypt-and-Middle-East/Egypt-and-Holy-Land/Israel/8-Day-Israel-by-Kibbutz—-

• Active Israel Adventure

An active alfresco adventure, you’ll get off the tour bus and cruise, scuba dive, horseback ride, bike, climb and rappel to behold all of Israel’s spellbinding sites fused together with jeep safaris, camel rides, archaeological digs, golden beaches, hot springs and more.
http://www.kensingtontours.com/Tours/Egypt-and-Middle-East/Egypt-and-Holy-Land/Israel/13-Day-Active-Israeli-Adventure-Minimum-group-of-4

• Vineyards and Visions

Stimulate your soul and taste buds with this delectable culinary journey showcasing Israeli wine and cuisine.  Taste your way through a mosaic of vineyards and celebrated restaurants, take cooking lessons and stop at all the age-old sites along the way. Bon appetit, we say!
http://www.kensingtontours.com/Tours/Egypt-and-Middle-East/Egypt-and-Holy-Land/Israel/11-Day-Israels-Visions-and-Vineyards-Minimum-group-of-4-

Abu Dhabi and The Islands

Picture this: you’re kneeling in the fading twilight with camera in hand, eye-to-eye with an African ostrich.

Sound wild?

Well, you can make it your reality with Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara’s exclusive Stay and Click photography course,March 18 - 21. Set amid the rugged beauty of the Royal Nature Reserve on Sir Bani Yas Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi, this three-night, two-day landscape and wildlife photography class brings both novice and experienced photographers close to nature with cameras and critiques.  Students have a chance to photograph the more than 20 different free-roaming species that grace Sir Bani Yas’ shores, including Arabian oryx, antelope, and gazelle.

With 30 years of experience as a contract photographer, Ira Block will lead the course. His photo library includes rare archaeological relics from ancient sites in Eastern Europe, Peru and the Middle East. It’s the perfect trip to hone your skills and explore the rich wildlife and landscape with your lens. What’s more, in celebration of the hotel’s one-year anniversary, Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara is giving away one free spot in this exclusive course!

Simply submit your favorite desert or wildlife image by uploading it here by Sunday, February 28.  Ira and Anantara will announce the winning picture on the website on Sunday, March 7.

Not the winner? Not to worry, you can still reserve a space in the class. Individual rates start from AED 6,550+ ($2,052 inclusive of tax and tourism charge), double rates from AED 8,600+ ($2,716 inclusive of tax and tourism charge).  Package includes the two-day photography course, three nights of accommodation, breakfast, lunch, and dinner in The Palm restaurant.

*Photographers participating in the two-day course must have a digital SLR camera, lenses, and all necessary cables along with a laptop computer and editing software.

Discovery Adventures

Armchair travel just got an upgrade!

Remember when you saw your first episode of Deadliest Catch and the next time you ate Alaskan King Crab you held up a bright red two-foot long leg and said, “Cheers to the men who bravely risked their lives so that I could enjoy the succulent white tendrils of this soft salty meat like never before”?  Or how about the time you channeled Man vs. Wild’s star, Bear Grylls, when you were lost during a hike in Montana so you decided to walk along the dangerously close edge of a suspended railway bridge? Oh we can’t say enough about our love of all things Discovery.  For one thing, Discovery Channel used to be our EIC’s client when she worked as a VP in entertainment advertising.  Shark Week, Deadliest Catch, Dirty Jobs… we know our Discovery Channel.  We can’t get enough of their entertaining content and their commitment to the natural world.

As such, when we caught wind that the Discovery Channel had *just* launched Discovery Adventures, their first ever adventure travel vacation group, we said, “Where do we sign up?!” Starting last Friday, July 31, 2009, there are 31 itineraries to 18 different destinations with departures slated for this December 2009. Discovery Adventures not only ‘makes adventure travel accessible, less intimidating and offers 3-star service levels at more affordable prices,’ but they also promise to deliver die-hard, often “can’t be found with any other tour” real life experiences.

Expect to explore regions featured on Discovery Channel programs such as Man Vs. Wild, Out of Egypt and Discovery Atlas China.  Trips focus on educational tourism, cultural immersion, wildlife encounters, participation in sustainable world practices, epicurean adventures, geographic and environmental exploration.  Destinations include, North America (Alaska, Southwest), Latin America (Peru, Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica), Africa (Tanzania, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Egypt, Morocco) and Asia (India, China, Thailand).

Prices and trips range in length in cost, but an 9 day/8 night trip through Costa Rica runs approximately $1149 (air fare not included).

Discover the unexpected…

http://www.discoveryadventures.com

Part III: Palmyra’s Ruins & The Aleppo Underground

Fresh from the press! Part III of Singapore-based Contributor, Hajar Ali’s series on Syria.

When I left Damascus for Palmyra, I was told by the helpful doorman that traveling by bus was a comfortable, cheap alternative. I immediately grabbed a ticket.

Air-conditioned and, indeed, comfortable, the best part of the trip had to be the dates passed around in wooden boxes with mother-of-pearl inlay. If I remember correctly, they were also screening a Hindi movie.

Arriving in Palmyra, I’d stayed at a hotel highly recommended by Lonely Planet (The Cham Palace remains the closest to luxury accommodation available in Palmyra). There was a group of Italian tourists checking into the hotel at the same time and I spent a part of my first night in Palmyra in fear as I overheard two Italian ladies whispering in the hotel corridor.

My first introduction to giallo, a type of slasher horror flick typified by a developing background romance and spectacular sceneries of the Italian countryside, was Pupi Avati’s ‘Casa dalle finestre che ridono’, revolving around the creatively sadistic plots by two Italian sisters to entrap their latest torture victim. Hearing two female voices whispering in Italian brought to mind certain scenes of the movie.

The next morning (and evening) was spent touring the ruins of Palmyra where I encountered a guide who spoke, among other languages, Aramaic, a language spoken by Jesus and is still spoken in ‘isolated pockets of Syria’ in Ma’aloula. A veritable source of information on the ruins of Palmyra, he approached me while I was walking around near the entrance of the ruins. A morning (or evening) spent touring the ruins of Palmyra with him was well spent, never mind what the other guides tell you. I encountered another group of Italian tourists who’d asked their Italian-speaking guide to ask my English-speaking guide why I was travelling on my own. It was the same kind of concern the Italian ladies I’d met at the Lebanese-Syrian border and travelled around with in Syria had shown.
Palmyra, Syria

Why was I travelling alone? Wouldn’t it be better to travel with friends or parents? Well, sometimes, you just have to go it alone. Nights in Palmyra were uneventful, spent going through the tourist stores selling armor suits, old rings and porcelain pieces. The bus from Palmyra to Aleppo the next morning was nothing like the Damascus-Palmyra transfer. I took the bus with a few men – and goats – in an older bus with windows bearing a cobweb-like pattern from being hit by errant pebbles. We encountered little children on the journey practicing their shots by throwing little pebbles against the bus windows which, in retrospect, felt just a little like an earlier scene in the movie, Syriana, where an American lady travelling on a tourist bus was accidentally shot by a child practicing his shots on a rifle. I tried not to imagine these film recollections were ‘signs.’

Arriving in Aleppo, you’re immediately cognizant of a deep, rich history. A capital city that contests Damascus’ claim to being the ‘oldest continuously inhabited city in the world’ with a complex, intriguing history. Staying at the Baron Hotel (instantly recognizable by every local – particularly useful if you’re wont to getting lost), I was to spend my next few days in Aleppo exploring the citadel, locating an underground bar in the pedestrianized streets of Aleppo which the waiter insists was a way for the house’s original inhabitants to connect to the citadel during the multiple sieges laid on the city and experienced an authentic hammam session.
Underground Bar in Aleppo, Syria

Checking into the historic Hotel Baron, walking through the same hallowed hallways and reveling in its faded glamour, one can feel the cozy, family-like nature of the hotel management. From the receptionist to the waiter, who serves you breakfast every morning, everyone seems to have worked in that hotel for the longest time. I found my first room to be ‘too noisy’ , the second one which they’d suggested (and moved my bags to) ‘too creepy’ as it involved walking past an unlit hallway with unused furniture.

I was then shown another room- with a beautiful Juliet balcony lit by fairy lights. The balcony overlooks the busy main road, no doubt, but I figured by then that the hotel does have a road frontage and was won over by the balcony. I could see the brightly-lit stores across the street and the constant stream of alternately-honking traffic from my balcony.

Solitary moments in balconies with a view, even in cities I felt ill-at-ease (which Aleppo certainly was not!), make up some of my best memories in hotels I’d stayed in. My room at the Laleh Hotel in Tehran (what used to be the Intercontinental pre-1979) had a small balcony overlooking the garden and I spent, figuratively, my brightest moments on this balcony in a city I’d felt overwhelmed by.

The traffic on the streets of Aleppo must have ceased by a certain time as I was usually woken up in the mornings by the sound of birds near my heater grilles and the sound of traffic, increasing in both its frequency and loudness. My first day in Aleppo was spent with the Italian ladies, visiting Aleppo’s Citadel and capping off a visit accompanied by a most informative guide, with a chat with friends of the Italian ladies whom we’d met in the café opposite the citadel. We’d made an appointment (or rather, they made an appointment and I tagged along) to meet again that night at a friend’s house, which, the Italian ladies tell me, is beautiful, tasteful, and ‘like a museum.’

Stay tuned for Part IV of Hajar’s Syrian escape…