Monthly Archives: April 2009

Experience Historic Israel at Masada

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Take a hike up the Snake Path on the eastern side of the mountain, access the cable cars via the Dead Sea road and enjoy Masada in modern Israel. Largely untouched by humans for nearly two millennia, the Roman ramp built on the western wall still stands and can be climbed safely by foot. Masada today is one of the Jewish people’s greatest symbols. So much so that Israeli soldiers take an oath upon completion of basic military training that, “Masada shall not fall again.” Besides Jerusalem, Masada is the most popular tourist destination for Jews visiting Israel. Further, the fortifications at Masada have become a modern symbol for Jewish survival.

Herod the Great fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE as a potential refuge in the case of a revolt. Before the first Jewish-Roman War in 66 AD a Roman garrison began using the fortifications before being overrun by a group of Jewish extremists who fled Jerusalem after the destruction of the Temple. In 72 AD, the Roman governor of Judea marched against Masada with a crack legion and laid siege to the fortress. After failed attempts to breach the defenses of Masada, they built a wall and then a rampart – which still stands today – against the western face of the plateau using thousands of tons of stones and beaten earth. After nearly three months, in 73 AD, the Roman legion breached the wall of the fortress with a battering ram only to find that the 936 inhabitants had committed mass suicide, rather than be captured and face slavery and public executions.

The story of their heroism was relayed by two women who escaped by hiding in a cistern with five small children. What’s more, the women told of stores of arms sufficient for ten thousand men and stores of grain which could feed the defenders for months. The defenders of Masada had chosen the time and place of their deaths.

The region was forgotten by the modern world until the mid-nineteenth century when Isaac Lamdan wrote Masada, a poetic history of the anguished Jewish fight against a hostile world. Professor David Roskies, of the Jewish Theological Seminary, wrote in a later study of the Great Revolt that Masada, “More than any other text, later inspired the uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto.”

Naturally, Masada is seen as symbolic of the need to protect the modern state of Israel. In May 2007, a unique and innovative museum experience was developed which combined archaeological artifacts and a theatrical atmosphere to create a meaningful guided tour showcasing the story of Masada. In an article for the Astronomical Society of the Pacfic, David H. Levy wrote:

What was so special about those people who faced the sky from this mesa so long ago? The historical events on Masada took place between 66 AD, when a small group of Jewish extremists called Sicarii took over the mountaintop at the start of the Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire, and ended on the 15th of Nissan in the year 73 – the night of Passover – when 10,000 Roman soldiers led by Flavius Silva ended a long siege by storming the site.

Wendee and I wanted to visit Masada at night because only then could we feel its majesty. As a scientist, I was interested in seeing the site, the buildings, and the artifacts for myself. But in science it is also important to get a first feel for what you are about to experience, including what the night sky looked like as the Jewish inhabitants faced a terrible choice between slavery under the Romans camped below, or freedom in the sky above. They chose freedom that night, and died by their own hands.

If you want to experience historic Israel for yourself, and see with your own eyes the splendor and majesty of the Middle-East, then let us know. We’ll be happy to ensure that your once in a lifetime vacation meets and surpasses your expectations.

Experiencing The Amazon

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Instead of the jungle cruise at Disneyland, consider this: a custom-built trip to the Amazon is far more luxurious than one might think. The city of Manaus is only 5,200 air miles from Seattle. From Manaus, riverboats sail nearly a thousand miles downstream to Belem, a four-day journey, or upstream 1,200 miles to Iquitos, Peru, which takes a week or so. Sailing the Amazon is part of the undeniable appeal of the river. The closest town to Manaus is Itacoatiara- a coastal town famous for its surfing, bodyboarding, and bodysurfing- which is 124 miles downstream. In a post on his personal website, Tyler Folsom describes his experience in Itacoatiara saying:

The night-time voyage continued to make frequent stops, offloading ice, supplies, and empty Styrofoam chests. The sky was now perfectly clear and filled with stars with Orion overhead. We stretched out on deck chairs or benches and rested under the starlight, listening to jungle noises and observing a flying beetle similar to a firefly. The light on the deck attracted a wealth of insects, but they were non-biting.

At 3:00 AM we finally reached Itacoatiara. Most passengers chose to stay aboard and sleep in their hammocks until dawn. The boat did not tie up at the main dock, but put in at the foot of a flight of concrete stairs. We balanced down the thin gang-plank to shore, climbed the stairs, and asked the waiting taxi to take us to the Christian Hotel, one of the best in town at $28 for two. We had no reservations and were glad to get a room without difficulty and catch up on sleep.

The Amazon River is the largest river in the world, with a flow greater than the next eight largest rivers combined. Further, at no point in it’s run is the river crossed by bridges. Because of its size and length the Amazon is home to a diverse collection of wildlife and fauna. More than one third of all species in the world live in the Amazon Rainforest, a giant tropical forest with an area that stretches more than 2.1 million square miles and is among the richest tropical forests in the world. The river has nearly 3,000 recognized species of fish, a number which is still growing. Notably, the river is one of the main habitats of the Boto, known as the Amazon River Dolphin.

Currently, ecological groups are mounting widespread and focused efforts to preserve and protect the Amazon Rainforest for future generations and the well-being of the planet. Their cause is bolstered by the findings of scientists and conservationists  who are still discovering new species of plants and animals, some of which may have medicinal uses.

Whether you are an unabashed conservationist or a tourist seeking an off-beat vacation experience, a visit to the Amazon is an unrivaled experience. In a piece for the LA Times entitled, An Adventure Along the Amazon, Amanda Jones described one aspect of her experience touring the Amazon saying:

We were right below the equator. The heat — it was 90 to 95 degrees — bore down on us, and the 95% humidity hung over us like wet wool. This meant the days had to be well planned. We took early morning and late afternoon excursions into the forest or up small tributaries on skiffs that enabled us to negotiate shallow areas.

The best news of the whole trip was that we could swim in the river, particularly in the clean waters of remote tributaries. Despite movie depictions and Internet myths, piranhas do not attack healthy humans. In fact, one moment, we’d be catching piranha with a bait of raw meat; the next, we’d be motoring a little way upstream to ensure the piranha did not confuse us with the beef, and then leaping off the side of the skiff, no questions asked.

If you’re looking for a once in a lifetime travel experience then please contact us. We offer experiences customized to fit your every desire from South America to the Middle-East.

Experience Australia

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The smallest continent on Earth, also known as Australia, is an amazing place for luxury vacations of all kinds. With 21,262 miles of coastline, the world’s largest monolith, The Great Barrier Reef, the famous outback, and fantastic biodiversity, there is something for everyone to see and experience in Australia to ensure it is the trip of your dreams.

Australia is divided into five travel regions: Great Barrier Reef, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Red Center, and Southern. Each one of these areas holds plenty of areas to explore and even more spaces to relax, but nothing is better than the 20 day Australian Dreamtime adventure. Named one of the Top 50 Tours of a Lifetime in 2008 by National Geographic Traveler, the journey is the ultimate in Australian luxury travel. Go on guided safaris, helicopter flights, tour Kakadu National Park, and go snorkeling and diving off of Haggerstone Island.

 

While you spend your time on the Australian Dreamtime adventure, you’ll be living in the utmost luxury. There are a wide range of accommodations which include:

-Southern Ocean Lodge, which from your room on a cliff top, you’ll have amazing views of the Southern Ocean. There are only 21 rooms on the property, giving you a great sense of isolation.

-Longitude 131°, which is a luxury tented encampment. And while “tented” and “luxury” rarely go together, no detail has been overlooked to ensure complete privacy, isolation, and relaxation.

-With only nine suites on the entire property, Bamurru Plains puts you right in the middle of the savannah bush. Each suite is immersed in the wilderness to make you feel at one with all of the nature surrounding you.

-Situated on an active cattle ranch in the Northern Territory, Bullo River Station puts you right in the thick of Australian native wildlife. Locally grown fruits and vegetables are served during the length of your stay.

-If true seclusion sounds appealing to you, then you’ll love Haggerstone Island. Completely uninhabited except for the owners and small staff of the property, staying there allows you to participate in a myriad of island activies in total privacy.

Any sort of adventure you can dream, we can make it a reality. If you’ve always dreamed of traveling to the other side of the world to experience Australia, you have come to the right place! Let us make your wildest luxury vacation dreams come true.

An Easter Island Adventure

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Situated some 2,237 miles off the coast of Chile is Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui. The isolated island is home to luxurious white sand beaches, volcanos and it’s famous moai statues built by the native Rapanui people. With such isolation comes the chance for total relaxation and anonymity, for the island is only occupied by 3,791 people.

explora en Rapa Nui is Easter Island’s finest luxury hotel, and with only 30 rooms, you are sure to get the best service there is to offer. From the hotel you can venture to Casa de Banos Hara Vai for a pool, jacuzzis and relaxing massage, or you can have one of the island natives take you on your own private guided tour of the island. You’ll want to have your private guide show you the moai statues for which the island is most known for:

The large stone statues, or moai, for which Easter Island is world-famous, were carved during a relatively short and intense burst of creative and productive megalithic activity. A total of 887 monolithic stone statues have been inventoried on the island and in museum collections.[23] Although often identified as “Easter Island heads”, the statues are actually complete torsos, the figures kneeling on bent knees with their hands over their stomach. Some upright moai have become buried up to their necks by shifting soils.

The period when the statues were produced remains disputed, with estimates ranging from 400 CE to 1500–1700 CE. Almost all (95%) moai were carved out of distinctive, compressed, easily worked volcanic ash or tuff found at a single site inside the extinct volcano Rano Raraku. The native islanders who carved them used only stone hand chisels, mainly basalt toki, which still lie in place all over the quarry. The stone chisels were re-sharpened by chipping off a new edge when dulled. The volcanic stone the moai were carved from was first wetted to soften it before sculpting began, then again periodically during the process. While many teams worked on different statues at the same time, a single moai would take a team of five or six men approximately one year to complete. Each statue represents a deceased long-ear chief or important person.

For those who want to truly get away from it all and do so with the utmost isolation and luxury, consider a tropical getaway to Easter Island. Your dream Chilean vacation awaits!

The Quirimbas Archipelago

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One generally wouldn’t think that the words Africa and tropical vacation spot would go together, but then you wouldn’t be familiar with the Quirimbas Archipelago. Situated off the northern coast of Mozambique from Pemba to the Ruvuma River, which is the natural border in between Mozambique and Tanzania, the area includes 32 islands. The few resorts on the string of islands, including Vamizi Island, are first class, private resorts that give you the feeling that you are on your own little tropical oasis.

Outside of a few lodges on the islands, the islands have never been fully developed, leaving you with a sense of absolute peace from the rest of the world. The water is a stunning clear blue, coral reefs in the area are as pristine as they come, and it is truly a paradise for those who are looking to get away from it all.

There are plenty of excursions to take on your tropical getaway such as snorkeling, fishing, dhow excursions, kayaking, nature hikes, and also seasonal whale watching. Plenty of marine life can be seen across the islands from sea turtles to dolphins. Also perfect for further exploration is the Quirimbas National Park, which not only has over a thousand kilometers of land to explore, but 11 uninhabited coral islands to see.

So when you start to think about your dream luxury tropical getaway, don’t forget about the Quirimbas Archipelago. It may just be one of the last unspoiled destinations on earth.