Monthly Archives: May 2009

Experience Cappodocia with a Luxury Vacation

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Cappadocia is an area in central Turkey known for its unique moon-like landscape. For millions of years, the volcanoes of the Central Anatolian Plateau spewed their contents across the lands that would later become the cradle of civilization. Blessed with a moderate climate and fertile volcanic soul, one of the world’s earliest communities was founded 10,000 years ago at Catalhoyuk along the river banks of the Casambasuyu near Konya. Mankind’s first nature painting, found here, portrays the most recent eruption of Hasan Dagi nearly 9000 years ago. Now, its snow capped peaks dominate the Konya plain.

Here, in the shadow of another great volcano – once called Mt. Argeus and known as the “Abode of the Gods”- rise the “Fairy Chimneys”, cones and strange rock formations sculpted by the wind. Into these chimneys, the local peoples carved subterranean towns, seeking shelter from the conquerors. Assyrians, Hittites, Mongols, Persians, Syrians, Arabs, Romans and Western Europeans have all passed through the region leaving behind some of their traditions as well as their genes and rendering Cappadocians as exotic as their surreal surroundings.

The greek-era kingdom of Cappadocia once encompassed a far greater area than the current region. Guide books and tour buses focus on the underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu, ignoring the opportunities for a unique travel experience in the hills. For those looking for a custom travel experience, Cappadocia is a land of discovery. Away from the major tourist centers there are partially explored churches, Hittite town centers and even more cave dwellings to be discovered.

The two largest of Cappadocia’s underground communities are located at Kaymakli and Derinkuyu. Both are believed to be temporary refuges for the Hittites as they sought to escape the Phrygians as they came under attack around 1200 BC. Some archaeologists, however, believe the oldest caves are substantially older. These rooms were later expanded into an extensive complex, used by Christians escaping Arab persecution in the 7th and 8th centuries.

The discrete entrances of the tunnels give way to elaborate subterranean systems with air shafts, wells, chimneys and connecting passageways. The upper levels became living quarters while the lower levels were used for storage, wine making, and worship. There is a connecting tunnel between Kaymakli and Derinkuyu that allowed multiple people to walk through at the same time. Just to the east of Kaymakli is another cavetown at Mazikoy that may be connected with Derinkuyu. This community was built within the walls of a cliff. Notably, this community is not nearly as complex as those of Kaymakli and Derinkuyu. Mazikoy is often bypassed because a certain amount of agility is required to fully appreciate its features as there are no stairs between levels. Instead, there are carved footholds in the walls of the shafts. However, for those looking for bespoke adventures, the caves at Mazikoy may be the best place to go.

Many of the newer settlements at Cappadocia were established as monastic communities. It was here that St. Basil the great wrote the rules for monastic life that are still followed today by monks and nuns of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Tokali Kilise or the “Buckle Church”, near Goreme, is easily the loveliest of all the churches with graceful arches and beautiful frescoes.

An impressive monastery, Eskigumus Monastery, lies close to the route taken by the invading Arabs in the south of the region. The entrance, while nondescript, was designed to shield the monastery complex from passing invaders. It was so successful that the monastery was not discovered until 1963. The large inner courtyard is surrounded by storage chambers and monastic rooms. The main church boasts well-preserved frescoes considered to be the best example of Byzantine art in all of Cappadocia.

If you are looking for a custom designed travel experience, consider contacting us
to design the perfect luxury travel excursion for you. We look forward to fielding any questions you might have and providing you with the most unique travel experience on earth.

Sample the Peruvian Amazon

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The Peruvian Amazon is the portion of the Amazon rainforest confined within the country of Peru. The area stretches from the east Andes to the borders of Ecuador, Columbia, Brazil, and Bolivia. Notably, the region comprises more than half of the total area of the Peruvian countryside; it is the second largest jungle after the Brazilian Amazon.

The region is typically divided into two distinct ecoregions: the lowland jungle and the highland jungle. The lowland jungle is the largest portion of the rainforest and stands, at times, nearly 400 meters above sea level. The temperatures in the highland jungle are slightly colder than those of the lowland jungle yet there are many more endemic fauna because of the isolation caused by the rugged terrain.

The Peruvian Amazon is one of the most biologically diverse and spectacular regions in the world. The country has the largest number of bird species and a third of mammals with 44 percent and 63 percent respectively inhabiting the area. 2,500 species of butterflies and 1,800 species of birds call the rainforest home.

The Amazon River begins at the confluence of the Ucayalli and Maranon Rivers in the Maynas Province of Peru. Iquitos, the capital and largest city of the region serves as the  gateway to the river. The city sits on the banks of the river and is only approached via plane or boat as it is encroached on at all sides by the rainforest. Iquitos is steeped in tradition, founded as a Jesuit mission in 1750, the city experienced a population boom in the 1860s when the government was moved there. Kraig Becker, in an article entitled Adventures in the Amazon, wrote:

On Saturday nights the Plaza de Armas, one of the major town squares, is lit up like a carnival, with music playing, bright lights flashing, and food and drink in abundance. On Sunday morning, the same plaza hosts an elaborate flag ceremony, with soldiers and sailors stationed in the city, marching the square, while the flags of Peru, the Maynas Province, and the city are run up the pole to great pomp and circumstance. Locals line the street watching the proceedings, as if they are watching the weekly ceremony for the first time.

Iquitos isn’t the only destination in the Peruvian Amazon. The MV Aqua Cruise takes passengers on a journey through the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, providing for the most unique of bespoke adventures. Setting out from Iquitos, you board the luxurious vessel and set out along the river. Each stop has alternative options for excursions so you can have your own customized travel experience.  For example, on the third day of the journey, you disembark on the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve where you have two options:

Option 1: Travel by skiff from Yanayacu Creek all the way to remote Chingana, a small creek where giant river otter usually nest. These handsome animals were killed in great numbers for their pelts, and are now threatened with extinction. On this excursion, you will also see howler and capuchin monkeys, the squirrel-sized monkeys called tamarins, pink and gray river dolphins, and a vast variety of birds. We will also take you deep into the jungle, where you will encounter wildlife and learn first-hand about the important medical value of jungle plants. And we will show you famous Kapok Trees (ceiba pentandra), the tallest trees in the Amazon Basin. Enjoy a generous picnic lunch at the park Ranger Station No. 2, before we begin our journey back to our vessel.

Option 2: This morning a Park Ranger will tell about the sustainable management projects in Amazonia, and take you to visit one of the projects. After lunch and a siesta, you are likely to see the two different kinds of freshwater dolphins—including the unusual pink ones—found in the Amazon. Later, keep your eyes directed toward the jungle canopy, where you can spot at least several kinds of primates—among the 13 species of monkeys resident in the National Park. Perhaps you will catch a glimpse of tamarins and howlers, dusky titi monkeys and pigmy marmoset monkeys. Watch for alligators, and keep your binoculars at the ready, as you are likely to see more than 200 species of birds.

If you are looking for a custom designed travel experience, consider contacting us
to design the perfect luxury travel excursion for you. We look forward to fielding any questions you might have and providing you with the most unique travel experience on earth.

Witness the Majesty of Delhi with a Luxury Vacation

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Delhi is India’s foremost point of arrival for visitors looking for a luxury travel experience. Further it is the major transport hub for destinations in the states of Rajasthan, the Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh as well as central north India. Delhi city, oft called the showcase of India has long been the center of political and cultural activity on the subcontinent. The ancient fortresses, majestic buildings and historic ruins find their modern counterparts in the tall skyscrapers, diplomatic enclaves and well-planned townships of New Delhi. The people here, their lifestyles, traditions and even the climate are a rich and varied mixture of all that is India.

Foremost among locations to visit in Delhi is the city of Shahjahanabad which was the capital of Shah Jahan. Unfortunately, little remains of that old city. The Old Delhi, also known as the walled city, served as the capital for many of the most prominent emperors of India. Today, the only remains of the historical city are the gates (Kashmiri Gate, Ajmeri Gate, Turkman Gate and the Delhi gate). Near the Delhi Gate is Feroz Shah Kotla, a fortress built by Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq to house his version of Delhi city called Ferozabad. Notably, a pristine polished sandstone pillar from the 3rd century B.C. rises from the palace’s crumbling remains, one of many pillars left by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka; it was moved from Punjab and re-erected in its current location.

Another great Delhi draw is the India Gate, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is a prominent landmark in the city and commemorates members of the British Indian Army who lost their lives in World War I and the Afghan Wars. Following India’s independence, the India Gate was rededicated as the site of the Indian Army’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (known as the Amar Jawan Jyoti). Further, the Gate is situated such that many important roads spread out from it. Traffic passing around India Gate used to be continuous till the roads were closed to the public due to increased fear of terrorist threats.

Delhi is also a major center of worship with ten temples, catering to different religions, spread throughout the city.  The most famous mosque of Delhi, Jama Masjid, was built in 1644 in the vicinity of the Chandni Chowk. The mosque was one of the architectural gifts given by Shah Jahan. It is one of the largest mosques not only in Delhi but in India. Completed in 1658 – construction on the building took nearly 15 years – this Mosque has three gateways, Four angle towers and two 40 meter high minarets. You may enter the mosque but it would be wise to take precaution and take off your shoes, making sure that you are properly dressed before entering. One may also go to the top of minarets. From here you will be presented with a spectacular birds eye view of the entire city of Delhi – you should expect no less from a luxury travel company.

One of the main markets of Delhi is Chandni Chowk. The fairway was once lined with beautiful fountains. Today those fountains have been replaced by storefronts. It is said that the moonlight reflecting on the, now long gone, canal, earned it the name, ‘Chandni,’ which translates to moonlight. The area lies in the historically important Shahjahanabad, very near The Red Fort. Notably the Chandni Chowk is home to many of the cities religious shrines though there is little tension between the practitioners of the different religions, all of which coexist peacefully lending the street a genuine cultural harmony. This cultural cohesion speaks volumes to the cities culture.

If you’re looking to take your family on a vacation like no other, but don’t want to be concerned about the details, please contact us and let us arrange your custom travel arrangements.

Visit the Galapagos Islands for a Luxury Vacation

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The Galapagos Islands are widely known for being the subject of Charles Darwin’s landmark work, The Origin of Species. Notably, the islands’ fauna display a characteristic known as island gigantism, which is a biological phenomenon whereby the size of animals isolated on an island increases dramatically over generations.

The Galapagos Islands first appeared on maps in 1570 when Dominican bishop Fray Tomás de Berlanga mistakenly landed on one of the islands after attempting to sail to Peru to settle a dispute between Francisco Pizarro and his lieutenants after the conquest of the Incan Empire. The islands were mostly forgotten until 1793 when James Colnett made a description of the flora and fauna and suggested that the islands be used as base for the whalers operating in the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately his suggestion set off a chain reaction which wreaked havoc on the islands’ ecosystem.

It wasn’t until Charles Darwin that anyone made an attempt to study the unique characteristics of the Galapagos. Darwin, in one of the most famous passages of his work, describes the Islands and their famous residents (Galapago means tortoise in Spanish) the giant tortoise saying:

This archipelago consists of ten principal islands, of which five exceed the others in size. They are situated under the Equator, and between five and six hundred miles westward of the coast of America. They are all formed of volcanic rocks; a few fragments of granite curiously glazed and altered by the heat, can hardly be considered as an exception. Some of the craters, surmounting the larger islands, are of immense size, and they rise to a height of between three and four thousand feet. Their flanks are studded by innumerable smaller orifices. I scarcely hesitate to affirm, that there must be in the whole archipelago at least two thousand craters. These consist either of lava and scoriae, or of finely-stratified, sandstone-like tuff. Most of the latter are beautifully symmetrical; they owe their origin to eruptions of volcanic mud without any lava: it is a remarkable circumstance that every one of the twenty-eight tuff-craters which were examined, had their southern sides either much lower than the other sides, or quite broken down and removed.

As all these craters apparently have been formed when standing in the sea, and as the waves from the trade wind and the swell from the open Pacific here unite their forces on the southern coasts of all the islands, this singular uniformity in the broken state of the craters, composed of the soft and yielding tuff, is easily explained. Considering that these islands are placed directly under the Equator, the climate is far from being excessively hot; this seems chiefly caused by the singularly low temperature of the surrounding water, brought here by the great southern Polar current. Excepting during one short season, very little rain falls, and even then it is irregular; but the clouds generally hang low. Hence. whilst the lower parts of the islands are very sterile, the upper parts, at a height of a thousand feet and upwards, possess a damp climate and a tolerably luxuriant vegetation. This is especially the case on the windward sides of the islands, which first receive and condense the moisture from the atmosphere.

As I was walking along I met two large tortoises, each of which must have weighed at least two hundred pounds: one was eating a piece of cactus, and as I approached, it stared at me and slowly stalked away; the other gave a deep hiss, and drew in its head. These huge reptiles, surrounded by the black lava, the leafless shrubs, and large cacti, seemed to my fancy like some antediluvian animals. The few dull-coloured birds cared no more for me, than they did for the great tortoises.

His powerful description of the islands and their inhabitants has encouraged tourism for the past two centuries. Now, the beautiful islands have proven to be one of Ecuador’s primary tourist lures. Visitors are offered a unique travel experience to: swim with the only equatorial Penguins found in the world, walk alongside giant Galapagos Tortoises, go bird watching to spot the magnificent waved albatross or brightly-colored boobies (birds native to the Galapagos islands), scuba dive with sea lions, dolphins and whales, catch a glimpse of the remarkable Marine Iguana as it gracefully swims underwater, study the 13 species of endemic Darwin finches and witness the flightless cormorant in it’s grounded majesty.

There is nowhere else in the world where the native species are of such a remarkable variety – a perfect place for adventure travel.