New York Hotels - The Tuscany Hotel
Landmark luxury
Following a whopping $25 million, top-to-toe renovation of a 1928
building, St Giles New York’s brand new The Tuscany Hotel soft-opened l
ast month, finally cutting the ribbon on the five fabulous stars of storied,
swank, and spacious rooms within. The latest addition to Murray Hill’s portfolio
of boutique hotels, The
Tuscany beckons you in; the extravagant wood and (prized Tuscan travertine)
marble-decorated lobby a promising sign of what awaits a quick lift ride away.
At 325 sq ft, even the most basic studio suite provides
a rare escape from crowded NYC (or, for ultimate luxury,
spring for the 700 sq ft loft suite with primetime views of
the Chrysler Building). A vision of warm browns, crisp whites,
and deep reds, each suite boasts design touches like custom
oak flooring, leather panelling, wrought iron accessories and
a chic tiled ensuite stocked with Molton Brown products, plus a
46” flat-screen to keep the old grumpster happy.
Take breakfast at next-door and big-brother hotel The Court’s Icon
resto, or take pre and post-prandial tipples at the Court Bar. Sadly
there’s not much else here in the way of dining, nor a spa on-site,
but with its prime Park Ave posi, the best of the Big Apple is but a
yellow cab-ride away. Taxi!
130 E 39th St, New York. T: +1 212 686 1600. W: stgilesnewyork.com
Mikkelsen Harbour and Cierva Cove
We make it through the Drake Passage and are now in the South Shetland Islands.
Francine is now vertical.
he excitement to finally get onto land is overwhelming. We all hurry down to the zodiac boarding area to take the short ride to the island. We are going to see the penguins up close and personal. We were warned about the smell so we are somewhat prepared. The worst part was falling down through the softening snow and land in the penguin pooh!
The Gentoo penguins were so much fun to watch. The best and most favored nesting sites are the ones at the top of the mountains/rock hills. It is so amazing that they climb all that way and back down again to get food and to build their nests. We also witness some stealing rocks when the penguin had his back turned. Sneaky little creatures!!!
The penguins mate for life (kinda) if the female is late coming to the nesting site, the male will find another. Sound familiar?
The weather is perfect, 3deg C /37 deg F however, walking around we warm up
After a couple of hours we reboard and travel to Cierva Cove.
The icebergs here are fantastic but even more fantastic are our siting of Minke Whales. The kayakers are really lucky here as they swim under and beside them just an arm length away. Awesome for us too, even though we are in the zodiacs, I think the motors keeps the whales at more of a distance but still get some great photos. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE ON EARTH
Our Day Today:
06:30 Early morning tea, coffee and pastries are available in the Forward Lounge
07:00 Wake up call
07:30-8:30 Breakfast is served in the Dining Room
09:00 Landing at Mikkelsen Harbour
Mikkelsen Harbour lies on the southern coast of Trinity Island at the northern end of the Palmer Archipelago. The site was discovered by Nordenskjöld on his Swedish Antarctic Expedition of 1901-4. The harbour was used by whalers for mooring factory ships and named for Norwegian whaler Captain Klarius Mikkelsen. On the island there is a gentoo penguin colony, an unoccupied hut and a radio mast.
Lunch is served in the Dining Room
14:00 We hope to do a Zodiac cruise at Cierva Cove. .
Cierva Cove lies on the south side of Cape Herschel, within Hughes Bay. It is named after Juan de la Cierva, the inventor of the autogiro (the precursor to the helicopter, first flown in 1923). This site is known for its collection of stunning icebergs and abundance of leopard seals. It is also home to Primavera, an Argentine summer research station.
16:00-17:00 Afternoon tea is served in the Forward Lounge
18:45 Please join Expedition Staff in the Forward Lounge for a re-cap and briefing
19:30 Dinner will be served in the Dining Room
After Dinner Join us in the Clipper Club Lounge for drinks and beautiful scenery as we sail down to the Arctowski Peninsula For those wanting to watch a Movie in their Cabins, tune-in to vertical-align: baseline;">Channel 9 of your in-cabin televisions to watch the comedy Juno, starting at 9:30
Are we on a schedule or what? Always too tired for the movie at night. Or we spend the time reading or talking.
Enjoy
the Photos!
Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone
Per usual, a brimming bladder and the exctiement of adventures-to-be extracted me from the warmth of my sleeping bag. And Tuesday morning was a nippy one. Odd calls from the lake—a bird, I suspected—punctuated the silence. Outside the tent I paused to mimic the call and commit it to memory, but it didn't hold until Canyon where I hoped to identify it. The forest floor crackled underfoot as I made my way to the bear bag: everything was intact and I spotted no signs of nocturnal mischievousness. I then veered left, took care of business, and paid a visit to eleven-acre Ribbon Lake where I stood shivering in the sedge meadow for some time. I scanned the forest edges with my binoculars; small frogs hopped toward a sea of lily pads hugging the lake's perimeter; a low-hanging fog wafted across the water; a solitary duck puttered through it. This was the quintessence of quietude and "getting away from it all"; this is what John Muir meant when he wrote of wilderness being a necessity. I continued observing, shivering, and grinning from ear to ear until the cold worked its way into my bones.
Back at the tent I reunited with
The stove worked properly this time—I wasn't tightening it enough before?—and we were able to have a warm bag of Mountain House's Breakfast Skillet. It and the aforementioned eggs from day 3 were the two backcountry breakfasts we toggled between on the trip and they were both winners. Bellies full, we prepared for departure. We were staying at 4R2 again that night so we lightened our packs by stashing an assortment of clothes and gear in our sleeping bags. We would return to the car via yesterday's familiar route—through the forest and along the canyon's rim—and pass a few Gray Jays on the way out of camp.
When we obtained our permits for 1A1 and 4R2 on Sunday the ranger mistakenly thought that the Ribbon Lake trail was closed—something about carcasses, i.e., bear magnets. She spoke of a "social trail"
(an unmapped and unmaintained trail) leading from Point Sublime to camp. We had the whole day to explore the area and an adventurous curiosity, so we gave it a shot. We stuck to the canyon rim and soon stumbled upon the brink of Silver Cord Cascade. About a quarter mile outside of camp Surface Creek emerges from Ribbon Lake, flows north, and takes a twelve hundred foot tumble into the canyon, creating Yellowstone's tallest waterfall. We eased down a steep bank of loose rock and straddled a log to reach a small pool about twenty feet from the rim. Here we discovered a small waterfall fringed with green flora and moss-covered rock; it reminded me of the arduous, but wondrous Hanging Lake Trail in Glenwood Canyon. There appeared to be a faint trail beyond the gravelly pool, however, it was far too steep. We picked up a trail lining Surface Creek instead and it lead us back to the beaten path.
We weren't on the trail long before our first human encounter. A stocky middle-aged man was headed our way and he lacked any semblance of a hiker: he was without hat, pack, and water bottle, and his (non-wicking)
shirt was blotched with sweat. He inquired of our whereabouts and I unfolded my map, pointed, and described the trail beyond. Satisfied, he turned back and hiked ahead of us. About a third of a mile east we reached a busy intersection with the Wapiti Trail. (Wapiti is another name for elk.) His group was snacking there and two others were approaching on the prongs. The canyon rim would be quite populated as well: this was the busiest backcountry we'd seen yet; however, we remained the only folks with full-blown backpacks. On the way out we crossed paths with a mule deer and paused at the rim often to indulge in admiration and photography; description is best left to the visual stimuli in my Flickr set. The final stretch, like yesterday's departure, lead us through a mass of tourists. Asphalt was under our feet again. At the overlook we got a gorgeous glimpse of Lower Falls—"by far the most often photographed of Yellowstone's many waterfalls"—and hours later we would stand just yards away from its thundering threshold.
busied myself while Margaret took a nap in the car. I browsed, bought some ice cream, procured our permit for Thursday and Friday, helped a fellow plan a day hike when the backcountry volunteer was tied up, and attempted to find someone knowledgable in camp stoves to determine why mine malfunctioned last night—no luck there, but it would give us no more trouble. I also canvassed the area to find a piece of chocolate cake for a grumpy member of our party. Blessed be the Canyon Cafeteria; it's in the construction zone, but it's open for business. At three the campground showers were through with their cleanse and no longer off limits. We gladly forked over $3.50 each (if I remember right) for a shower. They were the first showers we'd seen since Saturday. And they were wonderful; warm and refreshing.
It was late afternoon when we departed from the village and we took a trip down the nearby North Rim Drive. We stopped at the first parking area to have a look at the Brink of Lower Falls. Trail. It was a trail. One that consists of "a strenuous but rewarding drop of some 600 feet in about
one-half mile." We wearily eyed the descent disappearing into the canyon and teeter-tottered into a commitment—one that was easy to uphold on the way down. And I'm glad we did. Eventually the trail levelled out alongside the Yellowstone River and lead us to two stretches of railing that were a stone's throw from Lower Falls' roaring precipice. Beyond the railing the canyon yawned in breadth and depth into a view that felt eternal. A mile away the river snaked out of sight and three hundred feet below a permanent mist billowed and bedewed the chasm; its walls were darkened from dampness and the clutches of a thirsty green. This is, without a doubt, a must-see and well worth the trek. Take water; take photos; take breaks; take a picnic; take your time. Just don't pass this up.
Halfway through the drive we pulled over at Lookout Point with a mission. Earlier that day, on the wildlife sightings board, the report of an eagle's nest here caught my eye. The nest was a quick find and easily observable via binoculars and my camera's telephoto lens. But they weren't eagles: they were osprey. These large raptors are known for their fishing
prowess and they feed predominately on fish; as a result they've earned the apt alias of "fish hawk." Osprey are easily identified by their marbled white head feathers, mottled brown-white wings, and especially by the dark mask that stretches across their eyes. The nest was resting about one hundred yards away and crowned a fortress of rocky pillars. When we arrived one was standing in the nest and calling its call—a series of cheeps. We kept watch and I experimented with my teleconverter (which didn't turn out well, unfortunately). During our short stay we saw the bird take flight, drop behind a cluster of rocky spires with wings wide, and reappear minutes later. The vantage point was perfect and beautiful regardless of the birds; although, wildlife always exponentiates the situation for me. We would be back. And we'd see more osprey!—here and elsewhere.
Our last stop on North Rim Drive was Inspiration Point: an overlook jutting into the canyon that we had seen from the opposing side during recent hikes. Honestly, I don't recall much here—how could I after the excitement of the osprey? Here's what Dr. Wayland Hoyt had to say in the late 19th century:
In the footsteps of history: a walk in Afghanistan's Wakhan corridor
Please note that due to recent events in Khorog, Tajikistan, many of the details in this trip report are now out of date. The Afghan consulate in Khorog was attacked in the recent fighting and the consul and his staff are reportedly now back in Kabul. The border between Ishkashim, Tajikistan and Ishkashim, Afghanistan is reportedly closed until August 21st, 2012. The border between Tajikistan and Kyrgystan on the Pamir highway is also reportedly closed for travellers entering Tajikistan. Check on the recent situation before heading this way!
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July 19, 2012
The rather beautiful unveiled Afghan consulate employee in Khorog, Tajikistan, wearing rather short sleeves, smiled and handed me back my passport after a brief 20 minute wait for the visa. "Here is your tourist visa to Afghanistan. 30 days single entry, starting today. I hope you have a pleasant holiday in Afghanistan and insch'allah I hope to see you again soon."
I was in Khorog, Tajikistan after a trip along the Pamir highway from Osh, Kyrgystan preparing to head into Afghanistan's Wakhan corridor, long a dream trip for me. My Tajik visa and obligatory GBAO region permit I had
I had not been able to find that much reliable information about the Wakhan corridor before I went, so was just planning to show up in Ishkashim, Afghanistan and insch'allah sort things out. I hope this blog post/trip report is helpful to future travellers.
July 21, 2012
After a day's wait in Ishkashim due to a slight miscalculation (July 20th was the start of Ramadan and the border was closed), it was off to Afghanistan. Every saturday there is the Afghan market in Ishkashim, Tajikistan, an initiative of the Aga Khan Foundation to try and reconnect the communites on either side of the Panj river, cut off from each other during the "Great Game" in the late 19th century when the Wakhan corridor was created to seperate the vast Russian and British empires from each other, dividing communities and families in the process.
Something about the Wakhan corridor inspires anyone who is fascinated by history and politics. While at first glance it does not, when you think of the historical importance of this territory, it is nothing more than fascinating. Before contact was made between China and the Western world, it was the vast mountains of this area that kept the advanced civilization of China seperate and cut off from the rest of the world. Travellers who are rumored to have passed along this way include Babur (the first Mughal emperor) and Marco Polo. The people of this area have adapted to some extremely harsh living conditions and live lifestyles that even today remain very far away from the modern world.
After a brief walk around the Afghan market (most of the stuff that the Afghans were selling was shit - a lot of it WFP aid such as biscuits and juices), I was off to cross the border. A very simple process really and within 30 minutes, I was stamped into Afghanistan.
As I was crossing, I ran into a local Afghan NGO employee who had studied English at the Aga Khan Foundation's University of Central Asia in Khorog, Tajikistan. He said that he would be happy to help me arrange the necessary permits to visit the Wakhan corridor and anything else I might need, as long as I compensate him for his time. (Around $30 as he was basically was with me all day)
The guesthouse I stayed at in Ishkashim is lovely, Bozmohammed's guesthouse, with heaps of food and a hot shower. From there we went to the tourist officer, police station and border police office to arrange the permits for the Wakhan (you can't enter it without these permits).
With this done, it was off to the bazaar to purchase everything needed for my trek. I decided on a trek from Sargaz to Lake Zorkul and back down to Sarhad-e-Broghil, partly because the jeep ride to Sarhad-e-Broghil is expensive ($450 each way) and I only wanted to do it one way. The ride to Sargaz was slightly cheaper, $300. And I wanted to experience mostly the ways of life of the Wakhi people, who populate the Big Pamir in the summer. Treks through the Small Pamir mostly pass through where the Kyrgyz people live. An important resource while planning your trip is this publication by the Aga Khan Foundation with the different trekking routes:http://www.akdn.org/publications/2010_akf_wakhan.pdf
July 22, 2012
The following day, at 5 AM I was off to Sargaz. My friend had arranged a car for me from Ishkashim to Khandud, a major transit point for trips into the Wakhan corridor. Ishkashimi drivers are not allowed past Khandud and there are many vehicles available there that will take you deep into the corridor.
In Khandud there was a minor argument between drivers over the price I should pay into the corridor. The Khandud guys seemed to want to get the most amount of money from me as possible, but a price of $300 from Ishkashim to Sargaz had already been agreed upon in Ishkashim. The reason for the high price for this journey is that there are very few people who own vehicles on the Afghanistan side and the local people use livestock to move around the corridor. Basically the only people who take vehicles are foreigners and local NGOS. So the drivers can charge what they want. A bit unfortunate but you just have to pay it. Hitching or finding a cheaper ride is EXTREMELY difficult...see my note below about my trip back.
From Khandud, a rather bone-chilling ride to Sargaz where I checked into the lovely guesthouse there. I was told to talk to Safdad to arrange a donkey for my trip, a local man who spoke some English. After a bit he showed up and a price of 500 Afghanis ($10) a day was agreed for the donkey. I thought this was all good and was quite excited to set off the following morning, then he came back and kept repeating "how many dollars for me?"
I had to then make it very clear to him that I did not want him to come with me. I just needed a donkey and a boy. After about 15 minutes of him repeating this question, he finally got the message and seemed quite pissed off. He proceeded to ask me for money ($4) for the local hot springs that I had just used.
Luckily, as I was having my evening stroll, I ran into a local Wakhi NGO worker who spoke perfect English. It turns out that Safdad was just giving me a donkey for 1 day! I was quite pissed off and my new friend was very helpful and tried to negotiate with Safdad for the same donkey and handler for the whole trip. Safdad said he had no one who could go as the grass needed to be harvested for the livestock winter food.
My friend stayed with me in the guesthouse that night, not being able to get home to his own village, so the following morning we could go to another village to ask there for a boy with donkey.
July 23, 2012
Up at 4:00 AM to go to the next village and asked about a donkey. Luckily, there was one, a man named Dadali, and we agreed on a price of 700 Afghanis a day for him to come with me, about $15. I personally do not think you really need an English-speaking guide with you for this trip. I had been studying Farsi a bit before this trip and took along the Lonely Planet's Farsi phrasebook. Almost everyone in the Pamir speaks at least some Farsi so armed with a smattering, you should be just fine.
After a quick breakfast of tea and bread, I said goodbye to my friend who had helped me and I was off into the Pamir.
The first day was INCREDIBLY difficult. My guide Dadali wanted us to sleep at the first Wakhi settlement in the Pamir that night, a good 10 hours walk away. From Sargaz, the trail goes from about 3000 m to a pass at at least 4900 m the first day. As I was not fully acclimatized yet and suffering from a minor stomach complaint, I felt AWFUL as we climbed. I could hardly stand up from dizzyness, my head was pounding, and it was freezing, with clouds closing in.
But we made it after more than 10 hours walking and a very difficult descent over a glacier into the Big Pamir where a nice warm Wakhi yurt was waiting for us.
The evenings in the Wakhi and Kyrgyz communities in the Pamirs are taken up by the obligatory milking of the goats. Then after this, the women cook dinner over a dung fire in one of the yurts. The first night I was allowed to sit in the cooking yurt as I was not feeling well due to the altitude and watched the women cook. There is no chimney and it is incredibly smokey. A lot of these women had quite bad coughs from the smoke.
When dinner is ready, the men all sit and eat together while the women sit to the side. The young boys are the ones who serve the food.
July 24, 2012
The second day was a lot easier than the first and I was feeling a lot better after a good night's sleep, with my altitude sickness symptoms gone. On this day we had to ford the first of what would be many rivers. All of these rivers were absolutely freezing.
Lunches while trekking were my favourite meal, given that we were able to eat the food I brought with me. As a good citizen of the British Commonwealth, I consider it my duty to carry along some British food with me to introduce to the local population. When I saw Baked Beans in the Ishkashim bazaar, I HAD to get them. My tinned food provided quite a nice respite from the repetitive simple diet of tea, bread and rice that the local people survive on. My guide really didn't know what to make of this food, especially the baked beans. You should have seen his face when I brought out pineapples. Sitting in the middle of nowhere in the Afghan Pamir, drinking freshly brewed tea and eating baked beans was pretty epic though.
Day 2 saw us staying in the village in the Pamir village of my guide, so the red carpet was pulled out for yours truly here. The young boys who could read and write (most of the older generation can't due to schools being closed for so many years in this region due to civil war and the mujahadeen) were fascinated with my Farsi phrasebook and I spent hours chatting to them, answering questions.
July 25, 2012
On Day 3, we stopped for Chai in a Wakhi village and I sat down with two young teenagers, Abdul Abik and Zikrullah. The two boys asked me what my ambition was. When I asked them what theirs was, young Zikrullah said that his was the development of Afghanistan. This I thought quite amazing for a 14 year old boy! The people of the Wakhan corridor really do not have that many opportunities when you consider that the relationship between Sunnis and Ismaili muslims is not very good and the isolated life that the Wakhis live. Everything in this part of Afghanistan must either come through Tajikistan or up through the dangerous road from Faizabad to Ishkashim, making transport of both people and goods difficult.
July 26, 2012
Day 4 saw me on top of a Yak for most of the day due to the fact that we would be crossing several very deep rivers. Make sure you bring lots of extra Afghanis for the trip! Depending on the time of year, the rivers in the Pamir can be quite dangerous for humans and donkeys and extra livestock might be necessary to help you across. A yak will set you back about 800-1000 Afghanis a day, depending on the village.
On day 4, we passed the boundary between Wakhi and Kyrgyz territory in the Pamir. While I do not think the relationship between the Kyrgyz and Wakhis is that good, the nomadic hospitality still applies in the Kyrgyz regions. That evening we camped at a Kyrgyz village but they still provided food, tea and welcomed us into their yurts for most of the evening.
From what I could tell, the Kyrgyz seemed a lot wealthier than the Wakhis. Their yurts were much more lavishly decorated and they seemed to have more things. But this could be due to the fact that the Kyrgyz spend all year in the Pamir, whereas the majority of the Wakhis move down back into the Wakhan corridor during the cold winter months.
Another fact that I discovered on day 4 was the donkeys are incredibly horny animals. On this day, I saw the first instance of many of donkey rape. My donkey was female and I guess she must have been a bit of a looker as she seemed to create quite a bit of a stir wherever we were camping!
Petra in the rain
As we were warned the weather wasn't very promising this morning. Undeterred we put our thermals on again and layered up our clothing AND we put our waterproof over pants on. We look ridiculous, but we will be warm and dry whatever happens with the weather!
We met Ahmed in the foyer just before nine and we walked down to the Petra ticket office in the drizzle. It only costs five Dinars more for a two day ticket so we asked Ahmed to purchase the two day tickets in case we want to re-visit tomorrow morning before we leave.
With very few other tourists about we entered the site. Just before the entrance to the siq Ahmed asked if we needed the facilities, warning that it would be a long way to the next opportunity. Being inclined never to pass on an opportunity I headed for the portaloo. Amazing, there was toilet paper! The toilets here in Jordan have been OK - Western and reasonably clean, but most of them don't have any paper. Impressed with my portaloo experience, I tried to get out only to find that the door was stuck. I jiggled the door handle and pushed
We set off into the 1,200 metre long siq in the rain. As we progressed water started running under our feet and then kept rising and rising! Thank goodness for Gore-tex shoes, our feet stayed dry and warm. These Gore-tex shoes that we bought in the US last year have been fantastic!! We finally picked our way through to the end of the siq and ... Al-Khazneh (the Treasury building) was revealed. Wow!
We took some photos and then we sheltered in a gift shop for while before noticing that we had a Petra River and a couple of Petra Waterfalls happening. Anyone can see Petra when it's dry but, with only a handful or rainy days each year, we have had the unique experience of seeing it in the rain!! The colours of the wet rock were intense and absolutely amazing.
As the rain continued and the water steadily rose Ahmed started telling us that the word was that the site had been closed - they were not allowing any more tourists in. Rumour was that all the coaches from the cruise ships at Aqaba had arrived in Petra only to be turned back. That's about 1,000 tourists that won't be going through the site today. We were basically stuck at the facade of Al-Khazneh and not able to proceed further into the site or retreat back up the siq.
While we waited to see what was going to happen, three young Bedouin men climbed up the waterfall to photograph themselves standing over the great spout of water that was pouring down the cliff face. Crazy!! They made it up and back without anyone falling and splitting his head open. Thank goodness for that. They showed Bernie the photos that they had taken on a phone. Bernie said they were pretty amazing shots. I wonder if they've posted them on Facebook yet?
Eventually, after a long, cold wait we were evacuated from the site in the back of a truck!!Unfortunately that meant that we only drove quickly past the Street of Façades, the Theatre and the Royal Tombs as we drove out the back way. I only realised as we were being driven out how much more there is to see at Petrs. Maybe we'll be able to go back quickly tomorrow morning?
We watched movies in the room all afternoon. Back-to-back chick flicks much to Bernie's disgust! He was processing photos though so wasn't really watching 'The Rebound' very closely. The second movie was the one where Ed Harris has split from Susan Sarandon and is in new relationship with Julia Roberts. I think I saw it when it came out, but I can't remember the name of it ... Ah, we just gained Internet access momentarily, it was 'Stepmom'.
At dinner Ahmed warned us that the weather forecast for overnight and tomorrow is not good with more rain/snow forecast. Petra may remain inaccessible and there is the possibility that Karak will not be open either. We'll just have to wait and see.
Steps for the day: 7,601 (5.21 kms) - very disappointing as we expected to do some serious hiking today as we explored Petra.
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