Shark diving has always appealed to me, partly because they’re such charismatic creatures and because of their size, grace, evolutionary success, ability to instill fear in humans, and role as custodians of the deep. They are a physical manifestation of the beauty and the perils of the waters that cover two-thirds of our planet. What else would have millions of Americans of both sides of the political aisle glued to TV screens every July. I am referring to Discovery’s shark week. Puerto Rico is not renowned for its shark diving, but there is a site on the southern part of the island (off a small town called Guanica) with a healthy population of Caribbean Reef Sharks. But this isn’t a story about reef sharks; it is a story of Murphy’s Law, that is, what can go wrong, will go wrong. And what the dive community and PADI can learn from Atul Gawande’s Checklist Manifesto. But before I get into that, I have to tell you a story of my recent Puerto Rican dive trip and how quickly things can go from bad to worse. Diving Off The Port of Guanica We set off for Guanica after a late night at […]
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“In Patagonia, the isolation makes it easy to exaggerate the person you are: the drinker drinks; the devout prays; the lonely grows lonelier, sometimes fatally.” Bruce Chatwin, mystagogue of punchy travel writing, had a life-long interest in this remote end-of-the-world peninsular landmass. His fascination started as a young public school pom. Chatwin’s grandmother had a curiosities cabinet containing a leathery chunk of “brontosaurus hide”, allegedly from Argentina. Though an apocryphal story, this artifact aroused a firey fascination with the remote South American peninsula, climaxing in Charwin’s seminal work, In Patagonia. The experience of hiking Patagonia El Chalten, a frontier town tethered to the edge of Los Glaciares National Park, is the best access point for trekking in Argentine Patagonia. While the A-frame houses cling to the earth like their similarly-shaped geological parents, the Andes range; modern conveniences, like wifi, international cellular service, and a diverse array of eateries, dilute some of the heaviness that makes the drinker want to drink and the restless wish to wander. It is the type of environment where one feels inclined to keep on moving. Incidentally, I haven’t tacked on more mileage in one month than my time in Patagonia. Part of that was the […]
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Horseshoe Bend is a charismatic (and very symmetrical) oxbow bend in the Colorado River that begs the viewer’s instant attention. For that reason, the area isn’t normally explored by the day-tripping voyager. It is not uncommon to see throngs of photographers confined to a space smaller than the McCarran International Airport smoking lounge. If you do go there, remember as beautiful and distinct as that serpentine form is, you won’t be the first to notice it and not the last to photograph it. For that reason, I highly recommend wandering from the main lookout and finding one of the numerous perches towering over the Colorado River that have not been photographed into oblivion.
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The Grand Canyon in Australia’s Blue Mountains is not necessarily “grand” in the US sense of the word, that is, it isn’t ginormous. But what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for in unadulterated lush beauty. Enjoy the panorama, and happy bushwalking!
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Ted Cruz’s latest trip to the Yucatan provoked a bit of nostalgia in me. It was not for good governance or common sense (nostalgia, of course, suggests a longing for something past), but for a Yucatan, I had the good fortune to encounter on very different terms than the two prevailing Cancun vacation categories. The sedate beach holiday (al la Ted Cruz absconding during an unprecedented ecological catastrophe) being one and the Jose Cuervo-fueled “Senor Frogs” spring-break bender that many Americans have experienced as a sort of heady coming-of-age difficult-to-recall foamy romp. Yucatan has much more to offer than just a beach Unfortunately, the many treasures contained in this ecological and cultural wonder are often relegated by the “beach vacation” or “spring break” itinerary (partly as a result of its proximity to the continental US and its relatively low cost). I was in the Yucatan for about three weeks several years back. It was my first time visiting our southern neighbor, and it left an impression far removed from the plasticity of the MTV Spring Break showcase that was all the rage in the 90s. There were essential pop-culture landmarks during this didn’t-age-so-gracefully-over-time musical showcase (e.g., Notorious […]
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This is the village of Dozza, a small but remarkable town in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. Dozza hosts a biannual art festival, called the Muro Dipinto, inviting muralists from the far reaches of the world to adorn the stucco walls of this medieval enclave. Murals are almost necessarily public-facing, and as a result, often take on more spiritual and/or political themes. Murals and frescos have long been a source of Italian national pride, historical tradition, and technological innovation. In the 14th century, a technology developed in Italy called Fresco Secco would result in artists being able to capture a level of realism previously unattainable using traditional fresco methods. Immersive Artistic Expression Fresco secco provided several advantages over the prevailing method of the day, which required the muralist to commit pigment to plaster while the plaster was still drying. This meant that muralists had to paint within a very confined and hurried window, and revisions would not be possible once the plaster set. In many ways, The Last Supper represented the culmination of the fresco secco method. And while it is easy to get lost in the obscurity of technological shop talk, it is important to understand […]
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The Temezcal has become an increasingly fashionable “spiritual”, “cleansing”, and “restorative” practice, even among some of America’s well-heeled elites. The metaphor of a grown man sliding through a brick and mortar uterus notwithstanding, a Temezcal, that is, a Mesoamerican steambath ceremony evokes thoughts of Plato’s Cave Allegory and evangelical “spiritual rebirth” dunking ceremonies. That said, this particular moment of “rebirth” was a bit marred by what preceded it. At the beginning of the ceremony, rocks were stoked in a nearby fire and brought into the dark and dank interior. Some unintelligible chanting ensued while water was added to the hot rocks at the center of the “house of heat”. For the cynic in me, witnessing white “new age” sweat lodge acolytes was a bit much without any additional irregularities. As steam started to envelop this womb-like space, I noticed an illuminated rectangle piercing the ethereal space like an apparition. At first glance, I wasn’t sure what it was. But as my mind started eliminating the possibilities, it became unambiguous: it was an iPad in a waterproof case. My uncontrollable laughter reverberated through space like a fart in a yoga studio, that is, it cut through the silly solemnity of what […]
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“I crashed into a South American mountain and lived — without ever leaving my couch” - the title of a wonderful review by Stav Dimitropoulos at Experience mag for our Patagonia VR app. Thanks Experience Mag for the coverage - we’re glad to hear you enjoyed it!
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As we approach President Trump’s ego-fueled fireworks extravaganza, it is important not to overlook the history of the garish Mount Rushmore monument, its sordid historical roots, and that of the national and state park system more broadly. Though it is unreasonable to expect a man that barely reads to understand the historical implications of throwing a campaign infomercial at Mount Rushmore, American’s ought to understand how provocative such an act is to the Sioux in particular, and Native-Americans generally. The history of Mount Rushmore and it’s role in Ethnic Cleansing The Black Hills from which Mount Rushmore was carved sat on land, codified in the Sioux Treaty of 1868, granted to the Sioux “in perpetuity”, that is, until George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry expedition reported gold deposits in the Black Hills in 1874. By 1876 the Sioux were ordered to vacate the Black Hills or be deemed “hostile” intruders. White prospectors would flock to the Black Hills in droves, forcibly displacing the Sioux in the process. By 1911, the park would be given “game preserve” status, thereby cutting off yet another vital economic resource from the Sioux, and subsequently named Custer State Park in 1919. To date, it is […]
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If you don't believe climate change has serious implications for humanity, I have a Believe Big, Receive Big "20-day devotional" self-help program from Joel Osteen to sell you that will entirely transform your life!
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