Donkeys have rights too!

by Martha Edwards on

A beach holiday in the English tourist town of Blackpool just isn’t the same without a seaside ride on a donkey for the little one–it’s one of those quirky traditions that has made Blackpool such a famous vacation spot in the UK. But new animal cruelty rules will soon ban overweight kids from taking the traditional donkey rides. According to this article from The Daily Mail, riders must weight less than 8 stone (112 lbs) in order to ride the donkeys, meaning the ride is open to normal-sized children and Nicole Richie.

And that’s just the beginning of the new labour regulations for the Blackpool beach donkeys — they also must have one day off a week, they must be cleared for labour by a vet and they must be allowed at least an hour’s rest either at lunchtime or in the evening.

It’s hoped that these regulations will help set the standard for the rights of asses around the world (sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

Bizarre, monstrous sea creatures found in Antarctic waters

by Abha Malpani on

Giant star fish, hydroids (see photo: urrr…mop-like sea animals?), sea-squirts (that really just look like a squirt of gelatin), sea-spiders, daggertooths and sea-pigs, are just a few of the 30,000 rare sea creatures found by a team of researchers on a large-scale survey of Antarctica.

Over 35 days they traveled about 2000-miles collecting specimens on the surface and from the sea-bed as part of the International Polar Year and Census of Antarctic Marine Life programs, which study the diversity of Antarctic marine life. Using advanced video imagine, the researchers also managed to photograph the seafloor to a depth of 2.1 miles.

Published recently in National Geographic, you can see an incredible, jaw-scrunching photo slide-show that gives a taste of these marine species, on their website here.

Kangaroo Island is missing something

by Iva Skoch on

If you look at this picture, do you also feel like this island is desperately missing something? You are right. Australia’s Kangaroo Island is missing over-development.

That might slowly be changing though. A luxury resort is about to open here on March 29 and save those poor koalas, wallabies and kangaroos from their intense loneliness.

Southern Ocean Lodge will offer 21 suites with sunken lounges and outdoor terraces, a spa with treatments based on Aboriginal medicine and spirituality, and a restaurant with a view of Hanson Bay, NY Times reports.

Nightly rates start at 900 Australian dollars a person, about $825. How is that for a religious experience?

Stay in a glass igloo above the Arctic Circle

by Jamie Rhein on

While I was poking around for a photo to use in the post about the mosaic workshop in Italy, I found out about the glass igloos at the Hotel & Igloo Village Kakslauttanen in Finland. Both the mosaic workshop and the igloos were subjects of recent posts at Materialicious, a lovely site that highlights the wonderful materials in the world.

The picture of the igloos glowing all in a row in Materialicious’ post reminds me a bit of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. If staying in a glass igloo (or a snow igloo) seems more cozy than you’re used to, or not cozy enough, you can stay in a wooden cabin. Each cabin has a sauna. Sweet. Snow igloos are only available from December until April.

Located in Saariselka, Finland, this resort is 250 km above the Arctic Circle. Along with staying in a place that’s more unusual than most places, you can pan for gold, bask in the largest smoke sauna in the world and head off on a Lapland safari. In the winter you can eat in the snow restaurant. Here’s an account of someone who went to Lapland in the winter. The summer is where the land of the Midnight Sun title comes from. Here are some summer excursions if you go then.

No Wrong Turns: Whale Watching in the Baja

by Kelsey Mulyk on

Who didn’t adore Whalerider? I loved that movie. Call me cheesy, but how cool would it be to ride a whale? OK, maybe not ride it, but what about touching one or giving one a big ‘ol hug?

After speaking to locals around the Baja Sur area I learned that one of the oldest mammals on earth, the gray whale, migrates yearly from Alaska all the way to Mexico. Their migration begins in October in the Bering and Chukchi seas and ends early January, in the Baja Peninsula. They travel over 12, 500 miles to give birth in the safer waters of Mexico and remain in the Baja until mid-March, and when the calves are strong enough, they make the journey back to the icy waters of Alaska for summer feeding.

Rumor has it that in the 1970’s a lone fisherman was out in the waters by San Ignacio and found himself, and his little boat, side by side with a large gray whale. Terrified that the whale might knock the boat over, he waited hoping that it would leave. The whale remained nearby and, after mustering up some courage and probably saying a prayer, he timidly reached out and touched the whale. And so, a tourist destination was born.

There are many whale-watching tour companies to choose from offering visitors the chance to see and touch the whales up close. Some of the more well-known places are Guerrero Negro, Loreto, and San Ignacio. The whales aren’t shy and, both the adults and babies, will swim right up to the boat allowing tourists the chance to see these huge, peaceful animals up close and personal. Whale-watching season officially begins December 15th and lasts until April 15th.

If the thought of getting in a tiny boat to pet a whale is unsettling, you can head out to the beaches near Todos Santos and spot these large creatures about 20 meters off the sand. We wandered down about a week ago and I was astonished at how close the whales actually are to the beach: you can see and hear them spray water from their blowholes. We even heard about a guy going out to swim with them. Hmmm…too bad I wasn’t more of a whaler rider…

“No Wrong Turns” chronicles Kelsey and her husband’s road trip — in real time — from Canada to the southern tip of South America in their trusty red VW Golf named Marlin.