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One Tequila, Two Tequila, Three Tequila – Floor?

Posted by David Paul Appell in Snapshots - (0 Comments)

 

Mexico’s national liquor has of course become a runaway worldwide success, that’s for sure (I hear even George Clooney is planning to launch his own brand, called Casamigos). But slowly but surely, more folks these days are also appreciating that there’s lots more to tequila than frozen margaritas, slammed shots and ay, caramba hangovers.

This particular tipple comes from the juice of the spiky, cactuslike blue agave plant, cultivated (by hand even today, as shown above) in the reddish soil around the city of Tequila, near Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco. Agave juice has been fermented in this area for many centuries, dating back to the days of the Aztecs (and today their particular form of firewater is still sloshing around, known as pulque). But the Spaniards in Mexico had their own go at agave, inventing tequila around the 17th century, just a couple of generations after the original conquest; not long afterward, the first license to produce tequila commercially was granted to a family whose name you’ll recognize: the Cuervos.

Today there are more than 100 distilleries, with some of the better-known and high-quality tequila houses in addition to José Cuervo include Sauza, Don Julio, and Patrón, and some of these are open to visitors. Most are around 80 proof, but the white tequila that goes into most margaritas is only the least aged type. Finer grades include reposado, which is aged in oak at least two to several months, añejo (aged one to three years), and the more recently added extra añejo (aged more than three years). Some of the more vintage tequilas have a smoothness, darkness, and complexity that’s practically cognac-like.

Photo | Niv Maoz

In addition to serving a respectable range of fine tequilas, Iberostar resorts offer them for sale in their shops, staffed by employees who know their firewaters; some will conduct tastings with experts. Give ‘em a swirl and a gulp, and you’ll see they’re way beyond Carlos ‘n Charlie’s…

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Keen on Kilims

Posted by David Paul Appell in Snapshots - (0 Comments)

One of my very most prized travel souvenirs is a vintage kilim, about 75 years old, which I bought more than a decade ago in the otherworldly medina of Fez, Morocco – with its black-and-yellow zigzag motif, it evokes exoticism and the quintessence of travel whenever I look at it. I’m instantly transported back into that world of mint tea and mysterious narrow byways, the tannery where I watched young boys dying leather for shoes and Ottomans, the rooftop restaurant where I first tried tagines and pigeon, and the bathhouse where I found myself being vigorously pummeled by a wiry Moroccan masseur.

So what exactly are kilims and how are they different from carpets? Well, they’re also made of wool, but in many ways are closer to tapestries – flatter, lighter, more tightly woven, and less durable than carpets, with no pile to speak of.   All the above add up to one key reason kilims also tend to be less expensive than most rugs – another is that they have traditionally been a homespun village craft, made for locals instead of the tourist or export market as increasingly became the case with rugs.

Having said that, over the years I’ve spotted quite a few gorgeous, skillfully crafted, even quite sophisticated kilims in several countries, and in various countries, more of them have been made for export than they used to be – and some command prices into the thousands of dollars or pounds. The word “kilim” itself is Turkish, derived from the Persian gelim, but in addition to Turkey and Iran they can be found throughout North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Balkans – so if you ever find yourself at one of the Iberostar resorts in Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, Montenegro, or Bulgaria, you may well come across local examples while browsing in local markets or shops.  Many will be relative bargains, and I can assure you from personal experience they will look marvelously striking whether hanging on your wall or laying on your floor.

Photo | Stephan Geyer

  If you ever find yourself at one of the Iberostar resorts in Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, Montenegro, or Bulgaria, search for your gorgeous, skillfully crafted and sophisticated kilims!

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Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Posted by David Paul Appell in Snapshots - (0 Comments)

There are of course a bunch of Mexican patriotic holidays that come around every year.  But that’s caught on most outside Mexico is Cinco de Mayo – especially in the next-door United States, most notably out on the West Coast, but really, pretty much wherever there’s a taco/burrito/ chimichanga emporium (I mean, when you’ve reached Omaha…).  As with St. Patrick’s Day, for many CDM has had its origins obscured and become just another excuse for carousing, so I’d like to take a moment to remind everyone what in fact is behind this momentous occasion whose name is nothing more than the Spanish for “the fifth of May.”

When in 1861 the Mexican republic’s iconic president Benito Juárez declared a two-year stop-payment on debts to European creditors, the relevant countries actually sent warships to collect (yeah, it was a slightly different time). One of them, France under Napoleon III, decided to go one further by trying to set up a pro-French empire in Mexico. So the hotshot French army landed and took Veracruz but then, amazingly, got its cul kicked by a Mexican force just half its size near Puebla. This Mexican victory at the Battle of Puebla was naturally a big-time boost for the young country’s national unity and patriotism.

And though in 1864 France finally got its wish and installed Austrian Habsburg Archduke Maximilian as “emperor,” in spite of actually instituting some pretty humane reforms, just three years later Max ended up getting deposed and put in front of a firing squad, and good ol’ Benito was back in the saddle again.

Ironically, these days Cinco de Mayo festivities are actually more widespread in the States and elsewhere than in Mexico itself, where it’s most touted in and around Puebla and in some of the border areas and tourism centers (such as Cancun, the Riviera Maya, and Cozumel, where Iberostar has its Mexico resorts). But regardless, as a celebration of Mexican pride, bravery, and overcoming overwhelming odds, this one’s totally a keeper.

Photo | iStock/Kelly Richardson Photography

If you plan to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Mexico next year, you should stay at one of the  Iberostar Hotels!

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Trinidad, Cuba’s Sweetest Colonial Sugar Plum

Posted by David Paul Appell in Snapshots - (0 Comments)
Trinidad, Cuba

Trinidad, Cuba

Certainly Cuba has no shortage of charming Spanish colonial and early post-colonial architecture, from Pinar del Río out west to Santiago in the east. But for me the place that most makes me feel like I’ve actually stepped into the past of a century or more ago is Trinidad (Spanish for “trinity”), an almost ridiculously photogenic UNESCO World Heritage Site which in 2014 will commemorate its 500th anniversary.  In the province of Sancti Spiritus, on the south coast of the island’s midsection, it can be visited as a day trip from Havana or the resorts of Varadero or Cayo Coco – but to really soak up the singular atmosphere, I highly recommend spending at least one night here, and a stylish, luxurious choice is the 40-room Iberostar Grand Hotel Trinidad on peaceful little Céspedes Park.

Once you’re settled in, there are several interesting little museums to see, as well as landmarks just outside town like the Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) and nearby beaches such as Playa Ancón. But more than anything else, the main appeal here, for me at least, is just spending a leisurely day and evening strolling (or perhaps riding in one of the horse-drawn carriages that have proliferated to cater to the tourist trade) along the cobblestone streets of the historic center. And don’t forget to have a bite in one of the paladares (private restaurants), as I do on all my visits (that gives you the double bonus of a peek at a local home; last time I dined in a lovely tiled courtyard that I would’ve never seen from the street outside). And nighttime is even more delicious. The sun can be bright and the heat  intense during the day, but when the sun goes down, the calles come aglow with streetlamps and often echo with chatter and music drifting from bars and restaurants.

You know, some might tell you that it’s too late, that Trinidad has already been Disneyfied and commoditized and ruined by mass tourism, but don’t let them discourage you. Because while it’s true that the growth of tourism has certainly changed the town since I first started visiting in the late 1990’s, there are still plenty of quiet corners to discover, where you can still very much feel the vibe of the past in one of the Caribbean’s best-preserved historic towns, de la Cuba de antaño – of the Cuba of yesteryear.

Photo| Jzielcke



Next time you travel to Cuba , stay at the Iberostar Grand Hotel Trinidad on peaceful little Céspedes Park. Located in a quiet art of town but still only a 10 minute stroll to the famous Casa de Musica.

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Mamajuana: The Dominican Republic’s Boozy Cure-all

Posted by David Paul Appell in Snapshots - (1 Comment)

As I travel around the Caribbean (and to some extent this is true in Latin America, too), I find nearly every island has some kind of homegrown hooch (often rum-based) that purports to be “medicinal” (and sometimes certainly tastes the part), often  including revitalizing, curative, and even aphrodisiac qualities. And if you’re staying at one of the Iberostar resorts out in Punta Cana, up in Playa Dorada/Puerto Plata, or down in Bayahibe, you may well come across the Dominican variation on this type of esteemed elixir.

The name Mamajuana (Spanish for “Mama Jane”) is thought to derive from Dama Juana (Lady Jane), which referred to a traditional kind of large glass jar with a short, narrow neck. Although there is increasing commercial manufacture of mamajuana, it’s still mostly a homemade potion, and everyone has a different recipe.  Basically, though, it usually involves botanicals – sticks, leaves, bark, roots, herbs – essentially pickled in 40-proof rum and sometimes leavened with other flavors and sweeteners such as honey, cinnamon, molasses, vanilla, or red wine. And that’s not even counting the animal parts some people add – snails, octopus, and sea turtle penis, anyone?

And honestly, most of the time the resulting brew can look a bit, well, nasty. But most the the versions I’ve tasted actually come across a bit funky – a little hard to describe, actually, but ranging from not bad to downright appealing, and the commercial brands increasingly found on store shelves can be downright silky (one good one is called Kalembú). And while traditionally the drink is imbibed straight or on the rocks, in recent years it’s been finding its way into cocktail culture, either in versions of popular tipples like mojitos, bloody marys (bloody juanas?), and cosmos, but also new inventions like the motoconcho (mamajuana mixed with vodka and rum, garnished with a couple of cherries).

And that “medicinal” part?  Mamajuana is held to help with headaches, colds and flu, to help get pregnant or keep from getting pregnant – and of course the ol’ libido (some have taken to referring to it as “liquid Viagra”).  Honestly, on that last point I can’t say I noticed  much difference, but what the hey. For me it will always evoke warm memories of the Caribbean – particularly the beautiful corner of the Caribbean known as the Dominican Republic.

¡Salud!


Photo | Cristian Lazzari/iStock Photo

If you stay at one of the Iberostar resorts out in Punta Cana, up in Playa Dorada/Puerto Plata, or down in Bayahibe, don’t forget to try the best local rums and traditional drinks like the Mamajuana!

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The Ceiba: Latin America’s Most Storied Tree?

Posted by David Paul Appell in Snapshots - (0 Comments)

I have this kinda funny (as in funky, not ha-ha) tree growing right smack in the middle of my front yard in Miami. It’s admittedly not a particularly cuddly or friendly looking bit of botany, its trunk prickling all over as it is with conical thorns. But for me it’s all about the mystique, being as it is a ceiba (English names include “kapok,” “silk cotton,” and “silk floss”). This is a genus of tropical tree I’ve come across constantly on my travels through Latin America and the Caribbean – and so might you, if you’re staying at one of the Iberostar resorts in Mexico’s Yucatan, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, or Brazil (it’s the official tree of Puerto Rico and Guatemala, has a city in Honduras named after it, and found as far afield as Asia and Africa).  The one in my yard is still practically a sapling, still skinny and maybe 20 or so feet (6 meters) tall. But ceibas can grow to be giants, with heights of more than 200 feet (61 meters) and dramatically gnarled trunk bases nearly as wide as small houses.

Ceibas play a central role in the lore of Mexico’s and Central America’s Mayan cultures – in fact, they are depicted in Mayan mythology as the “world tree,” linking the underworld, the terrestrial world, and the heavens  (doesn’t get more central than that, right?), and you may come across representations of ceibas at Mayan archaeological sites and museums, especially in items like incense holders and burial urns.

But it wasn’t so much in Mexico that I first became aware of the cultural impact of the ceiba, but in Cuba, at a landmark called El Templete (pictured above). It’s a small neoclassical temple-type structure, built in 1828 on Havana’s oldest square, the Plaza de Armas, which I learned marks the site of where a ceiba once stood – a legendary tree under which the Catholic mass was celebrated to mark the founding of San Cristóbal de la Habana in 1519. That long-gone original tree is represented by a marble column, but another large one grows out in front, and it’s venerated particularly by the followers of the afro-Cuban religion santería (the ceiba is also held sacred in West Africa, where this religion has its roots). It’s the focus of an annual tradition on November 16, the date of the city’s founding, in which Cubans of all ages and beliefs make three circles around the tree and throw throw down coins before it while making three wishes.

Photo | Steven Colebourne

Wherever the ceiba grows, it seems, it has long cast a spell on the local peoples, providing them over the centuries not just with practical products like oils, stuffing for pillows and mattresses, and medicinal substances, but spiritual inspiration as well.  Next time you stay at an Iberostar resort in Mexico’s Yucatan, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, or Brazil you might see one!

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The Mystique of the Quetzal

Posted by David Paul Appell in Snapshots - (0 Comments)

There are few animals – and offhand I can’t really think of any birds – with quite the mystique of the iridescent emerald-green denizen of southern Mexico and Central America known as the resplendent quetzal. Since they’re fairly rare (officially “near threatened”) and even more elusive, you’re very unlikely to spot one if you go birding in the scrub forests of the Yucatan or the highlands of Chiapas (they’re somewhat easier to spot further south, in places like Costa Rica and Guatemala). But if you delve into local indigenous culture and history a bit by visiting Mexican archaological sites and museums, will certainly notice evidence of pharomachrus mocinno’s dramatic impact on Maya and Aztec culture (a connection recognized by Iberostar in naming one of its resorts in Playa del Carmen the Iberostar Quetzal).

One of the most important and recognizable figures in Mesoamerican mythology is Quetzalcoatl, the “feathered snake” (known by other names such as Kukulkan by the Maya), who became associated, depending on the culture, with learning, the sky, fertility, the martial arts, even creation itself. The quetzal, meanwhile, according to an old Maya folk tale was chosen king of the birds because of its brilliant plumage. So it’s hardly surprising that Mesoamerican warriors, priests, kings, and emperors sought to adorn themselves in quetzal-feather headdresses, capes, and other verdantly plumed finery. It was a crime to kill the birds for their plumage, so they were caught, plucked, and released. You can imagine how tricky that little feat usually was.

So if you get to climb the Temple of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza, or get to see some of the wonderful bas reliefs of Quetzalcoatl at the National Archaeological Museum in Mexico City, or get to witness a Maya quetzal feather dance in Chiapas, you’ll be struck by how much this shy, retiring bird of the highland forests has shaped one of the world’s great civilizations.

Photo |  Fabio Bretto

The Quetzal Dance is one of the most colorful folkloric dances in Mexico. Next time you visit one of the Iberostar hotel in Mexico, you just might see the Maya quetzal feather dance.

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Boffo Balearic Birding on Spain’s Island of Majorca

Posted by David Paul Appell in Snapshots - (0 Comments)

Traditionally, our fine feathered friends have always played a big role on Majorca and all the Balearic Islands. First of all, there are no large carnivorous predators for them to worry about. And secondly, while most Mediterranean isles are on the dry side, with little of the kind of vegetation and the wetlands that birds like, Majorca is an exception, thanks especially to the Albufera marshland up in the northeast near Puerto Pollença. That’s how the island is able to boast more than 300 species, including one that’s endemic, the Balearic shearwater (puffinus mauretanicus), a medium-size endangered sea bird with brown and white plumage.

Other species include ospreys, turtledoves, night herons, scops owls, hoopoes, black-winged stilts, Kentish plovers, glossy ibis, spoonbills, bee-eaters, purple gallunule, great reed warblers, flamingos, and the purple swamp hen (pictured above). Not to mention species that are fairly rare elsewhere in Europe, such as the black vulture, Eleonora’s falcon, Audouin’s gull, the moustached warbler, and Marmora’s warbler.

If you’re really avid for avians, you might want to consider heading down here during the spring and autumn, when many species are livening things up by making stopovers during their annual migrations between Africa and Europe. Your top destination is going to be the Parc Natural de S’Albufera de Mallorca. This 10-square-mile marsh is riddled with canals and has beachfront as well as good viewing platforms set up. Secondarily, down south you’ll find the Salinas de Migjorn, salt marshes with an especially large concentration of raptors (osprey fans, take note).

One last note: for a Mediterranean island, Majorca seems unusually well documented as a place to birdwatch, which I have a feeling is due to the hefty number of visitors from Britain, a country where many are downright bonkers for birding. In fact, there are even several dedicated guidebooks, such as A Birding Tourist’s Guide to Majorca.

So tweet that.

Photo | Ferrán Pestaña

If you’re really avid for avians, you might want to consider heading to Mediterranean island, Majorca and stay at one of the Iberostar Hotels during the spring and autumn. Many species are livening things up by making stopovers during their annual migrations between Africa and Europe.

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Cancun’s Very Own Mayan Ruins

Posted by David Paul Appell in Snapshots - (0 Comments)


You’ve no doubt been to or at least have heard about the Yucatan Peninsula’s wondrous Maya archaeological sites like Tulum, Chichen Itza, and Uxmal. But did you know that Mexico’s most famous beach resort, Cancun, boasts a mini-me version of these mighty sites? Las Ruinas del Rey (the Ruins of the King) are easily accessible right off the hotel zone’s main drag, Boulevard Kukulkan, just south of the new Iberostar Cancun on the way to the airport.

Dating to around 300 BC and now open daily during daylight hours, this little complex seems to have had a focus mixing fishing, coastal commerce, and astronomy, as well as served as a royal burial ground. There are two main avenues and two main plazas, and it’s actually pretty cool – I see echoes of many other Mayan sites I’ve visited – except that instead of a heart-thumper of a workout by climbing a few stories up a pyramid in the Yucatan’s sultry heat, there’s pretty much nothing here that’s higher than two stories. What’s more, whenever I’ve visited the place has always been delightfully peaceful; you may very well find yourselves literally the only visitors. And honestly, as someone who’s dodged congestion, tour groups, and occasional floating junk at some of Mexico’s other more popular archaeological sites (especially Tulum, a favorite with cruise day trips) for me this is totally part of this site’s charm.

So…if you’re vacationing in Cancun and want a low-key, bite-size intro to Maya archaeology, or don’t have time or (Kukulkan forbid) are just too lazy to make the trek down the coast to Tulum or inland to the truly mighty Maya sites, “El Rey “is an absolute must.

If you’re vacationing at the Iberostar hotel in Cancun, El Rey Archaeological Ruins – is an absolute must! It’s populated by hundreds of Iguanas and has a great museum.

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The Languages of Sardinia (Yes, More Than Just Italian)

Posted by David Paul Appell in Snapshots - (1 Comment)

Ah, the lovely island of Sardinia. Home to the Hotel Iberostar Carlos V, just outside the town of Alghero. Part of Italy. Right? Well, yes, of course. But in Europe, nothing is ever quite that simple. Sardinians certainly grow up speaking Italian just like their countrymen on the mainland. But before Mediterranean’s second largest island became part of Italy in 1861 and started speaking and teaching standard Italian, it had already had a long, complex history that left it with not one but at least three languages.

So, yo, what’s up with that? Well, Sardinia was a province of the Roman Empire, and as in other such regions, as the island’s post-Roman rule passed to Visigoths; Byzantines; local kingdoms; the Iberian kingdom of Aragon/Catalonia; then the united kingdom of Spain (the Iberostar Carlos V is in fact named after a 16th-century Spanish king), ancient Latin evolved into a Romance language, as did Italian, Spanish, and French. In this case, it was sardu (Sardinian).

For many years, Sardinian was belittled by many as a mere “dialect” of Italian, but it’s actually a distinct language, a bit Spanish-influenced, with four local dialects. Here are a few words and phrases to compare — and of course use, when you’re on-island:

Good day!   Bonas dies! (Italian buon giorno!)
How are you?   Comment’istadese? (Come sta?)
Please   Pro piàghere (Per piacere)
Thank you   Gràtzias (Grazie)
Sorry   Mi dispiaghede (Mi dispiace)
Goodbye    Adiósu (Arrivederci)

And that’s not all – in and around Alghero, quite a few locals also speak Algherese, which is a dialect of Catalan, the language of Spain’s Balearic Islands and Catalonia/Valencia regions, a remnant of a period of Catalonian rule from the 14th to 18th centuries. It’s a slight variation on what’s spoken in Spain. Here again, some key phrases:

Good day!   Bon dia!
How are you?   Com està vostè?
Please   Per plaier
Thank you   Gràcies
Sorry   Me desplau
Goodbye   A mos veure

Today, both Sardinian and Catalan are still spoken by a significant chunk of Sardinia’s population, but sadly are somewhat in decline due to the aging population and because Italian is more practical economically and culturally. But for now at least, they’re still very much around, and a fascinating part of the local cultural fabric.

Photo | Lucia Cantone/iStockphoto

Curious to hear Sardinian spoken in person? Check out the deals at our local Iberostar resort!

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