Polar Bear Splendour (Churchill, Canada)

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Even in the relative safety of a large vehicle, a polar bear is a chilling, awe-inspiring animal. When only a pane of reinforced glass separates you from the world’s largest land-based carnivore, a strange mix of fear and excitement sets in.

Every year around mid-October, migrating polar bears congregate in their hundreds for a handful of weeks in the northerly Canadian town of Churchill, awaiting Hudson Bay to freeze over. Purpose built tundra buggies, a kind of bus perched on a high-clearance, all-terrain truck chassis, ferry snap-happy tourists out onto the shores of the bay to witness these endangered arctic giants.

Some bears sniff around the buggy hoping for a tasty treat while others content themselves sleeping lazily on the crusty snow-laden ground. The occasional athletic bear leaps onto its hind legs, lifting itself to window level, the scratching on the metallic sides echoing uneasily through the buggy.


Mothers shepherd their cubs cautiously while younger adults stage mock fights, these solitary animals bought so close together waiting for the biting northerly cold to freeze the bay. The young cubs are a scream, their boundless energy and uncertain footing on the icy ground creating plenty of entertainment to those on the buggy. Once the bay is frozen, the polar bears can leave the shores and hunt for their favoured ring seals, the rich fresh meat rebuilding their fat reserves lost over the summer months.

Shallow lakes have already frozen, a mothers showing her cubs technique for walking on thin ice, cautiously spreading her weight over a wide area by widely stretching her legs in an exaggerated sliding walk like an oversized spider climbing a window. The bumbling cubs eagerly stroll behind like cotton balls blowing in the wind seemingly oblivious to the threats of the barely formed ice layer and paying scant attention to their mother’s lessons.

There are good chances that you’ll spot other creatures that inhabit this desolate, chilly environment. With all dressed in a standard uniform of white to camouflage into the surroundings, arctic foxes compete with arctic owls and flocks of ptarmigan exploring the desert-like tundra for food.

Read more about Churchill and the polar bears.

Photo Source: Tundra Buggy

Jewels of the Caribbean (Barbados)

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Guest post by Elegant Resorts

Barbados (known as "the pearl of the Caribbean") is a rather small pear-shaped island which is 20 miles of soft coral. This ancient and enormous coral reef was formed approximately one million years ago and is permeated by water, which resulted in spectacular underground caverns. Its glorious beaches can be enjoyed with 340 days of sunshine a year. With abundant water sports including water skiing, sailing, fishing, windsurfing, scuba diving, and snorkeling, Barbados makes the perfect getaway when searching for luxury holidays.

Two of the premier resorts for your stay are Cobblers Cove and Sandy Lane.

Cobblers Cove is an elegant English Country House style in a secluded setting and with a relaxing atmosphere. It is located on one of the best beaches in Barbados, where you can swim with the sea turtles and enjoy an abundance of other activities. Their gourmet restaurant offers breakfast, dinner, afternoon tea, cocktails and a culinary demonstration by Chef Porteus along with a complimentary wine tasting.

Sandy Lane is a luxury 112-room resort set in an ancient mahogany grove overlooking the Caribbean Sea on Barbados' West Coast. The classic elegance was enhanced by a multi-million-dollar expansion and overhaul, and you may well encounter celebrities and royalty. Your transfer to and from the airport is in a chauffeured luxury car. Three golf courses with 45 holes, one of which was designed by Tom Fazio, appeal to the golfer, who can also enjoy the 55,000-square-foot Clubhouse with its pro shop, elegant restaurant, and panoramic views. The Galleria at Sandy Lane features diamonds, distinctive jewelry, and limited edition timepieces.

When you are ready to explore the island, there are many unique attractions to put on your schedule.

The culture is shaped by an English influence and is evident in the Anglican stone churches and the cricket games still played on the village greens.

The Animal Flower Cave is in the parish of St. Lucy, the most northerly point of Barbados. The name comes from the sea anemones that inhabit the pools in the cave. You can even swim in some of the deeper pools. Openings in the cave offer spectacular views. Also visit the Flower Forest with its flowers of brilliant colours.

The Andromeda Botanical Gardens in St. Joseph has six acres of orchids, ferns, hibiscus, begonias, palms, cacti, and more. A stream bisects the land and forms waterfalls and pools. These exotic gardens were started in 1954 by a local horticulturist, Iris Bannochie, who bequeathed the land to the Barbados National Trust.

Harrison's Cave in Bridgetown is a huge underground cavern with stalactites and stalagmites, deep emerald pools, and waterfalls that you can enjoy in an electrically operated tram.

The Barbados Museum in Garrison is housed in what was the British Military Prison, which had its upper section built in 1817 and lower section in 1853. There are artifacts of the Amerindians (the Caribbean islands' early inhabitants), "Yesterday's Children" (a gallery giving an educational travel back into history), rare historical maps of the island, furnishings of an 18th century plantation house, a natural history display, and a reference library.

The Heritage Park and Rum Factory, with free admission, is the first rum distillery inaugurated in 1996 situated on a former sugar and molasses plantation dating back 350 years. Produced there is ESA Field, a white rum much preferred by connoisseurs.

St. Nicholas Abbey is a plantation great house built about 1650 and furnished with antiques. It is surrounded by sugar cane fields. It never functioned as an abbey but was named so by one owner. It is one of three authentic Jacobean houses in the Western Hemisphere and is characterized by its curved gables. Each year more than 200 acres are still being cultivated, and an on-site sugar refinery has been reconstructed.

In the parish of Christ Church is the Graeme Hall Swamp, the largest expanse of inland water on Barbados. Visitors can stay dry and walk on a boardwalk to view the red and white mangrove trees , more than 40 species of birds as well as green monkeys and unusual plants.

Christ Church also has duty-free shops, especially in the Bridgetown area surrounding the cruise ship terminal. Local handcrafts include black coral jewelry, straw bags, clay pottery, wall hangings, and more.

Whether it is a relaxing time on the beach, water sports or a variety of attractions, as a holiday location, Barbados is the pearl of the Caribbean.

Source: Photos 2,3,4

Luxury Hotel Competition Closing

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A competition with the folks from Priority Club Rewards to win a night in one of IHG's 4,300 hotels including Holiday Inns, Crowne Plazas and many more (**), closes in two days time (9 October).

All you need to do is:

1. Add a comment to the original competition post on your select IHG Hotel in the world for a special stay and the reason why. Ensure that I can track you down if you win by leaving an email address or contact details within your URL.

2. Subscribe to Travel Wonders via email using the panel in the top right of the sidebar.

The winner will be announced a couple of days after the close.

Note that the winner will be required to register an account with Priority Club Rewards and email me with their membership number. Priority Club Rewards will transfer the points directly into the account.

** Please note that the prize is for 25,000 points and will not cover a stay in an Intercontinental Hotel.

Exploring Volcanic Lanzarote (Spain)

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Guest post by Nick Ball

The Canary Island of Lanzarote has long had a reputation as a bucket and spade beach holiday destination. Justifiably so in fact, as around 1.5 million foreign tourists visit every year.

But this small speck of Spain, located just 80 miles off the coast of Morocco, offers much more than just sunshine and sun loungers alone. As Lanzarote boasts some awe-inspiring scenery – forged by a massive series of volcanic eruptions. Along with some truly unique and highly imaginative man made tourist attractions, created by a famous local artist called César Manrique.

During the 1730´s Lanzarote was rocked by one of the modern world’s longest lasting volcanic eruptions. Which lasted for six years, destroying most of the best farmland on the island and covering much of the south in a carpet of lava.

These seismic shocks forced many Lanzaroteños to flee the island. But today this whole region is one of Spain´s most popular National Parks – welcoming close to 900,000 tourists every year. The scenery here is extremely surreal and has often been likened to the surface of the moon. So much so that it has in fact been used as backdrop for a number of science-fiction films such as One Million Years BC and Krull.

Elsewhere an island born artist called César Manrique has worked with Lanzarote´s twisted terrain to create a series of unique visitor attractions. During the 1970´s Manrique fought for the controlled evolution of tourist development on the island. As he feared that Lanzarote could become buried beneath a sea of concrete – as had already happened to large swathes of land in southern Spain and on some of the larger Canary Islands.

At the same time he sought to create ecologically friendly tourist attractions as an alternative to the golf courses and water parks that were springing up in other sunspots.

His best known project on the island is the breathtaking Jameos del Agua. Where he used a massive lava tunnel as a backdrop for an underground grotto, concert auditorium and tropical gardens. Creating a site that was described by visiting VIP Rita Heyworth as “The Eighth Wonder of the World”.

The Jameos del Agua project really helped to put Lanzarote on the map as a tourist destination in the 1970´s. As it gained international plaudits and helped to attract lots of famous guests – such as Peter Sellers and Omar Sharif. All keen to find out more about this unusual new holiday island.

Manrique went on to create a further six similar sites. In the process helping to gain Lanzarote the privileged status of a UNESCO protected biosphere.

Nick Ball is the editor of the Lanzarote Guidebook that includes an in-depth island guide to sightseeing, attractions, accommodation and excursions on this easternmost of the Canary Islands. Download the excellent free 96-page guide to this volcanic island paradise.

Book Review: Overcoming the 7 Major Obstacles to Traveling the World (Anil Polat)

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Anil Polat of Foxnomad has recently published an e-book titled Overcoming the 7 Major Obstacles to Traveling the World, inspiring people to not let obstacles and excuses prevent them from travelling the world. It is a book aimed at people keen to travel but finding reasons to not go. Aimed both as a one-time read and as a regular ready-reference with a collection of tips and ideas towards reaching a goal of travelling to your dream destination, this book should help inspire fighting your demons that may be holding you back from travel.

Polat takes seven of the major issues and covers thoughtful ways to overcome each of them. On the topic of expense, Polat looks at ways to make practical everyday savings towards travel from tracking a budget and curbing your spending to savings with your computing needs and selling excess stuff from around your house. Similarly, the author looks using your job skills rather than treating it as a shackle to your current location.

There is considerable focus on the issue and discomfort of leaving family and close friends behind with this electronic age making staying in touch much easier and more practical.

Produced as an e-book and priced at US$14.95, Overcoming the 7 Major Obstacles to Traveling the World is available for immediate download. For the month of October, the author is donating the funds from the e-book to micro-lending organisation, Kiva.

If you have an enthusiasm to travel the world, here is a chance to free yourself from those negative gremlins with some down-to-earth advice in an easy to read format.