Christmas Down Under

Christmas in Florida has always been a strange idea to me, with highs in the 80s and palm trees all around.  But when you think about it, it's still their 'winter.'  The sun sets at 5:30pm, nights can be on the 'cooler' side, and students are on winter break.

Can you imagine Christmas falling in the summer?  Not just summer weather, but astronomical summer.  No school for 2-3 months, sun out past nine, the whole deal.

That's what it's like for everyone living in the southern hemisphere (which according to brilliantmaps.com is actually only 12% of the world's population).  When the north pole is facing away from the sun (our winter), the south pole is facing toward the sun.  So summer break in Australia goes from December to early February.

Kids got off school a few weeks ago and are enjoying the beach, making sandmen instead of snowmen.  According to Santa's Net, it's not unusual to have a Christmas Day near 100°.  Local news says Adelaide hit 104° this year - a temperature not hit since 1945.  Instead of celebrating inside by the fire, a lot of families take their Christmas dinner to the beach!  Can you imagine?  Apparently, Bondi Beach outside of Sydney gets thousands of picnic-ers.  Families swim, play cricket, and pretty much celebrate the way we would on the 4th of July.

Of course, it's not just the activities that are different.  People are out wearing t-shirts and flip flops.  So what about Santa in his big red suit?  Whychristmas.com says Santa swaps out his outfit for something a little cooler, and gives the reindeer a rest by hopping from house to house with kangaroos.  Christmas songs with winter themes are reworded, and carolers are able to enjoy a warm stroll through town.

One thing that doesn't change?  The Christmas tree.  This is a photo I took in an Australian mall in late November (a few years ago) - an evergreen next to the palms.  There's also something called a Christmas bush that grows down under... a native plant with red leaves, that's often made into wreaths.

It seems like the warm weather doesn't stop Aussies from getting in the Christmas spirit.  So wherever you're celebrating from... Happy Holidays!

Daylight Saving vs Standard

Why do we "spring ahead" and "fall behind" every year?  Why do we change the clocks... mess with our sleep schedules... and lose daylight in the morning or night?  Let's be honest.  For most of us, it just seems like a pain.  So, I decided to dig a little deeper into the history.

According to NPR, Daylight Saving Time was first used in Germany during World War I.  It was adopted in the hopes to save the country energy during war time.  If the sun was out later, they thought they would use less coal.

To clarify, Saving Time refers to the time when we "spring ahead."  Standard Time is where we are now - in the fall and winter, when sun sets at 4:30pm.  As depressing as it might seem, that's the norm.  Right off the bat, that makes me thankful for the invention of Daylight Saving Time.  I love having the sun out until 9:30pm in the summer, and 5:30pm in the fall.  Can we just make that the norm 365 days a year?!

Well believe it or not, that was a thing for a while in the US.  National Geographic says America caught on after Germany started DST and used it year round during World War II.  Personally, I wish we'd never gone back!  But that's beside the point.

The point is, the idea of saving energy by changing the clocks is dated and hard to prove.  It's not law to obey DST.  Hawaii, Arizona and Puerto Rico don't bother changing their clocks, and a lot of other countries opt out.  NPR says that most of Africa and Asia just stay on their normal schedules year-round.  Countries in the southern hemisphere use DST during our winter (when it's their summer).  Meanwhile, equatorial nations, which have close to 12 hours of sunlight every day of the year, change their clocks just to keep up with the US and Europe.

Here at home, we make ourselves sick over the time change.  Literally.  Another Nat Geo article says that heart attack rates increase within days of turning the clocks ahead an hour in the spring.  Messing with somebody's sleep is no joke, and doing it on a grand scale has noticeable consequences.  That said, there are fewer heart attacks when we gain an hour of sleep in the fall.

There is a long list of pros.  For instance, crime rates typically decrease when the sun is out later.  National Geographic says a 2012 study showed robberies decreased 40% with an extra hour of sunlight at night.  Once the clocks spring ahead, people also spend more time outside.  Golf courses see an increase and business, and TV networks see a decrease in ratings.

There have been a lot of debates about nixing DST over the years, but without any consensus, the pattern will likely stay the same.  What do you think?  Are you a fan?

Cheers to the Beers of Fall

Abita.com

This post is in honor of my new home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Also known as Brew City, there's a big beer culture here. Hey - the baseball team isn't called the Brewers for nothing!  As the seasons are changing and temperatures are dropping, so are the beers on tap.

We all know about seasonal beers.  You want something light and refreshing in the summer, and heavy and comforting in the winter.  Sometimes it's nice to drink based on what's in harvest.  Abita Strawberry uses real Louisiana strawberry juice, and I look forward to it every year.  And, of course,
you can't go into a bar without seeing pumpkin beer in the fall.

In fact, right now, we're in the midst of autumn, and the spicy flavors are becoming more popular.  I think an article in The Guardian says it best - "Autumn brings something darker, auburn like the leaves, toffee and bonfire flavours, earthy and spicy."  It lines up perfectly with the way we feel, what we're wearing, and how we're spending our time.  They say we're "buckling in... preparing for winter, gradually warming ourselves."

liquidbreadmag.com

That said, not everybody likes to jump on the pumpkin craze in September and October, so Thrillest.com ranked the best non-pumpkin fall beers.  One of them is made in Wisconsin.  Central Waters Mudpuppy Porter is brewed in Amherst, WI.  Thrillest says it's a good way to start your transition into the heavier beers.  Instead of pumpkin, it's got the warm flavors of roasted coffee and chocolate.  Recommended for tailgating!

Before modern technology gave us options, though, kitchn writer Emma Christensen says brewing was historically more of a fall and winter activity.  That's when barley was ready for harvest, and the cooler weather made it possible to store ingredients (and the finished product) without it going bad.  If there was extra barley in the summer, the lighter beers came into play.  Supposedly, they're quicker to ferment.

German Beer Institute

The German Beer Institute goes into more history and science, explaining that different types of yeast prefer different weather.  Ale yeast likes to do its thing in a warmer environment - between about 60 and 77°.  That's when the yeast is more active and makes better tasting beer.  When the temperature drops, ale yeast essentially goes to sleep for the winter.  Lager yeast, on the other hand, works best at temperatures in the 40s or below.

It was the mid 1500s when authorities in Germany realized the cold weather fermentation produced a purer beer that lasted longer.  Bavaria outlawed summer brewing in 1553 to help prevent the spread of bacteria.  The "official brewing season" became September 29th to April 23rd, and Bavaria claims to have mastered lager in a way that's still unsurpassed.

Although we can find almost any type of beer year-round nowadays, it seems like drinking based on the weather is still deep within us.  So... Cheers to the beers of the season!

The Colors of Fall in Aspen

lonelyplanet.com

It's September, and a lot of us are getting geared up for fall... cooler weather, crisper air, and the change of colors.  Seeing leaves turn from green to orange, red and yellow over the next couple of months might make autumn my favorite time of the year, and I know I'm not alone.

In fact, fall foliage is a big deal in the US.  As meteorologists, we update the public with "peak" maps every day; viewer photos start pouring in; and people who live in warmer climates travel north in hopes to catch the trees at the perfect time.  Places like the Berkshires in Massachusetts and Aspen, Colorado become big tourist destinations.

What is the perfect time?  That depends on the area, the weather, and the type of tree.  According to the US National Arboretum, the trees around your home will actually start to change at the same time every year.  That's because the earlier sunset and shorter days are actually the key factor in telling a tree it's time to stop making food, and chlorophyll (the green stuff) disappears.  The weather comes into play when talking about the brightness of the colors.  Soil moisture and temperatures both have a big impact, which is why we issue daily updates.

In the grand scheme of things, parts of Colorado, Minnesota and New England are usually the first to start changing- in mid to late September (check out this map from weather.com).

You've probably heard of Aspen?  It's right in the heart of that "late September" deep red in Colorado.  The city is named after the Aspen tree, and it was named after the tree for a reason.  As Fodor's says, "when a world famous town is named after a tree, you know it's an extraordinary specimen.  Aspen trees turn a rich yellow hue in the fall and literally shimmer in the breeze when the sun hits them."  Sounds AMAZING.  Fall in New England is typically coated in more of the oranges and reds (from Maples and Oaks).  The dominance of Aspen trees in Colorado paints the landscape in a distinct yellow blanket.

jameskay.com

For people who make the trip out, colorado.com says there are self-guided tours, farmers' markets, festivals, art fairs, and just about everything you could possibly want to make fall feel like the best time of year.  In fact, the whole state celebrates the start of autumn: Boulder has a downtown Fall Fest, the Western Slope town of Paonia has its own Harvest Festival, and there are corn mazes and apple picking galore.

In Aspen itself, the tree has a short season, glimmering around the city for up to 3 weeks before leaves start to fall.  It's usually over by early October.  For the rest of the country, that's just the start of the season!  So wherever you're celebrating from, I say, grab a warm apple cider, and cheers to the colors of autumn!

visittellurite.com

Puerto Rico meets the Saharan Desert

IWhen you think of Puerto Rico, you probably think of tropical beaches, bright blue water, and warm humid weather.  So what could the Sahara Desert possibly have to do with a Caribbean island?

Believe it or not, Saharan dust can travel west across the Atlantic to as far as the Gulf of Mexico.  It's called the Saharan Air Layer (SAL), and it affects the daily lives of people in the Caribbean and Central America.

It just so happens that two of my former roommates (and current best friends) are from Puerto Rico. My friend Janice let me pick her brain on the topic, and her first reaction when I asked what it was like when the SAL blew in was, "Oh no! You can't go outside on those days!"

She says the dust is a killer for people with allergies and asthma.  With the dust comes pollen, microorganisms, bacteria and even insects.  She says it also means, "Don't wash your car!  With all the dust, cars and everything outside can be covered."

It sounds like living through a low-level dust-storm... in the middle of the tropics!  Most daily activities continue as normal, but visibility can be low.  So much for that clear view of the beach.

It's something most visitors and tourists have never heard of, yet it's a regular occurrence.  There are a plenty of published papers and web articles on the SAL, but Janice also happens to be a meteorologist for the National Weather Service... so I asked her for a basic explanation.

You've probably heard of the trade winds?  Well, in northern Africa, air movement is predominantly from east to west.  In other words, winds blow over the Saharan Desert and into/across the Atlantic.  The dust is light and easily carried by the winds across the ocean.  You can even see the SAL on satellite.

It's strongest from May to September and can cover 2000-5000 km.  It comes in waves (NOAA says every 3-5 days), but Janice tells me the worst month in Puerto Rico tends to be July.

Although the dusty days keep some Puerto Ricans inside, there are a few pros.  Janice says it helps fertilize the soil and provides nutrients for phytoplankton in the ocean.  But maybe the biggest pro?  She says, "Sometimes this phenomenon can be beneficial for the island, because it helps weaken tropical systems that are a threat to Puerto Rico."  Hurricanes and tropical depressions don't like dry air, so the dust sometimes weakens them before they make landfall.

Monsoon Season in India

Diptendu Dutta - Getty Images

You've probably seen massive flooding in India covered on the news at some point in the past few years. It seems so far away (for many of us) that it's hard to imagine recurring devastation in a major city like New York or LA. But for a lot of India, it's expected  - and in some cases even welcomed - on an annual basis. 

As a meteorologist with a love for travel, I've always wondered how flooding became such a normal part of Indian culture. You see video clips of people walking, biking and driving through knee deep water to get to work. It's the complete opposite of the motto from the National Weather Service, "turn around, don't drown."

So what causes such heavy rainfall there almost every year? It's called the monsoon season. Despite what most people think, a monsoon isn't a heavy rainstorm. The term monsoon actually refers to a seasonal shift in wind direction. 

In India, winter winds come from the north, bringing in cooler and drier air from the mountains. In the summer, the winds shift and come from the south, across the Indian Ocean. Similar to the way we pick up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, it's warm and humid. When that air hits the Himalayas, it rises, cools, and dumps out all its moisture as rain.

According to NOAA, the monsoon season in India lasts from June to September. Western and central India receive about 90% of their annual rainfall during those months. Northwestern and southern India get 50-75%. In terms of totals, we're talking about an average of more than 11 inches of rain per month... and some locations see over 100 inches of rain per season!!

With such heavy rainfall, you'd think summer would be a less-than-ideal time to travel to India. On the contrary, Travel & Leisure has published an article on some of the best places to go to enjoy the green and lush environment despite the flooding.

Top of their list is the country's capital, Delhi.  They say the rain cleans the city's notoriously dirty air, and "there's nothing like seeing Lodi Gardens, the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, and the gorgeous grounds of Humayan's Tombs freshly washed by the monsoon."  Also on the list is Goa, Shillong, Spiti, and Mandu.  Mandu sounds particularly intriguing to me.  The article says, "After a day biking through the rain among solitary, mossy ruins, and climbing crooked staircases to empty ramparts overlooking monsoon-filled lakes... it's the India you didn't know you'd been dreaming of."

For people who live in India, it might be a dream come true for a different reason.  This year, the monsoon season is bringing a much needed-end to a drought.  ABC Australia reports that drinking water was becoming scarce.  The India Meteorological Department says much of the country has been in a severe water crisis, and after two years of waiting, this monsoon season should bring above average rainfall.

Diptendu Dutta - Getty Images

That's good news for farmers.  In the cities, however, needed rainfall can quickly turn to massive flooding, due in large part to the poor drainage systems.  When the water gets too deep, you can imagine the reaction.  Cars are left abandoned in the streets, workplaces close, and India is once again a world-wide news headline.  Just last week, the Weather Channel reported 7 dead and over a million displaced after flooding in the state of Assam.  It's a fine balance that can be easily tipped when it comes to Mother Nature.

Life in a "Summer Town"

We've all got our favorite spots for summer vacation... Myrtle Beach, the Wisconsin Dells, or in my case, the Lakes Region of Maine.

I grew up going to one of the smaller "summer towns" up there every year.  Why do I call it a summer town?  Well, in the winter, the population drops dramatically to about 1000 permanent residents.  In the summer, it's a booming recreational area filled with tourists.  Hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and shops probably make 70-90% of their income in the 3 summer months.  Winter tends to be quieter, in large part because of the harsher weather.  Portland averages 60 inches of snow per year... and that's just the southern tip of the state.

While Portland is a larger city, I can't help but wonder what it's like for people who live in the smaller towns year-round.  I recently made a new friend, Carolyn, who's from a small town outside Rockport, Maine.  I asked her if we could do an interview for this post!

"Camden is known to be a town where the mountains meet the sea," she says about her home.  "There are numerous lakes, the ocean, and numerous hiking trails through the mountains.  Almost everything you could want!"

It sounds like paradise... depending on the season.  Of course, I'm not the only one who loves summer up there.  That's the whole point.  A lot of people do, and the tourism trend impacts daily life for locals.

"While tourists definitely brought a lot of activity to the town, it increased traffic - and crowded beaches were not my favorite thing during the summer," Carolyn remembers.  "I think some people really enjoy meeting others from around the country and world as they visit during the summer, while others prefer the quiet months and see an influx of tourists as a necessary intrusion."

She and her sister used to play a game in the summer counting how many state license plates they could find.  Most summers they got all 50, including Alaska and Hawaii.  As a kid, I remember meeting people from Great Britain there, too.

"It was just the norm," Carolyn says.  "I didn't have anything else to compare it to, so it just seemed regular to have an influx of tourists during the summer months.  Having lived in numerous locations since, I know how fortunate I was to grow up in an area that was the ideal summer destination for many."

Some restaurants or shops closed for the winter, but Carolyn looked on the positive side, saying it gave her something extra to look forward to every summer.

It seems to me like the region has found its own balance.  The small towns tend to change little over the years, but the beauty stays the same from season to season!

Allure of the Northern Lights

 I know the Northern Lights are something we talk about more in the winter, but I'm bringing back an old favorite from my grad school days (and you can read this any time of year - save the video for November or December if you want motivation to love the world again when it gets cold out).

Also known as Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights are a weather phenomena that have fascinated people around the world for centuries.  The colors that appear to magically dance through the night sky are quite literally what dreams are made of.  It's so magical, it's hard to imagine they're real.

Although I like to look at weather and nature from a scientific perspective, there are a lot of myths about the origin of the lights - especially among native cultures.  One ancient legend says that the lights are formed by a fox who runs across the Arctic and sends sparks up into the sky with his tail.  The Inuit of Alaska believe the lights are the spirits of the animals they hunt.  The Maori of New Zealand believed the (Southern) lights were deflections from torches and campfires of other civilizations.

photo taken from nexttriptourism.com

The video I shared above is from Finland, but if you Google "the Northern Lights," a lot of what you'll find will be from Norway.  Tromso is a city just above the Arctic Circle that celebrates with a Northern Lights Festival every year from the end of January through early February.  Justlanded.com says "The festival features opera, jazz, chamber music, audiovisual art, symphonic concerts, choir, and dance all while watching the sky light up with different colors."  If you've read my post on surviving winter with a positive attitude, you'll know I already think Tromso's got this whole "winter" thing down... so it makes sense they'd also be the ones to take the lead on making a big deal out of Aurora Borealis.

If you're on a budget (or hate flying), you don't have to go to Norway or Finland to catch a glimpse of the elusive lights.  Visittheusa.com says the top 5 places to see them, in the US are:

1. Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska
2. Idaho Panhandle National Forest
3. Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge in Maine
4. Cook County Minnesota
5. Michigan's Upper Peninsula

photo by Travis Novitsky

The Northern Lights are seen best closer to magnetic north under clear skies with low light pollution, but they have been observed as far south as New Orleans and Mexico in the past.  The chemical reactions that cause the lights can actually happen any time of day (or year), but we only see them at night.  The northern hemisphere gets more sunlight in the summer, so that's why we think of them as a winter phenomena.

I've never seen them myself, but it's definitely on my bucket list!  How about you?

A Bedouin Life in the Desert

Deserts are known for hot days, cold nights, and dry conditions.  It's hard to imagine anybody living there.  But we all grew up hearing the stories.  Moses and his people wandered the desert for 40 years before reaching "The Promised Land."  It's a nomadic lifestyle battling the elements, but one that people are still living today.

I was lucky to get a taste of that life when I traveled to the Negev Desert in Israel back in college.  Here's a little bit of background on weather in the Negev...

Reliable records from Ovda International Airport only really go back to 2007, but in the past few years, temperatures have ranged from about 33 to 104 degrees, rarely dropping below freezing.  Most days, there are very few clouds in the sky to protect people from the sun - and the dry areas barely see 8 inches of rain per year.  For comparison, an average US City like New York gets closer to 50 inches per year.

If you're not getting the picture yet, just think camels.  In fact, the pictures you see in this post are from my trip.  Of course, I wasn't just wandering the desert on my own.  I went with a group of students to stay the night in a Bedouin community.

Bedouins are a nomadic people living in deserts all across the Middle East.  According to Britannica Encyclopedia, they're traditionally animal herders who spend the rainy season in the desert, and the dry season closer to "cultivated land."  Tribes can herd goats, sheep, or of course, camels.

Goisrael.com explains that herding flocks was how the Bedouins made their living back in the day - bringing them from well to well or pasture to pasture across the desert.  Today, many of the tribes have settled down.  One thing that hasn't changed?  Their sense of hospitality.

Bedouins have a long tradition of hospitality, which has turned them into a tourist attraction of sorts in the 21st century.  While reading about different tribes online, I came across this website - Desert Life by Bedouin Life.  It says "A guest is always welcome to the Bedouin home.  We feel our houses are like a poor home without guests.  All the big family will come to share the food with the guests who came to one of the houses in the village."

By "houses" they mean tents.  Traditional Bedouin tents were woven from goat hair, which repelled rain water and insulated against heat and cold.  Although modern materials are often used nowadays, the cozy tent feel is still a part of the experience for visitors.

Nomads don't have much use for furniture, so meals are eaten on cushions on the ground... and speaking from personal experience, guests also sleep on the ground.

I do specifically remember the food being fantastic: flavorful rice and vegetables with homemade bread and sauces.  Eating in a large group in circles around the table with our hands was an experience that might not fly in my apartment here in the US, but it definitely felt right for a night under the desert stars!

Ring in Spring with Japanese Cherry Blossoms

Photo Credit: Lauren Schlenger

Spring is here, and that means it's the time of buds and blossoms.  What better way to celebrate than a look at a springtime treasure: cherry blossoms!

I was lucky enough to go to the National Cherry Blossom Festival in DC during my time as an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland.  It really is beautiful to see all of the trees in bloom, which is why it draws over a million visitors every year.

But it got me thinking... if the Japanese Cherry Blossoms are this beautiful in the U.S... what are they like in Japan?

xtreme-photos.com

The blooming period is similar between the two countries.  The National Cherry Blossom Festival this year was "scheduled" from March 20th to April 17th.  The peak bloom was earlier than usual - around March 25th, as opposed to the average of April 4th (which makes sense when you think about the mild winter we had).

Of course, DC is just one city.  The cherry blossom trees in Japan sprawl the entire country.  Depending where you are, the blooms can start as early as January and continue as late as May.  According to About Travel, it's tracked very carefully each year by the Japan Meteorological Agency as the warm weather moves in from the south (kind of the same way we track fall foliage here, just a different season).  Take a look at this year's map.

connoisseurs.me

In Japan, they call the celebrations Hanami.  It means "flower viewing," and the Japanese word for the blossoms themselves is sakura.  They say that because each bloom only lasts for about two weeks, the flowers have come to symbolize the idea that beauty doesn't last forever.

This slightly more thought-provoking message doesn't stop people from having fun.  Savory Japan calls the effect of the flowers "intoxicating," describing it like a gentle rain falling on the sidewalks and into women's hair, enveloping the cities in fragrance and blanketing the ground in pink.  (When can I book my plane ticket??)

mamabee.com

It's become a country wide festival that supposedly has changed very little over the years.  Vendors line the park sidewalks, and kids play under the branches.  People picnic during the day and party at night.

Like most blossoms, a day of wind or rain can cut the celebrations short.  Savory Japan says the element of chance makes planning a visit that much more exciting.  But I say, if you've got a car, money, and time to kill (if you're that lucky), you can always follow spring north to catch the blooms as they spread across the country.

For now, I'll cherish my memories in DC - a highly recommended and more accessible way to see the blossoms right here in the US.  And many thanks to former Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki for the initial gift of 3000 trees back in 1912, over a century ago.

Photo Credit: Lauren Schlenger

Weathering the Winter with Yoga

Staying healthy takes a year round commitment.  Exercise shouldn't stop in the summer because it's too hot - or in the winter because it's too cold.  But sometimes, the change in weather makes it hard to motivate our bodies.  Let's be honest, we're all guilty.

Take this winter, for instance.  By the time I get off work, the sun's already set, and I'm putting on gloves for the drive home.  The last thing on my mind is changing into a pair of shorts and hitting the gym.  An article on artofliving.org says that because of the cold outside, our bodies are instinctively in "contracted mode."  So how do we simultaneously relax and work them?  Well - recently, I decided to take the plunge into hot yoga.  It's been a really great experience for me, so I wanted to share (with a little bit of weather flair)...

One of the great things about yoga is that you can do it inside OR outside, depending on the weather (and your style).  Bikram yoga has been growing in the United States in recent years.  Even Jenny Craig is suggesting clients give it a try.  Bikram takes place in a studio heated to 105 degrees Fahrenheit with 40% humidity.  That's a dew point of 76 degrees.  YIKES!!!  That's essentially like doing yoga outside on a really hot day in Florida.  Talk about sweating it out!

Slightly less extreme is just normal "hot yoga," which is a little more open-ended than the Bikram yoga routine... and usually heated to 85-95 degrees.  It will still feel like you're working out on a hot summer day - but in the winter, it's a nice trick to play on your body!  In fact, by the time you finish, a burst of icy winter air even feels refreshing.  Trust me, I'm speaking from experience as someone who typically hates that first step out into the cold.

Yoga is also great for your health.  It helps with breathing, circulation and digestion.  Most yogis claim that it can also clear congestion and help keep your immune system in top gear... making it a great way to fight off those winter colds.  For people who think yoga is only about breathing or meditation, I promise you can find classes that will kick your butt (literally and figuratively) and strengthen muscles you didn't even know you had.

If you're crazy enough, you CAN do yoga in the snow.  I'm not talking about a yoga mat and bare feet in the middle of your backyard.  But if you want to connect with nature (even at its coldest), a Spirituality & Health article quotes a Michigan-based yoga instructor who mixes yoga with cross-country skiing - and another from New Hampshire who mixes it with snowshoeing.  She calls it "sno-ga," which I have to admit makes me smile :)  And if you look it up, there are tons of pictures like the beautiful one here (credit to Alixandra Gould, and more photos available on her blog) of people practicing yoga in the snow after properly warming their bodies.  So now you know... there's no excuse.  You can do yoga in any climate, anywhere in the world!

Mother Nature's Greatest Light Show

Alan Highton

Other than a bright, sunny beach in the Caribbean, you may have never thought weather would be the primary reason for travel.  But the light show you'll find over the Catatumbo River in Northwest Venezuela is something you can't find anywhere else in the world.

It's a thunderstorm like you've never seen before - with an average of about 40 thousand lightning strikes per night.  Anvil crawlers (cloud to cloud lightning) and bolts that reach down to the ground light up the night sky for
hours.  And while locals have grown up thinking the phenomenon is normal, it's started to draw visitors from around the world.

ABC News ran a story on the lightning back in 2011, which is how I first learned about the Catatumbo Lightning.  It reports that in early 2010, the lightning - which had previously been as reliable as Old Faithful - stopped for months.  The story is told from the perspective of locals in a poor water town on Lake Maracaibo, at the mouth of the Catatumbo River.  It's well worth watching, but since I work for a CBS affiliate at the time I'm writing this blog post, I will just leave the link above.

Alan Highton

One man, Alan Highton, lives with the indigenous people and has started a tour company for visitors out of Merida.  The town is built out into the lake on tin and wooden stilts, and people get around by boat.  As a scientist, living on water in lightning sounds dangerous (water conducts electricity).  But they've managed to make it work for centuries.

In March of 2015, The Guardian writer Alasdair Baverstock had the chance to visit Venezuela and report on the lightning first hand.  Like the ABC journalists, he met with Highton for a tour.  He says they stayed in the lakeside fishing town of Ologa.  Locals were amazed he traveled so far to see what they watch from their hammocks every night.

Short from plagiarizing, there's no way to describe the lightning (or the locals) better than his first hand experience, and I highly recommend the article.  He even offers tips for travelers... which I hope to take advantage of myself one day.

Jorge Silva

As for what makes the lightning happen, there are a lot of theories.  It could have to do with the landscape between the river and nearby mountains.  It could be from the low pressure systems that regularly sits over the area, creating lift and instability.  It could be from the dark waters, which hold an unusually large amount of oil and methane.  Or it could be a combination of many things.  The truth is, nobody is really sure.

Regardless of why the lightning happens, you can't deny that the result is mesmerizing.  For those of you with an adventurous heart, I hope you make the trek down some day and send me a picture.  Or maybe, if I'm lucky, I'll be there, too!

Want to know more?  Leave your comments here, find me on Facebook and Twitter, or email me at rkaye@wmbd.com.


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A Three Dog Night in Siberia

huskyproblems.com

Have you ever heard of a "three dog night?"  I'm not talking about the band.  I'm talking about the expression.  It goes way back to the Eskimos.  A three dog night is a night that's SO cold, you need to sleep with three dogs to keep from freezing.

beforethey.com

I first heard the expression from my high school Spanish teacher, and for some reason, it always stuck with me.  I think it's a great descriptor of cold - from before the times of thermometers and central heating.

Sometimes it feels cold enough for three dogs during wintertime in North America, even with the heat on... but can you imagine Siberia?  Oymyakon in northeast Russia considers the negative 60s "normal" in winter - and there are no records of it ever warming above zero degrees Fahrenheit between December and March.  The Weather Channel posted an article claiming that it's the coldest inhabited town in the world.

Further east of Oymyakon, near the Bering Strait (which separates Russia from Alaska), live the Chukchi, an ancient Arctic people.  With a population of about 15,000 according to "Countries and their Cultures," the Chukchi live in a way that we can only imagine.

beforethey.com

Traditional Chukchi live in tents made of reindeer hide with a fur-lined sleeping chamber, and they travel in sleds pulled by dogs or reindeer.  The men do the hunting and gathering, while the women keep the home clean and the clothes sewn.

Of course, in modern day times, there have been some changes.  Although some of the natives still prefer to live in tents, many have transitioned to one story houses made of wood and concrete (likely introduced during Russian military attacks on the Chukchi during the 1700s).  Snowmobiles, motor-boats and air travel are also becoming more common in the Tundra and along the coast.

One thing that's remained consistent with the Chukchi is the importance of hospitality and generosity.  Because of the harsh climate, it's forbidden to refuse even a stranger food or shelter.  Sounds like a much needed mantra to survive the bitter cold.  The community works together to provide for widows, orphans and poor, taking care of their own.

beforethey.com

In addition to their great hospitality towards other people, the Chukchi highly value and respect their dogs.  To them, dogs mean survival.  I found a great website on the native people called beforethey.com.  It has this quote: "The way you treat your dog in this life determines your place in heaven."

Specifically, the Chukchi are credited with breeding the original Siberian Husky - perhaps their greatest contribution to the outside world.  The dogs were bred for their endurance when the Chukchi men expanded their hunting grounds.  The American Kennel Club explains, "The Chukchis needed a sled dog capable of traveling great distances at a moderate speed, carrying a light load in low temperatures with a minimum expenditure of energy."  Eventually, word of the dogs made way to Alaska, and they started to appear in sled races.  You may have heard of Balto and the famous diphtheria "serum run?"  After that, huskies became popular throughout the rest of America.

Of course, the dogs can also come in handy on those cold three dog nights.  And for you dog lovers out there, maybe you've seen the news around a recent study that says letting your dogs in your bed can help you sleep better at night.  Something worth considering this winter.

corbisimages.com

Want to know more?  Leave your comments here, find me on Facebook and Twitter, or email me at rkaye@wmbd.com.

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