Creatures of the Tundra

We’re so close to the polar bear I can hear him snoring. Terry Elliot, a guide from the nearby Seal River Heritage Lodge, motions for us to stop walking. It’s late September and blades of sunlight slice across the western shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba. The bear glows a bright ivory against the autumn tundra.

“He’s missing his buddy,” Terry says. “Males like this one hang out with other young males. It’s called ‘pair bonding’. They’ll spend most of their days sleeping and sparring – practice fighting – until winter comes and they can get back out on the ice to hunt seals again.”

Maybe it’s the mention of seals, but the bear snorts awake and rolls to its feet. I’m suddenly aware of just how big it is and how close we are. I’m six foot, 
five inches tall. A full-grown male can stand twice my height and outweigh a ’68 Volkswagen Beetle.

I raise my camera when the bear grabs a dwarf willow tree in his jaws and rips it from the ground. Then he tosses the mangled vegetation at us.

“Is he warning us?”

Terry chuckles. “No, that’s his toy. He wants to play with us.”

While I expected to see polar bears from a distance when I arrived at Seal River several days ago, I didn’t expect to be invited into their world. This is one of the reasons the lodge is unique. Founded by a local family with Canadian and Icelandic roots, Seal River and the other four lodges owned by Churchill Wild offer guests a chance to not just see the untamed Arctic but also to immerse themselves in it, bears and all.

For the past three days, my fellow guests and I have been hiking and voyaging by Zodiac along the pristine coast. Polar bear encounters are frequent, but we’ve also howled back and forth with a pack of wolves, tracked caribou, snorkelled with hundreds of singing beluga whales (some so curious they nudged my GoPro) and explored Inuit archaeological sites.

The morning after the playful bear encounter, we leave the lodge behind for an even more remote destination. A de Havilland Otter ferries us nearly 160 kilometres northwest to Tundra Camp, Churchill Wild’s newest outpost. The wildlife here might be sparser – we spot only a family of black bears from the air – but the draw for us is the Barren Lands. This wilderness of stunted pine forests, rolling tundra and sandy eskers has a population smaller than Broome at Christmas.

Tundra Camp sits on the shores of Schmok Lake. The main base is a rustic hunting cabin and a pair of large tents – one for dining and one for briefings and bad-weather lounging. The sleeping camp – a dozen private expedition tents with cots, sleeping bags and propane heaters – is a short walk beyond the cabin.

Our two-night stay at Tundra Camp might be brief, but the remoteness and the silence of the landscape – and the prolonged hours of summer light – make the days long and full. One of the guides, Josh, leads some of the group along the lakeshore to explore the autumn landscape and pick blueberries. I join Terry and two fit South Africans on an all-day trek. There are no trails out here; we simply follow ancient caribou paths and spend hours roaming over the low granite-capped ridges. Each summit offers another never-ending panorama.

That evening, after moose lasagne and blueberry pie (the French-trained chef has been imported from Seal River), I join everyone around the campfire beside the lake. The sun is down and the Milky Way is starting to materialise. My legs are hammered and my face glows from long days of Arctic sun and wind. I’m hypnotised by the flames. “Look up,” says Terry.

The heavens ripple with tall green and purple curtains: the aurora borealis. We lean back in our chairs. A deep silence falls over us. “The Inuit believe the northern lights are the spirits of their ancestors dancing and playing in the afterlife,” says one of the campers who has travelled in Greenland.

The firewood is gone and the embers cold when we hike back to camp. Before I click off my headlamp and unzip the tent, I look up again. The shimmering spirits are still dancing over the Barren Lands.

Head downtown to the Bowery

Opened in 2007, the Bowery Hotel was a leader in the revitalisation of the once-gritty Bowery neighbourhood. Hoteliers Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode, also responsible for the Maritime and Jane hotels in Manhattan, bought and redesigned the 14-storey property, creating spaces imbued with retro, Art Deco-inspired glamour. There’s a warm and welcoming lobby, complete with hand-picked antique furnishings and cosy fireplace, and an outdoor patio.

The 135 bright guestrooms are like cool apartments, with floor-to-ceiling windows (some even have glimpses of the Empire State Building), Turkish oushak rugs, marble tubs and C.O. Bigelow Apothecaries amenities in the bathrooms. Grab a board game from the collection inspired by The Royal Tenenbaums and escape to the wood-panelled lobby bar for a break from the New York crowds, or try chef Chris D’Amico’s rustic Italian fare at Gemma, the in-house restaurant.

Fast and furious, dune buggy style

Mention Palm Springs and most people think of swimming pools and the city’s proximity to music festival behemoth, Coachella. But there’s lots more to do out here than soak up the rays in an itty-bitty bikini or rave out in the desert.

An excellent way to burn a few hours is to rent an ATV and tear up some of the mountainous sand dunes that loom just outside the city (it’s on private land, so you don’t even need a license). These four-wheelers are fun, fast and just about anyone can do it.

The world’s biggest kaleidoscope

Normally, looking through a kaleidoscope is like dabbling with LSD. Now imagine just how trippy it would be to stand inside one of these playgrounds of light and mirrors. Located at the exquisite Emerson Resort & Spa in Mount Tremper, New York, just a couple of hours outside of NYC, is the world’s largest kaleidoscope.

In a space that’s 17 metres high and about 12 metres across, visitors can feel the immersion in a multimedia show with moving images and a thumping soundtrack. Built in the silo of an old farm, it’s big enough for you to plaster yourself across the floor and lose yourself in the experience.

A sandwich to make a grown man cry

Few experiences make us cry: the death of a loved one, a Budweiser commercial during the Super Bowl, and Will Horowitz’s Pops Pastrami sandwich. The recipe, an updated version of his grandfather’s original concoction, includes house-smoked pastrami, buttermilk-cured pickles and a healthy dose of fresh dill, along with some extra napkins to wipe up your tears of happiness, I mean, your mouth.

You’ll find this delicacy at the East Village delicatessen, Harry & Ida’s Meat and Supply Co, and if you feel the need to weep a little longer in the privacy of your hotel or home, they sell pastrami by the pound, too.

The sandwich tastes even better served with a slice of history.

Go Country at Robert’s Western World

Go to Nashville and you’re sure to have a good time. But if you want it guaranteed, head to the epicentre of Lower Broadway fun, Robert’s Western World. This long-standing traditional bluegrass and country bar is no holds barred when it comes to a good time.

Step in for a cold Miller Genuine Draft, and let one of the locals spin you around to the kicking band. Once you’ve worked up an appetite, one of the greasy burgers or bologna sandwiches will really hit the spot. The only problem is the music is so good you won’t want to go anywhere else.

Peruse the World of Bad Art

If you’re bored with all those galleries that make you realise your creativity left you long ago, the Museum of Bad Art makes for a refreshing change. Displaying portraits that wouldn’t make your fridge door even if your progeny brought them home from kindergarten, the MOBA is exactly what it says on the tin.

Currently using the basement of the revamped 1920s Somerville Theatre as its exhibition space, this gallery shows crowd-pleasing masterpieces such as The Terrapin Pyramid and Mana Lisa.

They even go on tour, mostly around the US of A, but also overseas. For all of those tired of modernist museums full of toilets and blank canvases, MOBA is a breath of fresh air. And for those far away, the website is definitely worth browsing.

Indulge your Curiosity for Bodily Oddities

Ever wanted to inspect a three-metre-long human colon? How about the remnants of a woman whose corpse turned into adipocere, a substance that to the untrained eye looks like a melted bar of soap? If you’re feeling that dark curiosity within you stir then make sure you leave a few hours to visit the Mütter Museum next time you’re in Philly.

Originally created in 1858 for the sole purpose of research and education, the collection of odd medical specimens is now open to the public. Wander through and experience freaky abnormalities and mutations you would have never thought possible. It’s a must-see for anyone interested in the anatomically bizarre.

Boston’s Liberty Hotel

For 120 years this building housed the area’s nastiest inmates. Then, in 2007, it got a new lease on life and is now one of the city’s finest places of accommodation. Guests are warmly welcomed and escorted to their contemporary furnished rooms featuring floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning city views.

To add to the charm the architects retained some of the building’s character features, including the granite exterior, exposed brick walls, historic catwalks and striking wrought-iron chandeliers. The Liberty Hotel is the only time in your life you’ll spend a night in jail and not be in a hurry to escape the next day.