Exile Yourself to Siberia

What's a Trippy?

It's a short visual trip to places of architectural or design importance.

Where are we going?

To Irkutsk, Siberia in the Russian Federation, on the shores of Lake Baikal.

What's to see?

Irkutsk is a city of about 600,000 people and among the most popular tourist cities in Russia. It is known for its elaborate gingerbread-decorated wooden houses, some of which are beautifully restored and some in need of major renovations. The decorating style for these homes is unique to this city. Click here to see three close-up architectural detail photos taken by Nigel Maister during a recent trip to Irkutsk.

Located on Lake Baikal, Irkutsk is a worldwide eco tourism center. Baikal is the largest freshwater body on the planet and contains 20% of our fresh water resources. Mountains dramatically drop into the lake's surface and create amazingly scenic vistas.

Irkutsk Video Tour

Mexican Jungle Garden

What's a Trippy?

It's a short visual trip to places of architectural or design importance.

Where are we going?

To Las Pozas ("The Pools"), a surrealist garden paradise created by Edward James (1907-1984) in the jungle near Xilitla, Mexico.

What's to see?

Xilitla is a small mountain village far north of Mexico City, set in a semi-tropical jungle filled with wild orchids. James, godson of the Prince of Wales, found this remote spot with a friend in 1944 and set up a home here.

The garden has 36 surrealist cement sculptures (James was a major patron of the surrealist arts; one example: he and Salvador Dali designed the famous vermilion sofa in the shape of Mae West's lips).

Some of the sculptures are painted and extremely tall, all arranged on a steep mountain in 80 acres of jungle. There are small houses, winding paths, gates, gardens and other visual treats that blend in with the jungle.

Las Pozas Video Tour