Vik-Thor's Journal

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cathedral-caverns-alabama

Burrowed in the foothills of Kennamer Cove, Alabama, lies an unexpected natural beauty—the Cathedral Caverns. With 3,500 feet of wheelchair accessible walkway, a three-acre stalagmite forest, and the largest commercial cave entrance in the world, this place is a must-see if you’re visiting Ol’ dixie.

The Cavern’s most notable features are one of the world’s biggest stalagmites, known as “Goliath,” which measures 45 feet tall and 243 feet wide, the aforementioned largest commercial cave entrance in the world, and a “mystery river” spanning across the entirety of the nearly 11,000 cubic feet of explored and surveyed volume—most of which is only accessible to experienced cave divers.

The caverns house rich and fascinating historical prowess. Archaeological evidence shows that the cave housed Native Americans from as far back as 7000 BCE to as recently as 200 years ago. Not only that, the cave’s original owners took refuge inside the caverns after their house was burned down by Union soldiers.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cathedral-caverns-alabama

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/umm-al-quwain-wall

The Umm Al Quwain Wall, built during the reign of Sheikh Abdullah bin Rashid I in 1820, is a 9750-foot-long defensive wall, complete with shooting holes and three watchtowers.

This wall stretches across the narrow point in the peninsula, and it was meant to protect the residents of the Umm Al Quwain settlement from invaders coming over land or from the sea.

The wall and towers were renovated at some point, and a small park was built, with walking paths. However, it has since started to fall into disrepair. But since the towers and walls are starting to shed some of its outer coating, you can see the corals that were used in its construction.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/umm-al-quwain-wall

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/remarkable-silk-cotton-tree-trinidad-tobago

One does not simply travel to Castara or yet even further like Charlottesville, at the eastern tip of Tobago, without encountering a grand nature monument. Towering over Northside Road, partially claiming the main road that perimeters Tobago, stands what locals call the Silk Cotton Tree. Whether you stop in awe or pause to check for oncoming traffic behind the tree's sprawling roots, this ancient giant commands attention.

Scientifically known as Ceiba pentandra, the Silk Cotton Tree, or Kapok tree, is a deciduous species that thrives in canopy openings, rapidly growing to become emergent—a term for trees that rise significantly above the surrounding forest. These emergent giants, bathed in unfiltered sunlight, are often the oldest and most imposing in their stands.

Tobago’s oral traditions are rich with tales surrounding the Silk Cotton Tree. One of the most famous legends tells of Gang-Gang Sarah, an enslaved African woman who, according to myths, flew from West Africa to Tobago to care for the enslaved people of the island. After the emancipation in 1838, she attempted to return home, but, having lost her magical abilities, she plummeted from the treetop to her death. Another legend speaks of a man who, in a trance-like state, walked backward up the towering tree during a spiritual ritual in the village of Moriah. It is said that village elders had to guide him down safely. After asking a local popular hotelier, he laughed hysterically, slapped his knee and then got serious and said, "but it’s true!"

Whether one views it through a spiritual or scientific lens, the Silk Cotton Tree is an undeniable attraction. Its branches host hundreds—perhaps even a thousand—of bromeliads, air plants, and epiphytic flora, creating an ecosystem of their own high above in the heavens.

This remarkable tree is more than just a natural wonder—it is a guardian of Tobago’s eastern gateway and a deeply rooted symbol of the island’s cultural and ecological heritage.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/remarkable-silk-cotton-tree-trinidad-tobago

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museo-de-la-batalla-de-monterrey-battle-of-monterrey-museum

Opened in February 2024, this museum is one of the newest in the city of Monterrey. It showcases the battle that was fought here on late September 1846 as part of a war between Mexico and the United States. The war started earlier that year and would continue with the fall of Mexico City in 1847 and officially end in early 1848. This makes the Battle of Monterrey a decisive one given that the city was among the most important found just south of the Rio Grande.

General Zachary Taylor led the U.S. forces during this battle, while Pedro de Ampudia was the general appointed by President Antonio López de Santa Anna on the Mexican side. The Battle of Monterrey would end with a U.S. victory, much like the war itself. After their defeat, Mexico lost about a third of its territory, including what is now  California and New Mexico. 

Another interesting display in the collection is dedicated to the Batallón de San Patricio (St. Patrick's Batallion), a brigade of immigrants, most of them Irish, who fought on the Mexican side during the war. Many of them saw the conflict between the mostly-Protestant United States and a mostly-Catholic Mexico as a reflection of the troubles in their homeland. Several of these immigrants had actually defected from the U.S. forces after being subject to anti-Catholic discrimination and abuse, and this included not only Irish fighters but also Polish, French, and even Black soldiers who preferred Mexico's anti-slavery policies. Many of these Patricios, as they also came to known, would be executed by U.S. forces after their Mexico City victory, one of the lesser-known aspects of the war.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museo-de-la-batalla-de-monterrey-battle-of-monterrey-museum

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dakar-nola

At Dakar, every meal is a conversation, with chef Serigne Mbaye presiding, enchanting guests with inventive tales, told through degustation, of his journey from Dakar, Senegal to New Orleans. As the courses progress, he draws a narrative thread between two coastal cities connected by the African diaspora. A meal here is one of the more compelling dining experiences in the city. After just a few bites, it’s easy to see why chef Mbaye’s exacting, measured approach garnered Dakar a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2024.

Born in Harlem and raised partly in Senegal, chef Mbaye draws deeply from the culinary traditions of his homeland, rooting Dakar’s menu in Senegalese cuisine. The seafood-based tasting menu always begins with ataya, green tea with mint and sugar. Bread is served with palm butter. Fonio, a West African millet, nutty and aromatic, is paired with seasonal citrus. Other courses will often feature jollof rice—the iconic West African staple thought to be an ancestor of jambalaya—local seafood, in-season greens, black-eyed peas, and shellfish broths so deeply spiced they become elemental in flavor.

Each course is part of a larger arc, with chef Serigne and his team often stepping into the dining room to share stories of the dishes, and their inspirations—how one may connect to family, or how these flavors have echoed across the Atlantic into the heart of southern cooking. In a city known for its culinary heritage, Dakar reaches into the past to create a modern culinary experience, planting roots across continents and oceans.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dakar-nola

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fritai

Walking through the doors of its corner location on Basin Street in Treme feels like stepping into another world. The walls are bright, filled with Haitian art. The floors have the patina of decades of use, and the booths are worn in with heat and the heaviness of human bodies, of a community sitting down. Fritai, in short, feels lived in.

For chef and owner Charly Pierre, a two-time James Beard finalist, food and community go hand in hand, and at Fritai, that food sings. With a father who was a skilled chef working in the hospitality industry and a mother who cooked Haitian dishes at home, it’s no surprise that Pierre ended up running his own restaurant. 

Menu standouts include the kabrit, twice-cooked goat served with rice and beans and fried plantains, as well as the Creole chicken, blue crab mac and cheese, and the Fritai sandwich, pork or chicken with avocado and spicy mango sauce between two fried green plantains—a dish that first created buzz for Fritai when it was but a humble food stall at the St Roch Market.

Fritai is also deeply involved in the communities it serves. It has held fundraisers for Haiti, and chef Pierre hosts culture talks and community forums addressing race awareness and gender rights in the industry, with the goal of bringing progress and cultural awareness to the forefront in New Orleans cuisine. 

It’s in these ways that Pierre sees food as a major driver of change, showing how it can contribute to a community by bringing people together, families and strangers, to share in thoughts and discussions over a great meal, with a side of spicy pikliz to help cut through the fat.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/fritai