Facing Death on Everest Made Me Ask, ‘What Am I Doing Here?’

Plus, Branson Grows Old While Bezos Takes Over Space Travel

Manage newsletters View in browser The entire world in your inbox. Hey there,   I hope you're all enjoying the Spring weather and what feels like daily progress on reopenings! I recently spent an evening at a very cool new hotel here in DC, The Lyle, and can't wait to tell you more about it in the weeks to come.   Leading off, we have an excerpt from the fascinating The Third Pole: Mystery, Obsession, and Death on Mount Everest by Mark Synnott. In it, Synnott takes readers up Mount Everest, and as deadly weather rolls in, he asks the question many of us no doubt would—"What the hell am I doing here?" Don't miss the fascinating analysis from Clive Irving on the lay of the land when it comes to space tourism. Last week, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin made news by auctioning off a seat for the first time. And while Clive is unimpressed by Richard Branson's efforts, there's another competitor waiting in the wings.   Enjoy, William O'Connor, Travel Editor Facing Death on Everest Made Me Ask, 'What the Hell Am I Doing Here?' I found something I wasn't expecting on the roof of the world. Everest turned out to be a window on the best of humanity. And the worst. Branson Grows Old While Bezos Takes Over Space Travel But both Bezos and Branson run the risk of being upstaged at the end of this year by a 38-year-old billionaire who made his fortune with a payment processing system. Anthony Bourdain Takes Us Along on One More Global Journey The late culinary explorer's longtime collaborator Laurie Woolever talks about how she compiled a posthumous atlas of Bourdainian culinary enthusiasms. This Tennessee City Could Be Your Next Remote Work Destination My tiny home adventure in Chattanooga, Tennessee provided me a serene remote work destination without compromising all things I love about big city life. Sonos Checks All the Boxes With Its New Roam Travel Speaker The Sonos Roam bluetooth speaker is lightweight and balanced enough that it can easily stand up on its end or lie flat. The speaker boasts both Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, 10 hours of playtime, Qi-charging compatibility, and Trueplay—the Sonos-patented technology that takes stock of your surroundings and adapts the sound to better suit where you are. The sound is consistently balanced, clear, and loud. And, no worries at the beach, because the Roam is also drop resistant, waterproof, and dustproof. BUY AT SONOS >>> "I tasted their Barolo and felt like the stool had been pulled from under me—I was slow-motion falling into a world of a richly seductive wine. Holy cow. It was like the difference between a soft and pleasant peck on the cheek versus a profound kiss that sweeps you off your feet. This was the latter. I get why it has such a following." —Katie Quinn extolls the wonders of nebbiolo grapes in an excerpt from her book Cheese, Wine, and Bread: Discovering the Magic of Fermentation in England, Italy, and France OMG I Want to Rent This House!      Yuyum Uno Villa, Tulum, Mexico (Vrbo): You've been cooped up at home for over a year, making your own meals, doing endless piles of dishes… and saving your money. What have you been putting aside your piles of pennies for, you may be wondering? Vacation, of course! But not just any old holiday jaunt. What you deserve is a $19,000-a-night stay in a gorgeous estate located on a private beach in Tulum.   The villa has a distinctly Spanish colonial vibe, which means lots of arched doorways and interior courtyards that add yet another dimension to the indoor-outdoor lifestyle that comes with beachside living.   Yuyum Uno Villa sits in the middle of the Sian Ka'an Nature Reserve, which explains why gorgeous greenery shows off from every view of the house. But you don't have to restrict your pleasures to the all-natural here. The estate is also close to the restaurants and nightlife of Tulum as well as the Chichen Itza Mayan ruins, which are a UNESCO World Heritage site.   Book Your Stay: Yuyum Uno Villa in Tulum, Mexico: $19,000/night via Vrbo   OMG, I Want to Rent This House spotlights the most spectacular and unique homes that you can actually stay in.  Check out the full archives.  Travel Baroque Europe with Citrus Trees   Imagine traveling Europe solely based off citrus trees. It's a novel approach (and certainly an aromatic one!), and while we're not sure the path that would lead you on today, 300 years ago it would have taken you into some of the most spectacular gardens and homes on the continent. That's why the latest selection for Just Booked, our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, is Taschen's J. C. Volkamer. The Book of Citrus Fruits.   The European fascination with citrus trees originating in Asia dates back at least to Roman times, but it accelerated in the Baroque era. The Medici were obsessed, and so too were the wealthy mercantile families of the Northern European free cities. One man, Johann Christoph Volkamer, believed the trees to be the "finest adornment to any garden" and proceeded to put together a two-volume work filled with plates of gardens and close-ups of more than 170 varieties.   If you've never imagined a giant lemon—smooth or gnarled—floating over a charming town, well now you can! But more than anything the book is a fantastically colored leap back in time and place to an era of beauty on a grand scale.   Check out our previous selections for our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, Just Booked. BUY AT TASCHEN >>  Please note that if you buy something featured in one of our posts or newsletters, The Daily Beast may collect a share of sales. © Copyright 2021 The Daily Beast Company LLC  555 W. 18th Street, New York NY 10011  Privacy Policy If you are on a mobile device or cannot view the images in this message, click here to view this email in your browser. To ensure delivery of these emails, please add emails@thedailybeast.com to your address book. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, or think you have received this message in error, you can safely unsubscribe.