tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10636659346914383262024-02-18T20:26:21.367-08:00Give incandescent sunAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-16793356328233652762011-09-16T19:08:00.000-07:002011-09-16T20:20:08.192-07:00Small Steps to Prevent Global Warming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_UVIlK_sQlqbq68vo_J9N3o3TSLI7WAne0qHKK_3uVdZibzHw5ya5RMWALA_6J87oX2TTYzlIuEjN-Bn8WhDJpw6GIFqQD4UXvnUba8OhcvBSVPD4DS4dAaVrgVWTG8AqL_5iVe3YWY/s1600/global-warming+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_UVIlK_sQlqbq68vo_J9N3o3TSLI7WAne0qHKK_3uVdZibzHw5ya5RMWALA_6J87oX2TTYzlIuEjN-Bn8WhDJpw6GIFqQD4UXvnUba8OhcvBSVPD4DS4dAaVrgVWTG8AqL_5iVe3YWY/s400/global-warming+%25282%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>WHO (World Health Organization) as World Health Organization raised the issue becomes the theme of World Health Day (HKS) in 2008, which is Protecting Health from Climate Change or Protecting Health from Climate Change. Real health problem is a problem 'downstream' from global warming (Global Warming) and climate change (Climate Change). Upstream of the problem is in other fields who first felt the impact. Doctors and other medical personnel to be 'dishwashing' if only treat it. Therefore, it is far more important is the effort of adaptation to climate change that has occurred and attempts to reduce the harm to the various preventive measures.<br />
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Talking about preventive measures, many of the comments if you find yourself not ready. Not ready to use hybrid cars, is not ready to not use air conditioning, not ready to not use the computer for long. Though it is only a few of the various measures to prevent global warming.<br />
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There is a perception that I think is quite mistaken, effort to prevent global warming is often associated with returning to the stone age. Not using an aircraft when traveling, do not use computers, do not use motor vehicles and many other no-no. It is important in preventing global warming, but in my opinion we should not attempt to make us care about global warming is not productive in their work. Live naturally. If it is felt necessary to travel by planes, so use it. If it is necessary to use a computer, so use it. Efforts matter we can show the use of a 'reasonable'. Please be turned off when not in use.<br />
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</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-60997844627038707302011-06-06T18:00:00.000-07:002011-06-06T18:00:16.082-07:00Milford sound and the Mitre peak<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milford sound and the Mitre peak</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : New Zealand</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : south-west of the southern island</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu1GXvmQMTQ_YGTDpOJbqyoj2hN-rILCQbL2jFctfF3J_rFrHuy1x__XPdDRDsTRhaheZzOT1BmI4LjqeebcRsx1R_6EbUCoDkmGr0TO-XlS2itjN6JpbDYDR0DPeIbg3_pC5-AyBw4Y/s1600/Mitre-Peak-Milford-Sound-New-Zealand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfu1GXvmQMTQ_YGTDpOJbqyoj2hN-rILCQbL2jFctfF3J_rFrHuy1x__XPdDRDsTRhaheZzOT1BmI4LjqeebcRsx1R_6EbUCoDkmGr0TO-XlS2itjN6JpbDYDR0DPeIbg3_pC5-AyBw4Y/s400/Mitre-Peak-Milford-Sound-New-Zealand.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fill a tumbler full of water from a waterfall cascading from rocks hundreds of metres above your head on a scenic cruise of the Milford Sound and you will know what it really means to be a New Zealander. Taste its pure flavour and you'll know you're in the Milford Sound.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scale of the landscape in Milford Sound is phenomenal. Large cruise boats look extremely insignificant against the grandeur of Mitre Peak and the walls of this mighty fiord. Its steep rock walls plunge vertically for hundreds of metres both above and below the water line, allowing cruise boats to maneuver beneath the falls.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1986, UNESCO bestowed World Heritage status to this region in recognition of its "superlative natural phenomena" and "outstanding examples of the earth's evolutionary history."</span></div><div class="hidenpost"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This description is not lost on international visitors who flock here from all over the world. Neither is it lost on locals, no matter how often they have visited.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOKwSDr22ovgNSfIU5x24QgtvdQbgiIRoo3vfGFtEYpetsJFt7qh5BUJFWrUJ86W8TptxeNckYmiMVXgq4_tAMD9CTDJ7RbvRo2xb79xtUtOuiyUcc0xfNfskTkRsDkAWLPKzhK0IHi0/s1600/milford.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOKwSDr22ovgNSfIU5x24QgtvdQbgiIRoo3vfGFtEYpetsJFt7qh5BUJFWrUJ86W8TptxeNckYmiMVXgq4_tAMD9CTDJ7RbvRo2xb79xtUtOuiyUcc0xfNfskTkRsDkAWLPKzhK0IHi0/s320/milford.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There’s a wide array of cruises on offer in Milford – ranging from scenic cruises and extended daytime cruises with a nature guide, through to overnight excursions with the option of exploring by kayak or tender craft.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, Milford Sound is not only remarkable above the water, it also has a unique marine environment.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This underwater world is most easily viewed from the Underwater Observatory. It features a spiral staircase that descends for more than seven metres under the water surface to an observation deck.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The deck is fitted with windows to view rare marine life such as Black Coral, which occurs much closer to the surface than deemed normal, thanks to a layer of fresh tannin water which filters light.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those who wish to get right amongst it, there's also the option to take a guided dive, or explore the grandeur of this magnificent sound by kayak.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcwaAgUhNFUNSKfYY7IM_7IueZbS32X31vXt7HHwKxzIbAaeqjTKSCWXhlNBUta2ET1VZO83CG-05QZfCHYC1krOc-AQWCDUQjM4FgUJ-F1o3HzMwc1ng5W6zWNsNgJd_-OICLNyqwpA/s1600/mitre-peak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYcwaAgUhNFUNSKfYY7IM_7IueZbS32X31vXt7HHwKxzIbAaeqjTKSCWXhlNBUta2ET1VZO83CG-05QZfCHYC1krOc-AQWCDUQjM4FgUJ-F1o3HzMwc1ng5W6zWNsNgJd_-OICLNyqwpA/s200/mitre-peak.jpg" width="198" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The scenic icon of New Zealand is the picture-perfect view of Mitre Peak mirrored in the glassy waters of Milford Sound.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milford Sound’s majestic grandeur is symbolised by the perfection of this scene of sheer rock walls, 1700 metres high, plummeting into the black depths of the fiord. No wonder author Rudyard Kipling described Milford as the eight wonder of the world, and Arthur Michener thought of it as ‘the most stirring sight in the Pacific’.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The majestic scenery begins long before you reach Milford, in the Eglinton Valley. Snow-capped mountains loom 1000 metres above the road, streaked with waterfalls, and reflected in mirror lakes. The road climbs steeply into a sub-alpine wonderland at the Homer Tunnel entrance. You emerge from the tunnel to an instantly breathtaking view of the canyon which descends into Milford.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milford Sound comes a close second to the mountains of Tahiti in recording the highest rainfall in the world. The deluge of 7 metres of rain each year sounds forbidding for a tourist resort, but it actually adds to the drama and mystique of the sound. In torrential rain the sheer mountain walls erupt with a thousand cascades plunging from hanging valleys, wreathed in ethereal mists, and crossed with rainbows.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSws45mNltV00X8eWFhTC15v1B5B_2cjwAhPDuMDDrhbszvssmTUET4GG83FewqL-9pGsYPwV4y6-0fmBo__rCwBkT8ZrFDP0ZTQAk53iFRYkIxZD5O2v8l8hd58jcdq1jGIu7s3du5I/s1600/milford-sound1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSws45mNltV00X8eWFhTC15v1B5B_2cjwAhPDuMDDrhbszvssmTUET4GG83FewqL-9pGsYPwV4y6-0fmBo__rCwBkT8ZrFDP0ZTQAk53iFRYkIxZD5O2v8l8hd58jcdq1jGIu7s3du5I/s200/milford-sound1.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A boat cruise is the best way to appreciate the grandeur of the sound. Highlights include Bowen Falls, Mitre Peak, Anita Bay, The Elephant and Stirling Falls. In Harrison Cove there is an underwater observatory with views of aquatic life on the reef. Some cruises go out to the entrance of the Sound where dolphins, fur seals and crested penguins may be seen.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kayaking and diving trips can be arranged and divers have the rare opportunity of seeing black coral at relatively shallow depths. Scenic flights take in the other main sounds down the coast, and the Sutherland Falls, which are New Zealand’s highest.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The 55 km Milford Track, reputed to be ‘The Finest Walk in the World’ operates in the summer months. It takes three days and links Lake Te Anau with Milford Sound.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Milford Sound provides a rare chance to get a close view of nature on a grand scale. It’s the ultimate in scenic splendour in a country that excels in mountain grandeur.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source :</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">http://www.newzealandnz.co.nz</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.aatravel.co.nz/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">http://www.aatravel.co.nz</span></a></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-15686125318618772692011-05-29T23:12:00.000-07:002011-05-29T23:14:49.583-07:00The Big cliff Preikestolen<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The Big cliff Preikestolen<br />
country : Norway<br />
place : west of the country<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNOhAQZOx5nP56T-gkfMLABY3YpFJoVmBQQyYuYQQe3MjW2YgZdhlJRSO23yxUgrm9AszbqmdwpGJfmpNtoh0NICMY8QnlUGtH3cuwQL5WpZcwNiD6qyKuXEa7cpXQxjgBaelopi6n68/s1600/Fjords+and+The+Preikestolen+Cliff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNOhAQZOx5nP56T-gkfMLABY3YpFJoVmBQQyYuYQQe3MjW2YgZdhlJRSO23yxUgrm9AszbqmdwpGJfmpNtoh0NICMY8QnlUGtH3cuwQL5WpZcwNiD6qyKuXEa7cpXQxjgBaelopi6n68/s400/Fjords+and+The+Preikestolen+Cliff.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Preikestolen is a massive cliff in Norway that towers 604 meters (1982 feet) in near vertical drop over the ocean. When famous French writer Victor Hugo visited the fjords, he referred to them as “the most terrifying of the ocean reefs.” Preikestolen is a natural rock formation that was carved by melting glaciers at the end of the Ice Age. The 25 square meters plateau on top of Preikestolen Pulpit Rock offers breathtaking views of the fjord and creates terrific photo opportunities. You have quite likely seen pictures of people standing on top of Preikestolen Pulpit Rock before and found them suspensfully bewildering. You probably didn’t have them associate with the name of the place, but now you know. The most spine-tingling cliff overlooking the magnificent ocean fjord is called Preikestolen and you can find it in Norway. Thanks to its near straight vertical properties, Preikestolen is popular with BASE jumpers. BASE jumping is legal in Lysefjorden area but as it goes with extreme sports, some BASE jumpers jumped to their deaths here.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGN49a7n0NSkFk7Yf33O-u_3DaO0g_BXj58RxwRq31IIV0iwgKr1LWKMC-sRbPfmHs9TCNz_WvV7Zst77xAQkW3X6K5NGBIFB4O_L4SgldNbgOQVKwpugsImc5QRGAn3y1BuumZmP4BAc/s1600/n01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGN49a7n0NSkFk7Yf33O-u_3DaO0g_BXj58RxwRq31IIV0iwgKr1LWKMC-sRbPfmHs9TCNz_WvV7Zst77xAQkW3X6K5NGBIFB4O_L4SgldNbgOQVKwpugsImc5QRGAn3y1BuumZmP4BAc/s320/n01.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>Preikestolen Location<br />
Preikestolen Pulpit Rock is located in south-western Norway, in Forsand municipality of Rogaland county, on the edge of 42 km long ocean fjord called Lysefjorden. Kjerag Mountain, which are a home to another famous natural attraction in Norway – Kjeragbolten, a boulder wedged between two vertical cliffs is located at the end of Lysefjord, opposite of Preikestolen.<br />
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How to Get to Preikestolen<br />
Most travellers who visit Preikestolen start their tour in Stavanger – closest major town to Preikestolen in south-west Norway. Ferries leave Stavanger three times a day and will deliver you to small town called Tau in about 40 minutes. The cost for a boat ride is 50 Norwegian Krone. Bus service and taxis are synchronized with the ferries and will take you to the parking lot where trekking route leading up to Preikestolen begins for 65 Norwegian Krone. From there you are on your own.<br />
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The hike up the hill will take between 1 hour to 3 hours, depending on your fitness level. The total length of the trail from the parking lot below up on top of Preikestolen is 3.8 km (2.4 miles) which is not that long – on flat terrain, an average trekker could cover such distance in less than an hour. The elevation difference between the parking lot and Preikestolen is only 334 metres (1096 feet). This should not cause any issues to most hikers, however do keep in mind that vertical sickness can affect anyone, especially those who come from coastal areas or spent a long time close to the sea. Have enough water on you to avoid dehydration and pack in something to eat as well. Most of all, make sure you’re wearing proper trekking shoes with hard soles as terrain is rather uneven and you will often walk on rocks with sharp edges.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfG38M1_HRTfAmBzzSpgfTiT5dumud_udGSYhS-3kIfp4_VkN8qao3XsE16V2ZH6XaK_Ry_6n_aHpfBafVgIbg6DnyIWMfl7UPFjHhhpWyPu5znknE5hZ88WBHLE4vy5h0uhZplPbjPFE/s1600/verna_on_preikestolen_close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfG38M1_HRTfAmBzzSpgfTiT5dumud_udGSYhS-3kIfp4_VkN8qao3XsE16V2ZH6XaK_Ry_6n_aHpfBafVgIbg6DnyIWMfl7UPFjHhhpWyPu5znknE5hZ88WBHLE4vy5h0uhZplPbjPFE/s320/verna_on_preikestolen_close.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The entire hike is very scenic so you will be getting rewards for your uphill walk with each step. It gets especially magnificent as you start approaching the top and the first glimpses of Lysefjord from high elevation come to sight. Once you have reached the top of Preikestolen, make sure you carefully approach the edge of the plateau and lay down on it so you can look straight down into the abyss below. more than 600 meters long drop will take your breath away and an adrenaline rush will evoke feelings you won’t easily forget.<br />
Preikestolen Accommodation Options<br />
You have several accommodation options if you wish to stay close to Preikestolen. Pulpit Rock Lodge is located on Rv 13, the main road that goes through the area. Recently rebuilt youth hostel Preikestolen Fjellstue is located in the Ryfylke hills, close to Refsvatn Lake. Aside from stunning scenery and proximity to Pulpit Rock, Preikestolen Fjellstue also offers great fishing opportunities and has several associated camping grounds for backpackers with tents.<br />
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Other Names of Preikestolen<br />
The name Preikestolen is sometimes misspelled as Prekestolen. Translated from Norwegian to English, Preikestolen means Pulpit Rock but is sometimes referred to as Preacher’s Pulpit. Before it was named Preikestolen, the Pulpit Rock was known by its original name Hyvlatonnå, which means “the tooth of a woodplane”<br />
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If climbing Pulpit Rock and looking over its edge is not enough of a challenge for you and you’d like to engage in something that pumps more adrenaline through your veins, then you may want to consider Preikestolen BASE Jumping. However given that BASE jumping is one of the riskiest adrenaline sports in existence, make sure you have sufficient experience and understand potential risks.<br />
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Preikestolen Deaths and Accidents<br />
In past 15 years, there have been more than 30,000 BASE jumps performed in Preikestolen and Kjerag Mountain area. Out of 30,000, only 9 people found their death on the steep cliffs around Lysefjord. While one death or accident is too many, the statistics clearly suggest that BASE jumping enthusiasts know what they are doing and are able to enjoy the rush safely. 9 deaths in 30,000 BASE jumps – you find more deaths in other popular tourist activities than here.<br />
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If climbing up the hike to Preikestolen is not an option for you, due to health concerns, you may opt for Lysefjord Cruise. It’s a completely different adventure with different experience. The ship will take you for a cruise up and down the Lysefjord offering the view of Preikestolen from different perspective. Seeing this majestic vertical cliff from the ocean below is as breath taking as seeing the fjord from up there. Lysefjord Cruises are offered by Rodne Fjord Cruise company and cost 350 Norwegian Krone.<br />
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</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-73216610215060161132011-05-26T14:15:00.000-07:002011-05-26T14:15:21.934-07:00Venice and its canals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Venice and its canals<br />
country : Italia<br />
place : Venice<br />
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</div>The beautiful Venice is surrounded by water all over and is located on the north of Italy. The capital of Venice is Veneto. It is commonly known as the city of lovers, water and also the city of bridges. It is spread over 118 Islands, not very big in size. Venice is very famous in the worlds because of its canals. The city has in total 150 canals and the most important canal in Venice is called the Grand Canal. It is responsible for managing the traffic in water by corridor management. Instead of visiting any place by transportation means of roads or air, it is very common to find water buses and water taxi. It seems that the people here live in a different land and world altogether, During the day time, the city is very much crowded with visitors all across the world trying to experience love and romance in the city. Narrow yet beautiful canals, bridges streets give a very different feel of the place. Anyone who visits this place immediately falls in love with it. The nights on the other hand are quiet and peaceful.<br />
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</a></div>Motor boats are not allowed to travel in small canals that are narrow, windy and lead to the old city. The city has almost 400 bridges and the Grand Canal cuts the city equally into two proportionate halves from the north to the south. The total length of the Grand Canal is three kilometers. One of the constant threat that the city is experiencing is the air, wind and water pollution over and above the natural disaster like the flood and weakening infrastructure of the building.<br />
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</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-53593872502219235262011-05-26T13:33:00.000-07:002011-05-26T13:36:29.181-07:00The caves of Carlsbad<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The caves of Carlsbad</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : United States of America</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : New Mexico State</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibM25skTBO6WdPGRLf5BqzBTqDBp6OJ-CyLbCafSBjEPZBlOe_mCsmX8GyeAdsU7WRnMpLJhuGrSi31D7lJQG9A9ILikWndqHoblORZyHUAiQWqzwuDn20jXG5jisUWitN0My3YOx3Z4/s1600/cave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiibM25skTBO6WdPGRLf5BqzBTqDBp6OJ-CyLbCafSBjEPZBlOe_mCsmX8GyeAdsU7WRnMpLJhuGrSi31D7lJQG9A9ILikWndqHoblORZyHUAiQWqzwuDn20jXG5jisUWitN0My3YOx3Z4/s320/cave.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Guadalupe Mountains span the Texas/New Mexico border and rise to heights of 8,749 feet, in great contrast to the flat Chihuahuan Desert land all around. Two national parks are found within their range; Guadalupe Mountains (in Texas), which features rocky peaks and scenic valleys with varied wildlife, and Carlsbad Caverns, one of the oldest and most famous cave systems in the world. The caverns are a full day's drive from any of the other major attractions in the Southwest, but are well worth the long journey - they include several vast underground chambers, up to 250 feet high, filled with amazing formations of many colors and shapes.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Approaches: A long straight road is a common feature of the Southwest, and the caverns are reached by one such route; US 62/180 that links Carlsbad with El Paso.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The western stretches in Texas pass 100 miles of salt flats, sandy wasteland and grassy prairie before the forested Guadalupe Mountains come slowly into view, then, after a steeper and more winding section, the highway straightens out again, crossing more desert flats towards Carlsbad. The turn-off to the national park is marked by a collection of Western-style souvenir shops, restaurants and lodgings, known as White's City, including the last gas station for 130 miles westwards. From here a rather narrow and winding side road climbs for 7 miles through a shallow limestone gorge (Walnut Canyon) that has attractive rocky scenery with particularly abundant Chihuahuan Desert plants such as agaves and opuntia cacti. There is no campground in the park, and the only official site nearby is the rather pricy establishment at White's City, though free primitive camping is possible along several dirt tracks heading east from US 62/180, a few miles south of the park junction.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Map: Map of Carlsbad Caverns National Park.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" dir="rtl" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMPZYxyikTqKnuAYcHdIvnBgJZ0UTB9boTkqTXoeqRwrKwJdjJdCGt2u_A0y-5SBVsdJr0GkQbI83dpCtwEmf97kHHYoUV07DrxA_UAjDhsNarU5Dt_80I-ZLugaz9GmhyxR8saHQM8A/s1600/Carlsbad-Caverns-New-Mexico_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMPZYxyikTqKnuAYcHdIvnBgJZ0UTB9boTkqTXoeqRwrKwJdjJdCGt2u_A0y-5SBVsdJr0GkQbI83dpCtwEmf97kHHYoUV07DrxA_UAjDhsNarU5Dt_80I-ZLugaz9GmhyxR8saHQM8A/s320/Carlsbad-Caverns-New-Mexico_1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carlsbad Caverns Hotels: Apart from White's City which has a motel, the nearest place with hotels close to Carlsbad Caverns National Park is Carlsbad, 27 miles northeast of the cave entrance.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Features: The entrance to Carlsbad Cavern is on the plateau at the south side of Walnut Canyon, where a huge visitor complex has been constructed, with acres of parking and a network of service roads. Inside the main building are a museum, book store, auditorium, cafe, cinema-style counter for purchase of tour tickets, and elevators that provide a short cut into the caverns below. The fee to enter the caves is $6 per person (unchanged for many years), although entrance to the park is free. Other attractions in this section of the national park include the 9.5 mile, one-way Desert Loop Drive (no vehicles over 20 feet allowed) that continues westwards along the plateau top then returns via upper Walnut Canyon, and the one mile Chihuahuan Desert Nature Trail through similar scenery close to the cave entrance, while elsewhere in the park are several longer hiking trails and many secret backcountry caves, a few of which are open to the public, but of course almost all visitors come only for the trips underground in the main cavern.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Cavern: The usual way to see the formations of Carlsbad Cavern is by one or both of two self-guiding walking tours - Big Room or Natural Entrance - which visit different parts of the chambers. Four other branches of the cave may be explored by ranger-led hikes, for an extra fee (Kings Palace, Left Hand Tunnel, Lower Cave and Hall of the White Giant)</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8DDm7sVcuWFijDpom47uMPQjDIaxTIh3G6Jx9zLoJM_WEQ-lDkTsumyRXt2fxAq610mqTCk2tFfVhfGcX5FmNgdX3JmBvcLSUBlrJ2cNpax6huwDyZ-EgwdeqEaQhuMZ-Sfd1lozq8A/s1600/Carlsbad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM8DDm7sVcuWFijDpom47uMPQjDIaxTIh3G6Jx9zLoJM_WEQ-lDkTsumyRXt2fxAq610mqTCk2tFfVhfGcX5FmNgdX3JmBvcLSUBlrJ2cNpax6huwDyZ-EgwdeqEaQhuMZ-Sfd1lozq8A/s320/Carlsbad.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Big Room - for this, the less strenuous option, visitors descend 754 feet over one minute in an elevator that starts from inside the visitor center to be greeted, rather incongruously, by a rest-area and lunch room, but a short walk along a wide passage leads to the main cave area - the Big Room, 3,800 feet long and 600 feet wide, where most of the largest formations are found. The 1.25 mile path follows a roughly circular (anti-clockwise) route down one side of the chambers and back along the other, and the cave is so large that the two parts of the trail are generally out of sight of each other. Around 20 of the most spectacular speleotherms have an official name - grandiose appellations such as Hall of the Giants, Temple of the Sun and Rock of Ages, and are subtly lit with electric lights to create a most enchanting spectacle; the lights are white, so all colors in the caves are natural. Some areas have shallow underground pools, also illuminated, whose reflections add another dimension to the delicate formations above. Rangers are stationed at frequent intervals to answer questions, and the tours are usually very busy, so this is hardly a wilderness experience, but still one of the highlights of the Southwest. Along the main trail are many closed gates guarding small paths leading to unseen passages, and there are frequent glimpses downwards to deeper levels, some not easily explorable including the Bottomless Pit, 370 feet deep. Most parts of the Big Room route are wheelchair-accessible, and all have a special non-slip surface.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUunxb26Ck8_iJFS5uMcbMG7esEbNKpnm0nAg2gYjpHBa026wh5uPFCCpUCK2V1kG6A_JICoLwkkJ-44ZNhlLqHpILfS0U8RZkLyrsOJgip6fZbU2VomaG5fq_5Y_aPslfDxUBOF5hoY/s1600/fwbnagvj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUunxb26Ck8_iJFS5uMcbMG7esEbNKpnm0nAg2gYjpHBa026wh5uPFCCpUCK2V1kG6A_JICoLwkkJ-44ZNhlLqHpILfS0U8RZkLyrsOJgip6fZbU2VomaG5fq_5Y_aPslfDxUBOF5hoY/s320/fwbnagvj.jpg" width="212" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Natural Entrance - a gentle walk across the cactus desert leads to a huge opening in the plateau, where the path zig-zags down into the darkness below. This chasm is the place of egress for a colony of up to 300,000 Mexican free-tail bats that live in one of the branches of the cave below from April to September, and it is a memorable event at sunset to watch the colony emerge, which takes up to half an hour. The bats spend winter in the warmer lands of Mexico. An amphitheater has been constructed at the entrance, and organised evening sittings are provided in season (no photography permitted). Underground, the path is quite steep at first as it drops 750 feet, into a large, dimly-lit chamber that is initially devoid of formations. This passageway continues eastwards into the bat residence, but the path turns back west, descending again, gently at first then more steeply, into narrower tunnels where the first extensive collections of stalagmites and stalactites are found, including such named features as Devils Spring, Queen's Chamber, Kings Palace and the Boneyard. The surroundings become steadily more scenic, with small side-caves filled with intricate rock forms, before the path arrives at the elevator to the surface visitor center, and links with the Big Room route as above.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kings Palace - four separate chambers accessed from a cave near the elevator. This is the deepest part of Carlsbad Cavern currently open to the public, 830 feet in one section, and may be visited as part of a ranger-led tour that lasts 90 minutes and is provided five times each day, between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Highlights include the Queens Draperies, a particularly large series of rippled sheet formations.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Left Hand Tunnel - lantern-lit passageways featuring fossils, cave pools and delicate speleotherms. The tour is held once each day and lasts about 2 hours.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lower Cave - a vast lower level, branching off the Big Room about half way along the loop, filled with equally spectacular features as the main chamber. Accessed by metal ladders, and visited on a 3 hour tour starting 1 pm, Monday through Friday.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hall of the White Giant - a more remote section of the cavern, containing a huge white stalagmite. The tour requires crawling through narrow passages and climbing metal ladders, costs $20 per person, lasts 4 hours, and is scheduled only once a week (on Saturdays).</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other Activities: Details of other areas of the park, including hiking trails and backcountry caves. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="http://www.americansouthwest.net/">http://www.americansouthwest.net</a></span><br />
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</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-3956635331259045892011-05-24T22:59:00.000-07:002011-05-24T22:59:43.584-07:00The Perito Moreno glacier<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Perito Moreno glacier</span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : Argentina</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : Patagonia</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdiyTs5Wgmz1aa3Jslaj9gZzwVdRY_F62zM25ryRRUWkRgrAgELW09gPEGjFLnCkcNUghMqmrMUHlPyV-Seznt1088YeBxKeivB1B4OXwD0N99GAqxUJHNVEKU08A9Ly-auHFwWGnaXY/s1600/543954111_4a6d1048d5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdiyTs5Wgmz1aa3Jslaj9gZzwVdRY_F62zM25ryRRUWkRgrAgELW09gPEGjFLnCkcNUghMqmrMUHlPyV-Seznt1088YeBxKeivB1B4OXwD0N99GAqxUJHNVEKU08A9Ly-auHFwWGnaXY/s320/543954111_4a6d1048d5.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The fracture of Perito Moreno Glacier</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A phenomenon that was already becoming one of the Patagonian myths and that most people thought would never take place again has just happened: since October 2003 the glacier’s ice wall started moving towards the shore, closing the flow of the water that drains through Brazo Rico to Canal de los Témpanos. This was the first step of the process, which resulted in the glacier fracture.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, after a great deal of expectation and in front of over 17 thousand mesmerized tourists from all over the world, the Perito Moreno Glacier fell apart during a process that started thursday March 11th. and ended on sunday March 14th, at 7.09 PM, when the ice giant could no longer keep resisting the slow but unstoppable flow of water underneath.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What is the process like ?</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lake Argentino, in which Perito Moreno Glacier is set, has many branches. Two of them, Sur and Rico, are behind the Magellan’s Peninsula and they debouch in the lake through the Témpanos Channel. And from time to time the glacier's front ice tongue moves forward and joins the Peninsula, even climbing its coasts. This amazing natural dam makes the level of the Sur and Rico branches (which still keep getting water, ice and snow), raise their level causing a huge amount of pressure. This pressure eases when the water starts filtering through the places where the glacier touches ground and it digs a sort of tunnel underneath the ice.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="hidenpost"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, when this hole gets too big and due to the water pressure, the enormous wall of ice falls apart causing one of the most overwhelming natural phenomenon that can be seen. The fracture of the glacier may last two or three full days. In this case, it was four days of an endless show of huge pieces of ice detaching from the glacier, until the final moment when it all fell apart.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5UMIk_vgvb1TTFxQGzZolkh9DNafX6G3jRytCb3vtoc2EjPNQnPXyJkbd4Fms22f0GYH25tHTH3wnzH8wq9UWPrl8IlqvGSAnZTHUPk6PWtkFr24lCtvsZ8H1VBkREYPf-szMcpdA1U/s1600/tongue-of-glacier_1544839i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia5UMIk_vgvb1TTFxQGzZolkh9DNafX6G3jRytCb3vtoc2EjPNQnPXyJkbd4Fms22f0GYH25tHTH3wnzH8wq9UWPrl8IlqvGSAnZTHUPk6PWtkFr24lCtvsZ8H1VBkREYPf-szMcpdA1U/s320/tongue-of-glacier_1544839i.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A little history</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In order to better understand the fracture that has made Perito Moreno Glacier so famous around the world it is good to review the facts we know about the history of this unmatchable event.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first fracture registered occurred in 1917. After that, during the 20th century the phenomenon occurred 16 times, the last one being February 17th, 1988. As years passed, and given the fact that most glaciers in the world are in withdrawal, people thought that the Perito Moreno wouldn't close over the Magallanes Peninsula any more.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But nature surprises us again.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is important to remember that this time, like every other the glacier fractured in the past, the water level difference between the branches and the lake has to be very important: from 16 to 30 meters. From the south catwalk, the show was imposing; it could be seen from a distance of only 30 ft. and even feel the cold it generated in one's skin.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Experts say that this kind of phenomenon is impossible to predict, reason for which we must feel very lucky for having been able to witness such an event and for having one glacier that is still going strong despite the global heating: the Perito Moreno Glacier.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BwsHMzgZd4obkJ02zchOhnPrmi7NCl7qCGTgqlNQ52VP09Le2lhaVwBH3SqFXLYTdHT9iUghyLj3GmnPTuXoCqZ_zWGS0y6FObGM7UkqOmNlC1WY9XqpMVkfn4Xe_M9Te7qz5E_r28o/s1600/Biafo+Glacier+-++Pakistan+02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BwsHMzgZd4obkJ02zchOhnPrmi7NCl7qCGTgqlNQ52VP09Le2lhaVwBH3SqFXLYTdHT9iUghyLj3GmnPTuXoCqZ_zWGS0y6FObGM7UkqOmNlC1WY9XqpMVkfn4Xe_M9Te7qz5E_r28o/s320/Biafo+Glacier+-++Pakistan+02.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perito Moreno Glacier</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the most spectacular and unforgettable excursion in all Patagonia.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the beginning of the tour, you will skirt Bay Redonda of Lake Argentino as well as have the chance to see Isla Solitaire.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You will go through the Patagonia valley with its natural environment of species such as guanacos, ostriches, foxes, etc.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Afterwards you will enjoy many interesting spots: Cerro Comision o De Los Elefantes, river Centinela, Cerro Frias (guanacos site), many Patagonian farmhouses and, across the Mitre river you will get into National Park Los Glaciares.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, you will go 35 km along the coast of of Lake Argentino's Rico Branch, among vegetation of incredible trees such as ñires, lengas, notros and cherry trees.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At Curva de Los Suspiros you will get the first panoramic view of Glacier Perito Moreno.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An ice cloak, or glacial cap, covers this Protected Area of 600,000 hectares. Among the 356 glaciers, the Perito Moreno is the most outstanding one, having a front of 5 km long and a height of over 60 meters above the level of the water.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4R5WSgrOWqRpbhfkmpBlBGOmapHmokj0Xzm7bxBhc7esJQYho4yQonrRkWXm4npXtdEfVruYlaeEI9kig0NpwuVc1Mf-8wyGAdJ6usvlvKGf90XghkzDavh5r1QObZg1qX4inWkYtx9Q/s1600/cueva-hielo-excursion-glaciar-perito-moreno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4R5WSgrOWqRpbhfkmpBlBGOmapHmokj0Xzm7bxBhc7esJQYho4yQonrRkWXm4npXtdEfVruYlaeEI9kig0NpwuVc1Mf-8wyGAdJ6usvlvKGf90XghkzDavh5r1QObZg1qX4inWkYtx9Q/s200/cueva-hielo-excursion-glaciar-perito-moreno.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Known worldwide because of its process of fractures, the front of the glacier closes the running of the waters of Brazo Rico when it approaches the coast. This produces a kind of pond where the water goes up 20 meters over the level, creating the filtration that ends up in the fracture; the last time was in March 2004.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But show is never-ending. You can watch the detachment of ice blocks of different sizes from a short distance, hear the roaring they produce, and then watch them turned into wonderful floating icebergs.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Walking on the glaciers (see Minitrekking) or going along Lake Argentino to see the front of the other Glacier, Upsala, (see Estancia Cristina, ex Upsala Explorer) is an unique experience.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1981 UNESCO declared National Park Los Glaciares a World Heritage Site. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is an unforgettable experience.But there's more: If you wish to obtain alternative views of this ice giant, from the Bajo de Las Sombras pier (8 km from the watching spot) you can hire the service called "Sailing Safari" that consists of sailing for about half an hour in front of the south wall of Perito Moreno Glacier. This add-on excursion is the only way to get to see this part of the majestic Glacier.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sTIst9KSYEC5gpC9_eTOibPtVdw0aGEtXBItbdRU5_AyhZj2GfDkGxD0BTRhvIaxa8IPkVoW04EhPXFmVN2PxHfAfih37ZrkjxRxQ5Xu29gAl8xQsFfGxwkPJe-TmnD7QpQF7mji7xY/s1600/glaciertrek_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sTIst9KSYEC5gpC9_eTOibPtVdw0aGEtXBItbdRU5_AyhZj2GfDkGxD0BTRhvIaxa8IPkVoW04EhPXFmVN2PxHfAfih37ZrkjxRxQ5Xu29gAl8xQsFfGxwkPJe-TmnD7QpQF7mji7xY/s200/glaciertrek_small.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you opt for not to take this extension, then the Tourist minivan will take you up to the restaurant that is right beside the catwalks. However, if you wish to spend less for your lunch, there is also a snack bar where you can have a hot soup, sandwiches, cakes and beverages.The Perito Moreno Glaciernear Calafate</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just far enough from the bounds of civilization and urban dwelling, veiled by towering mountains and an expansive lake, the Perito Moreno Glacier epitomizes the natural beauty and splendor of Argentina. Unique in a variety of facets, including its size, scientific significance, and accessibility, the glacier is an essential stop for any traveler to the region. Visitors spend hours exploring its wonders and taking in its breathtaking vistas, barely believing their eyes as they gaze upon the picturesque sight which lies before them.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At first sight, you will be taken aback by the sheer magnitude of Perito Moreno, one of the largest glaciers in both Glaciers National Park and South America. Its walls tower over two-hundred vertical feet (forty meters) from the ground, where the ice meets the Lago Argentino, or Lake Argentina. At this height, equivalent to that of a fifteen-story building, the glacier maintains a commanding presence for approximately five kilometers of horizontal distance. At times the glacier will form an imposing panoramic wall, stretching as far as the eye can see in either direction. This undeniable physical beauty is only amplified when one learns of the scientific significance that the formation brings to Patagonia. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkWpKgya8SBLSoIbvf3nTvKgsIe8TPdGmrEPv8OBCcrgkmXVYt9ySVvjHjTpg8EgLTJ4_xYBJXQ3_s2kEMrO52l4VOjXIonzk1r3OQ4j0NOMvSqNGkJzuptvpENjLZQG1AFyX_kQ1kLw/s1600/perito-moreno-glacier-calafate-tours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkWpKgya8SBLSoIbvf3nTvKgsIe8TPdGmrEPv8OBCcrgkmXVYt9ySVvjHjTpg8EgLTJ4_xYBJXQ3_s2kEMrO52l4VOjXIonzk1r3OQ4j0NOMvSqNGkJzuptvpENjLZQG1AFyX_kQ1kLw/s320/perito-moreno-glacier-calafate-tours.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The most notable feature about the Perito Moreno Glacier is its dynamic and ever-changing facade. Unlike nearly every other glacier on the planet, which recede and dwindle in size over time, the Peritio Moreno formation actually swells with each passing day. Deemed an "advancing glacier," the ice is continually growing and expanding outward, gradually occupying more and more territory. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While the glacier is said to move outward at a pace of up to seven feet each day, large chunks of ice falling from the walls make this growth a bit more subtle. This phenomenon also makes viewing the glacier all the more unpredictable and exciting.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many ways to experience the Perito Moreno Glacier, including Glacier Trekking and Viewing Cruises. Regardless of the option you choose, however, you'll never forget the time you spend exploring this one of a kind South American wonder. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Glacier Viewing Cruises </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a number of boat excursions that allow visitors to observe the vastness of the Perito Moreno Glacier without actually setting foot on the ice's surface. While the boat will likely maintain a safe distance from the glacial walls, you'll still experience the exhilarating feel of rocky waters caused by the icy debris falling from the glacier. Atop a turquoise sea of chilly waters spotted with countless icebergs, your journey can last anywhere from a single hour to an entire day. </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Accessing the Glacier </span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Perito Moreno Glacier is located with the Los Glaciers National Park, on the shore of Lago Argentino about an hour and a half drive from El Calafate. Shuttles departing from the town of El Calafate provide the most convenient access to glacial tours, which depart at several times throughout the day. Visitiors are encouraged to leave early, however, to ensure ample time to explore the magnificence of Perito Moreno.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : Ecuador</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : off the west coast of the country</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8_tE3h9LpXIYvpaiI9Bq7GmUt7OFiBT_BaRcivQHyhKhTSHx9WZDw2Oxet7w_-6eDu1NgfM4FwRAGYZa5q9EFq9S4B0PXEMnS39ym6drkwVevwlwagCDWjCgUu3Ka7kqSizu94nOUUo/s1600/the-galapagos-islands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8_tE3h9LpXIYvpaiI9Bq7GmUt7OFiBT_BaRcivQHyhKhTSHx9WZDw2Oxet7w_-6eDu1NgfM4FwRAGYZa5q9EFq9S4B0PXEMnS39ym6drkwVevwlwagCDWjCgUu3Ka7kqSizu94nOUUo/s320/the-galapagos-islands.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Galapagos Archipelago is situated 800 kilometers west of the Ecuadorian coast and lie directly on the equator. The archipelago encompasses over 50 islands of volcanic origin that are spread out over an area of about 4,500 square kilometers. The volcanic Galapagos platform originated probably not more than 15 million years ago and the oldest island not more than 2.4 million years ago. Volcanic eruptions still occur in the islands. Isla Fernandina and the Sierra Negra volcano on Isla Isabela have erupted within the past 10 years.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Galapagos Islands are an archipelago consisting of some 16 islands and numerous islets scattered over an area of nearly 36,000 square miles around the Equator. Each major island, with the exception of the largest island, Isabela, consists of a single large shield volcano. Isabela was formed from six volcanoes joined above sea level. The total land area of all the islands, islets and rocks that form the Galapagos Islands is about 3,028 square miles, with Isabela making up more than half the total land area, at 1,700 square miles. The islands all rose from the ocean floor as the tops of volcanoes, possibly during the Pliocene era, and have never been connected by land to any mainland area. Today, the Galapagos Islands remain one of the most active oceanic volcano areas on Earth.</span><br />
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<div class="hidenpost"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just as the extraordinary wildlife of the Galapagos Islands is critical to the study of biology, the unique geology of the islands has implications for the whole planet. In geological terms, the Galapagos Islands are quite young, probably no more than five million years old. Some of the westernmost islands, which are the most volcanically active, may only be hundreds of thousands of years old and are actually still forming. Fernandina, for example, at its current rate of activity, may one day expand to meet the shores of Isabela, creating a single, large island. As these amazing changes take place, scientists can observe the effects of the tides, wind and weather on the process. They are then better able to define the impact of the environment on both the Galapagos Islands and, by extension, the Earth. More importantly, these studies can help scientists develop ways to protect the environment in our ever-changing world.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though the islands are now quite isolated, at 600 miles from the nearest mainland, some biologists believe that the Cocos Ridge, which runs under the sea and extends almost the entire distance from Costa Rica to the northern islands, was once a land bridge. These biologists use this theory to explain how some of the life on the Galapagos Islands arrived there, but it has not yet been proven. Although many species of flora and fauna that thrive on the Galapagos Islands resemble those native to South America, they have evolved so extensively in isolation that they now appear very different from their mainland ancestors.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are four main ecosystems in the Galapagos Islands, which have been formed over time by wind patterns and differences in elevation. The first ecosystem is made up of arid lowlands and open forests of enormous cacti; the second consists of subtropical forests; the third, found at higher elevations, is composed of moist, dense forests; and treeless upland areas covered with ferns and grasses make up the fourth. Goats, pigs, and other introduced species left by 19th century sailors to multiply on the islands and serve as a source of fresh meat on later visits eventually destroyed much of the native vegetation on many of the islands. The remaining areas consist of little more than bare, hardened lava, which has formed cliffs and jagged points of land along the coasts. Volcanic activity has produced several thousand calderas and cones throughout the archipelago, the largest of which may be found on the islands of Isabela and Fernandina. These unusual landforms give the landscape of some islands an almost lunar quality.</span><br />
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</div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-10307642954544349812011-05-19T23:09:00.000-07:002011-05-21T09:49:35.645-07:00Karstic peaks at Guilin, along the Li river<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Karstic peaks at Guilin, along the Li river</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : China</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : south of the country, between Guilin and Yangshuo</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUSQYmbAaMfP1BLSOyIVQWKkltA-yf_EeB-y9vJGBLPFwGxkmwv8OFh3gnyfGCRTte0tphnXXOcJaOiVnhXo3Te2NWd986w8YTK9oOyL98NXytFhdbh8xHaVweJdgxsoMbkQngeMoN-M/s1600/HK-L-361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoUSQYmbAaMfP1BLSOyIVQWKkltA-yf_EeB-y9vJGBLPFwGxkmwv8OFh3gnyfGCRTte0tphnXXOcJaOiVnhXo3Te2NWd986w8YTK9oOyL98NXytFhdbh8xHaVweJdgxsoMbkQngeMoN-M/s320/HK-L-361.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well-known both home and abroad for its verdant hills, limpid waters, fantastic caves and exquisite rocks, Guilin has enjoyed the reputation of having the country's most beautiful scenery for hundreds of years. Guilin is a bright pearl on the list of China's top tourist attractions and the Li River is the highlight of sightseeing tours in Guilin. Originated in Mao'er (Cat) Mountain in Xin'an county northeast of Guilin, the Li River winds its way southeast for about 426 km.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Li River cruise takes visitors from Guilin to Yangshuo. A state-level scenic area, it is the centerpiece of your Guilin tour, as well as one of the highlights of any China tour. This section of the Li River appears like a classic Chinese ink painting with its green hills, crystal water, verdant bamboo and clear water reflection. The great Tang Dynasty poet Han Yu vividly described the landscape as "the river winds like a green silk ribbon, while the hills are like jade hairpins".</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From Guilin to Yangshuo, the Li River gracefully flows over 83 kilometers and the banks of the river offer the most beautiful scenery. The natural beauty of the Li River is indeed beyond description. You will have to visit this amazing place, to witness it with your own eyes and to feel with your own heart.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The comfortable Li River cruise will take approximately 4 hours, carrying you away from the bustle of city life and into a peaceful and relaxing world. The only thing you need to do is bring your imagination, a camera, and keep your eyes open, as the stunning Karst landscape will give you a surprise around each bend of the Li River flows under the clear blue sky. Your tour guide will tell you the legends behind the different peaks, most of which are mythical tales, and love stories. For example: Wangfu Rock (yearning for husband's return) is so-named because it looks like a woman carrying her baby on her back and yearning for her husband's return after a long day of working on the river.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Crown Cave (Guanyan):</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crown Cave, located 29km south of Guilin city, is relatively new to the Guilin tour industry, having been opened to public in 1995. Visitors can get there by bus from Guilin or making a stop at the Crown Cave Dock during your cruise along the Li River.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Half-Side Ferry (Ban Bian Du):</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not very far from the Crown Cave on the western bank, a huge rock descends into the river and cuts off a footpath by the water edge. Villagers have to take a ferry to reach the other side and continue on their way. It has been named Half-Side Ferry. The ferry precipices of the Half-Side Ferry are cut so smoothly that they seem to have been cut by a knife. It is a rare natural occurrence.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cruising down the Li River from Guilin to Yangshuo, you will see local fishermen at work on their simple bamboo rafts.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The hills and peaks in Guilin, crafted by nature, rise sharply from the ground in many different shapes. Each famous peak along the Li River has been given a name based on its shape.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some peaks however require a great deal of imagination to see how it got its name. One of the most famous peaks along the Li River is the 416-meter-high Nine Horse Mural Hill. The precipice of the Mural Hill is even and straight as if cut by knife, decorated with colors of white, yellow, gray and black. Images of nine horses may be seen indistinctly on the precipice, hence the name Nine Horse Mural Hill.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yellow Cloth Shoal: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Floating downstream, after passing Mural Hill, you will find the Yellow Cloth Shoal. The cliffs are steeper and the river becomes wider and calmer here, so it is the best place to appreciate the reflections of the verdant peaks. It is no wonder that the newly-issued RMB20 note carries the image of this part of the river. The water is so limpid that the reflection of a huge yellow flagstone can be clearly seen on the water. It is like a yellow cloth spreading across the countryside, hence the name Yellow Cloth Shoal.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Xingping:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you reach the area surrounding Xingping village, some of the most striking scenery along the Li River comes into view. The short distance between Xingping and Yucun villages is the highlight of the cruise.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The river takes a big turn at Xingping and the beautiful landscape and country scenery will form a lifelong impression on visitors. Verdant bamboo greet visitors along the river while water buffalo eat grass casually on the fields, peasants harvest their crops, school children play on the way home, and fisherman float along on bamboo rafts with their cormorants.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yucun (a fishing village):</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A pretty village of Yucun on the left bank of the river is worth a visit. The villagers all have the same surname of Zhao. The 500-year--old village, which can only be reached by boat, was a highlight of American President Bill Clinton's cruise down the Li River in July of 1998.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQPDp3g4bl7MUJ7IEcZfkKtY58rPYiXFfiVNsd6xYtIQh175o9j-KMgYZY4_jgKFJ3RYFw0GCzOT2uzMdlisRZvE7sIOg7LGGnwnfemToUn4cxZ5Six7oeBSdu278S4KzqneF1g2Lxc8/s1600/20080619170829759485a2222dfc15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQPDp3g4bl7MUJ7IEcZfkKtY58rPYiXFfiVNsd6xYtIQh175o9j-KMgYZY4_jgKFJ3RYFw0GCzOT2uzMdlisRZvE7sIOg7LGGnwnfemToUn4cxZ5Six7oeBSdu278S4KzqneF1g2Lxc8/s200/20080619170829759485a2222dfc15.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the courtyard buildings in the village were built during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) Dynasties. Simple but elegant with flying eaves, carved beams and windows, these buildings are ancient architectural wonders. Visitors are often surprised by the openness and generosity of the villagers, when they find themselves warmly greeted by farmers in any farmhouse they call at.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both Dr. Sun Yet-sun, the pioneer of China's democratic revolution, and former US President Clinton visited this Chinese tourism Mecca. They are really a great advertisement for Yucun. The President stated he was greatly impressed with the popularization of biogas and solar energy in Yucun, which has completely replaced wood as the fuel for the 120 households in the village.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzBJwM7D3Fm_zNgL924eGmN6oO0wuaMDxbKwbTo4vdQIhnhY-EpUPjUIwJc9T8OG6-ppZoywvb0-Bl9NvbQgrtCgz32sMRQPOzWlgSxnAhPjp6opSTNKgdG9tKMYqQW_JWfv0ygGSXyg/s1600/lijiang+xingping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzzBJwM7D3Fm_zNgL924eGmN6oO0wuaMDxbKwbTo4vdQIhnhY-EpUPjUIwJc9T8OG6-ppZoywvb0-Bl9NvbQgrtCgz32sMRQPOzWlgSxnAhPjp6opSTNKgdG9tKMYqQW_JWfv0ygGSXyg/s320/lijiang+xingping.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Destination – Yangshuo County:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yangshuo is the Li River cruise's destination. It is located 65 kilometers south of Guilin city.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An ancient saying goes "Guilin has the most beautiful scenery in China, but the landscape of Yangshuo is unmatched in Guilin". It is this unmatched landscape that has made this small county known to the world.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The perfect way to appreciate its beauty is by bicycle, as the scenery along the road is dramatic and the natural beauty is truly beyond description.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yangshuo is an ideal place for moderate hiking or cycling excursions to get a taste of genuine rural life.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is a wonderfully pastoral area, with small villages. In most of these villages, even new buildings tend to use the older style of architecture. The owners are often keen to show visitors around.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things to see and do in Yangshuo:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In Yangshuo, there is a 1500-year-old Big Banyan Tree whose branches and roots spread over a large area close to the river. Moon Hill (Yueliangshan) is a great limestone pinnacle with a naturally-created moon-shaped passage going through just below its summit. Fascinating Yinzi Cave (Silver Limestone Cave), 3 kilometers away from Yangshuo County, was praised by French experts on karst geology as "a world treasury of karst caves".</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you stay overnight in Yangshuo, West Street and Impression Liu Sanjie are two attractions not to be missed.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuc-yPMEfvvaV5SGUXvD4CuQ0v0mRocRm7FXFUtxx7-e2BJhnznNiBfEbVaLYQB29rMSajPoOi5O8zZUT1R1tuPzs9z6pfdaARsMkIeQoNAv6e0OAUIgCvegm_wB9sjU2D3BcjNJO3FPc/s1600/elephant-trunk-hill-guilin-03_leading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuc-yPMEfvvaV5SGUXvD4CuQ0v0mRocRm7FXFUtxx7-e2BJhnznNiBfEbVaLYQB29rMSajPoOi5O8zZUT1R1tuPzs9z6pfdaARsMkIeQoNAv6e0OAUIgCvegm_wB9sjU2D3BcjNJO3FPc/s320/elephant-trunk-hill-guilin-03_leading.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">West Street of Yangshuo is an old street with a history of more than 1,400 years. Every year hundreds of foreign visitors come to live here for a while and some of them settle down permanently in this small county just to enjoy its leisurely life and keep in touch with nature. A special feature on the street is the communication and interchange between Chinese and foreign cultures. You can learn Chinese, calligraphy, tai chi, cooking, and Chinese chess, while passing international languages and cultures to Chinese in bars, shops, or schools. Because of this, people in China called it "Foreign Street". West Street is lined with Chinese and western cafes, restaurants and hotels. It is a seamless blend of eastern and western culture and has helped give the area a "global town" image.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Impression LiuSanjie (Third Sister Liu), directed by the China's most famous movie director Zhang Yimou, is an outdoor performance on the natural stage setting formed by the Li River and 12 peaks. This performance expresses the beautiful scenery of the Li River, and the colorful culture of the ethnic groups in Guangxi by creatively combining the classical Third Sister Liu''s Songs, ethnic minority culture, and the lights of traditional fishermen on the river, to reflect the harmonious atmosphere between human beings and nature. The performance lasts for 70 minutes and over 600 actors and actresses are involved.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxtxJ8kYtZsoPPButIAr_IpERcqR9TEl38TdOHbeuLhLfVHoFGG1G5dWs5bERFn5NtDCpRGwkfK8eE0HLsaA6JJ1O-KmuuQE-O_Sw9FrojhuJoK11a6dzEpU9_GOUS4vbpUdwzVR1UgU/s1600/guilin+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxtxJ8kYtZsoPPButIAr_IpERcqR9TEl38TdOHbeuLhLfVHoFGG1G5dWs5bERFn5NtDCpRGwkfK8eE0HLsaA6JJ1O-KmuuQE-O_Sw9FrojhuJoK11a6dzEpU9_GOUS4vbpUdwzVR1UgU/s200/guilin+1.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guilin Featured Tour Packages</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Guilin China is well-known for its dramatic Karst topography, the picturesque natural skyline of Guilin City, the limpid Li River, and the "global village" Yangshuo. At Longsheng County, Longji Terraced Rice Fields extends to as far as eyes can reach.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Want to see the best of Guilin? China Odyssey Tours provide all kinds of tours in Guilin. We provide both pre-designed city tour packages and flexible tailor-made tours</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="http://www.chinaodysseytours.com/">http://www.chinaodysseytours.com</a></span><br />
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</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-29324365211044628242011-05-19T11:15:00.000-07:002011-05-19T22:40:29.593-07:00Bali island<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bali island</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : Indonesia</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : east of Java island</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH9GIfiPwoZyriAUbjl20k8TtYt98FXZ8jq0tGiaZXjCPknagdyBjB-NUnh76V3ahLwlALa5BZ-KW6p7MyoArc8PtTOnnBzJq2AhMuxwcwd-AbW0WsQyGOaJgQknm9lfLkuJD92Lnp3w/s1600/Tanah-Lot-Picture-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizH9GIfiPwoZyriAUbjl20k8TtYt98FXZ8jq0tGiaZXjCPknagdyBjB-NUnh76V3ahLwlALa5BZ-KW6p7MyoArc8PtTOnnBzJq2AhMuxwcwd-AbW0WsQyGOaJgQknm9lfLkuJD92Lnp3w/s320/Tanah-Lot-Picture-01.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bali islands is one of the thousands islands constructing the Indonesian Archipelago that has long been famous as a leading tourist destination in South Pacific or even in the world for its exotic and vibrant art and culture, natural beauties and the hospitality of the people. Bali islands covers an extent of 5,632.86 square kilometers consisted of mountain range stretches from the West tip to the East.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hinduism is adhered by almost 95% of its population of more than 3 millions people, specifically blended with Buddhism and the Ancestor's worship. It is made inseparable from everyday life and no opportunity is missed to worship Gods in an unending series of ceremony stretches from birth up to after death.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Conducive environment in Bali islands is supported by the Balinese philosophy of life, called "Tri Hita Karana". Tri Hita Karana dictates that happines can only be achieved if there are hamonious relationship between human and Gods; between human and their community; and between human and nature (its surronding). This philosophy has become a way of life among the Balinese, and is practiced in their daily life.</span><br />
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<div class="hidenpost"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bali islands has such a mild and agreeable climate the wholeYear round, with average temperature of the day in coastal areas varies from about 28C (82F) during May-July to abut 30C (86F) in March-October, while the most pleasant weather is between May-September.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXflVK_IHvNCTAbDc87wVlm29DAnAFYdehagu6hzeWq2W0Wy3a6-uWpkhDwod3nM-NPmEct3tbav5M8GNQvRUW1kmI0VBMoCn7W4RXXQJE-8p9hRfv3wJGWYlIXqUjNxiRf0-zKnyAaM/s1600/tanju_bali07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVXflVK_IHvNCTAbDc87wVlm29DAnAFYdehagu6hzeWq2W0Wy3a6-uWpkhDwod3nM-NPmEct3tbav5M8GNQvRUW1kmI0VBMoCn7W4RXXQJE-8p9hRfv3wJGWYlIXqUjNxiRf0-zKnyAaM/s320/tanju_bali07.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nusa Dua (Bali islands) is an exclusive resort area featuring pristine beaches and majestic palms overlooking a turquoise sea. This purpose-built development is a peaceful enclave where families can relax and enjoy a tropical paradise and the Balinese hospitality, all without having to venture far from their luxurious rooms. The Bali Golf and Country Club is only a few steps away and the International Airport is a mere 20-minute drive from Nusa Dua.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ubud (Bali Islands) is a remarkable town inthe middle of the island of Bali. For more than a century, it has been the island's preeminent centre for fine arts, dance and music.While it once was a haven for scruffy backpackers, cosmic seekers, artists and bohemians, Ubud is now a hot spot for literati, glitterati, art collectors and connoisseurs. Famous names walk its busy sidewalks everyday.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sanur (Bali islands) is traditionally a fishing village and has managed to keep that lazy-town feeling. This really makes Sanur a unique area and unlike most other beach areas in Bali, Sanur has stayed largely in local hands.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCYjsNXEjQTe6OFsopGzoB0p4Xc7hu0JXEZ9tl8VtSSpl1APKrGMb9mOXr5NV64Qxr5hJo8iunK9tbyOX0JUWDN4bmN0O_gPbdoGTdoh3U6GirONCbOVeWq2fixyKlh9g9nQYzdHo4T4/s1600/bali-island-beach1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCYjsNXEjQTe6OFsopGzoB0p4Xc7hu0JXEZ9tl8VtSSpl1APKrGMb9mOXr5NV64Qxr5hJo8iunK9tbyOX0JUWDN4bmN0O_gPbdoGTdoh3U6GirONCbOVeWq2fixyKlh9g9nQYzdHo4T4/s320/bali-island-beach1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tanah Lot (Bali islands), Located in Tabanan, just across the boundary of Badung regency, Tanah Lot is the most well-known and photographed temple. The temple is built on a small promontory, which is only accessible by foot at low tide. Take a scarf and dress with respect.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Menjangan island (Bali islands) popular diving site in Bali due to it's fine and preserved corals and rich equatic animal, turquoise clear water, and very calm sea. Every divers coming to Bali with the emphasize on diving program in Bali will put Menjangan and Tulamben sites as the priority sites. Menjangan island is unpopulated, but there is an old temple, supposed to originated from 14th century named " Pura Giri Kencana." During the expedition of Majapahit kingdom of Java in 1343 AD, it is believed that a boat was wrecked with their relics are still on sea bed. It is believed to have the magic influence.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nusa Lembongan (Bali islands) is situated 12 miles south east of Bali. It is one hour travelling time by boat from Benoa Harbour. This pear shaped island is around 4km long and 2km wide. It is surrounded by a beautiful fringing reef and the waters are renowned for their abundance of life and great surf breaks.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyn8fy9sc8WW_Ev-LbtC8M8c_ElxQ5w-5e4ylctHjBRjlkZKXyaAPbwcB0BYqNsryzARRIupSuLvCMoQYEJ4oKlTZ68edzaLmxyOSuYoa1MZ8MiGj0E1zU5tWEKEs8l8vg327W0xlSXh4/s1600/dps-bali-kuta-beach-b11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyn8fy9sc8WW_Ev-LbtC8M8c_ElxQ5w-5e4ylctHjBRjlkZKXyaAPbwcB0BYqNsryzARRIupSuLvCMoQYEJ4oKlTZ68edzaLmxyOSuYoa1MZ8MiGj0E1zU5tWEKEs8l8vg327W0xlSXh4/s320/dps-bali-kuta-beach-b11.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Candidasa (Bali islands) is most often compared to Kuta as Kuta was some 15 years ago. The comparison has some merit - Candidasa is a small village with few inhabitants on the beach with a several - mostly inexpensive hotels that cater to more adventurous tourists looking for a more laid back atmosphere.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bali, a tropical island in the Indonesian archipelago, is so picturesque and immaculate it could almost be a painted backdrop. It has rice paddies tripping down hillsides like giant steps, volcanoes soaring up through the clouds, dense tropical jungle, long sandy beaches, warm blue water, crashing surf and friendly people who don't just have a culture but actually live it. In Bali spirits come out to play in the moonlight, every night is a festival and even a funeral is an opportunity to have a good time.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bali Island, the perfect holiday destination for all ages offers something for everyone. This tropical paradise has a unique blend of modern tourist facilities combined with wonderful shopping and a rich past and heritage. The Balinese people are proud of having preserved their unique Hindu culture against the advance of Islam, the dominant religion throughout Indonesia. This is still reflected in day to day life and can be seen in the numerous ceremonies, Balinese festivals and magnificent temples and palaces. Some of the best surfing beaches in the world can be found on the western side of the island whilst conversely the eastern side is a wonderful haven for families, with beautiful white sand beaches and gentle seas.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJOoa-7eBSscmrAy6Q5dyaCvcuC6mo7H0yYNl1uHSSmZfvxnTsOo9it4yXhxkUvzoDUwe6Wkllg1usD2ZdySYLZ_hlLsDy-ztBYPRA8bctNkzaAddyr7PYduybnr-jGYvT1NADrhbbRM/s1600/bali-map-high.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJOoa-7eBSscmrAy6Q5dyaCvcuC6mo7H0yYNl1uHSSmZfvxnTsOo9it4yXhxkUvzoDUwe6Wkllg1usD2ZdySYLZ_hlLsDy-ztBYPRA8bctNkzaAddyr7PYduybnr-jGYvT1NADrhbbRM/s320/bali-map-high.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bali Island is a shopper's paradise particularly for casual and tailored clothing, locally made jewellery, handicrafts, antiques and artifacts. Leather ware is one of the unexpected local bargains with everything from handbags through to tailor made leather jackets and coats, all at unbelievable prices. In fact, prices are so inexpensive, you're sure to need more room in your suitcase! Try bargaining at the street markets of Kuta, Sanur of Nusa Dua or fixed price shopping at a Denpasar department store. Bali has it all.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those that want to stay wet, Bali Island has world class scuba diving, snorkelling and wonderful day trips out to Nusa Penida for beach sports and coral viewing.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When the sun sets, the choices are still hard to make - a quiet romantic moon lit dinner or watch the spectacular Balinese Fire Dance or Kecak Dance. For those that want to party, Bali Island has it all with bars, discos and nightclubs.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a truly international destination attracting visitors from all over the world, restaurants in Bali are extremely cosmopolitan yet inexpensive. Experience not only local delicacies like Nasi Goreng and Sate Campur but also Chinese, Malaysian, Japanese, Italian/European Greek, Moroccan and even Mexican cuisine. We must not forget Bali's wonderful seafood - local lobster at such prices that you will want to keep coming back for more.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTib1eTS8MJ8v3FNd8H8V6znqu-wSCZA6iM3PWcT4UgvpPk7nZ3WelfIyXqN7ebLNKxKzcY5zriFGxz0MTijsEqJXUm_ACRUl-jlC2blaVimpjhs6LIqGH3A55g5P8Q4dyNgv6Om9Tc5Q/s1600/Home-Uluwatu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTib1eTS8MJ8v3FNd8H8V6znqu-wSCZA6iM3PWcT4UgvpPk7nZ3WelfIyXqN7ebLNKxKzcY5zriFGxz0MTijsEqJXUm_ACRUl-jlC2blaVimpjhs6LIqGH3A55g5P8Q4dyNgv6Om9Tc5Q/s320/Home-Uluwatu.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those more culturally inclined, Bali can offer the peace and tranquility of Ubud high in the hills; the spectacular Mother Temple at Besakih; the ancient capital of Bali, Singaraja and the floating palace at Ujung near the pretty beach area of Candi Dasa. The Scenery is nothing less than spectacular. Jungle, picturesque hillside rice terraces and the awesome magnificence of Kintamani Volcano.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The more active, wanting a break from the idyllic beaches, can experience wonderful golf courses in the mountains at Bedugul and beachside at Nusa Dua, the thrill of white water rafting or kayaking down the beautiful Ayung River; mountain cycling amid scenery you will never forget and organized rice paddy and jungle treks to see the side of Bali most tourists never encounter.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bali Island, a truly international destination, offers every standard of accommodation ranging from charming yet modest bungalow style hotels in lush tropical gardens for the budget minded through to arguably amongst the most exclusive and sophisticated hotels in the world.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source: </span><br />
<a href="http://www.baliisland.org/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">http://www.baliisland.org/</span></a><br />
<a href="http://www.all-bali.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">http://www.all-bali.com/</span></a><br />
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</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-71938664429901659302011-05-19T10:41:00.000-07:002011-05-19T22:40:29.594-07:00The Bora-Bora island<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bora-Bora island</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : French Polynesia</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : in the middle of the Pacific</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2LJg8IzqCZzS5pkXVeDqDKJ87OukJemCbrJvrTsQA62t9kynH4cRctZLgNvmFdInjrc1aLcw6lLONtO-KpOiMpg34YzfAHglozYKopOgVu0uvKLiOX9FeTTAFc-eTIrtjtrgboqn8pU/s1600/bora_bora8_gallery__470x312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ2LJg8IzqCZzS5pkXVeDqDKJ87OukJemCbrJvrTsQA62t9kynH4cRctZLgNvmFdInjrc1aLcw6lLONtO-KpOiMpg34YzfAHglozYKopOgVu0uvKLiOX9FeTTAFc-eTIrtjtrgboqn8pU/s320/bora_bora8_gallery__470x312.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Your really do deserve a vacation to Bora Bora. Don't fight it, you know it's true...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bora Bora island is possibly the single most famous island in all the world. The legends, mysteries, and romance associated with the words "Bora Bora" bring an almost mystical presence to the island.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's true Bora Bora is indeed a wonderful place to vacation... but this magical presence is not so unattainable.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Facts from the fiction regarding this wonderful Tahiti Polynesian island paradise: Tourism aspects, activities, practicalities, culture, and all the things you'll want to know when planning a trip to Bora Bora. We propose to the would be traveler that the Island of Bora Bora is quite real and attainable as a vacation getaway.</span><br />
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<div class="hidenpost"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwXRC2ZV7KbO1q-lnkJ-cfucQ24jfm6i1pa6b0Je-mBu9IueiwUeJpkSdv56_ueTUFI4cu9F0-kdhRJKPVVuLyydpQZd5Q38HX2OOciOTGO1g1Ma2jcoYv8CvBSjKnLhyAlZv4kVDioE/s1600/Four_Seasons_Resort_Bora_Bora-view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixwXRC2ZV7KbO1q-lnkJ-cfucQ24jfm6i1pa6b0Je-mBu9IueiwUeJpkSdv56_ueTUFI4cu9F0-kdhRJKPVVuLyydpQZd5Q38HX2OOciOTGO1g1Ma2jcoYv8CvBSjKnLhyAlZv4kVDioE/s320/Four_Seasons_Resort_Bora_Bora-view.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Part of the allure has to be its almost unbelievable beauty. Two towering peaks of sheer black rock dominate the center of the island and make an impressive backdrop to an assortment of blue waters that will dazzle the eyes.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bora Bora's lagoon is its most treasured feature, and allows the traveler many opportunities to experience it in a variety of ways. Windsurf, jetski, scuba dive, snorkel, swim, bask in its warmth... the list goes on.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bora bora is truly an experience worth having. A wonderfully relaxing place to be as well as a great island for you to experience, your Bora Bora vacation will never be forgotten.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bora Bora, The Romantic Island</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Under a one hour flight from the island of Tahiti or Moorea, the island of Bora Bora, with a lagoon resembling an artist's palette of blues and greens, is love at first sight.Romantics from around the world have laid claim to this island where the castle-like Mount Otemanu pierces the sky. Lush tropical slopes and valleys blossom with hibiscus, while palm-covered motu circle the illuminated lagoon like a delicate necklace. Perfect white-sand beaches give way to emerald waters where colored fish animate the coral gardens as they greet the giant manta rays. This could be easily be described as the center of the romantic universe, where luxury resorts and spas dot the island with overwater bungalows, thatchedroof villas, and fabled ambience.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Simply said, Bora Bora is the most beautiful island in the world.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHdUY1LA2faM9K3yph7pgNPTvDgq0NBFkM1hONZLbMB8QmgeuVwrxag6HILOzWGfn8ncmZfXUtWHasns_hseAg6aZNCZjN4zcGj70vi5HSBi1ZeWEX6r2BeE_N_4fkPN9e2P_ZEjuS28/s1600/Bora+Bora+island.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZHdUY1LA2faM9K3yph7pgNPTvDgq0NBFkM1hONZLbMB8QmgeuVwrxag6HILOzWGfn8ncmZfXUtWHasns_hseAg6aZNCZjN4zcGj70vi5HSBi1ZeWEX6r2BeE_N_4fkPN9e2P_ZEjuS28/s320/Bora+Bora+island.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pora Pora - the ancient name, meaning "first born," came from legends describing this as the first island to rise when Taaroa,</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the supreme god, fished it out of the waters after the mythical creation of Havai'i, now known as Raiatea. Although the first letter "B" does not exist in the Tahitian language, when Captain Cook first heard the name he mistook the softened sound of the Tahitian "P" for "B" and called the island Bola Bola.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Romance on Bora Bora</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Truly, the most romantic island in the world. From the dramatic scenery to the privacy and amenities of the overwater bungalows, everything in Bora Bora equals a 10 on the romance scale. Resorts have been welcoming couples for over 40 years and their special amenities have been fine tuned to perfection. From sunrise to sunset, each resort has designed their own blend of unique romantic experiences for their guests to choose from.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwF69AjLpsVEyy8DGa2in-mRXTwiKr7UlfhY4Afua6ZmJ7P98xd_5khy5usXqMS1vhiSezDVL-tNqrm9iHx39OelX2deLtw4YCt5F3qkUjWXLn5mEau80Ep4SEDr2AKeK5XOMJIv1th2w/s1600/honeymoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwF69AjLpsVEyy8DGa2in-mRXTwiKr7UlfhY4Afua6ZmJ7P98xd_5khy5usXqMS1vhiSezDVL-tNqrm9iHx39OelX2deLtw4YCt5F3qkUjWXLn5mEau80Ep4SEDr2AKeK5XOMJIv1th2w/s320/honeymoon.jpg" width="308" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For The Visitor, The Majesty of Bora Bora offers:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enchantment from the neon-lit turquoise lagoon waters with unending days of exploration through snorkeling and diving.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Excitement above the lagoon by outrigger canoe, Boston Whaler, wave runner, jet ski, and dramatic sunset cruises aboard a catamaran sailboat.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Exploration of the panoramic overlooks found by hike or 4x4 accompanied by entertaining local guides.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Discovery of the world-renowned shopping for local and international original art, Tahitian pearls, perfumes and oils, and precious wood handcrafts.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The turquoise water of the lagoons, an exhilarating ride over it by canoes, jet ski or a catamaran sailboat, a sunset view that takes your breath away, cruising along the panoramic views, a vibrant marine life that you can come close to by snorkeling and diving and the souvenir shops that allow you take home the memoirs from here, in short, this is the much acclaimed Bora Bora Island.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The name Bora Bora comes from the Tahitian word Pora Pora, which means “first born”. Legends describe it as the first island to rise when the Supreme God Taaroa fished it out of the waters after the creation of Havai’i. When Captain Cook heard the name, he mistook Pora Pora for Bora Bora and that’s how the name gained currency and is used till date.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As per an early transcription found in 18th and the 19th century accounts, the name of the Island is recorded as Balobolla or Bollabolla.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToG7q7nT-sQxHo0n_UJElVPXVv-kJcWKDsJ-Vv7itjXLQfjqC3i8m_gGq5thA5nGtb6WduZDGyjJGdZCyEOf-1Yd9nlmpjUAB06Oyo7jLEA7EmIJN3_TuZnIcfv80yNb39FBzadlQN48/s1600/bora-bora-map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToG7q7nT-sQxHo0n_UJElVPXVv-kJcWKDsJ-Vv7itjXLQfjqC3i8m_gGq5thA5nGtb6WduZDGyjJGdZCyEOf-1Yd9nlmpjUAB06Oyo7jLEA7EmIJN3_TuZnIcfv80yNb39FBzadlQN48/s320/bora-bora-map.jpg" width="277" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Location</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bora Bora Island belongs to the Leeward group of the Society Islands Archipelago of French Polynesia, in the South Pacific Ocean. The Island, stretching to about 18 miles, is surrounded by a lagoon and a barrier reef.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When to go</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bora Bora Island has a tropical climate that favours tourism all through the year. The Polynesian summer is the wet season here, in the months from November to March. The months of February and March are the hottest months which also record a high amount of rainfall. The Polynesian winter or the dry season comes in the months from May to October.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The dry season is also the peak tourist season here with a number of tourists coming in at that time.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How to go</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Island of Bora Bora has a small airport on the Motu Mute. The airstrip at Motu Mute was built during the World War II, by US marines as a refueling stop on the America to Australia supply line.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You need to take a connecting one hour flight from Papeete in Tahiti Island to get here. Papeete is about 8 hours away by flight from Los Angeles.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Air Tahiti serves a 20 minute flight to Tahiti from Huahine and Raiatea, has regular flights to the Tuamotu Atolls as well as weekly flights to the Marquesas.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From the Motu Mute airstrip, you need to take a short ferry trip to get to the village of Vaitape and then take a shuttle or other means of transport to explore the Island.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While in the Bora Bora Island, you can ask your hotel to arrange a shuttle service for you or you can rent a car, scooter or a bicycle to explore the Island at your own leisure. These rental services are available at the Vaitape Village.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHXTT497DKcT8nqxwf4Q1-4Kmd4_mf3VQ5hhXYTllaDORPd8RQDuZEwjK1HHX_GBFdm_dxSXC4ExEIvVGMHK1JLbi_UYjVAE4CMDWq-Rqio3qlzAUA8ajQc04RNczWgsxQuokac9mmxU/s1600/bora-bora-island-lagoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHXTT497DKcT8nqxwf4Q1-4Kmd4_mf3VQ5hhXYTllaDORPd8RQDuZEwjK1HHX_GBFdm_dxSXC4ExEIvVGMHK1JLbi_UYjVAE4CMDWq-Rqio3qlzAUA8ajQc04RNczWgsxQuokac9mmxU/s320/bora-bora-island-lagoon.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Attractions of Bora Bora Island</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Bora Bora Island is not just a scenic beauty. The Island offers a number of thrilling activities that you can enjoy.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The hotels here can make arrangements for fishing, diving, water skiing, sailing, canoeing, cruising or snorkeling and other water sports of your choice. You can paddle you way on kayaks to the lagoon. You can also opt for cruises.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are jet tours that you can take for an excursion to the lagoons here and also explore the inland areas through an organized tour.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Snorkeling and diving can give you the joy of swimming with marine life like manta rays, eagle rays, sharks and over one thousand species of tropical fishes in the lagoon of the Bora Bora Island.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Some of the popular snorkeling and diving sites are over the coral gardens in and around the Bora Bora Lagoonarium and the Anau – a site between the former site and Point Haamaire. The lagoon off the eastern side of Motu Toopua and the islet nest to it, the Motu Toopua Iti too are good sites fro both snorkeling and diving.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Off Motu Tapu, the islet south of Teavanui Pass, is the most easily accessible site for diving in the Bora Bora Island. At some distance that can be covered by lengthy boat rides are two more dive site, the White Valley, off the airport and Tupitipiti, to the south east corner on the reef. They are however, meant for expert divers as they can experience strong currents.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The “Aquarium”, a snorkeling site off the southern end of Motu Pitiaau and around Motu Piti Uuuta, is one of the best snorkeling sites of the Bora Bora Island. To reach here, you would need to ride there by boat, or you can walk to the outer reef from the southern tip of Point Matira. Flying Underwater here too is a good snorkeling spot.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetxxV_zZA-J-iCMfrc2M33Fcd5bgPHyphxXYydlxvo1ombdGmIx5_iD1BOl6-9JEAK6ayp_duv1YpreCGnFRpXGaz9sMvF3ZMLkoe6cNNGefmye0eWNMoQXzVEunOruWYDCbeXLrxYTM/s1600/tropic_bora_bora%252C_french_polynesia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgetxxV_zZA-J-iCMfrc2M33Fcd5bgPHyphxXYydlxvo1ombdGmIx5_iD1BOl6-9JEAK6ayp_duv1YpreCGnFRpXGaz9sMvF3ZMLkoe6cNNGefmye0eWNMoQXzVEunOruWYDCbeXLrxYTM/s320/tropic_bora_bora%252C_french_polynesia.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can also go for night dives.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Shopping too can be fun here. The shops here are well known with souvenirs like local and international original art, Tahitian pearls and handicrafts made of wood.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are not comfortable diving or snorkeling, or even other wise, you can enjoy the view of coral and schools of tropical fish through a glass bottom boat. Motor boats give you a fast paced way to explore the lagoon.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want, you can enjoy the Shark and Ray feeding tours as well as you snorkel.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going to Motu Tapu, a small islet about a few hundreds yard away form the Island of Bora Bora is just ideal if you want to relax in a secluded surrounding. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another major attraction of this French Polynesian Island is the Matira Beach, one of the world’s most popular beaches.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are guided hikes to Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu, remnants of two extinct volcanoes in the center of the Island, too that you can go for. The Mount Otemanu is the highest point here, measuring about 727 meters. Along the coast are ancient marae temples that are worth a visit.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ambience of this South Pacific Island of Bora Bora creates a mood that is simply romantic, something that you dream of. The white sandy beaches, the turquoise water of the ocean, the lush green tropical slopes and the rich and vibrant, colourful marine life makes the place look like an artists imagination that has come live from a canvas. The Bora Bora Island is certainly a place you should visit once in your life time.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.boraboraisland.com/">www.boraboraisland.com</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com/">http://www.tahiti-tourisme.com</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.theearthtraveler.com/">http://www.theearthtraveler.com</a></span><br />
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</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-62741774024342377832011-05-18T09:31:00.000-07:002011-05-19T22:40:29.594-07:00The Halong bay<b>The Halong bay</b><br />
country : Vietnam<br />
place : in the Tonkin Gulf, east of Hanoi<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIeOOpNycc1yDOlITmBndWPD9CDz3aH4zaLZNTyHzctY9amLyxknTIvNpjVfH9Ens6uZaqV3W58JYNcE4IoFDrWdqjqjfiBOR_pJBx-7VQmbQ3emYjeTtm1AnMIcIgrZ2UhTOPs2hxWg/s1600/Halong-bay-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCIeOOpNycc1yDOlITmBndWPD9CDz3aH4zaLZNTyHzctY9amLyxknTIvNpjVfH9Ens6uZaqV3W58JYNcE4IoFDrWdqjqjfiBOR_pJBx-7VQmbQ3emYjeTtm1AnMIcIgrZ2UhTOPs2hxWg/s320/Halong-bay-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The end of the Vietnam war, and the advent of "Doi moi", Vietnam's policy of opening its economy to foreign trade, means that Westerners and South Vietnamese now have a chance to visit Ha long.<br />
Vinh Ha Long or Bay of the Descending Dragon is often touted by proud Vietnamese as the world's Eighth wonder. One of the main attractions of Ha long is the bay's calm water and the thousands of limestone mountains dotting the seascape.<br />
The Bay's water is clear during the spring and early summer.<br />
Some of the islands are quite large and there are small alcoves with sandy beaches where swimming is possible. Ha Long bay lies in the northeastern part of Vietnam and is 165 Km from Hanoi.<br />
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<div class="hidenpost">Ha Long literally means descending dragon(s) and according to local myth, the story goes as follows: <br />
Long ago when their forefathers were fighting foreign invaders from the north, the gods from heaven sent a family of dragons to help defend their land. This family of dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long bay and began spitting out jewels and jade.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqXe-D-94ZPe65J2ztyeO2nQZNd_QLi7jxXRadXA2Fz8ks99eVrQX0qQEDtGmm_5DtwuBvh6cjBMc6IkXIY-s-zQ8nuiPoVx5NV8y5YpKHZNTymGq4B703pdZurVnZV38LekmS0zk8xE/s1600/palace-heaven-halong-bay-vietnam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeqXe-D-94ZPe65J2ztyeO2nQZNd_QLi7jxXRadXA2Fz8ks99eVrQX0qQEDtGmm_5DtwuBvh6cjBMc6IkXIY-s-zQ8nuiPoVx5NV8y5YpKHZNTymGq4B703pdZurVnZV38LekmS0zk8xE/s320/palace-heaven-halong-bay-vietnam.jpg" width="320" /></a>Upon hitting the sea, these jewels turned into the various islands and islets dotting the seascape and formed a formidable fortress against the invaders. The locals were able to keep their land safe and formed what is now the country of Vietnam.<br />
The Dragon family fell so much in love with this area for its calm water and for the reverence of the people of Vietnam that they decided to remain on earth.<br />
Mother dragon lies on what is now Ha Long and where her children lie is Bai Tu Long.The dragon tails formed the area of Bach Long Vi known for the miles of white sandy beaches of Tra Co peninsula.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This myth is in line with the Vietnamese myth of their origin Con Rong Chau Tien. This myth describes the union between a king (representing the dragon) and his bride (representing a goddess) giving birth to 100 children which are the ancestors of the Vietnamese people. The Ha Long myth illustrate the Vietnamese belief of their origin and the fact that throughout their history, they are aided by their ancestors, the dragon and the gods, in the defense of their land.</div><div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5qW02YyzjYL5Pi_xLenL-oCkIKN1oi7qUFqFU7QEcYIE3RW5uBjAYYEksHtbtRcNwz2JKl2QQ19Qq_wH4XdJDPkS9-cAsimjjolo1sYlXp7kEOQmh2FUnPi7r-H_06U_mRJqT2hS7u0/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5qW02YyzjYL5Pi_xLenL-oCkIKN1oi7qUFqFU7QEcYIE3RW5uBjAYYEksHtbtRcNwz2JKl2QQ19Qq_wH4XdJDPkS9-cAsimjjolo1sYlXp7kEOQmh2FUnPi7r-H_06U_mRJqT2hS7u0/s400/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HwBChgr_pCo7fGZFZ1m-Jo2NKRZQibqs8PRBFcuMXAWZXTYoiulOv8rohpxbB5Xhs0uAKX8rmNoi_hohBmAeJEW1ZjL8bgHtfJjDpUoBa7axwUmX8h6BLtgdk1H1g2x26k9KxALJb3o/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HwBChgr_pCo7fGZFZ1m-Jo2NKRZQibqs8PRBFcuMXAWZXTYoiulOv8rohpxbB5Xhs0uAKX8rmNoi_hohBmAeJEW1ZjL8bgHtfJjDpUoBa7axwUmX8h6BLtgdk1H1g2x26k9KxALJb3o/s400/images+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUik6lRlmwfZlUgIOfOdf0hJLzZ5E09o-6D5WRzHgPR0bzykhHUoHapDAAGKY8SYigEYJX3cszmF93PiKc_c3Z79MlKgxdT35kAoBvOkQV-aJnl_tTtVfRUoiETSxIhhY2Xu77PGFzQg/s1600/halong_bay_map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUik6lRlmwfZlUgIOfOdf0hJLzZ5E09o-6D5WRzHgPR0bzykhHUoHapDAAGKY8SYigEYJX3cszmF93PiKc_c3Z79MlKgxdT35kAoBvOkQV-aJnl_tTtVfRUoiETSxIhhY2Xu77PGFzQg/s400/halong_bay_map.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eG_7yw7U9PJ4s8glUi498nW9H880ig2SsLhBDW5F7-2UM9r-p9coKEKRg_Cfnn5EgsTjl9n2KbmfCNu_jGsQR9ViZhCkpZgMrp812xvTB1atu8Y3ONldvzSkmjHu2Rb9BAeJeGfMuD8/s1600/2282008144449_KayakingInHalongBayCatbaIsland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eG_7yw7U9PJ4s8glUi498nW9H880ig2SsLhBDW5F7-2UM9r-p9coKEKRg_Cfnn5EgsTjl9n2KbmfCNu_jGsQR9ViZhCkpZgMrp812xvTB1atu8Y3ONldvzSkmjHu2Rb9BAeJeGfMuD8/s400/2282008144449_KayakingInHalongBayCatbaIsland.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Source: <a href="http://www.vietscape.com">http://www.vietscape.com</a><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-50936280536879441982011-05-18T08:59:00.000-07:002011-05-18T08:59:27.459-07:00The salar of Uyuni<b>The salar of Uyuni</b><br />
country : Bolivia<br />
place : south-west of the country<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQi2HBbymsTp2NBQbBEqRRbZFXmFfhUZFuRX3OcqmitDtcaspzTcem1KdsYxsbTgTyIPJwizEe-uspAcj41mwoJPNN-P3q0AN5Amd8fhOeXkn5ZKEDO1e3O79xi2rGgjSM9rHORlEVyts/s1600/2316398723_c77df36c7f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQi2HBbymsTp2NBQbBEqRRbZFXmFfhUZFuRX3OcqmitDtcaspzTcem1KdsYxsbTgTyIPJwizEe-uspAcj41mwoJPNN-P3q0AN5Amd8fhOeXkn5ZKEDO1e3O79xi2rGgjSM9rHORlEVyts/s320/2316398723_c77df36c7f_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Your exploration will begin at the town of Uyuni, that seats on the edge of the salt desert near the border with Chile, at an altitude of 3,670 m. (12,040 f.) above sea level.<br />
A four-day tour will cost you around U$D 100, plus park's entrance fee and tips to the guide.<br />
You are better off by carrying some cash with you, small denominatons either Bolivars if Dollars and, of course, your camera gear by all means.<br />
And talking about photography, see how both Bolivia and Chile look like from Space at South America through Astronaut Photography.<br />
Salar de Uyuni has an average annual temperature between 20 degrees Celsius and -25 C. in winter.<br />
From July to November the salt bed is very dry while in summer (November to March), being the rainy season, you might find it inundated, which makes the whole experience even more surreal.<br />
A very unique South America vacation...<br />
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Antarctica might look somewhat like this at a glance, but it doesn't have the sheer flatness over an area of 10,000 square kilometers. Perhaps, then, it's more like an extraterrestrial planet with no people – just a windswept, briny atmosphere, thin in oxygen because of its height. But no – this vast expanse is right here on earth in one of our South American countries, Bolivia. It is Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flats – and one of the most amazing sights – in the world.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOLrC_nr31YEmCMdHb1UdGKtt5FMhH7IiBw_RVMwLR5kxtwLT_OTZyk2o4icLfkTUHHM2C_iH-amZeB-Mu34Uq6ie1U-Dxx0gX21QvOAVG7s0I1JNvgLg9sJsaRWCIM4wAZW4waFGh_c/s1600/salar_uyuni_jun06_rex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOLrC_nr31YEmCMdHb1UdGKtt5FMhH7IiBw_RVMwLR5kxtwLT_OTZyk2o4icLfkTUHHM2C_iH-amZeB-Mu34Uq6ie1U-Dxx0gX21QvOAVG7s0I1JNvgLg9sJsaRWCIM4wAZW4waFGh_c/s320/salar_uyuni_jun06_rex.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Millennia ago, about 30,000 years or a little more, there was one big lake, Lake Minchin. It changed through different geological processes and ended up as two freshwater lakes and two saltwater lakes, one of those being Uyuni.<br />
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As time went by, Uyuni developed a thick salt crust of brine on top composed of lithium, magnesium and table salt.<br />
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Today, the salt is scraped up from the sheer flat surface of the flats into piles where it dries better and is easier to cart away. Some of the crust goes down meters into the brine; in other places it is just a few inches, as you can see below.<br />
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Half of the world's lithium in to be found in the brine under Uyuni's salt flats; this is extracted for use in batteries and medicines. Tourism is also one of Bolivia's biggest sources of income, and the salt flats are a must stop for most. Tourists get to stay in salt hotels: the first one built closed in 2002 because a few environmental regulations were forgotten – like what to do with waste materials – but others have been opened closer to the edge of the flats where there are roads to cart off the waste. Big blocks of salt became the bedrock of the hotels as this was the most readily available building material around. Below the man is cutting the blocks for construction.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzBz0W04ynglJ2ykGs4_2oFD1ddy-_iRGmofdv0S6RT5iM2lnkapPqo_G51Vrl1QHujYhKqiEIjSTmgN1B4R_wwnd7R6E6Pcf-3TLlmpkkfBgFvMd9LEJuJE3UNkBaI_2X1qZ-lbHoaE/s1600/salar_d_uyuni_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOzBz0W04ynglJ2ykGs4_2oFD1ddy-_iRGmofdv0S6RT5iM2lnkapPqo_G51Vrl1QHujYhKqiEIjSTmgN1B4R_wwnd7R6E6Pcf-3TLlmpkkfBgFvMd9LEJuJE3UNkBaI_2X1qZ-lbHoaE/s320/salar_d_uyuni_9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>There are also several lakes in the area that flood during the rainy season, sending cascades of water to cover Salar de Uyuni.<br />
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When it is covered in a sheet of water it becomes the largest mirror in the world.<br />
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Not only does the Salar provide salt, lithium, halide and gypsum, the proceeds of which the locals who pile it up get to divvy up as part of their cooperative; no, astronauts use the flats as well! It is one of the highest and largest flats on earth, and is smoothed from flooding every season – dissolving bumps and interference – so is ideal to use for calibrating the location of satellites.<br />
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The sun slowly sets on the flats, the golden colors shimmering back from the ground, making the whole lake look like it has turned into a fairies' party ground with fairy lights everywhere. It is a remarkable sight that is seen nowhere else in the world, nor probably in the universe.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNoHuQo8oinsf7vtoIPH90Gwu6ZAQ0SuGB-bIyy6AooFD369pQo7nOXua78b740O7by-0gUhFloIs_glBwsAr1isTmCJtR2W2JoHc4xO0fo_HKB-ExFgL_nXliUwwbSbPFLKWt0SkWWgg/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNoHuQo8oinsf7vtoIPH90Gwu6ZAQ0SuGB-bIyy6AooFD369pQo7nOXua78b740O7by-0gUhFloIs_glBwsAr1isTmCJtR2W2JoHc4xO0fo_HKB-ExFgL_nXliUwwbSbPFLKWt0SkWWgg/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Salar de Uyuni Attractions:</b><br />
Isla de los Pescadores (Inca Huasi): Amazing place full of giant cacti that rises 150 meters above the surface of the salt lake.It also has archaeological remains from the Tiwuanaku and Inca civilizations.<br />
Isla Cáscara de Huevo (Eggshell island)<br />
Tunupa and Jiriri volcanoes<br />
Laguna Colorada (Red laggon)<br />
Laguna Verde (Green Lagoon)<br />
Hotel de Sal (Salt hotel). Almost entirely built with salt, including furniture.<br />
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Salar de Uyuni is a fantasy world of its own you shouldn't miss.<br />
As much as no tour to Peru would be complete without a visit to Cuzco and Machu Picchu, your Bolivia travel experience should include a visit to Salar de Uyuni, one of the greatest natural wonders in the heart of South America.<br />
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<b>How to Get There:</b><br />
<b>By Air:</b><br />
From Cochabamba (Bolivia) there are a couple of weekly flights with Líneas Aereas Canedo- around U$250 return. Check before as the Uyuni air strip was under remodeling last year.<br />
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<b>Update (04-2011):</b> The new airstrip is operational, with a length of 4km. According to the Bolivian government, Uyuni Airport will turn international by 2012. <br />
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<b>By Bus:</b><br />
From La Paz: around 12 hours ride.<br />
From Potosi: 7 hours.<br />
From Oruro: 4 hours.<br />
There are also buses from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile.<br />
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<b>By Train:</b><br />
Uyuni town is an important transport hub in the region and several lines cross it.<br />
If coming from Argentina, take a train at Villazon, border with Bolivia. Around four times a week at the price of U$D8.00.<br />
There is also a train connection from/to Calama, Chile.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTIRDd-3-tBGpfnrM7SpSeL7BcDntLe9q7BmYaZAMnthgM51K1nfivSjfM_qU454bHuwDJPgkqUupMiB1EuLd_8mQ6YmrisBnEYXGDSlVNuFcAnWyHqqdmCJXVtbQlWlBecLN88MhRVg/s1600/salar-de-uyuni-bolivia-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMTIRDd-3-tBGpfnrM7SpSeL7BcDntLe9q7BmYaZAMnthgM51K1nfivSjfM_qU454bHuwDJPgkqUupMiB1EuLd_8mQ6YmrisBnEYXGDSlVNuFcAnWyHqqdmCJXVtbQlWlBecLN88MhRVg/s320/salar-de-uyuni-bolivia-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b>Where to Stay:</b><br />
Tonito Hotel: Ferroviaria 60, Uyuni. ph. 591 2 (693 3186)<br />
Hotel Julia: Corner of Ferroviario and Arce, Uyuni<br />
Hotel Avenida: Ferroviaria 11, Uyuni. ph. 693-2078<br />
Hostal Sajama: Potosí 35, Uyuni. ph. 693-3099<br />
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Source: <a href="http://www.unique-southamerica-travel-experience.com/">http://www.unique-southamerica-travel-experience.com</a>, <a href="http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/">http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com</a><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-35164961109518324452011-05-18T08:23:00.000-07:002011-05-18T08:29:54.277-07:00The Niagara waterfalls<b>The Niagara waterfalls</b><br />
country : Canada – United States of America<br />
place : Niagara, near Toronto<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxjINl4KqkeAYmxgBbBJILs2s-Vn8IUxg5nw1yh0ZWfTpHeeG3LzltgCHzoWUjF3AbFReUFD4lYlojF39TL4keGmt_ZarbXnebZEkSWuK1hmLHF7meCCRuWskQFBQoqGh1U5r-BSts20/s1600/niagara_falls_6_modifie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQxjINl4KqkeAYmxgBbBJILs2s-Vn8IUxg5nw1yh0ZWfTpHeeG3LzltgCHzoWUjF3AbFReUFD4lYlojF39TL4keGmt_ZarbXnebZEkSWuK1hmLHF7meCCRuWskQFBQoqGh1U5r-BSts20/s320/niagara_falls_6_modifie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Niagara Falls, cataract on the Niagara River in northeastern North America, one of the continent’s most famous spectacles. The falls lie on the border between Ontario, Can., and New York state, U.S. For many decades the falls were an attraction for honeymooners and for such stunts as walking over the falls on a tightrope or going over them in a barrel. Increasingly, however, the appeal of the site has become its beauty and uniqueness as a physical phenomenon.<br />
The falls are in two principal parts, separated by Goat Island. The larger division, adjoining the left, or Canadian, bank, is Horseshoe Falls; its height is 185 feet (56 metres), and the length of its curving crest line is about 2,200 feet (670 metres). The American Falls, adjoining the right bank, are 190 feet (58 metres) high and 1,060 feet (320 metres) across.<br />
<div class="hidenpost">The formation of the Niagara gorge (downriver) and the maintenance of the falls as a cataract depend upon peculiar geologic conditions. The rock strata from the Silurian Period (about 445 to 415 million years ago) in the Niagara gorge are nearly horizontal, dipping southward only about 20 feet per mile (almost 4 metres per km). An upper layer of hard dolomite is underlain by softer layers of shale. Water exerts hydrostatic pressure and only slowly dissolves the dolomite after infiltrating its joints. Dolomite blocks fall away as water from above infiltrates and rapidly erodes the shale at the falls itself. The disposition of the rock strata provides the conditions for keeping the water constantly falling vertically from an overhanging ledge during a long period of recession (movement upstream) of the cataract. As blocks of dolomite are undercut they fall off and are rapidly destroyed by the falling water, further facilitating the retreat of the falls and the maintenance of a vertical cataract.<br />
The water flowing over the falls is free of sediment, and its clearness contributes to the beauty of the cataract. In recognition of the importance of the waterfall as a great natural spectacle, the province of Ontario and the state of New York retained or acquired title to the adjacent lands and converted them into public parks.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUkN-itY7eiKuHdXgaaW3XwcCcA0IeMf9YaDwse4jjr6Yn2bkS4vF5zwiDztMHFcnFHq1e3V_g24Of4DWwhDKbnvnje5XbQ-e-NSukEiUbgqYIj1nVqjvdstlWTm7aJgEjh5QC0mQw2A/s1600/niagara_falls_9_modifie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUkN-itY7eiKuHdXgaaW3XwcCcA0IeMf9YaDwse4jjr6Yn2bkS4vF5zwiDztMHFcnFHq1e3V_g24Of4DWwhDKbnvnje5XbQ-e-NSukEiUbgqYIj1nVqjvdstlWTm7aJgEjh5QC0mQw2A/s320/niagara_falls_9_modifie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>In recent years the very large diversion of water above the falls for hydroelectric-power purposes has lessened the rate of erosion. Elaborate control works upstream from the falls have<br />
maintained an even distribution of flow across both the U.S. and Canadian cataracts, thereby preserving the curtains of the waterfalls. A large part of the great river above the falls is diverted and disappears into four great tunnels for use in the power plants downstream. Owing to concern over the possibility of major rockfalls, water was diverted from the American Falls in 1969, and some cementing of the bedrock was done; an extensive boring and sampling program was also carried out. River flow was returned to the American Falls in November of that year, and it was decided that safety measures for the viewing public should be implemented and that measures to stem natural processes were both too expensive and undesirable.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnaK6rbZ9VXI47bThe5o4nrCXzp47ITmM4Zk9YCEJ3qHanw8F4yPamYk-xYcDoKphYnMM8575D3Xg6sq-ZeGSyvA5xBwoGaDIwYXgfFgt_VAEgw7FVEHVxU9Bg-4rVhzoB4gp277XySY/s1600/niagara_falls_7_modifie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcnaK6rbZ9VXI47bThe5o4nrCXzp47ITmM4Zk9YCEJ3qHanw8F4yPamYk-xYcDoKphYnMM8575D3Xg6sq-ZeGSyvA5xBwoGaDIwYXgfFgt_VAEgw7FVEHVxU9Bg-4rVhzoB4gp277XySY/s320/niagara_falls_7_modifie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Excellent views of the falls are obtained from Queen Victoria Park on the Canadian side; from Prospect Point of the U.S. side at the edge of the American Falls; and from Rainbow Bridge, which spans the Niagara gorge about 1,000 feet (300 metres) downstream from Prospect Point. Visitors may cross from the U.S. shore to Goat Island by footbridge and may take an elevator to the foot of the falls and visit the Cave of the Winds behind the curtain of falling water. The Horseshoe Falls, which carry about 90 percent of the river’s discharge, receded upstream at an average rate of about 5.5 feet (1.7 metres) per year in 1842–1905. Thereafter, control works and the diversion of water decreased the erosion rate, which is presently so slow at the American Falls that large blocks of dolomite accumulate at the base of the falls, threatening to turn it into rapids.<br />
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<b>Location</b><br />
The Niagara falls is located 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York, 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.<br />
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<b>Historical Importance</b> <br />
In 1604, Frenchman Samuel de Champlain visited the area during his exploration of Canada. In 1677, the Belgian Father Louis Hennepin, observed and described the Falls after traveling with explorer René Robert Cavelier and Sieur de la Salle. In early 1700s, the Finnish-Swedish naturalist Pehr Kalm, explored the area and wrote his experience. Credible evidence says that French Jesuit Reverend Paul Ragueneau visited the falls some 35 years prior to Hennepin's visit.<br />
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<b>Nearby Attractions</b><br />
Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort<br />
It is a 2.5 million square foot complex that includes more than 3,000 slot machines and 150 gaming tables, a 368-room five-star hotel, fine-dining restaurants, 50,000 square feet of meeting/conference space, a health spa, a retail facility, and a 1,500-seat theatre.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIHBrxyijB3B5en97WRuJgcrdVV-JYsDYskJRG3tKYOXycBVhqfeYDdhcGhRH9GO14fmDIcx63lnh7P4ETcIeMh43igv4ft-WQSzbgZHMVKHSxnqtxgfiGQKti1cAfweTru7Se7rv6-U/s1600/niagara_falls_4_modifie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkIHBrxyijB3B5en97WRuJgcrdVV-JYsDYskJRG3tKYOXycBVhqfeYDdhcGhRH9GO14fmDIcx63lnh7P4ETcIeMh43igv4ft-WQSzbgZHMVKHSxnqtxgfiGQKti1cAfweTru7Se7rv6-U/s320/niagara_falls_4_modifie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Skylon Tower<br />
It offers a spectacular view 775 feet (236 meters) above Niagara Falls from its Observation Deck.<br />
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MAX Theatre Niagara Falls<br />
It offers the thunderous power of Niagara Falls from a heart-thumping perspective. The IMAX Theatre Niagara Falls features more than six-story high screen and 12,000 watts of floor shaking digital surround sound.<br />
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Marineland<br />
Marineland features park rides and marine shows that include beluga whales, killer whales, dolphins and other wildlife, such as deer and bears.<br />
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Butterfly Conservatory / Botanical Gardens<br />
The Butterfly Conservatory is part of the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens close to Niagara Falls. It has an indoor, climate-controlled facility that features a network of paths in a tropical rainforest setting where thousands of butterflies breed.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_qU6Sx-UfbuLsLVaSdNt7xKy24cmrJrPApyZsr1JC9GvYo6G3EZSQmHd-GeXIk3E3lFN-VqxBMd_cQJCCBl-k8-IKTfWEaM-SuKjqv-XAK4QsV790uVJTPNZXv_442Q7HxX4yVqZ1Uw/s1600/Wonderful-Niagara-Falls-Tourism-Object-USA-Beautiful-Waterfalls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_qU6Sx-UfbuLsLVaSdNt7xKy24cmrJrPApyZsr1JC9GvYo6G3EZSQmHd-GeXIk3E3lFN-VqxBMd_cQJCCBl-k8-IKTfWEaM-SuKjqv-XAK4QsV790uVJTPNZXv_442Q7HxX4yVqZ1Uw/s320/Wonderful-Niagara-Falls-Tourism-Object-USA-Beautiful-Waterfalls.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>How to reach<br />
By Air - Niagara Falls can be reached by Air and the nearest airports are Buffalo Niagara International Airport in Cheektowaga, New York.<br />
Toronto Pearson International Airport in Mississauga, Ontario. Hamilton/John C. Munro International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario. By Rail - Amtrak Station - Toronto and New York City<br />
By Road - Bus facilities are available from Greyhound Canada to Toronto and Buffalo and also from Coach Canada to Toronto and Buffalo.<br />
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There are taxis available from Buffalo, New York to Niagara Falls, Ontario and Toronto.<br />
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Souece:<a href="http://info.newkerala.com/">http://info.newkerala.com</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-73989631555267168632011-05-18T05:28:00.000-07:002011-05-18T05:28:55.079-07:00The amazonian virgin forest<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The amazonian virgin forest</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : Brazil – Peru</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : around the Amazonia river and its affluents</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-a7JliEtM-YMT7cIgG1IlnMvNci8UiEpZHak3Fvy7tmyxZy6bwu02TJZ2eN6vx-xmLcalF2dXch3b-7gerHxSQ5ImaQIHSp_cQMBszzNFn17eKz28Xn5_VuuEAC0i2ZMzseZHCubuILk/s1600/Amazon%25C3%25ADa+Peruana+1+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-a7JliEtM-YMT7cIgG1IlnMvNci8UiEpZHak3Fvy7tmyxZy6bwu02TJZ2eN6vx-xmLcalF2dXch3b-7gerHxSQ5ImaQIHSp_cQMBszzNFn17eKz28Xn5_VuuEAC0i2ZMzseZHCubuILk/s320/Amazon%25C3%25ADa+Peruana+1+1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Several truths that were considered more or less incontrovertible for several decades in the Amazon Rainforest were gradually changed into fallacies as a consequence of the changing social and economic context, new discoveries of natural resources and due to the development of new technologies. This phenomenon received a strong impulse in the last 20 years of Amazonian history. It is interesting to discuss these “truths” that were even established assumptions about the Amazon, since for a long time many of them served to justify conventional development, which brought us to the current situation of environmental disaster and, also, others served as arguments used by those who attempted to conserve the Amazon or to use it in a sustainable manner. These truths of bygone days that lost support in modern times should not be confused with those Amazonian myths, which were never more than just that, but that also contributed to form the current scenario</span><br />
<div class="hidenpost"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These truths or half truths of the past include the idea of a “vast Amazonian emptiness”, the incapacity of the soil to support farming and livestock breeding activities and the low contribution from this region towards national economy. Among the myths or near myths of old and today, some of the obvious ones to highlight are the concept of a “virgin land” and the idea of being “the lung of the world”, aside from the persistent notion that “neocolonial powers want to invade the Amazon”. One can also add to these the so-called importance of the forest resources for lumbering and the feasibility of sustainable management, as well as the much-promoted usefulness of the ecologic and economic zoning to organize the use of the territory. There are also a series of new realities that two decades ago were not taken seriously, such as urban concentrations in the Amazon, the evidence of global climate changes, the existence of an already considerable infrastructure, which is quickly growing, Brazil’s predominant role within the territories of neighboring Amazonian countries and, among others, the acknowledgement of major territories belonging to the indigenous people as well as a growing political function of the Indian population of the Amazon.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One cannot address in a single article, even less so with the necessary depth, so many complex themes. But one can make an attempt to explain them as an introduction to the subject, hoping that they will inform and encourage others to think more about this region which is being increasingly transformed and in a more intense manner.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amazonian emptiness, virgin territory and brave natives</span></b><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first theme is the one that refers to the so-called “Amazonian emptiness” and, by extension, to the “virgin land or forest” and of the existence of “brave natives”, today euphemistically referred to as “those who live in volunteer isolation”. To begin with, today we have many scientific evidences that show that the Amazon, including its plain, has supported human populations in much greater numbers than thought of hitherto, especially before the conquest of South America by the Spanish and Portuguese and that, according to several evidences, was already home to many cultures and civilizations which unexpectedly developed. Their disappearance, such as so many other tropical forest cultures on the planet, is and will continue to give rise to debates; however they do not dispel the notion that the Amazon never was an “empty space” and where these cultures had settled there was nothing close to resembling “virgin land”.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouhXMyjhaCH0POJntTB3KOqYdBBPFE_GpzppO_jMRuA64v_UokRkNorZ8er59UJ9u3MxFaa0RPZM5nSssn6PKxDOCeU5FUIuc_8rKBiTOWK63MPyxcTgnLWqjoorz_HR2FvHEePl072A/s1600/AMAZON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiouhXMyjhaCH0POJntTB3KOqYdBBPFE_GpzppO_jMRuA64v_UokRkNorZ8er59UJ9u3MxFaa0RPZM5nSssn6PKxDOCeU5FUIuc_8rKBiTOWK63MPyxcTgnLWqjoorz_HR2FvHEePl072A/s320/AMAZON.jpg" width="182" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Feeding these populations and producing a surplus that could enable cultural development and create a relationship with other cultures could only be achieved through significant impacts on nature. Another aspect is that after these civilizations were extinct, the forest recovered the spaces used, wiping away the more evident traces of their presence, but not all of them. On the other hand, the indigenous population of the Amazon that replaced the previous cultural developments, while in general was of a very low density, also occupied almost all of the territory based on the technique of rotation of planting fields and hunting, gathering and fishing areas. In the last two centuries, but especially in the last 50 years, the so-called “brave” natives disappeared and today we only have a few thousands which are now known as natives who live under a volunteer regime of isolation. In other words, in the Amazon there are no empty spaces, and no land which is truly virgin, or even less so, brave natives to be feared.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moreover, the Amazon considered as a forest, in other words, the portion covered by jungle, has undoubtedly lost more than 40% of its extension in the last 300 years. The older losses during colonial times and during the first century or more of independent life, not registered in the current deforestation measuring systems, were in the Andean mountains of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, between 4,000 and 2,000 meters above sea level, where the Andean population arrived to breed cattle extensively and to practice an itinerant form of agriculture which was inadequate for the topographic and ecologic reality of the region. Millions and millions of hectares of mountain slopes are today devoid of vegetation in mute testimony of such practices.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the last 50 years, especially in Brazil, but also in the other countries, attacks on the Amazon Rainforest occurred through the opening of deeper and deeper roads that bit into the forest with the pretext of ensuring national presence on the borders and to enable the territory for livestock breeding expansion and agriculture, as well as for the looting of valuable wood. According to the governments, experts in hiding the truth when it is convenient, this last stage of deforestation only means an average reduction (added to the historical one) of approximately 18% of woodlands. However, independent evaluations double these numbers and also show that governmental statistics and those of the United Nations that are their louder voice, carefully leave out information on the degradation of forests, which easily affects more than 60% of the woodlands that are still standing.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One must also add to these that the Amazonian population, although its density continues low, grew a great deal, representing almost 16% of Brazil’s population and more than 13% of Peru’s. The census of 2010 showed that there are 16 million people in the Brazilian Amazon. Aside from that, the Amazonian population is the one with the fastest annual growth in modern days.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In other words, actually, it’s not only false that the Amazon is a wide abandoned space consisting of virgin forest teeming with wild beasts and warrior natives, but it is also a lie that this region, seen as a forest, is as large as believed. However and curiously, this type of argument continues to be a major part of the speeches and proposals of ignorant or unscrupulous politicians, megalomaniac visionaries, ultranationalist geopoliticians and by businessmen that place their interests above those of the majority.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is sad to see that many still use the argument that the Amazon is the “lung of the world” to justify defending the Amazonian forest, but actually performing a very poor service in its cause. Impressively enough, this idea was scientifically discarded decades ago. The Amazon Rainforest, as many others, supplies many essential environmental services, such as carbon sequestering, but they are not primary producers of oxygen. Aside from that, the image used in this case is inadequate, because lungs do not expel oxygen out of the body. Actually, lungs compete for oxygen with the lungs of other air breathers. They capture oxygen from the air and make it available to the cells in the body or to the being to which they belong, in this case, figuratively speaking, the plants themselves that make up the Amazonian forest.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another thing is to speak of the forests in terms of the reality represented by the relatively new knowledge and their confirmation regarding the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere and, in this case, the proper role of woodlands such as the Amazonian one in sequestering carbon in the biomass and in the soil, which can compensate for emissions of this gas produced by human activities. This is, for sure, a weighty argument to keep the forest standing and free from any degradation, since, as it has been demonstrated by ecologists and economists, the cost of maintaining woodland is much smaller than the cost of avoiding air contamination or to reduce carbon levels in the forest. There are already businesses of this type underway, and many others will come, when finally international negotiations are concluded, which can still take a while, but that nonetheless points to an inevitable path to be followed. It has also been shown scientifically that to conserve the forest for carbon businesses can be a much more profitable endeavor than raising cattle in an extensive manner, as continues to be the practice in most of the deforested areas.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj452WKwH3COS-C0lUrmSkvogNVq4XzH3oiBong-x6Ng7Q-KNrpIWnd4NqzqFjyvjRkn0pnV_AeRy-64IehWQHeMU4QUAB_QnKknHxELuHQ6ST6bTHUqxSUkaAPZI9-lC4wK3gGEoz4DdI/s1600/brazilone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj452WKwH3COS-C0lUrmSkvogNVq4XzH3oiBong-x6Ng7Q-KNrpIWnd4NqzqFjyvjRkn0pnV_AeRy-64IehWQHeMU4QUAB_QnKknHxELuHQ6ST6bTHUqxSUkaAPZI9-lC4wK3gGEoz4DdI/s320/brazilone.jpg" width="300" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But to conserve the forest is not only an economically interesting prospect for carbon-based businesses. It is also attractive in order to ensure the regular functioning of the hydrologic regime and of other biochemical cycles, and obviously to maintain biological diversity. The issue of regular availability of water and its quality is a key issue with regard to social and economic themes. As it is well known, there are already many cities at the feet of Andean mountains in the Amazon that regularly suffer a serious lack of water and many other cities and townships are unable to find clean water due to the contamination caused by mining and oil exploitation activities. With regard to companies, many of them Brazilian, they contribute through mishandled environmental exploitations that deforest the Amazon in Andean countries, and also produce destruction and poverty in their own territory, causing successive floods and extreme droughts.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The quality of the soil for agriculture and ecologic and economic zoning</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the truths hardly discussed among edaphologists, ecologists and planners, including agronomists of 30 years ago, was that on the most part, the Amazon lacks a type of soil that is capable to support farming and livestock breeding activities in a sustainable manner. In the 1970’s, the most mentioned numbers pointed at just 3% suitable for agriculture alone, and that altogether only 10 to 11% of the region could support agriculture and livestock breeding. All the rest would only be suitable for forest covering whether for production or protection. This was the argument to preserve the major part of the territory or dedicate it only to careful forest exploitation, which obviously didn’t take place.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the percentage of land capable of being used for agricultural or livestock breeding purposes began to increase at every revision, based on the application of new criteria encouraged by the desire to expand occupation in the region, or if you prefer, colonization and, partially due to the new economic and technological variables. For example, the lack of phosphorus and an excess of aluminum and acidity, among other limitations, could be corrected if transportation were cheaper over good roads, if the market value of the products increased or if new phosphate and limestone deposits were found. Currently, this type of reasoning to avoid changing the use of the soil, in other words deforesting, has lost its legitimacy. This was clearly demonstrated with the quick occupation and successful agriculture economics of the cerrado (savannah) region in Brazil, which offers a soil which is not better than those found in the Amazon, and also with the current occupation of agriculture and livestock breeding in the portion of the Amazon that belongs to the states of Mato Grosso and Pará. Actually, as it is well known, one can cultivate in a sustainable manner almost anywhere, including in a spaceship. To do so is only a matter of need or one of cost. The technology exists and can go ahead a great deal more.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another idea belonging to the 1970’s is the one that refers to ecologic and economic zoning, a tropical version, actually Brazilian, of the European territorial ordering. Zoning uses, in the most part, information on the capacity of soil usage. It was applied in Rondônia, in the decade of 1980 and soon spread to the rest of Brazil in the following decades and was likewise exported to Andean Amazonian countries. There have been enough discussions on the need or usefulness of ordering the territory by employing information on the potential of soils, ecology, hydrology, population distribution, available natural resources and economic demands. It is also unnecessary to counter that zoning must be the result of a socialized process, under consultation and agreement and that can also be revised. All of this is obvious. But equally obvious, thirty years after it was implemented for the first time, consuming years of efforts by professionals and having spent fortunes to prepare colored maps and organized meetings to discuss it is that besides educating, the processes amounted to nothing. All and every one of the zoning exercises performed to this date offered transitory results and were of no help to avoid the chaotic occupation of territories where they were applied. The last episode took place in the state of Mato Grosso, in Brazil, where a lengthy, careful and agreed-upon zoning task turned into a circus of interests and ignorance on the part of legislators from Brazil’s Legislative Assembly in charge of approving it. Until now, the only territorial ordering that worked to some extent is the one that resulted from establishing protected areas, territories of indigenous people and those that established the proper ownership of properties.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhms098_6M9_SMqn8WFjLnBB_dNMTm-1wz0PnNA0yr8F6a9fw5UK4NvGIRtZdsi17eVGGeNmt2LNeE2sd786d_xb3z464hYts0DB1knxTv0vGYu3jo-gN4WQBhcZYBQsZ1aHAUe5SJAS4M/s1600/marc+amazonia+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhms098_6M9_SMqn8WFjLnBB_dNMTm-1wz0PnNA0yr8F6a9fw5UK4NvGIRtZdsi17eVGGeNmt2LNeE2sd786d_xb3z464hYts0DB1knxTv0vGYu3jo-gN4WQBhcZYBQsZ1aHAUe5SJAS4M/s320/marc+amazonia+1.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Marc Dourojeanni</b> was a professor and dean of the Forest College of the National Agrarian University of Lima, in Peru, and General Forest Director of that country. Currently, he is the President of the ProNaturaleza Foundation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source:<a href="http://www.oecoamazonia.com/">http://www.oecoamazonia.com</a></span><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-39556731068361962972011-05-18T04:55:00.000-07:002011-05-21T10:07:38.709-07:00The city of Angkor<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The city of Angkor</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : Cambodia</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : Siem Reap, north of the Tonle Sap lake</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih110Jmj-bwgpO8jS9r8ZYZepGFux71f1_sARJLbKiWUfYXn8Uid5dwEfIuPItsSfbnM-13XjD6r5ao6YZbCr4hUsyrT0zc1snpWUFniDgw74Ovs1vaqqulelCm7enVIs2fM1t-sPWnDg/s320/Angkor_wat_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the most popular tourist attractions in Cambodia is the ancient city of Angkor. The historic site is located approximately 200 miles north-west of the current capital city of Phnom Penh and is surrounded by jungle. The nearby town of Siem Riep has become a tourist destination on account of Angkor. The city of Angkor is filled with more than a thousand temples and other architectural accomplishments but the greatest sight is the temple of Angkor Wat.</span><br />
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Temples of Angkor Wat</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many of the temples of the area are Buddhist, but Angkor Wat is a Hindu temple dedicated to the God Vishnu. The temple is surrounded by a moat and encompasses an area of 1,500m by 1,300m (approximately 1 square mile). There are numerous smaller buildings that make up the Angkor Wat compound, and there is elaborate sculpture and carving on every surface. The bas-relief carvings show scenes from mythology, ancient battles, and other aspects of Khmer life. The 5 rounded towers give the temple a distinctive profile. Angkor Wat took 37 years to complete with a work force of more than 50,000 men. During the rule of the Khmer Rouge, most of the monks who lived in the temples were killed but the buildings themselves have remained for the most part, untouched.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Origins of Angkor Wat</b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The history of the region begins with the Funan civilization that arose in the first century A.D. The Angkor period began in 802 A.D when King Jayavarman II returned from exile in Java to reclaim his throne. He founded his capital as the city of Angkor. The city flourished and grew, but the temple of Angkor Wat was not built for another 200 years. It was Suryavarman II who had the Hindu temple constructed as his own burial shrine. Later ruler, Jayavarman VII continued building at Angkor and created countless monuments, shrines and temples within the city. So many years of construction has created a vast complex of sandstone buildings, often compared to the massive construction projects seen in ancient Egypt.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Abandoned, then Rediscovered</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Angkor was abandoned in the mid 1400s when the Thai armies invaded. With few records surviving from that time, there are no solid facts as to the historical events that took place. It's believed that the capital was moved to Phnom Penh around 1434.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ruins of Angkor Wat were rediscovered in 1860 by a French botanist, Henri Mouhot, who was exploring the Cambodian jungles. This lost civilization was of great interest to Western archaeologists and historians who flocked to the site to learn more about the Khmer. Before the ruins were found, even the locals thought the existence of the temple city was likely a myth. Some who had seen the city said that it had been built by the Gods themselves.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, Angkor Wat temple is considered the largest religious structure in the world, and has been named a world heritage site. Restoration is ongoing, though unexploded land mines left over from the civil war are hindering efforts.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">source :<a href="http://www.suite101.com/">http://www.suite101.com</a></span></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-3168342563984901682011-05-18T04:30:00.000-07:002011-05-21T10:07:18.001-07:00The great coral reef<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><strong>The great coral reef</strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">country : Australia</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">place : offshore, north-east of the country</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuDnhfw3EqcqyUibrUAmGAzOylNrMzSKjBXk9goxQDAbhSJFJKXsb-U9La-3pqqkUEFA6sc-F3UuFsTZlKKm4vNvsa8PMzL8zBKZfyc9H6hwsP_KjIhMe8om-ChzGAgaBOG7DymZH3oDY/s320/grande_barriere_de_corail_2.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Great Barrier Reef is the only living organic collective visible from Earth's orbit. The Great Barrier Reef, off the east coast of Australia, is one of the wonders of the natural world - it is the world's largest coral reef ecosystem. It was declared a World Heritage area in 1981 and added to the National Heritage List in 2007.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The reef is scattered with beautiful islands and idyllic coral cays and covers more than 300,000 square kilometres. The Great Barrier Reef system consists of more than 3000 reefs which range in size from 1 hectare to over 10,000 hectares in area. Dunk Island is one of more than 600 islands of the Great Barrier Reef.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Human activity in the Reef areas has led to increased pollutants and the reef has suffered damage. Protecting the Reef is the responsibility of the Marine Park Authority. In 2003, the previous Australian Government and Queensland Governments, in partnership with a wide range of industry and community groups, developed the Reef Water Quality Protection Reef Plan (the Reef Plan) as a combined effort to protect the Reef.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of particular concern is wetlands - which have decreased by over 50 per cent since European settlement. The Great Barrier Reef Coastal Wetlands Protection Program is developing measures for the long term conservation and management of priority wetlands.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW43F5emWWGkiLISeD97UZxbpArWTH4Q6-7sq-3hAOQn8FKTHlOsjYlIE2_Gkytd8Cbla0wnsiCX9LhmThrKcOERDpshGSCU_cXbIkXiTOz1y1i7ZI0gvzw-9nEg9y4XXK5AVL7B4jaoQ/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW43F5emWWGkiLISeD97UZxbpArWTH4Q6-7sq-3hAOQn8FKTHlOsjYlIE2_Gkytd8Cbla0wnsiCX9LhmThrKcOERDpshGSCU_cXbIkXiTOz1y1i7ZI0gvzw-9nEg9y4XXK5AVL7B4jaoQ/s320/images.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The coral</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Corals make up the various reefs and cays. These are the basis for the great variety of sea and animal life in the Reef. Coral consists of individual coral polyps - tiny live creatures which join together to form colonies. Each polyp lives inside a shell of aragonite, a type of calcium carbonate which is the hard shell we recognise as coral. The polyps join together to create forests of coloured coral in interesting fan, antler, brain and plate shapes.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ideal environment for coral is shallow warm water where there is a lot of water movement, plenty of light, where the water is salty and low in nutrients. There are many different types of coral, some are slow growing and live to be hundreds of years old, others are faster growing. The colours of coral are created by algae. Only live coral is coloured. Dead coral is white.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the greatest dangers to the habitat is the Crown of Thorns starfish. Since the 1960s the Crown of Thorns has been destroying the corals which make up the reef. Crown of Thorns outbreaks go through a series of stages which can take from 1 to 15 years. The impact of a Crown of Thorns infestation on sea and bird life can be significant as the corals die.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7PiTL84b9lb7hv6Zkggq0v6_eA2DKgV6YWjTAkSh3jNu8MmnZQuSWq1-xjXE_zHvSs-oN622FZeUXmrCzWOD5bniy-Y30NMQpRVUL-f2l8-GYsBsYebs8IDxsXBNLAHjoybNjmccFleI/s1600/great_barrier_reef_022537_ttdb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7PiTL84b9lb7hv6Zkggq0v6_eA2DKgV6YWjTAkSh3jNu8MmnZQuSWq1-xjXE_zHvSs-oN622FZeUXmrCzWOD5bniy-Y30NMQpRVUL-f2l8-GYsBsYebs8IDxsXBNLAHjoybNjmccFleI/s320/great_barrier_reef_022537_ttdb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another scourge of the reef is bleaching, where corals have died in large numbers. This phenomenon is not exclusive to Queensland's Great Barrier Reef, but has been observed on reefs throughout the world. It is thought the bleaching has been caused by rises in water temperature related to the El Nino effect, although the evidence is not conclusive.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The coral has, over the years, brought many ships to grief including Captain James Cook's ship Endeavour. One of the most famous wrecks is that of the HMS Pandora , which foundered in 1791. The Queensland Museum has been leading archaeological digs to the Pandora since 1983 and its most recent was completed in February 1999. There are 30 shipwreck sites known in the marine park.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsRXMQnLMxGWMvjmjTETeBBSLyp6MEbGzJlOit1RVyhD6cjvbTJ9ao9R7u-vGmMsywv-51pfhar8q2ZzI0rLmkY6ncr18SiFZ4KAjldLNMkay4VnZvdVL2VOseKFe0PpYuq0I0pp2rOQ/s1600/great-barrier-reef1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsRXMQnLMxGWMvjmjTETeBBSLyp6MEbGzJlOit1RVyhD6cjvbTJ9ao9R7u-vGmMsywv-51pfhar8q2ZzI0rLmkY6ncr18SiFZ4KAjldLNMkay4VnZvdVL2VOseKFe0PpYuq0I0pp2rOQ/s320/great-barrier-reef1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The habitat</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The World Heritage Area hosts many habitats or native environments where animals and plants naturally live. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Different degrees of protection are provided for different habitats in the World Heritage Area. One of the main aims of the Reef Plan is to maintain biodiversity within the larger ecosystem of the Reef as well as different habitats to help sustain the biodiversity of species and population levels.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Great Barrier Reef area abounds with wildlife, including dugong and green turtles, varieties of dolphins and whales, more than 1500 species of fish, 4000 types of mollusc and more than 200 species of bird life.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvDxqPwSCR07sLrhhWfLTB3OLU5Vd3DOBlKhcvRXFVO8CSs8-CCaNhpzmE9uvcrnJC87pQNe4-aUwNRxZbDRqRQPNzt069d2EdHVrcrz48zKo3ltA4ULdDhJkvAfdsA8r8u4CXMr5_5s/s1600/great-barrier-reef.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvDxqPwSCR07sLrhhWfLTB3OLU5Vd3DOBlKhcvRXFVO8CSs8-CCaNhpzmE9uvcrnJC87pQNe4-aUwNRxZbDRqRQPNzt069d2EdHVrcrz48zKo3ltA4ULdDhJkvAfdsA8r8u4CXMr5_5s/s320/great-barrier-reef.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, in 2006 it was reported that over the last 40 years, 'numbers of nesting loggerhead turtles have declined by between 50 percent and 80 percent; and 'estimates of dugong</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">populations ... indicate that they are currently only about 3 percent of what they were in the early 1960s'.</span><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tourism</span></b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">More than two million people visit the reef each year generating more than $AU2 billion in tourism dollars, making tourism a major earner for the north-eastern Australian economy. Tourists are carried to the reef system by more than 500 commercial vessels, and tourism is permitted through nearly all the Park.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of the Reef is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and various parts of it are protected in certain ways. For example, fishing is restricted in some areas and particular animals - like whales, dolphins, green turtles and dugong - are protected.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxYPtPmElt6ARFX4WD6jMXf-3uHgNpFT1QY9RCYVGnUMRrH5Udl_deg9FT32lLFbrfbf8p2GDw8u7Acbmg_vfTAOj_564egs-LemdmZzx981aAUp-zY_SZkNEEgrMSS4MbKoWwsNyinU/s1600/grenada_011p.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQxYPtPmElt6ARFX4WD6jMXf-3uHgNpFT1QY9RCYVGnUMRrH5Udl_deg9FT32lLFbrfbf8p2GDw8u7Acbmg_vfTAOj_564egs-LemdmZzx981aAUp-zY_SZkNEEgrMSS4MbKoWwsNyinU/s400/grenada_011p.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tourism may also have a negative impact, with fragile corals broken by reef walking, dropped anchors or by boats dropping fuel and other sorts of pollution. Even the number of people in the water with the associated run-off of sweat and suntan lotions may well have a negative impact on the fragile reef environment.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before visiting the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, it is important you study the zoning map for the area you are visiting to be sure of the activities that you can do and where you can do them.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Marine Park Authority also recognises the need to protect the cultural and heritage values held by traditional owners. Since 2004, Indigenous traditional owners and government agencies are working together in relation to the traditional use of marine resources</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">source:<a href="http://australia.gov.au/">http://australia.gov.au</a></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-2368226441900705232011-05-18T03:40:00.000-07:002011-05-18T06:44:52.049-07:00The Victoria waterfalls<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Victoria waterfalls</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : Zimbabwe – Zambia</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : border between the two countries</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesSeUptm0yqhd1J_h5WPkGZVu8nOjN2a26tCPldr1tN2Lsf4OG1PzRHDisPFlRhqN_4lMR8P1ry54iBJl8x9jCAs6pAE59aKcI4X7Zs8HP06iVdwkyMqKbtZTxz0TuCPsHenLEbGrN78/s320/victoria_falls_5.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Victoria Falls is one of the most spectacular natural wonders of the world - hence its almost universal appeal to travellers. The mighty Zambezi flows broad and placid to the brink of a 1700m wide basalt lip before taking a headlong 100 metre plunge into the thunderous,frothy chasm of the gorge below. This is the world's largest sheet of falling water.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those with the courage, the rapids immediately downstream offer some of the most terrifying white water rafting and riverboarding for the novice or those with more experience, anywhere in the world - the Colorado pales by comparison.</span><br />
<div class="hidenpost"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bungi jumpers scream down 111 metres off the Victoria Falls bridge - until recently, the world's highest commercial bungee jump.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Oj0eUeUnhsSODkV33SvC1B17vK8Qk_SzCtLGgdl00i8PSvr0hzW7bWc6H7hbHLH3GosYerzUpD6pOLAjPurWIxDD8MKVwCO0fmeipeUZ4Sq03ENdzZQUpnoJT3N-s5hexW8L1Og9h4M/s1600/vic-falls-bridge1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Oj0eUeUnhsSODkV33SvC1B17vK8Qk_SzCtLGgdl00i8PSvr0hzW7bWc6H7hbHLH3GosYerzUpD6pOLAjPurWIxDD8MKVwCO0fmeipeUZ4Sq03ENdzZQUpnoJT3N-s5hexW8L1Og9h4M/s320/vic-falls-bridge1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't be mistaken by the hype:</span><br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">20 years ago Victoria Falls had just less than 100 permanent European residents</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">100 years ago it had just less than 30</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Historically Victoria Falls was only "discovered" by David Livingstone 5 generations ago [November 1855].</span></li>
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5Pv5EkrqxkeTNPLUwWQ1Rcv9sjOBrYILT2TPvT1QB17jcvvXX0z8hyssma5_u9DStTm51ERgkX_79x7Jv3owfdxGi8d7xzIZcZ_QGPcy4JISpa-wugdiH1zkVjUF_nm_f_GRuOYc5I8/s1600/zah_victoria-falls-aerial_b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5Pv5EkrqxkeTNPLUwWQ1Rcv9sjOBrYILT2TPvT1QB17jcvvXX0z8hyssma5_u9DStTm51ERgkX_79x7Jv3owfdxGi8d7xzIZcZ_QGPcy4JISpa-wugdiH1zkVjUF_nm_f_GRuOYc5I8/s320/zah_victoria-falls-aerial_b1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, Victoria Falls remains as evocative a destination as it did to the hunters, surveyors, explorers and missionaries of the 19th Century.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, the wanderlust is the same, the pursuits are slightly different, it serves as a primary safari gateway to Southern Africa, offers gentle safari activities above the Falls including game viewing, bird watching and fishing and adrenalin filled activities below.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">source: <a href="http://www.zambezi.com/">http://www.zambezi.com</a></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-4033064764751648802011-05-18T01:36:00.000-07:002011-05-19T11:21:49.678-07:00The big wall of China<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><b>The big wall of China</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">country : China</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">place : north-east of the country, along Inner Mongolia</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZBmNPRCEOBvIS9KtKlPEGt438DEd6WjlSUTsVqWTuko9rHKtCdgUY5sMix_vpQG9TXm1pDT5zZhzcf6XPTAlmGrlqL9uy14O5jnLhSCX1iqzk0GpvEyvF3quo9lr5wFRjY_cPTWi4ZA/s320/Great_Wall_of_China.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago, by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty (221 B.C - 206 B.C.). In Chinese the wall is called "Wan-Li Qang-Qeng" which means 10,000-Li Long Wall (10,000 Li = about 5,000 km).</span><br />
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<div class="hidenpost"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After subjugating and uniting China from seven Warring States, the emperor connected and extended four old fortification walls along the north of China that originated about 700 B.C. (over 2500 years ago). Armies were stationed along the wall as a first line of defense against the invading nomadic Hsiung Nu tribes north of China (the Huns). Signal fires from the Wall provided early warning of an attack.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Great Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed. It stretches across the mountains of northern China, winding north and northwest of Beijing. It is constructed of masonry, rocks and packed-earth. It was over 5,000 km (=10,000 Li) long. Its thickness ranged from about 4.5 to 9 meters (15 to 30 feet) and was up to 7.5 meters (25 feet) tall.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall was enlarged to 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles) and renovated over a 200 year period, with watch-towers and cannons added.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Great Wall can be seen from Earth orbit, but, contrary to legend, is not visible from the moon, according to astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Jim Irwin. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">source: <a href="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/">http://www.enchantedlearning.com</a></span></span></span><br />
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">country : Jordania</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">place : south-west of the country, near Israel</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJunNRSsN4v4Tvq82ofvUcfU2yqKr9M1cTRpN78gOdus64-h4NFbT1hJL7b9csDscJLpT0q4B4XvbHk8ucsYDTLDUAKYEMWqSdYuxVeOVEjZzyrDjOApcjwvadX7iJtrCRkSvfBKdmmfA/s320/Petra.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">A legend, a marvel, a Wonder-with-a-capital-W; Petra is one of the world’s truly unique sites. The capital of the Nabatean trading empire, this city must have been one of the ancient world’s richest cities. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Most of us have seen the famous photo of the rose-pink Khazneh (Treasury) façade as glimpsed from the narrow entry passage called the Siq…..if not, please rent Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade! What the film doesn’t tell you is that this is only the first of hundreds of carved facades you will encounter inside the ancient city center.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The greater part of ancient Petra is still unexcavated, which gives us decades worth of exciting discoveries still in store. What has already been revealed is enough to make you wonder how you’re ever going to describe it to friends and family once you get home.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">“Queen of the Caravan Cities,” Petra in its most famous incarnation was the capital city of a Nabatean Empire which stretched from the Saudi deserts through Damascus. Many of the ancient world’s trade routes included a mandatory stop in Petra. The Nabateans, who probably descended from tribal nomads of Arabia, were hydrology geniuses. Their remarkable skills in locating, trapping and storing water in a desert clime gave them a monopoly over the one item absolutely essential to caravan trade. Laden camels can safely move about three days between drink-stops, so the society that managed to own the franchise on all the water stops in the desert could—and did—set their own terms when it came time to tank up the camels. Some archaeologists hypothesize that the Nabateans may have laid claim to roughly 1/3 of all the caravan’s trade goods in return for providing water, supplies and safe passage for the caravans. If this estimate is even half right, you’re still talking some serious customs fees.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBrjodk8766HnpQrSZamwJgw7AkeQi9ePmuEwJ2pYbCy7gg8W294GL61SqAHbZX2fVWd6xRbj565ZLJZAkOFm20FkKUv55SIFBauMwtla2hRQU82B7m6xQ6Dv5Alk7YLlAxr56zPXEqc/s1600/petra__petra_city_galleryfull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBrjodk8766HnpQrSZamwJgw7AkeQi9ePmuEwJ2pYbCy7gg8W294GL61SqAHbZX2fVWd6xRbj565ZLJZAkOFm20FkKUv55SIFBauMwtla2hRQU82B7m6xQ6Dv5Alk7YLlAxr56zPXEqc/s320/petra__petra_city_galleryfull.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Petra was the crowning glory of this wealthy people. Using the caravan wealth, and drawing on artistic influences from throughout the ancient world, the Nabateans literally carved out an impressive home base from the rosy sandstone mountains which surround the ancient city center. Grand facades ornamented burial caves, triclinia and temples. The free-standing buildings which have more recently been excavated show the same sort of multi-cultural richness in design and execution. On the site of the Great Temple, for instance, archaeologists have discovered a number of large, elegantly-carved elephant-head column capitals. A Nabatean home excavated by a Swiss team revealed a very high standard of living-floors completely covered with imported marble, walls covered with intricate frescoes of architectural design, a private family bath complex with cold, warm and hot rooms, and massive private storage wells for water and olive oil.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">The sandstone mountains from which and on which Petra was carved are themselves worth a trip. The whorls and bands of colors are a feast for the eyes, sort of like a modernist painting. Some of the local tourist guides claim that there are more than 200 colors in the sandstone, and it’s an easy figure to believe. Local artisans have capitalized on this wealth of raw materials, and will be happy to produce a Petra sand bottle for you complete with your name, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">an intricate camel caravan or other colorful design. (One of the most interesting experiences when traveling around Jordan is to run into a road construction project—the marvelous colors revealed when the bulldozers go to work is definitely a photo opportunity!)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">It is thought that the Nabateans moved into Petra sometime during the 4th Century BC, gradually taking over the Edomite settlements which had occupied hilltops inside Petra and on adjacent mountains. Until the end of the 1st Century AD Petra was the capital of the independent Nabatean Empire, an empire with trade and marriage ties throughout the Mediterranean world. Nabateans don’t figure largely in texts on ancient history because they weren’t particularly keen on warfare, preferring to pay indemnities to retain their independence. In 106 AD, Trajan annexed Petra to the Roman empire as the Province of Arabia, and thereafter a Roman governor was appointed to oversee affairs of the city and the province. In 395 Petra became a Byzantine city with the division of the Roman Empire. Besides carving crosses inside many of the ancient tombs to create instant churches, the Byzantine denizens also built several more elaborate churches and cathedrals. The Petra Cathedral in the city center has a wonderful mosaic floor, and documents found in a workshop adjacent to the cathedral site are giving archaeologists new insights into the daily lives and domestic affairs of the Byzantine Nabateans. But by the middle of the 7th Century, when the Islamic conquest swept out of Arabia, the ancient site of Petra had become a haunted, haunting site occupied by nomadic herders. Shifting trade routes and a greater reliance on maritime trade had led to the site’s abandonment. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Between the 7th and 19th centuries, Petra remained a city of legend “lost” to Western cultures. It was not truly lost, of course. The Bedouin herders and local farmers knew it was there. So too did the Crusaders, who planted a castle and a fortress on two of the peaks surrounding the ancient city center. Determined pilgrims of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all made occasional pilgrimage to the peak of Petra’s tallest mountain, Jabal Harun (Aaron’s Mount, or the Biblical Mount Hor), which was believed to be the burial place of Aaron, brother of Moses. But as histories tended to focus on the ancient civilizations famed for conquests, literary works and philosophical discourses, memories of the peaceable Nabateans, who left few written records, faded to little more than the odd references in Greek, Roman and Egyptian rolls of trade and travel.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLTyK6YfOhmKHX7eHDGwoidZe4Eb1c1COXWyRNN160sZRczNPvjKM0j0QBSuOrwZL9WEwDIMygLc1saUaLv5C4USfwr09UsTq8sR_CyaY3GPZe60IsxtJ-m-k0IBs348rUymtXin3hjY/s1600/jordan_petra01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLTyK6YfOhmKHX7eHDGwoidZe4Eb1c1COXWyRNN160sZRczNPvjKM0j0QBSuOrwZL9WEwDIMygLc1saUaLv5C4USfwr09UsTq8sR_CyaY3GPZe60IsxtJ-m-k0IBs348rUymtXin3hjY/s320/jordan_petra01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">In 1812 Johann Burckhardt, an eccentric Swiss explorer, set out to “re-discover” the ruins of Petra. Realizing that the local tribes were suspicious of outsiders seeking to find buried treasure, he invented a pretext of wishing to visit the area to pray at the tomb of Aaron. A local guide was appointed to conduct Burckhardt through the hidden passageway and across the ancient city center to the top of Jabal Harun. Along the way, the guide cheerfully pointed to the dramatic carved facades and crumbling free-standing buildings, giving the folkloric names for different sights along the way. These names survive today. The “Khazneh” (Treasury), because local legend held that the urn atop the façade was filled with the gold Moses brought out of Egypt. (This explains why the urn is pockmarked with bullet holes left by Bedouin hoping to break the urn and release the treasure.) The “Qasr al Bint” temple (Palace of the Princess) because the large building must surely have been the home of Pharaoh’s daughter. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Shortly after Burckhardt’s ‘pilgrimage,’ a steady trickle of 19th century explorers wandered through Petra. Some of them, most famously David Roberts of the Royal Academy, captured their visions of the place in sketches and paintings. The organized touring parties and archaeologists were not far behind, drawn by the majestic facades and colorful local inhabitants. By the first decade of the 20th Century, serious archaeological work had begun on the site.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Agatha Christie and her archaeologist husband Max Mallowan made the journey to Petra in the early 1930’s. Her two-day overland trip from Jerusalem is wonderfully described in the Hercule Poirot mystery Appointment with Death. In those days, visitors could elect to camp in tents or lodge in furnished caves at the center of the ruins, where the Basin Restaurant and an archaeological expedition house now stand. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Petra continued to be a lodestone for the more adventurous traveler, for the archaeologist and for the artist, but until the 1960’s facilities to accommodate visitors were very basic. In 1963 the Jordanian government opened the Petra Rest House, with 12 rooms, to house visitors beside the entrance to the site. Today’s Petra Guest House, managed by the Crowne Plaza chain, has grown up around these original rooms, and the Nabatean tomb at the location is now the Cave Bar, a popular-but-noisy night spot. In 1982 a second hotel, the Petra Forum, was opened beside the Rest House. This brought the available hotel rooms to around 100, and several enterprising citizens opened backpacker hotels in the town of Wadi Musa, the modern city outside the antiquities site. Still, facilities to accommodate overnight visitors were limited and basic. This is probably the reason why many Jordan touring programs—even today—offer only a one-night or two-night stay in Petra or, even worse, a one-day trip from Amman.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Times have changed, though, both inside and outside Petra. Outside the site there are something like 2,000 hotel rooms available—everything from backpacker-budget to first class hotels. Many of the hotels are clustered around the Petra entry gate, and a string of hotels also line the scenic road to the nearby village of Taybet. Within the town of Wadi Musa budget travelers will find many small hotels offering basic accommodations and (usually) basic prices to match. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">That’s all good news, because the inside of Petra has changed just as dramatically. Every year excavations proceed. Archaeologists from Jordan, the US, the UK, Finland, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Japan, France and probably other countries we’ve forgotten to mention have projects in different parts of Petra and the surrounding countryside. Amazing things are uncovered every year, and still experts estimate that little more than 30% of the site has been properly investigated. So plan on staying awhile….there are marvels around every corner. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">A personal testimonial—I (Wendy—see the ‘about us’ page) first arrived in Petra in the summer of 1992. It was tremendous, fascinating, revelatory—the experience that set my life on a new course. But the Petra I saw in 1992 is nothing like the Petra you’ll see today, and most of the difference is on the plus side of the column. Take the Siq, for instance. The level of the Siq floor is now some 3-4 meters lower than it was in those days, because excavators have worked their way down to the Roman paving stones. Along the way, they uncovered wonderful “murals” carved into the walls, niches to hold Nabatean god-symbols, and an amazing complex of water channels and rain-capture channels which helped nourish the gardens and fountains of the Nabatean capital.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Another very noticeable change is in the very center of the site, the hillsides lying on either side of the Roman Colonnaded Street which ran through the heart of Petra. When I first saw them, these were simply hillsides. Nowadays you’ll explore temples, the Cathedral, and the extensive Great Temple complex with its temples, garden and pool complex, Odeon and other intriguing features. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">When planning your stay, you should also remember that the strategic importance of Petra (plenty of water, easily defended, good arable land) was not a Nabatean invention. Petra and the surrounding area have been inhabited for over 9,000 years. A ring of pre-pottery Neolithic sites surround Petra, including the famed Baidha site identified as one of the world’s earliest agricultural settlements. You don’t have to be a specialist to appreciate the village. You’ll be surprised to note its many similarities to 17th-18th Century Bedouin villages.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">In the Iron Age Petra was a part of the Edomite Kingdom. An Edomite village (6th Century BC) atop Um al Biyara was excavated in the early 1960’s by Crystal Bennett, a British archaeologist. No evidence of an 8th Century BC settlement was found, but local legend persists in identifying this as the town of Sela, whose inhabitants Moses’ wandering Israelites fought, defeated and tossed off the hilltop when they failed to offer hospitality. (The more probable location for this massacre was the hilltop above the modern village of Boseira, an hour's drive north of Petra along the King's Highway.)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">As the capital city of a vast trading empire, Petra was surrounded by suburbs, customs points, watering stations, garrisons and other accoutrements of Life in the Big City. There are carved facades, temples, cisterns and other remnants of civilization throughout the town of Wadi Musa and the neighboring countryside. It’s impossible to plant a garden in Wadi Musa without finding coins, beads or shards of the wafer-thin Nabatean pottery.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Several years ago, the public works department engaged in a massive series of projects to lay new pipelines for fresh and waste water throughout the town. The Department of Antiquities appointed Dr. Khairia Amro, an experienced archaeologist, to follow the bulldozers and graders around. As she can tell you, it quickly became apparent that the entire region is riddled with walls, roadways, ancient waterworks, temples and artifacts of every era. The countryside around Petra offers plenty of opportunities for daily voyages of discovery, at least for the traveler who is not on a tight schedule.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">No discussion of Petra would be complete without mention of the modern inhabitants of the area. Whether they’re descendents of the Nabateans or not (imagine lively scholarly argument on this subject), they have retained the Nabatean trait of welcoming travelers from around the world. While farming and herding are still commonplace, the residents of Wadi Musa, Um Sehun, Amareen village and Taybet are essentially a company town, devoted to the single industry of tourism.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">There are several interesting consequences. The most noticeable is a sort of cosmopolitan laissez-faire atmosphere. These people accept and even understand foreign visitors and their (odd) customs. While firmly living themselves in a very traditional, very tribal society, they nonetheless manage to share with their guests hospitality and a genuine warmth without either being judgmental or abandoning their own beliefs and customs.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Another is an amazing facility for languages. Inside Petra, you may well fall in love with the charming Bedouin children selling rocks and well-aged forgeries of ancient coins. Watch these kids in action and you’ll hear them chattering away to visitors in English, French, German, Italian, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish…..formidable, or formidable, depending on the group they’re talking to.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">In this security-conscious age, it’s also worthwhile to mention a third ramification. People around Petra depend on tourism, and are fiercely determined to see it continue. As a result, you have a watchful and resourceful security force, dedicated to keeping things quiet and safe. When you stack this homegrown "neighborhood watch" guard force atop Jordan’s already admirable public security measures, you have a comfortable wall of protection.</span><br />
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</span></div><div style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;">Source: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.petramoon.com/">http://www.petramoon.com</a></span></span></div></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-22946576746706450742011-05-15T23:47:00.000-07:002011-05-21T10:07:02.443-07:00Migrating animals in the Serengeti park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b>Migrating animals in the Serengeti park</b><br />
country : Tanzania<br />
place : north of the country, east of Victoria lake<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIQdr56DY6Pgos5Nb4sM1YUkkxCNOcfpVoGNcMVvf2fg3t8SLX4sFxPK3xjgPN45dNJmuL7LEm4_HF-OfXgP8RaXZSWDEzlyGI-2q9wONfMxRahYNPM8MxvEZS4zFQsYgu4osh8dcsoU/s1600/serengeti+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIQdr56DY6Pgos5Nb4sM1YUkkxCNOcfpVoGNcMVvf2fg3t8SLX4sFxPK3xjgPN45dNJmuL7LEm4_HF-OfXgP8RaXZSWDEzlyGI-2q9wONfMxRahYNPM8MxvEZS4zFQsYgu4osh8dcsoU/s320/serengeti+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>UNESCO has declared Serengeti National Park as one of the WORLD HERITAGE SITE. Serengeti is one of the most unique wilderness areas of the world, fantastic in its natural beauty and unequalled in it's scientific value. This park is a vast expanse of land with a large concentration of plains animals. It also contains a wide variety of bird-life inhabiting a diversity of habitat and vegetation. One of the most unique remarkable scenes is the annual migration of wildebeest, zebras, giraffe, gazelle, buffalo and other plains animals. As the herds move to new grazing ground, they are followed by predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals and hunting dogs waiting for weak prey while vultures soar overhead waiting for their share of the kill.<br />
<div class="hidenpost">Size: 14,763 Sq. Km. --as big as Northern Ireland or Connecticut-USA. Serengeti is the most popular wildlife sanctuary in the world. Serengeti's low vegetation means that game viewing is relatively easy. It varies from grass plains in the south, Savannah with scattered acacia trees in the center, hilly wooded grassland in the north, to extensive woodland and black clay plains to the west. There are many small rivers, lakes and swamps and "kopjes" scattered about. Animals live in absolute freedom on endless plains.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XoD1j1ozlAf5e7ZEFVl_evTBYc6zsQ4paSwz6c0sVCk8n71_v89tNTPcZlVnaTfunZEzln3HSOdOK8N113gekY4eOjXXDyrVPSwPNxzOiXorBJdHwZQfhbqce4JGXTLN9p-moPnkKfY/s1600/Wildebeests-and-zebras-start-their-annual-migration-known-as-gnus-at-Serengeti-National-Park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2XoD1j1ozlAf5e7ZEFVl_evTBYc6zsQ4paSwz6c0sVCk8n71_v89tNTPcZlVnaTfunZEzln3HSOdOK8N113gekY4eOjXXDyrVPSwPNxzOiXorBJdHwZQfhbqce4JGXTLN9p-moPnkKfY/s320/Wildebeests-and-zebras-start-their-annual-migration-known-as-gnus-at-Serengeti-National-Park.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The Serengeti Migration The endless plains of east Africa are the setting for the world’s greatest wildlife spectacle - the 1.5 million animal ungulate (wildebeest) migration.From the vast Serengeti plains to Masai Mara (Kenya). Over 1.4 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra and gazelle, relentlessly tracked by Africa’s great predators, migrate in a clockwise fashion over 1,800 miles each year in search of rain ripened grass.<br />
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There is no real beginning or end to a wildebeest's journey. Its life is an endless pilgrimage, a constant search for food and water. The only beginning is at the moment of birth. An estimated 400,000 wildebeest calves are born during a six week period early each year - usually between late January and mid-March. This spectacle takes place in Serengeti National Park / Ngorongoro Conservation Area.<br />
Even discounting the migration the Serengeti is superb. But the migration puts the park in a league of its own. It is, quite simply, the greatest wildlife show on Earth. Two million animals at times, mostly wildebeest and zebras, moving around an ecosystem 25,000 sq. km. in area, almost as big as the state of Massachusetts. But a lot wilder.<br />
At its most spectacular the Serengeti migration is one of the few experiences that really justify the word “awesome”, but to see it you have to know where and when to go, and it isn’t as predictable as some people might think, though over a period it does follow a fairly regular pattern. We will assume on this web-site that we are talking of a typical year – but just remember that wildebeests and zebras don’t use the Internet...<br />
There is no beginning or end to the migration but we’ll imagine it all starts with the onset of the “rainy season” (don’t be put off by this expression as the “green season”, as it is now often called, is a lovely time of year and usually nowhere near as wet or dismal as it sounds). The rains tend to begin around mid-November, when the big herds start to file into the south-eastern short-grass plains, around Naabi Hill, Lake Ndutu, the Gol Kopjes, Oldupai Gorge and all other parts of the short-grass plains.<br />
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Between late January and mid-March the wildebeest calving season takes place. At its peak about 80% of the pregnant females give birth within three weeks, collectively producing something like 8,000 babies each day. The large predators, of course, are on hand to take advantage of this glut.<br />
Between mid-May and the month’s end, as the plains dry out, the whole menagerie, as if at the wave of a magic wand, streams off in columns which are sometimes 40 km. long, heading via the Moru Kopjes for the Western Corridor. On the way, the wildebeest rut takes place, for a period of about three weeks, from around mid-June to early July. Dr. Richard Estes, the greatest authority on the Serengeti wildebeest, has described the event as “unbelievably spectacular”. It is certainly chaotic, as something like 250,000 males strive to mate with as many of the 750,000-or-so females as they can<br />
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Between June and August the migrating animals drink from and eventually cross the Grumeti River, but for many it will be their last drink or their last river crossing. For here in the Grumeti are crocodiles that grow to over five metres in length and weigh more than three-quarters of a tonne. They have jaws so thickset and powerful that they can crush a wildebeest's head like a melon, then tear the body into bloody rags. Usually after yanking the victim into the water.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozS_e9DHOzmBRf3hoh2ybrFx0FU14Z85zxqSzeyl6hkdnoVVB1Y-7XiXkDDWzq_0Fj_HKreTODLoGIWpe6Peyp-ijgTy8HWbZi6rFjUE1TqMKbWSsqmbDvWHlrm7lcZ1t81Wlddc3zNU/s1600/serengeti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozS_e9DHOzmBRf3hoh2ybrFx0FU14Z85zxqSzeyl6hkdnoVVB1Y-7XiXkDDWzq_0Fj_HKreTODLoGIWpe6Peyp-ijgTy8HWbZi6rFjUE1TqMKbWSsqmbDvWHlrm7lcZ1t81Wlddc3zNU/s320/serengeti.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>The great majority of wildebeest survive, to cross the Ikoma Controlled Area outside the park then pass through the Serengeti’s Northern Extension, crossing the next challenging river, the Mara, in July or August. Most but not all of the wildebeest and zebras also cross the Kenyan border a little way beyond, to remain in the Maasai Mara Reserve until about mid-October, when they begin the return journey. This takes them down the eastern boundary of the Northern Extension, in and out of the park, and eventually back to the short-grass plains. The 1000 km. trek – for those which make it - is complete.<br />
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Things to remember if you want to see the migration:<br />
1) Decide which time of year you want to go to the Serengeti and choose a lodge or camp that will (hopefully!) put you within easy reach of the migration at that time. A few hints are given in the appropriate sector on hotels and lodges (Northern Circuit).<br />
2) Don’t be put off by the term “rainy season”. It is one of the best times of year in which to see the migration.<br />
3) Remember that you can almost always reach the migration from any lodge or camp within the Serengeti at almost any time, if you are prepared, in some cases, for a long drive.<br />
4) Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if you don’t see the migration your trip to the Serengeti will be pointless. All parts of the Serengeti are interesting at all times, though the south-eastern plains, from about June to mid-November, are relatively empty (this doesn’t rule out the Lake Ndutu or Seronera localities, which have resident game even when the migration is absent).<br />
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*Note - the migration is a natural event and the timing varies month by month; year by year.<br />
I hope the above information will help you realize that witnessing Migration will entirely depend on weather and their location at any given time can never be guaranteed as they can move approximately 100 miles overnight !!!.<br />
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Source: http://www.bushbuckltd.com</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-26408807357410815862011-05-15T09:53:00.000-07:002011-05-21T10:06:53.574-07:00The great canyon of Colorado<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The great canyon of Colorado</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : United States of America</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : south-west of the country, Arizona state</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAd5mK9ijBqo8vZUhWb20DPfdpxxrBUAuqXSR1Fb6aBPmahRLY9DP9vgOR2k1jWY51-kEjg29vwJ5KeuS71ukztus9ps2mrKH_09L4kIgbskLnPltpxN9JTxaKsxD8qzsmtfuFdmcbUhY/s1600/4534723344_e55bc71b26_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAd5mK9ijBqo8vZUhWb20DPfdpxxrBUAuqXSR1Fb6aBPmahRLY9DP9vgOR2k1jWY51-kEjg29vwJ5KeuS71ukztus9ps2mrKH_09L4kIgbskLnPltpxN9JTxaKsxD8qzsmtfuFdmcbUhY/s320/4534723344_e55bc71b26_z.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most rivers of the Southwest cut through relatively soft sedimentary rock, forming canyons that tend to be quite wide, colorful and stepped - descending in a series of cliffs and ledges through layers of differing hardness. When rivers flow across harder igneous rock they produce steeper gorges, spectacular in different ways, such as Hell's Canyon in Idaho, the deepest in the US, or the multicolored Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Wyoming.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the steepest, darkest and most rugged of such canyons is formed by the Gunnison River as it flows through hard ancient rocks at the western edge of the Rocky Mountains, on its way to joining the Colorado river at Grand Junction. The canyon walls are composed of volcanic schist, predominantly black in color, and as the gorge reaches depths of over 2,000 feet while often being only 1,500 feet across, sunlight illuminates the walls only briefly, hence the name 'Black Canyon'. It is unsettling, almost frightening to stand at the very edge of one of the canyon overlooks, such is the menace and sheerness of the jagged rocks below.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A New National Park: On October 21st, 1999, Black Canyon was officially upgraded in status from a national monument and became the 55th national park in the US, and the third smallest. Entrance fees increased sharply on Jan 1st 2007, from $8 to $15 per vehicle.</span><br />
<div class="hidenpost"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Access: The canyon was originally over 50 miles long, but three dams have been built along the eastern (upstream) section flooding two thirds of the gorge - this is now part of theCurecanti National Recreation Area (NRA) which offers many recreational opportunities based around the artificial lakes. Only the lower 13 miles of the canyon remain unspoilt but this includes the deepest and most scenic section. The river here may be approached from the north or the south but most visitor services are along the south rim and are reached by the short spur road CO 347, which joins US 50, one of the main trans-Rockies routes, a few miles east of Montrose. Here, the terrain is quite flat, but CO 347 climbs steadily through scrub-covered foothills to an elevation of 8,500 feet near the canyon rim, yet with no indication of the great gorge ahead. There is a campground just past the park entrance, with plenty of sites although they are rather enclosed by vegetation.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Viewpoints: Before the campsite, the unpaved East Portal Road forks off and descends with many sharp bends, following close to the river upstream, to the East Portal Dam which marks the boundary between the national park and the Curecanti NRA. However, all the canyon overlooks are found along the main entrance road, which continues alongside the canyon rim for 8 miles. The road passes about 12 named viewpoints, some of which require a short walk to see the canyon. There are also a couple of nature paths across flattish land around the rims, and three difficult trails down to the river.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4TIa9TocCFIUuzaBRbdj1rq2y_5JRHbCUh0Ljk8VvZFwaQQyPyvXVghY3oOtW_0eWung53G3ej_3m91Yld3wmG6Jtextrb5bsIh53aoGjU8iR_5-YEU1WxKkqeUNx3BaKdWNTmO_EOY/s1600/grand_canyon_13_modifie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4TIa9TocCFIUuzaBRbdj1rq2y_5JRHbCUh0Ljk8VvZFwaQQyPyvXVghY3oOtW_0eWung53G3ej_3m91Yld3wmG6Jtextrb5bsIh53aoGjU8iR_5-YEU1WxKkqeUNx3BaKdWNTmO_EOY/s1600/grand_canyon_13_modifie.jpg" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Black Canyon: As with some other canyons, seeing many viewpoints of the same feature can become a little repetitive, although here the character of Black Canyon does change along the river. Around the visitor center and for a couple of miles northwest, the cliffs are very steep and the canyon is at its narrowest - only 1,150 feet across at The Narrows. There are several overlooks of this area, which has amazingly jagged, precipitous rocks and pinnacles. In many places, thin veins of white gneiss criss-cross the predominantly black cliffs. Further west, the surrounding hills are lower and the canyon opens out becoming less deep and more V-shaped. From High Point, at the end of the road, it is possible to see 8 miles further west, almost to the end of the gorge, but there is no easy access to the canyon beyond this point. The land either side of this section of the river is an officially designated Wilderness Area and there are many steep ridges and valleys that provide a barrier to travel.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The North Rim: The North Rim is reached by a good quality gravel road, which is closed by snow during winter, and has another selection of overlooks along the canyon edge, a campground and various trails including three that descend to the river. Because of the more difficult access and lack of facilities, few people visit the north rim although the views are equally good as those from the south.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="http://www.americansouthwest.net/">http://www.americansouthwest.net</a></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-62189421913365747972011-05-15T04:51:00.000-07:002011-05-19T11:57:24.572-07:00The pyramids and the sphinx<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><strong>The pyramids and the sphinx</strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">country : Egypt</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">place : Giseh, south-west of Cairo</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip4SSDyWCTcqyVKR0HSJDqtdOezWhUwf2Tl93yVXZDhGn9E3tYguYYB52jbpgLeCBUFZub7P1iaMiaWmyhAOxfno1Tx19D2Qxy3kEYKJPoS3-o0kgEqHdrjytRMFjxMJif1B-V7zk6dBk/s1600/Untitled-1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5d4Twt3cdL3JFm_eXbRNZGkzqXEKTtiInC1P6aubBgBRavdc0zABdzIFxGmXPtJfNWoSvBeEPHAVNmgGU2hbkhk68hGYS0jnnYfaGf6TswH8FYgm9THtb2P4VUM5jSD5Sy2leNw1QxIs/s320/Pyramids+and+sphinx.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Sphinx was carved over 4,500 years ago. It was for the Pharaoh Khafre. It had his head, the body of a lion. The Sphinx was carved out of a huge big stone. It is guarding Khafre's pyramid. The Sphinx was covered by sand which preserved it all these years. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its body is extremely soft rock and its head is very strong rock but some people used the head for gunshot practice. No one knows for sure what </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it was decorated with in the days of the Ancient </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Egyptians but it must have been very beautiful then.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Pyramids</b></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Pyramids were constructed to hide the tombs of the Pharaohs. The first pyramids were step pyramids to help the pharaoh climb the steps and join the sun god Ra in the sky. After that (about 4,500 years ago) came the biggest pyramids of all, the pyramids of kings Khufu and Khafre. Until about a hundred years ago these pyramids were the tallest structures in the world! No earthquake could destroy them. They were each built of more than 2 million blocks of stone, which each weighed about as much as a small elephant. The limestone coverings were stripped by later peoples for building use. In the pyramids were a lot of false doors to trick grave robbers but they didn't work!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : India</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : Agra, south-west of Delhi</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaEcj7HrIm7N3pvFxjB0wAlA9QfDyEtwmXu2IKEH7wlS8WTmlW9PYdD4ASU1bCCGHMgE68Lf8_AKvG8gMhRfCEyUJisnItHzc5Mru8mM_USAU0Pn6WYBk7ydCEjEgCOjY2hBTue6MYd0/s1600/egypttoday_day17-taj-mahal1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaEcj7HrIm7N3pvFxjB0wAlA9QfDyEtwmXu2IKEH7wlS8WTmlW9PYdD4ASU1bCCGHMgE68Lf8_AKvG8gMhRfCEyUJisnItHzc5Mru8mM_USAU0Pn6WYBk7ydCEjEgCOjY2hBTue6MYd0/s320/egypttoday_day17-taj-mahal1.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taj Mahal of India - "the epitome of love", "a monument of immeasurable beauty". The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. The thoughts that come into the mind while watching the Taj Mahal of Agra is not just its phenomenal beauty, but the immense love which was the reason behind its construction. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, with whom he fell in love at the first sight. The very first sight of the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love and romance leaves one mesmerized.</span><br />
<div class="hidenpost"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Standing majestically on the banks of River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is synonymous with love and romance. It is believed that the name "Taj Mahal" was derived from the name of Shah Jahan wife Mumtaz Mahal and means "Crown Palace". The purity of the white marble, the exquisite ornamentation, precious gemstones used and its picturesque location, all make Taj Mahal travel gain a place amongst the most popular ones. However, unless and until, one knows the love story behind the Tajmahal of India, it will come up as just a beautiful building. But, the love behind this outstanding monument is what has given a life to this monument. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="http://www.tajmahal.org.uk/">http://www.tajmahal.org.uk/</a></span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-9734165109487879692011-05-15T04:11:00.000-07:002011-05-18T05:36:15.189-07:00The Iguazu waterfalls<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><strong>The Iguazu waterfalls</strong></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">country : Argentina – Brazil</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">place : borders between the two countries</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBTUcN9cUqZrymELZkmH4Hv8e5cg9u96msUJ4qP_5X7eU0KhmW6rcAuCY7sa53prZzlECwmbVTeFWru2wLOv0Wse12txLsnAD8mHHwCReGaSmVXAPkp4Qb_XNcc4cdCs6g9R0Bzvqm8Xk/s1600/Untitled-1+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY_n95arosrmL_AqEx3Vi_X6fHd8ItTqNuggaPKPmlDN8hysTYQgARKQ4gnQfo94tBnhr3OST5lYC2SBWX-3h8aWfhy4qUO7U5_NyovuxTVHpO_sMdfjC-fGhxqz6u9Z6ayN6W0_9-2fY/s320/iguazu.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Iguassu National Park (Brazil) was created by Brazil federal decree on the 10</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><sup>th</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">January 1939. The Park contains the area of 185,000 hectares of subtropical rain forest. The national park was declared by UNESCO as Natural Heritage of Mankind site in 17</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><sup>th</sup></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">November 1986. Waterfalls consist of 275 single falls on the Brazilian and Argentinian side of the Iguassu River. The waterfalls were most probably initially located at the confluence of the Iguaz and Parana Rivers some 20,000 years ago, but erosion has caused them to recede 28 km upstream to their present location at the altitude of 150 m. The area of waterfalls is part of a large plateau formed by basaltic lavas during the Mesozoic Era, more than 150 million years ago. Lava surfaced through tectonic faults and cracks, without formation of volcanic cones, and covered some one million square kilometres.</span><br />
<div align="justify" class="style25"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are only 3 larger waterfalls on the Brazilian side of 19 larger together. The Guarani word 'Iguassu' means 'Great Water'. The river rises in the area of Serra do Mar and runs for 1320 km through the state of Paran before it flows into the Paran River at Puerto do Iguazu where are three borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.</span></div><div align="justify" class="style25"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>The width of the falls </b>(<b>2700 m</b>) is 800 m on the Brazilian side and 1900 m on the Argentinean side. Including a rapid above the falls, <b>the height is 72 m </b>(their height varies between 40 and 90m). Depending on the season of the year (rain fall) <b>the water flow varies </b>between 300 cubic metres/sec and 6500 cubic metres/sec with an<b>average flow of 1500 cubic metres/sec</b>.</span></div><div align="justify" class="style25"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div align="justify" class="style25"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; line-height: 14px;">Source: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px;"><a href="http://www.burger.si/">http://www.burger.si</a></span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1063665934691438326.post-82226295332209482342011-05-15T01:31:00.000-07:002011-05-21T10:08:39.215-07:00The inca city of Machu Picchu<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The inca city of Machu Picchu</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">country : Peru</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">place : near Cuzco</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzOJKQoYTvwaTItHZanbS1LOFAXYKk3Vtl0Wwl63oHujbbcpmTAXSoVfTIRo3UVcTpK84BtXl3wA6CpqOxIqfaEZRAEpLGAalNAWfIp2m1qNHSR7TSIo5CFisFGOct_QrZsFOIKjq5Ec/s1600/machu_picchu_inca_trail_336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSzOJKQoYTvwaTItHZanbS1LOFAXYKk3Vtl0Wwl63oHujbbcpmTAXSoVfTIRo3UVcTpK84BtXl3wA6CpqOxIqfaEZRAEpLGAalNAWfIp2m1qNHSR7TSIo5CFisFGOct_QrZsFOIKjq5Ec/s320/machu_picchu_inca_trail_336.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Peruvian locals led Hiram Bingham to Machu Picchu in 1911, it was a discovery which would make the Yale professor famous, highly respected and richer.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bingham went on to become a governor of Connecticut and member of the US senate, and his book on Machu Picchu became a bestseller. Such was his prominence in early 20th century archaeology, that some have speculated that Bingham was the inspiration for the character of Indiana Jones.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But Bingham's claim to be the first to discover Peru's lost city of the Incas is looking more than a little doubtful. Detailed investigations by a US historian have revealed that Machu Picchu was, in fact, discovered over 40 years earlier by a German businessman.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Little is known about Augusto R Berns, an obscure entrepreneur now largely lost to history, but documents unearthed in US and Peruvian archives by the American historian Paolo Greer, reveal that Berns discovered Peru's most famous archaeological site in the late 1860s before setting up a company specifically to loot Machu Picchu and its immediate surroundings.</span><br />
<div class="hidenpost"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Berns had set up a railway sleeper production business in Peru, and stumbled on the unknown ruins of Machu Picchu after purchasing nearby land to fell trees for timber. He explored the mountain citadel ruins between 1867 and 1870.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In archives in Peru, documents written by Berns and discovered by Greer reveal how the German found several sealed underground structures. Berns predicted that they would "undoubtedly contain objects of great value" – the "treasures of the Incas".</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">His company, the aptly-named Companhia Anonima Explotadora de las Huacas del Inca (the Inca Sites Exploitation Company) had the backing of some of the most important people in Peru, including the country's president at the time, Andres Avelino Caceres.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 1887 the Peruvian government consented to the looting of Machu Picchu, even making an agreement with Berns allowing him to export the material as long as he gave the government a 10 per cent cut. One of Berns' business partners in the venture appears to have been the director of Peru's national library. The vice- president of Berns' company was a pathology professor at a university in Lima, a collector of antiquities who eventually sold his collection to a museum in Berlin.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Machu Picchu was originally built in the 15th-century by the Inca emperor, Pachacuti, who was almost certainly buried there when he died in 1471.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The city had an important temple to the sun and Pachacuti's tomb and the temple are likely to have been adorned with substantial amounts of gold.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While most of that gold was probably removed in 1532 in a futile attempt to ransom the last reigning Inca emperor, Atahualpa, who had been captured by the Spanish conquistadors, it is conceivable that Berns found substantial quantities of high status ceramics not required for the ransom.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The revelations come at a time when Peruvian demands are increasing for the return of Hiram Bingham's Machu Picchu material, thousands of items of ceramic and bone currently in Yale University.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greer, who has launched an international search for the lost Inca treasures, located a list of 57 of Berns' American, British and other contacts and potential contacts who may have bought antiquities that Berns found in Machu Picchu. But so far no list of finds has been discovered and the investigation will extend to the US and Europe to try to track down lost treasures in private collections. Greer's findings will be published in the next issue of South American Explorer magazine.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New light shed on who found (and looted) lost Inca city Machu Picchu</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Machu Picchu, the “lost city of the Incas”, may have been found and looted up to 40 years before the arrival of the explorer credited with its rediscovery, research suggests.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first westerner to visit the mountaintop fortress, built in about 1450 at the height of the Inca empire and abandoned a century later after the Spanish conquest, is usually considered to have been Hiram Bingham, an American academic from Yale University who reached it in 1911. A new study, however, has suggested that by the time Bingham located Machu Picchu it had already been despoiled, withthe complicity of the Peruvian Government.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Documents and maps identified by Paolo Greer, an independent American researcher and explorer, have provided hints that the site was known to Augusto R. Berns, a German adventurer, as far back as the late 1860s. Berns looted the tombs and treasures, giving a 10 per cent share of the profits to the Peruvian authorities, Mr Greer believes.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Bingham reached Machu Picchu in 1911, he removed thousands of artifacts, including mummies, ceramics and bones. Many were recently returned to Peru by Yale after a long-running dispute.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If Mr Greer's theory is correct, however, these items may only have been what Berns left behind several decades previously. Many of the lost city's richer treasures would already have been removed and sold, and their whereabouts remain unknown.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alex Chepstow-Lusty, of the French Institute for Andean Studies, an Inca specialist who has examined Mr Greer's findings, said it seemed highly likely that Berns did reach Machu Picchu first. “We know from Berns's papers that he had permission to exploit an Inca huaca, or sacred place,” Dr Chepstow-Lusty said. “It does look very much as if that huaca was Machu Picchu.”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Greer, who has been researching Machu Picchu since the 1970s, found an 1887 pamphlet written by Berns to promote a company that would exploit an Inca huaca. In it, Berns wrote: “During my stay in those provinces for four years ... I was able to discover the existence of significant rustic buildings and underground structures that had been closed with stones, some of them carved, which will undoubtedly contain objects of great value, and form part of those treasures of the Incas.”</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mr Greer said: “This is in fact the earliest known description of Machu Picchu.” He also found three maps which support the idea that Berns was working near the site.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even Bingham may have been aware that Berns beat him to the city. In his book Inca Land, Bingham wrote: “With the possible exception of one mining prospector, no one in Cuzco had seen the ruins of Machu Picchu or appreciated their importance.”</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="http://independent.co.uk/">Independent.co.uk</a> by David Keys.</span></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04150380353068206744noreply@blogger.com0