Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2016

Sigulda

The town of Sigulda is another of the interesting places to visit in Latvia and an excellent destination if you plan to enjoy outdoor activities as it is within driving distance of the majestic Gauja National Park which is just 10 minutes drive west of Sigulda. The main attractions in Sigulda are the ruins of Krimulda Castle, the lovely 19th century Sigulda New Castle and the knight’s stronghold.  Turaida The small town of Turaida is home to the Turaida Museum Reserve which is also on my list of interesting places to visit in Latvia. Turaida Museum Reserve is home to the Turaida Castle which is a beautifully restored medieval castle which also offers amazing views of the Gauja Valley.You’ll also find at the reserve, Folk song Park which boasts interesting sculptures of Latvian folk song heroes. By the way, Turaida is just 10 minutes drive north of Sigulda and can easily be reached by bus so, it's worth adding to your itinerary of things to do in Latvia.

Moldova Trips

Moldova is a friendly, sleepy place, steeped in far-flung rural villages and prolific farmlands. Famed for its verdant steppes, forests and lakes, it is home to 178 nature reserves including five of special scientific interest. Hiking, kayaking, sailing, horse-riding, caving and even paragliding are all possible in Moldova. Bound by the Carpathian Mountains in the west and the Dniester River in the east, land-locked Moldova is bordered by the much larger nations of Romania and Ukraine. Its landscape is punctuated with endless waterfalls, rivers and hot and cold water springs, and many of them have been channelled into luxury spa resorts and therapeutic retreats and are great places to unwind after a long day walking in the hills. Its lakes are home to egrets, swans, storks and other aquatic birdlife, whilst an extensive network of canyons, grottos and caves include one subterranean passage that extends for 80 kilometres. Unsurprisingly, Moldova is becoming a favourite among advent
Palawan Philippines is a verifiable island paradise that has garnered more than its fair share of praise. Referred to as the last frontier in the Philippines, this highly unspoiled wonderland offers visitors an array of natural delights to enjoy. Some of the best beaches in all of Asia can be found in Palawan, and it also offers some of the world's best scuba diving. Further inland, mountains rise out of virgin forests, presenting an amazing landscape. There is a lot to like about Palawan Philippines, and visitors are bound to be blown away by the sheer beauty of this island province. Palawan province is a collection of islands, the largest of which is Palawan Island. This long and narrow island is home to the province's largest city, as well as the main airport. Puerto Princesa is the capital of Palawan Philippines, and it is hailed as the country's "eco-capital." Many eco-excursions originate out of Puerto Princesa, and these include scuba diving adventur

Porto Santo Island, Portugal

Remote 43 km (27 mi) northeast from Madeira, the uninhabited Porto Santo was discovered in early 15th century. Just like Madeira archipelago, Porto Santo is rocky, with sculpted sand waves, beautiful rugged and sandy beaches. The capital Vila Baleira was once home for Christopher Columbus himself. His museum is found in the city, which is also the best place to go shopping on the island. The Island of Porto Santo, Portugal is a beautiful island of Portugal. The island is located at a distance of Fifty Kilometers from the Madeira Island. The beautiful island is also a part of the Region of Madeira which is well known as an autonomous region. The urban region of the Island of Porto Santo, Portugal is the city of Porto Santo. The other name of this sit y is Vila Baleria. This city is also one of those five municipalities in Portugal which has not more than one Parish.  The Island of Porto Santo, Portugal is also well known a s the easternmost as well as the northernmost island that i

Tristan Da Cunha

History Before Doomsday Tristan da Cunha was annexed to the UK in 1816, mainly to prevent any Bonapartists from using it to mount a rescue mission to free Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gradually a colony took shape there. It was not until World War II that Britain organised Tristan da Cunha's government, designating it a dependency of St. Helena. Between 1961 and 1963, the entire population was resettled in Calshot, near Southampton, England, following a volcanic eruption. When they returned home, they left behind a small Tristanian community. Doomsday Tristan da Cunha did not have any military bases, so it was not a target during World War III. Like the rest of The British overseas territories, it lost communication with London. For a while, however, it was able to maintain contact with St. Helena and the Falkland Islands. News of the Doomsday attacks was received with horror. The island's society may have looked the picture of rugged self-reliance, but all the adults

Gili Islands

The Natives & History A few years ago, sailors from Bugis, Mandar and Makassar (Sulawesi) occupied Gili Air and establish coconuts plantation and expand the fishing activities. As visitors started to visit Lombok and some came to the Gilis on day trips and then began to stay for longer periods in local homes.  The islands have become enormously popular.  Their popularity may be a problem, as numbers sometime exceed the available rooms and put pressure on the island environment, especially the supply of fresh water and the capacity of septic system to cope with waste and there is always pressure to build more and better facilities. Big business interests are trying to cash in on the popularity of the Gilis and the local government is keen to promote upmarket tourist development. Gili Air and Gili Meno retained much of their unspoilt quality, but Gili Trawangan has become more touristy and pricy. The islanders are majority Muslims and visitors should respect their sensibilit

Cliff Walk, Newport

Attraction in Newport   Sparkling azure blue waters of the ocean and vibrant,verdant slopes make this 3.5 miles a real pleasure! It is present in Newport city. Here is what a traveler says " The cliff walk was a true highlight from our trip to Newport, RI. The walk is 3 1/2 miles total, but can be shortened if you pick segments of the path. It runs along the water on one side and to the backyards of many beautiful and unique mansions on the other side. The walk has segments of man-made pathways, steps and clearings, though other segments require you to step between large rocks, up and down hills and across rougher terrain which we felt added a more natural and adventurous feel to the trip.The walk offered a different view and gorgeous landscapes around every corner and nook which is what made it such a visually appealing, fun and peaceful experience!" For more information, please see here. Along the coast of  Newport  is a rambling walk where the waters of the

Caicos Islands

People of Turks and Caicos Islands  :  the dominant population in the island belongs to people of African origin, whose ancestors were brought to slave in the islands' many cotton plantations and salt ponds. This group is called the 'Belongers'. Apart from them, there are several expatriates from the neighboring archipelagos of Haiti, Bahamas and Dominica. There are also people of America, Britain, Canada and other parts of Europe living in harmony with the Belongers. Flora and Fauna of Turks and Caicos Islands :  the Turks and Caicos Islands do not have a very exotic list of flora and fauns to boast of. The richness found in their natural surroundings is restricted to the water bodies that surround it. However, they are not devoid of plant and animal life either. Their flora consists of most varieties that are considered to be typically tropical. So, you will find plenty of palms. There are several species of exotic flowers, like the orchid, for instance, to be scatt
Solomon Islands To the east of the island of Guinea are the Solomon Islands, a group of more than one thousand islands. About eighty of them hold most of the population of more than a half a million. The island of  Guadalcanal  was the site of some of the fiercest fighting in World War II between Japan and the United States. Honiara, the capital city, is on Guadalcanal. The Solomon Islands were a colony of Great Britain but gained independence in 1978. Colonialism, World War II, and ethnic conflict on the islands created serious centrifugal cultural forces, divisions, and political tensions over the past few decades. In 2003, military and police troops from other islands and Australia intervened to restore order after ethnic tension erupted into civil unrest. Shifting tectonic plates are the source of environmental problems. Active seismic activity has created earthquakes and tsunami conditions that have brought devastation to the region. An earthquake of 8.1 magnitude hit the

Elephanta Island, Mumbai

Just after breakfast, we take a taxi to the Gateway of India. From here ferries go to Elephanta Island, where we’d like to see some caves. At the backseat of the taxi we’re so involved in our guidebook, trying to find at what spot exactly we need to be to take the ferry to the island, that nothing else seems to enter our minds. Once we’ve paid the driver and we’re walking towards the small harbour, we realize with a shock that we have left our camera in the taxi.We look at each other, speechless with horror. It’s not that we can’t get another camera. It’s just that there’s several days of pictures on the memory card inside the camera that can’t be replaced. I always take out a memory card after it’s been used for a couple of days and put it with our valuables. In that case, if the camera is lost or stolen, we don’t automatically loose all our pictures as well. The current card in the camera had a couple of hundred pictures on it, from the previous days in Mumbai, Goa and Aihole.

Miracle on the Montenegro Coast

Despite the small size of this country, nobody has been able to describe in a few words Montenegro. She will talk you with their “wild beauty”, and even his unusual islands. They are scattered throughout Montenegro like little pearls. This is one of the largest island fortress on the Adriatic coast. Located on a tiny island Lastavitsa a diameter of only two hundred meters. Construction of the fort began in the middle of the XIX century on the initiative of the Austrian General Mamula, who was governor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Dalmatia. The fortress was built with the most advanced technology of the military art of those years. It completely blocked their guns sign of enemy ships in the Bay of Kotor. Despite its military mission, during both world wars, the castle was a prison in the fighting did not participate. Thanks to this well preserved. On the island stands a picturesque Benedictine Abbey, which was first mentioned in 1166 as the property of the city of Kotor. St

Santorini, Greece

According to Greek mythology, Santorini was a handful of dirt that Sea God Triton gave to the Argonauts. They named it Kallisti, the most beautiful one. The island, situated in the southern Aregian Sea of Greece, stands true to its name to date. A moving landscape of multicolored cliffs, sea drowned caldera, and vast spread of clear blue waters greet you at Santorini. Snow drift of white Cycladic houses lining the white streets of the white town, have a view so magnificent that can totally take your breath away. The scenic beauty of front row sunsets on clifftops in the mid of a quiet breeze looks as if drawn carefully on a canvas by an artist. Tourists flock in large numbers to experience the enthralling calmness of this inky island every year. As Walt Disney has rightly remarked. “Landscapes of great wonder and beauty lie under our feet and all around us. They are discovered in tunnels in the ground, the heart of flowers, the hollows of trees, fresh-water ponds, seaweed jungle

SOUTHERN CORSICA

SOUTHERN CORSICA: THE STRENGTH AND BEAUTY OF A LAND OF CHARACTER From Ajaccio to Bonifacio, the south of the island is distinguished by riches, authenticity, and a strong personality travelling through this very mixed landscape is an adventure as much as it is a journey. ‘On Corsica, I was given life', said Napoleon Bonaparte, who was born in Ajaccio. Nature has endowed Southern Corsica with sumptuous landscapes, where mountains, cliffs, idyllic beaches, and reddish creeks compete for favour. It is a magical place, where the smells, colours, and tastes remain anchored in the memory of travellers. Allow yourself to be imbued with Corsica by closing your eyes and letting the distinctive smell of the maquis overtake you; let your eyes get lost in the blue of the bay of Porto-Vecchio or the Lavezzi islands; hear men sing of love in a small picturesque village church in Sartene. The island offers a multitude of activities to discover and desires to be met. The sporty may div