2009 October travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

The island of Timor lies to the east of Sumna, and north west of Australia. It is an arid place, with a mountain range stretching across it, from end to end. Timor is divided into West Timor, which is part of Indonesia, and the independent state of East Timor. West Timor is a good jumping off point for the eastern Indonesian islands. Kupang, a busy, noisy city, is the capital of East Nusa Tenggara province. Beyond it, starkly beautiful, rugged countryside sweeps away, sprinkled with traditional villages of neat, beehave shaped, grass and bamboo nuts. Photo by: canonreflex
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Only 20 km wide and 15 km long, Iriomote‘s infrastructure is limited to a single coastal road between its northern and eastern hamlets. 80 per cent of the island is protected by the state, and a third of it forms part of the Iriomote National Park, which includes Japan‘s biggest coral reef – the lagoon between Iriomote and its near neighbour, Ishigaki. Iriomote is covered by dense subtropical jungle and mangrove swamps, threaded through and around a dozen peaks over 420 m. Photo by: kaori
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Located on the sheltered bay side of the Caribbean, it offers all the comforts and amenities of a deluxe resort. Barcelo Costa is located in the magnificent Playa Lindo area of Cancun, Mexico. Only five minutes away from the downtown area and 10 minutes from the Cancun International Airport. Hotel offers 24 hour All Inclusive facilities and a family-friendly vibe.
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Ein Gedi is an oasis located on the Dead Sea coast and covering an area of 25 km². It’s the lowest point on earth, some 400 m. below sea level. It is one of the most important reserves in Israel. The botanical garden covers an area with more than 900 species of plants from all over the world. The National Park has two spring-fed streams with flowing water year, which together generate about 3,000,000 m³ of water a year.
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The Smithsonian Museum in Washington is the largest museum in the world with a huge variety of exhibits. It hosts 19 museums and galleries such as the National Museum of American History, National museum of African art, National Zoological Park, Anacostia Community Museum and etc. The exhibits rang from insects and meteorites to locomotives and spacecraft. You can not see everything in one visit – the museum’ collections offer more than 137 million objects, works of art and 9 research centers with special programs. There truly is something for everyone.
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The little island of Symi is part of the Dodecanese Islands and lying just 41 km north-west of the Turkish mainland. This mountainous island is separated by lovely valleys and its coast has rocky outcrops and sweet bays, many only accessible by boat. The main settlement, in the north-east of the island is also called Symi, but locals usually refer to it as Yialos. The town has an upper and lower part. The upper part is emerged as Chorio and is dominated by the fortress of the Knights of St John. The lower part of town, around the port area is stunning, surrounded as it is by green hills making a natural amphitheater. The two parts are linked by the Kali Strata, 350 steps lined with pastel-coloured neoclassical houses with flower-filled courtyards. Photo by: alexandros9
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The great watery abyss of Lake Baikal is a huge rift valley in the heart of Siberia formed some 25 million years ago. It is both the oldest and the deepest lake in the world, containing around 20 per cent of the planet’s fresh surface water. Olkhon, one of the largest lake islands in the world, is the geographical, historical and spiritual heart of Baikal, divided by a treacherous narrow strait, near the lake’s deepest point of 1, 637m. Photo by: Gunnar Geir Pétursson
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The silver of land, clinging to the west coast of the island of Rugen on Germany‘s Baltic coast, has preserved all the charm that attracted so many famous early 20th century artists, writers and intellectuals to its shores including Einstein, Freud, Brecht and Thomas Mann. Photo by: me_youwe
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The small island of Staffa (off the west coast of Scotland) is famed for its magnificent and unusual black basalt rock formations. The island’s pillars with their geometric forms were formed by a huge volcanic eruption during the Tertiary Era about 70 million years ago and this is the result of a unique lava cooling process. Today the island is uninhabited and is a National Nature Reserve, where kittiwakes, razorbills, grey seals, basking sharks and dolphins make their home.

Continue reading It’s really amazing – The Fingal’s Cave

Monastic Island of Reichenau lies in Lake Constance in southern Germany. It lies between the Gnadensee and the Untersee, almost due west of the city of Konstanz. The highest elevation on the island, the Hochwart, reaches 438.7 meters, or 43 meters above the lake surface. Today, these preserved areas are protecting species of plants and animals, which are typical for the region around Lake Constance.

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