Travel and Tourism

Stonehenge in Wiltshire England

2011-07-17T03:05:00.000-07:00

Stonehenge is a prehistoric and a mystical monument which is located in the county of Wiltshire, England. It is situated almost 3.2 km west of Amesbury. The Stonehenge is a formation of stones in a circular fashion that are standing upright. The construction of this prehistoric monument started some 5000 years ago and it is amazing to know that these stones are still in place after 5 millenniums.

Different scholars have different thought about the Stonehenge. Some say that the stones initially were to erect; it was only after 2400 BC that they changed positions. Others say that the blue stones could have been the ones that were erected. The site of Stonehenge is also another addition to the UNESCO and a part of the World heritage Sites since 1986. It is also protected by the scheduled Ancient monument. The Stonehenge is a pride of the national trust of the country.

Recent evidence has shown that the Stonehenge has served as a burial ground right from the beginning. It has been notified that the people who have been buried in the ground date back to the 3000 BC. The huge stone formation and a mysterious past is what draw maximum tourist attraction every year to this site. It is said that almost 8,000,000 visitors come to visit this place. All the stones are said to be placed perfectly with the sunrise and thus makes it very clear that the place was also being used as a ground for worship.

Pictures & PhotosStonehenge Wallpaper

Stonehenge England

stonehenge aerial view

Brazilian Carnival in Rio

2011-07-17T02:48:00.000-07:00

The Brazilian Carnival in Rio, Brazil is an annual festival that takes place four days before Ash Wednesday, which is described as the beginning of the 40 days fast, called lent. During the days of fasting, some Roman Catholics and Christians do not consume meat. The reason of the carnival is to bid farewell to some pleasures of the flesh and it is dedicated to Christ’s death.

The carnival in Brazil is a little different from its counterparts in Europe because it has a mixture of the Europe and African fundamentals. So much so that even the music, rhythm, and costume, changes a bit from one region of Brazil to the other. A fine example to quote the differences is seen in the southeast part of the cities, where the parade of the carnival is usually led by the Samba schools and only Samba school affiliates’ participate in it whereas in smaller towns, there is no public to view the carnival and hence, the carnival is organized in clubs. In the North east section of Brazil, even the common public is allowed to dance and take part in the parade and enjoy it to the fullest as they are made to feel a part of the big show. The Carnival is all about having fun, dancing to the catchy rhythm and wearing colorful clothes.

The modern carnival originated in the year 1641, it was actually a mimicry of the European style of having fun. However, over the years, it refrained itself and took inputs from different cultures like Europe, North America and Africa.Carnival in Rio Festival

Carnival in Rio Hot Girl

Carnival in Rio Gilrs

Tibet Tourism

2011-06-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people. Tibet is the highest region on earth, with an average elevation of 4,900 metres (16,000 ft).
Tibet emerged in the 7th century as a unified empire, but it soon divided into a variety of territories. The bulk of western and central Tibet were often at least nominally unified under a series of Tibetan governments in Lhasa, Shigatse, or nearby locations; these governments were at various times under Mongol and Chinese overlordship. The eastern regions of Kham and Amdo often maintained a more decentralized indigenous political structure, being divided among a number of small principalities and tribal groups, while also often falling more directly under Chinese rule; most of this area was eventually incorporated into the Chinese provinces of Sichuan and Qinghai. In 1951, following a military conflict, Tibet was incorporated into the newly established People's Republic of China and the previous Tibetan government was abolished in 1959. Today, the PRC governs western and central Tibet as the Tibet Autonomous Region while eastern areas are mostly within Sichuan and Qinghai provinces. There are tensions regarding Tibet's political status and dissident groups are active in exile.

The economy of Tibet is dominated by subsistence agriculture, though tourism has become a growing industry in Tibet in recent decades. The dominant religion in Tibet is Tibetan Buddhism, though there are Muslim and Christian minorities. Tibetan Buddhism is a primary influence on the art, music, and festivals of the region. Tibetan architecture reflects Chinese and Indian influences. Staple foods in Tibet are roasted barley, yak meat, and butter tea.tibet china picture

tibet china wallpaper

tibet china vallery

tibet china photo

tibet china pics

tibet china old house

Baalbek & Its Ruined Temples Lebanon

2011-05-08T22:24:00.000-07:00

Baalbek is a small town situated in the Bakaa Valley, Lebanon. The city has made a name of its own because of the monumental ruined temples during the roman period. During that time, Baalbek was called the Heliopolis, which was one the biggest sanctuaries. This is said to be one of the greatest wonder of the ancient world and one of the best built of the roman dynasty. These are till date preserved as the best piece of art by the Romans.
Some of the gods that are worshiped here are the Harmony of Jupiter, Mercury, Venus etc. The city serves as the venue for the festival called Baalbek International that happens once in a year. Almost 85 km from the northeast is the city Beirut. The Baalbek temple is said to be one of the holiest and peaceful places and it is the biggest stone construction in the entire world.
The origin of the Baalbek is still unknown and different scholars have different thoughts about its origin. Baal means lord and this label was given to deity of sky. It means the Bekaa Valley’s god. Baalbek is also the place of birth of Baal. Most of the tourists in the Lebanon city come here to visit the Baalbek. It is also said that the admiration of Baal is the amalgamation form of God Jupiter, who was then called the Heliopolitian. It is said that the history of Baalbek is rooted to 5000 years back. A lot of tourists visit this place because of the spirituality that is attached to it.
Baalbek & Its Ruined Temples
Baalbek & Its Ruined Temples
Baalbek & Its Ruined Temples
Baalbek & Its Ruined Temples
Baalbek & Its Ruined Temples
Baalbek & Its Ruined Temples

Leaning Tower of Pisa Italy

2011-05-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

The leading tower of Pisa, also known as the Tower of Pisa, is a free standing bell tower next to the Church of the Italian city of Pisa. The Tower is located behind the church and is said to be the third oldest structure in Pisa. The tower was made to stand straight, however immediately after it was constructed, it started leaning towards the south east due to a weekly laid foundation and substrate that allows the foundation to change direction.

The total height of the tower is 186.27 feet from the ground towards the lower side and 186.02 feet on the higher side. Its width from the bottom is measured 13 plus feet and 8 plus feet from the top. The Towers total weight is 14,500 metric tons and has 296/294 steps.

The Tower Of Pisa was made over a period of 177 years in three different sections. The first floor was constructed in the year 1173 and it was in the year 1178 when the tower had the thirds floor, when the tower started to sink. The reason was that a three meter foundation had used unbalanced soil, which actually means that the design was flawed right from the beginning. Then the construction was halted for almost a century as the city was in continuous war and in the mean while, the soil got the time to settle in, else the tower was for sure to topple over. The tower also has a clock that was installed on the third floor.

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Sahara Desert Hottest Desert in the World

2011-05-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

The Sahara Desert is the largest and the hottest desert in the world. It is spread over more than 9,000,000 Square Km (3,630,000 sq miles). It covers the most of North Africa and is as big as the United States. The desert starts at the Red sea, across the Mediterranean, and over to the Atlantic Ocean. It is spread over 12 African nations, Egypt, Chad, Algeria, Eritrea, Libya, Morocco, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Sudan, Western Sahara, and Tunisia.

The history of the Sahara Desert goes back thousands of years. The sand dunes of the desert are big that they reach heights of 600 feet.

Life in the Sahara Desert is very difficult due to its climate. It receives less than 3 inches of rain every year. It may rain twice in one week, to an extreme of no rainfall over the next three years. Oasis are scattered throughout this desert, however, because of its size, it’s not easy to trace.

The Sahara Desert is the hottest place in the world with the temperature reaching up to 57.7 degree Celsius (135.8 degree F). Scientists have said that the desert expands and shrinks. Currently, it has been recorded that the Sahara is growing southward by 48 km every year.

The typical fauna that can be seen in the desert are domestic camels and goats. As far as the wild life is concerned, it is a common sight to see a scorpion, monitor lizard, sand vipers, wild dogs, ostriches, cheetah, and many more. The only types of birds that can be visible are African Silver bills and black throated fire finch.

Sahara Desert

Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon Myanmar

2011-05-01T07:48:00.001-07:00

The Shwedagon Pagoda or stupa is also called the Golden Pagoda and it is situated in Yangon, Myanmar. The exact height of the Stupa is 321.5 feet. The Shwedagon
Pagoda is located to the west of the Kandawgyi Lake, on the Singuttara hill. This Pagoda is considered to be the most religious pagoda of Lord Buddha for the Burmese. The Pagoda was built to give shelter to the hairs of Buddha.

The reason why the Shwedagon is so special because its Spire is made up of a thick quote of gold and has lots and lots of diamonds, rubies and precious gems embedded in it. The lighting effect in the Shwedagon Stupa gives it a different feel altogether, the entire place lilts as of it is the aura of Lord Buddha still prevailing in the place.

The exact age of the Pagoda is not known to anyone. It is estimated that the structure is 1000 to 2500 years old, made during the time of Buddha. However, it has been said that over the years, it has been destroyed numerous times in the past due to earthquakes and other natural disasters.

The Shwedagon can be reached from all four sides of the hill. On the east and south, one can see vendors selling different kinds of items like the flags, books and images of Lord Buddha. A pair of lions guards the entrance to the Shrine. It is also said that the entire city of Myanmar has contributed gold to the pagoda so that it can be maintained well. This all started from the queen of Shin Sawbu who donated gold equal to her own weight.

Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda
Shwedagon Pagoda

Lijiang River and Its Cruise China

2011-05-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

The Lijiang River is also called the Li River in China and originates from the Guangxi Province. It is the highest holiday spot in the entire china. The river starts from the mountains in the Xigan County and covers the Guilin, Yangzhou and makes its way to the next 83 km stretch of natural scenic beauty and thick bamboo forests with amazingly strange rocky formations.

It is a very common sight to see the fishing board every now and then. However, the usage of birds as bait for the fishing is going down. If you decide to go on a cruise in the Li River, the entire boat trip takes a total of seven hours and with the help of a good guide, you can learn a lot about the beauty of the river. The journey includes Pierced Hill, Clean Vase Hill and Embroidery Hill. At about 100 km stretch, one can see one of the best scenic beauties in China.

Some of the best places to view during a planned holiday tour to the Li River are the Reed-Flute Rock, Seven Stars Park, Mountain of Splendid Hues, Elephant- Trunk Hill, Lingqu Canal etc. Also, there are some other packages that are worth every penny that one can spend during their visit to the Lijiang River in china. The scenic beauty of Li river in Guilin is used as a common backdrop for a lot of landscape paintings, poems etc. A common sight to this is bamboo boats, and water buffalo. It has also been said that the beauty of the Li River is so mesmerizing, that it attracts visitors from all over the world.

Lijiang River and Its Cruise

Varanasi and Ganges River India

2011-04-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

Varanasi, also known locally as Banaras is situated on the banks of the river Ganges in utter Pradesh, India. It is also called as the city of lights and is known to be one of the most sacred places for many Hindus. It is also said that this city is one of the oldest in the entire world.

The river Ganges is known for its outing and the city has also chosen its culture based on the rivers purity and religious belief. Most of the prominent poets, writers and philosophers have been born in this part of the city. It is said that the entire city is blessed by gods, making it all the more popular for the common man of India. In fact, the origin of Ayurveda has also been associated with Varanasi. Followers of the Hindu community call this place the religious capitol of India. One can find thousands and thousands of temples in this city.

According to legend, the city was found some 5000 years ago by lord Shiva and thus is one of seven pilgrim destinations for Hindus. The city of Varanasi is known for its Ghats. It is said that the city owns almost 100 Ghats, some of them being owned privately. Some of the famous ghats of Varanasi are the Dashawamedh Ghat, the Manikarnik Ghat, Harishchandra Ghat and the Mana Mandir Ghat.It is estimated that more the 1,000,000 pilgims visit the city on a yearly basis. It is a belief that bathing the river Ganges will wash away all your sins.

Varanasi and Ganges

Bogota Travel Guide

2011-04-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

The capital of Columbia is Bogota and it is located at an elevation of about nine thousand feet on a mountain rimmed plateau near the Andes Mountains. Bogata has a temperate climate with average temperatures of about fifty-seven degrees all year long. Bogota is currently one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in South America. Some of the industries found in Bogota include printing and publishing, motor-vehicle assembly, food processing and manufacturing of products such as textiles, metals, machinery and electrical equipment. Bogota is also headquarters to many banks and corporations. As of 2005 the population of Bogota was over six million.
Getting Around Bogota

The roads and highways in Bogota have experienced a strain due to the rapid growth, but efforts have been made to upgrade the infrastructure. Currently there is the TransMilenio which is a rapid transit system that helps to fill in the gaps and to compensate for the lack of a metro system.

The main method of traveling around Bogota is the buy. The city has two bus systems: a traditional system and the Trasmilenio. The traditional system features a number of bus types that are operated by a variety of companies. There is the bus which is a large bus, buseta is a medium sized bus and colectivo is a van or minivan.

The buses are further divided into two categories. There is ejecutivo which is more of a deluxe service and not supposed to carry standing passengers. Then there is corriente which is normal bus service. For the bus you can expect a fare between sixty and seven cents.

For visitors there is a tourist train which operates on the weekends as a sightseeing tour. It is even popular with Bogota residents since it runs to the outlying towns. The route for this train is about fifty-three km long and then a second route goes further north by forty-seven km.
Catedral Primada Bogota, Columbia Catedral Primada Bogota, Bogota Travel, Bogota Tours
What to Do in Bogota

There is plenty to do is Bogota since it features a number of parks and facilities that put on concerts, plays, movies, storytelling and other activities. First there is Simon Bolivar Metropolitan Park which is used to stage free concerts and kites can be flown there. Then there is the Parque Nacional or the National Park which has a lot of open green space for games, foot and bicycle paths to wander along and entertainment venues such as movie screenings, concerts and other events.
When to Go in Bogota

Travel to Bogota can happen at any month out of the year no matter what the weather since there is plenty to do in Bogota. All year long there are a variety of events and major international events such as the Iberoamerican Theater Festival which happens in March. During the dry season there are plenty of outdoor activities and during the wet season there is plenty to do indoors to keep you busy for the entire length of your trip.

Easter is a time of the year reserved for reflection and many come to visit the various monuments arranged throughout the city for the celebration, but the largest number can be found in the downtown area. Another good time to come is during Christmas when the main park, shopping malls and other main points throughout the city are illuminated and provide quite a spectacle.
Where to Stay and Eat in Bogota

There are many options when it comes to staying in Bogota. You can find everything from a simple room with just the basic amenities up to vast elegant hotels that have everything you need to make your stay in the beautiful city of Bogota unforgettable. It is a good idea to first consider hotels near your place of interest. If you are going to be there for business then you may want to stay near the downtown corporate center. On the other hand if you are going only for tourism and to enjoy your vacation then you may want hotels on the outskirts of the city or even in the outlying suburbs. There are many excellent hotels in the countryside which provide a warm and familiar environment. Perfect for a romantic retreat or a place to gather with family and friends for a relaxing vacation.
Palacio De Justicia Bogota, Columbia Palacio De Justicia Bogota, Bogota Travel, Bogota Restaurants

Bogota is a large cosmopolitan city that has plenty for all types of people. Whether you are an inhabitant or a foreigner there are a wide variety of foods to choose from that come from the different regions of Columbia and even from all over the world. No matter what your taste or budget you can find a restaurant you will love in Bogota.

There is everything from small down home restaurants to elegant and exclusive restaurants for the upper class. You can also have an easily time located a wide variety of fruits from the local fields of Columbia. In fact, you will find many exotic fruits and vegetables that you won't be able to find in a typical supermarket in Bogota or anywhere else for that matter. Consider some of the top restaurants you can visit while traveling in Bogota.

First if you are in the La Zona Rosa section of the city you will find an endless choice of cafes, restaurants, bars and nightclubs. Many of the restaurants in this section of the city are fine place to eat during the day then at night they become a popular place to dance the night away and enjoy a few drinks.

North of the capital there is an exclusive park on 93rd which is surrounded by many cafes, bars, nightclubs, hotels and foreign food restaurants. Many of these restaurants have terraces that overlook the park or the city so you can enjoy gorgeous views along with your meal. If you are looking for unique cuisine from anywhere around the world you will likely find it at a restaurant in this area.

Then near the hills there is the Usaquen neighborhood which features many architecturally unique buildings to help preserve the appearance of the old neighborhood. There are a number of historic restaurants and bars in this area. They are also near plenty of serene walking areas should you want to take a stroll after your meal.

On the outskirts of the city there is the La Calera neighborhood which features a few wonderful restaurants which also offer you views of the city of Bogota. Most city inhabitants go out to these restaurants and nightclubs so be sure to call ahead for seating or reservations to be sure you get a table.

Lastly there is the North Zone neighborhood which is also located on the outskirts of the city. In fact this neighborhood is located close to the nearby towns of Chia and Cajica. This is the place to go if you want to find a restaurant that offers the typical, traditional Columbian food. Most restaurants feature Columbian grilled meats done on the grill the old fashioned way.

No matter what your taste you will find a restaurant in Bogota. Or just go out and try something new. If you are unsure where to go then consider asking the hotel staff or a local citizen. They can point you in the direction of an excellent restaurant favored by locals and tourists alike. You likely won't be disappointed.

Bogota Tourism

Moscow Kremlin Russia

2011-04-21T22:56:00.000-07:00

Moscow Kremlin is also called the Kremlin and is a castle that is situated at the heart of Moscow. It has four palaces and four cathedrals. The site is the official residence of the president of Russia.
The great Kremlin Palace is one of the biggest castle in the entire Russia. The palace has a very stunning looking combination of yellow and white with a green roof top. The golden color adds a touch of wealth to the entire palace. The palace was made in the year 1837 by King Nicholas I. The palace was initially built in the year 1462 during the rule of Ivan the Terrible. However, it was rebuilt because a lot of damage was done to the place during war times. During the 18th century, the construction came to a halt as the entire Russian capital moved it the north city. It was in 1740’s when an Italian architecture was hired by queen Elizabeth and once again the construction began.

The Palace was built to extend the Russian autocracy. The best architects were hired to perform the splendid job and finally they did come up with a fine piece of art. The dimensions of the palace are massive. The total length of the palace is 125 meters and the width is 47 meters and thus covers a total of 25,000 sq. meters. The whole building has almost 9 churches from the 14th, 15th and 16th century and has more than 700 rooms in it. The west side of the palace was for the Royal family. Just like many other palaces, this one is also off limits to public viewing.

Moscow Kremlin Russia
Moscow Kremlin Russia
Moscow Kremlin Russia
Moscow Kremlin Russia
Moscow Kremlin Russia
Moscow Kremlin Russia

Florence and Its Cityscape

2011-04-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

The city of Florence is the capital of the Italy. The city is situated on the top of a river called Arno and is known for its interesting past, art and architecture. For a period of 5 years i.e. from 1865 to 1870 it was also declared the capital of Italy. The City of Florence is a part of the World Heritage Site which was registered in 1982.
Florence is one of the mot attractive tourist spot in the entire Italy due to is cityscape. The reason why Florence Cityscape is so special is because since the sixteenth century, it has fascinated big masters like Leonardo da Vinci and till the 21st century, mesmerizes every tourist that visits this place.
Some of the major attractions of the city are the Duomo, Sky line Icons, Best Vantage etc. The Duomo is a huge cathedral in the Florence’s city. The Palazzo Vecchio Tower is yet another skyline Icon or a bell tower that has an outstanding appeal to it. The Ponte Vecchio, of the14th century is also another landmark in the cityscape of Florence Italy. The Floreence Cityscape is also known for its artistic past. Almost all great Italian artists belonged to this part of the city. It seems that the entire city lit up beautifully during the evening as if is a beautiful painting made on canvas. Most of the tourists who visit this place come mainly to see the colorful city of Florence.

Florence Cityscape
Florence Cityscape
Florence Cityscape
Florence Cityscape
Florence Cityscape

St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice Italy

2011-04-18T20:31:00.000-07:00

Saint Mark’s Basilica is a cathedral located in the city of Venice, Italy. It is one of the most beautiful cathedrals of the city and is famous because of its uniqueness in terms of the wealth and the magnificent interior. This cathedral is a living example of the Byzantine Architecture. The cathedral is situated on the St. Marks Square. Long time back, it did not serve as a cathedral, in fact it was a Chapel for the Venetian City and its rulers. Since eleventh century onwards, the cathedral was known by the nick name Church of God an in Italian “Chiesa d’Oro.”

The entire cathedral of St. Mark has had arts men like the Europeans and the Italian, that is the reason it displays the beauty and design of both cultures. St. Mark’s Basilica is known for its artistic, iconographic as well as religious content. It has had a lot of interesting historical facts to it.

The current Basilica was the third cathedral that was built on the place so that Saint Mark’s body could be placed here. The entire Basilica is divided into 3 main segments, the lower, upper segment and the domes. The interior of the cathedral depicts the Greek cross and every arm is divided into 3 naves. The cathedrals is said to be a masterpiece of the Gothic sculpture and art. The entire top ceiling is covered with beautiful mosaic colors of gold and bronze, giving it a very bright and lit effect.

St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice
St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice
St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice
St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice

Abu Simbel Archaeological Site Egypt

2011-04-18T20:17:00.000-07:00

Abu Simble are two huge rock temples in south Egypt about 290 km south west of Aswan. This is an archeological site and now registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are also called the Nubian Monuments. The history of these temples takes us back to the 13th century when they were carved out of a mountain side. The entire monument was relocated in 1960 on an artificial hill.

The reason the monuments were shifted because they were gradually drowning in the Lake Nasser. This lake was a huge artificial reservoir that was made by the river Nile and Aswan Dam. The Abu Simbel attracts a lot of tourists every year as it is the top most visited spot in Egypt.

The temple almost took 2o years to complete. The temple is a dedication to three different gods, namely the Ra-horakhty, Ptah and Rameses. The Abu Simble is considered one of the most beautiful and the sacred temple in the entire Egypt. Each and every statue in the temple is throne and is wearing double crown of both the Upper and the Lower Egypt. The statue that you can see toward the left once got damaged due to earthquake.

The entire temple is marked as a courtyard and enclosed on the north and south side by walls. The Abu Simbel is known for its beauty, mystery and architectural knowledge. Most of the visitors who are on the expedition to explore Egypt come to visit the Temple.

Abu Simbel Archaeological Site
Abu Simbel Archaeological Site
Abu Simbel Archaeological Site
Abu Simbel Archaeological Site
Abu Simbel Archaeological Site

Alaska Tourism USA

2011-04-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

Alaska had in the past its fair share of setbacks in the tourism industry. There were the 1967 floods, which virtually put tourism on a standstill, and the infamous terrorist attacks of 2001, leading to a general collapse in confidence of the American tourism industry and security measures as a whole.
However, this year and next year are expected to be even more brutal and some have even mentioned the potential decline of 30%. Others have suggested less but a minimum of 10% has been generally agreed on.
The main problem is, of course, the worrying economic cloud, which is circling above the planet. Americans, especially, are extra concerned about parting with their dollars and are exercising an extra degree of caution. Meanwhile, cuts in the industry, cruise lines stopping their services around Alaska and a shortage of government funding for marketing campaigns are all factors, which are making the situation a lot worse. The government has been blamed for giving a lot more money for marketing to Hawaii, as an example, and not to Alaska where the funds are desperately needed.
The tourism industry in Alaska provides around 40.000 jobs and was worth $1.7 billion to the state economy in 2008. The average visitor used to spend around $1.000. However, they are far more likely to now buy a t-shirt with ‘I have been to Alaska’ written on it than take a more expensive helicopter flight through the Alaskan wilderness. This attitude has dire consequences for the economy. Advance bookings for next year are already down for many tour operators and the Royal Caribbean Cruise company recently announced to take away one of its ships in 2010. The outlook, so far, for Alaska, is as bleak as its winters can be.

Alaska Tourism
Alaska Tourism
Alaska Tourism
Alaska Tourism

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow Russia

2011-04-12T22:24:00.000-07:00

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow, Russia was built by Ivan the Terrible between 1555 and 1561. According to legends, the builder of this Cathedral was blinded so that such a beautiful structure could never be built again. The Cathedral is vividly colorful and contains redbrick towers that add to its beauty. The church’s design consists of nine chapels, each mounted with its individual dome that marks the assault on the city of Kazan.

The Cathedral provides a strong religious symbolism and is based on architectural designs found in Jerusalem. Eight of the domes make a circular form around the ninth dome, forming a star (if viewed from the top). The number eight is considered an auspicious number according to Jewish calendar. There is a deep contrast between the interior and the exterior of the Cathedral. The interior contains modest decorations and is not that spectacular. The corridors inside are narrow and don’t have adequate space for worshippers seating.

Many times in history, the Cathedral has suffered damage due to violent communal incidents. If stories are to be true, the French ruler Napoleon wanted to take St. Basil back to France with him, but due to the lack of such technology, he ordered his army to destroy it so that no one else could occupy the church. His army had prepared to attack the church and had also lit up the gunpowder, but a mysterious rain shower prevented the explosions. These are legends, but people really believe in St. Basil’s mysterious powers and there are a lot of committed worshipers.

St. Basil’s Cathedral

Delphi, an Archaeological Site in Greece

2011-04-03T04:56:00.000-07:00

Delphi, a modern town in Greece is a famous archaeological site in the valley of Phocis. Delphi is located in the center of Greece, on the terraces that border the slope of Mount Parnassus. It also includes the Sanctuary of Apollo, a place where the ancient Oracle once lived. It was the place of the Delphic Oracle in Greek mythology when the main god of worship was Apollo. It is a site that is a must view for those who have always been influenced by the charm of the Oracle. The history shows that Delphi was populated during the Neolithic era. During 100 B.C., it became an important center for religious and political activities. It is interesting to know that the exact function of the Oracle cannot be found in any of the prehistoric documents; it is only the importance of Delphi that is documented well.

Delphi of Greece was considered to be the center of the world and the Oracle was a religious naval that was famous for predicting the future. Since the Oracle could predict the future, most of the kings and common people used to consult the Oracle on matters that were of great importance. These matters would include things like small house hold disputes to big war conditions. Because of its future telling capabilities, it created a name and a reputation of its own not just in Greece but in the entire world. Some of the common sites to visit in Delphi is the famous temple of Apollo, The Tholos, the Delphi Museum and the Charioteer of Delphi. The drive to Delphi from Athens is almost one and a half hour. One can reach Delphi by air or road.Delphi
Delphi
Delphi

Golden Pavilion Info & Photos

2011-04-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

The Golden Pavilion Temple, also called Kinkaku-ji in Japanese, was built in 1397 and it is located in Kyoto, Japan. It was initially made to serve as a villa for retirement for Shogun Ashikaga. It was quite later that his son converted the building into a Zen temple. The Golden Pavilion was burned twice and was reconstructed after five years. In the year 1950, a monk burned the entire temple into ashes and finally planned to take his own life by jumping behind the hill. The monk survived the attempt to die. However, his mother due to the shame that her son had brought, jumped from the train into the river. The monk was sent to jail for 7 years where he died due to illness.

The Golden Temple is a building with three stories. The upper two stories are covered with a pure gold sheet. The main purpose of the pavilion is to work as shariden, storing the remains of the Buddha’s ashes. One can see a typical Chinese style built on the top floor. The middle section looks like the Zen style and the last, the ground floor is made similar to the shinden-zukuri-style and does not have the gold sheet on it.

The entire temple is covered by a beautiful garden with a pond in the front called the Mirror Pond. A lot of stones in the pond give a representation of the Buddhist’s era. In the year 1987, some parts of the temple were recoated in thicker gold and some interiors of the temple were worked upon during the year 2003.Golden Pavilion
Golden Pavilion
Golden Pavilion
Golden Pavilion
Golden Pavilion

San Francisco USA

2011-03-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth most populous city in California and the 12th most populous city in the United States, with a 2009 estimated population of 815,358. The only consolidated city-county in California, it encompasses a land area of 46.7 square miles (121 km2) on the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula, giving it a density of 17,323 people/mi² (6,688.4 people/km²). It is the most densely settled large city (population greater than 200,000) in the state of California and the second-most densely populated large city in the United States. San Francisco is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of more than 7.4 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland.

In 1776, the Spanish established a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named for Francis of Assisi on the site. The California Gold Rush in 1848 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth, increasing the population in one year from 1,000 to 25,000, and thus transforming it into the largest city on the West Coast at the time. After three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire, San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later. During World War II, San Francisco was the port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater. After the war, the confluence of returning servicemen, massive immigration, liberalizing attitudes, and other factors led to the Summer of Love and the gay rights movement, cementing San Francisco as a center of liberal activism in the United States.

Today, San Francisco is a popular international tourist destination, renowned for its chilly summer fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture and its famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and Chinatown. The city is also a principal banking and finance center, and the home to more than 30 international financial institutions, helping to make San Francisco eighteenth place in the world's top producing cities, ninth in the United States, and fifteenth place in the top twenty Global Financial Centers.

san francisco

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san francisco city train

san francisco

Grand Canyon in Arizona USA

2011-03-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

The Grand Canyon is the largest known rift in the world. The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge that were made by the Colorado River in north Arizona, USA. It is because of heavy mineral deposits that one can see the canyon as bright red, brown and orange in color.

This canyon is a part of the large Grand Canyon national park designated by Theodore Roosevelt. The park is almost 277 miles long and 4 to 18 miles wide. The canyons are the main point of attraction in the nation park.
The president of The United States, Theodore Roosevelt, used to quite often come to the national park for enjoyment and hunting. Statistics show that the canyons were made by the Colorado River some six million years ago and have the deepest depth, of over a mile. It is said that the river started cutting layers of rocks from the west initially and gradually moved to the east. The place was inhabited by the Native Americans who lived within the caves. The site during this time was a holy place for the pilgrims and the first person to explore this part of the world was a European guy who arrived from Spain to this site in 1540. During the year 1869, Major John Wesley Powell made the first recorded journey to this place.

Some of the best adventures that a tourist can indulge into are Colorado River rafting, helicopter tours and other guided tours via land. One can stay in the best Grand Canyon hotels and lodges to make the journey memorable.

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon Bird View

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon Skyline

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon Video

Uffizi Gallery in Florence Italy

2011-03-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy is a popular famous museum, known for its incredible arts, most commons include the Birth of Venus and the Primavera by Botticelli. The Uffizi Gallery was designed in 1560 by Vasari of the Medico family. The shape of the gallery is rectangular and starts from the Signoria Palace and ends at the Arno River. It has yet a very interesting history attached to it. The son of Cosimo I called Francesco I started collecting pieces of art on the second floor of the Uffizi. As time passed by, the entire Medic family contributed in adding more and more precious arts to the gallery along with the palace.

Since the site is a very popular tourists attraction, large number of groups are broken into smaller sections and only specific numbers of visitors are allowed to go in a specify section at one time. Visitors are more than happy to wait in long lines. There is a special phone number that visitors can call to book their spot and thus avoid standing in huge lines. Most travelers who do not plan ahead do not know this number. The number for booking a spot is 39-055-294-883 and with just $1, visitors can book a spot in advance to view the gallery.
The cost of the ticket is 8 Euros. Some of the rooms that you should covered during the visit are the Botticelli Rooms, the Leonardo Room and one should check out Michelangelo’s The Holy Family.

The official website for Uffizi Gallery is http://www.uffizi.com/

Uffizi Gallery

Florence, Italy: Uffizi Gallery

Uffizi Gallery

Dubrovnik Old City Croatia

2011-03-04T05:27:00.000-08:00

Dubrovnik is called “The Pearl of the Adriatic” and is situated in the south end of Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is one of the most famous and well known places for tourists to visit due to its historic Old Town. Dubrovnik Old City became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1979.
Dubrovnik has always been big in trade due to its location near the sea, which contributed to most of its wealth. During the middle ages, the city of Dubrovnik became a competitor and a rival for Venice. The city had good numbers of skilled labor and money and as a result of which, saw enormous growth during the 15th and the 16th century. The city was also a home for notable poem, painters, politicians, play writers and scholars.Croatia is very proud to have a city like Dubrovnik. An interesting fact to know is that out of the best 15 luxurious hotels, 9 are located in Dubrovnik. Very high rank people like Pope John Paul II are citizens to this place. Dubrovnik is a very lively place and that is the reason it attracts visitors from all over the world. One of the best ways to plan a holiday destination is to spend more that 2 to 3 days in the city. The best way to reach Dubrovnik is by air, road or water. The airport is 20 km away from the main city. Dubrovnik is famous for roaming destinations like Roland’s Column, the Bell Tower, the Sponza Place, War Photo Limited, Pile Gate, and some famous churches and museums.

Dubrovnik Old City

Dubrovnik Old Town

Umayyad Mosque in Damascus Syria

2011-02-22T00:11:00.000-08:00

The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria is one of the oldest and the largest mosques in the worlds. It is known for its intricate architectural beauty. Sometimes, it is also called the Grand Mosque of Damascus. The elegant color combination with the lighting makes the mosque even more beautiful. The tomb stands in a garden that is adjacent to the wall of the mosque. The mosque holds a memorial and contains the head of John the Baptist, who is said to be honored as a great prophet and preacher by both Christian and Muslims.
Damascus is said to be the oldest colonized city in the world and the mosques is located on the land that is considered the most sacred ground. The mosque has been created for over 3000 years starting in 1000 BC, on the same ground, a temple was made for Hadad, who happens to be the god of storm and lightening. In the north east corner of the mosque a sphinx has been discovered.
A huge Temple of Jupiter was built over the Aramean Temple by the Romans in the 1st century AD. The temple was made on a raised rectangular platform with square corners on all four sides. It was during the 4th century that the temple became a church. The temple was broken and a church was built and was dedicated to a Baptist called John. The Muslim took over the Damascus in 636; however, it did not affect the church. The building today is shared by both the Christians and Muslim Pilgrims.

Umayyad Mosque Video

Umayyad Mosque

Great Mosque of Cordoba

2011-02-14T21:35:00.000-08:00

The Mezquita of Cordoba (Mosque of Cordoba) is a Roman Catholic Cathedral located in Cordoba, Spain. Mezquita is a Spanish word and it means mosque. The Mezquita was built in the 10th century during the ruled of Abd- ar-Rahman III, who was one of the greatest rulers in the history of Islam. During this time, Cordoba was the largest and the most wealthy cities of Europe. In fact, the making of the mosque added more to its majestic beauty.

The place was initially built as a Church, however, when the Muslim ruler took over the place, they started using it as a mosque and extended it till it became the second largest mosque in the entire world. The Mezquita is said to be the most proficient monument of the Cordoba. Once the Spanish took back the site from the Muslims, they once again converted the place from a mosque to a church. Today, the Mezquita is used for the purpose of Church and the normal fee to visit the Mezquita is 6 Euros.

One can enter the Church via the Patio de los Naranjas, which is a typical Islamic courtyard and till date, preserves its orange trees and fountains. During the older days, when the Mezquita was being used as a mosque, all the 19 gates were open while offering prayers, so that they looked like and extension of the trees with sunlight filtering all over. Mezquita is one of the few places in the world consists of two different cultures and definitely worth visiting despite your religion.

Mosque of Cordoba
Mosque of Cordoba
Mosque of Cordoba
Mosque of Cordoba

Chartres Cathedral France

2011-02-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

The Chartres Cathedral of France is situated in Chartes, about eighty kilometers southwest of Paris. It is one of the best & most famous churches in the entire France. It is counted third best among the Gothic style of architecture. It’s full name is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres.
It is a beautiful sight to see from a distance, between the wheat fields and only when tourists come closer to the church, it stands on the top of the hill and stands out in beauty. The Chartres Cathedral was built in the 16th century and it has two Spires, the first one is 349 feet and the other is 377 feet tall.

As far as the history of the cathedral goes, this cathedral was said to be the most imperative building in the city. It acted as a big landmark for the local public and also for the nearby visitors. All important activities were entered around the cathedral. Sometimes during the middle age, the cathedral worked as the market place. In the middle of all this, the priests however were always against the cathedral being used as a market place. So much so, that they did not allow people selling wine in the crypt. The cathedral was a common assembly point for different kinds of workmen to find jobs for themselves. The Chartres Cathedral is one of the most visited Gothic churches in the entire France. The Chartres was a place where pilgrims used to come quite often and during older days, the church used to be a hospital to take care of the sick.

Chartres Cathedral
Chartres Cathedral
Chartres Cathedral

Chartres Cathedral Video Review

Kashmir Valley

2011-02-01T21:24:00.000-08:00

Kashmir is a beautiful valley lying between the Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. It is situated in the northwest region of India and is 135 km long and 32 km wide. It is said that if there is heaven on earth, then it is in Kashmir. Kashmir was made by the Jhelum River, it is said that during earlier days, it was an imperative part for the Hinduism and later for Buddhism. Srinagar is the capital of Jammu and Kashmir.
Kashmir is known for its breathtaking scenic beauty. The Kashmir Valley is in the shape of a saucer. The local people of Kashmir are mostly into agriculture and lead a very plain and simple life. The summer capital vfg is known for a very beautiful place called the Seven Springs. Visitors can see the beauty through the beautiful trolleys. I went to this divine place when I was doing my primary school and during those days, the trolley was open and could only accommodate 2 people. It was a very scary, yet a magnificent site from the up.

Shikaras, also called as the wooden boats in Srinagar are yet again another breathtaking place to visit. In the clam beautiful lake with a picturesque view, everything looks beautiful just like a fresh canvas painting with bright and nice colors. Visitors spend a lot of time in this place. One can hire houseboats or rent and stay for as long as they want. The interiors of the houseboats are simply exotic. Kashmir is a hot piece of property for India, however, is being eyed by Pakistan. Despite the constant terror that prevails in Kashmir, visitors under army protection find it extremely safe to visit it.

Driving In the Kashmir Valley Video

Golden Temple

2011-01-25T00:15:00.000-08:00

Golden Temple Video

The Golden Temple in India, which is often called the “Darbar Sahib or Harmandar Sahib” by the Indians, is one of the oldest places of worship for the ‘Sikhs’ and is located in Amritsar, Punjab. It is considered one of the holiest, blessed and sacrosanct places in India. It is a symbol of both beauty and peace. The temple is surrounded by a small man-made lake which has tons and tones of fishes in it. This lake is supposed to have holy water. The temple can be entered from four different sides and thus symbolizes openness, acceptance. This concept is based on the old tents which were open from all four sides, welcoming travelers from all directions.

The Golden Temple has three holy trees. There is also a small Sikh Museum near the Ghanta Ghar in Amritsar which is very rich in information, especially for the first time visitors. The entire top of the temple is made of pure gold and thus adds a lot of pride and beauty to the entire temple.

During the earlier days, this place was a huge lake surrounded by a thin line of forests. It is also said that Buddha journeyed to find out the real meaning of life spent some considerable time in this place. The first guru of the Sikh community called the Guru Nank also used to meditate in this peaceful place and years after he passed away, many of his disciples kept coming back to the site and then it finally became a sacred place. It was during the Fifth Guru, Arjana when the Temple was finally built 1604. It was Guru Arjan who installed the “Guru Granth Sahib” in the temple and appointed the first reader in August 1604. The temples architecture is that of both Hindu and Muslims. On many occasions, it was destroyed by a certain set of community and rebuilt by the Sikhs.

World Tallest Tower Burj Khalifa

2011-01-11T09:35:00.000-08:00

burj khalifa

Dubai’s look is grand-scale. So is its debt. Its ambitions were colossal. It wanted to own the ‘largest hotel, largest airport, largest fake island and largest theme park in the world.’ The world’s tallest man-made structure ever built, fittingly renamed from Burj Dubai to Burj Khalifa after the leader of neighboring Abu Dhabi who just bailed Dubai out f a $10bn colossal debt, recently opened for business.

Such is the story of magnificent Dubai. Grandiose look built on grandiose debt in the vicinity of $80 billion, largely incurred by Dubai World at 75 percent of total debt at the very least. Dubai World, the ‘enormous government-run investment company, which sports the slogan “The Sun Never Sets on Dubai World”’ fueled the country’s material ambitions. The government of Dubai was not able to bail out its own investment arm, and this sent shockwaves to global investors.

John Feffer in Foreign Policy in Focus excellently describes the collapse of Dubai World, and the dubious reputation Dubai itself has now earned: “A casino is an apt metaphor for the conglomerate’s operation. Dubai World was gambling with easy credit. It was dazzled by high-rolling investors. And it woke up the next morning with a hangover and empty pockets, hoping that its friends would help it out.”

Dubai has been largely living off the generous strength of others, and enjoying the ride all the way. Feffer adds that Dubai’s grand projects were “all built by migrant workers who were paid poorly, treated terribly and forbidden to strike.” The Burj Khalifa is a grand example of this. The tallest building in the world was built primarily by workers from South Asia. By June of 2008, there were 7,500 skilled workers constructing the Burj Khalifa.

Skilled carpenters earned a measly UK£4.34 a day, and laborers earned UK£2.84 at the site in 2006. According to a report by Human Rights Watch, ‘the workers were housed in abysmal conditions, their pay was often withheld, their passports were confiscated by their employers, and they were working in hazardous conditions that resulted in a high number of deaths and injuries on site.’ Also, “those workers toiled 12 hours a day, 6 days a week for pay as little as $4 per day.

View From The Top Of Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa (Arabic: برج خليفة‎ "Khalifa Tower"), known as Burj Dubai prior to its inauguration, is a skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is currently the tallest man-made structure ever built, at 828 m (2,717 ft). Construction began on 21 September 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on 1 October 2009. The building officially opened on 4 January 2010, and is part of the new 2 km2 (490-acre) flagship development called Downtown Dubai at the 'First Interchange' along Sheikh Zayed Road, near Dubai's main business district.

The tower's architecture and engineering were performed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill of Chicago, with Adrian Smith (now at his own firm) as chief architect, and Bill Baker as chief structural engineer. The primary contractor was Samsung C&T of South Korea.

The total cost for the project was about US $1.5 billion; and for the entire "Downtown Dubai" development, US $20 billion.[13] In March 2009, Mohamed Ali Alabbar, chairman of the project's developer, Emaar Properties, said office space pricing at Burj Khalifa reached US $4,000 per sq ft (over US $43,000 per m²) and the Armani Residences, also in Burj Khalifa, sold for US $3,500 per sq ft (over US $37,500 per m²).

The project's completion coincided with the global financial crisis of 2007–10, and with vast overbuilding in the country, led to high vacancies and foreclosures.[15] With Dubai mired in debt from its huge ambitions, the government was forced to seek multibillion dollar bailouts from its oil rich neighbor Abu Dhabi. Subsequently, in a surprise move at its opening ceremony, the tower was renamed Burj Khalifa, said to honour the UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his crucial support.

Due to the slumping demand in Dubai's property market, the rents in the Burj Khalifa plummeted 40% some ten months after its opening. Out of 900 apartments in the tower around 825 were still empty at that time.

The tallness of Burj Khalifa

The Magnificent sight of Burj Khalifa

So what if you can’t beat the feat, just plan a look-a-like of the world’s tallest building. A few days after its first anniversary, the Burj Khalifa, is inspiring a similar structure in China.

The People’s Daily, in a report on Thursday, said the proposed $1.3 billion tower (the Burj cost an estimated $1.5 billion to build) would come up in Mentougou district of the capital and would house a seven-star hotel.

While not naming the developer, it said the project would be jointly developed with Saudi Arabia. The report quoted Wang Hongzhong, a senior official of the Mentougou district, as saying the design and planning of the seven-star hotel was ready. “It has been designed as a stream-lined building like the Khalifa Tower in Dubai,’’ the report quoted him as saying. The official did not mention the completion date of the venture, but said the hotel would be world-class and would bear the hallmark of luxury.

According to the report, the hotel would be located at the end of Chang An avenue, a road near Tiananmen Square.

China has been on a skyscraper construction spree as other countries put such plans in the cooler during the downturn.

The 600-metre Canton Tower, which was completed in late September, ahead of the Asian Games, has been the latest to join the race for the heights.

Shanghai also plans to complete a 121-floor tall building by 2014, which is set to overtake the Canton Tower .

But, for the moment, the Burj Khalifa towers over the wannabes and the rest at over 828 metres (2,716.5 feet) with more than 160 storeys. It sure looks good to stay that way for a long time.

Hagia Sophia Istanbul, Turkey History

2011-01-06T22:02:00.000-08:00

The Church of the Holy Wisdom, known as Hagia Sophia (Άγια Σοφία) in Greek, Sancta Sophia in Latin, and Ayasofya or Aya Sofya in Turkish, is a former Byzantine church and former Ottoman mosque in Istanbul. Now a museum, Hagia Sophia is universally acknowledged as one of the great buildings of the world.
History

Unfortunately nothing remains of the original Hagia Sophia, which was built on this site in the fourth century by Constantine the Great. Constantine was the first Christian emperor and the founder of the city of Constantinople, which he called "the New Rome." The Hagia Sophia was one of several great churches he built in important cities throughout his empire.

Following the destruction of Constantine's church, a second was built by his son Constantius and the emperor Theodosius the Great. This second church was burned down during the Nika riots of 532, though fragments of it have been excavated and can be seen today.

Hagia Sophia was rebuilt in her present form between 532 and 537 under the personal supervision of Emperor Justinian I.

It is one of the greatest surviving examples of Byzantine architecture, rich with mosaics and marble pillars and coverings. After completion, Justinian is said to have exclaimed, Νενίκηκά σε Σολομών ("Solomon, I have outdone thee!").

The architects of the church were Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, who were professors of geometry at the University of Constantinople. Their work was a technical triumph, even though the structure was severely damaged several times by earthquakes. The original dome collapsed after an earthquake in 558 and its replacement fell in 563. Steps were taken to better secure the dome, but there were additional partial collapses in 989 and 1346.

Justinian's basilica was both the culminating architectural achievement of Late Antiquity and the first masterpiece of Byzantine architecture. Its influence, both architecturally and liturgically, was widespread and enduring in the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Muslim worlds alike.

For over 900 years the Hagia Sophia was the seat of the Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople and a principal setting for church councils and imperial ceremonies.

In 1204 the cathedral was ruthlessly attacked, desecrated and plundered by the Crusaders, who also ousted the Patriarch of Constantinople and replaced him with a Latin bishop. This event cemented the division of the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches that had begun with the Great Schism of 1054. It also means that most of Hagia Sophia's riches can be seen today not in Istanbul, but in the treasury of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice.

Despite this violent setback, Hagia Sophia remained a functioning church until May 29, 1453, when Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror entered triumphantly into the city of Constantinople. He was amazed at the beauty of the Hagia Sophia and immediately converted it into his imperial mosque.

Hagia Sophia served as the principal mosque of Istanbul for almost 500 years. It became a model for many of the Ottoman mosques of Istanbul such as the Blue Mosque, the Suleiman Mosque, the Shehzade Mosque and the Rustem Pasha Mosque.

No major structural changes were made at first; the addition of a mihrab (prayer niche), minbar (pulpit) and a wooden minaret made a mosque out of the church. At some early point, all the faces depicted in the church's mosaics were covered in plaster due to the Islamic prohibition of figurative imagery. Various additions were made over the centuries by successive sultans.

Sultan Mehmed II built a madrasa (religious school) near the mosque and organized a waqf for its expenses. Extensive restorations were conducted by Mimar Sinan during the rule of Selim II, including the original sultan's loge and another minaret. Mimar Sinan built the mausoleum of Selim II to the southeast of the mosque in 1577 and the mausoleums of Murad III and Mehmed III were built next to it in the 1600s. Mahmud I ordered a restoration of the mosque in 1739 and added an ablution fountain, Koranic school, soup kitchen and library, making the mosque the center of a social complex.

The most famous restoration of the Hagia Sophia was completed between 1847-49 by Abdülmecid II, who invited Swiss architects Gaspare and Guiseppe Fossati to renovate the mosque. The brothers consolidated the dome and vaults, straightened columns,and revised the decoration of the exterior and the interior.
The discovery of the figural mosaics after the secularization of Hagia Sophia was guided by the descriptions of the Fossati brothers, who had uncovered them a century earlier for cleaning and recording. The Fossatis also added the calligraphic roundels that remain today. They were commissioned to calligrapher Kazasker Izzet Efendi and replaced older panels hanging on the piers.

In 1934, under Turkish president Kemal Atatürk, Hagia Sofia was secularized and turned into the Ayasofya Museum. The prayer rugs were removed, revealing the marble beneath, but the mosaics remained largely plastered over and the building was allowed to decay for some time. Some of the calligraphic panels were moved to other mosques, but eight roundels were left and can still be seen today.

A 1993 UNESCO mission to Turkey noted falling plaster, dirty marble facings, broken windows, decorative paintings damaged by moisture, and ill-maintained lead roofing. Cleaning, roofing and restoration have since been undertaken; many recent visitors have found their view obstructed by a huge scaffolding stretching up into the dome in the center of the nave.
What to See

The Hagia Sophia has a classical basilica plan. The main ground plan of the building is a rectangle, 230 feet (70 m) in width and 246 feet (75 m) in length. The area is covered by a central dome (see outside and inside) with a diameter of 102 feet (31 m), which is just slightly smaller than that of the Pantheon in Rome.

The main dome is carried on pendentives: four concave triangular sections of masonry which solve the problem of setting the circular base of a dome on a rectangular base. Each pendentive is decorated with a seraphim. The weight of the dome passes through the pendentives to four massive piers at the corners, and between them the dome seems to float upon four great arches.

At the western and eastern ends, the arched openings are extended by semi-domes. The flat wall on each side of the interior (north and south) is called a tympanum, and each one has 12 large windows in two rows, seven in the lower and five in the upper.

Just outside the entrance, stone cannonballs line the gravel path of the outer courtyard. These are the actual cannonballs used by Mehmet the Conqueror in his victorious 1453 battle for the city.

All interior surfaces are sheathed with polychrome marble, green and white with purple porphyry, and gold mosaics. On the exterior, simple stuccoed walls reveal the clarity of massed vaults and domes.

The Islamic calligraphic roundels suspended from the main dome since the 19th century remain in place and make for a fascinating religious contrast with the uncovered Christian mosaics. The names painted on the eight wooden medallions are: Allah and Muhammad (flanking the apse); the first four Caliphs Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (at the four corners of the dome); and the two grandsons of Mohammed, Hasan and Husayn (in the nave).

The Byzantine mosaics are being gradually uncovered, but only those on the higher gallery levels, which can be accessed by stairways on the payment of a fee. This means that Muslims do not have to confront much Christian imagery in the main chamber of the building, which was a mosque for nearly 500 years and retains all the equipment of a mosque.

When the Hagia Sophia was used as a place of worship, both for Christians and then for Muslims, the focus of the building was the east end, directly across from the entrance. This is because Christian churches are traditionally oriented towards the east, and Muslims always pray facing Mecca, which is southeast of Istanbul (the "east" end of the Hagia Sophia actually faces southeast). Thus the bulk of interesting sights are clustered in this area of the Hagia Sophia's huge interior.

At ground level, most of the sights date from the Islamic period. A beautiful marble structure in the apse is the mihrab, a niche found in all mosques that indicates the direction of Mecca. The large freestanding stairway to the right of the mihrab is the minbar, or pulpit from which sermons were given. To the left of the mihrab is the grand sultan's loge, built by the Fossati brothers who restored the Hagia Sophia in the 1800s.

Looking up from this area, one sees a splendid apse mosaic depicting the Virgin and Child. On the right is a partly damaged Archangel Gabriel mosaic. Gabriel used to face an Archangel Michael mosaic on the other side of the apse, but this is now almost entirely gone.

The most famous of the Hagia Sophia's mosaics are on the upper floor, in the galleries. The South Gallery, where the great mosaics are, was used for church councils. When the Hagia Sophia was a mosque, the galleries were the place where women sat during worship services. Today, the galleries provide visitors with a commanding view of the nave from all sides and a closeup view of some of the best Byzantine mosaics to be seen anywhere.

The best-known mosaic is called the Deësis Mosaic, and it is the first you come to as you enter the South Gallery through the Marble Door. It depicts a triumphant and kingly Christ (known as "Christ Pantrocrator"), flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist.

At the end of the South Gallery are two golden Byzantine mosaics. On the left is Christ with Emperor Constantine IX Monomachus and Empress Zoe; on the right is the Virgin and Child with Emperor John II Comnenus and Empress Irene.

The modern exit from the Hagia Sophia is through the Vestibule of the Warriors, so called because it is where the emperor's bodyguards waited while he worshipped. Up high and behind you as you walk out is a splendid mosaic of the Virgin with Constantine and Justinian: Constantine the Great presents to the Virgin a model of the city of Constantinople (Istanbul), which he founded, and Emperor Justinian presents the church of the Hagia Sophia, which he rebuilt. This mosaic dates probably from the 10th century.

There are several interesting things to see outside Hagia Sophia, including three mausoleums of sultans, the church's baptistery, and the excavated remains of Theodosius' Hagia Sophia.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul

2011-01-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

Hagia Sophia, also known as the “Church of the Holy Wisdom”, is located in Istanbul, Turkey. The church has been turned into a museum now. The church was made by the first Christian Emperor – Constantine the Great, who is also known as the founder of Constantinople. This church is the greatest church out of the many churches he built in many cities. The church which stands today is nothing of the original one due to the destruction that occurred through time. When the original Hagia Sophia was destroyed, it was rebuilt by Theodosius the Great, but sadly it was burnt down again in the Nika riots of 532. Some of the remains can still be seen after deep excavations.

Hagia Sophia is the greatest example of Byzantine architecture built with beautiful mosaics, galleries and pillars. Many of it mosaic paintings are great samples of the Byzantine’s culture and artisitic levels. The building is an architectural wonder and survived many earthquakes. The church has great influence on Muslim, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox worlds.

The church has been destroyed and restored many a times. The most notable restoration was done by Abdulmecid II, who called upon Swiss architects to restore the damaged dome, pillars and other exterior work. In 1934, the church was turned into the Ayasofya Museum by the Turkish President – Kemal Ataturk. The change involved removal of prayer rugs, and some of the calligraphic panels were moved to other mosques. In today world, Hagia Sophia still stands strong, thanks to UNESCO, which has taken the task of preserving the site by cleaning and restoring the great church.

Golden Gate Bridge history and information

2011-01-04T22:55:00.001-08:00

Possibly the most famous bridge in the world, here is the history and construction of the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as the planning concept behind the architectural marvel.

The Golden Gate Bridge links San Francisco with Marin County in absolute splendor. The bridge is one of the architectural marvels of the Twentieth Century and a testament to human strife, as it was constructed during the years of the Great Depression. For years, the Golden Gate Bridge held the title as the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Before its completion in 1937, the bridge was considered impossible to build, due to persistently foggy weather, 60-mile-per-hour winds, and strong ocean currents, which whipped through a deep canyon below. In fact, the bridge is commonly known as the "Bridge that couldn't be built." Despite these unforgiving natural elements, the bridge was constructed in a little more than four years. The total cost was $35 million. The total length of the bridge spans 1.2 miles. Eleven men lost their lives during the construction of the bridge.
Even today, the massive spans of the bridge are often shrouded in fog. The bridge sways 27 feet to withstand winds of up to 100 miles per hour. International Orange was the color chosen for the bridge because it blended well with the bridge's natural surroundings. The two great cables extending from the bridge contain 80,000 miles of steel wire, which is enough to circle the equator three times. The concrete poured to cement the bridge into the stormy waters below could have also been used to pave a five-foot sidewalk from New York to San Francisco.

Because of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco is one of the premier skyline cities in the nation. It was a triumphant day in the history of the city when the bridge was completed on May 27, 1937. Over 200,000 people celebrated the grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge by walking its length. The following day, a dedication ceremony was held to officially christen what would become the architectural trademark of the city. The regular flow of vehicular traffic began the next day.

Efforts to begin the construction on the bridge began as early as 1928. The process would entail the efforts of six counties in Northern California. In 1928, the counties formed a Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District. In 1930, the voters appropriated a $35 million bond issue to finance the building of the bridge. For many years following, Joseph Baerman Strauss, a distinguished engineer, dreamed of raising a span across the Golden Gate. It was in response to his vision that people first started saying that the bridge could not be built. But, amazingly enough, Strauss held fast to his vision, and a span was eventually raised across the Golden Gate Bridge. The actual work on the bridge began on January 5, 1933. It was completed four-and-one-half years later. The result astounded the fiercest of Strauss's critics. To this day, the bridge is admired for its magnitude and beauty.

The bridge is nothing short of a powerful force meant to combat nature. The often mighty winds from the Pacific Ocean are sustained by a mid span swing of 27 feet. The two towers of the bridge rise an impressive 746 feet, which is 191 feet taller than the Washington Monument. The pier of the bridge is only 1,215 feet from the shore, the distance between the two towers that support the cables, which in turn, support the floor of the bridge is 4,200 feet. These two cables are the largest bridge cables ever made at a little over 361 feet in diameter.

Today, pedestrians and bicyclists are still allowed to cross the bridge on pathways with breathtaking views of the city, Alcatraz, and the Marin Headlands. The bridge toll for vehicles is $3 when entering San Francisco.

The first exit of the Marin side of the bridge is Visa Point, which provides a magnificent view of the San Francisco skyline. But, the best way to view the bridge is to walk across. This usually takes about an hour.

Mount Everest, Highest Mountain in the World

2010-12-11T21:44:00.000-08:00

Mount Everest is said to be the tallest mountain on Earth. It literally means the top or the head of the sky. Mount Everest touches the borders of China, Tibet, and Nepal and is a part of the Himalayan Range… Its total height above sea level is 29,029 ft. During 1856, the name of Mount Everest was Peak XV. Its official name was given by the Geographical Society.

Despite the fact it is the highest peak in the world, hikers from all over the world come and climb this mountain despite all difficulties. A whole team of climbers can help both armature and novice climbers climb the peak. If one follows the standard route to climb, it is quite safe to climb the mountains. However, the problem in the Himalayas are faced with bad weather, fast wind and low breathing that can happen due to high altitude.

Climbers must pay heavy amount of money to climb the mountain, which acts as a continuous source of income to Nepal. However, an equal amount has to be raised to get license and permit of $25,000 to climb the Mount Everest. Till 2007, 210 people have lost their lives while climbing Mount Everest due to high storm.

There are two main routes for climbing Mt. Everest. One is from the Southeast of Nepal and the other is from the North of Tibet. The most preferred route out of the two is the Southeast that starts from Nepal. The best time to start climbing is during May, before the summer monsoon, as the direction of the wind is quite favorable during that time.

Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest

Metropolitan Museum in New York City

2010-12-11T21:23:00.000-08:00

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is situated in New York City, United States. In total, this museum contains more than two million pieces of art which is divided into 19 different departments. It is also called the ‘The Met’ Museum, which is one of the largest art museum in the world. It also has a smaller department in upper Manhattan which displays historic features of medieval art.

The museum has a collection of classical antique, art of Ancient Egypt, printings and sculptures of the European royals, as well as the American modern art. It also has historic holdings of all the continents like Africa, Asia, Islamic and many more. It is also an encyclopedia for a full collection of musical instruments, weapons, armor, costumes including accessories from all parts of the world. So much so that it also has great collection of interiors right from the 1st century till the modern age interior design.

The making of the Metropolitan Museum is very unique. A lot of people from different sections and walks of life came together to form it is 1870. This group had leading businessmen, financiers, known artist who had a notion of bringing the art and education in front of the American public. It was formally opened for the local public in 1872.

The Metropolitan is known for its sleekness, great and rich color contrast and the lighting effect adds a touch of polished monuments. Its architectural structure is Gothic and is governed by the local administration of New York. Tourists find this place extremely worth spending time with their family and friends.

Official Website: http://www.metmuseum.org/

Metropolitan Museum portrait.

Metropolitan Museum
Metropolitan Museum
Metropolitan Museum
Metropolitan Museum
Metropolitan Museum
Metropolitan Museum
Metropolitan Museum
Metropolitan Museum

Kathmandu City Nepal

2010-12-07T22:07:00.000-08:00

Kathmandu is the biggest city and the official capital of Nepal. It is located in Kathmandu Valley, which has two other cities called Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. One is the old city and the other is the new city of Kathmandu Valley. The language spoken in Nepal is Napali. Kathmandu city has a total population of 700,000 and it is the only developed and modern city in the entire Nepal.

The view from the Airport is so breathtaking as it is covered from hills all over and has untapped natural beauty and greenery all over. The main religion followed in Kathmandu is Hinduism. It is present in the center of the Himalayas and some of the peaks of the Himalayas are clearly visible.

Kathmandu has a very famous temple that is called Kaasthamandap, which was built in 1567 AD. It is also called Marusthal and is entirely made of wood. It is now rules by the government, but once, it was ruled by the royal house.

Swayambhunath and Boudhanath are two famous stupas within Kathmandu. It also has a famous Hindu shrine, called Pashupatinath. Kathmandu city, throughout the year, has honeymoon visitors visiting mostly from India. The city has a small thickly populated place where you will find monks in abundance. The city has seven most prominent groups of monuments that are rich in culture and heritage, which speak volumes about the city historic past. Durbar Square and Changu Narayan temple are very unique, which is worth a visit.

Kathmandu has some of the best five star hotels in the main city and gambling in the casino is legal.

Kathmandu City Buliding

Kathmandu City

Most eautiful pictures of venice italy

2010-11-30T22:55:00.000-08:00

venice italy gallery

venice city

venice city at day view

venice italy picture

venice city italy

venice italy images

venice italy night view

venice italy bords

Carlsbad Caverns National Park USA

2010-11-30T22:40:00.000-08:00

Carlsbad Caverns National Park is located in the southeast region of New Mexico, United States. The most famous part of this National Park is the show cave, Carlsbad Caverns, which is open to the public and tourists can hike by themselves via the natural entrance. One can also take the elevator that take you to the Underground Lunchroom which is 230 meters (750ft) beneath ground level.

Carlsbad Caverns Park is open every day except on the 25th of December every year. It has two distinct entries, one is the Cacesern Historic District and the other is called the Rattlesnake Springs Historic District. Out of the entire park, almost two-third has been restored in terms of its habitat and no further change will be allowed under any circumstance. The most visited day of the year is on July 4th, U.S. Independence Day.

Jim White discovered this place and gave some of the rooms their names, including the Big Room, King’s Palace, New Mexico Room, Papoose Room, Queen’s Chamber, and Green Lake Room. Jim also named others important formations, including Totem Pole, Giant Dome, Witch’s Finger, Bottomless Pit, Iceberg Rock, Fairyland, Temple of the Sun, and Rock of Ages. There is a lot of natural and untapped beauties present in Carlsbad Caverns. Quite a few chambers in the cave have white stalagmites, which resembled angels to the room’s discoverers. There are 17 different species of bats that lived within the park.

Balloon Ballroom
Located in the ceiling above the main entrance hall, this small room was first accessed by tying a rope to a bunch of balloons and floating them up into the passage.

Bat Cave
A large, unadorned rocky passage connected to the main entrance corridor that was mined for bat guano in the early 20th century. The majority of the cave’s bat population lives in this portion of the cave.

Bell Cord Room
Named for a long, narrow stalactite coming through a hole in the ceiling, resembling the rope coming through a church steeple to ring the bell. This room is located at the end of the Left Hand Tunnel.

Bifrost Room
Discovered in 1982, it is located in the ceiling above Lake of the Clouds. Its name refers to a Norse myth about a world in the sky that was accessed from Earth by a rainbow. The room was given this name because of its location above the Lake of the Clouds and its colorful oxide-stained formations.

Big Room or The Hall of the Giants
The largest chamber in Carlsbad Caverns, with a floor space of 33,210 m2 (357,469 sq ft).[10]

Chocolate High
A maze of small passages totalling nearly a mile in combined length, discovered in 1993 above a mud-filled pit in the New Mexico Room known as Chocolate Drop.

Green Lake Room
The uppermost of the “Scenic Rooms”, it is named for a deep, malachite-colored pool in the corner of the room. In the 1940s, when the military was testing the feasibility of Carlsbad Cavern as an emergency fallout shelter, the Green Lake was used to look for ripples caused by a nuclear bomb test many miles away. None appeared.

Guadalupe Room
Discovered by a park ranger in 1966, this is the second largest room in Carlsbad Caverns. It is known for its dense collection of “soda straw” stalactites.

Hall of the White Giant
A large chamber containing a large, white stalagmite. Rangers regularly lead special wild cave tours to this location.

King’s Palace
The first of four chambers in a wing known as the “scenic rooms”, it is named for a large castle-like formation in the center of the room.

Lake of the Clouds
The lowest known point in the cave. It is located in a side passage off the Left Hand Tunnel. It is named for its large lake containing globular, cloud-like rock formations that formed under water when the lake level was much higher.

Left Hand Tunnel
A long, straight passage marked by deep fissures in the floor. These fissures are not known to lead anywhere. The Left Hand Tunnel leads to the Lake of the Clouds and the Bell Cord Room.

Mystery Room
A small room located in the lower part of the cave, named for a mysterious and as of yet unexplained noise heard only in this room.

New Mexico Room
Located adjacent to the Queen’s Chamber and accessed by means of a short slope.

New Section
A section of fissures east of the White Giant formation and paralleling the Bat Cave. New discoveries are still being made in this section.

Papoose Room
Located between the King’s Palace and Queen’s Chamber.

Queen’s Chamber
Widely regarded as the most beautiful and scenic area of the cave. Jim White’s lantern went out in this chamber while exploring and was in the dark for over half an hour.

Spirit World
Located in the ceiling of the Big Room, this area is filled with white stalagmites that resembled angels to the room’s discoverers.

Talcum Passage
A room located in Lower Cave where the floor is coated with gypsum dust.

The Rookery
One of the larger rooms in Lower Cave. A large number of cave pearls are found in this area.

Underground Lunchroom

Located in the Big Room at the head of the Left Hand Tunnel. It contains a cafeteria that was built in the 1950s, and is where the elevators from the visitor center exit into the cave.Carlsbad Caverns

Carlsbad Caverns

Versailles Palace France

2010-11-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Versailles is the palace of the versalmonator, means a power house or a chateau. In the older days, Versailles was a small village, it is only now that it is a sub urban part of Paris which is the capital of France. Versailles in late 17th century was considered the strongest political power house where the monarch used to sit, when the royal family was enforced to come back to Paris. The political side to the building has made it so famous that tourists like to pay their visit to this building.

The building covers a total area of 110,000 square meters with 700 rooms in it with 67 staircases and more that 200 windows. The Versailles for sure is a grand place worth visiting. The building has lots of paintings, handmade sculptures, drawings, objects and furniture.

It was during the year 1038, when for the first time, the name Versailles was coined. During this period, the villagers of this village was on a small castle and there was a church which was governed by the local landlords of the village. Versailles was built by the French men and it was also called the unofficial capital of France. It is only ten kilometers away from Paris. The way in which the streets of Washington DC are made have been based upon Versailles’ model of streets. The city welcomes its visitors with open arms and provides one of the best luxurious hotels, food & site seeing facility to them. Whenever visitors plan to visit this part of the city, they make it a long holiday so that they can spend quality time in the Versailles.

Versailles Pictures

Versailles Gallery

Versailles Photo

Versailles Pics

Versailles Wallpaper

Versailles Image

versailles band

Versailles

Canals of Venice Italy

2010-11-12T04:44:00.000-08:00

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.

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.

Canals of Venice Photo

Canals of Venice Gallery

Canals of Venice Pics

Canals of Venice Image

Canals of Venice Wallpaper

Canals of Venice Pics

Canals of Venice

Louvre Museum in Paris

2010-11-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

The national museum of France is the Louvre and is situated in Paris. It is one of the most historic pieces of art that has been restored by the French. There is a very common saying for the French that they consider themselves the best in the world. One can only be less or equal but never better than them. The museum is spread in a total area of 652,300 square feet and has more than thirty five thousand objects placed in it. It is almost impossible to see the entire museum in a couple of hours and do justice to every piece of art that is placed from the 6th century BC till the 19th century AD.

This museum was actually built as the fort for Philip II and some remains of the fort are still present, not exactly in its best shape. A lot of changes in terms of its structure have been made to give it the present look and finally it was decided to keep the royal collection in the museum. The museum was inaugurated in 1739. However, due to some infrastructural problems, it was shut down for almost a period of 5 years. Some of the most famous pieces of art that is displayed is the Antonio Canova’s Psyche, the Venus de Milo, the Mona Lisa painting, some handprints and drawings, Egypt, Greek, and roman antiques, along with handmade cultures and beautiful glass paintings. The museum thus has a very rich heritage that has made the French proud of it.

Louvre Museum

Louvre Museum Image

Louvre Museum Interior

Louvre Museum

Louvre Museum Pics

Louvre Museum Gallery

Louvre Museum

burj al arab hotel review & pics

2010-11-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب‎,"Arab Tower", also known as "Arab Sail") is a seven-star hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 m (1,053 ft), it is the fourth tallest hotel in the world. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island 280 m (920 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure whose shape mimics the sail of a ship.
The beachfront area where the Burj Al Arab and Jumeirah Beach Hotel are located was previously called Chicago Beach. The hotel is located on an island of reclaimed land offshore of the beach of the former Chicago Beach Hotel. The locale's name had its origins in the Chicago Bridge & Iron Company which at one time welded giant floating oil storage tankers on the site.

The old name persisted after the old Hotel was demolished in 1997. Dubai Chicago Beach Hotel remained as the Public Project Name for the construction phase of the Burj Al Arab Hotel until Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced the new name.
Construction of Burj Al Arab began in 1994. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The architect Tom Wright[5] said "The client wanted a building that would become an iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its Opera House, or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country."

The architect and engineering consultant for the project was Atkins, the United Kingdom's largest multidisciplinary consultancy. The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts.
Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 m (920 ft) offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 forty-metre (130 ft) long concrete piles into the sand.

Engineers created a surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honeycomb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, while it took fewer than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 m3 (92,000 cu yd) of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.

Inside the building, the atrium is 180 m (590 ft) tall.

Burj Al Arab is the world's second tallest hotel (not including buildings with mixed use). The structure of the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang North Korea, is 9 m (30 ft) taller than the Burj Al Arab.
The hotel is managed by the Jumeirah Group. Despite its size, the Burj Al Arab holds only 28 double-storey floors which accommodate 202 bedroom suites. The smallest suite occupies an area of 169 m2 (1,820 sq ft), the largest covers 780 m2 (8,400 sq ft).[9]

Suites feature design details that juxtapose east and west. White columns show great influence. Bathrooms are accented by mosaic tile patterns.
One of its restaurants, Al Muntaha (Arabic for "Highest" or "Ultimate"), is located 200 m (660 ft) above the Persian Gulf, offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 m (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed to a panoramic elevator. The main chef there, Edah Semaj Leachim, was awarded Chef of the Year 2006 and also owns the restaurant, in accordance with the Burj Al Arab hotel.[citation needed]

Another restaurant, the Al Mahara ("Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium, holding roughly 990,000 litres (35,000 cu ft) of water. The tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 cm (7.1 in) thick.
The Burj Al Arab has attracted criticism as well as praise, described as "a contradiction of sorts, considering how well-designed and impressive the construction ultimately proves to be." The contradiction here seems to be related to the hotel’s decor. "This extraordinary investment in state-of-the-art construction technology stretches the limits of the ambitious urban imagination in an exercise that is largely due to the power of excessive wealth." Another critic includes negative critiques for the city of Dubai as well: "both the hotel and the city, after all, are monuments to the triumph of money over practicality. Both elevate style over substance." Yet another: "Emulating the quality of palatial interiors, in an expression of wealth for the mainstream, a theater of opulence is created in Burj Al Arab … The result is a baroque effect"

burj al arab hotel

burj al arab hotel Image

burj al arab hotel

Sistine Chapel Info & Pics

2010-11-03T22:36:00.000-07:00

Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City is one of the most famous chapels in the world. It is said to be the official residence of the pope who lives in the Vatican City. It has pulled so much attraction because of its great and intricate architecture and decoration that has been carved by some of the greatest artist. It has one of the best and the great painted ceiling that covers a total area of twelve thousands square feet. The paintings depict the life of Christ and Moses, which took almost 2 to 3 years.
Because of these paintings, Sistine Chapel is considered a religious place. Whenever a new pope is appointed, this place serves as the venue for the auspicious ceremony. The chapel in the Vatican City is famous for its location of conclaves. This is actually a physical chapel, during the fourth pope, this comprised of more than 200 plus officials right from the high end official to the clerks of the Vatican City. In total, there were almost 50 occasions in one year when all from the Sistine Chapel should meet. Some of them were masses, however the others were basilicas. The most common usages of the Sistine Chapel are the masses on Christmas eve and during Easter. Later, after some time, the chapel was rebuilt so that it could accommodate larger numbers of public. The very first mass in the Sistine Chapel was held during the 15th century. This ceremony was a beautiful devotion to the virgin Mary.

When the chapel is involved in hosting different grand occasions, visiting is off limit. The chapel serves as a venue for the election of the pope. Whenever there is an election, an extra chimney is added to the piece and based on the selection criteria, either a white or a black smoke is raised.

Sistine Chapel

petronas twin tower pictures

2010-10-29T05:10:00.000-07:00

petronas twin tower

Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong China

2010-10-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

The Hong Kong Harbor (now Victoria Harbor) in China is located somewhere between the Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula. This harbor, because of its location on the south, favored the Britisher’s to make it one of the most famous and the biggest center for trade. The shore over the years has undergone enormous change.

It is a very common tourist’s attraction because of its beautiful scenic view of Hong Kong and its harbor. This harbor display spectacular fireworks during the 2nd night of the lunar year and thus is very common point for the tourists and the localities. It is also used to form recreation like swimming and polo. The harbor was initially called the Hong Kong Harbor and its modern name is the Victoria Harbor. This name change was done to ensure and pacify the fleet that belonged to Queen Victoria. As the manufacture sector increased day by day, club races were stopped because of access of pollution.

The latest proposed recovery extends along the waterfront from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay had to face a lot of conflict. Till this time, the harbor became very important and a known location for the localities in Hong Kong. Some common activists went against the government and raised protests as the environment of one of the most natural asset was in threat. The harbor today of course is very well maintained by the government of China and Hong Kong attracts many new and old visitors. It is also fully engaged in the proper trade and is still the best and the largest harbor in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong Harbor

Galapagos Islands Pictures

2010-10-13T05:26:00.000-07:00

The enchanted Galapagos Islands are said to be one of the most peaceful and unique place on earth. Tourists find it very lucrative to explore this part of the wondrous islands. Ecuador has one of the most popular national parks which are situated approximately 960 km from the main land. These islands were formed due to volcanic disruption. It is situated on the equator and has a total population of 40,000. The islands are located in South America and the official language spoken here is Spanish. In fact, Galapagos is also a Spanish word that means ‘saddle’.

The island is situated in the Pacific Ocean which is almost one thousand kilometers away from South America. The islands are 19 in number, surrounding numerous marine reserves. The place is also called the iving museum and the showcase of the evolution. Due to active volcanic eruptions and extreme isolation on the islands, a new kind of animal life emerged. For example, the evolution of giant tortoise and land iguana, all based on the Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Even though the island is located on the equator, the water currents bring cold water to the islands, leading frequent drizzles all through the year. From a period of June to November, the temperature of the islands is 22 degree Celsius. The temperature rises up to 2 more degrees from December to May with no winds but heavy rainfall.
Some of the most visited islands are Bartholomew, Culpepper, Hood, Narborough, Charles or Santa Maria, Tower, Ecuador, Bindloe, nameless, Duncan, Abingdon, Jervis, Chatham, Santa Cruz, South Plaza, San

Galapagos Islands Wallpaper

Galapagos Islands Images

Galapagos Islands Beautiful View

Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Islands Bikini Girls

Galapagos Islands Animals

Galapagos Islands

Red Square Moscow

2010-10-07T04:37:00.000-07:00

Oh how we love city breaks. Nothing gets you through the working week quite like the thought of whizzing out of work on Friday night to catch a plane somewhere fabulous, glamorous and fun. And where would we recommend? Moscow of course. A contender for one of our favourite city break destinations of all time, the Soviet capital has got everything the savvy weekender could ever need: rich history, distinctive culture and some of Europe’s most exclusive nightclubs.
red square

red square

soviet chic
Moscow’s first (and still most exclusive) boutique hotel, the Golden Apple, will be your base. It’s perfectly located right in the heart of the city, just around the corner from Red Square and within walking distance of all the cultural highlights and hottest after-dark venues.

buzzing nightlife
This vibrant city comes alive when the sun goes down. Sip chilled vodka cocktails in glamorous underground clubs and decadent bars after sampling the fare in the city’s famous caviar houses.
kgb building

kgb building

Need a ticket to an exclusive party? Or how about a box at the Bolshoi? No worries - our local concierge service will provide you with recommendations and reservations alike.

kremlin and culture
When the sun comes up, start exploring - the wonders of the Kremlin, Gorky Park and St Basil’s cathedral are worth every moment, but there’s also some premium retail therapy to indulge in. Could we love it more? Probably not. From the architecture to the art and the bars to the ballet, this is a weekend like no other.

Red Square Moscow

Red Square Moscow wonderful

Red Square Moscow Amazing

Red Square Moscow night view

Red Square Moscow wonderful view

Beautiful Red Square Moscow

Red Square Moscow in clear day

Red Square Moscow lighting

such a great place Red Square Moscow

Red Square Moscow during snow fall

egyptian museum cairo

2010-10-06T20:42:00.000-07:00

The Egyptian Museum is called the symbol of faith for the Egyptians. The actual name for the museum is called The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities and it is located in Cairo, Egypt. The stories of Egypt are spread across seven thousand years. It is considered to be a treasure for the country of Egypt. The design of the grand museum was a consequence of an international competition. This competition was held by the UNESCO. The architecture of the museum is very complex. It offers its visitors a worthwhile time. The museum provides enchanting cultural, pleasurable and educational time.

The museum will help Egypt become a heart of the history and be a part of the Egyptology. The aim of the museum is to take hold of the diversity of the heritage that Egypt holds. The museum creates a great experience for the tourists by helping them connect the history to the present. It has one of the best antiquities artifacts collections.

This is one place that would always help you discover new things. The ground floor gives a vivid history of Ancient Egypt. There are good security checks while entering the building. Every time a new object is displayed as the best object of the month. It also has very imperative items that belong to the Egypt and are more than five thousand years old. There are some other masterpieces that belong to the fiftieth century and hence should not be missed. It also has some Old Kingdom’s small statues that have families and shows people working. If you move clockwise, it takes you to an area that would take you to the future.

In the far end of the museum, one can find material from the “heretic” pharaoh, also known as Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV). Tourists who have genuine interests in knowing the Egypt culture must not miss this site.

egyptian museum cairo

egyptian museum cairo gallery

egyptian museum cairo

egyptian museum cairo image

egyptian museum cairo

Visitt Cyprus - Cyprus Tourism

2010-09-28T04:37:00.000-07:00

Vatican City / St. Peter’s Basilica

2010-09-27T05:56:00.000-07:00

St. Peter’s Basilica is one of the four Basilicas that Rome has. It is officially known as Basilica di San Pietro in Vatican and it is located in the Vatican City of Italy. This is not a cathedral where the Bishops used to sit. This Basilica is where St. Peters was buried and is a burial site for many popes who came after St. Peters. St. Peter was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and later became the Bishop of Rome. The church in the Basilica has been present in this site since the 4th Century. This site, because of its uniqueness, artistic beauty and historical association, attracts many visitors and pilgrims.

Its history takes us back to the 1st century AD when Jesus was crucified. One of his twelve disciples was Simon, known as Peter, who took a good position amongst Jesus’ followers. St. Peters played great importance in founding and establishing the Catholic Church. Peter was in the ministry for thirty years, after which he took a tour of the Rome. He was executed in 64 A.D. He was crucified head downward as per his request in the Circus, now known as the St. Peters Square.

It is considered to be one of the holiest & the largest of all the Catholic Churches of the Christendom. The main building is very impressive and stood 138 meters. Its passage is about 218 meter long. The interior consists of the Pieta by Michelangelo, Papal Altar by Bernini and the Monument to the Stuarts by Canova.

St. Peter’s Basilica

Fjords of Norway

2010-09-27T05:44:00.000-07:00

Norway is the land of divine beauty that takes you one step closer to nature. It offers plenty to visitors right from mountain skiing, a voyage in the Fjords and hiking. Norway has always been known for its scenic beauty of Fjords, mountains and glaciers.

Fjords are defined as a very thin, long, and narrow bay in a valley made by the glaciers. As far as the Fjords of Norway is concerned, it is said to be the perfect holiday outing for visitors and localities. A long strip of sea on a beautiful sunny afternoon is considered a perfect day for tourists. Fjords of Norway are series of landscape mountain that attracts hikers in abundance. The best time to visit this place is from May till September. Tourists find it really adventurous to cruise the Atlantic Fjords and hike the mountains. Bergen, which was once the capital of Norway, is assimilated between seven mountains, said it be the Gateway of Fjords. Norway is very rich in its flora and has a good historical past to attract tourists all across the globe.

Visitors come from many places to feel the vertigo from the cliff as they pass by the Fjords. One of the most famous Fjord in Norway is called the Sognafjord, the King of Fjord and is said that the successor of the Norwegian come for fishing. This place is 1200 meters deep and is 200 Kilometers long. One can see fresh water, clear sky, bright flora not to forget the subzero temperature.

Fjords of Norway

Holidays in Fjords of Norway

Fjords of Norway Travel

Real Beauty of Fjords Norway

Fjords of Norway

Travels Tips

2010-09-21T00:36:00.000-07:00

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Galapagos Islands

2010-09-15T03:08:00.002-07:00

Galapagos Islands

Galapagos Islands Image

Galapagos Islands Wallpaper

Galapagos Islands Pics

Galapagos Islands Animals

Galapagos Islands

Cappadocia in Nevsehir ,Turkey

2010-09-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

Almost 3 to 4 million years ago, there was a volcanic eruption that shook the Central Anatolian Plateau and swiped all the contents from its land. Cappadocia is located in Nevsehir Province, within the middle of Turkey and is 200 Km long and 400 km wide. It has lots of underground cities, churches and captivating terrain. This site day by day is becoming one of the favorite tourist’s spots because of its rocky formation. Due to high sweeping winds, the Cappadocia has taken interesting shapes like that of an inverted cone, chimneys and mushrooms. It is because of its formation, travelers prefer to travel on horses.

In fact, it is very interesting to know that the name Cappadocia came from Persia and means “ the land of fine horses”. It has been believed that during the medieval period, this place was used to bread animals. Though it started with a bread of fine horses, it was also know for the fine men it had on its land. There are more than fifty churches in this valley. It still has communities that stay here and use old styles when preparing food. Some of the areas have become a part of the conservation policy and new houses would be constructed out of stone to maintain the uniqueness of this place.

Another tourist attraction is the Melendez River which has been made by inactive volcanoes over millions of years and now have deposited very thick layer of mud ash and dried lava. This is almost 1500 feet tall. Over the past years, it has remained untouched by invaders and hence, give a very real picture of the natural beauty.

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Easter Island in the Southeastern Pacific Ocean

2010-09-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

The Easter Island in Chile is located below the southern tip of Chile. This Island is full of charm, quality, nature and has a fascinating history associated to it. In the book of world, it is popularly known for its magical beauty and monumental structure. Generations after generations have lived and left their distinctive mark on this Island. In the earlier centuries, it saw some horrid sea battles. The holidays in Chile are remembered for a long time. The best way to spent vacation is to rent apartments. Chile is the land of wine, wine yards, poets and romance. It is the largest country in the world and offers different landscapes and hundreds of opportunities to visit.

The best place to visit in Easter Island is to visit some its popular resorts, beaches, the cost and see the beautiful spread ocean. The ocean in the Easter Island coast is spread over 4,000 kilometers. For ocean lovers, there is abundance of water to be with. The weather in some parts of the city is either dry or wet because of its Mediterranean Climate. It also has some old Chile architecture that is considered the tourists attraction spot.

Most of the beaches have five star holiday hotels and resorts with latest state of the art facility apartments and pools. Water sports are the center of attraction for most tourists as it offers variety of sports like surfing, motor biking. Fishing is another popular passing time here. Tourists prefer to eat exotic seafood and drink expensive wine to complete their fun vacation.

Stone Statues (Moai)

The Easter Island is also known for the beautiful stone statues call “moai” which is made of volcanic rock. There are nearly 1,000 stone statues within Easter Island and the purpose of the statues is a mystery and perhaps it represents the gods or the early ancestors. The biggest moai is says to be 10 meters tall and weight around 75 tons.

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Great Pyramids of Giza Egypt

2010-09-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

Egypt has more than 100 pyramids that are spread all over the country. These pyramid structures are made up of sandstone brick. The pyramids were built for the rulers of Egypt. The first pyramid that was built in Egypt was the Pyramid of Djoser during the third dynasty.

The 3 best Egyptian pyramids are the ‘Pyramids of Giza’. These pyramids were built on the outskirts of Cairo. The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is said to be the largest Egyptian pyramid ever made in the history. This pyramid figure is one of the seven wonders of the worlds. The Pyramid of Kufu is also known as the Great Pyramid. The Pyramids at Giza are three in number. Three big one’s are called the great pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) , the pyramid of Khafre (Khafra) and the pyramid of Menkaure. The pyramid of Menkaure further has 3 smaller pyramids that are subsidiary to this main pyramid and are called the queens’ pyramids.

The pyramids at Giza attract maximum tourist attention every year. Out of all the three pyramids at Giza, only the pyramid of Khafre retains some parts of the originally polished limestone casing near its pinnacle. To the naked eyes and laymen, the pyramid of Khafre would always look tall, but the fact is that the pyramid of Khufu is the tallest of all. There are a lot of theories regarding the construction of the pyramids and a new research shows that the pyramids were made by building blocks made out of limestone concrete.

Pyramids of Giza

Pyramids of Giza Pics

Pyramids of Giza Inside View

Pyramids of Giza

Pyramids of Giza Egypt

Pyramids of Giza

Pyramids of Giza Image

Pyramids of Giza

Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an

2010-08-31T06:04:00.000-07:00

The Terracotta Warriors and Horses literally means “Soldier and horse funerary sautés”. Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor in China. It is a belief that these warriors are real soldiers who were buried with their king so that they could guard him in his next life.

The Terracotta civilization is from the 210 BC but was discovered by a bunch of farmers in 1974. The average height of this army ranges from 6 to 6.5 feet and they are standing as per their roles; it seems just ready to go for the war all fully dressed with their weapons. The generals are in the front being the tallest followed by acrobats, bowman and infantry soldiers. This site is totally unbelievable, breathtaking and is considered one of the wonders of the world. In total, there are over 8000 soldiers, 130 chariots, 520 horses, and 150 cavalry horses. Much of it is still buried in the grounds.

It is said that the statues were constructed by local craftsman. In total, eight different kinds of moulds were used to create the face. Clay was added to the mould to give a proper structure and facial expression. All of them vary in their height, hair style as per their rank. There are a total of four pits that are 7 meters deep. The fist pit is 230 meters long and has 8000 odd figures. The ceiling is all water proof and made of reed mats and is wooden. This is for sure worth seeing and must not be missed by anyone who visits china.

Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Warriors Wallpaper

Terracotta Warriors

Terracotta Warriors Images

Terracotta Warriors

Potala Palace China

2010-08-26T02:14:00.000-07:00

The Potala palace at Lhasa was built by King Songtsen Gampo during the seventh century. It is located on the Red hill of Lhasa, Tibet. It was struck by lightning and war that led to its destruction. However, the fifth Dalai Lama in 1645 rebuilt the palace again. And since then, it became the political center of Tibet. The Potala Palace has 2 palaces in it, the Red and the White Palace. The red one signifies religion and the white one signifies ad ministerial building. This place is known for its complex constructions, huge buildings and the peaceful atmosphere and not to forget, its artwork.

Once you enter the palace from the east. It takes you to the main courtyard where the Dalai Lama used to watch the Tibetan Opera. The White Palace was called the Winter Palace and the white color signified peace, calmness and togetherness. The largest hall in the White Palace is on the fourth floor, the living quarters and the offices are on the fifth floor. The Potala Palace has a beautiful Balcony that faces the Lhasa.

The Red Palace exists in the middle of the Potala Palace and after the fifth Dalai Lama died, it was painted in red color that signifying power and dignity. The walls of the Red Palace have many Buddhists stories written all over. It has three chapels, the North which is dedicated to the Dali lama, Buddha and his medicines. The East chapel is dedicated to the Indian monk who introduced Buddhism in Tibet. The west chapel is said to be the most luxurious chapel as it has 3,000 kg of gold and foil with hundreds and thousands of gems and pearls.

Potala Palace

Potala Palace Wallpaper

Potala Palace

Potala Palace Image

Potala Palace Pic

Potala Palace

Acropolis in Parthenon

2010-08-26T02:02:00.000-07:00

Acropolis in Parthenon Portrait

Acropolis in Parthenon

Acropolis in Parthenon Photos

Acropolis in Parthenon

Acropolis in Parthenon Gallery

Acropolis in Parthenon

Acropolis in Parthenon Pic

Acropolis in Parthenon

Bora Bora in the Leeward Islands

2010-08-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

Bora Bora is an island within the Leeward Islands of the French Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean and is located about 140 miles northwest from Papeete. The island is completely surrounded by a barrier reef and a lagoon, which makes it a vacationing paradise for holiday travelers and tourists. At the island’s center, one can find remnants from a volcano that is now extinct and rises with 2 peaks, Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia, where the highest point is 2,385 feet high. The original name of Bora Bora was given from the Tahitian language, which is better translated as Pora Pora.

Bora Bora was first sighted in 1722, but then sighted again in 1769 and settled in 1777. Today, tourism is a big part of the island, where many resorts have been constructed on the small island that surrounds the lagoon of the Bora Bora. The first bungalows over the water were built about 30 years ago on stilts by the Hotel Bora Bora. Now the overwater bungalows have become a standard feature for most of the resorts on the island.

Most of the island’s tourist destinations are centered around aquatic activities, but there are still some attractions to see on land. Some of the aquatic activities include scuba diving and snorkeling around or in the lagoon, which is very popular. There are many species of rays and sharks that live in the water, and some of the diving operators actually offer tourists the chance to dive with the manta rays or feed the sharks.

Bora Bora

Bora Bora Pics

Bora Bora

Bora Bora image

Bora Bora

Bora Bora Beach

Bora Bora

Banaue Rice Terraces in Ifugao

2010-08-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

The Banaue Rice Terraces of the Philippines have been said to be like the 8th wonder of the world. They were carved from the hillside by the tribes people of Ifugao about 2,000-3,000 years ago. The tribes people did this with their bare hands and crude implements, without using machinery to level the steps where they plant their rice, which is what makes this wonder so attractive, aside from the fact that the rice terraces are still used today.

This is considered to be one of the greatest engineering feats of mankind, because if each one were connected end to end, then they would reach halfway across the globe or be 10 times as long as the Great Wall of China. It was not until only 13 years ago (1995) that the Banaue Rice Terraces were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The rice terraces are like stepping stones stretching towards the sky, where some of them reach almost 5,000 feet in altitude and cover about 4,000 square miles of land. They are now beginning to show signs that they are eroding, and some of them need maintenance, while the Ifugaos’ new generation is migrating to nearby cities in search of better opportunities.

Even though it is about 8 or 9 hours from Manila in a car, the Banaue rice terraces are known to be one of the most spectacular places to see in the Philippines. They have transformed the Cordillera mountains of barren stone into ledges that are fit to grow rice.

Banaue Rice Terraces

Bagan Temples

2010-08-03T02:10:00.000-07:00

Bagan is a plain that covers an area of about 16 squares miles alongside the Ayeyarwaddy’s east bank. The temples and Pagodas of Bagan that are now decaying were constructed mainly between the 11th and 13th centuries A.D., which was during the time that Bagan was the Myanmar dynasty seat. Local chronicles have carried tradition that says that 55 kings ruled over the Bagan kingdom over twelve centuries.

The Bagan temples are known as “gu” and were inspiration from the Buddhist rock caves. These were big multi-story buildings that the people could enter and were places where people went to worship, with the interior having richly frescoed corridors and sacred images and shrines that would be worshiped. The temples are often massively built oblong or square structures with terraces on the outside to represent Mount Meru, which was a symbolic home for the gods. The Bagan temples would also be surrounded by a wall made to be thick so that it would separate the sacred realm from the world outside.

The pagodas of Bagan are funerary monuments that have acquired a Buddhism cosmic symbolism. The Bagan pagodas also contain relics that are associated with Buddha. Some of the monuments were constructed in honor of a notable person, being built to bring lasting memories for important families as well. These structures are built in the shape of a bell that is set on an octagonal or square base, and they usually stand to a tapering peak covered with jewels and metal, with a sacred decoration shaped like a parasol (called “hti”) on the top.

Bagan Temples & Pagodas

Bagan Temples

trave to forbidden city

2010-08-03T01:38:00.000-07:00

Forbidden city of China is located right in the heart of Beijing and was the home of 24 emperors of the Qing and Ming Dynasties. The grand palace’s construction was started during the Emperor Yongle’s 4th year of ruling the Ming Dynasty in 1406, ending 14 years later in 1420.

During ancient times, the emperor was claimed as the son of heaven, therefore having supreme power. Their home on Earth was a replica, built to resemble the Purple Palace in heaven where God lived. A place so divine as this was certainly forbidden to ordinary people, which is where the Forbidden City got its name. Its splendid architecture is a representation of the culmination and essence of the traditional architectural accomplishment of the Chinese. The Palace Museum has become a real treasure of Chinese historical and cultural relics and was recognized to be one of the top 5 most important palaces worldwide.

During 1961, the museum was named an important historical monument under the Chinese central government’s special preservation. Then in 1987, the museum was a nominee of the world cultural heritage, which UNESCO nominated. The Forbidden City is the country’s best preserved imperial palace and the world’s biggest ancient palatial structure. It covers about 72 hectares of area, having a total of 150,000 square meters of floor space. There are 90 courtyards and palaces, 8,704 rooms, and 980 buildings. The city is surrounded by a moat that is 6 meters deep, as well as a wall that is 10 meters high, having a gate on every side.

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facts on victoria falls

2010-08-03T01:12:00.000-07:00

In the world of great waterfalls the grand Victoria Falls of South Africa has truly stolen away the lime light from the last many years. It has been one of the major tourist

attractions of South Africa. People just love to view the exotic and spectacular natural beauty of these great falls. Most of the tourists from all across the world enjoy their vacations with their family members in the lapse of these huge water curtains. The great Victoria Falls of South Africa are one of the Seven Wonders of the World today.

These great waterfalls are located on the Zambezi River which lies in the Southern Africa. The grand Zambezi River lies between the two countries of South Africa and they are Zambia and Zimbabwe. These great waterfalls are also known as “Mosi-Oa-Tunya” by the local residents of South Africa which literally means the Smoke of the Thunders. The chilled water of the great Victoria Falls from a height of 1200 meters which make this water fall one of the highest waterfalls of the world. The water dances like a Ballet Dancer and falls from the top with a pretty good speed.

The water falls also includes the weathered rock pieces which crumble down into the Zambezi Gorge below. The falling water of these extremely gigantic curtains creates a cloudy atmosphere and a foggy appearance at a height of 450 meters above the sea level. This foggy view can be clearly observed by the tourists at a distance of 40 kms away from these falls and it mainly attracts the tourists towards itself.

The tourists can enjoy the mesmerizing splendor and beauty of these falls throughout the year. The temperature is mostly humid and moderate which is best suited to attract a large no of tourists towards its attractiveness. The cascading chilled water of these waterfalls depends on the amount of rain fall which took place throughout the year and it also depends on the catchment area of the River Zambezi. As the catchment area of Zambezi River expands, the amount of water in the river also increases.

These exotic waterfalls offer many attractions to the tourists like water surfing, river rafting and river boarding. The Victoria Falls along with the nearby landscapes have been declared as the world heritage site. It is really a captivating destination where you can seriously enjoy a couple of days and make your vacations memorable.

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Victoria Falls of Zambia and Zimbabwe is one of the world’s most spectacular natural wonder, and it appeals to travelers all across the globe. The Zambezi River flows placid and broad to the edge of a basalt lip measuring 1700 meters before plunging 100 meters into the frothy, thunderous abyss below.

History

The history of Victoria Falls does not go back too far from now, as it was only discovered in November of 1855 by David Livingstone. However, today the falls continues to be as allusive a destination as it was to the explorers, surveyors, missionaries, and hunters of the 1800s. The impulse to travel to the falls is the same, but the pursuit is only a little bit different.

Adventure

Victoria Falls is the biggest waterfall in the whole world, and it serves as a safari gateway for Southern Africa. The falls has become a very popular place for visitors to go white water rafting, river boarding, and even bungee jumping. The downstream rapids of the river after the falls provide some of the scariest river boarding and white water rafting for beginners, as well as those who have experience, than anywhere else.

Activities

Bungee jumpers also enjoy the thrill of Victoria Falls, where they can jump down 111 meters off of the bridge by the falls, which was just recently named the highest commercial bungee jump in the world. Aside from rafting and bungee jumping, however, visitors can also enjoy bird watching, aerial trips on a helicopter, walking trails, shopping, etc. as well.

Angkor Wat Temple

2010-07-28T05:16:00.000-07:00

Built from 802 to 1220 AD by the Khmer civilization, the temples at Angkor represent one of the most enduring and astonishing architectural achievements of humankind. The more than 100 stone structures that we see today are the surviving remnants of a grand administrative, religious, and social metropolis. The other buildings (public buildings, palaces, homes, etc.) were actually built from wood and do not exist anymore.

Conventional theories assume that the land where Angkor is located was chosen as the settlement spot due to its strategic position for military purposes, as well as its agricultural potential. However, other scholars think that the location and the arrangement of Angkor was based on planet-spanning sacred land from archaic periods.

Angkor Wat was built early in 1100s by Suryavarman over an estimated 30 years and honors Vishnu, the Hindu god. The ruins are a symbolic structure of Hindu cosmology. This is actually the biggest monument in the group, as well as the best preserved. The wonder is located about 4 miles to the north of Siem Reap and south of Angkor Thom, and Angkor Wat is only accessible from its gate to the west.

Angkor Wat consists of a huge temple that symbolizes Mt. Meru, a mythic mountain, and its 5 walls and moats are a representation of mountainous chains, as well as the cosmic ocean. This temple was a funerary temple built for King Suryavarman II. The vast compound’s short dimensions are aligned precisely along the north-south axis, and the east to west axis was diverted deliberately 0.75° to give its observers an anticipation of the equinox in spring for 3 days.

Angkor Wat Temple

Ngorongoro Crater

2010-07-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area of Tanzania stretches 8,300 square kilometers and boasts a blend of people, archeology, landscapes, and wildlife. Here you will find the Ngorongoro Crater, which is one of the greatest natural spectacles in the world and is considered to be the world’s 8th wonder.

The crater is located on the border of the Serengeti National Park and is only a few hours away from Arusha, which is a town located at the bottom of Mount Meru. Ngorongoro Crater is one of the World Heritage Sites and is the biggest unbroken ancient caldera worldwide. It is almost 3 million years old and is now considered to be the Garden of Eden in Africa. Before the Ngorongoro volcano exploded, collapsing 2 million years ago, it was one of the tallest mountains in the world. The crater actually measures 12 million inches diameter and the rim is 2,000 feet above the floor of the crater.

The abundant wildlife and magical setting never cease to amaze its visitors. The wildlife here consists of wild game, lions, zebras, buffaloes, rhinos, elephants, gazelles, wildebeests, and so much more. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is said to have about 30,000 different animals, which are all protected by the steep walls that ring the crater, sheltering the area’s grasslands, a big soda lake, fresh springs, and forests.

Within the conservation area, the Maasai people have made a home around the crater. Visiting these temporary, traditional villages is a highlight of the area for visitors, who can watch while the nomadic warriors and herders create beadwork, wear their bright colored robes, and utilize cattle.

Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater

amazon rainforest

2010-06-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

The Amazon Rainforest, which is also known as the Amazon Jungle, is located in South America and covers the Amazon River basin. The Amazon River is considered to be the largest river as far as discharge is concerned. Most of the forest is in Brazil (60%), Peru (13%) and some other countries like Venezuela, Colombia, French Guiana, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, and Suriname. Amazon Rainforest is the largest and biggest rainforest in the world and makes about half of the planet’s rainforest space. According to historians, the Amazon Jungle was created millions of years ago when the Amazon River changed its flowing direction from the West to East direction.

Amazon Rainforest or Amazonia is also considered a mysterious and powerful place containing a huge variety of animal species which comprise of mammals, fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Many medical and pharmaceutical agencies are running projects in the jungle for gaining plant knowledge and doing drug research.

In today’s world, the environmentalists are deeply concerned due to deforestation, destruction and the loss of bio-diversity in the Amazon Jungles. Due to new and developing human settlements, the issue of deforestation has increased many folds. Before the year 1960, access to Amazon interiors was restricted, but due to farming practices in the later years, there has been a lot of damage to the Forests. Also, due to pollution and carbon emissions, the growth pattern in the trees and plants has drastically changed, which is unacceptable.

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amazon rainforest

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amazon rainforest

Amazon Rainforest parrots

Amazon Rainforest parrot

amazon rainforest plants

the amazon rainforest

amazon rainforest plants

the amazon rainforest

Iguazu Falls Review

2010-06-20T01:10:00.000-07:00

Iguazu Falls, also known as Iguassu or Iguaçu Falls. These waterfalls are situated on the border of Argentina and Brazil. It touches the Parana region in Brazil and the Misione region from Argentina. It is the fall that separates the river into upper and lower Iguassu. The first person who discovered the place was a Spanish guy called conquistador Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in the year 1541. The fall was once again rediscovered by Boselie during the end of the 19th century.

The Iguassu Falls have a total of 275 falls and is 2.7 kilometers long where it finally combines with the Iguassu River. Some of the falls have a common height of 269 feet. However, the best of all is the Devil’s Throat, which is a u-shaped, 82 meters high, 150 meters wide and 700 meters long fall. The view of this fall is breathtaking. Out of all, more than two thirds of the falls lie in the Argentine Province.

It is said that almost ten days of vacation time must be allotted to cover all the falls and do justice to the place. Since the falls are not evenly divided between the countries, enough time must be given to both the countries. No words or pictures can describe the real beauty of the falls. It has to be seen in person to fall in love with it. The tourists can reach the falls from either the Brazil Province or the Argentine Province. The national park of Brazil and Argentine are now a part of the UNESCO, world heritage site.

Iguazu Falls

Bali and Its Attractions

2010-06-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

Bali is an island in Indonesia that is located at the extreme west of Lesser Sunda Islands that are present between Java and Lombok. Where Java is on the west and Lombok is towards the east of Indonesia. Indonesia has over seventeen thousand islands with a population of more than 200 million. Indonesia also has almost 400 volcanoes, out of which 70 are active and the rest are dormant. English is only used for commercial purposes. Most of the people here are Muslims and a minority of the population is Christian, Hindus and Buddhist.

Bali is the most commercial place in the entire Indonesia as it attracts a lot of tourists because it is known for its beautiful rice terraces, temples, arts, dance, painting, leather and music. The first sets of people to inhabit Bali were Austronesia’s in 200 B.C. These had initially migrated from Taiwan. The Bali culture had lots of influence of India i.e. the Hindus and Chinese culture. Bali is said to be a place that is full of fun, enjoyment and is famous for its mysterious past. Tourists from all over the world travel to this part of the city to see it culture, natural beauty, art and paintings.

If you are one of those who would want to go on a vacation, then this is a destination you must not strike off your list of vacations. Bali has no rail tracks; there are only coastal roads that surround the Island. The entire island is enclosed by coral reefs. The beaches that are in the south have white sand, however, the ones on the north and west have black sand. Another must see site in Bali is the Bali blast monument.

Bali
Bali
Bali
Bali
Bali
Bali
Bali
Bali
Bali

Machu Picchu Above Urubamba Valley

2010-06-14T06:35:00.000-07:00

Machu Picchu is the pre Columbian, Inca empire site that is located almost 8,000 feet above the sea level. The site is located on a mountain ridge above the valley of Urubamba in Peru. The city is also called the “lost city of Incas”. When tourists make a list of the best world tour destination, Machu Picchu is the site that undoubtedly gets the maximum number of votes.

It is said that the journey to this spot is a dream journey, which one must never miss. It is a journey to the top archeological site on the planet earth. Data says that the Machu Picchu Tourism is one of the proudest industries in the country. Whatever your expectation out of the place would be, you will really be more than delighted to see the picturesque beauty of the place and the intoxicating power that it will have on you.

Machu Picchu was built in 146 AD, however, it was left by the Inca rulers 100 years later. Legendary stories suggest that the place was neglected for quite some time. In the year 1911, Hiram Bingham, who was an American historian, got the world’s attention to it and then there was no looking back. Recent discoveries also show that the site was dug many years ago by a German businessman. The site became a part of the UNESCO, world heritage site in 1983. The site as built in typical Inca style with dry stone polished walls and it most famous buildings are ‘ the temple of sun’ and ‘ the room of three windows’.

Traveling to Machu Picchu
The site is located 80 kilometers northwest of Cusco and sits between two mountains. From Cusco, you can take a train to Aguas Calientes and then take a bus up to the actual site. If you are of the more adventurous type, you may want to take a one-way bus trip up to Machu Picchu and then walk down to Aguas Calientes on your way back.

Pictures & Photos

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Machu Picchu

Christ The Redeemer Statue on Corcovado Mountain

2010-06-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue is 120 ft tall and has a weight of 635 tones. It is now a part of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It is located in the Corcovado Mountain which is at a peak of 700 meters i.e. 2,300 feet in the Tujuca forest National Park overlooking the city. The statue is made of concrete and soapstone. As a symbol of Christianity, it has become an important icon of Brazil, with Jesus Christ appearing to open his arms wide to embrace the entire city below.

It was in 1850’s when for the first time it was suggested to make the statue of Christ on the top of Carcovado by a catholic priest called Pedro Maria Boss. The request of the finance was sent to Princess Isabel to build this huge religious mountain. Initially, the idea was not thought to be a very good one. It was only in 1921, when a need and a proposal of a large landmark were thought about and finally the statue was made by the catholic Circle of Rio.

During this time, in order to gain more publicity, a group organized an event for a week where donations were taken from the public and signatures were taken for those who were in favor of the making of the statue. Most of the donations came from the Brazilian Catholics. A lot of suggestions were given; some suggest that the cross of the Christ should be represented along with Christ, or an idol of Jesus with a globe in his hands. But finally, a statue of Jesus with open arms was chosen. Construction of this religious symbol took nine years to complete, beginning in 1922 and ending in 1931. The brilliance of its engineers was revealed when it was struck by lightning in February of 2008 during an electrical storm. Several trees were felled by that storm, but the statue was left unscathed, owing to the fact that it was made with a top layer of soapstone, which is a good insulator.

Traveling to Christ The Redeemer
Devotees flock to the site to get a sense of the peace and hope it provides, and ordinary tourists approach it to appease their curiosity regarding the spirituality that this statue evokes on most people. Once in Rio, you could get a taxi that will bring you straight to the top of the mountain where Christ awaits. But if you want to take a more scenic route, then you need to go to Rua Cosme Velho 513 to purchase tickets for the train that will take you uphill.

Pictures & Photos

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Ancient Colosseum Rome

2010-06-08T02:45:00.000-07:00

Ancient Colosseum In Rome

When the Colosseum is mentioned, the aboriginal account that would access your apperception is one of majestic gladiators angry anniversary added to death, while bags of assemblage acclamation loudly, adequate the fight. It’s gory, barbarous and exciting. The Colosseum is still grand, continuing as a majestic anatomy apery the ability and ability of the Roman people. It additionally serves as home to abundant alcohol and apparitional creatures.

The lives of gladiators, prisoners and alike animals abide in the vicinity, giving the arresting anatomy an awesome and apocalyptic feeling. The action that occurred bags of years ago in this abode makes it one of the best apparitional sites in Europe. Colosseum visitors address aberrant activities accident while they’re in the vicinity, such as actuality affected or pushed, and experiencing algid spots. The complete of weeping, swords clashing, and beastly noises can be heard throughout the stadium. Seeing abstracts of apparitional citizens walking up and bottomward the seats and Roman soldiers continuing at the avenue means is additionally common.

Dubai City

2010-06-08T02:40:00.000-07:00

Is Dubai the city of the future, or the condensation of the worst developments of the past decennia; is it a fantasy, or is it all just fake; is it a dream, or actually a nightmare, is it a utopia, or just an investment enterprise…?

Last Tuesday, 13th of March 2007, George Katodrytis and Kees Christiaanse duelled with each other in the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam about the question whether the developments in the city of Dubai are positive or negative. Like a stroboscope they portrayed the city alternately as illuminated and dark, white and black.

Architecture critic Roemer van Toorn was our host that evening. The Dialogue lecture series this semester is part of the Architecture Biennale (theme: ‘Power’) that is organized by the Berlage Institute this summer in Rotterdam. Unfortunately the third speaker of the Dialogue, Marc Angélil, couldn’t make it by airplane from Zurich because of a fog obscuring the runway.

Van Toorn started off by quoting critical comments by Mike Davis on Dubai, on the internet, and celebrating comments by Rem Koolhaas/AMO, that he made on the last Venice Biennale. “Dubai becomes a single experience, instead of multiple experiences”, Koolhaas notes. Van Toorn also showed a short film about Dubai Waterfront, which hilariously features Winy Maas of MVRDV designing beaches.

Dubai Internet City

Dubai Media City
Provides infrastructure to enable media businesses including Broadcasting, Publishing, Advertising, media advertising, Research, music, production, ...
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Dubai Internet City – Free Zone Strategic Base for Companies …
Dubai Internet City is a free zone strategic base for companies targeting emerging markets in a vast region extending from the Middle East to the Indian …
www.dubaiinternetcity.com/

Career Centre
The Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone was established in the year 2000 as part of … Dubai Studio City · Dubai Outsource Zone Corporate Services ...
www.careercentre.ae/

Dubai Media City – Wikipedia
the free encyclopediaDubai Media City (DMC) part of Dubai Holding is a tax free zone within Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has been built by the Dubai government to boost UAE’s …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai_Media_City

Working in Dubai Media City
Those working in Dubai Media City today benefit from all the Free Zone has to offer and from all the world class media companies and corporations who have …
www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/more/working_in_dubai_media_city/

Dubai Media City
Alphabetical Section – Design by.. Hawk Media …Copyright © 2004-2005 . All rights reserved Design & Powered by Hawk Media FZ LLC
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Luxury hotels in Dubai – Radisson SAS Hotels in Dubai, United Arab
A testament to cutting-edge style and sophistication, the Radisson SAS Hotel, Dubai Media City offers beautifully designed rooms and award-winning …
www.dubai.radissonsas.com/

Hotel Information – Radisson SAS Hotel, Dubai-Media City
Hotel Information – Radisson SAS Hotel, Dubai-Media City Dubai United Arab Emirates.
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Dubai Media City
Dubai Media City. Description:. Category: Free Zones · VISIT THIS WEBSITE. Date of Listing: Nov 12, 2003 … How do you rate Dubai Media City website? …
www.gulfjobsites.com/jobs/United_Arab_Emirates/Free_Zones/209.shtml

TimeOutDubai.com – Authoritative views and reviews of everything …
Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. Reviewed by Kate McAuley on Thursday, 19 July 2007. An expansive outdoor area set in the middle of the city’s media enclosure ...

Rosewood Hotels is expanding its empire to Dubai. Or Dubai is expanding its empire to Rosewood Hotels. We’re not quite sure which commercial giant is exploiting which. Either way, a group of investors announced in a press conference yesterday plans to build the Rosewood Dubai International Financial Centre.

The hotel will have 157 deluxe rooms, 36 suites and a Royal Suite. It will also offer fine dining in two outlets, a gala ballroom, a business center, and the Rosewood Spa with rooftop pool and fitness center.

The Rosewood franchise already owns The Carlyle in NYC, a few other five-star joints in Texas and California, and several others in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.

Doors will open in late 2009. Until then, we’re fairly certain most traveling businessman already know Dubai restaurants don’t serve alcohol, but most Dubai hotels do. Don’t say we never did anything for you.

Weburbanist has a neat post about 5 Places You’ve Probably Never Thought to Go Skiing. Amongst the far out places are Lebanon (check the weather and the political climate before you go), Bolivia (the highest ski slope in the world) and this one above: Dubai.

The Ski Dubai indoor slope has over 20,000 square meters of interior space and accommodates snowboarding and sledding in addition to skiing. Since it is, of course, not weather-dependent it is open all year round with five runs of varying difficulty and a freestyle zone. The building is highly energy-efficient but of course no indoor ski area in the desert can be considered environmentally friendly

Palm Trump Hotel in Dubai

This has to be the best looking building from master marketer and developer Donald Trump. This one is in Dubai and it is already selling fast. Architecture at it’s finest!

Colosseum of Rome Info

2010-06-08T02:20:00.000-07:00

Colosseum is one of the greatest architecture ever built in the history of Rome. The Colosseum was originally known as the Flavian Amphitheatre and is the largest amphitheater to have ever been built in the Roman Empire. It is a circular structure that occupies a site east of the Roman Forum. This Amphitheater was built to organize gladiator contests, dramas and games like hunting animals, constructing mock sea battle and the public could also view it in the open, and cheer their favorites.

Built in the center of Rome itself, its construction began sometime between 70 and 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD when Titus was the ruling emperor. It has a seating capacity of 50,000 spectators. The Colosseum over the years has been broken by natural disasters like earthquake; even then, it is one of the hot spot of tourist visits in Rome. Very near to the Colosseum is the training school for the gladiators and it is worth the look. As compared to the oval shape of the Colosseum, it is triangular in shape. Other areas of attraction are places where the armor was built, then where the wounded gladiators were cured and not to forget the burial ground where the dead gladiators rested in peace.

Today, the Colosseum is used for religious purposes. The Pope leads a procession on good Fridays called the station of the cross. Currently, the Amphitheater is very rich in Flora. There are more then hundreds of different kinds of Flora present on the ancient walls of the Colosseum. The Colosseum of Rome has been given great importance by the media and that is the reason why a lot of Hollywood movies have been shot in this amphitheater. The famous movie “Gladiator” is highly influenced by the Roman culture and the gladiator contests.

Traveling to the Colosseum
The fascinating history that involves bloodbaths and battles associated with the structure is what draws visitors to this historical site. Getting to the Colosseum by taxi or bus from the airport is easy enough, but the line to get into the site itself can be excruciatingly long, especially during the very busy summer season. Aside from going there at any other time, there are other ways to get around these long lines. You can buy your ticket either at the Roman Forum or the Via de San Gregorio (these ticket counters are usually line-free), or you can even get them online. You can also buy a combo ticket that covers several of Rome’s main attractions, or call the office to reserve your ticket in advance. Another good way to avoid long lines at the Colosseum entrance is by joining a tour group.

Pictures & Photos

Colosseum of Rome

Colosseum of Rome Pics

Colosseum of Rome

Chichen Itza Visit

2010-06-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

Chichen Itza

Chichen was founded by the Maya civilization in 400 AD and it is located in the north central, north of Yucatan Peninsula now called Mexico. Chichen has a history that is 1500 years old and is located 75 miles from Merida. It is said to have been the main regional point for different ceremonies. During the earlier days & time, it was governed by priests. Chichen means “At the mouth of the well of Itza”. The word Chi stands for ‘mouth’, Chen for ‘well’ and Itza for ‘the Itza tribe’. The main belief is that people were thrown from the top as a sacrifice to make their god happy and the ones who could survive were the ones who were believed to be seers.

The site predominantly contains many buildings of stone in various stages of thier preservation and has been stored properly. The site is built in different architectural styles. It has a very clear cultural mix and difference of the Mayan and non Mayan civilization. The Chichen site has in total three divisions: the north, central & and the south group. Where one group is in the Toltec style and the other gives an idea about the early period and the old Chichen culture. Since this is the most famous Mayan Pyramids, it has been thoroughly researched by private agencies. Not really.

It is now a federal property and it is maintained by the Mexico’s nation Institute of Anthropology and History. The best time for site seeing is either early morning or late in the afternoon.

Petra Info

2010-06-04T06:26:00.000-07:00

Petra

Petra is a site in the Arabah, Jordan that was discovered by a Swiss explorer called Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812 and is considered to be, yet another splendid beauty in the history of mankind. Arabah is a section of the Great Rift Valley and it is located between the Dead Sea (north) and the Gulf of Aqaba (south) forming part of the border between Jordan (east) and Israel (west).

Petra represents the ancient world’s heritage culture. It is a beauty hidden behind layers of mountain. The ones who have seen it say it is a treasure beyond comparison. It is now said to be one of the seventh wonder of the world and it belongs to the UNESCO world heritage site. The entire red rose city of Petra has such a charismatic appeal that it attracts anyone & everyone who enters the city, taking them to a different world of divine beauty and mystery. Petra mainly is admired because of its picture perfect architecture, its complex structure, quality and the non mentionable mere size.

Petra is said to have its origin before 106 AD; its culture is said to have been flourished in almost 400 years old. The one’s who visited it say that it is a site that can never be forgotten. The city of Petra takes its name, which is the Greek word for “rock”, from the fact that it is most notable for its buildings and tombs that are carved directly into the red sandstone that serves as the city’s natural protection from invaders. Its popularity with tourists may also have a connection to the city’s Biblical significance. It is here where King Aretas called for the arrest of the Apostle Paul at the time of his conversion.

Location & How to Get to Petra

This historical fortress is located 170 miles southwest of Amman, Jordan on the edges of the Wadi Araba desert. It is also 50 miles south of the Dead Sea and the only way to enter the city is through a narrow crevice called the Siq. One has to uncover a very narrow path of mountains, kilometer by kilometer before they get to see the majestic beauty of Petra.This path is only about five meters wide, with sandstone walls towering up hundreds of meters high on both sides. This long, narrow & not very well lighted gorge is very cool & soothes the visitors before it unfolds the mystery step by step.

A taxi is the best means of transportation to get from the Queen Alia International Airport to Amman. Remember to ask the driver to take you to the Wahdat bus terminal, since there are two major bus stations in Amman. Destinations are usually printed in Arabic on the respective buses, so if you do not read Arabic, ask to be shown to the bus that will take you to Petra.

Visit 2 Greece

2010-05-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

side of Balkan Peninsula. It is also bordered by Bulgaria and Macedonia in the southeast.

Climate

It has three distinct climates namely Alpine, Mediterranean and temperate climate with mild and wet winters and also hot and dry summers due to Mediterranean affect. Alpine system is seen in mountainous regions. The temperate climate is seen near border along Macedonia. Athens has both temperate and Mediterranean weather.

Local Customs

The Greece is a place with strong historic and cultural background. There are different traditions and customs in different parts of the Greece. The throwing back of a hand is considered to be a negative gesture here in Greece. Casual dress can be worn most of the times. Smoking is prohibited in public transport services and public buildings. Tipping 12 to 1 percent is customary in restaurants, hotels and taxis.

Attractions
- The Olympic Games in Athens (the spot of the historic 2004 Olympic Games)
- Mardi Grass Celebrations in February
- The Parthenon in Athens
- Skiing in Arahova Mountains between October and March
- Easter Celebrations
- Thessaloniki's White Tower and country's rich Byzantine culture

- The south of Corinth
- The beaches in Lesvos
- The wine vineyards in the countryside
- The islands near the Aegean Sea
- The wildlife preserve in Alonissos (Sporades Marine Park)
- The famous, Moni Panagia Chozoviotissa, a Byzantine monastery in Amorgos

Travel

By Air - The national airline of Greece is Olympic Airlines. Many popular airlines like British Airways and Delta Airlines operate daily flight from Athens. The biggest airport is newly constructed Athens International Airport which is located like 17 miles northeast of the city. The other international airports of Greece are Heraklion (Crete), Thessaloniki (Macedonia) and Corfu (Kerkira).

By Sea - The popular Greek ports include Corfu, Heraklion, Igoumenitsa, Patras, Piraeus (Athens), Rhodes, Thessaloniki and Volos. Shipping vessels and ferryboat lines link these ports with Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Russia and Turkey. Some of the popular cruises operating in Greece are Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Festival Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Silversea and Swan Hellenic.

By Rail - If one is coming from UK, the best way is to take Eurostar train to Brussels or Paris and from there take connecting train to Greece.

Duty Free Items
1. Up to 200 cigarettes or 250 gm tobacco
2. 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars
3. 1 liter spirit over 22% or 2 liter wine
4. Perfumes - 50 gm or 250 ml
5. Gifts up to €175

Prohibited Items

Narcotics, firearms, ammunition, weapons, most meat and dairy products, eggs, plants, endangered species, fireworks and alcoholic beverages that contain more than sixty per cent alcohol.

Paris to London: 2hrs 3mins – by Train

2010-05-30T12:16:00.000-07:00

I did not see any coverage of this event in our media. It happened on September 4th when EuroStar the high-speed train operator that links the UK with the Continent, ran its inaugural train over Britain’s new 300km/hr (186mph) high-speed line, arriving into the wonderfully restored St Pancras International, Eurostar’s new London terminal.

I learned about this from Railway Herald, which published the picture without attribution which makes me think that it was probably furnished by Eurostar as part of the press kit. Regular service along the 109km (68 mile) high speed line to the channel starts November 14.

The new high speed line cuts twenty minutes from the current timetable for trains between London and Paris or Brussels. Train travel to these destinations produces one tenth the CO2 of flying.

The distance from London to Paris is 213 miles (343 km) from Vancouver to Seattle 150 miles. Think you can do that in two hours (city centre to city centre) even if you flew?

What is our government doing? Widening highways.