Turistas - Tourists

Snorkeling and The White Beach of Initao, Misamis Oriental

Last summer, me and my office mates went to travel and to see the beautiful beach of Initao Misamis Oriental, particularly the "Hapitanan", "Stop Over Place" in English. We choose Initao because one of our office mate, John's mother's hometown. We arrive at the beautiful place where it has a white sand, but not as white as those in Boracay, but still, it's white. The beach has some horses so could have a chance for some horse back riding. But the best part on the beach, is snorkeling! The beach has a healthy coral reefs, a wonderful place for snorkeling! We find our sunblocks and ready our way! It's my first time snorkeling so I was so excited.

The sun is up, as we swim our way, it is nice to snorkel when the sun is up so that the underwater will so clear and not dark. I got the chance to see what was under the sea. I was like, I was on a different world. Seeing those schools of fishes, large and tiny, with those different colors. I also got the chance to see Nemo in person! haha! I also found a black clown fish and and eel. It's another unforgettable experience because I only see this thing on movies like the Little Mermaid and other underwater movies.

Then our first swim was over and it is time for lunch! Eating time! We have to have our energy back for our second swim. Again the second time was also exciting. We went a little father from the shore and saw bigger fish. Unfortunately, the rain is coming and it made underwater dim. So we set off to shore. And spent the remaining time on the water and on the float. We even play splashing water! Haha!

The Window Made by the Sea, Azure Window

In Maltese, "Tieqa Żerqa", the Azure Window is perhaps the most spectacular landmark in the Maltese archipelago. It is a 50 meter high rock in the Dwejra Point cliffs. It shows a table-like rock over the sea, its is one of the most photographed vistas of the Maltese Islands. The rock is particularly spectacular during winter when waves crash high inside the arch. The sea has worn a hole through a narrow headland forming "the window" as the call it. Though now, the arch is in dangerous condition because large pieces of rock keep falling from the arch of the Azure window, sad to say, it is estimated that the arch will disappear in a few years.

Hope the government there will find ways to preserve it, so that the next generations can see this remarkable formation created by the sea. See this landmark now or else it will be gone in time.

The Cape of Good Hope

The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of South Africa. As one of the great capes of the South Atlantic Ocean, the Cape of Good Hope has been of special significance to sailors for many years and is widely referred to as "The Cape".

The term "Cape of Good Hope" was also used to indicate the early Cape Colony in the vicinity of the Cape Peninsula.

What's interesting about the Cape of Good Hope is its Flora and Fauna. The Cape ranges from rocky mountain tops to beaches and open sea, it is home to at least 250 species of birds. Examples of these are Ostrich, Bush birds, sunbirds and sugarbirds searching nectars from flowering plants. Lizards, snakes, tortoises and other small insect also inhabited the area. Zebras, eland, small mammals like rock hyrax, striped mouse, water mongoose, Cape clawless otter and white deer and baboons are also here.

The Cape is also an integral part of the Cape Floristic Kingdom, th smallest yet richest of the world's six floral kindoms. This comprises of 1100 species of indigenous plants, which some are endemic. Coastal fynbos on alkaline sands and inland fynbos on acid soils, the two types of "Fine Bush" can be found here. The Cape of Good Hope is nominated to the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

White-Headed Mountain - Perpetually White Mountain

Koreans called it Baekdu-san, meaning "white-headed mountain". The Chinese named it Changbai Shan and in Manchu, Golmin Šanggiyan Alin, which means "perpetually white mountain". Baekdu Mountain is a volcanic mountain on the border between China and North Korea. It is the highest mountain of the Changbai mountain range to the north and Baekdudaegan mountain range to the south.

Located within the caldera atop the mountain is a large crater lake called Heaven Lake. Baekdu mountain is a stratovolcano about 5km wide and 850m deep. The lake has a circumference of 12 to 14 kilometres, with an average depth of 213 m and maximum depth of 384 m. From mid-October to mid-June, the lake is typically covered with ice. Its highest peak is called Janggan Peak, covered with snow about eight months of the year. Its slop is relatively gentle until about 1,800 metres.

The weather on the mountain can be very erratic. The annual average temperature at the peak is about -8.3 degrees Celsius. During summer, temperatures of about 18 degrees Celsius can be reached, and during winter temperatures can drop to -48 degrees Celsius. Average temperature is -24 degrees Celsius in January, 10 degrees Celsius in July, remaining below freezing for eight months of the year. Average wind speed is 11.7 meters per second, reaching an average of 17.6 m/s in December. Relative humidity averages 74%. In recent decades, there has been significant climate warming on the mountain. Summer snow cover on the peak has reduced dramatically during that time.

Resources:
Baekdu Mountain

Ali-Sadr Cave

One of the most beautiful and most unique natural phenomena in the world is the Ali-Sadr cave in the Hamadan province, Iran, views of which attract visitors' interest and attention. This huge cave is located 75Km due northeast of city of Hamadan in the heart of mountains called Subashi in the Kaboudar-Ahang town.

The cave was originally discovered during the reign of Darius I (521-485 BC) which can be verified by an old inscription at the entrance of the tunnel. However, the knowledge of the existence of the tunnel was lost, and only rediscovered in 1978 when a local shepherd followed the tunnel searching for water or a lost goat.

In the summer of 2001, a German/British expedition surveyed the cave to be 11 kilometers long. The main chamber of the cave is 100 meters by 50 meters and 40 meters high.

There were also discoveries of historical tools and works of arts aging thousands of years, including jugs and pitchers, indicates that humans lived in this place since 12000 years ago. The paintings of deer, gazelles and stags, the hunting scenes and the image of bow and arrow on the walls and passages of the exit section and prove the point that at the primitive historical ages and in the hunting era man was living in this cave. The age of this cave is 70 million years and now more than 16Km of its water and land routs have been explored, yet not all the routs are known and the exploration is continuing.

For more:
Iran Chamber Society
Hadi Islampanah Photo Gallery

Falls with the Greatest Volume

Boyoma Falls, located on the Congo river in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The waterfall is the world with the greatest volume flow of about 17 million litres per second over a drop of 60 m. The falls consists of seven cataracts, each no more than 15' high, extending over 10 km (60 miles)along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani in the Orientale region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At Kisangani, at the bottom of the falls, the Lualaba becomes the Congo Riverflowing generally westward. It has a total drop of 61 meters (200 feet). A rail line goes around the falls, connecting Kisangani and Ubundu.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyoma_Falls

The Most Beautiful Mountain in the World!

Alpamayo (Spanish: Nevado Alpamayo) is one of the most conspicuous peaks in the Cordillera Blanca mountain range of the Peruvian Andes. It is a steep (sixty degrees), almost perfect pyramid of ice, one of a number of peaks that compose the Santa Cruz massif, the northernmost massif of the Cordillera Blanca.

Although smaller than many of its neighboring peaks, it is distinguished by its unusual formation and overwhelming beauty. It actually has two sharp summits, North and South, separated by a narrow corniced ridge. Its name comes from Quechua Allpa = earth Mayu = river: muddy river. On July 1966, on the German magazine "Alpinismus", a photo made by American photographer Leigh Ortenburger, came together with an article resulting from an international sourvey among climbers, photographers, etc, making the choice for Alpamayo as "The Most Beautiful Mountain in the World".

Will, as we can see in the images, it really is the most beautiful mountain. The snow and ice caps covering the moutain, making it like a floor of a heavenly ground. Maybe the gods lived there. .

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpamayo

Aitutaki the Triangle

Aitutaki is one of the island in Cook islands. Traditionally known as Araura, Ararau and Utataki, it is the second most visited island in Cook Island, is capital or main village, the Arutanga.

Aitutaki is an "almost atoll". It has a maximum elevation of approximately 123 metres with the hill known as Maunga Pu close to its northernmost point. The barrier reef that forms the basis of Aitutaki is roughly the shape of an equilateral triangle with sides 12 kilometres in length. The southern edge of the triangle is almost totally below the surface of the ocean, and the eastern side is composed of a string of small islands (including Mangere, Akaiami, and Tekopua).

On the Second World War, the island were used as bases by the Allied troops against the Japanese. The island was also used in the reality tv show of UK, the Shipwrecked in 2000. On 2006, the island was used as the location for the tribal council for the Survivor: Cook Island. Then after, the Shipwrecked: Battle of the Island was shoot there.

The main attractions on the island is the turquoise central lagoon, uninhabited islands and palm-fringed beaches. There is also an old church (the oldest in the Cook Islands) and some gigantic Banyan Trees.

Another attraction is the One Foot Island. It is often said to be the most important attraction. It is regarded as providing the visitor with the best views of the Aitutaki lagoon and depending on the tide one is able to walk on a sandbank a decent distance away from One Foot Island. The trip to this island is the most frequented trip available on Aitutaki and is bookable in most hotels.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aitutaki

Arenal Volcano

The Arenal Volcano, in Spanish Volcán Arenal, is an active andesitic stratovolcano in north-western Costa Rica, around 90 km north-west of San José, in the province of Alajuela, canton of San Carlos, and district of La Fortuna. Recognized as a volcano since the 19th century, it was known by foreign investigators as Volcan Costa Rica, Rio Frio, Canastos Volcano and Cerro de los Guatusos. Arenal is the youngest and most active of all the mountains in Costa Rica. Scientists have been able to date it back to more than 4000 years ago. The area remained largely unexplored until 1937, when a documented expedition took place to reach the summit.

What I like the most when it comes to volcanoes is when they erupt. On nights, you can see the red lava flowing down the hill.

Aletsch Glacier: Like a Vanilla Icecream

Aletsch Glacier, the largest glacier in the Alps, covers more than 120 square kilometres in southern Switzerland. It descends round the south of the Jungfrau into the valley of the Upper Rhône; at its eastern extremity lies a glacier lake, Lake Märjelen. To the west rises Aletschhorn. The Rhône River flows along the southern flank of the mountains.

The mountain that covers looks like a vanilla icecream. The glacier covering the mountains with white snow and ice. The Aletsch Glacier was famous because on August 18th, 2007, photographer Spencer Tunick used hundreds of naked people in a "living sculpture" on the Aletsch Glacier in a photo shoot intended to draw attention to global warming and the shrinking of the world's glaciers. The temperature was about 10 °C at the time of the photo shoot.

The 600 participants on the shrinking glacier volunteered for Tunick, a collaboration with Greenpeace to let the world know about the effects of global warming on the melting Swiss glaciers. The Aletsch Glacier receded by 100m between 2005 and 2006.

For more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aletsch_Glacier

Aldabra Atoll: Home of the Giant Tortoises

Aldabra is a raised coral atoll in the Indian Ocean, virtually untouched by humans, with distinctive island fauna, including the Aldabra Giant Tortoise. The atoll is home to the world's largest population of giant tortoises, numbering some 100,000 individuals.

The islands are designated a World Heritage Site. They are also known for their green turtles, hawksbill turtles, and birds, including the Aldabra rail, the last surviving flightless bird of the Indian Ocean region. Politically, Aldabra is part of the Seychelles.

Maybe we can call this the kingdom of the turtles. For so many tortoises living in their, maybe the Ninja turtles came from this Island.

Al-Hasa Oasis..

Al-Hasa or al-Ahsa is a traditional oasis region in eastern Saudi Arabia that gives its name to the Al-Ahsa Governorate, which comprises much of that country's Eastern Province. The oasis is located about 60 km inland from the Persian Gulf

Al-Hasa contains one of the largest concentrations of Shia Muslims in predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia. Al-Ahsa is part of the region known historically as Al-Bahrayn, which included the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula down to the borders of Oman, and also included the island of Awal (modern-day Bahrain).

The source of life in the Arabian Peninsula. I like the sceneries in the Arab region especially the oasis. As it gives rejuvenation for the travelers in the vast desert. The animated movie Aladdin's scene is in the Arabs.

Mayon Volcano: World's Perfect Cone!

The Mayon Volcano is an active stratovolcano in the Philippines on the island of Luzon, in the province of Albay in the Bicol Region. The near perfectly cone shaped volcano is situated 15 kilometres northwest of Legazpi City.

Its has a perfect cone. I haven't been there but I'll see this magnificent site once.

Tubbataha Reefs as one of the new 7 wonders of the World.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is home to some of the most beautiful coral reefs in the world. Rising from the volcanic depths of the Sulu Sea in the western Philippines, these magnificent atolls encompass an astonishing diversity of marine life.

The park is an underwater sanctuary where nature can thrive. Tubbataha is the Philippines' only National Marine Park and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a place of global importance, being preserved for generations to come.

From majestic whale sharks to elusive seahorses - Tubbataha supports an unparalleled variety of marine creatures. Colourful reef fish crowd corals growing in the shallows while sharks and manta rays haunt the steep drop offs to the open sea.

A team of rangers are stationed on the reef year-round and, from March until June, divers visit Tubbataha to experience the wonders of this unique underwater world.

Bohol: God's Little Paradise!

I have been in Bohol many times! Because my grandmother was from Bohol, particularly in a small village of Bood, in the town of Maribojoc, just a few kilometers away from Bohol's capital, Tagbilaran city. Bohol is just one of the many beautiful places in the Philippines. With is famous Chocolate Hills. The Hills may look green is rainy days, but turns brown-chocolate in summer. The smallest marsupial is also found in Bohol, the tarsier. It has also its fine white beaches and many caves, waterfalls and underwater adventure. But what's best for me when I'm in Bohol, it's when we go fishing with my relatives and friends there!

Romantic Escape

Anyone heard of Amanpulo? If not you should go there at least once!

Ah... A luxurious beach resort found in Palawan, Philippines.. A beautiful and magnificent place to bring your loved one. Spend your honeymoon here or just a nature escapade. A place where I can be there only in my dreams.

Wow! I wish I can visit that place once in my lifetime.

Boracay Island! The most popular beach of 2007 according to Yahoo!

Boracay Island, is located in Aklan province 345 kms. South of Manila. The island is accessible by air from Manila or Cebu through two principal gateways: Caticlan airport or Kalibo airport.

This one of my destination this summer 2008! I can't wait to see it's pure white sand beaches, the crystal clear water, wonderful hotels and resorts, and most of all, those sexy and gorgeous ladies walking around the beach, tanning under the hit of the sun! Let's have swimming there!

Island Born of Fire

White Island

I haven't been to Camiguin Island, Philippines. Even though I am just living near the island. I can't find anytime to visit this place.

Camiguin Lanzones Fruit

An island having seven volcanoes. It has reach culture and tradition. With its annual celebration of the lanzones festival, it also have different scenery and many tourist attraction, from its ever-white sandbar called The White Island, its Ardent Hot Spring, to the towering mountain of Mt. Hibok-hibok. A paradise beyond your imagination. One of my destination this hot summer!

Ardent Hot Spring

Turistas - Tourists

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