Isla Vieques Island,Puerto Rico

March 11th, 2010 by Justin No comments »

 

Just six miles off the coast is Isla Vieques, an untouched paradise on earth with verdant forests, never-ending stretches of white sand and a backdrop of rolling hills. Stay at the blissfully chic Bravo Beach Hotel, which has direct access to the coastline. Vieques is also known as “La Isla Nena” (little girl island) and “Isabel Segunda” (Isabel II). Vieques was founded in 1843 by Francisco Saínz. The Island is located between Puerto Rico and St. Thomas (USVI), and is separated from the southeast coast of Puerto Rico by approximately 8 miles of sea, although if you are taking a ferry from Fajardo the distance will be 18 miles. Island is approximately 21 miles (34 km) long by 4 miles (6 km) wide Various European powers fought for control of Vieques. The Punta Mulas Lighthouse also known as Morropó was built in 1893. This old lighthouse still protects the port, boasts a reflector imported from Paris in 1895, which extends a beam that can be seen from as far as 16 miles. The U.S. Navy came to Vieques in 1941, taking jurisdiction of about 70% (27,000 of the island’s 33,000 acres) of Vieques, which it was used as a training area (target practice with live ammunition and war games). As a result, Vieques has inherited a legacy of toxic pollution. After pressure from the people of Vieques, the U.S. Navy left the island of Vieques in Puerto Rico on May, 2003, after more than 60 years of use as a testing ground

Attraction-

There is an excellent historical museum at the beautifully restored fort, El Fortin Conde de Mirasol, located in Isabel Segunda. This fort holds the distinction of being the last fort constructed during the Spanish Empire in the New World, over time also served as a jail. After it’s careful restoration in 1991 by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the fort serves as the island’s main museum, housing the Vieques Museum of Art and History and the Vieques Historic Archives. The museum contains the Vieques Historic Archives, which includes thousands of documents and other materials related to Vieques’ history.

Operation Hour-

Open Wed-Sun 10am – 4pm, weekdays by appointment, free admission (donations are encouraged), (787) 741-1717

Ali Sadr cave (Hamedan-Iran)

February 26th, 2010 by Justin No comments »

 Ali Sadr Cave

The amazing Ali Sadr cave is the most popular tourist destination and a beautiful natural attraction of Iran for all tourists, it is a Jurassic water cave with large deep lakes and walls up to 40 meters high, it has an internal river but the flowing of river is not visible and it looks like a silent lake with clear and calm water rather than a current river, most of the trip through the cave is done by pedal boats, it is 11.5 Km long and the second longest surveyed cave of Iran. The Ali Sadr Cave is a cave located 80 km north of Hamedan city, western Iran.

Ali Sadr is one of the excellent caves to offer for sightseeing in Iran. Ali Sadr Cave is opened to public since 1975 and has several visitors each year and it is one of the most visited caves of the world.

A man made entrance tunnel to this cave was built in 521-485 B.C in the reign of King Dareios I in the Kingdom of the Achaemenids, later most knowledge about this cave was lost. Cave was rediscovered in 1960 by a local shepherd looking for his lost goat and the other story tells, it was rediscovered in 1978, after the water from the spring diminished, a local guy of Ali Sadr village in search for the water followed the tunnel and found the cave. But certainly the cave is known to the local people from a very long time ago, it was a water reservoir for the people in nearby village of Ali Sadr.

Facts
Location: 80 km north of Hamedan city in Hamedan Province Iran,
Distance from Tehran: 350km E of Teheran.
Lengths: 11.5 km long.
The main chamber is 100m L X 50m W X 40 m H
Temperature = 11.5°C.
Guided tours by pedal boat: L=1,400m

How to Reach
From Tehran go by bus or by air to Hamadan city and then go by bus or by car to Ali Sadr Cave.

SeaWorld San Diego California

February 12th, 2010 by Justin No comments »

 SeaWorld

SeaWorld was founded in 1964 by four students of the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). They originally had the idea of building an underwater restaurant but it’s not technically feasible then they decided build a marine zoological park on 22 acres (89,000 m2) along the shore of Mission Bay in San Diego.

SeaWorld San Diego is located just north of downtown, on Mission Bay. Come celebrate the wonders of the sea at SeaWorld San Diego. Experience Shamu’s show Believe, and thrilling rides like Journey to Atlantis, Shipwreck Rapids and Wild Arctic. SeaWorld San Diego is pure California fun. SeaWorld ranked fourth among the Top 10 theme parks in California, SeaWorld sits on a beautiful bay overlooking San Diego’s oceanfront

It’s a year full of fun at SeaWorld with seasonal events such as Summer Nights that sizzle with high-energy nighttime shows and fireworks. Feed and touch dolphins and bat rays, and get up-close to beluga whales, polar bears, sharks and penguins. We can promise you visiting in SeaWorld San Diego is the life time memories.

Attractions

Believe Shamus Show-: At the heart of every being lays a spirit of wonder. Feel it come to life in our most sensational show ever. Believe. A captivating and visually stunning new Shamus show that transports your heart to the edge of wonder. Believe takes guests on a journey in which anyone believes they can connect with these magnificent mammals. This inspirational new show reflects the close relationship SeaWorld trainers have with the killer whales, as well as amazes guests with a series of exciting new behaviors.

Journey to Atlantis-: Challenge the power of the sea on the Journey to Atlantis water coaster. Ride a mythical rush through uncharted waters where mysterious mists and unpredictable drops lurk around every turn. Journey to Atlantis twists you around serpentine turns, plunges you down eight stories of adrenaline-pumping exhilaration and drenches you in mystery. Take excitement to new heights on Journey to Atlantis

Dolphin Encounter-: Want to touch, feed and train a dolphin without getting wet? SeaWorld’s® Dolphin Encounter is your dream come true. Go with a SeaWorld trainer to an exclusive area where you can touch, feed and interact with friendly dolphins. You’ll experience the thrill of a lifetime in this intimate, small-group experience.

 Shark Encounter -: Come face-to-face with sharks of all shapes and sizes at the Shark Encounter. This 280,000-gallon attraction features a 57-foot, walk-through acrylic tube running the length of the sharks’ habitat. As you travel through the sharks’ amazing world, you can view hundreds of fascinating sand tiger, bonnethead, blacktip and whitetip sharks.

 Forbidden Reef-: Touch and feed California bat rays as they glide though the water. Travel down under the waves and get face-to-face with moray eels. Take an up-close look at hundreds of these exotic creatures in their mysterious world of underwater caverns.

Operation Hour-: SeaWorld is open year around.

How to Reach-: SeaWorld is located off Interstate 5 in San Diego. The Metropolitan Transit System offers daily bus service from the Old Town Transit Center to SeaWorld via routes 8 & 9. Bus service is approximately a 15 minute ride and four miles away.

 

Lake Palace Udaipur

February 11th, 2010 by Justin No comments »

 Lake palace night view

Lake Palace

Lake Palace situated on the Jagniwas Island Udaipur, Rajasthan, India.Construction of the Lake Palace was began in 1743 and completed in 1746 under the direction of the Maharana Jagat Singh II (62nd successor to the royal dynasty of Mewar) of Udaipur, Rajasthan as a royal summer palace and was initially called Jagniwas or Jan Niwas after its founder.

Maharana encourage his Craftsmen to copy some of the glory of his incomparable buildings at Agra. The successive rulers used this cool haven as their summer resort, holding their regal durbars in its courtyards lined with columns, pillared terraces, fountains and gardens.

Bhagwat Singh he decided to convert the Jag Niwas Palace into Udaipur’s first luxury hotel in 1961 to 1969. Didi Contractor, an American artist, became a design consultant to this hotel project. In 1971, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces took over management of the hotel and added another 75 rooms. Now it’s also called Taj lake Place hotel and its one of the most expensive hotel in India.

 Operation Hour: Lake Palace open year around

Palace Attractions:

Lily Pond, Palace of Romance, Khus Mahal Suite, Breakfast on the Lake, Bharatiya Lok Kala Museum, Saheliyon-ki-Bari, Fateh Sagar Palace and Lake Pichola Boat Cruise.

Activities:

Boat Cruise on Lake Pichola. Indulge in Bird Photography, Watching Marine Life.Ayurveda Spa Treatment.

How to reach:

By Air-Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, North India is connected to New Delhi and Mumbai by air. A 2½-hour flight from Delhi and a 1¼ -hour flight from Mumbai will get you to Udaipur’s Dabok Airport. You can take a taxi from the airport for Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur or alternatively, Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur can arrange for a car on request to escort you to the spa resort. 

By Road-A twelve-hour drive via Jaipur will get you from New Delhi to Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur.

By Rail-If traveling by train (19-hour journey), Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, can arrange for a car on request, to escort you to the Taj Heritage hotel.

 

 

Olinda Brazil

December 30th, 2009 by Justin No comments »

 Olinda-Brazil

Olinda is a historic and oldest city in the Brazil States of Brazil of Pernambuco, located less than 10 miles from Recife on the country’s northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast.Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese, the town’s history is linked to the sugar-cane industry. Olinda was the capital of the province of Pernambuco.Olinda protected as a national monument and a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 1982.

Olinda has number of major touristic attractions, such as a historic downtown area (World Heritage Site), churches, and the Carnival of Olinda, a popular street party. Admission is free in Olinda Carnival. There are approximately Hundreds of musical group perform in carnival.

The Portuguese built their town on the hill, for practical purposes (sewers) and to make it easier to defend. The town’s history is belonging to the sugar-cane industry. Olinda was the first capital of the province of Pernambuco. Rebuilt after being destroyed by the Dutch. Olinda is the oldest and developed city in Brazil.

Attraction:

Olinda, Downtown: Olinda downtown is the oldest Colonial city in the world.

Olinda’s Museums: One of the best museums in Olinda is the Mamulengo Museum, which showcases hundreds of traditional puppets (mamulengos). At the Sacred Art Museum (Museu de Arte Sacra de Pernambuco), you can see a collection that comprises four centuries.

Carnival in Olinda: Recife and Olinda have long been Carnival hot spots for Brazilians from all over the country. One of the wildest and largest celebrations in Brazil, Carnival in Olinda is known for its giant puppets and crowded streets. The official opening of the party will happen in the evening of Carnival Friday.

Church of Alto da Se. Central square. Also known as Church of São Salvador do Mundo, this was the first church built in Brazil, built in 1540.