If you're a kite lover then you can't miss the Kite Festival in Jaipur, India on January 14th each year. Kite flying is traditional celebratory fare in various parts of India, as this day marks the the occasion of Makar Sankranti - the retreat of the winter season. Family and friends gather in throngs on top of roofs, celebrating Makar Sankranti and unleashing their kites on the sky. The band of revelers is so great, that the sky becomes almost invisible behind the mosaic of colourful paper creations. The Jaipur Kite Festival is a three-day celebration that starts on the Polo Grounds in Jaipur. Indian Air Force helicopters commence the Makar Sankranti festivities by releasing kites from the sky, while hundreds of schoolchildren release balloons ...
The first thing you'll hear as you approach Stingray City in the Cayman Islands is the shrieking of dozens of tourists. This howling is a mixture of terror and pure excitement, as this experience brings you about as close as you are ever going to get to the very interesting (albeit very odd looking) southern stingray. Wading through the shallow waters on a sandbar in the Caribbean Sea, visitors to Stingray City are able to swim, feed and touch southern stingrays. Making the first move to touch a ray will certainly take some audacity, but after you've done it once, you'll be maneuvering through the water to get a better view and looking for another chance to feel their velvety soft skin. The great thing ...
The Carnival of Venice is a city-wide masquerade, which originated as a vacation day on the last day before Lent during the 14th Century. Despite the fact that the Venetian Carnival marks the beginning of Lent, it has no direct religious connection and was traditionally a night of debauchery, drinking, blurred social status, costuming and masks. Ironically, the Venetian Carnival was regulated by strict rules back in the 14th Century, and Carnival-goers were not allowed to wear masks around the city at night time, and men could not enter convents if they were disguised as women. Celebrations within the nun parlours were strictly prohibited, and in the face of the Carnival's lack of religious significance, the city officials were determined to uphold the morality of ...
When you make the trip to Banff National Park in Canada, a ride on the Banff Gondola, just five minutes outside of Banff town, is not to be missed. This fantastic sightseeing excursion allows visitors to experience the unbelievable span of the Canadian Rocky Mountains from the comfort of a lofty perch, the perfect setting in which to appreciate this vast expanse of nature. Upon entering your private Banff Gondola cabin, you can enjoy 360 degree views from the enclosing windows as you move smoothly and safely up towards the summit: an awe-inspiring 2,281 meters above sea level. The comfortable eight-minute ride is the perfect opportunity to take pictures, look for wildlife in the wooded areas down below, or simply sit back and relax as ...
Hiking up into the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, located outside of Strong City, Kansas, I thought of the generations of westward settlers from the east coast who must have found the lack of shade terrifying. The sun is hotter on the plains because there’s not even the slightest chance of respite: No rock overhangs or trees, and no slice of shade to be found. The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve was officially established on November 12, 1996. As far as parks go, this one is a baby. But what it lacks in history, it makes up for in its unique character. At one time, tallgrass prairie ecosystems covered almost half a million square miles of the North American continent. Only four percent of that original territory now remains, ...
Every January since 1996, international ice climbers have flocked to the Uncompahgre River Valley in southwestern Colorado for the Ouray Ice Festival. Nicknamed "Little Switzerland," the Colorado town of Ouray (you-ray) plays host to a premier ice-climbing gathering at the world's first man-made ice park. Exhibitors and spectators alike come to the Ouray Ice Festival to enjoy and celebrate the art of climbing up a sheer wall of ice (sometimes supplanted with rock, wood and plastic) in the Uncompahgre Gorge. It's an experience unlike any other. Sitting at the other end of the famous Million Dollar Highway from Durango, Ouray is almost equidistant from Denver, Salt Lake City and Albuquerque (all of which are nearly six-hour drives). It once was a booming mining town that ...
Cardiff Castle is part medieval castle, part Gothic mansion, and is a mixture of old and new, enchanting the eye and exciting the imagination. One of the most fascinating aspects of the Castle is the Norman Keep, a medieval dungeon or fortress structure dating back to the 12th century. The remains of a fireplace and a set of stairs are visible within the stone Keep, and if you ascend the stairs you will reach the top of the Keep, which offers a lovely view of the grounds. Norman Keep is encircled by a water-filled trench, and this miniature moat is often occupied by ducks. Standing atop the Keep and taking in the beautiful and peaceful surroundings, it is difficult to imagine that this was once ...
Few events in the history of the United States have more prominence in the collective memory of Americans than the American Revolution. Paul Revere's midnight ride through rural Massachusetts on April 18, 1775 (sounding the bell that the “British are coming!”), and the infamous Boston Tea Party—fill the history books read by every American child. Boston is probably the best place in the U.S. to explore American revolutionary history, primarily because most of the events took place in and around Massachusetts. The first shots between British troops and American militia were fired at Lexington and Concord, two towns just outside the city, and many of the country's first subversive meetings of government occurred in sly buildings along Boston's cobbled streets. Today, you can actively participate ...
When the month of April arrives in The Republic of Vanuatu, it brings with it a tradition people have begun to recognize the world over—albeit in a different form. New Zealander A.J. Hacket has done an amazing job popularizing what we now know as bungee jumping. However, on the island of Pentecost in Vanuatu it is still known as land diving or Naghol. As the rainy season draws to a close, villages far and wide come together for the yearly tradition of Naghol, so that they may give thanks and guarantee a bountiful harvest. Local materials of logs and vines are gathered from the bush and brought together to construct the towers that the land divers will jump from, looming an astonishing 25 meters high. ...
The road to Death Valley National Park from Los Angeles winds along the Owens River—a dry, hot region bordered by the Mojave Desert and the High Sierra. Death Valley has been the stage for gold prospecting, cowboy movie backdrops (John Wayne was a frequent visitor to the town of Lone Pine to film Westerns), and fierce battles over the ownership of water that flows through the Owens. Driving through the desiccated air on the way to Death Valley, I could taste dust on my tongue—the sweet tang of desert yucca, pinon and sage. Death Valley in California holds two extremes: Badwater, the lowest elevation of continental United States at 282 feet below sea level; and Telescope Peak, an 11,331-foot peak just a dozen miles from ...
