The national capital of India has many tourist attractions, and the famous Bahai Faith Lotus Temple of Delhi is right at the top of the list. A visit to the Lotus Temple should be high priority for any trip to the Indian capital. Open to all faiths, the stunning lotus shape architecture of marble, cement, dolomite and sand sets the scene for meditation, peace and tranquility. The Lotus Temple is the main temple in India to represent the youngest of all the independent religions in the world. Its founder father, Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892), is regarded as the most recent in the line of Messengers of God, which includes Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad. The Lotus Temple is located in Kalkaji, south of Delhi, and ...
A cruise down the Nile on a traditional Egyptian felucca (small wooded boat) is a treat that should not be missed in a country awash in historical fortunes. It is quintessential Egypt. Skimming across the surface of the Nile River as the sun sets over the Sahara Desert can create a perfect end to a day full of interesting experiences. The father of modern history, Herodotus, said that Ancient Egypt was the gift of the Nile. Without it, the fertile strip of land that runs through the heart of the country would probably be as dry as the Sahara Desert surrounding it, and the history that existed around it probably never would've happened. But instead, today, it is lined with a great many marvels of ...
Every year, thousands of people flock to Old Town Square in Prague to get a glimpse of the Astronomical Clock, one of the finest examples of its kind still around in Europe. Located on the south wall of Prague’s Town Hall, the Astronomical Clock has an equally colourful history to match its colourful facade. Its oldest part was built in 1410 by a local clockmaker and a professor of astronomy. Other elements, such as the calendar dial and the moving statues, were added in the intervening centuries. Upon first glance, it can be difficult to figure out what you're seeing, given the number of dials and figures that make up the famous Orloj (as it's known locally). The easiest way to understand the Astronomical Clock ...
The Hawaiian Islands are home to many spectacular cultural experiences and attractions, many of which can be found on the island of Oahu—home to the capital city Honolulu. One of the best cultural experiences, which is also the top paid attraction in the state, is the Oahu Polynesian Cultural Center. Located in Laie on the north side of the Oahu just off the King Kamehameha Highway, the Polynesian Center opened in October of 1963 on 42 beautiful acres of land owned by nearby Brigham Young University. Today, most of the employees are enrolled students raising funds for University scholarships. Since the doors opened more than 30 million people have visited the Polynesian Cultural Center, and that number is quickly growing each year. The Cultural Center ...
Jiayuguan Fort in China's northwestern Gansu Province is one of the most exotic, faraway places you can visit in the world. Jiayuguan is a small town whose name means "excellent valley pass" and is home to the last outpost of the Great Wall of China. Gansu Province is a land of vast desert, jutting snow-capped mountains, flaming hills, secret caves filled with Buddhist grottoes, camels, sand dunes, and the last mud remnants of the western end of the Great Wall. This culminates at Jiayuguan Fort, a huge trapezoid-shaped fort that once marked the final boundary of the Chinese empire. As legend has it, when a citizen was banished, they were required to exit through the Jiayuguan gate into the west, never to return. Jiayuguan Fort ...
During the American Revolution, whiskey was used as a form of currency. But it wasn't until the maiden voyage of the S.S. Bushmills in 1890 that the famous Bushmills brand made its debut in the United States from the shores of Ireland. As the oldest licensed whiskey distillery in the world, the Old Bushmills Distillery has been in operation for more than 400 years, and has built a solid reputation for producing high quality Irish whiskey. As such, in Northern Ireland's Country Antrim, the Bushmills Distillery tour attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually, who come to savour the smooth whiskey and glimpse into the secrets of traditional distilling. The Old Bushmills Distillery was officially licensed by English King James I in 1608. Many believe, despite ...
There’s nothing better to do on a hot summer day in South Africa then to visit Cape Point Nature Reserve on the Cape Peninsula, a place synonymous with wind. Explorer Sir Francis Drake claimed that Cape Point was “The most stately thing and the fairest Cape [he’d seen] in the whole circumference of the earth.” Although he witnessed the Cape over 400 years ago, the man wasn’t lying! This famous section of the Table Mountain National Park, close to Cape Town, has over 7,750 hectares of untouched wildlife, and 40 km of coastline. The overall space and diversity of this expansive reserve is amazing. Cape Point Nature Reserve is filled with rocky cliffs, white sand and pebbled beaches, as well as long stretches of land ...
White sandy beaches and tropical climates are not for everyone. Believe it or not, there are those who live for the winter and treasure the snowy months; and one of the best places for such people is Igloofest in Montreal, Canada. The Canadian province of Quebec is famous for celebrating winter with its Ice Hotel, its skiing, and its Winter Carnaval festival. In recent years, Quebec’s biggest city, Montreal, has devised its own way to appreciate winter with the introduction of Igloofest: a large outdoor party at the heart of winter. Igloofest takes place at Jacques-Cartier Quay in the city’s Old Port. Being surrounded by water, the Quay is a few chilly degrees colder than the centre of the city, but few urban places are ...
The summer sun in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado offers some great opportunities for hiking and pristine mountain drives. One of the best driving experiences around happens to run right through and over the mountains in the Rocky Mountain National Park. Trail Ridge Road, also known as U.S. Highway 34, is a scenic drive with incredible views that make for an experience difficult to match. Running 48 miles (77 km) from Estes Park in the east to Grand Lake in the west, Trail Ridge Road traverses the roof of the Rockies as it hits a top elevation of 12,183 feet (3,713 meters) above sea level. U.S. Highway 34 also boasts the title of highest continual highway in the United States. Trail Ridge Road climbs a ...
There is a reason why New Zealand is known as the “Adventure Capital of the World.” The country has invented countless audacious adventure sports and holds the first site of commercial bungee jumping. With all of the high adrenaline activities being pioneered here, it's no surprise that the Kiwis were also the first to climb into giant plastic balls and throw themselves down a hill, an activity known as Zorbing. Zorbing, or sphereing, is essentially a child’s dream (and many an adult’s nightmare). You enter a transparent sphere with a three metre circumference and get launched down a hill, either on a straight or zigzagged path. The sport came about in the 1990s, created by two Kiwis looking for a thrill. It has since grown ...
