The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival in China is a fascinating cultural experience. Strolling along the waterfront in Xiamen, a small coastal city in southern China, it's exciting to witness celebrants lighting sky lanterns and watching them float up into the dark sky like red and orange stars. These Mid-Autumn festival paper lanterns are roughly balloon shaped, with a bundle of rags tied underneath them. When the rags are set aflame, the balloons begin to fill up with hot air until they float up into the night sky. While these sky lanterns can’t be very safe (we once witnessed a burning pile of rags dropping down from the sky and just missing a couple of girls on a motor scooter), they are certainly a fun and beautiful ...
The Skogafoss (pronounced “skou.a fos”) waterfall suddenly appeared from the road as we drove through the barren but illuminated landscape of southern Iceland. At 60 metres high and 25 metres wide, it is easily visible from the road; and audible too. Due to the amount of spray that the Skogafoss waterfall produces, a single or double rainbow is often visible on sunny days. Even on an overcast winter’s day, when the sun is hiding, the misty powerful white sheets of glass are just as impressive, and make for a great waterfall photo. According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a chest filled with gold coins in a cave behind the Skogafoss waterfall. A local boy found the chest years ...
The film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings novels, directed by Peter Jackson, brought an ardent rush of tourism into New Zealand. When the first movie in the trilogy, The Fellowship of the Ring, was released in movie theatres in 2001, it ignited a general interest in touring film locations. The three movies are filmed entirely in New Zealand, and acted as a silver screen tourism brochure for the country. People began flocking to the various filming locations, spread across the two main islands of the country, in an attempt to further enjoy the Academy Award winning films. One of the more popular of these locations is Mt. Sunday, the film location for the Golden Hall of Edoras. Nestled in the mountains of ...
Called the "City of Healing Waters," Budapest sits along the Danube River where a fault line has produced a series of ancient and beloved thermal springs. For a long time, the residents of Budapest have prized these hot mineral waters, collecting them and utilizing them in thermal baths. During the Turkish Occupation of the area in 1541, then known as the Ottoman Empire, Budapest's bath culture expanded and the number of spas throughout Budapest grew significantly. Today, there are some 28 spas sprinkled across Budapest, and many hotels have also installed mineral spas and thermal baths on their properties. There are many spas in Budapest to choose from, and although not as popular as the Gellért Bath and Széchenyi Bath, a visit to the Kiraly ...
Nestled in the middle of nowhere, in the wide, blue Pacific Ocean, Fiji is a prime destination to just get away from it all. Sandy beaches, gorgeous sunsets and cheap food and drink are just some of the attractions of this little island nation. Most unique among these attractions, however, has to be the national drink of kava. If you've never heard of it, kava (which is also known as Yaqona, or grog) is a drink made from the root of a pepper called piper methstyicum. It looks a bit like muddy water, but packs a secret punch. It's not alcoholic or narcotic, but it has analgesic (pain relief) properties that make it very relaxing to drink. If this sounds like something you're not sure ...
Perhaps overshadowed by the mainstream popularity of the Great Pyramids of Egypt, a visit to the vast Karnak Temple in Luxor brings you deep into the abode of the Gods. Known as Ipet-isut (the most selected of places), this conglomeration of ruined temples and chapels pays homage to the Theben triad of Gods: Amun, Mut and Khonsu. At 447 miles (721 km) downstream along the Nile River lies the Temple of Karnak, believed to be the second most visited site in Egypt. It’s easy to see why immediately as the temple imposes a grand and stately first impression. The massive open-air complex is filled with huge statues, sphinxes, temples, pylons and impressive hieroglyphics that are sure to wow. For a country that already has such ...
Loch Ness is more than the name of an alleged sea monster. It is a Scottish lake, the site of the historic Urquhart Castle, and an area of towns and villages. The term “loch” is a Gaelic name for lake, so Loch Ness would roughly translate to “Lake Ness”. It is located in the Scottish Highlands, and is arguably the best known of the Scottish lochs due to its legendary association with the Loch Ness Monster. Some people claim that it is the most famous lake in the world. Nessie aside, Loch Ness pulls in many second place records. It is both the second largest and second deepest of all the Scottish lochs, but the most voluminous in terms of water held (Loch Ness contains ...
First established in the 16th century by Chinese traders from the Fujian province, Calle Crisologo, or Crisologo Street, is the main street in Vigan: the capital city of Ilocos Sur in northern Philippines. Vigan is a well-preserved Spanish colonial town that has withstood the trials of time, specifically during the Second World War. Crisologo Street is so impressively well-preserved that present day visitors can experience what life was like centuries ago. To conserve this nostalgic colonial street in the heritage city of Vigan, only horse-drawn carriages are allowed to enter and pass, and are as common as the yellow cabs of New York City. Kalesas, or horse-drawn carriages, are one of the Spanish influences in the Philippines that have lost their popularity as other modes ...
The Tango has many forms, from various national styles to ballroom and street styles. But no matter where it’s performed, the Tango is a very beautiful and sensual dance. The legs kick, the hips twist, hands slide over skin, it is an intimate experience shared between partners as they glide across the dance floor. And to Tango in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that floor can sometimes be a street where crowds will gather in voyeuristic marvel at the lithe rhythmic movements of a dance couple. Argentina is where Tango was developed, in the lower class districts and brothels of the 19th Century; the neighborhoods being predominantly Spanish and Italian in origin, like the La Boca area around Caminito Street. This is why Tango, and the music ...
The Rocky Mountains are popular for their great ski resorts, but hidden in the Sangre de Cristo range in the southern part of Colorado is a unique experience where you’re more likely to find someone sledding down a sand dune than skiing. Camping, hiking and other such pastimes are also popular in the relatively unknown Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, a gem that struggles to receive 300,000 visitors a year. The Great Sand Dune's distance from the major Front Range towns like Denver and Colorado Springs helps keep it this way, making a visit an excellent experience that can be enjoyed without the hordes that are common at many of the more popular national parks. Located northeast of Alamosa, once a mining supply town ...
