India is a country rich in religion, the predominant one being Hinduism, but Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, Jainism and Sikhism have also made their mark on the subcontinent. The Hindu religion is rumored to contain upwards of 33 million gods, one can only imagine the abundance of temples in India there are for worship. Attempting to visit all of these would be foolish, but from Karnataka to Himachal Pradesh, you can visit temple after temple, from obscure to immaculate. Everywhere in India there are celebrations of the divine - on the bus a Ganesh (the elephant headed God) is surrounded by small, multi-colored blinking lights; in a rickshaw a picture of Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth) is garlanded in marigolds; and a hotel lobby has a shrine ...
Early morning wake-up calls to beat the rising sun. Forty minute hikes up steep and slippery steps, with camera bag and tripod, to reach a vantage point over the terraced rice fields, as well as the hotel stop for the night. Constantly thinking about what aperture, angle, what light the day has to offer for the potential ‘money shot’. The rewards can be unbelievable. A single moment of calm, the perfect symmetry of a mountain, the glassy glaze on the river in the early morning light. A photo adventure tour can and will provide all this and more. China is a stunning country, especially in the desirably photographic and often complimented province of Guanxi, along the Li River. As a solo amateur photographer, without local ...
France’s Loire Valley is a beautiful landscape of historic towns, wineries, and stunning chateaux that recall the days of the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment. The area is known as “the Garden of France,” and considered to be the cradle of the French language. The valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that they say is “an exceptional cultural landscape, of great beauty, comprised of historic cities and villages, great architectural monuments - the Châteaux - and lands that have been cultivated and shaped by centuries of interaction between local populations and their physical environment, in particular the Loire itself." And it is all best seen from the seat of a bicycle. The Loire Valley came to life in the 16th Century as several ...
Imagine yourself surrounded by more than 22,000 hectares of natural beauty. You are in the middle of a dramatic landscape with jagged cliffs and limestone mountains jutting out from a green sea of lush tropical vegetation. If you are a bird watcher, the air is filled with the sounds of flapping wings and exotic calls from parrots, hornbills, herons and leaf birds. If you are a nature lover, your eyes catch the clumsy movement of monitor lizards stumbling through the rustling leaves and squirrels leaping from bent tree limbs, while blinking eyes of wild macaques curiously peer back at you from behind shadowy foliage. This place of untamed geography and exotic wildlife is no mere dream. It is Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Philippines. ...
Not only is Kenya home to one of the most well-known mountainous landmarks in the world, it's also home to one of the most renowned lakes in the world—Lake Turkana. Lake Turkana is both the world's largest desert lake and largest alkaline lake, and is found in the north of Kenya's Rift Valley lakes, with the Lake’s northern side stretching into Ethiopia. It has a deeply-rooted history stretching back thousands of years, and many parts of the Lake and surrounding area have been the location for excavation expeditions to uncover fossils. Located 400 miles north of Nairobi, Lake Turkana isn't exactly in the midst of everything. Visitors aren't typically going to come across it unless they are on a long safari. The Lake is about ...
The Hermitage State Museum of St. Petersburg in Russia holds the title of the largest museum in the world, and is located in the famous Dvortsovaya Ploschad (Palace Square), where a number of significant events from the history of the Russian Empire took place. The Hermitage State Museum is made of a series of different buildings. These are the Winter Palace, former residence of the Russian emperors; the buildings of the Small, Old (Great) and New Hermitages; the Hermitage Theatre; and the Auxiliary House. The Menshikov Palace, the Eastern Wing of the Staff building, the Staraya Derevnya Restoration, the Storage Centre, and the Imperial Porcelain Factory Museum, are also a part of the Hermitage Museum complex. The Hermitage holds more than 3 million works of ...
Iceland’s landscape is often described as “other worldly” or “eerie,” with its black lava fields, steaming hot springs, and temperamental volcanoes that leave you feeling as if you’re on another planet. And while much of this small arctic country fits that description, perhaps no area displays the alien-like beauty of Iceland like Lake Mývatn. Located in the tiny village of Reykjahlíð in northern Iceland, Mývatn sits nestled amidst ancient lava fields, bubbling craters, and steaming, sulphuric mountains that are tinged in surreal shades of orange and pink pastel. It is a highly volatile area, as Mývatn sits directly atop the mid-Atlantic ridge – an underwater mountain range and the spot where Europe and North America are literally pulling away from each other. The resulting landscape ...
Himeji Castle is the quintessential castle to see in Japan, and the most visited castle in all of Japan. This towering white feudal castle of incredible beauty is authentic 17th century splendour. Poised like a white heron in flight at the top of a hill, Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is sometimes called the "White Heron Castle". The delicate old-ivory coloured edifice dates back to the 1300s, and was the dwelling place of some of the most prominent feudal lords, or "daimyos," in Japan. Extensively remodelled during its history, one of Himeji Castle's unique features is a tower built for Honda Tadamasa's daughter-in-law, Princess Sen. The temple complex is a warren of narrow stone streets, white-washed walls, whimsical gates and wells, and enchanting views ...
Thousands of years ago, Rome was the capital of the Western world. The Empire stretched across Europe, Northern Africa, and the British Isles. Today, traces of ancient Rome remain scattered throughout Europe, and those who travel to Rome itself can marvel at the ruins of the Forum, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon. If these sights leave you wondering what life was like in the Roman Empire, why not spend a day at Ostia Antica? Once upon a time, Ostia Antica was a bustling Roman seaport. Supplies of grain, wine, oil, lead, and marble were imported to the Roman capital via Ostia Antica's harbor, which eventually become the most important in the Empire. Ostia Antica experienced its heyday in the 2nd century AD, under the Emperors ...
Looking for a trip to paradise? Look no further than Socotra Island, Yemen. It truly is a paradise found. As very few people have heard of the Island, which lies approximately 380 km south of the Arabian Peninsula and 240 km east of the Horn of Africa, travellers do not have to worry about busy beaches, crowded scuba centres, or an invasion of snorkellers. You will probably be one of the few people who travel here, so be prepared for a very serene and perfect getaway. Socotra Island is one of a small chain of four islands found in the Indian Ocean, and is part of the Republic of Yemen. Socotra has pristine beaches, monstrous mountains and unique caves that are fun for any traveller’s ...
