The Paradise Is Out There

Donbass Arena Stadium, Ukraine

2012-06-03T20:14:00.001+09:00

Extra-Velganzer. From west to the east. A little bit problem, but that’s ok. After visiting Arena Lviv, we are going to visit one of the host city in the eastern of Ukraine and is about 1175 Km. I take this opportunity just to make sure that our final trip is the stadium that would held the final game of EURO 2012. Where we heading. Of course you already now. Donetsk. And Donetsk will be team base camps for France.

First things you have to know about Donetsk is this city is the centre of Ukraine's coal mining region. South-east of Kyiv on the Kalmius River, it was founded in 1869 by Welsh businessman John Hughes, who established a steel mill and several coal mines in the area. A century and a half later and Donetsk's patrons are still built on foundations of steel and coal, the industries leaving an indelible mark on the cityscape.

Despite images of soot-caked faces and hob-nailed industry, the capital of the Donbas has actually been recognised by UNESCO as the world's cleanest industrial city and the center is benefitting from a financial injection. Five rivers meander through it and the Sea of Azov, the world's shallowest sea, is an hour away. But let me tell you another story of this city in another discussion. Right now, let’s hurry to finish our travel in this city by visiting the stadium that will be used to live event of EURO 2012.

Yes, Donbass Arena. One of the stadium in the heart of Donetsk. The Donbass Arena is the new home of FC Shakhtar Donetsk. It has a capacity of 51,504 seats, which includes 45 corporate boxes that can hold 830 people.The construction of this stadium begun in June 27, 2006. The first story of this building started when the businessman and club owner Rinat Akhmetov had raised the profile of the club with his investments, the next step was to be the construction of a prestigious arena. Construction started in 2006 and was completed in 2009.

The architect for this stadium is Arusport. Arup (officially Arup Group Limited) is a multinational professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom which provides engineering, design, planning, project management and consulting services for all aspects of the built environment. The firm is present in Africa, the Americas, Australasia, East Asia, Europe and the Middle East, and has over 10,000 staff based in 92 offices across 37 countries. Arup has participated in projects in over 160 countries. That’s why if you observe the architecture of the stadium you will find how amazing the stadium. The stadium finished thanks for the help from general contractor ENKA a Turkish construction conglomerate based in Istanbul Turkey. The construction cost for this entire stadium is 400 million Dollar (Such a lot of money isn’t it?).

The name of the stadium represents the shortened name for the Donets basin industrial region, hence - Donbas, however the official name in English spells after the Russian orthography.

So, whats really interesting about Donbass Arena can be described in Number Fun facts as follow (Please remember the fun facts about Donbas Arena, who knows when you watch the live show of EURO 2012 football game there will be quiz you can win with answering the question):

The total area of the stadium's glazed facade is 14,283 sq.m.
2,482 triple-pane glass units were used for glazing the stadium’s outer façade.
Over 16 thousand sq.m of vertical surfaces are made of glass, totaling 3,108 heavy-duty panes.
The underground height of the building is: parking lot area - 12m; dressing rooms - 8m, media space rooms - 4m.
Height from pitch level to the topmost roof point is 54m.
The total floor area of all the stadium's levels makes 83,823 sq.m.
93% of stands are roof-covered, only 3,800 seats in the bottom tier are not covered.
24 first-aid stations (18 permanent ones and 6 mobile ambulance groups).
53 fast-food outlets, a fan cafe, 4 Silver bars, 3 restaurants (Diamond, Platinum, Gold), a media cafe and a lounge bar will satisfy any visitor's taste.
2,000 lux is the lighting intensity, ensured by 272 high-precision targeting spotlights mounted along the perimeter of the stadium's roof.
6,000 ports installed in the stadium for concurrent network connection
The stadium's video monitoring system comprises 570 CCTV cameras.
588 monitors installed throughout the stadium.
92 sq.m is the display surface of each of the 2 giant LED screens.
267m is the total length of the LED electronic advertising hoardings
The stadium's logo structure weighs 50 tons, it is 8m high and 14m wide.
34 staircases availablethroughout the stadium space.
11,978 is the total number of stairs at the stadium. The flights of stairs comprise 4,181 steps.
The shortest stairway includesonly 22 stairs (the sub-stand space on the arena’s western side). While the longest one is comprised of 240 steps (on the eastern side).
The longest stairs are nearly 50m-long.
35 steps form each aisle in betweenneighbouring blocks.
550 heaters aggregately radiate 22 MW of thermal energy.
Each heater weighs 49 kg.
The bowl is divided into 24 heated areas.
The prime cost of heating one spectator seat during the match is about UAH 1.
The system consumes some 2200-2300 cubic centimetres of gas per hour.

This Arena will be a venue at the Euro 2012 championships. At the tournament the stadium will host three group matches, a quarter-final, and a semi-final. The game are France VS England on June 11, Ukraine VS France on June 15 and England VS Ukraine on June 19.

How To Get To The Donbass Arena.

If you from ouside Ukraine then you have to take flight to Ukraine. I suggest that you take flight directly to Donetsk. So you can immediately arrive in Donetsk Sergey Prokovief International Airport.

The Donbass Arena is located in the central Voroshylovskyi district, tucked against the northern edge of the city centre. The stadium is within walking distance of most city centre locations. On its northern side lies Leninskogo Komsomolo park.

The main railway station lies further north, approximately 6 kilometres. Tram line 1 brings you in 20-25 minutes to the stadium. Get off at stop Prospekt Mira. Alternatively take trolleybus line 2 and get off at Bely Lebed shopping mall.

Buses that serve the stadium are line 13, 14, 16, 46a, 46б, 73б, and 77. Your stop is Krytiy Rynok.

If arriving by car, make your way to the city centre and the main Artema/Artyoma avenue that crosses the city north-south (starting at the railway station in the north and running all the way to the southern edge of the city centre). At the altitude of Mira/Myru avenue turn east and you will find the stadium after one block on your left hand side.

Address: 189e Chelyuskintsev Street, Donetsk 83048

Arena Lviv Stadium, Ukraine

2012-06-03T19:00:00.000+09:00

Extra-velganzer, lets cross the border of Poland to another beautiful country. Yes, iam talking about Ukraine. How beautifull is’t it?. We still looking for another excitement before the kick off the game. A week before the match that will be watch over 4 million eyes around the world. lets travel first to stadium by stadium and from one city to another host city.

Check your passport and then without you realize you already in Lviv. Lviv is a charming city, just 70km from the Polish border, with a coffee-house culture more akin to Austria and Hungary, and while other cityscapes were whitewashed by Soviet rule, Since it was founded as a hilltop fort on Zamkova Hora in 1256, Lviv's colour continued to shine through. The narrow-gauge tramways are not as visible as they once were – in the past two decades nine of the 11 lines have been abandoned – but they retain a presence, trundling along in their green livery.

A jaunt up to the city's highest point, Zamkova Hora (Castle Hill) is revealing, and looking down on the UNESCO World Heritage site the epitaph 'the Florence of the east' is hard to discredit. Some 80km south of the city, the Carpathian mountains may be a touch too far to see but you may get a glimpse of the coniferous forest that dominate parts of the surrounding region, camouflage for the significant mineral wealth that lies below.

We are not going to talk about Castle Hill, Let’s talk about it in next journey. Right now, let’s just straight to the southern part of Lviv (a little bit hard to say Lviv is not it?). Near the intersection of the city's beltway M10 and M6 and also the route E471 and M06. Yes, we are in Arena Lviv, one of the host of EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.

Arena Lviv is a football specific stadium in Lviv, Ukraine. It is one of the eight UEFA Euro 2012 venues, where it will host three of the group-stage games. According to the official plans, the stadium has a total seating capacity of 34,915. It has also been the new home field of FC Karpaty Lviv since 10 December 2011.

The stadium construction started in November 20, 2008. The architect of the stadium is combination between local and European architect. Albert Wimmer ZT Gmbh (Vienna) / Arnika (Lviv) is the architect of this building. The stadium completed in October 2011 after spend 211 Million Euro only for construction cost. The contractor is Altkom.

The stadium's capacity is anticipated to be 34,915 spectators including 450 VIP sittings as well. All seats will be covered, while part of the roof assembly will be transparent to provide sufficient sunlight for the turf. The stadium's parking will be located underneath the arena which will consist of three levels. The parking for VIP will include 1593 spaces. Parking for tele- and radio-media agencies will include (6,000 square metres (65,000 sq ft)). There also will be parking for the disabled and special elevators will provide passage to seats that are also designed and reserved to accustom the necessary personnel.

Arena Lviv is the most modern and one of the newest stadiums in Europe. Arena Lviv meets all the requirements of UEFA, which include development of new technologies in construction, information and digital spheres. A good few of the requirements aimed at increasing of spectators’ conveniences and security at the match.

It is comfortable and beautiful sport facility with well-developed infrastructure designed especially for UEFA Euro 2012 and is designated for maintaining a service at football and entertainment events of the highest level and scope. During Euro 2012 the Lviv stadium will seat 32,767 guests, including 300 seats - for honoured guests in the VIP-zone and about 150 seats in the skybox zone. The “hallmark’ of the stadium is its view of the pitch from the spectators’ seats of both upper and lower tiers, since the specially designed stands structure provides the maximum effect of the spectator on the pitch. All the seats are located under partially transparent covering. After the European Championship number of seats will be increased to 34,915 by reducing the media sector and the area provided for special technique for broadcasting of Euro 2012 finals.

Stadium has 9 turnstile groups around the perimeter. Within each group there are scores of turnstiles, providing an unimpeded access to the stands. All the turnstiles are equipped with pointers. All the information you need, you can always check with stewards, dressed in yellow bibs.

All the visitors enter the promenade, a space between lower and upper stands, and then they are divided into two streams. “A” stands are the lower tier and “B” stands are the upper one.

Visitor can be catered by 26 fast food outlets situated on the level 0 and the promenade. At the lateral sides of these outlets there are installed the water closets.

Arena Lviv will host three of the group-stage games of 2012 European Football Championship finals in Group B. those games are Germany VS Portugal at June 9, Denmark VS Portugal at June 13 and Denmark VS Germany at June 17.

How To Get To The Arena Lviv.

If you are travellers from outside Ukraine then you shoul take flight to Ukraine or straight to Lviv International Airport. The airport lies northwest from the stadium.

The Arena Lviv lies in the far south of the city of Lviv, just outside the urban limits, at about 8 kilometres of Lviv’s city centre and about 10 kilometres from the central rail station (which lies south-west of the centre).

The stadium lies near the crossing of the M10 and M06, and can thus be easily reached by car. The M06 connects with Lviv city centre in almost a straight line.

By public transport one can take trolleybus 5 from the city centre. Take the bus from Shota Rustaveli Street in the southern part of the city centre. The bus will go to the central bus terminal, which is almost next-door to the Arena Lviv.

Trolleybus 3 connects the stadium directly with the airport.

Municipal/Miejski Stadion, Poland

2012-05-27T20:19:00.000+09:00

Extra-Velganzer. This is the last day we are going to travel in Poland. Yes, as I said before, we are going to travel in Poland just only to see what they got to be a host of one of phenomenon event in the world. Its EURO 2012 man, a party for professional footballer in alll over Europe. Before they party started, lets get our party started.

So let me count first, we already visit Stadium in Gedanks, Warsaw and Poznan. Our last trip in Poland to visit the EURO 2012 stadium is in Wroclaw. It situated on the River Oder (Polish: Odra), in Lower Silesia. It is the largest city in western Poland. Wrocław was the historical capital of Silesia, and right now become the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Over the centuries, the city has been part of many countries such as Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia, or Germany, and has been part of Poland since 1945 as a result of border changes after World War II. According to official figures for 2010, its population is 632,996, Wroclaw is the fourth largest city in Poland.

To ensure they become good host in EURO 2012, Worclaw has preparing anything to welcome all the football athlete include the stadion. The Municipal Stadium of Wroclaw, Poland, (Polish: Stadion Miejski we Wrocławiu) is the highest fourth category football (soccer) stadium built for the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. The Stadium is located on aleja Śląska in the western part of the city (Pilczyce district). It is the home stadium of the Śląsk Wrocław football team playing in the Polish T-Mobile Ekstraklasa. The stadium has a capacity of 42,771 spectators, all seated and all covered.

Stadium construction began in April 2009 and was completed in September 2011. The architect of this amazing building is JSK Architekci. The winning architectural concept developed by JSK Architekci is called STADIUM-LANTERN. The distinctive shape was chosen to be easily recognizable and associated with a dynamic city.It cost more than 700 Million PLN only for complete all of the things. The operator of this stadion is Spectator Management Group. A worlwide sport management based in Pennsylvania USA.

The shape of the stadium is highlighted by the innovative design of its external walls. The building is covered by glass fibre mesh coated with teflon. The mesh is anchored by steel rings placed around the entire body of the stadium. The covering lends lightness and transparency to the massive structure. The colors of the external walls of the stadium can be changed using a sophisticated lighting system.

Concession stands are situated under the semi-transparent facade.

The architectural concept also includes an outdoor promenade around the stadium, called the esplanade. The esplanade grants access to the inside of the stadium from two directions. From the south, it leads under Lotnicza Street where an integrated Park&Ride plaza is being built with a tram stop, a train station, and an outdoor parking lot). From the north, the esplanade leads from the northern public transport interchange with tram and bus stops and a parking lot for buses.

The area surrounding the stadium and esplanade is landscaped and provided with benches to create a park-like space where people can relax or meet.

The stadium is divided into a number of dedicated zones necessary for the proper functioning of a sport arena Level 0 in the western section of the stadium. VIP fans is seated in close proximity to the playing field, and is separated from the teams' zone only by a glass wall. The teams' zone is located on Level 0 in the western part of the stadium. Identical facilities for both teams are equipped with locker rooms, massage rooms, showers, toilets, coach rooms and warm-up areas. In addition, there is an indoor swimming pool. The teams' zone also contains rooms and areas for the medical staff, referees, children and UEFA delegates, as well as cheering testing facilities.

The media zone is located in the upper section of the western stand. Each seat meets FIFA/UEFA requirements and is equipped with power, telephone, internet and TV connections. Some seats have a foldable desktop. Seats for commentators have revolving chairs.

Panoramic lifts and an open staircase grant access to the upper levels. A spacious and exclusively equipped Business Club is situated on Level 1. The Business Club is divided into three smaller rooms, each equipped with its own facilities. Each seat in the Business Club seat has its own internet connection.

On Level 3, there is twenty VIP boxes with a clear view of the pitch. Ten VIP boxes in the eastern stand is available for rental under the name "Incentive Boxes". VIP seats is broken down into three sectors: gold, silver, and bronze, depending on their location and the view they offer.

The esplanade surrounding the entire stadium leads from the ground level to Level 1. Concession stands, first aid stations, police offices and rest rooms are located on the promenade. Seats for fans with disabilities are located in stands equipped with wheelchair ramps, and disabled fans are able to sit next to their caretakers. The new stadium is an arena without barriers. A Fan Shop is also located on Level 1. The shop offers merchandise such as scarves, T-shirts, mugs, and posters to fans of WKS Śląsk Wrocław.

Stadium opening took place at 10 September 2011 with boxing fight between Tomasz Adamek and Vitali Klitschko for WBC heavyweight title. First football match between Śląsk Wrocław and Lechia Gdańsk was played on 10 October 2011. Śląsk won this match 1:0 and Johan Voskamp was first goalscorer on the new stadium.

How To Get to The Municipal Stadium In Wroclaw.

One things you should remember that you can travel to this stadium if you already reach Poland. from all over Poland you can reach this city by anything. You can use Bus, Train, Car or plane. But I suggest you who take a flight from outside ueropean country to take Plane.

Wroclaw has its own international airport on Strachowice (Wroclaw, ul Skarzynskiego 36), roughly 12km from the city centre. It's a bit smaller than those in other Polish cities, but functional nonetheless. So If you want to use Plane then you will landing at Wroclaw Copernicus Airport. Thereare so many intenational flight will serve you to be there.

The stadium can be reached by accessing the motorway A8 from motorway A4.

Alongside the stadium is located junction called Wroclaw Stadion connecting A8 highway with parking at the stadium.

Currently, the stadium can be reached by different kinds of public transport. By buses: 103, 403 and 435 from the north side, and by the trams 3, 10, 20, 32PLUS, 33PLUS, and bus 128 from the south side. A new tram line is currently under construction. The route leads through Gaj - Hubs - City center - Kozanów - Pilczyce - Stadium, and it will end north of the stadium.

On the south side of the stadium, a transport interchange is being formed, including a new train station called Wroclaw Stadion. A two-way railway line will run at the zero level, while at the first level a tram line will be built to connect the city center with Leśnica. The transport interchange will also be available for vehicular traffic. A car park, city bus stop, bicycle paths and parking for cyclists are currently under construction there. A heliport is located on the eastern side of the stadium.

The Seven Sisters Waterfall, Norway

2012-05-26T22:13:00.000+09:00

Good Morning Extra-Velganzer, its very nice to meet you in this sunny day. Little bit cloudy, because I can see group of cumulus “Big” Nimbo flying around here. But, no problem,the sun light still shine up there. So this is the best time to travel and spend energy and also spend “Wow” Words to see beautifull nature, amazing site and unforgotable environment.

So, right now, I am travel in Norway, Sitting in the boat observe the amazing water strippers The Seven Sisters. They are so amazing, never stop to dance, every time, every day and every week and I guess it will be long lasted untill the here after. So beautifull.

People may ask me, what are you talking about?. Just calm down, because right now we are going to explore the adventure of Geirangerford generally, specifically we are going to see The Seven Sisters Waterfall or in Norway famous with De Syv Søstrene or Dei Sju Systrene, also known as Knivsflåfossen.

The Seven Sisters (Norwegian: De Syv Søstrene or Dei Sju Systrene, also known as Knivsflåfossen) is the 39th tallest waterfall in Norway. The waterfall consists of seven separate streams that’s why it called “Seven Sisters”. I don’t really understand why the people add “Sisters” joining with the “seven”, why not just put “Seven Brothers”. Probably its because this seven waterfall place in same location but have seven stream, that’s why it called Sisters. The tallest of the seven has a free fall that measures 250 metres (820 ft). The legend of the seven sisters is that they dance playfully down the mountain, while a single waterfall opposite the seven sisters (known as the Courter, or Suitor, a male onlooker) flirts playfully from across the fjord. In Norwegian, 'The Suitor' is Friaren

it is located along the Geirangerfjord in the municipality of Stranda in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The waterfall is located just south of the historic Knivsflå farm, across the fjord from the old Skageflå farm. The falls are about 6.5 kilometres (4.0 mi) west of the village of Geiranger.

In Norway, seven adjacent waterfalls famously drop into Geirangerfjord, a fjord so impressive that it has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Seven Sisters stream over the fjord's 400-meter walls and are a popular attraction in summer months. In winter, The Seven Sisters flow as usual, the sea-level temperatures warm enough that the falls infrequently solidify.

How To Get To The Seven Sisters

If you want to get to GeirangerFjord you need to arrive to Oslo, Norwegia. The Geiranger Fjord (Norwegian: Geirangerfjorden) is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county in Norway. It is in the municipality of Stranda. It is a 15-kilometre (9.3 mi) long branch of the Storfjord (Great Fjord). The small village of Geiranger is located at the end of the fjord where the Geirangelva river empties into it. After arrived in Oslo international airport you cn take a bus to goto GeirangerGjord. There are express bus routes from Oslo, Trondheim and Bergen daily to Geiranger. In summer, daily buses to Åndalsnes (Nkr197, three hours) via Valldal leave Geiranger at 1pm and 6.10pm. For Molde, change buses in Åndalsnes; for Ålesund, change at Linge.

If you using boat, The popular, hugely recommended run between Geiranger and Hellesylt (passenger/car with driver Nkr100/210, one hour) is quite the most spectacular scheduled ferry route in Norway. It has four to eight sailings daily between May and September (every 90 minutes, June to August). Almost as scenic is the ferry that runs twice daily between Geiranger and Valldal (adult/child single Nkr160/80, return Nkr250/120, 2¼ hours) between late-June and mid-August.

From mid-April to mid-September, the Hurtigruten coastal ferry makes a detour from Ålesund to Geiranger (departs 1.30pm) on its northbound run only.

Domestic flight connections are good, with direct flights from the largest cities of Norway to Ålesund Airport Vigra and to Ørsta/Volda Airport Hovden. Direct flights to Copenhagen and Riga. Northbound and southbound coastal express Hurtigruten calls daily at Ålesund and Torvik by Fosnavåg, and during summer season you can join daily round trips between Ålesund and Geiranger. Good bus connections to/from most cities and towns in Norway. The train trip with Raumabanen is an experience in itself, from Åndalsnes the "Train Bus" takes you further on to Ålesund & Sunnmøre.

If you choose to get there by plane, Domestic flight connections are good, with direct flights from the largest cities of Norway to Ålesund Airport Vigra and to Ørsta/Volda Airport Hovden. Direct flights to Copenhagen and Riga. Northbound and southbound coastal express Hurtigruten calls daily at Ålesund and Torvik by Fosnavåg, and during summer season you can join daily round trips between Ålesund and Geiranger. Good bus connections to/from most cities and towns in Norway. The train trip with Raumabanen is an experience in itself, from Åndalsnes the "Train Bus" takes you further on to Ålesund & Sunnmøre.

Municipal/Miejski/Lecha Stadium. Poland

2012-05-24T23:02:00.001+09:00

Extra-Velganzer, Jak Sie Masz??..lets continue our travel in Poland, after visiting the gorgeous National Stadium and PGE Arena Gdansk. Now lets continue our trip in Poland, looking for another excitement and experience before the kick off of EURO 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. We are still in Poland but we will leaving Warsaw or Gdanks. We are going to visit Poznan with her A-Magnificient-Zing stadium they have.

Poznan roughly translates as "one who is recognised" and if the seemingly endless trade fairs in the city are anything to go by it certainly is. The fairs provide a huge source of civic pride (and money) and though of no real interest to the average visitor, the city – Poland's fifth largest and once a royal seat – has more than enough to offer elsewhere.

Poznan started life as a ninth-century wooden fort on a Warta river island before a growing population forced its migration to the mainland. Under Prussian/German rule from 1793, it returned to Poland in 1919 and the city sparked an intense regional uprising, a spirit revived as the city also witnessed the first mass protest in the Soviet bloc. With so much unrest Poznan has over the years undergone all manner of refits, from aesthetic facelifts to complete rebuilds; not unattractive scars of its history.

After appointed as one of the host of Euro 2012, Poznan prepared their town to welcome this great event. Not only prepared the town but also best service for the next star of football players in Europe with special stadium.

Stadion Miejski or famous with stadion Lecha broke to the ground in 1968. The year of the story begun. Need 12 years to build this stadion, such a long story to build a great monument. Compared with others 2 stadion we already visit before, this stadion need a less construction cost. Its only obut 180 million euros to rebuild this stadion after it broke to the ground. The “Ted Mosby” of this stadion is Modern Construction Design Sp. z o.o. since build in 1968, the stadion renovated for the first time in 2003-2010. Like most stadiums in those times it was built on artificial hills on which concrete benches and crown of the stadium was later formed. The construction consisted of three stands (in a characteristic U-shaped style), while place dedicated for fourth stand was left free. Swimming pool and gyms were supposed to be build there, but this plan was never realized. It took almost 12 years to complete the whole structure. The first match on the new stadium Lech Poznan played on August 23, 1980 with audience of 18,000 people. The match between “Kolejorz” and Motor Lublin ended in a 1-1 draw. The first goal scorer for the home team at the new stadium was Mark Skurczyński.

The Municipal Stadium in Poznań is the first facility for UEFA EURO 2012™ to be completed. Three European Championship matches will be hosted here in June 2012. Those matches to be played there are Croatia v. Ireland on 10 June, Croatia v. Italy on 14 June, and Ireland v. Italy on 18 June. (The other three matches in that group will take place at PGE Arena, Gdańsk.). According to the reconstruction project, the stadium is completely covered with a roof. The roof consists of three sections, which can move on the principle of accordion. This part of the project is believed to be the most expensive and most difficult in the modernization. The frame of the entire roof structure is made of steel (about 7,000 tons).

On zero level of the stadium there are a football pitch, rooms for the players of two teams, locker rooms for athletes and coaches, as well as showers, saunas, massage rooms. On the same floor there are arena’s technical support services. The third level is organizational. It houses rooms for the press and the stadium’s employees, offices and warehouses. There are two conference halls for 25 and 50 persons, a photo studio. Two levels are designed for VIP persons: a hotel, two restaurants, two medical centers and other facilities.

The modernization of the existing stadium on Bułgarska Street began in January 2009. In well under two years the stadium has undergone a complete transformation. Now the facility at Bułgarska Street is modern, multifunctional and safe. Matches during the UEFA EURO 2012™ will be watched by over 43 thousand people, 480 people can be accommodated at 45 sky boxes, 1,100 seats are provided for the business sector, media zone operates separately. Additionally, 222 seats at the stadium are intended for the disabled fans: 142 seats or wheelchair users and their companions; 40 - for people with partial or complete loss of hearing, 40 - for people with partial or complete loss of vision. For the latter special sportcasters will provide an individual match reportThe grandstands are completely covered with a membrane of natural silk. The City of Poznań has invested 713 million PLN in the modernization of the facility.

Officially opened on 20^th September 2010, the first real test of the facility was a Sting concert. The artist performed at the stadium during the 2010 edition of the festival: "Poznań for the Earth" - accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and conducted by Steven Mercurio. Ten days later the first football match was held-the match between Lech Poznań and FC Salzburg in the group stage of the UEFA Europa league. It was attended by 42,000 fans!.

Poznań stadium can boast the two biggest broadcast screens in Poland, each consisting of 120 smaller LED screens with an area of 116 m². Previously, the record had belonged to the Warsaw Riviera and the Katowice Spodek. A lighting rig of lightning power, reaching 2000 lux, can meet the requirements of state-of-the-art HD transmission.

Stadium operates 2 restaurants, bar, cafeteria and 27 catering stalls with 221 stands for sale. The arena’s parking space is capable of servicing over 2,000 cars.

How To Get To Municipal/Miejski/Lecha Stadium In Poznan.

Poznań-Ławica airport is 7km west of the city and has daily flights to Warsaw as well as regular links to Copenhagen, Dublin, Stockholm, Barcelona, Germany and England. in the vicinity of the route leading directly to the major city points and next to the road out of Poznań to Berlin and Warsaw. It is possible to get to the city centre from the airport using line 59 or express line L, that is going directly to Railway Station. In line L the ticket price doubles and one can take one piece of luggage free of charge.Poznań Główny railway station in the heart of the city offers the best domestic service with about 20 daily services to Warsaw (3-4 hours). Frequent trains run to Wroclaw (2.5 hours), Gdansk (4 hours) and Kyiv (18 hours) and there are also direct services to Berlin, Cologne and Moscow.

All trains coming to Poznań stop at Poznań Main Railway Station (Poznań Główny). The Railway Station is composed of two buildings: the Main Hall (Hala Główna) and the West Railway Station (Dworzec Zachodni) connected by a subway. The Railway Station is located in the city centre, just next to the Poznań International Fair venue (Międzynarodowe Targi Poznańskie). In the Main Hall there are kiosks, shops, fast food restaurants, ATM and Glob - Tour tourist information.

Passengers can get to the city by tram or bus - the nearest tram stop is next to the West Railway Station. Trams no. 5, 8, 14 and 18 leave the stop. In the vicinity of the Main Hall exit there is a municipal bus stop for lines 51, 68 and 76. At night, also night buses approach the stop. To get to the tram stop, passengers should use stairs or a lift leading to the Railway Bridge (Most Dworcowy). There, passengers can use trams no. 6, 10, 11 and 12. TAXI ranks are located next to the Main Hall and the West Railway Station exit. It is advisable, however, to call RADIO TAXI in a point located in the Main Hall. Automatic train timetable information system (phone no.): 863 38 14, 863 38 15. Central domestic and interantional train information (phone no.): 94 36.

PKS Station (Bus Transport Company) is located in ul. Towarowa 17/19. It provides both domestic and international transport services. Apart from ticket offices, kiosks, bar and PKS information point also travel agencies selling tickets for international routes are located in the bus station hall. Next to the station there are fast food restaurants, ATM, a bookshop and a cake shop. In front of the station there is a tram stop for lines no. 6, 10, 11 and 12. Information (phone no.): 664 25 25.

Old City Graz, Austria

2012-05-20T17:54:00.001+09:00

Extravelganzer, how are you right now?. Hope that you still in very good condition to travel today. As I told you before, this blog is about traveling, trip, journey, visiting new place and looking for many experience. So if you going to find a pets overhere, you are in wrong place. Because this place is all about travelling.

So where we are going right now??.. Hmmmm, I am a little bit curious with one of beautifull city in the world – beside the Ve-Nice of course -. If I say like that so no more question and no more clue I have to give, right to the points. I already pepared all of the things to be brought. Camera, Check. Paspor, Check, Visa, Check. Hotel, Check, Ticket, Check. Lets travel to the Old Graz City In Austria.

The history of Graz begun when (A.E.I.O.U., or Austria Est Imperare Orbu Universo) left behind by Friedrich III, King of Germany and holy Roman Emperor, who resided here. The city boasts the empires’s(and Europe’s) largest armory: More than 30,000 pieces of every imaginable kind of armor and equipment used for war and jousting fill four floors of the 17^th-century. Landeszeughaus Armory. The town’s draw may be its magnificient architecture from middle ages and the renaissance, but the tone of Graz today is young and upbeat, thanks to three prominent universities (one offering the only facilities of jazz in all europe), the oldest founded in the 16^th century, from spring untill fall, a number of prestigious fars and music festivals enliven the flagstone streets and squares, while students keep the atmospheric beer cellars, bars and publike beisls buzzing. As capital of the agriculturally rich region of Styria, one of Graz’s most enticing day trips is a meander out along any of eight “wine roads” south of the city.

Graz laid on the southeastern seat of the Hapsburg as early as 1379, features one of Central Europe’s best-preserved Alstadte (Old Town). Just look around Graz and you will see the ubiqutious motto “Austria Rules The World”.

Graz is the second-largest city in Austria after Vienna and the capital of the federal state of Styria (Steiermark). On 1 April 2010 it had a population of 291,890 (of which 258,605 had principal residence status). Graz is situated on the Mur River in the southeast of Austria. It is about 200 km (120 mi) southwest of Vienna. The nearest larger urban center is Maribor in Slovenia which is about 50 km (31 mi) away. Graz is the capital and largest city in Styria, a green and heavily forested area.

You know what makes Graz especially exciting, amazing, gorgeous, wonderfull and astonishing is the combination of these historic treasures with truly stunning modern architecture like the Kunsthaus Graz, which beautifully reflects the Old Town in its façade. Graz has a long tradition as a student city: its six universities have more than 44,000 students. Its "Old Town" is one of the best-preserved city centres in Central Europe. Students from the city’s four universities enjoy the many street cafes, which lend the city an almost Mediterranean flair. Art galleries, great shopping, innovative- as well as excellent traditional restaurants, and a busy event calendar ensure that the city stays young at heart.

Graz has come quite a long way since first being officially settled in the Middle Ages, and its rich mix of architectural styles surely gives testament to its comprehensive history. During the rule of the Roman Empire, Graz was the site of a small fort, which graced the Schlossberg Graz hill in the middle of the city. When Slavic peoples moved into Graz later on, they erected a larger fortress on the same hill. This castle would eventually be the influence for the city's name. Gradec in Slovene means castle, and the same word translated to German is Graz. The name Graz was first applied by the German Babenberg Dynasty in the year 1128. The Babenbergs ruled Austria between 976 and 1248, eventually ceding power to the Habsburg Dynasty. The Habsburgs would erect their own, larger castle on the hill, though only part of it remains to this day. The Schlossberg Graz castle was ordered to be destroyed in 1809 by Napoleon after he defeated Austria in the Battle of Wagram. All that survived was the Uhrturm (Clock Tower) and the bell tower. The surviving Clock Tower is today the symbol of Graz. It was saved by the city's citizens, who paid a hefty sum to France to spare their beloved symbol.

In 2003, Graz Austria was designated by the European Union as The European Capital of Culture. This gave Graz the chance to really show of its attractions. Among the main Graz attractions that visitors won't want to miss is the Schlossberg Graz hill, which is quite akin to Lykavittos Hill in Athens, Greece. There is a cable car (funicular) that takes visitors to the top of the hill, and if you're up for it, you can climb the winding stairs instead. A lovely park with southern plants was established here in the late 1800s, and there is also a restaurant at the top of the hill where you can enjoy a meal and some great views of the surrounding city. Between the months of May and October, guided tours of the hill are offered, and in the summer months, the hill is the site for a bunch of concerts. As for the southern plants found on the hill, Graz Austria enjoys a relatively Mediterranean climate due to its location in a "bowl" south of the Austrian Alps. There are plants all over the city and outlying region that are typically found south of Austria, which is a neat point of curiosity.

Graz's Old Town is a definite must-visit when enjoying Graz travel, and thankfully, much of it was spared during the WWII Allied bombing campaigns. It's a great idea to take tours of Graz's Old Town whether it is guided or not. You can start in the main square (Hauptplatz), which is surrounded by old houses, the most notable of which is the seventeenth century House of Luegg. While exploring Old Town Graz, it's worth it to head over to Herrengasse Street, where the Landhaus is found. The Landhaus is an ornate Renaissance palace that once served as the seat of the regional government. It was designed by the Italian architect, Domenico dell'Allio, who began work on the gem in 1557. A stunning arcaded courtyard awaits visitors at the Landhaus, and the building overall is just something to behold whether you tour it or just gawk at it from the other side of the street.

Though it's not open to visitors, as it serves as the provincial government seat for Styria, the Burg is a notable structure that you will hardly miss when visiting Graz Austria. Originally a castle that dates back to 1499, it was built for Maximilian I, who was then Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Today, the Burg is home to government offices, and though it's not open to visitors to fully explore, the concierge often allows visitors in to admire the medieval winding staircase, which is truly impressive. Not all of the Graz attractions are historical ones, however, and attractions in general don't get much more modern than the Kunsthaus, which is the most recognizable Graz museum. Set on the banks of the River Mur, this blue blob of a structure is home to a great collection of modern art. Whether or not you appreciate the innovative design of the Kunsthaus is something else.

Because all of this amazing-nes, In 1999, Graz was added to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites, and the site was extended in 2010 by Schloss Eggenberg. Graz was sole Cultural Capital of Europe for 2003 and got the title of a City of Culinary Delights in 2008. UNESCO experts were so impressed by the interplay of the countless sights and attractions that they declared the Old Town of Graz to be a World Cultural Heritage site, worthy for protection for the ages. Graz is old, to be sure. So that’s why is worth to visit this city. So many things to see, so many things to do and so many experience will fill up your life. Guarantee.

How To Get To The Old City Graz

So if you want to get in Old City Graz. You must already be there in Austria. There are a few different ways to get to Austria, but if you don't live in Europe or aren't already based somewhere on the continent, then flying is likely how you will arrive. Your Austria airfare will take a large chunk out of your travel budget, so it's always a good idea to look for cheap flights to Austria if you have the time. With the money that you save, you'll have more left over for things like shopping and tours.

If you got from European country, you can also use plane. Graz airport (IATA: GRZ), (Flughafen Graz - also known as Thalerhof), around 9 km south of the city centre. Scheduled flights operate to Graz from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Vienna, Linz, Innsbruck, Zurich, London, Hannover, Friedrichshafen. It is possible to fly from Britain from London Stansted with Ryanair, and within Europe low-cost airlines serving Graz-Thalerhof are Intersky and Lufthansa, amongst others.

From the airport you have several possibilities to reach the centre:

by taxi: approximate fare to the center is between €20-25.
by bus: the bus station is directly in front of the arrival zone. Bus lines 630 and 631 are going to Jakominiplatz (the central point of public transportation) from approx. 05:20 to 23:45, travel time is 20 minutes. Fare is €1,90 for a single ticket (February 2012).
by train: to reach the train station you have to walk ~5 minutes (easy to find, just head straight out the airport and continue to the east). Line S5 connects to Graz Hauptbahnhof (main station) from 04:47 (Saturdays and Sundays 05:17) to 22:47 (Sundays: 21:47). Travel time is 15 minutes, fare is also €1,90 for a single ticket.

PGE Arena Gdanks Stadium, Poland

2012-05-19T18:44:00.000+09:00

Extra-Velganzer, as I promise to you, related to the euphoria of EURO 2012, we are going to travel to the eight stadium that will be used to host all of the game both of in Poland and Ukraine. We already visit the National Stadium in Warsaw. So right now, we are going to visit another stadium, not in the Warsaw but still in the Poland. Yes, Its Gdanks, This city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay (of the Baltic Sea), in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the Tricity (Trójmiasto), with a population of over 800,000. Gdańsk itself has a population of 455,830 (June 2010), making it the largest city in the Pomerania region of Northern Poland.

Napoleon said Gdansk is "key to everything", something a 1,000-year history that has seen it regularly change hands attests to. The maritime city known until 1945 as Danzig has been under the rule of Poland, the Teutonic Order, Prussia and later Germany. As recently as 1939 when World War Two started with the invasion of Gdansk, it was even a city state, with its own constitution, national anthem and currency. Since 1945 it has prospered under the Polish flag.

The amazing Gdanks has been choosen as one of the host city for extravaganza and amazing EURO 2012. PGE Arena Gdanks is the name of this stadium. You should see this one Travelganzer. The PGE Arena Gdanks Stadium named with started PGE because since 2010 the official name of the stadium the basis of a sponsorship agreement with Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE Group).

The PGE Arena Gdańsk previously called the Baltic Arena, It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Lechia Gdańsk. The Stadium is located on ul. Pokoleń Lechii Gdańsk ("Generations of Lechia Gdańsk street") in the northern part of the city (Letnica district). The capacity of the stands is 43,615 spectators, all seated and roofed. PGE Arena Gdańsk is the largest arena in Ekstraklasa and the third largest in the country (after National Stadium and Silesia Stadium).

This stadium broke to the ground at 2008 and then re-built in 2008-2011. The official ceremony of the opening of the stadium conducted in 14 August 2011 The opening match was between Lechia Gdańsk and Cracovia and ended with 1–1 draw. The stadium built spend construction cost for 775 Million PLN and built by RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky together with structural engineer Bollinger+Grohmann. Nowadays, this stadium owned by City of Gdańsk with the operators Lechia Gdańsk Operator. And The first international match, Poland - Germany, took place on 6 September 2011 and ended 2-2. The latter was relocated from Warsaw because the National Stadium was not ready. PGE Arena is used by Lechia Gdańsk since “White-green” relocated there form MOSiR Stadium.

The stadium is also one of the designated venues for the finals of Euro 2012. It will host four matches during the tournament. Three matches in Group C and one quarterfinal are to be played here. This stadium is a football-specific stadium, which means that the turf is not ejected or changeable. For that reason it also lacks an athletics track (running). The stadium has dimensions 236 meters long, 203 meters wide and 45 meters height.

PGE Area’s exterior is designed to resemble amber which has long been extracted on the Baltic coast. Whole roof construction is based on 82 girders. Roof structure has totally area of 44 000 m². The facade and the roof are covered with 18 000 plates of polycarbonate multiwall sheet, in 6 shades, with a total area of 4.5 hectares. Two logos (placed on the western and eastern side of the stadium), are made in LED technology, with a height of 8 meters and length of 35 meters.

The pitch has dimensions of 105x68 meters, and its distance from the grandstand is 10.5 m behind the goals, and 8.5 m from the side lines. PGE Arena grandstands under the standards of FIFA and UEFA are covered, the center which is hovering over the field however will be uncovered. The issue of installing a sliding roof was considered, but the idea was abandoned due to costs and limited time to complete the construction. Remaining space is reserved for the other participants of the event (staff, etc.). The stadium meets the criteria for UEFA Category 4.

Stadium capacity is 43,615 seats during league matches. However the total number of seats (gross) is approximately 44,000. During the UEFA European Football Championship in 2012 capacity will be reduced to approximately 40 000 seats. I don’t know why this would happen, but in my positive thinking maybe this should be conducted as a part to give comfortable to the supporters.

At the stadium there are 40 boxes behind glass where full catering is provided (so-called sky-boxes). Eight of which have an area of 60 m² (646 ft²) and the remaining 32 have an area of 30 m² (323 ft²). In addition to the sky-boxes, stadium offers 1383 seats of higher standard (VIP places) for the more affluent guests. Each of them is equipped with comfortable seat and located just below the sky-boxes. Both sky-boxes and VIP places have a separate entrance with dedicated foyer.

The seats on the PGE Arena was provided by Polish company Forum Seating belonging to the Nowy Styl Group located in Krosno. Moreover the stadium has 50 extra seats for disabled persons (How great, right). As you know that the football things already become a very universal languange for all people in the world even for those who have limitation.

So what are you thinking right now, even stadium can be a greatest place to be visited. It is just about believe that there will be a great experience even in the small place, because journey, travelling, trip, walk around is not only limited in Natural Site. So let me accompany you during your travel to this PGE Gdanks Stadium.

How To Get To The PGA Arena Gedanks.

Lech Wałęsa airport is 14km west of Gdansk and has regular flights to Warsaw, Frankfurt, Munich and London, among others. Ferries run several times a week from the Nowy Port to Nynashamn, Stockholm while the PKS bus terminal has regular connections with Warsaw. The nearby Gdansk Główny train station also has daily services with the Polish capital (4.5 hours), Wroclaw (7.5 hours) and Poznan (4 hours). Gdansk is the starting point of the EuroVelo 9 cycle route which goes through the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovenia before ending at the Adriatic Sea in Pula, Croatia.

From this city you can go to another UEFA EURO 2012 venues. The distances from Gdanks to Poznan is 305km, to Warsaw about 345km, to Wroclaw about 480km, to Lviv about 725km, to Kyiv about 1,190km, to Kharkiv about 1,600km, to Donetsk about 1,810km.

For getting around the city, a regular commuter train runs from Gdansk Główny train station to Gdynia Główna and there are trams and buses to local stops.

Lofoten Island, Norway

2012-05-19T17:15:00.001+09:00

Extra-Velganzer. Velkommen, Hvordan går det med Deg?.heheheh, I am trying here to speak Norvege because right now we are going to travel, to conduct journey, to make a trip or whatever the words you said to desribe “Travelling, Journey, Trip” because Norway already waiting for you to pack your bag and preparing your visa and buying a ticket. I hope that you will have “god reise” in Norway.

So, our destination right now is Lofoten Island. It is a group of islands in the northern part of Norway. With its postcard looking small fishing villages nestled in fjords, dotting a very rugged coast with abrupt peaks rising directly from the ocean, the archipelago is often described as one of the most scenic parts of Norway.

As you know that nature is powerfull in Norway, perhaps nowhere so than in the Lofoten Island, 123 Miles northern of the artic circle. This island has 118-mile-long archipleago of small fishing communities set againts a dramatic wall of towering snow-patched peaks-granite formations that date back several billion years-has drawn increasing numbers of mainlanders (and foreign) attracted to its seclusion, special light, bracing air, and unpolluter air and waters. Clearly, healthy and special environments would take to you to another world. Yes, fresh mind world and healthy world of course.

The traditional Rorbu (Fishing cottage) was traditionally built on the docks extending out over the water, today they are popular as rentals for their simplicity (and the insight into the local way of life). This steep island-world is bathed in summer nights of eight-hour dusk, with the midnight sun shinning from June untill the July.

Svolvaer with the population over 4000 peoples,it becomes the mai town for the islands, has a thriving summer art colony. Feries arrive here from mainland Bodo, Where Edgar Allan Poe spent a number of years writing A Descent Into The Maelstorm, describing the unique phenomenon of immense volumes of water flushed through deep, narrow gorges with the outgoing tide.

A Maelstrom – The word, of Dutch origin, means “Grinding Stream” – is a furious natural whirlpool (also known as a “Kettle”) that creates a goose-bump-including howl. Before catching the ferry to the Lofoten, visit Salstraumen Eddy on the mainland to see what mesmerized Poe

How To Get To The Lofoten Island

The Map below is designed to help you decide which means of transport is most suitable to your needs when planning your journey to Flakstad & Moskenes in the Lofoten Islands. Overseas travellers will most likely arrive in Oslo or Bergen - by air or by boat. From here, you have a number of options to choose from on your journey north.

Please note that the Coastal Voyage (Hurtigruten) is not shown on the map. This is a coastal liner that operates daily departures from Bergen to Kirkenes and back, a journey of one week's duration. The coastal Steamer stops at Stamsund in the Lofoten Islands, from where there are corresponding bus services to Flakstad and Moskenes.

It takes about 3 hours by air from Oslo to Lofoten, but you can, of course, travel by other means of transport like the Coastal Steamer as mentioned above, the train (approx 22 hours), or by car, thus spending more time enjoying your journey. We will be glad to provide further details of means of transport, including bus, boat and air services within Lofoten.There are also express passenger boats from Bodø and Narvik to Svolvær, from where there are daily bus services to Flakstad & Moskenes.

Otherwise, the easiest way to get to Flakstad Moskenes is to take the appropriate means of transport to Bodø, and catch the ferry from Bodø to Moskenes. It is also possible to fly from Bodø to Leknes (Widerøe's) - 25 min. flight - and catch a bus from there. Motorists may either catch the ferry over from Bodø, or from Skutvik in Hamarøy to Svolvær, from where they can drive the full length of the magnificent Lofoten Islands all the way to Å.

Modern Islamic Boarding School Darussalam Gontor (Pondok Pesantren Modern Darussalam Gontor), Indonesia

2012-05-19T08:50:00.001+09:00

Extra-Velganzer. Day 5 was very long journey to be made through. 5 PM after “Lets Go The Mall”. Me and 2 of my best friends left a very romantic moments in Bandung “Which I Love It”. We were after another experinence to be revealed at another place, because all of us believe that there will be a heaven in another side of this world if we believe and ready to see it.

So this very early night at 11 April we head to the east. Yes, I need to pursue my dream, my littlehood dream. Eventhough I’ve never make it happen in my chilhood but I am very happy I can make it seriously –Happily-unforgettable-Amazing moments in my young-hood life today. I always believe if we dream about and we have effort blooming it that would be a very hard precious moments to be enjoyed when we can make it directly in front of our own eyes.

Our traveling start at Cicaheum Bus terminal in West Java. Our destination is Ponorogo bus station. After waiting for about one hours finally our bus give us a sign “yes, of course iam gonna departed right now, Big Boy”. After the wheel a little bit shaking the road and the machine groaning and moaning in my ear we left Bandung with a big smile. Soon or later I am gonna see this town more and more.

Our journey with the bus will take 15 hours before it arrived at Ponorogo. We did have many experience during this travelling by bus especially when al of the passenger get shocked when another in just very centimeter will hit our bus. Thanks god that we are safe. We left bandung and skip Nagreg, Garut, Tasikmalaya, Ciamis, Cilacap, Purwokerto, Kebumen, Temanggung, Magelang, Jogjakarta, Klaten, Solo, Karanganyar, Sragen, Ngawi,Madiun behind. And finally after passing through long night, after we spend a lot of time with sleep, we can smile bigger after finally the driver hit the brake at Ponorogo Bus Terminal.

We are not alone in Ponorogo, our kind friend came to pick up us with his car. No need to wait too long, he came with a big smile and asked us to have breakfast first before we head our main destination. Time for delicious Soto Lamongan. A delicious food for no-food all night peoples.

Finish our food, we move to our destination. This destination is very “I Would never forget that I ever been here, I even will not sleep just to enjoy this moments” place. My heart was pound when I see for the far “Welcome to The Darussalam Islamic Bording School” or famous with simple name “Gontor”. My Dreams Came True.

This place is very “something” place, is not about beauty, is about you see some incredible new place here. The people, the activity and everything was just very awesome. Not like another Islamic Boarding School, Gontor provide and offer some great value for her students to become strong, independence, smart and success. You not only read the Holy Qur’an, understanding and know the Qur’an and Hadist. They also teach you how to survive, improve your hobby, learn about responsibility, interact with another people. And so many things here to see.

You will not see their force the students to learn about Islam for 24 hours. They will show you how Islam is very open minded to many things as long as it usefull and not cross the borders that already given. You can love musics, you can do sports, you can dance, you can be “Booker” Boys or whatever do you want to be as long as you can responsible to it and the most important things you never forget about your precious faith “Islam”. World should be balanced with hereafter world. I do very love this concept and that’s why I always dream to visit this place whenever I have spare time.

I love to visit this place more and more. And I don’t want to talk about this place too much, I just want you to be there, to see it live, to make your story and to decide whether all the things I said just a “Big Fat Liar” story or it is a real story. It is your turn bro…go there and fill by the experience you get.

Back to Day 4

Ciwalk, BIP, Braga, Cimall, Indonesia

2012-05-16T21:41:00.001+09:00

Let's go to the mall, everybody!

Come on Jessica, come on Tori,

Let's go to the mall, you won't be sorry

Put on your jelly bracelets

And your cool graffiti coat

At the mall, having fun is what it's all about

I haven't done my homework yet (That's OK!)

And you know how my parents get (Whatever!)

I don't care,'cause all my friends are gonna be there

Let's go to the mall today

Everybody come and play

Throw every last care away

Lets go to the mall, today

Lets go to the mall everybody!

There's this boy

I like Met him at the food court

He's got hair like Gretzky

And he does jumps on his skateboard

I hope he asks me out

Takes me to my favorite spot

It'll be just him and me

(But don't forget the robot)

Dad says I'm too young to date (Lame!)

But baby, I don't want to wait (Let's do it!)

That's OK, I'm going to rock your body anyway

I'm going to rock your body 'til Canada Day

Everybody come and play

Throw every last care away

Let's go to the mall today

I went to the mall with a couple of friends

I had a whole week's allowance to spend

I want hoop earrings and a Benetton shirt

We came here to shop and we came here to flirt

I turned around and who should

I see Prime Minister Brian Mulroney

He said, "Young lady, I don't approve."

So I had to get down and bust a crazy move

Hit it Fred, come on

Let's go to the mall

Let's go to the mall, everybody!

Everybody come and play

Throw every last care away

Let's go to the mall today

Everybody loves the mall!

Everybody come and play (Yeah!)

Throw every last care away (I love my hoop earrings!)

Let's go to the mall today

Extra-velganzer, lyrics above tell a little story about my activity in day 4 (The song came from Robin Scherbatsky - My Lovely TV Drama Show "How I meet Your Mother"), or the last day i spend in Bandung. So what I am going that day. Yes, of course, Lets go to the Mall spend the day and at the same time feeding the “ Hungry Eyes”. You know that sometimes Mall have unexpected temptation and sometimes seduce us to confirm it with “BUY”…hahahaha.

So, my journey in 8 hours before left bandung started in CIWALK (Cihampelas Walk). This mall located near Surapati. I love the concept of this mall is just like you walk in old town where the shops sell their products near the street (Maybe that’s the reason they called this shopping center with “Walk” not “Run”). The street laid on between one complex of shops with the others. In the middle of the street you will find trees grow freely, how amazing isn’t it. Don’t ask me about anything in Mall, most of the mall is just like the others, sell clothes, fast food restaurant, sport shops, etc. for me, Mall is just place for hangout. I do agree with my self that I would not spend a lot of money here because iam not interested, I just want to capture the moment in Ciwalk and thats what iam get.

So after visiting the Cihampelas Walk we are moving forward to the Bandung Indah Plaza (BIP) this mall located in a down town of Bandung, I am not really sure about where is the exactly position of this mall but my instict said that this place located near the Riau Street Crossroads, asking me where is the Riau Street, and I will say still in Dago Steet (Dago is The Best). This Mall is huge, its just like a big cube and then you put some space for shops. Adding some attractive door with human sensor, put some Baliho/Billboard, and here it is Bandung Indah Plaza. a little bit crowded when I visited it if I have to compared with the previous Mall. So I decided to eneter some fast food restaurant to order fried chicken. After that. Iam just left the mall because I have very strict agenda today.

My journey continue to the Braga Mall. Iam not quit sure if it is place can be called as a Mall, beside it only have few shops, the visitor mostly can be counted with my 3 fingers. Iam just preassume that this place actually is shopping center provide for the residence of the apartments. Because beside being a shopping center this place also provide apartment to be sold or to be rent. I am not doing anything much over here. I am just looking for shoes because in this place you can get branded shoes with “Italic” price. For your information, if you exit by walk from Braga Mall you can see fun-tastics view. Because the road near this place is very unique, made from conblock and the building around is very old.

The last mall I visited is Cimahi Mall (CIMALL). This mall located in administrative area in Cimahi. Near bandung of course, it’s about 15 minutes more or less to be there. The mall is not quite big, mostly like Braga Mall but bigger. The shops not quite much I think. Iam not quite pay attention because the truth I hang out here is just to taste the food in Gokana Tepan Resto, How awesome right.

My journey in west java finally finished. After visit Cimahi Mall, I will continue my journey to the East Java. So I will suggest you not to get bored because you will find so much unforgettable story from journey. Just believe.

How To Get To The Malls

To be there, you should already arrive in bandung. There is direct flight to Bandung from Jakarta if you plan to get there by Plane. You can take a cab from Husein sastranegara Airport to travel around the mall.

If you backpacker traveller and you are enjoy traveling by Bus or Train then soon you arrive at Soekarno Hatta International Airport you can order travel to Bandung in outside exit door of the airport. The price is 125.000 Indonesian Rupiah or around $12.5. just say to the travel agent that your final destination is in “whatever the mall you want to visit first”, they will take you directly at your destination

You can also reach the mall with Train from Jakarta. Just take a bus in front of the Soekarno Hatta Airport soon you arrive, this bus will take you to the Gambir Train Station. From gambir you enjoy your traveling by train. This train will stop in Kota Bandung Station. From this point you can take mass transportation such as Omprengan/Angkot “A mini Version Bus” or you can use Cab.

Continue to day 5 or Back to day 4

Norodowy Stadion (National Stadium), Poland

2012-05-14T19:27:00.000+09:00

Extra-velganzer, 2012 European Football Champhionship will start immediately. This event will take you attention with their opening ceremony at 8 June. Do you already prepare anything for your journey because this event will be held in two country at the some time. A little bit strange but thats okey, since few past years ago some sport events always have double host country to serve atheletes from all over country with their fanatics supporter. So this european football sport events will be held in two country that are Poland and Ukraine. Thats why, before the opening ceremony why dont you travel with me to see the most “unbelievable” stadium that will held all of the game from the opening till the finale.

Lets start our journey to the most beautifull and the biggest stadium in Poland ( I guest). So this stadium called as National Stadium. In polish, it called Norodowy Stadion. The plot of land situated in the area between ul. Wybrzeże Szczecińskie, Al. Zielenieckiej and Al. Poniatowskiego in the Praga Południe district in Warsaw is the location of the National Stadium along with its associated infrastructure. The investment involves the construction of the National Stadium to take the place of the demolished 10th Anniversary Stadium.

The construction work of national stadium was started on site in 2008. The cost to build such a huge stadum like national stadium is about 500 million euro (i can not imagine about the money). The first activity was to demolish the old stands of Stadion Dziesięciolecia. The architect “Mosby” of this stadium is Gerkan, Marg and Partners an architectural company based on Hamburg, Germany. The structural engineer of this stadium is Schlaich Bergermann and Partners or famous as one of world renowned structural engineer firm based in Stuttgart, germany.

The cornerstone (foundation stone) and a time capsule were set during the ceremony held on 7 October 2009. The time capsule contained flags of Poland, the European Union and the city of Warsaw, newspapers of the day, coins, banknotes, and other artifacts.

In 2009, the construction works were scheduled for completion by mid 2011. However, construction failures were revealed in late May 2011, which resulted in setting a new completion term for 29 November 2011, where the stadium has then been cleared for use

The new stadium has a seating capacity of 58,500 only for football games, but the capacity can change if it used for concert which can be used for 73,000 people at the same time. So far, two concerts that will take place in the National Stadium have been confirmed. Madonna will perform on August 1 as part of her MDNA Tour, followed by Coldplay on September 19.

National Stadium construction started in 2008 and finished in November 2011. The stadium has a unique retractable PVC roof which unfolds from a nest on a needle suspended above the centre of the pitch. The retractable roof is similar to BC Place in Vancouver, BC, Canada and Commerzbank-Arena in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. The national stadium is due to host the opening match (a group match) between Poland vs Greece, remaining 2 group matches that is Poland vs Russia and Russia vs Greece, a quarterfinal, and a semifinal of the UEFA Euro 2012 hosted jointly by Poland and Ukraine.

Along with the stadium the plans include constructing a general purpose indoor sports arena with places for 20,000 spectators, an Olympic-size swimming pool for 4,000 spectators, an aquatic park, hotel, conference center, as well as catering and service facilities. The construction will be followed by a complete refurbishment of the nearby Warsaw Stadium railway station and the opening of a subway station and a segment of the second line of the Warsaw Metro linking the area with the city center. The grounds are owned by the national government, thus the investment will be financed by it, rather than the city of Warsaw.

How To Get To The National Stadium

Warsaw-Fryderyk Chopin Airport is 8km south of the city centre. There are several train stations, but most travellers need only concern themselves with Warszawa Centralna in the heart of the city – but please note it is not always the final destination. There are direct daily services to Wroclaw (five hours), Gdansk (4.5 hours), Poznan (3-4 hours), Lviv (14 hours, though quicker if you change) and Kyiv (15 hours). There are two bus terminals: Warszawa Stadion serves east-bound destinations while Warszawa Zachodnia handles all other routes, including to Gdansk and Wroclaw (both take 5-7 hours).

Warsaw's integrated public transport system includes buses, trams and the metro. The main routes run from 5.00 to 23.00 every day, thereafter night buses link Emilii Plater Street in the centre to major suburbs though on Friday and Saturday the metro runs until 2.00. It is best to buy tickets before boarding – look out for signs saying 'Sprzedaż Biletów ZTM'. Single journeys cost 2.40zł and there are also tickets for 90 minutes/one day/three days/week (6/9.60/14.40/32zł).

Thanks To : Wikipedia and UEFA

Daarut Tauhid and Bancakan, Indonesia

2012-05-14T17:04:00.001+09:00

Wow, extra-velganzer, is it my feeling right that you waiting a story about my journey?. Dont be afraid, i will tell you right now what really happen in day 3 of my amazing travelling in West Java, Indonesia.

My trip in Bandung will be finished, day 3 means i only have 2 days left, today and tomorrow (day 4). I am just so excited about anything. The weather is a little bit hot, the sky are clear, so how come iam not happy to walking around Bandung. I guess there will be so many story i could deliver to all of ya. So let the story begin.

9:00 AM, travelling by car accompanied by my best friends, we headed to Daarut Tauhid Islamic Boarding School (Pondok Pesantren Daarut Tauhid). Is about 30 minutes to reach this place because we got lost (Actually, we never been there before, we just follow our instinct and the power of asking). This place is located in Geger Kalong, Bandung. Its about 5 kilometer more or less from dago street.

Daarut Tauhid is one of Islamic Boarding school located in the center of Bandung. This place is very famous because owned by one of the famous Ulama in Bandung that is Abdullah Gymnastiar or AA Gym. Every person you ask in Bandung must know this place. When you enter this place, you will feel another excitement and another environment. Of course, it would be different when you visit the mall and you visit this place. You will find different thing such as the way of dressing, their main daily activity. And so many things you have to see.

Unfortunately, we ca not spend a lot of time here because some reason such as difficulties to find parking area. Bandung is very crowded, thats why a space for parking slot will be rare, mostly empty space has been used to build the house. After 12 AM, we leave this place and head to another location.

What do you do if you got hungry?. Yes get a lunch. So because its already 12, so we decided to continue our journey to find some essential thing for human. We head to Bancakan resto. Bancakan is a name of restaurant near Gedung Sate (Governor of West Java Office) located in Trunojoyo Street No.62. Bancakan provide you a very traditional food with undoubt quality. This restaurant provide delicious and cheap sundanese food. you can choose what kind of menu do you want to eat. This place is very famous in Bandung. Thats why we choose to have a lunch here. But one thing you shoul know is because this restaurant is very famous so you need to be patient when you come and you see that the queue is very long like snake. If you got patient then you will taste the good thing we called Food.

So this is the end of my journey in Day 3, i will tell you everything about my journey. Good place, good spot, and good resto for your references.

How To Get To The Daarut Tauhid Islamic Boarding School and Bancakan Resto.

If you backpacker traveller and you are enjoy traveling by Bus or Train then soon you arrive at Soekarno Hatta International Airport you can order travel to Bandung in outside exit door of the airport. The price is 125.000 Indonesian Rupiah or around $12.5. just say to the travel agent that your final destination is in Daarut tauhid or Bancakan, they will take you directly at your destination

you can also reach Daarut Tauhid with Train from Jakarta. Just take a bus in front of the Soekarno Hatta Airport soon you arrive, this bus will take you to the Gambir Train Station. From gambir you enjoy your traveling by train. This train will stop in Kota Bandung Station. From this point you can take mass transportation such as Omprengan/Angkot “A mini Version Bus” or you can use Cab.

Continue to Day 4 or Back To Day 2

Dago Street and Masjid Salman, Indonesia

2012-05-13T20:34:00.001+09:00

Extra-velganzer, as i already told you about my first trip, here iam gonna give you the story about my second day experience travelling around Java island that i already keep only for you.

I have arrived at Bandung at 12:00 AM, in the middle of the night, after 4 hours got traffic jam, finally i can see my travel move, eventhough it looks like a hopeless passenger running for an airplane that already take off.

I woke up at 6 in the morning with all of my body and bones feels tired so badly. But it want keep me out from my amazing plan today. The best thing you can do in Bandung is Shopping, and where is the shopping center which sell the good quality of clothing around Bandung?. The only answer i can give is DAGO street. Dago street is center of georgous, amazing, extraordinary “and whatever” street that will provide you best clothing with cheap price. Dago Street is just like Malioboro Street in Jogjakarta. Both of them are famous street in their area. one in Bandung and the others in Jogjakarta.

Dago street is very straight and long street in bandung (never ask me how far dago street laying in the earth of bandung). It covers Dago atas, Dago Pakar, and i dont know if Dago Bawah is exist. But just pre-assume that is exist. I dont want to talk about this kind of dago too much. Because iam going to talk about Dago as a center of exotic and energetic fashion for simply and modern teenager and executive.

In Dago Street you can find so many kinds of clothing such T-Shirt, Jeans, Vest, pants, accesories, sweater, jacket, cardigan and etc. You can buy woman clothing, man clothing, even the one for kids or baby is available. Its just like heaven for traveller who loves to do shopping. All you need is just to provide a money, because if you think that you want to buy some clothes for you family and neighbour you will not realize that you already run out money.

After shopping in Dago street, one thing you should see and never miss it is Masjid Salman (Salman Mosque). Masjid Salman located near Santo Boromeus Hospital in Dago Street. Masjid Salaman is a mosque owned by the moslem family of Bandung Institute technology (ITB). It is very beautifull mosque, when i arrive at there, i really admire the architecture. Such a beautifull mosque, the floor looks like made from parquet. The view is very great, a lot of tree grow give fresh air for the visitor. So its amazing feeling to be there.

After spend a lot of time and a lot money in dago street, i feel like connected with this town, such a beautifull town. A place for shopping and a place Faith-tourism i think. Becaus the night will arrive so i just stop all of the activity because i should go, i need a rest.

I promise that i will tell you what i have done in my third day trip, still live in Bandung, West Java.

How To Get To The Dago Street and Masjid Salman.

There is direct flight to Bandung from Jakarta if you plan to get there by Plane. You can take a cab from Husein sastranegara Airport to the Dago Street.

If you backpacker traveller and you are enjoy traveling by Bus or Train then soon you arrive at Soekarno Hatta International Airport you can order travel to Bandung in outside exit door of the airport. The price is 125.000 Indonesian Rupiah or around $12.5. just say to the travel agent that your final destination is in Dago street, they will take you directly at Dago Street. Real dago street (at the point).

Then you can also reach Dago street with Train from Jakarta. Just take a bus in front of the Soekarno Hatta Airport soon you arrive, this bus will take you to the Gambir Train Station. From gambir you enjoy your traveling by train. This train will stop in Kota Bandung Station. From this point you can take mass transportation such as Omprengan/Angkot “A mini Version Bus” or you can use Cab.
Continue to Day 3 or Back to Day 1

Soekarno Hatta Airport, Indonesia

2012-05-13T11:21:00.000+09:00

Extra-Velganzer, its been a long time i’ve never put some story in my blog, today i swear i will write frequently after almost a month i’ve never touch my precious keyboards. So lets start our journey. For few publishing story a head i will tell you my experience journey in Indonesia. For your information i was spend about 12 days to travel around java island in Indonesia. So lets the story begin.

I arrived at Soekarno Hatta international Airport in Jakarta around 4 PM after 4 hours boring flight ( you can only see the same thing like cloud, blue sky. No restaurant, or MCD or Dunkins). After took my Polo Bag, i decide to take a rest outside the airport. Its amazing to see Jakarta after a long time no “Keep In Touch” with this city. But i already have a plan, i would not spend my time in this city (you would know why, because i have a reason one). After looking for travel who would took me to Bandung this night, the receptionist said that it would be OK if i take a trip at 5 Pm, and i say “Why Not” in hopeless.

So, compared that i have to spend about one hours observing people like traffic going nowhere, i decided to take a walk. I would preassume this as traveling. Some people might choose to conduct their traveling at a beautifull place such as beach, museum, site, or mountain. Why not to make this airport as one of my travel destination. A little bit crazy but thats okay, i saw this airport a little bit great and since i have never explore a lot of thing in this Airport.

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is the biggest airport in indonesia, the name of it came from the name of proclamator who declare the independent of Indonesia. Both of Soekarno and Hatta finally choosen as the first president and the first vice president of Indonesian Republics.

I took a walk for one hours, it seems very unusual to other people to conduct travelling in Airport, but who cares. This airport is a symbol of Indonesian people. The building eventhough have modern structure but the appearance itself symbolized the greatest of Indonesia, reflect the archipelago of Indonesia with thousand island, thousand tribes live around. So its just like you already travel around indonesa isn’t it.

The Soekarno-Hatta is very huges and long. One hours its not enough to finish your journey. But one thing i can tell you , if you get hungry then you do not to worry because you can find a lot of food over there. Indonesian food, chinese food, fast food and many others ready to serve you. You think about handicraft or gift?. Just check your money because this airport also provide you a lot of handicraft for your “home coming” gift.

5:00 PM. Its time to leave Jakarta head to Bandung “The City Of Flower”. Hopefully that i can reach bandung at 9:00 PM. But unfortunately i have to feel what people said about jakarta “Jakarta is very crowded and you mostly will feel the terrible traffic jam in the world, and those you can only get in Jakarta”. And as my friend say, from 5 PM to 9 PM i am just sit inside the travel observing the traffic jam in Jakarta and iam also one of them who have to spend this entire journey only sit and looking outside with empty feeling.

What iam gonna tell you is just enjoy every moment of your journey. Every time you walk out your door is already journey. Who knows you will never get back to the place. Even its only just an airport but not all people would stop and think that airport also is a great place to be explored.

So thats my journey to the International Airport of Soekarno-Hatta. I will continue my journey in day 2. So do not miss it.

How To Get to International Airport of Soekarno Hatta

Just take a flight and make it sure the final destination of your flight is Jakarta. Soon you will arrive without any notification and you can enjoy your first travelling in Airport. Have a nice journey, extra-velganzer.

Continue to DAY 2 TRIP

Venice City and Its Lagoon, Italy

2012-03-29T18:18:00.000+09:00

Aish, No body would ignore the beauty of this city Ex-Travel-Ganzer, many people has been planning to see this place since along time ago, the wonderfull view, exotic experience and unforgetable moment which hard to be described. Many galleries of photo show how this place offer undeniable journey. Yes, yes. We are going to visi Venice and its lagoon in Italy “Kick The Ball” Country.

Venice is regarded by many as one of the most enchanting cities of the world. For much of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Period, it was also the wealthiest in Europe, when it was a major maritime power, banking on its strategic location as the gateway for commerce between Asia and Europe.

Venice is a unique artistic achievement. The city is built on 118 small islands and seems to float on the waters of the lagoon. The influence of Venice on the development of architecture and monumental arts has been considerable. Venice possesses an incomparable series of architectural ensembles illustrating the age of its splendour. It presents a complete typology whose exemplary value goes hand-in-hand with the outstanding character of an urban setting which had to adapt to the special requirements of the site.

In this lagoon covering 50,000 km², nature and history have been so closely linked since the 5th century AD when Venetian populations, to escape barbarian raids, found refuge on the sandy islands of Torcello, Iesolo and Malamocco. These temporary settlements gradually became permanent and the initial refuge of the land-dwelling peasants and fishermen became a maritime power. The small island of Rialto was chosen as the headquarters of the new city.

The name Venice is believed to come from an ancient tribe known as Veneti, which was mentioned by Homer as the Eneti. The city historically was the capital of the Venetian Republic. Venice has been known as the "La Dominante", "Serenissima", "Queen of the Adriatic", "City of Water", "City of Masks", "City of Bridges", "The Floating City", and "City of Canals". Luigi Barzini described it in The New York Times as "undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man". Venice has also been described by the Times Online as being one of Europe's most romantic cities.

Venice, the island city, was founded in the 5th century. From 697 onwards the Republic of Venice, also called the Serenissima, was ruled by doges. In the 9th century the remains of St. Mark were brought from Alexandria (Egypt) and are kept in the Basilica of San Marco (consecrated in 1094). In the 11th century Venice became a maritime power in the Mediterranean Sea. In the 15th century the dominance of Venice started to decline. The Republic of Venice was ended in 1797 and it became part of Italy in 1866.

Venice located in northeast Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region. In 2009, there were 270,098 people residing in Venice's comune (the population estimate of 272,000 inhabitants includes the population of the whole Comune of Venezia; around 60,000 in the historic city of Venice (Centro storico); 176,000 in Terraferma (the Mainland), mostly in the large frazioni of Mestre and Marghera; 31,000 live on other islands in the lagoon). Together with Padua and Treviso, the city is included in the Padua-Treviso-Venice Metropolitan Area (PATREVE) (population 1,600,000).

Venice is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, due to the city being one of the world's greatest and most beautiful cities of art. The city has an average of 50,000 tourists a day (2007 estimate). In 2006, it was the world's 28th most internationally visited city, with 2.927 million international arrivals that year. This site also protected by Unesco as World heritage for few criterian such follow:

Selection criteria:

to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;
to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;
to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;
to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria).

Tourism has been a major sector of Venetian industry since the 18th century, when it was a major center for the Grand Tour, due to its beautiful cityscape, uniqueness, and rich musical and artistic cultural heritage. In the 19th century, it became a fashionable centre for the rich and famous, often staying or dining at luxury establishments such as the Danieli Hotel and the Caffè Florian. It continued being a fashionable city in vogue right into the early 20th century. In the 1980s, the Carnival of Venice was revived and the city has become a major centre of international conferences and festivals, such as the prestigious Venice Biennale and the Venice Film Festival, which attract visitors from all over the world for their theatrical, cultural, cinematic, artistic, and musical productions.

Today, there are numerous attractions in Venice, such as St Mark's Basilica, the Grand Canal, and the Piazza San Marco, to name a few. The Lido di Venezia is also a popular international luxury destination, attracting thousands of actors, critics, celebrities, and mainly people in the cinematic industry. The city also relies heavily on the cruise business.

However, Venice's popularity as a major worldwide tourist destination has caused several problems, including the fact that the city can be very overcrowded at some points of the year. It is regarded by some as a tourist trap, and by others as a 'living museum'. The cruise ships that use the Giudecca Canal send a large wake toward the city, that slowly causes the city to sink. Unlike most other places in Western Europe, and the world, Venice has become widely known for its element of elegant decay. The competition for foreigners to buy homes in Venice has made prices rise so highly that numerous inhabitants are forced to move to more affordable areas of Veneto and Italy, the most notable being Mestre.

The classic form of transportation in Venice is the gondola. Today it is mostly used by tourists as well as for weddings, funerals and other ceremonies. The main form of transportation is not by gondola, but by vaporetti, or ferryboats.

The best way to see Venice is on foot. Get out your walking shoes as they will be in good use.It is very easy to get lost in Venice, due to the many alleyways and canals which, after a while, tend to look the same. Even maps provided by hotels may be inaccurate or not sufficiently detail. Being on a cluster of islands, you won't wander off it, but you'd certainly lose precious time trying to retrace your steps. One tip is, each time you cross a bridge (and there'll be plenty), to note the house numbers before and after. Another useful tip is to take digital photographs whenever you are at a crossroad, and use the shots to remind yourself the way back. It is recommended that you photograph the view behind you - for that's the direction you need to head on your return. when looking at signs, locations and bridges are marked "Per" followed by the name of the sight. Hence "Per S Marco" points to St Mark's Square. All in all, the experience of Venice comes from exploring its kaleidoscopic sights, even getting lost on occasion.

How To Get To Venice and Its Lagoon.

Venice is served by the Marco Polo Airport (VCE) in Mestre, on the mainland coast of Italy, within sight of Venice. Treviso Airport is a smaller airport of budget airlines such as Ryanair, SkyEurope and Transavia.

From the airport, you can catch the bus to Venice. The shuttle bus between Marco Polo Airport and Venice costs €3.00. Alternatively, you can take a boat at the Alilaguna Waterbus Jetty, which is just 10 minutes walking distance from the airport terminal. The fare of €12 gives you a leisurely 80-minute ride to Piazza San Marco via Murano, Lido and Arsenale. To arrive faster in Venice, you can also opt for a water taxi, which costs €100 for a ride to Piazza San Marco in 30 minutes. The cheaper €6.00 boat goes to Fondamente Nuove, a journey of 30 minutes.

Great Barrier Reef, Australia

2012-03-28T21:26:00.000+09:00

Guys, Ready for travelling today?. I am so excited to start my journey to new destination. I always said that heaven is out there so lets reveal the beauty of the world. Right now, we are going to see the heaven in the water world. Iam going to give some clue. This site is very huge and for that reason, this place can be seen if you watch from outer space of the earth. No clue?..just read this article and make sure after you read you have willingness to visit this place.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefsand 940 islands and cays stretching for over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia.

The marine park stretches over 3000km (1800 miles) almost parallel to the Queensland coast, from near the coastal town of Bundaberg, up past the tip of Cape York. The reef, between 15 kilometres and 150 kilometres off shore and around 65 Km wide in some parts, is a gathering of brilliant, vivid coral providing divers with the most spectacular underwater experience imaginable.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is 345,000 square kilometres in size, five times the size of Tasmania or larger that the United Kingdom and Ireland combined!
The reef is immensely diverse. It is home to more than 1,500 species of fish, 411 types of hard coral, one-third of the world’s soft corals, 134 species of sharks and rays, six of the world’s seven species of threatened marine turtles, and more than 30 species of marine mammals, including the vulnerable dugong.

Add to that stunning marine suite as many as 3,000 molluscs and thousands of different sponges, worms and crustaceans, 630 species of echinoderms (starfish and sea urchins) and 215 bird species, of which 22 are seabirds.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. It supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN labeled it one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The Queensland National Trust named it a state icon of Queensland.

A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as fishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures on the reef and its ecosystem include runoff, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, and cyclic population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish.

The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and used by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and is an important part of local groups' cultures and spirituality. The reef is a very popular destination for tourists, especially in the Whitsunday Islands and Cairns regions. Tourism is an important economic activity for the region, generating $1 billion per year.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most well-known natural attractions, and is the world’s largest coral reef. Great Barrier Reef Queensland stretches for a whopping 2600 kilometres.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world, and pulling away from it, and viewing it from a greater distance, you can understand why. It is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living thing on earth visible from space. The criterion are:

to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

to be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;

to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;

to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

One area the Great Barrier Reef reaches is the Whitsunday islands, a popular spot for diving vacations. The 74 islands that make up Whitsunday are surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef Australia, making it the perfect spot to try your hand at diving the Great Barrier Reef.

Diving on the Great Barrier Reef is the best way to experience the thrill of scuba diving. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef travel will let you experience the natural beauty of the reef, as well as its many surrounding areas.

The Far North

Cape York, Bamaga, The Daintree Rainforest and Thursday Island Australia are other fantastic areas near the reef, all in tropical North Queensland. Bamaga Queensland offers easy access to Thursday Island, while a Cape York trip might involve taking part in one of the famous Cape York fishing safaris.

Cooktown & Lizard Island Region

Another popular area is Cooktown, along with Lizard Island and the Ribbon Reef region. Cooktown Queensland boasts gorgeous mountain views and the nearby Daintree Rainforest, while Lizard Island Australia features world-class accommodation like the Lizard Island Resort (Hotel). Cooktown accommodation is also of an excellent standard.

Cairns & Port Douglas

Cairns and Port Douglas Australia are also popular far-north destinations. A Port Douglas holiday involves relaxing at hotels, enjoying a Port Douglas restaurant, or using a charter boat to explore the reef. Travel around Port Douglas is made easier with a map of the area.

Hinchinbrook

Hinchinbrook is another northern area worth a visit. Mission Beach lies between the reef and the rainforest, and is a whopping 14km long. Mission Beach Australia also has the advantage point of being right beside the reef. Hinchinbrook Island contains Australia’s largest national park, while Ingham is a pleasant sugar-farming town.

Townsville

Nearby Townsville Australia is an ever-growing city, with attractions galore. Relax at quality Townsville accommodation like a Townsville hotel, or check out the Yongala Wreck which dates back to 1911. Ayr is a nearby small town, in the heart of the sugar cane area. Magnetic Island is just off shore with a ferry service running daily from Townsville.

The Whitsundays

The Whitsunday Islands in the middle of the reef feature numerous attractions. Try Whitsundays diving, private yacht charter or Whitsunday sailing. Areas like beautiful Airlie Beach feature stellar accommodation, while Daydream Island and Hamilton Island are well worth visiting too. Boat charter Whitsunday will allow you to explore such islands as Hook Island, Lindeman Island, and South Molle Island.

Mackay

The coastal city of Mackay lies between Brisbane and Cairns, and has the reef on its doorstep. Mackay is great for fishing, charter boat hire and rainforest walks and treks. The world-class Brampton Island resort in the nearby Whitsunday Islands is well worth a visit, or you could simply enjoy staying at a beach in Mackay Australia.

Capricorn Coast

The Capricorn Coast encompasses Rockhampton, Gladstone, Bundaberg and Yeppoon, and is home to breathtaking landscapes and gorgeous beaches. Rockhampton is the largest town, while the Swain reefs can be found east of Yeppoon, a popular village-like town.

So what are you waiting for bro and sis, lets visit this site and your drean will come true. You will never know the joyfull of heaven will be found out there.

How To Get To Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef is located in the Coral Sea, just off the northeast coast of the Australian state of Queensland. The reef, as you know, is huge, so it can actually be reached from quite a few different cities and islands along this long coast, although the most popular by far are Cairns, Prosperpine, and Townsville.

Cairns
Being the staging area for most GBR trips, Cairns is quite well known by non-Australians, though it’s not really a particularly large city, with a population of only around 130,000. Particularly for Americans, it can be confusing when locals pronounce it as “cans” in a way that might not ring the Cairns bell in your mind right away. Another thing to remember is this area is tropical, so the climate is very different from Sydney or Melbourne.

Prosperpine
This small city of only about 3,000 is home to an airport that is often referred to as Whitsunday Coast. It’s about 20 kilometers inland from Airlie Beach, which is one of the better GBR trip staging areas.

Townsville
About 220 km up the coast from Airlie Beach you’ll reach Townsville, which is actually about the same size as Cairns, though far less famous internationally. There’s a fairly busy international airport in Townsville, which has a few flights directly from Samoa and New Zealand, though it’s mostly served by Australian cities.

Flying to the Great Barrier Reef

Cairns is by far the most popular flight destination in this region, and you can reach it fairly inexpensively from about 15 large Australian cities, as well as from Bali, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore. Flights within Australia can range from cheap to insane, and flights into the other two tend to be more regional and more expensive, but if you want to go to one of them flying directly from another Australian city is probably a better option than flying into Cairns and then going from there.

Cairns International Airport – Code: CNS
Townsville Airport – Code: TSV
Prosperpine/Whitsunday Coast Airport – Code: PPP

Getting to the Great Barrier Reef by train

Believe it or not, you can get here on the train, though it’s not cheap or fast. From Sydney you have to take a 14-hour journey to Brisbane, where you’ll spend part of a day and then change to a 3 times per week departure for Cairns, which takes about another full day, so the entire journey takes about 2 days, including half a day waiting in Brisbane. You can take the same method to reach Prosperpine, although that takes about 12 hours less, and Townsville can be reached about 7 hours before the same train gets to Cairns.

Getting to the Great Barrier Reef by bus

The method for getting from Sydney to Cairns by bus is pretty much identical to the instructions by train, although the part from Brisbane to Cairns takes at least a few hours longer. You can buy a bus pass that allows unlimited travel between Sydney and Cairns on these buses, so one of those is probably a far better option that trying to bomb it in one go.

Sian Ka'an, Mexico

2012-03-27T20:40:00.001+09:00

Ex-Travel-Ganzer what up??.. this great day. Because we are going to visit a beutifull country in North America. I think that all people already know this country. We are going to start our journey and our travel to this country because as i remember i havent visit this country to reveal the paradise there. So i think this day is a great day to start this. So i think you are going to join with me. If it is like that, just follow me to reveal the very best spot of heaven in this world.

Yes, we are going to Visit Mexico. The place is Sian Ka’An. "Sian Ka’an" is translated from Mayan as "where the sky is born" or "gift from the sky". The reserve is thought to have been inhabited in the pre-Classic and Classic periods as part of the chieftanships of Cohuah and Uaymil. Sian Ka'an is situated on the eastern side of the Yucatán Peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo. Where possible, boundaries were defined to coincide with natural features: the site is bounded by the Caribbean Sea and the barrier reef to a depth of 50 m in the east; by the junction between the marshes and semi-evergreen forests in the south-east; and by the junction of Chetumal and Espiritu Santo bays catchment basin in the south. The northern and north-eastern boundaries are defined by the limits of farming cooperatives. The northern sites can be reached by a dirt track from Tulum, whereas Punta Pajaros is only accessible by boat or aircraft.

There are twenty-three known archeological sites inside the reserve. Discoveries of human remains, ceramic pieces, and other artifacts have been dated up to 2,300 years old. The northernmost section of Sian Ka’an contains what is thought to be an ancient trade route through lagoons and mangrove channels between the cities of Tulum and Muyil. Parts of what is now the Reserve were once areas of chicle production and trade through the middle of the twentieth century, and the fishing industry is still one of the most important economic activities of the Reserve’s population. Common species include spiny lobster (Palinurus espinosa) tarpon, grouper, permit, nurse shark, hammerhead, black tipped shark, and snapper. Tourism is a another source of income for fishermen in Sian Ka’an, hired to run boat trips to see the reefs and lagoon systems.. There is a charge of $ 4 USD as a fee entrance to the Reserve per person per day.The Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve was established on the 20th of January 1986 by presidential decree (under President Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado) and became part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program that same year. In 1987 the reserve was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As part of the MAB program, Sian Ka’an faces the greatest challenge of conservation: to find a way to integrate human activities without compromising other forms of life contained within its boundaries.

With the participation of scientists, technicians, students, fishermen, farmers, rural promotors and administrators, together with regional and international partners, have successfully carried out more than 200 conservation projects basing all conservation actions on scientific and technical information for planning and implementing environmental policies and the proposal of viable solutions for sustainable use of natural resources and focusing their efforts established within eight protected natural areas that include the reefs of Banco Chinchorro, and Xcalak at South of Quintana Roo, Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve, Cancun, the island of Cozumel that is located in front of Xcaret and Contoy Island up North, covering 780,000 acres (3,200 km²). These areas lie in parts of all seven Caribbean Sea coastal municipalities of the state, with the largest part being in eastern Felipe Carrillo Puerto Municipality, where the vast majority of Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve lies.

Part of the reserve is on land and part is in the Caribbean Sea, including a section of coral reef. The reserve has an area of 5,280 km². The reserve also includes some 23 known archaeological sites of the Maya civilization including Muyil.

Sian Ka’an is approximately 1.3 million acres in size and spans 120 kilometers from north to south (comprising almost one third of the Caribbean coast of Mexico). In 1994 an area of over 200,000 acres to the south of the Reserve was named a Protected area of Flora and Fauna of Uaymil, increasing the continuous area of protected land.

The reserve contains three large core zones where human activity is limited by permission to scientific research. These areas, known as the Zonas Nucleares of Muyil, Cayo Culebras, and Uaymil, cover a total area of almost 700,000 acres. Low-impact human activities and sustainable development occur in the area of the reserve known as the buffer zone. The human population is estimated at 2,000 inhabitants, the majority of which are located in the coastal regions, especially in the fishing villages of Punta Allen and Punta Herrero. Approximately one percent of the land within the reserve is privately owned.

There are five entrances to the reserve, located at Pulticub, Santa Teresa, Chumpón, Chunyaxché and Chac Mool. Guards employed by the governmental SEMARNAP organization are stationed at every entrance to enforce the Reserve regulations.

Habitats found in Sian Ka’an

Coral Reef

The boundaries of the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve include 110km of the second largest barrier reef in the world, which extends onward past Belize and Honduras. The reef is home to many important and several endangered species. Uncontrolled development along the Caribbean coast of Mexico has placed the reef in grave danger, as it is easily damaged and not so easily restored.

Beaches
The beaches of Sian Ka’an constitute a very important habitat and nesting grounds for many species of wildlife, as well as serving as an important transition between land and ocean. Most notably during the months of May through August, the beach is a nesting ground for 4 endangered sea turtle species that have lost important nesting sites along many parts of the Caribbean coast.

Dunes
The coastal dune is an important protector of inland habitats, especially during storms. Coastal vegetation includes Coccoloba uvifera, Tournefortia gnaphalodes, Suriana maritima, Sesuvium portalacastrum, Ambrosia hispida, Ipomoea and many other species. (For a more complete list, refer to flora link).

Wetlands
Mangroves, savannas, swamps and marshes are all included within the classification of “wetland”. Water plays a vital role in the existence of each of these habitats, whether it be fresh, salty, or brackish. Wetlands line the coast of Sian Ka’an, playing an important protective role as a type of buffer between the ocean and the land that can absorb the impact of storms. Wetland areas contain immense biological diversity and are home to a number of endangered species. Evident in all inundated wetlands is a conglomeration of algae known as periphyton that is believed to play an important role in the dissolution of calciferous soils, as well as being an invaluable source of food for many species of fish, mollusks, and insects.

Mangroves
Four species of mangrove line the coastal areas of Sian Ka’an. The mangrove communities are critical for the survival of many species of fish, birds, insects, reptiles, and other plants. Many species of mangrove filter contaminated water and trap loosened sediment, making them protectors of the coral reef and other littoral habitats. The mangrove species found within Sian Ka’an are Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove), Avicennia germinans (black mangrove), Laguncularia racemosa (white mangrove), and Conocarpus erectus (buttonwood mangrove).

Savannas
Coastal savannas are large areas of low-lying land with sparse, oxygen-poor soil that is inundated throughout much of the year. As few tree species have adapted to these conditions, savannas are dominated by species of grass, reeds, and rushes that rarely exceed three meters in height. Inland savannas contain shrubs and occasional trees in addition to grass, are drier and have a lower salinity. These environments are in danger of natural fires during the dry season.

Cenotes or Sink holes

Fresh water contained in the Yucatan’s underground aquifer carves away at the limestone above, weakening it and eventually causing it to give way. The result of this phenomenon is a unique habitat known as a cenote or sink hole. Many cenotes remain connected with the aquifer and with other cenotes through underground passageways. Occasionally, however, cenotes are found to be completely isolated from other bodies of water and may contain fish and other wildlife that have evolved over time into completely distinct species.

Hummocks
Petenes, or hummocks, are isolated areas of forest from several meters to several kilometers in diameter that are surrounded by swamps or inundated savanna land. These formations are found only in Cuba, the Florida Everglades, and the Yucatan Peninsula. There is often a cenote at the center of the hummock, which is surrounded by concentric circles of vegetation, from hardwood trees to grasses and rushes. Common species include cedar, mahogany, and zapote in the center ring, which are surrounded by various palm trees and the poisonwood tree, and eventually mangrove, rushes, and grasses. Many species of fauna live in hummocks, from insects to reptiles, mammals, and birds.

Tasistales
A tasistal is a concentrated strip found within savanna land that contains the tasiste palm (Acoellorraphe wrightii), the grass Cladium jamaicensis, and occasionally other plant species such as poisonwood (Metopium brownei), buttonwood mangrove (Conocarpus erectus), and cocoplum (Chrysalobanus icaco). The tasiste palm is extremely fire-resistant, and will survive natural fires that often strike savanna.

Fresh water lagoons

The fresh water lagoons of Sian Ka’an are supplied with fresh water from the subterranean aquifer by small springs or cenotes. Found mostly inland, the fresh water filters toward the ocean in channels or through the surrounding wetlands. The lagoons are home to a number of species of fish and vegetation not found in the coastal areas.

Brackish water lagoons

Ocean water and fresh water from inland and the aquifer meet and mingle in the brackish water lagoons along the coast of Sian Ka’an. These lagoons are lined with salt tolerant mangrove and grass species which provide a home to fish and mollusk species that make the area an attractive nesting ground for wading birds and residence of two crocodile species, Crocodylus moreletii and C. acutus.

Low tropical forest

Many of the mammal species found within Sian Ka’an reside within the low tropical forest land which is located in the westerly portions of the reserve. The forests contain many hardwood species, including chechem, chicozapote, mahogany, tsalam, and other valued hardwoods. The environmental importance of these areas is increased by the international demand for hardwood that is pressuring many countries in the neotropics.

Approximately 36,000 tourists entered the reserve in the year 2000, and those numbers are expected to increase significantly for the year 2001. So this a chance for you to be one of the visitor who visit this site.

How To get To Sian Ka’An

If you choose not to do a tour and explore on your own, you first must travel to Punta Allen. The ride is tough. Renting a 4 wheel drive is your best option. You can also take a bus to Tulum and get a cab or combi (colectivo). The combi leaves every day around 11 a.m. fairly regularly with return trips leaving Punta Allen at around 5 a.m.

Greater Blue Mountains, Australia

2012-03-24T15:07:00.001+09:00

Australia maybe the smallest continent in the world but Australia is one of continent that offers funtastics journey and joyfull traveling for you who love travelling around the world to see a heaven. As my motto “Paradise is out there” so believe it or not, our destination right now is totally cool destination for you. Wherever you came, what ever you are just believe that you are not gonna miss this biggest experience to travel to the most beautifull continent and country Australia. Lets Begin.

Okey, we are going to visit Australia, but right now we are not going to visit Uluru. Its oke if youwant to visit Uluru first but please add in your favorite this place along your journey. Yes, iam talking about Greater Blue Mountain.

The Greater Blue Mountains Area consists of 1.03 million hectares of sandstone plateaux, escarpments and gorges dominated by temperate eucalypt forest. The site, comprising eight protected areas, is noted for its representation of the evolutionary adaptation and diversification of the eucalypts in post-Gondwana isolation on the Australian continent. There are 91 eucalypt taxa within the Greater Blue Mountains Area, which is also outstanding for its exceptional expression of the structural and ecological diversity of the eucalypts associated with its wide range of habitats. The site provides significant representation of Australia's biodiversity with 10% of the vascular flora as well as significant numbers of rare or threatened species, including endemic and evolutionary relict species, such as the Wollemi pine, which have persisted in highly-restricted microsites.

The rocks which give the Blue Mountains their distinctive character are sandstone plateaus, cliffs and towers, with shales and some granite, basalt, and limestone karst. These originated in a late Cambrian subduction zone which was overlaid by Siluro-Devonian deposits including the carbonate reefs in which the Jenolan caves formed. Subsequent uplift, erosion, marine flooding, deposition and the growth of extensive coal swamps followed. The sandstones and shales, still almost horizontally bedded but now between 500 and 1,000 m high, were laid down as riverine sediments from the Late Permian to the Mid Triassic. The high escarpment may be the result of uplift and tectonic movements in the Cretaceous. But in the rim-rock area of the southwest, very ancient underlyingbasement granites are exposed. Volcanism was an important feature during both the Siluro-Devonian and the Jurassic, periods when a number of volcanic necks were extruded which have now eroded to form circular amphitheaters. More recently, Miocene lava flows formed basalt caps which protect the summits of several mountains such as Mts Wilson, Banks and Tomah.

The very hard and relatively impermeable sandstones which are highly resistant to erosion are in many areas underlain by much softer shales which erode more easily. This produces slot canyons like the 30 m deep Grand Canyon which is only 3 m wide at the top, that become wide valleys in which small underfit rivers flow where the sandstone cap has collapsed. High cliffs are prominent, including the Cliff Wall which runs from the north of Wollemi National Park almost 280km south, reaching nearly 300m high just south of Wentworth Falls. A large number of spectacular waterfalls cascade from these cliffs. Weathering of joints in the limestone and bands of ironstone produce pinnacles and pagoda-like forms. The sandstone-derived soils are dry, infertile, acidic and phosphorous-poor, but they vary within short distances. There are pockets of volcanic soils and several valley floors are alluvial. There has been some erosion by wind and intense fires, and the superb lyrebird while excavating for food or building nest-mounds could have had some impact on erosion over time since they may turnover an average of 63 tonnes of debris per hectare per year

The Greater Blue Mountains Area located between 32°22’ to 34°23’S and 149° 54’ to 151°07’E. Its eight protected areas preserve a record of the adaptation and diversification of the eucalypts in post-Gondwanan isolation on the Australian continent. The Area has an exceptionally wide range of habitats which contain ninety-two species of eucalyptus, ten percent of Australia's vascular flora and numbers of rare or threatened, endemic and relict species, such as the Wollemi pine, which have persisted for millennia in highly protected micro-sites.

The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area embraces over a million hectares of natural bushland extending from the Southern Highlands to the Hunter Valley. From Sydney’s back fence, wild escarpments rise westward to the crest of the Great Dividing Range and the farmlands of the Central Tablelands.

The World Heritage Area is made up of eight individual nature conservation reserves. These are Yengo, Wollemi, Gardens of Stone, Blue Mountains, Nattai, Kanangra-Boyd and Thirlmere Lakes national Parks together with the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve.

1,032,649 ha in eight areas. Seven adjoining protected areas form a buffer zone of 86,200 ha. Within each park is a protected wilderness. These total 554,822 ha of the nominated area:

· Wollemi National Park - 499,879 ha

· The Blue Mountains National Park - 247,840 ha

· Yengo Natioal Park - 153,483 ha

· Nattai National Park - 47,855 ha

· Kanangra-Boyd National Park - 65.379 ha

· Gardens of Stone National Park - 15,150 ha

· Jenolan Caves Karst Reserve - 2,422 ha

· Thirmere Lakes National Park - 641 ha

The area does not contain mountains in the conventional sense but is described as a deeply incised sandstone plateau rising from less than 100 m above sea level to 1,300 m at the highest point. There are basalt outcrops on the higher ridges. This plateau is thought to have enabled the survival of a rich diversity of plant and animal life by providing a refuge from climatic changes during recent geological history.

It is particularly noted for its wide and balanced representation of eucalypt habitats from wet and dry sclerophyll, mallee heathlands, as well as localized swamps, wetlands and grassland. There are 91 species of eucalypt (13% of the global total) in the Greater Blue Mountains Area, 12 of which are believed to occur only in the Sydney sandstone region.

In addition to its rich diversity of eucalypts, the Area also contains ancient, relict species of global significance. The most famous of these is the recently discovered Wollemi pine, a 'living fossil' dating back to the age of the dinosaurs. Thought to have been extinct for millions of years, the few surviving trees of this ancient species are known only from three small populations located in remote, inaccessible gorges within the nominated property. The Wollemi pine is one of the World's rarest species.

The Greater Blue Mountains is one of the three most diverse areas on earth for scleromorphic species, and the only such area outside a Mediterranean climate and dominated by trees. It is also a centre of plant endemism. It contains almost 1,500 species, 10% of Australia's vascular plants, and the highest diversity of any of its temperate zones. This is due largely to its exceptional geological stability and intricate topography which has allowed some environments and their biota to persist for millennia as refugia from climatic change. Its inaccessibility has also preserved this heritage. There is a complex mosaic of vegetation types and of unusual groups of species. 114 taxa are found exclusively or predominantly only within the area, and 127 nationally rare and threatened plants, many of them restricted to very specialized habitats such as cliffs, mesa-tops and heathland. The site holds several Gondwanan relict species as well, surviving in restricted microsites, such as the Wollemi pine Wollemia nobilis only discovered in 1994 in an almost inaccessible gorge, the shrub Acrophyllum australe and the podocarp Microstrobus fitzgeraldii, restricted to wet rocks near waterfalls and only recorded in the Jamieson Valley.

The area also has the largest sclerophyll forest in the world, ranging from grassland, dry mallee heathland scrub and sclerophyll woodland to wet sclerophyll forest, wetlands and swamps. The nutrient-poor soils have discouraged development by man and, over millennia, have conditioned the development of the vegetation. The dominant tree and vegetation type is eucalyptus open dry woodland and forest which is fire-adapted, drought-tolerant and able to grow in a wide range of soils and altitudes, a species being adapted to every situation. Owing to the openness of the canopy and the varying effects of fire, the understorey is diverse and varies with soil type. Ninety-two species of eucalyptus, thirteen percent of the global total, occur in the area, including eight considered rare or threatened and twelve which may be endemic to the Sydney sandstone region. It is described as a natural laboratory for studying eucalypt evolution through periods of global climatic change and because it shows considerable diversity in isolated populations through adaptation of species to complex conditions. An unusual characteristic is seed dispersal by ants. Characteristic dominant forest associations are, at lower and wetter levels, red bloodwood E. gummifera with scribbly gum E. racemosa and narrow-leaved apple Angophora bakeri; in higher open forest, black ash E.seiberi, Sydney peppermint E. piperita, E.racemosa and smooth-leaved apple Angophora costata; on richer soils, blue gum E. deanii, turpentine Syncarpia glomulifera, and in drier woodland areas E.eximia with grey gum E. punctata and scribbly gum E. sclerophylla. In mallee and heath E. stricta is often dominant. But there are a great number of intermingling associations. The high diversity of scleromorphic taxa is spread over 20 plant families, among them the Fabaceae (149 species), Myrtaceae (150 species), Orchideae (77 species), Poaceae (57 species), Asteraceae (69 species), Proteaceae (77 species), Cyperaceae (43 species), and Acacia (64 species).

Over 70 plant communities have been described and mapped for the Park, their classification being based on dominant species as influenced by geology and climate, more than 40 being recorded from the Blue Mountains National Park alone in which over 1000 species of flowering plant and 346 bryophytes occur. This species richness is exceptional for this climatic type, not only in a single habitats but over changes of taxa with changes in habitat and in changes of taxa in similar habitats in different geographic areas (alpha, beta and gamma diversity). A number of rainforest communities have been described with affinities to subtropical, dry, warm-temperate and cool-temperate ecosystems. These rainforest patches are restricted to areas of higher rainfall or higher soil moisture, deeper, nutrient-rich soils, and unaffected by fires. One of the richest areas of warm temperate rainforest is on the slopes of Mount Wilson. The forests of the east and south give way on the plateau to open woodland. Subalpine species are recorded above 1,000 m, and heaths, in areas exposed to strong winds such as ridge-tops and cliff edges. At similar altitudes where the drainage is restricted, and in steep-sided basins in headwater valleys hanging swamps have developed, with a distinctive sedge, herb and shrub flora, often dominated by button grass Gymnoschoemus sphareocephalus.

More than 400 different kinds of animals live within the rugged gorges and tablelands of the Greater Blue Mountains Area. These include threatened or rare species of conservation significance, such as the spotted-tailed quoll, the koala, the yellow-bellied glider and the long-nosed potoroo, as well as rare reptiles including the green and golden bell frog and the Blue Mountains water skink.

The exceptional floristic and structural diversity of the region's habitats explains the richness of the fauna. There are 400 vertebrate taxa including 52 native mammals plus 13 introductions, 265 birds, 63 reptiles, more than 30 frogs, and unusual species such as the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus and echidna Tachyglossus aculeatus aculeatus. Endemic, relict, rare, threatened and restricted-range species include 12 mammals, 28 other vertebrates, 15 birds and 12 invertebrates. The mammals include a number of well-known animals such as the eastern grey kangaroo Macropus giganteus, the red-necked wallaby M. rufogriseus, wallaroo M. robustus, koala Phasocarctos cinereus and wombat Vombatus ursinus, the greater glider Petaurus volans, the squirrel glider P.norfolcensis, mountain brushtailed possum Trichosurus caninus; also the rarer spotted-tailed quoll Dasyurus maculatus (VU), long-nosed potoroo Potorous tridactylus (VU), yellow-bellied glider Petaurus australis and brush-tailed rock wallaby Petrogale penicillata (VU).

The avifauna is diverse, with some 265 native species, a third of the Australian total, and 10 introduced species. The diversity of honeyeaters is high: 25 species have been recorded from the nominated area. The white-eared honeyeater Lichenstomus leucotis and New Holland honeyeater Phylidonyris novaehollandiae are found in the drier forests, the Lewin honeyeater Meliphaga lewinii frequents the rainforests and wet sclerophyll forest. Other species include the well-known gang-gang cockatoo Callocephalon fimbriatum, glossy black cockatoo Calyptorhynchus lathami, superb lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae, crimson rosella Platycercus elegans, kookaburra Dacelo gigas, and satin bowerbird Ptilonorhynchus violaceus. Raptors recorded from the area include the wedge-tailed eagle Aquila audax and a number of owls.

In all, over 60 species of reptiles have been recorded, including two tortoises, one being the endemic Nepean River tortoise Emydura sp.nov. The endemic broad-headed snake Hoplocephalus bungaroides (VU) is largely restricted to the Hawkesbury sandstone; the Blue Mountains water skink Eulamprus leuraensis (EN) is a rare endemic. Over 30 species of frog have been recorded from the Greater Blue Mountains Area including the giant barred frog Mixophyes iteratus (EN), booroolong frog Litoria booroolongensis (CR) and green & golden bell frog Litoria aurea (VU) plus the red-crowned toadlet Pseudophryne australis (VU) The invertebrate fauna is poorly known, but there are 120 species of butterflies and an estimated 4,000 species of moth. The rainforest areas are particularly rich and the Jenolan Caves have 67 species of invertebrates. The primitive phylum Onychophora (between worm and insect) is particularly important, with at least five species out of a global total of only 200. Glowworms are also of interest, particularly the primitive members of the genus Arachnocampa.

The Greater Blue Mountains Area is a World Heritage Site within the Blue Mountains, about 50 km west of central Sydney, Australia. It was inscribed during the 24th session of the World Heritage Committee, which met in Cairns, Australia, from 27 November to 2 December, 2000. The World Heritage Committee inscribed the Greater Blue Mountains Area under natural criteria (ii) and (iv).

Criteria (ii) and (iv): Australia's eucalypt vegetation is worthy of recognition as of outstanding universal value, because of its adaptability and evolution in post-Gondwana isolation. The site contains a wide and balanced representation of eucalypt habitats from wet and dry sclerophyll, mallee heathlands, as well as localised swamps, wetlands, and grassland. 90 eucalypt taxa (13% of the global total) and representation of all four groups of eucalypts occur. There is also a high level of endemism with 114 endemic taxa found in the area as well as 120 nationally rare and threatened plant taxa. The site hosts several evolutionary relic species (Wollemia, Microstrobos, Acrophyllum) which have persisted in highly restricted microsites.

How To Get To Greater Blue Mountains.

The most popular means of transport to the Blue Mountains is by car. The entrance to the Blue Mountains at Glenbrook/Lapstone is only around 50 minutes drive from Sydney. From the city, follow the signs to Parramatta. The M4 Motorway starts at Strathfield and takes you through to Lapstone in the Blue Mountains.

Many accommodation guides will tell you that the Blue Mountains is a 90 minute drive from Sydney, however, Blue Mountains Web acknowledges that there is far more to the Blue Mountains than the popular tourist destination of Leura / Katoomba (90 minutes fromSydney).
An alternative route to the Blue Mountains is via Bell’s Line of Road which starts at Richmond and takes you through to Mount Tomah and Bell, and across to Mount Victoria. This drive is extremely pleasant through the vast Blue Mountains National Park, a contrast to the main thoroughfare of the Great Western Highway.
If you are travelling from the outer west, follow the signs to Lithgow, then through to Hartley where you will enter the Blue Mountains via Victoria Pass taking you straight to the top at Mount Victoria.

Possibly the most relaxing way to travel to the Blue Mountains is by Rail. City Rail offer an extremely efficient service to the Blue Mountains. If you are flying into Sydney, a new rail link opened in 2001 taking passengers directly from Sydney Airport to Central Railway Station. There are also many shuttle buses available to transport you to Central RailwayStation.
From Central you can Board an air-conditioned double decker Mountains train. The fast journey to the Mountains will most likely stop at Strathfield, Parramatta, Penrith, Emu Plains, and then all stations up the Blue Mountains.
Most trains go through to Mount Victoria. Some even go as far as Lithgow. Trains generally run every hour and even more frequently during peak commuter times. Taxis are readily available from Blaxland, Springwood, Wentworth Falls, Leura and Katoomba Railway Stations.

Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia

2012-03-22T22:53:00.001+09:00

Ex-Tavel-Ganzer, Do you still confusse what to do to spend your money, to “Cold”your brain and to stop for a while from your routinity. Dont worry i will let you and guide you to the beautifull marine national park, still fresh, still blue, still natural, and free polution. Yes, this is a very good place to be listed in your destination travel list. No doubt, you can enjoy anything here and probably if you get luck, you will never back home and you will choose to live here because you love it and “damn” it is so natural. You will stuck forever at this place and you will never want to leave it (Hahahaha, Just kiding friends, but iam sure that you will enjoy it).

Wakatobi National Park is a marine national park, south of Sulawesi island of Indonesia. The name of Wakatobi is an acronym of the four main Tukangbesi Islands: Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. Since 2005 the park is listed as a tentative World Heritage Site.

Wakatobi National Park is located south-east of Sulawesi, between 05°12’-06°10’S and 123°20’-124°39’E, between the Banda Sea to the north-east and the Flores Sea to the south-west.

The reefs of Wakatobi National Park — the third largest marine park in Indonesia — support a tremendously colorful cross-section of biodiversity. But its 3.4 million acres of islands and waters support a fishing industry that, through destructive practices and overuse, has placed those same natural resources in danger.

Wakatobi national park consists of four larger islands: Wangi-Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia and Binongko, as well as many small islands such as Tokobao, North Lintea, South Lintea, Kampenaune, Hoga and Tolandono. The highest elevation is 274 metres (899 ft) on Wangi-Wangi, followed by Lagole Hill (271m) on Tomia, Terpadu Hill (222 m) on Binongko and Mount Sampuagiwolo (203 m) on Kadelupa. The water depth varies, with the deepest parts reaching 1,044 metres (3,425 ft).

In 1994, a few people who joined the team conducted a survey in the Wakatobi IPB. From the survey they were doing was revealed, that there Wakatobi's diverse natural wealth under the sea, such as coral reefs and various marine animals. Because it has a natural wealth under the sea, the region presents a panorama of the underwater was so charming and very nice as a place to dive.

Wakatobi National Park such a special place to visit. In this park there is a panorama of natural beauty under the sea. Clusters of coral reefs can be found about 112 species from 13 families located on 25 points along the 600 km coastline. The rock types are: Acropora formosa, A. Hyacinthus, Psammocora profundasafla, Pavona cactus, Leptoseris yabei, Fungia molucensis, Lobophyllia robusta, Merulina ampliata, Platygyra versifora, Euphyllia glabrescens, Tubastraea frondes, Stylophora pistillata, throchelliophorum Sarcophyton, and Sinularia spp. In some places along the reef, there are some underwater caves that add charm Wakatobi National Park.

In addition to beauty, which is presented by a wide range of coral reef, the park also has 93 species of colorful fish. As for the fish species include: argus spots (Cephalopholus argus), takhasang (naso unicornis), pogo-pogo (Balistoides viridescens), napoleon (Cheilinus undulatus), red fish (Lutjanus biguttatus), baronang (Siganus guttatus), Amphiprion melanopus Chaetodon specullum, Chelmon rostratus, Heniochus acuminatus, Lutjanus monostigma, Caesio caerularea. Also, it can also be found erasia king prawns (Alcedo atthis) and three species of sea turtles often lay their eggs in the Wakatobi National Park, such as hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata), jars of sea turtles (Caretta), and cracked turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).

Various types of sea birds complement the beauty of Wakatobi National Park, such as goose-stone brown (Sula leucogaster plotus) and kettle melayu (Charadrius peronii). Various kinds of birds can be seen from the close when assembled on the island as well as when flying snaking follow the natural rhythm of the song, and occasionally dip into the sea to hunt fish.

For tourists who love the natural beauty of the underwater can perform some activities at the Wakatobi National Park, such as: diving, snorkeling and swimming to see a group of beautiful coral reefs and colorful fish dancing.

So, if i can summarize what is the reason to visit Wakatobi, i can give you 6 reason why you should have to visit this place:

· Coral Tri-Angle
Wakatobi located in coral tria-angle. Coral tri-angle is a place in the world that have the highest coral diversity and water bio diversity in the world. Wakatobi is very famous for divers in the world. This place contain 750 coral from 850 species in the world..how big right.

· Sunset,Sunrise, and Sea-Turttle.

Enjoting white sand with the best panoramic view to see sun rise and set in the world. Hoga Island is one of the place for enjoting sun set and sun rise. Sea turtle lovers can do observation in Runduma Island, Northern of Kaledupa Island. This island i little bit hard to reach because the wave is very unpredictable.

· Seaweed Cultivation

In Wakatobi, beside you can enjoy the marine national park you can also see the seaweed cultivate conducted by local people around wakatobi. They got money by cultivte money, is very unusual to take a part in their activity.

· Culinary activity

Yes, this is the important ones, along your journey in wakatobi, you can also taste local culinary. It is very delicious, taste good and of course unforgetable. There are so mnay sea food here. And with seafood you can also eat Kasuami. Kasuami is traditional food made from cassava and also there is salty fish.

· Astronomic Activity.

Night in wakatobi is very wonderfull. A thousand of star distribute very well in blue sky of wakatobi. You can enjoy it using your binocular lens. And it is very rare to find this condition in such a big city with air polution in everywhere.

· Nomaden Village.

Bajo trip is famous city i the world. They never life long last or stay in one place in such period time. They always move. So it is your once in a life experience to see their activity. To see what they do, and to watch everything they routine daily activity because maybe when you back they can not be found again. So bring your camera to capture it.

After the designation of the Wakatobi Marine Conservation Area in 1996, the Wakatobi National Park with a total area of 1,390,000 ha has been established in 2002. It is managed by the Wakatobi National Park Authority (Balai Taman Nasional). In 2005 the park has been listed as a tentative World Heritage Site. The criterion are:

(vii) "contains superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance"
(viii) "is an outstanding example representing major stages of Earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features"
(ix) "is an outstanding example representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems, and communities of plants and animals"
(x) "contains the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation"

Major threats are posed by overfishing and destructive fishing practices, including fish bombing and poison fishing.

How To Get To The Wakatobi National Park

You can start your journey from Jakarta. From Jakarta you can take flight to Kendari which is about 4-5 hours using flight. Soon you arrive in Kendari you can continue to Bau-Bau.

the journey starts from Kendari to Bau-Bau with the use of aircraft or speedboat. If using an aircraft approximately one hour travel time, From Kendari to Bau-bau by speedboat (twice a day), 5 hours; or by ordinary boat, 12 hours. From Bau-bau to Lasalimu by car, 2 hours, and then by speedboat to Wanci, 2.5 hours. Wanci is the first point of entry to the Park.

Machu Picchu, Peru

2012-03-22T20:49:00.001+09:00

Yay, Ex-Travel-Ganzer, its always great to see Peru, a beautifull country in South America continent. Always amazing, always wonderfull and always extraordinary without any hesitate. Some of you may ever heard the ancient city of Babylonia, roght now, we are going to see the ancient city in Peru, Let me intriduce you the fenomenal and famous Macchu Picchu (You know what, i love the name, a very easy listening name, i just remember the name of cartoon character “Pikacchu”). I love to visit this place and i also believe that you too.

Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains is one of the worlds most renown ancient cities. Machu Picchu (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈmatʃu ˈpitʃu], Quechua: Machu Pikchu [ˈmɑtʃu ˈpixtʃu], "Old Peak") is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level. Machu Picchu is located in the Cusco Region of Peru, South America. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is 80 kilometres (50 mi) northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472). Often referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is perhaps the most familiar icon of the Inca World. Machu Picchu, was built more than 500 years ago, and is Peru's most famous tourist attraction and also a U.N. World Heritage site. The place attracts more than 500,000 foreign visitors a year and a large tourist industry with hotels and travel agencies has grown around it.

Machu Picchu was built around 1450, at the height of the Inca Empire. It was abandoned just over 100 years later, in 1572, as a belated result of the Spanish Conquest. It is possible that most of its inhabitants died from smallpox introduced by travelers before the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the area. The latter had notes of a place called Piccho, although there is no record of the Spanish having visited the remote city. The types of sacred rocks defaced by the conquistadors in other locations are untouched at Machu Picchu.

Since the site was never known to the Spanish during their conquest, it is highly significant as a relatively intact cultural site. Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. In 2007, Machu Picchu was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a worldwide Internet poll.

Machu Picchu is tangible evidence of the urban Inca Empire at the peak of its power and achievement—a citadel of cut stone fit together without mortar so tightly that its cracks still can’t be penetrated by a knife blade.

The complex of palaces and plazas, temples and homes may have been built as a ceremonial site, a military stronghold, or a retreat for ruling elites—its dramatic location is certainly well suited for any of those purposes. The ruins lie on a high ridge, surrounded on three sides by the windy, turbulent Urubamba River some 2,000 feet (610 meters) below.

Machu Picchu bears, with Cuzco and the other archaeological sites of the valley of the Urubamba (Ollantautaybo, Runcuracay, Sayacmarca, Phuyupamarca, Huiñay Huayna, Intipucu, etc.) a unique testimony to the Inca civilization. Cuzco and the old villages still retain traces of land occupation from the Inca Empire to preserve, in a more global manner, an archaeological heritage which has become susceptible to the effects of urbanization. Furthermore, Macchu Picchu is an outstanding example of man's interaction with his natural environment.

Standing 2,430 m above sea level, in the midst of a tropical mountain forest in an extraordinarily beautiful setting, Machu Picchu was probably the most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height. Its giant walls, terraces and ramps seem as if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting, on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna.

Machu Picchu covers 32,500 ha in some of the scenically most attractive mountainous territory of the Peruvian Andes. As the last stronghold of the Incas and of superb architectural and archaeological importance, Machu Picchu is one of the most important cultural sites in Latin America; the stonework of the site remains as one of the world's great examples of the use of a natural raw material to provide outstanding architecture which is totally appropriate to the surroundings. The surrounding valleys have been cultivated continuously for well over 1,000 years, providing one of the world's greatest examples of a productive man-land relationship; the people living around Machu Picchu continue a way of life which closely resembles that of their Inca ancestors, being based on potatoes, maize and llamas. Machu Picchu also provides a secure habitat for several endangered species, notably the spectacled bear, one of the most interesting species in the area. Others animals include: dwarf brocket, the otter, long-tailed weasel, pampas cat and the vulnerable ocelot, boa, the Andean cock of the rock, and the Andean condor.

The natural vegetation is of humid and very humid lower montane forest of the subtropical region, mainly with genera and ferns of the Cyathea and palms.

Set on the vertiginous site of a granite mountain sculpted by erosion and dominating a meander in the Rio Urubamba, Machu Picchu is a world renowned archaeological site. The construction of this amazing city, set out according to a very rigorous plan, comprises one of the most spectacular creations of the Inca Empire. It appears to date from the period of the two great Incas, Pachacutec Inca Yupanqui (1438-71) and Tupac Inca Yupanqui (1472-93). The function of this city situated at least 100 km from the capital, Cuzco, has not been formulated which are not verifiable given the absence of written documentation and sufficiently explicit material evidence.

Without making a judgement as to their purpose, several quite individual quarters may be noted in the ruins of Machu Picchu: a quarter 'of the Farmers' near the colossal terraces whose slopes were cultivated and transformed into hanging gardens; an 'industrial' quarter; a 'royal' quarter and a 'religious' quarter. Inca architecture reveals itself here in all of its force with the titanic earthen works which multiplied the platforms, levelled the rocky relief, constructed ramps and stairways and literally sculpted the mountain whose cyclopean constructions appear to be a prolongation of nature.

Because of the beautifullness, the ancientness, the amazingness, the uniqueness (what else, please add by yourself, i dont have any else words to describe this site, too “beaumazing” for me). Unesco has protected this heritage site from the devil hands and from the cruelness of civilization. Unesco listed this site because few criterion such as follow:

Human creative genius
i. to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;

Testimony to cultural tradition
iii. to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;

Natural phenomena or beauty
vii. to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;

Significant ecological and biological processes
ix. to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals.

The ruins of Machu Picchu are divided into two main sections known as the Urban and Agricultural Sectors, divided by a wall. The Agricultural Sector is further subdivided into Upper and Lower sectors, while the Urban Sector is split into East and West sectors, separated by wide plazas.

The central buildings of Machu Picchu use the classical Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions in the central city are so perfect that it is said not even a blade of grass fits between the stones.

Some Inca buildings were constructed using mortar, but by Inca standards this was quick, shoddy construction, and was not used in the building of important structures. Peru is a highly seismic land, and mortar-free construction was more earthquake-resistant than using mortar. The stones of the dry-stone walls built by the Incas can move slightly and resettle without the walls collapsing.

Inca walls had numerous design details that helped protect them against collapsing in an earthquake. Doors and windows are trapezoidal and tilt inward from bottom to top; corners usually are rounded; inside corners often incline slightly into the rooms; and "L"-shaped blocks often were used to tie outside corners of the structure together. These walls do not rise straight from bottom to top, but are offset slightly from row to row.

The Incas never used the wheel in any practical manner. Its use in toys demonstrates that the principle was well-known to them, although it was not applied in their engineering. The lack of strong draft animals, as well as steep terrain and dense vegetation issues, may have rendered the wheel impractical. How they moved and placed the enormous blocks of stones remains a mystery, although the general belief is that they used hundreds of men to push the stones up inclined planes. A few of the stones still have knobs on them that could have been used to lever them into position; it is believed that after the stones were placed, the Incas would have sanded the knobs away, but a few were overlooked.

The space is composed of 140 structures or features, including temples, sanctuaries, parks, and residences that include houses with thatched roofs. There are more than one hundred flights of stone steps — often completely carved from a single block of granite — and numerous water fountains. These were interconnected by channels and water-drains perforated in the rock that were designed for the original irrigation system. Evidence suggests that the irrigation system was used to carry water from a holy spring to each of the houses in turn.

According to archaeologists, the urban sector of Machu Picchu was divided into three great districts: the Sacred District, the Popular District to the south, and the District of the Priests and the Nobility.

Located in the first zone are the primary archaeological treasures: the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows. These were dedicated to Inti, their sun god and greatest deity.

The Popular District, or Residential District, is the place where the lower-class people lived. It includes storage buildings and simple houses.

The royalty area, a sector for the nobility, is a group of houses located in rows over a slope; the residence of the Amautas (wise persons) was characterized by its reddish walls, and the zone of the Ñustas (princesses) had trapezoid-shaped rooms. The Monumental Mausoleum is a carved statue with a vaulted interior and carved drawings. It was used for rites or sacrifices.

As part of their road system, the Incas built a road to the Machu Picchu region. Today, tens of thousands of tourists walk the Inca Trail to visit Machu Picchu each year. They acclimate at Cusco before starting on the two- to four-day journey on foot from the Urubamba valley, walking up through the Andes mountain range to the isolated city.

The people of Machu Picchu were connected to long-distance trade, as shown by non-local artifacts found at the site. As an example, Bingham found unmodified obsidian nodules at the entrance gateway. In the 1970s, Burger and Asaro determined that these obsidian samples were from the Titicaca or Chivay obsidian source, and that the samples from Machu Picchu showed long-distance transport of this obsidian type in pre-Hispanic Peru.

The Guardhouse is a three-sided building, with one of its long sides opening onto the Terrace of the Ceremonial Rock. The three-sided style of Inca architecture is known as the wayrona style. And one thing to see and is very hard to be forget it is Intihuatana Stone. The Intihuatana stone is one of many ritual stones in South America. These stones are arranged to point directly at the sun during the winter solstice. The name of the stone (coined perhaps by Bingham) is derived from the Quechua language: inti means 'sun', and wata- is the verb root 'to tie, hitch (up)' ('huata-' is simply a Spanish spelling). The Quechua -na suffix derives nouns for tools or places. Hence inti watana is literally an instrument or place to 'tie up the sun', often expressed in English as "The Hitching Post of the Sun". The Inca believed the stone held the sun in its place along its annual path in the sky. The stone is situated at 13°9'48" S. At midday on November 11 and January 30 the sun stands almost above the pillar, casting no shadow at all. On June 21 the stone is casting the longest shadow on his southern side and on December 21 a much shorter one on his northern side. Researchers believe that it was built as an astronomic clock or calendar.

Scholars are still striving to uncover clues to the mysteries hidden here high in the eastern slopes of the Andes, covered with tropical forests of the upper Amazon Basin. Machu Picchu appears to lie at the center of a network of related sites and trails—and many landmarks both man-made and mountainous appear to align with astronomical events like the solstice sunset. The Inca had no written language, so they left no record of why they built the site or how they used it before it was abandoned in the early 16th century.

Landscape engineering skills are in strong evidence at Machu Picchu. The site’s buildings, walls, terraces, and ramps reclaim the steep mountainous terrain and make the city blend naturally into the rock escarpments on which it is situated. The 700-plus terraces preserved soil, promoted agriculture, and served as part of an extensive water-distribution system that conserved water and limited erosion on the steep slopes.

The Inca’s achievements and skills are all the more impressive in light of the knowledge they lacked. When Machu Picchu was built some 500 years ago the Inca had no iron, no steel, and no wheels. Their tremendous effort apparently benefited relatively few people—some experts maintain that fewer than a thousand individuals lived here.

Today Machu Picchu is far from isolated. In fact it’s a must-see for any visitor to Peru and the draw that compels many to travel to that nation. Machu Picchu’s management challenge is preservation of the site while making it accessible to all those who hope to experience an incredible part of Inca history.

How To Get To Machu Picchu

If you are coming from outside Peru, certainly you are going to Jorge Chavez International airport, which is the only International Airport at Peru. It is located in Callao, 10 km (6 miles) from Downtown Lima.

As I mentioned above to reach Machu Picchu you have to be Cusco first. So how you can reach Cusco from Lima!. you can use airplane or bus.

You can reach usco by flight. Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport at Cusco becomes very busy specially during high season. Dozens of flights from Lima , Arequipa and Juliaca ( a city next to Puno) land here everyday. So if you are in Lima, Arequipa and Puno, you may fly to Cusco. There is no airport in Puno, but there is an airport at Juliaca which is only 45 minutes away from Puno by road,

There are mainly 4 companies operating domestic flights between Lima and Cuzco as you see in the table below. They have multiple flights in the same day, so you can enjoy flexibility in choosing flights. LanPeru provides better service, more reliable, specially with timetable. But LanPeru is little more expensive than the other operators ($300- $400.00 return tickets from Lima to Cusco). You can choose Aero Condor, this one is cheapest in this line (around $150.00 return tickets (Lima-Cusco)). Airfare varies with time. Please check there website to get updated information.

You can reach Cusco by Bus too. It is cheaper than planes. But it will take you around 18 hours(!). There are few companies like - Cruz del Sur and Ormeno which operate buses between Lima and Cusco. Recently they started premium service, known as Imperial Service, which are more expensive than the regular buses but still very cheaper than airway. Premium services are really good, they even have toilets in the bus. Seats are really comfortable here. English speaking guide, video, sandwich and a lot more are provided in imperial or royal service.

Right now you can buy a Imperial Service ticket between Lima and Cusco for $57.00. Fare for regular service is $ 46.00. With paying extra $ 11.00 you can enjoy real comfort. I will strongly recommend imperial service, if you have to travel by bus.

From Cusco to Machu Pichu. You can continue your travel by use Train or road. Once you reach Cusco, you need to take train to reach Machu Picchu. Distance between Cusco and Machu Picchu is 112 Kilometers. You can reach Machu Picchu by train, bus or even by helicopter. Usually travelers reach Machu Picchu by trains. There is no direct road service between Cusco and Machu Picchu. But you can reach Ollantaytambo by bus or taxi, which is in between Cusco and Machu Picchu. From Ollantaytambo you will get plenty of trains to reach Machu Picchu. Helicopter service is not common in this route. And certainly it is more expensive. This service had been suspended in near past. Recently Peruvian government approved this service again. Heli-Cusco is now operating a 16 passenger helicopter service from Cusco to Aguas Calientes. Read my Cusco to Machu Picchu page to get detail information on Cusco-Machu Picchu route.

You can reach Machu Picchu by train in around three and a half hours. Train leaves at every day morning from Cusco and comes back at evening the same day. Peru rail is the only company who operates the trains in Peru. They provide three different types of trains to Machu Picchu. You can choose Backpackers, Vistadome or Hiram Bingham express. Price of the trains depend on the service they provide. Check my page on the timetable and ticket fare of the trains.

Once you reach destination by one of the train mentioned above, you need a bus ride. Yes, the trains will not take you directly to Machu Picchu. Actually train will take you Aguas Calientes town only. From this city Machu Picchu ruins is only two kilometer. It takes around twenty minutes to reach Machu Picchu from Aguas Calientes. But this short journey is really enjoyable as the buses pass through zigzag and winding way through the mountain. On the way the scenic beauty is great to enjoy.

Actually there is no direct road from Cusco to Machu Picchu. But still there is an alternative way to reach Machu Picchu, which is a combination of train and bus. You can go to Ollantaytambo by local bus or by taxi, if you want you may stay there a night. There is a famous ruin in Ollantaytambo, you can enjoy your time there. Ollantaytambo is directly connected to Machu Picchu by train. Usually it takes around 5 hours to reach Machu Picchu from Cusco, if you choose this route. Also you can save some money if you use this route. Read my Cusco to Machu Picchu page for detail.

Waitomo Glow Worm Cave, New Zealand

2012-03-22T18:51:00.001+09:00

Its always very fun to talk about New Zealand Ex-Tavel-Ganzer. This island is very beautifull with so many the miracle of nature over there such as Lake Taupo and also Mildford sound you will aware immediately that this country is very unbelieveable. You must realize how this country is very blessed with so many nature “talent”. I can imagine what else we can found in New Zealand but today lets enjoy our travel first exploring the beautifull cave with such a extraordinary glow. Thats the secret you must reveale to the world.

The Waitomo Glowworm Cave is located in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is part of the Waitomo Caves system, which includes Ruakuri Cave and Aranui Cave. As the name suggests, the cave serves as the home to glowworms, specifically Arachnocampa luminosa, which are a type of fungus gnat species that glow in their larval stage. Because it was underwater 30 million years ago, the cave is made from limestone composed of fossilized shells, skeletons and coral.

The glow worm is a catch-all name for the bioluminescent larvae of various species. The larvae of the beetle fireflies (Lampyridae), beetle larvae (Phengodidae), and of Arachnocampa, a type of fungus gnat all bioluminecse. It is these fungas gnats that can be found in massive numbers in Waitomo caves. The fungus gnat larvae cling to rock walls and hunt with long strings of sticky mucus. When seen in large groups they are truly astounding.

A glowworm is the larvae stage in the lifecycle of a two-winged insect. It grows as long as a matchstick and looks a bit like a maggot. There are many different types of glowworm. The one we have in New Zealand is arachnocampa luminosa. 'Arachno' means spider-like, which refers to the way glowworms catch flying insects like spiders do. 'Campa' means larva and 'luminosa' means light-producing.

A glowworm uses its glow to attract food and to burn off its waste. It's tail glows because of bioluminescence, which is a reaction between the chemicals given off by the glowworm and the oxygen in the air. This chemical reaction produces light, which the glowworm can control by reducing the oxygen to the light organ. Insects fly towards the light and get stuck in the sticky lines that the glowworm hangs down to catch food. Glowworms also use their glow to put other creatures off eating them.

Glowworms can survive only in very damp, dark places where their light can be seen. They need a ceiling that is fairly much horizontal from which they can hang their sticky feeding lines, and a sheltered place where wind does not dry them out or tangle their lines. The Waitomo Glowworm Caves provide a perfect environment with an abundance of insects brought into the cave via the river.

Waitomo is a Maori word made up of two parts. 'Wai' which translates as water and 'tomo' which means entrance or hole. Waitomo can be translated as the 'stream which flows into the hole in the ground'. This meaning is reflected through its fantastic geological history and landscape, however it also has a rich tourism and cultural history. As a region it is one of New Zealand's original tourist destinations.

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves were first explored in 1887 by local Maori Chief Tane Tinorau accompanied by an English surveyor Fred Mace. Local Maori people knew of the Caves existence, but the subterranean caverns had never been extensively explored until Fred and Tane went to investigate. They built a raft of flax stems and with candles as their only lighting, floated into the cave where the stream goes underground.

As they entered the caves, their first discovery was the Glowworm Grotto with its myriad of tiny bright lights dotting the cave ceiling. As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they saw a multitude of lights reflecting off the water. Looking up, they discovered that the ceilings were dotted with the lights of thousands of glowworms. Debris and logs littered the waterway, but by poling themselves toward the embankment they were able to leave the raft and explore the lower levels of the cave. Here they found themselves surrounded by the glorious cave decorations.

Jubilant at their discovery, they returned many times to explore further, and on an independent trip Chief Tane discovered the upper level of the cave and an easier access. Only after many subsequent visits did they discover an entry point on land. This is the same entry point used today by thousands of visitors annually. By 1889 Tane Tinorau had opened the cave to tourists. Visitor numbers soared and Chief Tane and his wife Huti escorted groups through the cave for a small fee. In 1906 the administration of the cave was taken over by the government.

The Waitomo District, encompassing the main town and service centre of Te Kuiti and the townships of Waitomo, Mokau, PioPio, Awakino, Marokapa and Benneydale amongst others, is home to around 9,700 people. The prosperous local economy is built around tourism, farming, mining and forestry.

Waitomo is amongst New Zealand's most tranquil areas, with one of the country's lowest population densities of just 2.7 people per square kilometre compared to the national average of 14.1.

This relative solitude makes the Waitomo District a wonderful place to spread one's wings and shake off everyday urban frustrations. Whether your recreational interests extend to the wildly adventurous or just the ever-so-gently relaxing, a visit to Waitomo will leave you feeling refreshed and very much alive.

The guided tour through the Waitomo Glowworm Caves brings the visitor through three different levels and begins at the top level of the cave and the Catacombs. The levels are linked by the Tomo, which is a 16 m vertical shaft made of limestone. The second level is called the Banquet Chamber. This level is where early visitors stopped to eat and there is evidence of this in the smoke on the ceiling of the chamber. From here it may be possible to link back to the upper level to see the largest formation called the Pipe Organ but on busy days this area is closed to the public because the build-up of carbon monoxide may be hazardous.

The third and final level goes down into the Cathedral, demonstration platform, and the jetty. The Cathedral is an enclosed area with rough surfaces and is about 18 m high, giving it good acoustics. A number of famous singers and choirs have performed here including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

The tour concludes with a boat ride through the Glowworm Grotto. The boat takes the visitor onto the underground Waitomo River where the only light comes from the tiny glowworms creating a sky of living lights.

How To Get To The Waitomo Glow Worm Cave

Waitomo is situated within easy reach of the North Island of New Zealand's main centres.

Hamilton, the heart of New Zealand's dairy farming industry, is the nearest major city lying just 1 hours drive away. New Zealand's largest city Auckland is around 2½ hours (200km) driving distance and the holiday playgrounds of Taupo, Rotorua and Mount Ruapehu are a mere 2 hours from Waitomo.

Depending upon your personal circumstances and preferences, you can choose to travel by private car, self-drive hire car, motorhome or coach.

The Waitomo Glowworm Caves are located in the southern Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand, 12 km northwest of Te Kuiti. This cave is about 2 hours south of Auckland, 1 hour south of Hamilton, and 2 hours west of Rotorua by car. The directions to the Caves are to exit State Highway 3 onto Waitomo Caves Road and to continue on the road for about 8 km.

Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, Madagascar

2012-03-21T22:13:00.001+09:00

Ex-Travel-Ganzer, iam gonna asking you to visit the beautifull and fantastic limestone rock formation in the world, feel new experience about this new place, climbing the rock formation. Its just beautifull and very beautifull and will always beautifull every time you see it. And the most important things, you only can see this place in one place and Madagascar is the bect place to watch it. Iam sure.

Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve is a nature reserve of fantastic rock formations in Madagascar that today has been made a World Heritage Site. Located in west central Madagascar, about 60-80 km from the coast, it today comprises the strict nature reserve, which covers 853 sq km (329 sq mi) and the Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park, which covers 666 sq km (257 sq mi).

Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve is a nature reserve located close to the western coast of Madagascar at 18°40′S 44°45′E / 18.667°S 44.75°E.

the area was first established as a strict nature reserve on 31 December 1927, and is now protected under Decree No. 66-242 of 1 June 1966. The ancient cemeteries within the Manambolo Gorge, the gorge itself, and the "forêt et rochers" (which includes the reserve), are all designated "natural monuments and sites" under a decree of 25 August 1937, all three being listed by an 'arrêté' of 11 February 1939. However, this latter designation does not imply any degree of management or protection. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1990. Since that time the southern end of the protected area has been changed into a national park covering 666 square kilometres (257 sq mi).

Tsingy de Bemaraha Reserve is located in the drier eastern side of Madagascar and supports a quite distinct fauna and flora in a dramatic karst landscape. The limestone plateau has been carved into an impressive forest of pinnacles (tsingys) and caves, with deep gorges filled with forest. The undisturbed forests are the habitat of many rare and endangered species with highly restricted ranges including lemurs, chamealeons, and other taxa.

Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve comprises karstic landscapes and limestone uplands cut into impressive ‘tsingy’ peaks and a ‘forest’ of limestone needles, the spectacular canyon of the Manambolo river, rolling hills and high peaks.

Much of the reserve integral to Tsingy de Bemaraha comprises limestone karst, delimited to the east by abrupt cliffs which rise some 300-400 m above the Hanambolo River valley and extend several tens of kilometres from north to south. The western slopes rise more gently, and the whole western region of the reserve forms a plateau with rounded hillocks which slope away to the west. To the north undulating hills alternate with limestone extrusions, whereas in the south extensive pinnacle formations make access extremely restricted. The Hanambolo River Gorge is on the southern edge of the reserve. Both seasonal and permanent rivers flow on the plateau (draining to the west), and numerous permanent springs arise at the base of the Tsingy on both sides.

The integral nature reserve of Tsingy of Bemaraha lies 60-80 km inland from the west coast in the northern sector of the Antsingy region of the Bemaraha Plateau, north of the Manambolo River Gorge. The additional forests and lakes nominated include all the remaining native forest, mangrove and lakes between the west coast and the Bemaraha Reserve, lying between the Sohanina and Manambolo rivers.

Vegetation is characteristic of the calcareous karst regions of western Madagascar, with dense, dry, deciduous forest, and extensive anthropogenic savannahs.

The fauna of the region has not been studied in any detail. The Tsingy is the only known location for chameleon, and the only western dry forest site known for Madagascar grey-throated rail (only previously known from north-western and eastern Madagascar). The reserve is also the only protected area where the endemic nesomyine rodent is known to occur and there is also an unconfirmed report of aye-aye just outside the reserve. Other notable species include goshawk, which may be threatened, and lemur, all of which are (or may be) threatened.

The undisturbed forests, lakes and mangrove swamps are the habitat for rare and endangered lemurs and birds.

How To Get To Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve

Tourists can access the national park by road from Morondava, a town 150 km south of the park. Limited access is also possible from the town of Antsalova, which can be reached by plane from Antananarivo or Mahajanga.

Tourism could potentially be important in this region, although access is currently forbidden by law, other than for scientific purposes. There are, therefore, no facilities within the reserve (and the nearest hotels are in Maintirano, 150 km by road from the edge of the reserve). Visitation is restricted to occasional visits to the pinnacle region to the south or to the forests in the north, and guides based at Antsalova and Bekopaka lead overnight trips to them.

Petra, Jordan

2012-03-20T20:20:00.001+09:00

Ex-Travel-Ganzer, Welcome here in my blog. Today we are going to visit a beautifull and incridible place in Middle East. Some people may compare this place with Stonehenge in England, but trust me these two site is different and both of them offer different incredible view and incridible experience. If you still can not believe, just read this and then you can make decision whether to visit or to explore its ( I guess both of them are the same, so the thing is you must visit Petra).

Petra is a famous city carved out of stone, hidden by towering sandstone mountains in Jordan. Although uninhabited today, during ancient times, it was an important city, and was the main city of an ancient people called the Nabataens, who lived in southern Jordan, Canaan and the northern part of Arabia, and created a kingdom with its capital at Petra. Lying in the centre of an ancient caravan trade routes, Petra benefited from the resulting commerce. Caravans pass through Petra for Giza in the south, Bosra and Damascus in the north, Aqaba on the Red Sea, and eastward to the Persian Gulf.

Petra is one of the world’s most visually stunning archaeological sites, Petra (meaning ‘the rock’ in Greek) is an abandoned necropolis of temples and tombs cut into towering cliffs of red, pink and orange sandstone.

Primarily known as a commercial and ceremonial center of the Nabataean culture during the centuries before and after the time of Christ, the region of Petra was inhabited in far greater antiquity. Archaeological excavations have revealed a rock shelter of the Upper Paleolithic period, dating to around 10,000 BC, and a Neolithic village from the 7th millennium BC. While evidence of habitation during the Chalcolithic and Bronze ages has not yet been found, the region of Petra was again occupied in the early Iron Age, around 1200 BC, by the Edomite culture of the Old Testament (Edom, meaning red, is the Biblical name for this region of the Middle East).

Petra during Hellenistic and Roman times became a major caravan centre for the incense of Arabia, the silks of China and the spices of India, a crossroads between Arabia, Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia. Petra is half-built, half-carved into the rock, and is surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges. An ingenious water management system allowed extensive settlement of an essentially arid area during the Nabataean, Roman and Byzantine periods. It is one of the world's richest and largest archaeological sites set in a dominating red sandstone landscape.

The Outstanding Universal Value of Petra resides in the vast extent of elaborate tomb and temple architecture; religious high places; the remnant channels, tunnels and diversion dams that combined with a vast network of cisterns and reservoirs which controlled and conserved seasonal rains, and the extensive archaeological remains including of copper mining, temples, churches and other public buildings. The fusion of Hellenistic architectural facades with traditional Nabataean rock-cut temple/tombs including the Khasneh, the Urn Tomb, the Palace Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb and the Deir ("monastery") represents a unique artistic achievement and an outstanding architectural ensemble of the first centuries BC to AD. The varied archaeological remains and architectural monuments from prehistoric times to the medieval periods bear exceptional testimony to the now lost civilisations which succeeded each other at the site.

Petra is the treasure of ancient world, hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains, boasting incomparable scenes that make it the most majestic and imposing ancient site still-standing nowadays.. It has been said "perhaps there is nothing in the world that resembles it", actually, for sure, there is nothing in the world that resembles it. The rock-carved rose-red city of Petra is full of mysterious charm, it was "designed to strike wonder into all who entered it".

The approach through a kilometer long, cool, and gloom chasm (or Siq) a long narrow gorge whose steeply rising sides all but obliterate the sun, provides a dramatic contrast with the magic to come. Suddenly the gorge opens into a natural square dominated by Petra's most famous monument, The Treasury (El-Khazneh), whose intricately carved facade glows in the dazzling sun.

More facades beckon the visitor on until the ancient city gradually unfolds, one monument leading to the next for kilometer after kilometer. The sheer size of the city and the quality of beautifully carved facades is staggering and leads one to reflect on the creativity and industry of the Nabataeans who made Petra their capital.

Petra is always breathtaking, and never to be forgotten. It flourished for over 400 years around the time of Rome and Christ (pbuh), until it was occupied by the Roman legions of the Emperor Trajan in 106 AD.

The Petra basin boasts over 800 individual monuments, including buildings, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples, arched gateways, and colonnaded streets, that were mostly carved from the kaleidoscopic sandstone by the technical and artistic genius of its inhabitants.

North from the Khazneh lies the massif of Jebel Khubtha. Three large structures (Royal Tombs) are carved into the rock face, which is known as the King's Wall.

First is the Urn Tomb, a well-preserved monument that faces on to an open terrace fronted by a double row of vaults. A colonnaded cloister runs along the northern side of the terrace. The elaborate facade fronts a single, unadorned room. The walls are smooth, the interior corners exact. The only decoration to be seen at present comes from the beautiful whorls of different-coloured sandstone in the walls, ceiling and floor of the chamber.

The Corinthian Tomb, a smaller version of the Khazneh, is followed by the Palace Tomb (Silk Tomb), named from the extraordinary chromatic effect of the rock.

Some distance away from the Royal Tombs, to the north, there is a tomb built in 130 for the Roman governor of the city under Hadrian, Sextius Florentinus.

The Khazneh el Faroun, or the Treasury of the Pharaoh, is an imposing facade standing some 40 m tall, cut directly from the rock of the mountainside. On the lower floor is a portico with six columns, crowned by floral capitals and surmounted by a fronton; the third floor is divided into three parts at the centre is a tholos with a conical roof, surmounted by a urn, and on either side two half-frontons, supported by columns. An architectural and sculptural decoration of the highest quality adorns the architecture elements and the front of the building. The Khazneh is the only rock-cut building in Petra that presents absolutely no Nabataean element and attests to link exclusively with the Alexandrian world and Hellenistic artistic traditions. Behind the impressive facade, a large square room has been carved out of the rock of the cliff. This is typical of the tombs in Petra; the interiors are as plain as the exteriors are intricate.

The Siq is the gorge formed by the torrent, the Musa, which the Nabataeans blocked with a dam and channelled to carry drinking water to the city; along the rock walls of the Siq there is a succession of inscriptions, niches and small votive altars, but also reliefs and sculptures that depict a caravan of men and camels. Once inside, the Siq narrows to little more than 5 m in width, whereas the walls tower up hundreds of metres on either side. The floor, originally paved, is now largely covered with soft sand, although evidence of Nabataean construction can still be seen in some places.

There are also noteworthy relics from Roman times: at the southern edge of the valley stands the 1st century AD theatre, carved almost entirely in the rock, which could hold more than 8,000 spectators, while at the end of the Siq the ruins open out of the colonnaded way. Set on a promontory that overlooks the valley of Petra to the west, accessible via a type of sacred stepped way cut into the rock, is another building with an imposing facade carved out of the rock: this is al-Dayr, the austerity and the simplicity of which join to demonstrate the original local version of elements of the Hellenistic tradition. The structure of the interior is devoid of any funeral installation.

Petra is considered the most famous and gorgeous site in Jordan located about 262 km south of Amman and 133 km north of Aqaba. It is the legacy of the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago. Admired then for its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels, Petra is now a UNESCO world heritage site and one of The New 7 Wonders of the World that enchants visitors from all corners of the globe.

Petra was inscribed a a World Heritage Site during the 9th session of the World Heritage Committee which met in the Headquarters in Paris, on 2-6 December, 1985. It is regarded as one of the world's most famous archaeological sites, where ancient Eastern traditions blend with Hellenistic architecture. The reason Unesco list this site as one of the world heritage because few criterion such as :

Criterion (i): The dramatic Nabataean/Hellenistic rock-cut temple/tombs approached via a natural winding rocky cleft (the Siq), which is the main entrance from the east to a once extensive trading city, represent a unique artistic achievement. They are masterpieces of a lost city that has fascinated visitors since the early 19th century. The entrance approach and the settlement itself were made possible by the creative genius of the extensive water distribution and storage system.

Criterion (iii): The serried rows of numerous rock-cut tombs reflecting architectural influences from the Assyrians through to monumental Hellenistic; the sacrificial and other religious high places including on Jebels Madbah, M'eisrah, Khubtha, Habis and Al Madras; the remains of the extensive water engineering system, city walls and freestanding temples; garden terraces; funerary stelae and inscriptions together with the outlying caravan staging posts on the approaches from the north (Barid or Little Petra) and south (Sabra) also containing tombs, temples, water cisterns and reservoirs are an outstanding testament to the now lost Nabataean civilization of the fourth century BC to the first century AD.

Remains of the Neolithic settlement at Beidha, the Iron Age settlement on Umm al Biyara, the Chalcolithic mining sites at Umm al Amad, the remains of Graeco-Roman civic planning including the colonnaded street, triple-arched entrance gate, theatre, Nymphaeum and baths; Byzantine remains including the triple-apses basilica church and the church created in the Urn Tomb; the remnant Crusader fortresses of Habis and Wueira; and the foundation of the mosque on Jebel Haroun, traditionally the burial place of the Prophet Aaron, all bear exceptional testimony to past civilizations in the Petra area.

Criterion (iv): The architectural ensemble comprising the so-called "royal tombs" in Petra (including the Khasneh, the Urn Tomb, the Palace Tomb and the Corinthian Tomb), and the Deir ("monastery") demonstrate an outstanding fusion of Hellenistic architecture with Eastern tradition, marking a significant meeting of East and West at the turn of the first millennium of our era.

The Umm al Amad copper mines and underground galleries are an outstanding example of mining structures dating from the fourth millennium BC.

The remnants of the diversion dam, Muthlim tunnel, water channels, aqueducts, reservoirs and cisterns are an outstanding example of water engineering dating from the first centuries BC to AD.

Petra sights are at their best in early morning and late afternoon, when the sun warms the multicolored stones, you can view the majesty of Petra as it was seen first when discovered in 1812 after being lost by the 16th century for almost 300 years!

How To get To Petra.

To get to Petra, first thing you must do is take a flight to Amman, Jordan. Petra famous and gorgeous site in Jordan located about 262 km south of Amman and 133 km north of Aqaba. You can engage tours from Amman or Aqaba. If you are an independent traveler, you can take a JETT bus. There are also minibuses from Wadi Rum costing 3.00 Jordanian dollars for a 1.5 hour trip to Petra. You can also hire a taxi for about 75 Jordanian dollars (or less, if you're good at bargaining) to take you from Amman.

National Cherry Blossom Festival,United States of America

2012-03-18T13:21:00.002+09:00

Ex-Travel-Ganzer..i have just remember that we just welcoming the spring which will come in this few days. And i just remember that the best things to do in springs is watching flower blossom. And i just remember that the best party and festival to celebrate the spring and also watch the flower blossom is in the United States of America capital city that is Washington D.C. so iam going to ask you to travel to this country to see the flower blossom festival. A National Cherry Blossom Festival.

National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington, D.C., commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington. Mayor Ozaki donated the trees in an effort to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan and also celebrate the continued close relationship between the two nations.

Each year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC. The gift and annual celebration honor the lasting friendship between the United States and Japan and the continued close relationship between the two countries.

In a simple ceremony on March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two trees from Japan on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. Between the governments of the two countries, coordination by Dr. Jokichi Takamine, a world-famous chemist and the founder of Sankyo Co., Ltd. (today know as Daiichi Sankyo), Dr. David Fairchild of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Eliza Scidmore, first female board member of the National Geographic Society, and First Lady Helen Herron Taft, the trees arrived in Washington.

A first batch of 2,000 trees arrived diseased in 1910, but did not deter the parties. Just two years later in 1912, new trees arrived and were planted. These are the trees that now turn the Tidal Basin into a cloud of pink each spring for all to enjoy.

In 1915, the United States Government reciprocated with a gift of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan. A group of American school children reenacted the initial planting and other activities, effectively holding the first “festival” in 1927. The Festival grew again in 1935, sponsored by civic groups in the nation’s capital.

First Lady Lady Bird Johnson accepted 3,800 more trees in 1965. In 1981, the cycle of giving came full circle. Japanese horticulturists were given cuttings from the trees to replace some cherry trees in Japan which had been destroyed in a flood.

The Festival was expanded to two weeks in 1994 to accommodate a diverse activity schedule during the blooming period. Today, more than a million people visit Washington, DC each year to admire the blossoming cherry trees and attend events that herald the beginning of spring in the nation’s capital.

In 2012 Washington DC will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival with 5 weeks of spectacular events!. Washington, DC welcomes the arrival of this year spring with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, a tradition that showcases the beautiful gift of 3,000 cherry trees that the city of Tokyo gave to nation’s capital. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual two-week, city-wide event featuring more than 200 international cultural performances and over 90 other special events. From arts and exhibits to cuisine and sports, there is something for everyone to enjoy!

The blossoming cherry trees symbolize the arrival of spring and brighten the area surrounding the Jefferson Memorial on the Tidal Basin with their vibrant pale pink and white flowers.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off the busy tourist season in Washington, DC and includes many special events near the monuments and the museums on the National Mall.

Getting around the city during this popular event can be challenging, especially on the weekends. Parking is limited in the city, so the best way to get to the Tidal Basin and the National Mall is by public transportation. In Tidal Basin there are so mnay things to do during the “Matsuri”Festival such as :

Walk and Picnic - The best time to walk around and avoid the crowds is early morning. The view is just breathtaking and this is a great photo opportunity. You are free to bring your own picnic and enjoy the great weather.

Paddle Boating - View the Jefferson Memorial and Japanese Cherry Trees from the water. Rent a paddle boat for $10.00 per hour - 2 passenger boat; $18.00 per hour - 4 passenger boat. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Free Cherry Blossom Walking Tours - Take a free tour with a National Park Service Ranger and learn about the history of the cherry blossom trees and more. Tours available are Cherry Talks/Walks, Junior Ranger Programs, and Lantern Tours.
Cherry Blossom Cruises - Enjoy spectacular views of the cherry blossoms from a boat cruise.
Bike the Sites Tour - Take a two-hour ride specifically designed for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Ride past Potomac Park, the Jefferson Memorial, Hains Point, Japanese lantern, and more.
Visit the Jefferson Memorial - This is the most beautiful time of year to see the Jefferson Memorial and it's free.
Enjoy free cultural performances - Daily entertainment includes traditional and contemporary music, dance, song and martial arts demonstrations.
Guided City Tours - See Washington DC's top sights on a guided trolley tour, walking tour, by segway, by DC Duck and more.
Take a Horse-Drawn Carriage Ride - What a romantic way to enjoy the cherry blossoms? Reservations are recommended.
Enjoy a special meal at one of Washington's Cherry Picks - Restaurants around Washington, DC add cherries to many of their recipes during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Attend the Special Events - A wide variety of events are associated with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The most popular events include the Opening Ceremony, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, the Sakura Matsuri- Japanese Street Festival and the Fireworks Display on the Southwest Waterfront.
See Centennial Exhibits - This year, many of Washington's museums are participating in the celebration with special exhibits that highlight Japanese art and culture.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival includes more than 200 special events and performances each year. For this 2012 year, the opening ceremony will be held at March, 25 (So you still have a time to visit and to see the festival) at Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place

To launch the 100th Anniversary of the Gift of the Washington Cherry Blossom Trees, a special stage production and ceremony will be performed by renowned American and international artists. All available tickets have been reserved. The closing ceremony will be held a mont after the opening. So what are you waiting for, lets go............

How To Get To The National Cherry Blossom Festival.

First step before you join the festival, make sure that you already arrive in Washington D.C. if you already in Washington, to reach the festival is quite easy and simple. The District has many options for traveling throughout the city without ever needing to step into a car.

METRO

Metro opens doors and gets you to most National Cherry Blossom Festival events.

For a more enjoyable trip, take Metrorail during non-rush hours to the Smithsonian Station (Blue/Orange lines). Alternatively, the L’Enfant Plaza Station (Blue/Yellow/Green lines), 7th Street & Maryland Avenue exit, is only an extra 10-minute walk to the blossoms and much less crowded.

Customers are encouraged to use their SmarTrip® to receive a 25¢ discount per trip.

Metrobuses that stop within ½ mile of the Tidal Basin include the 7Y, 11Y, 13F, 13G, 16F, H1, L1, N3, P1, V7, V9, X1 and 52.

DC Circulator

Easy access to Downtown attractions and museums via the DC Circulator allows you to come early or stay late and take advantage of more than just cherry blossoms! The DC Circulator is all about downtown Washington, DC. Its five routes link cultural, entertainment and business destinations within the city’s central core.

Raja Ampat (Four Kings) Sorong Papua, Indonesia

2012-03-17T22:49:00.001+09:00

Okey, ex-travel-ganzer. I know what do you want, i know what you are thinking right now, yes, you want to visit some place where you can feel the eco-tourism, Water-tourism and so many etc-tourism in your mind. If you dont mind, let me show you the best place you can visit. This is the best place for you to refresh your damn fucking full load and stress brain. What is the best doctor to cure stressfull brain beside seeing the water, travelling to the beautifull and amazing island, diving, shake hand with the fish, breathe natural oxygen, no polution, blue sky and of course swimming with turttles. If it is what you feel right now then you should take a holiday and take your bag and visit Raja Ampat.

Raja Ampat or ‘Four Kings’, is the name given to these islands and comes from a local myth. The four major islands found here are Waigeo, Misool (which is home to ancient rock paintings), Salawati, and Batanta. From the fifth eggs that had cracked, the 4 eggs was become men who become King of four big islands that is Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati and Misool. While the one egg became a woman, had wash away and stranded in Biak Island. That woman was born a child named Gura Besi that known as the historical man of Raja Ampat, because of his heroic story.

Located off the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula on the island of New Guinea, in Indonesia's West Papua province, Raja Ampat, or the Four Kings, is an archipelago comprising over 1,500 small islands, cays, and shoals surrounding the four main islands of Misool, Salawati, Batanta, and Waigeo, and the smaller island of Kofiau. The area’s reefs are covered in a diverse selection of both hard and soft corals. Most of the areas reefs are pristine, with mile after mile of perfect hard corals, drift after drift of soft corals of many species and colors ranging from brilliant red, to shocking yellow pretty pink and exotic purple. Most reef dives are very colorful. The tourist would be able to experience the best dives sites within those islands, which include Cape Kri, Mellisa’s Garden, Sardines Reef, The Passage, Nudibranch Rock, Wai Island Night Dive.

Raja Ampat Regency is a new regency which separated from Sorong Regency in 2004. It encompasses more than 40,000 km² of land and sea, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay, the largest marine national park in Indonesia. It is a part of the newly named West Papua (province) of Indonesia which was formerly Irian Jaya. The islands are the most northern pieces of land in the Australian continent.

As stunningly beautiful above water as it is below, Raja Ampat (which literally translates as “The Four Kings”) has a startling diversity of habitats to explore. Each of these – from the stark wave-pounded slopes that drop away beneath the karst cliffs of Wayag and Uranie to the deep, nutrient-rich bays of Mayalibit, Kabui and Aljui to the “blue water mangrove” channels of Kofiau and Gam to the plankton-rich upwelling areas of Misool and the Dampier Strait – are home to unique assemblages of species that, when taken together, add to produce the most impressive species lists ever compiled for a coral reef system of this size.

The oceanic natural resource around Raja Ampat makes it significantly potential as a touristic area. Many sources place Raja Ampat as one of their top ten popular places for diving whilst it becomes number one in terms of underwater biodiversity.

According to Conservation International, marine surveys suggest that the marine life diversity in the Raja Ampat area is the highest recorded on Earth. Diversity is considerably greater than any other area sampled in the Coral Triangle composed of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste. The Coral Triangle is the heart of the world's coral reef biodiversity, making Raja Ampat quite possibly the richest coral reef ecosystems in the world.

The area's massive coral colonies along with relatively high sea surface temperatures, also suggest that its reefs may be relatively resistant to threats like coral bleaching and coral disease, which now jeopardize the survival of other coral ecosystems around the world. The Raja Ampat islands are remote and relatively undisturbed by humans.

The high marine diversity in Raja Ampat is strongly influenced by its position between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as coral and fish larvae are more easily shared between the two oceans. Raja Ampat's coral diversity, resilience, and role as a source for larval dispersal make it a global priority for marine protection.

1,309 fish species, 537 coral species (a remarkable 96% of all scleractinia recorded from Indonesia are likely to occur in these islands and 75% of all species that exist in the world), and 699 mollusk species, the variety of marine life is staggering. Some areas boast enormous schools of fish and regular sightings of sharks, such as wobbegongs.

More facts about the Raja Ampat Conservation Area:

This area is home to 1,511 species of reef fish in the Bird’s Head Seascape;
1,320 species of reef fish in Raja Ampat;
75% of all known coral species in the world;
10 times the number of hard coral species found in the entire Caribbean;
In the Birds Head Seascape there 600 species of hard coral recorded;
5 species of endangered sea turtles;
57 species of Mantis Shrimp;
13 species of Marine Mammals;
And 27 species of endemic reef fish found only in that area

While the landscape may look like a dream, this is not an illusion. As you embark on your dive, the phrase ‘Attention to detail’ takes on new meaning as pigmy seahorses swim around your fingers. Manta Rays and wobbegongs will glide right by you. Tuna fish, giant trevallies, snappers, and even barracudas are there to complete your underwater ‘meeting list’. Not to mention the friendly assistant of the dugong, and a busy colleague, the turtle. Natural and untouched beauty is the main attraction here. With no unnecessary adages, the sky, the lush islands, the sea, and everything above and under it is genuinely saying ‘Welcome to Raja Ampat Islands; your personal Disneyland of diving sites’.

Although accessing the islands is not that difficult, it takes some time. It takes six hours flight from Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia to Sorong. Then, taking boat to reach the islands is necessary.

How To get To Raja Ampat Islands

If you are flying from Jakarta, you can take a six hour flight to Sorong with a stopover in Manado. Alternatively, you can join a diving tour in Bali and fly from there. You will find Sorong just like any other city where you can get almost everything, although prices are higher due to its remote location. Usually only divers come to Raja Ampat, so you will not find many other tourists around. Joining a tour is the most common practice when visiting Raja Ampat. You do not have to be a professional diver to join a tour, as tour operators sell tours ranging for both for divers and non-divers.

Flying from Jakarta/ Bali to Sorong, with connecting flights in Makassar or Manado are offered by:

1.    Merpati
2.    Express Air
3.    Batavia Air
4.    Lion Air
5.    Wings Air
6.    Silk Air
7.    Garuda Indonesia
8.    Pelita Air

There are daily ferries available between Sorong and Waisai, capital of the Raja Ampat district on the island of Waigeo. Ferries leave Sorong at 13.00 hrs and the journey takes between 1.5 to 2 hours. The return ferry from Waisai to Sorong leaves around 11.0 am. There are also speedboats for rent at Sorong.

The Paradise Is Out There

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Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia

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Petra, Jordan

National Cherry Blossom Festival,United States of America

Raja Ampat (Four Kings) Sorong Papua, Indonesia

Cairns & Port Douglas