Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Search of a Cool Summer: Kunming, China pictures

During the 52 days between June 20th and August 10th it was never warmer than 80F degrees in Kunming in 2002. The temperature didn't reach 75 degrees on 24 of those days. Temperatures at night fell below 65 degrees on all but eight nights. About half of those days saw rain.

Kunming is no stranger to tourism. Almost a million foreign visitors a year come to the city. Another two million Chinese citizens vacation in the city each year. And with good reason. The city's history stretches over two millenniums. During the 19th Century it was a gateway for trade between China on the one hand and the French and British colonial powers in Burma and Vietnam on the other.

Kunming is something of a garden city. The city's botanical garden is worth at least a day.

Orchids, azaleas, camellias and much more fill the garden. The botanical garden includes over 4000 species of tropical and subtropical flora.

Adding to the scenic feel of Kunming, the city sets on the edge of Dianchi Lake. The lake is about 220 square miles, making it one of China's largest inland bodies of water. Sailing on the lake is popular, especially on nights when the moon is out. A large forest reserve borders the lake and can be seen from the city.

Not far outside the city on the shore of Dianchi Lake is the Yunnan Ethnic Village. The "village" is a large ethnic theme park with displays on each of Yunnan's 26 tribal minorities. Some of the most colorful and enchanting cultures in the world are on display in the Village.

A common day trip from Kunming is the Stone Forest. This collection of interesting natural rock formations is a little over 50 miles from the city. Daily organized tours make the Stone Forest easy to visit. A shorter trip is Mingfeng Mountain. Mingfeng is a mixture of scenic beauty, gardens, and historical sites - including the Golden Temple. The temple is home to China's largest bronze-domed hall.

Africa

map of africa

africa

Friday, June 25, 2010

Egypt country

Travelling Egypt must be a planned affair undertaken through a tour group. This is because Egypt is not a place you can enjoy on your own, especially for the first time. Further, you need to prepare yourself mentally for this destination. Some of the factors are mentioned below:
Change in the scenario : If you are resident of a country that is large in size and small in population, then be ready for an overwhelming change with Egypt, which is small in area and large in population. You will come across extremely crowded places lots of people and lots of cars.
Dress Behavior : Since it is a country different from others, the people possess a conservative attitude towards everything. Behavior such as kissing and hugging in the public, wearing revealing clothes, etc, is not seen as appropriate behavior and sometimes people may even retaliate. If you respect their culture and understand their traditions, the people will also welcome you with an open heart.
Water issues : Water is a problem in Egypt, therefore, people who are not used to it must only drink bottled water. One must avoid salads (washed in water) and Ice (frozen water). Some tourists prefer to clean even their teeth with the bottled water, but it is not necessary, as the water does not reach inside your body. Things like tea and coffee are safe as the water in them is boiled.
Hygiene : The toilet conditions in this place are not so well. You will even find toilets without water connections and toilet paper. For a piece of paper, you will find an attendant offering it to you for some money. Whether you accept it or not, he will expect the money anyways. This is because the wages of such attendants are meager and they depend on such tips for money. It is always recommended to finish your activities in the hotel itself and just in case the need arises, carry a lot of wet wipes with you wherever you go. It is necessary for cleaning your hands often and keeping yourself clean from the dusty environment of Egypt.
Tip Culture : Baksheesh is the term used for tip in Egypt. It will be asked for almost anything. Even if a small boy simply converses with you, he will ask for baksheesh. Therefore, it is always recommended not to be moved by such appeals of the people or otherwise you will lose all your money within hours. You can give your tour guide some tip as he deserves, and also to the driver. An idea to avoid giving tips is to buy lots of cheap pens and give to the children who ask for Baksheesh. They scamper off happily after taking the pen! Nevertheless, beware, as the boys will come back with more friends to get more pens.
Female Tourists : The female tourists must take special care in their conduct, as the locals in Egypt are not so emancipated and not aware about the tolerant behavior in other countries. There are cases where women are teased even by little boys even when they are wearing completely covered clothing. It is recommended to the women to remain in their tour group and avoid roaming alone. However, Egyptian government is very protective of its visitors because Tourism is the lifeblood of Egypt. Therefore, never hesitate to reach the nearest tourist police if the need arises.

Shopping : The seller follows the potential buyer most of the time. Do not be scared, be firm yet polite, and say “La Shukran” and keep walking if you do not want to buy. Regardless of this, Egypt is good place for shopping. You will find a variety of items to buy on cheap prices.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Lost Cities Pictures

The breathtaking city of Petra was a vibrant trading hub that vanished from most maps in the seventh century A.D. It lay beneath a thousand years of dust and debris when, in 1812, a Swiss scholar disguised as a Bedouin trader identified the ruins as the ancient Nabataean capital.
Spread throughout a series of remote desert canyons in southern Jordan, Petra arose more than 2,000 years ago at the crossroads of key caravan trade routes between Arabia, Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. The Nabataeans carved most of the sprawling city's buildings, including temples, tombs, and theaters, directly into the region's towering red sandstone cliffs. Here, a Bedouin walks his camel past Petra's most famous building, Al Khazneh, or the Treasury

The earliest Maya began to settle the dense rain forests of southwestern Mexico and Guatemala some 3,000 years ago. For nearly 1,400 years, settlements arose throughout the region, with some, like Tikal and Palenque (shown here), expanding into large, vibrant city-states.
Although the archaeological discovery of Machu Picchu came nearly a hundred years ago, historians are still unsure of the function of this ancient Inca citadel.
The Inca had no system of writing and left no written records, and archaeologists have been left to piece together bits of evidence as to why Machu Picchu was built, what purpose it served, and why it was so quickly vacated.

Myth, folklore, mystery, and intrigue surround the ancient city of Troy like no other ruin on Earth. Once thought to be purely imaginary, a prop in Homer's epic poem The Iliad, excavations in northwestern Turkey in 1871 eventually proved that the city indeed existed.
In 1871, German adventurer Heinrich Schliemann began digging at Hisarlik, Turkey, (shown here) in search of the fabled city. His roughshod excavation wrought havoc on the site, but revealed nine ancient cities, each built on top of the next and dating back some 5,000 years. At the time, most archaeologists were skeptical that Troy was among the ruins, but evidence since the discovery suggests the Trojan capital indeed lies within the site.

The Indus Valley civilization was entirely unknown until 1921, when excavations in what would become Pakistan revealed the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo Daro (shown here).
This mysterious culture emerged nearly 4,500 years ago and thrived for a thousand years, profiting from the highly fertile lands of the Indus River floodplain and trade with the civilizations of nearby Mesopotamia.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Greece Athens Travel pictures

Greece Athens Travel

Greece Athens Travel

Greece Athens Travel

Greece Athens Travel

Saturday, June 12, 2010

Great Pyramid of Giza

There are many fabulous and famous places to see in Egypt. Many of them relate to the rich history of the country. Nowhere else in this entire world has what Egypt can offer. If you are planning to travel to Egypt, you have to include these places in your itinerary. It would be a shame to skip any of them.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

This pyramid is also known by other names like Pyramid of Khufu or Pyramid of Cheops. It is one of the oldest pyramids in the city of Giza, and the only Seventh Wonder of the Ancient World still remaining.

Turtle Island Fiji pictures

Friday, June 4, 2010

Hong Kong photos

Introduction to Hong Kong and Poverty

Hong Kong is a complex city with an extremely long history. Hong Kong has been handed around, and had many changes happen to it that are still in effect today, and is still ever changing. Many people have inhabited Hong Kong for along time all the way since stone tools were first being used. Hong Kong has had a lot of wars with other countries and handed around from territory to territory also. This complex history, and different rulers shaping Hong Kong, has slowly led it to be a thriving city to having a large percentage of their people in poverty. Real issues are happening in Hong Kong with their people in poverty, which needs to be dealt with very soon. Hong Kong is becoming filled with many people who live in poor households. Poverty is important because it makes so many people's lives extremely miserable and depressing. Many people have to endure every day barely getting enough money to live now, and other side effects are happening because of it. This city is going to be in serious trouble.

History of Hong Kong

Hong Kong has been inhabited for over 6,000 years, and was part of the mainland China during the Qin Dynasty. Later, when opium was being imported to China in far too great amounts from Britain, the opium wars began. China wanted to stop opium from being imported into their country, while the British wanted to continue selling to get people addicted. This earned them lots of money. The opium wars started around 1829, and Britain won the war. They then continued importing and selling opium to China. Hong Kong was the main trading post of the western world and China, so it was a real convenient place for the British to import their opium. The British, after winning the war, took control over Hong Kong and leased out two other islands of Hong Kong for 99 years in 1898. While the British were in control over Hong Kong, the city was now taking a very positive turn under better rule. Hong Kong was a free port, and was used by the British. Many people had good education and jobs, which lead Hong Kong to be a very wealthy city, with some glitches, but pretty fair rules. During World War II, the Japanese invaded Hong Kong, and seized control of it. When this happened, the economy of Hong Kong plummeted straight down, and became extremely bad. Hong Kong became very corrupt, and many famines occurred along with extreme amounts of money being lost due to the war. The many people that had fled away from the communists in China to Hong Kong were greatly affected because there was now such a large population. Many people fell into extreme poverty during this time. After World War Two was over, Hong Kong got handed back over to the British in 1945. The UK then restored Hong Kong quickly to what it used to be with many immigrants coming now to Hong Kong from the main part of China, for many different reasons. Then Hong Kong was back on its feet again. Hong Kong became very industrialized, and had many trades and affairs with different countries. Hong Kong was at this point kind of getting out of the way for the British and the United Kingdom to be dealing with. They had other problems, and their lease on the other two islands was coming close to running out. When the lease finally did run out, the British gave back the main part of Hong Kong, along with the other two parts they had leased out 99 years ago, under certain agreements on July 1, 1997. The agreement was that China would get back Hong Kong, as long as for fifty years it was a free part of their country, with their own laws, rules, and regulations. After this hand over, many people in Hong Kong revolted against this. They did not believe that the communists in China would keep their word, and fled to other countries. This is the main cause of the modern poverty in Hong Kong. China left Hong Kong alone for the main part, but is slowly trying to edge in and apply their own rules to the city. With Hong Kong being all on its own without the United Kingdom to help it, it is struggling to keep up. Especially with many of their people fleeing, the smaller population and no help is making it a very poor country with many people in extreme poverty. This is one of the main reasons that Hong Kong has many inhabitants with low incomes and bad jobs.

Hong Kong's Geography

Hong Kong is a small island that is part of China in the South-China Sea. It has over 260 other smaller islands that are parts of it also. Part of Hong Kong is connected to the main part of China, and many are small islands. For the most part, Hong Kong is very hilly and has its highest point reach to 3,140 feet. Hong Kong is hilly because it does have a few volcanic structures, which have not erupted since 1874, with little damage being done. Some of the new territories in Hong Kong are flatter, and much less hilly. Hong Kong is trying to slowly become greener with a more earth-friendly environment. Forty percent of the overall land in Hong Kong is part of a country park or other recreational park, which is trying to help the environment. About 7% of the land in Hong Kong is farm land, and helps the city survive. Much of the land in Hong Kong is nice, but some of the areas also have lots of poor people. In some of the city parts there are more poor people, and in some other small islands where everyone is on their own with no help. That is what the land in Hong Kong is like.

Hong Kong picture

Hong Kong, China nightline.

Yep, you heard that right: former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will travel to Hong Kong for her first commercial speaking engagement, a keynote address at the CLSA Investors’ Forum September 23. Given that foreign policy was a soft spot for Palin during the 2008 campaign, this will give her a chance to boost her foreign policy cred (and she’ll be able to see Taiwan from her hotel room).
It could also boost her business cred, while she’s at it, depending on what her speech focuses on…”Our keynote speakers are notable luminaries who often address topics that go beyond traditional finance such as geopolitics,” a CLSA spokeswoman said in a statement. Past luminaries include Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Alan Greenspan.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Map of Egypt

Egypt is one of the cradles of civilization in the Middle East. Traces of early man were found in Egypt dating back as early as 700,000 years ago. Egypt and ancient Canaan to the north probably served as the bridges by which successive waves of humans: homo erectus, homo habilis, homo neanderthalensis and homo sapiens, evidently migrated out of Africa and into Mesopotamia and Europe. Ancient Egyptians used a phonetic-pictograph writing called hieroglyphics by the Ancient Greeks. This system evolved from portrayal of pictures of objects to using stylized representation of objects to represent sound combinations and compose words, to a phonetic alphabet much like our own. Ancient Egypt boasted considerable achievements in art, medicine, astronomy and literature, and was the hub of civilization in much of the Near East and North Africa.

The unique history of ancient Egypt and visible monuments to that history helped Egyptians preserve a distinct national consciousness, and to remain a separate entity during the years of Arab, Mameluke and Ottoman conquest.

The World Traveling