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The Voyage of the HMS Beagle: homeward bound via the Pacific and Indian Oceans

POSTED MAY 24, 2024

The HMS Beagle left the Galápagos Islands in October and arrived at Tahiti in November 1835. Then the ship sailed onward to reach New Zealand in late December. In January 1836 the Beagle arrived in Australia, where Darwin was favorably impressed by the young city of Sydney. After exploring coral reefs, the Beagle continued on its way, reaching the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa at the end of May 1836.

Of these four stops, only his stay in Australia figured prominently in the development of the theory of evolution.  Darwin took few plant or animal specimens from Tahiti, preferring simply to luxuriate in its legendary tropical beauty. During his stay in New Zealand he collected insects, shells, fish, rocks and a gecko, recording his observations in his journal. In Cape Town he visited the great astronomer and natural philosopher*, John Herschel, but mentions little else of a scientific nature.

His experiences in Australia, on the other hand, significantly influenced his scientific thinking.

As he had during all through the voyage, Darwin collected or observed numerous species of animals and insects, many of which had never been seen before.**  But it was his 11-day adventure in the Blue Mountains that "kick-started" his thinking on evolution. Two observations in particular stand out:

• While exploring the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Darwin was struck by the immense Jamison Valley, which dropped about 1500 feet below him. This geological wonder prompted him to speculate on its formation, sparking his curiosity about natural processes.  

• Just west of the Blue Mountains, he examined a platypus. The platypus behaved much like a European water rat. It was adapted to its environment in similar ways — such as burrowing into the side of a bank in an upward direction on the approach of danger — but it was clearly a different species. Would the Creator, mused Darwin, create an entirely different species in the antipodes with similar adaptations? Why not simply place the water rat in Australia? This was the first time the young naturalist penned such thoughts.   Contrary to the thinking of his era, species were apparently not created all at the same time. 

Tahiti (November 1835)

The voyage to Tahiti, the Polynesian island fabled for the beauty of its people and of their home, was the longest of the Beagle's ocean passages.  After the 3200 miles of sea, the crew was eager to see the island that had become so prominent in the European imagination as a "natural paradise" since first visited in June 1767 by the HMS Dolphin commanded by Samuel Wallis.*** 

Perhaps the most renowned visitor to the island was the French painter Paul Gaugin, who, at the end of the 19th century left his home in Paris to escape, as he put it, “everything that is artificial and conventional”. He was headed for French Polynesia and would settle in Tahiti. This mysteriously alluring island, whose unconventional beauty extended to both its people and its landscapes, was evoked in works such as Fatata te Miti and Mahana No Atua, paintings which decades later would sell for almost $40 million apiece.

How Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin inspired 20th century art (Part III: From Gauguin to Primitivism and Symbolism)

New Zealand (December 1835)

(Originally posted November 8, 2020)

Before its annexation by Great Britain in 1840, New Zealand was the largest country in Polynesia, a triangular area in the east-central Pacific Ocean comprising over 10,000 islands and extending from the Hawaiian Islands in the north to New Zealand in the southwest and Easter Island in the southeast.  An independent nation since 1947, New Zealand has two main islands and several smaller ones.  Its isolated location (1000 miles from Australia, its nearest neighbor) has given rise to unique vegetation and animal life - including the long-beaked flightless bird, the kiwi, the oft-used nickname for New Zealanders.

Touropia (link below left) calls New Zealand an "otherworldly, photogenic and friendly country" which is "home to dense native forests, mountains, beaches, glaciers, thermal regions and fiords that have been well-preserved by the environmentally-conscious government and culture. New Zealand is a place where traditional Maori culture mixes with modernity in cosmopolitan cities, charming villages and vast expanses of untouched wilderness."

Planetware (link below right) offers its own top tourist sites list and notes that "New Zealand is a breeze to travel around. Self-drive vacations are popular, and the country's diverse accommodations range from quaint bed-and-breakfast inns and eco-lodges to some of the world's most luxurious hotels."

Sydney, Australia (January 1836)

In 1788, the First Fleet of convicts, led by Arthur Phillip, founded Sydney as a British penal colony, the first European settlement in Australia.  When Darwin arrived less than 50 years later. the young city was in the middle of an economic boom. There was extensive property speculation — ‘the number of large houses just finished & others building is truly surprising: & with this, every one complains of the high rents & difficulty in procuring a house’. Interest rates were high, and people were making vast fortunes.  Darwin wrote in his diary,  "In the streets Gigs, Phaetons & Carriages**** with livery Servants are driving about …The whole population poor & rich are bent on acquiring wealth."  The boom would end in the depression of the 1840s with bank crashes, the slump in wool prices and high unemployment.

Today, the largest city in Australia (pop. 5.45 million) as well as its financial center retains its reputation as an expensive but desirable place to live.  It is the 12th most expensive city in the world in terms of property prices and ranked 10th globally for livability. Sydney Harbor, framed by the iconic Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge is one of the most beautiful in the world. [below left]  Planetware [link below right] lists many other attractions including "The Rocks", the Queen Victoria Building, the Royal Botanic Garden, the Bangaroo Reserve, and, of course, the one hundred or so beaches.

Australia's tourism website has a Guide to the Blue Mountains, where Darwin did much of his work...just a ninety-minute drive from Sydney. 

Cape Town, South Africa (May 1836)

Little is known of the history of the region's first residents, since there is no written history from the area before it was first mentioned by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias. Dias, the first European to reach the area, arrived in 1488 and named it "Cape of Storms" (Cabo das Tormentas). It was later renamed by John II of Portugal as "Cape of Good Hope" (Cabo da Boa Esperança) because of the great optimism engendered by the opening of a sea route to the Indian subcontinent and East Indies.  

Located on the shore of Table Bay, Cape Town was established in 1652 with the arrival of Dutch settlers who were sent to start a halfway station for passing ships, Cape Town is known as Africa's "Mother City." 

Cape Town's tourism site introduces us to the "Big Six" attractions: Table Mountain, Cape Point, the Victoria & Albert Waterfront, Robben Island, Groot Constantia, and Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden in the link below left and Conde Nast gives us a "comprehensive travel guide and collection of tips" in the link below right.

This "stop" in Cape Town concludes our time with the HMS Beagle.  From Cape Town, the Beagle would return to England via several islands in the Atlantic and a stop again at Salvador on the eastern tip of the Brazilian coastline.  Docking at Falmouth on October 2, 1836, Darwin would collect his notes and journals and continue development of his theory of the evolution of species by natural selection.  Twenty-three years later, in 1859, one of the most-paradigm-shifting works in the history of science,  On the Origin of Species, was published.

Notes

*From the time of Aristotle until the 19th century, natural philosophy was the common term for the study of nature, a broad term that included botany, zoology, anthropology, and chemistry as well as what we now call physics. 

**In and around Sydney, Darwin and his scientific assistant Syms Covington collected at least 110 species of animals, including a mouse not previously described, a crab, a snake, frogs, lizards, shells (including an oyster, a mudwhelk, air breathers, a sand snail, and a trochid or top shell) and 97 insects, 42 of which had not previously been described.

***Darwin was greatly impressed with splendor of the island.  He was less impressed with its inhabitants.  Still considering becoming a clergyman, he was critical of the Polynesian people living there and more impressed by the Protestant missionaries working there. 

****Gigs and phaetons were the convertibles of the horse carriage era. Gigs were two-wheeled; phaetons, four-wheeled.

Sources/Learn More: Charles Darwin and His Voyage Aboard H.M.S. Beagle (thoughtco.com) , The Naturalist’s Gaze: What Charles Darwin Saw in Tahiti ‹ Literary Hub (lithub.com), Blacktomato.com, jonesaroundtheworld.com , nationalgeographic.com, Charles Darwin’s evolutionary revelation in Australia (theconversation.com) , New Zealand history online. Wikipedia, New South Wales State Library, When Charles Darwin visited the Cape of Good Hope - False Bay Echo Charles Darwin Study Guide: The Voyage of the Beagle Part III | SparkNotes 

Lima, Peru  August 1835

In August 1835, during the voyage north, Charles Darwin visited Lima, Peru, where he docked and caught up on letters home. While there, he likely observed the local environment and culture, but specific details about what he learned in Peru are not extensively documented. 

Lima, the capital of Peru, lies on the country's arid Pacific coast. Founded in 1535, the city has a well-preserved colonial center with the Plaza de Armas and a 16th-century cathedral at the heart of old Lima Centro.  The Museo Larco has a large collection of pre-Columbian art and the Museo de la Nación traces the history of Peru’s ancient civilizations. 

Lonely Planet tells us that there’s no bad time of year to visit Lima.  "There's usually something on the cultural calendar each month and the City of Kings serves up world-renowned restaurants, top museums, and direct access to the Pacific Ocean all year round...Peru’s capital is at its best and most beautiful in the summer (December-March)...the high season/winter (June to August) is the driest time to hike to the world heritage site of Machu Picchu as well as the best time for festivals and museums while the shoulder seasons (September–November and April-May) are best for sunshine and budget travel.  Among Lima's must-see attractions [link below]:

Museo Larco: "In an 18th-century viceroy’s mansion, this museum offers one of the largest, best-presented displays of ceramics in Lima. Founded by pre-Columbian collector Rafael Larco Hoyle in 1926, the collection includes more than 50,000 pots, with ceramic works from the Cupisnique, Chimú, Chancay, Nazca and Inca cultures. Highlights include the sublime Moche portrait vessels, presented in simple, dramatically lit cases, and a Wari weaving in one of the rear galleries that contains 398 threads to the linear inch – a record."

Iglesia de Santo Domingo: Originally completed in the sixteenth century "this impressive pink church is one of Lima’s most historic religious sites...It is most renowned as the final resting place for three important Peruvian saints: San Juan Macías, Santa Rosa de Lima and San Martín de Porres (the continent’s first black saint). The convent – a sprawling courtyard-studded complex lined with baroque paintings and clad in vintage Spanish tiles – contains the saints’ tombs."  

El Circuito Mágico del Agua: This series of illuminated fountains is "so over the top it can’t help but induce stupefaction among even the most hardened travel cynic. A dozen different fountains are capped, at the end, by a laser light show at the 120m-long Fuente de la Fantasía (Fantasy Fountain). The whole display is set to a medley of tunes comprising everything from Peruvian waltzes to ABBA."

Note: *Throughout the five-year voyage of the HMS Beagle, Darwin recorded his thoughts and findings in a total of 15 notebooks record his 'on the spot' geological and general observations. Unlike the many other documents that he also created, the field notebooks are not confined to any one subject or genre.

Sources: Charles Darwin and his trip to the Galapagos Islands | Voyagers Travel , The Galapagos Finches and Natural Selection - Biology LibreTexts , Cambridge University Press, Travel and Leisure,  Darwin Online-1,  Darwin Online - 2,  University of Manchester

The Voyage of the HMS Beagle: from Rio to Tierra del Fuego

POSTED APRIL 16, 2024

Leaving San Salvador, the HMS Beagle made its way down the east coast of South America, stopping for two months in Rio de Janeiro before sailing to Montevideo.  From Montevideo, the Beagle made several stops up and down the coast, first landing at the southern tip of South America in December 1832.  The Beagle would remain on the continent's east coast for two years before rounding Cape Horn and traveling north in June, 1834.  

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil April 3, 1832

The ship docked in Rio de Janeiro on April 3 and the expedition team spent two months exploring the rainforests, which Darwin noted, left his mind in "a chaos of delight." Spending two months there studying 'gaily coloured' flatworms and spiders.  But it was here that he also encountered the parasitic ichneumon wasp, which stored caterpillars to be eaten alive by its grubs.  It was perhaps his first indication that something other than a totally beneficent design was driving Nature.  An abolitionist, Darwin was again revolted by the local slavery.   Finding some solace in the beauties of the rain forest, he would not live to see the end of slavery in Brazil.  In 1888, six years after Darwin's death, Brazil became the last country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery.

Rio de Janeiro is famous for its Mardi Gras and its samba, for its beaches and for its statue of Christ the Redeemer, arms open wide to welcome visitors.  The city itself is a World Heritage site.  The listing calls the site "an exceptional urban setting encompassing the key natural elements that have shaped and inspired the development of the city: from the highest points of the Tijuca National Park’s mountains down to the sea. They also include the Botanical Gardens, established in 1808, Corcovado Mountain with its celebrated statue of Christ [below center], and the hills around Guanabara Bay, including the extensive designed landscapes along Copacabana Bay which have contributed to the outdoor living culture of this spectacular city. Rio de Janeiro is also recognized for the artistic inspiration it has provided to musicians, landscapers and urbanists."

The Tijuca [below left] is all that's left of the Atlantic rainforest that once surrounded Rio de Janeiro in the days of the HMS Beagle. This 39-sq-km biodiverse tropical-jungle preserve is an exuberant green, with beautiful trees, creeks and waterfalls, mountainous terrain and high peaks. Tijuca contains 1619 plant species and is home to a huge diversity of birds, insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and medium-sized mammals.

The most famous statue in Latin America, Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, created by French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with French engineer Albert Caquot. Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida sculpted the face.  Among the various meanings of Rio's massive statue, and the one I personally like best, is that of Christ welcoming all with open arms.  Although the project was begun in the 1920s, the inspiration for the having a statue on Corcovado Mountain overlooking the bay came after Princess Isabel, acting as regent while her father was traveling abroad, ended slavery in Brazil.   For her role in ending slavery in Brazil, a proposal was put forward to have a statue honoring her overlook the bay.  Fortunately for all of us, her humility would not allow her to accept this.  Princess Isabel asked instead that an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus be built as a visible declaration that he is the true Redeemer of mankind.  [below center]

Barra da Tijuca, also known as Barra, is one of the fastest-growing neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro and has quickly become a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. The area is known for its stunning beaches, outdoor activities, and world-class dining.  Top of the list for places to visit in Barra is the Barra da Tijuca Beach, one of the largest and most beautiful beaches in the city, giving beachgoers and outdoor enthusiasts more than 10 miles of soft white sand and crystal-clear waters.  [below right]

Montevideo, Uruguay   July 26, 1832

In July 1832, when the Beagle reached Montevideo, Uruguay, the city was in a state of rebellion.  Darwin witnessed the turmoil and even joined armed sailors in an effort to retake a rebel-held fort. This experience exposed him to the complexities of political unrest and conflict in the region.

Today, Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, is a charming metropolitan oasis where the lifestyle of the countryside influences a not-so-fast pace of city living.  Once a fortified citadel, the Ciudad Vieja (old city) is today surrounded by traces of the city walls, first erected in 1741. Beyond this historic core, visitors can stroll the longest continuous sidewalk in the world, relax on sandy beaches, visit countless museums or sway to carnaval rhythms year-round. 

Tierra del Fuego, Argentina and Chile   December 1832

The Beagle came to Tierra del Fuego with two goals - to establish a Christian mission there, which it did so on January 23, 1833, and to chart the complex coastline, a task memorialized with the naming of the 150 mile long Beagle Channel.  If his Montevideo experience opened Darwin's eyes to the political complexities of South America, his travels through Argentina had exposed him to the genocide occurring on the frontier as gauchos told him of the extermination of the Pampas "Indians".   Arriving in the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego, the twenty-three year old Darwin was disturbed still further by his encounters with the "untamed" men of Tierra del Fuego.  

Cape Verde, Jan 16, 1832

Cape Verde is an island country of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, an archipelago consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area smaller than that of Delaware.  The Portuguese colonization of the Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) Islands began in 1462. Initially envisaged as a base to give mariners direct access to West African trade, the islands soon became a major hub of the Atlantic slave trade.  The Beagle landed there in January 1832, twelve years after the Liberal Revolution, which had led to the independence of the largest Portuguese colony, Brazil.  It would be another 143 years, though, before Cape Verde became independent.

Today, Cape Verde is a popular tourist destination, known for its unique culture, dry tropical climate, golden white sand beaches, and warm transparent waters.  

Linked left to right below, you can find more on Cabo Verde's churches, monuments, urban art, handicrafts and traditions; its beaches, where you can swim and sunbathe in year-round near- perfect beach weather,  do some whale watching or surfing, and even see a miracle of nature - sea turtles lay their eggs; its breathtaking volcanic landscapes and adventurous hiking trails.

Salvador, Brazil Feb 28, 1832

In late February, the Beagle reached the eastern coast of South America, landing at Salvador.  The first capital of Brazil from 1549 to 1763, Salvador de Bahia witnessed the blending of European, African and Amerindian cultures. It was also, from 1558, the first slave market in the New World, with slaves arriving to work on the sugar plantations.  The slavery there deeply disturbed Charles Darwin, an Englishman with abolitionist beliefs. During his visit to Salvador, Charles Darwin encountered a lush and vibrant rainforest that left his mind in “a chaos of delight.” The natural beauty and biodiversity of the rainforest captivated him. In addition to the rainforest, Darwin made other significant observations during his travels in Brazil - for example, insects with adaptations that allowed them to blend into their forest surroundings through camouflage.

Salvador was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985 (below right) for its Renaissance urban structure and preserved buildings, its historical significance as a colonial city during the Age of Exploration, and as "one of the major points of convergence of European, African and American Indian cultures of the 16th to 18th centuries." 

Today Salvador is the pulsating heart of the country’s Afro-Brazilian community.  Lonely Planet declares that "there’s no other place in the western hemisphere where the culture of those brought as enslaved people from Africa has been preserved as it has been in Salvador – from music and religion to food, dance and martial-arts traditions."  Top sites include the 18th century church, Igreja NS do Bonfim; Pelourinho, the UNESCO-declared world heritage site of colonial buildings; the nautical museum, and the Afro-Brasiliero Museum.

TBC: Our journey with the HMS Beagle will continue in future posts.

Sources: HMS Beagle: Darwin’s Trip around the World (nationalgeographic.org), Charles Darwin - Famous Ocean Explorers on Sea and Sky (seasky.org), UNESCO, Wikipedia, Britannica

Best places to visit this Spring

POSTED MARCH 1,  2024

It's almost Spring.  Warmth is returning, birds are preparing for their flight north, and flowers are getting ready to bloom.  The sky too has some treats in store.  Besides the Spring Equinox, there is a total solar eclipse across Mexico, the US, and Canada.  Here are a few of the most beautiful, interesting and enjoyable places to visit this Spring.

Restoring Your Spirit in Australia: the Daintree Rainforest

POSTED JANUARY 17, 2024

For millennia, humans have revered and celebrated nature as a source of well-being. From traditional cultures to today's ecotherapy, we have recognized and enjoyed its power to restore our spirits. Japanese culture celebrates nature, and they have two beautiful words indicative of their appreciation: komorebi (the sunlight shining through the leaves of trees, creating a sort of dance between the light and the leaves) and shinrin-yoku ("forest-bathing", walking through the forest, soaking in all the green light).  

It's summer in the Land Down Under, and an escape to Australia from the winter weather battering the US is an inviting idea.  In addition to the Great Barrier Reef, the Outback, and its cosmopolitan cities, Australia also offers tranquil locations to restore our spirits.  One of these is the Daintree Rainforest, which seems to be the perfect place to engage in komorebi and shinrin-yoku .  

Located next to the Great Barrier Reef in northern Queensland, the 180 million year old Daintree Rainforest is the world’s oldest tropical rainforest.  Sir David Attenborough, who has seen his share of the natural world, called it “the most extraordinary place on Earth.”  Other visitors have described the experience as "grounding", a connection "to the First Persons people of Australia and imagining what Australia looked like before there was much there", and Australia's tourism site describes it thus: "The experiences hidden within the forest are ones designed to heal you – body and spirit. Learn how to live in harmony with nature from a Kuku Yalanji guide, a Traditional Custodian of the land."

Queensland's rainforests  are home to 20 Aboriginal tribes, 120 clans and eight language groups. Today more than 20,000 people hold an ongoing traditional link to the land and native title accounts for 90 per cent of the ground inside the World Heritage zone.

Some interesting facts about this extraordinary ecosystem:

The Daintree is home to an amazing 65% of all of Australia’s bat and butterfly species, 28% of frogs, 40% of birds, 34% of mammals and 65% of ferns in Australia.  There are over 12,000 types of insects thriving in the Daintree Rainforest, and well over 200 species of land snails.

The Daintree Rainforest has some of the world’s tallest tropical trees, including the impressive Bull Kauri, a species of conifer which can grow up to 50 meters tall and 2.7 meters in diameter.  There are also many other tall trees in the Daintree forest that tower above the canopy. These massive trees are called ’emergent trees’ and their height gives them an evolutionary advantage where they gain maximum sunlight and attract pollinators.

The Daintree Rainforest is a bioluminescence marvel. If you wander through this spectacular rainforest at night you may  spot the glow of bioluminescent moss, fungus and even glow worms.

With the abundance of incredible plants and wildlife of the Daintree Rainforest, it’s not surprising there are many species found here which are rare or endangered, including the giant Southern Cassowary, elusive Bennett’s Tree Kangaroo and the White Lipped Tree Frog, the world’s largest frog.  Some of the animals which call the Daintree region home can only be found here and nowhere else on Earth. These endemic species include the Boyd’s Forest Dragon, Spotted-Tailed Quoll and the bright blue colored Ulysses Butterfly.

When you tire of relaxing and restoring your spirit, there is much to do and see in and around Daintree. 

• Gaze up into the canopy and discover a buff-breasted paradise kingfisher flitting through the forest or a lizard basking in the sun on the Jindalba ("foot of the mountain") boardwalk

• Visit the Daintree Discovery Centre where you can explore elevated walkways through the forest canopy, enjoy guided tours or self-guided audio-tours, and view informative displays to learn more about the Daintree rainforest.

• Relax on luxurious green grass, picnic under shady trees or in secluded shelters and listen to the sounds of the rainforest that surrounds you at Dubuji ("place of spirits")

• Take a trip to Walu Wugirriga (Mount Alexandra lookout) and gaze over the stunning scene laid out below. The Daintree River winds across the coastal lowlands and, fringed by mangrove forests, spills into the Coral Sea, where Snapper Island and Low Isles float in the distance.

• Learn about the environment, forage for bush tucker, go mud-crabbing among the mangroves, the history and significance of the Daintree with an Indigenous guide.

• Connect with timeless traditions and Indigenous foods during Flames of the Forest’s Aboriginal culture experience through storytelling, didgeridoo and song, all while sharing in an abundant and locally sourced banquet.

• And much more (links below left and right)  

• 
  

Sources: Tourism Australia - 1, Australia Tourism Australia - 2, Best Relaxing Holidays: Australia Recommends - Tourism Australia, Guide to the Daintree Rainforest, QLD - Tourism Australia, Big Think, AatKings, Heritage Lodge, Queensland's Parks. Queensland Tourism

The 2023 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

POSTED DECEMBER 21, 2023

In September, the United Nations' cultural body, UNESCO,  announced 27 new World Heritage sites.  To qualify, sites must “be of outstanding universal value” and meet one of 10 criteria, such as containing “superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty” or exhibiting “an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world”. 

We take a look at three of the new UNESCO sites in this post.  You can find the complete list here.

Best places to visit in December and best ideas for winter fun when you can't travel

POSTED NOVEMBER 12, 2023

Whether you are traveling or staying home this winter (or, as Bob Dylan puts it in Chimes of Freedom, "condemned to drift or else be kept from drifting"), this post should give you a few ideas.  For the travelers, US News' monthly "best places to visit" for December 2023 offers 15 selections on 6 continents.  [link below left] For those "kept from drifting", the Enjoy Travel Life website offers 8 suggestions for having fun at home. [link below right]

For the travelers

The top 3 locations selected by the travel writers at US News are the US Virgin Islands, the French Alps, and Phuket Thailand. [link below left]

US Virgin Islands

US News: "palm-fringed festivities without the need for a passport...December is the start of the dry season in this Caribbean island chain, and average temperatures in the 70s and 80s are perfect for lounging on beautiful white sand beaches like Magens Bay or snorkeling in Virgin Islands National Park...you'll get a taste of the islands' vibrant culture during the Crucian Christmas Festival, which takes place on St. Croix during most of December...parades, music competitions, and art fairs held throughout this event."

The US Virgin Islands tourism website suggests itineraries for "Shop and Sun in St. Thomas", "Explore St. Croix History and Heritage" and "An Outdoor Adventure in St. John"

The French Alps

US News: "Snow-capped mountains, quaint villages and mouthwatering cuisine make the French Alps a classic winter getaway choice. Most ski resorts open by early December, so you can get an early start on the slopes for the season, or just take part in the lively après-ski experience in iconic destinations like Val d'Isère and Chamonix...many villages like the châteaux-studded Annecy amp up the charm with cozy Christmas markets throughout the month." 

The Annecy Noël des Alpes website presents information on the Christmas Markets, "Illuminations and Decorations", and Entertainment.  Google Translate provides an English translation.  The town looks like a spectacular place to spend Christmas.

Phuket

US News: "Although Phuket, Thailand, offers a consistently warm climate year-round, its cool, dry weather and calm water in December make this month a great time to visit. Plan on spending most of your time sunbathing, swimming, scuba diving and more at beaches like Nai Harn and Kata Noi."

The Amazing Thailand website offers many other activities once you tire of sunbathing, swimming, and scuba diving at the beaches.  And if you are going to travel all the way to Thailand to visit Phuket, you may want to check out these WITW posts on "The Land of Smiles"

Bangkok

The Festivals of Chiang Mai

Beauty, buddhas, and beaches

For the winter stay-at-homes

What a great post from Jackie Gately at Enjoy Travel Life!  [link below right]  Ms. Gately offers 8 of the "best ideas for winter fun at home when you can’t travel."  A sampling:

• Write a memoir, book, or poetry collection - such as a memoir of your travels or  your family history. "The 12 weeks of winter offer the perfect timeline to plan, outline, and draft your writing project.  Be sure to give yourself a goal and commit to a routine; you’ll be done in no time!"

• Make the house cozy. "If you are going to be spending more time having a staycation this winter, it is important to make your home as cozy and comfy as you possibly can." Adding to her suggestions of luxurious blankets and cushions, well-placed candles, soft lighting, and a weekly delivery of fragrant fresh flowers, you may want to take a look at how Scandinavians get through their long dark winters:

Hygge: the perfect philosophy for winter 

• Take up indoor gardening.  "Another great winter gardening activity is caring for indoor houseplants. They add life, filter air, and bring fresh oxygen into your living environment. Not to mention, they round out a room’s decor."  She suggests more than a dozen "easy-to-grow, low light houseplants" like Christmas Cactus,  and "easy indoor flowering plants" like orchids.  Some houseplants can be toxic to pets if ingested.  Here are a couple of web pages to help you know which to keep out of reach of your pets.

https://www.thespruce.com/houseplants-toxic-to-cats-4775359

10 Houseplants Toxic to Dogs

The Côte d'Azur: Menton and Èze

POSTED OCTOBER 12, 2023

This third and final post on some of the perhaps-lesser-known locales on the French Riviera features the charming village of Èze and the laid back coastal town of Menton.  Near the Italian border, the towns lie on either side of Monaco and are less than 20 km apart. 

Èze

The Côte d'Azur: Villefranche-sur-Mer and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

POSTED SEPTEMBER 25, 2023

We continue our tour of some of the perhaps-lesser-known locales on the French Riviera with two picturesque villages located between Nice and Monaco, Villefranche-sur-Mer and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.  

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

Sources: Salt in our Hair, Timeout , Cote d'Azur France

The Côte d'Azur: Antibes and Juan-les-Pins

POSTED SEPTEMBER 10, 2023

The Côte d'Azur, aka the French Riviera, is the Mediterranean coastline in the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend from Cassis, just east of Marseille, to Menton, at the France–Italy border.  This coastline was one of the first modern resort areas. It began as a winter health resort for the British upper class at the end of the 18th century. With the arrival of the railway in the mid-19th century, it became the vacation spot of British, Russian, and other aristocrats.  In the first half of the 20th century, it was frequented by artists and writers, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Francis Bacon, Edith Wharton, Somerset Maugham and Aldous Huxley, as well as wealthy Americans and Europeans. After World War II, it became a popular tourist destination, home to the world's most prestigious film festival, and a playground for the rich and famous.  

Cannes, Nice, St. Tropez, Monaco are famous and known around the world, but in this and succeeding posts we'll take a look at some of the lesser known towns on the Côte d'Azur.  

Today, we kick off the series with the neighboring seaside towns of Antibes and Juan-les-Pins.  Surrounded by gorgeous beaches in an unspoiled natural environment, Antibes is known for its old town enclosed by 16th-century ramparts, its beaches and marina, and the Musee Picasso. The forested Cap d’Antibes peninsula, dotted with grand villas, separates Antibes from Juan-les-Pins, a chic resort town with a vibrant nightlife and the Jazz à Juan music festival.  

Indonesia

POSTED JUNE 23, 2023

Stretching from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, the Indonesian archipelago's 6000 inhabited islands are home to 280 million people, making Indonesia the fourth most populous country in the world.   Among its most interesting travel spots are Bali, the Gili Islands, Komodo National Park, Weh Island, and the capital city of Jakarta. 

Paradise under threat: the Seychelles

POSTED APRIL 27, 2023

Situated in the Indian Ocean 1000 miles east of Tanzanian coast, the Seychelles is one of the most isolated countries in the world.  Nearly all of the population of 100,000 live on 8 of the 115 islands that make up the Seychelles archipelago, so beautiful that they have been compared with the Garden of Eden.  The completion of the Seychelles airport in 1971 made the Seychelles a renowned tourist spot for half a century with more than 300,000 visiting the island nation in 2022.  

Global warming is endangering the islands.  The climate change threats facing Seychelles are similar to those threatening other small island developing states (SIDS).  These include changes in rainfall patterns leading to flooding, landslides on the one hand and extended periods of drought on the other, increases in sea temperature, changes in acidity and damage to marine ecosystems, increases in storms and storm surges, and, in the long run, sea level rise.  The Seychelles Islands are sinking, and the archipelago has witnessed a devastating coral die-off. Some believe the rising sea levels will put most of the archipelago underwater in 50 to 100 years and leave the rest of it uninhabitable.

Below are descriptions of some of the best places to visit in Seychelles.

Acknowledgement: I took the title of this post from a DW documentary that was made just as the world was emerging from the pandemic.  The documentary (which you can watch here) showcases the archipelago in all its beauty, with rare animal species, white sand beaches, and the conservationists who are working hard to protect it all.  Climate change has severely impacted the archipelago, and the country’s president Wavel Ramkalawan, who is an ordained minister in the Anglican tells us the message he draws from the Bible in his fight to save the islands. 

Beauty, buddhas, and beaches (The Land of Smiles conclusion)

POSTED APRIL 12, 2023

Beauty

Thailand, the Land of  Smiles, is a country imbued with great natural beauty.  Besides its more than one hundred national parks, such as Erawan National Park (Virtual Travel: World's National Parks), there are waterfalls, jungles, islands and mountains for the traveller to explore.  Culture Trip presents its picks for the most beautiful placers to visit in Thailand in the link below.

Buddhas

Approximately 95 percent of Thais practice Theravada Buddhism, the official religion of the country and the more conservative of the two branches.  Theravada Buddhism uses only the original sutras* while Mahayana Buddhism uses those and other more recent texts.  Theravada Buddhism emphasizes wisdom and achieving enlightenment through meditation, while Mahayana Buddhism holds compassion** to be the greatest virtue.  

There are some 30,000 Buddhist temples and 700,000 monks in the country.  Touropia offers us the "10 Most Stunning Temples in Thailand" in the link below.

Beaches

With more than 2000 miles of coastline and 1400 islands, Thailand is home both to gorgeous relaxing beaches and to exciting water sports.  

As Time Out introduces its selection of the 9 best Thailand beaches [link below left]: "The best beaches in Thailand are the stuff of legend, covering everything from secluded stretches of serenity to hedonistic party beaches where the fun never stops. That is how Thailand rolls. White sands, blue water, iconic nightlife, and absolute tranquility."

Diving ("Thailand has more than 349 named diving sites, great weather, warm water, and an astonishing 153 km2 of coral reefs.") and snorkeling ("crystal-clear water, friendly sea turtles, and an abundance of marine life") top Asia Highlights' water sports post [link below right]

Notes

*In Sanskrit, sutra means "thread," and traditional ancient literary sutras attempted to weave knowledge, threadlike, around and into their few simple words or syllables. Definitions of sutra. a rule or aphorism in Sanskrit literature or a group of aphoristic doctrinal summaries prepared for memorization. (vocabulary.com)

**The Great Compassion is one of the important qualities of the Buddha, and it forms the basis of all perfections (pāramitās). It is a chief aspiration for Mahāyāna practitioners to carry on their faith to save sentient beings and to carry on the Buddhist messages from one life to another life with compassion. 

Sources:  The Great Compassion and Fraternity in Mahayana Buddhist Traditions, Claritas Journal of Dialogue and Culutre, Vol 4, No 2 (October 2015), Culture Trip, 

The Land of Smiles (continued...The Festivals of Chiang Mai)

POSTED MARCH 14, 2023

After leaving Bangkok, the traveler has many other amazing sights to visit, events to enjoy, and things to do in Thailand.  

Seven hundred kilometers north of Bangkok is Chiang Mai, Thailand's second largest city.  The city is renowned for its festivals particularly the Lantern Festival, the Flower Festival, and Songkran.  

The beloved Lantern Festival (usually in November) consists of Yi Peng, where thousands of rice paper lanterns are released into the sky, and Loy Krathong, where candlelit baskets are set into water. 

Loy Krathong, which originated in the ancient Sukhothai Kingdom around 800 years ago, is celebrated to pay respect to and thank the Goddess of Water (called Pra Mae Khongkha) for a year's worth of her abundant supply, ask for an apology for polluting the waters, and pay respect to the Buddha.  

Also deeply rooted in Buddhism, the Yi Peng Lantern Festival may have originated in India with the legend of the candle-carrying bird which once visited the Gautama Buddha and spoke to him about merit. In Thailand, paying respect to Buddha is regarded as a way to be reborn into the next life to enjoy great popularity and purity. 

Both the Yi Peng and th Loy Krathing are celebrated as ways to get rid of negativity and lr4t go misfortunes of the previous year and welcome good fortune in the coming year.  The act of releasing 'floating lanterns' (khom loi) symbolizes letting go of misfortunes from the previous year and wishing for good luck in the coming year. If your lantern disappears into the dark before the light goes out, you will have an extremely good year.

Chiang Mai is nicknamed the Rose of the North. The Damask rose, found in abundance here, and a huge variety of flowers – from the kingdom’s national yellow Ratchaphruek to white chrysanthemums and multi-colored orchids – make Chiang Mai an ideal showcase for Thailand’s reputation as a country with one of the largest plant biodiversity in Southeast Asia.

The Chiang Mai Flower Festival in February is one of the most colorful events in Thailand.  Something between a laid-back Mardi Gras parade and a low-key Tournament of Roses, the festival attracts thousands each year.  A friendly atmosphere, plenty of street food stalls and manageable crowds make the Chiang Mai Flower Festival a fun and relaxed event for all.

Songkran is Thailand's most important public holiday and celebrates their traditional new year and the end of the harvest season. It takes place in April across the country but festivities are at their peak in Chiang Mai.  Water is an important part of the festival.  It symbolizes purification, cleansing of soul and getting rid of bad luck. During Songkran, the faithful pour water over Buddha statues to wash away bad karma.  The streets fill with processions, cultural shows, beauty pageants...and thousands of locals and tourists armed with water pistols and powder. [link below]

With daytime temperatures in the mid-90's, the Chiang Mai Songkran festival has become known for the water pistol battles around the moat surrounding the city center.  Although foreigners now know it mostly for these notorious water pistol battles, the festival started as a more gentle practice, and today most locals celebrate it quietly in temples and at homes.  

Sources: Asia Highlights -1, Chiang Mai a la carte, Asia Highlights-2,  Asia Highlights-3, Trip Advisor, theblondtravels

The Land of Smiles 

Part One - Bangkok

POSTED FEBRUARY 26, 2023

Thailand, the "Land of Smiles", received its nickname because here a smile is not just a smile - Thais use smiles as a way of personal messaging, and there are at least 13 different smiles that a Thai person may use, each one having a very specific meaning.  They include such gems as fuen yim (the stiff smile, also known as the “I should laugh at the joke even though it’s not funny” smile) and yim thak thaan (the “I disagree with you” smile, also known as the “You can go ahead and propose it but your idea’s no good” smile).  

For ideal weather, visit Thailand during the dry season, which for most of the country* kicks off in November and lasts through March.

There is plenty for the traveller to smile about as he traverses Southeast Asia's most popular destination.  In previous posts, we've had a glimpse of Phuket (Best places to visit in February), Erawan National Park (Virtual Travel: World's National Parks), and Railay Beach (Best Beaches).  This post will visit a few of the sites of the capital city, Bangkok.

A good place to begin touring Bangkok is Khao San Road [below left].   Formerly a backpacker area and now visited by all categories of tourists, the lively street offers a multitude of shops, bars, restaurants and low cost guest houses.  Although Bangkok is renowned for its fine dining places, on Khao San Road you will find legendary Thai street food.  These delicious recipes are often passed down from generation to generation, always served piping hot and fresh, and at a price point so affordable, you'll never break the bank. In fact, street food in Thailand is so cheap that many residents opt to eat out for meals rather than cook at home.

While Bangkok is sometimes described as a concrete jungle jam-packed with noisy traffic and air pollution, Bangkok is not without its natural beauty that is seen in its remaining canals, green spaces and flowering tropical plants. Once known as the Venice of the East because of its network of canals, Bangkok's remaining canals offer another view of the city.  Before there were roads in Bangkok, there were waterways. The canals of Bangkok have always been an integral part of transportation, communication, economics, and general ways of life. As such, over the centuries, markets would spring up along the canals and waterways. These floating markets [below right] are still a vitally important part of modern day Thai culture, and also happen to be some of the best things to do while visiting Thailand.

If Prague is the city of 100 spires, Bangkok is the city of 400 temples.  One of the most renowned is Wat Arun.  Wat Arun [below left] in Bangkok is an ancient temple dating back to the Ayutthaya period (14th-18th centuries). It is considered as one of the most beautiful temples of that era.  With its unique architecture, Wat Arun’s stupas (dome and spires) were built with white bricks and decorated with materials such as, seashells, porcelain, and Benjarong dishes, most of which came from China. There are a variety of sculptures around the Temple like Kinnari (Hindu and Buddhist mythological creatures which are part human and part bird*),  giants, angels, demons, and garudas (winged demi-gods who fight injustice and destroy evil).

Another not-to-be missed site in Bangkok is the Grand Palace [below right], a former royal residence in Bangkok that was consecrated in 1782. Today, it’s only used on ceremonial occasions, but it remains the city's biggest tourist attraction and a pilgrimage destination for devout Buddhists.  It is part of the greater complex of over 200 acres with more than 100 buildings,  that represent 200 years of royal history and architectural experimentation.

Notes: 

*A major exception is the Lower Gulf - home to the island paradises of Ko Samui, Ko Phangan, and Ko Tao - which is rainiest from October through December.

 **Thai kinnari are depicted as young women wearing an angel-like costume. The lower part of the body is similar to a bird enables her to fly between the human and the mystical worlds.

Sources: Impact Group, Lonely Planet-1, Voyage Tips, Touropia - 1, Touropia - 2, Amazing Thailand, Lonely Planet - 2, Planetware, Travel+Leisure

Best places to visit in February

POSTED JANUARY 26, 2023

Go someplace warm?  Play in the snow? Party at Mardi Gras?  Visit a favorite city in the off-season?  Here are some of the best places to visit in February from travel sites and travel writers.

Go someplace warm

St.  Lucia [below left] was a near unanimous choice for a place to visit in February.  Discussing the most beautiful places in the world, World Pursuit writes: 

"The tiny island nation of St Lucia packs a punch and is widely praised as the most beautiful island in the Caribbean. There are a number of resorts in St Lucia that are jewels in the Caribbean, but it’s hard to find one more unique than Jade Mountain where you’ll get neverending views of The Pitons.  

Lonely Planet adds: 

"Among Caribbean destinations vying for the “most romantic” crown, St Lucia has a couple of particularly enviable attributes: a roster of outstanding upmarket resorts that overlook gorgeous white-sand beaches lapped by the turquoise, bath- warm Caribbean, and a long heritage of cacao plantations fueling a passion for chocolate that’s been reignited in recent years."

Phuket, Thailand [below center] came in first place on US News and World Report's post:

"If your idea of a Thailand vacation includes lounging on sun-drenched beaches or snorkeling in calm seas, look no further than Phuket in February. Visiting the country's largest island during one of the driest months of the year will allow for long beach days unspoiled by showers."

World Pursuit puts Sri Lanka [below right] among its top warm places to visit in February: 

"Head to the vibrant island nation of Sri Lanka for a heavy dose of culture, food, beaches, jungles, and history.  February is a beautiful month to visit Sri Lanka...with an average daily temperature around 27°C or 81°F. Sri Lanka is well known for its hospitable people, tasty food, and unique landscapes."

Play in the snow

World Pursuit recommends Courchevel, France (below left)...

"When it comes to ski vacations, it doesn’t get much better than Courchevel, France. With temperatures hovering around 32°F and state-of-the-art snow maintenance equipment, you can bet that the slope conditions are pristine in February!  This resort area in the French Alps is considered to be the best in the region due to its extra-long ski season. Hop between the four villages that make up this ski area and...enjoy an après-ski scene featuring Michelin-star eateries and glitzy chalets."

...and Norway (below right):

"a fantastic time to visit Norway where you’re almost guaranteed to see the Northern Lights and enjoy some snowy days. Norway’s dramatic landscapes and many winter activities will keep you entertained for weeks.  Mush a dog sled across a frozen lake, snowshoe from mountain hut to hut, spot whales off the coast, ski down the fjord, or spend cozy days in a winter cabin."

Travel + Leisure likes Reno Tahoe, Nevada (center):

"Winter sports fans know about Reno Tahoe, home of the internationally renowned ski resort, Palisades Tahoe, former host of the 1960 Winter Olympics...Away from the slopes, visitors can enjoy the vibrant town with hundreds of murals, Burning Man sculptures, and Liberty Food & Wine Exchange. Stay in the heart of downtown at Whitney Peak Hotel with views of the snowy Sierra Nevadas."

Party at Mardi Gras

Here in the US, of course, it's New Orleans (below left).  World Pursuit  sings the Big Easy's praises:

"New Orleans is nothing short of magical. Even with its crumbling old buildings and gritty pubs, there’s an air of romance surrounding this epic American city and February happens to be one of the liveliest and craziest months to visit because that’s when the famous Mardi Gras festival takes place...Enjoy comfortable temperatures of around 66°F as you participate in the festivities by night and explore the city’s wonders by day. Indulge in Creole cuisine and visit top attractions such as Jackson Square, the French Quarter, The National WWII Museum, St. Louis Cathedral, Mardi Gras World, Audubon Zoo and Preservation Hall."

Or, if you are totally fine celebrating with 7 million of your closest friends in a madhouse atmosphere, there is the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro (link to the 2023 guide and program is below right).  

Visit a favorite city in the off-season

Paris (below left) made it to Travel + Leisure's list...

"There may be a chill in the air, but that just means you'll have to bundle up and stroll to a cozy café for a romantic Valentine’s Day visit. A cruise on the Seine, a visit to a museum, and a fabulous dinner are a few ways to enjoy the uncrowded winter season in the City of Lights."

...and World Pursuit adds...

"there’s no worry about businesses and attractions shutting their doors and skipping town for summer vacation...This is also the time of year when there are fewer crowds and hotel rates are cheaper...wander around the art museums and browse designer boutiques. Visit top attractions such as The Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Palace of Versailles, and Musay d’Orsay. "

Rome (below center) ranked #3 on US News and World Report's Best Places to Visit in February:

"There is nothing quite like Rome in the low season if you're looking to experience the Eternal City when it's mostly devoid of tourists. Imagine having top sites such as the Colosseum and St. Peter's Basilica all to yourself (nearly). Though February is very much still winter in Italy, average temperatures in Rome are relatively mild (in the 50s) and rarely dip below freezing. When it rains, which is likely this time of year, pop into a museum, explore the catacombs or do as the Romans do and enjoy a leisurely multicourse meal with great wine and better company."

My favorite US city is St Augustine (below right).  The nation’s oldest city, located on Florida’s northeast historic coast makes it to the Travel + Leisure list for February travel...

"...highlights its role in Black history with an annual event at Fort Mose, the site of the first legally sanctioned free African settlement in what is now the United States. The Flight to Freedom event takes visitors back to the early 18th century to commemorate the beginnings of the Underground Railroad. The Fort Mose Jazz & Blues Series welcomes outstanding performers from Feb. 10-19, “honoring history and community through music.”

The Explorers

Europeans started exploring Earth’s far southern reaches in the late 18th century for two main reasons: commercial gain and charting cartographic and magnetic contours. By the mid-19th century, commercial sealing had led to the near extinction of the southern fur seal. 

Nations then turned to more scientific pursuits.  The charting of Earth’s magnetic field, with its simplifications for navigation, was a major incentive for these expeditions in the 19th century.

During the first two decades of the 20th century, commonly called the “heroic era” of Antarctic exploration, great advances were made in not only geographic but also scientific knowledge of the continent.

The British National Antarctic Expedition (1901–04), led by British naval officer and explorer Robert Falcon Scott on board the Discovery, set a new record for reaching the farthest point south when Scott, together with Anglo-Irish explorer Ernest H. Shackleton and English explorer Edward A. Wilson, reached 82°17′ S on the Ross Ice Shelf on December 30, 1902.

The South Pole of Earth’s rotation was the unattained goal of Shackleton in 1908–09 but on December 14, 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition of 1910–12 reached it. 

The Scientists

Because it is so expensive to get to Antarctica, only experiments that can be done nowhere else are conducted here.  Some interesting facts about the continent's science:

• More than 60% of the nearly 70,000 meteorites that have been recovered on our planet have been recovered in Antarctica.  The lack of rocks and the contrast with ice makes spotting meteorites much easier, and the arid and cold Antarctic environment helps to preserve these rocks. (Geography Realm)

• IceCube is a neutrino-hunting particle detector buried in ice at the South Pole. Neutrinos usually fly straight through matter but occasionally smash into atoms in the ice to create signals IceCube can detect.  On 2012, the project detected signals of two neutrinos carrying more than 1,000 times the energy of the most energetic neutrino ever produced by an accelerator on Earth. "These wild neutrinos had almost a billion times the energy of the neutrinos that the sun regularly spits out. Clearly, they had come from some spectacularly energetic process occurring far from our planet." (Scientific American)

• It is an excellent place for astronomy.  The dry, clear air means that telescopes in Antarctica can see the universe almost as clearly as space telescopes at a much lower cost. (Cool Antarctica)

• Antarctica holds a frozen record in the ice and soil of a million or more years worth of information about past climates, readily dateable along with samples of the ancient atmosphere too.  (Cool Antarctica)

• Antarctica and its ice, ocean and ecosystems play a critical role in regulating the global climate. Together they help slow global heating, drive important ocean currents, and contribute to the drawdown of millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.  The climate crisis is disrupting these delicate systems. They are changing rapidly, with effects that will be felt around the world.  Antarctic ice is changing. Collapsing ice shelves could lead to several feet of sea level rise by 2100. (Antarctic and Southern Coalition)

Insider takes a look at what daily life is like in the Antarctic research stations in the link below.

Related Post: Virtual Travel: Antarctica (Part I, The Wildlife) - January 5 

Sources: Britannica, Wikipedia

For some interesting facts abut Antarctica's wildlife, see the link below.

Virtual Travel: World National Parks

POSTED OCTOBER 14, 2022

The national park movement, proclaimed "America's best idea" by writer and historian Wallace Stegner, began in the United States in the 19th century.  Based on the concept  that wilderness should be preserved from commercial interests for the sustainable use and enjoyment of all people, the movement went on to spur the creation of protected parkland throughout the world.  Today, there are more than 6,000 national parks around the globe.

Here are three from the Global South.

Erawan National Park in Thailand

Thailand, historically known as Siam to outsiders, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the center of the Indochinese Peninsula.  It has a population of 70 million and spans an area of nearly 200,000 square miles - about 20% greater than California.  

Founded in 1975 as Thailand’s 12th National Park and located in western Thailand in the Tenasserim Hills range, Erawan National Park is home to one of the most popular falls in the country, the 7-tiered Erawan Falls with its emerald green ponds. There are also several impressive and long caves within the park, some of them deeper inside the park, few of them along the roads around the park. The park and the falls are named after the three-headed white elephant of Hindu mythology. The top tier of the falls is said to resemble an elephant head.

Below left is a video tour of the Park and below right is an image of the fifth tier of the waterfalls from the Erawan National Park webpage. 

Nairobi National Park in Kenya

Kenya is a country in East Africa.  With an area about midway between that of California and that of Texas, it is home to just under 50 million people.  The British East African Company was granted a charter in 1888, which led to the colonization of present day Kenya.  The Republic of Kenya declared its independence from Great Britain in 1963.

Nairobi National Park in Kenya is the world's only national park that lies within a capital city.  With a backdrop of city skyscrapers, wide open grass plains and scattered acacia bushes play host to a wide variety of wildlife including the endangered black rhino, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, buffaloes, giraffes and an elephant orphanage. More than 400 bird species have been sited in the park. 

Amazing Places on Our Planet gives us a video tour in the link below.

Itatiatia National Park in Brazil

At 3.28 million square miles and with over 214 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area and the seventh most populous. Colonized by Portugal in 1500, Brazil became a sovereign nation in 1822.

Designated as Brazil's first national park in 1937, the Itatiatia National Park is in southeastern Brazil about 125 miles Rio de Janeiro.  It holds the origin of 12 rivers and features rainforests, mountains and alpine meadows within its borders.  The park is divided into a high area of mountains, some approaching 10,000 ft high and a low area near the city of Itatiatia and home to numerous waterfalls.  

Culti TV gives us a sub-titled video tour of the park and the nearby towns in the link below.

Sources: BBC, World National Parks, Travel Triangle, Thai National Parks, Kenya Wildlife Service, Wikipedia

Best places to visit in October

POSTED SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

Looking forward to cooler weather, fun festivals, colorful leaves? Or maybe want to hang on to summer a bit longer?  The Vacation Idea website [link below] has 25 recommendations from around the world. 

Just off the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka's natural beauty has attracted travelers for centuries.  The pear-shaped tropical island is about the size of West Virginia and is home to 22 million.  Famous for its tea and flavorful food, the tiny country has 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites, numerous ancient ruins, a tropical rainforest, whale watching, surfing, and beaches galore.   

According to the Sinhalese tradition,  the first Indian settlers on Sri Lanka were Prince Vijaya and his 700 followers, who landed on the west coast near Puttalam (5th century bce). The first Europeans to visit Ceylon, as it was formerly known, were the Portuguese in 1505.   The Dutch followed the Portuguese and then the British.  The country finally achieved independence in 1948 and changed its name to Sri Lanka in 1972.  Unfortunately, ethnic strife and a 25-year civil war kept tourism in Sri Lanka down, and it remained fairly unknown.  

Sri Lanka has a connection to several block-buster movies.  The "India" scenes of Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom were actually filmed in Sri Lanka.  Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke (2001: A Space Odyssey) made Sri Lanka his home from 1956 until his death in 2008, and the Canadian novelist and poet Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient) was born there.  Both 2001: A Space Odyssey and The English Patient were turned into Academy-Award winning films.  

Videos from Lonely Planet and Touropia [linked below] show us some of the highlights of the island.

The East Coast's National Parks

POSTED AUGUST 17, 2022

"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul."     - John Muir

As the Industrial Revolution proceeded apace and the American wilderness disappeared, visionaries such as John Muir and George Catlin saw the need for preserving the natural beauty of the land for all the people.  On March 1, 1872, Congress established Yellowstone National Park in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming "as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people" and placed it "under exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior." The founding of Yellowstone National Park began a worldwide national park movement. Today more than 100 nations contain some 1,200 national parks or equivalent preserves. (National Park Service)

Today, the US national park system has grown to encompass 423 sites, including 63 officially designated as national parks.   While the national parks of the West are the most known, the East Coast has its own share of spectacularly preserved wilderness.   

Among them:

Acadia National Park (Maine) - The Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast, "Acadia National Park protects the natural beauty of the highest rocky headlands along the Atlantic coastline of the United States, an abundance of habitats, and a rich cultural heritage." (National Park Service) 

Shenandoah National Park (Virginia) - "Just 75 miles from the bustle of Washington, D.C., Shenandoah National Park is a land bursting with cascading waterfalls, spectacular vistas, fields of wildflowers, and quiet wooded hollows. With over 200,000 acres of protected lands that are haven to deer, songbirds, and black bear, there's so much to explore." (National Park Service)

Everglades National Park (Florida) - "Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled landscape that provides important habitat for numerous rare and endangered species like the manatee,  American crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther.  An international treasure as well -  a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, a Wetland of International Importance, and a specially protected area under the Cartagena Treaty."  (National Park Service)

The More Than Just Parks website gives its take on the "10 Best East Coast National Parks" in the link below.

Dr. Beach's 10 Best Beaches 2022

POSTED JULY 5, 2022

For over three decades, Stephen Leatherman ("Dr. Beach"), Professor and Director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University has reviewed, evaluated and rated beaches and coastal areas throughout the world.  Each year, "Dr. Beach" names the best beaches in the country, evaluating and ranking them against 50 criteria ranging from beach width and sand softness to views, vistas, and vegetation.  

Below is a dynamic link to Dr. Beach's homepage with the list of the top 10 US beaches for 2022.  This year's list includes 3 beaches in the Carolinas, 2 in Florida, 2 in Hawaii, and one each in California, Massachusetts, and New York.

 Norway

POSTED FEBRUARY 23, 2022

Besides being the all-time and 2022 Winter Olympics' medal winners, Norway ranks No.1 on both the 2021 Democracy Index and and the UN's Human Development Index.  The homeland of the Vikings, innumerable fjords and valleys, glaciers and frozen tundra, northern lights in winter, midnight sun in summer, majestic mountains, stunning islands, trendy cities and the second longest coastline in the world, Norway is a beautiful place to visit anytime of the year.

Below is a smorgasbord of what travel sites have to say about some top destinations in one of the world's most beautiful countries along with links to the articles [below left].