Nicely Places

Grand Canyon, Arizona

2011-07-04T21:50:00.000-07:00

The great gorge is accessible from two sides, north and south. Most of the more than five million visitors per year choose to go to the South Rim, which has many more tourist facilities than the north side and, accordingly, tends to get action-packed during the summer season and even some winter weekends. The North Rim is a quieter and more remote place and preferred by people who wish for a more serene, less crowded experience.

The access road to the North Rim is frequently closed during winter due to snow. Both rims can get very cold in the winter, and nights are cool even during summer months. Hiking inside the canyon below the rim, however, is quite another story, as summer temperatures near the Colorado River at the bottom may reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Hikers, in particular, will face extreme changes in climate and should be prepared for these.

THE SOUTH RIM

Tusayan

If you, like the majority of visitors, approach the canyon from the south on Highway 180 via the nearby towns of Flagstaff or Williams, you will most likely stop at Tusayan, a commercial area consisting mainly of gas stations, motels, fast food restaurants and the Grand Canyon Airport. The main attraction here, however, is the Grand Canyon IMAX Theater , which is highly recommended. The theater features one of the best films in the nature genre, drawing you right into the chasm and taking you on a vertiginous flight between the canyon's walls. A few miles further north, at the park gate, you will be requested to pay your $20 entrance fee per vehicle, or $10 per individual (pedestrian, bicycle, etc.). An Annual Grand Canyon Pass is available for $40.

Grand Canyon Village

Your first stop inside the park should be the Park Headquarters and Visitor Center , where an abundance of books, films and slides will help you to get better acquainted with the park, and rangers will be available to answer any Grand Canyon question you might have. You can stock up on supplies at Canyon Village Marketplace & Deli just south of the Visitor Center , then go on to see the historic El Tovar Hotel . For those who don't suffer from vertigo, the Grand Canyon Skywalk offers a breathtaking view of the chasm through its glass bottom. From the village, you have the choice of exploring the canyon using either the West Rim or the East Rim Drive.

East Rim Drive

This 26-mile drive skirts most of the canyon's south rim, offering several overlooks to get a better view. Among the best viewing areas en route are Yaki Point , thrusting out beyond the rim for a good look at canyon formations, and Grandview Point with its panoramic wide-angle views. A visit to the Tusayan Ruins and Museum provides fascinating information about the ancient Native American cultures in the area. The drive ends at the Watchtower at Desert View, a visitor complex containing services and a campground with views of the Painted Desert to the east and the Colorado River deep down inside the gorge.

West Rim Drive

This drive stays a little closer to the edge than its eastern counterpart and also offers a greater variety of canyon views. Note that it is closed to private vehicles in the summer, when a free shuttle service from Grand Canyon Village takes over transportation, meaning you can always hop on the bus if you get tired after choosing to hike the eight-mile Rim Trail .

THE NORTH RIM

While the South Rim is open 24 hours, 365 days a year, facilities on the north side close down from late October to mid-May. You can still visit the North Rim in winter, provided the access road is not closed by snow, but be advised to bring a thermos with hot coffee or tea! The best time for visiting the North Rim is actually the fall season, when the Kaibab National Forest turns into a dazzling showcase of yellow leaves trembling on aspen trees. A cross-canyon shuttle connecting north and south rim in both directions is available May through October for $60 one way, $100 round trip.

Visitor facilities on the northern edge are all clustered in the relatively small area around Grand Canyon Lodge , a rustically elegant castle-style hotel with terrific views from its terraces and dining rooms. It's also the North Rim's visitor center, booking center for mule rides and various other activities. A quarter-mile paved trail leads from the Grand Canyon Lodge to Bright Angel Point , famous as the best spot for seeing sunsets and sunrises over the canyon.

Trails

The inner canyon is accessible by so-called 'Corridor Trails' connecting the rims. The trailhead for the North Kaibab Trail is about two miles north of the North Rim visitor area. The North Kaibab Trail descends deep into the canyon, then links with Bright Angel Trail for the steep ascent up the South Rim. It is one of the busiest trails, but there are many less-traveled trails in remoter areas of the canyon. Keep in mind that all hiking in the Grand Canyon is strenuous, and it is imperative to carry plenty of water, food snacks, sunscreen and, vitally important in the summer, a shade hat. Also remember that the Backcountry Office requires a permit for overnight travel below the rim ($20 per person).

Jacob Lake

This is a small settlement at the intersection of U.S. 89A and State Route 67, the road leading to the North Rim. It's also the place where you might end up staying overnight if you haven't made reservations for camping or lodging in the summer. The Forest Service's Jacob Lake Campground is usually available till late afternoon, and you still may find vacancies at the commercial Kaibab Lodge Camper Village. From here all the way to the canyon is a huge area of still largely unexplored wilderness, with trails where you're more likely to meet squirrels, deer, bears and mountain lions than humans.

Source: Yahoo! Travel

KRUSHUNA WATERFALLS

2010-10-13T00:53:00.000-07:00

One exceptionally beautiful place hidden in the mountains near the village of Krushuna, Bulgaria. The waterfalls are in the northern part of the Devetashka Cave and are abundant in small thresholds, karst ledges and water pools. The Krushuna Waterfalls (“Maarata”) were announced a natural sight of interest in 1995 with an area of 5,7 hectares. The spring water of the Vodopada Cave Falls down from 20 meters high rocks, creating the Krushuna Waterfall. The waterfalls are quite popular with the local population and people often go there for a picnic in the weekend. There are several trails you can follow, with foot bridges allowing you to reach picturesque places. Past the head of the waterfalls, are various campgrounds and an entrance to a cave. Apparently it is possible to Scuba dive these caves, but its is an unconfirmed report.

On the north end of the Devetashko plateau, 34 kilometres east of the town of Lovetch, and 8 kilometres north of the city of Letnitza, at the south end of the Krushuna village, you will find the majestic Maarata waterfalls. Maarata is the biggest Bulgarian waterfall cascading through a wealth of quarries within an enchanted and rich flora where much wildlife still thrives. Here is one of the most beautiful water caves in Bulgaria – the Vodopada Cave (“The Waterfall”), with beautiful underground passages and a difficult for orientation labyrinth.

Source: Wayfaring

Bambu Indah, Indonesia

2010-10-13T00:34:00.000-07:00

Bambu Indah means beautiful bamboo in Balinese. Located in Bali, Indonesia, Bambu Indah is beautiful eco-rustic resort which is run to a very “green” standard in the entire compound brings you back to nature and closer to the earth with the gardens to explore. The villa-resort is owned by John Hardy, a jewelry designer who sold his jewelry business in 2007 and devotes his time to ecological projects such as the Green School in Bali.

The villa is comprised of seven beautiful unique Javanese houses, traditional built by Javanese tribes over 100 years ago. Decorated with local furniture and art work, each house is unique with decoration reflecting its names; Antique, Yellow, Rice, Kolam, Jawa lama, Elora and Africa.

Each of the Java Houses has a comfortable bed with hand made mosquito netting, goose down pillows, mini bar, IDD telephone, in-room safe, a suite shower with rainfall shower and hand-hammered copper washbasin, copper and nice designed bath up, bathroom amenities, hair dryer, air conditioning, ceiling fan and private veranda.

The guests have a chance to try the traditional breakfasts consists of local fruits like mangosteen and rambutan, plus homemade bread and Indonesia’s strong Toraja coffee. Dinner ($25 a person) might consist of organic greens followed by local grilled fish.

Official site: www.bambuindah.com/

Source: Wayfaring

Sheikh Zayed Mosque, UAE

2010-10-13T00:25:00.000-07:00

Sheikh Zayed Mosque in Abu Dhabi is the largest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and considered within the Top 10 biggest mosques in the world. The total building area exceeds 22,412 sq. m, about the size of five football fields. Officially opened in the Islamic month of Ramadan in 2007, the mosque accommodates more than 40,000 worshippers.

The interior is spectacular, with 1,000 columns, gold glass, and a wall featuring the 99 names of Allah. The beautiful mosque is completely clad in the finest white marble covering an area of more than 22,000sq m. The mosque has four minarets with a height of about 107 metres each and consists of 57 domes covering the outside yards. All the domes of the mosque are decorated with white marble and the interior decor was made of the white gypsum. Twenty seven other varieties of marble were used in the building. The best types of the colored floral marble and mosaics have been used to adorn the several walls, pillars and the courtyard of the mosque which is about 17,000 sq m.

While not the largest mosque in the world it does have a couple of record-breaking features, both of which cost over $8million. The mosque has achieved three entries into the Guinness Book of World Records with the largest carpet, the biggest chandelier and the largest dome of its kind in the world.
The world’s largest carpet: it covers the floor of the main prayer hall at the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. A 6,000 sq m hand-made Persian carpet, said to be the biggest in the world… 1200 Iranian women spent 2 years weaving the carpet, weighing in at a huge 45 tonnes and created with over 2 billion knots.
The world’s biggest dome: The main dome is also “the biggest” mosque dome in the world, 75 metres high with a 32.2-metre diameter.

The world’s largest chandelier: The world’s biggest Swarovski crystal bejeweled gold-plated chandelier, finished in gold, holding 40 million pieces of crystal… Housed in the main prayer hall, it is 15-metre tall, 10-metre in diameter and weighs 9 tonnes.

The Sheikh Zayed Mosque is not off-limits to non-Muslims.

Source: Wayfaring

The Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge

2010-10-13T00:17:00.000-07:00

The Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge is the only hotel to abut the 15th-century ancient Incan site. Located within the Sanctuary of the Inca citadel, Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, the hotel is sets at 8,100 feet above sea level. Its location gives you easy access to the ruins as well as breathtaking scenery.

You enter into a simple check–in area and leather sitting area, with photos from a 1912 National Geographic expedition lining the walls of this and the neighboring bar and restaurant. The Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge has 2 suites and 29 rooms, 12 of them, with an amazing view of the mountains. The Lodge interior garden, apart from the beautiful panoramic view, has 300-odd species of orchids and local flowers.

Source: Wayfaring

Orakei Korako Cave, New Zealand

2010-10-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Orakei Korako Cave and Thermal Park, also known as The Hidden Valley, is located off the beaten track, between Taupo and Rotorua. Situated just 25 minutes north of Taupo and 45 minutes south of Rotorua, Orakei Korako is a pocket wonderland of geysers, silica terraces, hot springs, boiling mud pools and the majestic Ruatapu Caves. It’s a geothermal wonderland, one of nature’s true gifts.

There is a vast number of boiling hot springs to view as well as mud pools and extensive bush walks through areas of native flora and fauna. There’s also a lovely bush walk that ends up at the sacred Ruatapu Cave (one of two geothermal caves known to exist) where you can go descend to an incredible thermal mirror pool.

The lowest terrace is the jade-green Emerald Terrace, which is the largest of its kind in New Zealand since the destruction of the famed Pink and White Terraces in the Mount Tarawera eruption of 1886. The Emerald Terrace continues 35 metres under the lake, which was formed for hydropower.

Source: Wayfaring

La Casa Que Canta, Mexico

2010-10-12T21:39:00.000-07:00

La Casa Que Canta is just a short taxi ride from the quaint town of Zihuatanejo which offers bars, fine restaurants and shops with a genuine Mexican flavour and a winding bazaar of fresh fruits and crafts. An attentive service, a delectable cuisine, a spa, an infinity-edged pool and amazing views across Zihuatanejo Bay. The resort is regarded as being one of the best places in Mexico where the visitors can spend their vacations.

Staying at La Casa Que Canta, Mexico is an experience of a lifetime. The La Casa Que Canta offers a natural scenic splendor of the seaside of Mexico and this has led it to be regarded as one of the best hotels in Latin America. Every room and suite has a breathtaking view of the sea. Suites benefit from large terraces, hand-crafted furniture and a complimentary mini-bar.

It is all magical but the pool with backdrop of rock, palms and tumbling flowers is sublime. The La Casa Que Canta, Mexico has won the “Tatler Best Private Pools Award” in the year 2004. Dine on Mexican seafood specialties then pick up some tips in cookery lessons with the chef. Take a safflower salt body scrub and yoga class then head out to sea for a romantic sunset tour or deep-sea fishing adventure. Official site:http://www.lacasaquecanta.com/

Source: Wayfaring

Fox Glaciers, New Zealand

2010-05-12T01:02:00.000-07:00

Fox Glacier is New Zealand’s largest commercially guided glacier, situated in Glacier Country, on the West Coast of the South Island, only 21 km’s south of Franz Josef.

It offers a range of activities — snow walks, aerial flights — similar to that of Franz Josef. Unlike most of the world’s glaciers, Fox has been advancing since 1985 and, as of 2006, was moving at a rate of one metre per week.

As one of the most accessible glaciers in the world, tourists can walk right up to the terminal face free of charge to see the glacier, you can walk to the terminal face, arrange an ice-hiking adventure or book a sightseeing flight.

Source: Wayfaring

Kelimutu Mountain

2010-05-11T01:47:00.000-07:00

The island of Flores, east of Java and part of Indonesia‘s Lesser Sunda islands, has many claims to fame. For one, it is a home of indigenous giant rat and dwarf elephants. For another archeologists recently unearthed the remains of ‘real-life hobbits‘, a race of people that only averaged a height of 1 m and a possible predecessor of the pygmy. Kelimutu Mountain is one of the best places in the world to watch the sun rise. Three volcanic crater lakes sit at its peak, and, because of the unusual geochemical conditions, the water in the lakes changes color. Photo by: Jano “Square”

At the far west the Lake of Old People has blue water, next to it the Lake of Young Men and Maidens has green water and sitting beside that is the red water of the Bewitched Lake on the southeast site of the volcano. Over time, the water changes color due to fluctuating acidity levels – what might was green one day, may be coffee colored, black or bright blue on another day. Streaks of minerals deposits leak into the lake and provide more colors. Photo by: Miepke

Visitors have to get up in a very early hours of the morning to drive up the mountain and walk the final step to the top, but it’s worth it. Watching the sun rise over an ethereal scene in the barren volcanic moonscape, with the painted pools of water behind, is an extraordinary experience. Some people say they should be on the list of the Wonders of the World. You can certainly sit for hours and enjoy the view.Photo by: inparadiso

Source: Wayfaring

Floating Swimming Pool

2010-05-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

In 2004 Berlin added a new attraction on the Spree River. This attraction is a stunning art installation with a floating swimming pool attached to wooden decking at the water’s edge. The people in Berlin fell in love with it, a permanent pool that is even covered during the winter, is home to a bar and stays open until midnight. The whole structure looks fantastic, especially at night, and is a reminder that a small amount of creativity can go a long way.

The attraction is called Winter Badeschiff, designed by local artist Susanne Lorenz. Today the structure offers a pristine 8 x 32 meter pool. Resting almost level with the Spree’s surface the design gives one the sensation of swimming in the river itself with the city skyline as a dramatic backdrop.

An open-air recreational complex in the warm months, the curving translucent shelter and saunas were added just last December, under the direction of architect Gil Wilk, making the Badeschiff suitable for winter use.

Source: Wayfaring

Getaway to the Spain

2009-11-18T23:05:00.000-08:00

One of eight provinces in Andalucia, Malaga is home to the prestige holiday resorts of the Costa del Sol. It includes about 300km of the Mediterranean Coast and is one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations. Due to averaging 300 days of sun shine each year, the Costa del Sol is the Mecca for those seeking sea side funs. The most popular resorts in Costa del Sol is like Benalmadena and Marbella.

This beautiful coast consists of a series of coves half-hidden among cliffs and sports harbors. The Costa del Sol offers an exciting selection of entertainment and relaxation options. The best sports and activities in Malaga are: golf courses, marinas and football. The nightlife is lively offers a huge variety of bars and restaurants. Other attractions include zoos and water parks, casinos, bullfights and amusement parks.

The mild climate is a major factor in enjoying the beaches and a wide variety of outdoor and water activities year round. Evidence of the area’s popularity is the fact that there are more jet skis per capita than anywhere else in Europe.

Source: Wayfaring

Yasawa Island

2009-11-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

Yasawa Islands sits majestically to the north of the Mamanucas Archipelago, and are much less commercially orientated than their southern cousins. They are consisting of 16 larger islands and dozen of smaller ones. They are impressive islands, with breathtaking beaches and enchanting fishing villages, which provide an opportunity to observe the traditional way of life. These islands offer plenty for everybody, from fabulous beaches and clear lagoons to exclusive resorts for the well-heeled. Photo by: msdstefan

The islands have been a popular cruise destination from the 1950s, but land-based tourism was forbidden. Since then the popularity of the islands has been growing and they moved from back-packer heaven to mainstream destination. New development is unavoidable, but the wonderful island scenery has not been touched and there is more than enough coastline to go around. Resort are tend to be isolated. most of the island villages are without electricity or running water. But there is fresh water everywhere, so the locals know how to survive. Photo by: ryanocerous1979

Indeed many of the resort are owned and operated by friendly islanders, retaining a rustic charm that combines with the majestic scenery to ensure the visitors Yasawas feel because they discover the real ‘South Pacific’. Photo by: Alasdair Milne

Source: Wayfaring

The Dragon's Blood Tree of Socotra

2009-11-09T01:11:00.000-08:00

The island of Socotra is part of an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It is so isolated that a third of its plant life is found nowhere else on the planet. Notable are the dragon's blood trees that look like flying saucers perched on trunks. Adenium socotranum are trees that look like elephants' legs with pink flowers on top. Birds such as the Socotra starling, Socotra sunbird, and Socotra grosbeak are found nowhere else on Earth. Bats are the island's only native mammal.

There are almost no roads on the island, which is also home to a collection of caves and a number of shipwrecks.

Source: Atlas Obscura

Takstang Monastery in the Kingdom of Bhutan

2009-11-09T00:07:00.000-08:00

Taktshang, also called the Tiger’s Nest monastery is in the middle of the Bhutanese mountains, several hours outside of Paro (the only city with an airport). Taktshang is the most famous of monasteries in Bhutan. It hangs on a cliff at 3,120 metres (10,200 feet), some 700 meters (2,300 feet) above the bottom of Paro valley. A place of pilgrimage for Buddhists.

During the end of the 17th Century a monastery was built on the spot where the saint meditated and it is nowadays a popular pilgrimage site. Every Bhutanese has to visit it once in his lifetime. The monastery was devastated by fire in 1998 but the Bhutanese Government took immediate steps to restore the monastery to its original structure so that tourists could admire it like it was before. The monastery was rebuilt and consecrated in March 2005. Hundreds of pilgrims from throughout the country visit this holy place annually.

To visit it, you have to hike in the mountains. Climbing to the monastery is on foot or mule. The trek uphill can take up to three hours (one hour if you are an experimented walker) through villages and pine forests. The walk follows a steep zigzag trail through pine forests. A rest is possible mid-way at a teahouse where biscuits and drinks are available. Then it is possible either to sit outside the building and admire the monastery and its beautiful surroundings or if there is enough energy, to continue another thirty minutes to a closer viewpoint, which is definitely breathtaking.

To get to this monastery, one must make arrangements with a guide before entering Bhutan. One cannot travel around Bhutan without a guide, as outlined by national law. No photography is allowed inside the Tiger’s Nest.

Source : wayfaring