Theme Week Peru

19 April 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  18 minutes

Architecture of Paseo Pizzaro in Trujillo © Pitxiquin/cc-by-sa-4.0

Architecture of Paseo Pizzaro in Trujillo © Pitxiquin/cc-by-sa-4.0

Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pacific Ocean. Peru is a megadiverse country with habitats ranging from the arid plains of the Pacific coastal region in the west to the peaks of the Andes mountains extending from the north to the southeast of the country to the tropical Amazon Basin rainforest in the east with the Amazon River. At 1.28 million km² (0.5 million mi²), Peru is the 19th largest country in the world, and the third largest in South America.   read more…

Lady Elliot Insel in Australia

21 August 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  7 minutes

Lady Elliot Island © LordDimwit

Lady Elliot Island © LordDimwit

Lady Elliot Island is the southernmost coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef. The island lies 46 nautical miles (85 km; 53 mi) north-east of Bundaberg and covers an area of approximately 45 hectares (110 acres). It is part of the Capricorn and Bunker Group of islands and is owned by the Commonwealth of Australia. The island is home to a small eco resort and an airstrip, which is serviced daily by flights from Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.   read more…

Theme Week Mexico – Acapulco on the Pacific

15 June 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Beach Front district © BlackWaterPatrol

Beach Front district © BlackWaterPatrol

Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, 300 kilometres (190 mi) southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history. It is a port of call for shipping and cruising lines running between Panama and San Francisco, California, United States. The city of Acapulco is the largest in the state, far larger than the state capital Chilpancingo. Acapulco is also Mexico’s largest beach and balneario resorted city. There are a number of beaches in the Acapulco Bay and the immediate coastline.   read more…

Theme Week New Zealand – The Marlborough Sounds

12 April 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

The Marlborough Sounds, visible to the left of the Space Shuttle. Image taken from the International Space Station © NASA

The Marlborough Sounds, visible to the left of the Space Shuttle. Image taken from the International Space Station
© NASA

The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels at the north of the South Island of New Zealand. According to Māori mythology, the sounds are the prows of the sunken waka (canoe) of Aoraki. The Marlborough Sounds are connected to the Cook Strait at the north-east extreme. At this point, the North Island is at its closest to the South Island, and the inter-island road, rail, and passenger ferry service between Picton and Wellington travels through the sounds.   read more…

Homer in Alaska

4 March 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

© Derek and Julie Ramsey/cc-by-sa-2.5

© Derek and Julie Ramsey/cc-by-sa-2.5

Homer is a city located in Kenai Peninsula Borough in Alaska. According to the 2010 Census, the population is 5,003. Long known as The “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World.” Homer is also nicknamed “the end of the road,” and more recently, “the cosmic hamlet by the sea.”   read more…

Theme Week Queensland – The Great Barrier Reef

26 October 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  7 minutes

Coral Outcrop © Toby Hudson/cc-by-sa-3.0

Coral Outcrop © Toby Hudson/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.   read more…

The end of the Western world

21 June 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Scenic coastline with palm trees © Teinesavaii/cc-by-sa-3.0

Scenic coastline with palm trees © Teinesavaii/cc-by-sa-3.0

Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa, is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in Polynesia, Savai’i. The capital city, Apia, and Faleolo International Airport are situated on the island of Upolu.   read more…

Theme Week New Zealand – The Hen and Chicken Islands

7 June 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

Panorama of the Hen (right) and Chicken Islands and Sail Rock (left) © Glenn h/cc-by-sa-3.0

Panorama of the Hen (right) and Chicken Islands and Sail Rock (left) © Glenn h/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Hen and Chicken Islands lie to the east of the North Auckland Peninsula off the coast of northern New Zealand. They lie 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) east of Bream Head and 40 kilometres (25 mi) south-east of Whangarei.   read more…

Theme Week New Zealand – Auckland, City of Sails

9 February 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  10 minutes

Auckland Marina © Joseph Watkins/cc-by-sa-3.0

Auckland Marina © Joseph Watkins/cc-by-sa-3.0

The Auckland metropolitan area, in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country. It has 1,377,200 residents, which is 31 percent of the country’s population. Auckland has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world. In Māori Auckland’s names are Tāmaki Makaurau, and the transliterated version of Auckland, Ākarana. The 2011 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Auckland 3rd equal place in the world on its list, while the Economist‘s World’s Most Livable Cities index of 2011 ranked Auckland in 9th place. In 2010, Auckland was classified as a Beta World City in the World Cities Study Group’s inventory by Loughborough University.   read more…

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