Blog catchit.com

@ Patrick Mayon

With the typical Italian euphoria, now news papers tell that the tower is safe.

In January 1990, after 20 years of research, the Tower of Pisa had been closed to public to protect it from its inevitable worsening. In December 2001, its visitors could go and see it again. With all maintenance works, the tower got, partly, its verticality back.

Technicians say that it got back almost the same position than in the 1700s, it can stay like this for 300 more years if researches and preventive cares still go on. But visits are limited.

The tower of Pisa started to be built in 1173 and it is prone to various stories and myths.
They say that Galilee threw two different mass cannon balls from the top of the tower in order to demonstrate that the descent speed was independent of the mass.

Various initiatives have been undertaken in order to look after the tower, but without a real success. Included Benito Mussolini, in 1934, commanded to set the tower in a vertical position, by spilling cement on the base of it in order to sink further in the soft ground.

National geographique had done a selection of the most amazing landscapes of our planet. Of course, as any kind of ranking, it is a subjective selection done according to a particular view, even if they used as unit of measurement places’ popularity, the common image that we have of them, how they manage to captive us and tourists preferences.

The 10 most beautiful landscapes are the following:

01. Perito Moreno Glacier :

located in Patagonia, in Argentina; it’s an authentic marvelous. For its colors, for the power that it represents, for the supremacy that condenses each one of its vertical rock face of this huge ice mass.

@ sfer

02. Grand Canyon, Colorado:

it is a work of art sculpted by Colorado River’s artistic hands. An impressive parade able to cut breath to anyone. Moreover, seeing sunshine over there is an unequalled show.

@ StormeTX

03. Yunnan, in China:

It is a region located in the South of China where landscapes of the tropical forest and traditional rice fields are highlighted.

@ ecololo

04. Cliffs of Moher:

Located in Galway, in Ireland, these huge cliffs have a longitude of 5 miles and an altitude of 656 feet above the sea.
Here, waves whipping the cliffs will make a show for you.

@ Sitomon

05. Rio Iguaçu, in Argentina and in Brazil:

It invades also a part of Paraguay, but its famous parts are more in Argentina and Brazil.
This is another great wonder of our world. Waterfalls and waterfalls… more than you will never see. The water power facing up to tropical forests, giving us an exclusive landscape.

@ AnaElisa

06. Ulhuru, in Australia:

Its image is the one of a lunar landscape. Solicitude, nostalgia, sadness, but also immensity with an arid ground, dotted with blade of grass and a huge red 2.3 miles large monolith which appears alone in the geographical center of Australia.

@ Dinaiz

07. Cappadocia , Turkey:

A fairly tail: Fascinating and immortal. It is like this region is hiding between its legendary prehistoric formations and hided stories, magic and secret than no one will ever know.

@ waffle-iron

08. Cordillera Del Plaine, Chile:

Andes… another marvelous landscape we can find in South America, separating Argentina from Chile, and, in the middle, establishing, above all other highs, the famous peak “Del Plaine”.

@ * hiro008

09. Mount Cook , in New Zealand.

An ice mountain that dominates all highs of this continent. Located in the South island, it is highest peak of New Zealand.

@ Antoine Hubert

10. Banff National Park , in Canada:

it is THE perfect landscape. One of those When you see a picture of it you want to go immediately. A typical Canadian landscape made of green and blue, snow-capped mountains reflecting on crystalline lake that furrows the entire Canadian valley.

@ simsbury119

You must start thinking that there are others, but it is really difficult, to choose, between all marvels of the world, only 10 landscapes.
For my side, it would be Himalayas with the highest peak of the world, the Everest; or the Victoria falls, in Africa, or also, why not, the Amazonian forest with its fabulous exotic landscapes, in Brazil.

They are so many… You have to decide! Would you add some? Or would leave some?

Ha-long bay is one of the most spectacular landscapes of South Asia. Mysterious and reminiscent, with more than 3.000 islands, it constitutes a natural landscape wrapped in a permanent fog, which makes its own universe.

Going to Vietnam without seeing the Ha-long Bay means doing only half of the travel, missing the most important. Travel agencies from this Asiatic country know it; that is why there is a whole touristic architecture organized in Vietnam, which offers excursions at an economic price.

@ robertlafond2009

The Ha-long Bay declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and in 2000, and has always been in the top 10 of more than 200 exceptional sites doing the competition.

We always tend to compare while visiting a place for the first time. Those who have already been in Thailand or China might find some similarities.

The best way to visit this bunch of islands is to go for a cruise. If you try to go on your own, the cost will be higher; first because you will have to go to Ha-long city (a place without much interest); from there, you can catch a boat or look for other tourist to share it. In these two cases, you will get more freedom but the cost will be higher than going in a few days tour.

@ Prognatis

Due to the competition of travel agencies, prices are also very competitive. You still had better to check agency reliability. You can find a two days cruise, with transport from Hanoi, for about 30 Euros.

The best views are for sunset time and sunrise time which makes cruises a success, as you sleep on a boat.

The dragon legend

” Once upon a time, soon after the Việt people established their country, invaders came. The Jade Emperor sent Mother Dragon and her Child Dragons down to earth to help the Việt people fight against their enemy. Right at the time invaders’ boats were rushing to the shore, the dragons landed down on earth. The dragons immediately sent out from their mouths a lot of pearls, which then turned into thousands of stone islands emerging in the sea like great walls challenging the invaders’ boats. The fast boats couldn’t manage to stop and crashed into the islands and into each other and broke into pieces.
After the victory, Mother Dragon and Child Dragons didn’t return Heaven but stayed on earth at the place where the battle had occurred. The location Mother Dragon landed is nowadays Hạ Long Bay and where Child Dragons descended is now Bái Tử Long. The dragons’ tails waving the water created Long Vĩ (present Trà Cổ peninsula) and formed a fine sand beach over ten kilometers long”.

@ ChazWags

Couchsurfing consists in welcoming one or more people in lending your sofa, for a night (or more…), a piece of your garden in order to plant a tent, or, even better, a room with a real bed, or simply, having a cup of coffee with a foreigner to do some culture exchanges. Rules are not specified which makes all the charm of it.

According to a survey done by “Réseau de Veille en Tourisme de l’UQAM” more than hosting, it’s all the travel philosophy that’s changing: “Couchsurfing moves aside travelers from usual touristic places, stimulates better behavior to the host community and strengthens intercultural understanding”. What do we need else?

Where to get informed?

You can go on the website www.couchsurfing.com; there are a lot of offers. Thus, don’t miss the opportunity to get to know new people from other cultures by traveling for cheap.

Here are some websites where you can get more information.
Couchsurfing.com
hospitality club
Let me stay for a day

Cinema has always been one of the best ways to travel without going away from our chair. Who has never dreamt about being an Indiana Jones in Petra or an Audrey Hepburn in front of Tiffany´s window on the 5th Avenue? Luckily, we don’t have to go as far as Jordan or New York to get the feeling of being in the silver screen.

Here are movies offering travels from another point of view.

Le fabuleux destin d’Amélie Poulain

Paris has always been known as THE city of love, but since this movie has come out, Paris became “Amélie’s city”.
As a result, the coffee place: Le Café des deux Moulins, Amélie’s working place, turned out to be an inevitable stopover while visiting the French capital.
M. Collignon’s grocery, where Amelie did her shopping, has kept the sign from the shooting and has become one of the most famous in France.

Life is beautiful and Tuscany

Since 1997, year of its release on the silver screen, the city of Arezzo became famous to be the place chosen to shoot this story, directed and acted by Roberto Benigni. Arezzo is a city in Tuscany, 47 miles away from Florence. You could walk around its streets and visit the church place, the theatre or the school where Guido’s mother gave classes.
But the city of Arezzo offers also other interest places, such as San Francisco Basilica, or the Plaza Mayor by Vasari.

Movies shot in Barcelona.

Before that Woody Allen chose it to shoot his last movie, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the city of earl, a lot of movies were shot. Pedro Almodovar had chosen it as backdrop for his former works.
The beach of Barceloneta, the Park Güell, the Sagrada Familia or la Boqueria market have been protagonists on the silver screen.

@ ndbass26

Melkevoll Bretun, is a little paradise in the North West of Norway, only an hour away from The Briksdal glacier . You won’t remain stony-faced with this amazing landscape.

The Olderdalen Valley, houses the biggest European icecap.
On your way, you might meet some otters and gulls. This valley offers unique landscapes; there are rivers with plenty of salmons, its fiords and waterfalls.

@ Melkevoll Bretun

Inge and Gro have settled in here, and offer this unusual accommodation.
Everyone, while being a child, has already thought about living as our ancestors.

This couple got the idea to do up a former prehistoric cave in order to give you an accommodation for some nights and they are really proud of it.

The concept: you sleep in a cave with animal’s skin as a blanket and a fire to warm you up. You get everything to wake up your bestial side!

Various activities are available, such as hiking, fishing on the lack, bouldering (new kind of climbing), and a sightseeing tour.

Moreover, there are a lot of parking places for caravans, plenty of rooms to put tents, as well as upscale chalets.

In the main building you will find: the front desk, a kiosk, a coffee bar with internet access, a laundry room, toilets, bathroom and sauna.
Everyone is allowed to get into “the barn”, a large building from where you can enjoy a panoramic view onto The Briksdal glacier.

So, if you don’t where to spend your next holiday, get more information about this outstanding place, endowed with amazing landscapes.

Even if everyone knows that nothing is cheap in Norway, costs are not unconscionable.

Contact:
Nordfjiord. N-6792 Briksdalsbre Oldedalen
00 47 57 87 38 64

@ OliBac

Even with the crisis, we wish to escape, once, twice, event three times a year from our routine.

But what’s the price of it? Nowadays, there are low cost, flights cheaper than others. We are able to go all over Europe, and sometimes more, for really low-priced.

But, once we’ve got the flights we need to find accommodation, and most of the time, this fee is not low cost anymore. Here, the home exchange for holiday steps in.

The concept is simple. For instance, you go on holiday to US to M. X. While you are there, M.X is in your house, in UK.

Lending your own home is a kind of “special”, I agree. For sure, right now, you are thinking about “Ho my God! What about if someone steals something!!!” or “What about if they do strange things in my bed”. That’s true!
But after a bit of cleanup and changing sheets, it’s fine again. Moreover, I think there is no hotel that changes mattress and bed after each client.

Above all, think about all the saving you can make, by going anywhere in the world. Funds planed for the housing will be used to enjoy, even more, your holiday.

If you are still skeptical, take a look on the websites:
-> Home exchange
-> Switch home
-> Home link

There are offers and feedbacks.

“Thanks for your help to locate an exchange for us. We did find one for Germany and spent the most relaxing holiday we ever had, in the Harz Mountains, for 3 weeks. The other couple met us there and took us for dinner with their mother who would help us out during our stay. We had a great exchange! Both couples did and it all worked perfectly!
We met and made new friends.
Home exchanging is the BEST way to go and we’ll do it again as often as possible. Even people we corresponded with and couldn’t make it work out right, have become friends through email, and it is so interesting to hear from all over the world!”
Dianne and Ed Clowes: Canada”

Nowadays, top 10, ranking, lists are about anything.
Today, surfing on internet, I have stumbled on the 10 world’s worst taxi rides; even better, the 10 worst cities to get a cap. I mean that if you decide to take a taxi in these cities, awful things could happen, according to “hearsays”.
The Top 10 was made by « Forbes Traveler »

1. Lagos, Nigeria

Tourists going to Nigeria are, most of the time, exasperated by this culture based on hush-money and shakedown.

Advise: Ask at your hotel how to get a private transport.

2. Naples, Italy

@ ZeroOne

Italy, The country where they drive Ferrari and Lamborghini like totally crazy.
Advise: Get a private vehicle and go directly to Capri.

3. Caracas, Venezuela

@ miotei

Be careful with “pirate taxis”. They can change your travel in a nightmare.

4. Moscou, Russie

@ miss_ohara

In Moscow, be careful with “gipsy taxis”.

5. Sao Paulo, Brésil

@ alvez

Getting a taxi here is a chaos. It’s the opposite of Los Angeles, for example.

Advise: If you can afford it, do like rich people, and don’t take a cap! Go around with a helicopter! I agree it can seem a little bit snobs but…

6. Mexico City

stevecadman

Warning with “express kidnapping”. They are common at this time.

7. Bagdad, Irak

No comment.

8. Bangkok, Thaïlande

@ Yan Pritzker Photography, Chicago

Here there is no matter of safety. But Bangkok is crowded, and it’s quite hard to walk around in the city with so many cars. You had better renting a small boat even if taxis are colorful.

9. Manila, Philippines

Here, I advise to rent a car directly.

10. New-York, US

@ Marionzetta

New York, New York… Maybe one of the best cities in the world, but also one of the worst to get a taxi.

Advice: If you want to go from JFK to the city center, you had better going by helicopter. The journey lasts only 8 minutes and costs 140 dollars.

Next time, I’ll tell you about another ranking: The top 10 of the best cities to get a taxi.

The city of New York has decided to set up THE tourism office of the future.

This project, called NYCGo , is made of a partnership with Travelocity, which is the booking search engine. It aims to create exclusive offers for NYCGo.com. The one with Time Out New York will able to get next events RSS flowing.

This new tourism office, located on the 7th Avenue, will prevent from getting lost in New York.

Actually, inside, there are big touch sensitive tables connected to Google Maps and Google Earth. You can go sightseeing in New York by touching screens.
With the function “You are here” It is even possible to plan an itinerary in saving interest points, to print it, to send it via email or to save it in your mobile phone.
You, also, can project the image of where you have decided to go on the walls, in order to get an idea of what you are going to visit, still sitting on a chair.

For those who have got a Smartphone, you can get all touristic events by SMS, with a link to Google Map Mobile application, in order to get there easily and quickly.

Don’t forget to go on the website called Dealomatic. It gathers all special offers and discounts for New-York city events and attractions.

In crisis time a touristic strategy is welcome. It will, maybe, attract more people. Here is a video introducing THE tourism office of the future.

Youtube

Thailand had to face up to many things these past years. It had been destroyed by the Tsunami in 2004, there were various politics problems, and the country was pointed out as a paradise for sexual tourism.

To attract tourists, the tourism authority has just announced that a new cocktail has been created, the Siam Sunrays. Cuba has its Caipirinya; Guadeloupe, its Ti-Punch, Thailand will get its Siam Sunrays.

@ alpha du centaure

Travelers will need time before they accepted the Siam Sunrays as an authentic and traditional drink.
Actually, a lot of traditional products were created only for tourists (such as in Québec where they invented the whisky with maple).

This cocktail will be soon available in all hotels and shops of Thailand.

Just to give you a little idea, here are the ingredients: Vodka, coconut liqueur, a piece of hot red pepper, sugar, lime juice, lemon slices and ginger.
All of this served with crushed ice and sparkling water.

Will this latest drink boost tourism in Thailand? Will it attract holidaymakers? We’ll see…

@ BastieN [M]