Blog catchit.com

@ Erik De Leon

Cuenca, located in the southern part of the Ecuadorian cordillera, is the third biggest city of Ecuador after Quito and Guayaquil and since 1999 it is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The historical centre is full of colonial elements like the wrought iron and cut wood balconies, paving stones and architecture which points out European but without neglecting autochthones details.

There, you will find many churches, symbol of the Spanish religiosity which was marked in these distant grounds. This architecture is important with invaluable details, made from gold and marble.
Failing this one it has two cathedrals in a small territory: the “la Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción”, or the new cathedral, and “la Iglesia del Sagrario”, or the old cathedral.
In its turn, the two oldest religious temples are the Monastery of Conceptas and the Catch of load which dates from the first decades of the foundation of the city in 1957.

As in the majority of the colonial cities, interesting buildings surround the central place.
There, you will also find, the House of Canónigos, the Court of justice and the old cathedral, from the neo-classical style (XVIII century).

@ Dan..

Do not miss colored markets such as the traditional flower market which is located close to the cathedral or markets where it is possible to eat typical.

You can, thus, visit traditional districts such as « las Herrerías », where the craftsmen of iron work, or that of “el Vado” or the District of All Saints known also as the bakers’ district.

This city deserves to be visited.
For much, it is the prettiest city of Ecuador with an important cultural richness and a privileged environment.

To supplement your visit, only thirty minutes away from Cuenca, the Natural Park of “Cajas” is waiting for you with more than 230 lagoons.

@ garzhia

Since 1987, ERASMUS scolarship allow exchange of European students between universities. The name of the program comes from the traveler Erasmo of Rotterdam.
Nowadays, more than 27.000 students choose each year Spanish universities.

Spain is the country that receives most foreign students but also that sends a lot of students abroad, after France and Germany. Universities that attract the most are Grenada, Valence and Madrid.

Reasons are very diverse; some look for a cultural aspect, others want to learn another language and to experience the famous Spanish evenings and parties.

Until 2000, the population of ERASMUS in Spain was lower than in France and in Germany, but the figures climbed after the movie “L’auberge Espagnole” (The Spanish Inn) which illustrates a perfect image of the ERASMUS phenomenon in Europe.

In any case, it is a very interesting way to get to know another culture.
This idea was developed to give to students a chance to discover other lifestyles and to have a good memory of their experience in a different place than the one they are used to.

@ chaserpaul

Recently inaugurated, the Restaurant Nais Aquarium is located in Guatemala, and it is not a simple thematic restaurant, it is also an ecological center for entertainment and education that has a sophisticated system of life support, including a hospital for marine species, tanks of group of forty, biological laboratory, center of nutritional support and an impressive system of illumination by GPS in order to maintain fishes natural habitat.

You will discover 450 fishes from 38 exotic species, reef and sand sharks, which come from Bali, Indonesia, Fiji, Brazil and the Caribbean Guatemalan, and a complex of 15 aquariums decorating the Restaurant and the Lounge decorate.

This gastronomical establishment has a capacity of 500 people, and in case there is no table available, clients will get a beeper in order to let them know as soon as there is one for them.
Visitors can enjoy their meal while they are submerged in the aquatic world with feeding shows or taking the “Back Stage Tour” to learn more about marine species.

This experience of recreational and environmental tourism, supported by Clearly, Coca-Cola, BAM and Panasonic, will be transferred to Costa Rica and Honduras the next year, then Panama and Salvador, to end in Mexico in 2011.

I had always thought there couldn’t be any place as good as Rio de Janeiro or Bahia all over Brazil. I was wrong.

Near Natal, a colorful village is hidden, plenty of live and quite during daytime, that’s what gives it all its charm.
A lot of foreign decided to live there for a while in order to stay away from big cities and their noise.

To go out, there is a large choice of restaurants to eat and a large amount of bars will welcome you with some music.

Pipa’s beaches are “Praia do Madeiro”, “la Bahia dos Golphinos”, “la Praia Central”, where most of people go.

My favorite one is “la Bahia dos Golphinos” (Dolphins’ bay).
As you should already have guess, it is common to see dolphins playing near swimmers. It will give an amazing feeling.
Moreover, the beach is huge, its sand is soft and the beach end up with wild vegetation.

@ marquiroga

ADVICE

If you are a woman and feel like buying a Brazilian bikini, I would tell you not doing it. Actually, they don’t use Brazilian bikinis but small pieces of fabric joined with string… .

A lot of night parties are going on around « la Prai de Amor », in the middle of palm-trees. These parties are unsurpassed.

CURIOSITY

In « la Praia da Minas », huge turtles get together when it’s time to lay eggs in orders to dig them into sand.

“The Bossa Nova” is a kind of music, which usually goes with a guitar, drums and percussion instruments. Elis Regina and Gilberto Gil are some of the artists that have popularized this beat.

It happens to “loose” his luggage, to get stress from flight delays, etc. Unfortunately, we all (or almost) had to suffer from our plane trips.

But, for sure, we didn’t experience the cavalry, the humiliation and the despair that did travelers from Franz Kafka airport.
Don’t expect they take care of you, to pass the control without any problem, to find your gate, neither to fly… Don’t put a feet in this airport!!!

This warning is not in vain, as this airport is number 1 in the ranking of the worst airports in the world, according to The Onion News Network.

Take a look at this video; travelers and staff speak for themselves!

But no worries, if you need to get Paha ( which is a wonderful city) for business or personal reasons, there are other “real” airports and less Kafkaesque.

@ kamoda

Till now, the Bala train or Shinkansen run 186 miles per hour and has reached 501 travels.

The Japanese train company, Central Japan Railway, has said that in 2025 the fastest magnetic levitation train of the world will be running and will reach 342 miles per hour.

The first line that reached the speed of 186 miles an hour cost 44.410 millions of dollars.
This project was not only a speed record; it was also a perfect example of ecologic transport as it does not discharge pollutants in the atmosphere.

Although these systems, in theory, can go past 435 miles an hour, it will be a whole experience to reach 342 miles an hour and seeing (or not) the landscape running fast in front of us.

It’s always the same old thing every year:

Where will I spend my holiday this year?

The question is always the same: Is it better to choose a popular destination where all housings are fully booked, such beaches in the South of France where prices really high for school holiday, or rather pitching on an unusual trip, the one that will give you unforgettable memories?

@ DannyBen

We are, more and more, looking for something new, something that we are not used to see or not used to do, a way to escape completely from our routine.

Moreover, between you and me, holiday in a 5 stars complex will leave less mark than a trip in the heart of a chosen city, living like locals, discovering customs and traditions.

We have to know that in 40 years the amount of tourists has been multiplied by 10 (from 70 million to 700 million), and that the WTO (World Tourism Organisation) expects 1, 5 billion of travellers for 2020.

The most chosen destinations are almost soaked with a record of 44 million of people in New York, 15 millions in Venice, 11 millions in Egypt, even in Antarctic there are 6 times more tourists than in 1990.

So, you had better to chose a “virgin” place, and to mix with locals; your memories can only be better, and your experience, unique.

Then, have a good holiday, and send postcards, we are always pleased to get some…

In this crisis situation, the word “free” is a big attraction for travelers. The Travel European Commission has offered a top 10 of the best free activities in Europe that we can enjoy for the next months.

Germany

@ dalbera

The famous museum in Berlin, in the middle of the river Spree , offers free entry to the 5 museums every Thursdays from 2pm.

France

The ring of Kerry sums up all virtues and attractions of this Gaelic country: Gold and hiking in the green hills, fishing in the rivers and fine sand beaches. That’s not all; the area is an authentic museum in the open air with prehistoric buildings, castles and monasteries.

Estonia

The city of Navarra, located at the Russian border, is the most oriental point of the European Union. The Teutonic Knights castle is from the century XIII and it is split up by a river. Over there all kind of concerts and other open air events are going on.

Hungary

Already famous for its Red Bull, the Air Race takes place in Budapest from August 19th and 20th, with dozen of pilots doing acrobatics and jumping from bridges in a minimum of time.

Switzerland

The street Parade in Zurich goes on in August. It’s a colorful party with electronic music, it’s actually a huge “RAVE PARTY” which succeed with dignity to the “love Parade” in Berlin.

@ Javi Vte Rejas

England

London is famous to be expensive. Taking a look at these countless treasures and works of arts from the Britannic museum and the national Gallery is priceless. That’s why it’s free…

Belgium

The sentence “free beer” has a special meaning in this country that produces some of the best beer worldwide. The Haacht beer offers a free tour with 2 degustation of their beer included.

Norway

“The Scream”, famous Edvard Munch’s paint, can be contemplated in the national gallery in Oslo, with Cézanne’s, Gauguin’s, Picasso’s works of art.

Austria

In the city of Innsbruck, the “hiking bus” is free from end of May till October for all costumers of the city and for the ones being around this city, it will be free if you acquire the Club Innsbruck Card. Of course, there is a vast hiking program.

Campers, trekkers of the extreme, be aware!

The designer John Moriarty, with the help of Billy Harney, has created a survival cocoon.

Imagine yourself lost in a forest, with really bad conditions (storm, wind…); this item will able your body to wait for rescue without any danger.

It is simple; you just need to find a branch of a tree, a steep rock, anywhere where you can cling on and there you go!

The setting up is easy: Built with bright colors and material specially made for extreme conditions, this cocoon creates a cozy place for your body.

@ campist

So, adventurous, this survival product will be as useful as a Swiss knife.

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”.