Travelet » kabalweg

Ha Long, Bay of the Descending Dragon

kabalweg — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:10:00 +0000

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the northeastern part of Vietnam in Quảng Ninh province. It is the country’s pride, and Vietnamese consider it the Eight Wonders of the world. Ha Long literally means descending dragons. The bay features thousands of karsts and isles.

Ha Long Bay features some 1,600 limestone islands and islets in various shapes and sizes, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by a human presence. The site’s outstanding scenic beauty is complemented by its great biological interest.

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Misty morning at Ha Long Bay

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Another main attractions of Ha long is the bay’s calm water and the thousands of limestone mountains dotting the seascape. The Bay’s water is clear during the spring and early summer. Some of the islands are quite large and there are small alcoves with sandy beaches where swimming is possible.

A quiet and relaxing beach at Ha Long

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Tourist boats at Ha Long

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World’s Natural Wonders Video – Part 2

kabalweg — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:37:00 +0000

Rock Formation of Cappadocia

kabalweg — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 19:02:00 +0000

Cappadocia is the common name of the plains and mountainous region of eastern central Anatolia around the upper and middle reaches of the river Kizilirmak. It's name is said to be derived from Hittite language, Katpatuka, which means land of the beautiful horses.

A beautiful rock formation of Cappadocia. Source: http://flickr.com/photos/terdata

This region's amazing landscape is largely underlain by sedimentary rocks formed in lakes and streams, and ignimbrite deposits erupted from ancient volcanoes approximately 9 to 3 million years ago (late Miocene to Pliocene epochs). The volcanic deposits are soft rocks that, for hundreds of years, the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches, monasteries and underground cities. Forces of erosion have shaped the incredible and unique Cappadocian tuff-coned landscape. This nature and man made structures now make a popular tourist destination.

A view of Cappadocia Rock Formation. Source: wikipedia.org

A church carved from the rock in Cappadocia. Source: flickr.com/photos/morgui

Uçhisar Hill and Castle, the highest point in Cappadocia. Source: wikipedia.org

Cappadocia is also famous for it's fairy chimney - a conical rock formation which consist of a cap of hard rock resting on a cone-shaped pinnacle of softer rock

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Fairy chimneys in Cappadocia" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5251174863863567474" />

Fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. Source: wikipedia.org

Fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. Source: flickr.com/photos/morgui

World’s Natural Wonders Video – Part 1

kabalweg — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 11:48:00 +0000

I decided to share the world’s natural wonders I posted last month via YouTube. I plan to make it monthly. So it check here monthly for new videos.

Mekong River, Asia’s 7th Longest River

kabalweg — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 20:06:00 +0000

The Mekong river is the 11th longest river in the world. It run in six countries - China's Yunnan province, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. With it's length of 4,350 kilometers, it is the 7th longest river in Asia. It discharges an estimated of 475 km3/114 cu mi of freshwater to the sea annually and it drains an area of 795,000 km2.

Map of Mekong River. Source: hereticdhammasangha.wordpress.com

Because of it's massive size, no wonder Mekong is home to the world's giant freshwater fishes. This giants are now becoming small in number due to human activities.

Giant catfish of Mekong River. Source: nationalgeographic.com

Giant of barb Mekong River. Source: nationalgeographic.com

The name "MEKONG" originate from the Thai language, Mae Nam Khong, which means "Mother-River Khong".

Evening in the Mekong River. Source: flickr.com/photos/hschmid

Mekong river serves as a major transportation and economic route to all villages around it.

Market in the Mekong River. Source: flickr.com/photos/kateyaeger

Two boats in the Mekong River. Source: flickr.com/photos/hschmid

Amazon River, World’s Largest River

kabalweg — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 05:01:00 +0000

The Amazon river is the largest and the second longest river in the world. It is so huge that it covers six countries, Peru, Colombia, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. It has the largest drainage basin in the world and accounts for approximately one fifth of the world's total river flow.

During the dry season, the river covers and area of 110,000 square kilometers, while in the wet season the area rises to 350,000 square kilometers. At its widest point the Amazon River can be 11 kilometers wide during the dry season and 45 kilometers wide during the wet season.

Satellite image of the mouth of the Amazon river. Source: wikipedia.org

A beautiful morning in the Amazon. Source: flickr.com/photos/markgee6

The Amazon river originates from the Apacheta cliff in Arequipa at the Nevado Mismi, with a sole sign of a wooden cross.. Source: wikipedia.org

Amazon river is also home to one of the world's largest fishwater fish, the Pirarucu. Sadly, this fish is dwindling in numbers due to over fishing. Here's a video of a study funded by the National Geographic.