Travel and Holiday Guide

Are you the one who likes more challenges and adventure to your holiday? Whether you are new or experience diver, let’s take a little closer on this diving site.

Papua New Guinea, situated near north of Australia, could be say one of the most spectacular and beautiful tropical countries, and one of the world’s top diving destination. Beside having the largest rain forest area (outside Amazon) with vast varieties of unique flora and fauna, Papua also has extraordinary rich marine life. Through all the several hundreds offshore island, one worth looking will be the Bootless Bay.

Bootless Bay is just 22 km east of Port Moresby (the capital of Papua New Guinea), on the south coast of Papua for exact. It is famous for its rich marine diversity, and visited regularly by botanist, marine biologist, and others who has special interest in flora, fauna, and rare marine species around Papua New Guinea. It has three small islands : Lion Island (uninhabited), Motupore, and Loloata. One of the best possible access to the rich dive environments of Bootless Bay is through Loloata Island.

Some of the finest dive sites are on the barrier reef beyond Bootless Bay. It has tidal currents which instead make great supply of food that support a very good fish population. There is a series of bommies on the reef edge which called Pumpkin Patch. Some are joined with ridges, others separated by deep gullies. You should take a look around before jumping into the water delightfully, since Bryde’s Whales have sometimes passed by this area. Under the water, you can find Pygmy Seahorses, black coral shrimps, Long-nosed Hawkfish, Merlett’s (Rhynopias) Scorpionfish, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, these are only a very small fraction of marine treasures that can be found here.

Other water activities besides diving also can be found here, such as snorkeling, kayaking, wind surfing, water skiing, and line fishing. You can have a brisk walk or stroll along the beach and foreshore on the early morning or late afternoon, as the best time to say. Local Sightseeing tours can also be arranged to explore further about the island.

Besides famous for its diving site, Papua New Guinea also has vast biological diversity of the flora and fauna. All the recognised species of “Birds of Paradise” are represented here, and even more, other species of bird life in combination with the unique marsupial, mammal, insect, etc.

With so much diversity of culture, choice of scenery, flora and fauna, for sure Papua New Guinea offers so much as a travel destination. Cultural performances, Tropical Beachside Hotels, Mountain treks, spectacular scenery, unequalled scuba diving, bird watching, you name it. From the highest mountain peaks to the bottom of it’s oceans, you can enjoy all outdoor nature in great delight.

Have you ever tried Trekking Adventure? It is not only captivating, but we could also get deep insight into the beautiful locations presented.

Today let’s see Himalayan regions.  Especially the part that is in India. The blossoming forests and wild life sanctuaries are the attractions of India.The tours in the Himalayan Range are awe inspiring. Mountaineering, river rafting, hiking, climbing and trekking are some of the stimulating and incredible adventure tours provided here.

Several trekking locations have become an important aspect of India tour packages, which was earlier famous for its wildlife, cultural, sports, sightseeing and shore excursion tours.

Some of the world craved trekking locations are as follows :

• Sikkim Trekking

The snow clad mountains artistically envelope the pearl of India, called as Sikkim. Its energising locations, stunning peaks and lavishly adorned heritage, hardly needs an explanation.

• Darjeeling trekking
You might have heard about Darjeeling Tea. But do you know that Darjeeling is also one of the most admired trekking destinations in West Bengal? its perfection in trekking lies in the abundance of flora and fauna, in addition to its stretched tea fields.

• Ladakh Trekking
The Jammu and Kashmir Valley harbours this breathtakingly beautiful trekking location, which has evolved as a dream destination for over seas tourists. The Buddhist monasteries and high mountain peaks have added to its charm.

Trekking doesn’t need much hassle thing though, just by walking with the sticks, covering large distances on the rugged terrain, you will have adventurous trekking. Moreover, while doing this at your own path, trekkers can interact with the nature, the real life of the natives, in a rustic manner.

We’ll cover more in detail about this in later post… See You…

Now, it’s time to start talking about beach. As some of you in Europe and America start chilling out in freezing nights of fall and winter, the wonderful image of warm sunny day in beach would be wonderful!!!

It’s Railay Beach we’re talking about, one of Thailand’s most sought-after beach areas. There are no roads in Railay, only beautiful golden sands and longtail boats everywhere. Actually it is connected with the mainland, but you must go through limestone cliff and steep jungle areas which is not favorable. So the only way to get there is.. by the SEA. That’s right, you must use boat to get there…

By the way, talking about how to get there. It’s only ten minutes by boat from Ao Nang. Alternatively, It takes 30 minutes from Chao Fa pier in Krabi Town to get to Railay Beach by long tail boat. Boats cost no more than 50 or 60 Baht per person per trip.

People usually go to Railay to avoid crowds and busy city activities. The sunset view also very beautiful here. You can find many resort areas in Railay, scattered around the four beaches, that is Ton Sai, Railay West, Railay East, and Phra Nang Cave beach. The accomodation ranging from very basic fan-cooling bungalows, to exclusive resort.

One of the famous activities in Railay including Rock-climbing. On-site climbing courses are available in area with the best climbing instructors in the country. You can also visit some caves, explore in Sea-Kayak, snorkling, or just tanning your skin on the warm sunny beach.

If you prefer to have wonderful holiday at beach, away from the hassle dazzle of big city life, you would like Railay Beach to be one of your major destination this holiday.

Anyone interested?

Yesterday, we have ‘visited’ Nanning in general. In today’s post we’ll go deeper about one of the “MUST-VISIT” area in Nanning, which is Qingxiu Mountain Range. You’ll soon find out why…

Counted as one of the Eight Wonderful Sceneris of ancient Nanning, and bordering the Yongjiang River in the southern suburbs of Nanning, Qingxiu mountain range is renowned for its beauty and the clear waters which run through it. That’s why it has its name as The green lung of Nanning.

Mt. Qingxiu is the primary source of fresh air for the downtown Nanning area due to the many lakes and the emerald green trees of the mountains. The undulating chains of mountains, verdant trees, liquid springs and historic sites together make Mt. Qingxiu a good place to meet the charm of antique taste and tranquility.

Some of ‘must-visit’ sights in Mt. Qingxiu including the ancient Longxiang Tower, Cycads Garden, Tianchi, Yaochi, Sanbao Hall and Thailand Garden etc. Longxiang Tower with its pagoda serve as the symbol of the mountain, with architectural style of Ming Dynasty. Every time the wind blows, you will hear the waves through the lush forests. The Mt. Qingxiu pine waves are famous in the region.

Tianchi and Yaochi is two big manmade lakes which sparkles in the sunlight and mirroring the green pines, blue sky and white clouds as a beautiful painting. Around Yaochi is an orchard of peach trees which bloom in the spring, offering yet another aspect of beauty to the region.

The largest garden of its kind in China is The Cycads Garden in Mt. Qingxiu. Thousands of cycads (also called iron trees) bloomed in May 2002. As this is rarely happen, it was considered a marvelous spectacle.

Thailand Garden is the fruit of the exchange and cooperation between Nanning and a city of Thailand, designing by a Thai architect. While strolling in the garden you may taste the exotic glamour with Thai accent here and there. You could ride the cable cars to appreciate the landscape of lakes and mountains from the top.

Supporting its stunning panoramic areas, Nanning is a modern city with well developed accommodation and shopping area. Nanning Wuxu Airport (NNG) and Naning Railway Station serve as hubs for other cities in China. Its beautiful subtropical scenery and exotic ethnic minority culture have been attracting millions of tourists for years.

Oo boysss…. I’m dreaming of living in heaven there…..

China, with its vast geographical area, offer great length of beautiful panoramic area. Some are well-known like Shanghai and Beijing (the very recent place of successful Olympic Games 2008), but most are hidden between somewhat not-yet-popular tourism areas.

Let’s take a look at Nanning, the capital city of Guangxi Province, which lies in the southern part of China.

This charming city is called “Green City” because of the evergreen trees and fragrant flowers that can be found all year round, thanks to the pleasant climate of it. It is rewarded AAA National level of scenic spot thanks to its many beautiful sites. Some famous attractions including : Grand De Tian Waterfall, Beautiful Mt. Qingxiu and Mt. Daming, quiet Yangmei Ancient Town, mysterious Huashan Mural, Yiling Cave, Guangxi Museum, Jiulong Waterfall Forest Park, Longhu Mountain Natural Reserve, and many parks and gardens scattered around. These view will enchant you to wanting to stay longer in the city. Not mentioning the delicious local foods that cannot be found anywhere else in China.

The Jiulong Waterfall Forest Park in Heng county is an old geological park with grand sandstones and peaks. Lush plants, old trees, strange flowers and exist crossing canes and running streams grow in the park. It is of south subtropical monsoon climate which has rich rainfall and plenty of sunshine. It is rainy and humid in the summer,but sunny and dry in winter.

jiulong waterfall

Some of the main scenic spots are the “Purple Dragons Date”, “Two Dragons Playing Ball”, “Dragons Welcoming Guests”, and the biggest sculpture complex in Guangxi, the Feitian Goddess Surrounded by Birds Sculpture complex which shows that human and nature exist in harmony. Moreover, the Li Yu Shan Holiday Resort with primitive and simple ethnic houses being elegantly built in the resort, is a good place for spending the holidays, summer preventing, sightseeing, traveling and having an adventure.

… find more about Nanning in tomorrow’s post

If you are planning a trip to Java, Indonesia, you might want to consider Mount Bromo as one of your destination.

Located in Tengger, East Java, Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is a vast mountain, an eruption of massive proportions blew off its top leaving a huge caldera in which two peaks are located. One is the active volcano of Bromo and the other is the non-active of Mount Batok.

The uniqueness of the area’s characteristic is the breathtaking experiences of the reminiscent of a moonscape. Here you can observe sunrises and sunset and gazing into the volcano’s crater, which have unique sand-ocean for about 5.250 hectares, and lies on ± 2.100 meters sea level.

Mount Bromo, sunrise

While you’re walking across a huge frozen lake, combination of cold air and the strange echoing of horse’s hoofs creates a fantastic sensation. Temperatures at the top of Mt. Bromo range about 5 to 18 degrees Celsius.

Every year, on the 14th day of full moon Kesodo (Tenggerese Calendar), Inhabitants of Tengger Mountain (The Tenggerese) held The offering ceremony of Kasodo. They gather at the rim of Mt. Bromo’s active crater to present annual offerings of rice, fruits, vegetables, flowers, livestock, and other local products to the God of the mountain. Tourist can take part on this ceremony as well.

You could start your journey to Mt. Bromo from Surabaya, Malang, Jember, and its surrounding area. There is a small town of Ngadisari, about 6 km north-east of Bromo, where tourist can stay overnight in hotel facilities and get up around midnight for the trek to Bromo. It is the base camp of expedition. From Ngadisari, the ascent to the crater takes about two hours on foot. On horse-back (ponies can be hired) the excursion takes about an hour and a half. Excursions normally start around midnight. This way, you could catch the stunning view of sunrise at Mt. Bromo.

You might want to start your journey at 12 midnight, and reach the bottom of the mountain at about 2 or 3 am. After rest for a while, get ready for climbing the step ladder leading to the rim of Bromo’s crater, and, finally, the incomparable view of the rising in the east.

Preparation is everything. Some “must-have” necessities for this journey including : a torch or emergency lamp, warm clothing and sweater (the freezing temperature reach 0-5 degrees celcius / 33-41 degrees Fahrenheit), and some hot drink/alcoholic drink to warm your body.

Challenging, right? Anyone wants to try? Or anybody that has been there before?