Victoria Falls - The World's Largest Curtain Water Fall

Victoria Falls, affectionately abbreviated to Vic Falls by anyone who’s ever been there, is one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles. Declared a World Heritage Site, the falls – and much of the town of the same name – fall within a 23,4km² national park, which neighbours onto the 573km² Zambezi National Park.

The falls are the stuff of legends, romance and myth. Long before the Scottish missionary and explorer, Dr David Livingstone “discovered” the falls on November 16, 1855, the local Batonga people had named them Mosi-Oa-Tunya, “the smoke that thunders”. The more prosaic Livingstone named them for his queen, but departed from his normal, pedestrian writing to observe in his diary that “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight.”


There are also many activities for your ultimate adventure like Bungi Jumping over the 111m plunge into the Zambezi river. The jump of the Victoria Falls bridge is still a heart-stopping thrill second to none, or Kayaking expedition on the rapid river, or Helicopter Flights, Elephant Back Safaris, Helium Balloon Rides, White Water Rafting, Fishing, Canoeing, Jetboating, Hiking.


Source : [Go2Africa] [Victoria Falls Activity] [Photo Gallery]

Aurora Borealis - The Northern Magic Light

The Aurora causes by the sun plasma which explode in every direction and travel across planets. When the solar particles are captured by Earth's magnetic field. They are stopped by the atmosphere, they collide with the atmospheric gases present, and the collision energy between the solar particle and the gas molecule is emitted as a photon - a light particle. And when you have many such collisions, you have an aurora - lights that may seem to move across the sky.

Today we know that for auroral light to occur on a planet or moon, it needs to have both a magnetic field and an atmosphere. Our moon do not have their own magnetic fields, Mercury and our moon have no atmosphere so they will not experience the aurora.

However, aurora also occur on Venus and Mars, which lack planetary magnetic fields. On Venus, atmospheric molecules are energised directly by the solar wind; on Mars, aurora occur near localised magnetic anomalies in the planetary crust which are remnants of a presumed former planetary magnetic field which is now long extinct.

In modern times auroras have been observed on several celestial bodies, such as, Earth, Saturn, Titan, Triton, Jupiter, Io, Uranus and Neptune.

You can see the aurora in both north and south Poles. Usually the north and south poles auroras happen at the same time, and when they do, they have the same exact patterns, only reversed, like a mirror.

Source : [Northern-Lights.no] [Aurora Article]

Ayers Rock in Australia

Ayers Rock (also known by its aboriginal name Uluru) is owned by Australia's indigenous people and considered one of the great wonders of the world. Located in Kata Tjuta National Park which is 280 miles (450km) southwest of Alice Springs. Ayers Rock is the world's largest monolith and an Aboriginal sacred site is Australia's most famous natural landmark.

Watching the colour of Uluru and Kata Tjuta change is a spectacular and popular activity. The colour changes result from the effects of the Earth's atmosphere on the sun's incoming rays. The ash, dust particles and water vapour present in the earth's atmosphere act as a filter which can remove the bluer light from the incoming rays of the sun, allowing the redder light through at different times of day. Reflections from the rock and clouds in the sky enhance the vivid colours.
Visitors may wish to make the tough 1.6km ascent to the top or take a walking tour around the rock with an aboriginal guide.

You can read the Uluru Myth Here


Location : 25° 20′ 41″ S 131° 1′ 57″ E


Source : [Department of Environment and Heritage of Australia] [Crystallinks]

Diving with Whale Sharks in Mozambique

The whale shark is the largest fish in the world, measuring up to 45 feet long, with a very broad head. They have about 3,000 tiny teeth, but they are of little use. And despite their size, whale sharks are very gentle and curious creatures.

Mozambique offers some of the best diving in southern Africa. Dive sites are uncrowded and marine life is varied and abundant. The aquamarine waters hold a vast number of tropical and game fish species as well as rare creatures like dugongs, whale sharks and turtles. Conditions compare favourably with those of the Caribbean or the Great Barrier Reef but are not nearly as commercialised. Water temperatures range from 22ºC in winter to 31ºC in summer and visibility is usually between 5 and 35 metres, with an average year round visibility of 15 metres.

Many whale sharks are seen off East Africa, but the greatest concentration of the sharks appears to occur off Mozambique and the northern coast of South Africa from October through March. On January 15, 1994, a total of 95 whale sharks were observed between Durban and Umtentweni, South Africa, a distance of 68.3 miles [110 km], during an aerial survey conducted by the Shark Research Institute.

A highly rated activity is a whale-shark dive with one of the dive operators located in Tofu or at the backpackers' hostels themselves. Mozambique must be one of the best places in the world to see the biggest of fish: Rhincodon typus, the mighty whale shark.


Take an underwater tour of the waters of Mozambique Video Clips here


Source : [WWF] [Shark.org] [GreatWhiteSharkCageDiving.com]

JiuZhaiGou - 1997 World Heritage in China

JiuZhaiGou - Mirror Lake

You will know that someone said that The Heaven is on Earth is true. Mostly when we see pictures of travel scence, they are often less beautiful than the real. But JiuZhaiGou is different. Any photos or video can't explain how much it is wonderful. It's very pure and virgin. There are few western visitors who have been there. You have to be there.

There are the legend that "A long ago , There was a boy named Dage was in deep love with Woluo Semo , a beautiful goddess. One day, Dage gave his love gift - a mirror made out of wind. It turned out that , because of interference of an unexpected evil, the goddess broke the mirror, and pieces scattered on the human world and turned into 114 crystal-clear and gem-like lakes inlaid among mountain forests . Henceforth, here we have Jiuzhaigou, the Fairyland on Earth."

It is located in the north of Sichuan Province. The name Jiuzhaigou came from nine Tibetan villages scattered throughout the valley. Its attraction lies in its simple, idyllic beauty; a fairyland, primitive and natural and still in its pristine state. With majestic and unrivalled emerald lakes, layered waterfalls, colourful forests, snow peaks and Tibetan folk villages, all blending in harmony with each other - it is nature's jewel set into the mountains.

Location: 32°54' to 33°19'N; 103°46' to 104°4'E

Source : [Unesco] [JuiZhaiGou Valley] [Photo Galley]

The 49th Times bfi London Film Festival

The Times bfi London Film Festival is Europe's largest public film event and runs for two weeks every autumn, showcasing the best in contemporary cinema from around the world at venues across London. The bfi also runs the annual London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival each spring. Both festivals tour extensively across the UK.

Now entering its 49th year, The screens on average 280 films from 60 countries, presenting the very best of new film from the full spectrum of world cinema.

In addition to an impressive roster of film premieres, many of which are introduced by the film's director, producer or stars, the extensive schedule of Festival activities include prestigious Opening and Closing Night Galas, industry and public forums, education events, lectures and celebrity interviews.

See highlights from The Times bfi London Film Festival on a giant screen in the heart of the capital. For three nights in the run up to the start of the UK's largest film festival you can watch an eclectic mix of short films from the UK's most talented young film-makers, plus highlights and trailers from some of the films coming to Leicester Square and other Festival venues, and have a reminder of the stars that graced the Festival's red carpet last year. All in Trafalgar Square and all for free.


Source : [London Film Festival] [British Film Institute]

The Most Expensive Cruises in 2005

Most Expensive Private Yacht Charter: $113,760

The Annaliese, a $90-million superyacht owned by Greek entrepreneur Andreas Liveras, is the most expensive charter in the world, coming in at $113,760 per day. Onboard facilities help explain the price: a spa, including a marble Roman bath, saunas and steam rooms, Jacuzzis (in the spa as well as on the sun deck), a full-size movie theater, a business center and a helicopter landing pad. Custom itineraries include the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. The Annaliese and her sister ship, the Alysia (which has the same daily rate), each accommodate 36 people.

You are sailing in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean; scuba diving or water skiing; visiting Monte carlo, St Vincent or Venice, each and every guest has the opportunity to take part in an experience that will never be forgotten!


Source : [Forbes] [Liveras Yachts]