We move! In order to offer you a better service and more facilities, we release a new blog with better design, more tourist content and five categories.
We hope you like it more than the previous one.
Thanks.
Did you like the article “Ten most amazing places of 2011”? We share with you the second part of these outstanding destinations selected by National Geographic.
1. Laos: The dry season (November to April) is the best time to visit this country, the only landlocked Southeast Asian country where you can view exotic animals like leopards, antelopes, Malayan bears and Javan mongooses.
2. Kodiak Island: This large island is the best area to observate the Kodiak brown bears and the king crab in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. Kodiak was the first capital of Russian America.
3. Scotish Highlands: It is the territory of vikings and Galelic-speaking clans sourrounded by mountains, lochs, cliffs and beaches. Here, you can find The Cairngorms National Park, that it is the largest National Park of United Kingdom.
4. Tunisia: There are severals landscapes like coast, roman ruins, Saharan dunes, fortified casbahs, rock canyons, salt lakes or even “lunar sites” that appeared in the first Star Wars movie. Also you can visit traditional Bedouin tents.
5. Palawan (Philippines): It is the most biodiverse environment of the Philippines since you will find coral atolls, sandy beaches, mangrove forests, fringing reefs, and karts cliffs. In the capital city, Puerto Princesa there is the Subterranean River National Park.
6. Black Sea Coast (Ukraine): This peninsula it is a mystery to most of travelers. It has a bubtropical climate, underwater grottos, mineral spas, plam trees and original beaches in order to reduce the tourist’s stress.
7. Gaspé Peninsula (Quebec): It contains four National parks, 25 of Quebec’s highest peaksa and beautiful lighthouses. In summer it is possible to do some special activities like kayaking, cayoning, sailing and horse riding.
8. Shikoku (Japan): It is the smallest and lest visited of Japan’s four main islands but is known for its “walk of life”, an intense pilgrimage by 88-Buddhist-temple that can take a month o more.
9. Papua New Guinea: It is a remote country where you can find more than 800 languages and 1000 cultures that fight to protect their cultural and ecological identity against the outside world. However, travelers can visit one hundred of aboriginal tribes.
10. Kurdistan (Iraq): It is an oasis of peace and stability in this northeastern Iraq region. Visitors will find ancient cities, snow mountains and lot of bazaars. Also, there are some cultural tours that include excursions into Kurdish etnic regions.
We share with you this summary of the best travel articles we have sent on Twitter this week :
1. Amazing photos of defrozen countries!http://ow.ly/3RsMt
2. Are you a single traveler? This is the best cuise option for you! http://ow.ly/3SZ7Y
3. Have you tried our travel guide app for iphone or android? They work 100% offline with information, maps and trip journalhttp://ow.ly/3SYMC
4. Top of 100 destinations in all around the world http://ow.ly/3SeVO #travel
5. Do you know how to be a frugal traveler?http://ow.ly/3SZ6k
6. A different visit in Paris: The City of Light’s Catacombs http://ow.ly/3SZ3Y
7. Have you visited Innsbruck, the Olympic Winter City? http://ow.ly/3TadR
8. World’s best winter festivals http://ow.ly/3TLZF
9. Are you travelling? Do you know all Visa’s types? http://ow.ly/3SZlB
10.Literary-themed Paris hotel opens this month.http://ow.ly/3TKRX
The Carnival of Rio de Janeiro attracts by its greatness, dazzling luxury and glamorous. Every year, millions of visitants from all over the planet arrive to Brazil to live this incredible event. It is impossible not to participate: the whole city is a party that invite us to move to the beat of the music and join the fun.
Rio Carnival 2011 starts on Saturday, March 5th and ends on Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras, March 8th; but this year some wharehouses were destroyed by the fire. In these wharehouses, Rio de Janeiro’s samba groups stored the floats, props and costumes that they have been preparing for several months. So, this year will be fewer floats but the joy that characterizes Brazilian people will remain.
There are not only Carnival Parades, there also exist carnival balls, street bands, rehearsals at the Sambodromo…Do you know some curiosities of this great event?
Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is not only the most famous, it is also the wildest. So, the Brazilian government deliveries more than 11 million preservatives each year to stop the spread of AIDS and to fight against child sex tourism.
A samba school can include between 3,000 and 5,000 dancers, dozens of seamstresses, mechanics and artisans. Furthermore, the composers have more than 50 scores.
Last year, the Carnival was described as “Hollywoodesque” because of in its first two days the Samba Parade had some special guests like Madonna, Beyoncé or Paris Hilton.
The last story happened in the 80’s, it seems incredible, but it is real: A well-known personality put together a group of friends to go to Rio to enjoy the Carnival, but unfortunately one of the travelers died before the trip. The first man brought in his luggage some balloons and when they were in Rio, the group of friends scooped the ashes of the dead man into the balloons and they were blown one by one. During one parade, these ballons started falling from the sky to the ground and people played with them. It is a glorious way to say good-bye.
We encourage you to travel to this wonderful city, but in case you want to go in Carnival, we recommend you to arrive some days earlier.
Innsbruck is the capital city of Tyrol, located in western Austria between three high mountains: The Nordkette (2,334 metres) , Patscherkofel (2,246 metres) and Serles (2,718 metres). The word bruck comes from the German word Brücke meaning “bridge” which leads to “the bridge over the Inn”. It is an international winter sports centre and it hosted the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics and the 1984 and 1988 Winter Paralympics. In 2012, Innsbruck will host the first Winter Youth Olympics.
Also, it is a cultural city where you’ll find a lot of cultural sites like buildings, museums and churches.
The Golden roof is the most famous symbol of the town where you’ll arrive walking along the arched passageways.
The Hofburg or Imperial Palace was erected around 1460, has four wings and an enormous hall painted in white and gold and filled with Habsburgs’ portraits. Another essential palace is The Ambras Castle built in the 16th century and divided into a lower and an upper castle. The last one cointains an artwork collection painted by Tizian, Van Dyck and Velazquez.
It is obligatory to take the Nordkette Cablerailways in order to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of the town surrounding by the mountains or visit the Alpen Zoo, the Europe’s highest zoo, since it is located at an elevation of 727 metres and it features more than 150 species of Alpine animals.
The Historic College towns are home to some of the oldest and most beautiful universities in the world, since hundreds of thousands of students have been living there from medieval times to nowadays. But in these cities you won’t find “only books and libraries”, these places burst with a lot of bars, restaurants, parks, entertainment and a great nightlife. Some of these towns are:
1. Salamanca (Spain): It is a city in western Spain. The Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988 due to its beautiful buildings and urban environment. It is the most important University City in Spain and it is known for its contributions to the teaching of the Spanish language. Salamanca attracts thousands of international students, generating a diverse multicultural environment.
2. Coimbra (Portugal) : The univesity of Coimbra is one of the oldest universities in the world, it was founded in 1290. Don’t miss the chance to live its university students’ festivals. There are two festivals each year. The first one, called Latada (“The Tin Can Parade”) is a homecoming parade that occurs at the beginning of the academic year and the second one, Queima das Fitas (“The Burning of the Ribbons”) is one of the biggest student parties in all Europe.
3. Oxford (England): The city was made prominent by its medieval university. The University of Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Oxford is known as the “city of dreaming” spires, a term coined by the poet Matthew Arnold in reference to the harmonious architecture of Oxford’s university buildings.
4. Bologna (Italy): Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, it has a rich history, art and cuisine. It was the 2000’s European Capital of Culture. This town is home of the oldest University in the world although the true date of its founding is uncertain, but it’s believed by most accounts to have been 1088.
Do you know any other European College town? Have you lived in any of these? We would love to hear your opinions!
Where do you want to go this year? Are you looking for an outstanding destination for your next vacation? Check these 10 trips carrefully picked by National Geographic that you can find in Tourist Eye website:
1. Ulan Bator (Mongolia): It’s the country’s capital and largest city. It lies at an elevation of about 1,310 metres in a valley on the Tuul River. Here you can visit lot of temples like Chojin Lama Monastery , The Winter Palace or make an unforgetable expediton around the Gobi’s desert.
2. Plitvice Lakes (Croatia): The Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia’s most popular tourist attraction, was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1979. The beauty of the National Park lies in its sixteen lakes, inter-connected by a series of waterfalls, and set in deep woodland populated by deer, bears, wolves, boars and rare bird species.
3. Sardinia (Italy): It’s the second largest island of Italy. The mountainous interior conceals prehistoric stone dwellings and Bronze Ages castles.Don’t miss the opportunity to visit Porto Cervo in Costa Smeralda, an exclusive summer destination.
4. Tasmania (Australia): In Australia’s smallest state, you’ll find remoted rain forests, white beaches, blue water, lot of National Parks like Mount William and picturesque places such as The Bay of Fires, a coast covered by orange rocks.
5. Norway: Known as “the Region of Fjords”, it also encompasses glaciers, mountains and waterfalls included in UNESCO World Heritage. In this amazing country you can practice ice climbing, glacier walking, caving or hop a ferry, book a cruise, or rent a kayak.
6. Uruguay: This country provides the highest quality of life of South America. The Punta del Este’s beaches are the favourites of the South American jet set. The capital city, Montevideo is a vibrant and eclectic place with a rich cultural life. In southwestern Uruguay, you may visit the streets of Colonia del Sacramento, a 17th century district (a Unesco World Heritage site).
7. Shimla (India): It is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. The Kalka Shilma Railaway, is one of three Indian lines on the World Heritage List. It passes through 102 tunnels, across 864 bridges, and up 1,420 meters to the Shimla Hill station in northern Himachal Pradesh.
8. Messinia Region (Greece) : Located on the southwest Peloponnesian coast, features numerous World Heritage sites including Olympia and Mystras.
9. Dominica: Situated between Guadeloupe and Martinique, is a paradise due to the volcanic bedrock canyons, beautiful waterfalls, deep gorges, mini-geysers and boling lakes.
10. Namibia: Southern Africa’s youngest nation is known for its deserts (Kalahari, Coastal and Namib). Also has several beautiful Natural Parks like Etosha National Park where you can see elephants, girafes, rhinos and lions. During the rains, huge members of flamingos arrive. Another park is the Mundulea Nature Reserve where you’ll find antelopes, leopards and hyenas.
We share with you the best tweets of @Touristeye of this week:
1.Egypt treasures damaged; people formed human chains to protect the objects and sites.http://ow.ly/3O510 #egypt #museum
2.Discovered an new uncontacted tribe in Brazil http://ow.ly/3Ps1Y
3.”Extinct” Salmon Discovered in Japanese Lake http://ow.ly/3PsLA
4.We now have more than 1.000 followers! Thanks to all of you. We love your retweets of our links and stories! Next step: 10.000! #touristeye
5.Happy Chinese New Year! It starts “The Year of the Rabbit”. http://ow.ly/3OJsv
6.Amazing video from an airplane flying over Los Angeles http://ow.ly/3O2Az #travel #flight
7. Do you know how to haggle prices in Morocco? http://ow.ly/3OSwo
8.Business Travellers VS. Children. Only-adults flights. What do you think about?http://ow.ly/3QmnB #flight
9.Win a photographic safari to South Africa! http://ow.ly/3Q8RH
10.Thinking about your next trip? Now available the “Essential Dublin” tour!! http://ow.ly/3PB00
The NGO Survival has found several uncontacted tribes in South America. What means “uncontacted”? People who haven’t had any contact with the dominant society.
About 100 uncontacted tribes are believed to exist worldwide. They live in remote, resource-rich areas, and they are threatened by invasive development.
One of them is formed by Indians living in Brazil near the Peruvian border, at the mouth of the Envira river. Last January 31st, The Indian National Fundation of Brazil took some aereal pictures from an airplane that show surprised aboriginal with machetes, spears and arrows.
The pictures reveal a healthy community that lives in a similar way to other Amazon Indians. They have vegetable gardens for fruit, potatos, peanuts, papaya, pumpkin and bananas. They hunt too; probably the men catch deer, monkeys and wild pigs. They use baskets to store vegetables and carry meat and probably fish, however, no canoes have been seen.
As many South America tribes, they use red body paint known as ucurum, made with annatto shurb seeds as decoration and for other religious reasons.
Oil workers and illegal loggers are invading the lands of uncontacted tribes in Peru, creating a big risk for these communities, as they may introduce infectious diseases and because they are responsible for the rainforest disappearing. So, this area is now in real risk and this tribe needs its territory protected.
Today, Thrusday February 3rd, some aspects of this tribe will be shown on the BBC channel (8pm, UK only) in Jungle, an episode of Human Planet.
Chinese New Year (known in China as “Spring Festival”) is the longest and most important traditional Chinese festivity. Today, February 2nd, families celebrate an annual reunion dinner, know as Chú Xī (除夕) that means “Eve of the Passing Year”. Food includes ducks, chicken and pigs. Windows and doors are decorated with red paper-cuts with phrases of happiness,longevity and wealth. Also, they believe that the sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and a new hair-cut and bright clothes symbolize a fresh start.
After dinner, parents give red envelopes containing cash to junior members of the family for good luck. Some families go to local temples to pray and then, many neighbourhoods hold parties and a countdown to the new year.
At midnight, fireworks and firecrakers are launched in big cities like Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai and some teams of people follow symbolic rituals like “lion dance” and “dragon dance” that can be composed of up to 50 people to evict bad spirits.
There are fifteen days of celebrations and 2011 it is the” Year of the Rabbit”. In the Chinese zodiac, the rabbit is fourth in a cycle of 12 animals that represent each Chinese New Year. The Year of the Rabbit occurs from February 3,2011 to January 22, 2012. This year should be peaceful acording to the Chinese mitology.
Chinese New Year is celebrated in countries and territories with significant Chinese populations such as Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and also in Chinatowns elsewhere.
