Interesting travel flying service in Alaska

I have just found one very interesting and promising way to explore endless lands of Alaska. What about a trip over the glaciers, mountains, and islands across Kachemak Bay in our fully restored classic Alaskan seaplane.

If this type of journey fits your interests, Kachemak Bay Flying Service is what you need. On our one-hour scenic flight you will fly over glaciers and ice fields, past ridges that are the summer home of Alaskan mountain goats and black bears. You will fly down green valleys, past waterfalls, through fjords where remote cabins dot the shoreline. There are quite often wild eagles, sea otters, and seals which you can see from the plane.

I am sure you will be obsessed by the atmosphere of misty fjords, crystal glaciers or sightseeings like giant humpback whales, breaching high into the air, then crashing back against the sea.Here is map for Kachemak Bay Flying Service.

          Watch how a seaplane lands near the several cruise ships docked in Alaska

Photo of the day – Rio Urubamba Slithers

The river Urubamba (or Urupanpa) is born in the knot of Vilcanota, in Peru, from where it crosses great part of the territory of the Cusco Region with the name of Vilcanota river. When passing by the city of Urubamba, it receives the name of Urubamba river.The turbulence of the Urubamba river, crossing the Sacred Valley of the Incas, is lent for the practice of the reduction of rivers, that is one of more interesting the tourist attractions of adventure in Peru.

Google Earth Placemark – Rio Urubambe

Climbing trip to Jungfrau and Eiger mountains in Switzerland

One of the most famous mountains in the world, Eiger has a height of 3970 meters and it is situated at the Jungfrau Region in Berner Oberland, Switzerland. The popularity of Eiger can be credited to its north face which has captured the interest of many climbing enthusiasts. Eiger offers a significant challenge to those who wish to reach its summit.It has several routes in varying levels of difficulty. The easiest route to the top of Eiger is West Flank and West Ridge. Other routes include Mittellegi Ridge, North Face, Northeast Face, and South Ridge.

Here is aerial video from Eiger mountains

Google Earth Placemark – Jungfrau and Eiger mountains in Switzerland

Awesome Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard

The Pont du Gard aqueduct is one really amazing masterpice of Roman Architecture and was built shortly before the Christian era to allow the aqueduct of Nimes (which is almost 50 km long) to cross the Gard river. The Roman architects and hydraulic engineers who designed this bridge, which stands almost 50 m high and is on three levels, the longest measuring 275 m, created a technical as well as an artistic masterpiece.

Pont du Gard means literally bridge of the Gard river. The Gard river, which has given its name to the Gard departement, does not actually exist under this name. The river, formed by many tributaries, several of which are called Gardon, is itself called Gardon until its end.

Its construction is attributed to Augustus, son-in-law and aide, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa. Designed to carry the water across the small Gardon river valley, it was part of a nearly 50 km (31 mi) aqueduct that brought water from springs near Uzes to the Roman city of Nemausus (Nimes). The full aqueduct had a gradient of 34 cm/km (1/3000), descending only 17 m vertically in its entire length and delivering 20,000 cubic meters (44 million gallons) of water daily.

It was constructed entirely without the use of mortar. The aqueduct’s stones, some of which weigh up to 6 tons, are held together with iron clamps. The masonry was lifted into place by block and tackle with a massive human-powered treadmill providing the power for the winch. A complex scaffold was erected to support the aqueduct as it was being built. The face of the aqueduct still bears the mark of its construction, in the form of protruding scaffolding supports and ridges on the piers which supported the semicircular wooden frames on which the arches were constructed. It is believed to have taken about three years to build, employing between 800 and 1,000 workers.

From the 4th century onwards, its maintenance was neglected, and deposits filled up to two thirds of the conduit space. By the 9th century, it became unusable, and the people of the area started using its stones for their own purposes. However, the majority of the Pont du Gard remains remarkably intact. From the Middle Ages to the 18th century, the aqueduct was used as a conventional bridge to facilitate foot traffic across the river. The pillars of the second level were reduced in width to make more room for the traffic, but this jeopardized the stability of the structure. In 1702 the pillars were restored to their original width in order to safeguard the aqueduct. In 1743, a new bridge was built next to the arches of the lower level, so that the road traffic could cross on a purpose-built bridge. The aqueduct was restored in the 18th century, by which time it had become a major tourist sight, and was restored again in the reign of Napoleon III in the mid-19th century.The outstanding quality of the bridge’s masonry led to it becoming an obligatory stop for French journeymen masons on their traditional tour around the country, many of whom have left their names on the stonework. Markings left by the original builders can also be seen, indicating the positions in which the dressed stones were to be placed: for instance, FRS II (standing for frons sinistra II, or “front left 2″).

Admirably integrated into a natural site that has preserved its wild charm, The Pont du Gard fascinates each of its visitors with its elegance and majesty. Two thousand years after its construction, this ancient edifice is still a veritable masterpiece, as much for the technical prowess involved as for its simple beauty. This monument is registered as a World Heritage of Man since 1985. It attracts more than a million tourists each year and is the 2nd most visited provincial monument after Mont-Saint-Michel.Below is a aerial video of Pont du Gard aqueduct ruins

Google Earth Placemark – The Pont du Gard aqeuduct

Best 5 cheap restaurants in Pasadena, California

About a week ago i had a conversation with a friend of mine who just settled in Pasadena, California, and without no sense we started to talk about food. He started to explain me how many good places for cheap food there are in Pasadena, so now i decided to make a list with best 5 cheap restaurants there.

I will start with Tonny’s Restaurant, which is one very good place for mexican food. It works 24 hour a day and they have a lot of interesting Mexican and breakfast dishes. You can get oxtail or catfish and eggs, seafood tostadas, shrimp omelettes, and of course the standard Mexican fare along with pancakes, french toast, sausage, bacon, horchata, etc.
Go to the Tonny’s Restaurant with Google Maps.
Second best in my list is Connal’s Burgers which offers traditional burgers and shakes. They have interesting menus including Grinder Submarine Sandwich, Connal’s Famous Original Hamburgers, Salads and French Dips.
Go to the Connal’s Burgers with Google Maps.
Third is ranked Lebanese Kitchen and it gets high accolades for several reasons. They serve Lot’s of food and it is very very tasty and inexpensive. The shish kebab were packed with flavor. The baba ganoush was smoky and yummy. I loved the stuffed grape leaves, while my friend claimed the falafel was the best she’d ever had.
Go to the Lebanese Kitchen with Google Maps.
The Forth place is for Wolfe Burger. This place doesn’t have the best burgers in town or anything, but they’re still decent enough to splurge on every now and then you’re in the mood to spend a lot more than usual on a burger, fries and coke. Some pluses of this place is the personal, people who works there are so friendly and make really tasty Veggie burgers and Buritos.
Go to Wolfe Burger with Google Maps.
The fifth place takes Sinbala, a great little Chinese eatery which serves the BEST Chinese sausages hands down. Of course the sausage is what everyone goes for, but the rest of the menu is great also. Large drink menu and the Taiwanese ice is one of the best you can order there for low cost.
Go to Sinbala with Google Maps.
I hope these places will come in handy if you need some fast, cheap and delicious food in Pasadena, California

Hopewell Rocks near New Brunswick

The Hopewell Rocks are rock formations caused by tidal erosion in The Rocks Provincial Park in New Brunswick. They are located on the shores of the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Cape, New Brunswick, Canada. Due to the exteme tidal range of the Bay of Fundy, the formations are covered in water twice a day. Howerver, it it is possible to view the formations from ground level at low tide.

Forever restless, the Bay of Fundy tides are in constant motion. As life ebbs and flows just beneath the surface, tidal waters rise and fall, and the shoreline continually evolves. This is the intrigue and uniqueness of the Bay of Fundy, where the highest tides in the world wash the shores twice daily, exposing life, creating life, sustaining life.

The formations consist of dark sedimentary conglomerate and sandstone rock. The large volume of water flowing into and out of the Bay of Fundy modifies the landscape surrounding it. Over centuries following the retreat of the last glaciers from the region after the previous ice age, the water has been eroding the base of the rock formations that were not removed as sediment to other parts of the Bay. As sea level rises, the tide and wave action work their way up the base of the rock formations giving them the sculped form. The spring and neap tides show the greatest variability where the tidal range is maximal and minimal. The vast sediment planes in the basin in Fundy support a variety of biological productivity. Various shore birds are often seen flocking to nest and feed in the area.

Tourism aside, the phenomenon is a must see for anyone in the Moncton area. We advise you to stay for a full tidal cycle to a full appreciation of the formation and the tidal range.

Google Earth Placemark – Hopewell Rocks

The Old Man of Storr at isle of Skye

If you plan your next vacations in Scotland, you can just forget about the Edinburgh Fringe. You might be impressed by the sound of shows performed in department stores, charity shops, people’s houses and the secret basements of grand buildings, but when it comes to remarkable locations, you won’t find better than The Storr on the Isle of Skye. That’s because this environmental artwork has nature on its side.

The Trotternish ridge is one of the most spectacular stretches of countryside in Britain, a near pristine area of high cliffs, pinnacles and buttresses rising to the iconographic Old Man of Storr, a 48m spike of Jurassic rock that dominates the landscape on a clear day.

Lots of individual and localised effects of erosion have created the most impressive natural features to be seen on the island. These include The Quiraing, Kilt Rock and perhaps the most well-known of all, The Storr and it’s “Old Man”. The Storr is an escarpment composed of Tertiary basalt lavas resting on Jurassic sediments – primarily shales. At its base is a malaise of rocks and pinnacles, including The Old Man of Storr which rises alone, casting an element of mystery to the general scene.

if you want to go the and hike note that there is a good footpath, starting at the notice board and stile, from the car park to the Old Man of Storr and the surrounding rock formations. The route goes steadily up hill and it usually takes about 3 quaters of an hour to reach the Old Man. Once there it is possible to walk around and up to the pinnacle, a path branches off to the left before the Old Man. For the more energetic it is possible to continue along the footpath and climb The Storr hill (570m). Another option, for impressive views of the Trotternish Ridge is to follow the footpath uphill, past the Old Man and instead of climbing The Storr head north-west and up Hartaval. This affords fine views of the Trotternish Ridge.

Google Earth Placemark – The Old Man of Storr

Are you ready for some surfing at Teahupoo

Teahupoo (pronounced Cho-poo) is a world-renowned surfing location off the south-east of Tahiti, located in Papeete Island, French Polynesia, southern Pacific Ocean. It is known for its heavy, glassy waves, often reaching 2-3m (7-10ft) and higher. It is the site of the annual Billabong Pro Tahiti surf competition, part of the World Championship Tour (WCT) of the ASP World Tour professional surfing circuit and used to be one stop in the World Tour of the International Bodyboarding Association.

Tahiti’s Teahupoo is essentially a glorified closeout – a hideous, deadly barrel promising a heap of trouble for even the most capable of surfers. No other surf spot extracts a higher toll than Teahupoo, the heaviest wave in the world.

The quiet town of Teahupoo rests along the southwest corner of the smaller of Tahiti’s two dormant volcanoes, Tahiti Iti, separated from the larger by the Isthmus of Taravao. Literally translated as “the hot head,” King Teahupoo’s son once avenged his father’s death by feasting on the fresh brain of the son of his murderer. The town of Teahupoo has vehemently retained its native culture, despite the influx of tourists, who are confronted with an array of local crafts but not a single McDonald’s (which is goood:) ). Recognized as a surf destination since the ’60s, the island is ringed with coral atolls receiving abundant swell via the roaring 40s. No land stands in its way, so Tahiti enjoys Hawaiian power during our summer months, providing an off-season challenge comparable to the North Shore. Finding a suitable reef pass is the only job you need to do if you want to surf.

Ages ago, freshwater from the mountains flowed into the ocean, eroding the reef and creating what is known today as Passe Havae. The pass is located where the town’s paved road ends, thus its early name, “The End of the Road.” The channel at Teahupoo isn’t actually a channel at all, as the wave bends and races along into a below sea level dry reef closeout. A 15-minute paddle from land, Teahupoo’s severe shape results from a drastic change in gradient as powerful swells leave a gently sloping bottom and are hurled forward by the reef. The lip, as thick as it is tall, pitches with such velocity that one must take off under it to avoid being launched. Guts alone may cut it at some big-wave venues, but here they’ll get you killed. An iron sack must be accompanied by finesse in negotiating a wave that has relegated Pipeline to mere warm-up status.

Tahitian Thierry Vernaudon claims he was the first to ride Teahupoo in 1985 with a few other locals, but the small waves they surfed were hardly the beasts we’ve come to know. Bodyboarders Mike Stewart and Ben Severson stumbled upon the End of the Road the following year, and it soon became something of an underground spot for psychotic bodyboarders.

I suggest you to watch to video below and think again is Teahupoo is your location for next excursion or not…

BILLABONG BIG WAVES TEAHUPOO TAHITI

… and remember that there are mermaids there…

Amazing views from Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina

The Perito Moreno Glacier is located in the Los Glaciares National Park in the south west of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia.

If you are on excursion there probably first you will go through the Patagonia valley with its natural environment of species such as guanacos, ostriches, foxes, etc. Afterwards you will enjoy many interesting spots: Cerro Comision o De Los Elefantes, river Centinela, Cerro Frias (guanacos site), many Patagonian farmhouses and, across the Mitre river you will get into National Park Los Glaciares. Then, you will go 35 km along the coast of of Lake Argentino’s Rico Branch, among vegetation of incredible trees such as nires, lengas, notros and cherry trees and at Curva de Los Suspiros you will get the first panoramic view of Glacier Perito Moreno.

An ice cloak, or glacial cap, covers this Protected Area of 600,000 hectares. Among the 356 glaciers, the Perito Moreno is the most outstanding one, having a front of 5 km long and a height of over 60 meters above the level of the water. The 250 square km ice formation, of 30 km in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile. This icefield is the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that are not retreating. Periodically the glacier advances over the L-shaped “Lago Argentino” (“Argentine Lake”) forming a natural dam which separates the two halves of the lake when it reaches the opposite shore. With no escape route, the water-level on the Brazo Rico side of the lake can rise by up to 30 meters above the level of the main lake. The enormous pressure produced by this mass of waters finally breaks the ice barrier holding it back, in a spectacular rupture event. This dam/rupture cycle is not regular and it naturally recurs at any frequency between once a year to less than once a decade.

The terminus of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 km wide, with an average height of 60 meters above the surface of the water, with a total ice depth of 170 meters. It advances at a speed of up to 2 m per day (around 700 m per year), although it loses mass at approximately the same rate, meaning that aside from small variations, its terminus has not advanced or receded in the past 90 years. At its deepest part, the glacier has a depth of approximately 700 m.

The Perito Moreno glacier, located 78 km from El Calafate, was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century and played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict surrounding the international border dispute with Chile.

Below you can view really astonishing picture of Perito Moreno’s beauty.

Google Earth Placemark – Perito Moreno Glacier

The womb of Mankind – lake Titikaka in Bolivia

The Incas called Cuzco “the navel of the world” and the lake Titikaka “The womb of Mankind” , lakeside dwellers of today regard themselves as the “oldest people in the world”.Lake Titikaka in Bolivia is one really amazing place to see. It covers approximately 9000 square km and like many things in Bolivia it takes another highest championship: it is the world’s highest navigable lake (12,500 feet) 3,820 meters, its depth was recently measured at 457 Mt. Lake Titikaka has long been known to be not only the largest but also the most sacred in the world. Many cultures and civilisations have risen near it.The Tiawanaku culture began its raise around the time of Christ and lasted over a millennium , extending far into Puno and Northern Chile. Tiawanaku ceremonial sites were constructed along the shores of Lake Titikaka, indicating that the lake was considered sacred at least 2,000 years ago. The Incas believed they originated from the lake Titikaka and that their bearded, white leader/deity Viracocha began his acts of creation on this island . Clearly lake Titikaka played a dominant role in Andean beliefs for over two millennia.

The best known of Titikaka island are Taquile and Uros, the floating islands made of bulrushes, on the Peruvian side of the lake and the islands of the Sun and of the Moon on the Bolivian side. Bulrushes (totora) grow in the low waters of the lake , they have always been of multiple use for the natives . The people from the Titikaka region weave this plant very well to make rafts which seem to be made of woven glob fibre; they cut swiftly through the waters of the great lake. Birds nests among the bulrushes , providing eggs for human consumption , the matted plants serve as a foundation to built bulrush houses on. The most important geographical features of Titikaka include the Copacabana peninsula which contains remains of cultures dating back to long before the Spanish influence in South America .

Bolivia as country is a premier adventure travel destination. It is the fifth-largest country in South America and one of the most geographically diverse countries in the world. The Altiplano, a high mountain plateau where Andean civilization first developed, lies between two ranges of the Andes mountains that tower over 23,000 feet. Visitors come to this region to experience the amazingly beautiful waters, landscapes, and cultures of Lake Titikaka. Bolivia’s terrain ranges from spectacular Andean peaks to dense Amazonian rain forests, such as the jungles of Madidi National Park, Noel Kempf Mercado National Park on the border with Brazil.

In Bolivia, with the largest indigenous population in the Americas, Andean culture is alive and strong. Visitors experience Bolivia’s great indigenous heritage and enjoy traditional native architecture, clothing, colorful markets, handcrafts, dances, music, and seeing the daily life of Aymara communities. In La Paz, campesina women in bowler hats and flared skirts sell their products in huge open air markets. In some regions, you are more likely to hear the indigenous Aymara language than Spanish. Being in Bolivia is like stepping back in time by many years.

That’s how Lake Titikaka looks from space. Here is Google Earth Placemark for Lake Ttitikaka in Bolivia.

Quick Facts for Lake Titikaka:

Altitude: 12,500 ft (3,810m) above sea level; the highest navigable lake in the world, lying between Peru and Bolivia
Area: covers 3,205 square miles (8,301 square kilometers)
Length: 120 miles running northwest to southeast
Widest point: 50 miles
Avg. depth: 328 ft.
Fishes: being an alpine lake only two species are native to the lake—killfish (Orestias) and catfish (Trichomycterus); trout were introduced in the 1950s.
Other species: Large frog (Telmatobius) up to 1 ft. long
Other facts: -Fed by 25 rivers
-May tide as much 16ft.
-Forty-one islands

The Great Barrier Reef near Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is my humble oppinion one of the Nature’s biggest wonders. It is the world’s largest coral reef system, composed of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands, that stretch for 2,600 kilometres (1,616 mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in north-east Australia. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is sometimes referred to as the largest single living organism in the world (In reality, it is made up of many millions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps). The living reef structure is believed to have begun growing about 18,000 years ago, but the oldest coral on the reef now is a species of Porites known as boulder coral, which is only about 1,000 years old and it grows about 1 centimetre per year.

The Great Barrier Reef is habited by 30 species of whales, dolphins, or porpoises including the Dwarf Minke Whale, Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin and the Humpback whale. There are also large populations of dugongs, six species of sea turtle come to the reef to breed – Green Sea Turtle, Leatherback Sea Turtle, Hawksbill turtle, Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Flatback Turtle, and Olive Ridley. The air above the Reef has more than 200 species of birds (including 40 species of waterbirds). There are also records of 5000 species of mollusc, 14 species of sea snakes, more than 1500 species of fish (including the Clownfish, Red Bass, Red-Throat Emperor, and several species of Snapper and Coral Trout). The corals are about 400 species both hard corals and soft type. There are 15 species of seagrass near the Reef that attract the dugongs and sea turtles. 500 species of marine algae or seaweed live on the Reef. The irukandji jellyfish also lives on the Reef.

Expect more about The Great Barrier Reef in near future.

World’s Best Beaches: Venezuelan Playa Medina

Probably everyone of us who likes Sun and Water has his own imaginary beaches where to chill, drink some cocktails, party, etc. Here is one of the World’s Best Beaches, the Playa Medina in Venezuela. It is located about an hour east of Carupano, on the Paria Peninsula in the state of Sucre. Originally Playa Medina was a coconut plantation it has numerous palms fringe the crescent beach, and the dense forests of the mountains form a contrasting deep green backdrop to the golden color of the sand.This beach has one really breathtaking bay, which measures near 500 meters across in length. Playa Medina has notable touristic infrastructure, whith the immaculation of the beach, with plenty of secure parking and numerous establishments for local gastronomical delicacie, it is nestled under the palm trees are 8 small cabins offering all-inclusive packages that include all food and drink, beach services, excursions within the area, as well as transfers from Carupano airport. No water sports are allowed here, so the emphasis is on relaxation.

There is also an offer for a water-buffalo ranch in the swampy lowlands where visitors stay in attractive thatched huts with magnificent views of the watery savannah. The owners are keen conservationists and are experimenting with alternative power sources such as solar energy and biogas. They use no chemicals on the ranch, and consequently the wildlife is thriving.

Playa Medina is on a 10-hour drive from Caracas and is accessible only via rough dirt roads and retain its virtually pristine beauty, except during local holidays when they can get crowded. It has comfortable, unobtrusive cabanas and restaurant facilities run by the private consortium Corpomedina. The Medina cabanas cost a little more $136.

Further east, where the roads end and the Parque Nacional Peninsula de Paria begins, you can really have beaches all to yourself. Trails that crisscross the park’s rarely visited mountains offer the chance of some close-up views of the wildlife. This includes several species of birds found nowhere else in the world, like the yellow-faced redstart, the white-throated barbtail and the scissor-tailed hummingbird. Below are some other “strange birds”, but fortunately i think they are just chillin in Playa Medina.

palmeras en playa medina

What a place to see – Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai, China

In the western part of Shanghai, a very modern and flourishing city, there is a venerable and famous Buddhist temple, Jade Buddha Temple. As with most modern Chinese Buddhist temples, the current temple draws from both the Pure Land and Chan traditions of Mahayana Buddhism. It was founded in 1882 with two jade Buddha statues imported to Shanghai from Burma by sea. These were a sitting Buddha (1.95 metres tall, 3 tonnes), and a smaller reclining Buddha representing Buddha’s death. The temple was destroyed during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Fortunately the jade Buddha statues were saved and a new temple was built on the present site in 1928. It was named the Jade Buddha Temple. The temple now also contains a much larger reclining Jade Buddha, donated from Singapore, and visitors may mistake this larger sculpture for the original, smaller piece.

At the time emperor Guang Xu in the Qing Dynasty (1875-1908) ruled China, Hui Gen, a Mount Putuo abbot went on a pilgrimage to Tibet via the two famous Chinese mountains Mount Wutai and Mount Emei. First he goes to Tibet and then he contiduen his jorney to Burma. By this time Mr. Chen Jun-Pu, an overseas Chinese resident in Burma, donated five Jade statues of Buddha to Hui Gen, who transported two of them back to Jiang-wan, Shanghai. Here Hui Gen had a temple built with collected from various sorces money, mostly of them donated, and died shortly thereafter. This temple was occupied during the 1911 uprising, and the statues were moved to Maigen Road.

An Abbot by the name of Ke Chen later had a new temple built on land donated by a Mr. Shen. The construction took ten years, and lasted from 1918-1928. Ke Chen also invited Reverend Di Xian from Tian Tai mountain to come and lecture on Buddhism in a magnificent ceremony. In 1956, a ceremony was held at the temple by the Shanghai Buddhist Association to celebrate the 2500th anniversary of Gautama Buddha’s enlightenment. In 1966, during the cultural revolution, the monks made a living by selling handicrafts. Monk Zhizhi Xuan and others made a trip to Dunhuang via Xinjiang In 1985. Shortly after their return regular scripture lectures, meditation and other features of temple life were resumed.

The two precious jade Buddhist statues are not only rare cultural relics but also porcelain artworks. Both the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with whole white jade. The sparkling and crystal-clear white jade gives the Buddhas the beauty of Jade Buddha in Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghaisanctity and make them more vivid. The Sitting Buddha is 190 centimeters high and encrusted by the agate and the emerald, portraying the Buddha at the moment of his meditation and enlightenment. The Recumbent Buddha is 96 centimeters long, lying on the right side with the right hand supporting the head and the left hand placing on the left leg, this shape is called the ‘lucky repose’. The sedate face shows the peaceful mood of Sakyamuni when he left this world. In the temple there is also another Recumbent Buddha which is four meters long and was brought from Singapore by the tenth abbot of the temple in 1989. Furthermore there are many other ancient paintings and Buddhist scriptures distributed in the different halls of the temple.

Although the history of the Jade Buddha Temple is not very long, the old-time and classical architectural style makes the temple unique and inimitable in this modern city. Devajara Hall, Mahavira Hall and the Jade Buddha Tower make up the main structure of the temple and at sides are the Kwan-yin Dian Hall, the Amitabha Dian Hall, the Zen Tang Hall, the Dining-Room and the Recumbent Buddha Hall.

Chamber of Four Heavenly Kings – The Chamber of Four Heavenly Kings contains the statues of Maitreya, Wei Tuo Bodhisattva and the Four Heavenly Kings, who represent favorable circumstance. The chamber is located on the southern-edge, or ‘front’ of the temple.

Grand Hall – Also called the Great Hall, this hall contains many statues.
* Three Golden Buddhas. The central sculpture is of Gautama Buddha, the left Amitabha and the right Bhaisajyaguru.
* Gods of the Twenty Heavens. The Gods of the Twenty Heavens, covered in gold, line the eastern and western sides of the Grand Hall.
* 18 Arhats. 18 unique golden Arhats stand in two groups of nine.
* Guanyin, Shen Cai and his 53 teachers. A large golden statue of Guanyin stands on at northern entrance to the Great Hall, with Shen Cai at her side and sculptures representing the 53 teachers of his life above.

Jade Buddha Chamber – The Jade Buddha Chamber is in the northern section of the temple, on the second floor. A fee of 10 yuan is charged to ascend to it. Some additional Buddhist sculptures are also viewable in the antechamber.

Public restaurant – The public restaurant is located on level two at the eastern edge of the temple and equipped with its own street entrance. Open daily, it serves a range of noodle dishes for five yuan per bowl, the most popular of which is ‘double mushroom noodles’ . Other dishes are served at moderate prices. Tickets are sold by color and this ticket is turned in inside the main eating room and your soup is then delivered to your table which you might share with others. Upstairs is a much more upscale restaurant at much higher prices.

Other – The temple also contains a private restaurant for the use of monks and temple volunteers, which is at the western edge of the temple complex. There is a visitor services office adjacent to the southern entrance, and a Buddhist library is also on the premises.

The Jade Buddha Temple is a good place to go whether you are a Buddhist or not, the peaceful and transcendent atmosphere adds a kind of richness to our busy modern society. Be aware that there is an admission fee of CNY 15, which is about $1.88, and it works from 8:30 to 17:00. Here is a Google Earth Placemark of the temple

and you can reach it by using following lines of Shanghay’s trasportation system.19, 14, 36, 54, 63, 68, 76, 105, 106, 112, 113, 138, 206, 223, 506, 516, 550, 563, 738, 768, 830, 837, 866, 922

Cool Reno Balloon Racing Timelapse Video

One hundred six balloons in a mass ascension at the Reno Balloon Race. Can you see where the cow jumped over the moon? This was shot with a Canon S3 using GBTimelapse and a Canon Pro1 running in continuous mode. The master copy of this video is in 1920×1080 HD mode – if only there were a way for you to see it in hi-def…

Reno Balloon Race 2006

Nigeria the most populous country on the African continent

Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa and the most populous country on the African continent. Nigeria shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, Niger in the north, and borders the Gulf of Guinea in the south.

The people of Nigeria have an extensive history, and based on archaeological evidence, human habitation of the area dates back to at least 9000 BC. The Benue-Cross River area is thought to be the original homeland of the Bantu migrants who spread across most of central and southern Africa in waves between the 1st millennium BC and the 2nd millennium AD. However, the Nigerian state came into being on October 1, 1960 when Nigeria declared its independence from the British and at present consists of 36 states and the federal capital territory. Nigeria re-achieved democracy in 1999 after a sixteen-year interruption by a series of military dictators. From 1966 until 1999, Nigeria had been ruled (except the short-lived second republic, 1979-1983) by military dictators who seized power in coups and counter-coups.

Located in western Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria has a total area of 356,669 mi? (923,768 km?[1]); of that around 5,000 square miles (13,100 km) is water. Its size makes it the world’s 32nd-largest country (after Tanzania). It is comparable in size to Venezuela, and is a little more than half the size of the U.S. state of Alaska. It shares a 2,515-mile (4,047-km) border with Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

The highest point in Nigeria is Chappal Waddi at 7,936 feet (2,419 m).

Nigeria has a varied landscape. From the Obudu Hills in the southeast through the beaches in the south, the rainforest, the Lagos estuary and savanna in the middle and southwest of the country and the Sahel and the encroaching Sahara Desert in the extreme north.

Nigeria’s main rivers are the Niger and the Benue which converge and empty into the Niger Delta, one of the world’s largest river deltas.

Nigeria is also an important centre for biodiversity. It is widely believed that the areas surrounding Calabar, Cross River State, contain the world’s largest diversity of butterflies. The drill monkey is only found in the wild in Southeast Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon.

Brief introduction of Cuba

The Caribbean harbors a jewel in the Island of Cuba. The tropical Island extends 750 miles (roughly the size of Pennsylvania) and is a beautiful mix of mountain ranges and plains. There are over 200 bays and 289 sun drenched beaches to explore. The main ports are located in the provinces of Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas, Nuevitas and Santiago de Cuba.

Cuba has no plants or animals that are lethal to humans (Yes, this includes poisonous snakes!) The mountain ranges include the Sierra Maestra to the East, the Cordillera de los Organos to the West, and the Sierra del Escambray in the central region.

Cuba National sign
The elongated island of Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and is bounded to the north by the Straits of Florida and the greater North Atlantic Ocean, to the northwest by the Gulf of Mexico, to the west by the Yucatan Channel, to the south by the Caribbean Sea, and to the east by the Windward Passage. The Republic comprises the entire island, including many outlying islands such as the Isle of Youth, previously known as the Isle of Pine, with the exception of Guantanamo Bay, a naval base that has been leased by the United States since 1903. The mainland is the world’s 16th largest island.The economy of Cuba is based on state ownership with some small scale private enterprise existing at the fringes. Tourism has become one of the largest sources of income for Cuba, and in 1993 the U.S. dollar was made legal tender (the country operated under a dual-currency system); this arrangement was, however, revoked on 25 October 2004.The Cuban economy was hit hard in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Comecon economic bloc, with which it had traded predominantly. More recent problems include high oil prices, recessions in key export markets such as sugar and nickel, damage from hurricanes (most recently an estimated 1 billion dollars economic damage from hurricane Charley), depressed tourism, and faltering world economic conditions. In late 2003, and early 2004, both tourism levels and nickel prices increased. One other factor in the recovery of the Cuban economy is the remittances of Cuban-Americans (which constitute almost 3% of the Cuban Economy, by some estimates). Cuba currently trades with almost every nation in the world (including the U.S.). However, Cuba owes billions in Paris Club debt to nations such as France, Japan and Germany.