Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for international travel
Leapfrogging in Samoa
By Linda Tancs
In Samoa, time really did stand still. The Pacific island lost a day (30 December, to be precise) when it shifted its international dateline on 29 December to be in sync with that of its major trading partners, Australia and New Zealand. The dateline, which runs through the middle of the Pacific, now runs to the east of the island nation rather than to its west.
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Peru
By Linda Tancs
Lake Titicaca, located between Bolivia and Peru, is the highest navigable lake in the world. Conveniently accessed from Juliaca airport, take the bus or a taxi to Puno, Peru’s capital of folklore. Your midsummer adventure there should include the cylindrical Sillustani burial towers, one of the world’s most important necropolises just outside Puno. The cathedral in Puno, built in 1757, is warm and inviting against a frosty midsummer night sky. After all, the city is located over 3000 meters above sea level.
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Slovenian Capital of Culture
By Linda Tancs
Maribor, the second largest city in Slovenia, is a 2012 European Capital of Culture. The festivities began this past weekend with music, theatre and dance performances. The year’s events will encompass events as varied as carnival and contemporary dance. Youth art is a particular highlight, quite fitting as Maribor will follow on this year’s cultural award as the European Youth Capital in 2013.
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Portuguese Capital of Culture
By Linda Tancs
Inland from Porto, Portugal, Guimarães is a 2012 European Capital of Culture. The city is known as the “cradle of Portugal” as it’s the birthplace of the nation’s first king, Afonso Henriques. The area is well known for its linens and embroidery, too. In the vicinity is Mateus Palace, whose picture graces the wine label of the same name. The kick-off for festivities is 21 January with a theatre and multimedia open-air show. The year’s events focus on four themes: City, Community, Thought and Arts.
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Go Fly a Kite
By Linda Tancs
The transition of the sun into the Northern Hemisphere has heads turning skyward in India on 14 January. On that day, Indians celebrate this celestial occurrence with a festival called Makar Sankranti, the annual kite festival. The kite flying event is particularly popular in Jaipur, where Air Force helicopters release kites resembling wasps, stained glass windows and birds, among other things. The three-day festival ends with the crowning of winners for the display kite and fighter kite competitions.
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The Land Nearest Nowhere
By Linda Tancs
If you have a hankering for a trip to nowhere in particular, then the land nearest nowhere is as good a destination as any. So where is nowhere? Answer: Cape Three Points in Ghana, West Africa, where zero latitude meets zero longitude at zero altitude. You’ll avoid the rainy season this time of year although a weather phenomenon known as the harmattan, a dry northeast wind, blows almost continuously in January and February. The drive from Takoradi, dotted with crop farms, rubber plantations and local fora and fauna is just as amazing as the panoramic views from the solar-powered 1925 lighthouse waiting for you at the Cape. Now that sounds more like somewhere to me.
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The Hawaii of Korea
By Linda Tancs
Hailed as the “Hawaii of Korea,” Jeju is Korea’s largest island, situated 64 kilometers or so south of the Korean Peninsula. Like its sister in the U.S., it offers a temperate climate, breathtaking vistas, volcanoes and a traditional culture. Unlike Hawaii, it does offer snow–sometimes lots of it. All the better to enjoy the snow flowers of Mt. Halla, a must-see in winter.
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Sri Lanka Requires ETA For Travel
By Linda Tancs
New year, new beginnings. Sri Lanka now requires visitors (except for Singapore and Maldives travelers) to obtain an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) in advance of travel. The ETA requirement applies to a holiday visit, a short business trip or a transit through Sri Lanka. Applications may be made online or in person.
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A Beach in Winter
By Linda Tancs
A haven for beachgoers might not immediately jump to mind as a place to count down the New Year–that is, unless you’re in Ravenna, Italy. Now in its fifth year, Sea in Winter offers travelers the opportunity to enjoy a sea-centered holiday season. Enjoy the sand-made Nativity at the marina, Sunday shopping tours through January, art shows, yachting, and a BBK disco-sponsored New Year’s Eve celebration. Of course, Ravenna was the seat of the Roman Empire in the fifth century and then of Byzantine Italy until the eighth century. Boasting a unique collection of early Christian mosaics and monuments, there’s enough to keep you busy while you revel in the New Year. Buon anno!
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Ski Tours of the Dolomites
By Linda Tancs
Alpine fever is at a peak in the Dolomites, where travelers enjoy some of the best on-piste ski touring in the world. Not just a summer haven for hikers and climbers, the peaks afford some 16 skiing tours through 12 different ski resorts with runs enough for every experience range. With variety like that, why not take the family on a ski safari? You’ll explore the Dolomites entirely on skis, moving from hut to hut each night. Of course, there’s also snowshoeing and backcountry skiing for those wanting a more relaxed vibe. The Dolomites cover 90,000 acres of the Italian Alps. Go ahead, pick your piste.
