Travel & Tourist Maps, Utilities and Curiosities from the World
Located in the southeast of Spain, between the city of Murcia and the Sierra Espuña Regional Park, the Barrancos de Gebas is one of the most fascinating landscapes in Spain.
The semi-desert area, reminiscent of the American badlands, has a lunar landscape characterized by spectacular gullies, canyons and the turquoise waters of the Embalse de la Rambla of Algeciras.
Owing to the dry atmosphere, elevation and stable climate, Mauna Kea is one of the best sites in the world for astronomical observation.
On its summit, there are observatories useful for scientific research, despite not well considered by Native Hawaiians, for whom the summits of the Hawaiian mountains are sacred places.
The MKVIS Maunakea Visitor Station is accessible for tourists.
The Croagh Patrick (also known as “The Reek”), whose names means (St.) Patrick’s stack, is considered the holiest mountain in Ireland.
It is located in County Mayo on the Wild Atlantic Way, overlooking the Clew Bay; 764 meters high, it is the 4th highest mountains of the region.
Since the Stone Age the mountain carries on a tradition of pilgrimage; still nowadays every year (the last Friday and Sunday of July and the 15th of August) thousands of pilgrims ascend to the summit, where is believed Saint Patrick fasted for forty days in 441 AD. According to the tradition, the pilgrims should climb the mountain barefoot.
The view of the Clew Bay and the charming town of Westport from the top is absolutely outstanding. The 7km round trip walk trail starts from the Murrisk car park.
“The rainbow is seen by day, and it was formerly thought that it never appeared by night as a moon rainbow.
This opinion was due to the rarity of the occurrence: it was not observed, for though it does happen it does so rarely.
The reason is that the colours are not so easy to see in the dark and that many other conditions must coincide, and all that in a single day in the month.
For if there is to be one it must be at full moon, and then as the moon is either rising or setting. So we have only met with two instances of a moon rainbow in more than fifty years”
It seems a bit weird that a river doesn’t reach the sea, but this is what happens to the Okavango, the fourth longest river on the African continent. It rises on the Angolan mountains to finish his race in Botswana, flowing into a sandy sea: the Kalahari desert.
Often travellers have many doubts about the best seasons to visit Southeast Asia …. let’s clarify.
The Monsoon are seasonal winds accompanied by changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation due to the heating of land and sea.
On earth, there are many monsoon areas: the Gulf of Guinea, the Gulf of Mexico, Venezuela, Australia, Somalia, Spain, Portugal and northern Russia, but the area with the heaviest monsoon is southeastern Asia, due to the huge continental mass.
In the summer season, the Asian continent is warmer than the sea, becoming a low-pressure zone and creating fresh and humid winds from the sea, with heavy rainfalls.
In winter season, the Asian continent (high-pressure zone) cools, while the Indian Ocean (low-pressure zone) keeps their waters rather hot, creating dry and cold winds from the continent to the sea.
Best times to visit the Southeast Asian countries:
SRI LANKA
Southwest: from December to March
Northeast: from April to October
NEPAL
from September to November
MYANMAR – BANGLADESH
from November to February
THAILAND
North: from November to February
South: from March to May
LAOS – CAMBODIA
from November to February
VIETNAM
South: from December to April
Central Coast: from June to October
North: from May to October
MALAYSIA – INDONESIA
from May to October
