Top 10 Natural Wonders Of The World
Posted November 10, 2009 , comments closedPart of what makes the Grand Canyon so beautiful is an understanding of how much time when into its creation. Millions of years were spent by the Colorado River sculpting and carving away at the rock to develop what can be seen today. The depth of the canyon is breathtaking. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long and up to 18 miles in width from rim to rim. The Canyon also goes down a full mile.
Auroras are natural displays of light in the sky but the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, is the most beautiful of all. Visible from the Northern Hemisphere, the Aurora Borealis can be seen as a greenish glow or even faint red.
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s hugest coral reef system and is home to 3,000 single reefs and stretches about 1,600 miles. The reef is located off the coast of Australia and can even be seen from space. Although humanity and environmental causes threaten the reef, it remains one of the most concentrated spots for unique aquatic life on Earth.
The Niagara Falls are stunning waterfalls located on the border of Canada and the United States. Formed during the last ice age by receding glaciers, the Niagara Falls is the most powerful and beautiful waterfall in North America.
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world and reaches 29,029 feet at its summit. Mount Everest, located in the Himalayas in Asia, has attracted climbers from around the world. Many have died attempting to reach the summit of Mount Everest, considered the worlds most physically demanding challenge.
Victoria Falls, located in southern Africa, are some of the largest waterfalls in the entire world. The width of the falls is about 5,600 feet and the height is almost 360 feet, creating one large sheet of water.
Paricutin is a cinder cone volcano located in Mexico that is located near a village covered by lava. In 1943 the volcano started merely as a fissure in a cornfield. Farmers witnessed the initial eruption of stones and ash and the volcano grew quickly afterward, reaching the height of five stories in only one week. After a year the volcano had reached over a thousand feet and continued erupting for eight years.
The harbor of Rio de Janeiro is considered one of the most beautiful harbors in the world with wonderful weather and free beaches. Located in Brazil, the harbor is surrounded by mountains and was formed by the Atlantic Ocean.
The Amazon Rainforest, or Amazonia, covers 1.4 billion acres and is home to 2.5 million insect species, 2,000 birds and mammals, 40,000 plant species, 3,000 fish and over 300 reptiles. 20% of all birds in the entire world live in the beautiful Rainforest, making it the most diverse place on earth.
The Galapagos Islands are volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean with a population around 40,000. What makes the area so unique is the diversity of the animal life and it’s reputation as the place that created the theory of evolution due to natural selection.
5 Places to Rediscover the Golden Age of Piracy
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That was the actor Robert Newton, in his portrayals of Long John Silver and Blackbeard in movies and television. Obviously, it caught on.Pirates didn’t make their victims walk the plank either.
Not when it was so much easier (though admittedly less dramatic) to simply throw captives overboard. Give credit to illustrator Howard Pyle for that romantic image, his painting of a blindfolded man edging out on a wooden plank captures all of the crippling fear that such a punishment would induce.
Nevertheless, pirates were very real. They did drink rum by the caseload. They were reckless and wild and daring. Some even owned parrots and monkeys as pets. Their real stories are so nightmarish that the fiction they inspired often seems tame by comparison.
It’s no wonder then, that pirates, buccaneers and freebooters still loom large, even in the twenty-first century. They are our most beloved outsiders, particularly among long-term travelers—roaming free, making their own rules, completely in the moment. So many novels, movies and songs honor their bold deeds and gruesome deaths that it’s easy to forget that these rogues actually existed. Any savvy jack-tar worth his salt can track down one of the many pirate festivals celebrated yearly, but even more fascinating is a visit to their real stomping grounds. Some of which haven’t changed as much as one might think.
Here are 5 places that any aspiring pirate historian ought to visit:
1 – Saint Mary’s Island, Madagascar
Pirate’s graveyard in Madagascar
Known these days by the French name Ile Sainte Marie, Saint Mary’s was once the central hub of piracy and nefarious dealings in the Indian Ocean. Notable scalawags Captain Kidd, Robert Culliford and Henry Avery all took refuge on the island at one time or another to buy supplies, drink homebrewed rum and savor the company of the notoriously beautiful Malagasy women.
Many pirates were so entranced with Saint Mary’s free love atmosphere that they decided to extend their furloughs or live there permanently. The rakish pirate Thomas Tew even had a child with a local queen; his bloodline is claimed by the Zafay-Malata people to this day.
Trader Adam Baldridge set up shop on Saint Mary’s and supplied his guests with everything they might need, at a healthy markup of course. Captain Kidd had a hard time getting his crew motivated again after his turn ashore on the island and many of them abandoned him there.
A 21st century traveler visiting Sainte Marie would be missing out if they didn’t take a stroll through the pirate graveyard that overlooks the “Bay of Rogues.” The bay is where some of history’s most notorious sea-devils weighed anchor. The site is shaded by trees and vines and can be reached along a short and often muddy path from the beach. The mossy headstones feature skulls & crossbones and the sentiments etched there show little remorse for the deeds of the men buried below.
If you want to be where the crème de le crème of pirate society went to revel—go to Saint Mary’s. Consider the perfect beaches, jumbo prawns and friendly modern residents to be a bonus.
2 – Port Royal, Jamaica
Thanks to Jack Sparrow’s ringing endorsements in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Port Royal may be the destination most commonly associated with piracy’s Golden Age. There is both truth and fiction in that assertion—Port Royal was once the world’s premier pirate haven but its heyday was before the Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1720).
In the 1660s however, Port Royal was the carousing capital of the world. Records indicate one alehouse for every ten permanent residents. Ships often came into port rich and left drunk, fat and happy—but drained of plenty of gold coins. Nicknamed “The Sodom of the New World,” Port Royal existed in a state of revolving revelry.
The Gentlemen of Fortune who made Port Royal famous are generally put into the category of Buccaneers and many of them had defended the city from the Spanish or plundered Spanish treasure ports in time of war. When the crown decided that Jamaica needed to change its image they hired one of these unsavory types to do it for them. His name was Captain Henry Morgan and though he was known for taking a bribe here and there and attacking Spanish ships even in times of peace, his work to fix the island’s bloody reputation met with success.
Regardless, the point was soon moot. In 1692, most of the port sunk under water during a devastating earthquake. Some were quick to attribute the quake to an act of God (who was either furious with the hedonism of the people or jealous of all the fun they were having, depending on who you asked). Attempts to rebuild the city went up in smoke (literally, two major fires in ten years) but it did later become a popular execution spot where pirates Calico Jack Rackham and Charles Vane went to meet the gallows.
These days, Port Royal is small and known mostly for fishing—but as a site for pirate lovers and those interested in underwater archeology, it is unparalleled in the Caribbean and certainly worth a visit.
3 – Nassau, Bahamas
At the turn of the 18th century, the island of New Providence in the Bahamas was a scarcely governed haven for gentlemen of fortune. Retired buccaneers and upstart pirates lived in squalor under tents made from pieces of old sail.
Governor Nicholas Trott was well known for taking bribes from men who were sought by the British Crown. When the aforementioned Henry Avery needed someplace to hide out he was sent straight to New Providence. Trott was only too happy to help for a share in Avery’s plunder. Soon even the puppet governments failed and New Providence became a no man’s land split between pirate chieftains.
Later, when England made the Bahamas a colony and decided to clean up Nassau, the Lords Proprietor took a page out of Jamaica’s playbook and called in a gentleman of fortune. This time it was Woodes Rodgers. Rodgers knew the men and knew their tactics—it wasn’t long before Nassau fell off the list of preferred pirate ports.
Today, Nassau has been scrubbed to a high shine. The spit of sand across the harbor from the port even had its name changed to Paradise Island (the pirates knew it as Hog Island). Nassau Town still clings to snippets of old world charm that reference its past, though they are often tough to focus on between cruise ships and modern resorts. Luckily, the Pirates of Nassau Museum does a great job of reminding us of the way things were.
4 – North Carolina, United States
The Carolina Coast has no shortage of pirate lore. There are stories of shipwrecks, battles and buried treasure—all of which pale in comparison to the deeds of one Edward Teach a.k.a. Blackbeard. Blackbeard was tough as coffin nails, at least half-crazy and would sometimes burn slow match in his beard to scare enemies. Not surprisingly, he was an effective pirate.
After leaving New Providence due to the arrival of Woodes Rodgers, he set up camp on Ocracoke Island. From there he and his crew set out pillaging throughout the Caribbean and into the Gulf of Mexico. In 1718, after blockading the Port of Charles Towne and ransoming the entire city, he and his men returned victorious and rich to Ocracoke. Weeks of carousing followed until the governor of Virginia decided to send Lieutenant Maynard and his Royal Navy crew to do something about the pirate infestation.
The chase between Maynard’s crew and Blackbeard’s freebooters was brutal and bloody. But it was the final battle, in which Blackbeard took five bullets and more than “20 dismal cuts” before dying, that is the stuff of legends.
The best account we have of the battle, which describes Blackbeard fighting with three men at once, also attributes a quote to him AFTER receiving a death blow by broadsword to the neck. It wasn’t until his head was completely off of his shoulders that Maynard’s crew stopped fearing him, and even then just barely.
Today North Carolina’s coast has plenty in store for a visitor interested in pirate history. Blackbeard’s memory hangs over the island of Ocracoke and the towns of Beaufort and Bath. Many artifacts from the dreaded pirate’s ship, The Queen Anne’s Revenge, are on display in museums throughout the state including Beaufort’s Maritime Museum. The area also happens to one of the United States’ least appreciated stretches of beach—which any visitor should be able to enjoy heartily.
5 – Vailima, Samoa
Robert Louis Stevenon’s house in Samoa
Samoa wasn’t a hotbed of activity during the Golden Age of Piracy. But it’s notable for one very famous resident: Robert Louis Stevenson. Treasure Island is the definitive pirate novel, and the blood-thirsty crew that populated the schooner Hispanola is responsible for many of our most vivid notions about freebooters.
Most notably, as David Cordingly points out in his book Under the Blag Flag, Stevenson popularized parrots and peg legs, both of which were real parts of life at sea but not yet cemented in the public consciousness.
Stevenson originally travelled to the South Seas to ease his chronic health problems. It wasn’t long before he fell in love with the islands and their people. For their part, the natives of the South Pacific liked the frail writer just as much—he quickly developed an enduring friendship with King Kalakaua of Hawaii.
Known as a culturally sensitive traveler long before the phrase was common, Stevenson established a home on Vailima when he was forty. Four years later he died there and his old residence is now a museum honoring his memory.
Additional photo credits:
Port Royal by Christian y Sergio on Flickr, Bahamas by LinksmanJD on Flickr, North Carolina by greenkayak73 on Flickr, Samoa by anna t on Flickr
How to Develop Character in Your Children (and Yourself) Through Travel
Posted , comments closedHow to Develop Character in Your Children (and Yourself) Through Travel
For many, many people, travel has a special lure, attraction, enchantment that calls to them, beckoning from far off lands. It’s idealized by the image of a lone backpacker traversing Europe, Asia or South America, sleeping in hostels and hitchhiking if necessary.
It’s long been thought of as an activity that can’t be done with a family, especially small children; it was a choice you had to make – travel, or start a family, but not both.
However, there is a rise in the number of families who are making travel a reality, with infants and older, and they’re doing it deliberately as a way to educate, expand, and inform their children in ways that are not possible by staying at home.
Are these parents crazy? Although they’ve been asked this question many times, the reality is that they simply realize the tremendous benefits of personal growth and character development, not to mention adventure and fun, available from family travel.
So how do you use your family vacation to develop virtue? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.
Get Uncomfortable
Although difficult for most people to do for themselves, let alone to purposefully inflict on their children, being uncomfortable actually means that you are experiencing growth.
Instead of planning the usual, touristy trip, try something new, and well… a little uncomfortable. Think about visiting someplace you might not have considered before, a location that is a bit out of your comfort zone – South America instead of Europe, Dominica instead of Disneyland.
The first time I ever traveled outside of the United States was when I was in my early twenties. My family had taken a vacation to San Diego, and we spent a day visiting Tijuana, Mexico.
During the initial half hour of our visit, I felt literally sick to my stomach. I hated it, I just wanted to run away. I had no real-life concept of the kinds of conditions that others lived in throughout the world, and when I came face to face to it, I was extremely uneasy.
Yet that trip has stayed with me. It planted a seed that has grown more with each journey, and has given me a huge heart for humanitarian work, and a desire to relieve suffering worldwide.
Extend the Stay
If you want to visit a place that you hope will have an impact on your kids, its more likely to happen on an extended trip, rather than just a weekend jaunt.
The longer the trip, the more time to experience the true nature of the place you’re visiting. You’ll have more occasions to immerse yourself (and your children) into the culture and customs.
While staying in Las Galeras, Dominican Republic we lived near an all-inclusive resort. Every few days there would be a new group of tourists arriving to enjoy their week of relaxation, and scheduled tourist trips.
In contrast, we were there day after day, week after week. We would walk to the beach, hike on trails, explore the area, visit remote beaches, learn the language, develop diverse friendships, and enjoy the changing weather conditions.
I marveled at how much more our extended visit allowed us to really absorb the ‘feel’ of the place, and I realized that it could not have been done on a week long vacation.
Consider a summer touring South America, or a semester studying abroad. The added time away from home will only expand budding realities.
Get Grateful
There’s nothing that develops gratitude as fast as coming face to face with humble circumstances. Are your kids feeling a bit of entitlement? Are they not seeing the bigger picture? Getting up close and personal with poverty can check that attitude real quick.
Despite the stigma of being unsafe, our experience has proven that visiting the ‘local’ areas can provide some of the best encounters for getting a good look at what you (and your children) have been blessed to enjoy.
While living in Costa Rica, we went to visit the home of our maid. She had a large family of seven children and two grandchildren – all of whom lived in her very humble, three ‘room’ (and three bed) home of cement, wood and corrugated tin which she had built with her own two hands.
She made us (very delicious) soup, with her limited food supply, that she prepared over an open fire. Her family allowed our family to eat first because there weren’t enough dishes and utensils for everyone.
You can’t help but feel gratitude for everything that you have when you are in a situation like that. It’s kind of like ‘shock’ treatment, bringing you back to a grateful realization of your life as it ‘really’ is.
Of course you don’t want to walk around a local area at night with all your bling and a haughty (or fearful, which is just as offensive) attitude, but you do want to get out of your comfort zone. Go shopping at the ‘local’ store, take a walk into that ‘local’ neighborhood.
If you do it with humility and an open mind, you’ll probably find very friendly people who will welcome you into their hearts and (very humble) homes, expanding your definition of poverty and wealth along the way.
Start ‘Em Young
Stop the stigma that traveling can only be done by the single, wealthy or vagabonds. Travel can be (and is becoming) a family activity that can be done even with very small children.
Our first trip abroad as a family began when we drove from Utah to Costa Rica with our children who were 4, 3, 1 and 2 months. It was one of the greatest experiences of our lives.
We visited beautiful beaches, ancient ruins, crocodile refuges, jungle rivers. The most amazing part of it is that we actually did it. The original belief was that it couldn’t be done- too unsafe, and too much time in a car with kids- limits that were actually only in our mind. We crossed borders, not just politically, but philosophically as we widened our belief about what was possible for us to accomplish.
‘Will they remember it?’ is the question most people will ask when they consider the expense of a trip with small children. For us, we’re not concerned with whether they remember every trip, but with the paradigm that is being developed in their young minds by introducing them to the experience. They grow up believing that the ‘impossible’ is possible.
It does require flexibility and finesse to travel with little ones, but it can be done, and improved upon, with practice. There are plenty of ‘safe’ spots to see and it’s definitely worth the effort if traveling is on the agenda for your children’s education.
Give Back
Finding an opportunity to participate in humanitarian work while on a family trip provides moving experiences that bond, build character, and create lasting memories.
While living in the Dominican Republic we took the opportunity to outfit an outlying school with children’s books, visit orphanages and connect with other visiting volunteers, all of which provided memorable family experiences and created lasting friendships for ourselves and our children.
A few weeks before we were leaving the country, we still had some books we needed to give away. My seven-year-old daughter single handedly (and on her own initiative) passed out 50+ books to neighbors and friends in the area, who were more than eager to receive her gifts.
It doesn’t matter where you go, if you look for it, there’s an opportunity to contribute in some small (or large) way. Whether you donate books to a local library (or start one), visit an orphanage, dig a well or build a greenhouse, contributing to another culture develops hard work, compassion, empathy, gratitude, contribution, open-mindedness, tolerance.
Travel can be a very rewarding, as well as character developing experience, for the entire family, if you take advantage of the opportunity. Consider how you can make your next trip into a time for personal growth.
Read about author Rachel Denning and check out her other BootsnAll articles.
All photos by Rachel Denning
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Offers Complimentary Nights at Luxury Destinations Around the World
Posted , comments closed) Dallas, TX (November 1, 2009) Imagine more sand between your toes, more starry nights, more uninterrupted quality time with family and friends. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, the premier manager of ultra-luxury hotels and resorts throughout the world, is thrilled to offer More Rosewood to those in search of one more day to be away. Through this exclusive opportunity, Rosewood is offering a complimentary night stay at its luxury hotels and resorts in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, inviting guests to extend their escape and spend additional time relaxing at the most luxurious and highly revered destinations in the world.
From the sophistication and charm of Rosewood’s city hotels, to the sun-soaked indulgence of its intimate luxury resorts, More Rosewood offers something for everyone. Whether guests wish to spend one more night of romance at Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort, enjoy an extra day to doze on the beach beneath a majestic palm tree at Rosewood Little Dix Bay or take in one more Broadway favorite in the “Big Apple” at The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel, this special complimentary night offer allows guests one more day to nourish the soul and enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Stay 2 nights and enjoy a complimentary 3rd night at the following luxury hotels and resorts:
The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel - New York, New York
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek Dallas, Texas
Rosewood Crescent Hotel Dallas, Texas
The Mansion on Peachtree, A Rosewood Hotel Atlanta, Georgia
Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi - Santa Fe, New Mexico
Rosewood Sand Hill - Menlo Park, California
San Ysidro Ranch, A Rosewood Resort - Santa Barbara, California
Stay 4 nights and enjoy a complimentary 5th night at the following luxury resorts:
Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort - Los Cabos, Mexico
Rosewood Mayakobá - Riviera Maya, Mexico
Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort - St. John, US Virgin Islands
Rosewood Little Dix Bay - Virgin Gorda, British Virgin Islands
Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort - Antigua, West Indies
CordeValle, A Rosewood Resort - San Martin, California
To book More Rosewood, please call 888-ROSEWOOD, visit rosewoodhotels.com or contact your travel professional.
Valid for travel January 3-May 30, 2010. Subject to availability and blackout dates. Excludes tax, resort fees and inclusive food and beverage elements. Not combinable with other offers nor applicable on existing reservations or group bookings. Advance reservations required. Stay must be a consecutive-night stay and the complimentary night is only applicable on that stay.
About Rosewood Hotels & Resorts:
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts manages properties worldwide including Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek and Rosewood Crescent Hotel in Dallas, The Carlyle in New York, The Mansion on Peachtree in Atlanta, Rosewood Sand Hill, CordeValle and San Ysidro Ranch in California, Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi in Santa Fe, Las Ventanas al Paraíso and Rosewood Mayakobá in Mexico, Hotel Seiyo Ginza in Tokyo, Japan, and a triumvirate of world-class Caribbean properties Rosewood Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, Caneel Bay on St. John and Jumby Bay on Antigua. Rosewood recently launched a new spa brand - Sense, A Rosewood Spa® - featuring treatments reflective of the brand’s signature philosophy A Sense of Place®. For more information on Rosewood Hotels & Resorts or Sense, A Rosewood Spa®, please call 888.ROSEWOOD or visit rosewoodhotels.com.
Roadtrips Announces ‘Follow Your Team’ Soccer Packages as More Teams Qualify for the 2010 World Cup
Posted October 23, 2009 , comments closed) After a spectacular few days of qualifying football action, there are now 16 new countries that will make an appearance at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, bringing the total count to 23 countries, with 9 spots remaining.
Between last weekend and Wednesday, teams like USA, Germany, Mexico, Italy, Chile and Argentina, played their hearts out in order to win their chance to perform at the most highly anticipated football tournament in the world.
Fans of these teams, and others, will be pleased to discover that renowned sports travel specialists Roadtrips, offers ‘Follow Your Team’ packages throughout the round robin at next year’s World Cup. Whether you’re a fan of team USA, or recent World Cup champions Italy, guarantee yourself a spot to cheer on your team in round robin action.
“After personally spending five months in South Africa, myself and Roadtrips are fully prepared to accommodate you at the 2010 World Cup,” said David Guenther, Roadtrips President. “We want our customers - who are enormously devoted football fans - to be able to follow their favorite team during all three round robin games, while also experiencing the beauty of the host country.”
Follow Your Team Package
The Roadtrips ‘Follow Your Team’ package includes:
- 13-night luxury accommodation at the finest hotels - like The Saxon Boutique Hotel and Spa in Johannesburg, or the Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town;
- Tickets to your chosen country’s three round robin matches;
- Hosted roundtrip transportation to each of your matches;
- And the option to customize your trip with safaris and day tours, which will only add to the South African experience, and the vacation of a lifetime.
For more information and rates on Roadtrips’ World Cup land packages and options - as well as our special $995.00 airfare offer, available until October 23, 2009 with this package - call a Roadtrips travel expert at 1-800-465-1765 or visit www.roadtrips.com.
For over 17 years, Roadtrips has been specializing in providing amazing travel experiences to the most exciting sporting events all over the world. From events like the Super Bowl, World Series, Winter Games, and 2010 World Cup of Soccer, Roadtrips takes pride in delivering amazing sports travel experiences for thousands of guests every year.