Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia)

Salar de Uyuni (or Salar de Tunupa) is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582 km² (4,085 square miles). It is located in the Potosí and Oruro departments in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes, 3,650 meters high. The major minerals found in the salar are halite and gypsum.

Some 40,000 years ago, the area was part of Lake Minchin, a giant prehistoric lake. When the lake dried, it left behind two modern lakes, Poopó Lake and Uru Uru Lake, and two major salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and the larger Uyuni. Uyuni is roughly 25 times the size of the Bonneville Salt Flats in the United States.

Salar de Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion tons of salt, of which less than 25,000 tons is extracted annually. All miners working in the Salar belong to Colchani's cooperative. Every November, Salar de Uyuni is also the breeding grounds for three species of South American flamingos: the Chilean, James's and Andean flamingos. It is also a significant tourist destination; highlights include a salt hotel and several so-called islands. As it is so flat it serves as a major transport route across the Bolivian Altiplano.

Also, Salar de Uyuni holds half of the world's reserves of lithium, a metal which is used in high energy density lithium batteries. There is currently no mining plant at the site and the Bolivian government doesn't want to allow exploitation by foreign corporations, but instead it intends to build its own pilot plant.

Due to its large size, smooth surface, high surface reflectivity when covered with shallow water, and minimal elevation deviation, Salar de Uyuni makes an ideal target for the testing and calibration of remote sensing instruments on orbiting satellites used to study the Earth. In addition to providing an excellent target surface the skies above Salar de Uyuni are so clear, and the air so dry, that the surface works up to five times better for satellite calibration than using the surface of the ocean. In September 2002 a team took detailed GPS elevation measurements of a portion of the salt flats. This GPS data was then compared to the data from several ICESat passes over the area were used to evaluate the accuracy and precision of ICESat's instruments.

Traveler's Tips

1. Four day tours cost around $80 including food and lodging. This does not include the park entrance fee or your guide’s tip.

2. It is cheapest to book a tour in Uyuni—the train station is bustling with tour hawkers, although in high tourist season (June-August) business get busy.

3. Hotels (and simple restaurants) abound in Uyuni, most boast tourist lures like hot showers, but are otherwise basic.

4. There are dozens of tour agencies in Uyuni. Your guidebook will list some options. Colque Tours () appeared to be the biggest and most polished of the lot; personally, we were turned off by their long (albeit shiny and new) caravan. We booked weeks ahead with Tonito Tours but we were passed off by Tonito to Tunupa Tours and, although inconvenienced, we were not disappointed. (Search for the latest dirt on agencies!)

5. Bring cash (Bs. or $US)in low denominations and good condition (dirty money will be rejected). There are banks in Uyuni but lines are long and frustrating. There are exchange offices, but they run out of money.

6. WARNING: do not attempt to buy your train tickets to Uyuni in Oruro, the town where you catch the train. In travel agencies in La Paz, you can buy tickets ahead, but in Oruro you must buy the day of your trip; the line starts to form around midnight the night before. In a pinch, a pre-dawn arrival will cost you half a day waiting, but will get you a seat.

7. Acclimate to the altitude in Bolivia before setting off into remote areas like Uyuni and beyond.

8. What to bring: PLENTY of water, serious sun protection (including hat, sunscreen, and, most crucially: sunglasses), warm clothing, and lots of film (bring low speeds for bright light!).

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Rotorua, New Zealand

Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns. Rotorua city has an estimated permanent population of 55,600, with the Rotorua district having a total estimated population of 68,000. The city is in the heart of the North Island, just 60 kilometres (37 mi) south of Tauranga, 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Taupo, 105 kilometres (65 mi) east of Hamilton, and 230 kilometres (140 mi) southeast of Auckland.

Rotorua city is renowned for its unique sulphur aroma, which is caused by the geothermal activity releasing hydrogen sulphide into the atmosphere.

Rotorua is also home to the largest tertiary institute outside of the university centres, Waiariki Institute of Technology.

Rotorua has many Buildings, Sites, and Structures of historic interest, although our City has a relatively young history in world terms. Such as The Bath House (Rotorua Museum), Old Post Office, Prince's Gate Archway, Blue Baths, The Landmark, Te Runanga Tea House, Wohlmann House, Te Amorangi Museum, Spencer Mausoleum, etc.

The Rotorua district has a multi-cultural population of approximately 70,000 people; some 35% are Maori. Rotorua city is located on the southern shore of Lake Rotorua , while the district includes a number of rural and lakeside communities.

An international tourism icon, Rotorua is renowned as the heartland of Maori culture.

There are 16 lakes in the vicinity of Rotorua, many of which are fishable lakes packed with rainbow and brown trout. The lakes, all formed from the craters of extinct volcanoes, are a popular attraction for many water-based activities. From the moment visitors enter Rotorua they know they're somewhere quite different. Whether it's the sneaky threads of steam finding unlikely escape routes in parks, pathways and streets or the distinct scent of sulphur wafting through geothermal hot spots, Rotorua offers an impressive welcome.

How to get there?
Located in the central North Island, Rotorua is well connected to the rest of New Zealand, and the world, through a network of air and road links. The city is a leisurely three-hour drive from Auckland (234km), and a 5-6-hour drive from Wellington (457km). Rotorua Airport is one of the busiest domestic terminals in the country, offering services to Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. Trans-Tasman services are likely to be offered from mid to late 2009.

Passengers departing from Rotorua Airport must pay a NZD$5 departure tax after check-in and prior to proceeding to the departure lounge.

All purchases in New Zealand are subject to 12.5% GST (Goods and Services Tax). This is usually included in published retail prices for all goods and services. Overseas visitors who get their purchase sent home directly by the retailer do not have to pay GST.

Rotorua enjoys a pleasant climate; plenty of sun shin e in summer with crisp, clear days in winter. Rotorua averages more than 2000 sunshine hours and just over 140cm of rain annually.

Temperatures:
* Summer (Dec – Feb): Daytime 21 – 29ºC
* Autumn (Mar – May): Daytime 15 – 26ºC
* Winter (Jun – Aug): Daytime 9 – 16ºC
* Spring (Sep – Nov): Daytime 13 – 21ºC

And there are to many reasons to visit Rotorua, here are 10 great reasons to visit New Zealand's favourite holiday destination, Rotorua:

No.1 - Rotorua has earth forces that move you
No.2 - Experience the warmth of a living culture in Rotorua
No.3 - Rotorua's sparkling lakeland chain
No.4 - Rotorua offers nature's spa of the South Pacific
No.5 - Rotorua is an adventure playground
No.6 - Rotorua is a fun place for families
No.7 - Events are a passion in Rotorua
No.8 - Rotorua people are hospitable hosts
No.9 - Rotorua is centrally located
No.10 - Rotorua's good looks count

[Source: RotoruaNZ dot com]

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Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populous city, with over 2.7 million residents in a municipality of some 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi), while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million. It is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber river.


Rome's history as a city spans over two and a half thousand years, as one of the founding cities of Western Civilisation. It was the centre of the Roman Empire, which dominated Europe, North Africa and the Middle East for four hundred years from the 1st Century BC till the 4th Century AD. Rome has a significant place in Christianity and is the present day home of the Roman Catholic Church and the site of the Vatican City, an independent city-state run by the Catholic Church as an enclave of Rome.


As one of the few major European cities that escaped World War II relatively unscathed, central Rome remains essentially Renaissance and Baroque in character. Rome is the third-most-visited tourist destination in the European Union, and its historic centre is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. As a modern city it has been capital of the unified Italy since 1870, and grew mainly in two periods either side of World War II.

Renaissance Rome


The latter half of the 15th century saw the seat of the Italian Renaissance move to Rome from Florence. The Papacy wanted to equal and surpass the grandeur of other Italian cities and to this end created ever more extravagant churches, bridges, and public spaces, including a new Saint Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, Ponte Sisto (the first bridge to be built across the Tiber since antiquity), and Piazza Navona. The Popes were also patrons of the arts engaging such artists as Michelangelo, Perugino, Raphael, Ghirlandaio, Luca Signorelli, Botticelli, and Cosimo Rosselli.

The period was also infamous for papal corruption, with many Popes fathering children, and engaging in nepotism and simony. The corruption of the Popes and the extravagance of their building projects led, in part, to the Reformation and, in turn, the Counter-Reformation.

Rome is in the Lazio region of central Italy on the Tiber river (Italian: Tevere). The original settlement developed on hills that faced onto a ford beside the Tiber island, the only natural ford of the river. The historic centre of Rome was built on seven hills: the Aventine Hill, the Caelian Hill, the Capitoline Hill, the Esquiline Hill, the Palatine Hill, the Quirinal Hill, and the Viminal Hill. The city is also crossed by another river the Aniene which joins the Tiber north of the historic centre.

Although the city centre is about 24 km (14.9 mi) inland from the Tyrrhenian Sea, the city territory extends to the shore, where the south-western district of Ostia is located. The altitude of the central part of Rome ranges from 13 m (43 ft) above sea level (at the base of the Pantheon) to 139 m (456 ft) above sea level (the peak of Monte Mario). The Commune of Rome covers an overall area of about 1,285 km2 (496 sq mi), including many green areas.

The Roman Colosseum


The Coliseum is one of the most imposing ancient structures. Imagine it all white, completely covered in splendid travertine stone slabs. It is elliptic in shape in order to hold more spectators. It had four floors; the first three had eighty arches each; the arches on the second and third floors were decorated with huge statues.

...And Rome has many more interesting point...

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Rio de Janeiro

Rio de Janeiro is the second largest city of Brazil and South America, behind São Paulo, and the second largest metropolitan area in South America, behind São Paulo. It is the state capital of Rio de Janeiro. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, from 1763 to 1822 during the Portuguese colonial era, and from 1822 to 1960 as an independent nation. It is also the former capital of the Portuguese Empire (1808–1821). Commonly known as just Rio, the city is also nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa, or "The Marvelous City".


Rio de Janeiro is one of the most spectacular cities in the world. Even the well-traveled individuals will love what the city has to offer. One of the best ways to appreciate the setting is by going up Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pao de Acucar), where you'll get a fantastic 360 degree view of Rio and Guanabara Bay. Across the Bay, you will see the Rio-Niteroi bridge (13,9 km long). Cariocas (Rio natives) disagree on which point gives the most wonderful view: Pao de Acucar (Sugar Loaf) or Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer), elected one of the "New 7 Wonders of the World". It is well worth experiencing both and deciding afterwards which view is better. Notice how the natural harbour is surrounded by lush, high mountains that meet the sea in the world-famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema.


Rio de Janeiro is famous for its natural settings, its Carnival celebrations, samba and other music, and hotel-lined tourist beaches, such as Copacabana and Ipanema. Some of the most famous landmarks in addition to the beaches include the giant statue of Christ, known as Christ the Redeemer ('Cristo Redentor') atop Corcovado mountain, named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World; Sugarloaf mountain (Pão de Açúcar) with its cable car; the Sambódromo, a giant permanent parade stand used during Carnival and Maracanã stadium, one of the world's largest football stadiums.


The city also boasts the largest and second largest urban forests in the world: Floresta da Tijuca, or "Tijuca Forest". and the forest in Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca, or White Stone State Park. Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim International Airport connects Rio de Janeiro with many Brazilian cities and also operates several international flights.


Despite its charm and beauty, Rio is reputed to be one of the most violent cities in the world and motivated movies such as Bus 174, City of God and Elite Squad portraying severe social issues. Much of the violent crime is concentrated in the favelas or shantytowns but it also spills into middle- and upper-income neighborhoods. In Rio, unlike other major cities, many of the slums are directly adjacent to some of the wealthiest areas of the city.


There are enormous disparities between rich and poor in Rio de Janeiro. Although the city clearly ranks among the world's major metropolises, a large proportion of the city's 6.1 million inhabitants live in poverty. The poorest of the areas are the slums and shanty towns known as favelas; often crowded onto the hillsides, where sturdy buildings are difficult to build, accidents from heavy rainfall are frequent, and access to the sanitation and electricity can be inconsistent. A unique aspect of Rio's favelas is their close proximity to the city's wealthiest districts. Upper-class neighbourhoods such as Ipanema and Lagoa and others, like Jardim Botânico, Joá e Gávea are squeezed in between the beach and the hills, the latter of which are covered with poor neighbourhoods. Bad public education, a poor health system combined with the saturation of the penitentiary system contribute to the overall poverty of the favelas. But the North Side, the poorest area of Rio that tourists rarely see, gathers the vast majority of Rio's impoverished masses. This social contrast creates a clash between rich and poor.


Christ Redeemer, symbol of the city of Rio de Janeiro, is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, The carioca, original from the city of Rio de Janeiro, postal card standing 38 meters high, had its corner stone established in 1922 and its opening on October 12, 1931. The choice was well deserved. From its 38 meter of height, and 710 meters of the Corcovado Hill, the Christ is the image of the carioca people faith and sympathy and celebrates, in 2008, 77 years of existence. Since May 2000, when it received new lighting, the monument and its accesses have been enduring a revitalization process. The high point was the opening of the mechanized access in 2002, with panoramic elevators and escalators. Thus, there is no longer the need to climb 220 steps of stairs that lead to the statue's feet.

The Christ Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) counts now on three panoramic elevators, each one capable of taking 14 people. The access is through an area that assists both the visitors that arrive by car and the visitors that come from the railroad platform of the Corcovado station. Metallic footbridges were also built, sustained by another structure with approximately four meters wide and four escalators, with traffic capacity of 9 thousand people per hour. The trip starts there, for the tower, with 31 meters in height, will uncover the first view of the city. To complete the access to the statue, four escalators were installed.

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Petra, Jordan

Petra is an archaeological site in the Arabah, Ma'an Governorate, Jordan, lying on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. Petra is also one of the new wonders of the world. The Nabateans constructed it as their capital city around 100 BCE.


Petra is the treasure of ancient world, hidden behind an almost impenetrable barrier of rugged mountains, boasting incomparable scenes that make it the most majestic and imposing ancient site still-standing nowadays.. It has been said "perhaps there is nothing in the world that resembles it", actually, for sure, there is nothing in the world that resembles it. The rock-carved rose-red city of Petra is full of mysterious charm, it was "designed to strike wonder into all who entered it".


Rekem is an ancient name for Petra and appears in Dead Sea scrolls associated with Mount Seir. Additionally, Eusebius and Jerome assert that Rekem was the native name of Petra, supposedly on the authority of Josephus. Pliny the Elder and other writers identify Petra as the capital of the Nabataeans, Aramaic-speaking Semites, and the centre of their caravan trade. Enclosed by towering rocks and watered by a perennial stream, Petra not only possessed the advantages of a fortress, but controlled the main commercial routes which passed through it to Gaza in the west, to Bosra and Damascus in the north, to Aqaba and Leuce Come on the Red Sea, and across the desert to the Persian Gulf.


Petra is considered the most famous and gorgeous site in Jordan located about 262 km south of Amman and 133 km north of Aqaba. It is the legacy of the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled in southern Jordan more than 2000 years ago. Admired then for its refined culture, massive architecture and ingenious complex of dams and water channels, Petra is now a UNESCO world heritage site and one of The New 7 Wonders of the World that enchants visitors from all corners of the globe.


Petra is always breathtaking, and never to be forgotten. It flourished for over 400 years around the time of Rome and Christ (pbuh), until it was occupied by the Roman legions of the Emperor Trajan in 106 AD.


Petra sights are at their best in early morning and late afternoon, when the sun warms the multicolored stones, you can view the majesty of Petra as it was seen first when discovered in 1812 after being lost by the 16th century for almost 300 years!

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