Big Empty World

So the other day I was looking at my world map, and I came across a country that I'd never heard of. I mean never heard of. And it was HUGE! Like the size of Utah, Nevada and Idaho combined. Gigantor. So that's where we are going today.

Desert - arid plains - occasional ridges and clifflike outcroppings - and ocean front property. But mostly Desert. Interestingly enough as a result of extended, severe drought, the desert has been expanding since the mid-1960s. Sometimes the sand dunes shift from place to place moved by high winds. The more north you go the bigger the dunes.

Several documentaries were filmed here, can you name a few?

Another country previously owned by the Frenchies, by the 60's they broke free. But it took till 2007 to get a free (and fair) election. Meanwhile, the country continues to experience ethnic tensions among its black population and White and Black Moor communities.

One thing you don't think about much anymore and to consider it in a country where they fought so hard for freedom. Although the government abolished slavery in 1980, there are approximately 90,000 black slaves (2003 estimate), mainly owned by African Arabs. The government rarely finds out about the slaves and when they do find out, punishment is not very severe. It breaks your heart to think this is still a modern practice.

Most of the locals still depend on farming for a living. Though many of the nomads and farmers were forced into the cities by recurrent droughts in the 70' & 80's. The coastal waters though have some of the richest fishing areas in the world and the surfing is top notch. Unfortunately overexploitation by foreigners threatens this revenue source.

Not really a tourist hot spot, it is basically up to you to find ways to entertain yourselves. But look hard enough you can always find something interesting. How about BBQed camel they cook up on street stalls in the center in the early evening - nothing like flamed hump at the end of a long, hot day. But if that is not your thing you can get a camel to ride through the desert. ( and well another barrier to travel here is that there is current terrorist attacks, so maybe not a good idea) There are several ancient cities to check out. These were relays on the long routes of the caravans, by which passed part of the trade and lasted for centuries. The arrival of Europeans on the coasts diverted commerce to trading posts which were created little by little on the coasts thus causing the ruin of these cities.

So we've learned that the land mass is huge, the population is small the desert is vast and the tourism is minimal. But there are hidden beauties everywhere.

Bet you didn't know

When you think of Scuba Diving you think of the Caribbean or Belize (or all the other hundreds of places I've told you about). But I bet you wont think of this place, well you will now, but... did you before?? When I first got into diving someone told me about going on a live aboard and just diving the islands for a few weeks. And you can dive with the elephants wa ha ha ha. It also holds the Guinness World Record for most couples married underwater.

Elephants are still highly revered in here. They are considered as the symbol of peace and prosperity. Known as the land of white Elephant. White elephants were highly esteemed and valued by the Rulers.

This area is often referred to as a golden land, not because there is precious metal buried underground but because the country gives off a certain lustre, be it the fertile rice fields of the central plains, white sandy beaches or the warm hospitality of its citizenry.

The main or more well known city is quite famous, well and the capital. It is considered one of the most beautiful places in the east, a city where East meets West. There is even a song about one night there, can you name it? Known as one of the hottest city in the world, It may not be the hottest city in the world every single day but you can be sure it’s pretty consistent. Touring the Grand Palace (a large complex of palaces and temples) at 10 in the morning is almost unbearable due to the scorching heat. This city actually holds the record for the longest name of a city. What you say but it is only 8 letters long?? Actually it is short for Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit - say that 10 times fast....what?

If you like colors particular candy hues, you’ll be delighted by the streets of here because candy-colored cabs are everywhere! Unlike in other big cities where taxi cabs come uniform in color, taxi cabs here vary in hue depending on which company a cab belongs to. So expect to see lots of happy colors in the streets – bright green, sky blue, vivid orange, and my favorite – lovely baby pink cabs.

Also did you know there are 3912 7-elevens here? No you didn't.

Did you know the locals do not like someone touching them on head. They believe that soul, which is considered extremely sacred, resides in head. So, don't ever touch them on the head, not even a child. We all know underwear is pretty essential, but not as much as in here, where leaving the house with no underwear on can very well land you in jail. Going bare-chested in public is illegal too.

Sepak takraw is the popular sport here, Native to this region it is played by hitting a rattan ball and only use their feet, knees, chest and head to touch the ball. It appears in volley ball style, the players must volley a ball over a net and force it to hit the ground on opponents side.

Famous for Buddhism, it usually is the first thing you think of when one mentions this country. Serving in the monkhood is an ideal for all males in this area.

Several media outlets display this area but one of my favorites started the ever handsome Chow Yun Fat, (also same character also handsome played by Yule Brenner) but though this play/movie is very famous and has really catchy tunes, the locals didn't think it was an accurate portrayal. They never do, party poopers.

for some reason this are a is famous for snakes. the surprise is not why, there are lots and they are big and they're poisonous. the surprise is that anyone would want to be known for snakes . over 200 species of which more than 60 are venomous (have venom dangerous to humans) most dangerous’ as the one that most often bites humans and that most often kills humans in Thailand – the Malayan Pit Viper. A brown, thick as a shovel handle, snake that is a meter or less long.

But the thing we love about this place, the food. Noodles and Eggs and Chili Peppers. YUM add some shrimp... dubble yum.

Right now this area is suffering from sever flooding, so send your prayers their way. It is a beautiful, culture rich, happy people place.

A song of wonders

When you travel, what do you travel for? Most of my travel is for entertainment and discovery. but what if we were to travel for service, or for growth?

I meat a friend who recently returned from this places. She goes here once a year to work with Mothers with out Borders. To build help build schools, and many other humanitarian acts . She travels with a purpose.

Travel here is rough these days. Security remains uncertain. In spite of an improving political situation, this area continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. A power-sharing government and Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) have pledged to improve the lives of citizens. Even though the economy is slowly improving, millions are still dependent on food aid and disease outbreaks only compound the situation. Behind this grim lies a beautiful country, and despite the sacrifice the locals hold on to their humor and resolve. This means that if you do chose to visit, you will receive the royal treatment.

Mana here means Four, at this national park in the northern area, where the flood plain, from the rive turns into a broad expanse of lakes after each rainy season. As the lakes gradually dry up and recede, the region attracts many large animals in search of water, making it one of worlds most renowned game-viewing regions. You will find Hippos, Crocs, Elephants and much more. Take a camping or canoeing tour, and your life may never be the same. But that is not all this river has to offer. The fourth largest on the Continent, it has no reason to be shy. Three notable falls flow from these waters, but one is so famous you would be hard pressed to find someone who has never heard of them. Sometimes called 'the smoke that thunders'. While it is neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is claimed to be the largest. Big enough to be one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. And if you are like me and one of the items on your 'list' is to bungee jump off a bridge..... I don't think you can find one better than here.

And situated on the river, is one of the largest dams in the world. It is so big that in March of this year, due to rising levels of the river, let to the opening of the floodgates, requiring the evacuation of 130,000 people from their homes on the flood plains. That is so many people it makes me wonder how many would have been effected if the flood gates had not been released!

There are some places near us famous for rock formations, National Bridges, Rainbow Bridge, Chimney rock. In this beautiful country they have BALANCING rocks. Near one of the largest game reserves, with over 100 animal species, and more that 400 types of birds. In this vast game reserve are some of the largest herds of the huge elephant and buffalo on the continent. Other animals in the park include lion, eland, giraffe, rhino, zebra, sable, kudu, and waterbuck.

Hunting is not only a popular sport, but it also helps to manage surplus game population. In some areas, controlled hunting is essential to proper wildlife management. There are several safari areas in the Valley below the Dam, where elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and all species of antelope are to be found. Many of these may be hunted by arrangement with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management. These are normally open from the beginning of May to the end of September, and cater for approximately 200 hunters a year. Wow. I think I'll just take the safari.

About an hour and a half away from there are the Sleeping pool and the Dark Cave, a cave system with deep blue pools and fascinating history.

So if you come for humanitarian reasons, or to simply enjoy the spectacular views and wildlife, You will not leave unmoved.

The Essance

The only man made object visible from the moon is found here. The MOON!

You've heard of the cat lady or the odd man who has 14 cats, but here that's not odd that's normal. Locas are fond of keeping pets and almost half of the population households have at least a single pet. For 10 million people, domestic dogs and cats mount to 2 million and above. Here kitty kitty. And to save on puppy chow, they clip coupons. Next to the US these folks are the most enthusiastic collectors of discount coupons in the world.

The highest density of collectors of various art forms is here. The oil painting in fact was invented in the 15th century by famous painter from here. The Flemish , Jan, was not the first to use oil paint, his real achievement was the development of a stable varnish based on a siccative oil (mainly linseed oil) as the binder of mineral pigments. It could be established that his secret was a mixture of piled glass, calcined bones and mineral pigments in linseed oil maintained a long time up to a viscous state at boiling temperature. Besides linseed oil, walnut oil and poppy-seed oil were also used while not so quick-drying. It is probable that painters have already observed that these oils led to accelerated drying time of canvas under the sun. It seems that he kept his secret up to about his death.

If art isn't your thing, then what about diamonds. The world’s main diamond centre and second largest petrochemical center is here. Almost 90% of raw diamonds in the world are negotiated and distributed here. Take that Kimberly South Africa.

The things this place is famous for, are things I cant mention cuz it would grievously give it away. But I will say all of them are things we like to ingest. (we'll me personally I only ingest two of them, but one of them I ingest more than the rest) And I'd venture to say each and everyone of you out there ingest it just as much as I.

Have you ever heard of Adolphe Sax? Brooke, you should have. He invented something. Something most of us have been effected by in some way, even if it is just to lift our spirits.

I think the theme to our world traveling is two fold. One Beaches... Two Castles. So I wont let you down. There is both here. Hundreds and Hundreds of castles... I'm surprised there is room for roads here, there are just so many castles. But having a strong religious background is the 'in' thing in this area, so of course there are a boat load of cathedrals too. Compared to other places, this places is not really swimming with beaches (get it .. swimming..) but it does have 42 miles of surf and sand.

I have a thing for caves, especially when they have historical or fascinating background. At the beginning of the sixties, divers discovered an archaeological treasure trove on the riverbed a cave system which forms part of the subterranean river Lesse. The river disappears and reappears 24 hours later on the other side of the hill The cave is a major tourist site and thus well developed. Numerous attractions make it worth a whole day visit. Beneath the caves is the Museum of the Subterranean World with a prestigious collection of archaeological remains discovered in the cave. Then there is a railroad ride, a wildlife reserve and the Expotheme, an exhibion on the Maasai. To tour the caves, board an ancient tram in the center of Han-sur-Lesse. The tram carries you to the mouth of the caves. There, multilingual guides take over, leading groups on foot through dimly lighted chambers. You get occasional glimpses of the underground river Lesse as you pass giant stalagmites and eventually enter the vast cavern called the Dome, 475 feet high. It gets chilly, so bring a sweater.

Folklore plays a major role in the culture. the country has a comparatively high number of processions, cavalcades, parades, 'ommegangs' and 'ducasses', 'kermesse' and other local festivals, nearly always with an originally religious or mythological background. One example is a water spirit which roams the Flemish country side. This creature, called Kludde, hides in the twilight of dawn and sunset and attacks innocent travelers. Warned travelers listen for the only sound which betrays that Kludde is in the vicinity: the rattling of the chains with which the spirit is covered. Kludde usually appears in the shape of a monstrous black dog that walks on his hind legs. The faster one walks, the faster this monster follows, often swinging through the trees like a giant snake. No one can ever hope to outrun or escape this creature. The dog is not the only shape in which it can be seen. It can also assume the shape of a huge, hairy, black cat or a horrible black bird.

A hundred thousand Welcomes

"You might as well be whistling jigs to a milestone"

We've discovered small islands we've discovered large islands. There are islands in the sea, and no man is an island. This island is though, is mystical, magical, musical and AWESOME. On my list of places to go, this one is so up there. So here I am soaking up the magic.

This island was the ground for many invasions and wars (apparently I'm not the only one who wanted to be here) The history here is rich and full. Old castles and ruins dot the island. The locals are fiercely proud of their heritage and try to hang on to it as much as possible. Who can blame them. As they say, “the Craic is mighty"

They have had not only one but TWO women presidents! We here in the US celebrate their culture once a year. One of the largest and most famous festivals in the world starts here when over 500,00 people will throng the streets of to watch the Parade and festivities.

The magic flows heavily into the Arts. Music and dance are prevalent. People world wide admire the dance styles and everyone wants to dance a little jig to the musical lyrics that flow from the island. As for literature not one but four authors from here have claimed the Nobel prize.

Get this the police force doesn't carry weapons, only the detectives. And here's a reason alone to come here... there are no snakes!

This is one of my favorite places. It is just one of those natural wonders that everyone has to see. An area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic eruption. Legend has it that the the warrior Finn built the causeway to walk to the ajoining island to fight his counterpart. One version of the legend tells that Finn fell asleep before he got to there. When he did not arrive, the much larger Benandonner crossed the bridge looking for him. To protect Finn, his wife Oonagh laid a blanket over him so he could pretend that he was actually their baby son. In a variation, Finn fled after seeing Benandonner's great bulk, and asked his wife to disguise him as the baby. In both versions, when Benandonner saw the size of the 'infant', he assumed the alleged father, Finn, must be gigantic indeed. Therefore, Benandonner fled home in terror, ripping up the Causeway in case he was followed by Finn.

AND you have to cross this majorly awesome suspension bridge to get there. I get a twinkling in my eye just thinking about it.

The island is covered in castles and ruins. Some modern, some ancient, some famous and some haunted. One has a lady ghost who plays tricks on guests by knocking on bedroom doors at the dead of night. And one is considered so haunted that people come from all over to do research and film movies.

Not in Kansas anymore

Unless you visit, there is simply no way to describe this world giant. To give you some perspective, consider their little sister....Canada This area has more natural resources than any area of the world and spans many multiple time zones. The name of this area means 'the sleeping land'.

One of the best ways to give you an impression of the size is to discuss the infamous gulag system. When one thinks of a gulag or prison, visions of guards with guns, electrified fences and so on come to mind. Here most of the gulags did not have fences or any kind of barrier to keep people in. With freezing temperatures in the winter, huge rivers of mud and water in the summer, the land formed a natural gulag for many of the prisoners. If a prisoner escaped from a gulag, there was simply nowhere to go. The gulags were not even heavily guarded. In fact, many gulags in remote areas didn’t even have fences. The closest population center might be 1,000 miles away. In the 1700's, this area became a place of exile. It continued to be "the last stop" for criminals and political exiles throughout much of the 20th century. There is even a city that is in fact known as the “City of Exiles.”

But don't think that's all the locals have to offer. There are many who work on the Railway or in the massive natural resource industries. Here you can find tremendously large oil, gold, timber and diamond deposits. With the turn to capitalism, the country is making a major effort to take advantage of such resources. This has led to a population explosion in cities. The diamond deposits here are so extensive, other countries pay them not to mine because of a fear the diamond market would collapse. Gold is so plentiful that a $2,000 gold bracelet costs about $35 in local cities as of 2004.

Most people, when the think of this area, they think of nothing but the freezing cold, I can tell you it does get “Oh, my goodness” cold in the winter. Temperatures can drop into the –40s. In the spring and summer, however, temperatures can reach as high as 110 degrees. Bet you didn't know that. With such a massive area, the climates and temperatures fall all over the map. Think about how many different temps the US has. This places has more.

If you thought everything was big in Texas.... you don't know big. Big Lake B is the largest fresh water lake in the world. Fed by over 300 rivers, the lake is really an inland sea. The lake has over 30 islands. If you drained all of the water from lakes Superior, Erie, Huron, Michigan and Ontario, you still couldn’t fill Lake Baikal. Standing on one shore, you cannot see the other side. It is simply huge.

This is one of the few locations in the world still considered to be an untamed adventure travel destination. You can fish, hike, camp, hunt, drink vodka, ski, swim, take in a spa and do just about anything you like. The locals are universally friendly and can tell one heck of a story.

When we were in Estonia we talked about meteors. Here with some of the largest plains, your going to find some massive meteor impact that flattened trees for hundreds of mile, but the fun part is that it takes almost five years to investigate because officials could not get to the remote locations.

Now Tigger, we all know is a cute cuddle and bouncy friend of Winney the Pooh. But here you find a tiger more regal and less bouncy. These burly creatures can weigh up to 850 pounds and are about 10 to 12 feet in length. That's one big kitty. These kitties need up to 20lbs of meat a day to survive. They primarily eat deer, elk, and wild pigs and Monkeys, fowls, frogs and fish if they are on hard times. but I wouldn't press your luck, you are nothing but fast food to them.

I've dived in many areas, but to say you've dived in such a remote place, is something for your journal. Two thirds of the plants and animals found here are found no where else in the world. We've all ready talked about this lake being the largest, but it is also the deepest and the oldest Scientists determine the age of 25 – 30 million years old, is one of the oldest lakes in the world.

aaaaaand one of the most seismically active intercontinental regions of the globe. Strong earthquake in 7 points occur with a periodicity of 1-2 years.