That Gorge in the Cadillac Commercials is Real and in Taiwan

The Eternal Spring Shrine is only one of the magnificent sites you will see if you take the plunge and go to Taiwan to drive through the Taroko Gorge.  The shrine is one of the places where you can stop along the way and get some culture for your trip.

Taiwan is one of those places that not too many people in my arena think of as a vacation destination.  Most of the people I know have no idea what goes on in Taiwan, which was what made me want to figure out what there was to do there.  It's not a country that comes up in vacation conversation like France, Brazil, or Japan.  It is, however, part of China technically, even though the place certainly shows it's own personality.
 

This is a great place to take a drive.  This is 19 km of the best driving in the world.  I remember when I checked out an e-mail that I got from a reader saying that I should check it out.  They said from the gate, to the turns to the tunnels to the shore, there was no better place to take a drive.  I'm not much for using a drive as a tourist attraction in and of itself, so I didn't think much of the idea.  I've seen Top Gear and I've seen the world's greatest roads that they always manage to find.  I don't normally care about a really good drive.  The piece that I'd been sent wasn't with images.  So, out of curiosity I looked up images and found out that this road was the road that I'd been seeing on recent Cadillac commercials.  Now that's not all.
 
The road through Taroko Gorge is so magnificent, that when I'd seen it on TV, I thought it was computer generated.  I saw all the tunnels carved in that narrow gorge with a lot of twists, turns, half caves and bridges.  It looked fake.  I was really surprised to find out it was real.



It doesn't look real.  It's carved out of marble.  There's tunnels and carved overhangs of the cliffs everywhere.  There's a tunnel that people walk through call the Tunnel of Nine Turns.  That's amazing.  The cliffs of the canyon rise up to 1,000 feet in some areas.  It's deep and it's narrow.
 
  The Swallow Grotto is the narrowest part of the gorge.  There are holes in the rock here that were forged by nature and are now inhabited by swallows' nests.  It's a beautiful place to hike and is a wonderful area to experience nature in the gorge.
 
Buluowan is where you will find the best part of your cultural experience in Taroko National Park.  Here is where the Atayal Tribe lives and lets travelers see into their lives as they were in the past and as they are now.  There is the Leader Hotel Taroko where you can stay and get an idea of the atmosphere of the culture.  It's right in the national park and it's a beautiful hotel with great amenities.


In Buluowan you can learn about traditional music as well as try the native foods.  The shopping is not bad either.
But remember, the real attraction here is the road.  There are statues along the way.  There are shrines and amazing hiking trails.  The only problem is that the hiking can be quite strenuous and not for everyone.  This needs to be approached like any other adventure of mine in that virtually anyone can do it. The statues are great.  They show the culture and the personality of the local people.
The hiking is great.  And in the summer, the swimming is great, although I hear that the Taiwanese people have a problem with getting in over their heads when they go swimming.  So, don't encourage the locals to swim unless you know them and are sure that they can swim.  It sounds nuts but it leads to hundreds of tragic deaths in Taiwan every year.

It's about the drive, baby.  And if you really feel uncomfortable driving yourself, you can hire a taxi or take a bus.  They are easy to get hooked up with and plentiful.  This is an easy one to do.  This is the most popular tourist attraction in Taiwan.  I'd just never heard of it before.  Now that I'm in the know, I have to caution you.  This should be a winter trip.  In the summer time the gorge and park are overrun with tourists.  So, even though it means that you won't be doing a lot of swimming, you should come in the off season and avoid the crowds.


The scenery is spectacular.  The road starts at sea level on the coast and runs up through the gorge to it's high point at 3700 meters through 38 tunnels and a winding road that you will not soon forget.  There are hiking trails and places to stop to eat, study the culture, and spend the night along the way.  Best of all, you can feel like you're in a Cadillac commercial.  It's the best of Taiwan and it's an amazing drive.  So, fly halfway around the world and take the drive of a lifetime.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/east-coast/taroko-gorge
http://www.traveltaiwanguide.com/attractions/taroko-gorge/
http://sinotour.com/tourguide/hualien/buluowan.html
http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/pda/m1.aspx?sNo=0002124
http://www.city-discovery.com/taipei/tour.php?id=2548
http://www.guide.taiwan-adventures.com/2012/taroko-gorge-hikes-and-walks/
http://www.taiwan-travel-experience.com/taroko-gorge-hotels.html
http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002038&jid=123
http://www.taiwanholidays.com.au/taroko-gorge-tour 

http://www.cafepress.com/artisticcreationsbyninakindred1
http://pixels.com/profiles/terri-dixon.html
http://www.zazzle.com/imagings

Leave the ordinary behind.  Enjoy!

Ellora Caves...The History of Religion in India

India is one of the most amazing countries in the world.  Any travel expert will agree with that.  The more I learn about the country, it's people, it's places and it's religions, the more fascinated I am.  My latest discovery is Ellora Caves.


Ellora Caves are not your garden variety caverns.  They are monasteries and temples and multi level buildings carved out of basalt cliffs in the Maharashtra region not far from Aurangabad.  What does that mean?  Well, it's a few hundred miles from Mumbai...inland.


There's no end to the pictures, mainly because there's almost no end to the caves.  There are 34 of these, and they aren't little one room carved buildings.  They were used as housing and places of worship.  These places have enough apartments and courtyards to hold the population of a small city.  
The caves were carved over a period roughly from 600 to 1000 AD.  They range from the not completed to the wildly complicated and ornate.  Each one is different.  Each one makes it's own statement.


The most famous area is this, Cave 10, where you will find the Great Buddha Hall.  This is the must see part of the complex.

But the caves are not just monuments to Buddhism.  This is the most interesting part.  During these times, there were three different religions carving temples in the area.  They overlapped, which means that they actually coexisted.  This is very rare in the rest of this part of the world, but not in India.  Buddhism, Brahminism and Jainism, all have monuments and temples carved in these hills.  You can see it in the designs.

The Jain Caves are the last of the buildings to be carved and are the last period represented in the cliff.  They are the biggest and most open.  They are more designed for function than are some of the ones from the other two periods.

Cave 16 is the best of the examples of the Brahminism Period, according to the experts.  It is highly ornate and representative of the Krisna Era.

The different periods are amazing.  The Hindu paintings just add more depth to an already greatly varied area.  The tolerance that India is well known for is certainly evidenced here.  There is so much to see, that you probably can't see it all.  If that doesn't beat all, there is another set of caves nearby called Ajanta.

So, my usual advice, get out of the city and see something amazing.  There are many tours that will take you to see Ellora Caves, and the trip will be well worth it.  Ancient civilizations did some amazing things.  The most famous are the pyramids, but there are so many amazing ancient ruins in the world to see, that you shouldn't limit yourself to the top tourist attractions.  History is amazing, and it's truly astounding in a place like Ellora Caves, so don't miss it.

http://www.elloracaves.org/index.php
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/243
http://www.culturalindia.net/indian-temples/ellora-cave.html
http://www.maharashtratourism.gov.in/MTDC/HTML/MaharashtraTourism/Default.aspx?strpage=../MaharashtraTourism/TouristDelight/Caves/ElloraCaves.html
http://www.travel-visit-places.com/en/ellora-caves/
http://www.indiantriptours.com/ajanta-ellora-caves/
http://www.eindiatourism.com/ellora/index.html
http://www.tourisminaurangabad.com/ellora-caves.html 
http://www.cafepress.com/artisticcreationsbyninakindred1
http://pixels.com/profiles/terri-dixon.html 
http://www.zazzle.com/imagings


It's a must see.  Enjoy!

Isle Hornos...The End of the World

 
If you've seen this, then you've probably actually been there.  This is the Cape Horn Monument.  It's at Cape Horn, the end of the world.
Now, why would anyone want to go there?  I don't know.  I've often wondered why anyone would want to go to Disney World.  Then again, I like the unusual.  That's what this is, unusual.  This is one of those things that goes on a bucket list and waits for you to get the nerve up to try it.  It's not a death defying trip.  It just could be a waste of money.

Here's the problem.  Cape Horn can be a little inhospitable.  It sits south of glaciers, beyond the end of the Andes, within spitting distance of Antarctica, and it's coast has one of the worst currents in the world.  All things considered, I'm surprised that anyone's gone there at all.  But, if you hit it on a good weather day, you'll get to be one of the few that have a picture of that monument, and you'll get that amazing feeling that you've been to the end of the world.
 
Now, I won't lie to you.  Victory Adventure Expeditions is one of the few companies that will take you there and attempt to get you on land.  They are a safe, well priced, comfortable way to see this unique place.  They take you on a three or four day cruise that goes through the Magellan Strait, and stops to see some of the Tierra Del Fuego National Park and some of the local Glaciers.  They operate out of Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.

Ushuaia is nestled at the foot of the Andes in Argentina.  The National Park of Tierra Del Fuego straddles Argentina and Chile in this area and Ushuaia sits right in the middle of it.  This colorful city is the starting and ending point for most excursions in the area.
One of the unique things to do in addition to traveling to Cape Horn is to take the Prisoners Train or the Train to the End of the World.  This is a ride available with stunning scenery just outside of Ushuaia.  The area used to be known as a huge and dangerous prison camp, before the turn of the last century.  Now that everything pretty much has gone to tourism, the prison is all but a museum and the train is a tourist trip.  It only takes a few hours to take this amazing ride through the national park to see the amazing scenery.  This is the southernmost train in the world.
Everything in this area is the southernmost in the world.  That's why you come here.
 

 


Sea lions, Magellanic Penguins, glaciers, and Magellanic Forests are some of the things that you will see in the area and in the national park.  There are many things here that are distinctive.  There are many things here that are memorable.

Remember, there's nothing near it.  The only thing nearby is Cape Horn.  So, if you want to see something that is unusual.  If you want to go somewhere off the beaten path away from the crowds, this is your spot.  How many people do you know that can say that they've stood at the end of the world?
Isle Hornos is a place that doesn't like company.  No road goes there, and you won't either unless the weather is good enough.
 
If you've seen this, then God has given you a truly special look at the world.

http://www.patagonias.net/
http://www.travelsur.net/tfuego.htm
http://www.patagonia-argentina.com/en/tierra-del-fuego-national-park
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/americas/patagonia-travelling-to-the-end-of-the-world-514864.html
http://www.cliffspreserve.cl/english/home.htm
http://victory-cruises.com/cape_horn.html
http://www.tripwolf.com/en/guide/show/651876/Argentina/Isla-Navarino/Cape-Horn
http://www.patagonia-argentina.com/en/ushuaia
http://www.welcomeargentina.com/ushuaia/gable-island.html 
http://www.cafepress.com/artisticcreationsbyninakindred1
http://pixels.com/profiles/terri-dixon.html
http://www.zazzle.com/imagings

 
Captain Jack has been to the end of the world, how about you?
Enjoy! 

Get to Know the Wildlife in Turks and Caicos

Winter time means that a lot of us are looking for somewhere less cold and frosty to spend our time.  This is that time of year when fleece and sweaters feel cozy and warm, but wouldn't it be nice to throw it all off and run around in a t-shirt and shorts?
Well, here's the answer.  Above is the airport in the Turks and Caicos Islands.  This place is a little off beat for the Caribbean, but they have some things that you won't find anywhere else.  That's what I'm always after.  And I have to admit, looking for something different in the Caribbean was difficult.  Most of the islands, no matter whom they belong to, are pretty much the same.  Sorry, but they are.  They're all beautiful, and they're all warm.  They all have great beaches and friendly locals.  That's all true.  But, when you're looking for something a little different, all of that becomes a little annoying, even though it shouldn't.
 

The Turks and Caicos archipelago is an amazing dive spot.  On Gibbs Cay the Manta Rays are plentiful and friendly.  There are companies there that will gladly take you out to meet them.  I can't stress enough, they are wild animals.  If you do this, please be careful.  Look what happened to the Crocodile Hunter.  For the most part, they are friendly and curious about humans.  You will also see see turtles and even sharks.  It's a good idea to go with a guide for guidance and support though.
 
Providenciales Island has the Coral Stairway Reef, an amazing home for coral and all the amazing wildlife that lives there.  And this reef is not alone.  There are many of them around the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Grand Turk Island not only has a fabulous coral reef, but it also has a 7,000 foot drop off just off shore.  Diving in that area you will see things that you can only see a couple of other places in the Caribbean and Central America.  Coral reef diving is an amazing way to see the world under the sea, but once again, respect the creatures.  They are wild, and even though they are friendly most of the time, don't count on it.  Also, once again, go with a guide.
 

And here he is, Turks and Caicos most famous national treasure, Jojo the Dolphin.  This guy came to the area many years ago, and is one of the few lone dolphins in the world.  He made friends with a scientist who has spent his life looking after Jojo and studying the dolphins in the islands.  He's a friendly guy who visits with people off the coast of the islands, most often Providenciales.  I know you've seen Flipper, but Jojo's behavior is actually quite unusual.  Most dolphins are not as friendly with people and stay in pods.  He's a different dolphin with a different personality.  Just remember, he's wild.  Don't think that he is there to serve you.  Respect animals in their natural habitat as everywhere.


Here's some more wildlife for you on Providenciales.  This is a Conch.  I don't know whether it's male or female, but they do have both, and on Providenciales there is a conch farm.  It's the only one in the world.

Queen Conch Farm is the only place in the world that raises conch for profit.  It is a delicacy in the islands and growing in popularity around the world.  You can come here for a tour and to meet the conch up close and personal.  They will also cook some for you so you can see what it tastes like.  I know it's not the up close and get friendly experience that the coral reefs and dolphins are, but it is truly unique and the only place in the world to see this style of farming.  There are daily tours available, and it will be an experience that you won't forget.
So, come to Turks and Caicos.  You'll get to see some great and unusual wildlife.  But that's not all.
Then there's the Hole.  That's right, it's a hole.  It's approximately forty feet wide and 80 feet deep.  This place is for an adventure.  The idea here is that you go out and repel down into the hole.  What's down there?  A swimming hole.  That's right, go swimming 80 feet down inside a hole.  That's a good one.  There are local guides that will be happy to help you do this, and it's a great way to spend the day.  So, after you've seen all the wildlife, take another kind of a dive and take a swim.
 



Turks and Caicos is a beautiful tropical spot in the world.  It's one of the most unspoiled areas in the Caribbean.  There are still a few islands in the archipelago that are uninhabited.  You can spend a day there with no one to bother you.  There just aren't enough good things to say about this place.  It has all the resort hotels and everything from cities to villages.  It has an airport and cruise ship docks.  It has great beaches and wonderful fishing.  But it has that one thing that some other islands don't have.  Personality. They have a famous dolphin, they have coral reefs full of wonderful life that rival any others in the world.  They have a 7,000 foot drop off just off the shore of an island.  They swim with rays, sharks, and turtles.  It's a fascinating place with so much wildlife to explore that I didn't even mention the whales.  Come take a look and leave the Bahamas behind.  Take a look at something a little different in the Caribbean.  If it's good enough for Jojo, it's good enough for me.

http://caribbeantraveler.com/
http://www.turksandcaicostourism.com/tci-exclusive.html
http://www.marinewildlife.org/jojoProject.php
http://www.dolphinsfilm.com/Scientists/JoJo.htm
http://www.perfectislands.com/turks-and-caicos/things-to-see/jojo-the-dolphin/
http://deanandjojostory.com/
http://www.turksandcaicostourism.com/tci-exclusive--page--2--next--1.html
http://travel.usnews.com/Turks-Caicos/Things_To_Do/The_Hole_Provo_61621/
http://www.turksandcaicos.tc/travelagents/index.htm
http://www.cafepress.com/artisticcreationsbyninakindred1
http://pixels.com/profiles/terri-dixon.html
http://www.zazzle.com/imagings

Come for a visit--see if you can make yourself go home.
Enjoy!

Christmas is coming, but it's always there in North Pole...Alaska

I don't know about you, but this is kind of the way I've always pictured the place where Santa lives.  And this is the time of year when thousands of kids of all ages start thinking about Santa Claus for one reason or another.  Now, we've all outgrown the Santa myth as adults, but wouldn't it be nice to fly away to a fantasy now and then?
Here the first one of my Santa stories.

This is North Pole Alaska, and it's home to Santa Claus.  Now, haven't you always wanted to go to Alaska anyway?  Most of us have.  This little town isn't far from Fairbanks, and the good news is that although this is the time of year that most people think about visiting Santa, you can come visit him here anytime.

 
It's always Christmas at Santa Claus House.

There's shopping, there's visiting with Santa,

and you can even feed the reindeer.
But there's more to this sleepy little town than meets the eye.
 
North Pole, Alaska's post office is legendary.  The town founders started a tradition many years ago that continues today.  You can order a special letter from Santa Claus for your child or the child in you.  The original letter from Santa will come directly from the good people who work with the Santa Claus House and will be postmarked as coming from the North Pole.
If that option doesn't appeal to you, in the tradition of other theme towns across the country, you can buy an inch of the North Pole that comes complete with deed for your very own square inch.
Towns like North Pole are far too rare.  It's a great side trip to an otherwise regular skiing or snow machining holiday.  So take the side trip.  Take the short 40 mile drive from Fairbanks and see what has become one of the most popular inland attractions in the state.



 
It's far too rare that we have a chance to visit an entire town that doesn't take life too seriously.  Have some fun.  Take that side trip.  Come and visit Santa at North Pole, Alaska.

http://fairbanks-alaska.com/santa-claus-house.htm
http://www.santaclaushouse.com/index.asp
http://fairbanks-alaska.com/north-pole-alaska.htm
http://www.alaskatravel.com/alaska/north-pole.html
http://www.santaclaushouse.com/
http://www.northpolealaska.com/
http://search.travelalaska.com/search?output=xml_no_dtd&site=TravelAlaska&client=TravelAlaska&proxystylesheet=TravelAlaska&q=north%20pole
https://secure.travelalaska.com/Destinations/Communities/North%20Pole.aspx?tab=2
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g31079-North_Pole_Alaska-Vacations.html
http://www.alaskantour.com/
http://www.alaskaheritagetours.com/?utm_source=Bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=+alaska%20+tour&utm_content=alaska_tour&utm_campaign=aht_ppc
http://www.alaskawildland.com/ppc-home.html?utm_campaign=awa-bing-2013&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=alaska tour&utm_content=alaska
http://www.norad.com/
http://www.cafepress.com/artisticcreationsbyninakindred1
http://www.zazzle.com/imagings
http://pixels.com/profiles/terri-dixon.html
 
Enjoy!

You Never Thought of This in Cabo San Lucas

 
This is one of the most iconic images in travel.  Everyone has passed by a travel agency and seen this in the window at some point in time.  This is the most photographed scene in Cabo San Lucas.  But, that's not why I'm mentioning this wonderful place.
Cabo is famous for whale watching.

In the winter months you would be hard pressed to not see one.

You can go off roading with ATV's.
 
You can go off roading with four wheel drives.

But what you can do here is go off road with Baja racing cars.  This isn't the only place in the world that you can do such a thing, but it is the Baja.  Does it get any better?
Wide open tours is the company that you'll want to visit.  They will train you and then let you do the driving.  That's a chance that you shouldn't miss.  They will let you do the extreme driving through the desert country that is Cabo.  This is the Baja.  This is what it was named after.  This is the place to do it.

If you've ever wanted to try your hand at that something that seemed impossible to get your hands on, this is it.  This is the thrill that you've been looking for.

Now, you can go parasailing.  It's fun, and it looks adventurous.  It's actually referred to as relaxing, however.
 

You could go out on a booze cruise on a pirate ship.  I mean, it is Cabo.

You can even go out on something that is called a submarine.
There are many things that you can do in Cabo.  It's a great destination, full of snorkeling, sea kayaking, scuba diving, and fishing.

The sunsets are beautiful.

The resorts are beautiful.

The beaches are beautiful.


Even the bars are beautiful.
But, if you want that something extra that makes a great vacation in one of Mexico's safest locations an unforgettable vacation, then try that something different.

Then try Wide Open Off Roading Baja Racing.


 I promise you, you'll never forget it.

http://www.allaboutcabo.com/
http://www.cabosanlucastours.net/Adventure-Tours.htm
http://www.cabosanlucastours.net/
http://www.loscabosguide.com/wideopen.htm
http://www.wideopenbaja.com/Cabo/
http://www.cabosanlucasactivities.com/
http://www.toursbylocals.com/Cabo-San-Lucas-Tours?s=BA_22_001A_guided tours Cabo San Lucas&utm_source=MSAC&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=22
http://www.loscabosguide.com/activities/index.html
http://bestoncabo.com/
http://www.pueblobonito.com/cabo-san-lucas/things-to-do.aspx
http://www.cafepress.com/artisticcreationsbyninakindred1
http://pixels.com/profiles/terri-dixon.html
http://www.zazzle.com/imagings
 
Get revved up and enjoy!

The Largest Fluvial Island in the World

 

 

 

 

This is the gateway to Marajo Island.  It's a fluvial island, because it sits in a river or the delta of a river.  Marajo sits in the delta of the biggest of them all--the Amazon.  The island isn't officially the largest in the world, because of tides and seasons.  Sometimes Marajo is a single island, sometimes an archipelago.  Pororoca is the confluence tide in the delta of the Amazon where the sea water meets the freshwater of the river.  There are many times during the year when you can see the two waters moving against one another.  It's a phenomenon that you would be hard pressed to find visible anywhere else on Earth.

But why should you go to Marajo?  I always pick something unusual.  The tides are enough, but that's not all.  Marajo is most of the year, the size of Switzerland.  That's big.  Remember, the Amazon Delta is also the biggest in the world.

This may look like your average resort, but it's not.  This is Fazenda Do Carmo, a local farm and ranch turned tourist attraction.  What makes it different?  The activities.  There are many things that you can do on a farm, of which this is only one of many farms on the island.

They have Water Buffalo.  They raise them, they breed them, they cook them, and they are a primary source of transportation on the island.  I'm not joking.  They ride Water Buffalo on Marajo Island.  It's common, and they will teach you how to ride.  They do also have horseback riding and such, but why would you waste your adventuring time riding a horse when there are Water Buffalo awaiting?
And this is only the tip of the iceberg here on Marajo.  There are kayaking and other boat tours of massive Mangrove forests.  There are lush beaches with beautiful white sand.  There are excursions that will take you fishing for Piranha.  It's amazing all the things you can do and learn on this magnificent island.

The scenery is beautiful.

It's largest city, Soure, is beautiful.

The beaches are beautiful.

Marajo Island is a great place for birdwatching.  As a matter of fact, if you love ecotourism, this is a great place for it.  Most of the activities are based on nature.  There aren't many cars on the island, so there isn't a lot of damage to the ecosystem here.   There is a ferry that comes to the island from Belem on the coast of the river.  If you don't want to ride Water Buffalo or horses around the city, you can rent a bike almost anywhere.


The accommodations at Fazenda Do Carmo are nice, farmhouse rooms, with meals as well as activities.  They will teach you more than just to ride a Water Buffalo there.  They will teach you about fishing for Piranha ranching in the river delta, Mangrove Forests, and their culture.  You will eat and help cook authentic local dishes.  Beware, you will try Water Buffalo.
 

So, if you've seen Rio, and the other busier spots in Brazil, try this one.  It's wonderful, small town, and different.

Oh yeah, and they ride Water Buffalo.

http://www.carmocamara.com.br/en/index.php
http://www.resava-tourism.com/isla-marajo.php
http://www.terra-brazil.com/travel-amazon/marajo-island.php
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363788/Marajo-Island
http://www.traveltobrazil.org/post/10-best-islands-brazil.html
http://www.travelbrazil.net/International/Tours/belemmarajo.htm
http://www.packtours.com.br/dest/para/bel/index.htm
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/the-north/ilha-de-marajo
http://www.braziltravelbuddy.com/Belem/park/Marajo_Island_National_Park
http://www.saveur.com/article/Travels/Brazil-Marajo-Island
http://www.moon.com/destinations/brazil/the-amazon/para/ilha-de-marajo/buffalo-farms
http://www.sanjo.tur.br/index_ingles.php
http://www.resava-tourism.com/insolito.php
http://www.cafepress.com/artisticcreationsbyninakindred1
http://pixels.com/profiles/terri-dixon.html
http://www.zazzle.com/imagings 

As I always say, try something different and enjoy!