Sri Lanka – Colombo, Galle and Kandy

Photos of Colombo, Galle and Kandy cities. Sri Lanka is a multi-religious and multi-ethnic nation, with more than a quarter of the population following faiths other than Buddhism, notably Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population, with Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island,

Brazil – Rio City Centro 2

Downtown Centro Rio is inland from the beaches. It is the heart of the city where financial, legislative and political offices are located. These include Brazil’s first state-supported LGBT agencies that were set up to counter homophobia in the city–‘Rio Sem Homophobia’. Their offices take up a whole floor of City Hall. Centro also includes

Brazil: Rio de Janeiro Rocinha Slum

Rocinha is the largest slum (favela) area in Rio. It’s situated on the hills behind the city with panoramic views of the mountains and ocean. The people are generally poor but life in the favela teems with energy, enterprise, domestic activity, artwork, music (we encountered a spontaneous dance performance by a 9 year-old), day care

Brazil: Rio – Copacabana and Ipanema Beach Areas

Ipanema Beach and Copacabana Beach are a paradise for people watching, sunbathing and socializing. On weekends the avenues along the beaches are closed to traffic and they become great long promenades of people dressed in every manner of attire–including uninhibited men and women dressed in tiny swimsuits. The atmosphere is mellow, respectful, playful and friendly

Brazil – Sao Paulo – Paulista/Caneca Area

Sao Paulo has significant influence nationally and internationally, in terms of culture, economy and politics. It houses several important monuments, parks and museums. It is also home to the world’s largest gay Pride Parade that happens every June (separately from Carnival in February). A recent parade attracted about 3 million people. The Paulista-Caneca area is

Botswana Okavango Delta

Botswana Okavango Delta The Okavango Delta (or Okavango Swamp), in Botswana, is the world’s largest inland delta. It is formed where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert, where most of the water is lost to evaporation and transpiration instead of draining into the sea. Each year

Botswana Capital City of Gaborone

Botswana Capital City of Gaborone Gaborone is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 195,000, about ten percent of the total population. (Botswana is a mostly rural country with only six cities.) Because the Gaborone had no major tribal affiliation, in ‘neutral territory,’ and was close to the fresh water in

Namibia – Random Rural Scenes

                               Namibia Random Rural Scenes Namibia is a huge country almost the size of Western Europe. With over 824.000 square kilometers and a small population of just over two million it is one of the least populated countries in the world. It’s human density is a mere 2.5 people per square kilometer. (Contrast that with

Namibian Capital of Windhoek

                                                Namibian Capital of Windhoek Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It population is about 250,529. A population influx from all over Namibia has caused researchers to estimate the figure to be well over 300,000. It is a clean, modern, internet-connected bustling center with a range of architecture from

Luderitz City on the Atlantic Coast

Luderitz City on the Atlantic Coast Namibia is one of the largest countries in Africa, about the size of Western Europe. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March 1990, following the Namibian War of Independence. Its capital and largest city is Windhoek. It has a population of 2.1 million people and a stable

Etosha National Game Park

Etosha National Game Park Etosha National Park is one of Southern Africa’s and most important Game Reserves. Etosha Game park was declared a National Park in 1907 and covering an area of 22 270 square km, it is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one

Copenhagen Day Trip to Malmo, Sweden

Across the Oresund Sound from Copenhagen is Malmo, Sweden, a twenty-minute train ride away. Malmo is the third most populous city in Sweden after Stockholm and Gothenburg. In 2008, its population was 628,388. Women have officially been given permission to swim topless in public swimming pools of the city. This was decided unanimously in the

Denmark’s Royalty

The Danish Monarchy is the constitutional monarchy of Denmark and its overseas territories. It is considered to be the oldest monarchy in the world. The present Queen is Margrethe II. As a constitutional monarch, the Queen is limited to non-partisan, ceremonial functions. The ultimate executive authority over the government of Denmark is still by and

Tasmania – North Coast

Tasmania’s north coast is rich in history and offers fine landscape and coastal areas. There are pretty towns such as Penguin and Stanley where life seems tidy and peaceful. The rocky and sandy coastline also has places of natural beauty to visit. The Bass Highway runs along the north coast allowing access to all areas.

Tasmania – West and Central

Tasmania West and Central Central and western Tasmani is mostly wilderness. The main city is Queenstown which is in the center of a large mining area. Great swaths of forest were mowed down for fuel for the mineral smelters (mostly copper) leaving the land looking like a moonscape. But most of western Tasmania is quite

Tasmania – East Coast

Tasmania East Coast Australia has six states and two terrtories. The southernmost is Tasmania, an island state about the size of Switzerland, Ireland or the U.S. state of Maine. It’s located 240 kilometres (150 mi) south of the mailand, Most of the urban and social life is along the east coast, with smaller towns along

Christiania Village in Copenhagen

Christiania Village Christiania is an 81-acre city within Copenhagen (see Stories, News & Photos) founded in 1971 by ‘alternative’ people–hippies and others seeking a freer lifestyle and a place to live. They invaded and took over an unused military compound against much government resistance. It’s been a forty year off-and-on struggle to keep the authorities

Mekong River Cruise from Laos to Thailand

The Mekong is one of the world’s great rivers. It is the world’s 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is 4,909 km (3,050 mi) and it drains an area of 795,000 km2 (307,000 sq mi). From the Tibetan Plateau this river runs through China’s Yunnan province, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and