Jerusalem-the holy city

Jerusalem the capital of Israel, is one of the oldest and most popular cities in the world. It is part of Palestine region and is considered a holy city for muslims, christian and jewish believers.
Among the most important tourist attractions in Jerusalem are included: 

Western Wall or Wailing Wall, with the age of about 2.000 years, located at the western edge of the Temple Mount, is one of the most important and visited tourist attractions in Jerusalem. The wall was built by King Herod in the temple expansion.

Western Wall became a place of pilgrimage for Hebrew mainly during the Ottoman occupation, the Jews lamenting the destruction of the Temple by the Romans - this is why it was called the Wailing Wall.  

The square in front of the Wall is divided by a fence - on the left side is a larger space for man and on the right side is a smaller space for women. Wall Access is free, but the head must be covered and the clothes must be appropriate behavior. 

Dome of the Rock is one of the first major achievements of Muslim architecture. The Arabs believe that here is where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven on his fabulous horse, and then to return to the earth and to transcribe visions.
Dome of the Rock along with Al Aqsa Mosque, ranks third place among the holiest places for Muslims after Mecca and Medina. Golden dome, built in four years, is visible from far away, and the interior is coated with bright ceramics and mosaics and arabic calligraphy.
Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, but a temple that protects under its dome the rock, sacred to muslims, christians and hebrew. 

Al Aqsa Mosque was built less than 20 years after the Dome of the Rock. Al Aqsa Mosque was built by Caliph  Omaiad Walid I  on the place of justinian basilica, dedicated to Our Lady. Crusaders took mosque as the Temple of Solomon, and the Jews call it Solomon School. 

  Al-Aqsa Mosque has a silver dome, here being Islamic Museum, which has in its patrmony islamic artifacts and  relics.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the most important place of Christian pilgrimage, is a large building, which lies on the places where it is believed that Jesus was crucified and buried, and then rise again. 

Church of the Holy Sepulchre is not a church, but rather a gathering of churches, each with its chapel and altar . Since the time of Saladin, each orthodox christians, roman catholics and eastern orthodox christians  have a separate area - a church in this building. 

The Orthodox Church is the largest of these churches and is situated in the east of the Holy Sepulchre. Armenians have several smaller shrines and chapels in the building, and a larger church - St Helena and St Gregory. Roman Catholics have two chapels, the ethiopians have a chapel and a monastery located on the roof, and the Copts have a small altar behind the Holy Sepulchre.

Citadel of Jerusalem lies south of Jaffa Gate and is called the Tower of David. The building is not related to King David, being made ​​in order to protect the palace of Herod. The three towers of the citadel are called Phasael after his brother, Mariamne, after his wife, and Hippicus, after his friend. 

Today the Citadel in Jerusalem houses a museum about the history of the city, a folk museum and some interesting archaeological excavations.

Israel Old City is a district with an area of 0.9 square kilometers, bounded by walls, within the modern city of Israel, which began to develop after 1860. In the historical center there are several essential religious monuments : the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque. 
According to tradition, Israel Old City is divided into four districts: Hebrew District, Christian Quarter, the Muslim Quarter and the Armenian Quarter. 
Israel Old City walls framing were built in the first half of the sixteenth century, by sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and have length 4 km. The walls were originally eight gates, seven preserving until today: Jaffa Gate, New Gate, Damascus Gate, Herod's Gate, St. Stephen's Gate, Golden Gate, Zion Gate and Garbage Gate.

Israel Museum is the most important place for art, archeology and anthropology in the country. Heritage museum includes paintings by famous artists (Rodin, Monet, van Gogh), and important archaeological discoveries. The piece de resistance of the museum is Shrine of the Book, a round shaped building that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Garden of Gethsemane is the garden of Israel known as one of the places visited by Jesus Christ. Located near the Temple Mount, near Kidron Valley and the Mount of Olives, the garden is beautiful, full of greenery and attentive care. Cave of Gethsemane is in the garden of Gethsemane and is where the Savior came to pray. In the Garden of Gethsemane are four places of worship: Tomb of the Virgin, Cave of Gethsemane, catching stone Jesus (here is a Catholic Church) and the Church of the Holy Archdeacon Stefan.

Bali-exotic destination for a dream vacation

Bali is an exotic island paradise, known for its green rice terraces, for its volcanoes height that can exceed 3000 meters, for  its people that although poor, are very hospitable and not least for its temples where you can view  incredible sunsets.

Bali island belongs to Indonesia which is famous for beautiful tropical beaches with palms and flowers that grow up huge, for  diversity of art represented by sculpture, painting, dance and ceremonies dedicated to the gods. In Bali are organized numerous ceremonies and festivals. 

The representative temples of Bali tourism are Tanah Lot temple, the temple Pura Jagatnatha,  dedicated to god temple Sang Hyang Widi Wasa, Pura Besakih that is  situated on mountainside Agung.

Those who want to spend their holiday in Bali will not think twice because it is a paradise destination. When you arrive on the island you can make various trips and tours with buses, cars, boats and even airplanes. 

The featured sights for a dream vacation are: 

- Kintamani, a mountain village located at 1500 m altitude, where you can admire Lake Batur and Batur Volcano, still active. You can visit the village Trunyan; 

- Tampaksiring were we can visit  the Tirta Empul temple and Elephant Cave; 

-The Mother Temple is the most sacred of Bali and the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia; 

-many museums such as Puri Lukisan in Ubud, Neka in Campuhan Gallery in Ubud Neka, Agung Rai Gallery in Peliatan and Agung Rai Museum  in Pengosekan.

In Bali, besides visiting the beauty of nature, we can make  many other activities such as: 
- Water sports: swimming, snorkelling, water skiing, parasailing, wind surfing; 
- Scuba Diving, the best places are along the east coast near Candi Dasa, Amed and Tulamben and near Nusa Penida;
- Fishing: there are companies that rent yachts and fishing boats; 
- Cruises: Daily organized near islands Nusa Penida  and Nusa Lembongan  on the south-east were you can also practice water sports;
- Submarine Safari: submarine tours of 36 seats in the Gulf Amuk Bay, Padangbai; 
- Other activities: golf, tennis and squash, white water rafting, karting, bungee jumping, horseback riding, paintball, traditional dance classes ,cooking classes;

If you want to buy souvenirs recommend natural teas, spices, frames decorated with banana leaves, wood carvings and of course the famous Indonesian coffee.

In conclusion, Bali offers many exotic places that can turn your vacation into a true paradis. In completing the thought, here is a photo gallery of the most representative locations.

Thailand - the fairyland, a great travel destination

Thailand, also known as the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country located in the center of the Indochina peninsula in South East Asia. 

Thailand is called the land of pagodas, the  country of the smile and the fairyland of Asia. 

In this country you can plan your dream vacations and exotic honeymoons. Thailand, through the two cities Bangkok and Tron, has a lot to offer to cultural  lovers  and through the beaches and landscapes that it has, it  can satisfy the tastes of all  nature lovers.

Thailand can enchant with various activities such as: 

-here you can delight sun and beaches all throughout the hole year but one of the best months to visit Thailand is november;

 -thai traditional food will impress even the best chefs;

-the Buddhism will impress you with its  beautiful temples and cultural diversity specific to this religion;

-night-life, which was one of the reasons that attracts many young tourists throughout the hole  year,  is varies from night clubs to many great beach bars;

- for lovers of shopping, Thailand offers a variety of markets where you can find the most  interesting and the funniest  holiday souvenirs;

If i couldn`t convince you with the arguments that i  have brought till now, i hope that in  the next gallery of photo  you will discover  the beauty of this exotic country that is worth to see it at least once in lifetime.

Wildlife in Himalayan Mountains

The wild life of Himalaya is very diverse.The region is a paradise for nature lovers. The different wild life sanctuaries and national parks are the home for rare species. The types of flora, which are common in the Himlayan region, are pine, fir, oak, rhododendron, deodar and juniper. Regarding wildlife, snow leopard, blue sheep, elephants, tigers, wild boar, crocodiles and musk deer are seen mostly in the different parts of the Himalayan Mountains.

In the north of the Himalayan Mountains the temperature falls below freezing point and its extremely cold. That`s way during the cold winter, most of the animals migrate to the lower regions of the Himalayas while others like marmots and brown bear choose to hibernate. The iak is living mostley in the cold desert.

In conclusion, the Himalayas is a very harsh environment and that`s way some  animals have to be well equipped to survive.

One of the most beautiful animals in the Himalayas is snow leopard. He is a member of cat family and is a predator of other creatures that lives in this region.

Snow leopards show several adaptations for living in a cold, mountainous environment. Their bodies are stocky, their fur is thick, and their ears are small and rounded, all of which help to minimize heat loss. Their paws are wide, which distributes their weight better for walking on snow, and have fur on their undersides to increase their grip on steep and unstable surfaces; it also helps to minimize heat loss. Snow leopards' tails are long and flexible, helping them to maintain their balance, which is very important in the rocky terrain they inhabit.

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The Himalayan Yak  is a long-haired bovid characterised by long shaggy hair and living in areas in which there is much grass and lichen. People living in the Himalayas depend considerably on the yak for both food and transportation.  For this reason, the Yak is usually farmed in  herds. 

The herds consist primarily of females and their young, with a smaller number of adult males. The remaining males are either solitary, or found in much smaller groups, averaging around six individuals. Although they can become aggressive when defending young, or during the rut, wild yaks generally avoid humans, and may rapidly flee for great distances if any approach.

The bharal or Himalayan blue sheep is a caprid found in the high Himalayas of Nepal, Tibet, China, India, Pakistan and Bhutan.

Bharals move in herds of 10 or more, with males forming separate herds outside of mating season.Bharal are active throughout the day, alternating between feeding and resting on the grassy mountain slopes. Due to their excellent camouflage and the absence of cover in their environment, bharal remain motionless when approached. Once they have been noticed, however, they scamper up to the precipitous cliffs, where they once again freeze, using camouflage to blend into the rock .

The Himalayan forests are not so lush and green but they have a different charm. In the Terai region variety of wildlife can be seen .Different kinds of birds like the Monal Pheasant are also seen in areas of eastern, central, and the western region of the Himalayas. Even rare species are also found here.

In conclusion, not many places in the world can charm you like the Himalayas.  Not every place gives you the reason to visit there every season. Spring and summer is the best time to visit as the flowers are in full bloom during this time to welcome the visitors with a burst of colors. 

References

 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Himalayan Mountains

Himalayas form a continuous arc for nearly 2600 km around the edges of the Indian subcontinent, from the curve of the river Indus in the north-west to the Brahmaputra river in northern est.In this mountain belts are Tibetan Plateau. The Himalayas form the highest mountain region on the planet. Here you can meet mountains over 8,000 meters high, the highest being Mount Everest with a height of 8848 meters.

Indian Himalayas influences the climate of the peninsula appeared a cold air masses from Central Asia. Vegetation is influenced by climate. In the past almost all the sub-Himalayan region was covered by tropical forests. Much of this area has been deforested, leaving only in the inaccessible forests, or on steep slope

The Himalaya are among the youngest mountain ranges on the planet and consist mostly of uplifted sedimentary andmetamorphic rock.The Himalayas have the third largest deposit of ice and snow in the world, after Antarctica and the Arctic.

The beauty of this mountains  can be seen in the following photo gallery.

In conclusion, the Himalayas are by far one of the most outstanding destinations for a dream vacation.

The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras

The Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995, the first-ever property to be included in the cultural landscape category of the World Heritage List.This inscription has five sites: the Batad Rice Terraces, Bangaan Rice Terraces (both in Banaue), Mayoyao Rice Terraces (in Mayoyao), Hungduan Rice Terraces (in Hungduan) and Nagacadan Rice Terraces (in Kiangan), all in the Ifugao Province, the Philippines.

The rice terraces of the Cordilleras are the only monuments in the Philippines that show no evidence of having been influenced by colonial cultures. Owing to the difficult terrain, the Cordillera tribes are among the few peoples of the Philippines who have successfully resisted any foreign domination and have preserved their authentic tribal culture. 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia