The jewel in the crown of the country’s tourist attractions is Lake Malawi, “discovered” by the missionary-explorer Dr David Livingstone just over 150 years ago. Although totally landlocked, Malawi is not denied its “inland sea”. This vast body of freshwater fringed by beaches of golden sand is not only a scenic wonderland but it provides water sport opportunities for those looking for something beyond sun, sand and swimming. Its approximate dimensions are 365 miles north to south and 52 miles broad, hence the sobriquet: "the calendar lake". The Lake, in the north, is quite extraordinarily deep: 2300 ft/700 m, plunging well below sea level. This reflects the enormity of the natural faulting of the Great Rift Valley, which is the origin of the Lake. The width of the lake’s shorelands vary from nothing to over 25 kilometres (16 miles), the edge of the Rift Valley rising steeply in places and more gently in others.
Because of its rich fish harvest, the Lake plays an important part in the economy. Fishing villages are scattered along the shore and the traditional industry and practices are an attraction to visitors. Access to the Lake is possible along much of its length but it should be noted that it is usually necessary to take a short detour off the main roads in order to reach the beach. Despite the attraction the Lake has to settlement, there are long stretches of totally uninhabited golden sand lakeshore, lapped by crystal clear waters. Kayaking, sailing, snorkelling, scuba diving and water skiing are just some of the lake activities available to visitors. Journeys by lake range from the famous motor vessel the Ilala to sailing in an ocean-going yacht. Cruises into the upper reaches of the great Shire river are also possible.
Places to Stay
Good lodges are now to be found the length of the lakeshore, with a few collections in areas of particular beauty. Between Mangochi and Monkey Bay is a long line of wonderful beaches backed by a variety of accommodation. This Mangochi Lakeshore has the Lake’s greatest concentration of lodges and hotels. Monkey Bay is a functional port town, but round the headland is Cape Maclear and the Lake Malawi National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a veritable aquarium of tropical fish. In recent years, a number of high quality lodges have been built in this area. Senga Bay is another place where there are a number of lodges & hotels, and it benefits from being the closest point on the lake to Lilongwe. The stretch between the historic Nkhotakota and the sugar estate town of Dwangwa has a smattering of lodges. Another concentration is found on the Chintheche lakeshore, which has some stunning beaches. Nkhata Bay is primarily a port town, but has grown as a centre for independent travellers. The Northern Lakeshore beyond Chitimba has fewer lodges, and Karonga, an important archeological centre, is the only town of note before reaching Tanzania. Across the lake, into Mozambiquan waters, is Likoma Island. Not only does it have some beautiful beaches, and accommodation, but also a missionary-built cathedral the size of Winchester’s. A nearby stretch of the Mozambique shoreline, Manda Wilderness, is a 120,000 hectare community reserve of unspoilt wilderness and white sand beaches.
Lake Baikal: World's Largest, Deepest Lake
During the summer, when Lake Baikal is full of melted ice from the Siberian mountains, it is sometimes possible to see more than 130 feet (39 m) down.
Credit: AnSTop | Shutterstock
Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world (by volume) and the world's deepest lake. Somewhat crescent shaped, it is in the southern Siberia area of Russia. In 1996 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"Lake Baikal is the oldest lake in the world. It is home to approximately 1,700 to 1,800 endemic plant and animal species," said Jennifer Castner of Pacific Environment's Russia program. Additionally, it holds 20 percent of the world's fresh water, due to the lake's depth.
By the numbers
Volume: 5,521 cubic miles of water (23,013 cubic kilometers). This volume is approximately equivalent to all five of the North American Great Lakes combined, according to Geology.com.
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Maximum depth: 5,354 feet (1,632 meters). Its lowest point lies more than 4,000 feet (1,219 m) below sea level, according to Smithsonian magazine.
Average depth: 2,442 feet (744 m), according to Smithsonian magazine.
Surface area: 12,248 square miles (31,722 square km), according to Smithsonian magazine. This area puts it in seventh place worldwide in terms of surface area, according to Geology.com.
Length: 397 miles (640 km), according to Lake Baikal.org.
Maximum width: 49 miles (79.5 km), according to Baikal World Web.
Average width: 29 miles (47 km), according to Baikal World Web.
Minimum width: 16 miles (25 km), according to Baikal World Web.
Coastline area: 1,300 miles (2,100 km), according to Lake Baikal.org.
Lake Baikal location
Lake Baikal is located in south-central Russia near the Mongolian border. The largest nearby city is Irkutsk. Lake Baikal has historically played a large role in the Russian imagination. It represents the unspoiled beauty of Russia and is sometimes referred to as the Sacred Sea. Lake Baikal plays a central part in many local creation myths and appears throughout Russian folklore, according to Baikal Nature. Lake Baikal attracts more than 500,000 tourists a year, according to the Siberian Times.
Though it is in southern Siberia, the lands around Lake Baikal are generally warmer than the rest of the area because large bodies of water have a moderating force, according to LakeBaikal.org.
Olkhon Island is the largest island on Lake Baikal. About 1,500 people live there.
Olkhon Island is the largest island on Lake Baikal. About 1,500 people live there.
Credit: marinya Shutterstock
Lake Baikal features
There are 27 mostly uninhabited islands in Lake Baikal, according to Lake Baikal.org. The largest is 45-mile-long (72 km) Olkhon, on which there are villages. About 1,500 people live there.
More than 300 streams and rivers feed into Lake Baikal, but the Angara River is the only outlet. It carries out about 60 cubic km (15.8 trillion gallons) of water per year into the Yenisei River. Eventually the water makes its way to the Arctic Ocean.
The Selenga River is the largest source of water coming into Lake Baikal. Flowing north from Mongolia, it contributes nearly 50 percent of the lake's water. Like Lake Baikal, the Selenga Delta is internationally recognized for its biodiversity and importance, according to the Ramsar Convention.
Lake Baikal is the only very deep lake to have oxygenated water at its lowest depths, like the ocean, according to a 2009 article in BioScience. Additionally, the earth under Lake Baikal is heated. The cause of the heat is unknown.
Lake Baikal is considered one of the clearest lakes in the world, according to CNN Traveler. During the summer, when the lake is full of melted ice from the Siberian mountains, it is sometimes possible to see more than 130 feet (39 m) down. The stunning clarity is the result of the melted ice's purity, plankton that eat floating debris and a lack of mineral salts in the lake.
Lake Baikal may be warmer than other parts of Siberia, but in the winter it still gets very cold. The average air temperature in winter is minus 6 F (minus 21 C). Despite its size, Lake Baikal freezes over in the winter and usually melts in May or June, according to LakeBaikal.org. The ice can be up to 6 feet (2 m) thick. In the summer, the average air temperature is 52 F (11 C). The water temperature in August is around 50 F (10 C).
The nerpa is the world's only exclusively freshwater seal. It is only found in Lake Baikal.
The nerpa is the world's only exclusively freshwater seal. It is only found in Lake Baikal.
Credit: Andrei Gilbert Shutterstock
Lake Baikal history
At least 25 million years old, Lake Baikal is the oldest lake in the world. It and the surrounding mountains were formed by the Earth's crust fracturing and moving. According to Baikal World Web, it was probably originally a riverbed, but tremors and fractures in the Earth's crust increased the size and widened the space between the shores. Parts of the Baikal basin developed at different times throughout the Tertiary Period (66 million to 2.6 million years ago). Melting glaciers also increased the water levels.
It is likely that a series of lakes, similar to the Great Lakes, developed first and then united in the Pliocene Epoch (5.3 to 2.58 million years ago), according to Baikal World Web. There are several theories about what could have caused the unification, including sinking earth, falling rocks, erosion and earthquakes. Likely, it was a combination of all factors.
Lake Baikal is in a rift valley and up to 2,000 earthquake tremors are detected each year. The earthquakes deepen the lake and increase its size. For example, an 1862 earthquake resulted in the creation of Proval Bay, according to Irkutsk.org.
According to the Baikal Center, some geophysicists think that Lake Baikal is an ocean being born. The shores drift farther apart by 2 cm (0.78 inches) a year, the same rate at which Africa and South America drift apart.
Indigenous communities have lived around Lake Baikal since at least the sixth century B.C., though they visited long before that. It was the site of a battle in the Han-Xiongu War (133 B.C. to A.D. 89). Local legend holds that Jesus visited Lake Baikal, according to Smithsonian magazine. The first European to visit Lake Baikal was the Russian Kurbat Ivanov in 1643. Russia expanded its territory to include Lake Baikal during the 17th-century Russian conquest of Siberia.
Lake Baikal ecosystem
According to the UNESCO World Heritage Commission, Lake Baikal is sometimes called the "Galapagos of Russia" because of its exceptional biodiversity and importance to evolutionary science. The age, isolation and deep oxygenated water of Lake Baikal have resulted in one of the world's richest freshwater ecosystems.
About 80 percent of the more than 3,700 species found at Lake Baikal are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else on Earth. Probably the most famous of these species is the nerpa, the world's only exclusively freshwater seal. Scientists are unsure how the nerpa came to Lake Baikal and evolved, but they suspect the seals might have swum down a prehistoric river from the Arctic, according to LakeBaikal.org. Other endemic species include the oily, scaleless golomyanka fish and the omul, a white fish that is one of Lake Baikal's most famous dishes.
Other land-based species around Lake Baikal include bears, reindeer, elk, wild boar, Siberian roe deer, polecats, ermine, sable and wolves. American minks, imported from Canada, also live around Lake Baikal, according to Baikal World Web.
More than 50 species of fish live in Lake Baikal, according to Baikal World Web. Aquatic invertebrate species include more than 100 species of flat worms, more than 700 species of anthropods (insects, arachnids and crustaceans) and more than 170 species of mollusks. These invertebrates all help purify the water.
There are dozens of tree species, including cedar, fir and spruce, growing in the Lake Baikal area. Some of the trees are up to 800 years old. The Angara pine tree is native to the area, according to Baikal World Web.
Lake Baikal is in southern Siberia. The closest city is Irkutsk
Lake Baikal is in southern Siberia. The closest city is Irkutsk
Credit: Peter Hermes Furian Shutterstock
Threats to Lake Baikal
As Russia and Mongolia have become increasingly industrialized and tourism has increased, Lake Baikal has faced more and more threats to its environment. Additionally, climate change is threatening its ecosystem. Water temperatures and ice cover have already changed, according to BioScience.
Castner described several of the dangers facing Lake Baikal. The biggest threat is probably the "huge problem with algae on the lake and government failure to develop an adequate response to it," she said. Massive green algae blooms plague bodies of water like the Great Lakes, but for a long time Russian scientists assumed that Lake Baikal was too big to be affected by them. But since at least 2008, Spirogyra algae blooms have appeared on the bottom of the lake, according to National Geographic. The algae blooms are found in shallow water and wash up on shore, where they emit a horrible stench.
The algae are toxic to other species. The algae have damaged water snails, sponges, fish and crustaceans — which pass the toxins along to people, according to the New York Times.
"The algae blooms are presumably caused by temperature changes, climate changes and excessive runoff into the lake from agricultural sewage and industrial sewage," Castner said. The concentration of algae in shallow water and the fact that algae blooms have historically appeared in areas with untreated sewage suggest that untreated sewage is a significant contributing factor to the problem. "But," Castner noted, "no proper study has been done to definitively determine the cause of the algae blooms."
She added, "There's a huge increase in tourism on shores all around the lake and there's not a real understanding of how that's affecting the lake." Local communities do not have adequate waste management systems relative to the number of tourists. But at least one effort to healthily manage tourists at Lake Baikal is succeeding: the Lake Baikal Trail, which will surround the entire lake, is being built slowly but surely.
"Another serious threat is a proposed series of dams on the Selenga River and its tributaries," Castner said. Mongolia is actively planning to build the dams in order to obtain energy. But the dams would seriously reduce the amount of fresh water flowing into the lake. In addition to lowering lake levels, the dams could change the level of sediment entering the lake and lessen the quality of breeding sites for birds and fish, as well as and block their migration routes, according to The New York Times.
Lake Baikal has successfully met environmental challenges in the past. In 2006, activists were able to get the government to completely reroute an oil pipeline. "It would have crossed into the lake's watershed in the north and come within 800 meters of the lake. It would have had devastating impacts," Castner said.
From 1966 to 2008, the Baikalsk Paper and Pulp Mill operated off the shores of Lake Baikal. "Paper-making and pulp-processing are water-intensive processes that involve using water and then dumping it," Castner explained. The dirty water was dumped into the lake, which resulted in a 12-square mile environmentally dead zone in the shallows. Community-led opposition led to valid studies of the problem and, though the government repeatedly delayed it, the mill was eventually shut down. Today, the environment in the water is slowly recovering. But the plant has not been demolished, the land around it has not been restored, and the chemicals around it have not been removed. The town is struggling economically.
Lombok island is located east of Bali Indonesia and can be easily accessed by air or sea. Lombok is one of the popular tourist destinations in Indonesia and attracts travellers from all across the globe.
Lombok, an integral part of the Lesser Sunda Islands is situated in the province of West Nusa Tenggara an a series of small islands in the Indonesian archipelago. West Nusa Tenggara spread into two islands Lombok and Sumbawa. Lombok spans 90km from north to south and 80km from east to west.
It boasts untouched, pristine beaches, a bigger volcano, Mount Rinjani, and a huge variety of different landscapes and sceneries. The island of Lombok offers the most complete escape from the hustle and the bustle of towns. Tourist activity is confined to Senggigi, Kuta Lombok, and Gili islands, but even these places are low key compared with most part of Bali. The rest of the island is ripe for exploration.
The Lombok Peoples and Religion
The Sasaks are the largest ethnic group in Lombok, with their own language and traditions. Unlike Balinese, but in common with the majority of Indonesian's, they are Muslims.
Sasak is native indigenous inhabitants of Lombok (West Nusa Tenggara) was followed a belief in animism. Numbering about two million, they are thought to be descendents of a hill tribe in northern India and Myanmar (Burma). After the 16th century, Islam separated from Java and crossed the kingdoms to the Islands of Lombok and Sumbawa. Nowadays almost 90% of Lombok people are Muslim. In the 17th century the Balinese came to the west coast of Lombok Island. Within several decades a kingdom was established, extending the territory of the kingdom of Karang Asem, East of Bali. The Hindu Religion began to settle up on that times. In the beginning of the 18th century, the Dutch colonized the eastern part of Indonesia, including lesser Sunda (Bali, Lombok across to Timor). Belonging to the Dutch administration of the area they promoted Christian missions. The island in habitants are 85% are Sasak, 10 - 15% Balinese, with small reminder being Chinese, Arab, Javanese and Sumbawanese.
Lombok Geography
The Lombok strait marks the passage of the biologeographical division between the fauna of the Indomalayan ecozone and the distinctly different fauna of Australia that is known as the Wallace Line, for Alfred Russel Wallace. who first remaked upon the distinction between these two major biomes. The island's topography is dominated by the centrally-located stratovolcano Mount Rinjani, which rises 3,726 m - 12,224ft, making it the second highest mount in Indonesia. There are no recorded in history about when the first Rinjani erupted. The most recent eruption of Rinjani - Mount Baru (Rinjani Son) was in June - July 1994 and in year 2004. The volcano, and its sacred crater lake Segara Anak (child of the sea), are protected by a National Park established in 1997.
Lombok Climate
The are is two main season on Lombok. Dry season - from June to September - the heat can be scorching. At night, particularly at higher elevations, the temperature can drop so much a sweater and light jacket are necessary. The wet season extends from October and January – the wettest months.
Lombok Weather
The weather in Lombok is actually drier than Bali during the October to pebruary rainy season. And while it does rain during this time the sky generally opens up for only few hours and then you should experience plenty of sun.
Year round the island, which is located about 200 miles south of the equator, is tropical… meaning hot and humid. Being so close to the equator days are typically 12 hours long with sunrise around 6:30am and sunsets around 6:30pm. As a result it is hard to know what time of the year it is without looking at the climate.
The Lombok “dry season” begins in May and lasts through October. On the beach the temperatures are in the high 80s to the low 90s throughout much of the year during daylight hours, and a bit cooler in the evening. In the interior temperatures can actually heat up quite a bit. The exception is Mt. Rinjani, which at more than a mile high can get quite chilly.
The “wet season,” which again isn’t that wet has pretty much the same weather. The climate is often described as monsoon, but this in fact refers to the wind, not the rain. Thus the winter months are when the breezes pick up. And while the tourist season is from May to September, there is really no bad time to head to Lombok.
Lombok Flora and Fauna
The fictive ”Wallace Line” which separates Asia from Australia runs north-south between the island of Bali and Lombok. From the island of Lombok eastward, land becomes drier and less fertile. Also, the flora and fauna changes from the rest of Asia. Forests in west Nusa Tenggara are found mostly in mountain areas. Large parts of the Lombok mainland are coastal wetlands, irrigated fields and other wetlands. Extensive dry land areas are found on the island of Sumbawa. Species of plants growing in West Nusa Tenggara have specific importance for the life of the people. Species of plants found in the forests are Kesambi, Bungur, Sonokeling, Mahoni (Mahogani), Teak, Kelicung, Pala, Ipil and Bamboo Tutul. The island has the flower Dysspyros macrophylla as its symbol. Wild animals found on the island include wild pigs, small deer, deer, iguanas, porcupines, turtles and many kinds of poisonous snakes. Many kinds of bird are found here including Pring, Parrots, Bering, Koak Kaok, Cucak Rawa.
Health and Medical Information
Most hotels have on call doctors. For what it is known by Australian as "Bali Belly", Lomotil and Imodium eliminate Symptoms, but not infections. A fever along with the symptoms requires doctor prescribed antibiotics. Drink as much as liquid as possible. For discomfort, diarrhea, and cramping, drink strong, hot tea; avoid fruits and spicy food. Drink only bottled water or boiled water (air putih).
Peel the fruit before eating; avoid raw vegetables except at reputable restaurants. Ice in restaurants is safe. Protect yourself from the intense equatorial sun. Use sun block and hat. Sexually transmitted diseases are increasing in Indonesia. Local sex workers have multiple partners from all over the world. Act responsibly and use condoms, available over the counter at pharmacies.
Business Hours
Indonesian work in the morning to avoid the heat of the day. If you need to visit a government office, arrive between 08 AM and 11:30 AM. This also apply to banks and private businesses. Government offices close early on Fridays and Saturdays. Generally offices are open 07:30AM - 3 PM Monday - Thursday, 07:00AM - noon on Friday, banks are closed on Saturday and Sunday.
Cell Phone
Cellular phone in Indonesia is GSM. If you have brought your cellular hand phone, you can purchase prepaid calling cards to make outgoing calls at lower cost than calling on your home SIM. Shops which sell these cards are prolific. Major service providers are: Telkomsel, Satelindo and XL Ritel. Look for signs and banners with those markings.
Lombok Tourism Information 2008 to the Present
The years leading up to 2010 has seen a rapid revival and promotion of tourism recovery in the tourism industry. The number of visitors has far surpassed the pre-2000 levels. All signs indicate the long-term trend will see a steady increase in the number of visitor arrivals. Both the local government and many residents recognize that tourism and services related to tourism will continue to be the major source of income for the island. The island's natural beauty and the customary hospitality of its residents make it an obvious tourist destination. Lombok retains the allure of an undeveloped and natural environment. Tourism visits to this tropical island are increasing again as both international and local tourists are re-discovering the charms of Lombok. With this new interest comes the development of a number of boutique resorts on the island providing quality accommodation, food and drinks in near proximity to an relatively unspoiled countryside. The Indonesian government is actively promoting both Lombok and neighboring Sumbawa as Indonesia's number two tourism destination after Bali. The President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Ministry of Cultural and Tourism and the regional Governor have made public statements supporting the development of Lombok as a tourism destination and setting a goal of 1 million visitors annually by the year 2012 for the combined destination of Lombok and Sumbawa. This has seen infrastructure improvements to the island including road upgrades and the construction of a much delayed new International airport in the islands south.
Mount Bromo is an active volcano and part of the Tengger massif, in East Java, Indonesia. At 2,329 metres (7,641 ft) it is not the highest peak of the massif, but is the most well known. The massif area is one of the most visited tourist attractions in East Java, Indonesia. The volcano belongs to the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. The name of Bromo derived from Javanese pronunciation of Brahma, the Hindu creator god.
Mount Bromo sits in the middle of a vast plain called the "Sea of Sand" (Javanese: Segara Wedi or Indonesian: Lautan Pasir), a protected nature reserve since 1919. The typical way to visit Mount Bromo is from the nearby mountain village of Cemoro Lawang. From there it is possible to walk to the volcano in about 45 minutes, but it is also possible to take an organised jeep tour, which includes a stop at the viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan (2,770 m or 9,088 ft) (Indonesian: Gunung Penanjakan). The best views from Mount Bromo to the Sand Sea below and the surrounding volcanoes are at sunrise. The viewpoint on Mount Penanjakan can also be reached on foot in about two hours. From inside the caldera, sulfur is collected by workers.
The Ijen volcano complex is a group of stratovolcanoes, in East Java, Indonesia. It is inside a larger caldera Ijen, which is about 20 kilometers wide. The Gunung Merapi stratovolcano is the highest point of that complex. The name of this volcano resembles that of a different volcano, Mount Merapi in central Java, also known as Gunung Merapi; there is also a third volcano named Marapi in Sumatra. The name "Merapi" means "fire" in the Indonesian language.
West of Gunung Merapi is the Ijen volcano, which has a one-kilometer-wide turquoise-colored acid crater lake. The lake is the site of a labor-intensive sulfur mining operation, in which sulfur-laden baskets are carried by hand from the crater floor. The work is low-paid and very onerous. Workers earn around $5.50-$8.30 (Rp 50,000 - Rp 75,000) per day and once out of the crater, still need to carry their loads of sulfur chunks about three kilometers to the nearby Pultuding valley to get paid.
Many other post-caldera cones and craters are located within the caldera or along its rim. The largest concentration of post-caldera cones forms an east/west-trending zone across the southern side of the caldera. The active crater at Kawah Ijen has an equivalent radius of 361 metres (1,184 ft), a surface of 0.41 square kilometres (0.16 sq mi). It is 200 metres (660 ft) deep and has a volume of 36 cubic hectometres (29,000 acre·ft).
In 2008, explorer George Kourounis took a small rubber boat out onto the acid lake to measure its acidity. The pH of the water in the crater was measured to be 0.5 due to sulfuric acid.
One of the purest and most beautiful lakes in the world is located in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Moraine Lake, which features turquoise water and a mountainous surrounding, is hidden in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. While many people will visit Moraine Lake to fish, hike, or stay at the Moraine Lake Lodge, there are other options as well.
One of the most popular Moraine Lake activities, and one that has been going strong for over a century, is canoeing. If you choose to canoe on Moraine Lake, be sure to allow at least one hour for your trip. 1.5 hours would be ideal, as this would give you enough time to visit and experience everything the lake has to offer. If you would prefer to see Moraine Lake by air, this is also a possibility. There are helicopter tours available. And if you don’t like heights and have no interest in doing your own paddling, a gondola ride is always on offer.
Once you have seen all of Moraine Lake – even though it seems impossible that someone would lose interest – Lake Louise is just a short drive away. In addition to Lake Louise, you can also visit the town of Banff, go horseback riding, whitewater rafting, or golfing.
Moraine Lake
wikipedia
While this all might sound exciting, many people prefer to stay on Lake Moraine. It’s the ideal location for a fisherman or hiker. There are hundreds of trails in Banff National Park and some of them are accessible around Lake Moraine. If you plan on going for a hike, be sure to ask the locals for more information. They will let you know what trail would be best for you.
Even if you don’t plan on being active at all, you will surely appreciate Moraine Lake. Without exaggeration, it is one of the most tranquil places on Earth.
There he discovered a splendid sight – “a narrow, secluded valley with a small lake enclosed by wild rugged precipices… one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen.”
Wilcox named it Moraine Lake after the moraine, or rock pile, deposited by the Wenkchemna Glacier. He was later to write that, “no scene had ever given me an equal impression of inspiring solitude and rugged grandeur”, adding that his time spent contemplating the view was the happiest half-hour of his life.
The next year, Tom Wilson cut a trail from Lake Louise to Moraine Lake. In 1902, the Canadian Pacific Railway constructed a trail of it’s own and before long a carriage road was built. A teahouse was established at the site as early as 1908. The CPR built a new teahouse in 1912 and three enterprising women – Miss Eileen Strick, Miss Barbara Dodds and Miss Marjorie Danks – established tent facilities and a log cabin refreshment and souvenir stand. In 1922, the women built four sleeping cabins. By this time, a proper road had been constructed and opened to the public. The original teahouse was replaced and additional cabins were built in 1923, 1939 and 1941.
The CPR sold Moraine Lake Lodge in 1959 to Brewster Transportation. The Brewster family immediately sold it to Bill and Barb Smythe, who operated it for 15 years. The next owner, Jack Divinsky, ran the lodge until 1985 when Art Davis assumed operation of the resort. In 1991 Art Davis sold the lodge to David Hutton and Nancy Stibbard.
Redevelopment of Moraine Lake Lodge began in 1988. Arthur Erickson, one of the world’s most famous architects, was commissioned to design a new lodge and cabins. His challenge was to build a facility that would blend with the environment while accommodating overnight guests and approximately 4,000 visitors per day. The result is magnificent. Day users and overnight guests have distinct areas for their enjoyment – the library for instance, serves as a congenial common room where overnight guests can relax after a hike, meet other travelers and read quietly by the fire. At Moraine Lake Lodge, people are inspired to enjoy each other as much as the natural beauty surrounding them. As Walter Wilcox was the first to observe, a half-hour or a week spent in this setting can be the happiest of a lifetime.
The Meteora is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos.
The Meteora literally means “middle of the sky“, “suspended in the air” or “in the heavens above”
In the Byzantine times, monks had the inspiration to construct monasteries on top of these rocks so that they would be closer to god.
The rock masses were formed some 60 million years ago, their distinctive and varied shapes sculpted over time by earthquakes, rain, and wind.
Rising high above the Thessalian plain, the sandstone megaliths on which the monasteries were built average 300 metres (1,000 feet) in height, with several reaching 550 metres (1,800 feet).
The foundation of Meteora monasteries began around the 11th century. In the 12th century, the first ascetic state was officially formed and established a church to the Mother of God as their worshiping centre. Activities on this church were not only related to worshiping God, but hermits used these occasions to discuss their problems and exchange ideas relating their ascetic life there.
Although 24 monasteries were built, each containing a church or two, monks’ cells, and a refectory, only 6 remain: Great Metéoron, Varlaám , Roussanou, St. Nikolas , Holy Trinity , and St. Stephen .
In the 14th century, Saint Athanasios Meteorites, a scholarly monk from Mount Athos established the Holy Monastery of the Great Meteoron and named this huge rock Megalo Meteoro, which means Great Place Suspended in the Air. This monastery is also known as the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of Christ and it is the highest, largest and oldest of the six monasteries of the Meteora.
holy monastery of the great meteoron
The frescoes of the katholikon date from 1497-98 and are well-preserved. They are painted in the Macedonian style.
holy monastery of the great meteoron frescoes
The Holy Monastery of Varlaam is the second largest monastery in the Metéora complex. It was built in 1541 and embellished in 1548. A church, dedicated to All Saints, is in the Athonite type (cross-in-square with dome and choirs), with spacious exonarthex (lite) is surrounded by a dome. It was built in 1541/42 and decorated in 1548, while the exonarthex was decorated in 1566.
holy monastery of varlaam
Its frescoes were painted by post Byzantine iconographer Frangos Katelanos.
holy monastery of varlaam frescoes
The Holy Monastery of Roussanou was founded in the middle of 16th century and decorated in 1560, the easily-accessible The Holy Monastery of Roussanou Monastery occupies a lower rock than the others of the Meteora. Rousannou Monastery was founded around 1545 by Maximos and Ioasaph of Ioannina. The reason for the monastery’s name is not known – it is actually dedicated to St. Barbara.
holy monastery of roussanou
The frescoes in Roussanou’s Church of the Transfiguration of Christ, which is essentially a smaller version of Varlaam’s church, date from 1560.
holy monastery of roussanou frescoes
Founded in the early 14th century, Agios Nikolaos Anapaphsas is a monastery in the Meteora notable for its unique construction.
holy monastery agios nikolaos anapaphsas
Splendid frescoes by the 16th-century Cretan painter Theophanes the Monk.
holy monastery agios nikolaos anapaphsas frescoes
The only monastery in the Meteora visible from Kalambaka,the Holy Monastery of St. Stephen’s was founded around 1400. It has a small church built in the 16th century and decorated in 1545. This monastery rests on the plain rather than on a cliff. It was shelled by the Nazis during World War II who believed it was harboring insurgents and was abandoned. Nuns took it over and reconstructed it.
holy monastery of st stephen
The old katholikon, which was rebuilt in 1545 and frescoed shortly thereafter, still stands. The new
katholikon of Agiou Stefanou was built in 1798 and is currently being frescoed by a modern artist.
holy monastery of st stephen frescoes
The Monastery of Holy Trinity is very difficult to reach. The visitor has to cross the valley and continue high up through the rock before we arrive outside the entrance. The church is in the cross-in-square type with the dome based in two columns, built in 1475-76 and decorated in 1741. The spacious barrel – vaulted esonarthex was founded in 1689 and decorated in 1692. A small skeuophylakeion was added next to the church in 1684.
holy monastery of holy trinity
The frescoes in the church date from the 18th century and the those in the narthex from the 17th; they have been well restored.
holy monastery of holy trinity frescoes
U.N.E.S.C.O has characterized the Holy Meteora as a “monument of Humanity that has to be maintained“. They don’t belong only to Greece but also to the entire world. The monasteries of the Meteora are included in the Monuments of world cultural Heritage, because they are a unique harmonious matching of Byzantine architecture and natural beauty.
The buildings of the monasteries seem like a continuance and a natural ending of the rocks. They are a
priceless artistic and heirloom treasure. Moreover, the presence of many monasteries in such a small place, as well as the Orthodox spiritual life and exercise have provoked the admiration and the interest of people all over the world.
Mount Fuji located on Honshu Island, is the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft).
This volcanic mountain is actually three separate volcanoes, one on top of the other. The bottom layer is the Komitake volcano, then the Kofuji volcano, then Fuji, which is the youngest of the three.
A pilgrimage site for centuries, it’s considered one of Japan’s 3 sacred mountains, and summit hikes remain a popular activity.
Mount Fuji, one of the world’s most beautiful mountains, is Japan’s most popular attraction.
A perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone, the mountain is a near-mythical national symbol immortalized in countless works of art.
Symmetrical shape is unusual for a mountain, and especially a volcano.
mount fuji from air
Mount Fuji is called Fuji-san in Japanese. The origin of Fuji’s name is disputed. Some say it derives from the Ainu language used by the Japanese aboriginal people and means “everlasting life.” Linguists, however, say that the name is from the Yamato language and refers to Fuchi, the Buddhist fire goddess.
The native Ainu revered the great peak. Shintoists consider the peak sacred to the goddess Sengen-Sama, who embodies nature, while the Fujiko sect believes the mountain is a being with a soul. A shrine to Sengen-Sama is on the summit. Japanese Buddhists believe the mountain is the gateway to a different world.
mount-fuji
The last eruption of this volcano started in December of 1707 and continued until the first day of the new year in 1708.
The mountain formed in four phases of volcanic activity which began 600,000 years ago.
Mount Fuji is stratovolcano (also known as a composite volcano) that means it is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava, tephra, pumice, and volcanic ash.
Mount Fuji Is Surrounded by 5 Lakes! These lakes are called Kawaguchiko, Yamanakako, Saiko, Motosuko and Shojiko. These lakes are around 300 meters (1,000 feet) above sea level and provide people visiting the area with the best vantage point from which to view Mount Fuji.
Sometimes you can see lenticular clouds over Mount Fuji.
lenticular clouds over mount fuji
The Mountain Is Actually Part of a National Park called Fuji-Hakone-Izu. This is the most visited national park in the country.
In ancient times Samurai warriors trained here, and it has also been a site for Buddhist training.
An anonymous Buddhist monk was the first one to climb Mount Fuji in the year 663.
It was forbidden for women to climb Mount Fuji until 1912.
More than 200,000 people climb to the summit every year.
mount fuji summit
Springtime is perhaps the most beautiful time of the year to see Fuji. The snow-covered mountain is framed by pink cherry blossoms, giving Fuji the name Konohana-Sakuahime, which means “causing the blossom to brightly bloom.”
If you plan on climbing Mount Fuji the season is very short. Climbing season begins on the first day in July,and it ends in the last week of August on the 27th.
The sunrise from Mount Fuji has a special name, Goraiko.
