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Archive for July, 2010

Mendoza Rivers Of Wine In Argentina

Mendoza is a wonderful location that it is not just known by its beautiful parks and for be one the most famous touristic destinations of Argentina. Now Mendoza has developing a new type of tourism the rural tourism taking advantage its many valleys and landscapes ideal for the wine productions and also for a getaway into the nature.

With a privileged location Mendoza has the best conditions for the development of vineyards of the highest quality. The weather the height of mountain the cold nights the dry environment and watering by artificial channels are perfect to create wines of the finest quality.

The dry of the lands of Mendoza becomes ideal to produce wines that that are starting to be noted in the world. In this soil there are factors that bring a special maturation and flavor to the grapes such as the slowly absorption of the water in the vineyards and the effect of the sun in the high mountain.

Mendoza counts with more than 140 thousands of hectares of vineyards many of them open to the tourists with visit services lunches and also accommodation. This are the “Roads of wines” that every year many tourists want to see and discover.

This new “wine tourism” is part of the rural touristic circuit that Mendoza has developed with the beauty of its valleys and old houses where the visitors can relax and enjoy the typical attractions of the zone such as the exquisite gastronomy delicious fresh vegetables and of course the finest wines.

Lujan de Cuyo Maipu Godoy Cruz and Guaymallen are the traditional zones of vineyards in Mendoza and here are the most typical cellars that open their doors for the visitors who can visit them and enjoy the process of wine elaboration and the taste of the best strains.

In Mendoza there are other wine zones like San Rafael a place of many cellars and an oasis in the middle of the mountain. But the most part of vineyards are located in the zones of San Martin and Santa Rosa that produce mostly table wines and that during the last years are experimenting in the preparation of premium wines to offer to its visitors a high quality wine.

Other wine zones in Mendoza are Tupungato and San Carlos. Here the visitors will discover the best and most modern cellars that produce premium wines and have all the amenities to receive the tourists in their installations.

Mendoza produces wines that are still young and among the strains you can find syrah malbec merlot cabernet sauvignon and bonarda as well as the exquisite white wines and bubble wines ideal to taste with the exquisite cooking of the zone.

And for enjoy a complete wine tour; the recommendation is to visit Mendoza during March when they celebrate the Harvest Annual Party that joins more than 20 thousand people in a spectacle that includes music folkloric dances and cultural expositions besides of the election of the Queen of the Harvest among the girls of the different departments of the zone.

About the writer:  Mariel Lizana authors several articles about Mendoza hotels and also other Mendoza tours . Visit my website at www.exploreargentina.com for more information.

Komodo National Park Indonesia

Park information:

• Located between the islands of Flores and Sumbawa Island.
• Covers an area of between 1875 and 2321 square kilometers.
• Consist of three main Islands: Komodo Rinca and Padar
• Famous for its prehistoric and Komodo Dragons ndash; found only in this area of the world.
• Home to one of the richest marine environments in the world.
• Excellent coral reefs.
• Outstanding diving spots.

Facilities

• Rangers house restaurant and information centers are located on both Komodo and Rinca Island
• Currently the best way to stay overnight at the park is to rent a local excursion boat and sleep on deck. Anchored just off shore from the park this will allow an early morning trek in the reserve.

How to get there

• Labuan Bajo West Flores is the starting point to explore the Komodo National Park. Regular flights operate from Bali Denpasar to Labuan Bajo or travel overland from Bali by private vehicle or public bus and interisland ferries.
• The travel time from Labuan Bajo to Komodo Island is 4 hours by boat and 2 hours from Labuan Bajo to Rinca Island.
• Overnight accommodation is possible either at the rangers house or on the deck of a local excursion boats
• Arrangement for accommodation at the Park can be with Travel Agents West Flores guides or directly with the local boat owners.
• Local excursion boat.

Komodo Island

• Loh Liang is the main landing point to see Komodo dragons on Komodo Island.
• Komodos are often seen at the dry river bed Banu Nggulung a halfhour walk from Loh Liang. When komodos were still fed before park visitors a practice discontinued many years ago Banu Nggulung was the traditional feeding ground. You are also likely to spot dragons looking for food around the Rangers camp in Loh Liang.
• Hiking around the Island is possible with a local guide. A roundtrip climb up the slopes of Gunung Ara 580m takes around 3.5 hours. Or consider hiking to Poreng Valley located 5.5km from Loh Liang. Along the way you may encounter komodos as well as buffaloes wild boar and a wide variety of bird species.
• Visit Komodo village a friendly Muslim Buginese village only a halfhour walk from Loh Liang.
• Snorkeling and relaxing at Pantai Merah Red Beach or Pulau Lasa is on the must do list for Komodo Park visitors.

Rinca Island

• Loh Buaya is the access point to see Komodo dragons on Rinca Island.
• You may see the dragon around the camp at Loh Buaya.
• Local guides generally know the spots where the komodos sun themselves.
• On a hiking tour you may also see longtailed macaques wild water buffaloes Timor deer wild horses boars and rare megapode birds.

Marine Ecosystem:
The three main marine ecosystems found at the Komodo National Park:

• Sea grass beds
• Coral reefs
• Mangrove forests.

Marine Fauna:
Komodo National Park has one of the richest marine environments in the word. Forams cnidaria sponges ascidians marine worms mollusks echinoderms crustaceans cartilaginous bony fishes marine reptiles marine mammals dolphins whales and dugongs sea cucumbers Holothuria napoleon wrasse Cheilinus undulatus and groupers are major subsea fauna found at Komodo National Park.

Marine Flora:
The three major coastal marine plants:

• Algae
• Sea grasses
• Mangrove trees.

Terrestrial Ecosystem:

• Long dry season April to October with high temperatures and low rainfall.
• A transition zone shared between Australian and Asian flora and fauna.
• Open grasswoodland savannas tropical deciduous monsoon forests and quasicloud forests.
• A shared trait among many of the parks terrestrial plants species is that they are xerophytes capable of obtaining and retaining water to survive the cyclical drought period.
• Terrestrial plants includes: grasses shrubs orchids and trees.

Important food trees include Jatropha curkas Zizyphus sp. Opuntia sp. Tamarindus indicus Borassus flabellifer Sterculia foetida Ficus sp. Cicus sp. Kedongdong hutan Saruga floribunda and Kesambi Schleichera oleosa.

Terrestrial Fauna
Many mammals found at the park are Asiatic in origin deer pigs macaques civets. Other mammals include Timor deer Cervus timorensis wild horses Equus sp. water buffalos Bubalus bubalis wild boars Sus scrofa vittatus longtailed macaques Macaca fascicularis palm civets Paradoxurus hermaphroditus lehmanni the endemic Rinca rat Rattus rintjanus fruit bats goats feral dogs and domestic cats.

Several bird species are Australian in origin orangefooted scrubfowl the lesser sulphercrested cockatoo and the nosy friarbird. 27 species observed in the parks savanna area include: Geopelia striata and Streptopelia chinensis. Philemon buceroides Ducula aenea and Zosterops chloris are observed in the mixed deciduous habitat that is home to 28 bird species.

Reptiles at the park include of course the legendary Komodo Dragon 12 snake species including the cobra Naja naja sputatrix Russels pit viper Vipera russeli and the green tree vipers Trimeresurus albolabris. Lesser lizards include 9 skink species Scinidae geckos Gekkonidae limbless lizards Dibamidae and the monitor lizards Varanidae. Frogs species include the Asian Bullfrog Kaloula baleata Oreophyne jeffersoniana and Oreophyne darewskyi.

About the writer:  Flores Komodo;So Much More

Kherson A City Founded By Aleksandrovich Potemkin And Will Offer You Something Different Than What You Will See Elsewhere

Kherson Ukrainian and Russian: ?????? is a city in southern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Kherson Oblast province and is designated as its own separate raion district within the oblast. Kherson is an important port on the Black Sea and Dnieper River and the home of a major shipbuilding industry.
Kherson Ukraine is 25 km from Dnipro River mouth. Population 360000.Founded in 1778 where previously a fort had existed from 1737.Named in honor of Khersones Tavriysky a city on the southwest bank of Crimea.
Kherson Ukraine was originally a cityfortress and shipyard. First ship of the Black Sea Fleet was built here in 1783.
Until 1774 the region belonged to the Crimean Khanate. Kherson was founded in 1778 by Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin on the orders of Catherine the Great. The city was built on the site of a small fortress called AleksandrShants. The name Kherson is a contraction of Chersonesos an ancient Greek colony founded approximately 2500 years ago in the southwestern part of Crimea.
Amongst Arcitechtural monuments worth mentioning in Kherson are the Kherson TV Tower a famous construction located in the city and the Spaskiy Cathedral from 1781 and the Adziogol Lighthouse hyperboloid structure designed by V.G.Shukhov in 1911 Saint Catherine Cathedral Memorial of first ship Slava Ekaterina Catherine’s Glory
You can enjoy a river cruise along the The Dnieper river near Kherson

The climate of Kherson is temperately continental the average temperatures of January and July the coldest and the warmest months of the year are accordingly: 192 F 71C and 667 F 187?.

You can find modest to good accommodations in the hotels and apartments found in the city. The city can offer you bars billiards bowling cafes and Cinemas.

If you want to enjoy a good time with a coffee or tea you can sit in one of the several outdoor cafes and enjoy the buzz in the streets.

Easiest way to visit Kherson is to arrive in Odessa International Airport and take a taxi or bus from Odessa to Kherson around 4 hours drive.
You can also arrive at Borispol airport in Kiev and take train or taxi to Kherson. Taking the first alternative you have a 24 hours long journey on the train and you arrive in the center of Kherson.

We also have the something to surprise the visitors. Please join us in our dinner! Here the tasty uha fishsoup and traditional Ukrainian varenyki curd or fruit dumpling and juicy watermelons and melons also are waiting for you. Nevertheless the special pride of Khersonians is the sparkling wine drawn by the heat of the southern sun aroma of the sea and the steppe grass. “Naddniprianskoe” vine is the best among them. Its first “Grand Prix” it has got in 1900 in Paris. In addition you can learn how it is made due to visits to the vineyards and winemaking plants of Kherson region.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;StigArne Kristoffersen
A Globetrotter
www.lulu.com/stig
www.travate.com
www.realbahrain.com