Discove the beauty of Cozumel.

Can you hear the ocean?

WoW

Are you ready for Cozumel?

Cruise ships bring visitors to Cozumel by the boatload, literally. The cruise industry has helped Cozumel flourish during vacation season.

Cruise ships to Cozumel

Cozumel is known for its majestic scuba diving, Mayan ruins, delicious food, and beautiful sunrises.

Underwater Creatures

Crystal clear waters for diving.

Mayan ruins are a must see.

Beautiful Cozumel Sunrise

Palmanova – Italy

Palmanova is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, close to the border with Slovenia. It is located 20 km from Udine, 28 km from Gorizia and 55 km from Trieste near the junction of the Autostrada Alpe-Adria (A23) and the Autostrada Venezia-Trieste (A4).

Palmanova is famous for its fortress plan and structure, called a star fort, imitated in the Modern era by numerous military architects.

Bourtange – Netherlands

Bourtange is a star fort and village in the Westerwolde region of the Dutch province of Groningen. It is a part of the municipality of Vlagtwedde, and lies about 32 km northeast of Emmen.

The fortifications were initially built during the Eighty Years’ War (c. 1568–1648) when William I of Orange wanted to control the only road between Germany and the city of Groningen which was controlled by the Spaniards. This road followed a sandy ridge (tange) through the marshes.

Gory?kaku – Japan

Gory?kaku is a star fort in the city of Hakodate in southern Hokkaid?, Japan. It was the main fortress of the short-lived Republic of Ezo.

Almeida – Portugal

Almeida is a common surname in the Portuguese language, namely in Portugal and Brazil. It was originally a toponym, derived from the town of Almeida (Beira Alta, Portugal).

Saint-Martin-de-Ré – France

Saint-Martin-de-Ré is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in south-western France.It is one of the 10 communes located on the Île de Ré.

Naarden – Netherlands

Naarden is a municipality and a town in the Gooi region in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. Naarden is an example of a Spanish star fort, complete with fortified walls and a moat. The walls and the moat have been restored and are in a very good state.

The name Hollywood was coined by H. J. Whitley, the Father of Hollywood. He came up with the name while honeymooning with his wife, Gigi in 1886, according to Margaret Virginia Whitley’s memoir. Whitley arranged to buy the 500 acre E.C. Hurd ranch and disclosed to him his plans for the land. They agreed on a price and Hurd agreed to sell at a later date. Before Whitley got off the ground with Hollywood, plans for the new town had spread to General Harrison Gray Otis, Mr Hurd and his wife, Whitley’s wife Gigi, Mrs. Daeida Wilcox, and numerous others through the mill of gossip and land speculation.

Daeida Wilcox learned the name “Hollywood” from Gigi Whitley as they travelled on the same train from Los Angeles to the upper Midwest. Upon hearing that Whitley had planned to develop the adjacent land into the town of Hollywood, Daeida recommended the same name to her husband, H. H. Wilcox. The couple laid out and subdivided his 160 acre farmwhich bordered the east side of Whitley’s land, in 1887. On February 1, 1887, Harvey filed a deed and map of property he sold with the Los Angeles County Recorder’s office. It is also speculated that Harvey Wilcox had learned of the name Hollywood from his neighbor in Holly Canyon (not Lake Hollywood)Ivar Weid. Harvey wanted to be the first to record it on a deed, and did so in 1887. The early real-estate boom busted that same year, and Hollywood began to grow slowly. Due to its highly favorable climate,

Gregory William’s book, The Story of Hollywood (see bibliography), details how Hollywood developed as a rural suburb of homes and small farms. The land was used for agriculture before the Hollywood idea began, and it continued largely that way. It seemed anything could grow there, as farms produced citrus and tropical fruit, vegetables, and flowers on small farms for the next 25 years.

By 1900, the region, still called Cahuenga, had a post office, newspaper, hotel and two markets, along with a population of 500. Los Angeles, with a population of 100,000 people at the time, lay 10 miles (16 km) east through the citrus groves. A single-track streetcar line ran down the middle of Prospect Avenue from it, but service was infrequent and the trip took two hours. The old citrus fruit packing house would be converted into a livery stable, improving transportation for the inhabitants of Hollywood.

Some 2,450 years before the Lonely Planet became the definitive travel guide for the world trekker, Ancient Greece, the foremost civilisation of the time had Herodotus. The Greek historian was the first man to put together a travel list of top places you need to see before you die – they became enshrined in legend as the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.

In Greek, the word “wonder” (thaumata) literally translates as “things to see” and whilst the Internet is saturated with ultimate lists of must-see travel spots and Modern Wonders, the original list is still very much the best. Of the 7 Ancient Wonders, only one remains intact, but the history and culture of the original homes of the world’s most spectacular artefacts still draw millions of tourists to this day, and are well worth a holiday.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

The only surviving Ancient Wonder, the Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest of the trio of pyramids that make up the Giza Necropolis. An astonishing 2.3 million blocks of stone, each weighing 2.5 tonnes (about the weight of a rhinoceros) make the towering structure one of the most awe-inspiring man-made accomplishments ever seen.

Travelling there today:

You can still see the pyramid today, by taking a flight to Cairo and then a short ride 12 miles southwest of the city.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The great hanging gardens were built around 600 BC by King Nebuchadnezzar as a gift to his wife. Queen Amytis missed the abundant greenery and exotic plants of her Persian homeland, and so the king constructed the gardens to remind his wife of home.

Travelling there today:

Babylon would be modern day Iraq, the hanging gardens were believed to be situated in what is now Al-Hillah in the central region of the Babil province, approximately 62 miles south of Baghdad.

The Statue of Zeus

The king of the Gods, Zeus is a prominent figure in Greek mythology and was a popular idol which attracted some of the world’s most beautiful carvings. The Statue of Zeus was among the most resplendent, with a robe of gold and sceptre inlaid with precious metals. Housed in the magnificent Temple of Zeus, dedicated to the deity, the statue was the impressive centrepiece of a revered holy sanctuary.

Travelling there today:

The Statue of Zeus was situated in Olympia, along the western coast of Greece, about 90 miles west of Athens.

The Temple of Artemis

Artemis, the Greek goddess of fertility, hunting and the forests, was a daughter of the mighty Zeus in Greek mythology. Her famous temple, built around 550 BC was one of the greatest temples ever built. Fashioned almost entirely of marble, the temple was said to touch the clouds and shone with the brilliance of the sun.

Travelling there today:

Travellers taking a holiday to Turkey will be able to see the foundations of the Temple of Artemis which was situated at Ephesus, near Selcuk in the Izmir province of the country.

The Great Mausoleum

Mausolus, one of the great governors of the Persian Empire was entombed at Halicarnassus with his wife around 350 BC. Dedicated to a man of stature, the burial tomb was 135 feet high and adorned with beautiful sculptures. Such was the achievement of the architects who designed the tomb, that Mausolus gave birth to the modern word “mausoleum” meaning tomb or burial place.

Travelling there today:

Halicarnassus is in modern day Turkey and visitors taking a holiday to the popular coastal resort of Bodrum can visit the site where Mausolus was buried.

The Colossus of Rhodes

Standing at over 107 feet tall (about two thirds the size of The Statue of Liberty) the Colossus of Rhodes was an enormous statue befitting its name depicting the Greek god Helios. The statue protected Rhodes from her enemies as a constant guardian looking out to sea, with one giant foot straddling each side of the great harbour entrance to the port.

Travelling there today:

The island of Rhodes is situated is the largest of the Dodecanese Islands situated in the Aegean Sea close to both the mainland of Greece and Turkey.Once you have found a cheap holiday to turkey, you should visit the Lighthouse of Alexandra.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria

Towering as a beacon of light to guide ships into port at Alexandria, the famous lighthouse is believed to be the tallest building in the world at the time of its construction around 250 BC. One of the first lighthouses of its kind, the building was as tall as the London Eye Millennium Wheel.

Travelling there today:

Holidaymakers in Egypt could travel out to the island of Pharos just off the coast of Alexandria, Egypt near the mouth of the Suez Canal.

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Photo Sources:  1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8

For some reason these pictures make you wonder how it would be with children running around and screaming. From the place where the lifeguard used to sit to the boom swing, everything can still be seen although a lot of the wood is rotting away. You will also see what used to be the white water rapids ride. River County used to be popular in its time but is now long forgotten. Those who have been here will definitely remember the times.

Check even more photos on TrickFist

The world class Grasberg mine is situated at Tembagapura, Irian Jaya. The mine has proven and probable reserves estimated at 2600 Mt grading at 1.13% copper, 1.05 g/t gold and 3.8 g/t silver. Reserve estimates have doubled since 1995. PT Freeport is Indonesia’s largest taxpayer and has paid an estimated $1.3 billion to the government since 1992.

The Hijau copper-gold mine is located on the island of Sumbawa at a cost of $1.9 billion. PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara (PTNNT) is the operator and represents a joint venture between Newmont Mining (45%), Sumitomo Corporation (35%) – collectively 80% and local partner PT Pukuafu Indah (20%). Reserves have been estimated at 1 000 Mt grading at 0.52% copper and 0.4 g/t gold, with an expected life of mine of 25 years.

Newmont holds an 80 percent interest in the Minahasa gold mine through PT Newmont Minahasa Raya. An Indonesian company, PT Tanjung Serapung, holds the remaining 20 percent. Other major gold and silver producers included of PT (KEM) Kelian Equatorial Minin’s Kelian Equatorial mine in East Kalimantan. The Mt Muro mine in Central Kalimantan is operated by Aurora Gold. Both the Kelian mine and the Minahasa Raya gold mine in North Sulawesi Province ceased mine production in 2003 and treated the remaining stockpiled ore. PT KEM managed to produce 14.58 t of gold and 10.78 t of silver, and PT Newmont Minahasa Raya’s plant produced 3.09 t.

PT Aneka Tambang’s Pongkor gold and silver mine near Bogor in west Java, produced 3.81 t of gold (and 25.4 t of silver) in 2002.

PT Antam’s Logam Mulia (LM) precious metals refinery in Jakarta recorded gold production in 2003 at 4,176 kg with sales at 4,829 kg. Logam Mulia, which also refines Antam’s gold bullion from the Pongkor gold mine, has an annual capacity of 75 t, but in 2003 it operated at only about 36% of capacity.

Antam’s Pongkor mine is an underground operation and possesses reserves of 6.63 Mt, sufficient for another 17 years and produced 4,497 t of gold and 29.85 t of silver in 2003. Antam’s Pongkor underground production came from three primary gold veins: Ciguha, Kubang Cicau and Ciurug. In 2002, Pongkor applied conventional cut-and-fill mining and treated 401,517 t of ore averaging 11.36 g/t Au and 141 g/t Ag to produce 3,813 kg of gold and 25,397 kg of silver. Output was 4% less than in 2001 because average grades were lower. Exploration is continuing and detailed work on the Gunung Handak vein, which has included 4,019 m of drilling, has added 1.0 Mt averaging 8.43 g/t Au and 121.24 g/t Ag to the indicated resource. Antam’s gold division also includes the country’s sole precious metals refinery, Logam Mulia (LM) in Jakarta. The refinery has an annual capacity of 75 t of gold and 275 t of silver.

Unless new gold and silver mines are developed and commissioned soon, which seems unlikely at the present time, production in the coming years will be largely restricted to the associated gold produced as a by-product in copper concentrates, mainly at Tembagapura and Batu Hijau, and to primary output at Pongkor, the sole remaining gold and silver mine.

In the crater, burnt nitrate and sulfur was found. As the meteorites enter the earth’s atmosphere, a lot of heat is generated which leads to its components getting burnt. There are non-believers everywhere and some geologists believe that this may be a prank. The geologist believes that people have dug up the crater and a mixture of ammonium nitrate with sulfur was used to get the fire going.

The name of this subterranean structure derives from a large public square on the First Hill of Constantinople, the Stoa Basilica, beneath which it was originally constructed. According to ancient historians, Emperor Constantine constructed a structure which was later rebuilt and enlarged by Emperor Justinian after the Nika riots of 532. The enlarged cistern provided water for the Great Palace of Constantinople and other buildings on the First Hill, and continued to provide water to the Topkapi Palace after the Ottoman conquest in 1453 and into modern times.

This cathedral-sized cistern is an underground chamber approximately 143 metres (470 ft) by 65 metres (210 ft) – about 9,800 square metres (105,000 sq ft) in area – capable of holding 80,000 cubic metres (2,800,000 cu ft) of water. The ceiling is supported by a forest of 336 marble columns, each 9 metres (30 ft) high, arranged in 12 rows of 28 columns spaced 4.9 metres (16 ft) apart. The capitals of the columns are mainly Ionic and Corinthian styles, with the exception of a few Doric style with no engravings.

The cistern is surrounded by a firebrick wall with a thickness of 4 metres (13 ft) and coated with a waterproofing mortar. The cistern’s water was provided from the Belgrade Woods—which lie 19 kilometres (12 mi) north of the city—via aqueducts built by the Emperor Justinian.

Cracks to masonry and damaged columns were repaired in 1968, with additional restoration in 1985 by the Istanbul Metropolitan Museum; the cistern was opened to the public on 9 September 1987.

Located in the northwest corner of the cistern, the bases of two columns reuse blocks carved with the visage of Medusa. The origin of the two heads is unknown, though it is thought that the heads were brought to the cistern after being removed from a building of the late Roman period. Tradition has it that the blocks are oriented sideways and inverted in order to negate the power of the Gorgons’ gaze.

The cistern was used as a location for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love. In the film, it is referred to as being constructed by the Emperor Constantine, with no reference to Justinian. Its location is a considerable distance from the Soviet (now Russian) consulate, which is located in Beyo?lu, the newer “European” section of Istanbul, on the other side of the Golden Horn.

The finale of the 2009 film The International takes place in a fantasy amalgam of the Old City, depicting the Basilica Cistern as laying beneath the Sultan Ahmed Mosque -which, in the film, is directly adjacent to the Süleymaniye Mosque.

The Tsingys are karstic plateaus in which groundwater has undercut the elevated uplands, and has gouged caverns and fissures into the limestone. Because of local conditions, the erosion is patterned vertically as well as horizontally. In several regions on western Madgascar, centering on this National Park and adjacent Nature Reserve, the superposition of vertical and horizontal erosion patterns has created dramatic “forests” of limestone needles.

The word tsingy is indigenous to the Malagasy language as a description of the karst badlands of Madagascar. The word can be translated into English as where one cannot walk barefoot.

The unusual geomorphology of the Tsingy de Bemaraha World Heritage Site, which encompasses both the National Park and the adjacent Strict Nature Reserve, means that the Site is home to an exceptionally large number of endemic species of plants and animals that are found only within extremely small niches within the tsingys. For example, the summit, slope, and base of a tsingy’s limestone needle form different ecosystems with different species clinging to their exceptionally steep slopes.

The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was introduced by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. It was described as “a rose-red city half as old as time” in a Newdigate Prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon. UNESCO has described it as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage.

Evidence suggests that settlements had begun in and around Petra in the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt. It is listed in Egyptian campaign accounts and the Amarna letters as Pel, Sela or Seir. Though the city was founded relatively late, a sanctuary existed there since very ancient times. Stations 19 through 26 of the stations list of Exodus are places associated with Petra. This part of the country was Biblically assigned to the Horites, the predecessors of the Edomites.

The habits of the original natives may have influenced the Nabataean custom of burying the dead and offering worship in half-excavated caves. Although Petra is usually identified with Sela which means a rock, the Biblical references refer to it as “the cleft in the rock”, referring to its entrance. 2 Kings xiv. 7 seems to be more specific. In the parallel passage, however, Sela is understood to mean simply “the rock” (2 Chr. xxv. 12, see LXX).

In 106 CE, when Cornelius Palma was governor of Syria, that part of Arabia under the rule of Petra was absorbed into the Roman Empire as part of Arabia Petraea, becoming capital. The native dynasty came to an end. But the city continued to flourish. A century later, in the time of Alexander Severus, when the city was at the height of its splendor, the issue of coinage comes to an end. There is no more building of sumptuous tombs, owing apparently to some sudden catastrophe, such as an invasion by the neo-Persian power under the Sassanid Empire.

Meanwhile, as Palmyra (fl. 130–270) grew in importance and attracted the Arabian trade away from Petra, the latter declined. It seems, however, to have lingered on as a religious centre. A Roman road was constructed at the site. Epiphanius of Salamis (c.315–403) writes that in his time a feast was held there on December 25 in honor of the virgin Khaabou (Chaabou) and her offspring Dushara

The Nabataeans worshipped the Arab gods and goddesses of the pre-Islamic times as well as few of their deified kings. One, Obodas I, was deified after his death. Dushara was the main male god accompanied by his female trinity: Al-‘Uzzá, Allat and Man?t. Many statues carved in the rock depict these gods and goddesses.