Merapi volcano forces cancellation of Jakarta flights

Several airlines have temporarily suspended flights between Singapore and Jakarta because of volcanic ash spewing from Mount Merapi in central Java.

Among those affected were Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Lufthansa and Cathay Pacific.

Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, began erupting two weeks ago and has killed more than 130 people.

Airline officials say the ash is a safety threat and could damage aircraft.

Domestic flights have been unaffected.

Azharuddin Osman, director of operations for Malaysia Airlines, said "the volcanic ash presence in the airways surrounding Jakarta could cause severe damage to our aircraft and engines, which could impair the safety of our operations."

Indonesia has already been forced to close its international airport at Yogyakarta and divert flights to the nearby city of Solo. A Silkair flight to Solo was also cancelled.

Mount Merapi has been producing thick clouds of ash and superheated gases in its biggest eruption in a century. In addition to the loss of life, some 200,000 people have been evacuated from the area.

the mistorical hisory of ancient egypt

History of ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. It was part of a larger complex of civilizations, the Nile Valley Civilizations, of which regions south of Egypt (in today's Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, and Ethiopia) are a part. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC[1] with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh, and it developed over the next three millennia.Its history occurred in a series of stable Kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods. Ancient Egypt reached its pinnacle during the New Kingdom, after which it entered a period of slow decline. Egypt was conquered by a succession of foreign powers in this late period. The rule of the pharaohs officially ended in 31 BC when Egypt fell to the Roman Empire and became a Roman province.

The success of ancient Egyptian civilization stemmed partly from its ability to adapt to the conditions of the Nile River Valley. The predictable flooding and controlled irrigation of the fertile valley produced surplus crops, which fueled social development and culture. With resources to spare, the administration sponsored mineral exploitation of the valley and surrounding desert regions, the early development of an independent writing system, the organization of collective construction and agricultural projects, trade with surrounding regions, and a military intended to defeat foreign enemies and assert Egyptian dominance. Motivating and organizing these activities was a bureaucracy of elite scribes, religious leaders, and administrators under the control of a pharaoh who ensured the cooperation and unity of the Egyptian people in the context of an elaborate system of religious beliefs.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010 Tulum Beach, Mexico

Tulum Beach, Mexico

One of the first resorts in Mexico. Perhaps hundreds years ago also had been used by the Mayan as a resort as well. Ever dream of swimming in the white sandy beach, calm and relax accompanied by a Background of mayan pyramid? Here your dream come true. You can also Escape into wonderful Villa La Estancia Puerto Vallarta resort and enjoy the vacation.

Whitehaven, Australia

Whitehaven beach, Australia

Whitehaven,  Australia

7 Kilometers of cleanest white sand beach in one of the most isolated coast in the world would certainly be sufficient for our relaxing need. Isn’t It? Sunglasses is a necessity at this beach because the sand is truly white.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

As a sea resort Cox's Bazar has acquired much name and fame. "Panowa" the another name of Cox's Bazar, means the land of yellow flower and another ancient name was "Palongkee".

Its recorded history goes back to the Mughal Period when the ill- fated Prince Shah Shuja passed through the hilly regions of present day Cox's Bazar on his way to Arakan. He became so much enchanted by the natural beauty around his trail that he ordered his one thousand palanquins to stop and camp amidst the hills. The place where he halted and camped still bears the name of Dulahazara, after the Mughals the area was ruled and pillaged in tern by the Tipras and Arakanese. They were followed by the Portuguese and finily by the British. In 1799 the British Government sent a captain named Hiram Cox to settle Burmise immigrants in the area. A new colony was thus formed and the place was named as Cox's Bazar.

It was made a sub divisional headquarter in 1854 and district in 1984. Among the inhabitants of the area, there are Muslims & Hindus and the Buddhist immigrants of Burmise - Arakanese origin. Buddhist tribal people known as Maghs are an important and fascinating section of the population. They are unassuming people attached deeply to their own culture and way of life.

St. Martins Island

: This small coral island about 10km (6mi) south-west of the southern tip of the mainland is a tropical cliché, with beaches fringed with coconut palms and bountiful marine life. There''s nothing more strenuous to do here than soak up the rays, but it''s a clean and peaceful place without even a mosquito to disrupt your serenity. It''s possible to walk around the island in a day because it measures only 8 sq km (3 sq mi), shrinking to about 5 sq km (2 sq mi) during high tide. Most of island''s 5500 inhabitants live primarily from fishing, and between October and April fisher people from neighbouring areas bring their catch to the island''s temporary wholesale market. A ferry leaves Teknaf for St Martin every day and takes around 3 hours.

Getting to St. Martin's is a three-step program. First you'll need to fly or bus it down to Cox's Bazar, and then catch a bus to Teknaf, which is right on the very tip of Bangladesh, sandwiched up against Myanmar. From Teknar, ferries run daily to St. Martin Island. The total distance from Dhaka to the island is 510km (316mi).

The Aggameda Khyang, Cox's Bazar : Equally elaborate in plan, elevation and decoration is the Aggameda Khyang near the entrance to the Cox's Bazar town which nestles at the foot of a hill under heavy cover of a stand of large trees. The main sanctuary-cum-monastery is carried on a series of round timber columns, which apart from accommodating the prayer chamber and an assembly hall, also is the repository of a large of small bronze Buddha images-mostly of Burmese origin-- and some old manuscripts. Beyond the main khyang to the south there is an elevated wooden pavilion and a smaller brick temple with a timber and corrugated metal root. Apart from bearing an inscription in Burmese over its entrance the temple contains some large stucco and bronze Buddha images.

Cox’s Bazar – The Longest sea beach in the world

COX'S BAZAR

Miles of golden sands, towering cliffs, surfing waves, rare conch shells, colorful pagodas, Buddhist temples and tribes, delightful sea-food--this is Cox's Bazar, the tourist capital of Bangladesh. Having the world's longest (120 kilometers.) beach sloping gently down to the blue waters of the Bay of Bengal, Cox's Bazar is one of the most attractive tourist sport in the country. 

Its also a tropical paradise. Hot sun and fun, sandy beaches and great food.

Located at a distance of 152 km. south of Chittagong, the leading seaport of Bangladesh, Cox's Bazar is connected both by air and road from Dhaka and Chittagong.

Other attractions for visitors are conch shell market, tribal handicraft, salt and prawn cultivation.

Cox's Bazar  Arguably the most attractive tourist resort of the country located on a low range of sand hills between the river Bakkhali and the Bay of Bengal with a long open beach towards the sea. The town was named after Lieutenant Cox, who had rehabilitated here a group of Maghs seeking shelter in British territory after the conquest of Arakan by the Burmese. He died here in 1798. The unbroken 125 km beach at Cox's Bazar is sandy with a gentle slope. Since the rise and fall of the tide here is not great, it is a good place for sea bathing. A large variety of Fish, including excellent Pomfret, soles and Oysters are also caught here.

It is a district town and is also the headquarters of the Cox's Bazar forest division. The town and surrounding places have many clolourful pagodas and Buddhist temples and are inhabited by, among others, many tribal people who have their own distinct Customs and Traditions.

In addition to the long sea-beach with its silvery waves breaking at the foot of hills and sea-bathing, the attractions of Cox's Bazar include a drive along the beach, the view of the sun setting on the rolling sea-waves, the moonlit night, and the exciting interior of the bazar and its people. Interesting places around Cox's Bazar include Himchhari, Ramu, Sonadia Island, MaheshKhali, Teknaf and St. Martin Island.

Travels through World and Life...

Varosha - the tourist resort of ghosts

Long time oand no updates on the blog... for some reason I started writing in English (I guess my Finnish is in a dormant state :D ), so why not keep it that way for a short post.

In addition to being a major tourist attraction for the Europeans in search of the sun sea and sand, Cyprus hosts also one of the strangest hotel clusters of the world. The seaside resort of Varosha was a booming and perhaps the most popular seaside resort in the Mediterranean, or even in the world during the early seventies when Cyprus was a young republic and still territorially undivided. When the crisis between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots escalated and the big brothers Greece and Turkey joined the ballgame resulting the island split in two in 1974, the resort of Varosha - which is part of the City of Famagusta located in the internationally unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - was killed by politics.

I've visited Famagusta and Varosha three times now while my stay in Cyprus. While it is easy to understand why this unbelievably scenic stretch of the eastern coast of Cyprus was a favorite holiday resort of the likes of late Liz Taylor, it is much more difficult to understand the current decay resulted from pure human stubbornness. What happened n the case of Varosha in 1974 and what has been going on since really puzzles me. I cannot understand whose purposes it serves that dozens of luxurious and beautiful hotels and lively streets were completely closed down and abandoned and have remained so for nearly four decades.

Unfortunately I cannot provide any pictures of the area, since even though it easy to get right next to the derelict hotels on the beach, a mere act of taking the camera out of one's pocket results in immediate shouts of warning from the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot military men parading the balconies of the ghostly wrecks that used to be glamorous hotels. The reason for strict no photographs -policy puzzles me as well, since the Internet is anyway full of photos taken by people who managed to avoid the watchful eyes of these guards.

In any case, the prohibition of photography is a tiny speck compared to the magnitude of the issue of Varosha. Of course, there was attempts to return the area to the control of the Greek Cypriots after the country was divided (the so called Annan plan), but this attempt failed decades ago, and the area has been remained abandoned since. Only UN and Turkish/Turkish Cypriot troops are allowed to visit the area. An apt comparison to the state of the buildings is that of the villages around Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine, that I had the privilege to visit a couple of years ago. But Varosha is much more absurd than Chernobyl. The Ukrainan are affected by the unfortunate Soviet legacy remains empty simply because a human being cannot safely live and work in the area, where as the case of Varosha does not seem to have any logical (never mention natural) explanation. The reason why this beautiful spot of nature handed to human beings remains inhabited only by the ghosts of discord is pure human bigotry.

Explanations as to why it remains a ghost town include the Turkish Cypriots not daring to use and invest on the area in fear of losing their investments in the event of (unlikely, as I see things at the moment) case of reunification of the island, but this fear seems not to have slowed down the development processes and building of holiday villas in other parts of the TRNC area... Another, perhaps just as weighty explanation might be that the Varosha remains ruins is simply because the Turkish Cypriots CAN do that. Just like the huge illuminated flag on the side of Pentadaktylos mountains, the state of Varosha can be seen as just another big middle finger raised to the southern co-inhabitants of the island.