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Tagged With "Great Barrier Reef"

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Re: November 24, 2016: Enger Tower, Duluth, Minnesota

GarryRF ·
Did you count the steps up ? Looks like an Olympian task !
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Re: November 24, 2016: Enger Tower, Duluth, Minnesota

Ottoman ·
Hi Garry I never thought of counting the number of steps to the top of Enger Tower for I was too preoccupied with the beautiful scenery; However, thanks to your question I did some internet investigating and discovered that apparently there are 105 steps you must walk to get to the top of Enger Tower (therefore 210 steps in total to get up and down the tower). You really don't need to be an Olympian to get to the top of Enger Tower. Although the number of steps sounds like a lot, and the...
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Re: November 24, 2016: Enger Tower, Duluth, Minnesota

GarryRF ·
Thanks Ottoman. Thanks for the reassurance. I did have a fear of a thousand tourists behind me - pushing to ascend the stairway - and all at the gallop. The intervals are all well spaced and welcomed. That's why older people carry a camera !
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Re: February 21, 2020: A Great Green Wall, Madrid

GarryRF ·
Made me look twice !
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Re: It wasn't scary enough, so now...no floor!

Ava ·
This is becoming more common with some older coasters, and most fans enjoy it. I'm not crazy about it, but at least it's different.
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Re: In Egypt: The Egyptian Museum

PortMoresby ·
An item from the UK's Guardian comments on the timelessness & "place-less-ness" of Nefertiti's image. If she'd stayed in Egypt after her discovery at Amarna, she'd likely have a place near her image above with her family, in the photo titled " Scene of worship of the Aten ..." as that's a far more interesting historical context, rather than the following reign of Tutankhamun, in which to put her. I hope the book does her real life justice.
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Re: Good news, bad news on UNESCO's world heritage

DrFumblefinger ·
I enjoy traveling to UNESCO sites because most of them are very interesting destinations. I even know of some travelers whose goal it is to see "every" UNESCO listing. Good luck to them! I really think UNESCO is doing it's job by identifying important places and encouraging their conservation. I shudder at the thought of a global UNESCO police swooping in to "defend" these sites. It's up to the countries that govern them to do so. Some do a great job; others don't. Some citizens care, others...
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Re: Endangered tourist destinations around the World

IslandMan ·
Excellent article, Felicty. Yes, whilst all these places are a must on most peoples' travel list, we do need to be aware of the environmental impact we as tourists make.
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Re: Endangered tourist destinations around the World

GarryRF ·
Without the tourist would many of these places survive? Without the billions of euros spent on Venice to keep the water out would it still be walkable ? Would the Taj Mahal still be showing the scars of conflict if people didn't visit and contribute to its hunger for refurbishment ? Or maybe leave it to fall into ruin like the pyramids. Which do we remove? The tourists or the high heels ?
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Re: Endangered tourist destinations around the World

Zohaib ·
I agree that these destinations are famous and must-sees for every tourist, but all of us have an obligation to not destory these beautiful corners of the World. Like for Venice, as mentioned in the article that so many Cruises pass through here (stops) each year, so they must have dig-up the area and hence the water level keeps rising?! If we don't take care, our future generations wouldn't be able to see these historic places.
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Re: Rose Hall Great House, Jamaica

GarryRF ·
Thanks Paul. A good story and some interesting photos to accompany it. In my visits to the various Caribbean Islands I have seen voodoo is still in practice. "my son had a stomach ache and the Doctor came to visit. He rubbed his legs with grass and the pain went away. He said the words too. He told me it was caused by not chewing his food enough before swollowing it" Going horse riding at first light I've seen burials on the beach. All ceremony gone home before the tourists arrive to sun...
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Re: Our 3 Favorite Beaches on Philipsburg, St. Martin

Marilyn Jones ·
Beautiful photos of Philipsburg, St. Martin beachs and great information!!! Thank you for sharing...I'd love to visit there.
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Re: Our 3 Favorite Beaches on Philipsburg, St. Martin

Samantha ·
Thanks Marilyn, they are absolutely beautiful. Hope you can make it someday. Little Divi Beach is nice too. Happy Travels.
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Re: Our 3 Favorite Beaches on Philipsburg, St. Martin

DrFumblefinger ·
There are few things more beautiful than watching the sunset on a tropical beach. Today I've found a few more worth exploring. Thanks, Samantha!
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Re: Our 3 Favorite Beaches on Philipsburg, St. Martin

Samantha ·
Thank you DrFumbleFinger I agree, there is nothing better than relaxing on the beach and watching the sunset. Amazing. Thanks for the comment.
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Re: Our 3 Favorite Beaches on Philipsburg, St. Martin

DangTravelers ·
We fell in love with St. Martin! The beaches and food on the beach were amazing. Great post. Love the pics!
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Re: Town Hall, Manchester, England (Where Gumbo Was)

Roderick Simpson ·
Manchester City Hall featured in the news last night, as it was there that the Brexit Referendum result was officially announced.
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Re: Town Hall, Manchester, England (Where Gumbo Was)

Travel Rob ·
Great piece! I loved Manchester. You showed some great details of Town Hall that I missed.
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Re: Most of China's Wall in danger: Can it be saved?

DrFumblefinger ·
I'm not sure it's even a good idea to rebuild the entire thing, but certainly significant sections should be restored and preserved. I think most of us agree this great human site should survive.
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Re: Most of China's Wall in danger: Can it be saved?

PortMoresby ·
This is old news. Very old. Villages in proximity to the wall have been built from it's bricks for eons and the parts that people love to visit and pretend are historical are nothing of the kind, but completely newly built and Disney-fied versions for the tourists, foreign & domestic. The Chinese government, in its (lack of) wisdom has no more interest in cultural preservation than it does in playing fair in any area of endeavor. History and its artifacts are tools having no value beyond...
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park

Travel Luver ·
Never been anywhere in Nevada except Vegas. Didn't know they had beautiful places like this. Can you get there from Vegas as a day trip? Was it hot?
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park

DrFumblefinger ·
Well, for a start, make sure you visit Reno, Travel Luver. It's a much small town than Vegas but still has all the casinos, restaurants, etc that you'd expect from a Nevada City. From here it's easy to do a day trip to Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, or down to Carson City. Reno is actually the closest major city to Great Basin National Park, say about a 3-4 hour drive. Vegas is 6-7 hour drive away. Salt Lake City is closer to Great Basin than Vegas. But you really can't do it as...
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park

PortMoresby ·
A friend who was a park planner for the National Park Service said his favorite park was Big Bend in Texas. He's a lover of desert landscapes, wide-open spaces and, in the case of this park too, almost no visitors. Another orphan, no doubt. http://www.nps.gov/bibe/index.htm
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park

DrFumblefinger ·
Thanks for the note, PortMoresby. I've visited a lot of the US parks, but Big Bend is still on my "to do" list. They do white water rafting trips there, which appeals to me. One of the things that a lot of folks enjoy about these "orphans" is that they are so sparsely peopled, with few tourists. I think the US Parks system is the USA's biggest tourist asset. I'm certainly a huge fan. Seems whenever I'm in a US Park, more German is spoken than English. The German folks certainly are aware of...
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park

Paul Heymont ·
The comments on "orphan parks" made for some interesting thoughts. How do we (as a society) choose what to save for parks? When you consider urban parkland, the point is obvious: people who have no land of their own need areas for public recreation. In other cases, individuals with wealth and influence have created parks in areas important to them personally (think of Acadia and the Rockefellers, Palisades Interstate Park and Morgan partners). But setting aside and maintaining areas like...
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park

PortMoresby ·
Pheymont, you speak as if budget cuts are in the future when in fact the Park Service has been functioning with less and less for years now. The Service has a mission to which they're dedicated but less funding has meant "deferred" maintenance on buildings, trails, you name it. And when features of a park are deemed unsafe or there isn't personnel to oversee visitors then parts are closed. I've experienced that myself recently when a trail I've visited in years past was closed. I have no...
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park

DrFumblefinger ·
Costs for the existing parks is mostly maintenance and salary. In the face of a broke federal government, I would favor increased user fees. $10-20 for a family to visit a national park for a week is the greatest bargain out there. People who love the parks would happily pay twice as much and I don't think the extra cost would be a deterent. Also, it's reasonable for those with concessions to pay up more than they are. They are given a monopoly and some of those profits should go back to the...
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park

Paul Heymont ·
No, I'm painfully aware of the past and present cuts...but I see more ahead. My concern is that there are loud voices (my own included) to speak out against cuts to parks that have a big "fan base," including Gateway here in the NY area. Because so many speak out for those parks, I fear that NPS will increasingly "hide the damage" by even more drastic cuts to others--perhaps even outright abandonment. And that's not so far-fetched an idea. For some 20 or more years here in New York, Prospect...
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Re: A visit to Great Basin National Park

DrFumblefinger ·
PHeymont, I don't believe we disagree. I think the problem is that the park system relies on "federal handouts" and when a government is broke, there's less to hand out. As I said, I sort of favor them being self-funded by their user and concession fees. That's a lot of money already (if it was all kept in the parks) and people would be willing to pay more IF they knew the money stayed in the parks and didn't get diverted back into the Washington's general budget. Orphan parks would be...
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 6) Slea Head. A Tour of the Dingle Peninsula

IslandMan ·
Beautiful landscapes DrF. I especially like the stone walls and dwellings. There are similar ones in Malta except they are made of limestone
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 6) Slea Head. A Tour of the Dingle Peninsula

DrFumblefinger ·
The landscapes of the Dingle Peninsula are truly beautiful and memorable. What will especially stick with me are the many rocks and stones and how they were used -- fences, beehive huts, even a grand old church (Gallarus Oratory). I become more and more intrigued by Malta ever day, IslandMan. It is quickly moving up my travel list!
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 6) Slea Head. A Tour of the Dingle Peninsula

rbciao ·
Slea Head on The Dingle Peninsula is one of my favorite places in the world, even though it is not in Italy. The Slea Head Cafe is also one of my favorite places for a latte, a brownie, and the VIEW. The coffee and dessert. Between Sea Head and Dingle Town is the Stonehouse Restaurant, which overlooks the Dingle Bay. The crabmeat sandwich on brown bread was really good along with the view.
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 6) Slea Head. A Tour of the Dingle Peninsula

DrFumblefinger ·
Thanks for those very helpful comments, rbciao! I definitely need to try that crabmeat sandwich at the StoneHouse restaurant next time we're there. I was extremely pleased with how helpful and pleasant the StoneHouse staff were!
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 6) Slea Head. A Tour of the Dingle Peninsula

GarryRF ·
IslandMan. Those limestone megalithic stones in Malta got me. I heard a passing tour guide telling folks "Where that man is standing is a fertility temple" Whoooa ! Too late .. first kid 9 months later - to the day !
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 6) Slea Head. A Tour of the Dingle Peninsula

DrFumblefinger ·
Originally Posted by GarryRF: IslandMan. Those limestone megalithic stones in Malta got me. I heard a passing tour guide telling folks "Where that man is standing is a fertility temple" Whoooa ! Too late .. first kid 9 months later - to the day ! GarryRF. Any megalithic stone that can make a man carry and deliver a child for 9 months has earned my respect -- and a place in medical history!
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 6) Slea Head. A Tour of the Dingle Peninsula

GarryRF ·
As any Woman will tell you DrF. It is the male of the species that does all the hard work. Like popping snow peas !
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Re: Sri Lanka: A Land Like No Other (Part 11). On safari in Yala Park, with a stop in Kirinda

DrFumblefinger ·
Thanks, TravelandNature! And how about that Junglefowl. Looks like a fancy chicken but apparently a wild species.
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Re: Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, Toronto

DrFumblefinger ·
Thanks for your comments, Garry. The kids there were all having a lot of fun, so it would be the kind of place for families to visit for sure. They have special kid-focused exhibits and play areas, perfect for keeping their attention and letting off some steam. The Dangerous Reef exhibit is especially impressive and worth the ticket price all by itself. But there are a lot of unusual exhibits and aquatic animals. My favorite aquarium still remains the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which I hope to...
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Re: More Life at the Edge: What’s in a Name?

Paul Heymont ·
A little more...I've just been criticized for not recognizing those who took other names to protect themselves from an oppressive government (Lenin comes to mind) or a gender barrier (George Sand) or to allow political debate without reference to personality (Publius, the name used by Jay, Hamilton and Madison in writing the Federalist papers). And then there's Martin Gardner; I've just finished reading his autobiography (titled Undiluted Hocus Pocus) in which he reveals that he occasionally...
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Re: More Life at the Edge: What’s in a Name?

DrFumblefinger ·
It's an interesting topic, PortMoresby (and I always assumed you'd named yourself after the New Guinea city). We are given names by our parents that some of us change but most of us keep for a lifetime as part of our identity. But an alias is clearly of our own choosing and it makes you think sometimes about what's behind that person's choice? Equally interesting to me are the avatars some folks use, or don't choose (please, if you have an "empty head"avatar, load a photo into it!) Your...
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Re: The (Long and Winding) Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia

GarryRF ·
Some wonderful pix of Australia that bring back so many memories of my visits Islandman I could look at those rock formations for hours. Looking into a million years of history. Australia is certainly like nowhere else on Earth and every day is a fascinating adventure. Certainly is a well written comprehensive Blog you've presented. I've enjoyed it. Thanks.
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Re: The (Long and Winding) Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia

DrFumblefinger ·
Thanks for sharing this interesting and most beautiful roadtrip with us, Islandman! Another one for my bucketlist.
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Re: The (Long and Winding) Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia

Travel Rob ·
Wow Islandman ,thank you for this blog. it really moved Australia up on my list. When i saw your photo of the Loch Ard Gorge i immediately thought of the Calanques near Marseilles, France .
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Re: Delta: Cheap inflight WiFi for Smartphones

DrFumblefinger ·
I do think currently there are some band-width limitations to the wi-fi on planes. For example, there's not enough capability to support 200 people being on their mobile devices at any given time (remember this requires two way connectivity). So the cost may be just a barrier to limit access to the technology. But I like the idea. Costs will come down, technology will improve bandwidth, and offering it free will be a perk that may help people favor one airline over another.
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Re: Gulangyu Island

HistoryDigger ·
This travel story is fascinating. Kudos to you for taking it on despite the language barrier. Now to click further to understand what happened to you.
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Buffalo-ed by the snow? Airlines waiving change fees

Paul Heymont ·
Each with its own set of rules, but American, Delta, Southwest and JetBlue are all adjusting rules on schedule and flight changes for passengers affected by the huge snows in the Great Lakes region. The USA Today article has more  DETAILS and...
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Gallery: Signs of Waikiki

DrFumblefinger ·
    There's a lot you can tell about a city simply by looking at small things, like its signage or public art.  Every place has unique and interesting shops and landmarks that add to its personality.  I've posted several...
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Chicago — City of Skyscrapers & Cloud Gate

DrFumblefinger ·
Like the monolith in Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke’s monumental film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, “Cloud Gate” looks like an alien object dropped onto a terrestrial landscape (not the African Savannah, but rather into...
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Pictures from a small island - Portland Bill

Mac ·
Some 5 miles to the south-west of Weymouth is Portland Bill, a narrow promontory (or 'bill') at the southern end of the Isle of Portland, and the southernmost point of Dorset, England. This point of Portland bears the brunt of the many storms that...
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Monterey Bay Aquarium: Oceans Apart

Lestertheinvestor ·
  Located directly on the Monterey Bay just south of Santa Cruz is a sprawling complex of nearly 200 exhibits of more than 550 species in a 2 storey building nearly 30 years old: the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA). Started in 1978, and open to the...
 
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