Archive for January, 2010
January 28th, 2010 | 
Author: Heading Towards Matanzas
Enjoying the Sandy cuban beaches of North Havana is a good suggestion for a few days close to the capital city. It should be mentioned that in Tarar you can find the Marina of the same name. Several marinas can be found in some points of the Cuban coast line: Minor repair services navigation articles as well as lodging and general provisioning articles can be found.
After enjoying a few days in Havana if you still find the Cuban coast interesting continue your route passing Guanabo towards the Matanzas Province. The Via Blanca highway with fair driving conditions runs closer to the shore in this fragment of the route up to just a few meters from the coast line. The Havana Matanzas heights are also very close to the highway.
In its trajectory sandy beaches are not present. Instead you find detached coral reef shores hardly battered by the waves. A walk by these reefs is an exciting experience with the presence of the waves. There is no vegetation by the sea while on the other side next to the heights you find the presence of agave and ploughed land cultivations. At the beginning the heights appear between the coast line and the highway but smoothly the highway runs away and then crosses them distancing itself from the coastline where a terrace system emerges separating the runway from the shore.
In the path small rivers are crossed like the Jaruco Santa Cruz Jibacoa Puerto Escondido and Bacunayagua rivers. In the first three small populated communities are seen. In Santa Cruz the biggest Rum factory in Latin America is located The Havana Club Factory one of the favorites not only by many Cubans but by many around the world.
In this section of the littoral two camping bases can be found: Los Cocos and El Abra. Los Cocos is just by the beach of Jibacoa an excellent and cozy site surrounded by small beaches and limestone hills of extraordinary green. El Abra is located next to the mouth of the Jibacoa River and the gorge originated by the river finding its way through the elevations to the sea.
Further down the road the elevations increase in height and the rivers cut the elevations through gorges to reach the sea. Perhaps the most notable is the one found passing the small bridge over the River Bacunayagua an interesting engineering work. Just by this bridge there is a modest place where you can have some refreshment and observe the great profundity of the rivers bed and to the north the further away coast line. From this viewpoint the Yumur River Valley can also be observed one of the nicest in Cuba; not to be confused with another river in the province Guantanamo which carries the same name.
For those in quest for some adventure just a few meters away from this viewpoint there is a narrow trail located to the left of the highway when going east towards Matanzas. This trail descends from the Via Blanca to the very river bed by the elevated arcs that sustain the bridge from both sides at some 400 m of altitude from the observers point of view. The descend is not very dangerous but not to be careless and takes approximately 1 hour to get to the river bed since the trails must be descended slowly. The view of the bridge from the river up is spectacular.
As the trip east towards Matanzas continues the road slowly runs to the right which indicates the proximity of the Matanzas Bay. The road approaches the coast and crosses some of the terraces including the Seboruco terrace already very close to the City. Some trails are found to the left and cross the coastal xeromorph bushes these are small plants of hard leaves occasionally with spines and presence of cactus that grow between the road and the sea. At this stage of the course it is not difficult to examine the mentioned and interesting terrace system of marine origin the one that in a steplike form leads to the high coast. It is worth admiring and therefore recommended to take some of the mentioned trails that lead to the sea to see the wonderful costal formations with some presence of Iguanas. Respect the access forbidden areas though!
On the opposite side is the beautiful Valley of Yumur through which runs the river of the same name. Further away the gorge of the river that leads to the Matanzas bay can be seen. The city is seen far away by the surrounding elevations.
Further down the road smoothly descends towards the City of Matanzas also called the City of Bridges. Just before getting there the road passes the sulfur plant next to the city. The Via Blanca borders the Bay since the city is built just behind it. This bay is different from any other in Cuba because it does not have a bag shape that is of narrow mouth and wide interior development but instead it is wide in its entrance and narrows towards the mouth of the rivers Yumur and San Juan which both cross the city. All of the occidental side of the Bay is bordered by the Via Blanca highway.
Once you reach the city you cross the Yumur River using the bridge La Concordia of colonial style. The bridge leads to the center of the city where the firefighters station and the beautiful Sauto Theatre an arquitectonic Cuban jewel are located. After this the bridge over the San Juan River is crossed and you reach downtown.
Historically Matanzas had three districts or neighborhoods Matanzas Pueblo Nuevo and Versalles. Currently others rise next to these. It is possible to stay at the city using its Hotels to buy time to visit its places of interest.
Firstly you could visit the Bellamar Caves opened to the public in 1862. These are practically at the cities perimeter and in very good health. They are a system of discretely illuminated galleries where specialize guides explain the origin and evolution of the cave. It is fairly easy to get to the caves from any point in the City even by foot. During the visit the interesting story of the caves discovery is told.
Matanzas the capital of the province of this same name is a city where you can make a short stay and visit several places of interest as well as witness its intense cultural life. It is practically the periphery of Varadero Beach and in the available tours there are scarce detailed tours of the city. In our next article we will suggest places to see in this city.
About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Martin Luis is a Bio geographer and specialist in environment protection conservation and a cuba hotels and cuba vacations blogger for http://www.umbrellatravel.com.
Address : Business Center Building Kohly III Apartamento 71 Calle 34 entre 49 y 49A Reparto Kohly Playa Ciudad de la Habana CP: 11300 Cuba Phone : 53 7 206 9606 Mobile Phone : 53 5 263 1106
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Heading Out Of Calgary
Heading out of Calgary was smooth sailing. We waited until late morning when all traffic had passed with everyone safely tucked away at their workplaces. It was the end of August which brings the conclusion of summer holidays. What better time to take a road trip with most people busy doing the back to school race. Cruising south down Hwy 2 we felt the grip of the city release with each passing kilometre. Nanton Claresholm Lethbridge all familiar destinations within our reach. This was not what we were looking for. We needed something new something neither of us had seen before so we continued south to the boarder. The boarder crossing went very smooth we handed over our passports and the gentleman asked us “what we were doing and where we were going”? Jack and I had no schedule or destination and had both quit our jobs but knew it would not be to our benefit to divulge such a story so we had agreed earlier that camping at the Grand Canyon was a great goal. Our car was full loaded with gear and mountain bikes strengthening our tale and the boarder officer peeked into the car from his window and waved us through. We were now in the USA and being on new ground made it feel like the journey was about to begin. Continuing south we came to an old west mining town called Butte Montana. The hills surrounded and embraced this quiet settlement on this sleepy Sunday evening. We drove through town to easily find the KOA campground and chose our home from the many empty sites. We fumbled around set up our tent and established our new domain. Sitting down at the picnic table with a cold one was our first real chance to really look around and examine our surroundings. We stood to scouted the perimetre of the town and spotted a glowing white object on the hilltop. Retrieving the binoculars from the car helped us to see that the glow came from Our Lady of the Rockies statue Mary. She is a 90 foot statue built by volunteers from donated materials and is dedicated to women and mothers everywhere. The statue was first attempted by Bob O’Bill when his wife took ill from cancer and he promised the Virgin Mary he would build a 9 foot statue of her in his backyard. When his wife recovered he completed his promise however volunteers with donated materials changed the initial vision to the Mary viewed gracing the top of the Continental Divide. Overlooking Butte she seems to give her blessing to all who may admire and appreciate her presence. The warmth of the evening and a brilliant ruby sky suggested areturn to summer so we ventured out on our mountain bikes looking for the famous “red light district”. Leaving the KOA we rolled onto the road passing train tracks well lit homes settling in for dinner or the occasional cat or dog out for their evening stroll. Coming to the main street in Butte showed us a peaceful yet active existence for the people of this copper mine town. We didn’t find the “red light district” or see any “red light activity” but did find a few sporting goods stores pubs restaurants and the expected businesses to keep a town booming. All the while Our Lady of the Rockies was radiating above us.
Our first morning was early with the sun rise blasting through the tent. Jack took the lead and brewed some coffee in the bodum we had purchased with the numerous other camping items in preparation for this trip. The tent had a gentle frost dusting that quickly disappeared with the morning heat. Our second day of adventure was about to begin as packed up and we headed off.
About the writer: Michelle is an avid traveler. For more tips and information go to www.chemuyilproperty.com
Haridwar Tour – Pilgrimage Travel In India
Haridwar India known as the Gateway to the Gods is home in the foothills of the Shivaliks along the banks of the River Ganga. Haridwar is one of the seven holiest places in all of India according to Hindu mythology. Hindu mythology states that the Gods left their footprints in this city. Not only is Haridwar known for its mythology roots but also as a gateway to the three pilgrimages home in the Uttrakhand region which are Rishikesh Badrinath and Kedarnath. These pilgrimages mentioned in scriptures as Mayapuri Gangadwar and Mokshadwar are still today a main pilgrimage for Hindus.
The water found in Haridwar is clean and clear with herbal remedies as many believe. All along the shore of the river you will find ghats where many takes baths utilizing the healing powers believed to be in the River that is believed to cleanse the soul and open the way to Nirvana the ultimate freedom.
Haridwar is known for providing the source of Ayurvedic medicines and herbal remedies along with possessing beautiful scenery and lush greenery. Many love to bask in the beauty as well as enjoy nature in the Rajaji Park. Tourists that love wildlife and nature truly enjoy a Haridwar vacation.
The major draw of Haridwar is that it is one of the most important pilgrimage centers in all of India. If you plan to visit during one of the many festivals you will see people from all over the world as well as various walks of life including devotees sadhus and holy men.
While visiting this pilgrimage you will need to visit the HarKiPauri which is the sacred ghat built by King Vikramaditya in the loving memory of his Bhartrihari. The temple of the Chandi Devi is located a top the Neel Parvat along the bank of the river Ganges built in 1929AD by Suchat Singh. In order to visit the Temple of Chandi Devi you will need to follow a ropeway that begins at the Gauri Shankar Temple.
The Vaishno Devi Temple is a newly built temple that is a replica of the original temple home in Jammu amp; Kashmir.
Just outside of Haridwar you will find the Chilla Wildlife Sanctuary. This amazing sanctuary covers about 240 square Km. Twenty three different species call the sanctuary home as well as 315 plant species. Some of the animals you may get the chance to see including chitals jungle cats elephants leopards tigers Himalayan yellow throated martens barking dear sambers langurs wild boars sloth bears ghurals woodpeckers and king cobras to name a few. You can even try your hand at fishing in the river as long as you have a permit.
About the writer: Author is an associate editor for one of the largest travel website servicing India offering Pilgrimage Packages Indian and International Tours Cheap Flights including Kingfisher Red Jet Airways Indian Airlines IndiGo GoAir among others.