Koh Phangan

Ko Pha Ngan (or Koh Phangan, Thai: เกาะพะงัน) is an island in the Gulf of Thailand in South East Thailand. It is famous for its full moon party at Haad Rin Beach and as a backpackers destination. Ko Pha Ngan has two sister islands: the larger Ko Samui to the south and the smaller Ko Tao to the north.

The Bronze Drum of Dongson Culture (500BC - 100BC) that was found on Ko Samui in 1977 is evidence that there were settlements of people on Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan, and their islets from more than two thousand years ago. Some historians and archaeologists believe that the first group who migrated to Ko Pha Ngan were the Muslim sea Gypsies (Pygmy, Semung, and Proto-Malay) who travelled by boat from the Malay Peninsula. However, nowadays there are few Muslims who live on the island. The name of Ko Pha Ngan comes from the word 'Ngan', the southern dialect meaning 'sand bar', for there are many sand bars offshore around the island. Ko Pha Ngan has been a long time favorite of past kings of Thailand. Specifically Rama V, or Chulalongkorn visited Ko Pha Ngan 14 times during his reign.

As a natural paradise island in the Southern Gulf of Thailand, Ko Pha Ngan is often seen as a getaway retreat, where one may go relaxing on the many quiet deserted beaches including the beautiful Chalok lam Bay, Ban Tai, Ban Khai, Haad Yao, Haad Salat, Haad Son and the Mae Haed beaches. There are many activities in which to participate including snorkeling and learning to dive at the distinctive island of Ko Ma, trekking in the footsteps of Thai Royalty at Than Sadet National Park steeped in history and culture, or seeking adventure in the nearby Ang Thong archipelago composed of over 40 islands endowed with pristine beaches, natural caves and the tranquil Tha Laem Nai. Ko Pha Ngan has over 250 resorts to choose from, ranging from the budget 80 baht a night beach hut without private toilet to luxury air-conditioned accommodation with private swimming pool.

It's the simple beach life which continues to attract visitors each year along with the island's reputation for full moon parties and a hedonistic approach to life. The backpackers, budget tourists and aging hippies are beginning to give way to families and more mainstream tourists as all the beaches are fully developed. The full moon party consists of tens of thousands in high season - all on the beach. Revelers from all over the world still flock to the world's biggest beach party every month. The music from the multiple sound systems is made up mostly of electronic styles such as Psytrance, house, techno and drum & bass and a predominantly youthful crowd dance 'til dawn on party nights. It has been reported that western tourists have been victims of unprovoked assaults by gangs on a number of occasions, particularly around the time of the full moon parties late at night in the vicinity of bars in Haad Rin.[3] Other events such as the Half Moon Party and Black Moon Party also attract large crowds. Despite the special titles the events on the beach are identical every single night. However, it is still possible to visit the island and avoid the full moon party altogether, with dozens of quiet, secluded resorts and beach huts dotted all over the island for a variety of prices. Many of the more costly resorts offer such facilities as daily yoga, yoga teachers' training, meditation, a variety of healing, healthy & natural therapies, spa massage& pampering services and herbal steam rooms.

Source: Wikipedia

Koh Tao

Ko Tao is an amazing island in Thailand, located near the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area of about 21 km².

The economy of the island is almost exclusively centered around tourism, especially scuba diving.

The Island is also known for his numerous parties, even if it doesn't have the same reputation than Koh Phangan.

Ko Tao was named by its first settlers for the island's turtle-like geographic shape. The Island has become increasingly popular especially in the mid-20's backpacker crowd in search of relatively inexpensive scuba diving certification. This is the place to go for diving, but please take care of the fragile environment!

Source: Wikipedia

京東 Tokyo, Japon, Japan

Tokyo (東京 ,Tōkyō?), officially Tokyo Metropolis (東京都 ,Tōkyō-to?),[2] is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totalling over 8 million people. The population of the prefecture exceeds 12 million. The prefecture is the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, the world's most populous metropolitan area with 35 million people and the world's largest metropolitan economy with a GDP of US$1.191 trillion at purchasing power parity in 2005.


Tokyo is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family.

Tokyo was originally a small fishing village named Edo. In 1457, Ōta Dōkan built Edo Castle. In 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu made Edo his base and when he became shogun in 1603, the town became the center of his nationwide military government. During the subsequent Edo period, Edo grew into one of the largest cities in the world with a population topping one million by the 18th century.[6] It became the de facto capital of Japan[7] even while the emperor lived in Kyoto, the imperial capital. After about 263 years, the shogunate was overthrown under the banner of restoring imperial rule. In 1869, the 17-year-old Emperor Meiji moved to Edo. Tokyo was already the nation's political and cultural center,[8] and the emperor's residence made it a de facto imperial capital as well with the former Edo Castle becoming the Imperial Palace. The city of Tokyo was established, and continued to be the capital until it was abolished as a municipality in 1943 and merged with the "Metropolitan Prefecture" of Tokyo.

Tokyo, Japan


Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan



Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

Sapa

Sapa (Westernized spelling) is a frontier town and district in the Lào Cai province in northwest Vietnam. It is one of the main market towns in the area, where many ethnic minority groups such as H'mong, Dao and Tay live.

Yao in Sapa, Vietnam

It is most likely that Sa Pa was first inhabited by highland minorities of the Hmong and Yao groups, as well as by smaller numbers of Tày and Giay, these being the four main minority groups still present in Sa Pa district today.

Black Hmong, Sapa, Vietnam

It was only when the French debarked in highland Tonkin in the late 1880s that Sa Pa, or Chapa as the French called it, began to appear on the national map. In the following decade, the future site of Sa Pa town started to see military parties as well as missionaries from the Société des Missions Etrangères de Paris (MEP) visit. The French military marched from the Red River Delta into the northern mountainous regions as part of Tonkin’s ‘pacification’. In 1894-96 the border between China and Tonkin was formally agreed upon and the Sa Pa area, just to the south of this frontier, was placed under French authority. From 1891 the entire Lào Cai region, including Sa Pa, came under direct colonial military administration so as to curtail banditry and political resistance on the sensitive northern frontier.

Young kids, Sapa, Vietnam


Black Hmong, Sapa, Vietnam

Sa Pa District is located in Lao Cai Province, north-west Vietnam, and 350 km north-west of Hanoi, close to the border with China. The Hoang Lien Son range of mountains dominates the district, which is at the eastern extremity of the Himalayas. This range includes Vietnam's highest mountain, Fan Si Pan, at a height of 3142m above sea level. The town of Sa Pa lies at an altitude of about 1600 m. The climate is moderate and rainy in summer (May—August), and foggy and cold with occasional snowfalls in winter.

Sa Pa is a quiet mountain town and home to a great diversity of ethnic minority peoples. The total population of 36,000 consists mostly of minority groups. Besides the Kinh (Viet) people (15%) there are mainly 5 ethnic groups in Sapa: Hmong 52%, Dao 25%, Tay 5%, Giay 2% and a small number of Xa Pho. Approximately 7,000 live in Sapa, the other 36,000 being scattered in small communes throughout the district.

Most of the ethnic minority people work their land on sloping terraces since the vast majority of the land is mountainous. Their staple foods are rice and corn. Rice, by its very nature of being a labour intensive crop, makes the daily fight for survival paramount. The unique climate in Sapa has a major influence on the ethnic minorities who live in the area. With sub-tropical summers, temperate winters and 160 days of mist annually, the influence on agricultural yields and health related issues are significant.

Sapa, Vietnam

The Hoang Lien Mountains are home to a rich variety of plants, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects, many only found in northwestern Vietnam. For this reason, the Hoang Lien Nature Reserve was designated in 1986, covering much of the mountain range to the immediate south of Sa Pa.

Forest type and quality change with increasing altitude. At 2000 meters the natural, undisturbed forest begins to be seen. Above 2500 meters dwarf conifers and rhododendrons predominate in the harsh “elfin forest”, so called because a lack of topsoil and nutrients means that fully mature trees grow to measure only a few meters in height. Higher still, only the hardiest of plant species are found. At over 3000 meters, Fan Si Pan’s summit can only support dwarf bamboo.

Sapa, Vietnam

The geology of Hoang Lien Nature Reserve includes metamorphosed sediments and a granitic intrusion. The metamorphosed sediments strike from northwest to southeast along the Muong Hoa valley. On the northeastern side of the valley is a craggy ridge of marble and metamorphosed carbonate rocks that exhibit a karst style of weathering. These formations are currently being quarried for road building. The valley floor is characterised by schist and, to a lesser extent, gneiss. The granitic intrusion extends from the Muong Hoa River to the summit ridge of Fansipan and beyond. Due to the high humidity and rainfall in the area, chemical weathering is prevalent. This is reflected in the clay nature of the soil.

Sapa, Vietnam

Source: Wikipedia

Bangkok

The city of Bangkok is the capital, largest urban area and primary city of Thailand. The entire name of the city is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit.

In the span of over two hundred years, Bangkok has been the political, social and economic center of not only Thailand but for much of South East Asia and Indochina as well. Its influence in the arts, politics, fashion, education and entertainment as well as being a business, financial and cultural center of Asia has given Bangkok the status of a global city.

Bangkok is the world's 22nd largest city by population with approximately 8,160,522 registered residents (July 2007), but due to large unregistered influxes of migrants from the North East of Thailand and of many nations across Asia, the population of greater Bangkok is estimated at nearly 15 million people.[citation needed] This has in turn shifted the country from being a rather homogenous Thai population to increasingly a more vibrant mix of Western, Indian and Chinese people. The capital is part of the heavily urbanized triangle of central and eastern region of Thailand which stretches from Nakhon Ratchasima along Bangkok to the industrialized eastern seaboard.

The Bangkok Province borders six other provinces: Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Nakhon Pathom, and all five provinces are joined in the conurbation of the Bangkok Metropolitan Area.

Bangkok, Thailand



Bangkok, Thailande

Chichén Itzá, Mexico



Chichén Itzá, Mexico




Chichén Itzá, Mexico



Chichén Itzá, Mexico



Chichén Itzá, Mexico

Japan

Nara, Japan


Hiroshima, Japan


Osaka, Japan


Osaka, Japan


Ueno Park, Tokyo, Japan



Search Engine Submission - AddMe