Wonders of Mongolia

Ugiinuur lake is registered as a Ramsar Wetland in 1998. Lake is covered 25 kilometers and located in Ugiinuur sum Arkhangai province.

266 kinds of flora well as 20 kinds of mammals were observed. Especially, 129 species of wild birds are observed at this lake.

The birds are such as: ducks, cranes, herons and raptors.

Since the era of Chinggis Khaan, it has been traditionally preserved as a closed lake.

Nomads

There you can meet real nomads. Nomads at Ugiinuur area are preserved well their traditional lives. Also they preserve their traditional culture well and inherit the senses of environmental conservation and nature worship from generation to generation.

Their daily lives themselves, such as making dairy products, cooking, firing and making clothes.

Ugiinuur Information and Training Center- Ecotour

Five of the local staffs are eager their best to explain the center’s exhibition. Also they organize eco tours through the survey on local resources.

1. Horse-back Birding

Watching birds from horse-back is unique to the Ugiinuur area. Mongolian horses are ponies by European standards, with a shoulder height of less than 1.5 m. However, they are very strong, with amazing stamina. Interpreters will take care your safety.

2.Morning Bird Watching

Tour begins early in the morning. The bird watching program will be conducted around the center in the morning when the birds are active.

Tourists should pay attention to the baby that are following their parents when they approach by horses or cars. The local proverb says ‘if you find the eggs of a crane slow down your horse, otherwise stirrups come up to punish you’.

3. Crafts making

Women of nomads produce crafts made from felt and other materials. Actually, the process of making felt with wool is very interesting. Tourists can participate crafts making process by an instructor of locals.

NHAN MOUNTAIN

Nhan Mountain-Da Rang River is the landscape leaving deep impressions for visitors when coming to Phu Yen. Nhan mountain is on the northern bank of the Da Rang river, belonging to Ward 1, Tuy Hoa city. Standing at the height of 64 meters on its top, visitors can enjoy the whole view of Tuy Hoa city along the seashore of the China Sea and the Da Rang river with four bridges running in parallel across the river.

On the top of Nhan mountain there is the ancient Cham tower, called Nhan Tower, built at around the end of 11th century. This is one of the big towers of the ancient Champa people. The tower has a stable construction of a cubic square, each side is 10 meters long, its height is 23,5 meters, consisting of three main parts: a foundation, a body and a roof. The main door of the tower faces to the east.

Today the Landscape of Nhan Mountain and Da Rang River is considered the symbol of Phu Yen. On November 16th, 1988, the Ministry of Culture and Information decided to recognize Nhan Tower as the National Level Architecture - Fine Art Vestige.

Every year, on the occasions of holidays and festivals, there are many musical, cultural, recreational activities held on the top of Nhan mountain. Especially on every Lunar Mid January, here takes place the Nguyen Tieu (Lunar Mid January) Night of Poems attracting a great number of artists and tourists.

ASEAN subgroup to promote subterranean river

The Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) is promoting Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park in Palawan and the Komodo National Park in Indonesia as prime eco-tourism destinations.

The group, in a statement issued on June 9, said this indicates strong partnership within the subgroup of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to strengthen cooperation in tourism.

The statement of support for the two sites was an output of the BIMP-EAGA tourism industry meeting in the Palawan provincial capital Puerto Princesa City on June 9 to 10.

The conference sought to market the sub-region as a single tourism destination, starting with the two eco-tourism sites.

A similar meeting took place three years ago in Koronadal City, South Cotabato that saw the crafting of a mechanism to promote the subgroup as a single tourist destination.

Mary Ann M. Montemayor, then chairman of the BIMP-EAGA tourism council, said part of the agreement then was for the four countries to apply the fifth freedom traffic right that allows an airline to pick up passengers within the sub-region other than the destination it was granted to service.

The scheme, however, was bogged down by air linkages as some airline companies destinations are not viable as visitor destinations.

Despite the limitations, Narzalina Z. Lim, Asian Development Bank consultant on eco-tourism, said the ASEAN subgroup has unique characteristics that, if fully tapped, could become a major eco-tourism destination.

Ms. Lim, who served as secretary of Tourism during the presidency of Corazon C. Aquino, said BIMP-EAGA has indigenous communities who can be tapped as tourist attractions with enough infrastructure support, particularly on providing easy access to the destinations.

Maldives - The Sunny side of Life

The Maldives has always been a unique nation. Apart from a period of Portuguese domination in the Sixteenth century and carrying the status of a British Protectorate from 1887 to 1965, the archipelago has been an independent archipelago for at least twenty-five centuries.

The Maldives is a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth and the Non-Aligned Movement. The Maldives maintains a very cordial relationship with the international community and the Maldivians themselves take pride in their hospitality and friendliness!

The population of the Maldives currently stands slightly in excess of a quarter of a million. A common language (Dhivehi) and a religion (Islam) have been two blessings that unite the people into a cohesive and peaceful society. Pride is taken in tradition though not at the expense of development and modernization.

Maldivians are generally not race conscious, perhaps because the country has been inhabited for centuries during which visitors from as far apart as China, Africa, Arabia and Persia have been assimilated into the society. This tradition of welcoming visitors continues?..

We dare you to come here and count exactly how many islands there are in the country. They say that counting the islands including the sand spits is like trying to count how many stars there are in the sky! So, the commonly agreed upon figure of 1190 is but an approximation. These islands are grouped into natural atolls that are protected by surrounding reefs. The islands are of pure white coral sand are low lying, the highest point on any give island being no more than a meter and a half above sea level. Coconut palms and an abundance of tropical plants make these islands an idyllic place for your holiday if you want to see nature at its best.

Kuala Gandah Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary

Kuala Gandah Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary, Pahang is a rare and fantastic opportunity to get up close to endemic Malaysian elephants.

This truly unique Elephant Orphanage of Kuala Gandah in Pahang will give you a very rare opportunity to learn about these displaced gentle giants.

Get the chance to ride them through the jungle, with the help of an elephant guide, or mahout.

For the brave and adventurous, there are opportunities to take the elephants down to the river and help give them a bath! There really is no better opportunity than this to get in touch with these grey giants.

It is estimated that there are only 1,200 wild Asian Elephants, also known as Elephus Maximus, left in Malaysia and this is the only conservation centre set up to relocate these displaced pachyderms.

The elephants here have been rescued from all over Peninsula Malaysia, providing them a safe sanctuary in the wild.

Destination of the week: Rome

Rome is one of the world’s large tourist destinations. The city’s seductive Old World atmosphere, with more than 2,000 years of record, art, religion and food, draws hordes of camera-toting invaders. However, it is still possible to have a quiet, environmentally friendly trip to the Eternal City.
You wouldn’t have to stay long in Rome to realize that eating is a main part of life there. Luckily, food is one of the city’s most environmentally friendly aspects. Nowhere else in the world is such a premium put on new, locally sourced ingredients. For visitors to Rome, even gluttony can be green.

With a host of green transit options, from walking to trams to Vespas, it is easy to keep your commutes clean. Green hotels (including one that takes recycling to the extreme — see below) and a unique approach to sustainability lift Rome above several of Europe’s other urban destinations in terms of environmental friendliness.