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View Requirements >- Soon, EU Citizens May Not Need a Russian Visa
- Mali Visa Requirements to Visit Timbuktu
- Egyptian Visa Requirements to Scuba Dive the Red Sea
- Thai Visa Requirements to Visit Doi Inthanon National Park
- Chinese Visa Requirements To See Smurfs and Pandas
Archive for September, 2010
Soon, EU Citizens May Not Need a Russian Visa
September 18th, 2010
Good news for citizens of countries that are part of the European Union: Soon, according to this post on the Nileguidance blog, you may be able to skip the Kafkaesque Russian visa process and still visit your Russian neighbors. Russia and EU have been working on visa-free travel for years, since 2003. What's changed?
Nileguidance notes that Russia has a particular incentive to try to speed up negotiations at the moment: a new business park that Russia would love to staff with skilled workers from across Europe. According to this article on a Russian news site, Vladimir Chizhov, the Russian envoy to the EU, brought up the issue in a video conference last May:
"We believe the process of reaching this goal [the introduction of visa-free regime] should be accelerated..."Seven years have
Mali Visa Requirements to Visit Timbuktu
September 17th, 2010
Like most American children, I grew up hearing the word "Timbuktu" used as shorthand to describe somewhere very exotic and very far away. I had no idea it was a real place until I got older and started studying geography-it might as well have been located in Never-Never Land. Timbuktu is real, and it's actually located in Africa, in the country of Mali. This week's featured UNESCO World Heritage Site, Timbuktu was once one of Africa's most important centers of trade and learning.
Founded by a group of nomads sometime in the 10th century, Timbuktu was originally a place for them to camp with their cattle during the dry season. Over the centuries, it grew, and since it was located near the Niger River and the crossroads of trans-Saharan trade routes for gold, ivory, salt and slaves, it e
Egyptian Visa Requirements to Scuba Dive the Red Sea
September 14th, 2010
When you think of Egypt, you probably think of the pyramids, but did you know that Egypt is also home to one of the top 10 best scuba diving sites in the world? The Red Sea is famous for its crystal-clear visibility and gorgeous coral formations. It also features a wonderfully diverse ecosystem, with over 12,000 species of fish, dolphins, the endangered dugong (think a super-sized manatee) and more. If you've always wanted to swim with the dolphins and/or sharks, the Red Sea is a great place to do both!
In addition to natural coral reefs, there are also a number of ship wrecks in the Red Sea that make interesting dive sites. According to one of the local dive shops, the best times to dive are the spring and the fall.
MatadorTV has a gorgeous video up of a Red Sea dive. See why it's one
Thai Visa Requirements to Visit Doi Inthanon National Park
September 12th, 2010
In the late 19th century, King Inthawichayanon ruled a city-state called Lannathai in what is now northern Thailand. An early environmentalist, the king was concerned about the preservation of the hill country forests that were under his rule. According to Chiangmai-chiangrai.com, Thai folklore referred these forests as the "home of the Phiphannam, the 'spirit who shares water." Now, modern hydrology has shown us that these forests are the source of all of the rivers and streams in Central Thailand.
When King Inthawichayanon died, he requested that his ashes be deposited on top of Doi Inthanon. The area is now a national park, and both the mountain and the forests that surround it are protected, just as the king would have wanted. According to Norman Rubin of Bootsnall.com:
Doi Inthan
Chinese Visa Requirements To See Smurfs and Pandas
September 11th, 2010
Chengdu, China, is already quite famous for its giant panda sanctuary. However, the Chinese government would like to boost tourism to the region and apparently those pandas, as adorable as they are, are not drawing enough tourists. So, what is China's solution? Smurfs!
Yes, those little blue mushroom-dwellers are getting a new lease on life: in China. The Wall Street Journal reports:
The beloved, animated blue creatures — famous for their white caps, cheery theme song, and proclivity for using the name of their race as a verb — are moving to Chengdu, where development firm Chengdu Teda Sino-Europe Construction and Smurf-brand owner IMPS plan to open a Smurf theme park, according to a report from DTZ Asia Property Market Update.
With investment of 20 million yuan, or about $2.9 m
