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View Requirements >- Get an Ethiopian Visa to See the Stone Churches of Lalibela
- World Heritage Site of the Week: Get a Tanzanian Visa to Visit the Stone Town of Zanzibar
- Get a Kazakhstan Visa To Watch a Golden Eagle Hunt
- World Heritage Site Of the Week: Get a Burkina Faso Visa to See the Ruins of Loropéni
- Get a Brazilian Visa to Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Copacabana
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Get an Ethiopian Visa to See the Stone Churches of Lalibela
December 27th, 2009
Lalibela, Ethiopia is named for an Ethiopian king who reigned from 1189 to 1229. Originally called Roha, the town was renamed in honor of King/Saint Gebre Mesqel Lalibela.
Christianity became established in Ethiopia during the 4th century AD, long before Europeans ever set foot in the country. King Lalibela is famous for building a "new Jerusalem" in the town that was later named after him, after Jerusalem itself was taken by a Muslim army led by Saladin in 1187. Depending on the source, King Lalibela is said to either have spent time in Jerusalem as a young man, before he ascended to the throne, or to have seen it in a vision.
As a result, many of the landmarks in the town of Lalibela are named after areas in Jerusalem. King Lalibela also commissioned many stunning cross-shaped ch
World Heritage Site of the Week: Get a Tanzanian Visa to Visit the Stone Town of Zanzibar
December 26th, 2009
This week's featured UNESCO World Heritage site lies on an island off the coast of Tanzania. The Stone Town of Zanzibar is the old heart of Zanzibar, built when it was an ancient trading town.
Zanzibar is located on the island of Unguja. According to Wikipedia, people have been living here for almost three centuries, but the stone buildings that make the old town so distinctive today date back to the 1830s.
The old town consists of large stone houses, mosques and bazaars, all connected by a maze of narrow alleys. Walking is essential here, as most of the alleyways are too skinny to take a car down. One of the most interesting architectural features of the city is the elaborate doors on many of the houses. The wealthy Arab traders and businessmen who originally owned the houses comp
Get a Kazakhstan Visa To Watch a Golden Eagle Hunt
December 23rd, 2009
You've heard of people hunting with hawks and falcons, of course, but what about eagles? In Kazakhstan and other nearby countries, hunting with golden eagles, called berkutchy, is an ancient tradition that goes back centuries.
However, it's also a tradition that's become very rare. According to this article on the Epoch Times, there are only about 50 professional eagle hunters left in the entire country. When the Soviets took control of Kazakhstan, people's traditional nomadic way of life was disrupted and eagle hunting was banned.
Now, Kazakhstan is independent. Given how fast the country has modernized itself, you might not expect a traditional sport like eagle hunting to be making a comeback, but you would be wrong. Eagle hunting is one way for the Kazakh people to keep in touc
World Heritage Site Of the Week: Get a Burkina Faso Visa to See the Ruins of Loropéni
December 20th, 2009
This week's World Heritage Site of the Week is way off the beaten path and has an interesting history. The ruins of Loropéni are located in Loropéni, Burkina Faso. The modern-day town of Loropéni is a market town. The nearby ruins are at least 1,000 years old, dating back to before Europeans arrived in Africa.
The ruins of Loropéni consist of walls over 6 meters high, surrounding what was once a thriving settlement. Who lived here? Why was it built, and why was it eventually abandoned? Nobody is quite sure, and much of the site has yet to be excavated and analyzed. However, it was almost certainly occupied by the local Lohron or Koulango peoples, who oversaw the gold trade in Africa from the 14th through 17th centuries.
Historians believe that the ruins of Loropéni had somet
Get a Brazilian Visa to Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Copacabana
December 20th, 2009
Everyone knows that Rio de Janeiro throws down for Carnival, but did you know that they also throw one of the top New Year's Eve parties in the world? The city welcomes the New Year on the beach at Copacabana, and the New Year's Eve celebrations there are truly a spectacle.
According to About.com, the party on the beach at Copacabana was originally started by devotees of Brazil's Candomble religion, who flocked to the beach to honor Iemanja, the goddess of the sea. What started as a small religious festival has grown into a full-fledged party, with bands, fireworks and approximately 2 million people attending.
If you go, you should definitely wear white to the party. According to Ipanema.com, white is traditional for luck. You can wear accessories in other colors, depending on what
