Author: Astone Miya
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A Gem of a Place in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka is among the top five gem-bearing nations of the world. Washed out from the ancient rocks of the highlands, the gems are found in pockets of alluvial gravel known as illama, usually a metre or two below the surface. Ratnapura (the ‘City of Gems’) is still the heart of the industry, though new…
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Travelling along the Carretera Austral
Travelling along the Carretera Austral is one of the last great journeys in an untouched wilderness that South America – and indeed the world – has to offer. It is a largely unpaved ripio road stretching almost 1200 km through spectacular ever-changing scenery and with a similar length of branch roads heading either to the…
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Discover revolutionary Cuba
As Cuba celebrates the 60th anniversary of the uprising led by Fidel Castro, which was completed in January 1959, explore six fascinating sites linked to the Revolution Museo de la Revolución, Havana Museo de la Revolución, Havana This huge, ornate building, topped by a dome, was once the Presidential Palace, but now contains the…
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Best Bizarre Festivals in Colombia
Fiesta de las Aguas, Pasto, February Following the grease- and talcum-coated fun of Carnaval, the town of Pasto washes itself clean with a giant water fight. Water is poured from balconies and everyone in town is fair game. Festival del Burro, San Antero, Córdoba, Easter The people of the Caribbean coastal town of San Antero…
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Best of Colombia
Our round-up of the top things to do and see in Colombia 1 La Candelaria Much of Bogotá is crowded, noisy, polluted and chaotic. However, it is also an endearing cosmopolitan hub, rich in culture. La Candelaria, in the historic centre, is a well-preserved colonial neighbourhood notable for its churches and old houses, and the…
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Alternative Tourism in Granada
Granada may well be the country’s most conventional tourist destination, but it offers opportunities for some great alternative experiences too. Founded in 1984, UCA Tierra y Agua (Union of Agriculture and Fishing Cooperatives ‘Earth and Water’) is a union of nine co-operatives, one women’s association and more than 150 families who supplement their farming-based income…
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A Cruise at the End of the World
From September to April, Australis Expedition Cruises’ vessel the Stella Australis cruises between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia. Stella Australis can accommodate 210. Passengers sail in comfort, treated to fine food and expert service, through the Straits of Magellan and the channels and fjords between Tierra del Fuego and the islands that cling to its southern…
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Granada’s Poetry Festival
Each February, Granada’s elegant colonial courtyards, historic houses, public squares and churches reverberate to the sounds of poetic verse. Since 2005, an annual festival of poetry has been attracting over 100 scribes and thousands of spectators from around the world. Concerts, art exhibits, theatrical performances and impassioned debates accompany the lyrical occasion, but it…
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Best of Vietnam
1 Hanoi Vietnam’s capital city is one of a kind. Chaotic it may be, but its charms far outweigh the traffic, with peaceful lakes, crumbling colonial buildings, narrow streets of the Old Quarter and one of the best street food scenes in the world. There are also plenty of great day trips to be made…
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Six Volcano Destinations
Nicaragua is a land born out of fire, displayed in its volatile geoglogical scenery. 1 Volcán Masaya The Parque Nacional Volcán Masaya is home to one of the world’s most accessible volcano complexes – and one of the most active. Perpetually smoking and threatening cataclysm, the yawning chasm of its Santiago crater was long thought…