Red Center, Australia

Australia's Broken Heart


in the shadow of the cliff
Guide Chief over a small headland in Kings Canyon.
Uluru-Ayers Rock
Sacred to the Anangu Aboriginals of the Red Centre, the Uluru Archery Rock is 873 meters high and has a circumference of 9.4 km.
walk under threat
Group walks on a path in Kata Tjuta, protected from infernal flies by nets.
Shade and sun at the Outback
Red Center rock outlines drawn against a trail of setting sun.
stone hill
Another strange rocky outcrop of Kata Tjuta.
leader in persimmon
Guide Chief leads a group of visitors to Kata Tjuta National Park.
Greenery and dryness
A dead tree juts out from the inhospitable scenery of Kata Tjuta.
aboriginal melody
Native plays didjeridu.
australian queue
Group travels the heated, arduous surface of Kings Canyon.
Finally, rest
Friends rest by the Garden of Eden lagoon in an inner canyon of Kings Canyon.
the olgas
The rocks of Kata Tjuta lit up at sunset.
Camel Outback Safaris
Airy camel shelter in a roadside bar in Erdlunda.
sighting
Two visitors peer over the reddish cliffs of Kata Djuta.
Uncertain course
Isolated or lost couple walk through an ocher platform in Kings Canyon.
Outback Desert
Chief surveys the landscape over roadside dunes in the vicinity of Erdlunda.
Kata Tjuta or The Olgas
The imposing cliffs of Kata Tjuta from a shaded canyon.
aussie accident
Travelers examine what might have been the result of a phenomenal road accident.
halo and silhouette
The monumental shadow of the Uluru/Ayers Rock.
Chief in Erdlunda
Guide Chief comes out of a roadside bar in Erldunda.
Royal Canyon
One of Kings Canyon's reddish canyons.
The Red Center is home to some of Australia's must-see natural landmarks. We are impressed by the grandeur of the scenarios but also by the renewed incompatibility of its two civilizations.

Chief arrives on time.

He is quick to safeguard the integrity of his image: “I was told that two journalists were coming. That I had to present myself and behave properly! Let's see what can be done”.

Although originally from New Zealand, your figure couldn't be more ozzie. He laughs uncomplexedly at the top of his ninety-something meter.

He wears a tight shirt and mini-shorts, both in khaki, worn by the kilometers traveled in the desert, dirty with stains that it is time to wash. The tall, dusty, yellowish fur boots and an old hat Akubra they are the last notes of a costume created and retouched by Outback.

Kings Canyon, Chief, Headland, Red Centre, Heart, Australia.

Guide Chief over a small headland in Kings Canyon.

Had he arrived at the right time, Chief could have been one of the fearless pioneers who blazed through Australia's interior and built the city from which we were to set out to discover the Northern Territory.

It was no accident that Alice Springs emerged in the geometric center of Australia.

The Arduous Colonization of the Australian Red Center

In the second half of the XNUMXth century, much of the south was colonized. The center and part of the North were still unknown domains, occupied exclusively by the aboriginal ancestral guardians.

In 1861-62, John McDouall Stuart led an expedition into the heart of the desert. He would eventually become the first European to cross Australia from south to north. And he established the route that would make way for the telegraph line programmed to link Adelaide to Darwin and Darwin to Great Britain.

Later, the discovery of river gold in large quantities, about 100 km away, gave rise to a fixed population around Stuart, as the colony would be named. The end of the gold meant that the village moved to close to the cable car station.

Erdlunda camel shelter, bar, road, Red centre, heart, Australia.

Airy camel shelter in a roadside bar in Erdlunda.

This village, in turn, was named Alice Springs, in honor of the wife of the postmaster and the springs that irrigated the vast surrounding oasis.

These were rough times, dominated by uncertainty and in which the prevailing dryness of the landscape called for creative solutions. Accordingly, the pioneering authorities resolved import camels from northwestern former British India – Pakistan today. They were led in long caravans by immigrants from the Pathan tribes, incorrectly called Afghan camel drivers.

These caravans solved the problem of lack of water for some time. Over the years, they became unnecessary. Camels were abandoned or lost.

They multiplied and spread across the desert, in such a way that they exist today in greater numbers in Australia than in many Arab countries.

Alice Springs: The Urban Core of the Red Center

Alice – as she is affectionately treated – spreads along the often dry bed of the Todd River. It's made up of low-rise buildings, warehouses, and ground-floor commercial complexes that block out little or nothing against the blue sky. Other dominant businesses are bars, tourist agencies and art galleries.

At first glance, everything seems normal, but the apparently dysfunctional presence of the aboriginal community causes, in this tourist center, more discomfort than in other places in the Northern Territory.

native, aborigine, didjeridu, red centre, heart, australia

Native plays didjeridu.

It proves difficult for newly arrived visitors to understand why they spend their time sitting on the grass in the gardens or in front of shops and service stations.

They are hard to accept the primitive ways and their inability to deal with the marginalization to which they were voted by the Western civilization that uprooted them with no return.

Aboriginal Misfit on Their Own Land

Here, as elsewhere in Australia, the Australian government has apologized and is trying to redeem itself. It pays for the sins committed in Australian dollars and with the return of land that it appropriated during the period in which it maintained a law that equated the aborigines with the fauna and flora.

Here, as across Australia, the measures are far from solving anything.

During the initial leg of the trip, Chief confesses: “… I don't always do this. I work with the Alice Springs Aboriginal prison community. I am one of the few who knows and accepts them”.

He also confesses that, even so, he has difficulty answering the questions and prejudiced remarks of Australian and foreign tourists.

It tries to make them aware of the value of the aborigines, explaining to outsiders, in the most emblematic places, the fascinating mythological culture of the indigenous people.

Uluru – Ayers Rock. The Ever Controversial Question of Ascension

“I can't believe this!” Kevin repeats one last time, after uttering a series of curses.

As soon as you wake up and leave your swag (Australian sleeping bag), the little Korean is faced with the greatest frustration. After a year of working on Sydney like an automaton, he dreamed of the highlight of the trip: contemplating the Red Center from the top of Uluru.

Uluru, Ayers Rock, Red Centre, Heart, Australia

Sacred to the Anangu Aboriginals of the Red Centre, the Uluru Archery Rock is 873 meters high and has a circumference of 9.4 km.

This morning, the shrill hiss of the bush Australian sounded like bad news.

The afternoon before, Chief, it had been pretty clear. On behalf of the Anangu aborigines, he asked everyone not to go upstairs. He also clarified that he would only prevent anyone who wanted to do so if weather conditions determined it.

Contrary to predictions, instead of calming down, the wind picked up during the night. At dawn, park authorities closed access to the trail and made life easier for the guide.

At first glance simple, the theme of the ascents to Ayers Rock – as the colonists of British origin called it after the Chief Secretary of South Australia of 1873 – is, in fact, quite complex.

It reflects the sensitive relationship that the descendants of Australian settlers have with the Indians.

bar road, erdlunda, red centre, heart, australia.

Guide Chief comes out of a roadside bar in Erldunda.

Uluru – Ayers Rock: A Rock in Australia's Broken Heart

In 1983, Prime Minister Bob Hawke promised to return that particular land to its traditional owners. It agreed to a ten-point plan that included a ban on climbing Uluru.

In good political fashion, the promise was quickly forgotten. Before official restitution, ninety-nine years of concession were imposed instead of the fifty agreed upon with the aborigines.

Access to the top of Uluru was eventually allowed, so as not to go against the wishes of thousands of younger visitors or simply in good physical shape.

The Spiritual Meaning of Uluru for Anangu Aboriginals

The Anangu aborigines, the ancestral protectors of the cliff and surrounding space, do not climb it.

They avoid doing this because of the great spiritual significance of Uluru. According to your beliefs, pass at the top, a trail of your Dreamtime (the mythological past). They also banned their climbing for reasons of responsibility for the safety of those they host.

Over the years, against the will of the aborigines, the climbs have already claimed 35 victims. In each of the fatalities, the aborigines expressed sadness. Despite the grief of the indigenous, the Australians are a people used to living with adventure and risk. Accordingly, at the time, no total and absolute prohibition was foreseen for the park rangers to put into practice.

Situated in the southwestern corner of the vast Northern Territory, in the heart of the Outback, this strange island of Arcose, as emblematic as it is homogeneous and compact, has survived millions of years of erosion that erased from the map a gigantic but much more vulnerable surrounding massif. to wear.

With a maximum height of 348m and a circumference of 9.4km, the formation is even more intriguing as it changes color throughout the day and seasons of the year, as different light spectra hit it.

Uluru, Ayers Rock, silhouette, Red centre, Heart, Australia.

The monumental shadow of the Uluru/Ayers Rock.

Denial of Superstition around Uluru and Repentance

Too many of its nearly 400.000 annual visitors cannot resist the cliff's visual and mythological fascination.

Even warned by the guides about the curse that haunts the life of those who remove stones from Uluru, they prefer to take risks and commit the crime.

Chief develops one of his favorite themes for us, with unsurpassed sarcasm: “… even funnier is that, out of conscience or mere precaution, many people regret it.

Then, back in their homes, they spend worlds and funds trying to return them to the rock. They send them by mail to the agencies they traveled with and ask them to replace them…”

The obstacles raised by aboriginal beliefs tjukurpa it does not stop there, however.

Around the rock mount there are springs, caves, small natural water deposits and cave paintings. But despite the abundance of motifs, photography is restricted in several sections where the Anangu perform gender-related rituals and where they do not admit people of the opposite sex.

Erdlunda chief road, Red centre, heart, Australia.

Chief surveys the landscape over roadside dunes in the vicinity of Erdlunda.

The aim is to prevent millenary taboos from being broken, as indigenous peoples will inevitably come to find images of their sacred places in what they call the outside world.

Kata Djuta: The Other Sacred Colossus of the Red Center

Just 25km to the west, accessible via the same Lasseter Highway that leads to Uluru/Ayers Rock and then along Luritja Road, another whim of the Red Center imposes itself on the ever-blue sky of the Red Centre. Terra australis.

It is Kata Tjuta (Aboriginal pittjantjajara dialect for “many heads”), a sequence of huge thirty-six red rocks covering an area of ​​almost 27 km² and having as their highest point 1066m above sea level of Monte Olga. 

This elevation, in particular, gave rise to “The Olgas”, the western name given to the setting.

At the height of the Australian summer, in the middle of the afternoon, the sun also beats down mercilessly here.

kata tjuta, the olgas, sunset, red centre, heart, australia

The rocks of Kata Tjuta lit up at sunset.

Against all common sense, it revitalizes the infernal Outback flies that plague visitors during their walks through the rocks.

The fame of the insects is such that many arrive armed with nets with which they cover their heads and thus reinforce the Martian exoticism of the place.

kata tjuta, flies, protection, net, group, red centre, heart, australia.

Group walks on a path in Kata Tjuta, protected from infernal flies by nets.

We devote the entire morning to exploring Kings Canyon, a rugged, visual territory Western situated in the George Gill Range, still southwest of Alice Springs.

The new walk begins with the conquest of Heart Attack Hill, named for its inclination, unsuitable for cardiac patients.

It continues for 5km along the gorges, the labyrinthine plateaus of the “city” and the slopes and stairways carved into the rock of the Amphitheater.

kings canyon, red centre, heart, australia

One of Kings Canyon's reddish canyons.

We only interrupt it, to rest, at the edge of the Garden of Eden, a lake surrounded by dense vegetation that breaks the ocher domain of the landscape.

From there, finally, we return to the starting point of the circuit and Alice Springs.

In the capital of the Red Centre, another long but fascinating one awaits us road stage: the northern half of the Stuart Highway.

road accident, visitors, Red centre, heart, Australia

Travelers examine what might have been the result of a phenomenal road accident.

Sydney, Australia

From the Exile of Criminals to an Exemplary City

The first of the Australian colonies was built by exiled inmates. Today, Sydney's Aussies boast former convicts of their family tree and pride themselves on the cosmopolitan prosperity of the megalopolis they inhabit.
Melbourne, Australia

An "Asienated" Australia

Cultural capital aussie, Melbourne is also frequently voted the best quality of life city in the world. Nearly a million eastern emigrants took advantage of this immaculate welcome.
Discovering tassie, Part 1 - Hobart, Australia

Australia's Backdoor

Hobart, the capital of Tasmania and the southernmost of Australia, was colonized by thousands of convicts from England. Unsurprisingly, its population maintains a strong admiration for marginal ways of life.
Alice Springs to Darwin, Australia

Stuart Road, on its way to Australia's Top End

Do Red Center to the tropical Top End, the Stuart Highway road travels more than 1.500km lonely through Australia. Along this route, the Northern Territory radically changes its look but remains faithful to its rugged soul.
Perth, Australia

Australia Day: In Honor of the Foundation, Mourning for Invasion

26/1 is a controversial date in Australia. While British settlers celebrate it with barbecues and lots of beer, Aborigines celebrate the fact that they haven't been completely wiped out.
Wycliffe Wells, Australia

Wycliffe Wells' Unsecret Files

Locals, UFO experts and visitors have been witnessing sightings around Wycliffe Wells for decades. Here, Roswell has never been an example and every new phenomenon is communicated to the world.
Perth to Albany, Australia

Across the Far West of Australia

Few people worship evasion like the aussies. With southern summer in full swing and the weekend just around the corner, Perthians are taking refuge from the urban routine in the nation's southwest corner. For our part, without compromise, we explore endless Western Australia to its southern limit.
Atherton Tableland, Australia

Miles Away from Christmas (part XNUMX)

On December 25th, we explored the high, bucolic yet tropical interior of North Queensland. We ignore the whereabouts of most of the inhabitants and find the absolute absence of the Christmas season strange.
Busselton, Australia

2000 meters in Aussie Style

In 1853, Busselton was equipped with one of the longest pontoons in the world. World. When the structure collapsed, the residents decided to turn the problem around. Since 1996 they have been doing it every year. Swimming.
Discovering tassie, Part 3, Tasmania, Australia

Tasmania from Top to Bottom

The favorite victim of Australian anecdotes has long been the Tasmania never lost the pride in the way aussie ruder to be. Tassie remains shrouded in mystery and mysticism in a kind of hindquarters of the antipodes. In this article, we narrate the peculiar route from Hobart, the capital located in the unlikely south of the island to the north coast, the turn to the Australian continent.
Great Ocean Road, Australia

Ocean Out, along the Great Australian South

One of the favorite escapes of the Australian state of Victoria, via B100 unveils a sublime coastline that the ocean has shaped. We only needed a few kilometers to understand why it was named The Great Ocean Road.
Perth, Australia

the lonely city

More 2000km away from a worthy counterpart, Perth is considered the most remote city on the face of the Earth. Despite being isolated between the Indian Ocean and the vast Outback, few people complain.
Cairns to Cape Tribulation, Australia

Tropical Queensland: An Australia Too Wild

Cyclones and floods are just the meteorological expression of Queensland's tropical harshness. When it's not the weather, it's the deadly fauna of the region that keeps its inhabitants on their toes.
Perth, Australia

The Oceania Cowboys

Texas is on the other side of the world, but there is no shortage of cowboys in the country of koalas and kangaroos. Outback rodeos recreate the original version and 8 seconds lasts no less in the Australian Western.
Cairns-Kuranda, Australia

Train to the Middle of the Jungle

Built out of Cairns to save miners isolated in the rainforest from starvation by flooding, the Kuranda Railway eventually became the livelihood of hundreds of alternative Aussies.
Melbourne, Australia

The Football the Australians Rule

Although played since 1841, Australian Football has only conquered part of the big island. Internationalization has never gone beyond paper, held back by competition from rugby and classical football.
Discovering Tassie, Part 2 - Hobart to Port Arthur, Australia

An Island Doomed to Crime

The prison complex at Port Arthur has always frightened the British outcasts. 90 years after its closure, a heinous crime committed there forced Tasmania to return to its darkest times.
Michaelmas Cay, Australia

Miles from Christmas (Part XNUMX)

In Australia, we live the most uncharacteristic of the 24th of December. We set sail for the Coral Sea and disembark on an idyllic islet that we share with orange-billed terns and other birds.
Discovering tassie, Part 4 - Devonport to Strahan, Australia

Through the Tasmanian Wild West

If the almost antipode tazzie is already a australian world apart, what about its inhospitable western region. Between Devonport and Strahan, dense forests, elusive rivers and a rugged coastline beaten by an almost Antarctic Indian ocean generate enigma and respect.
Wadjemup, Rottnest Island, Australia

Among Quokkas and other Aboriginal Spirits

In the XNUMXth century, a Dutch captain nicknamed this island surrounded by a turquoise Indian Ocean, “Rottnest, a rat's nest”. The quokkas that eluded him were, however, marsupials, considered sacred by the Whadjuk Noongar aborigines of Western Australia. Like the Edenic island on which the British colonists martyred them.
Believers greet each other in the Bukhara region.
City
Bukhara, Uzbequistan

Among the Minarets of Old Turkestan

Situated on the ancient Silk Road, Bukhara has developed for at least two thousand years as an essential commercial, cultural and religious hub in Central Asia. It was Buddhist and then Muslim. It was part of the great Arab empire and that of Genghis Khan, the Turko-Mongol kingdoms and the Soviet Union, until it settled in the still young and peculiar Uzbekistan.
Skipper of one of the bangkas at Raymen Beach Resort during a break from sailing
Beach
Islands Guimaras  e  Ave Maria, Philippines

Towards Ave Maria Island, in a Philippines full of Grace

Discovering the Western Visayas archipelago, we set aside a day to travel from Iloilo along the northwest coast of Guimaras. The beach tour along one of the Philippines’ countless pristine coastlines ends on the stunning Ave Maria Island.
Juvenile lions on a sandy arm of the Shire River
safari
Liwonde National Park, Malawi

The Prodigious Resuscitation of Liwonde NP

For a long time, widespread neglect and widespread poaching had plagued this wildlife reserve. In 2015, African Parks stepped in. Soon, also benefiting from the abundant water of Lake Malombe and the Shire River, Liwonde National Park became one of the most vibrant and lush parks in Malawi.
Mount Lamjung Kailas Himal, Nepal, altitude sickness, mountain prevent treat, travel
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 2th - Chame a Upper BananaNepal

(I) Eminent Annapurnas

We woke up in Chame, still below 3000m. There we saw, for the first time, the snowy and highest peaks of the Himalayas. From there, we set off for another walk along the Annapurna Circuit through the foothills and slopes of the great mountain range. towards Upper Banana.
Colonial Church of San Francisco de Assis, Taos, New Mexico, USA
Architecture & Design
Taos, USA

North America Ancestor of Taos

Traveling through New Mexico, we were dazzled by the two versions of Taos, that of the indigenous adobe hamlet of Taos Pueblo, one of the towns of the USA inhabited for longer and continuously. And that of Taos city that the Spanish conquerors bequeathed to the Mexico, Mexico gave in to United States and that a creative community of native descendants and migrated artists enhance and continue to praise.
The small lighthouse at Kallur, highlighted in the capricious northern relief of the island of Kalsoy.
Aventura
Kalsoy, Faroe Islands

A Lighthouse at the End of the Faroese World

Kalsoy is one of the most isolated islands in the Faroe archipelago. Also known as “the flute” due to its long shape and the many tunnels that serve it, a mere 75 inhabitants inhabit it. Much less than the outsiders who visit it every year, attracted by the boreal wonder of its Kallur lighthouse.
MassKara Festival, Bacolod City, Philippines
Ceremonies and Festivities
Bacolod, Philippines

A Festival to Laugh at Tragedy

Around 1980, the value of sugar, an important source of wealth on the Philippine island of Negros, plummeted and the ferry “Don Juan” that served it sank and took the lives of more than 176 passengers, most of them from Negrès. The local community decided to react to the depression generated by these dramas. That's how MassKara arose, a party committed to recovering the smiles of the population.
Residents of Iloilo in front of one of its many churches
Cities
Iloilo, Philippines

The Most Loyal and Noble City of the Philippines

In 1566, the Spanish founded Iloilo in the south of the island of Panay and, until the XNUMXth century, it was the capital of the vast Spanish East Indies. Although it has been Philippine for almost one hundred and thirty years, Iloilo remains one of the most Hispanic cities in Asia.
Lunch time
Margilan, Uzbekistan

An Uzbekistan's Breadwinner

In one of the many bakeries in Margilan, worn out by the intense heat of the tandyr oven, the baker Maruf'Jon works half-baked like the distinctive traditional breads sold throughout Uzbekistan
scarlet summer
Culture

Valencia to Xativa, Spain

Across Iberia

Leaving aside the modernity of Valencia, we explore the natural and historical settings that the "community" shares with the Mediterranean. The more we travel, the more its bright life seduces us.

Spectator, Melbourne Cricket Ground-Rules footbal, Melbourne, Australia
Sport
Melbourne, Australia

The Football the Australians Rule

Although played since 1841, Australian Football has only conquered part of the big island. Internationalization has never gone beyond paper, held back by competition from rugby and classical football.
Aurora lights up the Pisang Valley, Nepal.
Traveling
Annapurna Circuit: 3rd- Upper Banana, Nepal

An Unexpected Snowy Aurora

At the first glimmers of light, the sight of the white mantle that had covered the village during the night dazzles us. With one of the toughest walks on the Annapurna Circuit ahead of us, we postponed the match as much as possible. Annoyed, we left Upper Pisang towards Escort when the last snow faded.
Jumping forward, Pentecost Naghol, Bungee Jumping, Vanuatu
Ethnic
Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

Pentecost Naghol: Bungee Jumping for Real Men

In 1995, the people of Pentecostes threatened to sue extreme sports companies for stealing the Naghol ritual. In terms of audacity, the elastic imitation falls far short of the original.
View of Fa Island, Tonga, Last Polynesian Monarchy
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Exotic Signs of Life

Armenian Church, Sevanavank Peninsula, Lake Sevan, Armenia
History
lake sevan, Armenia

The Bittersweet Caucasus Lake

Enclosed between mountains at 1900 meters high, considered a natural and historical treasure of Armenia, Lake Sevan has never been treated as such. The level and quality of its water has deteriorated for decades and a recent invasion of algae drains the life that subsists in it.
small browser
Islands
Honiara e Gizo, Solomon Islands

The Profaned Temple of the Solomon Islands

A Spanish navigator baptized them, eager for riches like those of the biblical king. Ravaged by World War II, conflicts and natural disasters, the Solomon Islands are far from prosperity.
Reindeer Racing, Kings Cup, Inari, Finland
Winter White
Inari, Finland

The Wackiest Race on the Top of the World

Finland's Lapps have been competing in the tow of their reindeer for centuries. In the final of the Kings Cup - Porokuninkuusajot - , they face each other at great speed, well above the Arctic Circle and well below zero.
Almada Negreiros, Roça Saudade, Sao Tome
Literature
Saudade, São Tomé, São Tomé and Principe

Almada Negreiros: From Saudade to Eternity

Almada Negreiros was born in April 1893, on a farm in the interior of São Tomé. Upon discovering his origins, we believe that the luxuriant exuberance in which he began to grow oxygenated his fruitful creativity.
Jingkieng Wahsurah, Nongblai Village Roots Bridge, Meghalaya, India
Nature
Meghalaya, India

The Bridges of the Peoples that Create Roots

The unpredictability of rivers in the wettest region on Earth never deterred the Khasi and the Jaintia. Faced with the abundance of trees elastic fig tree in their valleys, these ethnic groups got used to molding their branches and strains. From their time-lost tradition, they have bequeathed hundreds of dazzling root bridges to future generations.
Girl plays with leaves on the shore of the Great Lake at Catherine Palace
Autumn
Saint Petersburg, Russia

Golden Days Before the Storm

Aside from the political and military events precipitated by Russia, from mid-September onwards, autumn takes over the country. In previous years, when visiting Saint Petersburg, we witnessed how the cultural and northern capital was covered in a resplendent yellow-orange. A dazzling light that hardly matches the political and military gloom that had spread in the meantime.
Boat and helmsman, Cayo Los Pájaros, Los Haitises, Dominican Republic
Natural Parks
Samaná PeninsulaLos Haitises National Park Dominican Republic

From the Samaná Peninsula to the Dominican Haitises

In the northeast corner of the Dominican Republic, where Caribbean nature still triumphs, we face an Atlantic much more vigorous than expected in these parts. There we ride on a communal basis to the famous Limón waterfall, cross the bay of Samaná and penetrate the remote and exuberant “land of the mountains” that encloses it.
Leisure Channel
UNESCO World Heritage
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

From Channel to Channel in a Surreal Holland

Liberal when it comes to drugs and sex, Amsterdam welcomes a crowd of outsiders. Among canals, bicycles, coffee shops and brothel windows, we search, in vain, for its quieter side.
Correspondence verification
Characters
Rovaniemi, Finland

From the Finnish Lapland to the Arctic. A Visit to the Land of Santa

Fed up with waiting for the bearded old man to descend down the chimney, we reverse the story. We took advantage of a trip to Finnish Lapland and passed through its furtive home.
Fisherman maneuvers boat near Bonete Beach, Ilhabela, Brazil
Beaches
Ilhabela, Brazil

In Ilhabela, on the way to Bonete

A community of caiçaras descendants of pirates founded a village in a corner of Ilhabela. Despite the difficult access, Bonete was discovered and considered one of the ten best beaches in Brazil.
Candia, Tooth of Buddha, Ceylon, lake
Religion
Kandy, Sri Lanka

The Dental Root of Sinhalese Buddhism

Located in the mountainous heart of Sri Lanka, at the end of the XNUMXth century, Kandy became the capital of the last kingdom of old Ceylon and resisted successive colonial conquest attempts. The city also preserved and exhibited a sacred tooth of the Buddha and, thus, became Ceylon's Buddhist center.
white pass yukon train, Skagway, Gold Route, Alaska, USA
On Rails
Skagway, Alaska

A Klondike's Gold Fever Variant

The last great American gold rush is long over. These days, hundreds of cruise ships each summer pour thousands of well-heeled visitors into the shop-lined streets of Skagway.
Parade and Pomp
Society
Saint Petersburg, Russia

When the Russian Navy Stations in Saint Petersburg

Russia dedicates the last Sunday of July to its naval forces. On that day, a crowd visits large boats moored on the Neva River as alcohol-drenched sailors seize the city.
Young twin women, weavers
Daily life

Margilan, Uzbequistan

A Tour of Uzbekistan's Handicraft Fabrics

Located in the far east of Uzbekistan, in the Fergana Valley, Margilan was one of the essential stops on the Silk Road. Since the 10th century, the silk products produced there have made it stand out on maps; today, haute couture brands compete for its fabrics. More than just a prodigious center of artisanal creation, Margilan values ​​and cherishes an ancient Uzbek way of life.
savuti, botswana, elephant-eating lions
Wildlife
Savuti, Botswana

Savuti's Elephant-Eating Lions

A patch of the Kalahari Desert dries up or is irrigated depending on the region's tectonic whims. In Savuti, lions have become used to depending on themselves and prey on the largest animals in the savannah.
Full Dog Mushing
Scenic Flights
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.