Greetings from Istanbul

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The sound of peace





Location: Istanbul Istanbul

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Greek Odyssey

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I'm not really into cruising but I must admit I've cruised on few occasions to see places and experience something that could only be experienced through cruising, such as going through the Panama Canal. Recently, I went on a cruise to sail the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Ionian waters and visit the famous Greek Islands. SANTORINI Santorini is the most popular island in the Aegean waters. I thought I was seeing snow-capped mountains as the ship approached the island. But up-close, they were rows and rows of white-washed houses occasionally dotted by blue domes perched on the cliffs or sitting on top of the mountains.  I visited the two most popular villages in Santorini: Oia and Fira .  Getting to these villages from the seaside was a challenge. We first visited Oia, the most famous and most photographed village in Santorini. We transferred from the ship to the port of Ammoudi, tucked beneath the village of Oia, and took a short shuttle ride to the village. However, the shuttle
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Climbing the Walls of Kotor

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On my first visit to Kotor, Montenegro I did not get the chance to climb the Walls of Kotor.  So, on a recent visit I made sure to make climbing the walls the first item on my itinerary. The first walls in St. John’s hill date back to 9th century when Kotor was under the Byzantine rule. The walls reached a height of 918 feet above sea level. A 3-mile loop was added and completed in the 14th century. Endless renovations and additions were continually made until the 19th century. So, the walls were in pretty good condition.  From the port, I went straight to the tourist info center to inquire about the entrance to the walls.  I was handed a map with the highlighted route. Despite the map in my hand, I still managed to get lost in trying to find the entrance to the walls because I was distracted by the many photographic spots in the medieval city. There were two entrances: one from the North side and one from the South side. I walked a few steps from what seemed to be a residential area b
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Northern Thailand: Elephant Riding

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H, my colleague gave me a puzzled look when I told him that I was not at all keen on riding the elephant.     I would go home with pleasant memories of having had an amazing fun playing with the baby elephant and a personally rewarding experience of working with the kids.     For H, riding the elephant was the ultimate reward for volunteering at the Elephant Home. The Elephant Home is an eco-tourism and conservation park north of Chiang Mai, Thailand in the village of Maetaman.   Part of its profit supports the local community by supporting reforestation efforts and contributing to the local economy.    They offer one to five-days elephant training programs and two to four weeks volunteering programs. (Check out the link below for the many programs they offer).   While the many so-called elephant camps in Northern Thailand take in 1500 to 2000 tourists a day, the Elephant Home takes no more than 15 tourists a day, so it could offer a more intimate experience.   Tourists and v
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