Our thanks to Karen Walrond writer from AOL travel blog Gadling.com who has chosen another of our flickr photos as yesterday's Photo of the Day 6.29.09.
Spiga
Cozy kitchen - Copan Ruinas, Honduras
Swim with dolphins in Honduras
I stumble upon this page a while ago on healthy living from SAGA Magazine: "Thirty ways to a healthier life" , and I am particularly fond of #19 related to Interaction with Dolphins, an activity you can perform in Honduras —easily and less expensively than in other destinations:
Swim with dolphins: People with mild to moderate depression showed significant and lasting improvement after spending an hour a day swimming with dolphins for two weeks in Honduras, according to a study published in the BMJ. They did much better than a control group who took part in water-based activities but without the dolphins. The psychiatrists from the University of Leicester medical school were testing brophilia - the theory that human health and wellbeing are linked to our relationship with the natural environment. —SAGA Magazine, Read complete article here: Thirty ways to a healthier life.
Ceviche, the other raw fish dish
Some of the less–traveled Europeans, or even North Americans, when traveling to Latin America for the first time they think they will starve to death or have to settle for weird-tasting survival meals. They couldn’t be more wrong. Latin America has contributed with some of the finest ingredients in most of the famous international cuisines nowadays, i.e.: tomato, potato, sweet potato, yucca, maize (corn), green pepper, hot pepper, cacao (chocolate), avocado, pineapple, papaya, squash, cashew, peanut, loroco, chipilin, vanilla, etc. to name a few. If you have missed some of these delights, then you should travel to Latin America.
This is a -provocative- blog post by MatadorLife about ceviche, a tasty and refreshing meal from Latin America, next time you visit this region, give it a try:
Copan Canopy Tour - at Lonely Planet forum
One of the most fun parts of Copan was doing the zipline. Its called the Canopy Tour de Los Sapos. Its about a mile walk from the south of town, or you can arrange a pickup from some of the tour operators in town. Its fairly pricey, I think it was $35 US per person, but it was definitely worth it. Its several kilometers of zipline over the canopy, and you can see the ruins from the zip line. The longest zipline was about a kilometer. - travelinggnome08
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Museum of Maya Sculpture: Rosalila Temple replica
via flickr.com
Inside the Sculpture Museum at Copan Ruinas, Honduras. This magnificent full-scale replica of the Rosalila Temple, restored to its original colors and high relief 'stucco' façades, lies showing all its splendor. Undoubtedly a unique sample of the beautiful Maya World art.
Traveled to Central America? -- ...share your photos on Flickr!
We have created a Flickr.com Group named Visit Central America and another one called Visit Honduras, where you are welcome to share your photos of your travels to this enchanting region. Please feel free to publish as many photos as you like, and also please add the following 'tags' for easier handling and display: geotagged, geotag:Honduras, Honduras (or corresponding country accordingly).
You can also pin-point your photos to a map (check out the Map) for the Group (or any other Flickr Map) just use 'geotags', there are several methods, but I found this one very easy: You can use Google Earth plus Trippermap Tool as explained here
This is a sample of some of the photos added lately:
Be more productive. Go on vacation.
"...time off is an important component of hardcore achievement and productivity." — Darren Hardy
Self-improvement coach Darren Hardy wrote recently an interesting post about how important it is to go on vacation to improve your productivity:
How does America regain its supremacy in the productive world? How do you improve your personal productivity?
ANSWER: Go on vacation.
438 million. That is the number of vacation days American’s failed to take in 2007 according to Harris Interactive research group. More than any other industrialized nation.
Here is the result: America ranks #1 in depression and mental health problems. Americans are experiencing burnout, reduced productivity, diminished creativity, failed relationships, stress or stress-related ailments such as depression, heart disease or stomach ulcers in record levels.
It reminded me of this quote I read somewhere:
"When I am … traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep; it is on such occasions that ideas flow best and most abundantly." — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Check out the full post here: Workaholics Anonymous—A 12-Step Program of Recovery and Personal Transformation (Step 11)
Big Ben and Parliament Square, London
It is rewarding to learn your photos are appreciated by some important information sources such as Schmap guides. They have for the second time added one of my photos to the just released seventh edition of their Schmap London Guide: Big Ben and the Parliament Square (my first photo included was the Cloister of St. Jerome in Madrid).
Their London Map:Big Ben
Parliament SquareLondon, SW1A 2NE"Big Ben" is the name of the clock inside the famous tower that also forms part of the Houses of Parliament. Its impressive mechanism weighs in at over 13.5 tons, and the pendulum, which beats once every two seconds, is 13 feet long and weighs 690 pounds. The clock was named "Big Ben" after the First Commissioner of Works, and since 1885 a light above it has been lit while the House of Commons is in session. — Review © 2009, Wcities
Color and texture - Chichicastenango, Guatemala
AOL travel blog site Gadling.com has honored us by choosing one of our flickr pics as Photo of the Day 4.27.09 a few weeks ago.
Man, if there was *ever* a study in colour and texture, this fabulous photograph is it. Shot and shared by Adal-Honduras, you can almost hear the sounds and smell the smells of this Guatemalan market. Beautiful capture! — Gadling
It is indeed our region landscapes and people —like these Chichicastenango kaqchikels—with their colorful and elaborate textures who provoke those reactions. It is truly a proud for Central Americans to have such a diverse culture and riches, all contained in such small area of land.
Central America has a lot to offer to the traveler eager to experience living cultures, lush forests, abundant wildlife, artistic samples of ancient sculpture, mystical archeological sites, colonial towns, breathtaking white sandy beaches in the Caribbean Sea of crystal-clear pristine waters and home to the World Heritage Site Belize Barrier Reef spanning down to Roatan, second in size yet number one in biodiversity in the world —and closer to the Northern Hemisphere.
There are indeed 15 places in the region declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO:
Guatemala
Belize
El Salvador
Honduras
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
- Area de Conservación Guanacaste
- Cocos Island National Park
- Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park
Central American main cities are around 2 - 5 hours flight from main gateways in the U. S. there is wide connectivity to/from Europe and South America as well.
Birds of Honduras
Copan Ruinas based naturalist Robert Gallardo has compiled an extensive and most interesting repository of valuable information about the birds' species found in Honduras in his website “Birds of Honduras ”.
The interactive way of presenting this info becomes a valuable treasure for every birdwatcher interested in this region. Here you can read information on the species, enjoy nice photographs, and listen to some of the birds calls recorded by Robert himself. There are more than 380 species listed in the Website and include: Lovely Cotinga (Cotinga amabilis), Honduran Emerald (Amazilia luciae) endemic to the country, Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja), several species of Motmot and the elusive Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno).
His experience and knowledge of Honduras flora and fauna, including orchids, butterflies and specializing in birds, is a result of his numerous travels throughout the country both as a scientist doing field work and as a Tour Guide including Olancho, the World Heritage Site of Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve , Pico Bonito National Park, and Copan Ruinas.
Born in Southern California, Robert's interest in nature developed during his numerous family camping trips. He has a degree in Natural Resource Planning and Interpretation. Thanks to joining the Peace Corps and being sent to Honduras in 1993, his passion for tropical natural history took off.
Robert has identified and added more than 20 new species of butterflies to the country's list and 17 new bird records. Two orchids he has collected are currently under investigation as being new for science. Robert and his wife Irma had completed the country's first work on native orchids in compact disk. It features over 170 species with around 350 wonderful photographs and bilingual English/Spanish text.
The natural history tours have continued to grow with each year seeing new companies coming to Honduras. They have been a good source of field data and personal satisfaction. — Robert Gallardo, Birds of Honduras
Their property in Copan Ruins in western Honduras: Enchanted Wings Butterfly Farm is a fine Nature Center, unique in Honduras. It has a butterfly house, collection on display, native orchid exhibit and botanical gardens. Soon they will add an insect museum, reptile exhibit and an eco-lodge.
Blogged with the Flock Browser
Cloister of St Jerome the Royal - Madrid
I was surprised when I received a flickr message asking permission to include this photo in the newly released 7th edition of Schmap Madrid Guide
This photo was taken on February 2, 2008 during a trip to Madrid to attend FITUR. A really nice church from the XV Century, located in front of the Museo del Prado, besides the Real Academia de la Lengua.
Cloister of St Jerome the Royal — Calle Moreto 4 — Madrid, Madrid 28014
A church, popularly known as Los Jerónimos, that's full of history - kings and queens sought refuge here, Spanish parliaments were sworn in here, Alfonso XIII was married here and King Juan Carlos I was proclaimed King of Spain in this very building. It dates back to the 16th century, but has been restored several times and only a few external features remain from its early days. Inside, you'll see famous paintings by Carducho and José Méndez along with valuable sculptures like Juan de Mena´s 18th-century Cristo de la Buena Muerte, neo-Gothic lamps and stained-glass windows. It's close to the following museums: Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza and Ejército (Army), as well as the Ritz and Palace hotels. — Review © 2009, Wcities
Schmap Madrid Map:
White hibiscus - Chaa Creek Lodge - Belize
Hibiscus, especially white hibiscus, is considered to have medicinal properties in the Indian traditional system of medicine.
In Mexico, the red variety is also popular to make a refreshing beverage. The drink is known as agua de Jamaica and is quite popular for its color, tanginess and mild flavor; once sugar is added, it tastes somewhat like cranberry juice. Dieters or persons with kidney problems often take it without adding sugar for its beneficial properties and as a natural diuretic. It is made by boiling the dehydrated flowers in water; once it is boiled, it is allowed to cool and drunk with ice. — Wikipedia
Did you know that infusion from this flower is also believed to benefit hearth disease? A 2008 USDA study shows consuming hibiscus tea lowers blood pressure in a group of pre-hypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults.
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author
- Adalberto H. Vega
- Copán Ruinas, Copan, Honduras
- Director of Marketing and Product Development MC Tours - Honduras leading Tour Operator from Central America. I am @ahvega on Twitter if you want to connect. See my Profile on Localyte.com
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