Another place we haven’t much blogged about is the Solomon Islands. So I poked around a little and found this link to a very nice scuba trip report from the Solomon Islands. The site here is a pretty good one if you’re heading out soon on a trip and want to get the skinny on a particular dive spot. The posts are recent and can be nicely detailed, like this one from Cozumel, or this one from Indonesia with great photos.
Oceania
Travel through Oceania by country:
Australia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
Travel through Oceania by popular city:
Auckland, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Wellington
Travel through Oceania by popular things to do:
Cook Islands, Sydney Opera House
Travel through Oceania with our writers:
In the Corner of the World, Work and Play in Queensland
VintageMaps.com
Maps are the sort of thing to get real geeked out about and that’s exactly what happened when I stumbled upon this Vintage Maps site. I pretty much flipped my wig. Reading maps is a skill I’d like to develop more and become a pro at doing, but until that time there’s nothing wrong with collecting a few here and there. Looking at vintage and antique maps and the way someone saw the world from who knows what view is something to marvel.
This antique map of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey in Asia looks very different to me, but it could just be the small photo size of the map. If you’ve got a favorite region of the world it might be worth getting one of these vintage pieces for your library in addition to the maps of the modern world. They’re a little pricey in comparison to the maps you would use on the road today, but I’m sure worth every penny.
Maldives Interactive
And speaking of Bowermaster, because it’s so dreary and hot outside, I figured you might enjoy a little visual respite. Go take a gander at this sweet little interactive feature about Bowermaster in the Maldives. You know the Maldives? The islands that likely won’t exist in 20 years once global warming causes sea levels to rise, therefore swallowing up the entire island chain. The photos are excellent and Bowermaster delivers a solid (and short) audio commentary on the state of things there. Check it out.
And while you’re at it, also look at the work of Ahmed Zahid, whose photos of the Maldives provide a wonderful and wide perspective on live in these little islands.
DPHOTO: Online Photo Sharing
Sometime long ago when I first discovered the amazing Escape Lab / Route photographic travelouge created by one guy to share his worldwide experiences with friends and family back home, I blogged about it here on Gadling and now I will happily blog about it again. I was blown away by the 3D, 2D, and flat interface of the project. Easy to navigate through and stocked with high quality shots from damn near everywhere I could begin to dream about, I remember feeling jealous. Not from the travels abroad, but from the advanced nature of his online photo album. I wanted one just like or something close.
Thankfully, after what looks like a while in the making, the same dude brings us DPHOTO, an online photo sharing site. I know many of us are already big fans of Flickr and I am by no means trying to start a revolution or move over to DPHOTO, but I promise you it’s worth a look. The high-speed photo uploading of multiple pictures is one of the more impressive features. The album also looks a bit more elegant and sleek than many others I’ve seen. Last night, I set-up an album of my own and was sad to find I exceeded the trial size limit with my shots from across the country, but when more storage space becomes available I’m almost positive it will be the next big deal in online photo sharing.
Expedited Passport & Visa Services
Why some people put the passport and visa process off until the very last minute is beyond me. The fees for these two items are bad enough as it is and having them rushed off to you doesn’t make them any less expensive. However, some circumstances are out of our control and when it’s time to take action and get your passport or visa for your big trip to Brazil you’ll want a reliable source. Lucky for you today,because I so happen to know one.
While I didn’t wait until the absolute last second on the clock to get my visa for Tajikistan I waited longer than I would have liked. These type of things I tend to take care of months in advance. A Briggs Passport & Visa Expeditors was passed on to me by the folks at Habitat for Humanities Global Village office. The A Briggs website is full of all the info you’ll need to know in order to secure the proper paperwork for entry into other countries. It is easy to navigate through and complete your transaction. Their step-by-step instructions are cookie-cutter clear which means if you do as they say you shouldn’t have any problems getting your documents in a timely manner.
As one last note before you rush over – their rates ain’t so bad either. Still try not to wait until the last minute next time.