t’s time yet again to call your attention to the wonderful Latitudes Magazine. I try to let y’all know about this pub each month because it really is one of the online standouts where travel is concerned. This month’s coverage takes a look at Tanzania, Alaska, Corsi and (believe it or not) Sao Paulo. The latter is one of the worst cities I’ve ever visited, but Latitudes actually makes it look inviting.
Dead Dolphins on Tourist Beach in Zanzibar
Here’s a bit of disturbing
news: From Yahoo!News,
scientists have been trying to determine why hundreds of dead dolphins have washed ashore a tourist beach in
Zanzibar. According to the report, fishermen and villages found themselves burying the bodies of about 400
dead dolphins that washed up on a 2-1/2 mile stretch of beach in Tanzania.
Scientists are stumped as
to the reason the mammals washed ashore. Among possible causes: poisoning, as well as U.S. Navy sonar
disorienting the dolphins, causing them to rise too quickly, and, effectively, get what all scuba divers know as
"the bends" — sudden decompression forms nitrogen bubbles in the tissue.
Africa Travel: Tanzania
Kilimanjaro is the largest free standing mountain in Africa and has the highest peak at 5,895 m. Located in Tanzania, an east African country bordering the Indian Ocean between Kenya and Mozambique, many a climber make the trip every year to drool at the base of the mountain in the Kilimanjaro National Park, preparing for the day their quest will begin and non-climbers give glimpse wishing they only had the guts. Tanzania is many things, but if there is one thing that makes it most famous it is this particular site. I’m not a climber by any means. The last thing I probably climed was a jungle-gym back in 4th grade in Enterprise, Alabama and as you can imagine I must feel a bit embarrassed sharing that when talking about Kilimanjaro in the same paragraph.
So… Let’s start planning a vacation to the area. Gain some basic info at UNESCO since the mountain is a world heritage site. This Tanzania Parks site is good point in seeing pictures of the area as planning what to do and when to go. Additionally the Tanzania Tourism site has the full scope of what the country can offer visitors interested in safari or even Zanzibar. For now we’ll focus on Kilimanjaro. You’ll need to pay full attention if attempting to summit.
Africa Travel: Mozambique
In all the blurbs I’ve done on Africa from the start of Feb until now I don’t think I’ve covered any potential destinations for the surfer or perhaps I’ve overlooked them, but today I’d like to point to Mozambique for your next surfari. Judging from the comments on several surf forums Mozambique seems be pretty kick-arse when it comes to the beaches, but more so the barreling waves. Quicksilver offers some pretty cool packaged tours for those interested in South African surf destinations like Mozambique. To be more exact the country is located in south eastern Africa bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania with notable surf spots in Tofu, Maputo and Inhambane to name a few. Look out for the variety of shark also found in the waters off the country’s coast. For additional resources on surfing Moz check out these links below.
Five Vanishing Travel Sites
A few days back USA Today featured an article on five of the world’s natural and cultural wonders on the brink of extinction due to global warming (of course), over-development, and habitat degradation. Sad to say, but there is not much that can be done to verse the tremendous amount of damage done with so little time left. After speaking with several conservationists, Jayne Clark provides the prognosis and some tips on making your way to the site before they change or vanish completely. When Mother Nature is the cause of a site’s disappearance what can you do, but when man is the reason it’s a huge bummer. Everyone should consider reading this piece and other lists out there with places running close behind these five.
- The snows of Kilimanjaro along the border of Tanzania and Kenya
- Polar bears on the Hudson Bay
- Ancient Egyptian archaeological sites on the West Bank of the Nile in Luxor
- Gullah/Geechee Culture along the Atlantic Coast from Cape Fear, N.C. to the St. Johns river in North Florida
- Monarch butterflies’ annual migration in Michoacán, Mexico