Beautiful Places On Earth

Perhaps Rhodes Island is famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek god Helios and was erected on the Rhodes Island between 292 and 280 BC. The statue was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC though.

Today, Rhodes Island is one of Greece’s most visited islands. Located approximately 18 kilometers southwest of Turkey in eastern Aegean Sea, Rhodes Island is known for its beautiful beaches, archaeological sites and medieval towns. The east side of the island has beautiful sandy beaches such as the Lindos Beach with calm waters while the beaches on the west are full of gravel and windy, thus suitable for activities such as surfing and kite boarding. Afandou Beach is one of those gravel beaches. For those who love to see medieval architecture, do not miss out on the medieval Old Town of the Rhodes City which has been declared as UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.

The best time in a year to visit Rhodes Island is in between April and November.

Rhodes Island, Greece

Santorini is a volcanic island located in the southern Aegean Sea, approximately 200 kilometers southeast from Greece’s mainland. Santorini is another beautiful island of Greece besides Crete. It is also known as Thira. Santorini is actually a present day caldera formed by the collapse of a single island during the Minoan volcanic eruption approximately 3600 years ago. The collapse had left a rectangular central lagoon measuring about 12 kilometers in length and 7 kilometers in width.

Due to its magnificent landscape and seascape, Santorini is today one of the Europe’s most popular destinations. Santorini is well known for those houses built on the edge of the caldera. All towns on the island of Santorini have white houses and blue domed churches. Coupled with the blue sky and sea in the background, this might just be the most photographed scenery in the world! Among the most famous town in Santorini are Fira and Oia. Fira, the capital of Santorini, is built on the cliff and overlooking the central lagoon. It has all that Oia has, but much more crowded. Over the years, visitors have started to turn to the picturesque town of Oia. Oia boasts of having one of the most stunning sunsets in the world. This is because Oia is located at the highest point of Santorini and also close to the sea, thus offering a good sunset view over the Aegean Sea. Besides, Santorini also has flourishing wine industry thanks to the volcanic soil.

Santorini – Jewel of the Aegean

During December through February each year, most of the hotels and guesthouses in Santorini may be closed. This period is the off season in Santorini. So the best time in the year to visit Santorini is from March till November. Santorini can be reached by both planes and ferries from Athens. But if you are prone to sea sickness, I would suggest you to get in from Athens by air!

Pamukkale or literally “Cotton Castle” is a natural travertine landform site located in the River Menderes Valley in the inner Aegean region, southwest of Turkey. Travertine landforms are unique geological formations and could only be found in a few places on earth. Travertine is Calcium Carbonate or Calcite precipitated from hot springs. This Calcium Carbonate is then cooled and hardened over time, leaving Calcium deposits cascaded over the edge of the cliff, thus forming natural pools, shelves and ridges.

It is said that the deposit of white travertine on Pamukkale takes million years to accumulate. Look from afar, the site looks like a cluster of white castle, thus was given the name “Cotton Castle”. Because of its natural milky color, the surface of Pamukkale reflects different colors during different times of the day.

Besides, Pamukkale is also the site of the ancient city of Hierapolis. Hierapolis was built as a spa in 200 B.C. by the Romans and given to the king of Pergamon. There are many interesting ruins in Hierapolis, including the theatre, the Temple of Apollo, the Plutonium, the Nymphaeum, the Necropolis and the Martyrium, just to name a few.

Hierapolis-Pamukkale was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. Watch the introduction film of Pamukkale below.

Turkey Pamukkale

Hanioti is a town located in the Halkidiki Prefecture, Greece. Halkidiki Prefecture itself is a big peninsula in the northwestern of Aegean Sea. It resembles a hand with 3 fingers, i.e. Cassandreia, Sithonia and Agion Oros. Hanioti is located in the peninsula of Cassandreia.

The small village of Hanioti is one of the most popular and prettiest places in Halkidiki. Having bordered by Aegean Sea, Hanioti boasts a very long white sand beach with crystal clear blue sea water. You can just stroll on the beach or try out some of the water sports on offer. Hanioti is surrounded by farmlands and forests. One can explore the village and its environments by renting a car or motorbike.

Hanioti is approximately 60 minutes driving from the Greece’s northern capital, Thessaloniki. It is 90 kilometers from the Thessaloniki Airport. Accommodation in Hanioti ranging from budget hostels to luxurious resorts; with all of them provide necessary facilities to the tourists. There are also bars and night clubs when nights fall to provide entertainment to all age groups.

Hanioti

There are 2 Andros on earth. Both are islands though. One is an island of the Greek archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Another one is the largest island of the Bahamas in the Atlantic Ocean. This post introduces you to the latter Andros of Bahamas.

Andros is one of the last unexplored corners of the Caribbean. It is the largest island in the Bahamas, yet has the least population with just 10,000. The island is actually composed of 3 major islands of North Andros, Mangrove Cay and South Andros, with an area of approximately 6000 kilometer squares.

Andros is the paradise for divers. It has the world’s third largest barrier reef known as the “Big Yard”. Divers come to explore blue holes and reefs. Blue holes are sinkholes or water filled cave systems, both on land and immediately offshore. In the water, these blue holes are full with marine life. Go snorkeling and you will see sting rays, turtles, sharks and many more. Andros Island is also next to the Tongue of the Ocean, a deep oceanic trench famous for wall diving.

Besides divers, Andros also draws thousands of anglers from all over the world every year. The island is said to be “the bonefish capital of the world”. Bonefish are primarily caught for sport and are game fish much sought after by anglers.

Andros is not all about diving and fishing. On a hike into the flat hinterland, you will see plenty of bird life, 40 species of orchid, wild boars, iguanas and many more. Watch out for hidden sinkholes though. The following are 2 clips on Andros. The second one shows wall diving somewhere at the island. How I wish I am in Andros now!

A Little Bit of Andros

Wall Diving at Small Hope Bay Lodge