Pakitong: Wonders

Showing posts with label Wonders. Show all posts

May 3, 2013

Wonders of Puerto Princesa Underground River

11:12 PM pakitong No comments

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is one of the most distinguished protected areas of the Philippines. It is located some 360 miles southwest of Manila, the country’s political and economic capital. It was established as a National Park in 1971 primarily to protect and preserve the intact old growth forest, interesting wildlife, pristine white sand beaches, unspoiled natural beauty and one of the most impressive caves systems in the world.

The Park features a spectacular limestone or karst mountain landscape. It contains an 8.2 km long underground river that flows directly to the sea. The lower half of the river is brackish and subject to the oceans tide. A subterranean river flowing directly into the sea and the associated tidal influence makes it the most unique natural phenomenon of its type to exist. The presence of 11 minerals, scientifically and aesthetically unique speleothems, and a 20 million year old Serenia fossil embedded in the walls of the cave justifies the declaration of the Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

The Park also contains a full mountain to sea ecosystems and protects forests that are important for biodiversity conservation. It is a representative of Palawan Moist Forests, which are among the most significant in Asia, and is noted for high levels of regional and local endemism. The Site serves as habitat to numerous endangered, rare and endemic wildlife species. In the coastal area, mangroves, sea grass beds and coral reefs are found.

The global significance of the Park is recognized by its designation as a World Heritage Site, a Biosphere Reserve, a Ramsar Site, and an Important Bird Area. Inclusion to these prestigious lists confirms the outstanding universal value of the Park that deserves to be conserved for the benefit of the present and future generations. The Park managed by the City Government of Puerto Princesa thru a multi sector Protected Area Management Board (PAMB). It has the distinction of being the first national park devolved and successfully managed by a local government unit. Under the dynamic leadership of Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn, the Site has become a model for effective protected area management and sustainable tourism in the Philippines.

The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park is a source of pride and a key element in the identity of the people of Puerto Princesa in particular and of the Philippines as a whole. It is a symbol of commitment by the Filipino people in the global efforts to conserve our natural heritage.

Wonders of Komodo Island - Indonesia

11:03 PM pakitong No comments

Komodo is one of the 17,508 islands that make up the Republic of Indonesia. The island is particularly notable as the natural habitat of the Komodo Dragon, the largest lizard on earth and consequently named after the island. Komodo Island has a surface area of 390 km² and a permanent population of over 2,000. The inhabitants of the island are descendants of former convicts who were exiled to the island and who have mixed with Bugis from Sulawesi. The population are primarily adherents of Islam but there are also Christian and Hindu congregations.

Komodo is part of the Lesser Sunda chain of islands and forms part of the Komodo National Park. In addition, the island is a popular destination for diving. Administratively, it is part of the East Nusa Tenggara province.

Indonesia’s Komodo National Park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as numerous smaller ones, for a total area of 1,817 square kilometers (603 square kilometers of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon. Later, it was also dedicated to protecting other species, including marine animals. The islands of the national park are of volcanic origin.

The Wonders of Ha Long Bay

9:14 PM pakitong No comments

Ha Long Bay (Vietnamese: Vịnh Hạ Long, literally: "descending dragon bay") is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a popular travel destination, located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. Administratively, the bay belongs to Hạ Long City, Cẩm Phả town, and part of Van Don district. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes. Ha Long Bay is a center of a larger zone which includes Bái Tử Long bay to the northeast, and Cát Bà islands to the southwest. These larger zones share similar geological, geographical, geomorphological, climate, and cultural characters.

Ha Long Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960–2,000 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km2 with a high density of 775 islets. The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. The evolution of the karst in this bay has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate. The geo-diversity of the environment in the area has created biodiversity, including a tropical evergreen biosystem, oceanic and sea shore biosystem. Ha Long Bay is home to 14 endemic floral species and 60 endemic faunal species.

Historical research surveys have shown the presence of prehistorical human beings in this area tens of thousands years ago. The successive ancient cultures are the Soi Nhụ culture around 18,000–7000 BC, the Cái Bèo culture 7000–5000 BC and the Hạ Long culture 5,000–3,500 years ago. Hạ Long Bay also marked important events in the history of Vietnam with many artifacts found in Bài Thơ Mout, Đầu Gỗ Cave, Bãi Cháy.

500 years ago, Nguyen Trai praised the beauty of Hạ Long Bay in his verse Lộ nhập Vân Đồn, in which he called it "rock wonder in the sky". In 1962, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam listed Hạ Long Bay in the National Relics and Landscapes publication. In 1994, the core zone of Hạ Long Bay was listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site according to criterion vii, and listed for a second time according to criterion viii. - Wikipedia

Torres Del Paine National Park

5:58 PM pakitong No comments

A WOWZER Moment!

Our bus crests a hill revealing first view of Torres del Paine (Towers of the Blue Sky) National Park.

Seeing Torres Del Paine was a priority for me. It was grand and spectacular. We spent 3 days and two nights at Hotel Lago Grey which offered breathtaking views of the "Towers".

Dawn hunkering down behind a concrete block to video tape the mountains

It's true what they say about the winds of Patagonia. The day we arrived it was gale force winds and we could barely stand without getting blown over.

The back of the bus provided some wind protection

Trekkers in the Park. A popular 8 day trail circles the main set of Towers.

Crossing the fast-moving Rio Pingo

First day . . . taking a hike to a major viewpoint

Through a forest of Beech trees

The white thing is a iceberg, not a ship

Hiking across a very long sand-bar on Lago Grey

Whipping winds creating waves and white-caps

At the end of the sandbar is an island with a viewpoint of the Horns and Glacier

Gnarly tree shaped by constant gale winds

In front of the Towers and Horns

Boat-shaped iceberg on Lago Grey

Clouds parting to reveal more of the Horns of Paine

Towers to left (white spires) and Horns (dark peaks) of Paine around 8,500' - 9,500' tall

A grand view from Lago Grey (west view) from our hotel

A forest fire started in December 2011 denuded the low ridge below the Horns

Cerro Paine Grande - 10,332', tallest peak on Lago Grey

Early morning photos

The view from hotel deck

Another view of Horns from Lake Nordenskjold (southeast view)

On Lake Nordenskjold

The different colors of the Horns are result of tectonic and glacial forces that carved the massif. During the ice-age, the dark colored rock stuck above the ice. The granite which was not covered by glaciation retained the dark color. The light-colored parts are result of movement of glaciers and wind erosion.

If you look very close and use your imagination, you can see the silhouette of cowboy riding a horse on the rock-face on the right. Even a lasso above the head . . .