Where the sun, the sea and the sand blend in perfect harmony

Phu Quoc is a splendid island with crystal clear aquamarine water, idyllic beaches, quaint fishing villages and a serene island-style atmosphere. It is the largest island of Vietnam (about 600 sq. km) and its beauty is often compared to Phuket. It is called the Island of 99 Mountains because there are really 99 mountains covered in green forests with majestic waterfalls.

Also Phu Quoc Island is home to nature reserve with a total are of 37,000 ha. The diverse flora and fauna is unique – there are nearly 929 tree species of which 19 newly-found species are first recorded in Vietnam.

The island has something for everyone – ringed by over a dozen bays and beaches, with an archipelago of islets off its south coast, there is enough to do for a longer stay than you may be planning. Adventure comes in many forms here – from motor-biking the empty dirt roads circling the island to sea kayaking its quiet inlets, scuba diving the coral reefs or simply having a bang-up seafood meal followed by a cocktail on the beach.

The good weather and clear waters start mid November and last until early June. Then the rainy season usually starts and diving conditions are not so good. For more  info click here

Bocas Brava Island, Chiriquí Archipelago

The Chiriquí Archipelago is a marine national park that extends over 14,740 hectares. It consists of over 100 islands, most of which are forested and home to a huge variety of wildlife. Boca Brava Island is lovely, idyllic island, with sandy beaches and clear waters, lots of coconut palms and excellent opportunities for snorkeling.

As a part of the National Marine Park, Bocas Brava Island offers to its visitors an unspoiled natural atmosphere with lots of hiking trails, white sand tropical beaches, and amazing wildlife. The island is home to a number of unique flora and fauna, such as array of orchids, a stunning variety of tropical birds, many troops of howler monkeys and etc.

There is something for everybody – from simply relaxing on a beach to activities such as snorkeling, scuba diving, horse-riding or surfing. Whale watching in the late summer is spectacular as the humpbacks find their way to the warm waters here to bear their offspring.

Ipanema Beach

Ipanema is one of the famous beaches in the world. It is located on the southern region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Two mountains called the “Two Brothers” rise at the western end of the beach. It is with do doubt one of the most beautiful urban beaches in the world and one of the icons of the city. 

There are always circles of people playing football, volleyball, and foot volley, a combination sport of volleyball and football originated in Brazil. The little Paris of Brazil, Ipanema is so much loved for its art galleries, art movie theatres and bookshops with coffee flavor.

Incidentally, the word Ipanema is Indian for “dangerous waters” – not so far off given the strong undertow and often oversized waves crashing on the shore. Be careful, and swim only where the locals do.

Upscale Vehicle Parks

In a high desert mountain, east of Los Angeles, meat was sizzling on the grill, and a group of people milled around an outdoor kitchen, sipping red wine and laughing. Some guests were sitting on comfortable chaise longues next to the rock fireplace, while others gazed at the flat-screen TV. It sounds as a party in the backyard of any upscale home but, this was an RV park.

In America the recreational vehicle parks which were rustic campgrounds with dirt roads, wooden picnic tables and a single pay phone are gone. Now many of them, like Outdoor Resorts Rancho California, in Aguanga, in Southern California, resemble country clubs, with their golf courses, clubhouses, swimming pools and tennis courts. Some parks are going even further and adding water slides, spas, restaurants and summer camps for children.

Most of the vehicles are outfitted with granite countertops, satellite television and a washer and dryer, which cost anywhere from $250,000 to $1.4 million. Majority  the upscale ones are in places where there are a lot of second homes, like Nevada, Florida, Texas and Southern California. The Buckhorn Lake Resort in Kerrville, Tex., added covered RV storage last month and will open guest cottages with private patios in the fall.

The lifestyle in these parks doesn’t come cheap. At Aguanga, a concrete pad generally sells for $80,000 to $120,000. A monthly fee of $330 includes daily trash pickup, water, sewer, cable TV and golfing for members. Owners can rent out their lots when they’re not there for $55 a night. However, there are always parties at the lots. People zoom around the park on golf carts, winding around the golf course and palm trees, waving and smiling at everyone. Family and friends who don’t own motorhomes are also invited.

Photos by: Sandy Huffaker

Italy’s Abruzzo National Park

The southernmost part of the Abruzzi is occupied by the Abruzzi National Park (Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo) with its beautiful beech forests. The park was established in 1922.
The park headquarters are in Percasserori in the Province of L’Aquila. Its present-day area of 44,000 hectares, which is the result of several enlargements, includes 22 towns in the provinces of L’Aquila, Frosinone and Isernia. Thanks to the temperate climate, it is possible to visit the Park all year round!

The Main attraction of Abruzzi are mountains, great during winter periods. Surrounded by peak over two thousand meters tall, the park is covered with beech, black pine and maple forests.

Near the top of the mountains, at 1800 meters in height, the beech wood leaves space to the highlands, where is possible to observe Pino Mugo and many other glacial or endemic species of plants.

Abruzzo boasts the tallest peaks of the Apennine range and the mountains are characterised by deep gorges and large expanses of high plateaux. Inside the Park there are only two lakes: Barrea artificial lake and Lago Vivo.

The park is represented by the Marsican brown bear, Majella by the Apennine wolf, and Gran Sasso-Laga by the Abruzzo chamois.

Here is also good, with Redstarts, all of the region’s six species of Woodpecker (Green, Black, White-backed, Lesser, Middle and Great Spotted) and Western Bonelli’s Warbler choosing to breed in these forests.

Skiing With Your Family

About 50 miles north of Manhattan in the Hudson River Valley, is located the Mount Peter Ski Area and seventy-three years later, Mount Peter, welcomes about 50,000 visitors a year, with a regular clientele from as far away as Long Island. The resort has been there a long time and struggled financially many years, but it never closed. The strange is how this small, mostly family-run ski area remains to the soul, spirit and financial future of the sport.

Such resorts are affordable places of outdoor recreation and prized winter playgrounds where countless children are introduced to skiing or snowboarding. However a small ski area like Mount Peter offers kids freedom. They can take a run on their own, and they can come play in the snow. There’s a freedom for the parents, too.

But in a region where Mount Peter sits, there are snowless winters. At least the owners installed snow guns. The snow making is just a means to an end, a way to get people skiing. People who learned to ski at Mount Peter in the 1960s and ’70s now had children, and when it came time for them to learn to ski or snowboard, they were drawn to the small-mountain environment they remembered.

Photos by: Aaron Houston

The Centre of Jungle Beasts

Lope National Park, hangs from the equator like a trophy flag, covering 1,918 square miles in the center of Gabon that are home to the highest density of large mammals ever recorded in a tropical forest, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. It is very beautiful and eighty percent of Gabon‘s forest is intact. Spotting our relatives, the gorillas is best achieved by mutual avoidance. Photo by: giles.breton

The males have red, white and blue faces, yellow beards and hugely indiscreet behinds. They hang around alone in the forest except when they need female companionship. This must be a terrible shock to their systems since females travel with as many as 1,000 of their friends and families. These are the largest primate gatherings in the world, but they’re amazingly hard to locate. Western lowland gorillas have never been easy to find because they’re heavily hunted for the lucrative African trade in wild meat and live in a dense forest habitat. Photo by: bernard_in_va

Air France, flies from New York to Libreville, the capital, for about $1,500 round trip. Several airlines fly there from Europe. Visas are required and can be obtained through the Embassy of Gabon. Americans receive a five-year visa for $100. Processing should take under a week, officials say. The Lope Hotel in Lope, has 20 rooms and 3 bungalows, air-conditioning, excellent food and a swimming pool. It offers river excursions and tours. Rates run $60 to $150. Photo by: bernard_in_va

Radisson Blu Resort Les Arcs

Nestled in the heart of ARC 1950, the new extension of the French resort Les Arcs, the four star Radisson Blu Resort Arc 1950 offers opulent accommodations. The resort of Les Arcs offers 239 ski runs over 425 kilometres, and offers other activities include rambling, snowshoeing and dog sleigh rides.

The 198 apartments are decorated in warm shades with wooden furnishings and Alpine paintings, and open onto balconies. Choose among the 6 types of apartments, from one bedroom for 4 persons up to 4 bedrooms for 10.

Amenities: Business Center, Concierge, Disabled Access, Fitness Room, Restaurant, Pets Allowed, Swimming pool.

Gentle slopes for beginners skiers, breathtaking descents for snowriding daredevils, the Olympic speed skiing slope is open to everyone to test their speed.