New Zealand - Places to Visit

It's not uncommon to associate New Zealand with breath-taking, scenic views of its natural environment since the country is notoriously endowed with it. Some of the places I've found to be among the top locations to visit in New Zealand are Milford Sound, Stewart Island and Mount Cook, Canterbury.













I am reminded of scenes in the Lord of the Rings when I look at these images. The film was shot partly in New Zealand and most probably at some of these locations.

A country I must visit one day.

Skrang River, Borneo

I was up at Skrang River recently, doing some scouting for a buffer strip research site. This river and its tributaries were once famous for its adventurous longboat journeys along meandering routes and its canopy-covered stretches, plus the almost crystal clear waters with reddish brown "karangan" stones. In fact the part that I visited still retained this rather unique feature of the place. The only thing is, it's completely accessible by tar-sealed road now, so almost all of the fun and adventure is gone if you go by land.

In any case, it's a wonderful stretch of a river if you're into river safaris and longboat rides with scenic jungle sceneries. And if you're lucky, you might be able to catch some photos of its local fauna inhabitants.

Visiting Istanbul, Turkey - The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)

I visited Ayasofya in 1994 and to this day, I will always remember the magnificent views within the ancient church/mosque/museum that held me in awe, wall after wall. To know more about this historic and truly unique structure, read some background on the Hagia Sophia here.

Visiting Ankara, the Capital of Turkey

Many would be familiar with Istanbul or Constantinople, Turkey's largest and also most famous ancient city. Ankara comes second in terms of size and population.
I visited Ankara in 1994 and remembered the city being located on top of a rocky hill, which allowed you to have quite a scenic view of the rest of the city and the Enguri Su river.
I also remember the scorching, hot daytime weather during summertime while I was there - average daytime temperature was 45 degrees Celcius - and yes, it was a memorable visit indeed.