Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Four countries I would like to visit

Hello everyone! Today I have a guessing game for you.


Here are the four countries I would like to visit one day. Can you guess the name of the countries based on the descriptions and the pictures?


The first country is located in Asia and it is really big! It is a multi-racial country with 56 ethnic groups. It is also a multi-religious country, where Taoism, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity are practiced. This country is linked to its ancient civilization and one of the world’s most revered treasures: The Great Wall. Today, you can also see spectacular architecture and towering skylines in some modern cities there. You can visit a diversity of land formations including very high mountains, hills, highlands, plains and basins. You should not miss the rare treasure of this country: the giant pandas. In my opinion they are very cute. However, they live in a solitary existence in dense bamboo forests; so, they are considered unsociable and eccentric.



The second country is located in South America. It is the eighth-largest country in the world by land area. The official language of the country is Spanish. The national beverage is yerba mate and tango is its musical symbol. The region I would like to visit in this country is farther south. It is an open door to see the immense solitude of mysterious Antarctica. You should not miss the mountain tops in which nature overflows in granite needles and icy fields brimming with glaciers in lakes of unique beauty. Some of the animals you can see there are sea lions, elephant seals, and penguins.



The third country is located in Europe and it is fairly small compared to the other three countries I would like to visit. It is very famous for its art and ancient monuments. This country’s abundant natural gifts are really outstanding! There you can see thousands of indented coasts, imposing rocky massifs, caves, gorges, lakes, rivers, biotopes of spectacular beauty and unique natural habitats. The movie Mamma Mia was shot there. While in this country, you should visit the marine parks to see two protected species: the Mediterranean monk seal and the Mediterranean green loggerhead turtle.


And finally, the fourth country is located in Oceania. It is the sixth-largest country in the world. It is about the same size as the 48 mainland states of the USA and 50 per cent larger than Europe, but has the lowest population density in the world - only two people per square kilometer. One of the really nice things about the country is that I can speak English since it is their official language. A movie with the name of this country was released in 2008 starring Nicole Kidman and David Wenham. Since this is a very large country, you can visit many different places such as deserts, beaches, forests and national parks. The animal which is the icon of this country is the largest marsupial in the world: the kangaroo. Kangaroos can hop, which is their fast and very energy-efficient way to travel.


Do you consider yourself smart?


Can you guess the names of my four favorite countries?


Which one do you think I would love to go first? Why?


Post your guesses here. I will love to read them!

I will go paragliding!

Hey gus! Thanks for voting and helping me to decide where to go. As you voted, this holiday I will go paragliding! I am trying to convince my brother Tony to go with me, but he is too scared! I am thinking about asking my cat Fluff to go with me. What do you think? 


Here are the results of the poll:




Friday, March 19, 2010

Have you ever practiced any extreme sport?

Hi folks!

Have you ever practiced any extreme sport?

Well, I haven’t. At least not yet, since I am planning to do something different next holiday.  

 

What do you think? Can you help me choose among the following options? You can help me by voting here in my blog and also by posting comments and suggestions.

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Windsurfing: the sport of sailing on water standing on a windsurfer (a long narrow board with a sail, which you stand on and sail across water on).

Florianópolis is a very special place for windsurfing because it has constant winds from all quadrants and water all around. One can try some lagoons, surf the waves in most of the beaches, or even test one’s endurance going around the island (just picture that!). One hour of winsurfing in Lagoa da Conceição costs about 30 reais.

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Snorkeling: the sport or activity of swimming underwater with a snorkel (a tube that you can breathe air through when you are swimming under the surface of the water).

People say Ilha do Campeche is the best place for snorkeling in Florianópolis and that it is wonderful for beginners as well. The boat trip to the island plus one hour of snorkeling cost about 50 reais. 

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Rafting: the sport or activity of traveling down a river on a raft (a small boat made of rubber or plastic that is filled with air).

One hour of rafting in places near Florianópolis costs about 60 reais per person. The best thing is that I can take some friends with me (any volunteer?!?).

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Paragliding: a sport in which you wear a special structure, like a parachute (a device that is attached to people or objects to make them fall slowly and safely when they are dropped from an aircraft. It consists of a large piece of thin cloth that opens out in the air to form an umbrella shape), jump from a plane or a high place and you are carried along by the wind before coming down to the ground.

Here in Florianópolis, people say the best place to land is on Praia Mole. There are several schools which offer double flights for about 50 reais.

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Wakeboarding: the sport of riding on a short wide board called a wakeboard while being pulled along through the water by a fast boat.

Boats and equipment are available for rent in the area of Lagoa da Conceição. Classes with all equipments included cost about 150 reais per hour. People say it is better to practice wakeboarding in early mornings and at the end of the day when the wind is calmer and the water glassier.

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Sandboarding: the sport of moving over sand on a sandboard: a long wide board that a person stands on to move over sand. There is also another type of sandboard: the one you can sit on. People say sandboarding is snowboarding minus cold and snow, plus bikinis and shorts. Here in Florianópolis people call it “esquibunda”, which I think is a funny name!

Boards can be rented at the bottom of the dunes of Joaquina for about 10 reais per hour, which I think is more than enough since the only way to go back up is by walking.

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Remember, I am waiting for your help to take this decision!
Hope to hear from you guys!

Cheers, Lily