Fernando de Noronha holidays

The archipelago has never been linked to the mainland. Geologically, it is the tip of a submarine volcanic formation which rises out of the deep seabed and consists of one main island and several rocks and islets. The rocks form many natural aquaria and the underwater life is diverse. Because the reefs of the South Atlantic are isolated from the Caribbean by the outflow of the Orinoco and Amazon rivers, the reef communities are very different with many endemic species.

Bathed by currents coming from Africa the waters around the islands are very clear with very good visibility even at 50 meters and have great year-round warm temperatures. Of course, you can also see the large “global” species such as manta rays, sharks, moray eels, goliath groupers, sea turtles and dolphins.

The island is also home to one of the largest sea bird breeding colonies in the South Atlantic.

Discovered by Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512), Italian merchant and cartographer in 1503, the archipelago is 4 degrees south of the Equator, around 200 miles off the northeastern coast of Brazil, north east to the city of Natal.

During its 500 years history, Fernando de Noronha has been temporarily occupied by the Dutch (17th century), French (18th century) before Portugal established dominion in 1737. They built an extensive defense system of 10 forts. The largest and best conserved fortress is Nossa Senhora dos Remédios de Fernando de Noronha.

The island also served as a prison and a US Army base. Today the population is around 3.500 and the main industry is tourism.

As an unique ecological sanctuary, Fernando de Noronha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a large part of the area is a National Marine Park. And it has the most wonderful beaches. Three (Sancho, Porcos and Leão) regularly feature in Brazil's top beaches list.

Being a small island with limited water resources and a fragile ecosystem, there is a maximum number of 460 visitors allowed on the island. Visitors also pay an Environmental Preservation Tax that increases progressively with the length of the visit.

The relative isolation from the mainland, the limits on visitors and the preservation make Fernando de Noronha an expensive destination. But the "happy few" will be well rewarded by the delights of this island paradise and its fascinating underwater world.

Fernando de Noronha rock

Fernando de Noronha National Park

Fernando de Noronha submarine

Fernando de Noronha submarine

Eating in Kuching - Lunch at Rumah Hijau Cafe

We have passed through this cute looking eatery many times but never had the opportunity to try it. One recent Sunday we made it a point to go there. Rumah Hijau Cafe is converted from a corner and intermediate terrace house. It serves a variety of Malay-Indian Food.


We ordered the Roti Chanai - very cheap at RM 1.00 each, and it was good - light and fluffy, not oily at all.


The Nasi Lemak Ayam Penyet is a twist on traditional Nasi Lemak - served with Indonesian fried chicken. The chicken was really good - well seasoned with spices and herbs, crispy outside but still tender inside. What I loved were the crispy bits of herbs and spices piled on top of the chicken which were so tasty !


The Nasi Beriani Ayam Madu was also good. Traditional Beriani Basmati Rice served with a honey-flavored chicken confit. It came with some side garnish of pickle vegetables and onions. Nice.


The assam laksa is one of the better ones in Kuching. The sauce is thick and flavourful, had an clean and fresh taste. It still can't rival the original in Penang or KL, but good enough to satisfy the craving.


Prices at Rumah Hijau are very affordable - the place is nicely decorated, and service is quite good. Highly recommended.

Kuching Hotels - Batik Boutique Hotel

I've been on the road for the past few weeks. Just got back from Hong Kong and Macau on a family holiday, then off to Shenzhen and Dongguan for about a week for work. Look out for my posts on these fascinating cities. But first, back to hometown Kuching. It's been a while.



Kuching is slowly waking up to the potential of tourism, and some interesting accommodations have been cropping up recently. One of the latest is the Batik Boutique Hotel, located at the top end of Padungan Road near Kuching's Golden Triangle. It is right next to the famous No. 1 Barbecue Char Siew Shop. From here, it is within easy walking distance to Hilton, Pullman Hotel, Kuching Waterfront and the historical Main Bazaar and Carpenter Street.





The hotel is converted form a 4-storey shophouse. The interior has been gutted and an atrium inserted in the middle of the building to provide light and ventilation. The lobby and circulation spaces are not air-conditioned.





The ground floor reception is done up like a bar which doubles as the reception counter. Floors are in bare concrete with coloured tile inserts. The hotel has a general cool vibe about it.





Rooms are on the 1st to 3rd floor which are connected with a single lift.





On the whole the hotel is quite nicely done - the main flaw being the atrium which let in too much heat making some of the internal spaces quite warm even at night. This could be easily remedied by blocking off the direct sun and installing better ventilation. Visitors to Kuching now have another interesting option instead of a standard hotel. Rates are around RM 250.00 per night. For more details visit their Web Site - Batik Boutique Hotel.

Vacations in Seychelles are considered as most exciting one

When advertisers and filmmakers need to find a perfect beach, they head for Seychelles.

More than a hundred islands are scattered across the tropical Indian Ocean, a thousand miles from anywhere, and form a lush wilderness of pristine palm-fringed beaches and unspoiled coral reefs. When you’re in search of a holiday with a feeling of isolation in an unspoilt paradise, this is the ultimate choice. More than half the land-mass is protected or in national parks, and the scuba diving and snorkelling is world class.

The hotels are generally small and sensitive to their surroundings with the main emphasis being on relaxation, informality and simplicity. Ideal for a romantic getaway, the Seychelles can be appreciated in a long relaxing holiday at a single resort, or explore further island-hopping by plane or yacht.

wedding seychelles, destination weddings & honeymoons seychelles

Seychelles Vacations

Seychelles White Beach

Seychelles Island

Vacations in Seychelles are considered as most exciting one. Only three of the 115 islands are inhabited whereas on all other you can find amazingly beautiful resorts.

Seychelles Island the Paradise On Earth

For those looking to "get away from it all," the Seychelles may be the perfect get-away. After all, the most important feature of the Seychelles is their isolation. This 115-island archipelago is located about a thousand miles off the eastern coast of Africa, smack dab in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The islands are scattered over 150,000 square miles (400,000 sq km) of the Indian Ocean and range from granite rock islands with lush vegetation to coral atolls that barely rise out of the sea.

This geographical isolation has manifested itself in nearly every aspect of life here. The Seychelles history, for example, has been relatively tame, as the islands were uninhabited until modern times. Though the French and English maintained colonial control until 1976, there was no bloody revolutionary to speak of. This geographical isolation has also had ecological consequences, as much of the Seychelles flora and fauna cannot be found anywhere else on earth. Most visitors are drawn to the scintillating beaches and turquoise waters that dot the sea like an exquisite pearl necklace. The coral atolls are home to giant lagoons chock full of marine wildlife.

Aldabra—a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is home to over 150,0000 giant land tortoises—happens to be the second largest atoll in the entire world. Aldabra has been billed as one of the wonders of the world by prominent naturalists due to its pristine coral reef ecosystems and is still protected from full-scale tourism. Mahé, home to the international airport, the capital city and a vast majority of the country's inhabitants, is surrounded by coral reefs, making its powdery white sandy beaches optimal for a dream island vacation.

Nearby St. Anne National Park, a short boat-ride away, is one of the best places in the Indian Ocean to view marine life. Terrestrial fans will want to visit Praslin, which is home to Vallée de Mai, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. This tropical forest is the best place to check out the coco de mer, which is the famous palm that yields the world's biggest fruit (and one of the most interestingly shaped ones at that).

Desroches, the main island in the Almirantes Group, is renowned for its scuba diving. Other islands are even more off-the-beaten-track, such as La Digue: with ox-carts dominating the streets and an easy-going spirit, visiting La Digue is like taking a trip back in time. These islands are also a favored destination of migratory birds who travel thousands of miles to frequent these spectacular islands. Drawn to the idyllic surroundings and ideal weather, they also endure punishing long flights, except they don't pay for airfare. With nearly half of the country's land preserved as natural parks, the Seychelles are an ecologists dream.

 Seychelles Island the Paradise On Earth

 Seychelles Island the Paradise On Earth

Seychelles Island

If you want some exotics and magnificent sandy beaches, then the best of all is to go to Seychelles in September. Besides the traditional tropic fairy-tale, this is the time when you can observe the whales, sharks and cramp-fish in one of the national parks.

Explore the sites and history of Ruby Falls

The cave which houses Ruby Falls was formed with the formation of Lookout Mountain. About 200 to 240 million years ago (in the Carboniferous period, at the end of the Paleozoic era) the eastern Tennessee area was covered with a shallow sea, the sediments of which eventually formed limestone rock. About 200 million years ago, this area was uplifted and subsequent erosion has created the current topography. The limestone in which the cave is formed is still relatively horizontal, just as it was deposited when it was below sea level. The Lookout Mountain Caverns, which includes Ruby Falls Cave, is a limestone cave. These caves occur when slightly acidic groundwater enters subterranean streams and eats away at the relatively soft limestone, causing narrow cracks to widen into passages and caves in a process called chemical weathering. The stream which makes up the Falls entered the cave sometime after its formation.

Ruby Falls Cave features many of the more well-known types of cave formations (or speleothems) including stalactites and stalagmites, columns, drapery, and flowstone.

The Falls are located at the end of the main passage of Ruby Falls Cave, in a large vertical shaft. The stream, 1120 feet underground, is fed both by rainwater and natural springs. It collects in a pool in the cave floor and then continues through the mountain until finally joining the Tennessee River at the base of Lookout Mountain.

While Ruby Falls Cave combines with Lookout Mountain Cave to form the Lookout Mountain Caverns, the two caves were not actually connected by any passage. Ruby Falls Cave is the upper of the two and contains a variety of geological formations and curiosities which Lookout Mountain Cave does not have.

Ruby Falls Cave features many of the more well-known types of cave formations (or speleothems) including stalactites and stalagmites, columns, drapery, and flowstone.

Ruby Falls

Ruby Falls Cave

Explore the sites and history of Ruby Falls

Perhentian Islands

Located on the eastern coast of Malaysia, the Perhentians are two islands. Both are stunningly covered with a lot of palm trees, wide beaches, and crystal blue water. There’s not much to do here, and visitors typically lay on the beach all day, resting from the night’s drinking before. It’s the perfect place to put up a hammock. A strong monsoon season limits when to go to between March and October. During the other times, it’s best to head to Thailand where the weather is nicer.
Perhentian Islands
Perhentian Islands
Perhentian Islands
Perhentian Islands



The crystal clear water and bright white sand beaches of the Perhentian islands in Malaysia for many years captured the hearts and imaginations of backpacking tourists and travelers. But recent years have seen a different type of travelers who arrives at Perhentian Island, like his reputation as a diving destination of the first has slowly between the diving communities. Actually, it would be fair to say that a large part of the success of the Perhentian Islands as a dive site should be in neighboring countries Thai country, diving resorts and Koh Tao, Koh Samui and Phuket.
A large number of travelers have learned to dive in the major Thai resorts are often gravitating to the natural beauty of the islands of Perhentian. Looking for a last dive before the bustle of the city Kuala Lumpur and Singapore! Perhentian Kecil islands Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Perhentian Besar, and are located about 20 kilometers off the coast of Malaysia. With what can only be described as a piece of paradise, the beaches lined with palm trees with these tropical islands, while the clear blue waters hide a wealth of coral and marine life below. Perhentian diving in Iceland is a highly, and a large number of dive sites has meant that the islands have become a popular destination for people looking for a diving course.
Some ten largest dive sites, regularly visited by diving centers Perhentian Islands According which Tokong (Temple of the Sea) is widely considered the best dive site on the islands. A large rock boulder directly off the North West coast of Perhentian Kecil offers some of the best examples of soft coral formations in the region. This impressive carpet of soft coral provides a home for a wide variety of marine creatures, including Kingfish, barracudas, nurse sharks and black tip sharks.
For fans of shipwreck diving, there are two excellent dive sites Perhentian Islands. The decline of sugar, 90-metre ship that sank in 2000, and the Vietnamese are still possible wreck diving inside the wreck. If you plan to go diving in Perhentian Islands, the best time to visit is from April to October, when the visibility and weather conditions are more favorable. November to March, the monsoon season, when the weather is poor and access to and from the islands is limited by rough seas.
Perhentian islands offer excellent diving, and the superficial nature of the dive sites here, this is a good choice for most beginners or inexperienced divers. But what makes the islands so special is its breathtaking natural beauty and landscape underdeveloped. You really feel as if you were diving into own piece of paradise!