Petra tou Romiou, Cyprus

Petra tou Romiou, Greek for....... what?

This breathtaking scenery not only provides us with the most beautiful scenery, but also the natural geographical form we observe has an underlying story.

The images uploaded above is located near Pafos, in the southwest area of Cyprus. Yes, I know it is a rock, and it is not as amusing to me as I it should; however, if any of you are die hard fans of Greek myths, then I am pleased to inform you that this is the birthplace of Aphrodite. This is a legend and I only came across it through internet research.

The only thing is that the land area is all layered with pebbles... not sand, causing it extremely hard to sit for a long time. In addtion, the water that surrounds the rocks are extremely rough, which means that it is not the best for anyone to swim in it. Speaking of water, according to the Cyprus Tourism Organization, it has been seen by many that in specific weather conditions, the waves paint a certain picture. When the waves rise and then break, a column forms and start to dissolve into a pillar of foam. Then, it just takes a little imagination to see a human shape form!

Without a doubt, this is an extremely popular tourist spot due to legend and without a doubt, because of Aphrodite, Greek Goddess of love, it serves as a location for marriage as well. 

Well, how romantic is that? 


This photo of Petra tou Romiou is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Bora Bora Island

 This popular honeymoon hotspot, Bora Bora, belongs to the group Society Islands that was ruled under by the French Polynesia. The island is located in the south of the Pacific Ocean. In other words, to be more exact, Bora Bora is 257.495 km northwest of Tahiti and 4184.294 km south of Hawaii.

Thanks to Google map, I was able to come up with this picture. Without a doubt, Bora Bora is an extremely tiny island, occupying only 44 sq km of the globe. However, this beauty has a consistant population of about 8800 settlers (according to the census in 2008). The centre of this location resides an extinct volcano, with two high peaks. The peaks are Mount Pahia and Mount Otemanu with the highest point being 727 meters.

Provided by the World Atlas.

Mount Otemanu

Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia

When to Travel?

The island is split into two travel seasons. One of them considered as a wet season and the second being a dry season. 

WET SEASON (Polynesian Summer) 

• November to April 
• Quite humid resulting in a heavy and muggy feel (ALOT OF CLOUDS)
• frequent storms, unpredictable
• Temperature range from 27-30 degrees celsius 
• Hottest months in February and March  
• Off season for tourism
• Less competition for lodging, activities and sightseeing
• Lower average pricing for services and products 
• Easier to travel, explore
• Still a great deal of time to soak up the sun

DRY SEASON (Polynesian Winter)

• On season for tourism 
• Temperature range from 24-28 degrees celsius 
• not alot of rain 
• July is most busiest for the tourism industry
• many festivals and celebrations during July
• Best time to go Scubadiving (increased visibility in the dry season) 
  

  When traveling to the Polynesian islands, anyone will eventually ponder on the idea of marine life. The answer is YES! Although there are not many land animals, the wild life eventually makes up for the lack of animals on land. There are approximately 500 species of fish that reside in the waters near the Tahitian island. In addition, there are also sea turtles, many shark species and most importantly DOLPHINS, porpoises and even humpback whales.

An extra I found when doing my research

The all inclusive hotel, Club Med, should be the most ideal hotel to stay in as vacationing on the island is technically not the easiest and the cheapest. However, it has been recomended that Club Med should be the most ideal. However, the rooms do not have glass through a section of the floor so you can see the water (that does not take away the purpose of the vacation though).

Just to confim, these pictures are NOT rooms from the Club Med resort

Whitehaven Beach, Australia

This gorgeous area is located (of course) in Australia. Along Whitsunday Island, the Whitehaven Beach stretches as far as 7 km. The clear blue water and the white soft sand is a must see and "must go to" place. Without a doubt, there is a sense of relaxation and (of course) beautiful tanning area!

There is an inlet called Hill Inlet near the northern part of the Whitehaven Beach. This area is where the most amazing blend of sand and water exists.  In addition, the best area to go to for the most breathtaking scenery is called Tongue Point on Whitsunday Island. The best time to tap into this alluring view is when there is a low tide. This is when you will be able to experience the perfect mix of sand and water.

How Can I Get there?
According to Wikipedia, people usually travel there by boat from tourist ports in Australia. These ports are Airlie Beach, Shute Harbour, and Hamilton Island.

A Little Geography

•  In 2008, this beach came in first in Queensland according to the Clean Beach Challenge State Awards. 
• In 2010, CNN gave it the name most Eco Friendly Beach (dogs not allowed on the beach and smoking is most definitely not permitted)
• The sand is made up of 98% pure silica (reason for its bright white color) 
• The sand on the beach  does not retain heat (it is extremely comfortable and easy to walk in)

*All pictures do not belong to me (of course, as I have never been there before)

Hillier Lake, Australia

This magnificent pink colored lake is located on Middle Island in Western Australia. 

Why is it pink? I have no clue. Originally, scientists believed that it was the pigmented algae that lived in the water that made pink. However, that is not the case. Even until this day, no one can explain why the lake is pink. 

Not only do you get a beau view of a pink lake, surrounding the lake is a beautiful piece of land. There are lots of trees and it is filled with lots of mother nature.

 

Clearly, even when you take the water out of the lake, the water still maintains a pink shade. However, I have heard that it is not always pink though, so people would have to figure out a perfect time to actually visit the lake.

Can people swim in it?

Based on my research, the answer is YES! However, the lake is extremely salty...

Funny how the lake is extremely close to the ocean, yet it still remains an extremely distinct pink.