The blue seas, smoldering volcanoes, glittering nightlife – if you are looking for these features in a tourist location in Italy, the Aeolian Islands are the best choice. Once I reached these beautiful islands to the north of Sicily, I could make out the reasons behind the huge turnout of tourists in the Aeolian Islands during summer. It is just irresistible for the tourists to avoid the dramatic light and bold colors of these islands.

Neither could the great film director Roberto Rossellini fend off the dramatic features of these islands. In the 1950s, he had filmed ‘Stromboli’, where he cast his new girlfriend Ingrid Bergman. This film was shot in Stromboli, one of the remote islands of the Aeolian Islands. The camera of Rossellini did not miss to capture the volcano rising out of the sea.

Many years have passed since 1950s; but the Aeolian Islands have not lost their valor by any degree. Rather, the islands have glorified themselves over the years. These islands are best to explore between the months of May to October. July and August are the hottest months with the day temperature around 30° Celsius. The nights in Aeolian Islands are pretty cool. You can expect a drizzle at any part of the day.

The Aeolian Islands weather is not at all favorable between the months of November to April. Most part of this season experiences strong winds. These winds are powerful enough to disrupt ferry services and even to close down shops and restaurants. July is the best time to visit the Aeolian Islands. This part of the year attracts nearly 200,000 visitors every year.

While studying Geography in school, I had heard a lot about the Masai Mara National Reserve and always wished to visit this place. Located in south-eastern part of Kenya, this reserve belongs to the Masais and is administered by the county councils. When I visited the Masai Mara National Reserve, I was attracted to the landscape of the region apart from the flora and fauna.

I was one of the thousands of tourists visiting the Masai Mara National Reserve to watch the wild-beasts and other wild animals and birds. Lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, impala, Thomson’s gazelle, cheetahs, hyenas and jackals were other prominent species of animals which I found there. Different prey birds like eagles, ostriches, storks and vultures could also be seen in their natural habitats.

I was charged an entry fee of USD 40 per night when I visited the park. Tourist lodges are available within the park and for wildlife watching, the best transportation available here is 4-wheel safari vehicles.

You simply cannot afford to miss a trip to Aeolian Islands, if you are planning to visit Italy in the summer. This breathtaking archipelago is off the northern shores of Sicily. These Italy islands are fairly recent, fashioned by nature out of volcanic eruptions. All volcanoes, except one at Stromboli, are extinct though. Keep an Italy map by your side for finding out exactly where these islands are situated for planning your trip better, (it’s not absolutely necessary, though).

Vulcano is one of the most popular islands of the entire group. Chances are that this will be your first stop as you take a ferry from Milazzo. Do not forget to indulge in a mud bath once you reach here, followed by a shower. The sulfur odor will cling on to you for a couple of days, at the least, but you wouldn’t care less.

Lipari is the biggest island of the group. It also has the richest history. You can spend hours in its museum - the citadel. You can see various significant phases of the history of Italy unfold before your very eyes in the form of pictures and artworks from the Stone Age onwards! If museums give you the creeps, do not be disappointed. Climb up the Mount Sant’Angelo, and catch an unbelievably beautiful view of the island from the top. The sand is white, and the beaches are great for sunbathing. Hire a boat to the sea - which takes on a conspicuous pale-blue hue over here. Enjoy a swim as the boatman prepares an excellent fare of pasta and fresh fish for you on board. On land, you will find numerous shops, restaurants, lodges - everything, in short, that you need for a great summer holiday.

Panarea is decidedly up-market. Its milk white houses and foliage are extremely attractive. Be not surprised to spot the residences of some of the most rich and famous from the showbiz and the fashion industry over here. There is something typically ‘Greek’ about Basiluzzo, an island which appears like a spec in the Tyrrhenian Sea on Aeolian Islands map. But looks can be deceptive: this island is absolutely Roman.

Salina is lush, and gifted with great natural beauty. Stromboli (remember Rossellini’s film of the same name with Ingrid Bergman: it was actually shot over here) is remotest island; it is also the most picturesque island according to me.  Being the youngest of the Aeolian Islands, its beach is darker than the other island beaches. Stromboli has the only active volcano in the archipelago. This volcano has been spitting fire from as long back as human history can care to remember. Take a night trip and see the magma pouring out of its crater (from a distance, though!).

The Aeolian Islands is the ultimate summer destination, and more than 200,000 visitors come here every year. It is usually sunny and bright between May to early October, but be ready to brave a little rough weather at times: do not forget that this is where Odysseus accidentally took the lead off the bottle which contained all the winds of the world, gifted to him by none other than the mighty Aeolus, the Greek God of wind: after whom the archipelago is named.

It was nice to go through this section on Mapsofworld.com :

The portal is representing any event of importance in a suitable map. Be it an earthquake, a train collision or an ethnic conflict, Maps of World tries to capture it on map. I’m yet to go through other maps and features of this portal. Map in News section was, however, really worth exploring.

Afghanistan – haven’t you come across this name in all the international news channels when the US army was on their way to find the terrorists? Now, although you have heard the name for the wrong reason, one is never able to deny the beauty of this country. Last week I came across a map of Afghanistan in a local library and this enhanced my interest about this particular country. I sat down before my PC and researched a lot about Afghanistan. I was quite surprised to see how little we know about one of our best neighboring countries in the Asian continent.

The country has a long history which is associated in many ways with the history of the world. There were commercial transactions held in the ancient days between India and Afghanistan. Who doesn’t know about the famous Silk Route? Apart from all that, Afghanistan can also be regarded as one of the most naturally beautiful countries in the whole world.

The lion’s share of the population of this country belongs to the Muslim community and among them number of Sunni Muslims is bigger. Pushtu is the national language of Afghanistan although some foreign languages are used in governmental activities.

Desert covers most of the regions of this country. There lies the beauty of this land. Visiting this place will make you feel like living the days of the Arabian Nights. Afghan people are sturdy by nature and physical appearance. This is actually a gift to them from the nature of this country to cope with the kind of aridness which looms large over here.

The capital Kabul is also a beautiful city which is connected to the rest of the world by various means. The government is trying very hard to make drastic developments in the field of transportations. With the proper progress being achieved, the country will surely walk ahead in the other fields too.

You may come across the Kabuliwalas from time to time in the streets. Most of them come to our country with business purpose. I can remember the character of the Kabuliwala in a Rabindranath Tagore short story. Honesty of characters is also a trademark for the people of this country. Hats off to them who are fighting bravely with so many threats brought about by the terrorist organizations. I really believe that one day, the country government will be able to concentrate on the tourism industry and make it easier for us to visit the country.

Is this a dead end to Doha Trade Talks? It seems, it is. Yesterday the nail biting negotiations in Doha, which began in 2001, collapsed as India and China hesitated to yield to US pressure on safeguarding its farmers through subsidies and other import curbs. Who are the winners and losers of the Doha debtes are yet to be worked out. This is a bad omen for global economy, especially at a time when a concerted effort is required to keep rising commodity prices and food prices under check.

Interestingly, it was not the contentious areas like agriculture, special products or NAMA (Non-Agricultural Market Access) that led to the collapse of the talks, but the outright reluctance of US to devise a plan for its domestic economy based on its own principles. Pascal Lamy was blaming the developing countries all the way for not reaching a consensus about trading in international market. But he maintained a studied silence throughout the Doha trade talks on increased subsidies for US farmers.

Developing countries are victims of trade distortions, caused by huge subsidy for farmers in US and European Union. In a sense, the failure of Doha debates at least for now will put an end to the self-deceiving actions of the heads of several developed countries throughout the Negotiation process. Fair enough.

Planning to go for an African Safari this year? Well I must say that it’s the best way of visiting Africa! I have visited some of the major wildlife parks in Africa and believe me I was awe-struck with the variety of wildlife available here. However it is better to know the best time to visit the place as it will help you in viewing more wild animals.

If you are planning to visit Kenya for the annual migration of the wild-beast, zebra and qnu, then visit the country in between July and October. I visited it in March and was not able to see this annual migration. Tanzania’s northern parks can be best visited in February and March.

Uganda’s National Parks should be visited in March. What attracted me was the beauty of the place! You can visit Uganda in between December and March or during June and September. The major attraction in Uganda Jungle Safari is the Mountain Gorillas. To visit the wildlife of Zambia, September and November are the best months. During this time elephants, buffalos, zebra and impala can be found in large numbers. If you want to visit the exotic wildlife parks of Zimbabwe, then be there in between July to October. Do not forget to visit the largest game reserve of the country – Hwange.

June to September is the best time to visit Botswana. During this time Botswana is at its best. But I personally liked the mokoro trips (traditional canoe trips) than anything else. Etosha National Park, Namibia can be best visited during May to September. The Kruger National Park and Eastern Cape Region in South Africa should be visited in between June to September. When I visited the parks during this time, the weather was excellent and the parks were brimming with different types of animals.

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