Google's 'Blogger' Used to Spread Virus

BBC technology news is reporting that Blogger, like the one used to post this piece of news, is being used by malicious hackers. The report states that these hackers are posting fake entries which contain weblinks leading to booby-trapped downloads that could infect Windows PCs. The infected computers are then hijacked and mined for data or used as a base for other attacks.

[This was also posted at my blog]

Burning Man

In the Nevada desert, during the week before Labor Day (first Monday in September), you will find a strange community of about 30,000 people. They are camping in a playa (dry lake bed) in the blazing summer heat. They are playing music, dancing, performing, sharing, meditating, singing, and laughing. They have come together for Burning Man, an annual gathering of free spirits to celebrate the summer solstice by burning a huge wooden man.
Starting as a spontaneous idea in 1986 San Francisco, it quickly outgrew the confines of the city, and moved to the desert in 1991. It is well organized and environmentally conscience, with pains taken to leave no trace of their presence afterward.
It's not cheap (advance tickets start at $222 and are $350 at the gate), it is not convenient (the only things supplied are ice, coffee, and porta-potties), it is not close (120 miles north of Reno, Nevada), it is not easy (most days reach 110F). But people attend when they can because it is more than an event, it is an experience:

You belong here and you participate. You're not the weirdest kid in the classroom — there's always somebody there who's thought up something you never even considered. You're there to breathe art. Imagine an ice sculpture emitting glacial music — in the desert. Imagine the man, greeting you, neon and benevolence, watching over the community. You're here to build a community that needs you and relies on you. Molly Steenson

An Invitation for a Discussion

An ordinary morning. I’m on my way to work. I look through the window and suddenly I notice a very old poster on a wall. It’s an advertisement of some music event. It’s hard to get the full image of it, because the colors are faded and a part of the poster is missing. And then I remember myself in a street of Dublin. There you also can find old posters but not only of music events…

I do not consider myself to be an experienced traveler but I had a chance to visit few countries both in Western and Eastern Europe and I noticed a difference that I’d like to discuss here.

People in Western countries seem to be more concerned about global issues. Human right activists, the members of Green Peace movement, pacifists and the members of other usually non-governmental organizations stick posters in streets, television broadcasts commercials that encourage people to donate for various charity funds, it’s also quite common to meet a person in a street who invites you to join people who help to provide clean water in Africa or contribute in some other way. Meanwhile in Eastern countries it’s not so easy to find a person who at least gives a thought about what happens in his or her neighborhood, let alone the things in another part of the world. I’m not stating that people there are heartless bastards, who care only about their own good but I must admit that the level of concern about global matters is much lower than in the West. So my question is WHY?

Taungpyone Nat Festival in Year 2007

The onset of monsoon season makes June and July relatively quiet months in Myanmar. There are, however, various smaller Buddhist festivals to be enjoyed.

Taungpyone Nat or Spirit Festival is a popular five days festival held in Taungpyone near Mandalay. This year 2007, it was held from 23-Aug to 28-Aug and 26 & 27 was crowded most. Today is end of this festival. It was successfully and happily finished.

According to tradition, Nats are spirits that must be appeared or they will wreak havoc in peoples’ lives. The two Nat Brothers honored during Taungpyone Nat belong to the 37 well- known Myanmar Nats. The story of the two Nat Brothers originated during the rule of King Anawrahta, when it was the duty of every person in the kingdom to contribute a brick and a handful of sand for the construction of a pagoda. The brothers failed to contribute their share and orders came from the king for them to be mildly punished. Unfortunately, the Nat Brothers were accidentally killed. The King was remorseful and built a big Nat (spirit) shrine by the side of the Pagoda honoring the two brothers. The homage-paying festival is now held annually to appear the spirits as it is believed that the Nat Brothers can fulfill your wishes, protect you from ill-fate and danger, and bring good luck, prosperity and progress.

Hit song in Japan:Oshiri Kajiri Mushi

Oshiri Kajiri Mushi is a heavy hitting song now especially among children in Japan.
Oshiri Kajiri Mushi is an imaginary worm which bites human's hips.
You can see the movie of it by clicking an image.

Greece in emergency - All the country is burning

Costa Rican football lends a hand to Peru

Costa Rica's national soccer team displays a banner expressing solidarity with the victims of an earthquake in Peru during their friendly soccer match against Peru at Ricardo Saprissa stadium in San Jose August 22, 2007. REUTERS/Juan Carlos Ulate (COSTA RICA)

Although the game ended 1-1 the importance of this game was to provide something for the Peruvian people to keep their minds off the recent tragedy that struck their country. Also thanks to the organization of the Costa Rican Football Federation, the Costa Rican Red Cross and the Peruvian embassy in Costa Rica donations for the survivors of the Peru earthquake were received at the stadium.

Google in Shona

Call me slow... I was amused last week to find out I can use Google in Shona (an ethnic language here). Here is the link: Google in Shona although I don't know if it works in other parts of the world... (When you get to Google, you change the language to Shona- it's interesting!)

The paragraph above in Shona:

Pamwe handina kungwara... Ndakafadzwa pandakaona kuti ndinogona kushandisa Google nechiShona (rudzi rwemuZimbabwe muno). Link yacho iyi: Google nechiShona asi handizivi kuti inoshanda munedzimwe nyika. Kana ukasvika paGoogle, unosarudza Shona- zvinoyevedza!)

Deep in the heart of Texas....

........you will find the small city of San Angelo (just under 100K). Originally the fringe settlement for Fort Concho, it grew during the early 20th century as a sheep ranching center. It has continued to grow and although, not as well known as Dallas or Houston, it has been called "the best kept secret in Texas" by Money magazine.
In San Angelo, you can hike at the State Park, visit the old fort, enjoy a great meal, attend a play or concert, see a rodeo, visit the Old Chicken Farm Art Center, enjoy the wildlife, or get blown away!.

i am 29 !!

today, i have exactly 29 years, seems no one in the real world is taking notice, next month when i'll go home, i'll meet my fiancé for the first time , i can't really explain my feeling, it's a mix of happiness, doubt, and excitement.

St. James Parish new church

I've been out for sometime, out of blogging. Now I'm back. Yesterday, Sunday, I was at a new church in Chilomoni township within Blantyre City, Malawi. The church looked quite beautiful to me so I thought of taking a photo. It is said that it was built by one Christian belonging to the parish.

St, James Parish

"Let them eat cake."

I heard today that our vice president wonders why we are saying we are hungry... Apparently he thinks we should all revert to traditional foods (and he listed them), then we won't be hungry. Sometimes I think our politicians may be out of touch with the situation on the ground. Why would people be dying in food queues if the food he speaks of were accessible? I wonder... And I am angered. A joke (or is it) that goes round says that our president once said that we should eat rice, if maize meal (the staple) is not available... Deny, deny, deny is the order of the day.

In the meantime, life goes on. Went to two weddings this weekend, and one was at a really beautiful venue (pictured above)... Loved it. My sister commented on how the kids around us were so excited to see so much food, on how thin they are compared to the kids we used to see just five years ago...

160,000 species in Costa Rica Threatened

(La Nacion) - According to recent studies, world temperatures would rise by 3 degrees centigrade in the next 90 years and the sea level would do so by 1 metre in the same period.

This poses a death threat on 30 percent of the species in Costa Rica, meaning that 160,000 species of plants and animals would die.

Many of the amphibians, corals, and reptiles would not survive such an increase in temperature.
The environment would suffer major changes and the natural views of Costa Rica as we enjoy them now would be unknown to future generations.

According to a biologist Ana Fonseca, from the University of Costa Rica, corals are currently living at the top temperature in which they can do so – 28 degrees centigrade – and an additional degree would mean the end for 50 percent to 82 percent of them.

Airplane Explosion,no one dead

Today,airplane from Taipei to Naha exploded just after all passengers had escaped.
They were saved a miracle!
You can see how the accident happened by clicking the photo below.

Before Hurricane Dean...

Well, Hurricane Dean is upon us. Us here in this beautiful country of ours. Dean is currently a category 4 hurricane with winds of up to 145mph. Belize, as Mexico, is currently on watch and waiting to see what will happen. Caye Caulker is currently preparing, pulling boats up on land, boarding up houses and many people are evacuating already as well. The island is currently on a tropical storm watch.

There are still many people who will not leave the island no matter what, including my family and I. In 2000, for hurricane Keith, we stayed here and that was a scene to remember. That was my first experience in a hurricane. It was exciting and not really scary for me. The clean up post hurricane was another story. To sum it up in one word, it "sucked"! A lot of damage and cleanup. Hopefully, Dean will not turn track and hit us full force. It is expected to get to a category 5 before it hits landfall again so.

I remember hurricane Mitch, which was a category 5, very scary storm. Of course I was younger than I am now but I was really scared. The waves that came from which I remember were really scary to me back then. Now it is exciting to see the waves. We had some really nice footage of one of the hurricanes that came close to us some years back, though I don't remember which one. I lost those footage though. I will leave with a nice picture of how it looks outside my office right now. Very calm and beautiful, though tomorrow will be another story.

Take care and I'll see you back here after the storm.

People Swimming

İstanbul was quite hot and humid today. Poeople occupied Bosphorus coast by swimming. Majority of them is teenager. The water is not clean enough but they do not bother. They enjoy themselves.

Typhoon "Egay"

The skies have been heavily cloaked with gray clouds last Wednesday afternoon (August 15, 2007) as you can see from the photo I took that day. A storm was brewing that time. The following day, tropical storm “Egay” (international codename: Sepat) has made its presence felt, bringing heavy rains to the National Capital Region (NCR) and other provinces. The National Disaster Coordinating Council suspended classes in all levels for two consecutive days (August 16-17). Some areas in Metro Manila have suffered from floods. The local government is set to undergo relief operations to help residents of affected areas.

China's first ambassador to Costa Rica presents credentials

Costa Rica's President Oscar Arias and the new China's Ambassador to Costa Rica, Wang Xiaoyuan, left, smile after Xiaoyuan presented his diplomatic credentials at the Presidential House in San Jose, Thursday, Aug. 16, 2007. Wang Xiaoyuan formally presented his credential letter to Costa Rican President Oscar Arias on Thursday, becoming China's first ambassador to the Central American country in six decades. On June 6, Arias established diplomatic relations with China, five days after his country broke ties with Taiwan. (AP Photo/Kent Gilbert)

The awful Season in the history of World

Mustafa Hamido

This summer ,maybe, the hottest in the recorded history of the world. The middle east has faced the most awful summer season in its history. The East Mediterranean which was considered as a moderate climate specially in summer has faced a very hot season. In Syria the temperature has risen to 50 C which has not faced ever in its history. I had red in The Times that Italy also is facing an awful season. Its production of wine is going to fail this year. The quantities will be less than the normal while the quality will be better owing to high temperature which is concentrating the taste.

DQ

DQ is home of the original soft-serve dairy product, the popular Blizzard, and, my favorite, the Peanut Buster parfait.
It’s a popular place in the summertime, especially in small towns in the Southern and Midwest parts of the country. You can get a treat and sit in the cool inside or sometimes relax outside. Sometimes it is part of the boardwalk on the beach, sometimes it is the local hangout for the teenagers. But it is a great place to take the little league baseball team, or a bunch of giggling girls, or your own sweet tooth.

You can also go there for food- many DQ locations also have Brazier Grills featuring hamburgers and chicken snadwiches.

"Gallo pinto" is Nicaragua's national dish

The cuisine of Nicaragua is as diverse as its inhabitants. It is a mixture of criollo style food and pre-Columbian dishes. When the Spaniards first arrived in Nicaragua they found that the creole people present had incorporated foods available in the area into their cuisine.

Despite the blending and incorporation of pre-Colombian and Spanish influenced cuisine, traditional cuisine changes from the Pacific to the Caribbean coast. While the Pacific coast's main staple revolves around local fruits and corn, the Caribbean coast's cuisine makes use of seafood and the coconut.

Gallo pinto is Nicaragua's national dish, a blend of rice and beans, with cooking water from the beans added to color the rice. The dish has several variations including the addition of coconut oil and grated coconut which is primarily prepared on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast.

Most Nicaraguans begin and end every day with Gallo pinto, which is originated in Nicaragua.Very tasty, very colorful, very quick and delicious. Try and enjoy it!!

The garden of Balchik

Hi everyone! I'm back from the Black Sea trip I took with friends this summer. There is much to write about but I'll keep some material for the next post.

This photograph is from the Botanical garden in Balchik. Balchik is an interesting sea town in the North. It's best known for the Palace of the Romanian queen Maria and the Botanical garden. The latter is maintained by the Sofia University and is home to many native and foreign plants. Usually there are alleys with different types of pretty roses, but I found just a few.

Letter from abroad..

I was born in Romania but I now live elsewhere. Words cannot describe the love for this country, its people and their culture. Throughout our lives, there will be things we forget but some we won't. Romania is one that I will never let it out of my heart. Why, you probably wonder! One might say because I was born there. OK, so is this the true reason? Possibly. Of course, we will always remember the places where we previously lived but mostly where we first opened our eyes. However, a very limited few places will remain buried deep inside. Objectively, it is more than that. It is about the country's beauty, its land and its inhabitants overwhelming friendliness and carrying. One can never truly feel alone. Try to stop anyone at 6am and ask for directions. If you're driving, several people will hurry to your car to help and get you details as to how to get to your destination. Should you be traveling by train, you will suddenly realize that you will be chatting about each other's life story with the rest of the travelers in your compartment. When paying a visit, there will always be food on the table. And you will be a treated almost as a family member. You will also feel as if you know each other since kinder garden. Of course, memories play a big role in how I feel about Romania. Do I miss it? Of course. How can anyone forget the growing up times? It didn't matter that there were possibly struggling times. It is about the days when I was playing with the neighbors kids, then about the teenage years when a little more mature I began to enjoy the student life, making friends, their companionship and support and hanging out together. But also, it was about knowing that there was always a special friend, ready to be there for me when I needed it, either times were good or bad as it added meaning to life . Of course, this is all about the richness inside. Things have no value. Or they shouldn’t. As you all know nobody and nothing is perfect. But life shouldn't be that complicated. I learned, or at least I'm trying, to take the best part of it. I guess I am slowly trying to explain why every year I take my vacation and go back. Because as I previously said, there's no perfect place, I know what to expect and what I will find though major positive improvements are visible. The trick is to take the part I like and enjoy it, but ignore the rest. This is why I chose to always dedicate a few days to go to the mountains. The scenery, the strong air, the smell of pine tree, spruce and flowers are as relaxing as they offer serenity. This is what recharges my batteries for almost another year and helps me go through the coming days days in a bustling city where everything is a rush. Throughout our lives we meet new people and make new friends. But only our equal will probably offer you that special bond that means everything in the world. If this sounds familiar to you as it does to me, I have to warn you. The hardest part is to let go. If you can, don't ever do it. I always want to hold on to those special moments forever. Just like when I feel that that I don't want to leave Romania to come back but rather hold on to it. Would I forever go back? Definitely. And I know it will happen as soon as time is right. I'll tell you a little secret. Don't ever deny your feelings and accept them without being afraid. If you don't do this, you'll be losing your identity. It's important, and truly listen to your heart and instinct. Be yourselves and don't pretend. It will make you feel better and you will be happier. The rest is irrelevant.

VP.

P.S As you probably noticed this a letter from abroad.. Although this person does not live in Romania for a long time I consider that publishing his letter on the site is a neat experiment.
P.P.S The road is long :)

Obon in Japan

Obon is a traditional Buddhist festival which takes place throughout Japan around August 15.
We visit their ancestor's graves, welcome the ancestor's spirits home with food and offerings and then see the spirits off.
Most people have holidays this week,and go abroad or swimming in the sea.
Old tradition is gradually fading.
This photo was taken in the center of Tokyo.
Businessmen are disappearing now.

The Haven: Marsah Matrouh

Overlooking the Mediterranean sea, Marsah Matrouh is one of the most magnificent natural coasts you'd like to spend your summer vacation at. It's 500 KM away from Cairo; however, its scenery is fascinating; the magnificent shades of blue, the fine weather, and the natural and touristic resorts as "Ageeba" and "Cleopatra's bath" are breath-taking. The local market has abundance of products, especially natural herbs, and being famous for all olive products. In short, it's a place to recharge your energy and touch the beauty yourself!

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from my ALbum there

Marsah Matrouh gains also historical fame for Romil's marching into Egypt, Alaamein's battle. And also geographical and trade's port for being close to Libya.


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Marsa Matrouh has been favoured by many Egyptians now as an alternative to Alexandria, for Matrouh's calm sea and wonderful landscape, and of course less crowd!


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sunset in Matrouh

If you'd like to escape the political heat and hot weather of Cairo, Marsa Matrouh will be a perfect choice to finally relax!

Spanish Conquista of Puerto Rico

¡Hola lectores! Hello fellow readers! It’s been a few weeks since I shared with you about the Taino legacy in Puerto Rico. Today it’s time for the Spanish Conquista.

On November 19, 1493, the Italian sailor Christopher Columbus arrived to the shores of my island and claimed it for the crown of Spain with the name of San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist). It was later on that the name was changed to Puerto Rico (Rich Port) after finding some gold.

Aside for claiming lands for the crown of Spain, the sailors were also looking for a route to the East (specifically India), that’s why they called our natives “Indians” instead of “Tainos”.

The first order at hand was to colonize the lands and Christianize the natives. This is why Puerto Rico is in its majority Christian (including a vast amount of Catholics due to the influence of the catholic sovereign crown of Spain). It is from the Spanish conquista that we learned how to speak our main language (Spanish), although it was very influenced by taino words (and later by African words) still in use today. The way of living, the financial aspect, the religion and the government were as similar to the lifestyle in Spain and Europe as possible.

Thanks to our Spanish conquistadors, the height of the average Puerto Rican increased. The Tainos had never seen light colored skin people before and took tem as deities.

There is a sad chapter in the Spanish Conquista story. Innumerable atrocities were done in the name of our crown, and the Taino people slowly died due to the strenuous workload they were submitted to. It is for this reason that African workhands started to come to our island as slaves.

The lighter chapter of this story is the advances that the island saw during the almost 400 reign of Spain over Puerto Rico. The arquitecture, in Old San Juan city and in Ponce City, just to mention two is typical Spanish haciendas and buildings. The neoclassic style of the arquitecture was instrumental in the character of the island.

The fashion brought forth from Europe is still visible in carvings and handmade furnishings, as well as the dresses used in decades past for the dance of “La Danza”. The music was enriched by the Spanish guitar and the percussion instruments that the Taino used were accompanied by European instruments brought forth by the conquistadors. Also, the “paso fino” (fine step) horse was introduced to the island by the Spaniards. The sport of breeding and showing “paso fino” horses in the island is still one of our biggest pride and joy as well as a show of ancient customs and old age gallantry.

We owe much of our sense of history and physical attributes to the Spanish conquista…but it’s not over yet. Next time we will talk about the influence of the African workhands that were brought to the island, and how we carry their blood and their customs as well in this melting pot we call Puerto Rico.

¡Hasta pronto! See you soon!

Yiara S. Blanco

Tekstilkent

We have moved our office to new place, called TEKSTİLKENT. There are 2 towers. This place mainly occupied by textile business ( including fabric producers and sellers). The picture is from my office room. We are on th 20th floor. On the right side you see Motorway. You can also see tennis courts.

Respect!

Check out the video livestream from the 16th Zurich Streetparade. Fortunately for all those ravers who will dance the night away, the weather is picking up right on time. Have fun!

Fun summer on Garda lake and Gardaland park

If you know Italy, you probably know Rome, Venice, Milan, Florence, Naples, Sicily. Do you know that Garda Lake is the largest of italian lakes?



Garda lake is a wonderful lake located in the north of Italy between Verona (the city of Romeo and Juliet) and Brescia.
On the lake you can have some fun in the Gardaland amusement park that is an alternative to other European parks. There are also other fun parks in Italy and this is the complete italy parks list.



A visit to this park and the Garda lake is alwasy a must when you travel throwgh the north of Italy.

by Roberto italian blogger

Sea grapes on Caye Caulker

I am back. Sorry I have not been posting. Been a while. For this post I wanted to give a little info on our sea grapes. My family has on the land about five grape trees and they are the best on the island.

Sea grapes are different from the regular grapes. They are smaller with a large seed. They come in different colors as well. Red sea grapes and green sea grapes; however, there are many variations in those as well. There are small red sea grapes, bigger ones, darker, lighter and so one.

The sea grape season here in Belize is July. At this time, they are pretty much done. The trees are almost bare now... until next year. Around this time, kids are everywhere, especially since school's out and they are looking for sea grapes. It is common to see them walking around the island with plastic bottles in their hands either empty on their way to find grapes where they can or half full with grapes.

This is a picture of one of our grape trees last month that is still full of grapes that are about to ripe.

Sayaw Sa Salakot (A Cultural Dance)

Filipinos in small towns or barrios in the rural side always find ways to celebrate nature's bountiful gifts. Rich cultural dances evolved from these places. One of them is the Sayaw Sa Salakot, a dance where young girls of the village show off their colorful farm hats. I witnessed this lovely cultural dance at a friend's 25th Silver Wedding Anniversary.

The day of La Negrita

Eliezer Vargas walks on his knees to pay his respects to Costa Rica's patron saint, known as "La Negrita" at the Basilica of Los Angeles, Wednesday August 1, 2007. Thousands of Costa Ricans made the pilgrimage to the Basilica of Los Angeles in Cartago, Costa Rica, to pray to the 'Virgin of Los Angeles'," who first appeared to a local girl in 1635. (All photos by AP/Kent Gilbert)

To see more pictures click here.

Slvenia bans smoking inside

We finally did it. There is no more smoking inside public places, such as bars and restaurants in Slovenia. Slovenia bans smoking. I like that.

Blog Queen of Japan

Nakagawa Shoko was not so famous two years ago.
Her Shokotan-blog now earns more than 9 million pages view in a month.
Now she is the blog queen of Japan.
Do you have this kind of celebrity in your contry who becomes famous only by he/her blog?

le jardin d'essai

le jardin d'essai: where the first film of Tarzan with johnny wesmuler was turned, many people would think that the movie was made in some deep Africa forest, but actually it was in Algiers

Copenhagen Harbour Festival 2007

The famous British sea hero, Lord Nelson (the one on Trafalger Square in London) considered his battle of Copenhagen as one his three greatest victories. This shows that the tiny little country Denmark 200 years ago had a significant force of sailing ships. That was some centuries ago, the Danish fleet is still large. But the harbour of Copenhagen has lost influence, and is now rather used by cruisers and tourist.
That leaves the old buildings for business and housing. And the once so contaminated water is now so clean, that you can take swim in it without endangering your health. The county of Copenhagen even have life savers and swimming areas.
Once a year, a full weekend, there is a harbour festival. And this year with great weather. For some reason, the weather turned excellent, and all the citizens rushed to the harbour, for swimming and enjoying the sun. Not very many with sun tan.
The picture is from Sunday August 5th. Many activities are going on. Music, theatre, activities with boats, swimming, whatever you can do at the 'sea side'. This might look like something from the countryside. But it is in fact happening just about 5 or 10 minutes from the centre of the city. (Across the bridge in the background).

Aid...

Pretty telling for a country that used to be the "bread basket" of Southern Africa....

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

In 1938, Pappy Hoel and the Jackpine Gypsie motorcycle club, decided to have an annual rally the the small town (pop. 6,400) of Sturgis, South Dakota. Every August since then, motorcycle enthusiasts have gathered until it has become a huge event, attracting almost half a million bikers from all 50 USA states and quite a few from Canada and other countries.
While some folks will be rowdy, most will just enjoy the extensive schedule of events, as well as get together with old and new friends.

My daughter and son-in-law went two years ago, combining the rally with an extensive cross-country motorcycle trip. They had a good time and were able to visit many western landmarks that they had not seen before. While they are happy they went, it is not something they want to do regularly, maybe again in a few years.

more photos

A new Syrian series about the realtion ship between the Arab world and europe in the middle ages

Mustafa Hamido

A new Syrian series directed by a well known Syrian director Najdat Anzour called (Saqf Al-Alam) which means The roof of the the World will be broad-casted in next Ramadan season based on a middle ages Islamic journey by Ibn Fadlan to Scandinavia. The main target of this series is clarifying the Islam and trying to defend the prophet Mohammed which had been attacked by a Danish cartoons in 2005.

Picture: Batak Dam, Bulgaria

This view is from the dam of Batak in the Phodope Mountains. I think I've mentioned the dam before as it's near where I live and I visit it often. It's a good place to relax from the heat waves that sweep across our part of Europe. It's easily accessible and therefore it's not my favorite place, but it's okay.

Tomorrow I'm leaving for the Black Sea for a week and hopefully I'll post about it when I'm back. I wish you a nice summer, my friends!

Beaches in Myanmar and my favorite beach: Ngwe Saung Beach

Myanmar is a country endowed with historical, cultural, and natural resources. Endless miles of idyllic coastline with untouched and unspoiled beaches add much glory to her interest.Seven beaches are waiting for visitors to come and relax. Among them, Ngapali, Chaung Tha, and Ngwe Saung beaches are famous for both local and foreign visitors. The rest of the beaches still need to be promoted. Since Myanmar beaches are striking in their natural and unspoiled beauty, both local and foreign visitors like to relax there. Generally, the beach-goers turn out in their multitudes between mid-October to mid-April.

Visitors marvel at the beautiful sunsets as they relax on or near the white sand. Since the majority of beaches in Myanmar face west the spectacle is stunning. Visitors can fully relax in the quiet environment at the beaches as there are no speedboats, no crowds, no hawkers, and no masseuses. Traditional bullock-cart riding, horseback riding, cycling or simply walking along the shoreline will give you pleasant memories which will last a lifetime. Instead of the loud noise from restaurants and crowd, you’ll hear the rubbing sound of the coconut plants and the rhythm of waves lapping at the shore.

You will not see discarded tins and plastic bags on the beach shore, only seashells spread on the ground, waiting to be picked up as a momento. Relaxation at beaches in Myanmar is not just to sit on the white sand and splash around in the sea – there are so many other things to do.

Ngapali Beach is 50 minutes flight northwest from Yangon and in the high season some domestic airlines also connect to it from Bagan or Heho airports. There are no suitable roads to reach it. Located on the Rakhine coast, near the small town of Thandwe, it is an unspoiled beach, stretching over 3 km and offers the blue-green sea of the Bay of Bengal, white sand and swaying palm trees for visitors to enjoy. Nearby are a couple of fishing villages which are interesting places to visit, either by bicycle or by car. There is an elephant camp near the town of Thandwe which is an interesting excursion for those who tire of the sun and sand. There are no jet skis or noisy motor boats to spoil the serenity and tranquility of this untouched beach. Although there are only a few hotels (with more are being built), there is a full range of quality with a predominance of deluxe hotels. Ngapali Beach is a great place to end a Myanmar tour while relaxing with water, sun and sand amidst peaceful surroundings.

Ngwe Saung is also on the western coast of Myanmar on the Bay of Bengal, nearly directly west of Yangon and a bit south of Ngapali. It has become popular with tourists in just the last two or three years and the quality of the beach, sand and water is comparable to Ngapali Beach. There are only a few hotels (most of them are deluxe or superior category) however a more are being built. Until recently, the beach could be reached only by car (about 5 hours drive) from Yangon. Like Ngapali Beach, the beauty of the beach is unspoiled and visitors can enjoy a peaceful and relaxing holiday. One can visit small fishing villages and local market, explore the country side by bicycle or enjoy a boat trip to the offshore islands.

Chaung Tha Beach
About 42 km west of Pathein, a divisional town lies Chaung Tha beach. No flight between Yangon and Chaung Tha. Car journey from Yangon to Chaung Tha via Pathein takes 5 hrs. The beach curves inwards in the shape of a crescent stretching for nearly a mile and has the white sand with crystal clear blue water. There lays an islet called Thebyu which means white sand, one mile diagonally across Phokalar Island is formed by oysters and shells carried and piled up by tidal waves. Modern facilities can be found in bungalow type beach resort hotels. It is one of the most beautiful spots in the world.

The World Without Romania

If you think a little bit.. just a little bit about the past..

How would that be (the world without Romania/Romanians) ?




P.S Just want to add one more thing. Romanian people are a real treasure for their country; I think many of you have Romanian friends. I traveled a lot and I noticed that Romanian people are very friendly and they integrate very easy in local communities. I wonder what is your opinion about that.

the Asian cup final

I should've published this post 4 days ago :s , but I got a little busy so I apologize .

If you're a football " soccer " fan you must heard about the Asian cup final . And how the Iraqi national team won the final against the Saudi team .

Although I am not a football fan but I really enjoy watching the Saudi team , not because I am Saudi but because we play good . The players are too young , the average age is 23 years and most of the players don’t have that much experience but they are doing their best to perform well . We call them the dream team .

There's a lot to be said about the match and about how the Saudi team loosed it . A lot of experts said that the referee wasn't that good and he's one of the reasons for loosing the final .

I felt sad we didn't win but at the same time I am happy for the Iraqi people . The Iraqi team played very good and they earned the win . And the Iraqi people deserve some joy .

Congratulations for all the Iraqi people and hard luck for us .

Hassiba Ben Bouali

Hassiba Ben Bouali ( 18/01/1938, 18/10/1957), just thanks, your sacrifice has created millions of lives. see you in paradise inchallah

Lithuanian Surnames

This time I decided to write about Lithuanian surnames because I'm pretty sure that only few countries have such a phenomenon at this field. As far as I know, in let's say Germany, US or most of any other countries the surnames of all family members are the same. Let's take the Smith's family as an example: we have Mr Smith, Mrs Smith and Miss Smith. However, in Lithuanian family we find quite a different situation. There are Mr Butkus, Mrs Butkiene and Miss Butkute. There is a distinction between male and female surnames. Anyone can tell if a female is married or not from a single look at the surname. There's always the suffix "iene" in the surnames of married females and the suffixes "aite" "ute" or "yte" in the surnames of single females. All the foreigners I've talked to on this topic, found it very strange though interesting. I hope it was interesting for you as well.