Category: 2015

2015, Diving-Paper, Palau Paper, Paper, Underwater Pictures from Palaos

Palau: Snorkeling in the Jellyfish Lake

 

The Palau archipelago is located in West Pacific Ocean, east of Philippines. The archipelago is composed of more than 250 islands. Those islands are for most of them inhabited and they are mainly covered with tropical forest and mangrove. This short presentation is by itself forewarning nice adventures. But adding to that a lake full of jellyfish makes Palau become an even more extraordinary region.

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2015, Australia Selection

The Twelve Apostles, Victoria, Australia

The Twelve Apostles, Victoria, Australia

The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia.
Their proximity to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction. Initially, the site was called Sow and Piglets, and during the 50s it war renamed “The Twelve Apostles” to make it more popular, even if it had only 9 pilars. Currently there are eight apostles left, the ninth stack having collapsed dramatically in July 2005.

2015, Encounters, Mongolia Selection

Reunion among the Mongolian farmers

Important reunion around a sensitive debate.

This picture has been taken in 2015 in Oulan-Bator, capital of Mongolia

The big cattle owners, coming from all Mongolia, were once more gathered to discuss about the consequences of the last “white dzud” that just hit the country. A “dzud” is a climate phenomenon (sometimes drought in summer, sometimes cold winter, sometimes a combination of both) that lead to several deaths in the cattle. For the past few years, there have been numerous “dzud”. The annual losses can be counted in millions of animals.

2015, Encounters, Sri Lanka Selection

Mihintale, Sri Lanka

Mihintale is located in the north of Sri Lanka, close to d’Anurâdhapura. This site is a place of pilgrimage because it was the meeting place between Devanampiya Tissa and the emissaries of Ashoka ( Mahinda and Sanghamita ) who imported Buddhism in the island.

2015, Encounters, Sri Lanka Selection

Ravana Falls – Sri Lanka

Ravana Falls – Sri Lanka

This waterfall measures approximately 25 m in height and it currently ranks as one of the widest falls in the country. The falls have been named after the legendary king Ravana, which is connected to the famous Indian epic, the Ramayana. In the Ramayana, Ravana (who was the king of Sri Lanka at the time) kidnaps Rama’s wife Sita to exact vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister Shurpanakha. Ravana had hidden princess Sita in the caves behind this waterfall. At the time, the cave was surrounded with thick forests in the midst of wilderness. After a long and arduous search, Rama fights a colossal war against Ravana’s armies. In a war of powerful and magical beings, greatly destructive weaponry and battles, Rama slays Ravana in battle and liberates his wife.
It is also believed that Sita bathed in the pool at the waterfall feet. Nowadays this pool has a mystical status

2015, Borneo Selection, Malaysia Selection, Reptil and Amphibian

Harlequin tree frog (Rhacophorus pardalis), Borneo, Malaysia

Harlequin tree frog (Rhacophorus pardalis), Borneo, Malaysia

The harlequin tree frog, Rhacophorus pardalis, is a species of frog in the Rhacophoridae family found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests up to 1000 meters of altitude, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss. This frog was sighted on the riverside of the Kinabatangan, in the Malaysian part of Borneo