Alice Springs is the little, desert town located bang in the center of great, big Australia. It’s more-or-less half way between Adelaide to the south and Darwin to the north, making it an ideal travel destination to break the long journey in either direction. Alice Springs draws travellers from all over the world as a base to explore the beautiful red centre. The nearby sites include Alice Springs Desert Park, Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Larapinta Trail, the Flying Doctor Service and further afield, Uluru and Kings Canyon.
Today, on the 10 July, Alice Springs is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the annual ‘Camel Racing Cup’ which draws town folks and tourists from all over to watch the spectacle and have a lot of fun! The first Camel Race was run in 1970 in the dry Todd River Bed as a bet between two mates, Noel Fullerton and Keith Mooney-Smith. Since then, the race is held annually including a festival atmosphere with stalls, entertainers, rides, food and drink stalls, live music and Camel Cup souvenirs. No Australian race would be without ‘Fashions on the Field’ and this is distinctly ‘central Australian’ in flavour.
A Town like Mparntwe: A Guide to the Dreaming Tracks and Sites of Alice Springs
I was recently introduced to this Scottish band by @JeanD99 He shared this particular song on Twitter and I fell in love with this new sound. It’s not what you would expect to come out of Scotland! I have since listened to more of their music via their website and You Tube. What do you think?
Formally the District of Columbia, Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States, located on the North Bank of the Potomac River and is surrounded by the states of Virginia to the Southwest and Maryland to the other borders.
Fourth of July Activities In Washington, D.C.
Washington D.C. is one of the most quintessential American cities there is. There are so many things to do in DC that it’s easy to get lost in all the American history. Renowned DC attractions like the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the U.S. Capitol building pull in a majority of tourists, but there’s so much more to do and see! Arguably the best time to visit the Capitol is on the most American day of them all: the 4th of July. Just being in the city for the amazing patriotism that is showcased is enough to make anyone feel like a real American, but Washington D.C. pulls out all of the stops to make our Nation’s birthday one to remember for you and yours. Some 4th of July events are as follows:
Washington D.C.’s Independence Day Parade beginning at 11:45 a.m. proceeds from Constitution Avenue and 7th to 17th street.
4th of July at the National Archives beginning at 10 a.m. and going to 9 p.m.
Smithsonian Folklife Festival from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (July 4th).
White House Visitor Center Family Events between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the White House Visitor Center.
Concert on the Washington Monument Grounds kicks off at 6 p.m. with the U.S. Army Concert Band right in the shadow of the Washington Monument.
The famous A Capitol Fourth Concert that goes from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (admittance begins at 3 p.m.) on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
Of course there’s so much else to do in the city that will be boosted up by the fact that it’s the 4th of July. There’s dozens of D.C. museums that it’s easy to fill your days to the brim of red, white, and blue. Over a 150 museums like The Smithsonian National Museum(s), the Newseum, and the National Museum of Crime and Punishment are all ready to let you see history up close and personal.
Amongst the most popular sites, including The Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, there’s a large amount of activities and/or tours to engage in. This includes Ford’s Theatre Tour, Ghost Tours, Lincoln Assassination Tour, and Old Town Alexandria Tour; all of which are walking tours. Before, during or after, you may also want to check out places like The Capital Visitor Center, Whitehouse Visitor Center, or The U.S. Capital Building; all of which are highly popular amongst tourists.
All of these attractions are amazing but nothing compares to listening to “Stars and Stripes Forever” while the sky lights up over the city with hundreds of fireworks throughout the night. Independence Day is an amazing time to celebrate America, but with all these amazing events there’s no place better to do so then the Nation’s Capitol.
The Tonlé Sap is the vast lake in Cambodia and The Tonle Sap is the largest lake in southeast Asia. In Cambodian its name means “Large Fresh Water River,” but it is more commonly translated as “Great Lake”) It is a combined lake and river system of huge importance to Cambodia. Julie Wilson writes of her trip to this region in Cambodia.
One of my favourite days was travelling up the Sangke River into the Tonle Sap Lake on our way to Siam Reap (the town near the Angkor Wat temple complex). We started our river journey from Battenbang. Our long boat was just one of many watercraft on river – all long and narrow and paddled or with tiny motors.
Floating Pig Pen
Our boat followed the Sangke as it meandered north for hours – the riverbank always dotted with interesting small settlements of two or three houses on either side along its length. After around 4 hours of serene travelling the river widened out, and then began to widened out again and again until it became a vast delta. And imperceptibly the delta became a vast and beautiful lake – the Tonle Sap Lake. Now dotted with waterlilies and low long pieces of ground almost level with the water and covered with lush green vegetation and even small trees.
We passed whole villages of four to eight houses either on tall silts of five or six meters high or, even more fascinating, floating on bamboo rafts. The floating settlements of houses all on rafts were so picturesque. Each house was floating on each own bamboo raft. And not only houses but small sheds, vegetable patches, chicken coups and pig pens – each on its own bamboo raft base and linked by a rope to a house.
As our long narrow boat travelled on up into the great lake we went through small floating towns – shops, community halls, schools, and school playgrounds were all floating on their own raft. Truly a beautiful and amazing sight.
So if you get the chance, I highly highly recommend that you include the river journey on the Sangke from Battenbang to Siam Reap as a travel destination to Cambodia. I loved it! For me it was, with the temples, the highlight of the trip and such a relaxing and enchanting way to travel too.
One Great Reason to Visit the Sanke River and Tonle Sap Lake
One great reason to visit this travel destination is to view the communities living upon the water. Houses on stilts or floating out on the water on bamboo rafts. Fascinating!
The Traveler IQ challenge ranks geographic knowledge of cities such as: Punta Cana, Willemstad or Columbia by comparing results against 5,473,834 other travelers.
Alice Springs is the little, desert town located bang in the center of great, big Australia. It’s more-or-less half way between Adelaide to the south and Darwin to the north, making it an ideal travel destination to break the long journey in either direction. Alice Springs draws travellers from all over the world as a base to explore the beautiful red centre. The nearby sites include Alice Springs Desert Park, Simpsons Gap, Standley Chasm, Larapinta Trail, the Flying Doctor Service and further afield, Uluru and Kings Canyon.
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