Hawaii -----> Sydney..... FT 10 1/2 Hours

FT Means= Flight Time


WOW! What an adventure of a life time! Although I had great fun and many wonderful experiences, I am very glad to be home. Boy Oh Boy, have I built up alot of frequent flyer points! Hopefully enough for me to go back to my favourite destination- The Nile. There was so much for me to see, but unfortunately didn’t get to experience it all. Because of all the flights, I got tonnes of those little bags, with toiletries in them, maybe I can give them to some of my friends! The total of flight, up in the air was a total of……..97 Hours, and 25 Minutes!! No wonder I have jet lag! Well I hope you have enjoyed reading my travels, and maybe I have encouraged you to go and visit one of my ten destinations.
Loooooove Xanthe xx

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

Latitude: 34º S Longitude: 151º E

Belize -----> Hawaii.....16 1/2 Hours

Punaluu Beach

Today I am on Big Island in Hawaii. Expecting to go to a picture perfect beach. I ended up at Punaluu Beach, where the sand is jet black. This has been caused by lava flowing into the ocean, and then exploding in the cool water. It looked just like a typical Hawaiian beach-palm trees, and beautiful blue water, it was just the black sand and lack of ‘beach goers’ that made it different. The weather was hot, and so was the sand. The water on the other hand was on the chilly side. This was because there is fresh water pumped in from under water springs. I saw many Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles. People are not allowed to touch them, as they are an endangered species and bacteria from Human skin can kill them.
On the way back to the hotel, we drove along the coast line and how amazing, there are also green sand and white sand beaches. Fishing and tourism seems to be the main income for families living here. The mix of fresh water and sea water provides an ideal habitat for a variety of different fish. The fine black sand of Punaluu Beach is a big draw card for tourists.

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

A Turtle on Belize Beach

Belize Coastal Line, also the beach

Latitude: 19º N Longitude: 156º W

Brazil-----> Beize..... FT 6 Hours, 45 Minutes

Belize Coral Reef

I have just spent the most wonderful day diving in the warm, clear, turquoise waters of the Belize coral reef. It is the second largest reef in the world, behind the Great Barrier Reef, back in Australia. The reef stretches for 300km-the entire length of Belize. I had the opportunity to view a lot of different ranges of sea life-turtles, angel and parrot fish, stingrays and sharks just to name a few- and colourful undersea coral gardens.
The reef is mainly used for tourism and fishing. The locals are very protective of their reef. Permanent moorings have been placed throughout the reef to stop damage to the coral by dropping an anchor. It is a very popular tourist destination-with diving boats dotted all over the water.

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

Belize Coral Reef

Just some of the beautiful sealife...no wonder the

people are so protective of the reef! Who wouldn't be?

Latitude: 17º N Longitude: 85º W

Siberia-----> Brazil..... FT 13 1/2 Hours

Amazon Rainforest

While I am in this part of the world, I thought u would visit the Amazon Rainforest, in Brazil. Parts of this billion acre rainforest are also in Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. If it were a country, it would be the ninth biggest largest in the world.
The Rainforest is beautiful and green and quite dark once you get in. There are not many plants on the forest floor because the canopy blocks the sunlight. The ground is covered with wet leaves, moss, fungi and lots of decay. It also smells damp.
It is also noisy too. The Amazon is home to about 1,600 species of birds and around, 1,000,000,000 species of insects. We have seen a jaguar a tapir and heard a lot of monkeys.Did you know that 20% of the world’s oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest?
There is a large population of tribal people that live throughout the rainforest. The Amazon provides everything from food and shelter to tools and medicines. For example each plant has a specific role depending on its physical and chemical properties.
The traditional way of life of some tribes is being threatened by modern day life such as logging.

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

One guy from our group took this of a Jaguar...Very Dangerous!

Part of our track, also known as the forest floor

Latitude: 5º N- 15º S Longitude: 35º W-65º W

Mongolia-----> Siberia.....FT 6 Hours

Siberian Tundra

I am now in the northern part of Russia, Siberia to be exact, to experience the Siberian Tundra. It is sooooo cold and this is summer!! Temperature is 10C!!! The icy winds don’t help.

It is a pretty flat area, but I can see mountains, partly covered in snow, in the distance. Because of the extremely cold conditions, there are few plants, but there is a scattering of low growing plants and shrubs. There is also lichen, moss and short grasses.

The ground is soggy and swampy because the ice and snow has melted…How, in this temp???? There is little drainage because underneath the ground is permanently frozen subsoil called permafrost.

The Yakut people live in this area and to survive they hunt, fish and trap animals. Because of this, some animals in the tundra are being over hunted. They rely in animals for food, clothing and shelter (they use the fur). They live in ‘yurts’ which look very similar to the houses in the Gobi desert.

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

Siberian Tundra View

Latitude: 60º N Longitude: 100º E

Nepal-----> Mongolia..... FT 4 Hours, 10 Minutes

Gobi Desert

After yet another long flight, I have now reached Mongolia. I’ve been for an expedition on camels through the Gobi Desert! Hot, dry and windy. For days just rolling plains and temperature hovering around 40ºC + (better than winter…-40ºC!)!
The Gobi is not all sand dunes (like the Sahara).Much of it is like a scrub desert. There are dry and thorny bushes dotted around, rocky outcrops, gravel and dirt. I expected a severe wind storm and was pelted by tiny little rocks. The people who live here are nomadic herders and I believe are true survivors. They move about the desert in search of good and water. Their herds mainly consist of horses/camels for transportation, yaks-milk and cheese, and goats and sheep.The nomads have developed a ‘portable’ house called a ‘Ger’. It is a felt covered structure and can be adapted to suit different weather condition. It can be put together in 30-60 minutes!

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

A Ger

My Camel overlooking the Gobi Desert

Latitude: 44º N Longitude: 105º E

Egypt -----> Nepal..... FT 7 1/2 Hours

The Himalayas

I’ve arrived in Nepal and am standing at the base of the Himalayas – Where the earth meets the sky! This vast mountain range stretches 2500km east to west and covers 612021km² over India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. It divides the Indian subcontinent from Central Asia.

The Himalayas in Nepal cover ¾ of the country. It contains 9 of the highest peaks in the world, including the highest, Mount Everest. It is awesome!!! I feel like an ant and it really does look like it is touching the sky. It is permanently covered in a layer of ice and topped with snow – it never melts. Everest can actually ‘grow’ depending on how much snow has fallen.

I’m not actually climbing Everest, but I have spoken to the adventurous people who have. Powerful winds, freezing temperatures and lack of oxygen make the climb extremely difficult. The climate varies from tropical at the base to obviously below freezing at the summit. The vegetation also varies with the climate, rainfall and altitude. Lush forest areas at the base, to small scraggy plants, up to moss and lichen and finally, to absolutely nothing at the summit.

The Himalayas in Nepal are occupied by small settlements of people. Extremely cold winters and a short growing season limit farmers to usually one crop per year. Depending on the area this could be potatoes, barley, wheat or millet. People here appear very poor, but happy and friendly. Most communities rely on tourism to supplement their poor income.

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

Mount Everest

Longitude: 86º E Latitude: 27º N

Tanzania -----> Egypt.....FT 5 Hours

The Nile River

I have just spent the last few day relaxing in Egypt and cruising down the longest river in the world- The Nile! The Nile is 6,670km long-although I haven’t quite travelled that far, only between Luxor and Aswan. The scenery was stunning. Once away from the main cities the water is deep and blue. The banks are lined with lush green scenery, while in the distance, yellow and orange sands of the desert.
We passed small little villages and saw water buffalo on the banks of the river chewing reeds. I was very quiet except for the occasional donkey or prayers coming from the mosques hidden amongst the palm trees.
Millions travel on the Nile everyday-it’s like a freeway! Tourism is very popular with many cruisers and traditional Egyptian sail boats travelling up and down different parts of the Nile each day. There are hundreds of farms along the Nile and boats are used for transport. People also used the Nile for fishing-for some it is their main source of income.

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

The Nile River, and the Sahara Desert in the background

Latitude: 27° N Longitude: 30° E

Botswana -----> Tanzania..... FT 3 and 1/2 Hours

Serengeti Volcanic Grasslands

I have just finished a safari through the Serengeti grasslands (part of Serengeti National Park), and How Amazing!!! It has one the highest populations of large mammals in the world! I’ve seen hundreds of wildebeests, zebras, and gazelles. I have also seen lions, cheetahs and hyenas.
The land is truly beautiful. Originally formed by volcanic activity and sculpture by wind, sun and rain. There are open, flat grassy plains (long and short grasses) with scattered rocky outcrops called kopjes. It is also green and lush.
It is warm and dry there has been some light rain over the past few days. The nights are cool and noisy! I have heard hyenas laughing and lions roaring-there were even lion paw prints around our camp this morning!!!!
The Serengeti National Park is a protected habitat. Its main inhabitants, apart from the animals, are tourists. Outside the protected areas however, the short plains are facing increasing pressure for over population. More people, more farms, more grazing of cattle and large scale farms. Not all farmers have good agricultural skills and some are leaving soil infertile. This doesn’t mean the protected areas have nothing to worry about. The ecosystem is very delicate and is easily effected by drought, disease and overgrazing.

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

Kopjes (Rocky Outcrop)

Zebras Grazing

Longitude: 11° W Latitude: 21° N

Antartica -----> Botswana.....FT 17 Hours

Okavango Swamp (Wetland)

Yeah! Somewhere warm to thaw out after Antarctica!! I’m in the Okavango Swamp in Botswana – and it’s truly amazing. So beautiful and peaceful. I have been in a helicopter, over only a very small part, for a bird’s eye view and in a small canoe (mokoro) for a close up look at the animal and plant life.

The Okavango consists of lakes, lagoons, islands of various sizes and hundreds of channels headed of in every direction. While flying over, it looked like a patchwork quilt. There were open grasslands and flooded plains. Flat islands, tall trees and palms – it was breathtaking.

It is the largest inland delta in the world. It begins in Angola, flows through Namibia and then enters Botswana. There is no outlet to the sea; instead it empties into the Kalahari Desert. The Okavango can range anywhere from 9000km² to 16000km² after seasonal rains. It is home to over 400 different species of birds and a huge variety of animals. While flying over, I saw herds of elephants playing in the waterholes and hippos swimming.

On the water, I went through small water trails and channels. The water was so clear and surrounded by ‘hippo-grass’ and water lilies. Also saw many birds, giraffe and buffalo. The sun was warm and the sky blue.

The Wetlands provide important resources to the local people. These include fishing, building materials and grazing lands. Tourism brings in much needed money to what are generally poor communities.

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

Elephants In WaterHole

In the Mokoro

Latitude and Longitude: 22° S and 24° E

Sydney ----->Antartica.....FT 7 hours

Antartica

I’m at my first destination-Antarctica. Should have gone somewhere warm first!! It is the 5th biggest continent. It is also the highest, driest, coldest and windiest continent. You wouldn’t think it was the driest with all the ice around, but it receives less than 50mm of rain a year.
It is of course extremely cold. The temperature in Antarctica is almost always below freezing. It is just ‘white’ everywhere you look and it is very glary. The land is barren, not a tree in sight because Antarctica is an ice covered continent. The ice is 4-5km thick in places. The landscape is a bit of everything, mountains, valleys, ice glaciers, small amounts of bare rock and the most stunning ice cliffs falling directly into the ocean.
There are many research stations here with scientists from all over the world, if it weren’t for these, the place would be virtually uninhabited except for the animals. There are seals, whales, penguins and birds. These animals have thick layers of fat to help protect them from the cold. The only animals I have seen are the penguins. Their small compact body and thick skin also help to keep them warm.
I’m off to bed to get some sleep. Hope they have electric blankets!!!

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥

Not a tree in sight!

Penguins

Latitude: 90° S Longitude: 0° E

My Hellos And My Goodbyes

Hey everyone. I go by the name Xanthe, and I’m a geographer. I’m am going to all different places around the world- I guess you could call it a working holiday- and as anyone would be, I am extremely excited. As well as seeing and travelling the world, and taking some time out, I am going to experience and learn about different environments. I was just going to go on the trip, and fill in my friends and family when I got home, but my friends told me about this sight so that they can be updated. As well as that, I can also post pictures so they too can sort of experience the environments too. It can also mean that I can look back on my trip, around the world and remember the memories. So here we go!
Looooove Xanthe xx

♥♥♥XJ♥♥♥