An early crisp and cold morning started the day at the Norfolk Hotel in Nairobi. The oldest hotel in East Africa opened its doors in 1904 and today still remains an icon.
Our drive to Samburu started at 6:30 a.m. as we negotiated morning traffic and on to the highway to Thika. Thika is a town in hilly terrain in Kiambu county and world renown for its fruit, primarily pineapples, and coffee farming. Driving through this region is so stimulating…cool breeze in your face and lush plantations all around.
Our journey continued through Karatina and Nanyuki where we could see Mount Kenya, the tallest mountain in Kenya and second highest in Africa after Mount Kilimanjaro.
After Nanyuki we passed through the Laikipia region known for its private game reserves. More on a visit to Laikipia in another post. We soon reached the town of Isiolo and had to refuel and grabbed a small bite. There was apparently some unrest in the region at that time and we had to wait for other vehicles to form a convoy with armed soldiers. While waiting we had a friendly conversation with a fruit seller named Halima. It was not often they came across Indians from India.
After a short wait we were soon on our way.
We soon reached the Ngaremara Gate outside Buffalo Springs Game Reserve. After quick entry procedures we soon reached Samburu Serena Lodge just in time for a late lunch.
After an hour or so we were soon on our way crossing over the Uwaso Nyiro River Bridge in to Samburu National Park.
Samburu National Park is in the semi-arid region North of the Laikipia Region and close to the Somali border. The almost desert like ecosystem. The flora and fauna of Samburu National Park along with Shaba National Reserve and Buffalo Springs National Reserve survive on the Ewaso Nyiro River, which is the longest river in Kenya. It waters are the lifeline for abundant species of mammals, plants and birds.
Samburu National Park is also home to some of the rare northern species such as the Grevy’s Zebra, Somali Ostrich, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk and the Beisa Oryx. This park is one of my favourites in Africa just because its its wonderful landscape, palm groves and riverine forests.
As soon as we entered the park, we saw many baboons and vervet monkeys( better known as the blue ball monkeys due to the colour of their genitalia). It was thoroughly enjoyable to see troops living together as a family with young ones scampering around with no care in the world.
Proceeding further we chose to drive around on the banks of the river.Driving down the river bank we came across many herds of Elephants, gazelles, impala.
As we rounded a bend, we were blocked by The Serena hotel Land Cruiser which had a puncture right on the bank of the river and we stopped to help. We had no choice but to stop just off the trail leading to the river…a trail…used by the elephant herds. Just as luck would have it a mother and her baby decided to leave the river and head into the bush…right behind us. Disturbed by the commotion of the tyre change, her motherly instinct kicked in to protect her baby had she charged our vehicle. But a few loud engine revs from our driver, made her have second thoughts and she quickly sauntered into the bush her baby trotting by her side.
After this exciting incidence we forged on and away from the river and across a Secretary Bird. After a long stretch of emptiness we came across a Cheetah and her cub in the grass. A few close up pictures and we were on the way back to the Lodge for dinner and off to bed.
Location: Marakele National Park, Limpopo Province. South Africa
Travel Date: April 2015
Driving 4 hours North West of Johannesburg after a 20-hour flight from Mumbai was one of the craziest things I could do…or so I thought.
Driving up N1 on crisp blue winter morning from Jo’burg’s O R Tambo International Airport towards Polokwane in a brand new rental Mercedes C-class, Helen’s words kept haunting me…its magical.
What was so magical? Well the drive itself was magical to start of with.
A very comfortable 120 km/h on the speedometer…cruise control on…check. Feet up on the seat…check. Sunroof open…check. Coffee in hand…check. Now I am set. The fields roll out in front of me as I whizz down the hard top.
Cruising down that highway I again thought to myself. Why did I do this? My answer came 4 hours later as I turned off the highway to pass Hoopsdal Police Station (my last landmark before the entry gate). Here Mac the security guard greeted me with a indemnity form stating that I am now responsible for my own life and property. Fair enough. Wild animals are unpredictable just as most humans. Signed off and was ready to go. Before I took off…Mac gave me last minute instructions. Follow the road for 7 kms. Cross the wooden bridge…then take a right.
Sounds like fun just 7 kms to go before a hot shower and a cold beer. I was wrong. This was the longest 7 kms I ever drove. Mercedes Benz C –Class…bad move. I had to watch every bump and stone in the road, these vehicles aren’t designed for dirt tracks. So here I am with my nose stuck to the windscreen and staring straight down in front of me when I see it! Fresh elephant poo! I see some trees knocked down as well. Now I am worried.
Elephant dung, knocked down trees and I am thinking Male elephant in musth is probably the worst thing that you can encounter in the wild. Musth is a period when a male elephant’s testosterone is at its highest. This bloke is ready to mate and gets extremely aggressive. Best way to recognise an elephant in musth is the secretion from its temporal duct behind the eye which make it look as though its crying.
Now I am on my guard as I inch forward with my foot now hovering between the brake and accelerator. More destruction and I head on. More dung too…and then I see…HER.
Very docile chomping away on the leaves not giving a hoot about my presence. I pull over to have a look. All is well she is happy and I am too as I take off leaving her gazing at me with utmost disinterest.
Finally I arrive at the lodge with a few impala encounters skipping, hopping and darting all around the bush like little children playing in the garden.
As I step out of my vehicle a big friendly “hello hello” greets me. Cold towel and a cold drink greet me on arrival as I am quickly chaperoned into the lounge area. Quick introductions and as I sign another declaration form I look over my shoulder…and there it is. The Magic of Marataba, a stunningly beautiful mountain range with grasslands before it.
Remember I was there by lunch so it was a pale yellow range, which reminded me of the old western movies such as McKenna’s Gold. I half expected Gregory Peck and Omar Sharif gallop in front of the property.
I was then led to my tented suite. It was circular in shape with a deck overlooking the semi dry river in front. On entering the room I was hit by the coolness of the air conditioning.
The layout of the room was really spacious with well-appointed interiors. A large king bed stood in the middle with a writing desk off to the side . What got my attention was the open style bathroom with a free standing stone bathtub and a rain shower. Both looked out over the river and up to the mountain range in the distance. I never got to use any of them as I trotted out to the outdoor shower with the same view and cool river water soon ran over my head.. The attention to detail in the design of the room was absolutely impeccable. Everything was within reach but in its own space.
A quick brief about the property. Marataba Safari Lodge has 15-tented suites for 30 guests. Children above 6 of age are welcome. I saw a bunch in the pool while I was walking towards the room with a herd of impalas surrounding them. Took me back to the earlier thought of impala’s in the garden…here they were.
I am getting sidetracked…so children activities and babysitting is also available and its possible to have a family room configuration as well. The open plan lounge and dining area are very spacious and inviting. They also have recliners on the deck to stare out in the distance at the mountains. I saw an old gent before I went for my shower on one of those recliners starting out into space, mesmerised by the scene that lay in front of him…and found him in the same spot, doing exactly the same thing when I return 40 minutes later for lunch. This was the magic of Marataba.
A little note for our tech savvy travelers. Wifi is available in the public areas. But honestly this is really not the place to be connected with the real world. Switch off and enjoy the magic of Marataba.
Lunch was light and easy. Gazpacho, salad and a burger. All extremely yummy and well balanced by Windhoek Lager. By the time I finished with my late lunch tea and coffee were set out just before our game drive. Hein our ranger who would take me out into the bush with another Dutch couple met me at the lounge.
I mention this, as this Missus was about to soon be the heroine of a saga later during the drive.
Driving through the bush we spotted a lot of plains game and birds and then we rounded a curve to come face to face with a white Rhino mama and her 2-year-old baby. A very nice sighting, as both were very peaceful and relaxed within a herd of Wildebeest only to be periodically disturbed by male impalas scampering around grunting as the rutting season was in full swing.
Leaving that lovely moment behind we headed over to the dam where I was scheduled to get on board MS. MARA. As we rounded a turn we spotted a large bull elephant in the bush just of the trail. As we approached he began showing some interest in us. Just as we passed him he began chasing us and Hein did the unthinkable…he stopped the vehicle…and switched the engine off. Now I am thinking to myself, back in East Africa we leave the engine on and if anything we rev the engine to say good-bye to the Massif. Not here.
They have a different thought process, which made solid sense. If they ran… the Ellie would chase and that’s not a good idea to teach these extremely smart blighters, as they will start chasing guest vehicles as the come up to the lodge… remember the docile female I encountered? So now I got it. In this haze I hear Hein’s voice talking to the elephant… calm and gentle telling him to go away. I look back and this large bull has locked eyes with the lady at the back. Slowly giving her the look over…men I say, they will never change.
For a good 5 minutes he is looking at her as he is thoughtfully chomping away at the brush. I might add his trunk is just 1 foot away from her. She could have been an attraction at Madam Tussaud’s, she was so stiff. I don’t blame her this was too close for comfort. No one was breathing and you could smell the fear in the air. Finally even the elephant had had enough. With a sidelong glance, as if to say “I’ll see you later mate” he sauntered off into the bush. Visible sigh of relief all over as we drove off to catch Ms. Mara.
As we reached the landing dock I saw the prettiest sight ever, there she was moored to the bank amidst the backdrop of those mountains again, which were now a pinkish bluish hue. Stunning! Off we went on the dam in Ms. Mara, which is a boat with basically two sets of inflatables on both sides and a deck for guest to relax and enjoy sun downers. I won’t go into details of this as words cannot explain the experience and the emotion on this ride. One has to experience this to understand.
With enough Droewors and Bells inside me it was time to rejoin the flying Dutchman and his lady love on a night safari back to the lodge. It seems they drove around a bit and saw some general game before they returned to fetch me and now as the evening got colder, we were all set to head back.
The lodge had transformed itself. Warm fires and lanterns lit up the parking lot and we were greeted with hot towels and glasses of wine and sherry. Total pleasure…with glass in hand we headed up to the bonfire overlooking those mysterious mountains again. Here we met up with the other guests of the hotel and swapped stories before each heading off to their tables for an early dinner. Dinner was again Table d’ hote and stunning. I distinctly remember the juiciness of the meat and the flavour of the sauce, before I hit the sack and into oblivion.
The next morning started off at 5 am with lions roaring in the distance. I quickly showered and ran up to the lounge area with the hope of spotting them from there while I sipped on some hot coffee. No luck but I could hear them calling out to each other as they got closer and closer. As soon as Hein turned up along with the Dutch we were off in hot pursuit. All the lodge vehicles had split up to try and locate them. It was Jomi who spotted them first. 4 of them, 2 males and 2 females. The females looked really hungry and one was in oestrus and the males, well one was extremely lazy and one had different ideas for one of the lionesses. We trailed them for over an hour, watching the females stalk a herd of wildebeest only to be constantly interrupted by the frisky male who had only one agenda…to mate with the female, making it impossible for the ladies to hunt. They gave up and we moved on. After a quick coffee break I headed over to the Marataba Trails Lodge.
PC More Family Collection, South Africa
Now we are talking. Set up in a valley with stunning views of the forest below is Marataba Trails Lodge, now renamed as Marataba Mountain Lodge. A five-suite lodge (maximum 8 people) built into the mountain. The concept “switch off”. No electricity, only solar lighting. No kids below 16 since everything is open to the wild and kids can be unpredictable on walks.
One single dining table for community dining as one would do at home. Really nice, considering there is nothing else to do here anyways in the evening.
The premise of this property is walking the trails around the property. Everything here is about nature. Early in the morning you choose your breakfast and pack it into your knapsack. Then off you go with one guide in the front and one at the back. The trails range from trekking over the top of the Kransberg Range to traversing through the gorges. The slowest guest determines the difficulty of the trek. It really doesn’t matter where you go, you will always encounter wildlife and that’s what makes this unique from any other property, as there are no vehicles to scare them away just you.
In the evening after a shorter walk one can sit by the fire pit and swap stories watching the sun lazily go down as the mountain range constantly changes colour… This is the way I will always remember Marataba…a place truly magical.
Travel is the movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations, and can involve travel by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, airplane, or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.
The origin of the word “travel” is most likely lost to history. The term “travel” may originate from the Old French word travail. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the first known use of the word travel was in the 14th century. It also states that the word comes from Middle English travailen, travelen (which means to torment, labor, strive, journey) and earlier from Old French travailler (which means to work strenuously, toil).
In English we still occasionally use the words travail and travails, which mean struggle. According to Simon Winchester in his book The Best Travelers’ Tales (2004), the words travel and travail both share an even more ancient root: a Roman instrument of torture called the tripalium (in Latin it means “three stakes”, as in to impale). This link reflects the extreme difficulty of travel in ancient times. Also note the torturous connotation of the word “travailler.”
Today, travel may or may not be much easier depending upon the destination you choose (i.e., Mt. Everest, the Amazon rainforest), how you plan to get there (tour bus, cruise ship, or oxcart), and whether or not you decide to “rough it (see extreme tourism and adventure travel). “There’s a big difference between simply being a tourist and being a true world traveler,” notes travel writer Michael Kasum.
“For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
Motives to travel include pleasure, relaxation, discovery and exploration, getting to know other cultures and taking personal time for building interpersonal relationships. Travel may be local, regional, national (domestic) or international. In some countries, non-local internal travel may require an internal passport, while international travel typically requires a passport and visa. A trip may also be part of a round-trip, which is a particular type of travel whereby a person moves from one location to another and returns.
Authorities emphasize the importance of taking precautions to ensure travel safety. When traveling abroad, the odds favor a safe and incident-free trip, however, travelers can be subject to difficulties, crime and violence. Some safety considerations include being aware of one’s surroundings, avoiding being the target of a crime, leaving copies of one’s passport and itinerary information with trusted people, obtaining medical insurance valid in the country being visited and registering with one’s national embassy when arriving in a foreign country.
Many countries do not recognize drivers’ licenses from other countries; however most countries accept international driving permits. Automobile insurance policies issued in one’s own country are often invalid in foreign countries, and it’s often a requirement to obtain temporary auto insurance valid in the country being visited. It is also advisable to become oriented with the driving-rules and -regulations of destination countries. Wearing a seat belt is highly advisable for safety reasons; many countries have penalties for violating seatbelt laws.
Ohio Listeni/oʊˈhaɪ.oʊ/ is a state in the midwestern region of the United States. Ohio is the 34th largest by area, the 7th most populous, and the 10th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The state’s capital and largest city is Columbus.
The state takes its name from the Ohio River. The name originated from the Iroquois word ohi-yo’, meaning “great river” or “large creek.” Partitioned from the Northwest Territory, the state was admitted to the Union as the 17th state (and the first under the Northwest Ordinance) on March 1, 1803. Ohio is historically known as the “Buckeye State” after its Ohio buckeye trees, and Ohioans are also known as “Buckeyes.”
The government of Ohio is composed of the executive branch, led by the Governor; the legislative branch, which comprises the Ohio General Assembly; and the judicial branch, which is led by the state Supreme Court. Ohio occupies 16 seats in the United States House of Representatives. Ohio is known for its status as both a swing state and a bellwether in national elections. Six Presidents of the United States have been elected who had Ohio as their home state.
turkey
Ohio’s geographic location has proven to be an asset for economic growth and expansion. Because Ohio links the Northeast to the Midwest, much cargo and business traffic passes through its borders along its well-developed highways. Ohio has the nation’s 10th largest highway network, and is within a one-day drive of 50% of North America’s population and 70% of North America’s manufacturing capacity. To the north, Lake Erie gives Ohio 312 miles (502 km) of coastline, which allows for numerous cargo ports. Ohio’s southern border is defined by the Ohio River (with the border being at the 1793 low-water mark on the north side of the river), and much of the northern border is defined by Lake Erie. Ohio’s neighbors are Pennsylvania to the east, Michigan to the northwest, Ontario Canada, to the north, Indiana to the west, Kentucky on the south, and West Virginia on the southeast. Ohio’s borders were defined by metes and bounds in the Enabling Act of 1802 as follows:
You have to remember that in the microcosm of Cincinnati, Ohio, through northern Kentucky, my father was a big star, still is. So that made my sister and me really visible. Everybody knew us, talked about us.
George Clooney
Bounded on the east by the Pennsylvania line, on the south by the Ohio River, to the mouth of the Great Miami River, on the west by the line drawn due north from the mouth of the Great Miami aforesaid, and on the north by an east and west line drawn through the southerly extreme of Lake Michigan, running east after intersecting the due north line aforesaid, from the mouth of the Great Miami until it shall intersect Lake Erie or the territorial line, and thence with the same through Lake Erie to the Pennsylvania line aforesaid. The Ohio coast of Lake Erie.
Ohio is bounded by the Ohio River, but nearly all of the river itself belongs to Kentucky and West Virginia. In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court held that, based on the wording of the cessation of territory by Virginia (which at that time included what is now Kentucky and West Virginia), the boundary between Ohio and Kentucky (and, by implication, West Virginia) is the northern low-water mark of the river as it existed in 1792. Ohio has only that portion of the river between the river’s 1792 low-water mark and the present high-water mark.
The border with Michigan has also changed, as a result of the Toledo War, to angle slightly northeast to the north shore of the mouth of the Maumee River.
Much of Ohio features glaciated plains, with an exceptionally flat area in the northwest being known as the Great Black Swamp. This glaciated region in the northwest and central state is bordered to the east and southeast first by a belt known as the glaciated Allegheny Plateau, and then by another belt known as the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau. Most of Ohio is of low relief, but the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau features rugged hills and forests.
Australia (/ɒˈstreɪliə/, /ə-/, colloquially /-jə/), officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the world’s sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For about 50,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century,Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages grouped into roughly 250 language groups.After the European discovery of the continent by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia’s eastern half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies were established. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and several territories. The population of 24 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated in the eastern states and on the coast.
Australia is a developed country and one of the wealthiest in the world, with the world’s 12th-largest economy. In 2014 Australia had the world’s fifth-highest per capita income. Australia’s military expenditure is the world’s 13th-largest. With the second-highest human development index globally, Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. Australia is a member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the Pacific Islands Forum.
The name Australia (pronounced in Australian English) is derived from the Latin Terra Australis (“southern land”) a name used for putative lands in the southern hemisphere since ancient times. The earliest recorded use of the word Australia in English was in 1625 in “A note of Australia del Espíritu Santo, written by Sir Richard Hakluyt”, published by Samuel Purchas in Hakluytus Posthumus, a corruption of the original Spanish name “Austrialia del Espíritu Santo” (Southern Land of the Holy Spirit) for an island in Vanuatu. The Dutch adjectival form Australische was used in a Dutch book in Batavia (Jakarta) in 1638, to refer to the newly discovered lands to the south. The first time that the name Australia appears to have been officially used was in a despatch to Lord Bathurst of 4 April 1817 in which Governor Lachlan Macquarie acknowledges the receipt of Matthew Flinders’ charts of Australia. On 12 December 1817, Macquarie recommended to the Colonial Office that it be formally adopted. In 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as Australia.
The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland, and the first recorded European landfall on the Australian continent, are attributed to the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon. He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in early 1606, and made landfall on 26 February at the Pennefather River near the modern town of Weipa on Cape York. The Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines and named the island continent “New Holland” during the 17th century, but made no attempt at settlement. William Dampier, an English explorer and privateer, landed on the north-west coast of New Holland in 1688 and again in 1699 on a return trip. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. With the loss of its American colonies in 1783, the British Government sent a fleet of ships, the “First Fleet”, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, to establish a new penal colony in New South Wales. A camp was set up and the flag raised at Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, on 26 January 1788,[15] a date which became Australia’s national day, Australia Day, although the British Crown Colony of New South Wales was not formally promulgated until 7 February 1788. The first settlement led to the foundation of Sydney, and the exploration and settlement of other regions.
A calm body of water is in the foreground. The shoreline is about 200 metres away. To the left, close to the shore, are three tall gum trees; behind them on an incline are ruins, including walls and watchtowers of light-coloured stone and brick, what appear to be the foundations of walls, and grassed areas. To the right lie the outer walls of a large rectangular four-storey building dotted with regularly spaced windows. Forested land rises gently to a peak several kilometres back from the shore.
Tasmania’s Port Arthur penal settlement is one of eleven UNESCO World Heritage-listed Australian Convict Sites.
A British settlement was established in Van Diemen’s Land, now known as Tasmania, in 1803, and it became a separate colony in 1825.[40] The United Kingdom formally claimed the western part of Western Australia (the Swan River Colony) in 1828. Separate colonies were carved from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859. The Northern Territory was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia. South Australia was founded as a “free province”—it was never a penal colony. Victoria and Western Australia were also founded “free”, but later accepted transported convicts. A campaign by the settlers of New South Wales led to the end of convict transportation to that colony; the last convict ship arrived in 1848.
The indigenous population, estimated to have been between 750,000 and 1,000,000 in 1788, declined for 150 years following settlement, mainly due to infectious disease. Thousands more died as a result of frontier conflict with settlers. A government policy of “assimilation” beginning with the Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 resulted in the removal of many Aboriginal children from their families and communities—often referred to as the Stolen Generations—a practice which may also have contributed to the decline in the indigenous population. The Federal government gained the power to make laws with respect to Aborigines following the 1967 referendum. Traditional ownership of land—aboriginal title—was not recognised until 1992, when the High Court case Mabo v Queensland (No 2) overturned the legal doctrine that Australia had been terra nullius (“land belonging to no one”) before the European occupation.
Turkey is a parliamentary republic in Eurasia, largely located in Western Asia, with the smaller portion of Eastern Thrace in Southeast Europe. Turkey is bordered by eight countries: Syria and Iraq to the south; Iran, Armenia, and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the east; Georgia to the northeast; Bulgaria to the northwest; and Greece to the west. The Black Sea is to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Aegean Sea to the west.
Starting from the late 13th century, the Ottomans united Anatolia and created an empire encompassing much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia and North Africa, becoming a major power in Eurasia and Africa during the early modern period. The empire reached the peak of its power between the 15th and 17th centuries, especially during the 1520–66 reign of Suleiman the Magnificent.
“Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure.”
― J.K. Rowling
Although rock climbing was an important component of Victorian mountaineering in the Alps, it is generally thought that the sport of rock climbing began in the last quarter of the nineteenth century in various parts of Europe. Rock climbing evolved gradually from an alpine necessity to a distinct athletic activity.
J.K. Rowling
Aid climbing, climbing using equipment that acts as artificial handhold or footholds, became popular during the period 1920-1960, leading to ascents in the Alps and in Yosemite Valley that were considered impossible without such means. However, climbing techniques, equipment and ethical considerations have evolved steadily. Today, free climbing, climbing using holds made entirely of natural rock while using gear solely for protection and not for upward movement, is the most popular form of the sport. Free climbing has since been divided into several sub-styles of climbing dependent on belay configuration.
Most of the climbing done in modern times is considered free climbing—climbing using one’s own physical strength, with equipment used solely as protection and not as support.
Ireland Ulster-Scots: Airlann [ˈɑːrlən]) is an island in the North Atlantic. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George’s Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest on Earth.
Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially named Ireland), which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, in the northeast of the island. In 2011, the population of Ireland was about 6.4 million, ranking it the second-most populous island in Europe after Great Britain. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.
The island’s geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable climate which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the Middle Ages. As of 2013, the amount of land that is wooded in Ireland is about 11% of the total, compared with a European average of 35%.[8][9] There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland.The Irish climate is very moderated and classified as oceanic. As a result, winters are milder than expected for such a northerly area. However, summers are cooler than those in Continental Europe. Rainfall and cloud cover are abundant.
The earliest evidence of human presence in Ireland is dated at 10,500 BC. Gaelic Ireland had emerged by the 1st century AD and lasted until the First World War. The island was Christianised from the 5th century onward. Following the Norman invasion in the 12th century, England claimed sovereignty over Ireland. However, English rule did not extend over the whole island until the 16th–17th century Tudor conquest, which led to colonisation by settlers from Britain. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, and was extended during the 18th century. With the Acts of Union in 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. A war of independence in the early 20th century was followed by the partition of the island, creating the Irish Free State, which became increasingly sovereign over the following decades, and Northern Ireland, which remained a part of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s. This subsided following a political agreement in 1998. In 1973, the Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community while the United Kingdom, and Northern Ireland, as part of it, did the same.
Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, especially in the fields of literature. Alongside mainstream Western culture, a strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed through Gaelic games, Irish music, and the Irish language. The culture of the island also shares many features with that of Great Britain, including the English language, and sports such as association football, rugby, horse racing, and golf.
During the last glacial period, and up until about 9000 years ago, most of Ireland was covered with ice, most of the time. Sea levels were lower and Ireland, like Great Britain, formed part of continental Europe. By 12,000 BC, rising sea levels due to ice melting caused Ireland to become separated from Great Britain. Later, around 5600 BC, Great Britain itself became separated from continental Europe. The earliest evidence of human presence in Ireland is dated at 10,500 BC. Until recently the earliest evidence of humans in Ireland were Mesolithic people who arrived by boat from Britain between 8000 BC and 7000 BC.
From about 4500 BC , Neolithic settlers arrived introducing cereal cultivars, a housing culture (similar to those of the same period in Scotland) and stone monuments. A more advanced agriculture was to develop. At the Céide Fields, preserved beneath a blanket of peat in present-day County Mayo, is an extensive field system, arguably the oldest in the world,[15] dating from not long after this period. Consisting of small divisions separated by dry-stone walls, the fields were farmed for several centuries between 3500 BC and 3000 BC. Wheat and barley were the principal crops imported from the Iberian Peninsula.
The Bronze Age – defined by the use of metal – began around 2500 BC, with technology changing people’s everyday lives during this period through innovations such as the wheel, harnessing oxen, weaving textiles, brewing alcohol, and skilful metalworking, which produced new weapons and tools, along with fine gold decoration and jewellery, such as brooches and torcs. According to John T. Koch and others, Ireland in the Late Bronze Age was part of a maritime trading-networked culture called the Atlantic Bronze Age that also included Britain, western France and Iberia, and that this is where Celtic languages developed. This contrasts with the traditional view that their origin lies in mainland Europe with the Hallstatt culture.
During the Iron Age, a Celtic language and culture emerged in Ireland. How and when the island of Ireland became Celtic has been debated for close to a century, with the migrations of the Celts being one of the more enduring themes of archaeological and linguistic studies. Today, there is more than one school of thought on how this occurred in Ireland.[citation needed]
The Uragh Stone Circle a Neolithic stone circle in Gleninchaquin Park, County Kerry
The long-standing traditional view, once widely accepted,[by whom?] is that Celtic language, Ogham script and culture were brought to Ireland by waves of invading or migrating Celts from mainland Europe. This theory draws on the Lebor Gabála Érenn, a medieval Christian pseudo-history of Ireland along with the presence of Celtic culture, language and artefacts found in Ireland such as Celtic bronze spears, shields, torcs and other finely crafted Celtic associated possessions. The theory holds that there were four separate Celtic invasions of Ireland. The Priteni were said to be the first, followed by the Belgae from northern Gaul and Britain. Later, Laighin tribes from Armorica (present-day Brittany) were said to have invaded Ireland and Britain more or less simultaneously. Lastly, the Milesians (Gaels) were said to have reached Ireland from either northern Iberia or southern Gaul. It was claimed that a second wave named the Euerni, belonging to the Belgae people of northern Gaul, began arriving about the sixth century BC. They were said to have given their name to the island.
A more recent theory, with broad support among archaeologists, is that Celtic culture and language arrived in Ireland as a result of cultural diffusion. This theory proposes that the Celticisation of Ireland may have been the culmination of a long process of social and economic interaction between Ireland, Britain and adjacent parts of Continental Europe.[citation needed]
The theory was advanced in part because of lack of archeological evidence for large-scale Celtic immigration, though it is accepted that such movements are notoriously difficult to identify. Some proponents of this theory hold that it is likely that there was migration of smaller groups of Celts to Ireland, with sufficiently regular traffic to constitute a “migration stream,” but that this was not the fundamental cause of Insular Celticisation.[citation needed] Historical linguists are sceptical that this method alone could account for the absorption of the Celtic language, with some saying that an assumed processional view of Celtic linguistic formation is ‘an especially hazardous exercise’. Genetic lineage investigation into the area of Celtic migration to Ireland has led to findings that showed no significant differences in mitochondrial DNA between Ireland and large areas of continental Europe, in contrast to parts of the Y-chromosome pattern. When taking both into account a recent study drew the conclusion that modern Celtic speakers in Ireland could be thought of as European “Atlantic Celts” showing a shared ancestry throughout the Atlantic zone from northern Iberia to western Scandinavia rather than substantially central European.
Travel is the movement of people between relatively distant geographical locations, and can involve travel by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, airplane, or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.
The origin of the word “travel” is most likely lost to history. The term “travel” may originate from the Old French word travail. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the first known use of the word travel was in the 14th century. It also states that the word comes from Middle English travailen, travelen (which means to torment, labor, strive, journey) and earlier from Old French travailler (which means to work strenuously, toil). In English we still occasionally use the words travail and travails, which mean struggle. According to Simon Winchester in his book The Best Travelers’ Tales (2004), the words travel and travail both share an even more ancient root: a Roman instrument of torture called the tripalium (in Latin it means “three stakes”, as in to impale). This link reflects the extreme difficulty of travel in ancient times. Also note the torturous connotation of the word “travailler.” Today, travel may or may not be much easier depending upon the destination you choose (i.e., Mt. Everest, the Amazon rainforest), how you plan to get there (tour bus, cruise ship, or oxcart), and whether or not you decide to “rough it (see extreme tourism and adventure travel). “There’s a big difference between simply being a tourist and being a true world traveler,” notes travel writer Michael Kasum. This is, however, a contested distinction as academic work on the cultures and sociology of travel has noted.
Reasons for traveling include recreation, tourism or vacationing,research travel for the gathering of information, for holiday to visit people, volunteer travel for charity, migration to begin life somewhere else, religious pilgrimages and mission trips, business travel, trade, commuting, and other reasons, such as to obtain health care or fleeing war or for the enjoyment of traveling. Travel may occur by human-powered transport such as walking or bicycling, or with vehicles, such as public transport, automobiles, trains and airplanes.
Traveller
Motives to travel include pleasure, relaxation, discovery and exploration, getting to know other cultures and taking personal time for building interpersonal relationships. Travel may be local, regional, national (domestic) or international. In some countries, non-local internal travel may require an internal passport, while international travel typically requires a passport and visa. A trip may also be part of a round-trip, which is a particular type of travel whereby a person moves from one location to another and returns.
Authorities emphasize the importance of taking precautions to ensure travel safety. When traveling abroad, the odds favor a safe and incident-free trip, however, travelers can be subject to difficulties, crime and violence. Some safety considerations include being aware of one’s surroundings, avoiding being the target of a crime, leaving copies of one’s passport and itinerary information with trusted people, obtaining medical insurance valid in the country being visited[8] and registering with one’s national embassy when arriving in a foreign country. Many countries do not recognize drivers’ licenses from other countries; however most countries accept international driving permits. Automobile insurance policies issued in one’s own country are often invalid in foreign countries, and it’s often a requirement to obtain temporary auto insurance valid in the country being visited. It is also advisable to become oriented with the driving-rules and -regulations of destination countries. Wearing a seat belt is highly advisable for safety reasons; many countries have penalties for violating seatbelt laws.
There are three main statistics which may be used to compare the safety of various forms of travel (based on a DETR survey in October 2000)