Tag Archives: landscape Think of Mongolia, and you think of nomads. Nomads on horseback, driving their herds of goats, sheep, cattle and horses across the vast, rugged expanses of Central Asia, are still an important feature of the Mongolian landscape. In spite of a 2.78% annual rate of urbanisation (according to the CIA World Factbook), Mongolia still has one of the smallest urban populations in […]  Steering the car off the turnpikes and onto the Blue Ridge Parkway is like stepping back in time. One has to slow down instantly: the posted speed limit is never higher than 45 mph (72 kph), and the winding mountain curves ensure slower speeds in many sections. For the 469 miles (755 km) that snake through the valleys and passes […]  It was a long day. Long, bumpy, and noisy. I’ve said it before: Cross-country travel in Mongolia is not for the faint-hearted – or for those who are weak of bladder! The Russian UAZ (Ulyanovsky Avtomobilny Zavod) four-wheel-drive vehicles that are tough enough to negotiate the matrix of mud, rocks, dirt and potholes that pass for a road network across the expansive steppes of […]  You could spend weeks – or even years – exploring the scenic views, the mountain trails, the towns and villages, and the flora, fauna, music, culture and craft along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Meandering along the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains in America’s Appalachians, the National Parkway starts at Rockfish Gap, Virginia, where it continues south from the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park (see: In the Virginia Woods), and […]  We’d heard the stories about the Costa Blanca (White Coast) on the Mediterranean in Southern Spain: cheap flights from the northern parts of Europe makes this area a playground for “hens parties”, retirees, and school-leavers. On our recent stay in Alicante Province, Spain, my husband and I met representatives of all these groups. We were staying in the planned resort […] |
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