Las Tunas the capital city of a small province in Cuba called also Las Tunas, which is the 9th largest and the 10th most populated Cuban province. Until the mid 90s the only sources of income for the locals were agriculture and cattle-raising. Today, though, tourism is becoming an additional field of support for the local economy, especially after the indications that the American embargo will get a little looser. The province was established in 1976 after being separate from the Oriente Province.

The city of Las Tunas features remarkable sites and monuments of the revolution and independence war; they are a tribute to the national culture for which Cubans are very proud. Among the numerous sites, is the Fuerte de la Loma National, which is a fort that was built by the Spanish when they wanted to defend themselves against the independent Cuban army. El Cucalambe is also a monument you cannot miss if you travel to the city; it is a monument erected in memoriam of the famous in Cuba poet Juan Jose Napoles Fajardo.

Las Tunas has still a very rich history in the industrial field of sugar cane due to the Spaniards who imposed it a few centuries ago. The lack of natural resources though, in combination with the long lasting embargo, has made the locals to turn to other fields of economy. Milk production is one of them. The project is supported and financed by the UN Food Program. The south coast of the province opens to the Guacanayabo Gulf which is the main area of the sugar cane fields; according to the experts the humid climate helps the crops significantly.

The locals, as all Cubans, are known to be very friendly and hospitable people, treating visitors who travel in like friends. The abundance of good feelings and cheer is what makes this place unique and worth visiting.

Why is it that people are very attracted to natural wonders? Note the importance people place on attractions that are not manmade—destinations like Japan’s Mount Fuji, America’s Grand Canyon, and even lesser known places as such the Philippines (and its rice terraces) are given so much premium and have become very relevant in these times. This isn’t very surprising, to be sure, especially since people are so used to modernity that they want to witness something different, something breathtaking, without reminding them of what they already see everyday in their lives.

This concept makes destinations like the Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves very popular. Located in Brazil, this reserve is 1,500 km long. It runs parallel to the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, between the states of Parana and Sao Paulo. Known locally as the Serra do Mar, it is said that most of the elevations in this mountain range were formed more than 50 million years ago. This mountain range is discontinuous—meaning many of its individual mountains is not part of the escarpment—so they were given individual names. Some of the more notable mountains in the Serra do Mar include the Serra Negra (a busy tourist spot in its own right) and the Serra dos Orgaos (which is also a national park, located in Rio de Janeiro).

That the Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves is found in Brazil is actually no surprise. After all, many of the country’s main attractions are also natural wonders just like this mountain range. For instance, Brazil is also home to the Iguacu National Park. The country also boasts of three other reserves (the Atol das Roscas, the Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest, and the Fernando de Noronha Reserves, in particular) and two protected areas (the Emas National Parks and the Chapada dos Veadeiros). All these, like the Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves, are included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list, an indication that Brazil holds many attractions that are significant not just locally but also to the whole world.

But with a country so naturally diverse, what can the Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves offer that the others cannot? For one, the Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves house one of the longest mountain ranges in the world. This makes it a home to some of the most unique flora and fauna. The coastal forest of Serra do Mar run for more than 100km. Because of this, it contains endemic species of plants, mammals, and birds (which in turn makes it an ideal place for hiking and biking, among other similar activities).

However, because of various threats, the forests of Serra do Mar have been reduced to around half of its original size. One of these threats, unfortunately, includes tourism. This is why the Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves is a relevant distinction for this charming natural wonder. There are very few like it that remains in the world. Even in a country so rich with natural treasures, the Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves remains to be unique and distinct.

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The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro is the greatest public University in Brazil and is considered to be one of the most important academic institutions in Latin America. It is located in the city of Rio, and features 3 different educational venues, as well as two buildings in the heart of the city. It is also referred to as the University of Brazil, as this was its original name when it was built back in 1920s.

During this decade the educational officials of the city decided to merge the smaller educational institutions of the city and create a large and accredited University, which would set the example for every other college and university in South America. This is the reason why the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro consists of three campuses today. The governmental ambition was to create an institution that would provide state of art education and would gather the best possible professionals of the country. This became true with the introduction of the Federal University in Rio, which used to be the capital city of Brazil, before the current one, Brazilia. The President of Brazil, Epitacio Pessoa was the founder and inaugurator of the University; it became fully autonomous institution in 1945 and it was renamed to Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in 1965.

A few years ago a delegation of the University officially asked the government to restore the original name of the FURJ, Universidad do Brazil and the request was accepted. The idea behind the request was that the name Federal University of Rio de Janeiro was given by a military regime, which is no longer favourable in the country and reminds of unfortunate events and times. Today, if you look at a travel guide you will probably find references with both names.

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Copacabana is a very famous district in the southern part of Rio in Brazil; it is one of the major tourist destinations in the country and the area that is shown in every travel guide referring to the country of Brazil, mostly due to the long and gorgeous beach that lies at the coast of the city.

The beach is four kilometres long and is repeatedly voted among the most beautiful beaches in the world. The beach took the name from the district, although the borough was not named like that originally. Its name was Sacopenapa, although towards the end of the 18th century, the officials of Rio decided to create a replica of the Chapel that is located in Copacabana in Bolivia. The Chapel of Virgin Mary built in the area gave its name to the district and later on to the beach.

Except for the homonym beach, there is an entire network of small beaches in the area that gather numerous tourists and sea aficionados; the Arpoador beach is particularly famous and popular among surfers who come from all over America to surf there – it is considered to have the perfect waves. The beach of Ipanema is also located in the same area, however Copacabana remains the most known and popular one.

Normally, the area is fully developed and benefits from the vast tourism; according to the Officials in Rio, just this area features 65 hotels and 15 hostels, as well as numerous bars, cafés and restaurants. Its nightlife is notorious, as the clubs of Copacabana are famous worldwide. The beach is also the official home of the Beach Soccer World Cup, while numerous tournaments take place there annually.

Except for the beach, the area boasts long history as well; the Fort of Copacabana is one of the most well-preserved in Rio and is located at the end of the Beach, while other Forts and Towers ornament the area as well.

Xochimilco is a borough in Mexico City, one of the sixteen which compound the Federal District of Mexico. It is situated almost 30 kilometres away from the city centre and is supposed to be the third bigger borough in the region, covering an area of 125 sq meters.

The borough boasts a long and impressive history. It used to be the home of the homonym lake from which it took its name. The area keeps until today all the cultural and religious traditions and keeps it rural character, despite the close proximity to the main urban centre of Mexico.

Xochimilco is mostly known among the foreigners due to the impressive network of canals that make it a very scenic destination; visitors who travel to this area aspire lovely and romantic weekends, away from the bustling city life. Indeed, although the area is touristic, it hasn’t lost its authentic style. The area was featured in many American and Latin American movies, adding to its reputation as a romantic destination. The name of the area is derived from a local dialect and stands for the flower fields.In 1987 the area was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

The main character of Xochimilko is until today agriculture, although it is significantly reduced. It became part of Mexico soon after the end of the Revolution and today commerce and trading are becoming increasingly more important for the area. Especially after the inauguration of the railroad that connects the State of Mexico with this town, commerce became one of the top priorities for the locals.

The Canals of the Xochimilco area are among the major tourist attractions in the region, although their banks are almost completely covered by houses and wooden docks. Tourists and visitors have the chance to rent boats and enjoy a relaxing cruise along the canals, while local musicians add to the folklore character of the area.

The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, also known as the Redeemer, is one of the most important monuments in Latin America and the entire world. Its history is long and interesting. It dates back to the 16th century, during the Portuguese Reign. They were the first who named the historical mountain on which the Statue lies today, naming it Peak of Temptation. 100 years later, though, the mountain is given a new name. This time the name is Corvocado, the Latin name for hunchback.

During the 19thcentury and most particularly in 1859 Pedro Maria Boss amazed by the grandeur of the mountain suggests that this mountain should be ornamented by a majestic monument; he also suggests building a statue of Christ overlooking the great city of Rio. This is how this ambitious plan begins.

In 1922 the construction of the Christ the Redeemer statue begins. Nine years later the statue is inaugurated making the mountain known all over the world. The Redeemer is a large and impressive art deco sculpture, 38 meters high and 30 meters wide. It weighs more than 640 tons and is considered to be one of the tallest and heaviest monuments in the world.

Two years ago, in 2007 there was an open voting online for the new Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Christ the Redeemer statue is one of the modern seven wonders, since the Brazilian people and companies organized a huge campaign to convince people to vote for the statue, hoping that even more people would travel to the country.

The statue is one of the most important tourist attractions in the world and is also considered to be one of the most photographed monuments. A few years ago the Archbishop of Rio ordered the construction of a small chapel underneath the statue, named Nossa Senora Aparecida, where several catholic ceremonies take place.

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The Atacama Desert is one of the most known deserts in South America. It is located west of the Andes and is considered to be the driest plateau in the world. It stretches almost six hundred miles from Peru into Chile and is situated at an elevation of 2000m.

The lifeless and rainless plain features mineral debris and elements from the Andes and the surrounding grounds. It is the only desert in the earth where you cannot see any plant or cactus, no signs of life what so ever. Lizards and iguanas that usually live in desert habitats do not exist there, as the desert is completely dry. Even cactuses need some amount of moist, but even this tiny little requirement doesn’t exist there. Nothing can rot without moisture. In fact the Atacama Desert is considered by experts to be completely sterile, almost fifty times drier than the famous Death Valley in California.

According to studies and experiments that took place there, there were no rainfalls in the area for more than 400 years, from 1570 to 1971, the longest period ever recorded in late historical years. The average rainfall in the area of the Atacama Desert is not more than 1mm per year, while some rain stations have never seen rain since 1975.

What is amazing is that the area features some really high mountains, reaching 6900m. Due to the dry climate though, they do not feature any glaciers at all. Visitors are usually amazed by the fact that more than a million people live within the limits of the Atacama Desert today. They have created small settlements and cities, while some of them managed to establish small fishing villages on the pacific coast. It is also impressive that there are farmers, who are dedicated workers of the land and produce veggies and fruits using drip irrigation systems.

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Temple of Kalasasaya is one of the most imposing temples found in South America today; it is located in Tiwanaku in Bolivia and is a solid and large structure of 130 x 120 meters. Even approaching the temple the visitors are impressed by the majestic and massive structure and the very nice and unique architectural design which placed it among the most well appointed temples in the world.

The main entrance of the Temple of Kalasasaya is a large staircase close to the east walls. Since the original designs of the time were similar, the temple, as Akapana ritual centre, features a sunken court in the middle – according to experts and historians this allowed people to gather around it and participate to the celebrations and rituals that took place in the temple. The Temple consists of two major pieces, the walls and array of pillars.

The name of the Temple refers to the Temple of Stopped Stones in the local language. Its construction is particularly interesting as the initial design was based on the alignment of the Temple of Kalasasaya with astronomical elements. This is the reason why many people believe that the actual temple features spiritual powers and auras beyond the common human knowledge and understanding. Studies show that the temple was built based on the position of sun in the sky, during the equinox of the fall.

The investigations and researches that took place in the area allowed us to understand and acknowledge the civilisation of Tiwanaku more; it was a complex but advanced culture that probably would have left a lot to the modern culture of Bolivia if it was not destroyed by earthquakes and other natural disasters. The Temple of Kalasasaya is a great witness and resource of information about the important civilization that compares with the Incas and influenced the evolution and development of the area.

Tiwanaku is the premium archaeological site of Bolivia; it is also called Tiahuanaco and is in close proximity to the city of La Paz. Visitors who wish to come to this unique place can come by car – three hours approximately – or by train and bus. It is also located close to Lake Titicaca in Peru, where numerous visitors go on daily trips. The remains in the area date back to 600 BC during the pre Inca Era.

According to the findings, the area was once a very important ritual and ceremonial hub, characteristics that remain intact until today. The civilization developed in this area was of significant importance, influencing Peru and the nearby countries of South America. In fact, historians and experts believe that some of the findings in Tiwanaku are more important than the ones found in Peru, since the art of pottery making or the knowledge of locals on astronomy and other sciences was far more advanced than the Incas’. Nevertheless, the area is still under archaeological excavation and exploration, while many of the initial findings are housed in the National Archaeological Museum in La Paz.

The stories and legends about the establishment of the area are quite interesting; according to the myths giants created Tiwanaku overnight, so as to settle there and create their civilisations. When Incas dominated in Peru, the area in Bolivia was already considered to be ancient and was in ruins, as many catastrophic earthquakes hit it. The population of the area was mostly agrarian and was considered to be relatively wealthy for the times. The civilization declined probably when water disappeared from the area.

There are two major attractions in Tiwanaku: the Akapana pyramid, which is almost square and is built over an impressive formation and the Kalasasaya Temple, which was a place of rituals and celebrations, made of sandstone.

La Paz is the capital city of Bolivia. It is often referred to as the city that touches the sky because it is built on the slopes of hills, in high level above the sea. It is located and built over a large alti-plano: the city levels range somewhere between 3100 and 4500m above the level of sea. It is the administrative capital of Bolivia, but in papers, the real capital is Sucre, something that most people ignore, as Sucre is not equally renowned.

It was founded back in 1548 by the Spanish conquistadores who reached the shores of South America. The first name of the area was Laja and featured the first Native American settlement in the area. The original name was though Nuestra Senora de la Paz, which translates to Our Lady of Peace and is dedicated to the establishment and restoration of peace in the area. La Paz, as Bolivia, is the most Indian city of the continent, where numerous authentic Native American settlements still exist. Visitors have the chance to hear the original language spoken in Bolivia, the Quechua, and see the traditions and habits of the local Indians as once were.

La Paz is also known due to its close proximity to a large number of monuments and ruins. It is very close to Lake Titicaca and the famous Machu Picchu in Peru. Although in a different country, numerous excursions take place every day from the city to these monuments. Copacabana is also a famous destination of the trips that start there. Many Bolivians have started visiting the nearby monuments, as until a few years ago, poverty and lack of means didn’t allow them to travel at all.

Tourists who want to visit La Paz are advised to do so from April to October as winters can be harsh in this altitude.

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