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India is a place of color and unique flavours, and this is one of the most colorful temples the country has to offer. Ancient and new, sprawling but community oriented, Chennai is a city that captures the Tamil spirit of South India, acting as a gateway to both the region and its culture.

Located in the heart of the city, Mylapore, Kapaleeshwar temple is dedicated to Shiva and resonates the rich Tamil religious culture. Its premises consist of sculptures of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. Moreover, the temple is home to shrines of Tamil Shaivite saint poets Nayaars. The structure of these shrines is marked with towering domes or Gopurams. Every structure light up during major festivals.

From March to April, Kapaleeshwarar celebrates the religious sentiments during the Brahmotsavam festival. Devotees flock this temple and attend the grandeur of spirituality and Pooja services. The temple hosts five types of Pujas, Ko Puja, Vaikarai Puja, Kaala sandhi Puja, Uchi Kaala Puja, and Ardhajama Puja. Visitors often schedule and take part in the Puja services. With the help of local priests, you can indulge in buying temple offerings and completing rituals. Also, if you are fond of artistic wonders, this place is going to win your heart.

How to visit:

The best time to visit depends on what you want - February to May: These months are hot but it is one of the best times to explore rituals and spirituality of Kapaleeswarar temple. From March to April, the temple hosts a nine-day celebration of Panguni Peruvizha. The spirituality of this place blooms up and you can witness its grandiose during this time. June to September: These months constitute as the monsoon season in Mylapore. Due to proximity to the sea, rains are quite prominent. Even heavy rainfall can occur, plan your trip accordingly. October to January: This time is considered as the best months to visit Kapaleeshwarar temple. The weather is pleasant and comfortable to explore the city.

Also, there are no entry fees to the temple. Avoid wearing leather and dress conservatively.

Happy journeys in India!

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I know I know... Venezuela is probably one of the most dangerous countries in the world in therms of criminality. But if you're adventurous enought to go to this country you will want to witness this.
South America’s largest body of water, Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, is the site of “the most frequent lightning in the world”. Spectacular storms are a crowd-pleaser, and apparently something people are prepared to pay to see. Lakeside fishing communities now welcome tourists who come on special trips from Mérida, a lively Andean town in the north-west of the country.

It had been a regular feature since a long time in history. The sky begins its dramatic display of earsplitting thunder and lightning after the sun sets over the Lake Maracaibo. Venezuela, the north easternmost country in South America, is noted for high altitude waterfalls, longest coastline and frequent thunderstorms. Thunder strikes are intense. Plus, they are unmatched by similar meteorological prodigy anywhere in the world! Clouds gather over the lake without fail and storms start raging. The radiance of lightning is so bright that it is visible from 400 kilometers away... 28 strikes per second appear exactly at the same place on the same time every day. Isn't it a nature's wonder?

But why there are so many lightnings here? The lake water evaporates during the day, forming moist droplets which collide with icy cold mist settling down from the mountainside. Swift flow of wind triggers the collision, producing static electricity culminating in lightening and claps of thunder. Nature’s whim or wrath – by whatever name you call it turns into a primary source for Catatumbo Lightning tours!

How to visit:

Since the entire adventure is centered on a remote habitat, you may find places not covered by Google maps. You should be prepared for the rough and treacherous conditions. Jungles are infested with mosquitoes and other insects, bites of which may not be pleasant.
Wet seasons are the best when the moisture content in atmosphere is the maximum. The season runs from May to November, the month of October draws highest tourist volume. If luck stays on your side, you may witness 26 streaks of lightning per minute!

The Bridge over Lake Maracaibo is something that you should not miss when visiting Lake Maracaibo. You should not forget to visit the Palafitos in Santa Rosa de Agua which is located up north of Maracaibo. The buildings which are constructed by native Venezuelans are made from wood. These buildings are impressively constructed on top of water.

For tours check this site par example:
http://www.araguato.org/en/node/175

Happy journeys in Venezuela!

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Almost no one heard of this ancient wonder that is Guatemala. Located in the heart of America, is a country not well known my some backpackers and for its amazing forests and wildlife. But the old town of Antigua is the scenery for natural disasters since the early ages... earthquakes, floods, avalanches and natural active volcanos shape its landscape.

One of them is Volcán de Fuego, an extremely active volcano that lies less than 10 miles east from Antigua. Example? On June 2018 killed 198 people and hundreds missing. On August 2018 made 4000 people loose their homes. But don't worry so much!! Fuego is famous for being almost constantly active at a low level. Small gas and ash eruptions occur every 15 to 20 minutes, but larger eruptions are rare. Andesite and basalt lava types dominate, and recent eruptions have tended to be more mafic than older ones.

It’s possible to hike sections of the 12,345-foot (3,763-m) Fuego Volcano, although doing so will depend on the volcano’s current level of activity. The hike is a difficult and technical climb that ascends along the saddle of the volcano. Hikes typically start in farmland, lead through cloud forests, and wind into high alpine meadows before reaching tree line. Stop along the steep slopes of Fuego just short of the crater—getting any closer than this is dangerous.

How to visit:

Most guided tours leave from Antigua. If you are not using a guiding comapany, you can get to Fuego from two different directions:

From Antigua, Guatemala drive to Ciudad Vieja (5 Km) and then continue on to Alotenango (2 Km). The trail is steep and rocky, starting at about 1400 m near Alotenango and ascending to Fuego's summit (3763) in about 9 km traversing along the Quebrada San Jose, along a trail. It takes 8-10 hours of hard work.

Another option is to drive to Ciudad Vieja from Antigua and then, along a dirt road to Soledad (2400m) on the northern flank of Acatenango (Route 10 from Ciudad Vieja to Yepocapa). This route ascends Acatenango (3976 m) first, then descends to the col between (3280 m) the two volcanoes before ascending again to Fuego. Most people spend the night on Acatenango, using the first day (4-6 hours) to climb it. Then they get up early for the climb to Fuego.

Many climbers go up by the first route and then descend by the second. The 2 routes are the Alotenago Route and the La Soledad Route. No permits are required, but there are times when access to Fuego may be restricted because of volcanic activity. Late November to early April is the dry season, and the best time to climb.

If you're looking for a tour (probably that's the best thing you can do if you don't know what you are doing):

https://oxexpeditions.com/tours/fuego-volcano-day-trip/

Happy journeys in Guatemala!

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If you're heading to Mexico and are in a hunger for a pink salty instagrammable lake, this is your best option. In the small village of Rio Lagartos, the pink lakes of a salt factory attract tourists from all around the world!!

Its lakes are actually salt flats from the nearby salt extraction plant. The algae in the water, coupled with the sun and extraction process, turn the waters bright pink. Its colors are reportedly best in July-August and March, due to the 6-month evaporation process.

Just a little reminder: you actually cannot swim there anymore. Technically, the salt flats are private property, so you definitely need to respect the rules. There are security guards on motorcycles patrolling the area, and even some guys offering tours, but they were all friendly. A warning: the salt flats themselves are an industrial area. You’ll be able to get photos of the pink sand beach and rose-colored water, but you might have to position yourself to avoid some power lines and trash! (Yes, really.)

How to visit:

The amazing pink lakes of Las Coloradas are located off the beaten track a bit. Getting here requires a 3-hour drive from Cancun or Playa del Carmen — 2 hours from Valladolid. There is a local bus from Cancun to Rio Lagartos, but because of different stops/changes, the trip can take 7 hours. Renting a car like we did is much easier!

You also can stay in the this area and discover more. Rio Lagartos is the largest town that is near to this area. In here you can find several hotels, restaurants and tour options for more exploration. One tour that you can take leaves from Rio Lagartos and goes to see the flamingos. You can read more about doing this tour and visiting Rio Lagartos in our article here. There is also a charming town of San Felipe. This is a small fishing village with colorful wood houses and a nice promenade to walk on. Here you can see fisherman hard at work and even find a few local seafood restaurants.

On a boat tour, you can see Las Coloradas from the waters of the Ria Lagartos Biosphere Preserve. But the best views of the water are from the other side, by the salt extraction plant.

Search here for a tour:

https://las-coloradas.com/

Happy journeys in Mexico!

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Costa Rica is one of the most eco friendly places in the world, with many places to preserve and protect their endangered species, and, if you want to be apart of this movement, one of the best things to do there is to make a trip to their Sloth Sanctuary!!

The objectives of the sanctuary involve the rescue and rehabilitate sloths that are referred to the Sanctuary, improving their welfare and quality of life; Study and understand sloth behavior, lifestyle, physiology and pathology through research and the exchange of information; Promote respect for sloths and educate the public about their importance to the environment and stimulate scientific and social interest in sloths with the support of those organizations involved in and responsible for environmental protection.

Founders Judy Avey-Arroyo and Luis Arroyo originally purchased the 320 acre (129 hectare) lowland rainforest reserve to operate birding tours on the Estrella River. In 1991, when a devastating 7.7 earthquake completely changed the river’s course, the couple closed their bird tour business and decided to build a small hotel on the land instead. A year later, some neighborhood girls asked them to look after an orphaned baby sloth; as animal lovers, they agreed and the sanctuary was born!!

How to visit:

It's almost a 4h30 drive from San José, the nearest town would be Cahuita, and it will cost around 30$ for an adult (2 hours tour time). You can choose other tours where you meet baby sloths and it's 1 more hour, really inside the feeding and care of the sloths, that would cost around 150$. They are closed on mondays and christmas and they open from 8am - 2pm on the rest of the days. There's no availability to volunteer there.

Please note that you cannot pet, touch or hold sloths in Costa Rica. No “sanctuary” should allow you to do this as it is extremely bad for the sloth's health since they get very stressed out and humans can transmit bacteria and other harmful things. Also: Stay away from roadside scammers who let tourists hold a sloth for a photo. They simply knock a baby sloth out of a tree, exploit it for quick money, then abandon the animal and allow it to die from malnutrition. When the next tourist comes along who wants to hold a sloth for a photo, they repeat this inhumane practice. If you see someone doing this, we ask that you take a photo of the person and call 9-1-1 to report them.

For maps, payements and other informations, just go here:

https://www.slothsanctuary.com

Happy journeys in Costa Rica!

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